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To harm or destroy the good fame or reputation of; to disgrace; especially, to speak evil of maliciously; to dishonor by slanderous reports; to calumniate; to asperse.

oncealment; seclusion. The mental organization of the novelist must be characterized, to speak craniologically, by an extraordinary development of the passion for delitescency. Sir W. Scott.

To make over to the knowledge of another; to communicate; to utter; to speak; to impart. Till he these words to him deliver might. Spenser. Whereof the former delivers the precepts of the art, and the latter the perfection. Bacon.

Act of speaking; utterance. [Archaic] Shak.

The act or style of utterance; manner of speaking; as, a good delivery; a clear delivery.

One who speaks through the teeth, that is, with the teeth closed.

The habit or practice of speaking through the teeth, or with them closed.

To speak ill of; to depreciate; to malign; to revile. [Obs.] And thou knowest, conscience, I came not to chide Nor deprave thy person with a proud heart. Piers Plowman.

Descending; falling; proceeding from an ancestor or source. More than mortal grace Speaks thee descendent of ethereal race. Pope.

s to action or effort its continuance or possession; an eager wish to obtain or enjoy. Unspeakable desire to see and know. Milton.

A speaker in a dialogue.

To speak as a superior; to command; to impose conditions (on). Who presumed to dictate to the sovereign. Macaulay.

The speaking to, or the giving orders to, in an overbearing manner; authoritative utterance; as, his habit, even with friends, was that of dictatio.

s own powers; lack of self-reliance; modesty; modest reserve; bashfulness. It is good to speak on such questions with diffidence. Macaulay. An Englishman's habitual diffidence and awkwardness of adress. W. Irving.

der carefully; to get an understanding of; to comprehend. Feelingly digest the words you speak in prayer. Sir H. Sidney. How shall this bosom multiplied digest The senate's courtesy Shak.

One holding high rank; a dignitary. These filthy dreamers . . . speak evil of dignities. Jude. 8.

, to turn aside from the main subject of attention, or course of argument, in writing or speaking. Moreover she beginneth to digress in latitude. Holland. In the pursuit of an argument there is hardly room to digress into a particular definition as often as a man varies the signification of any term. Locke.…

To speak largely and copiously; to dwell in narration; to enlarge; -- with on or upon. But still on their ancient joys dilate. Crabbe.

ed to persons or to things, and to thoughts, feelings, or purposes. A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren. Prov. vi. 19. Peace to arise out of universal discord fomented in all parts of the empire. Burke.

The art and manner of speaking and conversing. Of excellent breeding, admirable discourse. Shak.