BOOK MUSLIN Book" mus`lin. (continued 4)

BROAD CHURCH Broad" Church`. (Eccl.)

Defn: A portion of the Church of England, consisting of persons who claim to hold a position, in respect to doctrine and fellowship, intermediate between the High Church party and the Low Church, or evangelical, party. The term has been applied to otherbodies of men holding liberal or comprehensive views of Christian doctrine and fellowship. Side by side with these various shades of High and Low Church, another party of a different character has always existed in the Church of England. It is called by different names: Moderate, Catholic, or Broad Church, by its friends; Latitudinarian or Indifferent, by its enemies. Its distinctive character is the desire of comprehension. Its watch words are charity and toleration. Conybeare.

BROADCLOTH Broad"cloth, n.

Defn: A fine smooth-faced woolen cloth for men's garments, usually of double width (i.e., a yard and a half); — so called in distinction from woolens three quarters of a yard wide.

BROADEN Broad"en, v. t. [p. & p. p. Broadened (; p. pr. & vb.n. Broadening (.] Etym: [From Broad, a.]

Defn: To grow broad; to become broader or wider. The broadening sun appears. Wordsworth.

BROADEN Broad"en, v. t.

Defn: To make broad or broader; to render more broad or comprehensive.

BROAD GAUGE Broad" gauge`. (Railroad)

Defn: A wider distance between the rails than the "standard" gauge of four feet eight inches and a half. See Gauge.

BROAD-HORNED Broad"-horned`, a.

Defn: Having horns spreading widely.

BROADISH Broad"ish, a.

Defn: Rather broad; moderately broad.

BROADLEAF Broad"leaf`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A tree (Terminalia latifolia) of Jamaica, the wood of which is used for boards, scantling, shingles, etc; — sometimes called the almond tree, from the shape of its fruit.

BROAD-LEAVED; BROAD-LEAFED Broad"-leaved`, Broad"-leafed`, a.

Defn: Having broad, or relatively broad, leaves. Keats.

BROADLY Broad"ly, adv.

Defn: In a broad manner.

BROADMOUTH Broad"mouth`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Eurylaimidæ, a family of East Indian passerine birds.

BROADNESS Broad"ness, n. Etym: [AS. bradnes.]

Defn: The condition or quality of being broad; breadth; coarseness; grossness.

BROADPIECE Broad"piece`, n.

Defn: An old English gold coin, broader than a guinea, as a Carolus or Jacobus.

BROAD SEAL Broad" seal`.

Defn: The great seal of England; the public seal of a country or state.

BROADSEAL Broad"seal`, v. t.

Defn: To stamp with the broad seal; to make sure; to guarantee or warrant. [Obs.] Thy presence broadseals our delights for pure. B. Jonson.

BROADSIDE Broad"side`, n.

1. (Naut.)

Defn: The side of a ship above the water line, from the bow to the quarter.

2. A discharge of or from all the guns on one side of a ship, at the same time.

3. A volley of abuse or denunciation. [Colloq.]

4. (Print.)

Defn: A sheet of paper containing one large page, or printed on one side only; — called also broadsheet.

BROADSPREAD Broad"spread`, a.

Defn: Widespread.

BROADSPREADING Broad"spread`ing, a.

Defn: Spreading widely.

BROADSWORD Broad"sword`, n.

Defn: A sword with a broad blade and a cutting edge; a claymore. I heard the broadsword's deadly clang. Sir W. Scott.

BROADWISE Broad"wise`, adv.

Defn: Breadthwise. [Archaic]

BROB Brob, n. Etym: [Cf. Gael. brog, E. brog, n.] (Carp.)

Defn: A peculiar brad-shaped spike, to be driven alongside the end of an abutting timber to prevent its slipping.

BROBDINGNAGIAN Brob`ding*nag"i*an, a. Etym: [From Brobdingnag, a country of giants in "Gulliver's Travels."]

Defn: Colossal' of extraordinary height; gigantic. — n.

Defn: A giant. [Spelt often Brobdignagian.]

BROCADE Bro*cade", n. Etym: [Sp. brocado (cf. It. broccato, F. brocart), fr. LL. brocare *prick, to figure (textile fabrics), to emboss (linen), to stitch. See Broach.]

Defn: Silk stuff, woven with gold and silver threads, or ornamented with raised flowers, foliage, etc.; — also applied to other stuffs thus wrought and enriched. A gala suit of faded brocade. W. Irving.

BROCADED Bro*cad"ed, a.

1. Woven or worked, as brocade, with gold and silver, or with raised flowers, etc. Brocaded flowers o'er the gay mantua shine. Gay.

2. Dressed in brocade.

BROCAGE Bro"cage, n.

Defn: See Brokkerage.

BROCARD Broc"ard, n. Etym: [Perh. fr. Brocardica, Brocardicorum opus, a collection of ecclesiastical canons by Burkhard, Bishop of Worms, called, by the Italians and French, Brocard.]

Defn: An elementary principle or maximum; a short, proverbial rule, in law, ethics, or metaphysics. The legal brocard, "Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus," is a rule not more applicable to other witness than to consciousness. Sir W. Hamilton.

BROCATEL Bro"ca*tel, n. Etym: [F. brocatelle, fr. It. brocatello: cf. Sp. brocatel. See Brocade.]

1. A kind of coarse brocade, or figured fabric, used chiefly for tapestry, linings for carriages, etc.

2. A marble, clouded and veined with white, gray, yellow, and red, in which the yellow usually prevails. It is also called Siena marble, from its locality.

BROCATELLO Bro`ca*tel"lo, n.

Defn: Same as Brocatel.

BROCCOLI Broc"co*li, n. Etym: [It. broccoli, pl. of broccolo sprout, cabbage sprout, dim. of brocco splinter. See Broach, n.] (Bot.)

Defn: A plant of the Cabbage species (Brassica oleracea) of many varieties, resembling the cauliflower. The "curd," or flowering head, is the part used for food.

BROCHANTITE Broch"an*tite, n. Etym: [From Brochant de Villiers, a French mineralogist.] (Min.)

Defn: A basic sulphate of copper, occurring in emerald-green crystals.

BROCHE Bro`ché", a. Etym: [F.]

Defn: Woven with a figure; as, broché goods.

BROCHE Broche, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: See Broach, n.

BROCHETTE Bro`chette" (bro`shet"), n. [F., dim. of broche. See Broach, n.] (Cookery)

Defn: A small spit or skewer.

— En bro`chette" (än) [F.], on a brochette; skewered.

BROCHURE Bro*chure", n. Etym: [F., fr. brocher to stitch. See Broach, v. t.]

Defn: A printed and stitched book containing only a few leaves; a pamphlet.

BROCK Brock, n. Etym: [AS. broc, fr. W. broch; akin to Ir. & Gael. broc, Corn. & Armor. broch; cf. Ir. & Gael. breac speckled.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A badger. Or with pretense of chasing thence the brock. B. Jonson.

BROCK Brock, n. Etym: [See Brocket.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A brocket. Bailey.

BROCKEN SPECTER; BROCKEN SPECTRE Brock"en spec"ter or Brock"en spec"tre. [Trans. of G. Brockengespenst.]

Defn: A mountain specter (which see), esp. that observed on the Brocken, in the Harz Mountains.

BROCKET Brock"et, n. Etym: [OE. broket, F. broquart fallow deer a year old, fr. the same root as E. broach, meaning point (hence tine of a horn).]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A male red deer two years old; — sometimes called brock.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small South American deer, of several species (Coassus superciliaris, C. rufus, and C. auritus).

BROCKISH Brock"ish, a.

Defn: Beastly; brutal. [Obs.] Bale.

BRODEKIN Brode"kin, n. Etym: [F. brodequin, OE. brossequin, fr. OD. broseken, brosekin, dim. of broos buskin, prob. fr. LL. byrsa leather, Gr. Buskin.]

Defn: A buskin or half-boot. [Written also brodequin.] [Obs.]

BROG Brog, n. Etym: [Gael. Cf. Brob.]

Defn: A pointed instrument, as a joiner's awl, a brad awl, a needle, or a small ship stick.

BROG Brog, v. t.

Defn: To prod with a pointed instrument, as a lance; also, to broggle. [Scot. & Prov.] Sir W. Scott.

BROGAN Bro"gan, n.

Defn: A stout, coarse shoe; a brogue.

BROGGLE Brog"gle, v. i. Etym: [Dim. of Prov. E. brog to broggle. Cf. Brog, n.]

Defn: To sniggle, or fish with a brog. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.

BROGUE Brogue, n. Etym: [Ir. & Gael. brog shoe, hoof.]

1. A stout, coarse shoe; a brogan.

Note: In the Highlands of Scotland, the ancient brogue was made of horsehide or deerskin, untanned or tenned with the hair on, gathered round the ankle with a thong. The name was afterward given to any shoe worn as a part of the Highland costume. Clouted brogues, patched brogues; also, brogues studded with nails. See under Clout, v. t.

2. A dialectic pronunciation; esp. the Irish manner of pronouncing English. Or take, Hibernis, thy still ranker brogue. Lloyd.

BROGUES Brogues, n. pl. Etym: [Cf. Breeches.]

Defn: Breeches. [Obs.] Shenstone.

BROID Broid, v. t.

Defn: To braid. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BROIDER Broid"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Broidered.] Etym: [OE. broiden, brouden, F. broder, confused with E. braid; F. broder is either the same word as border to border (see Border), or perh. of Celtic origin; cf. W. brathu to sting, stab, Ir. & Gael. brod goad, prickle, OE. brod a goad; and also Icel. broddr a spike, a sting, AS. brord a point.]

Defn: To embroider. [Archaic] They shall make a broidered coat. Ex. xxviii. 4.

BROIDERER Broid"er*er, n.

Defn: One who embroiders. [Archaic]

BROIDERY Broid"er*y, n.

Defn: Embroidery. [Archaic] The golden broidery tender Milkah wove. Tickell.

BROIL Broil, n. Etym: [F. brouiller to disorder, from LL. brogilus, broilus, brolium, thicket, wood, park; of uncertain origin; cf. W. brog a swelling out, OHG. proil marsh, G. brühl, MHG. brogen to rise. The meaning tumult, confusion, comes apparently from tangled undergrowth, thicket, and this possibly from the meaning to grow, rise, sprout.]

Defn: A tumult; a noisy quarrel; a disturbance; a brawl; contention; discord, either between individuals or in the state. I will own that there is a haughtiness and fierceness in human nature which will which will cause innumerable broils, place men in what situation you please. Burke.

Syn. — Contention; fray; affray; tumult; altercation; dissension; discord; contest; conflict; brawl; uproar.

BROIL Broil, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Broiled; p. pr. & vb. n. Broiling.] Etym: [OE. broilen, OF. bruillir, fr. bruir to broil, burn; of Ger. origin; cf. MHG. brüejen, G. brühen, to scald, akin to E. brood.]

1. To cook by direct exposure to heat over a fire, esp. upon a gridiron over coals.

2. To subject to great (commonly direct) heat.

BROIL Broil, v. i.

Defn: To be subjected to the action of heat, as meat over the fire; to be greatly heated, or to be made uncomfortable with heat. The planets and comets had been broiling in the sun. Cheyne.

BROILER Broil"er, n.

Defn: One who excites broils; one who engages in or promotes noisy quarrels. What doth he but turn broiler, . . . make new libels against the church Hammond.

BROILER Broil"er, n.

1. One who broils, or cooks by broiling.

2. A gridiron or other utensil used in broiling.

3. A chicken or other bird fit for broiling. [Colloq.]

BROILING Broil"ing, a.

Defn: Excessively hot; as, a broiling sun. — n.

Defn: The act of causing anything to broil.

BROKAGE Bro"kage, n.

Defn: See Brokerage.

BROKE Broke, v. i. Etym: [See Broker, and cf. Brook.]

1. To transact business for another. [R.] Brome.

2. To act as procurer in love matters; to pimp. [Obs.] We do want a certain necessary woman to broke between them, Cupid said. Fanshawe. And brokes with all that can in such a suit Corrupt the tender honor of a maid. Shak.

BROKE Broke (brok),

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Break.

BROKEN Bro"ken (bro"k'n), a. Etym: [From Break, v. t.]

1. Separated into parts or pieces by violence; divided into fragments; as, a broken chain or rope; a broken dish.

2. Disconnected; not continuous; also, rough; uneven; as, a broken surface.

3. Fractured; cracked; disunited; sundered; strained; apart; as, a broken reed; broken friendship.

4. Made infirm or weak, by disease, age, or hardships. The one being who remembered him as he been before his mind was broken. G. Eliot. The broken soldier, kindly bade to stay, Sat by his fire, and talked the night away. Goldsmith.

