| Words | Parts of Speech | Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
|---|---|---|
| baa | verb i. | To cry baa, or bleat as a sheep., The cry or bleating of a sheep; a bleat. |
| bac | noun | A broad, flatbottomed ferryboat, usually worked by a rope., A vat or cistern. See 1st Back. |
| bad | imp. | Bade., Wanting good qualities, whether physical or moral; injurious, hurtful, inconvenient, offensive, painful, unfavorable, or defective, either physically or morally; evil; vicious; wicked; — the opposite of good; as, a bad man; bad conduct; bad habits; bad soil; bad health; bad crop; bad news., of Bid |
| bag | noun | A sack or pouch, used for holding anything; as, a bag of meal or of money., A sac, or dependent gland, in animal bodies, containing some fluid or other substance; as, the bag of poison in the mouth of some serpents; the bag of a cow., A sort of silken purse formerly tied about men’s hair behind, by way of ornament., The quantity of game bagged., A certain quantity of a commodity, such as it is customary to carry to market in a sack; as, a bag of pepper or hops; a bag of coffee., To put into a bag; as, to bag hops., To seize, capture, or entrap; as, to bag an army; to bag game., To furnish or load with a bag or with a well filled bag., To swell or hang down like a full bag; as, the skin bags from containing morbid matter., To swell with arrogance., To become pregnant. |
| bah | interj. | An exclamation expressive of extreme contempt. |
| bam | noun | An imposition; a cheat; a hoax., To cheat; to wheedle. |
| ban | noun | A public proclamation or edict; a public order or notice, mandatory or prohibitory; a summons by public proclamation., A calling together of the king’s (esp. the French king’s) vassals for military service; also, the body of vassals thus assembled or summoned. In present usage, in France and Prussia, the most effective part of the population liable to military duty and not in the standing army., Notice of a proposed marriage, proclaimed in church. See Banns (the common spelling in this sense)., An interdiction, prohibition, or proscription., A curse or anathema., A pecuniary mulct or penalty laid upon a delinquent for offending against a ban; as, a mulct paid to a bishop by one guilty of sacrilege or other crimes., To curse; to invoke evil upon., To forbid; to interdict., To curse; to swear., An ancient title of the warden of the eastern marches of Hungary; now, a title of the viceroy of Croatia and Slavonia. |
| bar | noun | A piece of wood, metal, or other material, long in proportion to its breadth or thickness, used as a lever and for various other purposes, but especially for a hindrance, obstruction, or fastening; as, the bars of a fence or gate; the bar of a door., An indefinite quantity of some substance, so shaped as to be long in proportion to its breadth and thickness; as, a bar of gold or of lead; a bar of soap., Anything which obstructs, hinders, or prevents; an obstruction; a barrier., A bank of sand, gravel, or other matter, esp. at the mouth of a river or harbor, obstructing navigation., Any railing that divides a room, or office, or hall of assembly, in order to reserve a space for those having special privileges; as, the bar of the House of Commons., The railing that incloses the place which counsel occupy in courts of justice. Hence, the phrase at the bar of the court signifies in open court., The place in court where prisoners are stationed for arraignment, trial, or sentence., The whole body of lawyers licensed in a court or district; the legal profession., A special plea constituting a sufficient answer to plaintiff’s action., Any tribunal; as, the bar of public opinion; the bar of God., A barrier or counter, over which liquors and food are passed to customers; hence, the portion of the room behind the counter where liquors for sale are kept., An ordinary, like a fess but narrower, occupying only one fifth part of the field., A broad shaft, or band, or stripe; as, a bar of light; a bar of color., A vertical line across the staff. Bars divide the staff into spaces which represent measures, and are themselves called measures., The space between the tusks and grinders in the upper jaw of a horse, in which the bit is placed., The part of the crust of a horse’s hoof which is bent inwards towards the frog at the heel on each side, and extends into the center of the sole., A drilling or tamping rod., A vein or dike crossing a lode., A gatehouse of a castle or fortified town., A slender strip of wood which divides and supports the glass of a window; a sash bar., To fasten with a bar; as, to bar a door or gate., To restrict or confine, as if by a bar; to hinder; to obstruct; to prevent; to prohibit; as, to bar the entrance of evil; distance bars our intercourse; the statute bars my right; the right is barred by time; a release bars the plaintiff’s recovery; — sometimes with up., To except; to exclude by exception., To cross with one or more stripes or lines. |
