Unabridged Dictionary - Letter B
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B
B (?) is the second letter of the English alphabet. (See Guide to
Pronunciation, §§ 196,220.) It is etymologically related to p , v , f
, w and m , letters representing sounds having a close organic
affinity to its own sound; as in Eng. bursar and purser; Eng. bear and
Lat. pear; Eng. silver and Ger. silber; Lat. cubitum and It. gomito;
Eng. seven, Anglo-Saxon seofon, Ger. sieben, Lat. septem, Gr.ptan. The
form of letter B is Roman, from Greek B (Beta), of Semitic origin. The
small b was formed by gradual change from the capital B.
NOTE: In Mu sic, B is the nominal of the seventh tone in the model
major scale (the scale of C major ), or of the second tone in it's
relative minor scale (that of A minor ) . Bb stands for B flat, the
tone a half step , or semitone, lower than B. In German, B stands
for our Bb, while our B natural is called H (pronounced h\'84).
Ba
Ba (?), v. i. [Cf. OF. baer to open mouth, F. baer.] To kiss. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Baa
Baa (?), v. i. [Cf. G. b\'84en; an imitative word.] To cry baa, or
bleat as a sheep.
He treble baas for help, but none can get. Sir P. Sidney.
Baa
Baa (?), n.; pl. Baas. [Cf. G. b\'84.] The cry or bleating of a sheep;
a bleat.
Baaing
Baa"ing, n. The bleating of a sheep. Marryat.
Baal
Ba"al (?), n.; Heb. pl. Baalim (. [Heb. ba'al lord.]
1. (Myth.) The supreme male divinity of the Phoenician and Canaanitish
nations.
NOTE: &hand; Th e na me of this god occurs in the Old Testament and
elsewhere with qualifying epithets subjoined, answering to the
different ideas of his character; as, Baal-berith (the Covenant
Baal), Baal-zebub (Baal of the fly).
2. pl. The whole class of divinities to whom the name Baal was
applied. Judges x. 6.
Baalism
Ba"al*ism (?), n. Worship of Baal; idolatry.
Baalist, Baalite
Ba"al*ist (?), Ba"al*ite (?), n. A worshiper of Baal; a devotee of any
false religion; an idolater.
Baba
Ba"ba (?), n. [F.] A kind of plum cake.
Babbitt
Bab"bitt (?), v. t. To line with Babbitt metal.
Babbitt metal
Bab"bitt met`al (?). [From the inventor, Isaac Babbitt of
Massachusetts.] A soft white alloy of variable composition (as a nine
parts of tin to one of copper, or of fifty parts of tin to five of
antimony and one of copper) used in bearings to diminish friction.
Babble
Bab"ble, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Babbled (p. pr. & vb. n. Babbling.]
[Cf.LG. babbeln, D. babbelen, G. bappeln, bappern, F. babiller, It.
babbolare; prob. orig., to keep saying ba, imitative of a child
learning to talk.]
1. To utter words indistinctly or unintelligibly; to utter
inarticulate sounds; as a child babbles.
2. To talk incoherently; to utter unmeaning words.
3. To talk much; to chatter; to prate.
4. To make a continuous murmuring noise, as shallow water running over
stones.
In every babbling he finds a friend. Wordsworth.
NOTE: &hand; Ho unds ar e sa id to babble, or to be babbling, when
they are too noisy after having found a good scent.
Syn. -- To prate; prattle; chatter; gossip.
Babble
Bab"ble, v. i.
1. To utter in an indistinct or incoherent way; to repeat,as words, in
a childish way without understanding.
These [words] he used to babble in all companies. Arbuthnot.
2. To disclose by too free talk, as a secret.
Babble
Bab"ble, n.
1. Idle talk; senseless prattle; gabble; twaddle. "This is mere moral
babble." Milton.
2. Inarticulate speech; constant or confused murmur.
The babble of our young children. Darwin.
The babble of the stream. Tennyson.
Babblement
Bab"ble*ment (?), n. Babble. Hawthorne.
Babbler
Bab"bler (?), n.
1. An idle talker; an irrational prater; a teller of secrets.
Great babblers, or talkers, are not fit for trust. L'Estrange.
2. A hound too noisy on finding a good scent.
3. (Zo\'94l.) A name given to any one of family (Timalin\'91) of
thrushlike birds, having a chattering note.
Babblery
Bab"ble*ry (?), n. Babble. [Obs.] Sir T. More
Babe
Babe (?), n. [Cf. Ir. bab, baban, W. baban, maban.]
1. An infant; a young child of either sex; a baby.
2. A doll for children. Spenser.
Babehood
Babe"hood (?), n. Babyhood. [R.] Udall.
Babel
Ba"bel (?), n. [Heb. B\'bebel, the name of the capital of Babylonia;
in Genesis associated with the idea of "confusion"]
1. The city and tower in the land of Shinar, where the confusion of
languages took place.
Therefore is the name of it called Babel. Gen. xi. 9.
2. Hence: A place or scene of noise and confusion; a confused mixture
of sounds, as of voices or languages.
That babel of strange heathen languages. Hammond.
The grinding babel of the street. R. L. Stevenson.
Babery
Bab"er*y (?), n. [Perh. orig. for baboonery. Cf. Baboon, and also
Babe.] Finery of a kind to please a child. [Obs.] "Painted babery."
Sir P. Sidney.
Babian, Babion
Ba"bi*an (?), Ba"bi*on (?), n. [See Baboon] A baboon. [Obs.] B.
Jonson.
Babillard
Bab"il*lard (?), n. [F., a babbler.] (Zo\'94l.) The lesser whitethroat
of Europe; -- called also babbling warbler.
Babingtonite
Bab"ing*ton*ite (?), n. [From Dr. Babbington.] (Min.) A mineral
occurring in triclinic crystals approaching pyroxene in angle, and of
a greenish black color. It is a silicate of iron, manganese, and lime.
Babiroussa, Babirussa
Bab`i*rous"sa, Bab`i*rus"sa (, n. [F. babiroussa, fr.Malay b\'beb\'c6
hog + r deer.] (Zo\'94l.) A large hoglike quadruped (Sus, or Porcus,
babirussa) of the East Indies, sometimes domesticated; the Indian hog.
Its upper canine teeth or tusks are large and recurved.
Babish
Bab"ish (?), a. Like a babe; a childish; babyish. [R.] "Babish
imbecility." Drayton. -- Bab"ish*ly, adv. -- Bab"ish*ness, n. [R.]
Babism
Bab"ism (?), n. [From Bab (Pers. bab a gate), the title assumed by the
founder, Mirza Ali Mohammed.] The doctrine of a modern religious sect,
which originated in Persia in 1843, being a mixture of Mohammedan,
Christian, Jewish and Parsee elements.
Babist
Bab"ist, n. A believer in Babism.
Bablah
Bab"lah (?), n. [Cf. Per. bab a species of mimosa yielding gum
arabic.] The ring of the fruit of several East Indian species of
acacia; neb-neb. It contains gallic acid and tannin, and is used for
dyeing drab.
Baboo, Babu
Ba"boo, Ba"bu (?), n. [Hind. b\'beb ] A Hindoo gentleman; native clerk
who writes English; also, a Hindoo title answering to Mr. or Esquire.
Whitworth.
Baboon
Bab*oon" (?), n. [OE. babewin, baboin, fr.F. babouin, or LL.
babewynus. Of unknown origin; cf. D. baviaan, G. pavian, baboon, F.
babin lip of ape, dogs, etc., dial. G. b\'84ppe mouth.] (Zo\'94l.) One
of the Old World Quadrumana, of the genera Cynocephalus and Papio; the
dog-faced ape. Baboons have dog-like muzzles and large canine teeth,
cheek pouches, a short tail, and naked callosities on the buttocks.
They are mostly African. See Mandrill, and Chacma, and Drill an ape.
Baboonery
Bab*oon"ery (?), n. Baboonish behavior. Marryat.
Baboonish
Bab*oon"ish, a. Like a baboon.
Baby
Ba"by (?), n.; pl. Babies. [Dim. of babe] An infant or young child of
either sex; a babe.
2. A small image of an infant; a doll.
Babies in the eyes, the minute reflection which one sees of one's self
in the eyes of another.
She clung about his neck, gave him ten kisses, Toyed with his
locks, looked babies in his eyes. Heywood.
Baby
Ba"by, a. Pertaining to, or resembling, an infant; young or little;
as, baby swans. "Baby figure" Shak.
Baby
Ba"by, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Babied (p. pr. & vb. n.Babying.] To treat
like a young child; to keep dependent; to humor; to fondle. Young.
Baby farm
Ba"by farm` (?). A place where the nourishment and care of babies are
offered for hire.
Baby farmer
Ba"by farm`er (?). One who keeps a baby farm.
Baby farming
Ba"by farm`ing. The business of keeping a baby farm.
Babyhood
Ba"by*hood (?), n. The state or period of infancy.
Babyhouse
Ba"by*house` (?), a. A place for children's dolls and dolls'
furniture. Swift.
Babyish
Ba"by*ish, a. Like a baby; childish; puerile; simple. -- Ba"by*ish*ly,
adv. -- Ba"by*ish*ness, n.
Babyism
Ba"by*ism (?), n.
1. The state of being a baby.
2. A babyish manner of acting or speaking.
Baby jumper
Ba"by jump`er (?). A hoop suspended by an elastic strap, in which a
young child may be held secure while amusing itself by jumping on the
floor.
Babylonian
Bab`y*lo"ni*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to the real or to the mystical
Babylon, or to the ancient kingdom of Babylonia; Chaldean.
Babylonian
Bab`y*lo"ni*an, n.
1. An inhabitant of Babylonia (which included Chaldea); a Chaldean.
2. An astrologer; -- so called because the Chaldeans were remarkable
for the study of astrology.
Babylonic, Babylonical
Bab`y*lon"ic (?), Bab`y*lon"ic*al (?), a.
1. Pertaining to Babylon, or made there; as Babylonic
garments,carpets, or hangings.
2. Tumultuous; disorderly. [Obs.] Sir J. Harrington.
Babylonish
Bab"y*lo`nish (?), n.
1. Of or pertaining to, or made in, Babylon or Babylonia. "A
Babylonish garment." Josh. vii. 21.
2. Pertaining to the Babylon of Revelation xiv.8.
3. Pertaining to Rome and papal power. [Obs.]
The . . . injurious nickname of Babylonish. Gape.
4. Confused; Babel-like.
Babyroussa, Babyrussa
Bab`y*rous"sa, Bab`y*rus"sa (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Babyroussa.
Babyship
Ba"by*ship (?), n. The quality of being a baby; the personality of an
infant.
Bac
Bac (?), n. [F. See Back a vat]
1. A broad, flatbottomed ferryboat, usually worked by a rope.
2. A vat or cistern. See 1st Back.
Baccalaureate
Bac"ca*lau"re*ate (?), n. [NL. baccalaureatus, fr.LL. baccalaureus a
bachelor of arts, fr. baccalarius, but as if fr L. bacca lauri
bayberry, from the practice of the bachelor's wearing a garland of
bayberries. See Bachelor.]
1. The degree of bachelor of arts. (B.A. or A.B.), the first or lowest
academical degree conferred by universities and colleges.
2. A baccalaureate sermon. [U.S.]
Baccalaureate
Bac`ca*lau"re*ate, a. Pertaining to a bachelor of arts. Baccalaureate
sermon, in some American colleges, a sermon delivered as a farewell
discourse to a graduating class.
Baccara, Baccarat
Bac`ca*ra", Bac`ca*rat" (?), n. [F.] A French game of cards, played by
a banker and punters.
Baccare, Backare
Bac*ca"re, Bac*ka"re (?), interj. Stand back! give place! -- a cant
word of the Elizabethan writers, probably in ridicule of some person
who pretended to a knowledge of Latin which he did not possess.
Baccare! you are marvelous forward. Shak.
Baccate
Bac"cate (?), a. [L. baccatus, fr. L. bacca berry.] (Bot.) Pulpy
throughout, like a berry; -- said of fruits. Gray.
Baccated
Bac"ca*ted (?), a.
1. Having many berries.
2. Set or adorned with pearls. [Obs.]
Bacchanal
Bac"cha*nal (?), a. [L. Bacchanalis. See Bacchanalia.]
1. Relating to Bacchus or his festival.
2. Engaged in drunken revels; drunken and riotous or noisy.
Bacchanal
Bac"cha*nal (?), n.
1. A devotee of Bacchus; one who indulges in drunken revels; one who
is noisy and riotous when intoxicated; a carouser. "Tipsy bacchanals."
Shak.
2. pl. The festival of Bacchus; the bacchanalia.
3. Drunken revelry; an orgy.
4. A song or dance in honor of Bacchus.
Bacchanalia
Bac`cha*na"li*a (?), n. pl. [L. Bacchanal a place devoted to Bacchus;
in the pl. Bacchanalia a feast of Bacchus, fr. Bacchus the god of
wine, Gr.
1. (Myth.) A feast or an orgy in honor of Bacchus.
2. Hence: A drunken feast; drunken reveler.
Bacchanalian
Bac`cha*na"li*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to the festival of Bacchus;
relating to or given to reveling and drunkenness.
Even bacchanalian madness has its charms. Cowper.
Bacahanalian
Bac`aha*na"li*an, n. A bacchanal; a drunken reveler.
Bacchanalianism
Bac`cha*na"li*an*ism (?), n. The practice of bacchanalians;
bacchanals; drunken revelry.
Bacchant
Bac"chant (?), n.; pl. E. Bacchants, L. Bacchantes. [L. bacchans,
-antis, p. pr. of bacchari to celebrate the festival of Bacchus.]
1. A priest of Bacchus.
2. A bacchanal; a reveler. Croly.
Bacchant
Bac"chant, a. Bacchanalian; fond of drunken revelry; wine-loving;
reveling; carousing. Byron.
Bacchante
Bac"chante (?), n.; L. pl. Bacchantes.
1. A priestess of Bacchus.
2. A female bacchanal.
Bacchantic
Bac*chan"tic (?), a. Bacchanalian.
Bacchic, Bacchical
Bac"chic (?), Bac"chic*al (?), a. [L. Bacchicus, Gr. Of or relating to
Bacchus; hence, jovial, or riotous,with intoxication.
Bacchius
Bac*chi"us (?), n.; pl. Bacchii. [L. Bacchius pes, Gr. (Pros.) A
metrical foot composed of a short syllable and two long ones;
according to some, two long and a short.
Bacchus
Bac"chus (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. (Myth.) The god of wine, son of Jupiter
and Semele.
Bacciferous
Bac*cif"er*ous (?), a. [L. baccifer; bacca berry + ferre to bear]
Producing berries. " Bacciferous trees." Ray.
Bacciform
Bac"ci*form (?), a. [L. bacca berry + -form. ] Having the form of a
berry.
Baccivorous
Bac*civ"o*rous (?), a. [L. bacca berry + varare to devour.] (Zo\'94l.)
Eating, or subsisting on, berries; as, baccivorous birds.
Bace
Bace (?), n., a., & v. See Base. [Obs.] Spenser.
Bacharach, Backarack
Bach"a*rach, Back"a*rack (?), n. A kind of wine made at Bacharach on
the Rhine.
Bacheelor
Bache"e*lor (?), n. [OF. bacheler young man, F. bachelier (cf.Pr.
bacalar, Sp.bachiller, Pg. bacharel, It. baccalare), LL. baccalarius
the tenant of a kind of farm called baccalaria, a soldier not old or
rich enough to lead his retainers into battle with a banner, person of
an inferior academical degree aspiring to a doctorate. In the latter
sense, it was afterward changed to baccalaureus. See Baccalaureate,
n.]
1. A man of any age who has not been married.
As merry and mellow an old bachelor as ever followed a hound. W.
Irving.
2. An unmarried woman. [Obs.] B. Jonson. <-- p. 110 -->
3. A person who has taken the first or lowest degree in the liberal
arts, or in some branch of science, at a college or university; as, a
bachelor of arts.
4. A knight who had no standard of his own, but fought under the
standard of another in the field; often, a young knight.
5. In the companies of London tradesmen, one not yet admitted to wear
the livery; a junior member. [Obs.]
6. (Zo\'94l.) A kind of bass, an edible fresh-water fish (Pomoxys
annularis) of the southern United States.
Bachelordom
Bach"e*lor*dom (?), n. The state of bachelorhood; the whole body of
bachelors.
Bachelorhood
Bach"e*lor*hood (?), n. The state or condition of being a bachelor;
bachelorship.
Bachelorism
Bach"e*lor*ism (?), n. Bachelorhood; also, a manner or peculiarity
belonging to bachelors. W. Irving.
Bachelor's button
Bach"e*lor's but"ton (?), (Bot.) A plant with flowers shaped like
buttons; especially, several species of Ranunculus, and the cornflower
(Centaures cyanus) and globe amaranth (Gomphrena).
NOTE: &hand; Ba chelor's bu ttons, a name given to several flowers
"from their similitude to the jagged cloathe buttons, anciently
worne in this kingdom", according to Johnson's Gerarde, p.472
(1633); but by other writers ascribed to "a habit of country
fellows to carry them in their pockets to divine their success with
their sweethearts." Dr. Prior.
Bachelorship
Bach"e*lor*ship, n. The state of being a bachelor.
Bachelry
Bach"el*ry (?), n. [OF. bachelerie.] The body of young aspirants for
knighthood. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bacillar
Ba*cil"lar (?), a. [L. bacillum little staff.] (Biol.) Shaped like a
rod or staff.
Bacillari\'91
Bac"il*la`ri*\'91 (?), n. pl. [NL., fr.L. bacillum, dim. of baculum
stick.] (Biol.) See Diatom.
Bacillary
Bac"il*la*ry (?), a. Of or pertaining to little rods; rod-shaped.
Bacilliform
Ba*cil"li*form (?), a. [L. bacillum little staff + -form.] Rod-shaped.
Bacillus
Ba*cil"lus (?), n.; pl. Bacilli (. [NL., for L. bacillum. See
Bacillarle.] (Biol.) A variety of bacterium; a microscopic, rod-shaped
vegetable organism.
Back
Back (?), n. [F. bac: cf. Arm. bak tray, bowl.]
1. A large shallow vat; a cistern, tub, or trough, used by brewers,
distillers, dyers, picklers, gluemakers, and others, for mixing or
cooling wort, holding water, hot glue, etc.
Hop back, Jack back, the cistern which receives the infusion of malt
and hops from the copper. -- Wash back, a vat in which distillers
ferment the wort to form wash. -- Water back, a cistern to hold a
supply of water; esp. a small cistern at the back of a stove, or a
group of pipes set in the fire box of a stove or furnace, through
which water circulates and is heated.
2. A ferryboat. See Bac, 1
Back
Back (?), n. [As b\'91c, bac; akin to Icel., Sw., & LG. bak, Dan. bag;
cf. OHG. bahho ham, Skr. bhaj to turn, OSlav. b flight. Cf. Bacon.]
1. In human beings, the hinder part of the body, extending from the
neck to the end of the spine; in other animals, that part of the body
which corresponds most nearly to such part of a human being; as, the
back of a horse, fish, or lobster.
2. An extended upper part, as of a mountain or ridge.
[The mountains] their broad bare backs upheave Into the clouds.
Milton.
3. The outward or upper part of a thing, as opposed to the inner or
lower part; as, the back of the hand, the back of the foot, the back
of a hand rail.
Methought Love pitying me, when he saw this, Gave me your hands,
the backs and palms to kiss. Donne.
4. The part opposed to the front; the hinder or rear part of a thing;
as, the back of a book; the back of an army; the back of a chimney.
5. The part opposite to, or most remote from, that which fronts the
speaker or actor; or the part out of sight, or not generally seen; as,
the back of an island, of a hill, or of a village.
6. The part of a cutting tool on the opposite side from its edge; as,
the back of a knife, or of a saw.
7. A support or resource in reserve.
This project Should have a back or second, that might hold, If this
should blast in proof. Shak.
8. (Naut.) The keel and keelson of a ship.
9. (Mining) The upper part of a lode, or the roof of a horizontal
underground passage.
10. A garment for the back; hence, clothing.
A bak to walken inne by daylight. Chaucer.
Behind one's back, when one is absent; without one's knowledge; as, to
ridicule a person behind his back. -- Full back, Half back, Quarter
back (Football), players stationed behind those in the front line. --
To be or lie on one's back, to be helpless. -- To put, or get, one's
back up, to assume an attitude of obstinate resistance (from the
action of a cat when attacked.). [Colloq.] -- To see the back of, to
get rid of. -- To turn the back, to go away; to flee. -- To turn the
back on one, to forsake or neglect him.
Back
Back, a.
1. Being at the back or in the rear; distant; remote; as, the back
door; back settlements.
2. Being in arrear; overdue; as, back rent.
3. Moving or operating backward; as, back action.
Back charges, charges brought forward after an account has been made
up. -- Back filling (Arch.), the mass of materials used in filling up
the space between two walls, or between the inner and outer faces of a
wall, or upon the haunches of an arch or vault. -- Back pressure.
(Steam Engine) See under Pressure. -- Back rest, a guide attached to
the slide rest of a lathe, and placed in contact with the work, to
steady it in turning. -- Back slang, a kind of slang in which every
word is written or pronounced backwards; as, nam for man. -- Back
stairs, stairs in the back part of a house; private stairs. Also used
adjectively. See Back stairs, Backstairs, and Backstair, in the
Vocabulary. -- Back step (Mil.), the retrograde movement of a man or
body of men, without changing front. -- Back stream, a current running
against the main current of a stream; an eddy. -- To take the back
track, to retrace one's steps; to retreat. [Colloq.]
Back
Back (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Backed (; p. pr. & vb. n. Backing.]
1. To get upon the back of; to mount.
I will back him [a horse] straight. Shak.
2. To place or seat upon the back. [R.]
Great Jupiter, upon his eagle backed, Appeared to me. Shak.
3. To drive or force backward; to cause to retreat or recede; as, to
back oxen.
4. To make a back for; to furnish with a back; as, to back books.
5. To adjoin behind; to be at the back of.
A garden . . . with a vineyard backed. Shak.
The chalk cliffs which back the beach. Huxley.
6. To write upon the back of; as, to back a letter; to indorse; as, to
back a note or legal document.
7. To support; to maintain; to second or strengthen by aid or
influence; as, to back a friend. "Parliament would be backed by the
people." Macaulay.
Have still found it necessary to back and fortify their laws with
rewards and punishments. South.
The mate backed the captain manfully. Blackw. Mag.
8. To bet on the success of; -- as, to back a race horse.
To back an anchor (Naut.), to lay down a small anchor ahead of a large
one, the cable of the small one being fastened to the crown of the
large one. -- To back the field, in horse racing, to bet against a
particular horse or horses, that some one of all the other horses,
collectively designated "the field", will win. -- To back the oars, to
row backward with the oars. -- To back a rope, to put on a preventer.
-- To back the sails, to arrange them so as to cause the ship to move
astern. -- To back up, to support; to sustain; as, to back up one's
friends. -- To back a warrant (Law), is for a justice of the peace, in
the county where the warrant is to be executed, to sign or indorse a
warrant, issued in another county, to apprehend an offender. -- To
back water (Naut.), to reverse the action of the oars, paddles, or
propeller, so as to force the boat or ship backward.
Back
Back, v. i.
1. To move or go backward; as, the horse refuses to back.
2. (Naut.) To change from one quarter to another by a course opposite
to that of the sun; -- used of the wind.
3. (Sporting) To stand still behind another dog which has poined; --
said of a dog. [Eng.]
To back and fill, to manage the sails of a ship so that the wind
strikes them alternately in front and behind, in order to keep the
ship in the middle of a river or channel while the current or tide
carries the vessel against the wind. Hence: (Fig.) To take opposite
positions alternately; to assert and deny. [Colloq.] -- To back out,
To back down, to retreat or withdraw from a promise, engagement, or
contest; to recede. [Colloq.]
Cleon at first . . . was willing to go; but, finding that he
[Nicias] was in earnest, he tried to back out. Jowett (Thucyd. )
Back
Back, adv. [Shortened from aback.]
1. In, to, or toward, the rear; as, to stand back; to step back.
2. To the place from which one came; to the place or person from which
something is taken or derived; as, to go back for something left
behind; to go back to one's native place; to put a book back after
reading it.
3. To a former state, condition, or station; as, to go back to private
life; to go back to barbarism.
4. ( Of time) In times past; ago. "Sixty or seventy years back."
Gladstone.
5. Away from contact; by reverse movement.
The angel of the Lord . . . came, and rolled back the stone from
the door. Matt. xxvii. 2.
6. In concealment or reserve; in one's own possession; as, to keep
back the truth; to keep back part of the money due to another.
7. In a state of restraint or hindrance.
The Lord hath kept thee back from honor. Numb. xxiv. 11.
8. In return, repayment, or requital.
What have I to give you back! Shak.
9. In withdrawal from a statement, promise, or undertaking; as, he
took back0 the offensive words.
10. In arrear; as, to be back in one's rent. [Colloq.]
Back and forth, backwards and forwards; to and fro. -- To go back on,
to turn back from; to abandon; to betray; as, to go back on a friend;
to go back on one's professions. [Colloq.]
Backarack
Back"a*rack (?), n. See Bacharach.
Backare
Bac*ka"re (?), interj. Same as Baccare.
Backband
Back"band` (?), n. [2nd back ,n.+ band.] (Saddlery) The band which
passes over the back of a horse and holds up the shafts of a carriage.
Backbite
Back"bite`, v. i. [2nd back, n., + bite] To wound by clandestine
detraction; to censure meanly or spitefully (as absent person); to
slander or speak evil of (one absent). Spenser.
Backbite
Back"bite`, v. i. To censure or revile the absent.
They are arrant knaves, and will backbite. Shak.
Backbiter
Back"bit`er (?), n. One who backbites; a secret calumniator or
detractor.
Backbiting
Back"bit`ing (?), n. Secret slander; detraction.
Backbiting, and bearing of false witness. Piers Plowman.
Backboard
Back"board` (?), n. [2nd back, n. + board.]
1. A board which supports the back wen one is sitting;
NOTE: specifically, the board athwart the after part of a boat.
2. A board serving as the back part of anything, as of a wagon.
3. A thin stuff used for the backs of framed pictures, mirrors, etc.
4. A board attached to the rim of a water wheel to prevent the water
from running off the floats or paddies into the interior of the wheel.
W. Nicholson.
5. A board worn across the back to give erectness to the figure.
Thackeray.
Backbond
Back"bond` (?), n. [Back, adv. + bond.] (Scots Law) An instrument
which, in conjunction with another making an absolute disposition,
constitutes a trust.
Backbone
Back"bone", n. [2d back,n.+ bone. ]
1. The column of bones in the back which sustains and gives firmness
to the frame; the spine; the vertebral or spinal column.
2. Anything like , or serving the purpose of, a backbone.
The lofty mountains on the north side compose the granitic axis, or
backbone of the country. Darwin.
We have now come to the backbone of our subject. Earle.
3. Firmness; moral principle; steadfastness.
Shelley's thought never had any backbone. Shairp.
To the backbone, through and through; thoroughly; entirely. "Staunch
to the backbone." Lord Lytton.
Backboned
Back"boned" (?), a. Vertebrate.
Backcast
Back"cast` (?), n. [Back, adv.+ cast.] Anything which brings
misfortune upon one, or causes failure in an effort or enterprise; a
reverse. [Scot.]
Back door
Back" door" (?). A door in the back part of a building; hence, an
indirect way. Atterbury.
Backdoor
Back"door", a. Acting from behind and in concealment; as backdoor
intrigues.
Backdown
Back"down` (?), n. A receding or giving up; a complete surrender.
[Colloq.]
Backed
Backed (?), a. Having a back; fitted with a back; as, a backed
electrotype or stereotype plate. Used in composition; as, broad-
backed; hump-backed.
Backer
Back"er (?), n. One who, or that which, backs; especially one who
backs a person or thing in a contest.
Backfall
Back"fall` (?), n. [2nd back ,n. + fall] A fall or throw on the back
in wrestling.
Backfriend
Back"friend` (?), n. [Back,n.or adv. + friend] A secret enemy. [Obs.]
South.
Backgammon
Back"gam`mon (?), n. [Origin unknown; perhaps fr.Dan. bakke tray + E.
game; or very likely the first part is from E.back, adv., and the game
is so called because the men are often set back.] A game of chance and
skill, played by two persons on a "board" marked off into twenty-four
spaces called "points". Each player has fifteen pieces, or "men", the
movements of which from point to point are determined by throwing
dice. Formerly called tables. Backgammon board , a board for playing
backgammon, often made in the form of two rectangular trays hinged
together, each tray containing two "tables".
Backgammon
Back"gam`mon, v. i. In the game of backgammon, to beat by ending the
game before the loser is clear of his first "table".
Background
Back"ground` (?), n. [Back, a. + ground.]
1. Ground in the rear or behind, or in the distance, as opposed to the
foreground, or the ground in front.
2. (Paint.) The space which is behind and subordinate to a portrait or
group of figures.
NOTE: &hand; Th e di stance in a pi cture is usually divided into
foreground, middle distance, and background.
Fairholt.
3. Anything behind, serving as a foil; as, the statue had a background
of red hangings.
4. A place in obscurity or retirement, or out of sight.
I fancy there was a background of grinding and waiting before Miss
Torry could produce this highly finished . . . performance. Mrs.
Alexander.
A husband somewhere in the background. Thackeray.
Backhand
Back"hand` (?), n. [Back, adv. + hand.] A kind of handwriting in which
the downward slope of the letters is from left to right.
Backhand
Back"hand`, a.
1. Sloping from left to right; -- said of handwriting.
2. Backhanded; indirect; oblique. [R.]
Backhanded
Back"hand`ed, a.
1. With the hand turned backward; as, a backhanded blow.
2. Indirect; awkward; insincere; sarcastic; as, a backhanded
compliment.
3. Turned back, or inclining to the left; as, a backhanded letters.
Backhandedness
Back"hand`ed*ness, n. State of being backhanded; the using of
backhanded or indirect methods.
Backhander
Back"hand`er (?), n. A backhanded blow.
Backhouse
Back"house` (?), n. [Back, a. + house.] A building behind the main
building. Specifically: A privy; a necessary.
Backing
Back"ing, n.
1. The act of moving backward, or of putting or moving anything
backward.
2. That which is behind, and forms the back of, anything, usually
giving strength or stability.
3. Support or aid given to a person or cause.
4. (Bookbinding) The preparation of the back of a book with glue,
etc., before putting on the cover.
Backjoint
Back"joint` (?), n. [Back , a. or adv. + joint.] (Arch.) A rebate or
chase in masonry left to receive a permanent slab or other filling.
Backlash
Back"lash` (?), n. [Back , adv. + lash.] (Mech.) The distance through
which one part of connected machinery, as a wheel, piston, or screw,
can be moved without moving the connected parts, resulting from
looseness in fitting or from wear; also, the jarring or reflex motion
caused in badly fitting machinery by irregularities in velocity or a
reverse of motion.
Backless
Back"less, a. Without a back.
Backlog
Back"log` (?), n. [Back, a. + log.] A large stick of wood, forming the
of a fire on the hearth. [U.S.]
There was first a backlog, from fifteen to four and twenty inches
in diameter and five feet long, imbedded in the ashes. S. G.
Goodrich.
Backpiece, Backplate
Back"piece` (?), Back"plate` (?), n. [Back,n.or a. + piece, plate. ] A
piece, or plate which forms the back of anything, or which covers the
back; armor for the back. <-- p. 111 -->
Backrack, Backrag
Back"rack (?), Back"rag (?), n. See Bacharach.
Backs
Backs (?), n. pl. Among leather dealers, the thickest and stoutest
tanned hides.
Backsaw
Back"saw` (?), n. [2d back,n.+ saw.] A saw (as a tenon saw) whose
blade is stiffened by an added metallic back.
Backset
Back"set` (?), n. [Back, adv. + set.]
1. A check; a relapse; a discouragement; a setback.
2. Whatever is thrown back in its course, as water.
Slackwater, or the backset caused by the overflow. Harper's Mag.
Backset
Back"set`, v. i. To plow again, in the fall; -- said of prairie land
broken up in the spring. [Western U.S.]
Backsettler
Back"set"tler (?), n. [Back, a. + settler.] One living in the back or
outlying districts of a community.
The English backsettlers of Leinster and Munster. Macaulay.
Backsheesh, Backshish
Back"sheesh`, Back"shish` (?), n. [Pers. bakhsh\'c6sh, fr.
bakhsh\'c6dan to give.] In Egypt and the Turkish empire, a gratuity; a
"tip".
Backside
Back"side` (?), n. [Back, a. + side. ] The hinder part, posteriors, or
rump of a person or animal.
NOTE: &hand; Backside (one word) was formerly used of the rear part
or side of any thing or place, but in such senses is now two words.
Backsight
Back"sight` (?), n. [Back, adv. + sight. ] (Surv.) The reading of the
leveling staff in its unchanged position when the leveling instrument
has been taken to a new position; a sight directed backwards to a
station previously occupied. Cf. Foresight, n., 3.
Backslide
Back`slide" (?), v. i. [imp. Backslid (?); p.p. Backslidden (?),
Backslid; p. pr. & vb. n. Backsliding. ] [Back , adv.+ slide.] To
slide back; to fall away; esp. to abandon gradually the faith and
practice of a religion that has been professed.
Backslider
Back"slid"er (?), n. One who backslides.
Backsliding
Back"slid"ing, a. Slipping back; falling back into sin or error;
sinning.
Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord. Jer. iii. 14.
Backsliding
Back"slid"ing, n. The act of one who backslides; abandonment of faith
or duty.
Our backslidings are many. Jer. xiv. 7.
Backstaff
Back"staff` (?), n. An instrument formerly used for taking the
altitude of the heavenly bodies, but now superseded by the quadrant
and sextant; -- so called because the observer turned his back to the
body observed.
Back stairs
Back" stairs`. Stairs in the back part of a house, as distinguished
from the front stairs; hence, a private or indirect way.
Backstairs, Backstair
Back"stairs`, Back"stair`, a. Private; indirect; secret; intriguing;
as if finding access by the back stairs.
A backstairs influence. Burke.
Female caprice and backstairs influence. Trevelyan.
Backstay
Back"stay` (?), n. [Back, a. orn.+ stay.]
1. (Naut.) A rope or stay extending from the masthead to the side of a
ship, slanting a little aft, to assist the shrouds in supporting the
mast. [ Often used in the plural.]
2. A rope or strap used to prevent excessive forward motion.
Backster
Back"ster (?), n. [See Baxter.] A backer. [Obs.]
Backstitch
Back"stitch` (?), n. [Back, adv. + stitch.] A stitch made by setting
the needle back of the end of the last stitch, and bringing it out in
front of the end.
Backstitch
Back"stitch`, v. i. To sew with backstitches; as, to backstitch a
seam.
Backstress
Back"stress (?), n. A female baker. [Obs.]
Backsword
Back"sword` (?), n. [2d back,n.+ sword.]
1. A sword with one sharp edge.
2. In England, a stick with a basket handle, used in rustic
amusements; also, the game in which the stick is used. Also called
singlestick. Halliwell.
Backward, Backwards
Back"ward (?), Back"wards (?), adv. [Back, adv. + -ward.]
1. With the back in advance or foremost; as, to ride backward.
2. Toward the back; toward the rear; as, to throw the arms backward.
3. On the back, or with the back downward.
Thou wilt fall backward. Shak.
4. Toward, or in, past time or events; ago.
Some reigns backward. Locke.
5. By way of reflection; reflexively. Sir J. Davies.
6. From a better to a worse state, as from honor to shame, from
religion to sin.
The work went backward. Dryden.
7. In a contrary or reverse manner, way, or direction; contrarily; as,
to read backwards.
We might have . . . beat them backward home. Shak.
Backward
Back"ward, a.
1. Directed to the back or rear; as, backward glances.
2. Unwilling; averse; reluctant; hesitating; loath.
For wiser brutes were backward to be slaves. Pope.
3. Not well advanced in learning; not quick of apprehension; dull;
inapt; as, a backward child. "The backward learner." South.
4. Late or behindhand; as, a backward season.
5. Not advanced in civilization; undeveloped; as, the country or
region is in a backward state.
6. Already past or gone; bygone. [R.]
And flies unconscious o'er each backward year. Byron.
Backward
Back"ward, n. The state behind or past. [Obs.]
In the dark backward and abysm of time. Shak.
Backward
Back"ward, v. i. To keep back; to hinder. [Obs.]
Backwardation
Back`war*da"tion (?), n. [Backward, v.i.+ -ation.] (Stock Exchange)
The seller's postponement of delivery of stock or shares, with the
consent of the buyer, upon payment of a premium to the latter; --
also, the premium so paid. See Contango. Biddle.
Backwardly
Back"ward*ly (?), adv.
1. Reluctantly; slowly; aversely. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney.
2. Perversely; ill.[Obs.]
And does he think so backwardly of me? Shak.
Backwardness
Back"ward*ness, n. The state of being backward.
Backwash
Back"wash` (?), v. i. To clean the oil from (wood) after combing.
Backwater
Back"wa`ter (?), n. [Back, a. or adv. + -ward. ]
1. Water turned back in its course by an obstruction, an opposing
current , or the flow of the tide, as in a sewer or river channel, or
across a river bar.
2. An accumulation of water overflowing the low lands, caused by an
obstruction.
3. Water thrown back by the turning of a waterwheel, or by the paddle
wheels of a steamer.
Backwoods
Back"woods" (?), n. pl. [Back, a. + woods.] The forests or partly
cleared grounds on the frontiers.
Backwoodsman
Back"woods"man (?), n.; pl. Backwoodsmen (. A men living in the forest
in or beyond the new settlements, especially on the western frontiers
of the older portions of the United States. Fisher Ames.
Backworm
Back"worm` (?), n. [2d back,n.+ worm. ] A disease of hawks. See
Filanders. Wright.
Bacon
Ba"con (?), n. [OF. bacon, fr. OHG. bacho, bahho, flitch of bacon,
ham; akin to E. back. Cf. Back the back side.] The back and sides of a
pig salted and smoked; formerly, the flesh of a pig salted or fresh.
Bacon beetle (Zo\'94l.), a beetle (Dermestes lardarius) which,
especially in the larval state, feeds upon bacon, woolens, furs, etc.
See Dermestes. -- To save one's bacon, to save one's self or property
from harm or less. [Colloq.]
Baconian
Ba*co"ni*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Lord Bacon, or to his system
of philosophy. Baconian method, the inductive method. See Induction.
Bacteria
Bac*te"ri*a (?), n.p. See Bacterium.
Bacterial
Bac*te"ri*al (?), a. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to bacteria.
Bactericidal
Bac*te"ri*ci`dal (?), a. Destructive of bacteria.
Bactericide
Bac*te"ri*cide (?), n. [Bacterium + L. caedere to kill] (Biol.) Same
as Germicide.
Bacteriological
Bac*te"ri*o*log`ic*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to bacteriology; as,
bacteriological studies.
Bacteriologist
Bac*te"ri*ol`o*gist, n. One skilled in bacteriology.
Bacteriology
Bac*te"ri*ol`o*gy (?), n. [Bacterium + -logy. ] (Biol.) The science
relating to bacteria.
Bacterioscopic
Bac*te`ri*o*scop"ic (?), a. (Biol.) Relating to bacterioscopy; as, a
bacterioscopic examination.
Bacterioscopist
Bac*te`ri*os"co*pist (?), n. (Biol.) One skilled in bacterioscopic
examinations.
Bacterioscopy
Bac*te`ri*os"co*py (?), n. [Bacterium + -scopy ] (Biol.) The
application of a knowledge of bacteria for their detection and
identification, as in the examination of polluted water.
Bacterium
Bac*te"ri*um (?), n.; pl. Bacteria (#). [NL., fr. Gr., , a staff: cf.
F. bact\'82rie. ] (Biol.) A microscopic vegetable organism, belonging
to the class Alg\'91, usually in the form of a jointed rodlike
filament, and found in putrefying organic infusions. Bacteria are
destitute of chlorophyll, and are the smallest of microscopic
organisms. They are very widely diffused in nature, and multiply with
marvelous rapidity, both by fission and by spores. Certain species are
active agents in fermentation, while others appear to be the cause of
certain infectious diseases. See Bacillus.
Bacteroid, Bacteroidal
Bac"te*roid (?), Bac`te*roid"al (?), a. [Bacterium + -oid.] (Biol.)
Resembling bacteria; as, bacteroid particles.
Bactrian
Bac"tri*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Bactria in Asia. -- n. A native
of Bactria. Bactrian camel, the two-humped camel.
Bacule
Bac"ule (?), n. [F.] (Fort.) See Bascule.
Baculine
Bac"u*line (?), a. [L. baculum staff.] Of or pertaining to the rod or
punishment with the rod.
Baculite
Bac"u*lite (?), n. [L. baculune stick, staff; cf. F. baculite.]
(Paleon.) A cephalopod of the extinct genus Baculites, found fossil in
the Cretaceous rocks. It is like an uncoiled ammonite.
Baculometry
Bac`u*lom"e*try (?), n. [L. baculum staff + -metry] Measurement of
distance or altitude by a staff or staffs.
Bad
Bad (?), imp. of Bid. Bade. [Obs.] Dryden.
Bad
Bad (?), a. [Compar. Worse (?); superl. Worst (?). ] [Probably fr. AS.
b\'91ddel hermaphrodite; cf. b\'91dling effeminate fellow.] Wanting
good qualities, whether physical or moral; injurious, hurtful,
inconvenient, offensive, painful, unfavorable, or defective, either
physically or morally; evil; vicious; wicked; -- the opposite of good;
as a bad man; bad conduct; bad habits; bad soil; bad health; bad crop;
bad news.
NOTE: Sometimes used substantively.
The strong antipathy of good to bad. Pope.
Syn. -- Pernicious; deleterious; noxious; baneful; injurious; hurtful;
evil; vile; wretched; corrupt; wicked; vicious; imperfect.
Badder
Bad"der (?), compar. of Bad, a. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Badderlocks
Bad"der*locks (?), n. [Perh. for Balderlocks, fr. Balder the
Scandinavian deity.] (Bot.) A large black seaweed (Alaria esculenta)
sometimes eaten in Europe; -- also called murlins, honeyware, and
henware.
Baddish
Bad"dish, a. Somewhat bad; inferior. Jeffrey.
Bade
Bade (?). A form of the pat tense of Bid.
Badge
Badge (?), n. [LL. bagea, bagia, sign, prob. of German origin; cf. AS.
be\'a0g, be\'a0h, bracelet, collar, crown, OS b in comp., AS. b to
bow, bend, G. biegen. See Bow to bend.]
1. A distinctive mark, token, sign, or cognizance, worn on the person;
as, the badge of a society; the badge of a policeman. "Tax gatherers,
recognized by their official badges. " Prescott.
2. Something characteristic; a mark; a token.
Sweet mercy is nobility's true badge. Shak.
3. (Naut.) A carved ornament on the stern of a vessel, containing a
window or the representation of one.
Badge
Badge (?), v. t. To mark or distinguish with a badge.
Badgeless
Badge"less, a. Having no badge. Bp. Hall.
Badger
Badg"er (?), n. [Of uncertain origin; perh. fr. an old verb badge to
lay up provisions to sell again.] An itinerant licensed dealer in
commodities used for food; a hawker; a huckster; -- formerly applied
especially to one who bought grain in one place and sold it in
another. [Now dialectic, Eng.]
Badger
Badg"er, n. [OE. bageard, prob. fr. badge + -ard, in reference to the
white mark on its forehead. See Badge,n.]
1. A carnivorous quadruped of the genus Meles or of an allied genus.
It is a burrowing animal, with short, thick legs, and long claws on
the fore feet. One species (M. vulgaris), called also brock, inhabits
the north of Europe and Asia; another species (Taxidea Americana or
Labradorica) inhabits the northern parts of North America. See Teledu.
2. A brush made of badgers' hair, used by artists.
Badger dog. (Zo\'94l.) See Dachshund.
Badger
Badg"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Badgered (p. pr. & vb. n. Badgering.]
[For sense 1, see 2d Badger; for 2, see 1st Badger.]
1. To tease or annoy, as a badger when baited; to worry or irritate
persistently.
2. To beat down; to cheapen; to barter; to bargain.
Badgerer
Badg"er*er (?), n.
1. One who badgers.
2. A kind of dog used in badger baiting.
Badgering
Badg"er*ing, n.
1. The act of one who badgers.
2. The practice of buying wheat and other kinds of food in one place
and selling them in another for a profit. [Prov. Eng.]
Badger-legged
Badg"er-legged` (?), a. Having legs of unequal length, as the badger
was thought to have. Shak.
Badiaga
Bad`i*a"ga (?), n. [Russ. badiaga.] (Zo\'94l.) A fresh-water sponge
(Spongilla), common in the north of Europe, the powder of which is
used to take away the livid marks of bruises.
Badian
Ba"di*an (?), n. [F.badiane, fr. Per. b\'bedi\'ben anise.] (Bot.) An
evergreen Chinese shrub of the Magnolia family (Illicium anisatum),
and its aromatic seeds; Chinese anise; star anise.
Badigeon
Ba*di"geon (?), n. [F.] A cement or paste (as of plaster and
freestone, or of sawdust and glue or lime) used by sculptors,
builders, and workers in wood or stone, to fill holes, cover defects,
or finish a surface.
Badinage
Ba`di`nage" (?), n. [F., fr. badiner to joke, OF. to trifle, be silly,
fr. badin silly.] Playful raillery; banter. "He . . . indulged himself
only in an elegant badinage." Warburton.
Bad lands
Bad" lands" (?). Barren regions, especially in the western United
States, where horizontal strata (Tertiary deposits) have been often
eroded into fantastic forms, and much intersected by canons, and where
lack of wood, water, and forage increases the difficulty of traversing
the country, whence the name, first given by the Canadian French,
Mauvaises Terres (bad lands).
Badly
Bad"ly, adv. In a bad manner; poorly; not well; unskillfully;
imperfectly; unfortunately; grievously; so as to cause harm;
disagreeably; seriously.
NOTE: &hand; Badly is often used colloquially for very much or very
greatly, with words signifying to want or need.
Badminton
Bad"min*ton (?), n. [From the name of the seat of the Duke of Beaufort
in England.]
1. A game, similar to lawn tennis, played with shuttlecocks.
2. A preparation of claret, spiced and sweetened.
Badness
Bad"ness, n. The state of being bad.
B\'91nomere
B\'91"no*mere (?), n. [Gr. to walk + -mere.] (Zo\'94l.) One of the
somites (arthromeres) that make up the thorax of Arthropods. Packard.
B\'91nopod
B\'91"no*pod (?), n. [Gr. -pod.] (Zo\'94l.) One of the thoracic legs
of Arthropods.
B\'91nosome
B\'91"no*some (?), n. [Gr. -some body.] (Zo\'94l.) The thorax of
Arthropods. Packard.
Baff
Baff (?), n. A blow; a stroke. [Scot.] H. Miller.
Baffle
Baf"fle (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Baffled (p. pr. & vb. n. Baffling (.]
[Cf. Lowland Scotch bauchle to treat contemptuously, bauch tasteless,
abashed, jaded, Icel. b\'begr uneasy, poor, or b\'begr, n., struggle,
b\'91gja to push, treat harshly, OF. beffler, beffer, to mock,
deceive, dial. G. b\'84ppe mouth, beffen to bark, chide.]
1. To cause to undergo a disgraceful punishment, as a recreant knight.
[Obs.]
He by the heels him hung upon a tree, And baffled so, that all
which passed by The picture of his punishment might see. Spenser.
2. To check by shifts and turns; to elude; to foil.
The art that baffles time's tyrannic claim. Cowper.
3. To check by perplexing; to disconcert, frustrate, or defeat; to
thwart. "A baffled purpose." De Quincey.
A suitable scripture ready to repel and baffle them all. South.
Calculations so difficult as to have baffled, until within a . . .
recent period, the most enlightened nations. Prescott.
The mere intricacy of a question should not baffle us. Locke.
Baffling wind (Naut.), one that frequently shifts from one point to
another. Syn. -- To balk; thwart; foil; frustrate; defeat.
Baffle
Baf"fle, v. i.
1. To practice deceit. [Obs.] Barrow.
2. To struggle against in vain; as, a ship baffles with the winds.
[R.]
Baffle
Baf"fle, n. A defeat by artifice, shifts, and turns; discomfiture.
[R.] "A baffle to philosophy." South.
Bafflement
Baf"fle*ment (?), n. The process or act of baffling, or of being
baffled; frustration; check.
Baffler
Baf"fler (?), n. One who, or that which, baffles. <-- p. 112 -->
Baffling
Baf"fling (?), a. Frustrating; discomfiting; disconcerting; as,
baffling currents, winds, tasks. -- Bafflingly, adv. -- Bafflingness,
n.
Baft
Baft (?). n. Same as Bafta.
Bafta
Baf"ta (?), n. [Cf. Per. baft. woven, wrought.] A coarse stuff,
usually of cotton, originally made in India. Also, an imitation of
this fabric made for export.
Bag
Bag (?), n. [OE. bagge; cf. Icel. baggi, and also OF. bague, bundle,
LL. baga.]
1. A sack or pouch, used for holding anything; as, a bag of meal or of
money.
2. A sac, or dependent gland, in animal bodies, containing some fluid
or other substance; as, the bag of poison in the mouth of some
serpents; the bag of a cow.
3. A sort of silken purse formerly tied about men's hair behind, by
way of ornament. [Obs.]
4. The quantity of game bagged.
5. (Com.) A certain quantity of a commodity, such as it is customary
to carry to market in a sack; as, a bag of pepper or hops; a bag of
coffee.
Bag and baggage, all that belongs to one. -- To give one the bag, to
disappoint him. [Obs.] Bunyan.
Bag
Bag, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bagged(p. pr. & vb. n. Bagging]
1. To put into a bag; as, to bag hops.
2. To seize, capture, or entrap; as, to bag an army; to bag game.
3. To furnish or load with a bag or with a well filled bag.
A bee bagged with his honeyed venom. Dryden.
Bag
Bag, v. i.
1. To swell or hang down like a full bag; as, the skin bags from
containing morbid matter.
2. To swell with arrogance. [Obs.] Chaucer.
3. To become pregnant. [Obs.] Warner. (Alb. Eng. ).
Bagasse
Ba*gasse" (?), n. [F.] Sugar cane, as it
Bagatelle
Bag`a*telle" (?), n. [F., fr. It. bagatella; cf. Prov. It. bagata
trifle, OF. bague, Pr. bagua, bundle. See Bag, n.]
1. A trifle; a thing of no importance.
Rich trifles, serious bagatelles. Prior.
2. A game played on an oblong board, having, at one end, cups or
arches into or through which balls are to be driven by a rod held in
the hand of the player.
Baggage
Bag"gage (?), n. [F. bagage, from OF. bague bungle. In senses 6 and 7
cf. F. bagasse a prostitute. See Bag, n.]
1. The clothes, tents, utensils, and provisions of an army.
NOTE: &hand; "T he term itself is made to apply chiefly to articles
of clothing and to small personal effects."
Farrow.
2. The trunks, valises, satchels, etc., which a traveler carries with
him on a journey; luggage.
The baronet's baggage on the roof of the coach. Thackeray.
We saw our baggage following below. Johnson.
NOTE: &hand; The English usually call this luggage.
3. Purulent matter. [Obs.] Barrough.
4. Trashy talk. [Obs.] Ascham.
5. A man of bad character. [Obs.] Holland.
6. A woman of loose morals; a prostitute.
A disreputable, daring, laughing, painted French baggage.
Thackeray.
7. A romping, saucy girl. [Playful] Goldsmith.
Baggage master
Bag"gage mas`ter (?). One who has charge of the baggage at a railway
station or upon a line of public travel. [U.S.]
Baggager
Bag"ga*ger (?), n. One who takes care of baggage; a camp follower.
[Obs.] Sir W. Raleigh.
Baggala
Bag"ga*la (?), n. [Ar. "fem. of baghl a mule." Balfour.] (Naut.) A
two-masted Arab or Indian trading vessel, used in Indian Ocean.
Baggily
Bag"gi*ly (?), adv. In a loose, baggy way.
Bagging
Bag"ging, n.
1. Cloth or other material for bags.
2. The act of putting anything into, or as into, a bag.
3. The act of swelling; swelling.
Bagging
Bag"ging, n. [Etymol. uncertain.] Reaping peas, beans, wheat, etc.,
with a chopping stroke. [Eng.]
Baggy
Bag"gy (?), a. Resembling a bag; loose or puffed out, or pendent, like
a bag; flabby; as, baggy trousers; baggy cheeks.
Bagman
Bag"man (?), n.; pl. Bagmen (. A commercial traveler; one employed to
solicit orders for manufacturers and tradesmen. Thackeray.
Bag net
Bag" net` (?). A bag-shaped net for catching fish.
Bagnio
Bagn"io (?), n. [It. bagno, fr. L. balneum. Cf. Bain.]
1. A house for bathing, sweating, etc.; -- also, in Turkey, a prison
for slaves. [Obs.]
2. A brothel; a stew; a house of prostitution.
Bagpipe
Bag"pipe (?), n. A musical wind instrument, now used chiefly in the
Highlands of Scotland.
NOTE: &hand; It co nsists of a leather bag, which receives the air
by a tube that is stopped by a valve; and three sounding pipes,
into which the air is pressed by the performer. Two of these pipes
produce fixed tones, namely, the bass, or key tone, and its fifth,
and form together what is called the drone; the third, or chanter,
gives the melody.
Bagpipe
Bag"pipe, v. t. To make to look like a bagpipe. To bagpipe the mizzen
(Naut.), to lay it aback by bringing the sheet to the mizzen rigging.
Totten.
Bagpiper
Bag"pip`er (?), n. One who plays on a bagpipe; a piper. Shak.
Bagreef
Bag"reef` (?), n. [Bag + reef.] (Naut.) The lower reef of fore and aft
sails; also, the upper reef of topsails. Ham. Nav. Encyc.
Bague
Bague (?), n. [F., a ring] (Arch.) The annular molding or group of
moldings dividing a long shaft or clustered column into two or more
parts.
Baguet, Baguette
Ba*guet", Ba*guette" (?), n. [F. baguette, prop. a rodbacchetta, fr.
L. baculum, baculu stick, staff.]
1. (Arch.) A small molding, like the astragal, but smaller; a bead.
2. (Zo\'94l) One of the minute bodies seen in the divided nucleoli of
some Infusoria after conjugation.
Bagwig
Bag"wig" (?), n. A wig, in use in the 18th century, with the hair at
the back of the head in a bag.
Bagworm
Bag"worm` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) One of several lepidopterous insects
which construct, in the larval state, a baglike case which they carry
about for protection. One species (Plat\'d2ceticus Gloveri) feeds on
the orange tree. See Basket worm.
Bah
Bah (?), interj. An exclamation expressive of extreme contempt.
Twenty-five years ago the vile ejaculation, Bah! was utterly
unknown to the English public. De Quincey.
Bahar
Ba*har" (?), n. [Ar. bah\'ber, from bahara to charge with a load.] A
weight used in certain parts of the East Indies, varying considerably
in different localities, the range being from 223 to 625 pounds.
Baigne
Baigne (?), v. i. [F. baigner to bathe, fr. L. balneum bath.] To soak
or drench. [Obs.]
Bail
Bail (?), n. [F. baille a bucket, pail; cf. LL. bacula, dim. of bacca
a sort of vessel. Cf. Bac.] A bucket or scoop used in bailing water
out of a boat. [Obs.]
The bail of a canoe . . . made of a human skull. Capt. Cook.
Bail
Bail, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bailed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bailing.]
1. To lade; to dip and throw; -- usually with out; as, to bail water
out of a boat.
Buckets . . . to bail out the water. Capt. J. Smith.
2. To dip or lade water from; -- often with out to express
completeness; as, to bail a boat.
By the help of a small bucket and our hats we bailed her out. R. H.
Dana, Jr.
Bail
Bail, v. [OF. bailler to give, to deliver, fr. L. bajulare to bear a
burden, keep in custody, fr. bajulus
1. To deliver; to release. [Obs.]
Ne none there was to rescue her, ne none to bail. Spenser.
2. (Law) (a) To set free, or deliver from arrest, or out of custody,
on the undertaking of some other person or persons that he or they
will be responsible for the appearance, at a certain day and place, of
the person bailed.
NOTE: &hand; Th e wo rd is applied to the magistrate or the surety.
The magistrate bails (but admits to bail is commoner) a man when he
liberates him from arrest or imprisonment upon bond given with
sureties. The surety bails a person when he procures his release
from arrest by giving bond for his appearance.
Blackstone. (b) To deliver, as goods in trust, for some special object
or purpose, upon a contract, expressed or implied, that the trust
shall be faithfully executed on the part of the bailee, or person
intrusted; as, to bail cloth to a tailor to be made into a garment; to
bail goods to a carrier. Blackstone. Kent.
Bail
Bail, n. [OF. bail guardian, administrator, fr. L. bajulus. See Bail
to deliver.]
1. Custody; keeping. [Obs.]
Silly Faunus now within their bail. Spenser.
2. (Law) (a) The person or persons who procure the release of a
prisoner from the custody of the officer, or from imprisonment, by
becoming surely for his appearance in court.
The bail must be real, substantial bondsmen. Blackstone.
A. and B. were bail to the arrest in a suit at law. Kent.
(b) The security given for the appearance of a prisoner in order to
obtain his release from custody of the officer; as, the man is out on
bail; to go bail for any one.
Excessive bail ought not to be required. Blackstone.
Bail
Bail, n. [OE. beyl; cf. Dan. b\'94ile an bending, ring, hoop, Sw.
b\'94gel, bygel, and Icel. beyla hump, swelling, akin to E. bow to
bend.]
1. The arched handle of a kettle, pail, or similar vessel, usually
movable. Forby.
2. A half hoop for supporting the cover of a carrier's wagon, awning
of a boat, etc.
Bail
Bail, n. [OF. bail, baille. See Bailey.]
1. (Usually pl.) A line of palisades serving as an exterior defense.
[Written also bayle.] [Obs.]
2. The outer wall of a feudal castle. Hence: The space inclosed by it;
the outer court. Holinshed.
3. A certain limit within a forest. [Eng.]
4. A division for the stalls of an open stable.
5. (Cricket) The top or cross piece ( or either of the two cross
pieces) of the wicket.
Bailable
Bail"a*ble (?), a.
1. Having the right or privilege of being admitted to bail, upon bond
with sureties; -- used of persons. "He's bailable, I'm sure." Ford.
2. Admitting of bail; as, a bailable offense.
3. That can be delivered in trust; as, bailable goods.
Bail bond
Bail" bond` (?). (Law) (a) A bond or obligation given by a prisoner
and his surety, to insure the prisoner's appearance in court, at the
return of the writ. (b) Special bail in court to abide the judgment.
Bouvier.
Bailee
Bail`ee" (?), n. [OF. baill\'82, p.p. of bailler. See Bail to
deliver.] (Law) The person to whom goods are committed in trust, and
who has a temporary possession and a qualified property in them, for
the purposes of the trust. Blackstone.
NOTE: &hand; In penal statutes the word includes those who receive
goods for another in good faith.
Wharton.
Bailer
Bail"er (?), n. (Law) See Bailor.
Bailer
Bail"er, n.
1. One who bails or lades.
2. A utensil, as a bucket or cup, used in bailing; a machine for
bailing water out of a pit.
Bailey
Bai"ley (?), n. [The same word as bail line of palisades; cf. LL.
ballium bailey, OF. bail, baille, a palisade, baillier to inclose,
shut.]
1. The outer wall of a feudal castle. [Obs.]
2. The space immediately within the outer wall of a castle or
fortress. [Obs.]
3. A prison or court of justice; -- used in certain proper names; as,
the Old Bailey in London; the New Bailey in Manchester. [Eng.] Oxf.
Gloss.
Bailie
Bail"ie (?), n. [See Bailiff.] An officer in Scotland, whose office
formerly corresponded to that of sheriff, but now corresponds to that
of an English alderman.
Bailiff
Bail"iff (?), n. [OF. baillif, F. bailli, custodiabajulus porter. See
Bail to deliver.]
1. Originally, a person put in charge of something especially, a chief
officer, magistrate, or keeper, as of a county, town, hundred, or
castle; one to whom power Abbott.
Lausanne is under the canton of Berne, governed by a bailiff sent
every three years from the senate. Addison.
2. (Eng. Law) A sheriff's deputy, appointed to make arrests, collect
fines, summon juries, etc.
NOTE: &hand; In American law the term bailiff is seldom used except
sometimes to signify a sheriff's officer or constable, or a party
liable to account to another for the rent and profits of real
estate.
Burrill.
3. An overseer or under steward of an estate, who directs husbandry
operations, collects rents, etc. [Eng.]
Bailiffwick
Bail"iff*wick (?), n. See Bailiwick. [Obs.]
Bailiwick
Bail"i*wick (?), n. [Bailie, bailiff + wick a village.] (Law) The
precincts within which a bailiff has jurisdiction; the limits of a
bailiff's authority.
Baillie
Bail"lie (?), n.
1. Bailiff. [Obs.]
2. Same as Bailie. [Scot.]
Bailment
Bail"ment (?), n.
1. (Law) The action of bailing a person accused.
Bailment . . . is the saving or delivery of a man out of prison
before he hath satisfied the law. Dalton.
2. (Law) A delivery of goods or money by one person to another in
trust, for some special purpose, upon a contract, expressed or
implied, that the trust shall be faithfully executed. Blackstone.
NOTE: &hand; In a ge neral se nse it is so metimes us ed as
comprehending all duties in respect to property.
Story.
Bailor
Bail`or" (?), n. (Law) One who delivers goods or money to another in
trust.
Bailpiece
Bail"piece` (?), n. (Law) A piece of parchment, or paper, containing a
recognizance or bail bond.
Bain
Bain (?), n. [F. bain, fr. L. balneum. Cf. Bagnio.] A bath; a bagnio.
[Obs.] Holland.
Bain-marie
Bain`-ma`rie" (?), n. [F.] A vessel for holding hot water in which
another vessel may be heated without scorching its contents; -- used
for warming or preparing food or pharmaceutical preparations.
Bairam
Bai"ram (?), n. [Turk. ba\'8br\'bem.] The name of two Mohammedan
festivals, of which one is held at the close of the fast called
Ramadan, and the other seventy days after the fast.
Bairn
Bairn (?), n. [Scot. bairn, AS. bearn, fr. beran to bear; akin to
Icel., OS., &Goth. barn. See Bear to support.] A child. [Scot. & Prov.
Eng.]
Has he not well provided for the bairn ! Beau. & Fl.
Baisemains
Baise"mains` (?), n. pl. [F., fr. baiser to kiss + mains hands.]
Respects; compliments. [Obs.]
Bait
Bait (?), n. [Icel. beita food, beit pasture, akin to AS. b\'bet food,
Sw. bete. See Bait, v. i.]
1. Any substance, esp. food, used in catching fish, or other animals,
by alluring them to a hook, snare, inclosure, or net.
2. Anything which allures; a lure; enticement; temptation. Fairfax.
3. A portion of food or drink, as a refreshment taken on a journey;
also, a stop for rest and refreshment.
4. A light or hasty luncheon.
Bait bug (Zo\'94l), a crustacean of the genus Hippa found burrowing in
sandy beaches. See Anomura.
Bait
Bait, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Baited; p. pr. & vb. n. Baiting.] [OE.
baiten, beit, to feed, harass, fr. Icel. beita, orig. to cause to
bite, fr. b\'c6ta. &root;87. See Bite.]
1. To provoke and harass; esp., to harass or torment for sport; as, to
bait a bear with dogs; to bait a bull.
2. To give a portion of food and drink to, upon the road; as, to bait
horses. Holland.
3. To furnish or cover with bait, as a trap or hook.
A crooked pin . . . bailed with a vile earthworm. W. Irving.
Bait
Bait, v. i. To stop to take a portion of food and drink for
refreshment of one's self or one's beasts, on a journey.
Evil news rides post, while good news baits. Milton.
My lord's coach conveyed me to Bury, and thence baiting aEvelyn.
Bait
Bait, v. i. [F. battre de l'aile (or des ailes), to flap oBatter, v.
i.] To flap the wings; to flutter as if to fly; or to hover, as a hawk
when she stoops to her prey. "Kites that bait and beat." Shak.
Baiter
Bait"er (?), n. One who baits; a tormentor.
Baize
Baize (?), n. [For bayes, pl. fr. OF. baie; cf. F. bai bay-colored.
See Bay a color.] A coarse woolen stuff with a long nap; -- usually
dyed in plain colors.
A new black baize waistcoat lined with silk. Pepys.
Bajocco
Ba*joc"co (?), n. [It., fr. bajo brown, bay, from its color.] A small
cooper coin formerly current in the Roman States, worth about a cent
and a half.
Bake
Bake (?), v. t. [imp.& p. p. Baked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Baking.] [AS.
bacan; akin to D. bakken, OHG. bacchan, G. backen, Icel. & Sw. baca,
Dan. bage, Gr.
1. To prepare, as food, by cooking in a dry heat, either in an oven or
under coals, or on heated stone or metal; as, to bake bread, meat,
apples.
NOTE: &hand; Ba king is the term usually applied to that method of
cooking which exhausts the moisture in food more than roasting or
broiling; but the distinction of meaning between roasting and
baking is not always observed.
2. To dry or harden (anything) by subjecting to heat, as, to bake
bricks; the sun bakes the ground.
3. To harden by cold.
The earth . . . is baked with frost. Shak.
They bake their sides upon the cold, hard stone. Spenser.
Bake
Bake, v. i.
1. To do the work of baking something; as, she brews, washes, and
bakes. Shak.
2. To be baked; to become dry and hard in heat; as, the bread bakes;
the ground bakes in the hot sun.
Bake
Bake, n. The process, or result, of baking.
Bakehouse
Bake"house` (?), n. [AS. b\'91ch. See Bak, v. i., and House.] A house
for baking; a bakery. <-- p. 113 -->
Bakemeat, Baked-meat
Bake"meat` (?), Baked"-meat` (?), n. A pie; baked food. [Obs.] Gen.
xl. 17. Shak.
Baken
Bak"en (?), p. p. of Bake. [Obs. or. Archaic]
Baker
Bak"er (?), n. [AS. b\'91cere. See Bake, v. i.]
1. One whose business it is to bake bread, biscuit, etc.
2. A portable oven in which baking is done. [U.S.]
A baker's dozen, thirteen. -- Baker foot, a distorted foot. [Obs.]
Jer. Taylor. -- Baker's itch, a rash on the back of the hand, caused
by the irritating properties of yeast. -- Baker's salt, the
subcarbonate of ammonia, sometimes used instead of soda, in making
bread.
Baker-legged
Bak"er-legged` (?), a. Having legs that bend inward at the knees.
Bakery
Bak"er*y (?), n.
1. The trade of a baker. [R.]
2. The place for baking bread; a bakehouse.
Baking
Bak"ing, n.
1. The act or process of cooking in an oven, or of drying and
hardening by heat or cold.
2. The quantity baked at once; a batch; as, a baking of bread.
Baking powder, a substitute for yeast, usually consisting of an acid,
a carbonate, and a little farinaceous matter.
Bakingly
Bak"ing*ly, adv. In a hot or baking manner.
Bakistre
Bak"is*tre (?), n. [See Baxter.] A baker. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Baksheesh, Bakshish
Bak"sheesh`, Bak"shish` (?), n. Same as Backsheesh.
Balaam
Ba"laam (?), n. A paragraph describing something wonderful, used to
fill out a newspaper column; -- an allusion to the miracle of Balaam's
ass speaking. Numb. xxii. 30. [Cant] Balaam basket or box (Print.),
the receptacle for rejected articles. Blackw. Mag.
Balachong
Bal"a*chong (?), n. [Malay b\'belach\'ben.] A condiment formed of
small fishes or shrimps, pounded up with salt and spices, and then
dried. It is much esteemed in China.
Bal\'91noidea
Bal`\'91*noi"de*a (?), n. [NL., from L. balaena whale + -oid.]
(Zo\'94l) A division of the Cetacea, including the right whale and all
other whales having the mouth fringed with baleen. See Baleen.
Balance
Bal"ance (?), n. [OE. balaunce, F. balance, fr. L. bilan, bilancis,
having two scales; bis twice (akin to E. two) + lanx plate, scale.]
1. An apparatus for weighing.
NOTE: &hand; In its simplest form, a balance consists of a beam or
lever supported exactly in the middle, having two scales or basins
of equal weight suspended from its extremities. Another form is
that of the Roman balance, our steelyard, consisting of a lever or
beam, suspended near one of its extremities, on the longer arm of
which a counterpoise slides. The name is also given to other forms
of apparatus for weighing bodies, as to the combinations of levers
making up platform scales; and even to devices for weighing by the
elasticity of a spring.
2. Act of weighing mentally; comparison; estimate.
A fair balance of the advantages on either side. Atterbury.
3. Equipoise between the weights in opposite scales.
4. The state of being in equipoise; equilibrium; even adjustment;
steadiness.
And hung a bottle on each side To make his balance true. Cowper.
The order and balance of the country were destroyed. Buckle.
English workmen completely lose their balance. J. S. Mill.
5. An equality between the sums total of the two sides of an account;
as, to bring one's accounts to a balance; -- also, the excess on
either side; as, the balance of an account. " A balance at the
banker's. " Thackeray.
I still think the balance of probabilities leans towards the
account given in the text. J. Peile.
6. (Horol.) A balance wheel, as of a watch, or clock. See Balance
wheel (in the Vocabulary).
7. (Astron.) (a) The constellation Libra. (b) The seventh sign in the
Zodiac, called Libra, which the sun enters at the equinox in
September.
8. A movement in dancing. See Balance, v. i., S.
Balance electrometer, a kind of balance, with a poised beam, which
indicates, by weights suspended from one arm, the mutual attraction of
oppositely electrified surfaces. Knight. -- Balance fish. (Zo\'94l)
See Hammerhead. -- Balance knife, a carving or table knife the handle
of which overbalances the blade, and so keeps it from contact with the
table. -- Balance of power. (Politics), such an adjustment of power
among sovereign states that no one state is in a position to interfere
with the independence of the others; international equilibrium; also,
the ability ( of a state or a third party within a state) to control
the relations between sovereign states or between dominant parties in
a state. -- Balance sheet (Bookkeeping), a paper showing the balances
of the open accounts of a business, the debit and credit balances
footing up equally, if the system of accounts be complete and the
balances correctly taken. -- Balance thermometer, a thermometer
mounted as a balance so that the movement of the mercurial column
changes the indication of the tube. With the aid of electrical or
mechanical devices adapted to it, it is used for the automatic
regulation of the temperature of rooms warmed artificially, and as a
fire alarm. -- Balance of torsion. See Torsion Balance. -- Balance of
trade (Pol. Econ.), an equilibrium between the money values of the
exports and imports of a country; or more commonly, the amount
required on one side or the other to make such an equilibrium. --
Balance valve, a valve whose surfaces are so arranged that the fluid
pressure tending to seat, and that tending to unseat the valve, are
nearly in equilibrium; esp., a puppet valve which is made to operate
easily by the admission of steam to both sides. See Puppet valve. --
Hydrostatic balance. See under Hydrostatic. -- To lay in balance, to
put up as a pledge or security. [Obs.] Chaucer. -- To strike a
balance, to find out the difference between the debit and credit sides
of an account.
Balance
Bal"ance (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Balanced (p. pr. & vb. n. Balancing
( [From Balance, n.: cf. F. balancer. ]
1. To bring to an equipoise, as the scales of a balance by adjusting
the weights; to weigh in a balance.
2. To support on a narrow base, so as to keep from falling; as, to
balance a plate on the end of a cane; to balance one's self on a tight
rope.
3. To equal in number, weight, force, or proportion; to counterpoise,
counterbalance, counteract, or neutralize.
One expression . . . must check and balance another. Kent.
4. To compare in relative force, importance, value, etc.; to estimate.
Balance the good and evil of things. L'Estrange.
5. To settle and adjust, as an account; to make two accounts equal by
paying the difference between them.
I am very well satisfied that it is not in my power to balance
accounts with my Maker. Addison.
6. To make the sums of the debits and credits of an account equal; --
said of an item; as, this payment, or credit, balances the account.
7. To arrange accounts in such a way that the sum total of the debits
is equal to the sum total of the credits; as, to balance a set of
books.
8. (Dancing) To move toward, and then back from, reciprocally; as, to
balance partners.
9. (Naut.) To contract, as a sail, into a narrower compass; as, to
balance the boom mainsail.
Balanced valve. See Balance valve, under Balance, n. Syn. -- To poise;
weigh; adjust; counteract; neutralize; equalize.
Balance
Bal"ance, v. i.
1. To have equal weight on each side; to be in equipoise; as, the
scales balance.
2. To fluctuate between motives which appear of equal force; to waver;
to hesitate.
He would not balance or err in the determination of his choice.
Locke.
3. (Dancing) To move toward a person or couple, and then back.
Balanceable
Bal"ance*a*ble (?), a. Such as can be balanced.
Balancement
Bal"ance*ment (?), n. The act or result of balancing or adjusting;
equipoise; even adjustment of forces. [R.] Darwin.
Balancer
Bal"an*cer (?), n.
1. One who balances, or uses a balance.
2. (Zo\'94l.) In Diptera, the rudimentary posterior wing.
Balancereef
Bal"ance*reef` (?), n. (Naut.) The last reef in a fore-and-aft sail,
taken to steady the ship.
Balance wheel
Bal"ance wheel` (?).
1. (Horology) (a) A wheel which regulates the beats or pulses of a
watch or chronometer, answering to the pendulum of a clock; -- often
called simply a balance. (b) A ratchet-shaped scape wheel, which in
some watches is acted upon by the axis of the balance wheel proper (in
those watches called a balance).
2. (Mach.) A wheel which imparts regularity to the movements of any
engine or machine; a fly wheel.
Balaniferous
Bal`a*nif"er*ous (?), a. [L. balanus acorn + -ferous.] Bearing or
producing acorns.
Balanite
Bal"a*nite (?), n. [L. balanus acorn: cf. F. balanite.] (Paleon.) A
fossil balanoid shell.
Balanoglossus
Bal`a*no*glos"sus (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l) A peculiar marine
worm. See Enteropneusta, and Tornaria.
Balanoid
Bal"a*noid (?), a. [Gr. -oid.] (Zo\'94l.) Resembling an acorn; --
applied to a group of barnacles having shells shaped like acorns. See
Acornshell, and Barnacle.
Balas ruby
Bal"as ru`by (?). [OE. bales, balais, F. balais, LL. balascus, fr. Ar.
balakhsh, so called from Badakhshan, Balashan, or Balaxiam, a place in
the neighborhood of Samarcand, where this ruby is found.] (Min.) A
variety of spinel ruby, of a pale rose red, or inclining to orange.
See Spinel.
Balaustine
Ba*laus"tine (?), n. [L. balaustium, Gr. (Bot.) The pomegranate tree
(Punica granatum). The bark of the root, the rind of the fruit, and
the flowers are used medicinally.
Balbutiate, Balbucinate
Bal*bu"ti*ate (?), Bal*bu"ci*nate (?), v. i. [L. balbutire, fr. balbus
stammering: cf. F. balbutier.] To stammer. [Obs.]
Balbuties
Bal*bu"ti*es (?), n. (Med.) The defect of stammering; also, a kind of
incomplete pronunciation.
Balcon
Bal"con (?), n. A balcony. [Obs.] Pepys.
Balconied
Bal"co*nied (?), a. Having balconies.
Balcony
Bal"co*ny (?), n.; pl. Balconies (#). [It. balcone; cf. It. balco,
palco, scaffold, fr. OHG. balcho, pa, beam, G. balken. See Balk beam.]
1. (Arch.) A platform projecting from the wall of a building, usually
resting on brackets or consoles, and inclosed by a parapet; as, a
balcony in front of a window. Also, a projecting gallery in places of
amusement; as, the balcony in a theater.
2. A projecting gallery once common at the stern of large ships.
NOTE: &hand; "T he ac cent has shifted from the second to the first
syllable within these twenty years."
Smart (1836).
Bald
Bald (?), a. [OE. balled, ballid, perh. the p.p. of ball to reduce to
the roundness or smoothness of a ball, by removing hair. &root;85. But
cf. W. bali whiteness in a horse's forehead.]
1. Destitute of the natural or common covering on the head or top, as
of hair, feathers, foliage, trees, etc.; as, a bald head; a bald oak.
On the bald top of an eminence. Wordsworth.
2. Destitute of ornament; unadorned; bare; literal.
In the preface to his own bald translation. Dryden.
3. Undisguised. " Bald egotism." Lowell.
4. Destitute of dignity or value; paltry; mean. [Obs.]
5. (Bot.) Destitute of a beard or awn; as, bald wheat.
6. (Zo\'94l.) (a) Destitute of the natural covering. (b) Marked with a
white spot on the head; bald-faced.
Bald buzzard (Zo\'94l.), the fishhawk or osprey. -- Bald coot
(Zo\'94l.), a name of the European coot (Fulica atra), alluding to the
bare patch on the front of the head.
Baldachin
Bal"da*chin (?), n. [LL. baldachinus, baldechinus, a canopy of rich
silk carried over the host; fr. Bagdad, It. Baldacco, a city in
Turkish Asia from whence these rich silks came: cf. It. baldacchino.
Cf. Baudekin.]
1. A rich brocade; baudekin. [Obs.]
2. (Arch.) A structure in form of a canopy, sometimes supported by
columns, and sometimes suspended from the roof or projecting from the
wall; generally placed over an altar; as, the baldachin in St.
Peter's.
3. A portable canopy borne over shrines, etc., in procession. [Written
also baldachino, baldaquin, etc.]
Bald eagle
Bald" ea"gle (?). (Zo\'94l.) The white-headed eagle (Hali\'91etus
leucocephalus) of America. The young, until several years old, lack
the white feathers on the head.
NOTE: &hand; The bald eagle is represented in the coat of arms, and
on the coins, of the United States.
Balder
Bal"der (?), n. [Icel. Baldr, akin to E. bold.] (Scan. Myth.) The most
beautiful and beloved of the gods; the god of peace; the son of Odin
and Freya. [Written also Baldur.]
Balderdash
Bal"der*dash (?), n. [Of uncertain origin: cf. Dan. balder noise,
clatter, and E. dash; hence, perhaps, unmeaning noise, then
hodgepodge, mixture; or W. baldorduss a prattling, baldordd,
baldorddi, to prattle.]
1. A worthless mixture, especially of liquors.
Indeed beer, by a mixture of wine, hath lost both name and nature,
and is called balderdash. Taylor (Drink and Welcome).
2. Senseless jargon; ribaldry; nonsense; trash.
Balderdash
Bal"der*dash (?), v. t. To mix or adulterate, as liquors.
The wine merchants of Nice brew and balderdash, and even mix it
with pigeon's dung and quicklime. Smollett.
Bald-faced
Bald"-faced` (?), a. Having a white face or a white mark on the face,
as a stag.
Baldhead
Bald"head` (?), n.
1. A person whose head is bald. 2 Kings ii. 23.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A white-headed variety of pigeon.
Baldheaded
Bald"head`ed, a. Having a bald head.
Baldly
Bald"ly, adv. Nakedly; without reserve; inelegantly.
Baldness
Bald"ness, n. The state or condition of being bald; as, baldness of
the head; baldness of style.
This gives to their syntax a peculiar character of simplicity and
baldness. W. D. Whitney.
Baldpate
Bald"pate` (?), n.
1. A baldheaded person. Shak.
2. (Zo\'94l.) The American widgeon (Anas Americana).
Baldpate, Baldpated
Bald"pate` (?), Bald"pat`ed (?), a. Destitute of hair on the head;
baldheaded. Shak.
Baldrib
Bald"rib` (?), n. A piece of pork cut lower down than the sparerib,
and destitute of fat. [Eng.] Southey.
Baldric
Bal"dric (?), n. [OE. baudric, bawdrik, through OF. (cf. F. baudrier
and LL. baldringus, baldrellus), from OHG. balderich, cf. balz, palz,
akin to E. belt. See Belt, n.] A broad belt, sometimes richly
ornamented, worn over one shoulder, across the breast, and under the
opposite arm; less properly, any belt. [Also spelt bawdrick.]
A radiant baldric o'er his shoulder tied Sustained the sword that
glittered at his side. Pope.
Baldwin
Bald"win (?), n. (Bot.) A kind of reddish, moderately acid, winter
apple. [U.S.]
Bale
Bale (?), n. [OE. bale, OF. bale, F. balle, LL. bala, fr. OHG. balla,
palla, pallo, G. ball, balle, ballen, ball round pack; cf. D. baal.
Cf. Ball a round body.] A bundle or package of goods in a cloth cover,
and corded for storage or transportation; also, a bundle of straw Bale
of dice, a pair of dice. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Bale
Bale, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Baled (p. pr. & vb. n. Baling.] To make up
in a bale. Goldsmith.
Bale
Bale, v. t. See Bail, v. t., to lade. <-- p. 114 -->
Bale
Bale (?), n. [AS. bealo, bealu, balu; akin to OS. , OHG. balo, Icel.
b\'94l, Goth. balweins.]
1. Misery;
Let now your bliss be turned into bale. Spenser.
2. Evil; an evil, pernicious influence; something causing great
injury. [Now chiefly poetic]
Balearic
Bal`e*ar"ic (?), a. [L. Balearicus, fr. Gr. the Balearic Islands.] Of
or pertaining to the isles of Majorca, Minorca, Ivica, etc., in the
Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Valencia. Balearic crane.
(Zo\'94l.) See Crane.
Baleen
Ba*leen" (?), n. [F. baleine whale and whalibone, L. balaena a whale;
cf. Gr. . ] (Zo\'94l. & Com.) Plates or blades of "whalebone," from
two to twelve feet long, and sometimes a foot wide, which in certain
whales (Bal\'91noidea) are attached side by side along the upper jaw,
and form a fringelike sieve by which the food is retained in the
mouth.
Balefire
Bale"fire` (?), n. [AS. b the fire of the b fire, flame (akin to Icel.
b\'bel, OSlav. b, white, Gr. bright, white, Skr. bh\'bela brightness)
+ f, E. fire.] A signal fire; an alarm fire.
Sweet Teviot! on thy silver tide The glaring balefires blaze no
more. Sir W. Scott.
Baleful
Bale"ful (?), a. [AS. bealoful. See Bale misery.]
1. Full of deadly or pernicious influence; destructive. "Baleful
enemies." Shak.
Four infernal rivers that disgorge Into the burning lake their
baleful streams. Milton.
2. Full of grief or sorrow; woeful; sad. [Archaic]
Balefully
Bale"ful*ly, adv. In a baleful manner; perniciously.
Balefulness
Bale"ful*ness, n. The quality or state of being baleful.
Balisaur
Bal"i*sa`ur (?), n. [Hind.] (Zo\'94l.) A badgerlike animal of India
(Arcionyx collaris).
Balister
Bal"is*ter (?), n. [OF. balestre. See Ballista.] A crossbow. [Obs.]
Blount.
Balistoid
Bal"is*toid (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Like a fish of the genus Balistes; of
the family Balistid\'91. See Filefish.
Balistraria
Bal`is*tra"ri*a (?), n. [LL.] (Anc. Fort.) A narrow opening, often
cruciform, through which arrows might be discharged.
Balize
Ba*lize" (?), n. [F. balise; cf. Sp. balisa.] A pole or a frame raised
as a sea beacon or a landmark.
Balk
Balk (?), n. [AS. balca beam, ridge; akin to Icel. b\'belkr partition,
bj\'belki beam, OS. balko, G. balken; cf. Gael. balc ridge of earth
between two furrows. Cf. Balcony, Balk, v. i., 3d Bulk.]
1. A ridge of land left unplowed between furrows, or at the end of a
field; a piece missed by the plow slipping aside.
Bad plowmen made balks of such ground. Fuller.
2. A great beam, rafter, or timber; esp., the tie-beam of a house. The
loft above was called "the balks."
Tubs hanging in the balks. Chaucer.
3. (Mil.) One of the beams connecting the successive supports of a
trestle bridge or bateau bridge.
4. A hindrance or disappointment; a check.
A balk to the confidence of the bold undertaker. South.
5. A sudden and obstinate stop; a failure.
6. (Baseball) A deceptive gesture of the pitcher, as if to deliver the
ball.
Balk line (Billiards), a line across a billiard table near one end,
marking a limit within which the cue balls are placed in beginning a
game; also, a line around the table, parallel to the sides, used in
playing a particular game, called the balk line game.
Balk
Balk, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Balked (p. pr. & vb. n. Balking.] [From Balk
a beam; orig. to put a balk or beam in one's way, in order to stop or
hinder. Cf., for sense 2, AS. on balcan legan to lay in heaps.]
1. To leave or make balks in. [Obs.] Gower.
2. To leave heaped up; to heap up in piles. [Obs.]
Ten thousand bold Scots, two and twenty knights, Balk'd in their
own blood did Sir Walter see. Shak.
3. To omit, miss, or overlook by chance. [Obs.]
4. To miss intentionally; to avoid; to shun; to refuse; to let go by;
to shirk. [Obs. or Obsolescent]
By reason of the contagion then in London, we balked the Evelyn.
Sick he is, and keeps his bed, and balks his meat. Bp. Hall.
Nor doth he any creature balk, But lays on all he meeteth. Drayton.
5. To disappoint; to frustrate; to foil; to baffle; to as, to balk
expectation.
They shall not balk my entrance. Byron.
Balk
Balk, v. i.
1. To engage in contradiction; to be in opposition. [Obs.]
In strifeful terms with him to balk. Spenser.
2. To stop abruptly and stand still obstinately; to jib; to stop
short; to swerve; as, the horse balks.
NOTE: &hand; Th is ha s be en re garded as an Americanism, but it
occurs in Spenser's "Fa\'89rie Queene," Book IV., 10, xxv.
Ne ever ought but of their true loves talkt, Ne ever for rebuke or
blame of any balkt.
Balk
Balk, v. i. [Prob. from D. balken to bray, bawl.] To indicate to
fishermen, by shouts or signals from shore, the direction taken by
the shoals of herring.
Balker
Balk"er (?), n. [See 2d Balk.] One who, or that which balks.
Balker
Balk"er (?), n. [See last Balk.] A person who stands on a rock or
eminence to espy the shoals of herring, etc., and to give notice to
the men in boats which way they pass; a conder; a huer.
Baleingly
Bale"ing*ly, adv. In manner to balk or frustrate.
Balkish
Balk"ish, a. Uneven; ridgy. [R.] Holinshed.
Balky
Balk"y (?), a. Apt to balk; as, a balky horse.
Ball
Ball (?), n. [OE. bal, balle; akin to OHG. balla, palla, G. ball,
Icel. b\'94llr, ball; cf. F. balle. Cf. 1st Bale, n., Pallmall.]
1. Any round or roundish body or mass; a sphere or globe; as, a
ball of twine; a ball of snow.
2. A spherical body of any substance or size used to play with, as
by throwing, knocking, kicking, etc.
3. A general name for games in which a ball is thrown, kicked, or
knocked. See Baseball, and Football.
4. Any solid spherical, cylindrical, or conical projectile of lead
or iron, to be discharged from a firearm; as, a cannon ball; a
rifball
; -- often used collectively; as, powder and ball. Spherical balls
for the smaller firearms are commonly called bullets.
5. (Pirotechnics & Mil.) A flaming, roundish body shot into the
air; a case filled with combustibles intended to burst and give
light or set fire, or to produce smoke or stench; as, a fire ball;
a stink ball.
6. (Print.) A leather-covered cushion, fastened to a handle called
a ballstock; -- formerly used by printers for inking the form, but
now superseded by the roller.
7. A roundish protuberant portion of some part of the body; as, the
ball of the thumb; the ball of the foot.
8. (Far.) A large pill, a form in which medicine is commonly given
to horses; a bolus. White.
9. The globe or earth. Pope.
Move round the dark terrestrial ball. Addison.
Ball and socket joint, a joint in which a ball moves within a socket,
so as to admit of motion in every direction within certain limits. --
Ball bearings, a mechanical device for lessening the friction of axle
bearings by means of small loose metal balls. -- Ball cartridge, a
cartridge containing a ball, as distinguished from a blank cartridge,
containing only powder. -- Ball cock, a faucet or valve which is
opened or closed by the fall or rise of a ball floating in water at
the end of a lever. -- Ball gudgeon, a pivot of a spherical form,
which permits lateral deflection of the arbor or shaft, while
retaining the pivot in its socket. Knight. -- Ball lever, the lever
used in a ball cock. -- Ball of the eye, the eye itself, as
distinguished from its lids and socket; -- formerly, the pupil of the
eye. -- Ball valve (Mach.), a contrivance by which a ball, placed in a
circular cup with a hole in its bottom, operates as a valve. -- Ball
vein (Mining), a sort of iron ore, found in loose masses of a globular
form, containing sparkling particles. -- Three balls, or Three golden
balls, a pawnbroker's sign or shop. Syn. -- See Globe.
Ball
Ball, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Balled (p. pr. & vb. n. Balling.] To gather
balls which cling to the feet, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into
balls; as, the horse balls; the snow balls.
Ball
Ball, v. t.
1. (Metal.) To heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling.
2. To form or wind into a ball; as, to ball cotton.
Ball
Ball, n. [F. bal, fr. OF. baler to dance, fr. LL. ballare. Of
uncertain origin; cf. Gr. to toss or throw, or , , to leap, bound, to
dance, jump about; or cf. 1st Ball, n.] A social assembly for the
purpose of dancing.
Ballad
Bal"lad (?), n. [OE. balade, OF. balade, F. ballade, fr. Pr. ballada a
dancing song, fr. ballare to dance; cf. It. ballata. See 2d Ball, n.,
and Ballet.] A popular kind of narrative poem, adapted for recitation
or singing; as, the ballad of Chevy Chase; esp., a sentimental or
romantic poem in short stanzas.
Ballad
Bal"lad, v. i. To make or sing ballads. [Obs.]
Ballad
Bal"lad, v. t. To make mention of in ballads. [Obs.]
Ballade
Bal*lade" (?), n. [See Ballad, n.] A form of French versification,
sometimes imitated in English, in which three or four rhymes recur
through three stanzas of eight or ten lines each, the stanzas
concluding with a refrain, and the whole poem with an envoy.
Ballader
Bal"lad*er (?), n. A writer of ballads.
Ballad monger
Bal"lad mon`ger (?). [See Monger.] A seller or maker of ballads; a
poetaster. Shak.
Balladry
Bal"lad*ry (?), n. [From Ballad, n. ] Ballad poems; the subject or
style of ballads. "Base balladry is so beloved." Drayton.
Ballahoo, Ballahou
Bal"la*hoo, Bal"la*hou (?), n. A fast-sailing schooner, used in the
Bermudas and West Indies.
Ballarag
Bal"la*rag (?), v. i. [Corrupted fr. bullirag.] To bully; to threaten.
[Low] T. Warton.
Ballast
Bal"last (?), n. [D. ballast; akin to Dan. baglast, ballast, OSw.
barlast, Sw. ballast. The first part is perh. the same word as E.
bare, adj.; the second is last a burden, and hence the meaning a bare,
or mere, load. See Bare, a., and Last load.]
1. (Naut.) Any heavy substance, as stone, iron, etc., put into the
hold to sink a vessel in the water to such a depth as to prevent
capsizing.
2. Any heavy matter put into the car of a balloon to give it
steadiness.
3. Gravel, broken stone, etc., laid in the bed of a railroad to make
it firm and solid.
4. The larger solids, as broken stone or gravel, used in making
concrete.
5. Fig.: That which gives, or helps to maintain, uprightness,
steadiness, and security.
It [piety] is the right ballast of prosperity. Barrow.
Ballast engine, a steam engine used in excavating and for digging and
raising stones and gravel for ballast. -- Ship in ballast, a ship
carring only ballast.
Ballast
Bal"last, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ballasted; p. pr. & vb. n. Ballasting.]
1. To steady, as a vessel, by putting heavy substances in the hold.
2. To fill in, as the bed of a railroad, with gravel, stone, etc., in
order to make it firm and solid.
3. To keep steady; to steady, morally.
'T is charity must ballast the heart. Hammond.
Ballastage
Bal"last*age (?), n. (Law) A toll paid for the privilege of taking up
ballast in a port or harbor.
Ballasting
Bal"last*ing, n. That which is used for steadying anything; ballast.
Ballatry
Bal"la*try (?), n. See Balladry. [Obs.] Milton.
Ballet
Bal"let` (?), n. [F., a dim. of bal dance. See 2d Ball, n.]
1. An artistic dance performed as a theatrical entertainment, or an
interlude, by a number of persons, usually women. Sometimes, a scene
accompanied by pantomime and dancing.
2. The company of persons who perform the ballet.
3. (Mus.) A light part song, or madrigal, with a fa la burden or
chorus, -- most common with the Elizabethan madrigal composers.
4. (Her.) A bearing in coats of arms, representing one or more balls,
which are denominated bezants, plates, etc., according to color.
Ball-flower
Ball"-flow`er (?), n. (Arch.) An ornament resembling a ball placed in
a circular flower, the petals of which form a cup round it, -- usually
inserted in a hollow molding.
Ballista
Bal*lis"ta (?), n.; pl. Ballist (#). [L. ballista, balista, fr. Gr. to
throw.] An ancient military engine, in the form of a crossbow, used
for hurling large missiles.
Ballister
Bal"lis*ter (?), n. [L. ballista. Cf. Balister.] A crossbow. [Obs.]
Ballistic
Bal*lis"tic (?), a.
1. Of or pertaining to the ballista, or to the art of hurling stones
or missile weapons by means of an engine.
2. Pertaining to projection, or to a projectile.
Ballistic pendulum, an instrument consisting of a mass of wood or
other material suspended as a pendulum, for measuring the force and
velocity of projectiles by means of the arc through which their impact
impels it.
Ballistics
Bal*lis"tics (?), n. [Cf. F. balistique. See Ballista.] The science or
art of hurling missile weapons by the use of an engine. Whewell.
Ballium
Bal"li*um (?), n. [LL.] See Bailey.
Balloon
Bal*loon" (?), n. [F. ballon, aug. of balle ball: cf. It. ballone. See
1st Ball, n., and cf. Pallone.]
1. A bag made of silk or other light material, and filled with
hydrogen gas or heated air, so as to rise and float in the atmosphere;
especially, one with a car attached for a\'89rial navigation.
2. (Arch.) A ball or globe on the top of a pillar, church, etc., as at
St. Paul's, in London. [R.]
3. (Chem.) A round vessel, usually with a short neck, to hold or
receive whatever is distilled; a glass vessel of a spherical form.
4. (Pyrotechnics) A bomb or shell. [Obs.]
5. A game played with a large inf [Obs.]
6. (Engraving) The outline inclosing words represented as coming from
the mouth of a pictured figure.
Air balloon, a balloon for a\'89rial navigation. -- Balloon frame
(Carp.), a house frame constructed altogether of small timber. --
Balloon net, a variety of woven lace in which the weft threads are
twisted in a peculiar manner around the warp.
Balloon
Bal*loon", v. t. To take up in, or as if in, a balloon.
Balloon
Bal*loon", v. i.
1. To go up or voyage in a balloon.
2. To expand, or puff out, like a balloon.
Ballooned
Bal*looned" (?), a. Swelled out like a balloon.
Ballooner
Bal*loon"er (?), n. One who goes up in a balloon; an a\'89ronaut.
Balloon fish
Bal*loon" fish` (?). (Zo\'94l.) A fish of the genus Diodon or the
genus Tetraodon, having the power of distending its body by taking air
or water into its dilatable esophagus. See Globefish, and Bur fish.
Ballooning
Bal*loon"ing, n.
1. The art or practice of managing balloons or voyaging in them.
2. (Stock Exchange) The process of temporarily raising the value of a
stock, as by fictitious sales. [U.S.]
Ballooning spider
Bal*loon"ing spi"der (?). (Zo\'94l.) A spider which has the habit of
rising into the air. Many kinds ( esp. species of Lycosa) do this
while young by ejecting threads of silk until the force of the wind
upon them carries the spider aloft.
Balloonist
Bal*loon"ist, n. An a\'89ronaut.
Balloonry
Bal*loon"ry (?), n. The art or practice of ascending in a balloon;
a\'89ronautics.
Ballot
Bal"lot (?), n. [F. ballotte, fr. It. ballotta. See Ball round body.]
1. Originally, a ball used for secret voting. Hence: Any printed or
written ticket used in voting.
2. The act of voting by balls or written or printed ballots or
tickets; the system of voting secretly by balls or by tickets.
The insufficiency of the ballot. Dickens.
<-- p. 115 -->
3. The whole number of votes cast at an election, or in a given
territory or electoral district.
Ballot box, a box for receiving ballots.
Ballot
Bal"lot (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Balloted; p. pr. & vb. n. Balloting.]
[F. ballotter to toss, to ballot, or It. ballottare. See Ballot, n.]
To vote or decide by ballot; as, to ballot for a candidate.
Ballot
Bal"lot, v. t. To vote for or in opposition to.
None of the competitors arriving to a sufficient number of balls,
they fell to ballot some others. Sir H. Wotton.
Ballotade
Bal"lo*tade` (?), n. [F. ballottade, fr. ballotter to toss. See
Ballot, v. i.] (Man.) A leap of a horse, as between two pillars, or
upon a straight line, so that when his four feet are in the air, he
shows only the shoes of his hind feet, without jerking out.
Ballotation
Bal`lo*ta"tion (?), n. Voting by ballot. [Obs.] Sir H. Wotton.
Balloter
Bal"lot*er (?), n. One who votes by ballot.
Ballotin
Bal"lo*tin (?), n. [F.] An officer who has charge of a ballot box.
[Obs.] Harrington.
Ballow
Bal"low (?), n. A cudgel. [Obs.] Shak.
Ballproof
Ball"proof` (?), a. Incapable of being penetrated by balls from
firearms.
Ballroom
Ball"room` (, n. A room for balls or dancing.
Balm
Balm (?), n. [OE. baume, OF. bausme, basme, F. baume, L. balsamum
balsam, from Gr. ; perhaps of Semitic origin; cf. Heb. b\'bes\'bem.
Cf. Balsam.]
1. (Bot.) An aromatic plant of the genus Melissa.
2. The resinous and aromatic exudation of certain trees or shrubs.
Dryden.
3. Any fragrant ointment. Shak.
4. Anything that heals or that mitigates pain. "Balm for each ill."
Mrs. Hemans.
Balm cricket (Zo\'94l.), the European cicada. Tennyson. -- Balm of
Gilead (Bot.), a small evergreen African and Asiatic tree of the
terebinthine family (Balsamodendron Gileadense). Its leaves yield,
when bruised, a strong aromatic scent; and from this tree is obtained
the balm of Gilead of the shops, or balsam of Mecca. This has a
yellowish or greenish color, a warm, bitterish, aromatic taste, and a
fragrant smell. It is valued as an unguent and cosmetic by the Turks.
The fragrant herb Dracocephalum Canariense is familiarly called balm
of Gilead, and so are the American trees, Populus balsamifera, variety
candicans (balsam poplar), and Abies balsamea (balsam fir).
Balm
Balm, v. i. To anoint with balm, or with anything medicinal. Hence: To
soothe; to mitigate. [Archaic] Shak.
Balmify
Balm"i*fy (?), v. t. [Balm + -fy.] To render balmy. [Obs.] Cheyne.
Balmily
Balm"i*ly, adv. In a balmy manner. Coleridge.
Balmoral
Bal*mor"al (?), n. [From Balmoral Castle, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.]
1. A long woolen petticoat, worn immediately under the dress.
2. A kind of stout walking shoe, laced in front.
A man who uses his balmorals to tread on your toes. George Eliot.
Balmy
Balm"y (?), a.
1. Having the qualities of balm; odoriferous; aromatic; assuaging;
soothing; refreshing; mild. "The balmy breeze." Tickell.
Tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep ! Young.
2. Producing balm. "The balmy tree." Pope. Syn. -- Fragrant;
sweet-scented; odorous; spicy.
Balneal
Bal"ne*al (?), a. [L. balneum bath.] Of or pertaining to a bath.
Howell.
Balneary
Bal"ne*a*ry (?), n. [L. balnearium, fr. balneum bath.] A bathing room.
Sir T. Browne.
Balneation
Bal`ne*a"tion (?), n. [LL. balneare to bathe, fr. L. balneum bath.]
The act of bathing. [R.]
Balneatory
Bal"ne*a*to*ry (?), a. [L. balneatorius.] Belonging to a bath. [Obs.]
Balneography
Bal`ne*og"ra*phy (?), n. [L. balneum bath + -graphy.] A description of
baths.
Balneology
Bal`ne*ol"o*gy (?), n. [L. balneum bath + -logy.] A treatise on baths;
the science of bathing.
Balneotherapy
Bal`ne*o*ther"a*py (?), n. [L. balneum bath + Gr. to heal.] The
treatment of disease by baths.
Balotade
Bal"o*tade` (?), n. See Ballotade.
Balsa
Bal"sa (?), n. [Sp. or Pg. balsa.] (Naut.) A raft or float, used
principally on the Pacific coast of South America.
Balsam
Bal"sam (?), n. [L. balsamum the balsam tree or its resin, Gr. . See
Balm, n.]
1. A resin containing more or less of an essential or volatile oil.
NOTE: &hand; Th e balsams are aromatic resinous substances, flowing
spontaneously or by incision from certain plants. A great variety
of substances pass under this name, but the term is now usually
restricted to resins which, in addition to a volatile oil, contain
benzoic and cinnamic acid. Among the true balsams are the balm of
Gilead, and the balsams of copaiba, Peru, and Tolu. There are also
many pharmaceutical preparations and resinous substances, possessed
of a balsamic smell, to which the name balsam has been given.
2. (Bot.) (a) A species of tree (Abies balsamea). (b) An annual garden
plant (Impatiens balsamina) with beautiful flowers; balsamine.
3. Anything that heals, soothes, or restores.
Was not the people's blessing a balsam to thy blood? Tennyson.
Balsam apple (Bot.), an East Indian plant ( Momordica balsamina), of
the gourd family, with red or orange-yellow cucumber-shaped fruit of
the size of a walnut, used as a vulnerary, and in liniments and
poultices. -- Balsam fir (Bot.), the American coniferous tree, Abies
balsamea, from which the useful Canada balsam is derived. -- Balsam of
copaiba. See Copaiba. -- Balsam of Mecca, balm of Gilead. -- Balsam of
Peru, a reddish brown, syrupy balsam, obtained from a Central American
tree ( Myroxylon Pereir\'91 and used as a stomachic and expectorant,
and in the treatment of ulcers, etc. It was long supposed to be a
product of Peru. -- Balsam of Tolu, a reddish or yellowish brown
semisolid or solid balsam, obtained from a South American tree (
Myxoxylon toluiferum.). It is highly fragrant, and is used as a
stomachic and expectorant. -- Balsam tree, any tree from which balsam
is obtained, esp. the Abies balsamea. -- Canada balsam, Balsam of fir,
Canada turpentine, a yellowish, viscid liquid, which, by time and
exposure, becomes a transparent solid mass. It is obtained from the
balm of Gilead (or balsam) fir (Abies balsamea) by breaking the
vesicles upon the trunk and branches. See Balm.
Balsam
Bal"sam (?), v. t. To treat or anoint with balsam; to relieve, as with
balsam; to render balsamic.
Balsamation
Bal`sam*a"tion (?), n.
1. The act of imparting balsamic properties.
2. The art or process of embalming.
Balsamic, Balsamical
Bal*sam"ic (?), Bal*sam"ic*al (?), a. [Cf. F. balsamique.] Having the
qualities of balsam; containing, or resembling, balsam; soft;
mitigative; soothing; restorative.
Balsamiferous
Bal`sam*if"er*ous (?), a. [Balsam + -ferous.] Producing balsam.
Balsamine
Bal"sam*ine (?), n. [Cf. F. balsamine, fr. Gr. balsam plant.] (Bot.)
The Impatiens balsamina, or garden balsam.
Balsamous
Bal"sam*ous (?), a. Having the quality of balsam; containing balsam.
"A balsamous substance." Sterne.
Balter
Bal"ter (?), v. t. [Etymol. uncertain. Cf. Bloodboltered.] To stick
together.[Obs.] Holland.
Baltic
Bal"tic (?), a. [NL. mare Balticum, fr. L. balteus belt, from certain
straits or channels surrounding its isles, called belts. See Belt.] Of
or pertaining to the sea which separates Norway and Sweden from
Jutland, Denmark, and Germany; situated on the Baltic Sea.
Baltimore bird. Baltimore oriole
Bal"ti*more bird` (?). Bal"ti*more o"ri*ole (?). (Zo\'94l.) A common
American bird (Icterus galbula), named after Lord Baltimore, because
its colors (black and orange red) are like those of his coat of arms;
-- called also golden robin.
Baluster
Bal"us*ter (?), n. [F. balustre, It. balaustro, fr. L. balaustium the
flower of the wild pomegranate, fr. Gr. ; -- so named from the
similarity of form.] (Arch.) A row of balusters topped by a rail,
serving as an open parapet, as along the edge of a balcony, terrace,
bridge, staircase, or the eaves of a building.
Bam
Bam (?), n. [Prob. a contr. of bamboozle.] An imposition; a cheat; a
hoax. Garrick.
To relieve the tediumbams. Prof. Wilson.
Bam
Bam, v. t. To cheat; to wheedle. [Slang] Foote.
Bambino
Bam*bi"no (?), n. [It., a little boy, fr. bambo silly; cf. Gr. , , to
chatter.] A child or baby; esp., a representation in art of the infant
Christ wrapped in swaddling clothes.
Bambocciade
Bam*boc`ci*ade" (?), n. [It. bambocciata, fr. Bamboccio a nickname of
Peter Van Laer, a Dutch genre painter; properly, a child, simpleton,
puppet, fr. bambo silly.] (Paint.) A representation of a grotesque
scene from common or rustic life.
Bamboo
Bam*boo" (?), n. [Malay bambu, mambu.] (Bot.) A plant of the family of
grasses, and genus Bambusa, growing in tropical countries.
NOTE: &hand; Th e most useful species is Bambusa arundinacea, which
has a woody, hollow, round, straight, jointed stem, and grows to
the height of forty feet and upward. The flowers grow in large
panicles, from the joints of the stalk, placed three in a parcel,
close to their receptacles. Old stalks grow to five or six inches
in diameter, and are so hard and durable as to be used for
building, and for all sorts of furniture, for water pipes, and for
poles to support palanquins. The smaller stalks are used for
walking sticks, flutes, etc.
Bamboo
Bam*boo", v. t. To flog with the bamboo.
Bamboozle
Bam*boo"zle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bamboozled (p. pr. & vb. n.
Bamboozling ( [Said to be of Gipsy origin.] To deceive by trickery; to
cajole by confusing the senses; to hoax; to mystify; to humbug.
[Colloq.] Addison.
What oriental tomfoolery is bamboozling you? J. H. Newman.
Bamboozler
Bam*boo"zler (?), n. A swindler; one who deceives by trickery.
[Colloq.] Arbuthnot.
Ban
Ban (?), n. [AS. bann command, edict; akin to D. ban, Icel. bann, Dan.
band, OHG. ban, G. bann, a public proclamation, as of interdiction or
excommunication, Gr. to say, L. fari to speak, Skr. bhan to speak; cf.
F. ban, LL. bannum, of G. origin. Abandon, Fame.]
1. A public proclamation or edict; a public order or notice, mandatory
or prohibitory; a summons by public proclamation.
2. (Feudal & Mil.) A calling together of the king's (esp. the French
king's) vassals for military service; also, the body of vassals thus
assembled or summoned. In present usage, in France and Prussia, the
most effective part of the population liable to military duty and not
in the standing army.
3. pl. Notice of a proposed marriage, proclaimed in church. See Banns
(the common spelling in this sense).
4. An interdiction, prohibition, or proscription. "Under ban to
touch." Milton.
5. A curse or anathema. "Hecate's ban." Shak.
6. A pecuniary mulct or penalty laid upon a delinquent for offending
against a ban; as, a mulct paid to a bishop by one guilty of sacrilege
or other crimes.
Ban of the empire (German Hist.), an imperial interdict by which
political rights and privileges, as those of a prince, city, or
district, were taken away.
Ban
Ban, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Banned (p. pr. & vb. n. Banning.] [OE.
bannen, bannien, to summon, curse, AS. bannan to summon; akin to Dan.
bande, forbande, to curse, Sw. banna to revile, bannas to curse. See
Ban an edict, and cf. Banish.]
1. To curse; to invoke evil upon. Sir W. Scott.
2. To forbid; to interdict. Byron.
Ban
Ban, v. i. To curse; to swear. [Obs.] Spenser.
Ban
Ban, n. [Serv. ban; cf. Russ. & Pol. pan a masterban.] An ancient
title of the warden of the eastern marches of Hungary; now, a title of
the viceroy of Croatia and Slavonia.
Banal
Ban"al (?), a. [F., fr. ban an ordinance.] Commonplace; trivial;
hackneyed; trite.
Banality
Ba*nal"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Banalities (#). [F. banalit\'82. See Banal.]
Something commonplace, hackneyed, or trivial; the commonplace, in
speech.
The highest things were thus brought down to the banalities of
discourse. J. Morley.
Banana
Ba*na"na (?), n. [Sp. banana, name of the fruit.] (Bot.) A perennial
herbaceous plant of almost treelike size (Musa sapientum); also, its
edible fruit. See Musa.
NOTE: &hand; Th e ba nana has a soft, herbaceous stalk, with leaves
of great length and breadth. The flowers grow in bunches, covered
with a sheath of a green or purple color; the fruit is five or six
inches long, and over an inch in diameter; the pulp is soft, and of
a luscious taste, and is eaten either raw or cooked. This plant is
a native of tropical countries, and furnishes an important article
of food.
Banana bird (Zo\'94l.), a small American bird (Icterus leucopteryx),
which feeds on the banana. -- Banana quit (Zo\'94l.), a small bird of
tropical America, of the genus Certhiola, allied to the creepers.
Banat
Ban"at (?), n. [Cf. F. & G. banat. See Ban a warden.] The territory
governed by a ban.
Banc, Bancus, Bank
Banc (?), Ban"cus (?), Bank (?), n. [OF. banc, LL. bancus. See Bank,
n.] A bench; a high seat, or seat of distinction or judgment; a
tribunal or court. In banc, In banco (the ablative of bancus), In
bank, in full court, or with full judicial authority; as, sittings in
banc (distinguished from sittings at nisi prius).
Banco
Ban"co (?), n. [It. See Bank.] A bank, especially that of Venice.
NOTE: &hand; T his term is used in some parts of Europe to indicate
bank money, as distinguished from the current money, when this last
has become depreciated.
Band
Band (?), n. [OE. band, bond, Icel. band; akin to G., Sw., & D. band,
OHG. bant, Goth. banti, Skr. bandha a binding, bandh to bind, for
bhanda, bhandh, also to E. bend, bind. In sense 7, at least, it is fr.
F. bande, from OHG. bant. Bind, v. t., and cf. Bend, Bond, 1st Bandy.]
1. A fillet, strap, or any narrow ligament with which a thing is
encircled, or fastened, or by which a number of things are tied, bound
together, or confined; a fetter.
Every one's bands were loosed. Acis xvi 26.
2. (Arch.) (a) A continuous tablet, stripe, or series of ornaments, as
of carved foliage, of color, or of brickwork, etc. (b) In Gothic
architecture, the molding, or suite of moldings, which encircles the
pillars and small shafts.
3. That which serves as the means of union or connection between
persons; a tie. "To join in Hymen's bands." Shak.
4. A linen collar or ruff worn in the 16th and 17th centuries.
5. pl. Two strips of linen hanging from the neck in front as part of a
clerical, legal, or academic dress.
6. A narrow strip of cloth or other material on any article of dress,
to bind, strengthen, ornament, or complete it. "Band and gusset and
seam." Hood. <-- p. 116 -->
7. A company of persons united in any common design, especially a body
of armed men.
Troops of horsemen with his bands of foot. Shak.
8. A number of musicians who play together upon portable musical
instruments, especially those making a loud sound, as certain wind
instruments (trumpets, clarinets, etc.), and drums, or cymbals.
9. (Bot.) A space between elevated lines or ribs, as of the fruits of
umbelliferous plants.
10. (Zo\'94l.) A stripe, streak, or other mark transverse to the axis
of the body.
11. (Mech.) A belt or strap.
12. A bond [Obs.] "Thy oath and band." Shak.
13. Pledge; security. [Obs.] Spenser.
Band saw, a saw in the form of an endless steel belt, with teeth on
one edge, running over wheels.
Band
Band (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Banded; p. pr. & vb. n. Banding.]
1. To bind or tie with a band.
2. To mark with a band.
3. To unite in a troop, company, or confederacy. "Banded against his
throne." Milton.
Banded architrave, pier, shaft, etc. (Arch.), an architrave, pier,
etc., of which the regular profile is interrupted by blocks or
projections crossing it at right angles.
Band
Band, v. i. To confederate for some common purpose; to unite; to
conspire together.
Certain of the Jews banded together. Acts xxiii. 12.
Band
Band, v. t. To bandy; to drive away. [Obs.]
Band
Band, imp. of Bind. [Obs.]
Bandage
Band"age (?), n. [F. bandage, fr. bande. See Band.]
1. A fillet or strip of woven material, used in dressing and binding
up wounds, etc.
2. Something resembling a bandage; that which is bound over or round
something to cover, strengthen, or compress it; a ligature.
Zeal too had a place among the rest, with a bandage over her eyes.
Addison.
Bandage
Band"age, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bandaged (p. pr. & vb. n. Bandaging ( To
bind, dress, or cover, with a bandage; as, to bandage the eyes.
Bandala
Ban*da"la (?), n. A fabric made in Manilla from the older leaf sheaths
of the abaca (Musa textilis).
Bandanna, Bandana
Ban*dan"na, Ban*dan"a (?), n. [Hind. b\'bendhn a mode of dyeing in
which the cloth is tied in different places so as to prevent the parts
tied from receiving the dye. Cf. Band, n.]
1. A species of silk or cotton handkerchief, having a uniformly dyed
ground, usually of red or blue, with white or yellow figures of a
circular, lozenge, or other simple form.
2. A style of calico printing, in which white or bright spots are
produced upon cloth previously dyed of a uniform red or dark color, by
discharging portions of the color by chemical means, while the rest of
the cloth is under pressure. Ure.
Bandbox
Band"box` (?), n. A light box of pasteboard or thin wood, usually
cylindrical, for holding ruffs (the bands of the 17th century),
collars, caps, bonnets, etc.
Bandeau
Ban"deau (?), n.; pl. Bandeaux (#). [F.] A narrow band or fillet; a
part of a head-dress.
Around the edge of this cap was a stiff bandeau of leather. Sir W.
Scott.
Bandelet, Bandlet
Band"e*let (?), Band"let (?), n. [F. bandelette, dim. of bande. See
Band, n., and ch. Bendlet.] (Arch.) A small band or fillet; any little
band or flat molding, compassing a column, like a ring. Gwilt.
Bander
Band"er (?), n. One banded with others. [R.]
Banderole, Bandrol
Band"e*role (?), Band"rol (?), n. [F. banderole, dim. of bandi\'8are,
banni\'8are, banner; cf. It. banderuola a little banner. See Banner.]
A little banner, flag, or streamer. [Written also bannerol.]
From the extremity of which fluttered a small banderole or streamer
bearing a cross. Sir W. Scott.
Band fish
Band" fish` (?). (Zo\'94l.) A small red fish of the genus Cepola; the
ribbon fish.
Bandicoot
Ban"di*coot (?), n. [A corruption of the native name.] (Zo\'94l.) (a)
A species of very large rat (Mus giganteus), found in India and
Ceylon. It does much injury to rice fields and gardens. (b) A ratlike
marsupial animal (genus Perameles) of several species, found in
Australia and Tasmania.
Banding plane
Band"ing plane` (?). A plane used for cutting out grooves and inlaying
strings and bands in straight and circular work.
Bandit
Ban"dit (?), n.; pl.Bandits (#), OR Banditti (#). [It. bandito outlaw,
p.p. of bandire to proclaim, to banish, to proscribe, LL. bandire,
bannire. See Ban an edict, and cf. Banish.] An outlaw; a brigand.
No savage fierce, bandit, or mountaineer. Milton.
NOTE: &hand; Th e plural banditti was formerly used as a collective
noun.
Deerstealers are ever a desperate banditti. Sir W. Scott.
Bandle
Ban"dle (?), n. [Ir. bannlamh cubit, fr. bann a measure + lamh hand,
arm.] An Irish measure of two feet in length.
Bandlet
Band"let (?), n. Same as Bandelet.
Bandmaster
Band"mas`ter (?), n. The conductor of a musical band.
Bandog
Ban"dog` (?), n. [Band + dog, i.e., bound dog.] A mastiff or other
large and fierce dog, usually kept chained or tied up.
The keeper entered leading his bandog, a large bloodhound, tied in
a leam, or band, from which he takes his name. Sir W. Scott.
Bandoleer, Bandolier
Ban`do*leer", Ban`do*lier" (?), n. [F. bandouli\'8are (cf.It.
bandoliera, Sp.bandolera), fr.F. bande band, Sp.&It. banda. See Band,
n.]
1. A broad leather belt formerly worn by soldiers over the right
shoulder and across the breast under the left arm. Originally it was
used for supporting the musket and twelve cases for charges, but later
only as a cartridge belt.
2. One of the leather or wooden cases in which the charges of powder
were carried. [Obs.]
Bandoline
Ban"do*line (?), n. [Perh. allied to band.] A glutinous pomatum for
the fair.
Bandon
Ban"don (?), n. [OF. bandon. See Abandon.] Disposal; control; license.
[Obs.] Rom. of R.
Bandore
Ban"dore (?), n. [Sp. bandurria, fr. L. pandura, pandurium, a musical
instrument of three strings, fr. Gr. . Cf. Pandore, Banjo, Mandolin.]
A musical stringed instrument, similar in form to a guitar; a pandore.
Bandrol
Band"rol (?), n. Same as Banderole.
Bandy
Ban"dy (?), n. [Telugu bandi.] A carriage or cart used in India, esp.
one drawn by bullocks.
Bandy
Ban"dy, n.; pl. Bandies (. [Cf. F. band\'82, p.p. of bander to bind,
to bend (a bow), to bandy, fr. bande. See Band, n.]
1. A club bent at the lower part for striking a ball at play; a hockey
stick. Johnson.
2. The game played with such a club; hockey; shinney; bandy ball.
Bandy
Ban"dy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bandied (p. pr. & vb. n. Bandying.]
1. To beat to and fro, as a ball in playing at bandy.
Like tennis balls bandied and struck upon us . . . by rackets from
without. Cudworth.
2. To give and receive reciprocally; to exchange. "To bandy hasty
words." Shak.
3. To toss about, as from man to man; to agitate.
Let not obvious and known truth be bandied about in a disputation.
I. Watts.
Bandy
Ban"dy, v. i. To content, as at some game in which each strives to
drive the ball his own way.
Fit to bandy with thy lawless sons. Shak.
Bandy
Ban"dy, a. Bent; crooked; curved laterally, esp. with the convex side
outward; as, a bandy leg.
Bandy-legged
Ban"dy-legged` (?), a. Having crooked legs.
Bane
Bane (?), n. [OE. bane destruction, AS. bana murderer; akin to Icel.
bani death, murderer, OHG. bana murder, bano murderer, murder, OIr.
bath death, benim I strike.
1. That which destroys life, esp. poison of a deadly quality. [Obs.
except in combination, as in ratsbane, henbane, etc.]
2. Destruction; death. [Obs.]
The cup of deception spiced and tempered to their bane. Milton.
3. Any cause of ruin, or lasting injury; harm; woe.
Money, thou bane of bliss, and source of woe. Herbert.
4. A disease in sheep, commonly termed the rot. Syn. -- Poison; ruin;
destruction; injury; pest.
Bane
Bane, v. t. To be the bane of; to ruin. [Obs.] Fuller.
Baneberry
Bane"ber`ry (?), n. (Bot.) A genus (Act\'91a) of plants, of the order
Ranunculace\'91, native in the north temperate zone. The red or white
berries are poisonous.
Baneful
Bane"ful (?), a. Having poisonous qualities; deadly; destructive;
injurious; noxious; pernicious. "Baneful hemlock." Garth. "Baneful
wrath." Chapman. -- Bane"ful*ly, adv. --Bane"ful*ness, n.
Banewort
Bane"wort (?), n. (Bot.) Deadly nightshade.
Bang
Bang (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Banged; p. pr. & vb. n. Banging.] [Icel.
banga to hammer; akin to Dan. banke to beat, Sw.b\'86ngas to be
impetuous, G. bengel club, clapper of a bell.]
1. To beat, as with a club or cudgel; to treat with violence; to
handle roughly.
The desperate tempest hath so banged the Turks. Shak.
2. To beat or thump, or to cause ( something) to hit or strike against
another object, in such a way as to make a loud noise; as, to bang a
drum or a piano; to bang a door (against the doorpost or casing) in
shutting it.
Bang
Bang, v. i. To make a loud noise, as if with a blow or succession of
blows; as, the window blind banged and waked me; he was banging on the
piano.
Bang
Bang, n.
1. A blow as with a club; a heavy blow.
Many a stiff thwack, many a bang. Hudibras.
2. The sound produced by a sudden concussion.
Bang
Bang, v. t. To cut squarely across, as the tail of a hors, or the
forelock of human beings; to cut (the hair).
His hair banged even with his eyebrows. The Century Mag.
Bang
Bang, n. The short, front hair combed down over the forehead, esp.
when cut squarely across; a false front of hair similarly worn.
His hair cut in front like a young lady's bang. W. D. Howells.
Bang, Bangue
Bang, Bangue (?), n. See Bhang.
Banging
Bang"ing, a. Huge; great in size. [Colloq.] Forby.
Bangle
Ban"gle (?), v. t. [From 1st Bang.] To waste by little and little; to
fritter away. [Obs.]
Bangle
Ban"gle, n. [Hind. bangr\'c6 bracelet, bangle.] An ornamental circlet,
of glass, gold, silver, or other material, worn by women in India and
Africa, and in some other countries, upon the wrist or ankle; a ring
bracelet. Bangle ear, a loose hanging ear of a horse, like that of a
spaniel.
Banian
Ban"ian (?), n. [Skr. banij merchant. The tree was so named by the
English, because used as a market place by the merchants.]
1. A Hindoo trader, merchant, cashier, or money changer. [Written also
banyan.]
2. A man's loose gown, like that worn by the Banians.
3. (Bot.) The Indian fig. See Banyan.
Banian days (Naut.), days in which the sailors have no flesh meat
served out to them. This use seems to be borrowed from the Banians or
Banya race, who eat no flesh.
Banish
Ban"ish (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Banished(p. pr. & vb. n. Banishing.]
[OF. banir, F. bannir, LL. bannire, fr. OHG. bannan to summon, fr. ban
ban. See Ban an edict, and Finish, v. t.]
1. To condemn to exile, or compel to leave one's country, by authority
of the ruling power. "We banish you our territories." Shak.
2. To drive out, as from a home or familiar place; -- used with from
and out of.
How the ancient Celtic tongue came to be banished from the Low
Countries in Scotland. Blair.
3. To drive away; to compel to depart; to dispel. "Banish all
offense." Shak. Syn. -- To Banish, Exile, Expel. The idea of a
coercive removal from a place is common to these terms. A man is
banished when he is forced by the government of a country (be he a
foreigner or a native) to leave its borders. A man is exiled when he
is driven into banishment from his native country and home. Thus to
exile is to banish, but to banish is not always to exile. To expel is
to eject or banish, summarily or authoritatively, and usually under
circumstances of disgrace; as, to expel from a college; expelled from
decent society.
Banisher
Ban"ish*er (?), n. One who banishes.
Banishment
Ban"ish*ment (?), n. [Cf. F. bannissement.] The act of banishing, or
the state of being banished.
He secured himself by the banishment of his enemies. Johnson.
Round the wide world in banishment we roam. Dryden.
Syn. -- Expatriation; ostracism; expulsion; proscription; exile;
outlawry.
Banister
Ban"is*ter (?), n. [Formerly also banjore and banjer; corrupted from
bandore, through negro slave pronunciation.] A stringed musical
instrument having a head and neck like the guitar, and its body like a
tambourine. It has five strings, and is played with the fingers and
hands.
Bank
Bank (?), n. [OE. banke; akin to E. bench, and prob. of Scand.
origin.; cf. Icel. bakki. See Bench.]
1. A mound, pile, or ridge of earth, raised above the surrounding
level; hence, anything shaped like a mound or ridge of earth; as, a
bank of clouds; a bank of snow.
They cast up a bank against the city. 2 Sam. xx. 15.
2. A steep acclivity, as the slope of a hill, or the side of a ravine.
3. The margin of a watercourse; the rising ground bordering a lake,
river, or sea, or forming the edge of a cutting, or other hollow.
Tiber trembled underneath her banks. Shak.
4. An elevation, or rising ground, under the sea; a shoal, shelf, or
shallow; as, the banks of Newfoundland.
5. (Mining) (a) The face of the coal at which miners are working. (b)
A deposit of ore or coal, worked by excavations above water level. (c)
The ground at the top of a shaft; as, ores are brought to bank.
Bank beaver (Zo\'94l.), the otter. [Local, U.S.] -- Bank swallow, a
small American and European swallow (Clivicola riparia) that nests in
a hole which it excavates in a bank.
Bank
Bank, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Banked(p. pr. & vb. n. Banking.]
1. To raise a mound or dike about; to inclose, defend, or fortify with
a bank; to embank. "Banked well with earth." Holland.
2. To heap or pile up; as, to bank sand.
3. To pass by the banks of. [Obs.] Shak.
To bank a fire, To bank up a fire, to cover the coals or embers with
ashes or cinders, thus keeping the fire low but alive.
Bank
Bank, n. [Prob. fr. F. banc. Of German origin, and akin to E. bench.
See Bench.]
1. A bench, as for rowers in a galley; also, a tier of oars.
Placed on their banks, the lusty Trojan sweep Neptune's smooth
face, and cleave the yielding deep. Waller.
2. (Law) (a) The bench or seat upon which the judges sit. (b) The
regular term of a court of law, or the full court sitting to hear
arguments upon questions of law, as distinguished from a sitting at
Nisi Prius, or a court held for jury trials. See Banc. Burrill.
3. (Printing) A sort of table used by printers.
4. (Music) A bench, or row of keys belonging to a keyboard, as in an
organ. Knight.
Bank
Bank, n. [F. banque, It. banca, orig. bench, table, counter, of German
origin, and akin to E. bench; cf. G. bank bench, OHG. banch. See
Bench, and cf. Banco, Beach.]
1. An establishment for the custody, loan, exchange, or issue, of
money, and for facilitating the transmission of funds by drafts or
bills of exchange; an institution incorporated for performing one or
more of such functions, or the stockholders (or their representatives,
the directors), acting in their corporate capacity.
2. The building or office used for banking purposes.
3. A fund from deposits or contributions, to be used in transacting
business; a joint stock or capital. [Obs.]
Let it be no bank or common stock, but every man be master of his
own money. Bacon.
4. (Gaming) The sum of money or the checks which the dealer or banker
has as a fund, from which to draw his stakes and pay his losses.
5. In certain games, as dominos, a fund of pieces from which the
players are allowed to draw.
Bank credit, a credit by which a person who has give -- Bank of
deposit, a bank which receives money for safe keeping. -- Bank of
issue, a bank which issues its own notes payable to bearer.
Bank
Bank, v. t. To deposit in a bank.
Bank
Bank, v. i.
1. To keep a bank; to carry on the business of a banker. <-- p. 117
-->
2. To deposit money in a bank; to have an account with a banker.
Bankable
Bank"a*ble (?), a. Receivable at a bank.
Bank bill
Bank" bill` (?).
1. In America (and formerly in England), a promissory note of a bank
payable to the bearer on demand, and used as currency; a bank note.
2. In England, a note, or a bill of exchange, of a bank, payable to
order, and usually at some future specified time. Such bills are
negotiable, but form, in the strict sense of the term, no part of the
currency.
Bank book
Bank" book` (?). A book kept by a depositor, in which an officer of a
bank enters the debits and credits of the depositor's account with the
bank.
Banker
Bank"er (?), n.[See the nouns Bank and the verbs derived from them.]
1. One who conducts the business of banking; one who, individually, or
as a member of a company, keeps an establishment for the deposit or
loan of money, or for traffic in money, bills of exchange, etc.
2. A money changer. [Obs.]
3. The dealer, or one who keeps the bank in a gambling house.
4. A vessel employed in the cod fishery on the banks of Newfoundland.
Grabb. J. Q. Adams.
5. A ditcher; a drain digger. [Prov. Eng.]
6. The stone bench on which masons cut or square their work. Weale.
Bankeress
Bank"er*ess (?), n. A female banker. Thackeray.
Banking
Bank"ing, n. The business of a bank or of a banker. Banking house, an
establishment or office in which, or a firm by whom, banking is done.
Bank note
Bank" note` (?).
1. A promissory note issued by a bank or banking company, payable to
bearer on demand.
NOTE: &hand; In the United States popularly called a bank bill.
2. Formerly, a promissory note made by a banker, or banking company,
payable to a specified person at a fixed date; a bank bill. See Bank
bill, 2. [Obs.]
3. A promissory note payable at a bank.
Bankrupt
Bank"rupt (?), n. [F. banqueroute, fr. It. bancarotta bankruptcy;
banca bank (fr. OHG. banch, G. bank, bench) + rotta broken, fr. L.
ruptus, p.p. of rumpere to break. At Florence, it is said, the
bankrupt had his bench ( i.e., money table) broken. See 1st Bank, and
Rupture, n.]
1. (Old Eng. Low) A trader who secretes himself, or does certain other
acts tending to defraud his creditors. Blackstone.
2. A trader who becomes unable to pay his debts; an insolvent trader;
popularly, any person who is unable to pay his debts; an insolvent
person. M
3. (Law) A person who, in accordance with the terms of a law relating
to bankruptcy, has been judicially declared to be unable to meet his
liabilities.
NOTE: &hand; In En gland, un til the year 1861 none but a "trader"
could be made a bankrupt; a non-trader failing to meet his
liabilities being an "insolvent". But this distinction was
abolished by the Bankruptcy Act of 1861. The laws of 1841 and 1867
of the United States relating to bankruptcy applied this
designation bankrupt to others besides those engaged in trade.
Bankrupt
Bank"rupt, a.
1. Being a bankrupt or in a condition of bankruptcy; unable to pay, or
legally discharged from paying, one's debts; as, a bankrupt merchant.
2. Depleted of money; not having the means of meeting pecuniary
liabilities; as, a bankrupt treasury.
3. Relating to bankrupts and bankruptcy.
4. Destitute of, or wholly wanting (something once possessed, or
something one should possess). "Bankrupt in gratitude." Sheridan.
Bankrupt law, a law by which the property of a person who is unable or
unwilling to pay his debts may be taken and distributed to his
creditors, and by which a person who has made a full surrender of his
property, and is free from fraud, may be discharged from the legal
obligation of his debts. See Insolvent, a.
Bankrupt
Bank"rupt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bankrupted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bankrupting.] To make bankrupt; to bring financial ruin upon; to
impoverish.
Bankruptcy
Bank"rupt*cy (?), n.; pl. Bankruptcies(
1. The state of being actually or legally bankrupt.
2. The act or process of becoming a bankrupt.
3. Complete loss; -- followed by of.
Bankside
Bank"side` (?), n. The slope of a bank, especially of the bank of a
steam.
Bank-sided
Bank"-sid`ed (?), a. (Naut.) Having sides inclining inwards, as a
ship; -- opposed to wall-sided.
Bank swallow
Bank" swal"low (?). See under 1st Bank, n.
Banlieue
Ban"li*eue` (?), n. [F., fr. LL. bannum leucae, banleuca; bannum
jurisdiction + leuca league.] The territory without the walls, but
within the legal limits, of a town or city. Brande & C.
Banner
Ban"ner (?), n. [OE. banere, OF. baniere, F. banni\'8are, bandi\'8are,
fr. LL. baniera, banderia, fr. bandum banner, fr. OHG. bant band,
strip of cloth; cf. bindan to bind, Goth. bandwa, bandwo, a sign. See
Band, n.]
1. A kind of flag attached to a spear or pike by a crosspiece, and
used by a chief as his standard in battle.
Hang out our banners on the outward walls. Shak.
2. A large piece of silk or other cloth, with a device or motto,
extended on a crosspiece, and borne in a procession, or suspended in
some conspicuous place.
3. Any flag or standard; as, the star-spangled banner.
Banner fish (Zo\'94l.), a large fish of the genus Histiophorus, of the
Swordfish family, having a broad bannerlike dorsal fin; the sailfish.
One species (H. Americanus) inhabits the North Atlantic.
Bannered
Ban"nered (?), a. bannered host." Milton.
Banneret
Ban"ner*et (?), n.[OE. baneret, OF. baneret, F. banneret; properly a
dim. of OF. baniere. See Banner.]
1. Originally, a knight who led his vassals into the field under his
own banner; -- commonly used as a title of rank.
2. A title of rank, conferred for heroic deeds, and hence, an order of
knighthood; also, the person bearing such title or rank.
NOTE: &hand; Th e usual mode of conferring the rank on the field of
battle was by cutting or tearing off the point of the pennon or
pointed flag on the spear of the candidate, thereby making it a
banner.
3. A civil officer in some Swiss cantons.
4. A small banner. Shak.
Bannerol
Ban"ner*ol (?), n. A banderole; esp. a banner displayed at a funeral
procession and set over the tomb. See Banderole.
Bannition
Ban*ni"tion (?), n. [LL. bannitio. See Banish.] The act of
expulsion.[Obs.] Abp. Laud.
Bannock
Ban"nock (?), n. [Gael. bonnach.] A kind of cake or bread, in shape
flat and roundish, commonly made of oatmeal or barley meal and baked
on an iron plate, or griddle; -- used in Scotland and the northern
counties of England. Jamieson. Bannock fluke, the turbot. [Scot.]
Banns
Banns (?), n. pl. [See Ban.] Notice of a proposed marriage, proclaimed
in a church, or other place prescribed by law, in order that any
person may object, if he knows of just cause why the marriage should
not take place.
Banquet
Ban"quet (?), n. [F., a feast, prop. a dim. of banc bench; cf. It.
banchetto, dim. of banco a bench, counter. See Bank a bench, and cf.
Banquette.]
1. A feast; a sumptuous entertainment of eating and drinking; often, a
complimentary or ceremonious feast, followed by speeches.
2. A dessert; a course of sweetmeats; a sweetmeat or sweetmeats.
[Obs.]
We'll dine in the great room, but let the music And banquet be
prepared here. Massinger.
Banquet
Ban"quet, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Banqueted; p. pr. & vb. n. Banqueting.]
To treat with a banquet or sumptuous entertainment of food; to feast.
Just in time to banquet The illustrious company assembled there.
Coleridge.
Banquet
Ban"quet, v.i.
1. To regale one's self with good eating and drinking; to feast.
Were it a draught for Juno when she banquets, I would not taste thy
treasonous offer. Milton.
2. To partake of a dessert after a feast. [Obs.]
Where they did both sup and banquet. Cavendish.
Banquetter
Ban"quet*ter (?), n. One who banquets; one who feasts or makes feasts.
Banquette
Ban*quette" (?), n. [F. See Banquet, n.]
1. (Fort.) A raised way or foot bank, running along the inside of a
parapet, on which musketeers stand to fire upon the enemy.
2. (Arch.) A narrow window seat; a raised shelf at the back or the top
of a buffet or dresser.
Banshee, Banshie
Ban"shee, Ban"shie (?), n. [Gael. bean-shith fairy; Gael. & Ir. bean
woman + Gael. sith fairy.] A supernatural being supposed by the Irish
and Scotch peasantry to warn a family of the speedy death of one of
its members, by wailing or singing in a mournful voice under the
windows of the house.
Banstickle
Ban"stic`kle (?), n. [OE. ban, bon, bone + stickle prickle, sting. See
Bone, n., Stickleback.] (Zo\'94l.) A small fish, the three-spined
stickleback.
Bantam
Ban"tam (?), n. A variety of small barnyard fowl, with feathered legs,
probably brought from Bantam, a district of Java.
Bantam work
Ban"tam work`. Carved and painted work in imitation of Japan ware.
Banteng
Ban"teng (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The wild ox of Java (Bibos Banteng).
Banter
Ban"ter (?), v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bantered(p. pr. & vb. n. Bantering.]
[Prob. corrupted fr. F. badiner to joke, or perh. fr. E. bandy to beat
to and fro. See Badinage, and cf. Barter fr. OF. barater.]
1. To address playful good-natured ridicule to, -- the person
addressed, or something pertaining to him, being the subject of the
jesting; to rally; as, he bantered me about my credulity.
Hag-ridden by my own fancy all night, and then bantered on my
haggard looks the next day. W. Irving.
2. To jest about; to ridicule in speaking of, as some trait, habit,
characteristic, and the like. [Archaic]
If they banter your regularity, order, and love of study, banter in
return their neglect of them. Chatham.
3. To delude or trick, -- esp. by way of jest. [Obs.]
We diverted ourselves with bantering several poor scholars with
hopes of being at least his lordship's chaplain. De Foe.
4. To challenge or defy to a match. [Colloq. Southern and Western
U.S.]
Banter
Ban"ter, n. The act of bantering; joking or jesting; humorous or
good-humored raillery; pleasantry.
Part banter, part affection. Tennyson.
Banterer
Ban"ter*er (?), n. One who banters or rallies.
Bantingism
Ban"ting*ism (?), n. A method of reducing corpulence by avoiding food
containing much farinaceous, saccharine, or oily matter; -- so called
from William Banting of London.
Bantling
Bant"ling (?), n. [Prob. for bandling, from band, and meaning a child
wrapped in swaddling bands; or cf. G. b\'84ntling a bastard, fr. bank
bench. Cf. Bastard, n.] A young or small child; an infant. [Slightly
contemptuous or depreciatory.]
In what out of the way corners genius produces her bantlings. W.
Irving.
Banxring
Banx"ring (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) An East Indian insectivorous mammal of
the genus Tupaia.
Banyan
Ban"yan (?), n. [See Banian.] (Bot.) A tree of the same genus as the
common fig, and called the Indian fig (Ficus Indica), whose branches
send shoots to the ground, which take root and become additional
trunks, until it may be the tree covers some acres of ground and is
able to shelter thousands of men.
Baobab
Ba"o*bab (?), n. [The native name.] (Bot.) A gigantic African tree
(Adansonia digitata), also naturalized in India. See Adansonia.
Baphomet
Baph"o*met (?), n.[A corruption of Mahomet or Mohammed, the Arabian
prophet: cf. Pr. Bafomet, OSp. Mafomat, OPg. Mafameda.] An idol or
symbolical figure which the Templars were accused of using in their
mysterious rites.
Baptism
Bap"tism (?), n. [OE. baptim, baptem, OE. baptesme, batisme, F.
bapt\'88me, L. baptisma, fr. Gr. , fr. to baptize, fr. to dip in
water, akin to deep, Skr. g\'beh to dip, bathe, v. i.] The act of
baptizing; the application of water to a person, as a sacrament or
religious ceremony, by which he is initiated into the visible church
of Christ. This is performed by immersion, sprinkling, or pouring.
Baptismal
Bap*tis"mal (?), a. [Cf. F. baptismal.] Pertaining to baptism; as,
baptismal vows. Baptismal name, the Christian name, which is given at
baptism.
Baptismally
Bap*tis"mal*ly, adv. In a baptismal manner.
Baptist
Bap"tist (?), n. [L. baptista, G. ]
1. One who administers baptism; -- specifically applied to John, the
forerunner of Christ. Milton.
2. One of a denomination of Christians who deny the validity of infant
baptism and of sprinkling, and maintain that baptism should be
administered to believers alone, and should be by immersion. See
Anabaptist.
NOTE: In do ctrine the Baptists of this country [the United States]
are Calvinistic, but with much freedom and moderation.
Amer. Cyc. Freewill Baptists, a sect of Baptists who are Arminian in
doctrine, and practice open communion. -- Seventh-day Baptists, a sect
of Baptists who keep the seventh day of the week, or Saturday, as the
Sabbath. See Sabbatarian. The Dunkers and Campbellites are also
Baptists.
Baptistery,Baptistry
Bap"tis*ter*y (?),Bap"tis*try (?), n.; pl. Baptisteries (, -tries (.
[L. baptisterium, Gr. : cf. F. baptist\'8are.] (Arch.) (a) In early
times, a separate building, usually polygonal, used for baptismal
services. Small churches were often changed into baptisteries when
larger churches were built near. (b) A part of a church containing a
font and used for baptismal services.
Baptistic
Bap*tis"tic (?), a. [Gr. ] Of or for baptism; baptismal.
Baptistical
Bap*tis"tic*al (?), a. Baptistic. [R.]
Baptizable
Bap*tiz"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being baptized; fit to be baptized.
Baxter.
Baptization
Bap`ti*za"tion (?), n. Baptism. [Obs.]
Their baptizations were null. Jer. Taylor.
Baptize
Bap*tize" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Baptized (; p. pr. & vb. n.>/pos>
Baptizing.] [F. baptiser, L. baptizare, fr.Gr. . See Baptism.]
1. To administer the sacrament of baptism to.
2. To christen ( because a name is given to infants at their baptism);
to give a name to; to name.
I'll be new baptized; Henceforth I never will be Romeo. Shak.
3. To sanctify; to consecrate.
Baptizement
Bap*tize"ment (?), n. The act of baptizing.[R.]
Baptizer
Bap*tiz"er (?), n. One who baptizes.
Bar
Bar (?), n. [OE. barre, F. barre, fr. LL. barra, W. bar the branch of
a tree, bar, baren branch, Gael. & Ir. barra bar.
1. A piece of wood, metal, or other material, long in proportion to
its breadth or thickness, used as a lever and for various other
purposes, but especially for a hindrance, obstruction, or fastening;
as, the bars of a fence or gate; the bar of a door.
Thou shalt make bars of shittim wood. Ex. xxvi. 26.
2. An indefinite quantity of some substance, so shaped as to be long
in proportion to its breadth and thickness; as, a bar of gold or of
lead; a bar of soap.
3. Anything which obstructs, hinders, or prevents; an obstruction; a
barrier.
Must I new bars to my own joy create? Dryden.
<-- p. 118 -->
4. A bank of sand, gravel, or other matter, esp. at the mouth of a
river or harbor, obstructing navigation.
5. Any railing that divides a room, or office, or hall of assembly, in
order to reserve a space for those having special privileges; as, the
bar of the House of Commons.
6. (Law) (a) The railing that incloses the place which counsel occupy
in courts of justice. Hence, the phrase at the bar of the court
signifies in open court. (b) The place in court where prisoners are
stationed for arraignment, trial, or sentence. (c) The whole body of
lawyers licensed in a court or district; the legal profession. (d) A
special plea constituting a sufficient answer to plaintiff's action.
7. Any tribunal; as, the bar of public opinion; the bar of God.
8. A barrier or counter, over which liquors and food are passed to
customers; hence, the portion of the room behind the counter where
liquors for sale are kept.
9. (Her.) An ordinary, like a fess but narrower, occupying only one
fifth part of the field.
10. A broad shaft, or band, or stripe; as, a bar of light; a bar of
color.
11. (Mus.) A vertical line across the staff. Bars divide the staff
into spaces which represent measures, and are themselves called
measures.
NOTE: &hand; A do uble ba r ma rks th e en d of a strain or main
division of a movement, or of a whole piece of music; in psalmody,
it marks the end of a line of poetry. The term bar is very often
loosely used for measure, i.e., for such length of music, or of
silence, as is included between one bar and the next; as, a passage
of eight bars; two bars' rest.
12. (Far.) pl. (a) The space between the tusks and grinders in the
upper jaw of a horse, in which the bit is placed. (b) The part of the
crust of a horse's hoof which is bent inwards towards the frog at the
heel on each side, and extends into the center of the sole.
13. (Mining) (a) A drilling or tamping rod. (b) A vein or dike
crossing a lode.
14. (Arch.) (a) A gatehouse of a castle or fortified town. (b) A
slender strip of wood which divides and supports the glass of a
window; a sash bar.
Bar shoe (Far.), a kind of horseshoe having a bar across the usual
opening at the heel, to protect a tender frog from injury. -- Bar
shot, a double headed shot, consisting of a bar, with a ball or half
ball at each end; -- formerly used for destroying the masts or rigging
in naval combat. -- Bar sinister (Her.), a term popularly but
erroneously used for baton, a mark of illegitimacy. See Baton. -- Bar
tracery (Arch.), ornamental stonework resembling bars of iron twisted
into the forms required. -- Blank bar (Law). See Blank. -- Case at bar
(Law), a case presently before the court; a case under argument. -- In
bar of, as a sufficient reason against; to prevent. -- Matter in bar,
or Defence in bar, a plea which is a final defense in an action. --
Plea in bar, a plea which goes to bar or defeat the plaintiff's action
absolutely and entirely. -- Trial at bar (Eng. Law), a trial before
all the judges of one the superior courts of Westminster, or before a
quorum representing the full court.
Bar
Bar (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Barred (p. pr. & vb. n. Barring.] [ F.
barrer. See Bar, n.]
1. To fasten with a bar; as, to bar a door or gate.
2. To restrict or confine, as if by a bar; to hinder; to obstruct; to
prevent; to prohibit; as, to bar the entrance of evil; distance bars
our intercourse; the statute bars my right; the right is barred by
time; a release bars the plaintiff's recovery; -- sometimes with up.
He barely looked the idea in the face, and hastened to bar it in
its dungeon. Hawthorne.
3. To except; to exclude by exception.
Nay, but I bar to-night: you shall not gauge me By what we do
to-night. Shak.
4. To cross with one or more stripes or lines.
For the sake of distinguishing the feet more clearly, I have barred
them singly. Burney.
Barb
Barb (?), n. [F. barbe, fr. L. barba beard. See Beard, n.]
1. Beard, or that which resembles it, or grows in the place of it.
The barbel, so called by reason of his barbs, or wattles in his
mouth. Walton.
2. A muffler, worn by nuns and mourners. [Obs.]
3. pl. Paps, or little projections, of the mucous membrane, which mark
the opening of the submaxillary glands under the tongue in horses and
cattle. The name is mostly applied when the barbs are inflamed and
swollen. [Written also barbel and barble.]
4. The point that stands backward in an arrow, fishhook, etc., to
prevent it from being easily extracted. Hence: Anything which stands
out with a sharp point obliquely or crosswise to something else.
"Having two barbs or points." Ascham.
5. A bit for a horse. [Obs.] Spenser.
6. (Zo\'94l.) One of the side branches of a feather, which
collectively constitute the vane. See Feather.
7. (Zo\'94l.) A southern name for the kingfishes of the eastern and
southeastern coasts of the United States; -- also improperly called
whiting.
8. (Bot.) A hair or bristle ending in a double hook.
Barb
Barb, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Barbed (p. pr. & vb. n. Barbing.]
1. To shave or dress the beard of. [Obs.]
2. To clip; to mow. [Obs.] Marston.
3. To furnish with barbs, or with that which will hold or hurt like
barbs, as an arrow, fishhook, spear, etc.
But rattling storm of arrows barbed with fire. Milton.
Barb
Barb, n. [F. barbe, fr. Barbarie.]
1. The Barbary horse, a superior breed introduces from Barbary into
Spain by the Moors.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A blackish or dun variety of the pigeon, originally
brought from Barbary.
Barb
Barb, n. [Corrupted fr. bard.] Armor for a horse. Same as 2d Bard, n.,
1.
Barbacan
Bar"ba*can (?), n. See Barbican.
Barbacanage
Bar"ba*can*age (?), n. See Barbicanage.
Barbadian
Bar*ba"di*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Barbados. -- n. A native of
Barbados.
Barbados OR Barbadoes
Bar*ba"dos OR Bar*ba"does (?), n. A West Indian island, giving its
name to a disease, to a cherry, etc. Barbados cherry (Bot.), a genus
of trees of the West Indies (Malpighia) with an agreeably acid fruit
resembling a cherry. -- Barbados leg (Med.), a species of
elephantiasis incident to hot climates. -- Barbados nuts, the seeds of
the Jatropha curcas, a plant growing in South America and elsewhere.
The seeds and their acrid oil are used in medicine as a purgative. See
Physic nut.
Barbara
Bar"ba*ra (?), n. [Coined by logicians.] (Logic) The first word in
certain mnemonic lines which represent the various forms of the
syllogism. It indicates a syllogism whose three propositions are
universal affirmatives. Whately.
Barbaresque
Bar`ba*resque" (?), a. Barbaric in form or style; as, barbaresque
architecture. De Quincey.
Barbarian
Bar*ba"ri*an (?), n. [See Barbarous.]
1. A foreigner. [Historical]
Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto
him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a
barbarian unto me.
2. A man in a rule, savage, or uncivilized state.
3. A person destitute of culture. M. Arnold.
4. A cruel, savage, brutal man; one destitute of pity or humanity.
"Thou fell barbarian." Philips.
Barbarian
Bar*ba"ri*an, a. Of, or pertaining to, or resembling, barbarians;
rude; uncivilized; barbarous; as, barbarian governments or nations.
Barbaic
Bar*ba"ic (?), a. [L. barbaricus foreign, barbaric, Gr. .]
1. Of, or from, barbarian nations; foreign; -- often with reference to
barbarous nations of east. "Barbaric pearl and gold." Milton.
2. Of or pertaining to, or resembling, an uncivilized person or
people; barbarous; barbarian; destitute of refinement. "Wild, barbaric
music." Sir W. Scott.
Barbarism
Bar"ba*rism (?), n. [L. barbarismus, Gr.; cf. F. barbarisme.]
1. An uncivilized state or condition; rudeness of manners; ignorance
of arts, learning, and literature; barbarousness. Prescott.
2. A barbarous, cruel, or brutal action; an outrage.
A heinous barbarism . . . against the honor of marriage. Milton.
3. An offense against purity of style or language; any form of speech
contrary to the pure idioms of a particular language. See Solecism.
The Greeks were the first that branded a foreign term in any of
their writers with the odious name of barbarism. G. Campbell.
Barbarity
Bar*bar"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Barbarities (#). [From Barbarous.] The state
or manner of a barbarian; lack of civilization.
2. Cruelty; ferociousness; inhumanity.
Treating Christians with a barbarity which would have shocked the
very Moslem. Macaulay.
3. A barbarous or cruel act.
4. Barbarism; impurity of speech. [Obs.] Swift.
Barbarize
Bar"ba*rize (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Barbarized (; p. pr. & vb. n.
Barbarizing (.]
1. To become barbarous.
The Roman empire was barbarizing rapidly from the time of Trajan.
De Quincey.
2. To adopt a foreign or barbarous mode of speech.
The ill habit . . . of wretched barbarizing against the Latin and
Greek idiom, with their untutored Anglicisms. Milton.
Barbarize
Bar"ba*rize (?), v. t. [Cf. F. barbariser, LL. barbarizare.] To make
barbarous.
The hideous changes which have barbarized France. Burke.
Barbarous
Bar"ba*rous (?), a. [L. barbarus, Gr. , strange, foreign; later,
slavish, rude, ignorant; akin to L. balbus stammering, Skr. barbara
stammering, outlandish. Cf. Brave, a.]
1. Being in the state of a barbarian; uncivilized; rude; peopled with
barbarians; as, a barbarous people; a barbarous country.
2. Foreign; adapted to a barbaric taste.[Obs.]
Barbarous gold. Dryden.
3. Cruel; ferocious; inhuman; merciless.
By their barbarous usage he died within a few days, to the grief of
all that knew him. Clarendon.
4. Contrary to the pure idioms of a language.
A barbarous expression G. Campbell.
Syn. -- Uncivilized; unlettered; uncultivated; untutored; ignorant;
merciless; brutal. See Ferocious.
Barbarously
Bar"ba*rous*ly, adv. In a barbarous manner.
Barbarousness
Bar"ba*rous*ness, n. The quality or state of being barbarous;
barbarity; barbarism.
Barbary
Bar"ba*ry (?), n. [Fr. Ar. Barbar the people of Barbary.] The
countries on the north coast of Africa from Egypt to the Atlantic.
Hence: A Barbary horse; a barb. [Obs.] Also, a kind of pigeon. Barbary
ape (Zo\'94l.), an ape (Macacus innus) of north Africa and Gibraltar
Rock, being the only monkey inhabiting Europe. It is very commonly
trained by showmen.
Barbastel
Bar"ba*stel` (?), n. [F. barbastelle.] (Zo\'94l.) A European bat
(Barbastellus communis), with hairy lips.
Barbate
Bar"bate (?), a. [L. barbatus, fr. barba beard. See Barb beard.]
(Bot.) Bearded; beset with long and weak hairs.
Barbated
Bar"ba*ted (?), a. Having barbed points.
A dart uncommonly barbated. T. Warton.
Barbecue
Bar"be*cue (?), n. [In the language of Indians of Guiana, a frame on
which all kinds of flesh and fish are roasted or smoke-dried.]
1. A hog, ox, or other large animal roasted or broiled whole for a
feast.
2. A social entertainment, where many people assemble, usually in the
open air, at which one or more large animals are roasted or broiled
whole.
3. A floor, on which coffee beans are sun-dried.
Barbecue
Bar"be*cue (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Barbecued (; p. pr. & vb. n.
Barbecuing.]
1. To dry or cure by exposure on a frame or gridiron.
They use little or no salt, but barbecue their game and fish in the
smoke. Stedman.
2. To roast or broil whole, as an ox or hog.
Send me, gods, a whole hog barbecued. Pope.
Barbed
Barbed (?), a. [See 4th Bare.] Accoutered with defensive armor; --
said of a horse. See Barded ( which is the proper form.) Sir W.
Raleigh.
Barbed
Barbed, a. Furnished with a barb or barbs; as, a barbed arrow; barbed
wire. Barbed wire, a wire, or a strand of twisted wires, armed with
barbs or sharp points. It is used for fences.
Barbel
Bar"bel (?), n.[OE. barbel, F. barbeau, dim. of L. barbus barbel, fr.
barba beard. See 1st Barb.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) A slender tactile organ on the lips of certain fished.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A large fresh-water fish ( Barbus vulgaris) found in
many European rivers. Its upper jaw is furnished with four barbels.
3. pl. Barbs or paps under the tongued of horses and cattle. See 1st
Barb, 3.
Barbellate
Bar"bel*late (?), a. [See 1st Barb.] (Bot.) Having short, stiff hairs,
often barbed at the point. Gray.
Barbellulate
Bar*bel"lu*late (?), a. (Bot.) Barbellate with diminutive hairs or
barbs.
Barber
Bar"ber (?), n. [OE. barbour, OF. barbeor, F. barbier, as if fr. an
assumed L. barbator, fr. barba beard. See 1st Barb.] One whose
occupation it is to shave or trim the beard, and to cut and dress the
hair of his patrons. Barber's itch. See under Itch.
NOTE: &hand; Formerly the barber practiced some offices of surgery,
such as letting blood and pulling teeth. Hence such terms as barber
surgeon ( old form barber chirurgeon), barber surgery, etc.
Barber
Bar"ber, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Barbered (p. pr. & vb. n. Barbering.] To
shave and dress the beard or hair of. Shak.
Barber fish
Bar"ber fish. (Zo\'94l.) See Surgeon fish.
Barbermonger
Bar"ber*mon`ger (?), n. A fop. [Obs.]
Barberry
Bar"ber*ry (?), n. [OE. barbarin, barbere, OF. berbere.] (Bot.) A
shrub of the genus Berberis, common along roadsides and in neglected
fields. B. vulgaris is the species best known; its oblong red berries
are made into a preserve or sauce, and have been deemed efficacious in
fluxes and fevers. The bark dyes a fine yellow, esp. the bark of the
root. [Also spelt berberry.]
Barbet
Bar"bet (?), n. [F. barbet, fr.barbe beard, long hair of certain
animals. See Barb beard.] (Zo\'94l.) (a) A variety of small dog,
having long curly hair. (b) A bird of the family Bucconid\'91, allied
to the Cuckoos, having a large, conical beak swollen at the base, and
bearded with five bunches of stiff bristles; the puff bird. It
inhabits tropical America and Africa. (c) A larva that feeds on
aphides.
Barbette
Bar*bette" (?), n. [F. Cf. Barbet.] (Fort.) A mound of earth or a
platform in a fortification, on which guns are mounted to fire over
the parapet. En barbette, In barbette, said of guns when they are
elevated so as to fire over the top of a parapet, and not through
embrasures. -- Barbette gun, or Barbette battery, a single gun, or a
number of guns, mounted in barbette, or partially protected by a
parapet or turret. -- Barbette carriage, a gun carriage which elevates
guns sufficiently to be in barbette. [See Illust. of Casemate.]
Barbican, Barbacan
Bar"bi*can (?), Bar"ba*can (?), n. [OE. barbican, barbecan, F.
barbacane, LL. barbacana, barbicana, of uncertain origin: cf. Ar.
barbakh aqueduct, sewer. F. barbacane also means, an opening to let
out water, loophole.]
1. ( Fort.) A tower or advanced work defending the entrance to a
castle or city, as at a gate or bridge. It was often large and strong,
having a ditch and drawbridge of its own.
2. An opening in the wall of a fortress, through which missiles were
discharged upon an enemy.
Barbicanage, Barbacanage
Bar"bi*can*age (?), Bar"ba*can*age (?), n. [LL. barbicanagium. See
Barbican.] Money paid for the support of a barbican. [Obs.]
Barbicel
Bar"bi*cel (?), n. [NL. barbicella, dim. of L. barba. See 1st Barb.]
(Zo\'94l.) One of the small hooklike processes on the barbules of
feathers.
Barbiers
Bar"biers (?), n. (Med.) A variety of paralysis, peculiar to India and
the Malabar coast; -- considered by many to be the same as beriberi in
chronic form.
Barbigerous
Bar*big"er*ous (?), a. [L. barba a beard + gerous.] Having a beard;
bearded; hairy.
Barbiton
Bar"bi*ton (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. .] (Mus.) An ancient Greek instrument
resembling a lyre.
Barbituric acid
Bar`bi*tu"ric ac"id (?). (Chem.) A white, crystalline substance, <--
p. 119 -->
Barble
Bar"ble (?), n. See Barbel.
Barbotine
Bar"bo*tine (?), n. [F.] A paste of clay used in decorating coarse
pottery in relief.
Barbre
Bar"bre (?), a. Barbarian. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Barbule
Bar"bule (?), n. [L. barbula, fr. barba beard.]
1. A very minute barb or beard. Booth.
2. (Zo\'94l.) One of the processes along the edges of the barbs of a
feather, by which adjacent barbs interlock. See Feather.
Barcarolle
Bar"ca*rolle (?), n. [F. barcarolle, fr. It. barcaruola, fr. barca
bark, barge.] (Mus.) (a) A popular song or melody sung by Venetian
gondoliers. (b) A piece of music composed in imitation of such a song.
Barcon
Bar"con (?), n. [It. barcone, fr. barca a bark.] A vessel for freight;
-- used in Mediterranean.
Bard
Bard (?), n. [Of Celtic origin; cf. W. bardd, Arm. barz, Ir. & Gael.
bard, and F. barde.]
1. A professional poet and singer, as among the ancient Celts, whose
occupation was to compose and sing verses in honor of the heroic
achievements of princes and brave men.
2. Hence: A poet; as, the bard of Avon.
Bard, Barde
Bard, Barde (?), n. [F. barde, of doubtful origin.]
1. A piece of defensive (or, sometimes, ornamental) armor for a
horse's neck, breast, and flanks; a barb. [Often in the pl.]
2. pl. Defensive armor formerly worn by a man at arms.
3. (Cookery) A thin slice of fat bacon used to cover any meat or game.
Bard
Bard, v. t. (Cookery) To cover (meat or game) with a thin slice of fat
bacon.
Barded
Bard"ed, p.a. [See Bard horse armor.]
1. Accoutered with defensive armor; -- said of a horse.
2. (Her.) Wearing rich caparisons.
Fifteen hundred men . . . barded and richly trapped. Stow.
Bardic
Bard"ic, a. Of or pertaining to bards, or their poetry. "The bardic
lays of ancient Greece." G. P. Marsh.
Bardish
Bard"ish, a. Pertaining to, or written by, a bard or bards. "Bardish
impostures." Selden.
Bardism
Bard"ism (?), n. The system of bards; the learning and maxims of
bards.
Bardling
Bard"ling (?), n. An inferior bard. J. Cunningham.
Bardship
Bard"ship, n. The state of being a bard.
Bare
Bare (?), a. [OE. bar, bare, AS. b\'91r; akin to D. & G. baar, OHG.
par, Icel. berr, Sw. & Dan. bar, OSlav. bos barefoot, Lith. basas; cf.
Skr. bh\'bes to shine
1. Without clothes or covering; stripped of the usual covering; naked;
as, his body is bare; the trees are bare.
2. With head uncovered; bareheaded.
When once thy foot enters the church, be bare. Herbert.
3. Without anything to cover up or conceal one's thoughts or actions;
open to view; exposed.
Bare in thy guilt, how foul must thou appear ! Milton.
4. Plain; simple; unadorned; without polish; bald; meager. "Uttering
bare truth." Shak.
5. Destitute; indigent; empty; unfurnished or scantily furnished; --
used with of (rarely with in) before the thing wanting or taken away;
as, a room bare of furniture. "A bare treasury." Dryden.
6. Threadbare; much worn.
It appears by their bare liveries that they live by your bare
words. Shak.
7. Mere; alone; unaccompanied by anything else; as, a bare majority.
"The bare necessaries of life." Addison.
Nor are men prevailed upon by bare of naked truth. South.
Under bare poles (Naut.), having no sail set.
Bare
Bare, n.
1. Surface; body; substance. [R.]
You have touched the very bare of naked truth. Marston.
2. (Arch.) That part of a roofing slate, shingle, tile, or metal
plate, which is exposed to the weather.
Bare
Bare, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bared(p. pr. & vb. n. Baring.] [AS. barian.
See Bare, a.] To strip off the covering of; to make bare; as, to bare
the breast.
Bare
Bare. Bore; the old preterit of Bear, v.
Bareback
Bare"back` (?), adv. On the bare back of a horse, without using a
saddle; as, to ride bareback.
Barebacked
Bare"backed` (?), a. Having the back uncovered; as, a barebacked
horse.
Barebone
Bare"bone` (?), n. A very lean person; one whose bones show through
the skin. Shak.
Barefaced
Bare"faced` (?), a.
1. With the face uncovered; not masked. "You will play barefaced."
Shak.
2. Without concealment; undisguised. Hence: Shameless; audacious.
"Barefaced treason." J. Baillie.
Barefacedly
Bare"faced`ly, adv. Openly; shamelessly. Locke.
Barefacedness
Bare"faced`ness, n. The quality of being barefaced; shamelessness;
assurance; audaciousness.
Barefoot
Bare"foot (?), a. & adv. With the feet bare; without shoes or
stockings.
Barefooted
Bare"foot`ed, a. Having the feet bare.
Bar\'82ge
Ba*r\'82ge" (?), n. [F. bar\'82ge, so called from Bar\'82ges, a town
in the Pyrenees.] A gauzelike fabric for ladies' dresses, veils, etc.
of worsted, silk and worsted, or cotton and worsted.
Barehanded
Bare"hand`ed (?), n. Having bare hands.
Bareheaded, Barehead
Bare"head`ed (?), Bare"head, a. & adv. Having the head uncovered; as,
a bareheaded girl.
Barelegged
Bare"legged` (?), a. Having the legs bare.
Barely
Bare"ly, adv.
1. Without covering; nakedly.
2. Without concealment or disguise.
3. Merely; only.
R. For now his son is duke. W. Barely in title, not in revenue.
Shak.
4. But just; without any excess; with nothing to spare ( of quantity,
time, etc.); hence, scarcely; hardly; as, there was barely enough for
all; he barely escaped.
Barenecked
Bare"necked` (?), a. Having the neck bare.
Bareness
Bare"ness, n. The state of being bare.
Baresark
Bare"sark (?), n. [Literally, bare sark or shirt.] A Berserker, or
Norse warrior who fought without armor, or shirt of mail. Hence,
adverbially: Without shirt of mail or armor.
Barfish
Bar"fish` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) Same as Calico bass.
Barful
Bar"ful (?), a. Full of obstructions. [Obs.] Shak.
Bargain
Bar"gain (?), n. [OE. bargayn, bargany, OF. bargaigne, bargagne, prob.
from a supposed LL. barcaneum, fr. barca a boat which carries
merchandise to the shore; hence, to traffic to and fro, to carry on
commerce in general. See Bark a vessel. ]
1. An agreement between parties concerning the sale of property; or a
contract by which one party binds himself to transfer the right to
some property for a consideration, and the other party binds himself
to receive the property and pay the consideration.
A contract is a bargain that is legally binding. Wharton.
2. An agreement or stipulation; mutual pledge.
And whon your honors mean to solemnize The bargain of your faith.
Shak.
3. A purchase; also ( when not qualified), a gainful transaction; an
advantageous purchase; as, to buy a thing at a bargain.
4. The thing stipulated or purchased; also, anything bought cheap.
She was too fond of her most filthy bargain. Shak.
Bargain and sale (Law), a species of conveyance, by which the
bargainor contracts to convey the lands to the bargainee, and becomes
by such contract a trustee for and seized to the use of the bargainee.
The statute then completes the purchase; i.e., the bargain vests the
use, and the statute vests the possession. Blackstone. -- Into the
bargain, over and above what is stipulated; besides. -- To sell
bargains, to make saucy ( usually indelicate) repartees. [Obs.] Swift.
-- To strike a bargain, to reach or ratify an agreement. "A bargain
was struck." Macaulay. Syn. -- Contract; stipulation; purchase;
engagement.
Bargain
Bar"gain, v. i. [OE. barganien, OF. bargaigner, F. barguigner, to
hesitate, fr. LL. barcaniare. See Bargain, n.] To make a bargain; to
make a contract for the exchange of property or services; -- followed
by with and for; as, to bargain with a farmer for a cow.
So worthless peasants bargain for their wives. Shak.
Bargain
Bar"gain, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bargained (p. pr. & vb. n. Bargaining.]
To transfer for a consideration; to barter; to trade; as, to bargain
one horse for another. To bargain away, to dispose of in a bargain; --
usually with a sense of loss or disadvantage; as, to bargain away
one's birthright. "The heir . . . had somehow bargained away the
estate." G. Eliot.
Barfainee
Bar`fain*ee" (?), n. [OF. bargaign\'82, p.p. See Bargain, v. i.] (Law)
The party to a contract who receives, or agrees to receive, the
property sold. Blackstone.
Bargainer
Bar"gain*er (?), n. One who makes a bargain; -- sometimes in the sense
of bargainor.
Bargainor
Bar`gain*or" (?), n. (Law) One who makes a bargain, or contracts with
another; esp., one who sells, or contracts to sell, property to
another. Blackstone.
Barge
Barge (?), n. [OF. barge, F. berge, fr. LL. barca, for barica (not
found), prob. fr. L. baris an Egyptian rowboat, fr. Gr. , prob. fr.
Egyptian: cf. Coptic bari a boat. Cf. Bark a vessel.]
1. A pleasure boat; a vessel or boat of state, elegantly furnished and
decorated.
2. A large, roomy boat for the conveyance of passengers or goods; as,
a ship's barge; a charcoal barge.
3. A large boat used by flag officers.
4. A double-decked passenger or freight vessel, towed by a steamboat.
[U.S.]
5. A large omnibus used for excursions. [Local, U.S.]
Bargeboard
Barge"board` (?), n. [Perh. corrup. of vergeboard; or cf. LL. bargus a
kind of gallows.] A vergeboard.
Bargecourse
Barge"course` (?), n. [See Bargeboard.] (Arch.) A part of the tiling
which projects beyond the principal rafters, in buildings where there
is a gable. Gwilt.
Bargee
Bar*gee" (?), n. A bargeman. [Eng.]
Bargeman
Barge"man (?), n. The man who manages a barge, or one of the crew of a
barge.
Bargemastter
Barge"mast`ter (?), n. The proprietor or manager of a barge, or one of
the crew of a barge.
Barger
Bar"ger (?), n. The manager of a barge. [Obs.]
Barghest
Bar"ghest` (?), n. [Perh. G. berg mountain + geist demon, or b\'84r a
bear + geist.] A goblin, in the shape of a large dog, portending
misfortune. [Also written barguest.]
Baria
Ba"ri*a (?), n. [Cf. Barium.] (Chem.) Baryta.
Baric
Bar"ic (?), a. (Chem.) Of or pertaining to barium; as, baric oxide.
Baric
Bar"ic, a. [Gr. weight.] (Physics) Of or pertaining to weight, esp. to
the weight or pressure of the atmosphere as measured by the barometer.
Barilla
Ba*ril"la (?), n. [Sp. barrilla.]
1. (Bot.) A name given to several species of Salsola from which soda
is made, by burning the barilla in heaps and lixiviating the ashes.
2. (Com.) (a) The alkali produced from the plant, being an impure
carbonate of soda, used for making soap, glass, etc., and for
bleaching purposes. (b) Impure soda obtained from the ashes of any
seashore plant, or kelp. Ure.
Copper barilla (Min.), native copper in granular form mixed with sand,
an ore brought from Bolivia; -- called also Barilla de cobre.
Barillet
Bar"il*let (?), n. [F., dim. of baril barrel.] A little cask, or
something resembling one. Smart.
Bar iron
Bar" i`ron (?). See under Iron.
Barite
Ba"rite (?), n. (Min.) Native sulphate of barium, a mineral occurring
in transparent, colorless, white to yellow crystals (generally
tabular), also in granular form, and in compact massive forms
resembling marble. It has a high specific gravity, and hence is often
called heavy spar. It is a common mineral in metallic veins.
Baritone
Bar"i*tone (?), a. & n. See Barytone.
Barium
Ba"ri*um (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. bary`s heavy.] (Chem.) One of the
elements, belonging to the alkaline earth group; a metal having a
silver-white color, and melting at a very high temperature. It is
difficult to obtain the pure metal, from the facility with which it
becomes oxidized in the air. Atomic weight, 137. Symbol, Ba. Its oxide
called baryta. [Rarely written barytum.]
NOTE: &hand; So me of the compounds of this element are remarkable
for their high specific gravity, as the sulphate, called heavy
spar, and the like. The oxide was called barote, by Guyton de
Morveau, which name was changed by Lavoisier to baryta, whence the
name of the metal.
Bard
Bard (?), n. [Akin to Dan. & Sw. bark, Icel. b\'94rkr, LG. & HG.
borke.]
1. The exterior covering of the trunk and branches of a tree; the
rind.
2. Specifically, Peruvian bark.
Bark bed. See Bark stove (below). -- Bark pit, a pit filled with bark
and water, in which hides are steeped in tanning. -- Bark stove
(Hort.), a glazed structure for keeping tropical plants, having a bed
of tanner's bark (called a bark bed) or other fermentable matter which
produces a moist heat.
Bark
Bark, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Barked (p. pr. & vb. n. Barking.]
1. To strip the bark from; to peel.
2. To abrade or rub off any outer covering from; as to bark one's
heel.
3. To girdle. See Girdle, v. t., 3.
4. To cover or inclose with bark, or as with bark; as, to bark the
roof of a hut.
Bark
Bark, v. i. [OE. berken, AS. beorcan; akin to Icel. berkja, and prob.
to E. break.]
1. To make a short, loud, explosive noise with the vocal organs; --
said of some animals, but especially of dogs.
2. To make a clamor; to make importunate outcries.
They bark, and say the Scripture maketh heretics. Tyndale.
Where there is the barking of the belly, there no other commands
will be heard, much less obeyed. Fuller.
Bark
Bark, n. The short, loud, explosive sound uttered by a dog; a similar
sound made by some other animals.
Bark, Barque
Bark, Barque (?), n. [F. barque, fr. Sp. or It. barca, fr. LL. barca
for barica. See Barge.]
1. Formerly, any small sailing vessel, as a pinnace, fishing smack,
etc.; also, a rowing boat; a barge. Now applied poetically to a
sailing vessel or boat of any kind. Byron.
2. (Naut.) A three-masted vessel, having her foremast and mainmast
squarerigged, and her mizzenmast schooner-rigged.
Barkantine
Bark"an*tine (?), n. Same as Barkentine.
Bark beetle
Bark" bee`tle (?). (Zo\'94l.) A small beetle of many species (family
Scolytid\'91), which in the larval state bores under or in the bark of
trees, often doing great damage.
Barkbound
Bark"bound` (?), a. Prevented from growing, by having the bark too
firm or close.
Barkeeper
Bar"keep`er (?), n. One who keeps or tends a bar for the sale of
liquors.
Barken
Bark"en (?), a. Made of bark. [Poetic] Whittier.
Barkentine
Bark"en*tine (?), n. [See Bark, n., a vessel.] (Naut.) A threemasted
vessel, having the foremast square-rigged, and the others
schooner-rigged. [Spelled also barquentine, barkantine, etc.] See
Illust. in Append.
Barker
Bark"er (?), n.
1. An animal that barks; hence, any one who clamors unreasonably.
2. One who stands at the doors of shops to urg [Cant, Eng.]
3. A pistol. [Slang] Dickens.
4. (Zo\'94l.) The spotted redshank.
Barker
Bark"er, n. One who strips trees of their bark.
Barker's mill
Bark"er's mill` (?). [From Dr. Barker, the inventor.] A machine,
invented in the 17th century, worked by a form of reaction wheel. The
water flows into a vertical tube and gushes from apertures in hollow
horizontal arms, causing the machine to revolve on its axis.
Barkery
Bark"er*y (?), n. A tanhouse.
Barking irons
Bark"ing i`rons (?).
1. Instruments used in taking off the bark of trees. Gardner.
2. A pair of pistols. [Slang]
Barkless
Bark"less, a. Destitute of bark.
Bark louse
Bark" louse` (?). (Zo\'94l.) An insect of the family Coccid\'91, which
infests the bark of trees and vines.
NOTE: &hand; Th e wi ngless females assume the shape of scales. The
bark louse of vine is Pulvinaria innumerabilis; that of the pear is
Lecanium pyri. See Orange scale.
Barky
Bark"y (?), a. Covered with, or containing, bark. "The barky fingers
of the elm." Shak.
Barley
Bar"ley (?), n. [OE. barli, barlich, AS. b\'91rlic; bere barley +
l\'c6c (which is prob. the same as E. like, adj., or perh. a form of
AS. le\'bec leek). AS. bere is akin to Icel, barr barley, Goth.
barizeins made of barley, L. far spelt; cf. W. barlys barley, bara
bread. Farina, 6th Bear.] (Bot.) A valuable grain, of the family of
grasses, genus Hordeum, used for food, and for making malt, from which
are prepared beer, ale, and whisky. <-- p. 120 --> Barley bird
(Zo\'94l.), the siskin. -- Barley sugar, sugar boiled till it is
brittle (formerly with a decoction of barley) and candied. -- Barley
water, a decoction of barley, used in medicine, as a nutritive and
demulcent.
Barleybrake Barleybreak
Bar"ley*brake` Bar"ley*break` (?), n. An ancient rural game, commonly
played round stacks of barley, or other grain, in which some of the
party attempt to catch others who run from a goal.
Barley-bree
Bar"ley-bree` (?), n. [Lit. barley broth. See Brew.] Liquor made from
barley; strong ale. [Humorous] [Scot.] Burns.
Barleycorn
Bar"ley*corn` (?), n. [See Corn.]
1. A grain or "corn" of barley.
2. Formerly , a measure of length, equal to the average length of a
grain of barley; the third part of an inch.
John Barleycorn, a humorous personification of barley as the source of
malt liquor or whisky.
Barm
Barm (?), n. [OE. berme, AS. beorma; akin to Sw. b\'84rma, G.
b\'84rme, and prob. L. fermenium. \'fb93.] Foam rising upon beer, or
other malt liquors, when fermenting, and used as leaven in making
bread and in brewing; yeast. Shak.
Barm
Barm, n. [OE. bearm, berm, barm, AS. beorma; akin to E. bear to
support.] The lap or bosom. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Barmaid
Bar"maid` (?), n. A girl or woman who attends the customers of a bar,
as in a tavern or beershop.
A bouncing barmaid. W. Irving.
Barmaster
Bar"mas`ter (?), n. [Berg + master: cf. G. Bergmeister.] Formerly, a
local judge among miners; now, an officer of the barmote. [Eng.]
Barmcloth
Barm"cloth` (?), n. Apron. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Barmecidal
Bar"me*ci`dal (?), a. [See Barmecide.] Unreal; illusory. "A sort of
Barmecidal feast." Hood.
Barmecide
Bar"me*cide (?), n. [A prince of the Barmecide family, who, as related
in the "Arabian Nights' Tales", pretended to set before the hungry
Shacabac food, on which the latter pretended to feast.] One who
proffers some illusory advantage or benefit. Also used as an adj.:
Barmecidal. "A Barmecide feast." Dickens.
Barmote
Bar"mote` (?), n. [Barg + mote meeting.] A court held in Derbyshire,
in England, for deciding controversies between miners. Blount.
Balmy
Balm"y (?), a. Full of barm or froth; in a ferment. "Barmy beer."
Dryden.
Barn
Barn (?), n. [OE. bern, AS. berern, bern; bere barley + ern, \'91rn, a
close place. Barley.] A covered building used chiefly for storing
grain, hay, and other productions of a farm. In the United States a
part of the barn is often used for stables. Barn owl (Zo\'94l.), an
owl of Europe and America (Aluco flammeus, or Strix flammea), which
frequents barns and other buildings. -- Barn swallow (Zo\'94l.), the
common American swallow (Hirundo horreorum), which attaches its nest
of mud to the beams and rafters of barns.
Barn
Barn, v. t. To lay up in a barn. [Obs.] Shak.
Men . . . often barn up the chaff, and burn up the grain. Fuller.
Barn
Barn, n. A child. [Obs.] See Bairn.
Barnabite
Bar"na*bite (?), n. (Eccl. Hist.) A member of a religious order, named
from St. Barnabas.
Barnacle
Bar"na*cle (?), n. [Prob. from E. barnacle a kind of goose, which was
popularly supposed to grow from this shellfish; but perh. from LL.
bernacula for pernacula, dim. of perna ham, sea mussel; cf. Gr. ham
Cf. F. bernacle, barnacle, E. barnacle a goose; and Ir. bairneach,
barneach, limpet.] (Zo\'94l.) Any cirriped crustacean adhering to
rocks, floating timber, ships, etc., esp. (a) the sessile species
(genus Balanus and allies), and (b) the stalked or goose barnacles
(genus Lepas and allies). See Cirripedia, and Goose barnacle. Barnacle
eater (Zo\'94l.), the orange filefish. -- Barnacle scale (Zo\'94l.), a
bark louse (Ceroplastes cirripediformis) of the orange and quince
trees in Florida. The female scale curiously resembles a sessile
barnacle in form.
Barnacle
Bar"na*cle, n. [See Bernicle.] A bernicle goose.
Barnacle
Bar"na*cle, n. [OE. bernak, bernacle; cf. OF. bernac, and Prov. F.
(Berri) berniques, spectacles.]
1. pl. (Far.) An instrument for pinching a horse's nose, and thus
restraining him.
NOTE: [Formerly used in the sing.]
The barnacles . . . give pain almost equal to that of the switch.
Youatt.
2. pl. Spectacles; -- so called from their resemblance to the
barnacles used by farriers. [Cant, Eng.] Dickens.
Barnyard
Barn"yard` (?), n. A yard belonging to a barn.
Barocco
Ba*roc"co (?), a. [It.] (Arch.) See Baroque.
Barograph
Bar"o*graph (?), n. [Gr. weight + -graph.] (Meteor.) An instrument for
recording automatically the variations of atmospheric pressure.
Baroko
Ba*ro"ko (?), n. [A mnemonic word.] (Logic) A form or mode of
syllogism of which the first proposition is a universal affirmative,
and the other two are particular negative.
Barology
Ba*rol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. weight + -logy.] The science of weight or
gravity.
Baromacrometer
Bar`o*ma*crom"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. weight + long + -meter.] (Med.) An
instrument for ascertaining the weight and length of a newborn infant.
Barometer
Ba*rom"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. weight + -meter: cf. F. barom\'8atre.] An
instrument for determining the weight or pressure of the atmosphere,
and hence for judging of the probable changes of weather, or for
ascertaining the height of any ascent.
NOTE: &hand; Th e ba rometer was invented by Torricelli at Florence
about 1643. It is made in its simplest form by filling a graduated
glass tube about 34 inches long with mercury and inverting it in a
cup containing mercury. The column of mercury in the tube descends
until balanced by the weight of the atmosphere, and its rise or
fall under varying conditions is a measure of the change in the
atmospheric pressure. At the sea level its ordinary height is about
30 inches (760 millimeters). See Sympiesometer.
Nichol. Aneroid barometer. See Aneroid barometer, under Aneroid. --
Marine barometer, a barometer with tube contracted at bottom to
prevent rapid oscillations of the mercury, and suspended in gimbals
from an arm or support on shipboard. -- Mountain barometer, a portable
mercurial barometer with tripod support, and long scale, for measuring
heights. -- Siphon barometer, a barometer having a tube bent like a
hook with the longer leg closed at the top. The height of the mercury
in the longer leg shows the pressure of the atmosphere. -- Wheel
barometer, a barometer with recurved tube, and a float, from which a
cord passes over a pulley and moves an index.
Barometric, Barometrical
Bar`o*met"ric (?), Bar`o*met"ric*al (?), a. Pertaining to the
barometer; made or indicated by a barometer; as, barometric changes;
barometrical observations.
Barometrically
Bar`o*met"ric*al*ly, adv. By means of a barometer, or according to
barometric observations.
Barometrograph
Bar`o*met"ro*graph (?), n. [Gr. weight + measure + -graph.] A form of
barometer so constructed as to inscribe of itself upon paper a record
of the variations of atmospheric pressure.
Barometry
Ba*rom"e*try (?), n. The art or process of making barometrical
measurements.
Barometz
Bar"o*metz (?), n. [Cf. Russ. baranets' clubmoss.] (Bot.) The
woolly-skinned rhizoma or rootstock of a fern (Dicksonia barometz),
which, when specially prepared and inverted, somewhat resembles a
lamb; -- called also Scythian lamb.
Baron
Bar"on (?), n. [OE. baron, barun, OF. baron, accus. of ber, F. baron,
prob. fr. OHG. baro (not found) bearer, akin to E. bear to support;
cf. O. Frisian bere, LL. baro, It. barone, Sp. varon. From the meaning
bearer (of burdens) seem to have come the senses strong man, man (in
distinction from woman), which is the oldest meaning in French, and
lastly, nobleman. Cf. L. baro, simpleton. See Bear to support.]
1. A title or degree of nobility; originally, the possessor of a fief,
who had feudal tenants under him; in modern times, in France and
Germany, a nobleman next in rank below a count; in England, a nobleman
of the lowest grade in the House of Lords, being next below a
viscount.
NOTE: &hand; "T he te nants in chief from the Crown, who held lands
of the annual value of four hundred pounds, were styled Barons; and
it is to them, and not to the members of the lowest grade of the
nobility (to whom the title at the present time belongs), that
reference is made when we read of the Barons of the early days of
England's history . . . . Barons are addressed as 'My Lord,' and
are styled 'Right Honorable.' All their sons and daughters
'Honorable.'"
Cussans.
2. (Old Law) A husband; as, baron and feme, husband and wife. [R.]
Cowell.
Baron of beef, two sirloins not cut asunder at the backbone. -- Barons
of the Cinque Ports, formerly members of the House of Commons, elected
by the seven Cinque Ports, two for each port. -- Baron of the
exchequer, the judges of the Court of Exchequer, one of the three
ancient courts of England, now abolished.
Baronage
Bar"on*age (?), n. [OE. barnage, baronage, OF.barnage, F. baronnage;
cf. LL. baronagium.]
1. The whole body of barons or peers.
The baronage of the kingdom. Bp. Burnet.
2. The dignity or rank of a baron.
3. The land which gives title to a baron. [Obs.]
Baroness
Bar"on*ess (?), n. A baron's wife; also, a lady who holds the baronial
title in her own right; as, the Baroness Burdett-Coutts.
Baronet
Bar"on*et (?), n. [Baron + -et.] A dignity or degree of honor next
below a baron and above a knight, having precedency of all orders of
knights except those of the Garter. It is the lowest degree of honor
that is hereditary. The baronets are commoners.
NOTE: &hand; Th e or der wa s fo unded by James I. in 1611, and is
given by patent. The word, however, in the sense of a lesser baron,
was in use long before. "Baronets have the title of 'Sir' prefixed
to their Christian names; their surnames being followed by their
dignity, usually abbreviated Bart. Their wives are addressed as
'Lady' or 'Madam'. Their sons are possessed of no title beyond
'Esquire.'"
Cussans.
Baronetage
Bar"on*et*age (?), n.
1. State or rank of a baronet.
2. The collective body of baronets.
Baronetcy
Bar"on*et*cy (?), n. The rank or patent of a baronet.
