<B>dragonish, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> in the form of a dragon; like a dragon. </DL>
<A NAME="dragonlizard">
<B>dragon lizard</B> or <B>dragon of Komodo,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a very large lizard of Indonesia, sometimes 10 feet long and weighing up to 300 pounds. It is believed to be the largest lizard in the world. Also, <B>Komodo dragon.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="dragonnade">
<B>dragonnade, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the persecution of the French Protestants by the troops of Louis XIV. <DD><B> 2. </B>any persecution by soldiers. </DL>
<B>dragon's blood,<DL COMPACT><DD> 1. </B>a red resin obtained from the fruit of a palm of the Malay Archipelago, used in making varnishes, and in photoengraving. <DD><B> 2. </B>any one of various similar resins from other trees, especially from varieties of dracaena. </DL>
<A NAME="dragonshead">
<B>dragon's head,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B><B>=dragonhead.</B> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Astronomy.) the point where the orbit of the moon or a planet intersects the ecliptic as the body moves northward. </DL>
<A NAME="dragonstail">
<B>dragon's tail,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Astronomy.) the point where the orbit of the moon or a planet intersects the ecliptic as the body moves southward. </DL>
<A NAME="dragonsteeth">
<B>dragon's teeth,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the teeth of the dragon which were sown by Cadmus. <DD><B> 2. </B>a row or rows of cone-shaped obstacles placed on a road. <BR> <I>Ex. The danger from heavy snow has been removed by ... earth mounds called "dragon's teeth," built on the principle of obstacles used against tanks, which brake avalanches (London Times).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>sow dragon's teeth,</B> </I>to sow seeds of destruction and dissension, injurious to oneself as well as to others. <BR> <I>Ex. [They] sowed the dragon's teeth which sprung up into the hydras of rebellion and apostasy (John B. Marsden).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dragontail">
<B>dragontail, </B>noun. =green dragon.</DL>
<A NAME="dragontree">
<B>dragon tree,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a large tree of the agave family, from which a variety of dragon's blood is obtained. It grows in the Canary Islands. </DL>
<A NAME="dragonwithe">
<B>dragon withe,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a climbing plant bearing winged fruits like the paired ones of the maple. It grows in the West Indies. </DL>
<A NAME="dragoon">
<B>dragoon, </B>noun, verb.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a soldier who fights on horseback. Dragoons formerly rode horses to the battlefield, but fought on foot. <DD><B> 2. </B>any one of a breed of domestic pigeons that produce large squabs, raised chiefly as food. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Obsolete.) a short musket; dragon. <DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to compel by oppression or persecution. <BR> <I>Ex. Many prisoners were dragooned into working in labor camps.</I> (SYN) pressure, coerce. <DD><B> 2. </B>to oppress or persecute by dragoons. </DL>
<A NAME="dragoonbird">
<B>dragoon bird,</B> =umbrella bird.</DL>
<A NAME="dragout">
<B>drag-out, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Informal.) a dragging out; prolongation. <BR> <I>Ex. If the drag-out of the recession continues (Christian Science Monitor).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dragparachute">
<B>drag parachute,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a parachute used especially to slow down an aircraft on the runway in landing; brake parachute. <BR> <I>Ex. It will [land] at 250 m.p.h., and may use a drag parachute to check its speed on the ground (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dragrace">
<B>drag race,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a race between cars, usually hot rods, to determine which can accelerate faster over a given distance, usually a quarter of a mile in the sport of drag racing. </DL>
<A NAME="dragracer">
<B>drag racer,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a person who takes part in a drag race. </DL>
<A NAME="dragracing">
<B>drag racing,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the racing of cars in a drag race, now especially as a recognized sport. </DL>
<A NAME="dragrope">
<B>dragrope, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a rope for pulling something, especially an artillery weapon. <DD><B> 2. </B>a rope dragging from something, such as the guide rope sometimes hung downward from a balloon. </DL>
<A NAME="dragsail">
<B>drag sail</B> or <B>sheet,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a sea anchor equipped with a sail. </DL>
<A NAME="dragseining">
<B>drag seining,</B> =beach seining.</DL>
<A NAME="dragsman">
<B>dragsman, </B>noun, pl. <B>-men.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the driver of a drag or coach. <DD><B> 2. </B>a person hired to drag a river bed, etc. </DL>
<A NAME="dragster">
<B>dragster, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Slang.) <DD><B> 1. </B>a car used in a drag race; hot rod. <BR> <I>Ex. The dragsters are usually concocted from a fantastic variety of car parts and bear little resemblance to any of the cars from which their parts were taken (Wall Street Journal).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a person who takes part in a drag race; drag racer. <BR> <I>Ex. Glenn Leasher, a 26-year-old dragster from Burlingame, Calif., showed up with an improbable creation called Infinity (Time).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="dragstrip">
