← Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, Volume 1
Chapter 13
B (part 2)
BAUDEKIN
Bau"de*kin, n. Etym: [OE. bawdekin rich silk stuff, OF. baudequin.
See Baldachin.]
Defn: The richest kind of stuff used in garments in the Middle Ages, the web being gold, and the woof silk, with embroidery : — made originally at Bagdad. [Spelt also baudkin, baudkyn, bawdekin, and baldakin.] Nares.
BAUDRICK
Bau"drick, n.
Defn: A belt. See Baldric.
BAUK; BAULK
Bauk, Baulk, n. & v.
Defn: See Balk.
BAUME
Bau`mé", a.
Defn: Designating or conforming to either of the scales used by the French chemist Antoine Baumé in the graduation of his hydrometers; of or relating to Baumé's scales or hydrometers. There are two Baumé hydrometers. One, which is used with liquids heavier than water, sinks to 0º in pure water, and to 15º in a 15 per cent salt solution; the other, for liquids lighter than water, sinks to 0º in a 10 per cent salt solution and to 10º in pure water. In both cases the graduation, based on the distance between these fundamental points, is continued along the stem as far as desired. Since all the degrees on a Baumé scale are thus equal in length, while those on a specific- gravity scale grow smaller as the density increases, there is no simple relation between degrees Bé. and Sp. gr. However, readings on Baumés scale may be approximately reduced to specific gravities by the following formulæ (x in each case being the reading on Baumé's scale) : (a) for liquids heavier than water, sp. gr. = 144 ÷ (144 - x); (b) for liquids lighter than water, sp. gr. = 144 ÷ (134 + x).
BAUNSCHEIDTISM
Baun"scheidt*ism, n. Etym: [From the introducer, a German named
Baunscheidt.] (Med.)
Defn: A form of acupuncture, followed by the rubbing of the part with a stimulating fluid.
BAUXITE; BEAUXITE
Baux"ite, Beaux"ite,n. Etym: [F., fr. Baux or Beaux, near Arles.]
(Min.)
Defn: A ferruginous hydrate of alumina. It is largely used in the preparation of aluminium and alumina, and for the lining of furnaces which are exposed to intense heat.
BAVARDAGE
Ba`var`dage", n. [F.]
Defn: Much talking; prattle; chatter. Byron.
BAVARIAN
Ba*va"ri*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Bavaria.
— n.
Defn: A native or an inhabitant of Bavaria. Bavarian cream. See under
Cream.
BAVAROY
Bav"a*roy, n. Etym: [F. Bavarois Bavarian.]
Defn: A kind of cloak or surtout. [Obs.] Johnson.
Let the looped bavaroy the fop embrace. Gay.
BAVIAN
Ba"vi*an, n. Etym: [See Baboon.]
Defn: A baboon.
BAVIN
Bav"in, n. Etym: [Cf. Gael. & Ir. baban tuft, tassel.]
1. A fagot of brushwood, or other light combustible matter, for kindling fires; refuse of brushwood. [Obs. or Dial. Eng.]
2. Impure limestone. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.
BAWBEE
Baw*bee", n. Etym: [Perh. corrupt. fr. halfpenny.]
Defn: A halfpenny. [Spelt also baubee.] [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]
BAWBLE
Baw"ble, n.
Defn: A trinket. See Bauble.
BAWBLING
Baw"bling, a.
Defn: Insignificant; contemptible. [Obs.]
BAWCOCK Baw"cock, n. Etym: [From F. beau fine + E. cock (the bird); or more prob. fr. OF. baud bold, gay + E. cock. Cf. Bawd.]
Defn: A fine fellow; — a term of endearment. [Obs.] "How now, my bawcock " Shak.
BAWD
Bawd, n. Etym: [OE. baude, OF. balt, baut, baude, bold, merry, perh.
fr. OHG. bald bold; or fr. Celtic, cf. W. baw dirt. Cf. Bold,
Bawdry.]
Defn: A person who keeps a house of prostitution, or procures women for a lewd purpose; a procurer or procuress; a lewd person; — usually applied to a woman.
BAWD
Bawd, v. i.
Defn: To procure women for lewd purposes.
BAWDILY
Bawd"i*ly, adv.
Defn: Obscenely; lewdly.
BAWDINESS
Bawd"i*ness, n.
Defn: Obscenity; lewdness.
BAWDRICK
Bawd"rick, n.
Defn: A belt. See Baldric.
BAWDRY Bawd"ry, n. Etym: [OE. baudery, OF. bauderie, balderie, boldness, joy. See Bawd.]
1. The practice of procuring women for the gratification of lust.
2. Illicit intercourse; fornication. Shak.
3. Obscenity; filthy, unchaste language. "The pert style of the pit bawdry." Steele.
BAWDY
Bawd"y, a.
1. Dirty; foul; — said of clothes. [Obs.] It [a garment] is al bawdy and to-tore also. Chaucer.
2. Obscene; filthy; unchaste. "A bawdy story." Burke.
BAWDYHOUSE
Baw"dy*house`, n.
Defn: A house of prostitution; a house of ill fame; a brothel.
BAWHORSE
Baw"horse`, n.
Defn: Same as Bathorse.
BAWL
Bawl, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bawled (p. pr. & vb. n. Bawling.] Etym:
[Icel. baula to low, bellow, as a cow; akin to Sw. böla; cf. AS
bellan, G. bellen to bark, E. bellow, bull.]
1. To cry out with a loud, full sound; to cry with vehemence, as in calling or exultation; to shout; to vociferate.
2. To cry loudly, as a child from pain or vexation.
BAWL
Bawl, v. t.
Defn: To proclaim with a loud voice, or by outcry, as a hawker or town-crier does. Swift.
BAWL
Bawl, n.
Defn: A loud, prolonged cry; an outcry.
BAWLER
Bawl"er, n.
Defn: One who bawls.
BAWN
Bawn, n. Etym: [Ir. & Gael. babhun inclosure, bulwark.]
1. An inclosure with mud or stone walls, for keeping cattle; a fortified inclosure. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. A large house. [Obs.] Swift.
BAWREL
Baw"rel, n. Etym: [Cf. It. barletta a tree falcon, or hobby.]
Defn: A kind of hawk. [Obs.] Halliwell.
BAWSIN; BAWSON Baw"sin, Baw"son, n. Etym: [OE. bawson, baucyne, badger (named from its color), OF. bauzan, baucant, bauchant, spotted with white, pied; cf. It. balzano, F. balzan, a white-footed horse, It. balza border, trimming, fr. L. balteus belt, border, edge. Cf. Belt.]
1. A badger. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
2. A large, unwieldy person. [Obs.] Nares.
BAXTER Bax"ter, n. Etym: [OE. bakestre, bakistre, AS. bæcestre, prop. fem. of bæcere baker. See Baker.]
Defn: A baker; originally, a female baker. [Old Eng. & Scotch]
BAY Bay, a. Etym: [F. bai, fr. L. badius brown, chestnutcolored; — used only of horses.]
Defn: Reddish brown; of the color of a chestnut; — applied to the color of horses. Bay cat (Zoöl.), a wild cat of Africa and the East Indies (Felis aurata). — Bay lynx (Zoöl.), the common American lynx (Felis, or Lynx, rufa).
BAY
Bay, n. Etym: [F. baie, fr. LL. baia. Of uncertain origin: cf. Ir. &
Gael. badh or bagh bay harbor, creek; Bisc. baia, baiya, harbor, and
F. bayer to gape, open the mouth.]
1. (Geol.)
Defn: An inlet of the sea, usually smaller than a gulf, but of the same general character.
Note: The name is not used with much precision, and is often applied to large tracts of water, around which the land forms a curve; as, Hudson's Bay. The name is not restricted to tracts of water with a narrow entrance, but is used foe any recess or inlet between capes or headlands; as, the Bay of Biscay.
2. A small body of water set off from the main body; as a compartment containing water for a wheel; the portion of a canal just outside of the gates of a lock, etc.
3. A recess or indentation shaped like a bay.
4. A principal compartment of the walls, roof, or other part of a building, or of the whole building, as marked off by the buttresses, vaulting, mullions of a window, etc.; one of the main divisions of any structure, as the part of a bridge between two piers.
5. A compartment in a barn, for depositing hay, or grain in the stalks.
6. A kind of mahogany obtained from Campeachy Bay. Sick bay, in vessels of war, that part of a deck appropriated to the use of the sick. Totten.
BAY
Bay, n. Etym: [F. baie a berry, the fruit of the laurel and other
trees, fr. L. baca, bacca, a small round fruit, a berry, akin to
Lith. bapka laurel berry.]
1. A berry, particularly of the laurel. [Obs.]
2. The laurel tree (Laurus nobilis). Hence, in the plural, an honorary garland or crown bestowed as a prize for victory or excellence, anciently made or consisting of branches of the laurel. The patriot's honors and the poet's bays. Trumbull.
3. A tract covered with bay trees. [Local, U. S.] Bay leaf, the leaf of the bay tree (Laurus nobilis). It has a fragrant odor and an aromatic taste.
BAY Bay, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bayed (p. pr. & vb. n. Baying.] Etym: [ OE. bayen, abayen, OF. abaier, F. aboyer, to bark; of uncertain origin.]
Defn: To bark, as a dog with a deep voice does, at his game.
The hounds at nearer distance hoarsely bayed. Dryden.
BAY
Bay, v. t.
Defn: To bark at; hence, to follow with barking; to bring or drive to bay; as, to bay the bear. Shak.
BAY
Bay, n. Etym: [See Bay, v. i.]
1. Deep-toned, prolonged barking. "The bay of curs." Cowper.
2. Etym: [OE. bay, abay, OF. abai, F. aboi barking, pl. abois, prop. the extremity to which the stag is reduced when surrounded by the dogs, barking (aboyant); aux abois at bay.]
Defn: A state of being obliged to face an antagonist or a difficulty,
when escape has become impossible.
Embolden'd by despair, he stood at bay. Dryden.
The most terrible evils are just kept at bay by incessant efforts. I.
Taylor
BAY
Bay, v. t. Etym: [Cf. OE. bæwen to bathe, and G. bähen to foment.]
Defn: To bathe. [Obs.] Spenser.
BAY
Bay, n.
Defn: A bank or dam to keep back water.
BAY
Bay, v. t.
Defn: To dam, as water; — with up or back.
BAYA
Ba"ya, n. Etym: [Native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The East Indian weaver bird (Ploceus Philippinus).
BAYAD; BAYATTE
Ba*yad", Ba*yatte", n. Etym: [Ar. bayad.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large, edible, siluroid fish of the Nile, of two species
(Bagrina bayad and B. docmac).
BAYADERE Ba`ya*dere", n. Etym: [F., from Pg. bailadeira a female dancer, bailar to dance.]
Defn: A female dancer in the East Indies. [Written also bajadere.]
BAYAMO
Ba*ya"mo, n. (Meteor.)
Defn: A violent thunder squall occurring on the south coast of Cuba, esp. near Bayamo. The gusts, called bayamo winds, are modified foehn winds.
BAY-ANTLER
Bay"-ant`ler, n. Etym: [See Bez-Antler.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The second tine of a stag's horn. See under Antler.
BAYARD
Bay"ard, n.
1. Etym: [OF. bayard, baiart, bay horse; bai bay + -ard. See Bay, a., and -ard.]
Defn: Properly, a bay horse, but often any horse. Commonly in the phrase blind bayard, an old blind horse. Blind bayard moves the mill. Philips.
2. Etym: [Cf. F. bayeur, fr. bayer to gape.]
Defn: A stupid, clownish fellow. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
BAYARDLY
Bay"ard*ly, a.
Defn: Blind; stupid. [Obs.] "A formal and bayardly round of duties."
Goodman.
BAYBERRY Bay"ber*ry, n. (Bot.) (a) The fruit of the bay tree or Laurus nobilis. (b) A tree of the West Indies related to the myrtle (Pimenta acris). (c) The fruit of Myrica cerifera (wax myrtle); the shrub itself; — called also candleberry tree. Bayberry tallow, a fragrant green wax obtained from the bayberry or wax myrtle; — called also myrtle wax.
BAYBOLT
Bay"bolt`, n.
Defn: A bolt with a barbed shank.
BAYED
Bayed, a.
Defn: Having a bay or bays. "The large bayed barn." Drayton.
BAYEUX TAPESTRY
Ba`yeux" tap"es*try.
Defn: A piece of linen about 1 ft. 8 in. wide by 213 ft. long, covered with embroidery representing the incidents of William the Conqueror's expedition to England, preserved in the town museum of Bayeux in Normandy. It is probably of the 11th century, and is attributed by tradition to Matilda, the Conqueror's wife.
BAY ICE
Bay" ice`.
Defn: See under Ice.
BAY LEAF
Bay" leaf`.
Defn: See under 3d Bay.
BAYMAN
Bay"man, n. (Nav.)
Defn: In the United States navy, a sick-bay nurse; — now officially designated as hospital apprentice.
BAYONET Bay"o*net, n. Etym: [F. bayonnette, baïonnette; — so called, it is said, because the first bayonets were made at Bayonne.]
1. (Mil.)
Defn: A pointed instrument of the dagger kind fitted on the muzzle of a musket or rifle, so as to give the soldier increased means of offense and defense.
Note: Originally, the bayonet was made with a handle, which required to be fitted into the bore of the musket after the soldier had fired.
2. (Mach.)
Defn: A pin which plays in and out of holes made to receive it, and which thus serves to engage or disengage parts of the machinery. Bayonet clutch. See Clutch. — Bayonet joint, a form of coupling similar to that by which a bayonet is fixed on the barrel of a musket. Knight.
BAYONET
Bay"o*net, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bayoneted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bayoneting.]
1. To stab with a bayonet.
2. To compel or drive by the bayonet. To bayonet us into submission. Burke.
BAYOU Bay"ou, n.; pl. Bayous (.Etym: [North Am. Indian bayuk, in F. spelling bayouc, bayouque.]
Defn: An inlet from the Gulf of Mexico, from a lake, or from a large river, sometimes sluggish, sometimes without perceptible movement except from tide and wind. [Southern U. S.] A dark slender thread of a bayou moves loiteringly northeastward into a swamp of huge cypresses. G. W. Cable.
BAYOU STATE
Bay"ou State`.
Defn: Mississippi; — a nickname, from its numerous bayous.
BAY RUM
Bay" rum".
Defn: A fragrant liquid, used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes.
Note: The original bay rum, from the West Indies, is prepared, it is believed, by distillation from the leaves of the bayberry (Myrcia acris). The bay rum of the Pharmacopoeia (spirit of myrcia) is prepared from oil of myrcia (bayberry), oil of orange peel, oil of pimento, alcohol, and water.
BAYS; BAYZE
Bays, Bayze, n.
Defn: See Baize. [Obs.]
BAY SALT
Bay" salt`.
Defn: Salt which has been obtained from sea water, by evaporation in shallow pits or basins, by the heat of the sun; the large crystalline salt of commerce. Bacon. Ure.
BAY STATE
Bay State.
Defn: Massachusetts, which had been called the Colony of
Massachusetts Bay; — a nickname.
BAY TREE
Bay" tree`.
Defn: A species of laurel. (Laurus nobilis).
BAY WINDOW
Bay" win"dow. (Arch.)
Defn: A window forming a bay or recess in a room, and projecting outward from the wall, either in a rectangular, polygonal, or semicircular form; — often corruptly called a bow window.
BAY YARN
Bay" yarn`.
Defn: Woolen yarn. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.
BAZAAR; BAZAR
Ba*zaar" Ba*zar", n. Etym: [Per. bazar market.]
1. In the East, an exchange, marketplace, or assemblage of shops where goods are exposed for sale.
2. A spacious hall or suite of rooms for the sale of goods, as at a fair.
3. A fair for the sale of fancy wares, toys, etc., commonly for a charitable objects. Macaulay.
BDELLIUM Bdel"lium, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. ; cf. Heb. b'dolakh bdellium (in sense 1).]
1. An unidentified substance mentioned in the Bible (Gen. ii. 12, and Num. xi. 7), variously taken to be a gum, a precious stone, or pearls, or perhaps a kind of amber found in Arabia.
2. A gum resin of reddish brown color, brought from India, Persia, and Africa.
Note: Indian bdellium or false myrrh is an exudation from
Balsamodendron Roxb. Other kinds are known as African, Sicilian, etc.
BDELLOIDEA
Bdel*loi"de*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. leech + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The order of Annulata which includes the leeches. See
Hirudinea.
BDELLOMETER
Bdel*lom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. leech + -meter.] (Med.)
Defn: A cupping glass to which are attached a scarificator and an exhausting syringe. Dunglison.
BDELLOMORPHA
Bdel`lo*mor"pha,n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. leech + form.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of Nemertina, including the large leechlike worms
(Malacobdella) often parasitic in clams.
BE Be, v. i. [imp. Was; p. p. Been; p. pr. & vb. n. Being.] Etym: [OE. been, beon, AS. beón to be, beóm I am; akin to OHG. bim, pim, G. bin, I am, Gael. & Ir. bu was, W. bod to be, Lith. bu-ti, O. Slav. by-ti, to be, L. fu-i I have been, fu-turus about to be, fo-re to be about to be, and perh to fieri to become, Gr. to be born, to be, Skr. bh to be. This verb is defective, and the parts lacking are supplied by verbs from other roots, is, was, which have no radical connection with be. The various forms, am, are, is, was, were, etc., are considered grammatically as parts of the verb "to be", which, with its conjugational forms, is often called the substantive verb. Future, Physic.]
1. To exist actually, or in the world of fact; to have ex To be contents his natural desire. Pope. To be, or not to be: that is the question. Shak.
2. To exist in a certain manner or relation, — whether as a reality or as a product of thought; to exist as the subject of a certain predicate, that is, as having a certain attribute, or as belonging to a certain sort, or as identical with what is specified, — a word or words for the predicate being annexed; as, to be happy; to be here; to be large, or strong; to be an animal; to be a hero; to be a nonentity; three and two are five; annihilation is the cessation of existence; that is the man.
3. To take place; to happen; as, the meeting was on Thursday.
4. To signify; to represent or symbolize; to answer to. The field is the world. Matt. xiii. 38. The seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. Rev. i. 20.
Note: The verb to be (including the forms is, was, etc.) is used in forming the passive voice of other verbs; as, John has been struck by James. It is also used with the past participle of many intransitive verbs to express a state of the subject. But have is now more commonly used as the auxiliary, though expressing a different sense; as, "Ye have come too late — but ye are come. " "The minstrel boy to the war is gone." The present and imperfect tenses form, with the infinitive, a particular future tense, which expresses necessity, duty, or purpose; as, government is to be supported; we are to pay our just debts; the deed is to be signed to-morrow.
Note: Have or had been, followed by to, implies movement. "I have been to Paris." Sydney Smith. "Have you been to Franchard " R. L. Stevenson.
Note: Been, or ben, was anciently the plural of the indicative present. "Ye ben light of the world." Wyclif, Matt. v. 14. Afterwards be was used, as in our Bible: "They that be with us are more than they that be with them." 2 Kings vi. 16. Ben was also the old infinitive: "To ben of such power." R. of Gloucester. Be is used as a form of the present subjunctive: "But if it be a question of words and names." Acts xviii. 15. But the indicative forms, is and are, with if, are more commonly used. Be it so, a phrase of supposition, equivalent to suppose it to be so; or of permission, signifying let it be so. Shak. — If so be, in case. — To be from, to have come from; as, from what place are you I am from Chicago. — To let be, to omit, or leave untouched; to let alone. "Let be, therefore, my vengeance to dissuade." Spenser.
Syn. — To be, Exist. The verb to be, except in a few rare case, like that of Shakespeare's "To be, or not to be", is used simply as a copula, to connect a subject with its predicate; as, man is mortal; the soul is immortal. The verb to exist is never properly used as a mere copula, but points to things that stand forth, or have a substantive being; as, when the soul is freed from all corporeal alliance, then it truly exists. It is not, therefore, properly synonymous with to be when used as a copula, though occasionally made so by some writers for the sake of variety; as in the phrase "there exists [is] no reason for laying new taxes." We may, indeed, say, "a friendship has long existed between them," instead of saying, "there has long been a friendship between them;" but in this case, exist is not a mere copula. It is used in its appropriate sense to mark the friendship as having been long in existence.
BE
Be*. Etym: [AS. be, and in accented form bi, akin to OS. be and bi,
OHG. bi, pi, and pi, MHG. be and bi, G. be and bei, Goth. bi, and
perh. Gr. about (cf. AS. beseón to look about). By, Amb-.]
Defn: A prefix, originally the same word as by; joined with verbs, it serves: (a) To intensify the meaning; as, bespatter, bestir. (b) To render an intransitive verb transitive; as, befall (to fall upon); bespeak (to speak for). (c) To make the action of a verb particular or definite; as, beget (to get as offspring); beset (to set around).
Note: It is joined with certain substantives, and a few adjectives, to form verbs; as, bedew, befriend, benight, besot; belate (to make late); belittle (to make little). It also occurs in certain nouns, adverbs, and prepositions, often with something of the force of the preposition by, or about; as, belief (believe), behalf, bequest (bequeath); because, before, beneath, beside, between. In some words the original force of be is obscured or lost; as, in become, begin, behave, behoove, belong.
BEACH
Beach, n.; pl. Beaches (. Etym: [Cf. Sw. backe hill, Dan. bakke,
Icel. bakki hill, bank. Cf. Bank.]
1. Pebbles, collectively; shingle.
2. The shore of the sea, or of a lake, which is washed by the waves; especially, a sandy or pebbly shore; the strand. Beach flea (Zoöl.), the common name of many species of amphipod Crustacea, of the family Orchestidæ, living on the sea beaches, and leaping like fleas. — Beach grass (Bot.), a coarse grass (Ammophila arundinacea), growing on the sandy shores of lakes and seas, which, by its interlaced running rootstocks, binds the sand together, and resists the encroachment of the waves. — Beach wagon, a light open wagon with two or more seats. — Raised beach, an accumulation of water-worn stones, gravel, sand, and other shore deposits, above the present level of wave action, whether actually raised by elevation of the coast, as in Norway, or left by the receding waters, as in many lake and river regions.
BEACH
Beach, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beached (p. pr. & vb. n. Beaching.]
Defn: To run or drive (as a vessel or a boat) upon a beach; to strand; as, to beach a ship.
BEACH COMBER
Beach" comb`er.
Defn: A long, curling wave rolling in from the ocean. See Comber.
[Amer.]
BEACHED
Beached, p. p. & a.
1. Bordered by a beach. The beached verge of the salt flood. Shak.
2. Driven on a beach; stranded; drawn up on a beach; as, the ship is beached.
BEACHY
Beach"y, a.
Defn: Having a beach or beaches; formed by a beach or beaches;
shingly.
The beachy girdle of the ocean. Shak.
BEACON Bea"con, n. Etym: [OE. bekene, AS. beácen, b; akin to OS. b, Fries. baken, beken, sign, signal, D. baak, OHG. bouhhan, G. bake; of unknown origin. Cf. Beckon.]
1. A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning. No flaming beacons cast their blaze afar. Gay.
2. A signal or conspicuous mark erected on an eminence near the shore, or moored in shoal water, as a guide to mariners.
3. A high hill near the shore. [Prov. Eng.]
4. That which gives notice of danger. Modest doubt is called The beacon of the wise. Shak. Beacon fire, a signal fire.
BEACON
Bea"con, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beaconed (p. pr. & vb. n. Beaconing.]
1. To give light to, as a beacon; to light up; to illumine. That beacons the darkness of heaven. Campbell.
2. To furnish with a beacon or beacons.
BEACONAGE
Bea"con*age, n.
Defn: Money paid for the maintenance of a beacon; also, beacons, collectively.
BEACONLESS
Bea"con*less, a.
Defn: Having no beacon.
BEAD Bead, n. Etym: [OE. bede prayer, prayer bead, AS. bed, gebed, prayer; akin to D. bede, G. bitte, AS. biddan, to ask, bid, G. bitten to ask, and perh. to Gr. to persuade, L. fidere to trust. Beads are used by the Roman Catholics to count their prayers, one bead being dropped down a string every time a prayer is said. Cf. Sp. cuenta bead, fr. contar to count. See Bid, in to bid beads, and Bide.]
1. A prayer. [Obs.]
2. A little perforated ball, to be strung on a thread, and worn for ornament; or used in a rosary for counting prayers, as by Roman Catholics and Mohammedans, whence the phrases to tell beads, to at one's beads, to bid beads, etc., meaning, to be at prayer.
3. Any small globular body; as, (a) A bubble in spirits. (b) A drop of sweat or other liquid. "Cold beads of midnight dew." Wordsworth. (c) A small knob of metal on a firearm, used for taking aim (whence the expression to draw a bead, for, to take aim). (d) (Arch.) A small molding of rounded surface, the section being usually an arc of a circle. It may be continuous, or broken into short embossments. (e) (Chem.) A glassy drop of molten flux, as borax or microcosmic salt, used as a solvent and color test for several mineral earths and oxides, as of iron, manganese, etc., before the blowpipe; as, the borax bead; the iron bead, etc. Bead and butt (Carp.), framing in which the panels are flush, having beads stuck or run upon the two edges. Knight. — Beat mold, a species of fungus or mold, the stems of which consist of single cells loosely jointed together so as to resemble a string of beads. [Written also bead mould.] — Bead tool, a cutting tool, having an edge curved so as to make beads or beading. — Bead tree (Bot.), a tree of the genus Melia, the best known species of which (M. azedarach), has blue flowers which are very fragrant, and berries which are poisonous.
BEAD
Bead, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Beading.]
Defn: To ornament with beads or beading.
BEAD
Bead, v. i.
Defn: To form beadlike bubbles.
BEADHOUSE; BEDEHOUSE
Bead"house`, Bede"house`, n. Etym: [OE. bede prayer + E. house. See
Bead, n.]
Defn: An almshouse for poor people who pray daily for their benefactors.
BEADING
Bead"ing, n.
1. (Arch.)
Defn: Molding in imitation of beads.
2. The beads or bead-forming quality of certain liquors; as, the beading of a brand of whisky.
BEADLE
Bea"dle, n. Etym: [OE. bedel, bidel, budel, OF. bedel, F. bedeau, fr.
OHG. butil, putil, G. büttel, fr. OHG. biotan, G. bieten, to bid,
confused with AS. bydel, the same word as OHG. butil. See. Bid, v.]
1. A messenger or crier of a court; a servitor; one who cites or bids persons to appear and answer; — called also an apparitor or summoner.
2. An officer in a university, who precedes public processions of officers and students. [Eng.]
Note: In this sense the archaic spellings bedel (Oxford) and bedell
(Cambridge) are preserved.
3. An inferior parish officer in England having a variety of duties, as the preservation of order in church service, the chastisement of petty offenders, etc.
BEADLERY
Bea"dle*ry, n.
Defn: Office or jurisdiction of a beadle.
BEADLESHIP
Bea"dle*ship, n.
Defn: The state of being, or the personality of, a beadle. A. Wood.
BEAD PROOF
Bead" proof`.
1. Among distillers, a certain degree of strength in alcoholic liquor, as formerly ascertained by the floating or sinking of glass globules of different specific gravities thrown into it; now ascertained by more accurate meters.
2. A degree of strength in alcoholic liquor as shown by beads or small bubbles remaining on its surface, or at the side of the glass, when shaken.
BEADROLL
Bead"roll`, n. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: A catalogue of persons, for the rest of whose souls a certain number of prayers are to be said or counted off on the beads of a chaplet; hence, a catalogue in general. On Fame's eternal beadroll worthy to be field. Spenser. It is quite startling, on going over the beadroll of English worthies, to find how few are directly represented in the male line. Quart. Rev.
BEADSMAN; BEDESMAN
Beads"man, Bedes"man, n.; pl. -men (.
Defn: A poor man, supported in a beadhouse, and required to pray for
the soul of its founder; an almsman.
Whereby ye shall bind me to be your poor beadsman for ever unto
Almighty God. Fuller.
BEADSNAKE
Bead"snake`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small poisonous snake of North America (Elaps fulvius), banded with yellow, red, and black.
BEADSWOMAN; BEDESWOMAN
Beads"wom`an, Bedes"wom`an, n.; pl. -women (.
Defn: Fem. of Beadsman.
BEADWORK
Bead"work`, n.
Defn: Ornamental work in beads.
BEADY
Bead"y, a.
1. Resembling beads; small, round, and glistening. "Beady eyes." Thackeray.
2. Covered or ornamented with, or as with, beads.
3. Characterized by beads; as, beady liquor.
BEAGLE
Bea"gle, n. Etym: [OE. begele; perh. of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. &
Gael. beag small, little, W. bach. F. bigle is from English.]
1. A small hound, or hunting dog, twelve to fifteen inches high, used in hunting hares and other small game. See Illustration in Appendix.
2. Fig.: A spy or detective; a constable.
BEAK Beak, n. Etym: [OE. bek, F. bec, fr. Celtic; cf. Gael. & Ir. bac, bacc, hook, W. bach.]
Defn: 1. (Zoöl.) (a) The bill or nib of a bird, consisting of a horny sheath, covering the jaws. The form varied much according to the food and habits of the bird, and is largely used in the classification of birds. (b) A similar bill in other animals, as the turtles. (c) The long projecting sucking mouth of some insects, and other invertebrates, as in the Hemiptera. (d) The upper or projecting part of the shell, near the hinge of a bivalve. (e) The prolongation of certain univalve shells containing the canal.
2. Anything projecting or ending in a point, like a beak, as a promontory of land. Carew.
3. (Antiq.)
Defn: A beam, shod or armed at the end with a metal head or point, and projecting from the prow of an ancient galley, in order to pierce the vessel of an enemy; a beakhead.
4. (Naut.)
Defn: That part of a ship, before the forecastle, which is fastened to the stem, and supported by the main knee.
5. (Arch.)
Defn: A continuous slight projection ending in an arris or narrow fillet; that part of a drip from which the water is thrown off.
6. (Bot.)
Defn: Any process somewhat like the beak of a bird, terminating the fruit or other parts of a plant.
7. (Far.)
Defn: A toe clip. See Clip, n. (Far.).
8. A magistrate or policeman. [Slang, Eng.]
BEAKED
Beaked, a.
1. Having a beak or a beaklike point; beak-shaped. "Each beaked promontory." Milton.
2. (Biol.)
Defn: Furnished with a process or a mouth like a beak; rostrate. Beaked whale (Zoöl.), a cetacean of the genus Hyperoodon; the bottlehead whale.
BEAKER
Beak"er, n. Etym: [OE. biker; akin to Icel. bikarr, Sw. bägare, Dan.
baeger, G. becher, It. bicchiere; — all fr. LL. bicarium, prob. fr.
Gr. wine jar, or perh. L. bacar wine vessel. Cf. Pitcher a jug.]
1. A large drinking cup, with a wide mouth, supported on a foot or standard.
2. An open-mouthed, thin glass vessel, having a projecting lip for pouring; — used for holding solutions requiring heat. Knight.
BEAKHEAD
Beak"head`, n.
1. (Arch.)
Defn: An ornament used in rich Norman doorways, resembling a head with a beak. Parker.
2. (Naut.) (a) A small platform at the fore part of the upper deck of a vessel, which contains the water closets of the crew. (b) (Antiq.) Same as Beak, 3.
BEAKIRON
Beak"i*ron, n. Etym: [From Bickern.]
Defn: A bickern; a bench anvil with a long beak, adapted to reach the interior surface of sheet metal ware; the horn of an anvil.
BEAL
Beal (, n. Etym: [See Boil a tumor.] (Med.)
Defn: A small inflammatory tumor; a pustule. [Prov. Eng.]
BEAL
Beal, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bealed (; p. pr & vb. n. Bealing.]
Defn: To gather matter; to swell and come to a head, as a pimple.
[Prov. Eng.]
BE-ALL
Be"-all`, n.
Defn: The whole; all that is to be. [Poetic] Shak.
BEAM Beam, n. Etym: [AS. beám beam, post, tree, ray of light; akin to OFries. bam tree, OS. b, D. boom, OHG. boum, poum, G. baum, Icel. ba, Goth. bahms and Gr. a growth, to become, to be. Cf. L. radius staff, rod, spoke of a wheel, beam or ray, and G. strahl arrow, spoke of a wheel, ray or beam, flash of lightning. Be; cf. Boom a spar.]
1. Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use.
2. One of the principal horizontal timbers of a building or ship. The beams of a vessel are strong pieces of timber stretching across from side to side to support the decks. Totten.
3. The width of a vessel; as, one vessel is said to have more beam than another.
4. The bar of a balance, from the ends of which the scales are suspended. The doubtful beam long nods from side to side. Pope.
5. The principal stem or horn of a stag or other deer, which bears the antlers, or branches.
6. The pole of a carriage. [Poetic] Dryden.
7. A cylinder of wood, making part of a loom, on which weavers wind the warp before weaving; also, the cylinder on which the cloth is rolled, as it is woven; one being called the fore beam, the other the back beam.
8. The straight part or shank of an anchor.
9. The main part of a plow, to which the handles and colter are secured, and to the end of which are attached the oxen or horses that draw it.
10. (Steam Engine)
Defn: A heavy iron lever having an oscillating motion on a central axis, one end of which is connected with the piston rod from which it receives motion, and the other with the crank of the wheel shaft; — called also working beam or walking beam.
11. A ray or collection of parallel rays emitted from the sun or other luminous body; as, a beam of light, or of heat. How far that little candle throws his beams ! Shak.
12. Fig.: A ray; a gleam; as, a beam of comfort. Mercy with her genial beam. Keble.
13. One of the long feathers in the wing of a hawk; — called also beam feather. Abaft the beam (Naut.), in an arc of the horizon between a line that crosses the ship at right angles, or in the direction of her beams, and that point of the compass toward which her stern is directed. — Beam center (Mach.), the fulcrum or pin on which the working beam of an engine vibrates. — Beam compass, an instrument consisting of a rod or beam, having sliding sockets that carry steel or pencil points; — used for drawing or describing large circles. — Beam engine, a steam engine having a working beam to transmit power, in distinction from one which has its piston rod attached directly to the crank of the wheel shaft. — Before the beam (Naut.), in an arc of the horizon included between a line that crosses the ship at right angles and that point of the compass toward which the ship steers. — On the beam , in a line with the beams, or at right angled with the keel. — On the weather beam, on the side of a ship which faces the wind. — To be on her beam ends, to incline, as a vessel, so much on one side that her beams approach a vertical position.
BEAM
Beam, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beamed (p. pr. & vb. n. Beaming.]
Defn: To send forth; to emit; — followed ordinarily by forth; as, to beam forth light.
BEAM
Beam, v. i.
Defn: To emit beams of light.
He beamed, the daystar of the rising age. Trumbull.
BEAMBIRD
Beam"bird`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small European flycatcher (Muscicapa gricola), so called because it often nests on a beam in a building.
BEAMED
Beamed, a.
Defn: Furnished with beams, as the head of a stag.
Tost his beamed frontlet to the sky. Sir W. Scott.
BEAMFUL
Beam"ful, a.
Defn: Beamy; radiant.
BEAMILY
Beam"i*ly, adv.
Defn: In a beaming manner.
BEAMINESS
Beam"i*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being beamy.
BEAMING
Beam"ing, a.
Defn: Emitting beams; radiant.
BEAMINGLY
Beam"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a beaming manner; radiantly.
BEAMLESS
Beam"less, a.
1. Not having a beam.
2. Not emitting light.
BEAMLET
Beam"let, n.
Defn: A small beam of light.
BEAM TREE
Beam" tree`. Etym: [AS. beám a tree. See Beam.] (Bot.)
Defn: A tree (Pyrus aria) related to the apple.
BEAMY
Beam"y, a.
1. Emitting beams of light; radiant; shining. "Beamy gold." Tickell.
2. Resembling a beam in size and weight; massy. His double-biting ax, and beamy spear. Dryden.
3. Having horns, or antlers. Beamy stags in toils engage. Dryden.
BEAN
Bean, n. Etym: [OE. bene, AS.beán; akin to D. boon, G. bohne, OHG. p,
Icel. baun, Dan. bönne, Sw. böna, and perh. to Russ. bob, L. faba.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: A name given to the seed of certain leguminous herbs, chiefly of the genera Faba, Phaseolus, and Dolichos; also, to the herbs.
