Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Down

Down

,
Noun.
[Akin to LG.
dune
,
dun
, Icel.
d[GREEK]nn
, Sw.
dun
, Dan.
duun
, G.
daune
, cf. D.
dons
; perh. akin to E.
dust
.]
1.
Fine, soft, hairy outgrowth from the skin or surface of animals or plants, not matted and fleecy like wool
; esp.:
(a)
(Zool.)
The soft under feathers of birds. They have short stems with soft rachis and bards and long threadlike barbules, without hooklets.
(b)
(Bot.)
The pubescence of plants; the hairy crown or envelope of the seeds of certain plants, as of the thistle.
(c)
The soft hair of the face when beginning to appear.
And the first
down
begins to shade his face.
Dryden.
2.
That which is made of down, as a bed or pillow; that which affords ease and repose, like a bed of down
When in the
down
I sink my head,
Sleep, Death’s twin brother, times my breath.
Tennyson.
Thou bosom softness,
down
of all my cares!
Southern.
Down tree
(Bot.)
,
a tree of Central America (
Ochroma Lagopus
), the seeds of which are enveloped in vegetable wool.

Down

(doun)
,
Verb.
T.
To cover, ornament, line, or stuff with down.
[R.]
Young.

Down

,
Noun.
[OE.
dun
,
doun
, AS.
dūn
; of Celtic origin; cf. Ir.
dūn
hill, fortified hill, Gael.
dun
heap, hillock, hill, W.
din
a fortified hill or mount; akin to E.
town
. See
Town
, and cf.
Down
,
adv.
&
p
rep.
,
Dune
.]
1.
A bank or rounded hillock of sand thrown up by the wind along or near the shore; a flattish-topped hill; – usually in the plural.
Hills afford prospects, as they must needs acknowledge who have been on the
downs
of Sussex.
Ray.
She went by dale, and she went by
down
.
Tennyson.
2.
A tract of poor, sandy, undulating or hilly land near the sea, covered with fine turf which serves chiefly for the grazing of sheep; – usually in the plural.
[Eng.]
Seven thousand broad-tailed sheep grazed on his
downs
.
Sandys.
3.
pl.
A road for shipping in the English Channel or Straits of Dover, near Deal, employed as a naval rendezvous in time of war.
On the 11th [June, 1771] we run up the channel . . . at noon we were abreast of Dover, and about three came to an anchor in the
Downs
, and went ashore at Deal.
Cook (First Voyage).
4.
pl.
[From the adverb.]
A state of depression; low state; abasement.
[Colloq.]
It the
downs
of life too much outnumber the ups.
M. Arnold.

Down

,
adv.
[For older
adown
, AS.
adūn
,
adūne
, prop., from or off the hill. See 3d
Down
, and cf.
Adown
, and cf.
Adown
.]
1.
In the direction of gravity or toward the center of the earth; toward or in a lower place or position; below; – the opposite of
up
.
2.
Hence, in many derived uses, as:
(a)
From a higher to a lower position, literally or figuratively; in a descending direction; from the top of an ascent; from an upright position; to the ground or floor; to or into a lower or an inferior condition; as, into a state of humility, disgrace, misery, and the like; into a state of rest; – used with verbs indicating motion.
It will be rain to-night. Let it come
down
.
Shakespeare
I sit me
down
beside the hazel grove.
Tennyson.
And that drags
down
his life.
Tennyson.
There is not a more melancholy object in the learned world than a man who has written himself
down
.
Addison.
(b)
In a low or the lowest position, literally or figuratively; at the bottom of a descent; below the horizon; on the ground; in a condition of humility, dejection, misery, and the like; in a state of quiet.
I was
down
and out of breath.
Shakespeare
The moon is
down
; I have not heard the clock.
Shakespeare
He that is
down
needs fear no fall.
Bunyan.
3.
From a remoter or higher antiquity.
Venerable men! you have come
down
to us from a former generation.
D. Webster.
4.
From a greater to a less bulk, or from a thinner to a thicker consistence;
as, to boil
down
in cookery, or in making decoctions
.
Arbuthnot.
Down helm
(Naut.)
,
an order to the helmsman to put the helm to leeward.
–
Down on
or
Down upon
(joined with a verb indicating motion, as go, come, pounce)
,
to attack, implying the idea of threatening power.

