Words |
Parts of Speech |
Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
babbling |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Babble |
babblery |
noun |
Babble. |
babehood |
noun |
Babyhood. |
babyhood |
noun |
The state or period of infancy. |
babyship |
noun |
The quality of being a baby; the personality of an infant. |
baccarat |
noun |
A French game of cards, played by a banker and punters. |
baccated |
adjective |
Having many berries., Set or adorned with pearls. |
bacchant |
noun |
A priest of Bacchus., A bacchanal; a reveler., Bacchanalian; fond of drunken revelry; wine-loving; reveling; carousing. |
bacchius |
noun |
A metrical foot composed of a short syllable and two long ones; according to some, two long and a short. |
bachelor |
noun |
A man of any age who has not been married., An unmarried woman., A person who has taken the first or lowest degree in the liberal arts, or in some branch of science, at a college or university; as, a bachelor of arts., A knight who had no standard of his own, but fought under the standard of another in the field; often, a young knight., In the companies of London tradesmen, one not yet admitted to wear the livery; a junior member., A kind of bass, an edible fresh-water fish (Pomoxys annularis) of the southern United States. |
bachelry |
noun |
The body of young aspirants for knighthood. |
bacillar |
adjective |
Shaped like a rod or staff. |
bacillus |
noun |
A variety of bacterium; a microscopic, rod-shaped vegetable organism. |
backband |
noun |
The band which passes over the back of a horse and holds up the shafts of a carriage. |
backbite |
verb i. |
To wound by clandestine detraction; to censure meanly or spitefully (an absent person); to slander or speak evil of (one absent)., To censure or revile the absent. |
backbond |
noun |
An instrument which, in conjunction with another making an absolute disposition, constitutes a trust. |
backbone |
noun |
The column of bones in the back which sustains and gives firmness to the frame; the spine; the vertebral or spinal column., Anything like , or serving the purpose of, a backbone., Firmness; moral principle; steadfastness. |
backcast |
noun |
Anything which brings misfortune upon one, or causes failure in an effort or enterprise; a reverse. |
backdoor |
adjective |
Acting from behind and in concealment; as, backdoor intrigues. |
backdown |
noun |
A receding or giving up; a complete surrender. |
backfall |
noun |
A fall or throw on the back in wrestling. |
backhand |
noun |
A kind of handwriting in which the downward slope of the letters is from left to right., Sloping from left to right; — said of handwriting., Backhanded; indirect; oblique. |
backlash |
noun |
The distance through which one part of connected machinery, as a wheel, piston, or screw, can be moved without moving the connected parts, resulting from looseness in fitting or from wear; also, the jarring or reflex motion caused in badly fitting machinery by irregularities in velocity or a reverse of motion. |
backless |
adjective |
Without a back. |
backrack |
noun |
Alt. of Backrag |
backside |
noun |
The hinder part, posteriors, or rump of a person or animal. |
backslid |
imp. |
of Backslide, of Backslide |
backstay |
noun |
A rope or stay extending from the masthead to the side of a ship, slanting a little aft, to assist the shrouds in supporting the mast., A rope or strap used to prevent excessive forward motion. |
backster |
noun |
A backer. |
backward |
adverb |
Alt. of Backwards, Directed to the back or rear; as, backward glances., Unwilling; averse; reluctant; hesitating; loath., Not well advanced in learning; not quick of apprehension; dull; inapt; as, a backward child., Late or behindhand; as, a backward season., Not advanced in civilization; undeveloped; as, the country or region is in a backward state., Already past or gone; bygone., The state behind or past., To keep back; to hinder. |
backwash |
verb i. |
To clean the oil from (wood) after combing. |
backworm |
noun |
A disease of hawks. See Filanders. |
baconian |
adjective |
Of or pertaining to Lord Bacon, or to his system of philosophy. |
bacteria |
nounp. |
See Bacterium., of Bacterium |
bactrian |
adjective |
Of or pertaining to Bactria in Asia., A native of Bactria. |
baculine |
adjective |
Of or pertaining to the rod or punishment with the rod. |
baculite |
noun |
A cephalopod of the extinct genus Baculites, found fossil in the Cretaceous rocks. It is like an uncoiled ammonite. |
badgered |
