Words |
Parts of Speech |
Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
baby farmer |
|
One who keeps a baby farm. |
baby jumper |
|
A hoop suspended by an elastic strap, in which a young child may be held secure while amusing itself by jumping on the floor. |
babylonical |
adjective |
Pertaining to Babylon, or made there; as, Babylonic garments, carpets, or hangings., Tumultuous; disorderly. |
bacchanalia |
noun pl. |
A feast or an orgy in honor of Bacchus., Hence: A drunken feast; drunken reveler. |
bacciferous |
adjective |
Producing berries. |
baccivorous |
adjective |
Eating, or subsisting on, berries; as, baccivorous birds. |
bachelordom |
noun |
The state of bachelorhood; the whole body of bachelors. |
bachelorism |
noun |
Bachelorhood; also, a manner or peculiarity belonging to bachelors. |
bacillariae |
noun pl. |
See Diatom. |
bacilliform |
adjective |
Rod-shaped. |
backsettler |
noun |
One living in the back or outlying districts of a community. |
backslidden |
past participle |
of Backslide |
backsliding |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Backslide, Slipping back; falling back into sin or error; sinning., The act of one who backslides; abandonment of faith or duty. |
back stairs |
|
Stairs in the back part of a house, as distinguished from the front stairs; hence, a private or indirect way. |
bactericide |
noun |
Same as Germicide. |
bacteroidal |
adjective |
Resembling bacteria; as, bacteroid particles. |
baculometry |
noun |
Measurement of distance or altitude by a staff or staffs. |
badderlocks |
noun |
A large black seaweed (Alaria esculenta) sometimes eaten in Europe; — also called murlins, honeyware, and henware. |
bailiffwick |
noun |
See Bailiwick. |
balaenoidea |
noun |
A division of the Cetacea, including the right whale and all other whales having the mouth fringed with baleen. See Baleen. |
balanceable |
adjective |
Such as can be balanced. |
balancement |
noun |
The act or result of balancing or adjusting; equipoise; even adjustment of forces. |
balancereef |
noun |
The last reef in a fore-and-aft sail, taken to steady the ship. |
balbucinate |
verb i. |
To stammer. |
balefulness |
noun |
The quality or state of being baleful. |
balistraria |
noun |
A narrow opening, often cruciform, through which arrows might be discharged. |
ball-flower |
noun |
An ornament resembling a ball placed in a circular flower, the petals of which form a cup round it, — usually inserted in a hollow molding. |
ballotation |
noun |
Voting by ballot. |
balsamation |
noun |
The act of imparting balsamic properties., The art or process of embalming. |
bambocciade |
noun |
A representation of a grotesque scene from common or rustic life. |
bamboozling |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bamboozle |
bankrupting |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bankrupt |
bantam work |
|
Carved and painted work in imitation of Japan ware. |
baptismally |
adverb |
In a baptismal manner. |
baptistical |
adjective |
Baptistic. |
baptization |
noun |
Baptism. |
baptizement |
noun |
The act of baptizing. |
barbacanage |
noun |
See Barbicanage., Money paid for the support of a barbican. |
barbaresque |
adjective |
Barbaric in form or style; as, barbaresque architecture. |
barbarities |
plural |
of Barbarity |
barbarizing |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Barbarize |
barbarously |
adverb |
In a barbarous manner. |
barber fish |
|
See Surgeon fish. |
barbicanage |
noun |
Alt. of Barbacanage |
barbigerous |
adjective |
Having a beard; bearded; hairy. |
barefacedly |
adverb |
Openly; shamelessly. |
bargecourse |
noun |
A part of the tiling which projects beyond the principal rafters, in buildings where there is a gable. |
bark beetle |
|
A small beetle of many species (family Scolytidae), which in the larval state bores under or in the bark of trees, often doing great damage. |
barleybrake |
noun |
Alt. of Barleybreak |
barleybreak |
noun |
An ancient rural game, commonly played round stacks of barley, or other grain, in which some of the party attempt to catch others who run from a goal. |
barley-bree |
noun |
Liquor made from barley; strong ale. |
barracouata |
noun |
A voracious pikelike, marine fish, of the genus Sphyraena, sometimes used as food., A large edible fresh-water fish of Australia and New Zealand (Thyrsites atun). |
barricading |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Barricade |
barycentric |
adjective |
Of or pertaining to the center of gravity. See Barycentric calculus, under Calculus. |
basaltiform |
adjective |
In the form of basalt; columnar. |
