Drosometer Dro·som"e·ter noun [ Greek
dro`sos dew +
-meter : confer French
drosométre .]
(Meteorol.) An instrument for measuring the quantity of dew on the surface of a body in the open air. It consists of a balance, having a plate at one end to receive the dew, and at the other a weight protected from the deposit of dew.
Dross Dross noun [ Anglo-Saxon
dros , from
dreósan to fall. See
Dreary .]
1. The scum or refuse matter which is thrown off, or falls from, metals in smelting the ore, or in the process of melting; recrement. 2. Rust of metals. [ R.]
Addison. 3. Waste matter; any worthless matter separated from the better part; leavings; dregs; refuse. All world's glory is but dross unclean.
Spenser. At the devil's booth are all things sold,
Each ounce of dross coats its ounce of gold.
Lowell.
Drossel Dros"sel noun [ Confer
Drazel .]
A slut; a hussy; a drazel. [ Obsolete]
Warner.
Drossless Dross"less adjective Free from dross. Stevens.
Drossy Dross"y adjective [
Compar. Drossier ;
superl. Drossiest .]
Of, pertaining to, resembling, dross; full of dross; impure; worthless. "
Drossy gold."
Dryden. "
Drossy rhymes."
Donne. --
Dross"i*ness ,
noun
Drotchel Drotch"el noun See Drossel . [ Obsolete]
Drough Drough imperfect of Draw . [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Drought Drought (drout)
noun [ Middle English
droght ,
drougth ,
druʒð , Anglo-Saxon
drugað , from
drugian to dry. See
Dry , and confer
Drouth , which shows the original final sound.]
1. Dryness; want of rain or of water; especially, such dryness of the weather as affects the earth, and prevents the growth of plants; aridity. The drought of March hath pierced to the root.
Chaucer. In a drought the thirsty creatures cry.
Dryden. 2. Thirst; want of drink. Johnson. 3. Scarcity; lack. A drought of Christian writers caused a dearth of all history.
Fuller.
Droughtiness Drought"i·ness noun A state of dryness of the weather; want of rain.
Droughty Drought"y adjective 1. Characterized by drought; wanting rain; arid; adust. Droughty and parched countries.
Ray. 2. Dry; thirsty; wanting drink. Thy droughty throat.
Philips.
Droumy Drou"my adjective [ Confer Scot.
drum ,
dram , melancholy, Icel
prumr a moper, W.
trwm heavy, sad.]
Troubled; muddy. [ Obsolete]
Bacon.
Drouth Drouth noun Same as Drought . Sandys. Another ill accident is drouth at the spindling of corn.
Bacon. One whose drouth [ thirst],
Yet scarce allayed, still eyes the current stream.
Milton. In the dust and drouth of London life.
Tennyson.
Drouthy Drouth"y adjective Droughty.
Drove Drove imperfect of Drive .
Drove Drove noun [ Anglo-Saxon
drāf , from
drīfan to drive. See
Drive .]
1. A collection of cattle driven, or cattle collected for driving; a number of animals, as oxen, sheep, or swine, driven in a body. 2. Any collection of irrational animals, moving or driving forward; as, a finny drove . Milton. 3. A crowd of people in motion. Where droves , as at a city gate, may pass.
Dryden. 4. A road for driving cattle; a driftway. [ Eng.]
5. (Agriculture) A narrow drain or channel used in the irrigation of land. Simmonds. 6. (Masonry) (a) A broad chisel used to bring stone to a nearly smooth surface; -- called also drove chisel . (b) The grooved surface of stone finished by the drove chisel; -- called also drove work .
Drove Drove transitive verb & i. [
imperfect & past participle Droved ;
present participle & verbal noun Droving .] [ Confer
Drove ,
noun , and
Drover .]
1. To drive, as cattle or sheep, esp. on long journeys; to follow the occupation of a drover. He's droving now with Conroy's sheep along the Castlereagh.
Paterson. 2. To finish, as stone, with a drove or drove chisel.
Droven Dro"ven past participle of Drive . [ Obsolete]
Drover Dro"ver noun 1. One who drives cattle or sheep to market; one who makes it his business to purchase cattle, and drive them to market. Why, that's spoken like an honest drover ; so they sell bullocks.
Shak. 2. A boat driven by the tide. [ Obsolete]
Spenser.
Drovy Dro"vy adjective [ Anglo-Saxon
dr...f dirty; confer Dutch
droef , German
trübe , Goth.
dr...bjan to trouble.]
Turbid; muddy; filthy. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Drow Drow imperfect of Draw . [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Drown Drown intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Drowned ;
present participle & verbal noun Drowning .] [ Middle English
drunen ,
drounen , earlier
drunknen ,
druncnien , Anglo-Saxon
druncnian to be drowned, sink, become drunk, from
druncen drunken. See
Drunken ,
Drink .]
To be suffocated in water or other fluid; to perish in water. Methought, what pain it was to drown .
Shak.
Drown Drown transitive verb 1. To overwhelm in water; to submerge; to inundate. "They
drown the land."
Dryden. 2. To deprive of life by immersion in water or other liquid. 3. To overpower; to overcome; to extinguish; -- said especially of sound. Most men being in sensual pleasures drowned .
Sir J. Davies. My private voice is drowned amid the senate.
Addison. To drown up ,
to swallow up. [ Obsolete]
Holland.