Note: The origin and classification of many kinds are still doubtful. Among true beans are: the black-eyed bean and China bean, included in Dolichos Sinensis; black Egyptian bean or hyacinth bean, D. Lablab; the common haricot beans, kidney beans, string beans, and pole beans, all included in Phaseolus vulgaris; the lower bush bean, Ph. vulgaris, variety nanus; Lima bean, Ph. lunatus; Spanish bean and scarlet runner, Ph. maltiflorus; Windsor bean, the common bean of England, Faba vulgaris. As an article of food beans are classed with vegetables.
2. The popular name of other vegetable seeds or fruits, more or less
resembling true beans. Bean aphis (Zoöl.), a plant louse (Aphis fabæ)
which infests the bean plant.
— Bean fly (Zoöl.), a fly found on bean flowers.
— Bean goose (Zoöl.), a species of goose (Anser segetum).
— Bean weevil (Zoöl.), a small weevil that in the larval state
destroys beans. The American species in Bruchus fabæ.
— Florida bean (Bot.), the seed of Mucuna urens, a West Indian
plant. The seeds are washed up on the Florida shore, and are often
polished and made into ornaments.
— Ignatius bean, or St. Ignatius's bean (Bot.), a species of
Strychnos.
— Navy bean, the common dried white bean of commerce; probably so
called because an important article of food in the navy.
— Pea bean, a very small and highly esteemed variety of the edible
white bean; — so called from its size.
— Sacred bean. See under Sacred.
— Screw bean. See under Screw.
— Sea bean. (a) Same as Florida bean. (b) A red bean of unknown
species used for ornament.
— Tonquin bean, or Tonka bean, the fragrant seed of Dipteryx
odorata, a leguminous tree.
— Vanilla bean. See under Vanilla.
BEAN CAPER
Bean" ca`per. (Bot.)
Defn: A deciduous plant of warm climates, generally with fleshy leaves and flowers of a yellow or whitish yellow color, of the genus Zygophyllum.
BEAN TREFOIL
Bean" tre"foil. (Bot.)
Defn: A leguminous shrub of southern Europe, with trifoliate leaves
(Anagyris foetida).
BEAR Bear, v. t. [imp. Bore (formerly Bare ; p. p. Born, Borne (p. pr. & vb. n. Bearing.] Etym: [OE. beren, AS. beran, beoran, to bear, carry, produce; akin to D. baren to bring forth, G. gebären, Goth. baíran to bear or carry, Icel. bera, Sw. bära, Dan. bære, OHG. beran, peran, L. ferre to bear, carry, produce, Gr. , OSlav brati to take, carry, OIr. berim I bear, Skr. bh to bear. sq. root92. Cf. Fertile.]
1. To support or sustain; to hold up.
2. To support and remove or carry; to convey. I 'll bear your logs the while. Shak.
3. To conduct; to bring; — said of persons. [Obs.] Bear them to my house. Shak.
4. To possess and use, as power; to exercise. Every man should bear rule in his own house. Esther i. 22.
5. To sustain; to have on (written or inscribed, or as a mark), as, the tablet bears this inscription.
6. To possess or carry, as a mark of authority or distinction; to wear; as, to bear a sword, badge, or name.
7. To possess mentally; to carry or hold in the mind; to entertain; to harbor Dryden. The ancient grudge I bear him. Shak.
8. To endure; to tolerate; to undergo; to suffer. Should such a man, too fond to rule alone, Bear, like the Turk, no brother near the throne. Pope. I cannot bear The murmur of this lake to hear. Shelley. My punishment is greater than I can bear. Gen. iv. 13.
9. To gain or win. [Obs.] Some think to bear it by speaking a great word. Bacon. She was . . . found not guilty, through bearing of friends and bribing of the judge. Latimer.
10. To sustain, or be answerable for, as blame, expense,
responsibility, etc.
He shall bear their iniquities. Is. liii. 11.
Somewhat that will bear your charges. Dryden.
11. To render or give; to bring forward. "Your testimony bear" Dryden.
12. To carry on, or maintain; to have. "The credit of bearing a part in the conversation." Locke.
13. To admit or be capable of; that is, to suffer or sustain without violence, injury, or change. In all criminal cases the most favorable interpretation should be put on words that they can possibly bear. Swift.
14. To manage, wield, or direct. "Thus must thou thy body bear." Shak. Hence: To behave; to conduct. Hath he borne himself penitently in prison Shak.
15. To afford; to be to ; to supply with. bear him company. Pope.
16. To bring forth or produce; to yield; as, to bear apples; to bear children; to bear interest. Here dwelt the man divine whom Samos bore. Dryden.
Note: In the passive form of this verb, the best modern usage restricts the past participle born to the sense of brought forth, while borne is used in the other senses of the word. In the active form, borne alone is used as the past participle. To bear down. (a) To force into a lower place; to carry down; to depress or sink. "His nose, . . . large as were the others, bore them down into insignificance." Marryat. (b) To overthrow or crush by force; as, to bear down an enemy. — To bear a hand. (a) To help; to give assistance. (b) (Naut.) To make haste; to be quick. — To bear in hand, to keep (one) up in expectation, usually by promises never to be realized; to amuse by false pretenses; to delude. [Obs.] "How you were borne in hand, how crossed." Shak. — To bear in mind, to remember. — To bear off. (a) To restrain; to keep from approach. (b) (Naut.) To remove to a distance; to keep clear from rubbing against anything; as, to bear off a blow; to bear off a boat. (c) To gain; to carry off, as a prize. — To bear one hard, to owe one a grudge. [Obs.] "Cæsar doth bear me hard." Shak. — To bear out. (a) To maintain and support to the end; to defend to the last. "Company only can bear a man out in an ill thing." South. (b) To corroborate; to confirm. — To bear up, to support; to keep from falling or sinking. "Religious hope bears up the mind under sufferings." Addison.
Syn. — To uphold; sustain; maintain; support; undergo; suffer; endure; tolerate; carry; convey; transport; waft.
BEAR
Bear, v. i.
1. To produce, as fruit; to be fruitful, in opposition to barrenness. This age to blossom, and the next to bear. Dryden.
2. To suffer, as in carrying a burden. But man is born to bear. Pope.
3. To endure with patience; to be patient. I can not, can not bear. Dryden.
4. To press; — with on or upon, or against. These men bear hard on the suspected party. Addison.
5. To take effect; to have influence or force; as, to bring matters to bear.
6. To relate or refer; — with on or upon; as, how does this bear on the question
7. To have a certain meaning, intent, or effect. Her sentence bore that she should stand a certain time upon the platform. Hawthorne.
8. To be situated, as to the point of compass, with respect to something else; as, the land bears N. by E. To bear against, to approach for attack or seizure; as, a lion bears against his prey. [Obs.] — To bear away (Naut.), to change the course of a ship, and make her run before the wind. — To bear back, to retreat. "Bearing back from the blows of their sable antagonist." Sir W. Scott. — To bear down upon (Naut.), to approach from the windward side; as, the fleet bore down upon the enemy. — To bear in with (Naut.), to run or tend toward; as, a ship bears in with the land. — To bear off (Naut.), to steer away, as from land. — To bear up. (a) To be supported; to have fortitude; to be firm; not to sink; as, to bear up under afflictions. (b) (Naut.) To put the helm up (or to windward) and so put the ship before the wind; to bear away. Hamersly. — To bear upon (Mil.), to be pointed or situated so as to affect; to be pointed directly against, or so as to hit (the object); as, to bring or plant guns so as to bear upon a fort or a ship; the artillery bore upon the center. — To bear up to, to tend or move toward; as, to bear up to one another. — To bear with, to endure; to be indulgent to; to forbear to resent, oppose, or punish.
BEAR
Bear, n.
Defn: A bier. [Obs.] Spenser.
BEAR
Bear, n. Etym: [OE. bere, AS. bera; akin to D. beer, OHG. bero, pero,
G. bär, Icel. & Sw. björn, and possibly to L. fera wild beast, Gr.
beast, Skr. bhalla bear.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any species of the genus Ursus, and of the closely allied genera. Bears are plantigrade Carnivora, but they live largely on fruit and insects.
Note: The European brown bear (U. arctos), the white polar bear (U. maritimus), the grizzly bear (U. horribilis), the American black bear, and its variety the cinnamon bear (U. Americanus), the Syrian bear (Ursus Syriacus), and the sloth bear, are among the notable species.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An animal which has some resemblance to a bear in form or habits, but no real affinity; as, the woolly bear; ant bear; water bear; sea bear.
3. (Astron.)
Defn: One of two constellations in the northern hemisphere, called respectively the Great Bear and the Lesser Bear, or Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.
4. Metaphorically: A brutal, coarse, or morose person.
5. (Stock Exchange)
Defn: A person who sells stocks or securities for future delivery in expectation of a fall in the market.
Note: The bears and bulls of the Stock Exchange, whose interest it is, the one to depress, and the other to raise, stocks, are said to be so called in allusion to the bear's habit of pulling down, and the bull's of tossing up.
6. (Mach.)
Defn: A portable punching machine.
7. (Naut.)
Defn: A block covered with coarse matting; — used to scour the deck. Australian bear. (Zoöl.) See Koala. — Bear baiting, the sport of baiting bears with dogs. — Bear caterpillar (Zoöl.), the hairy larva of a moth, esp. of the genus Euprepia. — Bear garden. (a) A place where bears are kept for diversion or fighting. (b) Any place where riotous conduct is common or permitted. M. Arnold. — Bear leader, one who leads about a performing bear for money; hence, a facetious term for one who takes charge of a young man on his travels.
BEAR
Bear, v. t. (Stock Exchange)
Defn: To endeavor to depress the price of, or prices in; as, to bear a railroad stock; to bear the market.
BEAR; BERE
Bear, Bere, n. Etym: [AS. bere. See Barley.] (Bot.)
Defn: Barley; the six-rowed barley or the four-rowed barley, commonly the former (Hord. vulgare). [Obs. except in North of Eng. and Scot.]
BEARABLE
Bear"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being borne or endured; tolerable.
— Bear"a*bly, adv.
BEARBERRY
Bear"ber*ry, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A trailing plant of the heath family (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), having leaves which are tonic and astringent, and glossy red berries of which bears are said to be fond.
BEARBIND
Bear"bind`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis).
BEARD
Beard, n. Etym: [OE. berd, AS. beard; akin to Fries. berd, D. baard,
G. bart, Lith. barzda, OSlav. brada, Pol. broda, Russ. boroda, L.
barba, W. barf. Cf. 1st Barb.]
1. The hair that grows on the chin, lips, and adjacent parts of the human face, chiefly of male adults.
2. (Zoöl.) (a) The long hairs about the face in animals, as in the goat. (b) The cluster of small feathers at the base of the beak in some birds (c) The appendages to the jaw in some Cetacea, and to the mouth or jaws of some fishes. (d) The byssus of certain shellfish, as the muscle. (e) The gills of some bivalves, as the oyster. (f) In insects, the hairs of the labial palpi of moths and butterflies.
3. (Bot.)
Defn: Long or stiff hairs on a plant; the awn; as, the beard of grain.
4. A barb or sharp point of an arrow or other instrument, projecting backward to prevent the head from being easily drawn out.
5. That part of the under side of a horse's lower jaw which is above the chin, and bears the curb of a bridle.
6. (Print.)
Defn: That part of a type which is between the shoulder of the shank and the face.
7. An imposition; a trick. [Obs.] Chaucer. Beard grass (Bot.), a coarse, perennial grass of different species of the genus Andropogon. — To one's beard, to one's face; in open defiance.
BEARD
Beard, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bearded; p. pr. & vb. n. Bearding.]
1. To take by the beard; to seize, pluck, or pull the beard of (a man), in anger or contempt.
2. To oppose to the gills; to set at defiance. No admiral, bearded by three corrupt and dissolute minions of the palace, dared to do more than mutter something about a court martial. Macaulay.
3. To deprive of the gills; — used only of oysters and similar shellfish.
BEARDED
Beard"ed, a.
Defn: Having a beard. "Bearded fellow." Shak. "Bearded grain."
Dryden. Bearded vulture, Bearded eagle. (Zoöl.) See Lammergeir.
— Bearded tortoise. (Zoöl.) See Matamata.
BEARDIE
Beard"ie, n. Etym: [From Beard, n.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The bearded loach (Nemachilus barbatus) of Europe. [Scot.]
BEARDLESS
Beard"less, a.
1. Without a beard. Hence: Not having arrived at puberty or manhood; youthful.
2. Destitute of an awn; as, beardless wheat.
BEARDLESSNESS
Beard"less*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being destitute of beard.
BEARER
Bear"er, n.
1. One who, or that which, bears, sustains, or carries. "Bearers of burdens." 2 Chron. ii. 18. "The bearer of unhappy news." Dryden.
2. Specifically: One who assists in carrying a body to the grave; a pallbearer. Milton.
3. A palanquin carrier; also, a house servant. [India]
4. A tree or plant yielding fruit; as, a good bearer.
5. (Com.)
Defn: One who holds a check, note, draft, or other order for the payment of money; as, pay to bearer.
6. (Print.)
Defn: A strip of reglet or other furniture to bear off the impression from a blank page; also, a type or type-high piece of metal interspersed in blank parts to support the plate when it is shaved.
BEARHERD
Bear"herd`, n.
Defn: A man who tends a bear.
BEARHOUND
Bear"hound`, n.
Defn: A hound for baiting or hunting bears. Car
BEARING
Bear"ing, n.
1. The manner in which one bears or conducts one's self; mien; behavior; carriage. I know him by his bearing. Shak.
2. Patient endurance; suffering without complaint.
3. The situation of one object, with respect to another, such situation being supposed to have a connection with the object, or influence upon it, or to be influenced by it; hence, relation; connection. But of this frame, the bearings and the ties, The strong connections, nice dependencies. Pope.
4. Purport; meaning; intended significance; aspect.
5. The act, power, or time of producing or giving birth; as, a tree in full bearing; a tree past bearing. [His mother] in travail of his bearing. R. of Gloucester.
6. (Arch.) (a) That part of any member of a building which rests upon its supports; as, a lintel or beam may have four inches of bearing upon the wall. (b) The portion of a support on which anything rests. (c) Improperly, the unsupported span; as, the beam has twenty feet of bearing between its supports.
7. (Mach.) (a) The part of an axle or shaft in contact with its support, collar, or boxing; the journal. (b) The part of the support on which a journal rests and rotates.
8. (Her.)
Defn: Any single emblem or charge in an escutcheon or coat of arms —
commonly in the pl.
A carriage covered with armorial bearings. Thackeray.
9. (Naut.) (a) The situation of a distant object, with regard to a ship's position, as on the bow, on the lee quarter, etc.; the direction or point of the compass in which an object is seen; as, the bearing of the cape was W. N. W. (b) pl.
Defn: The widest part of a vessel below the plank-sheer. (c) pl.
Defn: The line of flotation of a vessel when properly trimmed with cargo or ballast. Ball bearings. See under Ball. — To bring one to his bearings, to bring one to his senses. — To lose one's bearings, to become bewildered. — To take bearings, to ascertain by the compass the position of an object; to ascertain the relation of one object or place to another; to ascertain one's position by reference to landmarks or to the compass; hence (Fig.), to ascertain the condition of things when one is in trouble or perplexity.
Syn. — Deportment; gesture; mien; behavior; manner; carriage; demeanor; port; conduct; direction; relation; tendency; influence.
BEARING CLOTH
Bear"ing cloth`.
Defn: A cloth with which a child is covered when carried to be baptized. Shak.
BEARING REIN
Bear"ing rein`.
Defn: A short rein looped over the check hook or the hames to keep the horse's head up; — called in the United States a checkrein.
BEARING RING
Bear"ing ring`.
Defn: In a balloon, the braced wooden ring attached to the suspension ropes at the bottom, functionally analogous to the keel of a ship.
BEARISH
Bear"ish, a.
Defn: Partaking of the qualities of a bear; resembling a bear in temper or manners. Harris.
BEARISHNESS
Bear"ish*ness, n.
Defn: Behavior like that of a bear.
BEARN
Bearn, n.
Defn: See Bairn. [Obs.]
BEAR'S-BREECH Bear's"-breech`, n. (Bot.) (a) See Acanthus, n., 1. (b) The English cow parsnip (Heracleum sphondylium) Dr. Prior.
BEAR'S-EAR
Bear's-ear`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A kind of primrose (Primula auricula), so called from the shape of the leaf.
BEAR'S-FOOT
Bear's"-foot`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A species of hellebore (Helleborus foetidus), with digitate leaves. It has an offensive smell and acrid taste, and is a powerful emetic, cathartic, and anthelmintic.
BEARSKIN
Bear"skin`, n.
1. The skin of a bear.
2. A coarse, shaggy, woolen cloth for overcoats.
3. A cap made of bearskin, esp. one worn by soldiers.
BEAR'S-PAW
Bear's"-paw`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large bivalve shell of the East Indies (Hippopus maculatus), often used as an ornament.
BEAR STATE
Bear State.
Defn: Arkansas; — a nickname, from the many bears once inhabiting its forests.
BEAR-TRAP DAM
Bear"-trap` dam. (Engin.)
Defn: A kind of movable dam, in one form consisting of two leaves resting against each other at the top when raised and folding down one over the other when lowered, for deepening shallow parts in a river.
BEARWARD
Bear"ward`, n. Etym: [Bear + ward a keeper.]
Defn: A keeper of bears. See Bearherd. [R.] Shak.
BEAST
Beast, n. Etym: [OE. best, beste, OF. beste, F. bête, fr. L. bestia.]
1. Any living creature; an animal; — including man, insects, etc. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. Any four-footed animal, that may be used for labor, food, or sport; as, a beast of burden. A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast. Prov. xii. 10.
3. As opposed to man: Any irrational animal.
4. Fig.: A coarse, brutal, filthy, or degraded fellow.
5. A game at cards similar to loo. [Obs.] Wright.
6. A penalty at beast, omber, etc. Hence: To be beasted, to be beaten at beast, omber, etc. Beast royal, the lion. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Syn. — Beast, Brute. When we use these words in a figurative sense, as applicable to human beings, we think of beasts as mere animals governed by animal appetite; and of brutes as being destitute of reason or moral feeling, and governed by unrestrained passion. Hence we speak of beastly appetites; beastly indulgences, etc.; and of brutal manners; brutal inhumanity; brutal ferocity. So, also, we say of a drunkard, that he first made himself a beast, and then treated his family like a brute.
BEASTHOOD
Beast"hood, n.
Defn: State or nature of a beast.
BEASTINGS
Beast"ings, n. pl.
Defn: See Biestings.
BEASTLIHEAD
Beast"li*head, n. Etym: [Beastly + -head state.]
Defn: Beastliness. [Obs.] Spenser.
BEASTLIKE
Beast"like", a.
Defn: Like a beast.
BEASTLINESS
Beast"li*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being beastly.
BEASTLY
Beast"ly, a.
1. Pertaining to, or having the form, nature, or habits of, a beast. Beastly divinities and droves of gods. Prior.
2. Characterizing the nature of a beast; contrary to the nature and dignity of man; brutal; filthy. The beastly vice of drinking to excess. Swift.
3. Abominable; as, beastly weather. [Colloq. Eng.]
Syn.
— Bestial; brutish; irrational; sensual; degrading.
BEAT
Beat, v. t. [imp. Beat; p. p. Beat, Beaten (; p. pr. & vb. n.
Beating.] Etym: [OE. beaten, beten, AS. beátan; akin to Icel. bauta,
OHG. b. Cf. 1st Butt, Button.]
1. To strike repeatedly; to lay repeated blows upon; as, to beat one's breast; to beat iron so as to shape it; to beat grain, in order to force out the seeds; to beat eggs and sugar; to beat a drum. Thou shalt beat some of it [spices] very small. Ex. xxx. 36. They did beat the gold into thin plates. Ex. xxxix. 3.
2. To punish by blows; to thrash.
3. To scour or range over in hunting, accompanied with the noise made by striking bushes, etc., for the purpose of rousing game. To beat the woods, and rouse the bounding prey. Prior.
4. To dash against, or strike, as with water or wind. A frozen continent . . . beat with perpetual storms. Milton.
5. To tread, as a path. Pass awful gulfs, and beat my painful way. Blackmore.
6. To overcome in a battle, contest, strife, race, game, etc.; to vanquish or conquer; to surpass. He beat them in a bloody battle. Prescott. For loveliness, it would be hard to beat that. M. Arnold.
7. To cheat; to chouse; to swindle; to defraud; — often with out. [Colloq.]
8. To exercise severely; to perplex; to trouble. Why should any one . . . beat his head about the Latin grammar who does not intend to be a critic Locke.
9. (Mil.)
Defn: To give the signal for, by beat of drum; to sound by beat of drum; as, to beat an alarm, a charge, a parley, a retreat; to beat the general, the reveille, the tattoo. See Alarm, Charge, Parley, etc. To beat down, to haggle with (any one) to secure a lower price; to force down. [Colloq.] — To beat into, to teach or instill, by repetition. — To beat off, to repel or drive back. — To beat out, to extend by hammering. — To beat out of a thing, to cause to relinquish it, or give it up. "Nor can anything beat their posterity out of it to this day." South. — To beat the dust. (Man.) (a) To take in too little ground with the fore legs, as a horse. (b) To perform curvets too precipitately or too low. — To beat the hoof, to walk; to go on foot. — To beat the wing, to flutter; to move with fluttering agitation. — To beat time, to measure or regulate time in music by the motion of the hand or foot. — To beat up, to attack suddenly; to alarm or disturb; as, to beat up an enemy's quarters.
Syn. — To strike; pound; bang; buffet; maul; drub; thump; baste; thwack; thrash; pommel; cudgel; belabor; conquer; defeat; vanquish; overcome.
BEAT
Beat, v. i.
1. To strike repeatedly; to inflict repeated blaows; to knock vigorously or loudly. The men of the city . . . beat at the door. Judges. xix. 22.
2. To move with pulsation or throbbing. A thousand hearts beat happily. Byron.
3. To come or act with violence; to dash or fall with force; to strike anything, as, rain, wind, and waves do. Sees rolling tempests vainly beat below. Dryden. They [winds] beat at the crazy casement. Longfellow. The sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wisbed in himself to die. Jonah iv. 8. Public envy seemeth to beat chiefly upon ministers. Bacon.
4. To be in agitation or doubt. [Poetic] To still my beating mind. Shak .
5. (Naut.)
Defn: To make progress against the wind, by sailing in a zigzag line or traverse.
6. To make a sound when struck; as, the drums beat.
7. (Mil.)
Defn: To make a succession of strokes on a drum; as, the drummers beat to call soldiers to their quarters.
8. (Acoustics & Mus.)
Defn: To sound with more or less rapid alternations of greater and less intensity, so as to produce a pulsating effect; — said of instruments, tones, or vibrations, not perfectly in unison. A beating wind (Naut.), a wind which necessitates tacking in order to make progress. — To beat about, to try to find; to search by various means or ways. Addison. — To beat about the bush, to approach a subject circuitously. — To beat up and down (Hunting), to run first one way and then another; — said of a stag. — To beat up for recruits, to go diligently about in order to get helpers or participators in an enterprise.
BEAT
Beat, n.
1. A stroke; a blow.
He, with a careless beat, Struck out the mute creation at a heat.
Dryden.
2. A recurring stroke; a throb; a pulsation; as, a beat of the heart; the beat of the pulse.
3. (Mus.) (a) The rise or fall of the hand or foot, marking the divisions of time; a division of the measure so marked. In the rhythm of music the beat is the unit. (b) A transient grace note, struck immediately before the one it is intended to ornament.
4. (Acoustics & Mus.)
Defn: A sudden swelling or reënforcement of a sound, recurring at regular intervals, and produced by the interference of sound waves of slightly different periods of vibrations; applied also, by analogy, to other kinds of wave motions; the pulsation or throbbing produced by the vibrating together of two tones not quite in unison. See Beat, v. i., 8.
5. A round or course which is frequently gone over; as, a watchman's beat.
6. A place of habitual or frequent resort.
7. A cheat or swindler of the lowest grade; — often emphasized by dead; as, a dead beat. [Low] Beat of drum (Mil.), a succession of strokes varied, in different ways, for particular purposes, as to regulate a march, to call soldiers to their arms or quarters, to direct an attack, or retreat, etc. — Beat of a watch, or clock, the stroke or sound made by the action of the escapement. A clock is in beat or out of beat, according as the strokes is at equal or unequal intervals.
BEAT
Beat, a.
Defn: Weary; tired; fatigued; exhausted. [Colloq.]
Quite beat, and very much vexed and disappointed. Dickens.
BEATEN
Beat"en, a.
1. Made smooth by beating or treading; worn by use. "A broad and beaten way." Milton. "Beaten gold." Shak.
2. Vanquished; conquered; baffled.
3. Exhausted; tired out.
4. Become common or trite; as, a beaten phrase. [Obs.]
5. Tried; practiced. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
BEATER
Beat"er, n.
1. One who, or that which, beats.
2. A person who beats up game for the hunters. Black.
BEATH
Beath, v. t. Etym: [AS. be to foment.]
Defn: To bathe; also, to dry or heat, as unseasoned wood. [Obs.]
Spenser.
BEATIFIC; BEATIFICAL Be`a*tif"ic, Be`a*tif"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. béatifique, L. beatificus. See Beatify.]
Defn: Having the power to impart or complete blissful enjoyment; blissful. "The beatific vision." South. — Be`a*tif"ic*al*ly, adv.
BEATIFICATE
Be`a*tif"i*cate, v. t.
Defn: To beatify. [Obs.] Fuller.
BEATIFICATION
Be*at`i*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. béatification.]
Defn: The act of beatifying, or the state of being beatified; esp., in the R. C. Church, the act or process of ascertaining and declaring that a deceased person is one of "the blessed," or has attained the second degree of sanctity, — usually a stage in the process of canonization. "The beatification of his spirit." Jer. Taylor.
BEATIFY
Be*at"i*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beatified (p. pr. & vb. n.
Beatifying.] Etym: [L. beatificare; beatus happy (fr. beare to bless,
akin to bonus good) + facere to make: cf. F. béatifier. See Bounty.]
1. To pronounce or regard as happy, or supremely blessed, or as conferring happiness. The common conceits and phrases that beatify wealth. Barrow.
2. To make happy; to bless with the completion of celestial enjoyment. "Beatified spirits." Dryden.
3. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: To ascertain and declare, by a public process and decree, that a deceased person is one of "the blessed" and is to be reverenced as such, though not canonized.
BEATING
Beat"ing, n.
1. The act of striking or giving blows; punishment or chastisement by blows.
2. Pulsation; throbbing; as, the beating of the heart.
3. (Acoustics & Mus.)
Defn: Pulsative sounds. See Beat, n.
4. (Naut.)
Defn: The process of sailing against the wind by tacks in zigzag direction.
BEATITUDE
Be*at"i*tude, n. Etym: [L. beatitudo: cf. F. béatitude. See Beatify.]
1. Felicity of the highest kind; consummate bliss.
2. Any one of the nine declarations (called the Beatitudes), made in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. v. 3-12), with regard to the blessedness of those who are distinguished by certain specified virtues.
3. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: Beatification. Milman.
Syn.
— Blessedness; felicity; happiness.
BEAU Beau, n.; pl. F. Beaux (E. pron. b), E. Beaus. Etym: [F., a fop, fr. beau fine, beautiful, fr. L. bellus pretty, fine, for bonulus, dim. of bonus good. See Bounty, and cf. Belle, Beauty.]
1. A man who takes great care to dress in the latest fashion; a dandy.
2. A man who escorts, or pays attentions to, a lady; an escort; a lover.
BEAUCATCHER
Beau"catch`er, n.
Defn: A small flat curl worn on the temple by women. [Humorous]
BEAUFET
Beau"fet, n. Etym: [See Buffet.]
Defn: A niche, cupboard, or sideboard for plate, china, glass, etc.;
a buffet.
A beaufet . . . filled with gold and silver vessels. Prescott.
BEAUFIN
Beau"fin, n.
Defn: See Biffin. Wright.
BEAUFORT'S SCALE
Beau"fort's scale`. (Meteor.)
Defn: A scale of wind force devised by Sir F. Beaufort, R. N., in 1805, in which the force is indicated by numbers from 0 to 12.
The full scale is as follows: — 0, calm; 1, light air; 2, light breeze; 3, gentle breeze; 4, moderate breeze; 5, fresh breeze; 6, strong breeze; 7, moderate gale; 8, fresh gale; 9, strong gale; 10, whole gale; 11, storm; 12, hurricane.
BEAU IDEAL
Beau" i*de"al. Etym: [F. beau beautiful + idéal ideal.]
Defn: A conception or image of consummate beauty, moral or physical, formed in the mind, free from all the deformities, defects, and blemishes seen in actual existence; an ideal or faultless standard or model.
BEAUISH
Beau"ish, n.
Defn: Like a beau; characteristic of a beau; foppish; fine. "A beauish young spark." Byrom.
BEAU MONDE
Beau` monde". Etym: [F. beau fine + monde world.]
Defn: The fashionable world; people of fashion and gayety. Prior.
BEAUMONTAGUE
Beau`mon"ta*gue, n.
Defn: A cement used in making joints, filling cracks, etc. For iron, the principal constituents are iron borings and sal ammoniac; for wood, white lead or litharge, whiting, and linseed oil.
BEAUPERE
Beau"pere`, n. Etym: [F. beau pére; beau fair + pére father.]
1. A father. [Obs.] Wyclif.
2. A companion. [Obs.] Spenser.
BEAUSEANT
Beau`se`ant", n. Etym: [F. beaucéant.]
Defn: The black and white standard of the Knights Templars.
BEAUSHIP
Beau"ship, n.
Defn: The state of being a beau; the personality of a beau. [Jocular]
Dryden.
BEAUTEOUS
Beau"te*ous, a.
Defn: Full of beauty; beautiful; very handsome. [Mostly poetic] —
Beau"te*ous*ly, adv. —
Defn: Beau"te*ous*ness, n.
BEAUTIED
Beau"tied, p. a.
Defn: Beautiful; embellished. [Poetic] Shak.
BEAUTIFIER
Beau"ti*fi`er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, beautifies or makes beautiful.
BEAUTIFUL
Beau"ti*ful, a.
Defn: Having the qualities which constitute beauty; pleasing to the
sight or the mind.
A circle is more beautiful than a square; a square is more beautiful
than a parallelogram. Lord Kames.
Syn.
— Handsome; elegant; lovely; fair; charming; graceful; pretty;
delightful. See Fine.
— Beau"ti*ful*ly, adv.
— Beau"ti*ful*ness, n.
BEAUTIFY
Beau"ti*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beautified (p. pr. & vb. n.
Beautifying.] Etym: [Beauty + -fy.]
Defn: To make or render beautiful; to add beauty to; to adorn; to deck; to grace; to embellish. The arts that beautify and polish life. Burke.
Syn.
— To adorn; grace; ornament; deck; decorate.
BEAUTIFY
Beau"ti*fy, v. i.
Defn: To become beautiful; to advance in beauty. Addison.
BEAUTILESS
Beau"ti*less, a.
Defn: Destitute of beauty. Hammond.
BEAUTY Beau"ty, n.; pl. Beauties. Etym: [OE. beaute, beute, OF. beauté, biauté, Pr. beltat, F. beauté, fr. an assumed LL. bellitas, from L. bellus pretty. See Beau.]
1. An assemblage or graces or properties pleasing to the eye, the ear, the intellect, the æsthetic faculty, or the moral sense. Beauty consists of a certain composition of color and figure, causing delight in the beholder. Locke. The production of beauty by a multiplicity of symmetrical parts uniting in a consistent whole. Wordsworth. The old definition of beauty, in the Roman school, was, "multitude in unity;" and there is no doubt that such is the principle of beauty. Coleridge.
2. A particular grace, feature, ornament, or excellence; anything beautiful; as, the beauties of nature.
3. A beautiful person, esp. a beautiful woman. All the admired beauties of Verona. Shak.
4. Prevailing style or taste; rage; fashion. [Obs.] She stained her hair yellow, which was then the beauty. Jer. Taylor. Beauty spot, a patch or spot placed on the face with intent to heighten beauty by contrast.
BEAUX
Beaux, n.,
Defn: pl. of Beau.
BEAUXITE
Beaux"ite, n. (Min.)
Defn: See Bauxite.
BEAVER Bea"ver, n. Etym: [OE. bever, AS. beofer, befer; akin to D. bever, OHG. bibar, G. biber, Sw. bäfver, Dan. bæver, Lith. bebru, Russ. bobr', Gael. beabhar, Corn. befer, L. fiber, and Skr. babhrus large ichneumon; also as an adj., brown, the animal being probably named from its color. Brown.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An amphibious rodent, of the genus Castor.
Note: It has palmated hind feet, and a broad, flat tail. It is remarkable for its ingenuity in constructing its valued for its fur, and for the material called castor, obtained from two small bags in the groin of the animal. The European species is Castor fiber, and the American is generally considered a variety of this, although sometimes called Castor Canadensis.
2. The fur of the beaver.
3. A hat, formerly made of the fur of the beaver, but now usually of silk. A brown beaver slouched over his eyes. Prescott.
4. Beaver cloth, a heavy felted woolen cloth, used chiefly for making overcoats. Beaver rat (Zoöl.), an aquatic ratlike quadruped of Tasmania (Hydromys chrysogaster). — Beaver skin, the furry skin of the beaver. — Bank beaver. See under 1st Bank.
BEAVER Bea"ver, n. Etym: [OE. baviere, bauier, beavoir, bever; fr. F. bavière, fr. bave slaver, drivel, foam, OF., prattle, drivel, perh. orig. an imitative word. Bavière, according to Cotgrave, is the bib put before a (slavering) child.]
Defn: That piece of armor which protected the lower part of the face, whether forming a part of the helmet or fixed to the breastplate. It was so constructed (with joints or otherwise) that the wearer could raise or lower it to eat and drink.
BEAVERED
Bea"vered, a.
Defn: Covered with, or wearing, a beaver or hat. "His beavered brow."
Pope.
BEAVER STATE
Bea"ver State.
Defn: Oregon; — a nickname.
BEAVERTEEN
Bea"ver*teen, n.
Defn: A kind of fustian made of coarse twilled cotton, shorn after dyeing. Simmonds.
BEBEERINE; BEBIRINE
Be*bee"rine, or Be*bi"rine, n. (Chem.)
Defn: An alkaloid got from the bark of the bebeeru, or green heart of
Guiana (Nectandra Rodioei). It is a tonic, antiperiodic, and
febrifuge, and is used in medicine as a substitute for quinine.
[Written also bibirine.]
BEBEERU
Be*bee"ru, n. [Written also bibiru.] [Native name.] (Bot.)
Defn: A tropical South American tree (Nectandra Rodioi), the bark of which yields the alkaloid bebeerine, and the wood of which is known as green heart.
BEBLEED
Be*bleed", v. t.
Defn: To make bloody; to stain with blood. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BEBLOOD; BEBLOODY
Be*blood", Be*blood"y, v. t.
Defn: To make bloody; to stain with blood. [Obs.] Sheldon.
BEBLOT
Be*blot", v. t.
Defn: To blot; to stain. Chaucer.
BEBLUBBER
Be*blub"ber, v. t.
Defn: To make swollen and disfigured or sullied by weeping; as, her eyes or cheeks were beblubbered.
BEBUNG
Be"bung, n. [G., lit., a trembling.] (Music)
Defn: A tremolo effect, such as that produced on the piano by vibratory repetition of a note with sustained use of the pedal.
BECALM
Be*calm", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Becalmed (p. pr. & vb. n. Becalming.]
1. To render calm or quiet; to calm; to still; to appease. Soft whispering airs . . . becalm the mind. Philips.
2. To keep from motion, or stop the progress of, by the stilling of the wind; as, the fleet was becalmed.
BECAME
Be*came", imp.
