dimmish 
dimmish (dim'mh), a. L< dim + -ix/i'.] Par- 
tially dim; rather dim. Also spelled iHmlsh. 
My r>-s HIT SfpNir\\h;lt ilnniuith xniwn. Su^ft. 
dimmyt (dim'i), a, [< dim + -y 1 .] Somewhat 
dim ; (iiiiimish. 
Vou ili nii ii < li imis, \\hich well employ your staining 
This obttrfu] Air. Kir /'. Kidney, Arcadia, Iv. 
dimness (dim'nes), n. [< ME. dimnes, < AS. ilim- 
HCK, < dim, dim: see dim, a., and -ness.'] The 
state of being dim or obscure ; want of clear- 
ness, brightness, or distinctness; dullness; 
vagueness: applied either to the object or to 
the medium of vision or perception : as, the 
dim-newt of a view, of color, or of gold ; the dim- 
ness of twilight or of the sky ; dimness of vision, 
of understanding, memory, etc. 
Answerable t this i/i/urn 1 ** of their perception was the 
whole system ami body of their religion. 
Decay of Christian Fifty. 
With such thick dimiirxx of excited dust 
la their Impetuous march they tlll'd the air. 
Camper, Iliad, iii. 
Until his falling sight 
Faints into dimness with its own delight. 
Byron, Bride of Abydos, 1. B. 
= Syn. Obxcurity, Gloom, etc. See darkness. 
di molto (de mol'to). [It., adv. phrase : di, < 
L. tie, of; molto, < L'. multns, much: see multi-.] 
In music, very much : as, allegro di molto, very 
fast. 
dimorph (dl'morf), n. [= P. dimorphe = It. 
tlimoifo (chiefly adj.), < NL. dimorphus, < Or. 
M/a>/><t>oi;, having two forms, < Si-, two-, + papyri, 
form.] One of the forms assumed by a dimor- 
phous substance : as, calcite is a dimorph. 
Dimorpha (di-m6r'fa), n. [NL., fern, of dimor- 
plms: see dimorph.] 1. A genus of hymenop- 
terous insects. Jurine, 1807. 2. A genus of 
mollusks. <iray, 1840. 3. A genus of birds. 
Hodgson, 1841. 
dimorphic (di-m6r'fik), a. [As dimorph + -ic.~\ 
1. Existing iu two distinct forms ; dimorphous. 
See dimorphous. 
A large proportion of the trees of temperate climates 
bear only flowers thus dimorphic. Nat. Hit. Rtr. 
2. Pertaining to dimorphism; exhibiting or 
characterized by dimorphism, in any sense of 
that word. 
Dimorphic females among insects have been observed. 
... In these cases, as a rule, one of the female forms is 
more nearly related in form and color to the male, . . . 
in other cases the differences are more connected with 
climate and season, and also affect the male. 
Claus, Zoology (trans.), I. 155. 
dimorphism (di-mor'fizm), n. [= F. dimor- 
phixme = It. dimorfismo; as dimorph + -ism."] 
1. The property of assuming or of existing un- 
der two distinct forms. Specifically 2. In 
crystal., the property of assuming two distinct 
crystalline forms not derivable from each oth- 
er, as by crystallization. Thus, sulphur assumes 
one form when crystallizing at a high temperature, ami 
another wholly different when becoming solid at the ordi- 
nary temperature. Hence, the same chemical substance 
may form two or more distinct mineral species. Carbon 
in one form is the diamond, in another graphite, etc. 
According to the observation of Pasteur, instances of 
dimorphism usually occur when the two forms are nearly 
upon the limit of their respective systems. 
It". A. Miller, Elem. of Chein., I. iii. 4. 
3. In lot., the occurrence of two distinct forms 
Dimorphism in Plants. 
I. Submerged and floating leaves of Cabomba. 3. Disk- and ray- 
norets of Aster. 
of flowers or other parts upon the same plant, 
or upon plants of the same species. 
Dimorphism in flowers may affect the perianth only, 
and not the -yorrj or essential organs ; or there may be two 
kimls of flowers as respects these also, but with no recip- 
rocal relations, as in cleistoganious dimorphfon- ; or of 
two kinds essentially alike except in stamens and pistil, 
and tlu'sr rtTiprorally adapted to each other, which is 
heterogonous dimorphism, or, when of three kinds, tri- 
murphism. A. Gray, Struct. Bot., p. 225. 
4. InrooV., difference of form, structure, size, 
coloration, etc., between individuals of the same 
species, 3e\ual dimorphism is the rule in the animal 
1623 
kingdom ; anil difference* between the male and female 
other than in the srxual organs, as well as constant ililt- i 
enceH between Individuals of each sex, without reference 
to sex, ore instances of dimorphism. 
Dimorphitnn is thus seen to be a specialized result of 
variation, by which new physiological plirnninfiia have 
been developed. .1. /.'. Wallace, Nat. Select., p. 158. 