base-burner |
noun |
A furnace or stove in which the fuel is contained in a hopper or chamber, and is fed to the fire as the lower stratum is consumed. |
bashfulness |
noun |
The quality of being bashful. |
basset horn |
adjective |
An instrument blown with a reed, and resembling a clarinet, but of much greater compass, embracing nearly four octaves. |
bass-relief |
noun |
Some as Bas-relief. |
bastardized |
imp. & past participle |
of Bastardize |
bastinadoes |
plural |
of Bastinado, of Bastinado |
bathymetric |
adjective |
Alt. of Bathymetrical |
battologist |
noun |
One who battologizes. |
battologize |
verb t. |
To keep repeating needlessly; to iterate. |
bdellometer |
noun |
A cupping glass to which are attached a scarificator and an exhausting syringe. |
bearishness |
noun |
Behavior like that of a bear. |
bear’s-foot |
noun |
A species of hellebore (Helleborus foetidus), with digitate leaves. It has an offensive smell and acrid taste, and is a powerful emetic, cathartic, and anthelmintic. |
beastlihead |
noun |
Beastliness. |
beastliness |
noun |
The state or quality of being beastly. |
beatificate |
verb t. |
To beatify. |
beaucatcher |
noun |
A small flat curl worn on the temple by women. |
beautifying |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Beautify |
bedevilling |
|
of Bedevil |
bedevilment |
noun |
The state of being bedeviled; bewildering confusion; vexatious trouble. |
bedizenment |
noun |
That which bedizens; the act of dressing, or the state of being dressed, tawdrily. |
bed-molding |
noun |
Alt. of Bed-moulding |
bedraggling |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bedraggle |
bedrenching |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bedrench |
beef-witted |
noun |
Stupid; dull. |
beetle brow |
|
An overhanging brow. |
beetlestock |
noun |
The handle of a beetle. |
beet radish |
|
Same as Beetrave. |
befittingly |
adverb |
In a befitting manner; suitably. |
befriending |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Befriend |
beguilement |
noun |
The act of beguiling, or the state of being beguiled. |
bejewelling |
|
of Bejewel |
bel-accoyle |
noun |
A kind or favorable reception or salutation. |
beleaguered |
imp. & past participle |
of Beleaguer |
beleaguerer |
noun |
One who beleaguers. |
belecturing |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Belecture |
bell bearer |
|
A Brazilian leaf hopper (Bocydium tintinnabuliferum), remarkable for the four bell-shaped appendages of its thorax. |
bellerophon |
noun |
A genus of fossil univalve shells, believed to belong to the Heteropoda, peculiar to the Paleozoic age. |
bellicosely |
adverb |
In a bellicose manner. |
belligerent |
present participle |
Waging war; carrying on war., Pertaining, or tending, to war; of or relating to belligerents; as, a belligerent tone; belligerent rights., A nation or state recognized as carrying on war; a person engaged in warfare. |
bellipotent |
present participle |
Mighty in war; armipotent. |
bell pepper |
|
A species of Capsicum, or Guinea pepper (C. annuum). It is the red pepper of the gardens. |
bell-shaped |
adjective |
Having the shape of a wide-mouthed bell; campanulate. |
benedictine |
adjective |
Pertaining to the monks of St. Benedict, or St. Benet., One of a famous order of monks, established by St. Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century. This order was introduced into the United States in 1846. |
benediction |
noun |
The act of blessing., A blessing; an expression of blessing, prayer, or kind wishes in favor of any person or thing; a solemn or affectionate invocation of happiness., The short prayer which closes public worship; as, to give the benediction., The form of instituting an abbot, answering to the consecration of a bishop., A solemn rite by which bells, banners, candles, etc., are blessed with holy water, and formally dedicated to God. |
benedictive |
adjective |
Tending to bless. |
benedictory |
adjective |
Expressing wishes for good; as, a benedictory prayer. |
benefaction |
noun |
The act of conferring a benefit., A benefit conferred; esp. a charitable donation. |
beneficence |
noun |
The practice of doing good; active goodness, kindness, or charity; bounty springing from purity and goodness. |
beneficiary |
adjective |
Holding some office or valuable possession, in subordination to another; holding under a feudal or other superior; having a dependent and secondary possession., Bestowed as a gratuity; as, beneficiary gifts., A feudatory or vassal; hence, one who holds a benefice and uses its proceeds., One who receives anything as a gift; one who receives a benefit or advantage; esp. one who receives help or income from an educational fund or a trust estate. |
