v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Countersunk p. pr. & vb. n. Countersinking. ] 1. To chamfer or form a depression around the top of (a hole in wood, metal, etc.) for the reception of the head of a screw or bolt below the surface, either wholly or in part; as, to countersink a hole for a screw. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To cause to sink even with or below the surface; as, to countersink a screw or bolt into woodwork. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. An enlargement of the upper part of a hole, forming a cavity or depression for receiving the head of a screw or bolt. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In the United States a flaring cavity formed by chamfering the edges of a round hole is called a countersink, while a cylindrical flat-bottomed enlargement of the mouth of the hole is usually called a conterbore. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A drill or cutting tool for countersinking holes. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An engraver of dies for stamping coins, medals, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The process of engraving dies. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. Sunk or (Sank ; p. p. Sunk (obs. Sunken, -- now used as adj.); p. pr. & vb. n. Sinking. ] [ OE. sinken, AS. sincan; akin to D. zinken, OS. sincan, G. sinken, Icel. sökkva, Dan. synke, Sw. sjunka, Goth. siggan, and probably to E. silt. Cf. Silt. ] 1. To fall by, or as by, the force of gravity; to descend lower and lower; to decline gradually; to subside; as, a stone sinks in water; waves rise and sink; the sun sinks in the west. [ 1913 Webster ]

I sink in deep mire. Ps. lxix. 2. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To enter deeply; to fall or retire beneath or below the surface; to penetrate. [ 1913 Webster ]

The stone sunk into his forehead. 1 San. xvii. 49. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Hence, to enter so as to make an abiding impression; to enter completely. [ 1913 Webster ]

Let these sayings sink down into your ears. Luke ix. 44. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To be overwhelmed or depressed; to fall slowly, as so the ground, from weakness or from an overburden; to fail in strength; to decline; to decay; to decrease. [ 1913 Webster ]

I think our country sinks beneath the yoke. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

He sunk down in his chariot. 2 Kings ix. 24. [ 1913 Webster ]

Let not the fire sink or slacken. Mortimer. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To decrease in volume, as a river; to subside; to become diminished in volume or in apparent height. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Alps and Pyreneans sink before him. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To fall; subside; drop; droop; lower; decline; decay; decrease; lessen. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To cause to sink; to put under water; to immerse or submerge in a fluid; as, to sink a ship. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ The Athenians ] fell upon the wings and sank a single ship. Jowett (Thucyd.). [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Figuratively: To cause to decline; to depress; to degrade; hence, to ruin irretrievably; to destroy, as by drowping; as, to sink one's reputation. [ 1913 Webster ]

I raise of sink, imprison or set free. Prior. [ 1913 Webster ]

If I have a conscience, let it sink me. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thy cruel and unnatural lust of power
Has sunk thy father more than all his years. Rowe. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To make (a depression) by digging, delving, or cutting, etc.; as, to sink a pit or a well; to sink a die. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To bring low; to reduce in quantity; to waste. [ 1913 Webster ]

You sunk the river repeated draughts. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To conseal and appropriate. [ Slang ] [ 1913 Webster ]

If sent with ready money to buy anything, and you happen to be out of pocket, sink the money, and take up the goods on account. Swift. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. To keep out of sight; to suppress; to ignore. [ 1913 Webster ]

A courtly willingness to sink obnoxious truths. Robertson. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. To reduce or extinguish by payment; as, to sink the national debt. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A drain to carry off filthy water; a jakes. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A shallow box or vessel of wood, stone, iron, or other material, connected with a drain, and used for receiving filthy water, etc., as in a kitchen. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A hole or low place in land or rock, where waters sink and are lost; -- called also sink hole. [ U. S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The lowest part of a natural hollow or closed basin whence the water of one or more streams escapes by evaporation; as, the sink of the Humboldt River. [ Western U. S. ] [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

Sink hole. (a) The opening to a sink drain. (b) A cesspool. (c) Same as Sink, n., 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, sinks. Specifically: (a) A weight on something, as on a fish line, to sink it. (b) In knitting machines, one of the thin plates, blades, or other devices, that depress the loops upon or between the needles. [ 1913 Webster ]

Dividing sinker, in knitting machines, a sinker between two jack sinkers and acting alternately with them. --
Jack sinker. See under Jack, n. --
Sinker bar. (a) In knitting machines, a bar to which one set of the sinkers is attached. (b) In deep well boring, a heavy bar forming a connection between the lifting rope and the boring tools, above the jars. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. & n. from Sink. [ 1913 Webster ]

Sinking fund. See under Fund. --
Sinking head (Founding), a riser from which the mold is fed as the casting shrinks. See Riser, n., 4. --
Sinking pump, a pump which can be lowered in a well or a mine shaft as the level of the water sinks. [ 1913 Webster ]

