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ich diverts; that which turns or draws the mind from care or study, and thus relaxes and amuses; sport; play; pastime; as, the diversions of youth. "Public diversions." V. Knox. Such productions of wit and humor as expose vice and folly, furnish useful diversion to readers. Addison.

any occupation, business, or study; to cause to have lively and agreeable sensations; to amuse; to entertain; as, children are diverted with sports; men are diverted with works of wit and humor. We are amused by a tale, diverted by a comedy. C. J. Smith.

Amusing; entertaining. -- Di*vert"ing*ly, adv. -- Di*vert"ing*ness, n.

Diversion; amusement; recreation. [R.]

Tending to divert; diverting; amusing; interesting. Things of a pleasant and divertive nature. Rogers.

on, or solfeggio. It is the first of the seven syllables used by the Italians as manes of musical tones, and replaced, for the sake of euphony, the syllable Ut, applied to the note C. In England and America the same syllables are used by mane as a scale pattern, while the tones in respect to absolute pitch are named fr…

ceived a diploma of the highest degree; as, a doctor of divinity, of law, of medicine, of music, or of philosophy. Such diplomas may confer an honorary title only.

A small shark, of many species, of the genera Mustelus, Scyllium, Spinax, etc.

A rude ancient ax or hatchet, seen in museums.

Plaintive; pathetic; -- used adverbially as a musical direction.

A heavy, stupid fellow; a blockhead; a numskull; an ignoramus; a dunce; a dullard. This Puck seems but a dreaming dolt. Drayton.

fifth tone of the scale; thus G is the dominant of C, A of D, and so on. Dominant chord (Mus.), the chord based upon the dominant.

made to fall against the next, it starts a sequence which ends when all have fallen. For amusement, people have arranged such sequences involving thousands of dominoes, arrayed in fanciful patterns. Domino theory. A political theory current in the 1960's, according to which the conversion of one country in South Asia t…

Same as Doric, 3. "Dorian mood." Milton. Dorian mode (Mus.), the first of the authentic church modes or tones, from D to D, resembling our D minor scale, but with the B natural. Grove.

Of or relating to one of the ancient Greek musical modes or keys. Its character was adapted both to religions occasions and to war.

, or made of, dots or small spots; diversified with small, detached objects. Dotted note (Mus.), a note followed by a dot to indicate an increase of length equal to one half of its simple value; thus, a dotted semibreve is equal to three minims, and a dotted quarter to three eighth notes. -- Dotted rest, a rest length…

in order; a diesis. -- Double drum (Mus.), a large drum that is beaten at both ends. -- Double eagle, a gold coin of the United States having the value of 20 dollars. -- Double entry. See under Bookkeeping. -- Double floor (Arch.), a floor in which binding joists support flooring joists above and ceiling joists bel…

Making contrary declarations on the same subject; deceitful. Likewise must the deacons be grave, not double-tongued. 1 Tim. iii. 8.

ughty hero. Sir Thopas wex [grew] a doughty swain. Chaucer. Doughty families, hugging old musty quarrels to their hearts, buffet each other from generation to generation. Motley.

shore; a flattish-topped hill; -- usually in the plural. Hills afford prospects, as they must needs acknowledge who have been on the downs of Sussex. Ray. She went by dale, and she went by down. Tennyson.