–
Down with
,
take down, throw down, put down; – used in energetic command, often by people aroused in crowds, referring to people, laws, buildings, etc.;
as,
down with
the king!
“Down with the palace; fire it.”
Dryden.
–
To be down on
,
to dislike and treat harshly.
[Slang, U.S.]
–
To cry down
.
See under
Cry
,
Verb.
T.
–
To cut down
.
See under
Cut
,
Verb.
T.
–
Up and down
,
with rising and falling motion; to and fro; hither and thither; everywhere.
“Let them wander up and down.”
Ps. lix. 15.

Down

,
p
rep.
[From
Down
,
adv.
]
1.
In a descending direction along; from a higher to a lower place upon or within; at a lower place in or on;
as,
down
a hill;
down
a well.
2.
Hence: Towards the mouth of a river; towards the sea;
as, to sail or swim
down
a stream; to sail
down
the sound.
Down the country
,
toward the sea, or toward the part where rivers discharge their waters into the ocean.
–
Down the sound
,
in the direction of the ebbing tide; toward the sea.

Down

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Downed
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Downing
.]
To cause to go down; to make descend; to put down; to overthrow, as in wrestling; hence, to subdue; to bring down.
[Archaic or Colloq.]
“To down proud hearts.”
Sir P. Sidney.
I remember how you
downed
Beauclerk and Hamilton, the wits, once at our house.
Madame D'Arblay.

Down

,
Verb.
I.
To go down; to descend.
Locke.

Down

,
Adj.
1.
Downcast;
as, a
down
look
.
[R.]
2.
Downright; absolute; positive;
as, a
down
denial
.
[Obs.]
Beau. & Fl.
3.
Downward; going down; sloping;
as, a
down
stroke; a
down
grade; a
down
train on a railway.
Down draught
,
a downward draft, as in a flue, chimney, shaft of a mine, etc.
–
Down in the mouth
,
Down at the mouth
chopfallen; dejected.

Webster 1828 Edition

Down

DOWN

,
Noun.
1.
The fine soft feathers of fowls, particularly of the duck kind. The eider duck yields the best kind. Also, fine hair; as the down of the chin.
2.
The pubescence of plants, a fine hairy substance.
3.
The pappus or little crown of certain seeds of plants; a fine feathery or hairy substance by which seeds are conveyed to distance by the wind; as in dandelion and thistle.
4.
Any thing that soothes or mollifies.
Thou bosom softness; down of all my cares.

DOWN

,
Noun.
[G.]
1.
A bank or elevation of sand, thrown up by the sea.
2.
A large open plain, primarily on elevated land. Sheep feeding on the downs.

DOWN

, prep.
1.
Along a descent; from a higher to a lower place; as, to run down a hill; to fall down a precipice; to go down the stairs.
2.
Toward the mouth of a river, or toward the place where water is discharged into the ocean or a lake. We sail or swim down a stream; we sail down the sound from New York to New London. Hence figuratively, we pass down the current of life or of time.
Down the sound, in the direction of the ebb-tide towards of the sea.
Down the country, towards the sea, or towards the part where rivers discharge their waters into the ocean.

DOWN

,
adv.
1.
In a descending direction; tending from a higher to a lower place; as, he is going down.
2.
On the ground, or at the bottom; as, he is down; hold him down.
3.
Below the horizon; as, the sun is down.
4.
In the direction from a higher to a lower condition; as, his reputation is going down.
5.
Into disrepute or disgrace. A man may sometimes preach down error; he may write down himself or his character, or run down his rival; but he can neither preach nor write down folly, vice or fashion.
6.
Into subjection; into a due consistence; as, to boil down, in decoctions and culinary processes.
7.
At length; extended or prostrate, on the ground or on any flat surface; as, to lie down; he is lying down.
Up and down, here and there; in a rambling course.
It is sometimes used without a verb, as down, down; in which cases, the sense is known by the construction.
Down with a building, is a command to pull it down, to demolish it.
Down with him, signifies, throw him.
Down, down, may signify, come down, or go down, or take down, lower.
It is often used by seamen, down with the fore sail, &c.
Locke uses it for go down, or be received; as, any kind of food will down; but the use is not elegant, nor legitimate.
Sidney uses it as a verb, To down proud hearts, to subdue or conquer them; but the use is not legitimate.

