B (continued 4)

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 Bay, n. Etym: [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 Bay, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bayed (p. pr. & vb. n. Baying.] Etym: [ OE. bayen, abayen, OF. abaier, F. aboyer, to bark; of uncertain origin.]

Defn: To bark, as a dog with a deep voice does, at his game. The hounds at nearer distance hoarsely bayed. Dryden.

BAY Bay, v. t.

Defn: To bark at; hence, to follow with barking; to bring or drive to bay; as, to bay the bear. Shak.

BAY Bay, n. Etym: [See Bay, v. i.]

1. Deep-toned, prolonged barking. "The bay of curs." Cowper.

2. Etym: [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 bay.]

Defn: A state of being obliged to face an antagonist 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 Bay, v. t. Etym: [Cf. OE. bæwen to bathe, and G. bähen to foment.]

Defn: To bathe. [Obs.] Spenser.

BAY Bay, n.

Defn: A bank or dam to keep back water.

BAY Bay, v. t.

Defn: To dam, as water; — with up or back.

BAYA Ba"ya, n. Etym: [Native name.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The East Indian weaver bird (Ploceus Philippinus).

BAYAD; BAYATTE Ba*yad", Ba*yatte", n. Etym: [Ar. bayad.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large, edible, siluroid fish of the Nile, of two species (Bagrina bayad and B. docmac).

BAYADERE Ba`ya*dere", n. Etym: [F., from Pg. bailadeira a female dancer, bailar to dance.]

Defn: A female dancer in the East Indies. [Written also bajadere.]

BAYAMO Ba*ya"mo, n. (Meteor.)

Defn: A violent thunder squall occurring on the south coast of Cuba, esp. near Bayamo. The gusts, called bayamo winds, are modified foehn winds.

BAY-ANTLER Bay"-ant`ler, n. Etym: [See Bez-Antler.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The second tine of a stag's horn. See under Antler.

BAYARD Bay"ard, n.

1. Etym: [OF. bayard, baiart, bay horse; bai bay + -ard. See Bay, a., and -ard.]

Defn: 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. Etym: [Cf. F. bayeur, fr. bayer to gape.]

Defn: A stupid, clownish fellow. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

BAYARDLY Bay"ard*ly, a.

Defn: Blind; stupid. [Obs.] "A formal and bayardly round of duties." Goodman.

BAYBERRY Bay"ber*ry, 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; — called also candleberry tree. Bayberry tallow, a fragrant green wax obtained from the bayberry or wax myrtle; — called also myrtle wax.

BAYBOLT Bay"bolt`, n.

Defn: A bolt with a barbed shank.

BAYED Bayed, a.

Defn: Having a bay or bays. "The large bayed barn." Drayton.

BAYEUX TAPESTRY Ba`yeux" tap"es*try.

Defn: A piece of linen about 1 ft. 8 in. wide by 213 ft. long, covered with embroidery representing the incidents of William the Conqueror's expedition to England, preserved in the town museum of Bayeux in Normandy. It is probably of the 11th century, and is attributed by tradition to Matilda, the Conqueror's wife.

BAY ICE Bay" ice`.

Defn: See under Ice.

BAY LEAF Bay" leaf`.

Defn: See under 3d Bay.

BAYMAN Bay"man, n. (Nav.)

Defn: In the United States navy, a sick-bay nurse; — now officially designated as hospital apprentice.

BAYONET Bay"o*net, n. Etym: [F. bayonnette, baïonnette; — so called, it is said, because the first bayonets were made at Bayonne.]

1. (Mil.)

Defn: 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.

Note: 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.)

Defn: 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. — Bayonet joint, a form of coupling similar to that by which a bayonet is fixed on the barrel of a musket. Knight.

BAYONET Bay"o*net, 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.

BAYOU Bay"ou, n.; pl. Bayous (.Etym: [North Am. Indian bayuk, in F. spelling bayouc, bayouque.]

Defn: 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.

BAYOU STATE Bay"ou State`.

Defn: Mississippi; — a nickname, from its numerous bayous.

BAY RUM Bay" rum".

Defn: A fragrant liquid, used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes.

Note: 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 Pharmacopoeia (spirit of myrcia) is prepared from oil of myrcia (bayberry), oil of orange peel, oil of pimento, alcohol, and water.

BAYS; BAYZE Bays, Bayze, n.

Defn: See Baize. [Obs.]

BAY SALT Bay" salt`.

Defn: 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 STATE Bay State.

Defn: Massachusetts, which had been called the Colony of Massachusetts Bay; — a nickname.

BAY TREE Bay" tree`.

Defn: A species of laurel. (Laurus nobilis).

BAY WINDOW Bay" win"dow. (Arch.)

Defn: A window forming a bay or recess in a room, and projecting outward from the wall, either in a rectangular, polygonal, or semicircular form; — often corruptly called a bow window.

BAY YARN Bay" yarn`.

Defn: Woolen yarn. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.

BAZAAR; BAZAR Ba*zaar" Ba*zar", n. Etym: [Per. bazar 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.

BDELLIUM Bdel"lium, n. Etym: [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.

Note: Indian bdellium or false myrrh is an exudation from Balsamodendron Roxb. Other kinds are known as African, Sicilian, etc.

BDELLOIDEA Bdel*loi"de*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. leech + -oid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The order of Annulata which includes the leeches. See Hirudinea.

BDELLOMETER Bdel*lom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. leech + -meter.] (Med.)

Defn: A cupping glass to which are attached a scarificator and an exhausting syringe. Dunglison.

BDELLOMORPHA Bdel`lo*mor"pha,n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. leech + form.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An order of Nemertina, including the large leechlike worms (Malacobdella) often parasitic in clams.

BE Be, v. i. [imp. Was; p. p. Been; p. pr. & vb. n. Being.] Etym: [OE. been, beon, AS. beón to be, beóm I am; akin to OHG. bim, pim, G. bin, I am, Gael. & Ir. bu was, W. bod to be, Lith. bu-ti, O. Slav. by-ti, to be, L. fu-i I have been, fu-turus about to be, fo-re 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 "to be", which, with its conjugational forms, is often called the substantive verb. Future, Physic.]

1. To exist actually, or in the world of fact; to have ex 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, — 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, — 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.

Note: 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, "Ye have come too late — but ye are come. " "The 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 to-morrow.

Note: Have or had been, followed by to, implies movement. "I have been to Paris." Sydney Smith. "Have you been to Franchard " R. L. Stevenson.

Note: Been, or ben, was anciently the plural of the indicative present. "Ye ben light of the world." Wyclif, Matt. v. 14. Afterwards be was used, as in our Bible: "They that be with us are more than they that be with them." 2 Kings vi. 16. Ben was also the old infinitive: "To ben of such power." R. of Gloucester. Be is used as a form of the present subjunctive: "But if it be a question of words and names." Acts 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. — If so be, in case. — To be from, to have come from; as, from what place are you I am from Chicago. — To let be, to omit, or leave untouched; to let alone. "Let be, therefore, my vengeance to dissuade." Spenser.

Syn. — To be, Exist. The verb to be, except in a few rare case, like that of Shakespeare's "To 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 "there exists [is] no reason for laying new taxes." We may, indeed, say, "a friendship has long existed between them," instead of saying, "there 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.

BE Be*. Etym: [AS. be, and in accented form bi, akin to OS. be and bi, OHG. bi, pi, and pi, MHG. be and bi, G. be and bei, Goth. bi, and perh. Gr. about (cf. AS. beseón to look about). By, Amb-.]

Defn: 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).

Note: 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, 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 Beach, n.; pl. Beaches (. Etym: [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 (Zoöl.), the common name of many species of amphipod Crustacea, of the family Orchestidæ, living on the sea beaches, and leaping like fleas. — 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. — Beach wagon, a light open wagon with two or more seats. — Raised beach, an accumulation of water-worn 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 Beach, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beached (p. pr. & vb. n. Beaching.]

Defn: To run or drive (as a vessel or a boat) upon a beach; to strand; as, to beach a ship.

BEACH COMBER Beach" comb`er.

Defn: A long, curling wave rolling in from the ocean. See Comber. [Amer.]

BEACHED 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.

BEACHY Beach"y, a.

Defn: Having a beach or beaches; formed by a beach or beaches; shingly. The beachy girdle of the ocean. Shak.

BEACON Bea"con, n. Etym: [OE. bekene, AS. beácen, b; akin to OS. b, 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.

BEACON 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.

BEACONAGE Bea"con*age, n.

Defn: Money paid for the maintenance of a beacon; also, beacons, collectively.

BEACONLESS Bea"con*less, a.

Defn: Having no beacon.

BEAD Bead, n. Etym: [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. "Cold 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. — 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.] — Bead tool, a cutting tool, having an edge curved so as to make beads or beading. — 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 Bead, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Beading.]

Defn: To ornament with beads or beading.

BEAD Bead, v. i.

Defn: To form beadlike bubbles.

BEADHOUSE; BEDEHOUSE Bead"house`, Bede"house`, n. Etym: [OE. bede prayer + E. house. See Bead, n.]

Defn: An almshouse for poor people who pray daily for their benefactors.

BEADING Bead"ing, n.

1. (Arch.)

Defn: Molding in imitation of beads.

2. The beads or bead-forming quality of certain liquors; as, the beading of a brand of whisky.

BEADLE Bea"dle, n. Etym: [OE. bedel, bidel, budel, OF. bedel, F. bedeau, fr. OHG. butil, putil, G. büttel, 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; — called also an apparitor or summoner.

2. An officer in a university, who precedes public processions of officers and students. [Eng.]

Note: 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.

BEADLERY Bea"dle*ry, n.

Defn: Office or jurisdiction of a beadle.

BEADLESHIP Bea"dle*ship, n.

Defn: The state of being, or the personality of, a beadle. A. Wood.

BEAD PROOF 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.

BEADROLL Bead"roll`, n. (R. C. Ch.)

Defn: 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.

BEADSMAN; BEDESMAN Beads"man, Bedes"man, n.; pl. -men (.

Defn: 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.

