Search the Dictionary

The pulling down of a building, or suffering it to fall or be in a state of decay. Burrill.

To lessen the authority or dignity of; to put down; to degrade; to abase; to weaken. This doth nothing diminish their opinion. Robynson (More's Utopia). I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations. Ezek. xxix. 15. O thou . . . at whose sight all the stars Hide their diminished heads. Milton.…

al from the miocene beds of Europe and Asia. It is remarkable fora pair of tusks directed downward from the decurved apex of the lower jaw.

To incline downward from the plane of the horizon; as, strata of rock dip.

The act of inclining downward.

n, with evolution of energy, -- a normal nutritional process the reverse of assimilation; downward metabolism. The breaking down of already existing chemical compounds into simpler ones, sometimes called disassimilation. Martin.

; to forbid. [Scot. Obs.] Sir W. Scott. Discharging arch (Arch.), an arch over a door, window, or other opening, to distribute the pressure of the wall above. See Illust. of Lintel. -- Discharging piece, Discharging strut (Arch.), a piece set to carry thrust or weight to a solid point of support. -- Discharging rod (…

To uncover. [Obs.] Whether any man hath pulled down or discovered any church. Abp. Grindal.

nds of matrimony; unmarried; -- applied either to a woman who has never married or to a widow.

To deal with, in eating or drinking. [Colloq.] We sat quietly down and discussed a cold fowl that we had brought with us. Sir S. Baker.

arge at the mouth, as a stream; to vent; to discharge into an ocean, a lake, etc. Rolling down, the steep Timavdisembogues his waves. Addison.

of the support of the state from an established church; as, the disestablishment and disendowment of the Irish Church by Act of Parliament.

he state of being dishonored, or covered with shame; dishonor; shame; ignominy. To tumble down thy husband and thyself From top of honor to disgrace's feet Shak.

rate; to sunder. That marriage, therefore, God himself disjoins. Milton. Never let us lay down our arms against France, till we have utterly disjoined her from the Spanish monarchy. Addison. Windmill Street consisted of disjoined houses. Pennant.

f furniture and equipments, guns, etc.; to unrig; to strip of walls or outworks; to break down; as, to dismantle a fort, a town, or a ship. A dismantled house, without windows or shutters to keep out the rain. Macaulay.

To come down; to descend. [Poetic] But now the bright sun ginneth to dismount. Spenser.

To set at large; to release from inclosure. Till his free muse threw down the pale, And did at once dispark them all. Waller.

of peace, rest, or tranquility; to make uneasy or restless; to disturb. Why art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me Ps. xlii. 11. As quiet as these disquieted times will permit. Sir W. Scott.

iscontents. Shak. Perhaps it was right to dissemble your love, But -- why did you kick me down stairs J. P. Kemble.

; to disunite; to sunder; to loosen; to undo; to separate. Nothing can dissolve us. Shak. Down fell the duke, his joints dissolved asunder. Fairfax. For one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another. The Declaration of Independence.