Baronial
Ba*ro"ni*al (?), a. Pertaining to a baron or a barony. "Baronial
tenure." Hallam.
Barony
Bar"o*ny (?), n.; pl. Baronies (. [OF. baronie, F. baronnie, LL.
baronia. See Baron.]
1. The fee or domain of a baron; the lordship, dignity, or rank of a
baron.
2. In Ireland, a territorial division, corresponding nearly to the
English hundred, and supposed to have been originally the district of
a native chief. There are 252 of these baronies. In Scotland, an
extensive freehold. It may be held by a commoner. Brande & C.
Baroque
Ba*roque" (?), a. [F.; cf. It. barocco.] (Arch.) In bad taste;
grotesque; odd.
Baroscope
Bar"o*scope (?), n. [Gr. weight + -scope: cf. F. baroscope.] Any
instrument showing the changes in the weight of the atmosphere; also,
less appropriately, any instrument that indicates -or foreshadows
changes of the weather, as a deep vial of liquid holding in suspension
some substance which rises and falls with atmospheric changes.
Baroscopic, Baroscopical
Bar`o*scop"ic (?), Bar`o*scop"ic*al (?), a. Pertaining to, or
determined by, the baroscope.
Barouche
Ba*rouche" (?), n. [G. barutsche, It. baroccio, biroccio, LL.
barrotium, fr. L. birotus two-wheeled; bi=bis twice + rota wheel.] A
four-wheeled carriage, with a falling top, a seat on the outside for
the driver, and two double seats on the inside arranged so that the
sitters on the front seat face those on the back seat.
Barouchet
Ba`rou*chet" (?), n. A kind of light barouche.
Barpost
Bar"post` (?), n. A post sunk in the ground to receive the bars
closing a passage into a field.
Barque
Barque (?), n. Same as 3d Bark, n.
Barracan
Bar"ra*can (?), n. [F. baracan, bouracan (cf. Pr. barracan, It.
baracane, Sp. barragan, Pg. barregana, LL. barracanus), fr. Ar.
barrak\'ben a kind of black gown, perh. fr. Per. barak a garment made
of camel's hair.] A thick, strong stuff, somewhat like camlet; --
still used for outer garments in the Levant.
Barrack
Bar"rack (?), n. [F. baraque, fr. It. baracca (cf. Sp. barraca), from
LL. barra bar. See Bar, n.]
1. (Mil.) A building for soldiers, especially when in garrison.
Commonly in the pl., originally meaning temporary huts, but now
usually applied to a permanent structure or set of buildings.
He lodged in a miserable hut or barrack, composed of dry branches
and thatched with straw. Gibbon.
2. A movable roof sliding on four posts, to cover hay, straw, etc.
[Local, U.S.]
Barrack
Bar"rack, v. t. To supply with barracks; to establish in barracks; as,
to barrack troops.
Barrack
Bar"rack, v. i. To live or lodge in barracks.
Barraclade
Bar"ra*clade (?), n. [D. baar, OD. baer, naked, bare + kleed garment,
i.e., cloth undressed or without nap.] A home-made woolen blanket
without nap. [Local, New York] Bartlett.
Barracoon
Bar"ra*coon` (?), n. [Sp. or Pg. barraca. See Barrack.] A slave
warehouse, or an inclosure where slaves are quartered temporarily. Du
Chaillu.
Barracuda, Barracouata
Bar`ra*cu"da (?), Bar`ra*cou"ata (?), n.
1. (Zo\'94l.) A voracious pikelike, marine fish, of the genus
Sphyr\'91na, sometimes used as food.
NOTE: &hand; Th at of Europe and our Atlantic coast is Sphyr\'91na
spet (or S. vulgaris); a southern species is S. picuda; the
Californian is S. argentea.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A large edible fresh-water fish of Australia and New
Zealand (Thyrsites atun).
Barrage
Bar"rage (?), n. [F., fr. barrer to bar, from barre bar.] (Engin.) An
artificial bar or obstruction placed in a river or water course to
increase the depth of water; as, the barrages of the Nile.
Barranca
Bar*ran"ca (?), n. [Sp.] A ravine caused by heavy rains or a
watercourse. [Texas & N. Mex.]
Barras
Bar"ras (?), n. [F.] A resin, called also galipot.
Barrator
Bar"ra*tor (?), n. [OE. baratour, OF. barateor deceiver, fr. OF.
barater, bareter, to deceive, cheat, barter. See Barter, v. i.] One
guilty of barratry.
Barratrous
Bar"ra*trous (?), (Law) Tainter with, or constituting, barratry. --
Bar"ra*trous*ly, adv. Kent.
Barratry
Bar"ra*try (?), n. [Cf. F. baraterie, LL. barataria. See Barrator, and
cf. Bartery.]
1. (Law) The practice of exciting and encouraging lawsuits and
quarrels. [Also spelt barretry.] Coke. Blackstone.
2. (Mar. Law) A fraudulent breach of duty or willful act of known
illegality on the part of a master of a ship, in his character of
master, or of the mariners, to the injury of the owner of the ship or
cargo, and without his consent. It includes every breach of trust
committed with dishonest purpose, as by running away with the ship,
sinking or deserting her, etc., or by embezzling the cargo. Kent.
Part.
3. (Scots Law) The crime of a judge who is influenced by bribery in
pronouncing judgment. Wharton.
Barred owl
Barred" owl" (?). (Zo\'94l.) A large American owl (Syrnium nebulosum);
-- so called from the transverse bars of a dark brown color on the
breast.
Barrel
Bar"rel (?), n.[OE. barel, F. baril, prob. fr. barre bar. Cf.
Barricade.]
1. A round vessel or cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging
in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends
or heads.
2. The quantity which constitutes a full barrel. This varies for
different articles and also in different places for the same article,
being regulated by custom or by law. A barrel of wine is 31 gallons; a
barrel of flour is 196 pounds.
3. A solid drum, or a hollow cylinder or case; as, the barrel of a
windlass; the barrel of a watch, within which the spring is coiled.
<-- p. 121 -->
4. A metallic tube, as of a gun, from which a projectile is
discharged. Knight.
5. A jar. [Obs.] 1 Kings xvii. 12.
6. (Zo\'94l.) The hollow basal part of a feather.
Barrel bulk (Com.), a measure equal to five cubic feet, used in
estimating capacity, as of a vessel for freight. -- Barrel drain
(Arch.), a drain in the form of a cylindrical tube. -- Barrel of a
boiler, the cylindrical part of a boiler, containing the flues. --
Barrel of the ear (Anat.), the tympanum, or tympanic cavity. -- Barrel
organ, an instrument for producing music by the action of a revolving
cylinder. -- Barrel vault. See under Vault.
Barrel
Bar"rel (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Barreled (Barrelled; p. pr. & vb. n.
Barreling, or Barrelling.] To put or to pack in a barrel or barrels.
Barreled, Barrelled
Bar"reled, Bar"relled (?), a. Having a barrel; -- used in composition;
as, a double-barreled gun.
Barren
Bar"ren (?), a. [OE. barein, OF. brehaing, brehaigne, baraigne, F.
br\'82haigne; of uncertain origin; cf. Arm. br\'82kha, markha,
sterile; LL. brana a sterile mare, principally in Aquitanian and
Spanish documents; Bisc. barau, baru, fasting.]
1. Incapable of producing offspring; producing no young; sterile; --
She was barren of children. Bp. Hall.
2. Not producing vegetation, or useful vegetation; "Barren mountain
tracts." Macaulay.
3. Unproductive; fruitless; unprofitable; empty.
Brilliant but barren reveries. Prescott.
Some schemes will appear barren of hints and matter. Swift.
4. Mentally dull; stupid. Shak.
Barren flower, a flower which has only stamens without a pistil, or
which as neither stamens nor pistils. -- Barren Grounds (Geog.), a
vast tract in British America northward of the forest regions. --
Barren Ground bear (Zo\'94l.), a peculiar bear, inhabiting the Barren
Grounds, now believed to be a variety of the brown bear of Europe. --
Barren Ground caribou (Zo\'94l.), a small reindeer (Rangifer
Gr\'d2nlandicus) peculiar to the Barren Grounds and Greenland.
Barren
Bar"ren, n.
1. A tract of barren land.
2. pl. Elevated lands or plains on which grow small trees, but not
timber; as, pine barrens; oak barrens. They are not necessarily
sterile, and are often fertile. [Amer.] J. Pickering.
Barrenly
Bar"ren*ly, adv. Unfruitfully; unproductively.
Barrenness
Bar"ren*ness, n. The condition of being barren; sterility;
unproductiveness.
A total barrenness of invention. Dryden.
Barrenwort
Bar"ren*wort` (?), n. (Bot.) An herbaceous plant of the Barberry
family (Epimedium alpinum), having leaves that are bitter and said to
be sudorific.
Barret
Bar"ret (?), n. [F. barrette, LL. barretum a cap. See Berretta, and
cf. Biretta.] A kind of cap formerly worn by soldiers; -- called also
barret cap. Also, the flat cap worn by Roman Catholic ecclesiastics.
Barricade
Bar`ri*cade" (?), n. [F. barricade, fr. Sp. barricada, orig. a barring
up with casks; fr. barrica cask, perh. fr. LL. barra bar. See Bar, n.,
and cf. Barrel, n.]
1. (Mil.) A fortification, made in haste, of trees, earth, palisades,
wagons, or anything that will obstruct the progress or attack of an
enemy. It is usually an obstruction formed in streets to block an
enemy's access.
2. Any bar, obstruction, or means of defense.
Such a barricade as would greatly annoy, or absolutely stop, the
currents of the atmosphere. Derham.
Barricade
Bar`ri*cade", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Barricaded; p. pr. & vb. n.
Barricading.] [Cf. F. barricader. See Barricade, n.] To fortify or
close with a barricade or with barricades; to stop up, as a passage;
to obstruct; as, the workmen barricaded the streets of Paris.
The further end whereof [a bridge] was barricaded with barrels.
Hakluyt.
Barricader
Bar`ri*cad"er (?), n. One who constructs barricades.
Barricado
Bar`ri*ca"do (?), n. & v. t. See Barricade. Shak.
Barrier
Bar"ri*er (?), n. [OE. barrere, barere, F. barri\'8are, fr. barre bar.
See Bar, n.]
1. (Fort.) A carpentry obstruction, stockade, or other obstacle made
in a passage in order to stop an enemy.
2. A fortress or fortified town, on the frontier of a country,
commanding an avenue of approach.
3. pl. A fence or railing to mark the limits of a place, or to keep
back a crowd.
No sooner were the barriers opened, than he paced into the lists.
Sir W. Scott.
4. An any obstruction; anything which hinders approach or attack.
"Constitutional barriers." Hopkinson.
5. Any limit or boundary; a line of separation.
'Twixt that [instinct] and reason, what a nice barrier ! Pope.
Barrier gate, a heavy gate to close the opening through a barrier. --
Barrier reef, a form of coral reef which runs in the general direction
of the shore, and incloses a lagoon channel more or less extensive. --
To fight at barriers, to fight with a barrier between, as a martial
exercise. [Obs.]
Barrigudo
Bar`ri*gu"do (?), n. [Native name, fr. Sp. barrigudo big-bellied.]
(Zo\'94l.) A large, dark-colored, South American monkey, of the genus
Lagothrix, having a long prehensile tail.
Barringout
Bar`ring*out" (?), n. The act of closing the doors of a schoolroom
against a schoolmaster; -- a boyish mode of rebellion in schools.
Swift.
Barrister
Bar"ris*ter (?), n. [From Bar, n.] Counselor at law; a counsel
admitted to plead at the bar, and undertake the public trial of
causes, as distinguished from an attorney or solicitor. See Attorney.
[Eng.]
Barroom
Bar"room` (?), n. A room containing a bar or counter at which liquors
are sold.
Barrow
Bar"row (?), n. [OE. barow, fr. AS. beran to bear. See Bear to
support, and cf. Bier.]
1. A support having handles, and with or without a wheel, on which
heavy or bulky things can be transported by hand. See Handbarrow, and
Wheelbarrow.
2. (Salt Works) A wicker case, in which salt is put to drain.
Barrow
Bar"row (?), n. [OE. barow, bargh, AS. bearg, bearh; akin to Icel.
b\'94rgr, OHG. barh, barug, G. barch. A hog, esp. a male hog
castrated. Holland.
Barrow
Bar"row, n. [OE. bergh, AS. beorg, beorh, hill, sepulchral mound; akin
to G. berg mountain, Goth. bairgahei hill, hilly country, and perh. to
Skr. b high, OIr. brigh mountain. Cf. Berg, Berry a mound, and Borough
an incorporated town.]
1. A large mound of earth or stones over the remains of the dead; a
tumulus.
2. (Mining) A heap of rubbish, attle, etc.
Barrowist
Bar"row*ist, n. (Eccl. Hist.) A follower of Henry Barrowe, one of the
founders of Independency or Congregationalism in England. Barrowe was
executed for nonconformity in 1953.
Barrulet
Bar"ru*let (?), n. [Dim. of bar, n.] (Her.) A diminutive of the bar,
having one fourth its width.
Barruly
Bar"ru*ly (?), a. (Her.) Traversed by barrulets or small bars; -- said
of the field.
Barry
Bar"ry (?), a. (Her.), Divided into bars; -- said of the field.
Barse
Barse (?), n. [AS. bears, b\'91rs, akin to D. baars, G. bars, barsch.
Cf. 1st Bass, n.] The common perch. See 1st Bass. [Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.
Bartender
Bar"tend`er (?), n. A barkeeper.
Barter
Bar"ter (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bartered (p. pr. & vb. n. Bartering.]
[OE. bartren, OF. barater, bareter, to cheat, exchange, perh. fr. Gr.
to do, deal (well or ill), use practices or tricks, or perh. fr.
Celtic; cf. Ir. brath treachery, W. brad. Cf. Barrator.] To traffic or
trade, by exchanging one commodity for another, in distinction from a
sale and purchase, in which money is paid for the commodities
transferred; to truck.
Barter
Bar"ter, v. t. To trade or exchange in the way of barter; to exchange
(frequently for an unworthy consideration); to traffic; to truck; --
sometimes followed by away; as, to barter away goods or honor.
Barter
Bar"ter, n.
1. The act or practice of trafficking by exchange of commodities; an
exchange of goods.
The spirit of huckstering and barter. Burke.
2. The thing given in exchange. Syn. -- Exchange; dealing; traffic;
trade; truck.
Barterer
Bar"ter*er (?), n. One who barters.
Bartery
Bar"ter*y (?), n. Barter. [Obs.] Camden.
Barth
Barth (?), n. [Etymol. unknown.] A place of shelter for cattle. [Prov.
Eng.] Halliwell.
Bartholomew tide
Bar*thol"o*mew tide` (?). Time of the festival of St. Bartholomew,
August 24th. Shak.
Bartizan
Bar"ti*zan` (?), n. [Cf. Brettice.] (Arch.) A small, overhanging
structure for lookout or defense, usually projecting at an angle of a
building or near an entrance gateway.
Bartlett
Bart"lett (?), n. (Bot.) A Bartlett pear, a favorite kind of pear,
which originated in England about 1770, and was called Williams'
Bonchr\'82tien. It was brought to America, and distributed by Mr.
Enoch Bartlett, of Dorchester, Massachusetts.
Barton
Bar"ton (?), n. [AS. beret courtyard, grange; bere barley + t an
inclosure. ]
1. The demesne lands of a manor; also, the manor itself. [Eng.]
Burton.
2. A farmyard. [Eng.] Southey.
Bartram
Bar"tram (?), n. (Bot.) See Bertram. Johnson.
Barway
Bar"way` (?), n. A passage into a field or yard, closed by bars made
to take out of the posts.
Barwise
Bar"wise` (?), adv. (Her.) Horizontally.
Barwood
Bar"wood` (?), n. A red wood of a leguminous tree (Baphia nitida),
from Angola and the Gaboon in Africa. It is used as a dyewood, and
also for ramrods, violin bows and turner's work.
Barycentric
Bar`y*cen"tric (?), a. [Gr. heavy + center.] Of or pertaining to the
center of gravity. See Barycentric calculus, under Calculus.
Baryphony
Ba*ryph"o*ny (?), n. [Gr. heavy + a sound voice.] (Med.) Difficulty of
speech.
Baryta
Ba*ry"ta (?), n. [Gr. heavy. Cf. Baria.] (Chem.) An oxide of barium
(or barytum); a heavy earth with a specific gravity above 4.
Barytes
Ba*ry"tes (?), n. [Gr. heavy: cf. Gr. heaviness, F. baryte.] (Min.)
Barium sulphate, generally called heavy spar or barite. See Barite.
Barytic
Ba*ryt"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to baryta.
Baryto-calcite
Ba*ry"to-cal"cite (?), n. [Baryta + calcite.] (Min.) A mineral of a
white or gray color, occurring massive or crystallized. It is a
compound of the carbonates of barium and calcium.
Barytone, Baritone
Bar"y*tone, Bar"i*tone (?), a. [Gr. ; heavy + tone.]
1. (Mus.) Grave and deep, as a kind of male voice.
2. (Greek Gram.) Not marked with an accent on the last syllable, the
grave accent being understood.
Barytone, Baritone
Bar"y*tone, Bar"i*tone, n. [F. baryton: cf. It. baritono.]
1. (Mus.) (a) A male voice, the compass of which partakes of the
common bass and the tenor, but which does not descend as low as the
one, nor rise as high as the other. (b) A person having a voice of
such range. (c) The viola di gamba, now entirely disused.
2. (Greek Gram.) A word which has no accent marked on the last
syllable, the grave accent being understood.
Barytum
Ba*ry"tum (?), n. [NL.] (Chem.) The metal barium. See Barium. [R.]
Basal
Ba"sal (?), a. Relating to, or forming, the base. Basal cleavage. See
under Cleavage. -- Basal plane (Crystallog.), one parallel to the
lateral or horizontal axis.
Basal-nerved
Ba"sal-nerved` (?), a. (Bot.) Having the nerves radiating from the
base; -- said of leaves.
Basalt
Ba*salt" (?), n. [N. basaltes (an African word), a dark and hard
species of marble found in Ethiopia: cf. F. basalte.]
1. (Geol.) A rock of igneous origin, consisting of augite and
triclinic feldspar, with grains of magnetic or titanic iron, and also
bottle-green particles of olivine frequently disseminated.
NOTE: &hand; It is us ually of a greenish black color, or of some
dull brown shade, or black. It constitutes immense beds in some
regions, and also occurs in veins or dikes cutting through other
rocks. It has often a prismatic structure as at the Giant's
Causeway, in Ireland, where the columns are as regular as if the
work of art. It is a very tough and heavy rock, and is one of the
best materials for macadamizing roads.
2. An imitation, in pottery, of natural basalt; a kind of black
porcelain.
Basaltic
Ba*salt"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. basaltique.] Pertaining to basalt; formed
of, or containing, basalt; as basaltic lava.
Basaltiform
Ba*salt"i*form (?), a. [Basalt + -form.] In the form of basalt;
columnar.
Basaltoid
Ba*salt"oid (?), a. [Basalt + -oid.] Formed like basalt; basaltiform.
Basan
Bas"an (?), n. Same as Basil, a sheepskin.
Basanite
Bas"a*nite (?), n. [L. basanites lapis, Gr. the touchstone: cf. F.
basanite.] (Min.) Lydian stone, or black jasper, a variety of
siliceous or flinty slate, of a grayish or bluish black color. It is
employed to test the purity of gold, the amount of alloy being
indicated by the color left on the stone when rubbed by the metal.
Basbleu
Bas`bleu" (?), n. [F., fr. bas stocking + bleu blue.] A bluestocking;
a literary woman. [Somewhat derisive]
Bascinet
Bas"ci*net (?), n. [OE. bacinet, basnet, OF. bassinet, bacinet, F.
bassinet, dim. of OF. bacin, F. bassin, a helmet in the form of a
basin.] A light helmet, at first open, but later made with a visor.
[Written also basinet, bassinet, basnet.]
Bascule
Bas"cule (?), n. [F., a seesaw.] In mechanics an apparatus on the
principle of the seesaw, in which one end rises as the other falls.
Bascule bridge, a counterpoise or balanced drawbridge, which is opened
by sinking the counterpoise and thus lifting the footway into the air.
Base
Base (?), a. [OE. bass, F. bas, low, fr. LL. bassus thick, fat, short,
humble; cf. L. Bassus, a proper name, and W. bas shallow. Cf. Bass a
part in music.]
1. Of little, or less than the usual, height; of low growth; as, base
shrubs. [Archaic] Shak.
2. Low in place or position. [Obs.] Shak.
3. Of humble birth; or low degree; lowly; mean. [Archaic] "A pleasant
and base swain." Bacon.
4. Illegitimate by birth; bastard. [Archaic]
Why bastard? wherefore base? Shak.
5. Of little comparative value, as metal inferior to gold and silver,
the precious metals.
6. Alloyed with inferior metal; debased; as, base coin; base bullion.
7. Morally low. Hence: Low-minded; unworthy; without dignity of
sentiment; ignoble; mean; illiberal; menial; as, a base fellow; base
motives; base occupations. "A cruel act of a base and a cowardish
mind." Robynson (More's Utopia). "Base ingratitude." Milton.
8. Not classical or correct. "Base Latin." Fuller.
9. Deep or grave in sound; as, the base tone of a violin. [In this
sense, commonly written bass.]
10. (Law) Not held by honorable service; as, a base estate, one held
by services not honorable; held by villenage. Such a tenure is called
base, or low, and the tenant, a base tenant.
Base fee, formerly, an estate held at the will of the lord; now, a
qualified fee. See note under Fee, n., 4. -- Base metal. See under
Metal. Syn. -- Dishonorable; worthless; ignoble; low-minded; infamous;
sordid; degraded. -- Base, Vile, Mean. These words, as expressing
moral qualities, are here arranged in the order of their strength, the
strongest being placed first. Base marks a high degree of moral
turpitude; vile and mean denote, in different degrees, the want of
what is valuable or worthy of esteem. What is base excites our
abhorrence; what is vile provokes our disgust or indignation; what is
mean awakens contempt. Base is opposed to high-minded; vile, to noble;
mean, to liberal or generous. Ingratitude is base; sycophancy is vile;
undue compliances are mean.
Base
Base, n. [F. base, L. basis, fr. Gr. a stepping step, a base,
pedestal, fr. to go, step, akin to E. come. Cf. Basis, and see Come.]
1. The bottom of anything, considered as its support, or that on which
something rests for support; the foundation; as, the base of a statue.
"The base of mighty mountains." Prescott.
2. Fig.: The fundamental or essential part of a thing; the essential
principle; a groundwork.
3. (Arch.) (a) The lower part of a wall, pier, or column, when treated
as a separate feature, usually in projection, or especially
ornamented. (b) The lower part of a complete architectural design, as
of a monument; also, the lower part of any elaborate piece of
furniture or decoration.
4. (Bot.) That extremity of a leaf, fruit, etc., at which it is
attached to its support. <-- p. 122 -->
5. (Chem.) The positive, or non-acid component of a salt; a substance
which, combined with an acid, neutralizes the latter and forms a salt;
-- applied also to the hydroxides of the positive elements or
radicals, and to certain organic bodies resembling them in their
property of forming salts with acids.
6. (Pharmacy) The chief ingredient in a compound.
7. (Dyeing) A substance used as a mordant. Ure.
8. (Fort.) The exterior side of the polygon, or that imaginary line
which connects the salient angles of two adjacent bastions.
9. (Geom.) The line or surface constituting that part of a figure on
which it is supposed to stand.
10. (Math.) The number from which a mathematical table is constructed;
as, the base of a system of logarithms.
11. [See Base low.] A low, or deep, sound. (Mus.) (a) The lowest part;
the deepest male voice. (b) One who sings, or the instrument which
plays, base. [Now commonly written bass.]
The trebles squeak for fear, the bases roar. Dryden.
12. (Mil.) A place or tract of country, protected by fortifications,
or by natural advantages, from which the operations of an army
proceed, forward movements are made, supplies are furnished, etc.
13. (Mil.) The smallest kind of cannon. [Obs.]
14. (Zo\'94l.) That part of an organ by which it is attached to
another more central organ.
15. (Crystallog.) The basal plane of a crystal.
16. (Geol.) The ground mass of a rock, especially if not distinctly
crystalline.
17. (Her.) The lower part of the field. See Escutcheon.
18. The housing of a horse. [Obs.]
19. pl. A kind of skirt ( often of velvet or brocade, but sometimes of
mailed armor) which hung from the middle to about the knees, or lower.
[Obs.]
20. The lower part of a robe or petticoat. [Obs.]
21. An apron. [Obs.] "Bakers in their linen bases." Marston.
22. The point or line from which a start is made; a starting place or
a goal in various games.
To their appointed base they went. Dryden.
23. (Surv.) A line in a survey which, being accurately determined in
length and position, serves as the origin from which to compute the
distances and positions of any points or objects connected with it by
a system of triangles. Lyman.
24. A rustic play; -- called also prisoner's base, prison base, or
bars. "To run the country base." Shak.
25. (Baseball) Any one of the four bounds which mark the circuit of
the infield.
Altern base. See under Altern. -- Attic base. (Arch.) See under Attic.
-- Base course. (Arch.) (a) The first or lower course of a foundation
wall, made of large stones of a mass of concrete; -- called also
foundation course. (b) The architectural member forming the transition
between the basement and the wall above. -- Base hit (Baseball), a
hit, by which the batsman, without any error on the part of his
opponents, is able to reach the first base without being put out. --
Base line. (a) A main line taken as a base, as in surveying or in
military operations. (b) A line traced round a cannon at the rear of
the vent. -- Base plate, the foundation plate of heavy machinery, as
of the steam engine; the bed plate. -- Base ring (Ordnance), a
projecting band of metal around the breech, connected with the body of
the gun by a concave molding. H. L. Scott.
Base
Base (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Based (p. pr. & vb. n. Basing.] [From
Base, n.] To put on a base or basis; to lay the foundation of; to
found, as an argument or conclusion; -- used with on or upon. Bacon.
Base
Base, v. t. [See Base, a., and cf. Abase.]
1. To abase; to let, or cast, down; to lower. [Obs.]
If any . . . based his pike. Sir T. North.
2. To reduce the value of; to debase. [Obs.]
Metals which we can not base. Bacon.
Baseball
Base"ball" (?), n.
1. A game of ball, so called from the bases or bounds ( four in
number) which designate the circuit which each player must endeavor to
make after striking the ball.
2. The ball used in this game.
Baseboard
Base"board (?), n. (Arch.) A board, or other woodwork, carried round
the walls of a room and touching the floor, to form a base and protect
the plastering; -- also called washboard (in England), mopboard, and
scrubboard.
Baseborn
Base"born` (?), a.
1. Born out of wedlock. Gay.
2. Born of low parentage.
3. Vile; mean. "Thy baseborn heart." Shak.
Base-burner
Base"-burn`er (?), n. A furnace or stove in which the fuel is
contained in a hopper or chamber, and is fed to the fire as the lower
stratum is consumed.
Base-court
Base"-court` (?), n. [F. basse-cour. See Base, a., and Court, n.]
1. The secondary, inferior, or rear courtyard of a large house; the
outer court of a castle.
2. (Law) An inferior court of law, not of record.
Based
Based (?), p. p. & a.
1. Having a base, or having as a base; supported; as, broad-based.
2. [See Base, n., 18-21.] Wearing, or protected by, bases. [Obs.]
"Based in lawny velvet." E. Hall.
Basedow's disease
Ba"se*dow's dis*ease" (?). [Named for Dr. Basedow, a German
physician.] (Med.) A disease characterized by enlargement of the
thyroid gland, prominence of the eyeballs, and inordinate action of
the heart; -- called also exophthalmic goiter. Flint.
Baselard
Bas"e*lard (?), n. [OF. baselarde, LL. basillardus.] A short sword or
dagger, worn in the fifteenth century. [Written also baslard.]
Fairholt.
Baseless
Base"less, a. Without a base; having no foundation or support. "The
baseless fabric of this vision." Shak.
Basely
Base"ly, adv.
1. In a base manner; with despicable meanness; dishonorably;
shamefully.
2. Illegitimately; in bastardy. [Archaic] Knolles.
Basement
Base"ment (?), n. [F. soubassement. Of uncertain origin. Cf. Base, a.,
Bastion.] (Arch.) The outer wall of the ground story of a building, or
of a part of that story, when treated as a distinct substructure. (
See Base, n., 3 (a).) Hence: The rooms of a ground floor,
collectively. Basement membrane (Anat.), a delicate membrane composed
of a single layer of flat cells, forming the substratum upon which, in
many organs, the epithelioid cells are disposed.
Baseness
Base"ness (?), n. The quality or condition of being base; degradation;
vileness.
I once did hold it a baseness to write fair. Shak.
Basenet
Bas"e*net (?), n. See Bascinet. [Obs.]
Base viol
Base" vi`ol (?). See Bass viol.
Bash
Bash (?), v. t. & i. [OE. baschen, baissen. See Abash.] To abash; to
disconcert or be disconcerted or put out of countenance. [Obs.]
His countenance was bold and bashed not. Spenser.
Bashaw
Ba*shaw" (?), n. [See Pasha.]
1. A Turkish title of honor, now written pasha. See Pasha.
2. Fig.: A magnate or grandee.
3. (Zo\'94l.) A very large siluroid fish (Leptops olivaris) of the
Mississippi valley; -- also called goujon, mud cat, and yellow cat.
Bashful
Bash"ful (?), a. [See Bash.]
1. Abashed; daunted; dismayed. [Obs.]
2. Very modest, or modest excess; constitutionally disposed to shrink
from public notice; indicating extreme or excessive modesty; shy; as,
a bashful person, action, expression. Syn. -- Diffident; retiring;
reserved; shamefaced; sheepish.
Bashfully
Bash"ful*ly, adv. In a bashful manner.
Bashfulness
Bash"ful*ness, n. The quality of being bashful. Syn. -- Bashfulness,
Modesty, Diffidence, Shyness. Modesty arises from a low estimate of
ourselves; bashfulness is an abashment or agitation of the spirits at
coming into contact with others; diffidence is produced by an undue
degree of self-distrust; shyness usually arises from an excessive
self-consciousness, and a painful impression that every one is looking
at us. Modesty of deportment is becoming at all; bashfulness often
gives rise to mistakes and blundering; diffidence is society
frequently makes a man a burden to himself; shyness usually produces a
reserve or distance which is often mistaken for haughtiness.
Bashi-bazouk
Bash"i-ba*zouk" (?), n. [Turkish, light-headed, a foolish fellow.] A
soldier belonging to the irregular troops of the Turkish army.
Bashless
Bash"less, a. Shameless; unblushing. [Obs.] Spenser.
Bashyle
Bas"hyle (?), n. (Chem.) See Basyle.
Basi-
Ba"si- (?). A combining form, especially in anatomical and botanical
words, to indicate the base or position at or near a base; forming a
base; as, basibranchials, the most ventral of the cartilages or bones
of the branchial arches; basicranial, situated at the base of the
cranium; basifacial, basitemporal, etc.
Basic
Ba"sic (?), a.
1. (Chem.) (a) Relating to a base; performing the office of a base in
a salt. (b) Having the base in excess, or the amount of the base
atomically greater than that of the acid, or exceeding in proportion
that of the related neutral salt. (c) Apparently alkaline, as certain
normal salts which exhibit alkaline reactions with test paper.
2. (Min.) Said of crystalline rocks which contain a relatively low
percentage of silica, as basalt.
Basic salt (Chem.), a salt formed from a base or hydroxide by the
partial replacement of its hydrogen by a negative or acid element or
radical.
Basicerite
Ba*sic"er*ite (?), n. [Basi- + Gr. horn, antenna.] (Zo\'94l.) The
second joint of the antenn\'91 of crustaceans.
Basicity
Ba*sic"i*ty, n. (Chem.) (a) The quality or state of being a base. (b)
The power of an acid to unite with one or more atoms or equivalents of
a base, as indicated by the number of replaceable hydrogen atoms
contained in the acid.
Basidiospore
Ba*sid"i*o*spore (?), n. [Basidium + spore.] (Bot.) A spore borne by a
basidium. -- Ba*sid`i*o*spor"ous (, a.
Basidium
Ba*sid"i*um (?), n. [NL., dim. of Gr. base.] (Bot.) A special oblong
or pyriform cell, with slender branches, which bears the spores in
that division of fungi called Basidiomycetes, of which the common
mushroom is an example.
Basifier
Ba"si*fi`er (?), n. (Chem.) That which converts into a salifiable
base.
Basifugal
Ba*sif"u*gal (?), a. [Base,n.+ L. fugere to flee.] (Bot.) Tending or
proceeding away from the base; as, a basifugal growth.
Basify
Ba"si*fy (?), v. t. [Base + -fy.] (Chem.) To convert into a salifiable
base.
Basigynium
Ba`si*gyn"i*um (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. base + woman.] (Bot.) The pedicel
on which the ovary of certain flowers, as the passion flower, is
seated; a carpophore or thecaphore.
Basihyal
Ba`si*hy"al (?), a. [Basi- + Gr. (Anat.) Noting two small bones,
forming the body of the inverted hyoid arch.
Basihyoid
Ba`si*hy"oid (?), n. [Basi- + hyoid.] (Anat.) The central tongue bone.
Basil
Bas"il (?), n. [Cf. F. basile and E. Bezel.] The slope or angle to
which the cutting edge of a tool, as a plane, is ground. Grier.
Basil
Bas"il, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Basiled (p. pr. & vb. n. Basiling.] To
grind or form the edge of to an angle. Moxon.
Basil
Bas"il, n. [F. basilic, fr. L. badilicus royal, Gr. , fr. king.]
(Bot.) The name given to several aromatic herbs of the Mint family,
but chiefly to the common or sweet basil (Ocymum basilicum), and the
bush basil, or lesser basil (O. minimum), the leaves of which are used
in cookery. The name is also given to several kinds of mountain mint
(Pycnanthemum). Basil thyme, a name given to the fragrant herbs
Calamintha Acinos and C. Nepeta. -- Wild basil, a plant (Calamintha
clinopodium) of the Mint family.
Basil
Bas"il (?), n. [Corrupt. from E. basan, F. basane, LL. basanium,
bazana, fr. Ar. bith\'bena, prop., lining.] The skin of a sheep tanned
with bark.
Basilar, Basilary
Bas"i*lar (?), Bas"i*la*ry (?), a. [F. basilaire, fr. L. basis. See
Base, n.]
1. Relating to, or situated at, the base.
2. Lower; inferior; applied to impulses or springs of action. [R.]
"Basilar instincts." H. W. Beecher.
Basilic
Ba*sil"ic (?), n. [F. basilique.] Basilica.
Basilic, Basilical
Ba*sil"ic (?), Ba*sil"ic*al (?), a. [See Basilica.]
1. Royal; kingly; also, basilican.
2. (Anat.) Pertaining to certain parts, anciently supposed to have a
specially important function in the animal economy, as the middle vein
of the right arm.
Basilica
Ba*sil"i*ca (?), n.; pl. Basilicas (#); sometimes Basilic (#). [L.
basilica, Gr. ( sc. , or ) fr. royal, fr. .] Originally, the place of
a king; but afterward, an apartment provided in the houses of persons
of importance, where assemblies were held for dispensing justice; and
hence, any large hall used for this purpose.
2. (Arch.) (a) A building used by the Romans as a place of public
meeting, with court rooms, etc., attached. (b) A church building of
the earlier centuries of Christianity, the plan of which was taken
from the basilica of the Romans. The name is still applied to some
churches by way of honorary distinction.
Basilica
Ba*sil"i*ca, n. A digest of the laws of Justinian, translated from the
original Latin into Greek, by order of Basil I., in the ninth century.
P. Cyc.
Basilican
Ba*sil"i*can (?), a. Of, relating to, or resembling, a basilica;
basilical.
There can be no doubt that the first churches in Constantinople
were in the basilican form. Milman.
Basilicok
Ba*sil"i*cok (?), n. [OF. basilicoc.] The basilisk. [Obs.] Chaucer
Basilicon
Ba*sil"i*con (?), n. [L. basilicon, Gr. , neut. of : cf. F. basilicon.
See Basilica.] (Med.) An ointment composed of wax, pitch, resin, and
olive oil, lard, or other fatty substance.
Basilisk
Bas"i*lisk (?), n. [L. basiliscus, Gr. little king, kind of serpent,
dim. of king; -- so named from some prominences on the head resembling
a crown.]
1. A fabulous serpent, or dragon. The ancients alleged that its
hissing would drive away all other serpents, and that its breath, and
even its look, was fatal. See Cockatrice.
Make me not sighted like the basilisk. Shak.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A lizard of the genus Basiliscus, belonging to the
family Iguanid\'91.
NOTE: &hand; Th is ge nus is remarkable for a membranous bag rising
above the occiput, which can be filled with air at pleasure; also
for an elevated crest along the back, that can be raised or
depressed at will.
3. (Mil.) A large piece of ordnance, so called from its supposed
resemblance to the serpent of that name, or from its size. [Obs.]
Basin
Ba"sin (?), n. [OF. bacin, F. bassin, LL. bacchinus, fr. bacca a water
vessel, fr. L. bacca berry, in allusion to the round shape; or perh.
fr. Celtic. Cf. Bac.]
1. A hollow vessel or dish, to hold water for washing, and for various
other uses.
2. The quantity contained in a basin.
3. A hollow vessel, of various forms and materials, used in the arts
or manufactures, as that used by glass grinders for forming concave
glasses, by hatters for molding a hat into shape, etc.
4. A hollow place containing water, as a pond, a dock for ships, a
little bay.
5. (Physical Geog.) (a) A circular or oval valley, or depression of
the surface of the ground, the lowest part of which is generally
occupied by a lake, or traversed by a river. (b) The entire tract of
country drained by a river, or sloping towards a sea or lake.
6. (Geol.) An isolated or circumscribed formation, particularly where
the strata dip inward, on all sides, toward a center; -- especially
applied to the coal formations, called coal basins or coal fields.
Basined
Ba"sined (?), a. Inclosed in a basin. "Basined rivers." Young.
Basinet
Bas"i*net (?), n. Same as Bascinet.
Basioccipital
Ba`si*oc*cip"i*tal (?), a. [Basi- + occipital.] (Anat.) Of or
pertaining to the bone in the base of the cranium, frequently forming
a part of the occipital in the adult, but usually distinct in the
young. -- n. The basioccipital bone.
Basion
Ba"si*on (?), n. [Gr. a base.] (Anat.) The middle of the anterior
margin of the great foramen of the skull.
Basipodite
Ba*sip"o*dite (?), n. [Basi- + , , foot.] (Anat.) The basal joint of
the legs of Crustacea.
Basipterygium
Ba*sip`te*ryg"i*um (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. a base + a fin.] (Anat.) A
bar of cartilage at the base of the embryonic fins of some fishes. It
develops into the metapterygium. -- Ba*sip`ter*yg"i*al (, a.
Basipterygoid
Ba`sip*ter"y*goid (?), a. & n. [Basi- + pierygoid.] (Anat.) Applied to
a protuberance of the base of the sphenoid bone.
Basis
Ba"sis (?), n.; pl. Bases (#). [L. basis, Gr. . See Base, n.]
1. The foundation of anything; that on which a thing rests. Dryden.
2. The pedestal of a column, pillar, or statue. [Obs.]
If no basis bear my rising name. Pope.
<-- p. 123 -->
3. The ground work the first or fundamental principle; that which
supports.
The basis of public credit is good faith. A. Hamilton.
4. The principal component part of a thing.
Basisolute
Ba*sis"o*lute (?), a. [Basi- + solute, a.] (Bot.) Prolonged at the
base, as certain leaves.
Basisphenoid, Basisphenoidal
Ba`si*sphe"noid (?), Ba`si*sphe*noid"al (?), a. [Basi- + spheroid.]
(Anat.) Of or pertaining to that part of the base of the cranium
between the basioccipital and the presphenoid, which usually ossifies
separately in the embryo or in the young, and becomes a part of the
sphenoid in the adult.
Basisphenoid
Ba`si*sphe"noid, n. (Anat.) The basisphenoid bone.
Bask
Bask, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Basked (p. pr. & vb. n. Basking.] [ OScand.
ba to bathe one's self, or perh. bakask to bake one's self, sk being
reflexive. See Bath, n., Bake, v. t.] To lie in warmth; to be exposed
to genial heat.
Basks in the glare, and stems the tepid wave. Goldsmith.
Bask
Bask, v. t. To warm by continued exposure to heat; to warm with genial
heat.
Basks at the fire his hairy strength. Milton.
Basket
Bas"ket (?), n. [Of unknown origin. The modern Celtic words seem to be
from the English.]
1. A vessel made of osiers or other twigs, cane, rushes, splints, or
other flexible material, interwoven. "Rude baskets . . . woven of the
flexile willow." Dyer.
2. The contents of a basket; as much as a basket contains; as, a
basket of peaches.
3. (Arch.) The bell or vase of the Corinthian capital. [Improperly so
used.] Gwilt.
4. The two back seats facing one another on the outside of a
stagecoach. [Eng.] Goldsmith.
Basket fish (Zo\'94l.), an ophiuran of the genus Astrophyton, having
the arms much branched. See Astrophyton. -- Basket hilt, a hilt with a
covering wrought like basketwork to protect the hand. Hudibras. Hence,
Baskethilted, a. -- Basket work, work consisting of plaited osiers or
twigs. -- Basket worm (Zo\'94l.), a lepidopterous insect of the genus
Thyridopteryx and allied genera, esp. T. ephemer\'91formis. The larva
makes and carries about a bag or basket-like case of silk and twigs,
which it afterwards hangs up to shelter the pupa and wingless adult
females.
Basket
Bas"ket, v. t. To put into a basket. [R.]
Basketful
Bas"ket*ful (?), n.; pl. Basketfuls (. As much as a basket will
contain.
Basketry
Bas"ket*ry (?), n. The art of making baskets; also, baskets, taken
collectively.
Basking shark
Bask"ing shark` (?). (Zo\'94l.) One of the largest species of sharks
(Cetorhinus maximus), so called from its habit of basking in the sun;
the liver shark, or bone shark. It inhabits the northern seas of
Europe and America, and grows to a length of more than forty feet. It
is a harmless species.
Basnet
Bas"net (?), n. Same as Bascinet.
Basommatophora
Ba*som`ma*toph"o*ra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. base + eye + to bear.]
(Zo\'94l.) A group of Pulmonifera having the eyes at the base of the
tentacles, including the common pond snails.
Bason
Ba"son (?), n. A basin. [Obs. or Special form]
Basque
Basque (?), a. [F.] Pertaining to Biscay, its people, or their
language.
Basque
Basque (?), n. [F.]
1. One of a race, of unknown origin, inhabiting a region on the Bay of
Biscay in Spain and France.
2. The language spoken by the Basque people.
3. A part of a lady's dress, resembling a jacket with a short skirt;
-- probably so called because this fashion of dress came from the
Basques.
Basquish
Basqu"ish (?), a. [F. Basque Biscayan: cf. G. Baskisch.] Pertaining to
the country, people, or language of Biscay; Basque [Obs.] Sir T.
Browne.
Bas-relief
Bas`-re*lief" (?), n. [F. bas-relief; bas law + relief raised work,
relever to raise: cf. It. bassorilievo.] Low relief; sculpture, the
figures of which project less than half of their true proportions; --
called also bassrelief and basso-rilievo. See Alto-rilievo.
Bass
Bass (?), n.; pl. Bass, and sometimes Basses (#). [A corruption of
barse.] (Zo\'94l.)
1. An edible, spiny-finned fish, esp. of the genera Roccus, Labrax,
and related genera. There are many species.
NOTE: &hand; Th e co mmon Eu ropean ba ss is Labrax lupus. American
species are: the striped bass (Roccus lineatus); white or silver
bass of the lakes. (R. chrysops); brass or yellow bass (R.
interruptus).
2. The two American fresh-water species of black bass (genus
Micropterus). See Black bass.
3. Species of Serranus, the sea bass and rock bass. See Sea bass.
4. The southern, red, or channel bass (Sci\'91na ocellata). See
Redfish.
NOTE: &hand; Th e na me is al so applied to many other fishes. See
Calico bass, under Calico.
Bass
Bass, n. [A corruption of bast.]
1. (Bot.) The linden or lime tree, sometimes wrongly called whitewood;
also, its bark, which is used for making mats. See Bast.
2. (Pron. A hassock or thick mat.
Bass
Bass (?), n. [F. basse, fr. bas low. See Base, a.]
1. A bass, or deep, sound or tone.
2. (Mus.) (a) The lowest part in a musical composition. (b) One who
sings, or the instrument which plays, bass. [Written also base.]
Thorough bass. See Thorough bass.
Bass
Bass, a. Deep or grave in tone. Bass clef (Mus.), the character placed
at the beginning of the staff containing the bass part of a musical
composition. [See Illust. under Clef.] -- Bass voice, a deepsounding
voice; a voice fitted for singing bass.
Bass
Bass, v. t. To sound in a deep tone. [R.] Shak.
Bassa, Bassaw
Bas"sa (?), Bas*saw" (?), n. See Bashaw.
Bass drum
Bass` drum" (?). (Mus.) The largest of the different kinds of drums,
having two heads, and emitting a deep, grave sound. See Bass, a.
Basset
Bas"set (?), n. [F. bassette, fr.It. bassetta. Cf. Basso.] A game at
cards, resembling the modern faro, said to have been invented at
Venice.
Some dress, some dance, some play, not to forget Your piquet
parties, and your dear basset. Rowe.
Basset
Bas"set (?), a. [Cf. OF. basset somewhat low, dim. of bas low.]
(Geol.) Inclined upward; as, the basset edge of strata. Lyell.
Basset
Bas"set, n. (Geol.) The edge of a geological stratum at the surface of
the ground; the outcrop.
Basset
Bas"set, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Basseted; p. pr. & vb. n. Basseting.]
(Geol.) To inclined upward so as to appear at the surface; to crop
out; as, a vein of coal bassets.
Basset horn
Bas"set horn` (?). [See Basset, a.] (Mus.) An instrument blown with a
reed, and resembling a clarinet, but of much greater compass,
embracing nearly four octaves.
Basset hound
Bas"set hound` (?). [F. basset.] (Zo\'94l.) A small kind of hound with
a long body and short legs, used as an earth dog.
Basseting
Bas"set*ing, n. The upward direction of a vein in a mine; the
emergence of a stratum at the surface.
Bassetto
Bas*set"to (?), n. [It., adj., somewhat low; n., counter tenor. See
Basso.] (Mus.) A tenor or small bass viol.
Bass horn
Bass" horn" (?). (Mus.) A modification of the bassoon, much deeper in
tone.
Bassinet
Bas"si*net (?), n. [Cf. F. bassinet, dim. of bassin. See Basin, and
cf. Bascinet.]
1. A wicker basket, with a covering or hood over one end, in which
young children are placed as in a cradle.
2. See Bascinet. Lord Lytton.
Basso
Bas"so (?), n. [It., fr. LL. bassus. See Base, a.] (Mus.) (a) The bass
or lowest part; as, to sing basso. (b) One who sings the lowest part.
(c) The double bass, or contrabasso. Basso continuo (. [It., bass
continued.] (Mus.) A bass part written out continuously, while the
other parts of the harmony are indicated by figures attached to the
bass; continued bass.
Bassock
Bas"sock (?), n. A hassock. See 2d Bass, 2.
Bassoon
Bas*soon" (?), n. [F. basson, fr. basse bass; or perh. fr. bas son low
sound. See Bass a part in music. ] (Mus.) A wind instrument of the
double reed kind, furnished with holes, which are stopped by the
fingers, and by keys, as in flutes. It forms the natural bass to the
oboe, clarinet, etc.
NOTE: &hand; Its compass comprehends three octaves. For convenience
of carriage it is divided into two parts; whence it is also called
a fagot.
Bassoonist
Bas*soon"ist, n. A performer on the bassoon. Busby.
Basso-rilievo, Basso-relievo
Bas"so-ri*lie"vo (?), Bas"so-re*lie"vo (?), n. [It. basso-rilievo.]
Same as Bas-relief.
Bassorin
Bas"so*rin (?), n. [Cf. F. bassorine.] (Chem.) A constituent part of a
species of gum from Bassora, as also of gum tragacanth and some gum
resins. It is one of the amyloses. Ure.
Bass-relief
Bass"-re*lief` (?), n. Some as Bas-relief.
Bass viol
Bass" vi`ol (?). (Mus.) A stringed instrument of the viol family, used
for playing bass. See 3d Bass, n., and Violoncello.
Basswood
Bass"wood` (?), n. (Bot.) The bass (Tilia) or its wood; especially, T.
Americana. See Bass, the lime tree.
All the bowls were made of basswood, White and polished very
smoothly. Longfellow.
Bast
Bast (?), n. [AS. b\'91st; akin to Icel., Sw., Dan., D., & G. bast, of
unknown origin. Cf. Bass the tree.]
1. The inner fibrous bark of various plants; esp. of the lime tree;
hence, matting, cordage, etc., made therefrom.
2. A thick mat or hassock. See 2d Bass, 2.
Basta
Bas"ta (?), interj. [It.] Enough; stop. Shak.
Bastard
Bas"tard (?), n. [OF. bastard, bastart, F. b, prob. fr. OF. bast, F.
b, a packsaddle used as a bed by the muleteers (fr. LL. bastum) +
-ard. OF. fils de bast son of the packsaddle; as the muleteers were
accustomed to use their saddles for beds in the inns. See Cervantes,
"Don Quixote," chap. 16; and cf.G. bankert, fr. bank bench.]
1. A "natural" child; a child begotten and born out of wedlock; an
illegitimate child; one born of an illicit union.
NOTE: &hand; By th e civil and canon laws, and by the laws of many
of the United States, a bastard becomes a legitimate child by the
intermarriage of the parents at any subsequent time. But by those
of England, and of some states of the United States, a child, to be
legitimate, must at least be born after the lawful marriage.
Kent. Blackstone.
2. (Sugar Refining) (a) An inferior quality of soft brown sugar,
obtained from the sirups that (b) A large size of mold, in which sugar
is drained.
3. A sweet Spanish wine like muscadel in flavor.
Brown bastard is your only drink. Shak.
4. A writing paper of a particular size. See Paper.
Bastard
Bas"tard (?), a.
1. Begotten and born out of lawful matrimony; illegitimate. See
Bastard, n., note.
2. Lacking in genuineness; spurious; false; adulterate; -- applied to
things which resemble those which are genuine, but are really not so.
That bastard self-love which is so vicious in itself, and
productive of so many vices. Barrow.
3. Of an unusual make or proportion; as, a bastard musket; a bastard
culverin. [Obs.]
4. (Print.) Abbreviated, as the half title in a page preceding the
full title page of a book.
Bastard ashlar (Arch.), stones for ashlar work, roughly squared at the
quarry. -- Bastard file, a file intermediate between the coarsest and
the second cut. -- Bastard type (Print.), type having the face of a
larger or a smaller size than the body; e.g., a nonpareil face on a
brevier body. -- Bastard wing (Zo\'94l.), three to five quill feathers
on a small joint corresponding to the thumb in some mam malia; the
alula.
Bastard
Bas"tard, v. t. To bastardize. [Obs.] Bacon.
Bastardism
Bas"tard*ism (?), n. The state of being a bastard; bastardy.
Bastardize
Bas"tard*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bastardized (p. pr. & vb. n.
Bastardizing.]
1. To make or prove to be a bastard; to stigmatize as a bastard; to
declare or decide legally to be illegitimate.
The law is so indulgent as not to bastardize the child, if born,
though not begotten, in lawful wedlock. Blackstone.
2. To beget out of wedlock. [R.] Shak.
Bastardly
Bas"tard*ly, a. Bastardlike; baseborn; spuripous; corrupt. [Obs.] --
adv. In the manner of a bastard; spuriously. [Obs.] Shak. Donne.
Bastardy
Bas"tar*dy (?), n.
1. The state of being a bastard; illegitimacy.
2. The procreation of a bastard child. Wharton.
Baste
Baste (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Basted; p. pr. & vb. n. Basting.] [Cf.
Icel. beysta to strike, powder; Sw. basa to beat with a rod: perh.
akin to E. beat.]
1. To beat with a stick; to cudgel.
One man was basted by the keeper for carrying some people over on
his back through the waters. Pepys.
2. (Cookery) To sprinkle flour and salt and drip butter or fat on, as
on meat in roasting.
3. To mark with tar, as sheep. [Prov. Eng.]
Baste
Baste, v. t. [OE. basten, OF. bastir, F. b, prob. fr. OHG. bestan to
sew, MHG. besten to bind, fr. OHG. bast bast. See Bast.] To sew
loosely, or with long stitches; -- usually, that the work may be held
in position until sewed more firmly. Shak.
Bastile Bastille
Bas*tile" Bas*tille" (?), n. [F. bastille fortress, OF. bastir to
build, F. b.]
1. (Feud. Fort.) A tower or an elevated work, used for the defense, or
in the siege, of a fortified place.
The high bastiles . . . which overtopped the walls. Holland.
2. "The Bastille", formerly a castle or fortress in Paris, used as a
prison, especially for political offenders; hence, a rhetorical name
for a prison.
Bastinade
Bas`ti*nade" (?), n. See Bastinado, n.
Bastinade
Bas`ti*nade", v. t. To bastinado. [Archaic]
Bastinado
Bas`ti*na"do (?), n.; pl. Bastinadoes (#). [Sp. bastonada (cf. F.
bastonnade), fr. baston (cf. F. b) a stick or staff. See Baston.]
1. A blow with a stick or cudgel.
2. A sound beating with a stick or cudgel. Specifically: A form of
punishment among the Turks, Chinese, and others, consisting in beating
an offender on the soles of his feet.
Bastinado
Bas`ti*na"do, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bastinadoes (; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bastinadoing.] To beat with a stick or cudgel, especially on the soles
of the feet.
Bastion
Bas"tion (?), n. [F. bastion (cf. It. bastione), fr. LL. bastire to
build (cf. F. b, It. bastire), perh. from the idea of support for a
weight, and akin to Gr. to lift, carry, and to E. baston, baton.]
(Fort.) A work projecting outward from the main inclosure of a
fortification, consisting of two faces and two flanks, and so
constructed that it is able to defend by a flanking fire the adjacent
curtain, or wall which extends from one bastion to another. Two
adjacent bastions are connected by the curtain, which joins the flank
of one with the adjacent flank of the other. The distance between the
flanks of a bastion is called the gorge. A lunette is a detached
bastion. See Ravelin.
Bastioned
Bas"tioned (?), a. Furnished with a bastion; having bastions. <-- p.
124 -->
Basto
Bas"to (?), n. [Sp.] The ace of clubs in qua Pope.
Baston
Bas"ton (?), n. [OF. baston, F. b, LL. basto. See Bastion, and cf.
Baton, and 3d Batten.]
1. A staff or cudgel. [Obs.] "To fight with blunt bastons." Holland.
2. (Her.) See Baton.
3. An officer bearing a painted staff, who formerly was in attendance
upon the king's court to take into custody persons committed by the
court. Mozley & W.
Basyle
Bas"yle (?), n. [Gr. base + wood. See -yl.] (Chem.) A positive or
nonacid constituent of compound, either elementary, or, if compound,
performing the functions of an element.
Basylous
Bas"y*lous (?), a. Pertaining to, or having the nature of, a basyle;
electro-positive; basic; -- opposed to chlorous. Graham.
Bat
Bat (?), n. [OE. batte, botte, AS. batt; perhaps fr. the Celtic; cf.
Ir. bat, bata, stick, staff; but cf. also F. batte a beater (thing),
wooden sword, battre to beat.]
1. A large stick; a club; specifically, a piece of wood with one end
thicker or broader than the other, used in playing baseball, cricket,
etc.
2. (Mining) Shale or bituminous shale. Kirwan.
3. A sheet of cotton used for filling quilts or comfortables; batting.
4. A part of a brick with one whole end.
Bat bolt (Machinery), a bolt barbed or jagged at its butt or tang to
make it hold the more firmly. Knight.
Bat
Bat, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Batted (p. pr. & vb. n. Batting.] To strike
or hit with a bat or a pole; to cudgel; to beat. Holland.
Bat
Bat, v. i. To use a bat, as in a game of baseball.
Bat
Bat, n. [Corrupt. from OE. back, backe, balke; cf. Dan. aften-bakke]/>
(aften evening), Sw. natt-backa]/> (natt night), Icel. le (le
leather), Icel. blaka to flutter.] (Zo\'94l.) One of the Cheiroptera,
an order of flying mammals, in which the wings are formed by a
membrane stretched between the elongated fingers, legs, and tail. The
common bats are small and insectivorous. See Cheiroptera and Vampire.
Bat tick (Zo\'94l.), a wingless, dipterous insect of the genus
Nycteribia, parasitic on bats.
Batable
Bat"a*ble (?), a. [Abbrev. from debatable.] Disputable. [Obs.]
NOTE: &hand; Th e bo rder la nd between England and Scotland, being
formerly a subject of contention, was called batable or debatable
ground.
Batailled
Bat"ailled (?), a. Embattled. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Batardeau
Ba`tar*deau" (?), n. [F.]
1. A cofferdam. Brande & C.
2. (Mil.) A wall built across the ditch of a fortification, with a
sluice gate to regulate the height of water in the ditch on both sides
of the wall.
Batatas, Batata
Ba*ta"tas (?), Ba*ta"ta (?), n. An aboriginal American name for the
sweet potato (Ipom\'91a batatas).
Batavian
Ba*ta"vi*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to (a) the Batavi, an ancient
Germanic tribe; or to (b) as, a Batavian legion. Batavian Republic,
the name given to Holland by the French after its conquest in 1795.
Batavian
Ba*ta"vi*an, n. A native or inhabitant of Batavia or Holland. [R.]
Bancroft.
Batch
Batch (?), n. [OE. bache, bacche, fr. AS. bacan to bake; cf. G.
geb\'84ck and D. baksel. See Bake, v. t.]
1. The quantity of bread baked at one time.
2. A quantity of anything produced at one operation; a group or
collection of persons or things of the same kind; as, a batch of
letters; the next batch of business. "A new batch of Lords." Lady M.
W. Montagu.
Bate
Bate (?), n. [Prob. abbrev. from debate.] Strife; contention. [Obs.]
Shak.
Bate
Bate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bated; p. pr. & vb. n. Bating.] [From
abate.]
1. To lessen by retrenching, deducting, or reducing; to abate; to beat
down; to lower.
He must either bate the laborer's wages, or not employ or not pay
him. Locke.
2. To allow by way of abatement or deduction.
To whom he bates nothing or what he stood upon with the parliament.
South.
3. To leave out; to except. [Obs.]
Bate me the king, and, be he flesh and blood. He lies that says it.
Beau. & Fl.
4. To remove. [Obs.]
About autumn bate the earth from about the roots of olives, and lay
them bare. Holland.
5. To deprive of. [Obs.]
When baseness is exalted, do not bate The place its honor for the
person's sake. Herbert.
Bate
Bate, v. i.
1. To remit or retrench a part; -- with of.
Abate thy speed, and I will bate of mine. Dryden.
2. To waste away. [Obs.] Shak.
Bate
Bate (?), v. t. To attack; to bait. [Obs.] Spenser.
Bate
Bate, imp. of Bite. [Obs.] Spenser.
Bate
Bate, v. i. [F. battre des ailes to flutter. Cf. Bait to flutter.] To
flutter as a hawk; to bait. [Obs.] Bacon.
Bate
Bate, n. (Jewish Antiq.) See 2d Bath.
Bate
Bate, n. [Cf. Sw. beta maceration, soaking, G. beize, and E. bite.] An
alkaline solution consisting of the dung of certain animals; --
employed in the preparation of hides; grainer. Knight.
Bate
Bate, v. t. To steep in bate, as hides, in the manufacture of leather.
Bateau
Ba*teau" (?), n.; pl. Bateaux (#). [F. bateau, LL. batellus, fr.
battus, batus, boa, which agrees with AS. b\'bet boat: cf. W. bad
boat. See Boat, n.] A boat; esp. a flat-bottomed, clumsy boat used on
the Canadian lakes and rivers. [Written also, but less properly,
batteau.] Bateau bridge, a floating bridge supported by bateaux.
Bated
Bat"ed (?), a. Reduced; lowered; restrained; as, to speak with bated
breath. Macaulay.
Bateful
Bate"ful (?), a. Exciting contention; contentious. [Obs.] "It did
bateful question frame. " Sidney.
Bateless
Bate"less, a. Not to be abated. [Obs.] Shak.
Batement
Bate"ment (?), n. [For Abatement. See 2d Bate.] Abatement; diminution.
Moxon. Batement light (Arch.), a window or one division of a window
having vertical sides, but with the sill not horizontal, as where it
follows the rake of a staircase.
Batfish
Bat"fish` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A name given to several species of
fishes: (a) The Malthe vespertilio of the Atlantic coast. (b) The
flying gurnard of the Atlantic (Cephalacanthus spinarella). (c) The
California batfish or sting ray (Myliobatis Californicus.)
Batfowler
Bat"fowl`er (?), n. One who practices or finds sport in batfowling.
Batfowling
Bat"fowl`ing (?), n. [From Bat a stick.] A mode of catching birds at
night, by holding a torch or other light, and beating the bush or
perch where they roost. The birds, flying to the light, are caught
with nets or otherwise.
Batful
Bat"ful (?), a. [Icel. bati amelioration, batna to grow better; akin
to AS. bet better. Goth. ga-batnan to profit. Batten, v. i., Better.]
Rich; fertile. [Obs.] "Batful valleys." Drayton.
Bath
Bath (?), n.; pl. Baths (#). [AS. b\'91; akin to OS. & Icel. ba, Sw.,
Dan., D., & G. bad, and perh. to G. b\'84hen to foment.]
1. The act of exposing the body, or part of the body, for purposes of
cleanliness, comfort, health, etc., to water, vapor, hot air, or the
like; as, a cold or a hot bath; a medicated bath; a steam bath; a hip
bath.
2. Water or other liquid for bathing.
3. A receptacle or place where persons may immerse or wash their
bodies in water.
4. A building containing an apartment or a series of apartments
arranged for bathing.
Among the ancients, the public baths were of amazing extent and
magnificence. Gwilt.
5. (Chem.) A medium, as heated sand, ashes, steam, hot air, through
which heat is applied to a body.
6. (Photog.) A solution in which plates or prints are immersed; also,
the receptacle holding the solution.
NOTE: &hand; Ba th is us ed ad jectively or in combination, in an
obvious sense of or for baths or bathing; as, bathroom, bath tub,
bath keeper.
Douche bath. See Douche. -- Order of the Bath, a high order of British
knighthood, composed of three classes, viz., knights grand cross,
knights commanders, and knights companions, abbreviated thus: G. C.
B., K. C. B., K. B. -- Russian bath, a kind of vapor bath which
consists in a prolonged exposure of the body to the influence of the
steam of water, followed by washings and shampooings. -- Turkish bath,
a kind of bath in which a profuse perspiration is produced by hot air,
after which the body is washed and shampooed. -- Bath house, a house
used for the purpose of bathing; -- also a small house, near a bathing
place, where a bather undresses and dresses.
Bath
Bath (?), n. [Heb.] A Hebrew measure containing the tenth of a homer,
or five gallons and three pints, as a measure for liquids; and two
pecks and five quarts, as a dry measure.
Bath
Bath (?), n. A city in the west of England, resorted to for its hot
springs, which has given its name to various objects. Bath brick, a
preparation of calcareous earth, in the form of a brick, used for
cleaning knives, polished metal, etc. -- Bath chair, a kind of chair
on wheels, as used by invalids at Bath. "People walked out, or drove
out, or were pushed out in their Bath chairs." Dickens. -- Bath metal,
an alloy consisting of four and a half ounces of zinc and one pound of
copper. -- Bath note, a folded writing paper, 8 1/2 by 14 inches. --
Bath stone, a species of limestone (o\'94lite) found near Bath, used
for building.
Bathe
Bathe (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bathed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bathing.] [OE.
ba, AS. ba, fr. b\'91 bath. See 1st Bath, and cf. Bay to bathe.]
1. To wash by immersion, as in a bath; to subject to a bath.
Chancing to bathe himself in the River Cydnus. South.
2. To lave; to wet. "The lake which bathed the foot of the Alban
mountain." T. Arnold.
3. To moisten or suffuse with a liquid.
And let us bathe our hands in C\'91sar's blood. Shak.
4. To apply water or some liquid medicament to; as, to bathe the eye
with warm water or with sea water; to bathe one's forehead with
camphor.
5. To surround, or envelop, as water surrounds a person immersed. "The
rosy shadows bathe me. " Tennyson. "The bright sunshine bathing all
the world." Longfellow.
Bathe
Bathe (?), v. i.
1. To bathe one's self; to take a bath or baths. "They bathe in
summer." Waller.
2. To immerse or cover one's self, as in a bath. "To bathe in fiery
floods." Shak. "Bathe in the dimples of her cheek." Lloyd.
3. To bask in the sun. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bathe
Bathe, n. The immersion of the body in water; as to take one's usual
bathe. Edin. Rev.
Bather
Bath"er (?), n. One who bathes.
Bathetic
Ba*thet"ic (?), a. Having the character of bathos. [R.]
Bathing
Bath"ing (?), n. Act of taking a bath or baths. Bathing machine, a
small room on wheels, to be driven into the water, for the convenience
of bathers, who undress and dress therein.
Bathmism
Bath"mism (?), n. See Vital force.
Bathometer
Ba*thom"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. depth + -meter.] An instrument for
measuring depths, esp. one for taking soundings without a sounding
line.
Bathorse
Bat"horse` (?), n. [F. b packsaddle (cheval de b packhorse) + E.
horse. See Bastard.] A horse which carries an officer's baggage during
a campaign.
Bathos
Ba"thos (?), n. [Gr. depth, fr. deep.] (Rhet.) A ludicrous descent
from the elevated to the low, in writing or speech; anticlimax.
Bathybius
Ba*thyb"i*us (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. deep + life] (Zo\'94l.) A name
given by Prof. Huxley to a gelatinous substance found in mud dredged
from the Atlantic and preserved in alcohol. He supposed that it was
free living protoplasm, covering a large part of the ocean bed. It is
now known that the substance is of chemical, not of organic, origin.
Bathymetric, Bathymetrical
Bath`y*met"ric (?), Bath`y*met"ric*al (?), a. Pertaining to
bathymetry; relating to the measurement of depths, especially of
depths in the sea.
Bathymetry
Ba*thym"e*try (?), n. [Gr. depth + -metry.] The art or science of
sounding, or measuring depths in the sea.
Bating
Bat"ing (?), prep. [Strictly p. pr. of Bat to abate.] With the
exception of; excepting.
We have little reason to think that they bring many ideas with
them, bating some faint ideas of hunger and thirst. Locke.
Batiste
Ba*tiste" (?), n. [F. batiste, from the name of the alleged first
maker, Baptiste of Cambrai. Littr\'82.] Originally, cambric or lawn of
fine linen; now applied also to cloth of similar texture made of
cotton.
Batlet
Bat"let (?), n. [Bat stick + -let.] A short bat for beating clothes in
washing them; -- called also batler, batling staff, batting staff.
Shak.
Batman
Bat"man (?), n. [Turk. batman.] A weight used in the East, varying
according to the locality; in Turkey, the greater batman is about 157
pounds, the lesser only a fourth of this; at Aleppo and Smyrna, the
batman is 17 pounds. Simmonds.
Batman
Bat"man (?), n.; pl. Batmen (#). [F. b packsaddle + E. man. Cf.
Bathorse.] A man who has charge of a bathorse and his load. Macaulay.
Batoidei
Ba*toi"de*i (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. a kind of ray + -oid.]
(Zo\'94l.) The division of fishes which includes the rays and skates.
Baton
Bat"on (?), n. [F. b. See Baston.]
1. A staff or truncheon, used for various purposes; as, the baton of a
field marshal; the baton of a conductor in musical performances.
He held the baton of command. Prescott.
2. (Her.) An ordinary with its ends cut off, borne sinister as a mark
of bastardy, and containing one fourth in breadth of the bend
sinister; -- called also bastard bar. See Bend sinister.
Batoon
Ba*toon" (?), n. See Baton, and Baston.
Bat printing
Bat" print`ing (?). (Ceramics) A mode of printing on glazed ware.
Batrachia
Ba*tra"chi*a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. belonging to a frog, fr. frog.]
(Zo\'94l.) The order of amphibians which includes the frogs and toads;
the Anura. Sometimes the word is used in a wider sense as equivalent
to Amphibia.
Batrachian
Ba*tra"chi*an (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Pertaining to the Batrachia. -- n.
One of the Batrachia.
Batrachoid
Bat"ra*choid (?), a. [Batrachia + -oid.] (Zo\'94l.) Froglike.
Specifically: Of or pertaining to the Batrachid\'91, a family of
marine fishes, including the toadfish. Some have poisonous dorsal
spines.
Batrachomyomachy
Bat`ra*cho*my*om"a*chy (?), n. [Gr. ; frog + mouse + battle.] The
battle between the frogs and mice; -- a Greek parody on the Iliad, of
uncertain authorship.
Batrachophagous
Bat`ra*choph"a*gous (?), a. [Gr. frog + to eat.] Feeding on frogs.
Quart. Rev.
Batsman
Bats"man (?), n.; pl. Batsmen (. The one who wields the bat in
cricket, baseball, etc. <-- in baseball, usu. called the batter. -->
Bat's-wing or Batwing
Bat's"-wing" (?) or Bat"wing, a. Shaped like a bat's wing; as, a
bat's-wing burner.
Batta
Bat"ta (?), n. [Prob. through Pg. for Canarese bhatta rice in the
husk.] Extra pay; esp. an extra allowance to an English officer
serving in India. Whitworth. <-- p. 125 -->
Batta
Bat"ta (?), n. [Hind. ba.] Rate of exchange; also, the discount on
uncurrent coins. [India]
Battable
Bat"ta*ble (?), a. [See Batful.] Capable of culti [Obs.] Burton.
Battailant
Bat"tail*ant (?), a. [F. bataillant, p. pr. See Battle, v. i. ] [Obs.]
Prepared for battle; combatant; warlike. Spenser. -- n. A combatant.
Shelton.
Battailous
Bat"tail*ous (?), a. [OF. bataillos, fr. bataille. See Battle, n.]
Arrayed for battle; fit or eager for battle; warlike. [Obs.] "In
battailous aspect." Milton.
Battalia
Bat*tal"ia (?), n. [LL. battalia battle, a body of troops. See Battle,
n.]
1. Order of battle; disposition or arrangement of troops (brigades,
regiments, battalions, etc.), or of a naval force, for action.
A drawing up the armies in battalia. Jer. Taylor.
2. An army in battle array; also, the main battalia or body. [Obs.]
Shak.
Battalion
Bat*tal"ion (?), n. [F. bataillon, fr. It. battaglione. See Battalia.]
1. A body of troops; esp. a body of troops or an army in battle array.
"The whole battalion views." Milton.
2. (Mil.) A regiment, or two or more companies of a regiment, esp.
when assembled for drill or battle.
Battalion
Bat*tal"ion (?), v. t. To form into battalions. [R.]
Battel
Bat"tel (?), n. [Obs. form. of Battle.] (Old Eng. Law) A single
combat; as, trial by battel. See Wager of battel, under Wager.
Battel
Bat"tel, n. [Of uncertain etymology.] Provisions ordered from the
buttery; also, the charges for them; -- only in the pl., except when
used adjectively. [Univ. of Oxford, Eng.]
Battel
Bat"tel, v. i. To be supplied with provisions from the buttery. [Univ.
of Oxford, Eng.]
Battel
Bat"tel, v. t. [Cf. Batful, Batten, v. i.] To make fertile. [Obs.] "To
battel barren land." Ray.
Battel
Bat"tel, a. Fertile; fruitful; productive. [Obs.]
A battel soil for grain, for pasture good. Fairfax.
Batteler, Battler
Bat"tel*er (?), Bat"tler (?), n. [See 2d Battel, n.] A student at
Oxford who is supplied with provisions from the buttery; formerly, one
who paid for nothing but what he called for, answering nearly to a
sizar at Cambridge. Wright.
Batten
Bat"ten (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Battened (p. pr. & vb. n. Battening.]
[See Batful.]
1. To make fat by plenteous feeding; to fatten. "Battening our
flocks." Milton.
2. To fertilize or enrich, as land.
Batten
Bat"ten, v. i. To grow fat; to grow fat in ease and luxury; to glut
one's self. Dryden.
The pampered monarch lay battening in ease. Garth.
Skeptics, with a taste for carrion, who batten on the hideous facts
in history, -- persecutions, inquisitions. Emerson.
Batten
Bat"ten, n . [F. b stick, staff. See Baton.] A strip of sawed stuff,
or a scantling; as, (a) pl. (Com. & Arch.) Sawed timbers about 7 by 2
1/2 inches and not less than 6 feet long. Brande & C. (b) (Naut.) A
strip of wood used in fastening the edges of a tarpaulin to the deck,
also around masts to prevent chafing. (c) A long, thin strip used to
strengthen a part, to cover a crack, etc. Batten door (Arch.), a door
made of boards of the whole length of the door, secured by battens
nailed crosswise.
Batten
Bat"ten, v. t. To furnish or fasten with battens. To batten down, to
fasten down with battens, as the tarpaulin over the hatches of a ship
during a storm.
Batten
Bat"ten, n. [F. battant. See Batter, v. t.] The movable bar of a loom,
which strikes home or closes the threads of a woof.
Battening
Bat"ten*ing (?), n. (Arch.) Furring done with small pieces nailed
directly upon the wall.
Batter
Bat"ter (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Battered (; p. pr. & vb. n.
Battering.] [OE. bateren, OF. batre, F. battre, fr. LL. battere, for
L. batuere to strike, beat; of unknown origin. Cf. Abate, Bate to
abate.]
1. To beat with successive blows; to beat repeatedly and with
violence, so as to bruise, shatter, or demolish; as, to batter a wall
or rampart.
2. To wear or impair as if by beating or by hard usage. "Each battered
jade." Pope.
3. (Metallurgy) To flatten (metal) by hammering, so as to compress it
inwardly and spread it outwardly.
Batter
Bat"ter, n. [OE. batere, batire; cf. OF. bateure, bature, a beating.
See Batter, v. t.]
1. A semi-liquid mixture of several ingredients, as, flour, eggs,
milk, etc. , beaten together and used in cookery. King.
2. Paste of clay or loam. Holland.
3. (Printing) A bruise on the face of a plate or of type in the form.
Batter
Bat"ter, n. A backward slope in the face of a wall or of a bank;
receding slope. Batter rule, an instrument consisting of a rule or
frame, and a plumb line, by which the batter or slope of a wall is
regulated in building.
Batter
Bat"ter, v. i. (Arch.) To slope gently backward.
Batter
Bat"ter, n. One who wields a bat; a batsman.
Batterer
Bat"ter*er (?), n. One who, or that which, batters.
Battering-ram
Bat"ter*ing-ram` (?), n. 1. (Mil.) An engine used in ancient times to
beat down the walls of besieged places.
NOTE: &hand; It wa s a large beam, with a head of iron, which was
sometimes made to resemble the head of a ram. It was suspended by
ropes t a beam supported by posts, and so balanced as to swing
backward and forward, and was impelled by men against the wall.
Grose.
2. A blacksmith's hammer, suspended, and worked horizontally.
Battering train
Bat"ter*ing train` (?). (Mil.) A train of artillery for siege
operations.
Battery
Bat"ter*y (?), n.; pl. Batteries (#). [F. batterie, fr. battre. See
Batter, v. t.]
1. The act of battering or beating.
2. (Law) The unlawful beating of another. It includes every willful,
angry and violent, or negligent touching of another's person or
clothes, or anything attached to his person or held by him.
3. (Mil.) (a) Any place where cannon or mortars are mounted, for
attack or defense. (b) Two or more pieces of artillery in the field.
(c) A company or division of artillery, including the gunners, guns,
horses, and all equipments. In the United States, a battery of flying
artillery consists usually of six guns.
Barbette battery. See Barbette. -- Battery d'enfilade, or Enfilading
battery, one that sweeps the whole length of a line of troops or part
of a work. -- Battery en \'82charpe, one that plays obliquely. --
Battery gun, a gun capable of firing a number, of shots simultaneously
or successively without stopping to load. -- Battery wagon, a wagon
employed to transport the tools and materials for repair of the
carriages, etc., of the battery. -- In battery, projecting, as a gun,
into an embrasure or over a parapet in readiness for firing. -- Masked
battery, a battery artificially concealed until required to open upon
the enemy. -- Out of battery, or From battery, withdrawn, as a gun, to
a position for loading.
4. (Elec.) (a) A number of coated jars (Leyden jars) so connected that
they may be charged and discharged simultaneously. (b) An apparatus
for generating voltaic electricity.
NOTE: &hand; In th e tr ough ba ttery, co pper an d zi nc pl ates,
connected in pairs, divide the trough into cells, which are filled
with an acid or oxidizing liquid; the effect is exhibited when
wires connected with the two end-plates are brought together. In
Daniell's battery, the metals are zinc and copper, the former in
dilute sulphuric acid, or a solution of sulphate of zinc, the
latter in a saturated solution of sulphate of copper. A
modification of this is the common gravity battery, so called from
the automatic action of the two fluids, which are separated by
their specific gravities. In Grove's battery, platinum is the metal
used with zinc; two fluids are used, one of them in a porous cell
surrounded by the other. In Bunsen's or the carbon battery, the
carbon of gas coke is substituted for the platinum of Grove's. In
Leclanch\'82's battery, the elements are zinc in a solution of
ammonium chloride, and gas carbon surrounded with manganese dioxide
in a porous cell. A secondary battery is a battery which usually
has the two plates of the same kind, generally of lead, in dilute
sulphuric acid, and which, when traversed by an electric current,
becomes charged, and is then capable of giving a current of itself
for a time, owing to chemical changes produced by the charging
current. A storage battery is a kind of secondary battery used for
accumulating and storing the energy of electrical charges or
currents, usually by means of chemical work done by them; an
accumulator.
5. A number of similar machines or devices in position; an apparatus
consisting of a set of similar parts; as, a battery of boilers, of
retorts, condensers, etc.
6. (Metallurgy) A series of stamps operated by one motive power, for
crushing ores containing the precious metals. Knight.
7. The box in which the stamps for crushing ore play up and down.
8. (Baseball) The pitcher and catcher together.
Batting
Bat"ting (?), n.
1. The act of one who bats; the management of a bat in playing games
of ball. Mason.
2. Cotton in sheets, prepared for use in making quilts, etc.; as,
cotton batting.
Battle
Bat"tle (?), a. Fertile. See Battel, a. [Obs.]
Battle
Bat"tle, n. [OE. bataille, bataile, F. bataille battle, OF., battle,
battalion, fr. L. battalia, battualia, the fighting and fencing
exercises of soldiers and gladiators, fr. batuere to strike, beat. Cf.
Battalia, 1st Battel, and see Batter, v. t. ]
1. A general action, fight, or encounter, in which all the divisions
of an army are or may be engaged; an engagement; a combat.
2. A struggle; a contest; as, the battle of life.
The whole intellectual battle that had at its center the best poem
of the best poet of that day. H. Morley.
3. A division of an army; a battalion. [Obs.]
The king divided his army into three battles. Bacon.
The cavalry, by way of distinction, was called the battle, and on
it alone depended the fate of every action. Robertson.
4. The main body, as distinct from the van and rear; battalia. [Obs.]
Hayward.
NOTE: &hand; Ba ttle is used adjectively or as the first part of a
self-explaining compound; as, battle brand, a "brand" or sword used
in battle; battle cry; battlefield; battle ground; battlearray;
battle song.
Battle piece, a painting, or a musical composition, representing a
battle. -- Battle royal. (a) A fight between several gamecocks, where
the one that stands longest is the victor. Grose. (b) A contest with
fists or cudgels in which more than two are engaged; a m\'88l\'82e.
Thackeray. -- Drawn battle, one in which neither party gains the
victory. -- To give battle, to attack an enemy. -- To join battle, to
meet the attack; to engage in battle. -- Pitched battle, one in which
the armies are previously drawn up in form, with a regular disposition
of the forces. -- Wager of battle. See under Wager, n. Syn. --
Conflict; encounter; contest; action. Battle, Combat, Fight,
Engagement. These words agree in denoting a close encounter between
contending parties. Fight is a word of less dignity than the others.
Except in poetry, it is more naturally applied to the encounter of a
few individuals, and more commonly an accidental one; as, a street
fight. A combat is a close encounter, whether between few or many, and
is usually premeditated. A battle is commonly more general and
prolonged. An engagement supposes large numbers on each side, engaged
or intermingled in the conflict.
Battle
Bat"tle (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Battled (p. pr. & vb. n. Battling.]
[F. batailler, fr. bataille. See Battle, n.] To join in battle; to
contend in fight; as, to battle over theories.
To meet in arms, and battle in the plain. Prior.
Battle
Bat"tle, v. t. To assail in battle; to fight.
Battle-ax Battle-axe
Bat"tle-ax` Bat"tle-axe` (?), n. (Mil.) A kind of broadax formerly
used as an offensive weapon.
Battled
Bat"tled (?), p. p. Embattled. [Poetic] Tennyson.
Battledoor
Bat"tle*door` (?), n. [OE. batyldour. A corrupted form of uncertain
origin; cf. Sp. batallador a great combatant, he who has fought many
battles, Pg. batalhador, Pr. batalhador, warrior, soldier, fr. L.
battalia; or cf. Pr. batedor batlet, fr. batre to beat, fr. L.
batuere. See Battle, n.]
1. An instrument, with a handle and a flat part covered with parchment
or crossed with catgut, used to strike a shuttlecock in play; also,
the play of battledoor and shuttlecock.
2. [OE. battleder.] A child's hornbook. [Obs.] Halliwell.
Battlement
Bat"tle*ment (?), n. [OE. batelment; cf. OF. bataillement combat, fr.
batailler, also OF. bastillier, bateillier, to fortify. Cf. Battle,
n., Bastile, Bastion.] (Arch.) (a) One of the solid upright parts of a
parapet in ancient fortifications. (b) pl. The whole parapet,
consisting of alternate solids and open spaces. At first purely a
military feature, afterwards copied on a smaller scale with decorative
features, as for churches.
Battlemented
Bat"tle*ment*ed (?), a. Having battlements.
A battlemented portal. Sir W. Scott.
Battologist
Bat*tol"o*gist (?), n. One who battologizes.
Battologize
Bat*tol"o*gize (?), v. t. To keep repeating needlessly; to iterate.
Sir T. Herbert.
Battology
Bat*tol"o*gy (?), n. [F. battologie, fr. Gr. ; a stammerer + speech.]
A needless repetition of words in speaking or writing. Milton.
Batton
Bat"ton (?), n. See Batten, and Baton.
Battue
Bat"tue` (?), n. [F. battue, fr. battre to beat. See Batter, v. t.,
and cf. Battuta.] (Hunting) (a) The act of beating the woods, bushes,
etc., for game. (b) The game itself. (c) The wanton slaughter of game.
Howitt.
Batture
Bat`ture" (?), n. [F., fr. battre to beat. ] An elevated river bed or
sea bed.
Battuta
Bat*tu"ta (?), n. [It. battuta, fr. battere to beat.] (Mus.) The
measuring of time by beating.
Batty
Bat"ty (?), a. Belonging to, or resembling, a bat. "Batty wings."
Shak.
Batule
Bat"ule (?), n. A springboard in a circus or gymnasium; -- called also
batule board.
Batz
Batz (?), n.; pl. Batzen (#). [Ger. batz, batze, batzen, a coin
bearing the image of a bear, Ger. b\'84tz, betz, bear.] A small copper
coin, with a mixture of silver, formerly current in some parts of
Germany and Switzerland. It was worth about four cents.
Baubee
Bau*bee" (?), n. Same as Bawbee.
Bauble
Bau"ble (?), n. [Cf. OF. baubel a child's plaything, F. babiole, It.
babbola, LL. baubellum gem, jewel, L. babulus,a baburrus, foolish.]
1. A trifling piece of finery; a gewgaw; that which is gay and showy
without real value; a cheap, showy plaything.
The ineffective bauble of an Indian pagod. Sheridan.
2. The fool's club. [Obs.] "A fool's bauble was a short stick with a
head ornamented with an ass's ears fantastically carved upon it."
Nares.
Baubling
Bau"bling (?), a. See Bawbling. [Obs.]
Baudekin
Bau"de*kin (?), n. [OE. bawdekin rich silk stuff, OF. baudequin. See
Baldachin.] The richest kind of stuff used in garments in the Middle
Ages, the web being gold, and the woof silk, with embroidery : -- made
originally at Bagdad. [Spelt also baudkin, baudkyn, bawdekin, and
baldakin.] Nares.
Baudrick
Bau"drick (?), n. A belt. See Baldric.
Bauk, Baulk
Bauk, Baulk (?), n. & v. See Balk.
Baunscheidtism
Baun"scheidt*ism (?), n. [From the introducer, a German named
Baunscheidt.] (Med.) A form of acupuncture, followed by the rubbing of
the part with a stimulating fluid.
Bauxite, Beauxite
Baux"ite, Beaux"ite (?),n. [F., fr. Baux or Beaux, near Arles.] (Min.)
A ferruginous hydrate of alumina. It is largely used in the
preparation of aluminium and alumina, and for the lining of furnaces
which are exposed to intense heat.
Bavarian
Ba*va"ri*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Bavaria. -- n. A native or an
inhabitant of Bavaria. Bavarian cream. See under Cream.
Bavaroy
Bav"a*roy (?), n. [F. Bavarois Bavarian.] A kind of cloak or surtout.
[Obs.] Johnson.
Let the looped bavaroy the fop embrace. Gay.
<-- p. 126 -->
Bavian
Ba"vi*an (?), n. [See Baboon.] A baboon.
Bavin
Bav"in (?), n. [Cf. Gael. & Ir. baban tuft, tassel.]
1. A fagot of brushwood, or other light combustible matter, for
kindling fires; refuse of brushwood. [Obs. or Dial. Eng.]
2. Impure limestone. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.
Bawbee
Baw*bee" (?), n. [Perh. corrupt. fr. halfpenny.] A halfpenny. [Spelt
also baubee.] [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]
Bawble
Baw"ble (?), n. A trinket. See Bauble.
Bawbling
Baw"bling, a. Insignificant; contemptible. [Obs.]
Bawcock
Baw"cock (?), n. [From F. beau fine + E. cock (the bird); or more
prob. fr. OF. baud bold, gay + E. cock. Cf. Bawd.] A fine fellow; -- a
term of endearment. [Obs.] "How now, my bawcock ?" Shak.
Bawd
Bawd (?), n. [OE. baude, OF. balt, baut, baude, bold, merry, perh. fr.
OHG. bald bold; or fr. Celtic, cf. W. baw dirt. Cf. Bold, Bawdry.] A
person who keeps a house of prostitution, or procures women for a lewd
purpose; a procurer or procuress; a lewd person; -- usually applied to
a woman.
Bawd
Bawd, v. i. To procure women for lewd purposes.
Bawdily
Bawd"i*ly (?), adv. Obscenely; lewdly.
Bawdiness
Bawd"i*ness, n. Obscenity; lewdness.
Bawdrick
Bawd"rick (?), n. A belt. See Baldric.
Bawdry
Bawd"ry (?), n. [OE. baudery, OF. bauderie, balderie, boldness, joy.
See Bawd.]
1. The practice of procuring women for the gratification of lust.
2. Illicit intercourse; fornication. Shak.
3. Obscenity; filthy, unchaste language. "The pert style of the pit
bawdry." Steele.
Bawdy
Bawd"y, a.
1. Dirty; foul; -- said of clothes. [Obs.]
It [a garment] is al bawdy and to-tore also. Chaucer.
2. Obscene; filthy; unchaste. "A bawdy story." Burke.
Bawdyhouse
Baw"dy*house` (?), n. A house of prostitution; a house of ill fame; a
brothel.
Bawhorse
Baw"horse` (?), n. Same as Bathorse.
Bawl
Bawl (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bawled (p. pr. & vb. n. Bawling.] [Icel.
baula to low, bellow, as a cow; akin to Sw. b\'94la; cf. AS bellan, G.
bellen to bark, E. bellow, bull.]
1. To cry out with a loud, full sound; to cry with vehemence, as in
calling or exultation; to shout; to vociferate.
2. To cry loudly, as a child from pain or vexation.
Bawl
Bawl, v. t. To proclaim with a loud voice, or by outcry, as a hawker
or town-crier does. Swift.
Bawl
Bawl, n. A loud, prolonged cry; an outcry.
Bawler
Bawl"er (?), n. One who bawls.
Bawn
Bawn (?), n. [Ir. & Gael. babhun inclosure, bulwark.]
1. An inclosure with mud or stone walls, for keeping cattle; a
fortified inclosure. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. A large house. [Obs.] Swift.
Bawrel
Baw"rel (?), n. [Cf. It. barletta a tree falcon, or hobby.] A kind of
hawk. [Obs.] Halliwell.
Bawsin, Bawson
Baw"sin (?), Baw"son (?), n. [OE. bawson, baucyne, badger (named from
its color), OF. bauzan, baucant, bauchant, spotted with white, pied;
cf. It. balzano, F. balzan, a white-footed horse, It. balza border,
trimming, fr. L. balteus belt, border, edge. Cf. Belt.]
1. A badger. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
2. A large, unwieldy person. [Obs.] Nares.
Baxter
Bax"ter (?), n. [OE. bakestre, bakistre, AS. b\'91cestre, prop. fem.
of b\'91cere baker. See Baker.] A baker; originally, a female baker.
[Old Eng. & Scotch]
Bay
Bay (?), a. [F. bai, fr. L. badius brown, chestnutcolored; -- used
only of horses.] Reddish brown; of the color of a chestnut; -- applied
to the color of horses. Bay cat (Zo\'94l.), a wild cat of Africa and
the East Indies (Felis aurata). -- Bay lynx (Zo\'94l.), the common
American lynx (Felis, or Lynx, rufa).
Bay
Bay, n. [F. baie, fr. LL. baia. Of uncertain origin: cf. Ir. & Gael.
badh or bagh bay harbor, creek; Bisc. baia, baiya, harbor, and F.
bayer to gape, open the mouth.]
1. (Geol.) An inlet of the sea, usually smaller than a gulf, but of
the same general character.
NOTE: &hand; The name is not used with much precision, and is often
applied to large tracts of water, around which the land forms a
curve; as, Hudson's Bay. The name is not restricted to tracts of
water with a narrow entrance, but is used foe any recess or inlet
between capes or headlands; as, the Bay of Biscay.
2. A small body of water set off from the main body; as a compartment
containing water for a wheel; the portion of a canal just outside of
the gates of a lock, etc.
3. A recess or indentation shaped like a bay.
4. A principal compartment of the walls, roof, or other part of a
building, or of the whole building, as marked off by the buttresses,
vaulting, mullions of a window, etc.; one of the main divisions of any
structure, as the part of a bridge between two piers.
5. A compartment in a barn, for depositing hay, or grain in the
stalks.
6. A kind of mahogany obtained from Campeachy Bay.
Sick bay, in vessels of war, that part of a deck appropriated to the
use of the sick. Totten.
Bay
Bay, n. [F. baie a berry, the fruit of the laurel and other trees, fr.
L. baca, bacca, a small round fruit, a berry, akin to Lith. bapka
laurel berry.]
1. A berry, particularly of the laurel. [Obs.]
2. The laurel tree (Laurus nobilis). Hence, in the plural, an honorary
garland or crown bestowed as a prize for victory or excellence,
anciently made or consisting of branches of the laurel.
The patriot's honors and the poet's bays. Trumbull.
3. A tract covered with bay trees. [Local, U. S.]
Bay leaf, the leaf of the bay tree (Laurus nobilis). It has a fragrant
odor and an aromatic taste.
Bay
Bay, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bayed (p. pr. & vb. n. Baying.] [ OE. bayen,
abayen, OF. abaier, F. aboyer, to bark; of uncertain origin.] To bark,
as a dog with a deep voice does, at his game.
The hounds at nearer distance hoarsely bayed. Dryden.
Bay
Bay (?), v. t. To bark at; hence, to follow with barking; to bring or
drive to bay; as, to bay the bear. Shak.
Bay
Bay (?), n. [See Bay, v. i.]
1. Deep-toned, prolonged barking. "The bay of curs." Cowper.
2. [OE. bay, abay, OF. abai, F. aboi barking, pl. abois, prop. the
extremity to which the stag is reduced when surrounded by the dogs,
barking (aboyant); aux abois at bay.] A state of being obliged to face
an antagonist or a difficulty, when escape has become impossible.
Embolden'd by despair, he stood at bay. Dryden.
The most terrible evils are just kept at bay by incessant efforts.
I. Taylor
Bay
Bay, v. t. [Cf. OE. b\'91wen to bathe, and G. b\'84hen to foment.] To
bathe. [Obs.] Spenser.
Bay
Bay, n. A bank or dam to keep back water.
Bay
Bay, v. t. To dam, as water; -- with up or back.
Baya
Ba"ya (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) The East Indian weaver bird
(Ploceus Philippinus).
Bayad, Bayatte
Ba*yad" (?), Ba*yatte" (?), n. [Ar. bayad.] (Zo\'94l.) A large,
edible, siluroid fish of the Nile, of two species (Bagrina bayad and
B. docmac).
Bayadere
Ba`ya*dere" (?), n. [F., from Pg. bailadeira a female dancer, bailar
to dance.] A female dancer in the East Indies. [Written also
bajadere.]
Bay-antler
Bay"-ant`ler (?), n. [See Bez-Antler.] (Zo\'94l.) The second tine of a
stag's horn. See under Antler.
Bayard
Bay"ard (?), n.
1. [OF. bayard, baiart, bay horse; bai bay + -ard. See Bay, a., and
-ard.] Properly, a bay horse, but often any horse. Commonly in the
phrase blind bayard, an old blind horse.
Blind bayard moves the mill. Philips.
2. [Cf. F. bayeur, fr. bayer to gape.] A stupid, clownish fellow.
[Obs.] B. Jonson.
Bayardly
Bay"ard*ly, a. Blind; stupid. [Obs.] "A formal and bayardly round of
duties." Goodman.
Bayberry
Bay"ber*ry (?), n. (Bot.) (a) The fruit of the bay tree or Laurus
nobilis. (b) A tree of the West Indies related to the myrtle (Pimenta
acris). (c) The fruit of Myrica cerifera (wax myrtle); the shrub
itself; -- called also candleberry tree. Bayberry tallow, a fragrant
green wax obtained from the bayberry or wax myrtle; -- called also
myrtle wax.
Baybolt
Bay"bolt` (?), n. A bolt with a barbed shank.
Bayed
Bayed (?), a. Having a bay or bays. "The large bayed barn." Drayton.
Bay ice
Bay" ice` (?). See under Ice.
Bay leaf
Bay" leaf` (?). See under 3d Bay.
Bayonet
Bay"o*net (?), n. [F. bayonnette, ba\'8bonnette; -- so called, it is
said, because the first bayonets were made at Bayonne.]
1. (Mil.) A pointed instrument of the dagger kind fitted on the muzzle
of a musket or rifle, so as to give the soldier increased means of
offense and defense.
NOTE: &hand; Or iginally, the bayonet was made with a handle, which
required to be fitted into the bore of the musket after the soldier
had fired.
2. (Mach.) A pin which plays in and out of holes made to receive it,
and which thus serves to engage or disengage parts of the machinery.
Bayonet clutch. See Clutch. -- Bayonet joint, a form of coupling
similar to that by which a bayonet is fixed on the barrel of a musket.
Knight.
Bayonet
Bay"o*net, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bayoneted; p. pr. & vb. n. Bayoneting.]
1. To stab with a bayonet.
2. To compel or drive by the bayonet.
To bayonet us into submission. Burke.
Bayou
Bay"ou (?), n.; pl. Bayous (. [North Am. Indian bayuk, in F. spelling
bayouc, bayouque.] An inlet from the Gulf of Mexico, from a lake, or
from a large river, sometimes sluggish, sometimes without perceptible
movement except from tide and wind. [Southern U. S.]
A dark slender thread of a bayou moves loiteringly northeastward
into a swamp of huge cypresses. G. W. Cable.
Bay rum
Bay" rum" (?). A fragrant liquid, used for cosmetic and medicinal
purposes.
NOTE: &hand; Th e or iginal ba y ru m, fr om th e We st In dies, is
prepared, it is believed, by distillation from the leaves of the
bayberry (Myrcia acris). The bay rum of the Pharmacop\'d2ia (spirit
of myrcia) is prepared from oil of myrcia (bayberry), oil of orange
peel, oil of pimento, alcohol, and water.
Bays, Bayze
Bays, Bayze (?), n. See Baize. [Obs.]
Bay salt
Bay" salt` (?). Salt which has been obtained from sea water, by
evaporation in shallow pits or basins, by the heat of the sun; the
large crystalline salt of commerce. Bacon. Ure.
Bay tree
Bay" tree`. A species of laurel. (Laurus nobilis).
Bay window
Bay" win"dow (?). (Arch.) A window forming a bay or recess in a room,
and projecting outward from the wall, either in a rectangular,
polygonal, or semicircular form; -- often corruptly called a bow
window.
Bay yarn
Bay" yarn` (?). Woolen yarn. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.
Bazaar Bazar
Ba*zaar" Ba*zar" (?), n. [Per. b\'bezar market.]
1. In the East, an exchange, marketplace, or assemblage of shops where
goods are exposed for sale.
2. A spacious hall or suite of rooms for the sale of goods, as at a
fair.
3. A fair for the sale of fancy wares, toys, etc., commonly for a
charitable objects. Macaulay.
Bdellium
Bdel"lium (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. ; cf. Heb. b'dolakh bdellium (in sense
1).]
1. An unidentified substance mentioned in the Bible (Gen. ii. 12, and
Num. xi. 7), variously taken to be a gum, a precious stone, or pearls,
or perhaps a kind of amber found in Arabia.
2. A gum resin of reddish brown color, brought from India, Persia, and
Africa.
NOTE: &hand; In dian bd ellium or false myrrh is an exudation from
Balsamodendron Roxb. Other kinds are known as African, Sicilian,
etc.
Bdelloidea
Bdel*loi"de*a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. leech + -oid.] (Zo\'94l.) The
order of Annulata which includes the leeches. See Hirudinea.
Bdellometer
Bdel*lom"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. leech + -meter.] (Med.) A cupping glass to
which are attached a scarificator and an exhausting syringe.
Dunglison.
Bdellomorpha
Bdel`lo*mor"pha (?),n. [NL., fr. Gr. leech + form.] (Zo\'94l.) An
order of Nemertina, including the large leechlike worms (Malacobdella)
often parasitic in clams.
Be
Be (?), v. i. [imp. Was (?); p. p. Been (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Being.]
[OE. been, beon, AS. be\'a2n to be, be\'a2m I am; akin to OHG. bim,
pim, G. bin, I am, Gael. & Ir. bu was, W. bod to be, Lith. bu-ti, O.
Slav. by-ti, to be, L. fu-i I have been, fu-turus about to be, fo-re
to be about to be, and perh to fieri to become, Gr. to be born, to be,
Skr. bh to be. This verb is defective, and the parts lacking are
supplied by verbs from other roots, is, was, which have no radical
connection with be. The various forms, am, are, is, was, were, etc.,
are considered grammatically as parts of the verb "to be", which, with
its conjugational forms, is often called the substantive verb. Future,
Physic.]
1. To exist actually, or in the world of fact; to have ex
To be contents his natural desire. Pope.
To be, or not to be: that is the question. Shak.
2. To exist in a certain manner or relation, -- whether as a reality
or as a product of thought; to exist as the subject of a certain
predicate, that is, as having a certain attribute, or as belonging to
a certain sort, or as identical with what is specified, -- a word or
words for the predicate being annexed; as, to be happy; to be here; to
be large, or strong; to be an animal; to be a hero; to be a nonentity;
three and two are five; annihilation is the cessation of existence;
that is the man.
3. To take place; to happen; as, the meeting was on Thursday.
4. To signify; to represent or symbolize; to answer to.
The field is the world. Matt. xiii. 38.
The seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
Rev. i. 20.
NOTE: &hand; Th e verb to be (including the forms is, was, etc.) is
used in forming the passive voice of other verbs; as, John has been
struck by James. It is also used with the past participle of many
intransitive verbs to express a state of the subject. But have is
now more commonly used as the auxiliary, though expressing a
different sense; as, "Ye have come too late -- but ye are come. "
"The minstrel boy to the war is gone." The present and imperfect
tenses form, with the infinitive, a particular future tense, which
expresses necessity, duty, or purpose; as, government is to be
supported; we are to pay our just debts; the deed is to be signed
to-morrow.
NOTE: Have or ha d been, followed by to, implies movement. "I have
been to Paris." Sydney Smith. "Have you been to Franchard ?" R. L.
Stevenson.
NOTE: &hand; Be en, or be n, wa s an ciently th e pl ural of th e
indicative present. "Ye ben light of the world." Wyclif, Matt. v.
14. Afterwards be was used, as in our Bible: "They that be with us
are more than they that be with them." 2 Kings vi. 16. Ben was also
the old infinitive: "To ben of such power." R. of Gloucester. Be is
used as a form of the present subjunctive: "But if it be a question
of words and names." Acts xviii. 15. But the indicative forms, is
and are, with if, are more commonly used.
Be it so, a phrase of supposition, equivalent to suppose it to be so;
or of permission, signifying let it be so. Shak. -- If so be, in case.
-- To be from, to have come from; as, from what place are you ? I am
from Chicago. -- To let be, to omit, or leave untouched; to let alone.
"Let be, therefore, my vengeance to dissuade." Spenser. Syn. -- To be,
Exist. The verb to be, except in a few rare case, like that of
Shakespeare's "To be, or not to be", is used simply as a copula, to
connect a subject with its predicate; as, man is mortal; the soul is
immortal. The verb to exist is never properly used as a mere copula,
but points to things that stand forth, or have a substantive being;
as, when the soul is freed from all corporeal alliance, then it truly
exists. It is not, therefore, properly synonymous with to be when used
as a copula, though occasionally made so by some writers for the sake
of variety; as in the phrase "there exists [is] no reason for laying
new taxes." We may, indeed, say, "a friendship has long existed
between them," instead of saying, "there has long been a friendship
between them;" but in this case, exist is not a mere copula. It is
used in its appropriate sense to mark the friendship as having been
long in existence.
Be
Be*. [AS. be, and in accented form b\'c6, akin to OS. be and b\'c6,
OHG. bi, pi, and p\'c6, MHG. be and b\'c6, G. be and bei, Goth. bi,
and perh. Gr. about (cf. AS. bese\'a2n to look about). By, Amb-.] A
prefix, originally the same word as by; joined with verbs, it serves:
(a) To intensify the meaning; as, bespatter, bestir. (b) To render an
intransitive verb transitive; as, befall (to fall upon); bespeak (to
speak for). (c) To make the action of a verb particular or definite;
as, beget (to get as offspring); beset (to set around).
NOTE: It is joined with certain substantives, and a few adjectives,
to form verbs; as, bedew, befriend, benight, besot; belate (to make
late); belittle (to make little). It also occurs in certain nouns,
adverbs, and prepositions, often with something of the force of the
preposition by, or about; as, belief (believe), behalf, bequest
(bequeath); because, before, beneath, beside, between. In some
words the original force of be is obscured or lost; as, in become,
begin, behave, behoove, belong.
<-- p. 127 -->
Beach
Beach (?), n.; pl. Beaches (. [Cf. Sw. backe hill, Dan. bakke, Icel.
bakki hill, bank. Cf. Bank.]
1. Pebbles, collectively; shingle.
2. The shore of the sea, or of a lake, which is washed by the waves;
especially, a sandy or pebbly shore; the strand.
Beach flea (Zo\'94l.), the common name of many species of amphipod
Crustacea, of the family Orchestid\'91, living on the sea beaches, and
leaping like fleas. -- Beach grass (Bot.), a coarse grass (Ammophila
arundinacea), growing on the sandy shores of lakes and seas, which, by
its interlaced running rootstocks, binds the sand together, and
resists the encroachment of the waves. -- Beach wagon, a light open
wagon with two or more seats. -- Raised beach, an accumulation of
water-worn stones, gravel, sand, and other shore deposits, above the
present level of wave action, whether actually raised by elevation of
the coast, as in Norway, or left by the receding waters, as in many
lake and river regions.
Beach
Beach, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beached (p. pr. & vb. n. Beaching.] To run
or drive (as a vessel or a boat) upon a beach; to strand; as, to beach
a ship.
Beach comber
Beach" comb`er (?). A long, curling wave rolling in from the ocean.
See Comber. [Amer.]
Beached
Beached (?), p. p. & a.
1. Bordered by a beach.
The beached verge of the salt flood. Shak.
2. Driven on a beach; stranded; drawn up on a beach; as, the ship is
beached.
Beachy
Beach"y (?), a. Having a beach or beaches; formed by a beach or
beaches; shingly.
The beachy girdle of the ocean. Shak.
Beacon
Bea"con (?), n. [OE. bekene, AS. be\'a0cen, b; akin to OS. b, Fries.
baken, beken, sign, signal, D. baak, OHG. bouhhan, G. bake; of unknown
origin. Cf. Beckon.]
1. A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any
notice, commonly of warning.
No flaming beacons cast their blaze afar. Gay.
2. A signal or conspicuous mark erected on an eminence near the shore,
or moored in shoal water, as a guide to mariners.
3. A high hill near the shore. [Prov. Eng.]
4. That which gives notice of danger.
Modest doubt is called The beacon of the wise. Shak.
Beacon fire, a signal fire.
Beacon
Bea"con, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beaconed (p. pr. & vb. n. Beaconing.]
1. To give light to, as a beacon; to light up; to illumine.
That beacons the darkness of heaven. Campbell.
2. To furnish with a beacon or beacons.
Beaconage
Bea"con*age (?), n. Money paid for the maintenance of a beacon; also,
beacons, collectively.
Beaconless
Bea"con*less, a. Having no beacon.
Bead
Bead (?), n. [OE. bede prayer, prayer bead, AS. bed, gebed, prayer;
akin to D. bede, G. bitte, AS. biddan, to ask, bid, G. bitten to ask,
and perh. to Gr. to persuade, L. fidere to trust. Beads are used by
the Roman Catholics to count their prayers, one bead being dropped
down a string every time a prayer is said. Cf. Sp. cuenta bead, fr.
contar to count. See Bid, in to bid beads, and Bide.]
1. A prayer. [Obs.]
2. A little perforated ball, to be strung on a thread, and worn for
ornament; or used in a rosary for counting prayers, as by Roman
Catholics and Mohammedans, whence the phrases to tell beads, to at
one's beads, to bid beads, etc., meaning, to be at prayer.
3. Any small globular body; as, (a) A bubble in spirits. (b) A drop of
sweat or other liquid. "Cold beads of midnight dew." Wordsworth. (c) A
small knob of metal on a firearm, used for taking aim (whence the
expression to draw a bead, for, to take aim). (d) (Arch.) A small
molding of rounded surface, the section being usually an arc of a
circle. It may be continuous, or broken into short embossments. (e)
(Chem.) A glassy drop of molten flux, as borax or microcosmic salt,
used as a solvent and color test for several mineral earths and
oxides, as of iron, manganese, etc., before the blowpipe; as, the
borax bead; the iron bead, etc.
Bead and butt (Carp.), framing in which the panels are flush, having
beads stuck or run upon the two edges. Knight. -- Beat mold, a species
of fungus or mold, the stems of which consist of single cells loosely
jointed together so as to resemble a string of beads. [Written also
bead mould.] -- Bead tool, a cutting tool, having an edge curved so as
to make beads or beading. -- Bead tree (Bot.), a tree of the genus
Melia, the best known species of which (M. azedarach), has blue
flowers which are very fragrant, and berries which are poisonous.
Bead
Bead, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Beading.] To
ornament with beads or beading.
Bead
Bead, v. i. To form beadlike bubbles.
Beadhouse, Bedehouse
Bead"house`, Bede"house` (?), n. [OE. bede prayer + E. house. See
Bead, n.] An almshouse for poor people who pray daily for their
benefactors.
Beading
Bead"ing, n.
1. (Arch.) Molding in imitation of beads.
2. The beads or bead-forming quality of certain liquors; as, the
beading of a brand of whisky.
Beadle
Bea"dle (?), n. [OE. bedel, bidel, budel, OF. bedel, F. bedeau, fr.
OHG. butil, putil, G. b\'81ttel, fr. OHG. biotan, G. bieten, to bid,
confused with AS. bydel, the same word as OHG. butil. See. Bid, v.]
1. A messenger or crier of a court; a servitor; one who cites or bids
persons to appear and answer; -- called also an apparitor or summoner.
2. An officer in a university, who precedes public processions of
officers and students. [Eng.]
NOTE: &hand; In this sense the archaic spellings bedel (Oxford) and
bedell (Cambridge) are preserved.
3. An inferior parish officer in England having a variety of duties,
as the preservation of order in church service, the chastisement of
petty offenders, etc.
Beadlery
Bea"dle*ry (?), n. Office or jurisdiction of a beadle.
Beadleship
Bea"dle*ship, n. The state of being, or the personality of, a beadle.
A. Wood.
Bead proof
Bead" proof` (?).
1. Among distillers, a certain degree of strength in alcoholic liquor,
as formerly ascertained by the floating or sinking of glass globules
of different specific gravities thrown into it; now ascertained by
more accurate meters.
2. A degree of strength in alcoholic liquor as shown by beads or small
bubbles remaining on its surface, or at the side of the glass, when
shaken.
Beadroll
Bead"roll` (?), n. (R. C. Ch.) A catalogue of persons, for the rest of
whose souls a certain number of prayers are to be said or counted off
on the beads of a chaplet; hence, a catalogue in general.
On Fame's eternal beadroll worthy to be field. Spenser.
It is quite startling, on going over the beadroll of English
worthies, to find how few are directly represented in the male
line. Quart. Rev.
Beadsman, Bedesman
Beads"man, Bedes"man (?), n.; pl. -men (. A poor man, supported in a
beadhouse, and required to pray for the soul of its founder; an
almsman.
Whereby ye shall bind me to be your poor beadsman for ever unto
Almighty God. Fuller.
Beadsnake
Bead"snake` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A small poisonous snake of North
America (Elaps fulvius), banded with yellow, red, and black.
Beadswoman, Bedeswoman
Beads"wom`an, Bedes"wom`an (?), n.; pl. -women (. Fem. of Beadsman.
Beadwork
Bead"work` (?), n. Ornamental work in beads.
Beady
Bead"y (?), a.
1. Resembling beads; small, round, and glistening. "Beady eyes."
Thackeray.
2. Covered or ornamented with, or as with, beads.
3. Characterized by beads; as, beady liquor.
Beagle
Bea"gle (?), n. [OE. begele; perh. of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. & Gael.
beag small, little, W. bach. F. bigle is from English.]
1. A small hound, or hunting dog, twelve to fifteen inches high, used
in hunting hares and other small game. See Illustration in Appendix.
2. Fig.: A spy or detective; a constable.
Beak
Beak (?), n. [OE. bek, F. bec, fr. Celtic; cf. Gael. & Ir. bac, bacc,
hook, W. bach.] 1. (Zo\'94l.) (a) The bill or nib of a bird,
consisting of a horny sheath, covering the jaws. The form varied much
according to the food and habits of the bird, and is largely used in
the classification of birds. (b) A similar bill in other animals, as
the turtles. (c) The long projecting sucking mouth of some insects,
and other invertebrates, as in the Hemiptera. (d) The upper or
projecting part of the shell, near the hinge of a bivalve. (e) The
prolongation of certain univalve shells containing the canal.
2. Anything projecting or ending in a point, like a beak, as a
promontory of land. Carew.
3. (Antiq.) A beam, shod or armed at the end with a metal head or
point, and projecting from the prow of an ancient galley, in order to
pierce the vessel of an enemy; a beakhead.
4. (Naut.) That part of a ship, before the forecastle, which is
fastened to the stem, and supported by the main knee.
5. (Arch.) A continuous slight projection ending in an arris or narrow
fillet; that part of a drip from which the water is thrown off.
6. (Bot.) Any process somewhat like the beak of a bird, terminating
the fruit or other parts of a plant.
7. (Far.) A toe clip. See Clip, n. (Far.).
8. A magistrate or policeman. [Slang, Eng.]
Beaked
Beaked (?), a.
1. Having a beak or a beaklike point; beak-shaped. "Each beaked
promontory." Milton.
2. (Biol.) Furnished with a process or a mouth like a beak; rostrate.
Beaked whale (Zo\'94l.), a cetacean of the genus Hyperoodon; the
bottlehead whale.
Beaker
Beak"er (?), n. [OE. biker; akin to Icel. bikarr, Sw. b\'84gare, Dan.
baeger, G. becher, It. bicchiere; -- all fr. LL. bicarium, prob. fr.
Gr. wine jar, or perh. L. bacar wine vessel. Cf. Pitcher a jug.]
1. A large drinking cup, with a wide mouth, supported on a foot or
standard.
2. An open-mouthed, thin glass vessel, having a projecting lip for
pouring; -- used for holding solutions requiring heat. Knight.
Beakhead
Beak"head` (?), n.
1. (Arch.) An ornament used in rich Norman doorways, resembling a head
with a beak. Parker.
2. (Naut.) (a) A small platform at the fore part of the upper deck of
a vessel, which contains the water closets of the crew. (b) (Antiq.)
Same as Beak, 3.
Beakiron
Beak"i*ron (?), n. [From Bickern.] A bickern; a bench anvil with a
long beak, adapted to reach the interior surface of sheet metal ware;
the horn of an anvil.
Beal
Beal (, n. [See Boil a tumor.] (Med.) A small inflammatory tumor; a
pustule. [Prov. Eng.]
Beal
Beal, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bealed (; p. pr & vb. n. Bealing.] To gather
matter; to swell and come to a head, as a pimple. [Prov. Eng.]
Be-all
Be"-all` (?), n. The whole; all that is to be. [Poetic] Shak.
Beam
Beam (?), n. [AS. be\'a0m beam, post, tree, ray of light; akin to
OFries. b\'bem tree, OS. b, D. boom, OHG. boum, poum, G. baum, Icel.
ba, Goth. bahms and Gr. a growth, to become, to be. Cf. L. radius
staff, rod, spoke of a wheel, beam or ray, and G. strahl arrow, spoke
of a wheel, ray or beam, flash of lightning. Be; cf. Boom a spar.]
1. Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its
thickness, and prepared for use.
2. One of the principal horizontal timbers of a building or ship.
The beams of a vessel are strong pieces of timber stretching across
from side to side to support the decks. Totten.
3. The width of a vessel; as, one vessel is said to have more beam
than another.
4. The bar of a balance, from the ends of which the scales are
suspended.
The doubtful beam long nods from side to side. Pope.
5. The principal stem or horn of a stag or other deer, which bears the
antlers, or branches.
6. The pole of a carriage. [Poetic] Dryden.
7. A cylinder of wood, making part of a loom, on which weavers wind
the warp before weaving; also, the cylinder on which the cloth is
rolled, as it is woven; one being called the fore beam, the other the
back beam.
8. The straight part or shank of an anchor.
9. The main part of a plow, to which the handles and colter are
secured, and to the end of which are attached the oxen or horses that
draw it.
10. (Steam Engine) A heavy iron lever having an oscillating motion on
a central axis, one end of which is connected with the piston rod from
which it receives motion, and the other with the crank of the wheel
shaft; -- called also working beam or walking beam.
11. A ray or collection of parallel rays emitted from the sun or other
luminous body; as, a beam of light, or of heat.
How far that little candle throws his beams ! Shak.
12. Fig.: A ray; a gleam; as, a beam of comfort.
Mercy with her genial beam. Keble.
13. One of the long feathers in the wing of a hawk; -- called also
beam feather.
Abaft the beam (Naut.), in an arc of the horizon between a line that
crosses the ship at right angles, or in the direction of her beams,
and that point of the compass toward which her stern is directed. --
Beam center (Mach.), the fulcrum or pin on which the working beam of
an engine vibrates. -- Beam compass, an instrument consisting of a rod
or beam, having sliding sockets that carry steel or pencil points; --
used for drawing or describing large circles. -- Beam engine, a steam
engine having a working beam to transmit power, in distinction from
one which has its piston rod attached directly to the crank of the
wheel shaft. -- Before the beam (Naut.), in an arc of the horizon
included between a line that crosses the ship at right angles and that
point of the compass toward which the ship steers. -- On the beam , in
a line with the beams, or at right angled with the keel. -- On the
weather beam, on the side of a ship which faces the wind. -- To be on
her beam ends, to incline, as a vessel, so much on one side that her
beams approach a vertical position.
Beam
Beam, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beamed (p. pr. & vb. n. Beaming.] To send
forth; to emit; -- followed ordinarily by forth; as, to beam forth
light.
Beam
Beam, v. i. To emit beams of light.
He beamed, the daystar of the rising age. Trumbull.
Beambird
Beam"bird` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A small European flycatcher (Muscicapa
gricola), so called because it often nests on a beam in a building.
Beamed
Beamed (?), a. Furnished with beams, as the head of a stag.
Tost his beamed frontlet to the sky. Sir W. Scott.
Beamful
Beam"ful (?), a. Beamy; radiant.
Beamily
Beam"i*ly (?), adv. In a beaming manner.
Beaminess
Beam"i*ness, n. The state of being beamy.
Beaming
Beam"ing, a. Emitting beams; radiant.
Beamingly
Beam"ing*ly, adv. In a beaming manner; radiantly.
Beamless
Beam"less, a.
1. Not having a beam.
2. Not emitting light.
Beamlet
Beam"let (?), n. A small beam of light.
Beam tree
Beam" tree` (?). [AS. be\'a0m a tree. See Beam.] (Bot.) A tree (Pyrus
aria) related to the apple.
Beamy
Beam"y (?), a.
1. Emitting beams of light; radiant; shining. "Beamy gold." Tickell.
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2. Resembling a beam in size and weight; massy.
His double-biting ax, and beamy spear. Dryden.
3. Having horns, or antlers.
Beamy stags in toils engage. Dryden.
Bean
Bean (?), n. [OE. bene, AS.be\'a0n; akin to D. boon, G. bohne, OHG. p,
Icel. baun, Dan. b\'94nne, Sw. b\'94na, and perh. to Russ. bob, L.
faba.]
1. (Bot.) A name given to the seed of certain leguminous herbs,
chiefly of the genera Faba, Phaseolus, and Dolichos; also, to the
herbs.
NOTE: &hand; Th e origin and classification of many kinds are still
doubtful. Among true beans are: the black-eyed bean and China bean,
included in Dolichos Sinensis; black Egyptian bean or hyacinth
bean, D. Lablab; the common haricot beans, kidney beans, string
beans, and pole beans, all included in Phaseolus vulgaris; the
lower bush bean, Ph. vulgaris, variety nanus; Lima bean, Ph.
lunatus; Spanish bean and scarlet runner, Ph. maltiflorus; Windsor
bean, the common bean of England, Faba vulgaris.
As an article of food beans are classed with vegetables.
2. The popular name of other vegetable seeds or fruits, more or less
resembling true beans.
Bean aphis (Zo\'94l.), a plant louse (Aphis fab\'91) which infests the
bean plant. -- Bean fly (Zo\'94l.), a fly found on bean flowers. --
Bean goose (Zo\'94l.), a species of goose (Anser segetum). -- Bean
weevil (Zo\'94l.), a small weevil that in the larval state destroys
beans. The American species in Bruchus fab\'91. -- Florida bean
(Bot.), the seed of Mucuna urens, a West Indian plant. The seeds are
washed up on the Florida shore, and are often polished and made into
ornaments. -- Ignatius bean, or St. Ignatius's bean (Bot.), a species
of Strychnos. -- Navy bean, the common dried white bean of commerce;
probably so called because an important article of food in the navy.
-- Pea bean, a very small and highly esteemed variety of the edible
white bean; -- so called from its size. -- Sacred bean. See under
Sacred. -- Screw bean. See under Screw. -- Sea bean. (a) Same as
Florida bean. (b) A red bean of unknown species used for ornament. --
Tonquin bean, or Tonka bean, the fragrant seed of Dipteryx odorata, a
leguminous tree. -- Vanilla bean. See under Vanilla.
Bean caper
Bean" ca`per. (Bot.) A deciduous plant of warm climates, generally
with fleshy leaves and flowers of a yellow or whitish yellow color, of
the genus Zygophyllum.
Bean trefoil
Bean" tre"foil. (Bot.) A leguminous shrub of southern Europe, with
trifoliate leaves (Anagyris f\'d2tida).
Bear
Bear (?), v. t. [imp. Bore (?) (formerly Bare (); p. p. Born (?),
Borne (p. pr. & vb. n. Bearing.] [OE. beren, AS. beran, beoran, to
bear, carry, produce; akin to D. baren to bring forth, G. geb\'84ren,
Goth. ba\'a1ran to bear or carry, Icel. bera, Sw. b\'84ra, Dan.
b\'91re, OHG. beran, peran, L. ferre to bear, carry, produce, Gr. ,
OSlav brati to take, carry, OIr. berim I bear, Skr. bh to bear.
&root;92. Cf. Fertile.]
1. To support or sustain; to hold up.
2. To support and remove or carry; to convey.
I 'll bear your logs the while. Shak.
3. To conduct; to bring; -- said of persons. [Obs.]
Bear them to my house. Shak.
4. To possess and use, as power; to exercise.
Every man should bear rule in his own house. Esther i. 22.
5. To sustain; to have on (written or inscribed, or as a mark), as,
the tablet bears this inscription.
6. To possess or carry, as a mark of authority or distinction; to
wear; as, to bear a sword, badge, or name.
7. To possess mentally; to carry or hold in the mind; to entertain; to
harbor Dryden.
The ancient grudge I bear him. Shak.
8. To endure; to tolerate; to undergo; to suffer.
Should such a man, too fond to rule alone, Bear, like the Turk, no
brother near the throne. Pope.
I cannot bear The murmur of this lake to hear. Shelley.
My punishment is greater than I can bear. Gen. iv. 13.
9. To gain or win. [Obs.]
Some think to bear it by speaking a great word. Bacon.
She was . . . found not guilty, through bearing of friends and
bribing of the judge. Latimer.
10. To sustain, or be answerable for, as blame, expense,
responsibility, etc.
He shall bear their iniquities. Is. liii. 11.
Somewhat that will bear your charges. Dryden.
11. To render or give; to bring forward. "Your testimony bear" Dryden.
12. To carry on, or maintain; to have. "The credit of bearing a part
in the conversation." Locke.
13. To admit or be capable of; that is, to suffer or sustain without
violence, injury, or change.
In all criminal cases the most favorable interpretation should be
put on words that they can possibly bear. Swift.
14. To manage, wield, or direct. "Thus must thou thy body bear." Shak.
Hence: To behave; to conduct.
Hath he borne himself penitently in prison ? Shak.
15. To afford; to be to ; to supply with.
bear him company. Pope.
16. To bring forth or produce; to yield; as, to bear apples; to bear
children; to bear interest.
Here dwelt the man divine whom Samos bore. Dryden.
NOTE: &hand; In th e pa ssive fo rm of this verb, the best modern
usage restricts the past participle born to the sense of brought
forth, while borne is used in the other senses of the word. In the
active form, borne alone is used as the past participle.
To bear down. (a) To force into a lower place; to carry down; to
depress or sink. "His nose, . . . large as were the others, bore them
down into insignificance." Marryat. (b) To overthrow or crush by
force; as, to bear down an enemy. -- To bear a hand. (a) To help; to
give assistance. (b) (Naut.) To make haste; to be quick. -- To bear in
hand, to keep (one) up in expectation, usually by promises never to be
realized; to amuse by false pretenses; to delude. [Obs.] "How you were
borne in hand, how crossed." Shak. -- To bear in mind, to remember. --
To bear off. (a) To restrain; to keep from approach. (b) (Naut.) To
remove to a distance; to keep clear from rubbing against anything; as,
to bear off a blow; to bear off a boat. (c) To gain; to carry off, as
a prize. -- To bear one hard, to owe one a grudge. [Obs.] "C\'91sar
doth bear me hard." Shak. -- To bear out. (a) To maintain and support
to the end; to defend to the last. "Company only can bear a man out in
an ill thing." South. (b) To corroborate; to confirm. -- To bear up,
to support; to keep from falling or sinking. "Religious hope bears up
the mind under sufferings." Addison. Syn. -- To uphold; sustain;
maintain; support; undergo; suffer; endure; tolerate; carry; convey;
transport; waft.
Bear
Bear (?), v. i.
1. To produce, as fruit; to be fruitful, in opposition to barrenness.
This age to blossom, and the next to bear. Dryden.
2. To suffer, as in carrying a burden.
But man is born to bear. Pope.
3. To endure with patience; to be patient.
I can not, can not bear. Dryden.
4. To press; -- with on or upon, or against.
These men bear hard on the suspected party. Addison.
5. To take effect; to have influence or force; as, to bring matters to
bear.
6. To relate or refer; -- with on or upon; as, how does this bear on
the question?
7. To have a certain meaning, intent, or effect.
Her sentence bore that she should stand a certain time upon the
platform. Hawthorne.
8. To be situated, as to the point of compass, with respect to
something else; as, the land bears N. by E.
To bear against, to approach for attack or seizure; as, a lion bears
against his prey. [Obs.] -- To bear away (Naut.), to change the course
of a ship, and make her run before the wind. -- To bear back, to
retreat. "Bearing back from the blows of their sable antagonist." Sir
W. Scott. -- To bear down upon (Naut.), to approach from the windward
side; as, the fleet bore down upon the enemy. -- To bear in with
(Naut.), to run or tend toward; as, a ship bears in with the land. --
To bear off (Naut.), to steer away, as from land. -- To bear up. (a)
To be supported; to have fortitude; to be firm; not to sink; as, to
bear up under afflictions. (b) (Naut.) To put the helm up (or to
windward) and so put the ship before the wind; to bear away. Hamersly.
-- To bear upon (Mil.), to be pointed or situated so as to affect; to
be pointed directly against, or so as to hit (the object); as, to
bring or plant guns so as to bear upon a fort or a ship; the artillery
bore upon the center. -- To bear up to, to tend or move toward; as, to
bear up to one another. -- To bear with, to endure; to be indulgent
to; to forbear to resent, oppose, or punish.
Bear
Bear (?), n. A bier. [Obs.] Spenser.
Bear
Bear (?), n. [OE. bere, AS. bera; akin to D. beer, OHG. bero, pero, G.
b\'84r, Icel. & Sw. bj\'94rn, and possibly to L. fera wild beast, Gr.
beast, Skr. bhalla bear.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) Any species of the genus Ursus, and of the closely
allied genera. Bears are plantigrade Carnivora, but they live largely
on fruit and insects.
NOTE: The European brown bear (U. arctos), the white polar bear (U.
maritimus), the grizzly bear (U. horribilis), the American black
bear, and its variety the cinnamon bear (U. Americanus), the Syrian
bear (Ursus Syriacus), and the sloth bear, are among the notable
species.
2. (Zo\'94l.) An animal which has some resemblance to a bear in form
or habits, but no real affinity; as, the woolly bear; ant bear; water
bear; sea bear.
3. (Astron.) One of two constellations in the northern hemisphere,
called respectively the Great Bear and the Lesser Bear, or Ursa Major
and Ursa Minor.
4. Metaphorically: A brutal, coarse, or morose person.
5. (Stock Exchange) A person who sells stocks or securities for future
delivery in expectation of a fall in the market.
NOTE: &hand; Th e be ars an d bu lls of th e Stock Exchange, whose
interest it is, the one to depress, and the other to raise, stocks,
are said to be so called in allusion to the bear's habit of pulling
down, and the bull's of tossing up.
6. (Mach.) A portable punching machine.
7. (Naut.) A block covered with coarse matting; -- used to scour the
deck.
Australian bear. (Zo\'94l.) See Koala. -- Bear baiting, the sport of
baiting bears with dogs. -- Bear caterpillar (Zo\'94l.), the hairy
larva of a moth, esp. of the genus Euprepia. -- Bear garden. (a) A
place where bears are kept for diversion or fighting. (b) Any place
where riotous conduct is common or permitted. M. Arnold. -- Bear
leader, one who leads about a performing bear for money; hence, a
facetious term for one who takes charge of a young man on his travels.
Bear
Bear, v. t. (Stock Exchange) To endeavor to depress the price of, or
prices in; as, to bear a railroad stock; to bear the market.
Bear, Bere
Bear, Bere (?), n. [AS. bere. See Barley.] (Bot.) Barley; the
six-rowed barley or the four-rowed barley, commonly the former (Hord.
vulgare). [Obs. except in North of Eng. and Scot.]
Bearable
Bear"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being borne or endured; tolerable. --
Bear"a*bly, adv.
Bearberry
Bear"ber*ry (?), n. (Bot.) A trailing plant of the heath family
(Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), having leaves which are tonic and
astringent, and glossy red berries of which bears are said to be fond.
Bearbind
Bear"bind` (?), n. (Bot.) The bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis).
Beard
Beard (?), n. [OE. berd, AS. beard; akin to Fries. berd, D. baard, G.
bart, Lith. barzda, OSlav. brada, Pol. broda, Russ. boroda, L. barba,
W. barf. Cf. 1st Barb.]
1. The hair that grows on the chin, lips, and adjacent parts of the
human face, chiefly of male adults.
2. (Zo\'94l.) (a) The long hairs about the face in animals, as in the
goat. (b) The cluster of small feathers at the base of the beak in
some birds (c) The appendages to the jaw in some Cetacea, and to the
mouth or jaws of some fishes. (d) The byssus of certain shellfish, as
the muscle. (e) The gills of some bivalves, as the oyster. (f) In
insects, the hairs of the labial palpi of moths and butterflies.
3. (Bot.) Long or stiff hairs on a plant; the awn; as, the beard of
grain.
4. A barb or sharp point of an arrow or other instrument, projecting
backward to prevent the head from being easily drawn out.
5. That part of the under side of a horse's lower jaw which is above
the chin, and bears the curb of a bridle.
6. (Print.) That part of a type which is between the shoulder of the
shank and the face.
7. An imposition; a trick. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Beard grass (Bot.), a coarse, perennial grass of different species of
the genus Andropogon. -- To one's beard, to one's face; in open
defiance.
Beard
Beard (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bearded; p. pr. & vb. n. Bearding.]
1. To take by the beard; to seize, pluck, or pull the beard of (a
man), in anger or contempt.
2. To oppose to the gills; to set at defiance.
No admiral, bearded by three corrupt and dissolute minions of the
palace, dared to do more than mutter something about a court
martial. Macaulay.
3. To deprive of the gills; -- used only of oysters and similar
shellfish.
Bearded
Beard"ed, a. Having a beard. "Bearded fellow." Shak. "Bearded grain."
Dryden. Bearded vulture, Bearded eagle. (Zo\'94l.) See Lammergeir. --
Bearded tortoise. (Zo\'94l.) See Matamata.
Beardie
Beard"ie (?), n. [From Beard, n.] (Zo\'94l.) The bearded loach
(Nemachilus barbatus) of Europe. [Scot.]
Beardless
Beard"less, a.
1. Without a beard. Hence: Not having arrived at puberty or manhood;
youthful.
2. Destitute of an awn; as, beardless wheat.
Beardlessness
Beard"less*ness, n. The state or quality of being destitute of beard.
Bearer
Bear"er (?), n.
1. One who, or that which, bears, sustains, or carries. "Bearers of
burdens." 2 Chron. ii. 18. "The bearer of unhappy news." Dryden.
2. Specifically: One who assists in carrying a body to the grave; a
pallbearer. Milton.
3. A palanquin carrier; also, a house servant. [India]
4. A tree or plant yielding fruit; as, a good bearer.
5. (Com.) One who holds a check, note, draft, or other order for the
payment of money; as, pay to bearer.
6. (Print.) A strip of reglet or other furniture to bear off the
impression from a blank page; also, a type or type-high piece of metal
interspersed in blank parts to support the plate when it is shaved.
Bearherd
Bear"herd` (?), n. A man who tends a bear.
Bearhound
Bear"hound` (?), n. A hound for baiting or hunting bears. Car
Bearing
Bear"ing (?), n.
1. The manner in which one bears or conducts one's self; mien;
behavior; carriage.
I know him by his bearing. Shak.
2. Patient endurance; suffering without complaint.
3. The situation of one object, with respect to another, such
situation being supposed to have a connection with the object, or
influence upon it, or to be influenced by it; hence, relation;
connection.
But of this frame, the bearings and the ties, The strong
connections, nice dependencies. Pope.
4. Purport; meaning; intended significance; aspect.
5. The act, power, or time of producing or giving birth; as, a tree in
full bearing; a tree past bearing.
[His mother] in travail of his bearing. R. of Gloucester.
6. (Arch.) (a) That part of any member of a building which rests upon
its supports; as, a lintel or beam may have four inches of bearing
upon the wall. (b) The portion of a support on which anything rests.
(c) Improperly, the unsupported span; as, the beam has twenty feet of
bearing between its supports.
7. (Mach.) (a) The part of an axle or shaft in contact with its
support, collar, or boxing; the journal. (b) The part of the support
on which a journal rests and rotates.
8. (Her.) Any single emblem or charge in an escutcheon or coat of arms
-- commonly in the pl.
A carriage covered with armorial bearings. Thackeray.
9. (Naut.) (a) The situation of a distant object, with regard to a
ship's position, as on the bow, on the lee quarter, etc.; the
direction or point of the compass in which an object is seen; as, the
bearing of the cape was W. N. W. (b) pl. The widest part of a vessel
below the plank-sheer. (c) pl. The line of flotation of a vessel when
properly trimmed with cargo or ballast.
Ball bearings. See under Ball. -- To bring one to his bearings, to
bring one to his senses. -- To lose one's bearings, to become
bewildered. -- To take bearings, to ascertain by the compass the
position of an object; to ascertain the relation of one object or
place to another; to ascertain one's position by reference to
landmarks or to the compass; hence (Fig.), to ascertain the condition
of things when one is in trouble or perplexity. Syn. -- Deportment;
gesture; mien; behavior; manner; carriage; demeanor; port; conduct;
direction; relation; tendency; influence.
Bearing cloth
Bear"ing cloth` (?). A cloth with which a child is covered when
carried to be baptized. Shak.
Bearing rein
Bear"ing rein` (?). A short rein looped over the check hook or the
hames to keep the horse's head up; -- called in the United States a
checkrein.
Bearish
Bear"ish, a. Partaking of the qualities of a bear; resembling a bear
in temper or manners. Harris.
Bearishness
Bear"ish*ness, n. Behavior like that of a bear.
Bearn
Bearn (?), n. See Bairn. [Obs.]
Bear's-breech
Bear's"-breech` (?), n. (Bot.) (a) See Acanthus, n., 1. (b) The
English cow parsnip (Heracleum sphondylium) Dr. Prior.
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Bear's-ear
Bear's-ear` (?), n. (Bot.) A kind of primrose (Primula auricula), so
called from the shape of the leaf.
Bear's-foot
Bear's"-foot` (?), n. (Bot.) A species of hellebore (Helleborus
f\'d2tidus), with digitate leaves. It has an offensive smell and acrid
taste, and is a powerful emetic, cathartic, and anthelmintic.
Bearskin
Bear"skin` (?), n.
1. The skin of a bear.
2. A coarse, shaggy, woolen cloth for overcoats.
3. A cap made of bearskin, esp. one worn by soldiers.
Bear's-paw
Bear's"-paw` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A large bivalve shell of the East
Indies (Hippopus maculatus), often used as an ornament.
Bearward
Bear"ward` (?), n. [Bear + ward a keeper.] A keeper of bears. See
Bearherd. [R.] Shak.
Beast
Beast (?), n. [OE. best, beste, OF. beste, F. b\'88te, fr. L. bestia.]
1. Any living creature; an animal; -- including man, insects, etc.
[Obs.] Chaucer.
2. Any four-footed animal, that may be used for labor, food, or sport;
as, a beast of burden.
A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast. Prov. xii. 10.
3. As opposed to man: Any irrational animal.
4. Fig.: A coarse, brutal, filthy, or degraded fellow.
5. A game at cards similar to loo. [Obs.] Wright.
6. A penalty at beast, omber, etc. Hence: To be beasted, to be beaten
at beast, omber, etc.
Beast royal, the lion. [Obs.] Chaucer. Syn. -- Beast, Brute. When we
use these words in a figurative sense, as applicable to human beings,
we think of beasts as mere animals governed by animal appetite; and of
brutes as being destitute of reason or moral feeling, and governed by
unrestrained passion. Hence we speak of beastly appetites; beastly
indulgences, etc.; and of brutal manners; brutal inhumanity; brutal
ferocity. So, also, we say of a drunkard, that he first made himself a
beast, and then treated his family like a brute.
Beasthood
Beast"hood (?), n. State or nature of a beast.
Beastings
Beast"ings (?), n. pl. See Biestings.
Beastlihead
Beast"li*head (?), n. [Beastly + -head state.] Beastliness. [Obs.]
Spenser.
Beastlike
Beast"like" (?), a. Like a beast.
Beastliness
Beast"li*ness, n. The state or quality of being beastly.
Beastly
Beast"ly (?), a.
1. Pertaining to, or having the form, nature, or habits of, a beast.
Beastly divinities and droves of gods. Prior.
2. Characterizing the nature of a beast; contrary to the nature and
dignity of man; brutal; filthy.
The beastly vice of drinking to excess. Swift.
3. Abominable; as, beastly weather. [Colloq. Eng.] Syn. -- Bestial;
brutish; irrational; sensual; degrading.
Beat
Beat (?), v. t. [imp. Beat; p. p. Beat, Beaten (; p. pr. & vb. n.
Beating.] [OE. beaten, beten, AS. be\'a0tan; akin to Icel. bauta, OHG.
b. Cf. 1st Butt, Button.]
1. To strike repeatedly; to lay repeated blows upon; as, to beat one's
breast; to beat iron so as to shape it; to beat grain, in order to
force out the seeds; to beat eggs and sugar; to beat a drum.
Thou shalt beat some of it [spices] very small. Ex. xxx. 36.
They did beat the gold into thin plates. Ex. xxxix. 3.
2. To punish by blows; to thrash.
3. To scour or range over in hunting, accompanied with the noise made
by striking bushes, etc., for the purpose of rousing game.
To beat the woods, and rouse the bounding prey. Prior.
4. To dash against, or strike, as with water or wind.
A frozen continent . . . beat with perpetual storms. Milton.
5. To tread, as a path.
Pass awful gulfs, and beat my painful way. Blackmore.
6. To overcome in a battle, contest, strife, race, game, etc.; to
vanquish or conquer; to surpass.
He beat them in a bloody battle. Prescott.
For loveliness, it would be hard to beat that. M. Arnold.
7. To cheat; to chouse; to swindle; to defraud; -- often with out.
[Colloq.]
8. To exercise severely; to perplex; to trouble.
Why should any one . . . beat his head about the Latin grammar who
does not intend to be a critic? Locke.
9. (Mil.) To give the signal for, by beat of drum; to sound by beat of
drum; as, to beat an alarm, a charge, a parley, a retreat; to beat the
general, the reveille, the tattoo. See Alarm, Charge, Parley, etc.
To beat down, to haggle with (any one) to secure a lower price; to
force down. [Colloq.] -- To beat into, to teach or instill, by
repetition. -- To beat off, to repel or drive back. -- To beat out, to
extend by hammering. -- To beat out of a thing, to cause to relinquish
it, or give it up. "Nor can anything beat their posterity out of it to
this day." South. -- To beat the dust. (Man.) (a) To take in too
little ground with the fore legs, as a horse. (b) To perform curvets
too precipitately or too low. -- To beat the hoof, to walk; to go on
foot. -- To beat the wing, to flutter; to move with fluttering
agitation. -- To beat time, to measure or regulate time in music by
the motion of the hand or foot. -- To beat up, to attack suddenly; to
alarm or disturb; as, to beat up an enemy's quarters. Syn. -- To
strike; pound; bang; buffet; maul; drub; thump; baste; thwack; thrash;
pommel; cudgel; belabor; conquer; defeat; vanquish; overcome.
Beat
Beat, v. i.
1. To strike repeatedly; to inflict repeated blaows; to knock
vigorously or loudly.
The men of the city . . . beat at the door. Judges. xix. 22.
2. To move with pulsation or throbbing.
A thousand hearts beat happily. Byron.
3. To come or act with violence; to dash or fall with force; to strike
anything, as, rain, wind, and waves do.
Sees rolling tempests vainly beat below. Dryden.
They [winds] beat at the crazy casement. Longfellow.
The sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wisbed in
himself to die. Jonah iv. 8.
Public envy seemeth to beat chiefly upon ministers. Bacon.
4. To be in agitation or doubt. [Poetic]
To still my beating mind. Shak
.
5. (Naut.) To make progress against the wind, by sailing in a zigzag
line or traverse.
6. To make a sound when struck; as, the drums beat.
7. (Mil.) To make a succession of strokes on a drum; as, the drummers
beat to call soldiers to their quarters.
8. (Acoustics & Mus.) To sound with more or less rapid alternations of
greater and less intensity, so as to produce a pulsating effect; --
said of instruments, tones, or vibrations, not perfectly in unison.
A beating wind (Naut.), a wind which necessitates tacking in order to
make progress. -- To beat about, to try to find; to search by various
means or ways. Addison. -- To beat about the bush, to approach a
subject circuitously. -- To beat up and down (Hunting), to run first
one way and then another; -- said of a stag. -- To beat up for
recruits, to go diligently about in order to get helpers or
participators in an enterprise.
Beat
Beat (?), n.
1. A stroke; a blow.
He, with a careless beat, Struck out the mute creation at a heat.
Dryden.
2. A recurring stroke; a throb; a pulsation; as, a beat of the heart;
the beat of the pulse.
3. (Mus.) (a) The rise or fall of the hand or foot, marking the
divisions of time; a division of the measure so marked. In the rhythm
of music the beat is the unit. (b) A transient grace note, struck
immediately before the one it is intended to ornament.
4. (Acoustics & Mus.) A sudden swelling or re\'89nforcement of a
sound, recurring at regular intervals, and produced by the
interference of sound waves of slightly different periods of
vibrations; applied also, by analogy, to other kinds of wave motions;
the pulsation or throbbing produced by the vibrating together of two
tones not quite in unison. See Beat, v. i., 8.
5. A round or course which is frequently gone over; as, a watchman's
beat.
6. A place of habitual or frequent resort.
7. A cheat or swindler of the lowest grade; -- often emphasized by
dead; as, a dead beat. [Low]
Beat of drum (Mil.), a succession of strokes varied, in different
ways, for particular purposes, as to regulate a march, to call
soldiers to their arms or quarters, to direct an attack, or retreat,
etc. -- Beat of a watch, OR clock, the stroke or sound made by the
action of the escapement. A clock is in beat or out of beat, according
as the strokes is at equal or unequal intervals.
Beat
Beat, a. Weary; tired; fatigued; exhausted. [Colloq.]
Quite beat, and very much vexed and disappointed. Dickens.
Beaten
Beat"en (?), a.
1. Made smooth by beating or treading; worn by use. "A broad and
beaten way." Milton. "Beaten gold." Shak.
2. Vanquished; conquered; baffled.
3. Exhausted; tired out.
4. Become common or trite; as, a beaten phrase. [Obs.]
5. Tried; practiced. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
Beater
Beat"er (?), n.
1. One who, or that which, beats.
2. A person who beats up game for the hunters. Black.
Beath
Beath (?), v. t. [AS. be to foment.] To bathe; also, to dry or heat,
as unseasoned wood. [Obs.] Spenser.
Beatific, Beatifical
Be`a*tif"ic (?), Be`a*tif"ic*al (?), a. [Cf. F. b\'82atifique, L.
beatificus. See Beatify.] Having the power to impart or complete
blissful enjoyment; blissful. "The beatific vision." South. --
Be`a*tif"ic*al*ly, adv.
Beatificate
Be`a*tif"i*cate (?), v. t. To beatify. [Obs.] Fuller.
Beatification
Be*at`i*fi*ca"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. b\'82atification.] The act of
beatifying, or the state of being beatified; esp., in the R. C.
Church, the act or process of ascertaining and declaring that a
deceased person is one of "the blessed," or has attained the second
degree of sanctity, -- usually a stage in the process of canonization.
"The beatification of his spirit." Jer. Taylor.
Beatify
Be*at"i*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beatified (p. pr. & vb. n.
Beatifying.] [L. beatificare; beatus happy (fr. beare to bless, akin
to bonus good) + facere to make: cf. F. b\'82atifier. See Bounty.]
1. To pronounce or regard as happy, or supremely blessed, or as
conferring happiness.
The common conceits and phrases that beatify wealth. Barrow.
2. To make happy; to bless with the completion of celestial enjoyment.
"Beatified spirits." Dryden.
3. (R. C. Ch.) To ascertain and declare, by a public process and
decree, that a deceased person is one of "the blessed" and is to be
reverenced as such, though not canonized.
Beating
Beat"ing (?), n.
1. The act of striking or giving blows; punishment or chastisement by
blows.
2. Pulsation; throbbing; as, the beating of the heart.
3. (Acoustics & Mus.) Pulsative sounds. See Beat, n.
4. (Naut.) The process of sailing against the wind by tacks in zigzag
direction.
Beatitude
Be*at"i*tude (?), n. [L. beatitudo: cf. F. b\'82atitude. See Beatify.]
1. Felicity of the highest kind; consummate bliss.
2. Any one of the nine declarations (called the Beatitudes), made in
the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. v. 3-12), with regard to the
blessedness of those who are distinguished by certain specified
virtues.
3. (R. C. Ch.) Beatification. Milman. Syn. -- Blessedness; felicity;
happiness.
Beau
Beau (?), n.; pl. F. Beaux (E. pron. b), E. Beaus (#). [F., a fop, fr.
beau fine, beautiful, fr. L. bellus pretty, fine, for bonulus, dim. of
bonus good. See Bounty, and cf. Belle, Beauty.]
1. A man who takes great care to dress in the latest fashion; a dandy.
2. A man who escorts, or pays attentions to, a lady; an escort; a
lover.
Beaucatcher
Beau"catch`er (?), n. A small flat curl worn on the temple by women.
[Humorous]
Beaufet
Beau"fet (?), n. [See Buffet.] A niche, cupboard, or sideboard for
plate, china, glass, etc.; a buffet.
A beaufet . . . filled with gold and silver vessels. Prescott.
Beaufin
Beau"fin (?), n. See Biffin. Wright.
Beau ideal
Beau" i*de"al (?). [F. beau beautiful + id\'82al ideal.] A conception
or image of consummate beauty, moral or physical, formed in the mind,
free from all the deformities, defects, and blemishes seen in actual
existence; an ideal or faultless standard or model.
Beauish
Beau"ish (?), n. Like a beau; characteristic of a beau; foppish; fine.
"A beauish young spark." Byrom.
Beau monde
Beau` monde" (?). [F. beau fine + monde world.] The fashionable world;
people of fashion and gayety. Prior.
Beaupere
Beau"pere` (?), n. [F. beau p\'82re; beau fair + p\'82re father.]
1. A father. [Obs.] Wyclif.
2. A companion. [Obs.] Spenser.
Beauseant
Beau`se`ant" (?), n. [F. beauc\'82ant.] The black and white standard
of the Knights Templars.
Beauship
Beau"ship (?), n. The state of being a beau; the personality of a
beau. [Jocular] Dryden.
Beauteous
Beau"te*ous (?), a. Full of beauty; beautiful; very handsome. [Mostly
poetic] -- Beau"te*ous*ly, adv. -- Beau"te*ous*ness, n.
Beautied
Beau"tied (?), p. a. Beautiful; embellished. [Poetic] Shak.
Beautifier
Beau"ti*fi`er (?), n. One who, or that which, beautifies or makes
beautiful.
Beautiful
Beau"ti*ful (?), a. Having the qualities which constitute beauty;
pleasing to the sight or the mind.
A circle is more beautiful than a square; a square is more
beautiful than a parallelogram. Lord Kames.
Syn. -- Handsome; elegant; lovely; fair; charming; graceful; pretty;
delightful. See Fine. -- Beau"ti*ful*ly, adv. -- Beau"ti*ful*ness, n.
Beautify
Beau"ti*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beautified (p. pr. & vb. n.
Beautifying.] [Beauty + -fy.] To make or render beautiful; to add
beauty to; to adorn; to deck; to grace; to embellish.
The arts that beautify and polish life. Burke.
Syn. -- To adorn; grace; ornament; deck; decorate.
Beautify
Beau"ti*fy, v. i. To become beautiful; to advance in beauty. Addison.
Beautiless
Beau"ti*less, a. Destitute of beauty. Hammond.
Beauty
Beau"ty (?), n.; pl. Beauties (#). [OE. beaute, beute, OF. beaut\'82,
biaut\'82, Pr. beltat, F. beaut\'82, fr. an assumed LL. bellitas, from
L. bellus pretty. See Beau.]
1. An assemblage or graces or properties pleasing to the eye, the ear,
the intellect, the \'91sthetic faculty, or the moral sense.
Beauty consists of a certain composition of color and figure,
causing delight in the beholder. Locke.
The production of beauty by a multiplicity of symmetrical parts
uniting in a consistent whole. Wordsworth.
The old definition of beauty, in the Roman school, was, "multitude
in unity;" and there is no doubt that such is the principle of
beauty. Coleridge.
2. A particular grace, feature, ornament, or excellence; anything
beautiful; as, the beauties of nature.
3. A beautiful person, esp. a beautiful woman.
All the admired beauties of Verona. Shak.
4. Prevailing style or taste; rage; fashion. [Obs.]
She stained her hair yellow, which was then the beauty. Jer.
Taylor.
Beauty spot, a patch or spot placed on the face with intent to
heighten beauty by contrast.
Beaux
Beaux (?), n., pl. of Beau.
Beauxite
Beaux"ite (?), n. (Min.) See Bauxite.
Beaver
Bea"ver (?), n. [OE. bever, AS. beofer, befer; akin to D. bever, OHG.
bibar, G. biber, Sw. b\'84fver, Dan. b\'91ver, Lith. bebru, Russ.
bobr', Gael. beabhar, Corn. befer, L. fiber, and Skr. babhrus large
ichneumon; also as an adj., brown, the animal being probably named
from its color. Brown.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) An amphibious rodent, of the genus Castor.
NOTE: &hand; It has palmated hind feet, and a broad, flat tail. It
is remarkable for its ingenuity in constructing its valued for its
fur, and for the material called castor, obtained from two small
bags in the groin of the animal. The European species is Castor
fiber, and the American is generally considered a variety of this,
although sometimes called Castor Canadensis.
2. The fur of the beaver.
3. A hat, formerly made of the fur of the beaver, but now usually of
silk.
A brown beaver slouched over his eyes. Prescott.
4. Beaver cloth, a heavy felted woolen cloth, used chiefly for making
overcoats.
Beaver rat (Zo\'94l.), an aquatic ratlike quadruped of Tasmania
(Hydromys chrysogaster). -- Beaver skin, the furry skin of the beaver.
-- Bank beaver. See under 1st Bank.
Beaver
Bea"ver, n. [OE. baviere, bauier, beavoir, bever; fr. F. bavi\'8are,
fr. bave slaver, drivel, foam, OF., prattle, drivel, perh. orig. an
imitative word. Bavi\'8are, according to Cotgrave, is the bib put
before a (slavering) child.] That piece of armor which protected the
lower part of the face, whether forming a part of the helmet or fixed
to the breastplate. It was so constructed (with joints or otherwise)
that the wearer could raise or lower it to eat and drink.
Beavered
Bea"vered (?), a. Covered with, or wearing, a beaver or hat. "His
beavered brow." Pope.
Beaverteen
Bea"ver*teen (?), n. A kind of fustian made of coarse twilled cotton,
shorn after dyeing. Simmonds.
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Bebeerine, OR Bebirine
Be*bee"rine, OR Be*bi"rine (?), n. (Chem.) An alkaloid got from the
bark of the bebeeru, or green heart of Guiana (Nectandra Rodi\'d2i).
It is a tonic, antiperiodic, and febrifuge, and is used in medicine as
a substitute for quinine. [Written also bibirine.]
Bebleed
Be*bleed" (?), v. t. To make bloody; to stain with blood. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Beblood, Bebloody
Be*blood" (?), Be*blood"y (?), v. t. To make bloody; to stain with
blood. [Obs.] Sheldon.
Beblot
Be*blot" (?), v. t. To blot; to stain. Chaucer.
Beblubber
Be*blub"ber (?), v. t. To make swollen and disfigured or sullied by
weeping; as, her eyes or cheeks were beblubbered.
Becalm
Be*calm" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Becalmed (p. pr. & vb. n.
Becalming.]
1. To render calm or quiet; to calm; to still; to appease.
Soft whispering airs . . . becalm the mind. Philips.
2. To keep from motion, or stop the progress of, by the stilling of
the wind; as, the fleet was becalmed.
Became
Be*came" (?), imp. of Become.
Becard
Bec"ard (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A South American bird of the flycatcher
family. (Tityra inquisetor).
Because
Be*cause" (?), conj. [OE. bycause; by + cause.]
1. By or for the cause that; on this account that; for the reason
that. Milton.
2. In order that; that. [Obs.]
And the multitude rebuked them because they should hold their
peace. Matt. xx. 31.
Because of, by reason of, on account of. [Prep. phrase.]
Because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children
of disobedience. Eph. v. 6.
Syn, -- Because, For, Since, As, Inasmuch As. These particles are
used, in certain connections, to assign the reason of a thing, or that
"on account of" which it is or takes place. Because (by cause) is the
strongest and most emphatic; as, I hid myself because I was afraid.
For is not quite so strong; as, in Shakespeare, "I hate him, for he is
a Christian." Since is less formal and more incidental than because;
as, I will do it since you request me. It more commonly begins a
sentence; as, Since your decision is made, I will say no more. As is
still more incidental than since, and points to some existing fact by
way of assigning a reason. Thus we say, as I knew him to be out of
town, I did not call. Inasmuch as seems to carry with it a kind of
qualification which does not belong to the rest. Thus, if we say, I am
ready to accept your proposal, inasmuch as I believe it is the best
you can offer, we mean, it is only with this understanding that we can
accept it.
Beccabunga
Bec`ca*bun"ga (?), n. [NL. (cf. It. beccabunga, G. bachbunge), fr. G.
bach brook + bunge, OHG. bungo, bulb. See Beck a brook.] See
Brooklime.
Beccafico
Bec`ca*fi"co (?), n.; pl. Beccaficos (. [It., fr. beccare to peck +
fico fig.] (Zo\'94l.) A small bird. (Silvia hortensis), which is
highly prized by the Italians for the delicacy of its flesh in the
autumn, when it has fed on figs, grapes, etc.
Bachamel
Bach"a*mel (?), n. [F. b\'82chamel, named from its inventor, Louis de
B\'82chamel.] (Cookery) A rich, white sauce, prepared with butter and
cream.
Bechance
Be*chance" (?), adv. [Pref. be- for by + chance.] By chance; by
accident. [Obs.] Grafton.
Bechance
Be*chance", v. t. & i. To befall; to chance; to happen to.
God knows what hath bechanced them. Shak.
Becharm
Be*charm" (?), v. t. To charm; to captivate.
B\'88che de mer
B\'88che` de mer" (?). [F., lit., a sea spade.] (Zo\'94l.) The
trepang.
Bechic
Be"chic (?), a. [L. bechicus, adj., for a cough, Gr. , fr. cough: cf.
F. b\'82chique.] (Med.) Pertaining to, or relieving, a cough. Thomas.
-- n. A medicine for relieving coughs. Quincy.
Beck
Beck (?), n. See Beak. [Obs.] Spenser.
Beck
Beck, n. [OE. bek, AS. becc; akin to Icel. bekkr brook, OHG. pah, G.
bach.] A small brook.
The brooks, the becks, the rills. Drayton.
Beck
Beck, n. A vat. See Back.
Beck
Beck, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Becked (; p. pr. & vb. n. Becking.] [Contr.
of beckon.] To nod, or make a sign with the head or hand. [Archaic]
Drayton.
Beck
Beck, v. t. To notify or call by a nod, or a motion of the head or
hand; to intimate a command to. [Archaic]
When gold and silver becks me to come on. Shak.
Beck
Beck, n. A significant nod, or motion of the head or hand, esp. as a
call or command.
They have troops of soldiers at their beck. Shak.
Becker
Beck"er (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A European fish (Pagellus centrodontus);
the sea bream or braise.
Becket
Beck"et (?), n. [Cf. D. bek beak, and E. beak.]
1. (Naut.) A small grommet, or a ring or loop of rope
2. A spade for digging turf. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.
Beckon
Beck"on, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beckoned (p. pr. & vb. n. Beckoning.] To
make a significant sign to; hence, to summon, as by a motion of the
hand.
His distant friends, he beckons near. Dryden.
It beckons you to go away with it. Shak.
Beckon
Beck"on, n. A sign made without words; a beck. "At the first
beckon." Bolingbroke.
Beclap
Be*clap (?), v. t. [OE. biclappen.] To catch; to grasp; to insnare.
[Obs.] Chaucer.
Beclip
Be*clip" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beclipped ( [AS. beclyppan; pref.
be + clyppan to embrace.] To embrace; to surround. [Obs.] Wyclif.
Becloud
Be*cloud" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beclouded; p. pr. & vb. n.
Beclouding.] To cause obscurity or dimness to; to dim; to cloud.
If thou becloud the sunshine of thine eye. Quarles.
Become
Be*come" (?), v. i. [imp. Became (?); p. p. Become; p. pr. & vb. n.
Becoming.] [OE. bicumen, becumen, AS. becuman to come to, to
happen; akin to D. bekomen, OHG.a piqu\'89man, Goth. biquiman to
come upon, G. bekommen to get, suit. See Be-, and Come.]
1. To pass from one state to another; to enter into some state or
condition, by a change from another state, or by assuming or
receiving new properties or qualities, additional matter, or a new
character.
The Lord God . . . breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;
and man became a living soul. Gen. ii. 7.
That error now which is become my crime. Milton.
2. To come; to get. [Obs.]
But, madam, where is Warwick then become! Shak.
To become of, to be the present state or place of; to be the fate of;
to be the end of; to be the final or subsequent condition of.
What is then become of so huge a multitude? Sir W. Raleigh.
Become
Be*come", v. t. To suit or be suitable to; to be congruous with; to
befit; to accord with, in character or circumstances; to be worthy of,
or proper for; to cause to appear well; -- said of persons and things.
It becomes me so to speak of so excellent a poet. Dryden.
I have known persons so anxious to have their dress become them, as
to convert it, at length, into their proper self, and thus actually
to become the dress. Coleridge.
Becomed
Be*com"ed (?), a. Proper; decorous. [Obs.]
And gave him what becomed love I might. Shak.
Becoming
Be*com"ing, a. Appropriate or fit; congruous; suitable; graceful;
befitting.
A low and becoming tone. Thackeray.
NOTE: Formerly sometimes followed by of.
Such discourses as are becoming of them. Dryden.
Syn. -- Seemly; comely; decorous; decent; proper.
Becoming
Be*com"ing, n. That which is becoming or appropriate. [Obs.]
Becomingly
Be*com"ing*ly, adv. In a becoming manner.
Becomingness
Be*com"ing*ness, n. The quality of being becoming, appropriate, or
fit; congruity; fitness.
The becomingness of human nature. Grew.
Becripple
Be*crip"ple (?), v. t. To make a cripple of; to cripple; to lame. [R.]
Dr. H. More.
Becuna
Be*cu"na (?), n. [Sp.] (Zo\'94l.) A fish of the Mediterranean
(Sphyr\'91na spet). See Barracuda.
Becurl
Be*curl" (?), v. t. To curl; to adorn with curls.
Bed
Bed (?), n. [AS. bed, bedd; akin to OS. bed, D. bed, bedde, Icel. be,
Dan. bed, Sw. b\'84dd, Goth. badi, OHG. betti, G. bett, bette, bed,
beet a plat of ground; all of uncertain origin.]
1. An article of furniture to sleep or take rest in or on; a couch.
Specifically: A sack or mattress, filled with some soft material, in
distinction from the bedstead on which it is placed (as, a feather
bed), or this with the bedclothes added. In a general sense, any thing
or place used for sleeping or reclining on or in, as a quantity of
hay, straw, leaves, or twigs.
And made for him [a horse] a leafy bed. Byron.
I wash, wring, brew, bake, . . . make the beds. Shak.
In bed he slept not for my urging it. Shak.
2. (Used as the symbol of matrimony) Marriage.
George, the eldest son of his second bed. Clarendon.
3. A plat or level piece of ground in a garden, usually a little
raised above the adjoining ground. "Beds of hyacinth and roses."
Milton.
4. A mass or heap of anything arranged like a bed; as, a bed of ashes
or coals.
5. The bottom of a watercourse, or of any body of water; as, the bed
of a river.
So sinks the daystar in the ocean bed. Milton.
6. (Geol.) A layer or seam, or a horizontal stratum between layers;
as, a bed of coal, iron, etc.
7. (Gun.) See Gun carriage, and Mortar bed.
8. (Masonry) (a) The horizontal surface of a building stone; as, the
upper and lower beds. (b) A course of stone or brick in a wall. (c)
The place or material in which a block or brick is laid. (d) The lower
surface of a brick, slate, or tile. Knight.
9. (Mech.) The foundation or the more solid and fixed part or framing
of a machine; or a part on which something is laid or supported; as,
the bed of an engine.
10. The superficial earthwork, or ballast, of a railroad.
11. (Printing) The flat part of the press, on which the form is laid.
NOTE: &hand; Be d is mu ch used adjectively or in combination; as,
bed key or bedkey; bed wrench or bedwrench; bedchamber; bedmaker,
etc.
Bed of justice (French Hist.), the throne (F. lit bed) occupied by the
king when sitting in one of his parliaments (judicial courts); hence,
a session of a refractory parliament, at which the king was present
for the purpose of causing his decrees to be registered. -- To be
brought to bed, to be delivered of a child; -- often followed by of;
as, to be brought to bed of a son. -- To make a bed, to prepare a bed;
to arrange or put in order a bed and its bedding. -- From bed and
board (Law), a phrase applied to a separation by partial divorce of
man and wife, without dissolving the bonds of matrimony. If such a
divorce (now commonly called a judicial separation) be granted at the
instance of the wife, she may have alimony.
Bed
Bed, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedded; p. pr. & vb. n. Bedding.]
1. To place in a bed. [Obs.] Bacon.
2. To make partaker of one's bed; to cohabit with.
I'll to the Tuscan wars, and never bed her. Shak.
3. To furnish with a bed or bedding.
4. To plant or arrange in beds; to set, or cover, as in a bed of soft
earth; as, to bed the roots of a plant in mold.
5. To lay or put in any hollow place, or place of rest and security,
surrounded or inclosed; to embed; to furnish with or place upon a bed
or foundation; as, to bed a stone; it was bedded on a rock.
Among all chains or clusters of mountains where large bodies of
still water are bedded. Wordsworth.
6. (Masonry) To dress or prepare the surface of stone) so as to serve
as a bed.
7. To lay flat; to lay in order; to place in a horizontal or recumbent
position. "Bedded hair." Shak.
Bed
Bed (?), v. i. To go to bed; to cohabit.
If he be married, and bed with his wife. Wiseman.
Bedabble
Be*dab*ble (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedabbled (; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bedabbling (.] To dabble; to sprinkle or wet. Shak.
Bedaff
Be*daff" (?), v. t. To make a daff or fool of. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bedagat
Bed"a*gat (?), n. The sacred books of the Buddhists in Burmah. Malcom.
Bedaggle
Be*dag"gle (?), v. t. To daggle.
Bedash
Be*dash" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedashed (p. pr. & vb. n.
Bedashing.] To wet by dashing or throwing water or other liquid upon;
to bespatter. "Trees bedashed with rain." Shak.
Bedaub
Be*daub" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedaubed (p. pr. & vb. n.
Bedaubing.] To daub over; to besmear or soil with anything thick and
dirty.
Bedaub foul designs with a fair varnish. Barrow.
Bedazzle
Be*daz"zle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedazzled (p. pr. & vb. n.
Bedazzling ( To dazzle or make dim by a strong light. "Bedazzled with
the sun." Shak.
Bedbug
Bed"bug` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A wingless, bloodsucking, hemipterous
insect (Cimex Lectularius), sometimes infesting houses and especially
beds. See Illustration in Appendix.
Bedchair
Bed"chair` (?), n. A chair with adjustable back, for the sick, to
support them while sitting up in bed.
Bedchamber
Bed"cham`ber (?), n. A chamber for a bed; an apartment form sleeping
in. Shak. Lords of the bedchamber, eight officers of the royal
household, all of noble families, who wait in turn a week each. [Eng.]
-- Ladies of the bedchamber, eight ladies, all titled, holding a
similar official position in the royal household, during the reign of
a queen. [Eng.]
Bedclothes
Bed"clothes` (?), n. pl. Blankets, sheets, coverlets, etc., for a bed.
Shak.
Bedcord
Bed"cord` (?), n. A cord or rope interwoven in a bedstead so as to
support the bed.
Bedded
Bed"ded (?), a. Provided with a bed; as, double-bedded room; placed or
arranged in a bed or beds.
Bedding
Bed"ding (?), n. [AS. bedding, beding. See Bed.]
1. A bed and its furniture; the materials of a bed, whether for man or
beast; bedclothes; litter.
2. (Geol.) The state or position of beds and layers.
Bede
Bede (?), v. t. [See Bid, v. t.] To pray; also, to offer; to proffer.
[Obs.] R. of Gloucester. Chaucer.
Bede
Bede, n. (Mining) A kind of pickax.
Bedeck
Be*deck" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedecked (p. pr. & vb. n.
Bedecking.] To deck, ornament, or adorn; to grace.
Bedecked with boughs, flowers, and garlands. Pennant.
Bedeguar, Bedegar
Bed"e*guar, Bed"e*gar (?), n. [F., fr. Per. b\'bed-\'beward, or
b\'bed-\'bewardag, prop., a kind of white thorn or thistle.] A gall
produced on rosebushes, esp. on the sweetbrier or eglantine, by a
puncture from the ovipositor of a gallfly (Rhodites ros\'91). It was
once supposed to have medicinal properties.
Bedehouse
Bede"house` (?),n.Same as Beadhouse.
Bedel, Bedell
Be"del, Be"dell (?),n.Same as Beadle.
Bedelry
Be"del*ry (?), n. Beadleship. [Obs.] Blount.
Beden
Bed"en (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The Abyssinian or Arabian ibex (Capra
Nubiana). It is probably the wild goat of the Bible.
Bedesman
Bedes"man (?), n. Same as Beadsman. [Obs.]
Bedevil
Be*dev"il (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedevilled (p. pr. & vb. n.
Bedeviling or Bedevilling.]
1. To throw into utter disorder and confusion, as if by the agency of
evil spirits; to bring under diabolical influence; to torment.
Bedeviled and used worse than St. Bartholomew. Sterne.
2. To spoil; to corrupt. Wright.
Bedevilment
Be*dev"il*ment (?), n. The state of being bedeviled; bewildering
confusion; vexatious trouble. [Colloq.]
Bedew
Be*dew" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedewed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedewing.]
To moisten with dew, or as with dew. "Falling tears his face bedew."
Dryden.
Bedewer
Be*dew"er (?), n. One who, or that which, bedews.
Bedewy
Be*dew"y (?), a. Moist with dew; dewy. [Obs.]
Night with her bedewy wings. A. Brewer.
Bedfellow
Bed"fel`low (?), n. One who lies with another in the same bed; a
person who shares one's couch.
Bedfere Bedphere
Bed"fere` Bed"phere` (?), n. [Bed + AS. fera a companion.] A
bedfellow. [Obs.] Chapman.
Bedgown
Bed"gown` (?), n. A nightgown.
Bedight
Be*dight" (?), v. t. [p. p. Bedight, Bedighted.] To bedeck; to array
or equip; to adorn. [Archaic] Milton.
Bedim
Be*dim" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedimmed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedimming.]
To make dim; to obscure or darken. Shak.
Bedizen
Be*diz"en (?), v. t. To dress or adorn tawdrily or with false taste.
Remnants of tapestried hangings, . . . and shreds of pictures with
which he had bedizened his tatters. Sir W. Scott.
Bedizenment
Be*diz"en*ment (?), n. That which bedizens; the act of dressing, or
the state of being dressed, tawdrily.
Bedkey
Bed"key` (?), n. An instrument for tightening the parts of a bedstead.
Bedlam
Bed"lam (?), n. [See Bethlehem.]
1. A place appropriated to the confinement and care of the insane; a
madhouse. Abp. Tillotson.
2. An insane person; a lunatic; a madman. [Obs.]
Let's get the bedlam to lead him. Shak.
3. Any place where uproar and confusion prevail.
Bedlam
Bed"lam, a. Belonging to, or fit for, a madhouse. "The bedlam,
brainsick duchess." Shak.
Bedlamite
Bed"lam*ite (?), n. An inhabitant of a madhouse; a madman. "Raving
bedlamites." Beattie.
Bedmaker
Bed"mak`er (?), n. One who makes beds.
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Bed-molding
Bed"-mold`ing Bed"-mould`ing (?), n. (Arch.) The molding of a cornice
immediately below the corona. Oxf. Gloss.
Bedote
Be*dote" (?), v. t. To cause to dote; to deceive. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bedouin
Bed"ou*in (?), n. [F. b\'82douin, OF. b\'82duin, fr. Ar. bedaw\'c6
rural, living in the desert, fr. badw desert, fr. bad\'be to live in
the desert, to lead a nomadic life.] One of the nomadic Arabs who live
in tents, and are scattered over Arabia, Syria, and northern Africa,
esp. in the deserts. -- Bed"ou*in*ism (, n.
Bedouin
Bed"ou*in, a. Pertaining to the Bedouins; nomad.
Bedpan
Bed"pan` (?), n.
1. A pan for warming beds. Nares.
2. A shallow chamber vessel, so constructed that it can be used by a
sick person in bed.
Bedphere
Bed"phere` (?), n. See Bedfere. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Bedpiece, Bedplate
Bed"piece` (?), Bed"plate` (?), n. (Mach.) The foundation framing or
piece, by which the other parts are supported and held in place; the
bed; -- called also baseplate and soleplate.
Bedpost
Bed"post` (?), n.
1. One of the four standards that support a bedstead or the canopy
over a bedstead.
2. Anciently, a post or pin on each side of the bed to keep the
clothes from falling off. See Bedstaff. Brewer.
Bedquilt
Bed"quilt` (?), n. A quilt for a bed; a coverlet.
Bedrabble
Be*drab"ble (?), v. t. To befoul with rain and mud; to drabble.
Bedraggle
Be*drag"gle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedraggled (; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bedraggling (.] To draggle; to soil, as garments which, in walking,
are suffered to drag in dust, mud, etc. Swift.
Bedrench
Be*drench" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedrenched (p. pr. & vb. n.
Bedrenching.] To drench; to saturate with moisture; to soak. Shak.
Bedribble
Be*drib"ble (?), v. t. To dribble upon.
Bedrid, Bedridden
Bed"rid` (?), Bed"rid`den (?), a. [OE. bedrede, AS. bedreda, bedrida;
from bed, bedd, a bed or couch + ridda a rider; cf. OHG. pettiriso, G.
bettrise. See Bed, n., and Ride, v. i. ] Confined to the bed by
sickness or infirmity. "Her decrepit, sick, and bedrid father." Shak.
"The estate of a bedridden old gentleman." Macaulay.
Bedright Bedrite
Bed"right` Bed"rite` (?), n. [Bed + right, rite.] The duty or
privilege of the marriage bed. Shak.
Bedrizzle
Be*driz"zle (?), v. t. To drizzle upon.
Bed rock
Bed" rock" (?). (Mining) The solid rock underlying superficial
formations. Also Fig.
Bedroom
Bed"room (?), n.
1. A room or apartment intended or used for a bed; a lodging room.
2. Room in a bed.
NOTE: [In this sense preferably bed room.]
Then by your side no bed room me deny. Shak.
Bedrop
Be*drop" (?), v. t. To sprinkle, as with drops.
The yellow carp, in scales bedropped with gold. Pope.
Bedrug
Be*drug" (?), v. t. To drug abundantly or excessively.
Bed screw
Bed" screw` (?).
1. (Naut.) A form of jack screw for lifting large bodies, and
assisting in launching.
2. A long screw formerly used to fasten a bedpost to one of the
adjacent side pieces.
Bedside
Bed"side` (?), n. The side of a bed.
Bedsite
Bed"site` (?), n. A recess in a room for a bed.
Of the three bedrooms, two have fireplaces, and all are of fair
size, with windows and bedsite well placed. Quart. Rev.
Bedsore
Bed"sore` (?), n. (Med.) A sore on the back or hips caused by lying
for a long time in bed.
Bedspread
Bed"spread` (?), n. A bedquilt; a counterpane; a coverlet. [U. S.]
Bedstaff
Bed"staff` (?), n.; pl. Bedstaves (. "A wooden pin stuck anciently on
the sides of the bedstead, to hold the clothes from slipping on either
side." Johnson.
Hostess, accommodate us with a bedstaff. B. Jonson.
Say there is no virtue in cudgels and bedstaves. Brome.
Bedstead
Bed"stead (?), n. [Bed + stead a frame.] A framework for supporting a
bed.
Bed steps
Bed" steps` (?). Steps for mounting a bed of unusual height.
Bedstock
Bed"stock (?), n. The front or the back part of the frame of a
bedstead. [Obs. or Dial. Eng.]
Bedstraw
Bed"straw` (?), n.
1. Straw put into a bed. Bacon.
2. (Bot.) A genus of slender herbs, usually with square stems, whorled
leaves, and small white flowers.
Our Lady's bedstraw, which has yellow flowers, is Galium verum. --
White bedstraw is G. mollugo.
Bedswerver
Bed"swerv`er (?), n. One who swerves from and is unfaithful to the
marriage vow. [Poetic] Shak.
Bedtick
Bed"tick` (?), n. A tick or bag made of cloth, used for inclosing the
materials of a bed.
Bedtime
Bed"time` (?), n. The time to go to bed. Shak.
Beduck
Be*duck" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beducked (.] To duck; to put the
head under water; to immerse. "Deep himself beducked." Spenser.
Beduin
Bed"uin (?), n. See Bedouin.
Bedung
Be*dung" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedunged (#).] To cover with dung,
as for manuring; to bedaub or defile, literally or figuratively. Bp.
Hall.
Bedust
Be*dust" (?), v. t. To sprinkle, soil, or cover with dust. Sherwood.
Bedward
Bed"ward (?), adv. Towards bed.
Bedwarf
Be*dwarf" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedwarfed (#).] To make a dwarf of;
to stunt or hinder the growth of; to dwarf. Donne.
Bedye
Be*dye" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedyed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bedyeing.] To dye or stain.
Briton fields with Sarazin blood bedyed. Spenser.
Bee
Bee (?), p. p. of Be; -- used for been. [Obs.] Spenser.
Bee
Bee (?), n. [AS. be\'a2; akin to D. bij and bije, Icel. b, Sw. & Dan.
bi, OHG. pini, G. biene, and perh. Ir. beach, Lith. bitis, Skr. bha.
&root;97.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) An insect of the order Hymenoptera, and family Apid\'91
(the honeybees), or family Andrenid\'91 (the solitary bees.) See
Honeybee.
NOTE: &hand; There are many genera and species. The common honeybee
(Apis mellifica) lives in swarms, each of which has its own queen,
its males or drones, and its very numerous workers, which are
barren females. Besides the A. mellifica there are other species
and varieties of honeybees, as the A. ligustica of Spain and Italy;
the A. Indica of India; the A. fasciata of Egypt. The bumblebee is
a species of Bombus. The tropical honeybees belong mostly to
Melipoma and Trigona.
2. A neighborly gathering of people who engage in united labor for the
benefit of an individual or family; as, a quilting bee; a husking bee;
a raising bee. [U. S.]
The cellar . . . was dug by a bee in a single day. S. G. Goodrich.
3. pl. [Prob. fr. AS. be\'a0h ring, fr. b to bend. See 1st Bow.]
(Naut.) Pieces of hard wood bolted to the sides of the bowsprit, to
reeve the fore-topmast stays through; -- called also bee blocks.
Bee beetle (Zo\'94l.), a beetle (Trichodes apiarius) parasitic in
beehives. -- Bee bird (Zo\'94l.), a bird that eats the honeybee, as
the European flycatcher, and the American kingbird. -- Bee flower
(Bot.), an orchidaceous plant of the genus Ophrys (O. apifera), whose
flowers have some resemblance to bees, flies, and other insects. --
Bee fly (Zo\'94l.), a two winged fly of the family Bombyliid\'91. Some
species, in the larval state, are parasitic upon bees. -- Bee garden,
a garden or inclosure to set beehives in ; an apiary. Mortimer. -- Bee
glue, a soft, unctuous matter, with which bees cement the combs to the
hives, and close up the cells; -- called also propolis. -- Bee hawk
(Zo\'94l.), the honey buzzard. -- Bee killer (Zo\'94l.), a large
two-winged fly of the family Asilid\'91 (esp. Trupanea apivora) which
feeds upon the honeybee. See Robber fly. -- Bee louse (Zo\'94l.), a
minute, wingless, dipterous insect (Braula c\'91ca) parasitic on hive
bees. -- Bee martin (Zo\'94l.), the kingbird (Tyrannus Carolinensis)
which occasionally feeds on bees. -- Bee moth (Zo\'94l.), a moth
(Galleria cereana) whose larv\'91 feed on honeycomb, occasioning great
damage in beehives. -- Bee wolf (Zo\'94l.), the larva of the bee
beetle. See Illust. of Bee beetle. -- To have a bee in the head OR in
the bonnet. (a) To be choleric. [Obs.] (b) To be restless or uneasy.
B. Jonson. (c) To be full of fancies; to be a little crazy. "She's
whiles crack-brained, and has a bee in her head." Sir W. Scott.
Beebread
Bee"bread` (?), n. A brown, bitter substance found in some of the
cells of honeycomb. It is made chiefly from the pollen of flowers,
which is collected by bees as food for their young.
Beech
Beech (?), n.; pl. Beeches (#). [OE. beche, AS. b; akin to D. beuk,
OHG. buocha, G. buche, Icel. beyki, Dan. b\'94g, Sw. bok, Russ. buk,
L. fagus, Gr. oak, to eat, Skr. bhaksh; the tree being named
originally from the esculent fruit. See Book, and cf. 7th Buck,
Buckwheat.] (Bot.) A tree of the genus Fagus.
NOTE: &hand; It gr ows to a large size, having a smooth bark and
thick foliage, and bears an edible triangular nut, of which swine
are fond. The Fagus sylvatica is the European species, and the F.
ferruginea that of America.
Beech drops (Bot.), a parasitic plant which grows on the roots of
beeches (Epiphegus Americana). -- Beech marten (Zo\'94l.), the stone
marten of Europe (Mustela foina). -- Beech mast, the nuts of the
beech, esp. as they lie under the trees, in autumn. -- Beech oil, oil
expressed from the mast or nuts of the beech tree. -- Cooper beech, a
variety of the European beech with copper-colored, shining leaves.
Beechen
Beech"en (?), a. [AS. b.] Consisting, or made, of the wood or bark of
the beech; belonging to the beech. "Plain beechen vessels." Dryden.
Beechnut
Beech"nut` (?), n. The nut of the beech tree.
Beech tree
Beech" tree` (?). The beech.
Beechy
Beech"y (?), a. Of or relating to beeches.
Bee-eater
Bee"-eat`er (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) (a) A bird of the genus Merops, that
feeds on bees. The European species (M. apiaster) is remarkable for
its brilliant colors. (b) An African bird of the genus Rhinopomastes.
Beef
Beef (?), n. [OE. boef, befe, beef, OF. boef, buef, F. b, fr. L. bos,
bovis, ox; akin to Gr. , Skr. g cow, and E. cow. See 2d Cow.]
1. An animal of the genus Bos, especially the common species, B.
taurus, including the bull, cow, and ox, in their full grown state;
esp., an ox or cow fattened for food.
NOTE: [In this, which is the original sense, the word has a plural,
beeves (.]
A herd of beeves, fair oxen and fair kine. Milton.
2. The flesh of an ox, or cow, or of any adult bovine animal, when
slaughtered for food.
NOTE: [In this sense, the word has no plural.]
"Great meals of beef." Shak.
3. Applied colloquially to human flesh.
Beef
Beef (?), a. Of, pertaining to, or resembling, beef. Beef tea, essence
of beef, or strong beef broth.
Beefeater
Beef"eat`er (?), n. [Beef + eater; prob. one who eats another's beef,
as his servant. Cf. AS. hl\'bef servant, properly a loaf eater.]
1. One who eats beef; hence, a large, fleshy person.
2. One of the yeomen of the guard, in England.
3. (Zo\'94l.) An African bird of the genus Buphaga, which feeds on the
larv\'91 of botflies hatched under the skin of oxen, antelopes, etc.
Two species are known.
Beefsteak
Beef"steak` (?), n. A steak of beef; a slice of beef broiled or
suitable for broiling.
Beef-witted
Beef"-wit`ted (?), n. Stupid; dull. Shak.
Beefwood
Beef"wood` (?), n. An Australian tree (Casuarina), and its red wood,
used for cabinetwork; also, the trees Stenocarpus salignus of New
South Wales, and Banksia compar of Queensland.
Beefy
Beef"y, a. Having much beef; of the nature of beef; resembling beef;
fleshy.
Beehive
Bee"hive` (?), n. A hive for a swarm of bees. Also used figuratively.
NOTE: &hand; A common and typical form of beehive was a domeshaped
inverted basket, whence certain ancient Irish and Scotch
architectural remains are called beehive houses.
Beehouse
Bee"house` (?), n. A house for bees; an apiary.
Bee larkspur
Bee" lark`spur (?). (Bot.) See Larkspur.
Beeld
Beeld (?), n. Same as Beild. Fairfax.
Bee line
Bee" line` (?). The shortest line from one place to another, like that
of a bee to its hive when loaded with honey; an air line. "A bee line
for the brig." Kane.
Beelzebub
Be*el"ze*bub (?), n. The title of a heathen deity to whom the Jews
ascribed the sovereignty of the evil spirits; hence, the Devil or a
devil. See Baal.
Beem
Beem (?), n. [AS. b, b.] A trumpet. [Obs.]
Beemaster
Bee"mas`ter (?), n. One who keeps bees.
Been
Been (?). [OE. beon, ben, bin, p. p. of been, beon, to be. See Be.]
The past participle of Be. In old authors it is also the pr. tense
plural of Be. See 1st Bee.
Assembled been a senate grave and stout. Fairfax.
Beer
Beer (?), n. [OE. beor, ber, AS. be\'a2r; akin to Fries. biar, Icel.
bj, OHG. bior, D. & G. bier, and possibly E. brew. \'fb93, See Brew.]
1. A fermented liquor made from any malted grain, but commonly from
barley malt, with hops or some other substance to impart a bitter
flavor.
NOTE: &hand; Be er has different names, as small beer, ale, porter,
brown stout, lager beer, according to its strength, or other
qualities. See Ale.
2. A fermented extract of the roots and other parts of various plants,
as spruce, ginger, sassafras, etc.
Small beer, weak beer; (fig.) insignificant matters. "To suckle fools,
and chronicle small beer." Shak.
Beeregar
Beer"e*gar (?), n. [Beer + eager.] Sour beer. [Obs.]
Beerhouse
Beer"house` (?), n. A house where malt liquors are sold; an alehouse.
Beeriness
Beer"i*ness (?), n. Beery condition.
Beery
Beer"y (?), a. Of or resembling beer; affected by beer; maudlin.
Beestings
Beest"ings (?), n. Same as Biestings.
Beeswax
Bees"wax` (?), n. The wax secreted by bees, and of which their cells
are constructed.
Beeswing
Bees"wing` (?), n. The second crust formed in port and some other
wines after long keeping. It consists of pure, shining scales of
tartar, supposed to resemble the wing of a bee.
Beet
Beet (?), n. [AS. bete, from L. beta.]
1. (Bot.) A biennial plant of the genus Beta, which produces an edible
root the first year and seed the second year.
2. The root of plants of the genus Beta, different species and
varieties of which are used for the table, for feeding stock, or in
making sugar.
NOTE: &hand; Th ere ar e ma ny va rieties of the common beet (Beta
vulgaris). The Old "white beet", cultivated for its edible
leafstalks, is a distinct species (Beta Cicla).
Beete, Bete
Beete, Bete (?), v. t. [AS. b to mend. See Better.]
1. To mend; to repair. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. To renew or enkindle (a fire). [Obs.] Chaucer.
Beetle
Bee"tle (?), n. [OE. betel, AS. b\'c6tl, b, mallet, hammer, fr.
be\'a0tan to beat. See Beat, v. t.]
1. A heavy mallet, used to drive wedges, beat pavements, etc.
2. A machine in which fabrics are subjected to a hammering process
while passing over rollers, as in cotton mills; -- called also
beetling machine. Knight.
