1. The fourth letter and 
third consonant in the Eng- 
lish alphabet: the corre- 
sponding character has the 
same position and the same 
value also in the Latin, 
Greek, and Pheuician al- 
phabets, from which it 
comes to us. (See A.) The 
scheme of corresponding characters (compare the preced- 
ing letters) is as follows : 
Early 
Greek and Latin. 
a period to the letters i, c, and m: thus, <H., 
deciduous incisor; dc., deciduous canine; ilni., 
deciduous molar : all being teeth of the milk- 
dentition of a diphyodont mammal. Thus, the 
milk- or deciduous dentition of a child is expressed by the 
formula 
. , a j ^ . , . , i Q 
*' 22' 
1 1' 
2 2 
Egyptian. 
Hieroglyphic. Hieratic. 
The sound which the character has from the beginning been 
used to represent is the sonant or voiced mute (or check, 
stop, contact sound) corresponding to t as surd or breathed, 
ami to H as nasal. (.See the terms used and the letters 
referred to.) It is generally called a "dental," but with 
only a conventional propriety, since the teeth hear no part 
In its production. It involves a closure of the tip of the 
tongue against the roof of the mouth at a point near to, or 
even touching, the upper front teetli (while an intonated 
or voiced current of air is driven during the closure Into 
the cavity of the mouth, as in the case of the other sonant 
mutes); it is, then, rather a tongue-tip sound, or a front 
lingual. Sounds closely akin to It are made with differ- 
ent parts of the front tongue against different parts of 
the forward palate ; hence the d is somewhat variously 
colored in various languages, and in some there are two 
diverse if s, or even more than two. The d, as belonging 
to the fundamental or Germanic part of our language, has 
taken the place of a more original aspirate, namely, San- 
skrit (i/i, Oreek 0, Latin oftenest / thus, English door 
Sanskrit dhura = Greek Wpa = Latin forrs. Its regular 
correspondent in German is t : thus, tirr (usually written 
//tor) English dottr ; but, under special conditions, also a 
d : thus, German entle = English end ; German t/old = Eng- 
lish tjold. The German rf regularly corresponds to English 
tfl. (See th.) Our </ has no variety of values ; it is, how- 
ever, not seldom made surd, or pronounced as t, as in nick- 
ed, tipped, kissed, and the like, being in older words of this 
kind a substitute, for mechanical uniformity of spelling, 
for earlier (; missed being formerly mist, mislf, Anglo- 
Saxon mist? ; kistted, formerly kist, kiste, Anglo-Saxon caste, 
etc. See -rfl = -all, -rf2 = -ed*. 
2. As a numeral, in the Roman system, D 
stands for 500 ; when a dash or stroke is placed 
over it, as B, it stands for 5,000. 3. As a 
symbol: (a) In nuisic: (1) The second tone, or 
re, of the scale of C. The ratio between the vibra- 
tion-numbers of these two tones, when in the relation of 
do and re. is !. The tone above bass C is represented by 
D, the octave above by d, etc. See C, 3. (2) A note 
which represents this tone. On the treble staff D 
stands on the flrst added space below, or on the fourth 
line (a); and on the bass staff it stands on the third line, 
nr on the second added space above (6). When other clefs 
are used, the position of D is different. See clef. (3) 
The key-note of . 
the key of two - i *- 
sharps (o). (4) 
On the keyboard 
of the organ or 
pianoforte, the 
white key or digital included in each group of 
two black keys. (5) The string in a stringed 
instrument that is tuned to the tone D, as the 
third string of the violin, etc. (6) In cheni., D 
is the symbol of didiiinium. (c) In math., d is 
the sign of differentiation, d of partial differ- 
entiation, (! of variation, D of derivation (com- 
monly in the sense of taking the differential 
coefficient), A of differencing, and V of the 
Hamiltonian operator. Many analysts avoid the use 
of the letter in other senses than these. A letter sub- 
joined to any of these signs of operation shows what is 
tuki'ii as the independent variable, and exponents show 
tile number of times the operations are to be performiM. 
Differentiation (especially when relative to the time) was, 
formerly indicated in England by a dot over the sign of the 
quantity to be differentiated, this iK-ing the notation of 
Newton's llnxional calculus, (rf) J n the mnemonic 
words of logic, the sign of reduction to darii. 
