Doum palm Doum" palm` (dōm" päm`). See Doom palm .

Doupe Doupe noun (Zoology) The carrion crow. [ Written also dob .] [ Prov. Eng.]

Dour Dour adjective [ Confer French dur , Latin durus .] Hard; inflexible; obstinate; sour in aspect; hardy; bold. [ Scot.]

A dour wife, a sour old carlin.

C. Reade.

Doura Dou"ra noun A kind of millet. See Durra .

Douroucouli Dou`rou·cou"li noun See Durukuli .

Douse Douse transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Doused ; present participle & verbal noun Dousing .] [ Confer Dowse , and OD. donsen to strike with the fist on the back, Swedish dunsa to fall down violently and noisily; perhaps akin to English din .] 1. To plunge suddenly into water; to duck; to immerse; to dowse. Bp. Stillingfleet.

2. (Nautical) To strike or lower in haste; to slacken suddenly; as, douse the topsail.

Douse Douse intransitive verb To fall suddenly into water. Hudibras.

Douse Douse transitive verb [ Anglo-Saxon dwæscan . (Skeat.)] To put out; to extinguish. [ Slang] " To douse the glim." Sir W. Scott.

Dousing-chock Dous"ing-chock` noun (Shipbuilding) One of several pieces fayed across the apron and lapped in the knightheads, or inside planking above the upper deck. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

Dout Dout transitive verb [ Do + out . Confer Doff .] To put out. [ Obsolete] "It douts the light." Sylvester.

Douter Dout"er noun An extinguisher for candles. [ Obsolete]

Dove Dove noun [ Middle English dove , duve , douve , Anglo-Saxon d...fe ; akin to Old Saxon d...ba , Dutch duif , Old High German t...ba , German taube , Icelandic d...fa , Swedish dufva , Danish due , Goth. d...b... ; perhaps from the root of English dive .] 1. (Zoology) A pigeon of the genus Columba and various related genera. The species are numerous.

» The domestic dove, including the varieties called fantails , tumblers , carrier pigeons , etc., was derived from the rock pigeon ( Columba livia ) of Europe and Asia; the turtledove of Europe, celebrated for its sweet, plaintive note, is C. turtur or Turtur vulgaris ; the ringdove , the largest of European species, is C. palumbus ; the Carolina dove , or Mourning dove , is Zenaidura macroura ; the sea dove is the little auk ( Mergulus alle or Alle alle ). See Turtledove , Ground dove , and Rock pigeon . The dove is a symbol of innocence, gentleness, and affection; also, in art and in the Scriptures, the typical symbol of the Holy Ghost.

2. A word of endearment for one regarded as pure and gentle.

O my dove , . . . let me hear thy voice.

Cant. ii. 14.

Dove tick (Zoology) , a mite ( Argas reflexus ) which infests doves and other birds. -- Soiled dove , a prostitute. [ Slang]

Dove plant Dove" plant` (Botany) A Central American orchid ( Peristeria elata ), having a flower stem five or six feet high, with numerous globose white fragrant flowers. The column in the center of the flower resembles a dove; -- called also Holy Spirit plant .

Dove-eyed Dove"-eyed` adjective Having eyes like a dove; meekeyed; as, dove-eyed Peace.

Dove's-foot Dove's"-foot` noun (Botany) (a) A small annual species of Geranium, native in England; -- so called from the shape of the leaf. (b) The columbine. [ Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Dovecot, Dovecote Dove"cot`, Dove"cote` noun A small house or box, raised to a considerable height above the ground, and having compartments, in which domestic pigeons breed; a dove house.

Like an eagle in a dovecote , I
Fluttered your Volscians in Corioli.

Shak.

Dovekie Dove"kie noun (Zoology) A guillemot ( Uria grylle ), of the arctic regions. Also applied to the little auk or sea dove. See under Dove .

Dovelet Dove"let noun A young or small dove. Booth.

