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Agitation, perturbation, or disorder, of mind; heat; excitement. "He could not debate anything without some commotion." Clarendon.

Belonging to a close or termination; decisive; convincing; putting an end to debate or question; leading to, or involving, a conclusion or decision. Secret reasons . . . equally conclusive for us as they were for them. Rogers. Conclusive evidence (Law), that of which, from its nature, the law allows no contradiction or…

aining to a congress, especially, to the Congress of the United States; as, congressional debates. Congressional and official labor. E. Everett. Congressional District, one of the divisions into which a State is periodically divided (according to population), each of which is entitled to elect a Representative to the C…

To strive in debate; to engage in discussion; to dispute; to argue. The question which our author would contend for. Locke. Many things he fiercely contended about were trivial. Dr. H. More.

Fond of contention; given to angry debate; provoking dispute or contention; quarrelsome. Despotic and contentious temper. Macaulay.

Earnest dispute; strife in argument; controversy; debate; altercation. Leave all noisy contests, all immodest clamors and brawling language. I. Watts.

Contention; dispute; debate; discussion; agitation of contrary opinions. This left no room for controversy about the title. Locke. A dispute is commonly oral, and a controversy in writing. Johnson.

o dispute or oppose by reasoning; to contend against in words or writings; to contest; to debate. Some controverted points had decided according to the sense of the best jurists. Macaulay.

cising self-control; self-possessed; dispassionate; indifferent; as, a cool lover; a cool debater. For a patriot, too cool. Goldsmith.

To end; to finish; as, to cut off further debate. -- To cut out. (a) To remove by cutting or carving; as, to cut out a piece from a board. (b) To shape or form by cutting; as, to cut out a garment. " A large forest cut out into walks." Addison. (c) To scheme; to contrive; to prepare; as, to cut out work for another da…

Liable to be debated; disputable; subject to controversy or contention; open to question or dispute; as, a debatable question. The Debatable Land or Ground, a tract of land between the Esk and the Sark, claimed by both England and Scotland; the Batable Ground.

ng or arguing; discussion. Debating society or club, a society or club for the purpose of debate and improvement in extemporaneous speaking.

In the manner of a debate.

pously, noisily, or theatrically; to make an empty speech; to rehearse trite arguments in debate; to rant. Grenville seized the opportunity to declaim on the repeal of the stamp act. Bancroft.

To debate; to discuss. [R.] One dissertates, he is candid; Two must discept, -- has distinguished. R. Browning.

or by disputation; to reason upon by presenting favorable and adverse considerations; to debate; to sift; to investigate; to ventilate. "We sat and . . . discussed the farm . . . and the price of grain." Tennyson. "To discuss questions of taste." Macaulay.

The act of discussing or exchanging reasons; examination by argument; debate; disputation; agitation. The liberty of discussion is the great safeguard of all other liberties. Macaulay. Discussion of a problem or an equation (Math.), the operation of assigning different reasonable values to the arbitrary quantities and…

e against something maintained, upheld, or claimed, by another; to discuss; to reason; to debate; to altercate; to wrangle. Therefore disputed [reasoned, Rev. Ver .] he in synagogue with the Jews. Acts xvii. 17.

Disagreement in opinion, usually of a violent character, producing warm debates or angry words; contention in words; partisan and contentious divisions; breach of friendship and union; strife; discord; quarrel. Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them. Acts xv. 2. Debates, dissension, uproars…

by the use of the sword; the art and practice of fencing and sword play; hence, skill in debate and repartee. See Fencing. Enjoy your dear wit, and gay rhetoric, That hath so well been taught her dazzing fence. Milton. Of dauntless courage and consummate skill in fence. Macaulay.