Definition 2024

Down

Down

See also: down and down-

English

Proper noun

Down

  1. One of the counties of Northern Ireland

Translations

See also

down

down

See also: Down and down-

English

Noun

down ‎(countable and uncountable, plural downs)

  1. (especially southern England) A hill, especially a chalk hill; rolling grassland
    We went for a walk over the downs.
    The North Downs are a ridge of chalk hills in south east England.
    • 1610, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, act 4 scene 1
      And with each end of thy blue bow dost crown / My bosky acres and my unshrubb'd down
    • 1691, John Ray, The Wisdom of God Manifested in the Works of the Creation, London: Pr. for S. Smith, OCLC 49840862:
      ...as they muſt needs acknowledge who have been on the Downs of Suſſex, and enjoyed that ravishing Proſpect of the Sea on one Hand, and the Country far and wide on the other.
    • 1842, Alfred Tennyson, “Lady Clare”, in Poems, London: Edward Moxon, OCLC 896031040, page 198:
      She went by dale, and she went by down, / With a single rose in her hair.
  2. (chiefly in the plural) A field, especially one used for horse racing.
  3. (Britain, chiefly in the plural) A tract of poor, sandy, undulating or hilly land near the sea, covered with fine turf which serves chiefly for the grazing of sheep.
    • 1636, George Sandys, “A Paraphrase Vpon Iob”, in Early English Books:
      Seven thousand broad-taild Sheepe gras'd on his Downes;
Translations

Etymology 2

  • Old English dūne, aphetic form of adūne, from of dūne ‎(“off the hill”).

    Adverb

    down ‎(not generally comparable, comparative farther down, superlative farthest down)

    1. (comparable) From a higher position to a lower one; downwards.
      The cat jumped down from the table.‎
      • 1913, Joseph C. Lincoln, chapter 6, in Mr. Pratt's Patients:
        She was so mad she wouldn't speak to me for quite a spell, but at last I coaxed her into going up to Miss Emmeline's room and fetching down a tintype of the missing Deacon man.
    2. (comparable) At a lower and/or further along or away place or position along a set path.
      His place is farther down the road.‎
      The company was well down the path to bankruptcy.‎
      • 1906, Stanley J[ohn] Weyman, chapter I, in Chippinge Borough, New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., OCLC 580270828:
        It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. He wore shepherd's plaid trousers and the swallow-tail coat of the day, with a figured muslin cravat wound about his wide-spread collar.
    3. South (as south is at the bottom of typical maps).
      I went down to Miami for a conference.‎
    4. (Ireland) Away from the city (even if the location is to the North).
      He went down to Cavan.  down on the farm;  down country‎
    5. Into a state of non-operation.
      The computer has been shut down.  They closed the shop down.‎
    6. To a subordinate or less prestigious position or rank.
      Smith was sent down to the minors to work on his batting.‎
      After the incident, Kelly went down to Second Lieutenant.‎
    7. (rail transport) In the direction leading away from the principal terminus, away from milepost zero.
    8. (sentence substitute, imperative) Get down.
      Down, boy! (such as to direct a dog to stand on four legs from two, or to sit from standing on four legs.)‎
    9. (Britain, academia) Away from Oxford or Cambridge.
      He's gone back down to Newcastle for Christmas.‎
    10. From a remoter or higher antiquity.
      • 1825 June 17, Daniel Webster, An address delivered at the laying of the corner stone of the Bunker Hill monument, Boston: Cummings, Hilliard, and Co., OCLC 228718257, page 12:
        Venerable men! you have come down to us from a former generation.
    11. From a greater to a less bulk, or from a thinner to a thicker consistence.
      • 1788, Mary Cole, cook, The Lady's Complete Guide; or, Cookery in all its Branches, London: G. Kearsley, OCLC 6545073, page 92:
        ſtew it gently till quite tender, then take it up and boil down the gravy in the pan to a quart
    12. From less to greater detail.
      • 2013 August 3, “Boundary problems”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847:
        Economics is a messy discipline: too fluid to be a science, too rigorous to be an art. Perhaps it is fitting that economists’ most-used metric, gross domestic product (GDP), is a tangle too. GDP measures the total value of output in an economic territory. Its apparent simplicity explains why it is scrutinised down to tenths of a percentage point every month.
    13. (intensifier) Used with verbs to add emphasis to the action of the verb.
      They tamped (down) the asphalt to get a better bond.‎
    14. Used with verbs to indicate that the action of the verb was carried to some state of completion, rather than being of indefinite duration.
      He boiled the mixture./He boiled down the mixture. He sat waiting./He sat down and waited.‎
    Usage notes
    • Down can be used with verbs in ways that change the meaning of the verb in ways not entirely predictable from the meanings of the down and the verb, though related to them. See Category:English phrasal verbs with particle (down).
    Antonyms
    • (From a higher position to a lower one): up
    • (At a lower place): up
    • (Ireland: Away from the city): up
    • (Into a state of non-operation): up
    • (Rail transport: direction leading away from the principal terminus): up
    • (in crosswords): across
    Translations
    Translations to be checked

