<B>dimissory, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> granting leave to depart; dismissing. </DL>
<A NAME="dimissoryletter">
<B>dimissory letter,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a letter dismissing a clergyman from one diocese and recommending him to another. <DD><B> 2. </B>a letter from a pope, bishop, abbot, or other official, authorizing the bearer as a candidate for ordination. </DL>
<A NAME="dimity">
<B>dimity, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ties.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a thin cotton cloth woven with heavy threads in striped or checked arrangement, used for dresses, curtains, etc.. <BR> <I>Ex. Corded cotton fabrics include dimity, pajama checks ... and other novelties (Bernice G. Chambers).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a strong cotton cloth woven with raised patterns, used for draperies, coverings for furniture, etc. </DL>
<A NAME="dimmable">
<B>dimmable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be dimmed. <BR> <I>Ex. dimmable headlight bulbs.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dimmer">
<B>dimmer, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person or thing that dims. <DD><B> 2. </B>a device that dims an electric light, especially automobile headlights. </DL>
<B>dimorph, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> one of the two forms in which a dimorphic thing or substance exists. </DL>
<A NAME="dimorphic">
<B>dimorphic, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> existing or occurring in two distinct forms; exhibiting dimorphism; dimorphous. </DL>
<A NAME="dimorphism">
<B>dimorphism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the occurrence of two different forms of the same plant, animal, organ, or substance: <DD><B> a. </B>(Botany.) the occurrence of two different forms of flowers, leaves, or other parts on the same plant or in the same species, as in the disk and ray florets of the daisy, or the young and adult foliage of eucalyptus. <DD><B> b. </B>(Zoology.) the occurrence of two forms different in structure, coloration, etc., among animals of the same species. <DD><B> c. </B>(Chemistry, Mineralogy.) the property of some substances of crystallizing in two different forms. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Linguistics.) the occurrence in a language of two or more words, such as <I>dent</I> and <I>dint</I> or <I>church</I> and <I>kirk,</I> that come from the same source. </DL>
<B>dimout, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a lessening or concealing of light at night. <BR> <I>Ex. Newfoundland ... was already on a war footing, complete with ration laws and dimouts (Maclean's).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dimple">
<B>dimple, </B>noun, verb, <B>-pled,</B> <B>-pling.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a small, hollow place in the skin, usually in the cheek or chin. <BR> <I>Ex. She has dimples in her cheeks when she smiles. There's a boil on his ear and a corn on his chin--He calls it a dimple but dimples stick in (James Whitcomb Riley).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>any small, hollow place, such as a dip in the surface of land or a ripple on the water. <DD><I>v.t. </I> to make or show dimples in. <BR> <I>Ex. The shower dimpled the surface of the pond.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to form dimples. <BR> <I>Ex. She dimples whenever she smiles.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dimply">
<B>dimply, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> having dimples. </DL>
<A NAME="dimsum">
<B>dim sum,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a Chinese appetizer of steamed, meat-filled dumplings. </DL>
<A NAME="dimwit">
<B>dimwit, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) a stupid person; simpleton; fool. <BR> <I>Ex. ... a slothful, inconsistent dimwit which gets along solely on a few inherited habits (Time).</I> </DL>
<B>din, </B>noun, verb, <B>dinned,</B> <B>dinning.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a loud, confused noise that lasts. <BR> <I>Ex. The din of the cheering crowd watching the game was deafening.</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to make a din. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to strike with a din. <DD><B> 2. </B>to say (one thing) over and over again; repeat in a tiresome way. <BR> <I>Ex. He was always dinning into our ears the importance of hard work.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dinanderie">
<B>dinanderie, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> fine antique metallic vessels and utensils. </DL>
<A NAME="dinar">
<B>dinar, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>the unit of money of Yugoslavia, equal to 100 paras. <DD><B> b. </B>the unit of money in several countries of the Mediterranean area, especially Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Tunisia, and Yemen (Aden). The Algerian dinar is equal to 100 centimes, the Tunisian to 1000 millimes, and the others to 1000 fils. <DD><B> 2. </B>a coin worth one dinar. <DD><B> 3. </B>any one of various gold coins used in ancient Arab countries. </DL>
<A NAME="dinaric">
<B>Dinaric, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>of or having to do with the mountain range which extends along the eastern side of the Adriatic. <DD><B> 2. </B>of or having to do with a hypothetical racial group inhabiting the northern Adriatic coast, characterized by tallness, a very short head, dark wavy hair, and straight or aquiline nose. </DL>
