Pledge \Pledge\, n. [OF. plege, pleige, pledge, guaranty, LL.
   plegium, plivium; akin to OF. plevir to bail, guaranty,
   perhaps fr. L. praebere to proffer, offer (sc. fidem a trust,
   a promise of security), but cf. also E. play. [root]28. Cf.
   Prebend, Replevin.]
   1. (Law) The transfer of possession of personal property from
      a debtor to a creditor as security for a debt or
      engagement; also, the contract created between the debtor
      and creditor by a thing being so delivered or deposited,
      forming a species of bailment; also, that which is so
      delivered or deposited; something put in pawn.
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   Note: Pledge is ordinarily confined to personal property; the
         title or ownership does not pass by it; possession is
         essential to it. In all these points it differs from a
         mortgage [see Mortgage]; and in the last, from the
         hypotheca of the Roman law. See Hypotheca. --Story.
         Kent.
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   2. (Old Eng. Law) A person who undertook, or became
      responsible, for another; a bail; a surety; a hostage. "I
      am Grumio's pledge." --Shak.
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   3. A hypothecation without transfer of possession.
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   4. Anything given or considered as a security for the
      performance of an act; a guarantee; as, mutual interest is
      the best pledge for the performance of treaties. "That
      voice, their liveliest pledge of hope." --Milton.
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   5. A promise or agreement by which one binds one's self to
      do, or to refrain from doing, something; especially, a
      solemn promise in writing to refrain from using
      intoxicating liquors or the like; as, to sign the pledge;
      the mayor had made no pledges.
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   6. A sentiment to which assent is given by drinking one's
      health; a toast; a health.
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   Dead pledge. [A translation of LL. mortuum vadium.] (Law)
      A mortgage. See Mortgage.

   Living pledge. [A translation of LL. vivum vadium.] (Law)
      The conveyance of an estate to another for money borrowed,
      to be held by him until the debt is paid out of the rents
      and profits.

   To hold in pledge, to keep as security.

   To put in pledge, to pawn; to give as security.
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   Syn: See Earnest.
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Dead \Dead\ (d[e^]d), a. [OE. ded, dead, deed, AS. de['a]d; akin
   to OS. d[=o]d, D. dood, G. todt, tot, Icel. dau[eth]r, Sw. &
   Dan. d["o]d, Goth. daubs; prop. p. p. of an old verb meaning
   to die. See Die, and cf. Death.]
   1. Deprived of life; -- opposed to alive and living;
      reduced to that state of a being in which the organs of
      motion and life have irrevocably ceased to perform their
      functions; as, a dead tree; a dead man. "The queen, my
      lord, is dead." --Shak.
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            The crew, all except himself, were dead of hunger.
                                                  --Arbuthnot.
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            Seek him with candle, bring him dead or living.
                                                  --Shak.
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   2. Destitute of life; inanimate; as, dead matter.
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   3. Resembling death in appearance or quality; without show of
      life; deathlike; as, a dead sleep.
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   4. Still as death; motionless; inactive; useless; as, dead
      calm; a dead load or weight.
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   5. So constructed as not to transmit sound; soundless; as, a
      dead floor.
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   6. Unproductive; bringing no gain; unprofitable; as, dead
      capital; dead stock in trade.
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   7. Lacking spirit; dull; lusterless; cheerless; as, dead eye;
      dead fire; dead color, etc.
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   8. Monotonous or unvaried; as, a dead level or pain; a dead
      wall. "The ground is a dead flat." --C. Reade.
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   9. Sure as death; unerring; fixed; complete; as, a dead shot;
      a dead certainty.
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            I had them a dead bargain.            --Goldsmith.
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   10. Bringing death; deadly. --Shak.
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   11. Wanting in religious spirit and vitality; as, dead faith;
       dead works. "Dead in trespasses." --Eph. ii. 1.
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   12. (Paint.)
       (a) Flat; without gloss; -- said of painting which has
           been applied purposely to have this effect.
       (b) Not brilliant; not rich; thus, brown is a dead color,
           as compared with crimson.
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   13. (Law) Cut off from the rights of a citizen; deprived of
       the power of enjoying the rights of property; as, one
       banished or becoming a monk is civilly dead.
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   14. (Mach.) Not imparting motion or power; as, the dead
       spindle of a lathe, etc. See Spindle.
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   15. (Elec.) Carrying no current, or producing no useful
       effect; -- said of a conductor in a dynamo or motor, also
       of a telegraph wire which has no instrument attached and,
       therefore, is not in use.
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   16. Out of play; regarded as out of the game; -- said of a
       ball, a piece, or a player under certain conditions in
       cricket, baseball, checkers, and some other games.

