Def: to follow a different direction, or to be or become different Example: They walked along the road together until they reached the village, but then their paths diverged. Etymology: mid 17th century: from medieval Latin divergere, from Latin dis- ‘in two ways’ + vergere ‘to turn or incline’.
Word: Deceased Def: a person who has recently died Example: The paintings are by his deceased brother, Dan. Etymology: Middle English: from Old French deces, from Latin decessus ‘death’, past participle (used as a noun) of decedere ‘to die’
Word: Deception Def: a statement or action that hides the truth, or the act of hiding the truth Example: Most advertising involves at least some deception. Etymology: from French deceptieux, from Medieval Latin deceptiosus, from deceptionem; also deceptory (mid-15c.), from Latin deceptorious.
Word: Decipher Def: to discover the meaning of something hard to understand or which contains a hiddenmessage Example: Can you decipher the writing on this envelope? Etymology: early 16th century: from de- (expressing reversal) + cipher1, on the pattern of French déchiffrer .
Word: Dusk Def: the time before night when it is not yet dark Example: As dusk fell, bats began to fly between the trees. Etymology: Old English dox ‘dark, swarthy’ and doxian ‘darken in colour’, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German tusin ‘darkish’; compare with dun The noun dates from the early 17th century The change in form from -x to -sk occurred in Middle English.
