D I S * 
To tl'.e wind and temped of fortune's frown, 
Diflinclion, with a broad and powerful fan, 
Pufting at all, winnows the light away. Shakcfpeare. 
Noteofdifferer.ee. Honourable note of fuperiority. That 
by which one differs from another.—This faculty of per¬ 
ception puts the difinElion betwixt the animal kingdom 
and the inferior parts of matter. Locke. —Difference re¬ 
garded ; preference or negleCt in comparifon with fome- 
thing elfe : 
Maids, women, wives, without diJlinElion fall; 
The fweeping deluge, love, comeson, and covers all. 
Dry den. 
Separation of complex notions: 
This fierce abridgment 
Hath to it circumftantial branches, which 
DiJlinElion fhould be rich in. Shakcfpeare. 
Divifion into different parts.—The difinElion of tragedy 
into aCts was not known; or, if it were, it is yet fo darkly 
delivered to us, that we cannot make it out. Dryden. — 
Notation of difference between things feemingly the’fame. 
■—The mixture of thofe things by fpeech, which by na¬ 
ture are divided, is the mother of all error; to take away 
therefore that error, which confufion breedeth, difinElion 
is requifite. Hooker. —Difcernment; judgment. 
DISTINCTIVE, adj. That which marks diftinCtion 
or difference : 
For from the natal hour, difinElive names, 
One common right the great and lowly claims. Pope. 
Having the power to diftinguifh and difeern; judicious.— 
Credulous and vulgar auditors readily believe it, and the 
more judicious and difinElive heads do not rejeCt it. Brown. 
DISTINCTIVELY, adv. Particularly ; not confu- 
fedly : 
I did all my pilgrimage dilate, 
Whereof by parcels fhe had fomething heard, 
But not difinEHvely. Shakcfpeare. 
DISTINCT'LY, adv. Not confufedly ; without the 
confufion of one part with another.—To make an echo 
that will report three, or four, or five, words difinElly , it 
is requifite that the body percuffing be a good diftance 
off. Bacon. —Plainly; clearly.—After the light of the fun 
was a little worn off my eyes, I could fee all the parts of 
it dfinElly by a glimmering reflection that played upon 
them from the furface of the water. Addfon. 
DISTINCTNESS, f. Nice obfervation of the diffe¬ 
rence between different tilings.—The membranes and 
humours of the eye are perfectly pellucid, and Void of 
colour, for the clearnefs, and for the difinElnefs , of vifion, 
Ray. —Such feparation of things as makes them eafy to 
be feparately obferved. 
To DISTIN'GUISH, v. a. [ difinguo , Lat.] To note 
the diverfity of things.—Rightly to difinguifi, is, by con¬ 
ceit of the mind, tp fever things different in nature, and 
to difeern wherein they differ. Hooker. —To feparate from 
others by fome mark of honour or preference : 
Let us revolve that roll with drifted: eye, 
Where, fafe from time, dif ingulff d actions lie. Prior. 
To divide by proper notes of diverfity.—Mofes difin- 
guifies the caufes of the flood into thofe that belong to 
the heavens, and thofe that belong to the earth, the rains, 
and the abyfs. Burnet. —To know one from another by any 
mark or note of difference.—By our reafon we are enabled 
to difinguifi good from evil, as well as truth from falfe- 
Iiood. Watts. —To difeern critically ; to judge: 
Sweet prince, th’ untainted virtue of your years 
Hath not yet div’d into the world’s deceit; 
Nor more can you difinguifh of a man, 
Than, of his outward fhew 1 Shakefpearc. 
To conffitute difference ; to fpecificate; to make different 
from another.—St. Paul’s Epiftles contain nothing but 
points of Chriffian inftruCtion, among!! which he feldom 
Yol. V, No. 324, 
D I S 00.1 
fails to enlarge on the great and dif ingulfiing t <koc\.r\nes of 
our holy religion. Locke. —To make known or eminent. 
