Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages)

by Noah Webster

Bi·oÏplas¶mic (?), a. Pertaining to, or consisting of, bioplasm.
Bi¶oÏplast (?), n. [Gr. ? life + ? to form.] (Biol.) A tiny mass of bioplasm, in itself a living unit and having formative power, as a living white blood corpuscle; bioblast.
Bi·oÏplas¶tic (?), a. (Biol.) Bioplasmic.
BiÏor¶gan (?), n. [Gr. ? life + E. organ.] (Biol.) A physiological organ; a living organ; an organ endowed with function; Ð distinguished from idorgan.
Bi·oÏstat¶ics (?), n. [Gr. ? life + ?. See Statics.] (Biol.) The physical phenomena of organized bodies, in opposition to their organic or vital phenomena.
Bi·oÏstaÏtis¶tics (?), n. [Gr. ? life + E. statistics.] (Biol.) Vital statistics.
Bi¶oÏtax·y (?), n. [Gr. ? life + ? arrangement.] (Biol.) The classification of living organisms according to their structural character; taxonomy.
BiÏot¶ic (?), a. [Gr. ? pert. to life.] (Biol.) Relating to life; as, the biotic principle.
Bi¶oÏtite (?), n. [From Biot, a French naturalist.] (Min.) Mica containing iron and magnesia, generally of a black or dark green color; Ð a common constituent of crystalline rocks. See Mica.
BiÏpal¶mate (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + palmate.] (Bot.) Palmately branched, with the branches again palmated.
Bi·paÏri¶eÏtal (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + parietal.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the diameter of the cranium, from one parietal fossa to the other.
Bip¶aÏrous (?), a. [L. bis twice + parere to bring forth.] Bringing forth two at a birth.
BiÏpart¶iÏble (?), a. [Cf. F. bipartible. See Bipartite.] Capable of being divided into two parts.
BiÏpar¶tient (?), a. [L. bis twice + partiens, p. pr. of partire to divide.] Dividing into two parts. Ð n. A number that divides another into two equal parts without a remainder.
BiÏpar¶tile (?), a. Divisible into two parts.
Bip¶arÏtite (?), a. [L. bipartitus, p. p. of bipartire; bis twice + partire. See Partite.] 1. Being in two parts; having two correspondent parts, as a legal contract or writing, one for each party; shared by two; as, a bipartite treaty.
2. Divided into two parts almost to the base, as a leaf; consisting of two parts or subdivisions.
Gray.
Bi·parÏti¶tion (?), n. The act of dividing into two parts, or of making two correspondent parts, or the state of being so divided.
BiÏpec¶tiÏnate (?), BiÏpec¶tiÏna·ted (?), } a. [Pref. biÏ + pectinate.] (Biol.) Having two margins toothed like a comb.
Bi¶ped (?), n. [L. bipes; bis twice + pes, pedis, ?oot: cf. F. bipŠde.] A twoÏfooted animal, as man.
Bi¶ped, a. Having two feet; twoÏfooted.
By which the man, when heavenly life was ceased,
Became a helpless, naked, biped beast.
Byrom.
Bip¶eÏdal (?), a. [L. bipedalis: cf. F. bip‚dal. See Biped, n.] 1. Having two feet; biped.
2. Pertaining to a biped.
BiÏpel¶tate (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + peltate.] Having a shell or covering like a double shield.
BiÏpen¶nate (?), BiÏpen¶naÏted (?), } a. [Pref. biÏ + pennate: cf. L. bipennis. Cf. Bipinnate.] Having two wings. ½Bipennated insects.¸
Derham.
ØBiÏpen¶nis (?), n. [L.] An ax with an edge or blade on each side of the handle.
BiÏpet¶alÏous (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + petalous.] (Bot.) Having two petals.
ØBi·pinÏna¶riÏa (?), n. [NL., fr. L. bis twice + pinna feather.] (Zo”l.) The larva of certain starfishes as developed in the freeÏswimming stage.
BiÏpin¶nate (?), BiÏpin¶naÏted (?), } a. [Pref. biÏ + pinnate; cf. F. bipinn‚. Cf. Bipennate.] Twice pinnate.
Bi·pinÏnat¶iÏfid (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + pinnatifid.] (Bot.) Doubly pinnatifid.
A bipinnatifid leaf is a pinnatifid leaf having its segments or divisions also pinnatifid. The primary divisions are pinn‘ and the secondary pinnules.
Bip¶liÏcate (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + plicate.] Twice folded together.
Henslow.
BiÏplic¶iÏty (?), n. The state of being twice folded; reduplication. [R.]
Bailey.
BiÏpo¶lar (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + polar. Cf. Dipolar.] Doubly polar; having two poles; as, a bipolar cell or corpuscle.
Bi·poÏlar¶iÏty (?), n. Bipolar quality.
Bi¶pont (?), BiÏpont¶ine (?), a. (Bibliog.) Relating to books printed at Deuxponts, or Bipontium (Zweibrcken), in Bavaria.
BiÏpunc¶tate (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + punctate.] Having two punctures, or spots.
