Words |
Parts of Speech |
Meaning/Definition/Similar Words |
baalism |
noun |
Worship of Baal; idolatry. |
baalist |
noun |
Alt. of Baalite |
baalite |
noun |
A worshiper of Baal; a devotee of any false religion; an idolater. |
babbitt |
verb t. |
To line with Babbitt metal. |
babbled |
imp. & past participle |
of Babble |
babbler |
noun |
An idle talker; an irrational prater; a teller of secrets., A hound too noisy on finding a good scent., A name given to any one of family (Timalinae) of thrushlike birds, having a chattering note. |
babying |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Baby |
babyish |
adjective |
Like a baby; childish; puerile; simple. |
babyism |
noun |
The state of being a baby., A babyish manner of acting or speaking. |
baccara |
noun |
Alt. of Baccarat |
baccare |
interj. |
Alt. of Backare |
backare |
interj. |
Stand back! give place! — a cant word of the Elizabethan writers, probably in ridicule of some person who pretended to a knowledge of Latin which he did not possess., Same as Baccare. |
baccate |
adjective |
Pulpy throughout, like a berry; — said of fruits. |
bacchic |
adjective |
Alt. of Bacchical |
bacchii |
plural |
of Bacchius |
bacchus |
noun |
The god of wine, son of Jupiter and Semele. |
bacilli |
plural |
of Bacillus |
backing |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Back, The act of moving backward, or of putting or moving anything backward., That which is behind, and forms the back of, anything, usually giving strength or stability., Support or aid given to a person or cause., The preparation of the back of a book with glue, etc., before putting on the cover. |
backlog |
noun |
A large stick of wood, forming the back of a fire on the hearth. |
backrag |
noun |
See Bacharach. |
backsaw |
noun |
A saw (as a tenon saw) whose blade is stiffened by an added metallic back. |
backset |
noun |
A check; a relapse; a discouragement; a setback., Whatever is thrown back in its course, as water., To plow again, in the fall; — said of prairie land broken up in the spring. |
baddish |
adjective |
Somewhat bad; inferior. |
badiaga |
noun |
A fresh-water sponge (Spongilla), common in the north of Europe, the powder of which is used to take away the livid marks of bruises. |
badness |
noun |
The state of being bad. |
baffled |
imp. & past participle |
of Baffle |
baffler |
noun |
One who, or that which, baffles. |
bagging |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bag, Cloth or other material for bags., The act of putting anything into, or as into, a bag., The act of swelling; swelling., Reaping peas, beans, wheat, etc., with a chopping stroke. |
bagasse |
noun |
Sugar cane, as it comes crushed from the mill. It is then dried and used as fuel. Also extended to the refuse of beetroot sugar. |
baggage |
noun |
The clothes, tents, utensils, and provisions of an army., The trunks, valises, satchels, etc., which a traveler carries with him on a journey; luggage., Purulent matter., Trashy talk., A man of bad character., A woman of loose morals; a prostitute., A romping, saucy girl. |
baggala |
noun |
A two-masted Arab or Indian trading vessel, used in Indian Ocean. |
baggily |
adverb |
In a loose, baggy way. |
bag net |
|
A bag-shaped net for catching fish. |
bagpipe |
noun |
A musical wind instrument, now used chiefly in the Highlands of Scotland., To make to look like a bagpipe. |
bagreef |
noun |
The lower reef of fore and aft sails; also, the upper reef of topsails. |
bagworm |
noun |
One of several lepidopterous insects which construct, in the larval state, a baglike case which they carry about for protection. One species (Platoeceticus Gloveri) feeds on the orange tree. See Basket worm. |
bailing |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bail |
bailiff |
noun |
Originally, a person put in charge of something especially, a chief officer, magistrate, or keeper, as of a county, town, hundred, or castle; one to whom power/ of custody or care are intrusted., A sheriff’s deputy, appointed to make arrests, collect fines, summon juries, etc., An overseer or under steward of an estate, who directs husbandry operations, collects rents, etc. |
baillie |
noun |
Bailiff., Same as Bailie. |
baiting |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bait |
bajocco |
noun |
A small copper coin formerly current in the Roman States, worth about a cent and a half. |
balance |
noun |
