Dubious, dū′bi-us, adj. doubtful: undetermined: causing doubt: of uncertain event or issue.—adv. Dū′biously.—ns. Dū′biousness, Dubī′ety, Dubios′ity, doubtfulness. [L. dubius.]
Dubitate, dū′bi-tāt, v.i. to doubt, hesitate.—adj. Dū′bitable.—ns. Dū′bitancy, Dubitā′tion.—adj. Dū′bitative.—adv. Dū′bitatively. [L. dubitiāre, -ātum.]
Ducal, dū′kal, adj. pertaining to a duke.—adv. Dū′cally.
Ducat, duk′at, n. a gold coin, formerly much used on the Continent, its commonest value being about 9s. 4d., though there were silver ducats in Italy worth 3s. 4d.—n. Ducatoon′, an old silver coin in Venice and elsewhere, worth 5 to 6 shillings. [O. Fr. ducat—It. ducato—ducatus, a duchy. The name was applied to an Apulian silver coin of 1140. The first gold ducat struck at Venice in 1284 bore the legend—'Sit tibi Christe datus quem tu regis iste Ducatus' ('Be this duchy, which thou rulest, dedicated to thee, O Christ'), which may have helped to spread the name, though it did not originate it.]
Duchy, duch′i, n. the territory of a duke, a dukedom.—ns. Duch′ess, the consort or widow of a duke; Duch′y-court, the court of a duchy, esp. that of the duchy of Lancaster.
Duck, duk, n. a kind of coarse cloth for small sails, sacking, &c. [Dut. doeck, linen cloth; Ger. tuch.]
Duck, duk, v.t. to dip for a moment in water.—v.i. to dip or dive: to lower the head suddenly: to cringe, yield.—n. a quick plunge, dip: a quick lowering of the head or body, a jerky bow.—ns. Duck′er, one who ducks: a diving-bird; Duck′ing; Duck′ing-pond; Duck′ing-stool, a stool or chair in which scolds were formerly tied and ducked in the water as a punishment. [A.S. dúcan, to duck, dive; Ger. tauchen, Dut. duiken.]
Duck, duk, n. name given to any member of the family Anatidæ, the prominent marks of which are short webbed feet, with a small hind-toe not reaching the ground, the netted scales in front of the lower leg, and the long bill: the female duck as distinguished from the male drake: in cricket (originally duck's egg), the zero (0), which records in a scoring-sheet that a player has made no runs: (coll.) a darling, sweetheart: a financial defaulter—esp. Lame Duck: also of things.—ns. Duck′-ant, a Jamaican termite nesting in trees; Duck′-bill, an aquatic burrowing and egg-laying Australian mammal, about 18 inches long, with soft fur, broadly webbed feet, and depressed duck-like bill—also called Duck-mole, Platypus, and Ornithorhynchus.—adj. Duck′-billed, having a bill like a duck.—n. Duck′-hawk, the moor-buzzard or marsh-harrier: the peregrine falcon of the United States.—adj. Duck′-legged, short-legged.—ns. Duck′ling, a young duck; Duck's′-foot, the lady's mantle; Duck′-weed, a name for several species of Lemna and Wolffia growing in ditches; Bombay duck, bummals; Wild′-duck, the mallard.—Break one's duck (cricket), to make one's first run (see above); Make, Play, ducks and drakes, to use recklessly: squander, waste (with with, of)—from the skipping of a flat stone across the surface of water. [A.S. duce, a duck, from, dúcan, to duck, dive.]
Duct, dukt, n. a tube conveying fluids in animal bodies or plants. [L. ductus—ducĕre, to lead.]
Ductile, duk′til, adj. easily led: yielding: capable of being drawn out into threads.—ns. Ductilim′eter, an instrument for measuring the ductility of metals; Ductil′ity, capacity of being drawn out without breaking. [Fr.,—L. ductilis—ducĕre, to lead.]