D () The fourth letter of the English alphabet, and a vocal consonant. The English letter is from Latin, which is from Greek, which took it from Ph/nician, the probable ultimate origin being Egyptian. It is related most nearly to t and th; as, Eng. deep, G. tief; Eng. daughter, G. tochter, Gr. qyga`thr, Skr. duhitr. See Guide to Pronunciation, Ã178, 179, 229.
D () The nominal of the second tone in the model major scale (that in C), or of the fourth tone in the relative minor scale of C (that in A minor), or of the key tone in the relative minor of F.
D () As a numeral D stands for 500. in this use it is not the initial of any word, or even strictly a letter, but one half of the sign / (or / ) the original Tuscan numeral for 1000.
Dab (n.) A skillful hand; a dabster; an expert.
Dab (n.) A name given to several species of flounders, esp. to the European species, Pleuronectes limanda. The American rough dab is Hippoglossoides platessoides.
Dabbed (imp. & p. p.) of Dab
Dabbing (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Dab
Dab (v. i.) To strike or touch gently, as with a soft or moist substance; to tap; hence, to besmear with a dabber.
Dab (v. i.) To strike by a thrust; to hit with a sudden blow or thrust.
Dab (n.) A gentle blow with the hand or some soft substance; a sudden blow or hit; a peck.
Dab (n.) A small mass of anything soft or moist.
Dabb (n.) A large, spine-tailed lizard (Uromastix spinipes), found in Egypt, Arabia, and Palestine; -- called also dhobb, and dhabb.
Dabber (n.) That with which one dabs; hence, a pad or other device used by printers, engravers, etc., as for dabbing type or engraved plates with ink.
Dabbled (imp. & p. p.) of Dabble
Dabbling (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Dabble
Dabble (v. t.) To wet by little dips or strokes; to spatter; to sprinkle; to moisten; to wet.
Dabble (v. i.) To play in water, as with the hands; to paddle or splash in mud or water.
Dabble (v. i.) To work in slight or superficial manner; to do in a small way; to tamper; to meddle.
Dabbler (n.) One who dabbles.
Dabbler (n.) One who dips slightly into anything; a superficial meddler.
Dabblingly (adv.) In a dabbling manner.
Dabchick (n.) A small water bird (Podilymbus podiceps), allied to the grebes, remarkable for its quickness in diving; -- called also dapchick, dobchick, dipchick, didapper, dobber, devil-diver, hell-diver, and pied-billed grebe.
Daboia (n.) A large and highly venomous Asiatic viper (Daboia xanthica).
Dabster (n.) One who is skilled; a master of his business; a proficient; an adept.
Dacapo () From the beginning; a direction to return to, and end with, the first strain; -- indicated by the letters D. C. Also, the strain so repeated.
Dace (n.) A small European cyprinoid fish (Squalius leuciscus or Leuciscus vulgaris); -- called also dare.
Dachshund (n.) One of a breed of small dogs with short crooked legs, and long body; -- called also badger dog. There are two kinds, the rough-haired and the smooth-haired.
Dacian (a.) Of or pertaining to Dacia or the Dacians.
Dacian (n.) A native of ancient Dacia.
Dacoit (n.) One of a class of robbers, in India, who act in gangs.
Dacoity (n.) The practice of gang robbery in India; robbery committed by dacoits.
Dacotahs (n. pl.) Same as Dacotas.
Dactyl (n.) A poetical foot of three sylables (-- ~ ~), one long followed by two short, or one accented followed by two unaccented; as, L. tegm/n/, E. mer\b6ciful; -- so called from the similarity of its arrangement to that of the joints of a finger.
Dactyl (n.) A finger or toe; a digit.
Dactyl (n.) The claw or terminal joint of a leg of an insect or crustacean.
Dactylar (a.) Pertaining to dactyl; dactylic.
Dactylar (a.) Of or pertaining to a finger or toe, or to the claw of an insect crustacean.
Dactylet (n.) A dactyl.
Dactylic (a.) Pertaining to, consisting chiefly or wholly of, dactyls; as, dactylic verses.