imp. & past participle |
of Badger |
badgerer |
noun |
One who badgers., A kind of dog used in badger baiting. |
badigeon |
noun |
A cement or paste (as of plaster and freestone, or of sawdust and glue or lime) used by sculptors, builders, and workers in wood or stone, to fill holes, cover defects, or finish a surface. |
badinage |
noun |
Playful raillery; banter. |
baenopod |
noun |
One of the thoracic legs of Arthropods. |
baffling |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Baffle, Frustrating; discomfiting; disconcerting; as, baffling currents, winds, tasks. |
baggager |
noun |
One who takes care of baggage; a camp follower. |
bagpiper |
noun |
One who plays on a bagpipe; a piper. |
baguette |
noun |
A small molding, like the astragal, but smaller; a bead., One of the minute bodies seen in the divided nucleoli of some Infusoria after conjugation. |
bailable |
adjective |
Having the right or privilege of being admitted to bail, upon bond with sureties; — used of persons., Admitting of bail; as, a bailable offense., That can be delivered in trust; as, bailable goods. |
bailment |
noun |
The action of bailing a person accused., A delivery of goods or money by one person to another in trust, for some special purpose, upon a contract, expressed or implied, that the trust shall be faithfully executed. |
bakemeat |
noun |
Alt. of Baked-meat |
bakingly |
adverb |
In a hot or baking manner. |
bakistre |
noun |
A baker. |
bakshish |
noun |
Same as Backsheesh. |
balanced |
imp. & past participle |
of Balance |
balancer |
noun |
One who balances, or uses a balance., In Diptera, the rudimentary posterior wing. |
balanite |
noun |
A fossil balanoid shell. |
balanoid |
adjective |
Resembling an acorn; — applied to a group of barnacles having shells shaped like acorns. See Acornshell, and Barnacle. |
baldhead |
noun |
A person whose head is bald., A white-headed variety of pigeon. |
baldness |
noun |
The state or condition of being bald; as, baldness of the head; baldness of style. |
baldpate |
noun |
A baldheaded person., The American widgeon (Anas Americana)., Alt. of Baldpated |
balearic |
adjective |
Of or pertaining to the isles of Majorca, Minorca, Ivica, etc., in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Valencia. |
balefire |
noun |
A signal fire; an alarm fire. |
balisaur |
noun |
A badgerlike animal of India (Arcionyx collaris). |
balister |
noun |
A crossbow. |
ballader |
noun |
A writer of ballads. |
balladry |
noun |
Ballad poems; the subject or style of ballads. |
ballahoo |
noun |
Alt. of Ballahou |
ballahou |
noun |
A fast-sailing schooner, used in the Bermudas and West Indies. |
ballarag |
verb i. |
To bully; to threaten. |
ballatry |
noun |
See Balladry. |
ballist/ |
plural |
of Ballista |
ballista |
noun |
An ancient military engine, in the form of a crossbow, used for hurling large missiles. |
balloted |
imp. & past participle |
of Ballot |
balloter |
noun |
One who votes by ballot. |
ballotin |
noun |
An officer who has charge of a ballot box. |
ballroom |
noun |
A room for balls or dancing. |
balmoral |
noun |
A long woolen petticoat, worn immediately under the dress., A kind of stout walking shoe, laced in front. |
balneary |
noun |
A bathing room. |
balotade |
noun |
See Ballotade. |
balsamic |
adjective |
Alt. of Balsamical |
baluster |
noun |
A small column or pilaster, used as a support to the rail of an open parapet, to guard the side of a staircase, or the front of a gallery. See Balustrade. |
banality |
noun |
Something commonplace, hackneyed, or trivial; the commonplace, in speech. |
bandaged |
imp. & past participle |
of Bandage |
bandanna |
noun |
Alt. of Bandana |
bandeaux |
plural |
of Bandeau |
bandelet |
noun |
Alt. of Bandlet |
banditti |
plural |
of Bandit |
bandying |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bandy |
banewort |
noun |
Deadly nightshade. |
banished |
imp. & past participle |
of Banish |
banisher |
noun |
One who banishes. |
banister |
noun |
A stringed musical instrument having a head and neck like the guitar, and its body like a tambourine. It has five strings, and is played with the fingers and hands. |
bankable |
adjective |
Receivable at a bank. |
bankrupt |
noun |
