B

Defn: is the second letter of the English alphabet. (See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 196,220.) It is etymologically related to p , v , f , w and m , letters representing sounds having a close organic affinity to its own sound; as in Eng. bursar and purser; Eng. bear and Lat. pear; Eng. silver and Ger. silber; Lat. cubitum and It. gomito; Eng. seven, Anglo-Saxon seofon, Ger. sieben, Lat. septem, Gr.ptan. The form of letter B is Roman, from Greek B (Beta), of Semitic origin. The small b was formed by gradual change from the capital B.

Note: In Music, B is the nominal of the seventh tone in the model major scale (the scale of C major ), or of the second tone in it's relative minor scale (that of A minor ) . B stands for B flat, the tone a half step , or semitone, lower than B. In German, B stands for our B, while our B natural is called H (pronounced hä).

BA Ba, v. i. Etym: [Cf. OF. baer to open mouth, F. baer.]

Defn: To kiss. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BAA Baa, v. i. Etym: [Cf. G. bäen; an imitative word.]

Defn: To cry baa, or bleat as a sheep. He treble baas for help, but none can get. Sir P. Sidney.

BAA Baa, n.; pl. Baas. Etym: [Cf. G. bä.]

Defn: The cry or bleating of a sheep; a bleat.

BAAING Baa"ing, n.

Defn: The bleating of a sheep. Marryat.

BAAL Ba"al, n.; Heb. pl. Baalim (. Etym: [Heb. ba'al lord.]

1. (Myth.)

Defn: The supreme male divinity of the Phoenician and Canaanitish nations.

Note: The name of this god occurs in the Old Testament and elsewhere with qualifying epithets subjoined, answering to the different ideas of his character; as, Baal-berith (the Covenant Baal), Baal-zebub (Baal of the fly).

2. pl.

Defn: The whole class of divinities to whom the name Baal was applied. Judges x. 6.

BAALISM Ba"al*ism, n.

Defn: Worship of Baal; idolatry.

BAALIST; BAALITE Ba"al*ist, Ba"al*ite, n.

Defn: A worshiper of Baal; a devotee of any false religion; an idolater.

BAB Bab, n. [Per.]

Defn: Lit., gate; — a title given to the founder of Babism, and taken from that of Bab-ud-Din, assumed by him.

BABA Ba"ba, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A kind of plum cake.

BABBITT Bab"bitt, v. t.

Defn: To line with Babbitt metal.

BABBITT METAL Bab"bitt met`al. Etym: [From the inventor, Isaac Babbitt of Massachusetts.]

Defn: A soft white alloy of variable composition (as a nine parts of tin to one of copper, or of fifty parts of tin to five of antimony and one of copper) used in bearings to diminish friction.

BABBLE Bab"ble, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Babbled (p. pr. & vb. n. Babbling.] Etym: [Cf.LG. babbeln, D. babbelen, G. bappeln, bappern, F. babiller, It. babbolare; prob. orig., to keep saying ba, imitative of a child learning to talk.]

1. To utter words indistinctly or unintelligibly; to utter inarticulate sounds; as a child babbles.

2. To talk incoherently; to utter unmeaning words.

3. To talk much; to chatter; to prate.

4. To make a continuous murmuring noise, as shallow water running over stones. In every babbling he finds a friend. Wordsworth.

Note: Hounds are said to babble, or to be babbling, when they are too noisy after having found a good scent.

Syn. — To prate; prattle; chatter; gossip.

BABBLE Bab"ble, v. i.

1. To utter in an indistinct or incoherent way; to repeat,as words, in a childish way without understanding. These [words] he used to babble in all companies. Arbuthnot.

2. To disclose by too free talk, as a secret.

BABBLE Bab"ble, n.

1. Idle talk; senseless prattle; gabble; twaddle. "This is mere moral babble." Milton.

2. Inarticulate speech; constant or confused murmur. The babble of our young children. Darwin. The babble of the stream. Tennyson.

BABBLEMENT Bab"ble*ment, n.

Defn: Babble. Hawthorne.

BABBLER Bab"bler, n.

1. An idle talker; an irrational prater; a teller of secrets. Great babblers, or talkers, are not fit for trust. L'Estrange.

2. A hound too noisy on finding a good scent.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A name given to any one of family (Timalinæ) of thrushlike birds, having a chattering note.

BABBLERY Bab"ble*ry, n.

Defn: Babble. [Obs.] Sir T. More

BABE Babe, n. Etym: [Cf. Ir. bab, baban, W. baban, maban.]

1. An infant; a young child of either sex; a baby.

2. A doll for children. Spenser.

BABEHOOD Babe"hood, n.

Defn: Babyhood. [R.] Udall.

BABEL Ba"bel, n. Etym: [Heb. Babel, the name of the capital of Babylonia; in Genesis associated with the idea of "confusion"]

1. The city and tower in the land of Shinar, where the confusion of languages took place. Therefore is the name of it called Babel. Gen. xi. 9.

2. Hence: A place or scene of noise and confusion; a confused mixture of sounds, as of voices or languages. That babel of strange heathen languages. Hammond. The grinding babel of the street. R. L. Stevenson.

BABERY Bab"er*y, n. Etym: [Perh. orig. for baboonery. Cf. Baboon, and also Babe.]

Defn: Finery of a kind to please a child. [Obs.] "Painted babery." Sir P. Sidney.

BABIAN; BABION Ba"bi*an, Ba"bi*on, n. Etym: [See Baboon]

Defn: A baboon. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

BABILLARD Bab"il*lard, n. Etym: [F., a babbler.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The lesser whitethroat of Europe; — called also babbling warbler.

BABINGTONITE Bab"ing*ton*ite, n. Etym: [From Dr. Babbington.] (Min.)

Defn: A mineral occurring in triclinic crystals approaching pyroxene in angle, and of a greenish black color. It is a silicate of iron, manganese, and lime.

BABIROUSSA; BABIRUSSA Bab`i*rous"sa, Bab`i*rus"sa (, n. Etym: [F. babiroussa, fr.Malay babi hog + r deer.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large hoglike quadruped (Sus, or Porcus, babirussa) of the East Indies, sometimes domesticated; the Indian hog. Its upper canine teeth or tusks are large and recurved.

BABISH Bab"ish, a.

Defn: Like a babe; a childish; babyish. [R.] "Babish imbecility." Drayton. — Bab"ish*ly, adv. — Bab"ish*ness, n. [R.]

BABISM Bab"ism, n. Etym: [From Bab (Pers. bab a gate), the title assumed by the founder, Mirza Ali Mohammed.]

Defn: The doctrine of a modern religious sect, which originated in Persia in 1843, being a mixture of Mohammedan, Christian, Jewish and Parsee elements.

BABISM; BABIISM Bab"ism, Bab"i*ism, n.

Defn: The doctrine of a modern religious pantheistical sect in Persia, which was founded, about 1844, by Mirza Ali Mohammed ibn Rabhik (1820 — 1850), who assumed the title of Bab-ed-Din (Per., Gate of the Faith). Babism is a mixture of Mohammedan, Christian, Jewish, and Parsi elements. This doctrine forbids concubinage and polygamy, and frees women from many of the degradations imposed upon them among the orthodox Mohammedans. Mendicancy, the use of intoxicating liquors and drugs, and slave dealing, are forbidden; asceticism is discountenanced. —Bab"ist, n.

BABIST Bab"ist, n.

Defn: A believer in Babism.

BABLAH Bab"lah, n. Etym: [Cf. Per. bab a species of mimosa yielding gum arabic.]

Defn: The ring of the fruit of several East Indian species of acacia; neb-neb. It contains gallic acid and tannin, and is used for dyeing drab.

BABOO; BABU Ba"boo, Ba"bu, n. Etym: [Hind. bab ]

Defn: A Hindoo gentleman; native clerk who writes English; also, a Hindoo title answering to Mr. or Esquire. Whitworth.

BABOON Bab*oon", n. Etym: [OE. babewin, baboin, fr.F. babouin, or LL. babewynus. Of unknown origin; cf. D. baviaan, G. pavian, baboon, F. babin lip of ape, dogs, etc., dial. G. bäppe mouth.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Old World Quadrumana, of the genera Cynocephalus and Papio; the dog-faced ape. Baboons have dog-like muzzles and large canine teeth, cheek pouches, a short tail, and naked callosities on the buttocks. They are mostly African. See Mandrill, and Chacma, and Drill an ape.

BABOONERY Bab*oon"ery, n.

Defn: Baboonish behavior. Marryat.

BABOONISH Bab*oon"ish, a.

Defn: Like a baboon.

BABUL; BABOOL Ba*bul", Ba*bool", n. [See Bablah.] (Bot.)

Defn: Any one of several species of Acacia, esp. A. Arabica, which yelds a gum used as a substitute for true gum arabic.

In place of Putney's golden gorse The sickly babul blooms. Kipling.

BABY Ba"by, n.; pl. Babies. Etym: [Dim. of babe]

Defn: An infant or young child of either sex; a babe.

2. A small image of an infant; a doll. Babies in the eyes, the minute reflection which one sees of one's self in the eyes of another. She clung about his neck, gave him ten kisses, Toyed with his locks, looked babies in his eyes. Heywood.

BABY Ba"by, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or resembling, an infant; young or little; as, baby swans. "Baby figure" Shak.

BABY Ba"by, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Babied (p. pr. & vb. n.Babying.]

Defn: To treat like a young child; to keep dependent; to humor; to fondle. Young.

BABY FARM Ba"by farm`.

Defn: A place where the nourishment and care of babies are offered for hire.

BABY FARMER Ba"by farm`er.

Defn: One who keeps a baby farm.

BABY FARMING Ba"by farm`ing.

Defn: The business of keeping a baby farm.

BABYHOOD Ba"by*hood, n.

Defn: The state or period of infancy.

BABYHOUSE Ba"by*house`, a.

Defn: A place for children's dolls and dolls' furniture. Swift.

BABYISH Ba"by*ish, a.

Defn: Like a baby; childish; puerile; simple. — Ba"by*ish*ly, adv. — Ba"by*ish*ness, n.

BABYISM Ba"by*ism, n.

1. The state of being a baby.

2. A babyish manner of acting or speaking.

BABY JUMPER Ba"by jump`er.

Defn: A hoop suspended by an elastic strap, in which a young child may be held secure while amusing itself by jumping on the floor.

BABYLONIAN Bab`y*lo"ni*an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the real or to the mystical Babylon, or to the ancient kingdom of Babylonia; Chaldean.

BABYLONIAN Bab`y*lo"ni*an, n.

1. An inhabitant of Babylonia (which included Chaldea); a Chaldean.

2. An astrologer; — so called because the Chaldeans were remarkable for the study of astrology.

BABYLONIC; BABYLONICAL Bab`y*lon"ic, Bab`y*lon"ic*al, a.

1. Pertaining to Babylon, or made there; as Babylonic garments,carpets, or hangings.

2. Tumultuous; disorderly. [Obs.] Sir J. Harrington.

BABYLONISH Bab"y*lo`nish, n.

1. Of or pertaining to, or made in, Babylon or Babylonia. "A Babylonish garment." Josh. vii. 21.

2. Pertaining to the Babylon of Revelation xiv.8.

3. Pertaining to Rome and papal power. [Obs.] The . . . injurious nickname of Babylonish. Gape.

4. Confused; Babel-like.

BABYROUSSA; BABYRUSSA Bab`y*rous"sa, Bab`y*rus"sa, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Babyroussa.

BABYSHIP Ba"by*ship, n.

Defn: The quality of being a baby; the personality of an infant.

BAC Bac, n. Etym: [F. See Back a vat]

1. A broad, flatbottomed ferryboat, usually worked by a rope.

2. A vat or cistern. See 1st Back.

BACCALAUREATE Bac"ca*lau"re*ate, n. Etym: [NL. baccalaureatus, fr.LL. baccalaureus a bachelor of arts, fr. baccalarius, but as if fr L. bacca lauri bayberry, from the practice of the bachelor's wearing a garland of bayberries. See Bachelor.]

1. The degree of bachelor of arts. (B.A. or A.B.), the first or lowest academical degree conferred by universities and colleges.

2. A baccalaureate sermon. [U.S.]

BACCALAUREATE Bac`ca*lau"re*ate, a.

Defn: Pertaining to a bachelor of arts. Baccalaureate sermon, in some American colleges, a sermon delivered as a farewell discourse to a graduating class.