BiÏpunc¶tuÏal (?), a. Having two points.
BiÏpu¶pilÏlate (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + pupil (of the eye).] (Zo”l.) Having an eyelike spot on the wing, with two dots within it of a different color, as in some butterflies.
Bi·pyÏram¶iÏdal (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + pyramidal.] Consisting of two pyramids placed base to base; having a pyramid at each of the extremities of a prism, as in quartz crystals.
BiÏquad¶rate (?), n. [Pref. biÏ + quadrate.] (Math.) The fourth power, or the square of the square. Thus 4x4=16, the square of 4, and 16x16=256, the biquadrate of 4.
Bi·quadÏrat¶ic (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + quadratic: cf. F. biquadratique.] (Math.) Of or pertaining to the biquadrate, or fourth power.
Biquadratic equation (Alg.), an equation of the fourth degree, or an equation in some term of which the unknown quantity is raised to the fourth power. Ð Biquadratic root of a number, the square root of the square root of that number. Thus the square root of 81 is 9, and the square root of 9 is 3, which is the biquadratic root of 81. Hutton.
Bi·quadÏrat¶ic, n. (Math.) (a) A biquadrate. (b) A biquadratic equation.
BiÏquin¶tile (?), n. [Pref. biÏ + quintile: cf. F. biquintile.] (Astron.) An aspect of the planets when they are distant from each other by twice the fifth part of a great circle Ð that is, twice 72 degrees.
BiÏra¶diÏate (?), BiÏra¶diÏa·ted (?), } a. [Pref. biÏ + radiate.] Having two rays; as, a biradiate fin.
BiÏra¶mous (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + ramous.] (Biol.) Having, or consisting of, two branches.
Birch (?), n.; pl. Birches (?). [OE. birche, birk, AS. birce, beorc; akin to Icel. bj”rk, Sw. bj”rk, Dan. birk, D. berk, OHG. piricha, MHG. birche, birke, G. birke, Russ. bereza, Pol. brzoza, Serv. breza, Skr. bh?rja. ?254. Cf. 1st Birk.] 1. A tree of several species, constituting the genus Betula; as, the white or common birch (B. alba) (also called silver birch and lady birch); the dwarf birch (B. glandulosa); the paper or canoe birch (B. papyracea); the yellow birch (B. lutea); the black or cherry birch (B. lenta).
2. The wood or timber of the birch.
3. A birch twig or birch twigs, used for flogging.
µ The twigs of the common European birch (B. alba), being tough and slender, were formerly much used for rods in schools. They were also made into brooms.
The threatening twigs of birch.
Shak.
4. A birchÏbark canoe.
Birch of Jamaica, a species (Bursera gummifera) of turpentine tree. Ð Birch partridge. (Zo”l.) See Ruffed grouse. Ð Birch wine, wine made of the spring sap of the birch. Ð Oil of birch. (a) An oil obtained from the bark of the common European birch (Betula alba), and used in the preparation of genuine ( and sometimes of the imitation) Russia leather, to which it gives its peculiar odor. (b) An oil prepared from the black birch (B. lenta), said to be identical with the oil of wintergreen, for which it is largely sold.
Birch, a. Of or pertaining to the birch; birchen.
Birch, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Birched (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Birching.] To whip with a birch rod or twig; to flog.
Birch¶en (?), a. Of or relating to birch.
He passed where Newark's stately tower
Looks out from Yarrow's birchen bower.
Sir W. Scott.
Bird (?), n. [OE. brid, bred, bird, young bird, bird, AS. bridd young bird. ?92.] 1. Orig., a chicken; the young of a fowl; a young eaglet; a nestling; and hence, a feathered flying animal (see 2).
That ungentle gull, the cuckoo's bird.
Shak.
The brydds [birds] of the aier have nestes.
Tyndale (Matt. viii. 20).
2. (Zo”l.) A warmÏblooded, feathered vertebrate provided with wings. See Aves.
3. Specifically, among sportsmen, a game bird.
4. Fig.: A girl; a maiden.
And by my word! the bonny bird
In danger shall not tarry.
Campbell.
Arabian bird, the phenix. Ð Bird of Jove, the eagle. Ð Bird of Juno, the peacock. Ð Bird louse (Zo”l.), a wingless insect of the group Mallophaga, of which the genera and species are very numerous and mostly parasitic upon birds. Ð Bird mite (Zo”l.), a small mite (genera Dermanyssus, Dermaleichus and allies) parasitic upon birds. The species are numerous. Ð Bird of passage, a migratory bird. Ð Bird spider (Zo”l.), a very large South American spider (Mygale avicularia). It is said sometimes to capture and kill small birds. Ð Bird tick (Zo”l.), a dipterous insect parasitic upon birds (genus Ornithomyia, and allies), usually winged.
Bird (?), v. i. 1. To catch or shoot birds.
2. Hence: To seek for game or plunder; to thieve. [R.]
B. Jonson.
Bird¶bolt· (?), n. A short blunt arrow for killing birds without piercing them. Hence: Anything which smites without penetrating.
Shak.
Bird¶ cage¶, or Bird¶cage· (?), n. A cage for confining birds.
