down

Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Origin: Akin to LG. dune, dun, Icel. d…nn, Sw. dun, Dan. duun, G. daune, cf. D. dons; perh. akin to E. dust.

1. Fine, soft, hairy outgrowth from the skin or surface of animals or plants, not matted and fleecy like wool; esp.: (a) Zoology The soft under feathers of birds. They have short stems with soft rachis and bards and long threadlike barbules, without hooklets. (b) Botany The pubescence of plants; the hairy crown or envelope of the seeds of certain plants, as of the thistle. (c) The soft hair of the face when beginning to appear.

And the first down begins to shade his face.— John Dryden

2. That which is made of down, as a bed or pillow; that which affords ease and repose, like a bed of down

When in the down I sink my head, Sleep, Death's twin brother, times my breath.— Alfred Tennyson

Thou bosom softness, down of all my cares!— Thomas Southern

Down tree Botany, a tree of Central America (Ochroma Lagopus), the seeds of which are enveloped in vegetable wool.

To cover, ornament, line, or stuff with down. rare Edward Young

Origin: OE. dun, doun, AS. dūn; of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. dūn hill, fortified hill, Gael. dun heap, hillock, hill, W. din a fortified hill or mount; akin to E. town. See Town, and cf. Down, adverb & preposition, Dune.

1. A bank or rounded hillock of sand thrown up by the wind along or near the shore; a flattish-topped hill; — usually in the plural.

Hills afford prospects, as they must needs acknowledge who have been on the downs of Sussex.— John Ray

She went by dale, and she went by down.— Alfred Tennyson

2. A tract of poor, sandy, undulating or hilly land near the sea, covered with fine turf which serves chiefly for the grazing of sheep; — usually in the plural. British

Seven thousand broad-tailed sheep grazed on his downs.— George Sandys

3. pl. A road for shipping in the English Channel or Straits of Dover, near Deal, employed as a naval rendezvous in time of war.

On the 11th [June, 1771] we run up the channel... at noon we were abreast of Dover, and about three came to an anchor in the Downs, and went ashore at Deal.— Cook (First Voyage).

4. pl. A state of depression; low state; abasement. colloquial

It the downs of life too much outnumber the ups.— Matthew Arnold

Origin: For older adown, AS. adūn, adūne, prop., from or off the hill. See 3d Down, and cf. Adown, and cf. Adown.

1. In the direction of gravity or toward the center of the earth; toward or in a lower place or position; below; — the opposite of up.

2. Hence, in many derived uses, as: (a) From a higher to a lower position, literally or figuratively; in a descending direction; from the top of an ascent; from an upright position; to the ground or floor; to or into a lower or an inferior condition; as, into a state of humility, disgrace, misery, and the like; into a state of rest; — used with verbs indicating motion.

It will be rain to-night. Let it come down.— William Shakespeare

I sit me down beside the hazel grove.— Alfred Tennyson

And that drags down his life.— Alfred Tennyson

There is not a more melancholy object in the learned world than a man who has written himself down.— Joseph Addison

The French... shone down [i. e., outshone] the English.— William Shakespeare

(b) In a low or the lowest position, literally or figuratively; at the bottom of a descent; below the horizon; on the ground; in a condition of humility, dejection, misery, and the like; in a state of quiet.

I was down and out of breath.— William Shakespeare

The moon is down; I have not heard the clock.— William Shakespeare

He that is down needs fear no fall.— John Bunyan

3. From a remoter or higher antiquity.

Venerable men! you have come down to us from a former generation.— Daniel Webster

4. From a greater to a less bulk, or from a thinner to a thicker consistence; as, to boil down in cookery, or in making decoctions. John Arbuthnot

☞ Down is sometimes used elliptically, standing for go down, come down, tear down, take down, put down, haul down, pay down, and the like, especially in command or exclamation. Down, therefore, and beg mercy of the duke. William Shakespeare If he be hungry more than wanton, bread alone will down. John Locke Down is also used intensively; as, to be loaded down; to fall down; to hang down; to drop down; to pay down. The temple of Herè at Argos was burnt down. Jowett (Thucyd.). Down, as well as up, is sometimes used in a conventional sense; as, down East. Persons in London say down to Scotland, etc., and those in the provinces, up to London. James Stormonth

Down helm Nautical, an order to the helmsman to put the helm to leeward. — Down on or Down upon (joined with a verb indicating motion, as go, come, pounce), to attack, implying the idea of threatening power.

Come down upon us with a mighty power.— William Shakespeare

— Down with, take down, throw down, put down; — used in energetic command, often by people aroused in crowds, referring to people, laws, buildings, etc.; as, down with the king! “Down with the palace; fire it.” John Dryden — To be down on, to dislike and treat harshly. Slang, U.S. — To cry down. See under Cry, transitive verb — To cut down. See under Cut, transitive verb — Up and down, with rising and falling motion; to and fro; hither and thither; everywhere. “Let them wander up and down.” Ps. lix. 15.

Origin: From Down, adverb

1. In a descending direction along; from a higher to a lower place upon or within; at a lower place in or on; as, down a hill; down a well.

2. Hence: Towards the mouth of a river; towards the sea; as, to sail or swim down a stream; to sail down the sound.

Down the country, toward the sea, or toward the part where rivers discharge their waters into the ocean. — Down the sound, in the direction of the ebbing tide; toward the sea.

To cause to go down; to make descend; to put down; to overthrow, as in wrestling; hence, to subdue; to bring down. Archaic or Colloq. “To down proud hearts.” Sir Philip Sidney

I remember how you downed Beauclerk and Hamilton, the wits, once at our house.— Madame D'Arblay.

To go down; to descend. John Locke

1. Downcast; as, a down look. rare

2. Downright; absolute; positive; as, a down denial. obsolete Francis, & Fletcher, John. Beaumont

3. Downward; going down; sloping; as, a down stroke; a down grade; a down train on a railway.

Down draught, a downward draft, as in a flue, chimney, shaft of a mine, etc. — Down in the mouth, Down at the mouth chopfallen; dejected.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing

1.Not operating. "The up escalator is down" is considered a humorous thing to say, and "The elevator is down" always means "The elevator isn't working" and never refers to what floor the elevator is on. With respect to computers, this term has passed into the mainstream; the extension to other kinds of machine is still hackish.

2."go down" To stop functioning; usually said of the system. The message from the console that every hacker hates to hear from the operator is "System going down in 5 minutes".

3."take down", "bring down" To deactivate purposely, usually for repair work or PM. "I'm taking the system down to work on that bug in the tape drive." Occasionally one hears the word "down" by itself used as a verb in this sense.

See crash; opposite: up. [Jargon File]

(1994-12-07)

The Jargon File

1.adj. Not operating. “The up escalator is down” is considered a humorous thing to say (unless of course you were expecting to use it), and “The elevator is down” always means “The elevator isn't working” and never refers to what floor the elevator is on. With respect to computers, this term has passed into the mainstream; the extension to other kinds of machine is still confined to techies (e.g. boiler mechanics may speak of a boiler being down).

2.go down vi. To stop functioning; usually said of the system. The message from the console that every hacker hates to hear from the operator is “System going down in 5 minutes”.

3.take down, bring down vt. To deactivate purposely, usually for repair work or PM. “I'm taking the system down to work on that bug in the tape drive.” Occasionally one hears the word down by itself used as a verb in this vt. sense.

See crash; oppose up.