An apparatus for weighing., Act of weighing mentally; comparison; estimate., Equipoise between the weights in opposite scales., The state of being in equipoise; equilibrium; even adjustment; steadiness., An equality between the sums total of the two sides of an account; as, to bring one’s accounts to a balance; — also, the excess on either side; as, the balance of an account., A balance wheel, as of a watch, or clock. See Balance wheel (in the Vocabulary)., The constellation Libra., The seventh sign in the Zodiac, called Libra, which the sun enters at the equinox in September., A movement in dancing. See Balance, v. i., S., To bring to an equipoise, as the scales of a balance by adjusting the weights; to weigh in a balance., To support on a narrow base, so as to keep from falling; as, to balance a plate on the end of a cane; to balance one’s self on a tight rope., To equal in number, weight, force, or proportion; to counterpoise, counterbalance, counteract, or neutralize., To compare in relative force, importance, value, etc.; to estimate., To settle and adjust, as an account; to make two accounts equal by paying the difference between them., To make the sums of the debits and credits of an account equal; — said of an item; as, this payment, or credit, balances the account., To arrange accounts in such a way that the sum total of the debits is equal to the sum total of the credits; as, to balance a set of books., To move toward, and then back from, reciprocally; as, to balance partners., To contract, as a sail, into a narrower compass; as, to balance the boom mainsail., To have equal weight on each side; to be in equipoise; as, the scales balance., To fluctuate between motives which appear of equal force; to waver; to hesitate., To move toward a person or couple, and then back. |
balcony |
noun |
A platform projecting from the wall of a building, usually resting on brackets or consoles, and inclosed by a parapet; as, a balcony in front of a window. Also, a projecting gallery in places of amusement; as, the balcony in a theater., A projecting gallery once common at the stern of large ships. |
baldrib |
noun |
A piece of pork cut lower down than the sparerib, and destitute of fat. |
baldric |
noun |
A broad belt, sometimes richly ornamented, worn over one shoulder, across the breast, and under the opposite arm; less properly, any belt. |
baldwin |
noun |
A kind of reddish, moderately acid, winter apple. |
baleful |
adjective |
Full of deadly or pernicious influence; destructive., Full of grief or sorrow; woeful; sad. |
balking |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Balk |
balkish |
adjective |
Uneven; ridgy. |
balling |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Ball |
ballade |
noun |
A form of French versification, sometimes imitated in English, in which three or four rhymes recur through three stanzas of eight or ten lines each, the stanzas concluding with a refrain, and the whole poem with an envoy. |
ballast |
adjective |
Any heavy substance, as stone, iron, etc., put into the hold to sink a vessel in the water to such a depth as to prevent capsizing., Any heavy matter put into the car of a balloon to give it steadiness., Gravel, broken stone, etc., laid in the bed of a railroad to make it firm and solid., The larger solids, as broken stone or gravel, used in making concrete., Fig.: That which gives, or helps to maintain, uprightness, steadiness, and security., To steady, as a vessel, by putting heavy substances in the hold., To fill in, as the bed of a railroad, with gravel, stone, etc., in order to make it firm and solid., To keep steady; to steady, morally. |
ballium |
noun |
See Bailey. |
balloon |
noun |
A bag made of silk or other light material, and filled with hydrogen gas or heated air, so as to rise and float in the atmosphere; especially, one with a car attached for aerial navigation., A ball or globe on the top of a pillar, church, etc., as at St. Paul’s, in London., A round vessel, usually with a short neck, to hold or receive whatever is distilled; a glass vessel of a spherical form., A bomb or shell., A game played with a large inflated ball., The outline inclosing words represented as coming from the mouth of a pictured figure., To take up in, or as if in, a balloon., To go up or voyage in a balloon., To expand, or puff out, like a balloon. |
balmify |
verb t. |
To render balmy. |
balmily |
adverb |
In a balmy manner. |
balneal |
adjective |
Of or pertaining to a bath. |
bambino |
noun |
A child or baby; esp., a representation in art of the infant Christ wrapped in swaddling clothes., Babe Ruth. |
banning |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Ban |
