B (part 1)

Defn: 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 Music, 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 ) . B stands for B flat, the tone a half step , or semitone, lower than B. In German, B stands for our B, while our B natural is called H (pronounced hä).

BA
Ba, v. i. Etym: [Cf. OF. baer to open mouth, F. baer.]

Defn: To kiss. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BAA
Baa, v. i. Etym: [Cf. G. bäen; an imitative word.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [Cf. G. bä.]

Defn: The cry or bleating of a sheep; a bleat.

BAAING
Baa"ing, n.

Defn: The bleating of a sheep. Marryat.

BAAL
Ba"al, n.; Heb. pl. Baalim (. Etym: [Heb. ba'al lord.]

1. (Myth.)

Defn: The supreme male divinity of the Phoenician and Canaanitish nations.

Note: The name 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.

Defn: The whole class of divinities to whom the name Baal was applied. Judges x. 6.

BAALISM
Ba"al*ism, n.

Defn: Worship of Baal; idolatry.

BAALIST; BAALITE
Ba"al*ist, Ba"al*ite, n.

Defn: A worshiper of Baal; a devotee of any false religion; an idolater.

BAB
Bab, n. [Per.]

Defn: Lit., gate; — a title given to the founder of Babism, and taken from that of Bab-ud-Din, assumed by him.

BABA
Ba"ba, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A kind of plum cake.

BABBITT
Bab"bitt, v. t.

Defn: To line with Babbitt metal.

BABBITT METAL
Bab"bitt met`al. Etym: [From the inventor, Isaac Babbitt of
Massachusetts.]

Defn: 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.]
Etym: [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: Hounds are said 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.

Defn: 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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A name given to any one of family (Timalinæ) of thrushlike birds, having a chattering note.

BABBLERY
Bab"ble*ry, n.

Defn: Babble. [Obs.] Sir T. More

BABE
Babe, n. Etym: [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.

Defn: Babyhood. [R.] Udall.

BABEL Ba"bel, n. Etym: [Heb. Babel, 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. Etym: [Perh. orig. for baboonery. Cf. Baboon, and also
Babe.]

Defn: Finery of a kind to please a child. [Obs.] "Painted babery."
Sir P. Sidney.

BABIAN; BABION
Ba"bi*an, Ba"bi*on, n. Etym: [See Baboon]

Defn: A baboon. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

BABILLARD
Bab"il*lard, n. Etym: [F., a babbler.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The lesser whitethroat of Europe; — called also babbling warbler.

BABINGTONITE
Bab"ing*ton*ite, n. Etym: [From Dr. Babbington.] (Min.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [F. babiroussa, fr.Malay babi hog + r deer.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: Like a babe; a childish; babyish. [R.] "Babish imbecility."
Drayton.
— Bab"ish*ly, adv.
— Bab"ish*ness, n. [R.]

BABISM Bab"ism, n. Etym: [From Bab (Pers. bab a gate), the title assumed by the founder, Mirza Ali Mohammed.]

Defn: The doctrine of a modern religious sect, which originated in
Persia in 1843, being a mixture of Mohammedan, Christian, Jewish and
Parsee elements.

BABISM; BABIISM
Bab"ism, Bab"i*ism, n.

Defn: The doctrine of a modern religious pantheistical sect in Persia, which was founded, about 1844, by Mirza Ali Mohammed ibn Rabhik (1820 — 1850), who assumed the title of Bab-ed-Din (Per., Gate of the Faith). Babism is a mixture of Mohammedan, Christian, Jewish, and Parsi elements. This doctrine forbids concubinage and polygamy, and frees women from many of the degradations imposed upon them among the orthodox Mohammedans. Mendicancy, the use of intoxicating liquors and drugs, and slave dealing, are forbidden; asceticism is discountenanced. —Bab"ist, n.

BABIST
Bab"ist, n.

Defn: A believer in Babism.

BABLAH Bab"lah, n. Etym: [Cf. Per. bab a species of mimosa yielding gum arabic.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [Hind. bab ]

Defn: A Hindoo gentleman; native clerk who writes English; also, a
Hindoo title answering to Mr. or Esquire. Whitworth.

BABOON Bab*oon", n. Etym: [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. bäppe mouth.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: Baboonish behavior. Marryat.

BABOONISH
Bab*oon"ish, a.

Defn: Like a baboon.

BABUL; BABOOL
Ba*bul", Ba*bool", n. [See Bablah.] (Bot.)

Defn: Any one of several species of Acacia, esp. A. Arabica, which yelds a gum used as a substitute for true gum arabic.

In place of Putney's golden gorse
The sickly babul blooms.
Kipling.

BABY
Ba"by, n.; pl. Babies. Etym: [Dim. of babe]

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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.]

Defn: To treat like a young child; to keep dependent; to humor; to fondle. Young.

BABY FARM
Ba"by farm`.

Defn: A place where the nourishment and care of babies are offered for hire.

BABY FARMER
Ba"by farm`er.

Defn: One who keeps a baby farm.

BABY FARMING
Ba"by farm`ing.

Defn: The business of keeping a baby farm.

BABYHOOD
Ba"by*hood, n.

Defn: The state or period of infancy.

BABYHOUSE
Ba"by*house`, a.

Defn: A place for children's dolls and dolls' furniture. Swift.

BABYISH
Ba"by*ish, a.

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Babyroussa.

BABYSHIP
Ba"by*ship, n.

Defn: The quality of being a baby; the personality of an infant.

BAC
Bac, n. Etym: [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. Etym: [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.

Defn: 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. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A French game of cards, played by a banker and punters.

BACCARE; BACKARE
Bac*ca"re, Bac*ka"re, interj.

Defn: 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. Etym: [L. baccatus, fr. L. bacca berry.] (Bot.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [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.

Defn: 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. Etym: [L. Bacchanal a place devoted to
Bacchus; in the pl. Bacchanalia a feast of Bacchus, fr. Bacchus the
god of wine, Gr.

1. (Myth.)

Defn: A feast or an orgy in honor of Bacchus.

2. Hence: A drunken feast; drunken reveler.

BACCHANALIAN
Bac`cha*na"li*an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the festival of Bacchus; relating to or given to reveling and drunkenness. Even bacchanalian madness has its charms. Cowper.

BACCHANALIAN
Bac`cha*na"li*an, n.

Defn: A bacchanal; a drunken reveler.

BACCHANALIANISM
Bac`cha*na"li*an*ism, n.

Defn: The practice of bacchanalians; bacchanals; drunken revelry.

BACCHANT Bac"chant, n.; pl. E. Bacchants, L. Bacchantes. Etym: [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.

Defn: 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.

Defn: Bacchanalian.

BACCHIC; BACCHICAL
Bac"chic, Bac"chic*al, a. Etym: [L. Bacchicus, Gr.

Defn: Of or relating to Bacchus; hence, jovial, or riotous,with intoxication.

BACCHIUS
Bac*chi"us, n.; pl. Bacchii. Etym: [L. Bacchius pes, Gr. (Pros.)

Defn: A metrical foot composed of a short syllable and two long ones; according to some, two long and a short.

BACCHUS
Bac"chus, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Myth.)

Defn: The god of wine, son of Jupiter and Semele.

BACCIFEROUS
Bac*cif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. baccifer; bacca berry + ferre to bear]

Defn: Producing berries. " Bacciferous trees." Ray.

BACCIFORM
Bac"ci*form, a. Etym: [L. bacca berry + -form. ]

Defn: Having the form of a berry.

BACCIVOROUS
Bac*civ"o*rous, a. Etym: [L. bacca berry + varare to devour.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Eating, or subsisting on, berries; as, baccivorous birds.

BACE
Bace, n., a., & v.

Defn: See Base. [Obs.] Spenser.

BACHARACH; BACKARACK
Bach"a*rach, Back"a*rack, n.

Defn: A kind of wine made at Bacharach on the Rhine.

BACHELOR Bach"e*lor, n. Etym: [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.

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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A kind of bass, an edible fresh-water fish (Pomoxys annularis) of the southern United States.

BACHELORDOM
Bach"e*lor*dom, n.

Defn: The state of bachelorhood; the whole body of bachelors.

BACHELORHOOD
Bach"e*lor*hood, n.

Defn: The state or condition of being a bachelor; bachelorship.

BACHELORISM
Bach"e*lor*ism, n.

Defn: Bachelorhood; also, a manner or peculiarity belonging to bachelors. W. Irving.

BACHELOR'S BUTTON
Bach"e*lor's but"ton

Defn: , (Bot.) A plant with flowers shaped like buttons; especially, several species of Ranunculus, and the cornflower (Centaures cyanus) and globe amaranth (Gomphrena).

Note: Bachelor's buttons, 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.

Defn: The state of being a bachelor.

BACHELRY
Bach"el*ry, n. Etym: [OF. bachelerie.]

Defn: The body of young aspirants for knighthood. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BACILLAR
Ba*cil"lar, a. Etym: [L. bacillum little staff.] (Biol.)

Defn: Shaped like a rod or staff.

BACILLARIAE Bac"il*la`ri*æ, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr.L. bacillum, dim. of baculum stick.] (Biol.)

Defn: See Diatom.

BACILLARY
Bac"il*la*ry, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to little rods; rod-shaped.

BACILLIFORM
Ba*cil"li*form, a. Etym: [L. bacillum little staff + -form.]

Defn: Rod-shaped.

BACILLUS
Ba*cil"lus, n.; pl. Bacilli (. Etym: [NL., for L. bacillum. See
Bacillarle.] (Biol.)

Defn: A variety of bacterium; a microscopic, rod-shaped vegetable organism.

BACK
Back, n. Etym: [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. Etym: [As bæc, 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.)

Defn: The keel and keelson of a ship.

9. (Mining)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: To change from one quarter to another by a course opposite to that of the sun; — used of the wind.

3. (Sporting)

Defn: 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. Etym: [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.

Defn: See Bacharach.

BACKARE
Bac*ka"re, interj.

Defn: Same as Baccare.

BACKBAND
Back"band`, n. Etym: [2nd back ,n.+ band.] (Saddlery)

Defn: The band which passes over the back of a horse and holds up the shafts of a carriage.

BACKBITE
Back"bite`, v. i. Etym: [2nd back, n., + bite]

Defn: 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.

Defn: To censure or revile the absent.
They are arrant knaves, and will backbite. Shak.

BACKBITER
Back"bit`er, n.

Defn: One who backbites; a secret calumniator or detractor.

BACKBITING
Back"bit`ing, n.

Defn: Secret slander; detraction.
Backbiting, and bearing of false witness. Piers Plowman.

BACKBOARD
Back"board`, n. Etym: [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. Etym: [Back, adv. + bond.] (Scots Law)

Defn: An instrument which, in conjunction with another making an absolute disposition, constitutes a trust.

BACKBONE
Back"bone", n. Etym: [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.

Defn: Vertebrate.

BACKCAST
Back"cast`, n. Etym: [Back, adv.+ cast.]

Defn: Anything which brings misfortune upon one, or causes failure in an effort or enterprise; a reverse. [Scot.]

BACK DOOR
Back" door".

Defn: A door in the back part of a building; hence, an indirect way.
Atterbury.

BACKDOOR
Back"door", a.

Defn: Acting from behind and in concealment; as backdoor intrigues.

BACKDOWN
Back"down`, n.

Defn: A receding or giving up; a complete surrender. [Colloq.]

BACKED
Backed, a.

Defn: 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.

Defn: One who, or that which, backs; especially one who backs a person or thing in a contest.

BACKFALL
Back"fall`, n. Etym: [2nd back ,n. + fall]

Defn: A fall or throw on the back in wrestling.

BACK FIRE Back fire. (a) A fire started ahead of a forest or prairie fire to burn only against the wind, so that when the two fires meet both must go out for lack of fuel. (b) A premature explosion in the cylinder of a gas or oil engine during the exhaust or the compression stroke, tending to drive the piston in a direction reverse to that in which it should travel; also, an explosion in the exhaust passages of such ah engine.

BACK-FIRE
Back"-fire`, v. i.

1. (Engin.)

Defn: To have or experience a back fire or back fires; — said of an internal-combustion engine.

2. Of a Bunsen or similar air-fed burner, to light so that the flame proceeds from the internal gas jet instead of from the external jet of mixed gas and air. — Back"-fir`ing, n.

BACKFRIEND
Back"friend`, n. Etym: [Back,n.or adv. + friend]

Defn: A secret enemy. [Obs.] South.

BACKGAMMON
Back"gam`mon, n. Etym: [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.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: In the game of backgammon, to beat by ending the game before the loser is clear of his first "table".

BACKGROUND
Back"ground`, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: The space which is behind and subordinate to a portrait or group of figures.

Note: The distance in a picture 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. Etym: [Back, adv. + hand.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: State of being backhanded; the using of backhanded or indirect methods.

BACKHANDER
Back"hand`er, n.

Defn: A backhanded blow.

BACKHEEL
Back"heel`, n. (Wrestling)

Defn: A method of tripping by getting the leg back of the opponent's heel on the outside and pulling forward while pushing his body back; a throw made in this way. — v. t.

Defn: To trip (a person) in this way.

BACKHOUSE
Back"house`, n. Etym: [Back, a. + house.]

Defn: 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)

Defn: The preparation of the back of a book with glue, etc., before putting on the cover.

BACKJOINT
Back"joint`, n. Etym: [Back , a. or adv. + joint.] (Arch.)

Defn: A rebate or chase in masonry left to receive a permanent slab or other filling.

BACKLASH
Back"lash`, n. Etym: [Back , adv. + lash.] (Mech.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: Without a back.

BACKLOG
Back"log`, n. Etym: [Back, a. + log.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [Back,n.or a. + piece, plate. ]

Defn: A piece, or plate which forms the back of anything, or which covers the back; armor for the back.

BACKRACK; BACKRAG
Back"rack, Back"rag, n.

Defn: See Bacharach.

BACKS
Backs, n. pl.

Defn: Among leather dealers, the thickest and stoutest tanned hides.

BACKSAW
Back"saw`, n. Etym: [2d back,n.+ saw.]

Defn: A saw (as a tenon saw) whose blade is stiffened by an added metallic back.

BACKSET
Back"set`, n. Etym: [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.

Defn: To plow again, in the fall; — said of prairie land broken up in the spring. [Western U.S.]

BACKSETTLER
Back"set"tler, n. Etym: [Back, a. + settler.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [Pers. bakhshish, fr. bakhshidan to give.]

Defn: In Egypt and the Turkish empire, a gratuity; a "tip".

BACKSIDE
Back"side`, n. Etym: [Back, a. + side. ]

Defn: The hinder part, posteriors, or rump of a person or animal.

Note: 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. Etym: [Back, adv. + sight. ] (Surv.)

Defn: 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. ] Etym: [Back , adv.+ slide.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: One who backslides.

BACKSLIDING
Back"slid"ing, a.

Defn: Slipping back; falling back into sin or error; sinning.
Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord. Jer. iii. 14.

BACKSLIDING
Back"slid"ing, n.

Defn: The act of one who backslides; abandonment of faith or duty.
Our backslidings are many. Jer. xiv. 7.

BACKSTAFF
Back"staff`, n.

Defn: 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`.

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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. Etym: [Back, a. orn.+ stay.]

1. (Naut.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [See Baxter.]

Defn: A backer. [Obs.]

BACKSTITCH
Back"stitch`, n. Etym: [Back, adv. + stitch.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: To sew with backstitches; as, to backstitch a seam.

