Daze, dāz, v.t. to stun, to stupefy. [Ice. dasa, to be breathless; cf. A.S. dwæs, foolish.]
Dazzle, daz′l, v.t. to daze or overpower with any strong light: to confound by brilliancy, beauty, or cleverness.—ns. Dazz′lement, the act of dazzling: that which dazzles; Dazz′ler; Dazz′ling.—adv. Dazz′lingly. [Freq. of daze.]
Deacon, dē′kn, n. in Episcopal churches, a member of the order of clergy under priests: in some Presbyterian churches, an officer, distinct from the elders, who attends to the secular affairs of the church: in Congregational and some other churches, an officer who advises the pastor, distributes the elements at the Communion, and dispenses charity: in Scotland, the master of an incorporated company:—fem. Dea′coness, a female servant of the Christian society in the time of the apostles: in a convent, a nun who has the care of the altar: one of an order of women in some Protestant churches who nurse the sick and tend the poor.—ns. Dea′conhood, Dea′conry, Dea′conship. [L. diaconus—Gr. diakonos, a servant.]
Dead, ded, adj. without life: death-like: at rest, of a ball: cold and cheerless: without vegetation: utter: unerring.—v.t. to deaden, dull.—adv. in a dead manner.—n. the time of greatest stillness, as 'the dead of night.'—adjs. Dead′-alive′, Dead′-and-alive′, dull, uneventful; Dead′-beat, quite overcome; Dead′-born, still-born.—n.pl. Dead′-clothes, clothes in which to bury the dead.—n. Dead′-col′ouring, the first broad outlines of a picture.—adjs. Dead′-do′ing (Spens.), putting to death, destructive; Dead′-drunk, completely drunk.—v.t. Dead′en, to make dead: to deprive partly of vigour or sensation: to blunt: to lessen.—ns. Dead′-eye, (naut.), a round, flattish wooden block with a rope or iron band passing round it, and pierced with three holes for a lanyard; Dead′-fall, a trap operated by a weight that, when its support is removed, falls upon and kills or holds an animal; Dead′-freight, money paid for the empty space in a ship by a person who engages to freight her, but fails to make out a full cargo; Dead′-head (U.S.), one who is allowed, without payment, to ride in a public carriage, sit in a theatre, or hold a privilege having a money value; Dead′-heat, a heat or race in which no one gains the advantage; Dead′-house, the house or room where (in hospitals, police-offices, &c.) dead bodies are kept till buried: a mortuary; Dead′-lett′er, a letter undelivered and unclaimed at the post-office: a law or ordinance which has been made but never enforced; Dead′-lev′el, a stretch of land without any rising ground: sameness; Dead′-lift, a lift made without help, leverage, &c.; hence an effort under discouraging conditions.—n.pl. Dead′-lights, storm-shutters for a cabin window.—ns. Dead′liness; Dead′-lock, the case when matters have become so complicated that all is at a complete standstill.—adj. Dead′ly, causing death: fatal: implacable.—adv. in a manner resembling death.—ns. Dead′ly-night′shade, the plant Belladonna (q.v.); Dead′-march, a piece of solemn music played at funeral processions, esp. of soldiers; Dead′-meat, the flesh of animals ready for the market.—n.pl. Dead′-men, empty bottles after a carouse.—ns. Dead′ness; Dead′-nett′le, a genus of plants of the natural order Labiatæ, so called because they resemble nettles but do not sting; Dead′-pay, continued pay dishonestly drawn for men actually dead; Dead′-reck′oning, an estimation of a ship's place simply by the log-book; Dead′-rope, a rope not running in any block; Dead′-set, a determined and prolonged attempt; Dead′-shot, an unerring marksman.—adj. Dead′-stroke, without recoil.—ns. Dead′-wall, a wall unbroken by windows or other openings; Dead′-wa′ter, the eddy water closing in behind a ship's stern as she sails; Dead′-weight, a heavy or oppressive burden; Dead′-wind, a wind coming directly ahead or opposed to a ship's course; Dead′-wood, pieces of timber laid on the upper side of the keel at either end, useless material; Dead′-work, work, itself unprofitable, which is necessary as a preliminary, as the opening of a mine.—Dead as a door-nail, absolutely dead; Dead language, one no longer spoken; Dead-men's bells, the foxglove; Dead-men's fingers, a very common cœlenterate belonging to the Actinozoa—also Cow-paps and Mermaid's glove; Dead-men's shoes, a situation formerly held by some one now dead; Dead's part (Scots law), the part of a man's movable property which he may bequeath by will, and which is not due to wife and children.—Be dead set against, to be utterly opposed to.—Put the dead wood on (U.S. slang), to gain a great advantage over. [A.S. deád; Goth. dauths, Ger. todt, from root of die.]
Deaf, def, adj. dull of hearing: unable to hear at all: not willing to hear: inattentive.—v.t. Deaf′en, to make deaf, partly or altogether: to stun: to render impervious to sound.—n. Deaf′ening, stuffing put into floors, partition-walls, &c. to prevent sounds from passing through.—adv. Deaf′ly.—ns. Deaf′-mute, one who is both deaf and dumb; Deaf′ness. [A.S. deáf; Dut. doof, Ger. taub.]
Deal, dēl, n. a portion; an indefinite quantity: a large quantity; the act of dividing cards: (U.S.) a bargain: a fir or pine board: timber.—v.t. to divide, to distribute: to throw about: to deliver.—v.i. to transact business: to act: to distribute cards.—pa.t. and pa.p. dealt (delt).—ns. Deal′er, one who deals: a trader; Deal′-fish, a genus of ribbon-fishes; Deal′ing, manner of acting towards others: intercourse of trade. [A.S. dǽlan—dǽl, a part; Ger. theilen—theil, a part or division. A doublet of dole. By some, however, deal, a plank, is taken as a doublet of thill, from A.S. thel, a plank.]
Deambulatory, dē-am′bū-la-to-ri, n. a passage or aisle round the choir and apse of a church. [L. deambulāre, -ātum, to walk about.]
Dean, dēn, n. a small valley.—Also Dene. [A.S. denu, a valley. Cf. Den.]
Dean, dēn, n. a dignitary in cathedral and collegiate churches who presides over the other clergy: the president of faculty in a college; the chief chaplain of the Chapel Royal: the chief judge of the Court of Arches: the president of a trade-guild.—ns. Dean′ery, the office of a dean: a dean's house; Dean′ship, the office or dignity of a dean.—Dean of Arches, dean of the Court of Arches (see Arch); Dean of Faculty, president of the Faculty of Advocates in Scotland: Dean of Guild, a municipal functionary in Scotland, who has authority over building and altering of houses.—Rural dean, one who, under the bishop, has the special care and inspection of the clergy in certain parishes. [O. Fr. deien (Fr. doyen)—Low L. decanus, a chief of ten—L. decem, ten.]