Bird¶call· (?), n. 1. A sound made in imitation of the note or cry of a bird for the purpose of decoying the bird or its mate.
2. An instrument of any kind, as a whistle, used in making the sound of a birdcall.
Bird¶catch·er (?), n. One whose employment it is to catch birds; a fowler.
Bird¶catch·ing, n. The art, act, or occupation or catching birds or wild fowls.
Bird¶ cher·ry (?). (Bot.) A shrub (Prunus Padus ) found in Northern and Central Europe. It bears small black cherries.
Bird¶er (?), n. A birdcatcher.
Bird¶Ðeyed· (?), a. QuickÏsighted; catching a glance as one goes.
Bird¶ fan·ciÏer (?). 1. One who takes pleasure in rearing or collecting rare or curious birds.
2. One who has for sale the various kinds of birds which are kept in cages.
Bird¶ie (?), n. A pretty or dear little bird; Ð a pet name.
Tennyson.
Bird¶iÏkin (?), n. A young bird.
Thackeray.
Bird¶ing, n. Birdcatching or fowling.
Shak.
Birding piece, a fowling piece.
Shak.
Bird¶let, n. A little bird; a nestling.
Bird¶like· (?), a. Resembling a bird.
Bird¶lime· (?), n. [Bird + lime viscous substance.] An extremely adhesive viscid substance, usually made of the middle bark of the holly, by boiling, fermenting, and cleansing it. When a twig is smeared with this substance it will hold small birds which may light upon it. Hence: Anything which insnares.
Not birdlime or Idean pitch produce
A more tenacious mass of clammy juice.
Dryden.
µ Birdlime is also made from mistletoe, elder, etc.
Bird¶lime·, v. t. To smear with birdlime; to catch with birdlime; to insnare.
When the heart is thus birdlimed, then it cleaves to everything it meets with.
Coodwin.
Bird¶ling, n. A little bird; a nestling.
Bird¶man (?), n. A fowler or birdcatcher.
Bird¶ of par¶aÏdise (?). (Zo”l.) The name of several very beautiful birds of the genus Paradisea and allied genera, inhabiting New Guinea and the adjacent islands. The males have brilliant colors, elegant plumes, and often remarkable tail feathers.
µ The Great emerald (Paradisea apoda) and the Lesser emerald (P. minor) furnish many of the plumes used as ornaments by ladies; the Red is P. rubra or sanguinea; the Golden is Parotia aurea or sexsetacea; the King is Cincinnurus regius.
The name is also applied to the lingerÏbilled birds of another related group (Epimachin‘) from the same region. The Twelvewired (Seleucides alba) is one of these. See Paradise bird, and Note under Apod.
Bird¶ pep·per (?). A species of capsicum (Capsicum baccatum), whose small, conical, coralÏred fruit is among the most piquant of all red peppers.
Bird's¶Ðbeak· (?), n. (Arch.) A molding whose section is thought to resemble a beak.
Bird¶seed· (?), n. Canary seed, hemp, millet or other small seeds used for feeding caged birds.
Bird's¶Ðeye· (?), a. 1. Seen from above, as if by a flying bird; embraced at a glance; hence, general? not minute, or entering into details; as, a bird'sÐeye view.
2. Marked with spots resembling bird's eyes; as, bird'sÐeye diaper; bird'sÐeye maple.
Bird's¶Ðeye·, n. (Bot.) A plant with a small bright flower, as the Adonis or pheasant's eye, the mealy primrose (Primula farinosa), and species of Veronica, Geranium, etc.
Bird's¶Ðeye· ma¶ple (?). See under Maple.
Bird's¶Ðfoot· (?), n. (Bot.) A papilionaceous plant, the Ornithopus, having a curved, cylindrical pod tipped with a short, clawlike point.
Bird'sÐfoot trefoil. (Bot.) (a) A genus of plants (Lotus) with clawlike pods. L. corniculatas, with yellow flowers, is very common in Great Britain. (b) the related plant, Trigonella ornithopodioides, is also European.
Bird'sÐmouth· (?), n. (Arch.) An interior a?gle or notch cut across a piece of timber, for the reception of the edge of another, as that in a rafter to be laid on a plate; Ð commonly called crow'sÐfoot in the United States.
Bird's¶ nest·, or Bird'sÐnest (?), n. 1. The nest in which a bird lays eggs and hatches her young.
2. (Cookery) The nest of a small swallow (Collocalia nidifica and several allied species), of China and the neighboring countries, which is mixed with soups.
µ The nests are found in caverns and fissures of

<— p. 148 —>

cliffs on rocky coasts, and are composed in part of alg‘. They are of the size of a goose egg, and in substance resemble isinglass. See Illust. under Edible.
3. (Bot.) An orchideous plant with matted roots, of the genus Neottia (N. nidusÏavis.)
Bird'sÐnest pudding, a pudding containing apples whose cores have been replaces by sugar. Ð Yellow bird's nest, a plant, the Monotropa hypopitys.
Bird'sÐnest·ing (?), n. Hunting for, or taking, birds' nests or their contents.
