Front matter (continued 4)
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4. A metallic tube, as of a gun, from which a projectile is discharged. Knight. 5. A jar. [Obs.] 1 Kings xvii. 12. 6. (Zo”l.) The hollow basal part of a feather. Barrel bulk (Com.), a measure equal to five cubic feet, used in estimating capacity, as of a vessel for freight. Ð Barrel drain (Arch.), a drain in the form of a cylindrical tube. Ð Barrel of a boiler, the cylindrical part of a boiler, containing the flues. Ð Barrel of the ear ( ? ), the tympanum, or tympanic cavity. Ð Barrel organ, an instrument for producing music by the action of a revolving cylinder. Ð Barrel vault. See under Vault. Bar¶rel (?), v.t. [imp. & p.p. Barreled (?), or Barrelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Barreling, or Barrelling.] To put or to pack in a barrel or barrels. Bar¶reled, Bar¶relled (?), a. Having a barrel; Ð used in composition; as, a doubleÐbarreled gun. Bar¶ren (?), a. [OE. barein, OF. brehaing, ?em. brehaigne, baraigne, F. br‚haigne; of uncertain origin; cf. Arm. br‚kha?, markha?, sterile; LL. brana a sterile mare, principally in Aquitanian and Spanish documents; Bisc. barau, baru, fasting.] 1. Incapable of producing offspring; producing no young; sterile; Ð ?aid of women and female animals. She was barren of children. Bp. Hall. 2. Not producing vegetation, or useful vegetation; ?rile. ½Barren mountain tracts.¸ Macaulay. 3. Unproductive; fruitless; unprofitable; empty. Brilliant but barren reveries. Prescott. Some schemes will appear barren of hints and matter. Swift. 4. Mentally dull; stupid. Shak. Barren flower, a flower which has only stamens without a pistil, or which as neither stamens nor pistils. Ð Barren Grounds (Geog.), a vast tract in British America northward of the forest regions. Ð Barren Ground bear (Zo”l.), a peculiar bear, inhabiting the Barren Grounds, now believed to be a variety of the brown bear of Europe. Ð Barren Ground caribou (Zo”l.), a small reindeer (Rangifer Gr?nlandicus) peculiar to the Barren Grounds and Greenland. Bar¶ren, n. 1. A tract of barren land. 2. pl. Elevated lands or plains on which grow small trees, but not timber; as, pine barrens; oak barrens. They are not necessarily sterile, and are often fertile. [Amer.] J. Pickering. Bar¶renÏly, adv. Unfruitfully; unproductively. Bar¶renÏness, n. The condition of being barren; sterility; unproductiveness. A total barrenness of invention. Dryden. Bar¶renÏwort· (?), n. (Bot.) An herbaceous plant of the Barberry family (Epimedium alpinum), having leaves that are bitter and said to be sudorific. Bar¶ret (?), n. [F. barrette, LL. barretum a cap. See Berretta, and cf. Biretta.] A kind of cap formerly worn by soldiers; Ð called also barret cap. Also, the flat cap worn by Roman Catholic ecclesiastics. Bar·riÏcade¶ (?), n. [F. barricade, fr. Sp. barricada, orig. a barring up with casks; fr. barrica cask, perh. fr. LL. barra bar. See Bar, n., and cf. Barrel, n.] 1. (Mil.) A fortification, made in haste, of trees, earth, palisades, wagons, or anything that will obstruct the progress or attack of an enemy. It is usually an obstruction formed in streets to block an enemy's access. 2. Any bar, obstruction, or means of defense. Such a barricade as would greatly annoy, or absolutely stop, the currents of the atmosphere. Derham. Bar·riÏcade¶, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Barricaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Barricading.] [Cf. F. barricader. See Barricade, n.] To fortify or close with a barricade or with barricades; to stop up, as a passage; to obstruct; as, the workmen barricaded the streets of Paris. The further end whereof [a bridge] was barricaded with barrels. Hakluyt. Bar·riÏcad¶er (?), n. One who constructs barricades. Bar·riÏca¶do (?), n. & v.t. See Barricade. Shak. Bar¶riÏer (?), n. [OE. barrere, barere, F. barriŠre, fr. barre bar. See Bar, n.] 1. (Fort.) A carpentry obstruction, stockade, or other obstacle made in a passage in order to stop an enemy. 2. A fortress or fortified town, on the frontier of a country, commanding an avenue of approach. 3. pl. A fence or railing to mark the limits of a place, or to keep back a crowd. No sooner were the barriers opened, than he paced into the lists. Sir W. Scott. 4. An any obstruction; anything which hinders approach or attack. ½Constitutional barriers.¸ Hopkinson. 5. Any limit or boundary; a line of separation. 'Twixt that [instinct] and reason, what a nice barrier ! Pope. Barrier gate, a heavy gate to close the opening through a barrier. Ð Barrier reef, a form of coral reef which runs in the general direction of the shore, and incloses a lagoon channel more or less extensive. Ð To fight at barriers, to fight with a barrier between, as a martial exercise. [Obs.] ØBar·riÏgu¶do (?),n. [Native name, fr. Sp. barrigudo bigÐbellied.] (Zo”l.) A large, darkÐcolored, South American monkey, of the genus Lagothrix, having a long prehensile tail. Bar·ringÏout¶ (?), n. The act of closing the doors of a schoolroom against a schoolmaster; Ð a boyish mode of rebellion in schools. Swift. Bar¶risÏter (?), n. [From Bar, n.] Counselor at law; a counsel admitted to plead at the bar, and undertake the public trial of causes, as distinguished from an attorney or solicitor. See Attorney. [Eng.] Bar¶room· (?), n. A room containing a bar or counter at which liquors are sold. Bar¶row (?), n. [OE. barow, fr. AS. beran to bear. See Bear to support, and cf. Bier.] 1. A support having handles, and with or without a wheel, on which heavy or bulky things can be transported by hand. See Handbarrow, and Wheelbarrow. 2. (Salt Works) A wicker case, in which salt is put to drain. Bar¶row (?), n. [OE. barow, bargh, AS. bearg, bearh; akin to Icel. b”rgr, OHG. barh, barug, G. barch. ?95.] A hog, esp. a male hog castrated. Holland. Bar¶row, n. [OE. bergh, AS. beorg, beorh, hill, sepulchral mound; akin to G. berg mountain, Goth. bairgahei hill, hilly country, and perh. to Skr. b?hant high, OIr. brigh mountain. Cf. Berg, Berry a mound, and Borough an incorporated town.] 1. A large mound of earth or stones over the remains of the dead; a tumulus. 2. (Mining) A heap of rubbish, attle, etc. Bar¶rowÏist, n. (Eccl. Hist.) A follower of Henry Barrowe, one of the founders of Independency or Congregationalism in England. Barrowe was executed for nonconformity in 1953. Bar¶ruÏlet (?), n. [Dim. of bar, n.] (Her.) A diminutive of the bar, having one fourth its width. Bar¶ruÏly (?), a. (Her.) Traversed by barrulets or small bars; Ð said of the field. Bar¶ry (?), a. (Her.), Divided into bars; Ð said of the field. Barse (?), n. [AS. bears, b‘rs, akin to D. baars, G. bars, barsch. Cf. 1st Bass, n.] The common perch. See 1st Bass. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell. Bar¶tend·er (?), n. A barkeeper. Bar¶ter (?), v.i. [imp. & p.p. Bartered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bartering.] [OE. bartren, OF. barater, bareter, to cheat, exchange, perh. fr. Gr. ? to do, deal (well or ill), use practices or tricks, or perh. fr. Celtic; cf. Ir. brath treachery, W. brad. Cf. Barrator.] To traffic or trade, by exchanging one commodity for another, in distinction from a sale and purchase, in which money is paid for the commodities transferred; to truck. Bar¶ter, v.t. To trade or exchange in the way of barter; to exchange (frequently for an unworthy consideration); to traffic; to truck; Ð sometimes followed by away; as, to barter away goods or honor. Bar¶ter, n. 1. The act or practice of trafficking by exchange of commodities; an exchange of goods. The spirit of huckstering and barter. Burke. 2. The thing given in exchange. Syn. Ð Exchange; dealing; traffic; trade; truck. Bar¶terÏer (?), n. One who barters. Bar¶terÏy (?), n. Barter. [Obs.] Camden. Barth (?), n. [Etymol. unknown.] A place of shelter for cattle. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell. BarÏthol¶oÏmew tide· (?). Time of the festival of St. Bartholomew, August 24th. Shak. Bar¶tiÏzan· (?), n. [Cf. Brettice.] (Arch.) A small, overhanging structure for lookout or defense, usually projecting at an angle of a building or near an entrance gateway. Bart¶lett (?), n. (Bot.) A Bartlett pear, a favorite kind of pear, which originated in England about 1770, and was called Williams' Bonchr‚tien. It was brought to America, and distributed by Mr. Enoch Bartlett, of Dorchester, Massachusetts. Bar¶ton (?), n. [AS. beret?n courtyard, grange; bere barley + t?n an inclosure. ] 1. The demesne lands of a manor; also, the manor itself. [Eng.] Burton. 2. A farmyard. [Eng.] Southey. Bar¶tram (?), n. (Bot.) See Bertram. Johnson. Bar¶way· (?), n. A passage into a field or yard, closed by bars made to take out of the posts. Bar¶wise· (?), adv. (Her.) Horizontally. Bar¶wood· (?), n. 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. Bar·yÏcen¶tric (?), a. [Gr. ? heavy + ? center.] Of or pertaining to the center of gravity. See Barycentric calculus, under Calculus. BaÏryph¶oÏny (?), n. [Gr. ? heavy + ? a sound voice.] (Med.) Difficulty of speech. BaÏry¶ta (?), n. [Gr. ? heavy. Cf. Baria.] (Chem.) An oxide of barium (or barytum); a heavy earth with a specific gravity above 4. BaÏry¶tes (?), n. [Gr. ? heavy: cf. Gr. ? heaviness, F. baryte.] (Min.) Barium sulphate, generally called heavy spar or barite. See Barite. BaÏryt¶ic (?), a. Of or pertaining to baryta. BaÏry¶toÐcal¶cite (?), n. [Baryta + calcite.] (Min.) A mineral of a white or gray color, occurring massive or crystallized. It is a compound of the carbonates of barium and calcium. Bar¶yÏtone, Bar¶iÏtone (?), a. [Gr. ?; ? heavy + ? tone.] 1. (Mus.) Grave and deep, as a kind of male voice. 2. (Greek Gram.) Not marked with an accent on the last syllable, the grave accent being understood. Bar¶yÏtone, Bar¶iÏtone , n. [F. baryton: cf. It. baritono.] 1. (Mus.) (a) 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. (b) A person having a voice of such range. (c) The viola di gamba, now entirely disused. 2. (Greek Gram.) A word which has no accent marked on the last syllable, the grave accent being understood. BaÏry¶tum (?), n. [NL.] (Chem.) The metal barium. See Barium. [R.] Ba¶sal (?), a. Relating to, or forming, the base. Basal cleavage. See under Cleavage. Ð Basal plane (Crystallog.), one parallel to the lateral or horizontal axis. Ba¶salÐnerved· (?), a. (Bot.) Having the nerves radiating from the base; Ð said of leaves. BaÏsalt¶ (?),n. [N. basaltes (an African word), a dark and hard species of marble found in Ethiopia: cf. F. basalte.] 1. (Geol.) A rock of igneous origin, consisting of augite and triclinic feldspar, with grains of magnetic or titanic iron, and also bottleÐgreen particles of olivine frequently disseminated. µ It is usually of a greenish black color, or of some dull brown shade, or black. It constitutes immense beds in some regions, and also occurs in veins or dikes cutting through other rocks. It has often a prismatic structure as at the Giant's Causeway, in Ireland, where the columns are as regular as if the work of art. It is a very tough and heavy rock, and is one of the best materials for macadamizing roads. 2. An imitation, in pottery, of natural basalt; a kind of black porcelain. BaÏsalt¶ic (?),a. [Cf. F. basaltique.] Pertaining to basalt; formed of, or containing, basalt; as basaltic lava. BaÏsalt¶iÏform (?), a. [Basalt + Ðform.] In the form of basalt; columnar. BaÏsalt¶oid (?), a. [Basalt + Ðoid.] Formed like basalt; basaltiform. Bas¶an (?), n. Same as Basil, a sheepskin. Bas¶aÏnite (?), n. [L. basanites lapis, Gr. ? the touchstone: cf. F. basanite.] (Min.) 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. ØBas·bleu¶ (?), n. [F., fr. bas stocking + bleu blue.] A bluestocking; a literary woman. [Somewhat derisive] Bas¶ciÏnet (?), n. [OE. bacinet, basnet, OF. bassinet, bacinet, F. bassinet, dim. of OF. bacin, F. bassin, a helmet in the form of a basin.] A light helmet, at first open, but later made with a visor. [Written also basinet, bassinet, basnet.] Bas¶cule (?), n. [F., a seesaw.] In mechanics an apparatus on the principle of the seesaw, in which one end rises as the other falls. Bascule bridge, a counterpoise or balanced drawbridge, which is opened by sinking the counterpoise and thus lifting the footway into the air. Base (?), a. [OE. bass, F. bas, low, fr. LL. bassus thick, fat, short, humble; cf. L. Bassus, a proper name, and W. bas shallow. Cf. Bass a part in music.] 1. Of little, or less than the usual, height; of low growth; as, base shrubs. [Archaic] Shak. 2. Low in place or position. [Obs.] Shak. 3. Of humble birth; or low degree; lowly; mean. [Archaic] ½A pleasant and base swain.¸ Bacon. 4. Illegitimate by birth; bastard. [Archaic] Why bastard? wherefore base? Shak. 5. Of little comparative value, as metal inferior to gold and silver, the precious metals. 6. Alloyed with inferior metal; debased; as, base coin; base bullion. 7. Morally low. Hence: LowÐminded; unworthy; without dignity of sentiment; ignoble; mean; illiberal; menial; as, a base fellow; base motives; base occupations. ½A cruel act of a base and a cowardish mind.¸ Robynson (More's Utopia). ½Base ingratitude.¸ Milton. 8. Not classical or correct. ½Base Latin.¸ Fuller. 9. Deep or grave in sound; as, the base tone of a violin. [In this sense, commonly written bass.] 10. (Law) 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. Base fee, formerly, an estate held at the will of the lord; now, a qualified fee. See note under Fee, n., 4. Ð Base metal. See under Metal. Syn. Ð Dishonorable; worthless; ignoble; lowÐminded; infamous; sordid; degraded. Ð Base, Vile, Mean. These words, as expressing moral qualities, are here arranged in the order of their strength, the strongest being placed first. Base marks a high degree of moral turpitude; vile and mean denote, in different degrees, the want of what is valuable or worthy of esteem. What is base excites our abhorrence; what is vile provokes our disgust or indignation; what is mean awakens contempt. Base is opposed to highÐminded; vile, to noble; mean, to liberal or generous. Ingratitude is base; sycophancy is vile; undue compliances are mean. Base, n.[F. base, L. basis, fr. Gr. ? a stepping step, a base, pedestal, fr. ? to go, step, akin to E. come. Cf. Basis, and see Come.] 1. The bottom of anything, considered as its support, or that on which something rests for support; the foundation; as, the base of a statue. ½The base of mighty mountains.¸ Prescott. 2. Fig.: The fundamental or essential part of a thing; the essential principle; a groundwork. 3. (Arch.) (a) The lower part of a wall, pier, or column, when treated as a separate feature, usually in projection, or especially ornamented. (b) The lower part of a complete architectural design, as of a monument; also, the lower part of any elaborate piece of furniture or decoration. 4. (Bot.) That extremity of a leaf, fruit, etc., at which it is attached to its support.
