debit - the entry showing something owed in an account: Despite an accounting course taken in her freshman year of college, she had trouble keeping her debits separate from her credits.
debilitate - to make weak, enfeeble: Multiple sclerosis may last for years; it gradually debilitates its victims. Also: debilitation, debilitative (causing debilitation), debility. [debilitas, debilitatis, f. - weakness; debilitatio, debilitationis, f. - a weakening; debilito, debilitare, debilitavi, debilitatus - to disable, weaken]
decimate - to destroy a large part of (originally, to kill every tenth one): The Civil War decimated the male population of both the North and the South. Also: decimation, decimator.
declivity - a hill sloping downward: The precipitous drop in stock values is not passed off as a minor declivity, even by the most optimistic analysts. Also: declivitous, declivous. [declivitas, declivitatis, f. - slope]
decorous - characterized by proper behavior; in good taste: Proponents of school dress codes argue that decorous attire promotes studiousness. Also: decor (style or manner of decoration), decorate, decoration, decorative, decorativeness, decorator, decorum (proper behavior, speech, and dress), decorousness. [decor, decoris, m. - elegance, grace; decoro, decorare, decoravi, decoratus - to decorate]
deduce - 1) to conclude by logical reasoning from something known: Scholastic philosophers used major and minor premises to deduce such things as the existence of God and the immortality of the soul. 2) to trace the origin or course of. Also: deducible, deducibility, deducibleness, deduction, deductive. [deductio, deductionis, f. - a drawing down, a leading away; duco, ducere, duxi, ductus - to lead]
defer - 1. to yield respectfully to the opinion of another: In most matters, boys and girls ought to defer to the judgment of their parents and teachers. 2. to put off until later. Also: deference (a respectful yielding to the opinion of another), deferential (yielding respectfully to the opinion of another). [fero, ferre, tuli, latus - to carry, bring] deference - 1) a respectful yielding to the opinion or judgment of another: Junior members of the firm are advised to steer a cautious course between proper deference and the promotion of one’s own ideas. 2) great respect. Also: defer, deferent (showing deference), deferential (deferent). [fero, ferre, tuli, latus - to bear, carry]
defunct - no longer in effect or in existence; dead: Many an antiquated law, though never officially repealed or rescinded, is in fact defunct, having succumbed to universal disregard. Also: defunctness, defunctive (pertaining to the dead). [fungor, fungi, functus - to busy oneself, perform, administer]
delectable - delightful: He called her delectable, even divine, and racked his brain for a still more laudatory epithet. Also: delectability (the quality of being delectable), delectableness, delectate (to delight), delectation (delight). [delectabilis, delectabile - delightful; delectatio, delectationis, f. - delight, pleasure]
delinquent - 1) failing to do what is required by law or duty: When a divorced father becomes delinquent in the payment of child support, he is called a "deadbeat dad." 2) overdue. Also: delict (transgression, offense, misdemeanor), delinquency. [delictum, delicti, n. - a fault, crime]
demonstrable - able to be shown or proved: The complicity
of foreign governments in this affair, although widely suspected, is not
readily demonstrable. Also: demonstrability demonstrableness.
depletion - an exhausting or a serious diminishing of the supply of:: Environmentalists bemoan the depletion of certain natural resources, like oil and gas, and the pollution of others, like air and water. Also: deplete, depletable, depletive, depletory.
deplore - to regret deeply (because of disapproval): Some people deplore the business of university sports, which encourages the exploitation of athletes and allows football and basketball coaches to earn more money than the highest-paid professors and academic administrators. Also: deplorable, deplorableness, deplorability, deploration, deplorer. [ploro, plorare, ploravi, ploratus - to cry our, weep aloud; de (prep. w/ abl.) - from, down from; about]
condescending - giving the impression that one is descending voluntarily, in dealing with others, from a higher position or dignity: Condescending people are unwilling or unable to interact with subordinates without drawing attention, at least implicitly, to the difference in their positions. Also: condescend (to behave in a condescending manner), condescender, condescendent, condescendence, condescension, condescensive.
