| Words | Parts of Speech | Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
|---|---|---|
| baas | plural | of Baa |
| baal | noun | The supreme male divinity of the Phoenician and Canaanitish nations., The whole class of divinities to whom the name Baal was applied. |
| baba | noun | A kind of plum cake. |
| babe | noun | An infant; a young child of either sex; a baby., A doll for children. |
| babu | noun | A Hindoo gentleman; a native clerk who writes English; also, a Hindoo title answering to Mr. or Esquire. |
| baby | noun | An infant or young child of either sex; a babe., A small image of an infant; a doll., Pertaining to, or resembling, an infant; young or little; as, baby swans., To treat like a young child; to keep dependent; to humor; to fondle. |
| bace | noun, adjective, & verb | See Base. |
| back | noun | A large shallow vat; a cistern, tub, or trough, used by brewers, distillers, dyers, picklers, gluemakers, and others, for mixing or cooling wort, holding water, hot glue, etc., A ferryboat. See Bac, 1., In human beings, the hinder part of the body, extending from the neck to the end of the spine; in other animals, that part of the body which corresponds most nearly to such part of a human being; as, the back of a horse, fish, or lobster., An extended upper part, as of a mountain or ridge., The outward or upper part of a thing, as opposed to the inner or lower part; as, the back of the hand, the back of the foot, the back of a hand rail., The part opposed to the front; the hinder or rear part of a thing; as, the back of a book; the back of an army; the back of a chimney., The part opposite to, or most remote from, that which fronts the speaker or actor; or the part out of sight, or not generally seen; as, the back of an island, of a hill, or of a village., The part of a cutting tool on the opposite side from its edge; as, the back of a knife, or of a saw., A support or resource in reserve., The keel and keelson of a ship., The upper part of a lode, or the roof of a horizontal underground passage., A garment for the back; hence, clothing., Being at the back or in the rear; distant; remote; as, the back door; back settlements., Being in arrear; overdue; as, back rent., Moving or operating backward; as, back action., To get upon the back of; to mount., To place or seat upon the back., To drive or force backward; to cause to retreat or recede; as, to back oxen., To make a back for; to furnish with a back; as, to back books., To adjoin behind; to be at the back of., To write upon the back of; as, to back a letter; to indorse; as, to back a note or legal document., To support; to maintain; to second or strengthen by aid or influence; as, to back a friend., To bet on the success of; — as, to back a race horse., To move or go backward; as, the horse refuses to back., To change from one quarter to another by a course opposite to that of the sun; — used of the wind., To stand still behind another dog which has pointed; — said of a dog., In, to, or toward, the rear; as, to stand back; to step back., To the place from which one came; to the place or person from which something is taken or derived; as, to go back for something left behind; to go back to one’s native place; to put a book back after reading it., To a former state, condition, or station; as, to go back to private life; to go back to barbarism., (Of time) In times past; ago., Away from contact; by reverse movement., In concealment or reserve; in one’s own possession; as, to keep back the truth; to keep back part of the money due to another., In a state of restraint or hindrance., In return, repayment, or requital., In withdrawal from a statement, promise, or undertaking; as, he took back0 the offensive words., In arrear; as, to be back in one’s rent. |
| bade | A form of the pat tense of Bid., of Bid | |
| baff | noun | A blow; a stroke. |
| baft | noun | Same as Bafta. |
| bail | noun | A bucket or scoop used in bailing water out of a boat., To lade; to dip and throw; — usually with out; as, to bail water out of a boat., To dip or lade water from; — often with out to express completeness; as, to bail a boat., To deliver; to release., To set free, or deliver from arrest, or out of custody, on the undertaking of some other person or persons that he or they will be responsible for the appearance, at a certain day and place, of the person bailed., To deliver, as goods in trust, for some special object or purpose, upon a contract, expressed or implied, that the trust shall be faithfully executed on the part of the bailee, or person intrusted; as, to bail cloth to a tailor to be made into a garment; to bail goods to a carrier., Custody; keeping., The person or persons who procure the release of a prisoner from the custody of the officer, or from imprisonment, by becoming surely for his appearance in court., The security given for the appearance of a prisoner in order to obtain his release from custody of the officer; as, the man is out on bail; to go bail for any one., The arched handle of a kettle, pail, or similar vessel, usually movable., A half hoop for supporting the cover of a carrier’s wagon, awning of a boat, etc., A line of palisades serving as an exterior defense., The outer wall of a feudal castle. Hence: The space inclosed by it; the outer court., A certain limit within a forest., A division for the stalls of an open stable., The top or cross piece ( or either of the two cross pieces) of the wicket. |
| bain | noun | A bath; a bagnio. |
| bait | verb i. | Any substance, esp. food, used in catching fish, or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, inclosure, or net., Anything which allures; a lure; enticement; temptation., A portion of food or drink, as a refreshment taken on a journey; also, a stop for rest and refreshment., A light or hasty luncheon., To provoke and harass; esp., to harass or torment for sport; as, to bait a bear with dogs; to bait a bull., To give a portion of food and drink to, upon the road; as, to bait horses., To furnish or cover with bait, as a trap or hook., To stop to take a portion of food and drink for refreshment of one’s self or one’s beasts, on a journey., To flap the wings; to flutter as if to fly; or to hover, as a hawk when she stoops to her prey. |
| bake | verb t. | To prepare, as food, by cooking in a dry heat, either in an oven or under coals, or on heated stone or metal; as, to bake bread, meat, apples., To dry or harden (anything) by subjecting to heat, as, to bake bricks; the sun bakes the ground., To harden by cold., To do the work of baking something; as, she brews, washes, and bakes., To be baked; to become dry and hard in heat; as, the bread bakes; the ground bakes in the hot sun., The process, or result, of baking. |
| bald | adjective | Destitute of the natural or common covering on the head or top, as of hair, feathers, foliage, trees, etc.; as, a bald head; a bald oak., Destitute of ornament; unadorned; bare; literal., Undisguised., Destitute of dignity or value; paltry; mean., Destitute of a beard or awn; as, bald wheat., Destitute of the natural covering., Marked with a white spot on the head; bald-faced. |
| bale | noun | A bundle or package of goods in a cloth cover, and corded for storage or transportation; also, a bundle of straw / hay, etc., put up compactly for transportation., To make up in a bale., See Bail, v. t., to lade., Misery; calamity; misfortune; sorrow., Evil; an evil, pernicious influence; something causing great injury. |
| balk | verb i. | A ridge of land left unplowed between furrows, or at the end of a field; a piece missed by the plow slipping aside., A great beam, rafter, or timber; esp., the tie-beam of a house. The loft above was called “the balks.”, One of the beams connecting the successive supports of a trestle bridge or bateau bridge., A hindrance or disappointment; a check., A sudden and obstinate stop; a failure., A deceptive gesture of the pitcher, as if to deliver the ball., To leave or make balks in., To leave heaped up; to heap up in piles., To omit, miss, or overlook by chance., To miss intentionally; to avoid; to shun; to refuse; to let go by; to shirk., To disappoint; to frustrate; to foil; to baffle; to /hwart; as, to balk expectation., To engage in contradiction; to be in opposition., To stop abruptly and stand still obstinately; to jib; to stop short; to swerve; as, the horse balks., To indicate to fishermen, by shouts or signals from shore, the direction taken by the shoals of herring. |
| ball | noun | Any round or roundish body or mass; a sphere or globe; as, a ball of twine; a ball of snow., A spherical body of any substance or size used to play with, as by throwing, knocking, kicking, etc., A general name for games in which a ball is thrown, kicked, or knocked. See Baseball, and Football., Any solid spherical, cylindrical, or conical projectile of lead or iron, to be discharged from a firearm; as, a cannon ball; a rifle ball; — often used collectively; as, powder and ball. Spherical balls for the smaller firearms are commonly called bullets., A flaming, roundish body shot into the air; a case filled with combustibles intended to burst and give light or set fire, or to produce smoke or stench; as, a fire ball; a stink ball., A leather-covered cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock; — formerly used by printers for inking the form, but now superseded by the roller., A roundish protuberant portion of some part of the body; as, the ball of the thumb; the ball of the foot., A large pill, a form in which medicine is commonly given to horses; a bolus., The globe or earth., To gather balls which cling to the feet, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into balls; as, the horse balls; the snow balls., To heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling., To form or wind into a ball; as, to ball cotton., A social assembly for the purpose of dancing. |
| balm | noun | An aromatic plant of the genus Melissa., The resinous and aromatic exudation of certain trees or shrubs., Any fragrant ointment., Anything that heals or that mitigates pain., To anoint with balm, or with anything medicinal. Hence: To soothe; to mitigate. |
| banc | noun | Alt. of Bank |
| bank | noun | A bench; a high seat, or seat of distinction or judgment; a tribunal or court., A mound, pile, or ridge of earth, raised above the surrounding level; hence, anything shaped like a mound or ridge of earth; as, a bank of clouds; a bank of snow., A steep acclivity, as the slope of a hill, or the side of a ravine., The margin of a watercourse; the rising ground bordering a lake, river, or sea, or forming the edge of a cutting, or other hollow., An elevation, or rising ground, under the sea; a shoal, shelf, or shallow; as, the banks of Newfoundland., The face of the coal at which miners are working., A deposit of ore or coal, worked by excavations above water level., The ground at the top of a shaft; as, ores are brought to bank., To raise a mound or dike about; to inclose, defend, or fortify with a bank; to embank., To heap or pile up; as, to bank sand., To pass by the banks of., A bench, as for rowers in a galley; also, a tier of oars., The bench or seat upon which the judges sit., The regular term of a court of law, or the full court sitting to hear arguments upon questions of law, as distinguished from a sitting at Nisi Prius, or a court held for jury trials. See Banc., A sort of table used by printers., A bench, or row of keys belonging to a keyboard, as in an organ., An establishment for the custody, loan, exchange, or issue, of money, and for facilitating the transmission of funds by drafts or bills of exchange; an institution incorporated for performing one or more of such functions, or the stockholders (or their representatives, the directors), acting in their corporate capacity., The building or office used for banking purposes., A fund from deposits or contributions, to be used in transacting business; a joint stock or capital., The sum of money or the checks which the dealer or banker has as a fund, from which to draw his stakes and pay his losses., In certain games, as dominos, a fund of pieces from which the players are allowed to draw., To deposit in a bank., To keep a bank; to carry on the business of a banker., To deposit money in a bank; to have an account with a banker. |
