|
| darkle |
to grow dark; darken |
| Darwinism |
The doctrine that natural selection has been the prime
cause of evolution of higher forms. |
| dastard |
a person who acts treacherously or underhandedly |
| datum |
A premise, starting-point, or given fact. |
| dauntless |
adj. not easily discouraged or frightened |
| dearth |
n. ~ shortage; scarcity |
| debase |
v. lower the quality, status or value of |
| debatable |
adj. not certain; open to question; arguable |
| debonair |
adj. cheerful and self-assured |
| debut |
n. first appearance in public as a performer |
| decagon |
A figure with ten sides and ten angles. |
| decagram |
A weight of 10 grams. |
| decaliter |
A liquid and dry measure of 10 liters. |
| decalogue |
n. the Decalogue the Ten Commandments given to Moses
by God |
| decameter |
A length of ten meters. |
| decamp |
v. ~ go away suddenly and often secretly (taking sth
with one) |
| decapitate |
v. cut the head off |
| decapod |
Ten-footed or ten-armed. |
| decasyllabic |
[ decasyllable: ] adjectiv |
| deceit |
n. deliberately leading sb to believe or accept sth
that is false, usu so as to get sth for oneself; deceiving |
| deceitful |
adj. often deceiving people; dishonest |
| deceive |
v. ~ sb/oneself make sb believe sth that is not true
(so as to make him do sth); deliberately mislead sb |
| decency |
n. quality of being or appearing as respectable people
would wish |
| decent |
adj. proper; acceptable |
| deciduous |
adj. that loses its leaves annually, usu in autumn |
| decimal |
adj. based on or reckoned in tens or tenths |
| decimate |
v. kill or destroy a large part of (sth) |
| decipher |
v. succeed in understanding |
| decisive |
adj. having a particular, important or conclusive effect |
| declamation |
n. declaiming |
| declamatory |
adj. formal and rhetorical; with great feeling |
| declarative |
Containing a formal, positive, or explicit statement
or affirmation. |
| declension |
n. varying the endings of nouns and pronouns according
to their function in a sentence |
| decorate |
v. ~ sth make sth (more) beautiful by adding ornaments
to it |
| decorous |
adj. dignified and socially acceptable |
| decoy |
n. (real or imitation) bird or animal used to attract
others so that they can be shot or trapped |
| decrepit |
adj. made weak by age or hard use |
| dedication |
n. ~ devotion to a cause or an aim |
| deduce |
v. ~ sth arrive at (facts, a theory, etc) by reasoning;
infer sth |
| deface |
v. spoil the appearance or legibility of by marking
or damaging the surface |
| defalcate |
misuse money held in trust |
| defamation |
n. defaming or being defamed |
| defame |
v. attack the good reputation of say bad things about
(sb) |
| default |
n. failure to do sth, esp to pay a debt or appear in
court |
| defendant |
n. person accused or sued in a legal case |
| defensible |
adj. that can be defended |
| defensive |
adj. used for or intended for defending |
| defer |
v. ~ sth (to sth) delay sth until a later time; postpone
sth |
| deference |
n. giving way to the views, wishes, etc of others,
usu out of respect; respect |
| defiant |
adj. showing defiance; openly opposing or resisting
sb/sth |
| deficiency |
n. ~ state of lacking sth essential |
| deficient |
adj. ~ in sth lacking in sth |
| definite |
adj. clear; not doubtful |
| deflect |
v. ~ (from sth) (cause sth to) turn from its direction
of movement |
| deform |
v. spoil the shape or appearance of |
| deformity |
n. being deformed |
| defraud |
v. ~ sb get sth from sb by deception; cheat sb |
| defray |
v. provide money for (sth); pay for (sth) |
| degeneracy |
A becoming worse. |
| degenerate |
v. ~ (into sth) pass into a worse physical, mental
or moral state than one which is considered normal or
desirable |
| degradation |
n. degrading or being degraded |
| degrade |
v. cause to be less moral and less deserving of respect |
| dehydrate |
v. remove water or moisture from |
| deify |
v. make a god of (sb/sth); worship as a god |
| deign |
v. be kind or gracious enough (to do sth); condescend |
| deism |
n. belief in the existence of God that is based more
on natural laws of the world than on divine revelation |
| deity |
n. god or goddess |
| deject |
to make gloomy |
| dejection |
n. sad or dejected state; depression |
| delectable |