Dovelike Dove"like` adjective Mild as a dove; gentle; pure and lovable. Longfellow.

Dover's Powder Do"ver's Pow"der [ From Dr. Dover , an English physician.] (Medicine) A powder of ipecac and opium, compounded, in the United States, with sugar of milk, but in England (as formerly in the United States) with sulphate of potash, and in France (as in Dr. Dover's original prescription) with nitrate and sulphate of potash and licorice. It is an anodyne diaphoretic.

Doveship Dove"ship noun The possession of dovelike qualities, harmlessness and innocence. [ Obsolete] Bp. Hall.

Dovetail Dove"tail` noun (Carp.) A flaring tenon, or tongue (shaped like a bird's tail spread), and a mortise, or socket, into which it fits tightly, making an interlocking joint between two pieces which resists pulling a part in all directions except one.

Dovetail molding (Architecture) , a molding of any convex section arranged in a sort of zigzag, like a series of dovetails. -- Dovetail saw (Carp.) , a saw used in dovetailing.

Dovetail Dove"tail` transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Dovetailed ; present participle & verbal noun Dovetailing .] 1. (Carp.) (a) To cut to a dovetail. (b) To join by means of dovetails.

2. To fit in or connect strongly, skillfully, or nicely; to fit ingeniously or complexly.

He put together a piece of joinery so crossly indented and whimsically dovetailed . . . that it was indeed a very curious show.

Burke.

Dovish Dov"ish adjective Like a dove; harmless; innocent. "Joined with dovish simplicity." Latimer.

Dow Dow noun A kind of vessel. See Dhow .

Dow Dow transitive verb [ French douer . See Dower .] To furnish with a dower; to endow. [ Obsolete] Wyclif.

Dowable Dow"a·ble adjective [ From Dow , transitive verb ] Capable of being endowed; entitled to dower. Blackstone.

Dowager Dow"a·ger noun [ Old French douagiere , from douage dower. See Dower .] 1. (Eng. Law) A widow endowed, or having a jointure; a widow who either enjoys a dower from her deceased husband, or has property of her own brought by her to her husband on marriage, and settled on her after his decease. Blount. Burrill.

2. A title given in England to a widow, to distinguish her from the wife of her husband's heir bearing the same name; -- chiefly applied to widows of personages of rank.

With prudes for proctors, dowagers for deans.

Tennyson.

Queen dowager , the widow of a king.

Dowagerism Dow"a·ger·ism noun The rank or condition of a dowager; formality, as that of a dowager. Also used figuratively.

Mansions that have passed away into dowagerism .

Thackeray.

Dowcet Dow"cet noun [ See Doucet .] One of the testicles of a hart or stag. [ Spelt also doucet .] B. Jonson.

Dowdy Dow"dy adjective [ Compar. Dowdier ; superl. Dowdiest .] [ Scot. dawdie slovenly, daw , da sluggard, drab, Prov. English dowd flat, dead.] Showing a vulgar taste in dress; awkward and slovenly in dress; vulgar-looking. -- Dow"di*ly adverb -- Dow"di*ness , noun

Dowdy Dow"dy noun ; plural Dowdies An awkward, vulgarly dressed, inelegant woman. Shak. Dryden.

Dowdyish Dow"dy·ish adjective Like a dowdy.

Dowel Dow"el noun [ Confer German döbel peg, French douelle state of a cask, surface of an arch, douille socket, little pipe, cartridge.] (Mech.) 1. A pin, or block, of wood or metal, fitting into holes in the abutting portions of two pieces, and being partly in one piece and partly in the other, to keep them in their proper relative position.

2. A piece of wood driven into a wall, so that other pieces may be nailed to it.

Dowel joint , a joint secured by a dowel or dowels. -- Dowel pin , a dowel. See Dowel , noun , 1.

Dowel Dow"el transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Doweled or Dowelled ; present participle & verbal noun Doweling or Dowelling .] To fasten together by dowels; to furnish with dowels; as, a cooper dowels pieces for the head of a cask.

