Descry De·scry" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Descried ; present participle & verbal noun Descrying .] [ Middle English descrien , discrien , to espy, probably from the proclaiming of what was espied, from Old French descrier to proclaim, cry down, decry, French décrier . The word was confused somewhat with Old French descriven , English describe , Old French descrivre , from Latin describere . See Decry .] 1. To spy out or discover by the eye, as objects distant or obscure; to espy; to recognize; to discern; to discover.

And the house of Joseph sent to descry Bethel.

Judg. i. 23.

Edmund, I think, is gone . . . to descry
The strength o' the enemy.

Shak.

And now their way to earth they had descried .

Milton.

2. To discover; to disclose; to reveal. [ R.]

His purple robe he had thrown aside, lest it should descry him.

Milton.

Syn. -- To see; behold; espy; discover; discern.

Descry De·scry" noun Discovery or view, as of an army seen at a distance. [ Obsolete]

Near, and on speedy foot; the main descry
Stands on the hourly thought.

Shak.

Desecate Des"e·cate transitive verb [ Latin desecare to cut off.] To cut, as with a scythe; to mow. [ Obsolete]

Desecrate Des"e·crate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Desecrated ; present participle & verbal noun Desecrating .] [ Latin desecratus , past participle of desecrare (also desacrare ) to consecrate, dedicate; but taken in the sense if to divest of a sacred character; de- + sacrare to consecrate, from sacer sacred. See Sacred .] To divest of a sacred character or office; to divert from a sacred purpose; to violate the sanctity of; to profane; to put to an unworthy use; -- the opposite of consecrate .

The [ Russian] clergy can not suffer corporal punishment without being previously desecrated .

W. Tooke.

The founders of monasteries imprecated evil on those who should desecrate their donations.

Salmon.

Desecrater Des"e·cra`ter noun One who desecrates; a profaner. Harper's Mag.

Desecration Des`e·cra"tion noun The act of desecrating; profanation; condition of anything desecrated.

Desecrator Des"e·cra`tor noun One who desecrates. " Desecrators of the church." Morley.

Desegmentation De·seg`men·ta"tion noun (Anat.) The loss or obliteration of division into segments; as, a desegmentation of the body.

Desert De·sert" (de*zẽrt") noun [ Old French deserte , desserte , merit, recompense, from deservir , desservir , to merit. See Deserve .] That which is deserved; the reward or the punishment justly due; claim to recompense, usually in a good sense; right to reward; merit.

According to their deserts will I judge them.

Ezek. vii. 27.

Andronicus, surnamed Pius
For many good and great deserts to Rome.

Shak.

His reputation falls far below his desert .

A. Hamilton.

Syn. -- Merit; worth; excellence; due.

Desert Des"ert (dĕz"ẽrt) noun [ French désert , Latin desertum , from desertus solitary, desert, pp. of deserere to desert; de- + serere to join together. See Series .] 1. A deserted or forsaken region; a barren tract incapable of supporting population, as the vast sand plains of Asia and Africa which are destitute of moisture and vegetation.

A dreary desert and a gloomy waste.

Pope.

2. A tract, which may be capable of sustaining a population, but has been left unoccupied and uncultivated; a wilderness; a solitary place.

He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord.

Is. li. 3.

Also figuratively.

Before her extended
Dreary and vast and silent, the desert of life.

Longfellow.

Desert Des"ert adjective [ Confer Latin desertus , past participle of deserere , and French désert . See 2d Desert .] Of or pertaining to a desert; forsaken; without life or cultivation; unproductive; waste; barren; wild; desolate; solitary; as, they landed on a desert island.

He . . . went aside privately into a desert place.

Luke ix. 10.

Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.

Gray.

Desert flora (Botany) , the assemblage of plants growing naturally in a desert, or in a dry and apparently unproductive place. -- Desert hare (Zoology) , a small hare ( Lepus sylvaticus , var. Arizonæ ) inhabiting the deserts of the Western United States. -- Desert mouse (Zoology) , an American mouse ( Hesperomys eremicus ), living in the Western deserts.

Desert De·sert" (de*zẽrt") transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Deserted ; present participle & verbal noun Deserting .] [ Confer Latin desertus , past participle of deserere to desert, French déserter . See 2d Desert .] 1. To leave (especially something which one should stay by and support); to leave in the lurch; to abandon; to forsake; -- implying blame, except sometimes when used of localities ; as, to desert a friend, a principle, a cause, one's country. "The deserted fortress." Prescott.

2. (Mil.) To abandon (the service) without leave; to forsake in violation of duty; to abscond from; as, to desert the army; to desert one's colors.

Desert De·sert" intransitive verb To abandon a service without leave; to quit military service without permission, before the expiration of one's term; to abscond.

The soldiers . . . deserted in numbers.

Bancroft.

