Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary

DISENCUMBERING — DISHING

DISENCUMBERING, ppr. Freeing from incumbrance.

DISENCUMBRANCE, n. Freedom or deliverance from incumbrance, or any thing burdensome or troublesome.

DISENGAGE, v.t. [dis and engage.]

1. To separate, as a substance from any thing with which it is in union; to free; to loose; to liberate; as, to disengage a metal from extraneous substances.

Caloric and light must be disengaged during the process.

2. To separate from that to which one adheres, or is attached; as, to disengage a man from a party.

3. To disentangle; to extricate; to clear from impediments, difficulties or perplexities; as, to disengage one from broils or controversies.

4. To detach; to withdraw; to wean; as, to disengage the heart or affections from earthly pursuits.

5. To free from any thing that commands the mind, or employs the attention; as, to disengage the mind from study; to disengage ones self from business.

6. To release or liberate from a promise or obligation; to set free by dissolving an engagement; as, the men, who were enlisted, are now disengaged; the lady, who had promised to give her hand in marriage, is disengaged. Let it be observed that disengaged properly implies previous engagement; and is not to be confounded with unengaged, which does not always imply prior engagement. This distinction is sometimes carelessly overlooked.

DISENGAGED, pp.

1. Separated; detached; set free; released; disjoined; disentangled.

2. a. Vacant; being at leisure; not particularly occupied; not having the attention confined to a particular object. [This word is thus used by mistake for unengaged, not engaged.]

DISENGAGEDNESS, n.

1. The quality or state of being disengaged; freedom from connection; disjunction.

2. Vacuity of attention.

DISENGAGEMENT, n.

1. A setting free; separation; extrication.

It is easy to render this disengagement of caloric and light evident to the senses.

2. The act of separating or detaching.

3. Liberation or release from obligation.

4. Freedom from attention; vacancy; leisure.

DISENGAGING, ppr. Separating; loosing; setting free; detaching; liberating; releasing from obligation.

DISENNOBLE, v.t. To deprive of title, or of that which ennobles.

DISENROLL, v.i. To erase from a roll or list.

DISENSLAVE, v.t. To free from bondage.

DISENTANGLE, v.t. [dis and entangle.]

1. To unravel; to unfold; to untwist; to loose, separate or disconnect things which are interwove, or united without order; as, to disentangle net-work; to disentangle a skain of yarn.

2. To free; to extricate from perplexity; to disengage from complicated concerns; to set free from impediments or difficulties; as, to disentangle ones self from business, from political affairs, or from the cares and temptations of life.

3. To disengage; to separate.

DISENTANGLED, pp. Freed from entanglement; extricated.

DISENTANGLING, ppr. Freeing from entanglement; extricated.

DISENTER. [See Disinter.]

DISENTHRONE, v.t. [dis and enthrone.] To dethrone; to depose from sovereign authority; as, to disenthrone a king.

DISENTHRONED, pp. Deposed; deprived of sovereign power.

DISENTHRONING, ppr. Deposing; depriving of royal authority.

DISENTITLE, v.t. To deprive of title.

DISENTRANCE, v.t. [dis and entrance.] To awaken from a trance, or from deep sleep; to arouse from a reverie.

DISENTRANCED, pp. Awakened from a trance, sleep or reverie.

DISENTRANCING, ppr. Arousing from a trance, sleep or reverie.

DISESPOUSE, v.t. disespouz. [dis and espouse.] To separate after espousal or plighted faith; to divorce.

DISESPOUSED, pp. Separated after espousal; released from obligation to marry.

DISESPOUSING, ppr. Separating after plighted faith.

DISESTEEM, n. [dis and esteem.] Want of esteem; slight dislike; disregard. It expresses less than hatred or contempt.

DISESTEEM, v.t. To dislike in a moderate degree; to consider with disregard, disapprobation, dislike or slight contempt; to slight.

But if this sacred gift you disesteem.

DISESTEEMED, pp. Disliked; slighted.

DISESTEEMING, ppr. Disliking; slighting.

DISEXERCISE, v.t. To deprive of exercise. [A bad word.]

DISFANCY, v.t. To dislike. [Not used.]

DISFAVOR, n. [dis and favor.]

1. Dislike; slight displeasure; discountenance; unfavorable regard; disesteem; as, the conduct of the minister incurred the disfavor of his sovereign.

2. A state of unacceptableness; a state in which one is not esteemed or favored, or not patronized, promoted or befriended; as, to be in disfavor at court.

3. An ill or disobliging act; as, no generous man will do a disfavor to the meanest of his species.

DISFAVOR, v.t. To discountenance; to withdraw or withhold from one, kindness, friendship or support; to check or oppose by disapprobation; as, let the man be countenanced or disfavored, according to his merits.

DISFAVORED, pp. Discountenanced; not favored.

DISFAVORER, n. One who discountenances.

DISFAVORING, ppr. Discountenancing.

