decomposition 
The Mr\\ t'otitim-iits arc tmilt out of the ruins of an old 
planet ; the nrw ruccs fed <ntt of the >lt'f"titix>xili<in. of the 
foregoing. Emerson, Essays, 1st ser., p. '274. 
The latter half of the nineteenth century will be known 
to tin- future historian as especially the era of the <l<>n,,ii- 
javition of orthodoxies. J. t'iske. Evolutionist, p. 2lit). 
3. [With ref. to decoiH/innilr, q. v.] The act 
of compounding together things which are 
themselves compound ; a combination of com- 
pounds. 
A dexterous decomposition of two or three words to- 
gethiT. Instruct. Concerning Oratory. 
Chemical decomposition. See chcm leal. Decompo- 
sition Of forces, in !*., same as resolution of forces 
(which see, miller /orw). - Decomposition of light, the 
separation of a beam of light into its prismatic colors. 
decompound (de-kom-pound'), r. t. [= Pg. de- 
compor = It. decomporrc, < NL. *decomponere, 
< L. de- priv. (in def. 2, de- intensive) + com- 
poiiere, put together, compound : see de- and 
compound 1 , and cf. decompose.] 1. To decom- 
pose. [Rare.] 
It divides and decompounds objects into a thousand cu- 
rious parts. Ilazlitt. 
2. To compound a second time ; compound or 
form out of that which is already compound ; 
form by a second composition. 
All our complex ideas whatsoever, . . . however com- 
pounded and decompounded, may at last be resolv'd into 
simple ideas. Locke, Human Understanding, ii. 22. 
decompound (de-kom-pound'), a. [< de- + 
compound, a.: see decompound, r., and cf. de- 
composite."] 1. 
Composed of 
things which 
are them- 
selves com- 
pound ; com- 
pounded a 
second time. 
2. In bot., 
divided into 
a number of 
compound di- 
visions, as a 
leaf or pani- 
cle ; repeat- 
edly cleft or 
cut into an in- 
definite num- 
ber of unequal segments. A decompound leaf is one 
in which the primary petiole gives off subsidiary petioles, 
each supporting a compound leaf. Also decomposite. 
decompound (de-kom-pound'), n. A decom- 
posite (which see). 
decompoundable (de-kom-poun'da-bl), a. [< 
decompound + -able."] Capable of being de- 
compounded. 
decompoundly (de-kom-pound'li), adv. In a 
decompound manner. 
decomptt, . [< OF. descompt, account, back 
reckoning, < descompter, account for, account 
back: see discount and counfl."\ Deduction or 
percentage held as security. 
deconcentrate (de-kon-sen'trat), v. i. ; pret. and 
pp. deconccntrated, ppr. deconcentrating. [< dc- 
priv. + concentrate.] To spread or scatter from 
a point or center; destroy the concentration of, 
as of bodies of troops. Times (London). 
deconcentration (de-kon-sen-tra'shon), n. [< 
deconcentrate + -ion.] The act of deconcen- 
trating, or of dispersing whatever has been con- 
centrated in one place or point : the opposite 
of concentration. 
deconcoctt (de-kon-kokf), r. t. [< de- priv. + 
concoct.] To decompose or resolve. 
Since these Benedictines have had their crudities deeon- 
cocted. Fuller, Ch. Hist., VI. 267. 
deconsecrate (de-kon'se-krat), v. t.; pret. and 
pp. deconsecrated, ppr. 'deconsecrating. [< de- 
priv. + consecrate. Cf . F. deconsacrer. ] To de- 
prive of the character conferred by consecra- 
tion; secularize. 
Though it was possible to sweep the idols out of the 
Kaaba, it was not so easy to deconsecrate the spot, but far 
more convenient to give it a new sanction. 
Encyc. Brit., XIX. 93. 
deconsecration (de-kon-se-kra'shon), n. [< de- 
consecrate + -ion."] The act of deconsecrating 
or of depriving of sacred character; specifical- 
ly, the ceremony employed in deconsecrating 
or rendering secular anything consecrated, as 
a church or a cemetery. The forms to be observed 
do not appear in the prayer-book, and the ceremony is of 
very rare occurrence. 
de contumace capiendo (de kon-tu-ma'se kap- 
i-en'do). [L. (NL.): L. de, of; contumace, abl. 
of contumax, contumacious; capiendo, abl. ger. 
of caperc, take: see capacious, capias, etc.] In 
Decompound Leaf. 
1490 
Kilt/. Inn; a writ issuing out of chancery, on the 
suggestion of an ecclesiastical court, to attach 
a party to a proceeding in the latter court for 
contempt of its authority: a procedure substi- 
tuted by the act of 53 Geo. III., c. 127, for the 
de excoiiiiiiiinii'iilo capiendo. 
decopedt, 1>- a. [ME. pp. of "decopen, < OF. de- 
coper, decoupper, F. decouper, cut, slash, < dr- + 
couper, cut: see coap 1 .] Slashed ; cut in figures. 