BACCARA; BACCARAT Bac`ca*ra", Bac`ca*rat", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A French game of cards, played by a banker and punters.

BACCARE; BACKARE Bac*ca"re, Bac*ka"re, interj.

Defn: Stand back! give place! — a cant word of the Elizabethan writers, probably in ridicule of some person who pretended to a knowledge of Latin which he did not possess. Baccare! you are marvelous forward. Shak.

BACCATE Bac"cate, a. Etym: [L. baccatus, fr. L. bacca berry.] (Bot.)

Defn: Pulpy throughout, like a berry; — said of fruits. Gray.

BACCATED Bac"ca*ted, a.

1. Having many berries.

2. Set or adorned with pearls. [Obs.]

BACCHANAL Bac"cha*nal, a. Etym: [L. Bacchanalis. See Bacchanalia.]

1. Relating to Bacchus or his festival.

2. Engaged in drunken revels; drunken and riotous or noisy.

BACCHANAL Bac"cha*nal, n.

1. A devotee of Bacchus; one who indulges in drunken revels; one who is noisy and riotous when intoxicated; a carouser. "Tipsy bacchanals." Shak.

2. pl.

Defn: The festival of Bacchus; the bacchanalia.

3. Drunken revelry; an orgy.

4. A song or dance in honor of Bacchus.

BACCHANALIA Bac`cha*na"li*a, n. pl. Etym: [L. Bacchanal a place devoted to Bacchus; in the pl. Bacchanalia a feast of Bacchus, fr. Bacchus the god of wine, Gr.

1. (Myth.)

Defn: A feast or an orgy in honor of Bacchus.

2. Hence: A drunken feast; drunken reveler.

BACCHANALIAN Bac`cha*na"li*an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the festival of Bacchus; relating to or given to reveling and drunkenness. Even bacchanalian madness has its charms. Cowper.

BACCHANALIAN Bac`cha*na"li*an, n.

Defn: A bacchanal; a drunken reveler.

BACCHANALIANISM Bac`cha*na"li*an*ism, n.

Defn: The practice of bacchanalians; bacchanals; drunken revelry.

BACCHANT Bac"chant, n.; pl. E. Bacchants, L. Bacchantes. Etym: [L. bacchans, - antis, p. pr. of bacchari to celebrate the festival of Bacchus.]

1. A priest of Bacchus.

2. A bacchanal; a reveler. Croly.

BACCHANT Bac"chant, a.

Defn: Bacchanalian; fond of drunken revelry; wine-loving; reveling; carousing. Byron.

BACCHANTE Bac"chante, n.; L. pl. Bacchantes.

1. A priestess of Bacchus.

2. A female bacchanal.

BACCHANTIC Bac*chan"tic, a.

Defn: Bacchanalian.

BACCHIC; BACCHICAL Bac"chic, Bac"chic*al, a. Etym: [L. Bacchicus, Gr.

Defn: Of or relating to Bacchus; hence, jovial, or riotous,with intoxication.

BACCHIUS Bac*chi"us, n.; pl. Bacchii. Etym: [L. Bacchius pes, Gr. (Pros.)

Defn: A metrical foot composed of a short syllable and two long ones; according to some, two long and a short.

BACCHUS Bac"chus, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Myth.)

Defn: The god of wine, son of Jupiter and Semele.

BACCIFEROUS Bac*cif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. baccifer; bacca berry + ferre to bear]

Defn: Producing berries. " Bacciferous trees." Ray.

BACCIFORM Bac"ci*form, a. Etym: [L. bacca berry + -form. ]

Defn: Having the form of a berry.

BACCIVOROUS Bac*civ"o*rous, a. Etym: [L. bacca berry + varare to devour.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Eating, or subsisting on, berries; as, baccivorous birds.

BACE Bace, n., a., & v.

Defn: See Base. [Obs.] Spenser.

BACHARACH; BACKARACK Bach"a*rach, Back"a*rack, n.

Defn: A kind of wine made at Bacharach on the Rhine.

BACHELOR Bach"e*lor, n. Etym: [OF. bacheler young man, F. bachelier (cf.Pr. bacalar, Sp.bachiller, Pg. bacharel, It. baccalare), LL. baccalarius the tenant of a kind of farm called baccalaria, a soldier not old or rich enough to lead his retainers into battle with a banner, person of an inferior academical degree aspiring to a doctorate. In the latter sense, it was afterward changed to baccalaureus. See Baccalaureate, n.]

1. A man of any age who has not been married. As merry and mellow an old bachelor as ever followed a hound. W. Irving.

2. An unmarried woman. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

3. A person who has taken the first or lowest degree in the liberal arts, or in some branch of science, at a college or university; as, a bachelor of arts.

4. A knight who had no standard of his own, but fought under the standard of another in the field; often, a young knight.

5. In the companies of London tradesmen, one not yet admitted to wear the livery; a junior member. [Obs.]

6. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A kind of bass, an edible fresh-water fish (Pomoxys annularis) of the southern United States.

BACHELORDOM Bach"e*lor*dom, n.

Defn: The state of bachelorhood; the whole body of bachelors.

BACHELORHOOD Bach"e*lor*hood, n.

Defn: The state or condition of being a bachelor; bachelorship.

BACHELORISM Bach"e*lor*ism, n.

Defn: Bachelorhood; also, a manner or peculiarity belonging to bachelors. W. Irving.

BACHELOR'S BUTTON Bach"e*lor's but"ton

Defn: , (Bot.) A plant with flowers shaped like buttons; especially, several species of Ranunculus, and the cornflower (Centaures cyanus) and globe amaranth (Gomphrena).

Note: Bachelor's buttons, a name given to several flowers "from their similitude to the jagged cloathe buttons, anciently worne in this kingdom", according to Johnson's Gerarde, p.472 (1633); but by other writers ascribed to "a habit of country fellows to carry them in their pockets to divine their success with their sweethearts." Dr. Prior.

BACHELORSHIP Bach"e*lor*ship, n.

Defn: The state of being a bachelor.

BACHELRY Bach"el*ry, n. Etym: [OF. bachelerie.]

Defn: The body of young aspirants for knighthood. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BACILLAR Ba*cil"lar, a. Etym: [L. bacillum little staff.] (Biol.)

Defn: Shaped like a rod or staff.

BACILLARIAE Bac"il*la`ri*æ, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr.L. bacillum, dim. of baculum stick.] (Biol.)

Defn: See Diatom.

BACILLARY Bac"il*la*ry, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to little rods; rod-shaped.

BACILLIFORM Ba*cil"li*form, a. Etym: [L. bacillum little staff + -form.]

Defn: Rod-shaped.

BACILLUS Ba*cil"lus, n.; pl. Bacilli (. Etym: [NL., for L. bacillum. See Bacillarle.] (Biol.)

Defn: A variety of bacterium; a microscopic, rod-shaped vegetable organism.

BACK Back, n. Etym: [F. bac: cf. Arm. bak tray, bowl.]

1. A large shallow vat; a cistern, tub, or trough, used by brewers, distillers, dyers, picklers, gluemakers, and others, for mixing or cooling wort, holding water, hot glue, etc. Hop back, Jack back, the cistern which receives the infusion of malt and hops from the copper. — Wash back, a vat in which distillers ferment the wort to form wash. — Water back, a cistern to hold a supply of water; esp. a small cistern at the back of a stove, or a group of pipes set in the fire box of a stove or furnace, through which water circulates and is heated.

2. A ferryboat. See Bac, 1

BACK Back, n. Etym: [As bæc, bac; akin to Icel., Sw., & LG. bak, Dan. bag; cf. OHG. bahho ham, Skr. bhaj to turn, OSlav. b flight. Cf. Bacon.]

1. In human beings, the hinder part of the body, extending from the neck to the end of the spine; in other animals, that part of the body which corresponds most nearly to such part of a human being; as, the back of a horse, fish, or lobster.

2. An extended upper part, as of a mountain or ridge. [The mountains] their broad bare backs upheave Into the clouds. Milton.

3. The outward or upper part of a thing, as opposed to the inner or lower part; as, the back of the hand, the back of the foot, the back of a hand rail. Methought Love pitying me, when he saw this, Gave me your hands, the backs and palms to kiss. Donne.

4. The part opposed to the front; the hinder or rear part of a thing; as, the back of a book; the back of an army; the back of a chimney.

5. The part opposite to, or most remote from, that which fronts the speaker or actor; or the part out of sight, or not generally seen; as, the back of an island, of a hill, or of a village.

6. The part of a cutting tool on the opposite side from its edge; as, the back of a knife, or of a saw.

7. A support or resource in reserve. This project Should have a back or second, that might hold, If this should blast in proof. Shak.

8. (Naut.)

Defn: The keel and keelson of a ship.

9. (Mining)

Defn: The upper part of a lode, or the roof of a horizontal underground passage.

10. A garment for the back; hence, clothing. A bak to walken inne by daylight. Chaucer. Behind one's back, when one is absent; without one's knowledge; as, to ridicule a person behind his back. — Full back, Half back, Quarter back (Football), players stationed behind those in the front line. — To be or lie on one's back, to be helpless. — To put, or get, one's back up, to assume an attitude of obstinate resistance (from the action of a cat when attacked.). [Colloq.] — To see the back of, to get rid of. — To turn the back, to go away; to flee. — To turn the back on one, to forsake or neglect him.

BACK Back, a.

1. Being at the back or in the rear; distant; remote; as, the back door; back settlements.

2. Being in arrear; overdue; as, back rent.

3. Moving or operating backward; as, back action. Back charges, charges brought forward after an account has been made up. — Back filling (Arch.), the mass of materials used in filling up the space between two walls, or between the inner and outer faces of a wall, or upon the haunches of an arch or vault. — Back pressure. (Steam Engine) See under Pressure. — Back rest, a guide attached to the slide rest of a lathe, and placed in contact with the work, to steady it in turning. — Back slang, a kind of slang in which every word is written or pronounced backwards; as, nam for man. — Back stairs, stairs in the back part of a house; private stairs. Also used adjectively. See Back stairs, Backstairs, and Backstair, in the Vocabulary. — Back step (Mil.), the retrograde movement of a man or body of men, without changing front. — Back stream, a current running against the main current of a stream; an eddy. — To take the back track, to retrace one's steps; to retreat. [Colloq.]

BACK Back, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Backed (; p. pr. & vb. n. Backing.]

1. To get upon the back of; to mount. I will back him [a horse] straight. Shak.

2. To place or seat upon the back. [R.] Great Jupiter, upon his eagle backed, Appeared to me. Shak.

3. To drive or force backward; to cause to retreat or recede; as, to back oxen.

4. To make a back for; to furnish with a back; as, to back books.

5. To adjoin behind; to be at the back of. A garden . . . with a vineyard backed. Shak. The chalk cliffs which back the beach. Huxley.

6. To write upon the back of; as, to back a letter; to indorse; as, to back a note or legal document.

7. To support; to maintain; to second or strengthen by aid or influence; as, to back a friend. "Parliament would be backed by the people." Macaulay. Have still found it necessary to back and fortify their laws with rewards and punishments. South. The mate backed the captain manfully. Blackw. Mag.

8. To bet on the success of; — as, to back a race horse. To back an anchor (Naut.), to lay down a small anchor ahead of a large one, the cable of the small one being fastened to the crown of the large one. — To back the field, in horse racing, to bet against a particular horse or horses, that some one of all the other horses, collectively designated "the field", will win. — To back the oars, to row backward with the oars. — To back a rope, to put on a preventer. — To back the sails, to arrange them so as to cause the ship to move astern. — To back up, to support; to sustain; as, to back up one's friends. — To back a warrant (Law), is for a justice of the peace, in the county where the warrant is to be executed, to sign or indorse a warrant, issued in another county, to apprehend an offender. — To back water (Naut.), to reverse the action of the oars, paddles, or propeller, so as to force the boat or ship backward.

BACK Back, v. i.

1. To move or go backward; as, the horse refuses to back.

2. (Naut.)

Defn: To change from one quarter to another by a course opposite to that of the sun; — used of the wind.

