Deforest - Degree

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Deforest (?), v. t. To clear of forests; to disforest. U. S. Agric. Reports.
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Deform (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deformed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Deforming.] [L. deformare; de- + formare to form, shape, fr. forma: cf. F. déformer. See .] 1. To spoil the form of; to mar in form; to misshape; to disfigure.
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Deformed, unfinished, sent before my time
Into this breathing world. Shak.
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2. To render displeasing; to deprive of comeliness, grace, or perfection; to dishonor.
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Above those passions that this world deform. Thomson.
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Deform, a. [L. deformis; de- + forma form: cf. OF. deforme, F. difforme. Cf. .] Deformed; misshapen; shapeless; horrid. [Obs.]
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Sight so deform what heart of rock could long
Dry-eyed behold? Milton.
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Deformation (?), n. [L. deformatio: cf. F. déformation.] 1. The act of deforming, or state of anything deformed. Bp. Hall.
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2. Transformation; change of shape.
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Deformed (?), a. Unnatural or distorted in form; having a deformity; misshapen; disfigured; as, a deformed person; a deformed head. -- Deformedly (#), adv. -- Deformedness, n.
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Deformer (?), n. One who deforms.
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Deformity (?), n.; pl. Deformities (#). [L. deformitas, fr. deformis: cf. OF. deformeté, deformité, F. difformité. See , v. & a., and cf. .] 1. The state of being deformed; want of proper form or symmetry; any unnatural form or shape; distortion; irregularity of shape or features; ugliness.
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To make an envious mountain on my back,
Where sits deformity to mock my body. Shak.
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2. Anything that destroys beauty, grace, or propriety; irregularity; absurdity; gross deviation from order or the established laws of propriety; as, deformity in an edifice; deformity of character.
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Confounded, that her Maker's eyes
Should look so near upon her foul deformities. Milton.
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Deforser (?), n. [From .] [Written also deforsor.] A deforciant. [Obs.] Blount.
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Defoul (?), v. t. [See , v. t.] 1. To tread down. [Obs.] Wyclif.
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2. To make foul; to defile. [Obs.] Wyclif.
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Defraud (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Defrauded; p. pr. & vb. n. Defrauding.] [L. defraudare; de- + fraudare to cheat, fr. fraus, fraudis, fraud: cf. OF. defrauder. See .] To deprive of some right, interest, or property, by a deceitful device; to withhold from wrongfully; to injure by embezzlement; to cheat; to overreach; as, to defraud a servant, or a creditor, or the state; -- with of before the thing taken or withheld.
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We have defrauded no man. 2 Cor. vii. 2.
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Churches seem injured and defrauded of their rights. Hooker.
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Defraudation (?), n. [L. defraudatio: cf. F. défraudation.] The act of defrauding; a taking by fraud. [R.] Sir T. Browne.
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Defrauder (?), n. One who defrauds; a cheat; an embezzler; a peculator.
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Defraudment (?), n. [Cf. OF. defraudement.] Privation by fraud; defrauding. [Obs.] Milton.
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Defray (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Defrayed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Defraying.] [F. défrayer; pref. dé- (L. de or dis-) + frais expense, fr. LL. fredum, fridum, expense, fine by which an offender obtained peace from his sovereign, or more likely, atoned for an offense against the public peace, fr. OHG. fridu peace, G. friede. See .] 1. To pay or discharge; to serve in payment of; to provide for, as a charge, debt, expenses, costs, etc.
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For the discharge of his expenses, and defraying his cost, he allowed him . . . four times as much. Usher.
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2. To avert or appease, as by paying off; to satisfy; as, to defray wrath. [Obs.] Spenser.
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Defrayal (?), n. The act of defraying; payment; as, the defrayal of necessary costs.
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Defrayer (?), n. One who pays off expenses.
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Defrayment (?), n. Payment of charges.
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defrock v. t. To divest of the frock, i. e. to deprive (a priest, minister, etc.) of official ecclesiastical authority; -- of church officials.
Syn. -- unfrock.
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defrost v. t. To remove the frost or ice from; as, to defrost the car window; to defrost a refrigerator.
Syn. -- deice.
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defrost v. i. 1. To become free of frost or ice; as, it took four hours for the refrigerator to defrost.
Syn. -- deice.
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2. To thaw; -- used especially of items removed from a freezer, such as frozen foods.
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defroster n. A device that removes ice or frost (as from a windshield or a refrigerator or the wings of an airplane).
Syn. -- deicer.
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deft (dĕft), a. [OE. daft, deft, becoming, mild, gentle, stupid (cf. OE. daffe, deffe, fool, coward), AS. dæft (in derivatives only) mild, gentle, fitting, seasonable; akin to dafen, gedafen, becoming, fit, Goth. gadaban to be fit. Cf. , , .] 1. Apt; fit; spruce; neat. [Archaic or Poetic] “The deftest way.” Shak. “Deftest feats.” Gay.
