Demonic De·mo"nic adjective [ Latin daemonicus , Greek daimoniko`s .] Of or pertaining to a demon or to demons; demoniac. " Demonic ambushes." Lowell.

Demonism De"mon·ism noun [ Confer French démonisme .] The belief in demons or false gods.

The established theology of the heathen world . . . rested upon the basis of demonism .

Farmer.

Demonist De"mon·ist noun A believer in, or worshiper of, demons.

Demonize De"mon·ize transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Demonized ; present participle & verbal noun Demonizing .] [ Confer Late Latin daemonizare to be possessed by a demon, Greek ....] 1. To convert into a demon; to infuse the principles or fury of a demon into.

2. To control or possess by a demon.

Demonocracy De`mon·oc"ra·cy noun [ Greek dai`mwn demon + kra`tos strength: confer French démonocratie .] The power or government of demons.

A demonocracy of unclean spirits.

H. Taylor.

Demonographer De`mon·og"ra·pher noun [ Demon + -graph + -er .] A demonologist. [ R.] Am. Cyc.

Demonolatry De`mon·ol"a·try noun [ Greek dai`mwn demon + latrei`a worship, ... to serve, worship: confer French démonolâtrie .] The worship of demons.

Demonologer De`mon·ol"o·ger noun One versed in demonology. R. North.

Demonologic, Demonological De`mon·o·log"ic, De`mon·o·log"ic·al adjective [ Confer French démonologique .] Of or pertaining to demonology.

Demonologist De`mon·ol"o·gist noun One who writes on, or is versed in, demonology.

Demonology De`mon·ol"o·gy noun [ Demon + -logy : confer French démonologie .] A treatise on demons; a supposititious science which treats of demons and their manifestations. Sir W. Scott.

Demonomagy De`mon·om"a·gy noun [ Greek dai`mwn demon + magei`a magic.] Magic in which the aid of demons is invoked; black or infernal magic. Bp. Hurd.

Demonomania De·mon`o·ma"ni·a noun [ Demon + mania .] A form of madness in which the patient conceives himself possessed of devils.

Demonomist De·mon"o·mist noun One in subjection to a demon, or to demons. [ R.] Sir T. Herbert.

Demonomy De·mon"o·my noun [ Greek dai`mwn demon + no`mos law.] The dominion of demons. [ R.] Sir T. Herbert.

Demonry De"mon·ry noun Demoniacal influence or possession. J. Baillie.

Demonship De"mon·ship noun The state of a demon. Mede.

Demonstrability De·mon`stra·bil"i·ty noun The quality of being demonstrable; demonstrableness.

Demonstrable De·mon"stra·ble adjective [ Latin demonstrabilis : confer Old French demonstrable , French démontrable .] 1. Capable of being demonstrated; that can be proved beyond doubt or question.

The grand articles of our belief are as demonstrable as geometry.

Glanvill.

2. Proved; apparent. [ Obsolete] Shak.

Demonstrableness De·mon"stra·ble·ness noun The quality of being demonstrable; demonstrability.

Demonstrably De·mon"stra·bly adverb In a demonstrable manner; incontrovertibly; clearly.

Cases that demonstrably concerned the public cause.

Clarendon.

Demonstrance De·mon"strance noun [ Old French demonstrance .] Demonstration; proof. [ Obsolete] Holland.

Demonstrate Dem"on·strate transitive verb [ Latin demonstratus , past participle of demonstrare to demonstrate; de- + monstrare to show. See Monster .] 1. To point out; to show; to exhibit; to make evident. Shak.

2. To show, or make evident, by reasoning or proof; to prove by deduction; to establish so as to exclude the possibility of doubt or denial.

We can not demonstrate these things so as to show that the contrary often involves a contradiction.

Tillotson.

3. (Anat.) To exhibit and explain (a dissection or other anatomical preparation).

Demonstrater Dem"on·stra`ter noun See Demonstrator .