<B>drag strip,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a straight road, usually of concrete or asphalt, set aside by local police or municipal authorities, or specially laid, for drag races. <BR> <I>Ex. Your article about hot-rodding has sparked renewed interest in obtaining a drag strip in the Buffalo area (Wall Street Journal).</I> </DL>
<B>drahthaar, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a German breed of wire-haired pointers. </DL>
<A NAME="drail">
<B>drail, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) a fishhook with a weighted shank, for trolling. <BR> <I>Ex. A 2 to 4-ounce drail ... is used to carry the bait or lure to the bottom (New York Times).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="drain">
<B>drain, </B>verb, noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>v.t. </I> <B>1. </B>to draw off slowly. <BR> <I>Ex. That ditch drains water from the swamp.</I> (SYN) remove. <DD><B> 2. </B>to draw water or other liquid from; empty or dry by draining. <BR> <I>Ex. The farmers drained the swamps to get more land for crops.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) to take away from slowly; use up little by little; exhaust. <BR> <I>Ex. The war drained the country of its people and money. His energy was drained by working too long in the hot sun.</I> (SYN) deplete, deprive. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) to empty by drinking; drink dry. <BR> <I>Ex. In one drink he drained the cup.</I> <DD><B> 5. </B>to strain (liquid) through a filter. <DD><I>v.i. </I> <B>1. </B>to flow off slowly. <BR> <I>Ex. The water drains into a river.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>to dry; lose moisture by dripping or flowing. <BR> <I>Ex. Set the dishes here to drain.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>to get rid of its surplus water; find an outlet for water. <BR> <I>Ex. Vast areas of the United States drain into the Gulf of Mexico.</I> <DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a channel, trench, or pipe for carrying off water or waste of any kind. <BR> <I>Ex. She carried the tray back to the kitchen [and] dumped the beer and coffee down the drain (New Yorker).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>anything that drains. <BR> <I>Ex. Strips of gauze are used as drains for pus from wounds.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a slow taking away; a using up little by little. <BR> <I>Ex. (Figurative.) Working or playing too hard is a drain on your strength.</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>drains,</B> </I>dregs. <BR> <I>Ex. I had ... emptied some dull opiate to the drains (Keats).</I> <BR><I>expr. <B>go down the drain,</B> <DD><B> a. </B>to become worthless. </I> <I>Ex. His savings went down the drain on a bad investment.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>to be left out or forgotten. <BR> <I>Ex. Only about thirty new [television] programs are selected each year. The rest go down the drain (Goodman Ace). This isn't a play about a man going down the drain. It's about a man ... desperately fighting against doing so (Saturday Review).</I> noun <B>drainer.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="drainable">
<B>drainable, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that can be drained. </DL>
<A NAME="drainage">
<B>drainage, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the act or process of draining; a drawing off or flowing off of water. <BR> <I>Ex. The drainage of swamps improves a town.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a system of channels or pipes for carrying off water or waste of any kind. <DD><B> 3. </B>what is drained off. <DD><B> 4. </B>an area that is drained. </DL>
<A NAME="drainagebasin">
<B>drainage basin,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> the area that is drained by a river and its tributaries. </DL>
<A NAME="drainagecycle">
<B>drainage cycle,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Geology.) the beginning, development, and maturity of a network of streams to the time of interruption introduced by new conditions. </DL>
<A NAME="drainboard">
<B>drainboard, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a metal board, usually enamel-covered, on one side of a sink, set at a slight downward angle, for draining water from dishes, pots, and pans into the sink. <BR> <I>Ex. A plump old Irishwoman, who was mopping the drainboards, cooked him some supper (New Yorker).</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>a matlike rubber tray on which dishes, pots, and pans are placed for drying after washing. </DL>
<A NAME="drainless">
<B>drainless, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> that cannot be drained or used up. </DL>
<A NAME="drainpipe">
<B>drainpipe, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a pipe for carrying off water or other liquid. </DL>
<B>drains, </B>noun pl.<DL COMPACT><DD> See under <B>drain.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="drainspout">
<B>drainspout, </B>noun. =downspout.</DL>
<A NAME="draisine">
<B>draisine, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an early form of the velocipede, invented in 1816-17. </DL>
<A NAME="drake">
<B>drake</B> (1), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a male duck. </DL>
<A NAME="drake">
<B>drake</B> (2), noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B><B>=May fly.</B> <DD><B> 2. </B>(Obsolete.) a type of small cannon. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Obsolete.) a dragon (def. 1). </DL>
<A NAME="drakefly">
<B>drake fly,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a May fly, especially an artificial one, used for bait. </DL>
