Cred u lous, a. apt to believe without | Cul ture, n. the act of cultivating. sufficient evidence, not suspicious, easily deceived. He is so credulous, that he will believe almost any story that a beggar tells about his misfortunes, and give him money. Crime, n. the breaking of a law by some very wicked act; as the crime of robbery or murder. Crim i nal, a. sinful,-guilty of a crime. In the sight of God he is criminal who intends wrong, although he does not do it. Cru el, a. pleased at giving pain to others. He was a cruel boy. He loved to throw stones at the little birds on the trees; and when he was a man, he showed great cruelty towards his wife and children. Crūișe, v. n. to sail about on the sea certain course, in or without any der to take other vessels. Cull, v. a. to pick out from among others. A farmer told his sons to cull out the best ears of corn, and save them for planting, next He has neglected the culture of his farın so long, that the crops are very poor. Cun ning, a. skillful in accomplishing something by artifice and conceal ment. The fox was very cunning. He lay a long time motionless, and as if he was dead, and when he thought he was not noticed, he sprang up suddenly and ran off. Cunning people are very apt to lose the confidence of others. Cũ ri ous, a. desiring strongly to see new things, and to find out what is hidden or unknown. James was very curious to know what his father was writing in the letter, but he would not tell him. His curiosity was so great, that he spent many years in travelling over one country and another. made with great skill, nicety, and ex actness. The watch which she wore on a ring, was a very curious one. not common and causing surprise or admiration. James and his sister seemed as if they nev er would be tired of looking at the curious things in the museum. His collection of curiosities from different. parts of the world, occupies a large room in his house. Cur rent, a. passing from one to anoth er, circulating freely. You need not be afraid to take that bank. bill. It is good and current all over the State. now passing, and not yet finished. The current year will not come to a close till the thirty-first of December. Cur rent, n. the running or flowing ou of a stream. The current of the river was so rapid, that the steam-boat ascended it very slowly. Curse, v. a. to wish for, or call down, | De base, v. a. to put into a lower con evil upon a person or thing in a sol emn manner. "Love your enemies; bless them that curse you." to give up a person or thing to evil. After Adam had eaten the forbidden fruit, God said to him; "Cursed is the ground for thy sake. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee." Cũs to dy, n. the keeping and guarding of a person with care, that he may not escape. The young men made such a disturbance in the streets at night, that they were put into custody by the watchmen, and carried before the magistrate in the morning. Custom, n. the doing of a thing often, and the continuing to do it. It was formerly the custom among the inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands, when their parents became old and sick, to carry them away, and leave them to perish. It was customary among the Jews for all the adult males to go up to Jerusalem, three times a year, to attend the feasts. D. Daunt, v. a. to put in great fear. A bear crossed his path in the woods; but it did not daunt him, for he had a loaded gun in his hand. to discourage or check by fear. When Cicero, the great Roman orator, rose to make a speech in defense of Milo, he was so daunted by the appearance of the soldiers who stood near him, that he trembled, his tongue faltered, and he could hardly utter a word. Dearth, n. a very great want or scarcity of any thing. There is often such a dearth of food, in some parts of India, that thousands of the inhabitants starve. dition on account of misconduct, to make mean and vile. He has debased himself so much by internperance and other vices, that his former companions will not associate with him. De bāte, v. a. for each of two or more persons who differ in opinion, to argue in defense of his own. They often debate a subject in Congress for several days before they decide upon it. De ceit, n. leading a person to think a thing is true when it is false, or false when it is true. Avoid deceit; for truth is always better than falsehood. Rebekah and Jacob did wrong in deceiving Isaac, in order that Jacob might obtain his blessing. "The Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man." De cent, a. becoming and modest in conversation, conduct, address, or manners. "Let all things be done decently and in order." De cep tion, n. making something to appear different from what it is. A boy asked his little brother William to come to him and get something out of his hand. William came, expecting to have a present, but found his brother's hand had nothing in it. It was wrong to practice such deception. Travellers in the deserts of Arabia sometimes see sand at a distance which glistens in the sun-shine, and which they mistake for water. It is a deceptive appearance. De cide, v. a. to make up one's mind fully, usually after some hesitation or doubt. When Cesar came with his army to the bank of the Rubicon, which he had been forbidden to pass by the Roman Senate, he deliberated a long time what to do. He, at length, decided the matter, and crossed the river, fearless of consequences. This is a striking example of decision of character. De ci sive, a. that which settles or ends what was before doubtful. Cesar and Pompey had for some time been contending which of them should be master of Rome. They met with their armies at Pharsalia. A decisive battle took place, in which Cesar was victorious, and Pompey was soon after slain while attempting to escape into Egypt. The wild pigeons were decoyed into the net by the grains of corn which had been scattered all along on the ground. De crease, v. n. to become less. It was a warm sunny day, and the snow decreased rapidly. v. a. to make less. He owed a thousand dollars, but by being very industrious and economical he made frequent payments, and kept decreasing the debt till it was all paid. De clāre, v. a. to make a thing known De cree, v. a. to decide upon some by telling it plainly. In 1776 a number of men from the different colonies met together in Philadelphia, and drew up a writing in which they declared to the world, that the colonies ought no longer to be subject to Great Britain, but had a right to govern themselves, and would do so. This writing was agreed to on the fourth of July, and is called the Declaration of Independence. to affirm positively. John declared that the charge which was brought against him of abusing a boy, was entirely false. De clīne, v. n. to bend, lean, or move