Bird's¶Ðtongue· (?), n. (Bot.) The knotgrass (Polygonum aviculare).
Bird¶Ðwit·ted (?), a. Flighty; passing rapidly from one subject to another; not having the faculty of attention.
Bacon.
Bi·recÏtan¶guÏlar (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + rectangular.] Containing or having two right angles; as, a birectangular spherical triangle.
Bi¶reme (?), n. [L. biremis; bis twice + remus oar: cf. F. birŠme.] An ancient galley or vessel with two banks or tiers of oars.
BiÏret¶ta (?), n. Same as Berretta.
Bir¶ganÏder (?), n. See Bergander.
Birk (?), n. [See Birch, n.] A birch tree. [Prov. Eng.] ½The silver birk.¸
Tennyson.
Birk, n. (Zo”l.) A small European minnow (Leuciscus phoxinus).
Birk¶en (?), v. t. [From 1st Birk.] To whip with a birch or rod. [Obs.]
Birk¶en, a. Birchen; as, birken groves.
Burns.
Bir¶kie (?), n. A lively or mettlesome fellow. [Jocular, Scot.]
Burns.
Birl (?), v. t. & i. To revolve or cause to revolve; to spin. [Scot.]
Sir W. Scott.
Birl (?), v. t. & i. [AS. byrlian. ?92.] To pour (beer or wine); to ply with drink; to drink; to carouse. [Obs. or Dial.]
Skelton.
Bir¶law (?), n. [See ByÏlaw.] (Law) A law made by husbandmen respecting rural affairs; a rustic or local law or byÏlaw. [Written also byrlaw, birlie, birley.]
BiÏros·trate (?), BiÏros¶traÏted (?), } a. [Pref. biÏ + rostrate.] Having a double beak, or two processes resembling beaks.
The capsule is bilocular and birostrated.
Ed. Encyc.
Birr (?), v. i. [imp. & p.p. Birred (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Birring.] [Cf. OE. bur, bir, wind, storm wind, fr. Icel. byrr wind. Perh. imitative.] To make, or move with, a whirring noise, as of wheels in motion.
Birr, n. 1. A whirring sound, as of a spinning wheel.
2. A rush or impetus; force.
Bir¶rus (?), n. [LL., fr. L. birrus a kind of cloak. See Berretta.] A coarse kind of thick woolen cloth, worn by the poor in the Middle Ages; also, a woolen cap or hood worn over the shoulders or over the head.
Birse (?), n. A bristle or bristles. [Scot.]
Birt (?), n. [OE. byrte; cf. F. bertonneau. Cf. Bret, Burt.] (Zo”l.) A fish of the turbot kind; the brill. [Written also burt, bret, or brut.] [Prov. Eng.]
Birth (?), n. [OE. burth, birth, AS. beor?, gebyrd, fr. beran to bear, bring forth; akin to D. geboorate, OHG. burt, giburt, G. geburt, Icel. bur?r, Skr. bhrti bearing, supporting; cf. Ir. & Gael. beirthe born, brought forth. ?92. See 1st Bear, and cf. Berth.] 1. The act or fact of coming into life, or of being born; Ð generally applied to human beings; as, the birth of a son.
2. Lineage; extraction; descent; sometimes, high birth; noble extraction.
Elected without reference to birth, but solely for qualifications.
Prescott.
3. The condition to which a person is born; natural state or position; inherited disposition or tendency.
A foe by birth to Troy's unhappy name.
Dryden.
4. The act of bringing forth; as, she had two children at a birth. ½At her next birth.¸
Milton.
5. That which is born; that which is produced, whether animal or vegetable.
Poets are far rarer births that kings.
B. Jonson.
Others hatch their eggs and tend the birth till it is able to shift for itself.
Addison.
6. Origin; beginning; as, the birth of an empire.
New birth (Theol.), regeneration, or the commencement of a religious life.
Syn. Ð Parentage; extraction; lineage; race; family.
Birth, n. See Berth. [Obs.]
De Foe.
Birth¶day· (?), n. 1. The day in which any person is born; day of origin or commencement.
Those barbarous ages past, succeeded next
The birthday of invention.
Cowper.
2. The day of the month in which a person was born, in whatever succeeding year it may recur; the anniversary of one's birth.
This is my birthday; as this very day
Was Cassius born.
Shak.
Birth¶day·, a. Of or pertaining to the day of birth, or its anniversary; as, birthday gifts or festivities.
Birth¶dom (?), n. [Birth + Ïdom.] The land of one's birth; one's inheritance. [R.]
Shak.
Birth¶ing, n. (Naut.) Anything added to raise the sides of a ship.
Bailey.
Birth¶less, a. Of mean extraction. [R.]
Sir W. Scott.
Birth¶mark· (?), n. Some peculiar mark or blemish on the body at birth.
Most part of this noble lineage carried upon their body for a natural birthmark, … a snake.
Sir T. North.
Birth¶night· (?), n. The night in which a person is born; the anniversary of that night in succeeding years.
The angelic song in Bethlehem field,
On thy birthnight, that sung thee Savior born.
Milton.