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Beetle
Bee"tle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beetled (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Beetling.]
1. To beat with a heavy mallet.
2. To finish by subjecting to a hammering process in a beetle or
beetling machine; as, to beetle cotton goods.
Beetle
Bee"tle, n. [OE. bityl, bittle, AS. b, fr. b to bite. See Bite, v. t.]
Any insect of the order Coleoptera, having four wings, the outer pair
being stiff cases for covering the others when they are folded up. See
Coleoptera. Beetle mite (Zo\'94l.), one of many species of mites, of
the family Oribatid\'91, parasitic on beetles. -- Black beetle, the
common large black cockroach (Blatta orientalis).
Beetle
Bee"tle, v. i. [See Beetlebrowed.] To extend over and beyond the base
or support; to overhang; to jut.
To the dreadful summit of the cliff That beetles o'er his base into
the sea. Shak.
Each beetling rampart, and each tower sublime. Wordsworth.
Beetle brow
Bee"tle brow` (?). An overhanging brow.
Beetle-browed
Bee"tle-browed` (?), a. [OE. bitelbrowed; cf. OE. bitel, adj., sharp,
projecting, n., a beetle. See Beetle an insect.] Having prominent,
overhanging brows; hence, lowering or sullen.
NOTE: &hand; Th e earlier meaning was, "Having bushy or overhanging
eyebrows."
Beetlehead
Bee"tle*head` (?), n. [Beetle a mallet + head.]
1. A stupid fellow; a blockhead. Sir W. Scott.
2. (Zo\'94l.) The black-bellied plover, or bullhead (Squatarola
helvetica). See Plover.
Beetle-headed
Bee"tle-head`ed (?), a. Dull; stupid. Shak.
Beetlestock
Bee"tle*stock` (?), n. The handle of a beetle.
Beet radish
Beet" rad`ish (?). Same as Beetrave.
Beetrave
Beet"rave` (?), n. [F. betterave; bette beet + rave radish.] The
common beet (Beta vulgaris).
Beeve
Beeve (?), n. [Formed from beeves, pl. of beef.] A beef; a beef
creature.
They would knock down the first beeve they met with. W. Irving.
Beeves
Beeves (?), n.; plural of Beef, the animal.
Befall
Be*fall" (?), v. t. [imp. Befell (?); p. p. Befallen (?); p. pr. & vb.
n. Befalling.] [AS. befeallan; pref. be- + feallan to fall.] To happen
to.
I beseech your grace that I may know The worst that may befall me.
Shak.
Befall
Be*fall", v. i. To come to pass; to happen.
I have revealed . . . the discord which befell. Milton.
Befit
Be*fit" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befitted; p. pr. & vb. n. Befitting.]
To be suitable to; to suit; to become.
That name best befits thee. Milton.
Befitting
Be*fit"ting, a. Suitable; proper; becoming; fitting.
Befittingly
Be*fit"ting*ly, adv. In a befitting manner; suitably.
Beflatter
Be*flat"ter (?), v. t. To flatter excessively.
Beflower
Be*flow"er (?), v. t. To besprinkle or scatter over with, or as with,
flowers. Hobbes.
Befog
Be*fog" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befogged (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Befogging (#).]
1. To involve in a fog; -- mostly as a participle or part. adj.
2. Hence: To confuse; to mystify.
Befool
Be*fool" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befooled (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Befooling.] [OE. befolen; pref. be- + fol fool.]
1. To fool; to delude or lead into error; to infatuate; to deceive.
This story . . . contrived to befool credulous men. Fuller.
2. To cause to behave like a fool; to make foolish. "Some befooling
drug." G. Eliot.
Before
Be*fore" (?), prep. [OE. beforen, biforen, before, AS. beforan; pref.
be- + foran, fore, before. See Be-, and Fore.]
1. In front of; preceding in space; ahead of; as, to stand before the
fire; before the house.
His angel, who shall go Before them in a cloud and pillar of fire.
Milton.
2. Preceding in time; earlier than; previously to; anterior to the
time when; -- sometimes with the additional idea of purpose; in order
that.
Before Abraham was, I am. John viii. 58.
Before this treatise can become of use, two points are necessary.
Swift.
NOTE: &hand; Fo rmerly before, in this sense, was followed by that.
"Before that Philip called thee . . . I saw thee."
John i. 48.
3. An advance of; farther onward, in place or time.
The golden age . . . is before us. Carlyle.
4. Prior or preceding in dignity, order, rank, right, or worth; rather
than.
He that cometh after me is preferred before me. John i. 15.
The eldest son is before the younger in succession. Johnson.
5. In presence or sight of; face to face with; facing.
Abraham bowed down himself before the people. Gen. xxiii. 12.
Wherewith shall I come before the Lord? Micah vi. 6.
6. Under the cognizance or jurisdiction of.
If a suit be begun before an archdeacon. Ayliffe.
7. Open for; free of access to; in the power of.
The world was all before them where to choose. Milton.
Before the mast (Naut.), as a common sailor, -- because the sailors
live in the forecastle, forward of the foremast. -- Before the wind
(Naut.), in the direction of the wind and by its impulse; having the
wind aft.
Before
Be*fore", adv.
1. On the fore part; in front, or in the direction of the front; --
opposed to in the rear.
The battle was before and behind. 2 Chron. xiii. 14.
2. In advance. "I come before to tell you." Shak.
3. In time past; previously; already.
You tell me, mother, what I knew before. Dryden.
4. Earlier; sooner than; until then.
When the butt is out, we will drink water; not a drop before. Shak.
NOTE: &hand; Before is often used in self-explaining compounds; as,
before-cited, before-mentioned; beforesaid.
Beforehand
Be*fore"hand` (?), adv. [Before + hand.]
1. In a state of anticipation ore preoccupation; in advance; -- often
followed by with.
Agricola . . . resolves to be beforehand with the danger. Milton.
The last cited author has been beforehand with me. Addison.
2. By way of preparation, or preliminary; previously; aforetime.
They may be taught beforehand the skill of speaking. Hooker.
Beforehand
Be*fore"hand`, a. In comfortable circumstances as regards property;
forehanded.
Rich and much beforehand. Bacon.
Beforetime
Be*fore"time` (?), adv. Formerly; aforetime.
[They] dwelt in their tents, as beforetime. 2 Kings xiii. 5.
Befortune
Be*for"tune (?), v. t. To befall. [Poetic]
I wish all good befortune you. Shak.
Befoul
Be*foul" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befouled (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Befouling.] [Cf. AS. bef; pref. be- + f to foul. See Foul, a.]
1. To make foul; to soil.
2. To entangle or run against so as to impede motion.
Befriend
Be*friend" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befriended; p. pr. & vb. n.
Befriending.] To act as a friend to; to favor; to aid, benefit, or
countenance.
By the darkness befriended. Longfellow.
Befriendment
Be*friend"ment (?), n. Act of befriending. [R.]
Befrill
Be*frill" (?), v. t. To furnish or deck with a frill.
Befringe
Be*fringe" (?), v. t. To furnish with a fringe; to form a fringe upon;
to adorn as with fringe. Fuller.
Befuddle
Be*fud"dle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befuddled (#)] To becloud and
confuse, as with liquor.
Beg
Beg (?), n. [Turk. beg, pronounced bay. Cf. Bey, Begum.] A title of
honor in Turkey and in some other parts of the East; a bey.
Beg
Beg (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begged (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Begging.]
[OE. beggen, perh. fr. AS. bedecian (akin to Goth. bedagwa beggar),
biddan to ask. (Cf. Bid, v. t.); or cf. beghard, beguin.]
1. To ask earnestly for; to entreat or supplicate for; to beseech.
I do beg your good will in this case. Shak.
[Joseph] begged the body of Jesus. Matt. xxvii. 58.
NOTE: Sometimes im plying de ferential an d respectful, rather than
earnest, asking; as, I beg your pardon; I beg leave to disagree
with you.
2. To ask for as a charity, esp. to ask for habitually or from house
to house.
Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging
bread. Ps. xxxvii. 25.
3. To make petition to; to entreat; as, to beg a person to grant a
favor.
4. To take for granted; to assume without proof.
5. (Old Law) To ask to be appointed guardian for, or to ask to have a
guardian appointed for.
Else some will beg thee, in the court of wards. Harrington.
Hence: To beg (one) for a fool, to take him for a fool. I beg to, is
an elliptical expression for I beg leave to; as, I beg to inform you.
-- To bag the question, to assume that which was to be proved in a
discussion, instead of adducing the proof or sustaining the point by
argument. -- To go a-begging, a figurative phrase to express the
absence of demand for something which elsewhere brings a price; as,
grapes are so plentiful there that they go a-begging. Syn. -- To Beg,
Ask, Request. To ask (not in the sense of inquiring) is the generic
term which embraces all these words. To request is only a polite mode
of asking. To beg, in its original sense, was to ask with earnestness,
and implied submission, or at least deference. At present, however, in
polite life, beg has dropped its original meaning, and has taken the
place of both ask and request, on the ground of its expressing more of
deference and respect. Thus, we beg a person's acceptance of a
present; we beg him to favor us with his company; a tradesman begs to
announce the arrival of new goods, etc. Crabb remarks that, according
to present usage, "we can never talk of asking a person's acceptance
of a thing, or of asking him to do us a favor." This can be more truly
said of usage in England than in America.
Beg
Beg, v. i. To ask alms or charity, especially to ask habitually by the
wayside or from house to house; to live by asking alms.
I can not dig; to beg I am ashamed. Luke xvi. 3.
Bega
Be"ga (?), n. See Bigha.
Begem
Be*gem" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begemmed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Begemming.] To adorn with gems, or as with gems.
Begemmed with dewdrops. Sir W. Scott.
Those lonely realms bright garden isles begem. Shelley.
Beget
Be*get" (?), v. t. [imp. Begot (?), (Archaic) Begat (; p. p. Begot,
Begotten (; p. pr. & vb. n. Begetting.] [OE. bigiten, bigeten, to get,
beget, AS. begitan to get; pref. be- + gitan. See Get, v. t. ]
1. To procreate, as a father or sire; to generate; -- commonly said of
the father.
Yet they a beauteous offspring shall beget. Milton.
2. To get (with child.) [Obs.] Shak.
3. To produce as an effect; to cause to exist.
Love is begot by fancy. Granville.
Begetter
Be*get"ter (?), n. One who begets; a father.
Beggable
Beg"ga*ble (?), a. Capable of being begged.
Beggar
Beg"gar (?), n. [OE. beggere, fr. beg.]
1. One who begs; one who asks or entreats earnestly, or with humility;
a petitioner.
2. One who makes it his business to ask alms.
3. One who is dependent upon others for support; -- a contemptuous or
sarcastic use.
4. One who assumes in argument what he does not prove. Abp. Tillotson.
Beggar
Beg"gar, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beggared (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Beggaring.]
1. To reduce to beggary; to impoverish; as, he had beggared himself.
Milton.
2. To cause to seem very poor and inadequate.
It beggared all description. Shak.
Beggarhood
Beg"gar*hood (?), n. The condition of being a beggar; also, the class
of beggars.
Beggarism
Beg"gar*ism (?), n. Beggary. [R.]
Beggarliness
Beg"gar*li*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being beggarly;
meanness.
Beggarly
Beg"gar*ly (?), a.
1. In the condition of, or like, a beggar; suitable for a beggar;
extremely indigent; poverty-stricken; mean; poor; contemptible. "A
bankrupt, beggarly fellow." South. "A beggarly fellowship." Swift.
"Beggarly elements." Gal. iv. 9.
2. Produced or occasioned by beggary. [Obs.]
Beggarly sins, that is, those sins which idleness and beggary
usually betray men to; such as lying, flattery, stealing, and
dissimulation. Jer. Taylor.
Beggarly
Beg"gar*ly, adv. In an indigent, mean, or despicable manner; in the
manner of a beggar.
Beggar's lice
Beg"gar's lice` (?). (Bot.) The prickly fruit or seed of certain
plants (as some species of Echinospermum and Cynoglossum) which cling
to the clothing of those who brush by them.
Beggar's ticks
Beg"gar's ticks` (?). The bur marigold (Bidens) and its achenes, which
are armed with barbed awns, and adhere to clothing and fleeces with
unpleasant tenacity.
Beggary
Beg"gar*y (?), n. [OE. beggerie. See Beggar, n.]
1. The act of begging; the state of being a beggar; mendicancy;
extreme poverty.
2. Beggarly appearance. [R.]
The freedom and the beggary of the old studio. Thackeray.
Syn. -- Indigence; want; penury; mendicancy.
Beggary
Beg"gar*y, a. Beggarly. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Beggestere
Beg"ge*stere (?), n. [Beg + -ster.] A beggar. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Beghard Beguard
Be*ghard" Be*guard" (?), n. [F. b\'82gard, b\'82guard; cf. G. beghard,
LL. Beghardus, Begihardus, Begardus. Prob. from the root of beguine +
-ard or -hard. See Beguine.] (Eccl. Hist.) One of an association of
religious laymen living in imitation of the Beguines. They arose in
the thirteenth century, were afterward subjected to much persecution,
and were suppressed by Innocent X. in 1650. Called also Beguins.
Begild
Be*gild" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begilded or Begilt (#).] To gild. B.
Jonson.
Begin
Be*gin" (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Began (#), Begun (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Beginning (#).] [AS. beginnan (akin to OS. biginnan, D. & G. beginnen,
OHG. biginnan, Goth., du-ginnan, Sw. begynna, Dan. begynde); pref. be-
+ an assumed ginnan. &root;31. See Gin to begin.]
1. To have or commence an independent or first existence; to take
rise; to commence.
Vast chain of being! which from God began. Pope.
2. To do the first act or the first part of an action; to enter upon
or commence something new, as a new form or state of being, or course
of action; to take the first step; to start. "Tears began to flow."
Dryden.
When I begin, I will also make an end. 1 Sam. iii. 12.
Begin
Be*gin", v. t.
1. To enter on; to commence.
Ye nymphs of Solyma ! begin the song. Pope.
2. To trace or lay the foundation of; to make or place a beginning of.
The apostle begins our knowledge in the creatures, which leads us
to the knowledge of God. Locke.
Syn. -- To commence; originate; set about; start.
Begin
Be*gin", n. Beginning. [Poetic & Obs.] Spenser.
Beginner
Be*gin"ner (?), n. One who begins or originates anything.
Specifically: A young or inexperienced practitioner or student; a
tyro.
A sermon of a new beginner. Swift.
Beginning
Be*gin"ning (?), n.
1. The act of doing that which begins anything; commencement of an
action, state, or space of time; entrance into being or upon a course;
the first act, effort, or state of a succession of acts or states.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Gen. i. 1.
2. That which begins or originates something; the first cause; origin;
source.
I am . . . the beginning and the ending. Rev. i. 8.
3. That which is begun; a rudiment or element.
Mighty things from small beginnings grow. Dryden.
4. Enterprise. "To hinder our beginnings." Shak. Syn. -- Inception;
prelude; opening; threshold; origin; outset; foundation.
Begird
Be*gird" (?), v. t. [imp. Begirt (?), Begirded; p. p. Begirt; p. pr. &
vb. n. Begirding.] [AS. begyrdan (akin to Goth. bigairdan); pref. be-
+ gyrdan to gird.]
1. To bind with a band or girdle; to gird.
2. To surround as with a band; to encompass.
Begirdle
Be*gir"dle (?), v. t. To surround as with a girdle.
Begirt
Be*girt" (?), v. t. To encompass; to begird. Milton.
Beglerbeg
Beg"ler*beg` (?), n. [Turk. beglerbeg, fr. beg, pl. begler. See Beg,
n.] The governor of a province of the Ottoman empire, next in dignity
to the grand vizier.
Begnaw
Be*gnaw" (?), v. t. [p. p. Begnawed (?), (R.) Begnawn (.] [AS.
begnagan; pref. be- + gnagan to gnaw.] To gnaw; to eat away; to
corrode.
The worm of conscience still begnaw thy soul. Shak.
Begod
Be*god" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begodded.] To exalt to the dignity of
a god; to deify. [Obs.] "Begodded saints." South.
Begone
Be*gone" (?), interj. [Be, v. i. + gone, p. p.] Go away; depart; get
you gone.
Begone
Be*gone", p. p. [OE. begon, AS. big\'ben; pref. be- + g\'ben to go.]
Surrounded; furnished; beset; environed (as in woe-begone). [Obs.]
Gower. Chaucer.
Begonia
Be*go"ni*a (?), n. [From Michel Begon, a promoter of botany.] (Bot.) A
genus of plants, mostly of tropical America, many species of which are
grown as ornamental plants. The leaves are curiously one-sided, and
often exhibit brilliant colors.
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Begore
Be*gore" (?), v. t. To besmear with gore.
Begot
Be*got" (?), imp. & p. p. of Beget.
Begotten
Be*got"ten (?), p. p. of Beget.
Begrave
Be*grave" (?), v. t. [Pref. be- + grave; akin to G. begraben, Goth.
bigraban to dig a ditch around.] To bury; also, to engrave. [Obs.]
Gower.
Begrease
Be*grease" (?), v. t. To soil or daub with grease or other oily
matter.
Begrime
Be*grime" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begrimed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Begriming.] To soil with grime or dirt deeply impressed or rubbed in.
Books falling to pieces and begrimed with dust. Macaulay.
Begrimer
Be*grim"er (?), n. One who, or that which, begrimes.
Begrudge
Be*grudge" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begrudged (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Begrudging.] To grudge; to envy the possession of.
Beguile
Be*guile" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beguiled (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Beguiling.]
1. To delude by guile, artifice, or craft; to deceive or impose on, as
by a false statement; to lure.
The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. Gen. iii. 13.
2. To elude, or evade by craft; to foil. [Obs.]
When misery could beguile the tyrant's rage. Shak.
3. To cause the time of to pass without notice; to relieve the tedium
or weariness of; to while away; to divert.
Ballads . . . to beguile his incessant wayfaring. W. Irving.
Syn. -- To delude; deceive; cheat; insnare; mislead; amuse; divert;
entertain.
Beguilement
Be*guile"ment (?), n. The act of beguiling, or the state of being
beguiled.
Beguiler
Be*guil"er (?), n. One who, or that which, beguiles.
Beguiling
Be*guil"ing, a. Alluring by guile; deluding; misleading; diverting. --
Be*guil"ing*ly, adv.
Beguin
Be`guin" (?), n. [F.] See Beghard.
Beguinage
Be`gui`nage" (?), n. [F.] A collection of small houses surrounded by a
wall and occupied by a community of Beguines.
Beguine
Be`guine" (?), n. [F. b\'82guine; LL. beguina, beghina; fr. Lambert le
B\'8ague (the Stammerer) the founder of the order. (Du Cange.)] A
woman belonging to one of the religious and charitable associations or
communities in the Netherlands, and elsewhere, whose members live in
beguinages and are not bound by perpetual vows.
Begum
Be"gum (?), n. [Per., fr. Turk., perh. properly queen mother, fr.
Turk. beg (see Beg, n.) + Ar. umm mother.] In the East Indies, a
princess or lady of high rank. Malcom.
Begun
Be*gun" (?), p. p. of Begin.
Behalf
Be*half" (?), n. [OE. on-behalve in the name of, bihalven by the side
of, fr. AS. healf half, also side, part: akin to G. halb half, halber
on account of. See Be-, and Half, n.] Advantage; favor; stead;
benefit; interest; profit; support; defense; vindication.
In behalf of his mistress's beauty. Sir P. Sidney.
Against whom he had contracted some prejudice in behalf of his
nation. Clarendon.
In behalf of, in the interest of. -- On behalf of, on account of; on
the part of.
Behappen
Be*hap"pen (?), v. t. To happen to. [Obs.]
Behave
Be*have" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Behaved (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Behaving.] [AS. behabban to surround, restrain, detain (akin to G.
gehaben (obs.) to have, sich gehaben to behave or carry one's self);
pref. be- + habban to have. See Have, v. t. ]
1. To manage or govern in point of behavior; to discipline; to handle;
to restrain. [Obs.]
He did behave his anger ere 't was spent. Shak.
2. To carry; to conduct; to comport; to manage; to bear; -- used
reflexively.
Those that behaved themselves manfully. 2 Macc. ii. 21.
Behave
Be*have", v. i. To act; to conduct; to bear or carry one's self; as,
to behave well or ill.
NOTE: &hand; This verb is often used colloquially without an adverb
of manner; as, if he does not behave, he will be punished. It is
also often applied to inanimate objects; as, the ship behaved
splendidly.
Behavior
Be*hav"ior (?), n. Manner of behaving, whether good or bad; mode of
conducting one's self; conduct; deportment; carriage; -- used also of
inanimate objects; as, the behavior of a ship in a storm; the behavior
of the magnetic needle.
A gentleman that is very singular in his behavior. Steele.
To be upon one's good behavior, To be put upon one's good behavior, to
be in a state of trial, in which something important depends on
propriety of conduct. -- During good behavior, while (or so long as)
one conducts one's self with integrity and fidelity or with propriety.
Syn. -- Bearing; demeanor; manner. -- Behavior, Conduct. Behavior is
the mode in which we have or bear ourselves in the presence of others
or toward them; conduct is the mode of our carrying ourselves forward
in the concerns of life. Behavior respects our manner of acting in
particular cases; conduct refers to the general tenor of our actions.
We may say of soldiers, that their conduct had been praiseworthy
during the whole campaign, and their behavior admirable in every
instance when they met the enemy.
Behead
Be*head" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beheaded; p. pr. & vb. n.
Beheading.] [OE. bihefden, AS. behe\'a0fdian; pref. be- + he\'a0fod
head. See Head.] To sever the head from; to take off the head of.
Beheadal
Be*head"al (?),n.Beheading. [Modern]
Beheld
Be*held" (?), imp. & p. p. of Behold.
Behemoth
Be"he*moth (?), n. [Heb. behem, fr. Egyptian P-ehe-maut hippopotamus.]
An animal, probably the hippopotamus, described in Job xl. 15-24.
Behen, Behn
Be"hen (?), Behn (?), n. [Per. & Ar. bahman, behmen, an herb, whose
leaves resemble ears of corn, saffron.] (Bot.) (a) The Centaurea
behen, or saw-leaved centaury. (b) The Cucubalus behen, or bladder
campion, now called Silene inflata. (c) The Statice limonium, or sea
lavender.
Behest
Be*hest" (?), n. [OE. biheste promise, command, AS. beh promise; pref.
be- + h command. See Hest, Hight.]
1. That which is willed or ordered; a command; a mandate; an
injunction.
To do his master's high behest. Sir W. Scott.
2. A vow; a promise. [Obs.]
The time is come that I should send it her, if I keep the behest
that I have made. Paston.
Behest
Be*hest", v. t. To vow. [Obs.] Paston.
Behete
Be*hete" (?), v. t. See Behight. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Behight
Be*hight" (?), v. t. [imp. Behight; p. p. Behight, Behoten.] [OE.
bihaten, AS. beh\'betan to vow, promise; pref. be- + h\'betan to call,
command. See Hight, v.] [Obs. in all its senses.]
1. To promise; to vow.
Behight by vow unto the chaste Minerve. Surrey.
2. To give in trust; to commit; to intrust.
The keys are to thy hand behight. Spenser.
3. To adjudge; to assign by authority.
The second was to Triamond behight. Spenser.
4. To mean, or intend.
More than heart behighteth. Mir. for Mag.
5. To consider or esteem to be; to declare to be.
All the lookers-on him dead behight. Spenser.
6. To call; to name; to address.
Whom . . . he knew and thus behight. Spenser.
7. To command; to order.
He behight those gates to be unbarred. Spenser.
Behight
Be*hight", n. A vow; a promise. [Obs.] Surrey.
Behind
Be*hind" (?), prep. [AS. behindan; pref. be- + hindan. See Hind, a.]
1. On the side opposite the front or nearest part; on the back side
of; at the back of; on the other side of; as, behind a door; behind a
hill.
A tall Brabanter, behind whom I stood. Bp. Hall.
2. Left after the departure of, whether this be by removing to a
distance or by death.
A small part of what he left behind him. Pope.
3. Left a distance by, in progress of improvement Hence: Inferior to
in dignity, rank, knowledge, or excellence, or in any achievement.
I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. 2 Cor. xi. 5.
Behind
Be*hind", adv.
1. At the back part; in the rear. "I shall not lag behind." Milton.
2. Toward the back part or rear; backward; as, to look behind.
3. Not yet brought forward, produced, or exhibited to view; out of
sight; remaining.
We can not be sure that there is no evidence behind. Locke.
4. Backward in time or order of succession; past.
Forgetting those things which are behind. Phil. ii. 13.
5. After the departure of another; as, to stay behind.
Leave not a rack behind. Shak.
Behind
Be*hind", n. The backside; the rump. [Low]
Behindhand
Be*hind"hand` (?), adv. & a. [Behind + hand.]
1. In arrears financially; in a state where expenditures have exceeded
the receipt of funds.
2. In a state of backwardness, in respect to what is seasonable or
appropriate, or as to what should have been accomplished; not equally
forward with some other person or thing; dilatory; backward; late;
tardy; as, behindhand in studies or in work.
In this also [dress] the country are very much behindhand. Addison.
Behither
Be*hith"er (?), prep. On this side of. [Obs.]
Two miles behither Clifden. Evelyn.
Behold
Be*hold" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beheld ( (p. p. formerly Beholden (,
now used only as a p. a.); p. pr. & vb. n. Beholding.] [OE. bihalden,
biholden, AS. behealdan to hold, have in sight; pref. be- + healdan to
hold, keep; akin to G. behalten to hold, keep. See Hold.] To have in
sight; to see clearly; to look at; to regard with the eyes.
When he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. Num. xxi. 9.
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John. i. 29.
Syn. -- To scan; gaze; regard; descry; view; discern.
Behold
Be*hold", v. i. To direct the eyes to, or fix them upon, an object; to
look; to see.
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne, . . . a lamb as
it had been slain. Rev. v. 6.
Beholden
Be*hold"en (?), p. a. [Old p. p. of behold, used in the primitive
sense of the simple verb hold.] Obliged; bound in gratitude; indebted.
But being so beholden to the Prince. Tennyson.
Beholder
Be*hold"er (?), n. One who beholds; a spectator.
Beholding
Be*hold"ing, a. Obliged; beholden. [Obs.]
I was much bound and beholding to the right reverend father.
Robynson (More's Utopia).
So much hath Oxford been beholding to her nephews, or sister's
children. Fuller.
Beholding
Be*hold"ing, n. The act of seeing; sight; also, that which is beheld.
Shak.
Beholdingness
Be*hold"ing*ness, n., The state of being obliged or beholden. [Obs.]
Sir P. Sidney.
Behoof
Be*hoof" (?), n. [OE. to bihove for the use of, AS. beh advantage, a
word implied in beh necessary; akin to Sw. behof, Dan. behov, G.
behuf, and E. heave, the root meaning to seize, hence the meanings "to
hold, make use of." See Heave, v. t.] Advantage; profit; benefit;
interest; use.
No mean recompense it brings To your behoof. Milton.
Behoovable
Be*hoov"a*ble (?), a. Supplying need; profitable; advantageous. [Obs.]
Udall.
Behoove
Be*hoove" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Behooved (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Behooving.] [OE. bihoven, behoven, AS. beh to have need of, fr. beh.
See Behoof.] To be necessary for; to be fit for; to be meet for, with
respect to necessity, duty, or convenience; -- mostly used
impersonally.
And thus it behooved Christ to suffer. Luke xxiv. 46.
[Also written behove.]
Behoove
Be*hoove" (?), v. i. To be necessary, fit, or suitable; to befit; to
belong as due. Chaucer.
Behoove
Be*hoove", n. Advantage; behoof. [Obs.]
It shall not be to his behoove. Gower.
Behooveful
Be*hoove"ful (?), a. Advantageous; useful; profitable. [Archaic] --
Be*hoove"ful*ly, adv. -- Be*hoove"ful*ness, n. [Archaic]
Behove
Be*hove" (?), v., and derivatives. See Behoove, & c.
Behovely
Be*hove"ly, a. & adv. Useful, or usefully. [Obs.]
Behowl
Be*howl" (?), v. t. To howl at. [Obs.]
The wolf behowls the moon. Shak.
Beige
Beige (?), n. [F.] Debeige.
Beild
Beild (?), n. [Prob. from the same root as build, v. t.] A place of
shelter; protection; refuge. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.] [Also written bield
and beeld.]
The random beild o' clod or stane. Burns.
Being
Be"ing (?), p. pr. from Be. Existing.
NOTE: &hand; Be ing wa s fo rmerly us ed wh ere we now use having.
"Being to go to a ball in a few days." Miss Edgeworth.
NOTE: &hand; In mo dern us age, is, are, was or were being, with a
past participle following (as built, made, etc.) indicates the
process toward the completed result expressed by the participle.
The form is or was building, in this passive signification, is
idiomatic, and, if free from ambiguity, is commonly preferable to
the modern is or was being built. The last form of speech is,
however, sufficiently authorized by approved writers. The older
expression was is, or was, a-building or in building.
A man who is being strangled. Lamb.
While the article on Burns was being written. Froude.
Fresh experience is always being gained. Jowett (Thucyd. )
Being
Be"ing, n.
1. Existence, as opposed to nonexistence; state or sphere of
existence.
In Him we live, and move, and have our being. Acts xvii. 28.
2. That which exists in any form, whether it be material or spiritual,
actual or ideal; living existence, as distinguished from a thing
without life; as, a human being; spiritual beings.
What a sweet being is an honest mind ! Beau. & Fl.
A Being of infinite benevolence and power. Wordsworth.
3. Lifetime; mortal existence. [Obs.]
Claudius, thou Wast follower of his fortunes in his being. Webster
(1654).
4. An abode; a cottage. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.
It was a relief to dismiss them [Sir Roger's servants] into little
beings within my manor. Steele.
Being
Be"ing, adv. Since; inasmuch as. [Obs. or Colloq.]
And being you have Declined his means, you have increased his
malice. Beau. & Fl.
Bejade
Be*jade" (?), v. t. To jade or tire. [Obs.] Milton.
Bejape
Be*jape" (?), v. t. To jape; to laugh at; to deceive. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bejaundice
Be*jaun"dice (?), v. t. To infect with jaundice.
Bejewel
Be*jew"el (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bejeweled or Bejewelled (#); p. pr.
& vb. n. Bejeweling or Bejewelling.] To ornament with a jewel or with
jewels; to spangle. "Bejeweled hands." Thackeray.
Bejumble
Be*jum"ble (?), v. t. To jumble together.
Bekah
Be"kah (?), n. [Heb.] Half a shekel.
Beknave
Be*knave" (?), v. t. To call knave. [Obs.] Pope.
Beknow
Be*know" (?), v. t. To confess; to acknowledge. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bel
Bel (?), n. The Babylonian name of the god known among the Hebrews as
Baal. See Baal. Baruch vi. 41.
Belabor
Be*la"bor (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belabored (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Belaboring.]
1. To ply diligently; to work carefully upon. "If the earth is
belabored with culture, it yieldeth corn." Barrow.
2. To beat soundly; to cudgel.
Ajax belabors there a harmless ox. Dryden.
Bel-accoyle
Bel`-ac*coyle" (?), n. [F. bel beautiful + accueil reception.] A kind
or favorable reception or salutation. [Obs.]
Belace
Be*lace" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belaced (#).]
1. To fasten, as with a lace or cord. [Obs.]
2. To cover or adorn with lace. [Obs.] Beaumont.
3. To beat with a strap. See Lace. [Obs.] Wright.
Belam
Be*lam" (?), v. t. [See Lam.] To beat or bang. [Prov. & Low, Eng.]
Todd.
Belamour
Bel"a*mour (?), n. [F. bel amour fair love.]
1. A lover. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. A flower, but of what kind is unknown. [Obs.]
Her snowy brows, like budded belamours. Spenser.
Belamy
Bel"a*my (?), n. [F. bel ami fair friend.] Good friend; dear friend.
[Obs.] Chaucer.
Belate
Be*late" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belated; p. pr. & vb. n. Belating.]
To retard or make too late. Davenant.
Belated
Be*lat"ed, a. Delayed beyond the usual time; too late; overtaken by
night; benighted. "Some belated peasant." Milton. -- Be*lat"ed*ness,
n. Milton.
Belaud
Be*laud" (?), v. t. To laud or praise greatly.
Belay
Be*lay" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belaid, Belayed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Belaying.] [For senses 1 & 2, D. beleggen to cover, belay; akin to E.
pref. be-, and lay to place: for sense 3, OE. beleggen, AS. belecgan.
See pref. Be-, and Lay to place.]
1. To lay on or cover; to adorn. [Obs.]
Jacket . . . belayed with silver lace. Spenser.
2. (Naut.) To make fast, as a rope, by taking several turns with it
round a pin, cleat, or kevel. Totten.
3. To lie in wait for with a view to assault. Hence: to block up or
obstruct. [Obs.] Dryden.
Belay thee! Stop.
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Belaying pin
Be*lay"ing pin` (?). (Naut.) A strong pin in the side of a vessel, or
by the mast, round which ropes are wound when they are fastened or
belayed.
Belch
Belch (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belched (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Belching.]
[OE. belken, AS. bealcan, akin to E. bellow. See Bellow, v. i.]
1. To eject or throw up from the stomach with violence; to eruct.
I belched a hurricane of wind. Swift.
2. To eject violently from within; to cast forth; to emit; to give
vent to; to vent.
Within the gates that now Stood open wide, belching outrageous
flame. Milton.
Belch
Belch, v. i.
1. To eject wind from the stomach through the mouth; to eructate.
2. To issue with spasmodic force or noise. Dryden.
Belch
Belch, n.
1. The act of belching; also, that which is belched; an eructation.
2. Malt liquor; -- vulgarly so called as causing eructation. [Obs.]
Dennis.
Belcher
Belch"er (?), n. One who, or that which, belches.
Beldam Beldame
Bel"dam Bel"dame (?), n. [Pref. bel-, denoting relationship + dame
mother: cf. F. belledame fair lady, It. belladonna. See Belle, and
Dame.]
1. Grandmother; -- corresponding to belsire.
To show the beldam daughters of her daughter. Shak.
2. An old woman in general; especially, an ugly old woman; a hag.
Around the beldam all erect they hang. Akenside.
Beleaguer
Be*lea"guer (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beleaguered (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Beleaguering.] [D. belegeren (akin to G. belagern, Sw. bel\'84gra,
Dan. beleire); pref. be- = E. be- + leger bed, camp, army, akin to E.
lair. See Lair.] To surround with an army so as to preclude escape; to
besiege; to blockade.
The wail of famine in beleaguered towns. Longfellow.
Syn. -- To block up; environ; invest; encompass.
Beleaguerer
Be*lea"guer*er (?), n. One who beleaguers.
Beleave
Be*leave" (?), v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Beleft (#).] To leave or to be
left. [Obs.] May.
Belecture
Be*lec"ture (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belectured (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Belecturing.] To vex with lectures; to lecture frequently.
Belee
Be*lee" (?), v. t. To place under the lee, or unfavorably to the wind.
Shak.
Belemnite
Be*lem"nite (?), n. [Gr. dart, fr. dart, fr. to throw: cf. F.
b\'82lemnite.] (Paleon.) A conical calcareous fossil, tapering to a
point at the lower extremity, with a conical cavity at the other end,
where it is ordinarily broken; but when perfect it contains a small
chambered cone, called the phragmocone, prolonged, on one side, into a
delicate concave blade; the thunderstone. It is the internal shell of
a cephalopod related to the sepia, and belonging to an extinct family.
The belemnites are found in rocks of the Jurassic and Cretaceous ages.
-- Bel*em*nit"ic, a.
Beleper
Be*lep"er (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belepered (#).] To infect with
leprosy. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
Bel-esprit
Bel"-es*prit" (?), n.; pl. Beaux-esprits (#). [F., fine wit.] A fine
genius, or man of wit. "A man of letters and a bel esprit." W. Irving.
Belfry
Bel"fry (?), n. [OE. berfray movable tower used in sieges, OF.
berfreit, berfroit, F. beffroi, fr. MHG. bervrit, bercvrit, G.
bergfriede, fr. MHG. bergen to protect (G. bergen to conceal) + vride
peace, protection, G. friede peace; in compounds often taken in the
sense of security, or place of security; orig. therefore a place
affording security. G. friede is akin to E. free. See Burg, and Free.]
1. (Mil. Antiq.) A movable tower erected by besiegers for purposes of
attack and defense.
2. A bell tower, usually attached to a church or other building, but
sometimes separate; a campanile.
3. A room in a tower in which a bell is or may be hung; or a cupola or
turret for the same purpose.
4. (Naut.) The framing on which a bell is suspended.
Belgard
Bel*gard" (?), n. [It. bel guardo.] A sweet or loving look. [Obs.]
Spenser.
Belgian
Bel"gi*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Belgium. -- n. A native or
inhabitant of Belgium.
Belgic
Bel"gic (?), a. [L. Belgicus, fr. Belgae the Belgians.]
1. Of or pertaining to the Belg\'91, a German tribe who anciently
possessed the country between the Rhine, the Seine, and the ocean.
How unlike their Belgic sires of old. Goldsmith.
2. Of or pertaining to the Netherlands or to Belgium.
Belgravian
Bel*gra"vi*an (?), a. Belonging to Belgravia (a fashionable quarter of
London, around Pimlico), or to fashionable life; aristocratic.
Belial
Be"li*al (?), n. [Heb. beli ya'al; beli without + ya'al profit.] An
evil spirit; a wicked and unprincipled person; the personification of
evil.
What concord hath Christ with Belia ? 2 Cor. vi. 15.
A son (or man) of Belial, a worthless, wicked, or thoroughly depraved
person. 1 Sam. ii. 12.
Belibel
Be*li"bel (?), v. t. [See Libel, v. t. ] To libel or traduce; to
calumniate. Fuller.
Belie
Be*lie" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belied (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Belying
(#).] [OE. bilien, bili, AS. bele\'a2gan; pref. be- + le\'a2gan to
lie. See Lie, n.]
1. To show to be false; to convict of, or charge with, falsehood.
Their trembling hearts belie their boastful tongues. Dryden.
2. To give a false representation or account of.
Should I do so, I should belie my thoughts. Shak.
3. To tell lie about; to calumniate; to slander.
Thou dost belie him, Percy, thou dost belie him. Shak.
4. To mimic; to counterfeit. [Obs.] Dryden.
5. To fill with lies. [Obs.] "The breath of slander doth belie all
corners of the world." Shak.
Belief
Be*lief" (?), n. [OE. bileafe, bileve; cf. AS. gele\'a0fa. See
Believe.]
1. Assent to a proposition or affirmation, or the acceptance of a
fact, opinion, or assertion as real or true, without immediate
personal knowledge; reliance upon word or testimony; partial or full
assurance without positive knowledge or absolute certainty;
persuasion; conviction; confidence; as, belief of a witness; the
belief of our senses.
Belief admits of all degrees, from the slightest suspicion to the
fullest assurance. Reid.
2. (Theol.) A persuasion of the truths of religion; faith.
No man can attain [to] belief by the bare contemplation of heaven
and earth. Hooker.
3. The thing believed; the object of belief.
Superstitious prophecies are not only the belief of fools, but the
talk sometimes of wise men. Bacon.
4. A tenet, or the body of tenets, held by the advocates of any class
of views; doctrine; creed.
In the heat of persecution to which Christian belief was subject
upon its first promulgation. Hooker.
Ultimate belief, a first principle incapable of proof; an intuitive
truth; an intuition. Sir W. Hamilton. Syn. -- Credence; trust;
reliance; assurance; opinion.
Beliefful
Be*lief"ful (?), a. Having belief or faith.
Believable
Be*liev"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being believed; credible. --
Be*liev"a*ble*ness, n. -- Be*liev`a*bil"i*ty (, n.
Believe
Be*lieve" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Believed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Believing.] [OE. bileven (with pref. be- for AS. ge-), fr. AS. gel,
gel; akin to D. gelooven, OHG. gilouban, G. glauben, OS. gil, Goth.
galaubjan, and Goth. liubs dear. See Lief, a., Leave, n.] To exercise
belief in; to credit upon the authority or testimony of another; to be
persuaded of the truth of, upon evidence furnished by reasons,
arguments, and deductions of the mind, or by circumstances other than
personal knowledge; to regard or accept as true; to place confidence
in; to think; to consider; as, to believe a person, a statement, or a
doctrine.
Our conqueror (whom I now Of force believe almighty). Milton.
King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets ? Acts xxvi.
Often followed by a dependent clause. I believe that Jesus Christ
is the Son of God. Acts viii. 37.
Syn. -- See Expect.
Believe
Be*lieve", v. i.
1. To have a firm persuasion, esp. of the truths of religion; to have
a persuasion approaching to certainty; to exercise belief or faith.
Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. Mark ix. 24.
With the heart man believeth unto righteousness. Rom. x. 10.
2. To think; to suppose.
I will not believe so meanly of you. Fielding.
To believe in. (a) To believe that the subject of the thought (if a
person or thing) exists, or (if an event) that it has occurred, or
will occur; -- as, to believe in the resurrection of the dead. "She
does not believe in Jupiter." J. H. Newman. (b) To believe that the
character, abilities, and purposes of a person are worthy of entire
confidence; -- especially that his promises are wholly trustworthy.
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in
me." John xiv. 1. (c) To believe that the qualities or effects of an
action or state are beneficial: as, to believe in sea bathing, or in
abstinence from alcoholic beverages. -- To believe on, to accept
implicitly as an object of religious trust or obedience; to have faith
in.
Believer
Be*liev"er (?), n.
1. One who believes; one who is persuaded of the truth or reality of
some doctrine, person, or thing.
2. (Theol.) One who gives credit to the truth of the Scriptures, as a
revelation from God; a Christian; -- in a more restricted sense, one
who receives Christ as his Savior, and accepts the way of salvation
unfolded in the gospel.
Thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers. Book of
Com. Prayer.
3. (Eccl. Hist.) One who was admitted to all the rights of divine
worship and instructed in all the mysteries of the Christian religion,
in distinction from a catechumen, or one yet under instruction.
Believing
Be*liev"ing, a. That believes; having belief. -- Be*liev"ing*ly, adv.
Belight
Be*light" (?), v. t. To illuminate. [Obs.] Cowley.
Belike
Be*like" (?), adv. [Pref. be- (for by) + like.] It is likely or
probably; perhaps. [Obs. or Archaic] -- Be*like"ly, adv.
Belike, boy, then you are in love. Shak.
Belime
Be*lime" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belimed (#).] To besmear or insnare
with birdlime.
Belittle
Be*lit"tle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belittled (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Belittling.] To make little or less in a moral sense; to speak of in a
depreciatory or contemptuous way. T. Jefferson.
Belive
Be*live" (?), adv. [Cf. Live, a.] Forthwith; speedily; quickly. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Belk
Belk (?), v. t. [See Belch.] To vomit. [Obs.]
Bell
Bell (?), n. [AS. belle, fr. bellan to bellow. See Bellow.]
1. A hollow metallic vessel, usually shaped somewhat like a cup with a
flaring mouth, containing a clapper or tongue, and giving forth a
ringing sound on being struck.
NOTE: &hand; Be lls ha ve been made of various metals, but the best
have always been, as now, of an alloy of copper and tin.
The Liberty Bell, the famous bell of the Philadelphia State House,
which rang when the Continental Congress declared the Independence of
the United States, in 1776. It had been cast in 1753, and upon it were
the words "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land, to all the
inhabitants thereof."
2. A hollow perforated sphere of metal containing a loose ball which
causes it to sound when moved.
3. Anything in the form of a bell, as the cup or corol of a flower.
"In a cowslip's bell I lie." Shak.
4. (Arch.) That part of the capital of a column included between the
abacus and neck molding; also used for the naked core of nearly
cylindrical shape, assumed to exist within the leafage of a capital.
5. pl. (Naut.) The strikes of the bell which mark the time; or the
time so designated.
NOTE: &hand; On sh ipboard, ti me is ma rked by a bell, which is
struck eight times at 4, 8, and 12 o'clock. Half an hour after it
has struck "eight bells" it is struck once, and at every succeeding
half hour the number of strokes is increased by one, till at the
end of the four hours, which constitute a watch, it is struck eight
times.
To bear away the bell, to win the prize at a race where the prize was
a bell; hence, to be superior in something. Fuller. -- To bear the
bell, to be the first or leader; -- in allusion to the bellwether or a
flock, or the leading animal of a team or drove, when wearing a bell.
-- To curse by bell, book, and candle, a solemn form of
excommunication used in the Roman Catholic church, the bell being
tolled, the book of offices for the purpose being used, and three
candles being extinguished with certain ceremonies. Nares. -- To lose
the bell, to be worsted in a contest. "In single fight he lost the
bell." Fairfax. -- To shake the bells, to move, give notice, or alarm.
Shak.
NOTE: &hand; Be ll is much used adjectively or in combinations; as,
bell clapper; bell foundry; bell hanger; bell-mouthed; bell tower,
etc., which, for the most part, are self-explaining.
Bell arch (Arch.), an arch of unusual form, following the curve of an
ogee. -- Bell cage, or Bell carriage (Arch.), a timber frame
constructed to carry one or more large bells. -- Bell cot (Arch.), a
small or subsidiary construction, frequently corbeled out from the
walls of a structure, and used to contain and support one or more
bells. -- Bell deck (Arch.), the floor of a belfry made to serve as a
roof to the rooms below. -- Bell founder, one whose occupation it is
to found or cast bells. -- Bell foundry, or Bell foundery, a place
where bells are founded or cast. -- Bell gable (Arch.), a small
gable-shaped construction, pierced with one or more openings, and used
to contain bells. -- Bell glass. See Bell jar. -- Bell hanger, a man
who hangs or puts up bells. -- Bell pull, a cord, handle, or knob,
connecting with a bell or bell wire, and which will ring the bell when
pulled. Aytoun. -- Bell punch, a kind of conductor's punch which rings
a bell when used. -- Bell ringer, one who rings a bell or bells, esp.
one whose business it is to ring a church bell or chime, or a set of
musical bells for public entertainment. -- Bell roof (Arch.), a roof
shaped according to the general lines of a bell. -- Bell rope, a rope
by which a church or other bell is rung. -- Bell tent, a circular
conical-topped tent. -- Bell trap, a kind of bell shaped stench trap.
Bell
Bell (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belled (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Belling.] To
put a bell upon; as, to bell the cat.
2. To make bell-mouthed; as, to bell a tube.
Bell
Bell, v. i. To develop bells or corollas; to take the form of a bell;
to blossom; as, hops bell.
Bell
Bell, v. t. [AS. bellan. See Bellow.] To utter by bellowing. [Obs.]
Bell
Bell, v. i. To call or bellow, as the deer in rutting time; to make a
bellowing sound; to roar.
As loud as belleth wind in hell. Chaucer.
The wild buck bells from ferny brake. Sir W. Scott.
Belladonna
Bel`la*don"na (?), n. [It., literally fine lady; bella beautiful +
donna lady.] (Bot.) (a) An herbaceous European plant (Atropa
belladonna) with reddish bell-shaped flowers and shining black
berries. The whole plant and its fruit are very poisonous, and the
root and leaves are used as powerful medicinal agents. Its properties
are largely due to the alkaloid atropine which it contains. Called
also deadly nightshade. (b) A species of Amaryllis (A. belladonna);
the belladonna lily.
Bell animalcule
Bell" an`i*mal"cule (?). (Zo\'94l.) An infusorian of the family
Vorticellid\'91, common in fresh-water ponds.
Bell bearer
Bell" bear`er (?). (Zo\'94l.) A Brazilian leaf hopper (Bocydium
tintinnabuliferum), remarkable for the four bell-shaped appendages of
its thorax.
Bellbird
Bell"bird` (?), n. [So called from their notes.] (Zo\'94l.) (a) A
South American bird of the genus Casmarhincos, and family
Cotingid\'91, of several species; the campanero. (b) The Myzantha
melanophrys of Australia.
Bell crank
Bell" crank` (?). A lever whose two arms form a right angle, or nearly
a right angle, having its fulcrum at the apex of the angle. It is used
in bell pulls and in changing the direction of bell wires at angles of
rooms, etc., and also in machinery.
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Belle
Belle (?), n. [F. belle, fem. of bel, beau, beautiful, fine. See
Beau.] A young lady of superior beauty and attractions; a handsome
lady, or one who attracts notice in society; a fair lady.
Belled
Belled (?), a. Hung with a bell or bells.
Belle-lettrist
Belle-let"trist (?), n. One versed in belleslettres.
Bellerophon
Bel*ler"o*phon (?), n. (Paleon.) A genus of fossil univalve shells,
believed to belong to the Heteropoda, peculiar to the Paleozoic age.
Belles-lettres
Belles-let"tres (?), n. pl. [F.] Polite or elegant literature; the
humanities; -- used somewhat vaguely for literary works in which
imagination and taste are predominant.
Belletristic, Belletristical
Bel`le*tris"tic (?), Bel`le*tris"tic*al (?), a. Occupied with, or
pertaining to, belles-lettres. "An unlearned, belletristic trifler."
M. Arnold.
Bell-faced
Bell"-faced` (?), a. Having the striking surface convex; -- said of
hammers.
Bellflower
Bell"flow`er (?), n. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Campanula; -- so
named from its bell-shaped flowers.
Bellflower
Bell"flow`er, n. [F. bellefleur, lit., beautiful flower.] A kind of
apple. The yellow bellflower is a large, yellow winter apple. [Written
also bellefleur.]
Bellibone
Bel"li*bone (?), n. [F. belle et bonne, beautiful and good.] A woman
excelling both in beauty and goodness; a fair maid. [Obs.] Spenser.
Bellic, Bellical
Bel"lic (?), Bel"li*cal (?), a. [L. bellicus. See Bellicose.] Of or
pertaining to war; warlike; martial. [Obs.] "Bellic C\'91sar."
Feltham.
Bellicose
Bel"li*cose` (?), a. [L. bellicosus, fr. bellicus of war, fr. bellum
war. See Duel.] Inclined to war or contention; warlike; pugnacious.
Arnold was, in fact, in a bellicose vein. W. Irving.
Bellicosely
Bel"li*cose`ly, adv. In a bellicose manner.
Bellicous
Bel"li*cous (?), a. Bellicose. [Obs.]
Bellied
Bel"lied (?), a. Having (such) a belly; puffed out; -- used in
composition; as, pot-bellied; shad-bellied.
Belligerence, Belligerency
Bel*lig"er*ence (?), Bel*lig"er*en*cy (?), n. The quality of being
belligerent; act or state of making war; warfare.
Belligerent
Bel*lig"er*ent (?), a. [L. bellum war + gerens, -entis, waging, p. pr.
of gerere to wage: cf. F. bellig\'82rant. See Bellicose, Jest.]
1. Waging war; carrying on war. "Belligerent powers." E. Everett.
2. Pertaining, or tending, to war; of or relating to belligerents; as,
a belligerent tone; belligerent rights.
Belligerent
Bel*lig"er*ent, n. A nation or state recognized as carrying on war; a
person engaged in warfare.
Belligerently
Bel*lig"er*ent*ly, adv. In a belligerent manner; hostilely.
Belling
Bell"ing (?), n. [From Bell to bellow.] A bellowing, as of a deer in
rutting time. Johnson.
Bellipotent
Bel*lip"o*tent (?), a. [L. bellipotens; bellum war + potens powerful,
p. pr. of posse to be able.] Mighty in war; armipotent. [R.] Blount.
Bell jar
Bell" jar` (?). (Phys.) A glass vessel, varying in size, open at the
bottom and closed at the top like a bell, and having a knob or handle
at the top for lifting it. It is used for a great variety of purposes;
as, with the air pump, and for holding gases, also for keeping the
dust from articles exposed to view.
Bellman
Bell"man (?), n. A man who rings a bell, especially to give notice of
anything in the streets. Formerly, also, a night watchman who called
the hours. Milton.
Bell metal
Bell" met`al (?). A hard alloy or bronze, consisting usually of about
three parts of copper to one of tin; -- used for making bells. Bell
metal ore, a sulphide of tin, copper, and iron; the mineral stannite.
Bell-mouthed
Bell"-mouthed` (?), a. Expanding at the mouth; as, a bell-mouthed gun.
Byron.
Bellon
Bel"lon (?), n. Lead colic.
Bellona
Bel*lo"na (?), n. [L., from bellum war.] (Rom. Myth.) The goddess of
war.
Bellow
Bel"low (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bellowed ; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bellowing.] [OE. belwen, belowen, AS. bylgean, fr. bellan; akin to G.
bellen, and perh. to L. flere to weep, OSlav. bleja to bleat, Lith.
balsas voice. Cf. Bell, n. & v., Bawl, Bull.]
1. To make a hollow, loud noise, as an enraged bull.
2. To bowl; to vociferate; to clamor. Dryden.
3. To roar; as the sea in a tempest, or as the wind when violent; to
make a loud, hollow, continued sound.
The bellowing voice of boiling seas. Dryden.
Bellow
Bel"low, v. t. To emit with a loud voice; to shout; -- used with out.
"Would bellow out a laugh." Dryden.
Bellow
Bel"low, n. A loud resounding outcry or noise, as of an enraged bull;
a roar.
Bellower
Bel"low*er (?), n. One who, or that which, bellows.
Bellows
Bel"lows (?), n. sing. & pl. [OE. bely, below, belly, bellows, AS.
b\'91lg, b\'91lig, bag, bellows, belly. Bellows is prop. a pl. and the
orig. sense is bag. See Belly.] An instrument, utensil, or machine,
which, by alternate expansion and contraction, or by rise and fall of
the top, draws in air through a valve and expels it through a tube for
various purposes, as blowing fires, ventilating mines, or filling the
pipes of an organ with wind. Bellows camera, in photography, a form of
camera, which can be drawn out like an accordion or bellows. --
Hydrostatic bellows. See Hydrostatic. -- A pair of bellows, the
ordinary household instrument for blowing fires, consisting of two
nearly heart-shaped boards with handles, connected by leather, and
having a valve and tube.
Bellows fish
Bel"lows fish` (?). (Zo\'94l.) A European fish (Centriscus scolopax),
distinguished by a long tubular snout, like the pipe of a bellows; --
called also trumpet fish, and snipe fish.
Bell pepper
Bell" pep`per (?). (Bot.) A species of Capsicum, or Guinea pepper (C.
annuum). It is the red pepper of the gardens.
Bell-shaped
Bell"-shaped` (?), a. Having the shape of a widemouthed bell;
campanulate.
Belluine
Bel"lu*ine (?), a. [L. belluinus, fr. bellua beast.] Pertaining to, or
like, a beast; brutal. [R.]
Animal and belluine life. Atterbury.
Bellwether
Bell"weth`er (?), n.
1. A wether, or sheep, which leads the flock, with a bell on his neck.
2. Hence: A leader. [Contemptuous] Swift.
Bellwort
Bell"wort" (?), n. (Bot.) A genus of plants (Uvularia) with yellowish
bell-shaped flowers.
Belly
Bel"ly (?), n.; pl. Bellies (#). [OE. bali, bely, AS. belg, b\'91lg,
b\'91lig, bag, bellows, belly; akin to Icel. belgr bag, bellows, Sw.
b\'84lg, Dan. b\'91lg, D. & G. balg, cf. W. bol the paunch or belly,
dim. boly, Ir. bolg. Cf. Bellows, Follicle, Fool, Bilge.]
1. That part of the human body which extends downward from the breast
to the thighs, and contains the bowels, or intestines; the abdomen.
NOTE: &hand; Fo rmerly all the splanchnic or visceral cavities were
called bellies; -- the lower belly being the abdomen; the middle
belly, the thorax; and the upper belly, the head.
Dunglison.
2. The under part of the body of animals, corresponding to the human
belly.
Underneath the belly of their steeds. Shak.
3. The womb. [Obs.]
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee. Jer. i. 5.
4. The part of anything which resembles the human belly in
protuberance or in cavity; the innermost part; as, the belly of a
flask, muscle, sail, ship.
Out of the belly of hell cried I. Jonah ii. 2.
5. (Arch.) The hollow part of a curved or bent timber, the convex part
of which is the back.
Belly doublet, a doublet of the 16th century, hanging down so as to
cover the belly. Shak. -- Belly fretting, the chafing of a horse's
belly with a girth. Johnson. -- Belly timber, food. [Ludicrous] Prior.
-- Belly worm, a worm that breeds or lives in the belly (stomach or
intestines). Johnson.
Belly
Bel"ly, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bellied (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bellying.] To
cause to swell out; to fill. [R.]
Your breath of full consent bellied his sails. Shak.
Belly
Bel"ly, v. i. To swell and become protuberant, like the belly; to
bulge.
The bellying canvas strutted with the gale. Dryden.
Bellyache
Bel"ly*ache` (?), n. Pain in the bowels; colic.
Bellyband
Bel"ly*band` (?), n.
1. A band that passes under the belly of a horse and holds the saddle
or harness in place; a girth.
2. A band of flannel or other cloth about the belly.
3. (Naut.) A band of canvas, to strengthen a sail.
Bellybound
Bel"ly*bound` (, a. Costive; constipated.
Bellycheat
Bel"ly*cheat` (?), n. An apron or covering for the front of the
person. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
Bellycheer
Bel"ly*cheer` (?), n. [Perh. from F. belle ch\'8are.] Good cheer;
viands. [Obs.] "Bellycheer and banquets." Rowlands. "Loaves and
bellycheer." Milton.
Bellycheer
Bel"ly*cheer`, v. i. To revel; to feast. [Obs.]
A pack of clergymen [assembled] by themselves to bellycheer in
their presumptuous Sion. Milton.
Bellyful
Bel"ly*ful (?), n. As much as satisfies the appetite. Hence: A great
abundance; more than enough. Lloyd.
King James told his son that he would have his bellyful of
parliamentary impeachments. Johnson.
Belly-god
Bel"ly-god` (?), n. One whose great pleasure it is to gratify his
appetite; a glutton; an epicure.
Belly-pinched
Bel"ly-pinched` (?), a. Pinched with hunger; starved. "The
belly-pinched wolf." Shak.
Belock
Be*lock" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belocked (#).] [Pref. be- + lock:
cf. AS. bel.] To lock, or fasten as with a lock. [Obs.] Shak.
Belomancy
Bel"o*man`cy (?), n. [Gr. ; arrow + a diviner: cf. F. b\'82lomancie.]
A kind of divination anciently practiced by means of marked arrows
drawn at random from a bag or quiver, the marks on the arrows drawn
being supposed to foreshow the future. Encyc. Brit.
Belong
Be*long" (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Belonged (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Belonging.] [OE. belongen (akin to D. belangen to concern, G. belangen
to attain to, to concern); pref. be- + longen to desire. See Long, v.
i.]
NOTE: [Usually construed with to.]
1. To be the property of; as, Jamaica belongs to Great Britain.
2. To be a part of, or connected with; to be appendant or related; to
owe allegiance or service.
A desert place belonging to . . . Bethsaids. Luke ix. 10.
The mighty men which belonged to David. 1 Kings i. 8.
3. To be the concern or proper business or function of; to appertain
to. "Do not interpretations belong to God ?" Gen. xl. 8.
4. To be suitable for; to be due to.
Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age. Heb. v. 14.
No blame belongs to thee. Shak.
5. To be native to, or an inhabitant of; esp. to have a legal
residence, settlement, or inhabitancy, whether by birth or operation
of law, so as to be entitled to maintenance by the parish or town.
Bastards also are settled in the parishes to which the mothers
belong. Blackstone.
Belong
Be*long" (?), v. t. To be deserved by. [Obs.]
More evils belong us than happen to us. B. Jonson.
Belonging
Be*long"ing, n. [Commonly in the pl.]
1. That which belongs to one; that which pertains to one; hence, goods
or effects. "Thyself and thy belongings." Shak.
2. That which is connected with a principal or greater thing; an
appendage; an appurtenance.
3. Family; relations; household. [Colloq.]
Few persons of her ladyship's belongings stopped, before they did
her bidding, to ask her reasons. Thackeray.
Belonite
Bel"o*nite (?), n. [Gr. a needle.] (Min.) Minute acicular or dendritic
crystalline forms sometimes observed in glassy volcanic rocks.
Belooche Beloochee
Bel*oo"che Bel*oo"chee (?), a. Of or pertaining to Beloochistan, or to
its inhabitants. -- n. A native or an inhabitant of Beloochistan.
Belord
Be*lord" (?), v. t.
1. To act the lord over.
2. To address by the title of "lord".
Belove
Be*love" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beloved (#).] [OE. bilufien. See
pref. Be-, and Love, v. t.] To love. [Obs.] Wodroephe.
Beloved
Be*loved" (?), p. p. & a. Greatly loved; dear to the heart.
Antony, so well beloved of C\'91sar. Shak.
This is my beloved Son. Matt. iii. 17.
Beloved
Be*lov"ed (?), n. One greatly loved.
My beloved is mine, and I am his. Cant. ii. 16.
Below
Be*low" (?), prep. [Pref. be- by + low.]
1. Under, or lower in place; beneath not so high; as, below the moon;
below the knee. Shak.
2. Inferior to in rank, excellence, dignity, value, amount, price,
etc.; lower in quality. "One degree below kings." Addison.
3. Unworthy of; unbefitting; beneath.
They beheld, with a just loathing and disdain, . . . how below all
history the persons and their actions were. Milton.
Who thinks no fact below his regard. Hallam.
Syn. -- Underneath; under; beneath.
Below
Be*low", adv.
1. In a lower place, with respect to any object; in a lower room;
beneath.
Lord Marmion waits below. Sir W. Scott.
2. On the earth, as opposed to the heavens.
The fairest child of Jove below. Prior.
3. In hell, or the regions of the dead.
What businesss brought him to the realms below. Dryden.
4. In court or tribunal of inferior jurisdiction; as, at the trial
below. Wheaton.
5. In some part or page following.
Belowt
Be*lowt" (?), v. t. To treat as a lout; to talk abusively to. [Obs.]
Camden.
Belsire
Bel"sire` (?), n. [Pref. bel- + sire. Cf. Beldam.] A grandfather, or
ancestor. "His great belsire Brute." [Obs.] Drayton.
Belswagger
Bel"swag`ger (?), n. [Contr. from bellyswagger.] A lewd man; also, a
bully. [Obs.] Dryden.
Belt
Belt (?), n. [AS. belt; akin to Icel. belti, Sw. b\'84lte, Dan.
b\'91lte, OHG. balz, L. balteus, Ir. & Gael. balt bo
1. That which engirdles a person or thing; a band or girdle; as, a
lady's belt; a sword belt.
The shining belt with gold inlaid. Dryden.
2. That which restrains or confines as a girdle.
He cannot buckle his distempered cause Within the belt of rule.
Shak.
3. Anything that resembles a belt, or that encircles or crosses like a
belt; a strip or stripe; as, a belt of trees; a belt of sand.
4. (Arch.) Same as Band, n., 2. A very broad band is more properly
termed a belt.
5. (Astron.) One of certain girdles or zones on the surface of the
planets Jupiter and Saturn, supposed to be of the nature of clouds.
6. (Geog.) A narrow passage or strait; as, the Great Belt and the
Lesser Belt, leading to the Baltic Sea.
7. (Her.) A token or badge of knightly rank.
8. (Mech.) A band of leather, or other flexible substance, passing
around two wheels, and communicating motion from one to the other.
NOTE: [See Illust. of Pulley.]
9. (Nat. Hist.) A band or stripe, as of color, round any organ; or any
circular ridge or series of ridges.
Belt lacing, thongs used for lacing together the ends of machine
belting.
Belt
Belt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belted; p. pr. & vb. n. Belting.] To
encircle with, or as with, a belt; to encompass; to surround.
A coarse black robe belted round the waist. C. Reade.
They belt him round with hearts undaunted. Wordsworth.
2. To shear, as the buttocks and tails of sheep. [Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.
Beltane
Bel"tane (?), n. [Gael. bealltainn, bealltuinn.]
1. The first day of May (Old Style).
The quarter-days anciently in Scotland were Hallowmas, Candlemas,
Beltane, and Lammas. New English Dict.
2. A festival of the heathen Celts on the first day of May, in the
observance of which great bonfires were kindled. It still exists in a
modified form in some parts of Scotland and Ireland.
Belted
Belt"ed (?), a.
1. Encircled by, or secured with, a belt; as, a belted plaid; girt
with a belt, as an honorary distinction; as, a belted knight; a belted
earl.
2. Marked with a band or circle; as, a belted stalk.
3. Worn in, or suspended from, the belt.
Three men with belted brands. Sir W. Scott.
Belted cattle, cattle originally from Dutch stock, having a broad band
of white round the middle, while the rest of the body is black; --
called also blanketed cattle.
Beltein, Beltin
Bel"tein (?), Bel"tin (?), n. See Beltane.
Belting
Belt"ing (?), n. The material of which belts for machinery are made;
also, belts, taken collectively.
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Page 136
Beluga
Be*lu"ga (?), n. [Russ. bieluga a sort of large sturgeon, prop. white
fish, fr. bieluii white.] (Zo\'94l.) A cetacean allied to the
dolphins.
NOTE: &hand; Th e no rthern be luga (Delphinapterus catodon) is the
white whale and white fish of the whalers. It grows to be from
twelve to eighteen feet long.
Belute
Be*lute" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beluted; p. pr. & vb. n. Beluting.]
[Pref. be- + L. lutum mud.] To bespatter, as with mud. [R.] Sterne.
Belvedere
Bel`ve*dere" (?), n. [It., fr. bello, bel, beautiful + vedere to see.]
(Arch.) A small building, or a part of a building, more or less open,
constructed in a place commanding a fine prospect.
Belzebuth
Bel"ze*buth (?), n. [From Beelzebub.] (Zo\'94l.) A spider monkey
(Ateles belzebuth) of Brazil.
Bema
Be"ma (?), n. [Gr. step, platform.]
1. (Gr. Antiq.) A platform from which speakers addressed an assembly.
Mitford.
2. (Arch.) (a) That part of an early Christian church which was
reserved for the higher clergy; the inner or eastern part of the
chancel. (b) Erroneously: A pulpit.
Bemad
Be*mad" (?), v. t. To make mad. [Obs.] Fuller.
Bemangle
Be*man"gle (?), v. t. To mangle; to tear asunder. [R.] Beaumont.
Bemask
Be*mask" (?), v. t. To mask; to conceal.
Bemaster
Be*mas"ter (?), v. t. To master thoroughly.
Bemaul
Be*maul" (?), v. t. To maul or beat severely; to bruise. "In order to
bemaul Yorick." Sterne.
Bemaze
Be*maze (?), v. t. [OE. bimasen; pref. be- + masen to maze.] To
bewilder.
Intellects bemazed in endless doubt. Cowper.
Bemean
Be*mean" (?), v. t. To make mean; to lower. C. Reade.
Bemeet
Be*meet" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bemet (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bemeeting.] To meet. [Obs.]
Our very loving sister, well bemet. Shak.
Bemete
Be*mete" (?), v. t. To mete. [Obs.] Shak.
Bemingle
Be*min"gle (?), v. t. To mingle; to mix.
Bemire
Be*mire" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bemired (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bemiring.] To drag through, encumber with, or fix in, the mire; to
soil by passing through mud or dirt.
Bemired and benighted in the dog. Burke.
Bemist
Be*mist" (?), v. t. To envelop in mist. [Obs.]
Bemoan
Be*moan" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bemoaned (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bemoaning.] [OE. bimenen, AS. bem; pref. be- + m to moan. See Moan.]
To express deep grief for by moaning; to express sorrow for; to
lament; to bewail; to pity or sympathize with.
Implores their pity, and his pain bemoans. Dryden.
Syn. -- See Deplore.
Bemoaner
Be*moan"er (?), n. One who bemoans.
Bemock
Be*mock" (?), v. t. To mock; to ridicule.
Bemock the modest moon. Shak.
Bemoil
Be*moil" (?), v. t. [Pref. be- + moil, fr. F. mouiller to wet; but cf.
also OE. bimolen to soil, fr. AS. m\'bel spot: cf. E. mole.] To soil
or encumber with mire and dirt. [Obs.] Shak.
Bemol
Be"mol (?), n. [F. b\'82mol, fr. b\'82 soft.] (Mus.) The sign [Obs.]
Bemonster
Be*mon"ster (?), v. t. To make monstrous or like a monster. [Obs.]
Shak.
Bemourn
Be*mourn" (?), v. t. To mourn over. Wyclif.
Bemuddle
Be*mud"dle (?), v. t. To muddle; to stupefy or bewilder; to confuse.
Bemuffle
Be*muf"fle (?), v. t. To cover as with a muffler; to wrap up.
Bemuffled with the externals of religion. Sterne.
Bemuse
Be*muse" (?), v. t. To muddle, daze, or partially stupefy, as with
liquor.
A parson much bemused in beer. Pope.
Ben, Ben nut
Ben (?), Ben" nut` (?). [Ar. b\'ben, name of the tree.] (Bot.) The
seed of one or more species of moringa; as, oil of ben. See Moringa.
Ben
Ben, adv. & prep. [AS. binnan; pref. be- by + innan within, in in.]
Within; in; in or into the interior; toward the inner apartment.
[Scot.]
Ben
Ben, n. [See Ben, adv.] The inner or principal room in a hut or house
of two rooms; -- opposed to but, the outer apartment. [Scot.]
Ben
Ben. An old form of the pl. indic. pr. of Be. [Obs.]
Bename
Be*name" (?), v. t. [p. p. Benamed, Benempt.] To promise; to name.
[Obs.]
Bench
Bench (?), n.; pl. Benches (#). [OE. bench, benk, AS. benc; akin to
Sw. b\'84nk, Dan b\'91nk, Icel. bekkr, OS., D., & G. bank. Cf. Bank,
Beach.]
1. A long seat, differing from a stool in its greater length.
Mossy benches supplied the place of chairs. Sir W. Scott.
2. A long table at which mechanics and other work; as, a carpenter's
bench.
3. The seat where judges sit in court.
To pluck down justice from your awful bench. Shak.
4. The persons who sit as judges; the court; as, the opinion of the
full bench. See King's Bench.
5. A collection or group of dogs exhibited to the public; -- so named
because the animals are usually placed on benches or raised platforms.
6. A conformation like a bench; a long stretch of flat ground, or a
kind of natural terrace, near a lake or river.
Bench mark (Leveling), one of a number of marks along a line of
survey, affixed to permanent objects, to show where leveling staffs
were placed. -- Bench of bishops, the whole body of English prelates
assembled in council. -- Bench plane, any plane used by carpenters and
joiners for working a flat surface, as jack planes, long planes. --
Bench show, an exhibition of dogs. -- Bench table (Arch.), a
projecting course at the base of a building, or round a pillar,
sufficient to form a seat.
Bench
Bench (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Benched (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Benching.]
1. To furnish with benches.
'T was benched with turf. Dryden.
Stately theaters benched crescentwise. Tennyson.
2. To place on a bench or seat of honor.
Whom I . . . have benched and reared to worship. Shak.
Bench
Bench, v. i. To sit on a seat of justice. [R.] Shak.
Bencher
Bench"er (?), n.
1. (Eng. Law) One of the senior and governing members of an Inn of
Court.
2. An alderman of a corporation. [Eng.] Ashmole.
3. A member of a court or council. [Obs.] Shak.
4. One who frequents the benches of a tavern; an idler. [Obs.]
Bench warrant
Bench" war`rant (?). (Law) A process issued by a presiding judge or by
a court against a person guilty of some contempt, or indicted for some
crime; -- so called in distinction from a justice's warrant.
Bend
Bend (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bended or Bent (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bending.] [AS. bendan to bend, fr. bend a band, bond, fr. bindan to
bind. See Bind, v. t., and cf. 3d & 4th Bend.]
1. To strain or move out of a straight line; to crook by straining; to
make crooked; to curve; to make ready for use by drawing into a curve;
as, to bend a bow; to bend the knee.
2. To turn toward some certain point; to direct; to incline. "Bend
thine ear to supplication." Milton.
Towards Coventry bend we our course. Shak.
Bending her eyes . . . upon her parent. Sir W. Scott.
3. To apply closely or with interest; to direct.
To bend his mind to any public business. Temple.
But when to mischief mortals bend their will. Pope.
4. To cause to yield; to render submissive; to subdue. "Except she
bend her humor." Shak.
5. (Naut.) To fasten, as one rope to another, or as a sail to its yard
or stay; or as a cable to the ring of an anchor. Totten.
To bend the brow, to knit the brow, as in deep thought or in anger; to
scowl; to frown. Camden. Syn. -- To lean; stoop; deflect; bow; yield.
Bend
Bend, v. i.
1. To be moved or strained out of a straight line; to crook or be
curving; to bow.
The green earth's end Where the bowed welkin slow doth bend.
Milton.
2. To jut over; to overhang.
There is a cliff, whose high and bending head Looks fearfully in
the confined deep. Shak.
3. To be inclined; to be directed.
To whom our vows and wished bend. Milton.
4. To bow in prayer, or in token of submission.
While each to his great Father bends. Coleridge.
Bend
Bend, n. [See Bend, v. t., and cf. Bent, n.]
1. A turn or deflection from a straight line or from the proper
direction or normal position; a curve; a crook; as, a slight bend of
the body; a bend in a road.
2. Turn; purpose; inclination; ends. [Obs.]
Farewell, poor swain; thou art not for my bend. Fletcher.
3. (Naut.) A knot by which one rope is fastened to another or to an
anchor, spar, or post. Totten.
4. (Leather Trade) The best quality of sole leather; a butt. See Butt.
5. (Mining) Hard, indurated clay; bind.
Bends of a ship, the thickest and strongest planks in her sides, more
generally called wales. They have the beams, knees, and foothooks
bolted to them. Also, the frames or ribs that form the ship's body
from the keel to the top of the sides; as, the midship bend.
Bend
Bend, n. [AS. bend. See Band, and cf. the preceding noun.]
1. A band. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. [OF. bende, bande, F. bande. See Band.] (Her.) One of the honorable
ordinaries, containing a third or a fifth part of the field. It
crosses the field diagonally from the dexter chief to the sinister
base.
Bend sinister (Her.), an honorable ordinary drawn from the sinister
chief to the dexter base.
Bendable
Bend"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being bent.
Bender
Bend"er (?), n.
1. One who, or that which, bends.
2. An instrument used for bending.
3. A drunken spree. [Low, U. S.] Bartlett.
4. A sixpence. [Slang, Eng.]
Bending
Bend"ing, n. The marking of the clothes with stripes or horizontal
bands. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bendlet
Bend"let (?), n. [Bend + -let: cf. E. bandlet.] (Her.) A narrow bend,
esp. one half the width of the bend.
Bendwise
Bend"wise (?), adv. (Her.) Diagonally.
Bendy
Ben"dy (?), a. [From Bend a band.] (Her.) Divided into an even number
of bends; -- said of a shield or its charge. Cussans.
Bene
Ben"e (?), n. (Bot.) See Benne.
Bene
Be"ne (?), n. [AS. b.] A prayer; boon. [Archaic]
What is good for a bootless bene ? Wordsworth.
Bene, Ben
Bene, Ben (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) A hoglike mammal of New
Guinea (Porcula papuensis).
Beneaped
Be*neaped" (?), a. (Naut.) See Neaped.
Beneath
Be*neath" (?), prep. [OE. benethe, bineo, AS. beneo, beny; pref. be- +
neo, ny, downward, beneath, akin to E. nether. See Nether.]
1. Lower in place, with something directly over or on; under;
underneath; hence, at the foot of. "Beneath the mount." Ex. xxxii. 19.
Beneath a rude and nameless stone he lies. Pope.
2. Under, in relation to something that is superior, or that oppresses
or burdens.
Our country sinks beneath the yoke. Shak.
3. Lower in rank, dignity, or excellence than; as, brutes are beneath
man; man is beneath angels in the scale of beings. Hence: Unworthy of;
unbecoming.
He will do nothing that is beneath his high station. Atterbury.
Beneath
Be*neath" (?), adv.
1. In a lower place; underneath.
The earth you take from beneath will be barren. Mortimer.
2. Below, as opposed to heaven, or to any superior region or position;
as, in earth beneath.
Benedicite
Ben`e*dic"i*te (?), n. [L., (imperative pl.,) bless ye, praise ye.] A
canticle (the Latin version of which begins with this word) which may
be used in the order for morning prayer in the Church of England. It
is taken from an apocryphal addition to the third chapter of Daniel.
Benedicite
Ben`e*dic"i*te, interj. [See Benedicite, n.] An exclamation
corresponding to Bless you !.
Benedict, Benedick
Ben"e*dict (?), Ben"e*dick (?), n. [From Benedick, one of the
characters in Shakespeare's play of "Much Ado about Nothing."] A
married man, or a man newly married.
Benedict
Ben"e*dict, a. [L. benedictus, p. p. of benedicere to bless. See
Benison, and cf. Bennet.] Having mild and salubrious qualities. [Obs.]
Bacon.
Benedictine
Ben`e*dic"tine (?), a. Pertaining to the monks of St. Benedict, or St.
Benet.
Benedictine
Ben`e*dic"tine, n. (Eccl. Hist.) One of a famous order of monks,
established by St. Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century. This order
was introduced into the United States in 1846.
NOTE: &hand; Th e Be nedictines we ar bl ack cl othing, an d ar e
sometimes called Black Monks. The name Black Fr which belongs to
the Dominicans, is also sometimes applied to the Benedictines.
Benediction
Ben`e*dic"tion (?), n. [L. benedictio: cf. F. b\'82n\'82diction. See
Benison.]
1. The act of blessing.
2. A blessing; an expression of blessing, prayer, or kind wishes in
favor of any person or thing; a solemn or affectionate invocation of
happiness.
So saying, he arose; whom Adam thus Followed with benediction.
Milton.
Homeward serenely she walked with God's benediction upon her.
Longfellow.
Specifically: The short prayer which closes public worship; as, to
give the benediction.
3. (Eccl.) The form of instituting an abbot, answering to the
consecration of a bishop. Ayliffe.
4. (R. C. Ch.) A solemn rite by which bells, banners, candles, etc.,
are blessed with holy water, and formally dedicated to God.
Benedictional
Ben`e*dic"tion*al (?), n. A book of benedictions.
Benedictionary
Ben`e*dic"tion*a*ry (?), n. A collected series of benedictions.
The benedictionary of Bishop Athelwold. G. Gurton's Needle.
Benedictive
Ben`e*dic"tive (?), a. Tending to bless. Gauden.
Benedictory
Ben`e*dic"to*ry (?), a. Expressing wishes for good; as, a benedictory
prayer. Thackeray.
Benedictus
Ben`e*dic"tus (?), n. [L., blessed. See Benedict, a.] The song of
Zacharias at the birth of John the Baptist (Luke i. 68); -- so named
from the first word of the Latin version.
Benedight
Ben"e*dight (?), a. Blessed. [R.] Longfellow.
Benefaction
Ben`e*fac"tion (?), n. [L. benefactio, fr. benefacere to do good to
one; bene well + facere to do. See Benefit.]
1. The act of conferring a benefit. Johnson.
2. A benefit conferred; esp. a charitable donation. Syn. -- Gift;
present; gratuity; boon; alms.
Benefactor
Ben`e*fac"tor (?),n. [L.] One who confers a benefit or benefits.
Bacon.
Benefactress
Ben`e*fac"tress, n. A woman who confers a benefit.
His benefactress blushes at the deed. Cowper.
Benefic
Be*nef"ic (?), a. [L. beneficus. See Benefice.] Favorable; beneficent.
Milton.
Benefice
Ben"e*fice (?), n. [F. b\'82n\'82fice, L. beneficium, a kindness , in
LL. a grant of an estate, fr. L. beneficus beneficent; bene well +
facere to do. See Benefit.]
1. A favor or benefit. [Obs.] Baxter.
2. (Feudal Law) An estate in lands; a fief.
NOTE: &hand; Such an estate was granted at first for life only, and
held on the mere good pleasure of the donor; but afterward,
becoming hereditary, it received the appellation of fief, and the
term benefice became appropriated to church livings.
3. An ecclesiastical living and church preferment, as in the Church of
England; a church endowed with a revenue for the maintenance of divine
service. See Advowson.
NOTE: &hand; Al l ch urch pr eferments are called benefices, except
bishoprics, which are called dignities. But, ordinarily, the term
dignity is applied to bishoprics, deaneries, archdeaconries, and
prebendaryships; benefice to parsonages, vicarages, and donatives.
Benefice
Ben"e*fice, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beneficed.] To endow with a benefice.
NOTE: [Commonly in the past participle.]
Beneficed
Ben"e*ficed (?), a. Possessed of a benefice o "Beneficed clergymen."
Burke.
Beneficeless
Ben"e*fice*less (?), a. Having no benefice. "Beneficeless precisians."
Sheldon.
Beneficence
Be*nef"i*cence (?), n. [L. beneficentia, fr. beneficus: cf. F.
b\'82n\'82ficence. See Benefice.] The practice of doing good; active
goodness, kindness, or charity; bounty springing from purity and
goodness.
And whose beneficence no charge exhausts. Cowper.
Syn. -- See Benevolence.
Beneficent
Be*nef`i*cent (?), a. Doing or producing good; performing acts of
kindness and charity; characterized by beneficence.
The beneficent fruits of Christianity. Prescott.
Syn. -- See Benevolent.
Beneficential
Be*nef`i*cen"tial (?), a. Relating to beneficence.
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Beneficently
Be*nef"i*cent*ly (?), adv. In a beneficent manner; with beneficence.
Beneficial
Ben`e*fi"cial (?), a. [Cf. F. b\'82n\'82ficial, LL. beneficialis.]
1. Conferring benefits; useful; profito
.
The war which would have been most beneficial to us. Swift.
2. (Law) Receiving, or entitled to have or receive, advantage, use, or
benefit; as, the beneficial owner of an estate. Kent.
3. King. [Obs.] "A beneficial foe." B. Jonson. Syn. -- See Advantage.
Beneficially
Ben`e*fi"cial*ly, adv. In a beneficial or advantageous manner;
profitably; helpfully.
Beneficialness
Ben`e*fi"cial*ness, n. The quality of being beneficial;
profitableness.
Beneficiary
Ben`e*fi"ci*a*ry (?), a. [Cf. F. b\'82n\'82ficiaire, LL.
beneficiarius.]
1. Holding some office or valuable possession, in subordination to
another; holding under a feudal or other superior; having a dependent
and secondary possession.
A feudatory or beneficiary king of England. Bacon.
2. Bestowed as a gratuity; as, beneficiary gifts.
Beneficiary
Ben`e*fi"ci*a*ry, n.; pl. Beneficiaries (.
1. A feudatory or vassal; hence, one who holds a benefice and uses its
proceeds. Ayliffe.
2. One who receives anything as a gift; one who receives a benefit or
advantage; esp. one who receives help or income from an educational
fund or a trust estate.
The rich men will be offering sacrifice to their Deity whose
beneficiaries they are. Jer. Taylor.
Beneficiate
Ben`e*fi"ci*ate (?), v. t. [Sp. beneficiar to benefit, to work mines.]
(Mining) To reduce (ores). -- Ben`e*fi`ci*a"tion (n.
Beneficient
Ben`e*fi"cient (?), a. Beneficent. [Obs.]
Benefit
Ben"e*fit (?), n. [OE. benefet, benfeet, bienfet, F. bienfait, fr. L.
benefactum; bene well (adv. of bonus good) + factum, p. p. of facere
to do. See Bounty, and Fact.]
1. An act of kindness; a favor conferred.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Ps.
ciii. 2.
2. Whatever promotes prosperity and personal happiness, or adds value
to property; advantage; profit.
Men have no right to what is not for their benefit. Burke.
3. A theatrical performance, a concert, or the like, the proceeds of
which do not go to the lessee of the theater or to the company, but to
some individual actor, or to some charitable use.
4. Beneficence; liberality. [Obs.] Webster (1623).
5. pl. Natural advantaged; endowments; accomplishments. [R.] "The
benefits of your own country." Shak.
Benefit of clergy. (Law) See under Clergy. Syn. -- Profit; service;
use; avail. See Advantage.
Benefit
Ben"e*fit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Benefited; p. pr. & vb. n.
Benefitting.] To be beneficial to; to do good to; to advantage; to
advance in health or prosperity; to be useful to; to profit.
I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.
Jer. xviii. 10.
Benefit
Ben"e*fit, v. i. To gain advantage; to make improvement; to profit;
as, he will benefit by the change.
Benefiter
Ben"e*fit`er (?), n. One who confers a benefit; -- also, one who
receives a benefit.
Beneme
Be*neme" (?), v. t. [AS. ben. Cf. Benim.] To deprive (of), or take
away (from). [Obs.]
Benempt
Be*nempt" (?), p. p. of Bename.
1. Promised; vowed. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. Named; styled. [Archaic] Sir W. Scott.
Bene placito
Be`ne plac"i*to (?). [It. beneplacito pleasure, fr. L. bene well +
placitus pleasing.]
1. At or during pleasure.
For our English judges there never was . . . any bene placito as
their tenure. F. Harrison.
2. (Mus.) At pleasure; ad libitum.
Benet
Be*net" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Benetted.] To catch in a net; to
insnare. Shak.
Benevolence
Be*nev"o*lence (?), n. [OF. benevolence, L. benevolentia. See
Benevolent.]
1. The disposition to do good; good will; charitableness; love of
mankind, accompanied with a desire to promote their happiness.
The wakeful benevolence of the gospel. Chalmers.
2. An act of kindness; good done; charity given.
3. A species of compulsory contribution or tax, which has sometimes
been illegally exacted by arbitrary kings of England, and falsely
represented as a gratuity. Syn. -- Benevolence, Beneficence,
Munificence. Benevolence marks a disposition made up of a choice and
desire for the happiness of others. Beneficence marks the working of
this disposition in dispensing good on a somewhat broad scale.
Munificence shows the same disposition, but acting on a still broader
scale, in conferring gifts and favors. These are not necessarily
confined to objects of immediate utility. One may show his munificence
in presents of pictures or jewelry, but this would not be beneficence.
Benevolence of heart; beneficence of life; munificence in the
encouragement of letters.
Benevolent
Be*nev"o*lent (?), a. [L. benevolens, -entis; bene well (adv. of bonus
good) + volens, p. pr. of volo I will, I wish. See Bounty, and
Voluntary.] Having a disposition to do good; possessing or manifesting
love to mankind, and a desire to promote their prosperity and
happiness; disposed to give to good objects; kind; charitable. --
Be*nev"o*lent*ly, adv. Syn. -- Benevolent, Beneficent. Etymologically
considered, benevolent implies wishing well to others, and beneficent,
doing well. But by degrees the word benevolent has been widened to
include not only feelings, but actions; thus, we speak of benevolent
operations, benevolent labors for the public good, benevolent
societies. In like manner, beneficent is now often applied to
feelings; thus, we speak of the beneficent intentions of a donor. This
extension of the terms enables us to mark nicer shades of meaning.
Thus, the phrase "benevolent labors" turns attention to the source of
these labors, viz., benevolent feeling; while beneficent would simply
mark them as productive of good. So, "beneficent intentions" point to
the feelings of the donor as bent upon some specific good act; while
"benevolent intentions" would only denote a general wish and design to
do good.
Benevolous
Be*nev"o*lous (?), a. [L. benevolus.] Kind; benevolent. [Obs.] T.
Puller.
Bengal
Ben*gal" (?), n.
1. A province in India, giving its name to various stuffs, animals,
etc.
2. A thin stuff, made of silk and hair, originally brought from
Bengal.
3. Striped gingham, originally brought from Bengal; Bengal stripes.
Bengal light, a firework containing niter, sulphur, and antimony, and
producing a sustained and vivid colored light, used in making signals
and in pyrotechnics; -- called also blue light. -- Bengal stripes, a
kind of cotton cloth woven with colored stripes. See Bengal, 3. --
Bengal tiger. (Zo\'94l.). See Tiger.
Bengalee, Bengali
Ben*gal"ee, Ben*gal"i (?), n. The language spoken in Bengal.
Bengalese
Ben`gal*ese" (?), a. Of or pertaining to Bengal. -- n. sing. & pl. A
native or natives of Bengal.
Bengola
Ben*go"la (?), n. A Bengal light.
Benight
Be*night" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Benighted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Benighting.]
1. To involve in darkness; to shroud with the shades of night; to
obscure. [Archaic]
The clouds benight the sky. Garth.
2. To overtake with night or darkness, especially before the end of a
day's journey or task.
Some virgin, sure, . . . benighted in these woods. Milton.
3. To involve in moral darkness, or ignorance; to debar from
intellectual light.
Shall we to men benighted The lamp of life deny ? Heber.
Benightment
Be*night"ment (?), n. The condition of being benighted.
Benign
Be*nign" (?), a. [OE. benigne, bening, OF. benigne, F. b\'82nin, fem.
b\'82nigne, fr. L. benignus, contr. from benigenus; bonus good + root
of genus kind. See Bounty, and Genus.]
1. Of a kind or gentle disposition; gracious; generous; favorable;
benignant.
Creator bounteous and benign. Milton.
2. Exhibiting or manifesting kindness, gentleness, favor, etc.; mild;
kindly; salutary; wholesome.
Kind influences and benign aspects. South.
3. Of a mild type or character; as, a benign disease. Syn. -- Kind;
propitious; bland; genial; salubrious; favorable salutary; gracious;
liberal.
Benignancy
Be*nig"nan*cy (?), n. Benignant quality; kindliness.
Benignant
Be*nig"nant (?), a. [LL. benignans, p. pr. of benignare, from L.
benignus. See Benign.] Kind; gracious; favorable. -- Be*nig"nant*ly,
adv.
Benignity
Be*nig"ni*ty (?), n. [OE. benignite, F. b\'82nignit\'82, OF.
b\'82nignet\'82, fr. L. benignitas. See Benign.]
1. The quality of being benign; goodness; kindness; graciousness.
"Benignity of aspect." Sir W. Scott.
2. Mildness; gentleness.
The benignity or inclemency of the season. Spectator.
3. Salubrity; wholesome quality. Wiseman.
Benignly
Be*nign"ly (?), adv. In a benign manner.
Benim
Be*nim" (?), v. t. [AS. beniman. See Benumb, and cf. Nim.] To take
away. [Obs.]
Ire . . . benimeth the man fro God. Chaucer.
Benison
Ben"i*son (?), n. [OE. beneysun, benesoun, OF. bene\'8b, bene\'8bson,
fr. L. benedictio, fr. benedicere to bless; bene (adv. of bonus good)
+ dicere to say. See Bounty, and Diction, and cf. Benediction.]
Blessing; beatitude; benediction. Shak.
More precious than the benison of friends. Talfourd.
B\'82nitier
B\'82*ni"tier` (?), n. [F., fr. b\'82nir to bless.] (R. C. Ch.) A
holy-water stoup. Shipley.
Benjamin
Ben"ja*min (?), n. [Corrupted from benzoin.] See Benzoin.
Benjamin
Ben"ja*min, n. A kind of upper coat for men. [Colloq. Eng.]
Benjamite
Ben"ja*mite (?), n. A descendant of Benjamin; one of the tribe of
Benjamin. Judg. iii. 15.
Benne
Ben"ne (?), n. [Malay bijen.] (Bot.) The name of two plants (Sesamum
orientale and S. indicum), originally Asiatic; -- also called oil
plant. From their seeds an oil is expressed, called benne oil, used
mostly for making soap. In the southern United States the seeds are
used in candy.
Bennet
Ben"net (?), n. [F. beno\'8cte, fr. L. benedicta, fem. of benedictus,
p. p., blessed. See Benedict, a.] (Bot.) The common yellow-flowered
avens of Europe (Geum urbanum); herb bennet. The name is sometimes
given to other plants, as the hemlock, valerian, etc.
Benshee
Ben"shee (?), n. See Banshee.
Bent
Bent (?), imp. & p. p. of Bend.
Bent
Bent, a. & p. p.
1. Changed by pressure so as to be no longer straight; crooked; as, a
bent pin; a bent lever.
2. Strongly inclined toward something, so as to be resolved,
determined, set, etc.; -- said of the mind, character, disposition,
desires, etc., and used with on; as, to be bent on going to college;
he is bent on mischief.
Bent
Bent, n. [See Bend, n. & v.]
1. The state of being curved, crooked, or inclined from a straight
line; flexure; curvity; as, the bent of a bow. [Obs.] Wilkins.
2. A declivity or slope, as of a hill. [R.] Dryden.
3. A leaning or bias; proclivity; tendency of mind; inclination;
disposition; purpose; aim. Shak.
With a native bent did good pursue. Dryden.
4. Particular direction or tendency; flexion; course.
Bents and turns of the matter. Locke.
5. (Carp.) A transverse frame of a framed structure.
6. Tension; force of acting; energy; impetus. [Archaic]
The full bent and stress of the soul. Norris.
Syn. -- Predilection; turn. Bent, Bias, Inclination, Prepossession.
These words agree in describing a permanent influence upon the mind
which tends to decide its actions. Bent denotes a fixed tendency of
the mind in a given direction. It is the widest of these terms, and
applies to the will, the intellect, and the affections, taken
conjointly; as, the whole bent of his character was toward evil
practices. Bias is literally a weight fixed on one side of a ball used
in bowling, and causing it to swerve from a straight course. Used
figuratively, bias applies particularly to the judgment, and denotes
something which acts with a permanent force on the character through
that faculty; as, the bias of early education, early habits, etc.
Inclination is an excited state of desire or appetency; as, a strong
inclination to the study of the law. Prepossession is a mingled state
of feeling and opinion in respect to some person or subject, which has
laid hold of and occupied the mind previous to inquiry. The word is
commonly used in a good sense, an unfavorable impression of this kind
being denominated a prejudice. "Strong minds will be strongly bent,
and usually labor under a strong bias; but there is no mind so weak
and powerless as not to have its inclinations, and none so guarded as
to be without its prepossessions." Crabb.
Bent
Bent (?), n. [AS. beonet; akin to OHG. pinuz, G. binse, rush, bent
grass; of unknown origin.]
1. A reedlike grass; a stalk of stiff, coarse grass.
His spear a bent, both stiff and strong. Drayton.
2. (Bot.) A grass of the genus Agrostis, esp. Agrostis vulgaris, or
redtop. The name is also used of many other grasses, esp. in America.
3. Any neglected field or broken ground; a common; a moor. [Obs.]
Wright.
Bowmen bickered upon the bent. Chevy Chase.
Bent grass
Bent" grass` (?). (Bot.) Same as Bent, a kind of grass.
Benthal
Ben"thal (?), a. [Gr. the depth of the sea.] Relating to the deepest
zone or region of the ocean.
Benthamic
Ben*tham"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to Bentham or Benthamism.
Benthamism
Ben"tham*ism (?), n. That phase of the doctrine of utilitarianism
taught by Jeremy Bentham; the doctrine that the morality of actions is
estimated and determined by their utility; also, the theory that the
sensibility to pleasure and the recoil from pain are the only motives
which influence human desires and actions, and that these are the
sufficient explanation of ethical and jural conceptions.
Benthamite
Ben"tham*ite (?), n. One who believes in Benthamism.
Benting time
Bent"ing time" (?). The season when pigeons are said to feed on bents,
before peas are ripe.
Bare benting times . . . may come. Dryden.
Benty
Bent"y (?), a.
1. A bounding in bents, or the stalks of coarse, stiff, withered
grass; as, benty fields.
2. Resembling bent. Holland.
Benumb
Be*numb" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Benumbed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Benumbing.] [OE. binomen, p. p. of binimen to take away, AS. beniman;
pref. be + niman to take. See Numb, a., and cf. Benim.] To make
torpid; to deprive of sensation or sensibility; to stupefy; as, a hand
or foot benumbed by cold.
The creeping death benumbed her senses first. Dryden.
Benumbed
Be*numbed" (?), a. Made torpid; numbed; stupefied; deadened; as, a
benumbed body and mind. -- Be*numbed"ness, n.
Benumbment
Be*numb"ment (?), n. Act of benumbing, or state of being benumbed;
torpor. Kirby.
Benzal
Ben"zal (?), n. [Benzoic + aldehyde.] (Chem.) A transparent
crystalline substance,
Benzamide
Ben*zam"ide (?), n. [Benzoin + amide.] (Chem.) A transparent
crystalline substance, C6H5.CO.NH2, obtained by the action of ammonia
upon chloride of benzoyl, as also by several other reactions with
benzoyl compounds.
Benzene
Ben"zene (?), n. [From Benzoin.] (Chem.) A volatile, very inflammable
liquid, C6H6, contained in the naphtha produced by the destructive
distillation of coal, from which it is separated by fractional
distillation. The name is sometimes applied also to the impure
commercial product or benzole, and also, but rarely, to a similar
mixed product of petroleum. Benzene nucleus, Benzene ring (Chem.), a
closed chain or ring, consisting of six carbon atoms, each with one
hydrogen atom attached, regarded as the type from which the aromatic
compounds are derived. This ring formula is provisionally accepted as
representing the probable constitution of the benzene molecule, C6H6,
and as the type on which its derivatives are formed.
Benzile
Ben"zile (?), n. [From Benzoin.] (Chem.) A yellowish crystalline
substance, C6H5.CO.CO.C6H5, formed from benzoin by the action of
oxidizing agents, and consisting of a doubled benzoyl radical.
Benzine
Ben"zine (?), n. [From Benzoin.] (Chem.)
1. A liquid consisting mainly of the lighter and more volatile
hydrocarbons of petroleum or kerosene oil, used as a solvent and for
cleansing soiled fabrics; -- called also petroleum spirit, petroleum
benzine. Varieties or similar products are gasoline, naphtha,
rhigolene, ligroin, etc.
2. Same as Benzene. [R.]
NOTE: &hand; Th e hydrocarbons of benzine proper are essentially of
the marsh gas series, while benzene proper is the typical
hydrocarbon of the aromatic series.
Benzoate
Ben"zo*ate (?), n. [Cf. F. benzoate.] (Chem.) A salt formed by the
union of benzoic acid with any salifiable base.
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Benzoic
Ben*zo"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. benzo\'8bque.] Pertaining to, or obtained
from, benzoin. Benzoic acid, or flowers of benzoin, a peculiar
vegetable acid, C6H5.CO2H, obtained from benzoin, and some other
balsams, by sublimation or decoction. It is also found in the urine of
infants and herbivorous animals. It crystallizes in the form of white,
satiny flakes; its odor is aromatic; its taste is pungent, and
somewhat acidulous. -- Benzoic aldehyde, oil of bitter almonds; the
aldehyde, C6H5.CHO, intermediate in composition between benzoic or
benzyl alcohol, and benzoic acid. It is a thin colorless liquid.
Benzoin
Ben*zoin" (?), n. [Cf. F. benjoin, Sp. benjui, Pg. beijoin; all fr.
Ar. lub\'ben-j\'bew\'c6 incense form Sumatra (named Java in Arabic),
the first syllable being lost. Cf. Benjamin.]
NOTE: [Called also benjamin.]
1. A resinous substance, dry and brittle, obtained from the Styrax
benzoin, a tree of Sumatra, Java, etc., having a fragrant odor, and
slightly aromatic taste. It is used in the preparation of benzoic
acid, in medicine, and as a perfume.
2. A white crystalline substance, C14H12O2, obtained from benzoic
aldehyde and some other sources.
3. (Bot.) The spicebush (Lindera benzoin).
Flowers of benzoin, benzoic acid. See under Benzoic.
Benzoinated
Ben*zoin"a*ted (?), a. (Med.) Containing or impregnated with benzoin;
as, benzoinated lard.
Benzole Benzol
Ben"zole Ben"zol (?), n. [Benzoin + L. oleum oil.] (Chem.) An impure
benzene, used in the arts as a solvent, and for various other
purposes. See Benzene.
NOTE: &hand; It ha s gr eat so lvent po wers, an d is us ed by
manufacturers of India rubber and gutta percha; also for cleaning
soiled kid gloves, and for other purposes.
Benzoline
Ben"zo*line (?), n. (Chem.) (a) Same as Benzole. (b) Same as Amarine.
[R.] Watts.
Benzoyl
Ben"zoyl (?), n. [Benzoic + Gr. -yl.] (Chem.) A compound radical,
C6H5.CO; the base of benzoic acid, of the oil of bitter almonds, and
of an extensive series of compounds. [Formerly written also benzule.]
Benzyl
Ben"zyl (?), n. [Benzoic + -yl.] (Chem.) A compound radical, C6H5.CH2,
related to toluene and benzoic acid; -- commonly used adjectively.
Bepaint
Be*paint" (?), v. t. To paint; to cover or color with, or as with,
paint.
Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek. Shak.
Bepelt
Be*pelt" (?), v. t. To pelt roundly.
Bepinch
Be*pinch" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bepinched (#).] To pinch, or mark
with pinches. Chapman.
Beplaster
Be*plas"ter (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beplastered (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Beplastering.] To plaster over; to cover or smear thickly; to bedaub.
Beplastered with rouge. Goldsmith.
Beplumed
Be*plumed" (?), a. Decked with feathers.
Bepommel
Be*pom"mel (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bepommeled (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bepommeling.] To pommel; to beat, as with a stick; figuratively, to
assail or criticise in conversation, or in writing. Thackeray.
Bepowder
Be*pow"der (?), v. t. To sprinkle or cover with powder; to powder.
Bepraise
Be*praise" (?), v. t. To praise greatly or extravagantly. Goldsmith.
Beprose
Be*prose" (?), v. t. To reduce to prose. [R.] "To beprose all rhyme."
Mallet.
Bepuffed
Be*puffed" (?), a. Puffed; praised. Carlyle.
Bepurple
Be*pur"ple (?), v. t. To tinge or dye with a purple color.
Bequeath
Be*queath" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bequeathed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bequeathing.] [OE. biquethen, AS. becwe to say, affirm, bequeath;
pref. be- + cwe to say, speak. See Quoth.]
1. To give or leave by will; to give by testament; -- said especially
of personal property.
My heritage, which my dead father did bequeath to me. Shak.
2. To hand down; to transmit.
To bequeath posterity somewhat to remember it. Glanvill.
3. To give; to offer; to commit. [Obs.]
To whom, with all submission, on my knee I do bequeath my faithful
services And true subjection everlastingly. Shak.
Syn. -- To Bequeath, Devise. Both these words denote the giving or
disposing of property by will. Devise, in legal usage, is property
used to denote a gift by will of real property, and he to whom it is
given is called the devisee. Bequeath is properly applied to a gift by
will or legacy; i. e., of personal property; the gift is called a
legacy, and he who receives it is called a legatee. In popular usage
the word bequeath is sometimes enlarged so as to embrace devise; and
it is sometimes so construed by courts.
Bequeathable
Be*queath"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being bequeathed.
Bequeathal
Be*queath"al (?), n. The act of bequeathing; bequeathment; bequest.
Fuller.
Bequeathment
Be*queath"ment (?), n. The act of bequeathing, or the state of being
bequeathed; a bequest.
Bequest
Be*quest" (?), n. [OE. biquest, corrupted fr. bequide; pref. be- + AS.
cwide a saying, becwe to bequeath. The ending -est is probably due to
confusion with quest. See Bequeath, Quest.]
1. The act of bequeathing or leaving by will; as, a bequest of
property by A. to B.
2. That which is left by will, esp. personal property; a legacy; also,
a gift.
Bequest
Be*quest", v. t. To bequeath, or leave as a legacy. [Obs.] "All I have
to bequest." Gascoigne.
Bequethen
Be*queth"en (?), old p. p. of Bequeath. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bequote
Be*quote" (?), v. t. To quote constantly or with great frequency.
Berain
Be*rain (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Berained (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Beraining.] To rain upon; to wet with rain. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Berate
Be*rate" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Berated; p. pr. & vb. n. Berating.]
To rate or chide vehemently; to scold. Holland. Motley.
Berattle
Be*rat"tle (, v. t. To make rattle; to scold vociferously; to cry
down. [Obs.] Shak.
Beray
Be*ray" (?) v.t. [Pref. be + ray to defile] TO make foul; to soil; to
defile. [Obs.] Milton.
Berbe
Berbe (?), n. [Cf. Berber, Barb a Barbary horse.] (Zo\'94l.) An
African genet (Genetta pardina). See Genet.
Berber
Ber"ber (?), n. [See Barbary.] A member of a race somewhat resembling
the Arabs, but often classed as Hamitic, who were formerly the
inhabitants of the whole of North Africa from the Mediterranean
southward into the Sahara, and who still occupy a large part of that
region; -- called also Kabyles. Also, the language spoken by this
people.
Berberine
Ber"ber*ine (?), n. (Chem.) An alkaloid obtained, as a bitter, yellow
substance, from the root of the barberry, gold thread, and other
plants.
Berberry
Ber"ber*ry (?),n.See Barberry.
Berdash
Ber"dash (?),n.A kind of neckcloth. [Obs.]
A treatise against the cravat and berdash. Steele.
Bere
Bere (?), v. t. [Cf. OIcel. berja to strike.] To pierce. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Bere
Bere,n.See Bear, barley. [Scot.]
Bereave
Be*reave" (, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bereaved (, Bereft (; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bereaving.] [OE. bireven, AS. bere\'a0fian. See Be-, and Reave.]
1. To make destitute; to deprive; to strip; -- with of before the
person or thing taken away.
Madam, you have bereft me of all words. Shak.
Bereft of him who taught me how to sing. Tickell.
2. To take away from. [Obs.]
All your interest in those territories Is utterly bereft you; all
is lost. Shak.
3. To take away. [Obs.]
Shall move you to bereave my life. Marlowe.
NOTE: &hand; Th e im p. and past pple. form bereaved is not used in
reference to immaterial objects. We say bereaved or bereft by death
of a relative, bereft of hope and strength.
Syn. -- To dispossess; to divest.
Bereavement
Be*reave"ment (?), n. The state of being bereaved; deprivation; esp.,
the loss of a relative by death.
Bereaver
Be*reav"er (?), n. One who bereaves.
Bereft
Be*reft" (?), imp. & p. p. of Bereave.
Beretta
Be*ret"ta (?), n. Same as Berretta.
Berg
Berg (?), n. [&root;95. See Barrow hill, and cf. Iceberg.] A large
mass or hill, as of ice.
Glittering bergs of ice. Tennyson
.
Bergamot
Ber"ga*mot (?), n. [F. bergamote, fr. It. bergamotta; prob. a
corruption of Turk. beg arm
1 . (Bot.) (a) A tree of the Orange family (Citrus bergamia), having a
roundish or pear-shaped fruit, from the rind of which an essential oil
of delicious odor is extracted, much prized as a perfume. Also, the
fruit. (b) A variety of mint (Mentha aquatica, &var;. glabrata).
2. The essence or perfume made from the fruit.
3. A variety of pear. Johnson.
4. A variety of snuff perfumed with bergamot.
The better hand . . . gives the nose its bergamot. Cowper
.
5. A coarse tapestry, manufactured from flock of cotton or hemp, mixed
with ox's or goat's hair; -- said to have been invented at Bergamo,
Italy. Encyc. Brit.
Wild bergamot (Bot.), an American herb of the Mint family (Monarda
fistulosa).
Bergander
Ber"gan*der (?), n. [Berg, for burrow + gander a male goose ? Cf. G.
bergente, Dan. gravgaas.] (Zo\'94l.) A European duck (Anas tadorna).
See Sheldrake.
Bergeret
Ber"ger*et (?), n. [OF. bergerete, F. berger a shepherd.] A pastoral
song. [Obs.]
Bergh
Bergh (?), n. [AS. beorg.] A hill. [Obs.]
Bergmaster
Berg"mas`ter (?), n. See Barmaster.
Bergmeal
Berg"meal (?), n. [G. berg mountain + mehl meal.] (Min.) An earthy
substance, resembling fine flour. It is composed of the shells of
infusoria, and in Lapland and Sweden is sometimes eaten, mixed with
flour or ground birch bark, in times of scarcity. This name is also
given to a white powdery variety of calcite.
Bergmote
Berg"mote (?), n. See Barmote.
Bergomask
Ber"go*mask (?), n. A rustic dance, so called in ridicule of the
people of Bergamo, in Italy, once noted for their clownishness.
Bergylt
Ber"gylt (?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zo\'94l.) The Norway haddock.
See Rosefish.
Berhyme
Be*rhyme" (, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Berhymed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Berhyming.] To mention in rhyme or verse; to rhyme about.
NOTE: [Sometimes use depreciatively.]
Shak.
Beriberi
Be`ri*be"ri (?), n. [Singhalese beri weakness.] An acute disease
occurring in India, characterized by multiple inflammatory changes in
the nerves, producing great muscular debility, a painful rigidity of
the limbs, and cachexy.
Berime
Be*rime" (, v. t. To berhyme.
NOTE: [The earlier and etymologically preferable spelling.]
Berkeleian
Berke*le"ian (?),a.Of or relating to Bishop Berkeley or his system of
idealism; as, Berkeleian philosophy. -- Berke"ley*ism, n.
Berlin
Ber"lin (?), n. [The capital of Prussia]
1. A four-wheeled carriage, having a sheltered seat behind the body
and separate from it, invented in the 17th century, at Berlin.
2. Fine worsted for fancy-work; zephyr worsted; -- called also Berlin
wool.
Berlin black, a black varnish, drying with almost a dead surface; --
used for coating the better kinds of ironware. Ure. -- Berlin blue,
Prussian blue. Ure. -- Berlin green, a complex cyanide of iron, used
as a green dye, and similar to Prussian blue. -- Berlin iron, a very
fusible variety of cast iron, from which figures and other delicate
articles are manufactured. These are often stained or lacquered in
imitation of bronze. -- Berlin shop, a shop for the sale of worsted
embroidery and the materials for such work. -- Berlin work, worsted
embroidery.
Berm Berme
Berm Berme (?), n. [F. berme, of German origin; cf. G. brame,
br\'84me, border, akin to E. brim.]
1. (Fort.) A narrow shelf or path between the bottom of a parapet and
the ditch.
2. (Engineering) A ledge at the bottom of a bank or cutting, to catch
earth that may roll down the slope, or to strengthen the bank.
Bermuda grass
Ber*mu"da grass` (?). (Bot.) A kind of grass (Cynodon Dactylon)
esteemed for pasture in the Southern United States. It is a native of
Southern Europe, but is now wide-spread in warm countries; -- called
also scutch grass, and in Bermuda, devil grass.
Bernacle
Ber"na*cle (?), n. See Barnacle.
Berna fly
Ber"na fly` (?). (Zo\'94l.) A Brazilian dipterous insect of the genus
Trypeta, which lays its eggs in the nostrils or in wounds of man and
beast, where the larv\'91 do great injury.
Bernardine
Ber"nar*dine (?), a. Of or pertaining to St. Bernard of Clairvaux, or
to the Cistercian monks. -- n. A Cistercian monk.
Bernese
Ber*nese" (?), a. Pertaining to the city o -- n. sing. & pl. A native
or natives of Bern.
Bernicle
Ber"ni*cle (?), n. [OE. bernak, bernacle; cf. OF. bernac; prob. fr.
LL. bernacula for hibernicula, bernicula, fr. Hibernia; the birds
coming from Hibernia or Ireland. Cf. 1st Barnacle.] A bernicle goose.
[Written also barnacle.] Bernicle goose (Zo\'94l.), a goose (Branta
leucopsis), of Arctic Europe and America. It was formerly believed
that it hatched from the cirripeds of the sea (Lepas), which were,
therefore, called barnacles, goose barnacles, or Anatifers. The name
is also applied to other related species. See Anatifa and Cirripedia.
Bernouse
Ber*nouse" (?), n. Some as Burnoose.
Berob
Be*rob" (?), v. t. To rob; to plunder. [Obs.]
Beroe
Ber"o*e (?), n. [L. Beroe, one of the Oceanid\'91 Gr. : cf. F.
bero\'82.] (Zo\'94l.) A small, oval, transparent jellyfish, belonging
to the Ctenophora.
Berretta
Ber*ret"ta (?), n. [It., fr. LL. birrettum, berretum, a cap, dim. of
L. birrus, birrum, a cloak to keep off rain, cf. Gr. tawny, red: cf.
Sp. birreta, Pg. barrete, and E. Barret.] A square cap worn by
ecclesiastics of the Roman Catholic Church. A cardinal's berretta is
scarlet; that worn by other clerics is black, except that a bishop's
is lined with green. [Also spelt beretta, biretta, etc.]
Berried
Ber"ried (?), a. Furnished with berries; consisting of a berry;
baccate; as, a berried shrub.
Berry
Ber"ry (?), n.; pl. Berries. [OE. berie, AS. berie, berige; akin to D.
bes, G. beere, OS. and OHG. beri, Icel. ber, Sw. b\'84r, Goth. basi,
and perh. Skr. bhas to eat.]
1. Any small fleshy fruit, as the strawberry, mulberry, huckleberry,
etc.
2. (Bot.) A small fruit that is pulpy or succulent throughout, having
seeds loosely imbedded in the pulp, as the currant, grape, blueberry.
3. The coffee bean.
4. One of the ova or eggs of a fish. Travis.
In berry, containing ova or spawn.
Berry
Ber"ry, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Berried (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Berrying.] To
bear or produce berries.
Berry
Ber"ry, n. [AS. beorh. See Barrow a hill.] A mound; a hillock. W.
Browne.
Berrying
Ber"ry*ing, n. A seeking for or gathering of berries, esp. of such as
grow wild.
Berserk, Berserker
Ber"serk (?), Ber"serk*er (?), n. [Icel. berserkr.]
1. (Scand. Myth.) One of a class of legendary heroes, who fought
frenzied by intoxicating liquors, and naked, regardless of wounds.
Longfellow.
2. One who fights as if frenzied, like a Berserker.
Berstle
Bers"tle (?), n. See Bristle. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Berth
Berth (?), n. [From the root of bear to produce, like birth nativity.
See Birth.] [Also written birth.]
1. (Naut.) (a) Convenient sea room. (b) A room in which a number of
the officers or ship's company mess and reside. (c) The place where a
ship lies when she is at anchor, or at a wharf.
2. An allotted place; an appointment; situation or employment. "He has
a good berth." Totten.
3. A place in a ship to sleep in; a long box or shelf on the side of a
cabin or stateroom, or of a railway car, for sleeping in.
Berth deck, the deck next below the lower gun deck. Ham. Nav. Encyc.
-- To give (the land or any object) a wide berth, to keep at a
distance from it.
Berth
Berth, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Berthed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Berthing.]
1. To give an anchorage to, or a place to lie at; to place in a berth;
as, she was berthed stem to stern with the Adelaide.
2. To allot or furnish berths to, on shipboard; as, to berth a ship's
company. Totten.
Bertha
Ber"tha (?), n. [F. berthe, fr. Berthe, a woman's name.] A kind of
collar or cape worn by ladies.
Berthage
Berth"age (?), n. A place for mooring vessels in a dock or harbor.
Berthierite
Ber"thi*er*ite (?), n. [From Berthier, a French naturalist.] (Min.) A
double sulphide of antimony and iron, of a dark steel-gray color.
Berthing
Berth"ing (?), n. (Naut.) The planking outside of a vessel, above the
sheer strake. Smyth.
Bertram
Ber"tram (?), n. [Corrupted fr. L. pyrethrum, Gr. a hot spicy plant,
fr. fire.] (Bot.) Pellitory of Spain (Anacyclus pyrethrum).
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Page 139
Berycoid
Ber"y*coid (?), a. [NL. beryx, the name of the typical genus + -oid.]
(Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to the Berycid\'91, a family of marine
fishes.
Beryl
Ber"yl (?), n. [F. b\'82ryl, OF. beril, L. beryllus, Gr. , prob. fr.
Skr. vaid. Cf. Brilliant.] (Min.) A mineral of great hardness, and,
when transparent, of much beauty. It occurs in hexagonal prisms,
commonly of a green or bluish green color, but also yellow, pink, and
white. It is a silicate of aluminium and glucinum (beryllium). The
aquamarine is a transparent, sea-green variety used as a gem. The
emerald is another variety highly prized in jewelry, and distinguished
by its deep color, which is probably due to the presence of a little
oxide of chromium.
Berylline
Ber"yl*line (?), a. Like a beryl; of a light or bluish green color.
Beryllium
Be*ryl"li*um (, n. [NL.] (Chem.) A metallic element found in the
beryl. See Glucinum.
Berylloid
Ber"yl*loid (?), n. [Beryl + -oid.] (Crystallog.) A solid consisting
of a double twelve-sided pyramid; -- so called because the planes of
this form occur on crystals of beryl.
Besaiel, Besaile, Besayle
Be*saiel", Be*saile", Be*sayle" (, n. [OF. beseel, F. bisa\'8beul, fr.
L. bis twice + LL. avolus, dim. of L. avus grandfather.]
1. A great-grandfather. [Obs.]
2. (Law) A kind of writ which formerly lay where a great-grandfather
died seized of lands in fee simple, and on the day of his death a
stranger abated or entered and kept the heir out. This is now
abolished. Blackstone.
Besaint
Be*saint" (?), v. t. To make a saint of.
Besant
Be*sant" (?), n. See Bezant.
Bes-antler
Bes-ant"ler (?), n. Same as Bez-antler.
Bescatter
Be*scat"ter (?), v. t.
1. To scatter over.
2. To cover sparsely by scattering (something); to strew. "With
flowers bescattered." Spenser.
Bescorn
Be*scorn" (?), v. t. To treat with scorn. "Then was he bescorned."
Chaucer.
Bescratch
Be*scratch" (?), v. t. To tear with the nails; to cover with
scratches.
Bescrawl
Be*scrawl" (?), v. t. To cover with scrawls; to scribble over. Milton.
Bescreen
Be*screen" (?), v. t. To cover with a screen, or as with a screen; to
shelter; to conceal. Shak.
Bescribble
Be*scrib"ble (?), v. t. To scribble over. "Bescribbled with
impertinences." Milton.
Bescumber, Bescummer
Be*scum"ber (?), Be*scum"mer (?), v. t. [Pref. be- + scumber,
scummer.] To discharge ordure or dung upon. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Besee
Be*see" (?), v. t. & i. [AS. bese\'a2n; pref. be- + to see.] To see;
to look; to mind. [Obs.] Wyclif.
Beseech
Be*seech" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besought (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Beseeching.] [OE. bisechen, biseken (akin to G. besuchen to visit);
pref. be- + sechen, seken, to seek. See Seek.]
1. To ask or entreat with urgency; to supplicate; to implore.
I beseech you, punish me not with your hard thoughts. Shak.
But Eve . . . besought his peace. Milton.
Syn. -- To beg; to crave. -- To Beseech, Entreat, Solicit, Implore,
Supplicate. These words agree in marking that sense of want which
leads men to beg some favor. To solicit is to make a request, with
some degree of earnestness and repetition, of one whom we address as a
superior. To entreat implies greater urgency, usually enforced by
adducing reasons or arguments. To beseech is still stronger, and
belongs rather to the language of poetry and imagination. To implore
denotes increased fervor of entreaty, as addressed either to equals or
superiors. To supplicate expresses the extreme of entreaty, and
usually implies a state of deep humiliation. Thus, a captive
supplicates a conqueror to spare his life. Men solicit by virtue of
their interest with another; they entreat in the use of reasoning and
strong representations; they beseech with importunate earnestness;
they implore from a sense of overwhelming distress; they supplicate
with a feeling of the most absolute inferiority and dependence.
Beseech
Be*seech", n. Solicitation; supplication. [Obs. or Poetic] Shak.
Beseecher
Be*seech"er (?), n. One who beseeches.
Beseeching
Be*seech"ing, a. Entreating urgently; imploring; as, a beseeching
look. -- Be*seech"ing*ly, adv. -- Be*seech"ing*ness, n.
Beseechment
Be*seech"ment (?), n. The act of beseeching or entreating earnestly.
[R.] Goodwin.
Beseek
Be*seek" (?), v. t. To beseech. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Beseem
Be*seem" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beseemed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Beseeming.] [Pref. be- + seem.] Literally: To appear or seem (well,
ill, best, etc.) for (one) to do or to have. Hence: To be fit,
suitable, or proper for, or worthy of; to become; to befit.
A duty well beseeming the preachers. Clarendon.
What form of speech or behavior beseemeth us, in our prayers to God
? Hocker.
Beseem
Be*seem", v. i. To seem; to appear; to be fitting. [Obs.] "As beseemed
best." Spenser.
Beseeming
Be*seem"ing, n.
1. Appearance; look; garb. [Obs.]
I . . . did company these three in poor beseeming. Shak.
2. Comeliness. Baret.
Beseeming
Be*seem"ing, a. Becoming; suitable. [Archaic] -- Be*seem"ing*ly, adv.
-- Be*seem"ing*ness, n.
Beseemly
Be*seem"ly, a. Fit; suitable; becoming. [Archaic]
In beseemly order sitten there. Shenstone.
Beseen
Be*seen" (?), a. [Properly the p. p. of besee.]
1. Seen; appearing. [Obs. or Archaic]
2. Decked or adorned; clad. [Archaic] Chaucer.
3. Accomplished; versed. [Archaic] Spenser.
Beset
Be*set" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beset; p. pr. & vb. n. Besetting.]
[AS. besettan (akin to OHG. bisazjan, G. besetzen, D. bezetten); pref.
be- + settan to set. See Set.]
1. To set or stud (anything) with ornaments or prominent objects.
A robe of azure beset with drops of gold. Spectator.
The garden is so beset with all manner of sweet shrubs that it
perfumes the air. Evelyn.
2. To hem in; to waylay; to surround; to besiege; to blockade. "Beset
with foes." Milton.
Let thy troops beset our gates. Addison.
3. To set upon on all sides; to perplex; to harass; -- said of
dangers, obstacles, etc. "Adam, sore beset, replied." Milton. "Beset
with ills." Addison. "Incommodities which beset old age." Burke.
4. To occupy; to employ; to use up. [Obs.] Chaucer. Syn. -- To
surround; inclose; environ; hem in; besiege; encircle; encompass;
embarrass; urge; press.
Besetment
Be*set"ment (?), n. The act of besetting, or the state of being beset;
also, that which besets one, as a sin. "Fearing a besetment." Kane.
Besetter
Be*set"ter (?), n. One who, or that which, besets.
Besetting
Be*set"ting, a. Habitually attacking, harassing, or pressing upon or
about; as, a besetting sin.
Beshine
Be*shine" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beshone; p. pr. & vb. n.
Beshining.] To shine upon; to ullumine.
Beshow
Be*show" (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) A large food fish
(Anoplopoma fimbria) of the north Pacific coast; -- called also
candlefish.
Beshrew
Be*shrew" (?), v. t. To curse; to execrate.
Beshrew me, but I love her heartily. Shak.
NOTE: &hand; Of ten a ve ry mild form of imprecation; sometimes so
far from implying a curse, as to be uttered coaxingly, nay even
with some tenderness. Schmidt.
Beshroud
Be*shroud" (?), v. t. To cover with, or as with, a shroud; to screen.
Beshut
Be*shut" (?), v. t. To shut up or out. [Obs.]
Beside
Be*side" (?), prep. [OE. biside, bisiden, bisides, prep. and adv.,
beside, besides; pref. be- by + side. Cf. Besides, and see Side, n.]
1. At the side of; on one side of. "Beside him hung his bow." Milton.
2. Aside from; out of the regular course or order of; in a state of
deviation from; out of.
[You] have done enough To put him quite beside his patience. Shak.
3. Over and above; distinct from; in addition to.
NOTE: [In this use besides is now commoner.]
Wise and learned men beside those whose names are in the Christian
records. Addison.
To be beside one's self, to be out ob one's wits or senses.
Paul, thou art beside thyself. Acts xxvi. 24.
Syn. -- Beside, Besides. These words, whether used as prepositions or
adverbs, have been considered strictly synonymous, from an early
period of our literature, and have been freely interchanged by our
best writers. There is, however, a tendency, in present usage, to make
the following distinction between them: 1. That beside be used only
and always as a preposition, with the original meaning "by the side
of; " as, to sit beside a fountain; or with the closely allied meaning
"aside from", "apart from", or "out of"; as, this is beside our
present purpose; to be beside one's self with joy. The adverbial sense
to be wholly transferred to the cognate word. 2. That besides, as a
preposition, take the remaining sense "in addition to", as, besides
all this; besides the considerations here offered. "There was a famine
in the land besides the first famine." Gen. xxvi. 1. And that it also
take the adverbial sense of "moreover", "beyond", etc., which had been
divided between the words; as, besides, there are other considerations
which belong to this case. The following passages may serve to
illustrate this use of the words: --
Lovely Thais sits beside thee. Dryden.
Only be patient till we have appeased The multitude, beside
themselves with fear. Shak.
It is beside my present business to enlarge on this speculation.
Locke.
Besides this, there are persons in certain situations who are
expected to be charitable. Bp. Porteus.
And, besides, the Moor May unfold me to him; there stand I in much
peril. Shak.
That man that does not know those things which are of necessity for
him to know is but an ignorant man, whatever he may know besides.
Tillotson.
NOTE: See Moreover.
Besides, Beside
Be*sides" (?), Be*side" (?), adv. [OE. Same as beside, prep.; the
ending -s is an adverbial one, prop. a genitive sign.]
1. On one side. [Obs.] Chaucer. Shak.
2. More than that; over and above; not included in the number, or in
what has been mentioned; moreover; in addition.
The men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides ? Gen. xix. 12.
To all beside, as much an empty shade, An Eugene living, as a
C\'91sar dead. Pope.
NOTE: &hand; These sentences may be considered as elliptical.
Besides
Be*sides (?), prep. Over and above; separate or distinct from; in
addition to; other than; else than. See Beside, prep., 3, and Syn.
under Beside.
Besides your cheer, you shall have sport. Shak.
Besiege
Be*siege" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besieged (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Besieging.] [OE. bisegen; pref. be- + segen to siege. See Siege.] To
beset or surround with armed forces, for the purpose of compelling to
surrender; to lay siege to; to beleaguer; to beset.
Till Paris was besieged, famished, and lost. Shak.
Syn. -- To environ; hem in; invest; encompass.
Besiegement
Be*siege"ment (?), n. The act of besieging, or the state of being
besieged. Golding.
Besieger
Be*sie"ger (?), n. One who besieges; -- opposed to the besieged.
Besieging
Be*sie"ging (?), a. That besieges; laying siege to. -- Be*sie"ging*ly,
adv.
Besit
Be*sit" (?), v. t. [Pref. be- + sit.] To suit; to fit; to become.
[Obs.]
Beslabber
Be*slab"ber (?), v. t. To beslobber.
Beslave
Be*slave" (?), v. t. To enslave. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
Beslaver
Be*slav"er (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beslavered (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Beslavering.] To defile with slaver; to beslobber.
Beslime
Be*slime" (?), v. t. To daub with slime; to soil. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Beslobber
Be*slob"ber (?), v. t. To slobber on; to smear with spittle running
from the mouth. Also Fig.: as, to beslobber with praise.
Beslubber
Be*slub"ber (?), v. t. To beslobber.
Besmear
Be*smear" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besmeared (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Besmearing.] To smear with any viscous, glutinous matter; to bedaub;
to soil.
Besmeared with precious balm. Spenser.
Besmearer
Be*smear"er (?), n. One that besmears.
Besmirch
Be*smirch" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besmirched (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Besmirching.] To smirch or soil; to discolor; to obscure. Hence: To
dishonor; to sully. Shak.
Besmoke
Be*smoke" (?), v. t.
1. To foul with smoke.
2. To harden or dry in smoke. Johnson.
Besmut
Be*smut" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besmutted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Besmutting.] [Pref. be- + smut: cf. AS. besm\'c6tan, and also OE.
besmotren.] To blacken with smut; to foul with soot.
Besnow
Be*snow" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besnowed (#).] [OE. bisnewen, AS.
besn\'c6wan; pref. be- + sn\'c6wan to snow.]
1. To scatter like snow; to cover thick, as with snow flakes. [R.]
Gower.
2. To cover with snow; to whiten with snow, or as with snow.
Besnuff
Be*snuff" (?), v. t. To befoul with snuff. Young.
Besogne
Be*sogne" (?), n. [F. bisogne.] A worthless fellow; a bezonian. [Obs.]
Besom
Be"som (?), n. [OE. besme, besum, AS. besma; akin to D. bezem, OHG
pesamo, G. besen; of uncertain origin.] A brush of twigs for sweeping;
a broom; anything which sweeps away or destroys. [Archaic or Fig.]
I will sweep it with the besom of destruction. Isa. xiv. 23.
The housemaid with her besom. W. Irving.
Besom
Be"som, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besomed (#).] To sweep, as with a besom.
[Archaic or Poetic] Cowper.
Rolls back all Greece, and besoms wide the plain. Barlow.
Besomer
Be"som*er (?), n. One who uses a besom. [Archaic]
Besort
Be*sort" (?), v. t. To assort or be congruous with; to fit, or become.
[Obs.]
Such men as may besort your age. Shak.
Besort
Be*sort", n. Befitting associates or attendants. [Obs.]
With such accommodation and besort As levels with her breeding.
Shak.
Besot
Be*sot" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besotted (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Besotting.] To make sottish; to make dull or stupid; to stupefy; to
infatuate.
Fools besotted with their crimes. Hudibras.
Besotted
Be*sot"ted, a. Made sottish, senseless, or infatuated; characterized
by drunken stupidity, or by infatuation; stupefied. "Besotted
devotion." Sir W. Scott. -- Be*sot"ted*ly, adv. -- Be*sot"ted*ness, n.
Milton.
Besottingly
Be*sot"ting*ly, adv. In a besotting manner.
Besought
Be*sought" (?), p. p. of Beseech.
Bespangle
Be*span"gle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bespangled (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bespangling (#).] To adorn with spangles; to dot or sprinkle with
something brilliant or glittering.
The grass . . . is all bespangled with dewdrops. Cowper.
Bespatter
Be*spat"ter (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bespattered (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bespattering.]
1. To soil by spattering; to sprinkle, esp. with dirty water, mud, or
anything which will leave foul spots or stains.
2. To asperse with calumny or reproach.
Whom never faction could bespatter. Swift.
Bespawl
Be*spawl" (?), v. t. To daub, soil, or make foul with spawl or
spittle. [Obs.] Milton.
Bespeak
Be*speak" (?), v. t. [imp. Bespoke (?), Bespake (Archaic); p. p.
Bespoke, Bespoken (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bespeaking.] [OE. bispeken, AS.
besprecan, to speak to, accuse; pref. be- + sprecan to speak. See
Speak.]
1. To speak or arrange for beforehand; to order or engage against a
future time; as, to bespeak goods, a right, or a favor.
Concluding, naturally, that to gratify his avarice was to bespeak
his favor. Sir W. Scott.
2. To show beforehand; to foretell; to indicate.
[They] bespoke dangers . . . in order to scare the allies. Swift.
3. To betoken; to show; to indicate by external marks or appearances.
When the abbot of St. Martin was born, he had so little the figure
of a man that it bespoke him rather a monster. Locke.
4. To speak to; to address. [Poetic]
He thus the queen bespoke. Dryden.
Bespeak
Be*speak", v. i. To speak. [Obs.] Milton.
Bespeak
Be*speak", n. A bespeaking. Among actors, a benefit (when a particular
play is bespoken.) "The night of her bespeak." Dickens.
Bespeaker
Be*speak"er (?), n. One who bespeaks.
Bespeckle
Be*spec"kle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bespeckled (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bespeckling.] To mark with speckles or spots. Milton.
Bespew
Be*spew" (?), v. t. To soil or daub with spew; to vomit on.
Bespice
Be*spice" (?), v. t. To season with spice, or with some spicy drug.
Shak.
Bespirt
Be*spirt" (?), v. t. Same as Bespurt.
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Bespit
Be*spit (?), v. t. [imp. Bespit; p. p. Bespit, Bespitten (; p. pr. &
vb. n. Bespitting.] To daub or soil with spittle. Johnson.
Bespoke
Be*spoke" (?), imp. & p. p. of Bespeak.
Bespot
Be*spot" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bespotted (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bespotting.] To mark with spots, or as with spots.
Bespread
Be*spread" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bespread; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bespreading.] To spread or cover over.
The carpet which bespread His rich pavilion's floor. Glover.
Besprent
Be*sprent" (?), p. p. [OE. bespreynt, p. p. of besprengen, bisprengen,
to besprinkle, AS. besprengan, akin to D. & G. besprengen; pref. be- +
sprengan to sprinkle. See Sprinkle.] Sprinkled over; strewed.
His face besprent with liquid crystal shines. Shenstone.
The floor with tassels of fir was besprent. Longfellow.
Besprinkle
Be*sprin"kle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besprinkled (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Besprinkling (#).] To sprinkle over; to scatter over.
The bed besprinkles, and bedews the ground. Dryden.
Besprinkler
Be*sprin"kler (?), n. One who, or that which, besprinkles.
Besprinkling
Be*sprin"kling (?), n. The act of sprinkling anything; a sprinkling
over.
Bespurt
Be*spurt" (?), v. t. To spurt on or over; to asperse. [Obs.] Milton.
Bessemer steel
Bes"se*mer steel` (. Steel made directly from cast iron, by burning
out a portion of the carbon and other impurities that the latter
contains, through the agency of a blast of air which is forced through
the molten metal; -- so called from Sir Henry Bessemer, an English
engineer, the inventor of the process.
Best
Best (?), a.; superl. of Good. [AS. besta, best, contr. from betest,
betst, betsta; akin to Goth. batists, OHG. pezzisto, G. best, beste,
D. best, Icel. beztr, Dan. best, Sw. b\'84st. This word has no
connection in origin with good. See Better.]
1. Having good qualities in the highest degree; most good, kind,
desirable, suitable, etc.; most excellent; as, the best man; the best
road; the best cloth; the best abilities.
When he is best, he is a little worse than a man. Shak.
Heaven's last, best gift, my ever new delight. Milton.
2. Most advanced; most correct or complete; as, the best scholar; the
best view of a subject.
3. Most; largest; as, the best part of a week.
Best man, the only or principal groomsman at a wedding ceremony.
Best
Best, n. Utmost; highest endeavor or state; most nearly perfect thing,
or being, or action; as, to do one's best; to the best of our ability.
At best, in the utmost degree or extent applicable to the case; under
the most favorable circumstances; as, life is at best very short. --
For best, finally. [Obs.] "Those constitutions . . . are now
established for best, and not to be mended." Milton. -- To get the
best of, to gain an advantage over, whether fairly or unfairly. -- To
make the best of. (a) To improve to the utmost; to use or dispose of
to the greatest advantage. "Let there be freedom to carry their
commodities where they can make the best of them." Bacon. (b) To
reduce to the least possible inconvenience; as, to make the best of
ill fortune or a bad bargain.
Best
Best, adv.; superl. of Well.
1. In the highest degree; beyond all others. "Thou serpent! That name
best befits thee." Milton.
He prayeth best, who loveth best All things both great and small.
Coleridge.
2. To the most advantage; with the most success, case, profit,
benefit, or propriety.
Had we best retire? I see a storm. Milton.
Had I not best go to her? Thackeray.
3. Most intimately; most thoroughly or correctly; as, what is
expedient is best known to himself.
Best
Best, v. t. To get the better of. [Colloq.]
Bestad
Be*stad" (?), imp. & p. p. of Bestead. Beset; put in peril. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Bestain
Be*stain" (?), v. t. To stain.
Bestar
Be*star" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bestarred (#).] To sprinkle with, or
as with, stars; to decorate with, or as with, stars; to bestud.
"Bestarred with anemones." W. Black.
Bestead
Be*stead" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bestead or Bested, also (Obs.)
Bestad. In sense 3 imp. also Besteaded.] [Pref. be- + stead a place.]
1. To put in a certain situation or condition; to circumstance; to
place. [Only in p. p.]
They shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: . . . and
curse their king and their God. Is. viii. 21.
Many far worse bestead than ourselves. Barrow.
2. To put in peril; to beset.
NOTE: [Only in p. p.]
Chaucer.
3. To serve; to assist; to profit; to avail. Milton.
Bestial
Bes"tial (?), a. [F. bestial, L. bestialis, fr. bestia beast. See
Beast.]
1. Belonging to a beast, or to the class of beasts.
Among the bestial herds to range. Milton.
2. Having the qualities of a beast; brutal; below the dignity of
reason or humanity; irrational; carnal; beastly; sensual. Shak. Syn.
-- Brutish; beastly; brutal; carnal; vile; low; depraved; sensual;
filthy.
Bestial
Bes"tial, n. A domestic animal; also collectively, cattle; as, other
kinds of bestial. [Scot.]
Bestiality
Bes*tial"i*ty (?), n. [F. bestialit\'82.]
1. The state or quality of being bestial.
2. Unnatural connection with a beast.
Bestialize
Bes"tial*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bestialized (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bestializing.] To make bestial, or like a beast; to degrade; to
brutalize.
The process of bestializing humanity. Hare.
Bestially
Bes"tial*ly, adv. In a bestial manner.
Bestick
Be*stick" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bestuck (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Besticking.] To stick over, as with sharp points pressed in; to mark
by infixing points or spots here and there; to pierce.
Truth shall retire Bestuck with slanderous darts. Milton.
Bestill
Be*still" (?), v. t. To make still.
Bestir
Be*stir" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bestirred (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bestirring.] To put into brisk or vigorous action; to move with life
and vigor; -- usually with the reciprocal pronoun.
You have so bestirred your valor. Shak.
Rouse and bestir themselves ere well awake. Milton.
Bestorm
Be*storm" (?), v. i. & t. To storm. Young.
Bestow
Be*stow" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bestowed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bestowing.] [OE. bestowen; pref. be- + stow a place. See Stow.]
1. To lay up in store; to deposit for safe keeping; to stow; to place;
to put. "He bestowed it in a pouch." Sir W. Scott.
See that the women are bestowed in safety. Byron.
2. To use; to apply; to devote, as time or strength in some
occupation.
3. To expend, as money. [Obs.]
4. To give or confer; to impart; -- with on or upon.
Empire is on us bestowed. Cowper.
Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor. 1 Cor. xiii. 3.
5. To give in marriage.
I could have bestowed her upon a fine gentleman. Tatler.
6. To demean; to conduct; to behave; -- followed by a reflexive
pronoun. [Obs.]
How might we see Falstaff bestow himself to-night in his true
colors, and not ourselves be seen ? Shak.
Syn. -- To give; grant; present; confer; accord.
Bestowal
Be*stow"al (?), n. The act of bestowing; disposal.
Bestower
Be*stow"er (?), n. One that bestows.
Bestowment
Be*stow"ment (?), n.
1. The act of giving or bestowing; a conferring or bestowal.
If we consider this bestowment of gifts in this view. Chauncy.
2. That which is given or bestowed.
They almost refuse to give due praise and credit to God's own
bestowments. I. Taylor.
Bestraddle
Be*strad"dle (?), v. t. To bestride.
Bestraught
Be*straught" (?), a. [Pref. be- + straught; prob. here used for
distraught.] Out of one's senses; distracted; mad. [Obs.] Shak.
Bestreak
Be*streak" (?), v. t. To streak.
Bestrew
Be*strew" (?), v. t. [imp. Bestrewed (?); p. p. Bestrewed, Bestrown
(p. pr. & vb. n. Bestrewing.] To strew or scatter over; to besprinkle.
[Spelt also bestrow.] Milton.
Bestride
Be*stride" (?), v. t. [imp. Bestrode (?), (Obs. or R.) Bestrid (; p.
p. Bestridden (?), Bestrid, Bestrode; p. pr. & vb. n. Bestriding.]
[AS. bestr\'c6dan; pref. be- + str\'c6dan to stride.]
1. To stand or sit with anything between the legs, or with the legs
astride; to stand over
That horse that thou so often hast bestrid. Shak.
Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world Like a Colossus. Shak.
2. To step over; to stride over or across; as, to bestride a
threshold.
Bestrode
Be*strode" (?), imp. & p. p. of Bestride.
Bestrown
Be*strown" (?), p. p. of Bestrew.
Bestuck
Be*stuck" (?), imp. & p. p. Bestick.
Bestud
Be*stud" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bestudded; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bestudding.] To set or adorn, as with studs or bosses; to set thickly;
to stud; as, to bestud with stars. Milton.
Beswike
Be*swike", v. t. [AS. besw\'c6can; be- + sw\'c6can to deceive, entice;
akin to OS. sw\'c6kan, OHG. sw\'c6hhan, Icel. sv\'c6kja.] To lure; to
cheat. [Obs.] Gower.
Bet
Bet (?), n. [Prob. from OE. abet abetting, OF. abet, fr. abeter to
excite, incite. See Abet.] That which is laid, staked, or pledged, as
between two parties, upon the event of a contest or any contingent
issue; the act of giving such a pledge; a wager. "Having made his
bets." Goldsmith.
Bet
Bet, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bet, Betted (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Betting.] To
stake or pledge upon the event of a contingent issue; to wager.
John a Gaunt loved him well, and betted much money on his head.
Shak.
I'll bet you two to one I'll make him do it. O. W. Holmes.
Bet
Bet, imp. & p. p. of Beat. [Obs.]
Bet
Bet, a. & adv. An early form of Better. [Obs.] To go bet, to go fast;
to hurry. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Betaine
Be"ta*ine (?), n. [From beta, generic name of the beet.] (Chem.) A
nitrogenous base, C5H11NO2, produced artificially, and also occurring
naturally in beetroot molasses and its residues, from which it is
extracted as a white crystalline substance; -- called also lycine and
oxyneurine. It has a sweetish taste. <-- not the amino acid lysine -->
Betake
Be*take" (?), v. t. [imp. Betook (#); p. p. Betaken (#); p. pr. & vb.
n. Betaking.] [Pref. be- + take.]
1. To take or seize. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. To have recourse to; to apply; to resort; to go; -- with a
reflexive pronoun.
They betook themselves to treaty and submission. Burke.
The rest, in imitation, to like arms Betook them. Milton.
Whither shall I betake me, where subsist? Milton.
3. To commend or intrust to; to commit to. [Obs.]
Betaught
Be*taught" (?),a. [p. p. of OE. bitechen, AS. bet, to assign, deliver.
See Teach.] Delivered; committed in trust. [Obs.]
Bete
Bete (?), v. t. To better; to mend. See Beete. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Beteela
Be*tee"la (?), n. [Pg. beatilha.] An East India muslin, formerly used
for cravats, veils, etc. [Obs.]
Beteem
Be*teem" (?), v. t. [Pref. be- + an old verb teem to be fitting; cf.
D. betamen to beseem, G. ziemen, Goth. gatiman, and E. tame. See Tame,
a.]
1. To give ; to bestow; to grant; to accord; to consent. [Obs.]
Spenser. Milton.
2. To allow; to permit; to suffer. [Obs.]
So loving to my mother, That he might not beteem the winds of
heaven Visit her face too roughly. Shak.
Betel
Be"tel (?), n. [Pg., fr. Tamil vettilei, prop. meaning, a mere leaf.]
(Bot.) A species of pepper (Piper betle), the leaves of which are
chewed, with the areca or betel nut and a little shell lime, by the
inhabitants of the East Indies. I is a woody climber with ovate
manynerved leaves.
Betelguese
Bet"el*guese (?), n. [F. B\'82telgeuse, of Arabic origin.] (Astron.) A
bright star of the first magnitude, near one shoulder of Orion.
[Written also Betelgeux and Betelgeuse.]
Betel nut
Be"tel nut` (?). The nutlike seed of the areca palm, chewed in the
East with betel leaves (whence its name) and shell lime.
B\'88te noire
B\'88te" noire" (?). [Fr., lit. black beast.] Something especially
hated or dreaded; a bugbear.
Bethabara wood
Beth*ab"a*ra wood` (?). (Bot.) A highly elastic wood, used for fishing
rods, etc. The tree is unknown, but it is thought to be East Indian.
Bethel
Beth"el (?), n. [Heb. b house of God.]
1. A place of worship; a hallowed spot. S. F. Adams.
2. A chapel for dissenters. [Eng.]
3. A house of worship for seamen.
Bethink
Be*think" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bethought (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bethinking.] [AS. be; pref. be- + to think. See Think.] To call to
mind; to recall or bring to recollection, reflection, or
consideration; to think; to consider; -- generally followed by a
reflexive pronoun, often with of or that before the subject of
thought.
I have bethought me of another fault. Shak.
The rest . . . may . . . bethink themselves, and recover. Milton.
We bethink a means to break it off. Shak.
Syn. -- To recollect; remember; reflect.
Bethink
Be*think", v. i. To think; to recollect; to consider. "Bethink ere
thou dismiss us." Byron.
Bethlehem
Beth"le*hem (?), n. [Heb. b house of food; b house + lekhem food,
l\'bekham to eat. Formerly the name of a hospital for the insane, in
London, which had been the priory of St. Mary of Bethlehem. Cf.
Bedlam.]
1. A hospital for lunatics; -- corrupted into bedlam.
2. (Arch.) In the Ethiopic church, a small building attached to a
church edifice, in which the bread for the eucharist is made. Audsley.
Bethlehemite, Bethlemite
Beth"le*hem*ite (?), Beth"lem*ite (?), n.
1. An inhabitant of Bethlehem in Judea.
2. An insane person; a madman; a bedlamite.
3. One of an extinct English order of monks.
Bethought
Be*thought" (?), imp. & p. p. of Bethink.
Bethrall
Be*thrall" (?), v. t. To reduce to thralldom; to inthrall. [Obs.]
Spenser.
Bethumb
Be*thumb" (?), v. t. To handle; to wear or soil by handling; as books.
Poe.
Bethump
Be*thump" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bethumped (#), or Bethumpt; p. pr.
& vb. n. Bethumping.] To beat or thump soundly. Shak.
Betide
Be*tide" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betided (#), Obs. Betid (#); p. pr.
& vb. n. Betiding.] [OE. bitiden; pref. bi-, be- + tiden, fr. AS.
t\'c6dan, to happen, fr. t\'c6d time. See Tide.] To happen to; to
befall; to come to ; as, woe betide the wanderer.
What will betide the few ? Milton.
Betide
Be*tide", v. i. To come to pass; to happen; to occur.
A salve for any sore that may betide. Shak.
NOTE: &hand; Shakespeare has used it with of. "What would betide of
me ?"
Betime, Betimes
Be*time" (?), Be*times" (?), adv. [Pref. be- (for by) + time; that is,
by the proper time. The -s is an adverbial ending.]
1. In good season or time; before it is late; seasonably; early.
To measure life learn thou betimes. Milton.
To rise betimes is often harder than to do all the day's work.
Barrow.
2. In a short time; soon; speedily; forth with.
He tires betimes that spurs too fast betimes. Shak.
Betitle
Be*ti"tle (?), v. t. To furnish with a title or titles; to entitle.
[Obs.] Carlyle.
Betoken
Be*to"ken (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betokened (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Betokening.]
1. To signify by some visible object; to show by signs or tokens.
A dewy cloud, and in the cloud a bow . . . Betokening peace from
God, and covenant new. Milton.
2. To foreshow by present signs; to indicate something future by that
which is seen or known; as, a dark cloud often betokens a storm. Syn.
-- To presage; portend; indicate; mark; note.
B\'82ton
B\'82`ton" (?), n. [F. b\'82ton, fr. L. bitumen bitumen.] (Masonry)
The French name for concrete; hence, concrete made after the French
fashion.
Betongue
Be*tongue" (?), v. t. To attack with the tongue; to abuse; to insult.
Betony
Bet"o*ny (?), n.; pl. Betonies (#). [OE. betony, betany, F. betoine,
fr. L. betonica, vettonica.] (Bot.) A plant of the genus Betonica
(Linn.).
NOTE: &hand; Th e pu rple or wood betony (B. officinalis, Linn.) is
common in Europe, being formerly used in medicine, and (according
to Loudon) in dyeing wool a yellow color.
Betook
Be*took" (?), imp. of Betake.
Betorn
Be*torn" (?), a. Torn in pieces; tattered.
Betoss
Be*toss (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betossed (#).] To put in violent
motion; to agitate; to disturb; to toss. "My betossed soul." Shak.
Betrap
Be*trap" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betrapped (#).]
1. To draw into, or catch in, a trap; to insnare; to circumvent.
Gower.
2. To put trappings on; to clothe; to deck.
After them followed two other chariots covered with red satin, and
the horses betrapped with the same. Stow.
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Betray
Be*tray" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betrayed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Betraying.] [OE. betraien, bitraien; pref. be- + OF. tra\'8br to
bertray, F. trahir, fr. L. tradere. See Traitor.]
1. To deliver into the hands of an enemy by treachery or fraud, in
violation of trust; to give up treacherously or faithlessly; as, an
officer betrayed the city.
Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the
hands of men. Matt. xvii. 22.
2. To prove faithless or treacherous to, as to a trust or one who
trusts; to be false to; to deceive; as, to betray a person or a cause.
But when I rise, I shall find my legs betraying me. Johnson.
3. To violate the confidence of, by disclosing a secret, or that which
one is bound in honor not to make known.
Willing to serve or betray any government for hire. Macaulay.
4. To disclose or discover, as something which prudence would conceal;
to reveal unintentionally.
Be swift to hear, but cautious of your tongue, lest you betray your
ignorance. T. Watts.
5. To mislead; to expose to inconvenience not foreseen to lead into
error or sin.
Genius . . . often betrays itself into great errors. T. Watts.
6. To lead astray, as a maiden; to seduce (as under promise of
marriage) and then abandon.
7. To show or to indicate; -- said of what is not obvious at first, or
would otherwise be concealed.
All the names in the country betray great antiquity. Bryant.
Betrayal
Be*tray"al (?) n. The act or the result of betraying.
Betrayer
Be*tray"er (?), n. One who, or that which, betrays.
Betrayment
Be*tray"ment (?), n. Betrayal. [R.] Udall.
Betrim
Be*trim" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betrimmed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Betrimming.] To set in order; to adorn; to deck, to embellish; to
trim. Shak.
Betroth
Be*troth" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betrothed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Betrothing.] [Pref. be- + troth, i. e., truth. See Truth.]
1. To contract to any one for a marriage; to engage or promise in
order to marriage; to affiance; -- used esp. of a woman.
He, in the first flower of my freshest age, Betrothed me unto the
only heir. Spenser.
Ay, and we are betrothed. Shak.
2. To promise to take (as a future spouse); to plight one's troth to.
What man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken
her? Deut. xx. 7.
3. To nominate to a bishopric, in order to consecration. Ayliffe.
Betrothal
Be*troth"al (?), n. The act of betrothing, or the fact of being
betrothed; a mutual promise, engagement, or contract for a future
marriage between the persons betrothed; betrothment; affiance. "The
feast of betrothal." Longfellow.
Betrothment
Be*troth"ment (?), n. The act of betrothing, or the state of being
betrothed; betrothal.
Betrust
Be*trust" (?), v. t. To trust or intrust. [Obs.]
Betrustment
Be*trust"ment (?), n. The act of intrusting, or the thing intrusted.
[Obs.] Chipman.
Betso
Bet"so (?), n. [It. bezzo.] A small brass Venetian coin. [Obs.]
Better
Bet"ter (?), a.; compar. of Good. [OE. betere, bettre, and as adv.
bet, AS. betera, adj., and bet, adv.; akin to Icel. betri, adj., betr,
adv., Goth. batiza, adj., OHG. bezziro, adj., baz, adv., G. besser,
adj. and adv., bass, adv., E. boot, and prob. to Skr. bhadra
excellent. See Boot advantage, and cf. Best, Batful.]
1. Having good qualities in a greater degree than another; as, a
better man; a better physician; a better house; a better air.
Could make the worse appear The better reason. Milton.
2. Preferable in regard to rank, value, use, fitness, acceptableness,
safety, or in any other respect.
To obey is better than sacrifice. 1 Sam. xv. 22.
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in
princes. Ps. cxviii. 9.
3. Greater in amount; larger; more.
4. Improved in health; less affected with disease; as, the patient is
better.
5. More advanced; more perfect; as, upon better acquaintance; a better
knowledge of the subject.
All the better. See under All, adv. -- Better half, an expression used
to designate one's wife.
My dear, my better half (said he), I find I must now leave thee.
Sir P. Sidney.
-- To be better off, to be in a better condition. -- Had better. (See
under Had).
NOTE: The ph rase had better, followed by an infinitive without to,
is idiomatic. The earliest form of construction was "were better"
with a dative; as, "Him were better go beside." (Gower.) i. e., It
would be better for him, etc. At length the nominative (I, he,
they, etc.) supplanted the dative and had took the place of were.
Thus we have the construction now used.
By all that's holy, he had better starve Than but once think this
place becomes thee not. Shak.
Better
Bet"ter, n.
1. Advantage, superiority, or victory; -- usually with of; as, to get
the better of an enemy.
2. One who has a claim to precedence; a superior, as in merit, social
standing, etc.; -- usually in the plural.
Their betters would hardly be found. Hooker.
For the better, in the way of improvement; so as to produce
improvement. "If I have altered him anywhere for the better." Dryden.
Better
Bet"ter, adv.; compar. of Well.
1. In a superior or more excellent manner; with more skill and wisdom,
courage, virtue, advantage, or success; as, Henry writes better than
John; veterans fight better than recruits.
I could have better spared a better man. Shak.
2. More correctly or thoroughly.
The better to understand the extent of our knowledge. Locke.
3. In a higher or greater degree; more; as, to love one better than
another.
Never was monarch better feared, and loved. Shak.
4. More, in reference to value, distance, time, etc.; as, ten miles
and better. [Colloq.]
To think better of (any one), to have a more favorable opinion of any
one. -- To think better of (an opinion, resolution, etc.), to
reconsider and alter one's decision.
Better
Bet"ter (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bettered (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bettering.] [AS. beterian, betrian, fr. betera better. See Better, a.]
1. To improve or ameliorate; to increase the good qualities of.
Love betters what is best. Wordsworth.
He thought to better his circumstances. Thackeray.
2. To improve the condition of, morally, physically, financially,
socially, or otherwise.
The constant effort of every man to better himself. Macaulay.
3. To surpass in excellence; to exceed; to excel.
The works of nature do always aim at that which can not be
bettered. Hooker.
4. To give advantage to; to support; to advance the interest of.
[Obs.]
Weapons more violent, when next we meet, May serve to better us and
worse our foes. Milton.
Syn. -- To improve; meliorate; ameliorate; mend; amend; correct;
emend; reform; advance; promote.
Better
Bet"ter, v. i. To become better; to improve. Carlyle.
Better
Bet"ter, n. One who bets or lays a wager.
Betterment
Bet"ter*ment (?), n.
1. A making better; amendment; improvement. W. Montagu.
2. (Law) An improvement of an estate which renders it better than mere
repairing would do; -- generally used in the plural. [U. S.] Bouvier.
Bettermost
Bet"ter*most` (?), a. Best. [R.] "The bettermost classes." Brougham.
Betterness
Bet"ter*ness, n.
1. The quality of being better or superior; superiority. [R.] Sir P.
Sidney.
2. The difference by which fine gold or silver exceeds in fineness the
standard.
Bettong
Bet"tong (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) A small, leaping Australian
marsupial of the genus Bettongia; the jerboa kangaroo.
Bettor
Bet"tor (?), n. One who bets; a better. Addison.
Betty
Bet"ty (?), n.
1. [Supposed to be a cant word, from Betty, for Elizabeth, as such an
instrument is also called Bess (i. e., Elizabeth) in the Canting
Dictionary of 1725, and Jenny (i. e., Jane).] A short bar used by
thieves to wrench doors open. [Written also bettee.]
The powerful betty, or the artful picklock. Arbuthnot.
2. [Betty, nickname for Elizabeth.] A name of contempt given to a man
who interferes with the duties of women in a household, or who
occupies himself with womanish matters.
3. A pear-shaped bottle covered round with straw, in which olive oil
is sometimes brought from Italy; -- called by chemists a Florence
flask. [U. S.] Bartlett.
Betulin
Bet"u*lin (?), n. [L. betula birch tree.] (Chem.) A substance of a
resinous nature, obtained from the outer bark of the common European
birch (Betula alba), or from the tar prepared therefrom; -- called
also birch camphor. Watts.
Betumble
Be*tum"ble (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betumbled (#).] To throw into
disorder; to tumble. [R.]
From her betumbled couch she starteth. Shak.
Betutor
Be*tu"tor (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betutored (#).] To tutor; to
instruct. Coleridge.
Between
Be*tween" (?), prep. [OE. bytwene, bitweonen, AS. betwe\'a2nan,
betwe\'a2num; prefix be- by + a form fr. AS. tw\'be two, akin to Goth.
tweihnai two apiece. See Twain, and cf. Atween, Betwixt.]
1. In the space which separates; betwixt; as, New York is between
Boston and Philadelphia.
2. Used in expressing motion from one body or place to another; from
one to another of two.
If things should go so between them. Bacon.
3. Belonging in common to two; shared by both.
Castor and Pollux with only one soul between them. Locke.
4. Belonging to, or participated in by, two, and involving reciprocal
action or affecting their mutual relation; as, opposition between
science and religion.
An intestine struggle, open or secret, between authority and
liberty. Hume.
5. With relation to two, as involved in an act or attribute of which
another is the agent or subject; as, to judge between or to choose
between courses; to distinguish between you and me; to mediate between
nations.
6. In intermediate relation to, in respect to time, quantity, or
degree; as, between nine and ten o'clock.
Between decks, the space, or in the space, between the decks of a
vessel. -- Between ourselves, Between you and me, Between themselves,
in confidence; with the understanding that the matter is not to be
communicated to others. Syn. -- Between, Among. Between etymologically
indicates only two; as, a quarrel between two men or two nations; to
be between two fires, etc. It is however extended to more than two in
expressing a certain relation.
I . . . hope that between public business, improving studies, and
domestic pleasures, neither melancholy nor caprice will find any
place for entrance. Johnson.
Among implies a mass or collection of things or persons, and always
supposes more than two; as, the prize money was equally divided among
the ship's crew.
Between
Be*tween", n. Intermediate time or space; interval. [Poetic & R.]
Shak.
Betwixt
Be*twixt" (?), prep. [OE. betwix, bitwix, rarely bitwixt, AS. betweox,
betweohs, betweoh, betw\'c6h; pref. be- by + a form fr. AS. tw\'be
two. See Between.]
1. In the space which separates; between.
From betwixt two aged oaks. Milton.
2. From one to another of; mutually affecting.
There was some speech of marriage Betwixt myself and her. Shak.
Betwixt and between, in a midway position; so-so; neither one thing
nor the other. [Colloq.]
Beurr\'82
Beur*r\'82" (?), n. [F., fr. beurre butter.] (Bot.) A beurr\'82 (or
buttery) pear, one with the meas, Beurr\'82 d'Anjou; Beurr\'82
Clairgeau.
Bevel
Bev"el (?), n. [C. F. biveau, earlier buveau, Sp. baivel; of unknown
origin. Cf. Bevile.]
1. Any angle other than a right angle; the angle which one surface
makes with another when they are not at right angles; the slant or
inclination of such surface; as, to give a bevel to the edge of a
table or a stone slab; the bevel of a piece of timber.
2. An instrument consisting of two rules or arms, jointed together at
one end, and opening to any angle, for adjusting the surfaces of work
to the same or a given inclination; -- called also a bevel square.
Gwilt.
Bevel
Bev"el, a.
1. Having the slant of a bevel; slanting.
2. Hence: Morally distorted; not upright. [Poetic]
I may be straight, though they themselves be bevel. Shak.
A bevel angle, any angle other than one of 90°. -- Bevel wheel, a
cogwheel whose working face is oblique to the axis. Knight.
Bevel
Bev"el, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beveled (Bevelled; p. pr. & vb. n.
Beveling or Bevelling.] To cut to a bevel angle; to slope the edge or
surface of.
Bevel
Bev"el, v. i. To deviate or incline from an angle of 90
Their houses are very ill built, the walls bevel. Swift.
Beveled, Bevelled
Bev"eled, Bev"elled (?), a.
1. Formed to a bevel angle; sloping; as, the beveled edge of a table.
2. (Min.) Replaced by two planes inclining equally upon the adjacent
planes, as an edge; having its edges replaces by sloping planes, as a
cube or other solid.
Bevel gear
Bev"el gear` (?). (Mech.) A kind of gear in which the two wheels
working together lie in different planes, and have their teeth cut at
right angles to the surfaces of two cones whose apices coincide with
the point where the axes of the wheels would meet.
Bevelment
Bev"el*ment (?), n. (Min.) The replacement of an edge by two similar
planes, equally inclined to the including faces or adjacent planes.
Bever
Be"ver (?), n. [OE. bever a drink, drinking time, OF. beivre, boivre,
to drink, fr. L. bibere.] A light repast between meals; a lunch.
[Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
Bever
Be"ver, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bevered ( To take a light repast between
meals. [Obs.]
Beverage
Bev"er*age (?), n. [OF. bevrage, F. breuvage, fr. beivre to drink, fr.
L. bibere. Cf. Bib, v. t., Poison, Potable.]
1. Liquid for drinking; drink; -- usually applied to drink
artificially prepared and of an agreeable flavor; as, an intoxicating
beverage.
He knew no beverage but the flowing stream. Thomson.
2. Specifically, a name applied to various kinds of drink.
3. A treat, or drink money. [Slang]
Bevile
Bev"ile (?), n. [See Bevel.] (Her.) A chief broken or opening like a
carpenter's bevel. Encyc. Brit.
Beviled, Bevilled
Bev"iled, Bev"illed (?), a. (Her.) Notched with an angle like that
inclosed by a carpenter's bevel; -- said of a partition line of a
shield.
Bevy
Bev"y (?), n.; pl. Bevies (#). [Perhaps orig. a drinking company, fr.
OF. bev\'82e (cf. It. beva) a drink, beverage; then, perh., a company
in general, esp. of ladies; and last applied by sportsmen to larks,
quails, etc. See Beverage.]
1. A company; an assembly or collection of persons, especially of
ladies.
What a bevy of beaten slaves have we here ! Beau. & Fl.
2. A flock of birds, especially quails or larks; also, a herd of roes.
Bewail
Be*wail" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewailed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bewailing.] To express deep sorrow for, as by wailing; to lament; to
wail over.
Hath widowed and unchilded many a one, Which to this hour bewail
the injury. Shak.
Syn. -- To bemoan; grieve. -- See Deplore.
Bewail
Be*wail", v. i. To express grief; to lament. Shak.
Bewailable
Be*wail"a*ble (?), a. Such as may, or ought to, be bewailed;
lamentable.
Bewailer
Be*wail"er (?), n. One who bewails or laments.
Bewailing
Be*wail"ing, a. Wailing over; lamenting. -- Be*wail"ing*ly, adv.
Bewailment
Be*wail"ment (?), n. The act of bewailing.
Bewake
Be*wake" (?), v. t. & i. To keep watch over; to keep awake. [Obs.]
Gower.
Beware
Be*ware" (?), v. i. [Be, imperative of verb to be + ware. See Ware,
Wary.]
1. To be on one's guard; to be cautious; to take care; -- commonly
followed by of or lest before the thing that is to be avoided.
Beware of all, but most beware of man ! Pope.
Beware the awful avalanche. Longfellow.
2. To have a special regard; to heed. [Obs.]
Behold, I send an Angel before thee. . . . Beware of him, and obey
his voice. Ex. xxiii. 20, 21.
NOTE: &hand; Th is wo rd is a compound from be and the Old English
ware, now wary, which is an adjective. "Be ye war of false
prophetis." Wyclif, Matt. vii. 15. It is used commonly in the
imperative and infinitive modes, and with such auxiliaries (shall,
should, must, etc.) as go with the infinitive.
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Beware
Be*ware" (?), v. t. To avoid; to take care of; to have a care for.
[Obs.] "Priest, beware your beard." Shak.
To wish them beware the son. Milton.
Bewash
Be*wash" (?), v. t. To drench or souse with water. "Let the maids
bewash the men." Herrick.
Beweep
Be*weep" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewept (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Beweeping.] [AS. bew; pref. be- + weep.] To weep over; to deplore; to
bedew with tears. "His timeless death beweeping." Drayton.
Beweep
Be*weep", v. i. To weep. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bewet
Be*wet" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewet, Bewetted.] To wet or moisten.
Gay.
Bewhore
Be*whore" (?), v. t.
1. To corrupt with regard to chastity; to make a whore of. J.
Fletcher.
2. To pronounce or characterize as a whore. Shak.
Bewig
Be*wig" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewigged (#).] To cover (the head)
with a wig. Hawthorne.
Bewilder
Be*wil"der (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewildered (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bewildering.] [Pref. be- + wilder.] To lead into perplexity or
confusion, as for want of a plain path; to perplex with mazes; or in
general, to perplex or confuse greatly.
Lost and bewildered in the fruitless search. Addison.
Syn. -- To perplex; puzzle; entangle; confuse; confound; mystify;
embarrass; lead astray.
Bewildered
Be*wil"dered (?), a. Greatly perplexed; as, a bewildered mind.
Bewilderedness
Be*wil"dered*ness (?), n. The state of being bewildered; bewilderment.
[R.]
Bewildering
Be*wil"der*ing (?), a. Causing bewilderment or great perplexity; as,
bewildering difficulties. -- Be*wil"der*ing*ly, adv.
Bewilderment
Be*wil"der*ment (?), n.
1. The state of being bewildered.
2. A bewildering tangle or confusion.
He . . . soon lost all traces of it amid bewilderment of tree
trunks and underbrush. Hawthorne.
Bewinter
Be*win"ter (?), v. t. To make wintry. [Obs.]
Bewit
Bew"it (?), n. [Cf. OF. buie bond, chain, fr. L. boja neck collar,
fetter. Cf. Buoy.] A double slip of leather by which bells are
fastened to a hawk's legs.
Bewitch
Be*witch" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewitched (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bewitching.]
1. To gain an ascendency over by charms or incantations; to affect
(esp. to injure) by witchcraft or sorcery.
See how I am bewitched; behold, mine arm Is like a blasted sapling
withered up. Shak.
2. To charm; to fascinate; to please to such a degree as to take away
the power of resistance; to enchant.
The charms of poetry our souls bewitch. Dryden.
Syn. -- To enchant; captivate; charm; entrance.
Bewitchedness
Be*witch"ed*ness (?), n. The state of being bewitched. Gauden.
Bewitcher
Be*witch"er (?), n. One who bewitches.
Bewitchery
Be*witch"er*y (?), n. The power of bewitching or fascinating;
bewitchment; charm; fascination.
There is a certain bewitchery or fascination in words. South.
Bewitching
Be*witch"ing, a. Having power to bewitch or fascinate; enchanting;
captivating; charming. -- Be*witch"ing*ly, adv. -- Be*witch"ing*ness,
n.
Bewitchment
Be*witch"ment (?), n.
1. The act of bewitching, or the state of being bewitched. Tylor.
2. The power of bewitching or charming. Shak.
Bewonder
Be*won"der (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewondered (#).]
1. To fill with wonder. [Obs.]
2. To wonder at; to admire. [Obs.]
Bewrap
Be*wrap" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewrapped (#).] To wrap up; to
cover. Fairfax.
Bewray
Be*wray" (?), v. t. To soil. See Beray.
Bewray
Be*wray", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewrayed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bewraying.] [OE. bewraien, biwreyen; pref. be- + AS. wr to accuse,
betray; akin to OS. wr, OHG. ruog, G. r\'81gen, Icel. r\'91gja, Goth.
wr to accuse.] To expose; to reveal; to disclose; to betray. [Obs. or
Archaic]
The murder being once done, he is in less fear, and in more hope
that the deed shall not be bewrayed or known. Robynson (More's
Utopia. )
Thy speech bewrayeth thee. Matt. xxvi. 73.
Bewrayer
Be*wray"er (?), n. One who, or that which, bewrays; a revealer. [Obs.
or Archaic] Addison.
Bewrayment
Be*wray"ment (?), n. Betrayal. [R.]
Bewreck
Be*wreck" (?), v. t. To wreck. [Obs.]
Bewreke
Be*wreke" (?), v. t. [Pref. be- + wreak.] To wreak; to avenge. [Obs.]
Ld. Berners.
Bewrought
Be*wrought" (?), a. [Pref. be- + wrought, p. p. of work, v. t. ]
Embroidered. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Bey
Bey (?), n. [See Beg a bey.] A governor of a province or district in
the Turkish dominions; also, in some places, a prince or nobleman; a
beg; as, the bey of Tunis.
Beylic
Bey"lic (?), n. [Turk.] The territory ruled by a bey.
Beyond
Be*yond" (?), prep. [OE. biyonde, bi, AS. begeondan, prep. and adv.;
pref. be- + geond yond, yonder. See Yon, Yonder.]
1. On the further side of; in the same direction as, and further on or
away than.
Beyond that flaming hill. G. Fletcher.
2. At a place or time not yet reached; before.
A thing beyond us, even before our death. Pope.
3. Past, out of the reach or sphere of; further than; greater than;
as, the patient was beyond medical aid; beyond one's strength.
4. In a degree or amount exceeding or surpassing; proceeding to a
greater degree than; above, as in dignity, excellence, or quality of
any kind. "Beyond expectation." Barrow.
Beyond any of the great men of my country. Sir P. Sidney.
Beyond sea. (Law) See under Sea. -- To go beyond, to exceed in
ingenuity, in research, or in anything else; hence, in a bed sense, to
deceive or circumvent.
That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter. 1
Thess. iv. 6.
Beyond
Be*yond" (?), adv. Further away; at a distance; yonder.
Lo, where beyond he lyeth languishing. Spenser.
Bezant
Be*zant" (?), n. [See Byzant.]
1. A gold coin of Byzantium or Constantinople, varying in weight and
value, usually (those current in England) between a sovereign and a
half sovereign. There were also white or silver bezants. [Written also
besant, byzant, etc.]
2. (Her.) A circle in or, i. e., gold, representing the gold coin
called bezant. Burke.
3. A decoration of a flat surface, as of a band or belt, representing
circular disks lapping one upon another.
Bez-antler
Bez`-ant"ler (?), n. [L. bis twice (OF. bes) + E. antler.] The second
branch of a stag's horn.
Bezel
Bez"el (?), n. [From an old form of F. biseau sloping edge, prob. fr.
L. bis double. See Bi-.] The rim which encompasses and fastens a jewel
or other object, as the crystal of a watch, in the cavity in which it
is set.
B\'82zique
B\'82*zique" (?), n. [F. b\'82sigue.] A game at cards in which various
combinations of cards in the hand, when declared, score points.
Bezoar
Be"zoar (?), n. [F. b\'82zoard, fr. Ar. b\'bezahr, b\'bedizahr, fr.
Per. p\'bed-zahr bezoar; p\'bed protecting + zahr poison; cf. Pg. &
Sp. bezoar.] A calculous concretion found in the intestines of certain
ruminant animals (as the wild goat, the gazelle, and the Peruvian
llama) formerly regarded as an unfailing antidote for poison, and a
certain remedy for eruptive, pestilential, or putrid diseases. Hence:
Any antidote or panacea.
NOTE: &hand; Tw o ki nds we re pa rticularly es teemed, th e Bezoar
orientale of India, and the Bezoar occidentale of Peru.
Bezoar antelope. See Antelope. -- Bezoar goat (Zo\'94l.), the wild
goat (Capra \'91gagrus). -- Bezoar mineral, an old preparation of
oxide of antimony. Ure.
Bezoardic
Bez`o*ar"dic (?), a. [Cf. F. b\'82zoardique, b\'82zoartique.]
Pertaining to, or compounded with, bezoar. -- n. A medicine containing
bezoar.
Bezoartic, Bezoartical
Bez`o*ar"tic (?), Bez`o*ar"tic*al (?), a. [See Bezoardic.] Having the
qualities of an antidote, or of bezoar; healing. [Obs.]
Bezonian
Be*zo"ni*an (?), n. [Cf. F. besoin need, want, It bisogno.] A low
fellow or scoundrel; a beggar.
Great men oft die by vile bezonians. Shak.
Bezzle
Bez"zle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bezzled (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bezzling
(#).] [OF. besillier, besiler, to maltreat, pillage; or shortened fr.
embezzle. Cf. Embezzle.] To plunder; to waste in riot. [Obs.]
Bezzle
Bez"zle, v. i. To drink to excess; to revel. [Obs.]
Bhang
Bhang (?), n. [Per. bang; cf. Skr. bhang\'be hemp.] An astringent and
narcotic drug made from the dried leaves and seed capsules of wild
hemp (Cannabis Indica), and chewed or smoked in the East as a means of
intoxication. See Hasheesh.
Bhunder
Bhun"der (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) An Indian monkey (Macacus
Rhesus), protected by the Hindoos as sacred. See Rhesus.
Bi
Bi* (?). [L. bis twice, which in composition drops the -s, akin to E.
two. See Bis-, Two, and cf. Di-, Dis-.]
1. In most branches of science bi- in composition denotes two, twice,
or doubly; as, bidentate, two-toothed; biternate, doubly ternate, etc.
2. (Chem.) In the composition of chemical names bi- denotes two atoms,
parts, or equivalents of that constituent to the name of which it is
prefixed, to one of the other component, or that such constituent is
present in double the ordinary proportion; as, bichromate, bisulphide.
Be- and di- are often used interchangeably.
Biacid
Bi*ac"id (?), a. [Pref. bi- + acid.] (Chem.) Having two hydrogen atoms
which can be replaced by negative atoms or radicals to form salts; --
said of bases. See Diacid.
Biacuminate
Bi`a*cu"mi*nate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + acuminate.] (Bot.) Having points
in two directions.
Beangular
Be*an"gu*lar (?), a. [Pref. bi- + angular.] Having two angles or
corners.
Biangulate, Biangulated
Bi*an"gu*late (?), Bi*an"gu*la`ted (?), a. [Pref. bi- + angulate,
angulated.] Biangular.
Biangulous
Bi*an"gu*lous (?),a. [Pref. bi- + angulous.] Biangular. [R.]
Biantheriferous
Bi*an`ther*if"er*ous (?), a. [Pref. bi- + antherigerous.] (Bot.)
Having two anthers.
Biarticulate
Bi`ar*tic"u*late (?), a. [Pref. bi- + articulate.] (Zo\'94l.) Having,
or consisting of, tow joints.
Bias
Bi"as (?), n.; pl. Biases (#). [F. biasis, perh. fr. LL. bifax
two-faced; L. bis + facies face. See Bi-, and cf. Face.]
1. A weight on the side of the ball used in the game of bowls, or a
tendency imparted to the ball, which turns it from a straight line.
Being ignorant that there is a concealed bias within the spheroid,
which will . . . swerve away. Sir W. Scott.
2. A learning of the mind; propensity or prepossession toward an
object or view, not leaving the mind indifferent; bent inclination.
Strong love is a bias upon the thoughts. South.
Morality influences men's lives, and gives a bias to all their
actions. Locke.
3. A wedge-shaped piece of cloth taken out of a garment (as the waist
of a dress) to diminish its circumference.
4. A slant; a diagonal; as, to cut cloth on the bias. Syn. --
Prepossession; prejudice; partiality; inclination. See Bent.
Bias
Bi"as, a.
1. Inclined to one side; swelled on one side. [Obs.] Shak.
2. Cut slanting or diagonally, as cloth.
Bias
Bi"as, adv. In a slanting manner; crosswise; obliquely; diagonally;
as, to cut cloth bias.
Bias
Bi"as, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Biased (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Biasing.] To
incline to one side; to give a particular direction to; to influence;
to prejudice; to prepossess.
Me it had not biased in the one direction, nor should it have
biased any just critic in the counter direction. De. Quincey.
Biauriculate
Bi`au*ric"u*late (?), a. [Pref. bi- + au riculate.]
1. (Anat.) Having two auricles, as the heart of mammals, birds, and
reptiles.
2. (Bot. & Zo\'94l.) Having two earlike projections at its base, as a
leaf.
Biaxal, Biaxial
Bi*ax"al (?), Bi*ax"i*al (?), a. [Pref. bi- + axal, axial.] (Opt.)
Having two axes; as, biaxial polarization. Brewster. -- Bi*ax"i*al*ly,
adv.
Bib
Bib (?), n. [From Bib, v., because the bib receives the drink that the
child slavers from the mouth.]
1. A small piece of cloth worn by children over the breast, to protect
the clothes.
2. (Zo\'94l.) An arctic fish (Gadus luscus), allied to the cod; --
called also pout and whiting pout.
3. A bibcock.
Bib, Bibbe
Bib, Bibbe (?), v. t. [L. bibere. See Beverage, and cf. Imbibe.] To
drink; to tipple. [Obs.]
This miller hath . . . bibbed ale. Chaucer.
Bib
Bib, v. i. To drink; to sip; to tipple.
He was constantly bibbing. Locke.
Bibacious
Bi*ba"cious (?), a. [L. bibax, bibacis, fr. bibere. See Bib.] Addicted
to drinking.
Bibacity
Bi*bac"i*ty (?), n. The practice or habit of drinking too much;
tippling. Blount.
Bibasic
Bi*ba"sic (?), a. [Pref. bi- + basic.] (Chem.) Having to hydrogen
atoms which can be replaced by positive or basic atoms or radicals to
form salts; -- said of acids. See Dibasic.
Bibb
Bibb (?), n. A bibcock. See Bib, n., 3.
Bibber
Bib"ber (?), n. One given to drinking alcoholic beverages too freely;
a tippler; -- chiefly used in composition; as, winebibber.
Bibble-babble
Bib"ble-bab"ble (?), n. [A reduplication of babble.] Idle talk;
babble. Shak.
Bibbs
Bibbs (?), n. pl. (Naut.) Pieces of timber bolted to certain parts of
a mast tp support the trestletrees.
Bibcock
Bib"cock` (?), n. A cock or faucet having a bent down nozzle. Knight.
Bibirine
Bi*bi"rine (?), n. (Chem.) See Bebeerine.
Bibitory
Bib"i*to*ry (?), a. Of or pertaining to drinking or tippling.
Bible
Bi"ble (?), n. [F. bible, L. biblia, pl., fr. Gr. , pl. of , dim. of ,
, book, prop. Egyptian papyrus.]
1. A book. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. The Book by way of eminence, -- that is, the book which is made up
of the writings accepted by Christians as of divine origin and
authority, whether such writings be in the original language, or
translated; the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments; -- sometimes
in a restricted sense, the Old Testament; as, King James's Bible;
Douay Bible; Luther's Bible. Also, the book which is made up of
writings similarly accepted by the Jews; as, a rabbinical Bible.
3. A book containing the sacred writings belonging to any religion;
as, the Koran is often called the Mohammedan Bible. <-- 4. (Fig.) A
book with an authoritative exposition of some topic, respected by many
experts on the field. -->
Bible Society, an association for securing the multiplication and wide
distribution of the Bible. -- Douay Bible. See Douay Bible. -- Geneva
Bible. See under Geneva.
Bibler
Bib"ler (?), n. [See Bib, v. t.] A great drinker; a tippler. [Written
also bibbler and bibbeler.]
Biblical
Bib"li*cal (?), a. Pertaining to, or derived from, the Bible; as,
biblical learning; biblical authority.
Biblicality
Bib`li*cal"i*ty (?), n. The quality of being biblical; a biblical
subject. [R.]
Biblically
Bib"li*cal*ly (?), adv. According to the Bible.
Biblicism
Bib"li*cism (?), n. [Cf. F. biblicisme.] Learning or literature
relating to the Bible. [R.]
Biblicist
Bib"li*cist (?), n. One skilled in the knowledge of the Bible; a
demonstrator of religious truth by the Scriptures.
Bibliograph
Bib"li*o*graph` (?), n. Bibliographer.
Bibliographer
Bib`li*og"ra*pher (?), n. [Gr. , fr. book + to write : cf. F.
bibliographe.] One who writes, or is versed in, bibliography.
Bibliographic, Bibliographical
Bib`li*o*graph"ic (?), Bib`li*o*graph"ic*al (?), a. [Cf. F.
bibliographique.] Pertaining to bibliography, or the history of books.
-- Bib`li*o*graph"ic*al*ly, adv.
Bibliography
Bib`li*og"ra*phy (?) n.; pl. Bibliographies (#). [Gr. : cf. F.
bibliographie.] A history or description of books and manuscripts,
with notices of the different editions, the times when they were
printed, etc.
Bibliolater, Bibliolatrist
Bib`li*ol"a*ter (?), Bib`li*ol"a*trist (?), n. [See. Bibliolatry.] A
worshiper of books; especially, a worshiper of the Bible; a believer
in its verbal inspiration. De Quincey.
Bibliolatry
Bib`li*ol"a*try (?), n. [Gr. book + service, worship, to serve.] Book
worship, esp. of the Bible; -- applied by Roman Catholic divine
Coleridge. F. W. Newman.
Bibliological
Bib`li*o*log"ic*al (?), a. Relating to bibliology.
Bibliology
Bib`li*ol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. book + -logy.]
1. An account of books; book lore; bibliography.
2. The literature or doctrine of the Bible.
Bibliomancy
Bib"li*o*man`cy (?), n. [Gr. book + -mancy: cf. F. bibliomancie.] A
kind of divination, performed by selecting passages of Scripture at
hazard, and drawing from them indications concerning future events.
Bibliomania
Bib`li*o*ma"ni*a (?), n. [Gr. book + madness: cf. F. bibliomanie.] A
mania for acquiring books.
Bibliomaniac
Bib`li*o*ma"ni*ac (?), n. One who has a mania for books. -- a.
Relating to a bibliomaniac.
Bibliomaniacal
Bib`li*o*ma*ni"ac*al (?), a. Pertaining to a passion for books;
relating to a bibliomaniac.
Bibliopegic
Bib`li*o*peg"ic (?), a. [Gr. book + to make fast.] Relating to the
binding of books. [R.]
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Bibliopegist
Bib`li*op"e*gist (?), n. A bookbinder.
Bibliopegistic
Bib`li*op`e*gis"tic (?), a. Pertaining to the art of binding books.
[R.] Dibdin.
Bibliopegy
Bib`li*op"e*gy (?), n. [See Bibliopegic.] The art of binding books.
[R.]
Bibliophile
Bib"li*o*phile (?), n. [Gr. book + to love: cf. F. bibliophile.] A
lover of books.
Bibliophilism
Bib`li*oph"i*lism (?), n. Love of books.
Bibliophilist
Bib`li*oph"i*list (?), n. A lover of books.
Bibliophobia
Bib`li*o*pho"bi*a (?), n. [Gr. book + to fear.] A dread of books. [R.]
Bibliopole
Bib"li*o*pole (?), n. [L. bibliopola, Gr. ; book + to sell: cf. F.
bibliopole.] One who sells books.
Bibliopolic, Bibliopolar
Bib`li*o*pol"ic (?), Bib`li*op"o*lar (?), a. [See Bibliopole.] Of or
pertaining to the sale of books. "Bibliopolic difficulties." Carlyle.
Bibliopolism
Bib`li*op"o*lism (?), n. The trade or business of selling books.
Bibliopolist
Bib`li*op"o*list (?), n. Same as Bibliopole.
Bibliopolistic
Bib`li*op`o*lis"tic (?), a. Of or pertaining to bibliopolism. Dibdin.
Bibliotaph, Bibliotaphist
Bib"li*o*taph (?), Bib`li*ot"a*phist (?), n. [Gr. book + a burial.]
One who hides away books, as in a tomb. [R.] Crabb.
Bibliothec
Bib"li*o*thec (?), n. A librarian.
Bibliotheca
Bib`li*o*the"ca (?), n. [L. See Bibliotheke.] A library.
Bibliothecal
Bib`li*o*the"cal (?), a. [L. bibliothecalis. See Bibliotheke.]
Belonging to a library. Byrom.
Bibliothecary
Bib`li*oth"e*ca*ry (?), n. [L. bibliothecarius: cf. F.
biblioth\'82caire.] A librarian. [Obs.] Evelin.
Bibliotheke
Bib"li*o*theke (?), n. [L. bibliotheca, Gr. ; book + a case, box, fr.
to place: cf. F. biblioth\'8aque.] A library. [Obs.] Bale.
Biblist
Bib"list (?), n. [Cf. F. bibliste. See Bible.]
1. One who makes the Bible the sole rule of faith.
2. A biblical scholar; a biblicist. I. Taylor.
Bibracteate
Bi*brac"te*ate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + bracteate.] (Bot.) Furnished with,
or having, two bracts.
Bibulous
Bib"u*lous (?), a. [L. bibulus, fr. bibere to drink. See Bib, v. t. ]
1. Readily imbibing fluids or moisture; spongy; as, bibulous blotting
paper.
2. Inclined to drink; addicted to tippling.
Bibulously
Bib"u*lous*ly, adv. In a bibulous manner; with profuse imbibition or
absorption. De Quincey.
Bicalcarate
Bi*cal"ca*rate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + calcarate.] Having two spurs, as
the wing or leg of a bird.
Bicallose, Bicallous
Bi*cal"lose (?), Bi*cal"lous (?), a. [Pref. bi- + callose, callous.]
(Bot.) Having two callosities or hard spots. Gray.
Bicameral
Bi*cam"er*al (?), a. [Pref. bi- + camera.] Consisting of, or
including, two chambers, or legislative branches. Bentham.
Bicapsular
Bi*cap"su*lar (?), a. [Pref. bi- + capsular: cf. F. bicapsulaire.]
(Bot.) Having two capsules; as, a bicapsular pericarp.
