Disassimilation noun (Physics) The decomposition of complex substances, within the organism, into simpler ones suitable only for excretion, with evolution of energy, -- a normal nutritional process the reverse of assimilation; downward metabolism.

The breaking down of already existing chemical compounds into simpler ones, sometimes called disassimilation .

Martin.

Disassimilative adjective (Physiol.) Having power to disassimilate; of the nature of disassimilation.

Disassimilative processes constitute a marked feature in the life of animal cells.

McKendrick.

Disassociate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Disassociated ; present participle & verbal noun Disassociating .] To disconnect from things associated; to disunite; to dissociate. Florio.

Disaster noun [ French désastre ; prefix dés- (L. dis- ) + astre star, from Latin astrum ; a word of astrological origin. See Aster , Astral , Star .]
1. An unpropitious or baleful aspect of a planet or star; malevolent influence of a heavenly body; hence, an ill portent. [ Obsolete]

Disasters in the sun.

Shak.

2. An adverse or unfortunate event, esp. a sudden and extraordinary misfortune; a calamity; a serious mishap.

But noble souls, through dust and heat,
Rise from disaster and defeat
The stronger.

Longfellow.

Syn. -- Calamity; misfortune; mishap; mischance; visitation; misadventure; ill luck. See Calamity .

Disaster transitive verb
1. To blast by the influence of a baleful star. [ Obsolete] Sir P. Sidney.

2. To bring harm upon; to injure. [ R.] Thomson.

Disasterly adverb Disastrously. [ Obsolete] Drayton.

Disastrous adjective [ Confer French désastreux . See Disaster .]
1. Full of unpropitious stellar influences; unpropitious; ill- boding. [ Obsolete]

The moon
In dim eclipse, disastrous twilight sheds.

Milton.

2. Attended with suffering or disaster; very unfortunate; calamitous; ill-fated; as, a disastrous day; a disastrous termination of an undertaking.

Wherein I spake of most disastrous chances.

Shak.

-- Dis*as"trous*ly , adverb -- Dis*as"trous*ness , noun

Disattire transitive verb [ Prefix dis- + attire : confer Old French desatirier .] To unrobe; to undress. Spenser.

Disaugment transitive verb To diminish. [ R.]

Disauthorize transitive verb To deprive of credit or authority; to discredit. [ R.] W. Wotton.

Disavaunce transitive verb [ Confer Disadvance .] To retard; to repel; to do damage to. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Disaventure noun [ See Disadventure , Adventure .] Misfortune. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Disaventurous adjective Misadventurous; unfortunate. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Disavouch transitive verb [ Prefix dis- + avouch . Confer Disavow .] To disavow. [ R.] Daniel.

Disavow transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Disavowed ; present participle & verbal noun Disavowing .] [ French désavouer ; prefix dés- (L. dis -) + avouer to avow. See Avow , and confer Disavouch .]
1. To refuse strongly and solemnly to own or acknowledge; to deny responsibility for, approbation of, and the like; to disclaim; to disown; as, he was charged with embezzlement, but he disavows the crime.

A solemn promise made and disavowed .

Dryden.

2. To deny; to show the contrary of; to disprove.

Yet can they never
Toss into air the freedom of my birth,
Or disavow my blood Plantagenet's.

Ford.

Disavowal noun The act of disavowing, disclaiming, or disowning; rejection and denial.

An earnest disavowal of fear often proceeds from fear.

Richardson.

Disavowance noun Disavowal. [ Obsolete] South.

Disavower noun One who disavows.

Disavowment noun Disavowal. [ R.] Wotton.

Disband transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Disbanded ; present participle & verbal noun Disbanding .] [ Prefix dis- + band : confer Old French desbander , French débander , to unbind, unbend. See Band , and confer Disbend , Disbind .]
1. To loose the bands of; to set free; to disunite; to scatter; to disperse; to break up the organization of; especially, to dismiss from military service; as, to disband an army.

They disbanded themselves and returned, every man to his own dwelling.

Knolles.

2. To divorce. [ Obsolete]

And therefore . . . she ought to be disbanded .

Milton.

Disband intransitive verb To become separated, broken up, dissolved, or scattered; especially, to quit military service by breaking up organization.

When both rocks and all things shall disband .

Herbert.

Human society would in a short space disband .

Tillotson.

Disbandment noun The act of disbanding.

Disbar transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Disbarred ; present participle & verbal noun Disbarring .] (Law) To expel from the bar, or the legal profession; to deprive (an attorney, barrister, or counselor) of his status and privileges as such. Abbott.

