John Wiley And Sons Webster''s New World - Essential vocabulary_D

D
damage (DAM ij) n. 1. injury or harm, resulting in a loss of soundness or value;
2. (pl.) (law) money claimed by or ordered paid to a person to compensate for
injury or loss —vt. to do harm to —vi. to incur harm
• Marla received damage to her neck when she skied off the main slope and
into a nearby compost heap.
• Claiming that the compost heap should not have been so close to the
slope, Marla sued the ski lodge for damages.
• When he hit the lamppost, Jakob damaged his tricycle.
• Freddy’s ear was damaged when the newspaper carrier hit it with the
Sunday paper.
[-d, damaging] [Syn. injure]
daze (DAYZ) vt. 1. to stun, stupefy, or bewilder as by a shock or blow to the
head; 2. to dazzle —n. a stunned condition
• The bright headlamps dazed the deer as she momentarily froze in her
tracks.
• Bumping his head dazed Ian just long enough to permit his prisoner to slip
away unnoticed.
• After having survived frightful conditions while marooned on the island,
the newly rescued sailor wandered around in a daze.
[-dly adv.]
debacle (di BAK il) n. 1. a torrent of debris-filled waters; 2. an overwhelming
defeat or route; 3. a total, often ludicrous, collapse or failure
• After the dam burst, a debacle descended on the farms and villages below.
• Napoleon never recovered from his Battle of Waterloo debacle.
• The Bible tells of the debacle that resulted from man’s attempt to build the
Tower of Babel.
debatable (di BAYT i bl) adj. 1. arguable, having pros and cons on both sides;
2. something that can be questioned or disputed; 3. in dispute, as land claimed by
two countries
• Whether the country’s economy does better under Republicans or

Democrats is highly debatable.
• Whether the next Oscar really will go to the best picture of this year is
debatable.
• The ownership of Kashmir is debatable because it is claimed by both India
and Pakistan.
debunk (di BUHNK) vt. to expose the false or exaggerated claims, pretensions,
glamour, etc. of con artists and charlatans
• Some people take it as their life’s work to debunk the schemes of con artists.
• The self-proclaimed Great Randi has debunked many so-called mentalists by
revealing their deceptions.
[-ed, -ing, -er n.]
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deceive (di SEEV) vt. to cause (a person) to believe what is not true; delude;
mislead —vi. to use deceit; lie
• Flattery is a time-tested device to deceive one into thinking he or she is
hotter than is actually the case.
• The Flyby Knight Furniture Company tried to deceive people into believing
that their $298 sofa was real leather.
• False advertising is intended to deceive.
[-d, deceiving, deceivable adj., deceivingly adv., -r n.]
decibel (DE si bil) n. 1. (acoustics) a numerical expression of the relative loud-
ness of a sound; 2. (electronics, radio) a numerical expression of relative power lev-
els of electronic signals (In both cases the decibel level [dB] is related to common
logarithms, so small differences in decibels denote large differences in levels.)
• A 115-decibel sound level at a rock concert is enough to cause permanent
hearing damage, while a 130-decibel sound can cause actual physical pain.
• Loss of electromagnetic energy as it passes through transmission lines is
measured in decibels, with a loss of 3 dBs equal to half the strength.
decline (di KLYN) vt., vi. 1. to slope downward or aside; 2. to sink; wane; near

