D (d) 1. The fourth letter of the English alphabet, and a vocal consonant. The English letter is from Latin, which is from Greek, which took it from Phnician, the probable ultimate origin being Egyptian. It is related most nearly to t and th; as, Eng. deep, G. tief; Eng. daughter, G. tochter, Gr. qyga`thr, Skr. duhitr. See Guide to Pronunciation, √178, 179, 229.
2. (Mus.) The nominal of the second tone in the model major scale (that in C), or of the fourth tone in the relative minor scale of C (that in A minor), or of the key tone in the relative minor of F.
3. As a numeral D stands for 500. in this use it is not the initial of any word, or even strictly a letter, but one half of the sign &?; (or &?; ) the original Tuscan numeral for 1000.
Dab (db), n. [Perh. corrupted fr. adept.] A skillful hand; a dabster; an expert. [Colloq.]
One excels at a plan or the titlepage, another works away at the body of the book, and the third is a dab at an index.
Goldsmith.
Dab, n. [Perh. so named from its quickness in diving beneath the sand. Cf. Dabchick.] (Zoöl.) A name given to several species of flounders, esp. to the European species, Pleuronectes limanda. The American rough dab is Hippoglossoides platessoides.
Dab (db), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Dabbed (dbd); p. pr. & vb. n. Dabbing.] [OE. dabben to strice; akin to OD. dabben to pinch, knead, fumble, dabble, and perh. to G. tappen to grope.] 1. To strike or touch gently, as with a soft or moist substance; to tap; hence, to besmear with a dabber.
A sore should . . . be wiped . . . only by dabbing it over with fine lint.
S. Sharp.
2. To strike by a thrust; to hit with a sudden blow or thrust. "To dab him in the neck." Sir T. More.
Dab (?), n. 1. A gentle blow with the hand or some soft substance; a sudden blow or hit; a peck.
A scratch of her claw, a dab of her beak.
Hawthorne.