Dam"son (dm"z'n), n. [OE. damasin the Damascus plum, fr. L. Damascenus. See Damascene.] A small oval plum of a blue color, the fruit of a variety of the Prunus domestica; -- called also damask plum.
Dan (?), n. [OE. dan, danz, OF. danz (prop. only nom.), dan, master, fr. L. dominus. See Dame.] A title of honor equivalent to master, or sir. [Obs.]
Old Dan Geoffry, in gently spright
The pure wellhead of poetry did dwell.
Spenser.
What time Dan Abraham left the Chaldee land.
Thomson.
Dan, n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Mining) A small truck or sledge used in coal mines.
Da"na*ide (?), n. [From the mythical Danaides, who were condemned to fill with water a vessel full of holes.] (Mach.) A water wheel having a vertical axis, and an inner and outer tapering shell, between which are vanes or floats attached usually to both shells, but sometimes only to one.
Da"na*ite (?), n. [Named after J. Freeman Dana.] (Min.) A cobaltiferous variety of arsenopyrite.
Da"na*lite (?), n. [Named after James Dwight Dana.] (Min.) A mineral occuring in octahedral crystals, also massive, of a reddish color. It is a silicate of iron, zinc manganese, and glucinum, containing sulphur.
Dan"bu*rite (?), n. (Min.) A borosilicate of lime, first found at Danbury, Conn. It is near the topaz in form. Dana.
Dance (dns), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Danced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Dancing.] [F. danser, fr. OHG. dansn to draw; akin to dinsan to draw, Goth. apinsan, and prob. from the same root (meaning to stretch) as E. thin. See Thin.] 1. To move with measured steps, or to a musical accompaniment; to go through, either alone or in company with others, with a regulated succession of movements, (commonly) to the sound of music; to trip or leap rhythmically.
Jack shall pipe and Gill shall dance.
Wither.
Good shepherd, what fair swain is this
Which dances with your daughter?
Shak.
2. To move nimbly or merrily; to express pleasure by motion; to caper; to frisk; to skip about.
Then, 'tis time to dance off.
Thackeray.
More dances my rapt heart
Than when I first my wedded mistress saw.
Shak.
Shadows in the glassy waters dance.
Byron.
Where rivulets dance their wayward round.
Wordsworth.
To dance on a rope, or To dance on nothing, to be hanged.
Dance (?), v. t. To cause to dance, or move nimbly or merrily about, or up and down; to dandle.
To dance our ringlets to the whistling wind.
Shak.
Thy grandsire loved thee well;
Many a time he danced thee on his knee.
Shak.
To dance attendance, to come and go obsequiously; to be or remain in waiting, at the beck and call of another, with a view to please or gain favor.
A man of his place, and so near our favor,
To dance attendance on their lordships' pleasure.
Shak.
Dance, n. [F. danse, of German origin. See Dance, v. i.] 1. The leaping, tripping, or measured stepping of one who dances; an amusement, in which the movements of the persons are regulated by art, in figures and in accord with music.
2. (Mus.) A tune by which dancing is regulated, as the minuet, the waltz, the cotillon, etc.
The word dance was used ironically, by the older writers, of many proceedings besides dancing.
Of remedies of love she knew parchance
For of that art she couth the olde dance.
Chaucer.
Dance of Death (Art), an allegorical representation of the power of death over all, -- the old, the young, the high, and the low, being led by a dancing skeleton. -- Morris dance. See Morris. -- To lead one a dance, to cause one to go through a series of movements or experiences as if guided by a partner in a dance not understood.
Dan"cer (?), n. One who dances or who practices dancing.
The merry dancers, beams of the northern lights when they rise and fall alternately without any considerable change of length. See Aurora borealis, under Aurora.
Dan"cer*ess, n. A female dancer. [Obs.] Wyclif.
Dan`cet`té" (?), a. [Cf. F. danché dancetté, dent tooth.] (Her.) Deeply indented; having large teeth; thus, a fess dancetté has only three teeth in the whole width of the escutcheon.
Dan"cing (?), p. a. & vb. n. from Dance.
Dancing girl, one of the women in the East Indies whose profession is to dance in the temples, or for the amusement of spectators. There are various classes of dancing girls. -- Dancing master, a teacher of dancing. -- Dancing school, a school or place where dancing is taught.
Dan"cy (?), a. (Her.) Same as Dancetté.
Dan"de*li`on (?), n. [F. dent de lion lion's tooth, fr. L. dens tooth + leo lion. See Tooth, n., and Lion.] (Bot.) A well-known plant of the genus Taraxacum (T. officinale, formerly called T. Dens-leonis and Leontodos Taraxacum) bearing large, yellow, compound flowers, and deeply notched leaves.
Dan"der (?), n. [Corrupted from dandruff.] 1. Dandruff or scurf on the head.