Dou"ble (?), n. A person or thing
that is the counterpart of another; a duplicate; copy; (Obs.)
transcript; -- now chiefly used of persons. Hence, a wraith.
My charming friend . . . has, I am almost sure, a
double, who preaches his afternoon sermons for
him.
E. E. Hale.
Dou"ble (dŭb"'l), a. [OE.
doble, duble, double, OF. doble,
duble, double, F. double, fr. L. duplus,
fr. the root of duo two, and perh. that of plenus full;
akin to Gr. diplo`os double. See Two, and
Full, and cf. Diploma, Duple.]
1. Twofold; multiplied by two; increased by its
equivalent; made twice as large or as much, etc.
Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon
me.
2 Kings ii. 9.
Darkness and tempest make a double
night.
Dryden.
2. Being in pairs; presenting two of a kind,
or two in a set together; coupled.
[Let] The swan, on still St. Mary's lake,
Float double, swan and shadow.
Wordsworth.
3. Divided into two; acting two parts, one
openly and the other secretly; equivocal; deceitful;
insincere.
With a double heart do they speak.
Ps. xii. 2.
4. (Bot.) Having the petals in a
flower considerably increased beyond the natural number, usually as
the result of cultivation and the expense of the stamens, or stamens
and pistils. The white water lily and some other plants have their
blossoms naturally double.
&fist; Double is often used as the first part of a compound
word, generally denoting two ways, or twice the number,
quantity, force, etc., twofold, or having
two.
Double base, or Double bass
(Mus.), the largest and lowest-toned instrument in the
violin form; the contrabasso or violone. -- Double
convex. See under Convex. -- Double
counterpoint (Mus.), that species of
counterpoint or composition, in which two of the parts may be
inverted, by setting one of them an octave higher or lower. --
Double court (Lawn Tennis), a court laid
out for four players, two on each side. -- Double
dagger (Print.), a reference mark (‡)
next to the dagger (†) in order; a diesis. --
Double drum (Mus.), a large drum that is
beaten at both ends. -- Double eagle, a
gold coin of the United States having the value of 20 dollars. -
- Double entry. See under
Bookkeeping. -- Double floor
(Arch.), a floor in which binding joists support flooring
joists above and ceiling joists below. See Illust. of
Double-framed floor. -- Double flower.
See Double, a., 4. --
Double-framed floor (Arch.), a double
floor having girders into which the binding joists are framed. -
- Double fugue (Mus.), a fugue on two
subjects. -- Double letter.
(a) (Print.) Two letters on one shank; a
ligature. (b) A mail requiring double
postage. -- Double note (Mus.), a
note of double the length of the semibreve; a breve. See
Breve. -- Double octave (Mus.),
an interval composed of two octaves, or fifteen notes, in
diatonic progression; a fifteenth. -- Double
pica. See under Pica. -- Double
play (Baseball), a play by which two players are
put out at the same time. -- Double plea
(Law), a plea alleging several matters in answer to the
declaration, where either of such matters alone would be a sufficient
bar to the action. Stephen. -- Double
point (Geom.), a point of a curve at which two
branches cross each other. Conjugate or isolated points of a curve
are called double points, since they possess most of the
properties of double points (see Conjugate). They are
also called acnodes, and those points where the branches of
the curve really cross are called crunodes. The extremity of a
cusp is also a double point. -- Double
quarrel. (Eccl. Law) See Duplex querela,
under Duplex. -- Double refraction.
(Opt.) See Refraction. -- Double
salt. (Chem.) (a) A mixed salt
of any polybasic acid which has been saturated by different bases or
basic radicals, as the double carbonate of sodium and potassium,
NaKCO3.6H2O.