Dower Dow"er noun [ French douaire , Late Latin dotarium , from Latin dotare to endow, portion, from dos dower; akin to Greek ... gift, and to Latin dare to give. See 1st Date , and confer Dot dowry, Dotation .] 1. That with which one is gifted or endowed; endowment; gift.

How great, how plentiful, how rich a dower !

Sir J. Davies.

Man in his primeval dower arrayed.

Wordsworth.

2. The property with which a woman is endowed ; especially: (a) That which a woman brings to a husband in marriage; dowry. [ Obsolete]

His wife brought in dower Cilicia's crown.

Dryden.

(b) (Law) That portion of the real estate of a man which his widow enjoys during her life, or to which a woman is entitled after the death of her husband. Blackstone.

» Dower , in modern use, is and should be distinguished from dowry . The former is a provision for a widow on her husband's death; the latter is a bride's portion on her marriage. Abbott.

Assignment of dower . See under Assignment .

Dowered Dow"ered p. adjective Furnished with, or as with, dower or a marriage portion. Shak.

Dowerless Dow"er·less adjective Destitute of dower; having no marriage portion. Shak.

Dowery Dow"er·y noun See Dower .

Dowitcher Dow"itch·er noun (Zoology) The red-breasted or gray snipe ( Macrorhamphus griseus ); - - called also brownback , and grayback .

Dowl Dowl (doul) noun Same as Dowle .

Dowlas Dow"las noun [ Prob. from Doullens , a town of Picardy, in France, formerly celebrated for this manufacture.] A coarse linen cloth made in the north of England and in Scotland, now nearly replaced by calico. Shak.

Dowle Dowle (doul) noun [ Confer Old French douille soft. Confer Ductile .] Feathery or wool-like down; filament of a feather. Shak.

No feather, or dowle of a feather.

De Quincey.

Down Down (doun) noun [ Akin to LG. dune , dun , Icelandic dūnn , Swedish dun , Danish duun , German daune , confer Dutch dons ; perhaps akin to English dust .] 1. Fine, soft, hairy outgrowth from the skin or surface of animals or plants, not matted and fleecy like wool ; esp.: (a) (Zoology) The soft under feathers of birds. They have short stems with soft rachis and bards and long threadlike barbules, without hooklets. (b) (Botany) The pubescence of plants; the hairy crown or envelope of the seeds of certain plants, as of the thistle. (c) The soft hair of the face when beginning to appear.

And the first down begins to shade his face.

Dryden.

2. That which is made of down, as a bed or pillow; that which affords ease and repose, like a bed of down

When in the down I sink my head,
Sleep, Death's twin brother, times my breath.

Tennyson.

Thou bosom softness, down of all my cares!

Southern.

Down tree (Botany) , a tree of Central America ( Ochroma Lagopus ), the seeds of which are enveloped in vegetable wool.

Down Down (doun") transitive verb To cover, ornament, line, or stuff with down. [ R.] Young.

Down Down noun [ Middle English dun , doun , Anglo-Saxon dūn ; of Celtic origin; confer Ir. dūn hill, fortified hill, Gael. dun heap, hillock, hill, W. din a fortified hill or mount; akin to English town . See Town , and confer Down , adverb & preposition , Dune .] 1. A bank or rounded hillock of sand thrown up by the wind along or near the shore; a flattish-topped hill; -- usually in the plural.

Hills afford prospects, as they must needs acknowledge who have been on the downs of Sussex.

Ray.

She went by dale, and she went by down .

Tennyson.

2. A tract of poor, sandy, undulating or hilly land near the sea, covered with fine turf which serves chiefly for the grazing of sheep; -- usually in the plural. [ Eng.]

Seven thousand broad-tailed sheep grazed on his downs .

Sandys.

3. plural A road for shipping in the English Channel or Straits of Dover, near Deal, employed as a naval rendezvous in time of war.