Defn: of Become.
BECARD
Bec"ard, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A South American bird of the flycatcher family. (Tityra inquisetor).
BECAUSE
Be*cause", conj. Etym: [OE. bycause; by + cause.]
1. By or for the cause that; on this account that; for the reason that. Milton.
2. In order that; that. [Obs.] And the multitude rebuked them because they should hold their peace. Matt. xx. 31. Because of, by reason of, on account of. [Prep. phrase.] Because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Eph. v. 6.
Syn, — Because, For, Since, As, Inasmuch As. These particles are used, in certain connections, to assign the reason of a thing, or that "on account of" which it is or takes place. Because (by cause) is the strongest and most emphatic; as, I hid myself because I was afraid. For is not quite so strong; as, in Shakespeare, "I hate him, for he is a Christian." Since is less formal and more incidental than because; as, I will do it since you request me. It more commonly begins a sentence; as, Since your decision is made, I will say no more. As is still more incidental than since, and points to some existing fact by way of assigning a reason. Thus we say, as I knew him to be out of town, I did not call. Inasmuch as seems to carry with it a kind of qualification which does not belong to the rest. Thus, if we say, I am ready to accept your proposal, inasmuch as I believe it is the best you can offer, we mean, it is only with this understanding that we can accept it.
BECCABUNGA
Bec`ca*bun"ga, n. Etym: [NL. (cf. It. beccabunga, G. bachbunge), fr.
G. bach brook + bunge, OHG. bungo, bulb. See Beck a brook.]
Defn: See Brooklime.
BECCAFICO Bec`ca*fi"co, n.; pl. Beccaficos (. Etym: [It., fr. beccare to peck + fico fig.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small bird. (Silvia hortensis), which is highly prized by the Italians for the delicacy of its flesh in the autumn, when it has fed on figs, grapes, etc.
BECCHI'S TEST
Bec"chi's test. [After E. Becchi, Italian chemist.] (Chem.)
Defn: A qualitative test for cottonseed oil, based on the fact this oil imparts a maroon color to an alcoholic solution of silver nitrate.
BECHAMEL
Bech"a*mel, n. Etym: [F. béchamel, named from its inventor, Louis de
Béchamel.] (Cookery)
Defn: A rich, white sauce, prepared with butter and cream.
BECHANCE
Be*chance", adv. Etym: [Pref. be- for by + chance.]
Defn: By chance; by accident. [Obs.] Grafton.
BECHANCE
Be*chance", v. t. & i.
Defn: To befall; to chance; to happen to.
God knows what hath bechanced them. Shak.
BECHARM
Be*charm", v. t.
Defn: To charm; to captivate.
BECHE DE MER
Bêche` de mer". Etym: [F., lit., a sea spade.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The trepang.
BECHIC Be"chic, a. Etym: [L. bechicus, adj., for a cough, Gr. , fr. cough: cf. F. béchique.] (Med.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or relieving, a cough. Thomas. — n.
Defn: A medicine for relieving coughs. Quincy.
BECHUANAS
Bech`u*a"nas, n. pl.
Defn: A division of the Bantus, dwelling between the Orange and
Zambezi rivers, supposed to be the most ancient Bantu population of
South Africa. They are divided into totemic clans; they are
intelligent and progressive.
BECK
Beck, n.
Defn: See Beak. [Obs.] Spenser.
BECK Beck, n. Etym: [OE. bek, AS. becc; akin to Icel. bekkr brook, OHG. pah, G. bach.]
Defn: A small brook.
The brooks, the becks, the rills. Drayton.
BECK
Beck, n.
Defn: A vat. See Back.
BECK
Beck, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Becked (; p. pr. & vb. n. Becking.] Etym:
[Contr. of beckon.]
Defn: To nod, or make a sign with the head or hand. [Archaic]
Drayton.
BECK
Beck, v. t.
Defn: To notify or call by a nod, or a motion of the head or hand; to intimate a command to. [Archaic] When gold and silver becks me to come on. Shak.
BECK
Beck, n.
Defn: A significant nod, or motion of the head or hand, esp. as a
call or command.
They have troops of soldiers at their beck. Shak.
BECKER
Beck"er, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A European fish (Pagellus centrodontus); the sea bream or braise.
BECKET
Beck"et, n. Etym: [Cf. D. bek beak, and E. beak.]
1. (Naut.)
Defn: A small grommet, or a ring or loop of rope
2. A spade for digging turf. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.
BECKON
Beck"on, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beckoned (p. pr. & vb. n. Beckoning.]
Defn: To make a significant sign to; hence, to summon, as by a motion
of the hand.
His distant friends, he beckons near. Dryden.
It beckons you to go away with it. Shak.
BECKON
Beck"on, n.
Defn: A sign made without words; a beck. "At the first beckon."
Bolingbroke.
BECK'S SCALE
Beck's scale.
Defn: A hydrometer scale on which the zero point corresponds to sp. gr. 1.00, and the 30º-point to sp. gr. 0.85. From these points the scale is extended both ways, all the degrees being of equal length.
BECLAP
Be*clap, v. t. Etym: [OE. biclappen.]
Defn: To catch; to grasp; to insnare. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BECLIP Be*clip", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beclipped ( Etym: [AS. beclyppan; pref. be + clyppan to embrace.]
Defn: To embrace; to surround. [Obs.] Wyclif.
BECLOUD
Be*cloud", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beclouded; p. pr. & vb. n.
Beclouding.]
Defn: To cause obscurity or dimness to; to dim; to cloud.
If thou becloud the sunshine of thine eye. Quarles.
BECOME Be*come", v. i. [imp. Became; p. p. Become; p. pr. & vb. n. Becoming.] Etym: [OE. bicumen, becumen, AS. becuman to come to, to happen; akin to D. bekomen, OHG.a piquëman, Goth. biquiman to come upon, G. bekommen to get, suit. See Be-, and Come.]
1. To pass from one state to another; to enter into some state or condition, by a change from another state, or by assuming or receiving new properties or qualities, additional matter, or a new character. The Lord God . . . breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Gen. ii. 7. That error now which is become my crime. Milton.
2. To come; to get. [Obs.] But, madam, where is Warwick then become! Shak. To become of, to be the present state or place of; to be the fate of; to be the end of; to be the final or subsequent condition of. What is then become of so huge a multitude Sir W. Raleigh.
BECOME
Be*come", v. t.
Defn: To suit or be suitable to; to be congruous with; to befit; to accord with, in character or circumstances; to be worthy of, or proper for; to cause to appear well; — said of persons and things. It becomes me so to speak of so excellent a poet. Dryden. I have known persons so anxious to have their dress become them, as to convert it, at length, into their proper self, and thus actually to become the dress. Coleridge.
BECOMED
Be*com"ed, a.
Defn: Proper; decorous. [Obs.]
And gave him what becomed love I might. Shak.
BECOMING
Be*com"ing, a.
Defn: Appropriate or fit; congruous; suitable; graceful; befitting.
A low and becoming tone. Thackeray.
Note: Formerly sometimes followed by of.
Such discourses as are becoming of them. Dryden.
Syn.
— Seemly; comely; decorous; decent; proper.
BECOMING
Be*com"ing, n.
Defn: That which is becoming or appropriate. [Obs.]
BECOMINGLY
Be*com"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a becoming manner.
BECOMINGNESS
Be*com"ing*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being becoming, appropriate, or fit; congruity;
fitness.
The becomingness of human nature. Grew.
BECQUEREL RAYS
Becque`rel" rays". (Physics)
Defn: Radiations first observed by the French physicist Henri Becquerel, in working with uranium and its compounds. They consist of a mixture of alpha, beta, and gamma rays.
BECRIPPLE
Be*crip"ple, v. t.
Defn: To make a cripple of; to cripple; to lame. [R.] Dr. H. More.
BECUIBA; BECUIBA NUT
Be*cui"ba, n., Be*cui"ba nut`. [Native name.] (Bot.)
Defn: The nut of the Brazilian tree Myristica Bicuhyba, which yields a medicinal balsam used for rheumatism.
BECUNA
Be*cu"na, n. Etym: [Sp.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A fish of the Mediterranean (Sphyræna spet). See Barracuda.
BECURL
Be*curl", v. t.
Defn: To curl; to adorn with curls.
BED Bed, n. Etym: [AS. bed, bedd; akin to OS. bed, D. bed, bedde, Icel. be, Dan. bed, Sw. bädd, Goth. badi, OHG. betti, G. bett, bette, bed, beet a plat of ground; all of uncertain origin.]
1. An article of furniture to sleep or take rest in or on; a couch. Specifically: A sack or mattress, filled with some soft material, in distinction from the bedstead on which it is placed (as, a feather bed), or this with the bedclothes added. In a general sense, any thing or place used for sleeping or reclining on or in, as a quantity of hay, straw, leaves, or twigs. And made for him [a horse] a leafy bed. Byron. I wash, wring, brew, bake, . . . make the beds. Shak. In bed he slept not for my urging it. Shak.
2. (Used as the symbol of matrimony) Marriage. George, the eldest son of his second bed. Clarendon.
3. A plat or level piece of ground in a garden, usually a little raised above the adjoining ground. "Beds of hyacinth and roses." Milton.
4. A mass or heap of anything arranged like a bed; as, a bed of ashes or coals.
5. The bottom of a watercourse, or of any body of water; as, the bed of a river. So sinks the daystar in the ocean bed. Milton.
6. (Geol.)
Defn: A layer or seam, or a horizontal stratum between layers; as, a bed of coal, iron, etc.
7. (Gun.)
Defn: See Gun carriage, and Mortar bed.
8. (Masonry) (a) The horizontal surface of a building stone; as, the upper and lower beds. (b) A course of stone or brick in a wall. (c) The place or material in which a block or brick is laid. (d) The lower surface of a brick, slate, or tile. Knight.
9. (Mech.)
Defn: The foundation or the more solid and fixed part or framing of a machine; or a part on which something is laid or supported; as, the bed of an engine.
10. The superficial earthwork, or ballast, of a railroad.
11. (Printing)
Defn: The flat part of the press, on which the form is laid.
Note: Bed is much used adjectively or in combination; as, bed key or bedkey; bed wrench or bedwrench; bedchamber; bedmaker, etc. Bed of justice (French Hist.), the throne (F. lit bed) occupied by the king when sitting in one of his parliaments (judicial courts); hence, a session of a refractory parliament, at which the king was present for the purpose of causing his decrees to be registered. — To be brought to bed, to be delivered of a child; — often followed by of; as, to be brought to bed of a son. — To make a bed, to prepare a bed; to arrange or put in order a bed and its bedding. — From bed and board (Law), a phrase applied to a separation by partial divorce of man and wife, without dissolving the bonds of matrimony. If such a divorce (now commonly called a judicial separation) be granted at the instance of the wife, she may have alimony.
BED
Bed, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedded; p. pr. & vb. n. Bedding.]
1. To place in a bed. [Obs.] Bacon.
2. To make partaker of one's bed; to cohabit with. I'll to the Tuscan wars, and never bed her. Shak.
3. To furnish with a bed or bedding.
4. To plant or arrange in beds; to set, or cover, as in a bed of soft earth; as, to bed the roots of a plant in mold.
5. To lay or put in any hollow place, or place of rest and security, surrounded or inclosed; to embed; to furnish with or place upon a bed or foundation; as, to bed a stone; it was bedded on a rock. Among all chains or clusters of mountains where large bodies of still water are bedded. Wordsworth.
6. (Masonry)
Defn: To dress or prepare the surface of stone) so as to serve as a bed.
7. To lay flat; to lay in order; to place in a horizontal or recumbent position. "Bedded hair." Shak.
BED
Bed, v. i.
Defn: To go to bed; to cohabit.
If he be married, and bed with his wife. Wiseman.
BEDABBLE
Be*dab*ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedabbled (; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bedabbling (.]
Defn: To dabble; to sprinkle or wet. Shak.
BEDAFF
Be*daff", v. t.
Defn: To make a daff or fool of. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BEDAGAT
Bed"a*gat, n.
Defn: The sacred books of the Buddhists in Burmah. Malcom.
BEDAGGLE
Be*dag"gle, v. t.
Defn: To daggle.
BEDASH
Be*dash", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedashed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedashing.]
Defn: To wet by dashing or throwing water or other liquid upon; to bespatter. "Trees bedashed with rain." Shak.
BEDAUB
Be*daub", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedaubed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedaubing.]
Defn: To daub over; to besmear or soil with anything thick and dirty.
Bedaub foul designs with a fair varnish. Barrow.
BEDAZZLE Be*daz"zle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedazzled (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedazzling (
Defn: To dazzle or make dim by a strong light. "Bedazzled with the sun." Shak.
BEDBUG
Bed"bug`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A wingless, bloodsucking, hemipterous insect (Cimex
Lectularius), sometimes infesting houses and especially beds. See
Illustration in Appendix.
BEDCHAIR
Bed"chair`, n.
Defn: A chair with adjustable back, for the sick, to support them while sitting up in bed.
BEDCHAMBER
Bed"cham`ber, n.
Defn: A chamber for a bed; an apartment form sleeping in. Shak. Lords of the bedchamber, eight officers of the royal household, all of noble families, who wait in turn a week each. [Eng.] — Ladies of the bedchamber, eight ladies, all titled, holding a similar official position in the royal household, during the reign of a queen. [Eng.]
BEDCLOTHES
Bed"clothes`, n. pl.
Defn: Blankets, sheets, coverlets, etc., for a bed. Shak.
BEDCORD
Bed"cord`, n.
Defn: A cord or rope interwoven in a bedstead so as to support the bed.
BEDDED
Bed"ded, a.
Defn: Provided with a bed; as, double-bedded room; placed or arranged in a bed or beds.
BEDDING
Bed"ding, n. Etym: [AS. bedding, beding. See Bed.]
1. A bed and its furniture; the materials of a bed, whether for man or beast; bedclothes; litter.
2. (Geol.)
Defn: The state or position of beds and layers.
BEDE
Bede, v. t. Etym: [See Bid, v. t.]
Defn: To pray; also, to offer; to proffer. [Obs.] R. of Gloucester.
Chaucer.
BEDE
Bede, n. (Mining)
Defn: A kind of pickax.
BEDECK
Be*deck", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedecked (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedecking.]
Defn: To deck, ornament, or adorn; to grace.
Bedecked with boughs, flowers, and garlands. Pennant.
BEDEGUAR; BEDEGAR Bed"e*guar, Bed"e*gar, n. Etym: [F., fr. Per. bad-award, or bad- awardag, prop., a kind of white thorn or thistle.]
Defn: A gall produced on rosebushes, esp. on the sweetbrier or eglantine, by a puncture from the ovipositor of a gallfly (Rhodites rosæ). It was once supposed to have medicinal properties.
BEDEHOUSE
Bede"house`
Defn: ,n.Same as Beadhouse.
BEDEL; BEDELL
Be"del, Be"dell
Defn: ,n.Same as Beadle.
BEDELRY
Be"del*ry, n.
Defn: Beadleship. [Obs.] Blount.
BEDEN
Bed"en, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The Abyssinian or Arabian ibex (Capra Nubiana). It is probably the wild goat of the Bible.
BEDESMAN
Bedes"man, n.
Defn: Same as Beadsman. [Obs.]
BEDEVIL Be*dev"il, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedevilled (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedeviling or Bedevilling.]
1. To throw into utter disorder and confusion, as if by the agency of evil spirits; to bring under diabolical influence; to torment. Bedeviled and used worse than St. Bartholomew. Sterne.
2. To spoil; to corrupt. Wright.
BEDEVILMENT
Be*dev"il*ment, n.
Defn: The state of being bedeviled; bewildering confusion; vexatious trouble. [Colloq.]
BEDEW
Be*dew", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedewed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedewing.]
Defn: To moisten with dew, or as with dew. "Falling tears his face bedew." Dryden.
BEDEWER
Be*dew"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, bedews.
BEDEWY
Be*dew"y, a.
Defn: Moist with dew; dewy. [Obs.]
Night with her bedewy wings. A. Brewer.
BEDFELLOW
Bed"fel`low, n.
Defn: One who lies with another in the same bed; a person who shares one's couch.
BEDFERE; BEDPHERE
Bed"fere` Bed"phere`, n. Etym: [Bed + AS. fera a companion.]
Defn: A bedfellow. [Obs.] Chapman.
BEDGOWN
Bed"gown`, n.
Defn: A nightgown.
BEDIGHT
Be*dight", v. t. [p. p. Bedight, Bedighted.]
Defn: To bedeck; to array or equip; to adorn. [Archaic] Milton.
BEDIM
Be*dim", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedimmed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedimming.]
Defn: To make dim; to obscure or darken. Shak.
BEDIZEN
Be*diz"en, v. t.
Defn: To dress or adorn tawdrily or with false taste. Remnants of tapestried hangings, . . . and shreds of pictures with which he had bedizened his tatters. Sir W. Scott.
BEDIZENMENT
Be*diz"en*ment, n.
Defn: That which bedizens; the act of dressing, or the state of being dressed, tawdrily.
BEDKEY
Bed"key`, n.
Defn: An instrument for tightening the parts of a bedstead.
BEDLAM
Bed"lam, n. Etym: [See Bethlehem.]
1. A place appropriated to the confinement and care of the insane; a madhouse. Abp. Tillotson.
2. An insane person; a lunatic; a madman. [Obs.] Let's get the bedlam to lead him. Shak.
3. Any place where uproar and confusion prevail.
BEDLAM
Bed"lam, a.
Defn: Belonging to, or fit for, a madhouse. "The bedlam, brainsick duchess." Shak.
BEDLAMITE
Bed"lam*ite, n.
Defn: An inhabitant of a madhouse; a madman. "Raving bedlamites."
Beattie.
BEDMAKER
Bed"mak`er, n.
Defn: One who makes beds.
BED-MOLDING; BED-MOULDING
Bed"-mold`ing Bed"-mould`ing, n. (Arch.)
Defn: The molding of a cornice immediately below the corona. Oxf.
Gloss.
BEDOTE
Be*dote", v. t.
Defn: To cause to dote; to deceive. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BEDOUIN Bed"ou*in, n. Etym: [F. bédouin, OF. béduin, fr. Ar. bedawi rural, living in the desert, fr. badw desert, fr. bada to live in the desert, to lead a nomadic life.]
Defn: One of the nomadic Arabs who live in tents, and are scattered over Arabia, Syria, and northern Africa, esp. in the deserts. — Bed"ou*in*ism (, n.
BEDOUIN
Bed"ou*in, a.
Defn: Pertaining to the Bedouins; nomad.
BEDPAN
Bed"pan`, n.
1. A pan for warming beds. Nares.
2. A shallow chamber vessel, so constructed that it can be used by a sick person in bed.
BEDPHERE
Bed"phere`, n.
Defn: See Bedfere. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
BEDPIECE; BEDPLATE
Bed"piece`, Bed"plate`, n. (Mach.)
Defn: The foundation framing or piece, by which the other parts are supported and held in place; the bed; — called also baseplate and soleplate.
BEDPOST
Bed"post`, n.
1. One of the four standards that support a bedstead or the canopy over a bedstead.
2. Anciently, a post or pin on each side of the bed to keep the clothes from falling off. See Bedstaff. Brewer.
BEDQUILT
Bed"quilt`, n.
Defn: A quilt for a bed; a coverlet.
BEDRABBLE
Be*drab"ble, v. t.
Defn: To befoul with rain and mud; to drabble.
BEDRAGGLE
Be*drag"gle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedraggled (; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bedraggling (.]
Defn: To draggle; to soil, as garments which, in walking, are suffered to drag in dust, mud, etc. Swift.
BEDRENCH
Be*drench", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedrenched (p. pr. & vb. n.
Bedrenching.]
Defn: To drench; to saturate with moisture; to soak. Shak.
BEDRIBBLE
Be*drib"ble, v. t.
Defn: To dribble upon.
BEDRID; BEDRIDDEN
Bed"rid`, Bed"rid`den, a. Etym: [OE. bedrede, AS. bedreda, bedrida;
from bed, bedd, a bed or couch + ridda a rider; cf. OHG. pettiriso,
G. bettrise. See Bed, n., and Ride, v. i. ]
Defn: Confined to the bed by sickness or infirmity. "Her decrepit, sick, and bedrid father." Shak. "The estate of a bedridden old gentleman." Macaulay.
BEDRIGHT; BEDRITE
Bed"right` Bed"rite`, n. Etym: [Bed + right, rite.]
Defn: The duty or privilege of the marriage bed. Shak.
BEDRIZZLE
Be*driz"zle, v. t.
Defn: To drizzle upon.
BED ROCK
Bed" rock". (Mining)
Defn: The solid rock underlying superficial formations. Also Fig.
BEDROOM
Bed"room, n.
1. A room or apartment intended or used for a bed; a lodging room.
2. Room in a bed.
Note: [In this sense preferably bed room.]
Then by your side no bed room me deny. Shak.
BEDROP
Be*drop", v. t.
Defn: To sprinkle, as with drops.
The yellow carp, in scales bedropped with gold. Pope.
BEDRUG
Be*drug", v. t.
Defn: To drug abundantly or excessively.
BED SCREW
Bed" screw`.
1. (Naut.) A form of jack screw for lifting large bodies, and assisting in launching.
2. A long screw formerly used to fasten a bedpost to one of the adjacent side pieces.
BEDSIDE
Bed"side`, n.
Defn: The side of a bed.
BEDSITE
Bed"site`, n.
Defn: A recess in a room for a bed. Of the three bedrooms, two have fireplaces, and all are of fair size, with windows and bedsite well placed. Quart. Rev.
BEDSORE
Bed"sore`, n. (Med.)
Defn: A sore on the back or hips caused by lying for a long time in bed.
BEDSPREAD
Bed"spread`, n.
Defn: A bedquilt; a counterpane; a coverlet. [U. S.]
BEDSTAFF
Bed"staff`, n.; pl. Bedstaves (.
Defn: "A wooden pin stuck anciently on the sides of the bedstead, to
hold the clothes from slipping on either side." Johnson.
Hostess, accommodate us with a bedstaff. B. Jonson.
Say there is no virtue in cudgels and bedstaves. Brome.
BEDSTEAD
Bed"stead, n. Etym: [Bed + stead a frame.]
Defn: A framework for supporting a bed.
BED STEPS
Bed" steps`.
Defn: Steps for mounting a bed of unusual height.
BEDSTOCK
Bed"stock, n.
Defn: The front or the back part of the frame of a bedstead. [Obs. or
Dial. Eng.]
BEDSTRAW
Bed"straw`, n.
1. Straw put into a bed. Bacon.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of slender herbs, usually with square stems, whorled leaves, and small white flowers. Our Lady's bedstraw, which has yellow flowers, is Galium verum. — White bedstraw is G. mollugo.
BEDSWERVER
Bed"swerv`er, n.
Defn: One who swerves from and is unfaithful to the marriage vow.
[Poetic] Shak.
BEDTICK
Bed"tick`, n.
Defn: A tick or bag made of cloth, used for inclosing the materials of a bed.
BEDTIME
Bed"time`, n.
Defn: The time to go to bed. Shak.
BEDUCK
Be*duck", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beducked (.]
Defn: To duck; to put the head under water; to immerse. "Deep himself beducked." Spenser.
BEDUIN
Bed"uin, n.
Defn: See Bedouin.
BEDUNG
Be*dung", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedunged.]
Defn: To cover with dung, as for manuring; to bedaub or defile, literally or figuratively. Bp. Hall.
BEDUST
Be*dust", v. t.
Defn: To sprinkle, soil, or cover with dust. Sherwood.
BEDWARD
Bed"ward, adv.
Defn: Towards bed.
BEDWARF
Be*dwarf", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedwarfed.]
Defn: To make a dwarf of; to stunt or hinder the growth of; to dwarf.
Donne.
BEDYE
Be*dye", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedyed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bedyeing.]
Defn: To dye or stain.
Briton fields with Sarazin blood bedyed. Spenser.
BEE
Bee,
Defn: p. p. of Be; — used for been. [Obs.] Spenser.
BEE Bee, n. Etym: [AS. beó; akin to D. bij and bije, Icel. b, Sw. & Dan. bi, OHG. pini, G. biene, and perh. Ir. beach, Lith. bitis, Skr. bha. sq. root97.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An insect of the order Hymenoptera, and family Apidæ (the honeybees), or family Andrenidæ (the solitary bees.) See Honeybee.
Note: There are many genera and species. The common honeybee (Apis mellifica) lives in swarms, each of which has its own queen, its males or drones, and its very numerous workers, which are barren females. Besides the A. mellifica there are other species and varieties of honeybees, as the A. ligustica of Spain and Italy; the A. Indica of India; the A. fasciata of Egypt. The bumblebee is a species of Bombus. The tropical honeybees belong mostly to Melipoma and Trigona.
2. A neighborly gathering of people who engage in united labor for the benefit of an individual or family; as, a quilting bee; a husking bee; a raising bee. [U. S.] The cellar . . . was dug by a bee in a single day. S. G. Goodrich.
3. pl. Etym: [Prob. fr. AS. beáh ring, fr. b to bend. See 1st Bow.] (Naut.)
Defn: Pieces of hard wood bolted to the sides of the bowsprit, to reeve the fore-topmast stays through; — called also bee blocks. Bee beetle (Zoöl.), a beetle (Trichodes apiarius) parasitic in beehives. — Bee bird (Zoöl.), a bird that eats the honeybee, as the European flycatcher, and the American kingbird. — Bee flower (Bot.), an orchidaceous plant of the genus Ophrys (O. apifera), whose flowers have some resemblance to bees, flies, and other insects. — Bee fly (Zoöl.), a two winged fly of the family Bombyliidæ. Some species, in the larval state, are parasitic upon bees. — Bee garden, a garden or inclosure to set beehives in ; an apiary. Mortimer. — Bee glue, a soft, unctuous matter, with which bees cement the combs to the hives, and close up the cells; — called also propolis. — Bee hawk (Zoöl.), the honey buzzard. — Bee killer (Zoöl.), a large two-winged fly of the family Asilidæ (esp. Trupanea apivora) which feeds upon the honeybee. See Robber fly. — Bee louse (Zoöl.), a minute, wingless, dipterous insect (Braula cæca) parasitic on hive bees. — Bee martin (Zoöl.), the kingbird (Tyrannus Carolinensis) which occasionally feeds on bees. — Bee moth (Zoöl.), a moth (Galleria cereana) whose larvæ feed on honeycomb, occasioning great damage in beehives. — Bee wolf (Zoöl.), the larva of the bee beetle. See Illust. of Bee beetle. — To have a bee in the head or in the bonnet. (a) To be choleric. [Obs.] (b) To be restless or uneasy. B. Jonson. (c) To be full of fancies; to be a little crazy. "She's whiles crack-brained, and has a bee in her head." Sir W. Scott.
BEEBREAD
Bee"bread`, n.
Defn: A brown, bitter substance found in some of the cells of honeycomb. It is made chiefly from the pollen of flowers, which is collected by bees as food for their young.
BEECH Beech, n.; pl. Beeches. Etym: [OE. beche, AS. b; akin to D. beuk, OHG. buocha, G. buche, Icel. beyki, Dan. bög, Sw. bok, Russ. buk, L. fagus, Gr. oak, to eat, Skr. bhaksh; the tree being named originally from the esculent fruit. See Book, and cf. 7th Buck, Buckwheat.] (Bot.)
Defn: A tree of the genus Fagus.
Note: It grows to a large size, having a smooth bark and thick foliage, and bears an edible triangular nut, of which swine are fond. The Fagus sylvatica is the European species, and the F. ferruginea that of America. Beech drops (Bot.), a parasitic plant which grows on the roots of beeches (Epiphegus Americana). — Beech marten (Zoöl.), the stone marten of Europe (Mustela foina). — Beech mast, the nuts of the beech, esp. as they lie under the trees, in autumn. — Beech oil, oil expressed from the mast or nuts of the beech tree. — Cooper beech, a variety of the European beech with copper- colored, shining leaves.
BEECHEN
Beech"en, a. Etym: [AS. b.]
Defn: Consisting, or made, of the wood or bark of the beech; belonging to the beech. "Plain beechen vessels." Dryden.
BEECHNUT
Beech"nut`, n.
Defn: The nut of the beech tree.
BEECH TREE
Beech" tree`.
Defn: The beech.
BEECHY
Beech"y, a.
Defn: Of or relating to beeches.
BEE-EATER Bee"-eat`er, n. (Zoöl.) (a) A bird of the genus Merops, that feeds on bees. The European species (M. apiaster) is remarkable for its brilliant colors. (b) An African bird of the genus Rhinopomastes.
BEEF Beef, n. Etym: [OE. boef, befe, beef, OF. boef, buef, F. b, fr. L. bos, bovis, ox; akin to Gr. , Skr. g cow, and E. cow. See 2d Cow.]
1. An animal of the genus Bos, especially the common species, B. taurus, including the bull, cow, and ox, in their full grown state; esp., an ox or cow fattened for food.
Note: [In this, which is the original sense, the word has a plural,
beeves (.]
A herd of beeves, fair oxen and fair kine. Milton.
2. The flesh of an ox, or cow, or of any adult bovine animal, when slaughtered for food.
Note: [In this sense, the word has no plural.] "Great meals of beef."
Shak.
3. Applied colloquially to human flesh.
BEEF
Beef, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or resembling, beef. Beef tea, essence of beef, or strong beef broth.
BEEFEATER Beef"eat`er, n. Etym: [Beef + eater; prob. one who eats another's beef, as his servant. Cf. AS. hlaf servant, properly a loaf eater.]
1. One who eats beef; hence, a large, fleshy person.
2. One of the yeomen of the guard, in England.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An African bird of the genus Buphaga, which feeds on the larvæ of botflies hatched under the skin of oxen, antelopes, etc. Two species are known.
BEEFSTEAK
Beef"steak`, n.
Defn: A steak of beef; a slice of beef broiled or suitable for broiling.
BEEF-WITTED
Beef"-wit`ted, n.
Defn: Stupid; dull. Shak.
BEEFWOOD
Beef"wood`, n.
Defn: An Australian tree (Casuarina), and its red wood, used for cabinetwork; also, the trees Stenocarpus salignus of New South Wales, and Banksia compar of Queensland.
BEEFY
Beef"y, a.
Defn: Having much beef; of the nature of beef; resembling beef; fleshy.
BEEHIVE
Bee"hive`, n.
Defn: A hive for a swarm of bees. Also used figuratively.
Note: A common and typical form of beehive was a domeshaped inverted basket, whence certain ancient Irish and Scotch architectural remains are called beehive houses.
BEEHOUSE
Bee"house`, n.
Defn: A house for bees; an apiary.
BEE LARKSPUR
Bee" lark`spur.
Defn: (Bot.) See Larkspur.
BEELD
Beeld, n.
Defn: Same as Beild. Fairfax.
BEE LINE
Bee" line`.
Defn: The shortest line from one place to another, like that of a bee to its hive when loaded with honey; an air line. "A bee line for the brig." Kane.
BEELZEBUB
Be*el"ze*bub, n.
Defn: The title of a heathen deity to whom the Jews ascribed the sovereignty of the evil spirits; hence, the Devil or a devil. See Baal.
BEEM
Beem, n. Etym: [AS. b, b.]
Defn: A trumpet. [Obs.]
BEEMASTER
Bee"mas`ter, n.
Defn: One who keeps bees.
BEEN
Been. Etym: [OE. beon, ben, bin, p. p. of been, beon, to be. See Be.]
Defn: The past participle of Be. In old authors it is also the pr. tense plural of Be. See 1st Bee. Assembled been a senate grave and stout. Fairfax.
BEER Beer, n. Etym: [OE. beor, ber, AS. beór; akin to Fries. biar, Icel. bj, OHG. bior, D. & G. bier, and possibly E. brew. *93, See Brew.]
1. A fermented liquor made from any malted grain, but commonly from barley malt, with hops or some other substance to impart a bitter flavor.
Note: Beer has different names, as small beer, ale, porter, brown stout, lager beer, according to its strength, or other qualities. See Ale.
2. A fermented extract of the roots and other parts of various plants, as spruce, ginger, sassafras, etc. Small beer, weak beer; (fig.) insignificant matters. "To suckle fools, and chronicle small beer." Shak.
BEEREGAR
Beer"e*gar, n. Etym: [Beer + eager.]
Defn: Sour beer. [Obs.]
BEERHOUSE
Beer"house`, n.
Defn: A house where malt liquors are sold; an alehouse.
BEERINESS
Beer"i*ness, n.
Defn: Beery condition.
BEERY
Beer"y, a.
Defn: Of or resembling beer; affected by beer; maudlin.
BEESTINGS
Beest"ings, n.
Defn: Same as Biestings.
BEESWAX
Bees"wax`, n.
Defn: The wax secreted by bees, and of which their cells are constructed.
BEESWING
Bees"wing`, n.
Defn: The second crust formed in port and some other wines after long keeping. It consists of pure, shining scales of tartar, supposed to resemble the wing of a bee.
BEET
Beet, n. Etym: [AS. bete, from L. beta.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: A biennial plant of the genus Beta, which produces an edible root the first year and seed the second year.
2. The root of plants of the genus Beta, different species and varieties of which are used for the table, for feeding stock, or in making sugar.
Note: There are many varieties of the common beet (Beta vulgaris). The Old "white beet", cultivated for its edible leafstalks, is a distinct species (Beta Cicla).
BEETE; BETE
Beete, Bete, v. t. Etym: [AS. b to mend. See Better.]
1. To mend; to repair. [Obs.] Chaucer.
2. To renew or enkindle (a fire). [Obs.] Chaucer.
BEETLE Bee"tle, n. Etym: [OE. betel, AS. bitl, b, mallet, hammer, fr. beátan to beat. See Beat, v. t.]
1. A heavy mallet, used to drive wedges, beat pavements, etc.
2. A machine in which fabrics are subjected to a hammering process while passing over rollers, as in cotton mills; — called also beetling machine. Knight.
BEETLE
Bee"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beetled; p. pr. & vb. n. Beetling.]
1. To beat with a heavy mallet.
2. To finish by subjecting to a hammering process in a beetle or beetling machine; as, to beetle cotton goods.
BEETLE Bee"tle, n. Etym: [OE. bityl, bittle, AS. b, fr. b to bite. See Bite, v. t.]
Defn: Any insect of the order Coleoptera, having four wings, the outer pair being stiff cases for covering the others when they are folded up. See Coleoptera. Beetle mite (Zoöl.), one of many species of mites, of the family Oribatidæ, parasitic on beetles. — Black beetle, the common large black cockroach (Blatta orientalis).
BEETLE
Bee"tle, v. i. Etym: [See Beetlebrowed.]
Defn: To extend over and beyond the base or support; to overhang; to
jut.
To the dreadful summit of the cliff That beetles o'er his base into
the sea. Shak.
Each beetling rampart, and each tower sublime. Wordsworth.
BEETLE BROW
Bee"tle brow`.
Defn: An overhanging brow.
BEETLE-BROWED Bee"tle-browed`, a. Etym: [OE. bitelbrowed; cf. OE. bitel, adj., sharp, projecting, n., a beetle. See Beetle an insect.]
Defn: Having prominent, overhanging brows; hence, lowering or sullen.
Note: The earlier meaning was, "Having bushy or overhanging eyebrows."
BEETLEHEAD
Bee"tle*head`, n. Etym: [Beetle a mallet + head.]
1. A stupid fellow; a blockhead. Sir W. Scott.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The black-bellied plover, or bullhead (Squatarola helvetica).
See Plover.
BEETLE-HEADED
Bee"tle-head`ed, a.
Defn: Dull; stupid. Shak.
BEETLESTOCK
Bee"tle*stock`, n.
Defn: The handle of a beetle.
BEET RADISH
Beet" rad`ish.
Defn: Same as Beetrave.
BEETRAVE
Beet"rave`, n. Etym: [F. betterave; bette beet + rave radish.]
Defn: The common beet (Beta vulgaris).
BEEVE
Beeve, n. Etym: [Formed from beeves, pl. of beef.]
Defn: A beef; a beef creature.
They would knock down the first beeve they met with. W. Irving.
