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t of injuring another's reputation by any slanderous communication, written or oral; the wrong of maliciously injuring the good name of another; slander; detraction; calumny; aspersion.

Fault; offense; ill deed; wrong act; failure in virtue or wisdom. And pardon craved for his so rash default. Spenser. Regardless of our merit or default. Pope.

To deny the right of the plaintiff in regard to (the suit, or the wrong charged); to oppose or resist, as a claim at law; to contest, as a suit. Burrill.

urnish with defenses; to fortify. [Obs.] [Written also defence.] Better manned and more strongly defensed. Hales.

To keep from the rightful owner; to withhold wrongfully the possession of, as of lands or a freehold.

A keeping out by force or wrong; a wrongful withholding, as of lands or tenements, to which another has a right.

To deprive of some right, interest, or property, by a deceitful device; to withhold from wrongfully; to injure by embezzlement; to cheat; to overreach; as, to defraud a servant, or a creditor, or the state; -- with of before the thing taken or withheld. We have defrauded no man. 2 Cor. vii. 2. Churches seem injured and…

Strong excitement; wild enthusiasm; madness. The popular delirium [of the French Revolution] at first caught his enthusiastic mind. W. Irving. The delirium of the preceding session (of Parliament). Motley. Delirium tremens (. Etym: [L., trembling delirium] (Med.), a violent delirium induced by the excessive and prolong…

n court. You will not think it unnatural that those who have an object depending, which strongly engages their hopes and fears, should be somewhat inclined to superstition. Burke.

the removal of; to seek deliverance from; to express deep regret for; to disapprove of strongly. His purpose was deprecated by all round him, and he was with difficulty induced to adandon it. Sir W. Scott.

f deprecating; a praying against evil; prayer that an evil may be removed or prevented; strong expression of disapprobation. Humble deprecation. Milton.

e of his policy. Burke. A government which is either unable or unwilling to redress such wrongs is derelict to its highest duties. J. Buchanan.

Strong; powerful; fierce. [Obs.] -- Derf"ly, adv. [Obs.]

Judah desolate, without an inhabitant. Jer. ix. 11. And the silvery marish flowers that throng The desolate creeks and pools among. Tennyson.

its eyes hitherward, and be assured that foundations of our national power still stand strong. D. Webster.

a form of action for the recovery of a personal chattel wrongfully detained. Writ of detinue (Law), one that lies against him who wrongfully detains goods or chattels delivered to him, or in possession, to recover the thing itself, or its value and damages, from the detainer. It is now in a great measure superseded by…

by a fuse; -- used to explode gun cotton in blasting operations. -- Detonating tube, a strong tube of glass, usually graduated, closed at one end, and furnished with two wires passing through its sides at opposite points, and nearly meeting, for the purpose of exploding gaseous mixtures by an electric spark, as in gas…

ian devil. See under Cartesian. -- Devil bird (Zoöl.), one of two or more South African drongo shrikes (Edolius retifer, and E. remifer), believed by the natives to be connected with sorcery. -- Devil may care, reckless, defiant of authority; -- used adjectively. Longfellow. -- Devil's apron (Bot.), the large kelp (…

To make a devil of. [R.] He that should deify a saint, should wrong him as much as he that should devilize him. Bp. Hall.

Consecrated to a purpose; strongly attached; zealous; devout; as, a devoted admirer. -- De*vot"ed*ly, adv. -- De*vot"ed*ness, n.