Debauchery - Decapod
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Debauchery (?), n.; pl. Debaucheries (�). 1. Corruption of fidelity; seduction from virtue, duty, or allegiance.
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The republic of Paris will endeavor to complete the debauchery of the army.
Burke.
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2. Excessive indulgence of the appetites; especially, excessive indulgence of lust; intemperance; sensuality; habitual lewdness.
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Oppose . . . debauchery by temperance.
Sprat.
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Debauchment (?), n. The act of corrupting; the act of seducing from virtue or duty.
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Debauchness, n. Debauchedness. [Obs.]
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Debeige (?), n. [F. de of + beige the natural color of wool.] A kind of woolen or mixed dress goods. [Written also debage.]
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Debel (?), v. t. [Cf. F. débeller. See .] To conquer. [Obs.] Milton.
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Debellate (?), v. t. [L. debellatus, p. p. of debellare to subdue; de- + bellum war.] To subdue; to conquer in war. [Obs.] Speed.
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Debellation (?), n. [LL. debellatio.] The act of conquering or subduing. [Obs.]
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De bene esse (?). [L.] (Law) Of well being; of formal sufficiency for the time; conditionally; provisionally. Abbott.
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Debenture (?; 135), n. [L. debentur they are due, fr. debere to owe; cf. F. debentur. So called because these receipts began with the words Debentur mihi.] 1. A writing acknowledging a debt; a writing or certificate signed by a public officer, as evidence of a debt due to some person; the sum thus due.
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2. A customhouse certificate entitling an exporter of imported goods to a drawback of duties paid on their importation. Burrill.
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It is applied in England to deeds of mortgage given by railway companies for borrowed money; also to municipal and other bonds and securities for money loaned.
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3. Any of various instruments issued, esp. by corporations, as evidences of debt. Such instruments (often called Coloq. debenture bonds ) are generally, through not necessarily, under seal, and are usually secured by a mortgage or other charge upon property; they may be registered or unregistered. A debenture secured by a mortgage on specific property is called a Coloq. mortgage debenture ; one secured by a floating charge (which see), a Coloq. floating debenture ; one not secured by any charge Coloq. a naked debenture . In general the term debenture in British usage designates any security issued by companies other than their shares, including, therefore, what are in the United States commonly called bonds. When used in the United States debenture generally designates an instrument secured by a floating charge junior to other charges secured by fixed mortgages, or, specif., one of a series of securities secured by a group of securities held in trust for the benefit of the debenture holders.
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Debentured (?; 135), a. Entitled to drawback or debenture; as, debentured goods.
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Debenture stock. (Finance) The debt or series of debts, collectively, represented by a series of debentures; a debt secured by a trust deed of property for the benefit of the holders of shares in the debt or of a series of debentures. By the terms of much debenture stock the holders are not entitled to demand payment until the winding up of the company or default in payment; in the case of railway debentures, they cannot demand payment of the principal, and the debtor company cannot redeem the stock, except by authority of an act of Parliament. [Eng.]
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Debile (?), a. [L. debilis: cf. F. débile. See .] Weak. [Obs.] Shak.
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Debilitant (?), a. [L. debilitants, p. pr.] (Med.) Diminishing the energy of organs; reducing excitement; as, a debilitant drug.
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Debilitate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Debilitated; p. pr. & vb. n. Debilitating.] [L. debilitatus, p. p. of debilitare to debilitate, fr. debilis. See .] To impair the strength of; to weaken; to enfeeble; as, to debilitate the body by intemperance.
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Various ails debilitate the mind.
Jenyns.
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The debilitated frame of Mr. Bertram was exhausted by this last effort.
Sir W. Scott.
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debilitated adj. 1. lacking strength or vigor; weakened.
Syn. -- adynamic, asthenic, enervated.
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2. weakened due to illness.
Syn. -- enfeebled, infirm, seedy.
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debilitating adj. causing weakness. Opposite of invigorating.
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debilitative adj. causing weakness. [Narrower terms: debilitating (vs. invigorating)]
Syn. -- enervating, enfeebling, weakening.
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Debilitation (?), n. [L. debilitatio: cf. F. débilitation.] The act or process of debilitating, or the condition of one who is debilitated; weakness.
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Debility (?), n. [L. debilitas, fr. debilis weak, prob. fr. de- + habilis able: cf. F. débilité. See , a.] The state of being weak; weakness; feebleness; languor.
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The inconveniences of too strong a perspiration, which are debility, faintness, and sometimes sudden death.
Arbuthnot.