adj. (esp of food) delightful; pleasant |
| delectation |
n. enjoyment; entertainment |
| deleterious |
adj. ~ (fml ) harmful |
| delicacy |
n. softness or tenderness when touched |
| delineate |
v. show (sth) by drawing or describing; portray |
| deliquesce |
To dissolve gradually and become liquid by absorption
of moisture from the air. |
| delirious |
adj. suffering from delirium |
| delude |
v. ~ sb deliberately mislead sb; deceive sb |
| deluge |
n. great flood or rush of water |
| delusion |
n. deluding or being deluded |
| demagnetize |
To deprive (a magnet) of magnetism. |
| demagogue |
n. political leader who tries to win people's support
by using emotional and often unreasonable arguments |
| demeanor |
behavior; bearing ; behavioral attributes |
| demented |
adj. mad |
| demerit |
n. fault; defect |
| demise |
n. death |
| demobilize |
relieve from military service |
| demolish |
v. pull or knock down (a building, etc) |
| demonstrable |
adj. that can be shown or proved |
| demonstrate |
v. ~ sth (to sb) show sth clearly by giving proof or
evidence |
| demonstrative |
adj. (of people) showing the feelings readily |
| demonstrator |
n. person who teaches or explains by demonstrating
(demonstrate |
| demulcent |
Any application soothing to an irritable surface |
| demurrage |
the detention of a vessel beyond the specified time
of sailing. |
| dendroid |
Like a tree. |
| dendrology |
The natural history of trees. |
| denizen |
n. person or type of animal or plant living or growing
permanently in a place |
| denominate |
To give a name or epithet to. |
| denomination |
n. name, esp of a general class or type; classification |
| denominator |
n. number below the line in a fraction, showing how
many parts the whole is divided into, eg 4 in 4 |
| denote |
v. be the name, sign or symbol of (sth); refer to |
| denouement |
n. last part, esp of a novel, play, etc, in which everything
is settled or made clear |
| denounce |
v. ~ sb (to sb) (as sth) give information (to the authorities)
against sb |
| dentifrice |
n. powder or paste used for cleaning the teeth |
| denude |
to strip of all covering or surface layers |
| denunciation |
n. denouncing |
| deplete |
v. reduce greatly the quantity, size, power or value
of |
| deplorable |
adj. that is, or should be, condemned |
| deplore |
v. be shocked or offended by (sth); condemn |
| deponent |
n. person who makes a written statement for use in
a lawcourt |
| depopulate |
v. reduce the number of people living in |
| deport |
v. ~ sb legally force (a foreigner, criminal, etc)
to leave a country |
| deportment |
n. (Brit) way of standing and walking; bearing |
| deposition |
n. removing from power; dethronement |
| depository |
n. place where things, eg furniture, are stored; storehouse
; |
| deprave |
v. make (sb) morally bad; corrupt |
| deprecate |
v. feel and express disapproval of (sth) |
| depreciate |
v. become less valuable |
| depress |
v. make sad and without enthusiasm |
| depression |
n. being depressed; low spirits |
| depth |
n. distance from the top down |
| derelict |
adj. deserted and allowed to fall into ruins; dilapidated |
| deride |
v. ~ sb/sth treat sb/sth as funny and not worthy of
serious attention; mock sb/sth |
| derision |
n. ridicule or mockery |
| derivation |
n. development or origin |
| derivative |
adj. derived from sth else; not original |
| derive |
v. ~ sth from sth obtain sth from sth; get sth from
sth |
| dermatology |
n. medical study of the skin and its diseases, etc |
| derrick |
n. large crane for moving or lifting heavy weights,
esp on a ship |
| descendant |
n. person descended from another |
| descent |
n. coming or going down |
| descry |
v. (fml ) see (sth) esp a long way away; catch sight
of |
| desert |
v. go away from (a place) without intending ever to
return |
| desiccant |
n. substance that absorbs moisture, and is often used
to keep food in good condition |
| designate |
adj. appointed to a job (but not yet having officially
started it) |
| desist |
v. ~ (fml ) stop sth/doing sth; cease |
| despair |
n. state of having lost all hope |
| desperado |
n. (dated ) man who commits dangerous, esp criminal,
acts without worrying about himself or other people |
| desperate |
adj. feeling or showing great despair and ready to