    Preposition

    down

    1. From the higher end to the lower of.
      The ball rolled down the hill.‎
      • 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 5, in The Celebrity:
        We expressed our readiness, and in ten minutes were in the station wagon, rolling rapidly down the long drive, for it was then after nine. We passed on the way the van of the guests from Asquith.
    2. From one end to another of.
      The bus went down the street.‎
      They walked down the beach holding hands.‎
    Antonyms
    • (From the higher end to the lower): up
    Derived terms
    Translations

    Adjective

    down ‎(comparative more down, superlative most down)

    1. Depressed, feeling low.
      • 2014 March 30, William Yardley, quoting Eddie Lawrence, “Eddie Lawrence Dies at 95; Comedy's ‘Old Philosopher’”, in New York Times, Arts:
        You say you opened up a bicycle wash and the first six customers drowned [...] Is that what’s got you down, pussy cat?
    2. At a lower level than before.
      The stock market is down.
      Prices are down.
    3. Having a lower score than an opponent.
      They are down by 3-0 with just 5 minutes to play.
      He was down by a bishop and a pawn after 15 moves.
      At 5-1 down, she produced a great comeback to win the set on a tiebreak.
    4. (baseball, colloquial, following the noun modified) Out.
      Two down and one to go in the bottom of the ninth.
    5. (colloquial) With "on", negative about, hostile to
      Ever since Nixon, I've been down on Republicans.
    6. (not comparable, US, slang) Comfortable with, accepting of.
      Are you down to hang out at the mall, Jamal?
      As long as you're down with helping me pick a phone, Jack.
    7. (not comparable) Inoperable; out of order; out of service.
      The system is down.
    8. Finished (of a task); defeated or dealt with (of an opponent or obstacle); elapsed (of time). Often coupled with to go (remaining).
      Two down and three to go. (Two tasks completed and three more still to be done.)
      Ten minutes down and nothing's happened yet.
    9. (not comparable, military, law enforcement, slang, of a person) Wounded and unable to move normally; killed.
      We have an officer down outside the suspect's house.
      There are three soldiers down and one walking wounded.
    10. (not comparable, military, aviation, slang, of an aircraft) Mechanically failed, collided, shot down, or otherwise suddenly unable to fly.
      We have a chopper down near the river.
    11. Thoroughly practiced, learned or memorised; mastered. (Compare down pat.)
      It's two weeks until opening night and our lines are still not down yet.
      • 2013, P.J. Hoover, Solstice, (ISBN 0765334690), page 355:
        I stay with Chloe the longest. When she's not hanging out at the beach parties, she lives in a Japanese garden complete with an arched bridge spanning a pond filled with koi of varying sizes and shapes. Reeds shoot out of the water, rustling when the fish swim through them, and river-washed stones are sprinkled in a bed of sand. Chloe has this whole new Japanese thing down.
    12. (obsolete) Downright; absolute; positive.
      • 1764, Jonathan Mayhew, A Defence of the Observations on the Charter and Conduct of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, London: W. Nicoll, OCLC 940171697, page 84:
        This, he muſt give me leave to tell him, is an abſolute, right down—falſehood.
    Antonyms
    • (Depressed): up
    • (On a lower level): up
    • (Having a lower score): up
    • (Inoperable): up
    Translations
    Translations to be checked
    • Esperanto: (please verify)korpremata, (please verify)korpremita, (please verify)korprema
    • Italian: (please verify)giù (it)
    • Kurdish: (please verify)depresîf, (please verify)moralşkestî
    • Spanish: (please verify)deprimido (es)