Birth¶place· (?), n. The town, city, or country, where a person is born; place of origin or birth, in its more general sense. ½The birthplace of valor.¸
Burns.
Birth¶right· (?), n. Any right, privilege, or possession to which a person is entitled by birth, such as an estate descendible by law to an heir, or civil liberty under a free constitution; esp. the rights or inheritance of the first born.
Lest there be any … profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.
Heb. xii. 16.
Birth¶root· (?), n. (Bot.) An herbaceous plant (Trillium erectum), and its astringent rootstock, which is said to have medicinal properties.
Birth¶wort· (?), n. A genus of herbs and shrubs (Aristolochia), reputed to have medicinal properties.
Bis (?), adv. [L. bis twice, for duis, fr. root of duo two. See Two, and cf. BiÏ.] Twice; Ð a word showing that something is, or is to be, repeated; as a passage of music, or an item in accounts.
BisÏ, pref. A form of BiÏ, sometimes used before s, c, or a vowel.
Bi¶sa an¶teÏlope (?). (Zo”l.) See Oryx.
BiÏsac¶cate (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + saccate.] (Bot.) Having two little bags, sacs, or pouches.
BisÏcay¶an (?), a. Of or pertaining to Biscay in Spain. Ðn. A native or inhabitant of Biscay.
Bis¶coÏtin (?), n. [F. biscotin. See Biscuit.] A confection made of flour, sugar, marmalade, and eggs; a sweet biscuit.
Bis¶cuit (?), n. [F. biscuit (cf. It. biscotto, Sp. bizcocho, Pg. biscouto), fr. L. bis twice + coctus, p. p. of coquere to cook, bake. See Cook, and cf. Bisque a kind of porcelain.] 1. A kind of unraised bread, of many varieties, plain, sweet, or fancy, formed into flat cakes, and bakes hard; as, ship biscuit.
According to military practice, the bread or biscuit of the Romans was twice prepared in the oven.
Gibbon.
2. A small loaf or cake of bread, raised and shortened, or made light with soda or baking powder. Usually a number are baked in the same pan, forming a sheet or card.
3. Earthen ware or porcelain which has undergone the first baking, before it is subjected to the glazing.
4. (Sculp.) A species of white, unglazed porcelain, in which vases, figures, and groups are formed in miniature.
Meat biscuit, an alimentary preparation consisting of matters extracted from meat by boiling, or of meat ground fine and combined with flour, so as to form biscuits.
BiÏscu¶tate (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + scutate.] (Bot.) Resembling two bucklers placed side by side.
ØBise (?), n. [F.] A cold north wind which prevails on the northern coasts of the Mediterranean and in Switzerland, etc.; Ð nearly the same as the mistral.
Bise (?), n. (Paint.) See Bice.
BiÏsect¶ (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Bisected; p. pr. & vb. n. Bisecting.] [L. bis twice + secare, sectum, to cut.] 1. To cut or divide into two parts.
2. (Geom.) To divide into two equal parts.
BiÏsec¶tion (?), n. [Cf. F. bissection.] Division into two parts, esp. two equal parts.
BiÏsec¶tor (?), n. One who, or that which, bisects; esp. (Geom.) a straight line which bisects an angle.
BiÏsec¶trix (?), n. The line bisecting the angle between the optic axes of a biaxial crystal.
BiÏseg¶ment (?), n. [Pref. biÏ + segment.] One of tow equal parts of a line, or other magnitude.
BiÏsep¶tate (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + septate.] With two partitions or septa.
Gray.
BiÏse¶riÏal (?), BiÏse¶riÏate (?), } a. [Pref. biÏ + serial, seriate.] In two rows or series.
BiÏser¶rate (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + serrate.]
1. (Bot.) Doubly serrate, or having the serratures serrate, as in some leaves.
2. (Zo”l.) Serrate on both sides, as some antenn‘.
BiÏse¶tose (?), BiÏse¶tous (?), } a. [Pref. biÏ + setose, setous.] Having two bristles.
BiÏsex¶ous (?), a. [L. bis twice + sexus sex: cf. F. bissexe.] Bisexual. [Obs.]
Sir T. Browne.
BiÏsex¶uÏal (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + sexual.] (Biol.) Of both sexes; hermaphrodite; as a flower with stamens and pistil, or an animal having ovaries and testes.
BiÏsex¶uÏous (?), a. Bisexual.
BiÏseye¶ (?), p. p. of Besee. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Evil biseye, ill looking. [Obs.]
Bish (?), n. Same as Bikh.
Bish¶op (?), n. [OE. bischop, biscop, bisceop, AS. bisceop, biscop, L. episcopus overseer, superintendent, bishop, fr. Gr. ?, ? over + ? inspector, fr. root of ?, ?, to look to, perh. akin to L. specere to look at. See Spy, and cf. Episcopal.]