5. Subdued; humbled; contrite. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. Ps. li. 17.

6. Subjugated; trained for use, as a horse.

7. Crushed and ruined as by something that destroys hope; blighted. "Her broken love and life." G. Eliot.

8. Not carried into effect; not adhered to; violated; as, a broken promise, vow, or contract; a broken law.

9. Ruined financially; incapable of redeeming promises made, or of paying debts incurred; as, a broken bank; a broken tradesman.

10. Imperfectly spoken, as by a foreigner; as, broken English; imperfectly spoken on account of emotion; as, to say a few broken words at parting. Amidst the broken words and loud weeping of those grave senators. Macaulay. Broken ground. (a) (Mil.) Rough or uneven ground; as, the troops were retarded in their advance by broken ground. (b) Ground recently opened with the plow. — Broken line (Geom.), the straight lines which join a number of given points taken in some specified order. — Broken meat, fragments of meat or other food. — Broken number, a fraction. — Broken weather, unsettled weather.

BROKEN-BACKED Bro"ken-backed`, a.

1. Having a broken back; as, a broken-backed chair.

2. (Naut.)

Defn: Hogged; so weakened in the frame as to droop at each end; — said of a ship. Totten.

BROKEN-BELLIED Bro"ken-bel`lied, a.

Defn: Having a ruptured belly. [R.]

BROKEN BREAST Bro"ken breast`.

Defn: Abscess of the mammary gland.

BROKEN-HEARTED Bro"ken-heart`ed, a.

Defn: Having the spirits depressed or crushed by grief or despair. She left her husband almost broken-hearted. Macaulay.

Syn. — Disconsolable; heart-broken; inconsolable; comfortless; woe- begone; forlorn.

BROKENLY Bro"ken*ly, adv.

Defn: In a broken, interrupted manner; in a broken state; in broken language. The pagans worship God . . . as it were brokenly and by piecemeal. Cudworth.

BROKENNESS Bro"ken*ness, n.

1. The state or quality of being broken; unevenness. Macaulay.

2. Contrition; as, brokenness of heart.

BROKEN WIND Bro"ken wind`. (Far.)

Defn: The heaves.

BROKEN-WINDED Bro"ken-wind`ed, a. (Far.)

Defn: Having short breath or disordered respiration, as a horse.

BROKER Bro"ker, n. Etym: [OE. brocour, from a word akin to broken, bruken, to use, enjoy, possess, digest, fr. AS. br to use, enjoy; cf. Fries. broker, F. brocanteur. See Brook, v. t.]

1. One who transacts business for another; an agent.

2. (Law)

Defn: An agent employed to effect bargains and contracts, as a middleman or negotiator, between other persons, for a compensation commonly called brokerage. He takes no possession, as broker, of the subject matter of the negotiation. He generally contracts in the names of those who employ him, and not in his own. Story.

3. A dealer in money, notes, bills of exchange, etc.

4. A dealer in secondhand goods. [Eng.]

5. A pimp or procurer. [Obs.] Shak. Bill broker, one who buys and sells notes and bills of exchange. — Curbstone broker or Street broker, an operator in stocks (not a member of the Stock Exchange) who executes orders by running from office to office, or by transactions on the street. [U.S.] — Exchange broker, one who buys and sells uncurrent money, and deals in exchanges relating to money. — Insurance broker, one who is agent in procuring insurance on vessels, or against fire. — Pawn broker. See Pawnbroker. — Real estate broker, one who buys and sells lands, and negotiates loans, etc., upon mortgage. — Ship broker, one who acts as agent in buying and selling ships, procuring freight, etc. — Stock broker. See Stockbroker.

BROKERAGE Bro"ker*age, n.

1. The business or employment of a broker. Burke.

2. The fee, reward, or commission, given or changed for transacting business as a broker.

BROKERLY Bro"ker*ly, a.

Defn: Mean; servile. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

BROKERY Bro"ker*y, n.

Defn: The business of a broker. [Obs.] And with extorting, cozening, forfeiting, And tricks belonging unto brokery. Marlowe.

BROKING Bro"king, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to a broker or brokers, or to brokerage. [Obs.] Redeem from broking pawn the blemished crown. Shak.

BROMA Bro"ma, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr.

1. (Med.)

Defn: Aliment; food. Dunglison.

2. A light form of prepared cocoa (or cacao), or the drink made from it.

BROMAL Bro"mal, n. Etym: [Bromine + aldehyde.] (Chem.)

Defn: An oily, colorless fluid, CBr

BROMALIN Bro"ma*lin, n. [From Bromine.] (Pharm.)

Defn: A colorless or white crystalline compound, (CH2)6N4C2H5Br, used as a sedative in epilepsy.

BROMANIL Brom`an"il, n. [Bromine + aniline.] (Chem.)

Defn: A substance analogous to chloranil but containing bromine in place of chlorine.

BROMATE Bro"mate, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A salt of bromic acid.

BROMATE Bro"mate, v.t. (Med.)

Defn: To combine or impregnate with bromine; as, bromated camphor.

BROMATOLOGIST Bro`ma*tol"o*gist, n.

Defn: One versed in the science of foods.

BROMATOLOGY Bro`ma*tol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy.]

Defn: The science of aliments. Dunglison.

BROME Brome, n. Etym: [F.] (Chem.)

Defn: See Bromine.

BROME GRASS Brome" grass`. Etym: [L. bromos a kind of oats, Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus (Bromus) of grasses, one species of which is the chess or cheat.

BROMELIACEOUS Bro*me`li*a"ceous, a. Etym: [Named after Olaf Bromel, a Swedish botanist.] (Bot.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or resembling, a family of endogenous and mostly epiphytic or saxicolous plants of which the genera Tillandsia and Billbergia are examples. The pineapple, though terrestrial, is also of this family.

BROMIC Bro"mic, a. (Chem.)

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or containing, bromine; — said of those compounds of bromine in which this element has a valence of five, or the next to its highest; as, bromic acid.

BROMIDE Bro"mide, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A compound of bromine with a positive radical.

BROMIDE PAPER; BROMID PAPER Bromide paper or Bromid paper. (Photog.)

Defn: A sensitized paper coated with gelatin impregnated with bromide of silver, used in contact printing and in enlarging.

BROMIDIOM Bro*mid"i*om, n. [Bromide + idiom.]

Defn: A conventional comment or saying, such as those characteristic of bromides. [Slang]

BROMINATE Bro"mi*nate, v. t.

Defn: See Bromate, v. t.

BROMINE Bro"mine, n. Etym: [Gr. Brome.] (Chem.)

Defn: One of the elements, related in its chemical qualities to chlorine and iodine. Atomic weight 79.8. Symbol Br. It is a deep reddish brown liquid of a very disagreeable odor, emitting a brownish vapor at the ordinary temperature. In combination it is found in minute quantities in sea water, and in many saline springs. It occurs also in the mineral bromyrite.

BROMISM Bro"mism, n. (Med.)

Defn: A diseased condition produced by the excessive use of bromine or one of its compounds. It is characterized by mental dullness and muscular weakness.

BROMIZE Bro"mize, v. t. (Photog.)

Defn: To prepare or treat with bromine; as, to bromize a silvered plate.

BROMLIFE Brom"life, n. Etym: [From Bromley Hill, near Alston, Cumberland, England.] (Min.)

Defn: A carbonate of baryta and lime, intermediate between witherite and strontianite; — called also alstonite.

BROMOFORM Bro"mo*form, n. Etym: [Bromine + formyl.] (Chem.)

Defn: A colorless liquid, CHBr3, having an agreeable odor and sweetish taste. It is produced by the simultaneous action of bromine and caustic potash upon wood spirit, alcohol, or acetone, as also by certain other reactions. In composition it is the same as chloroform, with the substitution of bromine for chlorine. It is somewhat similar to chloroform in its effects. Watts.

BROMOGELATIN Bro`mo*gel"a*tin, a. [Bromine + gelatin.] (Photog.)

Defn: Designating or pertaining to, a process of preparing dry plates with an emulsion of bromides and silver nitrate in gelatin.

BROMOIODISM Bro`mo*i"o*dism, n. [Bromine + iodine + -ism.] (Med.)

Defn: Poisoning induced by large doses of bromine and iodine or of their compounds.

BROMOIODIZED Bro`mo*i"o*dized, a. (Photog.)

Defn: Treated with bromides and iodides.

BROMOL Bro"mol, n. [Abbr. fr. tribromophenol.] (Pharm.)

Defn: A crystalline substance (chemically, tribromophenol, C6H2Br3OH), used as an antiseptic and disinfectant.

BROMPICRIN Brom*pi"crin, n. Etym: [G. brompikrin; brom bromine + pikrinsäure picric acid.] (Chem.)

Defn: A pungent colorless explosive liquid, CNO2Br3, analogous to and resembling chlorpicrin. [Spelt also brompikrin.]

BROMURET Brom"u*ret, n.

Defn: See Bromide. [Obs.]

BROMYRITE Brom"y*rite, n. Etym: [Bromine + Gr. (Min.)

Defn: Silver bromide, a rare mineral; — called also bromargyrite.

BRONCHI Bron"chi, n. pl. (Anat.)

Defn: See Bronchus.

BRONCHIA Bron"chi*a, n. pl. Etym: [L. , pl. Cf. Bronchus.] (Anat.)

Defn: The bronchial tubes which arise from the branching of the trachea, esp. the subdivision of the bronchi. Dunglison.

BRONCHIAL Bron"chi*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. bronchial. See Bronchia.] (Anat.)

Defn: Belonging to the bronchi and their ramifications in the lungs. Bronchial arteries, branches of the descending aorta, accompanying the bronchia in all their ramifications. — Bronchial cells, the air cells terminating the bronchia. — Bronchial glands, glands whose functions are unknown, seated along the bronchia. — Bronchial membrane, the mucous membrane lining the bronchia. — Bronchial tube, the bronchi, or the bronchia.

BRONCHIC Bron"chic, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Bronchial.

BRONCHIOLE Bron"chi*ole, n. (Anat.)

Defn: A minute bronchial tube.

BRONCHITIC Bron*chit"ic, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to bronchitis; as, bronchitic inflammation.

BRONCHITIS Bron*chi"tis, n. Etym: [Bronchus + -itis.] (Med.)

Defn: Inflammation, acute or chronic, of the bronchial tubes or any part of them.

BRONCHO Bron"cho, n. Etym: [Sp. bronco rough, wild.]

Defn: A native or a Mexican horse of small size. [Western U.S.]

BRONCHOCELE Bron"cho*cele, n. Etym: [Gr. (Med.)

Defn: See Goiter.

BRONCHOPHONY Bron*choph"o*ny, n. Etym: [Gr.

Defn: A modification of the voice sounds, by which they are intensified and heightened in pitch; — observed in auscultation of the chest in certain cases of intro-thoracic disease.

BRONCHO-PNEUMONIA Bron`cho-pneu*mo"ni*a, n. Etym: [Bronchus + pneumonia.] (Med.)

Defn: Inflammation of the bronchi and lungs; catarrhal pneumonia.

BRONCHOTOME Bron"cho*tome, n. Etym: [Gr. (Surg.)

Defn: An instrument for cutting into the bronchial tubes.

BRONCHOTOMY Bron*chot"o*my, n. (Surg.)

Defn: An incision into the windpipe or larynx, including the operations of tracheotomy and laryngotomy.

BRONCHUS Bron"chus, n.; pl. Bronchi (. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. Bronchia.] (Anat.)

Defn: One of the subdivisions of the trachea or windpipe; esp. one of the two primary divisions.

BRONCO Bron"co, n.

Defn: Same as Broncho.

BROND Brond, n. Etym: [See Brand.]

Defn: A sword. [Obs.]

BRONTOGRAPH Bron"to*graph, n. [Gr. thunder + -graph.] (Meteor.) (a) A tracing or chart showing the phenomena attendant on thunderstorms. (b) An instrument for making such tracings, as a recording brontometer.

BRONTOLITE; BRONTOLITH Bron"to*lite, Bron"to*lith, n. Etym: [Gr. -lite, -lith.]

Defn: An aërolite. [R.]

BRONTOLOGY Bron*tol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy.]

Defn: A treatise upon thunder.

BRONTOMETER Bron*tom"e*ter, n. [Gr. thunder + -meter.] (Meteor.)

Defn: An instrument for noting or recording phenomena attendant on thunderstorms.

BRONTOSAURUS Bron`to*sau"rus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.)

Defn: A genus of American jurassic dinosaurs. A length of sixty feet is believed to have been attained by these reptiles.

BRONTOTHERIUM Bron`to*the"ri*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.)