the end; 3. to lessen in force, health, value, etc.; 4. to sink to behavior that is base
or immoral; 5. to refuse to accept
• The graph of violent crimes per capita in New York during the 1990s
declines as it moves from left to right.
• As it approaches the loading platform, the speed of the roller coaster declines.
• The value of the dollar against the Euro declined in 2003.
• In dealing with a monkey, you need not decline to its level.
• Karen declined payment from Barney for having baby-sat.
[-d, declining] [Syn. refuse]
decorous (di KAW ris) adj. characterized by or showing propriety in behavior,
dress, etc.; demonstrating good taste
• Tom behaved in a very decorous manner at the graduation, never raising his
voice or wiping his mouth on his sleeve.
• The ettiquette consultant was hired by Maxine’s mother to supervise the
decorous behavior of all the servers at the wedding reception.
[-ly adv.]
defend (dif END) vt. 1. to protect from attack; keep from harm or danger; 2. to
support, maintain, or justify; 3. (law) to oppose (an action); to plead (one’s case)
• Though the door is unlocked, a German shepherd in the living room is
usually adequate to defend a home from theft.
• I don’t need to defend my conduct in this case.
• The corporation had more than one attorney to defend it against liability
actions.
[-ed, -ing, defense n., adj.]
deferment (di FOER mint) n. a postponement; a putting off to a later time
• In the bad old days of the draft, college students were able to get deferments
until after graduation.
• Deferment of jury duty is often obtainable by mothers of preschool children.
[(to) defer vt.]
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QUICK REVIEW #24
Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most
nearly the same thing.
D: SAT Words 75
1. damage
2. daze
3. debacle
4. debatable
5. debunk
6. deceive
7. decibel
8. decline
9. decorous
10. defend
11. deferment
a. refuse
b. protect
c. mislead
d. appropriate
e. loudness
f. postponement
g. injure
h. arguable
i. failure
j. expose
k. stupor
defiant (di FY int) adj. full of angry resistance; openly and boldly resisting (in
spite of opposition)
• The men defending the Alamo were defiant in the face of Santa Ana’s over-

whelmingly superior numbers.
• Rosa Parks sparked civil rights awareness by being defiant of the “Blacks
ride in the back” convention of the day.
[-ly adv., defiance n.]
deficit (DEF i sit) n. the amount of money less than the necessary amount; hav-
ing more liabilities than assets, losses than profits, or expenditures than income
• The U.S. government almost always has a financial deficit.
• Those in the high-tech sector of the stock market experienced a severe
deficit at the opening of the twenty-first century.
define (di FYN) vt. 1. to state or set down the boundaries of; to delineate; 2. to
determine or state the nature or extent of; 3. to differentiate; 4. to state the mean-
ing or meanings of a word (like we’re doing here)
• A couple needs to define what will be expected of each before rushing
blindly into a marriage.
• Mr. Smedley, our head of sales, will now define what your job here will be.
• Never define a word by using that word in the definition.
[-d, defining, definition n.]
deleterious (DEL it ir ee uhss) adj. bad for health or well-being; injurious;
harmful
• Smoking cigarettes is deleterious to everyone’s health, not just the smoker’s.
• An infestation of locusts can have a deleterious effect on a farmer’s crops.
[-ly adv., -ness n.] [Syn. pernicious]
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demagogue (DEM uh GOG) n. one who tries to rouse the people by appealing
to emotion, prejudice, etc. to win them over and attain (political) power
• Hitler was the most infamous demagogue of the twentieth century.
• Stalin was a terrible dictator, but he does not qualify as a demagogue
because he gained power by brute force alone.
[demagogy, -ry n.]
demeanor (di MEEN oer) n. outward manner; carriage; the way one behaves

