DICT.TW Dictionary Taiwan
De·cide v. t. [imp. & p. p. Decided; p. pr. & vb. n. Deciding.]
1. To cut off; to separate. [Obs.]
Our seat denies us traffic here;
The sea, too near, decides us from the rest. --Fuller.
2. To bring to a termination, as a question, controversy, struggle, by giving the victory to one side or party; to render judgment concerning; to determine; to settle.
So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it. --1 Kings xx. 40.
The quarrel toucheth none but us alone;
Betwixt ourselves let us decide it then. --Shak.
De·cid·ed a.
1. Free from ambiguity; unequivocal; unmistakable; unquestionable; clear; evident; as, a decided advantage. “A more decided taste for science.”
2. Free from doubt or wavering; determined; of fixed purpose; fully settled; positive; resolute; as, a decided opinion or purpose.
Syn: -- Decided, Decisive.
Usage: We call a thing decisive when it has the power or quality of deciding; as, a decisive battle; we speak of it as decided when it is so fully settled as to leave no room for doubt; as, a decided preference, a decided aversion. Hence, a decided victory is one about which there is no question; a decisive victory is one which ends the contest. Decisive is applied only to things; as, a decisive sentence, a decisive decree, a decisive judgment. Decided is applied equally to persons and things. Thus we speak of a man as decided in his whole of conduct; and as having a decided disgust, or a decided reluctance, to certain measures. “A politic caution, a guarded circumspection, were among the ruling principles of our forefathers in their most decided conduct.” --Burke. “The sentences of superior judges are final, decisive, and irrevocable.”
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decided
adj : recognizable; marked; "noticed a distinct improvement"; "at
a distinct (or decided) disadvantage" [syn: distinct]