3. (Sporting)

Defn: To stand still behind another dog which has poined; — said of a dog. [Eng.] To back and fill, to manage the sails of a ship so that the wind strikes them alternately in front and behind, in order to keep the ship in the middle of a river or channel while the current or tide carries the vessel against the wind. Hence: (Fig.) To take opposite positions alternately; to assert and deny. [Colloq.] — To back out, To back down, to retreat or withdraw from a promise, engagement, or contest; to recede. [Colloq.] Cleon at first . . . was willing to go; but, finding that he [Nicias] was in earnest, he tried to back out. Jowett (Thucyd. )

BACK Back, adv. Etym: [Shortened from aback.]

1. In, to, or toward, the rear; as, to stand back; to step back.

2. To the place from which one came; to the place or person from which something is taken or derived; as, to go back for something left behind; to go back to one's native place; to put a book back after reading it.

3. To a former state, condition, or station; as, to go back to private life; to go back to barbarism.

4. ( Of time) In times past; ago. "Sixty or seventy years back." Gladstone.

5. Away from contact; by reverse movement. The angel of the Lord . . . came, and rolled back the stone from the door. Matt. xxvii. 2.

6. In concealment or reserve; in one's own possession; as, to keep back the truth; to keep back part of the money due to another.

7. In a state of restraint or hindrance. The Lord hath kept thee back from honor. Numb. xxiv. 11.

8. In return, repayment, or requital. What have I to give you back! Shak.

9. In withdrawal from a statement, promise, or undertaking; as, he took back0 the offensive words.

10. In arrear; as, to be back in one's rent. [Colloq.] Back and forth, backwards and forwards; to and fro. — To go back on, to turn back from; to abandon; to betray; as, to go back on a friend; to go back on one's professions. [Colloq.]

BACKARACK Back"a*rack, n.

Defn: See Bacharach.

BACKARE Bac*ka"re, interj.

Defn: Same as Baccare.

BACKBAND Back"band`, n. Etym: [2nd back ,n.+ band.] (Saddlery)

Defn: The band which passes over the back of a horse and holds up the shafts of a carriage.

BACKBITE Back"bite`, v. i. Etym: [2nd back, n., + bite]

Defn: To wound by clandestine detraction; to censure meanly or spitefully (as absent person); to slander or speak evil of (one absent). Spenser.

BACKBITE Back"bite`, v. i.

Defn: To censure or revile the absent. They are arrant knaves, and will backbite. Shak.

BACKBITER Back"bit`er, n.

Defn: One who backbites; a secret calumniator or detractor.

BACKBITING Back"bit`ing, n.

Defn: Secret slander; detraction. Backbiting, and bearing of false witness. Piers Plowman.

BACKBOARD Back"board`, n. Etym: [2nd back, n. + board.]

1. A board which supports the back wen one is sitting;

Note: specifically, the board athwart the after part of a boat.

2. A board serving as the back part of anything, as of a wagon.

3. A thin stuff used for the backs of framed pictures, mirrors, etc.

4. A board attached to the rim of a water wheel to prevent the water from running off the floats or paddies into the interior of the wheel. W. Nicholson.

5. A board worn across the back to give erectness to the figure. Thackeray.

BACKBOND Back"bond`, n. Etym: [Back, adv. + bond.] (Scots Law)

Defn: An instrument which, in conjunction with another making an absolute disposition, constitutes a trust.

BACKBONE Back"bone", n. Etym: [2d back,n.+ bone. ]

1. The column of bones in the back which sustains and gives firmness to the frame; the spine; the vertebral or spinal column.

2. Anything like , or serving the purpose of, a backbone. The lofty mountains on the north side compose the granitic axis, or backbone of the country. Darwin. We have now come to the backbone of our subject. Earle.

3. Firmness; moral principle; steadfastness. Shelley's thought never had any backbone. Shairp. To the backbone, through and through; thoroughly; entirely. "Staunch to the backbone." Lord Lytton.

BACKBONED Back"boned", a.

Defn: Vertebrate.

BACKCAST Back"cast`, n. Etym: [Back, adv.+ cast.]

Defn: Anything which brings misfortune upon one, or causes failure in an effort or enterprise; a reverse. [Scot.]

BACK DOOR Back" door".

Defn: A door in the back part of a building; hence, an indirect way. Atterbury.

BACKDOOR Back"door", a.

Defn: Acting from behind and in concealment; as backdoor intrigues.

BACKDOWN Back"down`, n.

Defn: A receding or giving up; a complete surrender. [Colloq.]

BACKED Backed, a.

Defn: Having a back; fitted with a back; as, a backed electrotype or stereotype plate. Used in composition; as, broad- backed; hump- backed.

BACKER Back"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, backs; especially one who backs a person or thing in a contest.

BACKFALL Back"fall`, n. Etym: [2nd back ,n. + fall]

Defn: A fall or throw on the back in wrestling.

BACK FIRE Back fire. (a) A fire started ahead of a forest or prairie fire to burn only against the wind, so that when the two fires meet both must go out for lack of fuel. (b) A premature explosion in the cylinder of a gas or oil engine during the exhaust or the compression stroke, tending to drive the piston in a direction reverse to that in which it should travel; also, an explosion in the exhaust passages of such ah engine.

BACK-FIRE Back"-fire`, v. i.

1. (Engin.)

Defn: To have or experience a back fire or back fires; — said of an internal-combustion engine.

2. Of a Bunsen or similar air-fed burner, to light so that the flame proceeds from the internal gas jet instead of from the external jet of mixed gas and air. — Back"-fir`ing, n.

BACKFRIEND Back"friend`, n. Etym: [Back,n.or adv. + friend]

Defn: A secret enemy. [Obs.] South.

BACKGAMMON Back"gam`mon, n. Etym: [Origin unknown; perhaps fr.Dan. bakke tray + E. game; or very likely the first part is from E.back, adv., and the game is so called because the men are often set back.]

Defn: A game of chance and skill, played by two persons on a "board" marked off into twenty-four spaces called "points". Each player has fifteen pieces, or "men", the movements of which from point to point are determined by throwing dice. Formerly called tables. Backgammon board , a board for playing backgammon, often made in the form of two rectangular trays hinged together, each tray containing two "tables".

BACKGAMMON Back"gam`mon, v. i.

Defn: In the game of backgammon, to beat by ending the game before the loser is clear of his first "table".

BACKGROUND Back"ground`, n. Etym: [Back, a. + ground.]

1. Ground in the rear or behind, or in the distance, as opposed to the foreground, or the ground in front.

2. (Paint.)

Defn: The space which is behind and subordinate to a portrait or group of figures.

Note: The distance in a picture is usually divided into foreground, middle distance, and background. Fairholt.

3. Anything behind, serving as a foil; as, the statue had a background of red hangings.

4. A place in obscurity or retirement, or out of sight. I fancy there was a background of grinding and waiting before Miss Torry could produce this highly finished . . . performance. Mrs. Alexander. A husband somewhere in the background. Thackeray.

BACKHAND Back"hand`, n. Etym: [Back, adv. + hand.]

Defn: A kind of handwriting in which the downward slope of the letters is from left to right.

BACKHAND Back"hand`, a.

1. Sloping from left to right; — said of handwriting.

2. Backhanded; indirect; oblique. [R.]

BACKHANDED Back"hand`ed, a.

1. With the hand turned backward; as, a backhanded blow.

2. Indirect; awkward; insincere; sarcastic; as, a backhanded compliment.

3. Turned back, or inclining to the left; as, a backhanded letters.

BACKHANDEDNESS Back"hand`ed*ness, n.

Defn: State of being backhanded; the using of backhanded or indirect methods.

BACKHANDER Back"hand`er, n.

Defn: A backhanded blow.

BACKHEEL Back"heel`, n. (Wrestling)

Defn: A method of tripping by getting the leg back of the opponent's heel on the outside and pulling forward while pushing his body back; a throw made in this way. — v. t.

Defn: To trip (a person) in this way.

BACKHOUSE Back"house`, n. Etym: [Back, a. + house.]

Defn: A building behind the main building. Specifically: A privy; a necessary.

BACKING Back"ing, n.

1. The act of moving backward, or of putting or moving anything backward.

2. That which is behind, and forms the back of, anything, usually giving strength or stability.

3. Support or aid given to a person or cause.

4. (Bookbinding)

Defn: The preparation of the back of a book with glue, etc., before putting on the cover.

BACKJOINT Back"joint`, n. Etym: [Back , a. or adv. + joint.] (Arch.)

Defn: A rebate or chase in masonry left to receive a permanent slab or other filling.

BACKLASH Back"lash`, n. Etym: [Back , adv. + lash.] (Mech.)

Defn: The distance through which one part of connected machinery, as a wheel, piston, or screw, can be moved without moving the connected parts, resulting from looseness in fitting or from wear; also, the jarring or reflex motion caused in badly fitting machinery by irregularities in velocity or a reverse of motion.

BACKLESS Back"less, a.

Defn: Without a back.

BACKLOG Back"log`, n. Etym: [Back, a. + log.]

Defn: A large stick of wood, forming the of a fire on the hearth. [U.S.] There was first a backlog, from fifteen to four and twenty inches in diameter and five feet long, imbedded in the ashes. S. G. Goodrich.

BACKPIECE; BACKPLATE Back"piece`, Back"plate`, n. Etym: [Back,n.or a. + piece, plate. ]

Defn: A piece, or plate which forms the back of anything, or which covers the back; armor for the back.

BACKRACK; BACKRAG Back"rack, Back"rag, n.

Defn: See Bacharach.

BACKS Backs, n. pl.

Defn: Among leather dealers, the thickest and stoutest tanned hides.

BACKSAW Back"saw`, n. Etym: [2d back,n.+ saw.]

Defn: A saw (as a tenon saw) whose blade is stiffened by an added metallic back.

BACKSET Back"set`, n. Etym: [Back, adv. + set.]

1. A check; a relapse; a discouragement; a setback.

2. Whatever is thrown back in its course, as water. Slackwater, or the backset caused by the overflow. Harper's Mag.

BACKSET Back"set`, v. i.

Defn: To plow again, in the fall; — said of prairie land broken up in the spring. [Western U.S.]

BACKSETTLER Back"set"tler, n. Etym: [Back, a. + settler.]

Defn: One living in the back or outlying districts of a community. The English backsettlers of Leinster and Munster. Macaulay.

BACKSHEESH; BACKSHISH Back"sheesh`, Back"shish`, n. Etym: [Pers. bakhshish, fr. bakhshidan to give.]

Defn: In Egypt and the Turkish empire, a gratuity; a "tip".

BACKSIDE Back"side`, n. Etym: [Back, a. + side. ]

Defn: The hinder part, posteriors, or rump of a person or animal.

Note: Backside (one word) was formerly used of the rear part or side of any thing or place, but in such senses is now two words.

BACKSIGHT Back"sight`, n. Etym: [Back, adv. + sight. ] (Surv.)

Defn: The reading of the leveling staff in its unchanged position when the leveling instrument has been taken to a new position; a sight directed backwards to a station previously occupied. Cf. Foresight, n., 3.

BACKSLIDE Back`slide", v. i. [imp. Backslid; p.p. Backslidden, Backslid; p. pr. & vb. n. Backsliding. ] Etym: [Back , adv.+ slide.]

Defn: To slide back; to fall away; esp. to abandon gradually the faith and practice of a religion that has been professed.

BACKSLIDER Back"slid"er, n.

Defn: One who backslides.

BACKSLIDING Back"slid"ing, a.

Defn: Slipping back; falling back into sin or error; sinning. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord. Jer. iii. 14.

BACKSLIDING Back"slid"ing, n.

Defn: The act of one who backslides; abandonment of faith or duty. Our backslidings are many. Jer. xiv. 7.

BACKSTAFF Back"staff`, n.

Defn: An instrument formerly used for taking the altitude of the heavenly bodies, but now superseded by the quadrant and sextant; — so called because the observer turned his back to the body observed.

BACK STAIRS Back" stairs`.

Defn: Stairs in the back part of a house, as distinguished from the front stairs; hence, a private or indirect way.

BACKSTAIRS; BACKSTAIR Back"stairs`, Back"stair`, a.

Defn: Private; indirect; secret; intriguing; as if finding access by the back stairs. A backstairs influence. Burke. Female caprice and backstairs influence. Trevelyan.

BACKSTAY Back"stay`, n. Etym: [Back, a. orn.+ stay.]

1. (Naut.)

Defn: A rope or stay extending from the masthead to the side of a ship, slanting a little aft, to assist the shrouds in supporting the mast. [ Often used in the plural.]