beneficiate |
verb t. |
To reduce (ores). |
beneficient |
adjective |
Beneficent. |
benefitting |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Benefit |
benevolence |
noun |
The disposition to do good; good will; charitableness; love of mankind, accompanied with a desire to promote their happiness., An act of kindness; good done; charity given., A species of compulsory contribution or tax, which has sometimes been illegally exacted by arbitrary kings of England, and falsely represented as a gratuity. |
benightment |
noun |
The condition of being benighted. |
benzoinated |
adjective |
Containing or impregnated with benzoin; as, benzoinated lard. |
beplastered |
imp. & past participle |
of Beplaster |
bepommeling |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bepommel |
bequeathing |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bequeath |
bereavement |
noun |
The state of being bereaved; deprivation; esp., the loss of a relative by death. |
berthierite |
noun |
A double sulphide of antimony and iron, of a dark steel-gray color. |
beseechment |
noun |
The act of beseeching or entreating earnestly. |
besiegement |
noun |
The act of besieging, or the state of being besieged. |
beslavering |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Beslaver |
besmirching |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Besmirch |
besottingly |
adverb |
In a besotting manner. |
bespangling |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bespangle |
bespattered |
imp. & past participle |
of Bespatter |
bespeckling |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bespeckle |
bespreading |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bespread |
besprinkled |
imp. & past participle |
of Besprinkle |
besprinkler |
noun |
One who, or that which, besprinkles. |
bestialized |
imp. & past participle |
of Bestialize |
betrothment |
noun |
The act of betrothing, or the state of being betrothed; betrothal. |
betrustment |
noun |
The act of intrusting, or the thing intrusted. |
bewildering |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bewilder, Causing bewilderment or great perplexity; as, bewildering difficulties. |
bewitchment |
noun |
The act of bewitching, or the state of being bewitched., The power of bewitching or charming. |
bezoartical |
adjective |
Having the qualities of an antidote, or of bezoar; healing. |
biacuminate |
adjective |
Having points in two directions. |
biangulated |
adjective |
Biangular. |
biblicality |
noun |
The quality of being biblical; a biblical subject. |
bibliograph |
noun |
Bibliographer. |
bibliolater |
noun |
Alt. of Bibliolatrist |
bibliolatry |
noun |
Book worship, esp. of the Bible; — applied by Roman Catholic divines to the exaltation of the authority of the Bible over that of the pope or the church, and by Protestants to an excessive regard to the letter of the Scriptures. |
bibliomancy |
noun |
A kind of divination, performed by selecting passages of Scripture at hazard, and drawing from them indications concerning future events. |
bibliomania |
noun |
A mania for acquiring books. |
bibliopegic |
adjective |
Relating to the binding of books. |
bibliophile |
noun |
A lover of books. |
bibliopolic |
adjective |
Alt. of Bibliopolar |
bibliopolar |
adjective |
Of or pertaining to the sale of books. |
bibliotheca |
noun |
A library. |
bibliotheke |
noun |
A library. |
bibracteate |
adjective |
Furnished with, or having, two bracts. |
bicalcarate |
adjective |
Having two spurs, as the wing or leg of a bird. |
bicarbonate |
noun |
A carbonate in which but half the hydrogen of the acid is replaced by a positive element or radical, thus making the proportion of the acid to the positive or basic portion twice what it is in the normal carbonates; an acid carbonate; — sometimes called supercarbonate. |
bicentenary |
adjective |
Of or pertaining to two hundred, esp. to two hundred years; as, a bicentenary celebration., The two hundredth anniversary, or its celebration. |
bicephalous |
adjective |
Having two heads. |
bicolligate |
verb t. |
Having the anterior toes connected by a basal web. |
biconjugate |
adjective |
Twice paired, as when a petiole forks twice. |
bicorporate |
adjective |
Double-bodied, as a lion having one head and two bodies. |
bicuspidate |
adjective |
Having two points or prominences; ending in two points; — said of teeth, leaves, fruit, etc. |
bifariously |
adverb |
In a bifarious manner. |
bifoliolate |
adjective |