do anything regardless of danger |
| despicable |
adj. ~ (to do sth) deserving to be despised; contemptible |
| despite |
prep without being affected by |
| despond |
To lose spirit, courage, or hope. |
| despondent |
adj. ~ having or showing loss of hope; wretched |
| despot |
An absolute and irresponsible monarch. |
| despotism |
tyranny |
| destitute |
adj. without money, food, etc and other things necessary
for life; impoverished |
| desultory |
adj. going from one thing to another, without a definite
plan or purpose; unmethodical |
| deter |
v. ~ sb (from doing sth) make sb decide not to do sth |
| deteriorate |
v. ~ become worse in quality or condition |
| determinate |
adj. limited in range or scope; definite ; |
| determination |
n. ~ quality of being firmly committed to doing sth;
resoluteness |
| deterrent |
n, adj that deters or is meant to deter |
| detest |
v. dislike very much; hate |
| detract |
v. ~ from sth make sth seem less valuable or important |
| detriment |
harm; damage |
| deviate |
v. ~ from sth stop following |
| devilry |
Malicious mischief. |
| devious |
adj. cunning; dishonest |
| devise |
v. think out (a plan, system, tool, etc); invent |
| devout |
adj. sincerely religious; pious |
| dexterity |
n. skill, esp in using one's hands |
| diacritical |
Marking a difference. |
| diagnose |
v. ~ sth find out the nature of (esp an illness) by
observing its symptoms |
| diagnosis |
n. diagnosing |
| dialect |
n. form of a language used in a part of a country or
by a class of people |
| dialectician |
n. person who is skilled in dialectic |
| dialogue |
n. (writing in the form of a) conversation or talk |
| diaphanous |
adj. light, very fine and almost transparent |
| diatomic |
Containing only two atoms. |
| diatribe |
n. ~ lengthy and bitter attack in words |
| dictum |
n. saying; maxim |
| didactic |
adj. intended to teach |
| difference |
n. ~ ~ (in/of sth) state or way in which two people
or things are not the same, or in which sb/sth has changed |
| differentia |
Any essential characteristic of a species by reason
of which it differs from other species. |
| differential |
adj. of, showing or depending on a difference |
| differentiate |
v. ~ between A and B; ~ A (from B) see or show (two
things) to be different; show sth to be different (from
sth else) |
| diffidence |
shyness |
| diffident |
adj. ~ not having or showing much belief in one's own
abilities; lacking self-confidence |
| diffusion |
n. diffusing or being diffused |
| dignitary |
n. person with a high rank or position |
| digraph |
n. two letters that represent a single sound |
| digress |
v. ~ turn or wander (from the main topic) in speech
or writing |
| dilate |
v. become wider, larger or further open |
| dilatory |
adj. ~ (in doing sth) slow in acting |
| dilemma |
n. situation in which one has to choose between two
undesirable things or courses of action |
| dilettante |
n. (often derog ) person who studies or does sth, but
without serious interest or understanding |
| diligence |
n. ~ steady effort; careful hard work |
| dilute |
v. ~ sth make (a liquid or colour) thinner or weaker
(by adding water or another liquid) |
| diminution |
n. diminishing or being diminished; reduction |
| diphthong |
n. union of two vowel sounds or vowel letters, eg the
sounds / aI; aI/ in pipe / paIp; paIp/, the letters ou
in doubt , pipe / paIp; paIp/ / aI; aI/; doubtou |
| diplomacy |
n. management of relations between countries by each
country's representatives abroad; skill in this |
| diplomat |
n. person in the diplomatic service, eg an ambassador |
| diplomatic |
adj. of diplomacy |
| diplomatist |
n. = diplomat |
| disagree |
v. ~ (with sb/sth) (about/on sth) have a different
opinion (from sb); not agree |
| disallow |
v. refuse to accept as valid |
| disappear |
v. no longer be visible; vanish |
| disappoint |
v. fail to be or do sth as good, interesting etc as
was hoped for or desired or expected by |
| disapprove |
v. ~ consider (sb/sth) to be bad, immoral, foolish,
etc |
| disarm |
v. take weapons away from |
| disarrange |
v. make (sth) disorderly or untidy |
| disavow |
v. say one does not know of, is not responsible for,
or does not approve of (sth) |
| disburden |
To disencumber. |
| disburse |
v. pay out (money) |