Defn: A genus of large extinct mammals from the miocene strata of western North America. They were allied to the rhinoceros, but the skull bears a pair of powerful horn cores in front of the orbits, and the fore feet were four-toed. See Illustration in Appendix.

BRONTOZOUM Bron`to*zo"um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Paleon.)

Defn: An extinct animal of large size, known from its three-toed footprints in Mesozoic sandstone.

Note: The tracks made by these reptiles are found eighteen inches in length, and were formerly referred to gigantic birds; but the discovery of large bipedal three-toed dinosaurs has suggested that they were made by those reptiles.

BRONZE Bronze, n. Etym: [F. bronze, fr. It. bronzo brown, fr. OHG. br, G. braun. See Brown, a.]

1. An alloy of copper and tin, to which small proportions of other metals, especially zinc, are sometimes added. It is hard and sonorous, and is used for statues, bells, cannon, etc., the proportions of the ingredients being varied to suit the particular purposes. The varieties containing the higher proportions of tin are brittle, as in bell metal and speculum metal.

2. A statue, bust, etc., cast in bronze. A print, a bronze, a flower, a root. Prior.

3. A yellowish or reddish brown, the color of bronze; also, a pigment or powder for imitating bronze.

4. Boldness; impudence; "brass." Imbrowned with native bronze, lo! Henley stands. Pope. Aluminium bronze. See under Aluminium. — Bronze age, an age of the world which followed the stone age, and was characterized by the use of implements and ornaments of copper or bronze. — Bronze powder, a metallic powder, used with size or in combination with painting, to give the appearance of bronze, gold, or other metal, to any surface. — Phosphor bronze and Silicious or Silicium bronze are made by adding phosphorus and silicon respectively to ordinary bronze, and are characterized by great tenacity.

BRONZE Bronze, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bronzed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bronzing.] Etym: [Cf. F. bronzer. See Bronze, n.]

1. To give an appearance of bronze to, by a coating of bronze powder, or by other means; to make of the color of bronze; as, to bronze plaster casts; to bronze coins or medals. The tall bronzed black-eyed stranger. W. Black.

2. To make hard or unfeeling; to brazen. The lawer who bronzes his bosom instead of his forehead. Sir W. Scott. Bronzed skin disease. (Pathol.) See Addison's disease.

BRONZE STEEL Bronze steel.

Defn: A hard tough alloy of tin, copper, and iron, which can be used for guns.

BRONZEWING Bronze"wing`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An Australian pigeon of the genus Phaps, of several species; — so called from its bronze plumage.

BRONZINE Bronz"ine, n.

Defn: A metal so prepared as to have the appearance of bronze. — a.

Defn: Made of bronzine; resembling bronze; bronzelike.

BRONZING Bronz"ing, n.

1. The act or art of communicating to articles in metal, wood, clay, plaster, etc., the appearance of bronze by means of bronze powders, or imitative painting, or by chemical processes. Tomlinson.

2. A material for bronzing.

BRONZIST Bronz"ist, n.

Defn: One who makes, imitates, collects, or deals in, bronzes.

BRONZITE Bronz"ite, n. Etym: [Cf. F. bronzite.] (Min.)

Defn: A variety of enstatite, often having a bronzelike luster. It is a silicate of magnesia and iron, of the pyroxene family.

BRONZY Bronz"y, a.

Defn: Like bronze.

BROOCH Brooch, n. Etym: [See Broach, n.]

1. An ornament, in various forms, with a tongue, pin, or loop for attaching it to a garment; now worn at the breast by women; a breastpin. Formerly worn by men on the hat. Honor 's a good brooch to wear in a man's hat. B. Jonson.

2. (Paint.)

Defn: A painting all of one color, as a sepia painting, or an India painting.

BROOCH Brooch, v. t. Etym: [imp. & p. p. Brooched (.]

Defn: To adorn as with a brooch. [R.]

BROOD Brood, n. Etym: [OE. brod, AS. brod; akin to D. broed, OHG. bruot, G. brut, and also to G. brühe broth, MHG. brüeje, and perh. to E. brawn, breath. Cf. Breed, v. t.]

1. The young birds hatched at one time; a hatch; as, a brood of chicken. As a hen doth gather her brood under her wings. Luke xiii. 34. A hen followed by a brood of ducks. Spectator.

2. The young from the same dam, whether produced at the same time or not; young children of the same mother, especially if nearly of the same age; offspring; progeny; as, a woman with a brood of children. The lion roars and gluts his tawny brood. Wordsworth.

3. That which is bred or produced; breed; species. Flocks of the airy brood, (Cranes, geese or long-necked swans). Chapman.

4. (Mining)

Defn: Heavy waste in tin and copper ores. To sit on brood, to ponder. [Poetic] Shak.

BROOD Brood, a.

1. Sitting or inclined to sit on eggs.

2. Kept for breeding from; as, a brood mare; brood stock; having young; as, a brood sow.

BROOD Brood, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Brooded; p. pr. & vb. n. Brooding.]

1. To sit on and cover eggs, as a fowl, for the purpose of warming them and hatching the young; or to sit over and cover young, as a hen her chickens, in order to warm and protect them; hence, to sit quietly, as if brooding. Birds of calm sir brooding on the charmed wave. Milton.

2. To have the mind dwell continuously or moodily on a subject; to think long and anxiously; to be in a state of gloomy, serious thought; — usually followed by over or on; as, to brood over misfortunes. Brooding on unprofitable gold. Dryden. Brooding over all these matters, the mother felt like one who has evoked a spirit. Hawthorne. When with downcast eyes we muse and brood. Tennyson.

BROOD Brood, v. t.

1. To sit over, cover, and cherish; as, a hen broods her chickens.

2. To cherish with care. [R.]

3. To think anxiously or moodily upon. You'll sit and brood your sorrows on a throne. Dryden.

BROODY Brood"y, a.

Defn: Inclined to brood. Ray.

BROOK Brook, n. Etym: [OE. brok, broke, brook, AS. broc; akin to D. broek, LG. brok, marshy ground, OHG. pruoh, G. bruch marsh; prob. fr. the root of E. break, so as that it signifies water breaking through the earth, a spring or brook, as well as a marsh. See Break, v. t.]

Defn: A natural stream of water smaller than a river or creek. The Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water. Deut. viii. 7. Empires itself, as doth an inland brook Into the main of waters. Shak.

BROOK Brook, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brooked; p. pr. & vb. n. Brooking.] Etym: [OE. broken, bruken, to use, enjoy, digest, AS. br; akin to D. gebruiken to use, OHG. pr, G. brauchen, gebrauchen, Icel. br, Goth. br, and L. frui, to enjoy. Cf. Fruit, Broker.]

1. To use; to enjoy. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. To bear; to endure; to put up with; to tolerate; as, young men can not brook restraint. Spenser. Shall we, who could not brook one lord, Crouch to the wicked ten Macaulay.

3. To deserve; to earn. [Obs.] Sir J. Hawkins.

BROOKITE Brook"ite, n. Etym: [Named from the English mineralogist, H.J.Brooke.] (Min.)

Defn: A mineral consisting of titanic oxide, and hence identical with rutile and octahedrite in composition, but crystallizing in the orthorhombic system.

BROOKLET Brook"let, n.

Defn: A small brook.

BROOKLIME Brook"lime`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A plant (Veronica Beccabunga), with flowers, usually blue, in axillary racemes. The American species is V. Americana. [Formerly written broklempe or broklympe.]

BROOK MINT Brook" mint`. (Bot.)

Defn: See Water mint.

BROOKSIDE Brook"side`, n.

Defn: The bank of a brook.

BROOKWEED Brook"weed`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A small white-flowered herb (Samolus Valerandi) found usually in wet places; water pimpernel.

BROOM Broom, n. Etym: [OE. brom, brome, AS. brom; akin to LG. bram, D. brem, OHG. bramo broom, thornbrombeere blackberry. Cf. Bramble, n.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A plant having twigs suitable for making brooms to sweep with when bound together; esp., the Cytisus scoparius of Western Europe, which is a low shrub with long, straight, green, angular branches, mintue leaves, and large yellow flowers. No gypsy cowered o'er fires of furze and broom. Wordsworth.

2. An implement for sweeping floors, etc., commonly made of the panicles or tops of broom corn, bound together or attached to a long wooden handle; — so called because originally made of the twigs of the broom. Butcher's broom, a plant (Ruscus aculeatus) of the Smilax family, used by butchers for brooms to sweep their blocks; — called also knee holly. See Cladophyll. — Dyer's broom, a species of mignonette (Reseda luteola), used for dyeing yellow; dyer's weed; dyer's rocket. — Spanish broom. See under Spanish.

BROOM Broom, v. t. (Naut.)

Defn: See Bream.

BROOM CORN Broom" corn`. (Bot.)

Defn: A variety of Sorghum vulgare, having a joined stem, like maize, rising to the height of eight or ten feet, and bearing its seeds on a panicle with long branches, of which brooms are made.

BROOM RAPE Broom" rape`. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus (Orobanche) of parasitic plants of Europe and Asia. They are destitute of chlorophyll, have scales instead of leaves, and spiked flowers, and grow attached to the roots of other plants, as furze, clover, flax, wild carrot, etc. The name is sometimes applied to other plants related to this genus, as Aphyllon uniflorumand A. Ludovicianum.

BROOMSTAFF Broom"staff`, n.

Defn: A broomstick. [Obs.] Shak.

BROOMSTICK Broom"stick`, n.

Defn: A stick used as a handle of a broom.

BROOMY Broom"y, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to broom; overgrowing with broom; resembling broom or a broom. If land grow mossy or broomy. Mortimer.

BROSE Brose, n. Etym: [CF. Gael. brothas. Cf. Brewis, Broth.]

Defn: Pottage made by pouring some boiling liquid on meal (esp. oatmeal), and stirring it. It is called beef brose, water brose, etc., according to the name of the liquid (beef broth, hot water, etc.) used. [Scot.]

BROTEL Brot"el, a.

Defn: Brittle. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BROTELNESS Brot"el*ness, n.

Defn: Brittleness. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BROTH Broth, n. Etym: [AS. bro; akin to OHG. brod, brot; cf. Ir. broth, Gael. brot. *93. Cf. Brewis, Brew.]

Defn: Liquid in which flesh (and sometimes other substances, as barley or rice) has been boiled; thin or simple soup. I am sure by your unprejudiced discourses that you love broth better than soup. Addison.

BROTHEL Broth"el, n. Etym: [OE. brothel, brodel, brethel, a prostitute, a worthless fellow, fr. AS. beró to ruin, destroy; cf. AS. breótan to break, and E. brittle. The term brothel house was confused with bordel brothel. CF. Bordel.]

Defn: A house of lewdness or ill fame; a house frequented by prostitutes; a bawdyhouse.

BROTHELER Broth"el*er, n.

Defn: One who frequents brothels.

BROTHELRY Broth"el*ry, n.

Defn: Lewdness; obscenity; a brothel. B. Jonson.

BROTHER Broth"er, n.; pl. Brothers or Brethren. See Brethren. Etym: [OE. brother, AS. bro; akin to OS. brothar, D. broeder, OHG. pruodar, G. bruder, Icel. bro, Sw. & Dan. broder, Goth. bro, Ir. brathair, W. brawd, pl. brodyr, Lith. brolis, Lett. brahlis, Russ. brat', Pol. & Serv. brat, OSlav. brat, L. frater, Skr. bhrat, Zend. bratar brother, Gr. Brothers; in the solemn style, Brethren, OE. pl. brether, bretheren, AS. dat. sing. bre, nom. pl. bro, bro. sq. root258. Cf. Frair, Fraternal.]

1. A male person who has the same father and mother with another person, or who has one of them only. In the latter case he is more definitely called a half brother, or brother of the half blood. Two of us in the churchyard lie, My sister and my brother. Wordsworth.

2. One related or closely united to another by some common tie or interest, as of rank, profession, membership in a society, toil, suffering, etc.; — used among judges, clergymen, monks, physicians, lawers, professors of religion, etc. "A brother of your order." Shak. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers, For he to-day that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother. Shak.

3. One who, or that which, resembles another in distinctive qualities or traits of character. He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster. Prov. xviii. 9. That April morn Of this the very brother. Wordsworth.

Note: In Scripture, the term brother is applied to a kinsman by blood more remote than a son of the same parents, as in the case of Abraham and Lot, Jacob and Laban. In a more general sense, brother or brethren is used for fellow-man or fellow-men. For of whom such massacre Make they but of their brethren, men of men Milton. Brother Jonathan, a humorous designation for the people of the United States collectively. The phrase is said to have originated from Washington's referring to the patriotic Jonathan Trumbull, governor of Connecticut, as "Brother Jonathan." — Blood brother. See under Blood.

