a. [ OE. ded, dead, deed, AS. deád; akin to OS. dōd, D. dood, G. todt, tot, Icel. dauðr, Sw. & Dan. död, Goth. daubs; prop. p. p. of an old verb meaning to die. See Die, and cf. Death. ] 1. Deprived of life; -- opposed to alive and living; reduced to that state of a being in which the organs of motion and life have irrevocably ceased to perform their functions; as, a dead tree; a dead man. “The queen, my lord, is dead.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

The crew, all except himself, were dead of hunger. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

Seek him with candle, bring him dead or living. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Destitute of life; inanimate; as, dead matter. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Resembling death in appearance or quality; without show of life; deathlike; as, a dead sleep. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Still as death; motionless; inactive; useless; as, dead calm; a dead load or weight. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. So constructed as not to transmit sound; soundless; as, a dead floor. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Unproductive; bringing no gain; unprofitable; as, dead capital; dead stock in trade. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. Lacking spirit; dull; lusterless; cheerless; as, dead eye; dead fire; dead color, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. Monotonous or unvaried; as, a dead level or pain; a dead wall. “The ground is a dead flat.” C. Reade. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. Sure as death; unerring; fixed; complete; as, a dead shot; a dead certainty. [ 1913 Webster ]

I had them a dead bargain. Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. Bringing death; deadly. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

11. Wanting in religious spirit and vitality; as, dead faith; dead works. “Dead in trespasses.” Eph. ii. 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

12. (Paint.) (a) Flat; without gloss; -- said of painting which has been applied purposely to have this effect. (b) Not brilliant; not rich; thus, brown is a dead color, as compared with crimson. [ 1913 Webster ]

13. (Law) Cut off from the rights of a citizen; deprived of the power of enjoying the rights of property; as, one banished or becoming a monk is civilly dead. [ 1913 Webster ]

14. (Mach.) Not imparting motion or power; as, the dead spindle of a lathe, etc. See Spindle. [ 1913 Webster ]

15. (Elec.) Carrying no current, or producing no useful effect; -- said of a conductor in a dynamo or motor, also of a telegraph wire which has no instrument attached and, therefore, is not in use. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

16. Out of play; regarded as out of the game; -- said of a ball, a piece, or a player under certain conditions in cricket, baseball, checkers, and some other games.

[ In golf ], a ball is said to lie dead when it lies so near the hole that the player is certain to hole it in the next stroke. Encyc. of Sport. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

