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ening or expansion; first appearance; beginning; rise. "The dawn of time." Thomson. These tender circumstances diffuse a dawn of serenity over the soul. Pope.

ing of the day, or first appearance of light; the dawn; hence, the beginning. Milton. The tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us. Luke i. 78.

A part or portion; a share; hence, an indefinite quantity, degree, or extent, degree, or extent; as, a deal of time and trouble; a deal of cold. Three tenth deals [parts of an ephah] of flour. Num. xv. 9. As an object of science it [the Celtic genius] may count for a good deal . . . as a spiritual power. M. Arnold. She…

rghs, formerly, and still, in some burghs, chosen by the Guildry, whose duty is to superintend the erection of new buildings and see that they conform to the law. -- Dean of a monastery, Monastic dean, a monastic superior over ten monks. -- Dean's stall. See Decanal stall, under Decanal.

Bearing a high price; high-priced; costly; expensive. The cheapest of us is ten groats too dear. Shak.

Fondness; preciousness; love; tenderness. The dearness of friendship. Bacon.

ved from death; a living death. [Poetic] "Lay lingering out a five years' death in life." Tennyson. -- Death knell, a stroke or tolling of a bell, announcing a death. -- Death rate, the relation or ratio of the number of deaths to the population. At all ages the death rate is higher in towns than in rural districts.…

Tengmalm's or Richardson's owl (Nyctale Tengmalmi); -- so called from a superstition of the North American Indians that its note presages death.

aring deathwatches. Addison. I did not hear the dog howl, mother, or the deathwatch beat. Tennyson.

an insolvent debtor became slave to his creditor. Mitford. Debtors for our lives to you. Tennyson.

A prefix, from Gr. de`ka, signifying ten; specifically (Metric System), a prefix signifying the weight or measure that is ten times the principal unit.

The division of Cephalopoda which includes the squids, cuttlefishes, and others having ten arms or tentacles; -- called also Decapoda. [Written also Decacera.] See Dibranchiata.

An ancient Greek musical instrument of ten strings, resembling the harp.

A decade. Averill was a decad and a half his elder. Tennyson.

Pertaining to ten; consisting of tens.

A group or division of ten; esp., a period of ten years; a decennium; as, a decade of years or days; a decade of soldiers; the second decade of Livy. [Written also decad.] During this notable decade of years. Gladstone.

A plane figure having ten sides and ten angles; any figure having ten angles. A regular decagon is one that has all its sides and angles equal.

Pertaining to a decagon; having ten sides.

A weight of the metric system; ten grams, equal to about 154.32 grains avoirdupois.

A Linnæan order of plants characterized by having ten styles.