BEADSNAKE Bead"snake`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small poisonous snake of North America (Elaps fulvius), banded with yellow, red, and black.

BEADSWOMAN; BEDESWOMAN Beads"wom`an, Bedes"wom`an, n.; pl. -women (.

Defn: Fem. of Beadsman.

BEADWORK Bead"work`, n.

Defn: Ornamental work in beads.

BEADY Bead"y, a.

1. Resembling beads; small, round, and glistening. "Beady eyes." Thackeray.

2. Covered or ornamented with, or as with, beads.

3. Characterized by beads; as, beady liquor.

BEAGLE Bea"gle, n. Etym: [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 Beak, n. Etym: [OE. bek, F. bec, fr. Celtic; cf. Gael. & Ir. bac, bacc, hook, W. bach.]

Defn: 1. (Zoöl.) (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.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: That part of a ship, before the forecastle, which is fastened to the stem, and supported by the main knee.

5. (Arch.)

Defn: 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.)

Defn: Any process somewhat like the beak of a bird, terminating the fruit or other parts of a plant.

7. (Far.)

Defn: A toe clip. See Clip, n. (Far.).

8. A magistrate or policeman. [Slang, Eng.]

BEAKED Beaked, a.

1. Having a beak or a beaklike point; beak-shaped. "Each beaked promontory." Milton.

2. (Biol.)

Defn: Furnished with a process or a mouth like a beak; rostrate. Beaked whale (Zoöl.), a cetacean of the genus Hyperoodon; the bottlehead whale.

BEAKER Beak"er, n. Etym: [OE. biker; akin to Icel. bikarr, Sw. bägare, Dan. baeger, G. becher, It. bicchiere; — 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 open-mouthed, thin glass vessel, having a projecting lip for pouring; — used for holding solutions requiring heat. Knight.

BEAKHEAD Beak"head`, n.

1. (Arch.)

Defn: 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.

BEAKIRON Beak"i*ron, n. Etym: [From Bickern.]

Defn: 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 Beal (, n. Etym: [See Boil a tumor.] (Med.)

Defn: A small inflammatory tumor; a pustule. [Prov. Eng.]

BEAL Beal, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bealed (; p. pr & vb. n. Bealing.]

Defn: To gather matter; to swell and come to a head, as a pimple. [Prov. Eng.]

BE-ALL Be"-all`, n.

Defn: The whole; all that is to be. [Poetic] Shak.

BEAM Beam, n. Etym: [AS. beám beam, post, tree, ray of light; akin to OFries. bam tree, OS. b, D. boom, OHG. boum, poum, G. baum, Icel. ba, 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. 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)

Defn: A heavy iron lever having an oscillating motion on a central axis, one end of which is connected with the piston rod from which it receives motion, and the other with the crank of the wheel shaft; — called also working beam or walking beam.

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; — called also beam feather. Abaft the beam (Naut.), in an arc 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. — Beam center (Mach.), the fulcrum or pin on which the working beam of an engine vibrates. — Beam compass, an instrument consisting of a rod or beam, having sliding sockets that carry steel or pencil points; — used for drawing or describing large circles. — 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. — Before the beam (Naut.), in an arc of the horizon included between a line that crosses the ship at right angles and that point of the compass toward which the ship steers. — On the beam , in a line with the beams, or at right angled with the keel. — On the weather beam, on the side of a ship which faces the wind. — To be on her beam ends, to incline, as a vessel, so much on one side that her beams approach a vertical position.

BEAM Beam, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beamed (p. pr. & vb. n. Beaming.]

Defn: To send forth; to emit; — followed ordinarily by forth; as, to beam forth light.

BEAM Beam, v. i.

Defn: To emit beams of light. He beamed, the daystar of the rising age. Trumbull.

BEAMBIRD Beam"bird`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small European flycatcher (Muscicapa gricola), so called because it often nests on a beam in a building.

BEAMED Beamed, a.

Defn: Furnished with beams, as the head of a stag. Tost his beamed frontlet to the sky. Sir W. Scott.

BEAMFUL Beam"ful, a.

Defn: Beamy; radiant.

BEAMILY Beam"i*ly, adv.

Defn: In a beaming manner.

BEAMINESS Beam"i*ness, n.

Defn: The state of being beamy.

BEAMING Beam"ing, a.

Defn: Emitting beams; radiant.

BEAMINGLY Beam"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a beaming manner; radiantly.

BEAMLESS Beam"less, a.

1. Not having a beam.

2. Not emitting light.

BEAMLET Beam"let, n.

Defn: A small beam of light.

BEAM TREE Beam" tree`. Etym: [AS. beám a tree. See Beam.] (Bot.)

Defn: A tree (Pyrus aria) related to the apple.

BEAMY Beam"y, a.

1. Emitting beams of light; radiant; shining. "Beamy gold." Tickell.

2. Resembling a beam in size and weight; massy. His double-biting ax, and beamy spear. Dryden.

3. Having horns, or antlers. Beamy stags in toils engage. Dryden.

BEAN Bean, n. Etym: [OE. bene, AS.beán; akin to D. boon, G. bohne, OHG. p, Icel. baun, Dan. bönne, Sw. böna, and perh. to Russ. bob, L. faba.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A name given to the seed of certain leguminous herbs, chiefly of the genera Faba, Phaseolus, and Dolichos; also, to the herbs.

Note: The origin and classification of many kinds are still doubtful. Among true beans are: the black-eyed bean and China bean, included in Dolichos Sinensis; black Egyptian bean or hyacinth bean, D. Lablab; the common haricot beans, kidney beans, string beans, and pole beans, all included in Phaseolus vulgaris; the lower bush bean, Ph. vulgaris, variety nanus; Lima bean, Ph. lunatus; Spanish bean and scarlet runner, Ph. maltiflorus; Windsor bean, the common bean of England, Faba vulgaris. As an article of food beans are classed with vegetables.

2. The popular name of other vegetable seeds or fruits, more or less resembling true beans. Bean aphis (Zoöl.), a plant louse (Aphis fabæ) which infests the bean plant. — Bean fly (Zoöl.), a fly found on bean flowers. — Bean goose (Zoöl.), a species of goose (Anser segetum). — Bean weevil (Zoöl.), a small weevil that in the larval state destroys beans. The American species in Bruchus fabæ. — Florida bean (Bot.), the seed of Mucuna urens, a West Indian plant. The seeds are washed up on the Florida shore, and are often polished and made into ornaments. — Ignatius bean, or St. Ignatius's bean (Bot.), a species of Strychnos. — Navy bean, the common dried white bean of commerce; probably so called because an important article of food in the navy. — Pea bean, a very small and highly esteemed variety of the edible white bean; — so called from its size. — Sacred bean. See under Sacred. — Screw bean. See under Screw. — Sea bean. (a) Same as Florida bean. (b) A red bean of unknown species used for ornament. — Tonquin bean, or Tonka bean, the fragrant seed of Dipteryx odorata, a leguminous tree. — Vanilla bean. See under Vanilla.

BEAN CAPER Bean" ca`per. (Bot.)

Defn: A deciduous plant of warm climates, generally with fleshy leaves and flowers of a yellow or whitish yellow color, of the genus Zygophyllum.

BEAN TREFOIL Bean" tre"foil. (Bot.)

Defn: A leguminous shrub of southern Europe, with trifoliate leaves (Anagyris foetida).

BEAR Bear, v. t. [imp. Bore (formerly Bare (); p. p. Born, Borne (p. pr. & vb. n. Bearing.] Etym: [OE. beren, AS. beran, beoran, to bear, carry, produce; akin to D. baren to bring forth, G. gebären, Goth. baíran to bear or carry, Icel. bera, Sw. bära, Dan. bære, OHG. beran, peran, L. ferre to bear, carry, produce, Gr. , OSlav brati to take, carry, OIr. berim I bear, Skr. bh to bear. sq. root92. Cf. Fertile.]

1. To support or sustain; to hold up.

2. To support and remove or carry; to convey. I 'll bear your logs the while. Shak.

3. To conduct; to bring; — said of persons. [Obs.] Bear them to my house. Shak.

4. To possess and use, as power; to exercise. Every man should bear rule in his own house. Esther i. 22.

5. To sustain; to have on (written or inscribed, or as a mark), as, the tablet bears this inscription.

6. To possess or carry, as a mark of authority or distinction; to wear; as, to bear a sword, badge, or name.

7. To possess mentally; to carry or hold in the mind; to entertain; to harbor Dryden. The ancient grudge I bear him. Shak.

8. To endure; to tolerate; to undergo; to suffer. Should such a man, too fond to rule alone, Bear, like the Turk, no brother near the throne. Pope. I cannot bear The murmur of this lake to hear. Shelley. My punishment is greater than I can bear. Gen. iv. 13.

9. To gain or win. [Obs.] Some think to bear it by speaking a great word. Bacon. She was . . . found not guilty, through bearing of friends and bribing of the judge. Latimer.

10. To sustain, or be answerable for, as blame, expense, responsibility, etc. He shall bear their iniquities. Is. liii. 11. Somewhat that will bear your charges. Dryden.

11. To render or give; to bring forward. "Your testimony bear" Dryden.

12. To carry on, or maintain; to have. "The credit of bearing a part in the conversation." Locke.

13. To admit or be capable of; that is, to suffer or sustain without violence, injury, or change. In all criminal cases the most favorable interpretation should be put on words that they can possibly bear. Swift.

14. To manage, wield, or direct. "Thus must thou thy body bear." Shak. Hence: To behave; to conduct. Hath he borne himself penitently in prison Shak.

15. To afford; to be to ; to supply with. bear him company. Pope.

16. To bring forth or produce; to yield; as, to bear apples; to bear children; to bear interest. Here dwelt the man divine whom Samos bore. Dryden.

