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The ringing of an evening bell, originally a signal to the inhabitants to cover fires, extinguish lights, and retire to rest, -- instituted by William the Conqueror; also, the bell itself. He begins at curfew, and walks till the first cock. Shak. The village curfew, as it tolled profound. Campbell.

e; hastily or superficially performed; slight; superficial; careless. Events far too important to be treated in a cursory manner. Hallam.

surface described by a straight line that moves according to any law, but so as to be constantly parallel to a given line. -- Cylindrical vault. (Arch.) See under Vault, n.

A native or inhabitant of Cyprus, especially of ancient Cyprus; a Cypriot.

A native or inhabitant of Cyprus.

A native or inhabitant of Cyrene.

Any of several valuable estates of the Egyptian khedive or his family. The most important are the Da"i*ra Sa"ni*eh, or Sa"ni*yeh, and the Da"i*ra Khas"sa, administered by the khedive's European bondholders, and known collectively as the Daira, or the Daira estates.

One living in a dale; -- a term applied particularly to the inhabitants of the valleys in the north of England, Norway, etc. Macaulay.

A native of Damaraland, German Southwest Africa. The Damaras include an important and warlike Bantu tribe, and the Hill Damaras, who are Hottentots and mixed breeds hostile to the Bantus.

A native, or a naturalized inhabitant, of Denmark. Great Dane. (Zoöl.) See Danish dog, under Danish.

around a military prison, to cross which involves for a prisoner the penalty of being instantly shot. -- Dead load (Civil Engin.), a constant, motionless load, as the weight of a structure, in distinction from a moving load, as a train of cars, or a variable pressure, as of wind. -- Dead march (Mus.), a piece of sol…

One who debates; one given to argument; a disputant; a controvertist. Debate where leisure serves with dull debaters. Shak.

An aspect or position of two planets, when they are distant from each other a tenth part of the zodiac, or 36º.

culatory, decimal, a decimal fraction in which the same figure, or set of figures, is constantly repeated; as, 0.354354354; -- called also recurring decimal, repeating decimal, and repetend.

y is such that the ratio of those dying in a year to those living through the year is constant, being independent of the age of the persons.

an extraordinary billow, supposed by some to be every tenth in order. [R.] Also used substantively. "Such decuman billows." Gauden. "The baffled decuman." Lowell.

l appearance of; to disfigure; to injure, spoil, or mar, by effacing or obliterating important features or portions of; as, to deface a monument; to deface an edifice; to deface writing; to deface a note, deed, or bond; to deface a record. "This high face defaced." Emerson. So by false learning is good sense defaced. P…

The act of delaying; postponement. [R.] My grief, joined with the instant business, Begs a deferment. Suckling.

r renounce. [Obs.] I defy the surety and the bond. Chaucer. For thee I have defied my constant mistress. Beau. & Fl.

; deceptive; beguiling; delusory; as, delusive arts; a delusive dream. Delusive and unsubstantial ideas. Whewell. -- De*lu"sive*ly, adv. -- De*lu"sive*ness, n.