Part 63

Debt"or (?), n. [OE. dettur, dettour, OF. detor, detur, detour, F. débiteur, fr. L. debitor, fr. debere to owe. See Debt.] One who owes a debt; one who is indebted; -- correlative to creditor.

Shak.

In Athens an insolvent debtor became slave to his creditor.

Mitford.

Debtors for our lives to you.

Tennyson.

De*bul"li*ate (?), v. i. [Pref. dé- + L. bullire to boil.] To boil over. [Obs.]

Deb`ul*li"tion (?), n. [See Debulliate.] A bubbling or boiling over. [Obs.] Bailey.

De*burse" (?), v. t. & i. [Pref. de + L. bursa purse.] To disburse. [Obs.] Ludlow.

De"bu*scope (?), n. [From the inventor, Debus, a French optician + -scope.] (Opt.) A modification of the kaleidoscope; -- used to reflect images so as to form beautiful designs.

||Dé`but" (?), n. [F. début, prop., the first cast or throw at play, fr. but aim, mark. See Butt an end.] A beginning or first attempt; hence, a first appearance before the public, as of an actor or public speaker.

||Dé`bu`tant" (?), n.; fem. Dé`bu`tante" (&?;). [F., p. pr. of débuter to have the first throw, to make one's début. See Début.] A person who makes his (or her) first appearance before the public.

Dec"a- (?). [Cf. Ten.] A prefix, from Gr. de`ka, signifying ten; specifically (Metric System), a prefix signifying the weight or measure that is ten times the principal unit.

||De*cac`e*ra"ta (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. de`ka ten + ke`ras a horn.] (Zoöl.) The division of Cephalopoda which includes the squids, cuttlefishes, and others having ten arms or tentacles; -- called also Decapoda. [Written also Decacera.] See Dibranchiata.

{ Dec"a*chord (?), Dec`a*chor"don (?), } n. [Gr. deka`chordos tenstringed; de`ka ten + chordj` a string.] 1. An ancient Greek musical instrument of ten strings, resembling the harp.

2. Something consisting of ten parts. W. Watson.

Dec`a*cu"mi*na`ted (?), a. [L. decacuminare to cut off the top. See Cacuminate.] Having the point or top cut off. [Obs.] Bailey.

Dec"ad (?), n. A decade.

Averill was a decad and a half his elder.

Tennyson.

Dec"a*dal (?), a. Pertaining to ten; consisting of tens.

Dec"ade (?), n. [F. décade, L. decas, -adis, fr. Gr. &?;, fr. de`ka ten. See Ten.] A group or division of ten; esp., a period of ten years; a decennium; as, a decade of years or days; a decade of soldiers; the second decade of Livy. [Written also decad.]

During this notable decade of years.

Gladstone.

{ De*ca"dence (?), De*ca"den*cy (?), } n. [LL. decadentia; L. de- + cadere to fall: cf. F. décadence. See Decay.] A falling away; decay; deterioration; declension. "The old castle, where the family lived in their decadence." Sir W. Scott.

De*ca"dent (?), a. Decaying; deteriorating.

Dec"a*dist (?), n. A writer of a book divided into decades; as, Livy was a decadist. [R.]

Dec"a*gon (?), n. [Pref. deca- + Gr. &?; a corner or angle: cf. F. décagone.] (Geom.) A plane figure having ten sides and ten angles; any figure having ten angles. A regular decagon is one that has all its sides and angles equal.