    Verb

    down ‎(third-person singular simple present downs, present participle downing, simple past and past participle downed)

    1. (transitive) To drink or swallow, especially without stopping before the vessel containing the liquid is empty.
      He downed an ale and ordered another.
    2. (transitive) To cause to come down; to knock down or subdue.
      The storm downed several old trees along the highway.
      • 1725, Philip Sidney, The works of the Honourable Sir Philip Sidney, kt., in prose and verse, London: W. Innys, OCLC 18146617, page 156:
        To down proud hearts that would not willing die.
      • 1842, Fanny Burney, Diary and Letters of Madame D'Arblay, London: Colburn, OCLC 310706640, page 138:
        I remember how you downed Beauclerk and Hamilton, the wits, once at our house, when they talked of ghosts!
    3. (transitive, pocket billiards) To put a ball in a pocket; to pot a ball.
      He downed two balls on the break.
    4. (transitive, American football) To bring a play to an end by touching the ball to the ground or while it is on the ground.
      He downed it at the seven-yard line.
    5. (transitive) To write off; to make fun of.
    6. (obsolete, intransitive) To go down; to descend.
      • 1933, Arthur Bryant, quoting Samuel Pepys (1664, February 2nd), Samuel Pepys: The Man in the Making, New York: Macmillan, OCLC 247768037, page 215:
        ...that is, that the trade of the world is too little for us two, therefore one must down.
    Synonyms
    • (drink): See also Wikisaurus:drink
    Translations

    Noun

    down ‎(plural downs)

    1. A negative aspect; a downer.
      I love almost everything about my job. The only down is that I can't take Saturdays off.
    2. (dated) A grudge (on someone).
      • 1974, GB Edwards, The Book of Ebenezer Le Page, New York 2007, page 10:
        She had a down on me. I don't know what for, I'm sure; because I never said a word.
    3. An act of swallowing an entire drink at once.
    4. (American football) A single play, from the time the ball is snapped (the start) to the time the whistle is blown (the end) when the ball is down, or is downed.
      I bet after the third down, the kicker will replace the quarterback on the field.
    5. (crosswords) A clue whose solution runs vertically in the grid.
      I haven't solved 12 or 13 across, but I've got most of the downs.
    6. A downstairs room of a two-story house.
      She lives in a two-up two-down.
    7. Down payment.
    Translations

    Derived terms

    Terms derived from the adjective, adverb, preposition, noun, or verb down

    References

    • Andrea Tyler and Vyvyan Evans, "Spatial particles of orientation", in The Semantics of English Prepositions: Spatial Scenes, Embodied Meaning and Cognition, Cambridge University Press, 2003, 0-521-81430 8

    Etymology 3

    From Old Norse dúnn. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Duune ‎(“fluff, down”), German Daune ‎(“down”) and Danish dun ‎(“down”).

    Noun

    down ‎(countable and uncountable, plural downs)