(b) A molecular combination of two distinct
salts, as common alum, which consists of the sulphate of aluminium,
and the sulphate of potassium or ammonium. -- Double
shuffle, a low, noisy dance. -- Double
standard (Polit. Econ.), a double standard of
monetary values; i. e., a gold standard and a silver standard,
both of which are made legal tender. -- Double
star (Astron.), two stars so near to each other
as to be seen separate only by means of a telescope. Such stars may
be only optically near to each other, or may be
physically connected so that they revolve round their common
center of gravity, and in the latter case are called also
binary stars. -- Double time
(Mil.). Same as Double-quick. --
Double window, a window having two sets of
glazed sashes with an air space between them.
Dou"ble (?), adv. Twice;
doubly.
I was double their age.
Swift.
Dou"ble, v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Doubled (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Doubling (?).] [OE. doblen, dublen,
doublen, F. doubler, fr. L. duplare, fr.
duplus. See Double, a.]
1. To increase by adding an equal number,
quantity, length, value, or the like; multiply by two; as, to
double a sum of money; to double a number, or
length.
Double six thousand, and then treble
that.
Shak.
2. To make of two thicknesses or folds by
turning or bending together in the middle; to fold one part upon
another part of; as, to double the leaf of a book, and the
like; to clinch, as the fist; -- often followed by up; as, to
double up a sheet of paper or cloth. Prior.
Then the old man
Was wroth, and doubled up his hands.
Tennyson.
3. To be the double of; to exceed by twofold;
to contain or be worth twice as much as.
Thus reënforced, against the adverse fleet,
Still doubling ours, brave Rupert leads the way.
Dryden.
4. To pass around or by; to march or sail
round, so as to reverse the direction of motion.
Sailing along the coast, the doubled the
promontory of Carthage.
Knolles.
5. (Mil.) To unite, as ranks or files,
so as to form one from each two.
Dou"ble, v. i. 1.
To be increased to twice the sum, number, quantity, length, or
value; to increase or grow to twice as much.
'T is observed in particular nations, that within the
space of three hundred years, notwithstanding all casualties, the
number of men doubles.
T. Burnet.
2. To return upon one's track; to turn and go
back over the same ground, or in an opposite direction.
Doubling and turning like a hunted
hare.
Dryden.
Doubling and doubling with laborious
walk.
Wordsworth.
3. To play tricks; to use sleights; to play
false.
What penalty and danger you accrue,
If you be found to double.
J. Webster.
4. (Print.) To set up a word or words
a second time by mistake; to make a doublet.
To double upon (Mil.), to inclose
between two fires.
Dou"ble, n. 1.
Twice as much; twice the number, sum, quantity, length, value,
and the like.
If the thief be found, let him pay
double.
Ex. xxii. 7.
2. Among compositors, a doublet (see
Doublet, 2.); among pressmen, a sheet that is twice pulled,
and blurred.
3. That which is doubled over or together; a
doubling; a plait; a fold.
Rolled up in sevenfold double
Of plagues.
Marston.
4. A turn or circuit in running to escape
pursues; hence, a trick; a shift; an artifice.
These men are too well acquainted with the chase to be
flung off by any false steps or doubles.
Addison.
5. Something precisely equal or counterpart
to another; a counterpart. Hence, a wraith.
My charming friend . . . has, I am almost sure, a
double, who preaches his afternoon sermons for
him.
Atlantic Monthly.
6. A player or singer who prepares to take
the part of another player in his absence; a substitute.
7. Double beer; strong beer.
8. (Eccl.) A feast in which the
antiphon is doubled, hat is, said twice, before and after the Psalms,
instead of only half being said, as in simple feasts.
Shipley.
9. (Lawn Tennis) A game between two
pairs of players; as, a first prize for doubles.
10. (Mus.) An old term for a
variation, as in Bach's Suites.
Dou"ble (?), n. A person or thing
that is the counterpart of another; a duplicate; copy; (Obs.)
transcript; -- now chiefly used of persons. Hence, a wraith.
My charming friend . . . has, I am almost sure, a
double, who preaches his afternoon sermons for
him.
E. E. Hale.