See accommodating.
See aching.
See ailing.
See aiming.
See alarming.
See altering.
See appreciating.
See approving.
See aspiring.
See assisting.
See attempting.
See attending.
See bearing.
See befitting.
See beginning.
See believing.
See bleaching.
See bleeding.
See blemishing.
See blenching.
See blossoming.
See blushing.
See boding.
See branching.
See breathing.
See burning.
See calculating.
See ceasing.
See changing.
See charming.
See communicating.
See complaining.
See complying.
See conceiving.
See conducing.
See confessing.
See conniving.
See consenting.
See considering.
See conspiring.
See consulting.
See consuming.
See contending.
See contriving.
See conversing.
See convincing.
See dawning.
See decaying.
See delaying.
See depending.
See derogating.
See deserving.
See desiring.
See despairing.
See detesting.
See deviating.
See differencing.
See discerning.
See discording.
See discriminating.
See disobliging.
See dispensing.
See dissembling.
See dissolving.
See distinguishing.
See distracting.
See disturbing.
See doubting.
See dreading.
See drooping.
See ebbing.
See echoing.
See edifying.
See ending.
See enduring.
See engaging.
See enjoying.
See entering.
See enterprising.
See entertaining.
See envying.
See existing.
See fadging.
See fading.
See fainting.
See faltering.
See fearing.
See feigning.
See fighting.
See fitting.
See flagging.
See flattering.
See flinching.
See folding.
See forbearing.
See foreboding.
See foreseeing.
See forgiving.
See giving.
See grudging.
See harming.
See heeding.
See hesitating.
See hoping.
See hurting.
See importing.
See imposing.
See improving.
See interesting.
See intermitting.
See intoxicating.
See inviting.
See jarring.
See laboring.
See lingering.
See listening.
See loving.
See meddling.
See meriting.
See mistrusting.
See moving.
See murmuring.
See obliging.
See observing.
See offending.
See opening.
See pardoning.
See paying.
See perceiving.
See performing.
See perishing.
See pitying.
See pleasing.
See possessing.
See preaching.
See prepossessing.
See presuming.
See pretending.
See prevailing.
See prevaricating.
See profiting.
See promising.
See proving.
See quailing.
See questioning.
See reasoning.
See recalling.
See reclining.
See recurring.
See referring.
See reflecting.
See refunding.
See refusing.
See rejoicing.
See relaxing.
See relishing.
See remembering.
See repenting.
See repining.
See reproving.
See repulsing.
See resisting.
See resolving.
See resting.
See returning.
See rewarding.
See sanctifying.
See satisfying.
See searching.
See seeing.
See setting.
See shrinking.
See sinking.
See sleeping.
See slipping.
See slumbering.
See speaking.
See stinting.
See stirring.
See stooping.
See submitting.
See sufficing.
See suiting.
See surging.
See suspecting.
See sweating.
See swerving.
See sympathizing.
See tasting.
See thriving.
See tiring.
See toiling.
See trading.
See trembling.
See trespassing.
See trifling.
See vacillating.
See varying.
See walking.
See wandering.
See waning.
See wasting.
See wavering.
See weeping.
See winking.
See winning.
See withdrawing.
See withering.
See wondering.
See working.
See writing.
See yielding.
----- and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

The above classes of words are unlimited in extent, and such compounds may be formed by any writer or speaker at will from almost all the adjectives or participles in the language, excepting those which have a recognized and usual negative correspondent with the prefix -in. No attempt will be made, therefore, to define them all in this Dictionary; many will be omitted from its Vocabulary which are negations of the simple word, and are readily explained by prefixing a not to the latter. Derivatives of these words in -ly and -ness will also, for the most part, be omitted for the same or similar reasons. [ 1913 Webster ]

There will be inserted as separate articles with definitions, the following: -- [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Those which have acquired an opposed or contrary, instead of a merely negative, meaning; as, unfriendly, ungraceful, unpalatable, unquiet, and the like; or else an intensive sense more than a prefixed not would express; as, unending, unparalleled, undisciplined, undoubted, unsafe, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Those which have the value of independent words, inasmuch as the simple words are either not used at all, or are rarely, or at least much less frequently, used; as, unavoidable, unconscionable, undeniable, unspeakable, unprecedented, unruly, and the like; or inasmuch as they are used in a different sense from the usual meaning of the primitive, or especially in one of the significations of the latter; as, unaccountable, unalloyed, unbelieving, unpretending, unreserved, and the like; or inasmuch as they are so frequently and familiarly used that they are hardly felt to be of negative origin; as, uncertain, uneven, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Those which are anomalous, provincial, or, for some other reason, not desirable to be used, and are so indicated; as, unpure for impure, unsatisfaction for dissatisfaction, unexpressible for inexpressible, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

II. Un- is prefixed to nouns to express the absence of, or the contrary of, that which the noun signifies; as, unbelief, unfaith, unhealth, unrest, untruth, and the like. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Compounds of this last class are given in full in their proper order in the Vocabulary. [ 1913 Webster ]