Dead ahead (Naut.), directly ahead; -- said of a ship or any object, esp. of the wind when blowing from that point toward which a vessel would go. --
Dead angle (Mil.), an angle or space which can not be seen or defended from behind the parapet. --
Dead block, either of two wooden or iron blocks intended to serve instead of buffers at the end of a freight car. --
Dead calm (Naut.), no wind at all. --
Dead center, or
Dead point (Mach.), either of two points in the orbit of a crank, at which the crank and connecting rod lie a straight line. It corresponds to the end of a stroke; as, A and B are dead centers of the crank mechanism in which the crank C drives, or is driven by, the lever L. --
Dead color (Paint.), a color which has no gloss upon it. --
Dead coloring (Oil paint.), the layer of colors, the preparation for what is to follow. In modern painting this is usually in monochrome. --
Dead door (Shipbuilding), a storm shutter fitted to the outside of the quarter-gallery door. --
Dead flat (Naut.), the widest or midship frame. --
Dead freight (Mar. Law), a sum of money paid by a person who charters a whole vessel but fails to make out a full cargo. The payment is made for the unoccupied capacity. Abbott. --
Dead ground (Mining), the portion of a vein in which there is no ore. --
Dead hand, a hand that can not alienate, as of a person civilly dead. “Serfs held in dead hand.” Morley. See Mortmain. --
Dead head (Naut.), a rough block of wood used as an anchor buoy. --
Dead heat, a heat or course between two or more race horses, boats, etc., in which they come out exactly equal, so that neither wins. --
Dead horse, an expression applied to a debt for wages paid in advance. [ Law ] --
Dead language, a language which is no longer spoken or in common use by a people, and is known only in writings, as the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. --
Dead letter. (a) A letter which, after lying for a certain fixed time uncalled for at the post office to which it was directed, is then sent to the general post office to be opened. (b) That which has lost its force or authority; as, the law has become a dead letter. --
Dead-letter office, a department of the general post office where dead letters are examined and disposed of. --
Dead level, a term applied to a flat country. --
Dead lift, (a) a direct lift, without assistance from mechanical advantage, as from levers, pulleys, etc.; hence, an extreme emergency. “(As we say) at a dead lift.” Robynson (More's Utopia). (b) (Weighlifting) The lifting of a weight from the ground, without raising it to the shoulders. --
Dead line (Mil.), a line drawn within or around a military prison, to cross which involves for a prisoner the penalty of being instantly shot. --
Dead load (Civil Engin.), a constant, motionless load, as the weight of a structure, in distinction from a moving load, as a train of cars, or a variable pressure, as of wind. --
Dead march (Mus.), a piece of solemn music intended to be played as an accompaniment to a funeral procession. --
Dead nettle (Bot.), a harmless plant with leaves like a nettle (Lamium album). --
Dead oil (Chem.), the heavy oil obtained in the distillation of coal tar, and containing phenol, naphthalus, etc. --
Dead plate (Mach.), a solid covering over a part of a fire grate, to prevent the entrance of air through that part. --
Dead pledge, a mortgage. See Mortgage. --
Dead point. (Mach.) See Dead center. --
Dead reckoning (Naut.), the method of determining the place of a ship from a record kept of the courses sailed as given by compass, and the distance made on each course as found by log, with allowance for leeway, etc., without the aid of celestial observations. --
Dead rise, the transverse upward curvature of a vessel's floor. --
Dead rising, an elliptical line drawn on the sheer plan to determine the sweep of the floorheads throughout the ship's length. --
Dead-Sea apple. See under Apple. --
Dead set. See under Set. --
Dead shot. (a) An unerring marksman. (b) A shot certain to be made. --
Dead smooth, the finest cut made; -- said of files. --
Dead wall (Arch.), a blank wall unbroken by windows or other openings. --
Dead water (Naut.), the eddy water closing in under a ship's stern when sailing. --
Dead weight. (a) A heavy or oppressive burden. Dryden. (b) (Shipping) A ship's lading, when it consists of heavy goods; or, the heaviest part of a ship's cargo. (c) (Railroad) The weight of rolling stock, the live weight being the load. Knight. --
Dead wind (Naut.), a wind directly ahead, or opposed to the ship's course. --
To be dead, to die. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ] I deme thee, thou must algate be dead. Chaucer.

Syn. -- Inanimate; deceased; extinct. See Lifeless. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. To a degree resembling death; to the last degree; completely; wholly. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

I was tired of reading, and dead sleepy. Dickens. [ 1913 Webster ]

Dead drunk, so drunk as to be unconscious. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The most quiet or deathlike time; the period of profoundest repose, inertness, or gloom; as, the dead of winter. [ 1913 Webster ]

When the drum beat at dead of night. Campbell. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One who is dead; -- commonly used collectively. [ 1913 Webster ]

And Abraham stood up from before his dead. Gen. xxiii. 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To make dead; to deaden; to deprive of life, force, or vigor. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Heaven's stern decree,
With many an ill, hath numbed and deaded me. Chapman. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To die; to lose life or force. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

So iron, as soon as it is out of the fire, deadeth straightway. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Physics) Making a beat without recoil; giving indications by a single beat or excursion; -- said of galvanometers and other instruments in which the needle or index moves to the extent of its deflection and stops with little or no further oscillation. [ 1913 Webster ]