desiderate - to wish for, long for: Now that he had retired and finally had ample free time, something long desiderated but long repressed came knocking unhindered at the door of his mind: he would raise tropical fish. Also: desideration, desiderative, desideratum (something longed for), desiderium (an ardent longing). [desiderium, desideri, n. - an ardent longing]
desultory - 1) disconnected; jumping from one thing to another A desultory approach to learning may be well served by the Internet, where one can leap from one topic to another with the click of a mouse. 2) random. Also: desultoriness. [desultor, desultoris, m. - a jumper; a circus rider who jumps from horse to horse]
desist - to cease, stop: Peaceful demonstrations are fine, but when demonstrators endanger the public or destroy or seriously damage public property, the police have every right to force them to desist.
desolate - (adj.) 1) barren, devastated: Over the course of many millennia, alternating glaciation and thaw caused verdant areas have become desolate, and desolate areas verdant. 2) deserted, not lived in; (v.) 1) to lay waste, devastate; 2) to deprive of inhabitants, depopulate. Also: desolateness, desolater, desolation, desolator. [solus, sola, solum - alone]
despicable - deserving to be despised: Stealing is wrong, but stealing from the poor is despicable. Also: despicability, despicableness.
detriment - loss, disadvantage, or a cause thereof: No man is an island: individual good works are a boon to society, and individual misdeeds are a detriment. Also: detrimental, detrimentality, detrimentalness. [detrimentosus, detrimtentosa, detrimentosum - hurtful; detero. deterere, detrivi, detritus - to wear down, rub away]
adieu - farewell, good-by: Tearful adieus exchanged, her parents boarded a plane to return home, and she returned to her job in the hospital. deify - 1) to make a god of; 2) to idolize: The
Romans deified their emperors; we deify our athletes. What's the
difference? Also: deific (godlike), deification (act
of deifying; state of being deified), deifier.
dexterous - 1) skilled in the use of the hands or body;
adroit; 2) skilled in using the mind; clever: Many jobs are best
filled by persons dexterous both physically and mentally. Also: dexterity
(adroitness; cleverness), dexterousness, ambidexterous (able to
use both hands with equal skill), ambidexterity, ambidextrousness.
[dexteritas, dexteritatis, f. - dexterity; ambo, ambae, ambo
- both]
dictate - (n) an authoritative command: Shakespeare's
words, "This above all, to thine own self be true," can be
understood to mean that one should follow the dictates of his/her
conscience. (v.) 1) to say or read for another person to write down;
2) to command with authority. Also: dictation, dictational, dictator,
dictatorial, dictatorialness, dictatorship. [dicto, dictare,
dictavi, dictatus - to dictate; repeat; dictator, dictatoris, m.