BROTHER Broth"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brothered.]

Defn: To make a brother of; to call or treat as a brother; to admit to a brotherhood. Sir W. Scott.

BROTHER GERMAN Broth"er ger"man. (Law)

Defn: A brother by both the father's and mother's side, in contradistinction to a uterine brother, one by the mother only. Bouvier.

BROTHERHOOD Broth"er*hood, n. Etym: [Brother + -hood.]

1. The state of being brothers or a brother.

2. An association for any purpose, as a society of monks; a fraternity.

3. The whole body of persons engaged in the same business, — especially those of the same profession; as, the legal or medical brotherhood.

4. Persons, and, poetically, things, of a like kind. A brotherhood of venerable trees. Wordsworth.

Syn. — Fraternity; association; fellowship; sodality.

BROTHER-IN-LAW Broth"er-in-law`, n.; pl. Brothers-in-law (.

Defn: The brother of one's husband or wife; also, the husband of one's sister; sometimes, the husband of one's wife's sister.

BROTHERLINESS Broth"er*li*ness, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being brotherly.

BROTHERLY Broth"er*ly, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to brothers; such as is natural for brothers; becoming to brothers; kind; affectionate; as, brotherly love.

Syn. — Fraternal; kind; affectionate; tender.

BROTHERLY Broth"er*ly, adv.

Defn: Like a brother; affectionately; kindly. "I speak but brotherly of him." Shak.

BROUDED Broud"ed, p.a.

Defn: Braided; broidered. [Obs.] Alle his clothes brouded up and down. Chaucer.

BROUGHAM Brough"am, n.

Defn: A light, close carriage, with seats inside for two or four, and the fore wheels so arranged as to turn short.

BROW Brow, n. Etym: [OE. browe, bruwe, AS. br; akin to AS. br, breáw, eyelid, OFries. bre, D. braauw, Icel. bra, br, OHG. prawa, G. braue, OSlav. br, Russ. brove, Ir. brai, Ir. & Gael. abhra, Armor. abrant, Gr. bhr. Cf. Bray a bank, Bridge.]

1. The prominent ridge over the eye, with the hair that covers it, forming an arch above the orbit. And his arched brow, pulled o'er his eyes, With solemn proof proclaims him wise. Churchill.

2. The hair that covers the brow (ridge over the eyes); the eyebrow. 'T is not your inky brows, your brack silk hair. Shak.

3. The forehead; as, a feverish brow. Beads of sweat have stood upon thy brow. Shak.

4. The general air of the countenance. To whom thus Satan with contemptuous brow. Milton. He told them with a masterly brow. Milton.

5. The edge or projecting upper aprt of a steep place; as, the brow of a precipice; the brow of a hill. To bend the brow, To knit the brows, to frown; to scowl.

BROW Brow, v. t.

Defn: To bound to limit; to be at, or form, the edge of. [R.] Tending my flocks hard by i' the hilly crofts That brow this bottom glade. Milton.

BROWBEAT Brow"beat`, v. t. [imp. Browbeat; p. p. Browbeaten; p. pr. & vb. n. Browbeating.]

Defn: To depress or bear down with haughty, stern looks, or with arrogant speech and dogmatic assertions; to abash or disconcert by impudent or abusive words or looks; to bully; as, to browbeat witnesses. My grandfather was not a man to be browbeaten. W. Irving.

BROWBEATING Brow"beat`ing, n.

Defn: The act of bearing down, abashing, or disconcerting, with stern looks, suspercilious manners, or confident assertions. The imperious browbeating and scorn of great men. L'Estrange.

BROWBOUND Brow"bound`, a.

Defn: Crowned; having the head encircled as with a diadem. Shak.

BROWDYNG Browd"yng, n.

Defn: Embroidery. [Obs.] Of goldsmithrye, of browdying, and of steel. Chaucer.

BROWED Browed, a.

Defn: Having (such) a brow; — used in composition; as, dark-browed, stern-browed.

BROWLESS Brow"less, a.

Defn: Without shame. L. Addison.

BROWN Brown, a. [Compar. Browner; superl. Brownest.] Etym: [OE. brun, broun, AS. br; akin to D. bruin, OHG. br, Icel. br, Sw. brun, Dan. bruun, G. braun, Lith. brunas, Skr. babhru. *93, 253. Cf. Bruin, Beaver, Burnish, Brunette.]

Defn: Of a dark color, of various shades between black and red or yellow. Cheeks brown as the oak leaves. Longfellow. Brown Bess, the old regulation flintlock smoothbore musket, with bronzed barrel, formerly used in the British army. — Brown bread (a) Dark colored bread; esp. a kind made of unbolted wheat flour, sometimes called in the United States Graham bread. "He would mouth with a beggar though she smelt brown bread and garlic." Shak. (b) Dark colored bread made of rye meal and Indian meal, or of wheat and rye or Indian; rye and Indian bread. [U.S.] — Brown coal, wood coal. See Lignite. — Brown hematite or Brown iron ore (Min.), the hydrous iron oxide, limonite, which has a brown streak. See Limonite. — Brown holland. See under Holland. — Brown paper, dark colored paper, esp. coarse wrapping paper, made of unbleached materials. — Brown spar (Min.), a ferruginous variety of dolomite, in part identical with ankerite. — Brown stone. See Brownstone. — Brown stout, a strong kind of proter or malt liquor. — Brown study, a state of mental abstraction or serious reverie. W. Irving.

BROWN Brown, n.

Defn: A dark color inclining to red or yellow, resulting from the mixture of red and black, or of red, black, and yellow; a tawny, dusky hue.

BROWN Brown, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Browned; p. pr. & vb. n. Browning.]

1. To make brown or dusky. A trembling twilight o'er welkin moves,Browns the dim void and darkens deep the groves. Barlow.

2. To make brown by scorching slightly; as, to brown meat or flour.

3. To give a bright brown color to, as to gun barrels, by forming a thin coat of oxide on their surface. Ure.

BROWN Brown, v. i.

Defn: To become brown.

BROWNBACK Brown"back`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The dowitcher or red-breasted snipe. See Dowitcher.

BROWN BILL Brown" bill`. Etym: [Brown + bill cutting tool.]

Defn: A bill or halberd of the 16th and 17th centuries. See 4th Bill. Many time, but for a sallet, my brainpan had been cleft with a brown bill. Shak.

Note: The black, or as it is sometimes called, the brown bill, was a kind of halberd, the cutting part hooked like a woodman's bill, from the back of which projected a spike, and another from the head. Grose.

BROWNIAN Brown"i*an, a.

Defn: Pertaining to Dr. Robert Brown, who first demonstrated (about 1827) the commonness of the motion described below. Brownian movement, the peculiar, rapid, vibratory movement exhibited by the microscopic particles of substances when suspended in water or other fluids.

BROWNIE Brown"ie, n. Etym: [So called from its supposed tawny or swarthy color.]

Defn: An imaginary good-natured spirit, who was supposed often to perform important services around the house by night, such as thrashing, churning, sweeping. [Scot.]

BROWNING Brown"ing, n.

1. The act or operation of giving a brown color, as to gun barrels, etc.

2. (Masonry)

Defn: A smooth coat of brown mortar, usually the second coat, and the preparation for the finishing coat of plaster.

BROWNISH Brown"ish, a.

Defn: Somewhat brown.

BROWNISM Brown"ism, n. (Eccl. Hist.)

Defn: The views or teachings of Robert Brown of the Brownists. Milton.

BROWNISM Brown"ism, n. (Med.)

Defn: The doctrines of the Brunonian system of medicine. See Brunonian.

BROWNIST Brown"ist, n. (Eccl. Hist.)

Defn: A follower of Robert Brown, of England, in the 16th century, who taught that every church is complete and independent in itself when organized, and consists of members meeting in one place, having full power to elect and depose its officers.

BROWNIST Brown"ist, n. (Med.)

Defn: One who advocates the Brunonian system of medicine.

BROWNNESS Brown"ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being brown. Now like I brown (O lovely brown thy hair); Only in brownness beauty dwelleth there. Drayton.

BROWN RACE Brown race.

Defn: The Malay or Polynesian race; — loosely so called.

BROWNSTONE Brown"stone`, n.

Defn: A dark variety of sandstone, much used for building purposes.

BROWN THRUSH Brown" thrush". (Zoöl.)

Defn: A common American singing bird (Harporhynchus rufus), allied to the mocking bird; — also called brown thrasher.

BROWNWORT Brown"wort`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A species of figwort or Scrophularia (S. vernalis), and other species of the same genus, mostly perennials with inconspicuous coarse flowers.

BROWNY Brown"y, a.

Defn: Brown or, somewhat brown. "Browny locks." Shak.

BROWPOST Brow"post`, n. (Carp.)

Defn: A beam that goes across a building.

BROWSE Browse, n. Etym: [OF. brost, broust, sprout, shoot, F. brout browse, browsewood, prob. fr. OHG. burst, G. borste, bristle; cf. also Armor. brousta to browse. See Bristle, n., Brush, n.]

Defn: The tender branches or twigs of trees and shrubs, fit for the food of cattle and other animals; green food. Spenser. Sheep, goats, and oxen, and the nobler steed, On browse, and corn, and flowery meadows feed. Dryden.

BROWSE Browse, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Browsed; p. pr. & vb. n. Browsing.] Etym: [For broust, OF. brouster, bruster, F. brouter. See Browse, n., and cf. Brut.]

1. To eat or nibble off, as the tender branches of trees, shrubs, etc.; — said of cattle, sheep, deer, and some other animals. Yes, like the stag, when snow the plasture sheets, The barks of trees thou browsedst. Shak.

2. To feed on, as pasture; to pasture on; to graze. Fields . . . browsed by deep-uddered kine. Tennyson.

BROWSE Browse, v. i.

1. To feed on the tender branches or shoots of shrubs or trees, as do cattle, sheep, and deer.

2. To pasture; to feed; to nibble. Shak.

BROWSER Brows"er, n.

Defn: An animal that browses.

BROWSEWOOD Browse"wood`, n.

Defn: Srubs and bushes upon which animals browse.

BROWSING Brows"ing, n.

Defn: Browse; also, a place abounding with shrubs where animals may browse. Browsings for the deer. Howell.

BROWSPOT Brow"spot`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A rounded organ between the eyes of the frog; the interocular gland.

BRUANG Bru*ang", n. Etym: [Native name.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The Malayan sun bear.

BRUCINE Bru"cine, n. Etym: [Cf. F. brucine, fr. James Bruce, a Scottish traveler.] (Chem.)

Defn: A poweful vegetable alkaloid, found, associated with strychnine, in the seeds of different species of Strychnos, especially in the Nux vomica. It is less powerful than strychnine. Called also brucia and brucina.

BRUCITE Bru"cite, n. Etym: [Named after Dr. A.Bruce of New York.] (Min.) (a) A white, pearly mineral, occurring thin and foliated, like talc, and also fibrous; a native magnesium hydrate. (b) The mineral chondrodite. [R.]

BRUCKELED Bruck"eled, a.

Defn: Wet and dirty; begrimed. [Obs. or Dial.] Herrick.

BRUH Bruh, n. (Zoöl.) Etym: [Native name.]

Defn: The rhesus monkey. See Rhesus.

BRUIN Bru"in, n. Etym: [D. bruin brown. In the epic poem of "Reynard the Fox" the bear is so called from his color. See Brown, a.]

Defn: A bear; — so called in popular tales and fables.

BRUISE Bruise, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bruised; p. pr. & vb. n. Bruising.] Etym: [OE. brusen, brisen, brosen, bresen, AS. br or fr. OF. bruiser, bruisier, bruser, to break, shiver, perh. from OHG. brochison. Cf. Break, v. t.]

1. To injure, as by a blow or collision, without laceration; to contuse; as, to bruise one's finger with a hammer; to bruise the bark of a tree with a stone; to bruise an apple by letting it fall.

2. To break; as in a mortar; to bray, as minerals, roots, etc.; to crush. Nor bruise her flowerets with the armed hoofs. Shak.

Syn. — To pulverize; bray; triturate; pound; contuse.

BRUISE Bruise, v. i.

Defn: To fight with the fists; to box. Bruising was considered a fine, manly, old English custom. Thackeray.

BRUISE Bruise, n.

Defn: An injury to the flesh of animals, or to plants, fruit, etc., with a blunt or heavy instrument, or by collision with some other body; a contusion; as, a bruise on the head; bruises on fruit. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises. Isa. i. 6.

BRUISER Bruis"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, bruises.

2. A boxer; a pugilist. R. Browning. Like a new bruiser on Broughtonic aand, Amid the lists our hero takes his stand. T. Warton.

