Emily Dickinson Lexicon

DE-CREAS'ING-LY, adv.

By diminishing.

DE-CREE', n. [L. decretum, from decerno, to judge; de and cerno, to judge, to divide; Fr. decret; It. and Sp. decreto.]

1. Judicial decision, or determination of a litigated cause; as, a decree of the court of chancery. The decision of a court of equity is called a decree; that of a court of law, a judgment.
2. In the civil law, a determination or judgment of the emperor on a suit between parties. – Encyc.
3. An edict or law made by a council for regulating any business within their jurisdiction; as, the decrees of ecclesiastical councils. – Encyc.
4. In general, an order, edict or law made by a superior as a rule to govern inferiors. There went a decree from Cesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. – Luke ii.
5. Established law, or rule. He made a decree for the rain. – Job xxviii.
6. In theology, predetermined purpose of God; the purpose or determination of an immutable Being, whose plan of operations is, like himself, unchangeable.

DE-CREE', v.t.

1. To determine judicially; to resolve by sentence; as, the court decreed that the property should be restored; or they decreed a restoration of the property.
2. To determine or resolve legislatively; to fix or appoint; to set or constitute by edict or in purpose. Thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established. – Job xxii. Let us not be solicitous to know what God has decreed concerning us. – Anon.

DE-CREED', pp.

Determined judicially; resolved; appointed; established in purpose.

DE-CREE'ING, ppr.

Determining; resolving; appointing; ordering.

DEC'RE-MENT, n. [L. decrementum, from decresco. See Decrease.]

1. Decrease; waste; the state of becoming less gradually. Rocks and mountains suffer a continual decrement. – Woodward.
2. The quantity lost by gradual diminution, or waste.
3. In heraldry, the wane of the moon.
4. In crystalography, a successive diminution of the lamene of molecules, applied to the faces of the primitive form, by which the secondary forms are supposed to be produced. – Haüy.

DE-CREP'IT, a. [L. decrepitus, from de and crepo, to break.]

Broken down with age; wasted or worn by the infirmities of old age; being in the last stage of decay; weakened by age. – Milton. Pope.

DE-CREP'IT-ATE, v.i.

To crackle, as salts when roasting.

DE-CREP'IT-ATE, v.t. [L. decrepo, to break or burst, to crackle; de and crepo.]

To roast or calcine in a strong heat, with a continual bursting or crackling of the substance; as, to decrepitate salt.

DE-CREP'IT-A-TED, pp.

Roasted with a crackling noise.

DE-CREP'IT-A-TING, ppr.

Crackling; roasting with a crackling noise; suddenly bursting when exposed to heat.

DE-CREP-IT-A'TION, n.

The act of roasting with a continual crackling; or the separation of parts with a crackling noise, occasioned by heat.

DE-CREP'IT-NESS, or DE-CREPIT-UDE, n. [See Decrepit.]

The broken, crazy state of the body, produced by decay and the infirmities of age.

DE-CRES'CENT, a. [L. decrescens. See Decrease.]

Decreasing; becoming less by gradual diminution; as, a decrescent moon.

DE-CRE'TAL, a. [See Decree.]

Appertaining to a decree; containing a decree; as, a decretal epistle. Ayliffe.

DE-CRE'TAL, n.

1. A letter of the pope, determining some point or question in ecclesiastical law. The decretals form the second part of the canon law. – Encyc.
2. A book of decrees, or edicts; a body of laws. – Spenser.
3. A collection of the pope's decrees.

DE-CRE'TION, n. [See Decrease.]

A decreasing. [Not used.] – Pearson.

DE-CRE'TIST, n.

One who studies or professes the knowledge of the decretals.

DEC'RE-TO-RI-LY, adv.

In a definitive manner. – Goodman.

DEC'RE-TO-RY, a.

1. Judicial; definitive; established by a decree. The decretory rigors of a condemning sentence. – South.
2. Critical; determining; in which there is some definitive event; as, critical or decretory days. Brown.

DE-CREW', v.i.

To decrease. [Not in use.]

DE-CRI'AL, n. [See Decry.]

A crying down; a clamorous censure; condemnation by censure.

DE-CRI'ED, pp.

Cried down; discredited; brought into disrepute.

DE-CRI'ER, n.

One who decries. [It would be better to write decryal, decryed, decryer.]

DE-CROWN', v.t. [de and crown.]

To deprive of a crown. [Little used.] – Overbury.