| discard |
v. throw (sth) out or away |
| disciple |
n. follower of a religious, political, artistic, etc
leader or teacher , |
| disciplinary |
adj. concerning discipline |
| discipline |
n. training, esp of the mind and character, aimed at
producing self-control, obedience, etc |
| disclaim |
v. say that one does not have (sth); renounce |
| discolor |
To stain. |
| discomfit |
v. confuse or embarrass (sb) |
| discomfort |
n. lack of comfort; slight pain |
| disconnect |
v. ~ A detach sth (from sth); undo a connection |
| disconsolate |
adj. unhappy, esp at the loss of sb/sth; refusing to
be comforted |
| discontinuance |
Interruption or intermission. |
| discord |
n. disagreement; quarrelling |
| discountenance |
v. disapprove of (sb); discourage ; |
| discover |
v. find or learn about |
| discredit |
v. damage the good reputation of |
| discreet |
adj. careful or showing good judgement in what one
says or does; not too obvious |
| discrepant |
Opposite. |
| discriminate |
v. ~ ~ A from B see or make a difference (between two
things) |
| discursive |
adj. wandering from one point to another |
| discussion |
n. discussing sth |
| disenfranchise |
v. = disfranchise |
| disengage |
v. ~ sth/sb (fml ) free or disconnect sth/sb from sth/sb
that holds it/him firmly |
| disfavor |
Disregard. |
| disfigure |
v. spoil the appearance of |
| dishabille |
in a state of undress |
| dishonest |
adj. not honest |
| disillusion |
v. destroy the pleasant but mistaken beliefs or ideals
of |
| disinfect |
v. clean by destroying germs that cause disease |
| disinfectant |
n. substance that disinfects |
| disinherit |
v. prevent from inheriting one's property (by making
a new will naming another person as heir) |
| disjunctive |
adj. (of a conjunction) showing opposition or contrast
between two ideas (eg either... or) , either... or |
| dislocate |
v. put out of its proper position in a joint |
| dismissal |
n. action of dismissing |
| dismount |
v. ~ get off (a motor cycle, bicycle, horse, etc) |
| disobedience |
n. failure or refusal to obey |
| disobedient |
adj. not obedient |
| disown |
v. refuse to be connected with (sb/sth), esp because
one is shocked by some action |
| disparage |
v. suggest, esp unfairly, that is of little value or
importance |
| dispel |
v. drive (sth) away; cause to vanish |
| dispensation |
n. action of dispensing or distributing |
| displace |
v. move from the usual or correct place |
| dispossess |
v. ~ sb take away property, land, a house, etc from
sb |
| disputation |
n. (instance of) disputing; controversy ; |
| disqualify |
v. ~ sb (from sth/doing sth) prevent sb from doing
sth, usu because he has broken a rule or is not able enough |
| disquiet |
n. anxiety |
| disregard |
v. pay no attention to treat (sth) as of no importance;
ignore |
| disreputable |
adj. having a bad reputation |
| disrepute |
n. state of having a bad reputation |
| disrobe |
v. (fml or joc ) undress |
| disrupt |
v. cause disorder in |
| dissatisfy |
To displease. |
| dissect |
v. cut up in order to study its structure |
| dissection |
n. dissecting or being dissected |
| dissemble |
v. hide or disguise (one's true thoughts and feelings);
dissimulate |
| disseminate |
v. spread widely |
| dissension |
n. angry disagreement |
| dissent |
n. holding opinions which differ from common or officially
held ones |
| dissentient |
One who disagrees. |
| dissentious |
Contentious. |
| dissertation |
n. ~ long essay on a particular subject, esp one written
for a doctorate or similar degree; thesis |
| disservice |
n. ~ harmful or unhelpful action |
| dissever |
To divide. |
| dissimilar |
adj. ~ not the same; unlike |
| dissipate |
v. scatter or vanish |
| dissipation |
n. dissipating or being dissipated |
| dissolute |
adj. immoral; dissipated |
| dissolution |
n. ~ breaking up (of sth); dissolving |
| dissolve |
v. (of a liquid) make (a solid) become liquid |
| dissonance |
n. discord |
| dissonant |
adj. not harmonious; discordant ; |
| dissuade |
v. ~ sb (try to) stop sb by advice or persuasion |
| dissuasion |
advice against |
| distemper |
n. (old method of painting with) colouring matter mixed
with water and brushed on walls, etc |
| distend |
v. (cause sth to) swell by means of pressure from inside |
| distensible |