BEEVES
Beeves, n.
Defn: ; plural of Beef, the animal.
BEFALL
Be*fall", v. t. [imp. Befell; p. p. Befallen; p. pr. & vb. n.
Befalling.] Etym: [AS. befeallan; pref. be- + feallan to fall.]
Defn: To happen to.
I beseech your grace that I may know The worst that may befall me.
Shak.
BEFALL
Be*fall", v. i.
Defn: To come to pass; to happen.
I have revealed . . . the discord which befell. Milton.
BEFIT
Be*fit", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befitted; p. pr. & vb. n. Befitting.]
Defn: To be suitable to; to suit; to become.
That name best befits thee. Milton.
BEFITTING
Be*fit"ting, a.
Defn: Suitable; proper; becoming; fitting.
BEFITTINGLY
Be*fit"ting*ly, adv.
Defn: In a befitting manner; suitably.
BEFLATTER
Be*flat"ter, v. t.
Defn: To flatter excessively.
BEFLOWER
Be*flow"er, v. t.
Defn: To besprinkle or scatter over with, or as with, flowers.
Hobbes.
BEFOG
Be*fog", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befogged; p. pr. & vb. n. Befogging.]
1. To involve in a fog; — mostly as a participle or part. adj.
2. Hence: To confuse; to mystify.
BEFOOL
Be*fool", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befooled; p. pr. & vb. n. Befooling.]
Etym: [OE. befolen; pref. be- + fol fool.]
1. To fool; to delude or lead into error; to infatuate; to deceive. This story . . . contrived to befool credulous men. Fuller.
2. To cause to behave like a fool; to make foolish. "Some befooling drug." G. Eliot.
BEFORE Be*fore", prep. Etym: [OE. beforen, biforen, before, AS. beforan; pref. be- + foran, fore, before. See Be-, and Fore.]
1. In front of; preceding in space; ahead of; as, to stand before the
fire; before the house.
His angel, who shall go Before them in a cloud and pillar of fire.
Milton.
2. Preceding in time; earlier than; previously to; anterior to the time when; — sometimes with the additional idea of purpose; in order that. Before Abraham was, I am. John viii. 58. Before this treatise can become of use, two points are necessary. Swift.
Note: Formerly before, in this sense, was followed by that. "Before that Philip called thee . . . I saw thee." John i. 48.
3. An advance of; farther onward, in place or time. The golden age . . . is before us. Carlyle.
4. Prior or preceding in dignity, order, rank, right, or worth;
rather than.
He that cometh after me is preferred before me. John i. 15.
The eldest son is before the younger in succession. Johnson.
5. In presence or sight of; face to face with; facing. Abraham bowed down himself before the people. Gen. xxiii. 12. Wherewith shall I come before the Lord Micah vi. 6.
6. Under the cognizance or jurisdiction of. If a suit be begun before an archdeacon. Ayliffe.
7. Open for; free of access to; in the power of. The world was all before them where to choose. Milton. Before the mast (Naut.), as a common sailor, — because the sailors live in the forecastle, forward of the foremast. — Before the wind (Naut.), in the direction of the wind and by its impulse; having the wind aft.
BEFORE
Be*fore", adv.
1. On the fore part; in front, or in the direction of the front; — opposed to in the rear. The battle was before and behind. 2 Chron. xiii. 14.
2. In advance. "I come before to tell you." Shak.
3. In time past; previously; already. You tell me, mother, what I knew before. Dryden.
4. Earlier; sooner than; until then. When the butt is out, we will drink water; not a drop before. Shak.
Note: Before is often used in self-explaining compounds; as, before- cited, before-mentioned; beforesaid.
BEFOREHAND
Be*fore"hand`, adv. Etym: [Before + hand.]
1. In a state of anticipation ore preoccupation; in advance; — often
followed by with.
Agricola . . . resolves to be beforehand with the danger. Milton.
The last cited author has been beforehand with me. Addison.
2. By way of preparation, or preliminary; previously; aforetime. They may be taught beforehand the skill of speaking. Hooker.
BEFOREHAND
Be*fore"hand`, a.
Defn: In comfortable circumstances as regards property; forehanded.
Rich and much beforehand. Bacon.
BEFORETIME
Be*fore"time`, adv.
Defn: Formerly; aforetime.
[They] dwelt in their tents, as beforetime. 2 Kings xiii. 5.
BEFORTUNE
Be*for"tune, v. t.
Defn: To befall. [Poetic]
I wish all good befortune you. Shak.
BEFOUL
Be*foul", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befouled; p. pr. & vb. n. Befouling.]
Etym: [Cf. AS. bef; pref. be- + f to foul. See Foul, a.]
1. To make foul; to soil.
2. To entangle or run against so as to impede motion.
BEFRIEND
Be*friend", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befriended; p. pr. & vb. n.
Befriending.]
Defn: To act as a friend to; to favor; to aid, benefit, or
countenance.
By the darkness befriended. Longfellow.
BEFRIENDMENT
Be*friend"ment, n.
Defn: Act of befriending. [R.]
BEFRILL
Be*frill", v. t.
Defn: To furnish or deck with a frill.
BEFRINGE
Be*fringe", v. t.
Defn: To furnish with a fringe; to form a fringe upon; to adorn as with fringe. Fuller.
BEFUDDLE
Be*fud"dle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befuddled]
Defn: To becloud and confuse, as with liquor.
BEG
Beg, n. Etym: [Turk. beg, pronounced bay. Cf. Bey, Begum.]
Defn: A title of honor in Turkey and in some other parts of the East; a bey.
BEG Beg, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begged; p. pr. & vb. n. Begging.] Etym: [OE. beggen, perh. fr. AS. bedecian (akin to Goth. bedagwa beggar), biddan to ask. (Cf. Bid, v. t.); or cf. beghard, beguin.]
1. To ask earnestly for; to entreat or supplicate for; to beseech. I do beg your good will in this case. Shak. [Joseph] begged the body of Jesus. Matt. xxvii. 58.
Note: Sometimes implying deferential and respectful, rather than earnest, asking; as, I beg your pardon; I beg leave to disagree with you.
2. To ask for as a charity, esp. to ask for habitually or from house to house. Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. Ps. xxxvii. 25.
3. To make petition to; to entreat; as, to beg a person to grant a favor.
4. To take for granted; to assume without proof.
5. (Old Law)
Defn: To ask to be appointed guardian for, or to ask to have a guardian appointed for. Else some will beg thee, in the court of wards. Harrington. Hence: To beg (one) for a fool, to take him for a fool. I beg to, is an elliptical expression for I beg leave to; as, I beg to inform you. — To bag the question, to assume that which was to be proved in a discussion, instead of adducing the proof or sustaining the point by argument. — To go a-begging, a figurative phrase to express the absence of demand for something which elsewhere brings a price; as, grapes are so plentiful there that they go a-begging.
Syn. — To Beg, Ask, Request. To ask (not in the sense of inquiring) is the generic term which embraces all these words. To request is only a polite mode of asking. To beg, in its original sense, was to ask with earnestness, and implied submission, or at least deference. At present, however, in polite life, beg has dropped its original meaning, and has taken the place of both ask and request, on the ground of its expressing more of deference and respect. Thus, we beg a person's acceptance of a present; we beg him to favor us with his company; a tradesman begs to announce the arrival of new goods, etc. Crabb remarks that, according to present usage, "we can never talk of asking a person's acceptance of a thing, or of asking him to do us a favor." This can be more truly said of usage in England than in America.
BEG
Beg, v. i.
Defn: To ask alms or charity, especially to ask habitually by the wayside or from house to house; to live by asking alms. I can not dig; to beg I am ashamed. Luke xvi. 3.
BEGA
Be"ga, n.
Defn: See Bigha.
BEGEM
Be*gem", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begemmed; p. pr. & vb. n. Begemming.]
Defn: To adorn with gems, or as with gems.
Begemmed with dewdrops. Sir W. Scott.
Those lonely realms bright garden isles begem. Shelley.
BEGET Be*get", v. t. [imp. Begot, (Archaic) Begat (; p. p. Begot, Begotten (; p. pr. & vb. n. Begetting.] Etym: [OE. bigiten, bigeten, to get, beget, AS. begitan to get; pref. be- + gitan. See Get, v. t. ]
1. To procreate, as a father or sire; to generate; — commonly said of the father. Yet they a beauteous offspring shall beget. Milton.
2. To get (with child.) [Obs.] Shak.
3. To produce as an effect; to cause to exist. Love is begot by fancy. Granville.
BEGETTER
Be*get"ter, n.
Defn: One who begets; a father.
BEGGABLE
Beg"ga*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being begged.
BEGGAR
Beg"gar, n. Etym: [OE. beggere, fr. beg.]
1. One who begs; one who asks or entreats earnestly, or with humility; a petitioner.
2. One who makes it his business to ask alms.
3. One who is dependent upon others for support; — a contemptuous or sarcastic use.
4. One who assumes in argument what he does not prove. Abp. Tillotson.
BEGGAR
Beg"gar, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beggared; p. pr. & vb. n. Beggaring.]
1. To reduce to beggary; to impoverish; as, he had beggared himself. Milton.
2. To cause to seem very poor and inadequate. It beggared all description. Shak.
BEGGARHOOD
Beg"gar*hood, n.
Defn: The condition of being a beggar; also, the class of beggars.
BEGGARISM
Beg"gar*ism, n.
Defn: Beggary. [R.]
BEGGARLINESS
Beg"gar*li*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being beggarly; meanness.
BEGGARLY
Beg"gar*ly, a.
1. In the condition of, or like, a beggar; suitable for a beggar; extremely indigent; poverty-stricken; mean; poor; contemptible. "A bankrupt, beggarly fellow." South. "A beggarly fellowship." Swift. "Beggarly elements." Gal. iv. 9.
2. Produced or occasioned by beggary. [Obs.] Beggarly sins, that is, those sins which idleness and beggary usually betray men to; such as lying, flattery, stealing, and dissimulation. Jer. Taylor.
BEGGARLY
Beg"gar*ly, adv.
Defn: In an indigent, mean, or despicable manner; in the manner of a beggar.
BEGGAR'S LICE
Beg"gar's lice`. (Bot.)
Defn: The prickly fruit or seed of certain plants (as some species of Echinospermum and Cynoglossum) which cling to the clothing of those who brush by them.
BEGGAR'S TICKS
Beg"gar's ticks`.
Defn: The bur marigold (Bidens) and its achenes, which are armed with barbed awns, and adhere to clothing and fleeces with unpleasant tenacity.
BEGGARY
Beg"gar*y, n. Etym: [OE. beggerie. See Beggar, n.]
1. The act of begging; the state of being a beggar; mendicancy; extreme poverty.
2. Beggarly appearance. [R.] The freedom and the beggary of the old studio. Thackeray.
Syn.
— Indigence; want; penury; mendicancy.
BEGGARY
Beg"gar*y, a.
Defn: Beggarly. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
BEGGESTERE
Beg"ge*stere, n. Etym: [Beg + -ster.]
Defn: A beggar. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BEGHARD; BEGUARD
Be*ghard" Be*guard", n. Etym: [F. bégard, béguard; cf. G. beghard,
LL. Beghardus, Begihardus, Begardus. Prob. from the root of beguine +
-ard or -hard. See Beguine.] (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of an association of religious laymen living in imitation of the Beguines. They arose in the thirteenth century, were afterward subjected to much persecution, and were suppressed by Innocent X. in 1650. Called also Beguins.
BEGILD
Be*gild", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begilded or Begilt.]
Defn: To gild. B. Jonson.
BEGIN Be*gin", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Began, Begun; p. pr. & vb. n. Beginning.] Etym: [AS. beginnan (akin to OS. biginnan, D. & G. beginnen, OHG. biginnan, Goth., du-ginnan, Sw. begynna, Dan. begynde); pref. be- + an assumed ginnan. sq. root31. See Gin to begin.]
1. To have or commence an independent or first existence; to take rise; to commence. Vast chain of being! which from God began. Pope.
2. To do the first act or the first part of an action; to enter upon or commence something new, as a new form or state of being, or course of action; to take the first step; to start. "Tears began to flow." Dryden. When I begin, I will also make an end. 1 Sam. iii. 12.
BEGIN
Be*gin", v. t.
1. To enter on; to commence. Ye nymphs of Solyma ! begin the song. Pope.
2. To trace or lay the foundation of; to make or place a beginning of. The apostle begins our knowledge in the creatures, which leads us to the knowledge of God. Locke.
Syn.
— To commence; originate; set about; start.
BEGIN
Be*gin", n.
Defn: Beginning. [Poetic & Obs.] Spenser.
BEGINNER
Be*gin"ner, n.
Defn: One who begins or originates anything. Specifically: A young or inexperienced practitioner or student; a tyro. A sermon of a new beginner. Swift.
BEGINNING
Be*gin"ning, n.
1. The act of doing that which begins anything; commencement of an action, state, or space of time; entrance into being or upon a course; the first act, effort, or state of a succession of acts or states. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Gen. i. 1.
2. That which begins or originates something; the first cause; origin; source. I am . . . the beginning and the ending. Rev. i. 8.
3. That which is begun; a rudiment or element. Mighty things from small beginnings grow. Dryden.
4. Enterprise. "To hinder our beginnings." Shak.
Syn. — Inception; prelude; opening; threshold; origin; outset; foundation.
BEGIRD
Be*gird", v. t. [imp. Begirt, Begirded; p. p. Begirt; p. pr. & vb. n.
Begirding.] Etym: [AS. begyrdan (akin to Goth. bigairdan); pref. be-
+ gyrdan to gird.]
1. To bind with a band or girdle; to gird.
2. To surround as with a band; to encompass.
BEGIRDLE
Be*gir"dle, v. t.
Defn: To surround as with a girdle.
BEGIRT
Be*girt", v. t.
Defn: To encompass; to begird. Milton.
BEGLERBEG
Beg"ler*beg`, n. Etym: [Turk. beglerbeg, fr. beg, pl. begler. See
Beg, n.]
Defn: The governor of a province of the Ottoman empire, next in dignity to the grand vizier.
BEGNAW Be*gnaw", v. t. [p. p. Begnawed, (R.) Begnawn (.] Etym: [AS. begnagan; pref. be- + gnagan to gnaw.]
Defn: To gnaw; to eat away; to corrode.
The worm of conscience still begnaw thy soul. Shak.
BEGOD
Be*god", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begodded.]
Defn: To exalt to the dignity of a god; to deify. [Obs.] "Begodded saints." South.
BEGOHM
Beg"ohm`, n. (Elec.)
Defn: A unit of resistance equal to one billion ohms, or one thousand megohms.
BEGONE
Be*gone", interj. Etym: [Be, v. i. + gone, p. p.]
Defn: Go away; depart; get you gone.
BEGONE
Be*gone", p. p. Etym: [OE. begon, AS. bigan; pref. be- + gan to go.]
Defn: Surrounded; furnished; beset; environed (as in woe-begone).
[Obs.] Gower. Chaucer.
BEGONIA
Be*go"ni*a, n. Etym: [From Michel Begon, a promoter of botany.]
(Bot.)
Defn: A genus of plants, mostly of tropical America, many species of which are grown as ornamental plants. The leaves are curiously one- sided, and often exhibit brilliant colors.
BEGORE
Be*gore", v. t.
Defn: To besmear with gore.
BEGOT
Be*got",
Defn: imp. & p. p. of Beget.
BEGOTTEN
Be*got"ten,
Defn: p. p. of Beget.
BEGRAVE Be*grave", v. t. Etym: [Pref. be- + grave; akin to G. begraben, Goth. bigraban to dig a ditch around.]
Defn: To bury; also, to engrave. [Obs.] Gower.
BEGREASE
Be*grease", v. t.
Defn: To soil or daub with grease or other oily matter.
BEGRIME
Be*grime", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begrimed; p. pr. & vb. n. Begriming.]
Defn: To soil with grime or dirt deeply impressed or rubbed in.
Books falling to pieces and begrimed with dust. Macaulay.
BEGRIMER
Be*grim"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, begrimes.
BEGRUDGE
Be*grudge", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begrudged; p. pr. & vb. n.
Begrudging.]
Defn: To grudge; to envy the possession of.
BEGUILE
Be*guile", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beguiled; p. pr. & vb. n. Beguiling.]
1. To delude by guile, artifice, or craft; to deceive or impose on, as by a false statement; to lure. The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. Gen. iii. 13.
2. To elude, or evade by craft; to foil. [Obs.] When misery could beguile the tyrant's rage. Shak.
3. To cause the time of to pass without notice; to relieve the tedium or weariness of; to while away; to divert. Ballads . . . to beguile his incessant wayfaring. W. Irving.
Syn. — To delude; deceive; cheat; insnare; mislead; amuse; divert; entertain.
BEGUILEMENT
Be*guile"ment, n.
Defn: The act of beguiling, or the state of being beguiled.
BEGUILER
Be*guil"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, beguiles.
BEGUILING
Be*guil"ing, a.
Defn: Alluring by guile; deluding; misleading; diverting.
— Be*guil"ing*ly, adv.
BEGUIN
Be`guin", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: See Beghard.
BEGUINAGE
Be`gui`nage", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A collection of small houses surrounded by a wall and occupied by a community of Beguines.
BEGUINE
Be`guine", n. Etym: [F. béguine; LL. beguina, beghina; fr. Lambert le
Bègue (the Stammerer) the founder of the order. (Du Cange.)]
Defn: A woman belonging to one of the religious and charitable associations or communities in the Netherlands, and elsewhere, whose members live in beguinages and are not bound by perpetual vows.
BEGUM
Be"gum, n. Etym: [Per., fr. Turk., perh. properly queen mother, fr.
Turk. beg (see Beg, n.) + Ar. umm mother.]
Defn: In the East Indies, a princess or lady of high rank. Malcom.
BEGUN
Be*gun", p. p.
Defn: of Begin.
BEHALF Be*half", n. Etym: [OE. on-behalve in the name of, bihalven by the side of, fr. AS. healf half, also side, part: akin to G. halb half, halber on account of. See Be-, and Half, n.]
Defn: Advantage; favor; stead; benefit; interest; profit; support;
defense; vindication.
In behalf of his mistress's beauty. Sir P. Sidney.
Against whom he had contracted some prejudice in behalf of his
nation. Clarendon.
In behalf of, in the interest of.
— On behalf of, on account of; on the part of.
BEHAPPEN
Be*hap"pen, v. t.
Defn: To happen to. [Obs.]
BEHAVE Be*have", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Behaved; p. pr. & vb. n. Behaving.] Etym: [AS. behabban to surround, restrain, detain (akin to G. gehaben (obs.) to have, sich gehaben to behave or carry one's self); pref. be- + habban to have. See Have, v. t. ]
1. To manage or govern in point of behavior; to discipline; to handle; to restrain. [Obs.] He did behave his anger ere 't was spent. Shak.
2. To carry; to conduct; to comport; to manage; to bear; — used reflexively. Those that behaved themselves manfully. 2 Macc. ii. 21.
BEHAVE
Be*have", v. i.
Defn: To act; to conduct; to bear or carry one's self; as, to behave well or ill.
Note: This verb is often used colloquially without an adverb of manner; as, if he does not behave, he will be punished. It is also often applied to inanimate objects; as, the ship behaved splendidly.
BEHAVIOR
Be*hav"ior, n.
Defn: Manner of behaving, whether good or bad; mode of conducting one's self; conduct; deportment; carriage; — used also of inanimate objects; as, the behavior of a ship in a storm; the behavior of the magnetic needle. A gentleman that is very singular in his behavior. Steele. To be upon one's good behavior, To be put upon one's good behavior, to be in a state of trial, in which something important depends on propriety of conduct. — During good behavior, while (or so long as) one conducts one's self with integrity and fidelity or with propriety.
Syn. — Bearing; demeanor; manner. — Behavior, Conduct. Behavior is the mode in which we have or bear ourselves in the presence of others or toward them; conduct is the mode of our carrying ourselves forward in the concerns of life. Behavior respects our manner of acting in particular cases; conduct refers to the general tenor of our actions. We may say of soldiers, that their conduct had been praiseworthy during the whole campaign, and their behavior admirable in every instance when they met the enemy.
BEHEAD
Be*head", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beheaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Beheading.]
Etym: [OE. bihefden, AS. beheáfdian; pref. be- + heáfod head. See
Head.]
Defn: To sever the head from; to take off the head of.
BEHEADAL
Be*head"al
Defn: ,n.Beheading. [Modern]
BEHELD
Be*held",
Defn: imp. & p. p. of Behold.
BEHEMOTH Be"he*moth, n. Etym: [Heb. behem, fr. Egyptian P-ehe-maut hippopotamus.]
Defn: An animal, probably the hippopotamus, described in Job xl. 15- 24.
BEHEN; BEHN Be"hen, Behn, n. Etym: [Per. & Ar. bahman, behmen, an herb, whose leaves resemble ears of corn, saffron.] (Bot.) (a) The Centaurea behen, or saw-leaved centaury. (b) The Cucubalus behen, or bladder campion, now called Silene inflata. (c) The Statice limonium, or sea lavender.
BEHEST Be*hest", n. Etym: [OE. biheste promise, command, AS. beh promise; pref. be- + h command. See Hest, Hight.]
1. That which is willed or ordered; a command; a mandate; an injunction. To do his master's high behest. Sir W. Scott.
2. A vow; a promise. [Obs.] The time is come that I should send it her, if I keep the behest that I have made. Paston.
BEHEST
Be*hest", v. t.
Defn: To vow. [Obs.] Paston.
BEHETE
Be*hete", v. t.
Defn: See Behight. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BEHIGHT Be*hight", v. t. [imp. Behight; p. p. Behight, Behoten.] Etym: [OE. bihaten, AS. behatan to vow, promise; pref. be- + hatan to call, command. See Hight, v.] [Obs. in all its senses.]
1. To promise; to vow. Behight by vow unto the chaste Minerve. Surrey.
2. To give in trust; to commit; to intrust. The keys are to thy hand behight. Spenser.
3. To adjudge; to assign by authority. The second was to Triamond behight. Spenser.
4. To mean, or intend. More than heart behighteth. Mir. for Mag.
5. To consider or esteem to be; to declare to be. All the lookers-on him dead behight. Spenser.
6. To call; to name; to address. Whom . . . he knew and thus behight. Spenser.
7. To command; to order. He behight those gates to be unbarred. Spenser.
BEHIGHT
Be*hight", n.
Defn: A vow; a promise. [Obs.] Surrey.
BEHIND Be*hind", prep. Etym: [AS. behindan; pref. be- + hindan. See Hind, a.]
1. On the side opposite the front or nearest part; on the back side of; at the back of; on the other side of; as, behind a door; behind a hill. A tall Brabanter, behind whom I stood. Bp. Hall.
2. Left after the departure of, whether this be by removing to a distance or by death. A small part of what he left behind him. Pope.
3. Left a distance by, in progress of improvement Hence: Inferior to in dignity, rank, knowledge, or excellence, or in any achievement. I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. 2 Cor. xi. 5.
BEHIND
Be*hind", adv.
1. At the back part; in the rear. "I shall not lag behind." Milton.
2. Toward the back part or rear; backward; as, to look behind.
3. Not yet brought forward, produced, or exhibited to view; out of sight; remaining. We can not be sure that there is no evidence behind. Locke.
4. Backward in time or order of succession; past. Forgetting those things which are behind. Phil. ii. 13.
5. After the departure of another; as, to stay behind. Leave not a rack behind. Shak.
BEHIND
Be*hind", n.
Defn: The backside; the rump. [Low]
BEHINDHAND
Be*hind"hand`, adv. & a. Etym: [Behind + hand.]
1. In arrears financially; in a state where expenditures have exceeded the receipt of funds.
2. In a state of backwardness, in respect to what is seasonable or appropriate, or as to what should have been accomplished; not equally forward with some other person or thing; dilatory; backward; late; tardy; as, behindhand in studies or in work. In this also [dress] the country are very much behindhand. Addison.
BEHITHER
Be*hith"er, prep.
Defn: On this side of. [Obs.]
Two miles behither Clifden. Evelyn.
BEHOLD Be*hold", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beheld ( (p. p. formerly Beholden (, now used only as a p. a.); p. pr. & vb. n. Beholding.] Etym: [OE. bihalden, biholden, AS. behealdan to hold, have in sight; pref. be- + healdan to hold, keep; akin to G. behalten to hold, keep. See Hold.]
Defn: To have in sight; to see clearly; to look at; to regard with
the eyes.
When he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. Num. xxi. 9.
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John.
i. 29.
Syn.
— To scan; gaze; regard; descry; view; discern.
BEHOLD
Be*hold", v. i.
Defn: To direct the eyes to, or fix them upon, an object; to look; to
see.
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne, . . . a lamb as it
had been slain. Rev. v. 6.
BEHOLDEN Be*hold"en, p. a. Etym: [Old p. p. of behold, used in the primitive sense of the simple verb hold.]
Defn: Obliged; bound in gratitude; indebted.
But being so beholden to the Prince. Tennyson.
BEHOLDER
Be*hold"er, n.
Defn: One who beholds; a spectator.
BEHOLDING
Be*hold"ing, a.
Defn: Obliged; beholden. [Obs.]
I was much bound and beholding to the right reverend father. Robynson
(More's Utopia).
So much hath Oxford been beholding to her nephews, or sister's
children. Fuller.
BEHOLDING
Be*hold"ing, n.
Defn: The act of seeing; sight; also, that which is beheld. Shak.
BEHOLDINGNESS
Be*hold"ing*ness, n.
Defn: , The state of being obliged or beholden. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney.
BEHOOF Be*hoof", n. Etym: [OE. to bihove for the use of, AS. beh advantage, a word implied in beh necessary; akin to Sw. behof, Dan. behov, G. behuf, and E. heave, the root meaning to seize, hence the meanings "to hold, make use of." See Heave, v. t.]
Defn: Advantage; profit; benefit; interest; use.
No mean recompense it brings To your behoof. Milton.
BEHOOVABLE
Be*hoov"a*ble, a.
Defn: Supplying need; profitable; advantageous. [Obs.] Udall.
BEHOOVE
Be*hoove", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Behooved; p. pr. & vb. n. Behooving.]
Etym: [OE. bihoven, behoven, AS. beh to have need of, fr. beh. See
Behoof.]
Defn: To be necessary for; to be fit for; to be meet for, with
respect to necessity, duty, or convenience; — mostly used
impersonally.
And thus it behooved Christ to suffer. Luke xxiv. 46.
[Also written behove.]
BEHOOVE
Be*hoove", v. i.
Defn: To be necessary, fit, or suitable; to befit; to belong as due.
Chaucer.
BEHOOVE
Be*hoove", n.
Defn: Advantage; behoof. [Obs.]
It shall not be to his behoove. Gower.
BEHOOVEFUL
Be*hoove"ful, a.
Defn: Advantageous; useful; profitable. [Archaic] — Be*hoove"ful*ly,
adv.
— Be*hoove"ful*ness, n. [Archaic]
BEHOVE
Be*hove", v.
Defn: , and derivatives. See Behoove, & c.
BEHOVELY
Be*hove"ly, a. & adv.
Defn: Useful, or usefully. [Obs.]
BEHOWL
Be*howl", v. t.
Defn: To howl at. [Obs.]
The wolf behowls the moon. Shak.
BEIGE
Beige, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Debeige.
BEILD
Beild, n. Etym: [Prob. from the same root as build, v. t.]
Defn: A place of shelter; protection; refuge. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]
[Also written bield and beeld.]
The random beild o' clod or stane. Burns.
BEING
Be"ing, p. pr. from Be.
Defn: Existing.
Note: Being was formerly used where we now use having. "Being to go to a ball in a few days." Miss Edgeworth.
Note: In modern usage, is, are, was or were being, with a past participle following (as built, made, etc.) indicates the process toward the completed result expressed by the participle. The form is or was building, in this passive signification, is idiomatic, and, if free from ambiguity, is commonly preferable to the modern is or was being built. The last form of speech is, however, sufficiently authorized by approved writers. The older expression was is, or was, a-building or in building. A man who is being strangled. Lamb. While the article on Burns was being written. Froude. Fresh experience is always being gained. Jowett (Thucyd. )
BEING
Be"ing, n.
1. Existence, as opposed to nonexistence; state or sphere of existence. In Him we live, and move, and have our being. Acts xvii. 28.
2. That which exists in any form, whether it be material or spiritual, actual or ideal; living existence, as distinguished from a thing without life; as, a human being; spiritual beings. What a sweet being is an honest mind ! Beau. & Fl. A Being of infinite benevolence and power. Wordsworth.
3. Lifetime; mortal existence. [Obs.] Claudius, thou Wast follower of his fortunes in his being. Webster (1654).
4. An abode; a cottage. [Prov. Eng.] Wright. It was a relief to dismiss them [Sir Roger's servants] into little beings within my manor. Steele.
BEING
Be"ing, adv.
Defn: Since; inasmuch as. [Obs. or Colloq.]
And being you have Declined his means, you have increased his malice.
Beau. & Fl.
BEJADE
Be*jade", v. t.
Defn: To jade or tire. [Obs.] Milton.
BEJAPE
Be*jape", v. t.
Defn: To jape; to laugh at; to deceive. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BEJAUNDICE
Be*jaun"dice, v. t.
Defn: To infect with jaundice.
BEJEWEL Be*jew"el, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bejeweled or Bejewelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Bejeweling or Bejewelling.]
Defn: To ornament with a jewel or with jewels; to spangle. "Bejeweled hands." Thackeray.
BEJUCO
Be*ju"co, n. [Sp., a reed or woody vine.]
Defn: Any climbing woody vine of the tropics with the habit of a liane; in the Philippines, esp. any of various species of Calamus, the cane or rattan palm.
BEJUMBLE
Be*jum"ble, v. t.
Defn: To jumble together.
BEKAH
Be"kah, n. Etym: [Heb.]
Defn: Half a shekel.
BEKNAVE
Be*knave", v. t.
Defn: To call knave. [Obs.] Pope.
BEKNOW
Be*know", v. t.
Defn: To confess; to acknowledge. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BEL
Bel, n.
Defn: The Babylonian name of the god known among the Hebrews as Baal.
See Baal. Baruch vi. 41.
BELABOR
Be*la"bor, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belabored; p. pr. & vb. n.
Belaboring.]
1. To ply diligently; to work carefully upon. "If the earth is belabored with culture, it yieldeth corn." Barrow.
2. To beat soundly; to cudgel. Ajax belabors there a harmless ox. Dryden.
BEL-ACCOYLE
Bel`-ac*coyle", n. Etym: [F. bel beautiful + accueil reception.]
Defn: A kind or favorable reception or salutation. [Obs.]
BELACE
Be*lace", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belaced.]
1. To fasten, as with a lace or cord. [Obs.]
2. To cover or adorn with lace. [Obs.] Beaumont.
3. To beat with a strap. See Lace. [Obs.] Wright.
BELAM
Be*lam", v. t. Etym: [See Lam.]
Defn: To beat or bang. [Prov. & Low, Eng.] Todd.
BELAMOUR
Bel"a*mour, n. Etym: [F. bel amour fair love.]
1. A lover. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. A flower, but of what kind is unknown. [Obs.] Her snowy brows, like budded belamours. Spenser.
BELAMY
Bel"a*my, n. Etym: [F. bel ami fair friend.]
Defn: Good friend; dear friend. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BELATE
Be*late", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belated; p. pr. & vb. n. Belating.]
Defn: To retard or make too late. Davenant.
BELATED
Be*lat"ed, a.
Defn: Delayed beyond the usual time; too late; overtaken by night; benighted. "Some belated peasant." Milton. — Be*lat"ed*ness, n. Milton.
BELAUD
Be*laud", v. t.
Defn: To laud or praise greatly.
BELAY Be*lay", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belaid, Belayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Belaying.] Etym: [For senses 1 & 2, D. beleggen to cover, belay; akin to E. pref. be-, and lay to place: for sense 3, OE. beleggen, AS. belecgan. See pref. Be-, and Lay to place.]
1. To lay on or cover; to adorn. [Obs.] Jacket . . . belayed with silver lace. Spenser.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: To make fast, as a rope, by taking several turns with it round a pin, cleat, or kevel. Totten.
3. To lie in wait for with a view to assault. Hence: to block up or obstruct. [Obs.] Dryden. Belay thee! Stop.
BELAYING PIN
Be*lay"ing pin`. (Naut.)
Defn: A strong pin in the side of a vessel, or by the mast, round which ropes are wound when they are fastened or belayed.
BELCH
Belch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belched; p. pr. & vb. n. Belching.] Etym:
[OE. belken, AS. bealcan, akin to E. bellow. See Bellow, v. i.]
1. To eject or throw up from the stomach with violence; to eruct. I belched a hurricane of wind. Swift.
2. To eject violently from within; to cast forth; to emit; to give
vent to; to vent.
Within the gates that now Stood open wide, belching outrageous flame.
Milton.
BELCH
Belch, v. i.
1. To eject wind from the stomach through the mouth; to eructate.
2. To issue with spasmodic force or noise. Dryden.
BELCH
Belch, n.
1. The act of belching; also, that which is belched; an eructation.
2. Malt liquor; — vulgarly so called as causing eructation. [Obs.] Dennis.
BELCHER
Belch"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, belches.
BELDAM; BELDAME
Bel"dam Bel"dame, n. Etym: [Pref. bel-, denoting relationship + dame
mother: cf. F. belledame fair lady, It. belladonna. See Belle, and
Dame.]
1. Grandmother; — corresponding to belsire. To show the beldam daughters of her daughter. Shak.
2. An old woman in general; especially, an ugly old woman; a hag. Around the beldam all erect they hang. Akenside.
BELEAGUER
Be*lea"guer, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beleaguered; p. pr. & vb. n.
Beleaguering.] Etym: [D. belegeren (akin to G. belagern, Sw. belägra,
Dan. beleire); pref. be- = E. be- + leger bed, camp, army, akin to E.
lair. See Lair.]
Defn: To surround with an army so as to preclude escape; to besiege;
to blockade.
The wail of famine in beleaguered towns. Longfellow.
Syn.
— To block up; environ; invest; encompass.
BELEAGUERER
Be*lea"guer*er, n.
Defn: One who beleaguers.
BELEAVE
Be*leave", v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Beleft.]
Defn: To leave or to be left. [Obs.] May.
BELECTURE
Be*lec"ture, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belectured; p. pr. & vb. n.
Belecturing.]
Defn: To vex with lectures; to lecture frequently.
BELEE
Be*lee", v. t.
Defn: To place under the lee, or unfavorably to the wind. Shak.
BELEMNITE Be*lem"nite, n. Etym: [Gr. dart, fr. dart, fr. to throw: cf. F. bélemnite.] (Paleon.)
Defn: A conical calcareous fossil, tapering to a point at the lower extremity, with a conical cavity at the other end, where it is ordinarily broken; but when perfect it contains a small chambered cone, called the phragmocone, prolonged, on one side, into a delicate concave blade; the thunderstone. It is the internal shell of a cephalopod related to the sepia, and belonging to an extinct family. The belemnites are found in rocks of the Jurassic and Cretaceous ages. — Bel*em*nit"ic, a.
BELEPER
Be*lep"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belepered.]
Defn: To infect with leprosy. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
BEL-ESPRIT
Bel"-es*prit", n.; pl. Beaux-esprits. Etym: [F., fine wit.]
Defn: A fine genius, or man of wit. "A man of letters and a bel esprit." W. Irving.
BELFRY Bel"fry, n. Etym: [OE. berfray movable tower used in sieges, OF. berfreit, berfroit, F. beffroi, fr. MHG. bervrit, bercvrit, G. bergfriede, fr. MHG. bergen to protect (G. bergen to conceal) + vride peace, protection, G. friede peace; in compounds often taken in the sense of security, or place of security; orig. therefore a place affording security. G. friede is akin to E. free. See Burg, and Free.]
1. (Mil. Antiq.)
Defn: A movable tower erected by besiegers for purposes of attack and defense.
2. A bell tower, usually attached to a church or other building, but sometimes separate; a campanile.
3. A room in a tower in which a bell is or may be hung; or a cupola or turret for the same purpose.
4. (Naut.)
