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the taking away from a clergyman his benefice, or other spiritual promotion or dignity.

To divest of office; to depose; to dispossess of dignity, especially ecclesiastical. A miniser deprived for inconformity. Bacon.

The act of deputing, or of appointing or commissioning a deputy or representative; office of a deputy or delegate; vicegerency. The authority of conscience stands founded upon its vicegerency and deputation under God. South.

ue of another, and empowered to act for him, in his name or his behalf; a substitute in office; a lieutenant; a representative; a delegate; a vicegerent; as, the deputy of a prince, of a sheriff, of a township, etc. There was then [in the days of Jehoshaphat] no king in Edom; a deputy was king. 1 Kings xxii. 47. God's…

variations on a musical air; a comment or comments. Upon that simplest of themes how magnificent a descant! De Quincey.

To divest of a sacred character or office; to divert from a sacred purpose; to violate the sanctity of; to profane; to put to an unworthy use; -- the opposite of consecrate. The [Russian] clergy can not suffer corporal punishment without being previously desecrated. W. Tooke. The founders of monasteries imprecated evil…

To indicate or set apart for a purpose or duty; -- with to or for; to designate an officer for or to the command of a post or station.

An officer who assigned to each his rank and place in public shows and ceremonies.

ent of hope; extreme recklessness; reckless fury. In the desperation of the moment, the officers even tried to cut their way through with their swords. W. Irving.

To tell off or appoint for a particular service, as an officer, a troop, or a squadron.

or, or skilled in, detecting; employed in detecting crime or criminals; as, a detective officer.

vance; an invention; a project; a scheme; often, a scheme to deceive; a stratagem; an artifice. His device in against Babylon, to destroy it. Jer. li. 11. Their recent device of demanding benevolences. Hallam. He disappointeth the devices of the crafty. Job v. 12.

f nature are of equal power. -- Printer's devil, the youngest apprentice in a printing office, who runs on errands, does dirty work (as washing the ink rollers and sweeping), etc. "Without fearing the printer's devil or the sheriff's officer." Macaulay. -- Tasmanian devil (Zoöl.), a very savage carnivorous marsupial…

with to or into; as, after the general fell, the command devolved upon (or on) the next officer in rank. His estate . . . devolved to Lord Somerville. Johnson.

Falling gently and beneficently, like the dew. Dewy sleep ambrosial. Cowper.

The office of a deacon; deaconship; also, a body or board of deacons.

The office, or the term of office, of a dictator; hence, absolute power.

Office of a dictator; dictatorship. [R.] Bacon.

A telephonic instrument for office or other similar use, having a sound-magnifying device enabling the ordinary mouthpiece to be dispensed with. Much use has been made of it for overhearing, or for recording, conversations for the purpose of obtaining evidence for use in litigation.

rn. [Archaic] "She gan the house to dight." Chaucer. Two harmless turtles, dight for sacrifice. Fairfax. The clouds in thousand liveries dight. Milton.