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An American Dictionary of the English Language

Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)

Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865

Entries
95,912
Pages
1,538
Illustrations
2,133

Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.

  1. Dic'ta-to-ry, a.p. 370Dogmatical; overbearing. Milton.
  2. Die-tā'tress or Die-tā'trix, n.p. 370A female who dictates or commands.
  3. Dic-tā'tūre, n.p. 370Office of a dictator; dictatorship. Bacon.
  4. Dĭc'tion, n.p. 370Choice of words; selection of terms; manner of expression; style; phraseology. His diction blazes up into a sudden explosion of prophetic grandeur. De Quincey. Syn.—DICTION, STYLE, PHRASEOLOGY. Style…
  5. Dic'tion-ā'ri-an, n.p. 370One who constructs a dictionary; a lexicographer. [Rare.] Dancson.
  6. Dic'tion-a-ry, n.p. 370A book containing the words of a language, arranged alphabetically, with explanations of their meanings; a lexicon; a vocabulary; a word-book. 2. Hence, a work containing information in any…
  7. Dĭc'tum or Dĭc'ta, n.p. 371An authoritative saying or assertion. “A class of critical dicta every where current.” M. Arnold. 2. (Law.) (a.) A judicial opinion expressed by judges on points that do not necessarily arise in the…
  8. Di-dăc'tic, n.p. 371A treatise on teaching or education. [Obs.] Milton.
  9. Di-dăc'tic or Di-dăc'tic-al, a.p. 371Fitted or inclined to teach; intended to instruct; preceptive; arranged in a form suitable for instruction; systematic. “The finest didactic poem in any language.” Macaulay.
  10. Di-dăc'tic-al-ly, adv.p. 371In a didactic manner.
  11. Di'dac-tic'i-ty, n.p. 371Devotion to teaching. Hare.
  12. Di-dăc'tics, n. sing.p. 371The art or science of teaching. [See Note under MATHEMATICS.]
  13. Di-dæ'tyl, n.p. 371An animal having two toes.
  14. Dī-dăc'tyl or Dī-dăc'tyl-ōus, a.p. 371Having two toes.
  15. Di'dal, n.p. 371A kind of triangular spade.
  16. Did’ap-per, n.p. 371(Ornith.) A certain bird that dives into the water; a species of grebe; the little, or black-chin grebe; dab-chick; Podiceps minor.
  17. Dī-dăs'ca-lar or Dī-das-cal'ic, a.p. 371Didactic; preceptive. [Rare.]
  18. Did'der, v. i.p. 371To shiver with cold. Sherwood.
  19. Did'dle, v. t.p. 371To cheat or overreach.
  20. Did'dle, v. i.p. 371To totter, as a child in walking. Quarles.
  21. Dī-dĕl’phie, a.p. 371Pertaining to the didelphys. [Written also didelphyc.]
  22. Di-dĕl'phid, n.p. 371A marsupial animal.
  23. Di-dĕl'phid, a.p. 371Pertaining to the marsupials.
  24. Di-dĕl'phis, n.p. 371See DI-DELPHYS.
  25. Dī-del’phye, a.p. 371Pertaining to the didelphys. [Written also didelphic.]
  26. Dĭ-dĕl'phys, n.p. 371(Zoöl.) An animal of the marsupial tribe; — so called by Linnæus, but the term is now restricted to an American genus which includes the opossum. [Written also didelphis.]
  27. Dī’do, n.p. 371A trick; an antic; a caper. To cut a dido, to play a trick; — so called from the trick of Dido, who having bought so much land as a hide would cover, cut it into a long string to inclose more than…
  28. Dī/do-dĕ'c/a-hē'dral, a.p. 371(Crystallog.) Having the form of a dodecahedral prism with hexahedral summits.
  29. Di'drăchm or Di-drăch'mā, n.p. 371A two-drachma piece; an ancient Greek silver coin, worth about thirty cents.
  30. Dĭdstp. 371Second person imperfect of do. See Do.
