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cyprus lawn Over thy decent shoulders drawn. Milton. By foreign hands thy decent limbs composed. Pope.

Departure; decrease; -- opposed to accesion. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor.

A supposed rare element, said to be associated with cerium, yttrium, etc., in the mineral samarskite, and more recently called samarium. Symbol Dp. See Samarium.

ion from a horizontal line; gradual descent of surface; inclination downward; slope; -- opposed to acclivity, or ascent; the same slope, considered as descending, being a declivity, which, considered as ascending, is an acclivity.

rained liquor is called the decoction of the plant. Arbuthnot. In pharmacy decoction is opposed to infusion, where there is merely steeping. Latham.

A person employed by officers of justice, or parties exposed to injury, to induce a suspected person to commit an offense under circumstances that will lead to his detection.

To grow less, -- opposed to increase; to be diminished gradually, in size, degree, number, duration, etc., or in strength, quality, or excellence; as, they days decrease in length from June to December. He must increase, but I must decrease. John iii. 30.

Destruction; -- opposed to creation. [R.] Cudworth.

The quantity lost by gradual diminution or waste; -- opposed to Ant: increment.

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

Hard to penetrate or comprehend; profound; -- opposed to shallow or superficial; intricate; mysterious; not obvious; obscure; as, a deep subject or plot. Speculations high or deep. Milton. A question deep almost as the mystery of life. De Quincey. O Lord, . . . thy thought are very deep. Ps. xcii. 5.…

or quality of being deep, profound, mysterious, secretive, etc.; depth; profundity; -- opposed to shallowness. Because they had no deepness of earth. Matt. xiii. 5.

verthrow, as of an army in battle; loss of a battle; repulse suffered; discomfiture; -- opposed to victory.

Want or absence of something necessary for completeness or perfection; deficiency; -- opposed to superfluity. Errors have been corrected, and defects supplied. Davies.

A person required to make answer in an action or suit; -- opposed to plaintiff. Abbott.

Serving to defend or protect; proper for defense; opposed to offensive; as, defensive armor. A moat defensive to a house. Shak.

e periphery either the heavenly body or the center of the heavenly body's epicycle was supposed to be carried round.

fortification from an enfilading fire, as by covering them, or by a high parapet on the exposed side.

Direct; proving directly; -- applied to reasoning, and opposed to elenchtic or refutative.

To esteem worthy; to consider worth notice; -- opposed to disdain. [Obs.] I fear my Julia would not deign my lines. Shak.