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Let me be deft and debonair. Byron.
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2. dexterous; clever; handy; as, a deft feat of legerdemain.
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The limping god, so deft at his new ministry. Dryden.
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Deftly, adv. [Cf. .] Aptly; fitly; dexterously; neatly. “Deftly dancing.” Drayton.
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Thyself and office deftly show. Shak.
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Deftness, n. The quality of being deft. Drayton.
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Defunct (d�fŭṉkt). a. [L. defunctus, p. p. of defungi to acquit one's self of, to perform, finish, depart, die; de + fungi to perform, discharge: cf. F. défunt. See .] 1. Having finished the course of life; dead; deceased. “Defunct organs.” Shak.
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The boar, defunct, lay tripped up, near. Byron.
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2. No longer in effect or use; no longer operating; as, a defunct business; a defunct law.
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Defunct, n. A dead person; one deceased.
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Defunction (d�fŭṉkshŭn), n. [L. defunctio performance, death.] Death. [Obs.]
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After defunction of King Pharamond. Shak.
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defunctive (d�fŭṉktĭv), a. Funereal. [Obs.] “Defunctive music.” Shak.
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defuse (d�fūz), v. t. [Cf. .] 1. To disorder; to make shapeless. [Obs.] Shak.
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2. To remove the fuse from; to deactivate (a bomb or other explosive device) or make it ineffective.
Syn. -- deactivate.
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3. To make less dangerous; as, to defuse a tense confrontation between demonstrators and police.
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defusing (d�fūzĭng), n. 1. The act of deactivating or making ineffective (as a bomb).
Syn. -- deactivation.
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defy (d�fī), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Defied (d�fīd); p. pr. & vb. n. Defying.] [F. défier, OF. deffier, desfier, LL. disfidare to disown faith or fidelity, to dissolve the bond of allegiance, as between the vassal and his lord; hence, to challenge, defy; fr. L. dis- + fides faith. See , and cf. , .] 1. To renounce or dissolve all bonds of affiance, faith, or obligation with; to reject, refuse, or renounce. [Obs.]
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I defy the surety and the bond. Chaucer.
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For thee I have defied my constant mistress. Beau. & Fl.
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2. To provoke to combat or strife; to call out to combat; to challenge; to dare; to brave; to set at defiance; to treat with contempt; as, to defy an enemy; to defy the power of a magistrate; to defy the arguments of an opponent; to defy public opinion.
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I once again
Defy thee to the trial of mortal fight. Milton.
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I defy the enemies of our constitution to show the contrary. Burke.
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defy (d�fī), n. A challenge. [Obs.] Dryden.
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dégagé (?), a. [F., p. p. of dégager to disengage. See , 1st Gage, and cf. .] Unconstrained; easy; free. Vanbrugh.

A graceful and dégagé manner. Poe.
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degarnish (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. degarnished (?); p. pr. & vb. n. degarnishing.] [F. dégarnir; pref. dé-, des- (L. dis-) + garnir to furnish. See , and cf. .] 1. To strip or deprive of entirely, as of furniture, ornaments, etc.; to disgarnish; as, to degarnish a house, etc. [R.]
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2. To deprive of a garrison, or of troops necessary for defense; as, to degarnish a city or fort. [R.] Washington.
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Degarnishment (?), n. The act of depriving, as of furniture, apparatus, or a garrison. [R.]

degauss (d�gous), n. 1. To make a (steel) ship's hull nonmagnetic by applying an opposing magnetic field.
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2. To remove irregular magnetization in (the electron gun of a cathode-ray tube); -- used to improve picture quality, especially in computer monitors.
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degaussing n. the process of making a (steel) ship's hull nonmagnetic by producing an opposing magnetic field.
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{ Degender (?), Degener (?), } v. i. [See .] To degenerate. [Obs.] “Degendering to hate.” Spenser.
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He degenereth into beastliness. Joye.
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Degeneracy (?), n. [From , a.] 1. The act of becoming degenerate; a growing worse.
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Willful degeneracy from goodness. Tillotson.
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2. The state of having become degenerate; decline in good qualities; deterioration; meanness.
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Degeneracy of spirit in a state of slavery. Addison.
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To recover mankind out of their universal corruption and degeneracy. S. Clarke.
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Degenerate (?), a. [L. degeneratus, p. p. of degenerare to degenerate, cause to degenerate, fr. degener base, degenerate, that departs from its race or kind; de- + genus race, kind. See relationship.] Having become worse than one's kind, or one's former state; having declined in worth; having lost in goodness; deteriorated; degraded; unworthy; base; low.