    1. Soft, fluffy immature feathers which grow on young birds. Used as insulating material in duvets, sleeping bags and jackets.
    2. (botany) The pubescence of plants; the hairy crown or envelope of the seeds of certain plants, such as the thistle.
      • 1718, Nicholas Culpeper, The English Physician Enlarged, London: W. Churchill, OCLC 316759094, page 120:
        Down or Cotton-Thiſtle. This hath many large Leaves lying on the Ground, ſomewhat cut in, and as it were crumpled on the Edges, of a green Colour on the upper ſide, but covered with long hairy Wool or Cottony Down, ſet with moſt ſharp and cruel pricks
      • 1998, Valerie Worth, The Crone's Book of Charms and Spells, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, ISBN 1567188117, page 152:
        No candle should light it, neither should any flower adorn it, save for several dried stalks of old and withered thistles, their heads pale with silken down, held in a common glass jar.
    3. The soft hair of the face when beginning to appear.
      • 1717, John Dryden, The Dramatick Works of John Dryden, Esq., volume the fourth, London: Jacob Tonson, OCLC 83307675, page 136:
        But love him as he was, when youthful Grace, / And the firſt Down began to ſhade his face
    4. That which is made of down, as a bed or pillow; that which affords ease and repose, like a bed of down.
      • 1747, Thomas Southerne, Oroonoko, London: C. Hitch; J. Brindley; J. King; T. Waller; R. Wellington; J. New; and C. Bathurst, OCLC 10806842, page 75:
        Thou Bosom Softneſs! Down of all my Cares! / I could recline my Thoughts upon this Breaſt
      • 1857, Alfred Tennyson, The poetical works of Alfred Tennyson, poet laureate, Boston: Ticknor and Fields, OCLC 1317272, In Memoriam A.H.H.:
        When in the down I sink my head, / Sleep, Death's twin brother, times my breath.
    Translations

    Verb

    down ‎(third-person singular simple present downs, present participle downing, simple past and past participle downed)

    1. (transitive) To cover, ornament, line, or stuff with down.
      • 1742, Edward Young, The Complaint: or, Night-thoughts on Life, Death, & Immortality, London: R. Dodsley, OCLC 54334640, page 264:
        What pain to quit the world, just made their own, / Their nest so deeply downed, and built so high !

    Statistics

    Most common English words before 1923: much · after · first · #97: down · good · never · shall

    Dutch

    Pronunciation

    Etymology

    From English down.

    Adjective

    down ‎(used only predicatively, comparative meer down, superlative meest down)

    1. down, depressed

    Synonyms

    Anagrams

    German

    Etymology

    From English down.

    Adjective

    down ‎(not comparable)

    1. down, depressed

    Declension

    Declension of down
    number & gender singular plural
    masculine feminine neuter all genders
    predicative er ist down sie ist down es ist down sie sind down
    strong declension
    (without article)    		 nominative downer downe downes downe
    genitive downen downer downen downer
    dative downem downer downem downen
    accusative downen downe downes downe
    weak declension
    (with definite article)    		 nominative der downe die downe das downe die downen
    genitive des downen der downen des downen der downen
    dative dem downen der downen dem downen den downen
    accusative den downen die downe das downe die downen
    mixed declension
    (with indefinite article)    		 nominative ein downer eine downe ein downes (keine) downen
    genitive eines downen einer downen eines downen (keiner) downen
    dative einem downen einer downen einem downen (keinen) downen
    accusative einen downen eine downe ein downes (keine) downen

    Welsh

    Alternative forms

    • dawn (colloquial first-person plural future)
    • delwn (colloquial first-person singular conditional)
    • deswn (colloquial first-person singular conditional)
    • dethwn (colloquial first-person singular conditional)
    • deuwn (literary; all forms)

    Pronunciation

    Verb

    down

    1. first-person plural present / future of dod
    2. first-person singular imperfect / conditional of dod
    3. (literary) first-person plural imperative of dod

    Mutation

    Welsh mutation
    radical soft nasal aspirate
    down ddown nown unchanged
    Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
    possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

    • Etymology

    From Middle English doun, from Old English dūn, from Proto-Germanic *dūnaz, *dūnǭ ‎(“sandhill, dune”), probably borrowed from Proto-Celtic *dūnom ‎(“hill; hillfort”) (compare Welsh din ‎(“hill”), Irish dún ‎(“hill, fort”)), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewh₂- ‎(“to finish, come full circle”). Cognate with West Frisian dún ‎(“dune, sandhill”), Dutch duin ‎(“dune, sandhill”), German Düne ‎(“dune”). More at town; akin to dune.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /daʊn/
    • Rhymes: -aʊn
    • IPA(key): /dɑu̯n/
    • IPA(key): /dɔu̯n/

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