654 D E V 
DEFENSIVE, f. Safeguard.—Wars preventive, up¬ 
on juft fears, are true defenfives, as well as on actual in- 
vafions. Bacon. —State of defence.—His majefty, not at 
all difmayed, refolved to ftand upon the defenfive only. 
Clarendon. 
DEFEN'SIVELY, adv. In a defenfive manner. 
DEFEN'ST, part. pajf. Defended. Obfolete : 
Stout men of arms, and with their guide of power. 
Like Troy’s old town dfenft with Iiion’s tower. Fairfax. 
To DEFER', v. n, [from differo, Lat.] To put off; to 
delay to aft.—Inure thyfelf betimes to the love and prac¬ 
tice of good deeds; for the longer thou deferrefi to be 
acquainted with them, the lefs every day thou wilt find 
thyfelf difpofed to them. Attcrbury. 
He will not long defer 
To vindicate the glory of his name 
Againfl all competition. Milton. 
To pay deference or regard to another’s opinion.—I cer¬ 
tainly defer to Dr. Price's authority a good deal more in 
thefe'fpeculations, than I do in his general politics. Burke. 
To DEFER', v. a. Towithold; to delay.—Neither is 
this a matter to be deferred till a more convenient time of 
peace and leifure. Swift. —To refer to ; to leave to ano¬ 
ther’s judgment and determination.—The commiiTioners 
deferred the matter unto the earl of Northumberland, 
who was the principal man of authority in thofe parts. 
Bacon. 
DE'FERENCE, f. \_defercnce,Yx.~\ Regard; refpeft. 
•—Virgil could have excelled Varius in tragedy, and Ho¬ 
race in lyric poetry, but out of deference to his friends he 
attempted neither. Dryden. —Complaifance ; condefcen- 
fion.—A natural roughnefs makes a man uncomplaifant 
to others; fo that he has no deference for their inclina¬ 
tions, tempers, or conditions. Locke. —-Submiffion.—Molt 
of our fellow-fubjefts are guided either by the prejudice 
of education, or by a deference to the judgment of thofe 
■who, perhaps, in their own hearts, difapprove the opi¬ 
nions which they indultrioully fpread among the multij 
tude. Addifon. 
DE'FERENTpi/. from deferens, otdfero, Lat.] That 
carries up and down.—The figures of pipes or concaves, 
through which founds pafs, or of other bodies deferent, 
conduce to the variety and alteration of the found. Bacon. 
DE'FERENT, J'. That which carries; that which 
conveys.—It is certain, however it erodes the received 
opinion, that founds may be created without air, though 
air be the molt favourable deferent of founds. Bacon. 
DEFE'RENT, or Deferens,/ In the ancient aflro- 
momy, an imaginary circle, which, as it were, carries 
about the body of a planet, and is the fame with the ec¬ 
centric ; being invented to account for the eccentricity, 
perigee, and apogee, of the planets. 
DE'FERKNTS, [from defiero, Lat. to convey.] A 
term in forgery for veffels which carry or convey fame 
fluid of tire body ; as, the vafa deferentia, or veffels which 
receive and convey the feminal fluid into the penis. 
DEFER'MENT,/ Delay: 
But, fir, my grief, join’d with the inffant bufinefs 
Begs a deferment. Suckling. 
DEFER'RER,/ One given to put things off.—A 
great deferrer. Benjonfon. 
DEFER'TINES, a town of France, in the department 
of the Allier, and chief place of a canton, in the dillrift 
Montluyon : one mile north-eaft of Monthifon. 
DEFERVES'CENCE, f. [of dfervefcerc, Lat.] A 
growing cool, an abating. Bailey. 
DEFI'ANCE, f. [from dejf, Fr.] A challenge; an 
invitation to fight: 
The fiery Tybalt, with his fword prepar’d, 
Which, as he breath’d defiance to my ears, 
He fwung about his head. Shialufpeare. 
