Dantesque Dan·tesque" adjective [ Confer Italian Dantesco .] Dantelike; Dantean. Earle.

Danubian Da·nu"bi·an adjective Pertaining to, or bordering on, the river Danube.

Dap Dap (dăp) intransitive verb [ Confer Dip .] (Angling) To drop the bait gently on the surface of the water.

To catch a club by dapping with a grasshoper.

Walton.

Dapatical Da·pat"ic·al adjective [ Latin dapaticus , from daps feast.] Sumptuous in cheer. [ Obsolete] Bailey.

Daphne Daph"ne noun [ Latin , a laurel tree, from Greek da`fnh .] 1. (Botany) A genus of diminutive Shrubs, mostly evergreen, and with fragrant blossoms. 2. (Myth.) A nymph of Diana, fabled to have been changed into a laurel tree.

Daphnetin Daph"ne·tin noun (Chemistry) A colorless crystalline substance, C ₉ H ₆ O ₄ , extracted from daphnin.

Daphnia Daph"ni·a noun [ New Latin ] (Zoology) A genus of the genus Daphnia .

Daphnin Daph"nin noun [ Confer French daphnine .] (Chemistry) (a) A dark green bitter resin extracted from the mezereon ( Daphne mezereum ) and regarded as the essential principle of the plant. [ R.] (b) A white, crystalline, bitter substance, regarded as a glucoside, and extracted from Daphne mezereum and D. alpina .

Daphnomancy Daph"no·man`cy noun [ Greek da`fnh the laurel + -mancy .] Divination by means of the laurel.

Dapifer Dap"i·fer noun [ Latin , daps a feast + ferre to bear.] One who brings meat to the table; hence, in some countries, the official title of the grand master or steward of the king's or a nobleman's household.

Dapper Dap"per adjective [ Middle English daper ; probably from Dutch dapper brave, valiant; akin to German tapfer brave, Old High German taphar heavy, weighty, OSlav. dobrŭ good, Russian dobrui . Confer Deft .] Little and active; spruce; trim; smart; neat in dress or appearance; lively.

He wondered how so many provinces could be held in subjection by such a dapper little man.

Milton.

The dapper ditties that I wont devise.

Spenser.

Sharp-nosed, dapper steam yachts.

Julian Hawthorne.

Dapperling Dap"per·ling noun A dwarf; a dandiprat. [ r.]

Dapple Dap"ple noun [ Confer Icelandic depill a spot, a dot, a dog with spots over the eyes, dapi a pool, and English dimple .] One of the spots on a dappled animal.

He has . . . as many eyes on his body as my gray mare hath dapples .

Sir P. Sidney.

Dapple Dap"ple transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Dappled ; present participle & verbal noun Dappling .] To variegate with spots; to spot.

The gentle day, . . .
Dapples the drowsy east with spots of gray.

Shak.

The dappled pink and blushing rose.

Prior.

Dapple, Dappled Dap"ple, Dap"pled adjective Marked with spots of different shades of color; spotted; variegated; as, a dapple horse.

Some dapple mists still floated along the peaks.

Sir W. Scott. » The word is used in composition to denote that some color is variegated or marked with spots; as, dapple -bay; dapple -gray.

His steed was all dapple -gray.

Chaucer.

O, swiftly can speed my dapple -gray steed.

Sir W. Scott.

Darbies Dar"bies noun plural Manacles; handcuffs. [ Cant]

Jem Clink will fetch you the darbies .

Sir W. Scott. » In "The Steel Glass" by Gascoigne, printed in 1576, occurs the line "To binde such babes in father Derbies bands ."

Darby Dar"by noun A plasterer's float, having two handles; -- used in smoothing ceilings, etc.

Darbyite Dar"by·ite noun One of the Plymouth Brethren, or of a sect among them; -- so called from John N. Darby , one of the leaders of the Brethren.

Dardanian Dar·da"ni·an adjective & noun [ From Latin Dardania , poetic name of Troy.] Trojan.

Dare Dare intransitive verb [ imperfect Durst or Dared ; past participle Dared ; present participle & verbal noun Daring .] [ Middle English I dar , dear , I dare, imperfect dorste , durste , Anglo-Saxon ic dear I dare, imperfect dorste . inf. durran ; akin to Old Saxon gidar , gidorsta , gidurran , Old High German tar , torsta , turran , Goth. gadar , gadaúrsta , Greek tharsei^n , tharrei^n , to be bold, tharsy`s bold, Sanskrit Dhrsh to be bold. √70.] To have adequate or sufficient courage for any purpose; to be bold or venturesome; not to be afraid; to venture.

I dare do all that may become a man; Who dares do more is none.

Shak.

Why then did not the ministers use their new law? Bacause they durst not, because they could not.

Macaulay.

Who dared to sully her sweet love with suspicion.

Thackeray.

The tie of party was stronger than the tie of blood, because a partisan was more ready to dare without asking why.

Jowett (Thu...yd.). » The present tense, I dare , is really an old past tense, so that the third person is he dare , but the form he dares is now often used, and will probably displace the obsolescent he dare , through grammatically as incorrect as he shalls or he cans . Skeat.