Bicarbonate
Bi*car"bon*ate (?), n. [Pref. bi-+ carbonate.] (Chem.) A carbonate in
which but half the hydrogen of the acid is replaced by a positive
element or radical, thus making the proportion of the acid to the
positive or basic portion twice what it is in the normal carbonates;
an acid carbonate; -- sometimes called supercarbonate.
Bicarbureted or -retted
Bi*car"bu*ret`ed or -ret`ted (?), a. [Pref. bi- + carbureted.] (Chem.)
Containing two atoms or equivalents of carbon in the molecule. [Obs.
or R.]
Bicarinate
Bi*car"i*nate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + carinate.] (Biol.) Having two
keel-like projections, as the upper palea of grasses.
Bicaudal
Bi*cau"dal (?), a. [Pref. bi- + caudal.] Having, or terminating in,
two tails.
Bicaudate
Bi*cau"date (?), a. [Pref. bi- + caudate.] Two-tailed; bicaudal.
Bicched
Bic"ched (?), a. [Of unknown origin.] Pecked; pitted; notched. [Obs.]
Chaucer. Bicched bones, pecked, or notched, bones; dice.
Bice, Bise
Bice, Bise (?), n. [F. bis, akin to It. bigio light gray, tawny.]
(Paint.) A pale blue pigment, prepared from the native blue carbonate
of copper, or from smalt; -- called also blue bice. Green bice is
prepared from the blue, by adding yellow orpiment, or by grinding down
the green carbonate of copper. Cooley. Brande & C.
Bicentenary
Bi*cen"te*na*ry (?), a. [Pref. bi- + centenary.] Of or pertaining to
two hundred, esp. to two hundred years; as, a bicentenary celebration.
-- n. The two hundredth anniversary, or its celebration.
Bicentennial
Bi`cen*ten"ni*al, a. [Pref. bi- + centennial.]
1. Consisting of two hundred years.
2. Occurring every two hundred years.
Bicentennial
Bi`cen*ten"ni*al, n. The two hundredth year or anniversary, or its
celebration.
Bicephalous
Bi*ceph"a*lous (?), a. [Pref. bi- + cephalous: cf. F. bic\'82phale.]
Having two heads.
Biceps
Bi"ceps (?), n. [L., two-headed; bis twice + caput head. See Capital.]
(Anat.) A muscle having two heads or origins; -- applied particularly
to a flexor in the arm, and to another in the thigh.
Bichir
Bi*chir" (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) A remarkable ganoid fish
(Polypterus bichir) found in the Nile and other African rivers. See
Brachioganoidei.
Bichloride
Bi*chlo"ride (?), n. [Pref. bi- + chloride.] (Chem.) A compound
consisting of two atoms of chlorine with one or more atoms of another
element; -- called also dichloride. Bichloride of mercury, mercuric
chloride; -- sometimes called corrosive sublimate.
Bicho
Bi"cho (?), n. [Sp.] (Zo\'94l.) See Jigger.
Bichromate
Bi*chro"mate (?), n. [Pref. bi- + chromate.] (Chem.) A salt containing
two parts of chromic acid to one of the other ingredients; as,
potassium bichromate; -- called also dichromate.
Bichromatize
Bi*chro"ma*tize (?), v. t. To combine or treat with a bichromate, esp.
with bichromate of potassium; as, bichromatized gelatine.
Bicipital
Bi*cip"i*tal (?), a. [L. biceps, bicipitis: cf. F. bicipital. See
Biceps.]
1. (Anat.) (a) Having two heads or origins, as a muscle. (b)
Pertaining to a biceps muscle; as, bicipital furrows, the depressions
on either side of the biceps of the arm.
2. (Bot.) Dividing into two parts at one extremity; having two heads
or two supports; as, a bicipital tree.
Bicipitous
Bi*cip"i*tous (?), a. Having two heads; bicipital. "Bicipitous
serpents." Sir T. Browne.
Bicker
Bick"er, n. [See Beaker.] A small wooden vessel made of staves and
hoops, like a tub. [Prov. Eng.]
Bicker
Bick"er (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bickered (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bickering.] [OE. bikeren, perh. fr. Celtic; cf. W. bicra to fight,
bicker, bicre conflict, skirmish; perh. akin to E. beak.]
1. To skirmish; to exchange blows; to fight.def> [Obs.]
Two eagles had a conflict, and bickered together. Holland.
2. To contend in petulant altercation; to wrangle.
Petty things about which men cark and bicker. Barrow.
3. To move quickly and unsteadily, or with a pattering noise; to
quiver; to be tremulous, like flame.
They [streamlets] bickered through the sunny shade. Thomson.
Bicker
Bick"er, n.
1. A skirmish; an encounter. [Obs.]
2. A fight with stones between two parties of boys. [Scot.] Jamieson.
3. A wrangle; also, a noise,, as in angry contention.
Bickerer
Bick"er*er (?), n. One who bickers.
Bickering
Bick"er*ing, n.
1. A skirmishing. "Frays and bickerings." Milton.
2. Altercation; wrangling.
Bickerment
Bick"er*ment (?), n. Contention. [Obs.] Spenser.
Bickern
Bick"ern (?), n. [F. bigorne. See Bicorn.] An anvil ending in a beak
or point (orig. in two beaks); also, the beak or horn itself.
Bicolligate
Bi*col"li*gate (?), a. [L. bis twice + colligatus, p. p. See
Colligate, v. t. ] (Zo\'94l.) Having the anterior toes connected by a
basal web.
Bicolor, Bicolored
Bi"col`or (?), Bi"col`ored (?), a. [L. bicolor; bis twice + color
color.] Of two colors.
Biconcave
Bi*con"cave (?), a. [Pref. bi- + concave.] Concave on both sides; as,
biconcave vertebr\'91.
Biconjugate
Bi*con"ju*gate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + conjugate, a.] (Bot.) Twice
paired, as when a petiole forks twice. Gray.
Biconvex
Bi*con"vex (?), a. [Pref. bi- + convex.] Convex on both sides; as, a
biconvex lens.
Bicorn, Bicorned, Bicornous
Bi"corn (?), Bi"corned (?), Bi*cor"nous (?), a. [L. bicornis; bis
twice + cornu horn: cf. F. bicorne. Cf. Bickern.] Having two horns;
two-horned; crescentlike.
Bicorporal
Bi*cor"po*ral (?), a. [Pref. bi- + corporal.] Having two bodies.
Bicorporate
Bi*cor"po*rate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + corporate.] (Her.) Double-bodied,
as a lion having one head and two bodies.
Bicostate
Bi*cos"tate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + costate.] (Bot.) Having two principal
ribs running longitudinally, as a leaf.
Bicrenate
Bi*cre"nate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + crenate.] (Bot.) Twice crenated, as
in the case of leaves whose crenatures are themselves crenate.
Bicrescentic
Bi`cres*cen"tic (?), a. [Pref. bi- + crescent.] Having the form of a
double crescent.
Bicrural
Bi*cru"ral (?), a. [Pref. bi- + crural.] Having two legs. Hooker.
Bicuspid, Bicuspidate
Bi*cus"pid (?), Bi*cus"pid*ate (?), a. [See pref. Bi-, and Cuspidate.]
Having two points or prominences; ending in two points; -- said of
teeth, leaves, fruit, etc.
Bicuspid
Bi*cus"pid, n. (Anat.) One of the two double-pointed teeth which
intervene between the canines (cuspids) and the molars, on each side
of each jaw. See Tooth, n.
Bicyanide
Bi*cy"a*nide (?), n. See Dicyanide.
Bicycle
Bi"cy*cle (?), n. [Pref. bi- + cycle.] A light vehicle having two
wheels one behind the other. It has a saddle seat and is propelled by
the rider's feet acting on cranks or levers.
Bicycler
Bi"cy*cler (?), n. One who rides a bicycle.
Bicyclic
Bi*cyc"lic (?), a. Relating to bicycles.
Bicycling
Bi"cy*cling (?), n. The use of a bicycle; the act or practice of
riding a bicycle.
Bicyclism
Bi"cy*clism (?), n. The art of riding a bicycle.
Bicyclist
Bi"cy*clist (?), n. A bicycler.
Bicycular
Bi*cyc"u*lar (?), a. Relating to bicycling.
Bid
Bid (?), v. t. [imp. Bade (?), Bid, (Obs.) Bad; p. p. Bidden (?), Bid;
p. pr. & vb. n. Bidding.] [OE. bidden, prop to ask, beg, AS. biddan;
akin to OS. biddian, Icel. bi, OHG. bittan, G. bitten, to pray, ask,
request, and E. bead, also perh. to Gr. to persuade, L. fidere to
trust, E. faith, and bide. But this word was early confused with OE.
beden, beoden, AS. be\'a2dan, to offer, command; akin to Icel. bj,
Goth. biudan (in comp.), OHG. biotan to command, bid, G. bieten, D.
bieden, to offer, also to Gr. to learn by inquiry, Skr. budh to be
awake, to heed, present OSlav. bud to be awake, E. bode, v. The word
now has the form of OE. bidden to ask, but the meaning of OE. beden to
command, except in "to bid beads." &root;30.]
1. To make an offer of; to propose. Specifically : To offer to pay ( a
certain price, as for a thing put up at auction), or to take (a
certain price, as for work to be done under a contract).
2. To offer in words; to declare, as a wish, a greeting, a threat, or
defiance, etc.; as, to bid one welcome; to bid good morning, farewell,
etc.
Neither bid him God speed. 2. John 10.
He bids defiance to the gaping crowd. Granrille.
3. To proclaim; to declare publicly; to make known. [Mostly obs.] "Our
banns thrice bid !" Gay.
4. To order; to direct; to enjoin; to command.
That Power who bids the ocean ebb and flow. Pope
Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee. Matt. xiv. 28
I was bid to pick up shells. D. Jerrold.
5. To invite; to call in; to request to come.
As many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. Matt. xxii. 9
To bid beads, to pray with beads, as the Roman Catholics; to
distinguish each bead by a prayer. [Obs.] -- To bid defiance to , to
defy openly; to brave. -- To bid fair, to offer a good prospect; to
make fair promise; to seem likely. Syn. -- To offer; proffer; tender;
propose; order; command; direct; charge; enjoin.
Bid
Bid (?), imp. & p. p. of Bid.
Bid
Bid, n. An offer of a price, especially at auctions; a statement of a
sum which one will give for something to be received, or will take for
something to be done or furnished; that which is offered.
Bid
Bid, v. i. [See Bid, v. t.]
1. To pray. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. To make a bid; to state what one will pay or take.
Bidale
Bid"ale` (?), n. [Bid + ale.] An invitation of friends to drink ale at
some poor man's house, and there to contribute in charity for his
relief. [Prov. Eng.]
Biddable
Bid"da*ble (?), a. Obedient; docile. [Scot.]
Bidden
Bid"den (?), p. p. of Bid.
Bidder
Bid"der (?), n. [AS. biddere. ] One who bids or offers a price. Burke.
Biddery ware
Bid"der*y ware` (?). [From Beder or Bidar a town in India.] A kind of
metallic ware made in India. The material is a composition of zinc,
tin, and lead, in which ornaments of gold and silver are inlaid or
damascened. [Spelt also bidry, bidree, bedery, beder.]
Bidding
Bid"ding, n.
1. Command; order; a proclamation or notifying. "Do thou thy master's
bidding." Shak.
2. The act or process of making bids; an offer; a proposal of a price,
as at an auction.
Bidding prayer
Bid"ding prayer` (?).
1. (R. C. Ch.) The prayer for the souls of benefactors, said before
the sermon.
2. (Angl. Ch.) The prayer before the sermon, with petitions for
various specified classes of persons.
Biddy
Bid"dy (?), n. [Etymology uncertain.] A name used in calling a hen or
chicken. Shak.
Biddy
Bid"dy, n. [A familiar form of Bridget.] An Irish serving woman or
girl. [Colloq.]
Bide
Bide (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bided; p. pr. & vb. n. Biding.] [OE.
biden, AS. b\'c6dan; akin to OHG. b\'c6tan, Goth. beidan, Icel. b\'c6;
perh. orig., to wait with trust, and akin to bid. See Bid, v. t., and
cf. Abide.]
1. To dwell; to inhabit; to abide; to stay.
All knees to thee shall bow of them that bide In heaven or earth,
or under earth, in hell. Milton.
2. To remain; to continue or be permanent in a place or state; to
continue to be. Shak.
Bide
Bide, v. t.
1. To encounter; to remain firm under (a hardship); to endure; to
suffer; to undergo.
Poor naked wretches, wheresoe'er you are, That bide the pelting of
this pitiless storm. Shak.
2. To wait for; as, I bide my time. See Abide.
Bident
Bi"dent (?), n. [L. bidens, -entis, having two prongs; bis twice +
dens a tooth.] An instrument or weapon with two prongs.
Bidental
Bi*den"tal (?), a. Having two teeth. Swift.
Bidentate
Bi*den"tate (?), a. (Bot. & Zo\'94l.) Having two teeth or two
toothlike processes; two-toothed.
Bidet
Bi*det" (?), n. [F. bidet, perh. fr. Celtic; cr. Gael. bideach very
little, diminutive, bidein a diminutive animal, W. bidan a weakly or
sorry wretch.]
1. A small horse formerly allowed to each trooper or dragoon for
carrying his baggage. B. Jonson.
2. A kind of bath tub for sitting baths; a sitz bath.
Bidigitate
Bi*dig"i*tate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + digitate.] Having two fingers or
fingerlike projections.
Biding
Bid"ing (?), n. Residence; habitation. Rowe.
Bield
Bield (?), n. A shelter. Same as Beild. [Scot.]
Bield
Bield, v. t. To shelter. [Scot.]
Biennial
Bi*en"ni*al (?), a. [L. biennalis and biennis, fr. biennium a space of
two years; bis twice + annus year. Cf. Annual.]
1. Happening, or taking place, once in two years; as, a biennial
election.
2. (Bot.) Continuing for two years, and then perishing, as plants
which form roots and leaves the first year, and produce fruit the
second.
Biennial
Bi*en"ni*al, n.
1. Something which takes place or appears once in two years; esp. a
biennial examination.
2. (Bot.) A plant which exists or lasts for two years.
Biennially
Bi*en"ni*al*ly, adv. Once in two years.
Bier
Bier (?), n. [OE. b\'91e, beere, AS. b, b; akin to D. baar, OHG.
b\'bera, G. bahre, Icel barar, Dbaare, L. feretrum, Gr. , from the
same bear to produce. See 1st Bear, and cf. Barrow.]
1. A handbarrow or portable frame on which a corpse is placed or borne
to the grave.
2. (Weaving) A count of forty threads in the warp or chain of woolen
cloth. Knight.
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Bierbalk
Bier"balk` (?), n. [See Bier, and Balk, n.] A church road (e. g., a
path across fields) for funerals. [Obs.] Homilies.
Biestings, Beestings
Biest"ings, Beest"ings (?), n. pl. [OE. bestynge, AS. b, fr. b, beost;
akin to D. biest, OHG. biost, G. biest; of unknown origin.] The first
milk given by a cow after calving. B. Jonson.
The thick and curdy milk . . . commonly called biestings. Newton.
(1574).
Bifacial
Bi*fa"cial (?), a. [Pref. bi- + facial.] Having the opposite surfaces
alike.
Bifarious
Bi*fa"ri*ous (?), a. [L. bifarius; bis twice + fari to speak. Cf. Gr.
1. Twofold; arranged in two rows.
2. (Bot.) Pointing two ways, as leaves that grow only on opposite
sides of a branch; in two vertical rows.
Bifariously
Bi*fa"ri*ous*ly, adv. In a bifarious manner.
Biferous
Bif"er*ous (?), a. [L. bifer; bis twice + ferre to bear.] Bearing
fruit twice a year.
Biffin
Bif"fin (?), n. [Cf. Beaufin.]
1. A sort of apple peculiar to Norfolk, Eng.
NOTE: [Sometimes ca lled beaufin; but properly beefin (it is said),
from its resemblance to raw beef.]
Wright.
2. A baked apple pressed down into a flat, round cake; a dried apple.
Dickens.
Bifid
Bi"fid (?), a. [L. bifidus; bis twice + root of findere to cleave or
split: cf. F. bifide.] Cleft to the middle or slightly beyond the
middle; opening with a cleft; divided by a linear sinus, with straight
margins.
Bifidate
Bif"i*date (?), a. [L. bifidatus.] See Bifid.
Bifilar
Bi*fi"lar (?), a. [Pref. bi- + filar.] Two-threaded; involving the use
of two threads; as, bifilar suspension; a bifilar balance. Bifilar
micrometer (often called a bifilar), an instrument form measuring
minute distances or angles by means of two very minute threads
(usually spider lines), one of which, at least, is movable; -- more
commonly called a filar micrometer.
Biflabellate
Bi`fla*bel"late (?), a. [Pref. bi- + flabellate.] (Zo\'94l.)
Flabellate on both sides.
Biflagellate
Bi`fla*gel"late (?), a. [Pref. bi- + flagellate.] Having two long,
narrow, whiplike appendages.
Biflorate, Biflorous
Bi*flo"rate (?), Bi*flo"rous (?), a. [L. bis twice + flos, floris,
flower.] (Bot.) Bearing two flowers; two-flowered.
Bifold
Bi"fold (?), a. [Pref. bi- + fold.] Twofold; double; of two kinds,
degrees, etc. Shak.
Bifoliate
Bi*fo"li*ate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + foliate.] (Bot.) Having two leaves;
two-leaved.
Bifoliolate
Bi*fo"li*o*late (?), a. [Pref. bi- + foliolate.] (Bot.) Having two
leaflets, as some compound leaves.
Biforate
Bif"o*rate (?), a. [L. bis twice + foratus, p. p. of forare to bore or
pierce.] (Bot.) Having two perforations.
Biforine
Bif"o*rine (?), n. [L. biforis, biforus, having two doors; bis twice +
foris door.] (Bot.) An oval sac or cell, found in the leaves of
certain plants of the order Arace\'91. It has an opening at each end
through which raphides, generated inside, are discharged.
Biforked
Bi"forked (?), a. Bifurcate.
Biform
Bi"form (?), a. [L. biformis; bis twice + forma shape: cf. F.
biforme.] Having two forms, bodies, or shapes. Croxall.
Biformed
Bi"formed (?), a. [Pref. bi- + form.] Having two forms. Johnson.
Biformity
Bi*form"i*ty (?), n. A double form.
Biforn
Bi*forn" (?), prep. & adv. Before. [Obs.]
Biforous
Bif"o*rous (?), a. [L. biforis having two doors; bis twice, two +
foris door.] See Biforate.
Bifronted
Bi*front"ed (?), a. [Pref. bi- + front.] Having two fronts. "Bifronted
Janus." Massinger.
Bifurcate, Bifurcated
Bi*fur"cate (?), Bi*fur"ca*ted (?), a. [Pref. bi- + furcate.]
Two-pronged; forked.
Bifurcate
Bi*fur"cate (?), v. i. To divide into two branches.
Bifurcation
Bi`fur*ca"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. bifurcation.] A forking, or division
into two branches.
Bifurcous
Bi*fur"cous (?), a. [L. bifurcus; bis twice + furca fork.] See
Bifurcate, a. [R.] Coles.
Big
Big (?), a. [compar. Bigger; superl. Biggest.] [Perh. from Celtic; cf.
W. beichiog, beichiawg, pregnant, with child, fr. baich burden, Arm.
beac'h; or cf. OE. bygly, Icel. biggiligr, (properly) habitable;
(then) magnigicent, excellent, fr. OE. biggen, Icel. byggja, to dwell,
build, akin to E. be.]
1. Having largeness of size; of much bulk or magnitude; of great size;
large. "He's too big to go in there." Shak.
2. Great with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or
produce; -- often figuratively.
[Day] big with the fate of Cato and of Rome. Addison.
3. Having greatness, fullness, importance, inflation, distention,
etc., whether in a good or a bad sense; as, a big heart; a big voice;
big looks; to look big. As applied to looks, it indicates haughtiness
or pride.
God hath not in heaven a bigger argument. Jer. Taylor.
NOTE: &hand; Bi g is of ten used in self-explaining compounds; as,
big-boned; big-sounding; big-named; big-voiced.
To talk big, to talk loudly, arrogantly, or pretentiously.
I talked big to them at first. De Foe.
Syn. -- Bulky; large; great; massive; gross.
Big, Bigg
Big, Bigg, n. [OE. bif, bigge; akin to Icel. bygg, Dan. byg, Sw.
bjugg.] (Bot.) Barley, especially the hardy four-rowed kind.
"Bear interchanges in local use, now with barley, now with bigg."
New English Dict.
Big, Bigg
Big, Bigg, v. t. [OE. biggen, fr. Icel. byggja to inhabit, to build, b
(neut.) to dwell (active) to make ready. See Boor, and Bound.] To
build. [Scot. & North of Eng. Dial.] Sir W. Scott.
Biga
Bi"ga (?), n. [L.] (Antiq.) A two-horse chariot.
Bigam
Big"am (?), n. [L. bigamus twice married: cf. F. bigame. See Bigamy.]
A bigamist. [Obs.]
Bigamist
Big"a*mist (?), n. [Cf. Digamist.] One who is guilty of bigamy.
Ayliffe.
Bigamous
Big"a*mous (?), a. Guilty of bigamy; involving bigamy; as, a bigamous
marriage.
Bigamy
Big"a*my (?), n. [OE. bigamie, fr. L. bigamus twice married; bis twice
+ Gr. marriage; prob. akin to Skt. j\'bemis related, and L. gemini
twins, the root meaning to bind, join: cf. F. bigamie. Cf. Digamy.]
(Law) The offense of marrying one person when already legally married
to another. Wharton.
NOTE: &hand; It is no t st rictly co rrect to ca ll this offense
bigamy: it more properly denominated polygamy, i. e., having a
plurality of wives or husbands at once, and in several statutes in
the United States the offense is classed under the head of
polygamy. In the canon law bigamy was the marrying of two virgins
successively, or one after the death of the other, or once marrying
a widow. This disqualified a man for orders, and for holding
ecclesiastical offices. Shakespeare uses the word in the latter
sense. Blackstone. Bouvier.
Base declension and loathed bigamy. Shak.
Bigarreau, Bigaroon
Big`ar*reau" (?), Big`a*roon" (?), n. [F. bigarreau, fr. bigarr\'82
variegated.] (Bot.) The large white-heart cherry.
Big-bellied
Big"-bel`lied (?), a. Having a great belly; as, a big-bellied man or
flagon; advanced in pregnancy.
Bigaminate
Bi*gam"i*nate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + geminate.] (Bot.) Having a forked
petiole, and a pair of leaflets at the end of each division;
biconjugate; twice paired; -- said of a decompound leaf.
Bigential
Bi*gen"tial (?), a. [Pref. bi- + L. gens, gentis, tribe.] (Zo\'94l.)
Including two tribes or races of men.
Bigeye
Big"eye` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A fish of the genus Priacanthus,
remarkable for the large size of the eye.
Bigg
Bigg (?), n. & v. See Big, n. & v.
Biggen
Big"gen (?), v. t. & i. To make or become big; to enlarge. [Obs. or
Dial.] Steele.
Bigger
Big"ger (?), a., compar. of Big.
Biggest
Big"gest (?), a., superl. of Big.
Biggin
Big"gin (?), n. [F. b\'82guin, prob. from the cap worn by the
B\'82guines. Cf. Beguine, Biggon.] A child's cap; a hood, or something
worn on the head.
An old woman's biggin for a nightcap. Massinger.
Biggin
Big"gin, n. A coffeepot with a strainer or perforated metallic vessel
for holding the ground coffee, through which boiling water is poured;
-- so called from Mr. Biggin, the inventor.
Biggin, Bigging
Big"gin, Big"ging, n. [OE. bigging. See Big, Bigg, v. t.] A building.
[Obs.]
Biggon, Biggonnet
Big"gon (?), Big"gon*net (?), n. [F. b\'82guin and OF. beguinet, dim
of b\'82guin. See Biggin a cap.] A cap or hood with pieces covering
the ears.
Bigha
Big"ha (?), n. A measure of land in India, varying from a third of an
acre to an acre.
Bighorn
Big"horn` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The Rocky Mountain sheep (Ovis or
Caprovis montana).
Bight
Bight (?), n. [OE. bi a bending; cf. Sw. & Dan. bugt bend, bay; fr.
AS. byht, fr. b. &root;88. Cf. Bout, Bought a bend, and see Bow, v.]
1. A corner, bend, or angle; a hollow; as, the bight of a horse's
knee; the bight of an elbow.
2. (Geog.) A bend in a coast forming an open bay; as, the Bight of
Benin.
3. (Naut.) The double part of a rope when folded, in distinction from
the ends; that is, a round, bend, or coil not including the ends; a
loop.
Biglandular
Bi*glan"du*lar (?), a. [Pref. bi- + glandular.] Having two glands, as
a plant.
Bigly
Big"ly (?), adv. [From Big, a.] In a tumid, swelling, blustering
manner; haughtily; violently.
He brawleth bigly. Robynson (More's Utopia. )
Bigness
Big"ness, n. The state or quality of being big; largeness; size; bulk.
Bignonia
Big*no"ni*a (?), n. [Named from the Abb\'82 Bignon.] (Bot.) A large
genus of American, mostly tropical, climbing shrubs, having compound
leaves and showy somewhat tubular flowers. B. capreolata is the cross
vine of the Southern United States. The trumpet creeper was formerly
considered to be of this genus.
Bignoniaceous
Big*no`ni*a"ceous (?), a. (Bot.) Of pertaining to, or resembling, the
family of plants of which the trumpet flower is an example.
Bigot
Big"ot (?), n. [F. bigot a bigot or hypocrite, a name once given to
the Normans in France. Of unknown origin; possibly akin to Sp. bigote
a whisker; hombre de bigote a man of spirit and vigor; cf. It.
s-bigottire to terrify, to appall. Wedgwood and others maintain that
bigot is from the same source as Beguine, Beghard.]
1. A hypocrite; esp., a superstitious hypocrite. [Obs.]
2. A person who regards his own faith and views in matters of religion
as unquestionably right, and any belief or opinion opposed to or
differing from them as unreasonable or wicked. In an extended sense, a
person who is intolerant of opinions which conflict with his own, as
in politics or morals; one obstinately and blindly devoted to his own
church, party, belief, or opinion.
To doubt, where bigots had been content to wonder and believe.
Macaulay.
Bigot
Big"ot, a. Bigoted. [Obs.]
In a country more bigot than ours. Dryden.
Bigoted
Big"ot*ed, a. Obstinately and blindly attached to some creed, opinion
practice, or ritual; unreasonably devoted to a system or party, and
illiberal toward the opinions of others. "Bigoted to strife." Byron.
Syn. -- Prejudiced; intolerant; narrow-minded.
Bigotedly
Big"ot*ed*ly, adv. In the manner of a bigot.
Bigotry
Big"ot*ry (?), n. [Cf. F. bigoterie.]
1. The state of mind of a bigot; obstinate and unreasoning attachment
of one's own belief and opinions, with narrow-minded intolerance of
beliefs opposed to them.
2. The practice or tenets of a bigot.
Bigwig
Big"wig` (?), n. [Big,a.+ wig.] A person of consequence; as, the
bigwigs of society. [Jocose]
In our youth we have heard him spoken of by the bigwigs with
extreme condescension. Dickens.
Big-wigged
Big"-wigged` (?), a. characterized by pomposity of manner. [Eng.]
Bihydroguret
Bi`hy*drog"u*ret (?), n. [Pref. bi- + hydroguret.] (Chem.) A compound
of two atoms of hydrogen with some other substance. [Obs.]
Bijou
Bi*jou" (?), n.; pl. Bijoux (#). [F.; of uncertain origin.] A trinket;
a jewel; -- a word applied to anything small and of elegant
workmanship.
Bijoutry
Bi*jou"try (?), n. [F. bijouterie. See Bijou.] Small articles of
virtu, as jewelry, trinkets, etc.
Bijugate
Bij"u*gate (?), a. [L. bis twice + jugatus, p. p. of jugare to join.]
(Bot.) Having two pairs, as of leaflets.
Bijugous
Bij"u*gous (?), a. [L. bijugus yoked two together; bis twice + jugum
yoke, pair.] (Bot.) Bijugate.
Bike
Bike (?), n. [Ethymol. unknown.] A nest of wild bees, wasps, or ants;
a swarm. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.
Bikh
Bikh (?), n. [Hind., fr. Skr. visha poison.] (Bot.) The East Indian
name of a virulent poison extracted from Aconitum ferox or other
species of aconite: also, the plant itself.
Bilabiate
Bi*la"bi*ate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + labiate.] (Bot.) Having two lips, as
the corols of certain flowers.
Bilaciniate
Bi`la*cin"i*ate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + laciniate.] Doubly fringed.
Bilalo
Bi*la"lo (?), n. A two-masted passenger boat or small vessel, used in
the bay of Manila.
Bilamellate, Bilamellated
Bi*lam"el*late (?), Bi*lam"el*la`ted (?), a. [Pref. bi- + lamellate.]
(Bot.) Formed of two plates, as the stigma of the Mimulus; also,
having two elevated ridges, as in the lip of certain flowers.
Bilaminar, Bilaminate
Bi*lam"i*nar (?), Bi*lam"i*nate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + laminar,
laminate.] Formed of, or having, two lamin\'91, or thin plates.
Biland
Bi"land (?), n. A byland. [Obs.] Holland.
Bilander
Bil"an*der (?), n. [D. bijlander; bij by + land land, country.]
(Naut.) A small two-masted merchant vessel, fitted only for coasting,
or for use in canals, as in Holland.
Why choose we, then, like bilanders to creep Along the coast, and
land in view to keep? Dryden.
Bilateral
Bi*lat"er*al (?), a. [Pref. bi- + lateral: cf. F. bilat\'82ral.]
1. Having two sides; arranged upon two sides; affecting two sides or
two parties.
2. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to the two sides of a central area or
organ, or of a central axis; as, bilateral symmetry in animals, where
there is a similarity of parts on the right and left sides of the
body.
Bilaterality
Bi*lat`er*al"i*ty (?), n. State of being bilateral.
Bilberry
Bil"ber*ry (?), n.; pl. Bilberries (. [Cf. Dan. b\'94lleb\'91r
bilberry, where b\'94lle is perh. akin to E. ball.]
1. (Bot.) The European whortleberry (Vaccinium myrtillus); also, its
edible bluish black fruit.
There pinch the maids as blue as bilberry. Shak.
2. (Bot.) Any similar plant or its fruit; esp., in America, the
species Vaccinium myrtilloides, V. c\'91spitosum and V. uliginosum.
Bilbo
Bil"bo (?), n.; pl. Bilboes (.
1. A rapier; a sword; so named from Bilbao, in Spain. Shak.
2. pl. A long bar or bolt of iron with sliding shackles, and a lock at
the end, to confine the feet of prisoners or offenders, esp. on board
of ships.
Methought I lay Worse than the mutines in the bilboes. Shak.
Bilboquet
Bil"bo*quet (?), n. [F.] The toy called cup and ball.
Bilcock
Bil"cock (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The European water rail.
Bildstein
Bild"stein (?), n. [G., fr. bild image, likeness + stein stone.] Same
as Agalmatolite.
Bile
Bile (?), n. [L. bilis: cf. F. bile.]
1. (Physiol.) A yellow, or greenish, viscid fluid, usually alkaline in
reaction, secreted by the liver. It passes into the intestines, where
it aids in the digestive process. Its characteristic constituents are
the bile salts, and coloring matters.
2. Bitterness of feeling; choler; anger; ill humor; as, to stir one's
bile. Prescott.
NOTE: &hand; Th e an cients co nsidered th e bile to be the "humor"
which caused irascibility.
Bile
Bile, n. [OE. byle, bule, bele, AS. b, b; skin to D. buil, G. beule,
and Goth. ufbauljan to puff up. Cf. Boil a tumor, Bulge.] A boil.
[Obs. or Archaic]
Bilection
Bi*lec"tion (?), n. (Arch.) That portion of a group of moldings which
projects beyond the general surface of a panel; a bolection.
Bilestone
Bile"stone` (?), n. [Bile + stone.] A gallstone, or biliary calculus.
See Biliary. E. Darwin.
Bilge
Bilge (?), n. [A different orthography of bulge, of same origin as
belly. Cf. Belly, Bulge.]
1. The protuberant part of a cask, which is usually in the middle.
2. (Naut.) That part of a ship's hull or bottom which is broadest and
most nearly flat, and on which she would rest if aground.
3. Bilge water.
Bilge free (Naut.), stowed in such a way that the bilge is clear of
everything; -- said of a cask. -- Bilge pump, a pump to draw the bilge
water from the gold of a ship. -- Bilge water (Naut.), water which
collects in the bilge or bottom of a ship or other vessel. It is often
allowed to remain till it becomes very offensive. -- Bilge ways, the
timbers which support the cradle of a ship upon the ways, and which
slide upon the launching ways in launching the vessel.
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Bilge
Bilge (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bilged (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bilging.]
1. (Naut.) To suffer a fracture in the bilge; to spring a leak by a
fracture in the bilge.
2. To bulge.
Bilge
Bilge, v. t.
1. (Naut.) To fracture the bilge of, or stave in the bottom of (a ship
or other vessel).
2. To cause to bulge.
Bilgy
Bil"gy (?), a. Having the smell of bilge water.
Billary
Bil"la*ry (?), a. [L. bilis bile: cf. F. biliaire.] (Physiol.)
Relating or belonging to bile; conveying bile; as, biliary acids;
biliary ducts. Biliary calculus (Med.), a gallstone, or a concretion
formed in the gall bladder or its duct.
Biliation
Bil`i*a"tion (?), n. (Physiol.) The production and excretion of bile.
Biliferous
Bi*lif"er*ous (?), a. Generating bile.
Bilifuscin
Bil`i*fus"cin (?), n. [L. bilis bile + fuscus dark.] (Physiol.) A
brownish green pigment found in human gallstones and in old bile. It
is a derivative of bilirubin.
Bilimbi, Bilimbing
Bi*lim"bi (?), Bi*lim"bing (?), n. [Malay.] The berries of two East
Indian species of Averrhoa, of the Oxalide\'91 or Sorrel family. They
are very acid, and highly esteemed when preserved or pickled. The
juice is used as a remedy for skin diseases. [Written also blimbi and
blimbing.]
Biliment
Bil"i*ment (?), n. A woman's ornament; habiliment. [Obs.]
Bilin
Bi"lin (?), n. [Cf. F. biline, from L. bilis bile.] (Physiol. Chem.) A
name applied to the amorphous or crystalline mass obtained from bile
by the action of alcohol and ether. It is composed of a mixture of the
sodium salts of the bile acids.
Bilinear
Bi*lin"e*ar (?), a. (Math.) Of, pertaining to, or included by, two
lines; as, bilinear co\'94rdinates.
Bilingual
Bi*lin"gual (?), a. [L. bilinguis; bis twice + lingua tongue,
language.] Containing, or consisting of, two languages; expressed in
two languages; as, a bilingual inscription; a bilingual dictionary. --
Bi*lin"gual*ly, adv.
Bilingualism
Bi*lin"gual*ism (?), n. Quality of being bilingual.
The bilingualism of King's English. Earle.
Bilinguar
Bi*lin"guar (?), a. See Bilingual.
Bilinguist
Bi*lin"guist (?), n. One versed in two languages.
Bilinguous
Bi*lin"guous (?), a. [L. bilinguis.] Having two tongues, or speaking
two languages. [Obs.]
Bilious
Bil"ious (?), a. [L. biliosus, fr. bilis bile.]
1. Of or pertaining to the bile.
2. Disordered in respect to the bile; troubled with and excess of
bile; as, a bilious patient; dependent on, or characterized by, an
excess of bile; as, bilious symptoms.
3. Choleric; passionate; ill tempered. "A bilious old nabob."
Macaulay.
Bilious temperament. See Temperament.
Biliousness
Bil"ious*ness, n. The state of being bilious.
Biliprasin
Bil`i*pra"sin (?), n. [L. bilis bile + prasinus green.] (Physiol.) A
dark green pigment found in small quantity in human gallstones.
Bilirubin
Bil`i*ru"bin (?), n. [L. bilis biel + ruber red.] (Physiol.) A reddish
yellow pigment present in human bile, and in that from carnivorous and
herbivorous animals; the normal biliary pigment.
Biliteral
Bi*lit"er*al (?), a. [L. bis twice + littera letter.] Consisting of
two letters; as, a biliteral root of a Sanskrit verb. Sir W. Jones. --
n. A word, syllable, or root, consisting of two letters.
Biliteralism
Bi*lit"er*al*ism (?), n. The property or state of being biliteral.
Biliverdin
Bil`i*ver"din (?), n. [L. bilis bile + viridis green. Cf. Verdure.]
(Physiol.) A green pigment present in the bile, formed from bilirubin
by oxidation.
Bilk
Bilk (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bilked (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bilking.]
[Origin unknown. Cf. Balk.] To frustrate or disappoint; to deceive or
defraud, by nonfulfillment of engagement; to leave in the lurch; to
give the slip to; as, to bilk a creditor. Thackeray.
Bilk
Bilk, n.
1. A thwarting an adversary in cribbage by spoiling his score; a balk.
2. A cheat; a trick; a hoax. Hudibras.
3. Nonsense; vain words. B. Jonson.
4. A person who tricks a creditor; an untrustworthy, tricky person.
Marryat.
Bill
Bill (?), n. [OE. bile, bille, AS. bile beak of a bird, proboscis; cf.
Ir. & Gael. bil, bile, mouth, lip, bird's bill. Cf. Bill a weapon.] A
beak, as of a bird, or sometimes of a turtle or other animal. Milton.
Bill
Bill, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Billed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Billing.]
1. To strike; to peck. [Obs.]
2. To join bills, as doves; to caress in fondness. "As pigeons bill."
Shak.
To bill and coo, to interchange caresses; -- said of doves; also of
demonstrative lovers. Thackeray.
Bill
Bill, n. The bell, or boom, of the bittern
The bittern's hollow bill was heard. Wordsworth.
Bill
Bill, n. [OE. bil, AS. bill, bil; akin to OS. bil sword, OHG. bill
pickax, G. bille. Cf. Bill bea
1. A cutting instrument, with hook-shaped point, and fitted with a
handle; -- used in pruning, etc.; a billhook. When short, called a
hand bill, when long, a hedge bill.
2. A weapon of infantry, in the 14th and 15th centuries. A common form
of bill consisted of a broad, heavy, double-edged, hook-shaped blade,
having a short pike at the back and another at the top, and attached
to the end of a long staff.
France had no infantry that dared to face the English bows end
bills. Macaulay.
3. One who wields a bill; a billman. Strype.
4. A pickax, or mattock. [Obs.]
5. (Naut.) The extremity of the arm of an anchor; the point of or
beyond the fluke.
Bill
Bill (?), v. t. To work upon ( as to dig, hoe, hack, or chop anything)
with a bill.
Bill
Bill, n. [OE. bill, bille, fr. LL. billa (or OF. bille), for L. bulla
anything rounded, LL., seal, stamp, letter, edict, roll; cf. F. bille
a ball, prob. fr. Ger.; cf. MHG. bickel, D. bikkel, dice. Cf. Bull
papal edict, Billet a paper.]
1. (Law) A declaration made in writing, stating some wrong the
complainant has suffered from the defendant, or a fault committed by
some person against a law.
2. A writing binding the signer or signers to pay a certain sum at a
future day or on demand, with or without interest, as may be stated in
the document. [Eng.]
NOTE: &hand; In th e United States, it is usually called a note, a
note of hand, or a promissory note.
3. A form or draft of a law, presented to a legislature for enactment;
a proposed or projected law.
4. A paper, written or printed, and posted up or given away, to
advertise something, as a lecture, a play, or the sale of goods; a
placard; a poster; a handbill.
She put up the bill in her parlor window. Dickens.
5. An account of goods sold, services rendered, or work done, with the
price or charge; a statement of a creditor's claim, in gross or by
items; as, a grocer's bill.
6. Any paper, containing a statement of particulars; as, a bill of
charges or expenditures; a weekly bill of mortality; a bill of fare,
etc.
Bill of adventure. See under Adventure. -- Bill of costs, a statement
of the items which form the total amount of the costs of a party to a
suit or action. -- Bill of credit. (a) Within the constitution of the
United States, a paper issued by a State, on the mere faith and credit
of the State, and designed to circulate as money. No State shall "emit
bills of credit." U. S. Const. Peters. Wharton. Bouvier (b) Among
merchants, a letter sent by an agent or other person to a merchant,
desiring him to give credit to the bearer for goods or money. -- Bill
of divorce, in the Jewish law, a writing given by the husband to the
wife, by which the marriage relation was dissolved. Jer. iii. 8. --
Bill of entry, a written account of goods entered at the customhouse,
whether imported or intended for exportation. -- Bill of exceptions.
See under Exception. -- Bill of exchange (Com.), a written order or
request from one person or house to another, desiring the latter to
pay to some person designated a certain sum of money therein generally
is, and, to be negotiable, must be, made payable to order or to
bearer. So also the order generally expresses a specified time of
payment, and that it is drawn for value. The person who draws the bil
is called the drawer, the person on whom it is drawn is, before
acceptance, called the drawee, -- after acceptance, the acceptor; the
person to whom the money is directed to be paid is called the payee.
The person making the order may himself be the payee. The bill itself
is frequently called a draft. See Exchange. Chitty. -- Bill of fare, a
written or printed enumeration of the dishes served at a public table,
or of the dishes (with prices annexed) which may be ordered at a
restaurant, etc. -- Bill of health, a certificate from the proper
authorities as to the state of health of a ship's company at the time
of her leaving port. -- Bill of indictment, a written accusation
lawfully presented to a grand jury. If the jury consider the evidence
sufficient to support the accusation, they indorse it "A true bill,"
or "Not found," or "Ignoramus", or "Ignored." -- Bill of lading, a
written account of goods shipped by any person, signed by the agent of
the owner of the vessel, or by its master, acknowledging the receipt
of the goods, and promising to deliver them safe at the place
directed, dangers of the sea excepted. It is usual for the master to
sign two, three, or four copies of the bill; one of which he keeps in
possession, one is kept by the shipper, and one is sent to the
consignee of the goods. -- Bill of mortality, an official statement of
the number of deaths in a place or district within a given time; also,
a district required to be covered by such statement; as, a place
within the bills of mortality of London. -- Bill of pains and
penalties, a special act of a legislature which inflicts a punishment
less than death upon persons supposed to be guilty of treason or
felony, without any conviction in the ordinary course of judicial
proceedings. Bouvier. Wharton. -- Bill of parcels, an account given by
the seller to the buyer of the several articles purchased, with the
price of each. -- Bill of particulars (Law), a detailed statement of
the items of a plaintiff's demand in an action, or of the defendant's
set-off. -- Bill of rights, a summary of rights and privileges claimed
by a people. Such was the declaration presented by the Lords and
Commons of England to the Prince and Princess of Orange in 1688, and
enacted in Parliament after they became king and queen. In America, a
bill or declaration of rights is prefixed to most of the constitutions
of the several States. -- Bill of sale, a formal instrument for the
conveyance or transfer of goods and chattels. -- Bill of sight, a form
of entry at the customhouse, by which goods, respecting which the
importer is not possessed of full information, may be provisionally
landed for examination. -- Bill of store, a license granted at the
customhouse to merchants, to carry such stores and provisions as are
necessary for a voyage, custom free. Wharton. -- Bills payable (pl.),
the outstanding unpaid notes or acceptances made and issued by an
individual or firm. -- Bills receivable (pl.), the unpaid promissory
notes or acceptances held by an individual or firm. McElrath. -- A
true bill, a bill of indictment sanctioned by a grand jury.
Bill
Bill, v. t.
1. To advertise by a bill or public notice.
2. To charge or enter in a bill; as, to bill goods.
Billage
Bil"lage (?), n. and v. t. & i. Same as Bilge.
Billard
Bil"lard (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) An English fish, allied to the cod; the
coalfish. [Written also billet and billit.]
Billbeetle, or Billbug
Bill`bee"tle (?), or Bill"bug` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A weevil or curculio
of various species, as the corn weevil. See Curculio.
Billboard
Bill"board` (?), n.
1. (Naut.) A piece of thick plank, armed with iron plates, and fixed
on the bow or fore channels of a vessel, for the bill or fluke of the
anchor to rest on. Totten.
2. A flat surface, as of a panel or of a fence, on which bills are
posted; a bulletin board. <-- esp. a large board on which the space is
rented for advertising purposes. -->
Bill book
Bill" book` (?). (Com.) A book in which a person keeps an account of
his notes, bills, bills of exchange, etc., thus showing all that he
issues and receives.
Bill broker
Bill" bro`ker (?). One who negotiates the discount of bills.
Billed
Billed (?), a. Furnished with, or having, a bill, as a bird; -- used
in composition; as, broad-billed.
Billet
Bil"let (?), n. [F. billet, dim. of an OF. bille bill. See Bill a
writing.]
1. A small paper; a note; a short letter. "I got your melancholy
billet." Sterne.
2. A ticket from a public officer directing soldiers at what house to
lodge; as, a billet of residence.
Billet
Bil"let, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Billeted; p. pr. & vb. n. Billeting.]
[From Billet a ticket.] (Mil.) To direct, by a ticket or note, where
to lodge. Hence: To quarter, or place in lodgings, as soldiers in
private houses.
Billeted in so antiquated a mansion. W. Irving.
Billet
Bil"let, n. [F. billette, bille, log; of unknown origin; a different
word from bille ball. Cf. Billiards, Billot.]
1. A small stick of wood, as for firewood.
They shall beat out my brains with billets. Shak.
2. (Metal.) A short bar of metal, as of gold or iron.
3. (Arch.) An ornament in Norman work, resembling a billet of wood
either square or round.
4. (Saddlery) (a) A strap which enters a buckle. (b) A loop which
receives the end of a buckled strap. Knight.
5. (Her.) A bearing in the form of an oblong rectangle.
Billet-doux
Bil`let-doux" (?), n.; pl. Billets-doux (#). [F. billet note + doux
sweet, L. dulcis.] A love letter or note.
A lover chanting out a billet-doux. Spectator.
Billethead
Bil"let*head` (?), n. (Naut.) A round piece of timber at the bow or
stern of a whaleboat, around which the harpoon lone is run out when
the whale darts off.
Billfish
Bill"fish` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A name applied to several distinct
fishes: (a) The garfish (Tylosurus, or Belone, longirostris) and
allied species. (b) The saury, a slender fish of the Atlantic coast
(Scomberesox saurus). (c) The Tetrapturus albidus, a large oceanic
species related to the swordfish; the spearfish. (d) The American
fresh-water garpike (Lepidosteus osseus).
Billhead
Bill"head` (?), n. A printed form, used by merchants in making out
bills or rendering accounts.
Bill holder
Bill" hold`er (?).
1. A person who holds a bill or acceptance.
2. A device by means of which bills, etc., are held.
Billhook
Bill"hook` (?), n. [Bill + hook.] A thick, heavy knife with a hooked
point, used in pruning hedges, etc. When it has a short handle, it is
sometimes called a hand bill; when the handle is long, a hedge bill or
scimiter.
Billiard
Bil"liard (?), a. Of or pertaining to the game of billiards. "Smooth
as is a billiard ball." B. Jonson.
Billiards
Bil"liards (?), n. [F. billiard billiards, OF. billart staff, cue form
playing, fr. bille log. See Billet a stick.] A game played with ivory
balls o a cloth-covered, rectangular table, bounded by elastic
cushions. The player seeks to impel his ball with his cue so that it
shall either strike (carom upon) two other balls, or drive another
ball into one of the pockets with which the table sometimes is
furnished.
Billing
Bill"ing (?), a. & n. Caressing; kissing.
Billingsgate
Bil"lings*gate` (?), n.
1. A market near the Billings gate in London, celebrated for fish and
foul language.
2. Coarsely abusive, foul, or profane language; vituperation;
ribaldry.
Billion
Bil"lion (?), n. [F. billion, arbitrarily formed fr. L. bis twice, in
imitation of million a million. See Million.] According to the French
and American method of numeration, a thousand millions, or
1,000,000,000; according to the English method, a million millions, or
1,000,000,000,000. See Numeration.
Billman
Bill"man (?), n.; pl. Billmen (. One who uses, or is armed with, a
bill or hooked ax. "A billman of the guard." Savile.
Billon
Bil`lon" (?), n. [F. Cf. Billet a stick.] An alloy of gold and silver
with a large proportion of copper or other base metal, used in
coinage.
Billot
Bil"lot (?), n. [F. billot, dim. of bille. See Billet a stick.]
Bullion in the bar or mass.
Billow
Bil"low (?), n. [Cf. Icel. bylgja billow, Dan. b\'94lge, Sw. b\'94lja;
akin to MHG. bulge billow, bag, and to E. bulge. See Bulge.]
1. A great wave or surge of the sea or other water, caused usually by
violent wind.
Whom the winds waft where'er the billows roll. Cowper.
2. A great wave or flood of anything. Milton.
Billow
Bil"low, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Billowed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Billowing.]
To surge; to rise and roll in waves or surges; to undulate. "The
billowing snow." Prior.
Billowy
Bil"low*y (?), a. Of or pertaining to billows; swelling or swollen
into large waves; full of billows or surges; resembling billows.
And whitening down the many-tinctured stream, Descends the billowy
foam. Thomson.
Billposter, Billsticker
Bill"post`er (?), Bill"stick"er (?), n. One whose occupation is to
post handbills or posters in public places.
Billy
Bil"ly (?), n.
1. A club; esp., a policeman's club.
2. (Wool Manuf.) A slubbing or roving machine.
Billyboy
Bil"ly*boy` (?), n. A flat-bottomed river barge or coasting vessel.
[Eng.]
Billy goat
Bil"ly goat` (?). A male goat. [Colloq.]
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Bilobate
Bi*lo"bate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + lobate.] Divided into two lobes or
segments.
Bilobed
Bi"lobed (?), a. [Pref. bi- + lobe.] Bilobate.
Bilocation
Bi`lo*ca"tion (?), n. [Pref. bi- + location.] Double location; the
state or power of being in two places at the same instant; -- a
miraculous power attributed to some of the saints. Tylor.
Bilocular
Bi*loc"u*lar (?), a. [Pref. bi- + locular: cf. F. biloculaire.]
Divided into two cells or compartments; as, a bilocular pericarp.
Gray.
Bilsted
Bil"sted (?), n. (Bot.) See Sweet gum.
Biltong
Bil"tong (?), n. [S. African.] Lean meat cut into strips and
sun-dried. H. R. Haggard.
Bimaculate
Bi*mac"u*late (?), a. [Pref. bi- + maculate, a.] Having, or marked
with, two spots.
Bimana
Bim"a*na (?), n. pl. [NL. See Bimanous.] (Zo\'94l.) Animals having two
hands; -- a term applied by Cuvier to man as a special order of
Mammalia.
Bimanous
Bim"a*nous (?), a. [L. bis twice + manus hand.] (Zo\'94l.) Having two
hands; two-handed.
Bimarginate
Bi*mar"gin*ate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + marginate.] Having a double
margin, as certain shells.
Bimastism
Bi*mas"tism (?), n. [Pref. bi- + Gr. breast.] (Anat.) The condition of
having two mamm\'91 or teats.
Bimedial
Bi*me"di*al (?), a. [Pref. bi- + medial.] (Geom.) Applied to a line
which is the sum of two lines commensurable only in power (as the side
and diagonal of a square).
Bimembral
Bi*mem"bral (?), a. [L. bis twice + membrum member.] (Gram.) Having
two members; as, a bimembral sentence. J. W. Gibbs.
Bimensal
Bi*men"sal (?), a. [Pref. bi- + mensal.] See Bimonthly, a. [Obs. or
R.]
Bimestrial
Bi*mes"tri*al (?), a. [L. bimestris; bis twice + mensis month.]
Continuing two months. [R.]
Bimetallic
Bi`me*tal"lic (?), a. [Pref. bi- + metallic: cf. F. bim\'82tallique.]
Of or relating to, or using, a double metallic standard (as gold and
silver) for a system of coins or currency.
Bimetallism
Bi*met"al*lism (?), n. [F. bim\'82talisme.] The legalized use of two
metals (as gold and silver) in the currency of a country, at a fixed
relative value; -- in opposition to monometallism.
NOTE: &hand; Th e wo rds bi m\'82tallisme and monom\'82tallisme are
due to M. Cernuschi [1869].
Littr\'82.
Bimetallist
Bi*met"al*list (?), n. An advocate of bimetallism.
Bimonthly
Bi*month"ly (?), a. [Pref. bi- + monthly.] Occurring, done, or coming,
once in two months; as, bimonthly visits; bimonthly publications. --
n. A bimonthly publication.
Bimonthly
Bi*month"ly, adv. Once in two months.
Bimuscular
Bi*mus"cu*lar (?), a. [Pref. bi- + muscular.] (Zo\'94l.) Having two
adductor muscles, as a bivalve mollusk.
Bin
Bin (?), n. [OE. binne, AS. binn manager, crib; perh. akin to D. ben,
benne, basket, and to L. benna a kind of carriage ( a Gallic word), W.
benn, men, wain, cart.] A box, frame, crib, or inclosed place, used as
a receptacle for any commodity; as, a corn bin; a wine bin; a coal
bin.
Bin
Bin, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Binned (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Binning.] To put
into a bin; as, to bin wine.
Bin
Bin. An old form of Be and Been. [Obs.]
Bin
Bin*. A euphonic form of the prefix Bi-.
Binal
Bi"nal (?), a. [See Binary.] Twofold; double. [R.] "Binal revenge, all
this." Ford.
Binarseniate
Bin`ar*se"ni*ate (?), n. [Pref. bin- + arseniate.] (Chem.) A salt
having two equivalents of arsenic acid to one of the base. Graham.
Binary
Bi"na*ry (?), a. [L. binarius, fr. bini two by two, two at a time, fr.
root of bis twice; akin to E. two: cf. F. binaire.] Compounded or
consisting of two things or parts; characterized by two (things).
Binary arithmetic, that in which numbers are expressed according to
the binary scale, or in which two figures only, 0 and 1, are used, in
lieu of ten; the cipher multiplying everything by two, as in common
arithmetic by ten. Thus, 1 is one; 10 is two; 11 is three; 100 is
four, etc. Davies & Peck. -- Binary compound (Chem.), a compound of
two elements, or of an element and a compound performing the function
of an element, or of two compounds performing the function of
elements. -- Binary logarithms, a system of logarithms devised by
Euler for facilitating musical calculations, in which 1 is logarithm
of 2, instead of 10, as in the common logarithms, and the modulus
1.442695 instead of .43429448. -- Binary measure (Mus.), measure
divisible by two or four; common time. -- Binary nomenclature (Nat.
Hist.), nomenclature in which the names designate both genus and
species. -- Binary scale (Arith.), a uniform scale of notation whose
ratio is two. -- Binary star (Astron.), a double star whose members
have a revolution round their common center of gravity. -- Binary
theory (Chem.), the theory that all chemical compounds consist of two
constituents of opposite and unlike qualities.
Binary
Bi"na*ry, n. That which is constituted of two figures, things, or
parts; two; duality. Fotherby.
Binate
Bi"nate (?), a. [L. bini two and two.] (Bot.) Double; growing in pairs
or couples. Gray.
Binaural
Bin*au"ral (?), a. [Pref. bin- + aural.] Of or pertaining to, or used
by, both ears.
Bind
Bind (?), v. t. [imp. Bound (?); p. p. Bound, formerly Bounden (#); p.
pr. & vb. n. Binding.] [AS. bindan, perfect tense band, bundon, p. p.
bunden; akin to D. & G. binden, Dan. binde, Sw. & Icel. binda, Goth.
bindan, Skr. bandh (for bhandh) to bind, cf. Gr. (for ) cable, and L.
offendix. &root;90.]
1. To tie, or confine with a cord, band, ligature, chain, etc.; to
fetter; to make fast; as, to bind grain in bundles; to bind a
prisoner.
2. To confine, restrain, or hold by physical force or influence of any
kind; as, attraction binds the planets to the sun; frost binds the
earth, or the streams.
He bindeth the floods from overflowing. Job xxviii. 11.
Whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years. Luke xiii. 16.
3. To cover, as with a bandage; to bandage or dress; -- sometimes with
up; as, to bind up a wound.
4. To make fast ( a thing) about or upon something, as by tying; to
encircle with something; as, to bind a belt about one; to bind a
compress upon a part.
5. To prevent or restrain from customary or natural action; as,
certain drugs bind the bowels.
6. To protect or strengthen by a band or binding, as the edge of a
carpet or garment.
7. To sew or fasten together, and inclose in a cover; as, to bind a
book.
8. Fig.: To oblige, restrain, or hold, by authority, law, duty,
promise, vow, affection, or other moral tie; as, to bind the
conscience; to bind by kindness; bound by affection; commerce binds
nations to each other.
Who made our laws to bind us, not himself. Milton.
9. (Law) (a) To bring (any one) under definite legal obligations; esp.
under the obligation of a bond or covenant. Abbott. (b) To place under
legal obligation to serve; to indenture; as, to bind an apprentice; --
sometimes with out; as, bound out to service.
To bind over, to put under bonds to do something, as to appear at
court, to keep the peace, etc. -- To bind to, to contract; as, to bind
one's self to a wife. -- To bind up in, to cause to be wholly
engrossed with; to absorb in. Syn. -- To fetter; tie; fasten;
restrain; restrict; oblige.
Bind
Bind (?), v. i.
1. To tie; to confine by any ligature.
They that reap must sheaf and bind. Shak.
2. To contract; to grow hard or stiff; to cohere or stick together in
a mass; as, clay binds by heat. Mortimer.
3. To be restrained from motion, or from customary or natural action,
as by friction.
4. To exert a binding or restraining influence. Locke.
Bind
Bind, n.
1. That which binds or ties.
2. Any twining or climbing plant or stem, esp. a hop vine; a bine.
3. (Metal.) Indurated clay, when much mixed with the oxide of iron.
Kirwan.
4. (Mus.) A ligature or tie for grouping notes.
Binder
Bind"er (?), n.
1. One who binds; as, a binder of sheaves; one whose trade is to bind;
as, a binder of books.
2. Anything that binds, as a fillet, cord, rope, or band; a bandage;
-- esp. the principal piece of timber intended to bind together any
building.
Bindery
Bind"er*y (?), n. A place where books, or other articles, are bound; a
bookbinder's establishment.
Bindheimite
Bind"heim*ite (?), n. [From Bindheim, a German who analyzed it.]
(Min.) An amorphous antimonate of lead, produced from the alteration
of other ores, as from jamesonite.
Binding
Bind"ing (?), a. That binds; obligatory. Binding beam (Arch.), the
main timber in double flooring. -- Binding joist (Arch.), the
secondary timber in double-framed flooring. Syn. -- Obligatory;
restraining; restrictive; stringent; astringent; costive; styptic.
Binding
Bind"ing, n.
1. The act or process of one who, or that which, binds.
2. Anything that binds; a bandage; the cover of a book, or the cover
with the sewing, etc.; something that secures the edge of cloth from
raveling.
3. pl. (Naut.) The transoms, knees, beams, keelson, and other chief
timbers used for connecting and strengthening the parts of a vessel.
Bindingly
Bind"ing*ly, adv. So as to bind.
Bindingness
Bind"ing*ness, n. The condition or property of being binding;
obligatory quality. Coleridge.
Bindweed
Bind"weed` (?), n. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Convolvulus; as,
greater bindweed (C. Sepium); lesser bindweed (C. arvensis); the
white, the blue, the Syrian, bindweed. The black bryony, or Tamus, is
called black bindweed, and the Smilax aspera, rough bindweed.
The fragile bindweed bells and bryony rings. Tennyson.
Bine
Bine (?), n. [Bind, cf. Woodbine.] The winding or twining stem of a
hop vine or other climbing plant.
Binervate
Bi*nerv"ate (?), a. [L. bis twice + nervus sinew, nerve.]
1. (Bot.) Two-nerved; -- applied to leaves which have two longitudinal
ribs or nerves.
2. (Zo\'94l.) Having only two nerves, as the wings of some insects.
Bing
Bing (?), n. [Cf. Icel. bingr, Sw. binge, G. beige, beuge. Cf. Prov.
E. bink bench, and bench coal the uppermost stratum of coal.] A heap
or pile; as, a bing of wood. "Potato bings." Burns. "A bing of corn."
Surrey. [Obs. or Dial. Eng. & Scot.]
Biniodide
Bin*i"o*dide (?), n. Same as Diiodide.
Bink
Bink (?), n. A bench. [North of Eng. & Scot.]
Binnacle
Bin"na*cle (?), n. [For bittacle, corrupted (perh. by influence of
bin) fr. Pg. bitacola binnacle, fr. L. habitaculum dwelling place, fr.
habitare to dwell. See Habit, and cf. Bittacle.] (Naut.) A case or box
placed near the helmsman, containing the compass of a ship, and a
light to show it at night. Totten.
Binny
Bin"ny (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A large species of barbel (Barbus bynni),
found in the Nile, and much esteemed for food.
Binocle
Bin"o*cle (?), n. [F. binocle; L. bini two at a time + oculus eye.]
(Opt.) A dioptric telescope, fitted with two tubes joining, so as to
enable a person to view an object with both eyes at once; a
double-barreled field glass or an opera glass.
Binocular
Bin*oc"u*lar (?), a. [Cf. F. binoculaire. See Binocle.]
1. Having two eyes. "Most animals are binocular." Derham.
2. Pertaining to both eyes; employing both eyes at once; as, binocular
vision.
3. Adapted to the use of both eyes; as, a binocular microscope or
telescope. Brewster.
Binocular
Bin*oc"u*lar (?), n. A binocular glass, whether opera glass,
telescope, or microscope.
Binocularly
Bin*oc"u*lar*ly, adv. In a binocular manner.
Binoculate
Bin*oc"u*late (?), a. Having two eyes.
Binomial
Bi*no"mi*al (?), n. [L. bis twice + nomen name: cf. F. binome, LL.
binomius (or fr. bi- + Gr. distribution ?). Cf. Monomial.] (Alg.) An
expression consisting of two terms connected by the sign plus (+) or
minus (-); as, a+b, or 7-3.
Binomial
Bi*no"mi*al, a.
1. Consisting of two terms; pertaining to binomials; as, a binomial
root.
2. (Nat. Hist.) Having two names; -- used of the system by which every
animal and plant receives two names, the one indicating the genus, the
other the species, to which it belongs.
Binomial theorem (Alg.), the theorem which expresses the law of
formation of any power of a binomial.
Binominal
Bi*nom"i*nal (?), a. [See Binomial.] Of or pertaining to two names;
binomial.
Binominous
Bi*nom"i*nous (?), a. Binominal. [Obs.]
Binotonous
Bi*not"o*nous (?), a. [L. bini two at a time + tonus, fr. Gr. , tone.]
Consisting of two notes; as, a binotonous cry.
Binous
Bi"nous (?), a. Same as Binate.
Binoxalate
Bin*ox"a*late (?), n. [Pref. bin- + oxalate.] (Chem.) A salt having
two equivalents of oxalic acid to one of the base; an acid oxalate.
Binoxide
Bin*ox"ide (?), n. [Pref. bin- + oxide.] (Chem.) Same as Dioxide.
Binturong
Bin"tu*rong (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A small Asiatic civet of the genus
Arctilis.
Binuclear, Binucleate
Bi*nu"cle*ar (?), Bi*nu"cle*ate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + nuclear,
nucleate.] (Biol.) Having two nuclei; as, binucleate cells.
Binucleolate
Bi*nu"cle*o*late (?), a. [Pref. bi- + nucleolus.] (Biol.) Having two
nucleoli.
Bioblast
Bi"o*blast (?), n. [Gr. life + -blast.] (Biol.) Same as Bioplast.
Biocellate
Bi*oc"el*late (?), a. [L. bis twice + ocellatus. See Ocellated.]
(Zo\'94l.) Having two ocelli (eyelike spots); -- said of a wing, etc.
Biochemistry
Bi`o*chem"is*try (?), n. [Gr. life + E. chemistry.] (Biol.) The
chemistry of living organisms; the chemistry of the processes
incidental to, and characteristic of, life.
Biodynamics
Bi`o*dy*nam"ics (?), n. [Gr. life + E. dynamics.] (Biol.) The doctrine
of vital forces or energy.
Biogen
Bi"o*gen (?), n. [Gr. life + -gen.] (Biol.) Bioplasm.
Biogenesis, Biogeny
Bi`o*gen"e*sis (?), Bi*og"e*ny (?), n. [Gr. life + , , birth.] (Biol.)
(a) A doctrine that the genesis or production of living organisms can
take place only through the agency of living germs or parents; --
opposed to abiogenesis. (b) Life development generally.
Biogenetic
Bi`o*ge*net"ic (?), a. (Biol.) Pertaining to biogenesis.
Biogenist
Bi*og"e*nist (?), n. A believer in the theory of biogenesis.
Biognosis
Bi`og*no"sis (?), n. [Gr. life + investigation.] (Biol.) The
investigation of life.
Biographer
Bi*og"ra*pher (?), n. One who writes an account or history of the life
of a particular person; a writer of lives, as Plutarch.
Biographic, Biographical
Bi"o*graph"ic (?), Bi`o*graph"ic*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to
biography; containing biography. -- Bi`o*graph"ic*al*ly, adv.
Biographize
Bi*og"ra*phize (?), v. t. To write a history of the life of. Southey.
Biography
Bi*og"ra*phy (?), n.; pl. Biographies (#). [Gr. ; life + to write: cf.
F. biographie. See Graphic.]
1. The written history of a person's life.
2. Biographical writings in general.
Biologic, Biological
Bi`o*log"ic (?), Bi`o*log"ic*al (?), a. Of or relating to biology. --
Bi`o*log"ic*al*ly, adv.
Biologist
Bi*ol"o*gist (?), n. A student of biology; one versed in the science
of biology.
Biology
Bi*ol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. life + -logy: cf. F. biologie.] The science of
life; that branch of knowledge which treats of living matter as
distinct from matter which is not living; the study of living tissue.
It has to do with the origin, structure, development, function, and
distribution of animals and plants.
Biolysis
Bi*ol"y*sis (?), n. [Gr. life + a dissolving.] (Biol.) The destruction
of life.
Biolytic
Bi`o*lyt"ic (?), a. [Gr. life + to destroy.] Relating to the
destruction of life.
Biomagnetic
Bi`o*mag*net"ic (?), a. Relating to biomagnetism.
Biomagnetism
Bi`o*mag"net*ism (?), n. [Gr. life + E. magnetism.] Animal magnetism.
Biometry
Bi*om"e*try (?), n. [Gr. life + -metry.] Measurement of life;
calculation of the probable duration of human life.
Bion
Bi"on (?), n. [Gr. living, p. pr. of to live.] (Biol.) The
physiological individual, characterized by definiteness and
independence of function, in distinction from the morphological
individual or morphon.
Bionomy
Bi*on"o*my (?), n. [Gr. life + law.] Physiology. [R.] Dunglison.
Biophor Biophore
Bi"o*phor` Bi"o*phore` (?), n. [Gr. life + bearing, fr. to bear.]
(Biol.) One of the smaller vital units of a cell, the bearer of
vitality and heredity. See Pangen, in Supplement.
Bioplasm
Bi"o*plasm (?), n. [Gr. life + form, mold, fr. to mold.] (Biol.) A
name suggested by Dr. Beale for the germinal matter supposed to be
essential to the functions of all living beings; the material through
which every form of life manifests itself; unaltered protoplasm.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 147
Bioplasmic
Bi`o*plas"mic (?), a. Pertaining to, or consisting of, bioplasm.
Bioplast
Bi"o*plast (?), n. [Gr. life + to form.] (Biol.) A tiny mass of
bioplasm, in itself a living unit and having formative power, as a
living white blood corpuscle; bioblast.
Bioplastic
Bi`o*plas"tic (?), a. (Biol.) Bioplasmic.
Biorgan
Bi*or"gan (?), n. [Gr. life + E. organ.] (Biol.) A physiological
organ; a living organ; an organ endowed with function; --
distinguished from idorgan.
Biostatics
Bi`o*stat"ics (?), n. [Gr. life + . See Statics.] (Biol.) The physical
phenomena of organized bodies, in opposition to their organic or vital
phenomena.
Biostatistics
Bi`o*sta*tis"tics (?), n. [Gr. life + E. statistics.] (Biol.) Vital
statistics.
Biotaxy
Bi"o*tax`y (?), n. [Gr. life + arrangement.] (Biol.) The
classification of living organisms according to their structural
character; taxonomy.
Biotic
Bi*ot"ic (?), a. [Gr. pert. to life.] (Biol.) Relating to life; as,
the biotic principle.
Biotite
Bi"o*tite (?), n. [From Biot, a French naturalist.] (Min.) Mica
containing iron and magnesia, generally of a black or dark green
color; -- a common constituent of crystalline rocks. See Mica.
Bipalmate
Bi*pal"mate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + palmate.] (Bot.) Palmately branched,
with the branches again palmated.
Biparietal
Bi`pa*ri"e*tal (?), a. [Pref. bi- + parietal.] (Anat.) Of or
pertaining to the diameter of the cranium, from one parietal fossa to
the other.
Biparous
Bip"a*rous (?), a. [L. bis twice + parere to bring forth.] Bringing
forth two at a birth.
Bipartible
Bi*part"i*ble (?), a. [Cf. F. bipartible. See Bipartite.] Capable of
being divided into two parts.
Bipartient
Bi*par"tient (?), a. [L. bis twice + partiens, p. pr. of partire to
divide.] Dividing into two parts. -- n. A number that divides another
into two equal parts without a remainder.
Bipartile
Bi*par"tile (?), a. Divisible into two parts.
Bipartite
Bip"ar*tite (?), a. [L. bipartitus, p. p. of bipartire; bis twice +
partire. See Partite.]
1. Being in two parts; having two correspondent parts, as a legal
contract or writing, one for each party; shared by two; as, a
bipartite treaty.
2. Divided into two parts almost to the base, as a leaf; consisting of
two parts or subdivisions. Gray.
Bipartition
Bi`par*ti"tion (?), n. The act of dividing into two parts, or of
making two correspondent parts, or the state of being so divided.
Bipectinate, Bipectinated
Bi*pec"ti*nate (?), Bi*pec"ti*na`ted (?), a. [Pref. bi- + pectinate.]
(Biol.) Having two margins toothed like a comb.
Biped
Bi"ped (?), n. [L. bipes; bis twice + pes, pedis, bip\'8ade.] A
two-footed animal, as man.
Biped
Bi"ped, a. Having two feet; two-footed.
By which the man, when heavenly life was ceased, Became a helpless,
naked, biped beast. Byrom.
Bipedal
Bip"e*dal (?), a. [L. bipedalis: cf. F. bip\'82dal. See Biped, n.]
1. Having two feet; biped.
2. Pertaining to a biped.
Bipeltate
Bi*pel"tate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + peltate.] Having a shell or covering
like a double shield.
Bipennate, Bipennated
Bi*pen"nate (?), Bi*pen"na*ted (?), a. [Pref. bi- + pennate: cf. L.
bipennis. Cf. Bipinnate.] Having two wings. "Bipennated insects."
Derham.
Bipennis
Bi*pen"nis (?), n. [L.] An ax with an edge or blade on each side of
the handle.
Bipetalous
Bi*pet"al*ous (?), a. [Pref. bi- + petalous.] (Bot.) Having two
petals.
Bipinnaria
Bi`pin*na"ri*a (?), n. [NL., fr. L. bis twice + pinna feather.]
(Zo\'94l.) The larva of certain starfishes as developed in the
free-swimming stage.
Bipinnate, Bipinnated
Bi*pin"nate (?), Bi*pin"na*ted (?), a. [Pref. bi- + pinnate; cf. F.
bipinn\'82. Cf. Bipennate.] Twice pinnate.
Bipinnatifid
Bi`pin*nat"i*fid (?), a. [Pref. bi- + pinnatifid.] (Bot.) Doubly
pinnatifid.
NOTE: A bi pinnatifid leaf is a pinnatifid leaf having its segments
or divisions also pinnatifid. The primary divisions are pinn\'91
and the secondary pinnules.
Biplicate
Bip"li*cate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + plicate.] Twice folded together.
Henslow.
Biplicity
Bi*plic"i*ty (?), n. The state of being twice folded; reduplication.
[R.] Bailey.
Bipolar
Bi*po"lar (?), a. [Pref. bi- + polar. Cf. Dipolar.] Doubly polar;
having two poles; as, a bipolar cell or corpuscle.
Bipolarity
Bi`po*lar"i*ty (?), n. Bipolar quality.
Bipont, Bipontine
Bi"pont (?), Bi*pont"ine (?), a. (Bibliog.) Relating to books printed
at Deuxponts, or Bipontium (Zweibr\'81cken), in Bavaria.
Bipunctate
Bi*punc"tate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + punctate.] Having two punctures, or
spots.
Bipunctual
Bi*punc"tu*al (?), a. Having two points.
Bipupillate
Bi*pu"pil*late (?), a. [Pref. bi- + pupil (of the eye).] (Zo\'94l.)
Having an eyelike spot on the wing, with two dots within it of a
different color, as in some butterflies.
Bipyramidal
Bi`py*ram"i*dal (?), a. [Pref. bi- + pyramidal.] Consisting of two
pyramids placed base to base; having a pyramid at each of the
extremities of a prism, as in quartz crystals.
Biquadrate
Bi*quad"rate (?), n. [Pref. bi- + quadrate.] (Math.) The fourth power,
or the square of the square. Thus 4x4=16, the square of 4, and
16x16=256, the biquadrate of 4.
Biquadratic
Bi`quad*rat"ic (?), a. [Pref. bi- + quadratic: cf. F. biquadratique.]
(Math.) Of or pertaining to the biquadrate, or fourth power.
Biquadratic equation (Alg.), an equation of the fourth degree, or an
equation in some term of which the unknown quantity is raised to the
fourth power. -- Biquadratic root of a number, the square root of the
square root of that number. Thus the square root of 81 is 9, and the
square root of 9 is 3, which is the biquadratic root of 81. Hutton.
Biquadratic
Bi`quad*rat"ic, n. (Math.) (a) A biquadrate. (b) A biquadratic
equation.
Biquintile
Bi*quin"tile (?), n. [Pref. bi- + quintile: cf. F. biquintile.]
(Astron.) An aspect of the planets when they are distant from each
other by twice the fifth part of a great circle -- that is, twice 72
degrees.
Biradiate, Biradiated
Bi*ra"di*ate (?), Bi*ra"di*a`ted (?), a. [Pref. bi- + radiate.] Having
two rays; as, a biradiate fin.
Biramous
Bi*ra"mous (?), a. [Pref. bi- + ramous.] (Biol.) Having, or consisting
of, two branches.
Birch
Birch (?), n.; pl. Birches (#). [OE. birche, birk, AS. birce, beorc;
akin to Icel. bj\'94rk, Sw. bj\'94rk, Dan. birk, D. berk, OHG.
piricha, MHG. birche, birke, G. birke, Russ. bereza, Pol. brzoza,
Serv. breza, Skr. bh. &root;254. Cf. 1st Birk.]
1. A tree of several species, constituting the genus Betula; as, the
white or common birch (B. alba) (also called silver birch and lady
birch); the dwarf birch (B. glandulosa); the paper or canoe birch (B.
papyracea); the yellow birch (B. lutea); the black or cherry birch (B.
lenta).
2. The wood or timber of the birch.
3. A birch twig or birch twigs, used for flogging.
NOTE: &hand; Th e tw igs of th e co mmon European birch (B. alba),
being tough and slender, were formerly much used for rods in
schools. They were also made into brooms.
The threatening twigs of birch. Shak.
4. A birch-bark canoe.
Birch of Jamaica, a species (Bursera gummifera) of turpentine tree. --
Birch partridge. (Zo\'94l.) See Ruffed grouse. -- Birch wine, wine
made of the spring sap of the birch. -- Oil of birch. (a) An oil
obtained from the bark of the common European birch (Betula alba), and
used in the preparation of genuine ( and sometimes of the imitation)
Russia leather, to which it gives its peculiar odor. (b) An oil
prepared from the black birch (B. lenta), said to be identical with
the oil of wintergreen, for which it is largely sold.
Birch
Birch, a. Of or pertaining to the birch; birchen.
Birch
Birch, v. t. [imp & p. p. Birched (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Birching.] To
whip with a birch rod or twig; to flog.
Birchen
Birch"en (?), a. Of or relating to birch.
He passed where Newark's stately tower Looks out from Yarrow's
birchen bower. Sir W. Scott.
Bird
Bird (?), n. [OE. brid, bred, bird, young bird, bird, AS. bridd young
bird.
1. Orig., a chicken; the young of a fowl; a young eaglet; a nestling;
and hence, a feathered flying animal (see 2).
That ungentle gull, the cuckoo's bird. Shak.
The brydds [birds] of the aier have nestes. Tyndale (Matt. viii.
20).
2. (Zo\'94l.) A warm-blooded, feathered vertebrate provided with
wings. See Aves.
3. Specifically, among sportsmen, a game bird.
4. Fig.: A girl; a maiden.
And by my word! the bonny bird In danger shall not tarry. Campbell.
Arabian bird, the phenix. -- Bird of Jove, the eagle. -- Bird of Juno,
the peacock. -- Bird louse (Zo\'94l.), a wingless insect of the group
Mallophaga, of which the genera and species are very numerous and
mostly parasitic upon birds. -- Bird mite (Zo\'94l.), a small mite
(genera Dermanyssus, Dermaleichus and allies) parasitic upon birds.
The species are numerous. -- Bird of passage, a migratory bird. --
Bird spider (Zo\'94l.), a very large South American spider (Mygale
avicularia). It is said sometimes to capture and kill small birds. --
Bird tick (Zo\'94l.), a dipterous insect parasitic upon birds (genus
Ornithomyia, and allies), usually winged.
Bird
Bird (?), v. i.
1. To catch or shoot birds.
2. Hence: To seek for game or plunder; to thieve. [R.] B. Jonson.
Birdbolt
Bird"bolt` (?), n. A short blunt arrow for killing birds without
piercing them. Hence: Anything which smites without penetrating. Shak.
Bird cage, OR Birdcage
Bird" cage", OR Bird"cage` (?), n. A cage for confining birds.
Birdcall
Bird"call` (?), n.
1. A sound made in imitation of the note or cry of a bird for the
purpose of decoying the bird or its mate.
2. An instrument of any kind, as a whistle, used in making the sound
of a birdcall.
Birdcatcher
Bird"catch`er (?), n. One whose employment it is to catch birds; a
fowler.
Birdcatching
Bird"catch`ing, n. The art, act, or occupation or catching birds or
wild fowls.
Bird cherry
Bird" cher`ry (?). (Bot.) A shrub (Prunus Padus ) found in Northern
and Central Europe. It bears small black cherries.
Birder
Bird"er (?), n. A birdcatcher.
Bird-eyed
Bird"-eyed` (?), a. Quick-sighted; catching a glance as one goes.
Bird fancier
Bird" fan`ci*er (?).
1. One who takes pleasure in rearing or collecting rare or curious
birds.
2. One who has for sale the various kinds of birds which are kept in
cages.
Birdie
Bird"ie (?), n. A pretty or dear little bird; -- a pet name. Tennyson.
Birdikin
Bird"i*kin (?), n. A young bird. Thackeray.
Birding
Bird"ing, n. Birdcatching or fowling. Shak. Birding piece, a fowling
piece. Shak.
Birdlet
Bird"let, n. A little bird; a nestling.
Birdlike
Bird"like` (?), a. Resembling a bird.
Birdlime
Bird"lime` (?), n. [Bird + lime viscous substance.] An extremely
adhesive viscid substance, usually made of the middle bark of the
holly, by boiling, fermenting, and cleansing it. When a twig is
smeared with this substance it will hold small birds which may light
upon it. Hence: Anything which insnares.
Not birdlime or Idean pitch produce A more tenacious mass of clammy
juice. Dryden.
NOTE: &hand; Birdlime is also made from mistletoe, elder, etc.
Birdlime
Bird"lime`, v. t. To smear with birdlime; to catch with birdlime; to
insnare.
When the heart is thus birdlimed, then it cleaves to everything it
meets with. Coodwin.
Birdling
Bird"ling, n. A little bird; a nestling.
Birdman
Bird"man (?), n. A fowler or birdcatcher.
Bird of paradise
Bird" of par"a*dise (?). (Zo\'94l.) The name of several very beautiful
birds of the genus Paradisea and allied genera, inhabiting New Guinea
and the adjacent islands. The males have brilliant colors, elegant
plumes, and often remarkable tail feathers.
NOTE: &hand; Th e Gr eat em erald (P aradisea apoda) and the Lesser
emerald (P. minor) furnish many of the plumes used as ornaments by
ladies; the Red is P. rubra or sanguinea; the Golden is Parotia
aurea or sexsetacea; the King is Cincinnurus regius. The name is
also applied to the longer-billed birds of another related group
(Epimachin\'91) from the same region. The Twelve-wired (Seleucides
alba) is one of these. See Paradise bird, and Note under Apod.
Bird pepper
Bird" pep`per (?). A species of capsicum (Capsicum baccatum), whose
small, conical, coral-red fruit is among the most piquant of all red
peppers.
Bird's-beak
Bird's"-beak` (?), n. (Arch.) A molding whose section is thought to
resemble a beak.
Birdseed
Bird"seed` (?), n. Canary seed, hemp, millet or other small seeds used
for feeding caged birds.
Bird's-eye
Bird's"-eye` (?), a.
1. Seen from above, as if by a flying bird; embraced at a glance;
hence, generalas, a bird's-eye view.
2. Marked with spots resembling bird's eyes; as, bird's-eye diaper;
bird's-eye maple.
Bird's-eye
Bird's"-eye`, n. (Bot.) A plant with a small bright flower, as the
Adonis or pheasant's eye, the mealy primrose (Primula farinosa), and
species of Veronica, Geranium, etc.
Bird's-eye maple
Bird's"-eye` ma"ple (?). See under Maple.
Bird's-foot
Bird's"-foot` (?), n. (Bot.) A papilionaceous plant, the Ornithopus,
having a curved, cylindrical pod tipped with a short, clawlike point.
Bird's-foot trefoil. (Bot.) (a) A genus of plants (Lotus) with
clawlike pods. L. corniculatas, with yellow flowers, is very common in
Great Britain. (b) the related plant, Trigonella ornithopodioides, is
also European.
Bird's-mouth
Bird's-mouth` (?), n. (Arch.) An interior acrow's-foot in the United
States.
Bird's nest, OR Bird's-nest
Bird's" nest`, OR Bird's-nest (?), n.
1. The nest in which a bird lays eggs and hatches her young.
2. (Cookery) The nest of a small swallow (Collocalia nidifica and
several allied species), of China and the neighboring countries, which
is mixed with soups.
NOTE: &hand; Th e nests are found in caverns and fissures of cliffs
on rocky coasts, and are composed in part of alg\'91. They are of
the size of a goose egg, and in substance resemble isinglass. See
Illust. under Edible.
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3. (Bot.) An orchideous plant with matted roots, of the genus Neottia
(N. nidus-avis.)
Bird's-nest pudding, a pudding containing apples whose cores have been
replaces by sugar. -- Yellow bird's nest, a plant, the Monotropa
hypopitys.
Bird's-nesting
Bird's-nest`ing (?), n. Hunting for, or taking, birds' nests or their
contents.
Bird's-tongue
Bird's"-tongue` (?), n. (Bot.) The knotgrass (Polygonum aviculare).
Bird-witted
Bird"-wit`ted (?), a. Flighty; passing rapidly from one subject to
another; not having the faculty of attention. Bacon.
Birectangular
Bi`rec*tan"gu*lar (?), a. [Pref. bi- + rectangular.] Containing or
having two right angles; as, a birectangular spherical triangle.
Bireme
Bi"reme (?), n. [L. biremis; bis twice + remus oar: cf. F. bir\'8ame.]
An ancient galley or vessel with two banks or tiers of oars.
Biretta
Bi*ret"ta (?), n. Same as Berretta.
Birgander
Bir"gan*der (?), n. See Bergander.
Birk
Birk (?), n. [See Birch, n.] A birch tree. [Prov. Eng.] "The silver
birk." Tennyson.
Birk
Birk, n. (Zo\'94l.) A small European minnow (Leuciscus phoxinus).
Birken
Birk"en (?), v. t. [From 1st Birk.] To whip with a birch or rod.
[Obs.]
Birken
Birk"en, a. Birchen; as, birken groves. Burns.
Birkie
Bir"kie (?), n. A lively or mettlesome fellow. [Jocular, Scot.] Burns.
Birl
Birl (?), v. t. & i. To revolve or cause to revolve; to spin. [Scot.]
Sir W. Scott.
Birl
Birl (?), v. t. & i. [AS. byrlian. To pour (beer or wine); to ply with
drink; to drink; to carouse. [Obs. or Dial.] Skelton.
Birlaw
Bir"law (?), n. [See By-law.] (Law) A law made by husbandmen
respecting rural affairs; a rustic or local law or by-law. [Written
also byrlaw, birlie, birley.]
Birostrate, Birostrated
Bi*ros`trate (?), Bi*ros"tra*ted (?), a. [Pref. bi- + rostrate.]
Having a double beak, or two processes resembling beaks.
The capsule is bilocular and birostrated. Ed. Encyc.
Birr
Birr (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Birred (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Birring.]
[Cf. OE. bur, bir, wind, storm wind, fr. Icel. byrr wind. Perh.
imitative.] To make, or move with, a whirring noise, as of wheels in
motion.
Birr
Birr, n.
1. A whirring sound, as of a spinning wheel.
2. A rush or impetus; force.
Birrus
Bir"rus (?), n. [LL., fr. L. birrus a kind of cloak. See Berretta.] A
coarse kind of thick woolen cloth, worn by the poor in the Middle
Ages; also, a woolen cap or hood worn over the shoulders or over the
head.
Birse
Birse (?), n. A bristle or bristles. [Scot.]
Birt
Birt (?), n. [OE. byrte; cf. F. bertonneau. Cf. Bret, Burt.]
(Zo\'94l.) A fish of the turbot kind; the brill. [Written also burt,
bret, or brut.] [Prov. Eng.]
Birth
Birth (?), n. [OE. burth, birth, AS. beor, gebyrd, fr. beran to bear,
bring forth; akin to D. geboorate, OHG. burt, giburt, G. geburt, Icel.
bur, Skr. bhrti bearing, supporting; cf. Ir. & Gael. beirthe born,
brought forth. Bear, and cf. Berth.]
1. The act or fact of coming into life, or of being born; -- generally
applied to human beings; as, the birth of a son.
2. Lineage; extraction; descent; sometimes, high birth; noble
extraction.
Elected without reference to birth, but solely for qualifications.
Prescott.
3. The condition to which a person is born; natural state or position;
inherited disposition or tendency.
A foe by birth to Troy's unhappy name. Dryden.
4. The act of bringing forth; as, she had two children at a birth. "At
her next birth." Milton.
5. That which is born; that which is produced, whether animal or
vegetable.
Poets are far rarer births that kings. B. Jonson.
Others hatch their eggs and tend the birth till it is able to shift
for itself. Addison.
6. Origin; beginning; as, the birth of an empire.
New birth (Theol.), regeneration, or the commencement of a religious
life. Syn. -- Parentage; extraction; lineage; race; family.
Birth
Birth, n. See Berth. [Obs.] De Foe.
Birthday
Birth"day` (?), n.
1. The day in which any person is born; day of origin or commencement.
Those barbarous ages past, succeeded next The birthday of
invention. Cowper.
2. The day of the month in which a person was born, in whatever
succeeding year it may recur; the anniversary of one's birth.
This is my birthday; as this very day Was Cassius born. Shak.
Birthday
Birth"day`, a. Of or pertaining to the day of birth, or its
anniversary; as, birthday gifts or festivities.
Birthdom
Birth"dom (?), n. [Birth + -dom.] The land of one's birth; one's
inheritance. [R.] Shak.
Birthing
Birth"ing, n. (Naut.) Anything added to raise the sides of a ship.
Bailey.
Birthless
Birth"less, a. Of mean extraction. [R.] Sir W. Scott.
Birthmark
Birth"mark` (?), n. Some peculiar mark or blemish on the body at
birth.
Most part of this noble lineage carried upon their body for a
natural birthmark, . . . a snake. Sir T. North.
Birthnight
Birth"night` (?), n. The night in which a person is born; the
anniversary of that night in succeeding years.
The angelic song in Bethlehem field, On thy birthnight, that sung
thee Savior born. Milton.
Birthplace
Birth"place` (?), n. The town, city, or country, where a person is
born; place of origin or birth, in its more general sense. "The
birthplace of valor." Burns.
Birthright
Birth"right` (?), n. Any right, privilege, or possession to which a
person is entitled by birth, such as an estate descendible by law to
an heir, or civil liberty under a free constitution; esp. the rights
or inheritance of the first born.
Lest there be any . . . profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel
of meat sold his birthright. Heb. xii. 16.
Birthroot
Birth"root` (?), n. (Bot.) An herbaceous plant (Trillium erectum), and
its astringent rootstock, which is said to have medicinal properties.
Birthwort
Birth"wort` (?), n. A genus of herbs and shrubs (Aristolochia),
reputed to have medicinal properties.
Bis
Bis (?), adv. [L. bis twice, for duis, fr. root of duo two. See Two,
and cf. Bi-.] Twice; -- a word showing that something is, or is to be,
repeated; as a passage of music, or an item in accounts.
Bis
Bis*, pref. A form of Bi-, sometimes used before s, c, or a vowel.
Bisa antelope
Bi"sa an"te*lope (?). (Zo\'94l.) See Oryx.
Bisaccate
Bi*sac"cate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + saccate.] (Bot.) Having two little
bags, sacs, or pouches.
Biscayan
Bis*cay"an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Biscay in Spain. -- n. A native
or inhabitant of Biscay.
Biscotin
Bis"co*tin (?), n. [F. biscotin. See Biscuit.] A confection made of
flour, sugar, marmalade, and eggs; a sweet biscuit.
Biscuit
Bis"cuit (?), n. [F. biscuit (cf. It. biscotto, Sp. bizcocho, Pg.
biscouto), fr. L. bis twice + coctus, p. p. of coquere to cook, bake.
See Cook, and cf. Bisque a kind of porcelain.]
1. A kind of unraised bread, of many varieties, plain, sweet, or
fancy, formed into flat cakes, and bakes hard; as, ship biscuit.
According to military practice, the bread or biscuit of the Romans
was twice prepared in the oven. Gibbon.
2. A small loaf or cake of bread, raised and shortened, or made light
with soda or baking powder. Usually a number are baked in the same
pan, forming a sheet or card.
3. Earthen ware or porcelain which has undergone the first baking,
before it is subjected to the glazing.
4. (Sculp.) A species of white, unglazed porcelain, in which vases,
figures, and groups are formed in miniature.
Meat biscuit, an alimentary preparation consisting of matters
extracted from meat by boiling, or of meat ground fine and combined
with flour, so as to form biscuits.
Biscutate
Bi*scu"tate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + scutate.] (Bot.) Resembling two
bucklers placed side by side.
Bise
Bise (?), n. [F.] A cold north wind which prevails on the northern
coasts of the Mediterranean and in Switzerland, etc.; -- nearly the
same as the mistral.
Bise
Bise (?), n. (Paint.) See Bice.
Bisect
Bi*sect" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bisected; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bisecting.] [L. bis twice + secare, sectum, to cut.]
1. To cut or divide into two parts.
2. (Geom.) To divide into two equal parts.
Bisection
Bi*sec"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. bissection.] Division into two parts, esp.
two equal parts.
Bisector
Bi*sec"tor (?), n. One who, or that which, bisects; esp. (Geom.) a
straight line which bisects an angle.
Bisectrix
Bi*sec"trix (?), n. The line bisecting the angle between the optic
axes of a biaxial crystal.
Bisegment
Bi*seg"ment (?), n. [Pref. bi- + segment.] One of tow equal parts of a
line, or other magnitude.
Biseptate
Bi*sep"tate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + septate.] With two partitions or
septa. Gray.
Biserial, Biseriate
Bi*se"ri*al (?), Bi*se"ri*ate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + serial, seriate.]
In two rows or series.
Biserrate
Bi*ser"rate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + serrate.]
1. (Bot.) Doubly serrate, or having the serratures serrate, as in some
leaves.
2. (Zo\'94l.) Serrate on both sides, as some antenn\'91.
Bisetose, Bisetous
Bi*se"tose (?), Bi*se"tous (?), a. [Pref. bi- + setose, setous.]
Having two bristles.
Bisexous
Bi*sex"ous (?), a. [L. bis twice + sexus sex: cf. F. bissexe.]
Bisexual. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
Bisexual
Bi*sex"u*al (?), a. [Pref. bi- + sexual.] (Biol.) Of both sexes;
hermaphrodite; as a flower with stamens and pistil, or an animal
having ovaries and testes.
Bisexuous
Bi*sex"u*ous (?), a. Bisexual.
Biseye
Bi*seye" (?), p. p. of Besee. [Obs.] Chaucer. Evil biseye, ill
looking. [Obs.]
Bish
Bish (?), n. Same as Bikh.
Bishop
Bish"op (?), n. [OE. bischop, biscop, bisceop, AS. bisceop, biscop, L.
episcopus overseer, superintendent, bishop, fr. Gr. , over +
inspector, fr. root of , , to look to, perh. akin to L. specere to
look at. See Spy, and cf. Episcopal.]
1. A spiritual overseer, superintendent, or director.
Ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the
Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. 1 Pet. ii. 25.
It is a fact now generally recognized by theologians of all shades
of opinion, that in the language of the New Testament the same
officer in the church is called indifferently "bishop" ( J. B.
Lightfoot.
2. In the Roman Catholic, Greek, and Anglican or Protestant Episcopal
churches, one ordained to the highest order of the ministry, superior
to the priesthood, and generally claiming to be a successor of the
Apostles. The bishop is usually the spiritual head or ruler of a
diocese, bishopric, or see.
Bishop in partibus [infidelium] (R. C. Ch.), a bishop of a see which
does not actually exist; one who has the office of bishop, without
especial jurisdiction. Shipley. -- Titular bishop (R. C. Ch.), a term
officially substituted in 1882 for bishop in partibus. -- Bench of
Bishops. See under Bench.
3. In the Methodist Episcopal and some other churches, one of the
highest church officers or superintendents.
4. A piece used in the game of chess, bearing a representation of a
bishop's miter; -- formerly called archer.
5. A beverage, being a mixture of wine, oranges or lemons, and sugar.
Swift.
6. An old name for a woman's bustle. [U. S.]
If, by her bishop, or her "grace" alone, A genuine lady, or a
church, is known. Saxe.
Bishop
Bish"op, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bishoped (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bishoping.]
To admit into the church by confirmation; to confirm; hence, to
receive formally to favor.
Bishop
Bish"op (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bishoped (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bishoping.] [From the name of the scoundrel who first practiced it.
Youatt.] (Far.) To make seem younger, by operating on the teeth; as,
to bishop an old horse or his teeth.
NOTE: The pl an adopted is to cut off all the nippers with a saw to
the proper length, and then with a cutting instrument the operator
scoops out an oval cavity in the corner nippers, which is
afterwards burnt with a hot iron until it is black. J. H. Walsh.
Bishopdom
Bish"op*dom (?), n. Jurisdiction of a bishop; episcopate. "Divine
right of bishopdom." Milton.
Bishoplike
Bish"op*like` (?), a. Resembling a bishop; belonging to a bishop.
Fulke.
Bishoply
Bish"op*ly, a. Bishoplike; episcopal. [Obs.]
Bishoply
Bish"op*ly, adv. In the manner of a bishop. [Obs.]
Bishopric
Bish"op*ric (?), n. [AS. bisceopr\'c6ce; bisceop bishop + r\'c6ce
dominion. See -ric.]
1. A diocese; the district over which the jurisdiction of a bishop
extends.
2. The office of a spiritual overseer, as of an apostle, bishop, or
presbyter. Acts i. 20.
Bishop's cap
Bish"op's cap` (?). (Bot.) A plant of the genus Mitella; miterwort.
Longfellow.
Bishop sleeve
Bish"op sleeve` (?). A wide sleeve, once worn by women.
Bishop's length
Bish"op's length` (?). A canvas for a portrait measuring 58 by 94
inches. The half bishop measures 45 of 56.
Bishop-stool
Bish"op-stool` (?), n. A bishop's seat or see.
Bishop's-weed
Bish"op's-weed` (?), n. (Bot.) (a) An umbelliferous plant of the genus
Ammi. (b) Goutweed (\'92gopodium podagraria).
Bishop's-wort
Bish"op's-wort` (?), n. (Bot.) Wood betony (Stachys betonica); also,
the plant called fennel flower (Nigella Damascena), or
devil-in-a-bush.
Bisie
Bis"ie (?), v. t. To busy; to employ. [Obs.]
Bisilicate
Bi*sil"i*cate (?), n. (Min. Chem.) A salt of metasilicic acid; -- so
called because the ratio of the oxygen of the silica to the oxygen of
the base is as two to one. The bisilicates include many of the most
common and important minerals.
Bisk
Bisk (?), n. [F. bisque.] Soup or broth made by boiling several sorts
of flesh together. King.
Bisk
Bisk, n. [F. bisque.] (Tennis) See Bisque.
Bismare, Bismer
Bi*smare" (?), Bi*smer" (?), n. [AS. bismer.] Shame; abuse. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Bismer
Bis"mer (?), n.
1. A rule steelyard. [Scot.]
2. (Zo\'94l.) The fifteen-spined (Gasterosteus spinachia).
Bismillah
Bis*mil"lah (?), interj. [Arabic, in the name of God!] An adjuration
or exclamation common among the Mohammedans. [Written also Bizmillah.]
Bismite
Bis"mite (?), n. (Min.) Bismuth trioxide, or bismuth ocher.
Bismuth
Bis"muth (?), n. [Ger. bismuth, wismuth: cf. F. bismuth.] (Chem.) One
of the elements; a metal of a reddish white color, crystallizing in
rhombohedrons. It is somewhat harder than lead, and rather brittle;
masses show broad cleavage surfaces when broken across. It melts at
507° Fahr., being easily fused in the flame of a candle. It is found
in a native state, and as a constituent of some minerals. Specific
gravity 9.8. Atomic weight 207.5. Symbol Bi.
NOTE: &hand; Ch emically, bi smuth (w ith ar senic an d antimony is
intermediate between the metals and nonmetals; it is used in
thermo-electric piles, and as an alloy with lead and tin in the
fusible alloy or metal. Bismuth is the most diamagnetic substance
known.
Bismuth glance, bismuth sulphide; bismuthinite. -- Bismuth ocher, a
native bismuth oxide; bismite.
Bismuthal
Bis"muth*al (?), a. Containing bismuth.
Bismuthic
Bis"muth*ic (?), a. (Chem.) Of or pertaining to bismuth; containing
bismuth, when this element has its higher valence; as, bismuthic
oxide.
Bismuthiferous
Bis`muth*if"er*ous (?), a. [Bismuth + -ferous.] Containing bismuth.
Bismuthine, Bismuthinite
Bis"muth*ine (?), Bis"muth*in*ite (?), n. Native bismuth sulphide; --
sometimes called bismuthite.
Bismuthous
Bis"muth*ous (?), a. Of, or containing, bismuth, when this element has
its lower valence.
Bismuthyl
Bis"muth*yl` (?), n. (Min.) Hydrous carbonate of bismuth, an earthy
mineral of a dull white or yellowish color. [Written also bismuthite.]
Bison
Bi"son (?), n. [L. bison, Gr. , a wild ox; akin to OHG. wisunt,
wisant, G. wisent, AS. wesend, Icel. v\'c6sundr: cf. F. bison.]
(Zo\'94l.) (a) The aurochs or European bison. (b) The American bison
buffalo (Bison Americanus), a large, gregarious bovine quadruped with
shaggy mane and short black horns, which formerly roamed in herds over
most of the temperate portion of North America, but is now restricted
to very limited districts in the region of the Rocky Mountains, and is
rapidly decreasing in numbers.
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Bispinose
Bi*spi"nose (?), a. [Pref. bi- + spinose.] (Zo\'94l.) Having two
spines.
Bisque
Bisque (?), n. [A corruption of biscuit.] Unglazed white porcelain.
Bisque
Bisque, n. [F.] A point taken by the receiver of odds in the game of
tennis; also, an extra innings allowed to a weaker player in croquet.
Bisque
Bisque, n. [F.] A white soup made of crayfish.
Bissextile
Bis*sex"tile (?), n. [L. bissextilis annus, fr. bissextus (bis +
sextus sixth, fr. sex six) the sixth of the calends of March, or
twenty-fourth day of February, which was reckoned twice every fourth
year, by the intercalation of a day.] Leap year; every fourth year, in
which a day is added to the month of February on account of the excess
of the tropical year (365 d. 5 h. 48 m. 46 s.) above 365 days. But one
day added every four years is equivalent to six hours each year, which
is 11 m. 14 s. more than the excess of the real year. Hence, it is
necessary to suppress the bissextile day at the end of every century
which is not divisible by 400, while it is retained at the end of
those which are divisible by 400.
Bissextile
Bis*sex"tile, a. Pertaining to leap year.
Bisson
Bis"son (?), a. [OE. bisen, bisne, AS. bisen, prob. for b\'c6s; bi by
+ s clear, akin to se\'a2n to see; clear when near, hence
short-sighted. See See.] Purblind; blinding. [Obs.] "Bisson rheum."
Shak.
Bister, Bistre
Bis"ter, Bis"tre (?), n. [F. bistre a color made of soot; of unknown
origin. Cf., however, LG. biester frowning, dark, ugly.] (Paint.) A
dark brown pigment extracted from the soot of wood.
Bistipuled
Bi*stip"uled (?), a. [Pref. bi- + stipule.] (Bot.) Having two
stipules.
Bistort
Bis"tort (?), n. [L. bis + tortus, p. p. of torquere to twist: cf. F.
bistorte.] (Bot.) An herbaceous plant of the genus Polygonum, section
Bistorta; snakeweed; adderwort. Its root is used in medicine as an
astringent.
Bistoury
Bis"tou*ry (?), n.; pl. Bistouries (#). [F. bistouri.] A surgical
instrument consisting of a slender knife, either straight or curved,
generally used by introducing it beneath the part to be divided, and
cutting towards the surface.
Bistre
Bis"tre (?), n. See Bister.
Bisulcate
Bi*sul"cate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + sulcate.]
1. Having two grooves or furrows.
2. (Zo\'94l.) Cloven; said of a foot or hoof.
Bisulcous
Bi*sul"cous (?), a. [L. bisulcus; bis twice + sulcus furrow.]
Bisulcate. Sir T. Browne.
Bisulphate
Bi*sul"phate (?), n. [Pref. bi- + sulphate.] (Chem.) A sulphate in
which but half the hydrogen of the acid is replaced by a positive
element or radical, thus making the proportion of the acid to the
positive or basic portion twice what it is in the normal sulphates; an
acid sulphate.
Bisulphide
Bi*sul"phide (?), n. [Pref. bi- + sulphide.] (Chem.) A sulphide having
two atoms of sulphur in the molecule; a disulphide, as in iron
pyrites, FeS2; -- less frequently called bisulphuret.
Bisulphite
Bi*sul"phite (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of sulphurous acid in which the
base replaces but half the hydrogen of the acid; an acid sulphite.
Bisulphuret
Bi*sul"phu*ret (?), n. [Pref. bi- + sulphuret.] (Chem.) See
Bisulphide.
Bit
Bit (?), n. [OE. bitt, bite, AS. bite, bite, fr. b\'c6tan to bite. See
Bite, n. & v., and cf. Bit a morsel.]
1. The part of a bridle, usually of iron, which is inserted in the
mouth of a horse, and having appendages to which the reins are
fastened. Shak.
The foamy bridle with the bit of gold. Chaucer.
2. Fig.: Anything which curbs or restrains.
Bit
Bit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bitted (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bitting.] To put
a bridle upon; to put the bit in the mouth of.
Bit
Bit, imp. & p. p. of Bite.
Bit
Bit, n. [OE. bite, AS. bita, fr. b\'c6tan to bite; akin to D. beet, G.
bissen bit, morsel, Icel. biti. See Bite, v., and cf. Bit part of a
bridle.]
1. A part of anything, such as may be bitten off or taken into the
mouth; a morsel; a bite. Hence: A small piece of anything; a little; a
mite.
2. Somewhat; something, but not very great.
My young companion was a bit of a poet. T. Hook.
NOTE: &hand; This word is used, also, like jot and whit, to express
the smallest degree; as, he is not a bit wiser.
3. A tool for boring, of various forms and sizes, usually turned by
means of a brace or bitstock. See Bitstock.
4. The part of a key which enters the lock and acts upon the bolt and
tumblers. Knight.
5. The cutting iron of a plane. Knight.
6. In the Southern and Southwestern States, a small silver coin (as
the real) formerly current; commonly, one worth about 12 1/2 cents;
also, the sum of 12 1/2 cents.
Bit my bit, piecemeal. Pope.
Bit
Bit, 3d sing. pr. of Bid, for biddeth. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bitake
Bi*take" (?), v. t. [See Betake, Betaught.] To commend; to commit.
[Obs.] Chaucer.
Bitangent
Bi*tan"gent (?), a. [Pref. bi- + tangent.] (Geom.) Possessing the
property of touching at two points. -- n. A line that touches a curve
in two points.
Bitartrate
Bi*tar"trate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of tartaric acid in which the base
replaces but half the acid hydrogen; an acid tartrate, as cream of
tartar.
Bitch
Bitch (?), n. [OE. biche, bicche, AS. bicce; cf. Icel. bikkja, G.
betze, peize.]
1. The female of the canine kind, as of the dog, wolf, and fox.
2. An opprobrious name for a woman, especially a lewd woman. Pope.
Bite
Bite (?), v. t. [imp. Bit (?); p. p. Bitten (?), Bit; p. pr. & vb. n.
Biting.] [OE. biten, AS. b\'c6tan; akin to D. bijten, OS. b\'c6tan,
OHG. b\'c6zan, G. beissen, Goth. beitan, Icel. b\'c6ta, Sw. bita, Dan.
bide, L. findere to cleave, Skr. bhid to cleave. &root;87. Cf.
Fissure.]
1. To seize with the teeth, so that they enter or nip the thing
seized; to lacerate, crush, or wound with the teeth; as, to bite an
apple; to bite a crust; the dog bit a man.
Such smiling rogues as these, Like rats, oft bite the holy cords
atwain. Shak.
2. To puncture, abrade, or sting with an organ (of some insects) used
in taking food.
3. To cause sharp pain, or smarting, to; to hurt or injure, in a
literal or a figurative sense; as, pepper bites the mouth. "Frosts do
bite the meads." Shak.
4. To cheat; to trick; to take in. [Colloq.] Pope.
5. To take hold of; to hold fast; to adhere to; as, the anchor bites
the ground.
The last screw of the rack having been turned so often that its
purchase crumbled, . . . it turned and turned with nothing to bite.
Dickens.
To bite the dust, To bite the ground, to fall in the agonies of death;
as, he made his enemy bite the dust. -- To bite in (Etching), to
corrode or eat into metallic plates by means of an acid. -- To bite
the thumb at (any one), formerly a mark of contempt, designed to
provoke a quarrel; to defy. "Do you bite your thumb at us ?" Shak. --
To bite the tongue, to keep silence. Shak.
Bite
Bite (?), v. i.
1. To seize something forcibly with the teeth; to wound with the
teeth; to have the habit of so doing; as, does the dog bite?
2. To cause a smarting sensation; to have a property which causes such
a sensation; to be pungent; as, it bites like pepper or mustard.
3. To cause sharp pain; to produce anguish; to hurt or injure; to have
the property of so doing.
At the last it [wine] biteth like serpent, and stingeth like an
adder. Prov. xxiii. 32.
4. To take a bait into the mouth, as a fish does; hence, to take a
tempting offer.
5. To take or keep a firm hold; as, the anchor bites.
Bite
Bite, n. [OE. bite, bit, bitt, AS. bite bite, fr. b\'c6tan to bite,
akin to Icel. bit, OS. biti, G. biss. See Bite, v., and cf. Bit.]
1. The act of seizing with the teeth or mouth; the act of wounding or
separating with the teeth or mouth; a seizure with the teeth or mouth,
as of a bait; as, to give anything a hard bite.
I have known a very good fisher angle diligently four or six hours
for a river carp, and not have a bite. Walton.
2. The act of puncturing or abrading with an organ for taking food, as
is done by some insects.
3. The wound made by biting; as, the pain of a dog's or snake's bite;
the bite of a mosquito.
4. A morsel; as much as is taken at once by biting.
5. The hold which the short end of a lever has upon the thing to be
lifted, or the hold which one part of a machine has upon another.
6. A cheat; a trick; a fraud. [Colloq.]
The baser methods of getting money by fraud and bite, by deceiving
and overreaching. Humorist.
7. A sharper; one who cheats. [Slang] Johnson.
8. (Print.) A blank on the edge or corner of a page, owing to a
portion of the frisket, or something else, intervening between the
type and paper.
Biter
Bit"er (?), n.
1. One who, or that which, bites; that which bites often, or is
inclined to bite, as a dog or fish. "Great barkers are no biters."
Camden.
2. One who cheats; a sharper. [Colloq.] Spectator.
Biternate
Bi*ter"nate (?), a. [Pref. bi- + ternate.] (Bot.)Doubly ternate, as
when a petiole has three ternate leaflets. -- Bi*ter"nate*ly, adv.
Gray.
Bitheism
Bi"the*ism (?), n. [Pref. bi- + theism.] Belief in the existence of
two gods; dualism.
Biting
Bit"ing (?), a. That bites; sharp; cutting; sarcastic; caustic. "A
biting affliction." "A biting jest." Shak.
Biting in
Bit"ing in" (?). (Etching.) The process of corroding or eating into
metallic plates, by means of an acid. See Etch. G. Francis.
Bitingly
Bit"ing*ly, adv. In a biting manner.
Bitless
Bit"less (?), a. Not having a bit or bridle.
Bitstock
Bit"stock` (?), n. A stock or handle for holding and rotating a bit; a
brace.
Bitt
Bitt (?), n. (Naut.) See Bitts.
Bitt
Bitt (?), v. t. [See Bitts.] (Naut.) To put round the bitts; as, to
bitt the cable, in order to fasten it or to slacken it gradually,
which is called veering away. Totten.
Bittacle
Bit"ta*cle (?), n. A binnacle. [Obs.]
Bitten
Bit"ten (?), p. p. of Bite.
Bitten
Bit"ten (?), a. (Bot.) Terminating abruptly, as if bitten off;
premorse.
Bitter
Bit"ter (?), n. [See Bitts.] (Naut.) AA turn of the cable which is
round the bitts. Bitter end, that part of a cable which is abaft the
bitts, and so within board, when the ship rides at anchor.
Bitter
Bit"ter (?), a. [AS. biter; akin to Goth. baitrs, Icel. bitr, Dan.,
Sw., D., & G. bitter, OS. bittar, fr. root of E. bite. See Bite, v.
t.]
1. Having a peculiar, acrid, biting taste, like that of wormwood or an
infusion of hops; as, a bitter medicine; bitter as aloes.
2. Causing pain or smart; piercing; painful; sharp; severe; as, a
bitter cold day.
3. Causing, or fitted to cause, pain or distress to the mind;
calamitous; poignant.
It is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord
thy God. Jer. ii. 19.
4. Characterized by sharpness, severity, or cruelty; harsh; stern;
virulent; as, bitter reproach.
Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Col.
iii. 19.
5. Mournful; sad; distressing; painful; pitiable.
The Egyptians . . . made their lives bitter with hard bondage. Ex.
i. 14.
Bitter apple, Bitter cucumber, Bitter gourd. (Bot.) See Colocynth. --
Bitter cress (Bot.), a plant of the genus Cardamine, esp. C. amara. --
Bitter earth (Min.), tale earth; calcined magnesia. -- Bitter
principles (Chem.), a class of substances, extracted from vegetable
products, having strong bitter taste but with no sharply defined
chemical characteristics. -- Bitter salt, Epsom salts;; magnesium
sulphate. -- Bitter vetch (Bot.), a name given to two European
leguminous herbs, Vicia Orobus and Ervum Ervilia. -- To the bitter
end, to the last extremity, however calamitous. Syn. -- Acrid; sharp;
harsh; pungent; stinging; cutting; severe; acrimonious.
Bitter
Bit"ter (?), n. Any substance that is bitter. See Bitters.
Bitter
Bit"ter, v. t. To make bitter. Wolcott.
Bitterbump
Bit"ter*bump` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) the butterbump or bittern.
Bitterful
Bit"ter*ful (?), a. Full of bitterness. [Obs.]
Bittering
Bit"ter*ing, n. A bitter compound used in adulterating beer; bittern.
Bitterish
Bit"ter*ish, a. Somewhat bitter. Goldsmith.
Bitterling
Bit"ter*ling (?), n. [G.] (Zo\'94l.) A roachlike European fish
(Rhodima amarus).
Bitterly
Bit"ter*ly, adv. In a bitter manner.
Bittern
Bit"tern (?), n. [OE. bitoure, betore, bitter, fr. F. butor; of
unknown origin.] (Zo\'94l.) A wading bird of the genus Botaurus,
allied to the herons, of various species.
NOTE: &hand; Th e common European bittern is Botaurus stellaris. It
makes, during the brooding season, a noise called by Dryden
bumping, and by Goldsmith booming. The American bittern is B.
lentiginosus, and is also called stake-driver and meadow hen. See
Stake-driver.
NOTE: The na me is ap plied to ot her related birds, as the least
bittern (Ardetta exilis), and the sun bittern.
Bittern
Bit"tern, n. [From Bitter, a.]
1. The brine which remains in salt works after the salt is concreted,
having a bitter taste from the chloride of magnesium which it
contains.
2. A very bitter compound of quassia, cocculus Indicus, etc., used by
fraudulent brewers in adulterating beer. Cooley.
Bitterness
Bit"ter*ness (?), n. [AS. biternys; biter better + -nys = -ness.]
1. The quality or state of being bitter, sharp, or acrid, in either a
literal or figurative sense; implacableness; resentfulness; severity;
keenness of reproach or sarcasm; deep distress, grief, or vexation of
mind.
The lip that curls with bitterness. Percival.
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Job vii. 11.
2. A state of extreme impiety or enmity to God.
Thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
Acts viii. 23.
3. Dangerous error, or schism, tending to draw persons to apostasy.
Looking diligently, . . . lest any root of bitterness springing up
trouble you. Heb. xii. 15.
Bitternut
Bit"ter*nut", n. (Bot.) The swamp hickory (Carya amara). Its
thin-shelled nuts are bitter.
Bitterroot
Bit"ter*root` (?), n. (Bot.) A plant (Lewisia rediviva) allied to the
purslane, but with fleshy, farinaceous roots, growing in the mountains
of Idaho, Montana, etc. It gives the name to the Bitter Root mountains
and river. The Indians call both the plant and the river Sp\'91t'lum.
Bitters
Bit"ters (?), n. pl. A liquor, generally spirituous in which a bitter
herb, leaf, or root is steeped.
Bitter spar
Bit"ter spar" (?). A common name of dolomite; -- so called because it
contains magnesia, the soluble salts of which are bitter. See
Dolomite.
Bittersweet
Bit"ter*sweet` (?), a. Sweet and then bitter or bitter and then sweet;
esp. sweet with a bitter after taste; hence (Fig.), pleasant but
painful.
Bittersweet
Bit"ter*sweet`, n.
1. Anything which is bittersweet.
2. A kind of apple so called. Gower.
3. (Bot.) (a) A climbing shrub, with oval coral-red berries (Solanum
dulcamara); woody nightshade. The whole plant is poisonous, and has a
taste at first sweetish and then bitter. The branches are the
officinal dulcamara. (b) An American woody climber (Celastrus
scandens), whose yellow capsules open late in autumn, and disclose the
red aril which covers the seeds; -- also called Roxbury waxwork.
Bitterweed
Bit"ter*weed` (?), n. (Bot.) A species of Ambrosia (A.
artemisi\'91folia); Roman worm wood. Gray.
Bitterwood
Bit"ter*wood` (?), n. A West Indian tree (Picr\'91na excelsa) from the
wood of which the bitter drug Jamaica quassia is obtained.
Bitterwort
Bit"ter*wort` (?), n. (Bot.) The yellow gentian (Gentiana lutea),
which has a very bitter taste.
Bittock
Bit"tock (?), n. [See Bit a morsel.] A small bit of anything, of
indefinite size or quantity; a short distance. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.
Bittor Bittour
Bit"tor Bit"tour (?), n. [See Bittern] (Zo\'94l.) The bittern. Dryden.
Bitts
Bitts (?), n. pl. [Cf. F. bitte, Icel. biti, a beam. (Naut.) A frame
of two strong timbers fixed perpendicularly in the fore part of a
ship, on which to fasten the cables as the ship rides at anchor, or in
warping. Other bitts are used for belaying (belaying bitts), for
sustaining the windlass (carrick bitts, winch bitts, or windlass
bitts), to hold the pawls of the windlass (pawl bitts) etc.
Bitume
Bi*tume" (?), n. [F. See Bitumen.] Bitumen. [Poetic] May.
Bitumed
Bi*tumed" (?), a. Smeared with bitumen. [R.] "The hatches caulked and
bitumed." Shak.
Bitumen
Bi*tu"men (?), n. [L. bitumen: cf. F. bitume. Cf. B\'82ton.]
1. Mineral pitch; a black, tarry substance, burning with a bright
flame; Jew's pitch. It occurs as an abundant natural product in many
places, as on the shores of the Dead and Caspian Seas. It is used in
cements, in the construction of pavements, etc. See Asphalt.
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Page 150
2. By extension, any one of the natural hydrocarbons, including the
hard, solid, brittle varieties called asphalt, the semisolid maltha
and mineral tars, the oily petroleums, and even the light, volatile
naphthas.
Bituminate
Bi*tu"mi*nate (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bituminated; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bituminating.] [L. bituminatus, p. p. of bituminare to bituminate. See
Bitumen.] To treat or impregnate with bitumen; to cement with bitumen.
"Bituminated walls of Babylon." Feltham.
Bituminiferous
Bi*tu`mi*nif"er*ous (?), a. [Bitumen + -ferous.] Producing bitumen.
Kirwan.
Bituminization
Bi*tu`mi*ni*za"tion (?), n. [Cf. F. bituminisation.] The process of
bituminizing. Mantell.
Bituminize
Bi*tu"mi*nize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bituminized (; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bituminizing.] [Cf. F. bituminiser.] To prepare, treat, impregnate, or
coat with bitumen.
Bituminous
Bi*tu"mi*nous (?), a. [L. bituminosus: cf. F. bitumineux.] Having the
qualities of bitumen; compounded with bitumen; containing bitumen.
Near that bituminous lake where Sodom flamed. Milton.
Bituminous coal, a kind of coal which yields, when heated, a
considerable amount of volatile bituminous matter. It burns with a
yellow smoky flame. -- Bituminous limestone, a mineral of a brown or
black color, emitting an unpleasant smell when rubbed. That of
Dalmatia is so charged with bitumen that it may be cut like soap. --
Bituminous shale, an argillaceous shale impregnated with bitumen,
often accompanying coal.
Biuret
Bi"u*ret (?), n. [Pref. bi- + urea.] (Chem.) A white, crystalline,
nitrogenous substance, C2O2N3H5, formed by heating urea. It is
intermediate between urea and cyanuric acid.
Bivalency
Biv"a*len*cy (?), n. (Chem.) The quality of being bivalent.
Bivalent
Biv"a*lent (?), a. [L. bis twice + valens, p. pr. See Valence.]
(Chem.) Equivalent in combining or displacing power to two atoms of
hydrogen; dyad.
Bivalve
Bi"valve (?), n. [F. bivalve; bi- (L. bis) + valve valve.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) A mollusk having a shell consisting of two lateral
plates or valves joined together by an elastic ligament at the hinge,
which is usually strengthened by prominences called teeth. The shell
is closed by the contraction of two transverse muscles attached to the
inner surface, as in the clam, -- or by one, as in the oyster. See
Mollusca.
2. (Bot.) A pericarp in which the seed case opens or splits into two
parts or valves.
Bivalve
Bi"valve (?), a. [Pref. bi- + valve.] (Zo\'94l. & Bot.) Having two
shells or valves which open and shut, as the oyster and certain seed
vessels.
Bivalved
Bi"valved (?), a. Having two valves, as the oyster and some seed pods;
bivalve.
Bivalvous
Bi*val"vous (?), a. Bivalvular.
Bivalvular
Bi*val"vu*lar (?), a. Having two valves.
Bivaulted
Bi*vault"ed (?), a. [Pref. bi- + vault.] Having two vaults or arches.
Bivector
Bi*vec"tor (?), n. [Pref. bi- + vector.] (Math.) A term made up of the
two parts
Biventral
Bi*ven"tral (?), a. [Pref. bi- + ventral.] (Anat.) Having two bellies
or protuberances; as, a biventral, or digastric, muscle, or the
biventral lobe of the cerebellum.
Bivial
Biv"i*al (?), a. Of or relating to the bivium.
Bivious
Biv"i*ous (?), a. [L. bivius; bis twice + via way.] Having, or
leading, two ways.
Bivious theorems and Janus-faced doctrines. Sir T. Browne.
Bivium
Biv"i*um (?), n. [L., a place with two ways. See Bivious.] (Zo\'94l.)
One side of an echinoderm, including a pair of ambulacra, in
distinction from the opposite side (trivium), which includes three
ambulacra.
Bivouac
Biv"ouac (?), n. [F. bivouac, bivac, prab. fr. G. beiwache, or
beiwacht; bei by, near + wachen to watch, wache watch, guard. See By,
and Watch.] (Mil.) (a) The watch of a whole army by night, when in
danger of surprise or attack. (b) An encampment for the night without
tents or covering.
Bivouac
Biv"ouac, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bivouacked (p. pr. & vb. n.
Bivouacking.] (Mil.) (a) To watch at night or be on guard, as a whole
army. (b) To encamp for the night without tents or covering.
Biweekly
Bi"week`ly (?), a. [Pref. bi- + weekly.] Occurring or appearing once
every two weeks; fortnightly. -- n. A publication issued every two
weeks. -- Bi"week"ly, adv.
Biwreye
Bi*wreye" (?), v. t. To bewray; to reveal. [Obs.]
Bizantine
Biz"an*tine (?). See Byzantine.
Bizarre
Bi*zarre" (?), a. [F. bizarre odd, fr. Sp. bizarro gallant, brave,
liberal, prob. of Basque origin; cf. Basque bizarra beard, whence the
meaning manly, brave.] Odd in manner or appearance; fantastic;
whimsical; extravagant; grotesque. C. Kingsley.
Bizet
Bi*zet" (?), n. [Cf. Bezel.] The upper faceted portion of a
brilliant-cut diamond, which projects from the setting and occupies
the zone between the girdle and the table. See Brilliant, n.
Blab
Blab (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blabbed (p. pr. & vb. n. Blabbing.] [Cf.
OE. blaberen, or Dan. blabbre, G. plappern, Gael. blabaran a
stammerer; prob. of imitative origin. Cf. also Blubber, v.] To utter
or tell unnecessarily, or in a thoughtless manner; to publish (secrets
or trifles) without reserve or discretion. Udall.
And yonder a vile physician blabbing The case of his patient.
Tennyson.
Blab
Blab, v. i. To talk thoughtlessly or without discretion; to tattle; to
tell tales.
She must burst or blab. Dryden.
Blab
Blab, n. [OE. blabbe.] One who blabs; a babbler; a telltale. "Avoided
as a blab." Milton.
For who will open himself to a blab or a babbler. Bacon.
Blabber
Blab"ber (?), n. A tattler; a telltale.
Black
Black (?), a. [OE. blak, AS. bl\'91c; akin to Icel. blakkr dark,
swarthy, Sw. bl\'84ck ink, Dan. bl\'91k, OHG. blach, LG. & D. blaken
to burn with a black smoke. Not akin to AS. bl\'bec, E. bleak pallid.
1. Destitute of light, or incapable of reflecting it; of the color of
soot or coal; of the darkest or a very dark color, the opposite of
white; characterized by such a color; as, black cloth; black hair or
eyes.
O night, with hue so black! Shak.
2. In a less literal sense: Enveloped or shrouded in darkness; very
dark or gloomy; as, a black night; the heavens black with clouds.
I spy a black, suspicious, threatening cloud. Shak.
3. Fig.: Dismal, gloomy, or forbidding, like darkness; destitute of
moral light or goodness; atrociously wicked; cruel; mournful;
calamitous; horrible. "This day's black fate." "Black villainy."
"Arise, black vengeance." "Black day." "Black despair." Shak.
4. Expressing menace, or discontent; threatening; sullen; foreboding;
as, to regard one with black looks.
NOTE: &hand; Black is often used in self-explaining compound words;
as, black-eyed, black-faced, black-haired, black-visaged.
Black act, the English statute 9 George I, which makes it a felony to
appear armed in any park or warren, etc., or to hunt or steal deer,
etc., with the face blackened or disguised. Subsequent acts inflicting
heavy penalties for malicious injuries to cattle and machinery have
been called black acts. -- Black angel (Zo\'94l.), a fish of the West
Indies and Florida (Holacanthus tricolor), with the head and tail
yellow, and the middle of the body black. -- Black antimony (Chem.),
the black sulphide of antimony, Sb2S3, used in pyrotechnics, etc. --
Black bear (Zo\'94l.), the common American bear (Ursus Americanus). --
Black beast. See B\'88te noire. -- Black beetle (Zo\'94l.), the common
large cockroach (Blatta orientalis). -- Black and blue, the dark color
of a bruise in the flesh, which is accompanied with a mixture of blue.
"To pinch the slatterns black and blue." Hudibras. -- Black bonnet
(Zo\'94l.), the black-headed bunting (Embriza Sch\'d2niclus) of
Europe. -- Black canker, a disease in turnips and other crops,
produced by a species of caterpillar. -- Black cat (Zo\'94l.), the
fisher, a quadruped of North America allied to the sable, but larger.
See Fisher. -- Black cattle, any bovine cattle reared for slaughter,
in distinction from dairy cattle. [Eng.] -- Black cherry. See under
Cherry. -- Black cockatoo (Zo\'94l.), the palm cockatoo. See Cockatoo.
-- Black copper. Same as Melaconite. -- Black currant. (Bot.) See
Currant. -- Black diamond. (Min.) See Carbonado. -- Black draught
(Med.), a cathartic medicine, composed of senna and magnesia. -- Black
drop (Med.), vinegar of opium; a narcotic preparation consisting
essentially of a solution of opium in vinegar. -- Black earth, mold;
earth of a dark color. Woodward. -- Black flag, the flag of a pirate,
often bearing in white a skull and crossbones; a signal of defiance.
-- Black flea (Zo\'94l.), a flea beetle (Haltica nemorum) injurious to
turnips. -- Black flux, a mixture of carbonate of potash and charcoal,
obtained by deflagrating tartar with half its weight of niter. Brande
& C. -- Black fly. (Zo\'94l.) (a) In the United States, a small,
venomous, two-winged fly of the genus Simulium of several species,
exceedingly abundant and troublesome in the northern forests. The
larv\'91 are aquatic. (b) A black plant louse, as the bean aphis (A.
fab\'91). -- Black Forest [a translation of G. Schwarzwald], a forest
in Baden and W\'81rtemburg, in Germany; a part of the ancient
Hercynian forest. -- Black game, or Black grouse. (Zo\'94l.) See
Blackcock, Grouse, and Heath grouse. -- Black grass (Bot.), a
grasslike rush of the species Juncus Gerardi, growing on salt marshes,
and making good hay. -- Black gum (Bot.), an American tree, the tupelo
or pepperidge. See Tupelo. -- Black Hamburg (grape) (Bot.), a sweet
and juicy variety of dark purple or "black" grape. -- Black horse
(Zo\'94l.), a fish of the Mississippi valley (Cycleptus elongatus), of
the sucker family; the Missouri sucker. -- Black lemur (Zo\'94l.), the
Lemurniger of Madagascar; the acoumbo of the natives. -- Black list, a
list of persons who are for some reason thought deserving of censure
or punishment; -- esp. a list of persons stigmatized as insolvent or
untrustworthy, made for the protection of tradesmen or employers. See
Blacklist, v. t. -- Black manganese (Chem.), the black oxide of
manganese, MnO2. -- Black Maria, the close wagon in which prisoners
are carried to or from jail. -- Black martin (Zo\'94l.), the chimney
swift. See Swift. -- Black moss (Bot.), the common so-called long moss
of the southern United States. See Tillandsia. -- Black oak. See under
Oak. -- Black ocher. See Wad. -- Black pigment, a very fine, light
carbonaceous substance, or lampblack, prepared chiefly for the
manufacture of printers' ink. It is obtained by burning common coal
tar. -- Black plate, sheet iron before it is tinned. Knight. -- Black
quarter, malignant anthrax with engorgement of a shoulder or quarter,
etc., as of an ox. -- Black rat (Zo\'94l.), one of the species of rats
(Mus rattus), commonly infesting houses. -- Black rent. See Blackmail,
n., 3. -- Black rust, a disease of wheat, in which a black, moist
matter is deposited in the fissures of the grain. -- Black sheep, one
in a family or company who is unlike the rest, and makes trouble. --
Black silver. (Min.) See under Silver. -- Black and tan, black mixed
or spotted with tan color or reddish brown; -- used in describing
certain breeds of dogs. -- Black tea. See under Tea. -- Black tin
(Mining), tin ore (cassiterite), when dressed, stamped and washed,
ready for smelting. It is in the form of a black powder, like fine
sand. Knight. -- Black walnut. See under Walnut. -- Black warrior
(Zo\'94l.), an American hawk (Buteo Harlani). Syn. -- Dark; murky;
pitchy; inky; somber; dusky; gloomy; swart; Cimmerian; ebon;
atrocious.
Black
Black (?), adv. Sullenly; threateningly; maliciously; so as to produce
blackness.
Black
Black, n.
1. That which is destitute of light or whiteness; the darkest color,
or rather a destitution of all color; as, a cloth has a good black.
Black is the badge of hell, The hue of dungeons, and the suit of
night. Shak.
2. A black pigment or dye.
3. A negro; a person whose skin is of a black color, or shaded with
black; esp. a member or descendant of certain African races.
4. A black garment or dress; as, she wears black; pl. (Obs.) Mourning
garments of a black color; funereal drapery.
Friends weeping, and blacks, and obsequies, and the like show death
terrible. Bacon.
That was the full time they used to wear blacks for the death of
their fathers. Sir T. North.
5. The part of a thing which is distinguished from the rest by being
black.
The black or sight of the eye. Sir K. Digby.
6. A stain; a spot; a smooch.
Defiling her white lawn of chastity with ugly blacks of lust.
Rowley.
Black and white, writing or print; as, I must have that statement in
black and white. -- Blue black, a pigment of a blue black color. --
Ivory black, a fine kind of animal charcoal prepared by calcining
ivory or bones. When ground it is the chief ingredient of the ink used
in copperplate printing. -- Berlin black. See under Berlin.
Black
Black, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blacked ; p. pr. & vb. n. Blacking.] [See
Black, a., and cf. Blacken.]
1. To make black; to blacken; to soil; to sully.
They have their teeth blacked, both men and women, for they say a
dog hath his teeth white, therefore they will black theirs.
Hakluyt.
Sins which black thy soul. J. Fletcher.
2. To make black and shining, as boots or a stove, by applying
blacking and then polishing with a brush.
Blackamoor
Black"a*moor (?), n. [Black + Moor.] A negro or negress. Shak.
Black art
Black" art` (?). The art practiced by conjurers and witches;
necromancy; conjuration; magic.
NOTE: &hand; Th is name was given in the Middle Ages to necromancy,
under the idea that the latter term was derived from niger black,
instead of nekro`s, a dead person, and mantei`a, divination.
Wright.
Black-a-vised
Black"-a-vised` (?), a. Dark-visaged; swart.
Blackball
Black"ball` (?), n.
1. A composition for blacking shoes, boots, etc.; also, one for taking
impressions of engraved work.
2. A ball of black color, esp. one used as a negative in voting; -- in
this sense usually two words.
Blackball
Black"ball`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blackballed (; p. pr. & vb. n.
Blackballing.]
1. To vote against, by putting a black ball into a ballot box; to
reject or exclude, as by voting against with black balls; to
ostracize.
He was blackballed at two clubs in succession. Thackeray.
2. To blacken (leather, shoes, etc.) with blacking.
Blackband
Black"band` (?), n. (Min.) An earthy carbonate of iron containing
considerable carbonaceous matter; -- valuable as an iron ore.
Black bass
Black" bass` (?). (Zo\'94l.)
1. An edible, fresh-water fish of the United States, of the genus
Micropterus. the small-mouthed kind is M. dolomie\'c6; the
largemouthed is M. salmoides.
2. The sea bass. See Blackfish, 3.
Blackberry
Black"ber*ry (?), n. [OE. blakberye, AS. bl\'91cerie; bl\'91c black +
berie berry.] The fruit of several species of bramble (Rubus); also,
the plant itself. Rubus fruticosus is the blackberry of England; R.
villosus and R. Canadensis are the high blackberry and low blackberry
of the United States. There are also other kinds.
Blackbird
Black"bird (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) In England, a species of thrush (Turdus
merula), a singing bird with a fin note; the merle. In America the
name is given to several birds, as the Quiscalus versicolor, or crow
blackbird; the Agel\'91us ph\'d2niceus, or red-winged blackbird; the
cowbird; the rusty grackle, etc. See Redwing.
Blackboard
Black"board` (?), n. A broad board painted black, or any black surface
on which writing, drawing, or the working of mathematical problems can
be done with chalk or crayons. It is much used in schools.
Black book
Black" book` (?).
1. One of several books of a political character, published at
different times and for different purposes; -- so called either from
the color of the binding, or from the character of the contents.
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2. A book compiled in the twelfth century, containing a description of
the court of exchequer of England, an official statement of the
revenues of the crown, etc.
3. A book containing details of the enormities practiced in the
English monasteries and religious houses, compiled by order of their
visitors under Henry VIII., to hasten their dissolution.
4. A book of admiralty law, of the highest authority, compiled in the
reign of Edw. III. Bouvier. Wharton.
5. A book kept for the purpose of registering the names of persons
liable to censure or punishment, as in the English universities, or
the English armies.
6. Any book which treats of necromancy.
Black-browed
Black"-browed` (?), a. Having black eyebrows. Hence: Gloomy; dismal;
threatening; forbidding. Shak. Dryden.
Blackburnian warbler
Black*bur"ni*an war"bler (?). [Named from Mrs. Blackburn, an English
lady.] (Zo\'94l.) A beautiful warbler of the United States (Dendroica
Blackburni\'91). The male is strongly marked with orange, yellow, and
black on the head and neck, and has an orange-yellow breast.
Blackcap
Black"cap` (?), n.
1. (Zo\'94l.) (a) A small European song bird (Sylvia atricapilla),
with a black crown; the mock nightingale. (b) An American titmouse
(Parus atricapillus); the chickadee.
2. (Cookery) An apple roasted till black, to be served in a dish of
boiled custard.
3. The black raspberry.
Blackcoat
Black"coat` (?), n. A clergyman; -- familiarly so called, as a soldier
is sometimes called a redcoat or a bluecoat.
Blackcock
Black"cock` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The male of the European black grouse
(Tetrao tetrix, Linn.); -- so called by sportsmen. The female is
called gray hen. See Heath grouse.
Black death
Black" death` (?). A pestilence which ravaged Europe and Asia in the
fourteenth century.
Blacken
Black"en (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blackened (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Blackening.] [See Black, a., and cf. Black, v. t. ]
1. To make or render black.
While the long funerals blacken all the way.
Pope
Pope.
2. To make dark; to darken; to cloud. "Blackened the whole
heavens." South.
3. To defame; to sully, as reputation; to make infamous; as, vice
blackens the character. Syn. -- To denigrate; defame; vilify;
slander; calumniate; traduce; malign; asperse.
Blacken
Black"en, v. i. To grow black or dark.
Blackener
Black"en*er (?), n. One who blackens.
Black-eyed
Black"-eyed` (?), a. Having black eyes. Dryden.
Black-faced
Black"-faced` (?), a. Having a black, dark, or gloomy face or
aspect.
Blackfeet
Black"feet` (?), n. pl. (Ethn.) A tribe of North American Indians
formerly inhabiting the country from the upper Missouri River to
the Saskatchewan, but now much reduced in numbers.
Blackfin
Black"fin` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Bluefin.
Blackfish
Black"fish (?), n.
1. (Zo\'94l.) A small kind of whale, of the genus Globicephalus, of
several species. The most common is G. melas. Also sometimes
applied to other whales of larger size.
2. (Zo\'94l.) The tautog of New England (Tautoga).
3. (Zo\'94l.) The black sea bass (Centropristis atrarius) of the
Atlantic coast. It is excellent food fish; -- locally called also
black Harry.
4. (Zo\'94l.) A fish of southern Europe (Centrolophus pompilus) of
the Mackerel family.
5. (Zo\'94l.) The female salmon in the spawning season.
NOTE: &hand; The name is locally applied to other fishes.
Blackfoot
Black"foot` (?), a. Of or pertaining to the Blackfeet; as, a
Blackfoot Indian. -- n. A Blackfoot Indian.
Black friar
Black" fri`ar (?). (Eccl.) A friar of the Dominican order; --
called also predicant and preaching friar; in France, Jacobin.
Also, sometimes, a Benedictine.
Blackguard
Black"guard (?), n. [Black + guard.]
1. The scullions and lower menials of a court, or of a nobleman's
household, who, in a removal from one residence to another, had
charge of the kitchen utensils, and being smutted by them, were
jocularly called the "black guard"; also, the servants and
hangers-on of an army. [Obs.]
A lousy slave, that . . . rode with the black guard in the duke's
carriage, 'mongst spits and dripping pans. Webster (1612).
2. The criminals and vagrants or vagabonds of a town or community,
collectively. [Obs.]
3. A person of stained or low character, esp. one who uses
scurrilous language, or treats others with foul abuse; a scoundrel;
a rough.
A man whose manners and sentiments are decidedly below those of his
class deserves to be called a blackguard. Macaulay.
4. A vagrant; a bootblack; a gamin. [Obs.]
Blackguard
Black"guard`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blackguarded; p. pr. & vb. n.
Blackguarding.] To revile or abuse in scurrilous language. Southey.
Blackguard
Black"guard, a. Scurrilous; abusive; low; worthless; vicious; as,
blackguard language.
Blackguardism
Black"guard*ism (?), n. The conduct or language of a blackguard;
rufflanism.
Blackguardly
Black"guard*ly, adv. & a. In the manner of or resembling a
blackguard; abusive; scurrilous; ruffianly.
Blackhead
Black"head` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The scaup duck.
Blackheart
Black"heart` (?), n. A heart-shaped cherry with a very dark-colored
skin.
Black-hearted
Black"-heart`ed, a. Having a wicked, malignant disposition; morally
bad.
Black hole
Black" hole` (?). A dungeon or dark cell in a prison; a military
lock-up or guardroom; -- now commonly with allusion to the cell
(the Black Hole) in a fort at Calcutta, into which 146 English
prisoners were thrust by the nabob Suraja Dowla on the night of
June 20, 17656, and in which 123 of the prisoners died before
morning from lack of air.
A discipline of unlimited autocracy, upheld by rods, and ferules,
and the black hole. H. Spencer.
Blacking
Black"ing, n.
1. Any preparation for making things black; esp. one for giving a
black luster to boots and shoes, or to stoves.
2. The act or process of making black.
Blackish
Black"ish, a. Somewhat black.
Black-jack
Black"-jack`, n.
1. (Min.) A name given by English miners to sphalerite, or zinc
blende; -- called also false galena. See Blende.
2. Caramel or burnt sugar, used to color wines, spirits, ground
coffee, etc.
3. A large leather vessel for beer, etc. [Obs.]
4. (Bot.) The Quercus nigra, or barren oak.
5. The ensign of a pirate.
Black lead
Black` lead" (?). Plumbago; graphite.It leaves a blackish mark
somewhat like lead. See Graphite.
Blacklead
Black`lead", v. t. To coat or to polish with black lead.
Blackleg
Black"leg` (?), n.
1. A notorious gambler. [Colloq.]
2. A disease among calves and sheep, characterized by a settling of
gelatinous matter in the legs, and sometimes in the neck. [Eng.]
Black letter
Black" let`ter (?). The old English or Gothic letter, in which the
Early English manuscripts were written, and the first English books
were printed. It was conspicuous for its blackness. See Type.
Black-letter
Black"-let`ter, a.
1. Written or printed in black letter; as, a black-letter
manuscript or book.
2. Given to the study of books in black letter; that is, of old
books; out of date.
Kemble, a black-letter man! J. Boaden.
3. Of or pertaining to the days in the calendar not marked with red
letters as saints' days. Hence: Unlucky; inauspicious.
Blacklist
Black"list` (?), v. t. To put in a black list as deserving of
suspicion, censure, or punishment; esp. to put in a list of persons
stigmatized as insolvent or untrustworthy, -- as tradesmen and
employers do for mutual protection; as, to blacklist a workman who
has been discharged. See Black list, under Black, a.
If you blacklist us, we will boycott you. John Swinton.
Blackly
Black"ly, adv. In a black manner; darkly, in color; gloomily;
threateningly; atrociously. "Deeds so blackly grim and horrid."
Feltham.
Blackmail
Black"mail` (?), n. [Black + mail a piece of money.]
1. A certain rate of money, corn, cattle, or other thing, anciently
paid, in the north of England and south of Scotland, to certain men
who were allied to robbers, or moss troopers, to be by them
protected from pillage. Sir W. Scott.
2. Payment of money exacted by means of intimidation; also,
extortion of money from a person by threats of public accusation,
exposure, or censure.
3. (Eng. Law) Black rent, or rent paid in corn, flesh, or the
lowest coin, a opposed to "white rent", which paid in silver.
To levy blackmail, to extort money by threats, as of injury to one's
reputation.
Blackmail
Black"mail`, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blackmailed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Blackmailing.] To extort money from by exciting fears of injury other
than bodily harm, as injury to reputation, distress of mind, etc.; as,
to blackmail a merchant by threatening to expose an alleged fraud. [U.
S.]
Blackmailer
Black"mail`er (?), n. One who extorts, or endeavors to extort, money,
by black mailing.
Blackmailing
Black"mail`ing, n. The act or practice of extorting money by exciting
fears of injury other than bodily harm, as injury to reputation.
Black Monday
Black" Mon`day (?).
1. Easter Monday, so called from the severity of that day in 1360,
which was so unusual that many of Edward III.'s soldiers, then before
Paris, died from the cold. Stow.
Then it was not for nothing that may nose fell a bleeding on Black
Monday last. Shak.
2. The first Monday after the holidays; -- so called by English
schoolboys. Halliwell.
Black monk
Black" monk` (?). A Benedictine monk.
Blackmoor
Black"moor (?), n. See Blackamoor.
Black-mouthed
Black"-mouthed` (?), a. Using foul or scurrilous language; slanderous.
Blackness
Black"ness, n. The quality or state of being black; black color;
atrociousness or enormity in wickedness.
They're darker now than blackness. Donne.
Blackpoll
Black"poll` (?), n. [Black + poll head.] (Zo\'94l.) A warbler of the
United States (Dendroica striata).
Black pudding
Black" pud"ding (?). A kind of sausage made of blood, suet, etc.,
thickened with meal.
And fat black puddings, -- proper food, For warriors that delight
in blood. Hudibras.
Black Rod
Black" Rod` (?). (a) the usher to the Chapter of the Garter, so called
from the black rod which he carries. He is of the king's chamber, and
also usher to the House of Lords. [Eng.] (b) An usher in the
legislature of British colonies. Cowell.
Committed to the custody of the Black Rod. Macaulay.
Blackroot
Black"root`, n. (Bot.) See Colicroot.
Blacks
Blacks (?), n. pl.
1. The name of a kind of in used in copperplate printing, prepared
from the charred husks of the grape, and residue of the wine press.
2. Soot flying in the air. [Eng.]
3. Black garments, etc. See Black, n., 4.
Blacksalter
Black"salt`er (?), n. One who,makes crude potash, or black salts.
Black salts
Black" salts` (?). Crude potash. De Colange.
Blacksmith
Black"smith` (?), n. [Black (in allusion to the color of the metal) +
smith. Cf. Whitesmith.]
1. A smith who works in iron with a forge, and makes iron utensils,
horseshoes, etc.
The blacksmith may forge what he pleases. Howell.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A fish of the Pacific coast (Chromis, or Heliastes,
punctipinnis), of a blackish color.
Black snake OR Blacksnake
Black" snake` (?) OR Black"snake, n. (Zo\'94l.) A snake of a black
color, of which two species are common in the United States, the
Bascanium constrictor, or racer, sometimes six feet long, and the
Scotophis Alleghaniensis, seven or eight feet long.
NOTE: &hand; Th e na me is al so ap plied to va rious other black
serpents, as Natrix atra of Jamaica.
Blackstrap
Black"strap` (?), n.
1. A mixture of spirituous liquor (usually rum) and molasses.
No blackstrap to-night; switchel, or ginger pop. Judd.
2. Bad port wine; any commo wine of the Mediterranean; -- so called by
sailors.
Blacktail
Black"tail` (?), n. [Black + tail.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) A fish; the ruff or pope.
2. (Zo\'94l.) The black-tailed deer (Cervus or Cariacus Columbianus)
of California and Oregon; also, the mule deer of the Rocky Mountains.
See Mule deer.
Blackthorn
Black"thorn` (?), n. (Bot.) (a) A spreading thorny shrub or small tree
(Prunus spinosa), with blackish bark, and bearing little black plums,
which are called sloes; the sloe. (b) A species of Crat\'91gus or
hawthorn (C. tomentosa). Both are used for hedges.
Black vomit
Black" vom"it (?). (Med.) A copious vomiting of dark-colored matter;
or the substance so discharged; -- one of the most fatal symptoms in
yellow fever.
Black wash OR Blackwash
Black" wash` (?) OR Black"wash, n.
1. (Med.) A lotion made by mixing calomel and lime water.
2. A wash that blackens, as opposed to whitewash; hence, figuratively,
calumny.
To remove as far as he can the modern layers of black wash, and let
the man himself, fair or foul, be seen. C. Kingsley.
Blackwood
Black"wood (?), n. A name given to several dark-colored timbers. The
East Indian black wood is from the tree Dalbergia latifolia. Balfour.
Blackwork
Black"work` (?), n. Work wrought by blacksmiths; -- so called in
distinction from that wrought by whitesmiths. Knight.
Bladder
Blad"der (?), n. [OE. bladder, bleddre, AS. bl, bl; akin to Icel. bla,
SW. bl\'84ddra, Dan. bl\'91re, D. blaar, OHG. bl\'betara the bladder
in the body of animals, G. blatter blister, bustule; all fr. the same
root as AS. bl\'bewan, E. blow, to puff. See Blow to puff.]
1. (Anat.) A bag or sac in animals, which serves as the receptacle of
some fluid; as, the urinary bladder; the gall bladder; -- applied
especially to the urinary bladder, either within the animal, or when
taken out and inflated with air.
2. Any vesicle or blister, especially if filled with air, or a thin,
watery fluid.
3. (Bot.) A distended, membranaceous pericarp.
4. Anything inflated, empty, or unsound. "To swim with bladders of
philosophy." Rochester.
Bladder nut, OR Bladder tree (Bot.), a genus of plants (Staphylea)
with bladderlike seed pods. -- Bladder pod (Bot.), a genus of low
herbs (Vesicaria) with inflated seed pods. -- Bladdor senna (Bot.), a
genus of shrubs (Colutea), with membranaceous, inflated pods. --
Bladder worm (Zo\'94l.), the larva of any species of tapeworm
(T\'91nia), found in the flesh or other parts of animals. See Measle,
Cysticercus. -- Bladder wrack (Bot.), the common black rock weed of
the seacoast (Fucus nodosus and F. vesiculosus) -- called also bladder
tangle. See Wrack.
Bladder
Blad"der, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bladdered (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bladdering.]
1. To swell out like a bladder with air; to inflate. [Obs.] G.
Fletcher.
2. To put up in bladders; as, bladdered lard.
Bladderwort
Blad"der*wort` (?), n. (Bot.) A genus (Utricularia) of aquatic or
marshy plants, which usually bear numerous vesicles in the divisions
of the leaves. These serve as traps for minute animals. See Ascidium.
Bladdery
Blad"der*y (?), a. Having bladders; also, resembling a bladder.
Blade
Blade (?), n. [OE. blade, blad, AS. bl\'91d leaf; akin to OS., D.,
Dan., & Sw. blad, Icel. bla, OHG. blat, G. blatt, and perh. to L.
folium, Gr. . The root is prob. the same as that of AS. bl, E. blow,
to blossom. See Blow to blossom, and cf. Foil leaf of metal.]
1. Properly, the leaf, or flat part of the leaf, of any plant,
especially of gramineous plants. The term is sometimes applied to the
spire of grasses.
The crimson dulse . . . with its waving blade. Percival.
First the blade, then ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
Mark iv. 28.
2. The cutting part of an instrument; as, the blade of a knife or a
sword.
3. The broad part of an oar; also, one of the projecting arms of a
screw propeller.
4. The scapula or shoulder blade.
5. pl. (Arch.) The principal rafters of a roof. Weale.
6. pl. (Com.) The four large shell plates on the sides, and the five
large ones of the middle, of the carapace of the sea turtle, which
yield the best tortoise shell. De Colange.
7. A sharp-witted, dashing, wild, or reckless, fellow; -- a word of
somewhat indefinite meaning.
He saw a turnkey in a trice Fetter a troublesome blade. Coleridge.
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Blade
Blade (?), v. t. To furnish with a blade.
Blade
Blade, v. i. To put forth or have a blade.
As sweet a plant, as fair a flower, is faded As ever in the Muses'
garden bladed. P. Fletcher.
Bladebone
Blade"bone` (?), n. The scapula. See Blade, 4.
Bladed
Blad"ed (?), a.
1. Having a blade or blades; as a two-bladed knife.
Decking with liquid pearl the bladed grass. Shak.
2. Divested of blades; as, bladed corn.
3. (Min.) Composed of long and narrow plates, shaped like the blade of
a knife.
Bladefish
Blade"fish` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A long, thin, marine fish of Europe
(Trichiurus lepturus); the ribbon fish.
Bladesmith
Blade"smith` (?), n. A sword cutler. [Obs.]
Blady
Blad"y (?), a. Consisting of blades. [R.] "Blady grass." Drayton.
Bl\'91
Bl\'91 (?), a. [See Blue.] Dark blue or bluish gray; lead-colored.
[Scot.]
Bl\'91berry
Bl\'91"ber*ry (?), n. [Bl\'91 + berry; akin to Icel bl\'beber, Sw. bl,
D. blaab\'91r. Cf. Blueberry.] The bilberry. [North of Eng. & Scot.]
Blague
Blague (?), n. [F.] Mendacious boasting; falcefood; humbug.
Blain
Blain (?), n. [OE. blein, bleyn, AS. bl; akin to Dan. blegn, D. blein;
perh. fr. the same root as E. bladder. See Bladder.]
1. An inflammatory swelling or sore; a bulla, pustule, or blister.
Blotches and blains must all his flesh emboss. Milton.
2. (Far.) A bladder growing on the root of the tongue of a horse,
against the windpipe, and stopping the breath.
Blamable
Blam"a*ble (?), a. [Cf. F. bl\'83mable.] Deserving of censure; faulty;
culpable; reprehensible; censurable; blameworthy. -- Blam"a*ble*ness,
n. -- Blam"a*bly (, adv.
Blame
Blame, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blamed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Blaming.] [OE.
blamen, F. bl\'83r, OF. blasmer, fr. L. blasphemare to blaspheme, LL.
also to blame, fr. Gr. to speak ill to slander, to blaspheme, fr. evil
speaking, perh, for ; injury (fr. to injure) + a saying, fr. to say.
Cf. Blaspheme, and see Fame.]
1. To censure; to express disapprobation of; to find fault with; to
reproach.
We have none to blame but ourselves. Tillotson.
2. To bring reproach upon; to blemish. [Obs.]
She . . . blamed her noble blood. Spenser.
To blame, to be blamed, or deserving blame; in fault; as, the
conductor was to blame for the accident.
You were to blame, I must be plain with you. Shak.
Blame
Blame, n. [OE. blame, fr. F. bl\'83me, OF. blasme, fr. bl\'83mer, OF.
blasmer, to blame. See Blame, v.]
1. An expression of disapprobation fir something deemed to be wrong;
imputation of fault; censure.
Let me bear the blame forever. Gen. xiiii. 9.
2. That which is deserving of censure or disapprobation; culpability;
fault; crime; sin.
Holy and without blame before him in love. Eph. i. 4.
3. Hurt; injury. [Obs.] Spenser. Syn. -- Censure; reprehension;
condemnation; reproach; fault; sin; crime; wrongdoing.
Blameful
Blame"ful (?), a.
1. Faulty; meriting blame. Shak.
2. Attributing blame or fault; implying or conveying censure;
faultfinding; censorious. Chaucer. -- Blame"ful*ly, adv. --
Blame"ful*ness, n.
Blameless
Blame"less, a. Free from blame; without fault; innocent; guiltless; --
sometimes followed by of.
A bishop then must be blameless. 1 Tim. iii. 2.
Blameless still of arts that polish to deprave. Mallet.
We will be blameless of this thine oath. Josh. ii. 17.
Syn. -- Irreproachable; sinless; unblemished; inculpable. --
Blameless, Spotless, Faultless, Stainless. We speak of a thing as
blameless when it is free from blame, or the just imputation of fault;
as, a blameless life or character. The others are stronger. We speak
of a thing as faultless, stainless, or spotless, only when we mean
that it is absolutely without fault or blemish; as, a spotless or
stainless reputation; a faultless course of conduct. The last three
words apply only to the general character, while blameless may be used
in reverence to particular points; as, in this transaction he was
wholly blameless. We also apply faultless to personal appearance; as,
a faultless figure; which can not be done in respect to any of the
other words.
Blamelessly
Blame"less*ly, adv. In a blameless manner.
Blamelessness
Blame"less*ness, n. The quality or state of being blameless;
innocence.
Blamer
Blam"er (?), n. One who blames. Wyclif.
Blameworthy
Blame"wor`thy (?), a. Deserving blame; culpable; reprehensible. --
Blame"wor`thi*ness, n.
Blancard
Blan"card (?), n. [F., fr. blanc white.] A kind of linen cloth made in
Normandy, the thread of which is partly blanches before it is woven.
Blanch
Blanch (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blanched (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Blanching.] [OE. blanchen, blaunchen, F. blanchir, fr. blanc white.
See Blank, a.]
1. To take the color out of, and make white; to bleach; as, to blanch
linen; age has blanched his hair.
2. (Gardening) To bleach by excluding the light, as the stalks or
leaves of plants, by earthing them up or tying them together.
3. (Confectionery & Cookery) (a) To make white by removing the skin
of, as by scalding; as, to blanch almonds. (b) To whiten, as the
surface of meat, by plunging into boiling water and afterwards into
cold, so as to harden the surface and retain the juices.
4. To give a white luster to (silver, before stamping, in the process
of coining.).
5. To cover (sheet iron) with a coating of tin.
6. Fig.: To whiten; to give a favorable appearance to; to whitewash;
to palliate.
Blanch over the blackest and most absurd things. Tillotson.
Syn. -- To Blanch, Whiten. To whiten is the generic term, denoting, to
render white; as, to whiten the walls of a room. Usually (though not
of necessity) this is supposed to be done by placing some white
coloring matter in or upon the surface of the object in question. To
blanch is to whiten by the removal of coloring matter; as, to blanch
linen. So the cheek is blanched by fear, i. e., by the withdrawal of
the blood, which leaves it white.
Blanch
Blanch (?), v. i. To grow or become white; as, his cheek blanched with
fear; the rose blanches in the sun.
[Bones] blanching on the grass. Tennyson.
Blanch
Blanch, v. t. [See Blench.]
1. To avoid, as from fear; to evade; to leave unnoticed. [Obs.]
Ifs and ands to qualify the words of treason, whereby every man
might express his malice and blanch his danger. Bacon.
I suppose you will not blanch Paris in your way. Reliq. Wot.
2. To cause to turn aside or back; as, to blanch a deer.
Blanch
Blanch, v. i. To use evasion. [Obs.]
Books will speak plain, when counselors blanch. Bacon.
Blanch
Blanch, n. (Mining) Ore, not in masses, but mixed with other minerals.
Blancher
Blanch"er (?), n. One who, or that which, blanches or whitens; esp.,
one who anneals and cleanses money; also, a chemical preparation for
this purpose.
Blancher
Blanch"er, n. One who, or that which, frightens away or turns aside.
[Obs.]
And Gynecia, a blancher, which kept the dearest deer from her. Sir
P. Sidney.
And so even now hath he divers blanchers belonging to the market,
to let and stop the light of the gospel. Latimer.
Blanch holding
Blanch" hold`ing (?). (Scots Law) A mode of tenure by the payment of a
small duty in white rent (silver) or otherwise.
Blanchimeter
Blanch*im"e*ter (?), n. [1st blanch + -meter.] An instrument for
measuring the bleaching power of chloride of lime and potash; a
chlorometer. Ure.
Blancmange
Blanc*mange" (?), n. [F. blancmanger, lit. white food; blanc white +
manger to eat.] (Cookery) A preparation for desserts, etc., made from
isinglass, sea moss, cornstarch, or other gelatinous or starchy
substance, with mild, usually sweetened and flavored, and shaped in a
mold.
Blancmanger
Blanc*man"ger (?), n. [F. See Blancmange.] A sort of fricassee with
white sauce, variously made of capon, fish, etc. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bland
Bland (?), a. [L. blandus, of unknown origin.]
1. Mild; soft; gentle; smooth and soothing in manner; suave; as, a
bland temper; bland persuasion; a bland sycophant. "Exhilarating vapor
bland." Milton.
2. Having soft and soothing qualities; not drastic or irritating; not
stimulating; as, a bland oil; a bland diet.
Blandation
Blan*da"tion (?), n. [Cf. L. blanditia, blandities, fr. blandus. See
Bland.] Flattery. [Obs.]
Blandiloquence
Blan*dil"o*quence (?), n. [L. blandiloquentia; blandus mild + loqui to
speak.] Mild, flattering speech.
Blandiloquous, Blandiloquious
Blan*dil"o*quous (?), Blan*di*lo"qui*ous (?), a. Fair-spoken;
flattering.
Blandise
Blan"dise (?), v. i. [Same word as Blandish.] To blandish any one.
[Obs.] Chaucer.
Blandish
Blan"dish (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blandished (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Blandishing.] [OE. blaundisen, F. blandir, fr. L. blandiri, fr.
blandus mild, flattering.]
1. To flatter with kind words or affectionate actions; to caress; to
cajole.
2. To make agreeable and enticing.
Mustering all her wiles, With blandished parleys. Milton.
Blandisher
Blan"dish*er (?), n. One who uses blandishments.
Blandishment
Blan"dish*ment (?), n. [Cf. OF. blandissement.] The act of
blandishing; a word or act expressive of affection or kindness, and
tending to win the heart; soft words and artful caresses; cajolery;
allurement.
Cowering low with blandishment. Milton.
Attacked by royal smiles, by female blandishments. Macaulay.
Blandly
Bland"ly (?), adv. In a bland manner; mildly; suavely.
Blandness
Bland"ness, n. The state or quality of being bland.
Blank
Blank (?), a. [OE. blank, blonc, blaunc, blaunche, fr. F. blanc, fem.
blanche, fr. OHG. blanch shining, bright, white, G. blank; akin to E.
blink, cf. also AS. blanc white. Blink, and cf. 1st Blanch.]
1. Of a white or pale color; without color.
To the blank moon Her office they prescribed. Milton.
2. Free from writing, printing, or marks; having an empty space to be
filled in with some special writing; -- said of checks, official
documents, etc.; as, blank paper; a blank check; a blank ballot.
3. Utterly confounded or discomfited.
Adam . . . astonied stood, and blank. Milton.
4. Empty; void; without result; fruitless; as, a blank space; a blank
day.
5. Lacking characteristics which give variety; as, a blank desert; a
blank wall; destitute of interests, affections, hopes, etc.; as, to
live a blank existence; destitute of sensations; as, blank
unconsciousness.
6. Lacking animation and intelligence, or their associated
characteristics, as expression of face, look, etc.; expressionless;
vacant. "Blank and horror-stricken faces." C. Kingsley.
The blank . . . glance of a half returned consciousness. G. Eliot.
7. Absolute; downright; unmixed; as, blank terror.
Blank bar (Law), a plea put in to oblige the plaintiff in an action of
trespass to assign the certain place where the trespass was committed;
-- called also common bar. -- Blank cartridge, a cartridge containing
no ball. -- Blank deed. See Deed. -- Blank door, OR Blank window
(Arch.), a depression in a wall of the size of a door or window,
either for symmetrical effect, or for the more convenient insertion of
a door or window at a future time, should it be needed. -- Blank
indorsement (Law), an indorsement which omits the name of the person
in whose favor it is made; it is usually made by simply writing the
name of the indorser on the back of the bill. -- Blank line (Print.),
a vacant space of the breadth of a line, on a printed page; a line of
quadrats. -- Blank tire (Mech.), a tire without a flange. -- Blank
tooling. See Blind tooling, under Blind. -- Blank verse. See under
Verse. -- Blank wall, a wall in which there is no opening; a dead
wall.
Blank
Blank (?), n.
1. Any void space; a void space on paper, or in any written
instrument; an interval void of consciousness, action, result, etc; a
void.
I can not write a paper full, I used to do; and yet I will not
forgive a blank of half an inch from you. Swift.
From this time there ensues a long blank in the history of French
legislation. Hallam.
I was ill. I can't tell how long -- it was a blank. G. Eliot.
2. A lot by which nothing is gained; a ticket in a lottery on which no
prize is indicated.
In Fortune's lottery lies A heap of blanks, like this, for one
small prize. Dryden.
3. A paper unwritten; a paper without marks or characters a blank
ballot; -- especially, a paper on which are to be inserted designated
items of information, for which spaces are left vacant; a bland form.
The freemen signified their approbation by an inscribed vote, and
their dissent by a blank. Palfrey.
4. A paper containing the substance of a legal instrument, as a deed,
release, writ, or execution, with spaces left to be filled with names,
date, descriptions, etc.
5. The point aimed at in a target, marked with a white spot; hence,
the object to which anything is directed.
Let me still remain The true blank of thine eye. Shak.
6. Aim; shot; range. [Obs.]
I have stood . . . within the blank of his displeasure For my free
speech. Shak.
7. A kind of base silver money, first coined in England by Henry V.,
and worth about 8 pence; also, a French coin of the seventeenth
century, worth about 4 pence. Nares.
8. (Mech.) A piece of metal prepared to be made into something by a
further operation, as a coin, screw, nuts.
9. (Dominoes) A piece or division of a piece, without spots; as, the
"double blank"; the "six blank."
In blank, with an essential portion to be supplied by another; as, to
make out a check in blank.
Blank
Blank, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blanked (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Blanking.]
[Cf. 3d Blanch.]
1. To make void; to annul. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. To blanch; to make blank; to damp the spirits of; to dispirit or
confuse. [Obs.]
Each opposite that blanks the face of joy. Shak.
Blanket
Blan"ket (?), n. [F. blanchet, OF. also blanket, a woolen waistcoat or
shirt, the blanket of a printing press; prop. white woolen stuff, dim.
of blanc white; blanquette a kind of white pear, fr. blanc white. See
Blank, a.]
1. A heavy, loosely woven fabric, usually of wool, and having a nap,
used in bed clothing; also, a similar fabric used as a robe; or any
fabric used as a cover for a horse.
2. (Print.) A piece of rubber, felt, or woolen cloth, used in the
tympan to make it soft and elastic.
3. A streak or layer of blubber in whales.
NOTE: &hand; Th e us e of blankets formerly as curtains in theaters
explains the following figure of Shakespeare.
Nares.
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark To cry, "Hold,
hold!" Shak.
Blanket sheet, a newspaper of folio size. -- A wet blanket, anything
which damps, chills, dispirits, or discour
Blanket
Blan"ket, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blanketed; p. pr. & vb. n. Blanketing.]
1. To cover with a blanket.
I'll . . . blanket my loins. Shak.
2. To toss in a blanket by way of punishment.
We'll have our men blanket 'em i' the hall. B. Jonson.
3. To take the wind out of the sails of (another vessel) by sailing to
windward of her.
Blanket cattle. See Belted cattle, under Belted.
Blanketing
Blan"ket*ing, n.
1. Cloth for blankets.
2. The act or punishment of tossing in a blanket.
That affair of the blanketing happened to thee for the fault thou
wast guilty of. Smollett.
Blankly
Blank"ly (?), adv.
1. In a blank manner; without expression; vacuously; as, to stare
blankly. G. Eliot.
2. Directly; flatly; point blank. De Quincey.
Blankness
Blank"ness, n. The state of being blank.
Blanquette
Blan*quette" (?), n. [F. blanquette, from blanc white.] (Cookery) A
white fricassee.
Blanquillo
Blan*quil"lo (?), n. [Sp. blanquillo whitish.] (Zo\'94l.) A large fish
of Florida and the W. Indies (Caulolatilus chrysops). It is red,
marked with yellow.
Blare
Blare (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blared (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Blaring.]
[OE. blaren, bloren, to cry, woop; cf. G. pl\'84rren to bleat, D.
blaren to bleat, cry, weep. Prob. an imitative word, but cf. also E.
blast. Cf. Blore.] To sound loudly and somewhat harshly. "The trumpet
blared." Tennyson.
Blare
Blare, v. t. To cause to sound like the blare of a trumpet; to
proclaim loudly.
To blare its own interpretation. Tennyson.
Blare
Blare, n. The harsh noise of a trumpet; a loud and somewhat harsh
noise, like the blast of a trumpet; a roar or bellowing.
With blare of bugle, clamor of men. Tennyson.
His ears are stunned with the thunder's blare. J. R. Drake.
Blarney
Blar"ney (?), n. [Blarney, a village and castle near Cork.] Smooth,
wheedling talk; flattery. [Colloq.] Blarney stone, a stone in Blarney
castle, Ireland, said to make those who kiss it proficient in the use
of blarney.
Blarney
Blar"ney, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blarneyed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Blarneying.] To influence by blarney; to wheedle with smooth talk; to
make or accomplish by blarney. "Blarneyed the landlord." Irving.
Had blarneyed his way from Long Island. S. G. Goodrich.
Blas\'82
Bla*s\'82" (?), a. [F., p. p. of blaser.] Having the sensibilities
deadened by excess or frequency of enjoyment; sated or surfeited with
pleasure; used up.
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Blaspheme
Blas*pheme" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blasphemed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Blaspheming.] [OE. blasfem, L. blasphemare, fr. Gr. : cf. F.
blasph\'82mer. See Blame, v.]
1. To speak of, or address, with impious irreverence; to revile
impiously (anything sacred); as, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.
So Dagon shall be magnified, and God, Besides whom is no god,
compared with idols, Disglorified, blasphemed, and had in scorn.
Milton.
How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge
thyself on all those who thus continually blaspheme thy great and
all-glorious name? Dr. W. Beveridge.
2. Figuratively, of persons and things not religiously sacred, but
held in high honor: To calumniate; to revile; to abuse.
You do blaspheme the good in mocking me. Shak.
Those who from our labors heap their board, Blaspheme their feeder
and forget their lord. Pope.
Blaspheme
Blas*pheme", v. i. To utter blasphemy.
He that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never
forgiveness. Mark iii. 29.
Blasphemer
Blas*phem"er (?), n. One who blasphemes.
And each blasphemer quite escape the rod, Because the insult's not
on man, but God ? Pope.
Blasphemous
Blas"phe*mous (?), a. [L. blasphemus, Gr. .] Speaking or writing
blasphemy; uttering or exhibiting anything impiously irreverent;
profane; as, a blasphemous person; containing blasphemy; as, a
blasphemous book; a blasphemous caricature. "Blasphemous
publications." Porteus.
Nor from the Holy One of Heaven Refrained his tongue blasphemous.
Milton.
NOTE: &hand; Fo rmerly th is wo rd wa s ac cented on th e se cond
syllable, as in the above example.
Blasphemously
Blas"phe*mous*ly, adv. In a blasphemous manner.
Blasphemy
Blas"phe*my (?), n. [L. blasphemia, Gr. : cf. OF. blasphemie.]
1. An indignity offered to God in words, writing, or signs; impiously
irreverent words or signs addressed to, or used in reference to, God;
speaking evil of God; also, the act of claiming the attributes or
prerogatives of deity.
NOTE: &hand; Wh en us ed ge nerally in st atutes or at common law,
blasphemy is the use of irreverent words or signs in reference to
the Supreme Being in such a way as to produce scandal or provoke
violence.
2. Figuratively, of things held in high honor: Calumny; abuse;
vilification.
Punished for his blasphemy against learning. Bacon.
-blast
-blast (?). [Gr. sprout, shoot.] A suffix or terminal formative, used
principally in biological terms, and signifying growth, formation; as,
bioblast, epiblast, mesoblast, etc.
Blast
Blast (?), n. [AS. bl a puff of wind, a blowing; akin to Icel.
bl\'bestr, OHG. bl\'best, and fr. a verb akin to Icel. bl\'besa to
blow, OHG. bl\'83san, Goth. bl (in comp.); all prob. from the same
root as E. blow. See Blow to eject air.]
1. A violent gust of wind.
And see where surly Winter passes off, Far to the north, and calls
his ruffian blasts; His blasts obey, and quit the howling hill.
Thomson.
2. A forcible stream of air from an orifice, as from a bellows, the
mouth, etc. Hence: The continuous blowing to which one charge of ore
or metal is subjected in a furnace; as, to melt so many tons of iron
at a blast.
NOTE: &hand; Th e te rms ho t bl ast and cold blast are employed to
designate whether the current is heated or not heated before
entering the furnace. A blast furnace is said to be in blast while
it is in operation, and out of blast when not in use.
3. The exhaust steam from and engine, driving a column of air out of a
boiler chimney, and thus creating an intense draught through the fire;
also, any draught produced by the blast.
4. The sound made by blowing a wind instrument; strictly, the sound
produces at one breath.
One blast upon his bugle horn Were worth a thousand men. Sir W.
Scott.
The blast of triumph o'er thy grave. Bryant.
5. A sudden, pernicious effect, as if by a noxious wind, especially on
animals and plants; a blight.
By the blast of God they perish. Job iv. 9.
Virtue preserved from fell destruction's blast. Shak.
6. The act of rending, or attempting to rend, heavy masses of rock,
earth, etc., by the explosion of gunpowder, dynamite, etc.; also, the
charge used for this purpose. "Large blasts are often used."
Tomlinson.
7. A flatulent disease of sheep.
Blast furnace, a furnace, usually a shaft furnace for smelting ores,
into which air is forced by pressure. -- Blast hole, a hole in the
bottom of a pump stock through which water enters. -- Blast nozzle, a
fixed or variable orifice in the delivery end of a blast pipe; --
called also blast orifice. -- In full blast, in complete operation; in
a state of great activity. See Blast, n., 2. [Colloq.]
Blast
Blast, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blasted; p. pr. & vb. n. Blasting.]
1. To injure, as by a noxious wind; to cause to wither; to stop or
check the growth of, and prevent from fruit-bearing, by some
pernicious influence; to blight; to shrivel.
Seven thin ears, and blasted with the east wind. Gen. xii. 6.
2. Hence, to affect with some sudden violence, plague, calamity, or
blighting influence, which destroys or causes to fail; to visit with a
curse; to curse; to ruin; as, to blast pride, hopes, or character.
I'll cross it, though it blast me. Shak.
Blasted with excess of light. T. Gray.
3. To confound by a loud blast or din.
Trumpeters, With brazen din blast you the city's ear. Shak.
4. To rend open by any explosive agent, as gunpowder, dynamite, etc.;
to shatter; as, to blast rocks.
Blast
Blast, v. i.
1. To be blighted or withered; as, the bud blasted in the blossom.
2. To blow; to blow on a trumpet. [Obs.]
Toke his blake trumpe faste And gan to puffen and to blaste.
Chaucer.
Blasted
Blast"ed (?), a.
1. Blighted; withered.
Upon this blasted heath. Shak.
2. Confounded; accursed; detestable.
Some of her own blasted gypsies. Sir W. Scott.
3. Rent open by an explosive.
The blasted quarry thunders, heard remote. Wordsworth.
Blastema
Blas*te"ma (?), n.; pl. Blastemata (#). [Gr. bud, sprout.] (Biol.)
The structureless, protoplasmic tissue of the embryo; the primitive
basis of an organ yet unformed, from which it grows.
Blastemal
Blas*te"mal (?), a. (Biol.) Relating to the blastema; rudimentary.
Blastematic
Blas`te*mat"ic (?), a. (Biol.) Connected with, or proceeding from,
the blastema; blastemal.
Blaster
Blast"er (?), n. One who, or that which, blasts or destroys.
Blastide
Blas"tide (?), n. [Gr. sprout, fr. to grow.] (Biol.) A small, clear
space in the segments of the ovum, the precursor of the nucleus.
Blasting
Blast"ing (?), n.
1. A blast; destruction by a blast, or by some pernicious cause.
I have smitten you with blasting and mildew. Amos iv. 9.
2. The act or process of one who, or that which, blasts; the
business of one who blasts.
Blastment
Blast"ment (?), n. A sudden stroke or injury produced by some
destructive cause. [Obs.] Shak.
Blastocarpous
Blas`to*car"pous (?), a. [Gr. sprout, germ + fruit.] (Bot.)
Germinating inside the pericarp, as the mangrove. Brande & C.
Blastoc Blas"to*c (?), n. [Gr. sprout + hollow.] (Biol.) The cavity of the
blastosphere, or segmentation cavity.
Blastocyst
Blas"to*cyst (?), n. [Gr. sprout + E. cyst.] (Biol.) The germinal
vesicle.
Blastoderm
Blas"to*derm (?), n. [Gr. sprout + E. derm.] (Biol.) The germinal
membrane in an ovum, from which the embryo is developed.
Blastodermatic, Blastodermic
Blas`to*der*mat"ic (?), Blas`to*der"mic (?), a. Of or pertaining to
the blastoderm.
Blastogenesis
Blas`to*gen"e*sis (?), n. [Gr. sprout + E. genesis.] (Biol.)
Multiplication or increase by gemmation or budding.
Blastoid
Blas"toid (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) One of the Blastoidea.
Blastoidea
Blas*toid"e*a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. sprout + -oid.] (Zo\'94l.)
One of the divisions of Crinoidea found fossil in paleozoic rocks;
pentremites. They are so named on account of their budlike form.
Blastomere
Blas"to*mere (?), n. [Gr. sprout + -mere.] (Biol.) One of the
segments first formed by the division of the ovum. Balfour.
Blastophoral, Blastophoric
Blas`toph"o*ral (?), Blas`to*phor"ic (?), a. Relating to the
blastophore.
Blastophore
Blas"to*phore (?), n. [Gr. sprout + to bear.] (Biol.) That portion
of the spermatospore which is not converted into spermatoblasts,
but carries them.
Blastopore
Blas"to*pore (?), n. [Gr. sprout + E. pore.] (Biol.) The pore or
opening leading into the cavity of invagination, or archenteron.
NOTE: [See Illust. of Invagination.]
Balfour.
Blastosphere
Blas"to*sphere (?), n. [Gr. sprout + E. sphere.] (Biol.) The hollow
globe or sphere formed by the arrangement of the blastomeres on the
periphery of an impregnated ovum.
NOTE: [See Illust. of Invagination.]
Blastostyle
Blas"to*style (?), n. [Gr. sprout, bud + a pillar.] (Zo\'94l.) In
certain hydroids, an imperfect zooid, whose special function is to
produce medusoid buds. See Hydroidea, and Athecata.
Blast pipe
Blast" pipe` (?). The exhaust pipe of a steam engine, or any pipe
delivering steam or air, when so constructed as to cause a blast.
Blastula
Blas"tu*la (?), n. [NL., dim. of Gr. a sprout.] (Biol.) That stage
in the development of the ovum in which the outer cells of the
morula become more defined and form the blastoderm.
Blastule
Blas"tule (?), n. (Biol.) Same as Blastula.
Blasty
Blast"y (?), a.
1. Affected by blasts; gusty.
2. Causing blast or injury. [Obs.] Boyle.
Blat
Blat (?), v. i. To cry, as a calf or sheep; to bleat; to make a
senseless noise; to talk inconsiderately. [Low]
Blat
Blat, v. t. To utter inconsiderately. [Low]
If I have anything on my mind, I have to blat it right out. W. D.
Howells.
Blatancy
Bla"tan*cy (?), n. Blatant quality.
Blatant
Bla"tant (?), a. [Cf. Bleat.] Bellowing, as a calf; bawling;
brawling; clamoring; disagreeably clamorous; sounding loudly and
harshly. "Harsh and blatant tone." R. H. Dana.
A monster, which the blatant beast men call. Spenser.
Glory, that blatant word, which haunts some military minds like the
bray of the trumpet. W. Irving.
Blatantly
Bla"tant*ly, adv. In a blatant manner.
Blatherskite
Blath"er*skite (?), n. A blustering, talkative fellow. [Local
slang, U. S.] Barllett.
Blatter
Blat"ter (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blattered (#).] [L. blaterare to
babble: cf. F. blat\'82rer to bleat.] To prate; to babble; to rail;
to make a senseless noise; to patter. [Archaic] "The rain
blattered." Jeffrey.
They procured . . . preachers to blatter against me, . . . so that
they had place and time to belie me shamefully. Latimer.
Blatteration
Blat`ter*a"tion (?), n. [L. blateratio a babbling.] Blattering.
Blatterer
Blat"ter*er (?), n. One who blatters; a babbler; a noisy,
blustering boaster.
Blattering
Blat"ter*ing, n. Senseless babble or boasting.
Blatteroon
Blat`ter*oon" (?), n. [L. blatero, -onis.] A senseless babbler or
boaster. [Obs.] "I hate such blatteroons." Howell.
Blaubok
Blau"bok (?), n. [D. blauwbok.] (Zo\'94l.) The blue buck. See Blue
buck, under Blue.
Blay
Blay (?), n. [AS. bl, fr. bl, bleak, white; akin to Icel. bleikja,
OHG. bleicha, G. bleihe. See Bleak, n. & a.] (Zo\'94l.) A fish. See
Bleak, n.
Blaze
Blaze (bl&amac;z), n. [OE. blase, AS. bl\'91se, blase; akin to OHG.
blass whitish, G. blass pale, MHG. blas torch, Icel. blys torch;
perh. fr. the same root as E. blast. Cf. Blast, Blush, Blink.]
1. A stream of gas or vapor emitting light and heat in the process
of combustion; a bright flame. "To heaven the blaze uprolled."
Croly.
2. Intense, direct light accompanied with heat; as, to seek shelter
from the blaze of the sun.
O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon! Milton.
3. A bursting out, or active display of any quality; an outburst; a
brilliant display. "Fierce blaze of riot." "His blaze of wrath."
Shak.
For what is glory but the blaze of fame? Milton.
4. [Cf. D. bles; akin to E. blaze light.] A white spot on the
forehead of a horse.
5. A spot made on trees by chipping off a piece of the bark,
usually as a surveyor's mark.
Three blazes in a perpendicular line on the same tree indicating a
legislative road, the single blaze a settlement or neighborhood
road. Carlton.
In a blaze, on fire; burning with a flame; filled with, giving, or
reflecting light; excited or exasperated. -- Like blazes, furiously;
rapidly. [Low] "The horses did along like blazes tear." Poem in Essex
dialect.
NOTE: &hand; I n l ow l anguage i n the U. S., blazes is frequently
used of something extreme or excessive, especially of something
very bad; as, blue as blazes.
Neal. Syn. -- Blaze, Flame. A blaze and a flame are both produced by
burning gas. In blaze the idea of light rapidly evolved is prominent,
with or without heat; as, the blaze of the sun or of a meteor. Flame
includes a stronger notion of heat; as, he perished in the flames.
Blaze
Blaze, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blazed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Blazing.]
1. To shine with flame; to glow with flame; as, the fire blazes.
2. To send forth or reflect glowing or brilliant light; to show a
blaze.
And far and wide the icy summit blazed. Wordsworth.
3. To be resplendent. Macaulay.
To blaze away, to discharge a firearm, or to continue firing; -- said
esp. of a number of persons, as a line of soldiers. Also used (fig.)
of speech or action. [Colloq.]
Blaze
Blaze, v. t.
1. To mark (a tree) by chipping off a piece of the bark.
I found my way by the blazed trees. Hoffman.
2. To designate by blazing; to mark out, as by blazed trees; as, to
blaze a line or path.
Champollion died in 1832, having done little more than blaze out
the road to be traveled by others. Nott.
Blaze
Blaze, v. t. [OE. blasen to blow; perh. confused with blast and blaze
a flame, OE. blase. Cf. Blaze, v. i., and see Blast.]
1. To make public far and wide; to make known; to render conspicuous.
On charitable lists he blazed his name. Pollok.
To blaze those virtues which the good would hide. Pope.
2. (Her.) To blazon. [Obs.] Peacham.
Blazer
Blaz"er (?), n. One who spreads reports or blazes matters abroad.
"Blazers of crime." Spenser.
Blazing
Blaz"ing, a. Burning with a blaze; as, a blazing fire; blazing
torches. Sir W. Scott. Blazing star. (a) A comet. [Obs.] (b) A
brilliant center of attraction. (c) (Bot.) A name given to several
plants; as, to Cham\'91lirium luteum of the Lily family; Liatris
squarrosa; and Aletris farinosa, called also colicroot and star grass.
Blazon
Bla"zon (?), n. [OE. blason, blasoun, shield, fr. F. blason coat of
arms, OF. shield, from the root of AS. bl\'91se blaze, i. e., luster,
splendor, MHG. blas torch See Blaze, n.]
1. A shield. [Obs.]
2. An heraldic shield; a coat of arms, or a bearing on a coat of arms;
armorial bearings.
Their blazon o'er his towers displayed. Sir W. Scott.
3. The art or act of describing or depicting heraldic bearings in the
proper language or manner. Peacham.
4. Ostentatious display, either by words or other means; publication;
show; description; record.
Obtrude the blazon of their exploits upon the company. Collier.
Thy tongue, thy face, thy limbs, actions, and spirit, Do give thee
fivefold blazon. Shak.
Blazon
Bla"zon, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blazoned (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Blazoning
(#).] [From blazon, n.; confused with 4th blaze: cf. F. blasonner.]
1. To depict in colors; to display; to exhibit conspicuously; to
publish or make public far and wide.
Thyself thou blazon'st. Shak.
There pride sits blazoned on th' unmeaning brow. Trumbull.
To blazon his own worthless name. Cowper.
2. To deck; to embellish; to adorn.
She blazons in dread smiles her hideous form. Garth.
3. (Her.) To describe in proper terms (the figures of heraldic
devices); also, to delineate (armorial bearings); to emblazon.
The coat of , arms, which I am not herald enough to blazon into
English. Addison.
Blazon
Bla"zon, v. i. To shine; to be conspicuous. [R.]
Blazoner
Bla"zon*er (?), n. One who gives publicity, proclaims, or blazons;
esp., one who blazons coats of arms; a herald. Burke.
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Blazonment
Bla"zon*ment (?), n. The act or blazoning; blazoning; emblazonment.
Blazonry
Bla"zon*ry, n.
1. Same as Blazon, 3.
The principles of blazonry. Peacham.
2. A coat of arms; an armorial bearing or bearings.
The blazonry of Argyle. Lord Dufferin.
3. Artistic representation or display.
Blea
Blea (?), n. The part of a tree which lies immediately under the bark;
the alburnum or sapwood.
Bleaberry
Blea"ber*ry (?), n. (Bot.) See Blaeberry.
Bleach
Bleach (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bleached (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bleaching.] [OE. blakien, blechen, v. t. & v. i., AS. bl\'becian, bl,
to grow pale; akin to Icel. bleikja, Sw. bleka, Dan. blege, D.
bleeken, G. bleichen, AS. bl\'bec pale. See Bleak, a.] To make white,
or whiter; to remove the color, or stains, from; to blanch; to whiten.
The destruction of the coloring matters attached to the bodies to
be bleached is effected either by the action of the air and light,
of chlorine, or of sulphurous acid. Ure.
Immortal liberty, whose look sublime Hath bleached the tyrant's
cheek in every varying clime. Smollett.
Bleach
Bleach, v. i. To grow white or lose color; to whiten.
Bleached
Bleached (?), a. Whitened; make white.
Let their bleached bones, and blood's unbleaching stain, Long mark
the battlefield with hideous awe. Byron.
Bleacher
Bleach"er (?), n. One who whitens, or whose occupation is to whiten,
by bleaching.