2. A rope or strap used to prevent excessive forward motion.

BACKSTER Back"ster, n. Etym: [See Baxter.]

Defn: A backer. [Obs.]

BACKSTITCH Back"stitch`, n. Etym: [Back, adv. + stitch.]

Defn: A stitch made by setting the needle back of the end of the last stitch, and bringing it out in front of the end.

BACKSTITCH Back"stitch`, v. i.

Defn: To sew with backstitches; as, to backstitch a seam.

BACKSTOP Back"stop`, n.

1. In baseball, a fence, prop. at least 90 feet behind the home base, to stop the balls that pass the catcher; also, the catcher himself.

2. In rounders, the player who stands immediately behind the striking base.

3. In cricket, the longstop; also, the wicket keeper.

BACKSTRESS Back"stress, n.

Defn: A female baker. [Obs.]

BACKSWORD Back"sword`, n. Etym: [2d back,n.+ sword.]

1. A sword with one sharp edge.

2. In England, a stick with a basket handle, used in rustic amusements; also, the game in which the stick is used. Also called singlestick. Halliwell.

BACKWARD; BACKWARDS Back"ward, Back"wards, adv. Etym: [Back, adv. + -ward.]

1. With the back in advance or foremost; as, to ride backward.

2. Toward the back; toward the rear; as, to throw the arms backward.

3. On the back, or with the back downward. Thou wilt fall backward. Shak.

4. Toward, or in, past time or events; ago. Some reigns backward. Locke.

5. By way of reflection; reflexively. Sir J. Davies.

6. From a better to a worse state, as from honor to shame, from religion to sin. The work went backward. Dryden.

7. In a contrary or reverse manner, way, or direction; contrarily; as, to read backwards. We might have . . . beat them backward home. Shak.

BACKWARD Back"ward, a.

1. Directed to the back or rear; as, backward glances.

2. Unwilling; averse; reluctant; hesitating; loath. For wiser brutes were backward to be slaves. Pope.

3. Not well advanced in learning; not quick of apprehension; dull; inapt; as, a backward child. "The backward learner." South.

4. Late or behindhand; as, a backward season.

5. Not advanced in civilization; undeveloped; as, the country or region is in a backward state.

6. Already past or gone; bygone. [R.] And flies unconscious o'er each backward year. Byron.

BACKWARD Back"ward, n.

Defn: The state behind or past. [Obs.] In the dark backward and abysm of time. Shak.

BACKWARD Back"ward, v. i.

Defn: To keep back; to hinder. [Obs.]

BACKWARDATION Back`war*da"tion, n. Etym: [Backward, v.i.+ -ation.] (Stock Exchange)

Defn: The seller's postponement of delivery of stock or shares, with the consent of the buyer, upon payment of a premium to the latter; — also, the premium so paid. See Contango. Biddle.

BACKWARDLY Back"ward*ly, adv.

1. Reluctantly; slowly; aversely. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney.

2. Perversely; ill.[Obs.] And does he think so backwardly of me Shak.

BACKWARDNESS Back"ward*ness, n.

Defn: The state of being backward.

BACKWASH Back"wash`, v. i.

Defn: To clean the oil from (wood) after combing.

BACKWATER Back"wa`ter, n. Etym: [Back, a. or adv. + -ward. ]

1. Water turned back in its course by an obstruction, an opposing current , or the flow of the tide, as in a sewer or river channel, or across a river bar.

2. An accumulation of water overflowing the low lands, caused by an obstruction.

3. Water thrown back by the turning of a waterwheel, or by the paddle wheels of a steamer.

BACKWOODS Back"woods", n. pl. Etym: [Back, a. + woods.]

Defn: The forests or partly cleared grounds on the frontiers.

BACKWOODSMAN Back"woods"man, n.; pl. Backwoodsmen (.

Defn: A men living in the forest in or beyond the new settlements, especially on the western frontiers of the older portions of the United States. Fisher Ames.

BACKWORM Back"worm`, n. Etym: [2d back,n.+ worm. ]

Defn: A disease of hawks. See Filanders. Wright.

BACON Ba"con, n. Etym: [OF. bacon, fr. OHG. bacho, bahho, flitch of bacon, ham; akin to E. back. Cf. Back the back side.]

Defn: The back and sides of a pig salted and smoked; formerly, the flesh of a pig salted or fresh. Bacon beetle (Zoöl.), a beetle (Dermestes lardarius) which, especially in the larval state, feeds upon bacon, woolens, furs, etc. See Dermestes. — To save one's bacon, to save one's self or property from harm or less. [Colloq.]

BACONIAN Ba*co"ni*an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Lord Bacon, or to his system of philosophy. Baconian method, the inductive method. See Induction.

BACTERIA Bac*te"ri*a, n.p.

Defn: See Bacterium.

BACTERIAL Bac*te"ri*al, a. (Biol.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to bacteria.

BACTERICIDAL Bac*te"ri*ci`dal, a.

Defn: Destructive of bacteria.

BACTERICIDE Bac*te"ri*cide, n. Etym: [Bacterium + L. caedere to kill] (Biol.)

Defn: Same as Germicide.

BACTERIN Bac"te*rin, n. (Med.)

Defn: A bacterial vaccine.

BACTERIOLOGICAL Bac*te"ri*o*log`ic*al, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to bacteriology; as, bacteriological studies.

BACTERIOLOGIST Bac*te"ri*ol`o*gist, n.

Defn: One skilled in bacteriology.

BACTERIOLOGY Bac*te"ri*ol`o*gy, n. Etym: [Bacterium + -logy. ] (Biol.)

Defn: The science relating to bacteria.

BACTERIOLYSIS Bac*te`ri*ol"y*sis, n. [NL.; fr. Gr. , , a staff + a loosing.]

1. Chemical decomposition brought about by bacteria without the addition of oxygen.

2. The destruction or dissolution of bacterial cells. — Bac*te`ri*o*lyt"ic (#), a.

BACTERIOSCOPIC Bac*te`ri*o*scop"ic, a. (Biol.)

Defn: Relating to bacterioscopy; as, a bacterioscopic examination.

BACTERIOSCOPIST Bac*te`ri*os"co*pist, n. (Biol.)

Defn: One skilled in bacterioscopic examinations.

BACTERIOSCOPY Bac*te`ri*os"co*py, n. Etym: [Bacterium + -scopy ] (Biol.)

Defn: The application of a knowledge of bacteria for their detection and identification, as in the examination of polluted water.

BACTERIUM Bac*te"ri*um, n.; pl. Bacteria. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr., , a staff: cf. F. bactérie. ] (Biol.)

Defn: A microscopic vegetable organism, belonging to the class Algæ, usually in the form of a jointed rodlike filament, and found in putrefying organic infusions. Bacteria are destitute of chlorophyll, and are the smallest of microscopic organisms. They are very widely diffused in nature, and multiply with marvelous rapidity, both by fission and by spores. Certain species are active agents in fermentation, while others appear to be the cause of certain infectious diseases. See Bacillus.

BACTEROID; BACTEROIDAL Bac"te*roid, Bac`te*roid"al, a. Etym: [Bacterium + -oid.] (Biol.)

Defn: Resembling bacteria; as, bacteroid particles.

BACTRIAN Bac"tri*an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Bactria in Asia. — n.

Defn: A native of Bactria. Bactrian camel, the two-humped camel.

BACULE Bac"ule, n. Etym: [F.] (Fort.)

Defn: See Bascule.

BACULINE Bac"u*line, a. Etym: [L. baculum staff.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the rod or punishment with the rod.

BACULITE Bac"u*lite, n. Etym: [L. baculune stick, staff; cf. F. baculite.] (Paleon.)

Defn: A cephalopod of the extinct genus Baculites, found fossil in the Cretaceous rocks. It is like an uncoiled ammonite.

BACULOMETRY Bac`u*lom"e*try, n. Etym: [L. baculum staff + -metry]

Defn: Measurement of distance or altitude by a staff or staffs.

BAD Bad, imp.

Defn: of Bid. Bade. [Obs.] Dryden.

BAD Bad, a. [Compar. Worse; superl. Worst. ] Etym: [Probably fr. AS. bæddel hermaphrodite; cf. bædling effeminate fellow.]

Defn: Wanting good qualities, whether physical or moral; injurious, hurtful, inconvenient, offensive, painful, unfavorable, or defective, either physically or morally; evil; vicious; wicked; — the opposite of good; as a bad man; bad conduct; bad habits; bad soil; bad health; bad crop; bad news.

Note: Sometimes used substantively. The strong antipathy of good to bad. Pope.

Syn. — Pernicious; deleterious; noxious; baneful; injurious; hurtful; evil; vile; wretched; corrupt; wicked; vicious; imperfect.

BADAUD Ba`daud", n. [F.]

Defn: A person given to idle observation of everything, with wonder or astonishment; a credulous or gossipy idler.

A host of stories . . . dealing chiefly with the subject of his great wealth, an ever delightful topic to the badauds of Paris. Pall Mall Mag.

BADDER Bad"der,

Defn: compar. of Bad, a. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BADDERLOCKS Bad"der*locks, n. Etym: [Perh. for Balderlocks, fr. Balder the Scandinavian deity.] (Bot.)

Defn: A large black seaweed (Alaria esculenta) sometimes eaten in Europe; — also called murlins, honeyware, and henware.

BADDISH Bad"dish, a.

Defn: Somewhat bad; inferior. Jeffrey.

BADE Bade.

Defn: A form of the pat tense of Bid.

BADGE Badge, n. Etym: [LL. bagea, bagia, sign, prob. of German origin; cf. AS. beág, beáh, bracelet, collar, crown, OS b in comp., AS. b to bow, bend, G. biegen. See Bow to bend.]

1. A distinctive mark, token, sign, or cognizance, worn on the person; as, the badge of a society; the badge of a policeman. "Tax gatherers, recognized by their official badges. " Prescott.

2. Something characteristic; a mark; a token. Sweet mercy is nobility's true badge. Shak.

3. (Naut.)

Defn: A carved ornament on the stern of a vessel, containing a window or the representation of one.

BADGE Badge, v. t.

Defn: To mark or distinguish with a badge.

BADGELESS Badge"less, a.

Defn: Having no badge. Bp. Hall.

BADGER Badg"er, n. Etym: [Of uncertain origin; perh. fr. an old verb badge to lay up provisions to sell again.]

Defn: An itinerant licensed dealer in commodities used for food; a hawker; a huckster; — formerly applied especially to one who bought grain in one place and sold it in another. [Now dialectic, Eng.]

BADGER Badg"er, n. Etym: [OE. bageard, prob. fr. badge + -ard, in reference to the white mark on its forehead. See Badge,n.]

1. A carnivorous quadruped of the genus Meles or of an allied genus. It is a burrowing animal, with short, thick legs, and long claws on the fore feet. One species (M. vulgaris), called also brock, inhabits the north of Europe and Asia; another species (Taxidea Americana or Labradorica) inhabits the northern parts of North America. See Teledu.

2. A brush made of badgers' hair, used by artists. Badger dog. (Zoöl.) See Dachshund.

BADGER Badg"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Badgered (p. pr. & vb. n. Badgering.] Etym: [For sense 1, see 2d Badger; for 2, see 1st Badger.]

1. To tease or annoy, as a badger when baited; to worry or irritate persistently.

2. To beat down; to cheapen; to barter; to bargain.

BADGERER Badg"er*er, n.

1. One who badgers.

2. A kind of dog used in badger baiting.

BADGER GAME Badg"er game.

Defn: The method of blackmailing by decoying a person into a compromising situation and extorting money by threats of exposure. [Cant]

BADGERING Badg"er*ing, n.

1. The act of one who badgers.

2. The practice of buying wheat and other kinds of food in one place and selling them in another for a profit. [Prov. Eng.]

BADGER-LEGGED Badg"er-legged`, a.

Defn: Having legs of unequal length, as the badger was thought to have. Shak.

BADGER STATE Badger State.

Defn: Wisconsin; — a nickname.

BADIAGA Bad`i*a"ga, n. Etym: [Russ. badiaga.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A fresh-water sponge (Spongilla), common in the north of Europe, the powder of which is used to take away the livid marks of bruises.

BADIAN Ba"di*an, n. Etym: [F.badiane, fr. Per. badian anise.] (Bot.)

Defn: An evergreen Chinese shrub of the Magnolia family (Illicium anisatum), and its aromatic seeds; Chinese anise; star anise.

