dingy(DIN gee) adj.1. yucky; dull; not clean; grimy; 2. ragged; gloomy- If you don’t use chlorine bleach on your cotton whites, you’re likely to
have them come out a dingyyellow. - Jane’s attempt to wangle an invitation to the party was rather dingy.
[dingily adv., dinginess n.]
discern(dis OERN) vt.1. to clearly distinguish one thing from another or others;
to recognize as distinct or separate; 2. to clearly make out - It was not hard to discernthe difference between the hearts and the spades
in the deck of cards. - Terry discerneda feeling of approval rising from her captive audience.
[-ed, -ing, -able adj., -ably adv.] [Syn. perceive, distinguish]
discordant*(dis KAWR dint) adj.1. not in agreement; conflicting; 2. out of
harmony; clashing; dissonant - The unhappy incoming news was discordantwith the recipient’s more
uplifting expectations.
•A discordantnote was struck by the politician addressing the labor union
leadership.
[discordance or discordancy n., -ly adv.]
discount(DIS cownt for n., dis COWNTfor v.) n.1. money off the usual price;
- a deduction from a debt allowed for paying it early or in cash; 3. the interest rate
charged —vt.1. to pay or get the present value of a note less the interest; 2. to sub-
tract an amount or percent from (a bill, price, etc.); 3. to sell at less than the usual
price; 4. to take a story, statement, opinion, etc. at less than face value, or to totally
disregard it as exaggeration
- Everything in the store was discounted15%.
- Many Treasury bonds are sold at a discountedrate to allow for the interest
that will accrue between purchase and maturity. - Corporate bonds are often sold at a discountrate so that the purchaser pays
less than the face value. - In certain furniture stores, the pieces are marked so that the customer can
discount50% to get the selling price. - The police officer discountedmost of Denise’s story, which made her role
look better than it actually was.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. reduction]
discourse*(DIS kawrs) n.1. exchange of ideas, information, etc. usually
through talking; conversation; 2. a long, formal speech or essay on a subject; lec-
ture; treatise; dissertation —vi.1. to carry on a talk; confer; 2. to speak or write for-
mally and at some length - The secretary of state gave a discourseon foreign policy.
- The doctoral candidate’s dissertation was a discourseon the number of seeds
that one might expect to find on various breeds of strawberries and why. - The two musicians discoursedwith each other about the meaning of
Beethoven’s notations in the margins of his pieces. - The president discoursedat some length about not knowing how the terri-
ble economy could be fixed and about how it wasn’t his fault anyway.
[-d, discoursing] [Syn. speak]
82 Essential Vocabulary