Dab, dab, v.t. to strike gently with something soft or moist, to smear:—pr.p. dab′bing; pa.p. dabbed.—n. a gentle blow: a small lump of anything soft or moist: a species of flounder of light-brown colour, with small dark spots and rough, close-set scales.—ns. Dab′ber, a sort of pad for dabbing ink on engraved wood blocks or plates; Dab′chick, a small water-fowl, a kind of grebe. [First about 1300; cf. Old Dut. dabben, to pinch; Ger. tappe, a pat. Confused with Daub and Tap.]
Dab, dab, n. an expert person.—n. Dab′ster (coll.). [Prob. a corr. of Adept.]
Dabble, dab′l, v.t. to spatter with moisture.—v.i. to play in water with hands or feet: to do anything in a trifling way.—n. Dabb′ler, one who does things superficially.—adv. Dabb′lingly. [Freq. of Dab.]
Da capo, dä kä′pō, a term in music, frequently placed at the end of a movement, indicating that the performer must return to the beginning of the music—usually written D.C. [It., 'from the beginning'—L. de, from, caput, head.]
Dace, dās, Dare, dār, Dart, därt, n. a small river fish of the carp family, and of the same genus as the roach, chub, minnow, &c. [M. E. darce—O. Fr. dars—Low L. dardus, a dart or javelin—of Teut. origin. So called from its quickness.]
Dachshund, daks′hoond, n. a badger-dog. [Ger. dachs, a badger, hund, dog.]
Dacker, dak′ėr, Daker, dā′kėr, v.i. (Scot.) to lounge, saunter.—Also Daik′er.
Dacoit, da-koit′, n. one of a gang of robbers in India and Burma—also Dakoit′.—ns. Dacoit′y, Dacoit′age, robbery by gang-robbers, brigandage. [Hind. dākāīt, a robber.]
Dacryoma, dak-ri-ō′ma, n. stoppage of the tear duct. [Formed from Gr. dakry, a tear.]
Dactyl, dak′til, n. in Latin and Greek poetry, a foot of three syllables, one long followed by two short, so called from its likeness to the joints of a finger; in English, a foot of three syllables, with the first accented, as mer'rily, vi'olate.—adjs. Dac′tylar, Dactyl′ic, relating to or consisting chiefly of dactyls.—ns. Dactyl′iomancy, divination by means of a finger-ring; Dac′tylist; Dactylog′raphy, the science of finger-rings; Dactylol′ogy, the art of talking with the fingers, like the deaf and dumb. [L. dactylus—Gr. daktylos, a finger.]