detection 
detection (dfi-ti-k'shon), . [< \,\,. <lrtrrtin(n-), 
a revealing, < !' iletei/ere. |,|,. <l. /,-/.<, uncover, 
reveal : see detect. ] 1. Discovery ; finding by 
search or observation. 
Americus Ves|>ntins, :t Florrntin>-, lm. in tti 
141I7, Ill.-nle ii further ilftiTtlKII of the more holltlieril Te- 
gions in this c tim-nt. (', Mul/ifr, Mag. Chris., i. 1. 
Tin- sea anil rivers are inMi uiiM-iital to tint detection t 
amber mill oilier fossils, liy washing away the rarth that 
comvaleil tin-in. \v<n*tward. 
2. The act of detecting, finding out, or bring- 
ing to light; a discerning ; the state or fact of 
bring detected or found out: as, the detection 
of faults, crimes, or criminals. 
detective (de-tek'tiv), a. and n. f< delict + 
-ii'".] I. " 1. Fitted for or skilled in detect- 
ing; employed in detecting: as, the detective 
police. 2. Relating to detectives or to detec- 
tion: as, a detective story . Detective agency or 
bureau. See i,riratr, detectiw, under II. -Detective 
camera. See camera. 
II. . A person whose occupation it is to 
discover matters as to which information is de- 
sired, particularly concerning wrong-doers, and 
to obtain evidence to be used against them. 
His duties differ frum those of the ordinary policeman In 
that he has no specific heat or round, and in that he 1ft 
concerned with the investigation of specific cases, or the 
watching of particular individuals or classes of offenders, 
rather than with the general guardianship of the peace, 
and does not wear a distinguishing uniform. 
Kor once the police were not charged with stupidity, 
nor were the detective* blamed for inahtllty to construct 
bricks without straw. Saturday life., April 29, 1865. 
Private detective, a person engaged unofficially In ob- 
taining secret information for or guarding the private in- 
terests of those who employ him. lu large cities private 
detectives are often organized in considerable numbers, 
uiuler a head or chief, in what are called detective agencies 
or hitreatis. 
detector (de-tek'tor), n. [Also detecter; < LL. 
detector, a revealer, < L. aetegere, pp. delectus, 
uncover, reveal: see detect.'] 1. One who or 
that which detects or brings to light; one who 
finds out what another attempts to conceal ; a 
revealer ; a discoverer. 
A death-bed's a detector of the heart. 
Ymnuj, Night Thoughts, ii. 641. 
2. An instrument or a device for indicating the 
presence or state of a thing. Specifically ~() An 
arrangement of the parts of a lock by which any attempt 
to tamper with it is frustrated and indicated. (n) A low- 
water indicator for lioilers. (c) A form of galvanometer, 
generally small and convenient for transportation, which 
indicates the passage of a current of electricity, showing 
its direction, but not its strength. Also called ffalvano- 
scope. (d) An instrument for detecting the presence of 
torpedoes in an enemy's harbor. Bank-note detector, 
in the United States, a periodical publication containing 
a description of all bank-notes in circulation, and a state- 
ment of the standing of the banks represented by them, 
to facilitate the detection of forged, worthless, or depre- 
ciated notes. The public need of such an aid has greatly 
diminished since the control of paper currency was trans- 
ferred from the States to the national government in 1864. 
See .\nli"iutf Bank Act, under />rtA:2. 
