n an inclination or desire; used in the plural in the phrase `left to your own devices'
eventually the family left the house to the devices of this malevolent force the children were left to their own devices
n an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose
n something in an artistic work designed to achieve a particular effect
n any clever maneuver
n any ornamental pattern or design (as in embroidery)
n evergreen tree of eastern Asia and Philippines having large leathery leaves and small green-white flowers in compact cymes; bark formerly used medicinally