deni

n. [ See Deny. ] 1. The act of gainsaying, refusing, or disowning; negation; -- the contrary of affirmation. [ 1913 Webster ]

You ought to converse with so much sincerity that your bare affirmation or denial may be sufficient. Bp. Stillingfleet. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A refusal to admit the truth of a statement, charge, imputation, etc.; assertion of the untruth of a thing stated or maintained; a contradiction. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A refusal to grant; rejection of a request. [ 1913 Webster ]

The commissioners, . . . to obtain from the king's subjects as much as they would willingly give, . . . had not to complain of many peremptory denials. Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. A refusal to acknowledge; disclaimer of connection with; disavowal; -- the contrary of confession; as, the denial of a fault charged on one; a denial of God. [ 1913 Webster ]

Denial of one's self, a declining of some gratification; restraint of one's appetites or propensities; self-denial. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Denial. [ Obs. ] E. Hall. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. denier, fr. L. denarius a Roman silver coin orig. equiv. to ten asses, later, a copper, fr. deni ten by ten, fr. the root of decem ten; akin to E. ten. See Ten, and cf. Denary, Dinar. ] A small copper coin of insignificant value. [ 1913 Webster ]

My dukedom to a beggarly denier. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who denies; as, a denier of a fact, or of the faith, or of Christ. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. denigrare; de- + nigrare to blacken, niger black. ] 1. To blacken thoroughly; to make very black. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Fig.: To blacken or sully; to defame. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

To denigrate the memory of Voltaire. Morley. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. harmful and often untrue; tending to discredit or malign; -- used of statements.
Syn. -- calumniatory, calumnious, defamatory, denigrative, libellous, libelous, slanderous. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ L. denigratio. ] 1. The act of making black. Boyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Fig.: A blackening; defamation. [ 1913 Webster ]

The vigorous denigration of science. Morley. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who, or that which, blackens. [ 1913 Webster ]