| bat | noun | A large stick; a club; specifically, a piece of wood with one end thicker or broader than the other, used in playing baseball, cricket, etc., Shale or bituminous shale., A sheet of cotton used for filling quilts or comfortables; batting., A part of a brick with one whole end., To strike or hit with a bat or a pole; to cudgel; to beat., To use a bat, as in a game of baseball., One of the Cheiroptera, an order of flying mammals, in which the wings are formed by a membrane stretched between the elongated fingers, legs, and tail. The common bats are small and insectivorous. See Cheiroptera and Vampire. |
| bay | adjective | Reddish brown; of the color of a chestnut; — applied to the color of horses., An inlet of the sea, usually smaller than a gulf, but of the same general character., 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., A recess or indentation shaped like a bay., 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., A compartment in a barn, for depositing hay, or grain in the stalks., A kind of mahogany obtained from Campeachy Bay., A berry, particularly of the laurel., 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., A tract covered with bay trees., To bark, as a dog with a deep voice does, at his game., To bark at; hence, to follow with barking; to bring or drive to bay; as, to bay the bear., Deep-toned, prolonged barking., A state of being obliged to face an antagonist or a difficulty, when escape has become impossible., To bathe., A bank or dam to keep back water., To dam, as water; — with up or back. |
| be- | A prefix, originally the same word as by;, To intensify the meaning; as, bespatter, bestir., To render an intransitive verb transitive; as, befall (to fall upon); bespeak (to speak for)., To make the action of a verb particular or definite; as, beget (to get as offspring); beset (to set around). | |
| bed | noun | 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., (Used as the symbol of matrimony) Marriage., A plat or level piece of ground in a garden, usually a little raised above the adjoining ground., A mass or heap of anything arranged like a bed; as, a bed of ashes or coals., The bottom of a watercourse, or of any body of water; as, the bed of a river., A layer or seam, or a horizontal stratum between layers; as, a bed of coal, iron, etc., See Gun carriage, and Mortar bed., The horizontal surface of a building stone; as, the upper and lower beds., A course of stone or brick in a wall., The place or material in which a block or brick is laid., The lower surface of a brick, slate, or tile., 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., The superficial earthwork, or ballast, of a railroad., The flat part of the press, on which the form is laid., To place in a bed., To make partaker of one’s bed; to cohabit with., To furnish with a bed or bedding., 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., 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., To dress or prepare the surface of stone) so as to serve as a bed., To lay flat; to lay in order; to place in a horizontal or recumbent position., To go to bed; to cohabit. |
| bee | p. p. of Be; — used for been., An insect of the order Hymenoptera, and family Apidae (the honeybees), or family Andrenidae (the solitary bees.) See Honeybee., 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., Pieces of hard wood bolted to the sides of the bowsprit, to reeve the fore-topmast stays through; — called also bee blocks. | |
| beg | noun | A title of honor in Turkey and in some other parts of the East; a bey., To ask earnestly for; to entreat or supplicate for; to beseech., To ask for as a charity, esp. to ask for habitually or from house to house., To make petition to; to entreat; as, to beg a person to grant a favor., To take for granted; to assume without proof., To ask to be appointed guardian for, or to ask to have a guardian appointed for., To ask alms or charity, especially to ask habitually by the wayside or from house to house; to live by asking alms. |
| bel | noun | The Babylonian name of the god known among the Hebrews as Baal. See Baal. |