DISFIGURATION, n. [See Disfigure.]

1. The act of disfiguring, or marring external form.

2. The state of being disfigured; some degree of deformity.

DISFIGURE, v.t. [dis and figure.]

1. To change to a worse form; to mar external figure; to impair shape or form and render it less perfect and beautiful; as, the loss of a limb disfigures the body.

2. To mar; to impair; to injure beauty, symmetry or excellence.

DISFIGURED, pp. Changed to a worse form; impaired in form or appearance.

DISFIGUREMENT, n. Change of external form to the worse; defacement of beauty.

DISFIGURER, n. One who disfigures.

DISFIGURING, ppr. Injuring the form or shape; impairing the beauty of form.

DISFOREST. [See Disafforest.]

DISFRANCHISE, v.t. [dis and franchise.] To deprive of the rights and privileges of a free citizen; to deprive of chartered rights and immunities; to deprive of any franchise, as of the right of voting in elections, etc.

DISFRANCHISED, pp. Deprived of the rights and privileges of a free citizen, or of some particular franchise.

DISFRANCHISEMENT, n. The act of disfranchising, or depriving of the privileges of a free citizen, or of some particular immunity.

DISFRANCHISING, ppr. Depriving of the privileges of a free citizen, or of some particular immunity.

DISFRIAR, v.t. [dis and friar.] To deprive of the state of a friar. [Not used.]

DISFURNISH, v.t. [dis and furnish.] To deprive of furniture; to strip of apparatus, habiliments or equipage.

DISFURNISHED, pp. Deprived of furniture; stripped of apparatus.

DISFURNISHING, ppr. Depriving of furniture or apparatus.

DISGALLANT, v.t. To deprive of gallantry. [Not used.]

DISGARNISH, v.t. [dis and garnish.]

1. To divest of garniture or ornaments.

2. To deprive of a garrison, guns and military apparatus; to degarnish.

DISGARRISON, v.t. To deprive of a garrison.

DISGAVEL, v.t. [See Gavelkind.] To take away the tenure of gavelkind.

DISGAVELED, pp. Deprived of the tenure by gavelkind.

DISGAVELING, ppr. Taking away tenure by gavelkind.

DISGLORIFY, v.t. [dis and glorify.] To deprive of glory; to treat with indignity. The participle disglorified is used by Milton; but the word is little used.

DISGORGE, v.t. disgorj.

1. To eject or discharge from the stomach, throat or mouth; to vomit.

2. To throw out with violence; to discharge violently or in great quantities from a confined place. Thus, volcanoes are said to disgorge streams of burning lava, ashes and stones. Miltons infernal rivers disgorge their streams into a burning lake.

DISGORGED, pp. Ejected; discharged from the stomach or mouth; thrown out with violence and in great quantities.

DISGORGEMENT, n. Disgorjment. The act of disgorging; a vomiting.

DISGORGING, ppr. Discharging from the throat or mouth; vomiting; ejecting with violence and in great quantities.

DISGOSPEL, v.i. [dis and gospel.] To differ from the precepts of the gospel. [Not used.]

DISGRACE, n. [dis and grace.]

1. A state of being out of favor; disfavor; disesteem; as, the minister retired from court in disgrace.

2. State of ignominy; dishonor; shame.

3. Cause of shame; as, to turn the back to the enemy is a foul disgrace; every vice is a disgrace to a rational being.

4. Act of unkindness. [Not used.]

DISGRACE, v.t.

1. To put out of favor; as, the minister was disgraced.

2. To bring a reproach on; to dishonor; as an agent. Men are apt to take pleasure in disgracing an enemy and his performance.

3. To bring to shame; to dishonor; to sink in estimation; as a cause; as, men often boast of actions which disgrace them.

DISGRACED, pp. Put out of favor; brought under reproach; dishonored.

DISGRACEFUL, a. Shameful; reproachful; dishonorable; procuring shame; sinking reputation. Cowardice is disgraceful to a soldier. Intemperance and profaneness are disgraceful to a man, but more disgraceful to a woman.

DISGRACEFULLY, adv.

1. With disgrace.

The senate have cast you forth disgracefully.

2. Shamefully; reproachfully; ignominiously; in a disgraceful manner; as the troops fled disgracefully.

DISGRACEFULNESS, n. Ignominy; shamefulness.

DISGRACER, n. One who disgraces; one who exposes to disgrace; one who brings into disgrace, shame or contempt.

DISGRACING, ppr. Bringing reproach on; dishonoring.

DISGRACIOUS, a. [dis and gracious.] Ungracious; unpleasing.

DISGREGATE, v.t. To separate; to disperse. [Little used.]

DISGUISE, v.t. disgize.

1. To conceal by an unusual habit, or mask. Men sometimes disguise themselves for the purpose of committing crimes without danger of detection. They disguise their faces in a masquerade.

2. To hide by a counterfeit appearance; to cloke by a false show, by false language, or an artificial manner; as, to disguise anger, sentiments or intentions.

