Search the Dictionary

ound as affected by passing through different mediums; -- called also diaphonics. See the Note under Acoustics.

A mark consisting of two dots [..], placed over the second of two adjacent vowels, to denote that they are to be pronounced as distinct letters; as, coöperate, aërial.

ning to the discursive faculty, its acts or products. I would employ . . . dianoetic to denote the operation of the discursive, elaborative, or comparative faculty. Sir W. Hamilton.

Concord, as of notes an octave apart; harmony. The fair music that all creatures made . . . In perfect diapason. Milton.

Without dimensions; having no appreciable or noteworthy extent. Milton.

In counterpoint, the imitation of, or reply to, a subject, in notes of half the length or value of those the subject itself.

A derivative from a noun, denoting a small or a young object of the same kind with that denoted by the primitive; as, gosling, eaglet, lambkin. Babyisms and dear diminutives. Tennyson.

craving (often periodic) for drink, esp. for alcoholic liquors; also improperly used to denote acute and chronic alcoholism.

from the same root as bis twice, and duo, E. two. See Two, and cf. Bi-, Di-, Dia-. Dis- denotes separation, a parting from, as in distribute, disconnect; hence it often has the force of a privative and negative, as in disarm, disoblige, disagree. Also intensive, as in dissever.

To see and identify by noting a difference or differences; to note the distinctive character of; to discriminate; to distinguish. To discern such buds as are fit to produce blossoms. Boyle. A counterfeit stone which thine eye can not discern from a right stone. Robynson (More's Utopia).

Dissonant; not in harmony or musical concord; harsh; jarring; as, discordant notes or sounds. For still their music seemed to start Discordant echoes in each heart. Longfellow.

lend money upon, deducting the discount or allowance for interest; as, the banks discount notes and bills of exchange. Discount only unexceptionable paper. Walsh.

apable of being, or suitable to be, discounted; as, certain forms are necessary to render notes discountable at a bank.

To refuse or decline to accept or pay; -- said of a bill, check, note, or draft which is due or presented; as, to dishonor a bill exchange.

tion. Disjunct tetrachords (Mus.), tetrachords so disposed to each other that the gravest note of the upper is one note higher than the acutest note of the other.

Pertaining to disjunct tetrachords. "Disjunctive notes." Moore (Encyc. of Music). Disjunctive conjunction (Gram.), one connecting grammatically two words or clauses, expressing at the same time an opposition or separation inherent in the notions or thoughts; as, either, or, neither, nor, but, although, except, lest, et…

The interval between two notes; as, the distance of a fourth or seventh. Angular distance, the distance made at the eye by lines drawn from the eye to two objects. -- Lunar distance. See under Lunar. -- North polar distance (Astron.), the distance on the heavens of a heavenly body from the north pole. It is the compl…

Worthy of note or special regard. Swift.

To sing; to warble a little tune. Beasts fain would sing; birds ditty to their notes. Herbert.

A course of notes so running into each other as to form one series or chain, to be sung in one breath to one syllable.