BACKSTOP
Back"stop`, n.

1. In baseball, a fence, prop. at least 90 feet behind the home base, to stop the balls that pass the catcher; also, the catcher himself.

2. In rounders, the player who stands immediately behind the striking base.

3. In cricket, the longstop; also, the wicket keeper.

BACKSTRESS
Back"stress, n.

Defn: A female baker. [Obs.]

BACKSWORD
Back"sword`, n. Etym: [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. Etym: [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.

Defn: The state behind or past. [Obs.]
In the dark backward and abysm of time. Shak.

BACKWARD
Back"ward, v. i.

Defn: To keep back; to hinder. [Obs.]

BACKWARDATION
Back`war*da"tion, n. Etym: [Backward, v.i.+ -ation.] (Stock Exchange)

Defn: 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.

Defn: The state of being backward.

BACKWASH
Back"wash`, v. i.

Defn: To clean the oil from (wood) after combing.

BACKWATER
Back"wa`ter, n. Etym: [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. Etym: [Back, a. + woods.]

Defn: The forests or partly cleared grounds on the frontiers.

BACKWOODSMAN
Back"woods"man, n.; pl. Backwoodsmen (.

Defn: 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. Etym: [2d back,n.+ worm. ]

Defn: A disease of hawks. See Filanders. Wright.

BACON Ba"con, n. Etym: [OF. bacon, fr. OHG. bacho, bahho, flitch of bacon, ham; akin to E. back. Cf. Back the back side.]

Defn: The back and sides of a pig salted and smoked; formerly, the flesh of a pig salted or fresh. Bacon beetle (Zoöl.), 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.

Defn: 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.

Defn: See Bacterium.

BACTERIAL
Bac*te"ri*al, a. (Biol.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to bacteria.

BACTERICIDAL
Bac*te"ri*ci`dal, a.

Defn: Destructive of bacteria.

BACTERICIDE
Bac*te"ri*cide, n. Etym: [Bacterium + L. caedere to kill] (Biol.)

Defn: Same as Germicide.

BACTERIN
Bac"te*rin, n. (Med.)

Defn: A bacterial vaccine.

BACTERIOLOGICAL
Bac*te"ri*o*log`ic*al, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to bacteriology; as, bacteriological studies.

BACTERIOLOGIST
Bac*te"ri*ol`o*gist, n.

Defn: One skilled in bacteriology.

BACTERIOLOGY
Bac*te"ri*ol`o*gy, n. Etym: [Bacterium + -logy. ] (Biol.)

Defn: The science relating to bacteria.

BACTERIOLYSIS
Bac*te`ri*ol"y*sis, n. [NL.; fr. Gr. , , a staff + a loosing.]

1. Chemical decomposition brought about by bacteria without the addition of oxygen.

2. The destruction or dissolution of bacterial cells. — Bac*te`ri*o*lyt"ic (#), a.

BACTERIOSCOPIC
Bac*te`ri*o*scop"ic, a. (Biol.)

Defn: Relating to bacterioscopy; as, a bacterioscopic examination.

BACTERIOSCOPIST
Bac*te`ri*os"co*pist, n. (Biol.)

Defn: One skilled in bacterioscopic examinations.

BACTERIOSCOPY
Bac*te`ri*os"co*py, n. Etym: [Bacterium + -scopy ] (Biol.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr., , a staff: cf.
F. bactérie. ] (Biol.)

Defn: A microscopic vegetable organism, belonging to the class Algæ, 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. Etym: [Bacterium + -oid.] (Biol.)

Defn: Resembling bacteria; as, bacteroid particles.

BACTRIAN
Bac"tri*an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Bactria in Asia.
— n.

Defn: A native of Bactria. Bactrian camel, the two-humped camel.

BACULE
Bac"ule, n. Etym: [F.] (Fort.)

Defn: See Bascule.

BACULINE
Bac"u*line, a. Etym: [L. baculum staff.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the rod or punishment with the rod.

BACULITE
Bac"u*lite, n. Etym: [L. baculune stick, staff; cf. F. baculite.]
(Paleon.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [L. baculum staff + -metry]

Defn: Measurement of distance or altitude by a staff or staffs.

BAD
Bad, imp.

Defn: of Bid. Bade. [Obs.] Dryden.

BAD Bad, a. [Compar. Worse; superl. Worst. ] Etym: [Probably fr. AS. bæddel hermaphrodite; cf. bædling effeminate fellow.]

Defn: 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.

BADAUD
Ba`daud", n. [F.]

Defn: A person given to idle observation of everything, with wonder or astonishment; a credulous or gossipy idler.

A host of stories . . . dealing chiefly with the subject of his great wealth, an ever delightful topic to the badauds of Paris. Pall Mall Mag.

BADDER
Bad"der,

Defn: compar. of Bad, a. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BADDERLOCKS
Bad"der*locks, n. Etym: [Perh. for Balderlocks, fr. Balder the
Scandinavian deity.] (Bot.)

Defn: A large black seaweed (Alaria esculenta) sometimes eaten in
Europe; — also called murlins, honeyware, and henware.

BADDISH
Bad"dish, a.

Defn: Somewhat bad; inferior. Jeffrey.

BADE
Bade.

Defn: A form of the pat tense of Bid.

BADGE
Badge, n. Etym: [LL. bagea, bagia, sign, prob. of German origin; cf.
AS. beág, beáh, 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.)

Defn: A carved ornament on the stern of a vessel, containing a window or the representation of one.

BADGE
Badge, v. t.

Defn: To mark or distinguish with a badge.

BADGELESS
Badge"less, a.

Defn: Having no badge. Bp. Hall.

BADGER Badg"er, n. Etym: [Of uncertain origin; perh. fr. an old verb badge to lay up provisions to sell again.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [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. (Zoöl.) See Dachshund.

BADGER
Badg"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Badgered (p. pr. & vb. n. Badgering.]
Etym: [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.

BADGER GAME
Badg"er game.

Defn: The method of blackmailing by decoying a person into a compromising situation and extorting money by threats of exposure. [Cant]

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.

Defn: Having legs of unequal length, as the badger was thought to have. Shak.

BADGER STATE
Badger State.

Defn: Wisconsin; — a nickname.

BADIAGA
Bad`i*a"ga, n. Etym: [Russ. badiaga.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [F.badiane, fr. Per. badian anise.] (Bot.)

Defn: An evergreen Chinese shrub of the Magnolia family (Illicium anisatum), and its aromatic seeds; Chinese anise; star anise.

BADIGEON
Ba*di"geon, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [F., fr. badiner to joke, OF. to trifle, be silly, fr. badin silly.]

Defn: Playful raillery; banter. "He . . . indulged himself only in an elegant badinage." Warburton.

BAD LANDS
Bad" lands".

Defn: 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.

Defn: In a bad manner; poorly; not well; unskillfully; imperfectly; unfortunately; grievously; so as to cause harm; disagreeably; seriously.

Note: Badly is often used colloquially for very much or very greatly, with words signifying to want or need.

BADMINTON
Bad"min*ton, n. Etym: [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.

Defn: The state of being bad.

BAENOMERE
Bæ"no*mere, n. Etym: [Gr. to walk + -mere.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the somites (arthromeres) that make up the thorax of
Arthropods. Packard.

BAENOPOD
Bæ"no*pod, n. Etym: [Gr. -pod.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the thoracic legs of Arthropods.

BAENOSOME
Bæ"no*some, n. Etym: [Gr. -some body.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The thorax of Arthropods. Packard.

BAETULUS Bæ"tu*lus, n.; pl. Bætuli (#). [L., fr. Gr. bai`tylos a sacred meteorite.] (Antiq.)

Defn: A meteorite, or similar rude stone artificially shaped, held sacred or worshiped as of divine origin.

All the evidence goes to prove that these menhirs are bætuli, i. e., traditional and elementary images of the deity. I. Gonino (Perrot & Chipiez).

BAFF
Baff, n.

Defn: A blow; a stroke. [Scot.] H. Miller.

BAFFLE Baf"fle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Baffled (p. pr. & vb. n. Baffling (.] Etym: [Cf. Lowland Scotch bauchle to treat contemptuously, bauch tasteless, abashed, jaded, Icel. bagr uneasy, poor, or bagr, n., struggle, bægja to push, treat harshly, OF. beffler, beffer, to mock, deceive, dial. G. bäppe 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.

Defn: A defeat by artifice, shifts, and turns; discomfiture. [R.] "A baffle to philosophy." South.

BAFFLEMENT
Baf"fle*ment, n.

Defn: The process or act of baffling, or of being baffled; frustration; check.

BAFFLER
Baf"fler, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, baffles.

BAFFLING
Baf"fling, a.

Defn: Frustrating; discomfiting; disconcerting; as, baffling
currents, winds, tasks.
— Bafflingly, adv.
— Bafflingness, n.

BAFFY
Baff"y (baf"y), n. [See Baff, v. t.] (Golf)

Defn: A short wooden club having a deeply concave face, seldom used.

BAFT
Baft. n.

Defn: Same as Bafta.

BAFTA
Baf"ta, n. Etym: [Cf. Per. baft. woven, wrought.]

Defn: A coarse stuff, usually of cotton, originally made in India.
Also, an imitation of this fabric made for export.

BAG Bag, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [F.]

Defn: Sugar cane, as it

BAGATELLE Bag`a*telle", n. Etym: [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. Etym: [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: "The 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: 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.

Defn: 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.

Defn: One who takes care of baggage; a camp follower. [Obs.] Sir W.
Raleigh.

BAGGALA
Bag"ga*la, n. Etym: [Ar. "fem. of baghl a mule." Balfour.] (Naut.)

Defn: A two-masted Arab or Indian trading vessel, used in Indian
Ocean.

BAGGILY
Bag"gi*ly, adv.

Defn: 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. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]

Defn: Reaping peas, beans, wheat, etc., with a chopping stroke.
[Eng.]

BAGGY
Bag"gy, a.

Defn: Resembling a bag; loose or puffed out, or pendent, like a bag; flabby; as, baggy trousers; baggy cheeks.

BAGMAN
Bag"man, n.; pl. Bagmen (.

Defn: A commercial traveler; one employed to solicit orders for manufacturers and tradesmen. Thackeray.

BAG NET
Bag" net`.

Defn: A bag-shaped net for catching fish.

BAGNIO
Bagn"io, n. Etym: [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.

Defn: A musical wind instrument, now used chiefly in the Highlands of
Scotland.

Note: It consists 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.

Defn: 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.

Defn: One who plays on a bagpipe; a piper. Shak.

BAGREEF
Bag"reef`, n. Etym: [Bag + reef.] (Naut.)

Defn: The lower reef of fore and aft sails; also, the upper reef of topsails. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

BAGUE
Bague, n. Etym: [F., a ring] (Arch.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [F. baguette, prop. a rodbacchetta, fr. L. baculum, baculu stick, staff.]

1. (Arch.)

Defn: A small molding, like the astragal, but smaller; a bead.

2. (Zoöl)

Defn: One of the minute bodies seen in the divided nucleoli of some
Infusoria after conjugation.

BAGWIG
Bag"wig", n.

Defn: A wig, in use in the 18th century, with the hair at the back of the head in a bag.

BAGWORM
Bag"worm`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of several lepidopterous insects which construct, in the
larval state, a baglike case which they carry about for protection.
One species (Platoeceticus Gloveri) feeds on the orange tree. See
Basket worm.

BAH
Bah, interj.

Defn: An exclamation expressive of extreme contempt. Twenty-five years ago the vile ejaculation, Bah! was utterly unknown to the English public. De Quincey.

BAHADUR; BAHAUDUR Ba*ha"dur Ba*hau"dur, n. [Written also bahawder.] [Hind. bahadur hero, champion.]

Defn: A title of respect or honor given to European officers in East Indian state papers, and colloquially, and among the natives, to distinguished officials and other important personages.

BAHAI
Ba*hai" (ba*hi"), n.; pl. Bahais (-hiz).

Defn: A member of the sect of the Babis consisting of the adherents of Baha (Mirza Husain Ali, entitled "Baha 'u 'llah," or, "the Splendor of God"), the elder half brother of Mirza Yahya of Nur, who succeeded the Bab as the head of the Babists. Baha in 1863 declared himself the supreme prophet of the sect, and became its recognized head. There are upwards of 20,000 Bahais in the United States.

BAHAISM
Ba*ha"ism, n.

Defn: The religious tenets or practices of the Bahais.

BAHAR
Ba*har", n. Etym: [Ar. bahar, from bahara to charge with a load.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [F. baigner to bathe, fr. L. balneum bath.]

Defn: To soak or drench. [Obs.]

BAIGNOIRE
Bai`gnoire", n. [Written also baignoir.] [F., lit., bath tub.]

Defn: A box of the lowest tier in a theater. Du Maurier.

BAIL Bail, n. Etym: [F. baille a bucket, pail; cf. LL. bacula, dim. of bacca a sort of vessel. Cf. Bac.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [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: The word 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. Etym: [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. Etym: [OE. beyl; cf. Dan. böile an bending, ring, hoop, Sw. bögel, 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. Etym: [OF. bail, baille. See Bailey.]

1. (Usually pl.)

Defn: 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)

Defn: 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. Etym: [OF. baillé, p.p. of bailler. See Bail to deliver.] (Law)

Defn: 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: In penal statutes the word includes those who receive goods for another in good faith. Wharton.

BAILER
Bail"er, n. (Law)

Defn: 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. Etym: [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. Etym: [See Bailiff.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [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)

Defn: A sheriff's deputy, appointed to make arrests, collect fines, summon juries, etc.

Note: 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.

Defn: See Bailiwick. [Obs.]

BAILIWICK
Bail"i*wick, n. Etym: [Bailie, bailiff + wick a village.] (Law)

Defn: 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)

Defn: 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)

Defn: 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: In a general sense it is sometimes used as comprehending all duties in respect to property. Story.

BAILOR
Bail`or", n. (Law)

Defn: One who delivers goods or money to another in trust.

BAILPIECE
Bail"piece`, n. (Law)

Defn: A piece of parchment, or paper, containing a recognizance or bail bond.

BAILY'S BEADS
Bai"ly's beads. (Astron.)

Defn: A row of bright spots observed in connection with total eclipses of the sun. Just before and after a total eclipse, the slender, unobscured crescent of the sun's disk appears momentarily like a row of bright spots resembling a string of beads. The phenomenon (first fully described by Francis Baily, 1774 — 1844) is thought to be an effect of irradiation, and of inequalities of the moon's edge.

BAIN
Bain, n. Etym: [F. bain, fr. L. balneum. Cf. Bagnio.]

Defn: A bath; a bagnio. [Obs.] Holland.

BAIN-MARIE
Bain`-ma`rie", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [Turk. baïram.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [Scot. bairn, AS. bearn, fr. beran to bear; akin to
Icel., OS., &Goth. barn. See Bear to support.]

Defn: A child. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]
Has he not well provided for the bairn ! Beau. & Fl.

BAISEMAINS
Baise"mains`, n. pl. Etym: [F., fr. baiser to kiss + mains hands.]

Defn: Respects; compliments. [Obs.]

BAIT
Bait, n. Etym: [Icel. beita food, beit pasture, akin to AS. bat 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 (Zoöl), 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.] Etym:
[OE. baiten, beit, to feed, harass, fr. Icel. beita, orig. to cause
to bite, fr. bita. sq. root87. 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.