Bleachery
Bleach"er*y (?), n.; pl. Bleacheries (. A place or an establishment
where bleaching is done.
Bleaching
Bleach"ing, n. The act or process of whitening, by removing color or
stains; esp. the process of whitening fabrics by chemical agents. Ure.
Bleaching powder, a powder for bleaching, consisting of chloride of
lime, or some other chemical or chemicals.
Bleak
Bleak (?), a. [OE. blac, bleyke, bleche, AS. bl\'bec, bl, pale, wan;
akin to Icel. bleikr, Sw. blek, Dan. bleg, OS. bl, D. bleek, OHG.
pleih, G. bleich; all from the root of AS. bl\'c6can to shine; akin to
OHG. bl\'c6chen to shine; cf. L. flagrare to burn, Gr. to burn, shine,
Skr. bhr\'bej to shine, and E. flame. Bleach, Blink, Flame.]
1. Without color; pale; pallid. [Obs.]
When she came out she looked as pale and as bleak as one that were
laid out dead. Foxe.
2. Desolate and exposed; swept by cold winds.
Wastes too bleak to rear The common growth of earth, the foodful
ear. Wordsworth.
At daybreak, on the bleak sea beach. Longfellow.
3. Cold and cutting; cheerless; as, a bleak blast. -- Bleak"ish, a. --
Bleak"ly, adv. -- Bleak"ness, n.
Bleak
Bleak, n. [From Bleak, a., cf. Blay.] (Zo\'94l.) A small European
river fish (Leuciscus alburnus), of the family Cyprinid\'91; the blay.
[Written also blick.]
NOTE: &hand; Th e silvery pigment lining the scales of the bleak is
used in the manufacture of artificial pearls.
Baird.
Bleaky
Bleak"y (?), a. Bleak. [Obs.] Dryden.
Blear
Blear (?), a. [See Blear, v.]
1. Dim or sore with water or rheum; -- said of the eyes.
His blear eyes ran in gutters to his chin. Dryden.
2. Causing or caused by dimness of sight; dim.
Power to cheat the eye with blear illusion. Milton.
Blear
Blear, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bleared (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Blearing.]
[OE. bleren; cf. Dan. plire to blink, Sw. plira to twinkle, wink, LG.
plieren; perh. from the same root as E. blink. See Blink, and cf.
Blur.] To make somewhat sore or watery, as the eyes; to dim, or blur,
as the sight. Figuratively: To obscure (mental or moral perception);
to blind; to hoodwink.
That tickling rheums Should ever tease the lungs and blear the
sight. Cowper.
To blear the eye of, to deceive; to impose upon. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bleared
Bleared (?), a. Dimmed, as by a watery humor; affected with rheum. --
Blear"ed*ness (, n.
Dardanian wives, With bleared visages, come forth to view The issue
of the exploit. Shak.
Bleareye
Blear"eye` (?), n. (Med.) A disease of the eyelids, consisting in
chronic inflammation of the margins, with a gummy secretion of
sebaceous matter. Dunglison.
Blear-eyed
Blear"-eyed` (?), a.
1. Having sore eyes; having the eyes dim with rheum; dim-sighted.
The blear-eyed Crispin. Drant.
2. Lacking in perception or penetration; short-sighted; as, a
blear-eyed bigot.
Bleareyedness
Blear"eyed`ness, n. The state of being blear-eyed.
Bleary
Blear"y (?), a. Somewhat blear.
Bleat
Bleat (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bleated; p. pr. & vb. n. Bleating.]
[OE. bleten, AS. bl; akin to D. blaten, bleeten, OHG. bl\'bezan,
pl\'bezan; prob. of imitative origin.] To make the noise of, or one
like that of, a sheep; to cry like a sheep or calf.
Then suddenly was heard along the main, To low the ox, to bleat the
woolly train. Pope
The ewe that will not hear her lamb when it baas, will never answer
a calf when he bleats. Shak.
Bleat
Bleat, n. A plaintive cry of, or like that of, a sheep.
The bleat of fleecy sheep. Chapman's Homer.
Bleater
Bleat"er (?), n. One who bleats; a sheep.
In cold, stiff soils the bleaters oft complain Of gouty ails. Dyer.
Bleating
Bleat"ing, a. Crying as a sheep does.
Then came the shepherd back with his bleating flocks from the
seaside. Longfellow.
Bleating
Bleat"ing, n. The cry of, or as of, a sheep. Chapman.
Bleb
Bleb (?), n. [Prov. E. bleb, bleib, blob, bubble, blister. This word
belongs to the root of blub, blubber, blabber, and perh. blow to
puff.] A large vesicle or bulla, usually containing a serous fluid; a
blister; a bubble, as in water, glass, etc.
Arsenic abounds with air blebs. Kirwan.
Blebby
Bleb"by (?), a. Containing blebs, or characterized by blebs; as,
blebby glass.
Bleck, Blek
Bleck, Blek (?), v. t. To blacken; also, to defile. [Obs. or Dial.]
Wyclif.
Bled
Bled (?), imp. & p. p. of Bleed.
Blee
Blee (?), n. [AS. ble\'a2, ble\'a2h.] Complexion; color; hue;
likeness; form. [Archaic]
For him which is so bright of blee. Lament. of Mary Magd.
That boy has a strong blee of his father. Forby.
Bleed
Bleed (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bled (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bleeding.]
[OE. bleden, AS. bl, fr. bl blood; akin to Sw. bl\'94da, Dan.
bl\'94de, D. bloeden, G. bluten. See Blood.]
1. To emit blood; to lose blood; to run with blood, by whatever means;
as, the arm bleeds; the wound bled freely; to bleed at the nose.
2. To withdraw blood from the body; to let blood; as, Dr. A. bleeds in
fevers.
3. To lose or shed one's blood, as in case of a violent death or
severe wounds; to die by violence. "C\'91sar must bleed." Shak.
The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day. Pope.
4. To issue forth, or drop, as blood from an incision.
For me the balm shall bleed. Pope.
5. To lose sap, gum, or juice; as, a tree or a vine bleeds when tapped
or wounded.
6. To pay or lose money; to have money drawn or extorted; as, to bleed
freely for a cause. [Colloq.]
To make the heart bleed, to cause extreme pain, as from sympathy or
pity.
Bleed
Bleed, v. t.
1. To let blood from; to take or draw blood from, as by opening a
vein.
2. To lose, as blood; to emit or let drop, as sap.
A decaying pine of stately size, bleeding amber. H. Miller.
3. To draw money from (one); to induce to pay; as, they bled him
freely for this fund. [Colloq.]
Bleeder
Bleed"er (?), n. (Med.) (a) One who, or that which, draws blood. (b)
One in whom slight wounds give rise to profuse or uncontrollable
bleeding. <-- hemophiliac. -->
Bleeding
Bleed"ing, a. Emitting, or appearing to emit, blood or sap, etc.;
also, expressing anguish or compassion.
Bleeding
Bleed"ing, n. A running or issuing of blood, as from the nose or a
wound; a hemorrhage; the operation of letting blood, as in surgery; a
drawing or running of sap from a tree or plant.
Blemish
Blem"ish (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blemished (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Blemishing.] [OE. blemissen, blemishen, OF. blemir, blesmir, to
strike, injure, soil, F. bl\'88mir to grow pale, fr. OF. bleme,
blesme, pale, wan, F. bl\'88me, prob. fr. Icel bl\'beman the livid
color of a wound, fr. bl\'ber blue; akin to E. blue. OF. blemir
properly signifies to beat one (black and) blue, and to render blue or
dirty. See Blue.]
1. To mark with deformity; to injure or impair, as anything which is
well formed, or excellent; to mar, or make defective, either the body
or mind.
Sin is a soil which blemisheth the beauty of thy soul. Brathwait.
2. To tarnish, as reputation or character; to defame.
There had nothing passed between us that might blemish reputation.
Oldys.
Blemish
Blem"ish, n.; pl. Blemishes (. Any mark of deformity or injury,
whether physical or moral; anything; that diminishes beauty, or
renders imperfect that which is otherwise well formed; that which
impairs reputation.
He shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the
first year without blemish. Lev. xiv. 10.
The reliefs of an envious man are those little blemishes and
imperfections that discover themselves in an illustrious character.
Spectator.
Syn. -- Spot; speck; flaw; deformity; stain; defect; fault; taint;
reproach; dishonor; imputation; disgrace.
Blemishless
Blem"ish*less, a. Without blemish; spotless.
A life in all so blemishless. Feltham.
Blemishment
Blem"ish*ment (?), n. The state of being blemished; blemish; disgrace;
damage; impairment.
For dread of blame and honor's blemishment. Spenser.
Blench
Blench (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blenched (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Blenching.] [OE. blenchen to blench, elude, deceive, AS. blencan to
deceive; akin to Icel. blekkja to impose upon. Prop. a causative of
blink to make to wink, to deceive. See Blink, and cf. 3d Blanch.]
1. To shrink; to start back; to draw back, from lack of courage or
resolution; to flinch; to quail.
Blench not at thy chosen lot. Bryant.
This painful, heroic task he undertook, and never blenched from its
fulfillment. Jeffrey.
2. To fly off; to turn aside. [Obs.]
Though sometimes you do blench from this to that. Shak.
Blench
Blench, v. t.
1. To baffle; to disconcert; to turn away; -- also, to obstruct; to
hinder. [Obs.]
Ye should have somewhat blenched him therewith, yet he might and
would of likelihood have gone further. Sir T. More.
2. To draw back from; to deny from fear. [Obs.]
He now blenched what before he affirmed. Evelyn.
Blench
Blench, n. A looking aside or askance. [Obs.]
These blenches gave my heart another youth. Shak.
Blench
Blench, v. i. & t. [See 1st Blanch.] To grow or make pale. Barbour.
Blencher
Blench"er (?), n.
1. One who, or that which, scares another; specifically, a person
stationed to prevent the escape of the deer, at a hunt. See Blancher.
[Obs.]
2. One who blenches, flinches, or shrinks back.
Blench holding
Blench" hold`ing. (Law) See Blanch holding.
Blend
Blend (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blended or Blent (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Blending.] [OE. blenden, blanden, AS. blandan to blend, mix; akin to
Goth. blandan to mix, Icel. blanda, Sw. blanda, Dan. blande, OHG.
blantan to mis; to unknown origin.]
1. To mix or mingle together; esp. to mingle, combine, or associate so
that the separate things mixed, or the line of demarcation, can not be
distinguished. Hence: To confuse; to confound.
Blending the grand, the beautiful, the gay. Percival.
2. To pollute by mixture or association; to spoil or corrupt; to blot;
to stain. [Obs.] Spenser. Syn. -- To commingle; combine; fuse; merge;
amalgamate; harmonize.
Blend
Blend (?), v. i. To mingle; to mix; to unite intimately; to pass or
shade insensibly into each other, as colors.
There is a tone of solemn and sacred feeling that blends with our
conviviality. Irving.
Blend
Blend, n. A thorough mixture of one thing with another, as color,
tint, etc., into another, so that it cannot be known where one ends or
the other begins.
Blend
Blend, v. t. [AS. blendan, from blind blind. See Blind, a.] To make
blind, literally or figuratively; to dazzle; to deceive. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Blende
Blende (?), n. [G., fr. blenden to blind, dazzle, deceive, fr. blind
blind. So called either in allusion to its dazzling luster; or (Dana)
because, though often resembling galena, it yields no lead. Cf.
Sphalerite.] (Min.) (a) A mineral, called also sphalerite, and by
miners mock lead, false galena, and black-jack. It is a zinc sulphide,
but often contains some iron. Its color is usually yellow, brown, or
black, and its luster resinous. (b) A general term for some minerals,
chiefly metallic sulphides which have a somewhat brilliant but
nonmetallic luster.
Blender
Blend"er (?), n. One who, or that which, blends; an instrument, as a
brush, used in blending.
Blending
Blend"ing, n.
1. The act of mingling.
2. (Paint.) The method of laying on different tints so that they may
mingle together while wet, and shade into each other insensibly.
Weale.
Blendous
Blend"ous (?), a. Pertaining to, consisting of, or containing, blende.
Blendwater
Blend"wa`ter (?), n. A distemper incident to cattle, in which their
livers are affected. Crabb.
Blenheim spaniel
Blen"heim span"iel (?). [So called from Blenheim House, the seat of
the duke of Marlborough, in England.] A small variety of spaniel, kept
as a pet.
Blenk
Blenk, v. i. To blink; to shine; to look. [Obs.]
Blennioid, Blenniid
Blen"ni*oid (?), Blen"ni*id (?), a. [Blenny + -oid] (Zo\'94l.) Of,
pertaining to, or resembling, the blennies.
Blennogenous
Blen*nog"e*nous (?), a. [Gr. mucus + -genous.] Generating mucus.
Blennorrhea
Blen`nor*rhe"a (?), n. [Gr. mucus + to flow.] (Med.) (a) An inordinate
secretion and discharge of mucus. (b) Gonorrhea. Dunglison.
Blenny
Blen"ny (?), n.; pl. Blennies (#). [L. blennius, blendius, blendea,
Gr. , fr. slime, mucus.] (Zo\'94l.) A marine fish of the genus
Blennius or family Blenniid\'91; -- so called from its coating of
mucus. The species are numerous.
Blent
Blent (?), imp. & p. p. of Blend to mingle. Mingled; mixed; blended;
also, polluted; stained.
Rider and horse, friend, foe, in one red burial blent. Byron.
Blent
Blent, imp. & p. p. of Blend to blind. Blinded. Also (Chaucer), 3d
sing. pres. Blindeth. [Obs.]
Blesbok
Bles"bok (?), n. [D., fr. bles a white spot on the forehead + bok
buck.] (Zo\'94l.) A South African antelope (Alcelaphus albifrons),
having a large white spot on the forehead.
Bless
Bless (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blessed (#) or Blest; p. pr. & vb. n.
Blessing.] [OE. blessien, bletsen, AS. bletsian, bledsian, bloedsian,
fr. bl blood; prob. originally to consecrate by sprinkling with blood.
See Blood.]
1. To make or pronounce holy; to consecrate
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it. Gen. ii. 3.
2. To make happy, blithesome, or joyous; to confer prosperity or
happiness upon; to grant divine favor to.
The quality of mercy is . . . twice blest; It blesseth him that
gives and him that takes. Shak.
It hath pleased thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may
continue forever before thee. 1 Chron. xvii. 27 (R. V. )
3. To express a wish or prayer for the happiness of; to invoke a
blessing upon; -- applied to persons.
Bless them which persecute you. Rom. xii. 14.
4. To invoke or confer beneficial attributes or qualities upon; to
invoke or confer a blessing on, -- as on food.
Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to
heaven, he blessed them. Luke ix. 16.
5. To make the sign of the cross upon; to cross (one's self).
[Archaic] Holinshed.
6. To guard; to keep; to protect. [Obs.]
7. To praise, or glorify; to extol for excellences.
Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his
holy name. Ps. ciii. 1.
8. To esteem or account happy; to felicitate.
The nations shall bless themselves in him. Jer. iv. 3.
9. To wave; to brandish. [Obs.]
And burning blades about their heads do bless. Spenser.
Round his armed head his trenchant blade he blest. Fairfax.
NOTE: &hand; This is an old sense of the word, supposed by Johnson,
Nares, and others, to have been derived from the old rite of
blessing a field by directing the hands to all parts of it. "In
drawing [their bow] some fetch such a compass as though they would
turn about and bless all the field."
Ascham.
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Bless me! Bless us! an exclamation of surprise. Milton. -- To bless
from, to secure, defend, or preserve from. "Bless me from marrying a
usurer." Shak.
To bless the doors from nightly harm. Milton.
-- To bless with, To be blessed with, to favor or endow with; to be
favored or endowed with; as, God blesses us with health; we are
blessed with happiness.
Blessed
Bless"ed (?), a.
1. Hallowed; consecrated; worthy of blessing or adoration; heavenly;
holy.
O, run; prevent them with thy humble ode, And lay it lowly at his
blessed feet. Milton.
2. Enjoying happiness or bliss; favored with blessings; happy; highly
favored.
All generations shall call me blessed. Luke i. 48.
Towards England's blessed shore. Shak.
3. Imparting happiness or bliss; fraught with happiness; blissful;
joyful. "Then was a blessed time." "So blessed a disposition." Shak.
4. Enjoying, or pertaining to, spiritual happiness, or heavenly
felicity; as, the blessed in heaven.
Reverenced like a blessed saint. Shak.
Cast out from God and blessed vision. Milton.
5. (R. C. Ch.) Beatified.
6. Used euphemistically, ironically, or intensively.
Not a blessed man came to set her [a boat] free. R. D. Blackmore.
Blessedly
Bless"ed*ly, adv. Happily; fortunately; joyfully.
We shall blessedly meet again never to depart. Sir P. Sidney.
Blessedness
Bless"ed*ness, n. The state of being blessed; happiness; felicity;
bliss; heavenly joys; the favor of God.
The assurance of a future blessedness. Tillotson.
Single blessedness, the unmarried state. "Grows, lives, and dies in
single blessedness." Shak. Syn. -- Delight; beatitude; ecstasy. See
Happiness.
Blessed thistle
Bless"ed this"tle (?). See under Thistle.
Blesser
Bless"er (?), n. One who blesses; one who bestows or invokes a
blessing.
Blessing
Bless"ing, n. [AS. bletsung. See Bless, v. t.]
1. The act of one who blesses.
2. A declaration of divine favor, or an invocation imploring divine
favor on some or something; a benediction; a wish of happiness
pronounces.
This is the blessing, where with Moses the man of God blessed the
children of Israel. Deut. xxxiii. 1.
3. A means of happiness; that which promotes prosperity and welfare; a
beneficent gift.
Nature's full blessings would be well dispensed. Milton.
4. (Bib.) A gift. [A Hebraism] Gen. xxxiii. 11.
5. Grateful praise or worship.
Blest
Blest, a. Blessed. "This patriarch blest." Milton.
White these blest sounds my ravished ear assail. Trumbull.
Blet
Blet (?), n. [F. blet, blette, a., soft from over ripeness.] A form of
decay in fruit which is overripe.
Bletonism
Ble"ton*ism (?), n. The supposed faculty of perceiving subterraneous
springs and currents by sensation; -- so called from one Bleton, of
France.
Bletting
Blet"ting (?), n. A form of decay seen in fleshy, overripe fruit.
Lindley.
Blew
Blew (?), imp. of Blow.
Bleyme
Bleyme (?), n. [F. bleime.] (Far.) An inflammation in the foot of a
horse, between the sole and the bone. [Obs.]
Bleynte
Bleyn"te (?), imp. of Blench. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Blickey
Blick"ey (?), n. [D. blik tin.] A tin dinner pail. [Local, U. S.]
Bartlett.
Blight
Blight (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blighted; p. pr. & vb. n. Blighting.]
[Perh. contr. from AS. bl\'c6cettan to glitter, fr. the same root as
E. bleak. The meaning "to blight" comes in that case from to glitter,
hence, to be white or pale, grow pale, make pale, bleach. Cf. Bleach,
Bleak.]
1. To affect with blight; to blast; to prevent the growth and
fertility of.
[This vapor] blasts vegetables, blights corn and fruit, and is
sometimes injurious even to man. Woodward.
2. Hence: To destroy the happiness of; to ruin; to mar essentially; to
frustrate; as, to blight one's prospects.
Seared in heart and lone and blighted. Byron.
Blight
Blight, v. i. To be affected by blight; to blast; as, this vine never
blights.
Blight
Blight, n.
1. Mildew; decay; anything nipping or blasting; -- applied as a
general name to various injuries or diseases of plants, causing the
whole or a part to wither, whether occasioned by insects, fungi, or
atmospheric influences.
2. The act of blighting, or the state of being blighted; a withering
or mildewing, or a stoppage of growth in the whole or a part of a
plant, etc.
3. That which frustrates one's plans or withers one's hopes; that
which impairs or destroys.
A blight seemed to have fallen over our fortunes. Disraeli.
4. (Zo\'94l.) A downy species of aphis, or plant louse, destructive to
fruit trees, infesting both the roots and branches; -- also applied to
several other injurious insects.
5. pl. A rashlike eruption on the human skin. [U. S.]
Blighting
Blight"ing, a. Causing blight.
Blightingly
Blight"ing*ly, adv. So as to cause blight.
Blimbi, Blimbing
Blim"bi (?), Blim"bing (?), n. See Bilimbi, etc.
Blin
Blin (?), v. t. & i. [OE. blinnen, AS. blinnan; pref. be- + linnan to
cease.] To stop; to cease; to desist. [Obs.] Spenser.
Blin
Blin, n. [AS. blinn.] Cessation; end. [Obs.]
Blind
Blind (?), a. [AS.; akin to D., G., OS., Sw., & Dan. blind, Icel.
blindr, Goth. blinds; of uncertain origin.]
1. Destitute of the sense of seeing, either by natural defect or by
deprivation; without sight.
He that is strucken blind can not forget The precious treasure of
his eyesight lost. Shak.
2. Not having the faculty of discernment; destitute of intellectual
light; unable or unwilling to understand or judge; as, authors are
blind to their own defects.
But hard be hardened, blind be blinded more, That they may stumble
on, and deeper fall. Milton.
3. Undiscerning; undiscriminating; inconsiderate.
This plan is recommended neither to blind approbation nor to blind
reprobation. Jay.
4. Having such a state or condition as a thing would have to a person
who is blind; not well marked or easily discernible; hidden; unseen;
concealed; as, a blind path; a blind ditch.
5. Involved; intricate; not easily followed or traced.
The blind mazes of this tangled wood. Milton.
6. Having no openings for light or passage; as, a blind wall; open
only at one end; as, a blind alley; a blind gut.
7. Unintelligible, or not easily intelligible; as, a blind passage in
a book; illegible; as, blind writing.
8. (Hort.) Abortive; failing to produce flowers or fruit; as, blind
buds; blind flowers.
Blind alley, an alley closed at one end; a cul-de-sac. -- Blind axle,
an axle which turns but does not communicate motion. Knight. -- Blind
beetle, one of the insects apt to fly against people, esp. at night.
-- Blind cat (Zo\'94l.), a species of catfish (Gronias nigrolabris),
nearly destitute of eyes, living in caverns in Pennsylvania. -- Blind
coal, coal that burns without flame; anthracite coal. Simmonds. --
Blind door, Blind window, an imitation of a door or window, without an
opening for passage or light. See Blank door or window, under Blank,
a. -- Blind level (Mining), a level or drainage gallery which has a
vertical shaft at each end, and acts as an inverted siphon. Knight. --
Blind nettle (Bot.), dead nettle. See Dead nettle, under Dead. --
Blind shell (Gunnery), a shell containing no charge, or one that does
not explode. -- Blind side, the side which is most easily assailed; a
weak or unguarded side; the side on which one is least able or
disposed to see danger. Swift. -- Blind snake (Zo\'94l.), a small,
harmless, burrowing snake, of the family Typhlopid\'91, with
rudimentary eyes. -- Blind spot (Anat.), the point in the retina of
the eye where the optic nerve enters, and which is insensible to
light. -- Blind tooling, in bookbinding and leather work, the indented
impression of heated tools, without gilding; -- called also blank
tooling, and blind blocking. -- Blind wall, a wall without an opening;
a blank wall.
Blind
Blind (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blinded; p. pr. & vb. n. Blinding.]
1. To make blind; to deprive of sight or discernment. "To blind the
truth and me." Tennyson.
A blind guide is certainly a great mischief; but a guide that
blinds those whom he should lead is . . . a much greater. South.
2. To deprive partially of vision; to make vision difficult for and
painful to; to dazzle.
Her beauty all the rest did blind. P. Fletcher.
3. To darken; to obscure to the eye or understanding; to conceal; to
deceive.
Such darkness blinds the sky. Dryden.
The state of the controversy between us he endeavored, with all his
art, to blind and confound. Stillingfleet.
4. To cover with a thin coating of sand and fine gravel; as a road
newly paved, in order that the joints between the stones may be
filled.
Blind
Blind (?), n.
1. Something to hinder sight or keep out light; a screen; a cover;
esp. a hinged screen or shutter for a window; a blinder for a horse.
2. Something to mislead the eye or the understanding, or to conceal
some covert deed or design; a subterfuge.
3. [Cf. F. blindes, pblende, fr. blenden to blind, fr. blind blind.]
(Mil.) A blindage. See Blindage.
4. A halting place. [Obs.] Dryden.
Blind, Blinde
Blind, Blinde (?), n. See Blende.
Blindage
Blind"age (?), n. [Cf. F. blindage.] (Mil.) A cover or protection for
an advanced trench or approach, formed of fascines and earth supported
by a framework.
Blinder
Blind"er (?), n.
1. One who, or that which, blinds.
2. (Saddlery) One of the leather screens on a bridle, to hinder a
horse from seeing objects at the side; a blinker.
Blindfish
Blind"fish` (, n. A small fish (Amblyopsis spel\'91us) destitute of
eyes, found in the waters of the Mammoth Cave, in Kentucky. Related
fishes from other caves take the same name.
Blindfold
Blind"fold` (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blindfolded; p. pr. & vb. n.
Blindfolding.] [OE. blindfolden, blindfelden, blindfellen; AS. blind
blind + prob. fellan, fyllan, to fell, strike down.] To cover the eyes
of, as with a bandage; to hinder from seeing.
And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face.
Luke xxii. 64.
Blindfold
Blind"fold`, a. Having the eyes covered; blinded; having the mental
eye darkened. Hence: Heedless; reckless; as, blindfold zeal; blindfold
fury.
Fate's blindfold reign the atheist loudly owns. Dryden.
Blinding
Blind"ing, a. Making blind or as if blind; depriving of sight or of
understanding; obscuring; as, blinding tears; blinding snow.
Blinding
Blind"ing, n. A thin coating of sand and fine gravel over a newly
paved road. See Blind, v. t., 4.
Blindly
Blind"ly, adv. Without sight, discernment, or understanding; without
thought, investigation, knowledge, or purpose of one's own.
By his imperious mistress blindly led. Dryden.
Blindman's buff
Blind"man's buff" (. [See Buff a buffet.] A play in which one person
is blindfolded, and tries to catch some one of the company and tell
who it is.
Surely he fancies I play at blindman's buff with him, for he thinks
I never have my eyes open. Stillingfleet.
Blindman's holiday
Blind`man's hol"i*day (?). The time between daylight and candle light.
[Humorous]
Blindness
Blind"ness (?), n. State or condition of being blind, literally or
figuratively. Darwin. Color blindness, inability to distinguish
certain color. See Daltonism.
Blindstory
Blind"sto`ry (?), n. (Arch.) The triforium as opposed to the
clearstory.
Blindworm
Blind"worm` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A small, burrowing, snakelike, limbless
lizard (Anguis fragilis), with minute eyes, popularly believed to be
blind; the slowworm; -- formerly a name for the adder.
Newts and blindworms do no wrong. Shak.
Blink
Blink (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blinked (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Blinking.]
[OE. blenken; akin to dan. blinke, Sw. blinka, G. blinken to shine,
glance, wink, twinkle, D. blinken to shine; and prob. to D. blikken to
glance, twinkle, G. blicken to look, glance, AS. bl\'c6can to shine,
E. bleak. &root;98. See Bleak; cf. 1st Blench.]
1. To wink; to twinkle with, or as with, the eye.
One eye was blinking, and one leg was lame. Pope
2. To see with the eyes half shut, or indistinctly and with frequent
winking, as a person with weak eyes.
Show me thy chink, to blink through with mine eyne. Shak.
3. To shine, esp. with intermittent light; to twinkle; to flicker; to
glimmer, as a lamp.
The dew was falling fast, the stars began to blink. Wordsworth.
The sun blinked fair on pool and stream . Sir W. Scott.
4. To turn slightly sour, as beer, mild, etc.
Blink
Blink, v. t.
1. To shut out of sight; to avoid, or purposely evade; to shirk; as,
to blink the question.
2. To trick; to deceive. [Scot.] Jamieson.
Blink
Blink, n. [OE. blink. See Blink, v. i. ]
1. A glimpse or glance.
This is the first blink that ever I had of him. Bp. Hall.
2. Gleam; glimmer; sparkle. Sir W. Scott.
Not a blink of light was there. Wordsworth.
3. (Naut.) The dazzling whiteness about the horizon caused by the
reflection of light from fields of ice at sea; ice blink.
4. pl. [Cf. Blencher.] (Sporting) Boughs cast where deer are to pass,
to turn or check them. [Prov. Eng.]
Blinkard
Blink"ard (?), n. [Blind + -ard.]
1. One who blinks with, or as with, weak eyes.
Among the blind the one-eyed blinkard reigns. Marvell.
2. That which twinkles or glances, as a dim star, which appears and
disappears. Hakewill.
Blink beer
Blink" beer` ( Beer kept unbroached until it is sharp. Crabb.
Blinker
Blink"er (?), n.
1. One who, or that which, blinks.
2. A blinder for horses; a flap of leather on a horse's bridle to
prevent him from seeing objects as his side hence, whatever obstructs
sight or discernment.
Nor bigots who but one way see, through blinkers of authority. M.
Green.
3. pl. A kind of goggles, used to protect the eyes form glare, etc.
Blink-eyed
Blink"-eyed` (, a. Habitually winking. Marlowe.
Blirt
Blirt (?), n. (Naut.) A gust of wind and rain. Ham. Nav. Encyc.
Bliss
Bliss, n.; pl. Blisses (#). [OE. blis, blisse, AS. blis, bl\'c6, fr.
bl\'c6 blithe. See Blithe.] Orig., blithesomeness; gladness; now, the
highest degree of happiness; blessedness; exalted felicity; heavenly
joy.
An then at last our bliss Full and perfect is. Milton.
Syn. -- Blessedness; felicity; beatitude; happiness; joy; enjoyment.
See Happiness.
Blissful
Bliss"ful (?), a. Full of, characterized by, or causing, joy and
felicity; happy in the highest degree. "Blissful solitude." Milton. --
Bliss"ful*ly, adv. -- Bliss"ful*ness, n.
Blissless
Bliss"less, a. Destitute of bliss. Sir P. Sidney.
Blissom
Blis"som (?), v. i. [For blithesome: but cf. also Icel. bl of a goat
at heat.] To be lustful; to be lascivious. [Obs.]
Blissom
Blis"som, a. Lascivious; also, in heat; -- said of ewes.
Blister
Blis"ter (?), n. [OE.; akin to OD. bluyster, fr. the same root as
blast, bladder, blow. See Blow to eject wind.]
1. A vesicle of the skin, containing watery matter or serum, whether
occasioned by a burn or other injury, or by a vesicatory; a collection
of serous fluid causing a bladderlike elevation of the cuticle.
And painful blisters swelled my tender hands. Grainger.
2. Any elevation made by the separation of the film or skin, as on
plants; or by the swelling of the substance at the surface, as on
steel.
3. A vesicatory; a plaster of Spanish flies, or other matter, applied
to raise a blister. Dunglison.
Blister beetle, a beetle used to raise blisters, esp. the Lytta (or
Cantharis) vesicatoria, called Cantharis or Spanish fly by druggists.
See Cantharis. -- Blister fly, a blister beetle. -- Blister plaster, a
plaster designed to raise a blister; -- usually made of Spanish flies.
-- Blister steel, crude steel formed from wrought iron by cementation;
-- so called because of its blistered surface. Called also blistered
steel. -- Blood blister. See under Blood.
Blister
Blis"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blistered (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Blistering.] To be affected with a blister or blisters; to have a
blister form on.
Let my tongue blister. Shak.
Blister
Blis"ter, v. t.
1. To raise a blister or blisters upon.
My hands were blistered. Franklin.
2. To give pain to, or to injure, as if by a blister.
This tyrant, whose sole name blisters our tongue. Shak.
Blistery
Blis"ter*y (?), a. Full of blisters. Hooker.
Blite
Blite (?), n. [L. blitum, Gr. .] (Bot.) A genus of herbs (Blitum>)
with a fleshy calyx. Blitum capitatum is the strawberry blite.
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Blithe
Blithe (?), a. [AS. bl\'c6 blithe, kind; akin to Goth. blei kind,
Icel. bl\'c6 mild, gentle, Dan. & Sw. blid gentle, D. blijd blithe,
OHG. bl\'c6di kind, blithe.] Gay; merry; sprightly; joyous; glad;
cheerful; as, a blithe spirit.
The blithe sounds of festal music. Prescott.
A daughter fair, So buxom, blithe, and debonair. Milton.
Blitheful
Blithe"ful (?), a. Gay; full of gayety; joyous.
Blithely
Blithe"ly, adv. In a blithe manner.
Blitheness
Blithe"ness, n. The state of being blithe. Chaucer.
Blithesome
Blithe"some (?), a. Cheery; gay; merry.
The blithesome sounds of wassail gay. Sir W. Scott.
-- Blithe"some*ly, adv. -- Blithe"some*ness, n.
Blive
Blive (?), adv. [A contraction of Belive.] Quickly; forthwith. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Blizzard
Bliz"zard (?), n. [Cf. Blaze to flash. Formerly, in local use, a
rattling volley; cf. "to blaze away" to fire away.] A gale of
piercingly cold wind, usually accompanied with fine and blinding snow;
a furious blast. [U. S.]
Bloat
Bloat (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bloated; p. pr. & vb. n. Bloating.]
[Cf. Icel. blotna to become soft, blautr soft, wet, Sw. bl\'94t soft,
bl\'94ta to soak; akin to G. bloss bare, and AS. ble\'a0t wretched; or
perh. fr. root of Eng. 5th blow. Cf. Blote.]
1. To make turgid, as with water or air; to cause a swelling of the
surface of, from effusion of serum in the cellular tissue, producing a
morbid enlargement, often accompanied with softness.
2. To inflate; to puff up; to make vain. Dryden.
Bloat
Bloat, v. i. To grow turgid as by effusion of liquid in the cellular
tissue; to puff out; to swell. Arbuthnot.
Bloat
Bloat, a. Bloated. [R.] Shak.
Bloat
Bloat, n. A term of contempt for a worthless, dissipated fellow.
[Slang]
Bloat
Bloat, v. t. To dry (herrings) in smoke. See Blote.
Bloated
Bloat"ed (?), p. a. Distended beyond the natural or usual size, as by
the presence of water, serum, etc.; turgid; swollen; as, a bloated
face. Also, puffed up with pride; pompous.
Bloatedness
Bloat"ed*ness, n. The state of being bloated.
Bloater
Bloat"er (?), n. [See Bloat, Blote.] The common herring, esp. when of
large size, smoked, and half dried; -- called also bloat herring.
Blob
Blob (?), n. [See Bleb.]
1. Something blunt and round; a small drop or lump of something viscid
or thick; a drop; a bubble; a blister. Wright.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A small fresh-water fish (Uranidea Richardsoni); the
miller's thumb.
Blobber
Blob"ber (?), n. [See Blubber, Blub.] A bubble; blubber. [Low] T.
Carew. Blobber lip, a thick, protruding lip.
His blobber lips and beetle brows commend. Dryden.
Blobber-lipped
Blob"ber-lipped` (?), a. Having thick lips. "A blobber-lipped shell."
Grew.
Blocage
Blo*cage" (?), n. [F.] (Arch.) The roughest and cheapest sort of
rubblework, in masonry.
Block
Block (?), n. [OE. blok; cf. F. bloc (fr. OHG.), D. & Dan. blok, Sw. &
G. block, OHG. bloch. There is also an OHG. bloch, biloh; bi by + the
same root as that of E. lock. Cf. Block, v. t., Blockade, and see
Lock.]
1. A piece of wood more or less bulky; a solid mass of wood, stone,
etc., usually with one or more plane, or approximately plane, faces;
as, a block on which a butcher chops his meat; a block by which to
mount a horse; children's playing blocks, etc.
Now all our neighbors' chimneys smoke, And Christmas blocks are
burning. Wither.
All her labor was but as a block Left in the quarry. Tennyson.
2. The solid piece of wood on which condemned persons lay their necks
when they are beheaded.
Noble heads which have been brought to the block. E. Everett.
3. The wooden mold on which hats, bonnets, etc., are shaped. Hence:
The pattern on shape of a hat.
He wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat; it ever changes
with the next block. Shak.
4. A large or long building divided into separate houses or shops, or
a number of houses or shops built in contact with each other so as to
form one building; a row of houses or shops.
5. A square, or portion of a city inclosed by streets, whether
occupied by buildings or not.
The new city was laid out in rectangular blocks, each block
containing thirty building lots. Such an average block, comprising
282 houses and covering nine acres of ground, exists in Oxford
Street. Lond. Quart. Rev.
6. A grooved pulley or sheave incased in a frame or shell which is
provided with a hook, eye, or strap, by which it may be attached to an
object. It is used to change the direction of motion, as in raising a
heavy object that can not be conveniently reached, and also, when two
or more such sheaves are compounded, to change the rate of motion, or
to exert increased force; -- used especially in the rigging of ships,
and in tackles.
7. (Falconry) The perch on which a bird of prey is kept.
8. Any obstruction, or cause of obstruction; a stop; a hindrance; an
obstacle; as, a block in the way.
9. A piece of box or other wood for engravers' work.
10. (Print.) A piece of hard wood (as mahogany or cherry) on which a
stereotype or electrotype plate is mounted to make it type high.
11. A blockhead; a stupid fellow; a dolt. [Obs.]
What a block art thou ! Shak.
12. A section of a railroad where the block system is used. See Block
system, below.
A block of shares (Stock Exchange), a large number of shares in a
stock company, sold in a lump. Bartlett. -- Block printing. (a) A mode
of printing (common in China and Japan) from engraved boards by means
of a sheet of paper laid on the linked surface and rubbed with a
brush. S. W. Williams. (b) A method of printing cotton cloth and paper
hangings with colors, by pressing them upon an engraved surface coated
with coloring matter. -- Block system on railways, a system by which
the track is divided into sections of three or four miles, and trains
are so run by the guidance of electric signals that no train enters a
section or block before the preceding train has left it.
Block
Block (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blocked (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Blocking.]
[Cf. F. bloquer, fr. bloc block. See Block, n.]
1. To obstruct so as to prevent passage or progress; to prevent
passage from, through, or into, by obstructing the way; -- used both
of persons and things; -- often followed by up; as, to block up a road
or harbor.
With moles . . . would block the port. Rowe.
A city . . . besieged and blocked about. Milton.
2. To secure or support by means of blocks; to secure, as two boards
at their angles of intersection, by pieces of wood glued to each.
3. To shape on, or stamp with, a block; as, to block a hat.
To block out, to begin to reduce to shape; to mark out roughly; to lay
out; as, to block out a plan.
Blockade
Block*ade" (?), n. [Cf. It. bloccata. See Block, v. t. ]
1. The shutting up of a place by troops or ships, with the purpose of
preventing ingress or egress, or the reception of supplies; as, the
blockade of the ports of an enemy.
NOTE: &hand; Bl ockade is now usually applied to an investment with
ships or vessels, while siege is used of an investment by land
forces. To constitute a blockade, the investing power must be able
to apply its force to every point of practicable access, so as to
render it dangerous to attempt to enter; and there is no blockade
of that port where its force can not be brought to bear.
Kent.
2. An obstruction to passage.
To raise a blockade. See under Raise.
Blockade
Block*ade", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blockaded; p. pr. & vb. n.
Blockading.]
1. To shut up, as a town or fortress, by investing it with troops or
vessels or war for the purpose of preventing ingress or egress, or the
introduction of supplies. See note under Blockade, n. "Blockaded the
place by sea." Gilpin.
2. Hence, to shut in so as to prevent egress.
Till storm and driving ice blockade him there. Wordsworth.
3. To obstruct entrance to or egress from.
Huge bales of British cloth blockade the door. Pope.
Blockader
Block*ad"er (?), n.
1. One who blockades.
2. (Naut.) A vessel employed in blockading.
Blockage
Block"age (?), n. The act of blocking up; the state of being blocked
up.
Block book
Block" book` (. A book printed from engraved wooden blocks instead of
movable types.
Blockhead
Block"head` (, n. [Block + head.] A stupid fellow; a dolt; a person
deficient in understanding.
The bookful blockhead, ignorantly read, With loads of learned
lumber in his head. Pope.
Blockheaded
Block"head`ed, a. Stupid; dull.
Blockheadism
Block"head*ism (?), n. That which characterizes a blockhead;
stupidity. Carlyle.
Blockhouse
Block"house` (, n. [Block + house: cf. G. blockhaus.]
1. (Mil.) An edifice or structure of heavy timbers or logs for
military defense, having its sides loopholed for musketry, and often
an upper story projecting over the lower, or so placed upon it as to
have its sides make an angle wit the sides of the lower story, thus
enabling the defenders to fire downward, and in all directions; --
formerly much used in America and Germany.
2. A house of squared logs. [West. & South. U. S.]
Blocking
Block"ing, n.
1. The act of obstructing, supporting, shaping, or stamping with a
block or blocks.
2. Blocks used to support (a building, etc.) temporarily.
Blocking course
Block"ing course` (. (Arch.) The finishing course of a wall showing
above a cornice.
Blockish
Block"ish, a. Like a block; deficient in understanding; stupid; dull.
"Blockish Ajax." Shak. -- Block"ish*ly, adv. -- Block"ish*ness, n.
Blocklike
Block"like` (, a. Like a block; stupid.
Block tin
Block" tin` (. See under Tin.
Bloedite
Bloe"dite (?), n. [From the chemist Bl\'94de.] (Min.) A hydrous
sulphate of magnesium and sodium.
Blomary
Blom"a*ry (?), n. See Bloomery.
Bloncket, Blonket
Blonc"ket, Blon"ket (?), a. [OF. blanquet whitish, dim. of blanc
white. Cf. Blanket.] Gray; bluish gray. [Obs.]
Our bloncket liveries been all too sad. Spenser.
Blond, Blonde
Blond, Blonde (?), a. [F., fair, light, of uncertain origin; cf. AS.
blonden-feax gray-haired, old, prop. blended-haired, as a mixture of
white and brown or black. See Blend, v. t. ] Of a fair color;
light-colored; as, blond hair; a blond complexion.
Blonde
Blonde (?), n. [F.]
1. A person of very fair complexion, with light hair and light blue
eyes. [Written also blond.]
2. [So called from its color.] A kind of silk lace originally of the
color of raw silk, now sometimes dyed; -- called also blond lace.
Blond metal
Blond" met`al (?). A variety of clay ironstone, in Staffordshire,
England, used for making tools.
Blondness
Blond"ness, n. The state of being blond. G. Eliot.
Blood
Blood (?), n. [OE. blod, blood, AS. bl; akin to D. bloed, OHG. bluot,
G. blut, Goth, bl, Sw. & Dan. blod; prob. fr. the same root as E. blow
to bloom. See Blow to bloom.]
1. The fluid which circulates in the principal vascular system of
animals, carrying nourishment to all parts of the body, and bringing
away waste products to be excreted. See under Arterial.
NOTE: &hand; The blood consists of a liquid, the plasma, containing
minute particles, the blood corpuscles. In the invertebrate animals
it is usually nearly colorless, and contains only one kind of
corpuscles; but in all vertebrates, except Amphioxus, it contains
some colorless corpuscles, with many more which are red and give
the blood its uniformly red color. See Corpuscle, Plasma.
2. Relationship by descent from a common ancestor; consanguinity;
kinship.
To share the blood of Saxon royalty. Sir W. Scott.
A friend of our own blood. Waller.
Half blood (Law), relationship through only one parent. -- Whole
blood, relationship through both father and mother. In American Law,
blood includes both half blood, and whole blood. Bouvier. Peters.
3. Descent; lineage; especially, honorable birth; the highest royal
lineage.
Give us a prince of blood, a son of Priam. Shak.
I am a gentleman of blood and breeding. Shak.
4. (Stock Breeding) Descent from parents of recognized breed;
excellence or purity of breed.
NOTE: &hand; In st ock br eeding half blood is descent showing one
half only of pure breed. Blue blood, full blood, or warm blood, is
the same as blood.
5. The fleshy nature of man.
Nor gives it satisfaction to our blood. Shak.
6. The shedding of blood; the taking of life, murder; manslaughter;
destruction.
So wills the fierce, avenging sprite, Till blood for blood atones.
Hood.
7. A bloodthirsty or murderous disposition. [R.]
He was a thing of blood, whose every motion Was timed with dying
cries. Shak.
8. Temper of mind; disposition; state of the passions; -- as if the
blood were the seat of emotions.
When you perceive his blood inclined to mirth. Shak.
NOTE: &hand; Of ten, in th is se nse, ac companied with bad, cold,
warm, or other qualifying word. Thus, to commit an act in cold
blood, is to do it deliberately, and without sudden passion; to do
it in bad blood, is to do it in anger. Warm blood denotes a temper
inflamed or irritated. To warm or heat the blood is to excite the
passions. Qualified by up, excited feeling or passion is signified;
as, my blood was up.
9. A man of fire or spirit; a fiery spark; a gay, showy man; a rake.
Seest thou not . . . how giddily 'a turns about all the hot bloods
between fourteen and five and thirty? Shak.
It was the morning costume of a dandy or blood. Thackeray.
10. The juice of anything, especially if red.
He washed . . . his clothes in the blood of grapes. Gen. xiix. 11.
NOTE: &hand; Bl ood is often used as an adjective, and as the first
part of self-explaining compound words; as, blood-bespotted,
blood-bought, blood-curdling, blood-dyed, blood-red,
blood-spilling, blood-stained, blood-warm, blood-won.
Blood baptism (Eccl. Hist.), the martyrdom of those who had not been
baptized. They were considered as baptized in blood, and this was
regarded as a full substitute for literal baptism. -- Blood blister, a
blister or bleb containing blood or bloody serum, usually caused by an
injury. -- Blood brother, brother by blood or birth. -- Blood clam
(Zo\'94l.), a bivalve mollusk of the genus Arca and allied genera,
esp. Argina pexata of the American coast. So named from the color of
its flesh. -- Blood corpuscle. See Corpuscle. -- Blood crystal
(Physiol.), one of the crystals formed by the separation in a
crystalline form of the h\'91moglobin of the red blood corpuscles;
h\'91matocrystallin. All blood does not yield blood crystals. -- Blood
heat, heat equal to the temperature of human blood, or about 98\'ab °
Fahr. -- Blood horse, a horse whose blood or lineage is derived from
the purest and most highly prized origin or stock. -- Blood money. See
in the Vocabulary. -- Blood orange, an orange with dark red pulp. --
Blood poisoning (Med.), a morbid state of the blood caused by the
introduction of poisonous or infective matters from without, or the
absorption or retention of such as are produced in the body itself;
tox\'91mia. -- Blood pudding, a pudding made of blood and other
materials. -- Blood relation, one connected by blood or descent. --
Blood spavin. See under Spavin. -- Blood vessel. See in the
Vocabulary. -- Blue blood, the blood of noble or aristocratic
families, which, according to a Spanish prover , has in it a tinge of
blue; -- hence, a member of an old and aristocratic family. -- Flesh
and blood. (a) A blood relation, esp. a child. (b) Human nature. -- In
blood (Hunting), in a state of perfect health and vigor. Shak. -- To
let blood. See under Let. -- Prince of the blood, the son of a
sovereign, or the issue of a royal family. The sons, brothers, and
uncles of the sovereign are styled princes of the blood royal; and the
daughters, sisters, and aunts are princesses of the blood royal.
Blood
Blood (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blooded; p. pr. & vb. n. Blooding.]
1. To bleed. [Obs.] Cowper.
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2. To stain, smear or wet, with blood. [Archaic]
Reach out their spears afar, And blood their points. Dryden.
3. To give (hounds or soldiers) a first taste or sight of blood, as in
hunting or war.
It was most important too that his troops should be blooded.
Macaulay.
4. To heat the blood of; to exasperate. [Obs.]
The auxiliary forces of the French and English were much blooded
one against another. Bacon.
Bloodbird
Blood"bird` (, n. (Zo\'94l.) An Australian honeysucker (Myzomela
sanguineolata); -- so called from the bright red color of the male
bird.
Blood-boltered
Blood"-bol`tered (?), a. [Blood + Prov. E. bolter to mat in tufts. Cf.
Balter.] Having the hair matted with clotted blood. [Obs. & R.]
The blood-boltered Banquo smiles upon me. Shak.
Blooded
Blood"ed, a. Having pure blood, or a large admixture or pure blood; of
approved breed; of the best stock.
NOTE: &hand; Us ed al so in co mposition in ph rases indicating a
particular condition or quality of blood; as, cold-blooded;
warm-blooded.
Bloodflower
Blood"flow`er (?), n. [From the color of the flower.] (Bot.) A genus
of bulbous plants, natives of Southern Africa, named H\'91manthus, of
the Amaryllis family. The juice of H. toxicarius is used by the
Hottentots to poison their arrows.
Bloodguilty
Blood"guilt`y (?), a. Guilty of murder or bloodshed. "A bloodguilty
life." Fairfax. -- Blood"guilt`i*ness (, n. -- Blood"guilt`less, a.
Bloodhound
Blood"hound` (, n. A breed of large and powerful dogs, with long,
smooth, and pendulous ears, and remarkable for acuteness of smell. It
is employed to recover game or prey which has escaped wounded from a
hunter, and for tracking criminals. Formerly it was used for pursuing
runaway slaves. Other varieties of dog are often used for the same
purpose and go by the same name. The Cuban bloodhound is said to be a
variety of the mastiff.
Bloodily
Blood"i*ly (?), adv. In a bloody manner; cruelly; with a disposition
to shed blood.
Bloodiness
Blood"i*ness, n.
1. The state of being bloody.
2. Disposition to shed blood; bloodthirstiness.
All that bloodiness and savage cruelty which was in our nature.
Holland.
Bloodless
Blood"less, a. [AS. bl.]
1. Destitute of blood, or apparently so; as, bloodless cheeks;
lifeless; dead.
The bloodless carcass of my Hector sold. Dryden.
2. Not attended with shedding of blood, or slaughter; as, a bloodless
victory. Froude.
3. Without spirit or activity.
Thou bloodless remnant of that royal blood ! Shak.
-- Blood"less*ly, adv. -- Blood"less*ness, n.
Bloodlet
Blood"let` (, v. t. [AS. bl; bl blood + l to let.] bleed; to let
blood. Arbuthnot.
Bloodletter
Blood"let`ter (?), n. One who, or that which, lets blood; a
phlebotomist.
Bloodletting
Blood"let`ting, n. (Med.) The act or process of letting blood or
bleeding, as by opening a vein or artery, or by cupping or leeches; --
esp. applied to venesection.
Blood money
Blood" mon`ey (?).
1. Money paid to the next of kin of a person who has been killed by
another.
2. Money obtained as the price, or at the cost, of another's life; --
said of a reward for supporting a capital charge, of money obtained
for betraying a fugitive or for committing murder, or of money
obtained from the sale of that which will destroy the purchaser.
Bloodroot
Blood"root` (, n. (Bot.) A plant (Sanguinaria Canadensis), with a red
root and red sap, and bearing a pretty, white flower in early spring;
-- called also puccoon, redroot, bloodwort, tetterwort, turmeric, and
Indian paint. It has acrid emetic properties, and the rootstock is
used as a stimulant expectorant. See Sanguinaria.
NOTE: &hand; In En gland th e name is given to the tormentil, once
used as a remedy for dysentery.
Bloodshed
Blood"shed` (, n. [Blood + shed] The shedding or spilling of blood;
slaughter; the act of shedding human blood, or taking life, as in war,
riot, or murder.
Bloodshedder
Blood"shed`der (?), n. One who sheds blood; a manslayer; a murderer.
Bloodshedding
Blood"shed`ding (?), n. Bloodshed. Shak.
Bloodshot
Blood"shot` (, a. [Blood + shot, p. p. of shoot to variegate.] Red and
inflamed; suffused with blood, or having the vessels turgid with
blood, as when the conjunctiva is inflamed or irritated.
His eyes were bloodshot, . . . and his hair disheveled. Dickens.
Blood-shotten
Blood"-shot`ten (?), a. Bloodshot. [Obs.]
Bloodstick
Blood"stick" (?), n. (Far.) A piece of hard wood loaded at one end
with lead, and used to strike the fleam into the vein. Youatt.
Bloodstone
Blood"stone` (, n. (Min.) (a) A green siliceous stone sprinkled with
red jasper, as if with blood; hence the name; -- called also
heliotrope. (b) Hematite, an ore of iron yielding a blood red powder
or "streak."
Bloodstroke
Blood"stroke` (, n. [Cf. F. coup de sang.] Loss of sensation and
motion from hemorrhage or congestion in the brain. Dunglison.
Bloodsucker
Blood"suck`er (?), n.
1. (Zo\'94l.) Any animal that sucks blood; esp., the leech (Hirudo
medicinalis), and related species.
2. One who sheds blood; a cruel, bloodthirsty man; one guilty of
bloodshed; a murderer. [Obs.] Shak.
3. A hard and exacting master, landlord, or money lender; an
extortioner.
Bloodthirsty
Blood"thirst`y (?), a. Eager to shed blood; cruel; sanguinary;
murderous. -- Blood"thirst`i*ness (n.
Bloodulf
Blood"ulf (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The European bullfinch.
Blood vessel
Blood" ves`sel (?). (Anat.) Any vessel or canal in which blood
circulates in an animal, as an artery or vein.
Bloodwite, Bloodwit
Blood"wite` (?), Blood"wit` (, n. [AS. bl; bl blood, + w\'c6te wite,
fine.] (Anc. Law) A fine or amercement paid as a composition for the
shedding of blood; also, a riot wherein blood was spilled.
Bloodwood
Blood"wood (?), n. (Bot.) A tree having the wood or the sap of the
color of blood.
NOTE: Norfolk Is land bl oodwood is a euphorbiaceous tree (Baloghia
lucida), from which the sap is collected for use as a plant.
Various other trees have the name, chiefly on account of the color
of the wood, as Gordonia H\'91matoxylon of Jamaica, and several
species of Australian Eucalyptus; also the true logwood (
H\'91matoxylon campechianum).
Bloodwort
Blood"wort` (, n. (Bot.) A plant, Rumex sanguineus, or bloody-veined
dock. The name is applied also to bloodroot (Sanguinaria Canadensis),
and to an extensive order of plants (H\'91modorace\'91), the roots of
many species of which contain a red coloring matter useful in dyeing.
Bloody
Blood"y (?), a. [AS. bl.]
1. Containing or resembling blood; of the nature of blood; as, bloody
excretions; bloody sweat.
2. Smeared or stained with blood; as, bloody hands; a bloody
handkerchief.
3. Given, or tending, to the shedding of blood; having a cruel, savage
disposition; murderous; cruel.
Some bloody passion shakes your very frame. Shak.
4. Attended with, or involving, bloodshed; sanguinary; esp., marked by
great slaughter or cruelty; as, a bloody battle.
5. Infamous; contemptible; -- variously used for mere emphasis or as a
low epithet. [Vulgar] Thackeray.
Bloody
Blood"y, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bloodied (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bloodying.]
To stain with blood. Overbury.
Bloodybones
Blood"y*bones` (, n. A terrible bugbear.
Bloody flux
Blood"y flux` (?). The dysentery, a disease in which the flux or
discharge from the bowels has a mixture of blood. Arbuthnot.
Bloody hand
Blood"y hand` (.
1. A hand stained with the blood of a deer, which, in the old forest
laws of England, was sufficient evidence of a man's trespass in the
forest against venison. Jacob.
2. (Her.) A red hand, as in the arms of Ulster, which is now the
distinguishing mark of a baronet of the United Kingdom.
Bloody-minded
Blood"y-mind"ed (?), a. Having a cruel, ferocious disposition;
bloodthirsty. Dryden.
Bloody sweat
Blood"y sweat` (. A sweat accompanied by a discharge of blood; a
disease, called sweating sickness, formerly prevalent in England and
other countries.
Bloom
Bloom (?), n. [OE. blome, fr. Icel. bl, bl; akin to Sw. blom, Goth.
bl, OS. bl, D. bloem, OHG. bluomo, bluoma, G. blume; fr. the same root
as AS. bl to blow, blossom. See Blow to bloom, and cf. Blossom.]
1. A blossom; the flower of a plant; an expanded bud; flowers,
collectively.
The rich blooms of the tropics. Prescott.
2. The opening of flowers in general; the state of blossoming or of
having the flowers open; as, the cherry trees are in bloom. "Sight of
vernal bloom." Milton.
3. A state or time of beauty, freshness, and vigor; an opening to
higher perfection, analogous to that of buds into blossoms; as, the
bloom of youth.
Every successive mother has transmitted a fainter bloom, a more
delicate and briefer beauty. Hawthorne.
4. The delicate, powdery coating upon certain growing or
newly-gathered fruits or leaves, as on grapes, plums, etc. Hence:
Anything giving an appearance of attractive freshness; a flush; a
glow.
A new, fresh, brilliant world, with all the bloom upon it.
Thackeray.
5. The clouded appearance which varnish sometimes takes upon the
surface of a picture.
6. A yellowish deposit or powdery coating which appears on well-tanned
leather. Knight.
7. (Min.) A popular term for a bright-hued variety of some minerals;
as, the rose-red cobalt bloom.
Bloom
Bloom, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bloomed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Blooming.]
1. To produce or yield blossoms; to blossom; to flower or be in
flower.
A flower which once In Paradise, fast by the tree of life, Began to
bloom. Milton.
2. To be in a state of healthful, growing youth and vigor; to show
beauty and freshness, as of flowers; to give promise, as by or with
flowers.
A better country blooms to view,
Beneath a brighter sky. Logan.
Bloom
Bloom, v. t.
1. To cause to blossom; to make flourish. [R.]
Charitable affection bloomed them. Hooker.
2. To bestow a bloom upon; to make blooming or radiant. [R.]
Milton.
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day. Keats.
Bloom
Bloom, n. [AS. bl a mass or lump, \'c6senes bl a lump or wedge of
iron.] (Metal.) (a) A mass of wrought iron from the Catalan forge
or from the puddling furnace, deprived of its dross, and shaped
usually in the form of an oblong block by shingling. (b) A large
bar of steel formed directly from an ingot by hammering or rolling,
being a preliminary shape for further working.
Bloomary
Bloom"a*ry (?), n. See Bloomery.
Bloomer
Bloom"er (?), n. [From Mrs. Bloomer, an American, who sought to
introduce this style of dress.]
1. A costume for women, consisting of a short dress, with loose
trousers gathered round ankles, and (commonly) a broad-brimmed hat.
2. A woman who wears a Bloomer costume.
Bloomery
Bloom"er*y (?), n. (Manuf.) A furnace and forge in which wrought
iron in the form of blooms is made directly from the ore, or (more
rarely) from cast iron.
Blooming
Bloom"ing, n. (Metal.) The process of making blooms from the ore or
from cast iron.
Blooming
Bloom"ing, a.
1. Opening in blossoms; flowering.
2. Thriving in health, beauty, and vigor; indicating the freshness
and beauties of youth or health.
Bloomingly
Bloom"ing*ly, adv. In a blooming manner.
Bloomingness
Bloom"ing*ness, n. A blooming condition.
Bloomless
Bloom"less, a. Without bloom or flowers. Shelley.
Bloomy
Bloom"y (?), a.
1. Full of bloom; flowery; flourishing with the vigor of youth; as,
a bloomy spray.
But all the bloomy flush of life is fled. Goldsmith.
2. Covered with bloom, as fruit. Dryden.
Blooth
Blooth (?), n. Bloom; a blossoming. [Prov. Eng.]
All that blooth means heavy autumn work for him and his hands. T.
Hardy.
Blore
Blore (?), n. [Perh. a variant of blare, v. i.; or cf. Gael. & Ir.
blor a loud noise.] The act of blowing; a roaring wind; a blast.
[Obs.]
A most tempestuous blore. Chapman.
Blosmy
Blos"my (?), a. Blossomy. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Blossom
Blos"som (?), n. [OE. blosme, blostme, AS. bl, bl, blossom; akin to
D. bloesem, L. fios, and E. flower; from the root of E. blow to
blossom. See Blow to blossom, and cf. Bloom a blossom.]
1. The flower of a plant, or the essential organs of reproduction,
with their appendages; florescence; bloom; the flowers of a plant,
collectively; as, the blossoms and fruit of a tree; an apple tree
in blossom.
NOTE: &hand; Th e te rm ha s been applied by some botanists, and is
also applied in common usage, to the corolla. It is more commonly
used than flower or bloom, when we have reference to the fruit
which is to succeed. Thus we use flowers when we speak of plants
cultivated for ornament, and bloom in a more general sense, as of
flowers in general, or in reference to the beauty of flowers.
Blossoms flaunting in the eye of day. Longfellow.
2. A blooming period or stage of development; something lovely that
gives rich promise.
In the blossom of my youth. Massinger.
3. The color of a horse that has white hairs intermixed with sorrel
and bay hairs; -- otherwise called peach color.
In blossom, having the blossoms open; in bloom.
Blossom
Blos"som, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blossomed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Blossoming.] [AS. bl. See Blossom, n.]
1. To put forth blossoms or flowers; to bloom; to blow; to flower.
The moving whisper of huge trees that branched And blossomed.
Tennyson.
2. To flourish and prosper.
Israel shall blossom and bud, and full the face of the world with
fruit. Isa. xxvii. 6.
Blossomless
Blos"som*less, a. Without blossoms.
Blossomy
Blos"som*y (?), a. Full of blossoms; flowery.
Blot
Blot (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blotted (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Blotting.]
[Cf. Dan. plette. See 3d Blot.]
1. To spot, stain, or bespatter, as with ink.
The brief was writ and blotted all with gore. Gascoigne.
2. To impair; to damage; to mar; to soil.
It blots thy beauty, as frosts do bite the meads. Shak.
3. To stain with infamy; to disgrace.
Blot not thy innocence with guiltless blood. Rowe.
4. To obliterate, as writing with ink; to cancel; to efface; --
generally with out; as, to blot out a word or a sentence. Often
figuratively; as, to blot out offenses.
One act like this blots out a thousand crimes. Dryden.
5. To obscure; to eclipse; to shadow.
He sung how earth blots the moon's gilded wane. Cowley.
6. To dry, as writing, with blotting paper. Syn. -- To obliterate;
expunge; erase; efface; cancel; tarnish; disgrace; blur; sully; smear;
smutch.
Blot
Blot, v. i. To take a blot; as, this paper blots easily.
Blot
Blot, n. [Cf. Icel. blettr, Dan. plet.]
1. A spot or stain, as of ink on paper; a blur. "Inky blots and rotten
parchment bonds." Shak.
2. An obliteration of something written or printed; an erasure.
Dryden.
3. A spot on reputation; a stain; a disgrace; a reproach; a blemish.
This deadly blot in thy digressing son. Shak.
Blot
Blot, n. [Cf. Dan. blot bare, naked, Sw. blott, d. bloot, G. bloss,
and perh. E. bloat.]
1. (Backgammon) (a) An exposure of a single man to be taken up. (b) A
single man left on a point, exposed to be taken up.
He is too great a master of his art to make a blot which may be so
easily hit. Dryden.
2. A weak point; a failing; an exposed point or mark.
Blotch
Blotch (?), n. [Cf. OE. blacche in blacchepot blacking pot, akin to
black, as bleach is akin to bleak. See Black, a., or cf. Blot a spot.]
1. A blot or spot, as of color or of ink; especially a large or
irregular spot. Also Fig.; as, a moral blotch.
Spots and blotches . . . some red, others yellow. Harvey.
2. (Med.) A large pustule, or a coarse eruption.
Foul scurf and blotches him defile. Thomson.
Blotched
Blotched (?), a. Marked or covered with blotches.
To give their blotched and blistered bodies ease. Drayton.
Blotchy
Blotch"y (?), a. Having blotches.
Blote
Blote (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bloted; p. pr. & vb. n. Bloting.] [Cf.
Sw. bl\'94t-fisk soaked fish, fr. bl\'94ta to soak. See 1st Bloat.] To
cure, as herrings, by salting and smoking them; to bloat. [Obs.]
Blotless
Blot"less (?), a. Without blot.
Blotter
Blot"ter (?), n.
1. One who, or that which blots; esp. a device for absorbing
superfluous ink.
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2. (Com.) A wastebook, in which entries of transactions are made as
they take place.
Blottesque
Blot*tesque" (, a. (Painting) Characterized by blots or heavy touches;
coarsely depicted; wanting in delineation. Ruskin.
Blotting paper
Blot"ting pa`per (?). A kind of thick, bibulous, unsized paper, used
to absorb superfluous ink from freshly written manuscript, and thus
prevent blots.
Blouse
Blouse (?), n. [F. blouse. Of unknown origin.] A light, loose
over-garment, like a smock frock, worn especially by workingmen in
France; also, a loose coat of any material, as the undress uniform
coat of the United States army.
Blow
Blow (?), v. i. [imp. Blew (?); p. p. Blown (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Blowing.] [OE. blowen, AS. bl to blossom; akin to OS. bl, D. bloeijen,
OHG. pluojan, MHG. bl, G. bl\'81hen, L. florere to flourish, OIr.
blath blossom. Cf. Blow to puff, Flourish.] To flower; to blossom; to
bloom.
How blows the citron grove. Milton.
Blow
Blow, v. t. To cause to blossom; to put forth (blossoms or flowers).
The odorous banks, that blow Flowers of more mingled hue. Milton.
Blow
Blow, n. (Bot.) A blossom; a flower; also, a state of blossoming; a
mass of blossoms. "Such a blow of tulips." Tatler.
Blow
Blow, n. [OE. blaw, blowe; cf. OHG. bliuwan, pliuwan, to beat, G.
bl\'84uen, Goth. bliggwan.]
1. A forcible stroke with the hand, fist, or some instrument, as a
rod, a club, an ax, or a sword.
Well struck ! there was blow for blow. Shak.
2. A sudden or forcible act or effort; an assault.
A vigorous blow might win [Hanno's camp]. T. Arnold.
3. The infliction of evil; a sudden calamity; something which produces
mental, physical, or financial suffering or loss (esp. when sudden); a
buffet.
A most poor man, made tame to fortune's blows. Shak.
At a blow, suddenly; at one effort; by a single vigorous act. "They
lose a province at a blow." Dryden. -- To come to blows, to engage in
combat; to fight; -- said of individuals, armies, and nations. Syn. --
Stroke; knock; shock; misfortune.
Blow
Blow, v. i. [imp. Blew (?); p. p. Blown (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Blowing.]
[OE. blawen, blowen, AS. bl to blow, as wind; akin to OHG. pl, G.
bl\'84hen, to blow up, swell, L. flare to blow, Gr. to spout out, and
to E. bladder, blast, inflate, etc., and perh. blow to bloom.]
1. To produce a current of air; to move, as air, esp. to move rapidly
or with power; as, the wind blows.
Hark how it rains and blows ! Walton.
2. To send forth a forcible current of air, as from the mouth or from
a pair of bellows.
3. To breathe hard or quick; to pant; to puff.
Here is Mistress Page at the door, sweating and blowing. Shak.
4. To sound on being blown into, as a trumpet.
There let the pealing organ blow. Milton.
5. To spout water, etc., from the blowholes, as a whale.
6. To be carried or moved by the wind; as, the dust blows in from the
street.
The grass blows from their graves to thy own. M. Arnold.
7. To talk loudly; to boast; to storm. [Colloq.]
You blow behind my back, but dare not say anything to my face.
Bartlett.
To blow hot and cold (a saying derived from a fable of sop's), to
favor a thing at one time and treat it coldly at another; or to appear
both to favor and to oppose. -- To blow off, to let steam escape
through a passage provided for the purpose; as, the engine or steamer
is blowing off. -- To blow out. (a) To be driven out by the expansive
force of a gas or vapor; as, a steam cock or valve sometimes blows
out. (b) To talk violently or abusively. [Low] -- To blow over, to
pass away without effect; to cease, or be dissipated; as, the storm
and the clouds have blown over. -- To blow up, to be torn to pieces
and thrown into the air as by an explosion of powder or gas or the
expansive force of steam; to burst; to explode; as, a powder mill or
steam boiler blows up. "The enemy's magazines blew up." Tatler.
Blow
Blow, v. t.
1. To force a current of air upon with the mouth, or by other means;
as, to blow the fire.
2. To drive by a current air; to impel; as, the tempest blew the ship
ashore.
Off at sea northeast winds blow Sabean odors from the spicy shore.
Milton.
3. To cause air to pass through by the action of the mouth, or
otherwise; to cause to sound, as a wind instrument; as, to blow a
trumpet; to blow an organ.
Hath she no husband That will take pains to blow a horn before her?
Shak.
Boy, blow the pipe until the bubble rise, Then cast it off to float
upon the skies. Parnell.
4. To clear of contents by forcing air through; as, to blow an egg; to
blow one's nose.
5. To burst, shatter, or destroy by an explosion; -- usually with up,
down, open, or similar adverb; as, to blow up a building.
6. To spread by report; to publish; to disclose.
Through the court his courtesy was blown. Dryden.
His language does his knowledge blow. Whiting.
7. To form by inflation; to swell by injecting air; as, to blow
bubbles; to blow glass.
8. To inflate, as with pride; to puff up.
Look how imagination blows him. Shak.
9. To put out of breath; to cause to blow from fatigue; as, to blow a
horse. Sir W. Scott.
10. To deposit eggs or larv\'91 upon, or in (meat, etc.).
To suffer The flesh fly blow my mouth. Shak.
To blow great guns, to blow furiously and with roaring blasts; -- said
of the wind at sea or along the coast. -- To blow off, to empty (a
boiler) of water through the blow-off pipe, while under steam
pressure; also, to eject (steam, water, sediment, etc.) from a boiler.
-- To blow one's own trumpet, to vaunt one's own exploits, or sound
one's own praises. -- To blow out, to extinguish by a current of air,
as a candle. -- To blow up. (a) To fill with air; to swell; as, to
blow up a bladder or bubble. (b) To inflate, as with pride,
self-conceit, etc.; to puff up; as, to blow one up with flattery.
"Blown up with high conceits engendering pride." Milton. (c) To
excite; as, to blow up a contention.(d) To burst, to raise into the
air, or to scatter, by an explosion; as, to blow up a fort. (e) To
scold violently; as, to blow up a person for some offense. [Colloq.]
I have blown him up well -- nobody can say I wink at what he does.
G. Eliot.
To blow upon. (a) To blast; to taint; to bring into discredit; to
render stale, unsavory, or worthless. (b) To inform against. [Colloq.]
How far the very custom of hearing anything spouted withers and
blows upon a fine passage, may be seen in those speeches from
[Shakespeare's] Henry V. which are current in the mouths of
schoolboys. C. Lamb.
A lady's maid whose character had been blown upon. Macaulay.
Blow
Blow (?), n.
1. A blowing, esp., a violent blowing of the wind; a gale; as, a heavy
blow came on, and the ship put back to port.
2. The act of forcing air from the mouth, or through or from some
instrument; as, to give a hard blow on a whistle or horn; to give the
fire a blow with the bellows.
3. The spouting of a whale.
4. (Metal.) A single heat or operation of the Bessemer converter.
Raymond.
5. An egg, or a larva, deposited by a fly on or in flesh, or the act
of depositing it. Chapman.
Blowball
Blow"ball` (, n. The downy seed head of a dandelion, which children
delight to blow away. B. Jonson.
Blowen, Blowess
Blow"en (?), Blow"ess (?), n. A prostitute; a courtesan; a strumpet.
[Low] Smart.
Blower
Blow"er (?), n.
1. One who, or that which, blows.
2. (Mech.) A device for producing a current of air; as: (a) A metal
plate temporarily placed before the upper part of a grate or open
fire. (b) A machine for producing an artificial blast or current of
air by pressure, as for increasing the draft of a furnace, ventilating
a building or shaft, cleansing gram, etc.
3. A blowing out or excessive discharge of gas from a hole or fissure
in a mine.
4. The whale; -- so called by seamen, from the circumstance of its
spouting up a column of water.
5. (Zo\'94l.) A small fish of the Atlantic coast (Tetrodon turgidus);
the puffer.
6. A braggart, or loud talker. [Slang] Bartlett.
Blowfly
Blow"fly` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) Any species of fly of the genus Musca
that deposits its eggs or young larv\'91 (called flyblows and maggots)
upon meat or other animal products.
Blowgun
Blow"gun` (?), n. A tube, as of cane or reed, sometimes twelve feet
long, through which an arrow or other projectile may be impelled by
the force of the breath. It is a weapon much used by certain Indians
of America and the West Indies; -- called also blowpipe, and blowtube.
See Sumpitan.
Blowhole
Blow"hole` (?), n.
1. A cavern in a cliff, at the water level, opening to the air at its
farther extremity, so that the waters rush in with each surge and rise
in a lofty jet from the extremity.
2. A nostril or spiracle in the top of the head of a whale or other
cetacean.
NOTE: &hand; Th ere ar e tw o sp iracles or blowholes in the common
whales, but only one in sperm whales, porpoises, etc.
3. A hole in the ice to which whales, seals, etc., come to breathe.
4. (Founding) An air hole in a casting.
Blown
Blown (?), p. p. & a.
1. Swollen; inflated; distended; puffed up, as cattle when gorged with
green food which develops gas.
2. Stale; worthless.
3. Out of breath; tired; exhausted. "Their horses much blown." Sir W.
Scott.
4. Covered with the eggs and larv\'91 of flies; fly blown.
Blown
Blown, p. p. & a. Opened; in blossom or having blossomed, as a flower.
Shak.
Blow-off
Blow"-off` (, n.
1. A blowing off steam, water, etc.; -- Also, adj. as, a blow-off cock
or pipe.
2. An outburst of temper or excitement. [Colloq.]
Blow-out
Blow"-out` (, n. The cleaning of the flues of a boiler from scale,
etc., by a blast of steam.
Blowpipe
Blow"pipe` (, n.
1. A tube for directing a jet of air into a fire or into the flame of
a lamp or candle, so as to concentrate the heat on some object.
NOTE: &hand; It is ca lled a mo uth bl owpipe when used with the
mouth; but for both chemical and industrial purposes, it is often
worked by a bellows or other contrivance. The common mouth blowpipe
is a tapering tube with a very small orifice at the end to be
inserted in the flame. The oxyhydrogen blowpipe, invented by Dr.
Hare in 1801, is an instrument in which oxygen and hydrogen, taken
from separate reservoirs, in the proportions of two volumes of
hydrogen to one of oxygen, are burned in a jet, under pressure. It
gives a heat that will consume the diamond, fuse platinum, and
dissipate in vapor, or in gaseous forms, most known substances.
2. A blowgun; a blowtube.
Blowpipe analysis (Chem.), analysis by means of the blowpipe. --
Blowpipe reaction (Chem.), the characteristic behavior of a substance
subjected to a test by means of the blowpipe.
Blowpoint
Blow"point` (, n. A child's game. [Obs.]
Blowse
Blowse, n. See Blowze.
Blowth
Blowth (?), n. [From Blow to blossom: cf. Growth.] A blossoming; a
bloom. [Obs. or Archaic] "In the blowth and bud." Sir W. Raleigh.
Blowtube
Blow"tube` (?), n.
1. A blowgun. Tylor.
2. A similar instrument, commonly of tin, used by boys for discharging
paper wads and other light missiles.
3. (Glassmaking) A long wrought iron tube, on the end of which the
workman gathers a quantity of "metal" (melted glass), and through
which he blows to expand or shape it; -- called also blowing tube, and
blowpipe.
Blow valve
Blow" valve` (. (Mach.) See Snifting valve.
Blowy
Blow"y (?), a. Windy; as, blowy weather; a blowy upland.
Blowze
Blowze (?), n. [Prob. from the same root as blush.] A ruddy, fat-faced
woman; a wench. [Obs.] Shak.
Blowzed
Blowzed (?), a. Having high color from exposure to the weather;
ruddy-faced; blowzy; disordered.
Huge women blowzed with health and wind. Tennyson.
Blowzy
Blowz"y (?), a. Coarse and ruddy-faced; fat and ruddy; high colored;
frowzy.
Blub
Blub (?), v. t. & i. [Cf. Bleb, Blob.] To swell; to puff out, as with
weeping. [Obs.]
Blubber
Blub"ber (?), n. [See Blobber, Blob, Bleb.]
1. A bubble.
At his mouth a blubber stood of foam. Henryson.
2. The fat of whales and other large sea animals from which oil is
obtained. It lies immediately under the skin and over the muscular
flesh.
3. (Zo\'94l.) A large sea nettle or medusa.
Blubber
Blub"ber, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blubbered (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Blubbering.] To weep noisily, or so as to disfigure the face; to cry
in a childish manner.
She wept, she blubbered, and she tore her hair. Swift.
Blubber
Blub"ber, v. t.
1. To swell or disfigure (the face) with weeping; to wet with tears.
Dear Cloe, how blubbered is that pretty face! Prior.
2. To give vent to (tears) or utter (broken words or cries); -- with
forth or out.
Blubbered
Blub"bered (?), p. p. & a. Swollen; turgid; as, a blubbered lip.
Spenser.
Blubbering
Blub"ber*ing, n. The act of weeping noisily.
He spake well save that his blubbering interrupted him. Winthrop.
Blubbery
Blub"ber*y (?), a.
1. Swollen; protuberant.
2. Like blubber; gelatinous and quivering; as, a blubbery mass.
Blucher
Blu"cher (?), n. A kind of half boot, named from the Prussian general
Bl\'81cher. Thackeray.
Bludgeon
Bludg"eon (?), n. [Cf. Ir. blocan a little block, Gael. plocan a
mallet, W. plocyn, dim. of ploc block; or perh. connected with E. blow
a stroke. Cf. Block, Blow a stroke.] A short stick, with one end
loaded, or thicker and heavier that the other, used as an offensive
weapon.
Blue
Blue (?), a. [Compar. Bluer (?); superl. Bluest.] [OE. bla, blo, blew,
blue, Sw. bl, D. blauw, OHG. bl, G. blau; but influenced in form by F.
bleu, from OHG. bl\'beo.]
1. Having the color of the clear sky, or a hue resembling it, whether
lighter or darker; as, the deep, blue sea; as blue as a sapphire; blue
violets. "The blue firmament." Milton.
2. Pale, without redness or glare, -- said of a flame; hence, of the
color of burning brimstone, betokening the presence of ghosts or
devils; as, the candle burns blue; the air was blue with oaths.
3. Low in spirits; melancholy; as, to feel blue.
4. Suited to produce low spirits; gloomy in prospect; as, thongs
looked blue. [Colloq.]
5. Severe or over strict in morals; gloom; as, blue and sour
religionists; suiting one who is over strict in morals; inculcating an
impracticable, severe, or gloomy mortality; as, blue laws.
6. Literary; -- applied to women; -- an abbreviation of bluestocking.
[Colloq.]
The ladies were very blue and well informed. Thackeray.
Blue asbestus. See Crocidolite. -- Blue black, of, or having, a very
dark blue color, almost black. -- Blue blood. See under Blood. -- Blue
buck (Zo\'94l.), a small South African antelope (Cephalophus
pygm\'91us); also applied to a larger species (\'92goceras
leucoph\'91us); the blaubok. -- Blue cod (Zo\'94l.), the buffalo cod.
-- Blue crab (Zo\'94l.), the common edible crab of the Atlantic coast
of the United States (Callinectes hastatus). -- Blue curls (Bot.), a
common plant (Trichostema dichotomum), resembling pennyroyal, and
hence called also bastard pennyroyal. -- Blue devils, apparitions
supposed to be seen by persons suffering with delirium tremens; hence,
very low spirits. "Can Gumbo shut the hall door upon blue devils, or
lay them all in a red sea of claret?" Thackeray. -- Blue gage. See
under Gage, a plum. -- Blue gum, an Australian myrtaceous tree
(Eucalyptus globulus), of the loftiest proportions, now cultivated in
tropical and warm temperate regions for its timber, and as a
protection against malaria. The essential oil is beginning to be used
in medicine. The timber is very useful. See Eucalyptus. -- Blue jack,
Blue stone, blue vitriol; sulphate of copper. -- Blue jacket, a man-of
war's man; a sailor wearing a naval uniform. -- Blue jaundice. See
under Jaundice. -- Blue laws, a name first used in the eighteenth
century to describe certain supposititious laws of extreme rigor
reported to have been enacted in New Haven; hence, any puritanical
laws. [U. S.] -- Blue light, a composition which burns with a
brilliant blue flame; -- used in pyrotechnics and as a night signal at
sea, and in military operations. -- Blue mantle (Her.), one of the
four pursuivants of the English college of arms; -- so called from the
color of his official robes. -- Blue mass, a preparation of mercury
from which is formed the blue pill. McElrath. -- Blue mold, or mould,
the blue fungus (Aspergillus glaucus) which grows on cheese. Brande &
C. -- Blue Monday, a Monday following a Sunday of dissipation, or
itself given to dissipation (as the Monday before Lent). -- Blue
ointment (Med.), mercurial ointment. -- Blue Peter (British Marine), a
blue flag with a white square in the center, used as a signal for
sailing, to recall boats, etc. It is a corruption of blue repeater,
one of the British signal flags. -- Blue pill. (Med.) (a) A pill of
prepared mercury, used as an aperient, etc. (b) Blue mass. -- Blue
ribbon. (a) The ribbon worn by members of the order of the Garter; --
hence, a member of that order. (b) Anything the attainment of which is
an object of great ambition; a distinction; a prize. "These
[scholarships] were the blue ribbon of the college." Farrar. (c) The
distinctive badge of certain temperance or total abstinence
organizations, as of the Blue ribbon Army. -- Blue ruin, utter ruin;
also, gin. [Eng. Slang] Carlyle. -- Blue spar (Min.), azure spar;
lazulite. See Lazulite. -- Blue thrush (Zo\'94l.), a European and
Asiatic thrush (Petrocossyphus cyaneas). -- Blue verditer. See
Verditer. -- Blue vitriol (Chem.), sulphate of copper, a violet blue
crystallized salt, used in electric batteries, calico printing, etc.
-- Blue water, the open ocean. -- To look blue, to look disheartened
or dejected. -- True blue, genuine and thorough; not modified, nor
mixed; not spurious; specifically, of uncompromising Presbyterianism,
blue being the color adopted by the Covenanters.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 159
For his religion . . . 'T was Presbyterian, true blue. Hudibras.
Blue
Blue (?), n.
1. One of the seven colors into which the rays of light divide
themselves, when refracted through a glass prism; the color of the
clear sky, or a color resembling that, whether lighter or darker; a
pigment having such color. Sometimes, poetically, the sky.
2. A pedantic woman; a bluestocking. [Colloq.]
3. pl. [Short for blue devils.] Low spirits; a fit of despondency;
melancholy. [Colloq.]
Berlin blue, Prussian blue. -- Mineral blue. See under Mineral. --
Prussian blue. See under Prussian.
Blue
Blue, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blued (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bluing.] To make
blue; to dye of a blue color; to make blue by heating, as metals, etc.
Blueback
Blue"back` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) (a) A trout (Salmo oquassa) inhabiting
some of the lakes of Maine. (b) A salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) of the
Columbia River and northward. (c) An American river herring (Clupea
\'91stivalis), closely allied to the alewife.
Bluebeard
Blue"beard (?), n. The hero of a medi\'91val French nursery legend,
who, leaving home, enjoined his young wife not to open a certain room
in his castle. She entered it, and found the murdered bodies of his
former wives. -- Also used adjectively of a subject which it is
forbidden to investigate.
The Bluebeard chamber of his mind, into which no eye but his own
must look. Carlyle.
Bluebell
Blue"bell` (?), n. (Bot.) (a) A plant of the genus Campanula,
especially the Campanula rotundifolia, which bears blue bell-shaped
flowers; the harebell. (b) A plant of the genus Scilla (Scilla
nutans).
Blueberry
Blue"berry (?), n. [Cf. Blaeberry.] (Bot.) The berry of several
species of Vaccinium, and ericaceous genus, differing from the
American huckleberries in containing numerous minute seeds instead of
ten nutlets. The commonest species are V. Pennsylvanicum and V.
vacillans. V. corymbosum is the tall blueberry.
Bluebill
Blue"bill` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A duck of the genus Fuligula. Two
American species (F. marila and F. affinis) are common. See Scaup
duck.
Bluebird
Blue"bird` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A small song bird (Sialia sialis), very
common in the United States, and, in the north, one of the earliest to
arrive in spring. The male is blue, with the breast reddish. It is
related to the European robin. Pairy bluebird (Zo\'94l.), a brilliant
Indian or East Indian bird of the genus Irena, of several species.
Blue bonnet or Blue-bonnet
Blue" bon`net or Blue"-bon`net (?), n.
1. A broad, flat Scottish cap of blue woolen, or one waring such cap;
a Scotchman.
2. (Bot.) A plant. Same as Bluebottle.
3. (Zo\'94l.) The European blue titmouse (Parus c\'d2ruleus); the
bluecap.
Blue book
Blue" book` (?).
1. A parliamentary publication, so called from its blue paper covers.
[Eng.]
2. The United States official "Biennial Register."
Bluebottle
Blue"bot`tle (?), n.
1. (Bot.) A plant (Centaurea cyanus) which grows in grain fields. It
receives its name from its blue bottle-shaped flowers.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A large and troublesome species of blowfly (Musca
vomitoria). Its body is steel blue.
Bluebreast
Blue"breast` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A small European bird; the
blue-throated warbler.
Bluecap
Blue"cap` (?), n.
1. (Zo\'94l.) (a) The bluepoll. (b) The blue bonnet or blue titmouse.
2. A Scot; a Scotchman; -- so named from wearing a blue bonnet.
[Poetic] Shak.
Bluecoat
Blue"coat` (?), n. One dressed in blue, as a soldier, a sailor, a
beadle, etc.
Blue-eye
Blue"-eye` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The blue-cheeked honeysucker of
Australia.
Blue-eyed
Blue"-eyed` (?), a. Having blue eyes.
Blue-eyed grass
Blue-eyed grass (?) (Bot.) a grasslike plant (Sisyrinchium anceps),
with small flowers of a delicate blue color.
Bluefin
Blue"fin` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A species of whitefish (Coregonus
nigripinnis) found in Lake Michigan.
Bluefish
Blue"fish` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.)
1. A large voracious fish (Pomatomus saitatrix), of the family
Carangid\'91, valued as a food fish, and widely distributed on the
American coast. On the New Jersey and Rhode Island coast it is called
the horse mackerel, in Virginia saltwater tailor, or skipjack.
2. A West Indian fish (Platyglossus radiatus), of the family
Labrid\'91.
NOTE: &hand; Th e na me is ap plied lo cally to ot her species of
fishes; as the cunner, sea bass, squeteague, etc.
Bluegown
Blue"gown` (?), n. One of a class of paupers or pensioners, or
licensed beggars, in Scotland, to whim annually on the king's birthday
were distributed certain alms, including a blue gown; a beadsman.
Blue grass
Blue" grass` (?). (Bot.) A species of grass (Poa compressa) with
bluish green stems, valuable in thin gravelly soils; wire grass.
Kentucky blue grass, a species of grass (Poa pratensis) which has
running rootstocks and spreads rapidly. It is valuable as a pasture
grass, as it endures both winter and drought better than other kinds,
and is very nutritious.
Blue jay
Blue" jay` (?). (Zo\'94l.) The common jay of the United States
(Cyanocitta, or Cyanura, cristata). The predominant color is bright
blue.
Blue-john
Blue"-john` (?), n. A name given to fluor spar in Derbyshire, where it
is used for ornamental purposes.
Bluely
Blue"ly, adv. With a blue color. Swift.
Blueness
Blue"ness, n. The quality of being blue; a blue color. Boyle.
Bluenose
Blue"nose (?), n. A nickname for a Nova Scotian.
Bluepoll
Blue"poll` (, n. [Blue + poll head.] (Zo\'94l.) A kind of salmon
(Salmo Cambricus) found in Wales.
Blueprint
Blue"print. See under Print.
Bluestocking
Blue"stock`ing (?), n.
1. A literary lady; a female pedant. [Colloq.]
NOTE: &hand; As explained in Boswell's "Life of Dr. Johnson", this
term is derived from the name given to certain meetings held by
ladies, in Johnson's time, for conversation with distinguished
literary men. An eminent attendant of these assemblies was a Mr.
Stillingfleet, who always wore blue stockings. He was so much
distinguished for his conversational powers that his absence at any
time was felt to be a great loss, so that the remark became common,
"We can do nothing without the blue stockings." Hence these
meetings were sportively called bluestocking clubs, and the ladies
who attended them, bluestockings.
2. (Zo\'94l.) The American avocet (Recurvirostra Americana).
Bluestockingism
Blue"stock`ing*ism (?), n. The character or manner of a bluestocking;
female pedantry. [Colloq.]
Bluestone
Blue"stone` (, n.
1. Blue vitriol. Dunglison.
2. A grayish blue building stone, as that commonly used in the eastern
United States.
Bluethroat
Blue"throat` (#), n. (Zo\'94l.) A singing bird of northern Europe and
Asia (Cyanecula Suecica), related to the nightingales; -- called also
blue-throated robin and blue-throated warbler.
Bluets
Blu"ets (?), n. [F. bluet, bleuet, dim. of bleu blue. See Blue, a.]
(Bot.) A name given to several different species of plants having blue
flowers, as the Houstonia c\'d2rulea, the Centaurea cyanus or
bluebottle, and the Vaccinium angustifolium.
Blue-veined
Blue"-veined` (, a. Having blue veins or blue streaks.
Bluewing
Blue"wing` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The blue-winged teal. See Teal.
Bluey
Blue"y (?),a.Bluish. Southey.
Bluff
Bluff (?), a. [Cf. OD. blaf flat, broad, blaffaert one with a broad
face, also, a boaster; or G. verbl\'81ffen to confuse, LG. bluffen to
frighten; to unknown origin.]
1. Having a broad, flattened front; as, the bluff bows of a ship.
"Bluff visages." Irving.
2. Rising steeply with a flat or rounded front. "A bluff or bold
shore." Falconer.
Its banks, if not really steep, had a bluff and precipitous aspect.
Judd.
3. Surly; churlish; gruff; rough.
4. Abrupt; roughly frank; unceremonious; blunt; brusque; as, a bluff
answer; a bluff manner of talking; a bluff sea captain. "Bluff King
Hal." Sir W. Scott.
There is indeed a bluff pertinacity which is a proper defense in a
moment of surprise. I. Taylor.
Bluff
Bluff, n.
1. A high, steep bank, as by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or
plain; a cliff with a broad face.
Beach, bluff, and wave, adieu. Whittier.
2. An act of bluffing; an expression of self-confidence for the
purpose of intimidation; braggadocio; as, that is only bluff, or a
bluff.
3. A game at cards; poker. [U.S.] Bartlett.
Bluff
Bluff, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bluffed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bluffing.]
1. (Poker) To deter (an opponent) from taking the risk of betting on
his hand of cards, as the bluffer does by betting heavily on his own
hand although it may be of less value. [U. S.]
2. To frighten or deter from accomplishing a purpose by making a show
of confidence in one's strength or resources; as, he bluffed me off.
[Colloq.]
Bluff
Bluff, v. i. To act as in the game of bluff.
Bluff-bowed
Bluff"-bowed` (, a. (Naut.) Built with the stem nearly straight up and
down.
Bluffer
Bluff"er, ( n. One who bluffs.
Bluff-headed
Bluff"-head`ed (, a. (Naut.) Built with the stem nearly straight up
and down.
Bluffness
Bluff"ness, n. The quality or state of being bluff.
Bluffy
Bluff"y (?), a.
1. Having bluffs, or bold, steep banks.
2. Inclined to bo bluff; brusque.
Bluing
Blu"ing (?), n.
1. The act of rendering blue; as, the bluing of steel. Tomlinson.
2. Something to give a bluish tint, as indigo, or preparations used by
washerwomen.
Bluish
Blu"ish (?), a. Somewhat blue; as, bluish veins. "Bluish mists."
Dryden. -- Blu"ish*ly, adv. -- Blu"ish*ness, n.
Blunder
Blun"der (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blundered (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Blundering.] [OE. blunderen, blondren, to stir, confuse, blunder;
perh. allied to blend to mix, to confound by mixture.]
1. To make a gross error or mistake; as, to blunder in writing or
preparing a medical prescription. Swift.
2. To move in an awkward, clumsy manner; to flounder and stumble.
I was never distinguished for address, and have often even
blundered in making my bow. Goldsmith.
Yet knows not how to find the uncertain place, And blunders on, and
staggers every pace. Dryden.
To blunder on. (a) To continue blundering. (b) To find or reach as if
by an accident involving more or less stupidity, -- applied to
something desirable; as, to blunder on a useful discovery.
Blunder
Blun"der, v. t.
1. To cause to blunder. [Obs.] "To blunder an adversary." Ditton.
2. To do or treat in a blundering manner; to confuse.
He blunders and confounds all these together. Stillingfleet.
Blunder
Blun"der, n.
1. Confusion; disturbance. [Obs.]
2. A gross error or mistake, resulting from carelessness, stupidity,
or culpable ignorance. Syn. -- Blunder, Error, Mistake, Bull. An error
is a departure or deviation from that which is right or correct; as,
an error of the press; an error of judgment. A mistake is the
interchange or taking of one thing for another, through haste,
inadvertence, etc.; as, a careless mistake. A blunder is a mistake or
error of a gross kind. It supposes a person to flounder on in his
course, from carelessness, ignorance, or stupidity. A bull is a verbal
blunder containing a laughable incongruity of ideas.
Blunderbuss
Blun"der*buss (?), n. [Either fr. blunder + D. bus tube, box, akin to
G. b\'81chse box, gun, E. box; or corrupted fr. D. donderbus
(literally) thunder box, gun, musket.]
1. A short gun or firearm, with a large bore, capable of holding a
number of balls, and intended to do execution without exact aim.
2. A stupid, blundering fellow.
Blunderer
Blun"der*er (?), n. One who is apt to blunder.
Blunderhead
Blun"der*head` (, n. [Blunder + head.] A stupid, blundering fellow.
Blundering
Blun"der*ing, a. Characterized by blunders.
Blunderingly
Blun"der*ing*ly, adv. In a blundering manner.
Blunge
Blunge (?), v. t. To amalgamate and blend; to beat up or mix in water,
as clay.
Blunger
Blun"ger (?), n. [Corrupted from plunger.] A wooden blade with a cross
handle, used for mi Tomlinson.
Blunging
Blun"ging (?), n. The process of mixing clay in potteries with a
blunger. Tomlinson.
Blunt
Blunt (?), a. [Cf. Prov. G. bludde a dull or blunt knife, Dan. blunde
to sleep, Sw. & Icel. blunda; or perh. akin to E. blind.]
1. Having a thick edge or point, as an instrument; dull; not sharp.
The murderous knife was dull and blunt. Shak.
2. Dull in understanding; slow of discernment; stupid; -- opposed to
acute.
His wits are not so blunt. Shak.
3. Abrupt in address; plain; unceremonious; wanting the forms of
civility; rough in manners or speech. "Hiding his bitter jests in
blunt behavior." "A plain, blunt man." Shak.
4. Hard to impress or penetrate. [R.]
I find my heart hardened and blunt to new impressions. Pope.
NOTE: &hand; Bl unt is mu ch us ed in composition, as blunt-edged,
blunt-sighted, blunt-spoken.
Syn. -- Obtuse; dull; pointless; curt; short; coarse; rude; brusque;
impolite; uncivil.
Blunt
Blunt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blunted; p. pr. & vb. n. Blunting.]
1. To dull the edge or point of, by making it thicker; to make blunt.
Shak.
2. To repress or weaken, as any appetite, desire, or power of the
mind; to impair the force, keenness, or susceptibility, of; as, to
blunt the feelings.
Blunt
Blunt, n.
1. A fencer's foil. [Obs.]
2. A short needle with a strong point. See Needle.
3. Money. [Cant] Beaconsfield.
Bluntish
Blunt"ish, a. Somewhat blunt. -- Blunt"ish*ness, n.
Bluntly
Blunt"ly, adv. In a blunt manner; coarsely; plainly; abruptly; without
delicacy, or the usual forms of civility.
Sometimes after bluntly giving his opinions, he would quietly lay
himself asleep until the end of their deliberations. Jeffrey.
Bluntness
Blunt"ness, n.
1. Want of edge or point; dullness; obtuseness; want of sharpness.
The multitude of elements and bluntness of angles. Holland.
2. A bruptness of address; rude plainness. "Bluntness of speech."
Boyle.
Blunt-witted
Blunt"-wit`ted (?), n. Dull; stupid.
Blunt-witted lord, ignoble in demeanor! Shak.
Blur
Blur (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blurred (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Blurring.]
[Prob. of same origin as blear. See Blear.]
1. To render obscure by making the form or outline of confused and
uncertain, as by soiling; to smear; to make indistinct and confused;
as, to blur manuscript by handling it while damp; to blur the
impression of a woodcut by an excess of ink.
But time hath nothing blurred those lines of favor Which then he
wore. Shak.
2. To cause imperfection of vision in; to dim; to darken.
Her eyes are blurred with the lightning's glare. J. R. Drake.
3. To sully; to stain; to blemish, as reputation.
Sarcasms may eclipse thine own, But can not blur my lost renown.
Hudibras.
Syn. -- To spot; blot; disfigure; stain; sully.
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Blur
Blur (?), n.
1. That which obscures without effacing; a stain; a blot, as upon
paper or other substance.
As for those who cleanse blurs with blotted fingers, they make it
worse. Fuller.
2. A dim, confused appearance; indistinctness of vision; as, to see
things with a blur; it was all blur.
3. A moral stain or blot.
Lest she . . . will with her railing set a great blur on mine
honesty and good name. Udall.
Blurry
Blur"ry (?), a. Full of blurs; blurred.
Blurt
Blurt (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blurted; p. pr. & vb. n. Blurting.]
[Cf. Blare.] To utter suddenly and unadvisedly; to divulge
inconsiderately; to ejaculate; -- commonly with out.
Others . . . can not hold, but blurt out, those words which
afterward they forced to eat. Hakewill.
To blurt at, to speak contemptuously of. [Obs.] Shak.
Blush
Blush (?) v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blushed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Blushing.]
[OE. bluschen to shine, look, turn red, AS. blyscan to glow; akin to
blysa a torch, \'bebl to blush, D. blozen, Dan. blusse to blaze,
blush.]
1. To become suffused with red in the cheeks, as from a sense of
shame, modesty, or confusion; to become red from such cause, as the
cheeks or face.
To the nuptial bower I led her blushing like the morn. Milton.
In the presence of the shameless and unblushing, the young offender
is ashamed to blush. Buckminster.
He would stroke The head of modest and ingenuous worth, That
blushed at its own praise. Cowper.
2. To grow red; to have a red or rosy color.
The sun of heaven, methought, was loth to set, But stayed, and made
the western welkin blush. Shak.
3. To have a warm and delicate color, as some roses and other flowers.
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen. T. Gray.
Blush
Blush, v. t.
1. To suffuse with a blush; to redden; to make roseate. [Obs.]
To blush and beautify the cheek again. Shak.
2. To express or make known by blushing.
I'll blush you thanks. Shak.
Blush
Blush, n.
1. A suffusion of the cheeks or face with red, as from a sense of
shame, confusion, or modesty.
The rosy blush of love. Trumbull.
2. A red or reddish color; a rosy tint.
Light's last blushes tinged the distant hills. Lyttleton.
At first blush, or At the first blush, at the first appearance or
view. "At the first blush, we thought they had been ships come from
France." Hakluyt.
NOTE: This p hrase i s used now more of ideas, opinions, etc., than
of material things. "All purely identical propositions, obviously,
and at first blush, appear." etc. Locke.
-- To put to the blush, to cause to blush with shame; to put to shame.
Blusher
Blush"er (?), n. One that blushes.
Blushet
Blush"et (?), n. A modest girl. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Blushful
Blush"ful (?), a. Full of blushes.
While from his ardent look the turning Spring Averts her blushful
face. Thomson.
Blushing
Blush"ing, a. Showing blushes; rosy red; having a warm and delicate
color like some roses and other flowers; blooming; ruddy; roseate.
The dappled pink and blushing rose. Prior.
Blushing
Blush"ing, n. The act of turning red; the appearance of a reddish
color or flush upon the cheeks.
Blushingly
Blush"ing*ly, adv. In a blushing manner; with a blush or blushes; as,
to answer or confess blushingly.
Blushless
Blush"less, a. Free from blushes; incapable of blushing; shameless;
impudent.
Vice now, secure, her blushless front shall raise. Dodsley.
Blushy
Blush"y (?), a. Like a blush; having the color of a blush; rosy. [R.]
"A blushy color." Harvey.
Bluster
Blus"ter (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blustered (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Blustering.] [Allied to blast.]
1. To blow fitfully with violence and noise, as wind; to be windy and
boisterous, as the weather.
And ever-threatening storms Of Chaos blustering round. Milton.
2. To talk with noisy violence; to swagger, as a turbulent or boasting
person; to act in a noisy, tumultuous way; to play the bully; to
storm; to rage.
Your ministerial directors blustered like tragic tyrants. Burke.
Bluster
Blus"ter, v. t. To utter, or do, with noisy violence; to force by
blustering; to bully.
He bloweth and blustereth out . . . his abominable blasphemy. Sir
T. More.
As if therewith he meant to bluster all princes into a perfect
obedience to his commands. Fuller.
Bluster
Blus"ter, n.
1. Fitful noise and violence, as of a storm; violent winds;
boisterousness.
To the winds they set Their corners, when with bluster to confound
Sea, air, and shore. Milton.
2. Noisy and violent or threatening talk; noisy and boastful language.
L'Estrange. Syn. -- Noise; boisterousness; tumult; turbulence;
confusion; boasting; swaggering; bullying.
Blusterer
Blus"ter*er (?), n. One who, or that which, blusters; a noisy
swaggerer.
Blustering
Blus"ter*ing, a.
1. Exhibiting noisy violence, as the wind; stormy; tumultuous.
A tempest and a blustering day. Shak.
2. Uttering noisy threats; noisy and swaggering; boisterous. "A
blustering fellow." L'Estrange.
Blusteringly
Blus"ter*ing*ly, adv. In a blustering manner.
Blusterous
Blus"ter*ous (?), a. Inclined to bluster; given to blustering;
blustering. Motley.
Blustrous
Blus"trous (?), a. Blusterous. Shak.
Bo
Bo (?), interj. [Cf. W. bw, an interj. of threatening or frightening;
n., terror, fear, dread.] An exclamation used to startle or frighten.
[Spelt also boh and boo.]
Boa
Bo"a (?), n.; pl. Boas . [L. boa a kind of water serpent. Perh. fr.
bos an ox.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) A genus of large American serpents, including the boa
constrictor, the emperor boa of Mexico (B. imperator), and the
chevalier boa of Peru (B. eques).
NOTE: &hand; Th e na me is also applied to related genera; as, the
dog-headed boa (Xiphosoma caninum).
2. A long, round fur tippet; -- so called from its resemblance in
shape to the boa constrictor.
Boa constrictor
Bo"a con*strict"or (?). [NL. See Boa, and Constrictor.] (Zo\'94l.) A
large and powerful serpent of tropical America, sometimes twenty or
thirty feet long. See Illustration in Appendix.
NOTE: &hand; It ha s a succession of spots, alternately black and
yellow, extending along the back. It kills its prey by
constriction. The name is also loosely applied to other large
serpents which crush their prey, particularly to those of the genus
Python, found in Asia and Africa.
Boanerges
Bo`a*ner"ges (?). [Gr. , fr. Heb. bn sons of thunder. -- an
appellation given by Christ to two of his disciples (James and John).
See Mark iii. 17.] Any declamatory and vociferous preacher or orator.
Boar
Boar (?), n. [OE. bar, bor, bore, AS. b\'ber; akin to OHG. p, MHG. b,
G. b\'84r, boar (but not b\'84r bear), and perh. Russ. borov' boar.]
(Zo\'94l.) The uncastrated male of swine; specifically, the wild hog.
Board
Board (?), n. [OE. bord, AS. bord board, shipboard; akin to bred
plank, Icel. bor board, side of a ship, Goth. f footstool, D. bord
board, G. brett, bort. See def. 8. &root;92.]
1. A piece of timber sawed thin, and of considerable length and
breadth as compared with the thickness, -- used for building, etc.
NOTE: &hand; Wh en sa wed th ick, as ov er on e an d a half or two
inches, it is usually called a plank.
2. A table to put food upon.
NOTE: &hand; The term board answers to the modern table, but it was
often movable, and placed on trestles.
Halliwell.
Fruit of all kinds . . . She gathers, tribute large, and on the
board Heaps with unsparing hand. Milton.
3. Hence: What is served on a table as food; stated meals; provision;
entertainment; -- usually as furnished for pay; as, to work for one's
board; the price of board.
4. A table at which a council or court is held. Hence: A council,
convened for business, or any authorized assembly or meeting, public
or private; a number of persons appointed or elected to sit in council
for the management or direction of some public or private business or
trust; as, the Board of Admiralty; a board of trade; a board of
directors, trustees, commissioners, etc.
Both better acquainted with affairs than any other who sat then at
that board. Clarendon.
We may judge from their letters to the board. Porteus.
5. A square or oblong piece of thin wood or other material used for
some special purpose, as, a molding board; a board or surface painted
or arranged for a game; as, a chessboard; a backgammon board.
6. Paper made thick and stiff like a board, for book covers, etc.;
pasteboard; as, to bind a book in boards.
7. pl. The stage in a theater; as, to go upon the boards, to enter
upon the theatrical profession.
8. [In this use originally perh. a different word meaning border,
margin; cf. D. boord, G. bord, shipboard, and G. borte trimming; also
F. bord (fr. G.) the side of a ship. Cf. Border.] The border or side
of anything. (Naut.) (a) The side of a ship. "Now board to board the
rival vessels row." Dryden. See On board, below. (b) The stretch which
a ship makes in one tack.
NOTE: &hand; Bo ard is much used adjectively or as the last part of
a compound; as, fir board, clapboard, floor board, shipboard,
sideboard, ironing board, chessboard, cardboard, pasteboard,
seaboard; board measure.
The American Board, a shortened form of "The American Board of
Commissioners for Foreign Missions" (the foreign missionary society of
the American Congregational churches). -- Bed and board. See under
Bed. -- Board and board (Naut.), side by side. -- Board of control,
six privy councilors formerly appointed to superintend the affairs of
the British East Indies. Stormonth. -- Board rule, a figured scale for
finding without calculation the number of square feet in a board.
Haldeman. -- Board of trade, in England, a committee of the privy
council appointed to superintend matters relating to trade. In the
United States, a body of men appointed for the advancement and
protection of their business interests; a chamber of commerce. --
Board wages. (a) Food and lodging supplied as compensation for
services; as, to work hard, and get only board wages. (b) Money wages
which are barely sufficient to buy food and lodging. (c) A separate or
special allowance of wages for the procurement of food, or food and
lodging. Dryden. -- By the board, over the board, or side. "The mast
went by the board." Totten. Hence (Fig.), To go by the board, to
suffer complete destruction or overthrow. -- To enter on the boards,
to have one's name inscribed on a board or tablet in a college as a
student. [Cambridge, England.] "Having been entered on the boards of
Trinity college." Hallam. -- To make a good board (Naut.), to sail in
a straight line when close-hauled; to lose little to leeward. -- To
make short boards, to tack frequently. -- On board. (a) On shipboard;
in a ship or a boat; on board of; as, I came on board early; to be on
board ship. (b) In or into a railway car or train. [Colloq. U. S.] --
Returning board, a board empowered to canvass and make an official
statement of the votes cast at an election. [U.S.]
Board
Board, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boarded; p. pr. & vb. n. Boarding.]
1. To cover with boards or boarding; as, to board a house. "The
boarded hovel." Cowper.
2. [Cf. Board to accost, and see Board, n.] To go on board of, or
enter, as a ship, whether in a hostile or a friendly way.
You board an enemy to capture her, and a stranger to receive news
or make a communication. Totten.
3. To enter, as a railway car. [Colloq. U. S.]
4. To furnish with regular meals, or with meals and lodgings, for
compensation; to supply with daily meals.
5. To place at board, for compensation; as, to board one's horse at a
livery stable.
Board
Board (?), v. i. To obtain meals, or meals and lodgings, statedly for
compensation; as, he boards at the hotel.
We are several of us, gentlemen and ladies, who board in the same
house. Spectator.
Board
Board, v. t. [F. aborder. See Abord, v. t.] To approach; to accost; to
address; hence, to woo. [Obs.]
I will board her, though she chide as loud As thunder when the
clouds in autumn crack. Shak.
Boardable
Board"a*ble (?), a. That can be boarded, as a ship.
Boarder
Board"er (?), n.
1. One who has food statedly at another's table, or meals and lodgings
in his house, for pay, or compensation of any kind.
2. (Naut.) One who boards a ship; one selected to board an enemy's
ship. Totten.
Boarding
Board"ing, n.
1. (Naut.) The act of entering a ship, whether with a hostile or a
friendly purpose.
Both slain at one time, as they attempted the boarding of a
frigate. Sir F. Drake.
2. The act of covering with boards; also, boards, collectively; or a
covering made of boards.
3. The act of supplying, or the state of being supplied, with regular
or specified meals, or with meals and lodgings, for pay.
Boarding house, a house in which boarders are kept. -- Boarding
nettings (Naut.), a strong network of cords or ropes erected at the
side of a ship to prevent an enemy from boarding it. -- Boarding pike
(Naut.), a pike used by sailors in boarding a vessel, or in repelling
an attempt to board it. Totten. -- Boarding school, a school in which
pupils receive board and lodging as well as instruction.
Boarfish
Boar"fish` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) (a) A Mediterranean fish (Capros aper),
of the family Caproid\'91; -- so called from the resemblance of the
extended lips to a hog's snout. (b) An Australian percoid fish
(Histiopterus recurvirostris), valued as a food fish.
Boarish
Boar"ish, a. Swinish; brutal; cruel.
In his anointed flesh stick boarish fangs. Shak.
Boast
Boast (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Boasted; p. pr. & vb. n. Boasting.]
[OE. bosten, boosten, v., bost, boost, n., noise, boasting; cf. G.
bausen, bauschen, to swell, pusten, Dan. puste, Sw. pusta, to blow,
Sw. p\'94sa to swell; or W. bostio to boast, bost boast, Gael. bosd.
But these last may be from English.]
1. To vaunt one's self; to brag; to say or tell things which are
intended to give others a high opinion of one's self or of things
belonging to one's self; as, to boast of one's exploits courage,
descent, wealth.
By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: ..
not of works, lest any man should boast. Eph. ii. 8, 9.
2. To speak in exulting language of another; to glory; to exult.
In God we boast all the day long. Ps. xiiv. 8
Syn. -- To brag; bluster; vapor; crow; talk big.
Boast
Boast, v. t.
1. To display in ostentatious language; to speak of with pride,
vanity, or exultation, with a view to self-commendation; to extol.
Lest bad men should boast Their specious deeds. Milton.
2. To display vaingloriously.
3. To possess or have; as, to boast a name.
To boast one's self, to speak with unbecoming confidence in, and
approval of, one's self; -- followed by of and the thing to which the
boasting relates. [Archaic]
Boast not thyself of to-morrow. Prov. xxvii.
Boast
Boast, v. t. [Of uncertain etymology.]
1. (Masonry) To dress, as a stone, with a broad chisel. Weale.
2. (Sculp.) To shape roughly as a preparation for the finer work to
follow; to cut to the general form required.
Boast
Boast, n.
1. Act of boasting; vaunting or bragging.
Reason and morals? and where live they most, In Christian comfort,
or in Stoic boast! Byron.
2. The cause of boasting; occasion of pride or exultation, --
sometimes of laudable pride or exultation.
The boast of historians. Macaulay.
Boastance
Boast"ance (?), n. Boasting. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Boaster
Boast"er (?), n. One who boasts; a braggart.
Boaster
Boast"er, n. A stone mason's broad-faced chisel.
Boastful
Boast"ful (?), a. Given to, or full of, boasting; inclined to boast;
vaunting; vainglorious; self-praising. -- Boast"ful*ly, adv. --
Boast"ful*ness, n.
Boasting
Boast"ing, n. The act of glorying or vaunting; vainglorious speaking;
ostentatious display.
When boasting ends, then dignity begins. Young.
Boastingly
Boast"ing*ly, adv. Boastfully; with boasting. "He boastingly tells
you." Burke.
Boastive
Boast"ive (?), a. Presumptuous. [R.]
Boastless
Boast"less, a. Without boasting or ostentation.
Boat
Boat (?), n. [OE. boot, bat, AS. b\'bet; akin to Icel. b\'betr, Sw.
b\'86t, Dan. baad, D.& G. boot. Cf. Bateau.]
1. A small open vessel, or water craft, usually moved by cars or
paddles, but often by a sail.
NOTE: &hand; Di fferent ki nds of bo ats have different names; as,
canoe, yawl, wherry, pinnace, punt, etc.
2. Hence, any vessel; usually with some epithet descriptive of its use
or mode of propulsion; as, pilot boat, packet boat, passage boat,
advice boat, etc. The term is sometimes applied to steam vessels, even
of the largest class; as, the Cunard boats.
3. A vehicle, utensil, or dish, somewhat resembling a boat in shape;
as, a stone boat; a gravy boat.
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NOTE: &hand; Bo at is mu ch us ed ei ther ad jectively or in
combination; as, boat builder or boatbuilder; boat building or
boatbuilding; boat hook or boathook; boathouse; boat keeper or
boatkeeper; boat load; boat race; boat racing; boat rowing; boat
song; boatlike; boat-shaped.
Advice boat. See under Advice. -- Boat hook (Naut.), an iron hook with
a point on the back, fixed to a long pole, to pull or push a boat,
raft, log, etc. Totten. -- Boat rope, a rope for fastening a boat; --
usually called a painter. -- In the same boat, in the same situation
or predicament. [Colloq.] F. W. Newman.
Boat
Boat (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boated; p. pr. & vb. n. Boating.]
1. To transport in a boat; as, to boat goods.
2. To place in a boat; as, to boat oars.
To boat the oars. See under Oar.
Boat
Boat, v. i. To go or row in a boat.
I boated over, ran my craft aground. Tennyson.
Boatable
Boat"a*ble (?), a.
1. Such as can be transported in a boat.
2. Navigable for boats, or small river craft.
The boatable waters of the Alleghany. J. Morse.
Boatage
Boat"age (?), n. Conveyance by boat; also, a charge for such
conveyance.
Boatbill
Boat"bill` (, n. (Zo\'94l.)
1. A wading bird (Cancroma cochlearia) of the tropical parts of South
America. Its bill is somewhat like a boat with the keel uppermost.
2. A perching bird of India, of the genus Eurylaimus.
Boat bug
Boat" bug` (. (Zo\'94l.) An aquatic hemipterous insect of the genus
Notonecta; -- so called from swimming on its back, which gives it the
appearance of a little boat. Called also boat fly, boat insect,
boatman, and water boatman.
Boatful
Boat"ful (?), n.; pl. Boatfuls. The quantity or amount that fills a
boat.
Boathouse
Boat"house` (?), n. A house for sheltering boats.
Half the latticed boathouse hides. Wordsworth.
Boating
Boat"ing, n.
1. The act or practice of rowing or sailing, esp. as an amusement;
carriage in boats.
2. In Persia, a punishment of capital offenders, by laying them on the
back in a covered boat, where they are left to perish.
Boation
Bo*a"tion (?), n. [L. boatus, fr. boare to roar.] A crying out; a
roaring; a bellowing; reverberation. [Obs.]
The guns were heard . . . about a hundred Italian miles, in long
boations. Derham.
Boatman
Boat"man (?), n.; pl. Boatmen (.
1. A man who manages a boat; a rower of a boat.
As late the boatman hies him home. Percival.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A boat bug. See Boat bug.
Boatmanship
Boat"man*ship, n. The art of managing a boat.
Boat-shaped
Boat"-shaped` (, a. (Bot.) See Cymbiform.
Boat shell
Boat" shell` (. (Zo\'94l.) (a) A marine gastropod of the genus
Crepidula. The species are numerous. It is so named from its form and
interior deck. (b) A marine univalve shell of the genus Cymba.
Boatsman
Boats"man (?), n. A boatman. [Archaic]
Boatswain
Boat"swain (?), n. [Boat + swain.]
1. (Naut.) An officer who has charge of the boats, sails, rigging,
colors, anchors, cables, cordage, etc., of a ship, and who also
summons the crew, and performs other duties.
2. (Zo\'94l.) (a) The jager gull. (b) The tropic bird.
Boatswain's mate, an assistant of the boatswain. Totten.
Boat-tail
Boat"-tail` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A large grackle or blackbird (Quiscalus
major), found in the Southern United States.
Boatwoman
Boat"wom`an (?), n.; pl. Boatwomen (. A woman who manages a boat.
Bob
Bob (?), n. [An onomatopoetic word, expressing quick, jerky motion;
OE. bob bunch, bobben to strike, mock, deceive. Cf. Prov. Eng. bob,
n., a ball, an engine beam, bunch, blast, trick, taunt, scoff; as, a
v., to dance, to courtesy, to disappoint, OF. bober to mock.]
1. Anything that hangs so as to play loosely, or with a short abrupt
motion, as at the end of a string; a pendant; as, the bob at the end
of a kite's tail.
In jewels dressed and at each ear a bob. Dryden.
2. A knot of worms, or of rags, on a string, used in angling, as for
eels; formerly, a worm suitable for bait.
Or yellow bobs, turned up before the plow, Are chiefest baits, with
cork and lead enow. Lauson.
3. A small piece of cork or light wood attached to a fishing line to
show when a fish is biting; a float.
4. The ball or heavy part of a pendulum; also, the ball or weight at
the end of a plumb line.
5. A small wheel, made of leather, with rounded edges, used in
polishing spoons, etc.
6. A short, jerking motion; act of bobbing; as, a bob of the head.
7. (Steam Engine) A working beam.
8. A knot or short curl of hair; also, a bob wig.
A plain brown bob he wore. Shenstone.
9. A peculiar mode of ringing changes on bells.
10. The refrain of a song.
To bed, to bed, will be the bob of the song. L'Estrange.
11. A blow; a shake or jog; a rap, as with the fist.
12. A jeer or flout; a sharp jest or taunt; a trick.
He that a fool doth very wisely hit, Doth very foolishly, although
he smart, Not to seem senseless of the bob. Shak.
13. A shilling. [Slang, Eng.] Dickens.
Bob
Bob (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bobbed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bobbing.]
[OE. bobben. See Bob, n.]
1. To cause to move in a short, jerking manner; to move (a thing) with
a bob. "He bobbed his head." W. Irving.
2. To strike with a quick, light blow; to tap.
If any man happened by long sitting to sleep . . . he was suddenly
bobbed on the face by the servants. Elyot.
3. To cheat; to gain by fraud or cheating; to filch.
Gold and jewels that I bobbed from him. Shak.
4. To mock or delude; to cheat.
To play her pranks, and bob the fool, The shrewish wife began.
Turbervile.
5. To cut short; as, to bob the hair, or a horse's tail.
Bob
Bob, v. i.
1. To have a short, jerking motion; to play to and fro, or up and
down; to play loosely against anything. "Bobbing and courtesying."
Thackeray.
2. To angle with a bob. See Bob, n., 2 & 3.
He ne'er had learned the art to bob For anything but eels. Saxe.
To bob at an apple, cherry, etc. to attempt to bite or seize with the
mouth an apple, cherry, or other round fruit, while it is swinging
from a string or floating in a tug of water.
Bobac
Bo"bac (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The Poland marmot (Arctomys bobac).
Bobance
Bo*bance" (#), n. [OF. bobance, F. bombance, boasting, pageantry, fr.
L. bombus a humming, buzzing.] A boasting. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bobber
Bob"ber (?), n. One who, or that which, bobs.
Bobbery
Bob"ber*y (?), n. [Prob. an Anglo-Indian form of Hindi b\'bep re O
thou father! (a very disrespectful address).] A squabble; a tumult; a
noisy disturbance; as, to raise a bobbery. [Low] Halliwell.
Bobbin
Bob"bin (?), n. [F. bobine; of uncertain origin; cf. L. bombus a
humming, from the noise it makes, or Ir. & Gael. baban tassel, or E.
bob.]
1. A small pin, or cylinder, formerly of bone, now most commonly of
wood, used in the making of pillow lace. Each thread is wound on a
separate bobbin which hangs down holding the thread at a slight
tension.
2. A spool or reel of various material and construction, with a head
at one or both ends, and sometimes with a hole bored through its
length by which it may be placed on a spindle or pivot. It is used to
hold yarn or thread, as in spinning or warping machines, looms, sewing
machines, etc.
3. The little rounded piece of wood, at the end of a latch string,
which is pulled to raise the latch.
4. (Haberdashery) A fine cord or narrow braid.
5. (Elec.) A cylindrical or spool-shaped coil or insulated wire,
usually containing a core of soft iron which becomes magnetic when the
wire is traversed by an electrical current.
Bobbin and fly frame, a roving machine. -- Bobbin lace, lace made on a
pillow with bobbins; pillow lace.
Bobbinet
Bob`bi*net" (?), n. [Bobbin + net.] A kind of cotton lace which is
wrought by machines, and not by hand./def> [Sometimes written bobbin
net.]<
The English machine-made net is now confined to point net, warp
net, and bobbin net, so called from the peculiar construction of
the machines by which they are produced. Tomlinsom.
Bobbinwork
Bob"bin*work` (?), n. Work woven with bobbins.
Bobbish
Bob"bish (?), a. Hearty; in good spirits. [Low, Eng.] Dickens.
Bobby
Bob"by (?), n. A nickname for a policeman; -- from Sir Robert Peel,
who remodeled the police force. See Peeler. [Slang, Eng.] Dickens.
Bob-cherry
Bob"-cher`ry (?), n. A play among children, in which a cherry, hung so
as to bob against the mouth, is to be caught with the teeth.
Bobfly
Bob"fly` (?), n. (Fishing) The fly at the end of the leader; an end
fly.
Bobolink
Bob"o*link` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) An American singing bird (Dolichonyx
oryzivorus). The male is black and white; the female is brown; --
called also, ricebird, reedbird, and Boblincoln.
The happiest bird of our spring is the bobolink. W. Irving.
Bobsled, Bobsleigh
Bob"sled` (?), Bob"sleigh` (?), n. A short sled, mostly used as one of
a pair connected by a reach or coupling; also, the compound sled so
formed. [U. S.]
The long wagon body set on bobsleds. W. D. Howells.
Bobstay
Bob"stay` (, n. [Bob + stay.] (Naut.) A rope or chain to confine the
bowsprit of a ship downward to the stem or cutwater; -- usually in the
pl.
Bobtail
Bob"tail` (?), n. [Bob + tail.] An animal (as a horse or dog) with a
short tail. Rag, tag, and bobtail, the rabble.
Bobtail
Bob"tail`, a. Bobtailed. "Bobtail cur." Marryat.
Bobtailed
Bob"tailed` (, a. Having the tail cut short, or naturally short;
curtailed; as, a bobtailed horse or dog; a bobtailed coat.
Bobwhite
Bob"white` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The common qua(Colinus, or Ortyx,
Virginianus); -- so called from its note.
Bob wig
Bob" wig` (. A short wig with bobs or short curls; -- called also
bobtail wig. Spectator.
Bocal
Bo"cal (?), n. [F.] A cylindrical glass vessel, with a large and short
neck.
Bocardo
Bo*car"do (?), n. [A mnemonic word.]
1. (Logic) A form of syllogism of which the first and third
propositions are particular negatives, and the middle term a universal
affirmative.
Baroko and Bocardo have been stumbling blocks to the logicians.
Bowen.
2. A prison; -- originally the name of the old north gate in Oxford,
which was used as a prison. [Eng.] Latimer.
Bocasine
Boc"a*sine (?), n. [F. bocassin, boucassin.] A sort of fine buckram.
Bocca
Boc"ca (?), n. [It., mouth.] The round hole in the furnace of a glass
manufactory through which the fused glass is taken out. Craig.
Boce
Boce (?), n. [L. box, bocis, Gr. , .] (Zo\'94l.) A European fish (Box
vulgaris), having a compressed body and bright colors; -- called also
box, and bogue.
Bock beer
Bock" beer` (. [G. bockbier; bock a buck + bier beer; -- said to be so
named from its tendency to cause the drinker to caper like a goat.] A
strong beer, originally made in Bavaria. [Also written buck beer.]
Bockelet
Bock"e*let (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A kind of long-winged hawk; -- called
also bockerel, and bockeret. [Obs.]
Bockey
Bock"ey (?), n. [D. bokaal.] A bowl or vessel made from a gourd.
[Local, New York] Bartlett.
Bocking
Bock"ing, n. A coarse woolen fabric, used for floor cloths, to cover
carpets, etc.; -- so called from the town of Bocking, in England,
where it was first made.
Bockland
Bock"land (?), n. See Bookland.
Boddice
Bod"dice (?), n. See Bodick.
Bode
Bode (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boded; p. pr. & vb. n. Boding.] [OE.
bodien, AS. bodian to announce, tell from bod command; akin to Icel.
bo to announce, Sw. b\'86da to announce, portend. &root;89. See Bid.]
To indicate by signs, as future events; to be the omen of; to portend
to presage; to foreshow.
A raven that bodes nothing but mischief. Goldsmith.
Good onset bodes good end. Spenser.
Bode
Bode, v. i. To foreshow something; to augur.
Whatever now The omen proved, it boded well to you. Dryden.
Syn. -- To forebode; foreshadow; augur; betoken.
Bode
Bode, n.
1. An omen; a foreshadowing. [Obs.]
The owl eke, that of death the bode bringeth. Chaucer.
2. A bid; an offer. [Obs. or Dial.] Sir W. Scott
Bode
Bode, n. [AS. boda; akin to OFries. boda, AS. bodo, OHG. boto. See
Bode, v. t.] A messenger; a herald. Robertson.
Bode
Bode, n. [See Abide.] A stop; a halting; delay. [Obs.]
Bode
Bode, imp. & p. p. from Bide. Abode.
There that night they bode. Tennyson.
Bode
Bode, p. p. of Bid. Bid or bidden. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bodeful
Bode"ful (?), a. Portentous; ominous. Carlyle.
Bodement
Bode"ment (?), n. An omen; a prognostic. [Obs.]
This foolish, dreaming, superstitious girl Makes all these
bodements. Shak.
Bodge
Bodge (?), n. A botch; a patch. [Dial.] Whitlock.
Bodge
Bodge (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bodged (#).] To botch; to mend
clumsily; to patch. [Obs. or Dial.]
Bodge
Bodge, v. i. See Budge.
Bodian
Bo"di*an (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A large food fish (Diagramma lineatum),
native of the East Indies.
Bodice
Bod"ice (?), n. [This is properly the plural of body, Oe. bodise a
pair of bodies, equiv. to a bodice. Cf. Corset, and see Body.]
1. A kind of under waist stiffened with whalebone, etc., worn esp. by
women; a corset; stays.
2. A close-fitting outer waist or vest forming the upper part of a
woman's dress, or a portion of it.
Her bodice half way she unlaced. Prior.
Bodiced
Bod"iced (?), a. Wearing a bodice. Thackeray.
Bodied
Bod"ied (?), a. Having a body; -- usually in composition; as,
able-bodied.
A doe . . . not altogether so fat, but very good flesh and good
bodied. Hakluyt.
Bodiless
Bod"i*less (?), a.
1. Having no body.
2. Without material form; incorporeal.
Phantoms bodiless and vain. Swift.
Bodiliness
Bod"i*li*ness (?), n. Corporeality. Minsheu.
Bodily
Bod"i*ly (?), a.
1. Having a body or material form; physical; corporeal; consisting of
matter.
You are a mere spirit, and have no knowledge of the bodily part of
us. Tatler.
2. Of or pertaining to the body, in distinction from the mind. "Bodily
defects." L'Estrange.
3. Real; actual; put in execution. [Obs.]
Be brought to bodily act. Shak.
Bodily fear, apprehension of physical injury. Syn. -- See Corporal.
Bodily
Bod"i*ly, adv.
1. Corporeally; in bodily form; united with a body or matter; in the
body.
For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Col.
ii. 9
2. In respect to, or so as to affect, the entire body or mass;
entirely; all at once; completely; as, to carry away bodily. "Leapt
bodily below." Lowell.
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Boding
Bod"ing (?), a. Foreshowing; presaging; ominous. -- Bod"ing*ly, adv.
Boding
Bod"ing, n. A prognostic; an omen; a foreboding.
Bodkin
Bod"kin (?), n. [OE. boydekyn dagger; of uncertain origin; cf. W.
bidog hanger, short sword, Ir. bideog, Gael. biodag.]
1. A dagger. [Obs.]
When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin. Shak.
2. (Needlework) An implement of steel, bone, ivory, etc., with a sharp
point, for making holes by piercing; a
3. (Print.) A sharp tool, like an awl, used for picking
4. A kind of needle with a large eye and a blunt point, for drawing
tape, ribbon, etc., through a loop or a hem; a tape needle.
Wedged whole ages in a bodkin's eye. Pope.
5. A kind of pin used by women to fasten the hair.
To sit, ride, or travel bodkin, to sit closely wedged between two
persons. [Colloq.] Thackeray.
Bodkin
Bod"kin, n. See Baudekin. [Obs.] Shirley.
Bodle
Bo"dle (?), n. A small Scotch coin worth about one sixth of an English
penny. Sir W. Scott.
Bodleian
Bod"lei*an, a. Of or pertaining to Sir Thomas Bodley, or to the
celebrated library at Oxford, founded by him in the sixteenth century.
Bodock
Bo*dock" (?), n. [Corrupt. fr. bois d'arc.] The Osage orange.
[Southwestern U.S.]
Bodrage
Bod"rage (?), n. [Prob. of Celtic origin: cf. Bordrage.] A raid.
[Obs.]
Body
Bod"y (?), n.; pl. Bodies (#). [OE. bodi, AS. bodig; akin to OHG.
botah. &root;257. Cf. Bodice.]
1. The material organized substance of an animal, whether living or
dead, as distinguished from the spirit, or vital principle; the
physical person.
Absent in body, but present in spirit. 1 Cor. v. 3
For of the soul the body form doth take. For soul is form, and doth
the body make. Spenser.
2. The trunk, or main part, of a person or animal, as distinguished
from the limbs and head; the main, central, or principal part, as of a
tree, army, country, etc.
Who set the body and the limbs Of this great sport together? Shak.
The van of the king's army was led by the general; . . . in the
body was the king and the prince. Clarendon.
Rivers that run up into the body of Italy. Addison.
3. The real, as opposed to the symbolical; the substance, as opposed
to the shadow.
Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
Col. ii. 17.
4. A person; a human being; -- frequently in composition; as, anybody,
nobody.
A dry, shrewd kind of a body. W. Irving.
5. A number of individuals spoken of collectively, usually as united
by some common tie, or as organized for some purpose; a collective
whole or totality; a corporation; as, a legislative body; a clerical
body.
A numerous body led unresistingly to the slaughter. Prescott.
6. A number of things or particulars embodied in a system; a general
collection; as, a great body of facts; a body of laws or of divinity.
7. Any mass or portion of matter; any substance distinct from others;
as, a metallic body; a moving body; an a\'89riform body. "A body of
cold air." Huxley.
By collision of two bodies, grind The air attrite to fire. Milton.
8. Amount; quantity; extent.
9. That part of a garment covering the body, as distinguished from the
parts covering the limbs.
10. The bed or box of a vehicle, on or in which the load is placed;
as, a wagon body; a cart body.
11. (Print.) The shank of a type, or the depth of the shank (by which
the size is indicated); as, a nonpareil face on an agate body.
12. (Geom.) A figure that has length, breadth, and thickness; any
solid figure.
13. Consistency; thickness; substance; strength; as, this color has
body; wine of a good body.
NOTE: &hand; Co lors be ar a bo dy wh en they are capable of being
ground so fine, and of being mixed so entirely with oil, as to seem
only a very thick oil of the same color.
After body (Naut.), the part of a ship abaft the dead flat. -- Body
cavity (Anat.), the space between the walls of the body and the
inclosed viscera; the c\'91lum; -- in mammals, divided by the
diaphragm into thoracic and abdominal cavities. -- Body of a church,
the nave. -- Body cloth; pl. Body cloths, a cloth or blanket for
covering horses. -- Body clothes. (pl.)
1. Clothing for the body; esp. underclothing.
2. Body cloths for horses. [Obs.] Addison. --
Body coat, a gentleman's dress coat. -- Body color (Paint.), a pigment
that has consistency, thickness, or body, in distinction from a tint
or wash. -- Body of a law (Law), the main and operative part. -- Body
louse (Zo\'94l.), a species of louse (Pediculus vestimenti), which
sometimes infests the human body and clothes. See Grayback. -- Body
plan (Shipbuilding), an end elevation, showing the conbour of the
sides of a ship at certain points of her length. -- Body politic, the
collective body of a nation or state as politically organized, or as
exercising political functions; also, a corporation. Wharton.
As to the persons who compose the body politic or associate
themselves, they take collectively the name of "people", or
"nation". Bouvier.
-- Body servant, a valet. -- The bodies seven (Alchemy), the metals
corresponding to the planets. [Obs.]
Sol gold is, and Luna silver we threpe (=call), Mars yren (=iron),
Mercurie quicksilver we clepe, Saturnus lead, and Jupiter is tin,
and Venus coper. Chaucer.
-- Body snatcher, one who secretly removes without right or authority
a dead body from a grave, vault, etc.; a resurrectionist. -- Body
snatching (Law), the unauthorized removal of a dead body from the
grave; usually for the purpose of dissection.
Body
Bod"y (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bodied (p. pr. & vb. n. Bodying.] To
furnish with, or as with, a body; to produce in definite shape; to
embody. To body forth, to give from or shape to mentally.
Imagination bodies forth The forms of things unknown. Shak.
Bodyguard
Bod"y*guard` (, n.
1. A guard to protect or defend the person; a lifeguard.
2. Retinue; attendance; following. Bp. Porteus.
B\'d2otian
B\'d2*o"tian (?), a. [L. Boeotia, Gr. , noted for its moist, thick
atmosphere, and the dullness and stupidity of its inhabitants.] Of or
pertaining to B\'d2otia; hence, stupid; dull; obtuse. -- n. A native
of B\'d2otia; also, one who is dull and ignorant.
Boer
Boer (?), n. [D., a farmer. See Boor.] A colonist or farmer in South
Africa of Dutch descent.
Boes
Bo"es (?), 3d sing. pr. of Behove. Behoves or behooves. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Bog
Bog (?), n. [Ir. & Gael. bog soft, tender, moist: cf. Ir. bogach bog,
moor, marsh, Gael. bogan quagmire.]
1. A quagmire filled with decayed moss and other vegetable matter; wet
spongy ground where a heavy body is apt to sink; a marsh; a morass.
Appalled with thoughts of bog, or caverned pit, Of treacherous
earth, subsiding where they tread. R. Jago.
2. A little elevated spot or clump of earth, roots, and grass, in a
marsh or swamp. [Local, U. S.]
Bog bean. See Buck bean. -- Bog bumper (bump, to make a loud noise),
Bog blitter, Bog bluiter, Bog jumper, the bittern. [Prov.] -- Bog
butter, a hydrocarbon of butterlike consistence found in the peat bogs
of Ireland. -- Bog earth (Min.), a soil composed for the most part of
silex and partially decomposed vegetable fiber. P. Cyc. -- Bog moss.
(Bot.) Same as Sphagnum. -- Bog myrtle (Bot.), the sweet gale. -- Bog
ore. (Min.) (a) An ore of iron found in boggy or swampy land; a
variety of brown iron ore, or limonite. (b) Bog manganese, the
hydrated peroxide of manganese. -- Bog rush (Bot.), any rush growing
in bogs; saw grass. -- Bog spavin. See under Spavin.
Bog
Bog, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bogged (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bogging.] To
sink, as into a bog; to submerge in a bog; to cause to sink and stick,
as in mud and mire.
At another time, he was bogged up to the middle in the slough of
Lochend. Sir W. Scott.
Bogberry
Bog"ber`ry (?), n. (Bot.) The small cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus),
which grows in boggy places.
Bogey
Bo"gey (?), n. A goblin; a bugbear. See Bogy.
Boggard
Bog"gard (?), n. A bogey. [Local, Eng.]
Boggle
Bog"gle (?), v. i. [imp & p. p. Boggled (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Boggling
(#).] [ See Bogle, n.]
1. To stop or hesitate as if suddenly frightened, or in doubt, or
impeded by unforeseen difficulties; to take alarm; to exhibit
hesitancy and indecision.
We start and boggle at every unusual appearance. Glanvill.
Boggling at nothing which serveth their purpose. Barrow.
2. To do anything awkwardly or unskillfully.
3. To play fast and loose; to dissemble. Howell. Syn. -- To doubt;
hesitate; shrink; stickle; demur.
Boggle
Bog"gle, v. t. To embarrass with difficulties; to make a bungle or
botch of. [Local, U. S.]
Boggler
Bog"gler (?), n. One who boggles.
Bogglish
Bog"glish (?), a. Doubtful; skittish. [Obs.]
Boggy
Bog"gy (?), a. Consisting of, or containing, a bog or bogs; of the
nature of a bog; swampy; as, boggy land.
Bogie
Bo"gie (?), n. [A dialectic word. N. of Eng. & Scot.] A four-wheeled
truck, having a certain amount of play around a vertical axis, used to
support in part a locomotive on a railway track.
Bogle
Bo"gle (?), n. [Scot. and North Eng. bogle, bogill, bugill, specter;
as a verb, to terrify, fr. W. bwgwl threatening, fear, bwg, bwgan,
specter, hobgoblin. Cf. Bug.] A goblin; a specter; a frightful
phantom; a bogy; a bugbear. [Written also boggle.]
Bogsucker
Bog"suck`er (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The American woodcock; -- so called
from its feeding among the bogs.
Bogtrotter
Bog"trot`ter (?), n. One who lives in a boggy country; -- applied in
derision to the lowest class of Irish. Halliwell.
Bogtrotting
Bog"trot`ting (?), a. Living among bogs.
Bogue
Bogue (?), v. i. (Naut.) To fall off from the wind; to edge away to
leeward; -- said only of inferior craft.
Bogue
Bogue (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The boce; -- called also bogue bream. See
Boce.
Bogus
Bo"gus (?), a. [Etymol. uncertain.] Spurious; fictitious; sham; -- a
cant term originally applied to counterfeit coin, and hence denoting
anything counterfeit. [Colloq. U. S.]
Bogus
Bo"gus, n. A liquor made of rum and molasses. [Local, U. S.] Bartlett.
Bogwood
Bog"wood` (?), n. The wood of trees, esp. of oaks, dug up from peat
bogs. It is of a shining black or ebony color, and is largely used for
making ornaments.
Bogy
Bo"gy (?), n.; pl. Bogies (#). [See Bogle.] A specter; a hobgoblin; a
bugbear. "Death's heads and bogies." J. H. Newman. [Written also
bogey.]
There are plenty of such foolish attempts at playing bogy in the
history of savages. C. Kingsley.
Bohea
Bo*hea" (?), n. [From Wu-i, pronounced by the Chinese bu-i, the name
of the hills where this kind of tea is grown.] Bohea tea, an inferior
kind of black tea. See under Tea.
NOTE: &hand; Th e na me wa s fo rmerly applied to superior kinds of
black tea, or to black tea in general.
Bohemia
Bo*he"mi*a (?), n.
1. A country of central Europe.
2. Fig.: The region or community of social Bohemians. See Bohemian,
n., 3.
She knew every one who was any one in the land of Bohemia. Compton
Reade.
Bohemian
Bo*he"mi*an (?), a.
1. Of or pertaining to Bohemia, or to the language of its ancient
inhabitants or their descendants. See Bohemian, n., 2.
2. Of or pertaining to a social gypsy or "Bohemian" (see Bohemian, n.,
3); vagabond; unconventional; free and easy. [Modern]
Hers was a pleasant Bohemian life till she was five and thirty.
Blackw. Mag.
Artists have abandoned their Bohemian manners and customs nowadays.
W. Black.
Bohemian chatterer, OR Bohemian waxwing (Zo\'94l.), a small bird of
Europe and America (Ampelis garrulus); the waxwing. -- Bohemian glass,
a variety of hard glass of fine quality, made in Bohemia. It is of
variable composition, containing usually silica, lime, and potash,
rarely soda, but no lead. It is often remarkable for beauty of color.
Bohemian
Bo*he"mi*an (?), n.
1. A native of Bohemia.
2. The language of the Czechs (the ancient inhabitants of Bohemia),
the richest and most developed of the dialects of the Slavic family.
3. A restless vagabond; -- originally, an idle stroller or gypsy (as
in France) thought to have come from Bohemia; in later times often
applied to an adventurer in art or literature, of irregular,
unconventional habits, questionable tastes, or free morals. [Modern]
NOTE: &hand; In th is se nse from the French boh\'82mien, a gypsy;
also, a person of irregular habits.
She was of a wild, roving nature, inherited from father and mother,
who were both Bohemians by taste and circumstances. Thackeray.
Bohemianism
Bo*he"mi*an*ism (?), n. The characteristic conduct or methods of a
Bohemian. [Modern]
Bohun upas
Bo"hun u"pas (?). See Upas.
Boiar
Bo*iar" (?), n. See Boyar.
Boil
Boil (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Boiled (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Boiling.]
[OE. boilen, OF. boilir, builir, F. bouillir, fr. L. bullire to be in
a bubbling motion, from bulla bubble; akin to Gr. , Lith. bumbuls. Cf.
Bull an edict, Budge, v., and Ebullition.]
1. To be agitated, or tumultuously moved, as a liquid by the
generation and rising of bubbles of steam (or vapor), or of currents
produced by heating it to the boiling point; to be in a state of
ebullition; as, the water boils.
2. To be agitated like boiling water, by any other cause than heat; to
bubble; to effervesce; as, the boiling waves.
He maketh the deep to boil like a pot. Job xii. 31.
3. To pass from a liquid to an a\'89riform state or vapor when heated;
as, the water boils away.
4. To be moved or excited with passion; to be hot or fervid; as, his
blood boils with anger.
Then boiled my breast with flame and burning wrath. Surrey.
5. To be in boiling water, as in cooking; as, the potatoes are
boiling.
To boil away, to vaporize; to evaporate or be evaporated by the action
of heat. -- To boil over, to run over the top of a vessel, as liquid
when thrown into violent agitation by heat or other cause of
effervescence; to be excited with ardor or passion so as to lose
self-control.
Boil
Boil, v. t.
1. To heat to the boiling point, or so as to cause ebullition; as, to
boil water.
2. To form, or separate, by boiling or evaporation; as, to boil sugar
or salt.
3. To subject to the action of heat in a boiling liquid so as to
produce some specific effect, as cooking, cleansing, etc.; as, to boil
meat; to boil clothes.
The stomach cook is for the hall, And boileth meate for them all.
Gower.
4. To steep or soak in warm water. [Obs.]
To try whether seeds be old or new, the sense can not inform; but
if you boil them in water, the new seeds will sprout sooner. Bacon.
To boil down, to reduce in bulk by boiling; as, to boil down sap or
sirup.
Boil
Boil, n. Act or state of boiling. [Colloq.]
Boil
Boil, n. [Influenced by boil, v. See Beal, Bile.] A hard, painful,
inflamed tumor, which, on suppuration, discharges pus, mixed with
blood, and discloses a small fibrous mass of dead tissue, called the
core. A blind boil, one that suppurates imperfectly, or fails to come
to a head. -- Delhi boil (Med.), a peculiar affection of the skin,
probably parasitic in origin, prevailing in India (as among the
British troops) and especially at Delhi.
Boilary
Boil"a*ry (?), n. See Boilery.
Boiled
Boiled (?), a. Dressed or cooked by boiling; subjected to the action
of a boiling liquid; as, boiled meat; a boiled dinner; boiled clothes.
Boiler
Boil"er (?), n.
1. One who boils.
2. A vessel in which any thing is boiled.
NOTE: &hand; Th e wo rd bo iler is a generic term covering a great
variety of kettles, saucepans, clothes boilers, evaporators,
coppers, retorts, etc.
3. (Mech.) A strong metallic vessel, usually of wrought iron plates
riveted together, or a composite structure variously formed, in which
steam is generated for driving engines, or for heating, cooking, or
other purposes.
NOTE: &hand; Th e ea rliest st eam bo ilers were usually spheres or
sections of spheres, heated wholly from the outside. Watt used the
wagon boiler (shaped like the top of a covered wagon) which is
still used with low pressures. Most of the boilers in present use
may be classified as plain cylinder boilers, flue boilers,
sectional and tubular boilers.
Barrel of a boiler, the cylindrical part containing the flues. --
Boiler plate, Boiler iron, plate or rolled iron of about a quarter to
a half inch in thickness, used for making boilers and tanks, for
covering ships, etc. -- Cylinder boiler, one which consists of a
single iron cylinder. -- Flue boilers are usually single shells
containing a small number of large flues, through which the heat
either passes from the fire or returns to the chimney, and sometimes
containing a fire box inclosed by water. -- Locomotive boiler, a
boiler which contains an inclosed fire box and a large number of small
flues leading to the chimney. -- Multiflue boiler. Same as Tubular
boiler, below. -- Sectional boiler, a boiler composed of a number of
sections, which are usually of small capacity and similar to, and
connected with, each other. By multiplication of the sections a boiler
of any desired capacity can be built up. -- Tubular boiler, a boiler
containing tubes which form flues, and are surrounded by the water
contained in the boiler. See Illust. of Steam boiler, under Steam. --
Tubulous boiler. See under Tubulous. See Tube, n., 6, and 1st Flue.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 163
Boilery
Boil"er*y (?), n. [Cf. F. bouillerie.] A place and apparatus for
boiling, as for evaporating brine in salt making.
Boiling
Boil"ing, a. Heated to the point of bubbling; heaving with bubbles; in
tumultuous agitation, as boiling liquid; surging; seething; swelling
with heat, ardor, or passion. Boiling point, the temperature at which
a fluid is converted into vapor, with the phenomena of ebullition.
This is different for different liquids, and for the same liquid under
different pressures. For water, at the level of the sea, barometer 30
in., it is 212 ° Fahrenheit; for alcohol, 172.96°; for ether, 94.8°;
for mercury, about 675°. The boiling point of water is lowered one
degree Fahrenheit for about 550 feet of ascent above the level of the
sea. -- Boiling spring, a spring which gives out very hot water, or
water and steam, often ejecting it with much force; a geyser. -- To be
at the boiling point, to be very angry. -- To keep the pot boiling, to
keep going on actively, as in certain games. [Colloq.]
Boiling
Boil"ing, n.
1. The act of ebullition or of tumultuous agitation.
2. Exposure to the action of a hot liquid.
Boilingly
Boil"ing*ly, adv. With boiling or ebullition.
And lakes of bitumen rise boiling higher. Byron.
Bois d'arc
Bois" d'arc" (?). [F., bow wood. So called because used for bows by
the Western Indians.] (Bot.) The Osage orange (Maclura aurantiaca).
The bois d'arc seems to be the characteristic growth of the black
prairies. U. S. Census (1880).
Bois durci
Bois" dur`ci" (?). [F., hardened wood.] A hard, highly polishable
composition, made of fine sawdust from hard wood (as rosewood) mixed
with blood, and pressed.
Boist
Boist (?), n. [OF. boiste, F. bo\'8cte, from the same root as E. box.]
A box. [Obs.]
Boisterous
Bois"ter*ous (?), a. [OE. boistous; of uncertain origin; cf. W. bwyst
wild, savage, wildness, ferocity, bwystus ferocious.]
1. Rough or rude; unbending; unyielding; strong; powerful. [Obs.]
"Boisterous sword." "Boisterous hand." Shak.
2. Exhibiting tumultuous violence and fury; acting with noisy
turbulence; violent; rough; stormy.
The waters swell before a boisterous storm. Shak.
The brute and boisterous force of violent men. Milton.
3. Noisy; rough; turbulent; as, boisterous mirth; boisterous behavior.
I like not that loud, boisterous man. Addison.
4. Vehement; excessive. [R.]
The heat becomes too powerful and boisterous for them. Woodward.
Syn. -- Loud; roaring; violent; stormy; turbulent; furious;
tumultuous; noisy; impetuous; vehement.
Boisterously
Bois"ter*ous*ly, adv. In a boisterous manner.
Boisterousness
Bois"ter*ous*ness, n. The state or quality of being boisterous;
turbulence; disorder; tumultuousness.
Boistous
Bois"tous (?), a. Rough or rude; coarse; strong; violent; boisterous;
noisy. [Obs.] Chaucer. -- Bois"tous*ly, adv. -- Bois"tous*ness, n.
[Obs.] Chaucer.
Bojanus organ
Bo*ja"nus or"gan (?). [From Bojanus, the discoverer.] (Zo\'94l.) A
glandular organ of bivalve mollusca, serving in part as a kidney.
Bokadam
Bo"ka*dam` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Cerberus.
Boke
Boke, v. t. & i. To poke; to thrust. [Obs. or Dial.]
Bolar
Bo"lar (?), a. [See Bole clay.] Of or pertaining to bole or clay;
partaking of the nature and qualities of bole; clayey.
Bolas
Bo"las (?), n. sing. & pl. [Sp.] A kind of missile weapon consisting
of one, two, or more balls of stone, iron, or other material, attached
to the ends of a leather cord; -- used by the Gauchos of South
America, and others, for hurling at and entangling an animal.
Bold
Bold (?), a. [OE. bald, bold, AS. bald, beald; akin to Icel. ballr,
OHG. bald, MHG. balt, D. boud, Goth. bal boldness, It. baldo. In Ger.
there remains only bald, adv. soon. Cf. Bawd, n.]
1. Forward to meet danger; venturesome; daring; not timorous or
shrinking from risk; brave; courageous.
Throngs of knights and barons bold. Milton.
2. Exhibiting or requiring spirit and contempt of danger; planned with
courage; daring; vigorous. "The bold design leased highly." Milton.
3. In a bad sense, too forward; taking undue liberties; over assuming
or confident; lacking proper modesty or restraint; rude; impudent.
Thou art too wild, too rude and bold of voice. Shak.
4. Somewhat overstepping usual bounds, or conventional rules, as in
art, literature, etc.; taking liberties in o composition or
expression; as, the figures of an author are bold. "Bold tales."
Waller.
The cathedral church is a very bold work. Addison.
5. Standing prominently out to view; markedly conspicuous; striking
the eye; in high relief.
Shadows in painting . . . make the figure bolder. Dryden.
6. Steep; abrupt; prominent.
Where the bold cape its warning forehead rears. Trumbull.
Bold eagle
Bold eagle (?), (Zo\'94l.) an Australian eagle (Aquila audax), which
destroys lambs and even the kangaroo. -- To make bold, to take
liberties or the liberty; to venture. Syn. -- Courageous; daring;
brave; intrepid; fearless; dauntless; valiant; manful; audacious;
stouthearted; high-spirited; adventurous; confident; strenuous;
forward; impudent.
Bold
Bold (?), v. t. To make bold or daring. [Obs.] Shak.
Bold
Bold, v. i. To be or become bold. [Obs.]
Bolden
Bold"en (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boldened (#). ] To make bold; to
encourage; to embolden.
Ready speakers, being boldened with their present abilities to say
more, . . . use less help of diligence and study. Ascham.
Bold-faced
Bold"-faced` (, a.
1. Somewhat impudent; lacking modesty; as, a bold-faced woman.
I have seen enough to confute all the bold-faced atheists of this
age. Bramhall.
2. (Print.) Having a conspicuous or heavy face.
NOTE: &hand; This line is bold-faced nonpareil.
Boldly
Bold"ly, adv. [AS. bealdl\'c6ce.] In a bold manner.
Boldness
Bold"ness, n. The state or quality of being bold. Syn. -- Courage;
bravery; intrepidity; dauntlessness; hardihood; assurance.
Boldo, Boldu
Bol"do (?), Bol"du (?), n. (Bot.) A fragrant evergreen shrub of Chili
(Peumus Boldus). The bark is used in tanning, the wood for making
charcoal, the leaves in medicine, and the drupes are eaten.
Bole
Bole (?), n. [OE. bole, fr. Icel. bolr; akin to Sw. b\'86l, Dan. bul,
trunk, stem of a tree, G. bohle a thick plank or board; cf. LG. boll
round. Cf. Bulge.] The trunk or stem of a tree, or that which is like
it.
Enormous elm-tree boles did stoop and lean. Tennyson.
Bole
Bole, n. [Etym. doubtful.] An aperture, with a wooden shutter, in the
wall of a house, for giving, occasionally, air or light; also, a small
closet. [Scot.]
Open the bole wi'speed, that I may see if this be the right Lord
Geraldin. Sir W. Scott.
Bole
Bole, n. A measure. See Boll, n., 2. Mortimer.
Bole
Bole, n. [Gr. a clod or lump of earth: cf. F. bol, and also L. bolus
morsel. Cf. Bolus.]
1. Any one of several varieties of friable earthy clay, usually
colored more or less strongly red by oxide of iron, and used to color
and adulterate various substances. It was formerly used in medicine.
It is composed essentially of hydrous silicates of alumina, or more
rarely of magnesia. See Clay, and Terra alba.
2. A bolus; a dose. Coleridge.
Armenian bole. See under Armenian. -- Bole Armoniac, or Armoniak,
Armenian bole. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bolection
Bo*lec"tion (?), n. (Arch.) A projecting molding round a panel. Same
as Bilection. Gwilt.
Bolero
Bo*le"ro (?), n. [Sp.] (Mus.) A Spanish dance, or the lively music
which accompanies it.
Boletic
Bo*let"ic (?), a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or obtained from, the
Boletus. Boletic acid, an acid obtained from the Boletus fomentarius,
variety pseudo-igniarius. Same as Fumaric acid.
Boletus
Bo*le"tus (?), n. [L. boletus, Gr. .] (Bot.) A genus of fungi having
the under side of the pileus or cap composed of a multitude of fine
separate tubes. A few are edible, and others very poisonous.
Boley, Bolye
Bo"ley, Bo"lye (?), n. Same as Booly.
Bolide
Bo"lide (?), n. [F. See Bolis.] A kind of meteor; a bolis.
Bolis
Bo"lis, n. [L., fr. Gr. missile, arrow, fr. to throw.] A meteor or
brilliant shooting star, followed by a train of light or sparks; esp.
one which explodes.
Bolivian
Bo*liv"i*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Bolivia. -- n. A native of
Bolivia.
Boll
Boll (?), n. [OE. bolle boll, bowl, AS. bolla. See Bowl a vessel.]
1. The pod or capsule of a plant, as of flax or cotton; a pericarp of
a globular form.
2. A Scotch measure, formerly in use: for wheat and beans it contained
four Winchester bushels; for oats, barley, and potatoes, six bushels.
A boll of meal is 140 lbs. avoirdupois. Also, a measure for salt of
two bushels. [Sometimes spelled bole.]
Boll
Boll, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bolled (#).] To form a boll or seed vessel;
to go to seed.
The barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled. Ex. ix. 31.
Bollandists
Bol"land*ists (?), n. pl. The Jesuit editors of the "Acta Sanctorum",
or Lives of the Saints; -- named from John Bolland, who began the
work.
Bollard
Bol"lard (?), n. [Cf. Bole the stem of a tree, and Pollard.] An
upright wooden or iron post in a boat or on a dock, used in veering or
fastening ropes. Bollard timber (Naut.), a timber, also called a
knighthead, rising just within the stem in a ship, on either side of
the bowsprit, to secure its end.
Bollen
Boll"en (?), a. See Boln, a.
Bolling
Boll"ing (?), n. [Cf. Bole stem of a tree, and Poll, v. t.] A tree
from which the branches have been cut; a pollard.
Bollworm
Boll"worm` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The larva of a moth (Heliothis armigera)
which devours the bolls or unripe pods of the cotton plant, often
doing great damage to the crops.
Boln
Boln (?), v. i. [OE. bolnen, bollen; cf. Dan. bulne. Cf. Bulge.] To
swell; to puff. Holland.
Boln, Bollen
Boln (?), Boll"en (?), a. Swollen; puffed out.
Thin, and boln out like a sail. B. Jonson.
Bologna
Bo*lo"gna (?), n.
1. A city of Italy which has given its name to various objects.
2. A Bologna sausage.
Bologna sausage [It. salsiccia di Bologna], a large sausage made of
bacon or ham, veal, and pork, chopped fine and inclosed in a skin. --
Bologna stone (Min.), radiated barite, or barium sulphate, found in
roundish masses composed of radiating fibers, first discovered near
Bologna. It is phosphorescent when calcined. -- Bologna vial, a vial
of unannealed glass which will fly into pieces when its surface is
scratched by a hard body, as by dropping into it a fragment of flint;
whereas a bullet may be dropped into it without injury.
Bolognese
Bo*lo`gnese" (?), a. Of or pertaining to Bologna. -- n. A native of
Bologna. Bolognese school (Paint.), a school of painting founded by
the Carracci, otherwise called the Lombard or Eclectic school, the
object of which was to unite the excellences of the preceding schools.
Bolognian
Bo*lo"gnian (?), a. & n. Bolognese. Bolognian stone. See Bologna
stone, under Bologna.
Bolometer
Bo*lom"e*ter (?), n. [Gr. a stroke, ray + -meter.] (Physics) An
instrument for measuring minute quantities of radiant heat, especially
in different parts of the spectrum; -- called also actinic balance,
thermic balance. S. P. Langley.
Bolster
Bol"ster (?), n. [AS. bolster; akin to Icel. b, Sw. & Dan. bolster,
OHG. bolstar, polstar, G. polster; from the same root as E. bole stem,
bowl hollow vessel. Cf. Bulge, Poltroon.]
1. A long pillow or cushion, used to support the head of a person
lying on a bed; -- generally laid under the pillows.
And here I'll fling the pillow, there the bolster, This way the
coverlet, another way the sheets. Shak.
2. A pad, quilt, or anything used to hinder pressure, support any part
of the body, or make a bandage sit easy upon a wounded part; a
compress.
This arm shall be a bolster for thy head. Gay.
3. Anything arranged to act as a support, as in various forms of
mechanism, etc.
4. (Saddlery) A cushioned or a piece part of a saddle.
5. (Naut.) (a) A cushioned or a piece of soft wood covered with tarred
canvas, placed on the trestletrees and against the mast, for the
collars of the shrouds to rest on, to prevent chafing. (b) Anything
used to prevent chafing.
6. A plate of iron or a mass of wood under the end of a bridge girder,
to keep the girder from resting directly on the abutment.
7. A transverse bar above the axle of a wagon, on which the bed or
body rests.
8. The crossbeam forming the bearing piece of the body of a railway
car; the central and principal cross beam of a car truck.
9. (Mech.) the perforated plate in a punching machine on which
anything rests when being punched.
10. (Cutlery) (a) That part of a knife blade which abuts upon the end
of the handle. (b) The metallic end of a pocketknife handle. G.
Francis.
11. (Arch.) The rolls forming the ends or sides of the Ionic capital.
G. Francis.
12. (Mil.) A block of wood on the carriage of a siege gun, upon which
the breech of the gun rests when arranged for transportation.
NOTE: [See Illust. of Gun carriage.]
Bolster work (Arch.), members which are bellied or curved outward like
cushions, as in friezes of certain classical styles.
Bolster
Bol"ster, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bolstered (; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bolstering.]
1. To support with a bolster or pillow. S. Sharp.
2. To support, hold up, or maintain with difficulty or unusual effort;
-- often with up.
To bolster baseness. Drayton.
Shoddy inventions designed to bolster up a factitious pride.
Compton Reade.
Bolstered
Bol"stered (?), a.
1. Supported; upheld.
2. Swelled out.
Bolsterer
Bol"ster*er (?), n. A supporter.
Bolt
Bolt (?), n. [AS. bolt; akin to Icel. bolti, Dan. bolt, D. bout, OHG.
bolz, G. bolz, bolzen; of uncertain origin.]
1. A shaft or missile intended to be shot from a crossbow or catapult,
esp. a short, stout, blunt-headed arrow; a quarrel; an arrow, or that
which resembles an arrow; a dart.
Look that the crossbowmen lack not bolts. Sir W. Scott.
A fool's bolt is soon shot. Shak.
2. Lightning; a thunderbolt.
3. A strong pin, of iron or other material, used to fasten or hold
something in place, often having a head at one end and screw thread
cut upon the other end.
4. A sliding catch, or fastening, as for a door or gate; the portion
of a lock which is shot or withdrawn by the action of the key.
5. An iron to fasten the legs of a prisoner; a shackle; a fetter.
[Obs.]
Away with him to prison! lay bolts enough upon him. Shak.
6. A compact package or roll of cloth, as of canvas or silk, often
containing about forty yards.
7. A bundle, as of oziers.
Bolt auger, an auger of large size; an auger to make holes for the
bolts used by shipwrights. -- Bolt and nut, a metallic pin with a head
formed upon one end, and a movable piece (the nut) screwed upon a
thread cut upon the other end. See B, C, and D, in illust. above.
NOTE: See Tap bolt, Screw bolt, and Stud bolt.
Bolt
Bolt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bolted; p. pr. & vb. n. Bolting.]
1. To shoot; to discharge or drive forth.
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2. To utter precipitately; to blurt or throw out.
I hate when Vice can bolt her arguments. Milton.
3. To swallow without chewing; as, to bolt food.
4. (U. S. Politics) To refuse to support, as a nomination made by a
party to which one has belonged or by a caucus in which one has taken
part.
5. (Sporting) To cause to start or spring forth; to dislodge, as
conies, rabbits, etc.
6. To fasten or secure with, or as with, a bolt or bolts, as a door, a
timber, fetters; to shackle; to restrain.
Let tenfold iron bolt my door. Langhorn.
Which shackles accidents and bolts up change. Shak.
Bolt
Bolt (?), v. i.
1. To start forth like a bolt or arrow; to spring abruptly; to come or
go suddenly; to dart; as, to bolt out of the room.
This Puck seems but a dreaming dolt, . . . And oft out of a bush
doth bolt. Drayton.
2. To strike or fall suddenly like a bolt.
His cloudless thunder bolted on their heads. Milton.
3. To spring suddenly aside, or out of the regular path; as, the horse
bolted.
4. (U.S. Politics) To refuse to support a nomination made by a party
or a caucus with which one has been connected; to break away from a
party.
Bolt
Bolt, adv. In the manner of a bolt; suddenly; straight; unbendingly.
[He] came bolt up against the heavy dragoon. Thackeray.
Bolt upright. (a) Perfectly upright; perpendicular; straight up;
unbendingly erect. Addison. (b) On the back at full length. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Bolt
Bolt, n. [From Bolt, v. i.]
1. A sudden spring or start; a sudden spring aside; as, the horse made
a bolt.
2. A sudden flight, as to escape creditors.
This gentleman was so hopelessly involved that he contemplated a
bolt to America -- or anywhere. Compton Reade.
3. (U. S. Politics) A refusal to support a nomination made by the
party with which one has been connected; a breaking away from one's
party.
Bolt
Bolt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bolted; p. pr. & vb. n. Bolting.] [OE.
bolten, boulten, OF. buleter, F. bluter, fr. Ll. buletare, buratare,
cf. F. bure coarse woolen stuff; fr. L. burrus red. See Borrel, and
cf. Bultel.]
1. To sift or separate the coarser from the finer particles of, as
bran from flour, by means of a bolter; to separate, assort, refine, or
purify by other means.
He now had bolted all the flour. Spenser.
Ill schooled in bolted language. Shak.
2. To separate, as if by sifting or bolting; -- with out.
Time and nature will bolt out the truth of things. L'Estrange.
3. (Law) To discuss or argue privately, and for practice, as cases at
law. Jacob.
To bolt to the bran, to examine thoroughly, so as to separate or
discover everything important. Chaucer.
This bolts the matter fairly to the bran. Harte.
The report of the committee was examined and sifted and bolted to
the bran. Burke.
Bolt
Bolt, n. A sieve, esp. a long fine sieve used in milling for bolting
flour and meal; a bolter. B. Jonson.
Boltel
Bol"tel (?), n. See Boultel.
Bolter
Bolt"er (?), n. One who bolts; esp.: (a) A horse which starts suddenly
aside. (b) A man who breaks away from his party.
Bolter
Bolt"er, n.
1. One who sifts flour or meal.
2. An instrument or machine for separating bran from flour, or the
coarser part of meal from the finer; a sieve.
Bolter
Bolt"er, n. A kind of fishing line. See Boulter.
Bolthead
Bolt"head` (, n.
1. (Chem.) A long, straightnecked, glass vessel for chemical
distillations; -- called also a matrass or receiver.
2. The head of a bolt.
Bolting
Bolt"ing, n. A darting away; a starting off or aside.
Bolting
Bolt"ing, n.
1. A sifting, as of flour or meal.
2. (Law) A private arguing of cases for practice by students, as in
the Inns of Court. [Obs.]
Bolting cloth, wire, hair, silk, or other sieve cloth of different
degrees of fineness; -- used by millers for sifting flour. McElrath.
-- Bolting hutch, a bin or tub for the bolted flour or meal; (fig.) a
receptacle.
Boltonite
Bol"ton*ite (?), n. (Min.) A granular mineral of a grayish or
yellowish color, found in Bolton, Massachusetts. It is a silicate of
magnesium, belonging to the chrysolite family.
Boltrope
Bolt"rope` (, n. (Naut.) A rope stitched to the edges of a sail to
strengthen the sail.
Boltsprit
Bolt"sprit` (, n. [A corruption of bowsprit.] (Naut.) See Bowsprit.
Bolty
Bol"ty (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) An edible fish of the Nile (genus Chromis).
[Written also bulti.]
Bolus
Bo"lus (?), n.; pl. Boluses (#). [L. bolus bit, morsel; cf. G. lump of
earth. See Bole, n., clay.] A rounded mass of anything, esp. a large
pill.
Bom
Bom (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A large American serpent, so called from the
sound it makes.
Bomb
Bomb (?), n. [F. bombe bombshell, fr. L. bombus a humming or buzzing
noise, Gr. .]
1. A great noise; a hollow sound. [Obs.]
A pillar of iron . . . which if you had struck, would make . . . a
great bomb in the chamber beneath. Bacon.
2. (Mil.) A shell; esp. a spherical shell, like those fired from
mortars. See Shell.
3. A bomb ketch.
Bomb chest (Mil.), a chest filled with bombs, or only with gunpowder,
placed under ground, to cause destruction by its explosion. -- Bomb
ketch, Bomb vessel (Naut.), a small ketch or vessel, very strongly
built, on which mortars are mounted to be used in naval bombardments;
-- called also mortar vessel. -- Bomb lance, a lance or harpoon with
an explosive head, used in whale fishing. -- Volcanic bomb, a mass of
lava of a spherical or pear shape. "I noticed volcanic bombs." Darwin.
Bomb
Bomb, v. t. To bombard. [Obs.] Prior.
Bomb
Bomb, v. i. [Cf. Boom.] To sound; to boom; to make a humming or
buzzing sound. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Bombace
Bom"bace (?), n. [OF.] Cotton; padding. [Obs.]
Bombard
Bom"bard (?), n. [F. bombarde, LL. bombarda, fr. L. bombus + -ard. Cf.
Bumper, and see Bomb.]
1. (Gun.) A piece of heavy ordnance formerly used for throwing stones
and other ponderous missiles. It was the earliest kind of cannon.
They planted in divers places twelve great bombards, wherewith they
threw huge stones into the air, which, falling down into the city,
might break down the houses. Knolles.
2. A bombardment. [Poetic & R.] J. Barlow.
3. A large drinking vessel or can, or a leather bottle, for carrying
liquor or beer. [Obs.]
Yond same black cloud, yond huge one, looks like a foul bombard
that would shed his liquor. Shak.
4. pl. Padded breeches. [Obs.]
Bombard phrase, inflated language; bombast. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Bombard
Bom"bard (?), n. [OE. bombarde, fr. F. bombarde.] (Mus.) See Bombardo.
[Obs.]
Bombard
Bom*bard" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bombarded; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bombarding.] To attack with bombards or with artillery; especially, to
throw shells, hot shot, etc., at or into.
Next, she means to bombard Naples. Burke.
His fleet bombarded and burnt down Dieppe. Wood.
Bombardier
Bom`bar*dier" (?), n. [F. bombardier.] (Mil.) (a) One who used or
managed a bombard; an artilleryman; a gunner. [Archaic] (b) A
noncommissioned officer in the British artillery. Bombardier beetle
(Zo\'94l.), a kind of beetle (Brachinus crepitans), so called because,
when disturbed, it makes an explosive discharge of a pungent and acrid
vapor from its anal glands. The name is applied to other related
species, as the B. displosor, which can produce ten or twelve
explosions successively. The common American species is B. fumans.
Bombardman
Bom"bard*man (?), n. One who carried liquor or beer in a can or
bombard. [Obs.]
They . . . made room for a bombardman that brought bouge for a
country lady. B. Jonson.
Bombardment
Bom*bard"ment (?), n. [F. bombardement.] An attack upon a fortress or
fortified town, with shells, hot shot, rockets, etc.; the act of
throwing bombs and shot into a town or fortified place.
Bombardo, Bombardon
Bom*bar"do (?), Bom*bar"don (?), n. [It. bombardo.] (Mus.) Originally,
a deep-toned instrument of the oboe or bassoon family; thence, a bass
reed stop on the organ. The name bombardon is now given to a brass
instrument, the lowest of the saxhorns, in tone resembling the
ophicleide. Grove.
Bombasine
Bom`ba*sine" (?), n. Same as Bombazine.
Bombast
Bom"bast (?), n. [OF. bombace cotton, LL. bombax cotton, bombasium a
doublet of cotton; hence, padding, wadding, fustian. See Bombazine.]
1. Originally, cotton, or cotton wool. [Obs.]
A candle with a wick of bombast. Lupton.
2. Cotton, or any soft, fibrous material, used as stuffing for
garments; stuffing; padding. [Obs.]
How now, my sweet creature of bombast! Shak.
Doublets, stuffed with four, five, or six pounds of bombast at
least. Stubbes.
3. Fig.: High-sounding words; an inflated style; language above the
dignity of the occasion; fustian.
Yet noisy bombast carefully avoid. Dryden.
Bombast
Bom"bast, a. High-sounding; inflated; big without meaning;
magniloquent; bombastic.
[He] evades them with a bombast circumstance,
Horribly stuffed with epithets of war. Shak.
Nor a tall metaphor in bombast way. Cowley.
Bombast
Bom*bast" (?), v. t. To swell or fill out; to pad; to inflate.
[Obs.]
Not bombasted with words vain ticklish ears to feed. Drayton.
Bombastic, Bombastical
Bom*bas"tic (?), Bom*bas"tic*al (?), a. Characterized by bombast;
highsounding; inflated. -- Bom*bas"tic*al*ly, adv.
A theatrical, bombastic, windy phraseology. Burke.
Syn. -- Turgid; tumid; pompous; grandiloquent.
Bombastry
Bom"bast*ry (?), n. Swelling words without much meaning; bombastic
language; fustian.
Bombastry and buffoonery, by nature lofty and light, soar highest
of all. Swift.
Bombax
Bom"bax (?), n. [LL., cotton. See Bombast, n.] (Bot.) A genus of
trees, called also the silkcotton tree; also, a tree of the genus
Bombax.
Bombazet Bombazette
Bom`ba*zet" Bom`ba*zette" (?), n. [Cf. Bombazine.] A sort of thin
woolen cloth. It is of various colors, and may be plain or twilled.
Bombazine
Bom`ba*zine" (?), n. [F. bombasin, LL. bombacinium, bambacinium, L.
bombycinus silken, bombycinum a silk or cotton texture, fr. bombyx
silk, silkworm, Gr. . Cf. Bombast, Bombycinous.] A twilled fabric
for dresses, of which the warp is silk, and the weft worsted. Black
bombazine has been much used for mourning garments. [Sometimes
spelt bombasin, and bombasine.] Tomlinson.
Bombic
Bom"bic (?), a. [L. bombyx silk, silkworm: cf. F. bombique.]
Pertaining to, or obtained from, the silkworm; as, bombic acid.
Bombilate
Bom"bi*late (?), v. i. [LL. bombilare, for L. bombitare. See Bomb,
n.] To hum; to buzz. [R.]
Bombilation
Bom`bi*la"tion (?), n. A humming sound; a booming.
To . . . silence the bombilation of guns. Sir T. Browne.
Bombinate
Bom"bi*nate (?), v. i. To hum; to boom.
Bombination
Bom`bi*na"tion (?), n. A humming or buzzing.
Bombolo
Bom"bo*lo (?), n.; pl. Bomboloes (#). [Cf. It bombola a pitcher.] A
thin spheroidal glass retort or flask, used in the sublimation of
camphor. [Written also bumbelo, and bumbolo.]
Bombproof
Bomb"proof` (?), a. Secure against the explosive force of bombs. --
n. A structure which heavy shot and shell will not penetrate.
Bombshell
Bomb"shell` (, n. A bomb. See Bomb, n.
Bombycid
Bom*by"cid (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Like or pertaining to the genus
Bombyx, or the family Bombycid\'91.
Bombycinous
Bom*byc"i*nous (?), a. [L. bombycinus. See Bombazine.]
1. Silken; made of silk. [Obs.] Coles.
2. Being of the color of the silkworm; transparent with a yellow
tint. E. Darwin.
Bombylious
Bom*byl"i*ous (?), a. [L. bombylius a bumblebee, Gr. .] Buzzing,
like a bumblebee; as, the bombylious noise of the horse fly. [Obs.]
Derham.
Bombyx
Bom"byx (?), n. [L., silkworm. See Bombazine.] (Zo\'94l.) A genus
of moths, which includes the silkworm moth. See Silkworm.
Bon
Bon (?), a. [F., fr. L. bonus.] Good; valid as security for
something.
Bon-accord
Bon-ac*cord" (?), n. Good will; good fellowship; agreement. [Scot.]
Bona fide
Bo"na fi"de (?). [L.] In or with good faith; without fraud or
deceit; real or really; actual or actually; genuine or genuinely;
as, you must proceed bona fide; a bona fide purchaser or
transaction.
Bonair
Bo*nair" (?), a. [OE., also bonere, OF. bonnaire, Cotgr., abbrev.
of debonnaire. See Debonair.] Gentle; courteous; complaisant;
yielding. [Obs.]
Bonanza
Bo*nan"za (?), n. [Sp., prop. calm., fair weather, prosperity, fr.
L. bonus good.] In mining, a rich mine or vein of silver or gold;
hence, anything which is a mine of wealth or yields a large income.
[Colloq. U. S.]
Bonapartean
Bo`na*part"e*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Napoleon Bonaparte or
his family.
Bonapartism
Bo"na*part`ism (?), n. The policy of Bonaparte or of the
Bonapartes.
Bonapartist
Bo"na*part`ist, n. One attached to the policy or family of
Bonaparte, or of the Bonapartes.
Bona peritura
Bo"na per`i*tu"ra (?). [L.] (Law) Perishable goods. Bouvier.
Bona roba
Bo"na ro"ba (?). [It., prop. "good stuff."] A showy wanton; a
courtesan. Shak
Bonasus, Bonassus
Bo*na"sus (?), Bo*nas"sus (?), n. [L. bonasus, Gr. , .] (Zo\'94l.)
The aurochs or European bison. See Aurochs.
Bonbon
Bon"bon` (?), n. [F. bonbon, fr. bon bon very good, a superlative
by reduplication, fr. bon good.] Sugar confectionery; a sugarplum;
hence, any dainty.
Bonce
Bonce (?), n. [Etymol. unknown.] A boy's game played with large
marbles.
Bonchr\'82tien
Bon`chr\'82`tien" (?), n. [F., good Christian.] A name given to
several kinds of pears. See Bartlett.
Boncilate
Bon"ci*late (?), n. [Empirical trade name.] A substance composed of
ground bone, mineral matters, etc., hardened by pressure, and used
for making billiard balls, boxes, etc.
Bond
Bond (?), n. [The same word as band. Cf. Band, Bend.]
1. That which binds, ties, fastens,or confines, or by which
anything is fastened or bound, as a cord, chain, etc.; a band; a
ligament; a shackle or a manacle.
Gnawing with my teeth my bonds in sunder, I gained my freedom.
Shak.
2. pl. The state of being bound; imprisonment; captivity,
restraint. "This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds."
Acts xxvi.
3. A binding force or influence; a cause of union; a uniting tie;
as, the bonds of fellowship.
A people with whom I have no tie but the common bond of mankind.
Burke.
4. Moral or political duty or obligation.
I love your majesty According to my bond, nor more nor less. Shak.
5. (Law) A writing under seal, by which a person binds himself, his
heirs, executors, and administrators, to pay a certain sum on or
before a future day appointed. This is a single bond. But usually a
condition is added, that, if the obligor shall do a certain act,
appear at a certain place, conform to certain rules, faithfully
perform certain duties, or pay a certain sum of money, on or before
a time specified, the obligation shall be void; otherwise it shall
remain in full force. If the condition is not performed, the bond
becomes forfeited, and the obligor and his heirs are liable to the
payment of the whole sum. Bouvier. Wharton.
6. An instrument (of the nature of the ordinary legal bond) made by
a government or a corporation for purpose of borrowing money; as, a
government, city, or railway bond.
7. The state of goods placed in a bonded warehouse till the duties
are paid; as, merchandise in bond.
8. (Arch.) The union or tie of the several stones or bricks forming
a wall. The bricks may be arranged for this purpose in several
different ways, as in English or block bond (Fig. 1), where one
course consists of bricks with their ends toward the face of the
wall, called headers, and the next course of bricks with their
lengths parallel to the face of the wall, called stretchers;
Flemish bond (Fig.2), where each course consists of headers and
stretchers alternately, so laid as always to break joints; Cross
bond, which differs from the English by the change of the second
stretcher line so that its joints come in the middle of the first,
and the same position of stretchers comes back every fifth line;
Combined cross and English bond, where the inner part of the wall
is laid in the one method, the outer in the other.
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9. (Chem.) A unit of chemical attraction; as, oxygen has two bonds
of affinity. It is often represented in graphic formul\'91 by a
short line or dash. See Diagram of Benzene nucleus, and Valence.
Arbitration bond. See under Arbitration. -- Bond crediter (Law), a
creditor whose debt is secured by a bond. Blackstone. -- Bond debt
(Law), a debt contracted under the obligation of a bond. Burrows. --
Bond (OR lap) of a slate, the distance between the top of one slate
and the bottom or drip of the second slate above, i. e., the space
which is covered with three thicknesses; also, the distance between
the nail of the under slate and the lower edge of the upper slate. --
Bond timber, timber worked into a wall to tie or strengthen it
longitudinally. Syn. -- Chains; fetters; captivity; imprisonment.
Bond
Bond (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bonded; p. pr. & vb. n. Bonding.]
1. To place under the conditions of a bond; to mortgage; to secure the
payment of the duties on (goods or merchandise) by giving a bond.
2. (Arch.) To dispose in building, as the materials of a wall, so as
to secure solidity.
Bond
Bond, n. [OE. bond, bonde, peasant, serf, AS. bonda]C>, bunda,
husband, bouseholder, from Icel. b husbandman, for b, fr. b to dwell.
See Boor, Husband.] A xassal or serf; a slave. [Obs. or Archaic]
Bond
Bond, a. In a state of servitude or slavery; captive.
By one Spirit are we all baptized .. whether we be Jews or
Bentiles, whether we be bond or free. 1 Cor. xii. 13.
Bondage
Bond"age (?), n. [LL. bondagium. See Bond, a.]
1. The state of being bound; condition of being under restraint;
restraint of personal liberty by compulsion; involuntary servitude;
slavery; captivity.
The King, when he designed you for my guard, Resolved he would not
make my bondage hard. Dryden.
2. Obligation; tie of duty.
He must resolve by no means to be . . . brought under the bondage
of onserving oaths. South.
3. (Old Eng. Law) Villenage; tenure of land on condition of doing the
meanest services for the owner. Syn. -- Thralldom; bond service;
imprisonment.
Bondager
Bond"a*ger (?), n. A field worker, esp. a woman who works in the
field. [Scot.]
Bondar
Bon"dar (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) A small quadruped of Bengal
(Paradoxurus bondar), allied to the genet; -- called also musk cat.
Bonded
Bond"ed (?), a. Placed under, or covered by, a bond, as for the
payment of duties, or for conformity to coertain regulations. Bonded
goods, goods placed in a bonded warehouse; goods, for the duties on
which bonds are given at the customhouse. -- Bonded warehouse, a
warehouse in which goods on which the duties are unpaid are stored
under bond and in the joint custody of the importer, or his agent, and
the customs officers.
Bonder
Bond"er (?), n.
1. One who places goods under bond or in a bonded warehouse.
2. (Masonry) A bonding stone or brick; a bondstone.
Bonder
Bond"er, n. [Norwegian bonde.] A freeholder on a small scale. [Norway]
Emerson.
Bondholder
Bond"hold`er (?), n. A person who holds the bonds of a public or
private corporation for the payment of money at a certain time.
Bondmaid
Bond"maid` (?), n. [Bond,a.orn.+ maid.] A female slave, or one bound
to service without wages, as distinguished from a hired servant.
Bondman
Bond"man (?), n.; pl. Bondmen (#). [Bond,a.orn.+ man.]
1. A man slave, or one bound to service without wages. "To enfranchise
bondmen." Macaulay.
2. (Old Eng. Law) A villain, or tenant in villenage.
Bond servant
Bond" serv`ant (?). A slave; one who is bound to service without
wages.
If thy brother . . . be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee; thou
shalt not compel him to serve as a bond servant: but as an hired
servant. Lev. xxv. 39, 40.
Bond service
Bond" serv`ice (?). The condition of a bond servant; sevice without
wages; slavery.
Their children . . . upon those did Solomon levy a tribute of bond
service. 1 Kings ix. 21.
Bondslave
Bond"slave` (, n. A person in a state of slavery; one whose person and
liberty are subjected to the authority of a master.
Bondsman
Bonds"man (?), n.; pl. Bondsmen . [Bond,a.orn.+ man.]
1. A slave; a villain; a serf; a bondman.
Carnal, greedy people, without such a precept, would have no mercy
upon their poor bondsmen. Derham.
2. (Law) A surety; one who is bound, or who gives security, for
another.
Bondstone
Bond"stone` (?), n. [Bond,n.+ stone.] (Masonry) A stone running
through a wall from one face to another, to bind it together; a
binding stone.
Bondswoman
Bonds"wom`an (?), n. See Bondwoman.
Bonduc
Bon"duc (?), n. [F. bonduc, fr. Ar. bunduq hazel nut, filbert nut.]
(Bot.) See Nicker tree.
Bondwoman
Bond"wom`an (?), n.; pl. Bondwomen (#). [Bond,a.orn.+ woman.] A woman
who is a slave, or in bondage.
He who was of the bondwoman. Gal. iv. 23.
Bone
Bone (?), n. [OE. bon, ban, AS. b\'ben; akin to Icel. bein, Sw. ben,
Dan. & D. been, G. bein bone, leg; cf. Icel. beinn straight.]
1. (Anat.) The hard, calcified tissue of the skeleton of vertebrate
animals, consisting very largely of calcic carbonate, calcic
phosphate, and gelatine; as, blood and bone.
NOTE: &hand; Ev en in th e ha rdest pa rts of bone there are many
minute cavities containing living matter and connected by minute
canals, some of which connect with larger canals through which
blood vessels ramify.
2. One of the pieces or parts of an animal skeleton; as, a rib or a
thigh bone; a bone of the arm or leg; also, any fragment of bony
substance. (pl.) The frame or skeleton of the body.
3. Anything made of bone, as a bobbin for weaving bone lace.
4. pl. Two or four pieces of bone held between the fingers and struck
together to make a kind of music.
5. pl. Dice.
6. Whalebone; hence, a piece of whalebone or of steel for a corset.
7. Fig.: The framework of anything.
A bone of contention, a subject of contention or dispute. -- A bone to
pick, something to investigate, or to busy one's self about; a dispute
to be settled (with some one). -- Bone ash, the residue from calcined
bones; -- used for making cupels, and for cleaning jewelry. -- Bone
black (Chem.), the black, carbonaceous substance into which bones are
converted by calcination in close vessels; -- called also animal
charcoal. It is used as a decolorizing material in filtering sirups,
extracts, etc., and as a black pigment. See Ivory black, under Black.
-- Bone cave, a cave in which are found bones of extinct or recent
animals, mingled sometimes with the works and bones of man. Am. Cyc.
-- Bone dust, ground or pulverized bones, used as a fertilizer. --
Bone earth (Chem.), the earthy residuum after the calcination of bone,
consisting chiefly of phosphate of calcium. -- Bone lace, a lace made
of linen thread, so called because woven with bobbins of bone. -- Bone
oil, an oil obtained by, heating bones (as in the manufacture of bone
black), and remarkable for containing the nitrogenous bases, pyridine
and quinoline, and their derivatives; -- also called Dippel's oil. --
Bone setter. Same as Bonesetter. See in the Vocabulary. -- Bone shark
(Zo\'94l.), the basking shark. -- Bone spavin. See under Spavin. --
Bone turquoise, fossil bone or tooth of a delicate blue color,
sometimes used as an imitation of true turquoise. -- Bone whale
(Zo\'94l.), a right whale. -- To be upon the bones of, to attack.