3. A concave tool used in grinding lenses or the speculums of telescopes. Knight.

BRUISEWORT Bruise"wort`, n.

Defn: A plant supposed to heal bruises, as the true daisy, the soapwort, and the comfrey.

BRUIT Bruit, n. Etym: [OE. bruit, brut, noise, bruit, F. bruit, fr. LL. brugitus; cf. L. rugire to roar; perh. influenced by the source of E. bray to make a harsh noise, Armor. brud bruit.]

1. Report; rumor; fame. The bruit thereof will bring you many friends. Shak.

2. [French pron. (Med.)

Defn: An abnormal sound of several kinds, heard on auscultation.

BRUIT Bruit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bruited; p. pr. & vb. n. Bruiting.]

Defn: To report; to noise abroad. I find thou art no less than fame hath bruited. Shak.

BRUMAIRE Bru`maire", n. Etym: [F., fr. L. bruma winter.]

Defn: The second month of the calendar adopted by the first French republic. It began thirty days after the autumnal equinox. See Vendemiaire.

BRUMAL Bru"mal, a. Etym: [L. brumalis, fr. bruma winter: cf. F. brumal.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to winter. "The brumal solstice." Sir T. Browne.

BRUME Brume, n. Etym: [F. brume winter season, mist, L. bruma winter.]

Defn: Mist; fog; vapors. "The drifting brume." Longfellow.

BRUMMAGEM Brum"ma*gem, a. Etym: [Birmingham (formerly Bromwycham), Eng., "the great mart and manufactory of gilt toys, cheap jewelry," etc.]

Defn: Counterfeit; gaudy but worthless; sham. [Slang] "These Brummagem gentry." Lady D. Hardy.

BRUMOUS Bru"mous, a.

Defn: Foggy; misty.

BRUN Brun, n. Etym: [See Broun a brook.]

Defn: Same as Brun, a brook. [Scot.]

BRUNETTE Bru*nette", n. Etym: [F. brunet, brunette, brownish, dim. of brun, brune, brown, fr. OHG. br. See Brown, a.]

Defn: A girl or woman with a somewhat brown or dark complexion. — a.

Defn: Having a dark tint.

BRUNION Brun"ion, n. Etym: [F. brugnon (cf. It. brugna, prugna), fr. L. prunum. See Prune, n.]

Defn: A nectarine.

BRUNONIAN Bru*no"ni*an, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or invented by, Brown; — a term applied to a system of medicine promulgated in the 18th century by John Brown, of Scotland, the fundamental doctrine of which was, that life is a state of excitation produced by the normal action of external agents upon the body, and that disease consists in excess or deficiency of excitation.

BRUNSWICK BLACK Bruns"wick black`.

Defn: See Japan black.

BRUNSWICK GREEN Bruns"wick green`. Etym: [G. Braunschweiger grün, first made at Brunswick, in Germany.]

Defn: An oxychloride of copper, used as a green pigment; also, a carbonate of copper similarly employed.

BRUNT Brunt, n. Etym: [OE. brunt, bront, fr. Icel. bruna to rush; cf. Icel. brenna to burn. Cf. Burn, v. t.]

1. The heat, or utmost violence, of an onset; the strength or greatest fury of any contention; as, the brunt of a battle.

2. The force of a blow; shock; collision. "And heavy brunt of cannon ball." Hudibras. It is instantly and irrecoverably scattered by our first brunt with some real affair of common life. I. Taylor.

BRUSH Brush, n. Etym: [OE. brusche, OF. broche, broce, brosse, brushwood, F. brosse brush, LL. brustia, bruscia, fr. OHG. brusta, brust, bristle, G. borste bristle, bürste brush. See Bristle, n., and cf. Browse.]

1. An instrument composed of bristles, or other like material, set in a suitable back or handle, as of wood, bone, or ivory, and used for various purposes, as in removing dust from clothes, laying on colors, etc. Brushes have different shapes and names according to their use; as, clothes brush, paint brush, tooth brush, etc.

2. The bushy tail of a fox.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A tuft of hair on the mandibles.

4. Branches of trees lopped off; brushwood.

5. A thicket of shrubs or small trees; the shrubs and small trees in a wood; underbrush.

6. (Elec.)

Defn: A bundle of flexible wires or thin plates of metal, used to conduct an electrical current to or from the commutator of a dynamo, electric motor, or similar apparatus.

7. The act of brushing; as, to give one's clothes a brush; a rubbing or grazing with a quick motion; a light touch; as, we got a brush from the wheel as it passed. [As leaves] have with one winter's brush Fell from their boughts. Shak.

8. A skirmish; a slight encounter; a shock or collision; as, to have a brush with an enemy. Let grow thy sinews till their knots be strong, And tempt not yet the brushes of the war. Shak.

9. A short contest, or trial, of speed. Let us enjoy a brush across the country. Cornhill Mag. Electrical brush, a form of the electric discharge characterized by a brushlike appearance of luminous rays diverging from an electrified body.

BRUSH Brush, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brushed; p. pr. & vb. n. Brushing.] Etym: [OE. bruschen; cf. F. brosser. See Brush, n.]

1. To apply a brush to, according to its particular use; to rub, smooth, clean, paint, etc., with a brush. "A' brushes his hat o' mornings." Shak.

2. To touch in passing, or to pass lightly over, as with a brush. Some spread their sailes, some with strong oars sweep The waters smooth, and brush the buxom wave. Fairfax. Brushed with the kiss of rustling wings. Milton.

3. To remove or gather by brushing, or by an act like that of brushing, or by passing lightly over, as wind; — commonly with off. As wicked dew as e'er my mother brushed With raven's feather from unwholesome fen. Shak. And from the boughts brush off the evil dew. Milton. To brush aside, to remove from one's way, as with a brush. — To brush away, to remove, as with a brush or brushing motion. — To brush up, to paint, or make clean or bright with a brush; to cleanse or improve; to renew. You have commissioned me to paint your shop, and I have done my best to brush you up like your neighbors. Pope.

BRUSH Brush, v. i.

Defn: To move nimbly in haste; to move so lightly as scarcely to be perceived; as, to brush by. Snatching his hat, he brushed off like the wind. Goldsmith.

BRUSHER Brush"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, brushes.

BRUSHINESS Brush"i*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of resembling a brush; brushlike condition; shagginess. Dr. H. More.

BRUSHING Brush"ing, a.

1. Constructed or used to brush with; as a brushing machine.

2. Brisk; light; as, a brushing gallop.

BRUSHITE Brush"ite, n. Etym: [From George J.Brush, an American mineralogist.] (Min.)

Defn: A white or gray crystalline mineral consisting of the acid phosphate of calcium.

BRUSH TURKEY Brush" tur`key. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large, edible, gregarious bird of Australia (Talegalla Lathami) of the family Megapodidæ. Also applied to several allied species of New Guinea.

Note: The brush turkeys live in the "brush," and construct a common nest by collecting a large heap of decaying vegetable matter, which generates heat sufficient to hatch the numerous eggs (sometimes half a bushel) deposited in it by the females of the flock.

BRUSH WHEEL Brush" wheel`.

1. A wheel without teeth, used to turn a similar one by the friction of bristles or something brushlike or soft attached to the circumference.

2. A circular revolving brush used by turners, lapidaries, silversmiths, etc., for polishing.

BRUSHWOOD Brush"wood, n.

1. Brush; a thicket or coppice of small trees and shrubs.

2. Small branches of trees cut off.

BRUSHY Brush"y, a.

Defn: Resembling a brush; shaggy; rough.

BRUSK Brusk, a.

Defn: Same as Brusque.

BRUSQUE Brusque, a. Etym: [F. brusque, from It. brusco brusque, tart, sour, perh. fr. L. (vitis) labrusca wild (vine); or cf. OHG. bruttisc grim, fr. brutti terror.]

Defn: Rough and prompt in manner; blunt; abrupt; hluff; as, a brusque man; a brusque style.

BRUSQUENESS Brusque"ness, n.

Defn: Quality of being brusque; roughness joined with promptness; blutness. Brit. Quar.

BRUSSELS Brus"sels, n.

Defn: A city of Belgium, giving its name to a kind of carpet, a kind of lace, etc. Brussels carpet, a kind of carpet made of worsted yarn fixed in a foundation web of strong linen thread. The worsted, which alone shows on the upper surface in drawn up in loops to form the pattern. — Brussels ground, a name given to the handmade ground of real Brussels lace. It is very costly because of the extreme fineness of the threads. — Brussels lace, an expensive kind of lace of several varieties, originally made in Brussels; as, Brussels point, Brussels ground, Brussels wire ground. — Brussels net, an imitation of Brussels ground, made by machinery. — Brussels point. See Point lace. — Brussels sprouts (Bot.), a plant of the Cabbage family, which produces, in the axils of the upright stem, numerous small green heads, or "sprouts," each a cabbage in miniature, of one or two inches in diameter; the thousand-headed cabbage. — Brussels wire ground, a ground for lace, made of silk, with meshes partly straight and partly arched.

BRUSTLE Brus"tle, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Brustled; p. pr. & vb. n. Brustling.] Etym: [OE. brustlien and brastlien, AS. brastlian, fr. berstan to burst, akin to G. prasseln to crackle. See Burst, v. i.]

1. To crackle; to rustle, as a silk garment. [Obs.] Gower.

2. To make a show of fireceness or defiance; to bristle. [Obs.] To brustle up, to bristle up. [Obs.] Otway.

BRUSTLE Brus"tle, n.

Defn: A bristle. [Obs. or Prov.] Chaucer.

BRUT Brut, v. i. Etym: [F. brouter, OF. brouster. See Browse, n.]

Defn: To browse. [Obs.] Evelyn.

BRUT Brut, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Birt.

BRUTA Bru"ta, n. Etym: [NL., neuter pl., fr. L. brutus heavy, stupid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: See Edentata.

BRUTAL Bru"tal, a. Etym: [Cf. F. brutal. See Brute, a.]

1. Of or pertaining to a brute; as, brutal nature. "Above the rest of brutal kind." Milton.

2. Like a brute; savage; cruel; inhuman; brutish; unfeeling; merciless; gross; as, brutal manners. "Brutal intemperance." Macaulay.

BRUTALISM Bru"tal*ism, n.

Defn: Brutish quality; brutality.

BRUTALITY Bru*tal"i*ty, n.; pl. Brutalities. Etym: [Cf. F. brutalité.]

1. The quality of being brutal; inhumanity; savageness; pitilessness.

2. An inhuman act. The . . . brutalities exercised in war. Brougham.

BRUTALIZATION Bru`tal*i*za"tion, n.

Defn: The act or process of making brutal; state of being brutalized.

BRUTALIZE Bru"tal*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brutalized; p. pr. & vb. n. Brutalizing.] Etym: [Cf. F. brutaliser.]

Defn: To make brutal; beasty; unfeeling; or inhuman.

BRUTALIZE Bru"tal*ize, v. i.

Defn: To become brutal, inhuman, barbarous, or coarse and beasty. [R.] He mixed . . . with his countrymen, brutalized with them in their habits and manners. Addison.

BRUTALLY Bru"tal*ly, adv.

Defn: In a brutal manner; cruelly.

BRUTE Brute, a. Etym: [F. brut, nasc., brute, fem., raw, rough, rude, brutish, L. brutus stupid, irrational: cf. It. & Sp. bruto.]

1. Not having sensation; senseless; inanimate; unconscious; without intelligence or volition; as, the brute earth; the brute powers of nature.

2. Not possessing reason, irrational; unthinking; as, a brute beast; the brute creation. A creature . . . not prone And brute as other creatures, but endued With sanctity of reason. Milton.

3. Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of, a brute beast. Hence: Brutal; cruel; fierce; ferocious; savage; pitiless; as, brute violence. Macaulay. The influence of capital and mere brute labor. Playfair.

4. Having the physical powers predominating over the mental; coarse; unpolished; unintelligent. A great brute farmer from Liddesdale. Sir W. Scott.

5. Rough; uncivilized; unfeeling. [R.]

BRUTE Brute, n.

1. An animal destitute of human reason; any animal not human; esp. a quadruped; a beast. Brutes may be considered as either aëral, terrestrial, aquatic, or amphibious. Locke.

2. A brutal person; a savage in heart or manners; as unfeeling or coarse person. An ill-natured brute of a husband. Franklin.

Syn. — See Beast.

BRUTE Brute, v. t. Etym: [For bruit.]

Defn: To report; to bruit. [Obs.]

BRUTELY Brute"ly, adv.

Defn: In a rude or violent manner.

BRUTENESS Brute"ness, n.