A challenge to make any impeachment good. Expfeflion 
a 
D E F 
of abhorrence or contempt.—The Novatian herefy was 
very apt to attract well-meaning fouls, who, feeing it 
bade fuch exprefs defiance to apoftacy, could not fufpeft 
that it was itfelf any defeftion from the faith. Decay of 
Piety. 
DEFI'CIENCE, or Deficiency,/! [from defeio, Lat.] 
Want; fomething lefs than is necelfary.—What is to be 
conlldered in this cafe, is chiefly, if there be afufticient 
fulnefs or deficiency of blood, for different methods are to 
be taken. Arbulhnot. —Defect; failing ; imperfection.—■ 
We find, in our own natures, too great evidence of intel- 
leftual deficicnce, and deplorable Confefiions of human ig¬ 
norance. Glanville. 
Thou in thyfelf art perfeft, and in thee 
Is no deficiencc found. Milton. 
DEFI'CIENT, adj. [ deficicns , from deficio, Lat.] Fail¬ 
ing; wanting; defeftive ; imperfeft.—Several thoughts 
of the mind, for which we have either none or very defi¬ 
cient names, are diligently to be ftudied. Locke. 
O woman ! belt of all things, as the will 
Of God ordain’d them : his creating hand 
Nothing imperfeft or deficient left. Milton. 
DEFI'CIENT NUM'BERS,/ in arithmetic, are thofe 
whofe aliquot parts added together, make a ium lefs 
than the whole number : as 8, whofe parts i, 2, 4, make 
only 7; or the number 16, whole parts 1, 2, 4, 8, make 
only 15. 
To DEFI'DE, v. n. \_difidere, Lat.] To diftrufi:. Shake/. • 
DEFTER,/, [from dcfji, Fr.] A challenger, a con¬ 
temner; one that dares and defies.—Is it not then high 
time that the laws fliould' provide, by the moll prudent 
and effeftual means, to curb thofe bold and infolent de¬ 
fiers of Heaven ? Tillotfon. 
To DEFI'LE, v. a. [apian, Sax. from ful, foul.] To 
make foul or impure ; to make nafty or filthy; to dirty. 
—He is juftly reckoned among the greatell prelates of 
this age, however his character may be defiled by mean 
and dirty hands. Swift .—To pollute; to make legally 
or ritually impure.—That which dieth of itfelf he fhall 
not eat, to defile himfelf therewith. Lev. xxii. 8.—To 
corrupt chaftity ; to violate : 
Ev’ry objeft his offence revil’d ; 
The lmlband murder’d, and the wif 0 defil'd. Prior. 
To taint ; to corrupt; to vitiate ; to make guilty.—For- 
getfulnefs of good turns, defiling of louls, adultery, and 
fhamelefs uncleannefs. Wifd. xiv. 26.—God requires ra¬ 
ther that we fliould die, than defile ourfelves with impie¬ 
ties. Stilling fleet. 
To DEFI'LE, v. n. fejfiler, Fr.] To march ; to go eff 
file by file. 
DEFI'LE, / fleffile, Fr.'from file, a line of foldiers, 
which is derived from filum, a thread.] A narrow paf- 
fage; a long narrow pafs; a lane. See Fortifica¬ 
tion. —There is in Oxford a narrow defile, to ufe the 
military term, where the partifans ufed to encounter. 
Addifon. 
DEFTLEMENT,/ The ftate of being defiled ; the 
aft of defiling ; naftinefs ; pollution ; corruption ; defe- 
dation: 
Luft, 
By unchafte looks, loofe geftures, and foul talk,_ 
Lets in defilement to the inward parts. Milton. 
DEFTLER,/ One that defiles ; a corrupter, a vio¬ 
lator.—At the laft tremendous day, I fhall hold forth in 
my arms my much-wronged child, and call aloud for 
vengeance on her defiler. Addifon. 
DEFTNABLE, adj. That which may be defined ; ca. 
pable of definition.—The Supreme Nature we cannot 
otherwife define, than by faying it is infinite ; as if infi¬ 
nite were definable, or infinity a fubjeft for our narrow 
underfianding. Dryden .—That which may be alcertain- 
