Debility De·bil"i·ty noun [ Latin debilitas , from debilis weak, probably from de- + habilis able: confer French débilité . See Able , adjective ] The state of being weak; weakness; feebleness; languor.

The inconveniences of too strong a perspiration, which are debility , faintness, and sometimes sudden death.

Arbuthnot.

Syn. -- Debility , Infirmity , Imbecility . An infirmity belongs, for the most part, to particular members, and is often temporary, as of the eyes, etc. Debility is more general, and while it lasts impairs the ordinary functions of nature. Imbecility attaches to the whole frame, and renders it more or less powerless. Debility may be constitutional or may be the result or superinduced causes; Imbecility is always constitutional; infirmity is accidental, and results from sickness or a decay of the frame. These words, in their figurative uses, have the same distinctions; we speak of infirmity of will, debility of body, and an Imbecility which affects the whole man; but Imbecility is often used with specific reference to feebleness of mind.

Debit Deb"it noun [ Latin debitum what is due, debt, from debere to owe: confer French débit . See Debt .] A debt; an entry on the debtor (Dr.) side of an account; -- mostly used adjectively; as, the debit side of an account.

Debit Deb"it transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Debited ; present participle & verbal noun Debiting .] 1. To charge with debt; -- the opposite of, and correlative to, credit ; as, to debit a purchaser for the goods sold.

2. (Bookkeeping) To enter on the debtor (Dr.) side of an account; as, to debit the amount of goods sold.

Debitor Deb"it·or noun [ Latin See Debtor .] A debtor. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Debituminization De`bi·tu`mi·ni·za"tion noun The act of depriving of bitumen.

Debituminize De`bi·tu"mi·nize transitive verb To deprive of bitumen.

Déblai Dé`blai" noun [ French] (Fort.) The cavity from which the earth for parapets, etc. (remblai), is taken.

Debonair Deb`o·nair" adjective [ Middle English debonere , Old French de bon aire , debonaire , of good descent or lineage, excellent, debonair, French débonnaire debonair; de of (L. de ) + bon good (L. bonus ) + aire . See Air , and Bounty , and confer Bonair .] Characterized by courteousness, affability, or gentleness; of good appearance and manners; graceful; complaisant.

Was never prince so meek and debonair .

Spenser.

Debonairity Deb`o·nair"i·ty noun [ Old French debonaireté , French débonnaireté .] Debonairness. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Debonairly Deb`o·nair"ly adverb Courteously; elegantly.

Debonairness Deb`o·nair"ness noun The quality of being debonair; good humor; gentleness; courtesy. Sterne.

Debosh De·bosh" transitive verb [ Old form of debauch .] To debauch. [ Obsolete] "A deboshed lady." Beau. & Fl.

Deboshment De·bosh"ment noun Debauchment. [ Obsolete]

Debouch De·bouch" intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Debouched ; present participle & verbal noun Debouching .] [ French déboucher ; prefix dé- (L. dis- or de ) + boucher to stop up, from bouche mouth, from Latin bucca the cheek. Confer Disembogue .] To march out from a wood, defile, or other confined spot, into open ground; to issue.

Battalions debouching on the plain.

Prescott.

Debouch De·bouch" intransitive verb (Geology) To issue; -- said of a stream passing from a gorge out into an open valley or a plain.

Débouché Dé`bou`ché" noun [ French] A place for exit; an outlet; hence, a market for goods.

The débouchés were ordered widened to afford easy egress.

The Century.

Débouchure Dé`bou`chure" noun [ French] The outward opening of a river, of a valley, or of a strait.

Débris Dé`bris" noun [ French, from prefix dé- (L. dis ) + briser to break, shatter; perhaps of Celtic origin.] 1. (Geol.) Broken and detached fragments, taken collectively; especially, fragments detached from a rock or mountain, and piled up at the base.

2. Rubbish, especially such as results from the destruction of anything; remains; ruins.

Debruised De·bruised" adjective [ Confer Old French debruisier to shatter, break. Confer Bruise .] (Her.) Surmounted by an ordinary; as, a lion is debruised when a bend or other ordinary is placed over it, as in the cut.

The lion of England and the lilies of France without the baton sinister, under which, according to the laws of heraldry, they where debruised in token of his illegitimate birth.

Macaulay.

Debt Debt noun [ Middle English dette , French dette , Late Latin debita , from Latin debitus owed, past participle of debere to owe, prop., to have on loan; de- + habere to have. See Habit , and confer Debit , Due .] 1. That which is due from one person to another, whether money, goods, or services; that which one person is bound to pay to another, or to perform for his benefit; thing owed; obligation; liability.

Your son, my lord, has paid a soldier's debt .

Shak.

When you run in debt , you give to another power over your liberty.

Franklin.

2. A duty neglected or violated; a fault; a sin; a trespass. "Forgive us our debts ." Matt. vi. 12.

3. (Law) An action at law to recover a certain specified sum of money alleged to be due. Burrill.

Bond debt , Book debt , etc. See under Bond , Book , etc. -- Debt of nature , death.

Debted Debt"ed p. adjective Indebted; obliged to. [ R.]

I stand debted to this gentleman.

Shak.

Debtee Debt·ee" noun (Law) One to whom a debt is due; creditor; -- correlative to debtor . Blackstone.

Debtless Debt"less adjective Free from debt. Chaucer.

