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To delude or trick, -- esp. by way of jest. [Obs.] We diverted ourselves with bantering several poor scholars with hopes of being at least his lordship's chaplain. De Foe.

a moth, esp. of the genus Euprepia. -- Bear garden. (a) A place where bears are kept for diversion or fighting. (b) Any place where riotous conduct is common or permitted. M. Arnold. -- Bear leader, one who leads about a performing bear for money; hence, a facetious term for one who takes charge of a young man on his…

time of to pass without notice; to relieve the tedium or weariness of; to while away; to divert. Ballads . . . to beguile his incessant wayfaring. W. Irving.

Alluring by guile; deluding; misleading; diverting. -- Be*guil"ing*ly, adv.

a blancher, which kept the dearest deer from her. Sir P. Sidney. And so even now hath he divers blanchers belonging to the market, to let and stop the light of the gospel. Latimer.

stones and other ponderous missiles. It was the earliest kind of cannon. They planted in divers places twelve great bombards, wherewith they threw huge stones into the air, which, falling down into the city, might break down the houses. Knolles.

A group of birds, including auks, divers, and penguins.

Diverging from, or tributary to, a main stock, line, way, theme, etc.; as, a branch vein; a branch road or line; a branch topic; a branch store.

a form of the electric discharge characterized by a brushlike appearance of luminous rays diverging from an electrified body.

Characteristic of, or like, a buffoon. "Buffoon stories." Macaulay. To divert the audience with buffoon postures and antic dances. Melmoth.

A by-passage, for a pipe, or other channel, to divert circulation from the usual course.

The outlet from a dam or reservoir; also, a cut to divert the flow of water.

one) names, to apply contemptuous names (to any one). -- To call off, to summon away; to divert; as, to call off the attention; to call off workmen from their employment. -- To call out. (a) To summon to fight; to challenge. (b) To summon into service; as, to call out the militia. -- To call over, to recite separate…

To variegate or diversify with different qualities, color, scenes, or events; esp., to subject to frequent alternations of prosterity and adversity. Our minds are, as it were, checkered with truth and falsehood. Addison.

Diversified or variegated in a marked manner, as in appearance, character, circumstances, etc. This checkered narrative. Macaulay.

A diversity of colors in yarn, recurring at regular intervals. Knight.

erse together; to discourse; to confer. [Obs.] Embassadors were sent upon both parts, and divers means of entreaty were commoned of. Grafton.

Possessing peculiarities that are characteristic of several diverse groups.

as by the cohesion or coalescence of separate particles. There are in our inferior world divers bodies that are concreted out of others. Sir M. Hale.

The condition or quality of converging; tendency to one point. The convergence or divergence of the rays falling on the pupil. Berkeley.