Dement De·ment" transitive verb [ Latin dementare , from demens , -mentis , out of one's mind, mad; de + mens mind. See Mental , and confer Dementate .] To deprive of reason; to make mad. [ R.] Bale.

Dement De·ment" adjective [ Latin demens , - mentis .] Demented; dementate. [ R.] J. H. Newman.

Dementate De·men"tate adjective [ Latin dementatus , past participle See Dement , transitive verb ] Deprived of reason.

Arise, thou dementate sinner!

Hammond.

Dementate De·men"tate transitive verb To deprive of reason; to dement. [ R.] Burton.

Dementation De`men·ta"tion noun The act of depriving of reason; madness. Whitlock.

Demented De·ment"ed adjective [ From Dement .] Insane; mad; of unsound mind. -- De*ment"ed*ness , noun

Dementia De·men"ti·a noun [ Latin , from demens . See Dement .] Insanity; madness; esp. that form which consists in weakness or total loss of thought and reason; mental imbecility; idiocy.

Demephitize De·meph"i·tize transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Demephitized ; present participle & verbal noun Demephitizing .] [ Confer French méphitiser to infect with mephitis .] To purify from mephitic or foul air. -- De*meph`i*ti*za"tion , noun

Demerge De·merge" transitive verb [ Latin demergere .] To plunge down into; to sink; to immerse. [ Obsolete]

The water in which it was demerged .

Boyle.

Demerit De·mer"it noun [ French démérite demerit (in sense 2), Old French demerite demerit (in sense 1), from Latin demerere to deserve well, Late Latin , to deserve well or ill; de- + merere to deserve. See De -, and Merit .] 1. That which one merits or deserves, either of good or ill; desert. [ Obsolete]

By many benefits and demerits whereby they obliged their adherents, [ they] acquired this reputation.

Holland.

2. That which deserves blame; ill desert; a fault; a vice; misconduct; -- the opposite of merit .

They see no merit or demerit in any man or any action.

Burke.

Secure, unless forfeited by any demerit or offense.

Sir W. Temple.

3. The state of one who deserves ill.

Demerit De·mer"it transitive verb [ Confer French démériter to deserve ill. See Demerit , noun ] 1. To deserve; -- said in reference to both praise and blame. [ Obsolete]

If I have demerited any love or thanks.

Udall.

Executed as a traitor . . . as he well demerited .

State Trials (1645).

2. To depreciate or cry down. [ R.] Bp. Woolton.

Demerit De·mer"it intransitive verb To deserve praise or blame.

Demerse De·merse" transitive verb [ Latin demersus , past participle of demergere . See Merge .] To immerse. [ Obsolete] Boyle.

Demersed De·mersed" adjective (Botany) Situated or growing under water, as leaves; submersed.

Demersion De·mer"sion noun [ Latin demersio .] 1. The act of plunging into a fluid; a drowning.

2. The state of being overwhelmed in water, or as if in water. Ray.

Demesmerize De·mes"mer·ize transitive verb To relieve from mesmeric influence. See Mesmerize .

Demesne De·mesne" noun [ Middle English demeine , demain , rule, demesne, Old French demeine , demaine , demeigne , domaine , power, French domaine domain, from Latin dominium property, right of ownership, from dominus master, proprietor, owner. See Dame , and confer Demain , Domain , Danger , Dungeon .] (Law) A lord's chief manor place, with that part of the lands belonging thereto which has not been granted out in tenancy; a house, and the land adjoining, kept for the proprietor's own use. [ Written also demain .] Wharton's Law Dict. Burrill.

Ancient demesne . (Eng. Law) See under Ancient .

Demesnial De·mesn"i·al adjective Of or pertaining to a demesne; of the nature of a demesne.

Demi De·mi" noun See Demy , noun

Demi- Dem"i- [ French demi- , from Latin dimidius half; di- = dis- + medius middle. See Medium , and confer Demy , Dimidiate .] A prefix, signifying half .

Demi-island Dem"i-is`land noun Peninsula. [ Obsolete] Knolles.

Demi-rilievo Dem"i-ri·lie"vo noun [ Prefix demi- + Italian rilievo .] (Fine Arts) (a) Half relief; sculpture in relief of which the figures project from the background by one half their full roundness. (b) A work of sculpture of the above character. See Alto-rilievo .

Demi-tasse De·mi"-tasse" noun [ French, half cup.] A small cup for, or of, black coffee.

Demibastion Dem"i·bas"tion noun [ Confer French demi- bastion .] (Fort.) A half bastion, or that part of a bastion consisting of one face and one flank.

Demibrigade Dem"i·bri·gade" noun [ Confer French demi- brigade .] A half brigade.