Disbark transitive verb [ Prefix dis- + bark a small ship: confer Old French desbarquer , French débarquer . Confer Debark , Disembark .] To disembark. Pope.

Disbarment noun Act of disbarring.

Disbase transitive verb [ Confer Debase .] To debase or degrade. [ Obsolete]

Nor you nor your house were so much as spoken of before I disbased myself.

B. Jonson.

Disbecome transitive verb To misbecome. [ Obsolete] Massinger.

Disbelief noun The act of disbelieving;; a state of the mind in which one is fully persuaded that an opinion, assertion, or doctrine is not true; refusal of assent, credit, or credence; denial of belief.

Our belief or disbelief of a thing does not alter the nature of the thing.

Tillotson.

No sadder proof can be given by a man of his own littleness that disbelief in great men.

Carlyle.

Syn. -- Distrust; unbelief; incredulity; doubt; skepticism. -- Disbelief , Unbelief . Unbelief is a mere failure to admit; disbelief is a positive rejection. One may be an unbeliever in Christianity from ignorance or want of inquiry; a unbeliever has the proofs before him, and incurs the guilt of setting them aside. Unbelief is usually open to conviction; disbelief is already convinced as to the falsity of that which it rejects. Men often tell a story in such a manner that we regard everything they say with unbelief . Familiarity with the worst parts of human nature often leads us into a disbelief in many good qualities which really exist among men.

Disbelieve transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Disbelieved ; present participle & verbal noun Disbelieving .] Not to believe; to refuse belief or credence to; to hold not to be true or actual.

Assertions for which there is abundant positive evidence are often disbelieved , on account of what is called their improbability or impossibility.

J. S. Mill.

Disbeliever noun One who disbelieves, or refuses belief; an unbeliever. Specifically, one who does not believe the Christian religion. I. Watts.

Disbench transitive verb
1. To drive from a bench or seat. [ R.] Shak.

2. (Eng. Law) To deprive (a bencher) of his privileges. Mozley & W.

Disbend transitive verb To unbend. [ Obsolete] Stirling.

Disbind transitive verb [ Confer Disband .] To unbind; to loosen. [ Obsolete] Mede.

Disblame transitive verb [ Middle English desblamen , Old French desblasmer ; prefix des- (L. dis- ) + blasmer , French blâmer , to blame.] To clear from blame. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Disbodied adjective Disembodied. [ R.]

Disboscation noun [ Prefix dis- + French bosquet grove.] Converting forest land into cleared or arable land; removal of a forest. Sir W. Scott.

Disbowel transitive verb [ See Bowel , transitive verb ] To disembowel. [ R.] Spenser.

Disbranch transitive verb [ See Branch , v. ] To divest of a branch or branches; to tear off. Shak.

Disbud transitive verb [ See Bud , v. ] (Hort.) To deprive of buds or shoots, as for training, or economizing the vital strength of a tree.

Disburden transitive verb [ See Burden , transitive verb ] [ Confer Disburthen .] To rid of a burden; to free from a load borne or from something oppressive; to unload; to disencumber; to relieve.

He did it to disburden a conscience.

Feltham.

My mediations . . . will, I hope, be more calm, being thus disburdened .

Hammond.

Syn. -- To unload; unburden; discharge; free.

Disburden intransitive verb To relieve one's self of a burden; to ease the mind. Milton.

Disburgeon transitive verb To strip of burgeons or buds; to disbud. [ R.] Holland.

Disburse transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Disbursed ; present participle & verbal noun Disbursing .] [ Old French desbourser , French débourser ; prefix des- (L. dis- ) + bourse purse. See Burse , and confer Dispurse .] To pay out; to expend; -- usually from a public fund or treasury.

The duty of collecting and disbursing his revenues.

Macaulay.

Disbursing officer , an officer in any department of the public service who is charged with the duty of paying out public money.

Disbursement noun [ Confer French déboursement .]
1. The act of disbursing or paying out.

The disbursement of the public moneys.

U. S. Statutes.

2. That which is disbursed or paid out; as, the annual disbursements exceed the income.

Disburser noun One who disburses money.

Disburthen transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Disburthened ; present participle & verbal noun Disburthening .] [ Confer Disburden .] To disburden; to relieve of a load. [ Archaic]

Disc noun [ See Disk , Dish .] A flat round plate ; (Biol.) A circular structure either in plants or animals; as, a blood disc , a germinal disc , etc. Same as Disk .

Discage transitive verb To uncage. [ R.] Tennyson.

Discal adjective Pertaining to, or resembling, a disk; as, discal cells.