• Princess Diana had a regal demeanor and a gentle one.
• Between a Rottweiler and a Doberman pinscher, the Rottie has the meaner
demeanor.
[Brit. sp. demeanour] [Syn. bearing]
democracy (di MAHK ri see) n. 1. government by the people, with the popu-
lace holding the reins of power, either directly or through elected representatives;
power in the hands of the ruled; 2. a country, state, etc. with that type of govern-
ment; 3. majority rule; 4. the principle of equal rights and opportunities for all, and
equal treatment by the legal system; the practice of these principles
• Athens had the first experiment in democracy we know of.
• American democracy was not viewed kindly by the crowned heads of
eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Europe.
• India is the world’s largest democracy in terms of population.
• Schoolchildren learn the principles of democracy by voting for class officers
(who have little to no power).
• The U.S. Constitution is the primary legal document that assures the prin-
ciples of democracy be followed.
demonstrate (DEM uhn STRAYT) vt. 1. to prove; show by reasoning; 2. to
make clear or explain through examples, experiments, etc.; 3. to show how a prod-
uct works or what it tastes like in order to sell it; 4. to show feelings plainly
• Descartes was the first philosopher to demonstrate his existence by the dic-
tum, “I think, therefore I am.”
• The operation of the steam engine is often demonstrated in classes using a
cutaway working model.
• There are often people demonstrating certain foods at the warehouse club
by offering free samples in small cups.
• Tears on her cheek demonstrated Patricia’s sadness.
[-d, demonstrating]
denounce* (di NOWNS) vt. 1. to condemn publicly; inform against; 2. to accuse
of being evil; 3. to give formal notice of the termination of (a treaty, armistice, etc.)

• American loyalists denounced Washington as a traitor to the British Crown.
• The French patriots denounced Louis XVI as a tyrant.
• The Japanese government did not denounce the naval treaty that limited
the size and number of warships they could build; they just disregarded it.
[-d, denouncing] [Syn. criticize]
deny (di NY) vt. 1. to declare something untrue; contradict; 2. to not accept as
factual; to reject as unfounded, unreal, etc.; 3. to disown; to refuse to acknowledge
as one’s own; rerepudiate; 4. to not allow the use of or access to; 5. refuse to grant
or give; 6. to refuse a person’s request
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• Cara denied the charge that she had cheated on her diet.
• Evan did not deny having cheated on Mary but claimed that she had cheat-
ed on him first.
• Ian denied having painted the big mural outside the store.
• Ryan was forced to deny Sophie use of the handicapped parking space on
the grounds that she wasn’t handicapped.
•I deny all of you access to the ice cream in my freezer.
• I also must deny your request for parole.
[denied, -ing, denial n.]
depict (di PIKT) vt. 1. to portray; to represent in a painting, drawing, sculpture,
etc.; 2. to describe; to picture in words
• Leonardo DaVinci’s Last Supper depicts a Passover seder.
• A portrait artist will depict a likeness of you, for a fee.
• The sports section of today’s newspaper depicts a detailed account of yester-
day’s games, artfully drawn in words.
[-ed, -ing, -ion n.]
deplore (di PLAWR) vt. 1. to be sorry about; to regret; lament; 2. to regard as
unfortunate or awful; 3. to disapprove of; to condemn as wrong
• My neighbor’s mother deplores the day he was born.

• Any feeling individual must deplore the conditions in which the urban
homeless are condemned to live.
• The whole world deplores the lack of safety measures that were in place at
Chernobyl’s nuclear power plant.
[-d, deploring]
QUICK REVIEW #25
Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most
nearly the same thing.
D: SAT Words 77
1. defiant
2. deficit
3. define
4. deleterious
5. demagogue
6. demeanor
7. democracy
8. demonstrate
9. denounce
10. deny
11. depict
12. deplore
a. prove
b. lament
c. bearing
d. reject
e. criticize
f. portray
g. lack
h. pernicious
i. popular rule

j. rebellious
k. rabble-rouser
l. delineate
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deride (di RYD) vt. to laugh at contemptuously or scornfully; to make fun of;
ridicule
• Jack derided his sister for having trouble riding the bicycle.
• It is poor form to deride anyone for his or her handicaps or inabilities.
[-d, deriding, derision n., derisive adj., deridingly adv.] [Syn. ridicule]
derivative* (di RIV a TIV) adj. 1. using or taken from other sources; 2. not original
—n. something derived
• Many modern medicines are tropical plant derivatives.
• The Lord of the Rings movies were derivative films, having been taken from
Tolkein’s writings.
• Chocolate is a derivative of the cacao bean.
[-ly adv.]
derive (di RYV) vt. 1. to get, take, or receive something from a source; 2. to
arrive at by reasoning; deduce or infer; 3. to trace to or from its source; show the
origin and development of
• Alice derived most of her term paper from Web sources.
• Pythagoras derived his famous theorem by drawing squares on the sides of
a right triangle and relating their areas.
• The ancestry of many immigrants may be derived from the archives at Ellis
Island.
[-d, deriving, derivation n.]
descent (dee SENT) n. 1. a coming or going down; 2. lineage; ancestry; 3. a
downward slope; 4. a sudden attack or raid (on or upon); 5. a decline; fall
• Wally’s descent down the banister was much faster than it would have been
had he used the stairs.
• Jack could trace his descent from a long line of no-good Nicks.

