<B>defat, </B>transitive verb, <B>-fatted,</B> <B>-fatting.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to remove fat from. <BR> <I>Ex. the defatting and drying effects of soap.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to deprive of fat. </DL>
<A NAME="default">
<B>default, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>failure to do something or to appear somewhere when due; neglect. If, in any contest, one side does not appear, it loses by default. (SYN) negligence, omission. <DD><B> 2. </B>failure to pay when due. <BR> <I>Ex. a default on an installment payment.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Law.) failure to appear in court at the time assigned to plead or defend a case. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Obsolete.) a want; lack; absence. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Obsolete.) a fault; mistake; misdeed. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to fail to do something or appear somewhere when due. <BR> <I>Ex. They defaulted in the tennis tournament.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to fail to pay ones debts when due. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Law.) <DD><B> a. </B>to fail to appear in court at the proper time. <DD><B> b. </B>to lose a case because of failure to appear. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to fail to perform or pay when due. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Law.) to declare (a person) in default. <DD><B> 3. </B>to lose by default. <BR><I>expr. <B>in default of,</B> </I>in the absence of; having no; lacking. <BR> <I>Ex. In default of evidence, the case was dismissed.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="defaulter">
<B>defaulter, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who defaults. <BR> <I>Ex. Under exchange rules a defaulter must pay a buyer a fair market price for the undelivered potatoes (New York Times).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a person who steals or uses money entrusted to his care. <DD><B> 3. </B>(British.) a soldier convicted of a military offense. </DL>
<A NAME="defeasance">
<B>defeasance, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a making null and void. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Law.) <DD><B> a. </B>a condition stated in a contract or deed which, if carried out, makes the contract or deed null and void. <DD><B> b. </B>a contract or deed expressing such a condition. </DL>
<A NAME="defeasibility">
<B>defeasibility, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the quality of being defeasible. </DL>
<A NAME="defeasible">
<B>defeasible, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be or is liable to be made null and void. noun <B>defeasibleness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="defeat">
<B>defeat, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to win a victory over; overcome. <BR> <I>Ex. to defeat an army, to defeat an opponent in an election. Washington defeated Cornwallis at Yorktown.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) to make useless; cause to fail. <BR> <I>Ex. to defeat someone's plans. His effort to toughen himself by going without an overcoat defeated itself, for he caught a bad cold.</I> (SYN) frustrate, thwart. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) to do out of; deprive. <BR> <I>Ex. His bad temper defeated him of ultimate success.</I> (SYN) defraud. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Law.) to make null and void; annul. <DD><B> 5. </B>(Obsolete.) to undo; destroy; ruin. <BR> <I>Ex. His unkindness may defeat my life (Shakespeare).</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a defeating. <BR> <I>Ex. Washington's defeat of Cornwallis ended the Revolutionary War.</I> (SYN) conquest. <DD><B> 2. </B>a being defeated. <BR> <I>Ex. Cornwallis's defeat at Yorktown marked the end of British power in the United States.</I> (SYN) loss, overthrow. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) a making useless. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Obsolete.) undoing; destruction; ruin. </DL>
<A NAME="defeater">
<B>defeater, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person or thing that defeats. </DL>
<A NAME="defeatism">
<B>defeatism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the attitude or behavior of a defeatist; conduct tending to bring about acceptance of defeat. </DL>
<A NAME="defeatist">
<B>defeatist, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a person who expects, wishes for, or admits defeat. <DD><I>adj. </I> having to do with or characterized by defeatism. <BR> <I>Ex. This defeatist attitude is induced by early training (Harper's).</I> </DL>
<B>defecate, </B>verb. <B>-cated,</B> <B>-cating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to discharge waste matter from the intestines; have a movement of the bowels. <DD><B> 2. </B>to become clear of impurities. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to clear of impurities; purify; refine. </DL>
<A NAME="defecation">
<B>defecation, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act of defecating; purification. <DD><B> 2. </B>that which has been defecated. </DL>
<A NAME="defecator">
<B>defecator, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person or thing that defecates or purifies. </DL>
<A NAME="defect">
<B>defect, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a fault; blemish; imperfection. <BR> <I>Ex. The hole was a defect in the material. A bad temper was the defect in his nature.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>lack of something needed for completeness; a falling short. <BR> <I>Ex. A defect in his sense of right and wrong made him steal.</I> (SYN) want, deficiency. <DD><I>v.i. </I> to forsake one's own country, group, party, or religion, for another, especially another that is opposed to or different from it. <BR> <I>Ex. After he lost the nomination, he defected to the other party. A top Polish officer has defected to the West and is now hiding in the U.S. (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="defect">