Defn: 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. Etym: [F. battre de l'aile (or des ailes), to flap oBatter, v. i.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: One who baits; a tormentor.

BAIZE
Baize, n. Etym: [For bayes, pl. fr. OF. baie; cf. F. bai bay-colored.
See Bay a color.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [It., fr. bajo brown, bay, from its color.]

Defn: 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.] Etym: [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: Baking 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.

Defn: The process, or result, of baking.

BAKEHOUSE
Bake"house`, n. Etym: [AS. bæch. See Bak, v. i., and House.]

Defn: A house for baking; a bakery.

BAKEMEAT; BAKED-MEAT
Bake"meat`, Baked"-meat`, n.

Defn: A pie; baked food. [Obs.] Gen. xl. 17. Shak.

BAKEN
Bak"en,

Defn: p. p. of Bake. [Obs. or. Archaic]

BAKER
Bak"er, n. Etym: [AS. bæcere. 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.

Defn: 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.

Defn: In a hot or baking manner.

BAKISTRE
Bak"is*tre, n. Etym: [See Baxter.]

Defn: A baker. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BAKSHEESH; BAKSHISH
Bak"sheesh`, Bak"shish`, n.

Defn: Same as Backsheesh.

BALAAM
Ba"laam, n.

Defn: 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. Etym: [Malay balachan.]

Defn: A condiment formed of small fishes or shrimps, pounded up with salt and spices, and then dried. It is much esteemed in China.

BALAENOIDEA
Bal`æ*noi"de*a, n. Etym: [NL., from L. balaena whale + -oid.] (Zoöl)

Defn: 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. Etym: [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: 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.)

Defn: 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. (Zoöl) 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 (
Etym: [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)

Defn: To move toward, and then back from, reciprocally; as, to balance partners.

9. (Naut.)

Defn: 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)

Defn: To move toward a person or couple, and then back.

BALANCEABLE
Bal"ance*a*ble, a.

Defn: Such as can be balanced.

BALANCEMENT
Bal"ance*ment, n.

Defn: 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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: In Diptera, the rudimentary posterior wing.

BALANCEREEF
Bal"ance*reef`, n. (Naut.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: A wheel which imparts regularity to the movements of any engine or machine; a fly wheel.

BALANIFEROUS
Bal`a*nif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. balanus acorn + -ferous.]

Defn: Bearing or producing acorns.

BALANITE
Bal"a*nite, n. Etym: [L. balanus acorn: cf. F. balanite.] (Paleon.)

Defn: A fossil balanoid shell.

BALANOGLOSSUS
Bal`a*no*glos"sus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl)

Defn: A peculiar marine worm. See Enteropneusta, and Tornaria.

BALANOID
Bal"a*noid, a. Etym: [Gr. -oid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Resembling an acorn; — applied to a group of barnacles having shells shaped like acorns. See Acornshell, and Barnacle.

BALAS RUBY
Bal"as ru`by. Etym: [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.)

Defn: A variety of spinel ruby, of a pale rose red, or inclining to orange. See Spinel.

BALATA
Bal"a*ta, n. [Sp., prob. fr. native name.]

1.

Defn: A West Indian sapotaceous tree (Bumelia retusa).

2. The bully tree (Minusops globosa); also, its milky juice (balata gum), which when dried constitutes an elastic gum called chicle, or chicle gum.

BALAUSTINE
Ba*laus"tine, n. Etym: [L. balaustium, Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: The pomegranate tree (Punica granatum). The bark of the root, the rind of the fruit, and the flowers are used medicinally.

BALAYEUSE
Ba`la`yeuse", n. [F., lit., a female sweeper.]

Defn: A protecting ruffle or frill, as of silk or lace, sewed close to the lower edge of a skirt on the inside.

BALBUTIATE; BALBUCINATE Bal*bu"ti*ate, Bal*bu"ci*nate, v. i. Etym: [L. balbutire, fr. balbus stammering: cf. F. balbutier.]

Defn: To stammer. [Obs.]

BALBUTIES
Bal*bu"ti*es, n. (Med.)

Defn: The defect of stammering; also, a kind of incomplete pronunciation.

BALCON
Bal"con, n.

Defn: A balcony. [Obs.] Pepys.

BALCONIED
Bal"co*nied, a.

Defn: Having balconies.

BALCONY Bal"co*ny, n.; pl. Balconies. Etym: [It. balcone; cf. It. balco, palco, scaffold, fr. OHG. balcho, pa, beam, G. balken. See Balk beam.]

1. (Arch.)

Defn: 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: "The accent has shifted from the second to the first syllable within these twenty years." Smart (1836).

BALD Bald, a. Etym: [OE. balled, ballid, perh. the p.p. of ball to reduce to the roundness or smoothness of a ball, by removing hair. sq. root85. 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.)

Defn: Destitute of a beard or awn; as, bald wheat.

6. (Zoöl.) (a) Destitute of the natural covering. (b) Marked with a white spot on the head; bald-faced. Bald buzzard (Zoöl.), the fishhawk or osprey. — Bald coot (Zoöl.), a name of the European coot (Fulica atra), alluding to the bare patch on the front of the head.

BALDACHIN
Bal"da*chin, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: 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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The white-headed eagle (Haliæetus leucocephalus) of America. The young, until several years old, lack the white feathers on the head.

Note: The bald eagle is represented in the coat of arms, and on the coins, of the United States.

BALDER
Bal"der, n. Etym: [Icel. Baldr, akin to E. bold.] (Scan. Myth.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [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.

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A white-headed variety of pigeon.

BALDHEADED
Bald"head`ed, a.

Defn: Having a bald head.

BALDLY
Bald"ly, adv.

Defn: Nakedly; without reserve; inelegantly.

BALDNESS
Bald"ness, n.

Defn: 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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The American widgeon (Anas Americana).

BALDPATE; BALDPATED
Bald"pate`, Bald"pat`ed, a.

Defn: Destitute of hair on the head; baldheaded. Shak.

BALDRIB
Bald"rib`, n.

Defn: A piece of pork cut lower down than the sparerib, and destitute of fat. [Eng.] Southey.

BALDRIC Bal"dric, n. Etym: [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.]

Defn: 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.)

Defn: A kind of reddish, moderately acid, winter apple. [U.S.]

BALE Bale, n. Etym: [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.]

Defn: 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.]

Defn: To make up in a bale. Goldsmith.

BALE
Bale, v. t.

Defn: See Bail, v. t., to lade.

BALE
Bale, n. Etym: [AS. bealo, bealu, balu; akin to OS. , OHG. balo,
Icel. böl, 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. Etym: [L. Balearicus, fr. Gr. the Balearic Islands.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the isles of Majorca, Minorca, Ivica, etc., in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Valencia. Balearic crane. (Zoöl.) See Crane.

BALEEN Ba*leen", n. Etym: [F. baleine whale and whalibone, L. balaena a whale; cf. Gr. . ] (Zoöl. & Com.)

Defn: Plates or blades of "whalebone," from two to twelve feet long, and sometimes a foot wide, which in certain whales (Balænoidea) 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. Etym: [AS. b the fire of the b fire, flame (akin to
Icel. bal, OSlav. b, white, Gr. bright, white, Skr. bhala brightness)
+ f, E. fire.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [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.

Defn: In a baleful manner; perniciously.

BALEFULNESS
Bale"ful*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being baleful.

BALISAUR
Bal"i*sa`ur, n. Etym: [Hind.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A badgerlike animal of India (Arcionyx collaris).

BALISTER
Bal"is*ter, n. Etym: [OF. balestre. See Ballista.]

Defn: A crossbow. [Obs.] Blount.

BALISTOID
Bal"is*toid, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Like a fish of the genus Balistes; of the family Balistidæ. See
Filefish.

BALISTRARIA
Bal`is*tra"ri*a, n. Etym: [LL.] (Anc. Fort.)

Defn: A narrow opening, often cruciform, through which arrows might be discharged.

BALIZE
Ba*lize", n. Etym: [F. balise; cf. Sp. balisa.]

Defn: A pole or a frame raised as a sea beacon or a landmark.

BALK Balk, n. Etym: [AS. balca beam, ridge; akin to Icel. balkr partition, bjalki 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.)

Defn: 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)

Defn: 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.] Etym: [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: This has been regarded as an Americanism, but it occurs in
Spenser's "Faërie 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. Etym: [Prob. from D. balken to bray, bawl.]

Defn: To indicate to fishermen, by shouts or signals from shore, the direction taken by the shoals of herring.

BALKER
Balk"er, n. Etym: [See 2d Balk.]

Defn: One who, or that which balks.

BALKER
Balk"er, n. Etym: [See last Balk.]

Defn: 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.

BALKINGLY
Balk"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In manner to balk or frustrate.

BALKISH
Balk"ish, a.

Defn: Uneven; ridgy. [R.] Holinshed.

BALKY
Balk"y, a.

Defn: Apt to balk; as, a balky horse.

BALL
Ball, n. Etym: [OE. bal, balle; akin to OHG. balla, palla, G. ball,
Icel. böllr, 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.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: 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.]

Defn: 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.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [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.]

Defn: A social assembly for the purpose of dancing.

BALLAD
Bal"lad, n. Etym: [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.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: To make or sing ballads. [Obs.]

BALLAD
Bal"lad, v. t.

Defn: To make mention of in ballads. [Obs.]

BALLADE
Bal*lade", n. Etym: [See Ballad, n.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: A writer of ballads.

BALLAD MONGER
Bal"lad mon`ger. Etym: [See Monger.]

Defn: A seller or maker of ballads; a poetaster. Shak.

BALLADRY
Bal"lad*ry, n. Etym: [From Ballad, n. ]

Defn: Ballad poems; the subject or style of ballads. "Base balladry is so beloved." Drayton.

BALLAHOO; BALLAHOU
Bal"la*hoo, Bal"la*hou, n.

Defn: A fast-sailing schooner, used in the Bermudas and West Indies.

BALLARAG
Bal"la*rag, v. i. Etym: [Corrupted fr. bullirag.]

Defn: To bully; to threaten. [Low] T. Warton.

BALLAST Bal"last, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: 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)

Defn: A toll paid for the privilege of taking up ballast in a port or harbor.

BALLASTING
Bal"last*ing, n.

Defn: That which is used for steadying anything; ballast.

BALLATRY
Bal"la*try, n.

Defn: See Balladry. [Obs.] Milton.

BALLET
Bal"let`, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: A light part song, or madrigal, with a fa la burden or chorus, — most common with the Elizabethan madrigal composers.

4. (Her.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [L. ballista, balista, fr. Gr. to throw.]

Defn: An ancient military engine, in the form of a crossbow, used for hurling large missiles.

BALLISTER
Bal"lis*ter, n. Etym: [L. ballista. Cf. Balister.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [Cf. F. balistique. See Ballista.]

Defn: The science or art of hurling missile weapons by the use of an engine. Whewell.

BALLISTITE
Bal"lis*tite, n. [See Ballista.] (Chem.)

Defn: A smokeless powder containing equal parts of soluble nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin.

BALLIUM
Bal"li*um, n. Etym: [LL.]

Defn: See Bailey.

BALLOON
Bal*loon", n. Etym: [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 aërial navigation.

2. (Arch.)

Defn: A ball or globe on the top of a pillar, church, etc., as at St.
Paul's, in London. [R.]

3. (Chem.)

Defn: A round vessel, usually with a short neck, to hold or receive whatever is distilled; a glass vessel of a spherical form.

4. (Pyrotechnics)

Defn: A bomb or shell. [Obs.]

5. A game played with a large inf [Obs.]

6. (Engraving)

Defn: The outline inclosing words represented as coming from the mouth of a pictured figure. Air balloon, a balloon for aërial 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.

Defn: 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.

Defn: Swelled out like a balloon.

BALLOONER
Bal*loon"er, n.

Defn: One who goes up in a balloon; an aëronaut.

BALLOON FISH
Bal*loon" fish`. (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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)

Defn: The process of temporarily raising the value of a stock, as by fictitious sales. [U.S.]

BALLOONING SPIDER
Bal*loon"ing spi"der. (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: An aëronaut.

BALLOONRY
Bal*loon"ry, n.

Defn: The art or practice of ascending in a balloon; aëronautics.

BALLOT Bal"lot, n. Etym: [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.

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.]
Etym: [F. ballotter to toss, to ballot, or It. ballottare. See
Ballot, n.]

Defn: To vote or decide by ballot; as, to ballot for a candidate.

BALLOT
Bal"lot, v. t.

Defn: 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. Etym: [F. ballottade, fr. ballotter to toss. See
Ballot, v. i.] (Man.)

Defn: 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.

BALLOTAGE
Bal"lot*age, n. [F. ballottage.]

Defn: In France, a second ballot taken after an indecisive first ballot to decide between two or several candidates.

BALLOTATION
Bal`lo*ta"tion, n.

Defn: Voting by ballot. [Obs.] Sir H. Wotton.

BALLOTER
Bal"lot*er, n.

Defn: One who votes by ballot.

BALLOTIN
Bal"lo*tin, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: An officer who has charge of a ballot box. [Obs.] Harrington.

BALLOW
Bal"low, n.

Defn: A cudgel. [Obs.] Shak.

BALLPROOF
Ball"proof`, a.

Defn: Incapable of being penetrated by balls from firearms.

BALLROOM
Ball"room` (, n.

Defn: A room for balls or dancing.

BALM
Balm, n. Etym: [OE. baume, OF. bausme, basme, F. baume, L. balsamum
balsam, from Gr. ; perhaps of Semitic origin; cf. Heb. basam. Cf.
Balsam.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: 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 (Zoöl.), 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.

Defn: To anoint with balm, or with anything medicinal. Hence: To soothe; to mitigate. [Archaic] Shak.

BALMIFY
Balm"i*fy, v. t. Etym: [Balm + -fy.]

Defn: To render balmy. [Obs.] Cheyne.

BALMILY
Balm"i*ly, adv.

Defn: In a balmy manner. Coleridge.

BALMORAL
Bal*mor"al, n. Etym: [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. Etym: [L. balneum bath.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to a bath. Howell.

BALNEARY
Bal"ne*a*ry, n. Etym: [L. balnearium, fr. balneum bath.]

Defn: A bathing room. Sir T. Browne.

BALNEATION
Bal`ne*a"tion, n. Etym: [LL. balneare to bathe, fr. L. balneum bath.]

Defn: The act of bathing. [R.]

BALNEATORY
Bal"ne*a*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. balneatorius.]

Defn: Belonging to a bath. [Obs.]

BALNEOGRAPHY
Bal`ne*og"ra*phy, n. Etym: [L. balneum bath + -graphy.]

Defn: A description of baths.

BALNEOLOGY
Bal`ne*ol"o*gy, n. Etym: [L. balneum bath + -logy.]

Defn: A treatise on baths; the science of bathing.

BALNEOTHERAPY
Bal`ne*o*ther"a*py, n. Etym: [L. balneum bath + Gr. to heal.]

Defn: The treatment of disease by baths.

BALOPTICON
Bal*op"ti*con, n. [Gr. to throw + stereopticon.]

Defn: See Projector, below.

BALOTADE
Bal"o*tade`, n.

Defn: See Ballotade.

BALSA
Bal"sa, n. Etym: [Sp. or Pg. balsa.] (Naut.)

Defn: A raft or float, used principally on the Pacific coast of South
America.