Note: In the passive form of this verb, the best modern usage restricts the past participle born to the sense of brought forth, while borne is used in the other senses of the word. In the active form, borne alone is used as the past participle. To bear down. (a) To force into a lower place; to carry down; to depress or sink. "His nose, . . . large as were the others, bore them down into insignificance." Marryat. (b) To overthrow or crush by force; as, to bear down an enemy. — To bear a hand. (a) To help; to give assistance. (b) (Naut.) To make haste; to be quick. — To bear in hand, to keep (one) up in expectation, usually by promises never to be realized; to amuse by false pretenses; to delude. [Obs.] "How you were borne in hand, how crossed." Shak. — To bear in mind, to remember. — To bear off. (a) To restrain; to keep from approach. (b) (Naut.) To remove to a distance; to keep clear from rubbing against anything; as, to bear off a blow; to bear off a boat. (c) To gain; to carry off, as a prize. — To bear one hard, to owe one a grudge. [Obs.] "Cæsar doth bear me hard." Shak. — To bear out. (a) To maintain and support to the end; to defend to the last. "Company only can bear a man out in an ill thing." South. (b) To corroborate; to confirm. — To bear up, to support; to keep from falling or sinking. "Religious hope bears up the mind under sufferings." Addison.

Syn. — To uphold; sustain; maintain; support; undergo; suffer; endure; tolerate; carry; convey; transport; waft.

BEAR Bear, v. i.

1. To produce, as fruit; to be fruitful, in opposition to barrenness. This age to blossom, and the next to bear. Dryden.

2. To suffer, as in carrying a burden. But man is born to bear. Pope.

3. To endure with patience; to be patient. I can not, can not bear. Dryden.

4. To press; — with on or upon, or against. These men bear hard on the suspected party. Addison.

5. To take effect; to have influence or force; as, to bring matters to bear.

6. To relate or refer; — with on or upon; as, how does this bear on the question

7. To have a certain meaning, intent, or effect. Her sentence bore that she should stand a certain time upon the platform. Hawthorne.

8. To be situated, as to the point of compass, with respect to something else; as, the land bears N. by E. To bear against, to approach for attack or seizure; as, a lion bears against his prey. [Obs.] — To bear away (Naut.), to change the course of a ship, and make her run before the wind. — To bear back, to retreat. "Bearing back from the blows of their sable antagonist." Sir W. Scott. — To bear down upon (Naut.), to approach from the windward side; as, the fleet bore down upon the enemy. — To bear in with (Naut.), to run or tend toward; as, a ship bears in with the land. — To bear off (Naut.), to steer away, as from land. — To bear up. (a) To be supported; to have fortitude; to be firm; not to sink; as, to bear up under afflictions. (b) (Naut.) To put the helm up (or to windward) and so put the ship before the wind; to bear away. Hamersly. — To bear upon (Mil.), to be pointed or situated so as to affect; to be pointed directly against, or so as to hit (the object); as, to bring or plant guns so as to bear upon a fort or a ship; the artillery bore upon the center. — To bear up to, to tend or move toward; as, to bear up to one another. — To bear with, to endure; to be indulgent to; to forbear to resent, oppose, or punish.

BEAR Bear, n.

Defn: A bier. [Obs.] Spenser.

BEAR Bear, n. Etym: [OE. bere, AS. bera; akin to D. beer, OHG. bero, pero, G. bär, Icel. & Sw. björn, and possibly to L. fera wild beast, Gr. beast, Skr. bhalla bear.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any species of the genus Ursus, and of the closely allied genera. Bears are plantigrade Carnivora, but they live largely on fruit and insects.

Note: The European brown bear (U. arctos), the white polar bear (U. maritimus), the grizzly bear (U. horribilis), the American black bear, and its variety the cinnamon bear (U. Americanus), the Syrian bear (Ursus Syriacus), and the sloth bear, are among the notable species.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An animal which has some resemblance to a bear in form or habits, but no real affinity; as, the woolly bear; ant bear; water bear; sea bear.

3. (Astron.)

Defn: One of two constellations in the northern hemisphere, called respectively the Great Bear and the Lesser Bear, or Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

4. Metaphorically: A brutal, coarse, or morose person.

5. (Stock Exchange)

Defn: A person who sells stocks or securities for future delivery in expectation of a fall in the market.

Note: The bears and bulls of the Stock Exchange, whose interest it is, the one to depress, and the other to raise, stocks, are said to be so called in allusion to the bear's habit of pulling down, and the bull's of tossing up.

6. (Mach.)

Defn: A portable punching machine.

7. (Naut.)

Defn: A block covered with coarse matting; — used to scour the deck. Australian bear. (Zoöl.) See Koala. — Bear baiting, the sport of baiting bears with dogs. — Bear caterpillar (Zoöl.), the hairy larva of a moth, esp. of the genus Euprepia. — Bear garden. (a) A place where bears are kept for diversion or fighting. (b) Any place where riotous conduct is common or permitted. M. Arnold. — Bear leader, one who leads about a performing bear for money; hence, a facetious term for one who takes charge of a young man on his travels.

BEAR Bear, v. t. (Stock Exchange)

Defn: To endeavor to depress the price of, or prices in; as, to bear a railroad stock; to bear the market.

BEAR; BERE Bear, Bere, n. Etym: [AS. bere. See Barley.] (Bot.)

Defn: Barley; the six-rowed barley or the four-rowed barley, commonly the former (Hord. vulgare). [Obs. except in North of Eng. and Scot.]

BEARABLE Bear"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being borne or endured; tolerable. — Bear"a*bly, adv.

BEARBERRY Bear"ber*ry, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A trailing plant of the heath family (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), having leaves which are tonic and astringent, and glossy red berries of which bears are said to be fond.

BEARBIND Bear"bind`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis).

BEARD Beard, n. Etym: [OE. berd, AS. beard; akin to Fries. berd, D. baard, G. bart, Lith. barzda, OSlav. brada, Pol. broda, Russ. boroda, L. barba, W. barf. Cf. 1st Barb.]

1. The hair that grows on the chin, lips, and adjacent parts of the human face, chiefly of male adults.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) The long hairs about the face in animals, as in the goat. (b) The cluster of small feathers at the base of the beak in some birds (c) The appendages to the jaw in some Cetacea, and to the mouth or jaws of some fishes. (d) The byssus of certain shellfish, as the muscle. (e) The gills of some bivalves, as the oyster. (f) In insects, the hairs of the labial palpi of moths and butterflies.

3. (Bot.)

Defn: Long or stiff hairs on a plant; the awn; as, the beard of grain.

4. A barb or sharp point of an arrow or other instrument, projecting backward to prevent the head from being easily drawn out.

5. That part of the under side of a horse's lower jaw which is above the chin, and bears the curb of a bridle.

6. (Print.)

Defn: That part of a type which is between the shoulder of the shank and the face.

7. An imposition; a trick. [Obs.] Chaucer. Beard grass (Bot.), a coarse, perennial grass of different species of the genus Andropogon. — To one's beard, to one's face; in open defiance.

BEARD Beard, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bearded; p. pr. & vb. n. Bearding.]

1. To take by the beard; to seize, pluck, or pull the beard of (a man), in anger or contempt.

2. To oppose to the gills; to set at defiance. No admiral, bearded by three corrupt and dissolute minions of the palace, dared to do more than mutter something about a court martial. Macaulay.

3. To deprive of the gills; — used only of oysters and similar shellfish.

BEARDED Beard"ed, a.

Defn: Having a beard. "Bearded fellow." Shak. "Bearded grain." Dryden. Bearded vulture, Bearded eagle. (Zoöl.) See Lammergeir. — Bearded tortoise. (Zoöl.) See Matamata.

BEARDIE Beard"ie, n. Etym: [From Beard, n.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The bearded loach (Nemachilus barbatus) of Europe. [Scot.]

BEARDLESS Beard"less, a.

1. Without a beard. Hence: Not having arrived at puberty or manhood; youthful.

2. Destitute of an awn; as, beardless wheat.

BEARDLESSNESS Beard"less*ness, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being destitute of beard.

BEARER Bear"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, bears, sustains, or carries. "Bearers of burdens." 2 Chron. ii. 18. "The bearer of unhappy news." Dryden.

2. Specifically: One who assists in carrying a body to the grave; a pallbearer. Milton.

3. A palanquin carrier; also, a house servant. [India]

4. A tree or plant yielding fruit; as, a good bearer.

5. (Com.)

Defn: One who holds a check, note, draft, or other order for the payment of money; as, pay to bearer.

6. (Print.)

Defn: A strip of reglet or other furniture to bear off the impression from a blank page; also, a type or type-high piece of metal interspersed in blank parts to support the plate when it is shaved.

BEARHERD Bear"herd`, n.

Defn: A man who tends a bear.

BEARHOUND Bear"hound`, n.

Defn: A hound for baiting or hunting bears. Car

BEARING Bear"ing, n.

1. The manner in which one bears or conducts one's self; mien; behavior; carriage. I know him by his bearing. Shak.

2. Patient endurance; suffering without complaint.

3. The situation of one object, with respect to another, such situation being supposed to have a connection with the object, or influence upon it, or to be influenced by it; hence, relation; connection. But of this frame, the bearings and the ties, The strong connections, nice dependencies. Pope.

4. Purport; meaning; intended significance; aspect.

5. The act, power, or time of producing or giving birth; as, a tree in full bearing; a tree past bearing. [His mother] in travail of his bearing. R. of Gloucester.

6. (Arch.) (a) That part of any member of a building which rests upon its supports; as, a lintel or beam may have four inches of bearing upon the wall. (b) The portion of a support on which anything rests. (c) Improperly, the unsupported span; as, the beam has twenty feet of bearing between its supports.

7. (Mach.) (a) The part of an axle or shaft in contact with its support, collar, or boxing; the journal. (b) The part of the support on which a journal rests and rotates.

8. (Her.)

Defn: Any single emblem or charge in an escutcheon or coat of arms — commonly in the pl. A carriage covered with armorial bearings. Thackeray.

9. (Naut.) (a) The situation of a distant object, with regard to a ship's position, as on the bow, on the lee quarter, etc.; the direction or point of the compass in which an object is seen; as, the bearing of the cape was W. N. W. (b) pl.

Defn: The widest part of a vessel below the plank-sheer. (c) pl.