banding |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Band |
bandage |
noun |
A fillet or strip of woven material, used in dressing and binding up wounds, etc., Something resembling a bandage; that which is bound over or round something to cover, strengthen, or compress it; a ligature., To bind, dress, or cover, with a bandage; as, to bandage the eyes. |
bandala |
noun |
A fabric made in Manilla from the older leaf sheaths of the abaca (Musa textilis). |
bandana |
noun |
A species of silk or cotton handkerchief, having a uniformly dyed ground, usually of red or blue, with white or yellow figures of a circular, lozenge, or other simple form., A style of calico printing, in which white or bright spots are produced upon cloth previously dyed of a uniform red or dark color, by discharging portions of the color by chemical means, while the rest of the cloth is under pressure. |
bandbox |
noun |
A light box of pasteboard or thin wood, usually cylindrical, for holding ruffs (the bands of the 17th century), collars, caps, bonnets, etc. |
bandeau |
noun |
A narrow band or fillet; a part of a head-dress. |
bandlet |
noun |
A small band or fillet; any little band or flat molding, compassing a column, like a ring., Same as Bandelet. |
bandrol |
noun |
A little banner, flag, or streamer., Same as Banderole. |
bandits |
plural |
of Bandit |
bandore |
noun |
A musical stringed instrument, similar in form to a guitar; a pandore. |
bandies |
plural |
of Bandy |
bandied |
imp. & past participle |
of Bandy |
baneful |
adjective |
Having poisonous qualities; deadly; destructive; injurious; noxious; pernicious. |
banging |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bang, Huge; great in size. |
banking |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bank, The business of a bank or of a banker. |
bannock |
noun |
A kind of cake or bread, in shape flat and roundish, commonly made of oatmeal or barley meal and baked on an iron plate, or griddle; — used in Scotland and the northern counties of England. |
banquet |
noun |
A feast; a sumptuous entertainment of eating and drinking; often, a complimentary or ceremonious feast, followed by speeches., A dessert; a course of sweetmeats; a sweetmeat or sweetmeats., To treat with a banquet or sumptuous entertainment of food; to feast., To regale one’s self with good eating and drinking; to feast., To partake of a dessert after a feast. |
banshee |
noun |
Alt. of Banshie |
banshie |
noun |
A supernatural being supposed by the Irish and Scotch peasantry to warn a family of the speedy death of one of its members, by wailing or singing in a mournful voice under the windows of the house. |
banteng |
noun |
The wild ox of Java (Bibos Banteng). |
baptism |
verb i. |
The act of baptizing; the application of water to a person, as a sacrament or religious ceremony, by which he is initiated into the visible church of Christ. This is performed by immersion, sprinkling, or pouring. |
baptist |
noun |
One who administers baptism; — specifically applied to John, the forerunner of Christ., One of a denomination of Christians who deny the validity of infant baptism and of sprinkling, and maintain that baptism should be administered to believers alone, and should be by immersion. See Anabaptist. |
baptize |
verb t. |
To administer the sacrament of baptism to., To christen ( because a name is given to infants at their baptism); to give a name to; to name., To sanctify; to consecrate. |
barring |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bar |
barbing |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Barb |
barbara |
noun |
The first word in certain mnemonic lines which represent the various forms of the syllogism. It indicates a syllogism whose three propositions are universal affirmatives. |
barbaic |
adjective |
Of, or from, barbarian nations; foreign; — often with reference to barbarous nations of east., Of or pertaining to, or resembling, an uncivilized person or people; barbarous; barbarian; destitute of refinement. |
barbary |
noun |
The countries on the north coast of Africa from Egypt to the Atlantic. Hence: A Barbary horse; a barb. [Obs.] Also, a kind of pigeon. |
barbate |
adjective |
Bearded; beset with long and weak hairs. |
barbule |
noun |
A very minute barb or beard., One of the processes along the edges of the barbs of a feather, by which adjacent barbs interlock. See Feather. |
bardish |
adjective |
Pertaining to, or written by, a bard or bards. |
bardism |
noun |