A trader who secretes himself, or does certain other acts tending to defraud his creditors., A trader who becomes unable to pay his debts; an insolvent trader; popularly, any person who is unable to pay his debts; an insolvent person., A person who, in accordance with the terms of a law relating to bankruptcy, has been judicially declared to be unable to meet his liabilities., Being a bankrupt or in a condition of bankruptcy; unable to pay, or legally discharged from paying, one’s debts; as, a bankrupt merchant., Depleted of money; not having the means of meeting pecuniary liabilities; as, a bankrupt treasury., Relating to bankrupts and bankruptcy., Destitute of, or wholly wanting (something once possessed, or something one should possess)., To make bankrupt; to bring financial ruin upon; to impoverish. |
bankside |
noun |
The slope of a bank, especially of the bank of a steam. |
banlieue |
noun |
The territory without the walls, but within the legal limits, of a town or city. |
bannered |
adjective |
Furnished with, or bearing, banners. |
banneret |
noun |
Originally, a knight who led his vassals into the field under his own banner; — commonly used as a title of rank., A title of rank, conferred for heroic deeds, and hence, an order of knighthood; also, the person bearing such title or rank., A civil officer in some Swiss cantons., A small banner. |
bannerol |
noun |
A banderole; esp. a banner displayed at a funeral procession and set over the tomb. See Banderole. |
bantered |
imp. & past participle |
of Banter |
banterer |
noun |
One who banters or rallies. |
bantling |
noun |
A young or small child; an infant. [Slightly contemptuous or depreciatory.] |
banxring |
noun |
An East Indian insectivorous mammal of the genus Tupaia. |
baphomet |
noun |
An idol or symbolical figure which the Templars were accused of using in their mysterious rites. |
baptized |
imp. & past participle |
of Baptize |
baptizer |
noun |
One who baptizes. |
barbacan |
noun |
See Barbican., A tower or advanced work defending the entrance to a castle or city, as at a gate or bridge. It was often large and strong, having a ditch and drawbridge of its own., An opening in the wall of a fortress, through which missiles were discharged upon an enemy. |
barbados |
noun |
Alt. of Barbadoes |
barbated |
adjective |
Having barbed points. |
barbecue |
noun |
A hog, ox, or other large animal roasted or broiled whole for a feast., A social entertainment, where many people assemble, usually in the open air, at which one or more large animals are roasted or broiled whole., A floor, on which coffee beans are sun-dried., To dry or cure by exposure on a frame or gridiron., To roast or broil whole, as an ox or hog. |
barbered |
imp. & past participle |
of Barber |
barberry |
noun |
A shrub of the genus Berberis, common along roadsides and in neglected fields. B. vulgaris is the species best known; its oblong red berries are made into a preserve or sauce, and have been deemed efficacious in fluxes and fevers. The bark dyes a fine yellow, esp. the bark of the root. |
barbette |
noun |
A mound of earth or a platform in a fortification, on which guns are mounted to fire over the parapet. |
barbican |
noun |
Alt. of Barbacan |
barbicel |
noun |
One of the small hooklike processes on the barbules of feathers. |
barbiers |
noun |
A variety of paralysis, peculiar to India and the Malabar coast; — considered by many to be the same as beriberi in chronic form. |
barbiton |
noun |
An ancient Greek instrument resembling a lyre. |
bardling |
noun |
An inferior bard. |
bardship |
noun |
The state of being a bard. |
bareback |
adverb |
On the bare back of a horse, without using a saddle; as, to ride bareback. |
barebone |
noun |
A very lean person; one whose bones show through the skin. |
barefoot |
adjective & adverb |
With the feet bare; without shoes or stockings. |
barehead |
adjective & adverb |
Having the head uncovered; as, a bareheaded girl. |
bareness |
noun |
The state of being bare. |
baresark |
noun |
A Berserker, or Norse warrior who fought without armor, or shirt of mail. Hence, adverbially: Without shirt of mail or armor. |
bargeman |
noun |
The man who manages a barge, or one of the crew of a barge. |
barghest |
noun |
A goblin, in the shape of a large dog, portending misfortune. |
barillet |
noun |
A little cask, or something resembling one. |
bar iron |
|
See under Iron. |
baritone |
adjective & noun |
See Barytone., Grave and deep, as a kind of male voice., Not marked with an accent on the last syllable, the grave accent being understood., A male voice, the compass of which partakes of the common bass and the tenor, but which does not descend as low as the one, nor rise as high as the other., A person having a voice of such range., The viola di gamba, now entirely disused., A word which has no accent marked on the last syllable, the grave accent being understood. |