BADIGEON Ba*di"geon, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A cement or paste (as of plaster and freestone, or of sawdust and glue or lime) used by sculptors, builders, and workers in wood or stone, to fill holes, cover defects, or finish a surface.

BADINAGE Ba`di`nage", n. Etym: [F., fr. badiner to joke, OF. to trifle, be silly, fr. badin silly.]

Defn: Playful raillery; banter. "He . . . indulged himself only in an elegant badinage." Warburton.

BAD LANDS Bad" lands".

Defn: Barren regions, especially in the western United States, where horizontal strata (Tertiary deposits) have been often eroded into fantastic forms, and much intersected by canons, and where lack of wood, water, and forage increases the difficulty of traversing the country, whence the name, first given by the Canadian French, Mauvaises Terres (bad lands).

BADLY Bad"ly, adv.

Defn: In a bad manner; poorly; not well; unskillfully; imperfectly; unfortunately; grievously; so as to cause harm; disagreeably; seriously.

Note: Badly is often used colloquially for very much or very greatly, with words signifying to want or need.

BADMINTON Bad"min*ton, n. Etym: [From the name of the seat of the Duke of Beaufort in England.]

1. A game, similar to lawn tennis, played with shuttlecocks.

2. A preparation of claret, spiced and sweetened.

BADNESS Bad"ness, n.

Defn: The state of being bad.

BAENOMERE Bæ"no*mere, n. Etym: [Gr. to walk + -mere.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the somites (arthromeres) that make up the thorax of Arthropods. Packard.

BAENOPOD Bæ"no*pod, n. Etym: [Gr. -pod.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the thoracic legs of Arthropods.

BAENOSOME Bæ"no*some, n. Etym: [Gr. -some body.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The thorax of Arthropods. Packard.

BAETULUS Bæ"tu*lus, n.; pl. Bætuli (#). [L., fr. Gr. bai`tylos a sacred meteorite.] (Antiq.)

Defn: A meteorite, or similar rude stone artificially shaped, held sacred or worshiped as of divine origin.

All the evidence goes to prove that these menhirs are bætuli, i. e., traditional and elementary images of the deity. I. Gonino (Perrot & Chipiez).

BAFF Baff, n.

Defn: A blow; a stroke. [Scot.] H. Miller.

BAFFLE Baf"fle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Baffled (p. pr. & vb. n. Baffling (.] Etym: [Cf. Lowland Scotch bauchle to treat contemptuously, bauch tasteless, abashed, jaded, Icel. bagr uneasy, poor, or bagr, n., struggle, bægja to push, treat harshly, OF. beffler, beffer, to mock, deceive, dial. G. bäppe mouth, beffen to bark, chide.]

1. To cause to undergo a disgraceful punishment, as a recreant knight. [Obs.] He by the heels him hung upon a tree, And baffled so, that all which passed by The picture of his punishment might see. Spenser.

2. To check by shifts and turns; to elude; to foil. The art that baffles time's tyrannic claim. Cowper.

3. To check by perplexing; to disconcert, frustrate, or defeat; to thwart. "A baffled purpose." De Quincey. A suitable scripture ready to repel and baffle them all. South. Calculations so difficult as to have baffled, until within a . . . recent period, the most enlightened nations. Prescott. The mere intricacy of a question should not baffle us. Locke. Baffling wind (Naut.), one that frequently shifts from one point to another.

Syn. — To balk; thwart; foil; frustrate; defeat.

BAFFLE Baf"fle, v. i.

1. To practice deceit. [Obs.] Barrow.

2. To struggle against in vain; as, a ship baffles with the winds. [R.]

BAFFLE Baf"fle, n.

Defn: A defeat by artifice, shifts, and turns; discomfiture. [R.] "A baffle to philosophy." South.

BAFFLEMENT Baf"fle*ment, n.

Defn: The process or act of baffling, or of being baffled; frustration; check.

BAFFLER Baf"fler, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, baffles.

BAFFLING Baf"fling, a.

Defn: Frustrating; discomfiting; disconcerting; as, baffling currents, winds, tasks. — Bafflingly, adv. — Bafflingness, n.

BAFFY Baff"y (baf"y), n. [See Baff, v. t.] (Golf)

Defn: A short wooden club having a deeply concave face, seldom used.

BAFT Baft. n.

Defn: Same as Bafta.

BAFTA Baf"ta, n. Etym: [Cf. Per. baft. woven, wrought.]

Defn: A coarse stuff, usually of cotton, originally made in India. Also, an imitation of this fabric made for export.

BAG Bag, n. Etym: [OE. bagge; cf. Icel. baggi, and also OF. bague, bundle, LL. baga.]

1. A sack or pouch, used for holding anything; as, a bag of meal or of money.

2. A sac, or dependent gland, in animal bodies, containing some fluid or other substance; as, the bag of poison in the mouth of some serpents; the bag of a cow.

3. A sort of silken purse formerly tied about men's hair behind, by way of ornament. [Obs.]

4. The quantity of game bagged.

5. (Com.)

Defn: A certain quantity of a commodity, such as it is customary to carry to market in a sack; as, a bag of pepper or hops; a bag of coffee. Bag and baggage, all that belongs to one. — To give one the bag, to disappoint him. [Obs.] Bunyan.

BAG Bag, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bagged(p. pr. & vb. n. Bagging]

1. To put into a bag; as, to bag hops.

2. To seize, capture, or entrap; as, to bag an army; to bag game.

3. To furnish or load with a bag or with a well filled bag. A bee bagged with his honeyed venom. Dryden.

BAG Bag, v. i.

1. To swell or hang down like a full bag; as, the skin bags from containing morbid matter.

2. To swell with arrogance. [Obs.] Chaucer.

3. To become pregnant. [Obs.] Warner. (Alb. Eng. ).

BAGASSE Ba*gasse", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: Sugar cane, as it

BAGATELLE Bag`a*telle", n. Etym: [F., fr. It. bagatella; cf. Prov. It. bagata trifle, OF. bague, Pr. bagua, bundle. See Bag, n.]

1. A trifle; a thing of no importance. Rich trifles, serious bagatelles. Prior.

2. A game played on an oblong board, having, at one end, cups or arches into or through which balls are to be driven by a rod held in the hand of the player.

BAGGAGE Bag"gage, n. Etym: [F. bagage, from OF. bague bungle. In senses 6 and 7 cf. F. bagasse a prostitute. See Bag, n.]

1. The clothes, tents, utensils, and provisions of an army.

Note: "The term itself is made to apply chiefly to articles of clothing and to small personal effects." Farrow.

2. The trunks, valises, satchels, etc., which a traveler carries with him on a journey; luggage. The baronet's baggage on the roof of the coach. Thackeray. We saw our baggage following below. Johnson.

Note: The English usually call this luggage.

3. Purulent matter. [Obs.] Barrough.

4. Trashy talk. [Obs.] Ascham.

5. A man of bad character. [Obs.] Holland.

6. A woman of loose morals; a prostitute. A disreputable, daring, laughing, painted French baggage. Thackeray.

7. A romping, saucy girl. [Playful] Goldsmith.

BAGGAGE MASTER Bag"gage mas`ter.

Defn: One who has charge of the baggage at a railway station or upon a line of public travel. [U.S.]

BAGGAGER Bag"ga*ger, n.

Defn: One who takes care of baggage; a camp follower. [Obs.] Sir W. Raleigh.

BAGGALA Bag"ga*la, n. Etym: [Ar. "fem. of baghl a mule." Balfour.] (Naut.)

Defn: A two-masted Arab or Indian trading vessel, used in Indian Ocean.

BAGGILY Bag"gi*ly, adv.

Defn: In a loose, baggy way.

BAGGING Bag"ging, n.

1. Cloth or other material for bags.

2. The act of putting anything into, or as into, a bag.

3. The act of swelling; swelling.

BAGGING Bag"ging, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]

Defn: Reaping peas, beans, wheat, etc., with a chopping stroke. [Eng.]

BAGGY Bag"gy, a.

Defn: Resembling a bag; loose or puffed out, or pendent, like a bag; flabby; as, baggy trousers; baggy cheeks.

BAGMAN Bag"man, n.; pl. Bagmen (.

Defn: A commercial traveler; one employed to solicit orders for manufacturers and tradesmen. Thackeray.

BAG NET Bag" net`.

Defn: A bag-shaped net for catching fish.

BAGNIO Bagn"io, n. Etym: [It. bagno, fr. L. balneum. Cf. Bain.]

1. A house for bathing, sweating, etc.; — also, in Turkey, a prison for slaves. [Obs.]

2. A brothel; a stew; a house of prostitution.

BAGPIPE Bag"pipe, n.

Defn: A musical wind instrument, now used chiefly in the Highlands of Scotland.

Note: It consists of a leather bag, which receives the air by a tube that is stopped by a valve; and three sounding pipes, into which the air is pressed by the performer. Two of these pipes produce fixed tones, namely, the bass, or key tone, and its fifth, and form together what is called the drone; the third, or chanter, gives the melody.

BAGPIPE Bag"pipe, v. t.

Defn: To make to look like a bagpipe. To bagpipe the mizzen (Naut.), to lay it aback by bringing the sheet to the mizzen rigging. Totten.

BAGPIPER Bag"pip`er, n.

Defn: One who plays on a bagpipe; a piper. Shak.

BAGREEF Bag"reef`, n. Etym: [Bag + reef.] (Naut.)

Defn: The lower reef of fore and aft sails; also, the upper reef of topsails. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

BAGUE Bague, n. Etym: [F., a ring] (Arch.)

Defn: The annular molding or group of moldings dividing a long shaft or clustered column into two or more parts.

BAGUET; BAGUETTE Ba*guet", Ba*guette", n. Etym: [F. baguette, prop. a rodbacchetta, fr. L. baculum, baculu stick, staff.]

1. (Arch.)

Defn: A small molding, like the astragal, but smaller; a bead.

2. (Zoöl)

Defn: One of the minute bodies seen in the divided nucleoli of some Infusoria after conjugation.

BAGWIG Bag"wig", n.

Defn: A wig, in use in the 18th century, with the hair at the back of the head in a bag.

BAGWORM Bag"worm`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of several lepidopterous insects which construct, in the larval state, a baglike case which they carry about for protection. One species (Platoeceticus Gloveri) feeds on the orange tree. See Basket worm.

BAH Bah, interj.

Defn: An exclamation expressive of extreme contempt. Twenty-five years ago the vile ejaculation, Bah! was utterly unknown to the English public. De Quincey.

BAHADUR; BAHAUDUR Ba*ha"dur Ba*hau"dur, n. [Written also bahawder.] [Hind. bahadur hero, champion.]

Defn: A title of respect or honor given to European officers in East Indian state papers, and colloquially, and among the natives, to distinguished officials and other important personages.

BAHAI Ba*hai" (ba*hi"), n.; pl. Bahais (-hiz).

Defn: A member of the sect of the Babis consisting of the adherents of Baha (Mirza Husain Ali, entitled "Baha 'u 'llah," or, "the Splendor of God"), the elder half brother of Mirza Yahya of Nur, who succeeded the Bab as the head of the Babists. Baha in 1863 declared himself the supreme prophet of the sect, and became its recognized head. There are upwards of 20,000 Bahais in the United States.

BAHAISM Ba*ha"ism, n.

Defn: The religious tenets or practices of the Bahais.

BAHAR Ba*har", n. Etym: [Ar. bahar, from bahara to charge with a load.]

Defn: A weight used in certain parts of the East Indies, varying considerably in different localities, the range being from 223 to 625 pounds.

BAIGNE Baigne, v. i. Etym: [F. baigner to bathe, fr. L. balneum bath.]

Defn: To soak or drench. [Obs.]

BAIGNOIRE Bai`gnoire", n. [Written also baignoir.] [F., lit., bath tub.]

Defn: A box of the lowest tier in a theater. Du Maurier.

BAIL Bail, n. Etym: [F. baille a bucket, pail; cf. LL. bacula, dim. of bacca a sort of vessel. Cf. Bac.]

Defn: A bucket or scoop used in bailing water out of a boat. [Obs.] The bail of a canoe . . . made of a human skull. Capt. Cook.

BAIL Bail, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bailed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bailing.]

1. To lade; to dip and throw; — usually with out; as, to bail water out of a boat. Buckets . . . to bail out the water. Capt. J. Smith.