| band | verb t. | A fillet, strap, or any narrow ligament with which a thing is encircled, or fastened, or by which a number of things are tied, bound together, or confined; a fetter., A continuous tablet, stripe, or series of ornaments, as of carved foliage, of color, or of brickwork, etc., In Gothic architecture, the molding, or suite of moldings, which encircles the pillars and small shafts., That which serves as the means of union or connection between persons; a tie., A linen collar or ruff worn in the 16th and 17th centuries., Two strips of linen hanging from the neck in front as part of a clerical, legal, or academic dress., A narrow strip of cloth or other material on any article of dress, to bind, strengthen, ornament, or complete it., A company of persons united in any common design, especially a body of armed men., A number of musicians who play together upon portable musical instruments, especially those making a loud sound, as certain wind instruments (trumpets, clarinets, etc.), and drums, or cymbals., A space between elevated lines or ribs, as of the fruits of umbelliferous plants., A stripe, streak, or other mark transverse to the axis of the body., A belt or strap., A bond, Pledge; security., To bind or tie with a band., To mark with a band., To unite in a troop, company, or confederacy., To confederate for some common purpose; to unite; to conspire together., To bandy; to drive away., imp. of Bind. |
| bane | noun | That which destroys life, esp. poison of a deadly quality., Destruction; death., Any cause of ruin, or lasting injury; harm; woe., A disease in sheep, commonly termed the rot., To be the bane of; to ruin. |
| bang | verb t. | To beat, as with a club or cudgel; to treat with violence; to handle roughly., To beat or thump, or to cause ( something) to hit or strike against another object, in such a way as to make a loud noise; as, to bang a drum or a piano; to bang a door (against the doorpost or casing) in shutting it., To make a loud noise, as if with a blow or succession of blows; as, the window blind banged and waked me; he was banging on the piano., A blow as with a club; a heavy blow., The sound produced by a sudden concussion., To cut squarely across, as the tail of a hors, or the forelock of human beings; to cut (the hair)., The short, front hair combed down over the forehead, esp. when cut squarely across; a false front of hair similarly worn., Alt. of Bangue |
| barb | noun | Beard, or that which resembles it, or grows in the place of it., A muffler, worn by nuns and mourners., Paps, or little projections, of the mucous membrane, which mark the opening of the submaxillary glands under the tongue in horses and cattle. The name is mostly applied when the barbs are inflamed and swollen., The point that stands backward in an arrow, fishhook, etc., to prevent it from being easily extracted. Hence: Anything which stands out with a sharp point obliquely or crosswise to something else., A bit for a horse., One of the side branches of a feather, which collectively constitute the vane. See Feather., A southern name for the kingfishes of the eastern and southeastern coasts of the United States; — also improperly called whiting., A hair or bristle ending in a double hook., To shave or dress the beard of., To clip; to mow., To furnish with barbs, or with that which will hold or hurt like barbs, as an arrow, fishhook, spear, etc., The Barbary horse, a superior breed introduced from Barbary into Spain by the Moors., A blackish or dun variety of the pigeon, originally brought from Barbary., Armor for a horse. Same as 2d Bard, n., 1. |
| bard | noun | A professional poet and singer, as among the ancient Celts, whose occupation was to compose and sing verses in honor of the heroic achievements of princes and brave men., Hence: A poet; as, the bard of Avon., Alt. of Barde, To cover (meat or game) with a thin slice of fat bacon., The exterior covering of the trunk and branches of a tree; the rind., Specifically, Peruvian bark. |
| bare | adjective | Without clothes or covering; stripped of the usual covering; naked; as, his body is bare; the trees are bare., With head uncovered; bareheaded., Without anything to cover up or conceal one’s thoughts or actions; open to view; exposed., Plain; simple; unadorned; without polish; bald; meager., Destitute; indigent; empty; unfurnished or scantily furnished; — used with of (rarely with in) before the thing wanting or taken away; as, a room bare of furniture., Threadbare; much worn., Mere; alone; unaccompanied by anything else; as, a bare majority., Surface; body; substance., That part of a roofing slate, shingle, tile, or metal plate, which is exposed to the weather., To strip off the covering of; to make bare; as, to bare the breast., Bore; the old preterit of Bear, v., of Bear |
| bark | verb t. | To strip the bark from; to peel., To abrade or rub off any outer covering from; as to bark one’s heel., To girdle. See Girdle, v. t., 3., To cover or inclose with bark, or as with bark; as, to bark the roof of a hut., To make a short, loud, explosive noise with the vocal organs; — said of some animals, but especially of dogs., To make a clamor; to make importunate outcries., The short, loud, explosive sound uttered by a dog; a similar sound made by some other animals., Alt. of Barque |
| barm | noun | Foam rising upon beer, or other malt liquors, when fermenting, and used as leaven in making bread and in brewing; yeast., The lap or bosom. |
| barn | noun | A covered building used chiefly for storing grain, hay, and other productions of a farm. In the United States a part of the barn is often used for stables., To lay up in a barn., A child. [Obs.] See Bairn. |
| base | adjective | Of little, or less than the usual, height; of low growth; as, base shrubs., Low in place or position., Of humble birth; or low degree; lowly; mean., Illegitimate by birth; bastard., Of little comparative value, as metal inferior to gold and silver, the precious metals., Alloyed with inferior metal; debased; as, base coin; base bullion., Morally low. Hence: Low-minded; unworthy; without dignity of sentiment; ignoble; mean; illiberal; menial; as, a base fellow; base motives; base occupations., Not classical or correct., Deep or grave in sound; as, the base tone of a violin., Not held by honorable service; as, a base estate, one held by services not honorable; held by villenage. Such a tenure is called base, or low, and the tenant, a base tenant., The bottom of anything, considered as its support, or that on which something rests for support; the foundation; as, the base of a statue., Fig.: The fundamental or essential part of a thing; the essential principle; a groundwork., The lower part of a wall, pier, or column, when treated as a separate feature, usually in projection, or especially ornamented., The lower part of a complete architectural design, as of a monument; also, the lower part of any elaborate piece of furniture or decoration., That extremity of a leaf, fruit, etc., at which it is attached to its support., The positive, or non-acid component of a salt; a substance which, combined with an acid, neutralizes the latter and forms a salt; — applied also to the hydroxides of the positive elements or radicals, and to certain organic bodies resembling them in their property of forming salts with acids., The chief ingredient in a compound., A substance used as a mordant., The exterior side of the polygon, or that imaginary line which connects the salient angles of two adjacent bastions., The line or surface constituting that part of a figure on which it is supposed to stand., The number from which a mathematical table is constructed; as, the base of a system of logarithms., A low, or deep, sound. (Mus.) (a) The lowest part; the deepest male voice. (b) One who sings, or the instrument which plays, base., A place or tract of country, protected by fortifications, or by natural advantages, from which the operations of an army proceed, forward movements are made, supplies are furnished, etc., The smallest kind of cannon., That part of an organ by which it is attached to another more central organ., The basal plane of a crystal., The ground mass of a rock, especially if not distinctly crystalline., The lower part of the field. See Escutcheon., The housing of a horse., A kind of skirt ( often of velvet or brocade, but sometimes of mailed armor) which hung from the middle to about the knees, or lower., The lower part of a robe or petticoat., An apron., The point or line from which a start is made; a starting place or a goal in various games., A line in a survey which, being accurately determined in length and position, serves as the origin from which to compute the distances and positions of any points or objects connected with it by a system of triangles., A rustic play; — called also prisoner’s base, prison base, or bars., Any one of the four bounds which mark the circuit of the infield., To put on a base or basis; to lay the foundation of; to found, as an argument or conclusion; — used with on or upon., To abase; to let, or cast, down; to lower., To reduce the value of; to debase. |
| bash | verb t. & i. | To abash; to disconcert or be disconcerted or put out of countenance. |
| bask | verb t. | To lie in warmth; to be exposed to genial heat., To warm by continued exposure to heat; to warm with genial heat. |
| bass | plural | of Bass, An edible, spiny-finned fish, esp. of the genera Roccus, Labrax, and related genera. There are many species., The two American fresh-water species of black bass (genus Micropterus). See Black bass., Species of Serranus, the sea bass and rock bass. See Sea bass., The southern, red, or channel bass (Sciaena ocellata). See Redfish., The linden or lime tree, sometimes wrongly called whitewood; also, its bark, which is used for making mats. See Bast., A hassock or thick mat., A bass, or deep, sound or tone., The lowest part in a musical composition., One who sings, or the instrument which plays, bass., Deep or grave in tone., To sound in a deep tone. |
| bast | noun | The inner fibrous bark of various plants; esp. of the lime tree; hence, matting, cordage, etc., made therefrom., A thick mat or hassock. See 2d Bass, 2. |
| bate | noun | Strife; contention., To lessen by retrenching, deducting, or reducing; to abate; to beat down; to lower., To allow by way of abatement or deduction., To leave out; to except., To remove., To deprive of., To remit or retrench a part; — with of., To waste away., To attack; to bait., imp. of Bite., To flutter as a hawk; to bait., See 2d Bath., An alkaline solution consisting of the dung of certain animals; — employed in the preparation of hides; grainer., To steep in bate, as hides, in the manufacture of leather. |