BALSAM
Bal"sam, n. Etym: [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: The 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 Pereiræ 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.

Defn: 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. Etym: [Cf. F. balsamique.]

Defn: Having the qualities of balsam; containing, or resembling, balsam; soft; mitigative; soothing; restorative.

BALSAMIFEROUS
Bal`sam*if"er*ous, a. Etym: [Balsam + -ferous.]

Defn: Producing balsam.

BALSAMINE
Bal"sam*ine, n. Etym: [Cf. F. balsamine, fr. Gr. balsam plant.]
(Bot.)

Defn: The Impatiens balsamina, or garden balsam.

BALSAMOUS
Bal"sam*ous, a.

Defn: Having the quality of balsam; containing balsam. "A balsamous substance." Sterne.

BALTER
Bal"ter, v. t. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain. Cf. Bloodboltered.]

Defn: To stick together.[Obs.] Holland.

BALTIC
Bal"tic, a. Etym: [NL. mare Balticum, fr. L. balteus belt, from
certain straits or channels surrounding its isles, called belts. See
Belt.]

Defn: 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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [F. balustre, It. balaustro, fr. L. balaustium the flower of the wild pomegranate, fr. Gr. ; — so named from the similarity of form.] (Arch.)

Defn: 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.

BALUSTERED
Bal"us*tered (-terd), a.

Defn: Having balusters. Dryden.

BALUSTRADE Bal"us*trade` (-trad`), n. [F. balustrade, It. balaustrata fr. balaustro. See Baluster.] (Arch.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [Prob. a contr. of bamboozle.]

Defn: An imposition; a cheat; a hoax. Garrick.
To relieve the tediumbams. Prof. Wilson.

BAM
Bam, v. t.

Defn: To cheat; to wheedle. [Slang] Foote.

BAMBINO Bam*bi"no, n. Etym: [It., a little boy, fr. bambo silly; cf. Gr. , , to chatter.]

Defn: A child or baby; esp., a representation in art of the infant
Christ wrapped in swaddling clothes.

BAMBOCCIADE Bam*boc`ci*ade", n. Etym: [It. bambocciata, fr. Bamboccio a nickname of Peter Van Laer, a Dutch genre painter; properly, a child, simpleton, puppet, fr. bambo silly.] (Paint.)

Defn: A representation of a grotesque scene from common or rustic life.

BAMBOO
Bam*boo", n. Etym: [Malay bambu, mambu.] (Bot.)

Defn: A plant of the family of grasses, and genus Bambusa, growing in tropical countries.

Note: The 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.

Defn: To flog with the bamboo.

BAMBOOZLE
Bam*boo"zle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bamboozled (p. pr. & vb. n.
Bamboozling ( Etym: [Said to be of Gipsy origin.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: A swindler; one who deceives by trickery. [Colloq.] Arbuthnot.

BAN Ban, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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.] Etym: [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.

Defn: To curse; to swear. [Obs.] Spenser.

BAN
Ban, n. Etym: [Serv. ban; cf. Russ. & Pol. pan a masterban.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [F., fr. ban an ordinance.]

Defn: Commonplace; trivial; hackneyed; trite.

BANALITY
Ba*nal"i*ty, n.; pl. Banalities. Etym: [F. banalité. See Banal.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [Sp. banana, name of the fruit.] (Bot.)

Defn: A perennial herbaceous plant of almost treelike size (Musa sapientum); also, its edible fruit. See Musa.

Note: The banana 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 (Zoöl.), a small American bird (Icterus leucopteryx), which feeds on the banana. — Banana quit (Zoöl.), a small bird of tropical America, of the genus Certhiola, allied to the creepers.

BANANA SOLUTION
Ba*na"na so*lu"tion.

Defn: A solution used as a vehicle in applying bronze pigments. In addition to acetote, benzine, and a little pyroxylin, it contains amyl acetate, which gives it the odor of bananas.

BANAT
Ban"at, n. Etym: [Cf. F. & G. banat. See Ban a warden.]

Defn: The territory governed by a ban.

BANC; BANCUS; BANK
Banc, Ban"cus, Bank, n. Etym: [OF. banc, LL. bancus. See Bank, n.]

Defn: 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).

BANCAL
Ban*cal", n.; pl. -cales (#). [Sp., fr. banca, banco, bench. Cf.
Bench.]

Defn: An ornamental covering, as of carpet or leather, for a bench or form.

BANCO
Ban"co, n. Etym: [It. See Bank.]

Defn: A bank, especially that of Venice.

Note: This 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. Etym: [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.

Defn: 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.

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.)

Defn: A space between elevated lines or ribs, as of the fruits of umbelliferous plants.

10. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A stripe, streak, or other mark transverse to the axis of the body.

11. (Mech.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: To confederate for some common purpose; to unite; to conspire
together.
Certain of the Jews banded together. Acts xxiii. 12.

BAND
Band, v. t.

Defn: To bandy; to drive away. [Obs.]

BAND
Band, imp.

Defn: of Bind. [Obs.]

BANDAGE
Band"age, n. Etym: [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 (

Defn: To bind, dress, or cover, with a bandage; as, to bandage the eyes.

BANDALA
Ban*da"la, n.

Defn: A fabric made in Manilla from the older leaf sheaths of the abaca (Musa textilis).

BANDANNA; BANDANA Ban*dan"na, Ban*dan"a, n. Etym: [Hind. bandhn 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.

Defn: 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. Etym: [F.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [F. bandelette, dim. of bande. See
Band, n., and ch. Bendlet.] (Arch.)

Defn: A small band or fillet; any little band or flat molding, compassing a column, like a ring. Gwilt.

BANDER
Band"er, n.

Defn: One banded with others. [R.]

BANDERILLA
Ban`de*ril"la, n. [Sp., dim. of bandera banner. See Banner, and cf.
Banderole.]

Defn: A barbed dart carrying a banderole which the banderillero thrusts into the neck or shoulder of the bull in a bullfight.

BANDERILLERO
Ban`de*ril*le"ro, n. [Sp.]

Defn: One who thrusts in the banderillas in bullfighting. W. D.
Howells.

BANDEROLE; BANDROL Band"e*role, Band"rol, n. Etym: [F. banderole, dim. of bandière, bannière, banner; cf. It. banderuola a little banner. See Banner.]

Defn: 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`. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small red fish of the genus Cepola; the ribbon fish.

BANDICOOT Ban"di*coot, n. Etym: [A corruption of the native name.] (Zoöl.) (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`.

Defn: 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. Etym: [It. bandito outlaw, p.p. of bandire to proclaim, to banish, to proscribe, LL. bandire, bannire. See Ban an edict, and cf. Banish.]

Defn: An outlaw; a brigand.
No savage fierce, bandit, or mountaineer. Milton.

Note: The plural banditti was formerly used as a collective noun.
Deerstealers are ever a desperate banditti. Sir W. Scott.

BANDLE Ban"dle, n. Etym: [Ir. bannlamh cubit, fr. bann a measure + lamh hand, arm.]

Defn: An Irish measure of two feet in length.

BANDLET
Band"let, n.

Defn: Same as Bandelet.

BANDMASTER
Band"mas`ter, n.

Defn: The conductor of a musical band.

BANDOG
Ban"dog`, n. Etym: [Band + dog, i.e., bound dog.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [F. bandoulière (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. Etym: [Perh. allied to band.]

Defn: A glutinous pomatum for the fair.

BANDON
Ban"don, n. Etym: [OF. bandon. See Abandon.]

Defn: Disposal; control; license. [Obs.] Rom. of R.

BANDORE
Ban"dore, n. Etym: [Sp. bandurria, fr. L. pandura, pandurium, a
musical instrument of three strings, fr. Gr. . Cf. Pandore, Banjo,
Mandolin.]

Defn: A musical stringed instrument, similar in form to a guitar; a pandore.

BANDROL
Band"rol, n.

Defn: Same as Banderole.

BANDY
Ban"dy, n. Etym: [Telugu bandi.]

Defn: A carriage or cart used in India, esp. one drawn by bullocks.

BANDY Ban"dy, n.; pl. Bandies (. Etym: [Cf. F. bandé, 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.

Defn: 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.

Defn: Bent; crooked; curved laterally, esp. with the convex side outward; as, a bandy leg.

BANDY-LEGGED
Ban"dy-legged`, a.

Defn: Having crooked legs.

BANE
Bane, n. Etym: [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.

Defn: To be the bane of; to ruin. [Obs.] Fuller.

BANEBERRY
Bane"ber`ry, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus (Actæa) of plants, of the order Ranunculaceæ, native in the north temperate zone. The red or white berries are poisonous.

BANEFUL
Bane"ful, a.

Defn: 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.)

Defn: Deadly nightshade.

BANG
Bang, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Banged; p. pr. & vb. n. Banging.] Etym:
[Icel. banga to hammer; akin to Dan. banke to beat, Sw.bångas 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.

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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.

Defn: See Bhang.

BANGING
Bang"ing, a.

Defn: Huge; great in size. [Colloq.] Forby.

BANGLE
Ban"gle, v. t. Etym: [From 1st Bang.]

Defn: To waste by little and little; to fritter away. [Obs.]

BANGLE
Ban"gle, n. Etym: [Hind. bangri bracelet, bangle.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [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.)

Defn: 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.]
Etym: [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.

Defn: One who banishes.

BANISHMENT
Ban"ish*ment, n. Etym: [Cf. F. bannissement.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [Formerly also banjore and banjer; corrupted from bandore, through negro slave pronunciation.]

Defn: 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.

BANJO Ban"jo, n. [Formerly also banjore and banjer; corrupted from bandore, through negro slave pronunciation.]

Defn: 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.

BANJORINE
Ban`jo*rine", n. [From banjore banjo. See Banjo.] (Music.)

Defn: A kind of banjo, with a short neck, tuned a fourth higher than the common banjo; — popularly so called.

BANK Bank, n. Etym: [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 (Zoöl.), 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. Etym: [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)

Defn: A sort of table used by printers.

4. (Music)

Defn: A bench, or row of keys belonging to a keyboard, as in an organ. Knight.

BANK
Bank, n. Etym: [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)

Defn: 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.

Defn: To deposit in a bank.

BANK
Bank, v. i.

1. To keep a bank; to carry on the business of a banker.

2. To deposit money in a bank; to have an account with a banker.

BANKABLE
Bank"a*ble, a.

Defn: 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`.

Defn: 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.

BANK DISCOUNT
Bank discount.

Defn: A sum equal to the interest at a given rate on the principal (face) of a bill or note from the time of discounting until it becomes due.

BANKER Bank"er, n.Etym: [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.

Defn: A female banker. Thackeray.

BANKING
Bank"ing, n.

Defn: 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: 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. Etym: [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)

Defn: 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)

Defn: 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: In England, until 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.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: The slope of a bank, especially of the bank of a steam.

BANK-SIDED
Bank"-sid`ed, a. (Naut.)

Defn: Having sides inclining inwards, as a ship; — opposed to wall- sided.

BANK SWALLOW
Bank" swal"low.

Defn: See under 1st Bank, n.

BANLIEUE Ban"li*eue`, n. Etym: [F., fr. LL. bannum leucae, banleuca; bannum jurisdiction + leuca league.]

Defn: The territory without the walls, but within the legal limits, of a town or city. Brande & C.

BANNER Ban"ner, n. Etym: [OE. banere, OF. baniere, F. bannière, bandière, 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 (Zoöl.), 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.

Defn: Decorated with a banner or banners "bannered host." Milton.

BANNERET Ban"ner*et, n.Etym: [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: The 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.

Defn: A banderole; esp. a banner displayed at a funeral procession and set over the tomb. See Banderole.

BANNITION
Ban*ni"tion, n. Etym: [LL. bannitio. See Banish.]

Defn: The act of expulsion.[Obs.] Abp. Laud.

BANNOCK
Ban"nock, n. Etym: [Gael. bonnach.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [See Ban.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [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.]

Defn: 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.

BANQUETTE
Ban*quette", n. Etym: [F. See Banquet, n.]

1. (Fort.)

Defn: A raised way or foot bank, running along the inside of a parapet, on which musketeers stand to fire upon the enemy.

2. (Arch.)

Defn: A narrow window seat; a raised shelf at the back or the top of a buffet or dresser.

BANQUETTER; BANQUETER
Ban"quet*ter, n.

Defn: One who banquets; one who feasts or makes feasts.

BANSHEE; BANSHIE Ban"shee, Ban"shie, n. Etym: [Gael. bean-shith fairy; Gael. & Ir. bean woman + Gael. sith fairy.]

Defn: 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.

BANSSHEE; BANSHIE Bans"shee, Ban"shie, n. [Gael. bean-shith fairy; Gael. & Ir. bean woman + Gael. sith fairy.] (Celtic Folklore)

Defn: A supernatural being supposed to warn a family of the approaching death of one of its members, by wailing or singing in a mournful voice.

BANSTICKLE
Ban"stic`kle, n. Etym: [OE. ban, bon, bone + stickle prickle, sting.
See Bone, n., Stickleback.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small fish, the three-spined stickleback.

BANTAM
Ban"tam, n.

Defn: A variety of small barnyard fowl, with feathered legs, probably brought from Bantam, a district of Java.

BANTAM WORK
Ban"tam work`.

Defn: Carved and painted work in imitation of Japan ware.

BANTENG
Ban"teng, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The wild ox of Java (Bibos Banteng).

BANTER
Ban"ter, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bantered(p. pr. & vb. n. Bantering.]
Etym: [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.

Defn: The act of bantering; joking or jesting; humorous or good- humored raillery; pleasantry. Part banter, part affection. Tennyson.

BANTERER
Ban"ter*er, n.

Defn: One who banters or rallies.

BANTINGISM
Ban"ting*ism, n.

Defn: 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. Etym: [Prob. for bandling, from band, and meaning a child wrapped in swaddling bands; or cf. G. bäntling a bastard, fr. bank bench. Cf. Bastard, n.]

Defn: A young or small child; an infant. [Slightly contemptuous or
depreciatory.]
In what out of the way corners genius produces her bantlings. W.
Irving.

BANTU
Ban"tu, n.

Defn: A member of one of the great family of Negroid tribes occupying equatorial and southern Africa. These tribes include, as important divisions, the Kafirs, Damaras, Bechuanas, and many tribes whose names begin with Aba-, Ama-, Ba-, Ma-, Wa-, variants of the Bantu plural personal prefix Aba-, as in Ba-ntu, or Aba-ntu, itself a combination of this prefix with the syllable -ntu, a person. — Ban"tu, a.

BANXRING
Banx"ring, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An East Indian insectivorous mammal of the genus Tupaia.

BANYAN
Ban"yan, n. Etym: [See Banian.] (Bot.)

Defn: 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.

BANZAI
Ban"zai", interj. [Jap. banzai, banzei, ten thousand years, forever.]

Defn: Lit., May you live ten thousand years; — used in salutation of the emperor and as a battle cry. [Japan]

BAOBAB
Ba"o*bab, n. Etym: [The native name.] (Bot.)

Defn: A gigantic African tree (Adansonia digitata), also naturalized in India. See Adansonia.

BAPHOMET Baph"o*met, n.Etym: [A corruption of Mahomet or Mohammed, the Arabian prophet: cf. Pr. Bafomet, OSp. Mafomat, OPg. Mafameda.]

Defn: An idol or symbolical figure which the Templars were accused of using in their mysterious rites.

