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The humbling of a person by act or words, especially by a retort or a reproof; the retort or the reproof which has such effect.

for a bed, as one made on the floor or on chairs; -- perhaps originally from the shaking down of straw for this purpose. Sir W. Scott.

Of or pertaining to the South Downs, a range of pasture hills south of the Thames, in England. Southdown sheep (Zoöl.), a celebrated breed of shortwooled, hornless sheep, highly valued on account of the delicacy of their flesh. So called from the South Downs where the breed originated.

Deep and precipitous, having steep descent. [R.] Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire. Shak.

r converting a current of high potential or pressure into one of low pressure; as, a step-down transformer.

The setting of the sun; sunset. "When sundown skirts the moor." Tennyson.

n it is too late to work; -- called also traveler and swagman (but not all swagmen are sundowners).

The down, or fine, soft feathers, of the swan, used on various articles of dress.

The act of touching the football down behind the opponents' goal . Safety touchdown. See under Safety.

Ready to fall; dilapidated; ruinous; as, a tumble-down house. [Colloq.]

Capable of being turned down; specif. (Elec.), designating, or pertaining to, an incandescent lamp with a small additional filament which can be made incandescent when only a small amount of light is required.

See Upsodown. [Obs. or Colloq.] Spenser.

Upside down. [Obs. or Colloq.] Wyclif. In man's sin is every manner order or ordinance turned upsodown. Chaucer.

, away (AS. onweg), and analogically, ablaze, atremble, etc. (2) AS. of off, from, as in adown (AS. ofdüne off the dun or hill). (3) AS. a- (Goth. us-, ur-, Ger. er-), usually giving an intensive force, and sometimes the sense of away, on, back, as in arise, abide, ago. (4) Old English y- or i- (corrupted from the AS.…

To lower or depress; to throw or cast down; as, to abase the eye. [Archaic] Bacon. Saying so, he abased his lance. Shelton.

Borne lower than usual, as a fess; also, having the ends of the wings turned downward towards the point of the shield.

Abjectly; downcastly.

To beat down; to overthrow. [Obs.] The King of Scots . . . sore abated the walls. Edw. Hall.

Grass and sprigs beaten or trampled down by a stag passing through them. Crabb.

Cast down; low-lying. [Obs.] From the safe shore their floating carcasses And broken chariot wheels; so thick bestrown Abject and lost lay these, covering the flood. Milton.