| bath | noun | The act of exposing the body, or part of the body, for purposes of cleanliness, comfort, health, etc., to water, vapor, hot air, or the like; as, a cold or a hot bath; a medicated bath; a steam bath; a hip bath., Water or other liquid for bathing., A receptacle or place where persons may immerse or wash their bodies in water., A building containing an apartment or a series of apartments arranged for bathing., A medium, as heated sand, ashes, steam, hot air, through which heat is applied to a body., A solution in which plates or prints are immersed; also, the receptacle holding the solution., A Hebrew measure containing the tenth of a homer, or five gallons and three pints, as a measure for liquids; and two pecks and five quarts, as a dry measure., A city in the west of England, resorted to for its hot springs, which has given its name to various objects. |
| batz | noun | A small copper coin, with a mixture of silver, formerly current in some parts of Germany and Switzerland. It was worth about four cents. |
| bauk | noun & verb | Alt. of Baulk |
| bawd | noun | 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., To procure women for lewd purposes. |
| bawl | verb i. | To cry out with a loud, full sound; to cry with vehemence, as in calling or exultation; to shout; to vociferate., To cry loudly, as a child from pain or vexation., To proclaim with a loud voice, or by outcry, as a hawker or town-crier does., A loud, prolonged cry; an outcry. |
| bawn | noun | An inclosure with mud or stone walls, for keeping cattle; a fortified inclosure., A large house. |
| baya | noun | The East Indian weaver bird (Ploceus Philippinus). |
| bays | noun | Alt. of Bayze |
| been | past participle | of Be, The past participle of Be. In old authors it is also the pr. tense plural of Be. See 1st Bee. |
| bead | noun | A prayer., 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., Any small globular body, A bubble in spirits., A drop of sweat or other liquid., A small knob of metal on a firearm, used for taking aim (whence the expression to draw a bead, for, to take aim)., A small molding of rounded surface, the section being usually an arc of a circle. It may be continuous, or broken into short embossments., 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., To ornament with beads or beading., To form beadlike bubbles. |
| beak | noun | 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., A similar bill in other animals, as the turtles., The long projecting sucking mouth of some insects, and other invertebrates, as in the Hemiptera., The upper or projecting part of the shell, near the hinge of a bivalve., The prolongation of certain univalve shells containing the canal., Anything projecting or ending in a point, like a beak, as a promontory of land., 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., That part of a ship, before the forecastle, which is fastened to the stem, and supported by the main knee., A continuous slight projection ending in an arris or narrow fillet; that part of a drip from which the water is thrown off., Any process somewhat like the beak of a bird, terminating the fruit or other parts of a plant., A toe clip. See Clip, n. (Far.)., A magistrate or policeman. |
| beal | verb i. | To gather matter; to swell and come to a head, as a pimple. |
| beam | noun | Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use., One of the principal horizontal timbers of a building or ship., The width of a vessel; as, one vessel is said to have more beam than another., The bar of a balance, from the ends of which the scales are suspended., The principal stem or horn of a stag or other deer, which bears the antlers, or branches., The pole of a carriage., 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., The straight part or shank of an anchor., 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., 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., A ray or collection of parallel rays emitted from the sun or other luminous body; as, a beam of light, or of heat., Fig.: A ray; a gleam; as, a beam of comfort., One of the long feathers in the wing of a hawk; — called also beam feather., To send forth; to emit; — followed ordinarily by forth; as, to beam forth light., To emit beams of light. |
| bean | noun | A name given to the seed of certain leguminous herbs, chiefly of the genera Faba, Phaseolus, and Dolichos; also, to the herbs., The popular name of other vegetable seeds or fruits, more or less resembling true beans. |
| bore | imp. | of Bear, To perforate or penetrate, as a solid body, by turning an auger, gimlet, drill, or other instrument; to make a round hole in or through; to pierce; as, to bore a plank., To form or enlarge by means of a boring instrument or apparatus; as, to bore a steam cylinder or a gun barrel; to bore a hole., To make (a passage) by laborious effort, as in boring; as, to bore one’s way through a crowd; to force a narrow and difficult passage through., To weary by tedious iteration or by dullness; to tire; to trouble; to vex; to annoy; to pester., To befool; to trick., To make a hole or perforation with, or as with, a boring instrument; to cut a circular hole by the rotary motion of a tool; as, to bore for water or oil (i. e., to sink a well by boring for water or oil); to bore with a gimlet; to bore into a tree (as insects)., To be pierced or penetrated by an instrument that cuts as it turns; as, this timber does not bore well, or is hard to bore., To push forward in a certain direction with laborious effort., To shoot out the nose or toss it in the air; — said of a horse., A hole made by boring; a perforation., The internal cylindrical cavity of a gun, cannon, pistol, or other firearm, or of a pipe or tube., The size of a hole; the interior diameter of a tube or gun barrel; the caliber., A tool for making a hole by boring, as an auger., Caliber; importance., A person or thing that wearies by prolixity or dullness; a tiresome person or affair; any person or thing which causes ennui., A tidal flood which regularly or occasionally rushes into certain rivers of peculiar configuration or location, in one or more waves which present a very abrupt front of considerable height, dangerous to shipping, as at the mouth of the Amazon, in South America, the Hoogly and Indus, in India, and the Tsien-tang, in China., Less properly, a very high and rapid tidal flow, when not so abrupt, such as occurs at the Bay of Fundy and in the British Channel., imp. of 1st & 2d Bear. |
| born | past participle | of Bear, Brought forth, as an animal; brought into life; introduced by birth., Having from birth a certain character; by or from birth; by nature; innate; as, a born liar. |
| bear | verb t. | To support or sustain; to hold up., To support and remove or carry; to convey., To conduct; to bring; — said of persons., To possess and use, as power; to exercise., To sustain; to have on (written or inscribed, or as a mark), as, the tablet bears this inscription., To possess or carry, as a mark of authority or distinction; to wear; as, to bear a sword, badge, or name., To possess mentally; to carry or hold in the mind; to entertain; to harbor, To endure; to tolerate; to undergo; to suffer., To gain or win., To sustain, or be answerable for, as blame, expense, responsibility, etc., To render or give; to bring forward., To carry on, or maintain; to have., To admit or be capable of; that is, to suffer or sustain without violence, injury, or change., To manage, wield, or direct., To behave; to conduct., To afford; to be to; to supply with., To bring forth or produce; to yield; as, to bear apples; to bear children; to bear interest., To produce, as fruit; to be fruitful, in opposition to barrenness., To suffer, as in carrying a burden., To endure with patience; to be patient., To press; — with on or upon, or against., To take effect; to have influence or force; as, to bring matters to bear., To relate or refer; — with on or upon; as, how does this bear on the question?, To have a certain meaning, intent, or effect., To be situated, as to the point of compass, with respect to something else; as, the land bears N. by E., A bier., Any species of the genus Ursus, and of the closely allied genera. Bears are plantigrade Carnivora, but they live largely on fruit and insects., 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., One of two constellations in the northern hemisphere, called respectively the Great Bear and the Lesser Bear, or Ursa Major and Ursa Minor., Metaphorically: A brutal, coarse, or morose person., A person who sells stocks or securities for future delivery in expectation of a fall in the market., A portable punching machine., A block covered with coarse matting; — used to scour the deck., To endeavor to depress the price of, or prices in; as, to bear a railroad stock; to bear the market., Alt. of Bere |
| bere | noun | Barley; the six-rowed barley or the four-rowed barley, commonly the former (Hord. vulgare)., To pierce., See Bear, barley. |
| beat | imp. | of Beat, of Beat, 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., To punish by blows; to thrash., To scour or range over in hunting, accompanied with the noise made by striking bushes, etc., for the purpose of rousing game., To dash against, or strike, as with water or wind., To tread, as a path., To overcome in a battle, contest, strife, race, game, etc.; to vanquish or conquer; to surpass., To cheat; to chouse; to swindle; to defraud; — often with out., To exercise severely; to perplex; to trouble., 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 strike repeatedly; to inflict repeated blows; to knock vigorously or loudly., To move with pulsation or throbbing., To come or act with violence; to dash or fall with force; to strike anything, as, rain, wind, and waves do., To be in agitation or doubt., To make progress against the wind, by sailing in a zigzag line or traverse., To make a sound when struck; as, the drums beat., To make a succession of strokes on a drum; as, the drummers beat to call soldiers to their quarters., 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 stroke; a blow., A recurring stroke; a throb; a pulsation; as, a beat of the heart; the beat of the pulse., 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., A transient grace note, struck immediately before the one it is intended to ornament., A sudden swelling or reenforcement 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., A round or course which is frequently gone over; as, a watchman’s beat., A place of habitual or frequent resort., A cheat or swindler of the lowest grade; — often emphasized by dead; as, a dead beat., Weary; tired; fatigued; exhausted. |
| beau | noun | A man who takes great care to dress in the latest fashion; a dandy., A man who escorts, or pays attentions to, a lady; an escort; a lover. |
| beck | noun | See Beak., A small brook., A vat. See Back., To nod, or make a sign with the head or hand., To notify or call by a nod, or a motion of the head or hand; to intimate a command to., A significant nod, or motion of the head or hand, esp. as a call or command. |
| bede | verb t. | To pray; also, to offer; to proffer., A kind of pickax. |
| beef | noun | 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., The flesh of an ox, or cow, or of any adult bovine animal, when slaughtered for food., Applied colloquially to human flesh., Of, pertaining to, or resembling, beef. |
