| damselfly | n. | slender, winged insect of same order as dragonflies, from which it is distinguished by having its wings folded back along the body | ||
| damson | n. | small dark purple or black plum; dark to medium violet | ||
| dandiprat | n. | hateworthy person or person of no consequence | obsolete | |
| Dannert wire | n. | concertina wire, coiled barbed or razor wire | ||
| dapperling | n. | dwarf or child, esp. one neatly dressed; mushroom of the Agaricaceae family | ||
| darbies | n. | handcuffs | British | |
| dark lantern | n. | lantern with a shutter to hide the light | ||
| davenport | n. | large sofa, often a sofa bed | ||
| davit | n. | small crane used on a boat, esp. in pairs for lowering and raising a lifeboat or launch | nautical | |
| dawamesc | n. | greenish edible paste or marmalade consisting of hashish mixed with butter, sugar or honey, pistachios, cinnamon and other spices, musk, nutmeg, pine nuts, orange juice | ||
| deadworks | n. | those parts of a laden ship above the waterline | nautical | |
| deal | adj. | made of fir or pine, or from planks of such wood | ||
| debauch | v. | to seduce, to corrupt | ||
| debenture | n. | unsecured loan certificate; fixed-rate bond; drawback certificate against imported goods | ||
| debile | adj. | feeble | obsolete | |
| debouch | v. | to march out or come forth from a narrow or confined space into an open area | ||
| decalcomania | n. | transferring decals onto surfaces | ||
| decerebrate | v. | to remove the cerebrum | ||
| deciduous | adj. | shedding leaves annually; impermanent, transitory | ||
| deciduous tooth | n. | mammalian tooth later replaced by a permanent tooth, milk tooth | ||
| decimate | v. | to reduce by a tenth | ||
| declension | n. | inflection of nouns, pronouns, or adjectives through various cases and numbers | ||
| decollate | v. | to decapitate | ||
| decompensate | v. | to lose grip upon one’s own mental health, i.e., to go crazy | ||
| decrepitate | v. | (of minerals) to crackle when heated | ||
| decrescent | adj. | waning; decreasing | ||
| decussate | v. | to cross at right angles, to intersect | ||
| dedecorate | v. | to dishonor; to stain, to disfigure | ||
| defalcation | n. | misappropriation (as of funds), embezzlement; shortfall, loss | ||
| defecate | adj. | made pure, clarified; spiritually or morally purified | obsolete | |
| defervesce | v. | to experience abatement of fever | ||
| defilade | n. | protection in a military position from observation or direct gunfire | ||
| definiens | n. | words which define (a dictionary entry) | ||
| defray | v. | to pay costs or expenses | ||
| deglutition | n. | the act of swallowing | ||
| dehiscence | n. | bursting of a surgical closure; opening of seed-pod or fruits | ||
| deixis | n. | use of context-dependent words, referring to something by use of such words | ||
| dekko | n. | (slang) glance, look | British | |
| delectation | n. | pleasure, delight | ||
| delf | n. | pit, quarry, mine | ||
| delft | n. | tin-glazed pottery typically having white opaque glaze with decoration in blue, usu. Dutch or English | ||
| delope | v. | to purposely shoot off target during a duel | ||
| deltiology | n. | the collection and study of postcards | ||
| delusively | adv. | in the manner of one who is misled or deceived | ||
| demarche | n. | diplomatic or political maneuver; official notice of a country’s position vis-à-vis some situation | ||
| demesne | n. | lands adjoining a manor worked solely for the owner; estate; domain, dominion; possession of land or property in one’s own right | ||
| demihour | n. | half hour | ||
| demilune | n. | crescent; half-moon shape; triangular-shaped outwork open at rear, ravelin | ||
| demimondaine | n. | promiscuous woman, woman belonging to the demimonde; prostitute, courtesan | ||
| demirep | n. | demimondaine, woman of doubtful chastity |
