Dicker Dick"er intransitive verb & t. To negotiate a dicker; to barter. [ U.S.] "Ready to dicker . and to swap." Cooper.

Dickey Dick"ey 1. A hat; esp., in U. S., a stiff hat or derby; in Eng., a straw hat. [ Slang]

2. One of various animals ; specif.: (a) A donkey. (b) Any small bird; -- called also dickey bird . [ Colloq.] (c) The hedge sparrow. [ Dial. Eng.] (d) The haddock.

3. In a carriage: (a) A seat for the driver; -- called also dickey box . (b) A seat at the back for servants.

Dickey, Dicky Dick"ey, Dick"y noun 1. A seat behind a carriage, for a servant.

2. A false shirt front or bosom.

3. A gentleman's shirt collar. [ Local, U. S.]

Diclinic Di·clin"ic adjective [ Greek di- = di`s- twice + ... to incline.] (Crystallog.) Having two of the intersections between the three axes oblique. See Crystallization .

Diclinous Dic"li·nous adjective [ Greek ... = ... bed.] Having the stamens and pistils in separate flowers. Gray.

Dicoccous Di·coc"cous adjective [ Greek di- = di`s- twice + ... grain, seed.] (Botany) Composed of two coherent, one-seeded carpels; as, a dicoccous capsule.

Dicotyledon Di·cot`y·le"don (di*kŏt`ĭ*lē"dŭn) noun [ Prefix di- + cotyledon .] (Botany) A plant whose seeds divide into two seed lobes, or cotyledons, in germinating.

Dicotyledonous Di·cot`y·le"don·ous (-lĕd"ŭn*ŭs) adjective (Botany) Having two cotyledons or seed lobes; as, a dicotyledonous plant.

Dicrotal, Dicrotous Di"cro·tal, Di"cro·tous adjective [ Greek ... a double beating.] Dicrotic.

Dicrotic Di·crot"ic adjective [ Greek ... = ... to knock, beat.] (Physiol.) (a) Of or pertaining to dicrotism; as, a dicrotic pulse. (b) Of or pertaining to the second expansion of the artery in the dicrotic pulse; as, the dicrotic wave.

Dicrotism Di"cro·tism noun (Physiol.) A condition in which there are two beats or waves of the arterial pulse to each beat of the heart.

Dicta Dic"ta noun plural [ Latin ] See Dictum .

Dictagraph Dic"ta·graph Var. of Dictograph .

Dictamen Dic·ta"men noun [ Late Latin , from dictare to dictate.] A dictation or dictate. [ R.] Falkland.

Dictamnus Dic·tam"nus noun [ Latin See Dittany .] (Botany) A suffrutescent, D. Fraxinella (the only species), with strong perfume and showy flowers. The volatile oil of the leaves is highly inflammable.

Dictaphone Dic"ta·phone noun [ Dicta te + -phone , as in telephone .] A form of phonographic recorder and reproducer adapted for use in dictation, as in business.

Dictate Dic"tate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Dictated ; present participle & verbal noun Dictating .] [ Latin dictatus , past participle of dictare , freq. of dicere to say. See Diction , and confer Dight .] 1. To tell or utter so that another may write down; to inspire; to compose; as, to dictate a letter to an amanuensis.

The mind which dictated the Iliad.

Wayland.

Pages dictated by the Holy Spirit.

Macaulay.

2. To say; to utter; to communicate authoritatively; to deliver (a command) to a subordinate; to declare with authority; to impose; as, to dictate the terms of a treaty; a general dictates orders to his troops.

Whatsoever is dictated to us by God must be believed.

Watts.

Syn. -- To suggest; prescribe; enjoin; command; point out; urge; admonish.

Dictate Dic"tate intransitive verb 1. To speak as a superior; to command; to impose conditions (on).

Who presumed to dictate to the sovereign.

Macaulay.

2. To compose literary works; to tell what shall be written or said by another.

Sylla could not skill of letters, and therefore knew not how to dictate .

Bacon.

Dictate Dic"tate noun [ Latin dictatum . See Dictate , transitive verb ] A statement delivered with authority; an order; a command; an authoritative rule, principle, or maxim; a prescription; as, listen to the dictates of your conscience; the dictates of the gospel.

I credit what the Grecian dictates say.

Prior.

Syn. -- Command; injunction; direction suggestion; impulse; admonition.

Dictation Dic·ta"tion noun [ Latin dictatio .] 1. The act of dictating; the act or practice of prescribing; also that which is dictated.

It affords security against the dictation of laws.

Paley.

2. The speaking to, or the giving orders to, in an overbearing manner; authoritative utterance; as, his habit, even with friends, was that of dictation .

Dictator Dic·ta"tor noun [ Latin ] 1. One who dictates; one who prescribes rules and maxims authoritatively for the direction of others. Locke.

2. One invested with absolute authority; especially, a magistrate created in times of exigence and distress, and invested with unlimited power.

Invested with the authority of a dictator , nay, of a pope, over our language.

Macaulay.

Dictatorial Dic`ta·to"ri·al adjective [ Confer French dictatorial .] 1. Pertaining or suited to a dictator; absolute.

Military powers quite dictatorial .

W. Irving.

2. Characteristic of a dictator; imperious; dogmatical; overbearing; as, a dictatorial tone or manner.

-- Dic`ta*to"ri*al*ly , adverb -- Dic`ta*to"ri*al*ness , noun

Dictatorian Dic`ta·to"ri·an adjective Dictatorial. [ Obsolete]

Dictatorship Dic·ta"tor·ship noun The office, or the term of office, of a dictator; hence, absolute power.

Dictatory Dic"ta·to·ry adjective [ Latin dictatorius .] Dogmatical; overbearing; dictatorial. Milton.