1. A spiritual overseer, superintendent, or director.
Ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
1 Pet. ii. 25.
It is a fact now generally recognized by theologians of all shades of opinion, that in the language of the New Testament the same officer in the church is called indifferently ½bishop¸ ( ? ) and ½elder¸ or ½presbyter.¸
J. B. Lightfoot.
2. In the Roman Catholic, Greek, and Anglican or Protestant Episcopal churches, one ordained to the highest order of the ministry, superior to the priesthood, and generally claiming to be a successor of the Apostles. The bishop is usually the spiritual head or ruler of a diocese, bishopric, or see.
Bishop in partibus [infidelium] (R. C. Ch.), a bishop of a see which does not actually exist; one who has the office of bishop, without especial jurisdiction. Shipley. Ð Titular bishop (R. C. Ch.), a term officially substituted in 1882 for bishop in partibus. Ð Bench of Bishops. See under Bench.
3. In the Methodist Episcopal and some other churches, one of the highest church officers or superintendents.
4. A piece used in the game of chess, bearing a representation of a bishop's miter; Ð formerly called archer.
5. A beverage, being a mixture of wine, oranges or lemons, and sugar.
Swift.
6. An old name for a woman's bustle. [U. S.]
If, by her bishop, or her ½grace¸ alone,
A genuine lady, or a church, is known.
Saxe.
Bish¶op, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Bishoped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bishoping.] To admit into the church by confirmation; to confirm; hence, to receive formally to favor.
Bish¶op (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Bishoped (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bishoping.] [From the name of the scoundrel who first practiced it. Youatt.] (Far.) To make seem younger, by operating on the teeth; as, to bishop an old horse or his teeth.
The plan adopted is to cut off all the nippers with a saw to the proper length, and then with a cutting instrument the operator scoops out an oval cavity in the corner nippers, which is afterwards burnt with a hot iron until it is black.
J. H. Walsh.
Bish¶opÏdom (?), n. Jurisdiction of a bishop; episcopate. ½Divine right of bishopdom.¸
Milton.
Bish¶opÏlike· (?), a. Resembling a bishop; belonging to a bishop.
Fulke.
Bish¶opÏly, a. Bishoplike; episcopal. [Obs.]
Bish¶opÏly, adv. In the manner of a bishop. [Obs.]
Bish¶opÏric (?), n. [AS. bisceoprÆce; bisceop bishop + rÆce dominion. See Ïric.] 1. A diocese; the district over which the jurisdiction of a bishop extends.
2. The office of a spiritual overseer, as of an apostle, bishop, or presbyter.
Acts i. 20.
Bish¶op's cap· (?). (Bot.) A plant of the genus Mitella; miterwort.
Longfellow.
Bish¶op sleeve· (?). A wide sleeve, once worn by women.
Bish¶op's length· (?). A canvas for a portrait measuring 58 by 94 inches. The half bishop measures 45 of 56.
Bish¶opÐstool· (?), n. A bishop's seat or see.
Bish¶op'sÐweed· (?), n. (Bot.) (a) An umbelliferous plant of the genus Ammi. (b) Goutweed (?gopodium podagraria).
Bish¶op'sÐwort· (?), n. (Bot.) Wood betony (Stachys betonica); also, the plant called fennel flower (Nigella Damascena), or devilÏinÏaÏbush.
Bis¶ie (?), v. t. To busy; to employ. [Obs.]
BiÏsil¶iÏcate (?), n. (Min. Chem.) A salt of metasilicic acid; Ð so called because the ratio of the oxygen of the silica to the oxygen of the base is as two to one. The bisilicates include many of the most common and important minerals.
Bisk (?), n. [F. bisque.] Soup or broth made by boiling several sorts of flesh together.
King.
Bisk, n. [F. bisque.] (Tennis) See Bisque.
BiÏsmare¶ (?), BiÏsmer¶ (?), n. [AS. bismer.] Shame; abuse. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
Bis¶mer (?), n. 1. A rule steelyard. [Scot.]
2. (Zo”l.) The fifteenÏspined (Gasterosteus spinachia).
ØBisÏmil¶lah (?), interj. [Arabic, in the name of God!] An adjuration or exclamation common among the Mohammedans. [Written also Bizmillah.]
Bis¶mite (?), n. (Min.) Bismuth trioxide, or bismuth ocher.
Bis¶muth (?), n. [Ger. bismuth, wismuth: cf. F. bismuth.] (Chem.) One of the elements; a metal of a reddish white color, crystallizing in rhombohedrons. It is somewhat harder than lead, and rather brittle; masses show broad cleavage surfaces when broken across. It metals at 507? Fahr., being easily fused in the flame of a candle. It is found in a native state, and as a constituent of some minerals. Specific gravity 9.8. Atomic weight 207.5. Symbol Bi.
µ Chemically, bismuth (with arsenic and antimony is intermediate between the metals and nonmetals; it is used in thermoÏelectric piles, and as an alloy with lead and tin in the fusible alloy or metal. Bismuth is the most diamagnetic substance known.
Bismuth glance, bismuth sulphide; bismuthinite. Ð Bismuth ocher, a native bismuth oxide; bismite.
Bis¶muthÏal (?), a. Containing bismuth.
Bis¶muthÏic (?), a. (Chem.) Of or pertaining to bismuth; containing bismuth, when this element has its higher valence; as, bismuthic oxide.