Deadbeat escapement. See under Escapement. [ 1913 Webster ]

a loafer, sponger, or swindler; especially, one who does not pay his debts. Same as Beat, n., 7. [ Low, U.S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Stillborn. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Deadened p. pr. & vb. n. Deadening. ] [ From Dead; cf. AS. d&unr_;dan to kill, put to death. See Dead, a. ] 1. To make as dead; to impair in vigor, force, activity, or sensation; to lessen the force or acuteness of; to blunt; as, to deaden the natural powers or feelings; to deaden a sound. [ 1913 Webster ]

As harper lays his open palm
Upon his harp, to deaden its vibrations. Longfellow. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To lessen the velocity or momentum of; to retard; as, to deaden a ship's headway. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To make vapid or spiritless; as, to deaden wine. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To deprive of gloss or brilliancy; to obscure; as, to deaden gilding by a coat of size. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To render impervious to sound, as a wall or floor; to deafen. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. One who, or that which, deadens or checks. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of making something futile and useless (as by routine).
Syn. -- stultification, impairment. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. [ p. pr. of verb deaden{ 3 }. ] Rendering less lively, intense, or vigorous; as, the deadening effect of some routine tasks. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. So lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness; as, the deadening effect of some routine tasks.
Syn. -- boring, dreary, ho-hum, irksome, tedious, tiresome, wearisome. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Naut.) A round, flattish, wooden block, encircled by a rope, or an iron band, and pierced with three holes to receive the lanyard; -- used to extend the shrouds and stays, and for other purposes. Called also deadman's eye. Totten. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. One who receives free tickets for theaters, public conveyances, etc. [ Colloq. U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Naut.) A buoy. See under Dead, a. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having a dull, faint heart; spiritless; listless. -- Dead"-heart`ed*ness, n. Bp. Hall. [1913 Webster]

n. A morgue; a place for the temporary reception and exposure of dead bodies. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Somewhat dead, dull, or lifeless; deathlike. [ 1913 Webster ]

The lips put on a deadish paleness. A. Stafford. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A kind of latch whose bolt may be so locked by a detent that it can not be opened from the inside by the handle, or from the outside by the latch key. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Naut.) A strong shutter, made to fit open ports and keep out water in a storm. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. State of the dead. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The quality of being deadly. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A lock which is not self-latching, but requires a key to throw the bolt forward. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A counteraction of things, which produces an entire stoppage; a complete obstruction of action. [ 1913 Webster ]

Things are at a deadlock. London Times. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Board is much more likely to be at a deadlock of two to two. The Century. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. at a complete standstill because of opposition of two unrelenting forces or factions.
Syn. -- stalemated, blocked. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. 1. Capable of causing death; mortal; fatal; destructive; certain or likely to cause death; as, a deadly blow or wound. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Aiming or willing to destroy; implacable; desperately hostile; flagitious; as, deadly enemies. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thy assailant is quick, skillful, and deadly. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Subject to death; mortal. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The image of a deadly man. Wyclif (Rom. i. 23). [ 1913 Webster ]

Deadly nightshade (Bot.), a poisonous plant; belladonna. See under Nightshade. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. 1. In a manner resembling, or as if produced by, death; deathly. “Deadly pale.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. In a manner to occasion death; mortally. [ 1913 Webster ]

The groanings of a deadly wounded man. Ezek. xxx. 24. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. In an implacable manner; destructively. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Extremely. [ Obs. ] “Deadly weary.” Orrery. “So deadly cunning a man.” Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being destitute of life, vigor, spirit, activity, etc.; dullness; inertness; languor; coldness; vapidness; indifference; as, the deadness of a limb, a body, or a tree; the deadness of an eye; deadness of the affections; the deadness of beer or cider; deadness to the world, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. precisely accurate and to the point; as, a dead-on feel for characterization. [ prenominal and informal ]
Syn. -- precise. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