Having two leaflets, as some compound leaves. |
bifurcation |
noun |
A forking, or division into two branches. |
big-bellied |
adjective |
Having a great belly; as, a big-bellied man or flagon; advanced in pregnancy. |
biglandular |
adjective |
Having two glands, as a plant. |
bilaciniate |
adjective |
Doubly fringed. |
bilamellate |
adjective |
Alt. of Bilamellated |
biliousness |
noun |
The state of being bilious. |
bill broker |
|
One who negotiates the discount of bills. |
billet-doux |
noun |
A love letter or note. |
bill holder |
|
A person who holds a bill or acceptance., A device by means of which bills, etc., are held. |
billsticker |
noun |
One whose occupation is to post handbills or posters in public places. |
bimarginate |
adjective |
Having a double margin, as certain shells. |
bimetallism |
noun |
The legalized use of two metals (as gold and silver) in the currency of a country, at a fixed relative value; — in opposition to monometallism. |
bimetallist |
noun |
An advocate of bimetallism. |
bindheimite |
noun |
An amorphous antimonate of lead, produced from the alteration of other ores, as from jamesonite. |
bindingness |
noun |
The condition or property of being binding; obligatory quality. |
binocularly |
adverb |
In a binocular manner. |
biodynamics |
noun |
The doctrine of vital forces or energy. |
biographize |
verb t. |
To write a history of the life of. |
biographies |
plural |
of Biography |
biomagnetic |
adjective |
Relating to biomagnetism. |
bipartition |
noun |
The act of dividing into two parts, or of making two correspondent parts, or the state of being so divided. |
bipectinate |
adjective |
Alt. of Bipectinated |
bipupillate |
adjective |
Having an eyelike spot on the wing, with two dots within it of a different color, as in some butterflies. |
bipyramidal |
adjective |
Consisting of two pyramids placed base to base; having a pyramid at each of the extremities of a prism, as in quartz crystals. |
biquadratic |
adjective |
Of or pertaining to the biquadrate, or fourth power., A biquadrate., A biquadratic equation. |
birdcatcher |
noun |
One whose employment it is to catch birds; a fowler. |
bird cherry |
|
A shrub (Prunus Padus ) found in Northern and Central Europe. It bears small black cherries. |
bird pepper |
|
A species of capsicum (Capsicum baccatum), whose small, conical, coral-red fruit is among the most piquant of all red peppers. |
bird’s-beak |
noun |
A molding whose section is thought to resemble a beak. |
bird’s-foot |
noun |
A papilionaceous plant, the Ornithopus, having a curved, cylindrical pod tipped with a short, clawlike point. |
bird’s nest |
noun |
Alt. of Bird’s-nest |
bird’s-nest |
noun |
The nest in which a bird lays eggs and hatches her young., The nest of a small swallow (Collocalia nidifica and several allied species), of China and the neighboring countries, which is mixed with soups., An orchideous plant with matted roots, of the genus Neottia (N. nidus-avis.) |
bird-witted |
adjective |
Flighty; passing rapidly from one subject to another; not having the faculty of attention. |
birostrated |
adjective |
Having a double beak, or two processes resembling beaks. |
bisulphuret |
noun |
See Bisulphide. |
bitter spar |
|
A common name of dolomite; — so called because it contains magnesia, the soluble salts of which are bitter. See Dolomite. |
bittersweet |
adjective |
Sweet and then bitter or bitter and then sweet; esp. sweet with a bitter after taste; hence (Fig.), pleasant but painful., Anything which is bittersweet., A kind of apple so called., A climbing shrub, with oval coral-red berries (Solanum dulcamara); woody nightshade. The whole plant is poisonous, and has a taste at first sweetish and then bitter. The branches are the officinal dulcamara., An American woody climber (Celastrus scandens), whose yellow capsules open late in autumn, and disclose the red aril which covers the seeds; — also called Roxbury waxwork. |
bituminated |
imp. & past participle |
of Bituminate |
bituminized |
imp. & past participle |
of Bituminize |
bivouacking |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bivouac |
blackballed |
imp. & past participle |
of Blackball |
black death |
|
A pestilence which ravaged Europe and Asia in the fourteenth century. |
black-faced |
adjective |
Having a black, dark, or gloomy face or aspect. |
black friar |
|
A friar of the Dominican order; — called also predicant and preaching friar; in France, Jacobin. Also, sometimes, a Benedictine. |
blackmailed |
imp. & past participle |
of Blackmail |
blackmailer |
noun |