Capable of being stretched out or expanded in every
direction. |
| distill |
undergo distillation; of liquids |
| distillation |
n. distilling |
| distiller |
n. person or company that distils |
| distinction |
n. ~ difference or contrast between one person or thing
and another |
| distort |
v. pull or twist out of its usual shape |
| distrain |
v. ~ (law ) seize a person's property or belongings
to force him to pay what he owes (esp rent) |
| distraught |
adj. very troubled in mind with grief or worry |
| distrust |
n. lack of trust; suspicion |
| disunion |
n. separating or being separated |
| disyllable |
n. disyllabic word or metrical foot |
| diurnal |
adj. of the daytime; not nocturnal |
| divergent |
adj. divergent paths, opinions |
| diverse |
adj. of different kinds; varied |
| diversion |
n. action of turning sth aside or changing its direction |
| diversity |
n. state of being varied; variety |
| divert |
v. ~ sb/sth (to sth) turn sb/sth from one course to
another |
| divest |
v. ~ sb of sth take off (sb's clothes) |
| divination |
n. foretelling the future by supernatural means |
| divinity |
n. quality of being divine1 |
| divisible |
adj. ~(mathematics ) that can be divided, usu with
no remainder |
| divisor |
n. number by which another number is divided |
| divulge |
v. ~ sth make known (sth secret) |
| docile |
adj. easy to control |
| docket |
n. document or label listing goods delivered, jobs
done, contents of a package, etc , |
| doe |
n. female deer, reindeer, rabbit or hare |
| dogma |
n. belief or set of beliefs put forward by some authority,
esp a Church, to be accepted as a matter of faith |
| dogmatic |
adj. of or based on dogma |
| dogmatize |
To make positive assertions without supporting them
by argument or evidence. |
| doleful |
adj. sad; mournful |
| dolesome |
Melancholy. |
| dolor |
Lamentation. |
| dolorous |
adj. sorrowful |
| domain |
n. lands owned or ruled by a nobleman, government,
etc |
| domesticity |
n. home or family life |
| domicile |
n. a person's place of residence, esp as officially
established for purposes of taxation, etc , |
| dominance |
Ascendancy. |
| dominant |
adj. ~ most important or prominent; dominating |
| dominate |
v. have control of or a very strong influence on (people,
events, etc) |
| domination |
supremacy or preeminence over another |
| domineer |
v. ~ (derog ) try to make sb do exactly what one wants
by ordering him about, regardless of what he wants to
do |
| donate |
v. ~ sth give (money, goods, etc), esp to a charity;
contribute sth |
| donator |
One who makes a donation or present. |
| donee |
A person to whom a donation is made. |
| donor |
n. person who gives or donates sth |
| dormant |
adj. temporarily inactive |
| doublet |
n. short close-fitting jacket worn by men, with or
without sleeves |
| doubly |
adv. to twice the extent or amount |
| dowry |
n. property or money brought by a bride to her husband |
| drachma |
n. unit of money in Greece |
| dragnet |
A net to be drawn along the bottom of the water. |
| dragoon |
n. heavily-armed cavalryman |
| drainage |
n. draining or being drained |
| dramatist |
n. writer of plays |
| dramatize |
To relate or represent in a dramatic or theatrical
manner. |
| drastic |
adj. having a strong or violent effect |
| drought |
n. continuous dry weather, esp when there is not enough
water for people's needs |
| drowsy |
adj. half asleep; feeling sleepy |
| drudgery |
n. hard boring work |
| dubious |
adj. ~ not certain and slightly suspicious about sth;
doubtful |
| duckling |
n. young duck |
| ductile |
adj. that can be pressed, beaten or pulled into fine
strands without being heated , |
| duet |
n. piece of music for two players or singers |
| dun |
adj. n dull greyish-brown colour |
| duplex |
adj. having two parts |
| duplicity |
n. deliberate deception |
| durance |
restraint; imprisonment |
| duration |
n. time during which sth lasts or continues |
| duteous |
adj. = dutiful |
| dutiable |
adj. on which customs or other duties must be paid |
| dutiful |
adj. showing respect and obedience; fulfilling all
one's obligations |
| dwindle |
v. ~ (to nothing) become gradually less or smaller |
| dyne |
The force which, applied to a mass of one gram for
1 second, would give it a velocity of 1 cm/s. |