Demicadence Dem"i·ca`dence noun (Mus.) An imperfect or half cadence, falling on the dominant instead of on the key note.

Demicannon Dem"i·can"non noun (Mil. Antiq.) A kind of ordnance, carrying a ball weighing from thirty to thirty-six pounds. Shak.

Demicircle Dem"i·cir`cle noun [ Confer French demi- cercle .] An instrument for measuring angles, in surveying, etc. It resembles a protractor, but has an alidade, sights, and a compass.

Demiculverin Dem"i·cul"ver·in noun (Mil. Antiq.) A kind of ordnance, carrying a ball weighing from nine to thirteen pounds.

Demideify Dem"i·de"i·fy transitive verb To deify in part. Cowper.

Demidevil Dem"i·dev`il noun A half devil. Shak.

Demigod Dem"i·god noun A half god, or an inferior deity; a fabulous hero, the offspring of a deity and a mortal.

Demigoddess Dem"i·god`dess noun A female demigod.

Demigorge Dem"i·gorge` noun [ Confer French demi- gorge .] (Fort.) Half the gorge, or entrance into a bastion, taken from the angle of the flank to the center of the bastion.

Demigrate Dem"i·grate intransitive verb [ Latin demigrare , demigratum , to emigrate. See De -, and Migrate .] To emigrate. [ Obsolete] Cockeram.

Demigration Dem`i·gra"tion noun [ Latin demigratio .] Emigration. [ Obsolete] Bp. Hall.

Demigroat Dem"i·groat` noun A half groat.

Demijohn Dem"i·john noun [ French dame- jeanne , i.e., Lady Jane, a corruption of Arabic damajāna , damjāna , probably from Damaghan a town in the Persian province of Khorassan, once famous for its glass works.] A glass vessel or bottle with a large body and small neck, inclosed in wickerwork.

Demilance Dem"i·lance` noun A light lance; a short spear; a half pike; also, a demilancer.

Demilancer Dem"i·lan`cer noun A soldier of light cavalry of the 16th century, who carried a demilance.

Demilune Dem"i·lune` noun [ French demi- lune .] 1. (Fort.) A work constructed beyond the main ditch of a fortress, and in front of the curtain between two bastions, intended to defend the curtain; a ravelin. See Ravelin .

2. (Physiol.) A crescentic mass of granular protoplasm present in the salivary glands.

» Each crescent is made of polyhedral cells which under some circumstances are supposed to give rise to new salivary cells.

Demiman Dem"i·man` noun A half man. [ R.] Knolles.

Demimonde Dem`i·monde" noun [ F.; demi + monde world, Latin mundus .] Persons of doubtful reputation; esp., women who are kept as mistresses, though not public prostitutes; demireps.

Literary demimonde , writers of the lowest kind.

Deminatured Dem"i·na"tured adjective Having half the nature of another. [ R.] Shak.

Demiquaver Dem"i·qua`ver noun (Mus.) A note of half the length of the quaver; a semiquaver. [ R.]

Demirelief, Demirelievo Dem`i·re·lief", Dem`i·re·lie"vo noun Half relief. See Demi- rilievo .

Demirep Dem"i·rep` noun [ Contr. from demi- reputation .] A woman of doubtful reputation or suspected character; an adventuress. [ Colloq.] De Quincey.

Demisability De·mis`a·bil"i·ty noun (Law) The state of being demisable.

Demisable De·mis"a·ble adjective [ From Demise .] (Law) Capable of being leased; as, a demisable estate.

Demise De·mise" noun [ French démettre , past participle démis , démise , to put away, lay down; prefix dé- (L. de or dis- ) + mettre to put, place, lay, from Latin mittere to send. See Mission , and confer Dismiss , Demit .] 1. Transmission by formal act or conveyance to an heir or successor; transference; especially, the transfer or transmission of the crown or royal authority to a successor.

2. The decease of a royal or princely person; hence, also, the death of any illustrious person.

After the demise of the Queen [ of George II.], in 1737, they [ drawing- rooms] were held but twice a week.

P. Cunningham.

3. (Law) The conveyance or transfer of an estate, either in fee for life or for years, most commonly the latter. Bouvier.

» The demise of the crown is a transfer of the crown, royal authority, or kingdom, to a successor. Thus, when Edward IV. was driven from his throne for a few months by the house of Lancaster, this temporary transfer of his dignity was called a demise . Thus the natural death of a king or queen came to be denominated a demise , as by that event the crown is transferred to a successor. Blackstone.

Demise and redemise , a conveyance where there are mutual leases made from one to another of the same land, or something out of it.

Syn. -- Death; decease; departure. See Death .

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