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stability; fidelity. A fellow of plain unoined constancy. Shak. Constancy and contempt of danger. Prescott.

That quality of mind which enables one to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness, or without fear, or fainting of heart; valor; boldness; resolution. The king-becoming graces . . . Devotion, patience, courage, fortitude, I have no relish of them. Shak. Courage that grows from constitution often forsakes a man…

To shelter, as from evil or danger; to protect; to defend; as, the cavalry covered the retreat. His calm and blameless life Does with substantial blessedness abound, And the soft wings of peace cover him round. Cowley.

Want of courage to face danger; extreme timidity; pusillanimity; base fear of danger or hurt; lack of spirit. The cowardice of doing wrong. Milton. Moderation was despised as cowardice. Macualay.

Proceeding from fear of danger or other consequences; befitting a coward; dastardly; base; as, cowardly malignity. Macualay. The cowardly rashness of those who dare not look danger in the face. Burke.

han a cove; a recess in the shore of the sea, or of a river. Each creek and cavern of the dangerous shore. Cowper. They discovered a certain creek, with a shore. Acts xxvii. 39.

A hole or retreat onto which an animal may creep, to escape notice or danger.

uncture; important as regards consequences; hence, of doubtful issue; attended with risk; dangerous; as, the critical stage of a fever; a critical situation. Our circumstances are indeed critical. Burke. The small moment, the exact point, the critical minute, on which every good work so much depends. South. Critical an…

A loose end; a dangling shred. Daglocks, clotted locks hanging in dags or jags at a sheep's tail. Wedgwood.

One who meanly shrinks from danger; an arrant coward; a poltroon. You are all recreants and dashtards, and delight to live in slavery to the nobility. Shak.

To repress or subdue the courage of; to check by fear of danger; to cow; to intimidate; to dishearten. Some presences daunt and discourage us. Glanvill.

Danger of death. "In deaths oft." 2 Cor. xi. 23.

To lead into danger by artifice; to lure into a net or snare; to entrap; to insnare; to allure; to entice; as, to decoy troops into an ambush; to decoy ducks into a net. Did to a lonely cot his steps decoy. Thomson. E'en while fashion's brightest arts decoy, The heart, distrusting, asks if this be joy. Goldsmith.…

A duck used to lure wild ducks into a decoy; hence, a person employed to lure others into danger. Beau. & Fl.

To repel danger or harm from; to protect; to secure against; attack; to maintain against force or argument; to uphold; to guard; as, to defend a town; to defend a cause; to defend character; to defend the absent; -- sometimes followed by from or against; as, to defend one's self from, or against, one's enemies. The lor…

The act of defending, or the state of being defended; protection, as from violence or danger. In cases of defense 't is best to weigh The enemy more mighty than he seems. Shak.

nness. Defilements of the flesh. Hopkins. The chaste can not rake into such filth without danger of defilement. Addison.

e; causing despair; extremely perilous; irretrievable; past cure, or, at least, extremely dangerous; as, a desperate disease; desperate fortune.

In a desperate manner; without regard to danger or safety; recklessly; extremely; as, the troops fought desperately. She fell desperately in love with him. Addison.

Causing detriment; injurious; hurtful. Neither dangerous nor detrimental to the donor. Addison.