descry (de-skri), v.t., -scried, -scrying. 1. to make out (something unclear or distant) by looking carefully; discern. 2. to discover; detect. [ME descrien < OF descrier < des- + crier]

desecrate (dez' i-krat), v.t., -crated, -crating. 1. to divest from a sacred to a profane use or purpose. 2. to treat with sacrilege; profane. [de- + consecrate]

desecration (dez'i-kra'shan), n.

desegregate (de-seg' ri-gat'), v.t., -gated, -gating. 1. to eliminate racial segregation. 2. to eliminate racial segregation from.

desegregation (de-seg'ri-ga'shan), n. the elimination of laws, customs, or practices that restrict different races, groups, etc. to specific or separate schools and other public facilities, neighborhoods, etc.

desensitize (de-sen'si-tiz'), v.t., -tized, -tizing. 1. to lessen the sensitiveness of. 2. to make indifferent in feeling or unaware, or the like. 3. Physiol. to eliminate, reduce, or acquire relative or sensitivity of an animal organ, tissue, etc. to an external stimulus, as an allergen. 4. Photog. to make less sensitive or wholly insensitive to light, as the emulsion on a film.

desensitization, n.

desert (dez'ert), n. 1. a region so arid that it supports only sparse vegetation or none at all. 2. any area in which few forms of life can exist because of lack of water, permanent frost, or absence of soil. 3. any place lacking in something, usually as specified: the town was a cultural desert. 4. adj. pertaining to, or like a desert; desolate; barren. 5. occurring, living, or flourishing in the desert: a desert tribe.

Syn. 1. desert, waste, wilderness refer to areas that are uninhabited. Desert emphasizes lack of water; a waste is a dry, barren, treeless region, actually any oasis in a desert; the Sahara Desert. Waste emphasizes lack of inhabitants and of cultivation; it is often wild, barren land, but a relatively small area is also applied to: a desolate waste; a terrifying waste of water. Wilderness emphasizes the difficulty of finding one's way because of barrenness or luxuriant vegetation; it is also applied to the ocean, esp. in stormy weather: a trackless wilderness.

desert (di-zert'), v.t., 1. to leave (a person, place, etc.) without intending to return, esp. in violation of a duty, promise, or the like; abandon; forsake: He deserted his wife. 2. (of military personnel) to leave one's service, duty, etc., with the intention of never returning. 3. to fail someone at a time of need: All his friends had deserted him.

Syn. 1. desert, abandon, forsake mean to leave behind persons, places, or things. Desert implies intentionally violating an oath, formal obligation, or duty: to desert campaign pledges. Abandon suggests giving up wholly and finally, whether of necessity, unwillingly, or through responsibility: to abandon a hopeless task. Forsake has emotional connotations, since it implies violating bonds of affection or association: to forsake a noble cause.

desert (di-zert'), n. 1. Often deserts. reward or punishment deserved: to get one's deserts. 2. the fact or state of deserving reward or punishment. 3. merit or service. [ME < OF deservir]

deserted (di-zert'id), adj. abandoned; forsaken; untenanted; without inhabitants.

desertion (di-zert'shan), n. 1. the act of deserting. 2. the state of being deserted. 3. Law. willful abandonment, esp. of one's spouse without consent, in violation of legal or moral duty. 4. Mil. leaving or running away from service or duty without the intention of returning.

deserve (di-zerv'), v.t., -served, -serving. 1. to merit or have a claim to (reward, assistance, punishment, etc.) because of one's acts, qualities, or the like. 2. to be worthy of; qualified for, or have a claim to reward, punishment, recompense, etc.

deserver, n.

deserving (di-zerv'ing), adj. worthy of reward, praise, or help.

desex (de-seks'), v.t. 1. to castrate or spay. 2. to deprive of sex appeal or sexual interest.

desexualize (de-sek'shoo-a-liz'), v.t., -lized, -lizing.

deshabille (dez'a-be'), n. dishabille.

desiccant (des'i-kant), n. 1. a desiccating, as a medicine. 2. a drying substance or agent.