BAPTISM Bap"tism, n. Etym: [OE. baptim, baptem, OE. baptesme, batisme, F. baptême, L. baptisma, fr. Gr. , fr. to baptize, fr. to dip in water, akin to deep, Skr. gah to dip, bathe, v. i.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [Cf. F. baptismal.]

Defn: Pertaining to baptism; as, baptismal vows. Baptismal name, the
Christian name, which is given at baptism.

BAPTISMALLY
Bap*tis"mal*ly, adv.

Defn: In a baptismal manner.

BAPTIST
Bap"tist, n. Etym: [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 doctrine 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 (. Etym: [L. baptisterium, Gr. : cf. F. baptistère.] (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. Etym: [Gr. ]

Defn: Of or for baptism; baptismal.

BAPTISTICAL
Bap*tis"tic*al, a.

Defn: Baptistic. [R.]

BAPTIZABLE
Bap*tiz"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being baptized; fit to be baptized. Baxter.

BAPTIZATION
Bap`ti*za"tion, n.

Defn: Baptism. [Obs.]
Their baptizations were null. Jer. Taylor.

BAPTIZE
Bap*tize", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Baptized (; p. pr. & vb. n.
Baptizing.] Etym: [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.

Defn: The act of baptizing.[R.]

BAPTIZER
Bap*tiz"er, n.

Defn: One who baptizes.

BAR Bar, n. Etym: [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.

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.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: A vertical line across the staff. Bars divide the staff into spaces which represent measures, and are themselves called measures.

Note: A double bar marks the end 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.] Etym: [ 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.

BARACA
Ba*ra"ca, n.

Defn: An international, interdenominational organization of Bible classes of young men; — so named in allusion to the Hebrew word Berachah (Meaning blessing) occurring in 2 Chron. xx. 26 and 1 Chron. xii.

BARAD
Bar"ad, n. [Gr. weight.] (Physics)

Defn: The pressure of one dyne per square centimeter; — used as a unit of pressure.

BARAESTHESIOMETER; BARESTHESIOMETER Bar`æs*the`si*om"e*ter, Bar`es*the`si*om"e*ter, n. [Gr. weight + æsthesiometer.] (Physiol.)

Defn: An instrument for determining the delicacy of the sense of pressure. — Bar`æs*the`si*o*met"ric, Bar`es*the`si*o*met"ric (#), a.

BARATHEA
Bar`a*the"a, n.

Defn: A soft fabric with a kind of basket weave and a diapered pattern.

BARB
Barb, n. Etym: [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.

Defn: 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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the side branches of a feather, which collectively constitute the vane. See Feather.

7. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A southern name for the kingfishes of the eastern and southeastern coasts of the United States; — also improperly called whiting.

8. (Bot.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [F. barbe, fr. Barbarie.]

1. The Barbary horse, a superior breed introduces from Barbary into Spain by the Moors.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A blackish or dun variety of the pigeon, originally brought from Barbary.

BARB
Barb, n. Etym: [Corrupted fr. bard.]

Defn: Armor for a horse. Same as 2d Bard, n., 1.

BARBACAN
Bar"ba*can, n.

Defn: See Barbican.

BARBACANAGE
Bar"ba*can*age, n.

Defn: See Barbicanage.

BARBADIAN
Bar*ba"di*an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Barbados.
— n.

Defn: A native of Barbados.

BARBADOS; BARBADOES
Bar*ba"dos or Bar*ba"does, n.

Defn: 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. Etym: [Coined by logicians.] (Logic)

Defn: 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.

Defn: Barbaric in form or style; as, barbaresque architecture. De
Quincey.

BARBARIAN
Bar*ba"ri*an, n. Etym: [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.

Defn: Of, or pertaining to, or resembling, barbarians; rude; uncivilized; barbarous; as, barbarian governments or nations.

BARBARIC
Bar*ba"ric, a. Etym: [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. Etym: [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. Etym: [From Barbarous.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [Cf. F. barbariser, LL. barbarizare.]

Defn: To make barbarous.
The hideous changes which have barbarized France. Burke.

BARBAROUS Bar"ba*rous, a. Etym: [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.

Defn: In a barbarous manner.

BARBAROUSNESS
Bar"ba*rous*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being barbarous; barbarity; barbarism.

BARBARY
Bar"ba*ry, n. Etym: [Fr. Ar. Barbar the people of Barbary.]

Defn: 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 (Zoöl.), 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. Etym: [F. barbastelle.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A European bat (Barbastellus communis), with hairy lips.

BARBATE
Bar"bate, a. Etym: [L. barbatus, fr. barba beard. See Barb beard.]
(Bot.)

Defn: Bearded; beset with long and weak hairs.

BARBATED
Bar"ba*ted, a.

Defn: Having barbed points.
A dart uncommonly barbated. T. Warton.

BARBECUE Bar"be*cue, n. Etym: [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. Etym: [See 4th Bare.]

Defn: Accoutered with defensive armor; — said of a horse. See Barded ( which is the proper form.) Sir W. Raleigh.

BARBED
Barbed, a.

Defn: 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.Etym: [OE. barbel, F. barbeau, dim. of L. barbus barbel, fr. barba beard. See 1st Barb.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A slender tactile organ on the lips of certain fished.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large fresh-water fish ( Barbus vulgaris) found in many
European rivers. Its upper jaw is furnished with four barbels.

3. pl.

Defn: Barbs or paps under the tongued of horses and cattle. See 1st
Barb, 3.

BARBELLATE
Bar"bel*late, a. Etym: [See 1st Barb.] (Bot.)

Defn: Having short, stiff hairs, often barbed at the point. Gray.

BARBELLULATE
Bar*bel"lu*late, a. (Bot.)

Defn: Barbellate with diminutive hairs or barbs.

BARBER Bar"ber, n. Etym: [OE. barbour, OF. barbeor, F. barbier, as if fr. an assumed L. barbator, fr. barba beard. See 1st Barb.]

Defn: 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: 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.]

Defn: To shave and dress the beard or hair of. Shak.

BARBER FISH
Bar"ber fish. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Surgeon fish.

BARBERMONGER
Bar"ber*mon`ger, n.

Defn: A fop. [Obs.]

BARBERRY
Bar"ber*ry, n. Etym: [OE. barbarin, barbere, OF. berbere.] (Bot.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [F. barbet, fr.barbe beard, long hair of certain animals. See Barb beard.] (Zoöl.) (a) A variety of small dog, having long curly hair. (b) A bird of the family Bucconidæ, 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. Etym: [F. Cf. Barbet.] (Fort.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [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. Etym: [LL. barbicanagium. See
Barbican.]

Defn: Money paid for the support of a barbican. [Obs.]

BARBICEL
Bar"bi*cel, n. Etym: [NL. barbicella, dim. of L. barba. See 1st
Barb.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the small hooklike processes on the barbules of feathers.

BARBIERS
Bar"biers, n. (Med.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [L. barba a beard + gerous.]

Defn: Having a beard; bearded; hairy.

BARBITON
Bar"bi*ton, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. .] (Mus.)

Defn: An ancient Greek instrument resembling a lyre.

BARBITURIC ACID
Bar`bi*tu"ric ac"id. (Chem.)

Defn: A white, crystalline substance,

BARBIZON SCHOOL; BARBISON SCHOOL
Bar`bi`zon" school or Bar`bi`son" school. (Painting)

Defn: A French school of the middle of the 19th century centering in the village of Barbizon near the forest of Fontainebleau. Its members went straight to nature in disregard of academic tradition, treating their subjects faithfully and with poetic feeling for color, light, and atmosphere. It is exemplified, esp. in landscapes, by Corot, Rousseau, Daubigny, Jules Dupré, and Diaz. Associated with them are certain painters of animals, as Troyon and Jaque, and of peasant life, as Millet and Jules Breton.

BARBLE
Bar"ble, n.

Defn: See Barbel.

BARBOTINE
Bar"bo*tine, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A paste of clay used in decorating coarse pottery in relief.

BARBRE
Bar"bre, a.

Defn: Barbarian. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BARBULE
Bar"bule, n. Etym: [L. barbula, fr. barba beard.]

1. A very minute barb or beard. Booth.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [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. Etym: [It. barcone, fr. barca a bark.]

Defn: A vessel for freight; — used in Mediterranean.

BARD
Bard, n. Etym: [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. Etym: [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.

Defn: Defensive armor formerly worn by a man at arms.

3. (Cookery)

Defn: A thin slice of fat bacon used to cover any meat or game.

BARD
Bard, v. t. (Cookery)

Defn: To cover (meat or game) with a thin slice of fat bacon.

BARD Bard, n. Etym: [Akin to Dan. & Sw. bark, Icel. börkr, 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.

BARDED
Bard"ed, p.a. Etym: [See Bard horse armor.]

1. Accoutered with defensive armor; — said of a horse.

2. (Her.)

Defn: Wearing rich caparisons.
Fifteen hundred men . . . barded and richly trapped. Stow.

BARDIC
Bard"ic, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to bards, or their poetry. "The bardic lays of ancient Greece." G. P. Marsh.

BARDIGLIO
Bar*di"glio, n. [It.]

Defn: An Italian marble of which the principal varieties occur in the neighborhood of Carrara and in Corsica. It commonly shows a dark gray or bluish ground traversed by veins.

BARDISH
Bard"ish, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or written by, a bard or bards. "Bardish impostures." Selden.

BARDISM
Bard"ism, n.

Defn: The system of bards; the learning and maxims of bards.

BARDLING
Bard"ling, n.

Defn: An inferior bard. J. Cunningham.

BARDSHIP
Bard"ship, n.

Defn: The state of being a bard.

BARE Bare, a. Etym: [OE. bar, bare, AS. bær; akin to D. & G. baar, OHG. par, Icel. berr, Sw. & Dan. bar, OSlav. bos barefoot, Lith. basas; cf. Skr. bhas 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.)

Defn: 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.] Etym: [AS. barian. See Bare, a.]

Defn: To strip off the covering of; to make bare; as, to bare the breast.

BARE
Bare.

Defn: Bore; the old preterit of Bear, v.

BAREBACK
Bare"back`, adv.

Defn: On the bare back of a horse, without using a saddle; as, to ride bareback.

BAREBACKED
Bare"backed`, a.

Defn: Having the back uncovered; as, a barebacked horse.

BAREBONE
Bare"bone`, n.

Defn: 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.

Defn: Openly; shamelessly. Locke.

BAREFACEDNESS
Bare"faced`ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being barefaced; shamelessness; assurance; audaciousness.

BAREFOOT
Bare"foot, a. & adv.

Defn: With the feet bare; without shoes or stockings.

BAREFOOTED
Bare"foot`ed, a.

Defn: Having the feet bare.

BAREGE
Ba*rége", n. Etym: [F. barége, so called from Baréges, a town in the
Pyrenees.]

Defn: A gauzelike fabric for ladies' dresses, veils, etc. of worsted, silk and worsted, or cotton and worsted.

BAREHANDED
Bare"hand`ed, n.

Defn: Having bare hands.

BAREHEADED; BAREHEAD
Bare"head`ed, Bare"head, a. & adv.

Defn: Having the head uncovered; as, a bareheaded girl.

BARELEGGED
Bare"legged`, a.

Defn: 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.

Defn: Having the neck bare.

BARENESS
Bare"ness, n.

Defn: The state of being bare.

BARESARK
Bare"sark, n. Etym: [Literally, bare sark or shirt.]

Defn: 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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Same as Calico bass.

BARFUL
Bar"ful, a.

Defn: Full of obstructions. [Obs.] Shak.

BARGAIN Bar"gain, n. Etym: [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. Etym: [OE. barganien, OF. bargaigner, F. barguigner, to hesitate, fr. LL. barcaniare. See Bargain, n.]

Defn: 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.]

Defn: 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.

BARGAINEE
Bar`gain*ee", n. Etym: [OF. bargaigné, p.p. See Bargain, v. i.] (Law)

Defn: The party to a contract who receives, or agrees to receive, the property sold. Blackstone.

BARGAINER
Bar"gain*er, n.

Defn: One who makes a bargain; — sometimes in the sense of bargainor.

BARGAINOR
Bar`gain*or", n. (Law)

Defn: One who makes a bargain, or contracts with another; esp., one who sells, or contracts to sell, property to another. Blackstone.

BARGE
Barge, n. Etym: [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. Etym: [Perh. corrup. of vergeboard; or cf. LL. bargus a kind of gallows.]

Defn: A vergeboard.

BARGECOURSE
Barge"course`, n. Etym: [See Bargeboard.] (Arch.)

Defn: A part of the tiling which projects beyond the principal rafters, in buildings where there is a gable. Gwilt.

BARGEE
Bar*gee", n.

Defn: A bargeman. [Eng.]

BARGEMAN
Barge"man, n.

Defn: The man who manages a barge, or one of the crew of a barge.

BARGEMASTTER
Barge"mast`ter, n.

Defn: The proprietor or manager of a barge, or one of the crew of a barge.

BARGER
Bar"ger, n.

Defn: The manager of a barge. [Obs.]

BARGHEST Bar"ghest`, n. Etym: [Perh. G. berg mountain + geist demon, or bär a bear + geist.]

Defn: A goblin, in the shape of a large dog, portending misfortune.
[Also written barguest.]

BARIA
Ba"ri*a, n. Etym: [Cf. Barium.] (Chem.)

Defn: Baryta.

BARIC
Bar"ic, a. (Chem.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to barium; as, baric oxide.

BARIC
Bar"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. weight.] (Physics)

Defn: Of or pertaining to weight, esp. to the weight or pressure of the atmosphere as measured by the barometer.

BARILLA
Ba*ril"la, n. Etym: [Sp. barrilla.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [F., dim. of baril barrel.]

Defn: A little cask, or something resembling one. Smart.

BAR IRON
Bar" i`ron.

Defn: See under Iron.

BARITE
Ba"rite, n. (Min.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: See Barytone.

BARIUM
Ba"ri*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. bary`s heavy.] (Chem.)

Defn: 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: Some 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.

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. Etym: [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.

Defn: The short, loud, explosive sound uttered by a dog; a similar sound made by some other animals.

BARK; BARQUE Bark, Barque, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: A three-masted vessel, having her foremast and mainmast squarerigged, and her mizzenmast schooner-rigged.

BARKANTINE
Bark"an*tine, n.

Defn: Same as Barkentine.

BARK BEETLE
Bark" bee`tle. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small beetle of many species (family Scolytidæ), which in the larval state bores under or in the bark of trees, often doing great damage.

BARKBOUND
Bark"bound`, a.

Defn: Prevented from growing, by having the bark too firm or close.

BARKEEPER
Bar"keep`er, n.

Defn: One who keeps or tends a bar for the sale of liquors.

BARKEN
Bark"en, a.

Defn: Made of bark. [Poetic] Whittier.

BARKENTINE
Bark"en*tine, n. Etym: [See Bark, n., a vessel.] (Naut.)

Defn: 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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The spotted redshank.

BARKER
Bark"er, n.

Defn: One who strips trees of their bark.

BARKER'S MILL
Bark"er's mill`. Etym: [From Dr. Barker, the inventor.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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.

Defn: Destitute of bark.

BARK LOUSE
Bark" louse`. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An insect of the family Coccidæ, which infests the bark of trees and vines.

Note: The wingless 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.

Defn: Covered with, or containing, bark. "The barky fingers of the elm." Shak.