Bis·muthÏif¶erÏous (?), a. [Bismuth + Ïferous.] Containing bismuth.
Bis¶muthÏine (?), Bis¶muthÏinÏite (?), } n. Native bismuth sulphide; Ð sometimes called bismuthite.
Bis¶muthÏous (?), a. Of, or containing, bismuth, when this element has its lower valence.
Bis¶muthÏyl· (?), n. (Min.) Hydrous carbonate of bismuth, an earthy mineral of a dull white or yellowish color. [Written also bismuthite.]
Bi¶son (?), n. [L. bison, Gr. ?, a wild ox; akin to OHG. wisunt, wisant, G. wisent, AS. wesend, Icel. vÆsundr: cf. F. bison.] (Zo”l.) (a) The aurochs or European bison. (b) The American bison buffalo (Bison Americanus), a large, gregarious bovine quadruped with shaggy mane and short black horns, which formerly roamed in herds over most of the temperate portion of North America, but is now restricted to very limited districts in the region of the Rocky Mountains, and is rapidly decreasing in numbers.

<— p. 149 —>

BiÏspi¶nose (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + spinose.] (Zo”l.) Having two spines.
ØBisque (?), n. [A corruption of biscuit.] Unglazed white porcelain.
Bisque, n. [F.] A point taken by the receiver of odds in the game of tennis; also, an extra innings allowed to a weaker player in croquet.
ØBisque, n. [F.] A white soup made of crayfish.
BisÏsex¶tile (?), n. [L. bissextilis annus, fr. bissextus (bis + sextus sixth, fr. sex six) the sixth of the calends of March, or twentyÏfourth day of February, which was reckoned twice every fourth year, by the intercalation of a day.] Leap year; every fourth year, in which a day is added to the month of February on account of the excess of the tropical year (365 d. 5 h. 48 m. 46 s.) above 365 days. But one day added every four years is equivalent to six hours each year, which is 11 m. 14 s. more than the excess of the real year. Hence, it is necessary to suppress the bissextile day at the end of every century which is not divisible by 400, while it is retained at the end of those which are divisible by 400.
BisÏsex¶tile, a. Pertaining to leap year.
Bis¶son (?), a. [OE. bisen, bisne, AS. bisen, prob. for bÆs?ne; bi by + s?ne clear, akin to se¢n to see; clear when near, hence shortÏsighted. See See.] Purblind; blinding. [Obs.] ½Bisson rheum.¸
Shak.
Bis¶ter, Bis¶tre } (?), n. [F. bistre a color made of soot; of unknown origin. Cf., however, LG. biester frowning, dark, ugly.] (Paint.) A dark brown pigment extracted from the soot of wood.
BiÏstip¶uled (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + stipule.] (Bot.) Having two stipules.
Bis¶tort (?), n. [L. bis + tortus, p. p. of torquere to twist: cf. F. bistorte.] (Bot.) An herbaceous plant of the genus Polygonum, section Bistorta; snakeweed; adderwort. Its root is used in medicine as an astringent.
Bis¶touÏry (?), n.; pl. Bistouries (?). [F. bistouri.] A surgical instrument consisting of a slender knife, either straight or curved, generally used by introducing it beneath the part to be divided, and cutting towards the surface.
Bis¶tre (?), n. See Bister.
BiÏsul¶cate (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + sulcate.]
1. Having two grooves or furrows.
2. (Zo”l.) Cloven; said of a foot or hoof.
BiÏsul¶cous (?), a. [L. bisulcus; bis twice + sulcus furrow.] Bisulcate.
Sir T. Browne.
BiÏsul¶phate (?), n. [Pref. biÏ + sulphate.] (Chem.) A sulphate in which but half the hydrogen of the acid is replaced by a positive element or radical, thus making the proportion of the acid to the positive or basic portion twice what it is in the normal sulphates; an acid sulphate.
BiÏsul¶phide (?), n. [Pref. biÏ + sulphide.] (Chem.) A sulphide having two atoms of sulphur in the molecule; a disulphide, as in iron pyrites, FeS2; Ð less frequently called bisulphuret.
BiÏsul¶phite (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of sulphurous acid in which the base replaces but half the hydrogen of the acid; an acid sulphite.
BiÏsul¶phuÏret (?), n. [Pref. biÏ + sulphuret.] (Chem.) See Bisulphide.
Bit (?), n. [OE. bitt, bite, AS. bite, bite, fr. bÆtan to bite. See Bite, n. & v., and cf. Bit a morsel.] 1. The part of a bridle, usually of iron, which is inserted in the mouth of a horse, and having appendages to which the reins are fastened.
Shak.
The foamy bridle with the bit of gold.
Chaucer.
2. Fig.: Anything which curbs or restrains.
Bit, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Bitted (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bitting.] To put a bridle upon; to put the bit in the mouth of.
Bit, imp. & p. p. of Bite.
Bit, n. [OE. bite, AS. bita, fr. bÆtan to bite; akin to D. beet, G. bissen bit, morsel, Icel. biti. See Bite, v., and cf. Bit part of a bridle.] 1. A part of anything, such as may be bitten off or taken into the mouth; a morsel; a bite. Hence: A small piece of anything; a little; a mite.