Syn. -- , , . An infirmity belongs, for the most part, to particular members, and is often temporary, as of the eyes, etc. Debility is more general, and while it lasts impairs the ordinary functions of nature. Imbecility attaches to the whole frame, and renders it more or less powerless. Debility may be constitutional or may be the result or superinduced causes; Imbecility is always constitutional; infirmity is accidental, and results from sickness or a decay of the frame. These words, in their figurative uses, have the same distinctions; we speak of infirmity of will, debility of body, and an Imbecility which affects the whole man; but Imbecility is often used with specific reference to feebleness of mind.
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Debit (?), n. [L. debitum what is due, debt, from debere to owe: cf. F. débit. See .] A debt; an entry on the debtor (Dr.) side of an account; -- mostly used adjectively; as, the debit side of an account.
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Debit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Debited; p. pr. & vb. n. Debiting.] 1. To charge with debt; -- the opposite of, and correlative to, credit; as, to debit a purchaser for the goods sold.
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2. (Bookkeeping) To enter on the debtor (Dr.) side of an account; as, to debit the amount of goods sold.
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Debit card (?), n. [See .] a small usually plastic card with a magnetic coded number, similar to a credit card, which is used to pay for purchases by the electronic deduction of a sum of money (a debit) directly from the card-holder's bank account. Such cards do not require the establishment of a credit line, and such transactions do not incur any interest payments.
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Debitor (?), n. [L. See .] A debtor. [Obs.] Shak.
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Debituminization (?), n. The act of depriving of bitumen.
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Debituminize (?), v. t. To deprive of bitumen.
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Déblai (?), n. [F.] (Fort.) The cavity from which the earth for parapets, etc. (remblai), is taken.
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Debonair (?), a. [OE. debonere, OF. de bon aire, debonaire, of good descent or lineage, excellent, debonair, F. débonnaire debonair; de of (L. de) + bon good (L. bonus) + aire. See , and , and cf. .] Characterized by courteousness, affability, or gentleness; of good appearance and manners; graceful; complaisant.
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Was never prince so meek and debonair.
Spenser.
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Debonairity (?), n. [OF. debonaireté, F. débonnaireté.] Debonairness. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Debonairly, adv. Courteously; elegantly.
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Debonairness, n. The quality of being debonair; good humor; gentleness; courtesy. Sterne.
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Debosh (?), v. t. [Old form of debauch.] To debauch. [Obs.] “A deboshed lady.” Beau. & Fl.
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Deboshment (?), n. Debauchment. [Obs.]
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Debouch (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Debouched (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Debouching.] [F. déboucher; pref. dé- (L. dis- or de) + boucher to stop up, fr. bouche mouth, fr. L. bucca the cheek. Cf. .] To march out from a wood, defile, or other confined spot, into open ground; to issue.
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Battalions debouching on the plain.
Prescott.
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2. (Geog.) To issue; -- said of a stream passing from a gorge out into an open valley or a plain.
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Débouché (?), n. [F.] A place for exit; an outlet; hence, a market for goods.
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The débouchés were ordered widened to afford easy egress.
The Century.
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Débouchure (?), n. [F.] The outward opening of a river, of a valley, or of a strait.
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Debrief (?), v. to interrogate (a person) who has recently experienced an event, to obtain information about that experience; -- used especially of military pilots or diplomatic agents who have just returned from a mission.
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Debride (?), v. to remove (e. g., dead tissue) surgically from a wound.
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Debridement (?), n. the surgical excision of dead, contaminated, or damaged tissue, and foreign matter, especially from a wound.
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Débris (?), n. [F., fr. pref. dé- (L. dis) + briser to break, shatter; perh. of Celtic origin.] 1. (Geol.) Broken and detached fragments, taken collectively; especially, fragments detached from a rock or mountain, and piled up at the base.
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2. Rubbish, especially such as results from the destruction of anything; remains; ruins.
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Debruised (?), a. [Cf. OF. debruisier to shatter, break. Cf. .] (Her.) Surmounted by an ordinary; as, a lion is debruised when a bend or other ordinary is placed over it, as in the cut.
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The lion of England and the lilies of France without the baton sinister, under which, according to the laws of heraldry, they where debruised in token of his illegitimate birth.
Macaulay.
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Debt (?), n. [OE. dette, F. dette, LL. debita, fr. L. debitus owed, p. p. of debere to owe, prop., to have on loan; de- + habere to have. See , and cf. , .] 1. That which is due from one person to another, whether money, goods, or services; that which one person is bound to pay to another, or to perform for his benefit; thing owed; obligation; liability.
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Your son, my lord, has paid a soldier's debt.
Shak.
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When you run in debt, you give to another power over your liberty.
Franklin.
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2. A duty neglected or violated; a fault; a sin; a trespass. “Forgive us our debts.” Matt. vi. 12.
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3. (Law) An action at law to recover a certain specified sum of money alleged to be due. Burrill.
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Coloq. Bond debt , Coloq. Book debt , etc. See under , , etc. -- Coloq. Debt of nature , death.