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5. (Chem.) The positive, or nonÐacid component of a salt; a substance which, combined with an acid, neutralizes the latter and forms a salt; Ð 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. 6. (Pharmacy) The chief ingredient in a compound. 7. (Dyeing) A substance used as a mordant. Ure. 8. (Fort.) The exterior side of the polygon, or that imaginary line which connects the salient angles of two adjacent bastions. 9. (Geom.) The line or surface constituting that part of a figure on which it is supposed to stand. 10. (Math.) The number from which a mathematical table is constructed; as, the base of a system of logarithms. 11. [See Base low.] A low, or deep, sound. (Mus.) (a) The lowest part; the deepest male voice. (b) One who sings, or the instrument which plays, base. [Now commonly written bass.] The trebles squeak for fear, the bases roar. Dryden. 12. (Mil.) 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. 13. (Mil.) The smallest kind of cannon. [Obs.] 14. (Zo”l.) That part of an organ by which it is attached to another more central organ. 15. (Crystallog.) The basal plane of a crystal. 16. (Geol.) The ground mass of a rock, especially if not distinctly crystalline. 17. (Her.) The lower part of the field. See Escutcheon. 18. The housing of a horse. [Obs.] 19. pl. 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. [Obs.] 20. The lower part of a robe or petticoat. [Obs.] 21. An apron. [Obs.] ½Bakers in their linen bases.¸ Marston. 22. The point or line from which a start is made; a starting place or a goal in various games. To their appointed base they went. Dryden. 23. (Surv.) 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. Lyman. 24. A rustic play; Ð called also prisoner's base, prison base, or bars. ½To run the country base.¸ Shak. 25. (Baseball) Any one of the four bounds which mark the circuit of the infield. Altern base. See under Altern. Ð Attic base. (Arch.) See under Attic. Ð Base course. (Arch.) (a) The first or lower course of a foundation wall, made of large stones of a mass of concrete; Ð called also foundation course. (b) The architectural member forming the transition between the basement and the wall above. Ð Base hit (Baseball), a hit, by which the batsman, without any error on the part of his opponents, is able to reach the first base without being put out. Ð Base line. (a) A main line taken as a base, as in surveying or in military operations. (b) A line traced round a cannon at the rear of the vent. Ð Base plate, the foundation plate of heavy machinery, as of the steam engine; the bed plate. Ð Base ring (Ordnance), a projecting band of metal around the breech, connected with the body of the gun by a concave molding. H.L. Scott. Base (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Based (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Basing.] [From Base, n.] To put on a base or basis; to lay the foundation of; to found, as an argument or conclusion; Ð used with on or upon. Bacon. Base, v. t. [See Base, a., and cf. Abase.] 1. To abase; to let, or cast, down; to lower. [Obs.] If any … based his pike. Sir T. North. 2. To reduce the value of; to debase. [Obs.] Metals which we can not base. Bacon. Base¶ball¶ (?), n. 1. 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. 2. The ball used in this game. Base¶board (?), n. (Arch.) A board, or other woodwork, carried round the walls of a room and touching the floor, to form a base and protect the plastering; Ð also called washboard (in England), mopboard, and scrubboard. Base¶born· (?), a. 1. Born out of wedlock. Gay. 2. Born of low parentage. 3. Vile; mean. ½Thy baseborn heart.¸ Shak. Base¶Ðburn·er (?), n. 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. Base¶Ðcourt· (?), n. [F. basseÐcour. See Base, a., and Court, n.] 1. The secondary, inferior, or rear courtyard of a large house; the outer court of a castle. 2. (Law) An inferior court of law, not of record. Based (?), p.p. & a. 1. Having a base, or having as a base; supported; as, broadÐbased. 2. [See Base, n., 18Ð21.] Wearing, or protected by, bases. [Obs.] ½Based in lawny velvet.¸ E.Hall. Ba¶seÏdow's disÏease¶ (?). [Named for Dr. Basedow, a German physician.] (Med.) A disease characterized by enlargement of the thyroid gland, prominence of the eyeballs, and inordinate action of the heart; Ð called also exophthalmic goiter. Flint. Bas¶eÏlard (?), n. [OF. baselarde, LL. basillardus.] A short sword or dagger, worn in the fifteenth century. [Written also baslard.] Fairholt. Base¶less, a. Without a base; having no foundation or support. ½The baseless fabric of this vision.¸ Shak. Base¶ly, adv. 1. In a base manner; with despicable meanness; dishonorably; shamefully. 2. Illegitimately; in bastardy. [Archaic] Knolles. Base¶ment (?), n. [F. soubassement. Of uncertain origin. Cf. Base, a., Bastion.] (Arch.) 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. Basement membrane (Anat.), a delicate membrane composed of a single layer of flat cells, forming the substratum upon which, in many organs, the epithelioid cells are disposed. Base¶ness (?), n. The quality or condition of being base; degradation; vileness. I once did hold it a baseness to write fair. Shak. Bas¶eÏnet (?), n. See Bascinet. [Obs.] Base¶ vi·ol (?). See Bass viol. Bash (?), v. t. & i. [OE. baschen, baissen. See Abash.] To abash; to disconcert or be disconcerted or put out of countenance. [Obs.] His countenance was bold and bashed not. Spenser. BaÏshaw¶ (?), n. [See Pasha.] 1. A Turkish title of honor, now written pasha. See Pasha. 2. Fig.: A magnate or grandee. 3. (Zo”l.) A very large siluroid fish (Leptops olivaris) of the Mississippi valley; Ð also called goujon, mud cat, and yellow cat. Bash¶ful (?), a. [See Bash.] 1. Abashed; daunted; dismayed. [Obs.] 2. Very modest, or modest excess; constitutionally disposed to shrink from public notice; indicating extreme or excessive modesty; shy; as, a bashful person, action, expression. Syn. Ð Diffident; retiring; reserved; shamefaced; sheepish. Bash¶fulÏly, adv. In a bashful manner. Bash¶fulÏness, n. The quality of being bashful. Syn. Ð Bashfulness, Modesty, Diffidence, Shyness. Modesty arises from a low estimate of ourselves; bashfulness is an abashment or agitation of the spirits at coming into contact with others; diffidence is produced by an undue degree of selfÐdistrust; shyness usually arises from an excessive selfÐconsciousness, and a painful impression that every one is looking at us. Modesty of deportment is becoming at all; bashfulness often gives rise to mistakes and blundering; diffidence is society frequently makes a man a burden to himself; shyness usually produces a reserve or distance which is often mistaken for haughtiness. ØBash¶iÏbaÏzouk¶ (?), n. [Turkish, lightÐheaded, a foolish fellow.] A soldier belonging to the irregular troops of the Turkish army. Bash¶less, a. Shameless; unblushing. [Obs.] Spenser. Bas¶hyle (?), n. (Chem.) See Basyle. Ba¶siÏ (?). A combining form, especially in anatomical and botanical words, to indicate the base or position at or near a base; forming a base; as, basibranchials, the most ventral of the cartilages or bones of the branchial arches; basicranial, situated at the base of the cranium; basifacial, basitemporal, etc. Ba¶sic (?), a. 1. (Chem.) (a) Relating to a base; performing the office of a base in a salt. (b) Having the base in excess, or the amount of the base atomically greater than that of the acid, or exceeding in proportion that of the related neutral salt. (c) Apparently alkaline, as certain normal salts which exhibit alkaline reactions with test paper. 2. (Min.) Said of crystalline rocks which contain a relatively low percentage of silica, as basalt. Basic salt (Chem.), a salt formed from a base or hydroxide by the partial replacement of its hydrogen by a negative or acid element or radical. BaÏsic¶erÏite (?), n. [BasiÐ + Gr. ? horn, antenna.] (Zo”l.) The second joint of the antenn‘ of crustaceans. BaÏsic¶iÏty, n. (Chem.) (a) The quality or state of being a base. (b) 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. BaÏsid¶iÏoÏspore (?), n. [Basidium + spore.] (Bot.) A spore borne by a basidium. Ð BaÏsid·iÏoÏspor¶ous (?), a. ØBaÏsid¶iÏum (?), n. [NL., dim. of Gr. ? base.] (Bot.) 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. Ba¶siÏfi·er (?), n. (Chem.) That which converts into a salifiable base. BaÏsif¶uÏgal (?), a. [Base, n. + L. fugere to flee.] (Bot.) Tending or proceeding away from the base; as, a basifugal growth. Ba¶siÏfy (?), v.t. [Base + Ðfy.] (Chem.) To convert into a salifiable base. ØBa·siÏgyn¶iÏum (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? base + ? woman.] (Bot.) The pedicel on which the ovary of certain flowers, as the passion flower, is seated; a carpophore or thecaphore. Ba·siÏhy¶al (?), a. [BasiÐ + Gr. ? (the letter ½upsilon¸); from the shape.] (Anat.) Noting two small bones, forming the body of the inverted hyoid arch. Ba·siÏhy¶oid (?), n. [BasiÐ + hyoid.] (Anat.) The central tongue bone. Bas¶il (?), n. [Cf. F. basile and E. Bezel.] The slope or angle to which the cutting edge of a tool, as a plane, is ground. Grier. Bas¶il, v.t. [imp. & p.p. Basiled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Basiling.] To grind or form the edge of to an angle. Moxon. Bas¶il, n. [F. basilic, fr. L. badilicus royal, Gr. ?, fr. ? king.] (Bot.) The name given to several aromatic herbs of the Mint family, but chiefly to the common or sweet basil (Ocymum basilicum), and the bush basil, or lesser basil (O. minimum), the leaves of which are used in cookery. The name is also given to several kinds of mountain mint (Pycnanthemum). Basil thyme, a name given to the fragrant herbs Calamintha Acinos and C. Nepeta. Ð Wild basil, a plant (Calamintha clinopodium) of the Mint family. Bas¶il (?), n. [Corrupt. from E. basan, F. basane, LL. basanium, bazana, fr. Ar. bith¾na, prop., lining.] The skin of a sheep tanned with bark. Bas¶iÏlar (?), Bas¶iÏlaÏry (?), } a. [F. basilaire, fr. L. basis. See Base, n.] 1. Relating to, or situated at, the base. 2. Lower; inferior; applied to impulses or springs of action. [R.] ½Basilar instincts.¸ H. W. Beecher. BaÏsil¶ic (?), n. [F. basilique.] Basilica. BaÏsil¶ic (?), BaÏsil¶icÏal (?), } a. [See Basilica.] 1. Royal; kingly; also, basilican. 2. (Anat.) Pertaining to certain parts, anciently supposed to have a specially important function in the animal economy, as the middle vein of the right arm. BaÏsil¶iÏca (?), n.; pl. Basilicas (?); sometimes Basilic?e (?). [L. basilica, Gr. ? ( sc. ?, or ?) fr. ? royal, fr. ? king.] 1. 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. 2. (Arch.) (a) A building used by the Romans as a place of public meeting, with court rooms, etc., attached. (b) 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. BaÏsil¶iÏca, n. A digest of the laws of Justinian, translated from the original Latin into Greek, by order of Basil I., in the ninth century. P. Cyc. BaÏsil¶iÏcan (?), a. Of, relating to, or resembling, a basilica; basilical. There can be no doubt that the first churches in Constantinople were in the basilican form. Milman. BaÏsil¶iÏcok (?), n. [OF. basilicoc.] The basilisk. [Obs.] Chaucer ØBaÏsil¶iÏcon (?), n. [L. basilicon, Gr. ?, neut. of ?: cf. F. basilicon. See Basilica.] (Med.) An ointment composed of wax, pitch, resin, and olive oil, lard, or other fatty substance. Bas¶iÏlisk (?), n. [L. basiliscus, Gr. ? little king, kind of serpent, dim. of ? king; Ð so named from some prominences on the head resembling a crown.] 