| ben | Alt. of Ben nut, Within; in; in or into the interior; toward the inner apartment., The inner or principal room in a hut or house of two rooms; — opposed to but, the outer apartment., An old form of the pl. indic. pr. of Be., A hoglike mammal of New Guinea (Porcula papuensis). | |
| bet | noun | 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., of Bet, To stake or pledge upon the event of a contingent issue; to wager., imp. & p. p. of Beat., An early form of Better. |
| bey | noun | 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. |
| bi- | In most branches of science bi- in composition denotes two, twice, or doubly; as, bidentate, two-toothed; biternate, doubly ternate, etc., In the composition of chemical names bi- denotes two atoms, parts, or equivalents of that constituent to the name of which it is prefixed, to one of the other component, or that such constituent is present in double the ordinary proportion; as, bichromate, bisulphide. Be- and di- are often used interchangeably. | |
| bib | noun | A small piece of cloth worn by children over the breast, to protect the clothes., An arctic fish (Gadus luscus), allied to the cod; — called also pout and whiting pout., A bibcock., Alt. of Bibbe, To drink; to sip; to tipple. |
| bid | of Bid, of Bid, To make an offer of; to propose. Specifically : To offer to pay ( a certain price, as for a thing put up at auction), or to take (a certain price, as for work to be done under a contract)., To offer in words; to declare, as a wish, a greeting, a threat, or defiance, etc.; as, to bid one welcome; to bid good morning, farewell, etc., To proclaim; to declare publicly; to make known., To order; to direct; to enjoin; to command., To invite; to call in; to request to come., imp. & p. p. of Bid., An offer of a price, especially at auctions; a statement of a sum which one will give for something to be received, or will take for something to be done or furnished; that which is offered., To pray., To make a bid; to state what one will pay or take. | |
| big | superl. | Having largeness of size; of much bulk or magnitude; of great size; large., Great with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce; — often figuratively., Having greatness, fullness, importance, inflation, distention, etc., whether in a good or a bad sense; as, a big heart; a big voice; big looks; to look big. As applied to looks, it indicates haughtiness or pride., Alt. of Bigg, Alt. of Bigg |
| bin | noun | A box, frame, crib, or inclosed place, used as a receptacle for any commodity; as, a corn bin; a wine bin; a coal bin., To put into a bin; as, to bin wine., An old form of Be and Been. |
| bis | adverb | Twice; — a word showing that something is, or is to be, repeated; as a passage of music, or an item in accounts. |
| bit | verb | The part of a bridle, usually of iron, which is inserted in the mouth of a horse, and having appendages to which the reins are fastened., Fig.: Anything which curbs or restrains., To put a bridle upon; to put the bit in the mouth of., imp. & p. p. of Bite., A part of anything, such as may be bitten off or taken into the mouth; a morsel; a bite. Hence: A small piece of anything; a little; a mite., Somewhat; something, but not very great., A tool for boring, of various forms and sizes, usually turned by means of a brace or bitstock. See Bitstock., The part of a key which enters the lock and acts upon the bolt and tumblers., The cutting iron of a plane., In the Southern and Southwestern States, a small silver coin (as the real) formerly current; commonly, one worth about 12 1/2 cents; also, the sum of 12 1/2 cents., 3d sing. pr. of Bid, for biddeth., of Bite, of Bite |
| boa | noun | A genus of large American serpents, including the boa constrictor, the emperor boa of Mexico (B. imperator), and the chevalier boa of Peru (B. eques)., A long, round fur tippet; — so called from its resemblance in shape to the boa constrictor. |