• The ski trail made a steep descent before leveling off.
• The Mongols’ descent upon the caravan came swiftly and without warning.
• The power of the Egyptian pharoahs was in descent long before the reign of
the last pharoah, Cleopatra.
describe (di SKRYB) vt. 1. to give a detailed account of; 2. to make a word pic-
ture of; 3. to trace or outline
• Lewis Carrol describes Alice’s adventures in Wonderland as growing “curi-
ouser and curiouser.”
• Ernest Hemingway was able to describe places in words so that exotic,
detailed pictures formed in his readers’ minds.
• Valerie used her compass to describe a 3 cm radius circle.
[-d, describing]
description (dis KRIP shin) n. 1. the process of picturing in words; describing;
2. a statement or passage that describes; 3. sort, kind, or variety of; 4. the act of
tracing or outlining
• James Michener’s description of the islands of the South Pacific were vivid
enough to transport the reader there.
• Write a brief description of the accident and how you caused it to happen.
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• There are coffee beans of every description that are grown in South America,
Africa, and other places.
• Hal’s arm swept through the description of a 90° arc.
design (di ZYN) vt. 1. to make creative sketches of; to plan; 2. to plan and carry
out; 3. to form (plans) in the mind; to contrive; 4. to intend; purpose —n. 1. a plan,
scheme, or project; 2. an aim or purpose; 3. a thing planned for or a result aimed at;
4. the organization of parts, details, form, color, etc. to get an artistic result
• The architect designed the floor plan on a large sketch pad.
• It is hard to design a foolproof bank holdup, and he or she who thinks
otherwise is a fool.

• Martha tried to design a plan of study that would help her get ready for the
math examination.
• Bob designed to work straight through until dinner.
• The design of the house was Tara’s own.
• Jason built the plane from a commercial design.
• The wedding reception went off according to design.
• We should lay out the design for the painting before actually working on
the canvas.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. intend, plan]
desolate (DES uh lit for adj., DES uh LAYT for v.) adj. 1. isolated; lonely; solitary;
2. uninhabited; deserted; 3. made uninhabitable; in a ruined condition; 4. forlorn;
wretched —vt. 1. to rid of inhabitants; 2. to make uninhabitable; to devastate; 3. to
forsake; abandon; 4. to make wretched, forlorn, etc.
• Ed has been desolate since Trixie took his teddy bear.
• The desert island was a desolate place.
• The nuclear tests had left the land in a desolate state.
• The naval gunnery practice range was desolated by its almost constant
bombardment.
• You’ll desolate me if you run away with my best friend without giving me
at least 10 days’ notice so that I can replace you.
[-d, desolating, -ly adv.]
despise (dis PYZ) vt. 1. to detest; to look on with contempt and scorn; 2. to
regard with dislike or repugnance
• The cowboys learned to despise the scorpions that crawled into their boots
at night.
• They also despised eating pork and beans night after night.
[-d, despising] [Syn. scorn, disdain]
destitution (DES ti TOO shin) n. the state of being very poor; being without;
lacking the necessities of life; abject poverty
• Destitution is a condition in which it is unenviable to find oneself.

• Do not confuse destitution, a state of abject poverty, with restitution, a pay-
ing back for injuries caused.
[Syn. poverty]
D: SAT Words 79
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