1. 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. Make me not sighted like the basilisk. Shak. 2. (Zo”l.) A lizard of the genus Basiliscus, belonging to the family Iguanid‘. µ This genus is remarkable for a membranous bag rising above the occiput, which can be filled with air at pleasure; also for an elevated crest along the back, that can be raised or depressed at will. 3. (Mil.) A large piece of ordnance, so called from its supposed resemblance to the serpent of that name, or from its size. [Obs.] Ba¶sin (?), n. [OF. bacin, F. bassin, LL. bacchinus, fr. bacca a water vessel, fr. L. bacca berry, in allusion to the round shape; or perh. fr. Celtic. Cf. Bac.] 1. A hollow vessel or dish, to hold water for washing, and for various other uses. 2. The quantity contained in a basin. 3. A hollow vessel, of various forms and materials, used in the arts or manufactures, as that used by glass grinders for forming concave glasses, by hatters for molding a hat into shape, etc. 4. A hollow place containing water, as a pond, a dock for ships, a little bay. 5. (Physical Geog.) (a) A circular or oval valley, or depression of the surface of the ground, the lowest part of which is generally occupied by a lake, or traversed by a river. (b) The entire tract of country drained by a river, or sloping towards a sea or lake. 6. (Geol.) An isolated or circumscribed formation, particularly where the strata dip inward, on all sides, toward a center; Ð especially applied to the coal formations, called coal basins or coal fields. Ba¶sined (?), a. Inclosed in a basin. ½Basined rivers.¸ Young. Bas¶iÏnet (?), n. Same as Bascinet. Ba·siÏocÏcip¶iÏtal (?), a. [BasiÐ + occipital.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the bone in the base of the cranium, frequently forming a part of the occipital in the adult, but usually distinct in the young. Ð n. The basioccipital bone. ØBa¶siÏon (?), n. [Gr. ? a base.] (Anat.) The middle of the anterior margin of the great foramen of the skull. BaÏsip¶oÏdite (?), n. [BasiÐ + ?, ?, foot.] (Anat.) The basal joint of the legs of Crustacea. ØBaÏsip·teÏryg¶iÏum (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? a base + ? a fin.] (Anat.) A bar of cartilage at the base of the embryonic fins of some fishes. It develops into the metapterygium. Ð BaÏsip·terÏyg¶iÏal (?), a. Ba·sipÏter¶yÏgoid (?), a. & n. [BasiÐ + pierygoid.] (Anat.) Applied to a protuberance of the base of the sphenoid bone. Ba¶sis (?),n.; pl. Bases (?). [L. basis, Gr. ?. See Base, n.] 1. The foundation of anything; that on which a thing rests. Dryden. 2. The pedestal of a column, pillar, or statue. [Obs.] If no basis bear my rising name. Pope.
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3. The ground work the first or fundamental principle; that which supports. The basis of public credit is good faith. A. Hamilton. 4. The principal component part of a thing. BaÏsis¶oÏlute (?), a. [BasiÏ + solute, a.] (Bot.) Prolonged at the base, as certain leaves. Ba·siÏsphe¶noid (?), Ba·siÏspheÏnoid¶al (?), } a. [BasiÏ + spheroid.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to that part of the base of the cranium between the basioccipital and the presphenoid, which usually ossifies separately in the embryo or in the young, and becomes a part of the sphenoid in the adult. Ba·siÏsphe¶noid, n. (Anat.) The basisphenoid bone. Bask, v. i. [imp. & p.p. Basked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Basking.] [ OScand. ba?ask to bathe one's self, or perh. bakask to bake one's self, sk being reflexive. See Bath, n., Bake, v. t.] To lie in warmth; to be exposed to genial heat. Basks in the glare, and stems the tepid wave. Goldsmith. Bask, v. t. To warm by continued exposure to heat; to warm with genial heat. Basks at the fire his hairy strength. Milton. Bas¶ket (?), n. [Of unknown origin. The modern Celtic words seem to be from the English.] 1. A vessel made of osiers or other twigs, cane, rushes, splints, or other flexible material, interwoven. ½Rude baskets … woven of the flexile willow.¸ Dyer. 2. The contents of a basket; as much as a basket contains; as, a basket of peaches. 3. (Arch.) The bell or vase of the Corinthian capital. [Improperly so used.] Gwilt. 4. The two back seats facing one another on the outside of a stagecoach. [Eng.] Goldsmith. Basket fish (Zo”l.), an ophiuran of the genus Astrophyton, having the arms much branched. See Astrophyton. Ð Basket hilt, a hilt with a covering wrought like basketwork to protect the hand. Hudibras. Hence, Baskethilted, a. Ð Basket work, work consisting of plaited osiers or twigs. Ð Basket worm (Zo”l.), a lepidopterous insect of the genus Thyridopteryx and allied genera, esp. T. ephemer‘formis. The larva makes and carries about a bag or basketÐlike case of silk and twigs, which it afterwards hangs up to shelter the pupa and wingless adult females. Bas¶ket, v. t. To put into a basket. [R.] Bas¶ketÏful (?), n.; pl. Basketfuls (?). As much as a basket will contain. Bas¶ketÏry (?), n. The art of making baskets; also, baskets, taken collectively. Bask¶ing shark· (?). (Zo”l.) One of the largest species of sharks (Cetorhinus maximus), so called from its habit of basking in the sun; the liver shark, or bone shark. It inhabits the northern seas of Europe and America, and grows to a length of more than forty feet. It is a harmless species. Bas¶net (?), n. Same as Bascinet. ØBaÏsom·maÏtoph¶oÏra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? base + ? eye + ? to bear.] (Zo”l.) A group of Pulmonifera having the eyes at the base of the tentacles, including the common pond snails. Ba¶son (?), n. A basin. [Obs. or Special form] Basque (?), a. [F.] Pertaining to Biscay, its people, or their language. Basque (?), n. [F.] 1. One of a race, of unknown origin, inhabiting a region on the Bay of Biscay in Spain and France. 2. The language spoken by the Basque people. 3. A part of a lady's dress, resembling a jacket with a short skirt; Ð probably so called because this fashion of dress came from the Basques. Basqu¶ish (?), a. [F. Basque Biscayan: cf. G. Baskisch.] Pertaining to the country, people, or language of Biscay; Basque [Obs.] Sir T. Browne. Bas·ÐreÏlief¶ (?), n. [F. basÏrelief; bas law + relief raised work, relever to raise: cf. It. bassorilievo.] Low relief; sculpture, the figures of which project less than half of their true proportions; Ð called also bassrelief and bassoÏrilievo. See AltoÏrilievo. Bass (?), n.; pl. Bass, and sometimes Basses (?). [A corruption of barse.] (Zo”l.) 1. An edible, spinyÐfinned fish, esp. of the genera Roccus, Labrax, and related genera. There are many species. µ The common European bass is Labrax lupus. American species are: the striped bass (Roccus lineatus); white or silver bass of the lakes. (R. chrysops); brass or yellow bass (R. interruptus). 2. The two American freshÐwater species of black bass (genus Micropterus). See Black bass. 3. Species of Serranus, the sea bass and rock bass. See Sea bass. 4. The southern, red, or channel bass (Sci‘na ocellata). See Redfish. µ The name is also applied to many other fishes. See Calico bass, under Calico. Bass, n. [A corruption of bast.] 1. (Bot.) The linden or lime tree, sometimes wrongly called whitewood; also, its bark, which is used for making mats. See Bast. 2. (Pron. ? ) A hassock or thick mat. Bass (?), n. [F. basse, fr. bas low. See Base, a.] 1. A bass, or deep, sound or tone. 2. (Mus.) (a) The lowest part in a musical composition. (b) One who sings, or the instrument which plays, bass. [Written also base.] Thorough bass. See Thorough bass. Bass, a. Deep or grave in tone. Bass clef (Mus.), the character placed at the beginning of the staff containing the bass part of a musical composition. [See Illust. under Clef.] Ð Bass voice, a deepsounding voice; a voice fitted for singing bass. Bass, v. t. To sound in a deep tone. [R.] Shak. Bas¶sa (?), BasÏsaw¶ (?), n. See Bashaw. Bass· drum¶ (?). (Mus.) The largest of the different kinds of drums, having two heads, and emitting a deep, grave sound. See Bass, a. Bas¶set (?),n. [F. bassette, fr.It. bassetta. Cf. Basso.] A game at cards, resembling the modern faro, said to have been invented at Venice. Some dress, some dance, some play, not to forget Your piquet parties, and your dear basset. Rowe. Bas¶set (?), a. [Cf. OF. basset somewhat low, dim. of bas low.] (Geol.) Inclined upward; as, the basset edge of strata. Lyell. Bas¶set, n. (Geol.) The edge of a geological stratum at the surface of the ground; the outcrop. Bas¶set, v. i. [imp. & p.p. Basseted; p. pr. & vb. n. Basseting.] (Geol.) To inclined upward so as to appear at the surface; to crop out; as, a vein of coal bassets. Bas¶set horn·(?). [See Basset, a.] (Mus.) An instrument blown with a reed, and resembling a clarinet, but of much greater compass, embracing nearly four octaves. Bas¶set hound· (?). [F. basset.] (Zo”l.) A small kind of hound with a long body and short legs, used as an earth dog. Bas¶setÏing, n. The upward direction of a vein in a mine; the emergence of a stratum at the surface. ØBasÏset¶to (?),n. [It., adj., somewhat low; n., counter tenor. See Basso.] (Mus.) A tenor or small bass viol. Bass¶ horn¶ (?). (Mus.) A modification of the bassoon, much deeper in tone. Bas¶siÏnet (?), n. [Cf. F. bassinet, dim. of bassin. See Basin, and cf. Bascinet.] 1. A wicker basket, with a covering or hood over one end, in which young children are placed as in a cradle. 2. See Bascinet. Lord Lytton. ØBas¶so (?), n. [It., fr. LL. bassus. See Base, a.] (Mus.) (a) The bass or lowest part; as, to sing basso. (b) One who sings the lowest part. (c) The double bass, or contrabasso. ØBasso continuo (?). [It., bass continued.] (Mus.) A bass part written out continuously, while the other parts of the harmony are indicated by figures attached to the bass; continued bass. Bas¶sock (?), n. A hassock. See 2d Bass, 2. BasÏsoon¶ (?), n. [F. basson, fr. basse bass; or perh. fr. bas son low sound. See Bass a part in music. ] (Mus.) 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. µ Its compass comprehends three octaves. For convenience of carriage it is divided into two parts; whence it is also called a fagot. BasÏsoon¶ist, n. A performer on the bassoon. Busby. ØBas¶soÐriÏlie¶vo (?), Bas¶soÐreÏlie¶vo (?), n. [It. bassoÐrilievo.] Same as BasÐrelief. Bas¶soÏrin (?), n. [Cf. F. bassorine.] (Chem.) 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. Ure. Bass¶ÐreÏlief· (?), n. Some as BasÐrelief. Bass¶ vi·ol (?). (Mus.) A stringed instrument of the viol family, used for playing bass. See 3d Bass, n., and Violoncello. Bass¶wood· (?), n. (Bot.) The bass (Tilia) or its wood; especially, T. Americana. See Bass, the lime tree. All the bowls were made of basswood, White and polished very smoothly. Longfellow. Bast (?), n. [AS. b‘st; akin to Icel., Sw., Dan., D., & G. bast, of unknown origin. Cf. Bass the tree.] 1. The inner fibrous bark of various plants; esp. of the lime tree; hence, matting, cordage, etc., made therefrom. 