1. Brutality. [Obs.] Spenser.

2. Insensibility. "The bruteness of nature." Emerson.

BRUTIFY Bru"ti*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Brutified; p. pr. & vb. n. Brutifying.] Etym: [Brute + -fy: cf. F. brutifier.]

Defn: To make like a brute; to make senseless, stupid, or unfeeling; to brutalize. Any man not quite brutified and void of sense. Barrow.

BRUTING Bru"ting, n.

Defn: Browsing. [Obs.] Evelyn.

BRUTISH Bru"tish, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or resembling, a brute or brutes; of a cruel, gross, and stupid nature; coarse; unfeeling; unintelligent. O, let all provocation Take every brutish shape it can devise. Leigh Hunt. Man may . . . render himself brutish, but it is in vain that he would seek to take the rank and density of the brute. I. Taylor.

Syn. — Insensible; stupid; unfeeling; savage; cruel; brutal; barbarous; inhuman; ferocious; gross; carnal; sensual; bestial. — Bru"tish*ly, adv. — Bru"tish*ness, n.

BRUTISM Bru"tism, n.

Defn: The nature or characteristic qualities or actions of a brute; extreme stupidity, or beastly vulgarity.

BRYOLOGICAL Bry*o*log"i*cal, a.

Defn: Relating to bryology; as, bryological studies.

BRYOLOGIST Bry*ol"o*gist, n.

Defn: One versed in bryology.

BRYOLOGY Bry*ol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. -logy.]

Defn: That part of botany which relates to mosses.

BRYONIN Bry"o*nin, n. (Chem.)

Defn: A bitter principle obtained from the root of the bryony (Bryonia alba and B. dioica). It is a white, or slightly colored, substance, and is emetic and cathartic.

BRYONY Bry"o*ny, n. Etym: [L. bryonia, Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: The common name of several cucurbitaceous plants of the genus Bryonia. The root of B. alba (rough or white bryony) and of B. dioica is a strong, irritating cathartic. Black bryony, a plant (Tamus communis) so named from its dark glossy leaves and black root; black bindweed.

BRYOPHYTA Bry*oph"y*ta, n. pl.

Defn: See Cryptogamia.

BRYOZOA Bry`o*zo"a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A class of Molluscoidea, including minute animals which by budding form compound colonies; — called also Polyzoa.

Note: They are often coralike in form and appearance, each small cell containing an individual zooid. Other species grow in delicate, flexible, branched forms, resembling moss, whence the name. Some are found in fresh water, but most are marine. The three principal divisions are Ectoprocta, Entoprocta, and Pterobranchia. See Cyclostoma, Chilostoma, and Phylactolema.

BRYOZOAN Bry`o*zo"an, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Bryozoa. — n.

Defn: One of the Bryozoa.

BRYOZOUM Bry`o*zo"um, n. Etym: [NL. See Bryozoa.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: An individual zooid of a bryozoan coralline, of which there may be two or more kinds in a single colony. The zooecia usually have a wreath of tentacles around the mouth, and a well developed stomach and intestinal canal; but these parts are lacking in the other zooids (Avicularia, Ooecia, etc.).

BUANSUAH Bu`an*su"ah, n. Etym: [Native name.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The wild dog of northern India (Cuon primævus), supposed by some to be an ancestral species of the domestic dog.

BUAT Bu"at, n. Etym: [Scot., of uncertain origin.]

Defn: A lantern; also, the moon. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

BUB Bub, n.

Defn: Strong malt liquor. [Cant] Prior.

BUB Bub, n. Etym: [Cf. 2d Bubby.]

Defn: A young brother; a little boy; — a familiar term of address of a small boy.

BUB Bub, v. t. Etym: [Abbrev. from Bubble.]

Defn: To throw out in bubbles; to bubble. [Obs.] Sackville.

BUBALE Bu"ba*le, n. Etym: [Cf. F. bubale. See Buffalo, n.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large antelope (Alcelaphus bubalis) of Egypt and the Desert of Sahara, supposed by some to be the fallow deer of the Bible.

BUBALINE Bu"ba*line, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Resembling a buffalo. Bubaline antelope (Zoöl.), the bubale.

BUBBLE Bub"ble, n. Etym: [Cf. D. bobbel, Dan. boble, Sw. bubbla. Cf. Blob, n.]

1. A thin film of liquid inflated with air or gas; as, a soap bubble; bubbles on the surface of a river. Beads of sweat have stood upon thy brow, Like bubbles in a late disturbed stream. Shak.

2. A small quantity of air or gas within a liquid body; as, bubbles rising in champagne or aërated waters.

3. A globule of air, or globular vacuum, in a transparent solid; as, bubbles in window glass, or in a lens.

4. A small, hollow, floating bead or globe, formerly used for testing the strength of spirits.

5. The globule of air in the spirit tube of a level.

6. Anything that wants firmness or solidity; that which is more specious than real; a false show; a cheat or fraud; a delusive scheme; an empty project; a dishonest speculation; as, the South Sea bubble. Then a soldier . . . Seeking the bubble reputation Even in the cannon's mouth. Shak.

7. A person deceived by an empty project; a gull. [Obs.] "Ganny's a cheat, and I'm a bubble." Prior.

BUBBLE Bub"ble, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bubbled (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bubbling (.] Etym: [Cf. D. bobbelen, Dan. boble. See Bubble, n.]

1. To rise in bubbles, as liquids when boiling or agitated; to contain bubbles. The milk that bubbled in the pail. Tennyson.

2. To run with a gurdling noise, as if forming bubbles; as, a bubbling stream. Pope.

3. To sing with a gurgling or warbling sound. At mine ear Bubbled the nightingale and heeded not. Tennyson.

BUBBLER Bub"bler, v. t.

Defn: To cheat; to deceive. She has bubbled him out of his youth. Addison. The great Locke, who was seldom outwitted by false sounds, was nevertheless bubbled here. Sterne.

BUBBLER Bub"bler, n.

1. One who cheats. All the Jews, jobbers, bubblers, subscribers, projectors, etc. Pope.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A fish of the Ohio river; — so called from the noise it makes.

BUBBLE SHELL Bub"ble shell`. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A marine univalve shell of the genus Bulla and allied genera, belonging to the Tectibranchiata.

BUBBLING JOCK Bub"bling Jock` (Zoöl.)

Defn: The male wild turkey, the gobbler; — so called in allusion to its notes.

BUBBLY Bub"bly, a.

Defn: Abounding in bubbles; bubbling. Nash.

BUBBY Bub"by (bûb"by), n. Etym: [Cf. Prov. G. bübbi, or It. poppa, Pr. popa, OF. poupe, a woman's breast.]

Defn: A woman's breast. [Low]

BUBBY Bub"by, n. Etym: [A corruption of brother.]

Defn: Bub; — a term of familiar or affectionate address to a small boy.

BUBO Bu"bo, n.; pl. Buboes (. Etym: [LL. bubo the groin, a swelling in the groin, Gr. (Med.)

Defn: An inflammation, with enlargement, of a limphatic gland, esp. in the groin, as in syphilis.

BUBONIC Bu*bon"ic, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to a bubo or buboes; characterized by buboes.

BUBONOCELE Bu*bon"o*cele, n. Etym: [Gr. bubonocèle.] (Med.)

Defn: An inguinal hernia; esp. that incomplete variety in which the hernial pouch descends only as far as the groin, forming a swelling there like a bubo.

BUBUKLE Bu"bu*kle, n.

Defn: A red pimple. [R.] Shak.

BUCCAL Buc"cal, a. Etym: [L. bucca cheek: cf. F. buccal.] (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the mouth or cheeks.

BUCCAN Buc"can, n. [F. boucan. See Buccaneer.]

1.

Defn: A wooden frame or grid for roasting, smoking, or drying meat over fire.

2. A place where meat is smoked.

3. Buccaned meat.

BUCCAN Buc"can, v. t. [F. boucaner. See Buccaneer.]

Defn: To expose (meat) in strips to fire and smoke upon a buccan.

BUCCANEER Buc`ca*neer", n. Etym: [F. boucanier, fr. boucaner to smoke or broil meat and fish, to hunt wild beasts for their skins, boucan a smoking place for meat or fish, gridiron for smoking: a word of American origin.]

Defn: A robber upon the sea; a pirate; — a term applied especially to the piratical adventurers who made depredations on the Spaniards in America in the 17th and 18th centuries. [Written also bucanier.]

Note: Primarily, one who dries and smokes flesh or fish after the manner of the Indians. The name was first given to the French settlers in Hayti or Hispaniola, whose business was to hunt wild cattle and swine.

BUCCANEER Buc`ca*neer", v. i.

Defn: To act the part of a buccaneer; to live as a piratical adventurer or sea robber.

BUCCANEERISH Buc`ca*neer"ish, a.

Defn: Like a buccaneer; piratical.

BUCCINAL Buc"ci*nal, a. Etym: [L. bucina a crooked horn or trumpet.]

Defn: Shaped or sounding like a trumpet; trumpetlike.

BUCCINATOR Buc`ci*na"tor, n. Etym: [L., a trumpeter, fr. bucinare to sound the trumpet.] (Anat.)

Defn: A muscle of the cheek; — so called from its use in blowing wind instruments.

BUCCINOID Buc"ci*noid, a. Etym: [Buccinum + -oid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Resembling the genus Buccinum, or pertaining to the Buccinidæ, a family of marine univalve shells. See Whelk, and Prosobranchiata.

BUCCINUM Buc"ci*num, n. Etym: [L., a trumpet, a trumpet shell.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of large univalve mollusks abundant in the arctic seas. It includes the common whelk (B. undatum).

BUCENTAUR Bu*cen"taur, n. Etym: [Gr.

1. A fabulous monster, half ox, half man.

2. Etym: [It. bucentoro.]

Defn: The state barge of Venice, used by the doge in the ceremony of espousing the Adriatic.

BUCEPHALUS Bu*ceph"a*lus, n. [L., fr. Gr. , lit., ox-headed; ox + head.]

1.

Defn: The celebrated war horse of Alexander the Great.

2. Hence, any riding horse. [Jocose] Sir W. Scott.

BUCEROS Bu"ce*ros, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of large perching birds; the hornbills.

BUCHOLZITE Buch"ol*zite, n. Etym: [So called from Bucholz, a German chemist.] (Min.)

Defn: Same as Fibrolite.

BUCHU Bu"chu, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A South African shrub (Barosma) with small leaves that are dotted with oil dlands; also, the leaves themselves, which are used in medicine for diseases of the urinary organs, etc. Several species furnish the leaves.

BUCK Buck, n. Etym: [Akin to LG. büke, Dan. byg, Sw. byk, G. bauche: cf. It. bucato, Prov. Sp. bugada, F. buée.]

1. Lye or suds in which cloth is soaked in the operation of bleaching, or in which clothes are washed.

2. The cloth or clothes soaked or washed. [Obs.] Shak.

BUCK Buck, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bucked; p. pr. & vb. n. Bucking.] Etym: [OE. bouken; akin to LG. büken, Dan. byge, Sw. byka, G. bauchen, beuchen; cf. OF. buer. Cf. the preceding noun.]

1. To soak, steep, or boil, in lye or suds; — a process in bleaching.

2. To wash (clothes) in lye or suds, or, in later usage, by beating them on stones in running water.

3. (Mining)

Defn: To break up or pulverize, as ores.

BUCK Buck, n. Etym: [OE. buk, bucke, AS. bucca, bua, he-goat; akin to D. bok, OHG. pocch, G. bock, Ir. boc, W. bwch, Corn. byk; cf. Zend b, Skr. bukka. *256. Cf. Butcher, n.]

1. The male of deer, especially fallow deer and antelopes, or of goats, sheep, hares, and rabbits.

Note: A male fallow deer is called a fawn in his first year; a pricket in his second; a sorel in his third; a sore in his fourth; a buck of the first head in his fifth; and a great buck in his sixth. The female of the fallow deer is termed a doe. The male of the red deer is termed a stag or hart and not a buck, and the female is called a hind. Brande & C.

2. A gay, dashing young fellow; a fop; a dandy. The leading bucks of the day. Thackeray.

3. A male Indian or negro. [Colloq. U.S.]

Note: The word buck is much used in composition for the names of antelopes; as, bush buck, spring buck. Blue buck. See under Blue. — Water buck, a South African variety of antelope (Kobus ellipsiprymnus). See Illust. of Antelope.

BUCK Buck, v. i.

1. To copulate, as bucks and does.

2. To spring with quick plunging leaps, descending with the fore legs rigid and the head held as low down as possible; — said of a vicious horse or mule.

BUCK Buck, v. t.

1. (Mil.)

Defn: To subject to a mode of punishment which consists in tying the wrists together, passing the arms over the bent knees, and putting a stick across the arms and in the angle formed by the knees.