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Debted, p. a. Indebted; obliged to. [R.]
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I stand debted to this gentleman.
Shak.
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Debtee (?), n. (Law) One to whom a debt is due; creditor; -- correlative to debtor. Blackstone.
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Debtless (?), a. Free from debt. Chaucer.
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Debtor (?), n. [OE. dettur, dettour, OF. detor, detur, detour, F. débiteur, fr. L. debitor, fr. debere to owe. See .] One who owes a debt; one who is indebted; -- correlative to creditor.
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[I 'll] bring your latter hazard back again,
And thankfully rest debtor for the first.
Shak.
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In Athens an insolvent debtor became slave to his creditor.
Mitford.
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Debtors for our lives to you.
Tennyson.
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Debulliate (?), v. i. [Pref. dé- + L. bullire to boil.] To boil over. [Obs.]
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Debullition (?), n. [See .] A bubbling or boiling over. [Obs.] Bailey.
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Deburse (?), v. t. & i. [Pref. de + L. bursa purse.] To disburse. [Obs.] Ludlow.
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Debuscope (?), n. [From the inventor, Debus, a French optician + -scope.] (Opt.) A modification of the kaleidoscope; -- used to reflect images so as to form beautiful designs.
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Début (?), n. [F. début, prop., the first cast or throw at play, fr. but aim, mark. See an end.] A beginning or first attempt; hence, a first appearance before the public, as of an actor or public speaker.
Débutant (?), n.; fem. Débutante (�). [F., p. pr. of débuter to have the first throw, to make one's début. See .] A person who makes his (or her) first appearance before the public.
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Débutante (?), fem. n. A young woman making her first appearance in society, especially one who is one of the honorees at a debutante cotillion. See {4}.
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Deca- (?). pref. [Cf. .] A prefix, from Gr. deka, signifying ten; specifically (Metric System), a prefix signifying the weight or measure that is ten times the principal unit.
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Decacerata (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. deka ten + keras a horn.] (Zoöl.) The division of Cephalopoda which includes the squids, cuttlefishes, and others having ten arms or tentacles; -- called also Decapoda. [Written also Decacera.] See .
{ Decachord (?), Decachordon (?), } n. [Gr. dekachordos tenstringed; deka ten + chordj a string.] 1. An ancient Greek musical instrument of ten strings, resembling the harp.
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2. Something consisting of ten parts. W. Watson.
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Decacuminated (?), a. [L. decacuminare to cut off the top. See .] Having the point or top cut off. [Obs.] Bailey.
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Decad (?), n. A decade.
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Averill was a decad and a half his elder.
Tennyson.
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Decadal (?), a. Pertaining to ten; consisting of tens.
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Decade (?), n. [F. décade, L. decas, -adis, fr. Gr. �, fr. deka ten. See .] A group or division of ten; esp., a period of ten years; a decennium; as, a decade of years or days; a decade of soldiers; the second decade of Livy. [Written also decad.]
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During this notable decade of years.
Gladstone.
{ Decadence (?), Decadency (?), } n. [LL. decadentia; L. de- + cadere to fall: cf. F. décadence. See .] A falling away; decay; deterioration; declension. “The old castle, where the family lived in their decadence.” Sir W. Scott.
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Decadent (?), a. Decaying; deteriorating.
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Decadent (?), n. One that is decadent, or deteriorating; esp., one characterized by, or exhibiting, the qualities of those who are degenerating to a lower type; -- specif. applied to a certain school of modern French writers.
The decadents and æsthetes, and certain types of realists.
C. L. Dana.
The business men of a great State allow their State to be represented in Congress by “decadents”.
The Century.
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Decadist (?), n. A writer of a book divided into decades; as, Livy was a decadist. [R.]
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Decagon (?), n. [Pref. deca- + Gr. � a corner or angle: cf. F. décagone.] (Geom.) A plane figure having ten sides and ten angles; any figure having ten angles. A regular decagon is one that has all its sides and angles equal.
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Decagonal (?), a. Pertaining to a decagon; having ten sides.
{ Decagram, Decagramme } (?), n. [F. décagramme; Gr. deka ten + F. gramme. See .] A weight of the metric system; ten grams, equal to about 154.32 grains avoirdupois.
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Decagynia (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. deka ten + � a woman, a female.] (Bot.) A Linnæan order of plants characterized by having ten styles.
{ Decagynian (?), Deccagynous (?), } a. [Cf. F. décagyne.] (Bot.) Belonging to the Decagynia; having ten styles.
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Decahedral (?), a. Having ten sides.