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Faint-hearted and degenerate king. Shak.
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A degenerate and degraded state. Milton.
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Degenerate from their ancient blood. Swift.
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These degenerate days. Pope.
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I had planted thee a noble vine . . . : how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? Jer. ii. 21.
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Degenerate (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Degenerated; p. pr. & vb. n. Degenerating.] 1. To be or grow worse than one's kind, or than one was originally; hence, to be inferior; to grow poorer, meaner, or more vicious; to decline in good qualities; to deteriorate.
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When wit transgresseth decency, it degenerates into insolence and impiety. Tillotson.
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2. (Biol.) To fall off from the normal quality or the healthy structure of its kind; to become of a lower type.
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degenerate (?), n. 1. a person who has declined from a high standard, especially a sexual deviate; -- usually used disparagingly or opprobriously of persons whose sexual behavior does not conform to the norms of accepted morals.
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2. a person or thing that has fallen from a higher to a lower state, or reverted to an earlier type or stage of development or culture. RHUD
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Degenerately (?), adv. In a degenerate manner; unworthily.
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Degenerateness, n. Degeneracy.
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Degeneration (?), n. [Cf. F. dégénération.] 1. The act or state of growing worse, or the state of having become worse; decline; degradation; debasement; degeneracy; deterioration.
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Our degeneration and apostasy. Bates.
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2. (Physiol.) That condition of a tissue or an organ in which its vitality has become either diminished or perverted; a substitution of a lower for a higher form of structure; as, fatty degeneration of the liver.
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3. (Biol.) A gradual deterioration, from natural causes, of any class of animals or plants or any particular organ or organs; hereditary degradation of type.
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4. The thing degenerated. [R.]
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Cockle, aracus, . . . and other degenerations. Sir T. Browne.
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Coloq. Amyloid degeneration , Coloq. Caseous degeneration , etc. See under , , etc.
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Degenerationist, n. (Biol.) A believer in the theory of degeneration, or hereditary degradation of type; as, the degenerationists hold that savagery is the result of degeneration from a superior state.
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Degenerative (?), a. Undergoing or producing degeneration; tending to degenerate.
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Degenerous (?), a. [L. degener. See .] Degenerate; base. [Obs.] “Degenerous passions.” Dryden. “Degenerous practices.” South.
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Degenerously, adv. Basely. [Obs.]
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Degerm (?), v. t. (Milling) To extract the germs from, as from wheat grains.
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Degerminator (?), n. (Milling) A machine for breaking open the kernels of wheat or other grain and removing the germs.
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Deglaze (?), v. t. To remove the glaze from, as pottery or porcelain, so as to give a dull finish.
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Deglazing (?), n. The process of giving a dull or ground surface to glass by acid or by mechanical means. Knight.
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Degloried (?), a. Deprived of glory; dishonored. [Obs.] “With thorns degloried.” G. Fletcher.
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Deglutinate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Deglutinated; p. pr. & vb. n. Deglutinating.] [L. deglutinatus, p. p. of deglutinare to deglutinate; de- + glutinare to glue, gluten glue.] To loosen or separate by dissolving the glue which unties; to unglue.
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Deglutination (?), n. The act of ungluing.
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Deglutition (?), n. [L. deglutire to swallow down; de- + glutire to swallow: cf. F. déglutition. See .] The act or process of swallowing food; the power of swallowing.
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The muscles employed in the act of deglutition. Paley.
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Deglutitious (?), a. Pertaining to deglutition. [R.]
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Deglutitory (?), a. Serving for, or aiding in, deglutition.
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Degradation (?), n. [LL. degradatio, from degradare: cf. F. dégradation. See .] 1. The act of reducing in rank, character, or reputation, or of abasing; a lowering from one's standing or rank in office or society; diminution; as, the degradation of a peer, a knight, a general, or a bishop.
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He saw many removes and degradations in all the other offices of which he had been possessed. Clarendon.
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2. The state of being reduced in rank, character, or reputation; baseness; moral, physical, or intellectual degeneracy; disgrace; abasement; debasement.
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The . . . degradation of a needy man of letters. Macaulay.
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Deplorable is the degradation of our nature. South.
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Moments there frequently must be, when a sinner is sensible of the degradation of his state. Blair.
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3. Diminution or reduction of strength, efficacy, or value; degeneration; deterioration.
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The development and degradation of the alphabetic forms can be traced. I. Taylor (The Alphabet).
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4. (Geol.) A gradual wearing down or wasting, as of rocks and banks, by the action of water, frost etc.
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5. (Biol.) The state or condition of a species or group which exhibits degraded forms; degeneration.
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The degradation of the species man is observed in some of its varieties. Dana.
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6. (Physiol.) Arrest of development, or degeneration of any organ, or of the body as a whole.