Defn: The line of flotation of a vessel when properly trimmed with cargo or ballast. Ball bearings. See under Ball. — To bring one to his bearings, to bring one to his senses. — To lose one's bearings, to become bewildered. — To take bearings, to ascertain by the compass the position of an object; to ascertain the relation of one object or place to another; to ascertain one's position by reference to landmarks or to the compass; hence (Fig.), to ascertain the condition of things when one is in trouble or perplexity.

Syn. — Deportment; gesture; mien; behavior; manner; carriage; demeanor; port; conduct; direction; relation; tendency; influence.

BEARING CLOTH Bear"ing cloth`.

Defn: A cloth with which a child is covered when carried to be baptized. Shak.

BEARING REIN Bear"ing rein`.

Defn: A short rein looped over the check hook or the hames to keep the horse's head up; — called in the United States a checkrein.

BEARING RING Bear"ing ring`.

Defn: In a balloon, the braced wooden ring attached to the suspension ropes at the bottom, functionally analogous to the keel of a ship.

BEARISH Bear"ish, a.

Defn: Partaking of the qualities of a bear; resembling a bear in temper or manners. Harris.

BEARISHNESS Bear"ish*ness, n.

Defn: Behavior like that of a bear.

BEARN Bearn, n.

Defn: See Bairn. [Obs.]

BEAR'S-BREECH Bear's"-breech`, n. (Bot.) (a) See Acanthus, n., 1. (b) The English cow parsnip (Heracleum sphondylium) Dr. Prior.

BEAR'S-EAR Bear's-ear`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A kind of primrose (Primula auricula), so called from the shape of the leaf.

BEAR'S-FOOT Bear's"-foot`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A species of hellebore (Helleborus foetidus), with digitate leaves. It has an offensive smell and acrid taste, and is a powerful emetic, cathartic, and anthelmintic.

BEARSKIN Bear"skin`, n.

1. The skin of a bear.

2. A coarse, shaggy, woolen cloth for overcoats.

3. A cap made of bearskin, esp. one worn by soldiers.

BEAR'S-PAW Bear's"-paw`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large bivalve shell of the East Indies (Hippopus maculatus), often used as an ornament.

BEAR STATE Bear State.

Defn: Arkansas; — a nickname, from the many bears once inhabiting its forests.

BEAR-TRAP DAM Bear"-trap` dam. (Engin.)

Defn: A kind of movable dam, in one form consisting of two leaves resting against each other at the top when raised and folding down one over the other when lowered, for deepening shallow parts in a river.

BEARWARD Bear"ward`, n. Etym: [Bear + ward a keeper.]

Defn: A keeper of bears. See Bearherd. [R.] Shak.

BEAST Beast, n. Etym: [OE. best, beste, OF. beste, F. bête, fr. L. bestia.]

1. Any living creature; an animal; — including man, insects, etc. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. Any four-footed animal, that may be used for labor, food, or sport; as, a beast of burden. A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast. Prov. xii. 10.

3. As opposed to man: Any irrational animal.

4. Fig.: A coarse, brutal, filthy, or degraded fellow.

5. A game at cards similar to loo. [Obs.] Wright.

6. A penalty at beast, omber, etc. Hence: To be beasted, to be beaten at beast, omber, etc. Beast royal, the lion. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Syn. — Beast, Brute. When we use these words in a figurative sense, as applicable to human beings, we think of beasts as mere animals governed by animal appetite; and of brutes as being destitute of reason or moral feeling, and governed by unrestrained passion. Hence we speak of beastly appetites; beastly indulgences, etc.; and of brutal manners; brutal inhumanity; brutal ferocity. So, also, we say of a drunkard, that he first made himself a beast, and then treated his family like a brute.

BEASTHOOD Beast"hood, n.

Defn: State or nature of a beast.

BEASTINGS Beast"ings, n. pl.

Defn: See Biestings.

BEASTLIHEAD Beast"li*head, n. Etym: [Beastly + -head state.]

Defn: Beastliness. [Obs.] Spenser.

BEASTLIKE Beast"like", a.

Defn: Like a beast.

BEASTLINESS Beast"li*ness, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being beastly.

BEASTLY Beast"ly, a.

1. Pertaining to, or having the form, nature, or habits of, a beast. Beastly divinities and droves of gods. Prior.

2. Characterizing the nature of a beast; contrary to the nature and dignity of man; brutal; filthy. The beastly vice of drinking to excess. Swift.

3. Abominable; as, beastly weather. [Colloq. Eng.]

Syn. — Bestial; brutish; irrational; sensual; degrading.

BEAT Beat, v. t. [imp. Beat; p. p. Beat, Beaten (; p. pr. & vb. n. Beating.] Etym: [OE. beaten, beten, AS. beátan; akin to Icel. bauta, OHG. b. Cf. 1st Butt, Button.]

1. To strike repeatedly; to lay repeated blows upon; as, to beat one's breast; to beat iron so as to shape it; to beat grain, in order to force out the seeds; to beat eggs and sugar; to beat a drum. Thou shalt beat some of it [spices] very small. Ex. xxx. 36. They did beat the gold into thin plates. Ex. xxxix. 3.

2. To punish by blows; to thrash.

3. To scour or range over in hunting, accompanied with the noise made by striking bushes, etc., for the purpose of rousing game. To beat the woods, and rouse the bounding prey. Prior.

4. To dash against, or strike, as with water or wind. A frozen continent . . . beat with perpetual storms. Milton.

5. To tread, as a path. Pass awful gulfs, and beat my painful way. Blackmore.

6. To overcome in a battle, contest, strife, race, game, etc.; to vanquish or conquer; to surpass. He beat them in a bloody battle. Prescott. For loveliness, it would be hard to beat that. M. Arnold.

7. To cheat; to chouse; to swindle; to defraud; — often with out. [Colloq.]

8. To exercise severely; to perplex; to trouble. Why should any one . . . beat his head about the Latin grammar who does not intend to be a critic Locke.

9. (Mil.)

Defn: To give the signal for, by beat of drum; to sound by beat of drum; as, to beat an alarm, a charge, a parley, a retreat; to beat the general, the reveille, the tattoo. See Alarm, Charge, Parley, etc. To beat down, to haggle with (any one) to secure a lower price; to force down. [Colloq.] — To beat into, to teach or instill, by repetition. — To beat off, to repel or drive back. — To beat out, to extend by hammering. — To beat out of a thing, to cause to relinquish it, or give it up. "Nor can anything beat their posterity out of it to this day." South. — To beat the dust. (Man.) (a) To take in too little ground with the fore legs, as a horse. (b) To perform curvets too precipitately or too low. — To beat the hoof, to walk; to go on foot. — To beat the wing, to flutter; to move with fluttering agitation. — To beat time, to measure or regulate time in music by the motion of the hand or foot. — To beat up, to attack suddenly; to alarm or disturb; as, to beat up an enemy's quarters.

Syn. — To strike; pound; bang; buffet; maul; drub; thump; baste; thwack; thrash; pommel; cudgel; belabor; conquer; defeat; vanquish; overcome.

BEAT Beat, v. i.

1. To strike repeatedly; to inflict repeated blaows; to knock vigorously or loudly. The men of the city . . . beat at the door. Judges. xix. 22.

2. To move with pulsation or throbbing. A thousand hearts beat happily. Byron.

3. To come or act with violence; to dash or fall with force; to strike anything, as, rain, wind, and waves do. Sees rolling tempests vainly beat below. Dryden. They [winds] beat at the crazy casement. Longfellow. The sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wisbed in himself to die. Jonah iv. 8. Public envy seemeth to beat chiefly upon ministers. Bacon.

4. To be in agitation or doubt. [Poetic] To still my beating mind. Shak .

5. (Naut.)

Defn: To make progress against the wind, by sailing in a zigzag line or traverse.

6. To make a sound when struck; as, the drums beat.

7. (Mil.)

Defn: To make a succession of strokes on a drum; as, the drummers beat to call soldiers to their quarters.

8. (Acoustics & Mus.)

Defn: To sound with more or less rapid alternations of greater and less intensity, so as to produce a pulsating effect; — said of instruments, tones, or vibrations, not perfectly in unison. A beating wind (Naut.), a wind which necessitates tacking in order to make progress. — To beat about, to try to find; to search by various means or ways. Addison. — To beat about the bush, to approach a subject circuitously. — To beat up and down (Hunting), to run first one way and then another; — said of a stag. — To beat up for recruits, to go diligently about in order to get helpers or participators in an enterprise.

BEAT Beat, n.

1. A stroke; a blow. He, with a careless beat, Struck out the mute creation at a heat. Dryden.

2. A recurring stroke; a throb; a pulsation; as, a beat of the heart; the beat of the pulse.

3. (Mus.) (a) The rise or fall of the hand or foot, marking the divisions of time; a division of the measure so marked. In the rhythm of music the beat is the unit. (b) A transient grace note, struck immediately before the one it is intended to ornament.

4. (Acoustics & Mus.)

Defn: A sudden swelling or reënforcement of a sound, recurring at regular intervals, and produced by the interference of sound waves of slightly different periods of vibrations; applied also, by analogy, to other kinds of wave motions; the pulsation or throbbing produced by the vibrating together of two tones not quite in unison. See Beat, v. i., 8.

5. A round or course which is frequently gone over; as, a watchman's beat.

6. A place of habitual or frequent resort.

7. A cheat or swindler of the lowest grade; — often emphasized by dead; as, a dead beat. [Low] Beat of drum (Mil.), a succession of strokes varied, in different ways, for particular purposes, as to regulate a march, to call soldiers to their arms or quarters, to direct an attack, or retreat, etc. — Beat of a watch, or clock, the stroke or sound made by the action of the escapement. A clock is in beat or out of beat, according as the strokes is at equal or unequal intervals.

BEAT Beat, a.

Defn: Weary; tired; fatigued; exhausted. [Colloq.] Quite beat, and very much vexed and disappointed. Dickens.

BEATEN Beat"en, a.

1. Made smooth by beating or treading; worn by use. "A broad and beaten way." Milton. "Beaten gold." Shak.

2. Vanquished; conquered; baffled.

3. Exhausted; tired out.

4. Become common or trite; as, a beaten phrase. [Obs.]

5. Tried; practiced. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

BEATER Beat"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, beats.

