Search the Dictionary

The act of defending, or the state of being defended; protection, as from violence or danger. In cases of defense 't is best to weigh The enemy more mighty than he seems. Shak.

Tending to defend; defensive; as, defensory preparations.

g aside, or state of being turned aside; a turning from a right line or proper course; a bending, esp. downward; deviation. The other leads to the same point, through certain deflections. Lowth.

A bending or turning aside; deflection. Bailey.

Undergoing or producing degeneration; tending to degenerate.

Having power, or tending, to cast down.

Failing in duty; offending by neglect of duty.

Producing, or tending to produce, delirium. -- n.

Apt or fitted to delude; tending to mislead the mind; deceptive; beguiling; delusory; as, delusive arts; a delusive dream. Delusive and unsubstantial ideas. Whewell. -- De*lu"sive*ly, adv. -- De*lu"sive*ness, n.

Tending to lower, depress, or degrade.

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

Tending to demonstrate; demonstrative. Johnson.

To hang in suspense; to be pending; to be undetermined or undecided; as, a cause depending in 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 act or state of depending; state of being dependent; a hanging down or from; suspension from a support.

Serving to deprecate; tending to remove or avert evil by prayer; apologetic. Humble and deprecatory letters. Bacon.

Tending, or intended, to depreciate; expressing depreciation; undervaluing. -- De*pre"ci*a`tive*ly, adv.

Tending to depreciate; undervaluing; depreciative.

Tending or designed to depredate; characterized by depredation; plundering; as, a depredatory incursion.

Angle of depression (Geod.), one which a descending line makes with a horizontal plane. -- Depression of the dewpoint (Meteor.), the number of degreees that the dew-point is lower than the actual temperature of the atmosphere. -- Depression of the pole, its apparent sinking, as the spectator goes toward the equator.…

Able or tending to depress or cast down. -- De*press"ive*ness, n.