[SAT Vocab] letter 'd'

darkling

adv. blindly

darwinism

n. the doctrine that natural selection has been the prime

cause of evolution of higher forms

dastard

n. a base coward

datum

n. a premise, starting-point or given fact

day-man

n. a laborer who changes jobs frequently

dead-heat

n. a race in which two or more competitors come out

even, and there is no winner

death’s-head

n. human skull or representation of a man's skull

debase

v. to lower in character or virtue

debonair

adj. having gentle or courteous bearing or manner

decagon

n. a figure with ten sides and ten angles

decaliter

n. a liquid and dry measure of 10 liters

decalogue

n. the ten commandments

decameron

n. a volume consisting of ten parts or books

decamp

v. to leave suddenly or unexpectedly

decapod

adj. ten-footed or ten-armed

decasyllable

n. a line of ten syllables

decency

n. moral fitness

deciduous

adj. falling off at maturity as petals after flowering, fruit

when ripe, etc

decimal

adj. founded on the number 10

declamation

n. a speech recited or intended for recitation from

memory in public

declamatory

adj. a full and formal style of utterance

deciension

n. the change of endings in nouns and adjectives to

express their different relations of gender

decorous

adj. suitable for the occasion or circumstances

decoy

n. anything that allures or is intended to allures into

danger or temptation

decrepit

adj. enfeebled, as by old age or some chronic infirmity

dedication

n. the voluntary consecration or relinquishment of

something to an end or cause

deface

v. to vandalize

defalcate

v. to cut off or take away, as a part of something

default

n. the neglect or omission of a legal requirement

definite

adj. having an exact signification or positive meaning

defraud

v. to deprive of something dishonestly

defray

v. to make payment for

degeneracy

n. process of becoming worse

deify

v. to regard or worship as a god

deign

v. to deem worthy of notice or account

deist

n. person who believes in God but denies supernatural

revelation

deject

v. to dishearten

dejection

n. melancholy

delectable

adj. delightful to the taste or to the senses

delectation

n. delight

delicacy

n. that which is agreeable to a fine taste

deliquiesce

v. to dissolve gradually and become liquid by absorption

of moisture from the air

delude

v. to mislead the mind or judgment of

deluge

v. to overwhelm with a flood of water

demagnetize

v. to deprive attractive properties

demagogue

n. an unprincipled politician

demanor

n. deportment

demented

adj. insane

demobilize

v. discharge from military service; disband an army

demulcent

n. any application soothing to an irritable surface

demurrage

n. the detention of a vessel beyond the specified time of

sailing

dendroid

adj. like a tree

dendrology

n. the natural history of trees

denominate

v. to give a name or epithet to

denomination

n. a body of Christians united by a common faith and

form of worship and discipline

denominator

n. part of a fraction which expresses the number of equal

parts into which the unit is divided

denouement

n. that part of a play or story in which the mystery is

cleared up

dentifrice

n. any preparation used for cleaning the teeth

denude

v. to strip the covering from

denunciation

n. the act of declaring an action or person worthy of

reprobation or punishment

deponent

adj. laying down

depopulate

v. to remove the inhabitants from

deport

v. to take or send away forcibly, as to a penal colony

deportment

n. demeanor

deposition

n. testimony legally taken on interrogatories and reduced

to writing, for use as evidence in court

depositor

n. person who places in trust

depository

n. a place where anything is kept in safety

deprave

v. to render bad, especially morally bad

deride

v. to ridicule

derisible

adj. open to ridicule

derision

n. ridicule

derrmatology

n. the branch of medical science which relates to the skin

and its diseases

derrick

n. an apparatus for hoisting and swinging great weights

descry

v. to discern

desiccant

n. any remedy which, when applied externally, dries up or

absorbs moisture, as that of wounds

desist

v. to cease from action

desistance

n. cessation

desperado

n. person without regard for law or life

despond

v. to lose spirit, courage or hope

despondent

adj. disheartened

despot

n. an absolute and irresponsible monarch

despotism

n. any severe and strict rule in which the judgment of the

governed has little or no part

desultory

adj. not connected with what precedes

detract

v. to take away in such manner as to lessen value or

estimation

detrude

v. to push down forcibly

devilry

n. malicious mischief

deviltry

n. wanton and malicious mischief

devout

adj. religious

diabolic

adj. characteristic of the devil

diacritical

adj. marking a difference

dialectician

n. a logician

dexterity

n. readiness, precision, efficiency, and ease in any

physical activity or in any mechanical work

diaphanous

adj. transparent

diatomic

adj. containing only two atoms

diatribe

n. a bitter or malicious criticism

dictim

n. a positive utterance

didactic

adj. pertaining to teaching

differentia

n. any essential characteristic of a species by reason of

which it differs from other species

differential

adj. distinctive

diffidence

n. self-distrust