The phenomena of dimorphism and polymorphism in 
the same species, and the sexual differences which have 
inTii developed in animals originally hermaphrodite, may 
be quoted as important evidence of the extensive influence 
of adaptation. . . . The numerous cases of dimorphism and 
polymorphism in either sex of the same species should be 
regarded from the same iwint of view. 
clnm. Zoology (trans.), I. 154. 
5. luphilol., the existence of a word under two 
or more forms called doublets; thus, dent and 
dint, fat and vat, church and kirk, exhibit dimor- 
phism developed within English, and card and 
chart, choir, quire, and chorus, reason, ration, 
ratio, etc., exhibit dimorphism arising outside 
of English. 
Where It [hlfurcationi is produced by a foreign word 
coming into English in different ways, it has been called 
dimorjjhisin : ration, reason. 
F. A. March, Anglo-Saxon Grammar, p. 28. 
Dimorphodon (di-m6r'fo-don), n. [NL., < Gr. 
fi/topQof, of two forms (see dimorph), + bSuv, 
Ionic form of odoif (oSovr-) ss E. tooth.] A ge- 
nus of extinct pterosaurian reptiles, or ptero- 
dactyls : so called from the fact that their teeth 
were of two kinds, the anterior long, the pos- 
terior mostly very short. The tail was long, and the 
other characters mostly as in Rhamphorhynchta ; the 
metacarpus was comparatively short, and the ends of the 
toothless jaws were probably sheathed in burn. 
dimorphous (di-mdr'fus), a. [< NL. dimorphus, 
< Gr. <5//iop0of, having two forms: see dimorph.] 
Existing in two forms ; dimorphic : specifically 
applied in crystallography to a substance whose 
crystals occur in two distinct forms. Thus, cal- 
cium carbonate crystallizes In the rhombohedral form as 
calcite, and iu the orthorhombic as aragonite. See dimor- 
phism. 
Bodies capable of . . . assuming two forms geometrically 
incompatible are said to be dimorphous. 
W. A. Miller, Elem. of Chem., I. iii. J. 
It is not unlikely that the Guinea worm, . . . which in- 
festa the integument of Man in hot climates, may answer 
to tlie hermaphrodite state of a similarly dimorphous Ne- 
matoid. Huxley, Anat. Invert., p. 552. 
dimple (dim'pl), . [Origin uncertain (not in 
ME. or AS.) ; usually regarded as a nasalized 
form of *dipple, a dim. of dip, a depression: 
'see dip. n. Cf. OHG. dumphilo, MHG. tumpfel, 
tumpfel, G. tiimpel, diimpfel, a pool. Cf. Norw. 
depil. a pool: see dapple. See dimble and din- 
gle 1 .] 1. A natural or transient dent or small 
hollow in some soft part of the surface of the 
human body, most common in youth, produced 
especially in the cheek by the act of smiling, 
and hence regarded in that situation as a sign 
of joyousness or good humor. 
Smiles, 
Such as hang on Hebe's cheek, 
And love to live in dimple sleek. 
Milton, L' Allegro, 1. 30. 
Dimple that link between a feature and a smile. 
T. tt'inthrop, Cecil Dreeme, xv. 
2. A slight depression or indentation on any 
surface, as on water when slightly agitated. 
In dimples still the water slips 
\Vhcre thou hast dipt thy finger-tips. 
Loaxll, To the Muse. 
dimple (dim'pl), v. ; pret. and pp. dimpled, ppr. 
dimpling. [< dimple, n.] I. intraiis. To form 
dimples; sink into depressions or little in- 
equalities. 
As shallow streams run dimpliny all the way. 
Pope, Prol. to Satires, 1. 316. 
Gayly we leaped the crag and swam the pool, 
And swept with dimpling eddies round the rock. 
Bryant, Sella. 
H. traits. To mark with dimples; produce 
dimples in : as, a smile dimpled her cheeks, 
dimpled (dim'pld), a. [< dimple + -ed?.] Set 
with dimples ; marked by dimples. 
On each side her 
Stood pretty dimpled boys, like smiling Cupids. 
Shot., A. and C., ii. >. 
The storm was hush'd, and dimpled ocean smil'd. 
Dryden, tr. of Ovid's Metamorph., xii. 53. 
A dimpled hand, 
Fair as some wonder out of fairy land. 
Keats, Calidore. 
dimplement (dim'pl-ment), n. [< dimple + 
-nirnt.] The state of being marked with dim- 
ples or gentle depressions. [Rare or poetical. ] 
Thou sitting alone at the gloss, 
Remarking the bloom gone away, 
Where the smile in its dimplement was. 
Mrs. Broirning, A False Step. 
dimply (dim'pli), . [< dimple + -y 1 .] Full 
of dimples or small depressions. 
Right Valve of Clam ( Ycnttt merctnaria). 