| bob | noun | Anything that hangs so as to play loosely, or with a short abrupt motion, as at the end of a string; a pendant; as, the bob at the end of a kite’s tail., A knot of worms, or of rags, on a string, used in angling, as for eels; formerly, a worm suitable for bait., A small piece of cork or light wood attached to a fishing line to show when a fish is biting; a float., The ball or heavy part of a pendulum; also, the ball or weight at the end of a plumb line., A small wheel, made of leather, with rounded edges, used in polishing spoons, etc., A short, jerking motion; act of bobbing; as, a bob of the head., A working beam., A knot or short curl of hair; also, a bob wig., A peculiar mode of ringing changes on bells., The refrain of a song., A blow; a shake or jog; a rap, as with the fist., A jeer or flout; a sharp jest or taunt; a trick., A shilling., To cause to move in a short, jerking manner; to move (a thing) with a bob., To strike with a quick, light blow; to tap., To cheat; to gain by fraud or cheating; to filch., To mock or delude; to cheat., To cut short; as, to bob the hair, or a horse’s tail., To have a short, jerking motion; to play to and fro, or up and down; to play loosely against anything., To angle with a bob. See Bob, n., 2 & 3. |
| bog | noun | A quagmire filled with decayed moss and other vegetable matter; wet spongy ground where a heavy body is apt to sink; a marsh; a morass., A little elevated spot or clump of earth, roots, and grass, in a marsh or swamp., To sink, as into a bog; to submerge in a bog; to cause to sink and stick, as in mud and mire. |
| bom | noun | A large American serpent, so called from the sound it makes. |
| bon | adjective | Good; valid as security for something. |
| bos | noun | A genus of ruminant quadrupeds, including the wild and domestic cattle, distinguished by a stout body, hollow horns, and a large fold of skin hanging from the neck. |
| bot | noun | See Bots. |
| bow | verb t. | To cause to deviate from straightness; to bend; to inflect; to make crooked or curved., To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend, figuratively; to turn; to incline., To bend or incline, as the head or body, in token of respect, gratitude, assent, homage, or condescension., To cause to bend down; to prostrate; to depress,;/ to crush; to subdue., To express by bowing; as, to bow one’s thanks., To bend; to curve., To stop., To bend the head, knee, or body, in token of reverence or submission; — often with down., To incline the head in token of salutation, civility, or assent; to make bow., An inclination of the head, or a bending of the body, in token of reverence, respect, civility, or submission; an obeisance; as, a bow of deep humility., Anything bent, or in the form of a curve, as the rainbow., A weapon made of a strip of wood, or other elastic material, with a cord connecting the two ends, by means of which an arrow is propelled., An ornamental knot, with projecting loops, formed by doubling a ribbon or string., The U-shaped piece which embraces the neck of an ox and fastens it to the yoke., An appliance consisting of an elastic rod, with a number of horse hairs stretched from end to end of it, used in playing on a stringed instrument., An arcograph., Any instrument consisting of an elastic rod, with ends connected by a string, employed for giving reciprocating motion to a drill, or for preparing and arranging the hair, fur, etc., used by hatters., A rude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking the sun’s altitude at sea., Two pieces of wood which form the arched forward part of a saddletree., To play (music) with a bow., To manage the bow., The bending or rounded part of a ship forward; the stream or prow., One who rows in the forward part of a boat; the bow oar. |
| box | noun | A tree or shrub, flourishing in different parts of the world. The common box (Buxus sempervirens) has two varieties, one of which, the dwarf box (B. suffruticosa), is much used for borders in gardens. The wood of the tree varieties, being very hard and smooth, is extensively used in the arts, as by turners, engravers, mathematical instrument makers, etc., A receptacle or case of any firm material and of various shapes., The quantity that a box contain., A space with a few seats partitioned off in a theater, or other place of public amusement., A chest or any receptacle for the deposit of money; as, a poor box; a contribution box., A small country house., A boxlike shed for shelter; as, a sentry box., An axle box, journal box, journal bearing, or bushing., A chamber or section of tube in which a valve works; the bucket of a lifting pump., The driver’s seat on a carriage or coach., A present in a box; a present; esp. a Christmas box or gift., The square in which the pitcher stands., A Mediterranean food fish; the bogue., To inclose in a box., To furnish with boxes, as a wheel., To inclose with boarding, lathing, etc., so as to bring to a required form., A blow on the head or ear with the hand., To fight with the fist; to combat with, or as with, the hand or fist; to spar., To strike with the hand or fist, especially to strike on the ear, or on the side of the head., To boxhaul. |