  31. Di-dūçe'ment, n.p. 371Separation into distinct parts; division. [Obs.] Bacon.
  32. Di-dūc'tion, n.p. 371Act of drawing apart; separation.
  33. Dī'dus, n.p. 371(Ornith.) A genus of birds including the dodo. See DODO.
  34. Di'dym or Di-dym'i-üm, n.p. 371A rare metal related to cerium, in whose ores it is found;— so called from its intimate association with the ores of lantanium, which are always found with those of cerium.
  35. Did'y-mōus, a.p. 371(Bot.) Growing in pairs or twins. Eng. Cyc.
  36. Dĭd'y-nā'mi-ă, n.p. 371(Bot.) A class of plants in the Linnean system, characterized by having four stamens disposed in pairs of unequal length.
  37. Did'y-nā'mi-an or Di-dŷn'a-moüs, a.p. 371(Bot.) Containing four stamens disposed in pairs of unequal length.
  38. Dīe, v. i.p. 371To pass from an animate to a lifeless state; to cease to live; to suffer a total and irreparable loss of action of the vital functions; to become dead; to decease; to expire; — said of animals or…
  39. Dīe, n.p. 371A small cube, marked on its faces with numbers from one to six, used in gaming, by being thrown from a box. [See Illust. of Dice.] 2. Any small cubical body. “Words . . . pasted upon little flat…
  40. Dī-ē'cian or Dī-ē'cioŭs, n.p. 371Dī-ē'cioŭs, a. See DIŒCIAN and DIŒCIOUS.
  41. Dī-ē'dral, a.p. 371The same as DIHEDRAL.
  42. Dī'e-ġē'sis, n.p. 371A narrative or history; a recital or relation.
  43. Dī'e-lĕc'tric, n.p. 371(Elec.) Any substance or medium that transmits the electric force by a process different from conduction, as in the phenomena of induction; a non-conductor separating a body electrified by induction…
  44. Dī-ĕn'ni-al, a.p. 371Biennial. [Obs.] Scott.
  45. Dī-ĕr'e-sis, n.p. 371The same as DIÆRESIS.
  46. Dī'er-vĭl'lȧ, n.p. 371(Bot.) A genus of shrubs with yellow flowers; — so called from M. Dierville, who sent it from Canada to Tournefort. Gray.
  47. Dīe'-sĭnk'er, n.p. 371An engraver of dies for stamping coins, medals, &c.
  48. Dīe'-sĭnk'ing, n.p. 371The process of engraving dies.
  49. Dī'e-sĭs, n.p. 371(Mus.) A small interval, less than any in actual practice, but used in the mathematical calculation of intervals. 2. (Print.) The mark ‡; — called also double dagger. Eng. Cyc.
  50. Dī'ēs nŏnp. 371(Law.) A day on which courts are not held, as the Sabbath, &c.
  51. Dīe'stŏck, n.p. 371A contrivance to hold the dies used for cutting screws.
  52. Dī'et, n.p. 371Course of living or nourishment; habitual food; what is eaten and drunk; victuals. For his diet, there was a continual diet given him of the king. Jer. lii. 34. 2. Course of food selected with…
  53. Dī'et, v. t.p. 371To cause to take food; to feed; to nourish; especially, to cause to eat and drink sparingly, or by prescribed rules.
  54. Dī'et, v. i.p. 371To eat; to feed; especially, to eat according to prescribed rules; to eat sparingly.
  55. Dī'et, n.p. 371A legislative or administrative assembly in Germany, Poland, and some other countries of Europe; a deliberative convention.
  56. Dī'et-a-ry, a.p. 371Pertaining to diet, or the rules of diet.
  57. Dī'et-a-ry, n.p. 371Rule of diet; allowance of food, especially that presented in almshouses, prisons, &c.
  58. Dī'et-brē'ad, n.p. 371Food medicated, or regulated by a physician.
  59. Dī'et-drink, n.p. 371Medicated drink.
  60. Dī'et-er, n.p. 371One who diets; one who prepares, or who partakes of, food according to hygienic rules.