C, C'. the two muscular scars, or ciboria ; 
P, pallia! impression ; .S, sinus for retractor 
dinanderie 
An the smooth surface of the dim^fit Hood, 
Hi. ,,i!vcr slipper 'd virgin lightly trod. 
J. H'arlun, Triumph of 1*1*. 
dimpsy (dimp'si), n. [Origin obscure.] A pre- 
serve made from apples and pears cut into 
small pieces. Imp. Diet. 
Dimyaria (dim-i-a'ri-a), . pi. [NL., neut. pi. 
of dimyurius, < Gr. Si-, two-, + ut?, a muscle, a 
mouse, = E. mouse.] A general name for those 
bivalves whoso shells are closed by two adduc- 
tor muscles, distinct and widely removed from 
each other, as in the mussel or clam. The two 
muscular attachments are always visible on the inside 
of the shell, constituting the impressions called ciboria. 
These muscles are anterior and posterior. The Dimyaria 
Include by far the largest number of bivalve*, such a* the 
clams, cockles, etc. aimttsculosa is a synonym. 
dimyarian (dim-i-a'ri-an), a. and n. [As Di- 
myaria + -an.] 
1. a. Double- 
muscled ; hav- 
ing two mus- 
cles: specifi- 
cally said, in 
conch., of those 
bivalve shells 
which have a 
pair of adduc- 
tor muscles, as 
the clam: op- 
posed to mouo- 
myarian. 
II. n. A Dl- paiu.1 impression ; s , sinus for retracto 
Valve OI the Or- of siphons ; /. lunule ; U, umbo 1 //, hinge. 
der Dimyaria. 
dimyary (dim'i-a-ri), a. and . [< NL. dimy- 
arius, dimyarium : see dimyarian.] Same as 
dimyarian. 
Dimylus (dim'i-lus), . [NL., < Gr. St-, two-, 
+ pt'faf, a mill, a millstone, a grinder: see 
wiiMl.] A genus of fossil insectivorous mam- 
mals, apparently related to the moles, or of the 
family Talpida 1 , founded upon remains from 
the Miocene and later Tertiary periods. Meyer, 
1846. 
din (din), n. [< ME. dyn, prop, and usually iu 
two syllables, dyne, dune, dine, dene, < AS. dyne 
(once dyn), a loud noise (comp. eorth-dyne, an 
earthquake), = Icel. dynr, a dm, = Sw. dan, a 
din, =s Dan. don, rumble, booming; cf. Skt. 
illunii, roaring, a torrent, dhvani, a sound, din. 
See the verb. J A loud noise of some duration ; 
particularly, a rattling, clattering, or resonant 
sound, long continued: as, the din of arms. 
My mither she is fast asleep, 
And I darena mak na din. 
Willie and May Margaret (Child's Ballads, II. 173). 
The guests are met, the feast is set- 
May 'st hear the merry din. 
Coleridge, Ancient Mariner. 
The din of war resounds throughout more than seven 
hundred years of Roman history, with only two short lulls 
of repose. Sumner, True Grandeur of Nations. 
din (din), v. ; pret. and pp. dinned, ppr. dinning. 
[< ME. dinnen, dynnen, dunncn, dinien, dynien, 
dunien, iutr., < AS. dynian, make a noise, re- 
sound, = OS. dunian, rumble, = Icel. dynja, 
pour, rattle down, like hail or rain (cf. duna, 
thunder), = Sw. dAna = Dan. done, rumble, 
boom ; cf . Skt. tfdhvan, roar, sound, buzz. See 
the noun.] I. trans. 1. To strike with contin- 
ued or confused noise ; vex with noise ; harass 
with clamor or persistent protestations. 
To bait thee for his bread, and din your ears 
With hungry cries. Uticay, Venice Preserved. 
You are ever dinning my Ears with Notions of the Arts 
of Men. Steele, Conscious Lovers, ii. 1. 
2. To press or force with clamor or with per- 
sistent repetition : as, to din one's complaints 
into everybody's ears. 
II. intrans. To make a noise or clamor. 
Of Arowes <6 Awblastrs the aire wex thlcke, 
And di/nnyt with dyntes, that delte were that tyme. 
Destruction of Troy (E. E. T. S.), 1. 5708. 
The gay viol dinning In the dale. 
Setmrd, Sonnets, p. 25. 
To be curious, to speculate much, to be ilinnin<i always 
in argument. ButhneU, Sermons for New Life, p. 181. 
Dinacrida (di-nak'ri-dS), n. [NL., also Deina- 
crida, < Gr. dctvtr,, terrible, + anpif (oKpti-), a 
locust.] A genus of saltatorial orthopterous 
insects, of the family Locustidfe, containingNew 
Zealand crickets inhabiting decaving trees and 
holes in old wood. They are of large size and 
carnivorous habits, and their bite is severe. 
dinanderie (de-non'de-re), n. [F., < Dinant, a 
city in Belgium, formerly celebrated for its cop- 
per ware.] Utensils of copper for the kitchen 
and other common uses; especially (a) Me- 
