Durometer Du·rom"e·ter noun [ Latin durus hard + -meter .] An instrument for measuring the degree of hardness; especially, an instrument for testing the relative hardness of steel rails and the like.

Durous Du"rous adjective [ Latin durus .] Hard. [ Obsolete & R.]

Durra Dur"ra noun [ Arabic dhorra .] (Botany) A kind of millet, cultivated throughout Asia, and introduced into the south of Europe; a variety of Sorghum vulgare ; -- called also Indian millet , and Guinea corn . [ Written also dhoorra , dhurra , doura , etc.]

Durst Durst imperfect of Dare . See Dare , intransitive verb

Durukuli Du`ru·ku"li noun (Zoology) A small, nocturnal, South American monkey ( Nyctipthecus trivirgatus ). [ Written also douroucouli .]

Durylic Du·ryl"ic adjective (Chemistry) Pertaining to, allied to, or derived from, durene; as, durylic acid.

Duse Duse noun A demon or spirit. See Deuce .

Dusk Dusk adjective [ Middle English dusc , dosc , deosc ; confer dial. Swedish duska to drizzle, dusk a slight shower. ..........] Tending to darkness or blackness; moderately dark or black; dusky.

A pathless desert, dusk with horrid shades.

Milton.

Dusk Dusk noun 1. Imperfect obscurity; a middle degree between light and darkness; twilight; as, the dusk of the evening. 2. A darkish color.

Whose duck set off the whiteness of the skin.

Dryden.

Dusk Dusk transitive verb To make dusk. [ Archaic]

After the sun is up, that shadow which dusketh the light of the moon must needs be under the earth.

Holland.

Dusk Dusk intransitive verb To grow dusk. [ R.] Chaucer.

Dusken Dusk"en transitive verb To make dusk or obscure. [ R.]

Not utterly defaced, but only duskened .

Nicolls.

Duskily Dusk"i·ly adverb In a dusky manner. Byron.

Duskiness Dusk"i·ness noun The state of being dusky.

Duskish Dusk"ish adjective Somewhat dusky. " Duskish smoke." Spenser. -- Dusk"ish*ly , adverb -- Dusk"ish*ness , noun

Duskness Dusk"ness noun Duskiness. [ R.] Sir T. Elyot.

Dusky Dusk"y adjective 1. Partially dark or obscure; not luminous; dusk; as, a dusky valley.

Through dusky lane and wrangling mart.

Keble. 2. Tending to blackness in color; partially black; dark-colored; not bright; as, a dusky brown. Bacon.

When Jove in dusky clouds involves the sky.

Dryden.

The figure of that first ancestor invested by family tradition with a dim and dusky grandeur.

Hawthorne. 3. Gloomy; sad; melancholy.

This dusky scene of horror, this melancholy prospect.

Bentley. 4. Intellectually clouded.

Though dusky wits dare scorn astrology.

Sir P. Sidney.

Dust Dust (dŭst) noun [ Anglo-Saxon dust ; confer LG. dust , Dutch duist meal dust, OD. doest , donst , and German dunst vapor, Old High German tunist , dunist , a blowing, wind, Icelandic dust dust, Danish dyst mill dust; perhaps akin to Latin fumus smoke, English fume . √71.] 1. Fine, dry particles of earth or other matter, so comminuted that they may be raised and wafted by the wind; that which is crumbled to minute portions; fine powder; as, clouds of dust ; bone dust .

Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Gen. iii. 19.

Stop! -- for thy tread is on an empire's dust .

Byron. 2. A single particle of earth or other matter. [ R.] "To touch a dust of England's ground." Shak. 3. The earth, as the resting place of the dead.

For now shall sleep in the dust .

Job vii. 21. 4. The earthy remains of bodies once alive; the remains of the human body.

And you may carve a shrine about my dust .

Tennyson. 5. Figuratively, a worthless thing.

And by the merit of vile gold, dross, dust .

Shak. 6. Figuratively, a low or mean condition.

[ God] raiseth up the poor out of the dust .