On the 11th [ June, 1771] we run up the channel . . . at noon we were abreast of Dover, and about three came to an anchor in the Downs , and went ashore at Deal.

Cook (First Voyage).

4. plural [ From the adverb.] A state of depression; low state; abasement. [ Colloq.]

It the downs of life too much outnumber the ups.

M. Arnold.

Down Down adverb [ For older adown , Anglo-Saxon ad...n , ad...ne , prop., from or off the hill. See 3d Down , and confer Adown , and confer Adown .] 1. In the direction of gravity or toward the center of the earth; toward or in a lower place or position; below; - - the opposite of up .

2. Hence, in many derived uses, as: (a) From a higher to a lower position, literally or figuratively; in a descending direction; from the top of an ascent; from an upright position; to the ground or floor; to or into a lower or an inferior condition; as, into a state of humility, disgrace, misery, and the like; into a state of rest; -- used with verbs indicating motion.

It will be rain to-night. Let it come down .

Shak.

I sit me down beside the hazel grove.

Tennyson.

And that drags down his life.

Tennyson.

There is not a more melancholy object in the learned world than a man who has written himself down .

Addison.

The French . . . shone down [ i. e., outshone ] the English.

Shak.

(b) In a low or the lowest position, literally or figuratively; at the bottom of a descent; below the horizon; on the ground; in a condition of humility, dejection, misery, and the like; in a state of quiet.

I was down and out of breath.

Shak.

The moon is down ; I have not heard the clock.

Shak.

He that is down needs fear no fall.

Bunyan.

3. From a remoter or higher antiquity.

Venerable men! you have come down to us from a former generation.

D. Webster.

4. From a greater to a less bulk, or from a thinner to a thicker consistence; as, to boil down in cookery, or in making decoctions. Arbuthnot.

» Down is sometimes used elliptically, standing for go down , come down , tear down , take down , put down , haul down , pay down , and the like, especially in command or exclamation.

Down , therefore, and beg mercy of the duke.

Shak.

If he be hungry more than wanton, bread alone will down .

Locke.

Down is also used intensively; as, to be loaded down ; to fall down ; to hang down ; to drop down ; to pay down .

The temple of Herè at Argos was burnt down .

Jowett (Thucyd. ).

Down , as well as up , is sometimes used in a conventional sense; as, down East.

Persons in London say down to Scotland, etc., and those in the provinces, up to London.

Stormonth.

Down helm (Nautical) , an order to the helmsman to put the helm to leeward. -- Down on or upon (joined with a verb indicating motion, as go , come , pounce ), to attack, implying the idea of threatening power.

Come down upon us with a mighty power.

Shak.

-- Down with , take down, throw down, put down; -- used in energetic command. " Down with the palace; fire it." Dryden. -- To be down on , to dislike and treat harshly. [ Slang, U.S.] -- To cry down . See under Cry , transitive verb -- To cut down . See under Cut , transitive verb -- Up and down , with rising and falling motion; to and fro; hither and thither; everywhere. "Let them wander up and down ." Ps. lix. 15.

Down Down preposition [ From Down , adverb ] 1. In a descending direction along; from a higher to a lower place upon or within; at a lower place in or on; as, down a hill; down a well.

2. Hence: Towards the mouth of a river; towards the sea; as, to sail or swim down a stream; to sail down the sound.

Down the country , toward the sea, or toward the part where rivers discharge their waters into the ocean. -- Down the sound , in the direction of the ebbing tide; toward the sea.

Down Down transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Downed (dound); present participle & verbal noun Downing .] To cause to go down; to make descend; to put down; to overthrow, as in wrestling; hence, to subdue; to bring down. [ Archaic or Colloq.] "To down proud hearts." Sir P. Sidney.

I remember how you downed Beauclerk and Hamilton, the wits, once at our house.

Madame D'Arblay.

Down Down intransitive verb To go down; to descend. Locke.

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