Demonstration Dem`on·stra"tion noun [ Latin demonstratio : confer French démonstration .] 1. The act of demonstrating; an exhibition; proof; especially, proof beyond the possibility of doubt; indubitable evidence, to the senses or reason.

Those intervening ideas which serve to show the agreement of any two others are called "proofs;" and where agreement or disagreement is by this means plainly and clearly perceived, it is called demonstration .

Locke.

2. An expression, as of the feelings, by outward signs; a manifestation; a show.

Did your letters pierce the queen to any demonstration of grief?

Shak.

Loyal demonstrations toward the prince.

Prescott.

3. (Anat.) The exhibition and explanation of a dissection or other anatomical preparation.

4. (Mil.) a decisive exhibition of force, or a movement indicating an attack.

5. (Logic) The act of proving by the syllogistic process, or the proof itself.

6. (Math.) A course of reasoning showing that a certain result is a necessary consequence of assumed premises; -- these premises being definitions, axioms, and previously established propositions.

Direct , or Positive , demonstration (Logic & Math.) , one in which the correct conclusion is the immediate sequence of reasoning from axiomatic or established premises ; -- opposed to Indirect , or Negative , demonstration (called also reductio ad absurdum ), in which the correct conclusion is an inference from the demonstration that any other hypothesis must be incorrect.

Demonstrative De·mon"stra·tive adjective [ French démonstratif , Latin demonstrativus .] 1. Having the nature of demonstration; tending to demonstrate; making evident; exhibiting clearly or conclusively. " Demonstrative figures." Dryden.

An argument necessary and demonstrative .

Hooker.

2. Expressing, or apt to express, much; displaying feeling or sentiment; as, her nature was demonstrative .

3. Consisting of eulogy or of invective. " Demonstrative eloquence." Blair.

Demonstrative pronoun (Gram.) , a pronoun distinctly designating that to which it refers.

Demonstrative De·mon"stra·tive noun (Gram.) A demonstrative pronoun; as, "this" and "that" are demonstratives .

Demonstratively De·mon"stra·tive·ly adverb In a manner fitted to demonstrate; clearly; convincingly; forcibly.

Demonstrativeness De·mon"stra·tive·ness noun The state or quality of being demonstrative.

Demonstrator Dem"on·stra`tor noun [ Latin : confer French démonstrateur .] 1. One who demonstrates; one who proves anything with certainty, or establishes it by indubitable evidence.

2. (Anat.) A teacher of practical anatomy.

Demonstratory De·mon"stra·to·ry adjective Tending to demonstrate; demonstrative. Johnson.

Demorage De·mor"age noun Demurrage. [ Obsolete] Pepys (1663).

Demoralization De·mor`al·i·za"tion noun [ Confer French démoralisation .] The act of corrupting or subverting morals. Especially: The act of corrupting or subverting discipline, courage, hope, etc., or the state of being corrupted or subverted in discipline, courage, etc.; as, the demoralization of an army or navy.

Demoralize De·mor"al·ize transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Demoralized ; present participle & verbal noun Demoralizing .] [ French démoraliser ; prefix dé- (L. dis- or de ) + moraliser . See Moralize .] To corrupt or undermine in morals; to destroy or lessen the effect of moral principles on; to render corrupt or untrustworthy in morals, in discipline, in courage, spirit, etc.; to weaken in spirit or efficiency.

The demoralizing example of profligate power and prosperous crime.

Walsh.

The vices of the nobility had demoralized the army.

Bancroft.

Demosthenic Dem`os·then"ic adjective [ Latin Demosthenicus : confer French Démosthénique .] Pertaining to, or in the style of, Demosthenes, the Grecian orator.

Demote De·mote" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Demoted ; present participle & verbal noun Demoting .] [ Prefix de- + mote , as in promote ; confer Latin demovere to remove.] To reduce to a lower grade, as in school.

Demotic De·mot"ic adjective [ Greek dhmotiko`s , from dh^mos the people: confer French démotique .] Of or pertaining to the people; popular; common.

