detort, to twist aside, to wrest. Dryden, Pref. to Religio Laici, § 4. L. detort-us, pp. of de-torquere, to twist aside.
detract, to draw apart, pull asunder. Peele, Sir Clyomon, ed. Dyce, p. 515; to hold back, keep oneself in the background, Greene, James IV, i. 1 (Ateukin).
Deu guin!, a Welsh exclamation; app. for Duw gwyn!, lit. ‘Blessed God’. See [Du cat-a whee]. Beaumont and Fl., Mons. Thomas, iv. 2 (Launcelot).
deuse a vyle, the country. (Cant.) Middleton, Roaring Girl, v. 1 (Song); ‘dewse a vyle, the countrey’, Harman, Caveat, p. 84. See [Rom-vile].
devant, front of the dress; ‘Perfume my devant’, B. Jonson, Cynthia’s Revels, v. 2 (Mercury). F. devant, before.
dever, to ‘endeavour’; ‘I dever, I applye my mynde to do a thing’, Palsgrave.
deviceful, full of devices, ingenious, curious. Spenser, F. Q. v. 3. 3; Teares of the Muses, 385.
devoir, duty. Spelt devoyre; Spenser, Shep. Kal., Sept., 227; deuoyr, endeavour; Greene, Alphonsus, Prol. (near the end); dever, Sternhold and Hopkins, Ps. xxii. 26. F. devoir.
devolve, to overturn, overthrow. Webster, Appius, i. 3 (Virginius); Heywood, Rape of Lucrece, v. 4.
devotion, an offering made as an act of worship; a gift given in charity, alms; ‘Then shal the Churche wardens . . . gather the devocion of the people’, Bk. Com. Pr., Communion, 1552 (‘the alms for the poor, and other devotions of the people’, 1662); Middleton, No Wit like a Woman’s, ii. 2 (L. Twilight); devotions, objects of religious worship; ‘I beheld your devotions’, Bible, Acts xvii. 23 (‘the objects of your worship’, R. V.); ‘Dametas . . . swearing by no meane devotions’, Sidney, Arcadia (ed. 1598, p. 282). See Wright’s Bible Word-Book.