SI lode he was with grete maistrie 
With shoon decoped, and with laas [lace]. 
Hum. ii f the Hose, 1. 843. 
decopperization (de-kop-er-i-za'shon), n. [< 
decopperize + -ation.] The process of remov- 
ing copper or freeing from copper. 
decopperize (de-kop'er-iz), v. t. ; pret. and pp. 
dccopperized, ppr. decopperizing. [< L. de, of, 
from, + copper + -ize.] To free from copper. 
The zinc remaining in the decopj/erieed lead is oxidised 
in a reverberatory furnace. Ure, Diet., III. 71. 
decoramentt (dek'o-ra-ment), n. [< LL. deco- 
ramentum: see dec'orement.] Same as decore- 
ment. 
decorate (dek'o-rat), v. t. ; pret. and pp. deco- 
rated, ppr. decorating. [< L. decoratus, pp. of 
decorare (>F. decorer= Sp. Pg. decorar= It. de- 
corare = D. decoreren = G. decoriren = Dan. de- 
korere = Sw. dekorera), adorn, distinguish, hon- 
or, < dccns (decor-), ornament, grace, dignity, 
honor, akin to decor, elegance, grace, beauty, 
ornament, < decere, become, befit, whence ult. 
decent, q. v.j If. To distinguish ; grace ; honor. 
My harte was fully sette, and my minde deliberately de- 
termined to haue decorated this realme wyth wholesome 
lawes, statu[t]es, and audinaunces. Hall, Edw. IV., an. 23. 
2. To deck with something becoming or orna- 
mental ; adorn ; beautify ; embellish : as, to dec- 
orate the person ; to decorate an edifice. 
A grave and forcible argument, decorated by the most 
brilliant wit and fancy. Macaulay, Warren Hastings. 
With lupin and with lavender, 
To decorate the fading year. 
D. ii. Moir, Birth of the Flowers. 
3. To confer distinction upon by means of a 
badge or medal of honor: as, to decorate an 
artist with the cross of the Legion of Honor. 
= Syn. 2. Adorn, Ornament, Decorate, etc. (see adorn), 
bedizen, gild, trick out. emblazon. 
decorated (dek'o-ra-ted),^. . Adorned; orna- 
mented; embellished Decorated style, in arch., 
the second style 
of English Point- 
ed architecture, 
in use from the 
end of the thir- 
teenth to the be- 
ginning of the fif- 
teenth century, 
when it degen- 
erated into the 
Perpendicular. 
It is distinguish- 
ed from the earli- 
er Pointed style, 
from which it 
was developed, 
by the more flow- 
ing lines of its 
tracery, especial- 
ly of its windows, 
by the more in- 
tricate and less 
conventional 
combinations of 
its foliage, by the 
greater elalwra- 
tion of its capi- 
tals, moldings, 
nnials, etc., and 
generally by a 
style of ornamen- 
tation more nat- 
uralistic and as 
a rule less in 
accordance with 
Decorated Architecture of the period of 
transition to the later Decorated style. Tomb 
of Bishop Bridport, Salisbury Cathedral. Eng- 
land. 
true artistic prin- 
ciples. The Deco- 
rated style has 
been divided into two periods : namely, the Early or Geo- 
metric Decorated period, in which the ornament consists 
especially of simple curves and lines and combinations 
of them ; and the Decorated style proper, in which the 
peculiar characteristics of the style are most emphasized, 
and meager or involved arrangement of lines in orna- 
ment takes the place of the broad treatment of masses 
which characterizes earlier medieval work. 
decoration (dek-o-ra'shon), n. [= F. decora- 
tion = Sp. decoracion = Pg. dccoraqao = It. di-co- 
rasione = D. decoratie = G. decoration, = Dan. 
Sw. dekoration, < ML. decoratio(n-), < L. deco- 
rare, decorate: see decorate.] 1. The act of 
decorating or adorning with something becom- 
ing or ornamental; the art of adorning, orna- 
menting, or embellishing. 
We know that ili'i-oi-nl/on is not architectural dectii-tttnni 
unless it emphasizes construction. 
The Century, XXXI. 554. 
decorously 
2. The conferring of a badge, as of an order, or 
a medal of honor ; hence, the badge or medal 
conferred. 3. That which embellishes; any- 
thing which decorates or adorns ; an ornament. 
Our church did even then exceed the Romish in cere- 
monies and decorations. Mnrcell, Works, II. 208. 
It is a rule, without any exception, in all kinds of com- 
position, that the principal idea, the predominant feeling, 
should never be confounded with the accompanying </< <-n- 
rations, Mn<-itiil<i;i. IVtrarch. 