| beem | noun | A trumpet. |
| beer | noun | A fermented liquor made from any malted grain, but commonly from barley malt, with hops or some other substance to impart a bitter flavor., A fermented extract of the roots and other parts of various plants, as spruce, ginger, sassafras, etc. |
| beet | noun | A biennial plant of the genus Beta, which produces an edible root the first year and seed the second year., 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. |
| bete | verb t. | To mend; to repair., To renew or enkindle (a fire)., To better; to mend. See Beete. |
| bega | noun | See Bigha. |
| behn | noun | The Centaurea behen, or saw-leaved centaury., The Cucubalus behen, or bladder campion, now called Silene inflata., The Statice limonium, or sea lavender. |
| belk | verb t. | To vomit. |
| bell | noun | 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., A hollow perforated sphere of metal containing a loose ball which causes it to sound when moved., Anything in the form of a bell, as the cup or corol of a flower., 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., The strikes of the bell which mark the time; or the time so designated., To put a bell upon; as, to bell the cat., To make bell-mouthed; as, to bell a tube., To develop bells or corollas; to take the form of a bell; to blossom; as, hops bell., To utter by bellowing., To call or bellow, as the deer in rutting time; to make a bellowing sound; to roar. |
| belt | noun | That which engirdles a person or thing; a band or girdle; as, a lady’s belt; a sword belt., That which restrains or confines as a girdle., 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., Same as Band, n., 2. A very broad band is more properly termed a belt., One of certain girdles or zones on the surface of the planets Jupiter and Saturn, supposed to be of the nature of clouds., A narrow passage or strait; as, the Great Belt and the Lesser Belt, leading to the Baltic Sea., A token or badge of knightly rank., A band of leather, or other flexible substance, passing around two wheels, and communicating motion from one to the other., A band or stripe, as of color, round any organ; or any circular ridge or series of ridges., To encircle with, or as with, a belt; to encompass; to surround., To shear, as the buttocks and tails of sheep. |
| bema | noun | A platform from which speakers addressed an assembly., That part of an early Christian church which was reserved for the higher clergy; the inner or eastern part of the chancel., Erroneously: A pulpit. |
| bent | of Bend, imp. & p. p. of Bend., Changed by pressure so as to be no longer straight; crooked; as, a bent pin; a bent lever., 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., The state of being curved, crooked, or inclined from a straight line; flexure; curvity; as, the bent of a bow., A declivity or slope, as of a hill., A leaning or bias; proclivity; tendency of mind; inclination; disposition; purpose; aim., Particular direction or tendency; flexion; course., A transverse frame of a framed structure., Tension; force of acting; energy; impetus., A reedlike grass; a stalk of stiff, coarse grass., A grass of the genus Agrostis, esp. Agrostis vulgaris, or redtop. The name is also used of many other grasses, esp. in America., Any neglected field or broken ground; a common; a moor. | |
| bend | verb t. | 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., To turn toward some certain point; to direct; to incline., To apply closely or with interest; to direct., To cause to yield; to render submissive; to subdue., 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., To be moved or strained out of a straight line; to crook or be curving; to bow., To jut over; to overhang., To be inclined; to be directed., To bow in prayer, or in token of submission., 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., Turn; purpose; inclination; ends., A knot by which one rope is fastened to another or to an anchor, spar, or post., The best quality of sole leather; a butt. See Butt., Hard, indurated clay; bind., same as caisson disease. Usually referred to as the bends., A band., 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. |
| bene | noun | See Benne., A prayer; boon., Alt. of Ben |
| berg | noun | A large mass or hill, as of ice. |
| berm | noun | Alt. of Berme |
| best | adjective | 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., Most advanced; most correct or complete; as, the best scholar; the best view of a subject., Most; largest; as, the best part of a week., 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., In the highest degree; beyond all others., To the most advantage; with the most success, case, profit, benefit, or propriety., Most intimately; most thoroughly or correctly; as, what is expedient is best known to himself., To get the better of. |
| bevy | noun | A company; an assembly or collection of persons, especially of ladies., A flock of birds, especially quails or larks; also, a herd of roes. |
| bias | noun | A weight on the side of the ball used in the game of bowls, or a tendency imparted to the ball, which turns it from a straight line., A leaning of the mind; propensity or prepossession toward an object or view, not leaving the mind indifferent; bent; inclination., A wedge-shaped piece of cloth taken out of a garment (as the waist of a dress) to diminish its circumference., A slant; a diagonal; as, to cut cloth on the bias., Inclined to one side; swelled on one side., Cut slanting or diagonally, as cloth., In a slanting manner; crosswise; obliquely; diagonally; as, to cut cloth bias., To incline to one side; to give a particular direction to; to influence; to prejudice; to prepossess. |
| bibb | noun | A bibcock. See Bib, n., 3. |
| bice | noun | Alt. of Bise |
| bise | noun | A pale blue pigment, prepared from the native blue carbonate of copper, or from smalt; — called also blue bice., A cold north wind which prevails on the northern coasts of the Mediterranean and in Switzerland, etc.; — nearly the same as the mistral., See Bice. |
| bide | verb t. | To dwell; to inhabit; to abide; to stay., To remain; to continue or be permanent in a place or state; to continue to be., To encounter; to remain firm under (a hardship); to endure; to suffer; to undergo., To wait for; as, I bide my time. See Abide. |
| bier | noun | A handbarrow or portable frame on which a corpse is placed or borne to the grave., A count of forty threads in the warp or chain of woolen cloth. |
| bigg | noun | Barley, especially the hardy four-rowed kind., To build., See Big, n. & v. |
| biga | noun | A two-horse chariot. |
| bike | noun | A nest of wild bees, wasps, or ants; a swarm. |
| bikh | noun | The East Indian name of a virulent poison extracted from Aconitum ferox or other species of aconite: also, the plant itself. |
| bile | noun | A yellow, or greenish, viscid fluid, usually alkaline in reaction, secreted by the liver. It passes into the intestines, where it aids in the digestive process. Its characteristic constituents are the bile salts, and coloring matters., Bitterness of feeling; choler; anger; ill humor; as, to stir one’s bile., A boil. |
| bilk | verb t. | To frustrate or disappoint; to deceive or defraud, by nonfulfillment of engagement; to leave in the lurch; to give the slip to; as, to bilk a creditor., A thwarting an adversary in cribbage by spoiling his score; a balk., A cheat; a trick; a hoax., Nonsense; vain words., A person who tricks a creditor; an untrustworthy, tricky person. |
| bill | noun | A beak, as of a bird, or sometimes of a turtle or other animal., To strike; to peck., To join bills, as doves; to caress in fondness., The bell, or boom, of the bittern, A cutting instrument, with hook-shaped point, and fitted with a handle; — used in pruning, etc.; a billhook. When short, called a hand bill, when long, a hedge bill., A weapon of infantry, in the 14th and 15th centuries. A common form of bill consisted of a broad, heavy, double-edged, hook-shaped blade, having a short pike at the back and another at the top, and attached to the end of a long staff., One who wields a bill; a billman., A pickax, or mattock., The extremity of the arm of an anchor; the point of or beyond the fluke., To work upon ( as to dig, hoe, hack, or chop anything) with a bill., A declaration made in writing, stating some wrong the complainant has suffered from the defendant, or a fault committed by some person against a law., A writing binding the signer or signers to pay a certain sum at a future day or on demand, with or without interest, as may be stated in the document., A form or draft of a law, presented to a legislature for enactment; a proposed or projected law., A paper, written or printed, and posted up or given away, to advertise something, as a lecture, a play, or the sale of goods; a placard; a poster; a handbill., An account of goods sold, services rendered, or work done, with the price or charge; a statement of a creditor’s claim, in gross or by items; as, a grocer’s bill., Any paper, containing a statement of particulars; as, a bill of charges or expenditures; a weekly bill of mortality; a bill of fare, etc., To advertise by a bill or public notice., To charge or enter in a bill; as, to bill goods. |
| bin- | A euphonic form of the prefix Bi-. | |
| bind | verb t. | To tie, or confine with a cord, band, ligature, chain, etc.; to fetter; to make fast; as, to bind grain in bundles; to bind a prisoner., To confine, restrain, or hold by physical force or influence of any kind; as, attraction binds the planets to the sun; frost binds the earth, or the streams., To cover, as with a bandage; to bandage or dress; — sometimes with up; as, to bind up a wound., To make fast ( a thing) about or upon something, as by tying; to encircle with something; as, to bind a belt about one; to bind a compress upon a part., To prevent or restrain from customary or natural action; as, certain drugs bind the bowels., To protect or strengthen by a band or binding, as the edge of a carpet or garment., To sew or fasten together, and inclose in a cover; as, to bind a book., Fig.: To oblige, restrain, or hold, by authority, law, duty, promise, vow, affection, or other moral tie; as, to bind the conscience; to bind by kindness; bound by affection; commerce binds nations to each other., To bring (any one) under definite legal obligations; esp. under the obligation of a bond or covenant., To place under legal obligation to serve; to indenture; as, to bind an apprentice; — sometimes with out; as, bound out to service., To tie; to confine by any ligature., To contract; to grow hard or stiff; to cohere or stick together in a mass; as, clay binds by heat., To be restrained from motion, or from customary or natural action, as by friction., To exert a binding or restraining influence., That which binds or ties., Any twining or climbing plant or stem, esp. a hop vine; a bine., Indurated clay, when much mixed with the oxide of iron., A ligature or tie for grouping notes. |
| bine | noun | The winding or twining stem of a hop vine or other climbing plant. |
| bing | noun | A heap or pile; as, a bing of wood. |
| bink | noun | A bench. |
| bion | present participle | The physiological individual, characterized by definiteness and independence of function, in distinction from the morphological individual or morphon. |
