desolator 
The desolator desolate ! 
The victor overthrown ! 
The arbiter of others' fate 
A suppliant for his own. 
liyrun, Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte. 
Pity, not scorn, I felt, though desolate 
The desolator now. 
Shelley, Revolt of Islam, v. 25. 
desolatory (des'o-la-to-ri), a. [< LL. desolato- 
rius, making desolate) < L. desolatus, pp. : see 
desolate, v.~\ Causing desolation. [Bare.] 
The desolatory judgments are a notable improvement of 
God's mercy. Bp. Hall, Remains, p. 55. 
desophisticate (de-so-fis'ti-kat), v. t.; pret.and 
pp. desopliistieatcd, ppr. dcsophisticating. [< de- 
priv. + sophisticate.] To clear from sophism 
or error. Hare. Imp. Diet. [Bare.] 
Desoria (de-so'ri-a), n. [NL., from Edouard 
Desor (1811-82), a' Swiss geologist and paleon- 
tologist.] 1. A genus of collembolous insects, 
of the family Poduridce, or springtails ; the gla- 
cier-fleas, found on the glaciers of the Alps. 
They differ from the common flea in that they jump by the 
aid of a special apparatus provided for the purpose at the 
posterior extremity, and not by means of the legs. Nino- 
let, 1841. 
2t. A genus of spatangoid sea-urchins: same 
as L/intiiia. J. E. Gray, 1851. 
desoxalate (des-ok'sa-lat), n. [< dcsoxal-ic + 
-ate 1 .'] In chem. , a salt of desoxalic acid. 
desoxalic (des-ok-sal'ik), a. [< "des- for dis- 
priy. + oxalic.'] In chem., formed by the deoxi- 
dation of oxalic acid Desoxalic acid, C 5 Hq0 8 , a 
tribasic acid, when pure forming a crystalline deliques- 
cent solid having a refreshing acid taste like that of tar- 
taric acid. Also called raceitw-carbonic acid. 
despair (des-par'), )'. [< ME. despayren, despey- 
ren, despeiren, < OF. despercr, desesperer, mod. 
F. dtsesperer = Pr. Sp. Pg. desesperar = It. des- 
pcrare, disperare, < L. desperare, be without 
hope, < de- priv. + sperare, hope, < spes, hope. 
Cf. desperate, disesperate, etc.] I. intrans. To 
lose hope ; be without hope ; give up all hope or 
expectation: followed by of before an object. 
We despaired even of life. 2 Cor. i. 8. 
The ancients seem not to have despaired of discovering 
methods and remedies for retarding old age. 
Bacon, Physical Fables, ii., Expl. 
Never despair of God's blessings here or uf his reward 
hereafter. Wake. 
Nature, whose free, light, cheerful air, 
Oft made thee, in thy gloom, despair. 
M. Arnold, Morality. 
= Syll. Despair, Despond. See despond. 
H.t trans. 1. To give up hope of ; lose con- 
fidence in. 
I would not despair the greatest design that could be 
attempted. Milton. 
2. To cause to despair ; deprive of hope. 
Having no hope to despair the governour to deliver it 
[the fprt| into their enemies' hands. 
Sir R. Williams, Actions of the Low Countries, p. 30. 
despair (des-par'), n. [< ME. dispair, despeir, 
despeyre, also desespeire, desespeyre, < OF. de- 
sespeir, desespoir, F. desespmr = Pr. desesper, 
despair; from the verb.] 1. Hopelessness; a 
hopeless state ; utter lack of hope or expecta- 
tion. 
We are perplexed, but not in despair. 2 Cor. iv. 8. 
Despair is the thought of the unattainableness of any 
good, which works differently in men's minds, sometimes 
producing uneasiness or pain, sometimes rest and indo- 
leucy. Locke, Human Understanding, II. xx. 11. 
Nothing is more certain than that despair has almost 
the same effect upon us with enjoyment, and that we are 
no sooner acquainted with the impossibility of satisfying 
any desire, than the desire itself vanishes. 
Hume, Human Nature, Int. 
2. That which causes hopelessness ; that of 
which there is no hope. 
The mere despair of surgery, he cures. 
Shak., Macbeth, iv. 3. 
The attempt of the Alexandrian Platonists to substitute 
the visions of trances for the conclusions of intellect has 
been called the despair of reason ; and modern spiritual- 
ism, when it is not a drawing-room amusement, is too 
often a moment in the despair of faith. 
Encyc. Brit., II. 202. 
= Syn. 1. Despondency, Despair, Desperation. Despon- 
dency is a loss of hope sufficient to produce a loss of cou- 
rage and a disposition to relax or relinquish effort, the de- 
spondent person tending to sink into spiritless inaction. 
Despair means a total loss of hope ; desimndency does not. 
Despair naturally destroys courage and stops all effort, 
but may produce a new kind of courage and fierce activ- 
ity founded upon the sense that there is nothing worse to 
be feared. In this despair is akin to desperation, which 
is an active state and always tends to produce a furious 
struggle against adverse circumstances, even when the sit- 
uation is utterly hopeless. 
