Dictionary: DAM – DAME'S-VI-O-LET, or DAME'-WORT

a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | o | p | q | r | s | t | u | v | w | x | y | z |

1234567891011121314151617181920
2122232425262728293031323334353637383940
4142434445464748495051525354555657585960
6162636465666768697071727374757677787980
81828384858687888990919293949596979899100
101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120
121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140
141142143144145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160
161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177178179180
181182183184185186187188189190191192193194195196197198199200
201202203204205206207208209210211212213214215

DAM, n.1 [supposed to be from Dame, – which see.]

  1. A female parent; used of beasts, particularly of quadrupeds.
  2. A human mother, in contempt. Shak.
  3. [Fr. dame, the queen; Sp. dama.] A crowned man in the game of draughts.

DAM, n.2 [D. dam; G. damm; Sw. id.; Dan. dam, a pond. See the Verb.]

A mole, bank or mound of earth, or any wall, or a frame of wood, raised to obstruct a current of water, and to raise it, for the purpose of driving mill-wheels, or for other purposes. Any work that stops and confines water in a pond or basin, or causes it to rise.

DAM, v.t. [Sax. demman; G. dämmen; D. dammen; Dan. dæmmer; Ch. טום to stop, to shut; Heb. and Ch. אטם, Ar. أَطَمَ atama, to stop or shut. Qu. Ch. סטם, Ar. سَطَمَ satama, id. This is the root of dumb. See Class Dm, No. 17, 18, 23, 39.]

  1. To make a dam, or to stop a stream of water by a bank of earth, or by any other work; to confine or shut in water. It is common to use, after the verb, in, up, or out; as, to dam in, or to dam up, the water, and to dam out is to prevent water from entering.
  2. To confine or restrain from escaping; to shut in; used by Shakespeare of fire, and by Milton of light.

DAM'AGE, n. [Fr. dommage; Arm. doumaich; Norm. domage; Sax. dem; L. damnum; Sp. daño; Port. dano; It. danno; Ir. damaiste. This word seems to be allied to the Greek ζημια, a fine or mulct, Ch. ומה or ומי, to impose a fine. But qu. See Damn.]

  1. Any hurt, injury or harm to one's estate; any loss of property sustained; any hinderance to the increase of property; or any obstruction to the success of an enterprise. A man suffers damage by the destruction of his corn, by the burning of his house, by the detention of a ship which defeats a profitable voyage, or by the failure of a profitable undertaking. Damage then is any actual loss, or the prevention of profit. It is usually and properly applied to property, but sometimes to reputation and other things which are valuable. But in the latter case, injury is more correctly used.
  2. The value of what is lost; the estimated equivalent for detriment or injury sustained; that which is given or adjudged to repair a loss. This is the legal signification of the word. It is the province of a jury to assess damages in trespass. In this sense, the word is generally used in the plural.

DAM'AGE, v.i.

To receive harm; to be injured or impaired in soundness, or value; as, green corn will damage in a mow or stack.

DAM'AGE, v.t. [It. danneggiare; but Norm. damager is to oppress.]

To hurt or harm; to injure; to impair; to lessen the soundness, goodness or value of. Rain may damage corn or hay; a storm may damage a ship; a house is often damaged by fire, when it is not destroyed; heavy rains damage roads.

DAM'AGE-A-BLE, a.

  1. That may be injured or impaired; susceptible of damage; as, damageable goods.
  2. Hurtful; pernicious. [Rare.]

DAM'AG-ED, pp.

Hurt; impaired; injured.

DAM'AGE-FEAS'ANT, a. [dam'age-fez'ant; Fr. faisant, from faire.]

Doing injury; trespassing, as cattle. – Blackstone.

DAM'AG-ING, ppr.

Injuring; impairing.

DAM'AS-CENE, n. [L. damascenus, from Damascus.]

  1. A particular kind of plum, now pronounced damson, – which see.
  2. It may be locally applied to other species of plums.

DAM'ASK, n. [It. dommasco; Fr. damas; Sp. damasco; from Damascus, in Syria.]

  1. A silk stuff, having some parts raised above the ground, representing flowers and other figures, originally from Damascus.
  2. A kind of wrought linen, made in Flanders, in imitation of damask silks.
  3. Red color, from the damask-rose. Fairfax. Damask-steel, is a fine steel from the Levant, chiefly from Damascus, used for sword and cutlas blades.

DAM'ASK, v.t.

  1. To form flowers on stuffs; also, to variegate; to diversify; as, a bank damasked with flowers. Milton.
  2. To adorn steel-work with figures. [See Damaskeen.]

DAM'ASK-ED, pp.

Variegated with flowers.

DAM-ASK-EEN', or DAM'ASK-EN, v.t. [Fr. damasquiner. See Damask.]

To make incisions in iron, steel, &c., and fill them with gold or silver wire, for ornament; used chiefly for adorning sword-blades, guards, locks of pistols, &c. Chambers.

DAM-ASK-EEN'ED, pp.

Carved into figures and inlaid with gold or silver wire.

DAM-ASK-EEN'ING, n.

The act or art of beautifying iron or steel, by engraving and inlaying it with gold or silver wire. This art partakes of the mosaic, of engraving, and of carving. Like the mosaic, it has inlaid work; like engraving, it cuts the metal into figures; and as in chasing, gold and silver is wrought in relievo. Encyc.

DAM-ASK-EEN'ING, ppr.

Engraving and adorning with gold or silver wire inlaid.

DAM'ASK-IN, n.

A saber, so called from the manufacture of Damascus.

DAM'ASK-ING, ppr.

Variegating with flowers.

DAM'ASK-PLUM, n.

A small black plum.

DAM'ASK-ROSE, n.

A species of rose which is red, and another which is white.

DAM'AS-SIN, n.

A kind of damask with gold and silver flowers woven in the warp and woof. Ure.

DAME, n. [Fr. dame; Sp. Port. It. dama; from L. domina, a mistress or governess, from domo, Gr. δαμαω, to subdue, Eng. to tame. Class Dm, No. 3, 4, 23, 24.]

Literally, a mistress: hence, a lady; a title of honor to a woman. It is now generally applied to the mistress of a family in the common ranks of life; as is its compound, Madam. In poetry, it is applied to a woman of rank. In short, it is applied, with propriety to any woman who is or has been the mistress of a family, and it sometimes comprehends women in general.

DAME'S-VI-O-LET, or DAME'-WORT, n.

A plant of the genus Hesperis; called also queen's gilly-flower, or rocket. It is remarkable for its fragrant odor, and ladies are fond of having it in their apartments.