2. To dip or lade water from; — often with out to express completeness; as, to bail a boat. By the help of a small bucket and our hats we bailed her out. R. H. Dana, Jr.

BAIL Bail, v. Etym: [OF. bailler to give, to deliver, fr. L. bajulare to bear a burden, keep in custody, fr. bajulus

1. To deliver; to release. [Obs.] Ne none there was to rescue her, ne none to bail. Spenser.

2. (Law) (a) To set free, or deliver from arrest, or out of custody, on the undertaking of some other person or persons that he or they will be responsible for the appearance, at a certain day and place, of the person bailed.

Note: The word is applied to the magistrate or the surety. The magistrate bails (but admits to bail is commoner) a man when he liberates him from arrest or imprisonment upon bond given with sureties. The surety bails a person when he procures his release from arrest by giving bond for his appearance. Blackstone. (b) To deliver, as goods in trust, for some special object or purpose, upon a contract, expressed or implied, that the trust shall be faithfully executed on the part of the bailee, or person intrusted; as, to bail cloth to a tailor to be made into a garment; to bail goods to a carrier. Blackstone. Kent.

BAIL Bail, n. Etym: [OF. bail guardian, administrator, fr. L. bajulus. See Bail to deliver.]

1. Custody; keeping. [Obs.] Silly Faunus now within their bail. Spenser.

2. (Law) (a) The person or persons who procure the release of a prisoner from the custody of the officer, or from imprisonment, by becoming surely for his appearance in court. The bail must be real, substantial bondsmen. Blackstone. A. and B. were bail to the arrest in a suit at law. Kent.

(b) The security given for the appearance of a prisoner in order to obtain his release from custody of the officer; as, the man is out on bail; to go bail for any one. Excessive bail ought not to be required. Blackstone.

BAIL Bail, n. Etym: [OE. beyl; cf. Dan. böile an bending, ring, hoop, Sw. bögel, bygel, and Icel. beyla hump, swelling, akin to E. bow to bend.]

1. The arched handle of a kettle, pail, or similar vessel, usually movable. Forby.

2. A half hoop for supporting the cover of a carrier's wagon, awning of a boat, etc.

BAIL Bail, n. Etym: [OF. bail, baille. See Bailey.]

1. (Usually pl.)

Defn: A line of palisades serving as an exterior defense. [Written also bayle.] [Obs.]

2. The outer wall of a feudal castle. Hence: The space inclosed by it; the outer court. Holinshed.

3. A certain limit within a forest. [Eng.]

4. A division for the stalls of an open stable.

5. (Cricket)

Defn: The top or cross piece ( or either of the two cross pieces) of the wicket.

BAILABLE Bail"a*ble, a.

1. Having the right or privilege of being admitted to bail, upon bond with sureties; — used of persons. "He's bailable, I'm sure." Ford.

2. Admitting of bail; as, a bailable offense.

3. That can be delivered in trust; as, bailable goods.

BAIL BOND Bail" bond`. (Law) (a) A bond or obligation given by a prisoner and his surety, to insure the prisoner's appearance in court, at the return of the writ. (b) Special bail in court to abide the judgment. Bouvier.

BAILEE Bail`ee", n. Etym: [OF. baillé, p.p. of bailler. See Bail to deliver.] (Law)

Defn: The person to whom goods are committed in trust, and who has a temporary possession and a qualified property in them, for the purposes of the trust. Blackstone.

Note: In penal statutes the word includes those who receive goods for another in good faith. Wharton.

BAILER Bail"er, n. (Law)

Defn: See Bailor.

BAILER Bail"er, n.

1. One who bails or lades.

2. A utensil, as a bucket or cup, used in bailing; a machine for bailing water out of a pit.

BAILEY Bai"ley, n. Etym: [The same word as bail line of palisades; cf. LL. ballium bailey, OF. bail, baille, a palisade, baillier to inclose, shut.]

1. The outer wall of a feudal castle. [Obs.]

2. The space immediately within the outer wall of a castle or fortress. [Obs.]

3. A prison or court of justice; — used in certain proper names; as, the Old Bailey in London; the New Bailey in Manchester. [Eng.] Oxf. Gloss.

BAILIE Bail"ie, n. Etym: [See Bailiff.]

Defn: An officer in Scotland, whose office formerly corresponded to that of sheriff, but now corresponds to that of an English alderman.

BAILIFF Bail"iff, n. Etym: [OF. baillif, F. bailli, custodiabajulus porter. See Bail to deliver.]

1. Originally, a person put in charge of something especially, a chief officer, magistrate, or keeper, as of a county, town, hundred, or castle; one to whom power Abbott. Lausanne is under the canton of Berne, governed by a bailiff sent every three years from the senate. Addison.

2. (Eng. Law)

Defn: A sheriff's deputy, appointed to make arrests, collect fines, summon juries, etc.

Note: In American law the term bailiff is seldom used except sometimes to signify a sheriff's officer or constable, or a party liable to account to another for the rent and profits of real estate. Burrill.

3. An overseer or under steward of an estate, who directs husbandry operations, collects rents, etc. [Eng.]

BAILIFFWICK Bail"iff*wick, n.

Defn: See Bailiwick. [Obs.]

BAILIWICK Bail"i*wick, n. Etym: [Bailie, bailiff + wick a village.] (Law)

Defn: The precincts within which a bailiff has jurisdiction; the limits of a bailiff's authority.

BAILLIE Bail"lie, n.

1. Bailiff. [Obs.]

2. Same as Bailie. [Scot.]

BAILMENT Bail"ment, n.

1. (Law)

Defn: The action of bailing a person accused. Bailment . . . is the saving or delivery of a man out of prison before he hath satisfied the law. Dalton.

2. (Law)

Defn: A delivery of goods or money by one person to another in trust, for some special purpose, upon a contract, expressed or implied, that the trust shall be faithfully executed. Blackstone.

Note: In a general sense it is sometimes used as comprehending all duties in respect to property. Story.

BAILOR Bail`or", n. (Law)

Defn: One who delivers goods or money to another in trust.

BAILPIECE Bail"piece`, n. (Law)

Defn: A piece of parchment, or paper, containing a recognizance or bail bond.

BAILY'S BEADS Bai"ly's beads. (Astron.)

Defn: A row of bright spots observed in connection with total eclipses of the sun. Just before and after a total eclipse, the slender, unobscured crescent of the sun's disk appears momentarily like a row of bright spots resembling a string of beads. The phenomenon (first fully described by Francis Baily, 1774 — 1844) is thought to be an effect of irradiation, and of inequalities of the moon's edge.

BAIN Bain, n. Etym: [F. bain, fr. L. balneum. Cf. Bagnio.]

Defn: A bath; a bagnio. [Obs.] Holland.

BAIN-MARIE Bain`-ma`rie", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A vessel for holding hot water in which another vessel may be heated without scorching its contents; — used for warming or preparing food or pharmaceutical preparations.

BAIRAM Bai"ram, n. Etym: [Turk. baïram.]

Defn: The name of two Mohammedan festivals, of which one is held at the close of the fast called Ramadan, and the other seventy days after the fast.

BAIRN Bairn, n. Etym: [Scot. bairn, AS. bearn, fr. beran to bear; akin to Icel., OS., &Goth. barn. See Bear to support.]

Defn: A child. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.] Has he not well provided for the bairn ! Beau. & Fl.

BAISEMAINS Baise"mains`, n. pl. Etym: [F., fr. baiser to kiss + mains hands.]

Defn: Respects; compliments. [Obs.]

BAIT Bait, n. Etym: [Icel. beita food, beit pasture, akin to AS. bat food, Sw. bete. See Bait, v. i.]

1. Any substance, esp. food, used in catching fish, or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, inclosure, or net.

2. Anything which allures; a lure; enticement; temptation. Fairfax.

3. A portion of food or drink, as a refreshment taken on a journey; also, a stop for rest and refreshment.

4. A light or hasty luncheon. Bait bug (Zoöl), a crustacean of the genus Hippa found burrowing in sandy beaches. See Anomura.

BAIT Bait, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Baited; p. pr. & vb. n. Baiting.] Etym: [OE. baiten, beit, to feed, harass, fr. Icel. beita, orig. to cause to bite, fr. bita. sq. root87. See Bite.]

1. To provoke and harass; esp., to harass or torment for sport; as, to bait a bear with dogs; to bait a bull.

2. To give a portion of food and drink to, upon the road; as, to bait horses. Holland.

3. To furnish or cover with bait, as a trap or hook. A crooked pin . . . bailed with a vile earthworm. W. Irving.

BAIT Bait, v. i.

Defn: To stop to take a portion of food and drink for refreshment of one's self or one's beasts, on a journey. Evil news rides post, while good news baits. Milton. My lord's coach conveyed me to Bury, and thence baiting aEvelyn.

BAIT Bait, v. i. Etym: [F. battre de l'aile (or des ailes), to flap oBatter, v. i.]

Defn: To flap the wings; to flutter as if to fly; or to hover, as a hawk when she stoops to her prey. "Kites that bait and beat." Shak.

BAITER Bait"er, n.

Defn: One who baits; a tormentor.

BAIZE Baize, n. Etym: [For bayes, pl. fr. OF. baie; cf. F. bai bay-colored. See Bay a color.]

Defn: A coarse woolen stuff with a long nap; — usually dyed in plain colors. A new black baize waistcoat lined with silk. Pepys.

BAJOCCO Ba*joc"co, n. Etym: [It., fr. bajo brown, bay, from its color.]

Defn: A small cooper coin formerly current in the Roman States, worth about a cent and a half.

BAKE Bake, v. t. [imp.& p. p. Baked; p. pr. & vb. n. Baking.] Etym: [AS. bacan; akin to D. bakken, OHG. bacchan, G. backen, Icel. & Sw. baca, Dan. bage, Gr.

1. To prepare, as food, by cooking in a dry heat, either in an oven or under coals, or on heated stone or metal; as, to bake bread, meat, apples.

Note: Baking is the term usually applied to that method of cooking which exhausts the moisture in food more than roasting or broiling; but the distinction of meaning between roasting and baking is not always observed.

2. To dry or harden (anything) by subjecting to heat, as, to bake bricks; the sun bakes the ground.

3. To harden by cold. The earth . . . is baked with frost. Shak. They bake their sides upon the cold, hard stone. Spenser.

BAKE Bake, v. i.

1. To do the work of baking something; as, she brews, washes, and bakes. Shak.

2. To be baked; to become dry and hard in heat; as, the bread bakes; the ground bakes in the hot sun.

BAKE Bake, n.

Defn: The process, or result, of baking.

BAKEHOUSE Bake"house`, n. Etym: [AS. bæch. See Bak, v. i., and House.]

Defn: A house for baking; a bakery.

BAKEMEAT; BAKED-MEAT Bake"meat`, Baked"-meat`, n.

Defn: A pie; baked food. [Obs.] Gen. xl. 17. Shak.

BAKEN Bak"en,

Defn: p. p. of Bake. [Obs. or. Archaic]

BAKER Bak"er, n. Etym: [AS. bæcere. See Bake, v. i.]

1. One whose business it is to bake bread, biscuit, etc.

2. A portable oven in which baking is done. [U.S.] A baker's dozen, thirteen. — Baker foot, a distorted foot. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor. — Baker's itch, a rash on the back of the hand, caused by the irritating properties of yeast. — Baker's salt, the subcarbonate of ammonia, sometimes used instead of soda, in making bread.

BAKER-LEGGED Bak"er-legged`, a.

Defn: Having legs that bend inward at the knees.

BAKERY Bak"er*y, n.

1. The trade of a baker. [R.]

2. The place for baking bread; a bakehouse.

BAKING Bak"ing, n.

1. The act or process of cooking in an oven, or of drying and hardening by heat or cold.

2. The quantity baked at once; a batch; as, a baking of bread. Baking powder, a substitute for yeast, usually consisting of an acid, a carbonate, and a little farinaceous matter.

BAKINGLY Bak"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a hot or baking manner.

BAKISTRE Bak"is*tre, n. Etym: [See Baxter.]

Defn: A baker. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BAKSHEESH; BAKSHISH Bak"sheesh`, Bak"shish`, n.

Defn: Same as Backsheesh.

BALAAM Ba"laam, n.