BARLEY Bar"ley, n. Etym: [OE. barli, barlich, AS. bærlic; bere barley + lic (which is prob. the same as E. like, adj., or perh. a form of AS. leac 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.)

Defn: 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. Barley bird (Zoöl.), 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.

Defn: 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. Etym: [Lit. barley broth. See Brew.]

Defn: Liquor made from barley; strong ale. [Humorous] [Scot.] Burns.

BARLEYCORN
Bar"ley*corn`, n. Etym: [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. Etym: [OE. berme, AS. beorma; akin to Sw. bärma, G. bärme, and prob. L. fermenium. *93.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [OE. bearm, berm, barm, AS. beorma; akin to E. bear to support.]

Defn: The lap or bosom. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BARMAID
Bar"maid`, n.

Defn: 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. Etym: [Berg + master: cf. G. Bergmeister.]

Defn: Formerly, a local judge among miners; now, an officer of the barmote. [Eng.]

BARMCLOTH
Barm"cloth`, n.

Defn: Apron. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BARMECIDAL
Bar"me*ci`dal, a. Etym: [See Barmecide.]

Defn: Unreal; illusory. "A sort of Barmecidal feast." Hood.

BARMECIDE Bar"me*cide, n. Etym: [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.]

Defn: One who proffers some illusory advantage or benefit. Also used as an adj.: Barmecidal. "A Barmecide feast." Dickens.

BARMOTE
Bar"mote`, n. Etym: [Barg + mote meeting.]

Defn: A court held in Derbyshire, in England, for deciding controversies between miners. Blount.

BARMY
Barm"y, a.

Defn: Full of barm or froth; in a ferment. "Barmy beer." Dryden.

BARMY
Barm"y (bärm"y), a.

Defn: Full of barm or froth; in a ferment. "Barmy beer." Dryden.

BARN Barn, n. Etym: [OE. bern, AS. berern, bern; bere barley + ern, ærn, a close place. Barley.]

Defn: 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 (Zoöl.), an owl of Europe and America (Aluco flammeus, or Strix flammea), which frequents barns and other buildings. — Barn swallow (Zoöl.), the common American swallow (Hirundo horreorum), which attaches its nest of mud to the beams and rafters of barns.

BARN
Barn, v. t.

Defn: To lay up in a barn. [Obs.] Shak.
Men . . . often barn up the chaff, and burn up the grain. Fuller.

BARN
Barn, n.

Defn: A child. [Obs.] See Bairn.

BARNABITE
Bar"na*bite, n. (Eccl. Hist.)

Defn: A member of a religious order, named from St. Barnabas.

BARNACLE Bar"na*cle, n. Etym: [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.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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 (Zoöl.), the orange filefish. — Barnacle scale (Zoöl.), 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. Etym: [See Bernicle.]

Defn: A bernicle goose.

BARNACLE
Bar"na*cle, n. Etym: [OE. bernak, bernacle; cf. OF. bernac, and Prov.
F. (Berri) berniques, spectacles.]

1. pl. (Far.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: Spectacles; — so called from their resemblance to the barnacles used by farriers. [Cant, Eng.] Dickens.

BARNBURNER Barn"burn`er, n. [So called in allusion to the fable of the man who burned his barn in order to rid it of rats.]

Defn: A member of the radical section of the Democratic party in New York, about the middle of the 19th century, which was hostile to extension of slavery, public debts, corporate privileges, etc., and supported Van Buren against Cass for president in 1848; —opposed to Hunker. [Political Cant, U. S.]

BARNSTORMER
Barn"storm`er, n. [Barn + storm, v.]

Defn: An itinerant theatrical player who plays in barns when a theatre is lacking; hence, an inferior actor, or one who plays in the country away from the larger cities. —Barn"storm`ing, n. [Theatrical Cant]

BARNYARD
Barn"yard`, n.

Defn: A yard belonging to a barn.

BAROCCO
Ba*roc"co, a. Etym: [It.] (Arch.)

Defn: See Baroque.

BAROCYCLONOMETER
Bar`o*cy`clon*om"e*ter, n. [Gr. weight + cyclone + -meter.]
(Meteorol.)

Defn: An aneroid barometer for use with accompanying graphic diagrams and printed directions designed to aid mariners to interpret the indications of the barometer so as to determine the existence of a violent storm at a distance of several hundred miles.

BAROGRAM
Bar"o*gram, n. [Gr. weight + -gram.] (Meteor.)

Defn: A tracing, usually made by the barograph, showing graphically the variations of atmospheric pressure for a given time.

BAROGRAPH
Bar"o*graph, n. Etym: [Gr. weight + -graph.] (Meteor.)

Defn: An instrument for recording automatically the variations of atmospheric pressure.

BAROKO
Ba*ro"ko, n. Etym: [A mnemonic word.] (Logic)

Defn: 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. Etym: [Gr. weight + -logy.]

Defn: The science of weight or gravity.

BAROMACROMETER
Bar`o*ma*crom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. weight + long + -meter.] (Med.)

Defn: An instrument for ascertaining the weight and length of a newborn infant.

BAROMETER
Ba*rom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. weight + -meter: cf. F. baromètre.]

Defn: 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: The barometer 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.

Defn: Pertaining to the barometer; made or indicated by a barometer; as, barometric changes; barometrical observations.

BAROMETRICALLY
Bar`o*met"ric*al*ly, adv.

Defn: By means of a barometer, or according to barometric observations.

BAROMETROGRAPH
Bar`o*met"ro*graph, n. Etym: [Gr. weight + measure + -graph.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: The art or process of making barometrical measurements.

BAROMETZ
Bar"o*metz, n. Etym: [Cf. Russ. baranets' clubmoss.] (Bot.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [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: "The tenants 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)

Defn: 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. Etym: [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.

Defn: 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. Etym: [Baron + -et.]

Defn: 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: The order was founded 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.

Defn: The rank or patent of a baronet.

BARONG
Ba*rong", n. [Native name.]

Defn: A kind of cutting weapon with a thick back and thin razorlike edge, used by the Moros of the Philippine Islands.

BARONIAL
Ba*ro"ni*al, a.

Defn: Pertaining to a baron or a barony. "Baronial tenure." Hallam.

BARONY Bar"o*ny, n.; pl. Baronies (. Etym: [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. Etym: [F.; cf. It. barocco.] (Arch.)

Defn: In bad taste; grotesque; odd.

BAROSCOPE
Bar"o*scope, n. Etym: [Gr. weight + -scope: cf. F. baroscope.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: Pertaining to, or determined by, the baroscope.

BAROTHERMOGRAPH
Bar`o*ther"mo*graph, n. [Gr. weight + thermograph.]

Defn: An instrument for recording both pressure and temperature, as of the atmosphere.

BAROUCHE Ba*rouche", n. Etym: [G. barutsche, It. baroccio, biroccio, LL. barrotium, fr. L. birotus two-wheeled; bi=bis twice + rota wheel.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: A kind of light barouche.

BARPOST
Bar"post`, n.

Defn: A post sunk in the ground to receive the bars closing a passage into a field.

BARQUE
Barque, n.

Defn: Same as 3d Bark, n.

BARRACAN Bar"ra*can, n. Etym: [F. baracan, bouracan (cf. Pr. barracan, It. baracane, Sp. barragan, Pg. barregana, LL. barracanus), fr. Ar. barrakan a kind of black gown, perh. fr. Per. barak a garment made of camel's hair.]

Defn: A thick, strong stuff, somewhat like camlet; — still used for outer garments in the Levant.

BARRACK Bar"rack, n. Etym: [F. baraque, fr. It. baracca (cf. Sp. barraca), from LL. barra bar. See Bar, n.]

1. (Mil.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: To supply with barracks; to establish in barracks; as, to barrack troops.

BARRACK
Bar"rack, v. i.

Defn: To live or lodge in barracks.

BARRACLADE Bar"ra*clade, n. Etym: [D. baar, OD. baer, naked, bare + kleed garment, i.e., cloth undressed or without nap.]

Defn: A home-made woolen blanket without nap. [Local, New York]
Bartlett.

BARRACOON
Bar"ra*coon`, n. Etym: [Sp. or Pg. barraca. See Barrack.]

Defn: A slave warehouse, or an inclosure where slaves are quartered temporarily. Du Chaillu.

BARRACUDA; BARRACOUTA
Bar`ra*cu"da, Bar`ra*cou"ta, n.

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A voracious pikelike, marine fish, of the genus Sphyræna, sometimes used as food.

Note: That of Europe and our Atlantic coast is Sphyræna spet (or S. vulgaris); a southern species is S. picuda; the Californian is S. argentea.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large edible fresh-water fish of Australia and New Zealand
(Thyrsites atun).

BARRAGE
Bar"rage, n. Etym: [F., fr. barrer to bar, from barre bar.] (Engin.)

Defn: An artificial bar or obstruction placed in a river or water course to increase the depth of water; as, the barrages of the Nile.

BARRAMUNDI Bar`ra*mun"di, n. [Written also barramunda.] [Native name.] (Zoöl.) (a) A remarkable Australian fresh-water ganoid fish of the genus Ceratodus. (b) An Australian river fish (Osteoglossum Leichhardtii).

BARRANCA
Bar*ran"ca, n. Etym: [Sp.]

Defn: A ravine caused by heavy rains or a watercourse. [Texas & N.
Mex.]

BARRAS
Bar"ras, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A resin, called also galipot.

BARRATOR Bar"ra*tor, n. Etym: [OE. baratour, OF. barateor deceiver, fr. OF. barater, bareter, to deceive, cheat, barter. See Barter, v. i.]

Defn: One guilty of barratry.

BARRATROUS
Bar"ra*trous, (Law)

Defn: Tainter with, or constituting, barratry.
— Bar"ra*trous*ly, adv. Kent.

BARRATRY Bar"ra*try, n. Etym: [Cf. F. baraterie, LL. barataria. See Barrator, and cf. Bartery.]

1. (Law)

Defn: The practice of exciting and encouraging lawsuits and quarrels.
[Also spelt barretry.] Coke. Blackstone.

2. (Mar. Law)

Defn: 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)

Defn: The crime of a judge who is influenced by bribery in pronouncing judgment. Wharton.

BARRED OWL
Barred" owl". (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large American owl (Syrnium nebulosum); — so called from the transverse bars of a dark brown color on the breast.

BARREL
Bar"rel, n.Etym: [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

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.

4. A metallic tube, as of a gun, from which a projectile is discharged. Knight.

5. A jar. [Obs.] 1 Kings xvii. 12.

6. (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.]

Defn: To put or to pack in a barrel or barrels.

BARRELED; BARRELLED
Bar"reled, Bar"relled, a.

Defn: Having a barrel; — used in composition; as, a double-barreled gun.

BARREL PROCESS
Bar"rel proc"ess. (Metal.)

Defn: A process of extracting gold or silver by treating the ore in a revolving barrel, or drum, with mercury, chlorine, cyanide solution, or other reagent.

BARREN Bar"ren, a. Etym: [OE. barein, OF. brehaing, brehaigne, baraigne, F. bréhaigne; of uncertain origin; cf. Arm. brékha, 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 (Zoöl.), a peculiar bear, inhabiting the
Barren Grounds, now believed to be a variety of the brown bear of
Europe.
— Barren Ground caribou (Zoöl.), a small reindeer (Rangifer
Groenlandicus) peculiar to the Barren Grounds and Greenland.

BARREN
Bar"ren, n.

1. A tract of barren land.

2. pl.

Defn: 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.

Defn: Unfruitfully; unproductively.

BARRENNESS
Bar"ren*ness, n.

Defn: The condition of being barren; sterility; unproductiveness.
A total barrenness of invention. Dryden.

BARRENWORT
Bar"ren*wort`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: An herbaceous plant of the Barberry family (Epimedium alpinum), having leaves that are bitter and said to be sudorific.

BARRET Bar"ret, n. Etym: [F. barrette, LL. barretum a cap. See Berretta, and cf. Biretta.]

Defn: A kind of cap formerly worn by soldiers; — called also barret cap. Also, the flat cap worn by Roman Catholic ecclesiastics.

BARRETTER
Bar"ret*ter, n. [OF. bareter to exchange. Cf. Barter.] (Wireless
Teleg.)

Defn: A thermal cymoscope which operates by increased resistance when subjected to the influence of electric waves. The original form consisted of an extremely fine platinum wire loop attached to terminals and inclosed in a small glass or silver bulb. In a later variety, called the liquid barretter, wire is replace by a column of liquid in a very fine capillary tube.

BARRICADE
Bar`ri*cade", n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: 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.] Etym: [Cf. F. barricader. See Barricade, n.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: One who constructs barricades.

BARRICADO
Bar`ri*ca"do, n. & v. t.

Defn: See Barricade. Shak.

BARRIER
Bar"ri*er, n. Etym: [OE. barrere, barere, F. barrière, fr. barre bar.
See Bar, n.]

1. (Fort.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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. Etym: [Native name, fr. Sp. barrigudo big-bellied.]
(Zoöl.)

Defn: A large, dark-colored, South American monkey, of the genus
Lagothrix, having a long prehensile tail.

BARRINGOUT
Bar`ring*out", n.

Defn: The act of closing the doors of a schoolroom against a schoolmaster; — a boyish mode of rebellion in schools. Swift.

BARRIO
Bar"ri*o, n.; pl. Barrios (#). [Sp.]

Defn: In Spain and countries colonized by Spain, a village, ward, or district outside a town or city to whose jurisdiction it belongs.

BARRISTER
Bar"ris*ter, n. Etym: [From Bar, n.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: A room containing a bar or counter at which liquors are sold.

BARROW Bar"row, n. Etym: [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)

Defn: A wicker case, in which salt is put to drain.

BARROW Bar"row, n. Etym: [OE. barow, bargh, AS. bearg, bearh; akin to Icel. börgr, OHG. barh, barug, G. barch.

Defn: A hog, esp. a male hog castrated. Holland.

BARROW Bar"row, n. Etym: [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)

Defn: A heap of rubbish, attle, etc.

BARROWIST
Bar"row*ist, n. (Eccl. Hist.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [Dim. of bar, n.] (Her.)

Defn: A diminutive of the bar, having one fourth its width.

BARRULY
Bar"ru*ly, a. (Her.)

Defn: Traversed by barrulets or small bars; — said of the field.

BARRY
Bar"ry, a. (Her.)

Defn: , Divided into bars; — said of the field.

BARSE
Barse, n. Etym: [AS. bears, bærs, akin to D. baars, G. bars, barsch.
Cf. 1st Bass, n.]

Defn: The common perch. See 1st Bass. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

BARTENDER
Bar"tend`er, n.

Defn: A barkeeper.

BARTER Bar"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bartered (p. pr. & vb. n. Bartering.] Etym: [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.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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.

Defn: One who barters.

BARTERY
Bar"ter*y, n.

Defn: Barter. [Obs.] Camden.

BARTH
Barth, n. Etym: [Etymol. unknown.]

Defn: A place of shelter for cattle. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

BARTHOLOMEW TIDE
Bar*thol"o*mew tide`.

Defn: Time of the festival of St. Bartholomew, August 24th. Shak.

BARTIZAN
Bar"ti*zan`, n. Etym: [Cf. Brettice.] (Arch.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: A Bartlett pear, a favorite kind of pear, which originated in
England about 1770, and was called Williams' Bonchrétien. It was
brought to America, and distributed by Mr. Enoch Bartlett, of
Dorchester, Massachusetts.

