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emely hateful; very odious; deserving abhorrence; as, detestable vices. Thou hast defiled my sanctuary will all thy detestable things, and with all thine abominations. Ezek. v. 11.

Power of devising; invention; contrivance. I must have instruments of my own device. Landor.

m a scheme; to lay a plan; to contrive; to consider. I thought, devised, and Pallas heard my prayer. Pope.

; to waste; to annihilate. Famine and pestilence shall devour him. Ezek. vii. 15. I waste my life and do my days devour. Spenser.

for effects, the clear diagnosis of men's minds, and the love of epigram. Compton Reade. My diagnosis of his character proved correct. J. Payn. Differential diagnosis (Med.), the determination of the distinguishing characteristics as between two similar diseases or conditions.

ally, with explanations of their meanings; a lexicon; a vocabulary; a wordbook. I applied myself to the perusal of our writers; and noting whatever might be of use to ascertain or illustrate any word or phrase, accumulated in time the materials of a dictionary. Johnson.

ertain way," replied the Prince [William of Orange] " by which I can be sure never to see my country's ruin, -- I will die in the last ditch." Hume (Hist. of Eng. ). -- To die out, to cease gradually; as, the prejudice has died out.

What honor and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this Esth. vi. 3. Reuben, thou art my firstborn, . . . the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power. Gen. xlix. 3.

A turning aside from the right path; transgression; offense. [R.] Then my digression is so vile, so base, That it will live engraven in my face. Shak.

To utter with a din; to repeat noisily; to ding. This hath been often dinned in my ears. Swift. To din into, to fix in the mind of another by frequent and noisy repetitions. Sir W. Scott.

To eat the principal regular meal of the day; to take dinner. Now can I break my fast, dine, sup, and sleep. Shak. To dine with Duke Humphrey, to go without dinner; -- a phrase common in Elizabethan literature, said to be from the practice of the poor gentry, who beguiled the dinner hour by a promenade near the tomb of…

An order of myriapods having two pairs of legs on each segment; the Chilognatha.

d; to regulate; to govern; as, to direct the affairs of a nation or the movements of an army. I will direct their work in truth. Is. lxi. 8.

e first word; a dirge. Evensongs and placebo and dirige. Wyclif. Resort, I pray you, unto my sepulture To sing my dirige with great devotion. Lamentation of Mary Magdalene.

d warfare, for which sensual pleasure disables him. Jer. Taylor. And had performed it, if my known offense Had not disabled me. Milton. I have disabled mine estate. Shak.

To render unacquainted; to make unfamiliar. [Obs.] While my sick heart With dismal smart Is disacquainted never. Herrick.

Unprepared; unequipped. [Obs.] Cut off even in the blossoms of my sin, Unhouseled, disappointed, unaneled. Shak.

ny; to show the contrary of; to disprove. Yet can they never Toss into air the freedom of my birth, Or disavow my blood Plantagenet's. Ford.

ase or degrade. [Obs.] Nor you nor your house were so much as spoken of before I disbased myself. B. Jonson.

ive; to unload; to disencumber; to relieve. He did it to disburden a conscience. Feltham. My mediations . . . will, I hope, be more calm, being thus disburdened. Hammond.