Part 18

The Century.

Damp"en, v. i. To become damp; to deaden. Byron.

Damp"er (?), n. That which damps or checks; as: (a) A valve or movable plate in the flue or other part of a stove, furnace, etc., used to check or regulate the draught of air. (b) A contrivance, as in a pianoforte, to deaden vibrations; or, as in other pieces of mechanism, to check some action at a particular time.

Nor did Sabrina's presence seem to act as any damper at the modest little festivities.

W. Black.

Damp"ish (?), a. Moderately damp or moist.

-- Damp"ish*ly, adv. -- Damp"ish*ness, n.

Damp"ne (?), v. t. To damn. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Damp"ness, n. Moderate humidity; moisture; fogginess; moistness.

Damp" off` (?). To decay and perish through excessive moisture.

Damp"y (?), a. 1. Somewhat damp. [Obs.] Drayton.

2. Dejected; gloomy; sorrowful. [Obs.] "Dispel dampy throughts." Haywards.

Dam"sel (?), n. [OE. damosel, damesel, damisel, damsel, fr. OF. damoisele, damisele, gentlewoman, F. demoiselle young lady; cf. OF. damoisel young nobleman, F. damoiseau; fr. LL. domicella, dominicella, fem., domicellus, dominicellus, masc., dim. fr. L. domina, dominus. See Dame, and cf. Demoiselle, Doncella.] 1. A young person, either male or female, of noble or gentle extraction; as, Damsel Pepin; Damsel Richard, Prince of Wales. [Obs.]

2. A young unmarried woman; a girl; a maiden.

With her train of damsels she was gone, In shady walks the scorching heat to shun.

Dryden.

Sometimes a troop of damsels glad, . . . Goes by to towered Camelot.

Tennyson.

3. (Milling) An attachment to a millstone spindle for shaking the hopper.

Dam"son (dm"z'n), n. [OE. damasin the Damascus plum, fr. L. Damascenus. See Damascene.] A small oval plum of a blue color, the fruit of a variety of the Prunus domestica; -- called also damask plum.

Dan (?), n. [OE. dan, danz, OF. danz (prop. only nom.), dan, master, fr. L. dominus. See Dame.] A title of honor equivalent to master, or sir. [Obs.]

Old Dan Geoffry, in gently spright The pure wellhead of poetry did dwell.

Spenser.

What time Dan Abraham left the Chaldee land.

Thomson.

Dan, n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Mining) A small truck or sledge used in coal mines.

Da"na*ide (?), n. [From the mythical Danaides, who were condemned to fill with water a vessel full of holes.] (Mach.) A water wheel having a vertical axis, and an inner and outer tapering shell, between which are vanes or floats attached usually to both shells, but sometimes only to one.

Da"na*ite (?), n. [Named after J. Freeman Dana.] (Min.) A cobaltiferous variety of arsenopyrite.