PEA 



265 



DEC 



parish church. 2. In Scotland, an over- 



eeer of the poor ; also the master of an 

 incorporate trade. 



DEAD-BEAT. In clock-work, a scapement 

 invented with a view to lessen' the effect 

 of the wheel-work on the motion of the 

 pendulum. 



DEAD-EYES (Dead man's eyes'). In nau- 

 tical language, a kind of blocks with many 

 holes in them, whereby the shrouds are 

 fastened to the chains. 



DEAD-FLAT. In naval architecture, the 

 midship section. See BOOT-PLAN. 



DEAD-LIOHTS. In ships, strong wooden 

 ports nvide to suit the cabin-windows, in 

 which they are fixed, to prevent the 

 water from entering the ship in a storm. 

 DEAD-RECKONING. In navigation, the 

 difference between the place of a ship by 

 the log and astronomical observations, 

 owing to currents, &c. 



DEAD-RISIXG, the parts of a ship's floor 

 throughout her lensrth, where the floor 

 timber is terminated in the lower fut- 

 tock, called also the Rising line. 



DEAD-WATER, the eddy-water imme- 

 diately at the stern of a ship while under 

 way. 



DEAD-WOOD, a layer formed of blocks of 

 timber laid on the keel of a ship, on 

 which are placed the floor timbers. 



DEAD-WORKS, the parts of a ship above 

 the surface of the water when balanced 

 for a voyage. 



DEAF'EN ING, sound-boarding; a method 

 of preventing the passage of sound through 

 wooden partitions. See PUGGING. 



DEALS, or DEAL-BOAKDS, a thin sort of 

 fir planks, formed by sawing the trunk of 

 a tree into longitudinal" divisions of 

 greater or less thickness. They are im- 

 ported from Dantzic, and many other 

 ports of the Baltic, and from North Ame- 

 rica. Those from Norway are the best. 

 The Russian standard deal is 12 feet long, 

 11 inches wide, and 1$ inches thick; the 

 Christiana standard deal is 11 feet long, 

 9 inches wide, and U inches thick ; at 

 Dram the length is 10 feet, and the thick- 

 ness 1J inches. 



DEAN, a dignitary of the Church of 

 England next to a bishop. The Dean and 

 chapter form the bishop's council. The 

 term is Arm. dean, from Lat. decanus, the 

 leader of a tile ten deep: the dean was 

 originally set over ten canons or preben 

 daries. An officer in the universities also 

 bears the title of dean. 



DEATH-WATCH, a small insect of the 

 beetle tribe, which inhabits old furniture, 

 &c., penetrating it with many small holes, 

 and which has the power of producing a 

 noise like the ticking of a watch : this 

 noise is the call which the male insect 

 makes to his mate, and is interpreted by 

 superstitious people into a presage of 

 death to some individual of the family. 



DEBA'CLE, a French term used by geolo- 

 gist* to designate a violent rush of waters 

 which, overcoming all opposing barriers, 

 carries with it stones, rocks, &c., spread- 

 ing them in all directions. 



DEBEN'TCRE, from debeo, to owe. In 

 law, a writ or note drawn upon govern- 

 ment. The debentures signed by the 

 custom officers, and given to the exporter 

 of goods on which a bounty or drawback is 

 allowed, bearing that the exporter has 

 complied with the required regulations, 

 entitle the exporter to such bounty. 

 Debentured (>oods are those upon which 

 the drawback has been paid. 



DEC'ACHORD, DEC ACHOR'DOS, from titza, 

 ten, and %o$y, a string ; a musical instru- 

 ment of ten strings 



DEC'AGON, from Sinx,, ten, and ytuvtoL, 

 an angle ; a plain geometrical figure of 

 ten sides and ten angles. 



DKC'AGRAM, from deca, ten, and gram ; 

 a French weight of ten grammes, or 154'44 

 grains. 



DECAGYN'IA, from Sea, ten, and <yvr, 

 a woman ; an order of plants in the sexual 

 system of the class Decandria, ha vine; ten 

 pistils. 



DECAHE'DRON, from Stzct, ten, and Idgct, 

 a base ; a geometrical figure or body hav- 

 ing ten sides. 



DECVLI'TER, from deca and litre ; a 

 French measure of capacity equal to ten 

 litres. 



DECAM'ERON.from Ssxa,ten,and r,?M%ot, 

 a day ; a work containing the actions or 

 conversations of ten days, as the Decam- 

 eron of Boccaccio, which consists of 100 

 tales related in ten days. 



DECAM'ETER, from fax*, ten. and fjt.t.r$oi, 

 measure ; a French measure of length 

 equal to ten metres. 



DECAN'DRIA, from dixct. ten, and *;, 

 a man ; the name of a class, and also of 

 an order of plants in the sexual system. 

 Decandrian plants have ten stamens in 

 the flower. 



DECAPHYL'LOUS, from dixct, ten, and 

 ipyXXflK, a leaf; having ten leaves. 



DECAP'ODA, from &, ten, and -rau?, 

 a foot ; an order of crustaceans, including 

 the lobster, crab, crawfish, shrimp, &c. 



DE'CARBONISA/TION OF CAST IRON. This 

 process is resorted to, in order to convert 

 cast iron into stee) and malleable iron. 



DECAS'TICK. from tiizat, ten. and o-n%9f 

 a verse ; a poem consisting of ten linos. 



DEC' ASTYLE, from Jj, ten, and (TTt/Xof, 

 n column ; a building having ten columns 

 in front. 



DE'CASYLL'ABIC. Having ten syllables. 



DECEMLOC'PLAR, Lat. decemlocu'.afis, ten- 

 celled : applied to capsules. 



DECEM'BER, from decem, ten ; the last at 





