decimole 
decimole (des'i-mol), . [< L. dcccm, ten.] In 
Hinxii; ti group of ten notes which are to be 
played in the time of eight or of four notes, 
marked by a phnse-oun or curve inclosing 
the notes and including the figure 10. Also 
called ilrni]ilrl. 
decimo-sexto (des'i-mo-seks'to), n. See sexto- 
(ti'i'imu. 
decinert, . Same as ili-ri-inii r. 
decipher (de-si'fer), r. I. [After OF. dnchiffrer, 
F. drcliiffriT = Sp. ilcsrij'rnr = I'j;. drrifritr = 
It. iliTifriiri', ih fifi-i'iiri'. ilii-ij'i-iii-i', iliciferare, < 
Ml,, ilffhiffniri' (after F.), "dn-ij'rnre, decipher, 
< di- + fifrii, cipher: see ci/i/ic/-.] 1. To inter- 
pret by the use of a key, as something written 
in cipher; make out by discovering the key to. 
Zelmauc, ili:it h.i'l ill*- character in her heart, could 
easily decipher it. N'V r. .Sn/m-t/. 
The virtues of them [ciphers], whereby they are to be 
preferred, are three : that they be not laborious to write 
au.l read ; that they be impossible to decipher; and in 
snnie cases, that they lie without suspicion. 
Bacon, Advancement of Learning (original English ed.), 
I Works, JII. 402. 
2. To succeed in reading, as what is written in 
obscure, partially obliterated, or badly formed 
characters. 
They [Wycherley's manuscripts] were so full of erasures 
and interlineations that tin printer could decipher them. 
Macaulay, Leigh Hunt. 
3. To discover or explain the meaning of, as 
of something that is obscure or difficult to be 
traced or understood. 
I could not help deciphering something In his face above 
his condition. Sterne, Tristram Shandy. 
All races which have long wandered and fought have be- 
come composite to ii deui'ee past </-r//</u'n'/i</. 
J. Fiske, Evolutionist, p. 103. 
4. To describe or delineate. 
Could I give you a lively representation of guilt and 
horror on this hand, and paint out eternal wrath and de- 
i-i'i>ht>r eternal vengeance on the other, then might I shew 
you the condition of a sinner hearing himself denied by 
Christ. South. 
5t- To find out; detect; discover; reveal. 
What's the news? 
That you are both deciplier'd, that's the news. 
For villains mark d with rape. Shak., Tit. And., iv. 2. 
1 have spoke with her, and we have a nay-word, how to 
know one another. I come to her in white and cry "mum"; 
she cries "budget"; and by that we know one another. 
. . . But what needs either your "mum," or her "bud- 
get "1 the white will decipher her well enough. 
Shak.,M.. W. of W., v. 2. 
6t. To write in cipher; conceal by means of a 
cipher or other disguise. [Rare.] 
To be plain with you, I am the very man deciphered in 
his Iwok, under the name of Venator. 
Cotton, in Walton's Angler, II. 225. 
= Syn. 1-3. To interpret, make out, unravel, 
decipher! (de-si'fer), n. [< decipher, .] A 
description. 
He was a Lord Chancellour of France, whose decipher 
agrees exactly with this great prelate, sometime Lord 
Keeper of the (Jreat Seal. 
Bp. Market, Abp. Williams, II. 220. 
decipherable (de-si'fer-a-bl), a. [= F. dechif- 
frable = Sp. descifrable ; as decipher + -able.} 
Capable of being deciphered or interpreted. 
Some of the letters seized at Mr. Coleman's are not de- 
cipherable by all or any of the keys found. 
Preface to Letter* on Popish Plot. 
decipherer (de-si'fer-er), n. One who interprets 
what is written in ciphers, or reads what is 
written obscurely. 
Suppose that ciphers were well managed, there he mul- 
titudes of them that exclude tin 1 <'</>//, v.v . 
Bacon, Advancement of Learning (original English ed.), 
[Works, III. 402. 