- dictator]
diurnal - 1) daily: The Romans believed that the chariot of
Apollo carried the sun on its diurnal journey across the sky. 2)
happening in the daytime. Also: diurnalness. [diurnus, diurna,
diurnum - pertaining to a day; lasting a day]
differentiate - 1) to mark so as to distinguish from other such things; 2) to perceive the difference in: Not always through their own fault, some students begin Latin 1 unable to differentiate various parts of speech. Also: Also: differ, difference, different, differentness, differentia (attribute that distinguishes one entity from another), differentiable, differential, differentiator. [differentia, differentiae, f. - difference; fero, ferre, tuli, latus - to bear, carry]
deign - to think fit; to condescend to do something considered below one’s dignity: The popular prince deigned to walk among the common people and to hear their concerns. [dignatio, dignationis, f. - esteem, dignity; dignitas, dignitatis, f. - worth, merit; digno, dignare - to consider worthy; dignor, dignari, dignatus sum - to consider worthy] disdain - (v.) to look down on, to regard as beneath one's dignity; (n.) the feeling or act of disdaining. Fatuously aloof, she disdained family, coworkers, and acquaintances; not surprisingly, she had no friends. Also: disdainful, disdainfulness. [dignor, dignari, dignatus sum - to consider worthy; to deign]
dilatory - 1) tending to delay; tardy: They were a real-life analogue of Jack Sprat and wife: he, an early arriver, and she, his dilatory mate, arrived everywhere exactly on time. 2) causing delay or intended to cause delay. Also: dilatoriness. [differo, differre, distuli, dilatus - to delay, postpone; dilator, dilatoris, m. - a delayer, a dilatory person]
discrepant - differing, disagreeing, discordant, inharmonious: She was uncomfortable among people with discrepant religious ideas. Also: discrepance, discrepancy. [crepito, crepitare - to rattle, creak; crepitus, crepitus, m. - a rattling, creaking; crepo, crepare, crepui, crepitus - to rattle, creak; discrepantia, discrepantiae, f. - dissimilarily; discrepatio, discrepationis, f. - a disagreement]
dissimilation - 1) the act of making of becoming unlike; 2) (phonetics) a change in speech sound making it less like a neighboring sound: The opposite of dissimilation is assimilation, the process whereby a sound becomes more like a neighboring sound. Also: dissimilate (to make [a sound] unlike by means of dissimilation), dissimilative, dissimilatory. [dissimilitudo, dissimilitudinis, f. - difference; similis, simile - like, similar]
dissimulate - (trans.) to disguise or conceal under pretense; (intrans.) to conceal one’s true thoughts or motives by some pretense: Everyone who has a need for personal privacy, cares about the feelings of others, or seeks to avoid unnecessary discord must dissimulate occasionally. Also: dissimulation, dissimulative, dissimulator. [dissimulatia, dissimulatiae, f. - a dissembling; dissimulatio, dissimulationis, f. - a dissembling, concealing; dissimulator, dissimulatoris, m. - a dissembler]
dissipated - indulging excessively in pleasures: Many lower- and middle-class people enjoy reading about the dissipated lifestyles of the rich and famous. Also: dissipate (to scatter; to spend wastefully), dissipatedness, dissipation, dissipative, dissipator. [dissipabilis, dissipabile - dispersible; dissipatio, dissipationis, f. - a dispersing, scattering]
dividend - company profits shared by stockholders and holders
of insurance policies: The chairman announced with visible pride that
the company's annual dividends had reached an all-time high.
dowry - money, goods, or property that a woman brings to her husband when she marries: These days if a young man were to ask the father of his fiancée for a dowry, the request would probably not be received cordially. Also: dower (a widow’s lifelong share of her deceased husband’s property), dowery (dowry), dowerless (without a dower or dowry). [datio, dationis, f. - a giving; dator, datoris, m. - giver]
docent - 1) a teacher not on the regular faculty: Some
high-school teachers are employed as docents at colleges and smaller
universities. 2) guide at a museum or gallery.
dogmatic - 1) of or pertaining to the doctrines or prescribed teachings of a religion, political party, or other organization; 2) arrogantly expressing opinions as if they were facts : A dogmatic attitude finds little favor among scholars. Also: dogma (a doctrine or prescribed teaching of a church or other organization), dogmatical, dogmaticalness, dogmatician (a student of dogmatics), dogmatics (dogmatic theology), dogmatism (arrogant, authoritative assertion of opinions as truths), dogmatist, dogmatize (to make dogmatic statements), dogmatization.
indolence - laziness: Many a talent has been obscured by indolence. Also: indolent. [indolentia, indolentiae, f. - freedom from pain]
dolorous - very sorrowful: The dolorous expressions on the faces of the Tiny Tigers had nothing to do with their lopsided loss to the Happy Hippos and everything to do with the announcement that their favorite post-game haunt, the pizza parlor, was closed. Also: doleful (sorrowful), dolor (sorrow, grief), dolorousness.
