2 ADJ [ADJ n] If you are devoted to something, you care about it a lot and are very enthusiastic about it. □ [+ to ] I have personally been devoted to this cause for many years. □ Joyce Bryt is a devoted Star Trek fan.
3 ADJ Something that is devoted to a particular thing deals only with that thing or contains only that thing. □ [+ to ] The shop is devoted to a new range of accessories.
devo|tee /de vətiː / (devotees ) N‑COUNT Someone who is a devotee of a subject or activity is very enthusiastic about it. □ [+ of ] Mr Carpenter is obviously a devotee of Britten's music.
de|vo|tion /d I voʊ ʃ ə n/
1 N‑UNCOUNT [oft poss N ] Devotion is great love, affection, or admiration for someone. □ At first she was flattered by his devotion.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Devotion is commitment to a particular activity. □ [+ to ] …devotion to the cause of the people and to socialism.
de|vo|tion|al /d I voʊ ʃən ə l/ ADJ [ADJ n] Devotional activities, writings, or objects relate to religious worship. □ …devotional pictures.
de|vo|tions /d I voʊ ʃ ə nz/ N‑PLURAL [oft poss N ] Someone's devotions are the prayers that they say. □ Normally he performs his devotions twice a day.
de|vour /d I vaʊə r / (devours , devouring , devoured )
1 VERB If a person or animal devours something, they eat it quickly and eagerly. □ [V n] A medium-sized dog will devour at least one can of food per day.
2 VERB If you devour a book or magazine, for example, you read it quickly and with great enthusiasm. □ [V n] She began devouring newspapers when she was only 12.
de|vout /d I vaʊ t/
1 ADJ A devout person has deep religious beliefs. □ She was a devout Christian. ● N‑PLURAL The devout are people who are devout. □ …priests instructing the devout.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] If you describe someone as a devout supporter or a devout opponent of something, you mean that they support it enthusiastically or oppose it strongly. □ …devout Marxists.
de|vout|ly /d I vaʊ tli/
1 ADV [ADV with v] Devoutly is used to emphasize how sincerely or deeply you hope for something or believe in something. [FORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ He devoutly hoped it was true.
2 ADV [ADV adj, ADV with v] Devoutly is used to emphasize how deep someone's religious beliefs are, or to indicate that something is done in a devout way. [EMPHASIS ] □ …a devoutly Buddhist country.
dew /djuː , [AM ] duː / N‑UNCOUNT Dew is small drops of water that form on the ground and other surfaces outdoors during the night. □ The dew gathered on the leaves.
dewy /djuː i, [AM ] duː i/
1 ADJ Something that is dewy is wet with dew. [LITERARY ]
2 ADJ If your skin looks dewy , it looks soft and glows healthily.
de wy-e yed ADJ If you say that someone is dewy-eyed , you are criticizing them because you think that they are unrealistic and think events and situations are better than they really are. [DISAPPROVAL ]
dex|ter|ity /dekste r I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT Dexterity is skill in using your hands, or sometimes your mind. □ …Reid's dexterity on the guitar.
dex|ter|ous /de kstrəs/ also dextrous ADJ Someone who is dexterous is very skilful and clever with their hands. □ As people grow older they generally become less dexterous.
dex|trose /de kstroʊz, [AM ] -roʊs/ N‑UNCOUNT Dextrose is a natural form of sugar that is found in fruits, honey, and in the blood of animals.
dia|be|tes /da I əbiː tiːz, [AM ] -t I s/ N‑UNCOUNT Diabetes is a medical condition in which someone has too much sugar in their blood.
dia|bet|ic /da I əbe t I k/ (diabetics )
1 N‑COUNT A diabetic is a person who suffers from diabetes. □ …an insulin-dependent diabetic. ● ADJ Diabetic is also an adjective. □ …diabetic patients.
2 ADJ [ADJ n] Diabetic means relating to diabetes. □ He found her in a diabetic coma.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] Diabetic foods are suitable for diabetics.
dia|bol|ic /da I əbɒ l I k/
1 ADJ [ADJ n] Diabolic is used to describe things that people think are caused by or belong to the Devil. [FORMAL ] □ …the diabolic forces which lurk in all violence.
2 ADJ If you describe something as diabolic , you are emphasizing that it is very bad, extreme, or unpleasant. [mainly AM , EMPHASIS ] □ Pitt's smile returned, and it was hideously diabolic.
dia|boli|cal /da I əbɒ l I k ə l/ ADJ If you describe something as diabolical , you are emphasizing that it is very bad, extreme, or unpleasant. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ It was a diabolical error, a schoolboy error. ● dia|boli|cal|ly /da I əbɒ l I kli/ ADV □ …diabolically difficult clues.
dia|dem /da I ədem/ (diadems ) N‑COUNT A diadem is a small crown with precious stones in it.
di|ag|nose /da I əgnoʊz, [AM ] -noʊs/ (diagnoses , diagnosing , diagnosed ) VERB If someone or something is diagnosed as having a particular illness or problem, their illness or problem is identified. If an illness or problem is diagnosed , it is identified. □ [be V -ed + as ] The soldiers were diagnosed as having flu. □ [be V -ed + with ] Susan had a mental breakdown and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. □ [be V -ed + as ] In 1894 her illness was diagnosed as cancer. □ [V n] He could diagnose an engine problem simply by listening. [Also be V -ed adj]