DIG 



278 



DIG 



a day or time of respite given by the court 

 to the defendant in a cause. 



DIE'SIS, diitri;, division. In music, the 

 division of a tone, less than a semitone : 

 an interval consisting of an imperfect 

 emitone. In books, the mark , called 

 also a double-dagger, and used as a mark 

 for reference. 



DI'F.T. 1. Lat. dieela ; food regulated 



by medical rules. 2. Germ, dyet ; the 



general assembly of the states of the 

 German empire, and formerly of Poland. 



DIEU ET MOS DROIT (French), God and 

 my right. The motto of the roval arms 

 of England, first assumed by Richard I. 

 "William III. used the motto je maintien- 

 dray ; Elizabeth and Acne used semper 

 eadem. 



DIEC ET SON ACTE (French), a maxim in 

 law, that the act of God shall not be a pre- 

 judice to any man. 



DIFFERENCE, from dig, away, and fero, 

 to bear ; variation in whole or in part. 

 In logic, an essential attribute belonging 

 to a species, that is not found in the genus. 

 In arithmetic, the remainder, when one 

 number has been subtracted from another. 

 In heraldry, any addition to a coat of 

 arms, serving to distinguish one family 

 from another. 



DIFFERENCIAL. In mathematics, an infi- 

 nitely small quantity, so small as to be 

 less than any assignable quantity : thus 

 denominated, because frequently con- 

 sidered as the difference of two quantities, 

 and as such is the foundation of the dif- 

 ferential calculus. 



DIFFERENCIAL CALCULUS, ) the arith- 



METHOD, ) metic of in- 

 finitely small differences of variable quan- 

 tities, consisting in descending from 

 whole quantities to their differentials, 

 and comparing them together. It differs in 

 its metaphysics from thefluxional calcttlus. 



DIFFERENTIAL COEFFICIENT, in ana- 

 lysis, is the ratio of the differential of any 

 function of a variable quantity to the dif- 

 ferential of the variable. 



DIFFERENCIAL THERMOM'ETER, an in- 

 strument for measuring very small differ- 

 ences of temperature. 



DIFFRAC'TION. In optics, a species of 

 inflexion, which the rays of light undergo 

 in passing very near the extremities of an 

 opaque body. 



DIGAM'MA, the double gamma or F of the 

 Greeks, with the sound of V. 



DIGE'ST, Lat. digesta, a collection of 

 the Roman laws, ranged and digested 

 tinder their proper titles, by order of the 

 Emperor Justinian ; thus named the Jus- 

 tinian Code. 



DIGES'TER, a strong iron or copper ves- 

 sel, with a cover adapted to screw on, 

 with pieces of felt or paper interposed, 

 and furnished with a safety-valve, which 

 may be more or less loaded. The purpose 



of this vessel is to prevent the loss of heat 

 by evaporation, and thereby to render the 

 action of water, &c. on solids di-i ~T. u . u 

 it more intense, by raising the fluids to 

 higher temperatures than their common 

 boiling points. Animal bones are dis- 

 solved with great facility along with 

 water, in Papin's digester. The autoclare 

 of the French cook is a modification of 

 the digester. 



DIOES'TION, from digero, to dissolve. In 

 chemistry, the operation by which bodies 

 intended to act slowly on each other are 

 exposed for some time to a moderate 

 heat. In physiology, the change which the 

 food undergoes in the stomach in being 

 converted into chyme. 



DIG'IT, from digitus, a finsrer. In arith- 

 metic, any integer under 10, thus called 

 from arithmetic being first performed, 

 upon the fingers, In astronomy, the 

 twelfth part of the diameter of the sun or 

 moon : used to express the quantity of an 

 eclipse. 



DIG'ITALINE, a powerful poison, derived 

 from the digitalis purpurea, or fox-glove. 

 This substance is now known to consist of 

 chlorophylle, resin, and a fatty matter. 



DIOITA'LIS, the fox-glove. A genus of 

 plants, mostly herbaceous, and either bi- 

 ennial or perennial. Didynamia Angio- 

 spermia. Name from digitate, the finger of 

 a glove, which the fiower resembles. 

 The leaves of the D purpurea are much 

 used in medicine. 



DIG'ITATE, j Lat. digitntus, fingered. 



DIG'ITIFORM, / Applied to leaves com- 

 posed of two or more leaflets. 



DIOITA'TION, from dioitus, a Snger. A 

 term applied by anatomists to parts which, 

 are more or less finger-shaped ; as when 

 a muscle is said to arise by a number of 

 fleshy digitations. 



DIQ'ITATO-PI'NNATE, Lat. digitato-pin- 

 nnttts. Applied to digitate leaves, the 

 leaflets of which are pinnate. 



DIGITI'ORADA, the name given by Cu- 

 vier to the second tribe of Carnivora, 

 from the circumstance of the animals 

 comprised in it walking upon the ends of 

 their toes (digitus, a finger or toe, and 

 grado, to walk). The weasel and dog are 

 examples. 



DI'GLYPH, 'Si-yXvQos- A double chan- 

 nelled tablet. See GLYPH, and TRIGLYPH. 



DIG'NITARY, an ecclesiastic who holds 

 a dignity or benefice, which gives him 

 some preeminence over mere priests and 

 canons. Bishops, deans, arch-deacons, 

 &c. are dignitaries. 



DIGNITY, from Lat. dignus. Among ec- 

 clesiastics, office or preferment joined with 

 jurisdiction. In astrology, some peculiar 

 advantage which a plamt has, from it* 

 position in the zodiac, or with respect to 

 other planets. 



DIGRESSION, Lat. digrcdi, to diverge. 