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Coloq. Degradation of energy , or Coloq. Dissipation of energy (Physics), the transformation of energy into some form in which it is less available for doing work.

Syn. -- Abasement; debasement; reduction; decline.
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Degrade (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Degraded; p. pr. & vb. n. Degrading.] [F. dégrader, LL. degradare, fr. L. de- + gradus step, degree. See , and cf. .] 1. To reduce from a higher to a lower rank or degree; to lower in rank; to deprive of office or dignity; to strip of honors; as, to degrade a nobleman, or a general officer.
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Prynne was sentenced by the Star Chamber Court to be degraded from the bar. Palfrey.
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2. To reduce in estimation, character, or reputation; to lessen the value of; to lower the physical, moral, or intellectual character of; to debase; to bring shame or contempt upon; to disgrace; as, vice degrades a man.
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O miserable mankind, to what fall
Degraded, to what wretched state reserved! Milton.
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Yet time ennobles or degrades each line. Pope.
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Her pride . . . struggled hard against this degrading passion. Macaulay.
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3. (Geol.) To reduce in altitude or magnitude, as hills and mountains; to wear down.

Syn. -- To abase; demean; lower; reduce. See .
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Degrade, v. i. (Biol.) To degenerate; to pass from a higher to a lower type of structure; as, a family of plants or animals degrades through this or that genus or group of genera.
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Degraded (?), a. 1. Reduced in rank, character, or reputation; debased; sunken; low; base.
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The Netherlands . . . were reduced practically to a very degraded condition. Motley.
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2. (Biol.) Having the typical characters or organs in a partially developed condition, or lacking certain parts.
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Some families of plants are degraded dicotyledons. Dana.
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3. [Cf. F. degré step.] (Her.) Having steps; -- said of a cross each of whose extremities finishes in steps growing larger as they leave the center; -- termed also on degrees.
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Degradement (?), n. Deprivation of rank or office; degradation. [R.] Milton.
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degrading, a. causing humiliation or degradation; as, a degrading surrender.
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degradingly, adv. In a degrading manner.
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Dégras (?), Degras (�), n. [F.; cf. F. gras, a. & n., fat.] A semisolid emulsion produced by the treatment of certain skins with oxidized fish oil, which extracts their soluble albuminoids. It was formerly solely a by-product of chamois leather manufacture, but is now made for its own sake, being valuable as a dressing for hides.
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Degravation (?), n. [L. degravare, degravatum, to make heavy. See , a.] The act of making heavy. [Obs.] Bailey.
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Degrease (?), v. t. To remove grease or fatty matter from, as wool or silk.
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Degree (?), n. [F. degré, OF. degret, fr. LL. degradare. See .] 1. A step, stair, or staircase. [Obs.]
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By ladders, or else by degree. Rom. of R.
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2. One of a series of progressive steps upward or downward, in quality, rank, acquirement, and the like; a stage in progression; grade; gradation; as, degrees of vice and virtue; to advance by slow degrees; degree of comparison.
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3. The point or step of progression to which a person has arrived; rank or station in life; position. “A dame of high degree.” Dryden. “A knight is your degree.” Shak. “Lord or lady of high degree.” Lowell.
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4. Measure of advancement; quality; extent; as, tastes differ in kind as well as in degree.
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The degree of excellence which proclaims genius, is different in different times and different places. Sir. J. Reynolds.
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5. Grade or rank to which scholars are admitted by a college or university, in recognition of their attainments; also, (informal) the diploma provided by an educational institution attesting to the achievement of that rank; as, the degree of bachelor of arts, master, doctor, etc.; to hang one's degrees on the office wall.
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☞ In the United States diplomas are usually given as the evidence of a degree conferred. In the humanities the first degree is that of bachelor of arts (B. A. or A. B.); the second that of master of arts (M. A. or A. M.). The degree of bachelor (of arts, science, divinity, law, etc.) is conferred upon those who complete a prescribed course of undergraduate study. The first degree in medicine is that of doctor of medicine (M. D.). The degrees of master and doctor are also conferred, in course, upon those who have completed certain prescribed postgraduate studies, as doctor of philosophy (Ph. D.); the degree of doctor is also conferred as a complimentary recognition of eminent services in science or letters, or for public services or distinction (as doctor of laws (LL. D.) or doctor of divinity (D. D.), when they are called honorary degrees.
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The youth attained his bachelor's degree, and left the university. Macaulay.
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6. (Genealogy) A certain distance or remove in the line of descent, determining the proximity of blood; one remove in the chain of relationship; as, a relation in the third or fourth degree.
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In the 11th century an opinion began to gain ground in Italy, that third cousins might marry, being in the seventh degree according to the civil law. Hallam.
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