| boy | noun | A male child, from birth to the age of puberty; a lad; hence, a son., To act as a boy; — in allusion to the former practice of boys acting women’s parts on the stage. |
| bub | noun | Strong malt liquor., A young brother; a little boy; — a familiar term of address of a small boy., To throw out in bubbles; to bubble. |
| bud | noun | A small protuberance on the stem or branches of a plant, containing the rudiments of future leaves, flowers, or stems; an undeveloped branch or flower., A small protuberance on certain low forms of animals and vegetables which develops into a new organism, either free or attached. See Hydra., To put forth or produce buds, as a plant; to grow, as a bud does, into a flower or shoot., To begin to grow, or to issue from a stock in the manner of a bud, as a horn., To be like a bud in respect to youth and freshness, or growth and promise; as, a budding virgin., To graft, as a plant with another or into another, by inserting a bud from the one into an opening in the bark of the other, in order to raise, upon the budded stock, fruit different from that which it would naturally bear. |
| bug | noun | A bugbear; anything which terrifies., A general name applied to various insects belonging to the Hemiptera; as, the squash bug; the chinch bug, etc., An insect of the genus Cimex, especially the bedbug (C. lectularius). See Bedbug., One of various species of Coleoptera; as, the ladybug; potato bug, etc.; loosely, any beetle., One of certain kinds of Crustacea; as, the sow bug; pill bug; bait bug; salve bug, etc. |
| bum | noun | The buttock., To make murmuring or humming sound., A humming noise. |
| bun | noun | Alt. of Bunn |
| bur | noun | Alt. of Burr |
| bus | noun | An omnibus. |
| but | adverb & conj. | Except with; unless with; without., Except; besides; save., Excepting or excluding the fact that; save that; were it not that; unless; — elliptical, for but that., Otherwise than that; that not; — commonly, after a negative, with that., Only; solely; merely., On the contrary; on the other hand; only; yet; still; however; nevertheless; more; further; — as connective of sentences or clauses of a sentence, in a sense more or less exceptive or adversative; as, the House of Representatives passed the bill, but the Senate dissented; our wants are many, but quite of another kind., The outer apartment or kitchen of a two-roomed house; — opposed to ben, the inner room., A limit; a boundary., The end; esp. the larger or thicker end, or the blunt, in distinction from the sharp, end. See 1st Butt., See Butt, v., and Abut, v., A limit; a bound; a goal; the extreme bound; the end., The thicker end of anything. See But., A mark to be shot at; a target., A person at whom ridicule, jest, or contempt is directed; as, the butt of the company., A push, thrust, or sudden blow, given by the head of an animal; as, the butt of a ram., A thrust in fencing., A piece of land left unplowed at the end of a field., A joint where the ends of two objects come squarely together without scarfing or chamfering; — also called butt joint., The end of a connecting rod or other like piece, to which the boxing is attached by the strap, cotter, and gib., The portion of a half-coupling fastened to the end of a hose., The joint where two planks in a strake meet., A kind of hinge used in hanging doors, etc.; — so named because fastened on the edge of the door, which butts against the casing, instead of on its face, like the strap hinge; also called butt hinge., The thickest and stoutest part of tanned oxhides, used for soles of boots, harness, trunks., The hut or shelter of the person who attends to the targets in rifle practice. |
| buy | verb t. | To acquire the ownership of (property) by giving an accepted price or consideration therefor, or by agreeing to do so; to acquire by the payment of a price or value; to purchase; — opposed to sell., To acquire or procure by something given or done in exchange, literally or figuratively; to get, at a cost or sacrifice; to buy pleasure with pain., To negotiate or treat about a purchase. |
| buz | verb & noun | See Buzz. |
| bye | noun | A thing not directly aimed at; something which is a secondary object of regard; an object by the way, etc.; as in on or upon the bye, i. e., in passing; indirectly; by implication., A run made upon a missed ball; as, to steal a bye., A dwelling., In certain games, a station or place of an individual player. |