One who extorts, or endeavors to extort, money, by black mailing. |
blacksalter |
noun |
One who makes crude potash, or black salts. |
black salts |
|
Crude potash. |
black snake |
noun |
Alt. of Blacksnake |
black vomit |
|
A copious vomiting of dark-colored matter; or the substance so discharged; — one of the most fatal symptoms in yellow fever. |
bladderwort |
noun |
A genus (Utricularia) of aquatic or marshy plants, which usually bear numerous vesicles in the divisions of the leaves. These serve as traps for minute animals. See Ascidium. |
blamelessly |
adverb |
In a blameless manner. |
blameworthy |
adjective |
Deserving blame; culpable; reprehensible. |
blancmanger |
noun |
A sort of fricassee with white sauce, variously made of capon, fish, etc. |
blandishing |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Blandish |
blaspheming |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Blaspheme |
blasphemous |
adjective |
Speaking or writing blasphemy; uttering or exhibiting anything impiously irreverent; profane; as, a blasphemous person; containing blasphemy; as, a blasphemous book; a blasphemous caricature. |
blastematic |
adjective |
Connected with, or proceeding from, the blastema; blastemal. |
blastocoele |
noun |
The cavity of the blastosphere, or segmentation cavity. |
blastophore |
noun |
That portion of the spermatospore which is not converted into spermatoblasts, but carries them. |
blastostyle |
noun |
In certain hydroids, an imperfect zooid, whose special function is to produce medusoid buds. See Hydroidea, and Athecata. |
bleacheries |
plural |
of Bleachery |
blemishless |
adjective |
Without blemish; spotless. |
blemishment |
noun |
The state of being blemished; blemish; disgrace; damage; impairment. |
blennorrhea |
noun |
An inordinate secretion and discharge of mucus., Gonorrhea. |
blessedness |
noun |
The state of being blessed; happiness; felicity; bliss; heavenly joys; the favor of God. |
blightingly |
adverb |
So as to cause blight. |
blindfolded |
imp. & past participle |
of Blindfold |
bloatedness |
noun |
The state of being bloated. |
blockheaded |
adjective |
Stupid; dull. |
blond metal |
|
A variety of clay ironstone, in Staffordshire, England, used for making tools. |
bloodflower |
noun |
A genus of bulbous plants, natives of Southern Africa, named Haemanthus, of the Amaryllis family. The juice of H. toxicarius is used by the Hottentots to poison their arrows. |
bloodguilty |
adjective |
Guilty of murder or bloodshed. |
bloodletter |
noun |
One who, or that which, lets blood; a phlebotomist. |
blood money |
|
Money paid to the next of kin of a person who has been killed by another., Money obtained as the price, or at the cost, of another’s life; — said of a reward for supporting a capital charge, of money obtained for betraying a fugitive or for committing murder, or of money obtained from the sale of that which will destroy the purchaser. |
bloodstroke |
noun |
Loss of sensation and motion from hemorrhage or congestion in the brain. |
bloodsucker |
noun |
Any animal that sucks blood; esp., the leech (Hirudo medicinalis), and related species., One who sheds blood; a cruel, bloodthirsty man; one guilty of bloodshed; a murderer., A hard and exacting master, landlord, or money lender; an extortioner. |
bloodybones |
noun |
A terrible bugbear. |
bloody flux |
|
The dysentery, a disease in which the flux or discharge from the bowels has a mixture of blood. |
bloody hand |
|
A hand stained with the blood of a deer, which, in the old forest laws of England, was sufficient evidence of a man’s trespass in the forest against venison., A red hand, as in the arms of Ulster, which is now the distinguishing mark of a baronet of the United Kingdom. |
blossomless |
adjective |
Without blossoms. |
blue bonnet |
noun |
Alt. of Blue-bonnet |
blue-bonnet |
noun |
A broad, flat Scottish cap of blue woolen, or one wearing such cap; a Scotchman., A plant. Same as Bluebottle., The European blue titmouse (Parus coeruleus); the bluecap. |
blue-veined |
adjective |
Having blue veins or blue streaks. |
bluff-bowed |
adjective |
Built with the stem nearly straight up and down. |
blunderbuss |
noun |
A short gun or firearm, with a large bore, capable of holding a number of balls, and intended to do execution without exact aim., A stupid, blundering fellow. |
blunderhead |
noun |
A stupid, blundering fellow. |
boatmanship |
noun |
The art of managing a boat. |
boat-shaped |
adjective |
See Cymbiform. |
bogtrotting |
adjective |
Living among bogs. |
bohemianism |
noun |
The characteristic conduct or methods of a Bohemian. |
bollandists |
noun pl. |