The pore dar plede (the poor man dare plead).

P. Plowman.

You know one dare not discover you.

Dryden.

The fellow dares not deceive me.

Shak.

Here boldly spread thy hands, no venom'd weed
Dares blister them, no slimy snail dare creep.

Beau. & Fl. » Formerly durst was also used as the present. Sometimes the old form dare is found for durst or dared .

Dare Dare transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Dared ; present participle & verbal noun Daring .] 1. To have courage for; to attempt courageously; to venture to do or to undertake.

What high concentration of steady feeling makes men dare every thing and do anything?

Bagehot.

To wrest it from barbarism, to dare its solitudes.

The Century. 2. To challenge; to provoke; to defy.

Time, I dare thee to discover
Such a youth and such a lover.

Dryden.

Dare Dare noun 1. The quality of daring; venturesomeness; boldness; dash. [ R.]

It lends a luster . . .
A large dare to our great enterprise.

Shak. 2. Defiance; challenge.

Childish, unworthy dares
Are not enought to part our powers.

Chapman.

Sextus Pompeius
Hath given the dare to Cæsar.

Shak.

Dare Dare intransitive verb [ Middle English darien , to lie hidden, be timid.] To lurk; to lie hid. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Dare Dare transitive verb To terrify; to daunt. [ Obsolete]

For I have done those follies, those mad mischiefs,
Would dare a woman.

Beau. & Fl. To dare larks , to catch them by producing terror through to use of mirrors, scarlet cloth, a hawk, etc., so that they lie still till a net is thrown over them. Nares.

Dare Dare noun [ See Dace .] (Zoology) A small fish; the dace.

Dare-devil Dare"-dev`il noun A reckless fellow. Also used adjectively; as, dare-devil excitement.

A humorous dare-devil -- the very man
To suit my prpose.

Ld. Lytton.

Dare-deviltry Dare"-dev`il·try n ; plural Dare-deviltries Reckless mischief; the action of a dare-devil.

Dareful Dare"ful adjective Full of daring or of defiance; adventurous. [ R.] Shak.

Darer Dar"er noun One who dares or defies.

Darg, Dargue Darg, Dargue noun [ Scot., contr. from day work .] A day's work; also, a fixed amount of work, whether more or less than that of a day. [ Local, Eng. & Scot.]

Daric Dar"ic (dăr"ĭk) noun [ Greek dareiko`s , of Persian origin.] 1. (Antiq.) (a) A gold coin of ancient Persia, weighing usually a little more than 128 grains, and bearing on one side the figure of an archer. (b) A silver coin of about 86 grains, having the figure of an archer, and hence, in modern times, called a daric . 2. Any very pure gold coin.

Daring Dar"ing noun Boldness; fearlessness; adventurousness; also, a daring act.

Daring Dar"ing adjective Bold; fearless; adventurous; as, daring spirits. -- Dar"ing*ly , adverb -- Dar"ing*ness , noun

Dariole Da`ri·ole" noun [ French] 1. A crustade. [ Obsolete] 2. A shell or cup of pastry filled with custard, whipped cream, crushed macaroons, etc.

Dark Dark (därk) adjective [ Middle English dark , derk , deork , Anglo-Saxon dearc , deorc ; confer Gael. & Ir. dorch , dorcha , dark, black, dusky.] 1. Destitute, or partially destitute, of light; not receiving, reflecting, or radiating light; wholly or partially black, or of some deep shade of color; not light-colored; as, a dark room; a dark day; dark cloth; dark paint; a dark complexion.

O dark , dark , dark , amid the blaze of noon,
Irrecoverably dark , total eclipse
Without all hope of day!

Milton.

In the dark and silent grave.

Sir W. Raleigh. 2. Not clear to the understanding; not easily seen through; obscure; mysterious; hidden.

The dark problems of existence.

Shairp.

What may seem dark at the first, will afterward be found more plain.

Hooker.

What's your dark meaning, mouse, of this light word?

Shak. 3. Destitute of knowledge and culture; in moral or intellectual darkness; unrefined; ignorant.

The age wherein he lived was dark , but he
Could not want light who taught the world to see.

Denhan.

The tenth century used to be reckoned by mediæval historians as the darkest part of this intellectual night.

Hallam. 4. Evincing black or foul traits of character; vile; wicked; atrocious; as, a dark villain; a dark deed.

Left him at large to his own dark designs.

Milton. 5. Foreboding evil; gloomy; jealous; suspicious.

More dark and dark our woes.

Shak.

A deep melancholy took possesion of him, and gave a dark tinge to all his views of human nature.

Macaulay.

There is, in every true woman-s heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.

W. Irving. 6. Deprived of sight; blind. [ Obsolete]

He was, I think, at this time quite dark , and so had been for some years.