Defn: The framing on which a bell is suspended.
BELGARD
Bel*gard", n. Etym: [It. bel guardo.]
Defn: A sweet or loving look. [Obs.] Spenser.
BELGIAN
Bel"gi*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Belgium.
— n.
Defn: A native or inhabitant of Belgium.
BELGIAN BLOCK
Belgian block.
Defn: A nearly cubical block of some tough stone, esp. granite, used as a material for street pavements. Its usual diameter is 5 to 7 inches.
BELGIC
Bel"gic, a. Etym: [L. Belgicus, fr. Belgae the Belgians.]
1. Of or pertaining to the Belgæ, a German tribe who anciently possessed the country between the Rhine, the Seine, and the ocean. How unlike their Belgic sires of old. Goldsmith.
2. Of or pertaining to the Netherlands or to Belgium.
BELGRAVIAN
Bel*gra"vi*an, a.
Defn: Belonging to Belgravia (a fashionable quarter of London, around
Pimlico), or to fashionable life; aristocratic.
BELIAL
Be"li*al, n. Etym: [Heb. beli ya'al; beli without + ya'al profit.]
Defn: An evil spirit; a wicked and unprincipled person; the
personification of evil.
What concord hath Christ with Belia 2 Cor. vi. 15.
A son (or man) of Belial, a worthless, wicked, or thoroughly depraved
person. 1 Sam. ii. 12.
BELIBEL
Be*li"bel, v. t. Etym: [See Libel, v. t. ]
Defn: To libel or traduce; to calumniate. Fuller.
BELIE
Be*lie", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belied; p. pr. & vb. n. Belying.] Etym:
[OE. bilien, bili, AS. beleógan; pref. be- + leógan to lie. See Lie,
n.]
1. To show to be false; to convict of, or charge with, falsehood. Their trembling hearts belie their boastful tongues. Dryden.
2. To give a false representation or account of. Should I do so, I should belie my thoughts. Shak.
3. To tell lie about; to calumniate; to slander. Thou dost belie him, Percy, thou dost belie him. Shak.
4. To mimic; to counterfeit. [Obs.] Dryden.
5. To fill with lies. [Obs.] "The breath of slander doth belie all corners of the world." Shak.
BELIEF
Be*lief", n. Etym: [OE. bileafe, bileve; cf. AS. geleáfa. See
Believe.]
1. Assent to a proposition or affirmation, or the acceptance of a fact, opinion, or assertion as real or true, without immediate personal knowledge; reliance upon word or testimony; partial or full assurance without positive knowledge or absolute certainty; persuasion; conviction; confidence; as, belief of a witness; the belief of our senses. Belief admits of all degrees, from the slightest suspicion to the fullest assurance. Reid.
2. (Theol.)
Defn: A persuasion of the truths of religion; faith. No man can attain [to] belief by the bare contemplation of heaven and earth. Hooker.
3. The thing believed; the object of belief. Superstitious prophecies are not only the belief of fools, but the talk sometimes of wise men. Bacon.
4. A tenet, or the body of tenets, held by the advocates of any class of views; doctrine; creed. In the heat of persecution to which Christian belief was subject upon its first promulgation. Hooker. Ultimate belief, a first principle incapable of proof; an intuitive truth; an intuition. Sir W. Hamilton.
Syn.
— Credence; trust; reliance; assurance; opinion.
BELIEFFUL
Be*lief"ful, a.
Defn: Having belief or faith.
BELIEVABLE
Be*liev"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being believed; credible.
— Be*liev"a*ble*ness, n.
— Be*liev`a*bil"i*ty (, n.
BELIEVE Be*lieve", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Believed; p. pr. & vb. n. Believing.] Etym: [OE. bileven (with pref. be- for AS. ge-), fr. AS. gel, gel; akin to D. gelooven, OHG. gilouban, G. glauben, OS. gil, Goth. galaubjan, and Goth. liubs dear. See Lief, a., Leave, n.]
Defn: To exercise belief in; to credit upon the authority or testimony of another; to be persuaded of the truth of, upon evidence furnished by reasons, arguments, and deductions of the mind, or by circumstances other than personal knowledge; to regard or accept as true; to place confidence in; to think; to consider; as, to believe a person, a statement, or a doctrine. Our conqueror (whom I now Of force believe almighty). Milton. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets Acts xxvi. Often followed by a dependent clause. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Acts viii. 37.
Syn.
— See Expect.
BELIEVE
Be*lieve", v. i.
1. To have a firm persuasion, esp. of the truths of religion; to have a persuasion approaching to certainty; to exercise belief or faith. Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. Mark ix. 24. With the heart man believeth unto righteousness. Rom. x. 10.
2. To think; to suppose. I will not believe so meanly of you. Fielding. To believe in. (a) To believe that the subject of the thought (if a person or thing) exists, or (if an event) that it has occurred, or will occur; — as, to believe in the resurrection of the dead. "She does not believe in Jupiter." J. H. Newman. (b) To believe that the character, abilities, and purposes of a person are worthy of entire confidence; — especially that his promises are wholly trustworthy. "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me." John xiv. 1. (c) To believe that the qualities or effects of an action or state are beneficial: as, to believe in sea bathing, or in abstinence from alcoholic beverages. — To believe on, to accept implicitly as an object of religious trust or obedience; to have faith in.
BELIEVER
Be*liev"er, n.
1. One who believes; one who is persuaded of the truth or reality of some doctrine, person, or thing.
2. (Theol.)
Defn: One who gives credit to the truth of the Scriptures, as a revelation from God; a Christian; — in a more restricted sense, one who receives Christ as his Savior, and accepts the way of salvation unfolded in the gospel. Thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers. Book of Com. Prayer.
3. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One who was admitted to all the rights of divine worship and instructed in all the mysteries of the Christian religion, in distinction from a catechumen, or one yet under instruction.
BELIEVING
Be*liev"ing, a.
Defn: That believes; having belief.
— Be*liev"ing*ly, adv.
BELIGHT
Be*light", v. t.
Defn: To illuminate. [Obs.] Cowley.
BELIKE
Be*like", adv. Etym: [Pref. be- (for by) + like.]
Defn: It is likely or probably; perhaps. [Obs. or Archaic] —
Be*like"ly, adv.
Belike, boy, then you are in love. Shak.
BELIME
Be*lime", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belimed.]
Defn: To besmear or insnare with birdlime.
BELITTLE
Be*lit"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belittled; p. pr. & vb. n.
Belittling.]
Defn: To make little or less in a moral sense; to speak of in a depreciatory or contemptuous way. T. Jefferson.
BELIVE
Be*live", adv. Etym: [Cf. Live, a.]
Defn: Forthwith; speedily; quickly. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BELK
Belk, v. t. Etym: [See Belch.]
Defn: To vomit. [Obs.]
BELL
Bell, n. Etym: [AS. belle, fr. bellan to bellow. See Bellow.]
1. A hollow metallic vessel, usually shaped somewhat like a cup with a flaring mouth, containing a clapper or tongue, and giving forth a ringing sound on being struck.
Note: Bells have been made of various metals, but the best have always been, as now, of an alloy of copper and tin. The Liberty Bell, the famous bell of the Philadelphia State House, which rang when the Continental Congress declared the Independence of the United States, in 1776. It had been cast in 1753, and upon it were the words "Proclaim liberty throughout all the land, to all the inhabitants thereof."
2. A hollow perforated sphere of metal containing a loose ball which causes it to sound when moved.
3. Anything in the form of a bell, as the cup or corol of a flower. "In a cowslip's bell I lie." Shak.
4. (Arch.)
Defn: That part of the capital of a column included between the abacus and neck molding; also used for the naked core of nearly cylindrical shape, assumed to exist within the leafage of a capital.
5. pl. (Naut.)
Defn: The strikes of the bell which mark the time; or the time so designated.
Note: On shipboard, time is marked by a bell, which is struck eight times at 4, 8, and 12 o'clock. Half an hour after it has struck "eight bells" it is struck once, and at every succeeding half hour the number of strokes is increased by one, till at the end of the four hours, which constitute a watch, it is struck eight times. To bear away the bell, to win the prize at a race where the prize was a bell; hence, to be superior in something. Fuller. — To bear the bell, to be the first or leader; — in allusion to the bellwether or a flock, or the leading animal of a team or drove, when wearing a bell. — To curse by bell, book, and candle, a solemn form of excommunication used in the Roman Catholic church, the bell being tolled, the book of offices for the purpose being used, and three candles being extinguished with certain ceremonies. Nares. — To lose the bell, to be worsted in a contest. "In single fight he lost the bell." Fairfax. — To shake the bells, to move, give notice, or alarm. Shak.
Note: Bell is much used adjectively or in combinations; as, bell
clapper; bell foundry; bell hanger; bell-mouthed; bell tower, etc.,
which, for the most part, are self-explaining. Bell arch (Arch.), an
arch of unusual form, following the curve of an ogee.
— Bell cage, or Bell carriage (Arch.), a timber frame constructed
to carry one or more large bells.
— Bell cot (Arch.), a small or subsidiary construction, frequently
corbeled out from the walls of a structure, and used to contain and
support one or more bells.
— Bell deck (Arch.), the floor of a belfry made to serve as a roof
to the rooms below.
— Bell founder, one whose occupation it is to found or cast bells.
— Bell foundry, or Bell foundery, a place where bells are founded
or cast.
— Bell gable (Arch.), a small gable-shaped construction, pierced
with one or more openings, and used to contain bells.
— Bell glass. See Bell jar.
— Bell hanger, a man who hangs or puts up bells.
— Bell pull, a cord, handle, or knob, connecting with a bell or
bell wire, and which will ring the bell when pulled. Aytoun.
— Bell punch, a kind of conductor's punch which rings a bell when
used.
— Bell ringer, one who rings a bell or bells, esp. one whose
business it is to ring a church bell or chime, or a set of musical
bells for public entertainment.
— Bell roof (Arch.), a roof shaped according to the general lines
of a bell.
— Bell rope, a rope by which a church or other bell is rung.
— Bell tent, a circular conical-topped tent.
— Bell trap, a kind of bell shaped stench trap.
BELL
Bell, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belled; p. pr. & vb. n. Belling.]
Defn: To put a bell upon; as, to bell the cat.
2. To make bell-mouthed; as, to bell a tube.
BELL
Bell, v. i.
Defn: To develop bells or corollas; to take the form of a bell; to blossom; as, hops bell.
BELL
Bell, v. t. Etym: [AS. bellan. See Bellow.]
Defn: To utter by bellowing. [Obs.]
BELL
Bell, v. i.
Defn: To call or bellow, as the deer in rutting time; to make a
bellowing sound; to roar.
As loud as belleth wind in hell. Chaucer.
The wild buck bells from ferny brake. Sir W. Scott.
BELLADONNA Bel`la*don"na, n. Etym: [It., literally fine lady; bella beautiful + donna lady.] (Bot.) (a) An herbaceous European plant (Atropa belladonna) with reddish bell-shaped flowers and shining black berries. The whole plant and its fruit are very poisonous, and the root and leaves are used as powerful medicinal agents. Its properties are largely due to the alkaloid atropine which it contains. Called also deadly nightshade. (b) A species of Amaryllis (A. belladonna); the belladonna lily.
BELL ANIMALCULE
Bell" an`i*mal"cule. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An infusorian of the family Vorticellidæ, common in fresh-water ponds.
BELLARMINE
Bel"lar*mine, n.
Defn: A stoneware jug of a pattern originated in the neighborhood of Cologne, Germany, in the 16th century. It has a bearded face or mask supposed to represent Cardinal Bellarmine, a leader in the Roman Catholic Counter Reformation, following the Reformation; — called also graybeard, longbeard.
BELL BEARER
Bell" bear`er. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A Brazilian leaf hopper (Bocydium tintinnabuliferum), remarkable for the four bell-shaped appendages of its thorax.
BELLBIRD Bell"bird`, n. Etym: [So called from their notes.] (Zoöl.) (a) A South American bird of the genus Casmarhincos, and family Cotingidæ, of several species; the campanero. (b) The Myzantha melanophrys of Australia.
BELL CRANK
Bell" crank`.
Defn: A lever whose two arms form a right angle, or nearly a right angle, having its fulcrum at the apex of the angle. It is used in bell pulls and in changing the direction of bell wires at angles of rooms, etc., and also in machinery.
BELLE
Belle, n. Etym: [F. belle, fem. of bel, beau, beautiful, fine. See
Beau.]
Defn: A young lady of superior beauty and attractions; a handsome lady, or one who attracts notice in society; a fair lady.
BELLED
Belled, a.
Defn: Hung with a bell or bells.
BELLEEK WARE
Bel*leek" ware.
Defn: A porcelainlike kind of decorative pottery with a high gloss, which is sometimes iridescent. A very fine kind is made at Belleek in Ireland.
BELLE-LETTRIST
Belle-let"trist, n.
Defn: One versed in belleslettres.
BELLEROPHON
Bel*ler"o*phon, n. (Paleon.)
Defn: A genus of fossil univalve shells, believed to belong to the
Heteropoda, peculiar to the Paleozoic age.
BELLES-LETTRES
Belles-let"tres, n. pl. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Polite or elegant literature; the humanities; — used somewhat vaguely for literary works in which imagination and taste are predominant.
BELLETRISTIC; BELLETRISTICAL
Bel`le*tris"tic, Bel`le*tris"tic*al, a.
Defn: Occupied with, or pertaining to, belles-lettres. "An unlearned, belletristic trifler." M. Arnold.
BELL-FACED
Bell"-faced`, a.
Defn: Having the striking surface convex; — said of hammers.
BELLFLOWER
Bell"flow`er, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A plant of the genus Campanula; — so named from its bell- shaped flowers.
BELLFLOWER
Bell"flow`er, n. Etym: [F. bellefleur, lit., beautiful flower.]
Defn: A kind of apple. The yellow bellflower is a large, yellow winter apple. [Written also bellefleur.]
BELLIBONE
Bel"li*bone, n. Etym: [F. belle et bonne, beautiful and good.]
Defn: A woman excelling both in beauty and goodness; a fair maid.
[Obs.] Spenser.
BELLIC; BELLICAL
Bel"lic, Bel"li*cal, a. Etym: [L. bellicus. See Bellicose.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to war; warlike; martial. [Obs.] "Bellic
Cæsar." Feltham.
BELLICOSE Bel"li*cose`, a. Etym: [L. bellicosus, fr. bellicus of war, fr. bellum war. See Duel.]
Defn: Inclined to war or contention; warlike; pugnacious.
Arnold was, in fact, in a bellicose vein. W. Irving.
BELLICOSELY
Bel"li*cose`ly, adv.
Defn: In a bellicose manner.
BELLICOUS
Bel"li*cous, a.
Defn: Bellicose. [Obs.]
BELLIED
Bel"lied
Defn: , a. Having (such) a belly; puffed out; — used in composition; as, pot-bellied; shad-bellied.
BELLIGERENCE; BELLIGERENCY
Bel*lig"er*ence, Bel*lig"er*en*cy, n.
Defn: The quality of being belligerent; act or state of making war; warfare.
BELLIGERENT Bel*lig"er*ent, a. Etym: [L. bellum war + gerens, -entis, waging, p. pr. of gerere to wage: cf. F. belligérant. See Bellicose, Jest.]
1. Waging war; carrying on war. "Belligerent powers." E. Everett.
2. Pertaining, or tending, to war; of or relating to belligerents; as, a belligerent tone; belligerent rights.
BELLIGERENT
Bel*lig"er*ent, n.
Defn: A nation or state recognized as carrying on war; a person engaged in warfare.
BELLIGERENTLY
Bel*lig"er*ent*ly, adv.
Defn: In a belligerent manner; hostilely.
BELLING
Bell"ing, n. Etym: [From Bell to bellow.]
Defn: A bellowing, as of a deer in rutting time. Johnson.
BELLIPOTENT Bel*lip"o*tent, a. Etym: [L. bellipotens; bellum war + potens powerful, p. pr. of posse to be able.]
Defn: Mighty in war; armipotent. [R.] Blount.
BELL JAR
Bell" jar`. (Phys.)
Defn: A glass vessel, varying in size, open at the bottom and closed at the top like a bell, and having a knob or handle at the top for lifting it. It is used for a great variety of purposes; as, with the air pump, and for holding gases, also for keeping the dust from articles exposed to view.
BELLMAN
Bell"man, n.
Defn: A man who rings a bell, especially to give notice of anything in the streets. Formerly, also, a night watchman who called the hours. Milton.
BELL METAL
Bell" met`al.
Defn: A hard alloy or bronze, consisting usually of about three parts of copper to one of tin; — used for making bells. Bell metal ore, a sulphide of tin, copper, and iron; the mineral stannite.
BELL-MOUTHED
Bell"-mouthed`, a.
Defn: Expanding at the mouth; as, a bell-mouthed gun. Byron.
BELLON
Bel"lon, n.
Defn: Lead colic.
BELLONA
Bel*lo"na, n. Etym: [L., from bellum war.] (Rom. Myth.)
Defn: The goddess of war.
BELLOW Bel"low, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bellowed ; p. pr. & vb. n. Bellowing.] Etym: [OE. belwen, belowen, AS. bylgean, fr. bellan; akin to G. bellen, and perh. to L. flere to weep, OSlav. bleja to bleat, Lith. balsas voice. Cf. Bell, n. & v., Bawl, Bull.]
1. To make a hollow, loud noise, as an enraged bull.
2. To bowl; to vociferate; to clamor. Dryden.
3. To roar; as the sea in a tempest, or as the wind when violent; to make a loud, hollow, continued sound. The bellowing voice of boiling seas. Dryden.
BELLOW
Bel"low, v. t.
Defn: To emit with a loud voice; to shout; — used with out. "Would bellow out a laugh." Dryden.
BELLOW
Bel"low, n.
Defn: A loud resounding outcry or noise, as of an enraged bull; a roar.
BELLOWER
Bel"low*er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, bellows.
BELLOWS Bel"lows, n. sing. & pl. Etym: [OE. bely, below, belly, bellows, AS. bælg, bælig, bag, bellows, belly. Bellows is prop. a pl. and the orig. sense is bag. See Belly.]
Defn: An instrument, utensil, or machine, which, by alternate expansion and contraction, or by rise and fall of the top, draws in air through a valve and expels it through a tube for various purposes, as blowing fires, ventilating mines, or filling the pipes of an organ with wind. Bellows camera, in photography, a form of camera, which can be drawn out like an accordion or bellows. — Hydrostatic bellows. See Hydrostatic. — A pair of bellows, the ordinary household instrument for blowing fires, consisting of two nearly heart-shaped boards with handles, connected by leather, and having a valve and tube.
BELLOWS FISH
Bel"lows fish`. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A European fish (Centriscus scolopax), distinguished by a long tubular snout, like the pipe of a bellows; — called also trumpet fish, and snipe fish.
BELL PEPPER
Bell" pep`per. (Bot.)
Defn: A species of Capsicum, or Guinea pepper (C. annuum). It is the red pepper of the gardens.
BELL PROCESS
Bell process. (Iron Metal.)
Defn: The process of washing molten pig iron by adding iron oxide, proposed by I. Lowthian Bell of England about 1875.
BELL-SHAPED
Bell"-shaped`, a.
Defn: Having the shape of a widemouthed bell; campanulate.
BELL'S PALSY
Bell's palsy.
Defn: Paralysis of the facial nerve, producing distortion of one side of the face.
BELL SYSTEM OF CONTROL
Bell system of control. (Aëronautics)
Defn: See Cloche.
BELLUINE
Bel"lu*ine, a. Etym: [L. belluinus, fr. bellua beast.]
Defn: Pertaining to, or like, a beast; brutal. [R.]
Animal and belluine life. Atterbury.
BELLWETHER
Bell"weth`er, n.
1. A wether, or sheep, which leads the flock, with a bell on his neck.
2. Hence: A leader. [Contemptuous] Swift.
BELLWORT
Bell"wort", n. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of plants (Uvularia) with yellowish bell-shaped flowers.
BELLY Bel"ly, n.; pl. Bellies. Etym: [OE. bali, bely, AS. belg, bælg, bælig, bag, bellows, belly; akin to Icel. belgr bag, bellows, Sw. bälg, Dan. bælg, D. & G. balg, cf. W. bol the paunch or belly, dim. boly, Ir. bolg. Cf. Bellows, Follicle, Fool, Bilge.]
1. That part of the human body which extends downward from the breast to the thighs, and contains the bowels, or intestines; the abdomen.
Note: Formerly all the splanchnic or visceral cavities were called bellies; — the lower belly being the abdomen; the middle belly, the thorax; and the upper belly, the head. Dunglison.
2. The under part of the body of animals, corresponding to the human belly. Underneath the belly of their steeds. Shak.
3. The womb. [Obs.] Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee. Jer. i. 5.
4. The part of anything which resembles the human belly in protuberance or in cavity; the innermost part; as, the belly of a flask, muscle, sail, ship. Out of the belly of hell cried I. Jonah ii. 2.
5. (Arch.)
Defn: The hollow part of a curved or bent timber, the convex part of which is the back. Belly doublet, a doublet of the 16th century, hanging down so as to cover the belly. Shak. — Belly fretting, the chafing of a horse's belly with a girth. Johnson. — Belly timber, food. [Ludicrous] Prior. — Belly worm, a worm that breeds or lives in the belly (stomach or intestines). Johnson.
BELLY
Bel"ly, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bellied; p. pr. & vb. n. Bellying.]
Defn: To cause to swell out; to fill. [R.]
Your breath of full consent bellied his sails. Shak.
BELLY
Bel"ly, v. i.
Defn: To swell and become protuberant, like the belly; to bulge.
The bellying canvas strutted with the gale. Dryden.
BELLYACHE
Bel"ly*ache`, n.
Defn: Pain in the bowels; colic.
BELLYBAND
Bel"ly*band`, n.
1. A band that passes under the belly of a horse and holds the saddle or harness in place; a girth.
2. A band of flannel or other cloth about the belly.
3. (Naut.)
Defn: A band of canvas, to strengthen a sail.
BELLYBOUND
Bel"ly*bound` (, a.
Defn: Costive; constipated.
BELLYCHEAT
Bel"ly*cheat`, n.
Defn: An apron or covering for the front of the person. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
BELLYCHEER
Bel"ly*cheer`, n. Etym: [Perh. from F. belle chère.]
Defn: Good cheer; viands. [Obs.] "Bellycheer and banquets." Rowlands.
"Loaves and bellycheer." Milton.
BELLYCHEER
Bel"ly*cheer`, v. i.
Defn: To revel; to feast. [Obs.] A pack of clergymen [assembled] by themselves to bellycheer in their presumptuous Sion. Milton.
BELLYFUL
Bel"ly*ful, n.
Defn: As much as satisfies the appetite. Hence: A great abundance;
more than enough. Lloyd.
King James told his son that he would have his bellyful of
parliamentary impeachments. Johnson.
BELLY-GOD
Bel"ly-god`, n.
Defn: One whose great pleasure it is to gratify his appetite; a glutton; an epicure.
BELLY-PINCHED
Bel"ly-pinched`, a.
Defn: Pinched with hunger; starved. "The belly-pinched wolf." Shak.
BELOCK
Be*lock", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belocked.] Etym: [Pref. be- + lock: cf.
AS. bel.]
Defn: To lock, or fasten as with a lock. [Obs.] Shak.
BELOMANCY
Bel"o*man`cy, n. Etym: [Gr. ; arrow + a diviner: cf. F. bélomancie.]
Defn: A kind of divination anciently practiced by means of marked arrows drawn at random from a bag or quiver, the marks on the arrows drawn being supposed to foreshow the future. Encyc. Brit.
BELONG Be*long", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Belonged; p. pr. & vb. n. Belonging.] Etym: [OE. belongen (akin to D. belangen to concern, G. belangen to attain to, to concern); pref. be- + longen to desire. See Long, v. i.]
Note: [Usually construed with to.]
1. To be the property of; as, Jamaica belongs to Great Britain.
2. To be a part of, or connected with; to be appendant or related; to owe allegiance or service. A desert place belonging to . . . Bethsaids. Luke ix. 10. The mighty men which belonged to David. 1 Kings i. 8.
3. To be the concern or proper business or function of; to appertain to. "Do not interpretations belong to God " Gen. xl. 8.
4. To be suitable for; to be due to. Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age. Heb. v. 14. No blame belongs to thee. Shak.
5. To be native to, or an inhabitant of; esp. to have a legal residence, settlement, or inhabitancy, whether by birth or operation of law, so as to be entitled to maintenance by the parish or town. Bastards also are settled in the parishes to which the mothers belong. Blackstone.
BELONG
Be*long", v. t.
Defn: To be deserved by. [Obs.]
More evils belong us than happen to us. B. Jonson.
BELONGING
Be*long"ing, n. Etym: [Commonly in the pl.]
1. That which belongs to one; that which pertains to one; hence, goods or effects. "Thyself and thy belongings." Shak.
2. That which is connected with a principal or greater thing; an appendage; an appurtenance.
3. Family; relations; household. [Colloq.] Few persons of her ladyship's belongings stopped, before they did her bidding, to ask her reasons. Thackeray.
BELONITE
Bel"o*nite, n. Etym: [Gr. a needle.] (Min.)
Defn: Minute acicular or dendritic crystalline forms sometimes observed in glassy volcanic rocks.
BELOOCHE; BELOOCHEE
Bel*oo"che Bel*oo"chee, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Beloochistan, or to its inhabitants.
— n.
Defn: A native or an inhabitant of Beloochistan.
BELORD
Be*lord", v. t.
1. To act the lord over.
2. To address by the title of "lord".
BELOVE Be*love", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beloved.] Etym: [OE. bilufien. See pref. Be-, and Love, v. t.]
Defn: To love. [Obs.] Wodroephe.
BELOVED
Be*loved", p. p. & a.
Defn: Greatly loved; dear to the heart.
Antony, so well beloved of Cæsar. Shak.
This is my beloved Son. Matt. iii. 17.
BELOVED
Be*lov"ed, n.
Defn: One greatly loved.
My beloved is mine, and I am his. Cant. ii. 16.
BELOW
Be*low", prep. Etym: [Pref. be- by + low.]
1. Under, or lower in place; beneath not so high; as, below the moon; below the knee. Shak.
2. Inferior to in rank, excellence, dignity, value, amount, price, etc.; lower in quality. "One degree below kings." Addison.
3. Unworthy of; unbefitting; beneath. They beheld, with a just loathing and disdain, . . . how below all history the persons and their actions were. Milton. Who thinks no fact below his regard. Hallam.
Syn.
— Underneath; under; beneath.
BELOW
Be*low", adv.
1. In a lower place, with respect to any object; in a lower room; beneath. Lord Marmion waits below. Sir W. Scott.
2. On the earth, as opposed to the heavens. The fairest child of Jove below. Prior.
3. In hell, or the regions of the dead. What businesss brought him to the realms below. Dryden.
4. In court or tribunal of inferior jurisdiction; as, at the trial below. Wheaton.
5. In some part or page following.
BELOWT
Be*lowt", v. t.
Defn: To treat as a lout; to talk abusively to. [Obs.] Camden.
BELSIRE
Bel"sire`, n. Etym: [Pref. bel- + sire. Cf. Beldam.]
Defn: A grandfather, or ancestor. "His great belsire Brute." [Obs.]
Drayton.
BELSWAGGER
Bel"swag`ger, n. Etym: [Contr. from bellyswagger.]
Defn: A lewd man; also, a bully. [Obs.] Dryden.
BELT
Belt, n. Etym: [AS. belt; akin to Icel. belti, Sw. bälte, Dan. bælte,
OHG. balz, L. balteus, Ir. & Gael. balt bo
1. That which engirdles a person or thing; a band or girdle; as, a lady's belt; a sword belt. The shining belt with gold inlaid. Dryden.
2. That which restrains or confines as a girdle. He cannot buckle his distempered cause Within the belt of rule. Shak.
3. Anything that resembles a belt, or that encircles or crosses like a belt; a strip or stripe; as, a belt of trees; a belt of sand.
4. (Arch.)
Defn: Same as Band, n., 2. A very broad band is more properly termed a belt.
5. (Astron.)
Defn: One of certain girdles or zones on the surface of the planets
Jupiter and Saturn, supposed to be of the nature of clouds.
6. (Geog.)
Defn: A narrow passage or strait; as, the Great Belt and the Lesser
Belt, leading to the Baltic Sea.
7. (Her.)
Defn: A token or badge of knightly rank.
8. (Mech.)
Defn: A band of leather, or other flexible substance, passing around two wheels, and communicating motion from one to the other.
Note: [See Illust. of Pulley.]
9. (Nat. Hist.)
Defn: A band or stripe, as of color, round any organ; or any circular ridge or series of ridges. Belt lacing, thongs used for lacing together the ends of machine belting.
BELT
Belt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belted; p. pr. & vb. n. Belting.]
Defn: To encircle with, or as with, a belt; to encompass; to
surround.
A coarse black robe belted round the waist. C. Reade.
They belt him round with hearts undaunted. Wordsworth.
2. To shear, as the buttocks and tails of sheep. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
BELTANE
Bel"tane, n. Etym: [Gael. bealltainn, bealltuinn.]
1. The first day of May (Old Style). The quarter-days anciently in Scotland were Hallowmas, Candlemas, Beltane, and Lammas. New English Dict.
2. A festival of the heathen Celts on the first day of May, in the observance of which great bonfires were kindled. It still exists in a modified form in some parts of Scotland and Ireland.
BELTED
Belt"ed, a.
1. Encircled by, or secured with, a belt; as, a belted plaid; girt with a belt, as an honorary distinction; as, a belted knight; a belted earl.
2. Marked with a band or circle; as, a belted stalk.
3. Worn in, or suspended from, the belt. Three men with belted brands. Sir W. Scott. Belted cattle, cattle originally from Dutch stock, having a broad band of white round the middle, while the rest of the body is black; — called also blanketed cattle.
BELTEIN; BELTIN
Bel"tein, Bel"tin, n.
Defn: See Beltane.
BELTING
Belt"ing, n.
Defn: The material of which belts for machinery are made; also, belts, taken collectively.
BELUGA Be*lu"ga, n. Etym: [Russ. bieluga a sort of large sturgeon, prop. white fish, fr. bieluii white.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A cetacean allied to the dolphins.
Note: The northern beluga (Delphinapterus catodon) is the white whale and white fish of the whalers. It grows to be from twelve to eighteen feet long.
BELUTE
Be*lute", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beluted; p. pr. & vb. n. Beluting.]
Etym: [Pref. be- + L. lutum mud.]
Defn: To bespatter, as with mud. [R.] Sterne.
BELVEDERE Bel`ve*dere", n. Etym: [It., fr. bello, bel, beautiful + vedere to see.] (Arch.)
Defn: A small building, or a part of a building, more or less open, constructed in a place commanding a fine prospect.
BELZEBUTH
Bel"ze*buth, n. Etym: [From Beelzebub.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A spider monkey (Ateles belzebuth) of Brazil.
BEMA
Be"ma, n. Etym: [Gr. step, platform.]
1. (Gr. Antiq.)
Defn: A platform from which speakers addressed an assembly. Mitford.
2. (Arch.) (a) That part of an early Christian church which was reserved for the higher clergy; the inner or eastern part of the chancel. (b) Erroneously: A pulpit.
BEMAD
Be*mad", v. t.
Defn: To make mad. [Obs.] Fuller.
BEMANGLE
Be*man"gle, v. t.
Defn: To mangle; to tear asunder. [R.] Beaumont.
BEMASK
Be*mask", v. t.
Defn: To mask; to conceal.
BEMASTER
Be*mas"ter, v. t.
Defn: To master thoroughly.
BEMAUL
Be*maul", v. t.
Defn: To maul or beat severely; to bruise. "In order to bemaul
Yorick." Sterne.
BEMAZE
Be*maze, v. t. Etym: [OE. bimasen; pref. be- + masen to maze.]
Defn: To bewilder.
Intellects bemazed in endless doubt. Cowper.
BEMEAN
Be*mean", v. t.
Defn: To make mean; to lower. C. Reade.
BEMEET
Be*meet", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bemet; p. pr. & vb. n. Bemeeting.]
Defn: To meet. [Obs.]
Our very loving sister, well bemet. Shak.
BEMETE
Be*mete", v. t.
Defn: To mete. [Obs.] Shak.
BEMINGLE
Be*min"gle, v. t.
Defn: To mingle; to mix.
BEMIRE
Be*mire", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bemired; p. pr. & vb. n. Bemiring.]
Defn: To drag through, encumber with, or fix in, the mire; to soil by passing through mud or dirt. Bemired and benighted in the dog. Burke.
BEMIST
Be*mist", v. t.
Defn: To envelop in mist. [Obs.]
BEMOAN
Be*moan", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bemoaned; p. pr. & vb. n. Bemoaning.]
Etym: [OE. bimenen, AS. bem; pref. be- + m to moan. See Moan.]
Defn: To express deep grief for by moaning; to express sorrow for; to lament; to bewail; to pity or sympathize with. Implores their pity, and his pain bemoans. Dryden.
Syn.
— See Deplore.
BEMOANER
Be*moan"er, n.
Defn: One who bemoans.
BEMOCK
Be*mock", v. t.
Defn: To mock; to ridicule.
Bemock the modest moon. Shak.
BEMOIL Be*moil", v. t. Etym: [Pref. be- + moil, fr. F. mouiller to wet; but cf. also OE. bimolen to soil, fr. AS. mal spot: cf. E. mole.]
Defn: To soil or encumber with mire and dirt. [Obs.] Shak.
BEMOL
Be"mol, n. Etym: [F. bémol, fr. bé soft.] (Mus.)
Defn: The sign [Obs.]
BEMONSTER
Be*mon"ster, v. t.
Defn: To make monstrous or like a monster. [Obs.] Shak.
BEMOURN
Be*mourn", v. t.
Defn: To mourn over. Wyclif.
BEMUDDLE
Be*mud"dle, v. t.
Defn: To muddle; to stupefy or bewilder; to confuse.
BEMUFFLE
Be*muf"fle, v. t.
Defn: To cover as with a muffler; to wrap up.
Bemuffled with the externals of religion. Sterne.
BEMUSE
Be*muse", v. t.
Defn: To muddle, daze, or partially stupefy, as with liquor.
A parson much bemused in beer. Pope.
BEN; BEN NUT
Ben, Ben" nut`. Etym: [Ar. ban, name of the tree.] (Bot.)
Defn: The seed of one or more species of moringa; as, oil of ben. See
Moringa.
BEN Ben, adv. & prep. Etym: [AS. binnan; pref. be- by + innan within, in in.]
Defn: Within; in; in or into the interior; toward the inner apartment. [Scot.]
BEN
Ben, n. Etym: [See Ben, adv.]
Defn: The inner or principal room in a hut or house of two rooms; — opposed to but, the outer apartment. [Scot.]
BEN
Ben.
Defn: An old form of the pl. indic. pr. of Be. [Obs.]
BENAME
Be*name", v. t. [p. p. Benamed, Benempt.]
Defn: To promise; to name. [Obs.]
BENCH Bench, n.; pl. Benches. Etym: [OE. bench, benk, AS. benc; akin to Sw. bänk, Dan bænk, Icel. bekkr, OS., D., & G. bank. Cf. Bank, Beach.]
1. A long seat, differing from a stool in its greater length. Mossy benches supplied the place of chairs. Sir W. Scott.
2. A long table at which mechanics and other work; as, a carpenter's bench.
3. The seat where judges sit in court. To pluck down justice from your awful bench. Shak.
4. The persons who sit as judges; the court; as, the opinion of the full bench. See King's Bench.
5. A collection or group of dogs exhibited to the public; — so named because the animals are usually placed on benches or raised platforms.
6. A conformation like a bench; a long stretch of flat ground, or a kind of natural terrace, near a lake or river. Bench mark (Leveling), one of a number of marks along a line of survey, affixed to permanent objects, to show where leveling staffs were placed. — Bench of bishops, the whole body of English prelates assembled in council. — Bench plane, any plane used by carpenters and joiners for working a flat surface, as jack planes, long planes. — Bench show, an exhibition of dogs. — Bench table (Arch.), a projecting course at the base of a building, or round a pillar, sufficient to form a seat.