The calmness of his temper preserved him alike from 
extravagant elation and from extravagant despondency. 
Macaulay, Sir J. Mackintosh. 
What reinforcement we may gain from hope ; 
II not, what resolution from despair. 
Milton, P. L., i. 191. 
1564 
Pride and despair have often been known to nerve the 
weakest minds with fortitude adequate to the occasion. 
Macaulay, Hallam's Const. Hist. 
None of his division were made prisoners, though many 
were killed ; a circumstance that testifies the desperation 
of their resistance. Scoff, Marmion, vi. 35, note. 
despatch 
The Three First Books I have already dispatcJied, and 
am now entring upon the Fourth. 
Addison, Spectator, No. 321. 
Hence 4. To finish or make an end of by 
promptly putting to death ; kill. 
despairer (des-par'er), . One who despairs 
or is without hope. 
He cheers the fearful, and commends the bold, 
And makes despairers hope for good success. 
Drydcn, Anuns Mirabilis. 
despairful (des-par'ful), a. [< despair + -ful, 1.] 
Full of or indicating despair ; hopeless. [Bare.] 
Other cries amongst the Irish savour of the Scythian 
barbarism ; as the lamentations of their burials, with de- 
spairful outcries. Spenser, State of Ireland. 
His conscience made despairfvtt. 
Alarston, Dutch Courtezan, iii. 1. 
despairing (des-par'ing), p. a. [Ppr. of despair, 
.] 1. Prone to despair or lose hope: as, a de- 
spairing disposition. 2. Characterized by or 
indicating despair: as, a despairing cry. 
despairingly (des-par'ing-li), adv. In a de- 
spairing manner ; in a manner indicating hope- 
lessness ; in despair. 
He speaks severely and . . . despairingly of our society. 
Boyle, Works, I. 237. 
In our overcharged House of Commons, . . . for one 
thing of consequence that is done, five or ten are despair- 
ingly postponed. A'. A. Kev., CXXVII. 207. 
despairingness (des-par'ing-nes), n. The state 
of being despairing ; hopelessness. Clarke. 
despatch, dispatch (des-, dis-pach'), v. [First 
found in early mod. E. (also spelled dispach) ; 
< OF. despechier, despeschier, despeechier, des- 
peeschier, despecquier, despesquier, despeesquier, 
also depeschier, deppaschier, dapauchier, later 
despecher, depecher ( > ME. depechen, E. depeach, 
q. v.), mod. F. depe'cher, rid, discharge, hasten, 
expedite, despatch; cf. Sp. Pg. despachar, It. 
dispacciare, spacciare, spicciare, despatch, etc. 
If these forms had a common source, some con- 
fusion or corruption must have occurred in 
their development. (1) The F. form suggests 
ML. "dispedicare, lit. disentangle, < dis- priv. 
+ "pedicure (found in LL. impedicare, entangle, 
catch, whence Pr. empedegar = OF. cmpechier, 
empeechicr, empeescher, empescher, empegier, em- 
piegier, etc., entangle, embarrass, hinder, stop, 
bar, impeach, whence E. impeach, q. v.), < L. 
pedica, a snare, trap, gin, shackle, fetter, < pes 
(lied-) = Kfoot. (2) The Sp., Pg.,andlt. forms, 
if not dependent on the F., would seem to 
point to ML. "dispactare or * dispactiare, lit. 
unfasten, < dis- priv. + "pactare, freq. of L. 
'anget'c, pp. pactus, fasten, bind: see pact. 
.ccording to the first explanation, despatch is 
coradicate with its equiv. expede, expedite, and 
their opposites impede, impedite : see impeach, 
in which the second syllable is the same as 
the second syllable of depeach, an obs. var. of 
despatch. The spelling dispatch is etymologi- 
cally the more correct form, but despatch, rare 
before its use in Johnson's dictionary, has 
largely displaced it.] I. trans. It. To deliver; 
rid; free; disentangle; discharge: usually re- 
flexive. 
I had clean dispatched myself of this great charge. 
J. Udall, Pref. to Matthew. 
2. To send to a destination ; cause to start for 
or go to an appointed place ; put under way : 
usually implying urgent importance or haste 
as to purpose, or promptness and regularity as 
to time : as, to despatch a messenger or a let- 
ter asking for assistance; to despatch an envoy 
to a foreign court; to despatch a ship. 
The King was at Beverly when be heard of his Brother's 
Death, and presently thereupon dispatched away Edmund 
Earl of Mortaigne into Normandy. 
Baker, Chronicles, p. 176. 
What peace of mind a sinner can have in this world 
who knows not how soon he may be dispatched to that 
place of torment. Stillingjleet, Sermons, I. x. 
Some hero must he dispatch'd, to bear 
The mournful message to Pelides' ear. 
Pope, Iliad, xvii. 
Moses was . . . despatched to borrow a couple of chairs. 