| bird | noun | Orig., a chicken; the young of a fowl; a young eaglet; a nestling; and hence, a feathered flying animal (see 2)., A warm-blooded, feathered vertebrate provided with wings. See Aves., Specifically, among sportsmen, a game bird., Fig.: A girl; a maiden., To catch or shoot birds., Hence: To seek for game or plunder; to thieve. |
| birk | noun | A birch tree., A small European minnow (Leuciscus phoxinus). |
| birl | verb t. & i. | To revolve or cause to revolve; to spin., To pour (beer or wine); to ply with drink; to drink; to carouse. |
| birr | verb i. | To make, or move with, a whirring noise, as of wheels in motion., A whirring sound, as of a spinning wheel., A rush or impetus; force. |
| birt | noun | A fish of the turbot kind; the brill. |
| bis- | pref. | A form of Bi-, sometimes used before s, c, or a vowel. |
| bish | noun | Same as Bikh. |
| bisk | noun | Soup or broth made by boiling several sorts of flesh together., See Bisque. |
| bite | verb t. | To seize with the teeth, so that they enter or nip the thing seized; to lacerate, crush, or wound with the teeth; as, to bite an apple; to bite a crust; the dog bit a man., To puncture, abrade, or sting with an organ (of some insects) used in taking food., To cause sharp pain, or smarting, to; to hurt or injure, in a literal or a figurative sense; as, pepper bites the mouth., To cheat; to trick; to take in., To take hold of; to hold fast; to adhere to; as, the anchor bites the ground., To seize something forcibly with the teeth; to wound with the teeth; to have the habit of so doing; as, does the dog bite?, To cause a smarting sensation; to have a property which causes such a sensation; to be pungent; as, it bites like pepper or mustard., To cause sharp pain; to produce anguish; to hurt or injure; to have the property of so doing., To take a bait into the mouth, as a fish does; hence, to take a tempting offer., To take or keep a firm hold; as, the anchor bites., The act of seizing with the teeth or mouth; the act of wounding or separating with the teeth or mouth; a seizure with the teeth or mouth, as of a bait; as, to give anything a hard bite., The act of puncturing or abrading with an organ for taking food, as is done by some insects., The wound made by biting; as, the pain of a dog’s or snake’s bite; the bite of a mosquito., A morsel; as much as is taken at once by biting., The hold which the short end of a lever has upon the thing to be lifted, or the hold which one part of a machine has upon another., A cheat; a trick; a fraud., A sharper; one who cheats., A blank on the edge or corner of a page, owing to a portion of the frisket, or something else, intervening between the type and paper. |
| bitt | noun | See Bitts., To put round the bitts; as, to bitt the cable, in order to fasten it or to slacken it gradually, which is called veering away. |
| blab | verb | To utter or tell unnecessarily, or in a thoughtless manner; to publish (secrets or trifles) without reserve or discretion., To talk thoughtlessly or without discretion; to tattle; to tell tales., One who blabs; a babbler; a telltale. |
| blae | adjective | Dark blue or bluish gray; lead-colored. |
| blat | verb i. | To cry, as a calf or sheep; to bleat; to make a senseless noise; to talk inconsiderately., To utter inconsiderately. |
| blay | adjective | A fish. See Bleak, n. |
| blea | noun | The part of a tree which lies immediately under the bark; the alburnum or sapwood. |
| bleb | noun | A large vesicle or bulla, usually containing a serous fluid; a blister; a bubble, as in water, glass, etc. |
| blek | verb t. | To blacken; also, to defile. |
| bled | imp. & p. p. of Bleed., of Bleed | |
| blee | noun | Complexion; color; hue; likeness; form. |
| blet | noun | A form of decay in fruit which is overripe. |
| blew | imp. of Blow., of Blow, of Blow | |
| blin | verb t. & i. | To stop; to cease; to desist., Cessation; end. |
| blob | noun | Something blunt and round; a small drop or lump of something viscid or thick; a drop; a bubble; a blister., A small fresh-water fish (Uranidea Richardsoni); the miller’s thumb. |
| blot | verb t. | To spot, stain, or bespatter, as with ink., To impair; to damage; to mar; to soil., To stain with infamy; to disgrace., To obliterate, as writing with ink; to cancel; to efface; — generally with out; as, to blot out a word or a sentence. Often figuratively; as, to blot out offenses., To obscure; to eclipse; to shadow., To dry, as writing, with blotting paper., To take a blot; as, this paper blots easily., A spot or stain, as of ink on paper; a blur., An obliteration of something written or printed; an erasure., A spot on reputation; a stain; a disgrace; a reproach; a blemish., An exposure of a single man to be taken up., A single man left on a point, exposed to be taken up., A weak point; a failing; an exposed point or mark. |
| blow | verb i. | To flower; to blossom; to bloom., To cause to blossom; to put forth (blossoms or flowers)., A blossom; a flower; also, a state of blossoming; a mass of blossoms., A forcible stroke with the hand, fist, or some instrument, as a rod, a club, an ax, or a sword., A sudden or forcible act or effort; an assault., The infliction of evil; a sudden calamity; something which produces mental, physical, or financial suffering or loss (esp. when sudden); a buffet., To produce a current of air; to move, as air, esp. to move rapidly or with power; as, the wind blows., To send forth a forcible current of air, as from the mouth or from a pair of bellows., To breathe hard or quick; to pant; to puff., To sound on being blown into, as a trumpet., To spout water, etc., from the blowholes, as a whale., To be carried or moved by the wind; as, the dust blows in from the street., To talk loudly; to boast; to storm., To force a current of air upon with the mouth, or by other means; as, to blow the fire., To drive by a current air; to impel; as, the tempest blew the ship ashore., To cause air to pass through by the action of the mouth, or otherwise; to cause to sound, as a wind instrument; as, to blow a trumpet; to blow an organ., To clear of contents by forcing air through; as, to blow an egg; to blow one’s nose., To burst, shatter, or destroy by an explosion; — usually with up, down, open, or similar adverb; as, to blow up a building., To spread by report; to publish; to disclose., To form by inflation; to swell by injecting air; as, to blow bubbles; to blow glass., To inflate, as with pride; to puff up., To put out of breath; to cause to blow from fatigue; as, to blow a horse., To deposit eggs or larvae upon, or in (meat, etc.)., A blowing, esp., a violent blowing of the wind; a gale; as, a heavy blow came on, and the ship put back to port., The act of forcing air from the mouth, or through or from some instrument; as, to give a hard blow on a whistle or horn; to give the fire a blow with the bellows., The spouting of a whale., A single heat or operation of the Bessemer converter., An egg, or a larva, deposited by a fly on or in flesh, or the act of depositing it. |
| blub | verb t. & i. | To swell; to puff out, as with weeping. |
| blue | superl. | Having the color of the clear sky, or a hue resembling it, whether lighter or darker; as, the deep, blue sea; as blue as a sapphire; blue violets., Pale, without redness or glare, — said of a flame; hence, of the color of burning brimstone, betokening the presence of ghosts or devils; as, the candle burns blue; the air was blue with oaths., Low in spirits; melancholy; as, to feel blue., Suited to produce low spirits; gloomy in prospect; as, thongs looked blue., Severe or over strict in morals; gloom; as, blue and sour religionists; suiting one who is over strict in morals; inculcating an impracticable, severe, or gloomy mortality; as, blue laws., Literary; — applied to women; — an abbreviation of bluestocking., One of the seven colors into which the rays of light divide themselves, when refracted through a glass prism; the color of the clear sky, or a color resembling that, whether lighter or darker; a pigment having such color. Sometimes, poetically, the sky., A pedantic woman; a bluestocking., Low spirits; a fit of despondency; melancholy., To make blue; to dye of a blue color; to make blue by heating, as metals, etc. |
| blur | verb t. | To render obscure by making the form or outline of confused and uncertain, as by soiling; to smear; to make indistinct and confused; as, to blur manuscript by handling it while damp; to blur the impression of a woodcut by an excess of ink., To cause imperfection of vision in; to dim; to darken., To sully; to stain; to blemish, as reputation., That which obscures without effacing; a stain; a blot, as upon paper or other substance., A dim, confused appearance; indistinctness of vision; as, to see things with a blur; it was all blur., A moral stain or blot. |
| boas | plural | of Boa |
| boar | noun | The uncastrated male of swine; specifically, the wild hog. |
| boat | noun | A small open vessel, or water craft, usually moved by cars or paddles, but often by a sail., Hence, any vessel; usually with some epithet descriptive of its use or mode of propulsion; as, pilot boat, packet boat, passage boat, advice boat, etc. The term is sometimes applied to steam vessels, even of the largest class; as, the Cunard boats., A vehicle, utensil, or dish, somewhat resembling a boat in shape; as, a stone boat; a gravy boat., To transport in a boat; as, to boat goods., To place in a boat; as, to boat oars., To go or row in a boat. |
| boce | noun | A European fish (Box vulgaris), having a compressed body and bright colors; — called also box, and bogue. |
| bode | verb t. | To indicate by signs, as future events; to be the omen of; to portend to presage; to foreshow., To foreshow something; to augur., An omen; a foreshadowing., A bid; an offer., A messenger; a herald., A stop; a halting; delay., Abode., Bid or bidden. |
| body | noun | The material organized substance of an animal, whether living or dead, as distinguished from the spirit, or vital principle; the physical person., The trunk, or main part, of a person or animal, as distinguished from the limbs and head; the main, central, or principal part, as of a tree, army, country, etc., The real, as opposed to the symbolical; the substance, as opposed to the shadow., A person; a human being; — frequently in composition; as, anybody, nobody., A number of individuals spoken of collectively, usually as united by some common tie, or as organized for some purpose; a collective whole or totality; a corporation; as, a legislative body; a clerical body., A number of things or particulars embodied in a system; a general collection; as, a great body of facts; a body of laws or of divinity., Any mass or portion of matter; any substance distinct from others; as, a metallic body; a moving body; an aeriform body., Amount; quantity; extent., That part of a garment covering the body, as distinguished from the parts covering the limbs., The bed or box of a vehicle, on or in which the load is placed; as, a wagon body; a cart body., The shank of a type, or the depth of the shank (by which the size is indicated); as, a nonpareil face on an agate body., A figure that has length, breadth, and thickness; any solid figure., Consistency; thickness; substance; strength; as, this color has body; wine of a good body., To furnish with, or as with, a body; to produce in definite shape; to embody. |
| boer | noun | A colonist or farmer in South Africa of Dutch descent. |
| boes | 3d sing. pr. | Behoves or behooves. |