2. To throw by bucking. See Buck, v. i., 2. The brute that he was riding had nearly bucked him out of the saddle. W. E. Norris.

BUCK Buck, n.

Defn: A frame on which firewood is sawed; a sawhorse; a sawbuck. Buck saw, a saw set in a frame and used for sawing wood on a sawhorse.

BUCK Buck, n. Etym: [See Beech, n.]

Defn: The beech tree. [Scot.] Buck mast, the mast or fruit of the beech tree. Johnson.

BUCK-BASKET Buck"-bas`ket, n. Etym: [See 1st Buck.]

Defn: A basket in which clothes are carried to the wash. Shak.

BUCK BEAN Buck" bean`. (Bot.)

Defn: A plant (Menyanthes trifoliata) which grows in moist and boggy places, having racems of white or reddish flowers and intensely bitter leaves, sometimes used in medicine; marsh trefoil; — called also bog bean.

BUCKBOARD Buck"board`, n.

Defn: A four-wheeled vehicle, having a long elastic board or frame resting on the bolsters or axletrees, and a seat or seats placed transversely upon it; — called also buck wagon.

BUCKER Buck"er, n. (Mining)

1. One who bucks ore.

2. A broad-headed hammer used in bucking ore.

BUCKER Buck"er, n.

Defn: A horse or mule that bucks.

BUCKET Buck"et, n. Etym: [OE. boket; cf. AS. buc pitcher, or Corn. buket tub.]

1. A vessel for drawing up water from a well, or for catching, holding, or carrying water, sap, or other liquids. The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket, The moss-covered bucket, which hung in the well. Wordsworth.

2. A vessel (as a tub or scoop) for hoisting and conveying coal, ore, grain, etc.

3. (Mach.)

Defn: One of the receptacles on the rim of a water wheel into which the water rushes, causing the wheel to revolve; also, a float of a paddle wheel.

4. The valved piston of a lifting pump. Fire bucket, a bucket for carrying water to put out fires. — To kick the bucket, to die. [Low]

BUCKET SHOP Buck"et shop`.

Defn: An office or a place where facilities are given for betting small sums on current prices of stocks, petroleum, etc. [Slang, U.S.]

BUCKETY Buck"et*y, n. Etym: [A corruption of buckwheat.]

Defn: Paste used by weavers to dress their webs. Buchanan.

BUCKEYE Buck"eye`, n.

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A name given to several American trees and shrubs of the same genus (Æsculus) as the horse chestnut. The Ohio buckeye, or Fetid buckeye, is Æsculus glabra. — Red buckeye is Æ. Pavia. — Small buckeye is Æ. paviflora. — Sweet buckeye, or Yellow buckeye, is Æ. flava.

2. A cant name for a native in Ohio. [U.S.] Buckeye State, Ohio; — so called because buckeye trees abound there.

BUCK-EYED Buck"-eyed`, a.

Defn: Having bad or speckled eyes. "A buck-eyed horse." James White.

BUCK FEVER Buck fever.

Defn: Intense excitement at the sight of deer or other game, such as often unnerves a novice in hunting. [Colloq.]

BUCKHOUND Buck"hound`, n.

Defn: A hound for hunting deer. Master of the buckhounds, an officer in the royal household. [Eng.]

BUCKIE Buck"ie, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large spiral marine shell, esp. the common whelk. See Buccinum. [Scot.] Deil's buckie, a perverse, refractory youngster. [Slang]

BUCKING Buck"ing, n.

1. The act or process of soaking or boiling cloth in an alkaline liquid in the operation of bleaching; also, the liquid used. Tomlinson.

2. A washing.

3. The process of breaking up or pulverizing ores. Bucking iron (Mining), a broad-faced hammer, used in bucking or breaking up ores. — Bucking kier (Manuf.), a large circular boiler, or kier, used in bleaching. — Bucking stool, a washing block.

BUCKISH Buck"ish, a.

Defn: Dandified; foppish.

BUCKLE Buc"kle, n. Etym: [OE. bocle buckle, boss of a shield, OF. bocle, F. boucle, boss of a shield, ring, fr. L. buccula a little cheek or mouth, dim. of bucca cheek; this boss or knob resembling a cheek.]

1. A device, usually of metal, consisting of a frame with one more movable tongues or catches, used for fastening things together, as parts of dress or harness, by means of a strap passing through the frame and pierced by the tongue.

2. A distortion bulge, bend, or kink, as in a saw blade or a plate of sheet metal. Knight.

3. A curl of hair, esp. a kind of crisp curl formerly worn; also, the state of being curled. Earlocks in tight buckles on each side of a lantern face. W. Irving. Lets his wig lie in buckle for a whole half year. Addison.

4. A contorted expression, as of the face. [R.] 'Gainst nature armed by gravity, His features too in buckle see. Churchill.

BUCKLE Buc"kle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Buckled; p. pr. & vb. n. Buckling.] Etym: [OE. boclen, F. boucler. See Buckle, n.]

1. To fasten or confine with a buckle or buckles; as, to buckle a harness.

2. To bend; to cause to kink, or to become distorted.

3. To prepare for action; to apply with vigor and earnestness; — generally used reflexively. Cartwright buckled himself to the employment. Fuller.

4. To join in marriage. [Scot.] Sir W. Scott.

BUCKLE Buc"kle, v. i.

1. To bend permanently; to become distorted; to bow; to curl; to kink. Buckled with the heat of the fire like parchment. Pepys.

2. To bend out of a true vertical plane, as a wall.

3. To yield; to give way; to cease opposing. [Obs.] The Dutch, as high as they seem, do begin to buckle. Pepys.

4. To enter upon some labor or contest; to join in close fight; to struggle; to contend. The bishop was as able and ready to buckle with the Lord Protector as he was with him. Latimer. In single combat thou shalt buckle with me. Shak. To buckle to, to bend to; to engage with zeal. To make our sturdy humor buckle thereto. Barrow. Before buckling to my winter's work. J. D. Forbes.

BUCKLER Buc"kler, n. Etym: [OE. bocler, OF. bocler, F. bouclier, a shield with a boss, from OF. bocle, boucle, boss. See Buckle, n.]

1. A kind of shield, of various shapes and sizes, worn on one of the arms (usually the left) for protecting the front of the body.

Note: In the sword and buckler play of the Middle Ages in England, the buckler was a small shield, used, not to cover the body, but to stop or parry blows.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) One of the large, bony, external plates found on many ganoid fishes. (b) The anterior segment of the shell of trilobites.

3. (Naut.)

Defn: A block of wood or plate of iron made to fit a hawse hole, or the circular opening in a half-port, to prevent water from entering when the vessel pitches. Blind buckler (Naut.), a solid buckler. — Buckler mustard (Bot.), a genus of plants (Biscutella) with small bright yellow flowers. The seed vessel on bursting resembles two bucklers or shields. — Buckler thorn, a plant with seed vessels shaped like a buckler. See Christ's thorn. — Riding buckler (Naut.), a buckler with a hole for the passage of a cable.

BUCKLER Buc"kler, v. t.

Defn: To shield; to defend. [Obs.] Can Oxford, that did ever fence the right, Now buckler falsehood with a pedigree Shak.

BUCKLER-HEADED Buc"kler-head`ed, a.

Defn: Having a head like a buckler.

BUCKLING Buc"kling, a.

Defn: Wavy; curling, as hair. Latham.

BUCKRA Buck"ra, n. Etym: [In the language of the Calabar coast, buckra means "demon, a powerful and superior being." J.L.Wilson.]

Defn: A white man; — a term used by negroes of the African coast, West Indies, etc.

BUCKRA Buck"ra, a.

Defn: White; white man's; strong; good; as, buckra yam, a white yam.

BUCKRAM Buck"ram, n. Etym: [OE. bokeram, bougeren, OF. boqueran, F. bougran, MHG. buckeram, LL. buchiranus, boquerannus, fr. MHG. boc, G. bock, goat (as being made of goat's hair), or fr. F. bouracan, by transposing the letter r. See Buck, Barracan.]

1. A coarse cloth of linen or hemp, stiffened with size or glue, used in garments to keep them in the form intended, and for wrappers to cover merchandise.

Note: Buckram was formerly a very different material from that now known by the name. It was used for wearing apparel, etc. Beck (Draper's Dict. ).

2. (Bot.)

Defn: A plant. See Ramson. Dr. Prior.

BUCKRAM Buck"ram, a.

1. Made of buckram; as, a buckram suit.

2. Stiff; precise. "Buckram dames." Brooke.

BUCKRAM Buck"ram, v. t.

Defn: To strengthen with buckram; to make stiff. Cowper.

BUCK'S-HORN Buck's"-horn`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A plant with leaves branched somewhat like a buck's horn (Plantago Coronopus); also, Lobelia coronopifolia.

BUCKSHOT Buck"shot`, n.

Defn: A coarse leaden shot, larger than swan shot, used in hunting deer and large game.

BUCKSKIN Buck"skin`, n.

1. The skin of a buck.

2. A soft strong leather, usually yellowish or grayish in color, made of deerskin.

3. A person clothed in buckskin, particularly an American soldier of the Revolutionary war. Cornwallis fought as lang's he dought, An' did the buckskins claw, man. Burns.

4. pl.

Defn: Breeches made of buckskin. I have alluded to his buckskin. Thackeray.

BUCKSTALL Buck"stall`, n.

Defn: A toil or net to take deer.

BUCKTHORN Buck"thorn`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus (Rhamnus) of shrubs or trees. The shorter branches of some species terminate in long spines or thorns. See Rhamnus. Sea buckthorn, a plant of the genus Hippophaë.

BUCKTOOTH Buck"tooth`, n.

Defn: Any tooth that juts out. When he laughed, two white buckteeth protruded. Thackeray.

BUCKWHEAT Buck"wheat`, n. Etym: [Buck a beech tree + wheat; akin to D. boekweit, G. buchweizen.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A plant (Fagopyrum esculentum) of the Polygonum family, the seed of which is used for food.

2. The triangular seed used, when ground, for griddle cakes, etc.

BUCOLIC Bu*col"ic, a. Etym: [L. bucolicus, Gr. kal to drive: cf. F. bucolique. See Cow the animal.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the life and occupation of a shepherd; pastoral; rustic.

BUCOLIC Bu*col"ic, n. Etym: [L. Bucolicôn poëma.]

Defn: A pastoral poem, representing rural affairs, and the life, manners, and occupation of shepherds; as, the Bucolics of Theocritus and Virgil. Dryden.

BUCOLICAL Bu*col"ic*al, a.

Defn: Bucolic.

BUCRANIUM Bu*cra"ni*um, n.; pl. L. Bucrania. Etym: [L., fr. Gr.

Defn: A sculptured ornament, representing an ox skull adorned with wreaths, etc.

BUD Bud, n. Etym: [OE. budde; cf. D. bot, G. butze, butz, the core of a fruit, bud, LG. butte in hagebutte, hainbutte, a hip of the dog-rose, or OF. boton, F. bouton, bud, button, OF. boter to bud, push; all akin to E. beat. See Button.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A small protuberance on the stem or branches of a plant, containing the rudiments of future leaves, flowers, or stems; an undeveloped branch or flower.

2. (Biol.)

Defn: A small protuberance on certain low forms of animals and vegetables which develops into a new organism, either free or attached. See Hydra. Bud moth (Zoöl.), a lepidopterous insect of several species, which destroys the buds of fruit trees; esp. Tmetocera ocellana and Eccopsis malana on the apple tree.

BUD Bud, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Budded; p. pr. & vb. n. Budding.]

1. To put forth or produce buds, as a plant; to grow, as a bud does, into a flower or shoot.

2. To begin to grow, or to issue from a stock in the manner of a bud, as a horn.

3. To be like a bud in respect to youth and freshness, or growth and promise; as, a budding virgin. Shak.

Syn. — To sprout; germinate; blossom.

BUD Bud, v. t.

Defn: To graft, as a plant with another or into another, by inserting a bud from the one into an opening in the bark of the other, in order to raise, upon the budded stock, fruit different from that which it would naturally bear. The apricot and the nectarine may be, and usually are, budded upon the peach; the plum and the peach are budded on each other. Farm. Dict.

BUDDHA Bud"dha, n. Etym: [Skr. buddha wise, sage, fr. budh to know.]

Defn: The title of an incarnation of self-abnegation, virtue, and wisdom, or a deified religious teacher of the Buddhists, esp. Gautama Siddartha or Sakya Sinha (or Muni), the founder of Buddhism.

BUDDHISM Bud"dhism, n.