The system of bards; the learning and maxims of bards. |
barfish |
noun |
Same as Calico bass. |
bargain |
noun |
An agreement between parties concerning the sale of property; or a contract by which one party binds himself to transfer the right to some property for a consideration, and the other party binds himself to receive the property and pay the consideration., An agreement or stipulation; mutual pledge., A purchase; also ( when not qualified), a gainful transaction; an advantageous purchase; as, to buy a thing at a bargain., The thing stipulated or purchased; also, anything bought cheap., To make a bargain; to make a contract for the exchange of property or services; — followed by with and for; as, to bargain with a farmer for a cow., To transfer for a consideration; to barter; to trade; as, to bargain one horse for another. |
barilla |
noun |
A name given to several species of Salsola from which soda is made, by burning the barilla in heaps and lixiviating the ashes., The alkali produced from the plant, being an impure carbonate of soda, used for making soap, glass, etc., and for bleaching purposes., Impure soda obtained from the ashes of any seashore plant, or kelp. |
barking |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bark |
barkery |
noun |
A tanhouse. |
barmaid |
noun |
A girl or woman who attends the customers of a bar, as in a tavern or beershop. |
barmote |
noun |
A court held in Derbyshire, in England, for deciding controversies between miners. |
barocco |
adjective |
See Baroque. |
baronet |
noun |
A dignity or degree of honor next below a baron and above a knight, having precedency of all orders of knights except those of the Garter. It is the lowest degree of honor that is hereditary. The baronets are commoners. |
baroque |
adjective |
In bad taste; grotesque; odd. |
barpost |
noun |
A post sunk in the ground to receive the bars closing a passage into a field. |
barrack |
noun |
A building for soldiers, especially when in garrison. Commonly in the pl., originally meaning temporary huts, but now usually applied to a permanent structure or set of buildings., A movable roof sliding on four posts, to cover hay, straw, etc., To supply with barracks; to establish in barracks; as, to barrack troops., To live or lodge in barracks. |
barrage |
noun |
An artificial bar or obstruction placed in a river or water course to increase the depth of water; as, the barrages of the Nile. |
barrier |
noun |
A carpentry obstruction, stockade, or other obstacle made in a passage in order to stop an enemy., A fortress or fortified town, on the frontier of a country, commanding an avenue of approach., A fence or railing to mark the limits of a place, or to keep back a crowd., An any obstruction; anything which hinders approach or attack., Any limit or boundary; a line of separation. |
barroom |
noun |
A room containing a bar or counter at which liquors are sold. |
barruly |
adjective |
Traversed by barrulets or small bars; — said of the field. |
bartery |
noun |
Barter. |
bartram |
noun |
See Bertram. |
barwise |
adverb |
Horizontally. |
barwood |
noun |
A red wood of a leguminous tree (Baphia nitida), from Angola and the Gaboon in Africa. It is used as a dyewood, and also for ramrods, violin bows and turner’s work. |
barytes |
noun |
Barium sulphate, generally called heavy spar or barite. See Barite. |
barytic |
adjective |
Of or pertaining to baryta. |
barytum |
noun |
The metal barium. See Barium. |
basbleu |
noun |
A bluestocking; a literary woman. |
bascule |
noun |
In mechanics an apparatus on the principle of the seesaw, in which one end rises as the other falls. |
basenet |
noun |
See Bascinet. |
bashful |
adjective |
Abashed; daunted; dismayed., Very modest, or modest excess; constitutionally disposed to shrink from public notice; indicating extreme or excessive modesty; shy; as, a bashful person, action, expression. |
bashyle |
noun |
See Basyle. |
basiled |
imp. & past participle |
of Basil |
basilar |
noun |
Alt. of Basilary |
basilic |
noun |
Basilica., Alt. of Basilical |
basined |
adjective |
Inclosed in a basin. |
basinet |
noun |
Same as Bascinet. |
basking |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bask |
bassock |
noun |
A hassock. See 2d Bass, 2. |
bassoon |
noun |
A wind instrument of the double reed kind, furnished with holes, which are stopped by the fingers, and by keys, as in flutes. It forms the natural bass to the oboe, clarinet, etc. |
bastard |
noun |
