Dowel, dow′el, n. a pin of wood or iron inserted in the edges of two adjacent boards for the purpose of fastening them together.—v.t. to fasten by means of dowels.—ns. Dow′el-joint; Dow′el-pin. [Prob. related to Ger. döbel, a plug.]
Dower, dow′ėr, n. a jointure, that part of the husband's property which his widow enjoys during her life—sometimes used for Dow′ry.—adjs. Dow′able, that may be endowed; Dow′ered, furnished with dower.—n. Dow′er-house, the house set apart for the widow.—adj. Dow′erless. [O. Fr. douaire—Low L. dotarium—L. dotāre, to endow.]
Dowf, dowf, adj. (Scot.) dull, heavy, spiritless.—n. Dowf′ness. [Prob. Ice. daufr, deaf.]
Dowie, dow′i, adj. (Scot.) dull, low-spirited, sad. [Prob. A.S. dol, dull.]
Dowlas, dowlas, n. a coarse linen cloth. [From Daoulas or Doulas, near Brest, in Brittany.]
Dowle, dowl, n. (Shak.) a portion of down in a feather.
Down, down, n. the soft hair under the feathers of fowls: the hairy covering of the seeds of certain plants: anything which soothes or invites to repose.—n. Down′-bed.—p.adj. Downed, filled or covered with down.—ns. Down′iness; Down′-quilt.—adj. Down′y, covered with or made of down: like down: soft: soothing: (slang) knowing.—The downy (slang), bed. [Ice. dúnn; Ger. daune, dune.]
Down, down, n. a bank of sand thrown up by the sea (same as Dune): a treeless land: (pl.) a tract of hilly land, used for pasturing sheep, as the North Downs (Kent) and South Downs (Sussex)—also given to the famous roadstead off the east coast of Kent, inside the Goodwin Sands. [A.S. dún, a hill; prob. from Celt. dun, as in Dunkeld, &c.]
Down, down, adv. from a higher to a lower position: on the ground: from earlier to later times: from thick to thin, from large to small (to boil down, to cut down): from more to less (to beat down a price).—prep. along a descent: from a higher to a lower position or state.—v.t. to knock down: to dispirit—also used as a kind of interjection, with get, go, come, kneel, &c. understood.—n. a tendency to be down upon, a grudge against: a descent, reverse of fortune.—v.i. Down′-bear, to bear or press down.—adj. Down′cast, dejected.—ns. Down′come, a fall, ruin, a heavy pour of rain; Down′-draught, a current of air downwards; Down′-east′er, one living 'down east' from the speaker, a New Englander, and esp. an inhabitant of Maine; Down′fall, fall, failure, humiliation, ruin: a falling down, as of rain.—adjs. Down′fallen, ruined; Down′-gyved (Shak.), hanging down like fetters.—n. Down′-haul, a rope by which a jib, &c., is hauled down when set.—adjs. Down′-heart′ed, dejected; Down′hill, descending, sloping.—n. Down′-line, the line of a railway leading from the capital, or other important centre, to the provinces.—adj. Down′looked (Dryden), downcast, gloomy.—ns. Down′-ly′ing, time of retiring to rest: a woman's lying-in; Down′pour, a heavy fall of rain, &c.—adv. Down′right (obs.), perpendicular: in plain terms: utterly.—adj. plain spoken: brusque: utter (as in downright madness).—ns. Down′rightness; Down′rush, a rushing down (as of gas, hot air, &c.); Down′-set′ting, a setting down, a snub; Down′-sit′ting, sitting down, time of rest (Ps. cxxxix. 2).—advs. Down′stairs, in, or to, a lower story; Down′-stream, with the current.—ns. Down′-throw, act of throwing down, state of being thrown down: a sinking of strata below the level of the surrounding beds; Down′-train, a railway train proceeding from the chief terminus.—adj. Down′-trodden, trampled on, tyrannised over.—advs. Down′ward, Down′wards, from higher to lower: from source to outlet: from more ancient to modern: in the lower part.—adj. Down′ward.—Down east (U.S.), in or into Maine and adjoining parts of New England; Down in the mouth, in low spirits; Down on one's luck, in ill-luck; Down south, in the southern states; Down to the country, away into the country, from London (hence 'down to the Derby,' 'down to Scotland'); Down with your money, lay it down, pay it.—A down-train, a train away from London.—Lay down the law, to expound authoritatively. [A corr. of M. E. a-dawn, adun—A.S. of dúne, 'from the hill'—A.S. dún, a hill.]
Dowry, dow′ri, n. the property which a woman brings to her husband at marriage—sometimes used for dower. [See Dower.]