downwards. Jane has neglected to water the lilies, and their heads begin to decline. It is past four o'clock, and the sun is declining in the western sky. to pass from a better to a worse state. It was formerly a very flourishing place, but of late there is much less business done there. | It is on the decline. not to accept. He was invited to go on a sailing party, but declined, having business at home. Děc o rate, v. a. to put on, in order to make more becoming and beautiful. The ancient heathen used often to decorate with garlands of flowers the animals which were offered up in sacrifice. De coy', v. a. to allure by artifice so as to bring into one's power. thing, and to order it to be done. After much deliberation the court decreed that the vessel should be given up to the own use. When Solomon dedicated the temple at Jerusalem, he offered up in sacrifice twenty-two thousand oxen, and one hundred and twenty thousand sheep. Deēd, n. any thing which is done. "God will render to every man according to his deeds." a writing which conveys the ownership of houses, lands, and such kind of property, to another, is called a deed. Dēēm, v. a. to think or judge. John's father deemed it best that he should stay at home and work, during the winter. and not go to school De face, v. a. to injure or destroy the face or surface of a thing. He has defaced a page of his writing book very much by spilling ink over it. De fame, v. a. to speak evil of others, falsely and wickedly. A few persons have tried to defame the character of Washington, but have been completely baffled in their designs. De feat, v. a. to overcome in battle, or in some contest. At the battle of Jena, in the year 1806, the Prussians were defeated by the French with immense loss. to keep a person or thing from succeeding. His plan of building a new house, was defeated by the failure of the man to whom he had lent his money. De fect, n. the absence or want of something which is necessary to Goliath defied the armies of the Israelites to send out a man to fight him. De fi' cient, (de fish ent,) a. wanting something to make it what it ought to be. The committee that examined the school found it very deficient in suitable books. De file, n. a narrow passage. The defile between the hills was so narrow, that the soldiers had to march through it one after another. De file, v. a. to make corrupt and filthy. The Bible says of Heaven, that "there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie." De fine, v. a. to mark out exactly how far a thing goes. When a man sells land, he gives a deed of it to the purchaser, which defines its bounds. What he said was so definite that no one could misunderstand him. make persons or things what they to tell accurately the meaning of a ought to be. He bought a book, and soon found that there was a considerable defect in the binding, for many of the leaves became loose and fell out. It is a great defect in his character, that he wants perseverance. He cannot see things at a distance. His eye-sight is defective, and he has to wear spectacles. De fer, v. a. to put off to a future time. word. Some words are so simple in their meaning, that it is useless to attempt to define them; while others are so hard to be understood, that the definitions of them need to be made clear by examples. De form, v. a. to change the proper form of a person or thing, so as to make it out of shape and disagreeable to the sight. Can it be right to deform the body and injure the health by tight dressing? It is both mean and wicked to laugh at those who have any natural deformity of body. De fråud, v. a. to keep or take wrongfully, and by artifice, what belongs to another. He failed in business, concealed much of his property, and defrauded those that he owed out of more than half that was due to them De fray, v. a. to pay bear the charge of. the expense, or He found himself one hundred miles from home, and his money quite gone. He had to borrow some to defray his remaining expenses. De grade, v. a. to bring down with disgrace from a higher station to a lower. He was degraded, on account of cowardice, from the rank of captain to that of a common soldier. De grēē, n. when a person or thing rises or falls, or moves in any other direction, by little and little, each of the several spaces thus passed over, one after the other, is called a degree. A boy went up a ladder placed against a house. He stepped from one round to another, ascending a degree at each step. When he reached the top, he was at the highest degree from the bottom. Another boy, just beginning to ascend, had taken but one step. He was at the lowest degree. Á thermometer is so marked, that the mercury in it, by rising and falling, tells the degrees of heat and cold. The youngest class in the school are in the lowest degree of improvement. They should strive, as they grow older, to reach the highest. The three hundred and sixtieth part of the circumference of a circle, is called a degree. Deign, (dāne,) v. n. to condescend. He was so proud that he would not deign even to hear what the poor beggar had to say. De jěct ed, p. cast down in spirits under disappointment or affliction. He is so dejected at the misconduct of his son, that he avoids all and is never company, seen to smile. De lib e rate, v. n. to weigh in the mind, to consider the reasons for and against doing something. The inhabitants of the town held several meetings, and deliberated a long while, before they could agree where the new court-house should stand. He does not decide hastily, but is very deliberate, and when he makes up his mind it is not easy to lead him to change his purpose. Del i cate, a. fine, soft, and smooth to the touch; as a delicate rose-leaf, the delicate hand of an infant. not bright and glaring, soft and pleasant to the sight; as the delicate whiteness of pure snow, the delicate green of the early grass in spring. nice, tender, pleasing to the taste; as delicate food. soft and gentle, careful not to hurt the feelings of others; as, he is a man of very delicate manners. feeble in body, easily fatigued, or made sick. Her health is so delicate, that she cannot go abroad except in the mildest weather. We say of a person who is very nice and accurate in judging whether things are beautiful or not, that he has delicacy of taste. De li' cious, (de lish us,) a. highly pleasing and sweet; as delicious fruit, delicious music, delicious poetry. De light, n. a high degree of joy or pleasure. Robert seems to take great delight in doing what he can, to make his lame brother happy who is confined to the house. John was so delighted with his new book, that he wanted to be reading it all the while. We visited the Orphan Asylum, and it was delightful to see what good care was taken of the poor children who have no father or mother. |