Defy, de-fī′, v.t. to challenge: to brave: (obs.) to discard, dislike:—pr.p. defy′ing; pa.p. defied′.—n. (Dryden) a defiance.—n. Defī′er. [O. Fr. defier—Low L. diffidāre, to renounce faith or allegiance—L. dis, asunder, and fīdĕre, to trust—fĭdes, faith.]
Dégagé, dā-ga-zhā′, adj. unembarrassed, unconstrained, easy. [Pa.p. of Fr. dégager, to disentangle.]
Degar′nish = Disgarnish (q.v.).
Degenerate, de-jen′ėr-āt, adj. having departed from the high qualities of race or kind: become base—also Degen′erous (obs.).—v.i. to fall from a nobler state: to be or to grow worse.—v.i. Degen′der (Spens.), to degenerate.—ns. Degen′eracy, Degenerā′tion, the act or process of becoming degenerate: the state of being degenerate.—adv. Degen′erately.—n. Degen′erateness.—adj. Degen′erating.—n. Degenerā′tionist, one who believes that the tendency of man is not to improve, but to degenerate.—adj. Degen′erative, tending or causing to degenerate. [L. degenerāre, -ātum, to depart from its kind—de, from, down, genus, genĕris, kind.]
Degerminator, de-jėr′mi-nā-tor, n. an apparatus for splitting grains and removing the germs. [L. de, neg., and germen, a germ.]
Deglutinate, de-glōō′tin-āt, v.t. to separate things that are glued together by softening the glue:—pr.p. deglu′tināting; pa.p. deglu′tināted. [L. deglutināre, -ātum—de, neg., and glutināre—gluten, glue.]
Deglutition, deg-lōō-tish′un, n. the act or power of swallowing.—adjs. Deglu′titive, Deglu′titory. [Fr.,—L. de, down, and glutīre, to swallow. See Glut.]
Degrade, de-grād′, v.t. to lower in grade or rank: to deprive of office or dignity: to lower in character, value, or position: to disgrace.—n. Degradā′tion, disgrace: degeneration: abortive structural development: a lowering in dignity.—p.adjs. Degrad′ed, reduced in rank: base: low: (her.) placed on steps; Degrad′ing, debasing: disgraceful. [Fr. dégrader—L. de, down, and gradus, a step. See Grade.]
Degree, de-grē′, n. a grade or step: one of a series of advances: relative position: rank: extent: a mark of distinction conferred by universities, whether earned by examination or granted as a mark of honour: the 360th part of a circle: 60 geographical miles: nearness of relationship: comparative amount of guilt: one of the three stages (positive, comparative, superlative) in the comparison of an adjective or an adverb.—By degrees, by little and little, gradually; Forbidden degrees, the degrees of consanguinity and affinity within which it is not permitted to marry; Songs of degrees, or Songs of ascents, Psalms cxx.-cxxxiv., either because sung by the Jews returning from captivity, or by the Jews coming up annually to attend the feasts at Jerusalem; To a degree, to a great degree, to an extreme. [Fr. degré—L. de, gradus, a step.]
Degust, dē-gust′, v.t. to taste, to relish.—v.i. to have a relishing taste.—v.t. Degust′āte (same as Degust).—n. Degustā′tion, the act of tasting. [L. de, down, and gustāre, to taste.]