Defn: A paragraph describing something wonderful, used to fill out a newspaper column; — an allusion to the miracle of Balaam's ass speaking. Numb. xxii. 30. [Cant] Balaam basket or box (Print.), the receptacle for rejected articles. Blackw. Mag.

BALACHONG Bal"a*chong, n. Etym: [Malay balachan.]

Defn: A condiment formed of small fishes or shrimps, pounded up with salt and spices, and then dried. It is much esteemed in China.

BALAENOIDEA Bal`æ*noi"de*a, n. Etym: [NL., from L. balaena whale + -oid.] (Zoöl)

Defn: A division of the Cetacea, including the right whale and all other whales having the mouth fringed with baleen. See Baleen.

BALANCE Bal"ance, n. Etym: [OE. balaunce, F. balance, fr. L. bilan, bilancis, having two scales; bis twice (akin to E. two) + lanx plate, scale.]

1. An apparatus for weighing.

Note: In its simplest form, a balance consists of a beam or lever supported exactly in the middle, having two scales or basins of equal weight suspended from its extremities. Another form is that of the Roman balance, our steelyard, consisting of a lever or beam, suspended near one of its extremities, on the longer arm of which a counterpoise slides. The name is also given to other forms of apparatus for weighing bodies, as to the combinations of levers making up platform scales; and even to devices for weighing by the elasticity of a spring.

2. Act of weighing mentally; comparison; estimate. A fair balance of the advantages on either side. Atterbury.

3. Equipoise between the weights in opposite scales.

4. The state of being in equipoise; equilibrium; even adjustment; steadiness. And hung a bottle on each side To make his balance true. Cowper. The order and balance of the country were destroyed. Buckle. English workmen completely lose their balance. J. S. Mill.

5. An equality between the sums total of the two sides of an account; as, to bring one's accounts to a balance; — also, the excess on either side; as, the balance of an account. " A balance at the banker's. " Thackeray. I still think the balance of probabilities leans towards the account given in the text. J. Peile.

6. (Horol.)

Defn: A balance wheel, as of a watch, or clock. See Balance wheel (in the Vocabulary).

7. (Astron.) (a) The constellation Libra. (b) The seventh sign in the Zodiac, called Libra, which the sun enters at the equinox in September.

8. A movement in dancing. See Balance, v. i., S. Balance electrometer, a kind of balance, with a poised beam, which indicates, by weights suspended from one arm, the mutual attraction of oppositely electrified surfaces. Knight. — Balance fish. (Zoöl) See Hammerhead. — Balance knife, a carving or table knife the handle of which overbalances the blade, and so keeps it from contact with the table. — Balance of power. (Politics), such an adjustment of power among sovereign states that no one state is in a position to interfere with the independence of the others; international equilibrium; also, the ability ( of a state or a third party within a state) to control the relations between sovereign states or between dominant parties in a state. — Balance sheet (Bookkeeping), a paper showing the balances of the open accounts of a business, the debit and credit balances footing up equally, if the system of accounts be complete and the balances correctly taken. — Balance thermometer, a thermometer mounted as a balance so that the movement of the mercurial column changes the indication of the tube. With the aid of electrical or mechanical devices adapted to it, it is used for the automatic regulation of the temperature of rooms warmed artificially, and as a fire alarm. — Balance of torsion. See Torsion Balance. — Balance of trade (Pol. Econ.), an equilibrium between the money values of the exports and imports of a country; or more commonly, the amount required on one side or the other to make such an equilibrium. — Balance valve, a valve whose surfaces are so arranged that the fluid pressure tending to seat, and that tending to unseat the valve, are nearly in equilibrium; esp., a puppet valve which is made to operate easily by the admission of steam to both sides. See Puppet valve. — Hydrostatic balance. See under Hydrostatic. — To lay in balance, to put up as a pledge or security. [Obs.] Chaucer. — To strike a balance, to find out the difference between the debit and credit sides of an account.

BALANCE Bal"ance, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Balanced (p. pr. & vb. n. Balancing ( Etym: [From Balance, n.: cf. F. balancer. ]

1. To bring to an equipoise, as the scales of a balance by adjusting the weights; to weigh in a balance.

2. To support on a narrow base, so as to keep from falling; as, to balance a plate on the end of a cane; to balance one's self on a tight rope.

3. To equal in number, weight, force, or proportion; to counterpoise, counterbalance, counteract, or neutralize. One expression . . . must check and balance another. Kent.

4. To compare in relative force, importance, value, etc.; to estimate. Balance the good and evil of things. L'Estrange.

5. To settle and adjust, as an account; to make two accounts equal by paying the difference between them. I am very well satisfied that it is not in my power to balance accounts with my Maker. Addison.

6. To make the sums of the debits and credits of an account equal; — said of an item; as, this payment, or credit, balances the account.

7. To arrange accounts in such a way that the sum total of the debits is equal to the sum total of the credits; as, to balance a set of books.

8. (Dancing)

Defn: To move toward, and then back from, reciprocally; as, to balance partners.

9. (Naut.)

Defn: To contract, as a sail, into a narrower compass; as, to balance the boom mainsail. Balanced valve. See Balance valve, under Balance, n.

Syn. — To poise; weigh; adjust; counteract; neutralize; equalize.

BALANCE Bal"ance, v. i.

1. To have equal weight on each side; to be in equipoise; as, the scales balance.

2. To fluctuate between motives which appear of equal force; to waver; to hesitate. He would not balance or err in the determination of his choice. Locke.

3. (Dancing)

Defn: To move toward a person or couple, and then back.

BALANCEABLE Bal"ance*a*ble, a.

Defn: Such as can be balanced.

BALANCEMENT Bal"ance*ment, n.

Defn: The act or result of balancing or adjusting; equipoise; even adjustment of forces. [R.] Darwin.

BALANCER Bal"an*cer, n.

1. One who balances, or uses a balance.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: In Diptera, the rudimentary posterior wing.

BALANCEREEF Bal"ance*reef`, n. (Naut.)

Defn: The last reef in a fore-and-aft sail, taken to steady the ship.

BALANCE WHEEL Bal"ance wheel`.

1. (Horology) (a) A wheel which regulates the beats or pulses of a watch or chronometer, answering to the pendulum of a clock; — often called simply a balance. (b) A ratchet-shaped scape wheel, which in some watches is acted upon by the axis of the balance wheel proper (in those watches called a balance).

2. (Mach.)

Defn: A wheel which imparts regularity to the movements of any engine or machine; a fly wheel.

BALANIFEROUS Bal`a*nif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. balanus acorn + -ferous.]

Defn: Bearing or producing acorns.

BALANITE Bal"a*nite, n. Etym: [L. balanus acorn: cf. F. balanite.] (Paleon.)

Defn: A fossil balanoid shell.

BALANOGLOSSUS Bal`a*no*glos"sus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl)

Defn: A peculiar marine worm. See Enteropneusta, and Tornaria.

BALANOID Bal"a*noid, a. Etym: [Gr. -oid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Resembling an acorn; — applied to a group of barnacles having shells shaped like acorns. See Acornshell, and Barnacle.

BALAS RUBY Bal"as ru`by. Etym: [OE. bales, balais, F. balais, LL. balascus, fr. Ar. balakhsh, so called from Badakhshan, Balashan, or Balaxiam, a place in the neighborhood of Samarcand, where this ruby is found.] (Min.)

Defn: A variety of spinel ruby, of a pale rose red, or inclining to orange. See Spinel.

BALATA Bal"a*ta, n. [Sp., prob. fr. native name.]

1.

Defn: A West Indian sapotaceous tree (Bumelia retusa).

2. The bully tree (Minusops globosa); also, its milky juice (balata gum), which when dried constitutes an elastic gum called chicle, or chicle gum.

BALAUSTINE Ba*laus"tine, n. Etym: [L. balaustium, Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: The pomegranate tree (Punica granatum). The bark of the root, the rind of the fruit, and the flowers are used medicinally.

BALAYEUSE Ba`la`yeuse", n. [F., lit., a female sweeper.]

Defn: A protecting ruffle or frill, as of silk or lace, sewed close to the lower edge of a skirt on the inside.

BALBUTIATE; BALBUCINATE Bal*bu"ti*ate, Bal*bu"ci*nate, v. i. Etym: [L. balbutire, fr. balbus stammering: cf. F. balbutier.]

Defn: To stammer. [Obs.]

BALBUTIES Bal*bu"ti*es, n. (Med.)

Defn: The defect of stammering; also, a kind of incomplete pronunciation.

BALCON Bal"con, n.

Defn: A balcony. [Obs.] Pepys.

BALCONIED Bal"co*nied, a.

Defn: Having balconies.

BALCONY Bal"co*ny, n.; pl. Balconies. Etym: [It. balcone; cf. It. balco, palco, scaffold, fr. OHG. balcho, pa, beam, G. balken. See Balk beam.]

1. (Arch.)

Defn: A platform projecting from the wall of a building, usually resting on brackets or consoles, and inclosed by a parapet; as, a balcony in front of a window. Also, a projecting gallery in places of amusement; as, the balcony in a theater.

2. A projecting gallery once common at the stern of large ships.

Note: "The accent has shifted from the second to the first syllable within these twenty years." Smart (1836).

BALD Bald, a. Etym: [OE. balled, ballid, perh. the p.p. of ball to reduce to the roundness or smoothness of a ball, by removing hair. sq. root85. But cf. W. bali whiteness in a horse's forehead.]

1. Destitute of the natural or common covering on the head or top, as of hair, feathers, foliage, trees, etc.; as, a bald head; a bald oak. On the bald top of an eminence. Wordsworth.

2. Destitute of ornament; unadorned; bare; literal. In the preface to his own bald translation. Dryden.

3. Undisguised. " Bald egotism." Lowell.

4. Destitute of dignity or value; paltry; mean. [Obs.]

5. (Bot.)

Defn: Destitute of a beard or awn; as, bald wheat.

6. (Zoöl.) (a) Destitute of the natural covering. (b) Marked with a white spot on the head; bald-faced. Bald buzzard (Zoöl.), the fishhawk or osprey. — Bald coot (Zoöl.), a name of the European coot (Fulica atra), alluding to the bare patch on the front of the head.

BALDACHIN Bal"da*chin, n. Etym: [LL. baldachinus, baldechinus, a canopy of rich silk carried over the host; fr. Bagdad, It. Baldacco, a city in Turkish Asia from whence these rich silks came: cf. It. baldacchino. Cf. Baudekin.]

1. A rich brocade; baudekin. [Obs.]

2. (Arch.)

Defn: A structure in form of a canopy, sometimes supported by columns, and sometimes suspended from the roof or projecting from the wall; generally placed over an altar; as, the baldachin in St. Peter's.

3. A portable canopy borne over shrines, etc., in procession. [Written also baldachino, baldaquin, etc.]

BALD EAGLE Bald" ea"gle. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The white-headed eagle (Haliæetus leucocephalus) of America. The young, until several years old, lack the white feathers on the head.

Note: The bald eagle is represented in the coat of arms, and on the coins, of the United States.

BALDER Bal"der, n. Etym: [Icel. Baldr, akin to E. bold.] (Scan. Myth.)

Defn: The most beautiful and beloved of the gods; the god of peace; the son of Odin and Freya. [Written also Baldur.]

BALDERDASH Bal"der*dash, n. Etym: [Of uncertain origin: cf. Dan. balder noise, clatter, and E. dash; hence, perhaps, unmeaning noise, then hodgepodge, mixture; or W. baldorduss a prattling, baldordd, baldorddi, to prattle.]

1. A worthless mixture, especially of liquors. Indeed beer, by a mixture of wine, hath lost both name and nature, and is called balderdash. Taylor (Drink and Welcome).

2. Senseless jargon; ribaldry; nonsense; trash.

BALDERDASH Bal"der*dash, v. t.

Defn: To mix or adulterate, as liquors. The wine merchants of Nice brew and balderdash, and even mix it with pigeon's dung and quicklime. Smollett.

BALD-FACED Bald"-faced`, a.

Defn: Having a white face or a white mark on the face, as a stag.

BALDHEAD Bald"head`, n.

1. A person whose head is bald. 2 Kings ii. 23.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A white-headed variety of pigeon.

BALDHEADED Bald"head`ed, a.

Defn: Having a bald head.

BALDLY Bald"ly, adv.

Defn: Nakedly; without reserve; inelegantly.

BALDNESS Bald"ness, n.

