236 



THK STANDARD DICTIONARY OF FACTS 



m state of mind produced bv the view of external circum- 

 taMMj desperation and despondency ma> l>- the frmt 

 of the imagination; the fun: 



on some ground, the latter an if. I >'*- 



:i marks a state of vehement anil impatient feel- 

 ing; despondency is a disease of the mind, which noth- 

 ing but a firm trust in the goodness of Providence can 



Lot, Doom. 1 used in 



regard to one's station and walk in life; fate in regard 

 to what one suffer- it one trots or 



possesses; and doom is the final de>tiny which termi- 

 nates unhappily, and d y upon the will of 

 another; destiny is marked out; f:t a lot is 

 assigned; a 



Destln>. D< *tin.iiion. Destiny is the point or line 

 marked out in the walk of life; destination is the place 

 fixed upon in particular: as every man has his peculiar 

 raveler has his particular destination. 

 Destiny is altogether set above human control; destina- 

 tion is. however, the specific act of an individual, either 

 ::iself or another. 



T.I De-.tn.\ . < on-iime. VVaxfr. To destroy is to 

 reduce to nothing that which has been artificially raised 

 or formed; as to destroy a town or a house; to consume 

 is to use up: as to consume food, or to consume articles 

 of manufacture. 



I). -tin. lion. Ruin. Instruction is an act of imme- 

 diate violence; ruin is a gradual process: a thing is 

 -<! by some external action upon it; a thing 

 fall* to ruin 'of itself. 



To Detect, Discover. Detect is always taken in a 

 bad sense: discover in an indifferent sense. A person 

 is detected in what he wishes to conceal; a person or a 

 thing is discovered that has unintentionally lain con- 

 cealed. 



To Determine. Kesolve. We determine how or 

 what we shall do; this requires examination and choice: 

 we resolve that we will do what we have determined 

 upon; this requires a firm spirit. 



To Deviate. Wander. Swerve, Stray. Deviate 

 always supposes a direct path which is departed from; 

 wander includes no such idea. The act of deviating is 

 commonly faulty; that of wandering is indifferent. 

 To swerve is to deviate from that which one holds right; 

 to stray is to wander in the same bad sense. Men swerve 

 from their duty to consult their interest; the young 

 stray from the path of rectitude to seek that of pleasure. 



To Devise, Bequeath. In the technical sense, to 



- to give lands by a will duly attested according 

 to law; to bequeath is to give personality after one's 

 death by a less formal instrument. 



I" Dictate, Prescribe. Dictate, from the Latin 

 "dictatus" and "dictum " (a word), signifies to make a 

 word for another; and prescribe literally signifies to 

 write down for another (v. to appoint), in which sense 

 the former of these terms is used technically for a prin- 

 cipal who gets his secretary to write down his words as 

 he utters them; and the latter for a physician who 

 writes down for his patient what he wishes him to take 

 as a remedy. They are used figuratively for a species 

 of counsel given by a superior; to dictate is, however, 

 a greater exercise of authority than to prescribe. He 

 who dictates speaks with an adventitious authority; 

 he who prescribes has the sanction of reason. 



Di.ti.tr. Mmneniion. Dictate signifies the thing 

 dictated, and has an imperative sense: suggestion signi- 



hing suggested, and conveys the idea of its being 

 proposed secretly or in a gentle manner. These terms 

 are both applied with this distinction to acts of the mind. 

 When conscience, reason, or passion present anything 

 forcibly to the mind, it is called a dictate; when any- 



iters the mind in a casual 'manner, it is called a 

 suggestion. 



Dictionary, lint y< lopsedla. The definition of 



words, with their various changes, modifications, uses, 



acceptations, and applications, are the proper subjects of 



.nary; the nature and properties of things, with 



Detraction, uses, powers, etc., etc., are the proper 



subjects of an encyclopaedia. 



Dictionary, Lexicon, Vocabulary, Glossary, 

 Nomenclature. Lexicon is a species of dictionary ap- 

 propriately applied to the dead languages. Dictionary 

 is applied to the words of a modern language. A vocabu- 

 lary is a partial kind of dictionary, which may compre- 

 hend a simple list of words, with or without explanation, 

 arranged in order or otherwise. A glossary is an explana- 

 tory vocabulary, which commonly serves to explain the 

 obsolete terms employed in any old author. A nomen- 

 clature is literally a list of names, and in particular a 

 reference to proper names. 