2. A person who beats up game for the hunters. Black.

BEATH Beath, v. t. Etym: [AS. be to foment.]

Defn: To bathe; also, to dry or heat, as unseasoned wood. [Obs.] Spenser.

BEATIFIC; BEATIFICAL Be`a*tif"ic, Be`a*tif"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. béatifique, L. beatificus. See Beatify.]

Defn: Having the power to impart or complete blissful enjoyment; blissful. "The beatific vision." South. — Be`a*tif"ic*al*ly, adv.

BEATIFICATE Be`a*tif"i*cate, v. t.

Defn: To beatify. [Obs.] Fuller.

BEATIFICATION Be*at`i*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. béatification.]

Defn: The act of beatifying, or the state of being beatified; esp., in the R. C. Church, the act or process of ascertaining and declaring that a deceased person is one of "the blessed," or has attained the second degree of sanctity, — usually a stage in the process of canonization. "The beatification of his spirit." Jer. Taylor.

BEATIFY Be*at"i*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beatified (p. pr. & vb. n. Beatifying.] Etym: [L. beatificare; beatus happy (fr. beare to bless, akin to bonus good) + facere to make: cf. F. béatifier. See Bounty.]

1. To pronounce or regard as happy, or supremely blessed, or as conferring happiness. The common conceits and phrases that beatify wealth. Barrow.

2. To make happy; to bless with the completion of celestial enjoyment. "Beatified spirits." Dryden.

3. (R. C. Ch.)

Defn: To ascertain and declare, by a public process and decree, that a deceased person is one of "the blessed" and is to be reverenced as such, though not canonized.

BEATING Beat"ing, n.

1. The act of striking or giving blows; punishment or chastisement by blows.

2. Pulsation; throbbing; as, the beating of the heart.

3. (Acoustics & Mus.)

Defn: Pulsative sounds. See Beat, n.

4. (Naut.)

Defn: The process of sailing against the wind by tacks in zigzag direction.

BEATITUDE Be*at"i*tude, n. Etym: [L. beatitudo: cf. F. béatitude. See Beatify.]

1. Felicity of the highest kind; consummate bliss.

2. Any one of the nine declarations (called the Beatitudes), made in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. v. 3-12), with regard to the blessedness of those who are distinguished by certain specified virtues.

3. (R. C. Ch.)

Defn: Beatification. Milman.

Syn. — Blessedness; felicity; happiness.

BEAU Beau, n.; pl. F. Beaux (E. pron. b), E. Beaus. Etym: [F., a fop, fr. beau fine, beautiful, fr. L. bellus pretty, fine, for bonulus, dim. of bonus good. See Bounty, and cf. Belle, Beauty.]

1. A man who takes great care to dress in the latest fashion; a dandy.

2. A man who escorts, or pays attentions to, a lady; an escort; a lover.

BEAUCATCHER Beau"catch`er, n.

Defn: A small flat curl worn on the temple by women. [Humorous]

BEAUFET Beau"fet, n. Etym: [See Buffet.]

Defn: A niche, cupboard, or sideboard for plate, china, glass, etc.; a buffet. A beaufet . . . filled with gold and silver vessels. Prescott.

BEAUFIN Beau"fin, n.

Defn: See Biffin. Wright.

BEAUFORT'S SCALE Beau"fort's scale`. (Meteor.)

Defn: A scale of wind force devised by Sir F. Beaufort, R. N., in 1805, in which the force is indicated by numbers from 0 to 12.

The full scale is as follows: — 0, calm; 1, light air; 2, light breeze; 3, gentle breeze; 4, moderate breeze; 5, fresh breeze; 6, strong breeze; 7, moderate gale; 8, fresh gale; 9, strong gale; 10, whole gale; 11, storm; 12, hurricane.

BEAU IDEAL Beau" i*de"al. Etym: [F. beau beautiful + idéal ideal.]

Defn: A conception or image of consummate beauty, moral or physical, formed in the mind, free from all the deformities, defects, and blemishes seen in actual existence; an ideal or faultless standard or model.

BEAUISH Beau"ish, n.

Defn: Like a beau; characteristic of a beau; foppish; fine. "A beauish young spark." Byrom.

BEAU MONDE Beau` monde". Etym: [F. beau fine + monde world.]

Defn: The fashionable world; people of fashion and gayety. Prior.

BEAUMONTAGUE Beau`mon"ta*gue, n.

Defn: A cement used in making joints, filling cracks, etc. For iron, the principal constituents are iron borings and sal ammoniac; for wood, white lead or litharge, whiting, and linseed oil.

BEAUPERE Beau"pere`, n. Etym: [F. beau pére; beau fair + pére father.]

1. A father. [Obs.] Wyclif.

2. A companion. [Obs.] Spenser.

BEAUSEANT Beau`se`ant", n. Etym: [F. beaucéant.]

Defn: The black and white standard of the Knights Templars.

BEAUSHIP Beau"ship, n.

Defn: The state of being a beau; the personality of a beau. [Jocular] Dryden.

BEAUTEOUS Beau"te*ous, a.

Defn: Full of beauty; beautiful; very handsome. [Mostly poetic] — Beau"te*ous*ly, adv. —

Defn: Beau"te*ous*ness, n.

BEAUTIED Beau"tied, p. a.

Defn: Beautiful; embellished. [Poetic] Shak.

BEAUTIFIER Beau"ti*fi`er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, beautifies or makes beautiful.

BEAUTIFUL Beau"ti*ful, a.

Defn: Having the qualities which constitute beauty; pleasing to the sight or the mind. A circle is more beautiful than a square; a square is more beautiful than a parallelogram. Lord Kames.

Syn. — Handsome; elegant; lovely; fair; charming; graceful; pretty; delightful. See Fine. — Beau"ti*ful*ly, adv. — Beau"ti*ful*ness, n.

BEAUTIFY Beau"ti*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beautified (p. pr. & vb. n. Beautifying.] Etym: [Beauty + -fy.]

Defn: To make or render beautiful; to add beauty to; to adorn; to deck; to grace; to embellish. The arts that beautify and polish life. Burke.

Syn. — To adorn; grace; ornament; deck; decorate.

BEAUTIFY Beau"ti*fy, v. i.

Defn: To become beautiful; to advance in beauty. Addison.

BEAUTILESS Beau"ti*less, a.

Defn: Destitute of beauty. Hammond.

BEAUTY Beau"ty, n.; pl. Beauties. Etym: [OE. beaute, beute, OF. beauté, biauté, Pr. beltat, F. beauté, fr. an assumed LL. bellitas, from L. bellus pretty. See Beau.]

1. An assemblage or graces or properties pleasing to the eye, the ear, the intellect, the æsthetic faculty, or the moral sense. Beauty consists of a certain composition of color and figure, causing delight in the beholder. Locke. The production of beauty by a multiplicity of symmetrical parts uniting in a consistent whole. Wordsworth. The old definition of beauty, in the Roman school, was, "multitude in unity;" and there is no doubt that such is the principle of beauty. Coleridge.

2. A particular grace, feature, ornament, or excellence; anything beautiful; as, the beauties of nature.

3. A beautiful person, esp. a beautiful woman. All the admired beauties of Verona. Shak.

4. Prevailing style or taste; rage; fashion. [Obs.] She stained her hair yellow, which was then the beauty. Jer. Taylor. Beauty spot, a patch or spot placed on the face with intent to heighten beauty by contrast.

BEAUX Beaux, n.,

Defn: pl. of Beau.

BEAUXITE Beaux"ite, n. (Min.)

Defn: See Bauxite.

BEAVER Bea"ver, n. Etym: [OE. bever, AS. beofer, befer; akin to D. bever, OHG. bibar, G. biber, Sw. bäfver, Dan. bæver, Lith. bebru, Russ. bobr', Gael. beabhar, Corn. befer, L. fiber, and Skr. babhrus large ichneumon; also as an adj., brown, the animal being probably named from its color. Brown.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An amphibious rodent, of the genus Castor.

Note: It has palmated hind feet, and a broad, flat tail. It is remarkable for its ingenuity in constructing its valued for its fur, and for the material called castor, obtained from two small bags in the groin of the animal. The European species is Castor fiber, and the American is generally considered a variety of this, although sometimes called Castor Canadensis.

2. The fur of the beaver.

3. A hat, formerly made of the fur of the beaver, but now usually of silk. A brown beaver slouched over his eyes. Prescott.

4. Beaver cloth, a heavy felted woolen cloth, used chiefly for making overcoats. Beaver rat (Zoöl.), an aquatic ratlike quadruped of Tasmania (Hydromys chrysogaster). — Beaver skin, the furry skin of the beaver. — Bank beaver. See under 1st Bank.

BEAVER Bea"ver, n. Etym: [OE. baviere, bauier, beavoir, bever; fr. F. bavière, fr. bave slaver, drivel, foam, OF., prattle, drivel, perh. orig. an imitative word. Bavière, according to Cotgrave, is the bib put before a (slavering) child.]

Defn: That piece of armor which protected the lower part of the face, whether forming a part of the helmet or fixed to the breastplate. It was so constructed (with joints or otherwise) that the wearer could raise or lower it to eat and drink.

BEAVERED Bea"vered, a.

Defn: Covered with, or wearing, a beaver or hat. "His beavered brow." Pope.

BEAVER STATE Bea"ver State.

Defn: Oregon; — a nickname.

BEAVERTEEN Bea"ver*teen, n.

Defn: A kind of fustian made of coarse twilled cotton, shorn after dyeing. Simmonds.

BEBEERINE; BEBIRINE Be*bee"rine, or Be*bi"rine, n. (Chem.)

Defn: An alkaloid got from the bark of the bebeeru, or green heart of Guiana (Nectandra Rodioei). It is a tonic, antiperiodic, and febrifuge, and is used in medicine as a substitute for quinine. [Written also bibirine.]

BEBEERU Be*bee"ru, n. [Written also bibiru.] [Native name.] (Bot.)