The Jesuit editors of the “Acta Sanctorum”, or Lives of the Saints; — named from John Bolland, who began the work. |
bombardment |
noun |
An attack upon a fortress or fortified town, with shells, hot shot, rockets, etc.; the act of throwing bombs and shot into a town or fortified place. |
bombastical |
adjective |
Characterized by bombast; high-sounding; inflated. |
bombilation |
noun |
A humming sound; a booming. |
bombination |
noun |
A humming or buzzing. |
bombycinous |
adjective |
Silken; made of silk., Being of the color of the silkworm; transparent with a yellow tint. |
bonapartean |
adjective |
Of or pertaining to Napoleon Bonaparte or his family. |
bonapartism |
noun |
The policy of Bonaparte or of the Bonapartes. |
bonapartist |
noun |
One attached to the policy or family of Bonaparte, or of the Bonapartes. |
bonchretien |
noun |
A name given to several kinds of pears. See Bartlett. |
bookbindery |
noun |
A bookbinder’s shop; a place or establishment for binding books. |
bookbinding |
noun |
The art, process, or business of binding books. |
bookkeeping |
noun |
The art of recording pecuniary or business transactions in a regular and systematic manner, so as to show their relation to each other, and the state of the business in which they occur; the art of keeping accounts. The books commonly used are a daybook, cashbook, journal, and ledger. See Daybook, Cashbook, Journal, and Ledger. |
book muslin |
|
A kind of muslin used for the covers of books., A kind of thin white muslin for ladies’ dresses. |
bookselling |
noun |
The employment of selling books. |
bookshelves |
plural |
of Bookshelf |
boottopping |
noun |
The act or process of daubing a vessel’s bottom near the surface of the water with a mixture of tallow, sulphur, and resin, as a temporary protection against worms, after the slime, shells, etc., have been scraped off., Sheathing a vessel with planking over felt. |
boragineous |
adjective |
Relating to the Borage tribe; boraginaceous. |
boroughhead |
noun |
See Headborough. |
botanologer |
noun |
A botanist. |
botanomancy |
noun |
An ancient species of divination by means of plants, esp. sage and fig leaves. |
botheration |
noun |
The act of bothering, or state of being bothered; cause of trouble; perplexity; annoyance; vexation. |
bottle-nose |
noun |
A cetacean of the Dolphin family, of several species, as Delphinus Tursio and Lagenorhyncus leucopleurus, of Europe., The puffin. |
bottlescrew |
noun |
A corkscrew. |
bourgeoisie |
noun |
The French middle class, particularly such as are concerned in, or dependent on, trade. |
boustorphic |
adjective |
Boustrophedonic. |
boutonniere |
noun |
A bouquet worn in a buttonhole. |
bouts-rimes |
noun pl. |
Words that rhyme, proposed as the ends of verses, to be filled out by the ingenuity of the person to whom they are offered. |
bow-compass |
noun |
An arcograph., A small pair of compasses, one leg of which carries a pencil, or a pen, for drawing circles. Its legs are often connected by a bow-shaped spring, instead of by a joint., A pair of compasses, with a bow or arched plate riveted to one of the legs, and passing through the other. |
bowie knife |
|
A knife with a strong blade from ten to fifteen inches long, and double-edged near the point; — used as a hunting knife, and formerly as a weapon in the southwestern part of the United States. It was named from its inventor, Colonel James Bowie. Also, by extension, any large sheath knife. |
bowl-legged |
adjective |
Having crooked legs, esp. with the knees bent outward. |
bowstringed |
imp. & past participle |
of Bowstring, Furnished with bowstring., Put to death with a bowstring; strangled. |
boyle’s law |
|
See under Law. |
brabblement |
noun |
A brabble. |
brachelytra |
noun pl. |
A group of beetles having short elytra, as the rove beetles. |
brachiopoda |
noun |
A class of Molluscoidea having a symmetrical bivalve shell, often attached by a fleshy peduncle. |
brachyceral |
adjective |
Having short antennae, as certain insects. |
brachyptera |
noun pl. |
A group of Coleoptera having short wings; the rove beetles. |
brachyurous |
adjective |
Of or pertaining to the Brachyura. |
bracteolate |
adjective |
Furnished with bracteoles or bractlets. |
braggadocio |
noun |
A braggart; a boaster; a swaggerer., Empty boasting; mere brag; pretension. |
braggardism |
noun |
Boastfulness; act of bragging. |
brainsickly |
adverb |
In a brainsick manner. |
bramble net |
|
A net to catch birds. |
branchiness |
noun |
Fullness of branches. |
branchiopod |
noun |
One of the Branchiopoda. |
brand goose |
|
