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unblamed." Milton. Venial sin (R. C. Theol.), a sin which weakens, but does not wholly destroy, sanctifying grace, as do mortal, or deadly, sins. -- Ve"ni*al*ly, adv. -- Ve"ni*al*ness, n. Bp. Hall.

A medicine which destroys intestinal worms; a worm killer. Pereira.

Tending to prevent, destroy, or expel, worms or vermin; anthelmintic.

A person or thing destroyed or sacrificed in the pursuit of an object, or in gratification of a passion; as, a victim to jealousy, lust, or ambition.

A destroyer. [R. & Poetic] There, victor of his health, of fortune, friends, And fame, this lord of useless thousands ends. Pope.

or trinity. He is regarded as the preserver, while Brahma is the creator, and Siva the destroyer of the creation.

To cause to fail of effect, either wholly or in part; to make void; to destroy, as the validity or binding force of an instrument or transaction; to annul; as, any undue influence exerted on a jury vitiates their verdict; fraud vitiates a contract.

To bring to ruin; to devastate; to desolate; to destroy. Thou barren ground, whom winter's wrath hath wasted, Art made a mirror to behold my plight. Spenser. The Tiber Insults our walls, and wastes our fruitful grounds. Dryden.

of defensive combat; something to fight with; anything used, or designed to be used, in destroying, defeating, or injuring an enemy, as a gun, a sword, etc. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. 2 Cor. x. 4. They, astonished, all resistance lost, All courage; down their idle weapons dropped. Milton.…

he first essay, displeased us. Locke. To wear away, to consume; to impair, diminish, or destroy, by gradual attrition or decay. -- To wear off, to diminish or remove by attrition or slow decay; as, to wear off the nap of cloth. -- To wear on or upon, to wear. [Obs.] "[I] weared upon my gay scarlet gites [gowns.]" Cha…

and are noted for the quickness of their movements and for their bloodthirsty habit in destroying poultry, rats, etc. The ermine and some other species are brown in summer, and turn white in winter; others are brown at all seasons. Malacca weasel, the rasse. -- Weasel coot, a female or young male of the smew; -- so c…

Whereas. And flight and die is death destroying death; Where fearing dying pays death servile breath. Shak.

One who makes widows by destroying husbands. [R.] Shak.

Hence, to cause to languish; to depress or destroy the vigor and energy of. [Prov. Eng. & U. S.] Despots have wilted the human race into sloth and imbecility. Dr. T. Dwight.

One who, or that which, feeds on or destroys wit. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

To destroy, disable, or seriously damage, as a vessel, by driving it against the shore or on rocks, by causing it to become unseaworthy, to founder, or the like; to shipwreck. Supposing that they saw the king's ship wrecked. Shak.

Eating, boring in, or destroying, wood; -- said especially of certain insect larvæ, crustaceans, and mollusks.

A branch; a twig. [Obs.] The bitter frosts with the sleet and rain Destroyed hath the green in every yerd. Chaucer.