There are a sort of those narrow-eyed decipherers . . . 
that will extort strange and abstruse meanings out of any 
subject. B. Jonson, Every Man out of his Humour. 
decipherment (de-si'fer-ment), H. [= F. de- 
i-liiffri'iiii-iit; as decipher + -mcnt.] The act of 
deciphering ; interpretation. 
They (the Assyrian tablets exhumed by Layard and 
Smith] are now among the collections of the British Mu- 
seum, and their decipherment isthrowinga new and strange 
light on the cosmogony and religions of the early East. 
Damon, Origin of World, p. 19. 
decipia (de-sip'i-ii), H. [NL., < deeipmm, q. v.] 
The oxid of decipium. Its formula is doubtful, 
being either DpO or ppoO 3 . Its properties are 
not y_et fully ascertained. 
decipium (de-sip 'i-um), . [NL., irreg. < L. 
ilii'i/icrc, deceive : seo drc<'irc."\ Chemical sym- 
bol, Dp: atomic weight, 106 if the oxid is DpO, 
or 171 if, as is likely, the oxid is Dp2O 3 . A sub- 
stance found in the Bamarskite of North Carolina, and 
saiil to l>e a metallic element intermediate in character 
between the metals of the cerium and yttrium groups. 
Its salts are colorless. The acetate crystallizes easily. 
1 l.s.-, 
deciset, t'. t. [< L. decisux, pp. of decidere, de- 
i-ide: see ili-cidf, and cf.concixe, incise, etc.] To 
decide; settle; determine. 
No man more profoundly iliscu--etli m more fynely /- 
,-ix,'t/, thr VHC nt i erenionies. ./. 1'ilnlt, 1'rel. to Matthew. 
decision (de-sizh'on), n. [< OF. decision, F. 
ilirixinn = Sp. decinion = Pg. decistto = It. ili-ci- 
xiniin, < L. decisin( -). < dMMUra, cut off, decide : 
see decide.] If. The act of separating or cut- 
ting off; detachment of a part ; excision. 
The essence of God is incori>oreal, spiritual, and indlvl- 
sable ; and therefore his nature Is really communicated, 
not by derivation or </</../"//, but by a total and plenary 
communication. Bp. Pearson, Expos, of ('reed, ii. 
2. Determination, as of a contest or an event; 
end, as of a struggle ; arbitrament : as, the de- 
cision of a battle by arms. 
When the Contract Is broken, and there is no third Per- 
son to judge, then the Decision is by Anns. 
Selden, Table-Talk, p. 115. 
Their arms are to the last decision bent. 
And fortune labours with the vast intent. Dryden. 
3. Determination, as of a question or a doubt; 
final judgment or opinion in a case which has 
been under deliberation or discussion: as, the 
decision of the Supreme Court. 
What shall finally be done with Spain respecting the 
Mississippi? becomes an interesting question, and one 
pressing on us for a decision. 
Monroe, in Bancroft's Hist. Const., I. 510. 
Her clear and bared limbs 
O'erthwarted with the brazen-headed spear 
Upon her pearly shoulder leaning cold, 
The while, above, her full and earnest eye 
Over her snow-cold breast and angry cheek 
Kept watch, waiting decision. Tennyson, (Enone. 
4. A resolution ; a fixing of a purpose in the 
mind. 5. The quality of being decided ; abil- 
ity to form a settled purpose ; prompt determi- 
nation: as, a man of decision. Fifty Decisions, 
the final disposition by Justinian of tifty questions con- 
cerning which the authorities on Roman law were not 
agreed. They were made A. D. 529-30, and were embod- 
ied in the new (or revised) Code of Justinian. = Syn. 2 and 
3. Decision, Verdict, Report, Judgment, Decree, Order, Ad- 
judication. In law the following distinctions are usual : 
A decision is the determination of an Issue by a judge 
or court ; a verdict, by a jury ; a report, one submitted to 
the court by a referee, master, or auditor ; a judgment, de- 
cree, or order, the formal entry or document embodying 
the determination ; adjudication is generally used in con- 
nection with the effect of a judgment, decree, or order in 
settling the question. C. Decision, Determination, Reso- 
lution. Decision is the quality of being able to make up 
one's mind promptly, clearly, and firmly as to what shall 
be done and the way to do it. Determination is the set- 
tling upon some line of action with a flxed purpose to stick 
to it ; it is somewhat nearer than the others to doggedness, 
and sometimes approaches obstinacy. Determination may 
be negative, as not to do a thing, but resolution is gener- 
ally positive or active ; it often implies more courage than 
the others, and is otherwise more high-minded. But these 
words are often used interchangeably. 