1 Sam. ii. 8. 7. Gold dust ; hence: (Slang) Coined money; cash. Down with the dust , deposit the cash; pay down the money. [ Slang] "My lord, quoth the king, presently deposit your hundred pounds in gold, or else no going hence all the days of your life. . . . The Abbot down with his dust , and glad he escaped so, returned to Reading." Fuller. -- Dust brand (Botany) , a fungous plant ( Ustilago Carbo ); -- called also smut . -- Gold dust , fine particles of gold, such as are obtained in placer mining; -- often used as money, being transferred by weight. -- In dust and ashes . See under Ashes . -- To bite the dust . See under Bite , transitive verb -- To raise, or kick up, dust , to make a commotion. [ Colloq.] -- To throw dust in one's eyes , to mislead; to deceive. [ Colloq.]

Dust Dust transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Dusted ; present participle & verbal noun Dusting .] 1. To free from dust; to brush, wipe, or sweep away dust from; as, to dust a table or a floor. 2. To sprinkle with dust. 3. To reduce to a fine powder; to levigate. Sprat. To dyst one's jacket , to give one a flogging. [ Slang.]

Dust-point Dust"-point` noun An old rural game.

With any boy at dust-point they shall play.

Peacham (1620).

Dustbrush Dust"brush` noun A brush of feathers, bristles, or hair, for removing dust from furniture.

Duster Dust"er noun 1. One who, or that which, dusts; a utensil that frees from dust. Specifically: (a) (Paper Making) A revolving wire-cloth cylinder which removes the dust from rags, etc. (b) (Milling) A blowing machine for separating the flour from the bran. 2. A light over-garment, worn in traveling to protect the clothing from dust. [ U.S.]

Dustiness Dust"i·ness noun The state of being dusty.

Dustless Dust"less adjective Without dust; as a dustless path.

Dustman Dust"man (-măn) p. ; plural Dustmen (-mĕn). One whose employment is to remove dirt and refuse. Gay.

Dustpan Dust"pan` (-păn`) noun A shovel-like utensil for conveying away dust brushed from the floor.

Dusty Dust"y (-ȳ) adjective [ Compar. Dustier (-ĭ*ẽr); superl. Dustiest (-ĭ*ĕst).] [ Anglo-Saxon dystig . See Dust .] 1. Filled, covered, or sprinkled with dust; clouded with dust; as, a dusty table; also, reducing to dust.

And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death.

Shak. 2. Like dust; of the color of dust; as, a dusty white. Dusty miller (Botany) , a plant ( Cineraria maritima ); -- so called because of the ashy-white coating of its leaves.

Dutch Dutch adjective [ Dutch duitsch German; or German deutsch , orig., popular, national, OD. dietsc , Middle High German diutsch , tiutsch , Old High German diutisk , from diot , diota , a people, a nation; akin to Anglo-Saxon peód , Old Saxon thiod , thioda , Goth. piuda ; confer Lithuanian tauta land, OIr. tuath people, Oscan touto . The English have applied the name especially to the Germanic people living nearest them, the Hollanders. Confer Derrick , Teutonic .] Pertaining to Holland, or to its inhabitants. Dutch auction . See under Auction . -- Dutch cheese , a small, pound, hard cheese, made from skim milk. -- Dutch clinker , a kind of brick made in Holland. It is yellowish, very hard, and long and narrow in shape. -- Dutch clover (Botany) , common white clover ( Trifolium repens ), the seed of which was largely imported into England from Holland. -- Dutch concert , a so-called concert in which all the singers sing at the same time different songs. [ Slang] -- Dutch courage , the courage of partial intoxication. [ Slang] Marryat. -- Dutch door , a door divided into two parts, horizontally, so arranged that the lower part can be shut and fastened, while the upper part remains open. -- Dutch foil , Dutch leaf , or Dutch gold , a kind of brass rich in copper, rolled or beaten into thin sheets, used in Holland to ornament toys and paper; -- called also Dutch mineral , Dutch metal , brass foil , and bronze leaf . -- Dutch liquid (Chemistry) , a thin, colorless, volatile liquid, C ₂ H ₄ Cl ₂ , of a sweetish taste and a pleasant ethereal odor, produced by the union of chlorine and ethylene or olefiant gas; -- called also Dutch oil . It is so called because discovered (in 1795) by an association of four Hollandish chemists. See Ethylene , and Olefiant . - - Dutch oven , a tin screen for baking before an open fire or kitchen range; also, in the United States, a shallow iron kettle for baking, with a cover to hold burning coals. -- Dutch pink , chalk, or whiting dyed yellow, and used in distemper, and for paper staining. etc. Weale. -- Dutch rush (Botany) , a species of horsetail rush or Equisetum ( E. hyemale ) having a rough, siliceous surface, and used for scouring and polishing; -- called also scouring rush , and shave grass . See Equisetum . -- Dutch tile , a glazed and painted ornamental tile, formerly much exported, and used in the jambs of chimneys and the like. » Dutch was formerly used for German .