<B>defect.,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> defective. </DL>
<A NAME="defectibility">
<B>defectibility, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> liability of falling short; a being defective. </DL>
<A NAME="defectible">
<B>defectible, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Obsolete or Rare.) liable to fall short; subject to defect. </DL>
<A NAME="defection">
<B>defection, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a falling away from loyalty, duty, or belief; desertion. <BR> <I>Ex. The candidate was blamed for defection from his political party.</I> (SYN) apostasy, renunciation. <DD><B> 2. </B>a falling short; failure. <BR> <I>Ex. I underwent ... miserable defections of hope (Charlotte Bronte).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="defective">
<B>defective, </B>adjective, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>having a flaw or blemish; not complete; not perfect; faulty. <BR> <I>Ex. A watch with defective parts will not keep time. ... leaning his head sideways as though he was trying to hear something through a defective telephone (Graham Greene).</I> (SYN) imperfect. <DD><B> 2. </B>lacking one or more of the usual forms of grammatical inflection. "Ought" is a defective verb. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Psychology.) below normal in behavior or intelligence. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a defective person or thing. <DD><B> 2. </B>a person who has some defect of body or mind. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Grammar.) a defective word. adv. <B>defectively.</B> noun <B>defectiveness.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="defectivevirus">
<B>defective virus,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a class of viruses that contain only a small amount of genetic material and can therefore replicate only in the presence of a normal virus. <BR> <I>Ex. The delta agent [is] a defective virus that exists only in conjunction with the hepatitis B virus (Science News).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="defectiveyear">
<B>defective year,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the shortest of the three common years of the Jewish calendar, having 353 days. </DL>
<A NAME="defectology">
<B>defectology, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the study of the causes and remedies of defects in human development or mechanical composition. </DL>
<A NAME="defector">
<B>defector, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who defects. <BR> <I>Ex. The Independents and all other defectors from the party (George Campbell).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="defederalize">
<B>defederalize, </B>transitive verb, <B>-ized,</B> <B>-izing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to break up or dissolve (a federal union). <DD><B> 2. </B>to withdraw from the control of the federal government. </DL>
<A NAME="defeminize">
<B>defeminize, </B>transitive verb, <B>-nized,</B> <B>-nizing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to deprive of feminine qualities or characteristics. <BR> <I>Ex. This physiological revolution ... has defeminized Eve and demoralized Adam (Atlantic).</I> </DL>
<B>defend, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to keep safe; guard from attack or harm; protect. <BR> <I>Ex. As the wolves closed in the dog stood rigid, ready to defend his master. In sports, the defense is in charge of defending the goal.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to act, speak, or write in favor of. <BR> <I>Ex. The newspapers defended the governor's action. A district attorney defends the rights and privileges of the citizens.</I> (SYN) uphold, maintain. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Law.) <DD><B> a. </B>to fight or contest (a claim or lawsuit). <DD><B> b. </B>to act or speak on behalf of (a person accused). <BR> <I>Ex. The lawyer defended the man charged with theft before a judge. A State Supreme Court order ... demands that public funds be used to defend indigents (New York Times).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Obsolete.) to prohibit; forbid. <BR> <I>Ex. No interdict Defends the touching of these viands pure (Milton).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to make or enter a defense. </DL>
<A NAME="defendable">
<B>defendable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be defended. </DL>
<A NAME="defendant">
<B>defendant, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a person accused or sued in a law court. <BR> <I>Ex. This defendant is charged with theft.</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>defending; being a defendant. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Obsolete.) defensive. </DL>
<A NAME="defender">
<B>defender, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a protector; guardian. <BR> <I>Ex. All the inhabitants of the State are born defenders of it (J. R. Seeley).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Sports.) a person or team that stands ready to defend its championship. </DL>
<A NAME="defenderofthefaith">
<B>Defender of the Faith,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a title held by the sovereigns of England. Pope Leo X conferred it on Henry VIII in 1521. </DL>
<A NAME="defendress">
<B>defendress, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a woman defender. </DL>
<A NAME="defenestrate">
<B>defenestrate, </B>verb, <B>-trated,</B> <B>-trating.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to throw (a person or thing) out of a window. </DL>