4. As an abbreviation: () In Kutf. rn'knninij 
(<l. nr d.), an abbreviation of </< 'inn-ins, the ori- 
ginal name for the English penny: as, s. d., 
pounds, shillings, and pence; 2s. Id., two shil- 
lings and one penny, (b) Before a date (rf.), 
an abbreviation of died. (<) In dental formulas, 
an abbreviation of deciduous, prefixed without 
or, more simply, taking one half of each jaw only, di. f , 
(/<. I, dm. | x 2 = 20. In either case the numbers above 
the line are those of the upper teeth, and those below the 
line of the under teeth. See dental. (<J) In anat. and 
icltth, (d. or D.), an abbreviation of dorsal (ver- 
tebra or fin, respectively), (e) In a ship's log- 
book (d.), an abbreviation of drizzling. 
-d 1 , -d 2 . [(1) ME. -d, -de, -ed, -ede, etc. : see -crfi. 
(2) ME. -d, -erf .- see -erf*.] A form of -erf 1 , -rf2, 
in certain words. See -erfl, -erf 2 . 
dat, A Middle English form of doe 1 . 
daalder (dal'der), n. [D. : see dollar.'] A for- 
mer Dutch silver coin and money of account ; 
a dollar. 
dab 1 (dab), v.; pret. and pp. dabbed, ppr. dab- 
bing. [< ME. dabbcn, strike, = MD. dabben, 
pinch, knead, fumble, dabble, = G. tappen, 
fumble, grope ; connected with the noun, ME. 
dabbe, a stroke, blow, = MHG. "tappe, tape, a 
paw, an awkward man, G. dial, tappe, tapp, a 
paw, fist, a blow, kick. From G. tappen comes 
F. taper, whence E. tarft, strike lightly. Hence 
freq. dabble, q. v. The sense of striking with 
a soft or moist substance is prob. due to con- 
fusion with daub, q. v.] I. trans. 1. To strike. 
The Flemmisshe hem dabbeth o the liet bare. 
Flemish Insurrection (Child's Ballads, VI. 272). 
2. To strike gently with the hand ; slap softly ; 
pat. 3. To pat or tap gently with some soft or 
moist substance: specifically, in etching, china- 
painting, etc., to pat or nib gently with -a dab- 
ber, so as to diffuse or spread evenly a ground- 
work of color, etc. ; smear. 
A sore should never be wiped by drawing a piece of 
tow or rag over it, but only by dabbing it with fine lint. 
Sharpe, Surgery. 
4. To strike with a pointed or sharp weapon ; 
prick; stab. 
There was given hym the aungell of Sathan, the prickc 
of the flesh, to ,i,iiiiu- him in the necke. 
Sir T. Mart, Works, p. 551. 
6. To dibble. [Prov. Eng.] 6f. To deceive. 
Til like the parish bull he serves them still, 
And dabbcn their husbandes clean against their will. 
The T.' me's Whistle (E. E. T. S.), 1. 2402. 
7. In stone-working, to pick holes in with a 
pointed tool ; fret. To dab nebs*, to kiss. 
Dab nebi with her now and then. 
The Coalman's Courtship, p. 8. 
II. in trans. If. To prick. 
The t In mi that dabs I'll cut it down, 
Though fair the rose may be. 
K. Jamieson's Pop. Ballads, I. 87. 
2. To peck, as birds. [Scotch.] 
Weel daubit, Robin ! there's some malr, 
Beath groats an' barley, dinna spare. 
Ret. J. jttcoi, Poems, I. 43. 
3. To use a dabber. 4f. To fall down loosely. 
Encombrid in my clothes that dabbing down from me did 
droppe. Phaer, -Kut-i.l. vi. 
dab 1 (dab), n. [< ME. dabbe, a stroke, blow : 
see the verb.] 1. A quick or sudden blow. 
As he was recovering, I gave him a dab in the mouth 
with my broken sword. 
Stcift, Mem. of Capt. Creichton, p. 82. 