2. A thick mat or hassock. See 2d Bass, 2. ØBas¶ta (?), interj. [It.] Enough; stop. Shak. Bas¶tard (?),n. [OF. bastard, bastart, F. b?tard, prob. fr. OF. bast, F. b?t, a packsaddle used as a bed by the muleteers (fr. LL. bastum) + Ïard. OF. fils de bast son of the packsaddle; as the muleteers were accustomed to use their saddles for beds in the inns. See Cervantes, ½Don Quixote,¸ chap. 16; and cf.G. bankert, fr. bank bench.] 1. A ½natural¸ child; a child begotten and born out of wedlock; an illegitimate child; one born of an illicit union. µ By the civil and canon laws, and by the laws of many of the United States, a bastard becomes a legitimate child by the intermarriage of the parents at any subsequent time. But by those of England, and of some states of the United States, a child, to be legitimate, must at least be born after the lawful marriage. Kent. Blackstone. 2. (Sugar Refining) (a) An inferior quality of soft brown sugar, obtained from the sirups that ? already had several boilings. (b) A large size of mold, in which sugar is drained. 3. A sweet Spanish wine like muscadel in flavor. Brown bastard is your only drink. Shak. 4. A writing paper of a particular size. See Paper. Bas¶tard (?), a. 1. Begotten and born out of lawful matrimony; illegitimate. See Bastard, n., note. 2. Lacking in genuineness; spurious; false; adulterate; Ð applied to things which resemble those which are genuine, but are really not so. That bastard selfÐlove which is so vicious in itself, and productive of so many vices. Barrow. 3. Of an unusual make or proportion; as, a bastard musket; a bastard culverin. [Obs.] 4. (Print.) Abbreviated, as the half title in a page preceding the full title page of a book. Bastard ashlar (Arch.), stones for ashlar work, roughly squared at the quarry. Ð Bastard file, a file intermediate between the coarsest and the second cut. Ð Bastard type (Print.), type having the face of a larger or a smaller size than the body; e. g., a nonpareil face on a brevier body. Ð Bastard wing (Zo”l.), three to five quill feathers on a small joint corresponding to the thumb in some mam malia; the alula. Bas¶tard, v. t. To bastardize. [Obs.] Bacon. Bas¶tardÏism (?),n. The state of being a bastard; bastardy. Bas¶tardÏize (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Bastardized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bastardizing.] 1. To make or prove to be a bastard; to stigmatize as a bastard; to declare or decide legally to be illegitimate. The law is so indulgent as not to bastardize the child, if born, though not begotten, in lawful wedlock. Blackstone. 2. To beget out of wedlock. [R.] Shak. Bas¶tardÏly, a. Bastardlike; baseborn; spurious; corrupt. [Obs.] Ð adv. In the manner of a bastard; spuriously. [Obs.] Shak. Donne. Bas¶tarÏdy (?), n. 1. The state of being a bastard; illegitimacy. 2. The procreation of a bastard child. Wharton. Baste (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Basted; p. pr. & vb. n. Basting.] [Cf. Icel. beysta to strike, powder; Sw. basa to beat with a rod: perh. akin to E. beat.] 1. To beat with a stick; to cudgel. One man was basted by the keeper for carrying some people over on his back through the waters. Pepys. 2. (Cookery) To sprinkle flour and salt and drip butter or fat on, as on meat in roasting. 3. To mark with tar, as sheep. [Prov. Eng.] Baste, v. t. [OE. basten, OF. bastir, F. b?tir, prob. fr. OHG. bestan to sew, MHG. besten to bind, fr. OHG. bast bast. See Bast.] To sew loosely, or with long stitches; Ð usually, that the work may be held in position until sewed more firmly. Shak. BasÏtile¶ BasÏtille¶ } (?), n. [F. bastille fortress, OF. bastir to build, F. b?tir.] 1. (Feud. Fort.) A tower or an elevated work, used for the defense, or in the siege, of a fortified place. The high bastiles … which overtopped the walls. Holland. 2. ½The Bastille¸, formerly a castle or fortress in Paris, used as a prison, especially for political offenders; hence, a rhetorical name for a prison. Bas·tiÏnade¶ (?), n. See Bastinado, n. Bas·tiÏnade¶, v. t. To bastinado. [Archaic] Bas·tiÏna¶do (?), n.; pl. Bastinadoes (?). [Sp. bastonada (cf. F. bastonnade), fr. baston (cf. F. b?ton) a stick or staff. See Baston.] 1. A blow with a stick or cudgel. 2. A sound beating with a stick or cudgel. Specifically: A form of punishment among the Turks, Chinese, and others, consisting in beating an offender on the soles of his feet. Bas·tiÏna¶do, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Bastinadoes (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bastinadoing.] To beat with a stick or cudgel, especially on the soles of the feet. Bas¶tion (?), n. [F. bastion (cf. It. bastione), fr. LL. bastire to build (cf. F. b?tir, It. bastire), perh. from the idea of support for a weight, and akin to Gr. ? to lift, carry, and to E. baston, baton.] (Fort.) 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. Bas¶tioned (?),a. Furnished with a bastion; having bastions.
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Bas¶to (?), n. [Sp.] The ace of clubs in qua?rille and omber. Pope. Bas¶ton (?), n. [OF. baston, F. b?ton, LL. basto. See Bastion, and cf. Baton, and 3d Batten.] 1. A staff or cudgel. [Obs.] ½To fight with blunt bastons.¸ Holland. 2. (Her.) See Baton. 3. An officer bearing a painted staff, who formerly was in attendance upon the king's court to take into custody persons committed by the court. Mozley & W. Bas¶yle (?), n. [Gr. ? base + ? wood. See Ïyl.] (Chem.) A positive or nonacid constituent of compound, either elementary, or, if compound, performing the functions of an element. Bas¶yÏlous (?), a. Pertaining to, or having the nature of, a basyle; electroÐpositive; basic; Ð opposed to chlorous. Graham. Bat (?), n. [OE. batte, botte, AS. batt; perhaps fr. the Celtic; cf. Ir. bat, bata, stick, staff; but cf. also F. batte a beater (thing), wooden sword, battre to beat.] 1. A large stick; a club; specifically, a piece of wood with one end thicker or broader than the other, used in playing baseball, cricket, etc. 2. (Mining) Shale or bituminous shale. Kirwan. 3. A sheet of cotton used for filling quilts or comfortables; batting. 4. A part of a brick with one whole end. Bat bolt (Machinery), a bolt barbed or jagged at its butt or tang to make it hold the more firmly. Knight. Bat, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Batted (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Batting.] To strike or hit with a bat or a pole; to cudgel; to beat. Holland. Bat, v. i. To use a bat, as in a game of baseball. Bat, n. [Corrupt. from OE. back, backe, balke; cf. Dan. aftenÐbakke (aften evening), Sw. nattÐbacka (natt night), Icel. le?rÐblaka (le?r leather), Icel. blaka to flutter.] (Zo”l.) One of the Cheiroptera, an order of flying mammals, in which the wings are formed by a membrane stretched between the elongated fingers, legs, and tail. The common bats are small and insectivorous. See Cheiroptera and Vampire. Bat tick (Zo”l.), a wingless, dipterous insect of the genus Nycteribia, parasitic on bats. Bat¶aÏble (?), a. [Abbrev. from debatable.] Disputable. [Obs.] µ The border land between England and Scotland, being formerly a subject of contention, was called batable or debatable ground. Bat¶ailled (?), a. Embattled. [Obs.] Chaucer. ØBa·tarÏdeau¶ (?),n. [F.] 1. A cofferdam. Brande & C. 2. (Mil.) A wall built across the ditch of a fortification, with a sluice gate to regulate the height of water in the ditch on both sides of the wall. ØBaÏta¶tas (?), ØBaÏta¶ta (?), } n. An aboriginal American name for the sweet potato (Ipom‘a batatas). BaÏta¶viÏan (?), a. Of or pertaining to (a) the Batavi, an ancient Germanic tribe; or to (b) ?atavia or Holland; as, a Batavian legion. Batavian Republic, the name given to Holland by the French after its conquest in 1795. BaÏta¶viÏan, n. A native or inhabitant of Batavia or Holland. [R.] Bancroft. Batch (?), n. [OE. bache, bacche, fr. AS. bacan to bake; cf. G. geb„ck and D. baksel. See Bake, v. t.] 1. The quantity of bread baked at one time. 2. A quantity of anything produced at one operation; a group or collection of persons or things of the same kind; as, a batch of letters; the next batch of business. ½A new batch of Lords.¸ Lady M. W. Montagu. Bate (?), n. [Prob. abbrev. from debate.] Strife; contention. [Obs.] Shak. Bate, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Bated; p. pr. & vb. n. Bating.] [From abate.] 1. To lessen by retrenching, deducting, or reducing; to abate; to beat down; to lower. He must either bate the laborer's wages, or not employ or not pay him. Locke. 2. To allow by way of abatement or deduction. To whom he bates nothing or what he stood upon with the parliament. South. 3. To leave out; to except. [Obs.] Bate me the king, and, be he flesh and blood. He lies that says it. Beau. & Fl. 4. To remove. [Obs.] About autumn bate the earth from about the roots of olives, and lay them bare. Holland. 5. To deprive of. [Obs.] When baseness is exalted, do not bate The place its honor for the person's sake. Herbert. Bate, v. i. 1. To remit or retrench a part; Ð with of. Abate thy speed, and I will bate of mine. Dryden. 2. To waste away. [Obs.] Shak. Bate (?), v. t. To attack; to bait. [Obs.] Spenser. Bate, imp. of Bite. [Obs.] Spenser. Bate, v. i. [F. battre des ailes to flutter. Cf. Bait to flutter.] To flutter as a hawk; to bait. [Obs.] Bacon. Bate, n. (Jewish Antiq.) See 2d Bath. Bate, n. [Cf. Sw. beta maceration, soaking, G. beize, and E. bite.] An alkaline solution consisting of the dung of certain animals; Ð employed in the preparation of hides; grainer. Knight. Bate, v. t. To steep in bate, as hides, in the manufacture of leather. ØBaÏteau¶ (?), n.; pl. Bateaux (?). [F. bateau, LL. batellus, fr. battus, batus, boa, which agrees with AS. b¾t boat: cf. W. bad boat. See Boat, n.] A boat; esp. a flatÐbottomed, clumsy boat used on the Canadian lakes and rivers. [Written also, but less properly, batteau.] Bateau bridge, a floating bridge supported by bateaux. Bat¶ed (?), a. Reduced; lowered; restrained; as, to speak with bated breath. Macaulay. Bate¶ful (?), a. Exciting contention; contentious. [Obs.] ½It did bateful question frame. ¸ Sidney. Bate¶less, a. Not to be abated. [Obs.] Shak. Bate¶ment (?), n. [For Abatement. See 2d Bate.] Abatement; diminution. Moxon. Batement light (Arch.), a window or one division of a window having vertical sides, but with the sill not horizontal, as where it follows the rake of a staircase. Bat¶fish· (?), n. (Zo”l.) 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.) Bat¶fowl·er (?), n. One who practices or finds sport in batfowling. Bat¶fowl·ing (?), n. [From Bat a stick.] A mode of catching birds at night, by holding a torch or other light, and beating the bush or perch where they roost. The birds, flying to the light, are caught with nets or otherwise. Bat¶ful (?), a. [Icel. bati amelioration, batna to grow better; akin to AS. bet better. Goth. gaÏbatnan to profit. ?255. Cf. Batten, v. i., Better.] Rich; fertile. [Obs.] ½Batful valleys.