[Obs.] -- To make no bones, to make no scruple; not to hesitate. [Low]
-- To pick a bone with, to quarrel with, as dogs quarrel over a bone;
to settle a disagreement. [Colloq.]
Bone
Bone (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boned (; p. pr. & vb. n. Boning.]
1. To withdraw bones from the flesh of, as in cookery. "To bone a
turkey." Soyer.
2. To put whalebone into; as, to bone stays. Ash.
3. To fertilize with bone.
4. To steal; to take possession of. [Slang]
Bone
Bone, v. t. [F. bornoyer to look at with one eye, to sight, fr. borgne
one-eyed.] To sight along an object or set of objects, to see if it or
they be level or in line, as in carpentry, masonry, and surveying.
Knight.
Joiners, etc., bone their work with two straight edges. W. M.
Buchanan.
Boneache
Bone"ache` (?), n. Pain in the bones. Shak.
Boneblack
Bone"black` (?), n. See Bone black, under Bone, n.
Boned
Boned (?), a.
1. Having (such) bones; -- used in composition; as, big-boned;
strong-boned.
No big-boned men framed of the Cyclops' size. Shak.
2. Deprived of bones; as, boned turkey or codfish.
3. Manured with bone; as, boned land.
Bonedog
Bone"dog` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The spiny dogfish.
Bonefish
Bone"fish` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Ladyfish.
Boneless
Bone"less, a. Without bones. "Boneless gums." Shak.
Boneset
Bone"set` (?), n. (Bot.) A medicinal plant, the thoroughwort
(Eupatorium perfoliatum). Its properties are diaphoretic and tonic.
Bonesetter
Bone"set*ter (?), n. One who sets broken or dislocated bones; --
commonly applied to one, not a regular surgeon, who makes an
occupation of setting bones. -- Bone"set*ting, n.
Boneshaw
Bone"shaw (?), n. (Med.) Sciatica. [Obs.]
Bonetta
Bo*net"ta (?), n. See Bonito. Sir T. Herbert.
Bonfire
Bon"fire` (?), n. [OE. bonefire, banefire, orig. a fire of bones; bone
+ fire; but cf. also Prov. E. bun a dry stalk.] A large fire built in
the open air, as an expression of public joy and exultation, or for
amusement.
Full soon by bonfire and by bell, We learnt our liege was passing
well. Gay.
Bongrace
Bon"grace` (, n. [F. bon good + gr\'83ce grace, charm.] A projecting
bonnet or shade to protect the complexion; also, a wide-brimmed hat.
[Obs.]
Bonhomie, Bonhommie
Bon`ho*mie", Bon`hom*mie" (, n. [F.] good nature; pleasant and easy
manner.
Bonibell
Bon"i*bell (?), n. See Bonnibel. [Obs.] Spenser.
Boniface
Bon"i*face (?), n. [From the sleek, jolly landlord in Farquhar's
comedy of "The Beaux' Stratagem."] An innkeeper.
Boniform
Bon"i*form (?), a. [L. bonus good + -form.] Sensitive or responsive to
moral excellence. Dr. H. More.
Bonify
Bon"i*fy (?), v. t. [L. bonus good + -fy: cf. F. bonifier.] To convert
into, or make, good.
To bonify evils, or tincture them with good. Cudworth.
Boniness
Bon"i*ness (?), n. The condition or quality of being bony.
Boning
Bon"ing, n. [Senses 1 and 2 fr. 1st Bone, sense 3 fr. 3d Bone.]
1. The clearing of bones from fish or meat.
2. The manuring of land with bones.
3. A method of leveling a line or surface by sighting along the tops
of two or more straight edges, or a range of properly spaced poles.
See 3d Bone, v. t.
Bonitary
Bon"i*ta*ry (?), a. Beneficial, as opposed to statutory or civil; as,
bonitary dominion of land.
Bonito
Bo*ni"to (?), n.; pl. Bonitoes (. [Sp. & Pg. bonito, fr. Ar. bain\'c6t
and bain\'c6th.] [Often incorrectly written bonita.] (Zo\'94l.)
1. A large tropical fish (Orcynus pelamys) allied to the tunny. It is
about three feet long, blue above, with four brown stripes on the
sides. It is sometimes found on the American coast.
2. The skipjack (Sarda Mediterranea) of the Atlantic, an important and
abundant food fish on the coast of the United States, and (S.
Chilensis) of the Pacific, and other related species. They are large
and active fishes, of a blue color with black oblique stripes.
3. The medregal (Seriola fasciata), an edible fish of the southern of
the United States and the West Indies.
4. The cobia or crab eater (Elacate canada), an edible fish of the
Middle and Southern United States.
Bonmot
Bon"mot` (?), n.; pl. Bonsmots (#). [ F. bon good + mot word.] A witty
repartee; a jest.
Bonne
Bonne (?), n. (F., prop. good woman.) A female servant charged with
the care of a young child.
Bonne bouche
Bonne" bouche" (?); pl. Bonnes bouches (. [F. bon, fem. bonne, good +
bouche mouth.] A delicious morsel or mouthful; a tidbit.
Bonnet
Bon"net (?), n. [OE. bonet, OF. bonet, bonete. F. bonnet fr. LL.
bonneta, bonetum; orig. the name of a stuff, and of unknown origin.]
1. A headdress for men and boys; a cap. [Obs.] Milton. Shak.
2. A soft, elastic, very durable cap, made of thick, seamless woolen
stuff, and worn by men in Scotland.
And pbonnets waving high. Sir W. Scott.
3. A covering for the head, worn by women, usually protecting more or
less the back and sides of the head, but no part of the forehead. The
shape of the bonnet varies greatly at different times; formerly the
front part projected, and spread outward, like the mouth of a funnel.
4. Anything resembling a bonnet in shape or use; as, (a) (Fort.) A
small defense work at a salient angle; or a part of a parapet elevated
to screen the other part from enfilade fire. (b) A metallic canopy, or
projection, over an opening, as a fireplace, or a cowl or hood to
increase the draught of a chimney, etc. (c) A frame of wire netting
over a locomotive chimney, to prevent escape of sparks. (d) A roofing
over the cage of a mine, to protect its occupants from objects falling
down the shaft. (e) In pumps, a metal covering for the openings in the
valve chambers.
5. (Naut.) An additional piece of canvas laced to the foot of a jib or
foresail in moderate winds. Hakluyt.
6. The second stomach of a ruminating animal.
7. An accomplice of a gambler, auctioneer, etc., who entices others to
bet or to bid; a decoy. [Cant]
Bonnet head (Zo\'94l.), a shark (Sphyrna tiburio) of the southern
United States and West Indies. -- Bonnet limpet (Zo\'94l.), a name
given, from their shape, to various species of shells (family
Calyptr\'91id\'91). -- Bonnet monkey (Zo\'94l.), an East Indian monkey
(Macacus sinicus), with a tuft of hair on its head; the munga. --
Bonnet piece, a gold coin of the time of James V. of Scotland, the
king's head on which wears a bonnet. Sir W. Scott. -- To have a bee in
the bonnet. See under Bee. -- Black bonnet. See under Black. -- Blue
bonnet. See in the Vocabulary.
Bonnet
Bon"net, v. i. To take off the bonnet or cap as a mark of respect; to
uncover. [Obs.] Shak.
Bonneted
Bon"net*ed, a.
1. Wearing a bonnet. "Bonneted and shawled." Howitt.
2. (Fort.) Protected by a bonnet. See Bonnet, 4 (a).
Bonnetless
Bon"net*less, a. Without a bonnet.
Bonnibel
Bon"ni*bel (?), n. [F. bonne et belle, good and beautiful. Cf.
Bellibone.] A handsome girl. [Obs.]
Bonnie
Bon"nie (?), a. [Scot.] See Bonny, a.
Bonnilass
Bon"ni*lass` (?), n. [Bonny + lass.] A "bonny lass"; a beautiful girl.
[Obs.] Spenser.
Bonnily
Bon"ni*ly, adv. Gayly; handsomely.
Bonniness
Bon"ni*ness, n. The quality of being bonny; gayety [R.]
Bonny
Bon"ny (?), a. [Spelled bonnie by the Scotch.] [OE. boni, prob. fr. F.
bon, fem. bonne, good, fr. L. bonus good. See Bounty, and cf. Bonus,
Boon.]
1. Handsome; beautiful; pretty; attractively lively and graceful.
Till bonny Susan sped across the plain. Gay.
Far from the bonnie banks of Ayr. Burns.
2. Gay; merry; frolicsome; cheerful; blithe.
Be you blithe and bonny. Shak.
Report speaks you a bonny monk, that would hear the matiSir W.
Scott.
Bonny
Bon"ny, n. (Mining) A round and compact bed of ore, or a distinct bed,
not communicating with a vein.
Bonnyclabber
Bon"ny*clab`ber (?), n. [Ir. bainne, baine, milk + clabar mud, mire.]
Coagulated sour milk; loppered milk; curdled milk; -- sometimes called
simply clabber. B. Jonson.
Bon Sil\'8ane
Bon" Si`l\'8ane" (?). [F.] (Bot.) A very fragrant tea rose with petals
of various shades of pink.
Bonspiel
Bon"spiel (?), n. [Scot.; of uncertain origin.] A cur [Scot.]
Bontebok
Bon"te*bok (?), n. [D. bont a sort of skin or fur, prop. variegated +
bok buck.] (Zo\'94l.) The pied antelope of South Africa (Alcelaphus
pygarga). Its face and rump are white. Called also nunni.
Bon ton
Bon" ton" (?). [F., good tone, manner.] The height of the fashion;
fashionable society.
Bonus
Bo"nus (?), n.; pl. Bonuses (. [L. bonus good. Cf. Bonny.]
1. (Law) A premium given for a loan, or for a charter or other
privilege granted to a company; as the bank paid a bonus for its
charter. Bouvier.
2. An extra dividend to the shareholders of a joint stock company, out
of accumulated profits.
3. Money paid in addition to a stated compensation.
Bon vivant
Bon" vi`vant" (?); pl. Bons vivants (#). [F. bon good + vivant, p. pr.
of vivre to live.] A good fellow; a jovial companion; a free liver.
Bony
Bon"y (?), a.
1. Consisting of bone, or of bones; full of bones; pertaining to
bones.
2. Having large or prominent bones.
Bony fish (Zo\'94l.), the menhaden. -- Bony pike (Zo\'94l.), the gar
pike (Lepidosteus).
Bonze
Bon"ze (?), n. [Pg. bonzo, fr. Japan b\'d3zu a Buddhist priest: cf. F.
bonze.] A Buddhist or Fohist priest, monk, or nun.
NOTE: &hand; The name was given by the Portuguese to the priests of
Japan, and has since been applied to the priests of China, Cochin
China, and the neighboring countries.
Booby
Boo"by (?), n.; pl. Boobies (#). [Sp. bobe dunce, idiot; cf. L. balbus
stammering, E. barbarous.]
1. A dunce; a stupid fellow.
2. (Zo\'94l.) (a) A swimming bird (Sula fiber or S. sula) related to
the common gannet, and found in the West Indies, nesting on the bare
rocks. It is so called on account of its apparent stupidity. The name
is also sometimes applied to other species of gannets; as, S.
piscator, the red-footed booby. (b) A species of penguin of the
antarctic seas.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 166
Booby hatch (Naut.), a kind of wooden hood over a hatch, readily
removable.<-- Colloq. An insane asylum. --> -- Booby hut, a carriage
body put upon sleigh runners. [Local, U. S.] Bartlett. -- Booby hutch,
a clumsy covered carriage or seat, used in the eastern part of
England. Forby. -- Booby trap, a schoolboy's practical joke, as a
shower bath when a door is opened.
Booby
Boo"by (?), a. Having the characteristics of a booby; stupid.
Boobyish
Boo"by*ish, a. Stupid; dull.
Boodh
Boodh (?), n. Same as Buddha. Malcom.
Boodhism
Boodh"ism (?), n. Same as Buddhism.
Boodhist
Boodh"ist, n. Same as Buddhist.
Boodle
Boo"dle (?), n. [Origin uncertain.]
1. The whole collection or lot; caboodle. [Low, U. S.] Bartlett.
2. Money given in payment for votes or political influence; bribe
money; swag. [Polit. slang, U. S.]
Boohoe
Boo`hoe" (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Boohooed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Boohooing.] [An imitative word.] To bawl; to cry loudly. [Low]
Bartlett.
Boohoo
Boo"hoo` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The sailfish; -- called also woohoo.
Book
Book (?), n. [OE. book, bok, AS. b; akin to Goth. b a letter, in pl.
book, writing, Icel. b, Sw. bok, Dan. bog, OS. b, D. boek, OHG. puoh,
G. buch; and fr. AS. b, b, beech; because the ancient Saxons and
Germans in general wrote runes on pieces of beechen board. Cf. Beech.]
1. A collection of sheets of paper, or similar material, blank,
written, or printed, bound together; commonly, many folded and bound
sheets containing continuous printing or writing.
NOTE: &hand; Wh en bl ank, it is called a blank book. When printed,
the term often distinguishes a bound volume, or a volume of some
size, from a pamphlet.
NOTE: &hand; It has been held that, under the copyright law, a book
is not necessarily a volume made of many sheets bound together; it
may be printed on a single sheet, as music or a diagram of
patterns.
Abbott.
2. A composition, written or printed; a treatise.
A good book is the precious life blood of a master spirit, embalmed
and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life. Milton.
3. A part or subdivision of a treatise or literary work; as, the tenth
book of "Paradise Lost."
4. A volume or collection of sheets in which accounts are kept; a
register of debts and credits, receipts and expenditures, etc.
5. Six tricks taken by one side, in the game of whist; in certain
other games, two or more corresponding cards, forming a set.
NOTE: &hand; Bo ok is us ed ad jectively or as a pa rt of many
compounds; as, book buyer, bookrack, book club, book lore, book
sale, book trade, memorandum book, cashbook.
Book account, an account or register of debt or credit in a book. --
Book debt, a debt for items charged to the debtor by the creditor in
his book of accounts. -- Book learning, learning acquired from books,
as distinguished from practical knowledge. "Neither does it so much
require book learning and scholarship, as good natural sense, to
distinguish true and false." Burnet. -- Book louse (Zo\'94l.), one of
several species of minute, wingless insects injurious to books and
papers. They belong to the Pseudoneuroptera. -- Book moth (Zo\'94l.),
the name of several species of moths, the larv\'91 of which eat books.
-- Book oath, an oath made on The Book, or Bible. -- The Book of
Books, the Bible. -- Book post, a system under which books, bulky
manuscripts, etc., may be transmitted by mail. -- Book scorpion
(Zo\'94l.), one of the false scorpions (Chelifer cancroides) found
among books and papers. It can run sidewise and backward, and feeds on
small insects. -- Book stall, a stand or stall, often in the open air,
for retailing books. -- Canonical books. See Canonical. -- In one's
books, in one's favor. "I was so much in his books, that at his
decease he left me his lamp." Addison. -- To bring to book. (a) To
compel to give an account. (b) To compare with an admitted authority.
"To bring it manifestly to book is impossible." M. Arnold. -- To
course by bell, book, and candle. See under Bell. -- To make a book
(Horse Racing), to lay bets (recorded in a pocket book) against the
success of every horse, so that the bookmaker wins on all the
unsuccessful horses and loses only on the winning horse or horses. --
To speak by the book, to speak with minute exactness. -- Without book.
(a) By memory. (b) Without authority.
Book
Book, v. t. [imp & p. p. Booked (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Booking.]
1. To enter, write, or register in a book or list.
Let it be booked with the rest of this day's deeds. Shak.
2. To enter the name of (any one) in a book for the purpose of
securing a passage, conveyance, or seat; as, to be booked for
Southampton; to book a seat in a theater.
3. To mark out for; to destine or assign for; as, he is booked for the
valedictory. [Colloq.]
Here I am booked for three days more in Paris. Charles Reade.
Bookbinder
Book"bind`er (?), n. One whose occupation is to bind books.
Bookbindery
Book"bind`er*y (?), n. A bookbinder's shop; a place or establishment
for binding books.
Bookbinding
Book"bind`ing, n. The art, process, or business of binding books.
Bookcase
Book"case` (, n. A case with shelves for holding books, esp. one with
glazed doors.
Bookcraft
Book"craft` (?), n. Authorship; literary skill.
Booked
Booked (?), a.
1. Registered.
2. On the way; destined. [Colloq.]
Booker
Book"er (?), n. One who enters accounts or names, etc., in a book; a
bookkeeper.
Bookful
Book"ful (?), n. As much as will fill a book; a book full. Shak. -- a.
Filled with book learning. [R.] "The bookful blockhead." Pope.
Bookholder
Book"hold`er (?), n.
1. A prompter at a theater. [Obs.] Beau & Fl.
2. A support for a book, holding it open, while one reads or copies
from it.
Booking clerk
Book"ing clerk` (?). A clerk who registers passengers, baggage, etc.,
for conveyance, as by railway or steamship, or who sells passage
tickets at a booking office.
Booking office
Book"ing of`fice (?).
1. An office where passengers, baggage, etc., are registered for
conveyance, as by railway or steamship.
2. An office where passage tickets are sold. [Eng.]
Bookish
Book"ish, a.
1. Given to reading; fond of study; better acquainted with books than
with men; learned from books. "A bookish man." Addison. "Bookish
skill." Bp. Hall.
2. Characterized by a method of expression generally found in books;
formal; labored; pedantic; as, a bookish way of talking; bookish
sentences. -- Book"ish*ly, adv. -- Book"ish*ness, n.
Bookkeeper
Book"keep`er (?), n. One who keeps accounts; one who has the charge of
keeping the books and accounts in an office.
Bookkeeping
Book"keep`ing, n. The art of recording pecuniary or business
transactions in a regular and systematic manner, so as to show their
relation to each other, and the state of the business in which they
occur; the art of keeping accounts. The books commonly used are a
daybook, cashbook, journal, and ledger. See Daybook, Cashbook,
Journal, and Ledger. Bookkeeping by single entry, the method of
keeping books by carrying the record of each transaction to the debit
or credit of a single account. -- Bookkeeping by double entry, a mode
of bookkeeping in which two entries of every transaction are carried
to the ledger, one to the Dr., or left hand, side of one account, and
the other to the Cr., or right hand, side of a corresponding account,
in order thaItalian method.
Bookland, Bockland
Book"land` (?), Bock"land` (?), n. [AS. b; b book + land land.] (O.
Eng. Law) Charter land held by deed under certain rents and free
services, which differed in nothing from free socage lands. This
species of tenure has given rise to the modern freeholds.
Book-learned
Book"-learned` (?), a. Versed in books; having knowledge derived from
books. [Often in a disparaging sense.]
Whate'er these book-learned blockheads say, Solon's the veriest
fool in all the play. Dryden.
Bookless
Book"less, a. Without books; unlearned. Shenstone.
Booklet
Book"let (?), n. A little book. T. Arnold.
Bookmaker
Book"mak`er (?), n.
1. One who writes and publishes books; especially, one who gathers his
materials from other books; a compiler.
2. (Horse Racing) A betting man who "makes a book." See To make a
book, under Book, n.
Bookman
Book"man (?), n.; pl. Bookmen (. A studious man; a scholar. Shak.
Bookmark
Book"mark` (?), n. Something placed in a book to guide in finding a
particular page or passage; also, a label in a book to designate the
owner; a bookplate.
Bookmate
Book"mate` (?), n. [Book + mate.] A schoolfellow; an associate in
study.
Bookmonger
Book"mon`ger (?), n. A dealer in books.
Book muslin
Book" mus`lin (?).
1. A kind of muslin used for the covers of books.
2. A kind of thin white muslin for ladies' dresses.
Bookplate
Book"plate` (?), n. A label, placed upon or in a book, showing its
ownership or its position in a library.
Bookseller
Book"sell`er (?), n. One who sells books.
Bookselling
Book"sell`ing (?), n. The employment of selling books.
Bookshelf
Book"shelf` (?), n.; pl. Bookshelves (. A shelf to hold books.
Bookshop
Book"shop` (?), n. A bookseller's shop. [Eng.]
Bookstall
Book"stall` (?), n. A stall or stand where books are sold.
Bookstand
Book"stand` (?), n.
1. A place or stand for the sale of books in the streets; a bookstall.
2. A stand to hold books for reading or reference.
Bookstore
Book"store` (?), n. A store where books are kept for sale; -- called
in England a bookseller's shop.
Bookwork
Book"work` (?), n.
1. Work done upon a book or books (as in a printing office), in
distinction from newspaper or job work.
2. Study; application to books.
Bookworm
Book"worm` (?), n.
1. (Zo\'94l.) Any larva of a beetle or moth, which is injurious to
books. Many species are known.
2. A student closely attached to books or addicted to study; a reader
without appreciation.
I wanted but a black gown and a salary to be as mere a bookworm as
any there. Pope.
Booky
Book"y (?), a. Bookish.
Booly
Boo"ly (?), n.; pl. Boolies (#). [Ir. buachail cowherd; bo cow +
giolla boy.] A company of Irish herdsmen, or a single herdsman,
wandering from place to place with flocks and herds, and living on
their milk, like the Tartars; also, a place in the mountain pastures
inclosed for the shelter of cattle or their keepers. [Obs.] [Written
also boley, bolye, bouillie.] Spenser.
Boom
Boom (b&oomac;m), n. [D. boom tree, pole, beam, bar. See Beam.]
1. (Naut.) A long pole or spar, run out for the purpose of extending
the bottom of a particular sail; as, the jib boom, the studding-sail
boom, etc.
2. (Mech.) A long spar or beam, projecting from the mast of a derrick,
from the outer end of which the body to be lifted is suspended.
3. A pole with a conspicuous top, set up to mark the channel in a
river or harbor. [Obs.]
4. (Mil. & Naval) A strong chain cable, or line of spars bound
together, extended across a river or the mouth of a harbor, to
obstruct navigation or passage.
5. (Lumbering) A line of connected floating timbers stretched across a
river, or inclosing an area of water, to keep saw logs, etc., from
floating away.
Boom iron, one of the iron rings on the yards through which the
studding-sail booms traverse. -- The booms, that space on the upper
deck of a ship between the foremast and mainmast, where the boats,
spare spars, etc., are stowed. Totten.
Boom
Boom (b&oomac;m), v. t. (Naut.) To extend, or push, with a boom or
pole; as, to boom out a sail; to boom off a boat.
Boom
Boom (b&oomac;m), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Boomed (#), p. pr. & vb. n.
Booming.] [Of imitative origin; cf. OE. bommen to hum, D. bommen to
drum, sound as an empty barrel, also W. bwmp a hollow sound; aderyn y
bwmp, the bird of the hollow sound, i. e., the bittern. Cf. Bum, Bump,
v. i., Bomb, v. i.]
1. To cry with a hollow note; to make a hollow sound, as the bittern,
and some insects.
At eve the beetle boometh Athwart the thicket lone. Tennyson.
2. To make a hollow sound, as of waves or cannon.
Alarm guns booming through the night air. W. Irving.
3. To rush with violence and noise, as a ship under a press of sail,
before a free wind.
She comes booming down before it. Totten.
4. To have a rapid growth in market value or in popular favor; to go
on rushingly.
Boom
Boom, n.
1. A hollow roar, as of waves or cannon; also, the hollow cry of the
bittern; a booming.
2. A strong and extensive advance, with more or less noisy excitement;
-- applied colloquially or humorously to market prices, the demand for
stocks or commodities and to political chances of aspirants to office;
as, a boom in the stock market; a boom in coffee. [Colloq. U. S.]
Boom
Boom, v. t. To cause to advance rapidly in price; as, to boom railroad
or mining shares; to create a "boom" for; as to boom Mr. C. for
senator. [Colloq. U. S.]
Boomdas
Boom"das (?), n. [D. boom tree + das badger.] (Zo\'94l.) A small
African hyracoid mammal (Dendrohyrax arboreus) resembling the daman.
Boomer
Boom"er (?), n.
1. One who, or that which, booms.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A North American rodent, so named because it is said to
make a booming noise. See Sewellel.
3. (Zo\'94l.) A large male kangaroo.
4. One who works up a "boom". [Slang, U. S.]
Boomerang
Boom"er*ang (?), n. A very singular missile weapon used by the natives
of Australia and in some parts of India. It is usually a curved stick
of hard wood, from twenty to thirty inches in length, from two to
three inches wide, and half or three quarters of an inch thick. When
thrown from the hand with a quick rotary motion, it describes very
remarkable curves, according to the shape of the instrument and the
manner of throwing it, often moving nearly horizontally a long
distance, then curving upward to a considerable height, and finally
taking a retrograde direction, so as to fall near the place from which
it was thrown, or even far in the rear of it.
Booming
Boom"ing, a.
1. Rushing with violence; swelling with a hollow sound; making a
hollow sound or note; roaring; resounding.
O'er the sea-beat ships the booming waters roar. Falcone.
2. Advancing or increasing amid noisy excitement; as, booming prices;
booming popularity. [Colloq. U. S.]
Booming
Boom"ing, n. The act of producing a hollow or roaring sound; a violent
rushing with heavy roar; as, the booming of the sea; a deep, hollow
sound; as, the booming of bitterns. Howitt.
Boomkin
Boom"kin (?), n. (Naut.) Same as Bumkin.
Boomorah
Boo"mo*rah (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) A small West African
chevrotain (Hy\'91moschus aquaticus), resembling the musk deer.
Boomslange
Boom"slang*e (?), n. [D. boom tree + slang snake.] (Zo\'94l.) A large
South African tree snake (Bucephalus Capensis). Although considered
venomous by natives, it has no poison fangs.
Boon
Boon (?), n. [OE. bone, boin, a petition, fr. Icel. b; akin to Sw. &
Dan. b, AS. b, and perh. to E. ban; but influenced by F. bon good, fr.
L. bonus. Ban, Bounty.]
1. A prayer or petition. [Obs.]
For which to God he made so many an idle boon. Spenser.
2. That which is asked or granted as a benefit or favor; a gift; a
benefaction; a grant; a present.
Every good gift and every perfect boon is from above. James i. 17
(Rev. Ver. ).
Boon
Boon, a. [F. bon. See Boon, n.]
1. Good; prosperous; as, boon voyage. [Obs.]
2. Kind; bountiful; benign.
Which . . . Nature boon Poured forth profuse on hill, and dale, and
plain. Milton.
3. Gay; merry; jovial; convivial.
A boon companion, loving his bottle. Arbuthnot.
Boon
Boon, n. [Scot. boon, bune, been, Gael. & Ir. bunach coarse tow, fr.
bun root, stubble.] The woody portion flax, which is separated from
the fiber as refuse matter by retting, braking, and scutching.
Boor
Boor (?), n. [D. boer farmer, boor; akin to AS. geb countryman, G.
bauer; fr. the root of AS. b to inhabit, and akin to E. bower, be. Cf.
Neighbor, Boer, and Big to build.]
1. A husbandman; a peasant; a rustic; esp. a clownish or unrefined
countryman.
2. A Dutch, German, or Russian peasant; esp. a Dutch colonist in South
Africa, Guiana, etc.: a boer.
3. A rude ill-bred person; one who is clownish in manners.
Boorish
Boor"ish, a. Like a boor; clownish; uncultured; unmannerly. --
Boor"ish*ly, adv. -- Boor"ish*ness, n.
Which is in truth a gross and boorish opinion. Milton.
Boort
Boort (?), n. See Bort.
Boose
Boose (?), n. [AS. b\'d3s, b\'d3sig; akin to Icel. b\'bess, Sw.
b\'86s, Dan. baas, stall, G. banse, Goth. bansts barn, Skr. bh\'besas
stall. \'fb252.] A stall or a crib for an ox, cow, or other animal.
[Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
Boose
Boose (?), v. i. To drink excessively. See Booze.
Booser
Boos"er (?), n. A toper; a guzzler. See Boozer.
Boost
Boost (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boosted; p. pr. & vb. n. Boosting.]
[Cf. Boast, v. i.] To lift or push from behind (one who is endeavoring
to climb); to push up; hence, to assist in overcoming obstacles, or in
making advancement. [Colloq. U. S.]
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Boost
Boost (?), n. A push from behind, as to one who is endeavoring to
climb; help. [Colloq. U. S.]
Boot
Boot (?), n. [OE. bot, bote, adbantage, amends, cure, AS. b; akin to
Icel. b, Sw. bot, Dan. bod, Goth. b, D. boete, G. busse; prop., a
making good or better, from the root of E. better, adj.
1. Remedy; relief; amends; reparation; hence, one who brings relief.
He gaf the sike man his boote. Chaucer.
Thou art boot for many a bruise And healest many a wound. Sir W.
Scott.
Next her Son, our soul's best boot. Wordsworth.
2. That which is given to make an exchange equal, or to make up for
the deficiency of value in one of the things exchanged.
I'll give you boot, I'll give you three for one. Shak.
3. Profit; gain; advantage; use. [Obs.]
Then talk no more of flight, it is no boot. Shak.
To boot, in addition; over and above; besides; as a compensation for
the difference of value between things bartered.
Helen, to change, would give an eye to boot. Shak.
A man's heaviness is refreshed long before he comes to drunkenness,
for when he arrives thither he hath but changed his heaviness, and
taken a crime to boot. Jer. Taylor.
Boot
Boot, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Booted; p. pr. & vb. n. Booting.]
1. To profit; to advantage; to avail; -- generally followed by it; as,
what boots it?
What booteth it to others that we wish them well, and do nothing
for them? Hooker.
What subdued To change like this a mind so far imbued With scorn of
man, it little boots to know. Byron.
What boots to us your victories? Southey.
2. To enrich; to benefit; to give in addition. [Obs.]
And I will boot thee with what gift beside Thy modesty can beg.
Shak.
Boot
Boot, n. [OE. bote, OF. bote, F. botte, LL. botta; of uncertain
origin.]
1. A covering for the foot and lower part of the leg, ordinarily made
of leather.
2. An instrument of torture for the leg, formerly used to extort
confessions, particularly in Scotland.
So he was put to the torture, which in Scotland they call the
boots; for they put a pair of iron boots close on the leg, and
drive wedges between them and the leg. Bp. Burnet.
3. A place at the side of a coach, where attendants rode; also, a low
outside place before and behind the body of the coach. [Obs.]
4. A place for baggage at either end of an old-fashioned stagecoach.
5. An apron or cover (of leather or rubber cloth) for the driving seat
of a vehicle, to protect from rain and mud.
6. (Plumbing) The metal casing and flange fitted about a pipe where it
passes through a roof.
Boot catcher, the person at an inn whose business it was to pull off
boots and clean them. [Obs.] Swift. -- Boot closer, one who, or that
which, sews the uppers of boots. -- Boot crimp, a frame or device used
by bootmakers for drawing and shaping the body of a boot. -- Boot
hook, a hook with a handle, used for pulling on boots. -- Boots and
saddles (Cavalry Tactics), the trumpet call which is the first signal
for mounted drill. -- Sly boots. See Slyboots, in the Vocabulary.
Boot
Boot, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Booted; p. pr. & vb. n. Booting.]
1. To put boots on, esp. for riding.
Coated and booted for it. B. Jonson.
2. To punish by kicking with a booted foot. [U. S.] <-- boot out.
(obj=a person) (Colloq.) Eject; throw out. -->
Boot
Boot, v. i. To boot one's self; to put on one's boots.
Boot
Boot, n. Booty; spoil. [Obs. or R.] Shak.
Bootblack
Boot"black` (, n. One who blacks boots.
Booted
Boot"ed (?), a.
1. Wearing boots, especially boots with long tops, as for riding; as,
a booted squire.
2. (Zo\'94l.) Having an undivided, horny, bootlike covering; -- said
of the tarsus of some birds.
Bootee
Boot*ee" (?), n. A half boot or short boot.
Bo\'94tes
Bo*\'94"tes (?), n. [L. Bootes, Gr. herdsman, fr. , gen. , ox, cow.]
(Astron.) A northern constellation, containing the bright star
Arcturus.
Booth
Booth (?), n. [OE. bothe; cf. Icel. b, Dan. & Sw. bod, MHG. buode, G.
bude, baude; from the same root as AS. b to dwell, E. boor, bower, be;
cf. Bohem. bauda, Pol. buda, Russ. budka, Lith. buda, W. bwth, pl.
bythod, Gael. buth, Ir. both.]
1. A house or shed built of boards, boughs, or other slight materials,
for temporary occupation. Camden.
2. A covered stall or temporary structure in a fair or market, or at a
polling place.
Boothale
Boot"hale` (?), v. t. & i. [Boot, for booty + hale.] To forage for
booty; to plunder. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
Boothose
Boot"hose` (?), n.
1. Stocking hose, or spatterdashes, in lieu of boots. Shak.
2. Hose made to be worn with boots, as by travelers on horseback. Sir
W. Scott.
Boothy
Booth"y (?), n. See Bothy.
Bootikin
Boot"i*kin (?), n. [Boot + -kin.]
1. A little boot, legging, or gaiter.
2. A covering for the foot or hand, worn as a cure for the gout. H.
Walpole.
Booting
Boot"ing, n. Advantage; gain; gain by plunder; booty. [Obs.] Sir. J.
Harrington.
Booting
Boot"ing, n.
1. A kind of torture. See Boot, n., 2.
2. A kicking, as with a booted foot. [U. S.]
Bootjack
Boot"jack` (, n. A device for pulling off boots.
Bootless
Boot"less (?), a. [From Boot profit.] Unavailing; unprofitable;
useless; without advantage or success. Chaucer.
I'll follow him no more with bootless prayers. Shak.
-- Boot"less*ly, adv. -- Boot"less*ness, n.
Bootlick
Boot"lick` (, n. A toady. [Low, U. S.] Bartlett.
Bootmaker
Boot"mak`er (?), n. One who makes boots. -- Boot"mak`ing, n.
Boots
Boots (?), n. A servant at a hotel or elsewhere, who cleans and blacks
the boots and shoes.
Boottopping
Boot"top`ping (?), n.
1. (Naut.) The act or process of daubing a vessel's bottom near the
surface of the water with a mixture of tallow, sulphur, and resin, as
a temporary protection against worms, after the slime, shells, etc.,
have been scraped off.
2. (Naut.) Sheathing a vessel with planking over felt.
Boottree
Boot"tree` (?), n. [Boot + tree wood, timber.] An instrument to
stretch and widen the leg of a boot, consisting of two pieces,
together shaped like a leg, between which, when put into the boot, a
wedge is driven.
The pretty boots trimly stretched on boottrees. Thackeray.
Booty
Boo"ty (?), n. [Cf. Icel. b exchange, barter, Sw. byte barter, booty,
Dan. bytte; akin to D. buit booty, G. beute, and fr. Icel. byta, Sw.
byta, Dan. bytte, to distribute, exchange. The Scandinavian word was
influenced in English by boot profit.] That which is seized by
violence or obtained by robbery, especially collective spoil taken in
war; plunder; pillage. Milton. To play booty, to play dishonestly,
with an intent to lose; to allow one's adversary to win at cards at
first, in order to induce him to continue playing and victimize him
afterwards. [Obs.] L'Estrange.
Booze
Booze (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Boozed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Boozing.]
[D. buizen; akin to G. bausen, and perh. fr. D. buis tube, channel,
bus box, jar.] To drink greedily or immoderately, esp. alcoholic
liquor; to tipple. [Written also bouse, and boose.] Landor.
This is better than boozing in public houses. H. R. Haweis.
Booze
Booze, n. A carouse; a drinking. Sir W. Scott.
Boozer
Booz"er (?), n. One who boozes; a toper; a guzzler of alcoholic
liquors; a bouser.
Boozy
Booz"y (?), a. A little intoxicated; fuddled; stupid with liquor;
bousy. [Colloq.] C. Kingsley.
Bopeep
Bo*peep" (?), n. [Bo + peep.] The act of looking out suddenly, as from
behind a screen, so as to startle some one (as by children in play),
or of looking out and drawing suddenly back, as if frightened.
I for sorrow sung, That such a king should play bopeep, And go the
fools among. Shak.
Borable
Bor"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being bored. [R.]
Borachte
Bo*rach"te (?), n. [Sp. borracha a leather bottle for wine, borracho
drunk, fr. borra a lamb.] A large leather bottle for liquors, etc.,
made of the skin of a goat or other animal. Hence: A drunkard. [Obs.]
You're an absolute borachio. Congreve.
Boracic
Bo*rac"ic (?), a. [Cf. F. boracique. See Borax.] Pertaining to, or
produced from, borax; containing boron; boric; as, boracic acid.
Boracite
Bo"ra*cite (?), n. (Min.) A mineral of a white or gray color occurring
massive and in isometric crystals; in composition it is a magnesium
borate with magnesium chloride.
Boracous
Bo"ra*cous (?), a. (Chem.) Relating to, or obtained from, borax;
containing borax.
Borage
Bor"age (?), n. [OE. borage (cf. F. bourrache, It. borraggine,
borrace, LL. borago, borrago, LGr. ), fr. LL. borra, F. bourre, hair
of beasts, flock; so called from its hairy leaves.] (Bot.) A
mucilaginous plant of the genus Borago (B. officinalis), which is
used, esp. in France, as a demulcent and diaphoretic.
Boragewort
Bor"age*wort` (?), n. Plant of the Borage family.
Boraginaceous
Bo*rag`i*na"ceous (?), a. (Bot.) Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a
family of plants (Boraginace\'91) which includes the borage,
heliotrope, beggar's lice, and many pestiferous plants.
Boragineous
Bor`a*gin"e*ous (?), a. (Bot.) Relating to the Borage tribe;
boraginaceous.
Boramez
Bor"a*mez (?), n. See Barometz.
Borate
Bo"rate (?), n. [From Boric.] (Chem.) A salt formed by the combination
of boric acid with a base or positive radical.
Borax
Bo"rax (?), n. [OE. boras, fr. F. borax, earlier spelt borras; cf. LL.
borax, Sp. borraj; all fr. Ar. b, fr. Pers. b.] A white or gray
crystalline salt, with a slight alkaline taste, used as a flux, in
soldering metals, making enamels, fixing colors on porcelain, and as a
soap. It occurs native in certain mineral springs, and is made from
the boric acid of hot springs in Tuscany. It was originally obtained
from a lake in Thibet, and was sent to Europe under the name of
tincal. Borax is a pyroborate or tetraborate of sodium, Na2B4O7.10H2O.
Borax bead. (Chem.) See Bead, n., 3.
Borborygm
Bor"bo*rygm (?), n. [F. borborygme, fr. Gr. , fr. to rumble in the
bowels.] (Med.) A rumbling or gurgling noise produced by wind in the
bowels. Dunglison.
Bord
Bord (?), n. [See Board, n.]
1. A board; a table. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. (Mining) The face of coal parallel to the natural fissures.
Bord
Bord (?), n. See Bourd. [Obs.] Spenser.
Bordage
Bord"age (?), n. [LL. bordagium.] The base or servile tenure by which
a bordar held his cottage.
Bordar
Bord"ar (?), n. [LL. bordarius, fr. borda a cottage; of uncertain
origin.] A villein who rendered menial service for his cottage; a
cottier.
The cottar, the bordar, and the laborer were bound to aid in the
work of the home farm. J. R. Green.
Bordeaux
Bor*deaux" (?), a. Pertaining to Bordeaux in the south of France. --
n. A claret wine from Bordeaux.
Bordel, Bordello
Bor"del (?), Bor*del"lo (?), n. [F. bordel, orig. a little hut, OF.
borde hut, cabin, of German origin, and akin to E. board,n.See. Board,
n.] A brothel; a bawdyhouse; a house devoted to prostitution. [Obs.]
B. Jonson.
Bordelais
Bor`de*lais" (?), a. [F.] Of or pertaining to Bordeaux, in France, or
to the district around Bordeaux.
Bordeller
Bor"del*ler (?), n. A keeper or a frequenter of a brothel. [Obs.]
Gower.
Border
Bor"der (?), n. [OE. bordure, F. bordure, fr. border to border, fr.
bord a border; of German origin; cf. MHG. borte border, trimming, G.
borte trimming, ribbon; akin to E. board in sense 8. See Board, n.,
and cf. Bordure.]
1. The outer part or edge of anything, as of a garment, a garden,
etc.; margin; verge; brink.
Upon the borders of these solitudes. Bentham.
In the borders of death. Barrow.
2. A boundary; a frontier of a state or of the settled part of a
country; a frontier district.
3. A strip or stripe arranged along or near the edge of something, as
an ornament or finish.
4. A narrow flower bed.
Border land, land on the frontiers of two adjoining countries;
debatable land; -- often used figuratively; as, the border land of
science. -- The Border, The Borders, specifically, the frontier
districts of Scotland and England which lie adjacent. -- Over the
border, across the boundary line or frontier. Syn. -- Edge; verge;
brink; margin; brim; rim; boundary; confine.
Border
Bor"der, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bordered (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bordering.]
1. To touch at the edge or boundary; to be contiguous or adjacent; --
with on or upon as, Connecticut borders on Massachusetts.
2. To approach; to come near to; to verge.
Wit which borders upon profaneness deserves to be branded as folly.
Abp. Tillotson.
Border
Bor"der, v. t.
1. To make a border for; to furnish with a border, as for ornament;
as, to border a garment or a garden.
2. To be, or to have, contiguous to; to touch, or be touched, as by a
border; to be, or to have, near the limits or boundary; as, the region
borders a forest, or is bordered on the north by a forest.
The country is bordered by a broad tract called the "hot region."
Prescott.
Shebah and Raamah . . . border the sea called the Persian gulf. Sir
W. Raleigh.
3. To confine within bounds; to limit. [Obs.]
That nature, which contemns its origin, Can not be bordered certain
in itself. Shak.
Borderer
Bor"der*er (?), n. One who dwells on a border, or at the extreme part
or confines of a country, region, or tract of land; one who dwells
near to a place or region.
Borderers of the Caspian. Dyer.
Bordland
Bord"land` (?), n. [Bordar (or perh. bord a board) + land.] (O. Eng.
Law) Either land held by a bordar, or the land which a lord kept for
the maintenance of his board, or table. Spelman.
Bordlode
Bord"lode` (?), n. [Bordar (or perh. bord a board) + lode leading.]
(O. Eng. Law) The service formerly required of a tenant, to carry
timber from the woods to the lord's house. Bailey. Mozley & W.
Bordman
Bord"man (?), n. [Bordar (or perh. bord a board) + man.] A bordar; a
tenant in bordage.
Bordrag, Bordraging
Bord"rag (?), Bord"ra`ging (?), n. [Perh. from OE. bord, for border +
raging. Cf. Bodrage.] An incursion upon the borders of a country; a
raid. [Obs.] Spenser.
Bord service
Bord" serv`ice (?). [Bordar (or perh. bord a board) + service.] (O.
Eng. Law) Service due from a bordar; bordage.
Bordure
Bor"dure (?), n. [F. bordure. See Border, n.] (Her.) A border one
fifth the width of the shield, surrounding the field. It is usually
plain, but may be charged.
Bore
Bore (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bored (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Boring.] [OE.
borien, AS. borian; akin to Icel. bora, Dan. bore, D. boren, OHG. por,
G. bohren, L. forare, Gr. to plow, Zend bar. &root;91.]
1. To perforate or penetrate, as a solid body, by turning an auger,
gimlet, drill, or other instrument; to make a round hole in or
through; to pierce; as, to bore a plank.
I'll believe as soon this whole earth may be bored. Shak.
2. To form or enlarge by means of a boring instrument or apparatus;
as, to bore a steam cylinder or a gun barrel; to bore a hole.
Short but very powerful jaws, by means whereof the insect can bore,
as with a centerbit, a cylindrical passage through the most solid
wood. T. W. Harris.
3. To make (a passage) by laborious effort, as in boring; as, to bore
one's way through a crowd; to force a narrow and difficult passage
through. "What bustling crowds I bored." Gay.
4. To weary by tedious iteration or by dullness; to tire; to trouble;
to vex; to annoy; to pester.
He bores me with some trick. Shak.
Used to come and bore me at rare intervals. Carlyle.
5. To befool; to trick. [Obs.]
I am abused, betrayed; I am laughed at, scorned, Baffled and bored,
it seems. Beau. & Fl.
Bore
Bore, v. i.
1. To make a hole or perforation with, or as with, a boring
instrument; to cut a circular hole by the rotary motion of a tool; as,
to bore for water or oil (i. e., to sink a well by boring for water or
oil); to bore with a gimlet; to bore into a tree (as insects).
2. To be pierced or penetrated by an instrument that cuts as it turns;
as, this timber does not bore well, or is hard to bore.
3. To push forward in a certain direction with laborious effort.
They take their flight . . . boring to the west. Dryden.
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4. (Ma To shoot out the nose or toss it in the air; Crabb.
Bore
Bore (?), n.
1. A hole made by boring; a perforation.
2. The internal cylindrical cavity of a gun, cannon, pistol, or other
firearm, or of a pipe or tube.
The bores of wind instruments. Bacon.
Love's counselor should fill the bores of hearing. Shak.
3. The size of a hole; the interior diameter of a tube or gun barrel;
the caliber.
4. A tool for making a hole by boring, as an auger.
5. Caliber; importance. [Obs.]
Yet are they much too light for the bore of the matter. Shak.
6. A person or thing that wearies by prolixity or dullness; a tiresome
person or affair; any person or thing which causes ennui.
It is as great a bore as to hear a poet read his own verses.
Hawthorne.
Bore
Bore, n. [Icel. b\'bera wave: cf. G. empor upwards, OHG. bor height,
burren to lift, perh. allied to AS. beran, E. 1st bear. &root;92.]
(Physical Geog.) (a) A tidal flood which regularly or occasionally
rushes into certain rivers of peculiar configuration or location, in
one or more waves which present a very abrupt front of considerable
height, dangerous to shipping, as at the mouth of the Amazon, in South
America, the Hoogly and Indus, in India, and the Tsien-tang, in China.
(b) Less properly, a very high and rapid tidal flow, when not so
abrupt, such as occurs at the Bay of Fundy and in the British Channel.
Bore
Bore, imp. of 1st & 2d Bear.
Boreal
Bo"re*al (?), a. [L. borealis: cf. F. bor\'82al. See Boreas.]
Northern; pertaining to the north, or to the north wind; as, a boreal
bird; a boreal blast.
So from their own clear north in radiant streams, Bright over
Europe bursts the boreal morn. Thomson.
Boreas
Bo"re*as (?), n. [L. boreas, Gr. .] The north wind; -- usually a
personification.
Borecole
Bore"cole` (?), n. [Cf. D. boerenkool (lit.) husbandman's cabbage.] A
brassicaceous plant of many varieties, cultivated for its leaves,
which are not formed into a compact head like the cabbage, but are
loose, and are generally curled or wrinkled; kale.
Boredom
Bore"dom (?), n.
1. The state of being bored, or pestered; a state of ennui. Dickens.
2. The realm of bores; bores, collectively.
Boree
Bo*ree" (?), n. Same as Bourr\'90\'82. [Obs.] Swift.
Borel
Bor"el (?), n. See Borrel.
Borele
Bor"e*le (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The smaller two-horned rhinoceros of South
Africa (Atelodus bicornis).
Borer
Bor"er (?), n.
1. One that bores; an instrument for boring.
2. (Zo\'94l.) (a) A marine, bivalve mollusk, of the genus Teredo and
allies, which burrows in wood. See Teredo. (b) Any bivalve mollusk
(Saxicava, Lithodomus, etc.) which bores into limestone and similar
substances. (c) One of the larv\'91 of many species of insects, which
penetrate trees, as the apple, peach, pine, etc. See Apple borer,
under Apple. (d) The hagfish (Myxine).
Boric
Bo"ric (?), a. (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or containing, boron. Boric
acid, a white crystalline substance B(OH)3, easily obtained from its
salts, and occurring in solution in the hot lagoons of Tuscany.
Boride
Bo"ride (?), n. (Chem.) A binary compound of boron with a more
positive or basic element or radical; -- formerly called boruret.
Boring
Bor"ing (?), n.
1. The act or process of one who, or that which, bores; as, the boring
of cannon; the boring of piles and ship timbers by certain marine
mollusks.
One of the most important applications of boring is in the
formation of artesian wells. Tomlinson.
2. A hole made by boring.
3. pl. The chips or fragments made by boring.
Boring bar, a revolving or stationary bar, carrying one or more
cutting tools for dressing round holes. -- Boring tool (Metal
Working), a cutting tool placed in a cutter head to dress round holes.
Knight.
Born
Born (?), p. p. & a. [See Bear, v. t.]
1. Brought forth, as an animal; brought into life; introduced by
birth.
No one could be born into slavery in Mexico. Prescott.
2. Having from birth a certain character; by or from birth; by nature;
innate; as, a born liar. "A born matchmaker." W. D. Howells.
Born again (Theol.), regenerated; renewed; having received spiritual
life. "Except a man be born again, he can not see the kingdom of God."
John iii. 3. -- Born days, days since one was born; lifetime.
[Colloq.]
Borne
Borne (?), p. p. of Bear. Carried; conveyed; supported; defrayed. See
Bear, v. t.
Borneol
Bor"ne*ol (?), n. [Borneo + -ol.] (Chem.) A rare variety of camphor,
C10H17.OH, resembling ordinary camphor, from which it can be produced
by reduction. It is said to occur in the camphor tree of Borneo and
Sumatra (Dryobalanops camphora), but the natural borneol is rarely
found in European or American commerce, being in great request by the
Chinese. Called also Borneo camphor, Malay camphor, and camphol.
Bornite
Bor"nite (?), n. [Named after Von Born, a mineralogist.] (Min.) A
valuable ore of copper, containing copper, iron, and sulphur; -- also
called purple copper ore (or erubescite), in allusion to the colors
shown upon the slightly tarnished surface.
Borofluoride
Bo`ro*flu"or*ide (?), n. [Boron + fluoride.] (Chem.) A double fluoride
of boron and hydrogen, or some other positive element, or radical; --
called also fluoboride, and formerly fluoborate.
Boroglyceride
Bo"ro*glyc"er*ide (?), n. [Boron + glyceride.] (Chem.) A compound of
boric acid and glycerin, used as an antiseptic.
Boron
Bo"ron (?), n. [See Borax.] (Chem.) A nonmetallic element occurring
abundantly in borax. It is reduced with difficulty to the free state,
when it can be obtained in several different forms; viz., as a
substance of a deep olive color, in a semimetallic form, and in
colorless quadratic crystals similar to the diamond in hardness and
other properties. It occurs in nature also in boracite, datolite,
tourmaline, and some other minerals. Atomic weight 10.9. Symbol B.
Borosilicate
Bo"ro*sil"i*cate (?), n. [Boron + silicate.] (Chem.) A double salt of
boric and silicic acids, as in the natural minerals tourmaline,
datolite, etc.
Borough
Bor"ough (?), n. [OE. burgh, burw, boru, port, town, burrow, AS. burh,
burg; akin to Icel., Sw., & Dan. borg, OS. & D. burg, OHG. puruc,
purc, MHG. burc, G. burg, Goth. ba\'a3rgs; and from the root of AS.
beorgan to hide, save, defend, G. bergen; or perh. from that of AS.
beorg hill, mountain. Bury, v. t., and cf. Burrow, Burg, Bury, n.,
Burgess, Iceberg, Borrow, Harbor, Hauberk.]
1. In England, an incorporated town that is not a city; also, a town
that sends members to parliament; in Scotland, a body corporate,
consisting of the inhabitants of a certain district, erected by the
sovereign, with a certain jurisdiction; in America, an incorporated
town or village, as in Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Burrill. Erskine.
2. The collective body of citizens or inhabitants of a borough; as,
the borough voted to lay a tax.
Close borough, OR Pocket borough, a borough having the right of
sending a member to Parliament, whose nomination is in the hands of a
single person. -- Rotten borough, a name given to any borough which,
at the time of the passage of the Reform Bill of 1832, contained but
few voters, yet retained the privilege of sending a member to
Parliament.
Borough
Bor"ough, n. [See Borrow.] (O. Eng. Law) (a) An association of men who
gave pledges or sureties to the king for the good behavior of each
other. (b) The pledge or surety thus given. Blackstone. Tomlins.
Borough-English
Bor"ough-Eng"lish (?), n. (Eng. Law) A custom, as in some ancient
boroughs, by which lands and tenements descend to the youngest son,
instead of the eldest; or, if the owner have no issue, to the youngest
brother. Blackstone.
Boroughhead
Bor"ough*head` (?), n. See Headborough. [Obs.]
Boroughholder
Bor"ough*hold"er (?), n. A headborough; a borsholder.
Boroughmaster
Bor"ough*mas"ter (?), n. [Cf. Burgomaster.] The mayor, governor, or
bailiff of a borough.
Boroughmonger
Bor"ough*mon"ger (?), n. One who buys or sells the parliamentary seats
of boroughs.
Boroughmongering, Boroughmongery
Bor"ough*mon"ger*ing, Bor"ough*mon"ger*y (?), n. The practices of a
boroughmonger.
Borracho
Bor*rach"o (?), n. See Borachio. [Obs.]
Borrage, n., Borraginaceous
Bor"rage (?), n., Bor*rag`i*na"ceous (, a., etc. See Borage, n., etc.
Borrel
Bor"rel (?), n. [OF. burel a kind of coarse woolen cloth, fr. F. bure
drugget. See Bureau. Rustic and common people dressed in this cloth,
which was prob. so called from its color.]
1. Coarse woolen cloth; hence, coarse clothing; a garment. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
2. A kind of light stuff, of silk and wool.
Borrel
Bor"rel, a. [Prob. from Borrel, n.] Ignorant, unlearned; belonging to
the laity. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Borrow
Bor"row (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Borrowed (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Borrowing.] [OE. borwen, AS. borgian, fr. borg, borh, pledge; akin to
D. borg, G. borg; prob. fr. root of AS. beorgan to protect. Borough.]
1. To receive from another as a loan, with the implied or expressed
intention of returning the identical article or its equivalent in
kind; -- the opposite of lend.
2. (Arith.) To take (one or more) from the next higher denomination in
order to add it to the next lower; -- a term of subtraction when the
figure of the subtrahend is larger than the corresponding one of the
minuend.
3. To copy or imitate; to adopt; as, to borrow the style, manner, or
opinions of another.
Rites borrowed from the ancients. Macaulay.
It is not hard for any man, who hath a Bible in his hands, to
borrow good words and holy sayings in abundance; but to make them
his own is a work of grace only from above. Milton.
4. To feign or counterfeit. "Borrowed hair." Spenser.
The borrowed majesty of England. Shak.
5. To receive; to take; to derive.
Any drop thou borrowedst from thy mother. Shak.
To borrow trouble, to be needlessly troubled; to be overapprehensive.
Borrow
Bor"row, n.
1. Something deposited as security; a pledge; a surety; a hostage.
[Obs.]
Ye may retain as borrows my two priests. Sir W. Scott.
2. The act of borrowing. [Obs.]
Of your royal presence I'll adventure The borrow of a week. Shak.
Borrower
Bor"row*er (?), n. One who borrows.
Neither a borrower nor a lender be. Shak.
Borsholder
Bors"hold`er (?), n. [OE. borsolder; prob. fr. AS. borg, gen. borges,
pledge + ealdor elder. See Borrow, and Elder, a.] (Eng. Law) The head
or chief of a tithing, or borough (see 2d Borough); the headborough; a
parish constable. Spelman.
Bort
Bort (?), n. Imperfectly crystallized or coarse diamonds, or fragments
made in cutting good diamonds which are reduced to powder and used in
lapidary work.
Boruret
Bo"ru*ret (?), n. (Chem.) A boride. [Obs.]
Borwe
Bor"we (?), n. Pledge; borrow. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bos
Bos (?), n. [L., ox, cow.] (Zo\'94l.) A genus of ruminant quadrupeds,
including the wild and domestic cattle, distinguished by a stout body,
hollow horns, and a large fold of skin hanging from the neck.
Bosa
Bo"sa (?), n. [Ar. b, Pers. b: cf. F. bosan.] A drink, used in the
East. See Boza.
Boscage
Bos"cage (?), n. [OF. boscage grove, F. bocage, fr. LL. boscus,
buscus, thicket, wood. See 1st Bush.]
1. A growth of trees or shrubs; underwood; a thicket; thick foliage; a
wooded landscape.
2. (O. Eng. Law) Food or sustenance for cattle, obtained from bushes
and trees; also, a tax on wood.
Bosh
Bosh (?), n. [Cf. G. posse joke, trifle; It. bozzo a rough stone,
bozzetto a rough sketch, s-bozzo a rough draught, sketch.] Figure;
outline; show. [Obs.]
Bosh
Bosh, n. [Turk.] Empty talk; contemptible nonsense; trash; humbug.
[Colloq.]
Bosh
Bosh, n.; pl. Boshes (#). [Cf. G. b\'94schung a slope.]
1. One of the sloping sides of the lower part of a blast furnace;
also, one of the hollow iron or brick sides of the bed of a puddling
or boiling furnace.
2. pl. The lower part of a blast furnace, which slopes inward, or the
widest space at the top of this part.
3. In forging and smelting, a trough in which tools and ingots are
cooled.
Boshbok
Bosh"bok (?), n. [D. bosch wood + bok buck.] (Zo\'94l.) A kind of
antelope. See Bush buck.
Boshvark
Bosh"vark (?), n. [D. bosch wood + varken pig.] (Zo\'94l.) The bush
hog. See under Bush, a thicket.
Bosjesman
Bos"jes*man (?), n.; pl. Bosjesmans. [D. boschjesman.] See Bushman.
Bosk
Bosk (?), n. [See Bosket.] A thicket; a small wood. "Through bosk and
dell." Sir W. Scott.
Boskage
Bos"kage (?), n. Same as Boscage.
Thridding the somber boskage of the wood. Tennyson.
Bosket, Bosquet
Bos"ket, Bos"quet (?), n. [F. bosquet a little wood, dim. fr. LL.
boscus. See Boscage, and cf. Bouquet.] (Gardening) A grove; a thicket;
shrubbery; an inclosure formed by branches of trees, regularly or
irregularly disposed.
Boskiness
Bosk"i*ness (?), n. Boscage; also, the state or quality of being
bosky.
Bosky
Bosk"y (?), a. [Cf. Bushy.]
1. Woody or bushy; covered with boscage or thickets. Milton.
2. Caused by boscage.
Darkened over by long bosky shadows. H. James.
Bosom
Bos"om (?), n. [AS. b; akin to D. bozem, Fries. b, OHG. puosum, G.
busen, and prob. E. bough.]
1. The breast of a human being; the part, between the arms, to which
anything is pressed when embraced by them.
You must prepare your bosom for his knife. Shak.
2. The breast, considered as the seat of the passions, affections, and
operations of the mind; consciousness; se
Tut, I am in their bosoms, and I know Wherefore they do it. Shak.
If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding my iniquity in my
bosom. Job xxxi. 33.
3. Embrace; loving or affectionate inclosure; fold.
Within the bosom of that church. Hooker.
4. Any thing or place resembling the breast; a supporting surface; an
inner recess; the interior; as, the bosom of the earth. "The bosom of
the ocean." Addison.
5. The part of the dress worn upon the breast; an article, or a
portion of an article, of dress to be worn upon the breast; as, the
bosom of a shirt; a linen bosom.
He put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold,
his hand was leprous as snow. Ex. iv. 6.
6. Inclination; desire. [Obs.] Shak.
7. A depression round the eye of a millstone. Knight.
Bosom
Bos"om, a.
1. Of or pertaining to the bosom.
2. Intimate; confidential; familiar; trusted; cherished; beloved; as,
a bosom friend.
Bosom
Bos"om, v. t. [p. & p. p. Bosomed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bosoming.]
1. To inclose or carry in the bosom; to keep with care; to take to
heart; to cherish.
Bosom up my counsel, You'll find it wholesome. Shak.
2. To conceal; to hide from view; to embosom.
To happy convents bosomed deep in vines. Pope.
Bosomed
Bos"omed (?), a. Having, or resembling, bosom; kept in the bosom;
hidden.
Bosomy
Bos"om*y (?), a. Characterized by recesses or sheltered hollows.
Boson
Bo"son (?), n. See Boatswain. [Obs.] Dryden.
Bosporian
Bos*po"ri*an (?), a. [L. Bosporus, G. , lit., ox-ford, the ox's or
heifer's ford, on account of Io's passage here as a heifer; fr. ox,
heifer + ford.] Of or pertaining to the Thracian or the Cimmerian
Bosporus.
The Alans forced the Bosporian kings to pay them tribute and
exterminated the Taurians. Tooke.
Bosporus
Bos"po*rus (?), n. [L.] A strait or narrow sea between two seas, or a
lake and a seas; as, the Bosporus (formerly the Thracian Bosporus) or
Strait of Constantinople, between the Black Sea and Sea of Marmora;
the Cimmerian Bosporus, between the Black Sea and Sea of Azof.
[Written also Bosphorus.]
Bosquet
Bos"quet (?), n. See Bosket.
Boss
Boss (?), n.; pl. Bosses (#). [OE. boce, bose, boche, OF. boce, boche,
bosse, F. bosse, of G. origin; cf. OHG. b\'d3zo tuft, bunch, OHG.
b\'d3zan, MHG. b\'93zen, to beat. See Beat, and cf. Botch a swelling.]
1. Any protuberant part; a round, swelling part or body; a knoblike
process; as, a boss of wood.
2. A protuberant ornament on any work, either of different material
from that of the work or of the same, as upon a buckler or bridle; a
stud; a knob; the central projection of a shield. See Umbilicus.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 169
3. (Arch.) A projecting ornament placed at the intersection of the
ribs of ceilings, whether vaulted or flat, and in other situations.
4. [Cf. D. bus box, Dan. b\'94sse.] A wooden vessel for the mortar
used in tiling or masonry, hung by a hook from the laths, or from the
rounds of a ladder. Gwilt.
5. (Mech.) (a) The enlarged part of a shaft, on which a wheel is
keyed, or at the end, where it is coupled to another. (b) A swage or
die used for shaping metals.
6. A head or reservoir of water. [Obs.]
Boss
Boss (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bossed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bossing.]
[OE. bocen, fr. OF. bocier. See the preceding word.] To ornament with
bosses; to stud.
Boss
Boss, n. [D. baas master.] A master workman or superintendent; a
director or manager; a political dictator. [Slang, U. S.]
Bossage
Boss"age (?), n. [F. bossage, fr. bosse. See Boss a stud.]
1. (Arch.) A stone in a building, left rough and projecting, to be
afterward carved into shape. Gwilt.
2. (Arch.) Rustic work, consisting of stones which seem to advance
beyond the level of the building, by reason of indentures or channels
left in the joinings. Gwilt.
Bossed
Bossed (?), a. Embossed; also, bossy.
Bosset
Bos"set (?), n. [Cf. Boss a stud.] (Zo\'94l.) A rudimental antler of a
young male of the red deer.
Bossism
Boss"ism (?), n. The rule or practices of bosses, esp. political
bosses. [Slang, U. S.]
Bossy
Boss"y (?), a. Ornamented with bosses; studded.
Bossy
Bos"sy, n. [Dim. fr. Prov. E. boss in boss-calf, buss-calf, for
boose-calf, prop., a calf kept in the stall. See 1st Boose.] A cow or
calf; -- familiarly so called. [U. S.]
Boston
Bos"ton (?), n. A game at cards, played by four persons, with two
packs of fifty-two cards each; -- said to be so called from Boston,
Massachusetts, and to have been invented by officers of the French
army in America during the Revolutionary war.
Boswellian
Bos*well"i*an (?), a. Relating to, or characteristic of, Boswell, the
biographer of Dr. Johnson.
Boswellism
Bos"well*ism (?), n. The style of Boswell.
Bot
Bot (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Bots.
Botanic, Botanical
Bo*tan"ic (?), Bo*tan"ic*al (?), a. [Cf. F. botanique. See Botany.] Of
or pertaining to botany; relating to the study of plants; as, a
botanical system, arrangement, textbook, expedition. --
Botan"ic*al*ly, adv. Botanic garden, a garden devoted to the culture
of plants collected for the purpose of illustrating the science of
botany. -- Botanic physician, a physician whose medicines consist
chiefly of herbs and roots.
Botanist
Bot"a*nist (?), n. [Cf. F. botaniste.] One skilled in botany; one
versed in the knowledge of plants.
Botanize
Bot"a*nize (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Botanized (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Botanizing (#).] [Cf. F. botaniser.] To seek after plants for
botanical investigation; to study plants.
Botanize
Bot"a*nize, v. t. To explore for botanical purposes.
Botanizer
Bot"a*ni`zer (?), n. One who botanizes.
Botanologer
Bot`a*nol"o*ger (?), n. A botanist. [Obs.]
Botanology
Bot`a*nol"o*gy (?), n. [Botany + -logy: cf. F. botanologie.] The
science of botany. [Obs.] Bailey.
Botanomancy
Bot"a*no*man`cy (?), n. [Botany + -mancy: cf. F. botanomantie.] An
ancient species of divination by means of plants, esp. sage and fig
leaves.
Botany
Bot"a*ny (?), n.; pl. Botanies (#). [F. botanique, a. & n., fr. Gr.
botanic, fr. herb, plant, fr. to feed, graze.]
1. The science which treats of the structure of plants, the functions
of their parts, their places of growth, their classification, and the
terms which are employed in their description and denomination. See
Plant.
2. A book which treats of the science of botany.
NOTE: &hand; Botany is divided into various departments; as,
Structural Botany, which investigates the structure and organic
composition of plants; Physiological Botany, the study of their
functions and life; and Systematic Botany, which has to do with their
classification, description, nomenclature, etc.
Botany Bay
Bot"a*ny Bay" (?). A harbor on the east coast of Australia, and an
English convict settlement there; -- so called from the number of new
plants found on its shore at its discovery by Cook in 1770.
NOTE: Hence, any place to which desperadoes resort.
Botany Bay kino (Med.), an astringent, reddish substance consisting of
the inspissated juice of several Australian species of Eucalyptus. --
Botany Bay resin (Med.), a resin of reddish yellow color, resembling
gamboge, the product of different Australian species of
Xanthorrh\'91a, esp. the grass three (X. hastilis.)
Botargo
Bo*tar"go (?), n. [It. bottarga, bottarica; or Sp. botarga; a kind of
large sausages, a sort of wide breeches: cf. F. boutargue.] A sort of
cake or sausage, made of the salted roes of the mullet, much used on
the coast of the Mediterranean as an incentive to drink.
Botch
Botch (?), n.; pl. Botches (#). [Same as Boss a stud. For senses 2 & 3
cf. D. botsen to beat, akin to E. beat.]
1. A swelling on the skin; a large ulcerous affection; a boil; an
eruptive disease. [Obs. or Dial.]
Botches and blains must all his flesh emboss. Milton.
2. A patch put on, or a part of a garment patched or mended in a
clumsy manner.
3. Work done in a bungling manner; a clumsy performance; a piece of
work, or a place in work, marred in the doing, or not properly
finished; a bungle.
To leave no rubs nor botches in the work. Shak.
Botch
Botch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Botched (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Botching.]
[See Botch, n.]
1. To mark with, or as with, botches.
Young Hylas, botched with stains. Garth.
2. To repair; to mend; esp. to patch in a clumsy or imperfect manner,
as a garment; -- sometimes with up.
Sick bodies . . . to be kept and botched up for a time. Robynson
(More's Utopia).
3. To put together unsuitably or unskillfully; to express or perform
in a bungling manner; to spoil or mar, as by unskillful work.
For treason botched in rhyme will be thy bane. Dryden.
Botchedly
Botch"ed*ly (?), adv. In a clumsy manner.
Botcher
Botch"er (?), n.
1. One who mends or patches, esp. a tailor or cobbler. Shak.
2. A clumsy or careless workman; a bungler.
3. (Zo\'94l.) A young salmon; a grilse.
Botcherly
Botch"er*ly, a. Bungling; awkward. [R.]
Botchery
Botch"er*y (?), n. A botching, or that which is done by botching;
clumsy or careless workmanship.
Botchy
Botch"y (?), a. Marked with botches; full of botches; poorly done.
"This botchy business." Bp. Watson.
Bote
Bote (?), n. [Old form of boot; -- used in composition. See 1st Boot.]
(Law) (a) Compensation; amends; satisfaction; expiation; as, man bote,
a compensation or a man slain. (b) Payment of any kind. Bouvier. (c) A
privilege or allowance of necessaries.
NOTE: &hand; Th is wo rd is still used in composition as equivalent
to the French estovers, supplies, necessaries; as, housebote, a
sufficiency of wood to repair a house, or for fuel, sometimes
called firebote; so plowbote, cartbote, wood for making or
repairing instruments of husbandry; haybote or hedgebote, wood for
hedges, fences, etc. These were privileges enjoyed by tenants under
the feudal system. Burrill. Bouvier. Blackstone.
Boteless
Bote"less, a. Unavailing; in vain. See Bootless.
Botfly
Bot"fly` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A dipterous insect of the family
(Estrid\'91, of many different species, some of which are particularly
troublesome to domestic animals, as the horse, ox, and sheep, on which
they deposit their eggs. A common species is one of the botflies of
the horse (Gastrophilus equi), the larv\'91 of which (bots) are taken
into the stomach of the animal, where they live several months and
pass through their larval states. In tropical America one species
sometimes lives under the human skin, and another in the stomach. See
Gadfly.
Both
Both (?), a. or pron. [OE. bothe, ba, fr. Icel. b\'be; akin to Dan.
baade, Sw. b\'86da, Goth. baj, OHG. beid, b, G. & D. beide, also AS.
begen, b\'be, b, Goth. bai, and Gr. , L. ambo, Lith. ab\'85, OSlav.
oba, Skr. ubha. &root;310. Cf. Amb-.] The one and the other; the two;
the pair, without exception of either.
NOTE: &hand; It is generally used adjectively with nouns; as, both
horses ran away; but with pronouns, and often with nous, it is used
substantively, and followed by of.
NOTE: It frequently stands as a pronoun.
She alone is heir to both of us. Shak.
Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both
of them made a covenant. Gen. xxi. 27.
He will not bear the loss of his rank, because he can bear the loss
of his estate; but he will bear both, because he is prepared for
both. Bolingbroke.
NOTE: It is often used in apposition with nouns or pronouns.
Thy weal and woe are both of them extremes. Shak.
This said, they both betook them several ways. Milton.
NOTE: Both no w al ways pr ecedes an y other attributive words; as,
both their armies; both our eyes.
NOTE: Both of is us ed before pronouns in the objective case; as,
both of us, them, whom, etc.; but before substantives its used is
colloquial, both (without of) being the preferred form; as, both
the brothers.
Both
Both, conj. As well; not only; equally.
NOTE: Both pr ecedes th e fi rst of tw o co \'94rdinate wo rds or
phrases, and is followed by and before the other, both . . . and .
. . ; as well the one as the other; not only this, but also that;
equally the former and the latter. It is also sometimes followed by
more than two co\'94rdinate words, connected by and expressed or
understood.
To judge both quick and dead. Milton.
A masterpiece both for argument and style. Goldsmith.
To whom bothe heven and erthe and see is sene. Chaucer.
Both mongrel, puppy, whelp, and hound. Goldsmith.
He prayeth well who loveth well Both man and bird and beast.
Coleridge.
Bother
Both"er (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bothered (p. pr. & vb. n. Bothering.]
[Cf. Ir. buaidhirt trouble, buaidhrim I vex.] To annoy; to trouble; to
worry; to perplex. See Pother.
NOTE: &hand; Th e im perative is so metimes used as an exclamation
mildly imprecatory.
Bother
Both"er, v. i. To feel care or anxiety; to make or take trouble; to be
troublesome.
Without bothering about it. H. James.
Bother
Both"er, n. One who, or that which, bothers; state of perplexity or
annoyance; embarrassment; worry; disturbance; petty trouble; as, to be
in a bother.
Botheration
Both`er*a"tion (?), n. The act of bothering, or state of being
bothered; cause of trouble; perplexity; annoyance; vexation. [Colloq.]
Botherer
Both"er*er (?), n. One who bothers.
Bothersome
Both"er*some (?), a. Vexatious; causing bother; causing trouble or
perplexity; troublesome.
Both-hands
Both"-hands` (?), n. A factotum. [R.]
He is his master's both-hands, I assure you. B. Jonson.
Bothie
Both"ie (?), n. Same as Bothy. [Scot.]
Bothnian, Bothnic
Both"ni*an (?), Both"nic (?), a. Of or pertaining to Bothnia, a
country of northern Europe, or to a gulf of the same name which forms
the northern part of the Baltic sea.
Bothrenchyma
Both*ren"chy*ma (?), n. [Gr. pit + something poured in. Formed like
parenchyma.] (Bot.) Dotted or pitted ducts or vessels forming the
pores seen in many kinds of wood.
Bothy Boothy
Both"y (?) Booth"y (?) n.; pl. -ies (#) [Scottish. Cf. Booth.] A
wooden hut or humble cot, esp. a rude hut or barrack for unmarried
farm servants; a shepherd's or hunter's hut; a booth. [Scot.]
Botocudos
Bo`to*cu"dos (?), n. pl. [Pg. botoque stopple. So called because they
wear a wooden plug in the pierced lower lip.] A Brazilian tribe of
Indians, noted for their use of poisons; -- also called Aymbor\'82s.
Bo tree
Bo" tree` (?). (Bot.) The peepul tree; esp., the very ancient tree
standing at Anurajahpoora in Ceylon, grown from a slip of the tree
under which Gautama is said to have received the heavenly light and so
to have become Buddha.
The sacred bo tree of the Buddhists (Ficus religiosa), which is
planted close to every temple, and attracts almost as much
veneration as the status of the god himself. . . . It differs from
the banyan (Ficus Indica) by sending down no roots from its
branches. Tennent.
Botryogen
Bot"ry*o*gen (?), n. [Gr. cluster of grapes + -gen.] (Min.) A hydrous
sulphate of iron of a deep red color. It often occurs in botryoidal
form.
Botryoid, Botryoidal
Bot"ry*oid (?), Bot`ry*oid"al (?), a. [Gr. cluster of grapes + -oid.]
Having the form of a bunch of grapes; like a cluster of grapes, as a
mineral presenting an aggregation of small spherical or spheroidal
prominences.
Botryolite
Bot"ry*o*lite (?), n. [Gr. cluster of grapes + -lite.] (Min.) A
variety of datolite, usually having a botryoidal structure.
Botryose
Bot"ry*ose` (?), a. (Bot.) (a) Having the form of a cluster of grapes.
(b) Of the racemose or acropetal type of inflorescence. Gray.
Bots
Bots (?), n. pl. [Cf. Gael. botus belly worm, boiteag maggot.]
(Zo\'94l.) The larv\'91 of several species of botfly, especially those
larv\'91 which infest the stomach, throat, or intestines of the horse,
and are supposed to be the cause of various ailments. [Written also
botts.]
NOTE: See Illust. of Botfly.
Bottine
Bot*tine" (?), n. [F. See Boot (for the foot.).]
1. A small boot; a lady's boot.
2. An appliance resembling a small boot furnished with straps,
buckles, etc., used to correct or prevent distortions in the lower
extremities of children. Dunglison.
Bottle
Bot"tle (?), n. [OE. bote, botelle, OF. botel, bouteille, F.
bouteille, fr. LL. buticula, dim. of butis, buttis, butta, flask. Cf.
Butt a cask.]
1. A hollow vessel, usually of glass or earthenware (but formerly of
leather), with a narrow neck or mouth, for holding liquids.
2. The contents of a bottle; as much as a bottle contains; as, to
drink a bottle of wine.
3. Fig.: Intoxicating liquor; as, to drown one's reason in the bottle.
NOTE: &hand; Bo ttle is much used adjectively, or as the first part
of a compound.
Bottle ale, bottled ale. [Obs.] Shak. -- Bottle brush, a cylindrical
brush for cleansing the interior of bottles. -- Bottle fish
(Zo\'94l.), a kind of deep-sea eel (Saccopharynx ampullaceus),
remarkable for its baglike gullet, which enables it to swallow fishes
two or three times its won size. -- Bottle flower. (Bot.) Same as
Bluebottle. -- Bottle glass, a coarse, green glass, used in the
manufacture of bottles. Ure. -- Bottle gourd (Bot.), the common gourd
or calabash (Lagenaria Vulgaris), whose shell is used for bottles,
dippers, etc. -- Bottle grass (Bot.), a nutritious fodder grass
(Setaria glauca and S. viridis); -- called also foxtail, and green
foxtail. -- Bottle tit (Zo\'94l.), the European long-tailed titmouse;
-- so called from the shape of its nest. -- Bottle tree (Bot.), an
Australian tree (Sterculia rupestris), with a bottle-shaped, or
greatly swollen, trunk. -- Feeding bottle, Nursing bottle, a bottle
with a rubber nipple (generally with an intervening tubve), used in
feeding infants.
Bottle
Bot"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bottled (#) p. pr. & vb. n. Bottling
(#).] To put into bottles; to inclose in, or as in, a bottle or
bottles; to keep or restrain as in a bottle; as, to bottle wine or
porter; to bottle up one's wrath.
Bottle
Bot"tle, n. [OE. botel, OF. botel, dim. of F. botte; cf. OHG. bozo
bunch. See Boss stud.] A bundle, esp. of hay. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
Chaucer. Shak.
Bottled
Bot"tled (?), a.
1. Put into bottles; inclosed in bottles; pent up in, or as in, a
bottle.
2. Having the shape of a bottle; protuberant. Shak.
Bottle green
Bot"tle green` (?) A dark shade of green, like that of bottle glass.
-- Bot"tle-green`, a.
Bottlehead
Bot"tle*head` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A cetacean allied to the grampus; --
called also bottle-nosed whale<-- bottle-nosed dolphin? -->.
NOTE: &hand; Th ere ar e se veral sp ecies so na med, as the pilot
whales, of the genus Globicephalus, and one or more species of
Hypero\'94don (H. bidens, etc.), found on the European coast. See
Blackfish, 1.
Bottleholder
Bot"tle*hold`er (?), n.
1. One who attends a pugilist in a prize fight; -- so called from the
bottle of water of which he has charge.
2. One who assists or supports another in a contest; an abettor; a
backer. [Colloq.]
Lord Palmerston considered himself the bottleholder of oppressed
states. The London Times.
Bottle-nose
Bot"tle-nose` (, n. (Zo\'94l.)
1. A cetacean of the Dolphin family, of several species, as Delphinus
Tursio and Lagenorhyncus leucopleurus, of Europe.
2. The puffin.
Bottle-nosed
Bot"tle-nosed` (, a. Having the nose bottleshaped, or large at the
end. Dickens.
Bottler
Bot"tler (?), n. One who bottles wine, beer, soda water, etc.
Bottlescrew
Bot"tle*screw` (?) n. A corkscrew. Swift.
Bottling
Bot"tling (?) n. The act or the process of putting anything into
bottles (as beer, mineral water, etc.) and corking the bottles.
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Bottom
Bot"tom (?), n. [OE. botum, botme, AS. botm; akin to OS. bodom, D.
bodem, OHG. podam, G. boden, Icel. botn, Sw. botten, Dan. bund (for
budn ), L. fundus (for fudnus), Gr.budhna (for bhudhna), and Ir. bonn
sole of the foot, W. bon stem, base. \'fb257>. Cf. 4th Found, Fund,
n.]
1. The lowest part of anything; the foot; as, the bottom of a tree or
well; the bottom of a hill, a lane, or a page.
Or dive into the bottom of the deep. Shak.
2. The part of anything which is beneath the contents and supports
them, as the part of a chair on which a person sits, the circular base
or lower head of a cask or tub, or the plank floor of a ship's hold;
the under surface.
Barrels with the bottom knocked out. Macaulay.
No two chairs were alike; such high backs and low backs and leather
bottoms and worsted bottoms. W. Irving.
3. That upon which anything rests or is founded, in a literal or a
figurative sense; foundation; groundwork.
4. The bed of a body of water, as of a river, lake, sea.
5. The fundament; the buttocks.
6. An abyss. [Obs.] Dryden.
7. Low land formed by alluvial deposits along a river; low-lying
ground; a dale; a valley. "The bottoms and the high grounds."
Stoddard.
8. (Naut.) The part of a ship which is ordinarily under water; hence,
the vessel itself; a ship.
My ventures are not in one bottom trusted. Shak.
Not to sell the teas, but to return them to London in the same
bottoms in which they were shipped. Bancroft.
Full bottom, a hull of such shape as permits carrying a large amount
of merchandise.
9. Power of endurance; as, a horse of a good bottom.
10. Dregs or grounds; lees; sediment. Johnson.
At bottom, At the bottom, at the foundation or basis; in reality. "He
was at the bottom a good man." J. F. Cooper. -- To be at the bottom
of, to be the cause or originator of; to be the source of. [Usually in
an opprobrious sense.] J. H. Newman.
He was at the bottom of many excellent counsels. Addison.
-- To go to the bottom, to sink; esp. to be wrecked. -- To touch
bottom, to reach the lowest point; to find something on which to rest.
Bottom
Bot"tom, a. Of or pertaining to the bottom; fundamental; lowest;
under; as, bottom rock; the bottom board of a wagon box; bottom
prices. Bottom glade, a low glade or open place; a valley; a dale.
Milton. -Bottom grass, grass growing on bottom lands. -- Bottom land.
See 1st Bottom, n., 7.
Bottom
Bot"tom, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bottomed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bottoming.]
1. To found or build upon; to fix upon as a support; -- followed by on
or upon.
Action is supposed to be bottomed upon principle. Atterbury.
Those false and deceiving grounds upon which many bottom their
eternal state]. South.
2. To furnish with a bottom; as, to bottom a chair.
3. To reach or get to the bottom of. Smiles.
Bottom
Bot"tom, v. i.
1. To rest, as upon an ultimate support; to be based or grounded; --
usually with on or upon.
Find on what foundation any proposition bottoms. Locke.
2. To reach or impinge against the bottom, so as to impede free
action, as when the point of a cog strikes the bottom of a space
between two other cogs, or a piston the end of a cylinder.
Bottom
Bot"tom, n. [OE. botme, perh. corrupt. for button. See Button.] A ball
or skein of thread; a cocoon. [Obs.]
Silkworms finish their bottoms in . . . fifteen days. Mortimer.
Bottom
Bot"tom, v. t. To wind round something, as in making a ball of thread.
[Obs.]
As you unwind her love from him, Lest it should ravel and be good
to none, You must provide to bottom it on me. Shak.
Bottomed
Bot"tomed (?), a. Having at the bottom, or as a bottom; resting upon a
bottom; grounded; -- mostly, in composition; as, sharp-bottomed;
well-bottomed.
Bottomless
Bot"tom*less, a. Without a bottom; hence, fathomless; baseless; as, a
bottomless abyss. "Bottomless speculations." Burke.
Bottomry
Bot"tom*ry (?), n. [From 1st Bottom in sense 8: cf.D. bodemerij. Cf.
Bummery.] (Mar.Law) A contract in the nature of a mortgage, by which
the owner of a ship, or the master as his agent, hypothecates and
binds the ship (and sometimes the accruing freight) as security for
the repayment of money advanced or lent for the use of the ship, if
she terminates her voyage successfully. If the ship is lost by perils
of the sea, the lender loses the money; but if the ship arrives safe,
he is to receive the money lent, with the interest or premium
stipulated, although it may, and usually does, exceed the legal rate
of interest. See Hypothecation.
Bottony, Botton\'82
Bot"ton*y (?), Bot"to*n\'82 (?), a. [F. boutonn\'82, fr. boutonner to
bud, button.] (Her.) Having a bud or button, or a kind of trefoil, at
the end; furnished with knobs or buttons. Cross bottony (Her.), a
cross having each arm terminating in three rounded lobes, forming a
sort of trefoil.cd>
Botts
Botts (?), n. pl. (Zo\'94l.) See Bots.
Botuliform
Bot"u*li*form` (?), a. [L. botulus sausage + -form.] (Bot.) Having the
shape of a sausage. Henslow.
Bouche
Bouche (?), n. [F.] Same as Bush, a lining.
Bouche
Bouche, v. t. Same as Bush, to line.
Bouche, Bouch
Bouche, Bouch (?), n. [F. bouche mouth, victuals.]
1. A mouth. [Obs.]
2. An allowance of meat and drink for the tables of inferior officers
or servants in a nobleman's palace or at court. [Obs.]
Bouch\'82es
Bou`ch\'82es" (?), n. pl. [F., morsels, mouthfuls, fr. bouche mouth.]
(Cookery) Small patties.
Boud
Boud (?), n. A weevil; a worm that breeds in malt, biscuit, etc.
[Obs.] Tusser. (?), n. [F., fr. bouder to pout, be sulky.] A small
room, esp. if pleasant, or elegantly furnished, to which a lady may
retire to be alone, or to receive intimate friends; a lady's (or
sometimes a gentleman's) private room. Cowper.au>
Bouffe
Bouffe (?), n. [F., buffoon.] Comic opera. See Opera Bouffe.
Bougainvill\'91a
Bou`gain*vil*l\'91`a (?), n. [Named from Bougainville, the French
navigator.] (Bot.) A genus of plants of the order Nyctoginace\'91,
from tropical South America, having the flowers surrounded by large
bracts.
Bouge
Bouge (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bouged (#)] [Variant of bulge. Cf.
Bowge.]
1. To swell out. [Obs.]
2. To bilge. [Obs.] "Their ship bouged." Hakluyt.
Bouge
Bouge, v. t. To stave in; to bilge. [Obs.] Holland.
Bouge
Bouge, n. [F. bouche mouth, victuals.] Bouche (see Bouche, 2); food
and drink; provisions. [Obs.]
[They] made room for a bombardman that brought bouge for a country
lady or two, that fainted . . . with fasting. B. Jonson
.
Bouget
Bou"get (?), n. [Cf. F. bougette sack, bag. Cf. Budget.] (Her.) A
charge representing a leather vessel for carrying water; -- also
called water bouget.
Bough
Bough (?), n. [OE. bogh, AS. b\'d3g, b\'d3h, bough, shoulder; akin to
Icel. b\'d3gr shoulder, bow of a ship, Sw. bog, Dan. bov, OHG. buog,
G. bug, and to Gr.b\'behu (for bh\'beghu) arm. &root;88, 251. Cf. Bow
of a ship.]
1. An arm or branch of a tree, esp. a large arm or main branch.
2. A gallows. [Archaic] Spenser.
Bought
Bought (?), n. [Cf. Dan. bugt bend, turning, Icel. bug. Cf. Bight,
Bout, and see Bow to bend.]
1. A flexure; a bend; a twist; a turn; a coil, as in a rope; as the
boughts of a serpent. [Obs.] Spenser.
The boughts of the fore legs. Sir T. Browne.
2. The part of a sling that contains the stone. [Obs.]
Bought
Bought (?), imp. & p. p. of Buy.
Bought
Bought, p. a. Purchased; bribed.
Boughten
Bought"en (?), a. Purchased; not obtained or produced at home.
Coleridge.
Boughty
Bought"y (?), a. Bending. [Obs.] Sherwood.
Bougie
Bou*gie" (, n. [F. bougie wax candle, bougie, fr. Bougie, Bugia, a
town of North Africa, from which these candles were first imported
into Europe.]
1. (Surg.) A long, flexible instrument, that is
NOTE: introduced in to th e ur ethra, es ophagus, et c., to remove
obstructions, or for the other purposes. It was originally made of
waxed linen rolled into cylindrical form.
2. (Pharm.) A long slender rod consisting of gelatin or some other
substance that melts at the temperature of the body. It is impregnated
with medicine, and designed for introduction into urethra, etc.
Bouilli
Bou`illi" (, n. [F., fr. bouillir to boil.] (Cookery) Boiled or stewed
meat; beef boiled with vegetables in water from which its gravy is to
be made; beef from which bouillon or soup has been made.
Bouillon
Bou`illon" (, n. [F., fr. bouillir to boil.]
1. A nutritious liquid food made by boiling beef, or other meat, in
water; a clear soup or broth.
2. (Far.) An excrescence on a horse's frush or frog.
Bouk
Bouk (?), n. [AS. b\'81cbauch, Icel. b\'81 body.]
1. The body. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. Bulk; volume. [Scot.]
Boul
Boul (?), n. A curved handle. Sir W. Scott.
Boulangerite
Bou*lan"ger*ite (?), n. [From Boulanger, a French mineralogist.]
(Min.) A mineral of a bluish gray color and metallic luster, usually
in plumose masses, also compact. It is sulphide of antimony and lead.
Bulder
Bul"der (?), n. Same as Bowlder.
Bouldery
Boul"der*y (?), a. Characterized by bowlders.
Boule, Boulework
Boule (?), Boule"work` (?), n. Same as Buhl, Buhlwork.
Boulevard
Bou"le*vard` (?), n. [F. boulevard, boulevart, fr. G. bollwerk. See
Bulwark.]
1. Originally, a bulwark or rampart of fortification or fortified
town.
2. A public walk or street occupying the site of demolished
fortifications. Hence: A broad avenue in or around a city.
Bouleversement
Boule`verse`ment" (?), n. [F., fr. bouleverser to overthrow.] Complete
overthrow; disorder; a turning upside down.
Buolt
Buolt (?), n. Corrupted form Bolt.
Boultel, Boultin
Boul"tel (?), Boul"tin (?), n. (Arch.) (a) A molding, the convexity of
which is one fourth of a circle, being a member just below the abacus
in the Tuscan and Roman Doric capital; a torus; an ovolo. (b) One of
the shafts of a clustered column. [Written also bowtel, boltel,
boultell, etc.]
Boulter
Boul"ter (?), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] A long, stout fishing line to
which many hooks are attached.
Boun
Boun (?), a. [See Bound ready.] Ready; prepared; destined; tending.
[Obs.] Chaucer.
Boun
Boun, v. t. To make or get ready. Sir W. Scott.
Bounce
Bounce (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bounced (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bouncing
(#).] [OE. bunsen; cf. D. bonzen to strike, bounce, bons blow, LG.
bunsen to knock; all prob. of imitative origin.]
1. To strike or thump, so as to rebound, or to make a sudden noise; a
knock loudly.
Another bounces as hard as he can knock. Swift.
Against his bosom bounced his heaving heart. Dryden.
2. To leap or spring suddenly or unceremoniously; to bound; as, she
bounced into the room.
Out bounced the mastiff. Swift.
Bounced off his arm+chair. Thackeray.
3. To boast; to talk big; to bluster. [Obs.]
Bounce
Bounce, v. t.
1. To drive against anything suddenly and violently; to bump; to
thump. Swift.
2. To cause to bound or rebound; sometimes, to toss.
3. To eject violently, as from a room; to discharge unceremoniously,
as from employment. [Collog. U. S.]
4. To bully; to scold. [Collog.] J. Fletcher.
Bounce
Bounce (?), n.
1. A sudden leap or bound; a rebound.
2. A heavy, sudden, and often noisy, blow or thump.
The bounce burst open the door. Dryden.
3. An explosion, or the noise of one. [Obs.]
4. Bluster; brag; untruthful boasting; audacious exaggeration; an
impudent lie; a bouncer. Johnson. De Quincey.
5. (Zo\'94l.) A dogfish of Europe (Scyllium catulus).
Bounce
Bounce, adv. With a sudden leap; suddenly.
This impudent puppy comes bounce in upon me. Bickerstaff.
Bouncer
Boun"cer (?), n.
1. One who bounces; a large, heavy person who makes much noise in
moving.
2. A boaster; a bully. [Collog.] Johnson.
3. A bold lie; also, a liar. [Collog.] Marryat.
4. Something big; a good stout example of the kind.
The stone must be a bouncer. De Quincey.
Bouncing
Boun"cing (?), a.
1. Stout; plump and healthy; lusty; buxom.
Many tall and bouncing young ladies. Thackeray.
2. Excessive; big. "A bouncing reckoning." B. & Fl.
Bouncing Bet (Bot.), the common soapwort (Saponaria officinalis).
Harper's Mag.
Bouncingly
Boun"cing*ly, adv. With a bounce.
Bound
Bound (?), n. [OE. bounde, bunne, OF. bonne, bonde, bodne, F. borne,
fr. LL. bodina, bodena, bonna; prob. of Celtic origin; cf. Arm. bonn
boundary, limit, and boden, bod, a tuft or cluster of trees, by which
a boundary or limit could be marked. Cf. Bourne.] The external or
limiting line, either real or imaginary, of any object or space; that
which limits or restrains, or within which something is limited or
restrained; limit; confine; extent; boundary.
He hath compassed the waters with bounds. Job xxvi. 10.
On earth's remotest bounds. Campbell.
And mete the bounds of hate and love. Tennyson.
To keep within bounds, not to exceed or pass beyond assigned limits;
to act with propriety or discretion. Syn. -- See Boundary.
Bound
Bound, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bounded; p. pr. & vb. n. Bounding.]
1. To limit; to terminate; to fix the furthest point of extension of;
-- said of natural or of moral objects; to lie along, or form, a
boundary of; to inclose; to circumscribe; to restrain; to confine.
Where full measure only bounds excess. Milton.
Phlegethon . . . Whose fiery flood the burning empire bounds.
Dryden.
2. To name the boundaries of; as, to bound France.
Bound
Bound, v. i. [F. bondir to leap, OF. bondir, bundir, to leap, resound,
fr. L. bombitare to buzz, hum, fr. bombus a humming, buzzing. See
Bomb.]
1. To move with a sudden spring or leap, or with a succession of
springs or leaps; as the beast bounded from his den; the herd bounded
across the plain.
Before his lord the ready spaniel bounds. Pope.
And the waves bound beneath me as a steed That knows his rider.
Byron.
2. To rebound, as an elastic ball.
Bound
Bound, v. t.
1. To make to bound or leap; as, to bound a horse. [R.] Shak.
2. To cause to rebound; to throw so that it will rebound; as, to bound
a ball on the floor. [Collog.]
Bound
Bound, n.
1. A leap; an elastic spring; a jump.
A bound of graceful hardihood. Wordsworth.
2. Rebound; as, the bound of a ball. Johnson.
3. (Dancing) Spring from one foot to the other.
Bound
Bound, imp. & p. p. of Bind.
Bound
Bound, p. p. & a.
1. Restrained by a hand, rope, chain, fetters, or the like.
2. Inclosed in a binding or cover; as, a bound volume.
3. Under legal or moral restraint or obligation.
4. Constrained or compelled; destined; certain; -- followed by the
infinitive; as, he is bound to succeed; he is bound to fail.
5. Resolved; as, I am bound to do it. [Collog. U. S.]
6. Constipated; costive.
NOTE: &hand; Us ed al so in co mposition; as, icebound, windbound,
hidebound, etc.
Bound bailiff (Eng. Law), a sheriff's officer who serves writs, makes
arrests, etc. The sheriff being answerable for the bailiff's
misdemeanors, the bailiff is usually under bond for the faithful
discharge of his trust. -- Bound up in, entirely devoted to;
inseparable from.
Bound
Bound, a. [Past p. of OE. bounen to prepare, fr. boun ready, prepared,
fr. Icel. b\'81, p. p. of b\'81aboor and bower. See Bond, a., and cf.
Busk, v.] Ready or intending to go; on the way toward; going; -- with
to or for, or with an adverb of motion; as, a ship is bound to Cadiz,
or for Cadiz. "The mariner bound homeward." Cowper.
Boundary
Bound"a*ry (?), n.; pl. Boundaries ( [From Bound a limit; cf. LL.
bonnarium piece of land with fixed limits.] That which indicates or
fixes a limit or extent, or marks a bound, as of a territory; a
bounding or separating line; a real or imaginary limit.
But still his native country lies Beyond the boundaries of the
skies. N. Cotton.
That bright and tranquil stream, the boundary of Louth and Meath.
Macaulay.
Sensation and reflection are the boundaries of our thoughts. Locke.
Syn. -- Limit; bound; border; term; termination; barrier; verge;
confines; precinct. Bound, Boundary. Boundary, in its original and
strictest sense, is a visible object or mark indicating a limit. Bound
is the limit itself. But in ordinary usage the two words are made
interchangeable.
Bounden
Bound"en (?), p.p & a. [Old. p. p. of bind.]
1. Bound; fastened by bonds. [Obs.]
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2. Under obligation; bound by some favor rendered; obliged; beholden.
This holy word, that teacheth us truly our bounden duty toward our
Lord God in every point. Ridley.
3. Made obligatory; imposed as a duty; binding.
I am much bounden to your majesty. Shak.
Bounder
Bound"er (?), n. One who, or that which, limits; a boundary. Sir T.
Herbert.
Bounding
Bound"ing, a. Moving with a bound or bounds.
The bounding pulse, the languid limb. Montgomery.
Boundless
Bound"less, a. Without bounds or confines; illimitable; vast;
unlimited. "The boundless sky." Bryant. "The boundless ocean." Dryden.
"Boundless rapacity." "Boundless prospect of gain." Macaulay. Syn. --
Unlimited; unconfined; immeasurable; illimitable; infinite. --
Bound"less*ly, adv. -- Bound"less*ness, n.
Bounteous
Boun"te*ous (?), a. [OE. bountevous, fr. bounte bounty.] Liberal in
charity; disposed to give freely; generously liberal; munificent;
beneficent; free in bestowing gifts; as, bounteous production.
But O, thou bounteous Giver of all good. Cowper.
-- Boun"te*ous*ly, adv. -- Boun"te*ous*ness, n.
Bountiful
Boun"ti*ful (?), a.
1. Free in giving; liberal in bestowing gifts and favors.
God, the bountiful Author of our being. Locke.
2. Plentiful; abundant; as, a bountiful supply of food. Syn. --
Liberal; munificent; generous; bounteous. -- Boun"ti*ful*ly, adv. --
Boun"ti*ful*ness, n.
Bountihead, Bountyhood
Boun"ti*head (?), Boun"ty*hood (?), n. Goodness; generosity. [Obs.]
Spenser.
Bounty
Boun"ty, n.; pl. Bounties (#). [OE. bounte goodness, kindness, F.
bont\'82, fr. L. bonitas, fr. bonus good, for older duonus; cf. Skr.
duvas honor, respect.]
1. Goodness, kindness; virtue; worth. [Obs.]
Nature set in her at once beauty with bounty. Gower.
2. Liberality in bestowing gifts or favors; gracious or liberal
giving; generosity; munificence.
My bounty is as boundless as the sea. Shak.
3. That which is given generously or liberally. "Thy morning
bounties." Cowper.
4. A premium offered or given to induce men to enlist into the public
service; or to encourage any branch of industry, as husbandry or
manufactures.
Bounty jumper, one who, during the latter part of the Civil War,
enlisted in the United States service, and deserted as soon as
possible after receiving the bounty. [Collog.] -- Queen Anne's bounty
(Eng. Hist.), a provision made in Queen Anne's reign for augmenting
poor clerical livings. Syn. -- Munificence; generosity; beneficence.
Bouquet
Bou*quet" (?), n. [F. bouquet bunch, bunch of flowers, trees,
feathers, for bousquet, bosquet, thicket, a little wood, dim. of LL.
boscus. See Bush thicket, and cf. Bosket, Busket.]
1. A nosegay; a bunch of flowers.
2. A perfume; an aroma; as, the bouquet of wine.
Bouquetin
Bou`que*tin" (?), n. [F.] (Zo\'94l.) The ibex.
Bour
Bour (?), n. [See Bower a chamber.] A chamber or a cottage. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Bourbon
Bour"bon (?), n. [From the castle and seigniory of Bourbon in central
France.]
1. A member of a family which has occupied several European thrones,
and whose descendants still claim the throne of France.
2. A politician who is behind the age; a ruler or politician who
neither forgets nor learns anything; an obstinate conservative.
Bourbonism
Bour"bon*ism (?), n. The principles of those adhering to the house of
Bourbon; obstinate conservatism.
Bourbonist
Bour"bon*ist, n. One who adheres to the house of Bourbon; a
legitimist.
Bourbon whisky
Bour"bon whis"ky. See under Whisky.
Bourd
Bourd (?), n. [F. bourde fib, lie, OF. borde, bourde, jest, joke.] A
jest. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bourd
Bourd (?), v. i. To jest. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bourder
Bourd"er (?), n. A jester. [Obs.]
Bourdon
Bour"don (?), n. [F., fr. L. burdo mule, esp. one used for carrying
litters. Cf. Sp. muleta a young she mule; also, crutch, prop.] A
pilgrim's staff.
Bourdon
Bour"don` (?), n. [F. See Burden a refrain.] (Mus.) (a) A drone bass,
as in a bagpipe, or a hurdy-gurdy. See Burden (of a song.) (b) A kind
of organ stop.
Bourgeois
Bour*geois" (?), n. [From a French type founder named Bourgeois, or
fr. F. bourgeois of the middle class; hence applied to an intermediate
size of type between brevier and long primer: cf. G. bourgeois,
borgis. Cf. Burgess.] (Print.) A size of type between long primer and
brevier. See Type.
NOTE: &hand; This line is printed in bourgeois type.
Bourgeois
Bour*geois" (?), n. [F., fr. bourg town; of German origin. See
Burgess.] A man of middle rank in society; one of the shopkeeping
class. [France.] a. Characteristic of the middle class, as in France.
Bourgeoisie
Bour*geoi*sie", n. [F.] The French middle class, particularly such as
are concerned in, or dependent on, trade.
Bourgeon
Bour"geon (?), v. i. [OE. burjoun a bud, burjounen to bud, F. bourgeon
a bud, bourgeonner to bud; cf. OHG. burjan to raise.] To sprout; to
put forth buds; to shoot forth, as a branch.
Gayly to bourgeon and broadly to grow. Sir W. Scott.
Bouri
Bou"ri (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) A mullet (Mugil capito) found
in the rivers of Southern Europe and in Africa.
Bourn, Bourne
Bourn, Bourne (?), n. [OE. burne, borne, AS. burna; akin to OS. brunno
spring, G. born, brunnen, OHG. prunno, Goth. brunna, Icel. brunnr, and
perh. to Gr. burn, v., because the source of a stream seems to issue
forth bubbling and boiling from the earth. Cf. Torrent, and see Burn,
v.] A stream or rivulet; a burn.
My little boat can safely pass this perilous bourn. Spenser.
Bourn, Bourne
Bourn, Bourne (?), n. [F. borne. See Bound a limit.] A bound; a
boundary; a limit. Hence: Point aimed at; goal.
Where the land slopes to its watery bourn. Cowper.
The undiscovered country, from whose bourn No traveler returns.
Shak.
Sole bourn, sole wish, sole object of my song. Wordsworth.
To make the doctrine . . . their intellectual bourne. Tyndall.
Bournless
Bourn"less, a. Without a bourn or limit.
Bournonite
Bour"non*ite (?), n. [Named after Count Bournon, a minerologist.]
(Min.) A mineral of a steel-gray to black color and metallic luster,
occurring crystallized, often in twin crystals shaped like cogwheels
(wheel ore), also massive. It is a sulphide of antimony, lead, and
copper.
Bournous
Bour*nous" (?), n. See Burnoose.
Bourr\'82e
Bour*r\'82e (?), n. [F.] (Mus.) An old French dance tune in common
time.
Bourse
Bourse (?), n. [F. bourse purse, exchange, LL. bursa, fr. Gr.Purse,
Burse.] An exchange, or place where merchants, bankers, etc., meet for
business at certain hours; esp., the Stock Exchange of Paris.
Bouse
Bouse (?), v. i. To drink immoderately; to carouse; to booze. See
Booze.
Bouse
Bouse, n. Drink, esp. alcoholic drink; also, a carouse; a booze. "A
good bouse of liquor." Carlyle.
Bouser
Bous"er (?), n. A toper; a boozer.
Boustrophedon
Bou`stro*phe"don (?), n. [Gr. An ancient mode of writing, in alternate
directions, one line from left to right, and the next from right to
left (as fields are plowed), as in early Greek and Hittite.
Boustrophedonic
Bou*stroph`e*don"ic (?), a. Relating to the boustrophedon made of
writing.
Boustorphic
Bou*storph"ic (?), a. [Gr. Boustrophedonic.
Bousy
Bousy (?), a. Drunken; sotted; boozy.
In his cups the bousy poet songs. Dryden.
Bout
Bout (?), n. [A different spelling and application of bought bend.]
1. As much of an action as is performed at one time; a going and
returning, as of workmen in reaping, mowing, etc.; a turn; a round.
In notes with many a winding bout Of linked sweetness long drawn
out. Milton.
The prince . . . has taken me in his train, so that I am in no
danger of starving for this bout. Goldsmith.
2. A conflict; contest; attempt; trial; a set-to at anything; as, a
fencing bout; a drinking bout.
The gentleman will, for his honor's sake, have one bout with you;
he can not by the duello avoid it. Shak.
Boutade
Bou*tade" (?), n. [F., fr. bouter to thrust. See Butt.] An outbreak; a
caprice; a whim. [Obs.]
Boutefeu
Boute"feu (?), n. [F.; bouter to thrust, put + feu fire.] An
incendiary; an inciter of quarrels. [Obs.]
Animated by . . . John \'85 Chamber, a very boutefeu, . . . they
entered into open rebellion. Bacon.
Boutonni\'8are
Bou`ton`ni\'8are" (?), n. [F., buttonhole.] A bouquet worn in a
buttonhole.
Bouts-rim\'82s
Bouts`-ri*m\'82s" (?), n. pl. [F. bout end + rim\'82 rhymed.] Words
that rhyme, proposed as the ends of verses, to be filled out by the
ingenuity of the person to whom they are offered.
Bovate
Bo"vate (?), n. [LL. bovata, fr. bos, bovis, ox.] (O.Eng.Law.) An
oxgang, or as much land as an ox can plow in a year; an ancient
measure of land, of indefinite quantity, but usually estimated at
fifteen acres.
Bovey coal
Bo"vey coal` (?). (Min.) A kind of mineral coal, or brown lignite,
burning with a weak flame, and generally a disagreeable odor; -- found
at Bovey Tracey, Devonshire, England. It is of geological age of the
o\'94lite, and not of the true coal era.
Bovid
Bo"vid (?), a. [L. bos, bovis, ox, cow.] (Zo\'94l.) Relating to that
tribe of ruminant mammals of which the genus Bos is the type.
Boviform
Bo"vi*form (?), a. [L. bos, bovis, ox + -form.] Resembling an ox in
form; ox-shaped. [R.]
Bovine
Bo"vine (?), a. [LL. bovinus, fr.L. bos, bovis, ox, cow: cf. F.
bovine. See Cow.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) of or pertaining to the genus Bos; relating to, or
resembling, the ox or cow; oxlike; as, the bovine genus; a bovine
antelope.
2. Having qualities characteristic of oxen or cows; sluggish and
patient; dull; as, a bovine temperament.
The bovine gaze of gaping rustics. W. Black.
Bow
Bow (bou), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bowed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bowing.]
[OE. bowen, bogen, bugen, AS. b\'d4gan (generally v.i.); akin to D.
buigen, OHG. biogan, G. biegen, beugen, Icel. boginn bent, beygja to
bend, Sw. b\'94ja, Dan. b\'94ie, bugne, Coth. biugan; also to L.
fugere to flee, Gr. bhuj to bend. &root;88. Cf. Fugitive.]
1. To cause to deviate from straightness; to bend; to inflect; to make
crooked or curved.
We bow things the contrary way, to make them come to their natural
straightness. Milton.
The whole nation bowed their necks to the worst kind of tyranny.
Prescott.
2. To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend,
figuratively; to turn; to incline.
Adversities do more bow men's minds to religion. Bacon.
Not to bow and bias their opinions. Fuller.
3. To bend or incline, as the head or body, in token of respect,
gratitude, assent, homage, or condescension.
They came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before
him. 2 Kings ii. 15.
4. To cause to bend down; to prostrate; to depress,;
Whose heavy hand hath bowed you to the grave. Shak.
5. To express by bowing; as, to bow one's thanks.
Bow
Bow (bou), v. i.
1. To bend; to curve. [Obs.]
2. To stop. [Archaic]
They stoop, they bow down together. Is. xlvi. 2
3. To bend the head, knee, or body, in token of reverence or
submission; -- often with down.
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord
our maker. Ps. xcv. 6.
4. To incline the head in token of salutation, civility, or assent; to
make bow.
Admired, adored by all circling crowd, For wheresoe'er she turned
her face, they bowed. Dryden.
Bow
Bow (bou), n. An inclination of the head, or a bending of the body, in
token of reverence, respect, civility, or submission; an obeisance;
as, a bow of deep humility.
Bow
Bow (b\'d3), n. [OE. bowe, boge, AS. boga, fr. AS. b\'81 to bend; akin
to D. boog, G. bogen, Icel. bogi. See Bow, v. t.]
1. Anything bent, or in the form of a curve, as the rainbow.
I do set my bow in the cloud. Gen. ix. 13.
2. A weapon made of a strip of wood, or other elastic material, with a
cord connecting the two ends, by means of which an arrow is propelled.
3. An ornamental knot, with projecting lops, formed by doubling a
ribbon or string.
4. The U-shaped piece which embraces the neck of an ox and fastens it
to the yoke.
5. (Mus.) An appliance consisting of an elastic rod, with a number of
horse hairs stretched from end to end of it, used in playing on a
stringed instrument.
6. An acrograph.
7. (Mech. & Manuf.) Any instrument consisting of an elastic rod, with
ends connected by a string, employed for giving reciprocating motion
to a drill, or for preparing and arranging the hair, fur, etc., used
by hatters.
8. (Naut.) A rude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking the sun's
altitude at sea.
9. (Saddlery) sing. or pl. Two pieces of wood which form the arched
forward part of a saddletree.
Bow bearer (O. Eng. Law), an under officer of the forest who looked
after trespassers. -- Bow drill, a drill worked by a bow and string.
-- Bow instrument (Mus.), any stringed instrument from which the tones
are produced by the bow. -- Bow window (Arch.) See Bay window. -- To
draw a long bow, to lie; to exaggerate. [Colloq.]
Bow
Bow (b\'d3), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bowed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bowing.]
To play (music) with a bow. -- v. i. To manage the bow.
Bow
Bow (b\'d3), n. [Icel. b\'d3gr shoulder, bow of a ship. See Bough.]
1. (Naut.) The bending or rounded part of a ship forward; the stream
or prow.
2. (Naut.) One who rows in the forward part of a boat; the bow oar.
Bow chaser (Naut.), a gun in the bow for firing while chasing another
vessel. Totten. - Bow piece, a piece of ordnance carried at the bow of
a ship. -- On the bow (Naut.), on that part of the horizon within 45°
on either side of the line ahead. Totten.
Bowable
Bow"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being bowed or bent; flexible; easily
influenced; yielding. [Obs.]
Bowbell
Bow"bell` (?), n. One born within hearing distance of Bow-bells; a
cockney. Halliwell.
Bow-bells
Bow"-bells` (?), n. pl. The bells of Bow Church in London; cockneydom.
People born within the sound of Bow-bells are usually called
cockneys. Murray's Handbook of London.
Bowbent
Bow"bent` (?), a. Bent, like a bow. Milton.
Bow-compass
Bow"-com`pass (?), n.; pl. Bow-compasses (.
1. An arcograph.
2. A small pair of compasses, one leg of which carries a pencil, or a
pen, for drawing circles. Its legs are often connected by a bow-shaped
spring, instead of by a joint.
3. A pair of compasses, with a bow or arched plate riveted to one of
the legs, and passing through the other.
Bowel
Bow"el (?), n. [OE. bouel, bouele, OF. boel, boele, F. boyau, fr. L.
botellus a small sausage, in LL. also intestine, dim. of L. botulus
sausage.]
1. One of the intestines of an animal; an entrail, especially of man;
a gut; -- generally used in the plural.
He burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out. Acts
i. 18.
2. pl. Hence, figuratively: The interior part of anything; as, the
bowels of the earth.
His soldiers . . . cried out amain, And rushed into the bowels of
the battle. Shak.
3. pl. The seat of pity or kindness. Hence: Tenderness; compassion.
"Thou thing of no bowels." Shak.
Bloody Bonner, that corpulent tyrant, full (as one said) of guts,
and empty of bowels. Fuller.
4. pl. Offspring. [Obs.] Shak.
Bowel
Bow"el, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boweled or Bowelled (#); p. pr.& vb. n.
Boweling or Bowelling.] To take out the bowels of; to eviscerate; to
disembowel.
Boweled
Bow"eled (?), a. [Written also bowelled.] Having bowels; hollow. "The
boweled cavern." Thomson.
Bowelless
Bow"el*less, a. Without pity. Sir T. Browne.
Bowenite
Bow"en*ite (?), n. [From G.T.Bowen, who analyzed it in 1822.] (Min.) A
hard, compact variety of serpentine found in Rhode Island. It is of a
light green color and resembles jade.
Bower
Bo"wer (?), n. [From Bow, v. & n.]
1. One who bows or bends.
2. (Naut.) An anchor carried at the bow of a ship.
3. A muscle that bends a limb, esp. the arm. [Obs.]
His rawbone arms, whose mighty brawned bowers
Were wont to rive steel plates and helmets hew. Spenser.
Best bower, Small bower. See the Note under Anchor.
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Bower
Bow"er (?), n. [G. bauer a peasant. So called from the figure
sometimes used for the knave in cards. See Boor.] One of the two
highest cards in the pack commonly used in the game of euchre. Right
bower, the knave of the trump suit, the highest card (except the
"Joker") in the game. -- Left bower, the knave of the other suit of
the same color as the trump, being the next to the right bower in
value. -- Best bower or Joker, in some forms of euchre and some other
games, an extra card sometimes added to the pack, which takes
precedence of all others as the highest card.
Bower
Bow"er, n. [OE. bour, bur, room, dwelling, AS. b\'d4r, fr. the root of
AS. b\'d4an to dwell; akin to Icel. b\'d4r chamber, storehouse, Sw.
b\'d4r cage, Dan. buur, OHG. p\'d4r room, G. bauer cage, bauer a
peasant. \'fb97] Cf.Boor, Byre.]
1. Anciently, a chamber; a lodging room; esp., a lady's private
apartment.
Give me my lute in bed now as I lie, And lock the doors of mine
unlucky bower. Gascoigne.
2. A rustic cottage or abode; poetically, an attractive abode or
retreat. Shenstone. B. Johnson.
3. A shelter or covered place in a garden, made with boughs of trees
or vines, etc., twined together; an arbor; a shady recess.
Bower
Bow"er, v. t. To embower; to inclose. Shak.
Bower
Bow"er, v. i. To lodge. [Obs.] Spenser.
Bower
Bow"er, n. [From Bough, cf. Brancher.] (Falconry) A young hawk, when
it begins to leave the nest. [Obs.]
Bower bird
Bow"er bird` (?). (Zo\'94l.) An Australian bird (Ptilonorhynchus
violaceus or holosericeus), allied to the starling, which constructs
singular bowers or playhouses of twigs and decorates them with
brightcolored objects; the satin bird.
NOTE: &hand; The name is also applied to other related birds of the
same region, having similar habits; as, the spotted bower bird
(Chalmydodera maculata), and the regent bird (Sericulus melinus).
Bowery
Bow"er*y (?), a. Shading, like a bower; full of bowers.
A bowery maze that shades the purple streams. Trumbull.
Bowery
Bow"er*y, n.; pl. Boweries (#) [D. bouwerij.] A farm or plantation
with its buildings. [U.S.Hist.]
The emigrants [in New York] were scattered on boweries or
plantations; and seeing the evils of this mode of living widely
apart, they were advised, in 1643 and 1646, by the Dutch
authorities, to gather into "villages, towns, and hamlets, as the
English were in the habit of doing." Bancroft.
Bowery
Bow"er*y, a. Characteristic of the street called the Bowery, in New
York city; swaggering; flashy.
Bowess
Bow"ess (?), n. (Falconry) Same as Bower. [Obs.]
Bowfin
Bow"fin` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A voracious ganoid fish (Amia calva) found
in the fresh waters of the United States; the mudfish; -- called also
Johnny Grindle, and dogfish.
Bowge
Bowge (?), v. i. To swell out. See Bouge. [Obs.]
Bowge
Bowge, v. t. To cause to leak. [Obs.] See Bouge.
Bowgrace
Bow"grace` (?), n. (Naut.) A frame or fender of rope or junk, laid out
at the sides or bows of a vessel to secure it from injury by floating
ice.
Bow hand
Bow" hand` (?).
1. (Archery) The hand that holds the bow, i. e., the left hand.
Surely he shoots wide on the bow hand. Spenser.
2. (Mus.) The hand that draws the bow, i. e., the right hand.
Bowhead
Bow"head` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The great Arctic or Greenland whale.
(Bal\'91na mysticetus). See Baleen, and Whale.
Bowie knife
Bow"ie knife` (?). A knife with a strong blade from ten to fifteen
inches long, and double-edged near the point; -- used as a hunting
knife, and formerly as a weapon in the southwestern part of the United
States. It was named from its inventor, Colonel James Bowie. Also, by
extension, any large sheath knife.
Bowing
Bow"ing (?), n. (Mus.)
1. The act or art of managing the bow in playing on stringed
instruments.
Bowing constitutes a principal part of the art of the violinist,
the violist, etc. J. W. Moore.
2. In hatmaking, the act or process of separating and distributing the
fur or hair by means of a bow, to prepare it for felting.
Bowingly
Bow"ing*ly (?), adv. In a bending manner.
Bowknot
Bow"knot` (?), n. A knot in which a portion of the string is drawn
through in the form of a loop or bow, so as to be readily untied.
Bowl
Bowl (?), n. [OE. bolle, AS. bolla; akin to Icel. bolli, Dan. bolle,
G. bolle, and perh. to E. boil a tumor. Cf. Boll.]
1. A concave vessel of various forms (often approximately
hemisherical), to hold liquids, etc.
Brought them food in bowls of basswood. Longfellow.
2. Specifically, a drinking vessel for wine or other spirituous
liquors; hence, convival drinking.
3. The contents of a full bowl; what a bowl will hold.
4. The bollow part of a thing; as, the bowl of a spoon.
Bowl
Bowl (?), n. [F. boule, fr. L. bulla bubble, stud. Cf. Bull an edict,
Bill a writing.]
1. A ball of wood or other material used for rolling on a level
surface in play; a ball of hard wood having one side heavier than the
other, so as to give it a bias when rolled.
2. pl. An ancient game, popular in Great Britain, played with biased
balls on a level plat of greensward.
Like an uninstructed bowler, . . . who thinks to attain the jack by
delivering his bowl straightforward upon it. Sir W. Scott.
3. pl. The game of tenpins or bowling. [U.S.]
Bowl
Bowl (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bowled (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bowling.]
1. To roll, as a bowl or cricket ball.
Break all the spokes and fellies from her wheel, And bowl the round
nave down the hill of heaven. Shak.
2. To roll or carry smoothly on, or as on, wheels; as, we were bowled
rapidly along the road.
3. To pelt or strike with anything rolled.
Alas, I had rather be set quick i' the earth, And bowled to death
with turnipsShak.
To bowl (a player) out, in cricket, to put out a striker by knocking
down a bail or a stump in bowling.
Bowl
Bowl, v. i.
1. To play with bowls.
2. To roll a ball on a plane, as at cricket, bowls, etc.
3. To move rapidly, smoothly, and like a ball; as, the carriage bowled
along.
Bowlder, Boulder
Bowl"der, Boul"der (?), n. [Cf. Sw. bullra to roar, rattle, Dan.
buldre, dial. Sw. bullersteen larger kind of pebbles; perh. akin to E.
bellow.]
1. A large stone, worn smooth or rounded by the action of water; a
large pebble.
2. (Geol.) A mass of any rock, whether rounded or not, that has been
transported by natural agencies from its native bed. See Drift.
Bowlder clay, the unstratified clay deposit of the Glacial or Drift
epoch, often containing large numbers of bowlders. -- Bowlder wall, a
wall constructed of large stones or bowlders.
Bowldery
Bowl"der*y (?), a. Characterized by bowlders.
Bowleg
Bow"leg` (?), n. A crooked leg. Jer. Taylor.
Bowl-legged
Bowl"-legged` (?), a. Having crooked legs, esp. with the knees bent
outward. Johnson.
Bowler
Bowl"er (?), n. One who plays at bowls, or who rolls the ball in
cricket or any other game.
Bowless
Bow"less, a. Destitute of a bow.
Bowline
Bow"line (?), n. [Cf. D. boelijn, Icel. b\'94gl\'8bnabovline; properly
the line attached to the shoulder or side of the sail. See Bow (of a
ship), and Line.] (Naut.) A rope fastened near the middle of the leech
or perpendicular edge of the square sails, by subordinate ropes,
called bridles, and used to keep the weather edge of the sail tight
forward, when the ship is closehauled. Bowline bridles, the ropes by
which the bowline is fastened to the leech of the sail. -- Bowline
knot. See Illust. under Knot. -- On a bowline, close-hauled or sailing
close to the wind; -- said of a ship.
Bowling
Bowl"ing (?), n. The act of playing at or rolling bowls, or of rolling
the ball at cricket; the game of bowls or of tenpins. Bowling alley, a
covered place for playing at bowls or tenpins. -- Bowling green, a
level piece of greensward or smooth ground for bowling, as the small
park in lower Broadway, New York, where the Dutch of New Amsterdam
played this game.
Bowls
Bowls (?), n. pl. See Bowl, a ball, a game.
Bowman
Bow"man (?), n.; pl. Bowmen (. A man who uses a bow; an archer.
The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen.
Jer. iv. 29.
Bowman's root. (Bot.) See Indian physic, under Indian.
Bowman
Bow"man (?), n. (Naut.) The man who rows the foremost oar in a boat;
the bow oar.
Bowne
Bowne (?), v. t. [See Boun.] To make ready; to prepare; to dress.
[Obs.]
We will all bowne ourselves for the banquet. Sir W. Scott.
Bow net
Bow" net` (?).
1. A trap for lobsters, being a wickerwork cylinder with a
funnel-shaped entrance at one end.
2. A net for catching birds. J. H. Walsh.
Bow oar
Bow" oar` (?).
1. The oar used by the bowman.
2. One who rows at the bow of a boat.
Bow-pen
Bow"-pen` (?), n. Bow-compasses carrying a drawing pen. See
Bow-compass.
Bow-pencil
Bow"-pen`cil (?), n. Bow-compasses, one leg of which carries a pencil.
Bow-saw
Bow"-saw` (?), n. A saw with a thin or narrow blade set in a strong
frame.
Bowse
Bowse (?), v. i. [See Booze, and Bouse.]
1. To carouse; to bouse; to booze. De Quincey.
2. (Naut.) To pull or haul; as, to bowse upon a tack; to bowse away,
i. e., to pull all together.
Bowse
Bowse, n. A carouse; a drinking bout; a booze.
Bowshot
Bow"shot` (?), n. The distance traversed by an arrow shot from a bow.
Bowsprit
Bow"sprit` (?), n. [Bow + sprit; akin to D.boegspriet; boeg bow of a
ship + spriet, E. sprit, also Sw. bogspr\'94t, G. bugspriet.] (Naut.)
A large boom or spar, which projects over the stem of a ship or other
vessel, to carry sail forward.
Bowssen
Bows"sen (?), v. t. To drench; to soak; especially, to immerse (in
water believed to have curative properties). [Obs.]
There were many bowssening places, for curing of mad men. . . . If
there appeared small amendment he was bowssened again and again.
Carew.
Bowstring
Bow"string` (?), n.
1. The string of a bow.
2. A string used by the Turks for strangling offenders.
Bowstring bridge, a bridge formed of an arch of timber or iron, often
braced, the thrust of which is resisted by a tie forming a chord of
the arch. -- Bowstring girder, an arched beam strengthened by a tie
connecting its two ends. -- Bowstring hemp (Bot.), the tenacious fiber
of the Sanseviera Zeylanica, growing in India and Africa, from which
bowstrings are made. Balfour.
Bowstring
Bow"string` (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bowstringed ( OR Bowstrung (; p.
pr. & vb. n. Bowstringing.] To strangle with a bowstring.
Bowstringed
Bow"stringed` (?), p.a.
1. Furnished with bowstring.
2. Put to death with a bowstring; strangled.
Bowtel
Bow"tel (?), n. See Boultel.
Bowwow
Bow"wow` (?), n. An onomatopoetic name for a dog or its bark. -- a.
Onomatopoetic; as, the bowwow theory of language; a bowwow word.
[Jocose.]
Bowyer
Bow"yer (?), n. [From Bow, like lawyer from law.]
1. An archer; one who uses bow.
2. One who makes or sells bows.
Box
Box (?), n. [As. box, L. buxus, fr. Gr. Box a case.] (Bot.) A tree or
shrub, flourishing in different parts of the world. The common box
(Buxus sempervirens) has two varieties, one of which, the dwaft box
(B.suffruticosa), is much used for borders in gardens. The wood of the
tree varieties, being very hard and smooth, is extensively used in the
arts, as by turners, engravers, mathematical instrument makers, etc.
Box elder, the ash-leaved maple (Negundo aceroides), of North America.
-- Box holly, the butcher's broom (Russus aculeatus). -- Box thorn, a
shrub (Lycium barbarum). -- Box tree, the tree variety of the common
box.
Box
Box, n.; pl. Boxes ( [As. box a small case or vessel with a cover;
akin to OHG. buhsa box, G. b\'81chse; fr. L. buxus boxwood, anything
made of boxwood. See Pyx, and cf. Box a tree, Bushel.]
1. A receptacle or case of any firm material and of various shapes.
2. The quantity that a box contain.
3. A space with a few seats partitioned off in a theater, or other
place of public amusement.
Laughed at by the pit, box, galleries, nay, stage. Dorset.
The boxes and the pit are sovereign judges. Dryden.
4. A chest or any receptacle for the deposit of money; as, a poor box;
a contribution box.
Yet since his neighbors give, the churl unlocks, Damning the poor,
his tripple-bolted box. J. Warton.
5. A small country house. "A shooting box." Wilson.
Tight boxes neatly sashed. Cowper.
6. A boxlike shed for shelter; as, a sentry box.
7. (Mach) (a) An axle box, journal box, journal bearing, or bushing.
(b) A chamber or section of tube in which a valve works; the bucket of
a lifting pump.
8. The driver's seat on a carriage or coach.
9. A present in a box; a present; esp. a Christmas box or gift. "A
Christmas box." Dickens.
10. (Baseball) The square in which the pitcher stands.
11. (Zo\'94l.) A Mediterranean food fish; the bogue.
NOTE: &hand; Box is much used adjectively or in composition; as box
lid, box maker, box circle, etc.; also with modifying substantives;
as money box, letter box, bandbox, hatbox or hat box, snuff box or
snuffbox.
Box beam (Arch.), a beam made of metal plates so as to have the form
of a long box. -- Box car (Railroads), a freight car covered with a
roof and inclosed on the sides to protect its contents. -- Box
chronometer, a ship's chronometer, mounted in gimbals, to preserve its
proper position. -- Box coat, a thick overcoat for driving; sometimes
with a heavy cape to carry off the rain. -- Box coupling, a metal
collar uniting the ends of shafts or other parts in machinery. -- Box
crab (Zo\'94l.), a crab of the genus Calappa, which, when at rest with
the legs retracted, resembles a box. -- Box drain (Arch.), a drain
constructed with upright sides, and with flat top and bottom. -- Box
girder (Arch.), a box beam. -- Box groove (Metal Working), a closed
groove between two rolls, formed by a collar on one roll fitting
between collars on another. R. W. Raymond. -- Box metal, an alloy of
copper and tin, or of zinc, lead, and antimony, for the bearings of
journals, etc. -- Box plait, a plait that doubles both to the rigth
and the left. -- Box turtle OR Box tortoise (Zo\'94l.), a land
tortoise or turtle of the genera Cistudo and Emys; -- so named because
it can withdraw entirely within its shell, which can be closed by
hinged joints in the lower shell. Also, humorously, an exceedingly
reticent person. Emerson. -- In a box, in a perplexity or an
embarrassing position; in difficulty. (Colloq.) -- In the wrong box,
out of one's place; out of one's element; awkwardly situated.
(Colloq.) Ridley (1554)
Box
Box, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boxed (p. pr. & vb. n. Boxing.]
1. To inclose in a box.
2. To furnish with boxes, as a wheel.
3. (Arch.) To inclose with boarding, lathing, etc., so as to bring to
a required form.
To box a tree, to make an incision or hole in a tree for the purpose
of procuring the sap. -- To box off, to divide into tight
compartments. -- To box up. (a) To put into a box in order to save;
as, he had boxed up twelve score pounds. (b) To confine; as, to be
boxed up in narrow quarters.
Box
Box, n. [Cf.Dan. baske to slap, bask slap, blow. Cf. Pash.] A blow on
the head or ear with the hand.
A good-humored box on the ear. W. Irving.
Box
Box, v. i. To fight with the fist; to combat with, or as with, the
hand or fist; to spar.
Box
Box, v. t. To strike with the hand or fist, especially to strike on
the ear, or on the side of the head.
Box
Box, v. t. [Cf.Sp. boxar, now spelt bojar.] To boxhaul. To box off
(Naut.), to turn the head of a vessel either way by bracing the
headyards aback. -- To box the compass (Naut.), to name the thirty-two
points of the compass in their order.
Boxberry
Box"ber`ry (?), n. (Bot.) The wintergreern. (Gaultheria procumbens).
[Local, U.S.]
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Boxen
Box"en (?), a. Made of boxwood; pertaining to, or resembling, the box
(Buxus). [R.]
The faded hue of sapless boxen leaves. Dryden.
Boxer
Box"er (?), n. One who packs boxes.
Boxer
Box"er, n. One who boxes; a pugilist.
Boxfish
Box"fish` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The trunkfish.
Boxhaul
Box"haul` (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boxhauled (#).] (Naut.) To put (a
vessel) on the other tack by veering her short round on her heel; --
so called from the circumstance of bracing the head yards abox (i. e.,
sharp aback, on the wind). Totten.
Boxhauling
Box"haul`ing, n. (Naut.) A method of going from one tack to another.
See Boxhaul.
Boxing
Box"ing, n.
1. The act of inclosing (anything) in a box, as for storage or
transportation.
2. Material used in making boxes or casings.
3. Any boxlike inclosure or recess; a casing.
4. (Arch.) The external case of thin material used to bring any member
to a required form.
Boxing
Box"ing, n. The act of fighting with the fist; a combat with the fist;
sparring\'3c--pugilism--\'3e. Blackstone. Boxing glove, a large padded
mitten or glove used in sparring for exercise or amusement.
Box-iron
Box"-i`ron (?), n. A hollow smoothing iron containing a heater within.
Boxkeeper
Box"keep`er (?), n. An attendant at a theater who has charge of the
boxes.
Boxthorn
Box"thorn` (?), n. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Lycium, esp. Lycium
barbarum.
Boxwood
Box"wood` (?), n. The wood of the box (Buxus).
Boy
Boy (?), n. [Cf. D. boef, Fries. boi, boy; akin to G. bube, Icel. bofi
rouge.] A male child, from birth to the age of puberty; a lad; hence,
a son.
My only boy fell by the side of great Dundee. Sir W. Scott.
NOTE: &hand; Bo y is of ten us ed as a term of comradeship, as in
college, or in the army or navy. In the plural used colloquially of
members of an assosiaton, fraternity, or party.
Boy bishop, a boy (usually a chorister) elected bishop, in old
Christian sports, and invested with robes and other insignia. He
practiced a kind of mimicry of the ceremonies in which the bishop
usually officiated. The Old Boy, the Devil. [Slang] -- Yellow boys,
guineas. [Slang, Eng.] -- Boy's love, a popular English name of
Southernwood (Artemisia abrotonum);) -- called also lad's love. --
Boy's play, childish amusements; anything trifling.
Boy
Boy, v. t. To act as a boy; -- in allusion to the former practice of
boys acting women's parts on the stage.
I shall see Some squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness. Shak.
Boyar, Boyard
Bo*yar" (?), Bo*yard" (?), n. [Russ. boi\'a0rin'.] A member of a
Russian aristocratic order abolished by Peter the Great. Also, one of
a privileged class in Roumania.
NOTE: &hand; En glish wr iters so metimes ca ll Ru ssian la nded
proprietors boyars.
Boyau
Boy"au (?), n.; pl. Boyaux or Boyaus (#). [F. boyau gut, a long and
narrow place, and (of trenches) a branch. See Bowel.] (Fort.) A
winding or zigzag trench forming a path or communication from one
siegework to another, to a magazine, etc.
Boycott
Boy"cott` (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boycotted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Boycotting.] [From Captain Boycott, a land agent in Mayo, Ireland, so
treated in 1880.] To combine against (a landlord, tradesman, employer,
or other person), to withhold social or business relations from him,
and to deter others from holding such relations; to subject to a
boycott.
Boycott
Boy"cott, n. The process, fact, or pressure of boycotting; a combining
to withhold or prevent dealing or social intercourse with a tradesman,
employer, etc.; social and business interdiction for the purpose of
coercion.
Boycotter
Boy"cott`er (?), n. A participant in boycotting.
Boycottism
Boy"cott*ism (?), n. Methods of boycotters.
Boydekin
Boy"de*kin (?), n. A dagger; a bodkin. [Obs.]
Boyer
Boy"er (?), n. [D. boeijer; -- so called because these vessels were
employed for laying the boeijen, or buoys: cf. F. boyer. See Buoy.]
(Naut.) A Flemish sloop with a castle at each end. Sir W. Raleigh.
Boyhood
Boy"hood (?), n. [Boy + -hood.] The state of being a boy; the time
during which one is a boy. Hood.
Boyish
Boy"ish, a. Resembling a boy in a manners or opinions; belonging to a
boy; childish; trifling; puerile.
A boyish, odd conceit. Baillie.
Boyishly
Boy"ish*ly, adv. In a boyish manner; like a boy.
Boyishness
Boy"ish*ness, n. The manners or behavior of a boy.
Boyism
Boy"ism (?), n.
1. Boyhood. [Obs.] T. Warton.
2. The nature of a boy; childishness. Dryden.
Boyle's law
Boyle's" law` (?). See under Law.
Boza
Bo"za (?), n. [See Bosa.] An acidulated fermented drink of the Arabs
and Egyptians, made from millet seed and various astringent
substances; also, an intoxicating beverage made from hemp seed, darnel
meal, and water. [Written also bosa, bozah, bouza.]
Brabantine
Bra*bant"ine (?), a. Pertaining to Brabant, an ancient province of the
Netherlands.
Brabble
Brab"ble (?), v. i. [D. brabbelen to talk confusedly. Blab, Babble.]
To clamor; to contest noisily. [R.]
Brabble
Brab"ble, n. A broil; a noisy contest; a wrangle.
This petty brabble will undo us all. Shak.
Brabblement
Brab"ble*ment (?), n. A brabble. [R.] Holland.
Brabbler
Brab"bler (?), n. A clamorous, quarrelsome, noisy fellow; a wrangler.
[R] Shak.
Braccate
Brac"cate (?), a.[L. bracatus wearing breeches, fr. bracae breeches.]
(Zo\'94l.) Furnished with feathers which conceal the feet.
Brace
Brace (?), n. [OF. brace, brasse, the two arms, embrace, fathom, F.
brasse fathom, fr. L. bracchia the arms (stretched out), pl. of
bracchium arm; cf. Gr.
1. That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage
or a prop.
2. A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension, as
a cord on the side of a drum.
The little bones of the ear drum do in straining and relaxing it as
the braces of the war drum do in that. Derham.
3. The state of being braced or tight; tension.
The laxness of the tympanum, when it has lost its brace or tension.
Holder.
4. (Arch. & Engin.) A piece of material used to transmit, or change
the direction of, weight or pressure; any one of the pieces, in a
frame or truss, which divide the structure into triangular parts. It
may act as a tie, or as a strut, and serves to prevent distortion of
the structure, and transverse strains in its members. A boiler brace
is a diagonal stay, connecting the head with the shell.
5. (Print.) A vertical curved line connecting two or more words or
lines, which are to be taken together; thus, boll, bowl; or, in music,
used to connect staves.
6. (Naut.) A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by
which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon.
7. (Mech.) A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding
and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock.
8. A pair; a couple; as, a brace of ducks; now rarely applied to
persons, except familiarly or with some contempt. "A brace of
greyhounds." Shak.
He is said to have shot . . . fifty brace of pheasants. Addison.
A brace of brethren, both bishops, both eminent for learning and
religion, now appeared in the church. Fuller.
But you, my brace of lords. Shak.
9. pl. Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders.
I embroidered for you a beautiful pair of braces. Thackeray.
10. Harness; warlike preparation. [Obs.]
For that it stands not in such warlike brace. Shak.
11. Armor for the arm; vantbrace.
12. (Mining) The mouth of a shaft. [Cornwall]
Angle brace. See under Angle.
Brace
Brace (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Braced (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bracing.]
1. To furnish with braces; to support; to prop; as, to brace a beam in
a building.
2. To draw tight; to tighten; to put in a state of tension; to strain;
to strengthen; as, to brace the nerves.
And welcome war to brace her drums. Campbell.
3. To bind or tie closely; to fasten tightly.
The women of China, by bracing and binding them from their infancy,
have very little feet. Locke.
Some who spurs had first braced on. Sir W. Scott.
4. To place in a position for resisting pressure; to hold firmly; as,
he braced himself against the crowd.
A sturdy lance in his right hand he braced. Fairfax.
5. (Naut.) To move around by means of braces; as, to brace the yards.
To brace about (Naut.), to turn (a yard) round for the contrary tack.
-- To brace a yard (Naut.), to move it horizontally by means of a
brace. -- To brace in (Naut.), to turn (a yard) by hauling in the
weather brace. -- To brace one's self, to call up one's energies. "He
braced himself for an effort which he was little able to make." J. D.
Forbes. - To brace to (Naut.), to turn (a yard) by checking or easing
off the lee brace, and hauling in the weather one, to assist in
tacking. -- To brace up (Naut.), to bring (a yard) nearer the
direction of the keel by hauling in the lee brace. -- To brace up
sharp (Naut.), to turn (a yard) as far forward as the rigging will
permit.
Brace
Brace, v. i. To get tone or vigor; to rouse one's energies; -with up.
[Colloq.]
Bracelet
Brace"let (?), n. [F. bracelet, dim. of OF. bracel armlet, prop.
little arm, dim. of bras arm, fr. L. bracchium. See Brace,n.]
1. An ornamental band or ring, for the wrist or the arm; in modern
times, an ornament encircling the wrist, worn by women or girls.
2. A piece of defensive armor for the arm. Johnson.
Bracer
Bra"cer (?), n.
1. That which braces, binds, or makes firm; a band or bandage.
2. A covering to protect the arm of the bowman from the vibration of
the string; also, a brassart. Chaucer.
3. A medicine, as an astringent or a tonic, which gives tension or
tone to any part of the body. Johnson.
Brach
Brach (?), n. [OE. brache a kind of scenting hound or setting dog, OF.
brache, braque, fr. OHG. braccho, G. bracke; possibly akin to E.
fragrant, fr. L. fragrare to smell.] A bitch of the hound kind. Shak.
Brachelytra
Brach*el"y*tra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ( (Zo\'94l.) A group of
beetles having short elytra, as the rove beetles.
Brachia
Brach"i*a (?), n. pl. See Brachium.
Brachial
Brach"i*al (?) or (, a. [L. brachialis (bracch-), from bracchium
(bracch-) arm: cf. F. brachial.]
1. (Anat.) Pertaining or belonging to the arm; as, the brachial
artery; the brachial nerve.
2. Of the nature of an arm; resembling an arm.
Brachiata
Brach`i*a"ta (?), n. pl. [See Brachiate.] (Zo\'94l.) A division of the
Crinoidea, including those furnished with long jointed arms. See
Crinoidea.
Brachiate
Brach"i*ate (?), a. [L. brachiatus (bracch-) with boughs or branches
like arms, from brackium (bracch-) arm.] (Bot.) Having branches in
pairs, decussated, all nearly horizontal, and each pair at right
angles with the next, as in the maple and lilac.
Brachioganoid
Brach`i*og"a*noid (?), n. One of the Brachioganoidei.
Brachioganoidei
Brach`i*o*ga*noid"e*i (?), n. pl.[NL., from L. brachium (bracch-) arm
+ NL. ganoidei.] (Zo\'94l.) An order of ganoid fishes of which the
bichir of Africa is a living example. See Crossopterygii.
Brachiolaria
Brach`i*o*la"ri*a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. L. brachiolum (bracch-), dim.
of brachium (bracch-) arm.] (Zo\'94l.) A peculiar early larval stage
of certain starfishes, having a bilateral structure, and swimming by
means of bands of vibrating cilia.
Brachiopod
Brach"i*o*pod (?), n. [Cf.F. brachiopode.] (Zo\'94l.) One of the
Brachiopoda, or its shell.
Brachiopoda
Brach`i*op"o*da (?), n. [NL., from Gr. -poda.] (Zo\'94l.) A class of
Molluscoidea having a symmetrical bivalve shell, often attached by a
fleshy peduncle.
NOTE: &hand; Wi thin th e shell is a pair of "arms," often long and
spirally coiled, bearing rows of ciliated tentacles by which a
current of water is made to flow into the mantle cavity, bringing
the microscopic food to the mouth between the bases of the arms.
The shell is both opened and closed by special muscles. They form
two orders; Lyopoma, in which the shell is thin, and without a
distinct hinge, as in Lingula; and Arthropoma, in which the firm
calcareous shell has a regular hinge, as in Rhynchonella. See
Arthropomata.
Brachium
Brach"i*um (?), n.; pl. Bracchia (. [L. brachium or bracchium, arm.]
(Anat.) The upper arm; the segment of the fore limb between the
shoulder and the elbow.
Brachman
Brach"man (?), n. [L. Brachmanae, pl., Gr. See Brahman. [Obs.]
Brachycatalectic
Brach`y*cat`a*lec"tic (?), n. [Gr. (Gr.& Last. Pros.) A verse wanting
two syllables at its termination.
Brachycephalic, Brachycephalous
Brach`y*ce*phal"ic (?), Brach`y*ceph"a*lous (?), a. [Gr. (Anat.)
Having the skull short in proportion to its breadth; shortheaded; --
in distinction from dolichocephalic.
Brachycephaly, Brachycephalism
Brach`y*ceph"a*ly (?), Brach`y*ceph"a*lism (?), n. [Cf. F.
Brachyc\'82phalie] . (Anat.) The state or condition of being
brachycephalic; shortness of head.
Brachyceral
Bra*chyc"er*al (?), a. [Gr. (Zo\'94l.) Having short antenn\'91, as
certain insects.
Brachydiagonal
Brach`y*di*ag"o*nal (?), a. [Gr. diagonal.] Pertaining to the shorter
diagonal, as of a rhombic prism. Brachydiagonal axis, the shorter
lateral axis of an orthorhombic crystal.
Brachydiagonal
Brach`y*di*ag"o*nal, n. The shorter of the diagonals in a rhombic
prism.
Brachydome
Brach`y*dome (?), n. [Gr. dome.] (Crystallog.) A dome parallel to the
shorter lateral axis. See Dome.
Brachygrapher
Bra*chyg"ra*pher (?), n. A writer in short hand; a stenographer.
He asked the brachygrapher whether he wrote the notes of the
sermon. Gayton.
Brachygraphy
Bra*chyg"ra*phy (?), n. [Gr. -graphy: cf. F. brachygraphie.]
Stenograhy. B. Jonson.
Brachylogy
Bra*chyl"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. brachylogie.] (Rhet.) Conciseness of
expression; brevity.
Brachypinacoid
Brach`y*pin"a*coid (?), n. [Gr. pinacoid.] (Crytallog.) A plane of an
orthorhombic crystal which is parallel both to the vertical axis and
to the shorter lateral (brachydiagonal) axis.
Brachyptera
Bra*chyp"te*ra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A group of
Coleoptera having short wings; the rove beetles.
Brachypteres
Bra*chyp"te*res (?), n.pl. [NL. See Brachyptera. ] (Zo\'94l.) A group
of birds, including auks, divers, and penguins.
Brachypterous
Bra*chyp"ter*ous (?), a. [Gr. brachypt\'8are.] (Zo\'94l.) Having short
wings.
Brachystochrone
Bra*chys"to*chrone (?), n. [Incorrect for brachistochrone, fr. Gr.
brachistochrone. ] (Math.) A curve, in which a body, starting from a
given point, and descending solely by the force of gravity, will reach
another given point in a shorter time than it could by any other path.
This curve of quickest descent, as it is sometimes called, is, in a
vacuum, the same as the cycloid.
Brachytypous
Brach"y*ty`pous (?), a. [Gr. (Min.) Of a short form.
Brachyura
Brach`y*u"ra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A group of decapod
Crustacea, including the common crabs, characterized by a small and
short abdomen, which is bent up beneath the large cephalo-thorax.
[Also spelt Brachyoura.] See Crab, and Illustration in Appendix.
Brachyural, Brachyurous
Brach`y*u"ral (?), Brach`y*u"rous (?), a. [Cf. F. brachyure.]
(Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to the Brachyura.
Brachyuran
Brach`y*u"ran (?), n. One of the Brachyura.
Bracing
Bra"cing (?), a. Imparting strength or tone; strengthening;
invigorating; as, a bracing north wind.
Bracing
Bra"cing (?), n.
1. The act of strengthening, supporting, or propping, with a brace or
braces; the state of being braced.
2. (Engin.) Any system of braces; braces, collectively; as, the
bracing of a truss.
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Brack
Brack (?), n. [Cf.D. braak, Dan. br\'91k, a breaking, Sw. & Isel. brak
a crackling, creaking. Cf. Breach.] An opening caused by the parting
of any solid body; a crack or breach; a flaw.
Stain or brack in her sweet reputation. J. Fletcher.
Brack
Brack, n. [D. brak, adj., salt; cf. LG. wrak refuse, G. brack.] Salt
or brackish water. [Obs.] Drayton.
Bracken
Brack"en (?), n. [OE. braken, AS. bracce. See 2d Brake, n.] A brake or
fern. Sir W. Scott.
Bracket
Brack"et (?), n. [Cf.OF. braguette codpiece, F. brayette, Sp.
bragueta, also a projecting mold in architecture; dim. fr.L. bracae
breeches; cf. also, OF. bracon beam, prop, support; of unknown origin.
Cf. Breeches.]
1. (Arch.) An architectural member, plain or ornamental, projecting
from a wall or pier, to support weight falling outside of the same;
also, a decorative feature seeming to discharge such an office.
NOTE: &hand; Th is is the more general word. See Brace, Cantalever,
Console, Corbel, Strut.
2. (Engin. & Mech.) A piece or combination of pieces, usually
triangular in general shape, projecting from, or fastened to, a wall,
or other surface, to support heavy bodies or to strengthen angles.
3. (Naut.) A shot, crooked timber, resembling a knee, used as a
support.
4. (Mil.) The cheek or side of an ordnance carriage.
5. (Print.) One of two characters [], used to inclose a reference,
explanation, or note, or a part to be excluded from a sentence, to
indicate an interpolation, to rectify a mistake, or to supply an
omission, and for certain other purposes; -- called also crotchet.
6. A gas fixture or lamp holder projecting from the face of a wall,
column, or the like.
Bracket light, a gas fixture or a lamp attached to a wall, column,
etc.
Bracket
Brack"et, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bracketed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bracketing]
To place within brackets; to connect by brackets; to furnish with
brackets.
Bracketing
Brack"et*ing, n. (Arch.) A series or group of brackets; brackets,
collectively.
Brackish
Brack"ish (?), a. [See Brack salt water.] Saltish, or salt in a
moderate degree, as water in saline soil.
Springs in deserts found seem sweet, all brackish though they be.
Byron.
Brackishness
Brack"ish*ness, n. The quality or state of being brackish, or somewhat
salt.
Bracky
Brack"y (?), a. Brackish. Drayton.
Bract
Bract (?), n. [See Bractea.] (Bot.) (a) A leaf, usually smaller than
the true leaves of a plant, from the axil of which a flower stalk
arises. (b) Any modified leaf, or scale, on a flower stalk or at the
base of a flower.
NOTE: &hand; Br acts ar e of ten inconspicuous, but sometimes large
and showy, or highly colored, as in many cactaceous plants. The
spathes of aroid plants are conspicuous forms of bracts.
Bractea
Brac"te*a (?), n. [L., a thin plate of metal or wood, gold foil.]
(Bot.) A bract.
Bracteal
Brac"te*al (?), a. [Cf.F. bract\'82al.] Having the nature or
appearance of a bract.
Bracteate
Brac"te*ate (?), a. [Cf.L. bracteatus covered with gold plate.] (Bot.)
Having a bract or bracts.
Bracted
Bract"ed (?), a. (Bot.) Furnished with bracts.
Bracteolate
Brac"te*o*late (?), a. (Bot.) Furnished with bracteoles or bractlets.
Bracteole
Brac"te*ole (?), n. [L. bracteola, dim. of bractea. See Bractea.]
(Bot.) Same as Bractlet.
Bractless
Bract"less, a. (Bot.) Destitute of bracts.
Bractlet
Bract"let (?), n. [Bract + -let] (Bot.) A bract on the stalk of a
single flower, which is itself on a main stalk that support several
flowers. Gray.
Brad
Brad (?), n. [Cf.OE. brod, Dan. braad prick, sting, brodde ice spur,
frost nail, Sw. brodd frost nail, Icel. broddr any pointed piece of
iron or stell; akin to AS. brord point, spire of grass, and perh. to
E. bristle. See Bristle, n.] A thin nail, usually small, with a slight
projection at the top on one side instead of a head; also, a small
wire nail, with a flat circular head; sometimes, a small, tapering,
square-bodied finishing nail, with a countersunk head.
Brad awl
Brad" awl` (?). A straight awl with chisel edge, used to make holes
for brads, etc. Weale.
Bradoon
Bra*doon" (?), n. Same as Bridoon.
Brae
Brae (?), n. [See Bray a hill.] A hillside; a slope; a bank; a hill.
[Scot.] Burns.
Brag
Brag (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bragged (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bragging.]
[OE. braggen to resound, blow, boast (cf. F. braguer to lead a merry
life, flaunt, boast, OF. brague merriment), from Icel. braka to creak,
brak noise, fr. the same root as E. break; properly then, to make a
noise, boast. 95.] To talk about one's self, or things pertaining to
one's self, in a manner intended to excite admiration, envy, or
wonder; to talk boastfully; to boast; -- often followed by of; as, to
brag of one's exploits, courage, or money, or of the great things one
intends to do.
Conceit, more rich in matter than in words, Brags of his substance,
not of ornament. Shak.
Syn. -- To swagger; boast; vapor; bluster; vaunt; flourish; talk big.
Brag
Brag, v. t. To boast of. [Obs.] Shak.
Brag
Brag, n.
1. A boast or boasting; bragging; ostentatious pretense or self
glorification.
C\'91sar . . . made not here his brag Of "came," and "saw," and
"overcame." Shak.
2. The thing which is boasted of.
Beauty is Nature's brag. Milton.
3. A game at cards similar to bluff. Chesterfield.
Brag
Brag (?), a. [See Brag, v. i.] Brisk; full of spirits; boasting;
pretentious; conceited. [Arhaic]
A brag young fellow. B. Jonson.
Brag
Brag, adv. Proudly; boastfully. [Obs.] Fuller.
Braggadocio
Brag`ga*do"cio (?), n. [From Braggadocchio, a boastful character in
Spenser's "Fa\'89rie Queene."]
1. A braggart; a boaster; a swaggerer. Dryden.
2. Empty boasting; mere brag; pretension.
Braggardism
Brag"gard*ism (?), n. [See Braggart.] Boastfulness; act of bragging.
Shak.
Braggart
Brag"gart (?), n. [OF. bragard flaunting, vain, bragging. See Brag, v.
i.] A boaster.
O, I could play the woman with mine eyes, And braggart with my
tongue. Shak.
Braggart
Brag"gart, a. Boastful. -- Brag"gart*ly, adv.
Bragger
Brag"ger (?), n. One who brags; a boaster.
Bragget
Brag"get (?), n. [OE. braket, bragot, fr. W. bragawd, bragod, fr. brag
malt.] A liquor made of ale and honey fermented, with spices, etc.
[Obs.] B. Jonson.
Braggingly
Brag"ging`ly (?), adv. Boastingly.
Bragless
Brag"less, a. Without bragging. [R.] Shak.
Bragly
Brag"ly, adv. In a manner to be bragged of; finely; proudly. [Obs.]
Spenser.
Brahma
Brah"ma (?), n. [See Brahman.]
1. (Hindoo Myth.) The One First Cause; also, one of the triad of
Hindoo gods. The triad consists of Brahma, the Creator, Vishnu, the
Preserver, and Siva, the Destroyer.
NOTE: &hand; Ac cording to the Hindoo religious books, Brahma (with
the final a short), or Brahm, is the Divine Essence, the One First
Cause, the All in All, while the personal gods, Brahm\'a0 (with the
final a long), Vishnu, and Siva, are emanations or manifestations
of Brahma the Divine Essence.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A valuable variety of large, domestic fowl, peculiar in
having the comb divided lengthwise into three parts, and the legs well
feathered. There are two breeds, the dark or penciled, and the light;
-- called also Brahmapootra.
Brahman, Brahmin
Brah"man (?), Brah"min (?), n.; pl. Brahmans, Brahmins. [Skr.
Br\'behmana (cf. Brahman worship, holiness; the God Brahma, also
Brahman): cf. F. Brahmane, Brachmane, Bramine, L. Brachmanae, -manes,
-mani, pl., Gr. A person of the highest or sacerdotal caste among the
Hindoos. Brahman bull (Zo\'94l.), the male of a variety of the zebu,
or Indian ox, considered sacred by the Hindoos.
Brahmaness
Brah"man*ess (?), n. A Brahmani.
Brahmani
Brah"man*i (?), n. [Fem. of Brahman.] Any Brahman woman. [Written also
Brahmanee.]
Brahmanic, -ical, Brahminic
Brah*man"ic (?), -ic*al (?), Brah*min"ic (, *ic*al (, a. Of or
pertaining to the Brahmans or to their doctrines and worship.
Brahmanism, Brahminism
Brah"man*ism (?), Brah"min*ism (?), n. The religion or system of
doctrines of the Brahmans; the religion of Brahma.
Brahmanist, Brahminist
Brah"man*ist (?), Brah"min*ist (?), n. An adherent of the religion of
the Brahmans.
Brahmoism
Brah"mo*ism (?), n. The religious system of Brahmo-somaj. Balfour.
Brahmo-somaj
Brah`mo-so*maj" (?), n. [Bengalese, a wor A modern reforming theistic
sect among the Hindos. [Written also Brahma-samaj.]
Braid
Braid (?), v. t. [imp. &. p. p. Braided; p. pr. & vb. n. Braiding.]
[OE. braiden, breiden, to pull, reach, braid, AS. bregdan to move to
and fro, to weave; akin. to Icel. breg, D. breiden to knit, OS.
bregdan to weave, OHG. brettan to brandish. Cf. Broid.]
1. To weave, interlace, or entwine together, as three or more strands
or threads; to form into a braid; to plait.
Braid your locks with rosy twine. Milton.
2. To mingle, or to bring to a uniformly soft consistence, by beating,
rubbing, or straining, as in some culinary operations.
3. To reproach. [Obs.] See Upbraid. Shak.
Braid
Braid (?), n.
1. A plait, band, or narrow fabric formed by intertwining or weaving
together different strands.
A braid of hair composed of two different colors twined together.
Scott.
2. A narrow fabric, as of wool, silk, or linen, used for binding,
trimming, or ornamenting dresses, etc.
Braid
Braid, n. [Cf.Icel. breg to move quickly.]
1. A quick motion; a start. [Obs.] Sackville.
2. A fancy; freak; caprice. [Obs.] R. Hyrde.
Braid
Braid v. i. To start; to awake. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Braid
Braid, a. [AS. br\'91d, bred, deceit; akin to Icel. brag trick, AS.
bredan, bregdan, to braid, knit, (hence) to knit a net, to draw into a
net, i.e., to deceive. See Braid, v. t.] Deceitful. [Obs.]
Since Frenchmen are so braid, Marry that will, I live and die a
maid. Shak.
Braiding
Braid"ing, n.
1. The act of making or using braids.
2. Braids, collectively; trimming.
A gentleman enveloped in mustachios, whiskers, fur collars, and
braiding. Thackeray.
Brail
Brail (?), n. [OE. brayle furling rope, OF. braiol a band placed
around the breeches, fr.F. braies, pl., breeches, fr.L. braca, bracae,
breeches, a Gallic word; cf. Arm. bragez. Cf. Breeches.]
1. (Falconry) A thong of soft leather to bind up a hawk's wing.
2. pl. (Naut.) Ropes passing through pulleys, and used to haul in or
up the leeches, bottoms, or corners of sails, preparatory to furling.
3. A stock at each end of a seine to keep it stretched.
Brail
Brail, v. t. (Naut.) To haul up by the brails; -- used with up; as, to
brail up a sail.
Brain
Brain (?), n. [OE. brain, brein, AS. bragen, br\'91gen; akin to LG.
br\'84gen, bregen, D. brein, and perh. to Gr. 95.]
1. (Anat.) The whitish mass of soft matter (the center of the nervous
system, and the seat of consciousness and volition) which is inclosed
in the cartilaginous or bony cranium of vertebrate animals. It is
simply the anterior termination of the spinal cord, and is developed
from three embryonic vesicles, whose cavities are connected with the
central canal of the cord; the cavities of the vesicles become the
central cavities, or ventricles, and the walls thicken unequally and
become the three segments, the fore-, mid-, and hind-brain.
NOTE: &hand; In th e br ain of man the cerebral lobes, or largest
part of the forebrain, are enormously developed so as to overhang
the cerebellum, the great lobe of the hindbrain, and completely
cover the lobes of the midbrain. The surface of the cerebrum is
divided into irregular ridges, or convolutions, separated by
grooves (the so-called fissures and sulci), and the two hemispheres
are connected at the bottom of the longitudinal fissure by a great
transverse band of nervous matter, the corpus callosum, while the
two halves of the cerebellum are connected on the under side of the
brain by the bridge, or pons Varolii.
2. (Zo\'94l.) The anterior or cephalic ganglion in insects and other
invertebrates.
3. The organ or seat of intellect; hence, the understanding. " My
brain is too dull." Sir W. Scott.
NOTE: &hand; In this sense, often used in the plural.
4. The affections; fancy; imagination. [R.] Shak.
To have on the brain, to have constantly in one's thoughts, as a sort
of monomania. [Low] Brain box OR case, the bony on cartilaginous case
inclosing the brain. -- Brain coral, Brain stone coral (Zo\'94l), a
massive reef-building coral having the surface covered by ridges
separated by furrows so as to resemble somewhat the surface of the
brain, esp. such corals of the genera M\'91andrina and Diploria. --
Brain fag (Med.), brain weariness. See Cerebropathy. -- Brain fever
(Med.), fever in which the brain is specially affected; any acute
cerebral affection attended by fever. -- Brain sand, calcareous matter
found in the pineal gland.
Brain
Brain (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brained (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Braining.]
1. To dash out the brains of; to kill by beating out the brains.
Hence, Fig.: To destroy; to put an end to; to defeat.
There thou mayst brain him. Shak.
It was the swift celerity of the death . . . That brained my
purpose. Shak.
2. To conceive; to understand. [Obs.]
brain not. Shak.
Brained
Brained (?), p.a. Supplied with brains.
If th' other two be brained like us. Shak.
Brainish
Brain"ish, a. Hot-headed; furious. [R.] Shak.
Brainless
Brain"less, a. Without understanding; silly; thougthless; witless. --
Brain"less*ness, n.
Brainpan
Brain"pan` (?), n. [Brain + pan.] The bones which inclose the brain;
the skull; the cranium.
Brainsick
Brain"sick` (?), a. Disordered in the understanding; giddy;
thoughtless. -- Brain"sick*ness, n.
Brainsickly
Brain"sick`ly, adv. In a brainsick manner.
Brainy
Brain"y (?), a. Having an active or vigorous mind. [Colloq.]
Braise, Braize
Braise, Braize (?), n. [So called from its iridescent colors.]
(Zo\'94l.) A European marine fish (Pagrus vulgaris) allied to the
American scup; the becker. The name is sometimes applied to the
related species. [Also written brazier.]
Braise, Braize
Braise, Braize, n. [F.]
1. Charcoal powder; breeze.
2. (Cookery) Braised meat.
Braise
Braise, v. t. [F. braiser, fr. braise coals.] (Cookery) To stew or
broil in a covered kettle or pan.
A braising kettle has a deep cover which holds coals; consequently
the cooking is done from above, as well as below. Mrs. Henderson.
Braiser
Brais"er (?), n. A kettle or pan for braising.
Brait
Brait (?), n. [Cf.W. braith variegated, Ir. breath, breagh, fine,
comely.] A rough diamond.
Braize
Braize (?), n. See Braise.
Brake
Brake (?), imp. of Break. [Arhaic] Tennyson.
Brake
Brake, n. [OE. brake fern; cf. AS. bracce fern, LG. brake willow bush,
Da. bregne fern, G. brach fallow; prob. orig. the growth on rough,
broken ground, fr. the root of E. break. See Break, v. t., cf.
Bracken, and 2d Brake, n.]
1. (Bot.) A fern of the genus Pteris, esp. the P. aquilina, common in
almost all countries. It has solitary stems dividing into three
principal branches. Less properly: Any fern.
2. A thicket; a place overgrown with shrubs and brambles, with
undergrowth and ferns, or with canes.
Rounds rising hillocks, brakes obscure and rough, To shelter thee
from tempest and from rain. Shak.
He stayed not for brake, and he stopped not for stone. Sir W.
Scott.
Cane brake, a thicket of canes. See Canebrake.
_________________________________________________________________
Page 175
Brake
Brake (?), n. [OE. brake; cf. LG. brake an instrument for breaking
flax, G. breche, fr. the root of E. break. See Break, v. t., and cf.
Breach.]
1. An instrument or machine to break or bruise the woody part of flax
or hemp so that it may be separated from the fiber.
2. An extended handle by means of which a number of men can unite in
working a pump, as in a fire engine.
3. A baker's kneading though. Johnson.
4. A sharp bit or snaffle.
Pampered jades . . . which need nor break nor bit. Gascoigne.
5. A frame for confining a refractory horse while the smith is shoeing
him; also, an inclosure to restrain cattle, horses, etc.
A horse . . . which Philip had bought . . . and because of his
fierceness kept him within a brake of iron bars. J. Brende.
6. That part of a carriage, as of a movable battery, or engine, which
enables it to turn.
7. (Mil.) An ancient engine of war analogous to the crossbow and
ballista.
8. (Agric.) A large, heavy harrow for breaking clods after plowing; a
drag.
9. A piece of mechanism for retarding or stopping motion by friction,
as of a carriage or railway car, by the pressure of rubbers against
the wheels, or of clogs or ratchets against the track or roadway, or
of a pivoted lever against a wheel or drum in a machine.
10. (Engin.) An apparatus for testing the power of a steam engine, or
other motor, by weighing the amount of friction that the motor will
overcome; a friction brake.
11. A cart or carriage without a body, used in breaking in horses.
12. An ancient instrument of torture. Holinshed.
Air brake. See Air brake, in the Vocabulary. -- Brake beam OR Brake
bar, the beam that connects the brake blocks of opposite wheels. --
Brake block. (a) The part of a brake holding the brake shoe. (b) A
brake shoe. -- Brake shoe or Brake rubber, the part of a brake against
which the wheel rubs. -- Brake wheel, a wheel on the platform or top
of a car by which brakes are operated. -- Continuous brake . See under
Continuous.
Brakeman
Brake"man (?), n.; pl. Brakemen (.
1. (Railroads) A man in charge of a brake or brakes.
2. (Mining) The man in charge of the winding (or hoisting) engine for
a mine.
Braky
Brak"y (?), a. Full of brakes; abounding with brambles, shrubs, or
ferns; rough; thorny.
In the woods and braky glens. W. Browne.
Brama
Bra"ma (?), n. See Brahma.
Bramah press
Bra"mah press` (?). A hydrostatic press of immense power, invented by
Joseph Bramah of London. See under Hydrostatic.
Bramble
Bram"ble (?), n. [OE. brembil, AS.brbramal), fr. the same root as E.
broom, As. br. See Broom.]
1. (Bot.) Any plant of the genus Rubus, including the raspberry and
blackberry. Hence: Any rough, prickly shrub.
The thorny brambles, and embracing bushes. Shak.
2. (Zo\'94l.) The brambling or bramble finch.
Bramble bush
Bram"ble bush` (?). (Bot.) The bramble, or a collection of brambles
growing together.
He jumped into a bramble bush And scratched out both his eyes.
Mother Goose.
Brambled
Bram"bled (?), a. Overgrown with brambles.
Forlorn she sits upon the brambled floor. T. Warton.
Bramble net
Bram"ble net` (?). A net to catch birds.
Brambling
Bram"bling (?), n. [OE. bramline. See Bramble, n.] (Zo\'94l.) The
European mountain finch (Fringilla montifringilla); -- called also
bramble finch and bramble.
Brambly
Bram"bly (?), a. Pertaining to, resembling, or full of, brambles. "In
brambly wildernesses." Tennyson.
Brame
Brame (?), n. [Cf. Breme.] Sharp passion; vexation. [Obs.]
Heart-burning brame. Spenser.
Bramin, Braminic
Bra"min (?), Bra*min"ic (?), etc. See Brahman, Brachmanic, etc.
Bran
Bran (?), n. [OE. bren, bran, OF. bren, F. bran, from Celtic; cf.
Armor. brenn, Ir. bran, bran, chaff.]
1. The broken coat of the seed of wheat, rye, or other cereal grain,
separated from the flour or meal by sifting or bolting; the coarse,
chaffy part of ground grain.
2. (Zo\'94l.) The European carrion crow.
Brancard
Bran"card (?), n. [F.] A litter on which a person may be carried.
[Obs.] Coigrave.
Branch
Branch (?), n.; pl. Branches (. [OE. braunche, F. branche, fr. LL.
branca claw of a bird or beast of prey; cf. Armor. brank branch,
bough.]
1. (Bot.) A shoot or secondary stem growing from the main stem, or
from a principal limb or bough of a tree or other plant.
2. Any division extending like a branch; any arm or part connected
with the main body of thing; ramification; as, the branch of an
antler; the branch of a chandelier; a branch of a river; a branch of a
railway.
Most of the branches , or streams, were dried up. W. Irving.
3. Any member or part of a body or system; a distinct article; a
section or subdivision; a department. "Branches of knowledge."
Prescott.
It is a branch and parcel of mine oath. Shak.
4. (Geom.) One of the portions of a curve that extends outwards to an
indefinitely great distance; as, the branches of an hyperbola.
5. A line of family descent, in distinction from some other line or
lines from the same stock; any descendant in such a line; as, the
English branch of a family.
His father, a younger branch of the ancient stock. Carew.
6. (Naut.) A warrant or commission given to a pilot, authorizing him
to pilot vessels in certain waters.
Branches of a bridle, two pieces of bent iron, which bear the bit, the
cross chains, and the curb. -- Branch herring. See Alewife. -- Root
and branch , totally, wholly. Syn. -- Bough; limb; shoot; offshoot;
twig; sprig.
Branch
Branch (?), a. Diverging from, or tributary to, a main stock, line,
way, theme, etc.; as, a branch vein; a branch road or line; a branch
topic; a branch store.
Branch
Branch, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Branched (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Branching.]
1. To shoot or spread in branches; to separate into branches; to
ramify.
2. To divide into separate parts or subdivision.
To branch off, to form a branch or a separate part; to diverge. -- To
branch out, to speak diffusively; to extend one's discourse to other
topics than the main one; also, to enlarge the scope of one's
business, etc.
To branch out into a long disputation. Spectator.
Branch
Branch, v. t.
1. To divide as into branches; to make subordinate division in.
2. To adorn with needlework representing branches, flowers, or twigs.
The train whereof loose far behind her strayed, Branched with gold
and pearl, most richly wrought. Spenser.
Brancher
Branch"er (?), n.
1. That which shoots forth branches; one who shows growth in various
directions.
2. (Falconry) A young hawk when it begins to leave the nest and take
to the branches.
Branchery
Branch"er*y (?), n. A system of branches.
Branchia
Bran"chi*a (?), n.; pl. Branchi\'91 (#). [L., fr. Gr. (Anat.) A gill;
a respiratory organ for breathing the air contained in water, such as
many aquatic and semiaquatic animals have.
Branchial
Bran"chi*al (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to branchi\'91 or gills.
Branchial arches, the bony or cartilaginous arches which support the
gills on each side of the throat of fishes and amphibians. See
Illustration in Appendix. -- Branchial clefts, the openings between
the branchial arches through which water passes.
Branchiate
Bran"chi*ate (?), a. (Anat.) Furnished with branchi\'91; as,
branchiate segments.
Branchiferous
Bran*chif"er*ous (?), a. (Anat.) Having gills; branchiate; as,
branchiferous gastropods.
Branchiness
Branch"i*ness (?), n. Fullness of branches.
Branching
Branch"ing, a. Furnished with branches; shooting our branches;
extending in a branch or branches.
Shaded with branching palm. Milton.
Branching
Branch"ing, n. The act or state of separation into branches; division
into branches; a division or branch.
The sciences, with their numerous branchings. L. Watts.
Branchiogastropoda
Bran`chi*o*gas*trop"o*da (?), n. pl. [NL., from Gr. gastropoda.]
(Zo\'94l.) Those Gastropoda that breathe by branchi\'91, including the
Prosobranchiata and Opisthobranchiata.
Branchiomerism
Bran`chi*om"er*ism (?), n. [Gr. -mere.] (Anat.) The state of being
made up of branchiate segments. R. Wiedersheim.
Branchiopod
Bran"chi*o*pod (?), n. One of the Branchiopoda.
Branchiopoda
Bran"chi*o*poda (?), n. pl. [Gr. -poda: cf. F. branchiopode.]
(Zo\'94l.) An order of Entomostraca; -- so named from the feet of
branchiopods having been supposed to perform the function of gills. It
includes the fresh-water genera Branchipus, Apus, and Limnadia, and
the genus Artemia found in salt lakes. It is also called Phyllopoda.
See Phyllopoda, Cladocera. It is sometimes used in a broader sense.
Branchiostegal
Bran`chi*os"te*gal (?), a. [Gr. branchiost\'8age.] (Anat.) Pertaining
to the membrane covering the gills of fishes. -- n. (Anat.) A
branchiostegal ray. See Illustration of Branchial arches in Appendix.
NOTE: &hand; Th is te rm wa s formerly applied to a group of fishes
having boneless branchi\'91. But the arrangement was artificial,
and has been rejected.
Branchiostege
Bran`chi*os"tege (?), (Anat.) The branchiostegal membrane. See
Illustration in Appendix.
Branchiostegous
Bran`chi*os"te*gous (?), a. (Anat.) Branchiostegal.
Branchiostoma
Bran`chi*os"to*ma (?), n. [NL., fr., Gr. (Zo\'94l.) The lancelet. See
Amphioxus.
Branchiura
Bran"chi*u"ra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr., Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A group of
Entomostraca, with suctorial mouths, including species parasitic on
fishes, as the carp lice (Argulus).
Branchless
Branch"less (?), a. Destitude of branches or shoots; without any
valuable product; barren; naked.
Branchlet
Branch"let (?), n. [Branch + -let.] A little branch; a twig.
Branch pilot
Branch" pi`lot (?). A pilot who has a branch or commission, as from
Trinity House, England, for special navigation.
Branchy
Branch"y (?), a. Full of branches; having wide-spreading branches;
consisting of branches.
Beneath thy branchy bowers of thickest gloom. J. Scott.
Brand
Brand (?), n. [OE. brand, brond, AS. brand brond brand, sword, from
byrnan, beornan, to burn; akin to D., Dan., Sw., & G. brand brand,
Icel. brandr a brand, blade of a sword. &root;32. See Burn, v. t., and
cf. Brandish.]
1. A burning piece of wood; or a stick or piece of wood partly burnt,
whether burning or after the fire is extinct.
Snatching a live brand from a wigwam, Mason threw it on a matted
roof. Palfrey.
2. A sword, so called from its glittering or flashing brightness.
[Poetic] Tennyson.
Paradise, so late their happy seat, Waved over by that flaming
brand. Milton.
3. A mark made by burning with a hot iron, as upon a cask, to
designate the quality, manufacturer, etc., of the contents, or upon an
animal, to designate ownership; -- also, a mark for a similar purpose
made in any other way, as with a stencil. Hence, figurately: Quality;
kind; grade; as, a good brand of flour.
4. A mark put upon criminals with a hot iron. Hence: Any mark of
infamy or vice; a stigma.
The brand of private vice. Channing.
5. An instrument to brand with; a branding iron.
6. (Bot.) Any minute fungus which produces a burnt appearance in
plants. The brands are of many species and several genera of the order
Puccini\'91i.
Brand
Brand (?), v.t [imp. & p. p. Branded; p. pr. & vb. n. Branding.].
1. To burn a distinctive mark into or upon with a hot iron, to
indicate quality, ownership, etc., or to mark as infamous (as a
convict).
2. To put an actual distinctive mark upon in any other way, as with a
stencil, to show quality of contents, name of manufacture, etc.
3. Fig.: To fix a mark of infamy, or a stigma, upon.
The Inquisition branded its victims with infamy. Prescott.
There were the enormities, branded and condemned by the first and
most natural verdict of common humanity. South.
4. To mark or impress indelibly, as with a hot iron.
As if it were branded on my mind. Geo. Eliot.
Brand"erhw> (#), n.
1. One who, or that which, brands; a branding iron.
2. A gridiron. [Scot.]
Brand goose
Brand" goose` (#). [Prob. fr. 1st brand + goose: cf. Sw. brandg\'86s.
Cf. Brant.] (Zo\'94l.) A species of wild goose (Branta bernicla)
usually called in America brant. See Brant.
Brandied
Bran"died (?), a. Mingled with brandy; made stronger by the addition
of brandy; flavored or treated with brandy; as, brandied peaches.
Branding iron
Brand"ing i`*ron (?). An iron to brand with.
Brand iron
Brand" i`ron.
1. A branding iron.
2. A trivet to set a pot on. Huloet.
3. The horizontal bar of an andiron.
Brandish
Bran"dish (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brandished (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Brandishing.] [OE. braundisen, F. brandir, fr. brand a sword, fr. OHG.
brant brand. See Brand, n.]
1. To move or wave, as a weapon; to raise and move in various
directions; to shake or flourish.
The quivering lance which he brandished bright. Drake.
2. To play with; to flourish; as, to brandish syllogisms.
Brandish
Bran"dish, n. A flourish, as with a weapon, whip, etc. "Brandishes of
the fan." Tailer.
Brandisher
Bran"dish*er (?), n. One who brandishes.
Brandle
Bran"dle (?), v. t. & i. [F. brandiller.] To shake; to totter. [Obs.]
Brandling, Brandlin
Brand"ling (?), Brand"lin (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) Same as Branlin, fish and
worm.
Brand-new
Brand"-new" (?), a. [See Brand, and cf. Brannew.] Quite new; bright as
if fresh from the forge.
Brand spore
Brand" spore` (?). (Bot.) One of several spores growing in a series or
chain, and produced by one of the fungi called brand.
Brandy
Bran"dy (?), n.; pl. Brandies (#). [From older brandywine, brandwine,
fr. D. brandewijn, fr. p. p. of branden to burn, distill + wijn wine,
akin to G. branntwein. See Brand.] A strong alcoholic liquor distilled
from wine. The name is also given to spirit distilled from other
liquors, and in the United States to that distilled from cider and
peaches. In northern Europe, it is also applied to a spirit obtained
from grain. Brandy fruit, fruit preserved in brandy and sugar.
Brandywine
Bran"dy*wine` (?), n. Brandy. [Obs.] Wiseman.
Brangle
Bran"gle (?), n. [Prov. E. brangled confused, entangled, Scot. brangle
to shake, menace; probably a variant of wrangle, confused with brawl.
&root;95.> ] A wrangle; a squabble; a noisy contest or dispute. [R.]
A brangle between him and his neighbor. Swift.
Brangle
Bran"gle, v.i [imp. & p. p. Brangled (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Brangling
(#).] To wrangle; to dispute contentiously; to squabble. [R.]
Branglement
Bran"gle*ment (?), n. Wrangle; brangle. [Obs.]
Brangler
Bran"gler (?), n. A quarrelsome person.
Brangling
Bran"gling (?), n. A quarrel. [R.] Whitlock.
Brank
Brank (?), n. [Prov. of Celtic origin; cf. L. brance, brace, the
Gallic name of a particularly white kind of corn.] Buckwheat. [Local,
Eng.] Halliwell.
Brank, Branks
Brank, Branks, n. [Cf. Gael. brangus, brangas, a sort of pillory, Ir.
brancas halter, or D. pranger fetter.]
1. A sort of bridle with wooden side pieces. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]
Jamieson.
2. A scolding bridle, an instrument formerly used for correcting
scolding women. It was an iron frame surrounding the head and having a
triangular piece entering the mouth of the scold.
Brank
Brank, v. i.
1. To hold up and toss the head; -- applied to horses as spurning the
bit. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]
2. To prance; to caper. [Scot.] Jamieson.
Brankursine
Brank"ur*sine (?), n. [F. branc-ursine, branch-ursine, fr. LL. branca
claw + L. ursinus belonging to a bear (fr. ursus bear), i .e., bear's
claw, because its leaves resemble the claws of a bear. Cf. Branch.]
(Bot.) Bear's-breech, or Acanthus.
Branlin
Bran"lin (?), n. [Scot. branlie fr. brand.] (Zo\'94l.) A young salmon
or parr, in the stage in which it has transverse black bands, as if
burned by a gridiron.
Branlin
Bran"lin, n. [See Brand.] A small red worm or larva, used as bait for
small fresh-water fish; -- so called from its red color.
Bran-new
Bran"-new" (?), a. See Brand-new.
Branny
Bran"ny (?), a. Having the appearance of bran; consisting of or
containing bran. Wiseman.
Bransle
Bran"sle (?), n. [See Brawl a dance.] A brawl or dance. [Obs.]
Spenser.
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Brant
Brant (?), n. [Cf.Brand goose, Brent, Brenicle.] (Zo\'94l.) A species
of wild goose (Branta bernicla) -- called also brent and brand goose.
The name is also applied to other related species.
Brant
Brant, a. [See Brent.] Steep. [Prov. Eng.]
Brantail
Bran"tail` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The European redstart; -- so called from
the red color of its tail.
Brant-fox
Brant"-fox` (?), n. [For brand-fox; cf. G. brandfuchs, Sw. bradr\'84f.
So called from its yellowish brown and somewhat black color. See
Brand.] (Zo\'94l.) A kind of fox found in Sweden (Vulpes alopex),
smaller than the common fox (V. vulgaris), but probably a variety of
it.
Branular
Bran"u*lar (?), a. Relating to the brain; cerebral. I. Taylor.
Brasen
Bra"sen (?), a. Same as Brazen.
Brash
Brash (?), a. [Cf. Gael. bras or G. barsch harsh, sharp, tart,
impetuous, D. barsch, Sw. & Dan. barsk.] Hasty in temper; impetuous.
Grose.
Brash
Brash, a. [Cf. Amer. bresk, brusk, fragile, brittle.] Brittle, as wood
or vegetables. [Colloq., U. S.] Bartlett.
Brash
Brash, n. [See Brash brittle.]
1. A rash or eruption; a sudden or transient fit of sickness.
2. Refuse boughs of trees; also, the clippings of hedges. [Prov. Eng.]
Wright.
3. (Geol.) Broken and angular fragments of rocks underlying alluvial
deposits. Lyell.
4. Broken fragments of ice. Kane.
Water brash (Med.), an affection characterized by a spasmodic pain or
hot sensation in the stomach with a rising of watery liquid into the
mouth; pyrosis. -- Weaning brash (Med.), a severe form of diarrhea
which sometimes attacks children just weaned.
Brasier, Brazier
Bra"sier, Bra"zier (?), n. [OE. brasiere, F. braise live coals. See
Brass.] An artificer who works in brass. Franklin.
Brasier, Brazier
Bra"sier, Bra"zier, n. [F. brasier, brais\'a1er, fr. braise live
coals. See Brass.] A pan for holding burning coals.
Brass
Brass (?), n.; pl. Brasses (#). [OE. bras, bres, AS. br\'91s; akin to
Icel. bras cement, solder, brasa to harden by fire, and to E. braze,
brazen. Cf. 1st & 2d Braze.]
1. An alloy (usually yellow) of copper and zinc, in variable
proportion, but often containing two parts of copper to one part of
zinc. It sometimes contains tin, and rarely other metals.
2. (Mach.) A journal bearing, so called because frequently made of
brass. A brass is often lined with a softer metal, when the latter is
generally called a white metal lining. See Axle box, Journal Box, and
Bearing.
3. Coin made of copper, brass, or bronze. [Obs.]
Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, nor
scrip for your journey. Matt. x. 9.
4. Impudence; a brazen face. [Colloq.]
5. pl. Utensils, ornaments, or other articles of brass.
The very scullion who cleans the brasses. Hopkinson.
6. A brass plate engraved with a figure or device. Specifically, one
used as a memorial to the dead, and generally having the portrait,
coat of arms, etc.
7. pl. (Mining) Lumps of pyrites or sulphuret of iron, the color of
which is near to that of brass.
NOTE: &hand; Th e wo rd br ass as us ed in Sculpture language is a
translation for copper or some kind of bronze.
NOTE: &hand; Br ass is often used adjectively or in self-explaining
compounds; as, brass button, brass kettle, brass founder, brass
foundry or brassfoundry.
Brass band (Mus.), a band of musicians who play upon wind instruments
made of brass, as trumpets, cornets, etc. -- Brass foil, Brass leaf,
brass made into very thin sheets; -- called also Dutch gold.
Brassage
Bras"sage (?), n. [F.] A sum formerly levied to pay the expense of
coinage; -- now called seigniorage.
Brassart
Bras"sart (?), n. [F. brassard, fr. bras arm. See Brace, n.] Armor for
the arm; -- generally used for the whole arm from the shoulder to the
wrist, and consisting, in the 15th and 16th centuries, of many parts.
Brasse
Brasse (?), n. [Perh. a transposition of barse; but cf. LG. brasse the
bream, G. brassen Cf. Bream.] (Zo\'94l.) A spotted European fish of
the genus Lucioperca, resembling a perch.
Brassets
Bras"sets (?), n. See Brassart.
Brassica
Bras"si*ca (?), n. [L., cabbage.] (Bot.) A genus of plants embracing
several species ad varieties differing much in appearance and
qualities: such as the common cabbage (B. oleracea), broccoli,
cauliflowers, etc.; the wild turnip (B. campestris); the common turnip
(B. rapa); the rape of coleseed (B. napus), etc.
Brassicaceous
Bras`si*ca"ceous (?), a. [L. brassica cabbage.] (Bot.) Related to, or
resembling, the cabbage, or plants of the Cabbage family.
Brassiness
Brass"i*ness (?), n. The state, conditions, or quality of being
brassy. [Colloq.]
Brass-visaged
Brass"-vis"aged (?), a. Impudent; bold.
Brassy
Brass"y (?), a.
1. Of or pertaining to brass; having the nature, appearance, or
hardness, of brass.
2. Impudent; impudently bold. [Colloq.]
Brast
Brast (?), v. t. & i. [See Burst.] To burst. [Obs.]
And both his y\'89n braste out of his face. Chaucer.
Dreadfull furies which their chains have brast. Spenser.
Brat
Brat (?), n. [OE. bratt coarse garnment, AS. bratt cloak, fr. the
Celtic; cf. W. brat clout, rag, Gael. brat cloak, apron, raf, Ir. brat
cloak; properly then, a child's bib or clout; hence, a child.]
1. A coarse garnment or cloak; also, coarse clothing, in general.
[Obs.] Chaucer.
2. A coarse kind of apron for keeping the clothes clean; a bib. [Prov.
Eng. & Scot.] Wright.
3. A child; an offspring; -- formerly used in a good sense, but now
usually in a contemptuous sense. "This brat is none of mine." Shak. "A
beggar's brat." Swift.
O Israel! O household of the Lord! O Abraham's brats! O brood of
blessed seed! Gascoigne.
4. The young of an animal. [Obs.] L'Estrange.
Brat
Brat (?), n. (Mining) A thin bed of coal mixed with pyrites or
carbonate of lime.
Bratsche
Brat"sche (?), n. [G., fr. It. viola da braccio viola held on the
arm.] The tenor viola, or viola.
Brattice
Brat"tice (?), n. [See Brettice.] (Mining) (a) A wall of separation in
a shaft or gallery used for ventilation. (b) Planking to support a
roof or wall.
Brattishing
Brat"tish*ing (?), n.
1. See Brattice, n.
2. (Arch.) Carved openwork, as of a shrine, battlement, or parapet.
Braunite
Braun"ite (?), n. (Min.) A native oxide of manganese, of dark brownish
black color. It was named from a Mr. Braun of Gotha.
Bravade
Bra*vade" (, n. Bravado. [Obs.] Fanshawe.
Bravado
Bra*va"do (?), n., pl. Bravadoes (#). [Sp. bravada, bravata, boast,
brag: cf. F. bravade. See Brave.] Boastful and threatening behavior; a
boastful menace.
In spite of our host's bravado. Irving.
Brave
Brave (?), a. [Compar. Braver; superl. Bravest.] [F. brave, It. or Sp.
bravo, (orig.) fierce, wild, savage, prob. from. L. barbarus. See
Barbarous, and cf. Bravo.]
