v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Discharged p. pr. & vb. n. Discharging. ] [ OE. deschargen, dischargen, OF. deschargier, F. décharger; pref. des- (L. dis) + chargier, F. charger. See Charge. ] 1. To relieve of a charge, load, or burden; to empty of a load or cargo; to unburden; to unload; as, to discharge a vessel. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To free of the missile with which anything is charged or loaded; to let go the charge of; as, to discharge a bow, catapult, etc.; especially, said of firearms, -- to fire off; to shoot off; also, to relieve from a state of tension, as a Leyden jar. [ 1913 Webster ]

The galleys also did oftentimes, out of their prows, discharge their great pieces against the city. Knolles. [ 1913 Webster ]

Feeling in other cases discharges itself in indirect muscular actions. H. Spencer. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To of something weighing upon or impeding over one, as a debt, claim, obligation, responsibility, accusation, etc.; to absolve; to acquit; to clear. [ 1913 Webster ]

Discharged of business, void of strife. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

In one man's fault discharge another man of his duty. L'Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To relieve of an office or employment; to send away from service; to dismiss. [ 1913 Webster ]

Discharge the common sort
With pay and thanks. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Grindal . . . was discharged the government of his see. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To release legally from confinement; to set at liberty; as, to discharge a prisoner. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. To put forth, or remove, as a charge or burden; to take out, as that with which anything is loaded or filled; as, to discharge a cargo. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. To let fly, as a missile; to shoot. [ 1913 Webster ]

They do discharge their shot of courtesy. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. To set aside; to annul; to dismiss. [ 1913 Webster ]

We say such an order was “discharged on appeal.” Mozley & W. [ 1913 Webster ]

The order for Daly's attendance was discharged. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. To throw off the obligation of, as a duty or debt; to relieve one's self of, by fulfilling conditions, performing duty, trust, and the like; hence, to perform or execute, as an office, or part. [ 1913 Webster ]

Had I a hundred tongues, a wit so large
As could their hundred offices discharge. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. To send away (a creditor) satisfied by payment; to pay one's debt or obligation to. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

If he had
The present money to discharge the Jew. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

11. To give forth; to emit or send out; as, a pipe discharges water; to let fly; to give expression to; to utter; as, to discharge a horrible oath. [ 1913 Webster ]

12. To prohibit; to forbid. [ Scot. Obs. ] Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

13. (Textile Dyeing & Printing) To bleach out or to remove or efface, as by a chemical process; as, to discharge the color from a dyed fabric in order to form light figures on a dark ground. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

Discharging arch (Arch.), an arch over a door, window, or other opening, to distribute the pressure of the wall above. See Illust. of Lintel. --
Discharging piece,
Discharging strut (Arch.), a piece set to carry thrust or weight to a solid point of support. --
Discharging rod (Elec.), a bent wire, with knobs at both ends, and insulated by a glass handle. It is employed for discharging a Leyden jar or an electrical battery. See Discharger.

Syn. -- See Deliver. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To throw off or deliver a load, charge, or burden; to unload; to emit or give vent to fluid or other contents; as, the water pipe discharges freely. [ 1913 Webster ]

The cloud, if it were oily or fatty, would not discharge. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. décharge. See Discharge, v. t. ] 1. The act of discharging; the act of relieving of a charge or load; removal of a load or burden; unloading; as, the discharge of a ship; discharge of a cargo. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Firing off; explosive removal of a charge; explosion; letting off; as, a discharge of arrows, of artillery. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Act of relieving of something which oppresses or weighs upon one, as an obligation, liability, debt, accusation, etc.; acquittance; as, the discharge of a debtor. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Act of removing, or getting rid of, an obligation, liability, etc.; fulfillment, as by the payment of a debt, or the performance of a trust or duty. [ 1913 Webster ]

Indefatigable in the discharge of business. Motley. [ 1913 Webster ]

Nothing can absolve us from the discharge of those duties. L'Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Release or dismissal from an office, employment, etc.; dismission; as, the discharge of a workman by his employer. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. Legal release from confinement; liberation; as, the discharge of a prisoner. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. The state of being discharged or relieved of a debt, obligation, office, and the like; acquittal. [ 1913 Webster ]

Too secure of our discharge
From penalty. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. That which discharges or releases from an obligation, liability, penalty, etc., as a price of ransom, a legal document. [ 1913 Webster ]

Death, who sets all free,
Hath paid his ransom now and full discharge. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. A flowing or issuing out; emission; vent; evacuation; also, that which is discharged or emitted; as, a rapid discharge of water from the pipe. [ 1913 Webster ]

The hemorrhage being stopped, the next occurrence is a thin serous discharge. S. Sharp. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. (Elec.) The equalization of a difference of electric potential between two points. The character of the discharge is mostly determined by the nature of the medium through which it takes place, the amount of the difference of potential, and the form of the terminal conductors on which the difference exists. The discharge may be alternating, continuous, brush, connective, disruptive, glow, oscillatory, stratified, etc. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