Germany is slandered to have sent none to this war [ the Crusades] at this first voyage; and that other pilgrims, passing through that country, were mocked by the Dutch , and called fools for their pains.

Fuller.

Dutch Dutch noun 1. plural The people of Holland; Dutchmen. 2. The language spoken in Holland.

Dutchman Dutch"man noun ; plural Dutchmen A native, or one of the people, of Holland. Dutchman's breeches (Botany) , a perennial American herb ( Dicentra cucullaria ), with peculiar double-spurred flowers. See Illust. of Dicentra . - - Dutchman's laudanum (Botany) , a West Indian passion flower ( Passiflora Murucuja ); also, its fruit. -- Dutchman's pipe (Botany) , an American twining shrub ( Aristolochia Sipho ). Its flowers have their calyx tubes curved like a tobacco pipe.

Duteous Du"te·ous adjective [ From Duty .] 1. Fulfilling duty; dutiful; having the sentiments due to a superior, or to one to whom respect or service is owed; obedient; as, a duteous son or daughter. 2. Subservient; obsequious.

Duteous to the vices of thy mistress.

Shak. -- Du"te*ous*ly , adverb -- Du"te*ous*ness , noun

Dutiable Du"ti·a·ble adjective [ From Duty .] Subject to the payment of a duty; as dutiable goods. [ U.S.]

All kinds of dutiable merchandise.

Hawthorne.

Dutied Du"tied adjective Subjected to a duty. Ames.

Dutiful Du"ti·ful adjective 1. Performing, or ready to perform, the duties required by one who has the right to claim submission, obedience, or deference; submissive to natural or legal superiors; obedient, as to parents or superiors; as, a dutiful son or daughter; a dutiful ward or servant; a dutiful subject. 2. Controlled by, proceeding from, a sense of duty; respectful; deferential; as, dutiful affection. Syn. -- Duteous; obedient; reverent; reverential; submissive; docile; respectful; compliant. -- Du"ti*ful*ly , adverb -- Du"ti*ful*ness , noun

Duty Du"ty noun ; plural Duties . [ From Due .] 1. That which is due; payment. [ Obsolete as signifying a material thing.]

When thou receivest money for thy labor or ware, thou receivest thy duty .

Tyndale. 2. That which a person is bound by moral obligation to do, or refrain from doing; that which one ought to do; service morally obligatory.

Forgetting his duty toward God, his sovereign lord, and his country.

Hallam. 3. Hence, any assigned service or business; as, the duties of a policeman, or a soldier; to be on duty .

With records sweet of duties done.

Keble.

To employ him on the hardest and most imperative duty .

Hallam.

Duty is a graver term than obligation. A duty hardly exists to do trivial things; but there may be an obligation to do them.