| bogy | noun | A specter; a hobgoblin; a bugbear. |
| boil | verb | To be agitated, or tumultuously moved, as a liquid by the generation and rising of bubbles of steam (or vapor), or of currents produced by heating it to the boiling point; to be in a state of ebullition; as, the water boils., To be agitated like boiling water, by any other cause than heat; to bubble; to effervesce; as, the boiling waves., To pass from a liquid to an aeriform state or vapor when heated; as, the water boils away., To be moved or excited with passion; to be hot or fervid; as, his blood boils with anger., To be in boiling water, as in cooking; as, the potatoes are boiling., To heat to the boiling point, or so as to cause ebullition; as, to boil water., To form, or separate, by boiling or evaporation; as, to boil sugar or salt., To subject to the action of heat in a boiling liquid so as to produce some specific effect, as cooking, cleansing, etc.; as, to boil meat; to boil clothes., To steep or soak in warm water., Act or state of boiling., A hard, painful, inflamed tumor, which, on suppuration, discharges pus, mixed with blood, and discloses a small fibrous mass of dead tissue, called the core. |
| boke | verb t. & i. | To poke; to thrust. |
| bold | noun | Forward to meet danger; venturesome; daring; not timorous or shrinking from risk; brave; courageous., Exhibiting or requiring spirit and contempt of danger; planned with courage; daring; vigorous., In a bad sense, too forward; taking undue liberties; over assuming or confident; lacking proper modesty or restraint; rude; impudent., Somewhat overstepping usual bounds, or conventional rules, as in art, literature, etc.; taking liberties in composition or expression; as, the figures of an author are bold., Standing prominently out to view; markedly conspicuous; striking the eye; in high relief., Steep; abrupt; prominent., To make bold or daring., To be or become bold. |
| bole | noun | The trunk or stem of a tree, or that which is like it., An aperture, with a wooden shutter, in the wall of a house, for giving, occasionally, air or light; also, a small closet., A measure. See Boll, n., 2., Any one of several varieties of friable earthy clay, usually colored more or less strongly red by oxide of iron, and used to color and adulterate various substances. It was formerly used in medicine. It is composed essentially of hydrous silicates of alumina, or more rarely of magnesia. See Clay, and Terra alba., A bolus; a dose. |
| boll | noun | The pod or capsule of a plant, as of flax or cotton; a pericarp of a globular form., A Scotch measure, formerly in use: for wheat and beans it contained four Winchester bushels; for oats, barley, and potatoes, six bushels. A boll of meal is 140 lbs. avoirdupois. Also, a measure for salt of two bushels., To form a boll or seed vessel; to go to seed. |
| boln | verb i. | To swell; to puff., Alt. of Bollen |
| bolt | noun | A shaft or missile intended to be shot from a crossbow or catapult, esp. a short, stout, blunt-headed arrow; a quarrel; an arrow, or that which resembles an arrow; a dart., Lightning; a thunderbolt., A strong pin, of iron or other material, used to fasten or hold something in place, often having a head at one end and screw thread cut upon the other end., A sliding catch, or fastening, as for a door or gate; the portion of a lock which is shot or withdrawn by the action of the key., An iron to fasten the legs of a prisoner; a shackle; a fetter., A compact package or roll of cloth, as of canvas or silk, often containing about forty yards., A bundle, as of oziers., To shoot; to discharge or drive forth., To utter precipitately; to blurt or throw out., To swallow without chewing; as, to bolt food., To refuse to support, as a nomination made by a party to which one has belonged or by a caucus in which one has taken part., To cause to start or spring forth; to dislodge, as conies, rabbits, etc., To fasten or secure with, or as with, a bolt or bolts, as a door, a timber, fetters; to shackle; to restrain., To start forth like a bolt or arrow; to spring abruptly; to come or go suddenly; to dart; as, to bolt out of the room., To strike or fall suddenly like a bolt., To spring suddenly aside, or out of the regular path; as, the horse bolted., To refuse to support a nomination made by a party or a caucus with which one has been connected; to break away from a party., In the manner of a bolt; suddenly; straight; unbendingly., A sudden spring or start; a sudden spring aside; as, the horse made a bolt., A sudden flight, as to escape creditors., A refusal to support a nomination made by the party with which one has been connected; a breaking away from one’s party., To sift or separate the coarser from the finer particles of, as bran from flour, by means of a bolter; to separate, assort, refine, or purify by other means., To separate, as if by sifting or bolting; — with out., To discuss or argue privately, and for practice, as cases at law., A sieve, esp. a long fine sieve used in milling for bolting flour and meal; a bolter. |
| bomb | noun | A great noise; a hollow sound., A shell; esp. a spherical shell, like those fired from mortars. See Shell., A bomb ketch., To bombard., To sound; to boom; to make a humming or buzzing sound. |
| bond | noun | That which binds, ties, fastens, or confines, or by which anything is fastened or bound, as a cord, chain, etc.; a band; a ligament; a shackle or a manacle., The state of being bound; imprisonment; captivity, restraint., A binding force or influence; a cause of union; a uniting tie; as, the bonds of fellowship., Moral or political duty or obligation., A writing under seal, by which a person binds himself, his heirs, executors, and administrators, to pay a certain sum on or before a future day appointed. This is a single bond. But usually a condition is added, that, if the obligor shall do a certain act, appear at a certain place, conform to certain rules, faithfully perform certain duties, or pay a certain sum of money, on or before a time specified, the obligation shall be void; otherwise it shall remain in full force. If the condition is not performed, the bond becomes forfeited, and the obligor and his heirs are liable to the payment of the whole sum., An instrument (of the nature of the ordinary legal bond) made by a government or a corporation for purpose of borrowing money; as, a government, city, or railway bond., The state of goods placed in a bonded warehouse till the duties are paid; as, merchandise in bond., The union or tie of the several stones or bricks forming a wall. The bricks may be arranged for this purpose in several different ways, as in English or block bond (Fig. 1), where one course consists of bricks with their ends toward the face of the wall, called headers, and the next course of bricks with their lengths parallel to the face of the wall, called stretchers; Flemish bond (Fig.2), where each course consists of headers and stretchers alternately, so laid as always to break joints; Cross bond, which differs from the English by the change of the second stretcher line so that its joints come in the middle of the first, and the same position of stretchers comes back every fifth line; Combined cross and English bond, where the inner part of the wall is laid in the one method, the outer in the other., A unit of chemical attraction; as, oxygen has two bonds of affinity. It is often represented in graphic formulae by a short line or dash. See Diagram of Benzene nucleus, and Valence., To place under the conditions of a bond; to mortgage; to secure the payment of the duties on (goods or merchandise) by giving a bond., To dispose in building, as the materials of a wall, so as to secure solidity., A vassal or serf; a slave., In a state of servitude or slavery; captive. |
| bone | noun | The hard, calcified tissue of the skeleton of vertebrate animals, consisting very largely of calcic carbonate, calcic phosphate, and gelatine; as, blood and bone., One of the pieces or parts of an animal skeleton; as, a rib or a thigh bone; a bone of the arm or leg; also, any fragment of bony substance. (pl.) The frame or skeleton of the body., Anything made of bone, as a bobbin for weaving bone lace., Two or four pieces of bone held between the fingers and struck together to make a kind of music., Dice., Whalebone; hence, a piece of whalebone or of steel for a corset., Fig.: The framework of anything., To withdraw bones from the flesh of, as in cookery., To put whalebone into; as, to bone stays., To fertilize with bone., To steal; to take possession of., To sight along an object or set of objects, to see if it or they be level or in line, as in carpentry, masonry, and surveying. |
| bony | adjective | Consisting of bone, or of bones; full of bones; pertaining to bones., Having large or prominent bones. |
| book | noun | A collection of sheets of paper, or similar material, blank, written, or printed, bound together; commonly, many folded and bound sheets containing continuous printing or writing., A composition, written or printed; a treatise., A part or subdivision of a treatise or literary work; as, the tenth book of “Paradise Lost.”, A volume or collection of sheets in which accounts are kept; a register of debts and credits, receipts and expenditures, etc., Six tricks taken by one side, in the game of whist; in certain other games, two or more corresponding cards, forming a set., To enter, write, or register in a book or list., To enter the name of (any one) in a book for the purpose of securing a passage, conveyance, or seat; as, to be booked for Southampton; to book a seat in a theater., To mark out for; to destine or assign for; as, he is booked for the valedictory. |
| boom | noun | A long pole or spar, run out for the purpose of extending the bottom of a particular sail; as, the jib boom, the studding-sail boom, etc., A long spar or beam, projecting from the mast of a derrick, from the outer end of which the body to be lifted is suspended., A pole with a conspicuous top, set up to mark the channel in a river or harbor., A strong chain cable, or line of spars bound together, extended across a river or the mouth of a harbor, to obstruct navigation or passage., A line of connected floating timbers stretched across a river, or inclosing an area of water, to keep saw logs, etc., from floating away., To extend, or push, with a boom or pole; as, to boom out a sail; to boom off a boat., To cry with a hollow note; to make a hollow sound, as the bittern, and some insects., To make a hollow sound, as of waves or cannon., To rush with violence and noise, as a ship under a press of sail, before a free wind., To have a rapid growth in market value or in popular favor; to go on rushingly., A hollow roar, as of waves or cannon; also, the hollow cry of the bittern; a booming., A strong and extensive advance, with more or less noisy excitement; — applied colloquially or humorously to market prices, the demand for stocks or commodities and to political chances of aspirants to office; as, a boom in the stock market; a boom in coffee., To cause to advance rapidly in price; as, to boom railroad or mining shares; to create a “boom” for; as to boom Mr. C. for senator. |
| boon | noun | A prayer or petition., That which is asked or granted as a benefit or favor; a gift; a benefaction; a grant; a present., Good; prosperous; as, boon voyage., Kind; bountiful; benign., Gay; merry; jovial; convivial., The woody portion flax, which is separated from the fiber as refuse matter by retting, braking, and scutching. |