BENCH
Bench, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Benched; p. pr. & vb. n. Benching.]
1. To furnish with benches. 'T was benched with turf. Dryden. Stately theaters benched crescentwise. Tennyson.
2. To place on a bench or seat of honor. Whom I . . . have benched and reared to worship. Shak.
BENCH
Bench, v. i.
Defn: To sit on a seat of justice. [R.] Shak.
BENCHER
Bench"er, n.
1. (Eng. Law)
Defn: One of the senior and governing members of an Inn of Court.
2. An alderman of a corporation. [Eng.] Ashmole.
3. A member of a court or council. [Obs.] Shak.
4. One who frequents the benches of a tavern; an idler. [Obs.]
BENCH MARK
Bench mark. (Leveling)
Defn: Any permanent mark to which other levels may be referred. Specif. : A horizontal mark at the water's edge with reference to which the height of tides and floods may be measured.
BENCH WARRANT
Bench" war`rant. (Law)
Defn: A process issued by a presiding judge or by a court against a person guilty of some contempt, or indicted for some crime; — so called in distinction from a justice's warrant.
BEND
Bend, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bended or Bent; p. pr. & vb. n. Bending.]
Etym: [AS. bendan to bend, fr. bend a band, bond, fr. bindan to bind.
See Bind, v. t., and cf. 3d & 4th Bend.]
1. To strain or move out of a straight line; to crook by straining; to make crooked; to curve; to make ready for use by drawing into a curve; as, to bend a bow; to bend the knee.
2. To turn toward some certain point; to direct; to incline. "Bend thine ear to supplication." Milton. Towards Coventry bend we our course. Shak. Bending her eyes . . . upon her parent. Sir W. Scott.
3. To apply closely or with interest; to direct. To bend his mind to any public business. Temple. But when to mischief mortals bend their will. Pope.
4. To cause to yield; to render submissive; to subdue. "Except she bend her humor." Shak.
5. (Naut.)
Defn: To fasten, as one rope to another, or as a sail to its yard or stay; or as a cable to the ring of an anchor. Totten. To bend the brow, to knit the brow, as in deep thought or in anger; to scowl; to frown. Camden.
Syn.
— To lean; stoop; deflect; bow; yield.
BEND
Bend, v. i.
1. To be moved or strained out of a straight line; to crook or be curving; to bow. The green earth's end Where the bowed welkin slow doth bend. Milton.
2. To jut over; to overhang. There is a cliff, whose high and bending head Looks fearfully in the confined deep. Shak.
3. To be inclined; to be directed. To whom our vows and wished bend. Milton.
4. To bow in prayer, or in token of submission. While each to his great Father bends. Coleridge.
BEND
Bend, n. Etym: [See Bend, v. t., and cf. Bent, n.]
1. A turn or deflection from a straight line or from the proper direction or normal position; a curve; a crook; as, a slight bend of the body; a bend in a road.
2. Turn; purpose; inclination; ends. [Obs.] Farewell, poor swain; thou art not for my bend. Fletcher.
3. (Naut.)
Defn: A knot by which one rope is fastened to another or to an anchor, spar, or post. Totten.
4. (Leather Trade)
Defn: The best quality of sole leather; a butt. See Butt.
5. (Mining)
Defn: Hard, indurated clay; bind. Bends of a ship, the thickest and strongest planks in her sides, more generally called wales. They have the beams, knees, and foothooks bolted to them. Also, the frames or ribs that form the ship's body from the keel to the top of the sides; as, the midship bend.
BEND
Bend, n. Etym: [AS. bend. See Band, and cf. the preceding noun.]
1. A band. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. Etym: [OF. bende, bande, F. bande. See Band.] (Her.)
Defn: One of the honorable ordinaries, containing a third or a fifth part of the field. It crosses the field diagonally from the dexter chief to the sinister base. Bend sinister (Her.), an honorable ordinary drawn from the sinister chief to the dexter base.
BENDABLE
Bend"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being bent.
BENDER
Bend"er, n.
1. One who, or that which, bends.
2. An instrument used for bending.
3. A drunken spree. [Low, U. S.] Bartlett.
4. A sixpence. [Slang, Eng.]
BENDING
Bend"ing, n.
Defn: The marking of the clothes with stripes or horizontal bands.
[Obs.] Chaucer.
BENDLET
Bend"let, n. Etym: [Bend + -let: cf. E. bandlet.] (Her.)
Defn: A narrow bend, esp. one half the width of the bend.
BENDWISE
Bend"wise, adv. (Her.)
Defn: Diagonally.
BENDY
Ben"dy, a. Etym: [From Bend a band.] (Her.)
Defn: Divided into an even number of bends; — said of a shield or its charge. Cussans.
BENE
Ben"e, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Benne.
BENE
Be"ne, n. Etym: [AS. b.]
Defn: A prayer; boon. [Archaic]
What is good for a bootless bene Wordsworth.
BENE; BEN
Bene, Ben, n. Etym: [Native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A hoglike mammal of New Guinea (Porcula papuensis).
BENEAPED
Be*neaped", a. (Naut.)
Defn: See Neaped.
BENEATH Be*neath", prep. Etym: [OE. benethe, bineo, AS. beneo, beny; pref. be- + neo, ny, downward, beneath, akin to E. nether. See Nether.]
1. Lower in place, with something directly over or on; under; underneath; hence, at the foot of. "Beneath the mount." Ex. xxxii. 19. Beneath a rude and nameless stone he lies. Pope.
2. Under, in relation to something that is superior, or that oppresses or burdens. Our country sinks beneath the yoke. Shak.
3. Lower in rank, dignity, or excellence than; as, brutes are beneath man; man is beneath angels in the scale of beings. Hence: Unworthy of; unbecoming. He will do nothing that is beneath his high station. Atterbury.
BENEATH
Be*neath", adv.
1. In a lower place; underneath. The earth you take from beneath will be barren. Mortimer.
2. Below, as opposed to heaven, or to any superior region or position; as, in earth beneath.
BENEDICITE
Ben`e*dic"i*te, n. Etym: [L., (imperative pl.,) bless ye, praise ye.]
Defn: A canticle (the Latin version of which begins with this word) which may be used in the order for morning prayer in the Church of England. It is taken from an apocryphal addition to the third chapter of Daniel.
BENEDICITE
Ben`e*dic"i*te, interj. Etym: [See Benedicite, n.]
Defn: An exclamation corresponding to Bless you !.
BENEDICT; BENEDICK Ben"e*dict, Ben"e*dick, n. Etym: [From Benedick, one of the characters in Shakespeare's play of "Much Ado about Nothing."]
Defn: A married man, or a man newly married.
BENEDICT
Ben"e*dict, a. Etym: [L. benedictus, p. p. of benedicere to bless.
See Benison, and cf. Bennet.]
Defn: Having mild and salubrious qualities. [Obs.] Bacon.
BENEDICTINE
Ben`e*dic"tine, a.
Defn: Pertaining to the monks of St. Benedict, or St. Benet.
BENEDICTINE
Ben`e*dic"tine, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of a famous order of monks, established by St. Benedict of
Nursia in the sixth century. This order was introduced into the
United States in 1846.
Note: The Benedictines wear black clothing, and are sometimes called Black Monks. The name Black Fr which belongs to the Dominicans, is also sometimes applied to the Benedictines.
BENEDICTION
Ben`e*dic"tion, n. Etym: [L. benedictio: cf. F. bénédiction. See
Benison.]
1. The act of blessing.
2. A blessing; an expression of blessing, prayer, or kind wishes in
favor of any person or thing; a solemn or affectionate invocation of
happiness.
So saying, he arose; whom Adam thus Followed with benediction.
Milton.
Homeward serenely she walked with God's benediction upon her.
Longfellow.
Specifically:
Defn: The short prayer which closes public worship; as, to give the benediction.
3. (Eccl.)
Defn: The form of instituting an abbot, answering to the consecration of a bishop. Ayliffe.
4. (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: A solemn rite by which bells, banners, candles, etc., are blessed with holy water, and formally dedicated to God.
BENEDICTIONAL
Ben`e*dic"tion*al, n.
Defn: A book of benedictions.
BENEDICTIONARY
Ben`e*dic"tion*a*ry, n.
Defn: A collected series of benedictions.
The benedictionary of Bishop Athelwold. G. Gurton's Needle.
BENEDICTIVE
Ben`e*dic"tive, a.
Defn: Tending to bless. Gauden.
BENEDICTORY
Ben`e*dic"to*ry, a.
Defn: Expressing wishes for good; as, a benedictory prayer.
Thackeray.
BENEDICTUS
Ben`e*dic"tus, n. Etym: [L., blessed. See Benedict, a.]
Defn: The song of Zacharias at the birth of John the Baptist (Luke i. 68); — so named from the first word of the Latin version.
BENEDIGHT
Ben"e*dight, a.
Defn: Blessed. [R.] Longfellow.
BENEFACTION Ben`e*fac"tion, n. Etym: [L. benefactio, fr. benefacere to do good to one; bene well + facere to do. See Benefit.]
1. The act of conferring a benefit. Johnson.
2. A benefit conferred; esp. a charitable donation.
Syn.
— Gift; present; gratuity; boon; alms.
BENEFACTOR
Ben`e*fac"tor,n. Etym: [L.]
Defn: One who confers a benefit or benefits. Bacon.
BENEFACTRESS
Ben`e*fac"tress, n.
Defn: A woman who confers a benefit.
His benefactress blushes at the deed. Cowper.
BENEFIC
Be*nef"ic, a. Etym: [L. beneficus. See Benefice.]
Defn: Favorable; beneficent. Milton.
BENEFICE Ben"e*fice, n. Etym: [F. bénéfice, L. beneficium, a kindness , in LL. a grant of an estate, fr. L. beneficus beneficent; bene well + facere to do. See Benefit.]
1. A favor or benefit. [Obs.] Baxter.
2. (Feudal Law)
Defn: An estate in lands; a fief.
Note: Such an estate was granted at first for life only, and held on the mere good pleasure of the donor; but afterward, becoming hereditary, it received the appellation of fief, and the term benefice became appropriated to church livings.
3. An ecclesiastical living and church preferment, as in the Church of England; a church endowed with a revenue for the maintenance of divine service. See Advowson.
Note: All church preferments are called benefices, except bishoprics, which are called dignities. But, ordinarily, the term dignity is applied to bishoprics, deaneries, archdeaconries, and prebendaryships; benefice to parsonages, vicarages, and donatives.
BENEFICE
Ben"e*fice, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beneficed.]
Defn: To endow with a benefice.
Note: [Commonly in the past participle.]
BENEFICED
Ben"e*ficed, a.
Defn: Possessed of a benefice o "Beneficed clergymen." Burke.
BENEFICELESS
Ben"e*fice*less, a.
Defn: Having no benefice. "Beneficeless precisians." Sheldon.
BENEFICENCE Be*nef"i*cence, n. Etym: [L. beneficentia, fr. beneficus: cf. F. bénéficence. See Benefice.]
Defn: The practice of doing good; active goodness, kindness, or charity; bounty springing from purity and goodness. And whose beneficence no charge exhausts. Cowper.
Syn.
— See Benevolence.
BENEFICENT
Be*nef`i*cent
Defn: , a. Doing or producing good; performing acts of kindness and charity; characterized by beneficence. The beneficent fruits of Christianity. Prescott.
Syn.
— See Benevolent.
BENEFICENTIAL
Be*nef`i*cen"tial, a.
Defn: Relating to beneficence.
BENEFICENTLY
Be*nef"i*cent*ly, adv.
Defn: In a beneficent manner; with beneficence.
BENEFICIAL
Ben`e*fi"cial, a. Etym: [Cf. F. bénéficial, LL. beneficialis.]
1. Conferring benefits; useful; profito. The war which would have been most beneficial to us. Swift.
2. (Law)
Defn: Receiving, or entitled to have or receive, advantage, use, or benefit; as, the beneficial owner of an estate. Kent.
3. King. [Obs.] "A beneficial foe." B. Jonson.
Syn.
— See Advantage.
BENEFICIALLY
Ben`e*fi"cial*ly, adv.
Defn: In a beneficial or advantageous manner; profitably; helpfully.
BENEFICIALNESS
Ben`e*fi"cial*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being beneficial; profitableness.
BENEFICIARY
Ben`e*fi"ci*a*ry, a. Etym: [Cf. F. bénéficiaire, LL. beneficiarius.]
1. Holding some office or valuable possession, in subordination to another; holding under a feudal or other superior; having a dependent and secondary possession. A feudatory or beneficiary king of England. Bacon.
2. Bestowed as a gratuity; as, beneficiary gifts.
BENEFICIARY
Ben`e*fi"ci*a*ry, n.; pl. Beneficiaries (.
1. A feudatory or vassal; hence, one who holds a benefice and uses its proceeds. Ayliffe.
2. One who receives anything as a gift; one who receives a benefit or advantage; esp. one who receives help or income from an educational fund or a trust estate. The rich men will be offering sacrifice to their Deity whose beneficiaries they are. Jer. Taylor.
BENEFICIATE Ben`e*fi"ci*ate, v. t. Etym: [Sp. beneficiar to benefit, to work mines.] (Mining)
Defn: To reduce (ores).
— Ben`e*fi`ci*a"tion (n.
BENEFICIENT
Ben`e*fi"cient, a.
Defn: Beneficent. [Obs.]
BENEFIT
Ben"e*fit, n. Etym: [OE. benefet, benfeet, bienfet, F. bienfait, fr.
L. benefactum; bene well (adv. of bonus good) + factum, p. p. of
facere to do. See Bounty, and Fact.]
1. An act of kindness; a favor conferred. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Ps. ciii. 2.
2. Whatever promotes prosperity and personal happiness, or adds value to property; advantage; profit. Men have no right to what is not for their benefit. Burke.
3. A theatrical performance, a concert, or the like, the proceeds of which do not go to the lessee of the theater or to the company, but to some individual actor, or to some charitable use.
4. Beneficence; liberality. [Obs.] Webster (1623).
5. pl.
Defn: Natural advantaged; endowments; accomplishments. [R.] "The benefits of your own country." Shak. Benefit of clergy. (Law) See under Clergy.
Syn.
— Profit; service; use; avail. See Advantage.
BENEFIT
Ben"e*fit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Benefited; p. pr. & vb. n.
Benefitting.]
Defn: To be beneficial to; to do good to; to advantage; to advance in
health or prosperity; to be useful to; to profit.
I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.
Jer. xviii. 10.
BENEFIT
Ben"e*fit, v. i.
Defn: To gain advantage; to make improvement; to profit; as, he will benefit by the change.
BENEFITER
Ben"e*fit`er, n.
Defn: One who confers a benefit; — also, one who receives a benefit.
BENEFIT SOCIETY
Benefit society.
Defn: A society or association formed for mutual insurance, as among tradesmen or in labor unions, to provide for relief in sickness, old age, and for the expenses of burial. Usually called friendly society in Great Britain.
BENEME
Be*neme", v. t. Etym: [AS. ben. Cf. Benim.]
Defn: To deprive (of), or take away (from). [Obs.]
BENEMPT
Be*nempt", p. p.
Defn: of Bename.
1. Promised; vowed. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. Named; styled. [Archaic] Sir W. Scott.
BENE PLACITO Be`ne plac"i*to. Etym: [It. beneplacito pleasure, fr. L. bene well + placitus pleasing.]
1. At or during pleasure. For our English judges there never was . . . any bene placito as their tenure. F. Harrison.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: At pleasure; ad libitum.
BENET
Be*net", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Benetted.]
Defn: To catch in a net; to insnare. Shak.
BENEVOLENCE
Be*nev"o*lence, n. Etym: [OF. benevolence, L. benevolentia. See
Benevolent.]
1. The disposition to do good; good will; charitableness; love of mankind, accompanied with a desire to promote their happiness. The wakeful benevolence of the gospel. Chalmers.
2. An act of kindness; good done; charity given.
3. A species of compulsory contribution or tax, which has sometimes been illegally exacted by arbitrary kings of England, and falsely represented as a gratuity.
Syn. — Benevolence, Beneficence, Munificence. Benevolence marks a disposition made up of a choice and desire for the happiness of others. Beneficence marks the working of this disposition in dispensing good on a somewhat broad scale. Munificence shows the same disposition, but acting on a still broader scale, in conferring gifts and favors. These are not necessarily confined to objects of immediate utility. One may show his munificence in presents of pictures or jewelry, but this would not be beneficence. Benevolence of heart; beneficence of life; munificence in the encouragement of letters.
BENEVOLENT
Be*nev"o*lent, a. Etym: [L. benevolens, -entis; bene well (adv. of
bonus good) + volens, p. pr. of volo I will, I wish. See Bounty, and
Voluntary.]
Defn: Having a disposition to do good; possessing or manifesting love to mankind, and a desire to promote their prosperity and happiness; disposed to give to good objects; kind; charitable. — Be*nev"o*lent*ly, adv.
Syn. — Benevolent, Beneficent. Etymologically considered, benevolent implies wishing well to others, and beneficent, doing well. But by degrees the word benevolent has been widened to include not only feelings, but actions; thus, we speak of benevolent operations, benevolent labors for the public good, benevolent societies. In like manner, beneficent is now often applied to feelings; thus, we speak of the beneficent intentions of a donor. This extension of the terms enables us to mark nicer shades of meaning. Thus, the phrase "benevolent labors" turns attention to the source of these labors, viz., benevolent feeling; while beneficent would simply mark them as productive of good. So, "beneficent intentions" point to the feelings of the donor as bent upon some specific good act; while "benevolent intentions" would only denote a general wish and design to do good.
BENEVOLOUS
Be*nev"o*lous, a. Etym: [L. benevolus.]
Defn: Kind; benevolent. [Obs.] T. Puller.
BENGAL
Ben*gal", n.
1. A province in India, giving its name to various stuffs, animals, etc.
2. A thin stuff, made of silk and hair, originally brought from Bengal.
3. Striped gingham, originally brought from Bengal; Bengal stripes. Bengal light, a firework containing niter, sulphur, and antimony, and producing a sustained and vivid colored light, used in making signals and in pyrotechnics; — called also blue light. — Bengal stripes, a kind of cotton cloth woven with colored stripes. See Bengal, 3. — Bengal tiger. (Zoöl.). See Tiger.
BENGALEE; BENGALI
Ben*gal"ee, Ben*gal"i, n.
Defn: The language spoken in Bengal.
BENGALESE
Ben`gal*ese", a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Bengal.
— n. sing. & pl. A native or natives of Bengal.
BENGOLA
Ben*go"la, n.
Defn: A Bengal light.
BENIGHT
Be*night", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Benighted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Benighting.]
1. To involve in darkness; to shroud with the shades of night; to obscure. [Archaic] The clouds benight the sky. Garth.
2. To overtake with night or darkness, especially before the end of a day's journey or task. Some virgin, sure, . . . benighted in these woods. Milton.
3. To involve in moral darkness, or ignorance; to debar from intellectual light. Shall we to men benighted The lamp of life deny Heber.
BENIGHTMENT
Be*night"ment, n.
Defn: The condition of being benighted.
BENIGN Be*nign", a. Etym: [OE. benigne, bening, OF. benigne, F. bénin, fem. bénigne, fr. L. benignus, contr. from benigenus; bonus good + root of genus kind. See Bounty, and Genus.]
1. Of a kind or gentle disposition; gracious; generous; favorable; benignant. Creator bounteous and benign. Milton.
2. Exhibiting or manifesting kindness, gentleness, favor, etc.; mild; kindly; salutary; wholesome. Kind influences and benign aspects. South.
3. Of a mild type or character; as, a benign disease.
Syn. — Kind; propitious; bland; genial; salubrious; favorable salutary; gracious; liberal.
BENIGNANCY
Be*nig"nan*cy, n.
Defn: Benignant quality; kindliness.
BENIGNANT Be*nig"nant, a. Etym: [LL. benignans, p. pr. of benignare, from L. benignus. See Benign.]
Defn: Kind; gracious; favorable.
— Be*nig"nant*ly, adv.
BENIGNITY Be*nig"ni*ty, n. Etym: [OE. benignite, F. bénignité, OF. bénigneté, fr. L. benignitas. See Benign.]
1. The quality of being benign; goodness; kindness; graciousness. "Benignity of aspect." Sir W. Scott.
2. Mildness; gentleness. The benignity or inclemency of the season. Spectator.
3. Salubrity; wholesome quality. Wiseman.
BENIGNLY
Be*nign"ly, adv.
Defn: In a benign manner.
BENIM
Be*nim", v. t. Etym: [AS. beniman. See Benumb, and cf. Nim.]
Defn: To take away. [Obs.]
Ire . . . benimeth the man fro God. Chaucer.
BENISON
Ben"i*son, n. Etym: [OE. beneysun, benesoun, OF. beneï, beneïson, fr.
L. benedictio, fr. benedicere to bless; bene (adv. of bonus good) +
dicere to say. See Bounty, and Diction, and cf. Benediction.]
Defn: Blessing; beatitude; benediction. Shak.
More precious than the benison of friends. Talfourd.
BENITIER
Bé*ni"tier`, n. Etym: [F., fr. bénir to bless.] (R. C. Ch.)
Defn: A holy-water stoup. Shipley.
BENJAMIN
Ben"ja*min, n. Etym: [Corrupted from benzoin.]
Defn: See Benzoin.
BENJAMIN
Ben"ja*min, n.
Defn: A kind of upper coat for men. [Colloq. Eng.]
BENJAMITE
Ben"ja*mite, n.
Defn: A descendant of Benjamin; one of the tribe of Benjamin. Judg. iii. 15.
BENNE
Ben"ne, n. Etym: [Malay bijen.] (Bot.)
Defn: The name of two plants (Sesamum orientale and S. indicum), originally Asiatic; — also called oil plant. From their seeds an oil is expressed, called benne oil, used mostly for making soap. In the southern United States the seeds are used in candy.
BENNET Ben"net, n. Etym: [F. benoîte, fr. L. benedicta, fem. of benedictus, p. p., blessed. See Benedict, a.] (Bot.)
Defn: The common yellow-flowered avens of Europe (Geum urbanum); herb bennet. The name is sometimes given to other plants, as the hemlock, valerian, etc.
BENSHEE
Ben"shee, n.
Defn: See Banshee.
BENT
Bent,
Defn: imp. & p. p. of Bend.
BENT
Bent, a. & p. p.
1. Changed by pressure so as to be no longer straight; crooked; as, a bent pin; a bent lever.
2. Strongly inclined toward something, so as to be resolved, determined, set, etc.; — said of the mind, character, disposition, desires, etc., and used with on; as, to be bent on going to college; he is bent on mischief.
BENT
Bent, n. Etym: [See Bend, n. & v.]
1. The state of being curved, crooked, or inclined from a straight line; flexure; curvity; as, the bent of a bow. [Obs.] Wilkins.
2. A declivity or slope, as of a hill. [R.] Dryden.
3. A leaning or bias; proclivity; tendency of mind; inclination; disposition; purpose; aim. Shak. With a native bent did good pursue. Dryden.
4. Particular direction or tendency; flexion; course. Bents and turns of the matter. Locke.
5. (Carp.)
Defn: A transverse frame of a framed structure.
6. Tension; force of acting; energy; impetus. [Archaic] The full bent and stress of the soul. Norris.
Syn. — Predilection; turn. Bent, Bias, Inclination, Prepossession. These words agree in describing a permanent influence upon the mind which tends to decide its actions. Bent denotes a fixed tendency of the mind in a given direction. It is the widest of these terms, and applies to the will, the intellect, and the affections, taken conjointly; as, the whole bent of his character was toward evil practices. Bias is literally a weight fixed on one side of a ball used in bowling, and causing it to swerve from a straight course. Used figuratively, bias applies particularly to the judgment, and denotes something which acts with a permanent force on the character through that faculty; as, the bias of early education, early habits, etc. Inclination is an excited state of desire or appetency; as, a strong inclination to the study of the law. Prepossession is a mingled state of feeling and opinion in respect to some person or subject, which has laid hold of and occupied the mind previous to inquiry. The word is commonly used in a good sense, an unfavorable impression of this kind being denominated a prejudice. "Strong minds will be strongly bent, and usually labor under a strong bias; but there is no mind so weak and powerless as not to have its inclinations, and none so guarded as to be without its prepossessions." Crabb.
BENT Bent, n. Etym: [AS. beonet; akin to OHG. pinuz, G. binse, rush, bent grass; of unknown origin.]
1. A reedlike grass; a stalk of stiff, coarse grass. His spear a bent, both stiff and strong. Drayton.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A grass of the genus Agrostis, esp. Agrostis vulgaris, or redtop. The name is also used of many other grasses, esp. in America.
3. Any neglected field or broken ground; a common; a moor. [Obs.] Wright. Bowmen bickered upon the bent. Chevy Chase.
BENT GRASS
Bent" grass`. (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Bent, a kind of grass.
BENTHAL
Ben"thal, a. Etym: [Gr. the depth of the sea.]
Defn: Relating to the deepest zone or region of the ocean.
BENTHAMIC
Ben*tham"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Bentham or Benthamism.
BENTHAMISM
Ben"tham*ism, n.
Defn: That phase of the doctrine of utilitarianism taught by Jeremy Bentham; the doctrine that the morality of actions is estimated and determined by their utility; also, the theory that the sensibility to pleasure and the recoil from pain are the only motives which influence human desires and actions, and that these are the sufficient explanation of ethical and jural conceptions.
BENTHAMITE
Ben"tham*ite, n.
Defn: One who believes in Benthamism.
BENTHOS
Ben"thos, n. [NL., fr. Gr. depth of the sea.]
Defn: The bottom of the sea, esp. of the deep oceans; hence (Bot. & Zoöl.), the fauna and flora of the sea bottom; — opposed to plankton.
BENTING TIME
Bent"ing time".
Defn: The season when pigeons are said to feed on bents, before peas
are ripe.
Bare benting times . . . may come. Dryden.
BENTY
Bent"y, a.
1. A bounding in bents, or the stalks of coarse, stiff, withered grass; as, benty fields.
2. Resembling bent. Holland.
BENUMB
Be*numb", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Benumbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Benumbing.]
Etym: [OE. binomen, p. p. of binimen to take away, AS. beniman; pref.
be + niman to take. See Numb, a., and cf. Benim.]
Defn: To make torpid; to deprive of sensation or sensibility; to stupefy; as, a hand or foot benumbed by cold. The creeping death benumbed her senses first. Dryden.
BENUMBED
Be*numbed", a.
Defn: Made torpid; numbed; stupefied; deadened; as, a benumbed body
and mind.
— Be*numbed"ness, n.
BENUMBMENT
Be*numb"ment, n.
Defn: Act of benumbing, or state of being benumbed; torpor. Kirby.
BENZAL
Ben"zal, n. Etym: [Benzoic + aldehyde.] (Chem.)
Defn: A transparent crystalline substance,
BENZAMIDE
Ben*zam"ide, n. Etym: [Benzoin + amide.] (Chem.)
Defn: A transparent crystalline substance, C6H5.CO.NH2, obtained by the action of ammonia upon chloride of benzoyl, as also by several other reactions with benzoyl compounds.
BENZENE
Ben"zene, n. Etym: [From Benzoin.] (Chem.)
Defn: A volatile, very inflammable liquid, C6H6, contained in the naphtha produced by the destructive distillation of coal, from which it is separated by fractional distillation. The name is sometimes applied also to the impure commercial product or benzole, and also, but rarely, to a similar mixed product of petroleum. Benzene nucleus, Benzene ring (Chem.), a closed chain or ring, consisting of six carbon atoms, each with one hydrogen atom attached, regarded as the type from which the aromatic compounds are derived. This ring formula is provisionally accepted as representing the probable constitution of the benzene molecule, C6H6, and as the type on which its derivatives are formed.
BENZILE
Ben"zile, n. Etym: [From Benzoin.] (Chem.)
Defn: A yellowish crystalline substance, C6H5.CO.CO.C6H5, formed from benzoin by the action of oxidizing agents, and consisting of a doubled benzoyl radical.
BENZINE
Ben"zine, n. Etym: [From Benzoin.] (Chem.)
1. A liquid consisting mainly of the lighter and more volatile hydrocarbons of petroleum or kerosene oil, used as a solvent and for cleansing soiled fabrics; — called also petroleum spirit, petroleum benzine. Varieties or similar products are gasoline, naphtha, rhigolene, ligroin, etc.
2. Same as Benzene. [R.]
Note: The hydrocarbons of benzine proper are essentially of the marsh gas series, while benzene proper is the typical hydrocarbon of the aromatic series.
BENZOATE
Ben"zo*ate, n. Etym: [Cf. F. benzoate.] (Chem.)
Defn: A salt formed by the union of benzoic acid with any salifiable base.
BENZOIC
Ben*zo"ic, a. Etym: [Cf. F. benzoïque.]
Defn: Pertaining to, or obtained from, benzoin. Benzoic acid, or flowers of benzoin, a peculiar vegetable acid, C6H5.CO2H, obtained from benzoin, and some other balsams, by sublimation or decoction. It is also found in the urine of infants and herbivorous animals. It crystallizes in the form of white, satiny flakes; its odor is aromatic; its taste is pungent, and somewhat acidulous. — Benzoic aldehyde, oil of bitter almonds; the aldehyde, C6H5.CHO, intermediate in composition between benzoic or benzyl alcohol, and benzoic acid. It is a thin colorless liquid.
BENZOIN
Ben*zoin", n. Etym: [Cf. F. benjoin, Sp. benjui, Pg. beijoin; all fr.
Ar. luban-jawi incense form Sumatra (named Java in Arabic), the first
syllable being lost. Cf. Benjamin.]
Note: [Called also benjamin.]
1. A resinous substance, dry and brittle, obtained from the Styrax benzoin, a tree of Sumatra, Java, etc., having a fragrant odor, and slightly aromatic taste. It is used in the preparation of benzoic acid, in medicine, and as a perfume.
2. A white crystalline substance, C14H12O2, obtained from benzoic aldehyde and some other sources.
3. (Bot.)
Defn: The spicebush (Lindera benzoin). Flowers of benzoin, benzoic acid. See under Benzoic.
BENZOINATED
Ben*zoin"a*ted, a. (Med.)
Defn: Containing or impregnated with benzoin; as, benzoinated lard.
BENZOLE; BENZOL
Ben"zole Ben"zol, n. Etym: [Benzoin + L. oleum oil.] (Chem.)
Defn: An impure benzene, used in the arts as a solvent, and for various other purposes. See Benzene.
Note: It has great solvent powers, and is used by manufacturers of India rubber and gutta percha; also for cleaning soiled kid gloves, and for other purposes.
BENZOLINE Ben"zo*line, n. (Chem.) (a) Same as Benzole. (b) Same as Amarine. [R.] Watts.
BENZONAPHTHOL; BENZONAPHTOL
Ben`zo*naph"thol, n. Also Ben`zo*naph"tol . [Benzoin + naphthol.]
(Chem.)
Defn: A white crystalline powder used as an intestinal antiseptic; beta-naphthol benzoate.
BENZOSOL
Ben"zo*sol, n. (Pharm.)
Defn: Guaiacol benzoate, used as an intestinal antiseptic and as a substitute for creosote in phthisis. It is a colorless crystalline pewder.
BENZOYL
Ben"zoyl, n. Etym: [Benzoic + Gr. -yl.] (Chem.)
Defn: A compound radical, C6H5.CO; the base of benzoic acid, of the oil of bitter almonds, and of an extensive series of compounds. [Formerly written also benzule.]
BENZYL
Ben"zyl, n. Etym: [Benzoic + -yl.] (Chem.)
Defn: A compound radical, C6H5.CH2, related to toluene and benzoic acid; — commonly used adjectively.
BEPAINT
Be*paint", v. t.
Defn: To paint; to cover or color with, or as with, paint.
Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek. Shak.
BEPELT
Be*pelt", v. t.
Defn: To pelt roundly.
BEPINCH
Be*pinch", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bepinched.]
Defn: To pinch, or mark with pinches. Chapman.
BEPLASTER
Be*plas"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beplastered; p. pr. & vb. n.
Beplastering.]
Defn: To plaster over; to cover or smear thickly; to bedaub.
Beplastered with rouge. Goldsmith.
BEPLUMED
Be*plumed", a.
Defn: Decked with feathers.
BEPOMMEL
Be*pom"mel, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bepommeled; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bepommeling.]
Defn: To pommel; to beat, as with a stick; figuratively, to assail or criticise in conversation, or in writing. Thackeray.
BEPOWDER
Be*pow"der, v. t.
Defn: To sprinkle or cover with powder; to powder.
BEPRAISE
Be*praise", v. t.
Defn: To praise greatly or extravagantly. Goldsmith.
BEPROSE
Be*prose", v. t.
Defn: To reduce to prose. [R.] "To beprose all rhyme." Mallet.
BEPUFFED
Be*puffed", a.
Defn: Puffed; praised. Carlyle.
BEPURPLE
Be*pur"ple, v. t.
Defn: To tinge or dye with a purple color.
BEQUEATH
Be*queath", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bequeathed; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bequeathing.] Etym: [OE. biquethen, AS. becwe to say, affirm,
bequeath; pref. be- + cwe to say, speak. See Quoth.]
1. To give or leave by will; to give by testament; — said especially of personal property. My heritage, which my dead father did bequeath to me. Shak.
2. To hand down; to transmit. To bequeath posterity somewhat to remember it. Glanvill.
3. To give; to offer; to commit. [Obs.] To whom, with all submission, on my knee I do bequeath my faithful services And true subjection everlastingly. Shak.
Syn. — To Bequeath, Devise. Both these words denote the giving or disposing of property by will. Devise, in legal usage, is property used to denote a gift by will of real property, and he to whom it is given is called the devisee. Bequeath is properly applied to a gift by will or legacy; i. e., of personal property; the gift is called a legacy, and he who receives it is called a legatee. In popular usage the word bequeath is sometimes enlarged so as to embrace devise; and it is sometimes so construed by courts.
BEQUEATHABLE
Be*queath"a*ble, a.
Defn: Capable of being bequeathed.
BEQUEATHAL
Be*queath"al, n.
Defn: The act of bequeathing; bequeathment; bequest. Fuller.
BEQUEATHMENT
Be*queath"ment, n.
Defn: The act of bequeathing, or the state of being bequeathed; a bequest.
BEQUEST
Be*quest", n. Etym: [OE. biquest, corrupted fr. bequide; pref. be- +
AS. cwide a saying, becwe to bequeath. The ending -est is probably
due to confusion with quest. See Bequeath, Quest.]
1. The act of bequeathing or leaving by will; as, a bequest of property by A. to B.
2. That which is left by will, esp. personal property; a legacy; also, a gift.
BEQUEST
Be*quest", v. t.
Defn: To bequeath, or leave as a legacy. [Obs.] "All I have to bequest." Gascoigne.
BEQUETHEN
Be*queth"en,
Defn: old p. p. of Bequeath. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BEQUOTE
Be*quote", v. t.
Defn: To quote constantly or with great frequency.
BERAIN
Be*rain, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Berained; p. pr. & vb. n. Beraining.]
Defn: To rain upon; to wet with rain. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BERATE
Be*rate", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Berated; p. pr. & vb. n. Berating.]
Defn: To rate or chide vehemently; to scold. Holland. Motley.
BERATTLE
Be*rat"tle (, v. t.
Defn: To make rattle; to scold vociferously; to cry down. [Obs.]
Shak.
BERAY
Be*ray" v.t. Etym: [Pref. be + ray to defile]
Defn: TO make foul; to soil; to defile. [Obs.] Milton.
BERBE
Berbe, n. Etym: [Cf. Berber, Barb a Barbary horse.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An African genet (Genetta pardina). See Genet.
BERBER
Ber"ber, n. Etym: [See Barbary.]
Defn: A member of a race somewhat resembling the Arabs, but often classed as Hamitic, who were formerly the inhabitants of the whole of North Africa from the Mediterranean southward into the Sahara, and who still occupy a large part of that region; — called also Kabyles. Also, the language spoken by this people.
