Dictionary — D

A personal lexicon of unusual, archaic, scientific, and otherwise interesting words encountered in reading. Browse other letters from the Dictionary catalog.

Word	Definition
daft	mad, crazy; foolish, stupid
daguerrotype	an early photographic process.
dais	raised platform in lecture hall
dandelion	composite plant having many-rayed yellow flower heads and deeply notched basal leaves.
dander	anger, temper.
dandy	man unduly attentive about dress; something excellent in its class.
dapper	spruce, trim; alert and lively in movement and manner; jaunty.
dapple	mottled or spotted marking
dappled	spotted, mottled
dastardly	cowardly and malicious; base
dauntless	fearless.
de jure	according to law; by right.
de rigueur	required by the current fashion, etiquette or custom; socially obligatory
debauch	tr.v. to corrupt morally; to lead away from excellence or virtue; debase; n. orgy
debauchery	orgy; dissipation
debonair	suave, urbane; affable, genial; carefree and gay, jaunty
decal	a picture or design transferred by decalcomania; a decorative sticker
decalcomania	the process of transferring pictures or designs printed on specially prepared paper to materials such as glass or metal
decideratum
deciduous	falling off or shed at a specific season or stage of growth; not lasting, ephemeral
declension	a descending slope; a descent; a decline or decrease; deterioration; a deviation, as from a standard or practice
decoy	n. a means used to mislead or lead into danger; tr.v. to lure or entrap by or as if by a decoy.
decry	to condemn openly; syn’s-disparage, depreciate, derogate, belittle, minimize, downgrade
deference	submission or courteous yielding to the opinion, wishes or judgement of another; courteous respect
definiendum (pl. definienda)	a word or expression that is being defined.
definiens (pl. definentia)	The word or words serving to define another word or expression.
deign	intr.v. to think it appropriate to one’s dignity; condescend; tr.v. to condescend to give or grant; vouchsafe
deism	a system of thought advocating natural religion based on human reason rather than revelation.
delectation	enjoyment
demeanor	deportment, conduct, bearing.
demigod	a mythological being with more power than a mortal but less than a god.
demimonde	whores; a group whose respectability is dubious or success marginal.
demotic	popular.
demur	object; delay
demure	adj. modest and reserved in manner or behavior; affectedly shy, modest or reserved.
denier	unit of weight by which fineness of silk, rayon, or nylon yarn is estimated
denigrate	tr.v. to attack the character or reputation of; speak ill of; defame; to disparage, belittle
denouement	the final resolution or clarification of a dramatic or narrative plot; the outcome of a sequence of events; the end result.
dentifrice	a substance, such as a paste or powder, for cleaning the teeth.
dentil	one of a series of boxes under a cornice.
deprecate	tr.v. to express disapproval of; deplore; to belittle; depreciate
depredation	a predatory attack; a raid; damage or loss; ravage.
depute	to appoint or authorize as an agent or representative; delegate
deracinate	to pull out by the roots; uproot; displace from one’s native or accustomed environment
derisory	expressing derision; derisive, laughable; ridiculous.
derring-do	n. daring or reckless action
desert	worthiness of reward or punishment; a just reward or punishment.
desideratum	something considered necessary or highly desirable
despise	to look down on with contempt or aversion; disdain, detest; to regard as negligible, worthless, or distasteful.
despond	intr.v. to become disheartened or discouraged; n. despondency
despondency	n. depression of spirits from loss of hope, confidence or courage; dejection
desuetude	a state of disuse or inactivity
desultory	moving or jumping from one thing to another; disconnected; occurring haphazardly; random
deuced	adj. darned; confounded.
deus ex machina	a person or event that provides a sudden and unexpected solution to a difficulty.
devilry/deviltry	reckless mischief; extreme cruelty; wickedness; an act of mischief, cruelty or witchcraft
devolve	tr.v. to pass on or delegate to another; intr.v.
diachronic	of or concerned with phenomena, esp of language, as they change through time
diaphanous	of such fine texture as to be transparent or translucent; characterized by delicacy of form; vague or insubstantial
differential	showing a difference, distinctive.
diffident	lacking or marked by a lack of self-confidence; shy and timid; reserved in manner
dint	n. force or effort; power; v. to impress or drive in forcibly
Dionysian	of an ecstatic, orgiastic, or irrational nature; frenzied or undisciplined
Dionysus	the god of wine and of an orgiastic religion celebrating the power and fertility of nature
dipsomaniac	an insatiable, often periodic craving for alcoholic beverages
dire	calamitous; urgent, desperate
discommode	to put to inconvenience, trouble.
discursive	passing from one topic to another, rambling.
disparage	to lower in rank or reputation; degrade; belittle.
disquisition	a formal discourse on a subject, often in writing
dissemble	tr.v. to disguise or conceal behind a false appearance; feign; intr.v. to disguise or conceal one’s real nature, motives, or feelings behind a false appearance
dissimulate	to hide under a false appearance; dissemble.
dissipation	wasteful expenditure or consumption; dissolute indulgence in sensual pleasure; intemperance; an amusement; a diversion
dissolute	lacking moral restraint; indulging in sensual pleasures or vices
distich	rhyming couplet
docent	a teacher/lecturer who is not a regular faculty member
docile	ready and willing to be taught; teachable. Yielding to supervision, direction, or management; tractable.
dodder	to shake or tremble, as from old age; totter; to progress in a feeble, unsteady manner
dodo	wingless, flightless bird
doggerel	n. crudely or irregularly fashioned verse, often of a humorous or burlesque nature
dol	unit for measuring pain
dollop	n. clumsy or shapeless lump of food; v.t. serve out in large quantities.
dolorimeter	instrument for measuring pain
dolt	a person regarded as stupid
doozy	something extraordinary or bizarre
dormer	a window set vertically into a small gable projecting from a sloping roof
do-si-do	a movement in square dancing in which two dancers approach each other and circle back to back, then return to their original positions
dotage	a deterioration of mental faculties; senility
dotard	person in dotage
dote	to show excessive love or fondness
double-entendre	word or phrase with double meaning, esp. where second meaning is risque.
doughty	valiant, stout, formidable; marked by stouthearted courage
dour	marked by sternest or harshness; forbidding. Silently ill-humored; gloomy. Sternly obstinate; unyielding
down	n. fine, soft, fluffy feathers forming the first plumage of a young bird and underlying the contour feathers in certain adult birds; a covering of soft, short hairs.
dowse	search for hidden water or minerals with forked twig which dips suddenly when held over the right spot.
doxology	hymn of praise to God.
drawl	to speak with lengthened or drawn-out vowels
dray	low, heavy cart without sides
dreary	dismal, bleak; boring, dull.
drill1	n. a shallow trench or furrow in which seeds are planted; a row of planted seeds; a machine or implement for planting seeds in holes or furrows; tr.v. to sow (seeds) in rows
drill2	n. cotton or linen
drill3	baboon
drivel	v. drool; to talk stupidly or childishly; n. stupid or senseless talk
droll	amusingly odd or whimsically comical
dromedary	one-humped camel; Arabian camel.
dross	a waste product or an impurity; worthless, commonplace, or trivial matter
dudgeon	a sullen, angry, or indignant humor
dullsville	a dull place, thing or condition.
dumbfound	to fill with astonishment and perplexity, confound.
dun	an almost neutral brownish grey to dull brownish grey.
Dvorak, Anton	1841-1904. Czechoslovakian composer whose works often incorporate folk music.
dyspeptic	adj. of or displaying a morose disposition