C. J. Smith. 4. Specifically, obedience or submission due to parents and superiors. Shak. 5. Respect; reverence; regard; act of respect; homage. "My duty to you." Shak. 6. (Engineering) The efficiency of an engine, especially a steam pumping engine, as measured by work done by a certain quantity of fuel; usually, the number of pounds of water lifted one foot by one bushel of coal (94 lbs. old standard), or by 1 cwt. (112 lbs., England, or 100 lbs., United States). 7. (Com.) Tax, toll, impost, or customs; excise; any sum of money required by government to be paid on the importation, exportation, or consumption of goods. » An impost on land or other real estate, and on the stock of farmers, is not called a duty , but a direct tax . [ U.S.] Ad valorem duty , a duty which is graded according to the cost, or market value, of the article taxed. See Ad valorem . -- Specific duty , a duty of a specific sum assessed on an article without reference to its value or market. -- On duty , actually engaged in the performance of one's assigned task.

Duumvir Du·um"vir noun ; plural English Duumvirs , Latin Duumviri . [ Latin , from duo two + vir man.] (Rom. Antiq.) One of two Roman officers or magistrates united in the same public functions.

Duumviral Du·um"vi·ral adjective [ Latin duumviralis .] Of or belonging to the duumviri or the duumvirate.

Duumvirate Du·um"vi·rate noun [ Latin duumviratus , from duumvir .] The union of two men in the same office; or the office, dignity, or government of two men thus associated, as in ancient Rome.

Dux Dux noun [ Latin , leader.] (Mus.) The scholastic name for the theme or subject of a fugue, the answer being called the comes , or companion.

Duykerbok Duy"ker·bok noun [ Dutch duiker diver + bok a buck, lit., diver buck. So named from its habit of diving suddenly into the bush.] (Zoology) A small South African antelope ( Cephalous mergens ); -- called also impoon , and deloo .

Duyoung Du·young" noun (Zoology) See Dugong .

Dvergr Dver"gr noun ; plural Dvergar . [ See Dwarf .] (Scand. Myth.) A dwarf supposed to dwell in rocks and hills and to be skillful in working metals.

Dwale Dwale noun [ Middle English dwale , dwole , deception, deadly nightshade, Anglo-Saxon dwala , dwola , error, doubt; akin to English dull . See Dull , adjective ] 1. (Botany) The deadly nightshade ( Atropa Belladonna ), having stupefying qualities. 2. (Her.) The tincture sable or black when blazoned according to the fantastic system in which plants are substituted for the tinctures. 3. A sleeping potion; an opiate. Chaucer.

Dwang Dwang noun [ Confer Dutch dwingen to force, compel.] 1. (Carp.) A piece of wood set between two studs, posts, etc., to stiffen and support them. 2. (Mech.) (a) A kind of crowbar. (b) A large wrench. Knight.

Dwarf Dwarf noun ; plural Dwarfs . [ Middle English dwergh , dwerf , dwarf , Anglo-Saxon dweorg , dweorh ; akin to Dutch dwerg , Middle High German twerc , German zwerg , Icelandic dvergr , Swedish & Danish dverg ; of unknown origin.] An animal or plant which is much below the ordinary size of its species or kind; especially, a diminutive human being. » During the Middle Ages dwarfs as well as fools shared the favor of courts and the nobility. Dwarf is used adjectively in reference to anything much below the usual or normal size; as, dwarf tree; dwarf honeysuckle. Dwarf elder (Botany) , danewort. -- Dwarf wall (Architecture) , a low wall, not as high as the story of a building, often used as a garden wall or fence. Gwilt.

Dwarf Dwarf transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Dwarfed ; present participle & verbal noun Dwarfing .] To hinder from growing to the natural size; to make or keep small; to stunt. Addison.

Even the most common moral ideas and affections . . . would be stunted and dwarfed , if cut off from a spiritual background.

J. C. Shairp.

Dwarf Dwarf intransitive verb To become small; to diminish in size.

Strange power of the world that, the moment we enter it, our great conceptions dwarf .

Beaconsfield.

Dwarfish Dwarf"ish adjective Like a dwarf; below the common stature or size; very small; petty; as, a dwarfish animal, shrub. -- Dwarf"ish*ly , adverb -- Dwarf"ish*ness , noun

Dwarfling Dwarf"ling noun A diminutive dwarf.

Dwarfy Dwarf"y adjective Much undersized. [ R.] Waterhouse.