<B>decent, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>proper and right. <BR> <I>Ex. It is not decent to laugh at a crippled person.</I> (SYN) suitable, appropriate. <DD><B> 2. </B>modest; free from vulgarity; not obscene. <BR> <I>Ex. His study was simple and serious and showed a more decent taste (Edmund Wilson).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>having a good reputation; respectable. <BR> <I>Ex. decent people.</I> (SYN) decorous, dignified. <DD><B> 4. </B>good enough; fairly good. <BR> <I>Ex. He gets decent marks at school.</I> (SYN) tolerable, passable. <DD><B> 5. </B>suitable to one's position; adequate. <BR> <I>Ex. He is not rich but he earns a decent living.</I> <DD><B> 6. </B>not severe; rather kind. <BR> <I>Ex. The teacher was very decent to excuse my absence when my mother was ill.</I> <DD><B> 7. </B>(Informal.) dressed; not naked. <BR> <I>Ex. Mother's voice asked if I were decent. "Pyjamas," I replied (Punch).</I> <DD><B> 8. </B>(Obsolete.) handsome; comely. noun <B>decentness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="decenter">
<B>decenter, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to put out of center; make eccentric. </DL>
<A NAME="decently">
<B>decently, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> in a decent manner; properly; respectably; fairly. </DL>
<B>decentralist, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a person who advocates or supports decentralization. <DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with decentralization or decentralists. </DL>
<A NAME="decentralization">
<B>decentralization, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act of decentralizing. <BR> <I>Ex. He believed in decentralization, and preferred scattered farms (Sunday Times).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>the state of being decentralized. </DL>
<A NAME="decentralize">
<B>decentralize, </B>verb, <B>-ized,</B> <B>-izing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to spread or distribute (authority or power) among more groups or local governments. <BR> <I>Ex. He ... emphasized in a speech published here today that the [Russian] decentralized system of agricultural planning was to take effect immediately (New York Times). We [should] spend the money to return to the safety of decentralized power (New York Times).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to reorganize (a large industry, business, school system, or other institution) into smaller units of management and operation. <BR> <I>Ex. The congregation has approved changes that will decentralize the [Jesuit] order to the extent of giving its individual provinces more discretionary powers (Robert C. Doty).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to become decentralized; undergo decentralization. <BR> <I>Ex. Failure of the ... regime to decentralize has resulted in continued high costs and low productivity (Richard A. Pierce).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="deception">
<B>deception, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act of deceiving. <BR> <I>Ex. The twins' deception in exchanging places fooled everybody except their mother.</I> (SYN) imposture, subterfuge, trickery. <DD><B> 2. </B>the state of being deceived. <BR> <I>Ex. The deception of the magician's audience was almost complete.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a thing that deceives; illusion. <DD><B> 4. </B>a trick meant to deceive; fraud; sham. <BR> <I>Ex. The scheme is all a deception.</I> (SYN) hoax, ruse, artifice, stratagem. </DL>
<B>deceptive, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>deceiving or misleading. <BR> <I>Ex. Thirsty travelers on the desert are often fooled by the deceptive appearance of trees and water. He played the piano with deceptive ease.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>meant to deceive. <BR> <I>Ex. deceptive glances. The deceptive friendliness of the fox fooled the rabbit.</I> (SYN) fraudulent, false, specious. adv. <B>deceptively.</B> noun <B>deceptiveness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="decerebrate">
<B>decerebrate, </B>verb, <B>-brated,</B> <B>-brating,</B> adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> to remove the cerebrum from. <BR> <I>Ex. to decerebrate a frog.</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>decerebrated. <DD><B> 2. </B>lacking reason or intelligence. <BR> <I>Ex. the decerebrate acts of a mob.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="decern">
<B>decern, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B><B>=discern.</B> <DD><B> 2. </B>(in Scots law) to decree; adjudge. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to see distinctly; distinguish. </DL>
<A NAME="decertification">
<B>decertification, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a decertifying. </DL>
<A NAME="decertify">
<B>decertify, </B>transitive verb, <B>-fied,</B> <B>-fying.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to remove or discontinue the certification or accreditation of; refuse certification to. <BR> <I>Ex. to decertify a labor union.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dechlorinate">
<B>dechlorinate, </B>transitive verb, <B>-ated,</B> <B>-ating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to free (a substance) of chlorine; take away chlorine from. </DL>
<A NAME="dechlorination">
<B>dechlorination, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the act or process of dechlorinating. <BR> <I>Ex. dechlorination of water by means of a carbon filter.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dechristianization">
<B>dechristianization, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the process of divesting of Christian character. </DL>