Drownage Drown"age noun The act of drowning. [ R.]
Drowner Drown"er noun One who, or that which, drowns.
Drowse Drowse intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Drowsed ;
present participle & verbal noun Drowsing .] [ Anglo-Saxon
dr...sian ,
dr...san , to sink, become slow or inactive; confer OD.
droosen to be sleepy, fall asleep, LG.
dr...sen ,
druusken , to slumber, fall down with a noise; prob, akin to Anglo-Saxon
dreósan to fall. See
Dreary .]
To sleep imperfectly or unsoundly; to slumber; to be heavy with sleepiness; to doze. "He
drowsed upon his couch."
South. In the pool drowsed the cattle up to their knees.
Lowell.
Drowse Drowse transitive verb To make heavy with sleepiness or imperfect sleep; to make dull or stupid. Milton.
Drowse Drowse noun A slight or imperfect sleep; a doze. But smiled on in a drowse of ecstasy.
Mrs. Browning.
Drowsihead Drow"si·head noun Drowsiness. Thomson.
Drowsihed Drow"si·hed noun Drowsihead. [ Obsolete]
Spenser.
Drowsily Drow"si·ly adverb In a drowsy manner.
Drowsiness Drow"si·ness noun State of being drowsy. Milton.
Drowsy Drow"sy adjective [
Compar. Drowsier ;
superl. Drowsiest .]
1. Inclined to drowse; heavy with sleepiness; lethargic; dozy. "When I am
drowsy ."
Shak. Dapples the drowsy east with spots of gray.
Shak. To our age's drowsy blood
Still shouts the inspiring sea.
Lowell. 2. Disposing to sleep; lulling; soporific. The drowsy hours, dispensers of all good.
Tennyson. 3. Dull; stupid. "
Drowsy reasoning."
Atterbury. Syn. -- Sleepy; lethargic; dozy; somnolent; comatose; dull heavy; stupid.
Drowth Drowth noun See Drought . Bacon.
Droyle Droyle intransitive verb See Droil . [ Obsolete]
Spenser.
Drub Drub transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Drubbed ;
present participle & verbal noun Drubbing .] [ Confer Prov. English
drab to beat, Icelandic & Swedish
drabba to hit, beat, Danish
dræbe to slay, and perhaps Middle English
drepen to strike, kill, Anglo-Saxon
drepan to strike, G. & Dutch
freffen to hit, touch, Icelandic
drepa to strike, kill.]
To beat with a stick; to thrash; to cudgel. Soundly Drubbed with a good honest cudgel.
L'Estrange.
Drub Drub noun A blow with a cudgel; a thump. Addison.
Drubber Drub"ber noun One who drubs. Sir W. Scott.
Drudge Drudge intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Drudged ;
present participle & verbal noun Drudging .] [ Middle English
druggen ; prob not akin to English
drag , transitive verb , but from Celtic; confer Ir.
drugaire a slave or drudge.]
To perform menial work; to labor in mean or unpleasant offices with toil and fatigue. He gradually rose in the estimation of the booksellers for whom he drudged .
Macaulay.
Drudge Drudge transitive verb To consume laboriously; -- with away . Rise to our toils and drudge away the day.
Otway.
Drudge Drudge noun One who drudges; one who works hard in servile employment; a mental servant. Milton.
Drudger Drudg"er noun 1. One who drudges; a drudge. 2. A dredging box.
Drudgery Drudg"er·y noun The act of drudging; disagreeable and wearisome labor; ignoble or slavish toil. The drudgery of penning definitions.
Macaulay. Paradise was a place of bliss . . . without drudgery and with out sorrow.
Locke. Syn. -- See
Toll .
Drudging box Drudg"ing box` See Dredging box .
Drudgingly Drudg"ing·ly adverb In a drudging manner; laboriously.
Druery Dru"er·y noun [ Old French
druerie .]
Courtship; gallantry; love; an object of love. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Drug Drug intransitive verb [ See 1st
Drudge .]
To drudge; to toil laboriously. [ Obsolete] "To
drugge and draw."
Chaucer.
Drug Drug noun A drudge. Shak. (Timon iv. 3, 253).
Drug Drug noun [ French
drogue , probably from Dutch
droog ; akin to English
dry ; thus orig., dry substance, hers, plants, or wares. See
Dry .]
1. Any animal, vegetable, or mineral substance used in the composition of medicines; any stuff used in dyeing or in chemical operations. Whence merchants bring
Their spicy drugs .
Milton. 2. Any commodity that lies on hand, or is not salable; an article of slow sale, or in no demand. "But sermons are mere
drugs ."
Fielding. And virtue shall a drug become.
Dryden.
Drug Drug intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Drugged ;
present participle & verbal noun Drugging .] [ Confer French
droguer .]
To prescribe or administer drugs or medicines. B. Jonson.
Drug Drug transitive verb 1. To affect or season with drugs or ingredients; esp., to stupefy by a narcotic drug. Also Fig. The laboring masses . . . [ were] drugged into brutish good humor by a vast system of public spectacles.
C. Kingsley. Drug thy memories, lest thou learn it.
Tennyson. 2. To tincture with something offensive or injurious. Drugged as oft,
With hatefullest disrelish writhed their jaws.
Milton. 3. To dose to excess with, or as with, drugs. With pleasure drugged , he almost longed for woe.
Byron.
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