Evelyn. » Dark is sometimes used to qualify another adjective; as, dark blue, dark green, and sometimes it forms the first part of a compound; as, dark -haired, dark -eyed, dark -colored, dark -seated, dark -working. A dark horse , in racing or politics, a horse or a candidate whose chances of success are not known, and whose capabilities have not been made the subject of general comment or of wagers . [ Colloq.] -- Dark house , Dark room , a house or room in which madmen were confined. [ Obsolete] Shak. -- Dark lantern . See Lantern . -- The Dark Ages , a period of stagnation and obscurity in literature and art, lasting, according to Hallam, nearly 1000 years, from about 500 to about 1500 A. D. . See Middle Ages , under Middle . -- The Dark and Bloody Ground , a phrase applied to the State of Kentucky, and said to be the significance of its name, in allusion to the frequent wars that were waged there between Indians. -- The dark day , a day (May 19, 1780) when a remarkable and unexplained darkness extended over all New England. -- To keep dark , to reveal nothing. [ Low]

Dark Dark noun 1. Absence of light; darkness; obscurity; a place where there is little or no light.

Here stood he in the dark , his sharp sword out.

Shak. 2. The condition of ignorance; gloom; secrecy.

Look, what you do, you do it still i' th' dark .

Shak.

Till we perceive by our own understandings, we are as much in the dark , and as void of knowledge, as before.

Locke. 3. (Fine Arts) A dark shade or dark passage in a painting, engraving, or the like; as, the light and darks are well contrasted.

The lights may serve for a repose to the darks , and the darks to the lights.

Dryden.

Dark Dark transitive verb To darken; to obscure. [ Obsolete] Milton.

Darken Dark"en (därk"'n) transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Darkened (-'nd); present participle & verbal noun Darkening (-n*ĭng).] [ Anglo-Saxon deorcian . See Dark , adjective ] 1. To make dark or black; to deprive of light; to obscure; as, a darkened room.

They [ locusts] covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened .

Ex. x. 15.

So spake the Sovran Voice; and clouds began
To darken all the hill.

Milton. 2. To render dim; to deprive of vision.

Let their eyes be darkened , that they may not see.

Rom. xi. 10. 3. To cloud, obscure, or perplex; to render less clear or intelligible.

Such was his wisdom that his confidence did seldom darken his foresight.

Bacon.

Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

Job. xxxviii. 2. 4. To cast a gloom upon.

With these forced thoughts, I prithee, darken not
The mirth of the feast.

Shak. 5. To make foul; to sully; to tarnish.

I must not think there are
Evils enough to darken all his goodness.

Shak.

Darken Dark"en intransitive verb To grow or darker.

Darkener Dark"en·er noun One who, or that which, darkens.

Darkening Dark"en·ing noun Twilight; gloaming. [ Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Wright.

Darkful Dark"ful adjective Full of darkness. [ Obsolete]

Darkish Dark"ish adjective Somewhat dark; dusky.

Darkle Dar"kle intransitive verb [ Freq. of dark .] To grow dark; to show indistinctly. Thackeray.

Darkling Dark"ling adverb [ Dark + the adverbial suffix -ling .] In the dark. [ Poetic]

So, out went the candle, and we were left darkling .

Shak.

As the wakeful bird
Sings darkling .

Milton.

Darkling Dark"ling present participle & adjective 1. Becoming dark or gloomy; frowing.

His honest brows darkling as he looked towards me.

Thackeray. 2. Dark; gloomy. "The darkling precipice." Moore.

Darkly Dark"ly adverb 1. With imperfect light, clearness, or knowledge; obscurely; dimly; blindly; uncertainly.

What fame to future times conveys but darkly down.

Dryden.

so softly dark and darkly pure.

Byron. 2. With a dark, gloomy, cruel, or menacing look.

Looking darkly at the clerguman.

Hawthorne.

Darkness Dark"ness noun 1. The absence of light; blackness; obscurity; gloom.

And darkness was upon the face of the deep.

Gen. i. 2. 2. A state of privacy; secrecy.

What I tell you in darkness , that speak ye in light.

Matt. x. 27. 3. A state of ignorance or error, especially on moral or religious subjects; hence, wickedness; impurity.

Men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

John. iii. 19.

Pursue these sons of darkness : drive them out
From all heaven's bounds.

Milton. 4. Want of clearness or perspicuity; obscurity; as, the darkness of a subject, or of a discussion. 5. A state of distress or trouble.

A day of clouds and of thick darkness .

Joel. ii. 2. Prince of darkness , the Devil; Satan. "In the power of the Prince of darkness ." Locke. Syn. -- Darkness , Dimness , Obscurity , Gloom . Darkness arises from a total, and dimness from a partial, want of light. A thing is obscure when so overclouded or covered as not to be easily perceived. As tha shade or obscurity increases, it deepens into gloom . What is dark is hidden from view; what is obscure is difficult to perceive or penetrate; the eye becomes dim with age; an impending storm fills the atmosphere with gloom . When taken figuratively, these words have a like use; as, the darkness of ignorance; dimness of discernment; obscurity of reasoning; gloom of superstition.

Darksome Dark"some adjective Dark; gloomy; obscure; shaded; cheerless. [ Poetic]

He brought him through a darksome narrow pass
To a broad gate, all built of beaten gold.

Spenser.

Darky Dark"y noun A negro. [ Sleng]