Dictatress Dic·ta"tress noun A woman who dictates or commands.

Earth's chief dictatress , ocean's mighty queen.

Byron.

Dictatrix Dic·ta"trix noun [ Latin ] A dictatress.

Dictature Dic·ta"ture noun [ Latin dictatura : confer French dictature .] Office of a dictator; dictatorship. [ R.] Bacon.

Diction Dic"tion noun [ Latin dicto a saying, a word, from dicere , dictum , to say; akin to dicare to proclaim, and to English teach , token : confer French diction . See Teach , and confer Benison , Dedicate , Index , Judge , Preach , Vengeance .] Choice of words for the expression of ideas; the construction, disposition, and application of words in discourse, with regard to clearness, accuracy, variety, etc.; mode of expression; language; as, the diction of Chaucer's poems.

His diction blazes up into a sudden explosion of prophetic grandeur.

De Quincey.

Syn. -- Diction , Style , Phraseology . Style relates both to language and thought; diction , to language only; phraseology , to the mechanical structure of sentences, or the mode in which they are phrased . The style of Burke was enriched with all the higher graces of composition; his diction was varied and copious; his phraseology , at times, was careless and cumbersome. " Diction is a general term applicable alike to a single sentence or a connected composition. Errors in grammar, false construction, a confused disposition of words, or an improper application of them, constitute bad diction ; but the niceties, the elegancies, the peculiarities, and the beauties of composition, which mark the genius and talent of the writer, are what is comprehended under the name of style ." Crabb.

Dictionalrian Dic`tion·al"ri·an noun A lexicographer. [ R.]

Dictionary Dic"tion·a·ry noun ; plural Dictionaries . [ Confer French dictionnaire . See Diction .] 1. A book containing the words of a language, arranged alphabetically, with explanations of their meanings; a lexicon; a vocabulary; a wordbook.

I applied myself to the perusal of our writers; and noting whatever might be of use to ascertain or illustrate any word or phrase, accumulated in time the materials of a dictionary .

Johnson.

2. Hence, a book containing the words belonging to any system or province of knowledge, arranged alphabetically; as, a dictionary of medicine or of botany; a biographical dictionary .

Dictograph Dic"to·graph noun [ Latin dictum a thing said + English -graph .] A telephonic instrument for office or other similar use, having a sound-magnifying device enabling the ordinary mouthpiece to be dispensed with. Much use has been made of it for overhearing, or for recording, conversations for the purpose of obtaining evidence for use in litigation.

» The makers of this instrument spell it dictograph .

Dictum Dic"tum noun ; plural Latin Dicta , English Dictums . [ Latin , neuter of dictus , past participle of dicere to say. See Diction , and confer Ditto .] 1. An authoritative statement; a dogmatic saying; an apothegm.

A class of critical dicta everywhere current.

M. Arnold.

2. (Law) (a) A judicial opinion expressed by judges on points that do not necessarily arise in the case, and are not involved in it. (b) (French Law) The report of a judgment made by one of the judges who has given it. Bouvier. (c) An arbitrament or award.

Dictyogen Dic·ty"o·gen noun [ Greek ... a net + -gen .] (Botany) A plant with net-veined leaves, and monocotyledonous embryos, belonging to the class Dictyogenĉ , proposed by Lindley for the orders Dioscoreaceĉ , Smilaceĉ , Trilliaceĉ , etc.

Dicyanide Di·cy"a·nide noun [ Prefix di- + cyan ogen.] (Chemistry) A compound of a binary type containing two cyanogen groups or radicals; -- called also bicyanide .

Dicyemata Di`cy·e"ma·ta noun plural [ New Latin , from Greek di- = di`s- twice + ... an embryo.] (Zoology) An order of worms parasitic in cephalopods. They are remarkable for the extreme simplicity of their structure. The embryo exists in two forms.

Dicyemid Di`cy·e"mid adjective (Zoology) Like or belonging to the Dicyemata. -- noun One of the Dicyemata.

Dicynodont Di·cyn"o·dont noun [ Greek di- = di`s- twice + ... dog + 'odoy`s , 'odo`ntos , tooth.] (Paleon.) One of a group of extinct reptiles having the jaws armed with a horny beak, as in turtles, and in the genus Dicynodon , supporting also a pair of powerful tusks. Their remains are found in triassic strata of South Africa and India.

Did Did imperfect of Do .

Didactic Di·dac"tic noun A treatise on teaching or education. [ Obsolete] Milton.

Didactic, Didactical Di·dac"tic, Di·dac"tic·al adjective [ Greek ..., from ... to teach; akin to Latin docere to teach: confer French didactique . See Docile .] Fitted or intended to teach; conveying instruction; preceptive; instructive; teaching some moral lesson; as, didactic essays. " Didactical writings." Jer. Taylor.

The finest didactic poem in any language.

Macaulay.

Didactically Di·dac"tic·al·ly adverb In a didactic manner.

Didacticism Di·dac"ti·cism noun The didactic method or system.

Didacticity Di`dac·tic"i·ty noun Aptitude for teaching. Hare.

Didactics Di·dac"tics noun The art or science of teaching.

Didactyl Di·dac"tyl noun [ Greek di- = di`s- twice + ... finger, toe: confer French didactyle .] (Zoology) An animal having only two digits.

Didactylous Di·dac"tyl·ous adjective (Zoology) Having only two digits; two-toed.

Didal Di"dal noun A kind of triangular spade. [ Obsolete]

Didapper Di"dap`per noun [ For divedapper . See Dive , Dap , Dip , and confer Dabchick .] (Zoology) See Dabchick .

Didascalar Di·das"ca·lar adjective Didascalic. [ R.]

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