¸ Drayton. Bath (?), n.; pl. Baths (?). [AS. b‘?; akin to OS. & Icel. ba?, Sw., Dan., D., & G. bad, and perh. to G. b„hen to foment.] 1. 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. 2. Water or other liquid for bathing. 3. A receptacle or place where persons may immerse or wash their bodies in water. 4. A building containing an apartment or a series of apartments arranged for bathing. Among the ancients, the public baths were of amazing extent and magnificence. Gwilt. 5. (Chem.) A medium, as heated sand, ashes, steam, hot air, through which heat is applied to a body. 6. (Photog.) A solution in which plates or prints are immersed; also, the receptacle holding the solution. µ Bath is used adjectively or in combination, in an obvious sense of or for baths or bathing; as, bathroom, bath tub, bath keeper. Douche bath. See Douche. Ð Order of the Bath, a high order of British knighthood, composed of three classes, viz., knights grand cross, knights commanders, and knights companions, abbreviated thus: G. C. B., K. C. B., K. B. Ð Russian bath, a kind of vapor bath which consists in a prolonged exposure of the body to the influence of the steam of water, followed by washings and shampooings. Ð Turkish bath, a kind of bath in which a profuse perspiration is produced by hot air, after which the body is washed and shampooed. Ð Bath house, a house used for the purpose of bathing; Ð also a small house, near a bathing place, where a bather undresses and dresses. Bath (?), n. [Heb.] 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. Bath (?), n. A city in the west of England, resorted to for its hot springs, which has given its name to various objects. Bath brick, a preparation of calcareous earth, in the form of a brick, used for cleaning knives, polished metal, etc. Ð Bath chair, a kind of chair on wheels, as used by invalids at Bath. ½People walked out, or drove out, or were pushed out in their Bath chairs.¸ Dickens. Ð Bath metal, an alloy consisting of four and a half ounces of zinc and one pound of copper. Ð Bath note, a folded writing paper, 8 1/2 by 14 inches. Ð Bath stone, a species of limestone (o”lite) found near Bath, used for building. Bathe (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Bathed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bathing.] [OE. ba?ien, AS. ba?ian, fr. b‘? bath. See 1st Bath, and cf. Bay to bathe.] 1. To wash by immersion, as in a bath; to subject to a bath. Chancing to bathe himself in the River Cydnus. South. 2. To lave; to wet. ½The lake which bathed the foot of the Alban mountain.¸ T. Arnold. 3. To moisten or suffuse with a liquid. And let us bathe our hands in C‘sar's blood. Shak. 4. To apply water or some liquid medicament to; as, to bathe the eye with warm water or with sea water; to bathe one's forehead with camphor. 5. To surround, or envelop, as water surrounds a person immersed. ½The rosy shadows bathe me. ¸ Tennyson. ½The bright sunshine bathing all the world.¸ Longfellow. Bathe (?), v. i. 1. To bathe one's self; to take a bath or baths. ½They bathe in summer.¸ Waller. 2. To immerse or cover one's self, as in a bath. ½To bathe in fiery floods.¸ Shak. ½Bathe in the dimples of her cheek.¸ Lloyd. 3. To bask in the sun. [Obs.] Chaucer. Bathe, n. The immersion of the body in water; as to take one's usual bathe. Edin. Rev. Bath¶er (?), n. One who bathes. BaÏthet¶ic (?), a. Having the character of bathos. [R.] Bath¶ing (?), n. Act of taking a bath or baths. Bathing machine, a small room on wheels, to be driven into the water, for the convenience of bathers, who undress and dress therein. Bath¶mism (?), n. See Vital force. BaÏthom¶eÏter (?), n. [Gr. ? depth + Ïmeter.] An instrument for measuring depths, esp. one for taking soundings without a sounding line. Bat¶horse· (?), n. [F. b?t packsaddle (cheval de b?t packhorse) + E. horse. See Bastard.] A horse which carries an officer's baggage during a campaign. Ba¶thos (?), n. [Gr. ? depth, fr. ? deep.] (Rhet.) A ludicrous descent from the elevated to the low, in writing or speech; anticlimax. ØBaÏthyb¶iÏus (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? deep + ? life] (Zo”l.) A name given by Prof. Huxley to a gelatinous substance found in mud dredged from the Atlantic and preserved in alcohol. He supposed that it was free living protoplasm, covering a large part of the ocean bed. It is now known that the substance is of chemical, not of organic, origin. Bath·yÏmet¶ric (?), Bath·yÏmet¶ricÏal (?), } a. Pertaining to bathymetry; relating to the measurement of depths, especially of depths in the sea. BaÏthym¶eÏtry (?), n. [Gr. ? depth + Ïmetry.] The art or science of sounding, or measuring depths in the sea. Bat¶ing (?), prep. [Strictly p. pr. of Bat? to abate.] With the exception of; excepting. We have little reason to think that they bring many ideas with them, bating some faint ideas of hunger and thirst. Locke. BaÏtiste¶ (?), n. [F. batiste, from the name of the alleged first maker, Baptiste of Cambrai. Littr‚.] Originally, cambric or lawn of fine linen; now applied also to cloth of similar texture made of cotton. Bat¶let (?), n. [Bat stick + Ïlet.] A short bat for beating clothes in washing them; Ð called also batler, batling staff, batting staff. Shak. ØBat¶man (?), n. [Turk. batman.] A weight used in the East, varying according to the locality; in Turkey, the greater batman is about 157 pounds, the lesser only a fourth of this; at Aleppo and Smyrna, the batman is 17 pounds. Simmonds. Bat¶man (?), n.; pl. Batmen (?). [F. b?t packsaddle + E. man. Cf. Bathorse.] A man who has charge of a bathorse and his load. Macaulay. ØBaÏtoi¶deÏi (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? a kind of ray + Ïoid.] (Zo”l.) The division of fishes which includes the rays and skates. Bat¶on (?), n. [F. b?ton. See Baston.] 1. A staff or truncheon, used for various purposes; as, the baton of a field marshal; the baton of a conductor in musical performances. He held the baton of command. Prescott. 2. (Her.) An ordinary with its ends cut off, borne sinister as a mark of bastardy, and containing one fourth in breadth of the bend sinister; Ð called also bastard bar. See Bend sinister. BaÏtoon¶ (?), n. See Baton, and Baston. Bat¶ print·ing (?). (Ceramics) A mode of printing on glazed ware. ØBaÏtra¶chiÏa (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? belonging to a frog, fr. ? frog.] (Zo”l.) The order of amphibians which includes the frogs and toads; the Anura. Sometimes the word is used in a wider sense as equivalent to Amphibia. BaÏtra¶chiÏan (?), a. (Zo”l.) Pertaining to the Batrachia. Ð n. One of the Batrachia. Bat¶raÏchoid (?), a. [Batrachia + Ïoid.] (Zo”l.) Froglike. Specifically: Of or pertaining to the Batrachid‘, a family of marine fishes, including the toadfish. Some have poisonous dorsal spines. Bat·raÏchoÏmyÏom¶aÏchy (?), n. [Gr. ?; ? frog + ? mouse + ? battle.] The battle between the frogs and mice; Ð a Greek parody on the Iliad, of uncertain authorship. Bat·raÏchoph¶aÏgous (?), a. [Gr. ? frog + ? to eat.] Feeding on frogs. Quart. Rev. Bats¶man (?), n.; pl. Batsmen (?). The one who wields the bat in cricket, baseball, etc. Bat's¶Ðwing¶ (?) or Bat¶wing, a. Shaped like a bat's wing; as, a bat'sÐwing burner. ØBat¶ta (?), n. [Prob. through Pg. for Canarese bhatta rice in the husk.] Extra pay; esp. an extra allowance to an English officer serving in India. Whitworth.
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ØBat¶ta (?), n. [Hind. ba??a.] Rate of exchange; also, the discount on uncurrent coins. [India] Bat¶taÏble (?), a. [See Batful.] Capable of culti?ation; fertile; productive; fattening. [Obs.] Burton. Bat¶tailÏant (?), a. [F. bataillant, p. pr. See Battle, v. i. ] [Obs.] Prepared for battle; combatant; warlike. Spenser. Ð n. A combatant. Shelton. Bat¶tailÏous (?), a. [OF. bataillos, fr. bataille. See Battle, n.] Arrayed for battle; fit or eager for battle; warlike. [Obs.] ½In battailous aspect.¸ Milton. BatÏtal¶ia (?), n. [LL. battalia battle, a body of troops. See Battle, n.] 1. Order of battle; disposition or arrangement of troops (brigades, regiments, battalions, etc.), or of a naval force, for action. A drawing up the armies in battalia. Jer. Taylor. 2. An army in battle array; also, the main battalia or body. [Obs.] Shak. BatÏtal¶ion (?), n. [F. bataillon, fr. It. battaglione. See Battalia.] 1. A body of troops; esp. a body of troops or an army in battle array. ½The whole battalion views.¸ Milton. 2. (Mil.) A regiment, or two or more companies of a regiment, esp. when assembled for drill or battle. BatÏtal¶ion (?), v. t. To form into battalions. [R.] Bat¶tel (?), n. [Obs. form. of Battle.] (Old Eng. Law) A single combat; as, trial by battel. See Wager of battel, under Wager. Bat¶tel, n. [Of uncertain etymology.] Provisions ordered from the buttery; also, the charges for them; Ð only in the pl., except when used adjectively. [Univ. of Oxford, Eng.] Bat¶tel, v. i. To be supplied with provisions from the buttery. [Univ. of Oxford, Eng.] Bat¶tel, v. t. [Cf. Batful, Batten, v. i.] To make fertile. [Obs.] ½To battel barren land.¸ Ray. Bat¶tel, a. Fertile; fruitful; productive. [Obs.] A battel soil for grain, for pasture good. Fairfax. Bat¶telÏer (?), Bat¶tler (?), n. [See 2d Battel, n.] 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. Wright. Bat¶ten (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Battened (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Battening.] [See Batful.] 1. To make fat by plenteous feeding; to fatten. ½Battening our flocks.¸ Milton. 2. To fertilize or enrich, as land. Bat¶ten, v. i. To grow fat; to grow fat in ease and luxury; to glut one's self. Dryden. The pampered monarch lay battening in ease. Garth. Skeptics, with a taste for carrion, who batten on the hideous facts in history, Ð persecutions, inquisitions. Emerson. Bat¶ten, n . [F. b?ton stick, staff. See Baton.] A strip of sawed stuff, or a scantling; as, (a) pl. (Com. & Arch.) Sawed timbers about 7 by 2 1/2 inches and not less than 6 feet long. Brande & C. (b) (Naut.) A strip of wood used in fastening the edges of a tarpaulin to the deck, also around masts to prevent chafing. (c) A long, thin strip used to strengthen a part, to cover a crack, etc. Batten door (Arch.), a door made of boards of the whole length of the door, secured by battens nailed crosswise. Bat¶ten, v. t. To furnish or fasten with battens. To batten down, to fasten down with battens, as the tarpaulin over the hatches of a ship during a storm. Bat¶ten, n. [F. battant. See Batter, v. t.] The movable bar of a loom, which strikes home or closes the threads of a woof. Bat¶tenÏing (?), n. (Arch.) Furring done with small pieces nailed directly upon the wall. Bat¶ter (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Battered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Battering.] [OE. bateren, OF. batre, F. battre, fr. LL. battere, for L. batuere to strike, beat; of unknown origin. Cf. Abate, Bate to abate.] 