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Decahedron (?), n.; pl. E. Decahedrons (#), L. Decahedra (#). [Pref. deca- + Gr. 'edra a seat, a base, fr. 'ezesthai to sit: cf. F. décaèdre.] (Geom.) A solid figure or body inclosed by ten plane surfaces. [Written also, less correctly, decaedron.]
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Decalcification (?), n. The removal of calcareous matter.
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Decalcify (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Decalcified (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Decalcifying.] To deprive of calcareous matter; thus, to decalcify bones is to remove the stony part, and leave only the gelatin.
{ Decalcomania (?), Decalcomanie (?), } n. [F. décalcomanie.] The art or process of transferring pictures and designs to china, glass, marble, etc., and permanently fixing them thereto.
{ Decaliter, Decalitre } (?), n. [F. décalitre; Gr. deka ten + F. litre. See .] A measure of capacity in the metric system; a cubic volume of ten liters, equal to about 610.24 cubic inches, that is, 2.642 wine gallons.
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Decalog (?; 115), n. Decalogue.
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Decalogist (?), n. One who explains the decalogue. J. Gregory.
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Decalogue (?; 115), n. [F. décalogue, L. decalogus, fr. Gr. �; deka ten + � speech, � to speak, to say. See .] The Ten Commandments or precepts given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, and originally written on two tables of stone.
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Decameron (?), n. [It. decamerone, fr. Gr. deka ten + � part; though quite generally supposed to be derived from hmera day: cf. F. décaméron.] A celebrated collection of tales, supposed to be related in ten days; -- written in the 14th century, by Boccaccio, an Italian.
{ Decameter, Decametre } (?), n. [F. décamètre; Gr. deka ten + mètre. See .] A measure of length in the metric system; ten meters, equal to about 393.7 inches.
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Decamp (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Decamped (?; 215); p. pr. & vb. n. Decamping.] [F. décamper; pref. dé- (L. dis) + camp camp. See .] 1. To break up a camp; to move away from a camping ground, usually by night or secretly. Macaulay.
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2. Hence, to depart suddenly; to run away; -- generally used disparagingly.
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The fathers were ordered to decamp, and the house was once again converted into a tavern.
Goldsmith.
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Decampment (?), n. [Cf. F. décampement.] Departure from a camp; a marching off.
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Decanal (?; 277), a. [Cf. F. décanal. See .] Pertaining to a dean or deanery.
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His rectorial as well as decanal residence.
Churton.
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Coloq. Decanal side , the side of the choir on which the dean's tall is placed. -- Coloq. Decanal stall , the stall allotted to the dean in the choir, on the right or south side of the chancel. Shipley.
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Decandria (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. deka ten + �, �, a man.] (Bot.) A Linnæan class of plants characterized by having ten stamens.
{ Decandrian (?), Decandrous (?), } a. [Cf. F. décandre.] (Bot.) Belonging to the Decandria; having ten stamens.
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Decane (?), n. [See .] (Chem.) A liquid hydrocarbon, C10H22, of the paraffin series, including several isomeric modifications.
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Decangular (?), a. [Pref. deca- + angular.] Having ten angles.
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Decani (?), a. [L., lit., of the dean.] Used of the side of the choir on which the dean's stall is placed; decanal; -- correlative to cantoris; as, the decanal, or decani, side.
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Decant (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Decanted; p. pr. & vb. n. Decanting.] [F. décanter (cf. It. decantare), prop., to pour off from the edge of a vessel; pref. dé- (L. de) + OF. cant (It. canto) edge, border, end. See an edge.] To pour off gently, as liquor, so as not to disturb the sediment; or to pour from one vessel into another; as, to decant wine.
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Decantate (?), v. t. To decant. [Obs.]
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Decantation (?; 277), n. [Cf. F. décantation.] The act of pouring off a clear liquor gently from its lees or sediment, or from one vessel into another.
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Decanter (?), n. 1. A vessel used to decant liquors, or for receiving decanted liquors; a kind of glass bottle used for holding wine or other liquors, from which drinking glasses are filled.
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2. One who decants liquors.
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Decaphyllous (?), a. [Pref. deca- + Gr. � leaf: cf. F. décaphylle.] (Bot.) Having ten leaves.
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Decapitate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Decapitated; p. pr. & vb. n. Decapitating.] [LL. decapitatus, p. p. of decapitare; L. de- + caput head. See .] 1. To cut off the head of; to behead.
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2. To remove summarily from office. [Colloq. U. S.]
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decapitated adj. having had the head cut off.
Syn. -- beheaded.
[WordNet 1.5]
Decapitation (?), n. [LL. decapitatio: cf. F. décapitation.] The act of beheading; beheading.
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Decapod (dĕkȧpŏd), n. [Cf. F. décapode.] (Zoöl.) A crustacean with ten feet or legs, as a crab; one of the Decapoda. Also used adjectively, as a decapod crustacean.
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