3. To disfigure; to alter the form, and exhibit an unusual appearance.

They saw the faces, which too well they knew, though then disguised in death.

4. To disfigure or deform by liquor; to intoxicate.

DISGUISE, n.

1. A counterfeit habit; a dress intended to conceal the person who wears it.

By the laws of England, persons doing unlawful acts in disguise are subjected to heavy penalties, and in some cases, declared felons.

2. A false appearance; a counterfeit show; an artificial or assumed appearance in tended to deceive the beholder.

A treacherous design is often concealed under the disguise of great candor.

3. Change of manner by drink; intoxication.

DISGUISED, pp. Concealed by a counterfeit habit or appearance; intoxicated.

DISGUISEMENT, n. Dress of concealment; false appearance.

DISGUISER, n.

1. One who disguises himself or another.

2. He or that which disfigures.

DISGUISING, ppr. Concealing by a counterfeit dress, or by a false show; intoxicating.

DISGUISING, n.

1. The act of giving a false appearance.

2. Theatrical mummery or masking.

DISGUST, n. [L.]

1. Disrelish; distaste; aversion to the taste of food or drink; an unpleasant sensation excited int he organs of taste by something disagreeable, and when extreme, producing loathing or nausea.

2. Dislike; aversion; an unpleasant sensation in the mind excited by something offensive in the manners, conduct, language or opinions of others. Thus, obscenity in language and clownishness in behavior excite disgust.

DISGUST, v.t.

1. To excite aversion in the stomach; to offend the taste.

2. To displease; to offend the mind or moral taste; with at or with; as, to be disgusted at foppery, or with vulgar manners. To disgust from is unusual and hardly legitimate.

DISGUSTED, pp. Displeased; offended.

DISGUSTFUL, a. Offensive to the taste; nauseous; exciting aversion in the natural or moral taste.

DISGUSTING, ppr.

1. Provoking aversion; offending the taste.

2. a. Provoking dislike; odious; hateful; as disgusting servility.

DISGUSTINGLY, adv. In a manner to give disgust.

DISH, n. [Gr., L. It is the same word as disk and desk, and seems to signify something flat, plain or extended.]

1. A broad open vessel, made of various materials, used for serving up meat and various kinds of food at the table. It is sometimes used for a deep hollow vessel for liquors.

2. The meat or provisions served in a dish. Hence, any particular kind of food.

I have here a dish of doves.

We say, a dish of veal or venison; a cold dish; a warm dish; a delicious dish.

3. Among miners, a trough in which ore is measure, about 28 inches long, 4 deep and 6 wide.

DISH, v.t. To put in a dish; as, the meat is all dished, and ready for the table.

DISH-CLOTH, DISH-CLOUT, n. A cloth used for washing and wiping dishes.

DISH-WASHER, n. The name of a bird, the mergus.

DISH-WATER, n. Water in which dishes are washed.

DISHABILLE, DISHABIL, n. [See Habit.] An undress; a loose negligent dress for the morning. But see Deshabille, the French and more correct orthography. Dryden uses the word as a participle. Queens are not to be too negligently dressed or dishabille. In this use, he is not followed.

DISHABIT, v.t. To drive from a habitation. [Not in use.]

DISHARMONIOUS, a. Incongruous. [See Unharmonious.]

DISHARMONY, n. [dis and harmony.] Want of harmony; discord; incongruity. [Not used.]

DISHEARTEN, v.t. dishartn. [dis and heart.] To discourage; to deprive of courage; to depress the spirits; to deject; to impress with fear; as, it is weakness to be disheartened by small obstacles.

DISHEARTENED, pp. Dishartned. Discouraged; depressed in spirits; cast down.

DISHEARTENING, ppr. Dishartning. Discouraging; depressing the spirits.

DISHED, pp. Put in a dish or dishes.

DISHEIR, v.t. dizare. To debar from inheriting. [Not in use.]

DISHERISON, n. [See Disherit.] The act of disinheriting, or cutting off from inheritance.

DISHERIT, v.t. [See Heir.] To disinherit; to cut off from the possession or enjoyment of an inheritance. [See Disinherit, which is more generally used.]

DISHERITANCE, n. The state of disheriting or of being disinherited.

DISHERITED, pp. Cut off from an inheritance or hereditary succession.

DISHERITING, ppr. Cutting off from an inheritance.

DISHEVEL, v.t. [L.] To spread the hair loosely; to suffer the hair of the head to hang negligently, and to flow without confinement; used chiefly in the passive participle.

DISHEVEL, v.i. To spread in disorder.

DISHEVELED, pp. or a. Hanging loosely and negligently without confinement; flowing in disorder; as disheveled locks.

DISHEVELING, ppr. Spreading loosely.

DISHING, pp. [See Dish.]

1. Putting in a dish or dishes.

2. a. Concave; having the hollow form of a dish.