BERBERINE
Ber"ber*ine, n. (Chem.)
Defn: An alkaloid obtained, as a bitter, yellow substance, from the root of the barberry, gold thread, and other plants.
BERBERRY
Ber"ber*ry,n.
Defn: See Barberry.
BERCEUSE
Ber`ceuse", n. [F.] (Mus.)
Defn: A vocal or instrumental composition of a soft tranquil character, having a lulling effect; a cradle song.
BERDASH
Ber"dash
Defn: ,n.A kind of neckcloth. [Obs.]
A treatise against the cravat and berdash. Steele.
BERE
Bere
Defn: , v. t. Etym: [Cf. OIcel. berja to strike.] To pierce. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
BERE
Bere
Defn: ,n.See Bear, barley. [Scot.]
BEREAVE
Be*reave" (, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bereaved (, Bereft (; p. pr. & vb.
n. Bereaving.] Etym: [OE. bireven, AS. bereáfian. See Be-, and
Reave.]
1. To make destitute; to deprive; to strip; — with of before the person or thing taken away. Madam, you have bereft me of all words. Shak. Bereft of him who taught me how to sing. Tickell.
2. To take away from. [Obs.] All your interest in those territories Is utterly bereft you; all is lost. Shak.
3. To take away. [Obs.] Shall move you to bereave my life. Marlowe.
Note: The imp. and past pple. form bereaved is not used in reference to immaterial objects. We say bereaved or bereft by death of a relative, bereft of hope and strength.
Syn.
— To dispossess; to divest.
BEREAVEMENT
Be*reave"ment, n.
Defn: The state of being bereaved; deprivation; esp., the loss of a relative by death.
BEREAVER
Be*reav"er, n.
Defn: One who bereaves.
BEREFT
Be*reft", imp. & p. p.
Defn: of Bereave.
BERENICE'S HAIR
Ber`e*ni"ce's Hair`. [See Berenice's, Locks, in Dictionary of Noted
Names in Fiction.] (Astron.)
Defn: See Coma Berenices, under Coma.
BERETTA
Be*ret"ta, n.
Defn: Same as Berretta.
BERG
Berg, n. Etym: [sq. root95. See Barrow hill, and cf. Iceberg.]
Defn: A large mass or hill, as of ice. Glittering bergs of ice. Tennyson .
BERGAMOT Ber"ga*mot, n. Etym: [F. bergamote, fr. It. bergamotta; prob. a corruption of Turk. beg arm
1 . (Bot.) (a) A tree of the Orange family (Citrus bergamia), having a roundish or pear-shaped fruit, from the rind of which an essential oil of delicious odor is extracted, much prized as a perfume. Also, the fruit. (b) A variety of mint (Mentha aquatica, var. glabrata).
2. The essence or perfume made from the fruit.
3. A variety of pear. Johnson.
4. A variety of snuff perfumed with bergamot. The better hand . . . gives the nose its bergamot. Cowper .
5. A coarse tapestry, manufactured from flock of cotton or hemp, mixed with ox's or goat's hair; — said to have been invented at Bergamo, Italy. Encyc. Brit. Wild bergamot (Bot.), an American herb of the Mint family (Monarda fistulosa).
BERGANDER Ber"gan*der, n. Etym: [Berg, for burrow + gander a male goose Cf. G. bergente, Dan. gravgaas.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A European duck (Anas tadorna). See Sheldrake.
BERGERET
Ber"ger*et, n. Etym: [OF. bergerete, F. berger a shepherd.]
Defn: A pastoral song. [Obs.]
BERGH
Bergh, n. Etym: [AS. beorg.]
Defn: A hill. [Obs.]
BERGMASTER
Berg"mas`ter, n.
Defn: See Barmaster.
BERGMEAL
Berg"meal, n. Etym: [G. berg mountain + mehl meal.]
Defn: (Min.) An earthy substance, resembling fine flour. It is composed of the shells of infusoria, and in Lapland and Sweden is sometimes eaten, mixed with flour or ground birch bark, in times of scarcity. This name is also given to a white powdery variety of calcite.
BERGMOTE
Berg"mote, n.
Defn: See Barmote.
BERGOMASK
Ber"go*mask, n.
Defn: A rustic dance, so called in ridicule of the people of Bergamo, in Italy, once noted for their clownishness.
BERGSCHRUND
Berg"schrund`, n. [G., lit., mountain gap.] (Phys. Geog.)
Defn: The crevasse or series of crevasses, usually deep and often broad, frequently occurring near the head of a mountain glacier, about where the névé field joins the valley portion of the glacier.
BERGSTOCK
Berg"stock`, n. [G., lit., mountain stick.]
Defn: A long pole with a spike at the end, used in climbing mountains; an alpenstock.
BERGYLT
Ber"gylt, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The Norway haddock. See Rosefish.
BERHYME
Be*rhyme" (, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Berhymed; p. pr. & vb. n.
Berhyming.]
Defn: To mention in rhyme or verse; to rhyme about.
Note: [Sometimes use depreciatively.] Shak.
BERIBERI
Be`ri*be"ri, n. Etym: [Singhalese beri weakness.]
Defn: An acute disease occurring in India, characterized by multiple inflammatory changes in the nerves, producing great muscular debility, a painful rigidity of the limbs, and cachexy.
BERIME
Be*rime" (, v. t.
Defn: To berhyme.
Note: [The earlier and etymologically preferable spelling.]
BERING SEA CONTROVERSY
Be"ring Sea Controversy.
Defn: A controversy (1886 —93) between Great Britain and the United States as to the right of Canadians not licensed by the United States to carry on seal fishing in the Bering Sea, over which the United States claimed jurisdiction as a mare clausum. A court of arbitration, meeting in Paris in 1893, decided against the claim of the United States, but established regulations for the preservation of the fur seal.
BERKELEIAN
Berke*le"ian
Defn: ,a.Of or relating to Bishop Berkeley or his system of idealism; as, Berkeleian philosophy. — Berke"ley*ism, n.
BERLIN
Ber"lin, n. Etym: [The capital of Prussia]
1. A four-wheeled carriage, having a sheltered seat behind the body and separate from it, invented in the 17th century, at Berlin.
2. Fine worsted for fancy-work; zephyr worsted; — called also Berlin wool. Berlin black, a black varnish, drying with almost a dead surface; — used for coating the better kinds of ironware. Ure. — Berlin blue, Prussian blue. Ure. — Berlin green, a complex cyanide of iron, used as a green dye, and similar to Prussian blue. — Berlin iron, a very fusible variety of cast iron, from which figures and other delicate articles are manufactured. These are often stained or lacquered in imitation of bronze. — Berlin shop, a shop for the sale of worsted embroidery and the materials for such work. — Berlin work, worsted embroidery.
BERM; BERME Berm Berme, n. Etym: [F. berme, of German origin; cf. G. brame, bräme, border, akin to E. brim.]
1. (Fort.)
Defn: A narrow shelf or path between the bottom of a parapet and the ditch.
2. (Engineering)
Defn: A ledge at the bottom of a bank or cutting, to catch earth that may roll down the slope, or to strengthen the bank.
BERMUDA GRASS
Ber*mu"da grass`. (Bot.)
Defn: A kind of grass (Cynodon Dactylon) esteemed for pasture in the
Southern United States. It is a native of Southern Europe, but is now
wide-spread in warm countries; — called also scutch grass, and in
Bermuda, devil grass.
BERMUDA LILY
Ber*mu"da lil"y. (Bot.)
Defn: The large white lily (Lilium longiflorum eximium, syn. L.
Harrisii) which is extensively cultivated in Bermuda.
BERNACLE
Ber"na*cle, n.
Defn: See Barnacle.
BERNA FLY
Ber"na fly`. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A Brazilian dipterous insect of the genus Trypeta, which lays its eggs in the nostrils or in wounds of man and beast, where the larvæ do great injury.
BERNARDINE
Ber"nar*dine, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to St. Bernard of Clairvaux, or to the Cistercian monks. — n.
Defn: A Cistercian monk.
BERNESE
Ber*nese", a.
Defn: Pertaining to the city o — n. sing. & pl.
Defn: A native or natives of Bern.
BERNICLE
Ber"ni*cle, n. Etym: [OE. bernak, bernacle; cf. OF. bernac; prob. fr.
LL. bernacula for hibernicula, bernicula, fr. Hibernia; the birds
coming from Hibernia or Ireland. Cf. 1st Barnacle.]
Defn: A bernicle goose. [Written also barnacle.] Bernicle goose
(Zoöl.), a goose (Branta leucopsis), of Arctic Europe and America. It
was formerly believed that it hatched from the cirripeds of the sea
(Lepas), which were, therefore, called barnacles, goose barnacles, or
Anatifers. The name is also applied to other related species. See
Anatifa and Cirripedia.
BERNOUSE
Ber*nouse", n.
Defn: Some as Burnoose.
BEROB
Be*rob", v. t.
Defn: To rob; to plunder. [Obs.]
BEROE
Ber"o*e, n. Etym: [L. Beroe, one of the Oceanidæ Gr. : cf. F. beroé.]
(Zoöl.)
Defn: A small, oval, transparent jellyfish, belonging to the
Ctenophora.
BERRETTA Ber*ret"ta, n. Etym: [It., fr. LL. birrettum, berretum, a cap, dim. of L. birrus, birrum, a cloak to keep off rain, cf. Gr. tawny, red: cf. Sp. birreta, Pg. barrete, and E. Barret.]
Defn: A square cap worn by ecclesiastics of the Roman Catholic Church. A cardinal's berretta is scarlet; that worn by other clerics is black, except that a bishop's is lined with green. [Also spelt beretta, biretta, etc.]
BERRIED
Ber"ried, a.
Defn: Furnished with berries; consisting of a berry; baccate; as, a berried shrub.
BERRY
Ber"ry, n.; pl. Berries. Etym: [OE. berie, AS. berie, berige; akin to
D. bes, G. beere, OS. and OHG. beri, Icel. ber, Sw. bär, Goth. basi,
and perh. Skr. bhas to eat.]
1. Any small fleshy fruit, as the strawberry, mulberry, huckleberry, etc.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A small fruit that is pulpy or succulent throughout, having seeds loosely imbedded in the pulp, as the currant, grape, blueberry.
3. The coffee bean.
4. One of the ova or eggs of a fish. Travis. In berry, containing ova or spawn.
BERRY
Ber"ry, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Berried; p. pr. & vb. n. Berrying.]
Defn: To bear or produce berries.
BERRY
Ber"ry, n. Etym: [AS. beorh. See Barrow a hill.]
Defn: A mound; a hillock. W. Browne.
BERRYING
Ber"ry*ing, n.
Defn: A seeking for or gathering of berries, esp. of such as grow wild.
BERSEEM
Ber*seem", n. [Ar. bershim clover.]
Defn: An Egyptian clover (Trifolium alexandrinum) extensively cultivated as a forage plant and soil-renewing crop in the alkaline soils of the Nile valley, and now introduced into the southwestern United States. It is more succulent than other clovers or than alfalfa. Called also Egyptian clover.
BERSERK; BERSERKER
Ber"serk, Ber"serk*er, n. Etym: [Icel. berserkr.]
1. (Scand. Myth.)
Defn: One of a class of legendary heroes, who fought frenzied by intoxicating liquors, and naked, regardless of wounds. Longfellow.
2. One who fights as if frenzied, like a Berserker.
BERSTLE
Bers"tle, n.
Defn: See Bristle. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BERTH Berth, n. Etym: [From the root of bear to produce, like birth nativity. See Birth.] [Also written birth.]
1. (Naut.) (a) Convenient sea room. (b) A room in which a number of the officers or ship's company mess and reside. (c) The place where a ship lies when she is at anchor, or at a wharf.
2. An allotted place; an appointment; situation or employment. "He has a good berth." Totten.
3. A place in a ship to sleep in; a long box or shelf on the side of a cabin or stateroom, or of a railway car, for sleeping in. Berth deck, the deck next below the lower gun deck. Ham. Nav. Encyc. — To give (the land or any object) a wide berth, to keep at a distance from it.
BERTH
Berth, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Berthed; p. pr. & vb. n. Berthing.]
1. To give an anchorage to, or a place to lie at; to place in a berth; as, she was berthed stem to stern with the Adelaide.
2. To allot or furnish berths to, on shipboard; as, to berth a ship's company. Totten.
BERTHA
Ber"tha, n. Etym: [F. berthe, fr. Berthe, a woman's name.]
Defn: A kind of collar or cape worn by ladies.
BERTHAGE
Berth"age, n.
Defn: A place for mooring vessels in a dock or harbor.
BERTHIERITE
Ber"thi*er*ite, n. Etym: [From Berthier, a French naturalist.] (Min.)
Defn: A double sulphide of antimony and iron, of a dark steel-gray color.
BERTHING
Berth"ing, n. (Naut.)
Defn: The planking outside of a vessel, above the sheer strake.
Smyth.
BERTILLON SYSTEM Ber`til`lon" sys"tem. [After Alphonse Bertillon, French anthropologist.]
Defn: A system for the identification of persons by a physical description based upon anthropometric measurements, notes of markings, deformities, color, impression of thumb lines, etc.
BERTRAM Ber"tram, n. Etym: [Corrupted fr. L. pyrethrum, Gr. a hot spicy plant, fr. fire.] (Bot.)
Defn: Pellitory of Spain (Anacyclus pyrethrum).
BERYCOID Ber"y*coid, a. Etym: [NL. beryx, the name of the typical genus + - oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Berycidæ, a family of marine fishes.
BERYL
Ber"yl, n. Etym: [F. béryl, OF. beril, L. beryllus, Gr. , prob. fr.
Skr. vaid. Cf. Brilliant.] (Min.)
Defn: A mineral of great hardness, and, when transparent, of much beauty. It occurs in hexagonal prisms, commonly of a green or bluish green color, but also yellow, pink, and white. It is a silicate of aluminium and glucinum (beryllium). The aquamarine is a transparent, sea-green variety used as a gem. The emerald is another variety highly prized in jewelry, and distinguished by its deep color, which is probably due to the presence of a little oxide of chromium.
BERYLLINE
Ber"yl*line, a.
Defn: Like a beryl; of a light or bluish green color.
BERYLLIUM
Be*ryl"li*um (, n. Etym: [NL.] (Chem.)
Defn: A metallic element found in the beryl. See Glucinum.
BERYLLOID
Ber"yl*loid, n. Etym: [Beryl + -oid.] (Crystallog.)
Defn: A solid consisting of a double twelve-sided pyramid; — so called because the planes of this form occur on crystals of beryl.
BESAIEL; BESAILE; BESAYLE Be*saiel", Be*saile", Be*sayle" (, n. Etym: [OF. beseel, F. bisaïeul, fr. L. bis twice + LL. avolus, dim. of L. avus grandfather.]
1. A great-grandfather. [Obs.]
2. (Law)
Defn: A kind of writ which formerly lay where a great-grandfather died seized of lands in fee simple, and on the day of his death a stranger abated or entered and kept the heir out. This is now abolished. Blackstone.
BESAINT
Be*saint", v. t.
Defn: To make a saint of.
BESANT
Be*sant", n.
Defn: See Bezant.
BES-ANTLER
Bes-ant"ler, n.
Defn: Same as Bez-antler.
BESCATTER
Be*scat"ter, v. t.
1. To scatter over.
2. To cover sparsely by scattering (something); to strew. "With flowers bescattered." Spenser.
BESCORN
Be*scorn", v. t.
Defn: To treat with scorn. "Then was he bescorned." Chaucer.
BESCRATCH
Be*scratch", v. t.
Defn: To tear with the nails; to cover with scratches.
BESCRAWL
Be*scrawl", v. t.
Defn: To cover with scrawls; to scribble over. Milton.
BESCREEN
Be*screen", v. t.
Defn: To cover with a screen, or as with a screen; to shelter; to conceal. Shak.
BESCRIBBLE
Be*scrib"ble, v. t.
Defn: To scribble over. "Bescribbled with impertinences." Milton.
BESCUMBER; BESCUMMER
Be*scum"ber, Be*scum"mer, v. t. Etym: [Pref. be- + scumber, scummer.]
Defn: To discharge ordure or dung upon. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
BESEE
Be*see", v. t. & i. Etym: [AS. beseón; pref. be- + to see.]
Defn: To see; to look; to mind. [Obs.] Wyclif.
BESEECH
Be*seech", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besought; p. pr. & vb. n. Beseeching.]
Etym: [OE. bisechen, biseken (akin to G. besuchen to visit); pref.
be- + sechen, seken, to seek. See Seek.]
1. To ask or entreat with urgency; to supplicate; to implore. I beseech you, punish me not with your hard thoughts. Shak. But Eve . . . besought his peace. Milton.
Syn. — To beg; to crave. — To Beseech, Entreat, Solicit, Implore, Supplicate. These words agree in marking that sense of want which leads men to beg some favor. To solicit is to make a request, with some degree of earnestness and repetition, of one whom we address as a superior. To entreat implies greater urgency, usually enforced by adducing reasons or arguments. To beseech is still stronger, and belongs rather to the language of poetry and imagination. To implore denotes increased fervor of entreaty, as addressed either to equals or superiors. To supplicate expresses the extreme of entreaty, and usually implies a state of deep humiliation. Thus, a captive supplicates a conqueror to spare his life. Men solicit by virtue of their interest with another; they entreat in the use of reasoning and strong representations; they beseech with importunate earnestness; they implore from a sense of overwhelming distress; they supplicate with a feeling of the most absolute inferiority and dependence.
BESEECH
Be*seech", n.
Defn: Solicitation; supplication. [Obs. or Poetic] Shak.
BESEECHER
Be*seech"er, n.
Defn: One who beseeches.
BESEECHING
Be*seech"ing, a.
Defn: Entreating urgently; imploring; as, a beseeching look.
— Be*seech"ing*ly, adv.
— Be*seech"ing*ness, n.
BESEECHMENT
Be*seech"ment, n.
Defn: The act of beseeching or entreating earnestly. [R.] Goodwin.
BESEEK
Be*seek", v. t.
Defn: To beseech. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BESEEM
Be*seem", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beseemed; p. pr. & vb. n. Beseeming.]
Etym: [Pref. be- + seem.]
Defn: Literally: To appear or seem (well, ill, best, etc.) for (one) to do or to have. Hence: To be fit, suitable, or proper for, or worthy of; to become; to befit. A duty well beseeming the preachers. Clarendon. What form of speech or behavior beseemeth us, in our prayers to God Hocker.
BESEEM
Be*seem", v. i.
Defn: To seem; to appear; to be fitting. [Obs.] "As beseemed best."
Spenser.
BESEEMING
Be*seem"ing, n.
1. Appearance; look; garb. [Obs.] I . . . did company these three in poor beseeming. Shak.
2. Comeliness. Baret.
BESEEMING
Be*seem"ing, a.
Defn: Becoming; suitable. [Archaic] — Be*seem"ing*ly, adv.
— Be*seem"ing*ness, n.
BESEEMLY
Be*seem"ly, a.
Defn: Fit; suitable; becoming. [Archaic]
In beseemly order sitten there. Shenstone.
BESEEN
Be*seen", a. Etym: [Properly the p. p. of besee.]
1. Seen; appearing. [Obs. or Archaic]
2. Decked or adorned; clad. [Archaic] Chaucer.
3. Accomplished; versed. [Archaic] Spenser.
BESET
Be*set", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beset; p. pr. & vb. n. Besetting.] Etym:
[AS. besettan (akin to OHG. bisazjan, G. besetzen, D. bezetten);
pref. be- + settan to set. See Set.]
1. To set or stud (anything) with ornaments or prominent objects. A robe of azure beset with drops of gold. Spectator. The garden is so beset with all manner of sweet shrubs that it perfumes the air. Evelyn.
2. To hem in; to waylay; to surround; to besiege; to blockade. "Beset with foes." Milton. Let thy troops beset our gates. Addison.
3. To set upon on all sides; to perplex; to harass; — said of dangers, obstacles, etc. "Adam, sore beset, replied." Milton. "Beset with ills." Addison. "Incommodities which beset old age." Burke.
4. To occupy; to employ; to use up. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Syn. — To surround; inclose; environ; hem in; besiege; encircle; encompass; embarrass; urge; press.
BESETMENT
Be*set"ment, n.
Defn: The act of besetting, or the state of being beset; also, that which besets one, as a sin. "Fearing a besetment." Kane.
BESETTER
Be*set"ter, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, besets.
BESETTING
Be*set"ting, a.
Defn: Habitually attacking, harassing, or pressing upon or about; as, a besetting sin.
BESHINE
Be*shine", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beshone; p. pr. & vb. n. Beshining.]
Defn: To shine upon; to ullumine.
BESHOW
Be*show", n. Etym: [Native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large food fish (Anoplopoma fimbria) of the north Pacific coast; — called also candlefish.
BESHREW
Be*shrew", v. t.
Defn: To curse; to execrate.
Beshrew me, but I love her heartily. Shak.
Note: Often a very mild form of imprecation; sometimes so far from implying a curse, as to be uttered coaxingly, nay even with some tenderness. Schmidt.
BESHROUD
Be*shroud", v. t.
Defn: To cover with, or as with, a shroud; to screen.
BESHUT
Be*shut", v. t.
Defn: To shut up or out. [Obs.]
BESIDE Be*side", prep. Etym: [OE. biside, bisiden, bisides, prep. and adv., beside, besides; pref. be- by + side. Cf. Besides, and see Side, n.]
1. At the side of; on one side of. "Beside him hung his bow." Milton.
2. Aside from; out of the regular course or order of; in a state of deviation from; out of. [You] have done enough To put him quite beside his patience. Shak.
3. Over and above; distinct from; in addition to.
Note: [In this use besides is now commoner.]
Wise and learned men beside those whose names are in the Christian
records. Addison.
To be beside one's self, to be out ob one's wits or senses.
Paul, thou art beside thyself. Acts xxvi. 24.
Syn. — Beside, Besides. These words, whether used as prepositions or adverbs, have been considered strictly synonymous, from an early period of our literature, and have been freely interchanged by our best writers. There is, however, a tendency, in present usage, to make the following distinction between them: 1. That beside be used only and always as a preposition, with the original meaning "by the side of; " as, to sit beside a fountain; or with the closely allied meaning "aside from", "apart from", or "out of"; as, this is beside our present purpose; to be beside one's self with joy. The adverbial sense to be wholly transferred to the cognate word. 2. That besides, as a preposition, take the remaining sense "in addition to", as, besides all this; besides the considerations here offered. "There was a famine in the land besides the first famine." Gen. xxvi. 1. And that it also take the adverbial sense of "moreover", "beyond", etc., which had been divided between the words; as, besides, there are other considerations which belong to this case. The following passages may serve to illustrate this use of the words: — Lovely Thais sits beside thee. Dryden. Only be patient till we have appeased The multitude, beside themselves with fear. Shak. It is beside my present business to enlarge on this speculation. Locke. Besides this, there are persons in certain situations who are expected to be charitable. Bp. Porteus. And, besides, the Moor May unfold me to him; there stand I in much peril. Shak. That man that does not know those things which are of necessity for him to know is but an ignorant man, whatever he may know besides. Tillotson.
Note: See Moreover.
BESIDES; BESIDE Be*sides", Be*side", adv. Etym: [OE. Same as beside, prep.; the ending -s is an adverbial one, prop. a genitive sign.]
1. On one side. [Obs.] Chaucer. Shak.
2. More than that; over and above; not included in the number, or in what has been mentioned; moreover; in addition. The men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides Gen. xix. 12. To all beside, as much an empty shade, An Eugene living, as a Cæsar dead. Pope.
Note: These sentences may be considered as elliptical.
BESIDES
Be*sides, prep.
Defn: Over and above; separate or distinct from; in addition to; other than; else than. See Beside, prep., 3, and Syn. under Beside. Besides your cheer, you shall have sport. Shak.
BESIEGE
Be*siege", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besieged; p. pr. & vb. n. Besieging.]
Etym: [OE. bisegen; pref. be- + segen to siege. See Siege.]
Defn: To beset or surround with armed forces, for the purpose of compelling to surrender; to lay siege to; to beleaguer; to beset. Till Paris was besieged, famished, and lost. Shak.
Syn.
— To environ; hem in; invest; encompass.
BESIEGEMENT
Be*siege"ment, n.
Defn: The act of besieging, or the state of being besieged. Golding.
BESIEGER
Be*sie"ger, n.
Defn: One who besieges; — opposed to the besieged.
BESIEGING
Be*sie"ging, a.
Defn: That besieges; laying siege to.
— Be*sie"ging*ly, adv.
BESIT
Be*sit", v. t. Etym: [Pref. be- + sit.]
Defn: To suit; to fit; to become. [Obs.]
BESLABBER
Be*slab"ber, v. t.
Defn: To beslobber.
BESLAVE
Be*slave", v. t.
Defn: To enslave. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
BESLAVER
Be*slav"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beslavered; p. pr. & vb. n.
Beslavering.]
Defn: To defile with slaver; to beslobber.
BESLIME
Be*slime", v. t.
Defn: To daub with slime; to soil. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
BESLOBBER
Be*slob"ber, v. t.
Defn: To slobber on; to smear with spittle running from the mouth.
Also Fig.: as, to beslobber with praise.
BESLUBBER
Be*slub"ber, v. t.
Defn: To beslobber.
BESMEAR
Be*smear", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besmeared; p. pr. & vb. n.
Besmearing.]
Defn: To smear with any viscous, glutinous matter; to bedaub; to
soil.
Besmeared with precious balm. Spenser.
BESMEARER
Be*smear"er, n.
Defn: One that besmears.
BESMIRCH
Be*smirch", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besmirched; p. pr. & vb. n.
Besmirching.]
Defn: To smirch or soil; to discolor; to obscure. Hence: To dishonor; to sully. Shak.
BESMOKE
Be*smoke", v. t.
1. To foul with smoke.
2. To harden or dry in smoke. Johnson.
BESMUT
Be*smut", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besmutted; p. pr. & vb. n. Besmutting.]
Etym: [Pref. be- + smut: cf. AS. besmitan, and also OE. besmotren.]
Defn: To blacken with smut; to foul with soot.
BESNOW Be*snow", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besnowed.] Etym: [OE. bisnewen, AS. besniwan; pref. be- + sniwan to snow.]
1. To scatter like snow; to cover thick, as with snow flakes. [R.] Gower.
2. To cover with snow; to whiten with snow, or as with snow.
BESNUFF
Be*snuff", v. t.
Defn: To befoul with snuff. Young.
BESOGNE
Be*sogne", n. Etym: [F. bisogne.]
Defn: A worthless fellow; a bezonian. [Obs.]
BESOM Be"som, n. Etym: [OE. besme, besum, AS. besma; akin to D. bezem, OHG pesamo, G. besen; of uncertain origin.]
Defn: A brush of twigs for sweeping; a broom; anything which sweeps
away or destroys. [Archaic or Fig.]
I will sweep it with the besom of destruction. Isa. xiv. 23.
The housemaid with her besom. W. Irving.
BESOM
Be"som, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besomed.]
Defn: To sweep, as with a besom. [Archaic or Poetic] Cowper.
Rolls back all Greece, and besoms wide the plain. Barlow.
BESOMER
Be"som*er, n.
Defn: One who uses a besom. [Archaic]
BESORT
Be*sort", v. t.
Defn: To assort or be congruous with; to fit, or become. [Obs.]
Such men as may besort your age. Shak.
BESORT
Be*sort", n.
Defn: Befitting associates or attendants. [Obs.]
With such accommodation and besort As levels with her breeding. Shak.
BESOT
Be*sot", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besotted; p. pr. & vb. n. Besotting.]
Defn: To make sottish; to make dull or stupid; to stupefy; to
infatuate.
Fools besotted with their crimes. Hudibras.
BESOTTED
Be*sot"ted, a.
Defn: Made sottish, senseless, or infatuated; characterized by
drunken stupidity, or by infatuation; stupefied. "Besotted devotion."
Sir W. Scott.
— Be*sot"ted*ly, adv.
— Be*sot"ted*ness, n. Milton.
BESOTTINGLY
Be*sot"ting*ly, adv.
Defn: In a besotting manner.
BESOUGHT
Be*sought", p. p.
Defn: of Beseech.
BESPANGLE
Be*span"gle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bespangled; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bespangling.]
Defn: To adorn with spangles; to dot or sprinkle with something brilliant or glittering. The grass . . . is all bespangled with dewdrops. Cowper.
BESPATTER
Be*spat"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bespattered; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bespattering.]
1. To soil by spattering; to sprinkle, esp. with dirty water, mud, or anything which will leave foul spots or stains.
2. To asperse with calumny or reproach. Whom never faction could bespatter. Swift.
BESPAWL
Be*spawl", v. t.
Defn: To daub, soil, or make foul with spawl or spittle. [Obs.]
Milton.
BESPEAK
Be*speak", v. t. [imp. Bespoke, Bespake (Archaic); p. p. Bespoke,
Bespoken (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bespeaking.] Etym: [OE. bispeken, AS.
besprecan, to speak to, accuse; pref. be- + sprecan to speak. See
Speak.]
1. To speak or arrange for beforehand; to order or engage against a future time; as, to bespeak goods, a right, or a favor. Concluding, naturally, that to gratify his avarice was to bespeak his favor. Sir W. Scott.
2. To show beforehand; to foretell; to indicate. [They] bespoke dangers . . . in order to scare the allies. Swift.
3. To betoken; to show; to indicate by external marks or appearances. When the abbot of St. Martin was born, he had so little the figure of a man that it bespoke him rather a monster. Locke.
4. To speak to; to address. [Poetic] He thus the queen bespoke. Dryden.
BESPEAK
Be*speak", v. i.
Defn: To speak. [Obs.] Milton.
BESPEAK
Be*speak", n.
Defn: A bespeaking. Among actors, a benefit (when a particular play is bespoken.) "The night of her bespeak." Dickens.
BESPEAKER
Be*speak"er, n.
Defn: One who bespeaks.
BESPECKLE
Be*spec"kle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bespeckled; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bespeckling.]
Defn: To mark with speckles or spots. Milton.
BESPEW
Be*spew", v. t.
Defn: To soil or daub with spew; to vomit on.
BESPICE
Be*spice", v. t.
Defn: To season with spice, or with some spicy drug. Shak.
BESPIRT
Be*spirt", v. t.
Defn: Same as Bespurt.
BESPIT Be*spit, v. t. [imp. Bespit; p. p. Bespit, Bespitten (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bespitting.]
Defn: To daub or soil with spittle. Johnson.
BESPOKE
Be*spoke",
Defn: imp. & p. p. of Bespeak.
BESPOT
Be*spot", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bespotted; p. pr. & vb. n. Bespotting.]
Defn: To mark with spots, or as with spots.
BESPREAD
Be*spread", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bespread; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bespreading.]
Defn: To spread or cover over.
The carpet which bespread His rich pavilion's floor. Glover.
BESPRENT Be*sprent", p. p. Etym: [OE. bespreynt, p. p. of besprengen, bisprengen, to besprinkle, AS. besprengan, akin to D. & G. besprengen; pref. be- + sprengan to sprinkle. See Sprinkle.]
Defn: Sprinkled over; strewed.
His face besprent with liquid crystal shines. Shenstone.
The floor with tassels of fir was besprent. Longfellow.
BESPRINKLE
Be*sprin"kle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Besprinkled; p. pr. & vb. n.
Besprinkling.]
Defn: To sprinkle over; to scatter over.
The bed besprinkles, and bedews the ground. Dryden.
BESPRINKLER
Be*sprin"kler, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, besprinkles.
BESPRINKLING
Be*sprin"kling, n.
Defn: The act of sprinkling anything; a sprinkling over.
BESPURT
Be*spurt", v. t.
Defn: To spurt on or over; to asperse. [Obs.] Milton.
BESSEMER STEEL
Bes"se*mer steel` (.
Defn: Steel made directly from cast iron, by burning out a portion of the carbon and other impurities that the latter contains, through the agency of a blast of air which is forced through the molten metal; — so called from Sir Henry Bessemer, an English engineer, the inventor of the process.
BEST Best, a.; superl. of Good. Etym: [AS. besta, best, contr. from betest, betst, betsta; akin to Goth. batists, OHG. pezzisto, G. best, beste, D. best, Icel. beztr, Dan. best, Sw. bäst. This word has no connection in origin with good. See Better.]
1. Having good qualities in the highest degree; most good, kind, desirable, suitable, etc.; most excellent; as, the best man; the best road; the best cloth; the best abilities. When he is best, he is a little worse than a man. Shak. Heaven's last, best gift, my ever new delight. Milton.
2. Most advanced; most correct or complete; as, the best scholar; the best view of a subject.
3. Most; largest; as, the best part of a week. Best man, the only or principal groomsman at a wedding ceremony.
BEST
Best, n.
Defn: Utmost; highest endeavor or state; most nearly perfect thing, or being, or action; as, to do one's best; to the best of our ability. At best, in the utmost degree or extent applicable to the case; under the most favorable circumstances; as, life is at best very short. — For best, finally. [Obs.] "Those constitutions . . . are now established for best, and not to be mended." Milton. — To get the best of, to gain an advantage over, whether fairly or unfairly. — To make the best of. (a) To improve to the utmost; to use or dispose of to the greatest advantage. "Let there be freedom to carry their commodities where they can make the best of them." Bacon. (b) To reduce to the least possible inconvenience; as, to make the best of ill fortune or a bad bargain.
BEST
Best, adv.; superl. of Well.
1. In the highest degree; beyond all others. "Thou serpent! That name
best befits thee." Milton.
He prayeth best, who loveth best All things both great and small.
Coleridge.
2. To the most advantage; with the most success, case, profit, benefit, or propriety. Had we best retire I see a storm. Milton. Had I not best go to her Thackeray.
3. Most intimately; most thoroughly or correctly; as, what is expedient is best known to himself.
BEST
Best, v. t.
Defn: To get the better of. [Colloq.]
BESTAD
Be*stad", imp. & p. p. of Bestead.
Defn: Beset; put in peril. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BESTAIN
Be*stain", v. t.
Defn: To stain.
BESTAR
Be*star", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bestarred.]
Defn: To sprinkle with, or as with, stars; to decorate with, or as with, stars; to bestud. "Bestarred with anemones." W. Black.
BESTEAD
Be*stead", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bestead or Bested, also (Obs.) Bestad.
In sense 3 imp. also Besteaded.] Etym: [Pref. be- + stead a place.]
1. To put in a certain situation or condition; to circumstance; to place. [Only in p. p.] They shall pass through it, hardly bestead and hungry: . . . and curse their king and their God. Is. viii. 21. Many far worse bestead than ourselves. Barrow.
2. To put in peril; to beset.
Note: [Only in p. p.] Chaucer.
3. To serve; to assist; to profit; to avail. Milton.
BESTIAL
Bes"tial, a. Etym: [F. bestial, L. bestialis, fr. bestia beast. See
Beast.]
1. Belonging to a beast, or to the class of beasts. Among the bestial herds to range. Milton.
2. Having the qualities of a beast; brutal; below the dignity of reason or humanity; irrational; carnal; beastly; sensual. Shak.
Syn. — Brutish; beastly; brutal; carnal; vile; low; depraved; sensual; filthy.
BESTIAL
Bes"tial, n.
Defn: A domestic animal; also collectively, cattle; as, other kinds of bestial. [Scot.]
BESTIALITY
Bes*tial"i*ty, n. Etym: [F. bestialité.]
1. The state or quality of being bestial.
2. Unnatural connection with a beast.
BESTIALIZE
Bes"tial*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bestialized; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bestializing.]
Defn: To make bestial, or like a beast; to degrade; to brutalize.
The process of bestializing humanity. Hare.
BESTIALLY
Bes"tial*ly, adv.
Defn: In a bestial manner.
BESTIARY Bes"ti*a*ry, n. [LL. bestiarium, fr. L. bestiarius pert. to beasts, fr. bestia beast: cf. F. bestiaire.]
Defn: A treatise on beasts; esp., one of the moralizing or allegorical beast tales written in the Middle Ages.
