Emily Dickinson Lexicon

DIS-SUAD'ER, n.

He that dissuades; a dehorter.

DIS-SUAD'ING, ppr.

Exhorting against; attempting, by advice, to divert from a purpose.

DIS-SUA'SION, n. [disua'zhun.]

Advice or exhortation in opposition to something; the act of attempting, by reason or motives offered, to divert from a purpose or measure; dehortation. – Boyle.

DIS-SUA'SIVE, a.

Tending to dissuade, or divert from a measure or purpose; dehortatory.

DIS-SUA'SIVE, n.

Reason, argument, or counsel, employed to deter one from a measure or purpose; that which is used or which tends to divert the mind from any purpose or pursuit. The consequences of intemperance are powerful dissuasives from indulging in that vice.

DIS-SUA'SIVE-LY, adv.

In a dissuasive manner.

DIS-SUN'DER, v.t. [dis and sunder.]

To separate; to rend. – Chapman.

DIS-SUN'DER-ED, pp.

Separated; rent.

DIS-SUN'DER-ING, ppr.

Separating; rending.

DIS-SWEET'EN, v.t.

To deprive of sweetness. [Not used.] – Bp. Richardson.

DIS-SYL-LAB'IC, a.

Consisting of two syllables only; as, a dissyllabic foot in poetry.

DIS-SYL'LA-BLE, n. [Gr. δισσυλλαβος; δις, two or twice, and συλλαβος, a syllable.]

A word consisting of two syllables only; as, paper, whiteness, virtue.

DIS'TAFF, n. [The English books refer this word to the Saxon distæf; but I have not found the word in the Saxon Dictionary.]

1. The staff of a spinning-wheel, to which a bunch of flax or tow is tied, and from which the thread is drawn. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. – Prov. xxxi.
2. Figuratively, a woman, or the female sex. His crown usurped, a distaff on the throne. – Dryden.

DIS'TAFF-THIS-TLE, n.

The popular name of certain species of Atractylis and Carthamus.

DIS-TAIN', v.t. [dis and stain. This seems to be from the French deteindre, from the L. tingo; but see Stain.]

1. To stain; to tinge with any different color from the natural or proper one; to discolor. We speak of a sword distained with blood; a garment distained with gore. It has precisely the signification of stain, but is used chiefly or appropriately in poetry and the higher kinds of prose.
2. To blot; to sully; to defile; to tarnish. She distained her honorable blood. – Spenser. The worthiness of praise distains his worth. – Shak.

DIS-TAIN'ED, pp.

Stained; tinged; discolored; blotted; sullied.

DIS-TAIN'ING, ppr.

Staining; discoloring; blotting; tarnishing.

DIS'TANCE, n. [Fr. distance; Sp. distancia; It. distanza; L. distantia, from disto, to stand apart; dis and sto, to stand.]

1. An interval or space between two objects; the length of the shortest line which intervenes between two things that are separate; as, a great or small distance. Distance may be a line, an inch, a mile, or any indefinite length; as, the distance between the sun and Saturn.
2. Preceded by at, remoteness of place. He waits at distance till he hears from Cato. – Addison.
3. Preceded by thy, his, your, her, their, a suitable space, or such remoteness as is common or becoming; as, let him keep his distance; keep your distance. [See Note 8.]
4. A space marked on the course where horses run. This horse ran the whole field out of distance. – L'Estrange.
5. Space of time; any indefinite length of time, past or future, intervening between two periods or events; as, the distance of an hour, of a year, of an age.
6. Ideal space or separation. Qualities that affect our senses are, in the things themselves, so united and blended, that there is no distance between them. – Locke.
7. Contrariety; opposition. Banquo was your enemy, / So he is mine, and in such bloody distance. – Shak.
8. The remoteness which respect requires; hence, respect. I hope your modesty / Will know what distance to the crown is due. – Dryden. 'Tis by respect and distance that authority is upheld. – Atterbury. [See No. 3.]
9. Reserve; coldness; alienation of heart. On the part of heaven, / Now alienated, distance and distaste. – Milton.
10. Remoteness in succession or relation; as, the distance between a descendant and his ancestor.
11. In music, the interval between two notes; as, the distance of a fourth or seventh.

DIS'TANCE, v.t.

1. To place remote; to throw off from the view. – Dryden.
2. To leave behind in a race; to win the race by a great superiority.
3. To leave at a great distance behind. He distanced the most skillful of his contemporaries. – Milner.

DIS'TANC-ED, pp.

Left far behind; cast out of the race.

DIS'TANC-ING, ppr.

Leaving far behind.

DIS'TANT, a. [L. distans, standing apart.]

1. Separate; having an intervening space of any indefinite extent. One point may be less than a line or a hair's breadth distant from another. Saturn is supposed to be nearly nine hundred million miles distant from the sun.
2. Remote in place; as, a distant object appears under a small angle.
3. Remote in time, past or future; as, a distant age or period of the world.
4. Remote in the line of succession or descent, indefinitely; as, a distant descendant; a distant ancestor; distant posterity.
5. Remote in natural connection or consanguinity; as, a distant relation; distant kindred; a distant collateral line.
6. Remote in nature; not allied; not agreeing with or in conformity to; as, practice very distant from principles or profession.
7. Remote in view; slight; faint; not very likely to be realized; as, we have a distant hope or prospect of seeing better times.
8. Remote in connection; slight; faint; indirect; not easily seen or understood; as, a distant hint or allusion to a person or subject. So also we say, a distant idea; a distant thought; a distant resemblance.
9. Reserved; shy; implying haughtiness, coldness of affection, indifference, or disrespect; as, the manners of a person are distant.

DIS'TANT-LY, adv.

Remotely; at a distance; with reserve.

DIS-TASTE', n. [dis and taste.]

1. Aversion of the taste; dislike of food or drink; disrelish; disgust, or a slight degree of it. Distaste for a particular kind of food may be constitutional, or the effect of a diseased stomach.
2. Dislike; uneasiness. Prosperity is not without many fears and distastes, and adversity is not without comfort and hopes. – Bacon.
3. Dislike; displeasure; alienation of affection. – Milton. Pope.

DIS-TASTE', v.t.

1. To disrelish; to dislike; to lothe; as, to distaste drugs or poisons.
2. To offend; to disgust. He thought it no policy to distaste the English or Irish, but sought to please them. – Davies.
3. To vex; to displease; to sour. – Pope. [The two latter significations are rare.]