To DISTIN'GUISH, y. n. To make diftinCtion ; to 
find or (hew the difference.—The readers muff learn by 
all means to dif inguifi between proverbs, and thofe polite 
fpeeches which beautify converfation. Swift. 
DISTINGUISHABLE, adj. Capable of being diftin- 
guifhed ; capable of being known, or made known, by 
notes of diverfity.—I fhall diffribute duty into its prin¬ 
cipal and eminent parts, dfinguftable as they relate to 
God, our neighbour, and ourfelves. Government of the 
Tongue. —Worthy of note; worthy of regard.—I would 
endeavour that my betters fhould feek me by the merit 
of fomething difinguifitable, inftead of my feeking them. 
Swift. 
DISTINGUISHED, part. adj. Eminent; tranfeend- 
ent; extraordinary : 
Never on man did heav’nly favour ffiine 
With rays fo ftrong, dif ingulf 1' d, and divine. Pope. 
DISTIN'GUISHER, f. A judicious obferver; one 
that accurately difeerns one thing from another.—If wri¬ 
ters be juft to the memory of Charles II. they cannot 
deny him to have been an exaCt knower of mankind, and 
a perfect difinguijher of their talents. Dryden. —He that 
feparates one thing from another by proper marks of di¬ 
verfity.—Let us admire the wifdom of God in this difin- 
guiffur of times, and vifible deity, the fun. Brown. 
DISTIN'GUISHINGLY, adv. With diftinftion; with 
fome mark of eminent preference.—Some call me aTory, 
becaufe the heads of that party have been difinguifhingly 
favourable to me. Pope. 
DISTINGUISHMENT, f. Diftinftion ; obfervation 
of difference.—To make corrections upon the fearchers 
reports, I confidered whether any credit at all were to 
be given to their difinguifiments. Graunt. 
To DISTO'RT, v. a. [difortus, Lat.] To writhe; to 
twift ; to deform . by irregular motions.—Now mortal 
pangs difort his lovely form. Smith. —To put out of the: 
true direction or pofture.—Wrath and malice, envy and 
revenge, do darken and difort the underftandings of men. 
Tillotfon. —-To vvreft from the true meaning.—Something 
mud be dforted beftde the intent of the divine inditer.. 
Peackam. 
DISTO'RT, adj. Diftorted.—Her face was ugly, and 
her mouth difort. Spenjer. 
DISTORTION, J. [dfortio, Lat. ] Irregular motion 
by which the face is writhed, or the parts difordered : 
By his dfortions he reveals his pains ; 
He by his tears and by his fighs complains. Prior. 
To DISTRA'CT, v.a. part. paff. difraEled-, anciently 
dfraught ; and fometimes dfraEl: fdfraElus , Lat. 3 Ta 
pull different ways at once.—The needle endeavours to- 
conform unto the meridian; but, being difraEled, driveth 
that way where the greater and powerfuller part of the 
earth is placed. Brown. —To feparate ; to divide : 
By fea, by fea. 
—Moft worthy fir, you therein throw away 
The abfolute foldierfhip you have by land ; 
DifraEl your army, which doth moft confift 
Of war-mark’d footmen. Shakcfpeare. 
To turn from a fingle direction towards various points.—» 
If he cannot wholly avoid the eye of the obferver, he 
hopes to difraEl it by a multiplicity of the objeCt. Southj 
■—To fill the mind with contrary confiderations ; to per¬ 
plex ; to confound; to harafs.—If our fenfe of hearing 
were a thoufand times quicker than it is, how would a 
perpetual noife difraEl us! We fhould, in the quieted re¬ 
tirement, be lefs able to deep or meditate than in the 
middle of a fea-fight. Locke. 
Come, coufin, canft thou quake, and change thy co!our s 
Murder thy breath in middle of a word, 
And then again begin, and flop again, 
As if then wert dfraught and mad with terror? Shakefp * 
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