Charge and discharge. (Equity Practice) See under Charge, n. --
Paralytic discharge (Physiol.), the increased secretion from a gland resulting from the cutting of all of its nerves. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, discharges. Specifically, in electricity, an instrument for discharging a Leyden jar, or electrical battery, by making a connection between the two surfaces; a discharging rod. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Disheveled. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To deprive of status as a church, or of membership in a church. Bp. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ OF.; F fraicheur, fr. frais, fem. fraîche, fresh; of German origin. See Frash, a. ] Freshness; coolness. [ R. ] Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) See Ischial. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. ischiadicus, Gr. 'ischiadoko`s, fr. 'ischi`on the hip joint, hip or loin. Cf. Sciatic. ] (Anat.) Ischial. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Ischiadic passion or
Ischiadic disease (Med.), a rheumatic or neuralgic affection of some part about the hip joint; -- called also sciatica. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the ischium or hip; ischiac; ischiadic; ischiatic. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ischial callosity (Zool.), one of the patches of thickened, hairless, and often bright-colored skin, on the buttocks of many apes, as the drill. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Anat.) Same as Ischial. [ 1913 Webster ]

pos>a. [ Ischium + capsular. ] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the ischium and the capsule of the hip joint; as, the ischiocapsular ligament. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Gr. 'ischi`on the hip + ke`ras a horn. ] (Zool.) The third joint or the antennæ of the Crustacea.

n. [ Gr. 'ischi`on the hip joint + &unr_;, &unr_;, foot. ] (Zool.) The third joint of the typical appendages of Crustacea. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Ischium + rectal. ] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the region between the rectum and ishial tuberosity. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ ‖‖ } n. [ L., Gr. 'ischi`on. ] 1. (Anat.) The ventral and posterior of the three principal bones composing either half of the pelvis; seat bone; the huckle bone. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) One of the pleuræ of insects. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having the quality of relieving ischury. -- n. An ischuretic medicine. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. ischuria, Gr. &unr_;; &unr_; to hold, check + &unr_; urine: cf. F. ischurie. ] (Med.) A retention or suppression of urine. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Law), Malicious and willful destructionof or injury to the property of others; -- it is an offense at common law. Wharton.
Syn. -- vandalism, hooliganism. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ OE. meschance, OF. mescheance. ] Ill luck; ill fortune; mishap. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Never come mischance between us twain. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Calamity; misfortune; misadventure; mishap; infelicity; disaster. See Calamity. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To happen by mischance. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Unlucky. R. Browning. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To characterize falsely or erroneously; to give a wrong character to. [ 1913 Webster ]

They totally mischaracterize the action. Eton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To charge erroneously, as in an account. -- n. A mistake in charging. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. meschef bad result, OF. meschief; pref. mes- (L. minus less) + chief end, head, F. chef chief. See Minus, and Chief. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Harm; damage; esp., disarrangement of order; trouble or vexation caused by human agency or by some living being, intentionally or not; often, calamity, mishap; trivial evil caused by thoughtlessness, or in sport. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs. Ps. lii. 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

The practice whereof shall, I hope, secure me from many mischiefs. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Cause of trouble or vexation; trouble. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

The mischief was, these allies would never allow that the common enemy was subdued. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

To be in mischief, to be doing harm or causing annoyance. --
To make mischief, to do mischief, especially by exciting quarrels. --
To play the mischief, to cause great harm; to throw into confusion. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Damage; harm; hurt; injury; detriment; evil; ill. -- Mischief, Damage, Harm. Damage is an injury which diminishes the value of a thing; harm is an injury which causes trouble or inconvenience; mischief is an injury which disturbs the order and consistency of things. We often suffer damage or harm from accident, but mischief always springs from perversity or folly. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To do harm to. [ Obs. ] Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Mischievous. [ R. ] Lydgate. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Mischievous. [ Obs. ] Foote. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who makes mischief; one who excites or instigates quarrels or enmity. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Causing harm; exciting enmity or quarrels. Rowe. -- n. The act or practice of making mischief, inciting quarrels, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Causing mischief; harmful; hurtful; -- now often applied where the evil is done carelessly or in sport; as, a mischievous child. “Most mischievous foul sin.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

This false, wily, doubling disposition is intolerably mischievous to society. South. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- Harmful; hurtful; detrimental; noxious; pernicious; destructive. [ 1913 Webster ]

-- Mis"chie*vous*ly, adv. -- Mis"chie*vous*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Mishna. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. See Mishnic. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. Mischose p. p. Mischosen p. pr. & vb. n. Mischoosing. ] To choose wrongly. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To make a wrong choice. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To christen wrongly. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ }, n. [ F. schottish, schotisch from G. schottisch Scottish, Scotch. ] A Scotch round dance in 2-4 time, similar to the polka, only slower; also, the music for such a dance; -- not to be confounded with the Écossaise. [ 1913 Webster ]