A “natural” child; a child begotten and born out of wedlock; an illegitimate child; one born of an illicit union., An inferior quality of soft brown sugar, obtained from the sirups that / already had several boilings., A large size of mold, in which sugar is drained., A sweet Spanish wine like muscadel in flavor., A writing paper of a particular size. See Paper., Begotten and born out of lawful matrimony; illegitimate. See Bastard, n., note., Lacking in genuineness; spurious; false; adulterate; — applied to things which resemble those which are genuine, but are really not so., Of an unusual make or proportion; as, a bastard musket; a bastard culverin., Abbreviated, as the half title in a page preceding the full title page of a book., To bastardize. |
basting |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Baste |
bastion |
noun |
A work projecting outward from the main inclosure of a fortification, consisting of two faces and two flanks, and so constructed that it is able to defend by a flanking fire the adjacent curtain, or wall which extends from one bastion to another. Two adjacent bastions are connected by the curtain, which joins the flank of one with the adjacent flank of the other. The distance between the flanks of a bastion is called the gorge. A lunette is a detached bastion. See Ravelin. |
batting |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bat, The act of one who bats; the management of a bat in playing games of ball., Cotton in sheets, prepared for use in making quilts, etc.; as, cotton batting. |
batable |
adjective |
Disputable. |
batatas |
noun |
Alt. of Batata |
bateaux |
plural |
of Bateau |
bateful |
adjective |
Exciting contention; contentious. |
batfish |
noun |
A name given to several species of fishes: (a) The Malthe vespertilio of the Atlantic coast. (b) The flying gurnard of the Atlantic (Cephalacanthus spinarella). (c) The California batfish or sting ray (Myliobatis Californicus.) |
bathing |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bathe, Act of taking a bath or baths. |
batiste |
noun |
Originally, cambric or lawn of fine linen; now applied also to cloth of similar texture made of cotton. |
batsmen |
plural |
of Batsman |
batsman |
noun |
The one who wields the bat in cricket, baseball, etc. |
batwing |
adjective |
Shaped like a bat’s wing; as, a bat’s-wing burner. |
battler |
noun |
A student at Oxford who is supplied with provisions from the buttery; formerly, one who paid for nothing but what he called for, answering nearly to a sizar at Cambridge. |
battery |
verb t. |
The act of battering or beating., The unlawful beating of another. It includes every willful, angry and violent, or negligent touching of another’s person or clothes, or anything attached to his person or held by him., Any place where cannon or mortars are mounted, for attack or defense., Two or more pieces of artillery in the field., A company or division of artillery, including the gunners, guns, horses, and all equipments. In the United States, a battery of flying artillery consists usually of six guns., A number of coated jars (Leyden jars) so connected that they may be charged and discharged simultaneously., An apparatus for generating voltaic electricity., A number of similar machines or devices in position; an apparatus consisting of a set of similar parts; as, a battery of boilers, of retorts, condensers, etc., A series of stamps operated by one motive power, for crushing ores containing the precious metals., The box in which the stamps for crushing ore play up and down., The pitcher and catcher together. |
battled |
imp. & past participle |
of Battle, Embattled. |
batture |
noun |
An elevated river bed or sea bed. |
battuta |
noun |
The measuring of time by beating. |
bauxite |
noun |
Alt. of Beauxite |
bavaroy |
noun |
A kind of cloak or surtout. |
bawcock |
noun |
A fine fellow; — a term of endearment. |
bawdily |
adverb |
Obscenely; lewdly. |
bawling |
present participle & vb. noun |
of Bawl |
bayatte |
noun |
A large, edible, siluroid fish of the Nile, of two species (Bagrina bayad and B. docmac). |
baybolt |
noun |
A bolt with a barbed shank. |
bay ice |
|
See under Ice. |
bayonet |
noun |
A pointed instrument of the dagger kind fitted on the muzzle of a musket or rifle, so as to give the soldier increased means of offense and defense., A pin which plays in and out of holes made to receive it, and which thus serves to engage or disengage parts of the machinery., To stab with a bayonet., To compel or drive by the bayonet. |
bay rum |
|
A fragrant liquid, used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes. |