barkless |
adjective |
Destitute of bark. |
barnacle |
noun |
Any cirriped crustacean adhering to rocks, floating timber, ships, etc., esp. (a) the sessile species (genus Balanus and allies), and (b) the stalked or goose barnacles (genus Lepas and allies). See Cirripedia, and Goose barnacle., A bernicle goose., An instrument for pinching a horse’s nose, and thus restraining him., Spectacles; — so called from their resemblance to the barnacles used by farriers. |
barnyard |
noun |
A yard belonging to a barn. |
barology |
noun |
The science of weight or gravity. |
barometz |
noun |
The woolly-skinned rhizoma or rootstock of a fern (Dicksonia barometz), which, when specially prepared and inverted, somewhat resembles a lamb; — called also Scythian lamb. |
baronage |
noun |
The whole body of barons or peers., The dignity or rank of a baron., The land which gives title to a baron. |
baroness |
noun |
A baron’s wife; also, a lady who holds the baronial title in her own right; as, the Baroness Burdett-Coutts. |
baronial |
adjective |
Pertaining to a baron or a barony. |
baronies |
plural |
of Barony |
barouche |
noun |
A four-wheeled carriage, with a falling top, a seat on the outside for the driver, and two double seats on the inside arranged so that the sitters on the front seat face those on the back seat. |
barracan |
noun |
A thick, strong stuff, somewhat like camlet; — still used for outer garments in the Levant. |
barranca |
noun |
A ravine caused by heavy rains or a watercourse. |
barrator |
verb i. |
One guilty of barratry. |
barratry |
noun |
The practice of exciting and encouraging lawsuits and quarrels., A fraudulent breach of duty or willful act of known illegality on the part of a master of a ship, in his character of master, or of the mariners, to the injury of the owner of the ship or cargo, and without his consent. It includes every breach of trust committed with dishonest purpose, as by running away with the ship, sinking or deserting her, etc., or by embezzling the cargo., The crime of a judge who is influenced by bribery in pronouncing judgment. |
barreled |
imp. & past participle |
of Barrel, Alt. of Barrelled |
barrenly |
adverb |
Unfruitfully; unproductively. |
barrulet |
noun |
A diminutive of the bar, having one fourth its width. |
bartered |
imp. & past participle |
of Barter |
barterer |
noun |
One who barters. |
bartizan |
noun |
A small, overhanging structure for lookout or defense, usually projecting at an angle of a building or near an entrance gateway. |
bartlett |
noun |
A Bartlett pear, a favorite kind of pear, which originated in England about 1770, and was called Williams’ Bonchretien. It was brought to America, and distributed by Mr. Enoch Bartlett, of Dorchester, Massachusetts. |
barytone |
adjective |
Alt. of Baritone, Alt. of Baritone |
basaltic |
adjective |
Pertaining to basalt; formed of, or containing, basalt; as basaltic lava. |
basanite |
noun |
Lydian stone, or black jasper, a variety of siliceous or flinty slate, of a grayish or bluish black color. It is employed to test the purity of gold, the amount of alloy being indicated by the color left on the stone when rubbed by the metal. |
bascinet |
noun |
A light helmet, at first open, but later made with a visor. |
baseball |
noun |
A game of ball, so called from the bases or bounds ( four in number) which designate the circuit which each player must endeavor to make after striking the ball., The ball used in this game. |
baseborn |
adjective |
Born out of wedlock., Born of low parentage., Vile; mean. |
baselard |
noun |
A short sword or dagger, worn in the fifteenth century. |
baseless |
adjective |
Without a base; having no foundation or support. |
basement |
adjective |
The outer wall of the ground story of a building, or of a part of that story, when treated as a distinct substructure. ( See Base, n., 3 (a).) Hence: The rooms of a ground floor, collectively. |
baseness |
noun |
The quality or condition of being base; degradation; vileness. |
bashless |
adjective |
Shameless; unblushing. |
basicity |
noun |
The quality or state of being a base., The power of an acid to unite with one or more atoms or equivalents of a base, as indicated by the number of replaceable hydrogen atoms contained in the acid. |
basidium |
noun |
A special oblong or pyriform cell, with slender branches, which bears the spores in that division of fungi called Basidiomycetes, of which the common mushroom is an example. |