Syn. -- To abandon; forsake; leave; relinquish; renounce; quit; depart from; abdicate. See Abandon .

Deserter De·sert"er (de*zẽrt"ẽr) , noun One who forsakes a duty, a cause or a party, a friend, or any one to whom he owes service; especially, a soldier or a seaman who abandons the service without leave; one guilty of desertion.

Desertful De·sert"ful adjective Meritorious. [ R.] Beau. & Fl.

Desertion De·ser"tion (de*zẽr"shŭn) noun [ Latin desertio : confer French désertion .] 1. The act of deserting or forsaking; abandonment of a service, a cause, a party, a friend, or any post of duty; the quitting of one's duties willfully and without right; esp., an absconding from military or naval service.

Such a resignation would have seemed to his superior a desertion or a reproach.

Bancroft.

2. The state of being forsaken; desolation; as, the king in his desertion .

3. Abandonment by God; spiritual despondency.

The spiritual agonies of a soul under desertion .

South.

Desertless De·sert"less adjective Without desert. [ R.]

Desertlessly De·sert"less·ly adverb Undeservedly. [ R.] Beau. & Fl.

Desertness Des"ert·ness noun A deserted condition. [ R.] "The desertness of the country." Udall.

Desertrix, Desertrice De·sert"rix, De·sert"rice noun [ Latin desertrix .] A feminine deserter. Milton.

Deserve De·serve" (de*zẽrv") transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Deserved ; present participle & verbal noun Deserving .] [ Old French deservir , desservir , to merit, Latin deservire to serve zealously, be devoted to; de- + servire to serve. See Serve .] 1. To earn by service; to be worthy of (something due, either good or evil); to merit; to be entitled to; as, the laborer deserves his wages; a work of value deserves praise.

God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth .

Job xi. 6.

John Gay deserved to be a favorite.

Thackeray.

Encouragement is not held out to things that deserve reprehension.

Burke.

2. To serve; to treat; to benefit. [ Obsolete]

A man that hath
So well deserved me.

Massinger.

Deserve De·serve" (de*zẽrv") intransitive verb To be worthy of recompense; -- usually with ill or with well .

One man may merit or deserve of another.

South.

Deservedly De·serv"ed·ly (-zẽrv"ĕd*l> ycr/) adverb According to desert (whether good or evil); justly.

Deservedness De·serv"ed·ness noun Meritoriousness.

Deserver De·serv"er noun One who deserves.

Deserving De·serv"ing noun Desert; merit.

A person of great deservings from the republic.

Swift.

Deserving De·serv"ing adjective Meritorious; worthy; as, a deserving person or act. -- De*serv"ing*ly , adverb

Deshabille Des`ha·bille noun [ French déshabillé , from déshabiller to undress; prefix dés- (L. dis- ) + habiller to dress. See Habiliment , and confer Dishabille .] An undress; a careless toilet.

Desiccant De·sic"cant adjective [ Latin desiccans , present participle of desiccare . See Desiccate .] Drying; desiccative. -- noun (Medicine) A medicine or application for drying up a sore. Wiseman.

Desiccate Des"ic·cate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Desiccated ; present participle & verbal noun Desiccating .] [ Latin desiccatus , past participle of desiccare to dry up; de- + siccare to dry, siccus dry. See Sack wine.] To dry up; to deprive or exhaust of moisture; to preserve by drying; as, to desiccate fish or fruit.

Bodies desiccated by heat or age.

Bacon.

Desiccate Des"ic·cate intransitive verb To become dry.

Desiccation Des`ic·ca"tion noun [ Confer French dessiccation .] The act of desiccating, or the state of being desiccated.

Desiccative De·sic"ca·tive adjective [ Confer French dessicatif .] Drying; tending to dry. Ferrand. -- noun (Medicine) An application for drying up secretions.

Desiccator Des"ic·ca`tor noun 1. One who, or that which, desiccates.

2. (Chemistry) A short glass jar fitted with an air-tight cover, and containing some desiccating agent, as sulphuric acid or calcium chloride, above which is suspended the material to be dried, or preserved from moisture.

Desiccator Des"ic·ca`tor noun One that desiccates ; specif.: (a) (Chem., etc.) A short glass jar fitted with an air-tight cover, and containing some desiccating agent, as calcium chloride, above which is placed the material to be dried or preserved from moisture. (b) A machine or apparatus for drying fruit, milk, etc., usually by the aid of heat; an evaporator.

Desiccatory De·sic"ca·to·ry adjective Desiccative.

Desiderable De·sid"er·a·ble adjective Desirable. [ R.] "Good and desiderable things." Holland.

Desiderata De·sid`e·ra"ta noun plural See Desideratum .

Desiderate De·sid"er·ate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Desiderated ; present participle & verbal noun Desiderating .] [ Latin desideratus , past participle of desiderare to desire, miss. See Desire , and confer Desideratum .] To desire; to feel the want of; to lack; to miss; to want.