<A NAME="dechristianize">
<B>dechristianize, </B>transitive verb, <B>-ized,</B> <B>-izing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to divest of Christian character. </DL>
<A NAME="deci">
<B>deci-,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (combining form.) one tenth of. <BR> <I>Ex. Decigram = one tenth of a gram.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="deciare">
<B>deciare, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a unit of measure of area in the metric system equal to 1/10 of an are, 10 square meters, or 11.96 square yards. </DL>
<A NAME="decibel">
<B>decibel, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a unit for measuring the relative intensity of sounds, equal to 1/10 of a bel. <BR> <I>Ex. Most people speak in a range between 45 and 75 decibels (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a unit for expressing power ratios, equivalent to ten times the logarithm to the base ten of the ratio of any two power magnitudes. (Abbr:) db. </DL>
<A NAME="decidable">
<B>decidable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be decided. </DL>
<A NAME="decide">
<B>decide, </B>verb, <B>-cided,</B> <B>-ciding.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to settle (a question or dispute) by giving victory to one side; give a judgment or decision about. <BR> <I>Ex. Let us decide the question by tossing a penny. Fighting is a poor way to decide an argument.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to cause (a person) to reach a decision. <BR> <I>Ex. What decided you to vote for him?</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to give a judgment or decision. <BR> <I>Ex. Her sister decided in favor of the blue dress instead of the yellow one. The court decided in favor of the defendant.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to make up one's mind; resolve. <BR> <I>Ex. He decided to be a sailor.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="decided">
<B>decided, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>clear or definite; unquestionable. <BR> <I>Ex. There is a decided difference between black and white. His height gave the basketball player a decided advantage. I find much cause to reproach myself that I have lived so long, and have given no decided and public proof of my being a Christian (Patrick Henry).</I> (SYN) undeniable, indisputable. <DD><B> 2. </B>firm; determined; resolute. <BR> <I>Ex. He studied hard because he had a decided wish to go to college. Henry Smith spoke out boldly, and in a decided voice (Scott).</I> (SYN) positive, emphatic. noun <B>decidedness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="decidedly">
<B>decidedly, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>clearly; definitely; without question. <BR> <I>Ex. Her work is decidedly better than his. It was a decidedly warm day.</I> (SYN) certainly, surely, doubtless. <DD><B> 2. </B>in a determined manner; firmly. <BR> <I>Ex. The candidate spoke decidedly and to the point.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="decider">
<B>decider, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person or thing that decides (a question or dispute). <BR> <I>Ex. The minority--the late deciders--may tip the scales and carry an election (Science News Letter).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="decidua">
<B>decidua, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the part of the lining of the uterus in which a fertilized ovum is embedded and which is cast off at birth. </DL>
<A NAME="decidual">
<B>decidual, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or having to do with the decidua. </DL>
<A NAME="deciduate">
<B>deciduate, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>characterized by or having a decidua. <BR> <I>Ex. a deciduate mammal.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>having to do with a decidua. </DL>
<A NAME="deciduateplacenta">
<B>deciduate placenta,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a placenta which is composed in part of a decidua. </DL>
<A NAME="deciduous">
<B>deciduous, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>shedding leaves each year. Maples, elms, and most oaks are deciduous trees. <DD><B> b. </B>having such trees or shrubs. <BR> <I>Ex. Deciduous forests are limited to regions where there is sufficient rainfall (Fred W. Emerson).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>falling off at a particular season or stage of growth. <BR> <I>Ex. Maples have deciduous leaves that fall in autumn. Antlers are deciduous horns.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) not permanent; fleeting; transitory. <BR> <I>Ex. There is much that is deciduous in books (James Russell Lowell).</I> adv. <B>deciduously.</B> noun <B>deciduousness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="deciduousholly">
<B>deciduous holly,</B> <B>=black alder.</B></DL>
<A NAME="deciduoustooth">
<B>deciduous tooth,</B> <B>=milk tooth.</B></DL>
<A NAME="decigram">
<B>decigram, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a unit of measure of mass in the metric system equal to one tenth of a gram, about 1.5432 grains, or 0.003527 ounce. (Abbr:) dg. </DL>
<B>decile, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Statistics.) <DD><I>noun </I> one of the points on a scale of the frequency distribution of data which divide the data into ten parts, each having the same frequency. <DD><I>adj. </I> of or having to do with deciles; being a decile. </DL>
<A NAME="deciliter">
<B>deciliter, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a unit of measure of volume in the metric system equal to one tenth of a liter, 6.102 cubic inches U.S. dry measure, or about 3.38 fluid ounces U.S. liquid measure. (Abbr:) dl. </DL>