Sometimes written detecter. 
detector-lock (de-tek'tor-lpk), n. A lock fitted 
with a device for indicating any attempt to 
pick or force it open. 
detenebratet (de-ten'e-brat), r. t. [< L. de- 
priv. + tenebratun, pp. of tenebrare , make dark, 
< tenebrte, darkness : see tenebn?.] To remove 
darkness from. 
detent (de-tent'), n. [< LL. detentxs, a holding 
back, < L. detinere, pp. detentus, hold back: see 
detain.'} Anything used to check or prevent 
motion or approach; a catch; specifically, a 
pin, stud, or lever forming a check in a clock, 
watch, tumbler-lock, or other machine. The de- 
tent in a clock falls into the striking-wheel and stops It 
when the right number of strokes have been ^ivi'ii The 
ilrteiit of a r;itrliet-\\ heel prevents backward motion. 
detention (df-ten'ahon), . [< F. detention = 
Pr. detention '= Sp. <l< tendon = Pg. detencSo = 
It. detenzione, < L. as if *detentio(n-), < detinerc, 
pp. deteiitun, detain: see detain.'] 1. The act 
of detaining or keeping back; a withholding 
or keeping of what belongs to or is claimed by 
another. 
How goes the world that I am thus eneounter'd 
With clamorous demands of date-broken bonds, 
And the detention of long-sincc-due ile!>N, 
Against my honour? .S'/mfr., T. of A., 11. 2. 
2. The state of being detained or held back; 
restraint : confinement. 
This worketh liy </ '. nfinii of the spirits, and constipa- 
tion of the tangible parts. Bacon. 
Nothing i oulil assure the quiet of both realms . . . but 
their tl<'t<'nti"ii under safe custody. 
SpotsiriMul, Church of Scotland, an. 1570. 
Kxrept for political offences, the old prisons were prin- 
cipally employed as phiee* of il,'t.'ntin heforr trinl. 
'it. Orations, II. 198. 
3. Forced stoppage; hindrance; ilelay from 
necessity or on account of obstacles. House of 
1571 
detention,'- i>l:n-' uhere oM'-ndern(and sometimes wit- 
nesses) at- .1- hmx.l \vhile awaiting trial ; a lock-up. 
detentive (d<;-ten'tiv), . [< L. detente, pp. of 
ill inn n, detain (see detent), + -ire.] Used in 
ill tuining, as intruding insects; seizing and 
holding. 
The ittmtim surface [of the pitcher in A>pcn(A>-| Is 
i< I-ieseiiU'd by the fluid secretion which is invariably 
present. Encyc. Brit., XIII. 18. 
detent-joint (de-tent'joint), n. In ichth., the 
joint by which the pectoral spine of a siluroid 
fish is kept erect or pointed from the side, 
deter (de-ter'), r. /. ; pret. and pp. deterred, ppr. 
deterring. [< OF. deterrer,(. L. deterrere, frighten 
from, prevent, < de, from, + terrere, frighten: 
see terrible, terrify, terror.] To discourage and 
stop by fear ; hence, to stop or prevent from 
acting or proceeding by any countervailing 
motive : as, we are often deterred from our duty 
by trivial difficulties ; the state of the road or 
a cloudy sky may deter a man from undertaking 
a journey. 
Unto laws that men do make for the benefit of men It 
hath seemed always needful to add rewards which may 
more allure unto good than any hardness deterreth from 
it. Hooker, Eccles. Polity, i. 10. 
Dragons and serpents were seen in the most hideous at- 
titudes, to deter the spectator from approaching. 
Goldsmith, Citizen of the World, xxxi. 
A million of frustrated hopes will not deter us from new 
experiments. ./. M. Htuun. 
= Syn. To hinder, restrain, keep back. 
deterge (de-terj'), v. t.; pret. and pp. deterged, 
ppr. deterging. [= F. aeterger = Pg. detergir 
= It. detergere, < L. detergere, wipe off, < de, 
off, + tergere, pp. tersus, wipe, scour: see terse.] 
To cleanse ; clear away foul or offensive matter 
from, as from the body or from a wound or 
ulcer. 
detergence, detergency (de-ter'jens, -jen-si), 
n. [< detergen(t) + -ce, -ft/.] The quality of 
being detergent; cleansing or purging power. 