<B>dine, </B>verb, <B>dined,</B> <B>dining,</B> noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i. </I> to eat dinner. <BR> <I>Ex. We usually dine at six o'clock.</I> <DD><I>v.t. </I> to give a dinner to; give a dinner for. <BR> <I>Ex. The Chamber of Commerce dined the famous traveler.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> (Obsolete except Dialect.) dinner. <BR><I>expr. <B>dine out,</B> </I>to eat dinner away from home. <BR> <I>Ex. We dined out last night to celebrate my birthday.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="diner">
<B>diner, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a person who is eating dinner. <DD><B> 2. </B>a railroad car in which meals are served; dining car. <BR> <I>Ex. We sat in the same coach but in different seats, and we did not go into the diner together for lunch (New Yorker).</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a small eating place, that often looks like a railroad car. </DL>
<A NAME="dineric">
<B>dineric, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Physics.) having to do with or constituting the boundary between two liquids that cannot mix. </DL>
<A NAME="dinero">
<B>dinero, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ros.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a silver coin of Peru, no longer used. <DD><B> 2. </B>(U.S. Slang.) money. <BR> <I>Ex. He insisted he had no dinero.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dinerout">
<B>diner-out, </B>noun, pl. <B>diners-out.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a person who dines at a restaurant, night club, or place other than at home. <BR> <I>Ex. Men who daily play host to New York's diners-out dine out themselves (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dinette">
<B>dinette, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1a. </B>a small dining room or dining space. <DD><B> b. </B>the table and chairs used in a dinette. <DD><B> 2. </B>(British.) a luncheon; small meal. </DL>
<A NAME="ding">
<B>ding, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.i., v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to make the sound of a bell; ring continuously. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Informal.) to say over and over; din. <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the sound made by a bell. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Surfing.) a dent, scratch, or hole on a surfboard. </DL>
<A NAME="dingaansday">
<B>Dingaan's Day,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a holiday in South Africa, December 16, commemorating the victory of a small force of Boers over the Zulus under their king, Dingaan, in 1838. </DL>
<A NAME="dingaling">
<B>ding-a-ling, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S. Slang.) a crazy person. </DL>
<A NAME="dingansich">
<B>Ding an sich,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (German. Philosophy.) thing-in-itself. <BR> <I>Ex. He distinguishes between appearance and substance (the latter being probably what Kant called "Ding an sich") (Max Born).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dingbat">
<B>dingbat, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>(U.S. Slang.) a gadget; invention. <BR> <I>Ex. The drawings ... contain an exploded view of the parts, above the assembled dingbat (Scientific American).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>(U.S. Slang.) <DD><B> a. </B>a strange, silly, or stupid person. <DD><B> b. </B>a beggar; hobo. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Printing.) a distinctive type face or ornament, used in headings, at the beginning of a paragraph, between columns, etc. </DL>
<A NAME="dingdong">
<B>ding-dong, </B>noun, adjective, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the sound made by the continuous ringing of a bell. <DD><B> 2. </B>a jingle; rhyme in verse or song. <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>continuously ringing or striking. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Informal.) very vigorous; closely contested. <BR> <I>Ex. a ding-dong contest, a ding-dong race. A ding-dong labor war is about to break into the news (Newsweek).</I> <DD><I>v.i. </I> to sound with the regularity of the ding-dong of a bell. <DD><I>v.t. </I> (Informal.) to annoy with repetitious complaints, requests, taunts, etc. </DL>
<B>dingey, </B>noun, pl. <B>-geys.</B> <B>=dinghy.</B></DL>
<A NAME="dinghy">
<B>dinghy, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ghies.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a small rowboat. <DD><B> 2. </B>a small boat used as a tender by a large boat, such as a yacht or warship. <DD><B> 3. </B>a small racing boat with no deck and a single mast rigged with a mainsail and often a jib. <DD><B> 4. </B>a rowboat or sailboat used in India and the East Indies. Also, <B>dingey,</B> <B>dingy.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="dingily">
<B>dingily, </B>adverb.<DL COMPACT><DD> in a dingy manner. </DL>
<A NAME="dinginess">
<B>dinginess, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> dingy quality or condition; lack of cleanness and freshness. </DL>
<A NAME="dingle">
<B>dingle</B> (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a small, deep, shady valley. <BR> <I>Ex. Searched each thicket, dingle, hollow (Longfellow).</I> (SYN) dell. </DL>
<B>dingo, </B>noun, pl. <B>-goes.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a wolflike wild dog of Australia that feeds chiefly on wallabies and sheep. Dingoes hunt alone or in packs. </DL>