| boor | noun | A husbandman; a peasant; a rustic; esp. a clownish or unrefined countryman., A Dutch, German, or Russian peasant; esp. a Dutch colonist in South Africa, Guiana, etc.: a boer., A rude ill-bred person; one who is clownish in manners. |
| boot | noun | Remedy; relief; amends; reparation; hence, one who brings relief., That which is given to make an exchange equal, or to make up for the deficiency of value in one of the things exchanged., Profit; gain; advantage; use., To profit; to advantage; to avail; — generally followed by it; as, what boots it?, To enrich; to benefit; to give in addition., A covering for the foot and lower part of the leg, ordinarily made of leather., An instrument of torture for the leg, formerly used to extort confessions, particularly in Scotland., A place at the side of a coach, where attendants rode; also, a low outside place before and behind the body of the coach., A place for baggage at either end of an old-fashioned stagecoach., An apron or cover (of leather or rubber cloth) for the driving seat of a vehicle, to protect from rain and mud., The metal casing and flange fitted about a pipe where it passes through a roof., To put boots on, esp. for riding., To punish by kicking with a booted foot., To boot one’s self; to put on one’s boots., Booty; spoil. |
| bord | noun | A board; a table., The face of coal parallel to the natural fissures., See Bourd. |
| bort | noun | Imperfectly crystallized or coarse diamonds, or fragments made in cutting good diamonds which are reduced to powder and used in lapidary work. |
| bosa | noun | A drink, used in the East. See Boza. |
| bosh | noun | Figure; outline; show., Empty talk; contemptible nonsense; trash; humbug., One of the sloping sides of the lower part of a blast furnace; also, one of the hollow iron or brick sides of the bed of a puddling or boiling furnace., The lower part of a blast furnace, which slopes inward, or the widest space at the top of this part., In forging and smelting, a trough in which tools and ingots are cooled. |
| bosk | noun | A thicket; a small wood. |
| boss | noun | Any protuberant part; a round, swelling part or body; a knoblike process; as, a boss of wood., A protuberant ornament on any work, either of different material from that of the work or of the same, as upon a buckler or bridle; a stud; a knob; the central projection of a shield. See Umbilicus., A projecting ornament placed at the intersection of the ribs of ceilings, whether vaulted or flat, and in other situations., A wooden vessel for the mortar used in tiling or masonry, hung by a hook from the laths, or from the rounds of a ladder., The enlarged part of a shaft, on which a wheel is keyed, or at the end, where it is coupled to another., A swage or die used for shaping metals., A head or reservoir of water., To ornament with bosses; to stud., A master workman or superintendent; a director or manager; a political dictator. |
| bote | noun | Compensation; amends; satisfaction; expiation; as, man bote, a compensation or a man slain., Payment of any kind., A privilege or allowance of necessaries. |
| both | adjective or pronoun | The one and the other; the two; the pair, without exception of either., As well; not only; equally. |
| bots | noun pl. | The larvae of several species of botfly, especially those larvae which infest the stomach, throat, or intestines of the horse, and are supposed to be the cause of various ailments. |
| boud | noun | A weevil; a worm that breeds in malt, biscuit, etc. |
| bouk | noun | The body., Bulk; volume. |
| boul | noun | A curved handle. |
| boun | adjective | Ready; prepared; destined; tending., To make or get ready. |
| bour | noun | A chamber or a cottage. |
| bout | noun | As much of an action as is performed at one time; a going and returning, as of workmen in reaping, mowing, etc.; a turn; a round., A conflict; contest; attempt; trial; a set-to at anything; as, a fencing bout; a drinking bout. |
| bowl | noun | A concave vessel of various forms (often approximately hemispherical), to hold liquids, etc., Specifically, a drinking vessel for wine or other spirituous liquors; hence, convivial drinking., The contents of a full bowl; what a bowl will hold., The hollow part of a thing; as, the bowl of a spoon., A ball of wood or other material used for rolling on a level surface in play; a ball of hard wood having one side heavier than the other, so as to give it a bias when rolled., An ancient game, popular in Great Britain, played with biased balls on a level plat of greensward., The game of tenpins or bowling., To roll, as a bowl or cricket ball., To roll or carry smoothly on, or as on, wheels; as, we were bowled rapidly along the road., To pelt or strike with anything rolled., To play with bowls., To roll a ball on a plane, as at cricket, bowls, etc., To move rapidly, smoothly, and like a ball; as, the carriage bowled along. |
| boza | noun | An acidulated fermented drink of the Arabs and Egyptians, made from millet seed and various astringent substances; also, an intoxicating beverage made from hemp seed, darnel meal, and water. |
| brad | noun | A thin nail, usually small, with a slight projection at the top on one side instead of a head; also, a small wire nail, with a flat circular head; sometimes, a small, tapering, square-bodied finishing nail, with a countersunk head. |
| brae | noun | A hillside; a slope; a bank; a hill. |
| brag | verb i. | To talk about one’s self, or things pertaining to one’s self, in a manner intended to excite admiration, envy, or wonder; to talk boastfully; to boast; — often followed by of; as, to brag of one’s exploits, courage, or money, or of the great things one intends to do., To boast of., A boast or boasting; bragging; ostentatious pretense or self glorification., The thing which is boasted of., A game at cards similar to bluff., Brisk; full of spirits; boasting; pretentious; conceited., Proudly; boastfully. |
| bran | noun | The broken coat of the seed of wheat, rye, or other cereal grain, separated from the flour or meal by sifting or bolting; the coarse, chaffy part of ground grain., The European carrion crow. |
| brat | noun | A coarse garment or cloak; also, coarse clothing, in general., A coarse kind of apron for keeping the clothes clean; a bib., A child; an offspring; — formerly used in a good sense, but now usually in a contemptuous sense., The young of an animal., A thin bed of coal mixed with pyrites or carbonate of lime. |
| bray | verb t. | To pound, beat, rub, or grind small or fine., To utter a loud, harsh cry, as an ass., To make a harsh, grating, or discordant noise., To make or utter with a loud, discordant, or harsh and grating sound., The harsh cry of an ass; also, any harsh, grating, or discordant sound., A bank; the slope of a hill; a hill. See Brae, which is now the usual spelling. |
| bred | imp. & p. p. of Breed., of Breed | |
| bren | verb t. & i. | Alt. of Brenne, Bran. |
| bret | noun | See Birt. |
| brew | verb t. | To boil or seethe; to cook., To prepare, as beer or other liquor, from malt and hops, or from other materials, by steeping, boiling, and fermentation., To prepare by steeping and mingling; to concoct., To foment or prepare, as by brewing; to contrive; to plot; to concoct; to hatch; as, to brew mischief., To attend to the business, or go through the processes, of brewing or making beer., To be in a state of preparation; to be mixing, forming, or gathering; as, a storm brews in the west., The mixture formed by brewing; that which is brewed. |
| brid | noun | A bird. |
| brig | noun | A bridge., A two-masted, square-rigged vessel. |
| brim | noun | The rim, border, or upper edge of a cup, dish, or any hollow vessel used for holding anything., The edge or margin, as of a fountain, or of the water contained in it; the brink; border., The rim of a hat., To be full to the brim., To fill to the brim, upper edge, or top., Fierce; sharp; cold. See Breme. |
| brin | noun | One of the radiating sticks of a fan. The outermost are larger and longer, and are called panaches. |
| brit | noun | Alt. of Britt |
| brob | noun | A peculiar brad-shaped spike, to be driven alongside the end of an abutting timber to prevent its slipping. |
| brog | noun | A pointed instrument, as a joiner’s awl, a brad awl, a needle, or a small sharp stick., To prod with a pointed instrument, as a lance; also, to broggle. |
| brow | noun | The prominent ridge over the eye, with the hair that covers it, forming an arch above the orbit., The hair that covers the brow (ridge over the eyes); the eyebrow., The forehead; as, a feverish brow., The general air of the countenance., The edge or projecting upper part of a steep place; as, the brow of a precipice; the brow of a hill., To bound to limit; to be at, or form, the edge of. |
| bruh | noun | The rhesus monkey. See Rhesus. |
| brun | noun | Same as Brun, a brook. |
| brut | noun | To browse., See Birt. |
| buat | noun | A lantern; also, the moon. |
| bubo | noun | An inflammation, with enlargement, of a lymphatic gland, esp. in the groin, as in syphilis. |
| buck | noun | Lye or suds in which cloth is soaked in the operation of bleaching, or in which clothes are washed., The cloth or clothes soaked or washed., To soak, steep, or boil, in lye or suds; — a process in bleaching., To wash (clothes) in lye or suds, or, in later usage, by beating them on stones in running water., To break up or pulverize, as ores., The male of deer, especially fallow deer and antelopes, or of goats, sheep, hares, and rabbits., A gay, dashing young fellow; a fop; a dandy., A male Indian or negro., To copulate, as bucks and does., To spring with quick plunging leaps, descending with the fore legs rigid and the head held as low down as possible; — said of a vicious horse or mule., To subject to a mode of punishment which consists in tying the wrists together, passing the arms over the bent knees, and putting a stick across the arms and in the angle formed by the knees., To throw by bucking. See Buck, v. i., 2., A frame on which firewood is sawed; a sawhorse; a sawbuck., The beech tree. |
| buff | noun | A sort of leather, prepared from the skin of the buffalo, dressed with oil, like chamois; also, the skins of oxen, elks, and other animals, dressed in like manner., The color of buff; a light yellow, shading toward pink, gray, or brown., A military coat, made of buff leather., The grayish viscid substance constituting the buffy coat. See Buffy coat, under Buffy, a., A wheel covered with buff leather, and used in polishing cutlery, spoons, etc., The bare skin; as, to strip to the buff., Made of buff leather., Of the color of buff., To polish with a buff. See Buff, n., 5., To strike., A buffet; a blow; — obsolete except in the phrase “Blindman’s buff.”, Firm; sturdy. |
| bufo | noun | A genus of Amphibia including various species of toads. |
| buhl | noun | Alt. of Buhlwork |
| bulb | noun | A spheroidal body growing from a plant either above or below the ground (usually below), which is strictly a bud, consisting of a cluster of partially developed leaves, and producing, as it grows, a stem above, and roots below, as in the onion, tulip, etc. It differs from a corm in not being solid., A name given to some parts that resemble in shape certain bulbous roots; as, the bulb of the aorta., An expansion or protuberance on a stem or tube, as the bulb of a thermometer, which may be of any form, as spherical, cylindrical, curved, etc., To take the shape of a bulb; to swell. |