Rath water . . . possesses that inilkiness, detergcncy, 
and middling heat so friendly adapted to weakened ani- 
mal constitutions, 
Dffoe, Tour through Great Britain, II. 290. 
detergent (de-ter'jent), a. and n. [= F. Mtcr- 
gcnt = Sp. Pg. It. Hetergente, < L. detergen(t-)n, 
ppr. of detergere: see deterge.] I. a. Cleans- 
ing; purging. 
The food ought to lie nourishing and detergetti. 
Arbuthnot. 
H. n. Anything that cleanses. 
The virtues of the most valuable preparation, I mean 
salt of amber, are in a great degree answered by tar- water 
as a detergent. Bp. Berkeley, Siris, 23. 
detergible (de-ter'ji-bl), a. [< deterge + -ib!e.] 
Capaole of lieing removed by any cleansing 
process. 
deteriorate (de-te'ri-o-rat), r. ; pret. and pp. de- 
teriorated, ppri deteriorating. [< LL. deteriara- 
<.?, pp. of deteriorare (> It. deteriorare = Sp. Pg. 
Pr. deteriorar = F. deteriorer), make worse, < de- 
tenor, worse, comp. of "deter, lit. lower, inferi- 
or, comp. of de, down : see de-, and cf. exte- 
rior, interior, inferior, etc.] I. trans. To niake 
worse ; reduce in quality ; lower the essential 
character or constitution of : as, to deteriorate 
a race of men or their condition. 
At the expense of impairing the philosophical powers, 
and, on the whole, deteriorating the mind. 
Whately, Rhetoric, Int. 
He knew that the sham Empire had deteriorated the 
once puissant French army into nearly as great a sham as 
itself. Arch. Forbes, Souvenirs of some Continents, p. 51. 
II. intranx. To grow worse; be or become 
impaired in quality ; degenerate. 
T'nder such conditions the mind rapidly deteriorate*. 
Goldsmith, Essays. 
deteriorated (de-te'ri-o-ra-ted), p. a. [< dete- 
riorate, + -ed?.] Of degenerate character or 
quality ; reduced to an inferior condition : as, 
deteriorated bioplasm. 
deterioration (de-te'ri-o-ra'shon), n. [= F. 
deterioration = Sp. deterioration = Pg. deterio- 
racSo = It. deteriorazione, < ML. deterioratio(n-), 
< LL. deteriorare, make worse : see deteriorate.'] 
A growing or making worse ; the state of grow- 
ing worse. 
Although, ... in a strictly mechanical sense, there Is a 
conservation of energy, yet, as regards usefulness or tit- 
ness for living beings, the energy of the universe is in pro- 
cess of deterioration. 
H. L. Caritenter, Energy in Nature, p. 57. 
The moral deterioration attendant on a false and shallow 
life. Uairlliiiriu; Blithcdale Romance, xii. 
= Syn. Degeneracy, debasement, degradation, deprava- 
tion. 
deteriorative (de-tc'ri-o-ra-tiv), . [< deterio- 
rate + -((<.] Causing or tending to deteriora- 
tion. 
determinant 
The Deteriorative Power of Conventional Art over Na- 
tions. ;y,. .!//,,/,, Xn. 316fl, p. 489. 
deteriority (<lc-tf.-ri-or'i-ti), . [< L. as if 'de- 
ii i inrita(t-)f, < deterior, worse: see deteriorate.] 
Worse, state or quality. [Bare.] 
I have shewn that this diminution of age Is to be attrib- 
uted either to the change of the temperature of the air 
as to salubrity or equality, or else to the dcterinriti/ of the 
diet, or to both these causes. Ray, Dim. of the World, Hi. 
determt. ''. t. [ME. determen, short for deter- 
IIIIIICH, determine: see determine, and cf. term.] 
To determine. 
l.yniinil t ,v ordlnit be the thre estatis In parliament to 
deterine all causes in the said parlyament. 
Act. Audit, A. 1489, p. 145. (Jaiaictou.) 
Nocht on held, without discrctionn, 
Determe withouttfn lust cognitioun. 
