(d<ecr/d), a. [OE. ded, dead, deed, AS. ded; akin to OS. d<omac/d, D. dood, G. todt, tot, Icel. dau<edh/r, Sw. & Dan. dd, Goth. daubs; prop. p. p. of an old verb meaning to die. See Die, and cf. Death.] 1.
Deprived of life; -- opposed to alive and living; reduced to that state of a being in which the organs of motion and life have irrevocably ceased to perform their functions; as, a dead tree; a dead man. The queen, my lord, is dead. Shak.
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-The crew, all except himself, were dead of hunger. Arbuthnot.
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-Seek him with candle, bring him dead or living. Shak.
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2.
Destitute of life; inanimate; as, dead matter.
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3.
Resembling death in appearance or quality; without show of life; deathlike; as, a dead sleep.
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4.
Still as death; motionless; inactive; useless; as, dead calm; a dead load or weight.
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5.
So constructed as not to transmit sound; soundless; as, a dead floor.
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6.
Unproductive; bringing no gain; unprofitable; as, dead capital; dead stock in trade.
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7.
Lacking spirit; dull; lusterless; cheerless; as, dead eye; dead fire; dead color, etc.
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8.
Monotonous or unvaried; as, a dead level or pain; a dead wall. The ground is a dead flat. C. Reade.
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9.
Sure as death; unerring; fixed; complete; as, a dead shot; a dead certainty.
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-I had them a dead bargain. Goldsmith.
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10.
Bringing death; deadly. Shak.
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11.
Wanting in religious spirit and vitality; as, dead faith; dead works. Dead in trespasses. Eph. ii. 1.
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12. (Paint.) (a)
Flat; without gloss; -- said of painting which has been applied purposely to have this effect. (b)
Not brilliant; not rich; thus, brown is a dead color, as compared with crimson.
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13. (Law)
Cut off from the rights of a citizen; deprived of the power of enjoying the rights of property; as, one banished or becoming a monk is civilly dead.
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14. (Mach.)
Not imparting motion or power; as, the dead spindle of a lathe, etc. See Spindle.
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15. (Elec.)
Carrying no current, or producing no useful effect; -- said of a conductor in a dynamo or motor, also of a telegraph wire which has no instrument attached and, therefore, is not in use.
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16.
Out of play; regarded as out of the game; -- said of a ball, a piece, or a player under certain conditions in cricket, baseball, checkers, and some other games.
-[In golf], a ball is said to lie dead when it lies so near the hole that the player is certain to hole it in the next stroke. Encyc. of Sport.
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Dead ahead (Naut.), directly ahead; -- said of a ship or any object, esp. of the wind when blowing from that point toward which a vessel would go. -- Dead angle (Mil.), an angle or space which can not be seen or defended from behind the parapet. -- Dead block, either of two wooden or iron blocks intended to serve instead of buffers at the end of a freight car. -- Dead calm (Naut.), no wind at all. -- Dead center,
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