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Serving to determine; critical. "The critical or decretory days." Sir T. Browne.

Constituting or serving as a dedication; complimental. "An epistle dedicatory." Dryden.

Serving, or suitable, for defense; defensive. [Obs.] With men of courage and with means defendant. Shak.

Serving to defend or protect; proper for defense; opposed to offensive; as, defensive armor. A moat defensive to a house. Shak.

Serving to carry; bearing. [R.] "Bodies deferent." Bacon.

Serving to define or restrict; limiting; determining; as, the definite article. Definite article (Gram.), the article the, which is used to designate a particular person or thing, or a particular class of persons or things; -- also called a definitive. See Definitive, n. -- Definite inflorescence. (Bot.) See Determina…

Serving for, or aiding in, deglutition.

Serving to denote.

To point out as deserving of reprehension or punishment, etc.; to accuse in a threatening manner; to invoke censure upon; to stigmatize. Denounced for a heretic. Sir T. More. To denounce the immoralities of Julius Cæsar. Brougham.

Serving to deplete.

Serving to deprecate; deprecatory. -- Dep"re*ca*tive*ly, adv.

Serving to deprecate; tending to remove or avert evil by prayer; apologetic. Humble and deprecatory letters. Bacon.

Serving to depress. [R.] "Depriment muscles." Derham.

Serving to purge; tending to cleanse or purify. [Obs.] Cotgrave.

Expressing, serving for, or characterized by, derision. "Derisive taunts." Pope. -- De*ri"sive*ly, adv. -- De*ri"sive*ness, n.

Serving to designate or indicate; pointing out.

Serving to designate; designative; indicating. [R.]

Final; serving to complete; conclusive. [Obs.] "Desitive propositions." I. Watts.

Fit or deserving to be despised; contemptible; mean; vile; worthless; as, a despicable man; despicable company; a despicable gift.

Serving to determine or limit; determinative.