Goldsmith, Vicar, ix. 
p 
A 
The company shall stone them with stones, 
them with their swords. Ezek. xxiii. 47. 
If 't please your grace to have me hang'd, I am ready ; 
"Pis but a miller and a thief despatclt'd. 
Fletcher and Kou'ley, Maid in the Mill, iii. 2. 
The infidel . . . was instantly dispatched, to prevent 
his giving an alarm. In-ing, Granada, p. 31. 
-Syn. 2. To hasten off. 3. To make short work of, dis- 
pose of (quickly). 4. Slay, Murder, etc. See kill. 
Il.t intrans. 1. To go expeditiously ; be 
quick. 
Despatch, I say, and find the forester. 
Shot., M. N. D., iv. 1. 
2. To conclude or dispose of an affair or matter ; 
make a finish. 
They have despatch'd with Pompey, he is gone. 
Shale., A. and C., iii. 2. 
'Twill be 
An hour before I can dispatch with him. 
B. Jonson, Every Man in his Humour, iii. 2. 
I might have miish'd ere he went, and not 
Delay'd his business much ; two or three words, 
And I had dispatch'd. Shirley, The Traitor, ii. 1. 
despatch, dispatch (des-, dis-pach'), n. [= 
D. depeche = Gt. Dan. dcpesche = Sw. depesch, 
< OF. despeche, despesche, haste, riddance, dis- 
charge, despatch, F. depeche, despatch ; cf. Sp. 
Pg. dcspacho, It. dispaccio, spaccio, despatch; 
from the verb.] 1. A sending off or away; a 
prompt or regular starting or transmission, as 
of some one on an errand or a commission, or 
of a ship, freight, etc., on its prescribed course 
or toward its destination : as, the despatch of 
the mails ; the despatch of troops to the front. 
The several messengers 
From hence attend despatch. Shak., Lear, ii. 1. 
But because it would have taken up a long time to 
Load our Vessel with our own Boat only, we hired a Peri- 
ago of the Logwood-cutters to bring it on Board ; and by 
that means made the quicker dispatch. 
Dampier, Voyages, II. ii. 18. 
2. A sending away or getting rid of something ; 
a putting out of the way, or a doing away with ; 
riddance ; dismissal. 
A despatch of complaints. Shah., M. for M., iv. 4. 
Cato gave counsel in open senate, that they should give 
him [Carneades] his dispatch with all speed, lest he should 
infect and indium the minds and affections of the youth. 
Bacon, Advancement of Learning, i. 14. 
3. Prompt or expeditious performance ; com- 
plete or regular execution or transaction; the 
act of bringing to a conclusion. 
The daughter of the king of France, 
On serious business, craving quick despatch, 
Importunes personal conference with his grace. 
Shak., L. L. L., ii. 1. 
Despatch of each day's little growth 
Of household occupation. 
Wordsworth, Excursion, viii. 
Their permanent residence was assigned in the old al- 
cazar of Seville, where they were to meet every day for 
the despatch of business. Prescott, Ferd. and Isa., ii. 9. 
4. Speed; haste; expedition; due diligence: 
as, repairing done witn neatness and despatch; 
go, but make despatch. 
Sets down her babe, and makes all swift dispatch 
In pursuit of the thing she would have stay. 
Shak., Sonnets, cxliii. 
Letters of greater consequence, that require dispatch, 
are sent by foot messengers across the deserts directly to 
Cairo. Pococke, Description of the East, I. 14. 
Our axes were immediately set to work to cut down 
trees, and, our men being dexterous in the nse of them, 
great despatch was made. Franklin, Autobiog., p. 234. 
The earl's utmost despatch only enabled him to meet 
the queen as she entered the great hall. 
Scott, Kenilworth, xv. 
No two things differ more than hurry and despatch. 
Hurry is the mark of a weak mind, despatch of a strong 
one. Cotton, Lacon. 
3. To transact or dispose of speedily or with 
promptness; attend to; bring to an end; ac- 
complish: as, to despatch business. 
Speak with poor men when they come to your houses, 
and despatch poor suitors. 
Latimcr, Sermon bef. Edw. VI., 1550. 
Ere we put ourselves in arms, despatch we 
The business we have talk'd of. 
Shale., A. and C., ii. 2. 
Wheresoever they [merchants] go they certainly dis- 
patch their business so as to return back again with the 
next or contrary Monsoon. Dampier, Voyages, II. iii. 22. 
5f. Conduct ; management. 
You shall put 
This night's great business into my despatch. 
Shak., Macbeth, L 5. 
6. A written message sent or to be sent with 
expedition: as, a telegraphic despatch. 7. An 
official letter relating to public affaire, as from 
a minister to an ambassador or a commander, 
or from the latter to the former, usually con- 
veyed by a special messenger or bearer of de- 
spatches. 
Thrice happy he whose name has been well spelt 
In the despatch. Byron. 
8. A conveyance or an organization for the ex- 
peditious transmission of merchandise, money, 
etc. : as, the Merchants' Despatch ; it was sent 
by despatch. 9f. A decisive answer. 