1. To beat with successive blows; to beat repeatedly and with violence, so as to bruise, shatter, or demolish; as, to batter a wall or rampart. 2. To wear or impair as if by beating or by hard usage. ½Each battered jade.¸ Pope. 3. (Metallurgy) To flatten (metal) by hammering, so as to compress it inwardly and spread it outwardly. Bat¶ter, n. [OE. batere, batire; cf. OF. bateure, bature, a beating. See Batter, v. t.] 1. A semiÐliquid mixture of several ingredients, as, flour, eggs, milk, etc., beaten together and used in cookery. King. 2. Paste of clay or loam. Holland. 3. (Printing) A bruise on the face of a plate or of type in the form. Bat¶ter, n. A backward slope in the face of a wall or of a bank; receding slope. Batter rule, an instrument consisting of a rule or frame, and a plumb line, by which the batter or slope of a wall is regulated in building. Bat¶ter, v. i. (Arch.) To slope gently backward. Bat¶ter, n. One who wields a bat; a batsman. Bat¶terÏer (?), n. One who, or that which, batters. Bat¶terÏingÐram· (?), n. 1. (Mil.) An engine used in ancient times to beat down the walls of besieged places. µ It was a large beam, with a head of iron, which was sometimes made to resemble the head of a ram. It was suspended by ropes t a beam supported by posts, and so balanced as to swing backward and forward, and was impelled by men against the wall. Grose. 2. A blacksmith's hammer, suspended, and worked horizontally. Bat¶terÏing train· (?). (Mil.) A train of artillery for siege operations. Bat¶terÏy (?), n.; pl. Batteries (?). [F. batterie, fr. battre. See Batter, v. t.] 1. The act of battering or beating. 2. (Law) 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. 3. (Mil.) (a) Any place where cannon or mortars are mounted, for attack or defense. (b) Two or more pieces of artillery in the field. (c) 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. Barbette battery. See Barbette. Ð Battery d'enfilade, or Enfilading battery, one that sweeps the whole length of a line of troops or part of a work. Ð Battery en ‚charpe, one that plays obliquely. Ð Battery gun, a gun capable of firing a number, of shots simultaneously or successively without stopping to load. Ð Battery wagon, a wagon employed to transport the tools and materials for repair of the carriages, etc., of the battery. Ð In battery, projecting, as a gun, into an embrasure or over a parapet in readiness for firing. Ð Masked battery, a battery artificially concealed until required to open upon the enemy. Ð Out of battery, or From battery, withdrawn, as a gun, to a position for loading. 4. (Elec.) (a) A number of coated jars (Leyden jars) so connected that they may be charged and discharged simultaneously. (b) An apparatus for generating voltaic electricity. µ In the trough battery, copper and zinc plates, connected in pairs, divide the trough into cells, which are filled with an acid or oxidizing liquid; the effect is exhibited when wires connected with the two endÐplates are brought together. In Daniell's battery, the metals are zinc and copper, the former in dilute sulphuric acid, or a solution of sulphate of zinc, the latter in a saturated solution of sulphate of copper. A modification of this is the common gravity battery, so called from the automatic action of the two fluids, which are separated by their specific gravities. In Grove's battery, platinum is the metal used with zinc; two fluids are used, one of them in a porous cell surrounded by the other. In Bunsen's or the carbon battery, the carbon of gas coke is substituted for the platinum of Grove's. In Leclanch‚'s battery, the elements are zinc in a solution of ammonium chloride, and gas carbon surrounded with manganese dioxide in a porous cell. A secondary battery is a battery which usually has the two plates of the same kind, generally of lead, in dilute sulphuric acid, and which, when traversed by an electric current, becomes charged, and is then capable of giving a current of itself for a time, owing to chemical changes produced by the charging current. A storage battery is a kind of secondary battery used for accumulating and storing the energy of electrical charges or currents, usually by means of chemical work done by them; an accumulator. 5. 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. 6. (Metallurgy) A series of stamps operated by one motive power, for crushing ores containing the precious metals. Knight. 7. The box in which the stamps for crushing ore play up and down. 8. (Baseball) The pitcher and catcher together. Bat¶ting (?), n. 1. The act of one who bats; the management of a bat in playing games of ball. Mason. 2. Cotton in sheets, prepared for use in making quilts, etc.; as, cotton batting. Bat¶tle (?), a. Fertile. See Battel, a. [Obs.] Bat¶tle, n. [OE. bataille, bataile, F. bataille battle, OF., battle, battalion, fr. L. battalia, battualia, the fighting and fencing exercises of soldiers and gladiators, fr. batuere to strike, beat. Cf. Battalia, 1st Battel, and see Batter, v. t. ] 1. A general action, fight, or encounter, in which all the divisions of an army are or may be engaged; an engagement; a combat. 2. A struggle; a contest; as, the battle of life. The whole intellectual battle that had at its center the best poem of the best poet of that day. H. Morley. 3. A division of an army; a battalion. [Obs.] The king divided his army into three battles. Bacon. The cavalry, by way of distinction, was called the battle, and on it alone depended the fate of every action. Robertson. 4. The main body, as distinct from the van and rear; battalia. [Obs.] Hayward. µ Battle is used adjectively or as the first part of a selfÐexplaining compound; as, battle brand, a ½brand¸ or sword used in battle; battle cry; battlefield; battle ground; battlearray; battle song. Battle piece, a painting, or a musical composition, representing a battle. Ð Battle royal. (a) A fight between several gamecocks, where the one that stands longest is the victor. Grose. (b) A contest with fists or cudgels in which more than two are engaged; a mˆl‚e. Thackeray. Ð Drawn battle, one in which neither party gains the victory. Ð To give battle, to attack an enemy. Ð To join battle, to meet the attack; to engage in battle. Ð Pitched battle, one in which the armies are previously drawn up in form, with a regular disposition of the forces. Ð Wager of battle. See under Wager, n. Syn. Ð Conflict; encounter; contest; action. Battle, Combat, Fight, Engagement. These words agree in denoting a close encounter between contending parties. Fight is a word of less dignity than the others. Except in poetry, it is more naturally applied to the encounter of a few individuals, and more commonly an accidental one; as, a street fight. A combat is a close encounter, whether between few or many, and is usually premeditated. A battle is commonly more general and prolonged. An engagement supposes large numbers on each side, engaged or intermingled in the conflict. Bat¶tle (?), v. i. [imp. & p.p. Battled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Battling.] [F. batailler, fr. bataille. See Battle, n.] To join in battle; to contend in fight; as, to battle over theories. To meet in arms, and battle in the plain. Prior. Bat¶tle, v. t. To assail in battle; to fight. Bat¶tleÐax· Bat¶tleÐaxe· } (?), n. (Mil.) A kind of broadax formerly used as an offensive weapon. Bat¶tled (?), p. p. Embattled. [Poetic] Tennyson. Bat¶tleÏdoor· (?), n. [OE. batyldour. A corrupted form of uncertain origin; cf. Sp. batallador a great combatant, he who has fought many battles, Pg. batalhador, Pr. batalhador, warrior, soldier, fr. L. battalia; or cf. Pr. batedor batlet, fr. batre to beat, fr. L. batuere. See Battle, n.] 1. An instrument, with a handle and a flat part covered with parchment or crossed with catgut, used to strike a shuttlecock in play; also, the play of battledoor and shuttlecock. 2. [OE. battleder.] A child's hornbook. [Obs.] Halliwell. Bat¶tleÏment (?), n. [OE. batelment; cf. OF. bataillement combat, fr. batailler, also OF. bastillier, bateillier, to fortify. Cf. Battle, n., Bastile, Bastion.] (Arch.) (a) One of the solid upright parts of a parapet in ancient fortifications. (b) pl. The whole parapet, consisting of alternate solids and open spaces. At first purely a military feature, afterwards copied on a smaller scale with decorative features, as for churches. Bat¶tleÏmentÏed (?), a. Having battlements. A battlemented portal. Sir W. Scott. BatÏtol¶oÏgist (?), n. One who battologizes. BatÏtol¶oÏgize (?), v. t. To keep repeating needlessly; to iterate. Sir T. Herbert. BatÏtol¶oÏgy (?), n. [F. battologie, fr. Gr. ?; ? a stammerer + ? speech.] A needless repetition of words in speaking or writing. Milton. Bat¶ton (?), n. See Batten, and Baton. ØBat¶tue· (?), n. [F. battue, fr. battre to beat. See Batter, v. t., and cf. Battuta.] (Hunting) (a) The act of beating the woods, bushes, etc., for game. (b) The game itself. (c) The wanton slaughter of game. Howitt. ØBat·ture¶ (?), n. [F., fr. battre to beat. ] An elevated river bed or sea bed. ØBatÏtu¶ta (?), n. [It. battuta, fr. battere to beat.] (Mus.) The measuring of time by beating. Bat¶ty (?), a. Belonging to, or resembling, a bat. ½Batty wings.¸ Shak. Bat¶ule (?), n. A springboard in a circus or gymnasium; Ð called also batule board. ØBatz (?), n.; pl. Batzen (?). [Ger. batz, batze, batzen, a coin bearing the image of a bear, Ger. b„tz, betz, bear.] A small copper coin, with a mixture of silver, formerly current in some parts of Germany and Switzerland. It was worth about four cents. BauÏbee¶ (?), n. Same as Bawbee. Bau¶ble (?), n. [Cf. OF. baubel a child's plaything, F. babiole, It. babbola, LL. baubellum gem, jewel, L. babulus,a baburrus, foolish.] 1. A trifling piece of finery; a gewgaw; that which is gay and showy without real value; a cheap, showy plaything. The ineffective bauble of an Indian pagod. Sheridan. 2. The fool's club. [Obs.] ½A fool's bauble was a short stick with a head ornamented with an ass's ears fantastically carved upon it.¸ Nares. Bau¶bling (?), a. See Bawbling. [Obs.] Bau¶deÏkin (?), n. [OE. bawdekin rich silk stuff, OF. baudequin. See Baldachin.] The richest kind of stuff used in garments in the Middle Ages, the web being gold, and the woof silk, with embroidery : Ð made originally at Bagdad. [Spelt also baudkin, baudkyn, bawdekin, and baldakin.] Nares. Bau¶drick (?), n. A belt. See Baldric. Bauk, Baulk (?), n. & v. See Balk. Baun¶scheidtÏism (?), n. [From the introducer, a German named Baunscheidt.] (Med.) A form of acupuncture, followed by the rubbing of the part with a stimulating fluid. Baux¶ite, Beaux¶ite (?), n. [F., fr. Baux or Beaux, near Arles.] (Min.) A ferruginous hydrate of alumina. It is largely used in the preparation of aluminium and alumina, and for the lining of furnaces which are exposed to intense heat. BaÏva¶riÏan (?), a. Of or pertaining to Bavaria. Ð n. A native or an inhabitant of Bavaria. Bavarian cream. See under Cream. Bav¶aÏroy (?), n. [F. Bavarois Bavarian.] A kind of cloak or surtout. [Obs.] Johnson. Let the looped bavaroy the fop embrace. Gay.