2. A gentle blow or pat with the hand or some 
soft substance. 3. A dig; a peck, as from the 
beak of a bird. 4. A first or imperfect im- 
pression on the metal iu making a die. 5. A 
small lump or mass of something soft or moist ; 
a small quantity: as, a dab of mortar; a dab 
of butter. 6f. A trine; a slight, insignificant 
thing or person: in contempt. 
Cutting the leaves of a new dab called Auecdotes of 
Polite Literature. Walpole, Letters, II. 337. 
1437 
7. pi. Refuse foots of sugar. Sintmonds. 8. 
A pinafore. 
Reckon with my washerwoman, making ii--i allow for 
old shirts, socks, dabbn and markees, which she bought of 
me. Hue atut Cry after Dr. Swift (2d ed.), p. 9. 
dab 2 (dab), n. [Perhaps a particular use of rfaM, 
n., 5.] The salt-water flounder or fluke, Liman- 
da limanda. The teeth are compressed and truncated, 
and the lateral line is simple and arched aljove the pecto- 
ral ; the dorsal lias 70 to 76 rays and the anal 52 to 57 : 
! LimaHja limantta ). 
the color is brownish, sometimes relieved by yellowish 
spots. The dab is a common fish on the sandy parts of 
the liritish coast, living in deeper water than the true 
flounder, and not entering the mouths of rivers. It sel- 
dom exceeds 12 inches in length, ami is preferred to the 
flounder for the table. 
Almost immediately he hud a basket of dab* and whit- 
ing. Froude, Sketches, p. 75. 
dab 3 (dab), n. and a. [Origin uncertain ; per- 
haps connected with rfnfci and dribble. Usually 
supposed to be a 'corruption' of adept.'] I. H. 
An expert; a knowing or skilful man; a dab- 
ster. [Colloq.] 
I am no dab at your fine sayings. 
Sterne, Tristram Shandy, iv. 15. 
One writer . . . excels at ... a title-page, another 
works away at the body of the book, and a third is a dab 
at an index. (ioldmiiilli, The bee. So. 1. 
II. a. Clever; skilled: as, a dab hand at a 
thing. [Colloq.] 
da ballo (da bal'lo). [It.: da, < L. de, of, from; 
ballo, ball: see ball".] In music, iu the style of 
a dance ; in a light and spirited manner. 
dabber 1 (dab'er), n. One who or that which 
dabs. Specifically (a) In printing, same gta#l,9. (b) 
An instrument consisting of a mass of cotton-wool sewed 
or tied in silk or leather and with or without a wooden han- 
dle, used by etchers to spread 
and unite grounds laid on met- 
al plates ; by copperplate- and 
wood-engravers to ink the sur- 
face of wood blocks and en- 
graved plates, in order to take 
impressions from them ; and by 
painters on china to produce 
smooth backgrounds in color. 
An agate burnisher, and a dab- 
ber, which are used for taking 
proof-impressions of the wood- 
cut. 
Workshop Receipts, 1st ser., 
[p. 149. 
(c) III stereotyping, a hard hair brush used in the papier- 
mache 1 process for dabbing the back of the damp paper, 
and so driving it into the interstices of the tyjie. (d) A 
camel-hair brush used for cleaning picture-frames and for 
various purtioses in photography. 
dabber* (dab'er), r. [Sc.; cf.jubber.~] I. tranx. 
To confound or stupefy by rapid talking. 
II. intrans. To jar; wrangle. 
dabbing (dab'ing), n. [Verbal n. of dab 1 , r.] 
1. In stonf-tcorkiiuj, the process of covering the 
surface of a stone, after it has been made uni- 
form, with small indentations, by means of a 
pick-shaped tool, or a hammer indented so as 
to form a series of points. Also called daubing 
and picking. 2. See the extract. 
This way of fishing we call dapiug, dahbiivi. or dibiiinu : 
wherein you are always to have your line flying lK-f"iv ><u 
up or down the river, as the wind serves, ami to angle as 
near as you can to the hank of the same side whereon v. m 
stand. Cotton, in I. Walton s Complete Angler, ii. 241. 
dabbing-machine (dab'ing-ma-shen'), n. In 
ti/IK-l'iimiiliiiii. a machine for easting large metal 
types. 
Etchers' Dabber. 