Dactylic (n.) A line consisting chiefly or wholly of dactyls; as, these lines are dactylics.
Dactylic (n.) Dactylic meters.
Dactylioglyph (n.) An engraver of gems for rings and other ornaments.
Dactylioglyph (n.) The inscription of the engraver's name on a finger ring or gem.
Dactylioglyphi (n.) The art or process of gem engraving.
Dactyliography (n.) The art of writing or engraving upon gems.
Dactyliography (n.) In general, the literature or history of the art.
Dactyliology (n.) That branch of archaeology which has to do with gem engraving.
Dactyliology (n.) That branch of archaeology which has to do with finger rings.
Dactyliomancy (n.) Divination by means of finger rings.
Dactylist (n.) A writer of dactylic verse.
Dactylitis (n.) An inflammatory affection of the fingers.
Dactylology (n.) The art of communicating ideas by certain movements and positions of the fingers; -- a method of conversing practiced by the deaf and dumb.
Dactylomancy (n.) Dactyliomancy.
Dactylonomy (n.) The art of numbering or counting by the fingers.
Dactylopterous (a.) Having the inferior rays of the pectoral fins partially or entirely free, as in the gurnards.
Dactylotheca (n.) The scaly covering of the toes, as in birds.
Dactylozooid (n.) A kind of zooid of Siphonophora which has an elongated or even vermiform body, with one tentacle, but no mouth. See Siphonophora.
Dad (n.) Father; -- a word sometimes used by children.
Daddled (imp. & p. p.) of Dadle
Daddling (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Dadle
Dadle (v. i.) To toddle; to walk unsteadily, like a child or an old man; hence, to do anything slowly or feebly.
Daddock (n.) The rotten body of a tree.
Daddy (n.) Diminutive of Dad.
Daddy longlegs () An arachnidan of the genus Phalangium, and allied genera, having a small body and four pairs of long legs; -- called also harvestman, carter, and grandfather longlegs.
Daddy longlegs () A name applied to many species of dipterous insects of the genus Tipula, and allied genera, with slender bodies, and very long, slender legs; the crane fly; -- called also father longlegs.
Dade (v. t.) To hold up by leading strings or by the hand, as a child while he toddles.
Dade (v. i.) To walk unsteadily, as a child in leading strings, or just learning to walk; to move slowly.
Dadoes (pl. ) of Dado
Dado (n.) That part of a pedestal included between the base and the cornice (or surbase); the die. See Illust. of Column.
Dado (n.) In any wall, that part of the basement included between the base and the base course. See Base course, under Base.
Dado (n.) In interior decoration, the lower part of the wall of an apartment when adorned with moldings, or otherwise specially decorated.
Daedal (a.) Alt. of Daedalian
Daedalian (a.) Cunningly or ingeniously formed or working; skillful; artistic; ingenious.
Daedalian (a.) Crafty; deceitful.
Daedalous (a.) Having a variously cut or incised margin; -- said of leaves.
Daemon (a.) Alt. of Daemonic
Daemonic (a.) See Demon, Demonic.
Daff (v. t.) To cast aside; to put off; to doff.
Daff (n.) A stupid, blockish fellow; a numskull.
Daff (v. i.) To act foolishly; to be foolish or sportive; to toy.
Daff (v. t.) To daunt.
Daffodil (n.) A plant of the genus Asphodelus.
Daffodil (n.) A plant of the genus Narcissus (N. Pseudo-narcissus). It has a bulbous root and beautiful flowers, usually of a yellow hue. Called also daffodilly, daffadilly, daffadowndilly, daffydowndilly, etc.
Daft (a.) Stupid; foolish; idiotic; also, delirious; insane; as, he has gone daft.
Daft (a.) Gay; playful; frolicsome.
Daftness (n.) The quality of being daft.
Dag (n.) A dagger; a poniard.
Dag (n.) A large pistol formerly used.
Dag (n.) The unbranched antler of a young deer.
Dag (n.) A misty shower; dew.
Dag (n.) A loose end; a dangling shred.