1. Bold; courageous; daring; intrepid; -- opposed to cowardly; as, a
brave man; a brave act.
2. Having any sort of superiority or excellence; -- especially such as
in conspicuous. [Obs. or Archaic as applied to material things.]
Iron is a brave commodity where wood aboundeth. Bacon.
It being a brave day, I walked to Whitehall. Pepys.
3. Making a fine show or display. [Archaic]
Wear my dagger with the braver grace. Shak.
For I have gold, and therefore will be brave. In silks I'll rattle
it of every color. Robert Greene.
Frog and lizard in holiday coats And turtle brave in his golden
spots. Emerson.
Syn. -- Courageous; gallant; daring; valiant; valorous; bold; heroic;
intrepid; fearless; dauntless; magnanimous; high-spirited;
stout-hearted. See Gallant.
Brave
Brave (?), n.
1. A brave person; one who is daring.
The star-spangled banner, O,long may it wave O'er the land of the
free and the home of the brave. F. S. Key.
2. Specifically, an Indian warrior.
3. A man daring beyond discretion; a bully.
Hot braves like thee may fight. Dryden.
4. A challenge; a defiance; bravado. [Obs.]
Demetrius, thou dost overween in all; And so in this, to bear me
down with braves. Shak.
Brave
Brave, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Braved (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Braving.]
1. To encounter with courage and fortitude; to set at defiance; to
defy; to dare.
These I can brave, but those I can not bear. Dryden.
2. To adorn; to make fine or showy. [Obs.]
Thou [a tailor whom Grunio was browbeating] hast braved meny men;
brave not me; I'll neither be faced or braved. Shak.
Bravely
Brave"ly (?), adv.
1. In a brave manner; courageously; gallantly; valiantly; splendidly;
nobly.
2. Finely; gaudily; gayly; showily.
And [she] decked herself bravely to allure the eyes of all men that
should see her. Judith. x. 4.
3. Well; thrivingly; prosperously. [Colloq.]
Braveness
Brave"ness, n. The quality of state or being brave.
Bravery
Brav"er*y (?), n. [Cf. F. braverie.]
1. The quality of being brave; fearless; intrepidity.
Remember, sir, my liege, . . . The natural bravery of your isle.
Shak.
2. The act of braving; defiance; bravado. [Obs.]
Reform, then, without bravery or scandal of former times and
persons.
3. Splendor; magnificence; showy appearance; ostentation; fine
dress.
With scarfs and fans and double change of bravery. Shak.
Like a stately ship . . . With all her bravery on, and tackle trim.
Milton.
4. A showy person; a fine gentleman; a beau. [Obs.]
A man that is the bravery of his age. Beau. & Fl.
Syn. -- Courage; heroism; interpidity; gallantry; valor;
fearlessness; dauntlessness; hardihood; manfulness. See Courage,
and Heroism.
Braving
Brav"ing (?), n. A bravado; a boast.
With so proud a strain Of threats and bravings. Chapman.
Bravingly
Brav"ing*ly (?), adv. In a defiant manner.
Bravo
Bra"vo (?), n.; pl. Bravoes (#). [I. See Brave, a.] A daring
villain; a bandit; one who sets law at defiance; a professional
assassin or murderer.
Safe from detection, seize the unwary prey. And stab, like bravoes,
all who come this way. Churchill.
Bravo
Bra"vo (?), interj. [It. See Brave.] Well done! excellent! an
exclamation expressive of applause.
Bravura
Bra*vu"ra (?), n. [It., (properly) bravery, spirit, from bravo. See
Brave.] (Mus.) A florid, brilliant style of music, written for
effect, to show the range and flexibility of a singer's voice, or
the technical force and skill of a performer; virtuoso music.
Aria di bravura ( [It.], a florid air demanding brilliant execution.
Brawl
Brawl (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Brawled (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Brawling.]
[OE. braulen to quarrel, boast, brallen to cry, make a noise; cf. LG.
brallen to brag, MHG. prulen, G. prahlen, F. brailler to cry, shout,
Pr. brailar, braillar, W. bragal to vociferate, brag, Armor. bragal to
romp, to strut, W. broliaw to brag, brawl boast.
1. To quarrel noisily and outrageously.
Let a man that is a man consider that he is a fool that brawleth
openly with his wife. Golden Boke.
2. To complain loudly; to scold.
3. To make a loud confused noise, as the water of a rapid stream
running over stones.
Where the brook brawls along the painful road. Wordsworth.
Syn. -- To wrangle; squabble; contend.
Brawl
Brawl (?), n. A noisy quarrel; loud, angry contention; a wrangle; a
tumult; as, a drunken brawl.
His sports were hindered by the brawls. Shak
. Syn. -- Noise; quarrel; uproar; row; tumult.
Brawler
Brawl"er (?), n. One that brawls; wrangler. Common brawler (Law), one
who disturbs a neighborhood by brawling (and is therefore indictable
at common law as a nuisance). Wharton.
Brawling
Brawl"ing, a.
1. Quarreling; quarrelsome; noisy.
She is an irksome brawling scold. Shak.
2. Making a loud confused noise. See Brawl, v. i., 3.
A brawling stream. J. S. Shairp.
Brawlingly
Brawl"ing*ly, adv. In a brawling manner.
Brawn
Brawn (?), n. [OF. braon fleshy part, muscle, fr. HG. br flesh, G.
braten roast meat; akin to Icel. br flesh, food of beasts, AS. brbr to
roast, G. braten, and possibly to E. breed.]
1. A muscle; flesh. [Obs.]
Formed well of brawns and of bones. Chaucer.
2. Full, strong muscles, esp. of the arm or leg, muscular strength; a
protuberant muscular part of the body; sometimes, the arm.
Brawn without brains is thine. Dryden.
It was ordained that murderers should be brent on the brawn of the
left hand. E. Hall.
And in my vantbrace put this withered brawn. Shak.
3. The flesh of a boar; also, the salted and prepared flesh of a boar.
The best age for the boar is from two to five years, at which time
it is best to geld him, or sell him for brawn. Mortimer.
4. A boar. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
Brawned
Brawned (?), a. Brawny; strong; muscular. [Obs.] Spenser.
Brawner
Brawn"er (?), n. A boor killed for the table.
Brawniness
Brawn"i*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being brawny.
Brawny
Brawn"y (?), a. Having large, strong muscles; muscular; fleshy;
strong. "Brawny limbs." W. Irving. Syn. -- Muscular; fleshy; strong;
bulky; sinewy; athletic; stalwart; powerful; robust.
Braxy
Brax"y (?), n. [Cf. AS. breac rheum, broc sickness, Ir. bracha
corruption. Jamieson.]
1. A disease of sheep. The term is variously applied in different
localities. [Scot.]
2. A diseased sheep, or its mutton.
Bray
Bray (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brayed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Braying.]
[OE. brayen, OF. breier, F. broyer to pound, grind, fr. OHG. brehhan
to break. See Break.] To pound, beat, rub, or grind small or fine.
Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar, . . . yet will not
his foolishness depart from him. Prov. xxvii. 22.
Bray
Bray, v. i. [OE brayen, F. braire to bray, OF. braire to cry, fr. LL.
bragire to whinny; perh. fr. the Celtic and akin to E. break; or perh.
of imitative origin.]
1. To utter a loud, harsh cry, as an ass.
Laugh, and they Return it louder than an ass can bray. Dryden.
2. To make a harsh, grating, or discordant noise.
Heard ye the din of battle bray? Gray.
Bray
Bray, v. t. To make or utter with a loud, discordant, or harsh and
grating sound.
Arms on armor clashing, brayed Horrible discord. MIlton.
And varying notes the war pipes brayed. Sir W. Scott.
Bray
Bray, n. The harsh cry of an ass; also, any harsh, grating, or
discordant sound.
The bray and roar of multitudinous London. Jerrold.
Bray
Bray, n. [OE. braye, brey, brew, eyebrow, brow of a hill, hill, bank,
Scot. bra, brae, bray, fr. AS. br eyebrow, influenced by the allied
Icel. br eyebrow, bank, also akin to AS. brBrow.] A bank; the slope of
a hill; a hill. See Brae, which is now the usual spelling. [North of
Eng. & Scot.] Fairfax.
Brayer
Bray"er (?), n. An implement for braying and spreading ink in hand
printing.
Brayer
Bray"er, n. One that brays like an ass. Pope.
Braying
Bray"ing, a. Making a harsh noise; blaring. "Braying trumpets." Shak.
Braze
Braze (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Brazed (#); p. pr & vb. n. Brazing.]
[F. braser to solder, fr. Icel. brasa to harden by fire. Cf. Brass.]
1. To solder with hard solder, esp. with an alloy of copper and zinc;
as, to braze the seams of a copper pipe.
2. To harden. "Now I am brazes to it." Shak.
Braze
Braze (?), v. t. [AS. br\'91sian, fr. br\'91s brass. See Brass.] To
cover or ornament with brass. Chapman.
Brazen
Bra"zen (?), a.[OE. brasen, AS. br\'91sen. See Brass.]
1. Pertaining to, made of, or resembling, brass.
2. Sounding harsh and loud, like resounding brass.
3. Impudent; immodest; shameless; having a front like brass; as, a
brazen countenance.
Brazen age. (a) (Myth.) The age of war and lawlessness which succeeded
the silver age. (b) (Arch\'91ol.) See under Bronze. -- Brazen sea
(Jewish Antiq.), a large laver of brass, placed in Solomon's temple
for the use of the priests.
Brazen
Bra"zen, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brazened (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Brazening.]
To carry through impudently or shamelessly; as, to brazen the matter
through.
Sabina brazened it out before Mrs. Wygram, but inwardly she was
resolved to be a good deal more circumspect. W. Black.
Brazen-browed
Bra"zen-browed` (?), a. Shamelessly impudent. Sir T. Browne.
Brazenface
Bra"zen*face` (?), n. An impudent of shameless person. "Well said,
brazenface; hold it out." Shak.
Brazenfaced
Bra"zen*faced` (?), a. Impudent; shameless.
Brazenly
Bra"zen*ly (?), adv. In a bold, impudent manner.
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Brazenness
Bra"zen*ness (?), n. The quality or state of being brazen. Johnson.
Brazier
Bra"zier (?), n. Same as Brasier.
Braziletto
Braz`i*let"to (?), n. [Cf. Pg. & Sp. brasilete, It. brasiletto.] See
Brazil wood.
Brazilian
Bra*zil"ian (?), a. Of or pertaining to Brasil. -- n. A native or an
inhabitant of Brazil. Brazilian pebble. See Pebble, n., 2.
Brazilin
Braz"i*lin (?), n. [Cf. F. br\'82siline. See Brazil.] (Chem.) A
substance contained in both Brazil wood and Sapan wood, from which it
is extracted as a yellow crystalline substance which is white when
pure. It is colored intensely red by alkalies. [Written also
brezilin.]
Brazil nut
Bra*zil" nut` (?). (Bot.) An oily, three-sided nut, the seed of the
Bertholletia excelsa; the cream nut.
NOTE: &hand; Fr om ei ghteen to tw enty-four of the seed or "nuts"
grow in a hard and nearly globular shell.
Brazil wood
Bra*zil" wood` (?). [OE. brasil, LL. brasile (cf. Pg. & Sp. brasil,
Pr. bresil, Pr. bresil); perh. from Sp. or Pg. brasa a live coal (cf.
Braze, Brasier); or Ar. vars plant for dyeing red or yellow. This name
was given to the wood from its color; and it is said that King
Emanuel, of Portugal, gave the name Brazil to the country in South
America on account of its producing this wood.]
1. The wood of the oriental C\'91salpinia Sapan; -- so called before
the discovery of America.
2. A very heavy wood of a reddish color, imported from Brazil and
other tropical countries, for cabinet-work, and for dyeing. The best
is the heartwood of C\'91salpinia echinata, a leguminous tree; but
other trees also yield it. An interior sort comes from Jamaica, the
timber of C. Braziliensis and C. crista. This is often distinguished
as Braziletto , but the better kind is also frequently so named.
Breach
Breach (?), n. [OE. breke, breche, AS. brice, gebrice, gebrece (in
comp.), fr. brecan to break; akin to Dan. br\'91k, MHG. breche, gap,
breach. See Break, and cf. Brake (the instrument), Brack a break] .
1. The act of breaking, in a figurative sense.
2. Specifically: A breaking or infraction of a law, or of any
obligation or tie; violation; non-fulfillment; as, a breach of
contract; a breach of promise.
3. A gap or opening made made by breaking or battering, as in a wall
or fortification; the space between the parts of a solid body rent by
violence; a break; a rupture.
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the
wall up with our English dead. Shak.
4. A breaking of waters, as over a vessel; the waters themselves;
surge; surf.
The Lord hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the
breach of waters. 2 Sam. v. 20
A clear breach implies that the waves roll over the vessel without
breaking. -- A clean breach implies that everything on deck is swept
away. Ham. Nav. Encyc.
5. A breaking up of amicable relations; rupture.
There's fallen between him and my lord An unkind breach. Shak.
6. A bruise; a wound.
Breach for breach, eye for eye. Lev. xxiv. 20
7. (Med.) A hernia; a rupture.
8. A breaking out upon; an assault.
The Lord had made a breach upon Uzza. 1. Chron. xiii. 11
Breach of falth, a breaking, or a failure to keep, an expressed or
implied promise; a betrayal of confidence or trust. -- Breach of
peace, disorderly conduct, disturbing the public peace. -- Breach of
privilege, an act or default in violation of the privilege or either
house of Parliament, of Congress, or of a State legislature, as, for
instance, by false swearing before a committee. Mozley. Abbott. -
Breach of promise, violation of one's plighted word, esp. of a promise
to marry. -- Breach of trust, violation of one's duty or faith in a
matter entrusted to one. Syn. -- Rent; cleft; chasm; rift; aperture;
gap; break; disruption; fracture; rupture; infraction; infringement;
violation; quarrel; dispute; contention; difference; misunderstanding.
Breach
Breach, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Breached ( ; p. pr. & vb. n. Breaching.]
To make a breach or opening in; as, to breach the walls of a city.
Breach
Breach, v. i. To break the water, as by leaping out; -- said of a
whale.
Breachy
Breach"y (?), a. Apt to break fences or to break out of pasture;
unruly; as, breachy cattle.
Bread
Bread (?), v. t. [AS. br\'91dan to make broad, to spread. See Broad,
a.] To spread. [Obs.] Ray.
Bread
Bread (?), n. [AS. bre\'a0d; akin to OFries. br\'bed, OS. br, D.
brood, G. brod, brot, Icel. brau, Sw. & Dan. br\'94d. The root is
probably that of E. brew. Brew.]
1. An article of food made from flour or meal by moistening, kneading,
and baking.
NOTE: &hand;
Raised bread is made with yeast, salt, and sometimes a little butter
or lard, and is mixed with warm milk or water to form the dough,
which, after kneading, is given time to rise before baking. -- Cream
of tartar bread is raised by the action of an alkaline carbonate or
bicarbonate (as saleratus or ammonium bicarbonate) and cream of tartar
(acid tartrate of potassium) or some acid. -- Unleavened bread is
usually mixed with water and salt only. A\'89rated bread. See under
A\'89rated. Bread and butter (fig.), means of living. -- Brown bread,
Indian bread, Graham bread, Rye and Indian bread. See Brown bread,
under Brown. -- Bread tree. See Breadfruit.
2. Food; sustenance; support of life, in general.
Give us this day our daily bread. Matt. vi. 11
Bread
Bread, v. t. (Cookery) To cover with bread crumbs, preparatory to
cooking; as, breaded cutlets.
Breadbasket
Bread"bas`ket (?), n. The stomach. [Humorous] S. Foote.
Breadcorn
Bread"corn` (?). Corn of grain of which bread is made, as wheat, rye,
etc.
Breaded
Bread"ed, a. Braided [Obs.] Spenser.
Breaden
Bread"en (?), a. Made of bread. [R.]
Breadfruit
Bread"fruit` (?), n. (Bot.)
1. The fruit of a tree (Artocarpus incisa) found in the islands of the
Pacific, esp. the South Sea islands. It is of a roundish form, from
four to six or seven inches in diameter, and, when baked, somewhat
resembles bread, and is eaten as food, whence the name.
2. (Bot.) The tree itself, which is one of considerable size, with
large, lobed leaves. Cloth is made from the bark, and the timber is
used for many purposes. Called also breadfruit tree and bread tree.
Breadless
Bread"less, a. Without bread; destitude of food.
Plump peers and breadless bards alike are dull. P. Whitehead.
Breadroot
Bread`root" (?), n. (Bot.) The root of a leguminous plant (Psoralea
esculenta), found near the Rocky Mountains. It is usually oval in
form, and abounds in farinaceous matter, affording sweet and palatable
food.
NOTE: &hand; It is the Pomme blanche of Canadian voyageurs.
Breadstuff
Bread"stuff (?), n. Grain, flour, or meal of which bread is made.
Breadth
Breadth (?), n. [OE. brede, breede, whence later bredette, AS.
brbr\'bed broad. See Broad, a.]
1. Distance from side to side of any surface or thing; measure across,
or at right angles to the length; width.
2. (Fine Arts) The quality of having the colors and shadows broad and
massive, and the arrangement of objects such as to avoid to great
multiplicity of details, producing an impression of largeness and
simple grandeur; -- called also breadth of effect.
Breadth of coloring is a prominent character in the painting of all
great masters. Weale.
Breadthless
Breadth"less, a. Without breadth.
Breadthways
Breadth"ways (?), ads. Breadthwise. Whewell.
Breadthwise
Breadth"wise (?), ads. In the direction of the breadth.
Breadthwinner
Breadth"win`ner (?), n. The member of a family whose labor supplies
the food of the family; one who works for his living. H. Spencer.
Break
Break (?), v. t. [imp. broke (?), (Obs. Brake); p. p. Broken (, (Obs.
Broke); p. pr. & vb. n. Breaking.] [OE. breken, AS. brecan; akin to
OS. brekan, D. breken, OHG. brehhan, G. brechen, Icel.braka to creak,
Sw. braka, br\'84kka to crack, Dan. br\'91kke to break, Goth. brikan
to break, L. frangere. Cf. Bray to pound, Breach, Fragile.]
1. To strain apart; to sever by fracture; to divide with violence; as,
to break a rope or chain; to break a seal; to break an axle; to break
rocks or coal; to break a lock. Shak.
2. To lay open as by breaking; to divide; as, to break a package of
goods.
3. To lay open, as a purpose; to disclose, divulge, or communicate.
Katharine, break thy mind to me. Shak.
4. To infringe or violate, as an obligation, law, or promise.
Out, out, hyena! these are thy wonted arts . . . To break all
faith, all vows, deceive, betray. Milton
5. To interrupt; to destroy the continuity of; to dissolve or
terminate; as, to break silence; to break one's sleep; to break one's
journey.
Go, release them, Ariel;
My charms I'll break, their senses I'll restore. Shak.
6. To destroy the completeness of; to remove a part from; as, to
break a set.
7. To destroy the arrangement of; to throw into disorder; to
pierce; as, the cavalry were not able to break the British squares.
8. To shatter to pieces; to reduce to fragments.
The victim broke in pieces the musical instruments with which he
had solaced the hours of captivity. Prescott.
9. To exchange for other money or currency of smaller denomination;
as, to break a five dollar bill.
10. To destroy the strength, firmness, or consistency of; as, to
break flax.
11. To weaken or impair, as health, spirit, or mind.
An old man, broken with the storms of state. Shak.
12. To diminish the force of; to lessen the shock of, as a fall or
blow.
I'll rather leap down first, and break your fall. Dryden.
13. To impart, as news or information; to broach; -- with to, and
often with a modified word implying some reserve; as, to break the
news gently to the widow; to break a purpose cautiously to a
friend.
14. To tame; to reduce to subjection; to make tractable; to
discipline; as, to break a horse to the harness or saddle. "To
break a colt." Spenser.
Why, then thou canst not break her to the lute? Shak.
15. To destroy the financial credit of; to make bankrupt; to ruin.
With arts like these rich Matho, when he speaks, Attracts all fees,
and little lawyers breaks. Dryden.
16. To destroy the official character and standing of; to cashier;
to dismiss.
I see a great officer broken. Swift.
NOTE: With prepositions or adverbs: --
To break down. (a) To crush; to overwhelm; as, to break down one's
strength; to break down opposition. (b) To remove, or open a way
through, by breaking; as, to break down a door or wall. -- To break
in. (a) To force in; as, to break in a door. (b) To train; to
discipline; as, a horse well broken in. -- To break of, to rid of; to
cause to abandon; as, to break one of a habit. -- To break off. (a) To
separate by breaking; as, to break off a twig. (b) To stop suddenly;
to abandon. "Break off thy sins by righteousness." Dan. iv. 27. -- To
break open, to open by breaking. "Open the door, or I will break it
open." Shak. -- To break out, to take or force out by breaking; as, to
break out a pane of glass. -- To break out a cargo, to unstow a cargo,
so as to unload it easily. -- To break through. (a) To make an opening
through, as, as by violence or the force of gravity; to pass violently
through; as, to break through the enemy's lines; to break through the
ice. (b) To disregard; as, to break through the ceremony. -- To break
up. (a) To separate into parts; to plow (new or fallow ground). "Break
up this capon." Shak. "Break up your fallow ground." Jer. iv. 3. (b)
To dissolve; to put an end to. "Break up the court." Shak. -- To break
(one) all up, to unsettle or disconcert completely; to upset.
[Colloq.]
NOTE: With an immediate object: -
To break the back. (a) To dislocate the backbone; hence, to disable
totally. (b) To get through the worst part of; as, to break the back
of a difficult undertaking. -- To break bulk, to destroy the entirety
of a load by removing a portion of it; to begin to unload; also, to
transfer in detail, as from boats to cars. -- To break cover, to burst
forth from a protecting concealment, as game when hunted. -- To break
a deer OR stag, to cut it up and apportion the parts among those
entitled to a share. -- To break fast, to partake of food after
abstinence. See Breakfast. -- To break ground. (a) To open the earth
as for planting; to commence excavation, as for building, siege
operations, and the like; as, to break ground for a foundation, a
canal, or a railroad. (b) Fig.: To begin to execute any plan. (c)
(Naut.) To release the anchor from the bottom. -- To break the heart,
to crush or overwhelm (one) with grief. -- To break a house (Law), to
remove or set aside with violence and a felonious intent any part of a
house or of the fastenings provided to secure it. -- To break the ice,
to get through first difficulties; to overcome obstacles and make a
beginning; to introduce a subject. -- To break jail, to escape from
confinement in jail, usually by forcible means. -- To break a jest, to
utter a jest. "Patroclus . . . the livelong day break scurril jests."
Shak. -- To break joints, to lay or arrange bricks, shingles, etc., so
that the joints in one course shall not coincide with those in the
preceding course. -- To break a lance, to engage in a tilt or contest.
-- To break the neck, to dislocate the joints of the neck. -- To break
no squares, to create no trouble. [Obs.] -- To break a path, road,
etc., to open a way through obstacles by force or labor. -- To break
upon a wheel, to execute or torture, as a criminal by stretching him
upon a wheel, and breaking his limbs with an iron bar; -- a mode of
punishment formerly employed in some countries. -- To break wind, to
give vent to wind from the anus. Syn. -- To dispart; rend; tear;
shatter; batter; violate; infringe; demolish; destroy; burst;
dislocate.
Break
Break (?), v. i.
1. To come apart or divide into two or more pieces, usually with
suddenness and violence; to part; to burst asunder.
2. To open spontaneously, or by pressure from within, as a bubble, a
tumor, a seed vessel, a bag.
Else the bottle break, and the wine runneth out. Math. ix. 17.
3. To burst forth; to make its way; to come to view; to appear; to
dawn.
The day begins to break, and night is fied. Shak.
And from the turf a fountain broke, and gurgled at our feet.
Wordswoorth.
4. To burst forth violently, as a storm.
The clouds are still above; and, while I speak, A second deluge
o'er our head may break. Shak.
5. To open up. to be scattered; t be dissipated; as, the clouds are
breaking.
At length the darkness begins to break. Macawlay.
6. To become weakened in constitution or faculties; to lose health or
strength.
See how the dean begins to break; Poor gentleman . Swift.
7. To be crushed, or overwhelmed with sorrow or grief; as, my heart is
breaking.
8. To fall in business; to become bankrupt.
He that puts all upon adventures doth oftentimes break, and come to
poverty. Bacn.
9. To make an abrupt or sudden change; to change the gait; as, to
break into a run or gallop.
10. To fail in musical quality; as, a singer's voice breaks when it is
strained beyond its compass and a tone or note is not completed, but
degenerates into an unmusical sound instead. Also, to change in tone,
as a boy's voice at puberty.
11. To fall out; to terminate friendship.
To break upon the score of danger or expense is to be mean and
narrow-spirited. Collier.
NOTE: With prepositions or adverbs: -
To break away, to disengage one's self abruptly; to come or go away
against resistance.
Fear me not, man; I will not break away. Shak.
To break down. (a) To come down by breaking; as, the coach broke down.
(b) To fail in any undertaking.
He had broken down almost at the outset. Thackeray.
-- To break forth, to issue; to come out suddenly, as sound, light,
etc. "Then shall thy light break forth as the morning." Isa. lviii. 8;
NOTE: often wi th in to in ex pressing or gi ving ve nt to one's
feelings. "Break forth into singing, ye mountains." Isa. xliv. 23.
To break from, to go away from abruptly.
This radiant from the circling crowd he broke. Dryden.
-- To break into, to enter by breaking; as, a house. -- To break in
upon, to enter or approach violently or unexpectedly. "This, this is
he; softly awhile; let us not break in upon him." Milton. -- To break
loose. (a) To extricate one's self forcibly. "Who would not, finding
way, break loose from hell?" Milton. (b) To cast off restraint, as of
morals or propriety. -- To break off. (a) To become separated by
rupture, or with suddenness and violence. (b) To desist or cease
suddenly. "Nay, forward, old man; do not break off so." Shak. -- To
break off from, to desist from; to abandon, as a habit. -- To break
out. (a) To burst forth; to escape from restraint; to appear suddenly,
as a fire or an epidemic. "For in the wilderness shall waters break
out, and stream in the desert." Isa. xxxv. 6 (b) To show itself in
cutaneous eruptions; -- said of a disease. (c) To have a rash or
eruption on the akin; -- said of a patient. -- To break over, to
overflow; to go beyond limits. -- To break up. (a) To become separated
into parts or fragments; as, the ice break up in the rivers; the wreck
will break up in the next storm. (b) To disperse. "The company breaks
up." I. Watts. -- To break upon, to discover itself suddenly to; to
dawn upon. -- To break with. (a) To fall out; to sever one's relations
with; to part friendship. "It can not be the Volsces dare break with
us." Shak. "If she did not intend to marry Clive, she should have
broken with him altogether." Thackeray. (b) To come to an explanation;
to enter into conference; to speak. [Obs.] "I will break with her and
with her father." Shak.
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Page 178
Break
Break (?), n. [See Break, v. t., and cf. Brake (the instrument),
Breach, Brack a crack.]
1. An opening made by fracture or disruption.
2. An interruption of continuity; change of direction; as, a break in
a wall; a break in the deck of a ship. Specifically: (a) (Arch.) A
projection or recess from the face of a displacement in the circuit,
interrupting the electrical current.
3. An interruption; a pause; as, a break in friendship; a break in the
conversation.
4. An interruption in continuity in writing or printing, as where
there is an omission, an unfilled line, etc.
All modern trash is Set forth with numerous breaks and dashes.
Swift.
5. The first appearing, as of light in the morning; the dawn; as, the
break of day; the break of dawn.
6. A large four-wheeled carriage, having a straight body and calash
top, with the driver's seat in front and the footman's behind.
7. A device for checking motion, or for measuring friction. See Brake,
n. 9 & 10.
8. (Teleg.) See Commutator.
Breakable
Break"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being broken.
Breakage
Break"age (?), n.
1. The act of breaking; a break; a breaking; also, articles broken.
2. An allowance or compensation for things broken accidentally, as in
transportation or use.
Breakbone fever
Break"bone` fe`ver (?). (Med.) See Dengue.
Break-circuit
Break"-cir`cuit (?), n. (Elec.) A key or other device for breaking an
electrical circuit.
Breakdown
Break"down` (?), n.
1. The act or result of breaking down, as of a carriage; downfall.
2. (a) A noisy, rapid, shuffling dance engaged in competitively by a
number of persons or pairs in succession, as among the colored people
of the Southern United States, and so called, perhaps, because the
exercise is continued until most of those who take part in it break
down. (b) Any rude, noisy dance performed by shuffling the feet,
usually by one person at a time. [U.S.]
Don't clear out when the quadrilles are over, for we are going to
have a breakdown to wind up with. New Eng. Tales.
Breaker
Break"er (?), n.
1. One who, or that which, breaks.
I'll be no breaker of the law. Shak.
2. Specifically: A machine for breaking rocks, or for breaking coal at
the mines; also, the building in which such a machine is placed.
3. (Naut.) A small water cask. Totten.
4. A wave breaking into foam against the shore, or against a sand
bank, or a rock or reef near the surface.
The breakers were right beneath her bows. Longfellow.
Breakfast
Break"fast (?), n. [Break + fast.]
1. The first meal in the day, or that which is eaten at the first
meal.
A sorry breakfast for my lord protector. Shak.
2. A meal after fasting, or food in general.
The wolves will get a breakfast by my death. Dryden.
Breakfast
Break"fast, v. i. [imp. & p. p. breakfasted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Breakfasting.] To break one's fast in the morning; too eat the first
meal in the day.
First, sir, I read, and then I breakfast. Prior.
Breakfast
Break"fast, v. t. To furnish with breakfast. Milton.
Breakman
Break"man (?), n. See Brakeman.
Breakneck
Break"neck` (?), n.
1. A fall that breaks the neck.
2. A steep place endangering the neck.
Breakneck
Break"neck` (?), a. Producing danger of a broken neck; as, breakneck
speed.
Break-up
Break"-up` (?), n. Disruption; a separation and dispersion of the
parts or members; as, a break-up of an assembly or dinner party; a
break-up of the government.
Breakwater
Break"wa`ter (?), n. Any structure or contrivance, as a mole, or a
wall at the mouth of a harbor, to break the force of waves, and afford
protection from their violence.
Bream
Bream (?), n. [OE. breme, brem, F. br\'88me, OF. bresme, of German
origin; cf. OHG. brahsema, brahsina, OLG. bressemo, G. brassen. Cf.
Brasse.]
1. (Zo\'94l) A European fresh-water cyprinoid fish of the genus
Abramis, little valued as food. Several species are known.
2. (Zo\'94l) An American fresh-water fish, of various species of
Pomotis and allied genera, which are also called sunfishes and
pondfishes. See Pondfish.
3. (Zo\'94l) A marine sparoid fish of the genus Pagellus, and allied
genera. See Sea Bream.
Bream
Bream, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Breamed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Breaming.]
[Cf. Broom, and G. ein schiff brennen.] (Naut.) To clean, as a ship's
bottom of adherent shells, seaweed, etc., by the application of fire
and scraping.
Breast
Breast (?), n. [OE. brest, breost, As. bre\'a2st; akin to Icel. brj,
Sw. br\'94st, Dan. bryst, Goth. brusts, OS. briost, D. borst, G.
brust.]
1. The fore part of the body, between the neck and the belly; the
chest; as, the breast of a man or of a horse.
2. Either one of the protuberant glands, situated on the front of the
chest or thorax in the female of man and of some other mammalia, in
which milk is secreted for the nourishment of the young; a mammma; a
teat.
My brother, that sucked the breasts of my mother. Cant. viii. 1.
3. Anything resembling the human breast, or bosom; the front or
forward part of anything; as, a chimney breast; a plow breast; the
breast of a hill.
Mountains on whose barren breast The laboring clouds do often rest.
Milton.
4. (Mining) (a) The face of a coal working. (b) The front of a
furnace.
5. The seat of consciousness; the repository of thought and
self-consciousness, or of secrets; the seat of the affections and
passions; the heart.
He has a loyal breast. Shak.
6. The power of singing; a musical voice; -- so called, probably, from
the connection of the voice with the lungs, which lie within the
breast. [Obs.]
By my troth, the fool has an excellent breast. Shak.
Breast drill, a portable drilling machine, provided with a
breastplate, for forcing the drill against the work. -- Breast pang.
See Angina pectoris, under Angina. -- To make a clean breast, to
disclose the secrets which weigh upon one; to make full confession.
Breast
Breast, v. t. [imp. & p. p.Breasted; p. pr. & vb. n. Breasted.] To
meet, with the breast; to struggle with or oppose manfully; as, to
breast the storm or waves.
The court breasted the popular current by sustaining the demurrer.
Wirt.
To breast up a hedge, to cut the face of it on one side so as to lay
bare the principal upright stems of the plants.
Breastband
Breast"band` (?), n. A band for the breast. Specifically: (Naut.) A
band of canvas, or a rope, fastened at both ends to the rigging, to
support the man who heaves the lead in sounding.
Breastbeam
Breast"beam` (?), n. (Mach.) The front transverse beam of a
locomotive.
Breastbone
Breast"bone` (?), n. The bone of the breast; the sternum.
Breast-deep
Breast"-deep` (?), a. Deep as from the breast to the feet; as high as
the breast.
See him breast-deep in earth, and famish him. Shak.
Breasted
Breast"ed, a. Having a breast; -- used in composition with qualifying
words, in either a literal or a metaphorical sense; as, a
single-breasted coat.
The close minister is buttoned up, and the brave officer
open-breasted, on these occasions. Spectator.
Breastfast
Breast"fast` (?), n. (Naut.) A large rope to fasten the midship part
of a ship to a wharf, or to another vessel.
Breastheight
Breast"height` (?), n. The interior slope of a fortification, against
which the garnison lean in firing.
Breast-high
Breast"-high` (?), a. High as the breast.
Breasthook
Breast"hook` (?), n. (Naut.) A thick piece of timber in the form of a
knee, placed across the stem of a ship to strengthen the fore part and
unite the bows on each side. Totten.
Breasting
Breast"ing, n. (Mach.) The curved channel in which a breast wheel
turns. It is closely adapted to the curve of the wheel through about a
quarter of its circumference, and prevents the escape of the water
until it has spent its force upon the wheel. See Breast wheel.
Breastknot
Breast"knot` (?), n. A pin worn of the breast for a fastening, or for
ornament; a brooch.
Breastplate
Breast"plate` (?), n.
1. A plate of metal covering the breast as defensive armor.
Before his old rusty breastplate could be scoured, and his cracked
headpiece mended. Swift.
2. A piece against which the workman presses his breast in operating a
breast drill, or other similar tool.
3. A strap that runs across a horse's breast. Ash.
4. (Jewish Antiq.) A part of the vestment of the high priest, worn
upon the front of the ephod. It was a double piece of richly
embroidered stuff, a span square, set with twelve precious stones, on
which were engraved the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. See
Ephod.
Breastplow, Breastplough
Breast"plow`, Breast"plough` (?), n. A kind of plow, driven by the
breast of the workman; -- used to cut or pare turf.
Breastrall
Breast"rall` (?), n. The upper rail of any parapet of ordinary height,
as of a balcony; the railing of a quarter-deck, etc.
Breastrope
Breast"rope` (?), n. See Breastband.
Breastsummer
Breast"sum`mer (?), n. (Arch.) A summer or girder extending across a
building flush with, and supporting, the upper part of a front or
external wall; a long lintel; a girder; -- used principally above shop
windows. [Written also brestsummer and bressummer.]
Breastwheel
Breast"wheel` (?), n. A water wheel, on which the stream of water
strikes neither so high as in the overshot wheel, nor so low as in the
undershot, but generally at about half the height of the wheel, being
kept in contact with it by the breasting. The water acts on the float
boards partly by impulse, partly by its weight.
Breastwork
Breast"work` (?), n.
1. (Fort.) A defensive work of moderate height, hastily thrown up, of
earth or other material.
2. (Naut.) A railing on the quarter-deck and forecastle.
Breath
Breath (?), n. [OE. breth, breeth, AS. br odor, scent, breath; cf.
OHG. br\'bedam steam, vapor, breath, G. brodem, and possibly E. Brawn,
and Breed.]
1. The air inhaled and exhaled in respiration, air which, in the
process of respiration, has parted with oxygen and has received
carbonic acid, aqueous vapor, warmth, etc.
Melted as breath into the wind. Shak.
2. The act of breathing naturally or freely; the power or capacity to
breathe freely; as, I am out of breath.
3. The power of respiration, and hence, life. Hood.
Thou takest away their breath, they die. Ps. civ. 29.
4. Time to breathe; respite; pause.
Give me some breath, some little pause. Shak.
5. A single respiration, or the time of making it; a single act; an
instant.
He smiles and he frowns in a breath. Dryden.
6. Fig.: That which gives or strengthens life.
The earthquake voice of victory, To thee the breath of life. Byron.
7. A single word; the slightest effort; a triffle.
A breath can make them, as a breath has made. Goldsmith.
8. A very slight breeze; air in gentle motion.
Calm and unruffled as a summer's sea, when not a breath of wind
flies o'er its surface. Addison.
9. Fragrance; exhalation; odor; perfume. Tennison.
The breath of flowers. Bacon.
10. Gentle exercise, causing a quicker respiration.
An after dinner's breath. Shak.
Out of breath, breathless, exhausted; breathing with difficulty. --
Under one's breath, in low tones.
Breathable
Breath"a*ble (?), a. Such as can be breathed.
Breathableness
Breath"a*ble*ness, n. State of being breathable.
Breathe
Breathe (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p Breathed (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Breathing.] [From Breath.]
1. To respire; to inhale and exhale air; hence;, to live. "I am in
health, I breathe." Shak.
Breathes there a man with soul so dead? Sir W. Scott.
2. To take breath; to rest from action.
Well! breathe awhile, and then to it again! Shak.
3. To pass like breath; noiselessly or gently; to exhale; to emanate;
to blow gently.
The air breathes upon us here most sweetly. Shak.
There breathes a living fragrance from the shore. Byron.
Breathe
Breathe, v. t.
1. To inhale and exhale in the process of respiration; to respire.
To view the light of heaven, and breathe the vital air. Dryden.
2. To inject by breathing; to infuse; -- with into.
Able to breathe life into a stone. Shak.
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life. Gen. ii. 7.
3. To emit or utter by the breath; to utter softly; to whisper; as, to
breathe a vow.
He softly breathed thy name. Dryden.
Or let the church, our mother, breathe her curse, A mother's curse,
on her revolting son. Shak.
4. To exhale; to emit, as breath; as, the flowers breathe odors or
perfumes.
5. To express; to manifest; to give forth.
Others articles breathe the same severe spirit. Milner.
6. To act upon by the breath; to cause to sound by breathing. "They
breathe the flute." Prior.
7. To promote free respiration in; to exercise.
And every man should beat thee. I think thou wast created for men
to breathe themselves upon thee. Shak.
8. To suffer to take breath, or recover the natural breathing; to
rest; as, to breathe a horse.
A moment breathed his panting steed. Sir W. Scott.
9. To put out of breath; to exhaust.
Mr. Tulkinghorn arrives in his turret room, a little breathed by
the journey up. Dickens.
10. (Phonetics) To utter without vocality, as the nonvocal consonants.
The same sound may be pronounces either breathed, voiced, or
whispered. H. Sweet.
Breathed elements, being already voiceless, remain unchanged
NOTE: [in whispering]
. H. Sweet.
To breathe again, to take breath; to feel a sense of relief, as from
danger, responsibility, or press of business. -- To breathe one's
last, to die; to expire. -- To breathe a vein, to open a vein; to let
blood. Dryden.
Breather
Breath"er (?), n.
1. One who breathes. Hence: (a) One who lives.(b) One who utters. (c)
One who animates or inspires.
2. That which puts one out of breath, as violent exercise. [Colloq.]
Breathful
Breath"ful (?), a. Full of breath; full of odor; fragrant. [Obs.]
Breathing
Breath"ing (?), n.
1. Respiration; the act of inhaling and exhaling air.
Subject to a difficulty of breathing. Melmoth.
2. Air in gentle motion.
3. Any gentle influence or operation; inspiration; as, the breathings
of the Spirit.
4. Aspiration; secret prayer. "Earnest desires and breathings after
that blessed state." Tillotson.
5. Exercising; promotion of respiration.
Here is a lady that wants breathing too; And I have heard, you
knights of Tyre Are excellent in making ladies trip. Shak.
6. Utterance; communication or publicity by words.
I am sorry to give breathing to my purpose. Shak.
7. Breathing place; vent. Dryden.
8. Stop; pause; delay.
You shake the head at so long a breathing. Shak.
9. Also, in a wider sense, the sound caused by the friction of the
outgoing breath in the throat, mouth, etc., when the glottis is wide
open; aspiration; the sound expressed by the letter h.
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10. (Gr. Gram.) A mark to indicate aspiration or its absence. See
Rough breathing, Smooth breathing, below.
Breathing place. (a) A pause. "That c\'91sura, or breathing place, in
the midst of the verse." Sir P. Sidney. (b) A vent. -- Breathing time,
pause; relaxation. Bp. Hall. -- Breathing while, time sufficient for
drawing breath; a short time. Shak. -- Rough breathing (spiritus
asper) (. See 2d Asper, n. -- Smooth breathing (spiritus lenis), a
mark (') indicating the absence of the sound of h, as in 'ie`nai
(ienai).
Breathless
Breath"less (?), a.
1. Spent with labor or violent action; out of breath.
2. Not breathing; holding the breath, on account of fear, expectation,
or intense interest; attended with a holding of the breath; as,
breathless attention.
But breathless, as we grow when feeling most. Byron.
3. Dead; as, a breathless body.
Breathlessly
Breath"less*ly, adv. In a breathless manner.
Breathlessness
Breath"less*ness, n. The state of being breathless or out of breath.
Breccia
Brec"cia (?), n. [It., breach, pebble, fragments of stone, fr. F.
br\'8ache; of German origin. See Breach.] (Geol.) A rock composed of
angular fragments either of the same mineral or of different minerals,
etc., united by a cement, and commonly presenting a variety of colors.
Bone breccia, a breccia containing bones, usually fragmentary. -- Coin
breccia, a breccia containing coins.
Brecciated
Brec"ci*a`ted (?), a. Consisting of angular fragments cemented
together; resembling breccia in appearance.
The brecciated appearance of many specimens [of meteorites]. H. A.
Newton.
Bred
Bred (?), imp. & p. p. of Breed. Bred out, degenerated. "The strain of
man's bred out into baboon and monkey." Shak. -- Bred to arms. See
under Arms. -- Well bred. (a) Of a good family; having a good
pedigree. "A gentleman well bred and of good name." Shak. [Obs.,
except as applied to domestic animals.] (b) Well brought up, as shown
in having good manners; cultivated; refined; polite.
Brede, OR Breede
Brede, OR Breede (?), n. Breadth. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Brede
Brede (?), n. [See Braid woven cord.] A braid. [R.]
Half lapped in glowing gauze and golden brede. Tennyson.
Breech
Breech (?), n. [See Breeches.]
1. The lower part of the body behind; the buttocks.
2. Breeches. [Obs.] Shak.
3. The hinder part of anything; esp., the part of a cannon, or other
firearm, behind the chamber.
4. (Naut.) The external angle of knee timber, the inside of which is
called the throat.
Breech
Breech, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Breeched (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Breeching
(#).]
1. To put into, or clothe with, breeches.
A great man . . . anxious to know whether the blacksmith's youngest
boy was breeched. Macaulay.
2. To cover as with breeches. [Poetic]
Their daggers unmannerly breeched with gore. Shak.
3. To fit or furnish with a breech; as, to breech a gun.
4. To whip on the breech. [Obs.]
Had not a courteous serving man conveyed me away, whilst he went to
fetch whips, I think, in my conscience, he would have breeched me.
Old Play.
5. To fasten with breeching.
Breechblock
Breech"block (?), n. The movable piece which closes the breech of a
breech-loading firearm, and resists the backward force of the
discharge. It is withdrawn for the insertion of a cartridge, and
closed again before the gun is fired.
Breechcloth
Breech"cloth` (?), n. A cloth worn around the breech.
Breeches
Breech"es (?), n. pl. [OE. brech, brek, AS. br\'c7k, pl. of br\'d3c
breech, breeches; akin to Icel. br\'d3k breeches, ODan. brog, D.
broek, G. bruch; cf. L. bracae, braccae, which is of Celtic origin.
Cf. Brail.]
1. A garment worn by men, covering the hips and thighs; smallclothes.
His jacket was red, and his breeches were blue. Coleridge.
2. Trousers; pantaloons. [Colloq.]
Breeches buoy, in the life-saving service, a pair of canvas breeches
depending from an annular or beltlike life buoy which is usually of
cork. This contrivance, inclosing the person to be rescued, is hung by
short ropes from a block which runs upon the hawser stretched from the
ship to the shore, and is drawn to land by hauling lines. -- Breeches
pipe, a forked pipe forming two branches united at one end. -- Knee
breeches, breeches coming to the knee, and buckled or fastened there;
smallclothes. -- To wear the breeches, to usurp the authority of the
husband; -- said of a wife. [Colloq.]
Breeching
Breech"ing (?), n.
1. A whipping on the breech, or the act of whipping on the breech.
I view the prince with Aristarchus' eyes, Whose looks were as a
breeching to a boy. Marlowe.
2. That part of a harness which passes round the breech of a horse,
enabling him to hold back a vehicle.
3. (Naut.) A strong rope rove through the cascabel of a cannon and
secured to ringbolts in the ship's side, to limit the recoil of the
gun when it is discharged.
4. The sheet iron casing at the end of boilers to convey the smoke
from the flues to the smokestack.
Breechloader
Breech"load`er (?), n. A firearm which receives its load at the
breech.
For cavalry, the revolver and breechloader will supersede the
saber. Rep. Sec. War (1860).
Breech-loading
Breech"-load`ing, a. Receiving the charge at the breech instead of at
the muzzle.
Breech pin, Breech screw
Breech" pin` (?), Breech" screw` (?). A strong iron or steel plug
screwed into the breech of a musket or other firearm, to close the
bottom of the bore.
Breech sight
Breech" sight` (?). A device attached to the breech of a firearm, to
guide the eye, in conjunction with the front sight, in taking aim.
Breed
Breed (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bred (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Breeding.]
[OE. breden, AS. br\'c7dan to nourish, cherish, keep warm, from
br\'d3d brood; akin to D. broeden to brood, OHG. bruoten, G.
br\'81ten. See Brood.]
1. To produce as offspring; to bring forth; to bear; to procreate; to
generate; to beget; to hatch.
Yet every mother breeds not sons alike. Shak.
If the sun breed maggots in a dead dog. Shak.
2. To take care of in infancy, and through the age of youth; to bring
up; to nurse and foster.
To bring thee forth with pain, with care to breed. Dryden.
Born and bred on the verge of the wilderness. Everett.
3. To educate; to instruct; to form by education; to train; --
sometimes followed by up.
But no care was taken to breed him a Protestant. Bp. Burnet.
His farm may not remove his children too far from him, or the trade
he breeds them up in. Locke.
4. To engender; to cause; to occasion; to originate; to produce; as,
to breed a storm; to breed disease.
Lest the place And my quaint habits breed astonishment. Milton.
5. To give birth to; to be the native place of; as, a pond breeds
fish; a northern country breeds stout men.
6. To raise, as any kind of stock.
7. To produce or obtain by any natural process. [Obs.]
Children would breed their teeth with less danger. Locke.
Syn. -- To engender; generate; beget; produce; hatch; originate; bring
up; nourish; train; instruct.
Breed
Breed, v. i.
1. To bear and nourish young; to reproduce or multiply itself; to be
pregnant.
That they breed abundantly in the earth. Gen. viii. 17.
The mother had never bred before. Carpenter.
Ant. Is your gold and silver ewes and rams? Shy. I can not tell. I
make it breed as fast. Shak.
2. To be formed in the parent or dam; to be generated, or to grow, as
young before birth.
3. To have birth; to be produced or multiplied.
Heavens rain grace On that which breeds between them. Shak.
4. To raise a breed; to get progeny.
The kind of animal which you wish to breed from. Gardner.
To breed in and in, to breed from animals of the same stock that are
closely related.
Breed
Breed, n.
1. A race or variety of men or other animals (or of plants),
perpetuating its special or distinctive characteristics by
inheritance.
Twice fifteen thousand hearts of England's breed. Shak.
Greyhounds of the best breed. Carpenter.
2. Class; sort; kind; -- of men, things, or qualities.
Are these the breed of wits so wondered at? Shak.
This courtesy is not of the right breed. Shak.
3. A number produced at once; a brood. [Obs.]
NOTE: &hand; Br eed is usually applied to domestic animals; species
or variety to wild animals and to plants; and race to men.
Breedbate
Breed"bate (?), n. One who breeds or originates quarrels. [Obs.] "No
telltale nor no breedbate." Shak.
Breeder
Breed"er (?), n.
1. One who, or that which, breeds, produces, brings up, etc.
She was a great breeder. Dr. A. Carlyle.
Italy and Rome have been the best breeders of worthy men. Ascham.
2. A cause. "The breeder of my sorrow." Shak.
Breeding
Breed"ing (?), n.
1. The act or process of generating or bearing.
2. The raising or improving of any kind of domestic animals; as,
farmers should pay attention to breeding.
3. Nurture; education; formation of manners.
She had her breeding at my father's charge. Shak.
4. Deportment or behavior in the external offices and decorums of
social life; manners; knowledge of, or training in, the ceremonies, or
polite observances of society.
Delicacy of breeding, or that polite deference and respect which
civility obliges us either to express or counterfeit towards the
persons with whom we converse. Hume.
5. Descent; pedigree; extraction. [Obs.]
Honest gentlemen, I know not your breeding. Shak.
Close breeding, In and in breeding, breeding from a male and female
from the same parentage. -- Cross breeding, breeding from a male and
female of different lineage. -- Good breeding, politeness; genteel
deportment. Syn. -- Education; instruction; nurture; training;
manners. See Education.
Breeze, Breeze fly
Breeze (?), Breeze" fly` (, n. [OE. brese, AS. bri\'a2sa; perh. akin
to OHG. brimissa, G. breme, bremse, D. brems, which are akin to G.
brummen to growl, buzz, grumble, L. fremere to murmur; cf. G. brausen,
Sw. brusa, Dan. bruse, to roar, rush.] (Zo\'94l.) A fly of various
species, of the family Tabanid\'91, noted for buzzing about animals,
and tormenting them by sucking their blood; -- called also horsefly,
and gadfly. They are among the largest of two-winged or dipterous
insects. The name is also given to different species of botflies.
[Written also breese and brize.]
Breeze
Breeze, n. [F. brise; akin to It. brezza breeze, Sp. briza, brisa, a
breeze from northeast, Pg. briza northeast wind; of uncertain origin;
cf. F. bise, Pr. bisa, OHG. bisa, north wind, Arm. biz northeast
wind.]
1. A light, gentle wind; a fresh, soft-blowing wind.
Into a gradual calm the breezes sink. Wordsworth.
2. An excited or ruffed state of feeling; a flurry of excitement; a
disturbance; a quarrel; as, the discovery produced a breeze. [Colloq.]
Land breeze, a wind blowing from the land, generally at night. -- Sea
breeze, a breeze or wind blowing, generally in the daytime, from the
sea.
Breeze
Breeze (?), n. [F. braise cinders, live coals. See Brasier.]
1. Refuse left in the process of making coke or burning charcoal.
2. (Brickmaking) Refuse coal, coal ashes, and cinders, used in the
burning of bricks.
Breeze
Breeze, v. i. To blow gently. [R.] J. Barlow. To breeze up (Naut.), to
blow with increasing freshness.
Breezeless
Breeze"less, a. Motionless; destitute of breezes.
A stagnant, breezeless air becalms my soul. Shenstone.
Breeziness
Breez"i*ness (?), n. State of being breezy.
Breezy
Breez"y (?), a.
1. Characterized by, or having, breezes; airy. "A breezy day in May."
Coleridge.
'Mid lawns and shades by breezy rivulets fanned. Wordsworth.
2. Fresh; brisk; full of life. [Colloq.]
Bregma
Breg"ma (?), n. [Gr. bregma.] (Anat.) The point of junction of the
coronal and sagittal sutures of the skull.
Bregmatic
Breg*mat"ic (?), a. (Anat.) Pertaining to the bregma.
Brehon
Bre"hon (?), n. [Ir. breitheamh judge.] An ancient Irish or Scotch
judge. Brehon laws, the ancient Irish laws, -- unwritten, like the
common law of England. They were abolished by statute of Edward III.
Breme
Breme (?), a. [OE. breme, brime, fierce, impetuous, glorious, AS.
br\'c7me, br, famous. Cf. Brim, a.]
1. Fierce; sharp; severe; cruel. [Obs.] Spenser.
From the septentrion cold, in the breme freezing air. Drayton.
2. Famous; renowned; well known. Wright. [Written also brim and
brimme.]
Bren, Brenne
Bren (?), Bren"ne (?), v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Brent (p. pr. & vb. n.
Brenning.] [See Burn.] To burn. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Consuming fire brent his shearing house or stall. W. Browne.
Bren
Bren, n. Bran. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Brennage
Bren"nage (?), n. [OF. brenage; cf. LL. brennagium, brenagium. See
Bran.] (Old Eng. Law) A tribute which tenants paid to their lord, in
lieu of bran, which they were obliged to furnish for his hounds.
Brenningly
Bren"ning*ly, adv. Burningly; ardently. [Obs.]
Brent, Brant
Brent (?), Brant (?), a. [AS. brant; akin to Dan. brat, Icel. brattr,
steep.]
1. Steep; high. [Obs.]
Grapes grow on the brant rocks so wonderfully that ye will marvel
how any man dare climb up to them. Ascham.
2. Smooth; unwrinkled. [Scot.]
Your bonnie brow was brent. Burns.
Brent
Brent, imp. & p.p. of Bren. Burnt. [Obs.]
Brent
Brent, n. [Cf. Brant.] A brant. See Brant.
Brequet chain
Breq"uet chain` (?). A watch-guard.
Brere
Brere (?), n. A brier. [Archaic] Chaucer.
Brest
Brest (?), 3d sing.pr. for Bursteth. [Obs.]
Brest, Breast
Brest, Breast (?), n. (Arch.) A torus. [Obs.]
Breste
Bres"te (?), v. t. & i. [imp. Brast; p. p. Brusten, Borsten, Bursten.]
To burst. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Brestsummer
Brest"sum`mer (?), n. See Breastsummer.
Bret
Bret (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Birt.
Bretful
Bret"ful (?), a. [OE. also brerdful, fr. brerd top, brim, AS. brerd.]
Brimful. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Brethren
Breth"ren (?), n.; pl. of Brother.
NOTE: &hand; This form of the plural is used, for the most part, in
solemn address, and in speaking of religious sects or fraternities,
or their members.
Breton
Bret"on (?), a. [F. breton.] Of or relating to Brittany, or Bretagne,
in France. -- n. A native or inhabitant of Brittany, or Bretagne, in
France; also, the ancient language of Brittany; Armorican.
Brett
Brett (?), n. Same as Britzska.
Brettice
Bret"tice (?), n.; pl. Brettices (#). [OE. bretasce, bretage, parapet,
OF. bretesche wooden tower, F. bret\'8ache, LL. breteschia, bertresca,
prob. fr. OHG. bret, G. brett board; akin to E. board. See Board, n.,
and cf. Bartizan.] The wooden boarding used in supporting the roofs
and walls of coal mines. See Brattice.
Bretwalda
Bret"wal*da (?), n. [AS. Bretwalda, br, a powerful ruler.] (Eng.
Hist.) The official title applied to that one of the Anglo-Saxon
chieftains who was chosen by the other chiefs to lead them in their
warfare against the British tribes. Brande & C.
Bretzel
Bret"zel (?), n. [G.] See Pretzel.
Breve
Breve (?), n. [It. & (in sense 2) LL. breve, fr. L. brevis short. See
Brief.]
1. (Mus.) A note or character of time, equivalent to two semibreves or
four minims. When dotted, it is equal to three semibreves. It was
formerly of a square figure (as thus: Moore.
2. (Law) Any writ or precept under seal, issued out of any court.
3. (Print.) A curved mark ['(] used commonly to indicate the short
quantity of a vowel.
4. (Zo\'94l.) The great ant thrush of Sumatra (Pitta gigas), which has
a very short tail.
Brevet
Bre*vet" (?), n. [F. brevet, LL. brevetum, fr. L. brevis short. See
Brief.]
1. A warrant from the government, granting a privilege, title, or
dignity. [French usage].
2. (Mil.) A commission giving an officer higher rank than that for
which he receives pay; an honorary promotion of an officer.
NOTE: &hand; In th e Un ited St ates ar my, ra nk by br evet is
conferred, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, for
"gallant actions or meritorious services." A brevet rank gives no
right of command in the particular corps to which the officer
brevetted belongs, and can be exercised only by special assignment
of the President, or on court martial, and detachments composed of
different corps, with pay of the brevet rank when on such duty.
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Page 180
Brevet
Bre*vet" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brevetted (; p. pr. & vb. n.
Brevetting.] (Mil.) To confer rank upon by brevet.
Brevet
Bre*vet", a. (Mil.) Taking or conferring rank by brevet; as, a brevet
colonel; a brevet commission.
Brevetcy
Bre*vet"cy (?), n.; pl. Brevetcies (. (Mil.) The rank or condition of
a brevet officer.
Breviary
Bre"vi*a*ry (?), n.; pl. Breviaries (. [F. br\'82viarie, L. breviarium
summary, abridgment, neut. noun fr. breviarius abridged, fr. brevis
short. See Brief, and cf. Brevier.]
1. An abridgment; a compend; an epitome; a brief account or summary.
A book entitled the abridgment or breviary of those roots that are
to be cut up or gathered. Holland.
2. A book containing the daily public or canonical prayers of the
Roman Catholic or of the Greek Church for the seven canonical hours,
namely, matins and lauds, the first, third, sixth, and ninth hours,
vespers, and compline; -- distinguished from the missal.
Breviate
Bre"vi*ate (?), n. [L. breviatus, p.p. of breviare to shorten, brevis
short.]
1. A short compend; a summary; a brief statement.
I omit in this breviate to rehearse. Hakluyt.
The same little breviates of infidelity have . . . been published
and dispersed with great activity. Bp. Porteus.
2. A lawyer's brief. [R.] Hudibras.
Breviate
Bre"vi*ate (?), v. t. To abbreviate. [Obs.]
Breviature
Bre"vi*a*ture (?), n. An abbreviature; an abbreviation. [Obs.]
Johnson.
Brevier
Bre*vier" (?), n. [Prob. from being originally used in printing a
breviary. See Breviary.] (Print.) A size of type between bourgeous and
minion.
NOTE: &hand; This line is printed in brevier type.
Breviloquence
Bre*vil"o*quence (?), n. [L. breviloquentia.] A brief and pertinent
mode of speaking. [R.]
Breviped
Brev"i*ped (?), a. [L. brevis short + pes, pedis, foot: cf. F.
br\'82vip\'8ade.] (Zo\'94l.) Having short legs. -- n. A breviped
bird.
Brevipen
Brev"i*pen (?), n. [L. brevis short + penna wing: cf. F.
br\'82vipenne.] (Zo\'94l.) A brevipennate bird.
Brevipennate
Brev`i*pen"nate (?), a. [L. brevis short + E. pennate.] (Zo\'94l.)
Short-winged; -- applied to birds which can not fly, owing to their
short wings, as the ostrich, cassowary, and emu.
Brevirostral, Brevirostrate
Brev`i*ros"tral (?), Brev`i*ros"trate (?), a. [L. brevis short + E.
rostral, rostrate.] (Zo\'94l.) Short-billed; having a short beak.
Brevity
Brev"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Brevities (#). [L. brevitas, fr. brevis
short: cf. F. bri\'8avit\'82. See Brief.]
1. Shortness of duration; briefness of time; as, the brevity of
human life.
2. Contraction into few words; conciseness.
Brevity is the soul of wit. Shak.
This argument is stated by St. John with his usual elegant brevity
and simplicity. Bp. Porteus.
Syn. -- Shortness; conciseness; succinctness; terseness.
Brew
Brew (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brewed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Brewing.]
[OE. brewen, AS. bre\'a2wan; akin to D. brouwen, OHG. priuwan, MHG.
briuwen, br, G. brauen, Icel. brugga, Sw. brygga, Dan. brygge, and
perh. to L. defrutum must boiled down, Gr. to prepare by heat.
&root;93. Cf. Broth, Bread.]
1. To boil or seethe; to cook. [Obs.]
2. To prepare, as beer or other liquor, from malt and hops, or from
other materials, by steeping, boiling, and fermentation. "She brews
good ale." Shak.
3. To prepare by steeping and mingling; to concoct.
Go, brew me a pottle of sack finely. Shak.
4. To foment or prepare, as by brewing; to contrive; to plot; to
concoct; to hatch; as, to brew mischief.
Hence with thy brewed enchantments, foul deceiver! Milton.
Brew
Brew (?), v. i.
1. To attend to the business, or go through the processes, of
brewing or making beer.
I wash, wring, brew, bake, scour. Shak.
2. To be in a state of preparation; to be mixing, forming, or
gathering; as, a storm brews in the west.
There is some ill a-brewing towards my rest. Shak.
Brew
Brew (?), n. The mixture formed by brewing; that which is brewed.
Bacon.
Brewage
Brew"age (?), n. Malt liquor; drink brewed. "Some well-spiced
brewage." Milton.
A rich brewage, made of the best Spanish wine. Macaulay.
Brewer
Brew"er (?), n. One who brews; one whose occupation is to prepare
malt liquors.
Brewery
Brew"er*y (?), n. A brewhouse; the building and apparatus where
brewing is carried on.
Brewhouse
Brew"house` (?), n. A house or building appropriated to brewing; a
brewery.
Brewing
Brew"ing (?), n.
1. The act or process of preparing liquors which are brewed, as
beer and ale.
2. The quantity brewed at once.
A brewing of new beer, set by old beer. Bacon.
3. A mixing together.
I am not able to avouch anything for certainty, such a brewing and
sophistication of them they make. Holland.
4. (Naut.) A gathering or forming of a storm or squall, indicated
by thick, dark clouds.
Brewis
Brew"is (?), n. [OE. brewis, brouwys, browesse, brewet, OF. brouet,
-s being the OF. ending of the nom. sing. and acc. pl.; dim. of
OHG. brod. &root;93. See Broth, and cf. Brose.]
1. Broth or pottage. [Obs.]
Let them of their Bonner's "beef" and "broth" make what brewis they
please for their credulous guests. Bp. Hall.
2. Bread soaked in broth, drippings of roast meat, milk, or water
and butter.
Brewsterite
Brews"ter*ite (?), n. [Named after Sir David Brewster.] A rare
zeolitic mineral occurring in white monoclinic crystals with pearly
luster. It is a hydrous silicate of aluminia, baryta, and strontia.
Brezilin
Brez"i*lin (?), n. See Brazilin.
Briar
Bri"ar (?), n. Same as Brier.
Briarean
Bri*a"re*an (?), a. [L. Briareius, fr. Briareus a mythological
hundred-handed giant, Gr. Pertaining to, or resembling, Briareus, a
giant fabled to have a hundred hands; hence, hundred-handed or
many-handed.
Bribable
Brib"a*ble (?), a. Capable of being bribed.
A more bribable class of electors. S. Edwards.
Bribe
Bribe (?), n. [F. bribe a lump of bread, scraps, leavings of meals
(that are generally given to a beggar), LL. briba scrap of bread;
cf. OF. briber, brifer, to eat gluttonously, to beg, and OHG.
bilibi food.]
1. A gift begged; a present. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. A price, reward, gift, or favor bestowed or promised with a view
to prevent the judgment or corrupt the conduct of a judge, witness,
voter, or other person in a position of trust.
Undue reward for anything against justice is a bribe. Hobart.
3. That which seduces; seduction; allurement.
Not the bribes of sordid wealth can seduce to leave these
everAkenside.
Bribe
Bribe, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bribed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bribing.]
1. To rob or steal. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. To give or promise a reward or consideration to (a judge, juror,
legislator, voter, or other person in a position of trust) with a
view to prevent the judgment or corrupt the conduct; to induce or
influence by a bribe; to give a bribe to.
Neither is he worthy who bribes a man to vote against his
conscience. F. W. Robertson.
3. To gain by a bribe; of induce as by a bribe.
Bribe
Bribe, v. i.
1. To commit robbery or theft. [Obs.]
2. To give a bribe to a person; to pervert the judgment or corrupt
the action of a person in a position of trust, by some gift or
promise.
An attempt to bribe, though unsuccessful, has been holden to be
criminal, and the offender may be indicted. Bouvier.
The bard may supplicate, but cannot bribe. Goldsmith.
Bribeless
Bribe"less, a. Incapable of being bribed; free from bribes.
From thence to heaven's bribeless hall. Sir W. Raleigh.
Bribeer
Bribe"er (?), n.
1. A thief. [Obs.] Lydgate.
2. One who bribes, or pays for corrupt practices.
3. That which bribes; a bribe.
His service . . . were a sufficient briber for his life. Shak.
Bribeery
Bribe"er*y (?), n.; pl. Briberies (#). [OE. brybery rascality, OF.
briberie. See Bribe, n.]
1. Robbery; extortion. [Obs.]
2. The act or practice of giving or taking bribes; the act of
influencing the official or political action of another by corrupt
inducements.
Bribery oath, an oath taken by a person that he has not been bribed as
to voting. [Eng.]
Bric-a brac
Bric"-a brac` (?), n. [F.] Miscellaneous curiosities and works of
decorative art, considered collectively. A piece of bric-a-brac, any
curious or antique article of virtu, as a piece of antiquated
furniture or metal work, or an odd knickknack.
Brick
Brick (?), n. [OE. brik, F. brique; of Ger. origin; cf. AS. brice a
breaking, fragment, Prov. E. brique piece, brique de pain, equiv. to
AS. hl\'befes brice, fr. the root of E. break. See Break.]
1. A block or clay tempered with water, sand, etc., molded into a
regular form, usually rectangular, and sun-dried, or burnt in a kiln,
or in a heap or stack called a clamp.
The Assyrians appear to have made much less use of bricks baked in
the furnace than the Babylonians. Layard.
2. Bricks, collectively, as designating that kind of material; as, a
load of brick; a thousand of brick.
Some of Palladio's finest examples are of brick. Weale.
3. Any oblong rectangular mass; as, a brick of maple sugar; a penny
brick (of bread).
4. A good fellow; a merry person; as, you 're a brick. [Slang] "He 's
a dear little brick." Thackeray.
To have a brick in one's hat, to be drunk. [Slang]
NOTE: &hand; Brick is used adjectively or in combination; as, brick
wall; brick clay; brick color; brick red.
Brick clay, clay suitable for, or used in making, bricks. -- Brick
dust, dust of pounded or broken bricks. -- Brick earth, clay or earth
suitable for, or used in making, bricks. -- Brick loaf, a loaf of
bread somewhat resembling a brick in shape. -- Brick nogging (Arch.),
rough brickwork used to fill in the spaces between the uprights of a
wooden partition; brick filling. -- Brick tea, tea leaves and young
shoots, or refuse tea, steamed or mixed with fat, etc., and pressed
into the form of bricks. It is used in Northern and Central Asia. S.
W. Williams. -- Brick trimmer (Arch.), a brick arch under a hearth,
usually within the thickness of a wooden floor, to guard against
accidents by fire. -- Brick trowel. See Trowel. -- Brick works, a
place where bricks are made. -- Bath brick. See under Bath, a city. --
Pressed brick, bricks which, before burning, have been subjected to
pressure, to free them from the imperfections of shape and texture
which are common in molded bricks.
Brick
Brick, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bricked (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bricking.]
1. To lay or pave with bricks; to surround, line, or construct with
bricks.
2. To imitate or counterfeit a brick wall on, as by smearing plaster
with red ocher, making the joints with an edge tool, and pointing
them.
To brick up, to fill up, inclose, or line, with brick.
Brickbat
Brick"bat` (?), n. A piece or fragment of a brick. See Bat, 4. Bacon.
Brickkiln
Brick"kiln` (?), n. A kiln, or furnace, in which bricks are baked or
burnt; or a pile of green bricks, laid loose, with arches underneath
to receive the wood or fuel for burning them.
Bricklayer
Brick"lay`er (?), n. [Brick + lay.] One whose pccupation is to build
with bricks. Bricklayer's itch. See under Itch.
Bricklaying
Brick"lay`ing, n. The art of building with bricks, or of uniting them
by cement or mortar into various forms; the act or occupation of
laying bricks.
Brickle
Bric"kle (?), a. [OE. brekil, brokel, bruchel, fr. AS. brecan, E.
break. Cf. Brittle.] Brittle; easily broken. [Obs. or Prov.] Spenser.
As stubborn steel excels the brickle glass. Turbervile.
Brickleness
Bric"kle*ness, n. Brittleness. [Obs.]
Brickmaker
Brick"mak`er (?), n. One whose occupation is to make bricks. --
Brick"mak*ing, n.
Brickwork
Brick"work` (?), n.
1. Anything made of bricks.
Niches in brickwork form the most difficult part of the
bricklayer's art. Tomlinson.
2. The act of building with or laying bricks.
Bricky
Brick"y (?), a. Full of bricks; formed of bricks; resembling bricks or
brick dust. [R.] Spenser.
Brickyard
Brick"yard` (?), n. A place where bricks are made, especially an
inclosed place.
Bricole
Bri*cole" (?), n. [F.] (Mil.) A kind of traces with hooks and rings,
with which men drag and maneuver guns where horses can not be used.
Brid
Brid (?), n. A bird. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bridal
Brid"al (?), a. [From Bride. Cf. Bridal, n.] Of or pertaining to a
bride, or to wedding; nuptial; as, bridal ornaments; a bridal outfit;
a bridal chamber.
Bridal
Brid"al, n. [OE. bridale, brudale, AS. br brideale, bridal feast. See
Bride, and Ale, 2.] A nuptia; festival or ceremony; a marriage.
Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright, The bridal of the earth and
sky. Herbert.
Bridalty
Brid"al*ty (?), n. Celebration of the nuptial feast. [Obs.] "In honor
of this bridalty." B. Jonson.
Bride
Bride (?), n. [OE. bride, brid, brude, brud, burd, AS. br; akin to
OFries. breid, OSax. br, D. bruid, OHG. pr, br, G. braut, Icel. br,
Sw. & Dan. brud, Goth. br33s; cf. Armor. pried spouse, W. priawd a
married person.]
1. A woman newly married, or about to be married.
Has by his own experience tried How much the wife is dearer than
the bride. Lyttleton.
I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. Rev. xxi. 9.
2. Fig.: An object ardently loved.
Bride of the sea, the city of Venice.
Bride
Bride, v. t. To make a bride of. [Obs.]
Bride-ale
Bride"-ale` (?), n. [See Bridal.] A rustic wedding feast; a bridal.
See Ale.
The man that 's bid to bride-ale, if he ha' cake, And drink enough,
he need not fear his stake. B. Jonson.
Bridebed
Bride"bed` (?), n. The marriage bed. [Poetic]
Bridecake
Bride"cake` (?), n. Rich or highly ornamented cake, to be distributed
to the guests at a wedding, or sent to friends after the wedding.
Bridechamber
Bride"cham`ber (?), n. The nuptial appartment. Matt. ix. 15.
Bridegroom
Bride"groom` (?), n. [OE. bridegome, brudgume, AS. br (akin to OS. br,
D. bruidegom, bruigom, OHG. pr, MHG. briutegome, G. br\'84utigam); AS.
br bride + guma man, akin to Goth. guma, Icel. gumi, OHG. gomo, L.
homo; the insertion of r being caused by confusion with groom. See
Bride, and cf. Groom, Homage.] A man newly married, or just about to
be married.
Brideknot
Bride"knot` (?), n. A knot of ribbons worn by a guest at a wedding; a
wedding favor. [Obs.]
Bridemaid, n., Brideman
Bride"maid` (?), n., Bride"man (, n. See Bridesmaid, Bridesman.
Bridesmaid
Brides"maid` (?), n. A female friend who attends on a bride at her
wedding.
Bridesman
Brides"man (?), n.; pl. Bridesmen (. A male friend who attends upon a
bridegroom and bride at their marriage; the "best man." Sir W. Scott.
Bridestake
Bride"stake` (?), n. A stake or post set in the ground, for guests at
a wedding to dance round.
Divide the broad bridecake Round about the bridestake. B. Jonson.
Bridewell
Bride"well (?), n. A house of correction for the confinement of
disorderly persons; -- so called from a hospital built in 1553 near
St. Bride's (or Bridget's) well, in London, which was subsequently a
penal workhouse.
Bridge
Bridge (?), n. [OE. brig, brigge, brug, brugge, AS. brycg, bricg; akin
to Fries. bregge, D. brug, OHG. bruccu, G. br\'81cke, Icel. bryggja
pier, bridge, Sw. brygga, Dan. brygge, and prob. Icel. br bridge, Sw.
& Dan. bro bridge, pavement, and possibly to E. brow.]
1. A structure, usually of wood, stone, brick, or iron, erected over a
river or other water course, or over a chasm, railroad, etc., to make
a passageway from one bank to the other.
2. Anything supported at the ends, which serves to keep some other
thing from resting upon the object spanned, as in engraving,
watchmaking, etc., or which forms a platform or staging over which
something passes or is conveyed.
3. (Mus.) The small arch or bar at right angles to the strings of a
violin, guitar, etc., serving of raise them and transmit their
vibrations to the body of the instrument.
4. (Elec.) A device to measure the resistance of a wire or other
conductor forming part of an electric circuit.
5. A low wall or vertical partition in the fire chamber of a furnace,
for deflecting flame, etc.; -- usually called a bridge wall.
Aqueduct bridge. See Aqueduct. -- Asses' bridge, Bascule bridge,
Bateau bridge. See under Ass, Bascule, Bateau. -- Bridge of a steamer
(Naut.), a narrow platform across the deck, above the rail, for the
convenience of the officer in charge of the ship; in paddlewheel
vessels it connects the paddle boxes. -- Bridge of the nose, the
upper, bony part of the nose. -- Cantalever bridge. See under
Cantalever. -- Draw bridge. See Drawbridge. -- Flying bridge, a
temporary bridge suspended or floating, as for the passage of armies;
also, a floating structure connected by a cable with an anchor or pier
up stream, and made to pass from bank to bank by the action of the
current or other means. -- Girder bridge OR Truss bridge, a bridge
formed by girders, or by trusses resting upon abutments or piers. --
Lattice bridge, a bridge formed by lattice girders. -- Pontoon bridge,
Ponton bridge. See under Pontoon. -- Skew bridge, a bridge built
obliquely from bank to bank, as sometimes required in railway
engineering. -- Suspension bridge. See under Suspension. -- Trestle
bridge, a bridge formed of a series of short, simple girders resting
on trestles. -- Tubular bridge, a bridge in the form of a hollow trunk
or rectangular tube, with cellular walls made of iron plates riveted
together, as the Britannia bridge over the Menai Strait, and the
Victoria bridge at Montreal. -- Wheatstone's bridge (Elec.), a device
for the measurement of resistances, so called because the balance
between the resistances to be measured is indicated by the absence of
a current in a certain wire forming a bridge or connection between two
points of the apparatus; -- invented by Sir Charles Wheatstone.
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Bridge
Bridge (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bridged (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bridging.]
1. To build a bridge or bridges on or over; as, to bridge a river.
Their simple engineering bridged with felled trees the streams
which could not be forded. Palfrey.
2. To open or make a passage, as by a bridge.
Xerxes . . . over Hellespont Bridging his way, Europe with Asia
joined. Milton.
3. To find a way of getting over, as a difficulty; -- generally with
over.
Bridgeboard
Bridge"board` (?), n.
1. (Arch.) A notched board to which the treads and risers of the steps
of wooden stairs are fastened.
2. A board or plank used as a bridge.
Bridgehead
Bridge"head` (?), n. A fortification commanding the extremity of a
bridge nearest the enemy, to insure the preservation and usefulness of
the bridge, and prevent the enemy from crossing; a t\'88te-de-pont.
Bridgeless
Bridge"less, a. Having no bridge; not bridged.
Bridgepot
Bridge"pot` (?), n. (Mining) The adjustable socket, or step, of a
millstone spindle. Knight.
Bridgetree
Bridge"tree` (?), n. [Bridge + tree a beam.] (Mining) The beam which
supports the spindle socket of the runner in a grinding mill. Knight.
Bridge-ward
Bridge"-ward` (?), n.
1. A bridge keeper; a warden or a guard for a bridge. [Obs.] Sir W.
Scott.
2. The principal ward of a key. Knight.
Bridgeing
Bridge"ing (?), n. (Arch.) The system of bracing used between floor or
other timbers to distribute the weight. Bridging joist. Same as
Binding joist.
Bridgey
Bridge"y (?), a. Full of bridges. [R.] Sherwood.
Bridle
Bri"dle (?), n. [OE. bridel, AS. bridel; akin to OHG. britil, brittil,
D. breidel, and possibly to E. braid. Cf. Bridoon.]
1. The head gear with which a horse is governed and restrained,
consisting of a headstall, a bit, and reins, with other appendages.
2. A restraint; a curb; a check. I. Watts.
3. (Gun.) The piece in the interior of a gun lock, which holds in
place the timbler, sear, etc.
4. (Naut.) (a) A span of rope, line, or chain made fast as both ends,
so that another rope, line, or chain may be attached to its middle.
(b) A mooring hawser.
Bowline bridle. See under Bowline. -- Branches of a bridle. See under
Branch. -- Bridle cable (Naut.), a cable which is bent to a bridle.
See 4, above. -- Bridle hand, the hand which holds the bridle in
riding; the left hand. -- Bridle path, Bridle way, a path or way for
saddle horses and pack horses, as distinguished from a road for
vehicles. -- Bridle port (Naut.), a porthole or opening in the bow
through which hawsers, mooring or bridle cables, etc., are passed. --
Bridle rein, a rein attached to the bit. -- Bridle road. (a) Same as
Bridle path. Lowell. (b) A road in a pleasure park reserved for
horseback exercise. -- Bridle track, a bridle path. -- Scolding
bridle. See Branks, 2. Syn. -- A check; restrain.
Bridle
Bri"dle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bridled (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bridling
(#).]
1. To put a bridle upon; to equip with a bridle; as, to bridle a
horse.
He bridled her mouth with a silkweed twist. Drake.
2. To restrain, guide, or govern, with, or as with, a bridle; to
check, curb, or control; as, to bridle the passions; to bridle a muse.
Addison.
Savoy and Nice, the keys of Italy, and the citadel in her hands to
bridle Switzerland, are in that consolidation. Burke.
Syn. -- To check; restrain; curb; govern; control; repress; master;
subdue.
Bridle
Bri"dle, v. i. To hold up the head, and draw in the chin, as an
expression of pride, scorn, or resentment; to assume a lofty manner;
-- usually with up. "His bridling neck." Wordsworth.
By her bridling up I perceived she expected to be treated hereafter
not as Jenny Distaff, but Mrs. Tranquillus. Tatler.
Bridle iron
Bri"dle i`ron (?). (Arch.) A strong flat bar of iron, so bent as to
support, as in a stirrup, one end of a floor timber, etc., where no
sufficient bearing can be had; -- called also stirrup and hanger.
Bridler
Bri"dler (?), n. One who bridles; one who restrains and governs, as
with a bridle. Milton.
Bridoon
Bri*doon" (?), n. [F. bridon, from bride; of German origin. See
Bridle, n.] (Mil.) The snaffle and rein of a military bridle, which
acts independently of the bit, at the pleasure of the rider. It is
used in connection with a curb bit, which has its own rein. Campbell.
Brief
Brief (?), a. [OE. bref, F. brief, bref, fr. L. brevis; akin to Gr.
barh to tear. Cf. Breve.]
1. Short in duration.
How brief the life of man. Shak.
2. Concise; terse; succinct.
The brief style is that which expresseth much in little. B. Jonson.
3. Rife; common; prevalent. [Prov. Eng.]
In brief. See under Brief, n. Syn. -- Short; concise; succinct;
summary; compendious; condensed; terse; curt; transistory;
short-lived.
Brief
Brief, adv.
1. Briefly. [Obs. or Poetic]
Adam, faltering long, thus answered brief. Milton.
2. Soon; quickly. [Obs.] Shak.
Brief
Brief (?), n. [See Brief, a., and cf. Breve.]
1. A short concise writing or letter; a statement in few words.
Bear this sealed brief, With winged hastle, to the lord marshal.
Shak.
And she told me In a sweet, verbal brief. Shak.
2. An epitome.
Each woman is a brief of womankind. Overbury.
3. (Law) An abridgment or concise statement of a client's case, made
out for the instruction of counsel in a trial at law. This word is
applied also to a statement of the heads or points of a law argument.
It was not without some reference to it that I perused many a
brief. Sir J. Stephen.
NOTE: &hand; In England, the brief is prepared by the attorney; in
the United States, counsel generally make up their own briefs.
4. (Law) A writ; a breve. See Breve, n., 2.
5. (Scots Law) A writ issuing from the chancery, directed to any judge
ordinary, commanding and authorizing that judge to call a jury to
inquire into the case, and upon their verdict to pronounce sentence.
6. A letter patent, from proper authority, authorizing a collection or
charitable contribution of money in churches, for any public or
private purpose. [Eng.]
Apostolical brief, a letter of the pope written on fine parchment in
modern characters, subscribed by the secretary of briefs, dated "a die
Nativitatis," i. e., "from the day of the Nativity," and sealed with
the ring of the fisherman. It differs from a bull, in its parchment,
written character, date, and seal. See Bull. -- Brief of title, an
abstract or abridgment of all the deeds and other papers constituting
the chain of title to any real estate. -- In brief, in a few words; in
short; briefly. "Open the matter in brief." Shak.
Brief
Brief, v. t. To make an abstract or abridgment of; to shorten; as, to
brief pleadings.
Briefless
Brief"less (?), a. Having no brief; without clients; as, a briefless
barrister.
Briefly
Brief"ly (?), adv. Concisely; in few words.
Briefman
Brief"man (?), n.
1. One who makes a brief.
2. A copier of a manuscript.
Briefness
Brief"ness (?), n. The quality of being brief; brevity; conciseness in
discourse or writing.
Brier, Briar
Bri"er, Bri"ar (?), n. [OE. brere, brer, AS. br\'c7r, br\'91r; cf. Ir.
briar prickle, thorn, brier, pin, Gael. preas bush, brier, W. prys,
prysg.]
1. A plant with a slender woody stem bearing stout prickles;
especially, species of Rosa, Rubus, and Smilax.
2. Fig.: Anything sharp or unpleasant to the feelings.
The thorns and briers of reproof. Cowper.
Brier root, the root of the southern Smilax laurifolia and S. Walleri;
-- used for tobacco pipes. -- Cat brier, Green brier, several species
of Smilax (S. rotundifolia, etc.) -- Sweet brier (Rosa rubiginosa).
See Sweetbrier. -- Yellow brier, the Rosa Eglantina.
Briered
Bri"ered (?), a. Set with briers. Chatterton.
Briery
Bri"er*y (?), a. Full of briers; thorny.
Briery
Bri"er*y, n. A place where briers grow. Huloet.
Brig
Brig (?), n. A bridge. [Scot.] Burns.
Brig
Brig, n. [Shortened from Brigantine.] (Naut.) A two-masted,
square-rigged vessel. Hermaphrodite brig, a two-masted vessel
square-rigged forward and schooner-rigged aft. See Illustration in
Appendix.
Brigade
Bri*gade" (?), n. [F. brigade, fr. It. brigata troop, crew, brigade,
originally, a contending troop, fr. briga trouble, quarrel. See
Brigand.]
1. (Mil.) A body of troops, whether cavalry, artillery, infantry, or
mixed, consisting of two or more regiments, under the command of a
brigadier general.
NOTE: &hand; Tw o or more brigades constitute a division, commanded
by a major general; two or more divisions constitute an army corps,
or corps d'arm\'82e. [U.S.]
2. Any body of persons organized for acting or marching together under
authority; as, a fire brigade.
Brigade inspector, an officer whose duty is to inspect troops in
companies before they are mustered into service. -- Brigade major, an
officer who may be attached to a brigade to assist the brigadier in
his duties.
Brigade
Bri*gade", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brigaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Brigading.]
(Mil.) To form into a brigade, or into brigades.
Brigadier general
Brig`a*dier" gen"er*al (?). [F. brigadier, fr. brigade.] (Mil.) An
officer in rank next above a colonel, and below a major general. He
commands a brigade, and is sometimes called, by a shortening of his
title, simple a brigadier.
Brigand
Brig"and (?), n. [F. brigand, OF. brigant light-armed soldier, fr. LL.
brigans light-armed soldier (cf. It. brigante.) fr. brigare to strive,
contend, fr. briga quarrel; prob. of German origin, and akin to E.
break; cf. Goth. brikan to break, brakja strife. Cf. Brigue.]
1. A light-armed, irregular foot soldier. [Obs.]
2. A lawless fellow who lives by plunder; one of a band of robbers;
especially, one of a gang living in mountain retreats; a highwayman; a
freebooter.
Giving them not a little the air of brigands or banditti. Jeffery.
Brigandage
Brig"and*age (?), n. [F. brigandage.] Life and practice of brigands;
highway robbery; plunder.
Brigandine
Brig"an*dine (?), n. [F. brigandine (cf. It. brigantina), fr. OF.
brigant. See Brigand.] A coast of armor for the body, consisting of
scales or plates, sometimes overlapping each other, generally of
metal, and sewed to linen or other material. It was worn in the Middle
Ages. [Written also brigantine.] Jer. xlvi. 4.
Then put on all thy gorgeous arms, thy helmet, And brigandine of
brass. Milton.
Brigandish
Brig"and*ish (?), a. Like a brigand or freebooter; robberlike.
Brigandism
Brig"and*ism (?), n. Brigandage.
Brigantine
Brig"an*tine (?), n. [F. brigantin, fr. It. brigantino, originally, a
practical vessel. See Brigand, and cf. Brig]
1. A practical vessel. [Obs.]
2. A two-masted, square-rigged vessel, differing from a brig in that
she does not carry a square mainsail.
3. See Brigandine.
Brigge
Brig"ge (?), n. A bridge. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Bright
Bright (?), v. i. See Brite, v. i.
Bright
Bright (?), a. [OE. briht, AS. beorht, briht; akin to OS. berht, OHG.
beraht, Icel. bjartr, Goth. ba\'a1rhts. &root;94.]
1. Radiating or reflecting light; shedding or having much light;
shining; luminous; not dark.
The sun was bright o'erhead. Longfellow.
The earth was dark, but the heavens were bright. Drake.
The public places were as bright as at noonday. Macaulay.
2. Transmitting light; clear; transparent.
From the brightest wines He 'd turn abhorrent. Thomson.
3. Having qualities that render conspicuous or attractive, or that
affect the mind as light does the eye; resplendent with charms; as,
bright beauty.
Bright as an angel new-dropped from the sky. Parnell.
4. Having a clear, quick intellect; intelligent.
5. Sparkling with wit; lively; vivacious; shedding cheerfulness and
joy around; cheerful; cheery.
Be bright and jovial among your guests. Shak.
6. Illustrious; glorious.
In the brightest annals of a female reign. Cotton.
7. Manifest to the mind, as light is to the eyes; clear; evident;
plain.
That he may with more ease, with brighter evidence, and with surer
success, draw the bearner on. I. Watts.
8. Of brilliant color; of lively hue or appearance.
Here the bright crocus and blue violet grew. Pope.
NOTE: &hand; Br ight is us ed in co mposition in th e se nse of
brilliant, clear, sunny, etc.; as, bright-eyed, bright-haired,
bright-hued.
Syn. -- Shining; splending; luminous; lustrous; brilliant;
resplendent; effulgent; refulgent; radiant; sparkling; glittering;
lucid; beamy; clear; transparent; illustrious; witty; clear;
vivacious; sunny.
Bright
Bright, n. Splendor; brightness. [Poetic]
Dark with excessive bright thy skirts appear. Milton.
Bright
Bright, adv. Brightly. Chaucer.
I say it is the moon that shines so bright. Shak.
Brighten
Bright"en, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brightened (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Brightening.]
NOTE: [From Bright, a.]
1. To make bright or brighter; to make to shine; to increase the
luster of; to give a brighter hue to.
2. To make illustrious, or more distinguished; to add luster or
splendor to.
The present queen would brighten her character, if she would exert
her authority to instill virtues into her people. Swift.
3. To improve or relieve by dispelling gloom or removing that which
obscures and darkens; to shed light upon; to make cheerful; as, to
brighten one's prospects.
An ecstasy, which mothers only feel, Plays round my heart and
brightens all my sorrow. Philips.
4. To make acute or witty; to enliven. Johnson.
Brighten
Bright"en, v. i. [AS. beorhtan.] To grow bright, or more bright; to
become less dark or gloomy; to clear up; to become bright or cheerful.
And night shall brighten into day. N. Cotton.
And, all his prospects brightening to the last, His heaven
commences ere world be past. Goldsmith.
Bright-harnessed
Bright"-har`nessed (?), a. Having glittering armor. [Poetic] Milton.
Brightly
Bright"ly, adv.
1. Brilliantly; splendidly; with luster; as, brightly shining armor.
2. With lively intelligence; intelligently.
Looking brightly into the mother's face. Hawthorne.
Brightness
Bright"ness, n. [AS. beorhines. See Bright.]
1. The quality or state of being bright; splendor; luster; brilliancy;
clearness.
A sudden brightness in his face appear. Crabbe.
2. Acuteness (of the faculties); sharpness 9wit.
The brightness of his parts . . . distinguished him. Prior.
Syn. -- Splendor; luster; radiance; resplendence; brilliancy;
effulgence; glory; clearness.
Bright's disease
Bright's" dis*ease" (?). [From Dr. Bright of London, who first
described it.] (Med.) An affection of the kidneys, usually
inflammatory in character, and distinguished by the occurrence of
albumin and renal casts in the urine. Several varieties of Bright's
disease are now recognized, differing in the part of the kidney
involved, and in the intensity and course of the morbid process.
Brightsome
Bright"some (?), a. Bright; clear; luminous; brilliant. [R.] Marlowe.
Brigose
Bri*gose" (?), a. [LL. brigosus, It. brigoso. See Brigue, n.]
Contentious; quarrelsome. [Obs.] Puller.
Brigue
Brigue (?), n. [F. brigue, fr. LL. briga quarrel. See Brigand.] A
cabal, intrigue, faction, contention, strife, or quarrel. [Obs.]
Chesterfield.
Brigue
Brigue, v. i. [F. briguer. See Brigue, n.] To contend for; to canvass;
to solicit. [Obs.] Bp. Hurd.
Brike
Brike (?), n. [AS. brice.] A breach; ruin; downfall; peril. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Brill
Brill (?), n. [Cf. Corn. brilli mackerel, fr. brith streaked,
speckled.] (Zo\'94l.) A fish allied to the turbot (Rhombus levis),
much esteemed in England for food; -- called also bret, pearl, prill.
See Bret.
Brillante
Bril*lan"te (?), adv. [It. See Brilliant, a.] (Mus.) In a gay, showy,
and sparkling style.
Brillance
Bril"lance (?), n. Brilliancy. Tennyson.
Brillancy
Bril"lan*cy (?), n. [See Brilliant.] The quality of being brilliant;
splendor; glitter; great brighness, whether in a literal or figurative
sense.
With many readers brilliancy of style passes for affluence of
thought. Longfellow.
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Brilliant
Bril"liant (?), a. [F. brillant, p. pr. of briller to shine or sparkle
(cf. Pr. & Sp. brillar, It. brillare), fr. L. beryllus a precious
stone of sea-green color, Prov. It. brill. See Beryl.]
1. Sparkling with luster; glittering; very bright; as, a brilliant
star.
2. Distinguished by qualities which excite admiration; splended;
shining; as, brilliant talents.
Washington was more solicitous to avoid fatal mistakes than to
perform brilliant exploits. Fisher Ames.
Syn. -- See Shining.
Brilliant
Bril"liant, n. [F. brillant. See Brilliant, a.]
1. A diamond or other gem of the finest cut, formed into faces and
facets, so as to reflect and refract the light, by which it is
rendered nore brilliant. It has at the middle, or top, a principal
face, called the table, which is surrounded by a number of sloping
facets forming a bizet; below, it has a small face or collet, parallel
to the table, connected with the gridle by a pavilion of elongated
facets. It is thus distinguished from the rose diamond, which is
entirely covered with facets on the surface, and is flat below.
This snuffbox -- on the hinge see brilliants shine. Pope.
2. (Print.) The small size of type used in England printing.
NOTE: &hand; This line is printed in the type called Brilliant.
3. A kind of kotton goods, figured on the weaving.
Brilliantly
Bril"liant*ly, adv. In a brilliant manner.
Brilliantness
Bril"liant*ness, n. Brilliancy; splendor; glitter.
Brills
Brills (?), n. pl. [CF. G. brille spectacles, D. bril, fr. L.
berillus. See Brilliant.] The hair on the eyelids of a horse.
Bailey.
Brim
Brim (?), n. [OE. brim, brimme, AS. brymme edge, border; akin to
Icel. barmr, Sw. br\'84m, Dan. br\'91mme, G. brame, br\'84me.
Possibly the same word as AS. brim surge, sea, and properly
meaning, the line of surf at the border of the sea, and akin to L.
fremere to roar, murmur. Cf. Breeze a fly.]
1. The rim, border, or upper sdge of a cup, dish, or any hollow
vessel used for holding anything.
Saw I that insect on this goblet's brim I would remove it with an
anxious pity. Coleridge.
2. The edge or margin, as of a fountain, or of the water contained
in it; the brink; border.
The feet of the priest that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of
the water. Josh. iii. 15.
3. The rim of a hat. Wordsworth.
Brim
Brim, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Brimmed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Brimming.]
To be full to the brim. "The brimming stream." Milton.
To brim over (literally or figuratively), to be so full that some of
the contents flows over the brim; as, cup brimming over with wine; a
man brimming over with fun.
Brim
Brim, v. t. To fill to the brim, upper edge, or top.
Arrange the board and brim the glass. Tennyson.
Brim
Brim, a. Fierce; sharp; cold. See Breme. [Obs.]
Brimful
Brim"ful (?), a. Full to the brim; completely full; ready to overflow.
"Her brimful eyes." Dryden.
Brimless
Brim"less, a. Having no brim; as, brimless caps.
Brimmed
Brimmed (?), a.
1. Having a brim; -- usually in composition. "Broad-brimmed hat."
Spectator.
2. Full to, or level with, the brim. Milton.
Brimmer
Brim"mer (?), n. A brimful bowl; a bumper.
Brimming
Brim"ming, a. Full to the brim; overflowing.
Brimstone
Brim"stone (?), n. [OE. brimston, bremston, bernston, brenston; cf.
Icel. brennistein. See Burn, v. t., and Stone.] Sulphur; See Sulphur.
Brimstone
Brim"stone, a. Made of, or pertaining to, brimstone; as, brimstone
matches.
From his brimstone bed at break of day A-walking the devil has
gone. Coleridge.
Brimstony
Brim"sto`ny (?), a. Containing or resembling brimstone; sulphurous. B.
Jonson.
Brin
Brin (?), n. [F.] One of the radiating sticks of a fan. The outermost
are larger and longer, and are called panaches. Knight.
Brinded
Brin"ded (?), a. [Cf. Icel. br\'94nd\'d3ttr brindled, fr. brandr
brand; and OE. bernen, brinnen, to burn. See Brand, Burn.] Of a gray
or tawny color with streaks of darker hue; streaked; brindled. "Three
brinded cows," Dryden. "The brinded cat." Shak.
Brindle
Brin"dle (?), n. [See Brindled.]
1. The state of being brindled.
2. A brindled color; also, that which is brindled.
Brindle
Brin"dle, a. Brindled.
Brindled
Brin"dled (?), a. [A dim. form of brinded.] Having dark streaks or
spots on a gray or tawny ground; brinded. "With a brindled lion
played." Churchill.
Brine
Brine (?), n. [AS. bryne a burning, salt liquor, brine, fr. brinnan,
brynnan, to burn. See Burn.]
1. Water saturated or strongly inpregnated with salt; pickle; hence,
any strong saline solution; also, the saline residue or strong mother
liquor resulting from the evaporation of natural or artificial waters.
2. The ocean; the water of an ocean, sea, or salt lake.
Not long beneath the whelming brine . . . he lay. Cowper.
3. Tears; -- so called from their saltness.
What a deal of brine Hath washed thy sallow cheecks for Rosaline!
Shak.
Brine fly (Zo\'94l.), a fly of the genus Ephydra, the larv\'91 of
which live in artificial brines and in salt lakes. -- Brine gauge, an
instrument for measuring the saltness of a liquid. -- Brine pan, a pit
or pan of salt water, where salt is formed by cristallization. --
Brine pit, a salt spring or well, from which water is taken to be
boiled or evaporated for making salt. -- Brine pump (Marine Engin.), a
pump for changing the water in the boilers, so as to clear them of the
brine which collects at the bottom. -- Brine shrimp, Brine worm
(Zo\'94l.), a phyllopod crustacean of the genus Artemia, inhabiting
the strong brines of salt works and natural salt lakes. See Artemia.
-- Brine spring, a spring of salt water. -- Leach brine (Saltmaking),
brine which drops from granulated salt in drying, and is preserved to
be boiled again.
Brine
Brine (?), v. t.
1. To steep or saturate in brine.
2. To sprinkle with salt or brine; as, to brine hay.
Bring
Bring (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brought (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bringing.]
[OE. bringen, AS. bringan; akin to OS. brengian, D. brengen, Fries.
brenga, OHG. bringan, G. bringen, Goth. briggan.]
1. To convey to the place where the speaker is or is to be; to bear
from a more distant to a nearer place; to fetch.
And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring
me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread. 1 Kings xvii. 11.
To France shall we convey you safe, And bring you back. Shak.
2. To cause the accession or obtaining of; to procure; to make to
come; to produce; to draw to.
There is nothing will bring you more honor . . . than to do what
right in justice you may. Bacon.
3. To convey; to move; to carry or conduct.
In distillation, the water . . . brings over with it some part of
the oil of vitriol. Sir I. Newton.
4. To persuade; to induce; to draw; to lead; to guide.
It seems so preposterous a thing . . . that they do not easily
bring themselves to it. Locke.
The nature of the things . . . would not suffer him to think
otherwise, how, or whensoever, he is brought to reflect on them.
Locke.
5. To produce in exchange; to sell for; to fetch; as, what does coal
bring per ton?
To bring about, to bring to pass; to effect; to accomplish. -- To
bring back. (a) To recall. (b) To restore, as something borrowed, to
its owner. -- To bring by the lee (Naut.), to incline so rapidly to
leeward of the course, when a ship sails large, as to bring the lee
side suddenly to the windward, any by laying the sails aback, expose
her to danger of upsetting. -- To bring down. (a) To cause to come
down. (b) To humble or abase; as, to bring down high looks. -- To
bring down the house, to cause tremendous applause. [Colloq.] -- To
bring forth. (a) To produce, as young fruit. (b) To bring to light; to
make manifest. -- To bring forward (a) To exhibit; to introduce; to
produce to view. (b) To hasten; to promote; to forward. (c) To
propose; to adduce; as, to bring forward arguments. -- To bring home.
(a) To bring to one's house. (b) To prove conclusively; as, to bring
home a charge of treason. (c) To cause one to feel or appreciate by
personal experience. (d) (Naut.) To lift of its place, as an anchor.
-- To bring in. (a) To fetch from without; to import. (b) To
introduce, as a bill in a deliberative assembly. (c) To return or
repot to, or lay before, a court or other body; to render; as, to
bring in a verdict or a report. (d) To take to an appointed place of
deposit or collection; as, to bring in provisions or money for a
specified object. (e) To produce, as income. (f) To induce to join. --
To bring off, to bear or convey away; to clear from condemnation; to
cause to escape. -- To bring on. (a) To cause to begin. (b) To
originate or cause to exist; as, to bring on a disease. -- To bring
one on one's way, to accompany, guide, or attend one. -- To bring out,
to expose; to detect; to bring to light from concealment. -- To bring
over. (a) To fetch or bear across. (b) To convert by persuasion or
other means; to cause to change sides or an opinion. -- To bring to.
(a) To resuscitate; to bring back to consciousness or life, as a
fainting person. (b) (Naut.) To check the course of, as of a ship, by
dropping the anchor, or by counterbracing the sails so as to keep her
nearly stationary (she is then said to lie to). (c) To cause (a
vessel) to lie to, as by firing across her course. (d) To apply a rope
to the capstan. -- To bring to light, to disclose; to discover; to
make clear; to reveal. -- To bring a sail to (Naut.), to bend it to
the yard. -- To bring to pass, to accomplish to effect. "Trust also in
Him; and He shall bring it to pass." Ps. xxxvii. 5. -- To bring under,
to subdue; to restrain; to reduce to obedience. -- To bring up. (a) To
carry upward; to nurse; to rear; to educate. (b) To cause to stop
suddenly. (c)
NOTE: [v. i. by dropping the reflexive pronoun]
To stop suddenly; to come to a standstill. [Colloq.] -- To bring up
(any one) with a round turn, to cause (any one) to stop abruptly.
[Colloq.] -- To be brought to bed. See under Bed. Syn. -- To fetch;
bear; carry; convey; transport; import; procure; produce; cause;
adduce; induce.
Bringer
Bring"er (?), n. One who brings.
Yet the first bringer of unwelcome news Hath but a losing office.
Shak.
Bringer in, one who, or that which, introduces.
Brininess
Brin"i*ness (?), n. The state or quality of being briny; saltness;
brinishness.
Brinish
Brin"ish (?), a. Like brine; somewhat salt; saltish. "Brinish tears."
Shak.
Brinishness
Brin"ish*ness, n. State or quality of being brinish.
Brinjaree
Brin"ja*ree` (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) A rough-haired East
Indian variety of the greyhound.
Brink
Brink (?), n. [Dan. brink edge, verge; akin to Sw. brink declivity,
hill, Icel. brekka; cf. LG. brink a grassy hill, W. bryn hill, bryncyn
hillock.] The edge, margin, or border of a steep place, as of a
precipice; a bank or edge, as of a river or pit; a verge; a border;
as, the brink of a chasm. Also Fig. "The brink of vice." Bp. Porteus.
"The brink of ruin." Burke.
The plashy brink of weedy lake. Bryant.
Briny
Brin"y (?), a. [From Brine.] Of or pertaining to brine, or to the sea;
partaking of the nature of brine; salt; as, a briny taste; the briny
flood.
Briony
Bri"o*ny (?), n. See Bryony. Tennyson.
Brisk
Brisk (?), a. [Cf. W. brysg, fr. brys haste, Gael. briosg quick,
lively, Ir. broisg a start, leap, jerk.]
1. Full of liveliness and activity; characterized by quickness of
motion or action; lively; spirited; quick.
Cheerily, boys; be brick awhile. Shak.
Brick toil alternating with ready ease. Wordworth.
2. Full of spirit of life; effervescas, brick cider. Syn. -- Active;
lively; agile; alert; nimble; quick; sprightly; vivacious; gay;
spirited; animated.
Brisk
Brisk (?), v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Bricked (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bricking.] To make or become lively; to enliven; to animate; to take,
or cause to take, an erect or bold attitude; -- usually with up.
Brisket
Bris"ket (?), n. [OE. bruskette, OF. bruschet, F. br\'82chet, brichet;
prob. of Celtic origin; cf. W. brysced the breast of a slain animal,
brisket, Corn. vrys breast, Armor. brusk, bruched, the front of the
chest, Gael. brisgein the cartilaginous part of a bone.] That part of
the breast of an animal which extends from the fore legs back beneath
the ribs; also applied to the fore part of a horse, from the shoulders
to the bottom of the chest.
NOTE: [See Illust. of Beef.]
Briskly
Brisk"ly (?), adv. In a brisk manner; nimbly.
Briskness
Brisk"ness, n. Liveliness; vigor in action; quickness; gayety;
vivacity; effervescence.
Bristle
Bris"tle (?), n. [OE. bristel, brustel, AS. bristl, byrst; akin to D.
borstel, OHG. burst, G. borste, Icel. burst, Sw. borst, and to Skr. bh
edge, point, and prob, L. fastigium extremity, Gr. brush, burr, perh.
to brad. &root;96.]
1. A short, stiff, coarse hair, as on the back of swine.
2. (Bot.) A stiff, sharp, roundish hair. Gray.
Bristle
Bris"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bristled (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bristling
(#).]
1. To erect the bristles of; to cause to stand up, as the bristles of
an angry hog; -- sometimes with up.
Now for the bare-picked bone of majesty Doth dogged war bristle his
angry crest. Shak.
Boy, bristle thy courage up. Shak.
2. To fix a bristle to; as, to bristle a thread.
Bristle
Bris"tle, v. i.
1. To rise or stand erect, like bristles.
His hair did bristle upon his head. Sir W. Scott.
2. To appear as if covered with bristles; to have standing, thick and
erect, like bristles.
The hill of La Haye Sainte bristling with ten thousand bayonets.
Thackeray.
Ports bristling with thousands of masts. Macaulay.
3. To show deflance or indignation.
To bristle up, to show anger or deflance.
Bristle-pointed
Bris"tle-point`ed (?), a. (Bot.) Terminating in a very fine, sharp
point, as some leaves.
Bristle-shaped
Bris"tle-shaped` (?), a. Resembling a bristle in form; as, a
bristle-shaped leaf.
Bristletail
Bris"tle*tail` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) An insect of the genera Lepisma,
Campodea, etc., belonging to the Thysanura.
Bristliness
Bris"tli*ness (?), n. The quality or state of having bristles.
Bristly
Bris"tly (?), a. THick set with bristles, or with hairs resembling
bristles; rough.
The leaves of the black mulberry are somewhat bristly. Bacon.
Bristol
Bris"tol (?), n. A seaport city in the west of England. Bristol board,
a kind of fine pasteboard, made with a smooth but usually unglazed
surface. -- Bristol brick, a brick of siliceous matter used for
polishing cultery; -- originally manufactured at Bristol. -- Bristol
stone, rock crystal, or brilliant crystals of quartz, found in the
mountain limestone near Bristol, and used in making ornaments, vases,
etc. When polished, it is called Bristol diamond.
Brisure
Bri*sure" (?), n. [F.]
1. (Fort.) Any part of a rampart or parapet which deviates from the
general direction.
2. (Her.) A mark of cadency or difference.
Brit, Britt
Brit, Britt (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) (a) The young of the common herring;
also, a small species of herring; the sprat. (b) The minute marine
animals (chiefly Entomostraca) upon which the right whales feed.
Britannia
Bri*tan"ni*a (?), n. [From L. Britannia Great Britain.] A white-metal
alloy of tin, antimony, bismuth, copper, etc. It somewhat resembles
silver, and isused for table ware. Called also Britannia metal.
Britannic
Bri*tan"nic (?), a. [L. Britannicus, fr. Britannia Great Britain.] Of
or pertaining to Great Britain; British; as, her Britannic Majesty.
Brite, Bright
Brite, Bright (?), v. t. To be or become overripe, as wheat, barley,
or hops. [Prov. Eng.]
Briticism
Brit"i*cism (?), n. A word, phrase, or idiom peculiar to Great
Britain; any manner of using a word or words that is peculiar to Great
Britain.
British
Brit"ish (?), a. [AS. Brittisc, Bryttisc.] Of or pertaining to Great
Britain or to its inhabitants; -- sometimes restrict to the original
inhabitants. British gum, a brownish substance, very soluble in cold
water, formed by heating dry starch at a temperature of about 600\'f8
Fahr. It corresponds, in its properties, to dextrin, and is used, in
solution, as a substitute for gum in stiffering goods. -- British
lion, the national emblem of Great Britain. -- British seas, the four
seas which surround Great Britain.
British
Brit"ish, n. pl. People of Great Britain.
Britisher
Brit"ish*er, n. An Englishman; a subject or inhabitant of Great
Britain, esp. one in the British military or naval service. [Now used
jocosely]
Briton
Brit"on (?), a. [AS. bryten Britain.] British. [Obs.] Spenser. -- n. A
native of Great Britain.
Brittle
Brit"tle (?), a. [OE. britel, brutel, AS. bryttian to dispense, fr.
bre\'a2tan to break; akin to Icel. brytja, Sw. bryta, Dan. bryde. Cf.
Brickle.] Easily broken; apt to break; fragile; not tough or
tenacious<-- contrast to flexible; usually hard -->.
Farewell, thou pretty, brittle piece Of fine-cut crystal. Cotton.
Brittle silver ore, the mineral stephanite.
Brittlely
Brit"tle*ly, adv. In a brittle manner. Sherwood.
Brittleness
Brit"tle*ness, n. Aptness to break; fragility.
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Brittle star
Brit"tle star` (?). Any species of ophiuran starfishes. See
Ophiuroidea.
Britzska
Britz"ska (?), n. [Russ. britshka; cf. Pol. bryczka, dim. of bryka
freight wagon.] A long carriage, with a calash top, so constructed as
to give space for reclining at night, when used on a journey.
Brize
Brize (?), n. The breeze fly. See Breeze. Shak.
Broach
Broach (?), n. [OE. broche, F. broche, fr. LL. brocca; prob. of Celtic
origin; cf. W. proc thrust, stab, Gael. brog awl. Cf. Brooch.]
1. A spit. [Obs.]
He turned a broach that had worn a crown. Bacon.
2. An awl; a bodkin; also, a wooden rod or pin, sharpened at each end,
used by thatchers. [Prov. Eng.] Forby.
3. (Mech.) (a) A tool of steel, generally tapering, and of a polygonal
form, with from four to eight cutting edges, for smoothing or
enlarging holes in metal; sometimes made smooth or without edges, as
for burnishing pivot holes in watches; a reamer. The broach for gun
barrels is commonly square and without taper. (b) A straight tool with
file teeth, made of steel, to be pressed through irregular holes in
metal that cannot be dressed by revolving tools; a drift.
4. (Masonry) A broad chisel for stonecutting.
5. (Arch.) A spire rising from a tower. [Local, Eng.]
6. A clasp for fastening a garment. See Brooch.
7. A spitlike start, on the head of a young stag.
8. The stick from which candle wicks are suspended for dipping.
Knight.
9. The pin in a lock which enters the barrel of the key.
Broach
Broach, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Broached (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Broaching.]
[F. brocher, fr. broche. See Broach, n.]
1. To spit; to pierce as with a spit.
I'll broach the tadpole on my rapier's point. Shak.
2. To tap; to pierce, as a cask, in order to draw the liquor. Hence:
To let out; to shed, as blood.
Whereat with blade, with bloody blameful blade, He bravely broached
his boiling bloody breast. Shak.
3. To open for the first time, as stores.
You shall want neither weapons, victuals, nor aid; I will open the
old armories, I will broach my store, and will bring forth my
stores. Knolles.
4. To make public; to utter; to publish first; to put forth; to
introduce as a topic of conversation.
Those very opinions themselves had broached. Swift.
5. To cause to begin or break out. [Obs.] Shak.
6. (Masonry) To shape roughly, as a block of stone, by chiseling with
a coarse tool. [Scot. & North of Eng.]
7. To enlarge or dress (a hole), by using a broach.
To broach to (Naut.), to incline suddenly to windward, so as to lay
the sails aback, and expose the vessel to the danger of oversetting.
Broacher
Broach"er (?), n.
1. A spit; a broach.
On five sharp broachers ranked, the roast they turned. Dryden.
2. One who broaches, opens, or utters; a first publisher or promoter.
Some such broacher of heresy. Atterbury.
Broad
Broad (?), a. [Compar. Broader (?); superl. Broadest.] [OE. brod,
brad, AS. br\'bed; akin to OS. br\'c7d, D. breed, G. breit, Icel.
brei, Sw. & Dan. bred, Goth. braids. Cf. Breadth.]
1. Wide; extend in breadth, or from side to side; -- opposed to
narrow; as, a broad street, a broad table; an inch broad.
2. Extending far and wide; extensive; vast; as, the broad expanse of
ocean.
3. Extended, in the sense of diffused; open; clear; full. "Broad and
open day." Bp. Porteus.
4. Fig.: Having a large measure of any thing or quality; not limited;
not restrained; -- applied to any subject, and retaining the literal
idea more or less clearly, the precise meaning depending largely on
the substantive.
A broad mixture of falsehood. Locke.
NOTE: Hence: -
5. Comprehensive; liberal; enlarged.
The words in the Constitution are broad enough to include the case.
D. Daggett.
In a broad, statesmanlike, and masterly way. E. Everett.
6. Plain; evident; as, a broad hint.
7. Free; unrestrained; unconfined.
As broad and general as the casing air. Shak.
8. (Fine Arts) Characterized by breadth. See Breadth.
9. Cross; coarse; indelicate; as, a broad compliment; a broad joke;
broad humor.
10. Strongly marked; as, a broad Scotch accent.
NOTE: &hand; Br oad is of ten us ed in compounds to signify wide,
large, etc.; as, broad-chested, broad-shouldered, broad-spreading,
broad-winged.
Broad acres. See under Acre. -- Broad arrow, originally a pheon. See
Pheon, and Broad arrow under Arrow. -- As broad as long, having the
length equal to the breadth; hence, the same one way as another;
coming to the same result by different ways or processes.
It is as broad as long, whether they rise to others, or bring
others down to them. L'Estrange.
Broad pennant. See under Pennant. Syn. -- Wide; large; ample;
expanded; spacious; roomy; extensive; vast; comprehensive; liberal.
Broad
Broad, n.
1. The broad part of anything; as, the broad of an oar.
2. The spread of a river into a sheet of water; a flooded fen. [Local,
Eng.] Southey.
3. A lathe tool for turning down the insides and bottoms of cylinders.
Knight.
Broadax Broadaxe
Broad"ax` Broad"axe` (?), n.
1. An ancient military weapon; a battle-ax.
2. An ax with a broad edge, for hewing timber.
Broadbill
Broad"bill` (?), n.
1. (Zo\'94l.) A wild duck (Aythya, OR Fuligula, marila), which appears
in large numbers on the eastern coast of the United States, in autumn;
-- called also bluebill, blackhead, raft duck, and scaup duck. See
Scaup duck.
2. (Zo\'94l.) The shoveler. See Shoveler.
Broadbrim
Broad"brim` (?), n.
1. A hat with a very broad brim, like those worn by men of the society
of Friends.
2. A member of the society of Friends; a Quaker. [Sportive]
Broad-brimmed
Broad"-brimmed` (?), a. Having a broad brim.
A broad-brimmed flat silver plate. Tatler.
Broadcast
Broad"cast` (?), n. (Agric.) A casting or throwing seed in all
directions, as from the hand in sowing.
Broadcast
Broad"cast`, a.
1. Cast or dispersed in all directions, as seed from the hand in
sowing; widely diffused.
2. Scattering in all directions (as a method of sowing); -- opposed to
planting in hills, or rows.
Broadcast
Broad"cast`, adv. So as to scatter or be scattered in all directions;
so as to spread widely, as seed from the hand in sowing, or news from
the press.
Broad Church
Broad" Church` (?). (Eccl.) A portion of the Church of England,
consisting of persons who claim to hold a position, in respect to
doctrine and fellowship, intermediate between the High Church party
and the Low Church, or evangelical, party. The term has been applied
to otherbodies of men holding liberal or comprehensive views of
Christian doctrine and fellowship.
Side by side with these various shades of High and Low Church,
another party of a different character has always existed in the
Church of England. It is called by different names: Moderate,
Catholic, or Broad Church, by its friends; Latitudinarian or
Indifferent, by its enemies. Its distinctive character is the
desire of comprehension. Its watch words are charity and
toleration. Conybeare.
Broadcloth
Broad"cloth (?), n. A fine smooth-faced woolen cloth for men's
garments, usually of double width (i.e., a yard and a half); -- so
called in distinction from woolens three quarters of a yard wide.
Broaden
Broad"en (?), v. t. [p. & p. p. Broadened (; p. pr. & vb.n. Broadening
(.] [From Broad, a.] To grow broad; to become broader or wider.
The broadening sun appears. Wordsworth.
Broaden
Broad"en, v. t. To make broad or broader; to render more broad or
comprehensive.
Broad gauge
Broad" gauge` (?). (Railroad) A wider distance between the rails than
the "standard" gauge of four feet eight inches and a half. See Gauge.
Broad-horned
Broad"-horned` (?), a. Having horns spreading widely.
Broadish
Broad"ish, a. Rather broad; moderately broad.
Broadleaf
Broad"leaf` (?), n. (Bot.) A tree (Terminalia latifolia) of Jamaica,
the wood of which is used for boards, scantling, shingles, etc; --
sometimes called the almond tree, from the shape of its fruit.
Broad-leaved, Broad-leafed
Broad"-leaved` (?), Broad"-leafed` (?), a. Having broad, or relatively
broad, leaves. Keats.
Broadly
Broad"ly, adv. In a broad manner.
Broadmouth
Broad"mouth` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) One of the Eurylaimid\'91, a family of
East Indian passerine birds.
Broadness
Broad"ness, n. [AS. br\'bednes.] The condition or quality of being
broad; breadth; coarseness; grossness.
Broadpiece
Broad"piece` (?), n. An old English gold coin, broader than a guinea,
as a Carolus or Jacobus.
Broad seal
Broad" seal` (?). The great seal of England; the public seal of a
country or state.
Broadseal
Broad"seal`, v. t. To stamp with the broad seal; to make sure; to
guarantee or warrant. [Obs.]
Thy presence broadseals our delights for pure. B. Jonson.
Broadside
Broad"side` (?), n.
1. (Naut.) The side of a ship above the water line, from the bow to
the quarter.
2. A discharge of or from all the guns on one side of a ship, at the
same time.
3. A volley of abuse or denunciation. [Colloq.]
4. (Print.) A sheet of paper containing one large page, or printed on
one side only; -- called also broadsheet.
Broadspread
Broad"spread` (?), a. Widespread.
Broadspreading
Broad"spread`ing, a. Spreading widely.
Broadsword
Broad"sword` (?), n. A sword with a broad blade and a cutting edge; a
claymore.
I heard the broadsword's deadly clang. Sir W. Scott.
Broadwise
Broad"wise` (?), adv. Breadthwise. [Archaic]
Brob
Brob (?), n. [Cf. Gael. brog, E. brog, n.] (Carp.) A peculiar
brad-shaped spike, to be driven alongside the end of an abutting
timber to prevent its slipping.
Brobdingnagian
Brob`ding*nag"i*an (?), a. [From Brobdingnag, a country of giants in
"Gulliver's Travels."] Colossal' of extraordinary height; gigantic. --
n. A giant. [Spelt often Brobdignagian.]
Brocade
Bro*cade" (?), n. [Sp. brocado (cf. It. broccato, F. brocart), fr. LL.
brocare *prick, to figure (textile fabrics), to emboss (linen), to
stitch. See Broach.] Silk stuff, woven with gold and silver threads,
or ornamented with raised flowers, foliage, etc.; -- also applied to
other stuffs thus wrought and enriched.
A gala suit of faded brocade. W. Irving.
Brocaded
Bro*cad"ed (?), a.
1. Woven or worked, as brocade, with gold and silver, or with raised
flowers, etc.
Brocaded flowers o'er the gay mantua shine. Gay.
2. Dressed in brocade.
Brocage
Bro"cage (?), n. See Brokkerage.
Brocard
Broc"ard (?), n. [Perh. fr. Brocardica, Brocardicorum opus, a
collection of ecclesiastical canons by Burkhard, Bishop of Worms,
called, by the Italians and French, Brocard.] An elementary principle
or maximum; a short, proverbial rule, in law, ethics, or metaphysics.
The legal brocard, "Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus," is a rule
not more applicable to other witness than to consciousness. Sir W.
Hamilton.
Brocatel
Bro"ca*tel (?), n. [F. brocatelle, fr. It. brocatello: cf. Sp.
brocatel. See Brocade.]
1. A kind of coarse brocade, or figured fabric, used chiefly for
tapestry, linings for carriages, etc.
2. A marble, clouded and veined with white, gray, yellow, and red, in
which the yellow usually prevails. It is also called Siena marble,
from its locality.
Brocatello
Bro`ca*tel"lo (?), n. Same as Brocatel.
Broccoli
Broc"co*li (?), n. [It. broccoli, pl. of broccolo sprout, cabbage
sprout, dim. of brocco splinter. See Broach, n.] (Bot.) A plant of the
Cabbage species (Brassica oleracea) of many varieties, resembling the
cauliflower. The "curd," or flowering head, is the part used for food.
Brochantite
Broch"an*tite (?), n. [From Brochant de Villiers, a French
mineralogist.] (Min.) A basic sulphate of copper, occurring in
emerald-green crystals.
Broch\'82
Bro`ch\'82" (?), a. [F.] Woven with a figure; as, broch\'82 goods.
Broche
Broche (?), n. [F.] See Broach, n.
Brochure
Bro*chure" (?), n. [F., fr. brocher to stitch. See Broach, v. t.] A
printed and stitched book containing only a few leaves; a pamphlet.
Brock
Brock (?), n. [AS. broc, fr. W. broch; akin to Ir. & Gael. broc, Corn.
& Armor. broch; cf. Ir. & Gael. breac speckled.] (Zo\'94l.) A badger.
Or with pretense of chasing thence the brock. B. Jonson.
Brock
Brock, n. [See Brocket.] (Zo\'94l.) A brocket. Bailey.
Brocker
Brock"er (?), n. [OE. broket, F. broquart fallow deer a year old, fr.
the same root as E. broach, meaning point (hence tine of a horn).]
1. (Zo\'94l.) A male red deer two years old; -- sometimes called
brock.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A small South American deer, of several species (Coassus
superciliaris, C. rufus, and C. auritus).
Brockish
Brock"ish, a. Beastly; brutal. [Obs.] Bale.
Brodekin
Brode"kin (?), n. [F. brodequin, OE. brossequin, fr. OD. broseken,
brosekin, dim. of broos buskin, prob. fr. LL. byrsa leather, Gr.
Buskin.] A buskin or half-boot. [Written also brodequin.] [Obs.]
Brog
Brog (?), n. [Gael. Cf. Brob.] A pointed instrument, as a joiner's
awl, a brad awl, a needle, or a small ship stick.
Brog
Brog, v. t. To prod with a pointed instrument, as a lance; also, to
broggle. [Scot. & Prov.] Sir W. Scott.
Brogan
Bro"gan (?), n. A stout, coarse shoe; a brogue.
Broggle
Brog"gle (?), v. i. [Dim. of Prov. E. brog to broggle. Cf. Brog, n.]
To sniggle, or fish with a brog. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.
Brogue
Brogue (?), n. [Ir. & Gael. brog shoe, hoof.]
1. A stout, coarse shoe; a brogan.
NOTE: &hand; In th e Highlands of Scotland, the ancient brogue was
made of horsehide or deerskin, untanned or tenned with the hair on,
gathered round the ankle with a thong. The name was afterward given
to any shoe worn as a part of the Highland costume.
Clouted brogues, patched brogues; also, brogues studded with nails.
See under Clout, v. t.
2. A dialectic pronunciation; esp. the Irish manner of pronouncing
English.
Or take, Hibernis, thy still ranker brogue. Lloyd.
Brogues
Brogues (?), n. pl. [Cf. Breeches.] Breeches. [Obs.] Shenstone.
Broid
Broid (?), v. t. To braid. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Broider
Broid"er (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Broidered (#).] [OE. broiden,
brouden, F. broder, confused with E. braid; F. broder is either the
same word as border to border (see Border), or perh. of Celtic origin;
cf. W. brathu to sting, stab, Ir. & Gael. brod goad, prickle, OE. brod
a goad; and also Icel. broddr a spike, a sting, AS. brord a point.] To
embroider. [Archaic]
They shall make a broidered coat. Ex. xxviii. 4.
Broiderer
Broid"er*er (?), n. One who embroiders. [Archaic]
Broidery
Broid"er*y (?), n. Embroidery. [Archaic]
The golden broidery tender Milkah wove. Tickell.
Broil
Broil (?), n. [F. brouiller to disorder, from LL. brogilus, broilus,
brolium, thicket, wood, park; of uncertain origin; cf. W. brog a
swelling out, OHG. pr\'d3il marsh, G. br\'81hl, MHG. brogen to rise.
The meaning tumult, confusion, comes apparently from tangled
undergrowth, thicket, and this possibly from the meaning to grow,
rise, sprout.] A tumult; a noisy quarrel; a disturbance; a brawl;
contention; discord, either between individuals or in the state.
I will own that there is a haughtiness and fierceness in human
nature which will which will cause innumerable broils, place men in
what situation you please. Burke.
Syn. -- Contention; fray; affray; tumult; altercation; dissension;
discord; contest; conflict; brawl; uproar.
Broil
Broil, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Broiled (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Broiling.]
[OE. broilen, OF. bruillir, fr. bruir to broil, burn; of Ger. origin;
cf. MHG. br\'81ejen, G. br\'81hen, to scald, akin to E. brood.]
1. To cook by direct exposure to heat over a fire, esp. upon a
gridiron over coals.
2. To subject to great (commonly direct) heat.
Broil
Broil, v. i. To be subjected to the action of heat, as meat over the
fire; to be greatly heated, or to be made uncomfortable with heat.
The planets and comets had been broiling in the sun. Cheyne.
Broiler
Broil"er (?), n. One who excites broils; one who engages in or
promotes noisy quarrels.
What doth he but turn broiler, . . . make new libels against the
church? Hammond.
Broiler
Broil"er, n.
1. One who broils, or cooks by broiling.
2. A gridiron or other utensil used in broiling.
3. A chicken or other bird fit for broiling. [Colloq.]
Broiling
Broil"ing, a. Excessively hot; as, a broiling sun. -- n. The act of
causing anything to broil.
Brokage
Bro"kage (?), n. See Brokerage.
Broke
Broke (?), v. i. [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]
1. To transact business for another. [R.] Brome.
2. To act as procurer in love matters; to pimp. [Obs.]
We do want a certain necessary woman to broke between them, Cupid
said. Fanshawe.
And brokes with all that can in such a suit Corrupt the tender
honor of a maid. Shak.
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Broke
Broke (br&omac;k), imp. & p. p. of Break.
Broken
Bro"ken (br&omac;"k'n), a. [From Break, v. t.]
1. Separated into parts or pieces by violence; divided into fragments;
as, a broken chain or rope; a broken dish.
2. Disconnected; not continuous; also, rough; uneven; as, a broken
surface.
3. Fractured; cracked; disunited; sundered; strained; apart; as, a
broken reed; broken friendship.
4. Made infirm or weak, by disease, age, or hardships.
The one being who remembered him as he been before his mind was
broken. G. Eliot.
The broken soldier, kindly bade to stay, Sat by his fire, and
talked the night away. Goldsmith.
5. Subdued; humbled; contrite.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. Ps. li. 17.
6. Subjugated; trained for use, as a horse.
7. Crushed and ruined as by something that destroys hope; blighted.
"Her broken love and life." G. Eliot.
8. Not carried into effect; not adhered to; violated; as, a broken
promise, vow, or contract; a broken law.
9. Ruined financially; incapable of redeeming promises made, or of
paying debts incurred; as, a broken bank; a broken tradesman.
10. Imperfectly spoken, as by a foreigner; as, broken English;
imperfectly spoken on account of emotion; as, to say a few broken
words at parting.
Amidst the broken words and loud weeping of those grave senators.
Macaulay.
Broken ground. (a) (Mil.) Rough or uneven ground; as, the troops were
retarded in their advance by broken ground. (b) Ground recently opened
with the plow. -- Broken line (Geom.), the straight lines which join a
number of given points taken in some specified order. -- Broken meat,
fragments of meat or other food. -- Broken number, a fraction. --
Broken weather, unsettled weather.
Broken-backed
Bro"ken-backed` (?), a.
1. Having a broken back; as, a broken-backed chair.
2. (Naut.) Hogged; so weakened in the frame as to droop at each end;
-- said of a ship. Totten.
Broken-bellied
Bro"ken-bel`lied (?), a. Having a ruptured belly. [R.]
Broken-hearted
Bro"ken-heart`ed (?), a. Having the spirits depressed or crushed by
grief or despair.
She left her husband almost broken-hearted. Macaulay.
Syn. -- Disconsolable; heart-broken; inconsolable; comfortless;
woe-begone; forlorn.
Brokenly
Bro"ken*ly, adv. In a broken, interrupted manner; in a broken state;
in broken language.
The pagans worship God . . . as it were brokenly and by piecemeal.
Cudworth.
Brokenness
Bro"ken*ness, n.
1. The state or quality of being broken; unevenness. Macaulay.
2. Contrition; as, brokenness of heart.
Broken wind
Bro"ken wind` (?). (Far.) The heaves.
Broken-winded
Bro"ken-wind`ed, a. (Far.) Having short breath or disordered
respiration, as a horse.
Broker
Bro"ker (?), n. [OE. brocour, from a word akin to broken, bruken, to
use, enjoy, possess, digest, fr. AS. br to use, enjoy; cf. Fries.
broker, F. brocanteur. See Brook, v. t.]
1. One who transacts business for another; an agent.
2. (Law) An agent employed to effect bargains and contracts, as a
middleman or negotiator, between other persons, for a compensation
commonly called brokerage. He takes no possession, as broker, of the
subject matter of the negotiation. He generally contracts in the names
of those who employ him, and not in his own. Story.
3. A dealer in money, notes, bills of exchange, etc.
4. A dealer in secondhand goods. [Eng.]
5. A pimp or procurer. [Obs.] Shak.
Bill broker, one who buys and sells notes and bills of exchange. --
Curbstone broker or Street broker, an operator in stocks (not a member
of the Stock Exchange) who executes orders by running from office to
office, or by transactions on the street. [U.S.] -- Exchange broker,
one who buys and sells uncurrent money, and deals in exchanges
relating to money. -- Insurance broker, one who is agent in procuring
insurance on vessels, or against fire. -- Pawn broker. See Pawnbroker.
-- Real estate broker, one who buys and sells lands, and negotiates
loans, etc., upon mortgage. -- Ship broker, one who acts as agent in
buying and selling ships, procuring freight, etc. -- Stock broker. See
Stockbroker.
Brokerage
Bro"ker*age (?), n.
1. The business or employment of a broker. Burke.
2. The fee, reward, or commission, given or changed for transacting
business as a broker.
Brokerly
Bro"ker*ly, a. Mean; servile. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
Brokery
Bro"ker*y (?), n. The business of a broker. [Obs.]
And with extorting, cozening, forfeiting, And tricks belonging unto
brokery. Marlowe.
Broking
Bro"king (?), a. Of or pertaining to a broker or brokers, or to
brokerage. [Obs.]
Redeem from broking pawn the blemished crown. Shak.
Broma
Bro"ma (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr.
1. (Med.) Aliment; food. Dunglison.
2. A light form of prepared cocoa (or cacao), or the drink made from
it.
Bromal
Bro"mal (?), n. [Bromine + aldehyde.] (Chem.) An oily, colorless
fluid, CBr
Bromate
Bro"mate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of bromic acid.
Bromate
Bro"mate (?), v.t. (Med.) To combine or impregnate with bromine; as,
bromated camphor.
Bromatologist
Bro`ma*tol"o*gist (?), n. One versed in the science of foods.
Bromatology
Bro`ma*tol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. -logy.] The science of aliments.
Dunglison.
Brome
Brome (?), n. [F.] (Chem.) See Bromine.
Brome grass
Brome" grass` (?). [L. bromos a kind of oats, Gr. (Bot.) A genus
(Bromus) of grasses, one species of which is the chess or cheat.
Bromeliaceous
Bro*me`li*a"ceous (?), a. [Named after Olaf Bromel, a Swedish
botanist.] (Bot.) Pertaining to, or resembling, a family of endogenous
and mostly epiphytic or saxicolous plants of which the genera
Tillandsia and Billbergia are examples. The pineapple, though
terrestrial, is also of this family.
Bromic
Bro"mic (?), a. (Chem.) Of, pertaining to, or containing, bromine; --
said of those compounds of bromine in which this element has a valence
of five, or the next to its highest; as, bromic acid.
Bromide
Bro"mide (?), n. (Chem.) A compound of bromine with a positive
radical.
Brominate
Bro"mi*nate (?), v. t. See Bromate, v. t.
Bromine
Bro"mine (?), n. [Gr. Brome.] (Chem.) One of the elements, related in
its chemical qualities to chlorine and iodine. Atomic weight 79.8.
Symbol Br. It is a deep reddish brown liquid of a very disagreeable
odor, emitting a brownish vapor at the ordinary temperature. In
combination it is found in minute quantities in sea water, and in many
saline springs. It occurs also in the mineral bromyrite.
Bromism
Bro"mism (?), n. (Med.) A diseased condition produced by the excessive
use of bromine or one of its compounds. It is characterized by mental
dullness and muscular weakness.
Bromize
Bro"mize (?), v. t. (Photog.) To prepare or treat with bromine; as, to
bromize a silvered plate.
Bromlife
Brom"life (?), n. [From Bromley Hill, near Alston, Cumberland,
England.] (Min.) A carbonate of baryta and lime, intermediate between
witherite and strontianite; -- called also alstonite.
Bromoform
Bro"mo*form (?), n. [Bromine + formyl.] (Chem.) A colorless liquid,
CHBr3, having an agreeable odor and sweetish taste. It is produced by
the simultaneous action of bromine and caustic potash upon wood
spirit, alcohol, or acetone, as also by certain other reactions. In
composition it is the same as chloroform, with the substitution of
bromine for chlorine. It is somewhat similar to chloroform in its
effects. Watts.
Brompicrin
Brom*pi"crin (?), n. [G. brompikrin; brom bromine + pikrins\'84ure
picric acid.] (Chem.) A pungent colorless explosive liquid, CNO2Br3,
analogous to and resembling chlorpicrin. [Spelt also brompikrin.]
Bromuret
Brom"u*ret (?), n. See Bromide. [Obs.]
Bromyrite
Brom"y*rite (?), n. [Bromine + Gr. (Min.) Silver bromide, a rare
mineral; -- called also bromargyrite.
Bronchi
Bron"chi (?), n. pl. (Anat.) See Bronchus.
Bronchia
Bron"chi*a (?), n. pl. [L. , pl. Cf. Bronchus.] (Anat.) The bronchial
tubes which arise from the branching of the trachea, esp. the
subdivision of the bronchi. Dunglison.
Bronchial
Bron"chi*al (?), a. [Cf. F. bronchial. See Bronchia.] (Anat.)
Belonging to the bronchi and their ramifications in the lungs.
Bronchial arteries, branches of the descending aorta, accompanying the
bronchia in all their ramifications. -- Bronchial cells, the air cells
terminating the bronchia. -- Bronchial glands, glands whose functions
are unknown, seated along the bronchia. -- Bronchial membrane, the
mucous membrane lining the bronchia. -- Bronchial tube, the bronchi,
or the bronchia.
Bronchic
Bron"chic (?), a. (Anat.) Bronchial.
Bronchiole
Bron"chi*ole (?), n. (Anat.) A minute bronchial tube.
Bronchitic
Bron*chit"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to bronchitis; as, bronchitic
inflammation.
Bronchitis
Bron*chi"tis (?), n. [Bronchus + -itis.] (Med.) Inflammation, acute or
chronic, of the bronchial tubes or any part of them.
Broncho
Bron"cho (?), n. [Sp. bronco rough, wild.] A native or a Mexican horse
of small size. [Western U.S.]
Bronchocele
Bron"cho*cele (?), n. [Gr. (Med.) See Goiter.
Bronchophony
Bron*choph"o*ny (?), n. [Gr. A modification of the voice sounds, by
which they are intensified and heightened in pitch; -- observed in
auscultation of the chest in certain cases of intro-thoracic disease.
Broncho-pneumonia
Bron`cho-pneu*mo"ni*a (?), n. [Bronchus + pneumonia.] (Med.)
Inflammation of the bronchi and lungs; catarrhal pneumonia.
Bronchotome
Bron"cho*tome (?), n. [Gr. (Surg.) An instrument for cutting into the
bronchial tubes.
Bronchotomy
Bron*chot"o*my (?), n. (Surg.) An incision into the windpipe or
larynx, including the operations of tracheotomy and laryngotomy.
Bronchus
Bron"chus (?), n.; pl. Bronchi (. [NL., fr. Gr. Bronchia.] (Anat.) One
of the subdivisions of the trachea or windpipe; esp. one of the two
primary divisions.
Bronco
Bron"co (?), n. Same as Broncho.
Brond
Brond (?), n. [See Brand.] A sword. [Obs.]
Brontolite, Brontolith
Bron"to*lite (?), Bron"to*lith (?), n. [Gr. -lite, -lith.] An
a\'89rolite. [R.]
Brontology
Bron*tol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. -logy.] A treatise upon thunder.
Brontosaurus
Bron`to*sau"rus (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.) A genus of American
jurassic dinosaurs. A length of sixty feet is believed to have been
attained by these reptiles.
Brontotherium
Bron`to*the"ri*um (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.) A genus of large
extinct mammals from the miocene strata of western North America. They
were allied to the rhinoceros, but the skull bears a pair of powerful
horn cores in front of the orbits, and the fore feet were four-toed.
See Illustration in Appendix.
Brontozoum
Bron`to*zo"um (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.) An extinct animal of
large size, known from its three-toed footprints in Mesozoic
sandstone.
NOTE: &hand; Th e tr acks made by these reptiles are found eighteen
inches in length, and were formerly referred to gigantic birds; but
the discovery of large bipedal three-toed dinosaurs has suggested
that they were made by those reptiles.
Bronze
Bronze (?), n. [F. bronze, fr. It. bronzo brown, fr. OHG. br, G.
braun. See Brown, a.]
1. An alloy of copper and tin, to which small proportions of other
metals, especially zinc, are sometimes added. It is hard and sonorous,
and is used for statues, bells, cannon, etc., the proportions of the
ingredients being varied to suit the particular purposes. The
varieties containing the higher proportions of tin are brittle, as in
bell metal and speculum metal.
2. A statue, bust, etc., cast in bronze.
A print, a bronze, a flower, a root. Prior.
3. A yellowish or reddish brown, the color of bronze; also, a pigment
or powder for imitating bronze.
4. Boldness; impudence; "brass."
Imbrowned with native bronze, lo! Henley stands. Pope.
Aluminium bronze. See under Aluminium. -- Bronze age, an age of the
world which followed the stone age, and was characterized by the use
of implements and ornaments of copper or bronze. -- Bronze powder, a
metallic powder, used with size or in combination with painting, to
give the appearance of bronze, gold, or other metal, to any surface.
-- Phosphor bronze AND Silicious OR Silicium bronze are made by adding
phosphorus and silicon respectively to ordinary bronze, and are
characterized by great tenacity.
Bronze
Bronze, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bronzed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bronzing.]
[Cf. F. bronzer. See Bronze, n.]
1. To give an appearance of bronze to, by a coating of bronze powder,
or by other means; to make of the color of bronze; as, to bronze
plaster casts; to bronze coins or medals.
The tall bronzed black-eyed stranger. W. Black.
2. To make hard or unfeeling; to brazen.
The lawer who bronzes his bosom instead of his forehead. Sir W.
Scott.
Bronzed skin disease. (Pathol.) See Addison's disease.
Bronzewing
Bronze"wing` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) An Australian pigeon of the genus
Phaps, of several species; -- so called from its bronze plumage.
Bronzine
Bronz"ine (?), n. A metal so prepared as to have the appearance of
bronze. -- a. Made of bronzine; resembling bronze; bronzelike.
Bronzing
Bronz"ing, n.
1. The act or art of communicating to articles in metal, wood, clay,
plaster, etc., the appearance of bronze by means of bronze powders, or
imitative painting, or by chemical processes. Tomlinson.
2. A material for bronzing.
Bronzist
Bronz"ist, n. One who makes, imitates, collects, or deals in, bronzes.
Bronzite
Bronz"ite (?), n. [Cf. F. bronzite.] (Min.) A variety of enstatite,
often having a bronzelike luster. It is a silicate of magnesia and
iron, of the pyroxene family.
Bronzy
Bronz"y (?), a. Like bronze.
Brooch
Brooch (?), n. [See Broach, n.]
1. An ornament, in various forms, with a tongue, pin, or loop for
attaching it to a garment; now worn at the breast by women; a
breastpin. Formerly worn by men on the hat.
Honor 's a good brooch to wear in a man's hat. B. Jonson.
2. (Paint.) A painting all of one color, as a sepia painting, or an
India painting.
Brooch
Brooch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brooched (.] To adorn as with a brooch.
[R.]
Brood
Brood (?), n. [OE. brod, AS. br\'d3d; akin to D. broed, OHG. bruot, G.
brut, and also to G. br\'81he broth, MHG. br\'81eje, and perh. to E.
brawn, breath. Cf. Breed, v. t.]
1. The young birds hatched at one time; a hatch; as, a brood of
chicken.
As a hen doth gather her brood under her wings. Luke xiii. 34.
A hen followed by a brood of ducks. Spectator.
2. The young from the same dam, whether produced at the same time or
not; young children of the same mother, especially if nearly of the
same age; offspring; progeny; as, a woman with a brood of children.
The lion roars and gluts his tawny brood. Wordsworth.
3. That which is bred or produced; breed; species.
Flocks of the airy brood, (Cranes, geese or long-necked swans).
Chapman.
4. (Mining) Heavy waste in tin and copper ores.
To sit on brood, to ponder. [Poetic] Shak.
Brood
Brood, a.
1. Sitting or inclined to sit on eggs.
2. Kept for breeding from; as, a brood mare; brood stock; having
young; as, a brood sow.
Brood
Brood (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Brooded (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Brooding.]
1. To sit on and cover eggs, as a fowl, for the purpose of warming
them and hatching the young; or to sit over and cover young, as a hen
her chickens, in order to warm and protect them; hence, to sit
quietly, as if brooding.
Birds of calm sir brooding on the charmed wave. Milton.
2. To have the mind dwell continuously or moodily on a subject; to
think long and anxiously; to be in a state of gloomy, serious thought;
-- usually followed by over or on; as, to brood over misfortunes.
Brooding on unprofitable gold. Dryden.
Brooding over all these matters, the mother felt like one who has
evoked a spirit. Hawthorne.
When with downcast eyes we muse and brood. Tennyson.
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Brood
Brood (?), v. t.
1. To sit over, cover, and cherish; as, a hen broods her chickens.
2. To cherish with care. [R.]
3. To think anxiously or moodily upon.
You'll sit and brood your sorrows on a throne. Dryden.
Broody
Brood"y (?), a. Inclined to brood. Ray.
Brook
Brook (?), n. [OE. brok, broke, brook, AS. br\'d3c; akin to D. broek,
LG. br\'d3k, marshy ground, OHG. pruoh, G. bruch marsh; prob. fr. the
root of E. break, so as that it signifies water breaking through the
earth, a spring or brook, as well as a marsh. See Break, v. t.] A
natural stream of water smaller than a river or creek.
The Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks
of water. Deut. viii. 7.
Empires itself, as doth an inland brook Into the main of waters.
Shak.
Brook
Brook, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brooked (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Brooking.]
[OE. broken, bruken, to use, enjoy, digest, AS. br; akin to D.
gebruiken to use, OHG. pr, G. brauchen, gebrauchen, Icel. br, Goth.
br, and L. frui, to enjoy. Cf. Fruit, Broker.]
1. To use; to enjoy. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. To bear; to endure; to put up with; to tolerate; as, young men can
not brook restraint. Spenser.
Shall we, who could not brook one lord, Crouch to the wicked ten?
Macaulay.
3. To deserve; to earn. [Obs.] Sir J. Hawkins.
Brookite
Brook"ite (?), n. [Named from the English mineralogist, H.J.Brooke.]
(Min.) A mineral consisting of titanic oxide, and hence identical with
rutile and octahedrite in composition, but crystallizing in the
orthorhombic system.
Brooklet
Brook"let (?), n. A small brook.
Brooklime
Brook"lime` (?), n. (Bot.) A plant (Veronica Beccabunga), with
flowers, usually blue, in axillary racemes. The American species is V.
Americana. [Formerly written broklempe or broklympe.]
Brook mint
Brook" mint` (?). (Bot.) See Water mint.
Brookside
Brook"side` (?), n. The bank of a brook.
Brookweed
Brook"weed` (?), n. (Bot.) A small white-flowered herb (Samolus
Valerandi) found usually in wet places; water pimpernel.
Broom
Broom (?), n. [OE. brom, brome, AS. br\'d3m; akin to LG. bram, D.
brem, OHG. br\'bemo broom, thornbrombeere blackberry. Cf. Bramble, n.]
1. (Bot.) A plant having twigs suitable for making brooms to sweep
with when bound together; esp., the Cytisus scoparius of Western
Europe, which is a low shrub with long, straight, green, angular
branches, mintue leaves, and large yellow flowers.
No gypsy cowered o'er fires of furze and broom. Wordsworth.
2. An implement for sweeping floors, etc., commonly made of the
panicles or tops of broom corn, bound together or attached to a long
wooden handle; -- so called because originally made of the twigs of
the broom.
Butcher's broom, a plant (Ruscus aculeatus) of the Smilax family, used
by butchers for brooms to sweep their blocks; -- called also knee
holly. See Cladophyll. -- Dyer's broom, a species of mignonette
(Reseda luteola), used for dyeing yellow; dyer's weed; dyer's rocket.
-- Spanish broom. See under Spanish.
Broom
Broom, v. t. (Naut.) See Bream.
Broom corn
Broom" corn` (?). (Bot.) A variety of Sorghum vulgare, having a joined
stem, like maize, rising to the height of eight or ten feet, and
bearing its seeds on a panicle with long branches, of which brooms are
made.
Broom rape
Broom" rape` (?). (Bot.) A genus (Orobanche) of parasitic plants of
Europe and Asia. They are destitute of chlorophyll, have scales
instead of leaves, and spiked flowers, and grow attached to the roots
of other plants, as furze, clover, flax, wild carrot, etc. The name is
sometimes applied to other plants related to this genus, as Aphyllon
uniflorumand A. Ludovicianum.
Broomstaff
Broom"staff` (?), n. A broomstick. [Obs.] Shak.
Broomstick
Broom"stick` (?), n. A stick used as a handle of a broom.
Broomy
Broom"y (?), a. Of or pertaining to broom; overgrowing with broom;
resembling broom or a broom.
If land grow mossy or broomy. Mortimer.
Brose
Brose (?), n. [CF. Gael. brothas. Cf. Brewis, Broth.] Pottage made by
pouring some boiling liquid on meal (esp. oatmeal), and stirring it.
It is called beef brose, water brose, etc., according to the name of
the liquid (beef broth, hot water, etc.) used. [Scot.]
Brotel
Brot"el (?), a. Brittle. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Brotelness
Brot"el*ness, n. Brittleness. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Broth
Broth (?), n. [AS. bro; akin to OHG. brod, brot; cf. Ir. broth, Gael.
brot. \'fb93. Cf. Brewis, Brew.] Liquid in which flesh (and sometimes
other substances, as barley or rice) has been boiled; thin or simple
soup.
I am sure by your unprejudiced discourses that you love broth
better than soup. Addison.
Brothel
Broth"el (?), n. [OE. brothel, brodel, brethel, a prostitute, a
worthless fellow, fr. AS. ber\'a2 to ruin, destroy; cf. AS. bre\'a2tan
to break, and E. brittle. The term brothel house was confused with
bordel brothel. CF. Bordel.] A house of lewdness or ill fame; a house
frequented by prostitutes; a bawdyhouse.
Brotheler
Broth"el*er (?), n. One who frequents brothels.
Brothelry
Broth"el*ry (?), n. Lewdness; obscenity; a brothel. B. Jonson.
Brother
Broth"er (?), n.; pl. Brothers (#) or Brethren (#). See Brethren. [OE.
brother, AS. br\'d3; akin to OS. brothar, D. broeder, OHG. pruodar, G.
bruder, Icel. br\'d3, Sw. & Dan. broder, Goth. br\'d3, Ir. brathair,
W. brawd, pl. brodyr, Lith. brolis, Lett. brahlis, Russ. brat', Pol. &
Serv. brat, OSlav. brat, L. frater, Skr. bhr\'bet, Zend. bratar
brother, Gr. Brothers; in the solemn style, Brethren, OE. pl. brether,
bretheren, AS. dat. sing. br\'c7, nom. pl. br\'d3, br\'d3. &root;258.
Cf. Frair, Fraternal.]
1. A male person who has the same father and mother with another
person, or who has one of them only. In the latter case he is more
definitely called a half brother, or brother of the half blood.
Two of us in the churchyard lie, My sister and my brother.
Wordsworth.
2. One related or closely united to another by some common tie or
interest, as of rank, profession, membership in a society, toil,
suffering, etc.; -- used among judges, clergymen, monks, physicians,
lawers, professors of religion, etc. "A brother of your order." Shak.
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, For he to-day that sheds
his blood with me Shall be my brother. Shak.
3. One who, or that which, resembles another in distinctive qualities
or traits of character.
He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a
great waster. Prov. xviii. 9.
That April morn Of this the very brother. Wordsworth.
NOTE: &hand; In Scripture, the term brother is applied to a kinsman
by blood more remote than a son of the same parents, as in the case
of Abraham and Lot, Jacob and Laban. In a more general sense,
brother or brethren is used for fellow-man or fellow-men.
For of whom such massacre Make they but of their brethren, men of
men? Milton.
Brother Jonathan, a humorous designation for the people of the United
States collectively. The phrase is said to have originated from
Washington's referring to the patriotic Jonathan Trumbull, governor of
Connecticut, as "Brother Jonathan." -- Blood brother. See under Blood.
Brother
Broth"er (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brothered (#).] To make a brother
of; to call or treat as a brother; to admit to a brotherhood. Sir W.
Scott.
Brother german
Broth"er ger"man (?). (Law) A brother by both the father's and
mother's side, in contradistinction to a uterine brother, one by the
mother only. Bouvier.
Brotherhood
Broth"er*hood (?), n. [Brother + -hood.]
1. The state of being brothers or a brother.
2. An association for any purpose, as a society of monks; a
fraternity.
3. The whole body of persons engaged in the same business, --
especially those of the same profession; as, the legal or medical
brotherhood.
4. Persons, and, poetically, things, of a like kind.
A brotherhood of venerable trees. Wordsworth.
Syn. -- Fraternity; association; fellowship; sodality.
Brother-in-law
Broth"er-in-law` (?), n.; pl. Brothers-in-law (. The brother of one's
husband or wife; also, the husband of one's sister; sometimes, the
husband of one's wife's sister.
Brotherliness
Broth"er*li*ness (?), n. The state or quality of being brotherly.
Brotherly
Broth"er*ly (?), a. Of or pertaining to brothers; such as is natural
for brothers; becoming to brothers; kind; affectionate; as, brotherly
love. Syn. -- Fraternal; kind; affectionate; tender.
Brotherly
Broth"er*ly, adv. Like a brother; affectionately; kindly. "I speak but
brotherly of him." Shak.
Brouded
Broud"ed (?), p.a. Braided; broidered. [Obs.]
Alle his clothes brouded up and down. Chaucer.
Brougham
Brough"am (?), n. A light, close carriage, with seats inside for two
or four, and the fore wheels so arranged as to turn short.
Brow
Brow (?), n. [OE. browe, bruwe, AS. br; akin to AS. br, bre\'a0w,
eyelid, OFries. br\'c7, D. braauw, Icel. br\'be, br, OHG. pr\'bewa, G.
braue, OSlav. br, Russ. brove, Ir. brai, Ir. & Gael. abhra, Armor.
abrant, Gr. bhr. Cf. Bray a bank, Bridge.]
1. The prominent ridge over the eye, with the hair that covers it,
forming an arch above the orbit.
And his arched brow, pulled o'er his eyes, With solemn proof
proclaims him wise. Churchill.
2. The hair that covers the brow (ridge over the eyes); the eyebrow.
'T is not your inky brows, your brack silk hair. Shak.
3. The forehead; as, a feverish brow.
Beads of sweat have stood upon thy brow. Shak.
4. The general air of the countenance.
To whom thus Satan with contemptuous brow. Milton.
He told them with a masterly brow. Milton.
5. The edge or projecting upper aprt of a steep place; as, the brow of
a precipice; the brow of a hill.
To bend the brow, To knit the brows, to frown; to scowl.
Brow
Brow, v. t. To bound to limit; to be at, or form, the edge of. [R.]
Tending my flocks hard by i' the hilly crofts That brow this bottom
glade. Milton.
Browbeat
Brow"beat` (?), v. t. [imp. Browbeat; p. p. Browbeaten (#); p. pr. &
vb. n. Browbeating.] To depress or bear down with haughty, stern
looks, or with arrogant speech and dogmatic assertions; to abash or
disconcert by impudent or abusive words or looks; to bully; as, to
browbeat witnesses.
My grandfather was not a man to be browbeaten. W. Irving.
Browbeating
Brow"beat`ing, n. The act of bearing down, abashing, or disconcerting,
with stern looks, suspercilious manners, or confident assertions.
The imperious browbeating and scorn of great men. L'Estrange.
Browbound
Brow"bound` (?), a. Crowned; having the head encircled as with a
diadem. Shak.
Browdyng
Browd"yng (?), n. Embroidery. [Obs.]
Of goldsmithrye, of browdying, and of steel. Chaucer.
Browed
Browed (?), a. Having (such) a brow; -- used in composition; as,
dark-browed, stern-browed.
Browless
Brow"less (?), a. Without shame. L. Addison.
Brown
Brown (?), a. [Compar. Browner (?); superl. Brownest.] [OE. brun,
broun, AS. br; akin to D. bruin, OHG. br, Icel. br, Sw. brun, Dan.
bruun, G. braun, Lith. brunas, Skr. babhru. \'fb93, 253. Cf. Bruin,
Beaver, Burnish, Brunette.] Of a dark color, of various shades between
black and red or yellow.
Cheeks brown as the oak leaves. Longfellow.
Brown Bess, the old regulation flintlock smoothbore musket, with
bronzed barrel, formerly used in the British army. -- Brown bread (a)
Dark colored bread; esp. a kind made of unbolted wheat flour,
sometimes called in the United States Graham bread. "He would mouth
with a beggar though she smelt brown bread and garlic." Shak. (b) Dark
colored bread made of rye meal and Indian meal, or of wheat and rye or
Indian; rye and Indian bread. [U.S.] -- Brown coal, wood coal. See
Lignite. -- Brown hematite or Brown iron ore (Min.), the hydrous iron
oxide, limonite, which has a brown streak. See Limonite. -- Brown
holland. See under Holland. -- Brown paper, dark colored paper, esp.
coarse wrapping paper, made of unbleached materials. -- Brown spar
(Min.), a ferruginous variety of dolomite, in part identical with
ankerite. -- Brown stone. See Brownstone. -- Brown stout, a strong
kind of proter or malt liquor. -- Brown study, a state of mental
abstraction or serious reverie. W. Irving.
Brown
Brown, n. A dark color inclining to red or yellow, resulting from the
mixture of red and black, or of red, black, and yellow; a tawny, dusky
hue.
Brown
Brown, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Browned (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Browning.]
1. To make brown or dusky.
A trembling twilight o'er welkin moves,< qex>Browns the dim void
and darkens deep the groves. Barlow.
2. To make brown by scorching slightly; as, to brown meat or flour.
3. To give a bright brown color to, as to gun barrels, by forming a
thin coat of oxide on their surface. Ure.
Brown
Brown, v. i. To become brown.
Brownback
Brown"back` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The dowitcher or red-breasted snipe.
See Dowitcher.
Brown bill
Brown" bill` (?). [Brown + bill cutting tool.] A bill or halberd of
the 16th and 17th centuries. See 4th Bill.
Many time, but for a sallet, my brainpan had been cleft with a
brown bill. Shak.
NOTE: &hand; Th e bl ack, or as it is sometimes called, the brown
bill, was a kind of halberd, the cutting part hooked like a
woodman's bill, from the back of which projected a spike, and
another from the head.
Grose.
Brownian
Brown"i*an (?), a. Pertaining to Dr. Robert Brown, who first
demonstrated (about 1827) the commonness of the motion described
below. Brownian movement, the peculiar, rapid, vibratory movement
exhibited by the microscopic particles of substances when suspended in
water or other fluids.
Brownie
Brown"ie (?), n. [So called from its supposed tawny or swarthy color.]
An imaginary good-natured spirit, who was supposed often to perform
important services around the house by night, such as thrashing,
churning, sweeping. [Scot.]
Browning
Brown"ing, n.
1. The act or operation of giving a brown color, as to gun barrels,
etc.
2. (Masonry) A smooth coat of brown mortar, usually the second coat,
and the preparation for the finishing coat of plaster.
Brownish
Brown"ish, a. Somewhat brown.
Brownism
Brown"ism (?), n. (Eccl. Hist.) The views or teachings of Robert Brown
of the Brownists. Milton.
Brownism
Brown"ism, n. (Med.) The doctrines of the Brunonian system of
medicine. See Brunonian.
Brownist
Brown"ist, n. (Eccl. Hist.) A follower of Robert Brown, of England, in
the 16th century, who taught that every church is complete and
independent in itself when organized, and consists of members meeting
in one place, having full power to elect and depose its officers.
Brownist
Brown"ist, n. (Med.) One who advocates the Brunonian system of
medicine.
Brownness
Brown"ness, n. The quality or state of being brown.
Now like I brown (O lovely brown thy hair); Only in brownness
beauty dwelleth there. Drayton.
Brownstone
Brown"stone` (?), n. A dark variety of sandstone, much used for
building purposes.
Brown thrush
Brown" thrush" (?). (Zo\'94l.) A common American singing bird
(Harporhynchus rufus), allied to the mocking bird; -- also called
brown thrasher.
Brownwort
Brown"wort` (?), n. (Bot.) A species of figwort or Scrophularia (S.
vernalis), and other species of the same genus, mostly perennials with
inconspicuous coarse flowers.
Browny
Brown"y (?), a. Brown or, somewhat brown. "Browny locks." Shak.
Browpost
Brow"post` (?), n. (Carp.) A beam that goes across a building.
Browse
Browse (?), n. [OF. brost, broust, sprout, shoot, F. brout browse,
browsewood, prob. fr. OHG. burst, G. borste, bristle; cf. also Armor.
brousta to browse. See Bristle, n., Brush, n.] The tender branches or
twigs of trees and shrubs, fit for the food of cattle and other
animals; green food. Spenser.
Sheep, goats, and oxen, and the nobler steed, On browse, and corn,
and flowery meadows feed. Dryden.
Browse
Browse, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Browsed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Browsing.]
[For broust, OF. brouster, bruster, F. brouter. See Browse, n., and
cf. Brut.]
1. To eat or nibble off, as the tender branches of trees, shrubs,
etc.; -- said of cattle, sheep, deer, and some other animals.
Yes, like the stag, when snow the plasture sheets, The barks of
trees thou browsedst. Shak.
2. To feed on, as pasture; to pasture on; to graze.
Fields . . . browsed by deep-uddered kine. Tennyson.
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Browse
Browse (?), v. i.
1. To feed on the tender branches or shoots of shrubs or trees, as do
cattle, sheep, and deer.
2. To pasture; to feed; to nibble. Shak.
Browser
Brows"er (?), n. An animal that browses.
Browsewood
Browse"wood` (?), n. Srubs and bushes upon which animals browse.
Browsing
Brows"ing, n. Browse; also, a place abounding with shrubs where
animals may browse.
Browsings for the deer. Howell.
Browspot
Brow"spot` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A rounded organ between the eyes of the
frog; the interocular gland.
Bruang
Bru*ang" (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) The Malayan sun bear.
Brucine
Bru"cine (?), n. [Cf. F. brucine, fr. James Bruce, a Scottish
traveler.] (Chem.) A poweful vegetable alkaloid, found, associated
with strychnine, in the seeds of different species of Strychnos,
especially in the Nux vomica. It is less powerful than strychnine.
Called also brucia and brucina.
Brucite
Bru"cite (?), n. [Named after Dr. A.Bruce of New York.] (Min.) (a) A
white, pearly mineral, occurring thin and foliated, like talc, and
also fibrous; a native magnesium hydrate. (b) The mineral chondrodite.
[R.]
Bruckeled
Bruck"eled (?), a. Wet and dirty; begrimed. [Obs. or Dial.] Herrick.
Bruh
Bruh (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) [Native name.] The rhesus monkey. See Rhesus.
Bruin
Bru"in (?), n. [D. bruin brown. In the epic poem of "Reynard the Fox"
the bear is so called from his color. See Brown, a.] A bear; -- so
called in popular tales and fables.
Bruise
Bruise (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bruised (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Bruising.] [OE. brusen, brisen, brosen, bresen, AS. br or fr. OF.
bruiser, bruisier, bruser, to break, shiver, perh. from OHG.
brochis\'d3n. Cf. Break, v. t.]
1. To injure, as by a blow or collision, without laceration; to
contuse; as, to bruise one's finger with a hammer; to bruise the bark
of a tree with a stone; to bruise an apple by letting it fall.
2. To break; as in a mortar; to bray, as minerals, roots, etc.; to
crush.
Nor bruise her flowerets with the armed hoofs. Shak.
Syn. -- To pulverize; bray; triturate; pound; contuse.
Bruise
Bruise, v. i. To fight with the fists; to box.
Bruising was considered a fine, manly, old English custom.
Thackeray.
Bruise
Bruise, n. An injury to the flesh of animals, or to plants, fruit,
etc., with a blunt or heavy instrument, or by collision with some
other body; a contusion; as, a bruise on the head; bruises on fruit.
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness
in it; but wounds, and bruises. Isa. i. 6.
Bruiser
Bruis"er (?), n.
1. One who, or that which, bruises.
2. A boxer; a pugilist. R. Browning.
Like a new bruiser on Broughtonic aand, Amid the lists our hero
takes his stand. T. Warton.
3. A concave tool used in grinding lenses or the speculums of
telescopes. Knight.
Bruisewort
Bruise"wort` (?), n. A plant supposed to heal bruises, as the true
daisy, the soapwort, and the comfrey.
Bruit
Bruit (?), n. [OE. bruit, brut, noise, bruit, F. bruit, fr. LL.
brugitus; cf. L. rugire to roar; perh. influenced by the source of E.
bray to make a harsh noise, Armor. brud bruit.]
1. Report; rumor; fame.
The bruit thereof will bring you many friends. Shak.
2. [French pron. (Med.) An abnormal sound of several kinds, heard on
auscultation.
Bruit
Bruit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bruited; p. pr. & vb. n. Bruiting.] To
report; to noise abroad.
I find thou art no less than fame hath bruited. Shak.
Brumaire
Bru`maire" (?), n. [F., fr. L. bruma winter.] The second month of the
calendar adopted by the first French republic. It began thirty days
after the autumnal equinox. See Vendemiaire.
Brumal
Bru"mal (?), a. [L. brumalis, fr. bruma winter: cf. F. brumal.] Of or
pertaining to winter. "The brumal solstice." Sir T. Browne.
Brume
Brume (?), n. [F. brume winter season, mist, L. bruma winter.] Mist;
fog; vapors. "The drifting brume." Longfellow.
Brummagem
Brum"ma*gem (?), a. [Birmingham (formerly Bromwycham), Eng., "the
great mart and manufactory of gilt toys, cheap jewelry," etc.]
Counterfeit; gaudy but worthless; sham. [Slang] "These Brummagem
gentry." Lady D. Hardy.
Brumous
Bru"mous (?), a. Foggy; misty.
Brun
Brun (?), n. [See Broun a brook.] Same as Brun, a brook. [Scot.]
Brunette
Bru*nette" (?), n. [F. brunet, brunette, brownish, dim. of brun,
brune, brown, fr. OHG. br. See Brown, a.] A girl or woman with a
somewhat brown or dark complexion. -- a. Having a dark tint.
Brunion
Brun"ion (?), n. [F. brugnon (cf. It. brugna, prugna), fr. L. prunum.
See Prune, n.] A nectarine.
Brunonian
Bru*no"ni*an (?), a. Pertaining to, or invented by, Brown; -- a term
applied to a system of medicine promulgated in the 18th century by
John Brown, of Scotland, the fundamental doctrine of which was, that
life is a state of excitation produced by the normal action of
external agents upon the body, and that disease consists in excess or
deficiency of excitation.
Brunswick black
Bruns"wick black` (?). See Japan black.
Brunswick green
Bruns"wick green` (?). [G. Braunschweiger gr\'81n, first made at
Brunswick, in Germany.] An oxychloride of copper, used as a green
pigment; also, a carbonate of copper similarly employed.
Brunt
Brunt (?), n. [OE. brunt, bront, fr. Icel. bruna to rush; cf. Icel.
brenna to burn. Cf. Burn, v. t.]
1. The heat, or utmost violence, of an onset; the strength or greatest
fury of any contention; as, the brunt of a battle.
2. The force of a blow; shock; collision. "And heavy brunt of cannon
ball." Hudibras.
It is instantly and irrecoverably scattered by our first brunt with
some real affair of common life. I. Taylor.
Brush
Brush (?), n. [OE. brusche, OF. broche, broce, brosse, brushwood, F.
brosse brush, LL. brustia, bruscia, fr. OHG. brusta, brust, bristle,
G. borste bristle, b\'81rste brush. See Bristle, n., and cf. Browse.]
1. An instrument composed of bristles, or other like material, set in
a suitable back or handle, as of wood, bone, or ivory, and used for
various purposes, as in removing dust from clothes, laying on colors,
etc. Brushes have different shapes and names according to their use;
as, clothes brush, paint brush, tooth brush, etc.
2. The bushy tail of a fox.
3. (Zo\'94l.) A tuft of hair on the mandibles.
4. Branches of trees lopped off; brushwood.
5. A thicket of shrubs or small trees; the shrubs and small trees in a
wood; underbrush.
6. (Elec.) A bundle of flexible wires or thin plates of metal, used to
conduct an electrical current to or from the commutator of a dynamo,
electric motor, or similar apparatus.
7. The act of brushing; as, to give one's clothes a brush; a rubbing
or grazing with a quick motion; a light touch; as, we got a brush from
the wheel as it passed.
[As leaves] have with one winter's brush Fell from their boughts.
Shak.
8. A skirmish; a slight encounter; a shock or collision; as, to have a
brush with an enemy.
Let grow thy sinews till their knots be strong, And tempt not yet
the brushes of the war. Shak.
9. A short contest, or trial, of speed.
Let us enjoy a brush across the country. Cornhill Mag.
Electrical brush, a form of the electric discharge characterized by a
brushlike appearance of luminous rays diverging from an electrified
body.
Brush
Brush, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brushed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Brushing.]
[OE. bruschen; cf. F. brosser. See Brush, n.]
1. To apply a brush to, according to its particular use; to rub,
smooth, clean, paint, etc., with a brush. "A' brushes his hat o'
mornings." Shak.
2. To touch in passing, or to pass lightly over, as with a brush.
Some spread their sailes, some with strong oars sweep The waters
smooth, and brush the buxom wave. Fairfax.
Brushed with the kiss of rustling wings. Milton.
3. To remove or gather by brushing, or by an act like that of
brushing, or by passing lightly over, as wind; -- commonly with off.
As wicked dew as e'er my mother brushed With raven's feather from
unwholesome fen. Shak.
And from the boughts brush off the evil dew. Milton.
To brush aside, to remove from one's way, as with a brush. -- To brush
away, to remove, as with a brush or brushing motion. -- To brush up,
to paint, or make clean or bright with a brush; to cleanse or improve;
to renew.
You have commissioned me to paint your shop, and I have done my
best to brush you up like your neighbors. Pope.
Brush
Brush, v. i. To move nimbly in haste; to move so lightly as scarcely
to be perceived; as, to brush by.
Snatching his hat, he brushed off like the wind. Goldsmith.
Brusher
Brush"er (?), n. One who, or that which, brushes.
Brushiness
Brush"i*ness (?), n. The quality of resembling a brush; brushlike
condition; shagginess. Dr. H. More.
Brushing
Brush"ing, a.
1. Constructed or used to brush with; as a brushing machine.
2. Brisk; light; as, a brushing gallop.
Brushite
Brush"ite (?), n. [From George J.Brush, an American mineralogist.]
(Min.) A white or gray crystalline mineral consisting of the acid
phosphate of calcium.
Brush turkey
Brush" tur`key (?). (Zo\'94l.) A large, edible, gregarious bird of
Australia (Talegalla Lathami) of the family Megapodid\'91. Also
applied to several allied species of New Guinea.
NOTE: &hand; The brush turkeys live in the "brush," and construct a
common nest by collecting a large heap of decaying vegetable
matter, which generates heat sufficient to hatch the numerous eggs
(sometimes half a bushel) deposited in it by the females of the
flock.
Brush wheel
Brush" wheel` (?).
1. A wheel without teeth, used to turn a similar one by the friction
of bristles or something brushlike or soft attached to the
circumference.
2. A circular revolving brush used by turners, lapidaries,
silversmiths, etc., for polishing.
Brushwood
Brush"wood (?), n.
1. Brush; a thicket or coppice of small trees and shrubs.
2. Small branches of trees cut off.
Brushy
Brush"y, a. Resembling a brush; shaggy; rough.
Brusk
Brusk (?), a. Same as Brusque.
Brusque
Brusque (?), a. [F. brusque, from It. brusco brusque, tart, sour,
perh. fr. L. (vitis) labrusca wild (vine); or cf. OHG. bruttisc grim,
fr. brutti terror.] Rough and prompt in manner; blunt; abrupt; hluff;
as, a brusque man; a brusque style.
Brusqueness
Brusque"ness, n. Quality of being brusque; roughness joined with
promptness; blutness. Brit. Quar.
Brussels
Brus"sels (?), n. A city of Belgium, giving its name to a kind of
carpet, a kind of lace, etc. Brussels carpet, a kind of carpet made of
worsted yarn fixed in a foundation web of strong linen thread. The
worsted, which alone shows on the upper surface in drawn up in loops
to form the pattern. -- Brussels ground, a name given to the handmade
ground of real Brussels lace. It is very costly because of the extreme
fineness of the threads. -- Brussels lace, an expensive kind of lace
of several varieties, originally made in Brussels; as, Brussels point,
Brussels ground, Brussels wire ground. -- Brussels net, an imitation
of Brussels ground, made by machinery. -- Brussels point. See Point
lace. -- Brussels sprouts (Bot.), a plant of the Cabbage family, which
produces, in the axils of the upright stem, numerous small green
heads, or "sprouts," each a cabbage in miniature, of one or two inches
in diameter; the thousand-headed cabbage. -- Brussels wire ground, a
ground for lace, made of silk, with meshes partly straight and partly
arched.
Brustle
Brus"tle (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Brustled (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Brustling (#).] [OE. brustlien and brastlien, AS. brastlian, fr.
berstan to burst, akin to G. prasseln to crackle. See Burst, v. i.]
1. To crackle; to rustle, as a silk garment. [Obs.] Gower.
2. To make a show of fireceness or defiance; to bristle. [Obs.]
To brustle up, to bristle up. [Obs.] Otway.
Brustle
Brus"tle, n. A bristle. [Obs. or Prov.] Chaucer.
Brut
Brut (?), v. i. [F. brouter, OF. brouster. See Browse, n.] To browse.
[Obs.] Evelyn.
Brut
Brut, n. (Zo\'94l.) See Birt.
Bruta
Bru"ta (?), n. [NL., neuter pl., fr. L. brutus heavy, stupid.]
(Zo\'94l.) See Edentata.
Brutal
Bru"tal (?), a. [Cf. F. brutal. See Brute, a.]
1. Of or pertaining to a brute; as, brutal nature. "Above the rest of
brutal kind." Milton.
2. Like a brute; savage; cruel; inhuman; brutish; unfeeling;
merciless; gross; as, brutal manners. "Brutal intemperance." Macaulay.
Brutalism
Bru"tal*ism (?), n. Brutish quality; brutality.
Brutality
Bru*tal"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Brutalities (#). [Cf. F. brutalit\'82.]
1. The quality of being brutal; inhumanity; savageness; pitilessness.
2. An inhuman act.
The . . . brutalities exercised in war. Brougham.
Brutalization
Bru`tal*i*za"tion (?), n. The act or process of making brutal; state
of being brutalized.
Brutalize
Bru"tal*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brutalized (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Brutalizing.] [Cf. F. brutaliser.] To make brutal; beasty; unfeeling;
or inhuman.
Brutalize
Bru"tal*ize, v. i. To become brutal, inhuman, barbarous, or coarse and
beasty. [R.]
He mixed . . . with his countrymen, brutalized with them in their
habits and manners. Addison.
Brutally
Bru"tal*ly, adv. In a brutal manner; cruelly.
Brute
Brute (?), a. [F. brut, nasc., brute, fem., raw, rough, rude, brutish,
L. brutus stupid, irrational: cf. It. & Sp. bruto.]
1. Not having sensation; senseless; inanimate; unconscious; without
intelligence or volition; as, the brute earth; the brute powers of
nature.
2. Not possessing reason, irrational; unthinking; as, a brute beast;
the brute creation.
A creature . . . not prone And brute as other creatures, but endued
With sanctity of reason. Milton.
3. Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of, a brute beast. Hence:
Brutal; cruel; fierce; ferocious; savage; pitiless; as, brute
violence. Macaulay.
The influence of capital and mere brute labor. Playfair.
4. Having the physical powers predominating over the mental; coarse;
unpolished; unintelligent.
A great brute farmer from Liddesdale. Sir W. Scott.
5. Rough; uncivilized; unfeeling. [R.]
Brute
Brute, n.
1. An animal destitute of human reason; any animal not human; esp. a
quadruped; a beast.
Brutes may be considered as either a\'89ral, terrestrial, aquatic,
or amphibious. Locke.
2. A brutal person; a savage in heart or manners; as unfeeling or
coarse person.
An ill-natured brute of a husband. Franklin.
Syn. -- See Beast.
Brute
Brute, v. t. [For bruit.] To report; to bruit. [Obs.]
Brutely
Brute"ly, adv. In a rude or violent manner.
Bruteness
Brute"ness, n.
1. Brutality. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. Insensibility. "The bruteness of nature." Emerson.
Brutify
Bru"ti*fy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brutified (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Brutifying.] [Brute + -fy: cf. F. brutifier.] To make like a brute; to
make senseless, stupid, or unfeeling; to brutalize.
Any man not quite brutified and void of sense. Barrow.
Brutish
Bru"tish (?), a. Pertaining to, or resembling, a brute or brutes; of a
cruel, gross, and stupid nature; coarse; unfeeling; unintelligent.
O, let all provocation Take every brutish shape it can devise.
Leigh Hunt.
Man may . . . render himself brutish, but it is in vain that he
would seek to take the rank and density of the brute. I. Taylor.
Syn. -- Insensible; stupid; unfeeling; savage; cruel; brutal;
barbarous; inhuman; ferocious; gross; carnal; sensual; bestial. --
Bru"tish*ly, adv. -- Bru"tish*ness, n.
Brutism
Bru"tism (?), n. The nature or characteristic qualities or actions of
a brute; extreme stupidity, or beastly vulgarity.
Bruting
Bru"ting (?), n. Browsing. [Obs.] Evelyn.
Bryological
Bry*o*log"i*cal (?), a. Relating to bryology; as, bryological studies.
Bryologist
Bry*ol"o*gist (?), n. One versed in bryology.
Bryology
Bry*ol"o*gy (?), n. [Gr. -logy.] That part of botany which relates to
mosses.
Bryonin
Bry"o*nin (?), n. (Chem.) A bitter principle obtained from the root of
the bryony (Bryonia alba and B. dioica). It is a white, or slightly
colored, substance, and is emetic and cathartic.
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Bryony
Bry"o*ny (?), n. [L. bryonia, Gr. (Bot.) The common name of several
cucurbitaceous plants of the genus Bryonia. The root of B. alba (rough
or white bryony) and of B. dioica is a strong, irritating cathartic.
Black bryony, a plant (Tamus communis) so named from its dark glossy
leaves and black root; black bindweed.
Bryophyta
Bry*oph"y*ta (?), n. pl. See Cryptogamia.
Bryozoa
Bry`o*zo"a (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A class of
Molluscoidea, including minute animals which by budding form compound
colonies; -- called also Polyzoa.
NOTE: &hand; Th ey ar e often coralike in form and appearance, each
small cell containing an individual zooid. Other species grow in
delicate, flexible, branched forms, resembling moss, whence the
name. Some are found in fresh water, but most are marine. The three
principal divisions are Ectoprocta, Entoprocta, and Pterobranchia.
See Cyclostoma, Chilostoma, and Phylactolema.
Bryozoan
Bry`o*zo"an (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Of or pertaining to the Bryozoa. -- n.
One of the Bryozoa.
Bryozoum
Bry`o*zo"um (?), n. [NL. See Bryozoa.] (Zo\'94l.) An individual zooid
of a bryozoan coralline, of which there may be two or more kinds in a
single colony. The zo\'d2cia usually have a wreath of tentacles around
the mouth, and a well developed stomach and intestinal canal; but
these parts are lacking in the other zooids (Avicularia, O\'d2cia,
etc.).
Buansuah
Bu`an*su"ah (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) The wild dog of northern
India (Cuon prim\'91vus), supposed by some to be an ancestral species
of the domestic dog.
Buat
Bu"at (?), n. [Scot., of uncertain origin.] A lantern; also, the moon.
[Scot.] Sir W. Scott.
Bub
Bub (?), n. Strong malt liquor. [Cant] Prior.
Bub
Bub, n. [Cf. 2d Bubby.] A young brother; a little boy; -- a familiar
term of address of a small boy.
Bub
Bub, v. t. [Abbrev. from Bubble.] To throw out in bubbles; to bubble.
[Obs.] Sackville.
Bubale
Bu"ba*le (?), n. [Cf. F. bubale. See Buffalo, n.] (Zo\'94l.) A large
antelope (Alcelaphus bubalis) of Egypt and the Desert of Sahara,
supposed by some to be the fallow deer of the Bible.
Bubaline
Bu"ba*line (?), a. (Zo\'94l.) Resembling a buffalo. Bubaline antelope
(Zo\'94l.), the bubale.
Bubble
Bub"ble (?), n. [Cf. D. bobbel, Dan. boble, Sw. bubbla. Cf. Blob, n.]
1. A thin film of liquid inflated with air or gas; as, a soap bubble;
bubbles on the surface of a river.
Beads of sweat have stood upon thy brow, Like bubbles in a late
disturbed stream. Shak.
2. A small quantity of air or gas within a liquid body; as, bubbles
rising in champagne or a\'89rated waters.
3. A globule of air, or globular vacuum, in a transparent solid; as,
bubbles in window glass, or in a lens.
4. A small, hollow, floating bead or globe, formerly used for testing
the strength of spirits.
5. The globule of air in the spirit tube of a level.
6. Anything that wants firmness or solidity; that which is more
specious than real; a false show; a cheat or fraud; a delusive scheme;
an empty project; a dishonest speculation; as, the South Sea bubble.
Then a soldier . . . Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the
cannon's mouth. Shak.
7. A person deceived by an empty project; a gull. [Obs.] "Ganny's a
cheat, and I'm a bubble." Prior.
Bubble
Bub"ble, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bubbled (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bubbling (.]
[Cf. D. bobbelen, Dan. boble. See Bubble, n.]
1. To rise in bubbles, as liquids when boiling or agitated; to contain
bubbles.
The milk that bubbled in the pail. Tennyson.
2. To run with a gurdling noise, as if forming bubbles; as, a bubbling
stream. Pope.
3. To sing with a gurgling or warbling sound.
At mine ear Bubbled the nightingale and heeded not. Tennyson.
Bubbler
Bub"bler, v. t. To cheat; to deceive.
She has bubbled him out of his youth. Addison.
The great Locke, who was seldom outwitted by false sounds, was
nevertheless bubbled here. Sterne.
Bubbler
Bub"bler (?), n.
1. One who cheats.
All the Jews, jobbers, bubblers, subscribers, projectors, etc.
Pope.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A fish of the Ohio river; -- so called from the noise it
makes.
Bubble shell
Bub"ble shell` (?). (Zo\'94l.) A marine univalve shell of the genus
Bulla and allied genera, belonging to the Tectibranchiata.
Bubbling Jock
Bub"bling Jock` (?) (Zo\'94l.) The male wild turkey, the gobbler; --
so called in allusion to its notes.
Bubbly
Bub"bly (?), a. Abounding in bubbles; bubbling. Nash.
Bubby
Bub"by (b&ucr;b"b&ycr;), n. [Cf. Prov. G. b\'81bbi, or It. poppa, Pr.
popa, OF. poupe, a woman's breast.] A woman's breast. [Low]
Bubby
Bub"by, n. [A corruption of brother.] Bub; -- a term of familiar or
affectionate address to a small boy.
Bubo
Bu"bo (?), n.; pl. Buboes (. [LL. bubo the groin, a swelling in the
groin, Gr. (Med.) An inflammation, with enlargement, of a limphatic
gland, esp. in the groin, as in syphilis.
Bubonic
Bu*bon"ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to a bubo or buboes; characterized
by buboes.
Bubonocele
Bu*bon"o*cele (?), n. [Gr. bubonoc\'8ale.] (Med.) An inguinal hernia;
esp. that incomplete variety in which the hernial pouch descends only
as far as the groin, forming a swelling there like a bubo.
Bubukle
Bu"bu*kle (?), n. A red pimple. [R.] Shak.
Buccal
Buc"cal (?), a. [L. bucca cheek: cf. F. buccal.] (Anat.) Of or
pertaining to the mouth or cheeks.
Buccaneer
Buc`ca*neer" (?), n. [F. boucanier, fr. boucaner to smoke or broil
meat and fish, to hunt wild beasts for their skins, boucan a smoking
place for meat or fish, gridiron for smoking: a word of American
origin.] A robber upon the sea; a pirate; -- a term applied especially
to the piratical adventurers who made depredations on the Spaniards in
America in the 17th and 18th centuries. [Written also bucanier.]
NOTE: &hand; Pr imarily, on e wh o dr ies an d smokes flesh or fish
after the manner of the Indians. The name was first given to the
French settlers in Hayti or Hispaniola, whose business was to hunt
wild cattle and swine.
Buccaneer
Buc`ca*neer", v. i. To act the part of a buccaneer; to live as a
piratical adventurer or sea robber.
Buccaneerish
Buc`ca*neer"ish, a. Like a buccaneer; piratical.
Buccinal
Buc"ci*nal (?), a. [L. bucina a crooked horn or trumpet.] Shaped or
sounding like a trumpet; trumpetlike.
Buccinator
Buc`ci*na"tor (?), n. [L., a trumpeter, fr. bucinare to sound the
trumpet.] (Anat.) A muscle of the cheek; -- so called from its use in
blowing wind instruments.
Buccinoid
Buc"ci*noid (?), a. [Buccinum + -oid.] (Zo\'94l.) Resembling the genus
Buccinum, or pertaining to the Buccinid\'91, a family of marine
univalve shells. See Whelk, and Prosobranchiata.
Buccinum
Buc"ci*num (?), n. [L., a trumpet, a trumpet shell.] (Zo\'94l.) A
genus of large univalve mollusks abundant in the arctic seas. It
includes the common whelk (B. undatum).
Bucentaur
Bu*cen"taur (?), n. [Gr.
1. A fabulous monster, half ox, half man.
2. [It. bucentoro.] The state barge of Venice, used by the doge in the
ceremony of espousing the Adriatic.
Buceros
Bu"ce*ros (?), n. [Gr. (Zo\'94l.) A genus of large perching birds; the
hornbills.
Bucholzite
Buch"ol*zite (?), n. [So called from Bucholz, a German chemist.]
(Min.) Same as Fibrolite.
Buchu
Bu"chu (?), n. (Bot.) A South African shrub (Barosma) with small
leaves that are dotted with oil dlands; also, the leaves themselves,
which are used in medicine for diseases of the urinary organs, etc.
Several species furnish the leaves.
Buck
Buck (?), n. [Akin to LG. b\'81ke, Dan. byg, Sw. byk, G. bauche: cf.
It. bucato, Prov. Sp. bugada, F. bu\'82e.]
1. Lye or suds in which cloth is soaked in the operation of bleaching,
or in which clothes are washed.
2. The cloth or clothes soaked or washed. [Obs.] Shak.
Buck
Buck, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bucked (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bucking.] [OE.
bouken; akin to LG. b\'81ken, Dan. byge, Sw. byka, G. bauchen,
beuchen; cf. OF. buer. Cf. the preceding noun.]
1. To soak, steep, or boil, in lye or suds; -- a process in bleaching.
2. To wash (clothes) in lye or suds, or, in later usage, by beating
them on stones in running water.
3. (Mining) To break up or pulverize, as ores.
Buck
Buck, n. [OE. buk, bucke, AS. bucca, bua, he-goat; akin to D. bok,
OHG. pocch, G. bock, Ir. boc, W. bwch, Corn. byk; cf. Zend b, Skr.
bukka. \'fb256. Cf. Butcher, n.]
1. The male of deer, especially fallow deer and antelopes, or of
goats, sheep, hares, and rabbits.