A species of wild goose (Branta bernicla) usually called in America brant. See Brant. |
brandishing |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Brandish |
brand spore |
|
One of several spores growing in a series or chain, and produced by one of the fungi called brand. |
branglement |
noun |
Wrangle; brangle. |
brankursine |
noun |
Bear’s-breech, or Acanthus. |
brattishing |
noun |
See Brattice, n., Carved openwork, as of a shrine, battlement, or parapet. |
brazenfaced |
adjective |
Impudent; shameless. |
brazil wood |
|
The wood of the oriental Caesalpinia Sapan; — so called before the discovery of America., A very heavy wood of a reddish color, imported from Brazil and other tropical countries, for cabinet-work, and for dyeing. The best is the heartwood of Caesalpinia echinata, a leguminous tree; but other trees also yield it. An inferior sort comes from Jamaica, the timber of C. Braziliensis and C. crista. This is often distinguished as Braziletto , but the better kind is also frequently so named. |
breadbasket |
noun |
The stomach. |
breadthless |
adjective |
Without breadth. |
breadthways |
ads. |
Breadthwise. |
breadthwise |
ads. |
In the direction of the breadth. |
breakfasted |
imp. & past participle |
of Breakfast |
breast-deep |
adjective |
Deep as from the breast to the feet; as high as the breast. |
breast-high |
adjective |
High as the breast. |
breastplate |
noun |
A plate of metal covering the breast as defensive armor., A piece against which the workman presses his breast in operating a breast drill, or other similar tool., A strap that runs across a horse’s breast., A part of the vestment of the high priest, worn upon the front of the ephod. It was a double piece of richly embroidered stuff, a span square, set with twelve precious stones, on which were engraved the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. See Ephod. |
breastwheel |
noun |
A water wheel, on which the stream of water strikes neither so high as in the overshot wheel, nor so low as in the undershot, but generally at about half the height of the wheel, being kept in contact with it by the breasting. The water acts on the float boards partly by impulse, partly by its weight. |
breechblock |
noun |
The movable piece which closes the breech of a breech-loading firearm, and resists the backward force of the discharge. It is withdrawn for the insertion of a cartridge, and closed again before the gun is fired. |
breechcloth |
noun |
A cloth worn around the breech. |
brestsummer |
noun |
See Breastsummer. |
brewsterite |
noun |
A rare zeolitic mineral occurring in white monoclinic crystals with pearly luster. It is a hydrous silicate of aluminia, baryta, and strontia. |
bric-a brac |
noun |
Miscellaneous curiosities and works of decorative art, considered collectively. |
bricklaying |
noun |
The art of building with bricks, or of uniting them by cement or mortar into various forms; the act or occupation of laying bricks. |
brickleness |
noun |
Brittleness. |
bridgeboard |
noun |
A notched board to which the treads and risers of the steps of wooden stairs are fastened., A board or plank used as a bridge. |
bridge-ward |
noun |
A bridge keeper; a warden or a guard for a bridge., The principal ward of a key. |
bridle iron |
|
A strong flat bar of iron, so bent as to support, as in a stirrup, one end of a floor timber, etc., where no sufficient bearing can be had; — called also stirrup and hanger. |
brightening |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Brighten |
brilliantly |
adverb |
In a brilliant manner. |
brinishness |
noun |
State or quality of being brinish. |
bristletail |
noun |
An insect of the genera Lepisma, Campodea, etc., belonging to the Thysanura. |
bristliness |
noun |
The quality or state of having bristles. |
brittleness |
noun |
Aptness to break; fragility. |
broad gauge |
|
A wider distance between the rails than the “standard” gauge of four feet eight inches and a half. See Gauge. |
broadspread |
adjective |
Widespread. |
brochantite |
noun |
A basic sulphate of copper, occurring in emerald-green crystals. |
broken wind |
|
The heaves. |
bromatology |
noun |
The science of aliments. |
brome grass |
|
A genus (Bromus) of grasses, one species of which is the chess or cheat. |
bronchocele |
noun |
See Goiter. |
bronchotome |
noun |
An instrument for cutting into the bronchial tubes. |
bronchotomy |
noun |
An incision into the windpipe or larynx, including the operations of tracheotomy and laryngotomy. |
brotherhood |
noun |