BARTON Bar"ton, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: See Bertram. Johnson.

BARWAY
Bar"way`, n.

Defn: A passage into a field or yard, closed by bars made to take out of the posts.

BARWISE
Bar"wise`, adv. (Her.)

Defn: Horizontally.

BARWOOD
Bar"wood`, n.

Defn: 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. Etym: [Gr. heavy + center.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the center of gravity. See Barycentric calculus, under Calculus.

BARYPHONY
Ba*ryph"o*ny, n. Etym: [Gr. heavy + a sound voice.] (Med.)

Defn: Difficulty of speech.

BARYSPHERE
Bar"y*sphere, n. [Gr. heavy + sphere.] (Geol.)

Defn: The heavy interior portion of the earth, within the lithosphere.

BARYTA
Ba*ry"ta, n. Etym: [Gr. heavy. Cf. Baria.] (Chem.)

Defn: An oxide of barium (or barytum); a heavy earth with a specific gravity above 4.

BARYTES
Ba*ry"tes, n. Etym: [Gr. heavy: cf. Gr. heaviness, F. baryte.] (Min.)

Defn: Barium sulphate, generally called heavy spar or barite. See
Barite.

BARYTIC
Ba*ryt"ic, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to baryta.

BARYTO-CALCITE
Ba*ry"to-cal"cite, n. Etym: [Baryta + calcite.] (Min.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [Gr. ; heavy + tone.]

1. (Mus.)

Defn: Grave and deep, as a kind of male voice.

2. (Greek Gram.)

Defn: Not marked with an accent on the last syllable, the grave accent being understood.

BARYTONE; BARITONE
Bar"y*tone, Bar"i*tone, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: A word which has no accent marked on the last syllable, the grave accent being understood.

BARYTUM
Ba*ry"tum, n. Etym: [NL.] (Chem.)

Defn: The metal barium. See Barium. [R.]

BASAL
Ba"sal, a.

Defn: 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.)

Defn: Having the nerves radiating from the base; — said of leaves.

BASALT Ba*salt", n. Etym: [N. basaltes (an African word), a dark and hard species of marble found in Ethiopia: cf. F. basalte.]

1. (Geol.)

Defn: 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: It is usually 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. Etym: [Cf. F. basaltique.]

Defn: Pertaining to basalt; formed of, or containing, basalt; as basaltic lava.

BASALTIFORM
Ba*salt"i*form, a. Etym: [Basalt + -form.]

Defn: In the form of basalt; columnar.

BASALTOID
Ba*salt"oid, a. Etym: [Basalt + -oid.]

Defn: Formed like basalt; basaltiform.

BASAN
Bas"an, n.

Defn: Same as Basil, a sheepskin.

BASANITE Bas"a*nite, n. Etym: [L. basanites lapis, Gr. the touchstone: cf. F. basanite.] (Min.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [F., fr. bas stocking + bleu blue.]

Defn: A bluestocking; a literary woman. [Somewhat derisive]

BASCINET Bas"ci*net, n. Etym: [OE. bacinet, basnet, OF. bassinet, bacinet, F. bassinet, dim. of OF. bacin, F. bassin, a helmet in the form of a basin.]

Defn: A light helmet, at first open, but later made with a visor.
[Written also basinet, bassinet, basnet.]

BASCULE
Bas"cule, n. Etym: [F., a seesaw.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [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)

Defn: 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. Etym: [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.)

Defn: That extremity of a leaf, fruit, etc., at which it is attached to its support.

5. (Chem.)

Defn: 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)

Defn: The chief ingredient in a compound.

7. (Dyeing)

Defn: A substance used as a mordant. Ure.

8. (Fort.)

Defn: The exterior side of the polygon, or that imaginary line which connects the salient angles of two adjacent bastions.

9. (Geom.)

Defn: The line or surface constituting that part of a figure on which it is supposed to stand.

10. (Math.)

Defn: The number from which a mathematical table is constructed; as, the base of a system of logarithms.

11. Etym: [See Base low.]

Defn: 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.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: The smallest kind of cannon. [Obs.]

14. (Zoöl.)

Defn: That part of an organ by which it is attached to another more central organ.

15. (Crystallog.)

Defn: The basal plane of a crystal.

16. (Geol.)

Defn: The ground mass of a rock, especially if not distinctly crystalline.

17. (Her.)

Defn: The lower part of the field. See Escutcheon.

18. The housing of a horse. [Obs.]

19. pl.

Defn: 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.)

Defn: 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)

Defn: 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.] Etym: [From
Base, n.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [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.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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. Etym: [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)

Defn: 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. Etym: [See Base, n., 18-21.]

Defn: Wearing, or protected by, bases. [Obs.] "Based in lawny velvet." E. Hall.

BASEDOW'S DISEASE Ba"se*dow's dis*ease". Etym: [Named for Dr. Basedow, a German physician.] (Med.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [OF. baselarde, LL. basillardus.]

Defn: A short sword or dagger, worn in the fifteenth century.
[Written also baslard.] Fairholt.

BASELESS
Base"less, a.

Defn: 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. Etym: [F. soubassement. Of uncertain origin. Cf. Base, a., Bastion.] (Arch.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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.

Defn: See Bascinet. [Obs.]

BASE VIOL
Base" vi`ol.

Defn: See Bass viol.

BASH
Bash, v. t. & i. Etym: [OE. baschen, baissen. See Abash.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [See Pasha.]

1. A Turkish title of honor, now written pasha. See Pasha.

2. Fig.: A magnate or grandee.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A very large siluroid fish (Leptops olivaris) of the
Mississippi valley; — also called goujon, mud cat, and yellow cat.

BASHFUL
Bash"ful, a. Etym: [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.

Defn: In a bashful manner.

BASHFULNESS
Bash"ful*ness, n.

Defn: 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. Etym: [Turkish, light-headed, a foolish fellow.]

Defn: A soldier belonging to the irregular troops of the Turkish army.

BASHLESS
Bash"less, a.

Defn: Shameless; unblushing. [Obs.] Spenser.

BASHYLE
Bas"hyle, n. (Chem.)

Defn: See Basyle.

BASI-
Ba"si-.

Defn: 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.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [Basi- + Gr. horn, antenna.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The second joint of the antennæ 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.

BASIC PROCESS
Ba"sic proc"ess. (Iron Metal.)

Defn: A Bessemer or open-hearth steel-making process in which a lining that is basic, or not siliceous, is used, and additions of basic material are made to the molten charge during treatment. Opposed to acid process, above. Called also Thomas process.

BASIC SLAG
Basic slag.

Defn: A by-product from the manufacture of steel by the basic process, used as a fertilizer. It is rich in lime and contains 14 to 20 per cent of phosphoric acid. Called also Thomas slag, phosphatic slag, and odorless phosphate.

BASIC STEEL
Basic steel.

Defn: Steel produced by the basic process.

BASIDIOMYCETES Ba*sid`i*o*my*ce"tes, n. pl. [NL., fr. NL. & E. basidium + Gr. , , fungus.] (Bot.)

Defn: A large subdivision of fungi coördinate with the Ascomycetes, characterized by having the spores borne on a basidium. It embraces those fungi best known to the public, such as mushrooms, toadstools, etc.

BASIDIOSPORE
Ba*sid"i*o*spore, n. Etym: [Basidium + spore.] (Bot.)

Defn: A spore borne by a basidium.
— Ba*sid`i*o*spor"ous (, a.

BASIDIUM
Ba*sid"i*um, n. Etym: [NL., dim. of Gr. base.] (Bot.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: That which converts into a salifiable base.

BASIFUGAL
Ba*sif"u*gal, a. Etym: [Base,n.+ L. fugere to flee.] (Bot.)

Defn: Tending or proceeding away from the base; as, a basifugal growth.

BASIFY
Ba"si*fy, v. t. Etym: [Base + -fy.] (Chem.)

Defn: To convert into a salifiable base.

BASIGYNIUM
Ba`si*gyn"i*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. base + woman.] (Bot.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [Basi- + Gr. (Anat.)

Defn: Noting two small bones, forming the body of the inverted hyoid arch.

BASIHYOID
Ba`si*hy"oid, n. Etym: [Basi- + hyoid.] (Anat.)

Defn: The central tongue bone.

BASIL
Bas"il, n. Etym: [Cf. F. basile and E. Bezel.]

Defn: 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.]

Defn: To grind or form the edge of to an angle. Moxon.

BASIL Bas"il, n. Etym: [F. basilic, fr. L. badilicus royal, Gr. , fr. king.] (Bot.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [Corrupt. from E. basan, F. basane, LL. basanium, bazana, fr. Ar. bithana, prop., lining.]

Defn: The skin of a sheep tanned with bark.

BASILAR; BASILARY
Bas"i*lar, Bas"i*la*ry, a. Etym: [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. Etym: [F. basilique.]

Defn: Basilica.

BASILIC; BASILICAL
Ba*sil"ic, Ba*sil"ic*al, a. Etym: [See Basilica.]

1. Royal; kingly; also, basilican.

2. (Anat.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [L. basilica, Gr. ( sc. , or ) fr. royal, fr. .]

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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. Etym: [OF. basilicoc.]

Defn: The basilisk. [Obs.] Chaucer

BASILICON Ba*sil"i*con, n. Etym: [L. basilicon, Gr. , neut. of : cf. F. basilicon. See Basilica.] (Med.)

Defn: An ointment composed of wax, pitch, resin, and olive oil, lard, or other fatty substance.

BASILISK Bas"i*lisk, n. Etym: [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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A lizard of the genus Basiliscus, belonging to the family
Iguanidæ.

Note: This genus 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.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [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.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: Inclosed in a basin. "Basined rivers." Young.

BASINET
Bas"i*net, n.

Defn: Same as Bascinet.

BASIOCCIPITAL
Ba`si*oc*cip"i*tal, a. Etym: [Basi- + occipital.] (Anat.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: The basioccipital bone.

BASION
Ba"si*on, n. Etym: [Gr. a base.] (Anat.)

Defn: The middle of the anterior margin of the great foramen of the skull.

BASIPODITE
Ba*sip"o*dite, n. Etym: [Basi- + , , foot.] (Anat.)

Defn: The basal joint of the legs of Crustacea.

BASIPTERYGIUM
Ba*sip`te*ryg"i*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. a base + a fin.] (Anat.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [Basi- + pierygoid.] (Anat.)

Defn: Applied to a protuberance of the base of the sphenoid bone.

BASIS
Ba"sis, n.; pl. Bases. Etym: [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.

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. Etym: [Basi- + solute, a.] (Bot.)

Defn: Prolonged at the base, as certain leaves.

BASISPHENOID; BASISPHENOIDAL
Ba`si*sphe"noid, Ba`si*sphe*noid"al, a. Etym: [Basi- + spheroid.]
(Anat.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: The basisphenoid bone.

BASK
Bask, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Basked (p. pr. & vb. n. Basking.] Etym: [
OScand. ba to bathe one's self, or perh. bakask to bake one's self,
sk being reflexive. See Bath, n., Bake, v. t.]

Defn: To lie in warmth; to be exposed to genial heat.
Basks in the glare, and stems the tepid wave. Goldsmith.

BASK
Bask, v. t.

Defn: To warm by continued exposure to heat; to warm with genial
heat.
Basks at the fire his hairy strength. Milton.

BASKET Bas"ket, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: 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 (Zoöl.), 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 (Zoöl.), a lepidopterous insect of the genus Thyridopteryx and allied genera, esp. T. ephemeræformis. 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.

Defn: To put into a basket. [R.]

BASKET BALL
Bas"ket ball`.

Defn: A game, usually played indoors, in which two parties of players contest with each other to toss a large inflated ball into opposite goals resembling baskets.

BASKETFUL
Bas"ket*ful, n.; pl. Basketfuls (.

Defn: As much as a basket will contain.

BASKETRY
Bas"ket*ry, n.

Defn: The art of making baskets; also, baskets, taken collectively.

BASKING SHARK
Bask"ing shark`. (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: Same as Bascinet.

BASOMMATOPHORA Ba*som`ma*toph"o*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. base + eye + to bear.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of Pulmonifera having the eyes at the base of the tentacles, including the common pond snails.

BASON
Ba"son, n.

Defn: A basin. [Obs. or Special form]

BASQUE
Basque, a. Etym: [F.]

Defn: Pertaining to Biscay, its people, or their language.

BASQUE
Basque, n. Etym: [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. Etym: [F. Basque Biscayan: cf. G. Baskisch.]

Defn: Pertaining to the country, people, or language of Biscay;
Basque [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

BAS-RELIEF Bas`-re*lief", n. Etym: [F. bas-relief; bas law + relief raised work, relever to raise: cf. It. bassorilievo.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: ; pl. Bass, and sometimes Basses. Etym: [A corruption of barse.] (Zoöl.)

1. An edible, spiny-finned fish, esp. of the genera Roccus, Labrax, and related genera. There are many species.

Note: The common European bass 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 (Sciæna ocellata). See Redfish.

Note: The name is also applied to many other fishes. See Calico bass, under Calico.

BASS
Bass, n. Etym: [A corruption of bast.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: The linden or lime tree, sometimes wrongly called whitewood; also, its bark, which is used for making mats. See Bast.

2. (Pron.

Defn: A hassock or thick mat.

BASS
Bass, n. Etym: [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.

Defn: 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.

Defn: To sound in a deep tone. [R.] Shak.

BASSA; BASSAW
Bas"sa, Bas*saw", n.

Defn: See Bashaw.

BASS DRUM
Bass` drum". (Mus.)

Defn: The largest of the different kinds of drums, having two heads, and emitting a deep, grave sound. See Bass, a.

BASSET
Bas"set, n. Etym: [F. bassette, fr.It. bassetta. Cf. Basso.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [Cf. OF. basset somewhat low, dim. of bas low.]
(Geol.)

Defn: Inclined upward; as, the basset edge of strata. Lyell.

BASSET
Bas"set, n. (Geol.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: To inclined upward so as to appear at the surface; to crop out; as, a vein of coal bassets.

BASSET HORN
Bas"set horn`. Etym: [See Basset, a.] (Mus.)

Defn: An instrument blown with a reed, and resembling a clarinet, but of much greater compass, embracing nearly four octaves.

BASSET HOUND
Bas"set hound`. Etym: [F. basset.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small kind of hound with a long body and short legs, used as an earth dog.

BASSETING
Bas"set*ing, n.

Defn: The upward direction of a vein in a mine; the emergence of a stratum at the surface.

BASSETTO
Bas*set"to, n. Etym: [It., adj., somewhat low; n., counter tenor. See
Basso.] (Mus.)

Defn: A tenor or small bass viol.

BASS HORN
Bass" horn". (Mus.)

Defn: A modification of the bassoon, much deeper in tone.

BASSINET Bas"si*net, n. Etym: [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. Etym: [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 (. Etym: [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.

Defn: A hassock. See 2d Bass, 2.

BASSOON Bas*soon", n. Etym: [F. basson, fr. basse bass; or perh. fr. bas son low sound. See Bass a part in music. ] (Mus.)

Defn: 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: 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.

Defn: A performer on the bassoon. Busby.

BASSO-RILIEVO; BASSO-RELIEVO
Bas"so-ri*lie"vo, Bas"so-re*lie"vo, n. Etym: [It. basso-rilievo.]

Defn: Same as Bas-relief.

BASSORIN
Bas"so*rin, n. Etym: [Cf. F. bassorine.] (Chem.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: Some as Bas-relief.