She avoids big scenes . . . preferring to rely on small gestures and dead-on dialogue. Peter S. Prescott [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. Pay drawn for soldiers, or others, really dead, whose names are kept on the rolls. [ 1913 Webster ]

O you commanders,
That, like me, have no dead-pays. Massinger. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Naut.) See under Dead, a. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl. (Mining) The substances which inclose the ore on every side. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Mech.) Making a stroke without recoil; deadbeat. [ 1913 Webster ]

Dead-stroke hammer (Mach.), a power hammer having a spring interposed between the driving mechanism and the hammer head, or helve, to lessen the recoil of the hammer and reduce the shock upon the mechanism. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Naut.) A mass of timbers built into the bow and stern of a vessel to give solidity. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Dead trees or branches; useless material. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. [ fig. ] People who are unproductive; -- used especially in reference to employees. [ PJC ]

n. pl. (Naut.) The parts of a ship above the water when she is laden. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. As dead as a stone. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Not subject to death; immortal. [ Obs. ] -- Un*dead"li*ness, n. [Obs.] Wyclif. [1913 Webster]

See abolishable.
See absolvable.
See absurd.
See abundant.
See accordant.
See adoptable.
See adventurous.
See affable.
See affectionate.
See afraid.
See alliable.
See allowable.
See alterable.
See ambiguous.
See ambitious.
See amendable.
See -American.
See amusive.
See angular.
See anxious.
See apocryphal.
See apostolic.
See apparent.
See appeasable.
See applausive.
See appreciable.
See apprehensible.
See apprehensive.
See approachable.
See artificial.
See artistic.
See assailable.
See attainable.
See attentive.
See authentic.
See available.
See bailable.
See bearable.
See beautiful.
See beliefful.
See believable.
See beneficial.
See benevolent.
See blamable.
See blemishable.
See blissful.
See boastful.
See bold.
See bookish.
See bounteous.
See bribable.
See brotherly.
See burdensome.
See businesslike.
See busy.
See candid.
See canonical.
See captious.
See careful.
See celestial.
See ceremonious.
See challengeable.
See changeable.
See chary.
See chastisable.
See cheerful.
See cheery.
See childish.
See chivalrous.
See choleric.
See christianlike.
See circumspect.
See civic.
See classible.
See classic.
See classical.
See cleanly.
See clear.
See clerical.
See clerklike.
See close.
See cloudy.
See clubbable.
See coagulable.
See cogitable.
See collectible.
See comic.
See commendable.
See commercial.
See communicable.
See communicative.
See compact.
See companionable.
See compassionate.
See compellable.
See competitive.
See complaisant.
See compliant. See complimentary.
See concealable.
See concurrent.
See conditionate.
See confinable.
See confutable.
See congealable.
See congenial.
See conjugal.
See conjunctive.
See conquerable.
See consecrate.
See containable.
See contaminate.
See contradictable.
See contrite.
See convenable.
See conventional.
See conversable.
See conversant.
See convertible.
See coquettish.
See cordial.
See corpulent.
See correspondent.
See corruptible.
See corruptive.
See costly.
See counselable.
See countable.
See counterfeit.
See courteous.
See courtierlike.
See courtly.
See crafty.
See creatable.
See critical.
See crystalline.
See cultivable.
See curious.
See customary.
See dangerous.
See daughterly.
See dead.
See deceivable.
See decidable.
See decipherable.
See declinable.
See decomposable.
See definable.
See delectable.
See deliberate.
See delightful.
See deliverable.
See democratic.
See demonstrable.
See demonstrative.
See deniable.
See derogatory.
See descendible.
See describable.
See desirable.
See desirous.
See despondent.
See devout.
See diaphanous.
See diligent.
See diminishable.
See discernible.
See disciplinable.
See discordant.
See discoverable.
See dissolvable.
See distinguishable.
See dividable.
See divine.
See domestic.
See doubtful.
[ 1913 Webster ]