The state of being brothers or a brother., An association for any purpose, as a society of monks; a fraternity., The whole body of persons engaged in the same business, — especially those of the same profession; as, the legal or medical brotherhood., Persons, and, poetically, things, of a like kind. |
browbeating |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Browbeat, The act of bearing down, abashing, or disconcerting, with stern looks, supercilious manners, or confident assertions. |
brush wheel |
|
A wheel without teeth, used to turn a similar one by the friction of bristles or something brushlike or soft attached to the circumference., A circular revolving brush used by turners, lapidaries, silversmiths, etc., for polishing. |
brusqueness |
noun |
Quality of being brusque; roughness joined with promptness; bluntness. |
brutalities |
plural |
of Brutality |
brutalizing |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Brutalize |
bryological |
adjective |
Relating to bryology; as, bryological studies. |
buck-basket |
noun |
A basket in which clothes are carried to the wash. |
bucket shop |
|
An office or a place where facilities are given for betting small sums on current prices of stocks, petroleum, etc. |
buck’s-horn |
noun |
A plant with leaves branched somewhat like a buck’s horn (Plantago Coronopus); also, Lobelia coronopifolia. |
bude burner |
|
A burner consisting of two or more concentric Argand burners (the inner rising above the outer) and a central tube by which oxygen gas or common air is supplied. |
buffel duck |
|
A small duck (Charitonetta albeola); the spirit duck, or butterball. The head of the male is covered with numerous elongated feathers, and thus appears large. Called also bufflehead. |
buke muslin |
|
See Book muslin. |
bulbiferous |
noun |
Producing bulbs. |
bulbo-tuber |
noun |
A corm. |
bullen-nail |
noun |
A nail with a round head and short shank, tinned and lacquered. |
bull-necked |
adjective |
Having a short and thick neck like that of a bull. |
bull’s-nose |
noun |
An external angle when obtuse or rounded. |
bunch grass |
|
A grass growing in bunches and affording pasture. In California, Atropis tenuifolia, Festuca scabrella, and several kinds of Stipa are favorite bunch grasses. In Utah, Eriocoma cuspidata is a good bunch grass. |
buprestidan |
noun |
One of a tribe of beetles, of the genus Buprestis and allied genera, usually with brilliant metallic colors. The larvae are usually borers in timber, or beneath bark, and are often very destructive to trees. |
bureaucracy |
noun |
A system of carrying on the business of government by means of departments or bureaus, each under the control of a chief, in contradiction to a system in which the officers of government have an associated authority and responsibility; also, government conducted on this system., Government officials, collectively. |
burghership |
noun |
The state or privileges of a burgher. |
burghmaster |
noun |
A burgomaster., An officer who directs and lays out the meres or boundaries for the workmen; — called also bailiff, and barmaster. |
burglarious |
adjective |
Pertaining to burglary; constituting the crime of burglary. |
burgomaster |
noun |
A chief magistrate of a municipal town in Holland, Flanders, and Germany, corresponding to mayor in England and the United States; a burghmaster., An aquatic bird, the glaucous gull (Larus glaucus), common in arctic regions. |
burlesquing |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Burlesque |
burnettized |
imp. & past participle |
of Burnettize |
burnstickle |
noun |
A stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). |
burrel shot |
|
A mixture of shot, nails, stones, pieces of old iron, etc., fired from a cannon at short range, in an emergency. |
bursiculate |
adjective |
Bursiform. |
bushfighter |
noun |
One accustomed to bushfighting. |
bushwhacker |
noun |
One accustomed to beat about, or travel through, bushes., A guerrilla; a marauding assassin; one who pretends to be a peaceful citizen, but secretly harasses a hostile force or its sympathizers. |
butterflies |
plural |
of Butterfly |
buttressing |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Buttress |
butyraceous |
adjective |
Having the qualities of butter; resembling butter. |
butyrometer |
noun |
An instrument for determining the amount of fatty matter or butter contained in a sample of milk. |
by-drinking |
noun |
A drinking between meals. |
by-election |
noun |
An election held by itself, not at the time of a general election. |
by-interest |
noun |
Self-interest; private advantage. |
bysmottered |
p.adjective |
Bespotted with mud or dirt. |
byssiferous |
adjective |
Bearing a byssus or tuft. |