drastic, drastick

& s. [Gr. drastikos, from draö to effect, to do.] A. As adjective : 1. Lit .: Powerful, effective, acting with strength or strong effect. (Applied to medicines, .) "After this single taking of the drastic medicine."Boyle: Works , ii. 190. 2. Fig .: Strong, efficacious, effective. "Military insubordination is that which requires the most prompt and drastic remedies."- Macaulay . Hist. Eng ., ch. xi. B. As subst.: A medicine or remedy which acts powerfully, strongly, and speedily. *drăs-tě, *drěs-ti, *drěstě, a. [Eng. drast ; y.) Full of dregs or lees. "Dreggy, drest i, or fulle of drestys. Feculent us." Prompt . Parv. draught, draft, *draght, *draucht, draughte (pron. draft) *draht, *dragt, s. & a. [A. S. droht ( Bosworth ), from drag an to draw, to drag, by the suffixing of tas in flight from fly , drift from drive , .; cogn. with Dut. dragh a load, a burden; dragen to draw; Dan. dragh a load; Icel. dráttr =a pulling, a draught (of fishes); drag a =to draw.] [DRAFT.] A. As substantive: I. Ordinary Language: 1. The act of drawing, pulling, or hauling; as vehicles, . "A general custom of using oxen for all sorts of draught, would be perhaps the greatest improvement." Temple . marine; gō, põt 2. The quality or capacity of being easily drawn or dragged. "The Hertfordshire wheel-plow is the best and strong. est for most uses, and of the easiest draught ." - Mortimer: Husbandry. 3. The act of sweeping or dragging with a net. 64 Upon the draught of a pond, not one fish was left, but two pikes grown to an exce ive bigne ."-Hale. 4. The quantity or number of fishes taken in one sweep of a net. "For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes." - Luke v. 9. 5. The act of drawing liquor into the mouth; a drink. "With a plenteous draught revive thy soul." Pope : Homer's Iliad, vi. 325. 6. The quantity of liquor drunk at once, or intended to be drunk at once. "Some, from the pallid face Wipe off the faint cold dews weak nature sheds; Some reach the healing draught." Thomson: Castle of Indolence , ii. 73. *7. The act of drawing or shooting with a bow. "Geffrey of Boullion, at one draught of his bow, shooting against David's tower in Jerusalem, broached three feetle birds called allerions." -Camden: Remains. 8. The act of representing or delineating in a picture, sketch, or outline. "I have, in a short draught , given a view of our original ideas, from whence all the rest are derived."-Locke. 9. A representation or delineation in a picture. "Her pencil drew whate'er her soul designed, 1533 drink. IMG:content-0484.png:[blocks in formation]