Pray have the goodness to point out one word missing that ought to have been there -- please to insert a desiderated stanza. You can not.

Prof. Wilson.

Men were beginning . . . to desiderate for them an actual abode of fire.

A. W. Ward.

Desideration De·sid`er·a"tion noun [ Latin desideratio .] Act of desiderating; also, the thing desired. [ R.] Jeffrey.

Desiderative De·sid"er·a·tive adjective [ Latin desiderativus .] Denoting desire; as, desiderative verbs.

Desiderative De·sid"er·a·tive noun 1. An object of desire.

2. (Gram.) A verb formed from another verb by a change of termination, and expressing the desire of doing that which is indicated by the primitive verb.

Desideratum De·sid`e·ra"tum noun ; plural Desiderata . [ Latin , from desideratus , past participle See Desiderate .] Anything desired; that of which the lack is felt; a want generally felt and acknowledge.

Desidiose, Desidious De·sid"i·ose`, De·sid"i·ous adjective [ Latin desidiosus , from desidia a sitting idle, from desid...re to sit idle; de- + sed...re to sit.] Idle; lazy. [ Obsolete]

Desidiousness De·sid"i·ous·ness noun The state or quality of being desidiose, or indolent. [ Obsolete] N. Bacon.

Desight De·sight" noun [ Prefix de- + sight .] An unsightly object. [ Obsolete]

Desightment De·sight"ment noun The act of making unsightly; disfigurement. [ R.]

To substitute jury masts at whatever desightment or damage in risk.

London Times.

Design De·sign" transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Designed ; present participle & verbal noun Designing .] [ French désigner to designate, confer French dessiner to draw, dessin drawing, dessein a plan or scheme; all, ultimately, from Latin designare to designate; de- + signare to mark, mark out, signum mark, sign. See Sign , and confer Design , noun , Designate .] 1. To draw preliminary outline or main features of; to sketch for a pattern or model; to delineate; to trace out; to draw. Dryden.

2. To mark out and exhibit; to designate; to indicate; to show; to point out; to appoint.

We shall see
Justice design the victor's chivalry.

Shak.

Meet me to-morrow where the master
And this fraternity shall design .

Beau. & Fl.

3. To create or produce, as a work of art; to form a plan or scheme of; to form in idea; to invent; to project; to lay out in the mind; as, a man designs an essay, a poem, a statue, or a cathedral.

4. To intend or purpose; -- usually with for before the remote object, but sometimes with to .

Ask of politicians the end for which laws were originally designed .

Burke.

He was designed to the study of the law.

Dryden.

Syn. -- To sketch; plan; purpose; intend; propose; project; mean.

Design De·sign" intransitive verb To form a design or designs; to plan.

Design for , to intend to go to. [ Obsolete] "From this city she designed for Collin [ Cologne]." Evelyn.

Design De·sign" noun [ Confer dessein , dessin .] 1. A preliminary sketch; an outline or pattern of the main features of something to be executed, as of a picture, a building, or a decoration; a delineation; a plan.

2. A plan or scheme formed in the mind of something to be done; preliminary conception; idea intended to be expressed in a visible form or carried into action; intention; purpose; -- often used in a bad sense for evil intention or purpose; scheme; plot.

The vast design and purpos... of the King.

Tennyson.

The leaders of that assembly who withstood the designs of a besotted woman.

Hallam.

A . . . settled design upon another man's life.

Locke.

How little he could guess the secret designs of the court!

Macaulay.

3. Specifically, intention or purpose as revealed or inferred from the adaptation of means to an end; as, the argument from design .

4. The realization of an inventive or decorative plan; esp., a work of decorative art considered as a new creation; conception or plan shown in completed work; as, this carved panel is a fine design , or of a fine design .

5. (Mus.) The invention and conduct of the subject; the disposition of every part, and the general order of the whole.

Arts of design , those into which the designing of artistic forms and figures enters as a principal part, as architecture, painting, engraving, sculpture. -- School of design , one in which are taught the invention and delineation of artistic or decorative figures, patterns, and the like.

Syn. -- Intention; purpose; scheme; project; plan; idea. - - Design , Intention , Purpose . Design has reference to something definitely aimed at. Intention points to the feelings or desires with which a thing is sought. Purpose has reference to a settled choice or determination for its attainment. "I had no design to injure you," means it was no part of my aim or object. "I had no intention to injure you," means, I had no wish or desire of that kind. "My purpose was directly the reverse," makes the case still stronger.

Is he a prudent man . . . that lays designs only for a day, without any prospect to the remaining part of his life?

Tillotson.

I wish others the same intention , and greater successes.

Sir W. Temple.

It is the purpose that makes strong the vow.

Shak.

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