Defn: A tropical South American tree (Nectandra Rodioi), the bark of which yields the alkaloid bebeerine, and the wood of which is known as green heart.

BEBLEED Be*bleed", v. t.

Defn: To make bloody; to stain with blood. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BEBLOOD; BEBLOODY Be*blood", Be*blood"y, v. t.

Defn: To make bloody; to stain with blood. [Obs.] Sheldon.

BEBLOT Be*blot", v. t.

Defn: To blot; to stain. Chaucer.

BEBLUBBER Be*blub"ber, v. t.

Defn: To make swollen and disfigured or sullied by weeping; as, her eyes or cheeks were beblubbered.

BEBUNG Be"bung, n. [G., lit., a trembling.] (Music)

Defn: A tremolo effect, such as that produced on the piano by vibratory repetition of a note with sustained use of the pedal.

BECALM Be*calm", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Becalmed (p. pr. & vb. n. Becalming.]

1. To render calm or quiet; to calm; to still; to appease. Soft whispering airs . . . becalm the mind. Philips.

2. To keep from motion, or stop the progress of, by the stilling of the wind; as, the fleet was becalmed.

BECAME Be*came", imp.

Defn: of Become.

BECARD Bec"ard, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A South American bird of the flycatcher family. (Tityra inquisetor).

BECAUSE Be*cause", conj. Etym: [OE. bycause; by + cause.]

1. By or for the cause that; on this account that; for the reason that. Milton.

2. In order that; that. [Obs.] And the multitude rebuked them because they should hold their peace. Matt. xx. 31. Because of, by reason of, on account of. [Prep. phrase.] Because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Eph. v. 6.

Syn, — Because, For, Since, As, Inasmuch As. These particles are used, in certain connections, to assign the reason of a thing, or that "on account of" which it is or takes place. Because (by cause) is the strongest and most emphatic; as, I hid myself because I was afraid. For is not quite so strong; as, in Shakespeare, "I hate him, for he is a Christian." Since is less formal and more incidental than because; as, I will do it since you request me. It more commonly begins a sentence; as, Since your decision is made, I will say no more. As is still more incidental than since, and points to some existing fact by way of assigning a reason. Thus we say, as I knew him to be out of town, I did not call. Inasmuch as seems to carry with it a kind of qualification which does not belong to the rest. Thus, if we say, I am ready to accept your proposal, inasmuch as I believe it is the best you can offer, we mean, it is only with this understanding that we can accept it.

BECCABUNGA Bec`ca*bun"ga, n. Etym: [NL. (cf. It. beccabunga, G. bachbunge), fr. G. bach brook + bunge, OHG. bungo, bulb. See Beck a brook.]

Defn: See Brooklime.

BECCAFICO Bec`ca*fi"co, n.; pl. Beccaficos (. Etym: [It., fr. beccare to peck + fico fig.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small bird. (Silvia hortensis), which is highly prized by the Italians for the delicacy of its flesh in the autumn, when it has fed on figs, grapes, etc.

BECCHI'S TEST Bec"chi's test. [After E. Becchi, Italian chemist.] (Chem.)

Defn: A qualitative test for cottonseed oil, based on the fact this oil imparts a maroon color to an alcoholic solution of silver nitrate.

BECHAMEL Bech"a*mel, n. Etym: [F. béchamel, named from its inventor, Louis de Béchamel.] (Cookery)

Defn: A rich, white sauce, prepared with butter and cream.

BECHANCE Be*chance", adv. Etym: [Pref. be- for by + chance.]

Defn: By chance; by accident. [Obs.] Grafton.

BECHANCE Be*chance", v. t. & i.

Defn: To befall; to chance; to happen to. God knows what hath bechanced them. Shak.

BECHARM Be*charm", v. t.

Defn: To charm; to captivate.

BECHE DE MER Bêche` de mer". Etym: [F., lit., a sea spade.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The trepang.

BECHIC Be"chic, a. Etym: [L. bechicus, adj., for a cough, Gr. , fr. cough: cf. F. béchique.] (Med.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or relieving, a cough. Thomas. — n.

Defn: A medicine for relieving coughs. Quincy.

BECHUANAS Bech`u*a"nas, n. pl.

Defn: A division of the Bantus, dwelling between the Orange and Zambezi rivers, supposed to be the most ancient Bantu population of South Africa. They are divided into totemic clans; they are intelligent and progressive.

BECK Beck, n.

Defn: See Beak. [Obs.] Spenser.

BECK Beck, n. Etym: [OE. bek, AS. becc; akin to Icel. bekkr brook, OHG. pah, G. bach.]

Defn: A small brook. The brooks, the becks, the rills. Drayton.

BECK Beck, n.

Defn: A vat. See Back.

BECK Beck, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Becked (; p. pr. & vb. n. Becking.] Etym: [Contr. of beckon.]

Defn: To nod, or make a sign with the head or hand. [Archaic] Drayton.

BECK Beck, v. t.

Defn: To notify or call by a nod, or a motion of the head or hand; to intimate a command to. [Archaic] When gold and silver becks me to come on. Shak.

BECK Beck, n.

Defn: A significant nod, or motion of the head or hand, esp. as a call or command. They have troops of soldiers at their beck. Shak.

BECKER Beck"er, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A European fish (Pagellus centrodontus); the sea bream or braise.

BECKET Beck"et, n. Etym: [Cf. D. bek beak, and E. beak.]

1. (Naut.)

Defn: A small grommet, or a ring or loop of rope

2. A spade for digging turf. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.

BECKON Beck"on, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beckoned (p. pr. & vb. n. Beckoning.]

Defn: To make a significant sign to; hence, to summon, as by a motion of the hand. His distant friends, he beckons near. Dryden. It beckons you to go away with it. Shak.

BECKON Beck"on, n.

Defn: A sign made without words; a beck. "At the first beckon." Bolingbroke.

BECK'S SCALE Beck's scale.

Defn: A hydrometer scale on which the zero point corresponds to sp. gr. 1.00, and the 30º-point to sp. gr. 0.85. From these points the scale is extended both ways, all the degrees being of equal length.

BECLAP Be*clap, v. t. Etym: [OE. biclappen.]

Defn: To catch; to grasp; to insnare. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BECLIP Be*clip", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beclipped ( Etym: [AS. beclyppan; pref. be + clyppan to embrace.]

Defn: To embrace; to surround. [Obs.] Wyclif.

BECLOUD Be*cloud", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beclouded; p. pr. & vb. n. Beclouding.]

Defn: To cause obscurity or dimness to; to dim; to cloud. If thou becloud the sunshine of thine eye. Quarles.

BECOME Be*come", v. i. [imp. Became; p. p. Become; p. pr. & vb. n. Becoming.] Etym: [OE. bicumen, becumen, AS. becuman to come to, to happen; akin to D. bekomen, OHG.a piquëman, Goth. biquiman to come upon, G. bekommen to get, suit. See Be-, and Come.]

1. To pass from one state to another; to enter into some state or condition, by a change from another state, or by assuming or receiving new properties or qualities, additional matter, or a new character. The Lord God . . . breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Gen. ii. 7. That error now which is become my crime. Milton.

2. To come; to get. [Obs.] But, madam, where is Warwick then become! Shak. To become of, to be the present state or place of; to be the fate of; to be the end of; to be the final or subsequent condition of. What is then become of so huge a multitude Sir W. Raleigh.

BECOME Be*come", v. t.

Defn: To suit or be suitable to; to be congruous with; to befit; to accord with, in character or circumstances; to be worthy of, or proper for; to cause to appear well; — said of persons and things. It becomes me so to speak of so excellent a poet. Dryden. I have known persons so anxious to have their dress become them, as to convert it, at length, into their proper self, and thus actually to become the dress. Coleridge.

BECOMED Be*com"ed, a.

Defn: Proper; decorous. [Obs.] And gave him what becomed love I might. Shak.

BECOMING Be*com"ing, a.

Defn: Appropriate or fit; congruous; suitable; graceful; befitting. A low and becoming tone. Thackeray.

Note: Formerly sometimes followed by of. Such discourses as are becoming of them. Dryden.

Syn. — Seemly; comely; decorous; decent; proper.

BECOMING Be*com"ing, n.

Defn: That which is becoming or appropriate. [Obs.]

BECOMINGLY Be*com"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a becoming manner.

BECOMINGNESS Be*com"ing*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being becoming, appropriate, or fit; congruity; fitness. The becomingness of human nature. Grew.

BECQUEREL RAYS Becque`rel" rays". (Physics)

Defn: Radiations first observed by the French physicist Henri Becquerel, in working with uranium and its compounds. They consist of a mixture of alpha, beta, and gamma rays.

BECRIPPLE Be*crip"ple, v. t.

Defn: To make a cripple of; to cripple; to lame. [R.] Dr. H. More.

BECUIBA; BECUIBA NUT Be*cui"ba, n., Be*cui"ba nut`. [Native name.] (Bot.)

Defn: The nut of the Brazilian tree Myristica Bicuhyba, which yields a medicinal balsam used for rheumatism.

BECUNA Be*cu"na, n. Etym: [Sp.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A fish of the Mediterranean (Sphyræna spet). See Barracuda.

BECURL Be*curl", v. t.

Defn: To curl; to adorn with curls.

BED Bed, n. Etym: [AS. bed, bedd; akin to OS. bed, D. bed, bedde, Icel. be, Dan. bed, Sw. bädd, Goth. badi, OHG. betti, G. bett, bette, bed, beet a plat of ground; all of uncertain origin.]

1. An article of furniture to sleep or take rest in or on; a couch. Specifically: A sack or mattress, filled with some soft material, in distinction from the bedstead on which it is placed (as, a feather bed), or this with the bedclothes added. In a general sense, any thing or place used for sleeping or reclining on or in, as a quantity of hay, straw, leaves, or twigs. And made for him [a horse] a leafy bed. Byron. I wash, wring, brew, bake, . . . make the beds. Shak. In bed he slept not for my urging it. Shak.

2. (Used as the symbol of matrimony) Marriage. George, the eldest son of his second bed. Clarendon.