             [In golf], a ball is said to lie dead when it lies
             so near the hole that the player is certain to hole
             it in the next stroke.               --Encyc. of
                                                  Sport.
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   Dead ahead (Naut.), directly ahead; -- said of a ship or
      any object, esp. of the wind when blowing from that point
      toward which a vessel would go.

   Dead angle (Mil.), an angle or space which can not be seen
      or defended from behind the parapet.

   Dead block, either of two wooden or iron blocks intended to
      serve instead of buffers at the end of a freight car.

   Dead calm (Naut.), no wind at all.

   Dead center, or Dead point (Mach.), either of two points
      in the orbit of a crank, at which the crank and connecting
      rod lie a straight line. It corresponds to the end of a
      stroke; as, A and B are dead centers of the crank
      mechanism in which the crank C drives, or is driven by,
      the lever L.

   Dead color (Paint.), a color which has no gloss upon it.

   Dead coloring (Oil paint.), the layer of colors, the
      preparation for what is to follow. In modern painting this
      is usually in monochrome.

   Dead door (Shipbuilding), a storm shutter fitted to the
      outside of the quarter-gallery door.

   Dead flat (Naut.), the widest or midship frame.

   Dead freight (Mar. Law), a sum of money paid by a person
      who charters a whole vessel but fails to make out a full
      cargo. The payment is made for the unoccupied capacity.
      --Abbott.

   Dead ground (Mining), the portion of a vein in which there
      is no ore.

   Dead hand, a hand that can not alienate, as of a person
      civilly dead. "Serfs held in dead hand." --Morley. See
      Mortmain.

   Dead head (Naut.), a rough block of wood used as an anchor
      buoy.

   Dead heat, a heat or course between two or more race
      horses, boats, etc., in which they come out exactly equal,
      so that neither wins.

   Dead horse, an expression applied to a debt for wages paid
      in advance. [Law]

   Dead language, a language which is no longer spoken or in
      common use by a people, and is known only in writings, as
      the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.

   Dead plate (Mach.), a solid covering over a part of a fire
      grate, to prevent the entrance of air through that part.
      

   Dead pledge, a mortgage. See Mortgage.

   Dead point. (Mach.) See Dead center.

   Dead reckoning (Naut.), the method of determining the place
      of a ship from a record kept of the courses sailed as
      given by compass, and the distance made on each course as
      found by log, with allowance for leeway, etc., without the
      aid of celestial observations.

   Dead rise, the transverse upward curvature of a vessel's
      floor.

   Dead rising, an elliptical line drawn on the sheer plan to
      determine the sweep of the floorheads throughout the
      ship's length.

   Dead-Sea apple. See under Apple.

   Dead set. See under Set.

   Dead shot.
       (a) An unerring marksman.
       (b) A shot certain to be made.

   Dead smooth, the finest cut made; -- said of files.

   Dead wall (Arch.), a blank wall unbroken by windows or
      other openings.

   Dead water (Naut.), the eddy water closing in under a
      ship's stern when sailing.

   Dead weight.
       (a) A heavy or oppressive burden. --Dryden.
       (b) (Shipping) A ship's lading, when it consists of heavy
           goods; or, the heaviest part of a ship's cargo.
       (c) (Railroad) The weight of rolling stock, the live
           weight being the load. --Knight.

   Dead wind (Naut.), a wind directly ahead, or opposed to the
      ship's course.

   To be dead, to die. [Obs.]
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            I deme thee, thou must algate be dead. --Chaucer.

   Syn: Inanimate; deceased; extinct. See Lifeless.
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