Demotic alphabet or character , a form of writing used in Egypt after six or seven centuries before Christ, for books, deeds, and other such writings; a simplified form of the hieratic character; -- called also epistolographic character , and enchorial character . See Enchorial .

Demotics De·mot"ics noun The department of knowledge relative to the care and culture of the people; sociology in its broadest sense; -- in library cataloguing.

Demount De·mount" intransitive verb To dismount. [ R.]

Demountable De·mount"a·ble [ See De- ; Mount .] Capable of being dismounted; -- said of a form of rim, for an automobile wheel, which can be removed with its tire from the wheel.

Dempne Demp"ne transitive verb To damn; to condemn. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Dempster Demp"ster (?; 215), Dem"ster noun [ See Deemster .] 1. A deemster.

2. (O. Scots Law) An officer whose duty it was to announce the doom or sentence pronounced by the court.

Demulce De·mulce" transitive verb [ Latin demulcere ; de- + mulcere to stroke, soothe.] To soothe; to mollify; to pacify; to soften. [ R.] Sir T. Elyot.

Demulcent De·mul"cent adjective [ Latin demulcens , present participle of demulcere .] Softening; mollifying; soothing; assuasive; as, oil is demulcent .

Demulcent De·mul"cent noun (Medicine) A substance, usually of a mucilaginous or oily nature, supposed to be capable of soothing an inflamed nervous membrane, or protecting it from irritation. Gum Arabic, glycerin, olive oil, etc., are demulcents.

Demulsion De·mul"sion noun The act of soothing; that which soothes. Feltham.

Demur De·mur" intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Demurred ; present participle & verbal noun Demurring .] [ Old French demurer , demorer , demourer , to linger, stay, French demeurer , from Latin demorari ; de- + morari to delay, tarry, stay, mora delay; probably originally, time for thinking, reflection, and akin to memor mindful. See Memory .] 1. To linger; to stay; to tarry. [ Obsolete]

Yet durst not demur nor abide upon the camp.

Nicols.

2. To delay; to pause; to suspend proceedings or judgment in view of a doubt or difficulty; to hesitate; to put off the determination or conclusion of an affair.

Upon this rub, the English embassadors thought fit to demur .

Hayward.

3. To scruple or object; to take exception; as, I demur to that statement.

4. (Law) To interpose a demurrer. See Demurrer , 2.

Demur De·mur" transitive verb 1. To suspend judgment concerning; to doubt of or hesitate about. [ Obsolete]

The latter I demur , for in their looks
Much reason, and in their actions, oft appears.

Milton.

2. To cause delay to; to put off. [ Obsolete]

He demands a fee,
And then demurs me with a vain delay.

Quarles.

Demur De·mur" noun [ Old French demor , demore , stay, delay. See Demur , intransitive verb ] Stop; pause; hesitation as to proceeding; suspense of decision or action; scruple.

All my demurs but double his attacks;
At last he whispers, "Do; and we go snacks."

Pope.

Demure De·mure" adjective [ Perh. from Old French de murs (i. e., de bonnes murs of good manners); de of + murs , mours , meurs , mors , French m...urs , from Latin mores (sing. mos ) manners, morals (see Moral ); or more probably from Old French meür , French mûr mature, ripe (see Mature ) in a phrase preceded by de , as de mûre conduite of mature conduct.] 1. Of sober or serious mien; composed and decorous in bearing; of modest look; staid; grave.

Sober, steadfast, and demure .

Milton.

Nan was very much delighted in her demure way, and that delight showed itself in her face and in her clear bright eyes.

W. Black.

2. Affectedly modest, decorous, or serious; making a show of gravity.

A cat lay, and looked so demure , as if there had been neither life nor soul in her.

L'Estrange.

Miss Lizzy, I have no doubt, would be as demure and coquettish, as if ten winters more had gone over her head.

Miss Mitford.

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