3. A plat or level piece of ground in a garden, usually a little raised above the adjoining ground. "Beds of hyacinth and roses." Milton.

4. A mass or heap of anything arranged like a bed; as, a bed of ashes or coals.

5. The bottom of a watercourse, or of any body of water; as, the bed of a river. So sinks the daystar in the ocean bed. Milton.

6. (Geol.)

Defn: A layer or seam, or a horizontal stratum between layers; as, a bed of coal, iron, etc.

7. (Gun.)

Defn: See Gun carriage, and Mortar bed.

8. (Masonry) (a) The horizontal surface of a building stone; as, the upper and lower beds. (b) A course of stone or brick in a wall. (c) The place or material in which a block or brick is laid. (d) The lower surface of a brick, slate, or tile. Knight.

9. (Mech.)

Defn: The foundation or the more solid and fixed part or framing of a machine; or a part on which something is laid or supported; as, the bed of an engine.

10. The superficial earthwork, or ballast, of a railroad.

11. (Printing)

Defn: The flat part of the press, on which the form is laid.

Note: Bed is much used adjectively or in combination; as, bed key or bedkey; bed wrench or bedwrench; bedchamber; bedmaker, etc. Bed of justice (French Hist.), the throne (F. lit bed) occupied by the king when sitting in one of his parliaments (judicial courts); hence, a session of a refractory parliament, at which the king was present for the purpose of causing his decrees to be registered. — To be brought to bed, to be delivered of a child; — often followed by of; as, to be brought to bed of a son. — To make a bed, to prepare a bed; to arrange or put in order a bed and its bedding. — From bed and board (Law), a phrase applied to a separation by partial divorce of man and wife, without dissolving the bonds of matrimony. If such a divorce (now commonly called a judicial separation) be granted at the instance of the wife, she may have alimony.

BED Bed, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedded; p. pr. & vb. n. Bedding.]

1. To place in a bed. [Obs.] Bacon.

2. To make partaker of one's bed; to cohabit with. I'll to the Tuscan wars, and never bed her. Shak.

3. To furnish with a bed or bedding.

4. To plant or arrange in beds; to set, or cover, as in a bed of soft earth; as, to bed the roots of a plant in mold.

5. To lay or put in any hollow place, or place of rest and security, surrounded or inclosed; to embed; to furnish with or place upon a bed or foundation; as, to bed a stone; it was bedded on a rock. Among all chains or clusters of mountains where large bodies of still water are bedded. Wordsworth.

6. (Masonry)

Defn: To dress or prepare the surface of stone) so as to serve as a bed.

7. To lay flat; to lay in order; to place in a horizontal or recumbent position. "Bedded hair." Shak.

BED Bed, v. i.

Defn: To go to bed; to cohabit. If he be married, and bed with his wife. Wiseman.

BEDABBLE Be*dab*ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedabbled (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bedabbling (.]

Defn: To dabble; to sprinkle or wet. Shak.

BEDAFF Be*daff", v. t.

Defn: To make a daff or fool of. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BEDAGAT Bed"a*gat, n.

Defn: The sacred books of the Buddhists in Burmah. Malcom.

BEDAGGLE Be*dag"gle, v. t.

Defn: To daggle.

BEDASH Be*dash", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedashed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedashing.]

Defn: To wet by dashing or throwing water or other liquid upon; to bespatter. "Trees bedashed with rain." Shak.

BEDAUB Be*daub", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedaubed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedaubing.]

Defn: To daub over; to besmear or soil with anything thick and dirty. Bedaub foul designs with a fair varnish. Barrow.

BEDAZZLE Be*daz"zle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedazzled (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedazzling (

Defn: To dazzle or make dim by a strong light. "Bedazzled with the sun." Shak.

BEDBUG Bed"bug`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A wingless, bloodsucking, hemipterous insect (Cimex Lectularius), sometimes infesting houses and especially beds. See Illustration in Appendix.

BEDCHAIR Bed"chair`, n.

Defn: A chair with adjustable back, for the sick, to support them while sitting up in bed.

BEDCHAMBER Bed"cham`ber, n.

Defn: A chamber for a bed; an apartment form sleeping in. Shak. Lords of the bedchamber, eight officers of the royal household, all of noble families, who wait in turn a week each. [Eng.] — Ladies of the bedchamber, eight ladies, all titled, holding a similar official position in the royal household, during the reign of a queen. [Eng.]

BEDCLOTHES Bed"clothes`, n. pl.

Defn: Blankets, sheets, coverlets, etc., for a bed. Shak.

BEDCORD Bed"cord`, n.

Defn: A cord or rope interwoven in a bedstead so as to support the bed.

BEDDED Bed"ded, a.

Defn: Provided with a bed; as, double-bedded room; placed or arranged in a bed or beds.

BEDDING Bed"ding, n. Etym: [AS. bedding, beding. See Bed.]

1. A bed and its furniture; the materials of a bed, whether for man or beast; bedclothes; litter.

2. (Geol.)

Defn: The state or position of beds and layers.

BEDE Bede, v. t. Etym: [See Bid, v. t.]

Defn: To pray; also, to offer; to proffer. [Obs.] R. of Gloucester. Chaucer.

BEDE Bede, n. (Mining)

Defn: A kind of pickax.

BEDECK Be*deck", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedecked (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedecking.]

Defn: To deck, ornament, or adorn; to grace. Bedecked with boughs, flowers, and garlands. Pennant.

BEDEGUAR; BEDEGAR Bed"e*guar, Bed"e*gar, n. Etym: [F., fr. Per. bad-award, or bad- awardag, prop., a kind of white thorn or thistle.]

Defn: A gall produced on rosebushes, esp. on the sweetbrier or eglantine, by a puncture from the ovipositor of a gallfly (Rhodites rosæ). It was once supposed to have medicinal properties.

BEDEHOUSE Bede"house`

Defn: ,n.Same as Beadhouse.

BEDEL; BEDELL Be"del, Be"dell

Defn: ,n.Same as Beadle.

BEDELRY Be"del*ry, n.

Defn: Beadleship. [Obs.] Blount.

BEDEN Bed"en, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The Abyssinian or Arabian ibex (Capra Nubiana). It is probably the wild goat of the Bible.

BEDESMAN Bedes"man, n.

Defn: Same as Beadsman. [Obs.]

BEDEVIL Be*dev"il, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedevilled (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedeviling or Bedevilling.]

1. To throw into utter disorder and confusion, as if by the agency of evil spirits; to bring under diabolical influence; to torment. Bedeviled and used worse than St. Bartholomew. Sterne.

2. To spoil; to corrupt. Wright.

BEDEVILMENT Be*dev"il*ment, n.

Defn: The state of being bedeviled; bewildering confusion; vexatious trouble. [Colloq.]

BEDEW Be*dew", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedewed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedewing.]

Defn: To moisten with dew, or as with dew. "Falling tears his face bedew." Dryden.

BEDEWER Be*dew"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, bedews.

BEDEWY Be*dew"y, a.

Defn: Moist with dew; dewy. [Obs.] Night with her bedewy wings. A. Brewer.

BEDFELLOW Bed"fel`low, n.

Defn: One who lies with another in the same bed; a person who shares one's couch.

BEDFERE; BEDPHERE Bed"fere` Bed"phere`, n. Etym: [Bed + AS. fera a companion.]

Defn: A bedfellow. [Obs.] Chapman.

BEDGOWN Bed"gown`, n.

Defn: A nightgown.

BEDIGHT Be*dight", v. t. [p. p. Bedight, Bedighted.]

Defn: To bedeck; to array or equip; to adorn. [Archaic] Milton.

BEDIM Be*dim", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedimmed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedimming.]

Defn: To make dim; to obscure or darken. Shak.

BEDIZEN Be*diz"en, v. t.

Defn: To dress or adorn tawdrily or with false taste. Remnants of tapestried hangings, . . . and shreds of pictures with which he had bedizened his tatters. Sir W. Scott.

BEDIZENMENT Be*diz"en*ment, n.

Defn: That which bedizens; the act of dressing, or the state of being dressed, tawdrily.

BEDKEY Bed"key`, n.

Defn: An instrument for tightening the parts of a bedstead.

BEDLAM Bed"lam, n. Etym: [See Bethlehem.]

1. A place appropriated to the confinement and care of the insane; a madhouse. Abp. Tillotson.

2. An insane person; a lunatic; a madman. [Obs.] Let's get the bedlam to lead him. Shak.

3. Any place where uproar and confusion prevail.

BEDLAM Bed"lam, a.

Defn: Belonging to, or fit for, a madhouse. "The bedlam, brainsick duchess." Shak.

BEDLAMITE Bed"lam*ite, n.

Defn: An inhabitant of a madhouse; a madman. "Raving bedlamites." Beattie.

BEDMAKER Bed"mak`er, n.

Defn: One who makes beds.

BED-MOLDING; BED-MOULDING Bed"-mold`ing Bed"-mould`ing, n. (Arch.)

Defn: The molding of a cornice immediately below the corona. Oxf. Gloss.

BEDOTE Be*dote", v. t.

Defn: To cause to dote; to deceive. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BEDOUIN Bed"ou*in, n. Etym: [F. bédouin, OF. béduin, fr. Ar. bedawi rural, living in the desert, fr. badw desert, fr. bada to live in the desert, to lead a nomadic life.]

Defn: One of the nomadic Arabs who live in tents, and are scattered over Arabia, Syria, and northern Africa, esp. in the deserts. — Bed"ou*in*ism (, n.

BEDOUIN Bed"ou*in, a.

Defn: Pertaining to the Bedouins; nomad.

BEDPAN Bed"pan`, n.

1. A pan for warming beds. Nares.

2. A shallow chamber vessel, so constructed that it can be used by a sick person in bed.

BEDPHERE Bed"phere`, n.

Defn: See Bedfere. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

BEDPIECE; BEDPLATE Bed"piece`, Bed"plate`, n. (Mach.)

Defn: The foundation framing or piece, by which the other parts are supported and held in place; the bed; — called also baseplate and soleplate.

BEDPOST Bed"post`, n.