desiccate (des'i-kat'), v.t., -cated, -cating. 1. to dry thoroughly; dry up. 2. to preserve (food) by removing moisture; dehydrate. 3. to become thoroughly dried or dried up.

desiccation (des'i-ka'shan), n.

desiccative (des'i-ka-tiv), adj. dehydrated.

desiccator (des'i-ka'ter), n. 1. a person or thing that desiccates. 2. an apparatus for drying fruit, milk, etc. 3. Chem. an apparatus for absorbing moisture in a substance, esp. an airtight, usually glass container containing calcium chloride or some other drying agent.

desiderata (di-sid' e-ra'ta), n.pl. things desired or wanted; desire.

desiderate (di-sid'e-rat'), v.t. and v.i. to wish or long for; want; desire.

desideration (di-sid'e-ra'shan), n.

desiderative (di-sid'er-a-tiv), adj. 1. having or expressing desire. 2. Gram. (of a verb derived from another verb expressing desire to perform the action denoted by the underlying verb).

design (di-zin'), v.t. 1. to prepare the preliminary sketch or the plans for a work to be executed; to plan the form and structure of. 2. to plan and fashion artistically or skillfully. 3. to intend for a definite purpose: a scholarship designed for medical students. 4. to form or conceive in the mind; purpose. 5. Archit. to mark out, as by a sign; indicate. 6. Archit. to mark out preliminary sketches, or plans. 7. to make drawings for the plan and structure of an object, work of art, decorative scheme, etc.

designate (dez'ig-nat'), v.t., -nated, -nating. 1. to name or point out specifically. 2. to denote; indicate. 3. to name; entitle. 4. to nominate or select for a duty, office, purpose, etc.

designation (dez'ig-na'shan), n. 1. the act of designating. 2. the fact of being designated. 3. a title or name. 4. a nomination, appointment, or election.

designed (di-zind'), adj. made or done by design; intended; planned.

designee (dez'ig-ne'), n. a person who is designated.

designer (di-zin'er), n. 1. a person who devises or executes designs for works of art, clothes, machines, or stage sets. 2. a schemer, intriguer, or plotter.

designing (di-zin'ing), adj. 1. scheming; intriguing; artful; crafty. 2. showing or using forethought.

designing, n. the act or art of making designs.

designingly, adv.

designate hitter, Baseball. a hitter selected prior to the start of the game to bat for the starting pitcher and all subsequent pitchers in the game.

designation, n.

designative (dez'ig-na'tiv), adj.

desire (di-zir'), v.t., -sired, -siring. 1. to wish or long for; crave; want. 2. to express a wish to obtain. 3. to request; ask for. 4. to require; demand.

desire, n. 1. a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen. 2. sexual appetite or sexual urge.

Syn. 1. covet, fancy, wish. 2. solicit. 3. aspiration, hunger, appetite, thirst.

desirous (di-zir'us), adj. having or characterized by desire; desiring.

desist (di-zist'), v.i. to cease, as from some action or proceeding; stop; leave off.

desk (desk), n. 1. a piece of furniture having a broad, usually level, writing surface, as well as drawers or compartments for papers, writing materials, etc. 2. a place for supporting a book from which the service is read in a church. 3. a department of a large organization, as a governmental bureau, newspaper, etc., having responsibility for particular operations: news desk. 4. a stand used to support sheet music; music stand. 5. the part of a desk that holds drawers.

desk-size (desk'siz'), adj. of a size suitable for use at a desk.

desk-top publishing (desk'top'), the writing, assembling, and design of publications, such as business reports, newsletters, and trade journals in a business or editorial office by the use of computers, esp. microcomputers.

desman (dez'man), n. either of two aquatic insectivorous mammals, Myogale moschata, of southeastern Russia, or Pyrenaica, of the Pyrenees, related to shrews.

desmid (dez'mid), n. any of numerous microscopic freshwater algae belonging to the family Desmidiaceae.

desmoid (dez'moid), adj. Anat., Zool. 1. resembling a ligament.

Des Moines (di-moin'), n. 1. a city in and the capital of Iowa, in the central part, on the Des Moines River. 201,404 (1970). 2. a river flowing SE from SW Minnesota across Iowa to the Mississippi River.