discharge (discharj)

[OF. des charge, F. décharge = Sp. Pg. descarga, descargo, Pg. also des car reg a = It. disc a rico, scarico; from the verb.] 1. The act of unloading or disburdening; relief from a burden or charge: as, the discharge of a ship. As applied to an electrical jar, battery, etc., it signifies the removal of the charge by communication between the positive and negative surfaces or poles, or with the earth. The discharge may be disruptive, as when it takes place by a spark through a resisting medium like the air, gla , wood, etc.; or conduc tive, through a conductor, as a metallic wire; or convective, by the motion of electrified particles of matter, as of air. Specifically-2. The act of firing a mi ile weapon, as a bow by drawing and releasing the string, or a gun by exploding the charge of powder. The fictitious foresters first amused them with a double discharge of their arrows. Strutt , Sports and Pastimes, p. 459. 3. The act of removing or taking away; removal, as of a burden or load, by physical means, or by settlement, payment, fulfilment, etc.: as, the discharge of a cargo, of a debt, or of an obligation.-4. A flowing out; emi ion; vent: as, the discharge of water from a river or from an orifice, of blood from a wound, of lightning from a cloud. Sleep implies diminished nervous discharge , special and general. H. Spencer , Prin. of Psychol., § 39. 5. The act of freeing; dismi al; release or dismi al from accusation, restraint, obliga tion, duty, or service; also, a certificate of such release or dismi al: as, the discharge of a prisoner, of a debtor, or of a servant. Milton , S. A., 1. 1572. of duty; to discharge the mind of busine . I grant and confe , Friend Peter, myself discharged of so much labour, having all these things ready done to my hand, that almost there was nothing left for me to do. Sir T. More, Ded. to Peter Giles, p. 4. I here discharge you My house and service; take your liberty. Beau , and Fl ., Knight of Burning Pestle, i. 1. The deputy... had, out of court, discharged them of their appearance. Winthrop , Hist. New England, I. 103. Grindal. was discharged the government of his see. Milton . 5. To carry on, as an obligatory course of action; perform the functions of, as an employment or office; execute; fulfil: as, to discharge the duties of a sheriff or of a priest; to discharge IMG:content-2749.png:[blocks in formation] "I grant," quoth he, "our Contract null, And give you a Discharge in full." South . Congreve, An Impo ible Thing. 6. The rate of flowing out: as, the discharge is 100 gallons a minute.-7. That which is thrown out; matter emitted: as, a thin serous discharge; a purulent discharge.-8. Performance; execution: as, a good man is faithful in the dis charge of his duties. For the better Discharge of my Engagement to your Ladyship, I will rank all the ten before you, with some of their most signal Predictions. Howell , Letters, iv. 43. Indefatigable in the discharge of busine . Motley. 9. In dyeing, a compound, as chlorid of lime, which has the property of bleaching, or taking away the color already communicated to a fabric, by which means white patterns are produced on colored grounds. If to this compound a color be added which is not affected by it, the first color is destroyed as before, and this second color takes the account for. At last he bade her (with bold stedfastne e) Cea e to molest the Moone to walke at large, Or come before high Jove her dooings to discharge. Spenser, F. Q., VII. vi. 17. 7. In dyeing, to free from the dye. (a) In silk dyeing, to free (the silk) from the dye, if from any cause it is found to have taken the color in an unsatisfactory manner. Raw silk, souple and discharged silk, must be acted upon differently by chemical agents. Benedikt , Coal-tar Colours (trans.), p. 40. arch1.- Certificate of discharge. See certificate, 2.Charge and discharge. See charge. - Discharge in bankruptcy or insolvency, release from obligation, by act of the law, on surrendering one's property to be divided among creditors. Discharge of fluids, the name given to that branch of hydraulics which treats of the i uing of water through apertures in the sides and bottoms of ve els. Discharge style, a method of calico-printing in which a piece of cloth is colored, and from parts of which the color is afterward removed by a discharge, so as to form a pattern. See def. 9. Honorable discharge, in the United States navy, a discharge at the expiration of a full Discinidæ term of enlistment, accompanied with a certificate of service and good conduct, entitling a seaman to a bounty of three months' pay if he reënlists within that time.