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Making a stroke without recoil; deadbeat. Dead-stroke hammer (Mach.), a power hammer having a spring interposed between the driving mechanism and the hammer head, or helve, to lessen the recoil of the hammer and reduce the shock upon the mechanism.

Making a beat without recoil; giving indications by a single beat or excursion; -- said of galvanometers and other instruments in which the needle or index moves to the extent of its deflection and stops with little or no further oscillation. Deadbeat escapement. See under Escapement.

s him to believe what is false; a contrivance to entrap; deception; a wily device; fraud. Making the ephah small and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit. Amos viii. 5. Friendly to man, far from deceit or guile. Milton. Yet still we hug the dear deceit. N. Cotton.

expected to go aloft. -- Deck molding (Arch.), the molded finish of the edge of a deck, making the junction with the lower slope of the roof. -- Deck roof (Arch.), a nearly flat roof which is not surmounted by parapet walls. -- Deck transom (Shipbuilding), the transom into which the deck is framed. -- To clear the…

Making declaration, proclamation, or publication; explanatory; assertive; declaratory. "Declarative laws." Baker. The "vox populi," so declarative on the same side. Swift.

Making declaration, explanation, or exhibition; making clear or manifest; affirmative; expressive; as, a clause declaratory of the will of the legislature. Declaratory act (Law), an act or statute which sets forth more clearly, and declares what is, the existing law.

The act of making foul; pollution. [Obs.]

Making defense.

Act or skill in making defense; defensive plan or policy; practice in self defense, as in fencing, boxing, etc. A man of great defense. Spenser. By how much defense is better than no skill. Shak.

efinition of "wit;" an exact definition; a loose definition. Definition being nothing but making another understand by words what the term defined stands for. Locke.

The act of making heavy. [Obs.] Bailey.

Making divine; producing a likeness to God; god-making. "A deifical communion." Homilies.

Having the nature of demonstration; tending to demonstrate; making evident; exhibiting clearly or conclusively. "Demonstrative figures." Dryden. An argument necessary and demonstrative. Hooker.

Affectedly modest, decorous, or serious; making a show of gravity. A cat lay, and looked so demure, as if there had been neither life nor soul in her. L'Estrange. Miss Lizzy, I have no doubt, would be as demure and coquettish, as if ten winters more had gone over her head. Miss Mitford.

The act of making black. Boyle.

The act of making one a denizen or adopted citizen; naturalization. Hallam.

The act of stripping off covering, or removing the surface; a making bare.

The act of depraving, or making anything bad; the act of corrupting.

The act of depredating, or the state of being depredated; the act of despoiling or making inroads; as, the sea often makes depredation on the land.

The act of making unsightly; disfigurement. [R.] To substitute jury masts at whatever desightment or damage in risk. London Times.