A bestiary . . . in itself one of the numerous mediæval renderings of the fantastic mystical zoölogy. Saintsbury.
BESTICK
Be*stick", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bestuck; p. pr. & vb. n. Besticking.]
Defn: To stick over, as with sharp points pressed in; to mark by infixing points or spots here and there; to pierce. Truth shall retire Bestuck with slanderous darts. Milton.
BESTILL
Be*still", v. t.
Defn: To make still.
BESTIR
Be*stir", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bestirred; p. pr. & vb. n. Bestirring.]
Defn: To put into brisk or vigorous action; to move with life and
vigor; — usually with the reciprocal pronoun.
You have so bestirred your valor. Shak.
Rouse and bestir themselves ere well awake. Milton.
BESTORM
Be*storm", v. i. & t.
Defn: To storm. Young.
BESTOW
Be*stow", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bestowed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bestowing.]
Etym: [OE. bestowen; pref. be- + stow a place. See Stow.]
1. To lay up in store; to deposit for safe keeping; to stow; to place; to put. "He bestowed it in a pouch." Sir W. Scott. See that the women are bestowed in safety. Byron.
2. To use; to apply; to devote, as time or strength in some occupation.
3. To expend, as money. [Obs.]
4. To give or confer; to impart; — with on or upon. Empire is on us bestowed. Cowper. Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor. 1 Cor. xiii. 3.
5. To give in marriage. I could have bestowed her upon a fine gentleman. Tatler.
6. To demean; to conduct; to behave; — followed by a reflexive pronoun. [Obs.] How might we see Falstaff bestow himself to-night in his true colors, and not ourselves be seen Shak.
Syn.
— To give; grant; present; confer; accord.
BESTOWAL
Be*stow"al, n.
Defn: The act of bestowing; disposal.
BESTOWER
Be*stow"er, n.
Defn: One that bestows.
BESTOWMENT
Be*stow"ment, n.
1. The act of giving or bestowing; a conferring or bestowal. If we consider this bestowment of gifts in this view. Chauncy.
2. That which is given or bestowed. They almost refuse to give due praise and credit to God's own bestowments. I. Taylor.
BESTRADDLE
Be*strad"dle, v. t.
Defn: To bestride.
BESTRAUGHT Be*straught", a. Etym: [Pref. be- + straught; prob. here used for distraught.]
Defn: Out of one's senses; distracted; mad. [Obs.] Shak.
BESTREAK
Be*streak", v. t.
Defn: To streak.
BESTREW Be*strew", v. t. [imp. Bestrewed; p. p. Bestrewed, Bestrown (p. pr. & vb. n. Bestrewing.]
Defn: To strew or scatter over; to besprinkle. [Spelt also bestrow.]
Milton.
BESTRIDE
Be*stride", v. t. [imp. Bestrode, (Obs. or R.) Bestrid (; p. p.
Bestridden, Bestrid, Bestrode; p. pr. & vb. n. Bestriding.] Etym:
[AS. bestridan; pref. be- + stridan to stride.]
1. To stand or sit with anything between the legs, or with the legs
astride; to stand over
That horse that thou so often hast bestrid. Shak.
Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world Like a Colossus. Shak.
2. To step over; to stride over or across; as, to bestride a threshold.
BESTRODE
Be*strode",
Defn: imp. & p. p. of Bestride.
BESTROWN
Be*strown",
Defn: p. p. of Bestrew.
BESTUCK
Be*stuck",
Defn: imp. & p. p. Bestick.
BESTUD
Be*stud", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bestudded; p. pr. & vb. n. Bestudding.]
Defn: To set or adorn, as with studs or bosses; to set thickly; to stud; as, to bestud with stars. Milton.
BESWIKE Be*swike", v. t. Etym: [AS. beswican; be- + swican to deceive, entice; akin to OS. swikan, OHG. swihhan, Icel. svikja.]
Defn: To lure; to cheat. [Obs.] Gower.
BET Bet, n. Etym: [Prob. from OE. abet abetting, OF. abet, fr. abeter to excite, incite. See Abet.]
Defn: That which is laid, staked, or pledged, as between two parties, upon the event of a contest or any contingent issue; the act of giving such a pledge; a wager. "Having made his bets." Goldsmith.
BET
Bet, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bet, Betted; p. pr. & vb. n. Betting.]
Defn: To stake or pledge upon the event of a contingent issue; to
wager.
John a Gaunt loved him well, and betted much money on his head. Shak.
I'll bet you two to one I'll make him do it. O. W. Holmes.
BET
Bet,
Defn: imp. & p. p. of Beat. [Obs.]
BET
Bet, a. & adv.
Defn: An early form of Better. [Obs.] To go bet, to go fast; to hurry. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BETA
Be"ta, n. [Gr. bh a.]
Defn: The second letter of the Greek alphabet, B, b. See B, and cf. etymology of Alphabet. Beta (B, b) is used variously for classifying, as: (a) (Astron.) To designate some bright star, usually the second brightest, of a constellation, as, b Aurigæ. (b) (Chem.) To distinguish one of two or more isomers; also, to indicate the position of substituting atoms or groups in certain compounds; as, b-naphthol. With acids, it commonly indicates that the substituent is in union with the carbon atom next to that to which the carboxyl group is attached.
BETACISM; BETACISMUS
Be"ta*cism, Be`ta*cis"mus, n.
Defn: Excessive or extended use of the b sound in speech, due to conversion of other sounds into it, as through inability to distinguish them from b, or because of difficulty in pronouncing them.
BETAINE
Be"ta*ine, n. Etym: [From beta, generic name of the beet.] (Chem.)
Defn: A nitrogenous base, C5H11NO2, produced artificially, and also occurring naturally in beetroot molasses and its residues, from which it is extracted as a white crystalline substance; — called also lycine and oxyneurine. It has a sweetish taste.
BETAKE
Be*take", v. t. [imp. Betook; p. p. Betaken; p. pr. & vb. n.
Betaking.] Etym: [Pref. be- + take.]
1. To take or seize. [Obs.] Spenser.
2. To have recourse to; to apply; to resort; to go; — with a
reflexive pronoun.
They betook themselves to treaty and submission. Burke.
The rest, in imitation, to like arms Betook them. Milton.
Whither shall I betake me, where subsist Milton.
3. To commend or intrust to; to commit to. [Obs.]
BETA RAYS
Be"ta rays. (Physics)
Defn: Penetrating rays readily deflected by a magnetic or electric field, emitted by radioactive substances, as radium. They consist of negatively charged particles or electrons, apparently the same in kind as those of the cathode rays, but having much higher velocities (about 35,000 to 180,000 miles per second).
BETAUGHT Be*taught",a. Etym: [p. p. of OE. bitechen, AS. bet, to assign, deliver. See Teach.]
Defn: Delivered; committed in trust. [Obs.]
BETE
Bete, v. t.
Defn: To better; to mend. See Beete. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BETEELA
Be*tee"la, n. Etym: [Pg. beatilha.]
Defn: An East India muslin, formerly used for cravats, veils, etc.
[Obs.]
BETEEM
Be*teem", v. t. Etym: [Pref. be- + an old verb teem to be fitting;
cf. D. betamen to beseem, G. ziemen, Goth. gatiman, and E. tame. See
Tame, a.]
1. To give ; to bestow; to grant; to accord; to consent. [Obs.] Spenser. Milton.
2. To allow; to permit; to suffer. [Obs.] So loving to my mother, That he might not beteem the winds of heaven Visit her face too roughly. Shak.
BETEL Be"tel, n. Etym: [Pg., fr. Tamil vettilei, prop. meaning, a mere leaf.] (Bot.)
Defn: A species of pepper (Piper betle), the leaves of which are chewed, with the areca or betel nut and a little shell lime, by the inhabitants of the East Indies. I is a woody climber with ovate manynerved leaves.
BETELGUESE
Bet"el*guese, n. Etym: [F. Bételgeuse, of Arabic origin.] (Astron.)
Defn: A bright star of the first magnitude, near one shoulder of
Orion. [Written also Betelgeux and Betelgeuse.]
BETEL NUT
Be"tel nut`.
Defn: The nutlike seed of the areca palm, chewed in the East with betel leaves (whence its name) and shell lime.
BETE NOIRE
Bête" noire". Etym: [Fr., lit. black beast.]
Defn: Something especially hated or dreaded; a bugbear.
BETHABARA WOOD
Beth*ab"a*ra wood`. (Bot.)
Defn: A highly elastic wood, used for fishing rods, etc. The tree is unknown, but it is thought to be East Indian.
BETHEL
Beth"el, n. Etym: [Heb. b house of God.]
1. A place of worship; a hallowed spot. S. F. Adams.
2. A chapel for dissenters. [Eng.]
3. A house of worship for seamen.
BETHINK
Be*think", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bethought; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bethinking.] Etym: [AS. be; pref. be- + to think. See Think.]
Defn: To call to mind; to recall or bring to recollection, reflection, or consideration; to think; to consider; — generally followed by a reflexive pronoun, often with of or that before the subject of thought. I have bethought me of another fault. Shak. The rest . . . may . . . bethink themselves, and recover. Milton. We bethink a means to break it off. Shak.
Syn.
— To recollect; remember; reflect.
BETHINK
Be*think", v. i.
Defn: To think; to recollect; to consider. "Bethink ere thou dismiss us." Byron.
BETHLEHEM
Beth"le*hem, n. Etym: [Heb. b house of food; b house + lekhem food,
lakham to eat. Formerly the name of a hospital for the insane, in
London, which had been the priory of St. Mary of Bethlehem. Cf.
Bedlam.]
1. A hospital for lunatics; — corrupted into bedlam.
2. (Arch.)
Defn: In the Ethiopic church, a small building attached to a church edifice, in which the bread for the eucharist is made. Audsley.
BETHLEHEMITE; BETHLEMITE
Beth"le*hem*ite, Beth"lem*ite, n.
1. An inhabitant of Bethlehem in Judea.
2. An insane person; a madman; a bedlamite.
3. One of an extinct English order of monks.
BETHOUGHT
Be*thought",
Defn: imp. & p. p. of Bethink.
BETHRALL
Be*thrall", v. t.
Defn: To reduce to thralldom; to inthrall. [Obs.] Spenser.
BETHUMB
Be*thumb", v. t.
Defn: To handle; to wear or soil by handling; as books. Poe.
BETHUMP Be*thump", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bethumped, or Bethumpt; p. pr. & vb. n. Bethumping.]
Defn: To beat or thump soundly. Shak.
BETIDE
Be*tide", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betided, Obs. Betid; p. pr. & vb. n.
Betiding.] Etym: [OE. bitiden; pref. bi-, be- + tiden, fr. AS. tidan,
to happen, fr. tid time. See Tide.]
Defn: To happen to; to befall; to come to ; as, woe betide the
wanderer.
What will betide the few Milton.
BETIDE
Be*tide", v. i.
Defn: To come to pass; to happen; to occur.
A salve for any sore that may betide. Shak.
Note: Shakespeare has used it with of. "What would betide of me "
BETIME; BETIMES Be*time", Be*times", adv. Etym: [Pref. be- (for by) + time; that is, by the proper time. The -s is an adverbial ending.]
1. In good season or time; before it is late; seasonably; early.
To measure life learn thou betimes. Milton.
To rise betimes is often harder than to do all the day's work.
Barrow.
2. In a short time; soon; speedily; forth with. He tires betimes that spurs too fast betimes. Shak.
BETITLE
Be*ti"tle, v. t.
Defn: To furnish with a title or titles; to entitle. [Obs.] Carlyle.
BETOKEN
Be*to"ken, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betokened; p. pr. & vb. n.
Betokening.]
1. To signify by some visible object; to show by signs or tokens. A dewy cloud, and in the cloud a bow . . . Betokening peace from God, and covenant new. Milton.
2. To foreshow by present signs; to indicate something future by that which is seen or known; as, a dark cloud often betokens a storm.
Syn.
— To presage; portend; indicate; mark; note.
BETON
Bé`ton", n. Etym: [F. béton, fr. L. bitumen bitumen.] (Masonry)
Defn: The French name for concrete; hence, concrete made after the
French fashion.
BETONGUE
Be*tongue", v. t.
Defn: To attack with the tongue; to abuse; to insult.
BETONY Bet"o*ny, n.; pl. Betonies. Etym: [OE. betony, betany, F. betoine, fr. L. betonica, vettonica.] (Bot.)
Defn: A plant of the genus Betonica (Linn.).
Note: The purple or wood betony (B. officinalis, Linn.) is common in Europe, being formerly used in medicine, and (according to Loudon) in dyeing wool a yellow color.
BETOOK
Be*took", imp.
Defn: of Betake.
BETORN
Be*torn", a.
Defn: Torn in pieces; tattered.
BETOSS
Be*toss, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betossed.]
Defn: To put in violent motion; to agitate; to disturb; to toss. "My betossed soul." Shak.
BETRAP
Be*trap", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betrapped.]
1. To draw into, or catch in, a trap; to insnare; to circumvent. Gower.
2. To put trappings on; to clothe; to deck. After them followed two other chariots covered with red satin, and the horses betrapped with the same. Stow.
BETRAY
Be*tray", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betrayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Betraying.]
Etym: [OE. betraien, bitraien; pref. be- + OF. traïr to bertray, F.
trahir, fr. L. tradere. See Traitor.]
1. To deliver into the hands of an enemy by treachery or fraud, in violation of trust; to give up treacherously or faithlessly; as, an officer betrayed the city. Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men. Matt. xvii. 22.
2. To prove faithless or treacherous to, as to a trust or one who trusts; to be false to; to deceive; as, to betray a person or a cause. But when I rise, I shall find my legs betraying me. Johnson.
3. To violate the confidence of, by disclosing a secret, or that which one is bound in honor not to make known. Willing to serve or betray any government for hire. Macaulay.
4. To disclose or discover, as something which prudence would conceal; to reveal unintentionally. Be swift to hear, but cautious of your tongue, lest you betray your ignorance. T. Watts.
5. To mislead; to expose to inconvenience not foreseen to lead into error or sin. Genius . . . often betrays itself into great errors. T. Watts.
6. To lead astray, as a maiden; to seduce (as under promise of marriage) and then abandon.
7. To show or to indicate; — said of what is not obvious at first, or would otherwise be concealed. All the names in the country betray great antiquity. Bryant.
BETRAYAL
Be*tray"al n.
Defn: The act or the result of betraying.
BETRAYER
Be*tray"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, betrays.
BETRAYMENT
Be*tray"ment, n.
Defn: Betrayal. [R.] Udall.
BETRIM
Be*trim", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betrimmed; p. pr. & vb. n. Betrimming.]
Defn: To set in order; to adorn; to deck, to embellish; to trim.
Shak.
BETROTH
Be*troth", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betrothed; p. pr. & vb. n.
Betrothing.] Etym: [Pref. be- + troth, i. e., truth. See Truth.]
1. To contract to any one for a marriage; to engage or promise in order to marriage; to affiance; — used esp. of a woman. He, in the first flower of my freshest age, Betrothed me unto the only heir. Spenser. Ay, and we are betrothed. Shak.
2. To promise to take (as a future spouse); to plight one's troth to. What man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her Deut. xx. 7.
3. To nominate to a bishopric, in order to consecration. Ayliffe.
BETROTHAL
Be*troth"al, n.
Defn: The act of betrothing, or the fact of being betrothed; a mutual promise, engagement, or contract for a future marriage between the persons betrothed; betrothment; affiance. "The feast of betrothal." Longfellow.
BETROTHMENT
Be*troth"ment, n.
Defn: The act of betrothing, or the state of being betrothed; betrothal.
BETRUST
Be*trust", v. t.
Defn: To trust or intrust. [Obs.]
BETRUSTMENT
Be*trust"ment, n.
Defn: The act of intrusting, or the thing intrusted. [Obs.] Chipman.
BETSO
Bet"so, n. Etym: [It. bezzo.]
Defn: A small brass Venetian coin. [Obs.]
BETTER Bet"ter, a.; compar. of Good. Etym: [OE. betere, bettre, and as adv. bet, AS. betera, adj., and bet, adv.; akin to Icel. betri, adj., betr, adv., Goth. batiza, adj., OHG. bezziro, adj., baz, adv., G. besser, adj. and adv., bass, adv., E. boot, and prob. to Skr. bhadra excellent. See Boot advantage, and cf. Best, Batful.]
1. Having good qualities in a greater degree than another; as, a better man; a better physician; a better house; a better air. Could make the worse appear The better reason. Milton.
2. Preferable in regard to rank, value, use, fitness, acceptableness, safety, or in any other respect. To obey is better than sacrifice. 1 Sam. xv. 22. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. Ps. cxviii. 9.
3. Greater in amount; larger; more.
4. Improved in health; less affected with disease; as, the patient is better.
5. More advanced; more perfect; as, upon better acquaintance; a better knowledge of the subject. All the better. See under All, adv. — Better half, an expression used to designate one's wife. My dear, my better half (said he), I find I must now leave thee. Sir P. Sidney. — To be better off, to be in a better condition. — Had better. (See under Had).
Note: The phrase had better, followed by an infinitive without to, is idiomatic. The earliest form of construction was "were better" with a dative; as, "Him were better go beside." (Gower.) i. e., It would be better for him, etc. At length the nominative (I, he, they, etc.) supplanted the dative and had took the place of were. Thus we have the construction now used. By all that's holy, he had better starve Than but once think this place becomes thee not. Shak.
BETTER
Bet"ter, n.
1. Advantage, superiority, or victory; — usually with of; as, to get the better of an enemy.
2. One who has a claim to precedence; a superior, as in merit, social standing, etc.; — usually in the plural. Their betters would hardly be found. Hooker. For the better, in the way of improvement; so as to produce improvement. "If I have altered him anywhere for the better." Dryden.
BETTER
Bet"ter, adv.; compar. of Well.
1. In a superior or more excellent manner; with more skill and wisdom, courage, virtue, advantage, or success; as, Henry writes better than John; veterans fight better than recruits. I could have better spared a better man. Shak.
2. More correctly or thoroughly. The better to understand the extent of our knowledge. Locke.
3. In a higher or greater degree; more; as, to love one better than another. Never was monarch better feared, and loved. Shak.
4. More, in reference to value, distance, time, etc.; as, ten miles and better. [Colloq.] To think better of (any one), to have a more favorable opinion of any one. — To think better of (an opinion, resolution, etc.), to reconsider and alter one's decision.
BETTER
Bet"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bettered; p. pr. & vb. n. Bettering.]
Etym: [AS. beterian, betrian, fr. betera better. See Better, a.]
1. To improve or ameliorate; to increase the good qualities of. Love betters what is best. Wordsworth. He thought to better his circumstances. Thackeray.
2. To improve the condition of, morally, physically, financially, socially, or otherwise. The constant effort of every man to better himself. Macaulay.
3. To surpass in excellence; to exceed; to excel. The works of nature do always aim at that which can not be bettered. Hooker.
4. To give advantage to; to support; to advance the interest of. [Obs.] Weapons more violent, when next we meet, May serve to better us and worse our foes. Milton.
Syn. — To improve; meliorate; ameliorate; mend; amend; correct; emend; reform; advance; promote.
BETTER
Bet"ter, v. i.
Defn: To become better; to improve. Carlyle.
BETTER
Bet"ter, n.
Defn: One who bets or lays a wager.
BETTERMENT
Bet"ter*ment, n.
1. A making better; amendment; improvement. W. Montagu.
2. (Law)
Defn: An improvement of an estate which renders it better than mere repairing would do; — generally used in the plural. [U. S.] Bouvier.
BETTERMOST
Bet"ter*most`, a.
Defn: Best. [R.] "The bettermost classes." Brougham.
BETTERNESS
Bet"ter*ness, n.
1. The quality of being better or superior; superiority. [R.] Sir P. Sidney.
2. The difference by which fine gold or silver exceeds in fineness the standard.
BETTONG
Bet"tong, n. Etym: [Native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small, leaping Australian marsupial of the genus Bettongia; the jerboa kangaroo.
BETTOR
Bet"tor, n.
Defn: One who bets; a better. Addison.
BETTY
Bet"ty, n.
1. Etym: [Supposed to be a cant word, from Betty, for Elizabeth, as such an instrument is also called Bess (i. e., Elizabeth) in the Canting Dictionary of 1725, and Jenny (i. e., Jane).]
Defn: A short bar used by thieves to wrench doors open. [Written also
bettee.]
The powerful betty, or the artful picklock. Arbuthnot.
2. Etym: [Betty, nickname for Elizabeth.]
Defn: A name of contempt given to a man who interferes with the duties of women in a household, or who occupies himself with womanish matters.
3. A pear-shaped bottle covered round with straw, in which olive oil is sometimes brought from Italy; — called by chemists a Florence flask. [U. S.] Bartlett.
BETULIN
Bet"u*lin, n. Etym: [L. betula birch tree.] (Chem.)
Defn: A substance of a resinous nature, obtained from the outer bark of the common European birch (Betula alba), or from the tar prepared therefrom; — called also birch camphor. Watts.
BETUMBLE
Be*tum"ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betumbled.]
Defn: To throw into disorder; to tumble. [R.]
From her betumbled couch she starteth. Shak.
BETUTOR
Be*tu"tor, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betutored.]
Defn: To tutor; to instruct. Coleridge.
BETWEEN Be*tween", prep. Etym: [OE. bytwene, bitweonen, AS. betweónan, betweónum; prefix be- by + a form fr. AS. twa two, akin to Goth. tweihnai two apiece. See Twain, and cf. Atween, Betwixt.]
1. In the space which separates; betwixt; as, New York is between Boston and Philadelphia.
2. Used in expressing motion from one body or place to another; from one to another of two. If things should go so between them. Bacon.
3. Belonging in common to two; shared by both. Castor and Pollux with only one soul between them. Locke.
4. Belonging to, or participated in by, two, and involving reciprocal action or affecting their mutual relation; as, opposition between science and religion. An intestine struggle, open or secret, between authority and liberty. Hume.
5. With relation to two, as involved in an act or attribute of which another is the agent or subject; as, to judge between or to choose between courses; to distinguish between you and me; to mediate between nations.
6. In intermediate relation to, in respect to time, quantity, or degree; as, between nine and ten o'clock. Between decks, the space, or in the space, between the decks of a vessel. — Between ourselves, Between you and me, Between themselves, in confidence; with the understanding that the matter is not to be communicated to others.
Syn. — Between, Among. Between etymologically indicates only two; as, a quarrel between two men or two nations; to be between two fires, etc. It is however extended to more than two in expressing a certain relation. I . . . hope that between public business, improving studies, and domestic pleasures, neither melancholy nor caprice will find any place for entrance. Johnson. Among implies a mass or collection of things or persons, and always supposes more than two; as, the prize money was equally divided among the ship's crew.
BETWEEN
Be*tween", n.
Defn: Intermediate time or space; interval. [Poetic & R.] Shak.
BETWIXT Be*twixt", prep. Etym: [OE. betwix, bitwix, rarely bitwixt, AS. betweox, betweohs, betweoh, betwih; pref. be- by + a form fr. AS. twa two. See Between.]
1. In the space which separates; between. From betwixt two aged oaks. Milton.
2. From one to another of; mutually affecting. There was some speech of marriage Betwixt myself and her. Shak. Betwixt and between, in a midway position; so-so; neither one thing nor the other. [Colloq.]
BEURRE
Beur*ré", n. Etym: [F., fr. beurre butter.] (Bot.)
Defn: A beurré (or buttery) pear, one with the meas, Beurré d'Anjou;
Beurré Clairgeau.
BEVEL Bev"el, n. Etym: [C. F. biveau, earlier buveau, Sp. baivel; of unknown origin. Cf. Bevile.]
1. Any angle other than a right angle; the angle which one surface makes with another when they are not at right angles; the slant or inclination of such surface; as, to give a bevel to the edge of a table or a stone slab; the bevel of a piece of timber.
2. An instrument consisting of two rules or arms, jointed together at one end, and opening to any angle, for adjusting the surfaces of work to the same or a given inclination; — called also a bevel square. Gwilt.
BEVEL
Bev"el, a.
1. Having the slant of a bevel; slanting.
2. Hence: Morally distorted; not upright. [Poetic] I may be straight, though they themselves be bevel. Shak. A bevel angle, any angle other than one of 90º. — Bevel wheel, a cogwheel whose working face is oblique to the axis. Knight.
BEVEL
Bev"el, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beveled (Bevelled; p. pr. & vb. n.
Beveling or Bevelling.]
Defn: To cut to a bevel angle; to slope the edge or surface of.
BEVEL
Bev"el, v. i.
Defn: To deviate or incline from an angle of 90
Their houses are very ill built, the walls bevel. Swift.
BEVELED; BEVELLED
Bev"eled, Bev"elled, a.
1. Formed to a bevel angle; sloping; as, the beveled edge of a table.
2. (Min.) Replaced by two planes inclining equally upon the adjacent planes, as an edge; having its edges replaces by sloping planes, as a cube or other solid.
BEVEL GEAR
Bev"el gear`. (Mech.)
Defn: A kind of gear in which the two wheels working together lie in different planes, and have their teeth cut at right angles to the surfaces of two cones whose apices coincide with the point where the axes of the wheels would meet.
BEVELMENT
Bev"el*ment, n. (Min.)
Defn: The replacement of an edge by two similar planes, equally inclined to the including faces or adjacent planes.
BEVER Be"ver, n. Etym: [OE. bever a drink, drinking time, OF. beivre, boivre, to drink, fr. L. bibere.]
Defn: A light repast between meals; a lunch. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
BEVER
Be"ver, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bevered (
Defn: To take a light repast between meals. [Obs.]
BEVERAGE Bev"er*age, n. Etym: [OF. bevrage, F. breuvage, fr. beivre to drink, fr. L. bibere. Cf. Bib, v. t., Poison, Potable.]
1. Liquid for drinking; drink; — usually applied to drink artificially prepared and of an agreeable flavor; as, an intoxicating beverage. He knew no beverage but the flowing stream. Thomson.
2. Specifically, a name applied to various kinds of drink.
3. A treat, or drink money. [Slang]
BEVILE
Bev"ile, n. Etym: [See Bevel.] (Her.)
Defn: A chief broken or opening like a carpenter's bevel. Encyc.
Brit.
BEVILED; BEVILLED
Bev"iled, Bev"illed, a. (Her.)
Defn: Notched with an angle like that inclosed by a carpenter's bevel; — said of a partition line of a shield.
BEVY Bev"y, n.; pl. Bevies. Etym: [Perhaps orig. a drinking company, fr. OF. bevée (cf. It. beva) a drink, beverage; then, perh., a company in general, esp. of ladies; and last applied by sportsmen to larks, quails, etc. See Beverage.]
1. A company; an assembly or collection of persons, especially of ladies. What a bevy of beaten slaves have we here ! Beau. & Fl.
2. A flock of birds, especially quails or larks; also, a herd of roes.
BEWAIL
Be*wail", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewailed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bewailing.]
Defn: To express deep sorrow for, as by wailing; to lament; to wail
over.
Hath widowed and unchilded many a one, Which to this hour bewail the
injury. Shak.
Syn.
— To bemoan; grieve.
— See Deplore.
BEWAIL
Be*wail", v. i.
Defn: To express grief; to lament. Shak.
BEWAILABLE
Be*wail"a*ble, a.
Defn: Such as may, or ought to, be bewailed; lamentable.
BEWAILER
Be*wail"er, n.
Defn: One who bewails or laments.
BEWAILING
Be*wail"ing, a.
Defn: Wailing over; lamenting.
— Be*wail"ing*ly, adv.
BEWAILMENT
Be*wail"ment, n.
Defn: The act of bewailing.
BEWAKE
Be*wake", v. t. & i.
Defn: To keep watch over; to keep awake. [Obs.] Gower.
BEWARE
Be*ware", v. i. Etym: [Be, imperative of verb to be + ware. See Ware,
Wary.]
1. To be on one's guard; to be cautious; to take care; — commonly followed by of or lest before the thing that is to be avoided. Beware of all, but most beware of man ! Pope. Beware the awful avalanche. Longfellow.
2. To have a special regard; to heed. [Obs.] Behold, I send an Angel before thee. . . . Beware of him, and obey his voice. Ex. xxiii. 20, 21.
Note: This word is a compound from be and the Old English ware, now wary, which is an adjective. "Be ye war of false prophetis." Wyclif, Matt. vii. 15. It is used commonly in the imperative and infinitive modes, and with such auxiliaries (shall, should, must, etc.) as go with the infinitive.
BEWARE
Be*ware", v. t.
Defn: To avoid; to take care of; to have a care for. [Obs.] "Priest, beware your beard." Shak. To wish them beware the son. Milton.
BEWASH
Be*wash", v. t.
Defn: To drench or souse with water. "Let the maids bewash the men."
Herrick.
BEWEEP
Be*weep", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewept; p. pr. & vb. n. Beweeping.]
Etym: [AS. bew; pref. be- + weep.]
Defn: To weep over; to deplore; to bedew with tears. "His timeless death beweeping." Drayton.
BEWEEP
Be*weep", v. i.
Defn: To weep. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BEWET
Be*wet", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewet, Bewetted.]
Defn: To wet or moisten. Gay.
BEWHORE
Be*whore", v. t.
1. To corrupt with regard to chastity; to make a whore of. J. Fletcher.
2. To pronounce or characterize as a whore. Shak.
BEWIG
Be*wig", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewigged.]
Defn: To cover (the head) with a wig. Hawthorne.
BEWILDER
Be*wil"der, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewildered; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bewildering.] Etym: [Pref. be- + wilder.]
Defn: To lead into perplexity or confusion, as for want of a plain
path; to perplex with mazes; or in general, to perplex or confuse
greatly.
Lost and bewildered in the fruitless search. Addison.
Syn. — To perplex; puzzle; entangle; confuse; confound; mystify; embarrass; lead astray.
BEWILDERED
Be*wil"dered, a.
Defn: Greatly perplexed; as, a bewildered mind.
BEWILDEREDNESS
Be*wil"dered*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being bewildered; bewilderment. [R.]
BEWILDERING
Be*wil"der*ing, a.
Defn: Causing bewilderment or great perplexity; as, bewildering
difficulties.
— Be*wil"der*ing*ly, adv.
BEWILDERMENT
Be*wil"der*ment, n.
1. The state of being bewildered.
2. A bewildering tangle or confusion. He . . . soon lost all traces of it amid bewilderment of tree trunks and underbrush. Hawthorne.
BEWINTER
Be*win"ter, v. t.
Defn: To make wintry. [Obs.]
BEWIT Bew"it, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. buie bond, chain, fr. L. boja neck collar, fetter. Cf. Buoy.]
Defn: A double slip of leather by which bells are fastened to a hawk's legs.
BEWITCH
Be*witch", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewitched; p. pr. & vb. n.
Bewitching.]
1. To gain an ascendency over by charms or incantations; to affect (esp. to injure) by witchcraft or sorcery. See how I am bewitched; behold, mine arm Is like a blasted sapling withered up. Shak.
2. To charm; to fascinate; to please to such a degree as to take away the power of resistance; to enchant. The charms of poetry our souls bewitch. Dryden.
Syn.
— To enchant; captivate; charm; entrance.
BEWITCHEDNESS
Be*witch"ed*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being bewitched. Gauden.
BEWITCHER
Be*witch"er, n.
Defn: One who bewitches.
BEWITCHERY
Be*witch"er*y, n.
Defn: The power of bewitching or fascinating; bewitchment; charm;
fascination.
There is a certain bewitchery or fascination in words. South.
BEWITCHING
Be*witch"ing, a.
Defn: Having power to bewitch or fascinate; enchanting; captivating;
charming.
— Be*witch"ing*ly, adv.
— Be*witch"ing*ness, n.
BEWITCHMENT
Be*witch"ment, n.
1. The act of bewitching, or the state of being bewitched. Tylor.
2. The power of bewitching or charming. Shak.
BEWONDER
Be*won"der, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewondered.]
1. To fill with wonder. [Obs.]
2. To wonder at; to admire. [Obs.]
BEWRAP
Be*wrap", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewrapped.]
Defn: To wrap up; to cover. Fairfax.
BEWRAY
Be*wray", v. t.
Defn: To soil. See Beray.
BEWRAY Be*wray", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bewrayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bewraying.] Etym: [OE. bewraien, biwreyen; pref. be- + AS. wr to accuse, betray; akin to OS. wr, OHG. ruog, G. rügen, Icel. rægja, Goth. wr to accuse.]
Defn: To expose; to reveal; to disclose; to betray. [Obs. or Archaic]
The murder being once done, he is in less fear, and in more hope that
the deed shall not be bewrayed or known. Robynson (More's Utopia. )
Thy speech bewrayeth thee. Matt. xxvi. 73.
BEWRAYER
Be*wray"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, bewrays; a revealer. [Obs. or Archaic]
Addison.
BEWRAYMENT
Be*wray"ment, n.
Defn: Betrayal. [R.]
BEWRECK
Be*wreck", v. t.
Defn: To wreck. [Obs.]
BEWREKE
Be*wreke", v. t. Etym: [Pref. be- + wreak.]
Defn: To wreak; to avenge. [Obs.] Ld. Berners.
BEWROUGHT
Be*wrought", a. Etym: [Pref. be- + wrought, p. p. of work, v. t. ]
Defn: Embroidered. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
BEY
Bey, n. Etym: [See Beg a bey.]
Defn: A governor of a province or district in the Turkish dominions; also, in some places, a prince or nobleman; a beg; as, the bey of Tunis.
BEYLIC
Bey"lic, n. Etym: [Turk.]
Defn: The territory ruled by a bey.
BEYOND Be*yond", prep. Etym: [OE. biyonde, bi, AS. begeondan, prep. and adv.; pref. be- + geond yond, yonder. See Yon, Yonder.]
1. On the further side of; in the same direction as, and further on or away than. Beyond that flaming hill. G. Fletcher.
2. At a place or time not yet reached; before. A thing beyond us, even before our death. Pope.
3. Past, out of the reach or sphere of; further than; greater than; as, the patient was beyond medical aid; beyond one's strength.
4. In a degree or amount exceeding or surpassing; proceeding to a greater degree than; above, as in dignity, excellence, or quality of any kind. "Beyond expectation." Barrow. Beyond any of the great men of my country. Sir P. Sidney. Beyond sea. (Law) See under Sea. — To go beyond, to exceed in ingenuity, in research, or in anything else; hence, in a bed sense, to deceive or circumvent. That no man go beyond and defraud his brother in any matter. 1 Thess. iv. 6.
BEYOND
Be*yond", adv.
Defn: Further away; at a distance; yonder.
Lo, where beyond he lyeth languishing. Spenser.
BEZANT
Be*zant", n. Etym: [See Byzant.]
1. A gold coin of Byzantium or Constantinople, varying in weight and value, usually (those current in England) between a sovereign and a half sovereign. There were also white or silver bezants. [Written also besant, byzant, etc.]
2. (Her.)
Defn: A circle in or, i. e., gold, representing the gold coin called bezant. Burke.
3. A decoration of a flat surface, as of a band or belt, representing circular disks lapping one upon another.
BEZ-ANTLER
Bez`-ant"ler, n. Etym: [L. bis twice (OF. bes) + E. antler.]
Defn: The second branch of a stag's horn.
BEZEL Bez"el, n. Etym: [From an old form of F. biseau sloping edge, prob. fr. L. bis double. See Bi-.]
Defn: The rim which encompasses and fastens a jewel or other object, as the crystal of a watch, in the cavity in which it is set.
BEZIQUE
Bé*zique", n. Etym: [F. bésigue.]
Defn: A game at cards in which various combinations of cards in the hand, when declared, score points.
BEZOAR Be"zoar, n. Etym: [F. bézoard, fr. Ar. bazahr, badizahr, fr. Per. pad-zahr bezoar; pad protecting + zahr poison; cf. Pg. & Sp. bezoar.]
Defn: A calculous concretion found in the intestines of certain ruminant animals (as the wild goat, the gazelle, and the Peruvian llama) formerly regarded as an unfailing antidote for poison, and a certain remedy for eruptive, pestilential, or putrid diseases. Hence: Any antidote or panacea.