#334 dialect

dialect- a from of a language spoken in a particular geographical area or by members of a particular social class or occupational group, distinguished by its vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation

C16 from Latin dialectus, from Greek dialektos speech

Assyrian tongue differed only in dialect from the Hebrew.

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#333 diadem

diadem- a royal crown, especially a light jewelled circlet; royal dignity or power

C13 from Latin diadema, from Greek diadein to bind around

Every land illuminated by thy diadem is encircled by thy might; and in all the zone of the heavens there is not a rebel to rise up against thee.

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#332 diabolic

diabolic- of, relating to, or proceeding from the devil; satanic; befitting a devil; extremely cruel or wicked; fiendish; very difficult or unpleasant

C14 from Latin diabolicus, from Greek diabolikos, from diabolos- devil

also diabolical

Recently I discovered that to preserve their diabolic power, vampires must sleep during the day in the same unhallowed ground in which they had been buried.

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#331 dharma

dharma- Hinduism- social custom regarded as a religious and moral duty; the essential principle of the cosmos; natural law; Buddhism- ideal truth as set forth in the teaching of Buddha

Sanskrit- from dharayati habit, usage,law

The word dharma literally translates as that which upholds or supports, and is generally translated into English as law.

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#330 detritus

detritus- a loose mass of stones, silt, worn away from rocks; an accumulation of accumulated material

C18 from French detritus, from Latin detritus a rubbing away

also detrition, detriment

If you collected all the detritus from a 25 megaton bomb after the explosion, you would only be missing one kilogram of mass, and an average sized city.

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#329 deterrent

deterrent- somethings that deters, hinders; a weapon held by one to deter, restrain

C19 from Latin deterrens- hindering

In the matter of defence, we should not overlook the fact that one of the key elements in any adversary's assessment of the effectiveness of our deterrent is the state of the resolution and will of the North Atlantic Alliance.

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#328 destitute

destitute- lacking the means of subsistence; totally impoverished

C14 from Latin destitutus- forsaken

The destitute in society are often alienated and lonely.

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#327 despot

despot- an absolute or tyrannical ruler; autocrat or tyrant; any person in power who acts tyrannically

C16 from Medieval Latin despota, from Greek despotes- lord master ; related to domus house

He could not even be mentioned in the language of any humane ruler except by despot which branded him as an object of mingled fear and dislike.

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#326 desiderata

desiderata- the plural of desideratum- something lacked and wanted

C17 from Latin desiderare- desiderate verb- to feel the lack of or need for; long for; miss

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons. .. from Max Ehrmann's Desiderata

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#325 desecrate

desecrate- to violate or outrage the sacred character of an object or place by destructive, blasphemous, or sacrilegious action

C17 from de+ consecrate

desecrator, desecration

Prior to the board's split vote last summer, preservationists had mounted an intense lobbying effort against a Wal-Mart at that location because they said it would desecrate an unprotected part of the battlefield.

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#324 derogate

derogate,verb- to cause to seem inferior or be in disrepute; detract; disparage

C15 from Latin derogare to repeal some part of a law modify it

derogatory,adj.- tending or intended to detract, disparage, or belittle; intentionally offensive

derogation, noun

And bridge to nowhere is a symbol to derogate extravagant government spending on a project that would benefit relative few people.

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#323 derelict

derelict, adj.- deserted or abandoned, as by an owner, falling into ruins; neglected; dilapidated

C17 from Latin derelictus forsaken, from derelinquere to abandon

dereliction, noun- deliberate, conscious, or wilful neglect

The state charges that he has been derelict in his duties as a landlord.

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#322 deprecate

deprecate- to express disapproval of; protest against; to depreciate a person's character; belittle

C17 from Latin deprecari to avert, ward off by entreaty

deprecatory adj; deprecation noun

At the same time, an increasingly fashionable "spirituality," vaguely influenced by eastern religions and (less consciously) by our own Gnostic heritage, tends to deprecate the body and all material existence as ultimately illusory.

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#321 denouement

denouement- the final clarification or resolution of a plot in a play or other work; final outcome, solution

C18 from French, literally an untying from denouer to untie, Old French desnoer, from Latin nodare from nodus a knot

It was not until close upon six o'clock that I found myself free and was able to spring into a hansom and drive to Baker Street, half afraid that I might be too late to assist at the denouement of the little mystery.

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#320 denigrate

denigrate- to belittle or disparage the character of; defame

C16 from Latin denigrare to make very black, defame,

Wanting to learn more about Islam, not to denigrate it, was my personal reaction to the tragedy that was September 11th.