| bulk | noun | Magnitude of material substance; dimensions; mass; size; as, an ox or ship of great bulk., The main mass or body; the largest or principal portion; the majority; as, the bulk of a debt., The cargo of a vessel when stowed., The body., To appear or seem to be, as to bulk or extent; to swell., A projecting part of a building. |
| bull | noun | The male of any species of cattle (Bovidae); hence, the male of any large quadruped, as the elephant; also, the male of the whale., One who, or that which, resembles a bull in character or action., Taurus, the second of the twelve signs of the zodiac., A constellation of the zodiac between Aries and Gemini. It contains the Pleiades., One who operates in expectation of a rise in the price of stocks, or in order to effect such a rise. See 4th Bear, n., 5., Of or pertaining to a bull; resembling a bull; male; large; fierce., To be in heat; to manifest sexual desire as cows do., To endeavor to raise the market price of; as, to bull railroad bonds; to bull stocks; to bull Lake Shore; to endeavor to raise prices in; as, to bull the market. See 1st Bull, n., 4., A seal. See Bulla., A letter, edict, or respect, of the pope, written in Gothic characters on rough parchment, sealed with a bulla, and dated “a die Incarnationis,” i. e., “from the day of the Incarnation.” See Apostolical brief, under Brief., A grotesque blunder in language; an apparent congruity, but real incongruity, of ideas, contained in a form of expression; so called, perhaps, from the apparent incongruity between the dictatorial nature of the pope’s bulls and his professions of humility. |
| bump | verb t. | To strike, as with or against anything large or solid; to thump; as, to bump the head against a wall., To come in violent contact with something; to thump., A thump; a heavy blow., A swelling or prominence, resulting from a bump or blow; a protuberance., One of the protuberances on the cranium which are associated with distinct faculties or affections of the mind; as, the bump of “veneration;” the bump of “acquisitiveness.”, The act of striking the stern of the boat in advance with the prow of the boat following., To make a loud, heavy, or hollow noise, as the bittern; to boom., The noise made by the bittern. |
| bunn | noun | A slightly sweetened raised cake or bisquit with a glazing of sugar and milk on the top crust., See Bun. |
| bund | noun | League; confederacy; esp. the confederation of German states., An embankment against inundation. |
| bung | noun | The large stopper of the orifice in the bilge of a cask., The orifice in the bilge of a cask through which it is filled; bunghole., A sharper or pickpocket., To stop, as the orifice in the bilge of a cask, with a bung; to close; — with up. |
| bunk | noun | A wooden case or box, which serves for a seat in the daytime and for a bed at night., One of a series of berths or bed places in tiers., A piece of wood placed on a lumberman’s sled to sustain the end of heavy timbers., To go to bed in a bunk; — sometimes with in. |
| bunt | noun | A fungus (Ustilago foetida) which affects the ear of cereals, filling the grains with a fetid dust; — also called pepperbrand., The middle part, cavity, or belly of a sail; the part of a furled sail which is at the center of the yard., To swell out; as, the sail bunts., To strike or push with the horns or head; to butt; as, the ram bunted the boy. |
| buoy | noun | A float; esp. a floating object moored to the bottom, to mark a channel or to point out the position of something beneath the water, as an anchor, shoal, rock, etc., To keep from sinking in a fluid, as in water or air; to keep afloat; — with up., To support or sustain; to preserve from sinking into ruin or despondency., To fix buoys to; to mark by a buoy or by buoys; as, to buoy an anchor; to buoy or buoy off a channel., To float; to rise like a buoy. |
| burr | noun | Any rough or prickly envelope of the seeds of plants, whether a pericarp, a persistent calyx, or an involucre, as of the chestnut and burdock. Also, any weed which bears burs., The thin ridge left by a tool in cutting or shaping metal. See Burr, n., 2., A ring of iron on a lance or spear. See Burr, n., 4., The lobe of the ear. See Burr, n., 5., The sweetbread., A clinker; a partially vitrified brick., A small circular saw., A triangular chisel., A drill with a serrated head larger than the shank; — used by dentists., The round knob of an antler next to a deer’s head., A prickly seed vessel. See Bur, 1., The thin edge or ridge left by a tool in cutting or shaping metal, as in turning, engraving, pressing, etc.; also, the rough neck left on a bullet in casting., A thin flat piece of metal, formed from a sheet by punching; a small washer put on the end of a rivet before it is swaged down., A broad iron ring on a tilting lance just below the gripe, to prevent the hand from slipping., The lobe or lap of the ear., A guttural pronounciation of the letter r, produced by trilling the extremity of the soft palate against the back part of the tongue; rotacism; — often called the Newcastle, Northumberland, or Tweedside, burr., The knot at the bottom of an antler. See Bur, n., 8., To speak with burr; to make a hoarse or guttural murmur. |
| burg | noun | A fortified town., A borough. |
| burh | noun | See Burg. |
| burl | verb t. | To dress or finish up (cloth); to pick knots, burs, loose threads, etc., from, as in finishing cloth., A knot or lump in thread or cloth., An overgrown knot, or an excrescence, on a tree; also, veneer made from such excrescences. |
| burn | verb t. | To consume with fire; to reduce to ashes by the action of heat or fire; — frequently intensified by up: as, to burn up wood., To injure by fire or heat; to change destructively some property or properties of, by undue exposure to fire or heat; to scorch; to scald; to blister; to singe; to char; to sear; as, to burn steel in forging; to burn one’s face in the sun; the sun burns the grass., To perfect or improve by fire or heat; to submit to the action of fire or heat for some economic purpose; to destroy or change some property or properties of, by exposure to fire or heat in due degree for obtaining a desired residuum, product, or effect; to bake; as, to burn clay in making bricks or pottery; to burn wood so as to produce charcoal; to burn limestone for the lime., To make or produce, as an effect or result, by the application of fire or heat; as, to burn a hole; to burn charcoal; to burn letters into a block., To consume, injure, or change the condition of, as if by action of fire or heat; to affect as fire or heat does; as, to burn the mouth with pepper., To apply a cautery to; to cauterize., To cause to combine with oxygen or other active agent, with evolution of heat; to consume; to oxidize; as, a man burns a certain amount of carbon at each respiration; to burn iron in oxygen., To be of fire; to flame., To suffer from, or be scorched by, an excess of heat., To have a condition, quality, appearance, sensation, or emotion, as if on fire or excessively heated; to act or rage with destructive violence; to be in a state of lively emotion or strong desire; as, the face burns; to burn with fever., To combine energetically, with evolution of heat; as, copper burns in chlorine., In certain games, to approach near to a concealed object which is sought., A hurt, injury, or effect caused by fire or excessive or intense heat., The operation or result of burning or baking, as in brickmaking; as, they have a good burn., A disease in vegetables. See Brand, n., 6., A small stream. |
| burt | noun | See Birt. |
| bury | noun | A borough; a manor; as, the Bury of St. Edmond’s, A manor house; a castle., To cover out of sight, either by heaping something over, or by placing within something, as earth, etc.; to conceal by covering; to hide; as, to bury coals in ashes; to bury the face in the hands., Specifically: To cover out of sight, as the body of a deceased person, in a grave, a tomb, or the ocean; to deposit (a corpse) in its resting place, with funeral ceremonies; to inter; to inhume., To hide in oblivion; to put away finally; to abandon; as, to bury strife. |
| bush | noun | A thicket, or place abounding in trees or shrubs; a wild forest., A shrub; esp., a shrub with branches rising from or near the root; a thick shrub or a cluster of shrubs., A shrub cut off, or a shrublike branch of a tree; as, bushes to support pea vines., A shrub or branch, properly, a branch of ivy (as sacred to Bacchus), hung out at vintners’ doors, or as a tavern sign; hence, a tavern sign, and symbolically, the tavern itself., The tail, or brush, of a fox., To branch thickly in the manner of a bush., To set bushes for; to support with bushes; as, to bush peas., To use a bush harrow on (land), for covering seeds sown; to harrow with a bush; as, to bush a piece of land; to bush seeds into the ground., A lining for a hole to make it smaller; a thimble or ring of metal or wood inserted in a plate or other part of machinery to receive the wear of a pivot or arbor., A piece of copper, screwed into a gun, through which the venthole is bored., To furnish with a bush, or lining; as, to bush a pivot hole. |
| busk | noun | A thin, elastic strip of metal, whalebone, wood, or other material, worn in the front of a corset., To prepare; to make ready; to array; to dress., To go; to direct one’s course. |
| buss | noun | A kiss; a rude or playful kiss; a smack., To kiss; esp. to kiss with a smack, or rudely., A small strong vessel with two masts and two cabins; — used in the herring fishery. |
| bust | noun | A piece of sculpture representing the upper part of the human figure, including the head, shoulders, and breast., The portion of the human figure included between the head and waist, whether in statuary or in the person; the chest or thorax; the upper part of the trunk of the body. |
| busy | adjective | Engaged in some business; hard at work (either habitually or only for the time being); occupied with serious affairs; not idle nor at leisure; as, a busy merchant., Constantly at work; diligent; active., Crowded with business or activities; — said of places and times; as, a busy street., Officious; meddling; foolish active., Careful; anxious., To make or keep busy; to employ; to engage or keep engaged; to occupy; as, to busy one’s self with books. |
| butt | verb t. | Alt. of But, To join at the butt, end, or outward extremity; to terminate; to be bounded; to abut., To thrust the head forward; to strike by thrusting the head forward, as an ox or a ram. [See Butt, n.], To strike by thrusting the head against; to strike with the head., A large cask or vessel for wine or beer. It contains two hogsheads., The common English flounder. |
| buzz | verb i. | To make a low, continuous, humming or sibilant sound, like that made by bees with their wings. Hence: To utter a murmuring sound; to speak with a low, humming voice., To sound forth by buzzing., To whisper; to communicate, as tales, in an under tone; to spread, as report, by whispers, or secretly., To talk to incessantly or confidentially in a low humming voice., To sound with a “buzz”., A continuous, humming noise, as of bees; a confused murmur, as of general conversation in low tones, or of a general expression of surprise or approbation., A whisper; a report spread secretly or cautiously., The audible friction of voice consonants. |
| byre | noun | A cow house. |
| byss | noun | See Byssus, n., 1. |