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Ba¶viÏan (?), n. [See Baboon.] A baboon. Bav¶in (?), n. [Cf. Gael. & Ir. baban tuft, tassel.] 1. A fagot of brushwood, or other light combustible matter, for kindling fires; refuse of brushwood. [Obs. or Dial. Eng.] 2. Impure limestone. [Prov. Eng.] Wright. BawÏbee¶ (?), n. [Perh. corrupt. fr. halfpenny.] A halfpenny. [Spelt also baubee.] [Scot. & Prov. Eng.] Baw¶ble (?), n. A trinket. See Bauble. Baw¶bling, a. Insignificant; contemptible. [Obs.] Baw¶cock (?), n. [From F. beau fine + E. cock (the bird); or more prob. fr. OF. baud bold, gay + E. cock. Cf. Bawd.] A fine fellow; Ð a term of endearment. [Obs.] ½How now, my bawcock ?¸ Shak. Bawd (?), n. [OE. baude, OF. balt, baut, baude, bold, merry, perh. fr. OHG. bald bold; or fr. Celtic, cf. W. baw dirt. Cf. Bold, Bawdry.] A person who keeps a house of prostitution, or procures women for a lewd purpose; a procurer or procuress; a lewd person; Ð usually applied to a woman. Bawd, v. i. To procure women for lewd purposes. Bawd¶iÏly (?), adv. Obscenely; lewdly. Bawd¶iÏness, n. Obscenity; lewdness. Bawd¶rick (?), n. A belt. See Baldric. Bawd¶ry (?), n. [OE. baudery, OF. bauderie, balderie, boldness, joy. See Bawd.] 1. The practice of procuring women for the gratification of lust. 2. Illicit intercourse; fornication. Shak. 3. Obscenity; filthy, unchaste language. ½The pert style of the pit bawdry.¸ Steele. Bawd¶y, a. /1. Dirty; foul; Ð said of clothes. [Obs.] It [a garment] is al bawdy and toÐtore also. Chaucer. 2. Obscene; filthy; unchaste. ½A bawdy story.¸ Burke. Baw¶dyÏhouse· (?), n. A house of prostitution; a house of ill fame; a brothel. Baw¶horse· (?), n. Same as Bathorse. Bawl (?), v. i. [imp. & p.p. Bawled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bawling.] [Icel. baula to low, bellow, as a cow; akin to Sw. b”la; cf. AS bellan, G. bellen to bark, E. bellow, bull.] 1. To cry out with a loud, full sound; to cry with vehemence, as in calling or exultation; to shout; to vociferate. 2. To cry loudly, as a child from pain or vexation. Bawl, v. t. To proclaim with a loud voice, or by outcry, as a hawker or townÐcrier does. Swift. Bawl, n. A loud, prolonged cry; an outcry. Bawl¶er (?), n. One who bawls. Bawn (?), n. [Ir. & Gael. babhun inclosure, bulwark.] 1. An inclosure with mud or stone walls, for keeping cattle; a fortified inclosure. [Obs.] Spenser. 2. A large house. [Obs.] Swift. Baw¶rel (?), n. [Cf. It. barletta a tree falcon, or hobby.] A kind of hawk. [Obs.] Halliwell. Baw¶sin (?), Baw¶son (?), } n. [OE. bawson, baucyne, badger (named from its color), OF. bauzan, baucant, bauchant, spotted with white, pied; cf. It. balzano, F. balzan, a whiteÐfooted horse, It. balza border, trimming, fr. L. balteus belt, border, edge. Cf. Belt.] 1. A badger. [Obs.] B. Jonson. 2. A large, unwieldy person. [Obs.] Nares. Bax¶ter (?), n. [OE. bakestre, bakistre, AS. b‘cestre, prop. fem. of b‘cere baker. See Baker.] A baker; originally, a female baker. [Old Eng. & Scotch] Bay (?), a. [F. bai, fr. L. badius brown, chestnutcolored; Ð used only of horses.] Reddish brown; of the color of a chestnut; Ð applied to the color of horses. Bay cat (Zo”l.), a wild cat of Africa and the East Indies (Felis aurata). Ð Bay lynx (Zo”l.), the common American lynx (Felis, or Lynx, rufa). Bay, n. [F. baie, fr. LL. baia. Of uncertain origin: cf. Ir. & Gael. badh or bagh bay harbor, creek; Bisc. baia, baiya, harbor, and F. bayer to gape, open the mouth.] 1. (Geol.) An inlet of the sea, usually smaller than a gulf, but of the same general character. µ The name is not used with much precision, and is often applied to large tracts of water, around which the land forms a curve; as, Hudson's Bay. The name is not restricted to tracts of water with a narrow entrance, but is used foe any recess or inlet between capes or headlands; as, the Bay of Biscay. 2. A small body of water set off from the main body; as a compartment containing water for a wheel; the portion of a canal just outside of the gates of a lock, etc. 3. A recess or indentation shaped like a bay. 4. A principal compartment of the walls, roof, or other part of a building, or of the whole building, as marked off by the buttresses, vaulting, mullions of a window, etc.; one of the main divisions of any structure, as the part of a bridge between two piers. 5. A compartment in a barn, for depositing hay, or grain in the stalks. 6. A kind of mahogany obtained from Campeachy Bay. Sick bay, in vessels of war, that part of a deck appropriated to the use of the sick. Totten. Bay, n. [ F. baie a berry, the fruit of the laurel and other trees, fr. L. baca, bacca, a small round fruit, a berry, akin to Lith. bapka laurel berry.] 1. A berry, particularly of the laurel. [Obs.] 2. The laurel tree (Laurus nobilis). Hence, in the plural, an honorary garland or crown bestowed as a prize for victory or excellence, anciently made or consisting of branches of the laurel. The patriot's honors and the poet's bays. Trumbull. 3. A tract covered with bay trees. [Local, U. S.] Bay leaf, the leaf of the bay tree (Laurus nobilis). It has a fragrant odor and an aromatic taste. Bay, v. i. [imp. & p.p. Bayed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Baying.] [ OE. bayen, abayen, OF. abaier, F. aboyer, to bark; of uncertain origin.] To bark, as a dog with a deep voice does, at his game. The hounds at nearer distance hoarsely bayed. Dryden. Bay (?), v. t. To bark at; hence, to follow with barking; to bring or drive to bay; as, to bay the bear. Shak. Bay (?), n. [See Bay, v. i.] 1. DeepÐtoned, prolonged barking. ½The bay of curs.¸ Cowper. 2. [OE. bay, abay, OF. abai, F. aboi barking, pl. abois, prop. the extremity to which the stag is reduced when surrounded by the dogs, barking (aboyant); aux abois at or a difficulty, when escape has become impossible. Embolden'd by despair, he stood at bay. Dryden. The most terrible evils are just kept at bay by incessant efforts. I. Taylor Bay, v. t. [Cf. OE. b‘wen to bathe, and G. b„hen to foment.] To bathe. [Obs.] Spenser. Bay, n. A bank or dam to keep back water. Bay, v. t. To dam, as water; Ð with up or back. ØBa¶ya (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo”l.) The East Indian weaver bird (Ploceus Philippinus). ØBaÏyad¶ (?), BaÏyatte¶ (?), n. [Ar. bayad.] (Zo”l.) A large, edible, siluroid fish of the Nile, of two species (Bagrina bayad and B. docmac). Ba·yaÏdere¶ (?), n. [F., from Pg. bailadeira a female dancer, bailar to dance.] A female dancer in the East Indies. [Written also bajadere.] Bay¶Ðant·ler (?), n. [See BezÐAntler.] (Zo”l.) The second tine of a stag's horn. See under Antler. Bay¶ard (?), n. 1. [OF. bayard, baiart, bay horse; bai bay + Ïard. See Bay, a., and Ïard.] Properly, a bay horse, but often any horse. Commonly in the phrase blind bayard, an old blind horse. Blind bayard moves the mill. Philips. 2. [Cf. F. bayeur, fr. bayer to gape.] A stupid, clownish fellow. [Obs.] B. Jonson. Bay¶ardÏly, a. Blind; stupid. [Obs.] ½A formal and bayardly round of duties.¸ Goodman. Bay¶berÏry (?), n. (Bot.) (a) The fruit of the bay tree or Laurus nobilis. (b) A tree of the West Indies related to the myrtle (Pimenta acris). (c) The fruit of Myrica cerifera (wax myrtle); the shrub itself; Ð called also candleberry tree. Bayberry tallow, a fragrant green wax obtained from the bayberry or wax myrtle; Ð called also myrtle wax. Bay¶bolt· (?), n. A bolt with a barbed shank. Bayed (?), a. Having a bay or bays. ½The large bayed barn.¸ Drayton. Bay¶ ice· (?). See under Ice. Bay¶ leaf· (?). See under 3d Bay. Bay¶oÏnet (?), n. [F. bayonnette, ba‹onnette; Ð so called, it is said, because the first bayonets were made at Bayonne.] 1. (Mil.) 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. µ Originally, the bayonet was made with a handle, which required to be fitted into the bore of the musket after the soldier had fired. 2. (Mach.) 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. Bayonet clutch. See Clutch. Ð Bayonet joint, a form of coupling similar to that by which a bayonet is fixed on the barrel of a musket. Knight. Bay¶oÏnet, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Bayoneted; p. pr. & vb. n. Bayoneting.] 1. To stab with a bayonet. 2. To compel or drive by the bayonet. To bayonet us into submission. Burke. Bay¶ou (?), n.; pl. Bayous (?). [North Am. Indian bayuk, in F. spelling bayouc, bayouque.] An inlet from the Gulf of Mexico, from a lake, or from a large river, sometimes sluggish, sometimes without perceptible movement except from tide and wind. [Southern U. S.] A dark slender thread of a bayou moves loiteringly northeastward into a swamp of huge cypresses. G. W. Cable. Bay¶ rum¶ (?). A fragrant liquid, used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes. µ The original bay rum, from the West Indies, is prepared, it is believed, by distillation from the leaves of the bayberry (Myrcia acris). The bay rum of the Pharmacop?ia (spirit of myrcia) is prepared from oil of myrcia (bayberry), oil of orange peel, oil of pimento, alcohol, and water. Bays, Bayze (?), n. See Baize. [Obs.] 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. Bacon. Ure. Bay¶ tree·. A species of laurel. (Laurus nobilis). Bay¶ win¶dow (?). (Arch.) A window forming a bay or recess in a room, and projecting outward from the wall, either in a rectangular, polygonal, or semicircular form; Ð often corruptly called a bow window. Bay¶ yarn· (?). Woolen yarn. [Prov. Eng.] Wright. BaÏzaar¶ BaÏzar¶ } (?), n. [Per. b¾zar market.] 1. In the East, an exchange, marketplace, or assemblage of shops where goods are exposed for sale. 2. A spacious hall or suite of rooms for the sale of goods, as at a fair. 3. A fair for the sale of fancy wares, toys, etc., commonly for a charitable objects. Macaulay. Bdel¶lium (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. ?; cf. Heb. b'dolakh bdellium (in sense 1).] 1. An unidentified substance mentioned in the Bible (Gen. ii. 12, and Num. xi. 7), variously taken to be a gum, a precious stone, or pearls, or perhaps a kind of amber found in Arabia. 2. A gum resin of reddish brown color, brought from India, Persia, and Africa. µ Indian bdellium or false myrrh is an exudation from Balsamodendron Roxb?rghii. Other kinds are known as African, Sicilian, etc. ØBdelÏloi¶deÏa (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? leech + Ïoid.] (Zo”l.) The order of Annulata which includes the leeches. See Hirudinea. BdelÏlom¶eÏter (?), n. [Gr. ? leech + Ïmeter.] (Med.) A cupping glass to which are attached a scarificator and an exhausting syringe. Dunglison. ØBdel·loÏmor¶pha (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? leech + ? form.] (Zo”l.) An order of Nemertina, including the large leechlike worms (Malacobdella) often parasitic in clams. Be (?), v. i. [imp. Was (?); p. p. Been (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Being.] [OE. been, beon, AS. be¢n to be, be¢m I am; akin to OHG. bim, pim, G. bin, I am, Gael. & Ir. bu was, W. bod to be, Lith. buÐti, O. Slav. byÐti, to be, L. fuÐi I have been, fuÐturus about to be, foÐre to be about to be, and perh to fieri to become, Gr. ? to be born, to be, Skr. bh? to be. This verb is defective, and the parts lacking are supplied by verbs from other roots, is, was, which have no radical connection with be. The various forms, am, are, is, was, were, etc., are considered grammatically as parts of the verb ½to be¸, which, with its conjugational forms, is often called the substantive verb. ?97. Cf. Future, Physic.] 1. To exist actually, or in the world of fact; to have ex?stence. To be contents his natural desire. Pope.
To be, or not to be: that is the question. Shak. 2. To exist in a certain manner or relation, Ð whether as a reality or as a product of thought; to exist as the subject of a certain predicate, that is, as having a certain attribute, or as belonging to a certain sort, or as identical with what is specified, Ð a word or words for the predicate being annexed; as, to be happy; to be here; to be large, or strong; to be an animal; to be a hero; to be a nonentity; three and two are five; annihilation is the cessation of existence; that is the man. 3. To take place; to happen; as, the meeting was on Thursday. 4. To signify; to represent or symbolize; to answer to. The field is the world. Matt. xiii. 38. The seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches. Rev.i. 20. µ The verb to be (including the forms is, was, etc.) is used in forming the passive voice of other verbs; as, John has been struck by James. It is also used with the past participle of many intransitive verbs to express a state of the subject. But have is now more commonly used as the auxiliary, though expressing a different sense; as, ½Ye have come too late Ð but ye are come. ¸ ½The minstrel boy to the war is gone.¸ The present and imperfect tenses form, with the infinitive, a particular future tense, which expresses necessity, duty, or purpose; as, government is to be supported; we are to pay our just debts; the deed is to be signed toÐmorrow. Have or had been, followed by to, implies movement. ½I have been to Paris.¸ Sydney Smith. ½Have you been to Franchard ?¸ R. L. Slevenson. µ Been, or ben, was anciently the plural of the indicative present. ½Ye ben light of the world.¸ Wyclif, Matt. v. 14. Afterwards be was used, as in our Bible: ½They that be with us are more than they that be with them.¸ 2 Kings vi. 16. Ben was also the old infinitive: ½To ben of such power.¸ R. of Gloucester. Be is used as a form of the present subjunctive: ½But if it be a question of words and names.¸ Acis xviii. 15. But the indicative forms, is and are, with if, are more commonly used. Be it so, a phrase of supposition, equivalent to suppose it to be so; or of permission, signifying let it be so. Shak. Ð If so be, in case. Ð To be from, to have come from; as, from what place are you ? I am from Chicago. Ð To let be, to omit, or leave untouched; to let alone. ½Let be, therefore, my vengeance to dissuade.¸ Spenser. Syn. Ð To be, Exist. The verb to be, except in a few rare case, like that of Shakespeare's ½To be, or not to be¸, is used simply as a copula, to connect a subject with its predicate; as, man is mortal; the soul is immortal. The verb to exist is never properly used as a mere copula, but points to things that stand forth, or have a substantive being; as, when the soul is freed from all corporeal alliance, then it truly exists. It is not, therefore, properly synonymous with to be when used as a copula, though occasionally made so by some writers for the sake of variety; as in the phrase ½there exists [is] no reason for laying new taxes.¸ We may, indeed, say, ½a friendship has long existed between them,¸ instead of saying, ½there has long been a friendship between them;¸ but in this case, exist is not a mere copula. It is used in its appropriate sense to mark the friendship as having been long in existence. BeÏ. [AS. be, and in accented form bÆ, akin to OS. be and bÆ, OHG. bi, pi, and pÆ, MHG. be and bÆ, G. be and bei, Goth. bi, and perh. Gr. ? about (cf. AS. bese¢n to look about). ?203. Gr. By, AmbÏ.] A prefix, originally the same word as by; joined with verbs, it serves: (a) To intensify the meaning; as, bespatter, bestir. (b) To render an intransitive verb transitive; as, befall (to fall upon); bespeak (to speak for). (c) To make the action of a verb particular or definite; as, beget (to get as offspring); beset (to set around). It is joined with certain substantives, and a few adjectives, to form verbs; as, bedew, befriend, benight, besot; belate (to make late); belittle (to make little). It also occurs in certain nouns, adverbs, and prepositions,
<— p. 127 —>
often with something of the force of the preposition by, or about; as, belief (believe), behalf, bequest (bequeath); because, before, beneath, beside, between. In some words the original force of be is obscured or lost; as, in become, begin, behave, behoove, belong. Beach (?), n.; pl. Beaches (?). [Cf. Sw. backe hill, Dan. bakke, Icel. bakki hill, bank. Cf. Bank.] 1. Pebbles, collectively; shingle. 2. The shore of the sea, or of a lake, which is washed by the waves; especially, a sandy or pebbly shore; the strand.