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#319 demure

demure- sedate; decorous (polite); reserved; affectedly modest or prim; coy

C14 Old French demorer to delay, linger; perhaps influenced by meur ripe, mature

demurely adverb; demureness noun

She was freezing cold and yet sweat was beading on her forehead and trickling between her breasts under her demure linen nightgown.

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#318 demulcent

demulcent- soothing; mollifying; a drug or agent that soothes the irritation of inflamed or injured skin surfaces

C18 from Latin demulcere to caress

Some of the medicinal properties are emollient, demulcent, laxative, source of linoleic acid; cold-pressed oil is used in salves for muscle pains; leaves in tea are astringent and antiseptic; may lower blood sugar in diabetes and dilate coronary arteries to improve blood circulation. (How's that for a sentence?)

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#317 democracy

democracy- government by the people or their elected representatives...

-interesting word etymology- French democratie, from Late Latin democratia, from Greek demokratia- government by the people

Inherent within labour unions is a fervent democracy.

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#316 demagogue

demagogue- a political agitator who appeals with crude oratory to the prejudice and passions of the mob; in ancient world- popular political leader or orator

C17 from Greek demagogos people's leader, from demos people + agein to lead

Last May, Obama labeled Chávez a "demagogue" and said, "His predictable yet perilous mix of anti-American rhetoric, authoritarian government, and checkbook diplomacy offers the same false promise as the tried and failed ideologies of the past.

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#315 delude

delude- to deceive the mind or judgment of; mislead; beguile

C15 from Latin deludere to mock, play false

It is all very well for us to say these things for the public, but we must not delude ourselves.

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#314 deleterious

deleterious- harmful; injurious; hurtful

C17 from Latin deleterius, from Greek deleterios- injurious, destructive,

The real critical issue that everyone is struggling with is, What about the potential long-term deleterious effects that might override the beneficial effects?

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#313 decoy

decoy- a person or thing used to beguile or lead someone into danger; lure

C17 from Dutch de kooi- literally the cage, from Latin cavea- cage

An enclosed place, such as a pond is the perfect place to lure wildfowl with a decoy.

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#312 decorous

decorous- characterized by propriety in manners, conduct

C17 from Latin decorus, from decor elegance

also decorum- propriety, especially in behaviour or conduct, correctness

With a demurely made-up face, clad in clothes that bespoke modesty, she looked the perfect model of pious decorum.

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#311 decolletage

decolletage- a low-cut neck line or a woman's garment with a low neck

C19 from French decollete

A young woman with downcast eyes hastened across a balcony in Venice, a black veil artfully draped over her hair and shoulders to reveal her pale, comely face and low decolletage.

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#310 decadence

decadence- deterioration, especially of morality or culture; decay; degeneration;

C16 from French, from Medieval Latin decadentia literally: a falling away

The Empire is currently in the early stages of decadence, which is the most agreeable time to inhabit: peace and pleasure, and the society not yet rotted so far that chaos sets in.

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#309 debonair

debonair- especially of a man- suave and refined, carefree, courteous and cheerful; affable

C13 from Old French debonaire, from de bon aire having a good disposition

Ricardo Montalbán, a Mexican-born actor who starred in Hollywood dramas and candy-colored musicals in the 1940s and '50s was perhaps best known as the debonair host of the TV drama Fantasy Island.

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#308 debauch

debauch- to lead into a life of depraved self indulgence; an instance or period of extreme dissipation

C16 from Old French desbaucher to corrupt, literally to shape (timber) roughly, from bauch beam, of Germanic origin

Far to the right and the left loomed up great black crags and beneath them there reared castles and towers of stone, of strange architecture -- it was as if giants from some other planet had thrown them up in a wild and chaotic debauch of creation.

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#307 debacle

debacle- a sudden disastrous collapse or defeat especially one involving a disorderly retreat; rout

C19 from French debacle, from Old French desbacler to unbolt, ultimately from Latin baculum rod, staff

All he wanted was to get in and out undetected, and leave the word of warning he had to deliver, for the sake of whatever fragile chance of reconciliation and peace remained alive after the debacle of Coventry.

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#306 de

de- prefix forming verbs and verbal derivatives; removal of or from something

deforest, dethrone, decode, decompose, desegregate, ...

'De' words cover many pages in the dictionary!

The prefix 'de' illustrates well that knowing the meaning of a prefix helps to unlock the meaning of many words.

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#305 daunt

daunt- verb- to intimidate; to dishearten

C13 from Old French danter to conquer, from Latin domitare to tame

daunting- adjective, also opposite dauntless- fearless, intrepid, dauntlessness

The prospect of going to my boss about the complaint won't daunt me.

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