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uting; a reasoning or argumentation in opposition to something, or on opposite sides; controversy in words; verbal contest respecting the truth of some fact, opinion, proposition, or argument.

Inclined to dispute; apt to civil or controvert; characterized by dispute; as, a disputatious person or temper. The Christian doctrine of a future life was no recommendation of the new religion to the wits and philosophers of that disputations period. Buckminster. -- Dis`pu*ta"tious*ly, adv. -- Dis`pu*ta"tious*ness, n…

To oppose by argument or assertion; to attempt to overthrow; to controvert; to express dissent or opposition to; to call in question; to deny the truth or validity of; as, to dispute assertions or arguments. To seize goods under the disputed authority of writs of assistance. Bancroft.

Admitting no dispute; incontrovertible. Bailey.

One who disputes, or who is given to disputes; a controvertist. Where is the disputer of this world 1 Cor. i. 20.

A saying in which two members of the sentence are contrasted; an antithetical proverb. [Obs.] Italy, a paradise for horses, a hell for women, as the diverb goes. Burton.

A state of difference; dissimilitude; unlikeness. They will prove opposite; and not resting in a bare diversity, rise into a contrariety. South.

A pretended deity of pagans; a false god. Beastly divinities, and droves of gods. Prior.

olloq.] Some, who have a taste for good living, have many harmless arts, by which they improve their banquet, and innocent dodges, if we may be permitted to use an excellent phrase that has become vernacular since the appearance of the last dictionaries. Thackeray.

hurch modes or tones, from D to D, resembling our D minor scale, but with the B natural. Grove.

The process of redistilling spirits, to improve the strength and flavor. Doubling a cape, promontory, etc. (Naut.), sailing around or passing beyond a cape, promontory, etc.

motion. It will be rain to-night. Let it come down. Shak. I sit me down beside the hazel grove. Tennyson. And that drags down his life. Tennyson. There is not a more melancholy object in the learned world than a man who has written himself down. Addison. The French . . . shone down [i. e., outshone] the English. Shak.…

rd the earth or its center, or toward a lower level; declivous. With downward force That drove the sand along he took his way. Dryden.

a lower condition; toward misery, humility, disgrace, or ruin. And downward fell into a groveling swine. Milton.

A general custom of using oxen for all sort of draught would be, perhaps, the greatest improvement. Sir W. Temple.

garments or rich decorations; to clothe; to deck. Dressed myself in such humility. Shak. Prove that ever Idress myself handsome till thy return. Shak.

A drove or flock, as of cattle, sheep, birds. [Obs.] Cattle coming over the bridge (with their great drift doing much damage to the high ways). Fuller.

to drive cattle; to drive a nail; smoke drives persons from a room. A storm came on and drove them into Pylos. Jowett (Thucyd. ). Shield pressed on shield, and man drove man along. Pope. Go drive the deer and drag the finny prey. Pope.

London in 1781, and professedly based on the traditions of the ancient Druids. Lodges or groves of the society are established in other countries. Druid stones, a name given, in the south of England, to weatherworn, rough pillars of gray sandstone scattered over the chalk downs, but in other countries generally in the…

is sometimes called the Troughton level, from the name of the inventor, and a variety improved by one Gavatt is known as the Gavatt level.