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To give direction; to point out a course; to act as guide. Wisdom is profitable to direct. Eccl. x. 10.

n or want of ability; absence of competent physical, intellectual, or moral power, means, fitness, and the like. Grossest faults, or disabilities to perform what was covenanted. Milton. Chatham refused to see him, pleading his disability. Bancroft.

physical or intellectual power; to incapacitate; to disqualify; to make incompetent or unfit for service; to impair. A Christian's life is a perpetual exercise, a wrestling and warfare, for which sensual pleasure disables him. Jer. Taylor. And had performed it, if my known offense Had not disabled me. Milton. I have d…

Loss; detriment; hindrance; prejudice to interest, fame, credit, profit, or other good. They would throw a construction on his conduct, to his disadvantage before the public. Bancroft.

To be unsuited; to have unfitness; as, medicine sometimes disagrees with the patient; food often disagrees with the stomach or the taste.

he distinctive character of; to discriminate; to distinguish. To discern such buds as are fit to produce blossoms. Boyle. A counterfeit stone which thine eye can not discern from a right stone. Robynson (More's Utopia).

Leaning; fitted for a reclining posture. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

f a citizen, or of a particular privilege, as of voting, holding office, etc. Sir William Fitzwilliam was disfranchised. Fabyan (1509). He was partially disfranchised so as to be made incapable of taking part in public affairs. Thirlwall.

nce, any particular kind of food; as, a cold dish; a warm dish; a delicious dish. "A dish fit for the gods." Shak. Home-home dishes that drive one from home. Hood.

ity; knavish; fraudulent; unjust. To get dishonest gain. Ezek. xxii. 27. The dishonest profits of men in office. Bancroft.

Indifference to profit; want of regard to private advantage; disinterestedness. [Obs.] Johnson.

Condition fitted to dismay; ruin. Spenser.

To make unsuitable in quantity, form, or fitness to an end; to violate symmetry in; to mismatch; to join unfitly. To shape my legs of an unequal size; To disproportion me in every part. Shak. A degree of strength altogether disproportioned to the extent of its territory. Prescott.

That which disqualifies; that which incapacitates or makes unfit; as, conviction of crime is a disqualification of a person for office; sickness is a disqualification for labor. I must still retain the consciousness of those disqualifications which you have been pleased to overlook. Sir J. Shore.

To deprive of the qualities or properties necessary for any purpose; to render unfit; to incapacitate; -- with for or from before the purpose, state, or act. My common illness disqualifies me for all conversation; I mean my deafness. Swift. Me are not disqualified by their engagements in trade from being received in hi…

To make partition of among a number; to apportion, as profits of stock among proprietors; to give in shares; to distribute; to mete out; to share. True justice unto people to divide. Spenser. Ye shall divide the land by lot. Num. xxxiii. 54.

at falls to each individual; a distribute sum, share, or percentage; -- applied to the profits as appropriated among shareholders, and to assets as apportioned among creditors; as, the dividend of a bank, a railway corporation, or a bankrupt estate.

A place fit only for dogs; a vile, mean habitation or apartment. Dryden.

The fitful naps taken when all hands are kept up by stress.

in the active business of a company or partnership, but is entitled to a share of the profits, and subject to a share in losses; -- called also sleeping or silent partner. -- Dormant window (Arch.), a dormer window. See Dormer. -- Table dormant, a stationary table. [Obs.] Chaucer.