deacon |
in certain Christian churches, a clergyman just below a priest in rank. [3 definitions] |
deaconess |
in certain Protestant churches, a woman selected to assist the ministry, esp. in social services. |
deactivate |
to make inactive or inoperative. [2 definitions] |
dead |
lacking normal life functions; not alive. [16 definitions] |
dead as a doornail |
definitely dead, or beyond hope of revitalizing. |
deadbeat |
(informal) one who avoids paying debts or expenses. |
dead center |
the exact center. [2 definitions] |
dead duck |
(informal) a person or thing that is too deteriorated or ruined to be helped or saved, or that is sure to suffer ruin or failure. |
deaden |
to make the nerves insensitive to. [3 definitions] |
dead end |
a street, alley, or conduit that is closed at one end, offering no through passage. [2 definitions] |
dead-end |
having one end or outlet closed. [2 definitions] |
deadening |
material used to dull or deaden, esp. to muffle sound. [2 definitions] |
deadeye |
one of a pair of hardwood disks with holes and concave rims through and around which certain rigging ropes are passed, used esp. to tighten the stays and shrouds of sailing vessels. [2 definitions] |
deadfall |
a trap in which a heavy weight is set to drop on an animal and either stun or kill it. [2 definitions] |
deadhead |
(informal) a person who uses a free ticket for transportation, admission, or the like; nonpaying customer. [5 definitions] |
dead heat |
a race that ends in a tie between two or more contestants. |
dead letter |
a letter that the post office is unable to deliver or return, usu. because of an incorrect address or the lack of a return address. [2 definitions] |
dead-letter office |
a postal department to which undeliverable or unreturnable letters and parcels are sent to be opened, delivered if an address can be found, or destroyed. |
deadlight |
a strong shutter or cover fastened over the interior of a ship's porthole or cabin window in stormy weather. [3 definitions] |
deadline |
a date or time by which something must be done. [2 definitions] |
dead load |
the fixed or permanent weight of a structure that exerts a uniform, constant pressure on the supports. (Cf. live load.) |