dominion - supreme authority: In the 16th century, Spain had dominion over the Philippines, the Netherlands, Portugal, the Canary Islands, Naples, Sicily, Sardinia, most of South America, and parts of North America and Africa.
indomitable - unable to be overcome or subdued; unconquerable: Among the most desirable human qualities must surely be numbered insatiable curiosity, indefatigable love, and indomitable courage. Also: indomitability, indomitableness. [domitor, domitoris, m. - tamer; domitrix, domitricis, f. - tamer; domitus, domitus, m. - taming; indomabilis, indomabile - untameable; indomitus, indomita, indomitum - untamed]
domestic - having to do with the home or with housekeeping: More
and more husbands and wives are sharing domestic chores equitably.
2) having to do with or made in one’s own country; 3) tame. Also: domesticate
(to make domestic), domesticable, domestication, domesticity
(fondness for home and family life). [domesticus, domestica,
domesticum - domestic; belonging to house or family]
condone - to disregard, thereby giving tacit approval or pardon: By overlooking speeds of ten mph. or more in excess of posted limits on interstate highways, the police condone speeding, don't they? Also: condonable, condonance, condonation, condonement. [condono, condonare, condonavi, condonatus - to give away; condonatio. condonationis, f. a giving away] donative - gift, donation: For legal validation of gifts, two things are necessary: the transfer of possession of the donative and evidence of the intent of the donor. Also: donate, donation, donator. [donum, doni, n. - gift]
dormant - 1) sleeping or quiet as if asleep; 2) inactive: Apple trees are supposed to be sprayed one time in the late winter, while the trees are still dormant. Also: dormancy (the state of being dormant).
draconic - of or like a dragon: Fans of professional wrestling love a clean-cut champion and love to hate his draconic adversaries.
dubious - 1) doubtful (feeling doubt); 2) uncertain; in doubt: Believing the casualty report to have been based on dubious evidence, the general refused to sign it. 3) questionable; arousing doubt. Also: dubiousness, dubitable (doubtful), dubitation (doubt), dubitative (doubting). [dubius, dubia, dubium - doubtful, uncertain] dubitation - doubt: Honest cogitation sometimes leads to
dubitation. Also: dubiety (doubtfulness, uncertainty), dubiosity
(dubiety), dubious (causing doubt; doubtful), dubiousness,
dubitable, indubitable. [dubitabilis, dubitabile - doubtful; dubitatio,
dubitationis, f. - doubt, uncertainty; hesitancy; dubius,
dubia, dubium - wavering, doubtful]
abduct - to take someone away unlawfully, by force or fraud;
to kidnap: Having abducted the young heiress, they demanded a ransom
of ten million dollars. Also: abductee, abduction (an
abducting or being abducted), abductor. [abduco, abducere,
abduxi, abductus - to lead away, take away; ductor, ductoris, m. -
leader]
dulcet - pleasant or soothing to the ear: I have often enjoyed the relaxing, dulcet tones of Phil Coulter's album "Forgotten Dreams," which features the hauntingly beautiful voice of Suzanne Murphy. Also: dulcify (to make more agreeable; sweeten).
dualism - the state of being twofold; a duality: In philosophy, dualism is the theory that the world is explicable in terms of mind and matter, whereas the same word means for a theologian the existence of the fundamentally opposite principles of good and evil. Also: dualist (one who adheres to some form of dualism), dualistic (having to do with dualism), duality (a dual quality).
duodecimal - relating to twelve or counting by twelves: A duodecimal system of mathematics could use "10" for the number twelve and invent single digits, say "§" and "¶," for ten and eleven, respectively.
duplicity - 1) deceitfulness, double-dealing: Always syrupy nice to his face, she disparaged him at other times; when the duplicity became known to him, he broke off the relationship. 2) the state of being double. Also: duplicitous (characterized by duplicity).
duress - constraint; compulsion; coercion; force: The will,
written under duress, was declared invalid. |
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