basifier |
noun |
That which converts into a salifiable base. |
basihyal |
adjective |
Noting two small bones, forming the body of the inverted hyoid arch. |
basiling |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Basil |
basilary |
noun |
Relating to, or situated at, the base., Lower; inferior; applied to impulses or springs of action. |
basilic/ |
plural |
of Basilica |
basilica |
noun |
Originally, the place of a king; but afterward, an apartment provided in the houses of persons of importance, where assemblies were held for dispensing justice; and hence, any large hall used for this purpose., A building used by the Romans as a place of public meeting, with court rooms, etc., attached., A church building of the earlier centuries of Christianity, the plan of which was taken from the basilica of the Romans. The name is still applied to some churches by way of honorary distinction., A digest of the laws of Justinian, translated from the original Latin into Greek, by order of Basil I., in the ninth century. |
basilisk |
noun |
A fabulous serpent, or dragon. The ancients alleged that its hissing would drive away all other serpents, and that its breath, and even its look, was fatal. See Cockatrice., A lizard of the genus Basiliscus, belonging to the family Iguanidae., A large piece of ordnance, so called from its supposed resemblance to the serpent of that name, or from its size. |
basketry |
noun |
The art of making baskets; also, baskets, taken collectively. |
basquish |
adjective |
Pertaining to the country, people, or language of Biscay; Basque |
basseted |
imp. & past participle |
of Basset |
bassetto |
noun |
A tenor or small bass viol. |
bassinet |
noun |
A wicker basket, with a covering or hood over one end, in which young children are placed as in a cradle., See Bascinet. |
bassorin |
noun |
A constituent part of a species of gum from Bassora, as also of gum tragacanth and some gum resins. It is one of the amyloses. |
basswood |
noun |
The bass (Tilia) or its wood; especially, T. Americana. See Bass, the lime tree. |
bastardy |
noun |
The state of being a bastard; illegitimacy., The procreation of a bastard child. |
basylous |
adjective |
Pertaining to, or having the nature of, a basyle; electro-positive; basic; — opposed to chlorous. |
batavian |
adjective |
Of or pertaining to (a) the Batavi, an ancient Germanic tribe; or to (b) /atavia or Holland; as, a Batavian legion., A native or inhabitant of Batavia or Holland. |
bateless |
adjective |
Not to be abated. |
batement |
noun |
Abatement; diminution. |
bathetic |
adjective |
Having the character of bathos. |
bathmism |
noun |
See Vital force. |
bathorse |
noun |
A horse which carries an officer’s baggage during a campaign. |
batoidei |
noun pl. |
The division of fishes which includes the rays and skates. |
battable |
adjective |
Capable of cultivation; fertile; productive; fattening. |
battalia |
noun |
Order of battle; disposition or arrangement of troops (brigades, regiments, battalions, etc.), or of a naval force, for action., An army in battle array; also, the main battalia or body. |
batteler |
noun |
Alt. of Battler |
battened |
imp. & past participle |
of Batten |
battered |
imp. & past participle |
of Batter |
batterer |
noun |
One who, or that which, batters. |
battling |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Battle |
baubling |
adjective |
See Bawbling. |
baudekin |
noun |
The richest kind of stuff used in garments in the Middle Ages, the web being gold, and the woof silk, with embroidery : — made originally at Bagdad. |
baudrick |
noun |
A belt. See Baldric. |
bavarian |
adjective |
Of or pertaining to Bavaria., A native or an inhabitant of Bavaria. |
bawbling |
adjective |
Insignificant; contemptible. |
bawdrick |
noun |
A belt. See Baldric. |
bawhorse |
noun |
Same as Bathorse. |
bayadere |
noun |
A female dancer in the East Indies. |
bayardly |
adjective |
Blind; stupid. |
bayberry |
noun |
The fruit of the bay tree or Laurus nobilis., A tree of the West Indies related to the myrtle (Pimenta acris)., The fruit of Myrica cerifera (wax myrtle); the shrub itself; — called also candleberry tree. |
bay leaf |
|
See under 3d Bay. |
bay salt |
|
Salt which has been obtained from sea water, by evaporation in shallow pits or basins, by the heat of the sun; the large crystalline salt of commerce. |
bay tree |
|
A species of laurel. (Laurus nobilis). |
bay yarn |
|
Woolen yarn. |