NOTE: &hand; A male fallow deer is called a fawn in his first year;
a pricket in his second; a sorel in his third; a sore in his
fourth; a buck of the first head in his fifth; and a great buck in
his sixth. The female of the fallow deer is termed a doe. The male
of the red deer is termed a stag or hart and not a buck, and the
female is called a hind.
Brande & C.
2. A gay, dashing young fellow; a fop; a dandy.
The leading bucks of the day. Thackeray.
3. A male Indian or negro. [Colloq. U.S.]
NOTE: &hand; Th e wo rd bu ck is mu ch used in composition for the
names of antelopes; as, bush buck, spring buck.
Blue buck. See under Blue. -- Water buck, a South African variety of
antelope (Kobus ellipsiprymnus). See Illust. of Antelope.
Buck
Buck (?), v. i.
1. To copulate, as bucks and does.
2. To spring with quick plunging leaps, descending with the fore legs
rigid and the head held as low down as possible; -- said of a vicious
horse or mule.
Buck
Buck, v. t.
1. (Mil.) To subject to a mode of punishment which consists in tying
the wrists together, passing the arms over the bent knees, and putting
a stick across the arms and in the angle formed by the knees.
2. To throw by bucking. See Buck, v. i., 2.
The brute that he was riding had nearly bucked him out of the
saddle. W. E. Norris.
Buck
Buck, n. A frame on which firewood is sawed; a sawhorse; a sawbuck.
Buck saw, a saw set in a frame and used for sawing wood on a sawhorse.
Buck
Buck, n. [See Beech, n.] The beech tree. [Scot.] Buck mast, the mast
or fruit of the beech tree. Johnson.
Buck-basket
Buck"-bas`ket (?), n. [See 1st Buck.] A basket in which clothes are
carried to the wash. Shak.
Buck bean
Buck" bean` (?). (Bot.) A plant (Menyanthes trifoliata) which grows in
moist and boggy places, having racems of white or reddish flowers and
intensely bitter leaves, sometimes used in medicine; marsh trefoil; --
called also bog bean.
Buckboard
Buck"board` (?), n. A four-wheeled vehicle, having a long elastic
board or frame resting on the bolsters or axletrees, and a seat or
seats placed transversely upon it; -- called also buck wagon.
Bucker
Buck"er (?), n. (Mining)
1. One who bucks ore.
2. A broad-headed hammer used in bucking ore.
Bucker
Buck"er, n. A horse or mule that bucks.
Bucket
Buck"et (?), n. [OE. boket; cf. AS. buc pitcher, or Corn. buket tub.]
1. A vessel for drawing up water from a well, or for catching,
holding, or carrying water, sap, or other liquids.
The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket, The moss-covered
bucket, which hung in the well. Wordsworth.
2. A vessel (as a tub or scoop) for hoisting and conveying coal, ore,
grain, etc.
3. (Mach.) One of the receptacles on the rim of a water wheel into
which the water rushes, causing the wheel to revolve; also, a float of
a paddle wheel.
4. The valved piston of a lifting pump.
Fire bucket, a bucket for carrying water to put out fires. -- To kick
the bucket, to die. [Low]
Bucket shop
Buck"et shop` (?). An office or a place where facilities are given for
betting small sums on current prices of stocks, petroleum, etc.
[Slang, U.S.]
Buckety
Buck"et*y (?), n. [A corruption of buckwheat.] Paste used by weavers
to dress their webs. Buchanan.
Buckeye
Buck"eye` (?), n.
1. (Bot.) A name given to several American trees and shrubs of the
same genus (\'92sculus) as the horse chestnut.
The Ohio buckeye, OR Fetid buckeye, is \'92sculus glabra. -- Red
buckeye is \'92. Pavia. -- Small buckeye is \'92. paviflora. -- Sweet
buckeye, OR Yellow buckeye, is \'92. flava.
2. A cant name for a native in Ohio. [U.S.]
Buckeye State, Ohio; -- so called because buckeye trees abound there.
Buck-eyed
Buck"-eyed` (?), a. Having bad or speckled eyes. "A buck-eyed horse."
James White.
Buckhound
Buck"hound` (?), n. A hound for hunting deer. Master of the
buckhounds, an officer in the royal household. [Eng.]
Buckie
Buck"ie (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A large spiral marine shell, esp. the
common whelk. See Buccinum. [Scot.] Deil's buckie, a perverse,
refractory youngster. [Slang] <-- sic. deil = devil. See deil. -->
Bucking
Buck"ing, n.
1. The act or process of soaking or boiling cloth in an alkaline
liquid in the operation of bleaching; also, the liquid used.
Tomlinson.
2. A washing.
3. The process of breaking up or pulverizing ores.
Bucking iron (Mining), a broad-faced hammer, used in bucking or
breaking up ores. -- Bucking kier (Manuf.), a large circular boiler,
or kier, used in bleaching. -- Bucking stool, a washing block.
Buckish
Buck"ish, a. Dandified; foppish.
Buckle
Buc"kle (?), n. [OE. bocle buckle, boss of a shield, OF. bocle, F.
boucle, boss of a shield, ring, fr. L. buccula a little cheek or
mouth, dim. of bucca cheek; this boss or knob resembling a cheek.]
1. A device, usually of metal, consisting of a frame with one more
movable tongues or catches, used for fastening things together, as
parts of dress or harness, by means of a strap passing through the
frame and pierced by the tongue.
2. A distortion bulge, bend, or kink, as in a saw blade or a plate of
sheet metal. Knight.
3. A curl of hair, esp. a kind of crisp curl formerly worn; also, the
state of being curled.
Earlocks in tight buckles on each side of a lantern face. W.
Irving.
Lets his wig lie in buckle for a whole half year. Addison.
4. A contorted expression, as of the face. [R.]
'Gainst nature armed by gravity, His features too in buckle see.
Churchill.
Buckle
Buc"kle (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Buckled (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Buckling.] [OE. boclen, F. boucler. See Buckle, n.]
1. To fasten or confine with a buckle or buckles; as, to buckle a
harness.
2. To bend; to cause to kink, or to become distorted.
3. To prepare for action; to apply with vigor and earnestness; --
generally used reflexively<-- buckle down -->.
Cartwright buckled himself to the employment. Fuller.
4. To join in marriage. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.
_________________________________________________________________
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Buckle
Buc"kle (?), v. i.
1. To bend permanently; to become distorted; to bow; to curl; to kink.
Buckled with the heat of the fire like parchment. Pepys.
2. To bend out of a true vertical plane, as a wall.
3. To yield; to give way; to cease opposing. [Obs.]
The Dutch, as high as they seem, do begin to buckle. Pepys.
4. To enter upon some labor or contest; to join in close fight; to
struggle; to contend.
The bishop was as able and ready to buckle with the Lord Protector
as he was with him. Latimer.
In single combat thou shalt buckle with me. Shak.
To buckle to, to bend to; to engage with zeal.
To make our sturdy humor buckle thereto. Barrow.
Before buckling to my winter's work. J. D. Forbes.
Buckler
Buc"kler (?), n. [OE. bocler, OF. bocler, F. bouclier, a shield with a
boss, from OF. bocle, boucle, boss. See Buckle, n.]
1. A kind of shield, of various shapes and sizes, worn on one of the
arms (usually the left) for protecting the front of the body.
NOTE: &hand; In th e sw ord and buckler play of the Middle Ages in
England, the buckler was a small shield, used, not to cover the
body, but to stop or parry blows.
2. (Zo\'94l.) (a) One of the large, bony, external plates found on
many ganoid fishes. (b) The anterior segment of the shell of
trilobites.
3. (Naut.) A block of wood or plate of iron made to fit a hawse hole,
or the circular opening in a half-port, to prevent water from entering
when the vessel pitches.
Blind buckler (Naut.), a solid buckler. -- Buckler mustard (Bot.), a
genus of plants (Biscutella) with small bright yellow flowers. The
seed vessel on bursting resembles two bucklers or shields. -- Buckler
thorn, a plant with seed vessels shaped like a buckler. See Christ's
thorn. -- Riding buckler (Naut.), a buckler with a hole for the
passage of a cable.
Buckler
Buc"kler, v. t. To shield; to defend. [Obs.]
Can Oxford, that did ever fence the right, Now buckler falsehood
with a pedigree? Shak.
Buckler-headed
Buc"kler-head`ed (?), a. Having a head like a buckler.
Buckling
Buc"kling (?), a. Wavy; curling, as hair. Latham.
Buckra
Buck"ra (?), n. [In the language of the Calabar coast, buckra means
"demon, a powerful and superior being." J.L.Wilson.] A white man; -- a
term used by negroes of the African coast, West Indies, etc.
Buckra
Buck"ra, a. White; white man's; strong; good; as, buckra yam, a white
yam.
Buckram
Buck"ram (?), n. [OE. bokeram, bougeren, OF. boqueran, F. bougran,
MHG. buckeram, LL. buchiranus, boquerannus, fr. MHG. boc, G. bock,
goat (as being made of goat's hair), or fr. F. bouracan, by
transposing the letter r. See Buck, Barracan.]
1. A coarse cloth of linen or hemp, stiffened with size or glue, used
in garments to keep them in the form intended, and for wrappers to
cover merchandise.
NOTE: &hand; Bu ckram wa s fo rmerly a very different material from
that now known by the name. It was used for wearing apparel, etc.
Beck (Draper's Dict. ).
2. (Bot.) A plant. See Ramson. Dr. Prior.
Buckram
Buck"ram, a.
1. Made of buckram; as, a buckram suit.
2. Stiff; precise. "Buckram dames." Brooke.
Buckram
Buck"ram, v. t. To strengthen with buckram; to make stiff. Cowper.
Buck's-horn
Buck's"-horn` (?), n. (Bot.) A plant with leaves branched somewhat
like a buck's horn (Plantago Coronopus); also, Lobelia coronopifolia.
Buckshot
Buck"shot` (?), n. A coarse leaden shot, larger than swan shot, used
in hunting deer and large game.
Buckskin
Buck"skin` (?), n.
1. The skin of a buck.
2. A soft strong leather, usually yellowish or grayish in color, made
of deerskin.
3. A person clothed in buckskin, particularly an American soldier of
the Revolutionary war.
Cornwallis fought as lang's he dought, An' did the buckskins claw,
man. Burns.
4. pl. Breeches made of buckskin.
I have alluded to his buckskin. Thackeray.
Buckstall
Buck"stall` (?), n. A toil or net to take deer.
Buckthorn
Buck"thorn` (?), n. (Bot.) A genus (Rhamnus) of shrubs or trees. The
shorter branches of some species terminate in long spines or thorns.
See Rhamnus. Sea buckthorn, a plant of the genus Hippopha\'89.
Bucktooth
Buck"tooth` (?), n. Any tooth that juts out.
When he laughed, two white buckteeth protruded. Thackeray.
Buckwheat
Buck"wheat` (?), n. [Buck a beech tree + wheat; akin to D. boekweit,
G. buchweizen.]
1. (Bot.) A plant (Fagopyrum esculentum) of the Polygonum family, the
seed of which is used for food.
2. The triangular seed used, when ground, for griddle cakes, etc.
Bucolic
Bu*col"ic (?), a. [L. bucolicus, Gr. kal to drive: cf. F. bucolique.
See Cow the animal.] Of or pertaining to the life and occupation of a
shepherd; pastoral; rustic.
Bucolic
Bu*col"ic, n. [L. Bucolic\'93n po\'89ma.] A pastoral poem,
representing rural affairs, and the life, manners, and occupation of
shepherds; as, the Bucolics of Theocritus and Virgil. Dryden.
Bucolical
Bu*col"ic*al (?), a. Bucolic.
Bucranium
Bu*cra"ni*um (?), n.; pl. L. Bucrania (#). [L., fr. Gr. A sculptured
ornament, representing an ox skull adorned with wreaths, etc.
Bud
Bud (?), n. [OE. budde; cf. D. bot, G. butze, butz, the core of a
fruit, bud, LG. butte in hagebutte, hainbutte, a hip of the dog-rose,
or OF. boton, F. bouton, bud, button, OF. boter to bud, push; all akin
to E. beat. See Button.]
1. (Bot.) A small protuberance on the stem or branches of a plant,
containing the rudiments of future leaves, flowers, or stems; an
undeveloped branch or flower.
2. (Biol.) A small protuberance on certain low forms of animals and
vegetables which develops into a new organism, either free or
attached. See Hydra.
Bud moth (Zo\'94l.), a lepidopterous insect of several species, which
destroys the buds of fruit trees; esp. Tmetocera ocellana and Eccopsis
malana on the apple tree.
Bud
Bud, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Budded; p. pr. & vb. n. Budding.]
1. To put forth or produce buds, as a plant; to grow, as a bud does,
into a flower or shoot.
2. To begin to grow, or to issue from a stock in the manner of a bud,
as a horn.
3. To be like a bud in respect to youth and freshness, or growth and
promise; as, a budding virgin. Shak. Syn. -- To sprout; germinate;
blossom.
Bud
Bud, v. t. To graft, as a plant with another or into another, by
inserting a bud from the one into an opening in the bark of the other,
in order to raise, upon the budded stock, fruit different from that
which it would naturally bear.
The apricot and the nectarine may be, and usually are, budded upon
the peach; the plum and the peach are budded on each other. Farm.
Dict.
Buddha
Bud"dha (?), n. [Skr. buddha wise, sage, fr. budh to know.] The title
of an incarnation of self-abnegation, virtue, and wisdom, or a deified
religious teacher of the Buddhists, esp. Gautama Siddartha or Sakya
Sinha (or Muni), the founder of Buddhism.
Buddhism
Bud"dhism (?), n. The religion based upon the doctrine originally
taught by the Hindoo sage Gautama Siddartha, surnamed Buddha, "the
awakened or enlightened," in the sixth century b.c., and adopted as a
religion by the greater part of the inhabitants of Central and Eastern
Asia and the Indian Islands. Buddha's teaching is believed to have
been atheistic; yet it was characterized by elevated humanity and
morality. It presents release from existence (a beatific
enfranchisement, Nirv\'83na) as the greatest good. Buddhists believe
in transmigration of souls through all phases and forms of life. Their
number was estimated in 1881 at 470,000,000.
Buddhist
Bud"dhist (?), n. One who accepts the teachings of Buddhism.
Buddhist
Bud"dhist, a. Of or pertaining to Buddha, Buddhism, or the Buddhists.
Buddhistic
Bud*dhis"tic (?), a. Same as Buddhist, a.
Budding
Bud"ding (?), n.
1. The act or process of producing buds.
2. (Biol.) A process of asexual reproduction, in which a new organism
or cell is formed by a protrusion of a portion of the animal or
vegetable organism, the bud thus formed sometimes remaining attached
to the parent stalk or cell, at other times becoming free; gemmation.
See Hydroidea.
3. The act or process of ingrafting one kind of plant upon another
stock by inserting a bud under the bark.
Buddle
Bud"dle (?), n. [Prov. E., to cleanse ore, also a vessel for this
purpose; cf. G. butteln to shake.] (Mining) An apparatus, especially
an inclined trough or vat, in which stamped ore is concentrated by
subjecting it to the action of rynning water so as to wash out the
lighter and less valuable portions.
Buddle
Bud"dle, v. i. (Mining) To wash ore in a buddle.
Bude burner
Bude" burn`er (?). [See Bude light.] A burner consisting of two or
more concentric Argand burners (the inner rising above the outer) and
a central tube by which oxygen gas or common air is supplied.
Bude light
Bude" light` (?). [From Bude, in Cornwall, the residence of Sir
G.Gurney, the inventor.] A light in which high illuminating power is
obtained by introducing a jet of oxygen gas or of common air into the
center of a flame fed with coal gas or with oil.
Budge
Budge (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Budged (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Budging.]
[F. bouger to stir, move (akin to Pr. bojar, bolegar, to stir, move,
It. bulicare to boil, bubble), fr. L. bullire. See Boil, v. i.] To
move off; to stir; to walk away.
I'll not budge an inch, boy. Shak.
The mouse ne'er shunned the cat as they did budge From rascals
worse than they. Shak.
Budge
Budge, a. [See Budge, v.] Brisk; stirring; jocund. [Obs.] South.
Budge
Budge, n. [OE. bouge bag, OF. boge, bouge, fr. L. bulga a leathern bag
or knapsack; a Gallic word; cf. OIr. bolc, Gael. bolg. Cf. Budge, n.]
A kind of fur prepared from lambskin dressed with the wool on; -- used
formerly as an edging and ornament, esp. of scholastic habits.
Budge
Budge, a.
1. Lined with budge; hence, scholastic. "Budge gowns." Milton.
2. Austere or stiff, like scholastics.
Those budge doctors of the stoic fur. Milton.
Budge bachelor, one of a company of men clothed in long gowns lined
with budge, who formerly accompanied the lord mayor of London in his
inaugural procession. -- Budge barrel (Mil.), a small copper-hooped
barrel with only one head, the other end being closed by a piece of
leather, which is drawn together with strings like a purse. It is used
for carrying powder from the magazine to the battery, in siege or
seacoast service.
Budgeness
Budge"ness (?), n. Sternness; severity. [Obs.]
A Sara for goodness, a great Bellona for budgeness. Stanyhurst.
Budger
Budg"er (?), n. One who budges. Shak.
budgerow
budg"e*row (?), n. [Hindi bajr\'be.] A large and commodious, but
generally cumbrous and sluggish boat, used for journeys on the Ganges.
Budget
Budg"et (?), n. [OE. bogett, bouget, F. bougette bag, wallet, dim. of
OF. boge, bouge, leather bag. See Budge, n., and cf. Bouget.]
1. A bag or sack with its contents; hence, a stock or store; an
accumulation; as, a budget of inventions.
2. The annual financial statement which the British chancellor of the
exchequer makes in the House of Commons. It comprehends a general view
of the finances of the country, with the proposed plan of taxation for
the ensuing year. The term is sometimes applied to a similar statement
in other countries.
To open the budget, to lay before a legislative body the financial
estimates and plans of the executive government.
Budgy
Budg"y, a. [From Budge, n.] Consisting of fur. [Obs.]
Budlet
Bud"let (?), n. [Bud + -let.] A little bud springing from a parent
bud.
We have a criterion to distinguish one bud from another, or the
parent bud from the numerous budlets which are its offspring. E.
Darwin.
Buff
Buff (?), n. [OE. buff, buffe, buff, buffalo, F. buffle buffalo. See
Buffalo.]
1. A sort of leather, prepared from the skin of the buffalo, dressed
with oil, like chamois; also, the skins of oxen, elks, and other
animals, dressed in like manner. "A suit of buff." Shak.
2. The color to buff; a light yellow, shading toward pink, gray, or
brown.
A visage rough, Deformed, unfeatured, and a skin of buff. Dryden.
3. A military coat, made of buff leather. Shak.
4. (Med.) The grayish viscid substance constituting the buffy coat.
See Buffy coat, under Buffy, a.
5. (Mech.) A wheel covered with buff leather, and used in polishing
cutlery, spoons, etc.
6. The bare skin; as, to strip to the buff. [Colloq.]
To be in buff is equivalent to being naked. Wright.
Buff
Buff, a.
1. Made of buff leather. Goldsmith.
2. Of the color of buff.
Buff coat, a close, military outer garment, with short sleeves, and
laced tightly over the chest, made of buffalo skin, or other thick and
elastic material, worn by soldiers in the 17th century as a defensive
covering. -- Buff jerkin, originally, a leather waistcoat; afterward,
one of cloth of a buff color. [Obs.] Nares. -- Buff stick (Mech.), a
strip of wood covered with buff leather, used in polishing.
Buff
Buff, v. t. To polish with a buff. See Buff, n., 5.
Buff
Buff, v. t. [OF. bufer to cuff, buffet. See Buffet a blow.] To strike.
[Obs.] B. Jonson.
Buff
Buff, n. [See Buffet.] A buffet; a blow; -- obsolete except in the
phrase "Blindman's buff."
Nathless so sore a buff to him it lent That made him reel. Spenser.
Buff
Buff, a. [Of uncertain etymol.] Firm; sturdy.
And for the good old cause stood buff, 'Gainst many a bitter kick
and cuff. Hudibras.
Buffa
Buf"fa (?), n. fem. (Mus.) [It. See Buffoon.] The comic actress in an
opera. -- a. Comic, farcical. Aria buffa, a droll or comic air. --
Opera buffa, a comic opera. See Opera bouffe.
Buffalo
Buf"fa*lo (?), n.; pl. Buffaloes (. [Sp. bufalo (cf. It. bufalo, F.
buffle), fr. L. bubalus, bufalus, a kind of African stag or gazelle;
also, the buffalo or wild ox, fr. Gr. Cow the animal, and cf. Buff the
color, and Bubale.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) A species of the genus Bos or Bubalus (B. bubalus),
originally from India, but now found in most of the warmer countries
of the eastern continent. It is larger and less docile than the common
ox, and is fond of marshy places and rivers.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A very large and savage species of the same genus (B.
Caffer) found in South Africa; -- called also Cape buffalo.
3. (Zo\'94l.) Any species of wild ox.
4. (Zo\'94l.) The bison of North America.
5. A buffalo robe. See Buffalo robe, below.
6. (Zo\'94l.) The buffalo fish. See Buffalo fish, below.
Buffalo berry (Bot.), a shrub of the Upper Missouri (Sherherdia
argentea) with acid edible red berries. -- Buffalo bird (Zo\'94l.), an
African bird of the genus Buphaga, of two species. These birds perch
upon buffaloes and cattle, in search of parasites. -- Buffalo bug, the
carpet beetle. See under Carpet. -- Buffalo chips, dry dung of the
buffalo, or bison, used for fuel. [U.S.] -- Buffalo clover (Bot.), a
kind of clover (Trifolium reflexum and T.soloniferum) found in the
ancient grazing grounds of the American bison. -- Buffalo cod
(Zo\'94l.), a large, edible, marine fish (Ophiodon elongatus) of the
northern Pacific coast; -- called also blue cod, and cultus cod. --
Buffalo fish (Zo\'94l.), one of several large fresh-water fishes of
the family Catostomid\'91, of the Mississippi valley. The red-mouthed
or brown (Ictiobus bubalus), the big-mouthed or black (Bubalichthys
urus), and the small-mouthed (B. altus), are among the more important
species used as food. -- Buffalo fly, OR Buffalo gnat (Zo\'94l.), a
small dipterous insect of the genus Simulium, allied to the black fly
of the North. It is often extremely abundant in the lower part of the
Mississippi valley and does great injury to domestic animals, often
killing large numbers of cattle and horses. In Europe the Columbatz
fly is a species with similar habits. -- Buffalo grass (Bot.), a
species of short, sweet grass (Buchlo\'89 dactyloides), from two to
four inches high, covering the prairies on which the buffaloes, or
bisons, feed. [U.S.] -- Buffalo nut (Bot.), the oily and drupelike
fruit of an American shrub (Pyrularia oleifera); also, the shrub
itself; oilnut. -- Buffalo robe, the skin of the bison of North
America, prepared with the hair on; -- much used as a lap robe in
sleighs.
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Buffel duck
Buf"fel duck (?). [See Buffalo.] (Zo\'94l.) A small duck (Charitonetta
albeola); the spirit duck, or butterball. The head of the male is
covered with numerous elongated feathers, and thus appears large.
Called also bufflehead.
Buffer
Buff"er (?), n. [Prop a striker. See Buffet a blow.]
1. (Mech.) (a) An elastic apparatus or fender, for deadening the jar
caused by the collision of bodies; as, a buffer at the end of a
railroad car. (b) A pad or cushion forming the end of a fender, which
recieves the blow; -- sometimes called buffing apparatus.
2. One who polishes with a buff.
3. A wheel for buffing; a buff.
4. A good-humored, slow-witted fellow; -- usually said of an elderly
man. [Colloq.] Dickens.
Bufferhead
Buff"er*head` (?), n. The head of a buffer, which recieves the
concussion, in railroad carriages.
Buffet
Buf*fet" (?), n. [F. buffet, LL. bufetum; of uncertain origin; perh.
fr. the same source as E. buffet a blow, the root meaning to puff,
hence (cf. puffed up) the idea of ostentation or display.]
1. A cupboard or set of shelves, either movable or fixed at one side
of a room, for the display of plate, china, etc., a sideboard.
Not when a gilt buffet's reflected pride Turns you from sound
philosophy aside. Pope.
2. A counter for refreshments; a restaurant at a railroad station, or
place of public gathering.
Buffet
Buf"fet (?), n. [OE. buffet, boffet, OF. buffet a slap in the face, a
pair of bellows, fr. buffe blow, cf. F. bouffer to blow, puff; prob.
akin to E. puff. For the meaning slap, blow, cf. F. soufflet a slap,
souffler to blow. See Puff, v. i., and cf. Buffet sidebroad, Buffoon]
1. A blow with the hand; a slap on the face; a cuff.
When on his cheek a buffet fell. Sir W. Scott.
2. A blow from any source, or that which affects like a blow, as the
violence of winds or waves; a stroke; an adverse action; an
affliction; a trial; adversity.
Those planks of tough and hardy oak that used for yeas to brave the
buffets of the Bay of Biscay. Burke.
Fortune's buffets and rewards. Shak.
3. A small stool; a stool for a buffet or counter.
Go fetch us a light buffet. Townely Myst.
Buffet
Buf"fet, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Buffeted; p. pr. & vb. n. Buffeting.]
[OE. buffeten, OF. buffeter. See the preceding noun.]
1. To strike with the hand or fist; to box; to beat; to cuff; to slap.
They spit in his face and buffeted him. Matt. xxvi. 67.
2. To affect as with blows; to strike repeatedly; to strive with or
contend against; as, to buffet the billows.
The sudden hurricane in thunder roars, Buffets the bark, and whirls
it from the shores. Broome.
You are lucky fellows who can live in a dreamland of your own,
instead of being buffeted about the world. W. Black.
3. [Cf. Buffer.] To deaden the sound of (bells) by muffling the
clapper.
Buffet
Buf"fet, v. i.
1. To exercise or play at boxing; to strike; to smite; to strive; to
contend.
If I might buffet for my love, or bound my horse for her favors, I
could lay on like a butcher. Shak.
2. To make one's way by blows or struggling.
Strove to buffet to land in vain. Tennyson.
Buffeter
Buf"fet*er (?), n. One who buffets; a boxer. Jonson.
Buffeting
Buf"fet*ing, n.
1. A striking with the hand.
2. A succession of blows; continued violence, as of winds or waves;
afflictions; adversity.
He seems to have been a plant of slow growth, but . . . fitted to
endure the buffeting on the rudest storm. Wirt.
Buffin
Buf"fin (?), n. [So called from resembling buff A sort of coarse
stuff; as, buffin gowns. [Obs.]
Buffing apparatus
Buff"ing ap`pa*ra"tus (?). See Buffer, 1.
Buffle
Buf"fle (?), n. [OE., from F. buffle. See Buffalo.] The buffalo.
[Obs.] Sir T. Herbert.
Buffle
Buf"fle, v. i. To puzzle; to be at a loss. [Obs.] Swift.
Bufflehead
Buf"fle*head` (?), n. [Buffle + head.]
1. One who has a large head; a heavy, stupid fellow. [Obs.]
What makes you stare so, bufflehead? Plautus (trans. 1694).
2. (Zo\'94l.) The buffel duck. See Buffel duck.
Buffle-headed
Buf"fle-head`ed, a. Having a large head, like a buffalo; dull; stupid;
blundering. [Obs.]
So fell this buffle-headed giant. Gayton.
Buffo
Buf"fo (?), n.masc. [It. See Buffoon.] (Mus.) The comic actor in an
opera.
Buffoon
Buf*foon" (?), n. [F. bouffon (cf. It. buffone, buffo, buffa, puff of
wind, vanity, nonsense, trick), fr. bouffer to puff out, because the
buffoons puffed out their cheeks for the amusement of the spectators.
See Buffet a blow.] A man who makes a practice of amusing others by
low tricks, antic gestures, etc.; a droll; a mimic; a harlequin; a
clown; a merry-andrew.
Buffoon
Buf*foon" (?), a. Characteristic of, or like, a buffoon. "Buffoon
stories." Macaulay.
To divert the audience with buffoon postures and antic dances.
Melmoth.
Buffoon
Buf*foon", v. i. To act the part of a buffoon. [R.]
Buffoon
Buf*foon", v. t. To treat with buffoonery. Glanvill.
Buffoonery
Buf*foon"er*y (?), n.; pl. Buffooneries (#). [F. bouffonnerie.] The
arts and practices of a buffoon, as low jests, ridiculous pranks,
vulgar tricks and postures.
Nor that it will ever constitute a wit to conclude a tart piece of
buffoonery with a "What makes you blush?" Spectator.
Buffoonish
Buf*foon"ish, a. Like a buffoon; consisting in low jests or gestures.
Blair.
Buffoonism
Buf*foon"ism (?), n. The practices of a buffoon; buffoonery.
Buffoonly
Buf*foon"ly, a. Low; vulgar. [R.]
Apish tricks and buffoonly discourse. Goodman.
Buffy
Buff"y (?), a. (Med.) Resembling, or characterized by, buff. Buffy
coat, the coagulated plasma of blood when the red corpuscles have so
settled out that the coagulum appears nearly colorless. This is common
in diseased conditions where the corpuscles run together more rapidly
and in denser masses than usual. Huxley.
Bufo
Bu"fo (?), n. [L. bufo a toad.] (Zo\'94l.) A genus of Amphibia
including various species of toads.
Bufonite
Bu"fon*ite (?), n. [L. bufo toad: cf. F. bufonite.] (Paleon.) An old
name for a fossil consisting of the petrified teeth and palatal bones
of fishes belonging to the family of Pycnodonts (thick teeth), whose
remains occur in the o\'94lite and chalk formations; toadstone; -- so
named from a notion that it was originally formed in the head of a
toad.
Bug
Bug (?), n. [OE. bugge, fr. W. bwg, bwgan, hobgoblin, scarecrow,
bugbear. Cf. Bogey, Boggle.]
1. A bugbear; anything which terrifies. [Obs.]
Sir, spare your threats: The bug which you would fright me with I
seek. Shak.
2. (Zo\'94l.) A general name applied to various insects belonging to
the Hemiptera; as, the squash bug; the chinch bug, etc.
3. (Zo\'94l.) An insect of the genus Cimex, especially the bedbug (C.
lectularius). See Bedbug.
4. (Zo\'94l.) One of various species of Coleoptera; as, the ladybug;
potato bug, etc.; loosely, any beetle.
5. (Zo\'94l.) One of certain kinds of Crustacea; as, the sow bug; pill
bug; bait bug; salve bug, etc.
NOTE: &hand; Ac cording to pr esent po pular usage in England, and
among housekeepers in America, bug, when not joined with some
qualifying word, is used specifically for bedbug. As a general term
it is used very loosely in America, and was formerly used still
more loosely in England. "God's rare workmanship in the ant, the
poorest bug that creeps." Rogers (Naaman). "This bug with gilded
wings." Pope.
Bait bug. See under Bait. -- Bug word, swaggering or threatening
language. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
Bugaboo, Bugbear
Bug`a*boo" (?), Bug"bear` (?), n. [See Bug.] Something frightful, as a
specter; anything imaginary that causes needless fright; something
used to excite needless fear; also, something really dangerous, used
to frighten children, etc. "Bugaboos to fright ye." Lloyd.
But, to the world no bugbear is so great As want of figure and a
small estate. Pope.
The bugaboo of the liberals is the church pray. S. B. Griffin.
The great bugaboo of the birds is the owl. J. Burroughs.
Syn. -- Hobgoblin; goblin; specter; ogre; scarecrow.
Bugbane
Bug"bane` (?), n. (Bot.) A perennial white-flowered herb of the order
Ranunculace\'91 and genus Cimiciguga; bugwort. There are several
species.
Bugbear
Bug"bear` (?), n. Same as Bugaboo. -- a. Causing needless fright.
Locke.
Bugbear
Bug"bear`, v. t. To alarm with idle phantoms.
Bugfish
Bug"fish` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The menhaden. [U.S.]
Bugger
Bug"ger (?), n. [F. bougre, fr. LL. Bulgarus, a Bulgarian, and also a
heretic; because the inhabitants of Bulgaria were infected with
heresy. Those guilty of the crime of buggery were called heretics,
because in the eyes of their adversaries there was nothing more
heinous than heresy, and it was therefore thought that the origin of
such a vice could only be owing to heretics.]
1. One guilty of buggery or unnatural vice; a sodomite.
2. A wretch; -- sometimes used humorously or in playful disparagement.
[Low]
Buggery
Bug"ger*y (?), n. [OF. bougrerie, bogrerie, heresy. See Bugger.]
Unnatural sexual intercourse; sodomy.
Bugginess
Bug"gi*ness (?), n. [From Buggy, a.] The state of being infested with
bugs.
Buggy
Bug"gy (?), a. [From Bug.] Infested or abounding with bugs.
Buggy
Bug"gy, n.; pl. Buggies.
1. A light one horse two-wheeled vehicle. [Eng.]
Villebeck prevailed upon Flora to drive with him to the race in a
buggy. Beaconsfield.
2. A light, four-wheeled vehicle, usually with one seat, and with or
without a calash top. [U.S.]
Buggy cultivator, a cultivator with a seat for the driver. -- Buggy
plow, a plow, or set of plows, having a seat for the driver; -- called
also sulky plow.
Bugle
Bu"gle (?), n. [OE. bugle buffalo, buffalo's horn, OF. bugle, fr. L.
buculus a young bullock, steer, dim. of bos ox. See Cow the animal.] A
sort of wild ox; a buffalo. E. Phillips.
Bugle
Bu"gle, n. [See Bugle a wild ox.]
1. A horn used by hunters.
2. (Mus.) A copper instrument of the horn quality of tone, shorter and
more conical that the trumpet, sometimes keyed; formerly much used in
military bands, very rarely in the orchestra; now superseded by the
cornet; -- called also the Kent bugle.
Bugle
Bu"gle, n. [LL. bugulus a woman's ornament: cf. G. b\'81gel a bent
piece of metal or wood, fr. the same root as G. biegen to bend, E. bow
to bend.] An elingated glass bead, of various colors, though commonly
black.
Bugle
Bu"gle, a. [From Bugle a bead.] Jet black. "Bugle eyeballs." Shak.
Bugle
Bu"gle, n. [F. bugle; cf. It. bugola, L. bugillo.] (Bot.) A plant of
the genus Ajuga of the Mint family, a native of the Old World. Yellow
bugle, the Ajuga cham\'91pitys.
Bugled
Bu"gled (?), a. Ornamented with bugles.
Bugle horn
Bu"gle horn` (?).
1. A bugle.
One blast upon his bugle horn Were worth a thousand men. Sir W.
Scott.
2. A drinking vessel made of horn. [Obs.]
And drinketh of his bugle horn the wine. Chaucer.
Bugler
Bu"gler (?), n. One who plays on a bugle.
Bugleweed
Bu"gle*weed` (?), n. (Bot.) A plant of the Mint family and genus
Lycopus; esp. L. Virginicus, which has mild narcotic and astringent
properties, and is sometimes used as a remedy for hemorrhage.
Bugloss
Bu"gloss (?), n.; pl. Buglosses (#). [F. buglosse, L. buglossa,
buglossus, fr. Gr. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Anchusa, and especially
the A. officinalis, sometimes called alkanet; oxtongue. Small wild
bugloss, the Asperugo procumbens and the Lycopsis arvensis. -- Viper's
bugloss, a species of Echium.
Bugwort
Bug"wort` (?), n. (Bot.) Bugbane.
Buhl, Buhlwork
Buhl (?), Buhl"work (?), n. [From A.Ch.Boule, a French carver in
wood.] Decorative woodwork in which tortoise shell, yellow metal,
white metal, etc., are inlaid, forming scrolls, cartouches, etc.
[Written also boule, boulework.]
Buhlbuhl
Buhl"buhl (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Bulbul.
Buhrstone
Buhr"stone` (?), n. [OE. bur a whetstone for scythes.] (Min.) A
cellular, flinty rock, used for mill stones. [Written also burrstone.]
Build
Build (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Built (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Building.
The regular imp. & p. p. Builded is antiquated.] [OE. bulden, bilden,
AS. byldan to build, fr. bold house; cf. Icel. b\'d3l farm, abode,
Dan. bol small farm, OSw. bol, b\'94le, house, dwelling, fr. root of
Icel. b to dwell; akin to E. be, bower, boor. &root;97.]
1. To erect or construct, as an edifice or fabric of any kind; to form
by uniting materials into a regular structure; to fabricate; to make;
to raise.
Nor aught availed him now To have built in heaven high towers.
Milton.
2. To raise or place on a foundation; to form, establish, or produce
by using appropriate means.
Who builds his hopes in air of your good looks. Shak.
3. To increase and strengthen; to increase the power and stability of;
to settle, or establish, and preserve; -- frequently with up; as, to
build up one's constitution.
I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able
to build you up. Acts xx. 32.
Syn. -- To erect; construct; raise; found; frame.
Build
Build (?), v. i.
1. To exercise the art, or practice the business, of building.
2. To rest or depend, as on a foundation; to ground one's self or
one's hopes or opinions upon something deemed reliable; to rely; as,
to build on the opinions or advice of others.
Build
Build, n. Form or mode of construction; general figure; make; as, the
build of a ship.
Builder
Build"er (?), n. One who builds; one whose occupation is to build, as
a carpenter, a shipwright, or a mason.
In the practice of civil architecture, the builder comes between
the architect who designs the work and the artisans who execute it.
Eng. Cyc.
Building
Build"ing, n.
1. The act of constructing, erecting, or establishing.
Hence it is that the building of our Sion rises no faster. Bp.
Hall.
2. The art of constructing edifices, or the practice of civil
architecture.
The execution of works of architecture necessarily includes
building; but building is frequently employed when the result is
not architectural. Hosking.
3. That which is built; a fabric or edifice constructed, as a house, a
church, etc.
Thy sumptuous buildings and thy wife's attire Have cost a mass of
public treasury. Shak.
Built
Built (?), n. Shape; build; form of structure; as, the built of a
ship. [Obs.] Dryden.
Built
Built, a. Formed; shaped; constructed; made; -- often used in
composition and preceded by the word denoting the form; as,
frigate-built, clipper-built, etc.
Like the generality of Genoese countrywomen, strongly built.
Landor.
Buke muslin
Buke" mus"lin (?). See Book muslin.
Bukshish
Buk"shish (?), n. See Backsheesh.
Bulau
Bu"lau (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) An East Indian insectivorous
mammal (Gymnura Rafflesii), somewhat like a rat in appearance, but
allied to the hedgehog.
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Page 190
Bulb
Bulb (?), n. [L. bulbus, Gr. bulbe.]
1. (Bot.) A spheroidal body growing from a plant either above or below
the ground (usually below), which is strictly a bud, consisting of a
cluster of partially developed leaves, and producing, as it grows, a
stem above, and roots below, as in the onion, tulip, etc. It differs
from a corm in not being solid.
2. (Anat.) A name given to some parts that resemble in shape certain
bulbous roots; as, the bulb of the aorta.
Bulb of the eye, the eyeball. -- Bulb of a hair, the "root," or part
whence the hair originates. -- Bulb of the spinal cord, the medulla
oblongata, often called simply bulb. -- Bulb of a tooth, the vascular
and nervous papilla contained in the cavity of the tooth.
3. An expansion or protuberance on a stem or tube, as the bulb of a
thermometer, which may be of any form, as spherical, cylindrical,
curved, etc. Tomlinson.
Bulb
Bulb, v. i. To take the shape of a bulb; to swell.
Bulbaceous
Bul*ba"ceous (?), a. [L. bulbaceus. See Bulb, n.] Bulbous. Jonson.
Bulbar
Bulb"ar (?), a. Of or pertaining to bulb; especially, in medicine,
pertaining to the bulb of the spinal cord, or medulla oblongata; as,
bulbar paralysis.
Bulbed
Bulbed (?), a. Having a bulb; round-headed.
Bulbel
Bulb"el (?), n. [Dim., fr. bulb, n.] (Bot.) A separable bulb formed on
some flowering plants.
Bulbiferous
Bul*bif"er*ous (?), a. [Bulb,n.+ -ferous: cf. F. bulbif\'8are.] (Bot.)
Producing bulbs.
Bulblet
Bulb"let (?), n. [Bulb,n.+ -let.] (Bot.) A small bulb, either produced
on a larger bulb, or on some a\'89rial part of a plant, as in the
axils of leaves in the tiger lily, or replacing the flowers in some
kinds of onion.
Bulbose
Bul*bose" (?), a. Bulbous.
Bulbo-tuber
Bul"bo-tu`ber (?), n. [Bulb,n.+ tuber.] (Bot.) A corm.
Bulbous
Bulb"ous (?), a. [L. bulbosus: cf. F. bulbeux. See Bulb, n.] Having or
containing bulbs, or a bulb; growing from bulbs; bulblike in shape or
structure.
Bulbul
Bul"bul (?), n. [Per.] (Zo\'94l.) The Persian nightingale (Pycnonotus
jocosus). The name is also applied to several other Asiatic singing
birds, of the family Timaliid\'91. The green bulbuls belong to the
Chloropsis and allied genera. [Written also buhlbuhl.]
Bulbule
Bul"bule (?), n. [L. bulbulus, dim. of bulbus. See Bulb, n.] A small
bulb; a bulblet.
Bulchin
Bul"chin (?), n. [Dim. of bull.] A little bull.
Bulge
Bulge (?), n. [OE. bulge a swelling; cf. AS. belgan to swell, OSw.
bulgja, Icel. b\'d3lginn swollen, OHG. belgan to swell, G. bulge
leathern sack, Skr. b to be large, strong; the root meaning to swell.
Cf. Bilge, Belly, Billow, Bouge, n.]
1. The bilge or protuberant part of a cask.
2. A swelling, protuberant part; a bending outward, esp. when caused
by pressure; as, a bulge in a wall.
3. (Naut.) The bilge of a vessel. See Bilge, 2.
Bulge ways. (Naut.) See Bilge ways.
Bulge
Bulge, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bulged (; p. pr. & vb.n. Bulging.]
1. To swell or jut out; to bend outward, as a wall when it yields to
pressure; to be protuberant; as, the wall bulges.
2. To bilge, as a ship; to founder.
And scattered navies bulge on distant shores. Broome.
Bulgy
Bul"gy (?), a. Bulged; bulging; bending, or tending to bend, outward.
[Colloq.]
Bulimia, Bulimy
Bu*lim"i*a (?), Bu"li*my (?), n. [NL. bulimia, fr. Gr. boulimie.]
(Med.) A disease in which there is a perpetual and insatiable appetite
for food; a diseased and voracious appetite.
Bulimus
Bu*li"mus (?), n. [L. bulimus hunger. See Bulimy.] (Zo\'94l.) A genus
of land snails having an elongated spiral shell, often of large size.
The species are numerous ingabundant in tropical America.
Bulk
Bulk (?), n. [OE. bulke, bolke, heap; cf. Dan. bulk lump, clod, OSw.
bolk crowd, mass, Icel. b to be bulky. Cf. Boll, n., Bile a boil,
Bulge, n.]
1. Magnitude of material substance; dimensions; mass; size; as, an ox
or ship of great bulk.
Against these forces there were prepared near one hundred ships;
not so great of bulk indeed, but of a more nimble motion, and more
serviceable. Bacon.
2. The main mass or body; the largest or principal portion; the
majority; as, the bulk of a debt.
The bulk of the people must labor, Burke told them, "to obtain what
by labor can be obtained." J. Morley.
3. (Naut.) The cargo of a vessel when stowed.
4. The body. [Obs.] Shak.
My liver leaped within my bulk. Turbervile.
Barrel bulk. See under Barrel. -- To break bulk (Naut.), to begin to
unload or more the cargo. -- In bulk, in a mass; loose; not inclosed
in separate packages or divided into separate parts; in such shape
that any desired quantity may be taken or sold. -- Laden in bulk,
Stowed in bulk, having the cargo loose in the hold or not inclosed in
boxes, bales, or casks. -- Sale by bulk, a sale of goods as they are,
without weight or measure. Syn. -- Size; magnitude; dimension; volume;
bigness; largeness; massiveness.
Bulk
Bulk (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bulked (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bulking.] To
appear or seem to be, as to bulk or extent; to swell.
The fame of Warburton possibly bulked larger for the moment. Leslie
Stephen.
Bulk
Bulk, n. [Icel. b\'belkr a beam, partition. Cf. Balk, n. & v.] A
projecting part of a building. [Obs.]
Here, stand behind this bulk. Shak.
Bulker
Bulk"er (?), n. (Naut.) A person employed to ascertain the bulk or
size of goods, in order to fix the amount of freight or dues payable
on them.
Bulkhead
Bulk"head` (?), n. [See Bulk part of a building.]
1. (Naut.) A partition in a vessel, to separate apartments on the same
deck.
2. A structure of wood or stone, to resist the pressure of earth or
water; a partition wall or structure, as in a mine; the limiting wall
along a water front.
Bulked line, a line beyond which a wharf must not project; -- usually,
the harbor line.
Bulkiness
Bulk"i*ness (?), n. Greatness in bulk; size.
Bulky
Bulk"y (?), a. Of great bulk or dimensions; of great size; large;
thick; massive; as, bulky volumes.
A bulky digest of the revenue laws. Hawthorne.
Bull
Bull (?), n. [OE. bule, bul, bole; akin to D. bul, G. bulle, Icel.
boli, Lith. bullus, Lett. bollis, Russ. vol'; prob. fr. the root of
AS. bellan, E. bellow.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) The male of any species of cattle (Bovid\'91); hence,
the male of any large quadruped, as the elephant; also, the male of
the whale.
NOTE: &hand; Th e wi ld bu ll of the Old Testament is thought to be
the oryx, a large species of antelope.
2. One who, or that which, resembles a bull in character or action.
Ps. xxii. 12.
3. (Astron.) (a) Taurus, the second of the twelve signs of the zodiac.
(b) A constellation of the zodiac between Aries and Gemini. It
contains the Pleiades.
At last from Aries rolls the bounteous sun, And the bright Bull
receives him. Thomson.
4. (Stock Exchange) One who operates in expectation of a rise in the
price of stocks, or in order to effect such a rise. See 4th Bear, n.,
5.
Bull baiting, the practice of baiting bulls, or rendering them
furious, as by setting dogs to attack them. -- John Bull, a humorous
name for the English, collectively; also, an Englishman. "Good-looking
young John Bull." W. D.Howells. -- To take the bull by the horns, to
grapple with a difficulty instead of avoiding it.
Bull
Bull, a. Of or pertaining to a bull; resembling a bull; male; large;
fierce. Bull bat (Zo\'94l.), the night hawk; -- so called from the
loud noise it makes while feeding on the wing, in the evening. -- Bull
calf. (a) A stupid fellow. -- Bull mackerel (Zo\'94l.), the chub
mackerel. -- Bull pump (Mining), a direct single-acting pumping
engine, in which the steam cylinder is placed above the pump. -- Bull
snake (Zo\'94l.), the pine snake of the United States. -- Bull stag, a
castrated bull. See Stag. -- Bull wheel, a wheel, or drum, on which a
rope is wound for lifting heavy articles, as logs, the tools in well
boring, etc.
Bull
Bull, v. i. To be in heat; to manifest sexual desire as cows do.
[Colloq.]
Bull
Bull, v. t. (Stock Exchange) To endeavor to raise the market price of;
as, to bull railroad bonds; to bull stocks; to bull Lake Shore; to
endeavor to raise prices in; as, to bull the market. See 1st Bull, n.,
4.
Bull
Bull, n. [OE. bulle, fr. L. bulla bubble, stud, knob, LL., a seal or
stamp: cf. F. bulle. Cf. Bull a writing, Bowl a ball, Boil, v. i.]
1. A seal. See Bulla.
2. A letter, edict, or respect, of the pope, written in Gothic
characters on rough parchment, sealed with a bulla, and dated "a die
Incarnationis," i. e., "from the day of the Incarnation." See
Apostolical brief, under Brief.
A fresh bull of Leo's had declared how inflexible the court of Rome
was in the point of abuses. Atterbury.
3. A grotesque blunder in language; an apparent congruity, but real
incongruity, of ideas, contained in a form of expression; so called,
perhaps, from the apparent incongruity between the dictatorial nature
of the pope's bulls and his professions of humility.
And whereas the papist boasts himself to be a Roman Catholic, it is
a mere contradiction, one of the pope's bulls, as if he should say
universal particular; a Catholic schimatic. Milton.
The Golden Bull, an edict or imperial constitution made by the emperor
Charles IV. (1356), containing what became the fundamental law of the
German empire; -- so called from its golden seal. Syn. -- See Blunder.
Bulla
Bul"la (?), n.; pl. Bull\'91 (. [L. bulla bubble. See Bull an edict.]
1. (Med.) A bleb; a vesicle, or an elevation of the cuticle,
containing a transparent watery fluid.
2. (Anat.) The ovoid prominence below the opening of the ear in the
skulls of many animals; as, the tympanic or auditory bulla.
3. A leaden seal for a document; esp. the round leaden seal attached
to the papal bulls, which has on one side a representation of St.
Peter and St. Paul, and on the other the name of the pope who uses it.
4. (Zo\'94l.) A genus of marine shells. See Bubble shell.
Bullace
Bul"lace (?), n. [OE. bolas, bolace, OF. beloce; of Celtic origin; cf.
Arm. bolos, polos, Gael. bulaistear.] (Bot.) (a) A small European plum
(Prunus communis, var. insitita). See Plum. (b) The bully tree.
Bullantic
Bul*lan"tic (?), a. [See Bull an edict.] Pertaining to, or used in,
papal bulls. Fry. Bullantic letters, Gothic letters used in papal
bulls.
Bullary
Bul"la*ry (?), n. [LL. bullarium: cf. F. bullairie. See Bull an
edict.] A collection of papal bulls.
Bullary
Bul"la*ry, n.; pl. Bullaries (#). [Cf. Boilary.] A place for boiling
or preparating salt; a boilery. Crabb.
And certain salt fats or bullaries. Bills in Chancery.
Bullate
Bul"late (?), a. [L. bullatus, fr. bulla bubble.] (Biol.) Appearing as
if blistered; inflated; puckered. Bullate leaf (Bot.), a leaf, the
membranous part of which rises between the veins puckered elevations
convex on one side and concave on the other.
Bullbeggar
Bull"beg`gar (?), n. Something used or suggested to produce terror, as
in children or persons of weak mind; a bugbear.
And being an ill-looked fellow, he has a pension from the church
wardens for being bullbeggar to all the forward children in the
parish. Mountfort (1691).
Bull brier
Bull" bri`er (?). (Bot.) A species of Smilax (S. Pseudo-China) growing
from New Jersey to the Gulf of Mexico, which has very large tuberous
and farinaceous rootstocks, formerly used by the Indians for a sort of
bread, and by the negroes as an ingredient in making beer; -- called
also bamboo brier and China brier.
Bullcomber
Bull"comb*er (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A scaraboid beetle; esp. the
Typh\'91us vulgaris of Europe.
Bulldog
Bull"dog` (?), n.
1. (Zo\'94l.) A variety of dog, of remarkable ferocity, courage, and
tenacity of grip; -- so named, probably, from being formerly employed
in baiting bulls.
2. (Metal.) A refractory material used as a furnace lining, obtained
by calcining the cinder or slag from the puddling furnace of a rolling
mill.
Bulldog
Bull"dog`, a. Characteristic of, or like, a bulldog; stubborn; as,
bulldog courage; bulldog tenacity. Bulldog bat (zo'94l.), a bat of the
genus Nyctinomus; -- so called from the shape of its face.
Bulldoze
Bull"doze` (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bulldozed (#); p. pr. & vb.n.
Bulldozing.] To intimidate; to restrain or coerce by intimidation or
violence; -- used originally of the intimidation of negro voters, in
Louisiana. [Slang, U.S.]
Bulldozer
Bull"do`zer (?), n. One who bulldozes. [Slang]
Bulled
Bulled (?), a. [Cf. Boln.] Swollen. [Obs.]
Bullen-bullen
Bul"len-bul"len (?), n. [Native Australian name, from its cry.]
(Zo\'94l.) The lyre bird.
Bullen-nail
Bul"len-nail` (?), n. [Bull large, having a large head + nail.] A nail
with a round head and short shank, tinned and lacquered.
Bullet
Bul"let (?), n. [F. boulet, dim. of boule ball. See Bull an edict, and
cf. Boulet.]
1. A small ball.
2. A missile, usually of lead, and round or elongated in form, to be
discharged from a rifle, musket, pistol, or other small firearm.
3. A cannon ball. [Obs.]
A ship before Greenwich . . . shot off her ordnance, one piece
being charged with a bullet of stone. Stow.
4. The fetlock of a horse.
NOTE: [See Illust. under Horse.]
Bullet-proof
Bul"let-proof` (?), a. Capable of resisting the force of a bullet.
Bullet tree. See Bully tree. -- Bullet wood, the wood of the bullet
tree.
Bulletin
Bul"le*tin (?), n. [F. bulletin, fr. It. bullettino, dim. of bulletta,
dim. of bulla, bolla, an edict of the pope, from L. bulla bubble. See
Bull an edict.]
1. A brief statement of facts respecting some passing event, as
military operations or the health of some distinguished personage,
issued by authority for the information of the public.
2. Any public notice or announcement, especially of news recently
received.
3. A periodical publication, especially one containing the proceeding
of a society.
Bulletin board, a board on which announcements are put, particularly
at newsrooms, newspaper offices, etc.
Bullfaced
Bull"faced` (?), a. Having a large face.
Bullfeast
Bull"feast` (?), n. See Bullfight. [Obs.]
Bullfight, Bullfighting
Bull"fight` (?), Bull"fight`ing, n. A barbarous sport, of great
antiquity, in which men torment, and fight with, a bull or bulls in an
arena, for public amusement, -- still popular in Spain. --
Bull"fight`er (, n.
Bullfinch
Bull"finch` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A bird of the genus Pyrrhula and other
related genera, especially the P. vulgaris or rubicilla, a bird of
Europe allied to the grosbeak, having the breast, cheeks, and neck,
red.
NOTE: &hand; As a cage bird it is highly valued for its remarkable
power of learning to whistle correctly various musical airs.
Crimson-fronted bullfinch. (Zo\'94l.) See Burion. -- Pine bullfinch,
the pine finch.
Bullfist, Bullfice
Bull"fist (?), Bull"fice (?), n. [Cf. G. bofist, AS. wulfes fist
puffball, E. fizz, foist.] (Bot.) A kind of fungus. See Puffball.
Bull fly or Bullfly
Bull" fly` or Bull"fly` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) Any large fly troublesome
to cattle, as the gadflies and breeze flies.
Bullfrog
Bull"frog` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A very large species of frog (Rana
Catesbiana), found in North America; -- so named from its loud
bellowing in spring.
Bullhead
Bull"head` (?), n.
1. (Zo\'94l.) (a) A fresh-water fish of many species, of the genus
Uranidea, esp. U. gobio of Europe, and U. Richardsoni of the United
States; -- called also miller's thumb. (b) In America, several species
of Amiurus; -- called also catfish, horned pout, and bullpout. (c) A
marine fish of the genus Cottus; the sculpin.
2. (Zo\'94l.) (a) The black-bellied plover (Squatarola helvetica); --
called also beetlehead. (b) The golden plover.
3. A stupid fellow; a lubber. [Colloq.] Jonson.
4. (Zo\'94l.) A small black water insect. E. Phillips.
Bullhead whiting (Zo\'94l.), the kingfish of Florida (Menticirrus
alburnus).
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Bullheaded
Bull"head`ed (?), a. Having a head like that of a bull. Fig.:
Headstrong; obstinate; dogged.
Bullion
Bul"lion (?), n. [Cf. OE. bullyon a hook used for fastening the dress,
a button, stud, an embossed ornament of various kinds, e.g., on the
cover of a book, on bridles or poitrels, for purses, for breeches and
doublets, LL. bullio the swelling of boiling water, a mass of gold or
silver, fr. L. bulla boss, stud, bubble (see Bull an edict), or perh.
corrupted fr. billon base coin, LL. billio bullion. Cf. Billon, Billet
a stick.]
1. Uncoined gold or silver in the mass.
NOTE: &hand; Properly, the precious metals are called bullion, when
smelted and not perfectly refined, or when refined, but in bars,
ingots or in any form uncoined, as in plate. The word is often
often used to denote gold and silver, both coined and uncoined,
when reckoned by weight and in mass, including especially foreign,
or uncurrent, coin.
2. Base or uncurrent coin. [Obs.]
And those which eld's strict doom did disallow, And damm for
bullion, go for current now. Sylvester.
3. Showy metallic ornament, as of gold, silver, or copper, on bridles,
saddles, etc. [Obs.]
The clasps and bullions were worth a thousand pound. Skelton.
4. Heavy twisted fringe, made of fine gold or silver wire and used for
epaulets; also, any heavy twisted fringe whose cords are prominent.
Bullionist
Bul"lion*ist, n. An advocate for a metallic currency, or a paper
currency always convertible into gold.
Bullirag
Bul"li*rag (?), v. t. [Cf. bully,n.& v., and rag to scold, rail. Cf.
Ballarag.] To intimidate by bullying; to rally contemptuously; to
badger. [Low]
Bullish
Bull"ish (?), a. Partaking of the nature of a bull, or a blunder.
Let me inform you, a toothless satire is as improper as a toothed
sleek stone, and as bullish. Milton.
Bullist
Bull"ist, n. [F. bulliste. See Bull an edict.] A writer or drawer up
of papal bulls. [R.] Harmar.
Bullition
Bul*li"tion (?), n. [L. bullire, bullitum, to boil. See Boil, v. i.]
The action of boiling; boiling. [Obs.] See Ebullition. Bacon.
Bull-necked
Bull"-necked` (?), a. Having a short and thick neck like that of a
bull. Sir W. Scott.
Bullock
Bul"lock (?), n. [AS. bulluc a young bull. See Bull.]
1. A young bull, or any male of the ox kind.
Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven
years old. Judges vi. 25.
2. An ox, steer, or stag.
Bullock
Bul"lock, v. t. To bully. [Obs.]
She shan't think to bullock and domineer over me. Foote.
Bullock's-eye
Bul"lock's-eye` (?), n. See Bull's-eye, 3.
Bullon
Bul"lon (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A West Indian fish (Scarus Croicensis).
Bullpout
Bull"pout` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Bullhead, 1 (b).
Bull's-eye
Bull's"-eye` (?), n.
1. (Naut.) A small circular or oval wooden block without sheaves,
having a groove around it and a hole through it, used for connecting
rigging.
2. A small round cloud, with a ruddy center, supposed by sailors to
portend a storm.
3. A small thick disk of glass inserted in a deck, roof, floor, ship's
side, etc., to let in light.
4. A circular or oval opening for air or light.
5. A lantern, with a thick glass lens on one side for concentrating
the light on any object; also, the lens itself. Dickens.
6. (Astron.) Aldebaran, a bright star in the eye of Taurus or the
Bull.
7. (Archery & Gun.) The center of a target.
8. A thick knob or protuberance left on glass by the end of the pipe
through which it was blown.
9. A small and thick old-fashioned watch. [Colloq.]
Bull's-nose
Bull's"-nose` (?), n. (Arch.) An external angle when obtuse or
rounded.
Bull terrier
Bull" ter"ri*er (?). (Zo\'94l.) A breed of dogs obtained by crossing
the bulldog and the terrier.
Bull trout
Bull" trout` (?). (Zo\'94l.) (a) In England, a large salmon trout of
several species, as Salmo trutta and S. Cambricus, which ascend
rivers; -- called also sea trout. (b) Salvelinus malma of California
and Oregon; -- called also Dolly Varden trout and red-spotted trout.
(c) The huso or salmon of the Danube.
Bullweed
Bull"weed` (?), n. [Bole a stem + weed.] (Bot.) Knapweed. Prior.
Bullwort
Bull"wort` (?), n. (Bot.) See Bishop's-weed.
Bully
Bul"ly (?), n.; pl. Bullies (. [Cf. LG. bullerjaan, bullerb\'84k,
bullerbrook, a blusterer, D. bulderaar a bluster, bulderen to bluster;
prob. of imitative origin; or cf. MHG. buole lover, G. buhle.]
1. A noisy, blustering fellow, more insolent than courageous; one who
is threatening and quarrelsome; an insolent, tyrannical fellow.
Bullies seldom execute the threats they deal in. Palmerston.
2. A brisk, dashing fellow. [Slang Obs.] Shak.
Bully
Bul"ly (?), a.
1. Jovial and blustering; dashing. [Slang] "Bless thee, bully doctor."
Shak.
2. Fine; excellent; as, a bully horse. [Slang, U.S.]
Bully
Bul"ly, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bullied (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bullying.] To
intimidate with threats and by an overbearing, swaggering demeanor; to
act the part of a bully toward.
For the last fortnight there have been prodigious shoals of
volunteers gone over to bully the French, upon hearing the peace
was just signing. Tatler. Syn. -- To bluster; swagger; hector;
domineer.
Bully
Bul"ly, v. i. To act as a bully.
Bullyrag
Bul"ly*rag (?), v. t. Same as Bullirag.
Bullyrock
Bul"ly*rock` (?), n. A bully. [Slang Obs.] Shak.
Bully tree
Bul"ly tree` (?). (Bot.) The name of several West Indian trees of
the order Sapotace\'91, as Dipholis nigra and species of Sapota and
Mimusops. Most of them yield a substance closely resembling
gutta-percha.
Bulrush
Bul"rush` (?), n. [OE. bulrysche, bolroysche; of uncertain origin,
perh. fr. bole stem + rush.] (Bot.) A kind of large rush, growing
in wet land or in water.
NOTE: &hand; Th e na me bulrush is applied in England especially to
the cat-tail (Typha latifolia and T. angustifolia) and to the lake
club-rush (Scirpus lacustris); in America, to the Juncus effusus,
and also to species of Scirpus or club-rush.
Bulse
Bulse (?), n. A purse or bag in which to carry or measure diamonds,
etc. [India] Macaulay.
Bultel
Bul"tel (?), n. [LL. bultellus. See Bolt to sift.] A bolter or
bolting cloth; also, bran. [Obs.]
Bulti
Bul"ti (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) Same as Bolty.
Bultow
Bul"tow` (?), n. A trawl; a boulter; the mod
Bulwark
Bul"wark (?), n. [Akin to D. bolwerk, G. bollwerk, Sw. bolwerk,
Dan. bolv\'84rk, bulv\'84rk, rampart; akin to G. bohle plank, and
werk work, defense. See Bole stem, and Work, n., and cf.
Boulevard.]
1. (Fort.) A rampart; a fortification; a bastion or outwork.
2. That which secures against an enemy, or defends from attack; any
means of defense or protection.
The royal navy of England hath ever been its greatest defense, . .
. the floating bulwark of our island. Blackstone.
3. pl. (Naut.) The sides of a ship above the upper deck. Syn. --
See Rampart.
Bulwark
Bul"wark, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bulwarked (; p. pr. & vb.n.
Bulwarking.] To fortify with, or as with, a rampart or wall; to
secure by fortification; to protect.
Of some proud city, bulwarked round and armed With rising towers.
Glover.
Bum
Bum (?), n. [Contr. fr. bottom in this sense.] The buttock. [Low]
Shak.
Bum
Bum, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bummed (; p. pr. & vb.n. Bumming ( [See
Boom, v. i., to roar.] To make murmuring or humming sound.
Jamieson.
Bum
Bum, n. A humming noise. Halliwell.
Bumbailiff
Bum"bail"iff (?), n. [A corruption of bound bailiff.] [Low, Eng.]
See Bound bailiff, under Bound, a.
Bumbard
Bum"bard (?). See Bombard. [Obs.]
Bumbarge
Bum"barge` (?), n. See Bumboat. Carlyle.
Bumbast
Bum"bast (?). See Bombast. [Obs.]
Bumbelo
Bum"be*lo (?), n.; pl. Bumbeloes (#). [It. bombola.] A glass used
in subliming camphor. [Spelled also bombolo and bumbolo.]
Bumble
Bum"ble (?), n. [See Bump to boom.] (Zo\'94l.) The bittern. [Local,
Eng.]
Bumble
Bum"ble, v. i. To make a hollow or humming noise, like that of a
bumblebee; to cry as a bittern.
As a bittern bumbleth in the mire. Chaucer.
Bumblebee
Bum"ble*bee` (?), n. [OE. bumblen to make a humming noise (dim. of
bum, v.i.) + bee. Cf. Humblebee.] (Zo\'94l.) A large bee of the
genus Bombus, sometimes called humblebee; -- so named from its
sound.
NOTE: &hand; There are many species. All gather honey, and store it
in the empty cocoons after the young have come out.
Bumboat
Bum"boat` (?), n. [From bum the buttocks, on account of its clumsy
form; or fr. D. bun a box for holding fish in a boat.] (Naut.) A
clumsy boat, used for conveying provisions, fruit, etc., for sale,
to vessels lying in port or off shore.
Bumkin
Bum"kin (?), n. [Boom a beam + -kin. See Bumpkin.] (Naut.) A
projecting beam or boom; as: (a) One projecting from each bow of a
vessel, to haul the fore tack to, called a tack bumpkin. (b) Onr
from each quarter, for the main-brace blocks, and called brace
bumpkin. (c) A small outrigger over the stern of a boat, to extend
the mizzen. [Written also boomkin.]
Bummalo
Bum"ma*lo (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo\'94l.) A small marine Asiatic
fish (Saurus ophidon) used in India as a relish; -- called also
Bombay duck.
Bummer
Bum"mer (?), n. An idle, worthless fellow, who is without any
visible means of support; a dissipated sponger. [Slang, U.S.]
Bummery
Bum"me*ry (?), n. See Bottomery. [Obs.]
There was a scivener of Wapping brought to hearing for relief
against a bummery bond. R. North.
Bump
Bump (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bumped (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bumping.]
[Cf. W. pwmp round mass, pwmpiaw to thump, bang, and E. bum, v.i.,
boom to roar.] To strike, as with or against anything large or
solid; to thump; as, to bump the head against a wall.
Bump
Bump, v. i. To come in violent contact with something; to thump.
"Bumping and jumping." Southey.
Bump
Bump (?), n. [From Bump to strike, to thump.]
1. A thump; a heavy blow.
2. A swelling or prominence, resulting from a bump or blow; a
protuberance.
It had upon its brow A bump as big as a young cockerel's stone.
Shak.
3. (Phren.) One of the protuberances on the cranium which are
associated with distinct faculties or affections of the mind; as,
the bump of "veneration;" the bump of "acquisitiveness." [Colloq.]
4. The act of striking the stern of the boat in advance with the
prow of the boat following. [Eng.]
Bump
Bump, v. i. [See Boom to roar.] To make a loud, heavy, or hollow
noise, as the bittern; to boom.
As a bittern bumps within a reed. Dryden.
Bump
Bump, n. The noise made by the bittern.
Bumper
Bum"per (?), n. [A corruption of bumbard, bombard, a large drinking
vessel.]
1. A cup or glass filled to the brim, or till the liquor runs over,
particularly in drinking a health or toast.
He frothed his bumpers to the brim. Tennyson.
2. A covered house at a theater, etc., in honor of some favorite
performer. [Cant]
Bumper
Bump"er (?), n.
1. That which bumps or causes a bump.
2. Anything which resists or deadens a bump or shock; a buffer.
Bumpkin
Bump"kin (?), n. [The same word as bumkin, which Cotgrave defines
thus: "Bumkin, Fr. chicambault, the luffe-block, a long and thick
piece of wood, whereunto the fore-sayle and sprit-sayle are
fastened, when a ship goes by the winde." Hence, a clumsy man may
easily have been compared to such a block of wood; cf. OD. boomken
a little tree. See Boom a pole.] An awkward, heavy country fellow;
a clown; a country lout. "Bashful country bumpkins." W. Irving.
Bumptious
Bump"tious (?), a. Self-conceited; forward; pushing. [Colloq.]
Halliwell.
Bumptiousness
Bump"tious*ness, n. Conceitedness. [Colloq.]
Bun, Bunn
Bun, Bunn (?), n. [Scot. bun, bunn, OE. bunne, bonne; fr. Celtic;
cf. Ir. bunna, Gael. bonnach, or OF. bugne tumor, Prov. F. bugne a
kind of pancake; akin to OHG. bungo bulb, MHG. bunge, Prov. E. bung
heap, cluster, bunny a small swelling.] A slightly sweetened raised
cake or bisquit with a glazing of sugar and milk on the top crust.
Bunch
Bunch (?), n. [Akin to OSw. & Dan. bunke heap, Icel. bunki heap,
pile, bunga tumor, protuberance; cf. W. pwng cluster. Cf. Bunk.]
1. A protuberance; a hunch; a knob or lump; a hump.
They will carry . . . their treasures upon the bunches of camels.
Isa. xxx. 6.
2. A collection, cluster, or tuft, properly of things of the same
kind, growing or fastened together; as, a bunch of grapes; a bunch
of keys.
3. (Mining) A small isolated mass of ore, as distinguished from a
continuous vein. Page.
Bunch
Bunch, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Buncheder> (p. pr. & vb.n. Bunchinger>.]
To swell out into a bunch or protuberance; to be protuberant or
round. Bunching out into a large round knob at one end. Woodward.
Bunch
Bunch, v. t. To form into a bunch or bunches.
Bunch-backed
Bunch"-backed` (?), a. Having a bunch on the back; crooked.
"Bunch-backed toad." Shak.
Bunchberry
Bunch"ber`ry (?), n. (Bot.) The dwarf cornel (Cornus Canadensis),
which bears a dense cluster of bright red, edible berries.
Bunch grass
Bunch" grass` (?). (Bot.) A grass growing in bunches and affording
pasture. In California, Atropis tenuifolia, Festuca scabrella, and
several kinds of Stipa are favorite bunch grasses. In Utah,
Eriocoma cuspidata is a good bunch grass.
Bunchiness
Bunch"i*ness (?), n. The quality or condition of being bunchy;
knobbiness.
Bunchy
Bunch"y (?), a.
1. Swelling out in bunches.
An unshapen, bunchy spear, with bark unpiled. Phaer.
2. Growing in bunches, or resembling a bunch; having tufts; as, the
bird's bunchy tail.
3. (Mining) Yielding irregularly; sometimes rich, sometimes poor;
as, a bunchy mine. Page.
Buncombe, Bunkum
Bun"combe, Bun"kum (?), n. [Buncombe a country of North Carolina.]
Speech-making for the gratification of constituents, or to gain
public applause; flattering talk for a selfish purpose; anything
said for mere show. [Cant or Slang, U.S.]
All that flourish about right of search was bunkum -- all that brag
about hanging your Canada sheriff was bunkum . . . slavery speeches
are all bunkum. Haliburton.
To speak for Buncombe, to speak for mere show, or popularly.
NOTE: &hand; "The phrase originated near the close of the debate on
the famous 'Missouri Question,' in the 16th Congress. It was then
used by Felix Walker -- a na\'8bve old mountaineer, who resided at
Waynesville, in Haywood, the most western country of North
Carolina, near the border of the adjacent country of Buncombe,
which formed part of his district. The old man rose to speak, while
the house was impatiently calling for the 'Question,' and several
members gathered round him, begging him to desist. He preserved,
however, for a while, declaring that the people of his district
expected it, and that he was bound to 'make a speech for
Buncombe.'"
W. Darlington.
Bund
Bund (?), n. [G.] League; confederacy; esp. the confederation of
German states.
Bund
Bund (?), n. [Hindi band.] An embankment against inundation. [India]
S. Wells Williams.
Bunder
Bun"der (?), n. [Pers. bandar a landing place, pier.] A boat or raft
used in the East Indies in the landing of passengers and goods.
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Page 192
Bundesrath
Bun"des*rath` (?), n. [G., from bund (akin to E. bond) confederacy +
rath council, prob. akin to E. read.] The federal council of the
German Empire. In the Bundesrath and the Reichstag are vested the
legislative functions. The federal council of Switzerland is also so
called.
NOTE: &hand; Th e Bu ndesrath of the German empire is presided over
by a chancellor, and is composed of sixty-two members, who
represent the different states of the empire, being appointed for
each session by their respective governments.
By this united congress, the highest tribunal of Switzerland, --
the Bundesrath -- is chosen, and the head of this is a president.
J. P. Peters (Trans. M\'81ller's Pol. Hist. ).
Bundle
Bun"dle (?), n. [OE. bundel, AS. byndel; akin to D. bondel, bundel, G.
b\'81ndel, dim. of bund bundle, fr. the root of E. bind. See Bind.] A
number of things bound together, as by a cord or envelope, into a mass
or package convenient for handling or conveyance; a loose package; a
roll; as, a bundle of straw or of paper; a bundle of old clothes.
The fable of the rods, which, when united in a bundle, no strength
could bend. Goldsmith.
Bundle pillar (Arch.), a column or pier, with others of small
dimensions attached to it. Weale.
Bundle
Bun"dle, v. t. [imp. & p. p.pos> Bundled (p. pr. & vb.n. Bundling (.]
1. To tie or bind in a bundle or roll.
2. To send off abruptly or without ceremony.
They unmercifully bundled me and my gallant second into our own
hackney coach. T. Hook.
To bundle off, to send off in a hurry, or without ceremony. -- To
bundle one's self up, to wrap one's self up warmly or cumbrously.
Bundle
Bun"dle, v. i.
1. To prepare for departure; to set off in a hurry or without
ceremony.
2. To sleep on the same bed without undressing; -- applied to the
custom of a man and woman, especially lovers, thus sleeping. Bartlett.
Van Corlear stopped occasionally in the villages to eat pumpkin
pies, dance at country frolics, and bundle with the Yankee lasses.
W. Irving.
Bung
Bung (?), n. [Cf. W. bwng orfice, bunghole, Ir. buinne tap, spout,
OGael. buine.]
1. The large stopper of the orifice in the bilge of a cask.
2. The orifice in the bilge of a cask through which it is filled;
bunghole.
3. A sharper or pickpocket. [Obs. & Low]
You filthy bung, away. Shak.
Bung
Bung, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bunged (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bunging (#).] To
stop, as the orifice in the bilge of a cask, with a bung; to close; --
with up. To bung up, to use up, as by bruising or over exertion; to
exhaust or incapacitate for action. [Low]
He had bunged up his mouth that he should not have spoken these
three years. Shelton (Trans. Don Quixote).
Bungalow
Bun"ga*low (?), n. [Bengalee b\'bengl\'be] A thatched or tiled house
or cottage, of a single story, usually surrounded by a veranda.
[India]
Bungarum
Bun"ga*rum (?), n. [Bungar, the native name.] (Zo\'94l.) A venomous
snake of India, of the genus Bungarus, allied to the cobras, but
without a hood.
Bunghole
Bung"hole` (?), n. See Bung, n., 2. Shak.
Bungle
Bun"gle (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bungled (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bungling
(#).] [Prob. a diminutive from, akin to bang; cf. Prov. G. bungen to
beat, bang, OSw. bunga. See Bang.] To act or work in a clumsy, awkward
manner.
Bungle
Bun"gle, v. t. To make or mend clumsily; to manage awkwardly; to
botch; -- sometimes with up.
I always had an idea that it would be bungled. Byron.
Bungle
Bun"gle (?), n. A clumsy or awkward performance; a botch; a gross
blunder.
Those errors and bungles which are committed. Cudworth.
Bungler
Bun"gler (?), n. A clumsy, awkward workman; one who bungles.
If to be a dunce or a bungler in any profession be shameful, how
much more ignominious and infamous to a scholar to be such! Barrow.
Bungling
Bun"gling (?), a. Unskillful; awkward; clumsy; as, a bungling workman.
Swift.
They make but bungling work. Dryden.
Bunglingly
Bun"gling*ly, adv. Clumsily; awkwardly.
Bungo
Bun"go (?), n. (Naut.) A kind of canoe used in Central and South
America; also, a kind of boat used in the Southern United States.
Bartlett.
Bunion
Bun"ion (?), n. (Med.) Same as Bunyon.
Bunk
Bunk (?), n. [Cf. OSw. bunke heap, also boaring, flooring. Cf. Bunch.]
1. A wooden case or box, which serves for a seat in the daytime and
for a bed at night. [U.S.]
2. One of a series of berths or bed places in tiers.
3. A piece of wood placed on a lumberman's sled to sustain the end of
heavy timbers. [Local, U.S.]
Bunk
Bunk, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bunked (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bunking.] To go
to bed in a bunk; -- sometimes with in. [Colloq. U.S.] Bartlett.
Bunker
Bun"ker (?), n. [Scot. bunker, bunkart, a bench, or low chest, serving
for a seat. Cf. Bunk, Bank, Bench.]
1. A sort of chest or box, as in a window, the lid of which serves for
a seat. [Scot.] Jamieson.
2. A large bin or similar receptacle; as, a coal bunker.
Bunko
Bun"ko (?), n. [Sf. Sp. banco bank, banca a sort of game at cards. Cf.
Bank (in the commercial sense).] A kind of swindling game or scheme,
by means of cards or by a sham lottery. [Written also bunco.] Bunko
steerer, a person employed as a decoy in bunko. [Slang, U.S.]
Bunkum
Bun"kum (?), n. See Buncombe.
Bunn
Bunn (?), n. See Bun.
Bunnian
Bun"nian (?), n. See Bunyon.
Bunny
Bun"ny (?), n. (Mining) A great collection of ore without any vein
coming into it or going out from it.
Bunny
Bun"ny, n. A pet name for a rabbit or a squirrel.
Bunodonta, Bunodonts
Bu`no*don"ta (?), Bu"no*donts (?), n. pl. [NL. bunodonta, fr. Gr.
(Zo\'94l.) A division of the herbivorous mammals including the hogs
and hippopotami; -- so called because the teeth are tuberculated.
Bunsen's battery, Bunsen's burner
Bun"sen's bat"ter*y (?), Bun"sen's burn`er (?). See under Battery, and
Burner.
Bunt
Bunt (?), n. (Bot.) A fungus (Ustilago f\'d2tida) which affects the
ear of cereals, filling the grains with a fetid dust; -- also called
pepperbrand.
Bunt
Bunt, n. [Cf. Sw. bunt bundle, Dan. bundt, G. bund, E. bundle.]
(Naut.) The middle part, cavity, or belly of a sail; the part of a
furled sail which is at the center of the yard. Totten.
Bunt
Bunt, v. i. (Naut.) To swell out; as, the sail bunts.
Bunt
Bunt, v. t. & i. To strike or push with the horns or head; to butt;
as, the ram bunted the boy.
Bunter
Bun"ter (?), n. A woman who picks up rags in the streets; hence, a
low, vulgar woman. [Cant]
Her . . . daughters, like bunters in stuff gowns. Goldsmith.
Bunting
Bun"ting (?), n. [Scot. buntlin, corn-buntlin, OE. bunting, buntyle;
of unknown origin.] (Zo\'94l.) A bird of the genus Emberiza, or of an
allied genus, related to the finches and sparrows (family
Fringillid\'91).
NOTE: &hand; Am ong European species are the common or corn bunting
(Emberiza miliaria); the ortolan (E. hortulana); the cirl (E.
cirlus); and the black-headed (Granitivora melanocephala). American
species are the bay-winged or grass (Po\'94c\'91tes or Po\'d2cetes
gramineus); the black-throated (Spiza Americana); the towhee
bunting or chewink (Pipilo); the snow bunting (Plectrophanax
nivalis); the rice bunting or bobolink, and others. See Ortolan,
Chewick, Snow bunting, Lark bunting.
Bunting, Buntine
Bun"ting, Bun"tine (?), n. [Prov. E. bunting sifting flour, OE. bonten
to sift, hence prob. the material used for that purpose.] A thin
woolen stuff, used chiefly for flags, colors, and ships' signals.
Buntline
Bunt"line (?), n. [2d bunt + line.] (Naut.) One of the ropes toggled
to the footrope of a sail, used to haul up to the yard the body of the
sail when taking it in. Totten.
Bunyon, Bunion
Bun"yon, Bun"ion (?), n. [Cf. Prov. E. bunny a small swelling, fr. OF.
bugne, It. bugna, bugnone. See Bun.] (Med.) An enlargement and
inflammation of a small membranous sac (one of the burs\'91
muscos\'91), usually occurring on the first joint of the great toe.
Buoy
Buoy (?), n. [D. boei buoy, fetter, fr. OF. boie, buie, chain, fetter,
F. bou\'82e a buoy, from L. boia. "Boiae genus vinculorum tam ferreae
quam ligneae." Festus. So called because chained to its place.]
(Naut.) A float; esp. a floating object moored to the bottom, to mark
a channel or to point out the position of something beneath the water,
as an anchor, shoal, rock, etc. Anchor buoy, a buoy attached to, or
marking the position of, an anchor. -- Bell buoy, a large buoy on
which a bell is mounted, to be rung by the motion of the waves. --
Breeches buoy. See under Breeches. -- Cable buoy, an empty cask
employed to buoy up the cable in rocky anchorage. -- Can buoy, a
hollow buoy made of sheet or boiler iron, usually conical or
pear-shaped. -- Life buoy, a float intended to support persons who
have fallen into the water, until a boat can be dispatched to save
them. -- Nut OR Nun buoy, a buoy large in the middle, and tapering
nearly to a point at each end. -- To stream the buoy, to let the
anchor buoy fall by the ship's side into the water, before letting go
the anchor. -- Whistling buoy, a buoy fitted with a whistle that is
blown by the action of the waves.
Buoy
Buoy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Buoyed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Buoying.]
1. To keep from sinking in a fluid, as in water or air; to keep
afloat; -- with up.
2. To support or sustain; to preserve from sinking into ruin or
despondency.
Those old prejudices, which buoy up the ponderous mass of his
nobility, wealth, and title. Burke.
3. To fix buoys to; to mark by a buoy or by buoys; as, to buoy an
anchor; to buoy or buoy off a channel.
Not one rock near the surface was discovered which was not buoyed
by this floating weed. Darwin.
Buoy
Buoy, v. i. To float; to rise like a buoy. "Rising merit will buoy up
at last." Pope.
Buoyage
Buoy"age (?), n. Buoys, taken collectively; a series of buoys, as for
the guidance of vessels into or out of port; the providing of buoys.
Buoyance
Buoy"ance (?), n. Buoyancy. [R.]
Buoyancy
Buoy"an*cy (?), n.; pl. Buoyancies (.
1. The property of floating on the surface of a liquid, or in a fluid,
as in the atmosphere; specific lightness, which is inversely as the
weight compared with that of an equal volume of water.
2. (Physics) The upward pressure exerted upon a floating body by a
fluid, which is equal to the weight of the body; hence, also, the
weight of a floating body, as measured by the volume of fluid
displaced.
Such are buoyancies or displacements of the different classes of
her majesty's ships. Eng. Cyc.
3. Cheerfulness; vivacity; liveliness; sprightliness; -- the opposite
of heaviness; as, buoyancy of spirits.
Buoyant
Buoy"ant (?), a. [From Buoy, v. t. & i.]
1. Having the quality of rising or floating in a fluid; tending to
rise or float; as, iron is buoyant in mercury. "Buoyant on the flood."
Pope.
2. Bearing up, as a fluid; sustaining another body by being
specifically heavier.
The water under me was buoyant. Dryden.
3. Light-hearted; vivacious; cheerful; as, a buoyant disposition;
buoyant spirits. -- Buoy"ant*ly, adv.
Buprestidan
Bu*pres"ti*dan (?), n. [L. buprestis, Gr. (Zo\'94l.) One of a tribe of
beetles, of the genus Buprestis and allied genera, usually with
brilliant metallic colors. The larv\'91 are usually bores in timber,
or beneath bark, and are often very destructive to trees.
Bur, Burr
Bur, Burr (?), n. [OE. burre burdock; cf. Dan. borre, OSw. borra,
burdock, thistle; perh. akin to E. bristle (burr- for burz-), or perh.
to F. bourre hair, wool, stuff; also, according to Cotgrave, "the
downe, or hairie coat, wherewith divers herbes, fruits, and flowers,
are covered," fr. L. burrae trifles, LL. reburrus rough.]
1. (Bot.) Any rough or prickly envelope of the seeds of plants,
whether a pericarp, a persistent calyx, or an involucre, as of the
chestnut and burdock. Also, any weed which bears burs.
Amongst rude burs and thistles. Milton.
Bur and brake and brier. Tennyson.
2. The thin ridge left by a tool in cutting or shaping metal. See
Burr, n., 2.
3. A ring of iron on a lance or spear. See Burr, n., 4.
4. The lobe of the ear. See Burr, n., 5.
5. The sweetbread.
6. A clinker; a partially vitrified brick.
7. (Mech.) (a) A small circular saw. (b) A triangular chisel. (c) A
drill with a serrated head larger than the shank; -- used by dentists.
8. [Cf. Gael. borr, borra, a knob, bunch.] (Zo\'94l.) The round knob
of an antler next to a deer's head. [Commonly written burr.]
Bur oak (Bot.), a useful and ornamental species of oak (Quercus
macrocarpa) with ovoid acorns inclosed in deep cups imbricated with
pointed scales. It grows in the Middle and Western United States, and
its wood is tough, close-grained, and durable. -- Bur reed (Bot.), a
plant of the genus Sparganium, having long ribbonlike leaves.
Burbolt
Bur"bolt` (?), n. A birdbolt. [Obs.] Ford.
Burbot
Bur"bot (?), n. [F. barbote, fr. barbe beard. See 1st Barb.]
(Zo\'94l.) A fresh-water fish of the genus Lota, having on the nose
two very small barbels, and a larger one on the chin. [Written also
burbolt.]
NOTE: &hand; Th e fi sh is al so called an eelpout or ling, and is
allied to the codfish. The Lota vulgaris is a common European
species. An American species (L. maculosa) is found in New England,
the Great Lakes, and farther north.
Burdelais
Bur`de*lais" (?), n. [F. bourdelais, prob. fr. bordelais. See
Bordelais.] A sort of grape. Jonson.
Burden
Bur"den (?), n. [Written also burthen.] [OE. burden, burthen, birthen,
birden, AS. byr&edh;en; akin to Icel. byr&edh;i, Dan. byrde, Sw.
b\'94rda, G. b\'81rde, OHG. burdi, Goth. ba\'a3r, fr. the root of E.
bear, AS. beran, Goth. bairan. \'fb92. See 1st Bear.]
1. That which is borne or carried; a load.
Plants with goodly burden bowing. Shak.
2. That which is borne with labor or difficulty; that which is
grievous, wearisome, or oppressive.
Deaf, giddy, helpless, left alone, To all my friends a burden
grown. Swift.
3. The capacity of a vessel, or the weight of cargo that she will
carry; as, a ship of a hundred tons burden.
4. (Mining) The tops or heads of stream-work which lie over the stream
of tin.
5. (Metal.) The proportion of ore and flux to fuel, in the charge of a
blast furnace. Raymond.
6. A fixed quantity of certain commodities; as, a burden of gad steel,
120 pounds.
7. A birth. [Obs. & R.] Shak.
Beast of burden, an animal employed in carrying burdens. -- Burden of
proof [L. onus probandi] (Law), the duty of proving a particular
position in a court of law, a failure in the performance of which duty
calls for judgment against the party on whom the duty is imposed. Syn.
-- Burden, Load. A burden is, in the literal sense, a weight to be
borne; a load is something laid upon us to be carried. Hence, when
used figuratively, there is usually a difference between the two
words. Our burdens may be of such a nature that we feel bound to bear
them cheerfully or without complaint. They may arise from the nature
of our situation; they may be allotments of Providence; they may be
the consequences of our errors. What is upon us, as a load, we
commonly carry with greater reluctance or sense of oppression. Men
often find the charge of their own families to be a burden; but if to
this be added a load of care for others, the pressure is usually serve
and irksome.
Burden
Bur"den, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Burdened (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Burdening
(#).]
1. To encumber with weight (literal or figurative); to lay a heavy
load upon; to load.
I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened. 2 Cor. viii.
13.
2. To oppress with anything grievous or trying; to overload; as, to
burden a nation with taxes.
My burdened heart would break. Shak.
3. To impose, as a load or burden; to lay or place as a burden
(something heavy or objectionable). [R.]
It is absurd to burden this act on Cromwell. Coleridge.
Syn. -- To load; encumber; overload; oppress.
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Page 193
Burden
Bur"den (?), n. [OE. burdoun the bass in music, F. bourdon; cf. LL.
burdo drone, a long organ pipe, a staff, a mule. Prob. of imitative
origin. Cf. Bourdon.]
1. The verse repeated in a song, or the return of the theme at the end
of each stanza; the chorus; refrain. Hence: That which is often
repeated or which is dwelt upon; the main topic; as, the burden of a
prayer.
I would sing my song without a burden. Shak.
2. The drone of a bagpipe. Ruddiman.
Burden
Bur"den, n. [See Burdon.] A club. [Obs.] Spenser.
Burdener
Bur"den*er (?), n. One who loads; a oppressor.
Burdenous
Bur"den*ous (?), a. Burdensome. [Obs.] "Burdenous taxations." Shak.
Burdensome
Bur"den*some (?), a. Grievous to be borne; causing uneasiness or
fatigue; oppressive.
The debt immense of endless gratitude So burdensome. Milton.
Syn. -- Heavy; weighty; cumbersome; onerous; grievous; oppressive;
troublesome. -- Bur"den*some*ly, adv. -- Bur"den*some*ness, n.
Burdock
Bur"dock (?), n. [Bur + dock the plant.] (Bot.) A genus of coarse
biennial herbs (Lappa), bearing small burs which adhere tenaciously to
clothes, or to the fur or wool of animals.
NOTE: &hand; The common burdock is the Lappa officinalis.
Burdon
Bur"don (?), n. [See Bourdon.] A pilgrim's staff. [Written also
burden.] Rom. of R.
Bureau
Bu"reau (?), n.; pl. E. Bureaus (#), F. Bureaux (#). [F. bureau a
writing table, desk, office, OF., drugget, with which a writing table
was often covered, equiv. to F. bure, and fr. OF. buire dark brown,
the stuff being named from its color, fr. L. burrus red, fr. Gr. Fire,
n., and cf. Borel, n.]
1. Originally, a desk or writing table with drawers for papers. Swift.
2. The place where such a bureau is used; an office where business
requiring writing is transacted.
3. Hence: A department of public business requiring a force of clerks;
the body of officials in a department who labor under the direction of
a chief.
NOTE: &hand; On th e continent of Europe, the highest departments,
in most countries, have the name of bureaux; as, the Bureau of the
Minister of Foreign Affairs. In England and America, the term is
confined to inferior and subordinate departments; as, the "Pension
Bureau," a subdepartment of the Department of the Interior. [Obs.]
In Spanish, bureo denotes a court of justice for the trial of
persons belonging to the king's household.
4. A chest of drawers for clothes, especially when made as an
ornamental piece of furniture. [U.S.]
Bureau system. See Bureaucracy. -- Bureau Veritas, an institution, in
the interest of maritime underwriters, for the survey and rating of
vessels all over the world. It was founded in Belgium in 1828, removed
to Paris in 1830, and re\'89stablished in Brussels in 1870.
Bureaucracy
Bu*reau"cra*cy (?), n. [Bureau + Gr. bureaucratie.]
1. A system of carrying on the business of government by means of
departments or bureaus, each under the control of a chief, in
contradiction to a system in which the officers of government have an
associated authority and responsibility; also, government conducted on
this system.
2. Government officials, collectively.
Bureaucrat
Bu*reau"crat (?), n. An official of a bureau; esp. an official
confirmed in a narrow and arbitrary routine. C. Kingsley.
Bureaucratic, Bureaucratical
Bu`reau*crat"ic (?), Bu`reau*crat"ic*al (?), a. [Cf. F.
bureaucratique.] Of, relating to, or resembling, a bureaucracy.
Bureaucratist
Bu*reau"cra*tist (?), n. An advocate for , or supporter of,
bureaucracy.
Burel
Bur"el (?), n. & a. Same as Borrel.
Burette
Bu*rette" (?), n. [F., can, cruet, dim. of buire flagon.] (Chem.) An
apparatus for delivering measured quantities of liquid or for
measuring the quantity of liquid or gas received or discharged. It
consists essentially of a graduated glass tube, usually furnished with
a small aperture and stopcock.
Bur fish
Bur" fish` (?). (Zo\'94l.) A spinose, plectognath fish of the Allantic
coast of the United States (esp. Chilo mycterus geometricus) having
the power of distending its body with water or air, so as to resemble
a chestnut bur; -- called also ball fish, balloon fish, and swellfish.
Burg
Burg (?), n. [AS. burh, burg, cf. LL. burgus. See 1st Borough.]
1. A fortified town. [Obs.]
2. A borough. [Eng.] See 1st Borough.
Burgage
Burg"age (?), n. [From Burg: cf. F. bourgage, LL. burgagium.] (Eng.
Law) A tenure by which houses or lands are held of the king or other
lord of a borough or city; at a certain yearly rent, or by services
relating to trade or handicraft. Burrill.
Burgall
Bur"gall (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A small marine fish; -- also called
cunner.
Burgamot
Bur"ga*mot (?), n. See Bergamot.
Burganet
Bur"ga*net (?), n. See Burgonet.
Burgee
Bur"gee (?), n.
1. A kind of small coat.
2. (Naut.) A swallow-tailed flag; a distinguishing pen
Burgeois
Bur*geois" (?), n. (Print.) See 1st Bourgeous.
Burgeois
Bur*geois" (?), n. A burgess; a citizen. See 2d Bourgeois. [R.]
Addison.
Burgeon
Bur"geon (?), v. i. To bud. See Bourgeon.
Burgess
Bur"gess (?), n. [OE. burgeis, OF. burgeis, fr. burcfortified town,
town, F. bourg village, fr. LL. burgus fort, city; from the German;
cf. MHG. burc, G. burg. See 1st Borough, and cf. 2d Bourgeois.]
1. An inhabitant of a borough or walled town, or one who possesses a
tenement therein; a citizen or freeman of a borough. Blackstone.
NOTE: &hand; "A burgess of a borough corresponds with a citizen of
a city."
Burrill.
2. One who represents a borough in Parliament.
3. A magistrate of a borough.
4. An inhabitant of a Scotch burgh qualified to vote for municipal
officers.
NOTE: &hand; Be fore th e Re volution, th e re presentatives in the
popular branch of the legislature of Virginia were called
burgesses; they are now called delegates.
Burgess oath. See Burgher, 2.
Burgess-ship
Bur"gess-ship (?), n. The state of privilege of a burgess. South.
Burggrave
Burg"grave (?), n. [G. burggraf; burg fortress + graf count: cf. D.
burggraaf, F. burgrave. See Margrave.] (Gremany) Originally, one
appointed to the command of a burg (fortress or castle); but the title
afterward became hereditary, with a domain attached.
Burgh
Burgh (?), n. [OE. See Burg.] A borough or incorporated town,
especially, one in Scotland. See Borough.
Burghal
Burgh"al (?), a. Belonging of a burgh.
Burghbote
Burgh"bote` (?), n. [Burgh + bote.] (Old Law) A contribution toward
the building or repairing of castles or walls for the defense of a
city or town.
Burghbrech
Burgh"brech` (?), n. [Burgh + F. br\'8ache, equiv. to E. breach.] (AS.
Law) The offense of violating the pledge given by every inhabitant of
a tithing to keep the peace; breach of the peace. Burrill.
Burgher
Burgh"er (?), n. [From burgh; akin to D. burger, G. b\'81rger, Dan.
borger, Sw. borgare. See Burgh.]
1. A freeman of a burgh or borough, entitled to enjoy the privileges
of the place; any inhabitant of a borough.
2. (Eccl. Hist.) A member of that party, among the Scotch seceders,
which asserted the lawfulness of the burgess oath (in which burgesses
profess "the true religion professed within the realm"), the opposite
party being called antiburghers.
NOTE: &hand; Th ese pa rties ar ose am ong th e Pr esbyterians of
Scotland, in 1747, and in 1820 reunited under the name of the
"United Associate Synod of the Secession Church."
Burghermaster
Burgh"er*mas`ter (?), n. See Burgomaster.
Burghership
Burgh"er*ship (?), n. The state or privileges of a burgher.
Burghmaster
Burgh"mas`ter (?), n.
1. A burgomaster.
2. (Mining) An officer who directs and lays out the meres or
boundaries for the workmen; -- called also bailiff, and barmaster.
[Eng.]
Burghmote
Burgh"mote` (?), n. (AS. Law) [Burgh + mote meeting.] A court or
meeting of a burgh or borough; a borough court held three times
yearly.
Burglar
Bur"glar (?), n. [OE. burg town, F. bourg, fr. LL. burgus (of German
origin) + OF. lere thief, fr. L. latro. See Borough, and Larceny.]
(Law) One guilty of the crime of burglary. Burglar alarm, a device for
giving alarm if a door or window is opened from without.
Burglarer
Bur"glar*er (?), n. A burglar. [Obs.]
Burglarious
Bur*gla"ri*ous (?), a. Pertaining to burglary; constituting the crime
of burglary.
To come down a chimney is held a burglarious entry. Blackstone.
Burglariously
Bur*gla"ri*ous*ly, adv. With an intent to commit burglary; in the
manner of a burglar. Blackstone.
Burglary
Bur"gla*ry (?), n.; pl. Burglaries (. [Fr. Burglar; cf. LL.
burglaria.] (Law) Breaking and entering the dwelling house of another,
in the nighttime, with intent to commit a felony therein, whether the
felonious purpose be accomplished or not. Wharton. Burrill.
NOTE: &hand; By statute law in some of the United States, burglary
includes the breaking with felonious intent into a house by day as
well as by night, and into other buildings than dwelling houses.
Various degrees of the crime are established.
Burgomaster
Bur"go*mas`ter (?), n. [D. burgemeester; burg borough + meester
master; akin to G. burgemeister, b\'81rgermeister. See 1st Borough,
and Master.]
1. A chief magistrate of a municipal town in Holland, Flanders, and
Germany, corresponding to mayor in England and the United States; a
burghmaster.
2. (Zo\'94l.) An aquatic bird, the glaucous gull (Larus glaucus),
common in arctic regions.
Burgonet
Bur"go*net (?), n. [F. bouruignotte, because the Burgundians, F.
Bouruignons, first used it.] A kind of helmet. [Written also
burganet.] Shak.
Burgoo
Bur"goo (?), n. [Prov. E. burgood yeast, perh. fr. W. burym yeast +
cawl cabbage, gruel.] A kind of oatmeal pudding, or thick gruel, used
by seamen. [Written also burgout.]
Burgrass
Bur"grass` (?), n. (Bot.) Grass of the genus Cenchrus, growing in
sand, and having burs for fruit.
Burgrave
Bur"grave (?), n. [F.] See Burggrave.
Burgundy
Bur"gun*dy (?), n.
1. An old province of France (in the eastern central part).
2. A richly flavored wine, mostly red, made in Burgundy, France.
Burgundy pitch, a resinous substance prepared from the exudation of
the Norway spruce (Abies excelsa) by melting in hot water and
straining through cloth. The genuine Burgundy pitch, supposed to have
been first prepared in Burgundy, is rare, but there are many
imitations. It has a yellowish brown color, is translucent and hard,
but viscous. It is used in medicinal plasters.
Burh
Burh (?), n. See Burg. [Obs.]
Burhel, Burrhel
Bur"hel, Burr"hel (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The wild Himalayan, or blue,
sheep (Ovis burrhel).
Burial
Bur"i*al (?), n. [OE. buriel, buriels, grave, tomb, AS. byrgels, fr.
byrgan to bury, and akin to OS. burgisli sepulcher.]
1. A grave; a tomb; a place of sepulture. [Obs.]
The erthe schook, and stoones weren cloven, and biriels weren
opened. Wycliff [Matt. xxvii. 51, 52].
2. The act of burying; depositing a dead body in the earth, in a tomb
or vault, or in the water, usually with attendant ceremonies;
sepulture; interment. "To give a public burial." Shak.
Now to glorious burial slowly borne. Tennyson.
Burial case, a form of coffin, usually of iron, made to close
air-tight, for the preservation of a dead body. -- Burial ground, a
piece of ground selected and set apart for a place of buriials, and
consecrated to such use by religious ceremonies. -- Burial place, any
place where burials are made. -- Burial service. (a) The religious
service performed at the interment of the dead; a funeral service. (b)
That portion of a liturgy which is read at an interment; as, the
English burial service. Syn. -- Sepulture; interment; inhumation.
Burier
Bur"i*er (?), n. One who, or that which, buries.
Till the buriers have buried it. Ezek. xxxix. 15.
And darkness be the burier of the dead. Shak.
Burin
Bu"rin (?), n. [F. burin, cf. It. burino, bulino; prob. from OHG. bora
borer, bor\'d3n to bore, G. bohren. See 1st Bore.]
1. The cutting tool of an engraver on metal, used in line engraving.
It is made of tempered steel, one end being ground off obliquely so as
to produce a sharp point, and the other end inserted in a handle; a
graver; also, the similarly shaped tool used by workers in marble.
2. The manner or style of execution of an engraver; as, a soft burin;
a brilliant burin.
Burinist
Bu"rin*ist, n. One who works with the burin. For. Quart. Rev.
Burion
Bu"ri*on (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The red-breasted house sparrow of
California (Carpodacus frontalis); -- called also crimson-fronted
bullfinch. [Written also burrion.]
Burke
Burke (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Burkeder> (; p. pr. & vb.n.
Burkinger>.] [From one Burke of Edinburgh, who committed the crime in
1829.]
1. To murder by suffocation, or so as to produce few marks of
violence, for the purpose of obtaining a body to be sold for
dissection.
2. To dispose of quietly or indirectly; to suppress; to smother; to
shelve; as, to burke a parliamentary question.
The court could not burke an inquiry, supported by such a mass of a
affidavits. C. Reade.
Burkism
Burk"ism (?), n. The practice of killing persons for the purpose of
selling their bodies for dissection.
Burl
Burl (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Burled (; p. pr. & vb. n. Burling.] [OE.
burle stuffing, or a knot in cloth; cf. F. bourlet, bourrelet, OF.
bourel, a wreath or a roll of cloth, linen, or leather, stuffed with
flocks, etc., dim. of bourre. \'fb92. See Bur.] To dress or finish up
(cloth); to pick knots, burs, loose threads, etc., from, as in
finishing cloth. Burling iron, a peculiar kind of nippers or tweezers
used in burling woolen cloth.
Burl
Burl, n.
1. A knot or lump in thread or cloth.
2. An overgrown knot, or an excrescence, on a tree; also, veneer made
from such excrescences.
Burlap
Bur"lap (?), n. A coarse fabric, made of jute or hemp, used for
bagging; also, a finer variety of similar material, used for curtains,
etc. [Written also burlaps.]
Burler
Burl"er (?), n. One who burls or dresses cloth.
Burlesque
Bur*lesque" (?), a. [F. burlesque, fr. It. burlesco, fr. burla jest,
mockery, perh. for burrula, dim. of L. burrae trifles. See Bur.]
Tending to excite laughter or contempt by extravagant images, or by a
contrast between the subject and the manner of treating it, as when a
trifling subject is treated with mock gravity; jocular; ironical.
It is a dispute among the critics, whether burlesque poetry runs
best in heroic verse, like that of the Dispensary, or in doggerel,
like that of Hudibras. Addison.
Burlesque
Bur*lesque" (?), n.
1. Ludicrous representation; exaggerated parody; grotesque satire.
Burlesque is therefore of two kinds; the first represents mean
persons in the accouterments of heroes, the other describes great
persons acting and speaking like the basest among the people.
Addison.
2. An ironical or satirical composition intended to excite laughter,
or to ridicule anything.
The dull burlesque appeared with impudence, And pleased by novelty
in spite of sense. Dryden.
3. A ludicrous imitation; a caricature; a travesty; a gross
perversion.
Who is it that admires, and from the heart is attached to, national
representative assemblies, but must turn with horror and disgust
from such a profane burlesque and abominable perversion of that
sacred institute? Burke.
Syn. -- Mockery; farce; travesty; mimicry.
Burlesque
Bur*lesque" (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Burlesqued (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Burlesquing (#).] To ridicule, or to make ludicrous by grotesque
representation in action or in language.
They burlesqued the prophet Jeremiah's words, and turned the
expression he used into ridicule. Stillingfleet.
Burlesque
Bur*lesque", v. i. To employ burlesque.
Burlesquer
Bur*les"quer (?), n. One who burlesques.
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Burletta
Bur*let"ta (?), n. [It., dim. of burla mockery. See Burlesque, a.]
(Mus.) A comic operetta; a music farce. Byron.
Burliness
Bur"li*ness (?), n. Quality of being burly.
Burly
Bur"ly (?), a. [OE. burlich strong, excellent; perh. orig. fit for a
lady's bower, hence handsome, manly, stout. Cf. Bower.]
1. Having a large, strong, or gross body; stout; lusty; -- now used
chiefly of human beings, but formerly of animals, in the sense of
stately or beautiful, and of inanimate things that were huge and
bulky. "Burly sacks." Drayton.
In his latter days, with overliberal diet, [he was] somewhat
corpulent and burly. Sir T. More.
Burly and big, and studious of his ease. Cowper.
2. Coarse and rough; boisterous.
It was the orator's own burly way of nonsense. Cowley.
Burman
Bur"man (?), n.; pl. Burmans (. ["The softened modern M'yan-ma,
M'yan-ma [native name] is the source of the European corruption
Burma." Balfour.], (Ethnol.) A member of the Burman family, one of the
four great families Burmah; also, sometimes, any inhabitant of Burmah;
a Burmese. -- a. Of or pertaining to the Burmans or to Burmah.
Bur marigold
Bur" mar"i*gold (?). See Beggar's ticks.
Burmese
Bur`mese" (?), a. Of or pertaining to Burmah, or its inhabitants. --
n. sing. & pl. A native or the natives of Burmah. Also (sing.), the
language of the Burmans.
Burn
Burn (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Burned (Burnt (p. pr. & vb. n. Burning.]
[OE. bernen, brennen, v.t., early confused with beornen, birnen, v.i.,
AS. b\'91rnan, bernan, v.t., birnan, v.i.; akin to OS. brinnan,
OFries. barna, berna, OHG. brinnan, brennan, G. brennen, OD. bernen,
D. branden, Dan. br\'91nde, Sw. br\'84nna, brinna, Icel. brenna, Goth.
brinnan, brannjan (in comp.), and possibly to E. fervent.]
1. To consume with fire; to reduce to ashes by the action of heat or
fire; -- frequently intensified by up: as, to burn up wood. "We'll
burn his body in the holy place." Shak.
2. To injure by fire or heat; to change destructively some property or
properties of, by undue exposure to fire or heat; to scorch; to scald;
to blister; to singe; to char; to sear; as, to burn steel in forging;
to burn one's face in the sun; the sun burns the grass.
3. To perfect or improve by fire or heat; to submit to the action of
fire or heat for some economic purpose; to destroy or change some
property or properties of, by exposure to fire or heat in due degree
for obtaining a desired residuum, product, or effect; to bake; as, to
burn clay in making bricks or pottery; to burn wood so as to produce
charcoal; to burn limestone for the lime.
4. To make or produce, as an effect or result, by the application of
fire or heat; as, to burn a hole; to burn charcoal; to burn letters
into a block.
5. To consume, injure, or change the condition of, as if by action of
fire or heat; to affect as fire or heat does; as, to burn the mouth
with pepper.
This tyrant fever burns me up. Shak.
This dry sorrow burns up all my tears. Dryden.
When the cold north wind bloweth, . . . it devoureth the mountains,
and burneth the wilderness, and consumeth the Ecclus. xliii. 20,
21.
6. (Surg.) To apply a cautery to; to cauterize.
7. (Chem.) To cause to combine with oxygen or other active agent, with
evolution of heat; to consume; to oxidize; as, a man burns a certain
amount of carbon at each respiration; to burn iron in oxygen.
To burn, To burn together, as two surfaces of metal (Engin.), to fuse
and unite them by pouring over them a quantity of the same metal in a
liquid state. -- To burn a bowl (Game of Bowls), to displace it
accidentally, the bowl so displaced being said to be burned. -- To
burn daylight, to light candles before it is dark; to waste time; to
perform superfluous actions. Shak. -- To burn one's fingers, to get
one's self into unexpected trouble, as by interfering the concerns of
others, speculation, etc. -- To burn out, to destroy or obliterate by
burning. "Must you with hot irons burn out mine eyes?" Shak. -- To be
burned out, to suffer loss by fire, as the burning of one's house,
store, or shop, with the contents. -- To burn up, To burn down, to
burn entirely.
Burn
Burn, v. i.
1. To be of fire; to flame. "The mount burned with fire." Deut. ix.
15.
2. To suffer from, or be scorched by, an excess of heat.
Your meat doth burn, quoth I. Shak.
3. To have a condition, quality, appearance, sensation, or emotion, as
if on fire or excessively heated; to act or rage with destructive
violence; to be in a state of lively emotion or strong desire; as, the
face burns; to burn with fever.
Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the
way? Luke xxiv. 32.
The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne, Burned on the water.
Shak.
Burning with high hope. Byron.
The groan still deepens, and the combat burns. Pope.
The parching air Burns frore, and cold performs the effect of fire.
Milton.
4. (Chem.) To combine energetically, with evolution of heat; as,
copper burns in chlorine.
5. In certain games, to approach near to a concealed object which is
sought. [Colloq.]
To burn out, to burn till the fuel is exhausted. -- To burn up, To
burn down, to be entirely consumed.
Burn
Burn, n.
1. A hurt, injury, or effect caused by fire or excessive or intense
heat.
2. The operation or result of burning or baking, as in brickmaking;
as, they have a good burn.
3. A disease in vegetables. See Brand, n., 6.
Burn
Burn, n. [See 1st Bourn.] A small stream. [Scot.]
Burnable
Burn"a*ble (?), a. Combustible. Cotgrave.
Burned
Burned (?), p. p. & a. See Burnt.
Burned
Burned (?), p. p. Burnished. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Burner
Burn"er (?), n.
1. One who, or that which, burns or sets fire to anything.
2. The part of a lamp, gas fixture, etc., where the flame is produced.
Bunsen's burner (Chem.), a kind of burner, invented by Professor
Bunsen of Heidelberg, consisting of a straight tube, four or five
inches in length, having small holes for the entrance of air at the
bottom. Illuminating gas being also admitted at the bottom, a mixture
of gas and air is formed which burns at the top with a feebly luminous
but intensely hot flame. -- Argand burner, Rose burner, etc. See under
Argand, Rose, etc.
Burnet
Bur"net (?), n. [OE. burnet burnet; also, brownish (the plant perh.
being named from its color), fr. F. brunet, dim. of brun brown; cf.
OF. brunete a sort of flower. See Brunette.] (Bot.) A genus of
perennial herbs (Poterium); especially, P.Sanguisorba, the common, or
garden, burnet. Burnet moth (Zo\'94l.), in England, a handsome moth
(Zyg\'91na filipendula), with crimson spots on the wings. -- Burnet
saxifrage. (Bot.) See Saxifrage. -- Canadian burnet, a marsh plant
(Poterium Canadensis). -- Great burnet, Wild burnet, Poterium (or
Sanguisorba) oficinalis.
Burnettize
Bur"nett*ize (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Burnettized (; p. pr. & vb. n.
Burnettizing.] (Manuf.) To subject (wood, fabrics, etc.) to a process
of saturation in a solution of chloride of zinc, to prevent decay; --
a process invented by Sir William Burnett.
Burnie
Burn"ie (?), n. [See 4th Burn.] A small brook. [Scot.] Burns.
Burniebee
Bur"nie*bee` (?), n. The ladybird. [Prov. Eng.]
Burning
Burn"ing, a.
1. That burns; being on fire; excessively hot; fiery.
2. Consuming; intense; inflaming; exciting; vehement; powerful; as,
burning zeal.
Like a young hound upon a burning scent. Dryden.
Burning bush (Bot.), an ornamental shrub (Euonymus atropurpureus),
bearing a crimson berry.
Burning
Burn"ing, n. The act of consuming by fire or heat, or of subjecting to
the effect of fire or heat; the state of being on fire or excessively
heated. Burning fluid, any volatile illuminating oil, as the lighter
petroleums (naphtha, benzine), or oil of turpentine (camphine), but
esp. a mixture of the latter with alcohol. -- Burning glass, a conxex
lens of considerable size, used for producing an intense heat by
converging the sun's rays to a focus. -- Burning house (Metal.), the
furnace in which tin ores are calcined, to sublime the sulphur and
arsenic from the pyrites. Weale. -- Burning mirror, a concave mirror,
or a combination of plane mirrors, used for the same purpose as a
burning glass. Syn. -- Combustion; fire; conflagration; flame; blaze.
Burnish
Bur"nish (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Burnished (#); p. pr. & vb. n.
Burnishing.] [OE. burnischen, burnissen, burnen, OF. burnir, brunir,
to make brown, polish, F. brunir, fr. F. brun brown, fr. OHG. br; cf.
MHG. briunen to make brown, polish. See Brown, a.] To cause to shine;
to make smooth and bright; to polish; specifically, to polish by
rubbing with something hard and smooth; as, to burnish brass or paper.
The frame of burnished steel, that east a glare From far, and
seemed to thaw the freezing air. Dryden.
Now the village windows blaze, Burnished by the setting sun.
Cunningham.
Burnishing machine, a machine for smoothing and polishing by
compression, as in making paper collars.
Burnish
Bur"nish, v. i. To shine forth; to brighten; to become smooth and
glossy, as from swelling or filling out; hence, to grow large.
A slender poet must have time to grow, And spread and burnish as
his brothers do. Dryden.
My thoughts began to burnish, sprout, and swell. Herbert.
Burnish
Bur"nish, n. The effect of burnishing; gloss; brightness; luster.
Crashaw.
Burnisher
Bur"nish*er (?), n.
1. One who burnishes.
2. A tool with a hard, smooth, rounded end or surface, as of steel,
ivory, or agate, used in smoothing or polishing by rubbing. It has a
variety of forms adapted to special uses.
Burnoose, Burnous
Bur"noose, Bur"nous (?), n. [Ar. burnus a kind of high-crowned cap:
cf. F. bournous, burnous, Sp. al-bornoz, a sort of upper garment, with
a hood attached.]
1. A cloaklike garment and hood woven in one piece, worn by Arabs.
2. A combination cloak and hood worn by women. [Variously written
bournous, bernouse, bornous, etc.]
Burnstickle
Burn"stic`kle (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A stickleback (Gasterosteus
aculeatus).
Burnt
Burnt (?), p. p. & a. Consumed with, or as with, fire; scorched or
dried, as with fire or heat; baked or hardened in the fire or the sun.
Burnt ear, a black, powdery fungus which destroys grain. See Smut. --
Burnt offering, something offered and burnt on an altar, as an
atonement for sin; a sacrifice. The offerings of the Jews were a clean
animal, as an ox, a calf, a goat, or a sheep; or some vegetable
substance, as bread, or ears of wheat or barley. Called also burnt
sacrifice. [2 Sam. xxiv. 22.]
Burr
Burr (?), n. [See Bur.] (Bot.)
1. A prickly seed vessel. See Bur, 1.
2. The thin edge or ridge left by a tool in cutting or shaping metal,
as in turning, engraving, pressing, etc.; also, the rough neck left on
a bullet in casting.
The graver, in plowing furrows in the surface of the copper, raises
corresponding ridges or burrs. Tomlinson.
3. A thin flat piece of metal, formed from a sheet by punching; a
small washer put on the end of a rivet before it is swaged down.
4. A broad iron ring on a tilting lance just below the gripe, to
prevent the hand from slipping.
5. The lobe or lap of the ear.
6. [Probably of imitative origin.] A guttural pronounciation of the
letter r, produced by trilling the extremity of the soft palate
against the back part of the tongue; rotacism; -- often called the
Newcastle, Northumberland, or Tweedside, burr.
7. The knot at the bottom of an antler. See Bur, n., 8.
Burr
Burr (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Burred (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Burring.] To
speak with burr; to make a hoarse or guttural murmur. Mrs. Browning.
Burrel
Bur"rel (?), n. [Cf. OF. burel reddish (cf. Borel, n.), or F.
beurr\'82 butter pear, fr. beurre butter. Cf. Butter.] A sort of pear,
called also the red butter pear, from its smooth, delicious, soft
pulp.
Burrel
Bur"rel, n. Same as Borrel.
Burrel fly
Bur"rel fly` (?). [From its reddish color. See 1st Burrel.] (Zo\'94l.)
The botfly or gadfly of cattle (Hypoderma bovis). See Gadfly.
Burrel shot
Bur"rel shot` (?). [Either from annoying the enemy like a burrel fly,
or, less probably, fr. F. bourreler to sting, torture.] (Gun.) A
mixture of shot, nails, stones, pieces of old iron, etc., fired from a
cannon at short range, in an emergency. [R.]
Burring machine
Burr"ing ma*chine" (?). A machine for cleansing wool of burs, seeds,
and other substances.
Burr millstone
Burr" mill"stone` (?). See Buhrstone.
Burro
Bur"ro (?), n. [Sp., an ass.] (Zo\'94l.) A donkey. [Southern U.S.]
Burrock
Bur"rock (?), n. [Perh. from AS. burg, burh, hill + -ock.] A small
weir or dam in a river to direct the stream to gaps where fish traps
are placed. Knight.
Burrow
Bur"row (?), n. [See 1st Borough.]
1. An incorporated town. See 1st Borough.
2. A shelter; esp. a hole in the ground made by certain animals, as
rabbits, for shelter and habitation.
3. (Mining) A heap or heaps of rubbish or refuse.
4. A mound. See 3d Barrow, and Camp, n., 5.
Burrow
Bur"row, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Burrowed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Burrowing.]
1. To excavate a hole to lodge in, as in the earth; to lodge in a hole
excavated in the earth, as conies or rabbits.
2. To lodge, or take refuge, in any deep or concealed place; to hide.
Sir, this vermin of court reporters, when they are forced into day
upon one point, are sure to burrow in another. Burke.
Burrowing owl (Zo\'94l.), a small owl of the western part of North
America (Speotyto cunicularia), which lives in holes, often in company
with the prairie dog.
Burrower
Bur"row*er (?), n. One who, or that which, burrows; an animal that
makes a hole under ground and lives in it.
Burrstone
Burr"stone`, n. See Buhrstone.
Burry
Burr"y (?), a. Abounding in burs, or containing burs; resembling burs;
as, burry wool.
Bursa
Bur"sa (?), n.; pl. Burs\'91 (. [L. See Burse.] (Anat.) Any sac or
saclike cavity; especially, one of the synovial sacs, or small spaces,
often lined with synovial membrane, interposed between tendons and
bony prominences.
Bursal
Bur"sal (?), a. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to a bursa or to burs\'91.
Bursar
Bur"sar (?), n. [LL. bursarius, fr. bursa purse. See Burse, and cf.
Purser.]
1. A treasurer, or cash keeper; a purser; as, the bursar of a college,
or of a monastery.
2. A student to whom a stipend or bursary is paid for his complete or
partial support.
Bursarship
Bur"sar*ship, n. The office of a bursar.
Bursary
Bur"sa*ry (?), n.; pl. -ries (#). [LL. bursaria. See Bursar.]
1. The treasury of a college or monastery.
2. A scholarship or charitable foundation in a university, as in
scotland; a sum given to enable a student to pursue his studies. "No
woman of rank or fortune but would have a bursary in her gift."
Southey.
Bursch
Bursch (?), n.; pl. Burschen (#). [G., ultimately fr. LL. bursa. See
Burse.] A youth; especially, a student in a german university.
Burse
Burse (?), n. [LL. bursa, or F. bourse. See Bourse, and cf. Bursch,
Purse.]
1. A purse; also, a vesicle; a pod; a hull. [Obs.] Holland.
2. A fund or foundation for the maintenance of needy scholars in their
studies; also, the sum given to the beneficiaries. [Scot.]
3. (Eccl.) An ornamental case of hold the corporal when not in use.
Shipley.
4. An exchange, for merchants and bankers, in the cities of
continental Europe. Same as Bourse.
5. A kind of bazaar. [Obs.]
She says she went to the burse for patterns. Old Play.
Bursiculate
Bur*sic"u*late (?), a. [See Burse.] (Bot.) Bursiform.
Bursiform
Bur"si*form (?), a. [LL. bursa purse + -form.] Shaped like a purse.
Bursitis
Bur*si"tis (?), n. [NL., fr. E. bursa + -itis.] (Med.) Inflammation of
a bursa.
Burst
Burst (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Burst; p. pr. & vb. n. Bursting. The
past participle bursten is obsolete.] [OE. bersten, bresten, AS.
berstan (pers. sing. berste, imp. sing. b\'91rst, imp. pl. burston,
p.p. borsten); akin to D. bersten, G. bersten, OHG. brestan, OS.
brestan, Icel. bresta, Sw. brista, Dan. briste. Cf. Brast, Break.]
1. To fly apart or in pieces; of break open; to yield to force or
pressure, especially to a sudden and violent exertion of force, or to
pressure from within; to explode; as, the boiler had burst; the buds
will burst in spring.
From the egg that soon Bursting with kindly rupture, forth
disclosed Their callow young. Milton.
NOTE: Often us ed fi guratively, as of the heart, in reference to a
surcharge of passion, grief, desire, etc.
No, no, my heart will burst, an if I speak: And I will speak, that
so my heart may burst. Shak.
2. To exert force or pressure by which something is made suddenly to
give way; to break through obstacles or limitations; hence, to appear
suddenly and unexpecedly or unaccountably, or to depart in such
manner; -- usually with some qualifying adverb or preposition, as
forth, out, away, into, upon, through, etc.
Tears, such as angels weep, burst forth. Milton.
And now you burst (ah cruel!) from my arms. Pope.
A resolved villain Whose bowels suddenly burst out. Shak.
We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea. Coleridge.
To burst upon him like an earthquake. Goldsmith.
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Burst
Burst (?), v. t.
1. To break or rend by violence, as by an overcharge or by strain or
pressure, esp. from within; to force open suddenly; as, to burst a
cannon; to burst a blood vessel; to burst open the doors.
My breast I'll burst with straining of my courage. Shak.
2. To break. [Obs.]
You will not pay for the glasses you have burst? Shak.
He burst his lance against the sand below. Fairfax (Tasso).
3. To produce as an effect of bursting; as, to burst a hole through
the wall.
Bursting charge. See under Charge.
Burst
Burst, n.
1. A sudden breaking forth; a violent rending; an explosion; as, a
burst of thunder; a burst of applause; a burst of passion; a burst of
inspiration.
Bursts of fox-hunting melody. W. Irving.
2. Any brief, violent evertion or effort; a spurt; as, a burst of
speed.
3. A sudden opening, as of landscape; a stretch; an expanse. [R.] "A
fine burst of country." Jane Austen.
4. A rupture of hernia; a breach.
Bursten
Burst"en (?), p. p. of Burst, v. i. [Obs.]
Burster
Burst"er (?), n. One that bursts.
Burstwort
Burst"wort` (?), n. (Bot.) A plant (Herniaria glabra) supposed to be
valuable for the cure of hernia or rupture.
Burt
Burt (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) See Birt. [Prov. Eng.]
Burthen
Bur"then (?), n. & v. t. See Burden. [Archaic]
Burton
Bur"ton (?), n. [Cf. OE. & Prov. E. bort to press or indent anything.]
(Naut.) A peculiar tackle, formed of two or more blocks, or pulleys,
the weight being suspended of a hook block in the bight of the running
part.
Bury
Bur"y (?), n. [See 1st Borough.]
1. A borough; a manor; as, the Bury of St. Edmond's; --
NOTE: used as a te rmination of names of places; as, Canterbury,
Shrewsbury.
2. A manor house; a castle. [Prov. Eng.]
To this very day, the chief house of a manor, or the lord's seat,
is called bury, in some parts of England. Miege.
Bury
Bur"y (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Buried (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Burying
(#).] [OE. burien, birien, berien, AS. byrgan; akin to beorgan to
protect, OHG. bergan, G. bergen, Icel. bjarga, Sw. berga, Dan. bierge,
Goth. ba\'a1rgan. &root;95. Cf. Burrow.]
1. To cover out of sight, either by heaping something over, or by
placing within something, as earth, etc.; to conceal by covering; to
hide; as, to bury coals in ashes; to bury the face in the hands.
And all their confidence Under the weight of mountains buried deep.
Milton.
2. Specifically: To cover out of sight, as the body of a deceased
person, in a grave, a tomb, or the ocean; to deposit (a corpse) in its
resting place, with funeral ceremonies; to inter; to inhume.
Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Matt. viii. 21.
I'll bury thee in a triumphant grave. Shak.
3. To hide in oblivion; to put away finally; to abandon; as, to bury
strife.
Give me a bowl of wine In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius.
Shak.
Burying beetle (Zo\'94l.), the general name of many species of
beetles, of the tribe Necrophaga; the sexton beetle; -- so called from
their habit of burying small dead animals by digging away the earth
beneath them. The larv\'91 feed upon decaying flesh, and are useful
scavengers. -- To bury the hatchet, to lay aside the instruments of
war, and make peace; -- a phrase used in allusion to the custom
observed by the North American Indians, of burying a tomahawk when
they conclude a peace. Syn. -- To intomb; inter; inhume; inurn; hide;
cover; conceal; overwhelm; repress.
Burying ground, Burying place
Bur"y*ing ground`, Bur"y*ing place. The ground or place for burying
the dead; burial place.
Bus
Bus (?), n. [Abbreviated from omnibus.] An omnibus. [Colloq.]
Busby
Bus"by (?), n.; pl. Busbies (. (Mil.) A military headdress or cap,
used in the British army. It is of fur, with a bag, of the same color
as the facings of the regiment, hanging from the top over the right
shoulder.
Buscon
Bus"con (?), n. [Sp., a searcher, fr. buscar to search.] One who
searches for ores; a prospector. [U.S.]
Bush
Bush (?), n. [OE. bosch, busch, buysch, bosk, busk; akin to D. bosch,
OHG. busc, G. busch, Icel. b, b, Dan. busk, Sw. buske, and also to LL.
boscus, buscus, Pr. bosc, It. bosco, Sp. & Pg. bosque, F. bois, OF.
bos. Whether the LL. or G. form ibox a case. Cf. Ambush, Boscage,
Bouquet, Box a case.]
1. A thicket, or place abounding in trees or shrubs; a wild forest.
NOTE: &hand; Th is wa s th e or iginal sense of the word, as in the
Dutch bosch, a wood, and was so used by Chaucer. In this sense it
is extensively used in the British colonies, especially at the Cape
of Good Hope, and also in Australia and Canada; as, to live or
settle in the bush.
2. A shrub; esp., a shrub with branches rising from or near the root;
a thick shrub or a cluster of shrubs.
To bind a bush of thorns among sweet-smelling flowers. Gascoigne.
3. A shrub cut off, or a shrublike branch of a tree; as, bushes to
support pea vines.
4. A shrub or branch, properly, a branch of ivy (as sacred to
Bacchus), hung out at vintners' doors, or as a tavern sign; hence, a
tavern sign, and symbolically, the tavern itself.
If it be true that good wine needs no bush, 't is true that a good
play needs no epilogue. Shak.
5. (Hunting) The tail, or brush, of a fox.
To beat about the bush, to approach anything in a round-about manner,
instead of coming directly to it; -- a metaphor taken from hunting. --
Bush bean (Bot.), a variety of bean which is low and requires no
support (Phaseolus vulgaris, variety nanus). See Bean, 1. -- Bush
buck, OR Bush goat (Zo\'94l.), a beautiful South African antelope
(Tragelaphus sylvaticus); -- so called because found mainly in wooden
localities. The name is also applied to other species. -- Bush cat
(Zo\'94l.), the serval. See Serval. -- Bush chat (Zo\'94l.), a bird of
the genus Pratincola, of the Thrush family. -- Bush dog. (Zo\'94l.)
See Potto. -- Bush hammer. See Bushhammer in the Vocabulary. -- Bush
harrow (Agric.) See under Harrow. -- Bush hog (Zo\'94l.), a South
African wild hog (Potamoch\'d2rus Africanus); -- called also bush pig,
and water hog. -- Bush master (Zo\'94l.), a venomous snake (Lachesis
mutus) of Guinea; -- called also surucucu. -- Bush pea (Bot.), a
variety of pea that needs to be bushed. -- Bush shrike (Zo\'94l.), a
bird of the genus Thamnophilus, and allied genera; -- called also
batarg. Many species inhabit tropical America. -- Bush tit (Zo\'94l.),
a small bird of the genus Psaltriparus, allied to the titmouse. P.
minimus inhabits California.
Bush
Bush (?), v. i. To branch thickly in the manner of a bush. "The
bushing alders." Pope.
Bush
Bush, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bushed (p. pr. & vb.n. Bushing.]
1. To set bushes for; to support with bushes; as, to bush peas.
2. To use a bush harrow on (land), for covering seeds sown; to harrow
with a bush; as, to bush a piece of land; to bush seeds into the
ground.
Bush
Bush, n. [D. bus a box, akin to E. box; or F. boucher to plug.]
1. (Mech.) A lining for a hole to make it smaller; a thimble or ring
of metal or wood inserted in a plate or other part of machinery to
receive the wear of a pivot or arbor. Knight.
NOTE: &hand; In the larger machines, such a piece is called a box,
particularly in the United States.
2. (Gun.) A piece of copper, screwed into a gun, through which the
venthole is bored. Farrow.
Bush
Bush, v. t. To furnish with a bush, or lining; as, to bush a pivot
hole.
Bushboy
Bush"boy (?), n. See Bushman.
Bushel
Bush"el (?), n. [OE. buschel, boischel, OF. boissel, bussel, boistel,
F. boisseau, LL. bustellus; dim. of bustia, buxida (OF. boiste), fr.
pyxida, acc. of L. pyxis box, Gr. Box.]
1. A dry measure, containing four pecks, eight gallons, or thirty-two
quarts.
NOTE: &hand; Th e Wi nchester bu shel, fo rmerly us ed in England,
contained 2150.42 cubic inches, being the volume of a cylinder 18
2. A vessel of the capacity of a bushel, used in measuring; a
bushel measure.
Is a candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed, and
not to be set on a candlestick? Mark iv. 21.
3. A quantity that fills a bushel measure; as, a heap containing
ten bushels of apples.
NOTE: &hand; In th e Un ited St ates a la rge number of articles,
bought and sold by the bushel, are measured by weighing, the number
of pounds that make a bushel being determined by State law or by
local custom. For some articles, as apples, potatoes, etc., heaped
measure is required in measuring a bushel.
4. A large indefinite quantity. [Colloq.]
The worthies of antiquity bought the rarest pictures with bushels
of gold, without counting the weight or the number of the pieces.
Dryden.
5. The iron lining in the nave of a wheel. [Eng.] In the United States
it is called a box. See 4th Bush.
Bushelage
Bush"el*age (?), n. A duty payable on commodities by the bushel.
[Eng.]
Bushelman
Bush"el*man (?), n. A tailor's assistant for repairing garments; --
called also busheler. [Local, U.S.]
Bushet
Bush"et (?), n. [See Bosket.] A small bush.
Bushfighter
Bush"fight`er (?), n. One accustomed to bushfighting. Parkman.
Bushfighting
Bush"fight`ing (?), n. Fighting in the bush, or from behind bushes,
trees, or thickets.
Bushhammer
Bush"ham`mer (?), n. A hammer with a head formed of a bundle of square
bars, with pyramidal points, arranged in rows, or a solid head with a
face cut into a number of rows of such points; -- used for dressing
stone.
Bushhammer
Bush"ham`mer, v. t. To dress with bushhammer; as, to bushhammer a
block of granite.
Bushiness
Bush"i*ness (?), n. The condition or quality of being bushy.
Bushing
Bush"ing, n. [See 4th Bush.]
1. The operation of fitting bushes, or linings, into holes or places
where wear is to be received, or friction diminished, as pivot holes,
etc.
2. (Mech.) A bush or lining; -- sometimes called . See 4th Bush.
Bushless
Bush"less (?), a. Free from bushes; bare.
O'er the long backs of the bushless downs. Tennyson.
Bushman
Bush"man (?), n.; pl. Bushmen (#). [Cf. D. boschman, boschjesman. See
1st Bush.]
1. A woodsman; a settler in the bush.
2. (Ethnol.) One of a race of South African nomads, living principally
in the deserts, and not classified as allied in race or language to
any other people.
Bushment
Bush"ment (?), n. [OE. busshement ambush, fr. bush.]
1. A thicket; a cluster of bushes. [Obs.] Raleigh.
2. An ambuscade. [Obs.] Sir T. More.
Bushranger
Bush"ran`ger (?), n. One who roams, or hides, among the bushes;
especially, in Australia, an escaped criminal living in the bush.
Bushwhacker
Bush"whack`er (?), n.
1. One accustomed to beat about, or travel through, bushes. [U.S.]
They were gallant bushwhackers, and hunters of raccoons by
moonlight. W. Irving.
2. A guerrilla; a marauding assassin; one who pretends to be a
peaceful citizen, but secretly harasses a hostile force or its
sympathizers. [U.S.] Farrow.
Bushwhacking
Bush"whack`ing, n.
1. Traveling, or working a way, through bushes; pulling by the bushes,
as in hauling a boat along the bushy margin of a stream. [U.S.] T.
Flint.
2. The crimes or warfare of bushwhackers. [U.S.]
Bushy
Bush"y (?), a. [From 1st Bush.]
1. Thick and spreading, like a bush. "Bushy eyebrows." Irving.
2. Full of bushes; overgrowing with shrubs.
Dingle, or bushy dell, of this wild wood. Milton.
Busily
Bus"i*ly (?), adv. In a busy manner.
Business
Busi"ness (?), n.; pl. Businesses (#). [From Busy.]
1. That which busies one, or that which engages the time, attention,
or labor of any one, as his principal concern or interest, whether for
a longer or shorter time; constant employment; regular occupation; as,
the business of life; business before pleasure.
Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? Luke ii. 49.
2. Any particular occupation or employment engaged in for livelihood
or gain, as agriculture, trade, art, or a profession. "The business of
instruction." Prescott.
3. Financial dealings; buying and selling; traffic in general;
mercantile transactions.
It seldom happens that men of a studious turn acquire any degree of
reputation for their knowledge of business. Bp. Popteus.
4. That which one has to do or should do; special service, duty, or
mission.
The daughter of the King of France, On serious business, craving
quick despatch, Importunes personal conference. Shak.
What business has the tortoise among the clouds? L'Estrange.
5. Affair; concern; matter; -- used in an indefinite sense, and
modified by the connected words.
It was a gentle business, and becoming The action of good women.
Shak.
Bestow Your needful counsel to our business. Shak.
6. (Drama) The position, distribution, and order of persons and
properties on the stage of a theater, as determined by the stage
manager in rehearsal.
7. Care; anxiety; diligence. [Obs.] Chaucer.
To do one's business, to ruin one. [Colloq.] Wycherley. -- To make (a
thing) one's business, to occupy one's self with a thing as a special
charge or duty. [Colloq.] -- To mean business, to be earnest.
[Colloq.] Syn. -- Affairs; concern; transaction; matter; engagement;
employment; calling; occupation; trade; profession; vocation; office;
duty.
Businesslike
Busi"ness*like` (?), a. In the manner of one transacting business
wisely and by right methods.
Busk
Busk (?), n. [F. busc, perh. fr. the hypothetical older form of E.
bois wood, because the first busks were made of wood. See Bush, and
cf. OF. busche, F. b\'96che, a piece or log of wood, fr. the same
root.] A thin, elastic strip of metal, whalebone, wood, or other
material, worn in the front of a corset.
Her long slit sleeves, stiff busk, puff verdingall, Is all that
makes her thus angelical. Marston.
Busk
Busk, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Busked (#).] [OE. busken, fr. Icel. b
to make one's self ready, rexlexive of b to prepare, dwell. Cf. 8th
Bound.]
1. To prepare; to make ready; to array; to dress. [Scot. & Old Eng.]
Busk you, busk you, my bonny, bonny bride. Hamilton.
2. To go; to direct one's course. [Obs.]
Ye might have busked you to Huntly banks. Skelton.
Busked
Busked (?), a. Wearing a busk. Pollok.
Busket
Bus"ket (?), n. [See Bosket, Bouquet.]
1. A small bush; also, a sprig or bouquet. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. A part of a garden devoted to shrubs. [R.]
Buskin
Bus"kin (?), n. [Prob. from OF. brossequin, or D. broosken. See
Brodekin.]
1. A strong, protecting covering for the foot, coming some distance up
the leg.
The hunted red deer's undressed hide Their hairy buskins well
supplied. Sir W. Scott.
2. A similar covering for the foot and leg, made with very thick
soles, to give an appearance of elevation to the stature; -- worn by
tragic actors in ancient Greece and Rome. Used as a symbol of tragedy,
or the tragic drama, as distinguished from comedy.
Great Fletcher never treads in buskins here, No greater Jonson
dares in socks appear. Dryden.
Buskined
Bus"kined (?), a.
1. Wearing buskins.
Her buskined virgins traced the dewy lawn. Pope.
2. Trodden by buskins; pertaining to tragedy. "The buskined stage."
Milton.
Busky
Bus"ky (?), a. See Bosky, and 1st Bush, n. Shak.
Buss
Buss (?), n. [OE. basse, fr. L. basium; cf. G. bus (Luther), Prov. G.
busserl, dim. of bus kiss, bussen to kiss, Sw. puss kiss, pussa to
kiss, W. & Gael. bus lip, mouth.] A kiss; a rude or playful kiss; a
smack. Shak.
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Buss
Buss (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bussed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Bussing.] To
kiss; esp. to kiss with a smack, or rudely. "Nor bussed the milking
maid." Tennyson.
Kissing and bussing differ both in this, We buss our wantons, but
our wives we kiss. Herrick.
Buss
Buss, n. [Cf. OF. busse, Pr. bus, LL. bussa, busa, G. b\'81se, D.
buis.] (Naut.) A small strong vessel with two masts and two cabins; --
used in the herring fishery.
The Dutch whalers and herring busses. Macaulay.
Bust
Bust (?), n. [F. buste, fr. It. busto; cf. LL. busta, bustula, box, of
the same origin as E. box a case; cf., for the change of meaning, E.
chest. See Bushel.]
1. A piece of sculpture representing the upper part of the human
figure, including the head, shoulders, and breast.
Ambition sighed: she found it vain to trust The faithless column,
and the crumbling bust. Pope.
2. The portion of the human figure included between the head and
waist, whether in statuary or in the person; the chest or thorax; the
upper part of the trunk of the body.
Bustard
Bus"tard (?), n. [OF. & Prov. F. bistarde, F. outarde, from L. avis
tarda, lit., slow bird. Plin. 10, 22; "proxim\'91 iis sunt, quas
Hispania aves tardas appellat, Gr\'91cia (Zo\'94l.) A bird of the
genus Otis.
NOTE: &hand; Th e gr eat or be arded bu stard (O tis tarda) is the
largest game bird in Europe. It inhabits the temperate regions of
Europe and Asia, and was formerly common in Great Britain. The
little bustard (O. tetrax) inhabits eastern Europe and Morocco.
Many other species are known in Asia and Africa.
Buster
Bus"ter (?), n. Something huge; a roistering blade; also, a spree.
[Slang, U.S.] Bartlett.
Bustle
Bus"tle (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bustled (p. pr. & vb.n. Bustling (
[Cf. OE. buskle, perh. fr. AS. bysig busy, bysg-ian to busy + the
verbal termination -le; or Icel. bustla to splash, bustle.] To move
noisily; to be rudely active; to move in a way to cause agitation or
disturbance; as, to bustle through a crowd.
And leave the world for me to bustle in. Shak.
Bustle
Bus"tle, n. Great stir; agitation; tumult from stirring or excitement.
A strange bustle and disturbance in the world. South.
Bustle
Bus"tle, n. A kind of pad or cushion worn on the back below the waist,
by women, to give fullness to the skirts; -- called also bishop, and
tournure. <-- out of fashion by the 1900's -->
Bustler
Bus"tler (?), n. An active, stirring person.
Bustling
Bus"tling (?), a. Agitated; noisy; tumultuous; characterized by
confused activity; as, a bustling crowd. "A bustling wharf."
Hawthorne.
Busto
Bus"to (?), n.; pl. Bustoes (/plu. [It.] A bust; a statue.
With some antick bustoes in the niches. Ashmole.
Busy
Bus"y (?), a. [OE. busi, bisi, AS. bysig; akin to D. bezig, LG. besig;
cf. Skr. bh to be active, busy.]
1. Engaged in some business; hard at work (either habitually or only
for the time being); occupied with serious affairs; not idle nor at
leisure; as, a busy merchant.
Sir, my mistress sends you word THat she is busy, and she can not
come. Shak.
2. Constantly at work; diligent; active.
Busy hammers closing rivets up. Shak.
Religious motives . . . are so busy in the heart. Addison.
3. Crowded with business or activities; -- said of places and times;
as, a busy street.
To-morrow is a busy day. Shak.
4. Officious; meddling; foolish active.
On meddling monkey, or on busy ape. Shak.
5. Careful; anxious. [Obs.] Chaucer. Syn. -- Diligent; industrious;
assiduous; active; occupied; engaged.
Busy
Bus"y (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Busied (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Busying.]
[AS. bysgian.] To make or keep busy; to employ; to engage or keep
engaged; to occupy; as, to busy one's self with books.
Be it thy course to busy giddy minds With foreign quarrels. Shak.
Busybody
Bus"y*bod`y (?), n.; pl. Busybodies (#). One who officiously concerns
himself with the affairs of others; a meddling person.
And not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking
things which they ought not. 1 Tim. v. 13.
But
But (?), prep., adv. & conj. [OE. bute, buten, AS. b, without, on the
outside, except, besides; pref. be- + outward, without, fr. out.
Primarily, b, as well as , is an adverb. &root;198. See By, Out; cf.
About.]
1. Except with; unless with; without. [Obs.]
So insolent that he could not go but either spurning equals or
trampling on his inferiors. Fuller.
Touch not the cat but a glove. Motto of the Mackintoshes.
2. Except; besides; save.
Who can it be, ye gods! but perjured Lycon? E. Smith.
NOTE: &hand; In this sense, but is often used with other particles;
as, but for, without, had it not been for. "Uncreated but for love
divine."
Young.
3. Excepting or excluding the fact that; save that; were it not that;
unless; -- elliptical, for but that.
And but my noble Moor is true of mind . . . it were enough to put
him to ill thinking. Shak.
4. Otherwise than that; that not; -- commonly, after a negative, with
that.
It cannot be but nature hath some director, of infinite power, to
guide her in all her ways. Hooker.
There is no question but the king of Spain will reform most of the
abuses. Addison.
5. Only; solely; merely.
Observe but how their own principles combat one another. Milton.
If they kill us, we shall but die. 2 Kings vii. 4.
A formidable man but to his friends. Dryden.
6. On the contrary; on the other hand; only; yet; still; however;
nevertheless; more; further; -- as connective of sentences or clauses
of a sentence, in a sense more or less exceptive or adversative; as,
the House of Representatives passed the bill, but the Senate
dissented; our wants are many, but quite of another kind.
Now abideth faith hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of
these is charity. 1 Cor. xiii. 13.
When pride cometh, then cometh shame; but with the lowly is wisdom.
Prov. xi. 2.
All but. See under All. -- But and if, but if; an attempt on the part
of King James's translators of the Bible to express the conjunctive
and adversative force of the Greek
But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his
coming; . . . the lord of that servant will come in a day when he
looketh not for him. Luke xii. 45, 46.
But if, unless. [Obs.] Chaucer.
But this I read, that but if remedy Thou her afford, full shortly I
her dead shall see. Spenser.
Syn. -- But, However, Still. These conjunctions mark opposition in
passing from one thought or topic to another. But marks the opposition
with a medium degree of strength; as, this is not winter, but it is
almost as cold; he requested my assistance, but I shall not aid him at
present. However is weaker, and throws the opposition (as it were)
into the background; as, this is not winter; it is, however, almost as
cold; he required my assistance; at present, however, I shall not
afford him aid. The plan, however, is still under consideration, and
may yet be adopted. Still is stronger than but, and marks the
opposition more emphatically; as, your arguments are weighty; still
they do not convince me. See Except, However.
NOTE: &hand; "T he ch ief er ror with but is to use it where and is
enough; an error springing from the tendency to use strong words
without sufficient occasio,."
Bain.
But
But (?), n. [Cf. But, prep., adv. & conj.] The outer apartment or
kitchen of a two-roomed house; -- opposed to ben, the inner room.
[Scot.]
But
But, n. [See 1st But.]
1. A limit; a boundary.
2. The end; esp. the larger or thicker end, or the blunt, in
distinction from the sharp, end. See 1st Butt.
But end, the larger or thicker end; as, the but end of a log; the but
end of a musket. See Butt, n.
But
But, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Butted; p. pr. & vb. n. Butting.] See Butt,
v., and Abut, v.
Butane
Bu"tane (?), n. [L. butyrum butter. See Butter.] (Chem.) An
inflammable gaseous hydrocarbon, C4H10, of the marsh gas, or paraffin,
series.
Butcher
Butch"er (?), n. [OE. bochere, bochier, OF. bochier, F. boucher,
orig., slaughterer of buck goats, fr. OF. boc, F. bouc, a buck goat;
of German or Celtic origin. See Buck the animal.]
1. One who slaughters animals, or dresses their flesh for market; one
whose occupation it is to kill animals for food.
2. A slaughterer; one who kills in large numbers, or with unusual
cruelty; one who causes needless loss of life, as in battle. "Butcher
of an innocent child." Shak.
Butcher bird (Zo\'94l.), a species of shrike of the genus Lanius.
NOTE: &hand; Th e La nius ex cubitor is the common butcher bird of
Europe. In England, the bearded tit is sometimes called the lesser
butcher bird. The American species are L.borealis, or
northernbutcher bird, and L. Ludovicianus or loggerhead shrike. The
name butcher birdis derived from its habit of suspending its prey
impaled upon thorns, after killing it.
Butcher's meat, such flesh of animals slaughtered for food as is sold
for that purpose by butchers, as beef, mutton, lamb, and pork.
Butcher
Butch"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Butchered (; p. pr. & vb.n. Butchering.]
1. To kill or slaughter (animals) for food, or for market; as, to
butcher hogs.
2. To murder, or kill, especially in an unusually bloody or barbarous
manner. Macaulay.
[Ithocles] was murdered, rather butchered. Ford.
Butchering
Butch"er*ing, n.
1. The business of a butcher.
2. The act of slaughtering; the act of killing cruelly and needlessly.
That dreadful butchering of one another. Addison.
Butcherliness
Butch"er*li*ness (?), n. Butchery quality.
Butcherly
Butch"er*ly, a. Like a butcher; without compunction; savage; bloody;
inhuman; fell. "The victim of a butcherly murder." D. Webster.
What stratagems, how fell, how butcherly, This deadly quarrel daily
doth beget! Shak.
Butcher's broom
Butch"er's broom` (?). (Bot.) A genus of plants (Ruscus); esp. R.
aculeatus, which has large red berries and leaflike branches. See
Cladophyll.
Butchery
Butch"er*y (?), n. [OE. bocherie shambles, fr. F. boucherie. See
Butcher, n.]
1. The business of a butcher. [Obs.]
2. Murder or manslaughter, esp. when committed with unusual barbarity;
great or cruel slaughter. Shak.
The perpetration of human butchery. Prescott.
3. A slaughterhouse; the shambles; a place where blood is shed. [Obs.]
Like as an ox is hanged in the butchery. Fabyan.
Syn. -- Murder; slaughter; carnage. See Massacre.
Butler
But"ler (?), n. [OE. boteler, F. bouteillier a bottle-bearer, a
cupbearer, fr. LL. buticularius, fr. buticula bottle. See Bottle a
hollow vessel.] An officer in a king's or a nobleman's household,
whose principal business it is to take charge of the liquors, plate,
etc.; the head servant in a large house.
The butler and the baker of the king of Egypt. Gen. xl. 5.
Your wine locked up, your butler strolled abroad. Pope.
Butlerage
But"ler*age (?), n. (O. Eng. Law) A duty of two shillings on every tun
of wine imported into England by merchant strangers; -- so called
because paid to the king's butler for the king. Blackstone.
Butlership
But"ler*ship, n. The office of a butler.
Butment
But"ment (?), n. [Abbreviation of Abutment.]
1. (Arch.) A buttress of an arch; the supporter, or that part which
joins it to the upright pier.
2. (Masonry) The mass of stone or solid work at the end of a bridge,
by which the extreme arches are sustained, or by which the end of a
bridge without arches is supported.
Butment cheek (Carp.), the part of a mortised timber surrounding the
mortise, and against which the shoulders of the tenon bear. Knight.
Butt, But
Butt, But (?), n. [F. but butt, aim (cf. butte knoll), or bout, OF.
bot, end, extremity, fr. boter, buter, to push, butt, strike, F.
bouter; of German origin; cf. OHG. b\'d3zan, akin to E. beat. See
Beat, v. t.]
1. A limit; a bound; a goal; the extreme bound; the end.
Here is my journey's end, here my butt And very sea mark of my
utmost sail. Shak.
NOTE: &hand; As applied to land, the word is nearly synonymous with
mete, and signifies properly the end line or boundary; the abuttal.
2. The thicker end of anything. See But.
3. A mark to be shot at; a target. Sir W. Scott.
The groom his fellow groom at butts defies, And bends his bow, and
levels with his eyes. Dryden.
4. A person at whom ridicule, jest, or contempt is directed; as, the
butt of the company.
I played a sentence or two at my butt, which I thought very smart.
Addison.
5. A push, thrust, or sudden blow, given by the head of an animal; as,
the butt of a ram.
6. A thrust in fencing.
To prove who gave the fairer butt, John shows the chalk on Robert's
coat. Prior.
7. A piece of land left unplowed at the end of a field.
The hay was growing upon headlands and butts in cornfields.
Burrill.
8. (Mech.) (a) A joint where the ends of two objects come squarely
together without scrafing or chamfering; -- also called butt joint.
(b) The end of a connecting rod or other like piece, to which the
boxing is attached by the strap, cotter, and gib. (c) The portion of a
half-coupling fastened to the end of a hose.
9. (Shipbuilding) The joint where two planks in a strake meet.
10. (Carp.) A kind of hinge used in hanging doors, etc.; -- so named
because fastened on the edge of the door, which butts against the
casing, instead of on its face, like the strap hinge; also called butt
hinge.
11. (Leather Trade) The thickest and stoutest part of tanned oxhides,
used for soles of boots, harness, trunks.
12. The hut or shelter of the person who attends to the targets in
rifle practice.
Butt chain (Saddlery), a short chain attached to the end of a tug. --
Butt end. The thicker end of anything. See But end, under 2d But.
Amen; and make me die a good old man! That's the butt end of a
mother's blessing. Shak.
A butt's length, the ordinary distance from the place of shooting to
the butt, or mark. -- Butts and bounds (Conveyancing), abuttals and
boundaries. In lands of the ordinary rectangular shape, butts are the
lines at the ends (F. bouts), and bounds are those on the sides, or
sidings, as they were formerly termed. Burrill. -- Bead and butt. See
under Bead. -- Butt and butt, joining end to end without overlapping,
as planks. -- Butt weld (Mech.), a butt joint, made by welding
together the flat ends, or edges, of a piece of iron or steel, or of
separate pieces, without having them overlap. See Weld. -- Full butt,
headfirst with full force. [Colloq.] "The corporal . . . ran full butt
at the lieutenant." Marryat.
Butt
Butt, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Butted; p. pr. & vb. n. Butting.] [OE.
butten, OF. boter to push, F. bouter. See Butt an end, and cf.
Boutade.]
1. To join at the butt, end, or outward extremity; to terminate; to be
bounded; to abut. [Written also but.]
And Barnsdale there doth butt on Don's well-watered ground.
Drayton.
2. To thrust the head forward; to strike by thrusting the head
forward, as an ox or a ram. [See Butt, n.]
A snow-white steer before thine altar led, Butts with his
threatening brows. Dryden.
Butt
Butt, v. t. To strike by thrusting the head against; to strike with
the head.
Two harmless lambs are butting one the other. Sir H. Wotton.
Butt
Butt, n. [F. botte, boute, LL. butta. Cf. Bottle a hollow vessel.] A
large cask or vessel for wine or beer. It contains two hogsheads.
NOTE: &hand; A wine butt contains 126 wine gallons (= 105 imperial
gallons, nearly); a beer butt 108 ale gallons (= about 110 imperial
gallons).
Butt
Butt, n. (Zo\'94l.) The common English flounder.
Butte
Butte (?), n. [F. See Butt a bound.] A detached low mountain, or high
rising abruptly from the general level of the surrounding plain; --
applied to peculiar elevations in the Rocky Mountain region.
The creek . . . passes by two remarkable buttes of red
conglomerate. Ruxton.
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Butter
But"ter (?), n. [OE. botere, butter, AS. butere, fr. L. butyrum, Gr.
Cow.]
1. An oily, unctuous substance obtained from cream or milk by
churning.
2. Any substance resembling butter in degree of consistence, or other
qualities, especially, in old chemistry, the chloridess, as butter of
antimony, sesquichloride of antimony; also, certain concrete fat oils
remaining nearly solid at ordinary temperatures, as butter of cacao,
vegetable butter, shea butter.
Butter and eggs (Bot.), a name given to several plants having flowers
of two shades of yellow, as Narcissus incomparabilis, and in the
United States to the toadflax (Linaria vulgaris). -- Butter boat, a
small vessel for holding melted butter at table. -- Butter flower, the
buttercup, a yellow flower. -- Butter print, a piece of carved wood
used to mark pats of butter; -- called also butter stamp. Locke. --
Butter tooth, either of the two middle incisors of the upper jaw. --
Butter tree (Bot.), a tree of the genus Bassia, the seeds of which
yield a substance closely resembling butter. The butter tree of India
is the B. butyracea; that of Africa is the Shea tree (B. Parkii). See
Shea tree. -- Butter trier, a tool used in sampling butter. -- Butter
wife, a woman who makes or sells butter; -- called also butter woman.
[Obs. or Archaic]
Butter
But"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Buttered (p. pr. & vb. n. Buttering.]
1. To cover or spread with butter.
I know what's what. I know on which side My bread is buttered.
Ford.
2. To increase, as stakes, at every throw or every game. [Cant]
Johnson.
Butter
Butt"er (?), n. One who, or that which, butts.
Butterball
But"ter*ball` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The buffel duck.
Butterbird
But"ter*bird` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The rice bunting or bobolink; -- so
called in the island of Jamaica.
Butterbump
But"ter*bump` (?), n. [OE. buttur the bittern + 5th bump.] (Zo\'94l.)
The European bittern. Johnson.
Butterbur
But"ter*bur` (?), n. (Bot.) A broad-leaved plant (Petasites vulgaris)
of the Composite family, said to have been used in England for
wrapping up pats of butter.
Buttercup
But"ter*cup` (?), n. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Ranunculus, or
crowfoot, particularly R. bulbosus, with bright yellow flowers; --
called also butterflower, golden cup, and kingcup. It is the cuckoobud
of Shakespeare.
Butter-fingered
But"ter-fin`gered (?), a. Apt to let things fall, or to let them slip
away; slippery; careless.
Butterfish
But"ter*fish` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A name given to several different
fishes, in allusion to their slippery coating of mucus, as the
Stromateus triacanthus of the Atlantic coast, the Epinephelus
punctatus of the southern coast, the rock eel, and the kelpfish of New
Zealand.
Butterfly
But"ter*fly` (?), n.; pl. Butterflies (#). [Perh. from the color of a
yellow species. AS. buter-fl\'c7ge, buttor-fle\'a2ge; cf. G.
butterfliege, D. botervlieg. See Butter, and Fly.] (Zo\'94l.) A
general name for the numerous species of diurnal Lepidoptera.
NOTE: [See Illust. under Aphrodite.]
Asclepias butterfly. See under Asclepias. -- Butterfly fish
(Zo\'94l.), the ocellated blenny (Blennius ocellaris) of Europe. See
Blenny. The term is also applied to the flying gurnard. -- Butterfly
shell (Zo\'94l.), a shell of the genus Voluta. -- Butterfly valve
(Mech.), a kind of double clack valve, consisting of two semicircular
clappers or wings hinged to a cross rib in the pump bucket. When open
it somewhat resembles a butterfly in shape.
Butterine
But"ter*ine (?), n. A substance prepared from animal fat with some
other ingredients intermixed, as an imitation of butter.
The manufacturers ship large quantities of oleomargarine to
England, Holland, and other countries, to be manufactured into
butter, which is sold as butterine or suine. Johnson's Cyc.
Butteris
But"ter*is (?), n. [The same word as buttress, noun, in a different
application, F. bouter to push.] (Far.) A steel cutting instrument,
with a long bent shank set in a handle which rests against the
shoulder of the operator. It is operated by a thrust movement, and
used in paring the hoofs of horses.
Butterman
But"ter*man` (?), n.; pl. Buttermen (. A man who makes or sells
butter.
Buttermilk
But"ter*milk` (?), n. The milk that remains after the butter is
separated from the cream.
Butternut
But"ter*nut` (?), n.
1. (Bot.) An American tree (Juglans cinerea) of the Walnut family, and
its edible fruit; -- so called from the oil contained in the latter.
Sometimes called oil nut and white walnut.
2. (Bot.) The nut of the Caryocar butyrosum and C. nuciferum, of S.
America; -- called also Souari nut.
Butter-scotch
But"ter-scotch` (?), n. A kind of candy, mainly composed of sugar and
butter. [Colloq.] Dickens.
Butterweed
But"ter*weed` (?), n. (Bot.) An annual composite plant of the
Mississippi valley (Senecio lobatus).
Butterweight
But"ter*weight` (?), n. Over weight. Swift.
NOTE: &hand; Fo rmerly it was a custom to give 18 ounces of butter
for a pound.
Butterwort
But"ter*wort` (?), n. (Bot.) A genus of low herbs (Pinguicula) having
simple leaves which secrete from their glandular upper surface a
viscid fluid, to which insects adhere, after which the margin infolds
and the insects are digested by the plant. The species are found
mostly in the North Temperate zone.
Buttery
But"ter*y (?), a. Having the qualities, consistence, or appearance, of
butter.
Buttery
But"ter*y, n.; pl. Buttplwies (. [OE. botery, botry; cf. LL. botaria
wine vessel; also OE. botelerie, fr. F. bouteillerie, fr. boutellie
bottle. Not derived from butter. See Bottle a hollow vessel, Butt a
cask.]
1. An apartment in a house where butter, milk and other provisions are
kept.
All that need a cool and fresh temper, as cellars, pantries, and
butteries, to the north. Sir H. Wotton.
2. A room in some English colleges where liquors, fruit, and
refreshments are kept for sale to the students.
And the major Oxford kept the buttery bar. E. Hall.
3. A cellar in which butts of wine are kept. Weale.
Buttery hatch, a half door between the buttery or kitchen and the
hall, in old mansions, over which provisions were passed. Wright.
Butt hinge
Butt" hinge` (?). See 1st Butt, 10.
But-thorn
But"-thorn` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) The common European starfish (Asterias
rubens).
Butting
But"ting (?), n. An abuttal; a boundary.
Without buttings or boundings on any side. Bp. Beveridge.
Butting joint
But"ting joint`. A joint between two pieces of timber or wood, at the
end of one or both, and either at right angles or oblique to the
grain, as the joints which the struts and braces form with the truss
posts; -- sometimes called abutting joint.
Butt joint
Butt" joint` (?). A joint in which the edges or ends of the pieces
united come squarely together instead of overlapping. See 1st Butt, 8.
Buttock
But"tock (?), n. [From Butt an end.]
1. The part at the back of the hip, which, in man, forms one of the
rounded protuberances on which he sits; the rump.
2. (Naut.) The convexity of a ship behind, under the stern. Mar. Dict.
Button
But"ton (?), n. [OE. boton, botoun, F. bouton button, bud, prop.
something pushing out, fr. bouter to push. See Butt an end.]
1. A knob; a small ball; a small, roundish mass.
2. A catch, of various forms and materials, used to fasten together
the different parts of dress, by being attached to one part, and
passing through a slit, called a buttonhole, in the other; -- used
also for ornament.
3. A bud; a germ of a plant. Shak.
4. A piece of wood or metal, usually flat and elongated, turning on a
nail or screw, to fasten something, as a door.
5. A globule of metal remaining onan assay cupel or in a crucible,
after fusion.
Button hook, a hook for catching a button and drawing it through a
buttonhole, as in buttoning boots and gloves. -- Button shell
(Zo\'94l.), a small, univalve marine shell of the genus Rotella. --
Button snakeroot. (Bot.) (a) The American composite genus Liatris,
having rounded buttonlike heads of flowers. (b) An American
umbelliferous plant with rigid, narrow leaves, and flowers in dense
heads. -- Button tree (Bot.), a genus of trees (Conocarpus),
furnishing durable timber, mostly natives of the West Indies. -- To
hold by the button, to detain in conversation to weariness; to bore;
to buttonhole.
Button
But"ton, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Buttoned (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Buttoning
(#).] [OE. botonen, OF. botoner, F. boutonner. See Button, n.]
1. To fasten with a button or buttons; to inclose or make secure with
buttons; -- often followed by up.
He was a tall, fat, long-bodied man, buttoned up to the throat in a
tight green coat. Dickens.
2. To dress or clothe. [Obs.] Shak.
Button
But"ton, v. i. To be fastened by a button or buttons; as, the coat
will not button.
Buttonball
But"ton*ball` (?), n. (Bot.) See Buttonwood.
Buttonbush
But"ton*bush` (?), n. (Bot.) A shrub (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
growing by the waterside; -- so called from its globular head of
flowers. See Capitulum.
Buttonhole
But"ton*hole` (?), n. The hole or loop in which a button is caught.
Buttonhole
But"ton*hole`, v. t. To hold at the button or buttonhole; to detain in
conversation to weariness; to bore; as, he buttonholed me a quarter of
an hour.
Buttonmold
But"ton*mold` (?), n. A disk of bone, wood, or other material, which
is made into a button by covering it with cloth. [Written also
buttonmould.] Fossil buttonmolds, joints of encrinites. See Encrinite.
Buttons
But"tons (?), n. A boy servant, or page, -- in allusion to the buttons
on his livry. [Colloq.] Dickens.
Buttonweed
But"ton*weed` (?), n. (Bot.) The name of several plants of the genera
Spermacoce and Diodia, of the Madder family.
Buttonwood
But"ton*wood` (?), n. (Bot.) The Platanus occidentalis, or American
plane tree, a large tree, producing rough balls, from which it is
named; -- called also buttonball tree, and, in some parts of the
United States, sycamore. The California buttonwood is P. racemosa.
Buttony
But"ton*y (?), a. Ornamented with a large number of buttons. "The
buttony boy." Thackeray. "My coat so blue and buttony." W. S. Gilbert.
Buttress
But"tress (?), n. [OE. butrasse, boterace, fr. F. bouter to push; cf.
OF. bouteret (nom. sing. and acc. pl. bouterez) buttress. See Butt an
end, and cf. Butteris.]
1. (Arch.) A projecting mass of masonry, used for resisting the thrust
of an arch, or for ornament and symmetry.
NOTE: &hand; Wh en an external projection is used merely to stiffen
a wall, it is a pier.
2. Anything which supports or strengthens. "The ground pillar and
buttress of the good old cause of nonconformity." South.
Flying buttress. See Flying buttress.
Buttress
But"tress (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Buttressed (p. pr. & vb. n.
Buttressing.] To support with a buttress; to prop; to brace firmly.
To set it upright again, and to prop and buttress it up for
duration. Burke.
Butt shaft
Butt" shaft` (?) An arrow without a barb, for shooting at butts; an
arrow. [Also but shaft.] Shak.
Butt weld
Butt" weld` (?). See Butt weld, under Butt.
Buttweld
Butt"weld`, v. t. To unite by a butt weld.
Butty
But"ty (?), n. (Mining) One who mines by contract, at so much per ton
of coal or ore.
Butyl
Bu"tyl (?), n. [L. butyrum butter + -yl. See Butter.] (Chem.) A
compound radical, regarded as butane, less one atom of hydrogen.
Butylene
Bu"ty*lene (?), n. [From Butyl.] (Chem.) Any one of three metameric
hydrocarbons, C4H8, of the ethylene series. They are gaseous or easily
liquefiable.
Butyraceous
Bu`ty*ra"ceous (?), a. [L. butyrum butter. See Butter.] Having the
qualities of butter; resembling butter.
Butyrate
Bu"ty*rate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of butyric acid.
Butyric
Bu*tyr"ic (?), a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, or derived from, butter.
Butyric acid, C3H7.CO2H, an acid found in butter; an oily, limpid
fluid, having the smell of rancid butter, and an acrid taste, with a
sweetish aftertaste, like that of ether. There are two metameric
butyric acids, called in distinction the normal- and iso-butyric acid.
The normal butyric acid is the one common in rancid butter.
Butyrin
Bu"ty*rin (?), n. (Physiol. Chem.) A butyrate of glycerin; a fat
contained in small quantity in milk, which helps to give to butter its
peculiar flavor.
Butyrometer
Bu`ty*rom"e*ter (?), n. [L. butyrum butter + -meter.] An instrument
for determining the amount of fatty matter or butter contained in a
sample of milk.
Butyrone
Bu"ty*rone (?), n. [Butyric + -one.] (Chem.) A liquid ketone obtained
by heating calcium butyrate.
Butyrous
Bu"ty*rous (?), a. Butyraceous.
Buxeous
Bux"e*ous (?), a. [L. buxeus, fr. buxus the box tree.] Belonging to
the box tree.
Buxine
Bux"ine (?), n. (Chem.) An alkaloid obtained from the Buxus
sempervirens, or common box tree. It is identical with bebeerine; --
called also buxina.
Buxom
Bux"om (?), a. [OE. buxum, boxom, buhsum, pliable, obedient, AS.
b\'d3csum, b\'d4hsum (akin to D. buigzaam blexible, G. biegsam);
b\'d4gan to bow, bend + -sum, E. -some. See Bow to bend, and -some.]
1. Yielding; pliable or compliant; ready to obey; obedient; tractable;
docile; meek; humble. [Obs.]
So wild a beast, so tame ytaught to be, And buxom to his bands, is
joy to see. Spenser.
I submit myself unto this holy church of Christ, to be ever buxom
and obedient to the ordinance of it. Foxe.
2. Having the characteristics of health, vigor, and comeliness,
combined with a gay, lively manner; stout and rosy; jolly; frolicsome.
A daughter fair, So buxom, blithe, and debonair. Milton.
A parcel of buxom bonny dames, that were laughing, singing,
dancing, and as merry as the day was long. Tatler.
-- Bux"om*ly, adv. -- Bux"om*ness, n.
Buy
Buy (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bought (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Buying (#).]
[OE. buggen, buggen, bien, AS. bycgan, akin to OS. buggean, Goth.
bugjan.]
1. To acquire the ownership of (property) by giving an accepted price
or consideration therefor, or by agreeing to do so; to acquire by the
payment of a price or value; to purchase; -- opposed to sell.
Buy what thou hast no need of, and ere long thou wilt sell thy
necessaries. B. Franklin.
2. To acquire or procure by something given or done in exchange,
literally or figuratively; to get, at a cost or sacrifice; to buy
pleasure with pain.
Buy the truth and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and
understanding. Prov. xxiii. 23.
To buy again. See Againbuy. [Obs.] Chaucer. -- To buy off. (a) To
influence to compliance; to cause to bend or yield by some
consideration; as, to buy off conscience. (b) To detach by a
consideration given; as, to buy off one from a party. -- To buy out
(a) To buy off, or detach from. Shak. (b) To purchase the share or
shares of in a stock, fund, or partnership, by which the seller is
separated from the company, and the purchaser takes his place; as, A
buys out B. (c) To purchase the entire stock in trade and the good
will of a business. -- To buy in, to purchase stock in any fund or
partnership. -- To buy on credit, to purchase, on a promise, in fact
or in law, to make payment at a future day. -- To buy the refusal (of
anything), to give a consideration for the right of purchasing, at a
fixed price, at a future time.
Buy
Buy, v. i. To negotiate or treat about a purchase.
I will buy with you, sell with you. Shak.
Buyer
Buy"er (?), n. One who buys; a purchaser.
Buz
Buz (?), v. & n. See Buzz. [Obs.]
Buzz
Buzz (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Buzzed (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Buzzing.]
[An onomatop\'d2ia.] To make a low, continuous, humming or sibilant
sound, like that made by bees with their wings. Hence: To utter a
murmuring sound; to speak with a low, humming voice.
Like a wasp is buzzed, and stung him. Longfellow.
However these disturbers of our peace Buzz in the people's ears.
Shak.
Buzz
Buzz, v. t.
1. To sound forth by buzzing. Shak.
2. To whisper; to communicate, as tales, in an under tone; to spread,
as report, by whispers, or secretly.
I will buzz abroad such prophecies That Edward shall be fearful of
his life. Shak.
3. To talk to incessantly or confidentially in a low humming voice.
[Colloq.]
4. (Phonetics) To sound with a "buzz". H. Sweet.
Buzz
Buzz, n.
1. A continuous, humming noise, as of bees; a confused murmur, as of
general conversation in low tones, or of a general expression of
surprise or approbation. "The constant buzz of a fly." Macaulay.
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I found the whole room in a buzz of politics. Addison.
There is a buzz all around regarding the sermon. Thackeray.
2. A whisper; a report spread secretly or cautiously.
There's a certain buzz Of a stolen marriage. Massinger.
3. (Phonetics) The audible friction of voice consonants. H. Sweet.
Buzzard
Buz"zard (?), n.[O.E. busard, bosard, F. busard, fr. buse, L. buteo, a
kind of falcon or hawk.]
1. (Zo\'94l.) A bird of prey of the Hawk family, belonging to the
genus Buteo and related genera.
NOTE: &hand; Th e Bu teo vu lgaris is the common buzzard of Europe.
The American species (of which the most common are B. borealis, B.
Pennsylvanicus, and B. lineatus) are usually called hen hawks. --
The rough-legged buzzard, or bee hawk, of Europe (Pernis apivorus)
feeds on bees and their larv\'91, with other insects, and reptiles.
-- The moor buzzard of Europe is Circus \'91ruginosus. See Turkey
buzzard, and Carrion buzzard.
Bald buzzard, the fishhawk or osprey. See Fishhawk.
2. A blockhead; a dunce.
It is common, to a proverb, to call one who can not be taught, or
who continues obstinately ignorant, a buzzard. Goldsmith.
Buzzard
Buz"zard, a. Senseless; stupid. [R.& Obs.] Milton.
Buzzardet
Buz"zard*et` (?), n. (Zo\'94l.) A hawk resembling the buzzard, but
with legs relatively longer.
Buzzer
Buzz"er (?), n. One who, or that which, buzzes; a whisperer; a
talebearer.
And wants not buzzers to infect his ear With pestilent speeches of
his father's death. Shak.
Buzzingly
Buzz"ing*ly (?), adv. In a buzzing manner; with a buzzing sound.
Buzzsaw
Buzz"saw` (?) A circular saw; -- so called from the buzzing it makes
when running at full speed.
By
By (?), prep. [OE. bi, AS. b\'c6, big, near to, by, of, from, after,
according to; akin to OS.& OFries. bi, be, D. bij, OHG. b\'c6, G. bie,
Goth. bi, and perh. Gr.. E. prefix be- is orig.the same word. pref.
Be-.]
1. In the neighborhood of; near or next to; not far from; close to;
along with; as, come and sit by me.
By foundation or by shady rivulet He sought them both. Milton.
2. On; along; in traversing. Compare 5.
Long labors both by sea and land he bore. Dryden.
By land, by water, they renew the charge. Pope.
3. Near to, while passing; hence, from one to the other side of; past;
as, to go by a church.
4. Used in specifying adjacent dimensions; as, a cabin twenty feet by
forty.
5. Against. [Obs.] Tyndale [1. Cor. iv. 4].
6. With, as means, way, process, etc.; through means of; with aid of;
through; through the act or agency of; as, a city is destroyed by
fire; profit is made by commerce; to take by force.
NOTE: To th e me aning of by, as denoting means or agency, belong,
more or less closely, most of the following uses of the word: (a)
It points out the author and producer; as, "Waverley", a novel by
Sir W.Scott; a statue by Canova; a sonata by Beethoven. (b) In an
oath or adjuration, it indicates the being or thing appealed to as
sanction; as, I affirm to you by all that is sacred; he swears by
his faith as a Christian; no, by Heaven. (c) According to; by
direction, authority, or example of; after; -- in such phrases as,
it appears by his account; ten o'clock by my watch; to live by
rule; a model to build by. (d) At the rate of; according to the
ratio or proportion of; in the measure or quantity of; as, to sell
cloth by the yard, milk by the quart, eggs by the dozen, meat by
the pound; to board by the year. (e) In comparison, it denotes the
measure of excess or deficiency; when anything is increased or
diminished, it indicates the measure of increase or diminution; as,
larger by a half; older by five years; to lessen by a third. (f) It
expresses continuance or duration; during the course of; within the
period of; as, by day, by night. (g) As soon as; not later than;
near or at; -- used in expressions of time; as, by this time the
sun had risen; he will be here by two o'clock.
NOTE: In bo xing th e co mpass, by in dicates a pint nearer to, or
towards, the next cardinal point; as, north by east, i.e., a point
towards the east from the north; northeast by east, i.e., on point
nearer the east than northeast is.
NOTE: &hand; Wi th is used instead of by before the instrument with
which anything is done; as, to beat one with a stick; the board was
fastened by the carpenter with nails. But there are many words
which may be regarded as means or processes, or, figuratively, as
instruments; and whether with or by shall be used with them is a
matter of arbitrary, and often, of unsettled usage; as, to a reduce
a town by famine; to consume stubble with fire; he gained his
purpose by flattery; he entertained them with a story; he
distressed us with or by a recital of his sufferings. see With.
By all means, most assuredly; without fail; certainly. -- By and by.
(a) Close together (of place). [Obs.] "Two yonge knightes liggyng
[lying] by and by." Chaucer. (b) Immediately; at once. [Obs.] "When .
. . persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is
offended." Matt. xiii. 21. (c) Presently; pretty soon; before long.
NOTE: In th is phrase, by seems to be used in the sense of nearness
in time, and to be repeated for the sake of emphasis, and thus to
be equivalent to "soon, and soon," that is instantly; hence, --
less emphatically, -- pretty soon, presently.
-- By one's self, with only one's self near; alone; solitary.- By the
bye. See under Bye. -- By the head (Naut.), having the bows lower than
the stern; -- said of a vessel when her head is lower in the water
than her stern. If her stern is lower, she is by the stern. -- By the
lee, the situation of a vessel, going free, when she has fallen off so
much as to bring the wind round her stern, and to take her sails aback
on the other side. -- By the run, to let go by the run, to let go
altogether, instead of slacking off. -- By the way, by the bye; --
used to introduce an incidental or secondary remark or subject. -Day
by day, One by one, Piece by piece, etc., each day, each one, each
piece, etc., by itself singly or separately; each severally. -- To
come by, to get possession of; to obtain. -- To do by, to treat, to
behave toward. -- To set by, to value, to esteem. -- To stand by, to
aid, to support.
NOTE: &hand; Th e co mmon phrase good-by is equivalent to farewell,
and would be better written good-bye, as it is a corruption of God
be with you (b'w'ye).
By
By (?), adv.
1. Near; in the neighborhood; present; as, there was no person by at
the time.
2. Passing near; going past; past; beyond; as, the procession has gone
by; a bird flew by.
3. Aside; as, to lay by; to put by.
By
By (?), a. Out of the common path; aside; -- used in composition,
giving the meaning of something aside, secondary, or incidental, or
collateral matter, a thing private or avoiding notice; as, by-line,
by-place, by-play, by-street. It was formerly more freely used in
composition than it is now; as, by-business, by-concernment,
by-design, by-interest, etc.
Byard
By"ard (?), n. A piece of leather crossing the breast, used by the men
who drag sledges in coal mines.
By-bidder
By"-bid`der (?), n. One who bids at an auction in behalf of the
auctioneer or owner, for the purpose of running up the price of
articles. [U.S.]
By-blow
By"-blow` (?), n.
1. A side or incidental blow; an accidental blow.
With their by-blows they did split the very stones in pieces.
Bunyan.
2. An illegitimate child; a bastard.
The Aga speedily . . . brought her [his disgraced slave] to court,
together with her pretty by-blow, the present Padre Ottomano.
Evelyn.
By-corner
By"-cor`ner (?), n. A private corner.
Britain being a by-corner, out of the road of the world. Fuller.
By-dependence
By"-de*pend`ence (?), n. An appendage; that which depends on something
else, or is distinct from the main dependence; an accessory. Shak.
By-drinking
By"-drink`ing, n. A drinking between meals. [Obs.]
Bye
Bye (?), n.
1. A thing not directly aimed at; something which is a secondary
object of regard; an object by the way, etc.; as in on or upon the
bye, i.e., in passing; indirectly; by implication. [Obs. except in the
phrase by the bye.]
The Synod of Dort condemneth upon the bye even the discipline of
the Church of England. Fuller.
2. (Cricket) A run made upon a missed ball; as, to steal a bye. T.
Hughes.
By the bye, in passing; by way of digression; apropos to the matter in
hand. [Written also by the by.]
Bye
Bye (?) n. [AS.bbygbyggia, b, to dwell &root;97.]
1. A dwelling. Gibson.
2. In certain games, a station or place of an individual player.
Emerson.
By-election
By"-e*lec"tion (?), n. An election held by itself, not at the time of
a general election.
By-end
By"-end` (?), n. Private end or interest; secret purpose; selfish
advantage. [Written also bye-end.]
"Profit or some other by-end." L'Estrange.
Bygone
By"gone` (?), a. Past; gone by. "Bygone fooleries." Shak
Bygone
By"gone` (?), n. Something gone by or past; a past event. "Let old
bygones be" Tennyson. Let bygones be bygones, let the past be
forgotten.
By-interest
By"-in`ter*est (?), n. Self-interest; private advantage. Atterbury.
Byland
By"land (?), n. A peninsula. [Obs.]
Bylander
By"land*er (?), n. See Bilander.[Obs.]
^^By-lane
^^By"-lane` (?), n. A private lane, or one opening out of the usual
road.
By-law
By"-law` (, n. [Cf.Sw.bylag, D.bylov, Icel.b, fr.Sw.& Dan. by town,
Icel. b\'91r, byr (fr. b\'96a to dwell) + the word for law; hence, a
law for one town, a special law. Cf.Birlaw and see Law.]
1. A local or subordinate law; a private law or regulation made by a
corporation for its own government.
There was likewise a law to restrain the by-laws, or ordinances of
corporations. Bacon.
The law or institution; to which are added two by-laws, as a
comment upon the general law. Addison.
2. A law that is less important than a general law or constitutional
provision, and subsidiary to it; a rule relating to a matter of
detail; as, civic societies often adopt a constitution and by-laws for
the government of their members. In this sense the word has probably
been influenced by by, meaning secondary or aside.
By-name
By"-name` (?), n. A nickname. Camden.
Byname
By"name`, v. t. To give a nickname to. Camden.
By-pass
By"-pass (?), n. (Mech.) A by-passage, for a pipe, or other channel,
to divert circulation from the usual course.
By-passage
By"-pas`sage (?), n. A passage different from the usual one; a byway.
By-past
By"-past (?), a. Past; gone by. "By-past perils." Shak.
Bypath
By"path` (?), n.; pl. Bypaths( A private path; an obscure way;
indirect means.
God known, my son, By what bypaths, and indirect crooked ways, I
met this crown. Shak.
By-place
By"-place` (, n. A retired or private place.
Byplay
By"play (?), n. Action carried on aside, and commonly in dumb show,
while the main action proceeds.
By-product
By"-prod`uct (?), n. A secondary or additional product; something
produced, as in the course of a manufacture, in addition to the
principal product.
Byre
Byre (?), n. [Cf, Icel. b\'81r pantry, Sw. bur cage,Dan. buur,
E.bower.] A cow house. [N. of Eng.& Scot.]
By-respect
By"-re*spect` (?), n. Private end or view; by-interest. [Obs.] Dryden.
Byroad
By"road` (?), n. A private or obscure road. "Through slippery byroads"
Swift.
Byronic
By"ron`ic (?), a. Pertaining to, or in the style of, Lord Byron.
With despair and Byronic misanthropy. Thackeray
By-room
By"-room` (?), n. A private room or apartment. "Stand in some by-room"
Shak.
Bysmottered
By"*smot`ter*ed (?), p.a. [See Besmut.] Bespotted with mud or dirt.
[Obs.] Chaucer.
By-speech
By"-speech`(, n. An incidental or casual speech, not directly relating
to the point. "To quote by-speeches." Hooker.
By-spell
By"-spell`(, n. [AS. bigspell.] A proverb. [Obs.]
Byss
Byss (?), n. See Byssus, n., 1.
Byssaceous
Bys*sa"ceous (?), a. [From Byssus.] (Bot.) Byssuslike; consisting of
fine fibers or threads, as some very delicate filamentous alg\'91.
Byssiferous
Bys*sif"er*ous (?), a. [Byssus + -ferous.] Bearing a byssus or tuft.
Byssin
Bys"sin (?), n. See Byssus, n., 1.
Byssine
Bys"sine (?), a. [L. byssinus made of byssus, Gr.Byssus.] Made of
silk; having a silky or flaxlike appearance. Coles.
Byssoid
Bys"soid (?), a. [Byssus + -oid.] Byssaceous.
Byssolite
Bys"so*lite (?), n. [Gr.-lite.] (Min.) An olive-green fibrous variety
of hornblende.
Byssus
Bys"sus (?), n.; pl. E. Byssuses(#); L. Byssi.(#) [L. byssus fine
flax, fine linen or cotton, Gr.
1. A cloth of exceedingly fine texture, used by the ancients. It is
disputed whether it was of cotton, linen, or silk. [Written also byss
and byssin.]
2. (Zo\'94l.) A tuft of long, tough filaments which are formed in a
groove of the foot, and issue from between the valves of certain
bivalve mollusks, as the Pinna and Mytilus, by which they attach
themselves to rocks, etc.
3. (Bot.) An obsolete name for certain fungi composed of slender
threads.
4. Asbestus.
Bystander
By"stand`er (?), n. [By + stander, equiv. to stander-by; cf. AS.
big-standan to stand by or near.] One who stands near; a spectator;
one who has no concern with the business transacting.
He addressed the bystanders and scattered pamphlets among them.
Palfrey.
Syn. -- Looker on; spectator; beholder; observer.
By-street
By"-street` (?), n. A separate, private, or obscure street; an out of
the way or cross street.
He seeks by-streets, and saves the expensive coach. Gay.
By-stroke
By"-stroke` (?), n. An accidental or a slyly given stroke.
By-turning
By"-turn`ing (?), n. An obscure road; a way turning from the main
road. Sir P. Sidney.
By-view
By"-view`(, n. A private or selfish view; self-interested aim or
purpose.
No by-views of his own shall mislead him. Atterbury.
By-walk
By"-walk`(, n. secluded or private walk.
He moves afterward in by-walks. Dryden.
By-wash
By"-wash` (?), n. The outlet from a dam or reservoir; also, a cut to
divert the flow of water.
Byway
By"way` (?), n. A secluded, private, or obscure way; a path or road
aside from the main one. " Take no byways." Herbert.
By-wipe
By"-wipe` (?), n. A secret or side stroke, as of raillery or sarcasm.
Milton.
Byword
By"word` (?), n. [AS.b\'8bword; b\'8b, E.by+word.]
1. A common saying; a proverb; a saying that has a general currency.
I knew a wise man that had it for a byword. Bacon.
2. The object of a contemptuous saying.
Thou makest us a byword among the heathen. Ps. xliv. 14
Bywork
By"work (?), n. Work aside from regular work; subordinate or secondary
business.
Byzant, Byzantine
Byz"ant (?), Byz"an*tine (?) n.[OE. besant, besaunt, F. besant, fr.
LL. Byzantius, Byzantinus, fr. Byzantium.] (Numis.) A gold coin, so
called from being coined at Byzantium. See Bezant.
Bizantian
Bi*zan"tian (?), a.& n. See Byzantine.
Byzantine
By*zan"tine (?), a. Of or pertaining to Byzantium. -- n. A native or
inhabitant of Byzantium, now Constantinople; sometimes, applied to an
inhabitant of the modern city of Constantinople. [ Written also
Bizantine.] Byzantine church, the Eastern or Greek church, as
distinguished from the Western or Roman or Latin church.See under
Greek. -- Byzantine empire, the Eastern Roman or Greek empire from
A.D. 364 or A.D. 395 to the capture of Constantinople by the Turks,
A.D. 1453. -- Byzantine historians, historians and writers (Zonaras,
Procopius, etc.) who lived in the Byzantine empire. P. Cyc. Byzantine
style (Arch.), a style of architecture developed in the Byzantine
empire.
NOTE: Its le ading fo rms are the round arch, the dome, the pillar,
the circle, and the cross. The capitals of the pillars are the
endless variety, and full of invention. The mosque of St. Sophia,
Constantinople, and the church of St. Mark, Venice, are prominent
examples of Byzantine architecture.
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