1. To earn by service; to be worthy of (something due, either good or evil); to merit; to be entitled to; as,
the laborer deserves his wages; a work of value deserves praise.
God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.
Job xi. 6.
John Gay deserved to be a favorite.
Thackeray.
Encouragement is not held out to things that deserve reprehension.
Burke. 2. To serve; to treat; to benefit. [Obs.]
A man that hath
So well deserved me.
Massinger. Deserve
(De*serve") v. i. To be worthy of recompense; — usually with ill or with well.
One man may merit or deserve of another.
South. Deservedly
(De*serv"ed*ly) adv. According to desert (whether good or evil); justly.
Deservedness
(De*serv"ed*ness), n. Meritoriousness.
Deserver
(De*serv"er) n. One who deserves.
Deserving
(De*serv"ing), n. Desert; merit.
A person of great deservings from the republic.
Swift. Deserving
(De*serv"ing), a. Meritorious; worthy; as, a deserving person or act. — De*serv"ing*ly, adv.
Deshabille
(Des`ha*bille) n. [F. déshabillé, fr. déshabiller to undress; pref. dés- (L. dis-) + habiller to
dress. See Habiliment, and cf. Dishabille.] An undress; a careless toilet.
Desiccant
(De*sic"cant) a. [L. desiccans, p. pr. of desiccare. See Desiccate.] Drying; desiccative.
— n. (Med.) A medicine or application for drying up a sore. Wiseman.
Desiccate
(Des"ic*cate) v. t. [imp. & p. p. Desiccated; p. pr. & vb. n. Desiccating.] [L. desiccatus,
p. p. of desiccare to dry up; de- + siccare to dry, siccus dry. See Sack wine.] To dry up; to deprive
or exhaust of moisture; to preserve by drying; as, to desiccate fish or fruit.
Bodies desiccated by heat or age.
Bacon. Desiccate
(Des"ic*cate), v. i. To become dry.
Desiccation
(Des`ic*ca"tion) n. [Cf. F. dessiccation.] The act of desiccating, or the state of being
desiccated.
Desiccative
(De*sic"ca*tive) a. [Cf. F. dessicatif.] Drying; tending to dry. Ferrand. — n. (Med.) An
application for drying up secretions.
Desiccator
(Des"ic*ca`tor) n.
1. One who, or that which, desiccates.
2. (Chem.) A short glass jar fitted with an air-tight cover, and containing some desiccating agent, as
sulphuric acid or calcium chloride, above which is suspended the material to be dried, or preserved from
moisture.