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One who possesses exalted rank or holds a position of dignity or honor; especially, one who holds an ecclesiastical rank above that of a parochial priest or clergyman.

ability, Avaux had no superior among the numerous able diplomatics whom his country then possessed. Macaulay.

Severed from the appropriation or possession of a spiritual corporation. The appropriation may be severed, and the church become disappropriate, two ways. Blackstone.

A lack of common possessions, properties, or relationship. Community of embryonic structure reveals community of descent; but dissimilarity of embryonic development does not prove discommunity of descent. Darwin.

One whose possession of an estate is broken off, or discontinued; one whose estate is subject to discontinuance.

One who deprives another of the possession of an estate by discontinuance. See Discontinuance, 2.

Possessed of discernment, especially in avoiding error or evil, and in the adaptation of means to ends; prudent; sagacious; judicious; not rash or heedless; cautious. It is the discreet man, not the witty, nor the learned, nor the brave, who guides the conversation, and gives measures to society. Addison. Satire 's my…

To deprive of a franchise or chartered right; to dispossess of the rights of a citizen, or of a particular privilege, as of voting, holding office, etc. Sir William Fitzwilliam was disfranchised. Fabyan (1509). He was partially disfranchised so as to be made incapable of taking part in public affairs. Thirlwall.…

To disinherit; to cut off, or detain, from the possession or enjoyment of an inheritance. [Obs.] Spenser.

om an inheritance or from hereditary succession; to prevent, as an heir, from coming into possession of any property or right, which, by law or custom, would devolve on him in the course of descent. Of how fair a portion Adam disinherited his whole posterity! South.

c. of; to direct or assign for a use. Freedom to order their actions and dispose of their possessions and persons. Locke.

To cause to be no longer property; to dispossess of. [R.] Shak.

To strive or contend about; to contest. To dispute the possession of the ground with the Spaniards. Prescott.

To deprive of seizin or possession; to dispossess or oust wrongfully (one in freehold possession of land); -- followed by of; as, to disseize a tenant of his freehold. [Written also disseise.] Which savage beasts strive as eagerly to keep and hold those golden mines, as the Arimaspians to disseize them thereof. Holland…

A person disseized, or put out of possession of an estate unlawfully; -- correlative to disseizor. [Written also disseisee.]

The act of disseizing; an unlawful dispossessing and ouster of a person actually seized of the freehold. [Written also disseisin.] Blackstone.

One who wrongfully disseizes, or puts another out of possession of a freehold. [Written also disseisor.] Blackstone.

To seize, as a pledge or indemnification; to take possession of as security for nonpayment of rent, the reparation of an injury done, etc.; to take by distress; as, to distrain goods for rent, or of an amercement.

The act of distraining; the taking of a personal chattel out of the possession of a wrongdoer, by way of pledge for redress of an injury, or for the performance of a duty, as for nonpayment of rent or taxes, or for injury done by cattle, etc.

Fig.: To strip; to deprive; to dispossess; as, to divest one of his rights or privileges; to divest one's self of prejudices, passions, etc. Wretches divested of every moral feeling. Goldsmith. The tendency of the language to divest itself of its gutturals. Earle.