BASS VIOL
Bass" vi`ol. (Mus.)

Defn: A stringed instrument of the viol family, used for playing bass. See 3d Bass, n., and Violoncello.

BASSWOOD
Bass"wood`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: 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. Etym: [AS. bæst; 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. Etym: [It.]

Defn: Enough; stop. Shak.

BASTARD Bas"tard, n. Etym: [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: By the 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.)

Defn: 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 (Zoöl.), three to five quill feathers on a small joint corresponding to the thumb in some mam malia; the alula.

BASTARD
Bas"tard, v. t.

Defn: To bastardize. [Obs.] Bacon.

BASTARDISM
Bas"tard*ism, n.

Defn: 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.

Defn: Bastardlike; baseborn; spuripous; corrupt. [Obs.] — adv.

Defn: 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.] Etym:
[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)

Defn: 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. Etym: [OE. basten, OF. bastir, F. b, prob. fr. OHG. bestan to sew, MHG. besten to bind, fr. OHG. bast bast. See Bast.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [F. bastille fortress, OF. bastir to build, F. b.]

1. (Feud. Fort.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: See Bastinado, n.

BASTINADE
Bas`ti*nade", v. t.

Defn: To bastinado. [Archaic]

BASTINADO Bas`ti*na"do, n.; pl. Bastinadoes. Etym: [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.]

Defn: To beat with a stick or cudgel, especially on the soles of the feet.

BASTION Bas"tion, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: Furnished with a bastion; having bastions.

BASTO
Bas"to, n. Etym: [Sp.]

Defn: The ace of clubs in qua Pope.

BASTON
Bas"ton, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: 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.

BASUTOS
Ba*su"tos, n. pl.; sing. Basuto. (Ethnol.)

Defn: A warlike South African people of the Bantu stock, divided into many tribes, subject to the English. They formerly practiced cannibalism, but have now adopted many European customs.

BASYLE
Bas"yle, n. Etym: [Gr. base + wood. See -yl.] (Chem.)

Defn: A positive or nonacid constituent of compound, either elementary, or, if compound, performing the functions of an element.

BASYLOUS
Bas"y*lous, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or having the nature of, a basyle; electro- positive; basic; — opposed to chlorous. Graham.

BAT Bat, n. Etym: [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)

Defn: 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.]

Defn: To strike or hit with a bat or a pole; to cudgel; to beat.
Holland.

BAT
Bat, v. i.

Defn: To use a bat, as in a game of baseball.

BAT Bat, n. Etym: [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.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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 (Zoöl.), a wingless, dipterous insect of the genus Nycteribia, parasitic on bats.

BATABLE
Bat"a*ble, a. Etym: [Abbrev. from debatable.]

Defn: Disputable. [Obs.]

Note: The border land between England and Scotland, being formerly a subject of contention, was called batable or debatable ground.

BATAILLED
Bat"ailled, a.

Defn: Embattled. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BATARDEAU
Ba`tar*deau", n. Etym: [F.]

1. A cofferdam. Brande & C.

2. (Mil.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: An aboriginal American name for the sweet potato (Ipomæa batatas).

BATAVIAN
Ba*ta"vi*an, a.

Defn: 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.

Defn: A native or inhabitant of Batavia or Holland. [R.] Bancroft.

BATCH Batch, n. Etym: [OE. bache, bacche, fr. AS. bacan to bake; cf. G. gebäck 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. Etym: [Prob. abbrev. from debate.]

Defn: Strife; contention. [Obs.] Shak.

BATE Bate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bated; p. pr. & vb. n. Bating.] Etym: [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.

Defn: To attack; to bait. [Obs.] Spenser.

BATE
Bate, imp.

Defn: of Bite. [Obs.] Spenser.

BATE Bate, v. i. Etym: [F. battre des ailes to flutter. Cf. Bait to flutter.]

Defn: To flutter as a hawk; to bait. [Obs.] Bacon.

BATE
Bate, n. (Jewish Antiq.)

Defn: See 2d Bath.

BATE Bate, n. Etym: [Cf. Sw. beta maceration, soaking, G. beize, and E. bite.]

Defn: An alkaline solution consisting of the dung of certain animals; — employed in the preparation of hides; grainer. Knight.

BATE
Bate, v. t.

Defn: To steep in bate, as hides, in the manufacture of leather.

BATEAU
Ba*teau", n.; pl. Bateaux. Etym: [F. bateau, LL. batellus, fr.
battus, batus, boa, which agrees with AS. bat boat: cf. W. bad boat.
See Boat, n.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: Reduced; lowered; restrained; as, to speak with bated breath.
Macaulay.

BATEFUL
Bate"ful, a.

Defn: Exciting contention; contentious. [Obs.] "It did bateful question frame. " Sidney.

BATELESS
Bate"less, a.

Defn: Not to be abated. [Obs.] Shak.

BATEMENT
Bate"ment, n. Etym: [For Abatement. See 2d Bate.]

Defn: 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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: One who practices or finds sport in batfowling.

BATFOWLING
Bat"fowl`ing, n. Etym: [From Bat a stick.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [Icel. bati amelioration, batna to grow better;
akin to AS. bet better. Goth. ga-batnan to profit. Batten, v. i.,
Better.]

Defn: Rich; fertile. [Obs.] "Batful valleys." Drayton.

BATH
Bath, n.; pl. Baths. Etym: [AS. bæ; akin to OS. & Icel. ba, Sw.,
Dan., D., & G. bad, and perh. to G. bähen 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.)

Defn: A medium, as heated sand, ashes, steam, hot air, through which heat is applied to a body.

6. (Photog.)

Defn: A solution in which plates or prints are immersed; also, the receptacle holding the solution.

Note: Bath is used adjectively 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. Etym: [Heb.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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 (oölite) found near Bath, used for building.

BATHE
Bathe, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bathed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bathing.] Etym:
[OE. ba, AS. ba, fr. bæ 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 Cæsar'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.

Defn: The immersion of the body in water; as to take one's usual bathe. Edin. Rev.

BATHER
Bath"er, n.

Defn: One who bathes.

BATHETIC
Ba*thet"ic, a.

Defn: Having the character of bathos. [R.]

BATHING
Bath"ing, n.

Defn: 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.

Defn: See Vital force.

BATHOMETER
Ba*thom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. depth + -meter.]

Defn: An instrument for measuring depths, esp. one for taking soundings without a sounding line.

BATHORSE Bat"horse`, n. Etym: [F. b packsaddle (cheval de b packhorse) + E. horse. See Bastard.]

Defn: A horse which carries an officer's baggage during a campaign.

BATHOS
Ba"thos, n. Etym: [Gr. depth, fr. deep.] (Rhet.)

Defn: A ludicrous descent from the elevated to the low, in writing or speech; anticlimax.

BATHYBIUS
Ba*thyb"i*us, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. deep + life] (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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.

BATHYGRAPHIC
Bath`y*graph"ic, a. [Gr. deep + graphic.]

Defn: Descriptive of the ocean depth; as, a bathygraphic chart.

BATHYMETRIC; BATHYMETRICAL
Bath`y*met"ric, Bath`y*met"ric*al, a.

Defn: Pertaining to bathymetry; relating to the measurement of depths, especially of depths in the sea.

BATHYMETRY
Ba*thym"e*try, n. Etym: [Gr. depth + -metry.]

Defn: The art or science of sounding, or measuring depths in the sea.

BATING
Bat"ing, prep. Etym: [Strictly p. pr. of Bat to abate.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [F. batiste, from the name of the alleged first maker, Baptiste of Cambrai. Littré.]

Defn: Originally, cambric or lawn of fine linen; now applied also to cloth of similar texture made of cotton.

BATLET
Bat"let, n. Etym: [Bat stick + -let.]

Defn: A short bat for beating clothes in washing them; — called also batler, batling staff, batting staff. Shak.

BATMAN
Bat"man, n. Etym: [Turk. batman.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [F. b packsaddle + E. man. Cf.
Bathorse.]

Defn: A man who has charge of a bathorse and his load. Macaulay.

BATOIDEI
Ba*toi"de*i, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. a kind of ray + -oid.]
(Zoöl.)

Defn: The division of fishes which includes the rays and skates.

BATON
Bat"on, n. Etym: [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.)

Defn: 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.

Defn: See Baton, and Baston.

BAT PRINTING
Bat" print`ing. (Ceramics)

Defn: A mode of printing on glazed ware.

BATRACHIA Ba*tra"chi*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. belonging to a frog, fr. frog.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: 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. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Pertaining to the Batrachia.
— n.

Defn: One of the Batrachia.

BATRACHOID
Bat"ra*choid, a. Etym: [Batrachia + -oid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Froglike. Specifically: Of or pertaining to the Batrachidæ, a family of marine fishes, including the toadfish. Some have poisonous dorsal spines.

BATRACHOMYOMACHY
Bat`ra*cho*my*om"a*chy, n. Etym: [Gr. ; frog + mouse + battle.]

Defn: The battle between the frogs and mice; — a Greek parody on the
Iliad, of uncertain authorship.

BATRACHOPHAGOUS
Bat`ra*choph"a*gous, a. Etym: [Gr. frog + to eat.]

Defn: Feeding on frogs. Quart. Rev.

BATSMAN
Bats"man, n.; pl. Batsmen (.

Defn: The one who wields the bat in cricket, baseball, etc.

BAT'S-WING; BATWING
Bat's"-wing" or Bat"wing, a.

Defn: Shaped like a bat's wing; as, a bat's-wing burner.

BATTA Bat"ta, n. Etym: [Prob. through Pg. for Canarese bhatta rice in the husk.]

Defn: Extra pay; esp. an extra allowance to an English officer serving in India. Whitworth.

BATTA
Bat"ta, n. Etym: [Hind. ba.]

Defn: Rate of exchange; also, the discount on uncurrent coins.
[India]

BATTABLE
Bat"ta*ble, a. Etym: [See Batful.]

Defn: Capable of culti [Obs.] Burton.

BATTAILANT
Bat"tail*ant, a. Etym: [F. bataillant, p. pr. See Battle, v. i. ]
[Obs.]

Defn: Prepared for battle; combatant; warlike. Spenser.
— n.

Defn: A combatant. Shelton.

BATTAILOUS
Bat"tail*ous, a. Etym: [OF. bataillos, fr. bataille. See Battle, n.]

Defn: Arrayed for battle; fit or eager for battle; warlike. [Obs.]
"In battailous aspect." Milton.

BATTALIA
Bat*tal"ia, n. Etym: [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. Etym: [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.)

Defn: A regiment, or two or more companies of a regiment, esp. when assembled for drill or battle.

BATTALION
Bat*tal"ion, v. t.

Defn: To form into battalions. [R.]

BATTEL
Bat"tel, n. Etym: [Obs. form. of Battle.] (Old Eng. Law)

Defn: A single combat; as, trial by battel. See Wager of battel, under Wager.

BATTEL
Bat"tel, n. Etym: [Of uncertain etymology.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: To be supplied with provisions from the buttery. [Univ. of
Oxford, Eng.]

BATTEL
Bat"tel, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Batful, Batten, v. i.]

Defn: To make fertile. [Obs.] "To battel barren land." Ray.

BATTEL
Bat"tel, a.

Defn: Fertile; fruitful; productive. [Obs.]
A battel soil for grain, for pasture good. Fairfax.

BATTELER; BATTLER
Bat"tel*er, Bat"tler, n. Etym: [See 2d Battel, n.]

Defn: 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.]
Etym: [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.

Defn: 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 . Etym: [F. b stick, staff. See Baton.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: 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. Etym: [F. battant. See Batter, v. t.]

Defn: The movable bar of a loom, which strikes home or closes the threads of a woof.

BATTENING
Bat"ten*ing, n. (Arch.)

Defn: Furring done with small pieces nailed directly upon the wall.

BATTER Bat"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Battered (; p. pr. & vb. n. Battering.] Etym: [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)

Defn: To flatten (metal) by hammering, so as to compress it inwardly and spread it outwardly.

BATTER Bat"ter, n. Etym: [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)

Defn: A bruise on the face of a plate or of type in the form.

BATTER
Bat"ter, n.

Defn: 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.)

Defn: To slope gently backward.

BATTER
Bat"ter, n.

Defn: One who wields a bat; a batsman.

BATTERER
Bat"ter*er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, batters.

BATTERING-RAM
Bat"ter*ing-ram`, n.

Defn: 1. (Mil.) An engine used in ancient times to beat down the walls of besieged places.

Note: It was 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.)

Defn: A train of artillery for siege operations.

BATTERY
Bat"ter*y, n.; pl. Batteries. Etym: [F. batterie, fr. battre. See
Batter, v. t.]

1. The act of battering or beating.

2. (Law)

Defn: 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 écharpe, 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: In the trough battery, copper and zinc plates, 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 Leclanché'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)

Defn: 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)

Defn: 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.

Defn: Fertile. See Battel, a. [Obs.]

BATTLE Bat"tle, n. Etym: [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: Battle 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 mêlée. 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.]
Etym: [F. batailler, fr. bataille. See Battle, n.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: To assail in battle; to fight.

BATTLE-AX; BATTLE-AXE
Bat"tle-ax` Bat"tle-axe`, n. (Mil.)

Defn: A kind of broadax formerly used as an offensive weapon.

BATTLED
Bat"tled, p. p.

Defn: Embattled. [Poetic] Tennyson.

BATTLEDOOR Bat"tle*door`, n. Etym: [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. Etym: [OE. battleder.]

Defn: A child's hornbook. [Obs.] Halliwell.

BATTLEMENT Bat"tle*ment, n. Etym: [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.

Defn: Having battlements.
A battlemented portal. Sir W. Scott.

BATTLE RANGE
Bat"tle range`. (Mil.)

Defn: The range within which the fire of small arms is very destructive. With the magazine rifle, this is six hundred yards.

BATTLE SHIP
Battle ship. (Nav.)

Defn: An armor-plated man-of-war built of steel and heavily armed, generally having from ten thousand to fifteen thousand tons displacement, and intended to be fit to meet the heaviest ships in line of battle.

BATTOLOGIST
Bat*tol"o*gist, n.

Defn: One who battologizes.

BATTOLOGIZE
Bat*tol"o*gize, v. t.

Defn: To keep repeating needlessly; to iterate. Sir T. Herbert.

BATTOLOGY Bat*tol"o*gy, n. Etym: [F. battologie, fr. Gr. ; a stammerer + speech.]

Defn: A needless repetition of words in speaking or writing. Milton.

BATTON
Bat"ton, n.

Defn: See Batten, and Baton.

BATTUE Bat"tue`, n. Etym: [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. Etym: [F., fr. battre to beat. ]

Defn: An elevated river bed or sea bed.

BATTUTA
Bat*tu"ta, n. Etym: [It. battuta, fr. battere to beat.] (Mus.)

Defn: The measuring of time by beating.

BATTY
Bat"ty, a.

Defn: Belonging to, or resembling, a bat. "Batty wings." Shak.

BATULE
Bat"ule, n.

Defn: A springboard in a circus or gymnasium; — called also batule board.

BATZ Batz, n.; pl. Batzen. Etym: [Ger. batz, batze, batzen, a coin bearing the image of a bear, Ger. bätz, betz, bear.]

Defn: 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.

Defn: Same as Bawbee.

BAUBLE
Bau"ble, n. Etym: [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

Defn: , a. See Bawbling. [Obs.]