<B>decriminalize, </B>transitive verb, <B>-ized,</B> <B>-izing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to declare not criminal; legalize (something previously treated as a crime or offense). <BR> <I>Ex. to decriminalize gambling.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="decruit">
<B>decruit, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) to place (an older or unneeded employee) in a lower-level position. </DL>
<A NAME="decry">
<B>decry, </B>transitive verb, <B>-cried,</B> <B>-crying.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to express strong disapproval of; condemn; cry out against. <BR> <I>Ex. From his pulpit the minister decried all forms of gambling.</I> (SYN) denounce. <DD><B> 2. </B>to make little of; try to lower the value of by slighting statements. <BR> <I>Ex. The librarian decried television as the only source of entertainment. The lumber dealer decried the use of concrete for houses.</I> (SYN) disparage. </DL>
<A NAME="decrypt">
<B>decrypt, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to decode (a cryptogram). </DL>
<A NAME="decubitus">
<B>decubitus, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the position assumed by the body when lying down. <DD><B> 2. </B><B>=bedsore.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="decubitusulcer">
<B>decubitus ulcer,</B> =bedsore.</DL>
<A NAME="decuman">
<B>decuman, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>very large; immense. <BR> <I>Ex. decuman waves.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(in Roman history) having to do with the tenth cohort of a legion (used especially of the main gate of a fortified camp, the primary defense of which was the responsibility of the tenth cohort). </DL>
<A NAME="decumbence">
<B>decumbence, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a decumbent condition or position. </DL>
<A NAME="decumbency">
<B>decumbency, </B>noun. =decumbence.</DL>
<A NAME="decumbent">
<B>decumbent, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(Botany.) lying or trailing on the ground with the end tending to climb. <BR> <I>Ex. decumbent stems or branches.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>lying down; reclining. </DL>
<A NAME="decuple">
<B>decuple, </B>adjective, noun, verb, <B>-pled,</B> <B>-pling.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> ten times as great; tenfold. <DD><I>noun </I> a number or quantity ten times another; tenfold amount. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to make ten times as great. </DL>
<A NAME="decurion">
<B>decurion, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> in Roman history: <DD><B> 1. </B>an officer commanding a group of ten horsemen. <DD><B> 2. </B>the head of a decury. <DD><B> 3. </B>any commander of ten. <DD><B> 4. </B>a member of a colonial or municipal senate. </DL>
<A NAME="decurrent">
<B>decurrent, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) extending down the stem. <BR> <I>Ex. decurrent leaves.</I> adv. <B>decurrently.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="decurvation">
<B>decurvation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act or process of decurving. <DD><B> 2. </B>the condition of being curved downward. </DL>
<A NAME="decurve">
<B>decurve, </B>transitive verb, <B>-curved,</B> <B>-curving.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to curve downward. </DL>
<A NAME="decury">
<B>decury, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ries.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> in Roman history: <DD><B> 1. </B>a group of ten, as of judges or scribes. <DD><B> 2. </B>a group, division, or class of any size. </DL>
<A NAME="decussate">
<B>decussate, </B>adjective, verb, <B>-sated,</B> <B>-sating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>in the form of the letter X; crossed; intersecting. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Botany.) arranged along the stem in pairs, each pair at right angles to the pair next above or below. <BR> <I>Ex. decussate leaves.</I> <DD><I>v.t., v.i. </I> to cross in the form of the letter X; intersect. adv. <B>decussately.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="decussation">
<B>decussation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the crossing of lines, rays, fibers, or the like so as to form a figure like the letter X; intersection. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Anatomy.) a band of nerve fibers crossing the central nervous system and connecting unlike centers on the two sides. </DL>
<B>D. Ed.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> Doctor of Education. Also, <B>Ed.D.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="dedal">
<B>dedal, </B>adjective. =daedal.</DL>
<A NAME="dedans">
<B>dedans, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> in court tennis: <DD><B> 1. </B>an open gallery for spectators at the service end of the court. <DD><B> 2. </B>the spectators. </DL>
<A NAME="dedicant">
<B>dedicant, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who dedicates. </DL>
<A NAME="dedicate">
<B>dedicate, </B>verb, <B>-cated,</B> <B>-cating,</B> adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to set apart for a purpose. <BR> <I>Ex. The land on which the battle of Gettysburg was fought was dedicated to the memory of the soldiers who had died there. The new altar was dedicated at a special service.</I> (SYN) consecrate. <DD><B> 2. </B>to celebrate the opening of (a bridge, institution, meeting, or other function or structure) with an official ceremony. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) to give up wholly or earnestly to some person or purpose. <BR> <I>Ex. A minister or priest is dedicated to the service of God. The doctor dedicated his life to improving hospital care in his community. Marlowe's play is ... unrelievedly dedicated to blood and thunder (Newsweek).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>to address (a book, poem, or other literary or artistic work) to a friend or patron as a mark of affection, respect, or gratitude. <BR> <I>Ex. The author dedicated his book to his teacher.</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> (Archaic.) dedicated. </DL>