1. One of the four standards that support a bedstead or the canopy over a bedstead.

2. Anciently, a post or pin on each side of the bed to keep the clothes from falling off. See Bedstaff. Brewer.

BEDQUILT Bed"quilt`, n.

Defn: A quilt for a bed; a coverlet.

BEDRABBLE Be*drab"ble, v. t.

Defn: To befoul with rain and mud; to drabble.

BEDRAGGLE Be*drag"gle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedraggled (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bedraggling (.]

Defn: To draggle; to soil, as garments which, in walking, are suffered to drag in dust, mud, etc. Swift.

BEDRENCH Be*drench", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedrenched (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedrenching.]

Defn: To drench; to saturate with moisture; to soak. Shak.

BEDRIBBLE Be*drib"ble, v. t.

Defn: To dribble upon.

BEDRID; BEDRIDDEN Bed"rid`, Bed"rid`den, a. Etym: [OE. bedrede, AS. bedreda, bedrida; from bed, bedd, a bed or couch + ridda a rider; cf. OHG. pettiriso, G. bettrise. See Bed, n., and Ride, v. i. ]

Defn: Confined to the bed by sickness or infirmity. "Her decrepit, sick, and bedrid father." Shak. "The estate of a bedridden old gentleman." Macaulay.

BEDRIGHT; BEDRITE Bed"right` Bed"rite`, n. Etym: [Bed + right, rite.]

Defn: The duty or privilege of the marriage bed. Shak.

BEDRIZZLE Be*driz"zle, v. t.

Defn: To drizzle upon.

BED ROCK Bed" rock". (Mining)

Defn: The solid rock underlying superficial formations. Also Fig.

BEDROOM Bed"room, n.

1. A room or apartment intended or used for a bed; a lodging room.

2. Room in a bed.

Note: [In this sense preferably bed room.] Then by your side no bed room me deny. Shak.

BEDROP Be*drop", v. t.

Defn: To sprinkle, as with drops. The yellow carp, in scales bedropped with gold. Pope.

BEDRUG Be*drug", v. t.

Defn: To drug abundantly or excessively.

BED SCREW Bed" screw`.

1. (Naut.) A form of jack screw for lifting large bodies, and assisting in launching.

2. A long screw formerly used to fasten a bedpost to one of the adjacent side pieces.

BEDSIDE Bed"side`, n.

Defn: The side of a bed.

BEDSITE Bed"site`, n.

Defn: A recess in a room for a bed. Of the three bedrooms, two have fireplaces, and all are of fair size, with windows and bedsite well placed. Quart. Rev.

BEDSORE Bed"sore`, n. (Med.)

Defn: A sore on the back or hips caused by lying for a long time in bed.

BEDSPREAD Bed"spread`, n.

Defn: A bedquilt; a counterpane; a coverlet. [U. S.]

BEDSTAFF Bed"staff`, n.; pl. Bedstaves (.

Defn: "A wooden pin stuck anciently on the sides of the bedstead, to hold the clothes from slipping on either side." Johnson. Hostess, accommodate us with a bedstaff. B. Jonson. Say there is no virtue in cudgels and bedstaves. Brome.

BEDSTEAD Bed"stead, n. Etym: [Bed + stead a frame.]

Defn: A framework for supporting a bed.

BED STEPS Bed" steps`.

Defn: Steps for mounting a bed of unusual height.

BEDSTOCK Bed"stock, n.

Defn: The front or the back part of the frame of a bedstead. [Obs. or Dial. Eng.]

BEDSTRAW Bed"straw`, n.

1. Straw put into a bed. Bacon.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of slender herbs, usually with square stems, whorled leaves, and small white flowers. Our Lady's bedstraw, which has yellow flowers, is Galium verum. — White bedstraw is G. mollugo.

BEDSWERVER Bed"swerv`er, n.

Defn: One who swerves from and is unfaithful to the marriage vow. [Poetic] Shak.

BEDTICK Bed"tick`, n.

Defn: A tick or bag made of cloth, used for inclosing the materials of a bed.

BEDTIME Bed"time`, n.

Defn: The time to go to bed. Shak.

BEDUCK Be*duck", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beducked (.]

Defn: To duck; to put the head under water; to immerse. "Deep himself beducked." Spenser.

BEDUIN Bed"uin, n.

Defn: See Bedouin.

BEDUNG Be*dung", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedunged.]

Defn: To cover with dung, as for manuring; to bedaub or defile, literally or figuratively. Bp. Hall.

BEDUST Be*dust", v. t.

Defn: To sprinkle, soil, or cover with dust. Sherwood.

BEDWARD Bed"ward, adv.

Defn: Towards bed.

BEDWARF Be*dwarf", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedwarfed.]

Defn: To make a dwarf of; to stunt or hinder the growth of; to dwarf. Donne.

BEDYE Be*dye", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedyed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bedyeing.]

Defn: To dye or stain. Briton fields with Sarazin blood bedyed. Spenser.

BEE Bee,

Defn: p. p. of Be; — used for been. [Obs.] Spenser.

BEE Bee, n. Etym: [AS. beó; akin to D. bij and bije, Icel. b, Sw. & Dan. bi, OHG. pini, G. biene, and perh. Ir. beach, Lith. bitis, Skr. bha. sq. root97.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An insect of the order Hymenoptera, and family Apidæ (the honeybees), or family Andrenidæ (the solitary bees.) See Honeybee.

Note: There are many genera and species. The common honeybee (Apis mellifica) lives in swarms, each of which has its own queen, its males or drones, and its very numerous workers, which are barren females. Besides the A. mellifica there are other species and varieties of honeybees, as the A. ligustica of Spain and Italy; the A. Indica of India; the A. fasciata of Egypt. The bumblebee is a species of Bombus. The tropical honeybees belong mostly to Melipoma and Trigona.

2. A neighborly gathering of people who engage in united labor for the benefit of an individual or family; as, a quilting bee; a husking bee; a raising bee. [U. S.] The cellar . . . was dug by a bee in a single day. S. G. Goodrich.

3. pl. Etym: [Prob. fr. AS. beáh ring, fr. b to bend. See 1st Bow.] (Naut.)

Defn: Pieces of hard wood bolted to the sides of the bowsprit, to reeve the fore-topmast stays through; — called also bee blocks. Bee beetle (Zoöl.), a beetle (Trichodes apiarius) parasitic in beehives. — Bee bird (Zoöl.), a bird that eats the honeybee, as the European flycatcher, and the American kingbird. — Bee flower (Bot.), an orchidaceous plant of the genus Ophrys (O. apifera), whose flowers have some resemblance to bees, flies, and other insects. — Bee fly (Zoöl.), a two winged fly of the family Bombyliidæ. Some species, in the larval state, are parasitic upon bees. — Bee garden, a garden or inclosure to set beehives in ; an apiary. Mortimer. — Bee glue, a soft, unctuous matter, with which bees cement the combs to the hives, and close up the cells; — called also propolis. — Bee hawk (Zoöl.), the honey buzzard. — Bee killer (Zoöl.), a large two-winged fly of the family Asilidæ (esp. Trupanea apivora) which feeds upon the honeybee. See Robber fly. — Bee louse (Zoöl.), a minute, wingless, dipterous insect (Braula cæca) parasitic on hive bees. — Bee martin (Zoöl.), the kingbird (Tyrannus Carolinensis) which occasionally feeds on bees. — Bee moth (Zoöl.), a moth (Galleria cereana) whose larvæ feed on honeycomb, occasioning great damage in beehives. — Bee wolf (Zoöl.), the larva of the bee beetle. See Illust. of Bee beetle. — To have a bee in the head or in the bonnet. (a) To be choleric. [Obs.] (b) To be restless or uneasy. B. Jonson. (c) To be full of fancies; to be a little crazy. "She's whiles crack-brained, and has a bee in her head." Sir W. Scott.

BEEBREAD Bee"bread`, n.

Defn: A brown, bitter substance found in some of the cells of honeycomb. It is made chiefly from the pollen of flowers, which is collected by bees as food for their young.

BEECH Beech, n.; pl. Beeches. Etym: [OE. beche, AS. b; akin to D. beuk, OHG. buocha, G. buche, Icel. beyki, Dan. bög, Sw. bok, Russ. buk, L. fagus, Gr. oak, to eat, Skr. bhaksh; the tree being named originally from the esculent fruit. See Book, and cf. 7th Buck, Buckwheat.] (Bot.)

Defn: A tree of the genus Fagus.

Note: It grows to a large size, having a smooth bark and thick foliage, and bears an edible triangular nut, of which swine are fond. The Fagus sylvatica is the European species, and the F. ferruginea that of America. Beech drops (Bot.), a parasitic plant which grows on the roots of beeches (Epiphegus Americana). — Beech marten (Zoöl.), the stone marten of Europe (Mustela foina). — Beech mast, the nuts of the beech, esp. as they lie under the trees, in autumn. — Beech oil, oil expressed from the mast or nuts of the beech tree. — Cooper beech, a variety of the European beech with copper- colored, shining leaves.

BEECHEN Beech"en, a. Etym: [AS. b.]

Defn: Consisting, or made, of the wood or bark of the beech; belonging to the beech. "Plain beechen vessels." Dryden.

BEECHNUT Beech"nut`, n.

Defn: The nut of the beech tree.

BEECH TREE Beech" tree`.

Defn: The beech.

BEECHY Beech"y, a.

Defn: Of or relating to beeches.

BEE-EATER Bee"-eat`er, n. (Zoöl.) (a) A bird of the genus Merops, that feeds on bees. The European species (M. apiaster) is remarkable for its brilliant colors. (b) An African bird of the genus Rhinopomastes.

BEEF Beef, n. Etym: [OE. boef, befe, beef, OF. boef, buef, F. b, fr. L. bos, bovis, ox; akin to Gr. , Skr. g cow, and E. cow. See 2d Cow.]

1. An animal of the genus Bos, especially the common species, B. taurus, including the bull, cow, and ox, in their full grown state; esp., an ox or cow fattened for food.

Note: [In this, which is the original sense, the word has a plural, beeves (.] A herd of beeves, fair oxen and fair kine. Milton.