Dexterity (n.) Readiness and grace in physical activity; skill and ease in using the hands; expertness in manual acts; as, dexterity with the chisel.
Dexterity (n.) Readiness in the use or control of the mental powers; quickness and skill in managing any complicated or difficult affair; adroitness.
Dexterous (a.) Ready and expert in the use of the body and limbs; skillful and active with the hands; handy; ready; as, a dexterous hand; a dexterous workman.
Dexterous (a.) Skillful in contrivance; quick at inventing expedients; expert; as, a dexterous manager.
Dexterous (a.) Done with dexterity; skillful; artful; as, dexterous management.
Dexterously (adv.) In a dexterous manner; skillfully.
Dexterousness (n.) The quality of being dexterous; dexterity.
Dextrad (adv.) Toward the right side; dextrally.
Dextral (a.) Right, as opposed to sinistral, or left.
Dextrality (n.) The state of being on the right-hand side; also, the quality of being right-handed; right-handedness.
Dextrally (adv.) Towards the right; as, the hands of a watch rotate dextrally.
Dextrer (n.) A war horse; a destrer.
Dextrin (n.) A translucent, gummy, amorphous substance, nearly tasteless and odorless, used as a substitute for gum, for sizing, etc., and obtained from starch by the action of heat, acids, or diastase. It is of somewhat variable composition, containing several carbohydrates which change easily to their respective varieties of sugar. It is so named from its rotating the plane of polarization to the right; -- called also British gum, Alsace gum, gommelin, leiocome, etc. See Achroodextrin, and Erythrodextrin.
Dextro- () A prefix, from L. dexter, meaning, pertaining to, or toward, the right
Dextro- () having the property of turning the plane of polarized light to the right; as, dextrotartaric acid.
Dextrogerous (a.) See Dextrogyrate.
Dextroglucose (n.) Same as Dextrose.
Dextrogyrate (a.) Same as Dextrorotatory.
Dextronic (a.) Pertaining to, or derived from, dextrose; as, dextronic acid.
Dextrorotary (a.) See Dextrotatory.
Dextrorotatory (a.) Turning, or causing to turn, toward the right hand; esp., turning the plane of polarization of luminous rays toward the right hand; as, dextrorotatory crystals, sugars, etc. Cf. Levorotatory.
Dextrorsal (a.) Alt. of Dextrorse
Dextrorse (a.) Turning from the left to the right, in the ascending line, as in the spiral inclination of the stem of the common morning-glory.
Dextrose (n.) A sirupy, or white crystalline, variety of sugar, C6H12O6 (so called from turning the plane of polarization to the right), occurring in many ripe fruits. Dextrose and levulose are obtained by the inversion of cane sugar or sucrose, and hence called invert sugar. Dextrose is chiefly obtained by the action of heat and acids on starch, and hence called also starch sugar. It is also formed from starchy food by the action of the amylolytic ferments of saliva and pancreatic juice.
Dextrous (n.) Alt. of Dextrousness
Dextrously (n.) Alt. of Dextrousness
Dextrousness (n.) Same as Dexterous, Dexterously, etc.
Dey (n.) A servant who has charge of the dairy; a dairymaid.
Deys (pl. ) of Dey
Dey (n.) The governor of Algiers; -- so called before the French conquest in 1830.
Deye (v. i.) To die.
Deynte (n. & a.) Alt. of Deyntee
Deyntee (n. & a.) See Dainty.
Dezincification (n.) The act or process of freeing from zinc; also, the condition resulting from the removal of zinc.
Dezincify (v. t.) To deprive of, or free from, zinc.
Dhole (n.) A fierce, wild dog (Canis Dukhunensis), found in the mountains of India. It is remarkable for its propensity to hunt the tiger and other wild animals in packs.
Dhony (n.) A Ceylonese boat. See Doni.
Dhoorra (n.) Alt. of Dhurra
Dhourra (n.) Alt. of Dhurra
Dhurra (n.) Indian millet. See Durra.
Dhow (n.) A coasting vessel of Arabia, East Africa, and the Indian Ocean. It has generally but one mast and a lateen sail.
Di- () A prefix, signifying twofold, double, twice
Di- () denoting two atoms, radicals, groups, or equivalents, as the case may be. See Bi-, 2.
Dia- () Alt. of Di-
Di- () A prefix denoting through; also, between, apart, asunder, across. Before a vowel dia-becomes di-; as, diactinic; dielectric, etc.
Diabase (n.) A basic, dark-colored, holocrystalline, igneous rock, consisting essentially of a triclinic feldspar and pyroxene with magnetic iron; -- often limited to rocks pretertiary in age. It includes part of what was early called greenstone.
Diabaterial (a.) Passing over the borders.
Diabetes (n.) A disease which is attended with a persistent, excessive discharge of urine. Most frequently the urine is not only increased in quantity, but contains saccharine matter, in which case the disease is generally fatal.