Defn: The religion based upon the doctrine originally taught by the Hindoo sage Gautama Siddartha, surnamed Buddha, "the awakened or enlightened," in the sixth century b.c., and adopted as a religion by the greater part of the inhabitants of Central and Eastern Asia and the Indian Islands. Buddha's teaching is believed to have been atheistic; yet it was characterized by elevated humanity and morality. It presents release from existence (a beatific enfranchisement, Nirvâna) as the greatest good. Buddhists believe in transmigration of souls through all phases and forms of life. Their number was estimated in 1881 at 470,000,000.

BUDDHIST Bud"dhist, n.

Defn: One who accepts the teachings of Buddhism.

BUDDHIST Bud"dhist, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Buddha, Buddhism, or the Buddhists.

BUDDHISTIC Bud*dhis"tic, a.

Defn: Same as Buddhist, a.

BUDDING Bud"ding, n.

1. The act or process of producing buds.

2. (Biol.)

Defn: A process of asexual reproduction, in which a new organism or cell is formed by a protrusion of a portion of the animal or vegetable organism, the bud thus formed sometimes remaining attached to the parent stalk or cell, at other times becoming free; gemmation. See Hydroidea.

3. The act or process of ingrafting one kind of plant upon another stock by inserting a bud under the bark.

BUDDLE Bud"dle, n. Etym: [Prov. E., to cleanse ore, also a vessel for this purpose; cf. G. butteln to shake.] (Mining)

Defn: An apparatus, especially an inclined trough or vat, in which stamped ore is concentrated by subjecting it to the action of rynning water so as to wash out the lighter and less valuable portions.

BUDDLE Bud"dle, v. i. (Mining)

Defn: To wash ore in a buddle.

BUDE BURNER Bude" burn`er. Etym: [See Bude light.]

Defn: A burner consisting of two or more concentric Argand burners (the inner rising above the outer) and a central tube by which oxygen gas or common air is supplied.

BUDE LIGHT Bude" light`. Etym: [From Bude, in Cornwall, the residence of Sir G.Gurney, the inventor.]

Defn: A light in which high illuminating power is obtained by introducing a jet of oxygen gas or of common air into the center of a flame fed with coal gas or with oil.

BUDGE Budge, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Budged; p. pr. & vb. n. Budging.] Etym: [F. bouger to stir, move (akin to Pr. bojar, bolegar, to stir, move, It. bulicare to boil, bubble), fr. L. bullire. See Boil, v. i.]

Defn: To move off; to stir; to walk away. I'll not budge an inch, boy. Shak. The mouse ne'er shunned the cat as they did budge From rascals worse than they. Shak.

BUDGE Budge, a. Etym: [See Budge, v.]

Defn: Brisk; stirring; jocund. [Obs.] South.

BUDGE Budge, n. Etym: [OE. bouge bag, OF. boge, bouge, fr. L. bulga a leathern bag or knapsack; a Gallic word; cf. OIr. bolc, Gael. bolg. Cf. Budge, n.]

Defn: A kind of fur prepared from lambskin dressed with the wool on; — used formerly as an edging and ornament, esp. of scholastic habits.

BUDGE Budge, a.

1. Lined with budge; hence, scholastic. "Budge gowns." Milton.

2. Austere or stiff, like scholastics. Those budge doctors of the stoic fur. Milton. Budge bachelor, one of a company of men clothed in long gowns lined with budge, who formerly accompanied the lord mayor of London in his inaugural procession. — Budge barrel (Mil.), a small copper-hooped barrel with only one head, the other end being closed by a piece of leather, which is drawn together with strings like a purse. It is used for carrying powder from the magazine to the battery, in siege or seacoast service.

BUDGENESS Budge"ness, n.

Defn: Sternness; severity. [Obs.] A Sara for goodness, a great Bellona for budgeness. Stanyhurst.

BUDGER Budg"er, n.

Defn: One who budges. Shak.

BUDGEROW budg"e*row, n. Etym: [Hindi bajra.]

Defn: A large and commodious, but generally cumbrous and sluggish boat, used for journeys on the Ganges.

BUDGET Budg"et, n. Etym: [OE. bogett, bouget, F. bougette bag, wallet, dim. of OF. boge, bouge, leather bag. See Budge, n., and cf. Bouget.]

1. A bag or sack with its contents; hence, a stock or store; an accumulation; as, a budget of inventions.

2. The annual financial statement which the British chancellor of the exchequer makes in the House of Commons. It comprehends a general view of the finances of the country, with the proposed plan of taxation for the ensuing year. The term is sometimes applied to a similar statement in other countries. To open the budget, to lay before a legislative body the financial estimates and plans of the executive government.

BUDGY Budg"y, a. Etym: [From Budge, n.]

Defn: Consisting of fur. [Obs.]

BUDLET Bud"let, n. Etym: [Bud + -let.]

Defn: A little bud springing from a parent bud. We have a criterion to distinguish one bud from another, or the parent bud from the numerous budlets which are its offspring. E. Darwin.

BUFF Buff, n. Etym: [OE. buff, buffe, buff, buffalo, F. buffle buffalo. See Buffalo.]

1. A sort of leather, prepared from the skin of the buffalo, dressed with oil, like chamois; also, the skins of oxen, elks, and other animals, dressed in like manner. "A suit of buff." Shak.

2. The color to buff; a light yellow, shading toward pink, gray, or brown. A visage rough, Deformed, unfeatured, and a skin of buff. Dryden.

3. A military coat, made of buff leather. Shak.

4. (Med.)

Defn: The grayish viscid substance constituting the buffy coat. See Buffy coat, under Buffy, a.

5. (Mech.)

Defn: A wheel covered with buff leather, and used in polishing cutlery, spoons, etc.

6. The bare skin; as, to strip to the buff. [Colloq.] To be in buff is equivalent to being naked. Wright.

BUFF Buff, a.

1. Made of buff leather. Goldsmith.

2. Of the color of buff. Buff coat, a close, military outer garment, with short sleeves, and laced tightly over the chest, made of buffalo skin, or other thick and elastic material, worn by soldiers in the 17th century as a defensive covering. — Buff jerkin, originally, a leather waistcoat; afterward, one of cloth of a buff color. [Obs.] Nares. — Buff stick (Mech.), a strip of wood covered with buff leather, used in polishing.

BUFF Buff, v. t.

Defn: To polish with a buff. See Buff, n., 5.

BUFF Buff, v. t. Etym: [OF. bufer to cuff, buffet. See Buffet a blow.]

Defn: To strike. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

BUFF Buff, n. Etym: [See Buffet.]

Defn: A buffet; a blow; — obsolete except in the phrase "Blindman's buff." Nathless so sore a buff to him it lent That made him reel. Spenser.

BUFF Buff, a. Etym: [Of uncertain etymol.]

Defn: Firm; sturdy. And for the good old cause stood buff, 'Gainst many a bitter kick and cuff. Hudibras.

BUFFA Buf"fa, n. fem. (Mus.) Etym: [It. See Buffoon.]

Defn: The comic actress in an opera. — a.

Defn: Comic, farcical. Aria buffa, a droll or comic air. — Opera buffa, a comic opera. See Opera bouffe.

BUFFALO Buf"fa*lo, n.; pl. Buffaloes (. Etym: [Sp. bufalo (cf. It. bufalo, F. buffle), fr. L. bubalus, bufalus, a kind of African stag or gazelle; also, the buffalo or wild ox, fr. Gr. Cow the animal, and cf. Buff the color, and Bubale.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A species of the genus Bos or Bubalus (B. bubalus), originally from India, but now found in most of the warmer countries of the eastern continent. It is larger and less docile than the common ox, and is fond of marshy places and rivers.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A very large and savage species of the same genus (B. Caffer) found in South Africa; — called also Cape buffalo.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any species of wild ox.

4. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The bison of North America.

5. A buffalo robe. See Buffalo robe, below.

6. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The buffalo fish. See Buffalo fish, below. Buffalo berry (Bot.), a shrub of the Upper Missouri (Sherherdia argentea) with acid edible red berries. — Buffalo bird (Zoöl.), an African bird of the genus Buphaga, of two species. These birds perch upon buffaloes and cattle, in search of parasites. — Buffalo bug, the carpet beetle. See under Carpet. — Buffalo chips, dry dung of the buffalo, or bison, used for fuel. [U.S.] — Buffalo clover (Bot.), a kind of clover (Trifolium reflexum and T.soloniferum) found in the ancient grazing grounds of the American bison. — Buffalo cod (Zoöl.), a large, edible, marine fish (Ophiodon elongatus) of the northern Pacific coast; — called also blue cod, and cultus cod. — Buffalo fish (Zoöl.), one of several large fresh-water fishes of the family Catostomidæ, of the Mississippi valley. The red-mouthed or brown (Ictiobus bubalus), the big-mouthed or black (Bubalichthys urus), and the small-mouthed (B. altus), are among the more important species used as food. — Buffalo fly, or Buffalo gnat (Zoöl.), a small dipterous insect of the genus Simulium, allied to the black fly of the North. It is often extremely abundant in the lower part of the Mississippi valley and does great injury to domestic animals, often killing large numbers of cattle and horses. In Europe the Columbatz fly is a species with similar habits. — Buffalo grass (Bot.), a species of short, sweet grass (Buchloë dactyloides), from two to four inches high, covering the prairies on which the buffaloes, or bisons, feed. [U.S.] — Buffalo nut (Bot.), the oily and drupelike fruit of an American shrub (Pyrularia oleifera); also, the shrub itself; oilnut. — Buffalo robe, the skin of the bison of North America, prepared with the hair on; — much used as a lap robe in sleighs.

BUFFEL DUCK Buf"fel duck. Etym: [See Buffalo.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small duck (Charitonetta albeola); the spirit duck, or butterball. The head of the male is covered with numerous elongated feathers, and thus appears large. Called also bufflehead.

BUFFER Buff"er, n. Etym: [Prop a striker. See Buffet a blow.]

1. (Mech.) (a) An elastic apparatus or fender, for deadening the jar caused by the collision of bodies; as, a buffer at the end of a railroad car. (b) A pad or cushion forming the end of a fender, which recieves the blow; — sometimes called buffing apparatus.

2. One who polishes with a buff.

3. A wheel for buffing; a buff.

4. A good-humored, slow-witted fellow; — usually said of an elderly man. [Colloq.] Dickens.

BUFFERHEAD Buff"er*head`, n.

Defn: The head of a buffer, which recieves the concussion, in railroad carriages.

BUFFET Buf*fet", n. Etym: [F. buffet, LL. bufetum; of uncertain origin; perh. fr. the same source as E. buffet a blow, the root meaning to puff, hence (cf. puffed up) the idea of ostentation or display.]

1. A cupboard or set of shelves, either movable or fixed at one side of a room, for the display of plate, china, etc., a sideboard. Not when a gilt buffet's reflected pride Turns you from sound philosophy aside. Pope.

2. A counter for refreshments; a restaurant at a railroad station, or place of public gathering.

BUFFET Buf"fet, n. Etym: [OE. buffet, boffet, OF. buffet a slap in the face, a pair of bellows, fr. buffe blow, cf. F. bouffer to blow, puff; prob. akin to E. puff. For the meaning slap, blow, cf. F. soufflet a slap, souffler to blow. See Puff, v. i., and cf. Buffet sidebroad, Buffoon]

1. A blow with the hand; a slap on the face; a cuff. When on his cheek a buffet fell. Sir W. Scott.

2. A blow from any source, or that which affects like a blow, as the violence of winds or waves; a stroke; an adverse action; an affliction; a trial; adversity. Those planks of tough and hardy oak that used for yeas to brave the buffets of the Bay of Biscay. Burke. Fortune's buffets and rewards. Shak.

3. A small stool; a stool for a buffet or counter. Go fetch us a light buffet. Townely Myst.

BUFFET Buf"fet, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Buffeted; p. pr. & vb. n. Buffeting.] Etym: [OE. buffeten, OF. buffeter. See the preceding noun.]

1. To strike with the hand or fist; to box; to beat; to cuff; to slap. They spit in his face and buffeted him. Matt. xxvi. 67.

2. To affect as with blows; to strike repeatedly; to strive with or contend against; as, to buffet the billows. The sudden hurricane in thunder roars, Buffets the bark, and whirls it from the shores. Broome. You are lucky fellows who can live in a dreamland of your own, instead of being buffeted about the world. W. Black.

3. Etym: [Cf. Buffer.]

Defn: To deaden the sound of (bells) by muffling the clapper.

BUFFET Buf"fet, v. i.

1. To exercise or play at boxing; to strike; to smite; to strive; to contend. If I might buffet for my love, or bound my horse for her favors, I could lay on like a butcher. Shak.

2. To make one's way by blows or struggling. Strove to buffet to land in vain. Tennyson.

BUFFETER Buf"fet*er, n.