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The art and practice of conducting negotiations between nations (particularly in securing treaties), including the methods and forms usually employed.

To see or understand the difference; to make distinction; as, to discern between good and evil, truth and falsehood. More than sixscore thousand that cannot discern between their right hand their left. Jonah iv. 11.

an instrument for discharging a Leyden jar, or electrical battery, by making a connection between the two surfaces; a discharging rod.

us wound." Milton. Discontinuous function (Math.), a function which for certain values or between certain values of the variable does not vary continuously as the variable increases. The discontinuity may, for example, consist of an abrupt change in the value of the function, or an abrupt change in its law of variation…

ce of vesture of youth and age, men and women. Sir T. Elyot. There is no real discrepancy between these two genealogies. G. S. Faber.

In palmistry, applied to the line which marks the separation between the hand and the arm.

distinguish accurately; as, in judging of evidence, we should be careful to discriminate between probability and slight presumption.

ing, distinguishing, or noting and marking differences. To make an anxious discrimination between the miracle absolute and providential. Trench.

quality; difference in age, rank, condition, or excellence; dissimilitude; -- followed by between, in, of, as to, etc.; as, disparity in, or of, years; a disparity as to color. The disparity between God and his intelligent creatures. I. Taylor. The disparity of numbers was not such as ought to cause any uneasiness. Mac…

The difference between the thickness of the metal at the mouth and at the breech of a piece of ordnance. On account of the dispart, the line of aim or line of metal, which is in a plane passing through the axis of the gun, always makes a small angle with the axis. Eng. Cys.

Lack of sympathy; want of passion; apathy. [R.] Many discrepancies and some dispathies between us. Southey.

parts of an animal or vegetable body; as, a dissecting aneurism, one which makes its way between or within the coats of an artery.

One of the transverse, calcareous partitions between the radiating septa of a coral.

Want of resemblance; unlikeness; dissimilarity. Dissimilitude between the Divinity and images. Stillingfleet.

The space between two objects; the length of a line, especially the shortest line joining two points or things that are separate; measure of separation in place. Every particle attracts every other with a force . . . inversely proportioned to the square of the distance. Sir I. Newton.

The act of distinguishing or denoting the differences between objects, or the qualities by which one is known from others; exercise of discernment; discrimination. To take away therefore that error, which confusion breedeth, distinction is requisite. Hooker.

To make distinctions; to perceive the difference; to exercise discrimination; -- with between; as, a judge distinguishes between cases apparently similar, but differing in principle.

ion of territory of undefined extent; a region; a country; a tract. These districts which between the tropics lie. Blackstone. Congressional district. See under Congressional. -- District attorney, the prosecuting officer of a district or district court. -- District court, a subordinate municipal, state, or United St…

mns in front; -- said of a temple, portico, or the like. Distyle in antis, having columns between two antæ. See Anta.

A breach of concord and its effect; alienation. Such a disunion between the two houses as might much clouClarendon.