Louder, Dewtle of Kyngla (E. E. T. 8.), 1. 4-J4. 
determa (de-t6r'ma), n. A native wood of Gui- 
ana, used for masts, booms, and as planking 
for vessels. It is avoided by insects. 
determent (de-ter'ment), w. [< deter + -ment.] 
The act of deterring, or the state of being de- 
terred; a cause of hindrance; that which de- 
ters. 
Nor will the ill success of some lie made a sufficient de- 
terment unto others. Sir T. Browne, Vulg. Err. 
These are not all the determents that opposed my obey- 
ing you. I '.oil. 
determinability (de-ter'mi-na-biri-ti), n. [< 
dettrminable : see -bility.] The quality of be- 
ing determinable. 
determinable (de-ter'mi-na-bl), a. [< ME. de- 
termynable, < OF. determinable, F. determinable 
= Sp. determinable, < LL. determinabilis, that 
has an end, < L. determinare, limit, determine: 
see determine.] 1. Capable of being deter- 
mined, fixed, or ascertained with certainty ; 
able to be clearly defined or decided upon : as, 
a determinable quantity ; the meaning of Plato's 
expression is not determinable. 
In sauter [psalter] is sayd a verce ouerte 
That spekej a poynt de terminable. 
Alliterative 1'ofms (ed. Morris), I. 593. 
The point now before us is not wholly determinable 
from the bare grammatical use of the words. 
South, Sermons, IV. vl. 
Social change is facile in proportion as men's places 
and functions are detenninable by personal qualities. 
//. Spencer, Prill, of Sociol., 8 44f>. 
2. In law : (a) Subject to premature termina- 
tion : as, a lease determinable at the option of the 
lessor, (ft) Liable to be terminated by a contin- 
gency yet uncertain or unknown : as, a deter- 
minable fee. Thus, a devise being made to A, but In case 
he should die without leaving issue, then to It. the estate 
in A during his life Is a fee l>ecause it may be forever, but 
is determinable by reason of the contingent limitation. 
See/-2. 
determinableness (de-ter'mi-na-bl-nes), H. 
The quality of being determinable. [Rare.] 
determinacy (de-ter'mi-na-si), n. [< determi- 
na(te) + -cy.] f)eterminateness. [Rare.] 
The ear solves its problem with the greatest exactness, 
certainty, and determinacy. 
llelmkolu. Pop. Scl. Lect. (trans.), p. 80. 
determinance (de-ter 'mi -nans), . [< OF. 
determinance, < ML. determinantia, an order, 
decree, ordinance, conclusion, < L. determi- 
nan( t-)s, ppr. of determinare, determine : see de- 
termine, determinant.] In old universities, the 
degree or grade of bachelor of arts. See de- 
termination, 12. 
determinant (de-ter'mi-nant), a. and H. [= 
F. determinant == Sp. Pg'.' It. determinante, < 
L. determinants, ppr. of determinare, deter- 
mine: see determine.] I. a. Serving to deter- 
mine; determinative. Coleridge. 
II. . 1. That which determines, fixes, de- 
fines, or establishes something. 
However variable the visible antecedent* may be, the 
real determinants the co-operant factors are in eai-h 
case invariant. 
(j. II. Lntes, Prolis. of Life and Mind. II. vi. ( 93. 
2. In old universities, one who, having taken 
the lowest degree in arts, had been admitted to 
act as chief respondent in the Lenten disputa- 
tions. See determination, 12. 
Two years later, in due course of his academical studies, 
this Guillelmus Lander appears among the Determinants 
in that College (St. Leonard's, in St. Andrews VniversitT) ; 
which shows that he had qualified himself for taking his 
Masters degree. 
Lander, Dew tic of Kyngis (E. E. T. 8.), Pref., vi. 
3. In math., the sum of all the products which 
can be formed of a square block of quantities, 
each product containing as a factor one num- 
ber from each row and one from each column 
of tlie block, and each product being affected 
by the plus or minus sign according as the ar- 
raiigemeut of rows from which its factors are 