Defn: The state or condition of being bald; as, baldness of the head; baldness of style. This gives to their syntax a peculiar character of simplicity and baldness. W. D. Whitney.

BALDPATE Bald"pate`, n.

1. A baldheaded person. Shak.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The American widgeon (Anas Americana).

BALDPATE; BALDPATED Bald"pate`, Bald"pat`ed, a.

Defn: Destitute of hair on the head; baldheaded. Shak.

BALDRIB Bald"rib`, n.

Defn: A piece of pork cut lower down than the sparerib, and destitute of fat. [Eng.] Southey.

BALDRIC Bal"dric, n. Etym: [OE. baudric, bawdrik, through OF. (cf. F. baudrier and LL. baldringus, baldrellus), from OHG. balderich, cf. balz, palz, akin to E. belt. See Belt, n.]

Defn: A broad belt, sometimes richly ornamented, worn over one shoulder, across the breast, and under the opposite arm; less properly, any belt. [Also spelt bawdrick.] A radiant baldric o'er his shoulder tied Sustained the sword that glittered at his side. Pope.

BALDWIN Bald"win, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A kind of reddish, moderately acid, winter apple. [U.S.]

BALE Bale, n. Etym: [OE. bale, OF. bale, F. balle, LL. bala, fr. OHG. balla, palla, pallo, G. ball, balle, ballen, ball round pack; cf. D. baal. Cf. Ball a round body.]

Defn: A bundle or package of goods in a cloth cover, and corded for storage or transportation; also, a bundle of straw Bale of dice, a pair of dice. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

BALE Bale, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Baled (p. pr. & vb. n. Baling.]

Defn: To make up in a bale. Goldsmith.

BALE Bale, v. t.

Defn: See Bail, v. t., to lade.

BALE Bale, n. Etym: [AS. bealo, bealu, balu; akin to OS. , OHG. balo, Icel. böl, Goth. balweins.]

1. Misery; Let now your bliss be turned into bale. Spenser.

2. Evil; an evil, pernicious influence; something causing great injury. [Now chiefly poetic]

BALEARIC Bal`e*ar"ic, a. Etym: [L. Balearicus, fr. Gr. the Balearic Islands.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the isles of Majorca, Minorca, Ivica, etc., in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Valencia. Balearic crane. (Zoöl.) See Crane.

BALEEN Ba*leen", n. Etym: [F. baleine whale and whalibone, L. balaena a whale; cf. Gr. . ] (Zoöl. & Com.)

Defn: Plates or blades of "whalebone," from two to twelve feet long, and sometimes a foot wide, which in certain whales (Balænoidea) are attached side by side along the upper jaw, and form a fringelike sieve by which the food is retained in the mouth.

BALEFIRE Bale"fire`, n. Etym: [AS. b the fire of the b fire, flame (akin to Icel. bal, OSlav. b, white, Gr. bright, white, Skr. bhala brightness) + f, E. fire.]

Defn: A signal fire; an alarm fire. Sweet Teviot! on thy silver tide The glaring balefires blaze no more. Sir W. Scott.

BALEFUL Bale"ful, a. Etym: [AS. bealoful. See Bale misery.]

1. Full of deadly or pernicious influence; destructive. "Baleful enemies." Shak. Four infernal rivers that disgorge Into the burning lake their baleful streams. Milton.

2. Full of grief or sorrow; woeful; sad. [Archaic]

BALEFULLY Bale"ful*ly, adv.

Defn: In a baleful manner; perniciously.

BALEFULNESS Bale"ful*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being baleful.

BALISAUR Bal"i*sa`ur, n. Etym: [Hind.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A badgerlike animal of India (Arcionyx collaris).

BALISTER Bal"is*ter, n. Etym: [OF. balestre. See Ballista.]

Defn: A crossbow. [Obs.] Blount.

BALISTOID Bal"is*toid, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Like a fish of the genus Balistes; of the family Balistidæ. See Filefish.

BALISTRARIA Bal`is*tra"ri*a, n. Etym: [LL.] (Anc. Fort.)

Defn: A narrow opening, often cruciform, through which arrows might be discharged.

BALIZE Ba*lize", n. Etym: [F. balise; cf. Sp. balisa.]

Defn: A pole or a frame raised as a sea beacon or a landmark.

BALK Balk, n. Etym: [AS. balca beam, ridge; akin to Icel. balkr partition, bjalki beam, OS. balko, G. balken; cf. Gael. balc ridge of earth between two furrows. Cf. Balcony, Balk, v. i., 3d Bulk.]

1. A ridge of land left unplowed between furrows, or at the end of a field; a piece missed by the plow slipping aside. Bad plowmen made balks of such ground. Fuller.

2. A great beam, rafter, or timber; esp., the tie-beam of a house. The loft above was called "the balks." Tubs hanging in the balks. Chaucer.

3. (Mil.)

Defn: One of the beams connecting the successive supports of a trestle bridge or bateau bridge.

4. A hindrance or disappointment; a check. A balk to the confidence of the bold undertaker. South.

5. A sudden and obstinate stop; a failure.

6. (Baseball)

Defn: A deceptive gesture of the pitcher, as if to deliver the ball. Balk line (Billiards), a line across a billiard table near one end, marking a limit within which the cue balls are placed in beginning a game; also, a line around the table, parallel to the sides, used in playing a particular game, called the balk line game.

BALK Balk, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Balked (p. pr. & vb. n. Balking.] Etym: [From Balk a beam; orig. to put a balk or beam in one's way, in order to stop or hinder. Cf., for sense 2, AS. on balcan legan to lay in heaps.]

1. To leave or make balks in. [Obs.] Gower.

2. To leave heaped up; to heap up in piles. [Obs.] Ten thousand bold Scots, two and twenty knights, Balk'd in their own blood did Sir Walter see. Shak.

3. To omit, miss, or overlook by chance. [Obs.]

4. To miss intentionally; to avoid; to shun; to refuse; to let go by; to shirk. [Obs. or Obsolescent] By reason of the contagion then in London, we balked the Evelyn. Sick he is, and keeps his bed, and balks his meat. Bp. Hall. Nor doth he any creature balk, But lays on all he meeteth. Drayton.

5. To disappoint; to frustrate; to foil; to baffle; to as, to balk expectation. They shall not balk my entrance. Byron.

BALK Balk, v. i.

1. To engage in contradiction; to be in opposition. [Obs.] In strifeful terms with him to balk. Spenser.

2. To stop abruptly and stand still obstinately; to jib; to stop short; to swerve; as, the horse balks.

Note: This has been regarded as an Americanism, but it occurs in Spenser's "Faërie Queene," Book IV., 10, xxv. Ne ever ought but of their true loves talkt, Ne ever for rebuke or blame of any balkt.

BALK Balk, v. i. Etym: [Prob. from D. balken to bray, bawl.]

Defn: To indicate to fishermen, by shouts or signals from shore, the direction taken by the shoals of herring.

BALKER Balk"er, n. Etym: [See 2d Balk.]

Defn: One who, or that which balks.

BALKER Balk"er, n. Etym: [See last Balk.]

Defn: A person who stands on a rock or eminence to espy the shoals of herring, etc., and to give notice to the men in boats which way they pass; a conder; a huer.

BALKINGLY Balk"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In manner to balk or frustrate.

BALKISH Balk"ish, a.

Defn: Uneven; ridgy. [R.] Holinshed.

BALKY Balk"y, a.

Defn: Apt to balk; as, a balky horse.

BALL Ball, n. Etym: [OE. bal, balle; akin to OHG. balla, palla, G. ball, Icel. böllr, ball; cf. F. balle. Cf. 1st Bale, n., Pallmall.]

1. Any round or roundish body or mass; a sphere or globe; as, a ball of twine; a ball of snow.

2. A spherical body of any substance or size used to play with, as by throwing, knocking, kicking, etc.

3. A general name for games in which a ball is thrown, kicked, or knocked. See Baseball, and Football.

4. Any solid spherical, cylindrical, or conical projectile of lead or iron, to be discharged from a firearm; as, a cannon ball; a rifball; — often used collectively; as, powder and ball. Spherical balls for the smaller firearms are commonly called bullets.

5. (Pirotechnics & Mil.)

Defn: A flaming, roundish body shot into the air; a case filled with combustibles intended to burst and give light or set fire, or to produce smoke or stench; as, a fire ball; a stink ball.

6. (Print.)

Defn: A leather-covered cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock; — formerly used by printers for inking the form, but now superseded by the roller.

7. A roundish protuberant portion of some part of the body; as, the ball of the thumb; the ball of the foot.

8. (Far.)

Defn: A large pill, a form in which medicine is commonly given to horses; a bolus. White.

9. The globe or earth. Pope. Move round the dark terrestrial ball. Addison. Ball and socket joint, a joint in which a ball moves within a socket, so as to admit of motion in every direction within certain limits. — Ball bearings, a mechanical device for lessening the friction of axle bearings by means of small loose metal balls. — Ball cartridge, a cartridge containing a ball, as distinguished from a blank cartridge, containing only powder. — Ball cock, a faucet or valve which is opened or closed by the fall or rise of a ball floating in water at the end of a lever. — Ball gudgeon, a pivot of a spherical form, which permits lateral deflection of the arbor or shaft, while retaining the pivot in its socket. Knight. — Ball lever, the lever used in a ball cock. — Ball of the eye, the eye itself, as distinguished from its lids and socket; — formerly, the pupil of the eye. — Ball valve (Mach.), a contrivance by which a ball, placed in a circular cup with a hole in its bottom, operates as a valve. — Ball vein (Mining), a sort of iron ore, found in loose masses of a globular form, containing sparkling particles. — Three balls, or Three golden balls, a pawnbroker's sign or shop.

Syn. — See Globe.

BALL Ball, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Balled (p. pr. & vb. n. Balling.]

Defn: To gather balls which cling to the feet, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into balls; as, the horse balls; the snow balls.

BALL Ball, v. t.

1. (Metal.)

Defn: To heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling.

2. To form or wind into a ball; as, to ball cotton.

BALL Ball, n. Etym: [F. bal, fr. OF. baler to dance, fr. LL. ballare. Of uncertain origin; cf. Gr. to toss or throw, or , , to leap, bound, to dance, jump about; or cf. 1st Ball, n.]

Defn: A social assembly for the purpose of dancing.

BALLAD Bal"lad, n. Etym: [OE. balade, OF. balade, F. ballade, fr. Pr. ballada a dancing song, fr. ballare to dance; cf. It. ballata. See 2d Ball, n., and Ballet.]

Defn: A popular kind of narrative poem, adapted for recitation or singing; as, the ballad of Chevy Chase; esp., a sentimental or romantic poem in short stanzas.

BALLAD Bal"lad, v. i.

Defn: To make or sing ballads. [Obs.]

BALLAD Bal"lad, v. t.

Defn: To make mention of in ballads. [Obs.]

BALLADE Bal*lade", n. Etym: [See Ballad, n.]

Defn: A form of French versification, sometimes imitated in English, in which three or four rhymes recur through three stanzas of eight or ten lines each, the stanzas concluding with a refrain, and the whole poem with an envoy.

BALLADER Bal"lad*er, n.

Defn: A writer of ballads.

BALLAD MONGER Bal"lad mon`ger. Etym: [See Monger.]

Defn: A seller or maker of ballads; a poetaster. Shak.

BALLADRY Bal"lad*ry, n. Etym: [From Ballad, n. ]

Defn: Ballad poems; the subject or style of ballads. "Base balladry is so beloved." Drayton.

BALLAHOO; BALLAHOU Bal"la*hoo, Bal"la*hou, n.

Defn: A fast-sailing schooner, used in the Bermudas and West Indies.

BALLARAG Bal"la*rag, v. i. Etym: [Corrupted fr. bullirag.]

Defn: To bully; to threaten. [Low] T. Warton.

BALLAST Bal"last, n. Etym: [D. ballast; akin to Dan. baglast, ballast, OSw. barlast, Sw. ballast. The first part is perh. the same word as E. bare, adj.; the second is last a burden, and hence the meaning a bare, or mere, load. See Bare, a., and Last load.]

1. (Naut.)

Defn: Any heavy substance, as stone, iron, etc., put into the hold to sink a vessel in the water to such a depth as to prevent capsizing.

2. Any heavy matter put into the car of a balloon to give it steadiness.

3. Gravel, broken stone, etc., laid in the bed of a railroad to make it firm and solid.