<A NAME="dedicated">
<B>dedicated, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> designed or used for a particular task or purpose. <BR> <I>Ex. Other dedicated machines include statistical and financial calculators and metric converters (New Scientist).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dedicatee">
<B>dedicatee, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person to whom anything, especially a book, is dedicated. </DL>
<A NAME="dedication">
<B>dedication, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act of setting apart or state of being set apart for a purpose. <BR> <I>Ex. the dedication of a church.</I> (SYN) consecration. <DD><B> 2. </B>a ceremony attending the official opening of something, such as a building, institution, or convention. <BR> <I>Ex. the dedication of a new library wing.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) the act or state of giving up wholly or earnestly to some person or purpose. <BR> <I>Ex. The old man regretted his complete dedication to making money.</I> (SYN) devotion. <DD><B> 4. </B>the words dedicating a book, poem, or the like, to a friend or patron. (SYN) inscription. </DL>
<A NAME="dedicative">
<B>dedicative, </B>adjective. =dedicatory.</DL>
<A NAME="dedicator">
<B>dedicator, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who dedicates. </DL>
<A NAME="dedicatory">
<B>dedicatory, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of dedication; as a dedication. <BR> <I>Ex. Ten eminent physicists have contributed to a dedicatory volume on the development of physics (Bulletin of Atomic Scientists).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dedieindiem">
<B>de die in diem,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Latin.) from day to day. </DL>
<A NAME="dedifferentiate">
<B>dedifferentiate, </B>intransitive verb, <B>-ated,</B> <B>-ating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Biology.) to undergo dedifferentiation; lose special form or function. <BR> <I>Ex. When the tadpole metamorphoses into the frog, some of its tissues start to dedifferentiate (Haldane and Huxley).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dedifferentiation">
<B>dedifferentiation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Biology.) a process in which a cell, tissue, organ, or organism loses its special form or function; loss of specialization. </DL>
<A NAME="dedolomalo">
<B>de dolo malo,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Latin.) from evil intent; from fraud. </DL>
<A NAME="deduce">
<B>deduce, </B>transitive verb, <B>-duced,</B> <B>-ducing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to reach (a conclusion) by reasoning; infer. <BR> <I>Ex. Her instructions are so complicated I cannot deduce from them what she wants.</I> <DL COMPACT><DD> See also <B>induce.</B> <DD><B> 2. </B>to trace the course, descent, or origin of. <BR> <I>Ex. to deduce the development of a culture from archeological remains.</I> </DL>
</DL>
<A NAME="deducible">
<B>deducible, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be deduced or inferred. <BR> <I>Ex. The opinions of an expert are, where rational, deducible (Manchester Guardian Weekly).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="deduct">
<B>deduct, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to take away; subtract. <BR> <I>Ex. The father deducted the costs of the broken window from his son's allowance.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Obsolete.) to deduce. </DL>
<A NAME="deductibility">
<B>deductibility, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the quality of being deductible. <BR> <I>Ex. The actions of the Internal Revenue Service concerning tax deductibility for organizations have been nothing short of high-handed (Harper's).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="deductible">
<B>deductible, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be deducted. </DL>
<A NAME="deduction">
<B>deduction, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act of taking away; subtraction. <BR> <I>Ex. No deduction from one's pay is made for absence due to illness.</I> (SYN) reduction. <DD><B> 2. </B>an amount deducted. <BR> <I>Ex. There was a deduction of $50 from the bill for damage caused by the movers.</I> (SYN) rebate, discount. <DD><B> 3. </B>a reaching of conclusions by reasoning; inference. A person using deduction reasons from general laws to particular cases. (Example:) All animals die; this cat is an animal; therefore, this cat will die. <DD><B> 4. </B>a thing deduced; conclusion. <BR> <I>Ex. Sherlock Holmes reached his clever deductions by careful study of the facts.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="deductive">
<B>deductive, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> of or using deduction; reasoning by deduction. <BR> <I>Ex. In mathematics plausible reasoning ... is only the prelude to deductive proof (Scientific American).</I> (SYN) inferential. adv. <B>deductively.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="deduplication">
<B>deduplication, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Botany.) the congenital separation of one organ into two or more. </DL>
<A NAME="dee">
<B>dee, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the letter D or d. <DD><B> 2. </B>either of the two D-shaped, semicircular, hollow cylinders of a cyclotron. When electrons are accelerated in the dees to a speed of 28,000 miles per second they are released to create a beam in the cyclotron. <DD><I>adj. </I> shaped like a D. </DL>