4. In music, a general term for the various me- 
lodic embellishments, as the trill, the appoggia- 
tura, etc. 5. In pyrotedmy, the compositions 
placed in port-fires, rockets, paper shells, etc., 
to make a brilliant display when the case is ex- 
ploded. Castellan decoration, in cm., the system 
of decoration by means of a point producing scratches 
through an exterior thin layer of color, revealing the color 
of the body beneath: so called from the asserted origin 
of this decoration at Cittiv di Oastello, in Vmbria, Italy. 
I 'ompare <frtt[/itu. Decoration day, the day set apart in 
the United States for observances in memory of the soldiers 
and sailors who fell in the civil war of 1861 -<5 : originally 
called Memorial dint. The day is observed by processions 
and orations in honor of the dead, and particularly by 
decorating their graves with flowers. Originally different 
days were selected for this purpose in the different States ; 
but usage has now settled upon May 30th, which has been 
made a legal holiday in most of the States. The custom 
is observed both in the North and in the South. Em- 
broidery decoration, in <vmi,, a name given to a sur- 
face-decoration similar to that called lace-decoration, but 
more massive, and usually in white on a dark ground. 
Porcellana decoration, ill ceram., decoration by means 
of blue leafage, scrolls, and the like, on a white ground, as 
if in imitation of Oriental porcelain : especially applied 
to Italian majolica so decorated. Trophy decoration, 
decoration by means of groups of arms, musical instru- 
ments, scrolls, tools of painting and sculpture, and the 
like, or what may by extension be called trophies, espe- 
cially in Italian decorative art. =Syn. 3. Embellishment, 
garniture, trapping. 
decorative (dek'o-ra-tiy), a. [< decorate + 
-ive.~] 1. Of or pertaining to decoration ; con- 
cerned with decoration : as, decorative art. 
Small objects which are attractive in colour and shape 
will naturally be used by the savage for decorative pur- 
poses. //. Spencer, Prin. of Sociol., 413. 
2. Of an ornamental nature ; decorating; em- 
bellishing. 
The great choir-window of Licllfield is the noblest glass- 
work I remember to have seen. I have met nowhere 
colors so chaste and grave, and yet so rich and true, or a 
cluster of designs so piously decorative, and yet so pic- 
torial. //. James, Jr., Trans. Sketches, p. 24. 
Decorative art. Seear(2._ Decorative notes, in mu- 
sic, short notes added to the essential notes of a melody 
by way of embellishment. 
decorativeness (dek'o-ra-tiv-nes), n. The qual- 
ity of being decorative. 
decorator (dek'o-ra-tor), n. [< F. decorateur = 
Sp. Pg. decorador = D. decorateur = Dan. de- 
korator, < ML. decorator,^ L. decorare, decorate : 
see decorate.] One who decorates or embel- 
lishes; specifically, one whose business is the 
decoration of dwellings or public edifices. 
They are careful decorators of their persons. 
Sir ,S. Kaffl.cs, Hist. Java. 
decoret (de-kor'), v. t. [< OF. deeorer, F. de- 
corer, < L'. decorare, decorate: see decorate.] 
To decorate; adorn; distinguish. 
This made me to esteeme of her the more, 
Her name and rareness did her so decore. 
K. James VI., Chron. S. P., iii. 479. (Jamieson.) 
To decore and beautifle the house of God. 
Hall, Hen. V., an. 2. 
decorementt (de-kor'ment), . [Sc. decoirmrnl, 
< OF. decorement, F. decoremeni, < LL. decorn- 
mentum, ornament, < L. decorare, decorate. Cf. 
decorameiit.] Decoration. 
The policie and decoinnent of this realme. 
Acts James VI., 1587 (ed. 1814), p. 506. 
These dccoreinents which l>eautify and adorn her. 
He^voitd, Description of a Ship, p. 29. 
decorous (de-ko'- or dek'o-rus), a. [= Sp. 
Pg. It. decoroso (also decora), < L. decorm, 
seemly, becoming, befitting, < decor (decor-), 
seemliness, grace, etc. : see decorate and de- 
corum.] Characterized by or conspicuous for 
decorum; proper; decent; especially (of per- 
sons), formally polite and proper in speech and 
conduct. 
There is no duenna so rigidly prudent, and inexorably 
decorous, as a superannuated coquette. 
li-rin : i ski'trh.IJook, p. 192. 
He recited a list of complaints a^ainsthis majesty, . . . 
all of them fabricated or exaggerated for the occasion, 
and none of them furnishing even a dt'corvtix pretext for 
the war which was now formally declared. 
Motley, Dutch Republic, I. 109. 
He [Sir Robert Peel] was uniformly decorou*, and had a 
high sense of dignity and propriety. 
H'. K. Gi'f.i. Misc. Essays, 2d sar., p. 219. 
= Syn. Fit. seemly, comely, orderly, appropriate. 
decorously (de-ko'- or dek'o-rus-li), adr. In 
a decorous manner ; with decorum. 