Diabetic (a.) Alt. of Diabetical
Diabetical (a.) Pertaining to diabetes; as, diabetic or diabetical treatment.
Diablerie (n.) Alt. of Diabley
Diabley (n.) Devilry; sorcery or incantation; a diabolical deed; mischief.
Diabolic (a.) Alt. of Diabolical
Diabolical (a.) Pertaining to the devil; resembling, or appropriate, or appropriate to, the devil; devilish; infernal; impious; atrocious; nefarious; outrageously wicked; as, a diabolic or diabolical temper or act.
Diabolify (v. t.) To ascribed diabolical qualities to; to change into, or to represent as, a devil.
Diabolism (n.) Character, action, or principles appropriate to the devil.
Diabolism (n.) Possession by the devil.
Diabolize (v. t.) To render diabolical.
Diacatholicon (n.) A universal remedy; -- name formerly to a purgative electuary.
Diacaustic (a.) Pertaining to, or possessing the properties of, a species of caustic curves formed by refraction. See Caustic surface, under Caustic.
Diacaustic (n.) That which burns by refraction, as a double convex lens, or the sun's rays concentrated by such a lens, sometimes used as a cautery.
Diacaustic (n.) A curved formed by the consecutive intersections of rays of light refracted through a lens.
Diachylon (n.) Alt. of Diachylum
Diachylum (n.) A plaster originally composed of the juices of several plants (whence its name), but now made of an oxide of lead and oil, and consisting essentially of glycerin mixed with lead salts of the fat acids.
Diacid (a.) Divalent; -- said of a base or radical as capable of saturating two acid monad radicals or a dibasic acid. Cf. Dibasic, a., and Biacid.
Diacodium (n.) A sirup made of poppies.
Diaconal (a.) Of or pertaining to a deacon.
Diaconate (n.) The office of a deacon; deaconship; also, a body or board of deacons.
Diaconate (a.) Governed by deacons.
Diacope (n.) Tmesis.
Diacoustic (a.) Pertaining to the science or doctrine of refracted sounds.
Diacoustics (n.) That branch of natural philosophy which treats of the properties of sound as affected by passing through different mediums; -- called also diaphonics. See the Note under Acoustics.
Diacritic (a.) Alt. of Diacritical
Diacritical (a.) That separates or distinguishes; -- applied to points or marks used to distinguish letters of similar form, or different sounds of the same letter, as, a, /, a, /, /, etc.
Diactinic (a.) Capable of transmitting the chemical or actinic rays of light; as, diactinic media.
Diadelphia (n. pl.) A Linnaean class of plants whose stamens are united into two bodies or bundles by their filaments.
Diadelphian (a.) Alt. of Diadelphous
Diadelphous (a.) Of or pertaining to the class Diadelphia; having the stamens united into two bodies by their filaments (said of a plant or flower); grouped into two bundles or sets by coalescence of the filaments (said of stamens).
Diadem (n.) Originally, an ornamental head band or fillet, worn by Eastern monarchs as a badge of royalty; hence (later), also, a crown, in general.
Diadem (n.) Regal power; sovereignty; empire; -- considered as symbolized by the crown.
Diadem (n.) An arch rising from the rim of a crown (rarely also of a coronet), and uniting with others over its center.
Diadem (v. t.) To adorn with a diadem; to crown.
Diadrom (n.) A complete course or vibration; time of vibration, as of a pendulum.
Diaereses (pl. ) of Dieresis
Diereses (pl. ) of Dieresis
Diaeresis (n.) Alt. of Dieresis
Dieresis (n.) The separation or resolution of one syllable into two; -- the opposite of synaeresis.
Dieresis (n.) A mark consisting of two dots [/], placed over the second of two adjacent vowels, to denote that they are to be pronounced as distinct letters; as, cooperate, aerial.
Diaeretic (a.) Caustic.
Diageotropic (a.) Relating to, or exhibiting, diageotropism.
Diageotropism (n.) The tendency of organs (as roots) of plants to assume a position oblique or transverse to a direction towards the center of the earth.
Diaglyph (n.) An intaglio.
Diaglyphic (a.) Alt. of Diaglyphtic
Diaglyphtic (a.) Represented or formed by depressions in the general surface; as, diaglyphic sculpture or engraving; -- opposed to anaglyphic.
Diagnose (v. t. & i.) To ascertain by diagnosis; to diagnosticate. See Diagnosticate.
Diagnoses (pl. ) of Diagnosis
Diagnosis (n.) The art or act of recognizing the presence of disease from its signs or symptoms, and deciding as to its character; also, the decision arrived at.
Diagnosis (n.) Scientific determination of any kind; the concise description of characterization of a species.
Diagnosis (n.) Critical perception or scrutiny; judgment based on such scrutiny; esp., perception of, or judgment concerning, motives and character.
Diagnostic (a.) Pertaining to, or furnishing, a diagnosis; indicating the nature of a disease.