Part 442

Di`va*ga"tion (?), n. [L. divagari to wander about; di- = dis- + vagari to stroll about: cf. F. divagation. See Vagary.] A wandering about or going astray; digression.

Let us be set down at Queen's Crawley without further divagation.

Thackeray.

Div"a*lent (?), a. [Pref. di- + L. valens, valentis, p. pr. See Valence.] (Chem.) Having two units of combining power; bivalent. Cf. Valence.

Di*van" (?), n. [Per. dwn a book of many leaves, an account book, a collection of books, a senate, council: cf. Ar. daiwn, F. divan.] 1. A book; esp., a collection of poems written by one author; as, the divan of Hafiz. [Persia]

2. In Turkey and other Oriental countries: A council of state; a royal court. Also used by the poets for a grand deliberative council or assembly. Pope.

3. A chief officer of state. [India]

4. A saloon or hall where a council is held, in Oriental countries, the state reception room in places, and in the houses of the richer citizens. Cushions on the floor or on benches are ranged round the room.

5. A cushioned seat, or a large, low sofa or couch; especially, one fixed to its place, and not movable.

6. A coffee and smoking saloon. [Colloq.]

Di*var"i*cate (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Divaricated; p. pr. & vb. n. Divaricating.] [L. divaricatus, p. p. of divaricare to stretch apart; di- = dis- + varicare to straddle, fr. varicus straddling, fr. varus stretched outwards.] 1. To part into two branches; to become bifid; to fork.

2. To diverge; to be divaricate. Woodward.

Di*var"i*cate, v. t. To divide into two branches; to cause to branch apart.

Di*var"i*cate (?), a. [L. divaricatus, p. p.] 1. Diverging; spreading asunder; widely diverging.

2. (Biol.) Forking and diverging; widely diverging; as the branches of a tree, or as lines of sculpture, or color markings on animals, etc.

Di*var"i*cate*ly, adv. With divarication.

Di*var`i*ca"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. divarication.] 1. A separation into two parts or branches; a forking; a divergence.

2. An ambiguity of meaning; a disagreement of difference in opinion. Sir T. Browne.

3. (Biol.) A divergence of lines of color sculpture, or of fibers at different angles.

Di*var`i*ca"tor (?), n. (Zoöl.) One of the muscles which open the shell of brachiopods; a cardinal muscle. See Illust. of Brachiopoda.

Di*vast" (?), a. Devastated; laid waste. [Obs.]

Dive (dv), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Dived (dvd), colloq. Dove (dv), a relic of the AS. strong forms deáf, dofen; p. pr. & vb. n. Diving.] [OE. diven, duven, AS. dfan to sink, v. t., fr. dfan, v. i.; akin to Icel. dfa, G. taufen, E. dip, deep, and perh. to dove, n. Cf. Dip.] 1. To plunge into water head foremost; to thrust the body under, or deeply into, water or other fluid.

It is not that pearls fetch a high price because men have dived for them.

Whately.

The colloquial form dove is common in the United States as an imperfect tense form.

All [the walruses] dove down with a tremendous splash.

Dr. Hayes.

When closely pressed it [the loon] dove . . . and left the young bird sitting in the water.