Unity, secrecy, decision are the qualities which military 
arrangements require. Macaulay, Hallam s Const. Hist. 
When the force of habit is added, the detertnination be- 
comes invincible, and seems to assume rank with the great 
laws of nature. Foster, Decision of Character, ii. 
We cannot willingly admit that those gentle affections 
are totally incompatible with the most impregnable reso- 
lution and vigor. Fouler, Decision of Character, v. 
decisional (de-sizh'on-al), a. [< decision + -al.} 
Pertaining or relating to a decision ; authori- 
tative. [Rare.] 
These opinions of the minority can have no decisiunal 
effect. Encyc. Brit., XVI. 503. 
decisive (de-si'siv), a. and n. [< OF. decisif, 
F. decisif = Sp. Pg. It. decisivo, < L. decisus, 
pp. of decidere, decide: see decide.} I. a. 1. 
Having the power or quality of determining a 
question, doubt, contest, event, etc. ; final ; con- 
clusive ; putting an end to controversy : as, the 
opinion of the court is decisive on the question. 
He is inclined to substitute rapid movements and tied- 
are engagements for the languid and dilatory operations 
of his countrymen. Macaulay, Machiavelli. 
In each new threat of faction the ballot has been, beyond 
expectation, right and decisive. 
Emerson, Fortune of the Republic. 
Only when a revolution in circumstances is at once both 
marked and permanent, does a decisive alteration of char- 
acter follow. //. Spencer, Social Statics, p. 452. 
2. Marked by decision or prompt determination. 
Strong and decisive the reply I gave. 
Crabbe, Works, VII. 92. 
Decisive abstraction. See abstraction. =Syn. Decided, 
/V.'/xiVc. See tli'i-itted. 
II. . A decisive thing. [Rare.] 
It was evidently the conduct of the Spaniards, not their 
aniies, which was the decisive here. 
Kfliin. Ijic. between the French and Spanish 
[Ambassadors. 
decisively (de-si'siv-li), </>. ID a conclusive 
manner; in a manner to end deliberation, con- 
troversy, doubt, or contest. 
deck 
decisiveness (de-si'siv-nes), . 1. The quality 
of ending doubt, controversy, or the like; con- 
clusiveness. 2. The state of being marked by 
decision or prompt determination : as, decixin - 
iifxn of character. 
decisory (de-si'so-ri), a. [< F. de'cwoire = Sp. 
1'g. ili'i'ixorio, < L. ilii'ixux. pp. of decidere, de- 
i-iilis: see decide.] Decisive. [Rare.] 
decistere (des-i-star'), n. [< F. decistere, < L. 
ilri-iiiiim, tenth, + F. stere: see stere.} In the 
metric system, a cubic measure, equal to the 
tenth part of a stere, or 3.532 cubic feet. 
decitizenize (de-sit'i-zn-iz), r. t. ; pret. and pp. 
ilrcili::' iii'.nl. ppr. decitizenizing. [< de-priv. + 
citizen + -i:e.} To deprive of citizenship; dis- 
franchise. 
decivilize (de-siv'i-liz), r. t. ; pret. and pp. ili- 
cii'ilized, ppr. decivUising. [= F. deciviliser; 
as de- priv. + civilize. ] To reduce or degrade 
from a civilized to a wilder or more savage state. 
We have but to imagine ourselves de-cifilized to sup- 
pose faculty decreased, knowledge lost, language vague, 
criticism and skepticism absent, to understand how In- 
evitably the primitive man conceives as real the dream- 
personages we know to be Ideal. 
