Emily Dickinson Lexicon
Dictionary: DE-CEIT'FUL-NESS – DE-CEP-TI-BIL'I-TY
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DE-CEIT'FUL-NESS, n.
- Tendency to mislead or deceive; as, the deceitfulness of sin.
- The quality of being fraudulent; as, the deceitfulness of a man's practices.
- The disposition to deceive; as, a man's deceitfulness may be habitual.
DE-CEIT'LESS, a.
Free from deceit. Hall.
DE-CEIV'A-BLE, a. [See Deceive.]
- Subject to deceit or imposition; capable of being misled or entrapped; exposed to imposture; as, young persons are very deceivable.
- Subject or apt to produce error or deception; deceitful. Fair promises often prove deceivable. – Milton. Hayward. [The latter use of the word is incorrect, and I believe, not now used.]
- Liableness to be deceived.
- Liableness to deceive. The deceivableness of unrighteousness. – 2 Thess. ii.
DE-CEIV'A-BLY, adv.
In a deceivable manner.
DE-CEIVE', v.t. [L. decipio, to take aside, to insnare; de and capio; Fr. decevoir; Arm. decevi. See Capable.]
- To mislead the mind; to cause to err; to cause to believe what is false, or disbelieve what is true; to impose on; to delude. Take heed that no man deceive you. – Matth. xxiv. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. – 1 John i.
- To beguile; to cheat. Your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times. – Gen. xxxi.
- To cut off from expectation; to frustrate or disappoint; as, his hopes were deceived. – Dryden.
- To take from; to rob. Plant fruit trees in large borders, and set therein fine flowers, but thin and sparingly, lest they deceive the trees. [The literal sense, but not now used.] – Bacon.
DE-CEIV'ED, pp.
Misled; led into error; beguiled; cheated; deluded.
DE-CEIV'ER, n.
One who deceives; one who leads into error; a cheat; an impostor. I shall seem to my father as a deceiver. – Gen. xxvii.
DE-CEIV'ING, ppr.
Misleading; insnaring; beguiling; cheating.
DE-CEM'BER, n. [L. december, from decem, ten; this being the tenth month among the early Romans, who began the year in March.]
The last month in the year, in which the sun enters the tropic of Capricorn, and makes the winter solstice.
DE-CEM-DEN'TATE, a. [L. decem, ten, and dentatus, toothed.]
Having ten points or teeth.
DE'CEM-FID, a. [L. decem, ten, and fido, to divide.]
Ten-cleft; divided into ten parts; having ten divisions. Martyn.
DE'CEM-LOC'U-LAR, a. [L. decem, ten, and loculus, a little bag or cell.]
Having ten cells for seeds. – Martyn.
DE'CEM-PE-DAL, a. [L. decem, ten, and pes, a foot.]
Ten feet in length.
DE'CEM-VIR, n. [plur. Decemvirs or Decemviri; L. decem, ten, and vir, a man.]
One of ten magistrates, who had absolute authority in ancient Rome.
DE-CEM'VI-RAL, a.
Pertaining to the decemvirs in Rome. – Encyc.
DE-CEM'VI-RATE, n. [L. decemviratus. See Decemvir.]
- The office or term of office of the decemvirs or ten magistrates in Rome, who had absolute authority for two years.
- A body of ten men in authority.
DE'CEN-CY, n. [Fr. decence; L. decentia, from decens, deceo, to be fit or becoming; Sp. decencia; It. decenza. The L. deceo coincides in elements with the G. taugen, to be good, or fit for; D. deugen, to be good or virtuous; Sax. dugan, to avail, to be strong, to be worth; duguth, virtue, valor; dohtig, doughty; dohter, daughter; W. tygiaw, to prosper, to befit; to succeed. The Teutonic and Welsh words have for their radical sense, to advance or proceed, to stretch forward. In Welsh also, têg signifies clear, fair, smooth, beautiful; tegu, to make smooth, fair, beautiful, which would seem to be allied to deceo, whence decus, decoro. See Class Dg, No. 18, 25.]
- That which is fit, suitable or becoming, in words or behavior; propriety of form, in social intercourse, in actions or discourse; proper formality; becoming ceremony. It has a special reference to behavior; as, decency of conduct; decency of worship. But it is used also in reference to speech; as, he discoursed with decency. Those thousand decencies, that daily flow / From all her words and actions. – Milton.
- Suitableness to character; propriety.
- Propriety in speech; modesty; opposed to ribaldry, or obscenity. Want of decency is want of sense. – Pope. It may be also used for propriety of speech, opposed to rudeness, or disrespectful language; and for propriety in dress, opposed to raggedness, exposure of nakedness, filthiness, &c.
DE'CEN-NA-RY, n. [L. decennis, decennium, from decem, ten, and annus, a year.]
- A period of ten years.
- A tithing consisting of ten freeholders and their families. – Blackstone.
DE-CEN'NI-AL, a. [L. decennalis, as above.]
Continuing for ten years; consisting of ten years; or happening every ten years; as, a decennial period; decennial games.
DE-CEN'NO-VAL, or DE-CEN'NO-VA-RY, a. [L. decem, ten, and novem, nine.]
Pertaining to the number nineteen; designating a period or circle of nineteen years. [Little used.] – Holder.
DE'CENT, a. [L. decens; Fr. decent. See Decency.]
- Becoming; fit; suitable, in words, behavior, dress and ceremony; as, decent language; decent conduct or actions; decent ornaments or dress.
- Comely; not gaudy or ostentatious. A sable stole of Cyprus lawn, / O'er the decent shoulders drawn. – Milton.
- Not immodest.
- In popular language, moderate, but competent; not large; as, a decent fortune. So a decent person is one not highly accomplished, nor offensively rude.
DE'CENT-LY, adv.
- In a decent or becoming manner; with propriety of behavior or speech.
- Without immodesty. Past hope of safety, 'twas his latest care / Like falling Cæsar, decently to die. – Dryden.
DE'CENT-NESS, n.
Decency.
The quality or state of being capable or liable to be deceived. – Glanville.