. To Die, Expire. Die designates in general the ex- 

 tinction of being. Expire designates the last action of 



life in certain objects. Plants and trees die. The flame 

 of a lamp c\; 



Difference. Variety. Diversify, Medley. Differ- 

 1 variety seem to lie in the things themselves; 

 -, and medley are created either by accident or 

 design: a difference may lie in two objects onlv; a va- 

 . :mot exist without an assemblage: a difference 

 is discovered by means of a comparison which the mind 

 forms of objects to prevent confusion; variety strike's on 

 the mind, and pleases the imagination with many agree- 

 able imajres; diversity arises from an assemblage of ob- 

 jects naturally contrasted; a medley is produced by an 

 assemblage of objects so ill suited as to produce a ludi- 

 crous effect. 



Difference, Distinction. Difference (v. difference), 

 lies in the thing: distinction is the act of the person: the 

 former is. therefore, to the latter as the cause to the effect; 

 the distinction rests on the difference: those are equally 

 bad logicians who make a distinction without a difference, 

 or who make no distinction where there is a difference. 

 A difference is either external or internal; a distinction 

 is always external : the former lies in the thing, t he lat i er 

 is designedly made: we have differences in character, and 

 dist inction in dress. 



Difference, Dispute, Altercation, Quarrel. A 

 difference, as distinguished from the others, is generally 

 of a less serious and personal kind ; a dispute consist s not 

 only of angry words, but much ilj blood and unkind of- 

 fices; an altercation is a wordy dispute, in which differ- 

 ence of opinion is drawn out into a multitude of words on 

 all sides; quarrel is the most serious of all differences, 

 which leads to every species of violence. 



Different, Distinct, Separate. Difference is op- 

 posed to similitude; there is no difference between ob- 

 jects absolutely alike: distinctness is opposed to identity: 

 there can be no distinction where there is only one and 

 the same being: separation is opposed to unity; there 

 can be no separation between objects that coalesce or 

 adhere. 



Different, Unlike. Different is positive, unlike is 

 negative: we look at what is different and draw a com- 

 parison; but that which is unlike needs no comparison: 

 a thing is said to be different from every other thing, or 

 unlike to anything seen before. 



Difficulties, Embarrassments, Troubles. These 

 terms are all applicable to a person's concerns in life; but 

 difficulties relate to the difficulty of conducting a business. 

 Embarrassments relate to the confusion attending a state 

 of debt ; and trouble to the pain which is the natural 

 consequence of not fulfilling engagements or answering 

 demands. 



Difficulty, Obstacle, Impediment. Difficulty 

 signifies not easy to be done; obstacle signifies the thing 

 that stands in the way between a person and the object 

 he has in view; impediment signifies something that 

 entangles the feet: a difficulty interferes with the com- 

 pletion of any work; an obstacle interferes with the at- 

 tainment of any end; an impediment interrupts the 

 progress, and prevents the execution of one's wishes. 



Diffuse, Prolix. Both mark defects of style op- 

 posed to brevity. The diffuse is properly opposed to t In- 

 precise; the prolix to the concise or laconic. A diffuse 

 writer is fond of amplification, the prolix writer is fond 

 of circumlocution, minute details, and trifling particu- 

 lars. 



To Digress, Deviate. Both in the original and the 

 accepted sense, these words express going out of the 

 ordinary course; we digress only in a narrative, whether 

 written or spoken; we deviate in actions as well as in 

 words, in our conduct as well as in writings. 



To Dilate, Expand. A bladder dilates on the ad- 

 mission of air, or trie heart dilates with joy; knowledge 

 expands the mind, or a person's views expand with cir- 

 cumstances. 



Diligent, Expeditious, Prompt. Diligent marks 

 the interest one takes in doing something; he is diligent, 

 who loses no time, who keeps close to the work from 

 inclination: expeditious marks the desire one has to 

 complete the thing begun. Prompt marks one's desire 

 to get ready; he is prompt who sets about a thing with- 

 out delay, so as to make it ready. 



Direction, Address, Superscription. A direction 

 may serve to direct to places as well as to persons: an 

 address is never used but in. direct application to the per- 

 son : a superscription has more respect to the thing than 

 the person: a direction is given to such as go in search 

 of persons and places; an address is put either on a card 

 and a letter, or in a book; a superscription is placed at 

 the head of other writings, or over tombs and pillars. 



Direction, Order. Direction contains most of in- 

 struction in it; order most of authority. Directions 

 should be followed; orders obeyed. 



Disaffection, Disloyalty. Disaffection may be said 