//. Spencer, Prin. of Soclol., { 71. 
deck (dek), v. t. [< ME. decken (rare), < MD. 
decken, D. dekken = MLG. decken, LG. dekkeu 
= OHG. decchan. MHG. G. decken = OFries. 
thekka = Dan. da;kke (after LG.), prop, ta-kke = 
Sw. tdcka = Icel. thekkja = AS. theccan, E. 
thatch, dial, thack, theak, coyer: see thatch, v. 
Deck is thus a doublet, derived from the D. 
and LG., of the native E. thatch. The alleged 
AS. "deccan, *ge-deccan, to which deck is gener- 
ally referred, are misreadiugs for theccan, ge- 
theccan. Cf. deck, .] 1. To cover ; overspread ; 
invest; especially, to array or clothe with 
something resplendent or ornamental ; adorn ; 
embellish ; set out : as, to deck one's self for a 
wedding ; she was decked with jewels. 
They deck it [an image] with silver and gold. Jer. x. 4. 
Whether to deck with clouds the uncolour'd sky, 
Or wet the thirsty earth with falling showers. 
Milton, f. L,, v. 18. 
The dew with spangles decked the ground. Dryden. 
When, with new force, she aids her conquering eyes. 
And beauty decks with all that beauty buys. Crabbe. 
2. Jfaut., to furnish with or as with a deck, as 
a vessel. 
At last it was concluded to decke their long boat with 
their ship hatches. 
Quoted in Capt. John Smith's True Travels, II. 122. 
3. In mining, to load or unload (the cars or tubs) 
upon the cage. 4. [Cf. deck, n., 5.] To dis- 
card. Grose. =Syn. 1. Ornament, Decorate, etc. See 
attorn. See also list under decorate. 
deck (dek), n. [< MD. decke, D. dek, cover, 
deck, = OFries. thekke = LG. decke = OHG. 
decchi, decki, also decha, MHG. G. decke, cover, 
G. deck, deck, = Sw. dock = Dan. d(tk (after 
LG.), deck; from the verb: see deck, v., and 
cf. thatch, n.} If. A covering; anything that 
serves as a sheltering cover. 
Being well refreshed, we vntyed our Targets that cou- 
ered vs as a Deck. 
Quoted In Capt. John Smith's True Travels, I. 188. 
2. An approximately horizontal platform or 
floor extending from side to side of a ship or of a 
part of a ship, as of a deck-house, and supported 
by beams and carlines. In wooden ships the deck is 
formed of planks about three inches wide and three inches 
thick, spiked to the beams and carlines ; in iron ships it 
is formed of Iron plating riveted to the beams and gird- 
ers and generally covered with wooden planking. An 
armored deck Is protected by Iron or steel plating. The 
spar-deck Is the upper deck of those which extend from 
stem to stern ; the mam deck is the deck immediately 
below the spar-deck in a double-decked ship : the quar- 
ter-deck is that part of the spar-deck which is abaft 
the mainmast; the topgallant forecastle-derk is a short 
deck above the spar-deck In the forward part of the 
ship, generally extending as far aft as the foremast. In 
a man-of-war the berth-deck is the deck below the gun- 
deck, where the mess-lockers and -tables are placed, and 
where the hammocks are slung. The nvn-deck is the 
deck of a man-of-war where the battery Is carried ; In 
old llne-of-battle ships, where guns were carried on three 
decks below the spar-deck, they were called respectively 
the upper, middle, and lower gun-deck. A jluth deck Is a 
spar-deck clear from stem to stern of houses or other en- 
cumbrances. The term half-deck was formerly applied to 
the after part of the deck next below the spar-deck, and 
forward of the cabin bulkhead. The hurricane-deck is 
the upper light deck of side-wheel passenger-steamers. 
The orlop-deck is below the berth-deck, and is where the 
cables were formerly stowed. The poop-deck is the after 
part of the ship, over the cabin, when the cabin Is on the 
spar-deck. The turtle-deck or turtle-backed deck is so 
called from its resemblance to the hack of a turtle, and is 
a convex deck extending a short distance aft from the 
stem of an ocean steamer to shed the water in a head sea ; 
in many iron steamships of recent model there is a similar 
arrangement on the stern. In river-steamers in the United 