Beach flea (Zo”l.), the common name of many species of amphipod Crustacea, of the family Orchestid‘, living on the sea beaches, and leaping like fleas. Ð Beach grass (Bot.), a coarse grass (Ammophila arundinacea), growing on the sandy shores of lakes and seas, which, by its interlaced running rootstocks, binds the sand together, and resists the encroachment of the waves. Ð Beach wagon, a light open wagon with two or more seats. Ð Raised beach, an accumulation of waterÐworn stones, gravel, sand, and other shore deposits, above the present level of wave action, whether actually raised by elevation of the coast, as in Norway, or left by the receding waters, as in many lake and river regions. Beach, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Beached (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Beaching.] To run or drive (as a vessel or a boat) upon a beach; to strand; as, to beach a ship. Beach¶ comb·er (?). A long, curling wave rolling in from the ocean. See Comber. [Amer.] Beached (?), p. p. & a. 1. Bordered by a beach. The beached verge of the salt flood. Shak. 2. Driven on a beach; stranded; drawn up on a beach; as, the ship is beached. Beach¶y (?), a. Having a beach or beaches; formed by a beach or beaches; shingly. The beachy girdle of the ocean. Shak. Bea¶con (?), n. [OE. bekene, AS. be cen, b?cen; akin to OS. b?kan, Fries. baken, beken, sign, signal, D. baak, OHG. bouhhan, G. bake; of unknown origin. Cf. Beckon.] 1. A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning. No flaming beacons cast their blaze afar. Gay. 2. A signal or conspicuous mark erected on an eminence near the shore, or moored in shoal water, as a guide to mariners. 3. A high hill near the shore. [Prov. Eng.] 4. That which gives notice of danger. Modest doubt is called The beacon of the wise. Shak. Beacon fire, a signal fire. Bea¶con, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Beaconed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Beaconing.] 1. To give light to, as a beacon; to light up; to illumine. That beacons the darkness of heaven. Campbell. 2. To furnish with a beacon or beacons. Bea¶conÏage (?), n. Money paid for the maintenance of a beacon; also, beacons, collectively. Bea¶conÏless, a. Having no beacon. Bead (?), n. [OE. bede prayer, prayer bead, AS. bed, gebed, prayer; akin to D. bede, G. bitte, AS. biddan, to ask, bid, G. bitten to ask, and perh. to Gr. ? to persuade, L. fidere to trust. Beads are used by the Roman Catholics to count their prayers, one bead being dropped down a string every time a prayer is said. Cf. Sp. cuenta bead, fr. contar to count. See Bid, in to bid beads, and Bide.] 1. A prayer. [Obs.] 2. 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. 3. Any small globular body; as, (a) A bubble in spirits. (b) A drop of sweat or other liquid. ½Cold beads of midnight dew.¸ Wordsworth. (c) A small knob of metal on a firearm, used for taking aim (whence the expression to draw a bead, for, to take aim). (d) (Arch.) A small molding of rounded surface, the section being usually an arc of a circle. It may be continuous, or broken into short embossments. (e) (Chem.) 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. Bead and butt (Carp.), framing in which the panels are flush, having beads stuck or run upon the two edges. Knight. Ð Beat mold, a species of fungus or mold, the stems of which consist of single cells loosely jointed together so as to resemble a string of beads. [Written also bead mould.] Ð Bead tool, a cutting tool, having an edge curved so as to make beads or beading. Ð Bead tree (Bot.), a tree of the genus Melia, the best known species of which (M. azedarach), has blue flowers which are very fragrant, and berries which are poisonous. Bead, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Beaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Beading.] To ornament with beads or beading. Bead, v. i. To form beadlike bubbles. Bead¶house·, Bede¶house· (?), n. [OE. bede prayer + E. house. See Bead, n.] An almshouse for poor people who pray daily for their benefactors. Bead¶ing, n. 1. (Arch.) Molding in imitation of beads. 2. The beads or beadÐforming quality of certain liquors; as, the beading of a brand of whisky. Bea¶dle (?), n. [OE. bedel, bidel, budel, OF. bedel, F. bedeau, fr. OHG. butil, putil, G. bttel, fr. OHG. biotan, G. bieten, to bid, confused with AS. bydel, the same word as OHG. butil. See. Bid, v.] 1. A messenger or crier of a court; a servitor; one who cites or bids persons to appear and answer; Ð called also an apparitor or summoner. 2. An officer in a university, who precedes public processions of officers and students. [Eng.] µ In this sense the archaic spellings bedel (Oxford) and bedell (Cambridge) are preserved. 3. An inferior parish officer in England having a variety of duties, as the preservation of order in church service, the chastisement of petty offenders, etc. Bea¶dleÏry (?), n. Office or jurisdiction of a beadle.] Bea¶dleÏship, n. The state of being, or the personality of, a beadle. A. Wood. Bead¶ proof· (?). 1. Among distillers, a certain degree of strength in alcoholic liquor, as formerly ascertained by the floating or sinking of glass globules of different specific gravities thrown into it; now ascertained by more accurate meters. 2. A degree of strength in alcoholic liquor as shown by beads or small bubbles remaining on its surface, or at the side of the glass, when shaken. Bead¶roll· (?), n. (R. C. Ch.) A catalogue of persons, for the rest of whose souls a certain number of prayers are to be said or counted off on the beads of a chaplet; hence, a catalogue in general. On Fame's eternal beadroll worthy to be field. Spenser. It is quite startling, on going over the beadroll of English worthies, to find how few are directly represented in the male line. Quart. Rev. Beads¶man, Bedes¶man (?), n.; pl. Ïmen (?). A poor man, supported in a beadhouse, and required to pray for the soul of its founder; an almsman. Whereby ye shall bind me to be your poor beadsman for ever unto Almighty God. Fuller. Bead¶snake· (?), n. (Zo”l.) A small poisonous snake of North America (Elaps fulvius), banded with yellow, red, and black. Beads¶wom·an, Bedes¶wom·an (?), n.; pl. Ïwomen (?). Fem. of Beadsman. Bead¶work· (?), n. Ornamental work in beads. Bead¶y (?), a. 1. Resembling beads; small, round, and glistening. ½Beady eyes.¸ Thackeray. 2. Covered or ornamented with, or as with, beads. 3. Characterized by beads; as, beady liquor. Bea¶gle (?), n. [OE. begele; perh. of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. & Gael. beag small, little, W. bach. F. bigle is from English.] 1. A small hound, or hunting dog, twelve to fifteen inches high, used in hunting hares and other small game. See Illustration in Appendix. 2. Fig.: A spy or detective; a constable. Beak (?), n. [OE. bek, F. bec, fr. Celtic; cf. Gael. & Ir. bac, bacc, hook, W. bach.] 1. (Zo”l.) (a) 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. (b) A similar bill in other animals, as the turtles. (c) The long projecting sucking mouth of some insects, and other invertebrates, as in the Hemiptera. (d) The upper or projecting part of the shell, near the hinge of a bivalve. (e) The prolongation of certain univalve shells containing the canal. 2. Anything projecting or ending in a point, like a beak, as a promontory of land. Carew. 3. (Antiq.) 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. 4. (Naut.) That part of a ship, before the forecastle, which is fastened to the stem, and supported by the main knee. 5. (Arch.) A continuous slight projection ending in an arris or narrow fillet; that part of a drip from which the water is thrown off. 6. (Bot.) Any process somewhat like the beak of a bird, terminating the fruit or other parts of a plant. 7. (Far.) A toe clip. See Clip, n. (Far.) 8. A magistrate or policeman. [Slang, Eng.] Beaked (?), a. 1. Having a beak or a beaklike point; beakÐshaped. ½Each beaked promontory.¸ Milton. 2. (Biol.) Furnished with a process or a mouth like a beak; rostrate. Beaked whale (Zo”l.), a cetacean of the genus Hyperoodon; the bottlehead whale. Beak¶er (?), n. [OE. biker; akin to Icel. bikarr, Sw. b„gare, Dan. baeger, G. becher, It. bicchiere; Ð all fr. LL. bicarium, prob. fr. Gr. ? wine jar, or perh. L. bacar wine vessel. Cf. Pitcher a jug.] 1. A large drinking cup, with a wide mouth, supported on a foot or standard. 2. An openÐmouthed, thin glass vessel, having a projecting lip for pouring; Ð used for holding solutions requiring heat. Knight. Beak¶head· (?), n. 1. (Arch.) An ornament used in rich Norman doorways, resembling a head with a beak. Parker. 2. (Naut.) (a) A small platform at the fore part of the upper deck of a vessel, which contains the water closets of the crew. (b) (Antiq.) Same as Beak, 3. Beak¶iÏron (?), n. [From Bickern.] A bickern; a bench anvil with a long beak, adapted to reach the interior surface of sheet metal ware; the horn of an anvil. Beal (?), n. [See Boil a tumor.] (Med.) A small inflammatory tumor; a pustule. [Prov. Eng.] Beal, v. i. [imp. & p.p. Bealed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bealing.] To gather matter; to swell and come to a head, as a pimple. [Prov. Eng.] Be¶Ðall· (?), n. The whole; all that is to be. [Poetic] Shak. Beam (?), n. [AS. be m beam, post, tree, ray of light; akin to OFries. b¾m tree, OS. b?m, D. boom, OHG. boum, poum, G. baum, Icel. ba?mr, Goth. bahms and Gr. ? a growth, ? to become, to be. Cf. L. radius staff, rod, spoke of a wheel, beam or ray, and G. strahl arrow, spoke of a wheel, ray or beam, flash of lightning. ?97. See Be; cf. Boom a spar.] 1. Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use. 2. One of the principal horizontal timbers of a building or ship. The beams of a vessel are strong pieces of timber stretching across from side to side to support the decks. Totten. 3. The width of a vessel; as, one vessel is said to have more beam than another. 4. The bar of a balance, from the ends of which the scales are suspended. The doubtful beam long nods from side to side. Pope. 5. The principal stem or horn of a stag or other deer, which bears the antlers, or branches. 6. The pole of a carriage. [Poetic] Dryden. 7. 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. 8. The straight part or shank of an anchor. 9. 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. 10. (Steam Engine) 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? Ð called also working beam or walking beam. 11. A ray or collection of parallel rays emitted from the sun or other luminous body; as, a beam of light, or of heat. How far that little candle throws his beams ! Shak. 12. Fig.: A ray; a gleam; as, a beam of comfort. Mercy with her genial beam. Keble. 13. One of the long feathers in the wing of a hawk; Ð called also beam feather. Abaft the beam (Naut.), in an are of the horizon between a line that crosses the ship at right angles, or in the direction of her beams, and that point of the compass toward which her stern is directed. Ð Beam center (Mach.), the fulcrum or pin on which the working beam of an engine vibrates. Ð Beam compass, an instrument consisting of a rod or beam, having sliding sockets that carry steel or pencil points; Ð used for drawing or describing large circles. Ð Beam engine, a steam engine having a working beam to transmit power, in distinction from one which has its piston rod attached directly to the crank of the wheel shaft. Ð Before the beam (Naut.), in an arc of the horizon included between a line that crosse the ship at right angles and that point of the compass toward which the ship steers. Ð On the beam , in a line with the beams, or at right angled with the keel. Ð On the weather beam, on the side of a ship which faces the wind. Ð To be on her beam ends, to incline, as a vessel, so much on one side that her beams approach a vertical position. Beam, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Beamed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Beaming.] To send forth; to emit; Ð followed ordinarily by forth; as, to beam forth light. Beam, v. i. To emit beams of light. He beamed, the daystar of the rising age. Trumbull. Beam¶bird· (?), n. (Zo”l.) A small European flycatcher (Muscicapa gricola), so called because it often nests on a beam in a building. Beamed (?), a. Furnished with beams, as the head of a stag. Tost his beamed frontlet to the sky. Sir W. Scott. Beam¶ful (?), a. Beamy; radiant. Beam¶iÏly (?), adv. In a beaming manner. Beam¶iÏness, n. The state of being beamy. Beam¶ing, a. Emitting beams; radiant. Beam¶ingÏly, adv. In a beaming manner; radiantly. Beam¶less, a. 1. Not having a beam. 2. Not emitting light. Beam¶let (?), n. A small beam of light. Beam¶ tree· (?). [AS. be m a tree. See Beam.] (Bot.) A tree (Pyrus aria) related to the apple. Beam¶y (?), a. 1. Emitting beams of light; radiant; shining. ½Beamy gold.¸ Tickell.