Emily Dickinson Lexicon

DI'VING-BELL, n.

A hollow vessel in form of a truncated cone or pyramid, with the smaller base close, and the larger one open, in which a person may descend into deep water and remain, till the inclosed air ceases to be respirable.

DI'VING-STONE, n.

A species of jasper.

DI-VIN'I-TY, n. [L. divinitas; Fr. divinité; It. divinità; Sp. divinidad; from divinus, divus.]

1. The state of being divine; Deity; God head; the nature or essence of God. Christians ascribe divinity to one Supreme Being only.
2. God; the Deity; the Supreme Being. 'Tis the Divinity that stirs within us. – Addison.
3. A false God; a pretended deity of pagans. Beastly divinities, and droves of gods. – Prior.
4. A celestial being, inferior to the Supreme God, but superior to man. Many nations believe in these inferior divinities.
5. Something supernatural. They say there is divinity in odd numbers. – Shak.
6. The science of divine things; the science which unfolds the character of God, his laws and moral government, the duties of man, and the way of salvation; theology; as, the study of divinity; a system of divinity.

DI-VIS-I-BIL'I-TY, n. [Fr. divisibilité; from L. divisibilis. See Divide.]

The quality of being divisible; the property of bodies by which their parts or component particles are capable of separation. – Locke.

DI-VIS'I-BLE, a. [s as z; L. divisibilis, from divido. See Divide.]

Capable of division; that may be separated or disunited; separable. Matter is divisible indefinitely.

DI-VIS'I-BLE-NESS, n.

Divisibility; capacity of being separated.

DI-VI'SION, n. [s as z; L. divisio, from divido, divisi. See Divide.]

1. The act of dividing or separating into parts, any entire body.
2. The state of being divided.
3. That which divides or separates; that which keeps apart; partition.
4. The part separated from the rest by a partition or line, real or imaginary; as, the divisions of a field.
5. A separate body of men; as, communities and divisions of men. – Addison.
6. A part or distinct portion; as, the divisions of a discourse.
7. A part of an army or militia; a body consisting of a certain number of brigades, usually two, and commanded by a major-general. But the term is often applied to other bodies or portions of an army, as to a brigade, a squadron or platoon.
8. A part of a fleet, or a select number of ships under a commander, and distinguished by a particular flag or pendant.
9. Disunion; discord; variance; difference. There was a division among the people. – John vii.
10. Space between the notes of music, or the dividing of the tones. – Johnson. Bailey.
11. Distinction. I will put a division between my people and thy people. – Ex. viii.
12. The separation of voters in a legislative house.
13. In arithmetic, the dividing of a number or quantity into any parts assigned; or the rule by which is found how many times one number is contained in another.

DI-VI'SION-AL, or DI-VI'SION-A-RY, a.

Pertaining to division; noting or making division; as, a divisional line.

DI-VI'SION-ER, n.

One who divides. [Not used.] – Sheldon.

DI-VI'SIVE, a.

1. Forming division or distribution. – Mede.
2. Creating division or discord. – Burnet.

DI-VI'SOR, n.

In arithmetic, the number by which the dividend is divided.

DI-VORCE', n. [Fr. divorce; Sp. divorcio; It. divorzio; L. divortium, from divorto, a different orthography of diverto, to turn away. See Divert.]

1. A legal dissolution of the bonds of matrimony, or the separation of husband and wife by a judicial sentence. This is properly a divorce, and called technically, divorce a vinculo matrimonii, from the bands of matrimony.
2. The separation of a married woman from the bed and board of her husband, a mensa et toro, from board and bed.
3. Separation; disunion of things closely united.
4. The sentence or writing by which marriage is dissolved.
5. The cause of any penal separation. The long divorce of steel falls on me. – Shak.

DI-VORCE', v.t.

1. To dissolve the marriage contract, and thus to separate husband and wife.
2. To separate, as a married woman from the bed and board of her husband.
3. To separate or disunite things closely connected; to force asunder. – Hooker. Shak.
4. To take away; to put away. – Blackmore.

DI-VORCE'A-BLE, a.

That can be divorced.

DI-VORC'ED, pp.

Separated by a dissolution of the marriage contract; separated from bed and board; parted; forced asunder.

DI-VORCE'LESS, a.

Destitute of divorce; that can not be divorced.

DI-VORCE'MENT, n.

Divorce; dissolution of the marriage tie. Let him write her a bill of divorcement. – Deut. xxiv.

DI-VORC'ER, n.

1. The person or cause that produces divorce. – Drummond.
2. One of a sect called Divorcers, said to have sprung from Milton.

DI-VORC'ING, ppr.

Dissolving the marriage contract; separating from bed and board; disuniting.

DI-VORC'IVE, a.

Having power to divorce. – Milton.

DIVOTO, adv. [or adj. L.]

In music, directs to sing in a devout manner.

DI-VUL'GATE, a.

Published. [Little used.]

DI-VUL-GA'TION, n.

The act of divulging or publishing.

DI-VULGE', v.t. [divulj'; L. divulgo; di or dis and vulgo, to make public, from vulgus, the common people, as publish, public, from L. populus, people.]

1. To make public; to tell or make known something before private or secret; to reveal; to disclose; as, to divulge the secret sentiments of a friend; divulge the proceedings of the cabinet. Divulge is more generally applied to verbal disclosures, and publish to printed accounts. But they may be used synonymously. We may publish by words, and divulge by the press.
2. To declare by a public act; to proclaim. [Unusual.] – Milton.

DI-VULG'ED, pp.

Made public; revealed; disclosed; published.