Debtor Debt"or noun [ Middle English dettur , dettour , Old French detor , detur , detour , French débiteur , from Latin debitor , from debere to owe. See Debt .] One who owes a debt; one who is indebted; -- correlative to creditor .

[ I 'll] bring your latter hazard back again,
And thankfully rest debtor for the first.

Shak.

In Athens an insolvent debtor became slave to his creditor.

Mitford.

Debtors for our lives to you.

Tennyson.

Debulliate De·bul"li·ate intransitive verb [ Prefix dé- + Latin bullire to boil.] To boil over. [ Obsolete]

Debullition Deb`ul·li"tion noun [ See Debulliate .] A bubbling or boiling over. [ Obsolete] Bailey.

Deburse De·burse" transitive verb & i. [ Prefix de + Latin bursa purse.] To disburse. [ Obsolete] Ludlow.

Debuscope De"bu·scope noun [ From the inventor, Debus , a French optician + -scope .] (Opt.) A modification of the kaleidoscope; -- used to reflect images so as to form beautiful designs.

Début Dé`but" noun [ French début , prop., the first cast or throw at play, from but aim, mark. See Butt an end.] A beginning or first attempt; hence, a first appearance before the public, as of an actor or public speaker.

Débutant Dé`bu`tant" noun ; fem. Dé`bu`tante" [ French, present participle of débuter to have the first throw, to make one's début . See Début .] A person who makes his (or her) first appearance before the public.

Deca- Dec"a- [ Confer Ten .] A prefix, from Greek de`ka , signifying ten ; specifically (Metric System) , a prefix signifying the weight or measure that is ten times the principal unit.

Decacerata De·cac`e·ra"ta noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek de`ka ten + ke`ras a horn.] (Zoology) The division of Cephalopoda which includes the squids, cuttlefishes, and others having ten arms or tentacles; -- called also Decapoda . [ Written also Decacera .] See Dibranchiata .

Decachord, Decachordon Dec"a·chord, Dec`a·chor"don noun [ Greek deka`chordos tenstringed; de`ka ten + chordj` a string.] 1. An ancient Greek musical instrument of ten strings, resembling the harp.

2. Something consisting of ten parts. W. Watson.

Decacuminated Dec`a·cu"mi·na`ted adjective [ Latin decacuminare to cut off the top. See Cacuminate .] Having the point or top cut off. [ Obsolete] Bailey.

Decad Dec"ad noun A decade.

Averill was a decad and a half his elder.

Tennyson.

Decadal Dec"a·dal adjective Pertaining to ten; consisting of tens.

Decade Dec"ade noun [ French décade , Latin decas , -adis , from Greek ..., from de`ka ten. See Ten .] A group or division of ten; esp., a period of ten years; a decennium; as, a decade of years or days; a decade of soldiers; the second decade of Livy. [ Written also decad .]

During this notable decade of years.

Gladstone.

Decadence, Decadency De·ca"dence, De·ca"den·cy noun [ Late Latin decadentia ; Latin de- + cadere to fall: confer French décadence . See Decay .] A falling away; decay; deterioration; declension. "The old castle, where the family lived in their decadence ." Sir W. Scott.

Decadent De·ca"dent adjective Decaying; deteriorating.

Decadent De·ca"dent noun One that is decadent, or deteriorating; esp., one characterized by, or exhibiting, the qualities of those who are degenerating to a lower type; -- specif. applied to a certain school of modern French writers.

The decadents and æsthetes, and certain types of realists.

C. Latin Dana.

The business men of a great State allow their State to be represented in Congress by " decadents ".

The Century.

Decadist Dec"a·dist noun A writer of a book divided into decades; as, Livy was a decadist . [ R.]

Decagon Dec"a·gon noun [ Prefix deca- + Greek ... a corner or angle: confer French décagone .] (Geom.) A plane figure having ten sides and ten angles; any figure having ten angles. A regular decagon is one that has all its sides and angles equal.

Decagonal De·cag"o·nal adjective Pertaining to a decagon; having ten sides.

Decagram, Decagramme Dec"a·gram, Dec"a·gramme noun [ French décagramme ; Greek de`ka ten + French gramme . See Gram .] A weight of the metric system; ten grams, equal to about 154.32 grains avoirdupois.

Decagynia Dec`a·gyn"i·a noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek de`ka ten + ... a woman, a female.] (Botany) A Linnæan order of plants characterized by having ten styles.

Decagynian, Deccagynous Dec`a·gyn"i·an, Dec·cag"y·nous adjective [ Confer French décagyne .] (Botany) Belonging to the Decagynia; having ten styles.

Decahedral Dec`a·he"dral adjective Having ten sides.

Decahedron Dec`a·he"dron noun ; plural English Decahedrons , Latin Decahedra . [ Prefix deca- + Greek 'e`dra a seat, a base, from 'e`zesthai to sit: confer French décaèdre .] (Geom.) A solid figure or body inclosed by ten plane surfaces. [ Written also, less correctly, decaedron .]

Decalcification De·cal`ci·fi·ca"tion noun The removal of calcareous matter.

Decalcify De·cal"ci·fy transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Decalcified ; present participle & verbal noun Decalcifying .] To deprive of calcareous matter; thus, to decalcify bones is to remove the stony part, and leave only the gelatin.

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