2. Somewhat; something, but not very great.
My young companion was a bit of a poet.
T. Hook.
µ This word is used, also, like jot and whit, to express the smallest degree; as, he is not a bit wiser.
3. A tool for boring, of various forms and sizes, usually turned by means of a brace or bitstock. See Bitstock.
4. The part of a key which enters the lock and acts upon the bolt and tumblers.
Knight.
5. The cutting iron of a plane.
Knight.
6. In the Southern and Southwestern States, a small silver coin (as the real) formerly current; commonly, one worth about 12 1/2 cents; also, the sum of 12 1/2 cents.
Bit my bit, piecemeal.
Pope.
Bit, 3d sing. pr. of Bid, for biddeth. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
BiÏtake¶ (?), v. t. [See Betake, Betaught.] To commend; to commit. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
BiÏtan¶gent (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + tangent.] (Geom.) Possessing the property of touching at two points. Ð n. A line that touches a curve in two points.
BiÏtar¶trate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of tartaric acid in which the base replaces but half the acid hydrogen; an acid tartrate, as cream of tartar.
Bitch (?), n. [OE. biche, bicche, AS. bicce; cf. Icel. bikkja, G. betze, peize.] 1. The female of the canine kind, as of the dog, wolf, and fox.
2. An opprobrious name for a woman, especially a lewd woman.
Pope.
Bite (?), v. t. [imp. Bit (?); p. p. Bitten (?), Bit; p. pr. & vb. n. Biting.] [OE. biten, AS. bÆtan; akin to D. bijten, OS. bÆtan, OHG. bÆzan, G. beissen, Goth. beitan, Icel. bÆta, Sw. bita, Dan. bide, L. findere to cleave, Skr. bhid to cleave. ?87. Cf. Fissure.]
1. To seize with the teeth, so that they enter or nip the thing seized; to lacerate, crush, or wound with the teeth; as, to bite an apple; to bite a crust; the dog bit a man.
Such smiling rogues as these,
Like rats, oft bite the holy cords atwain.
Shak.
2. To puncture, abrade, or sting with an organ (of some insects) used in taking food.
3. To cause sharp pain, or smarting, to; to hurt or injure, in a literal or a figurative sense; as, pepper bites the mouth. ½Frosts do bite the meads.¸
Shak.
4. To cheat; to trick; to take in. [Colloq.]
Pope.
5. To take hold of; to hold fast; to adhere to; as, the anchor bites the ground.
The last screw of the rack having been turned so often that its purchase crumbled, … it turned and turned with nothing to bite.
Dickens.
To bite the dust, To bite the ground, to fall in the agonies of death; as, he made his enemy bite the dust. Ð To bite in (Etching), to corrode or eat into metallic plates by means of an acid. Ð To bite the thumb at (any one), formerly a mark of contempt, designed to provoke a quarrel; to defy. ½Do you bite your thumb at us ?¸ Shak. Ð To bite the tongue, to keep silence. Shak.
Bite (?), v. i. 1. To seize something forcibly with the teeth; to wound with the teeth; to have the habit of so doing; as, does the dog bite ?
2. To cause a smarting sensation; to have a property which causes such a sensation; to be pungent; as, it bites like pepper or mustard.
3. To cause sharp pain; to produce anguish; to hurt or injure; to have the property of so doing.
At the last it [wine] biteth like serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
Prov. xxiii. 32.
4. To take a bait into the mouth, as a fish does; hence, to take a tempting offer.
5. To take or keep a firm hold; as, the anchor bites.
Bite, n. [OE. bite, bit, bitt, AS. bite bite, fr. bÆtan to bite, akin to Icel. bit, OS. biti, G. biss. See Bite, v., and cf. Bit.] 1. The act of seizing with the teeth or mouth; the act of wounding or separating with the teeth or mouth; a seizure with the teeth or mouth, as of a bait; as, to give anything a hard bite.
I have known a very good fisher angle diligently four or six hours for a river carp, and not have a bite.
Walton.
2. The act of puncturing or abrading with an organ for taking food, as is done by some insects.
3. The wound made by biting; as, the pain of a dog's or snake's bite; the bite of a mosquito.
4. A morsel; as much as is taken at once by biting.
5. The hold which the short end of a lever has upon the thing to be lifted, or the hold which one part of a machine has upon another.
6. A cheat; a trick; a fraud. [Colloq.]
The baser methods of getting money by fraud and bite, by deceiving and overreaching.
Humorist.
7. A sharper; one who cheats. [Slang]
Johnson.
8. (Print.) A blank on the edge or corner of a page, owing to a portion of the frisket, or something else, intervening between the type and paper.
Bit¶er (?), n. 1. One who, or that which, bites; that which bites often, or is inclined to bite, as a dog or fish. ½Great barkers are no biters.¸
Camden.
2. One who cheats; a sharper. [Colloq.]
Spectator.
BiÏter¶nate (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + ternate.] (Bot.)Doubly ternate, as when a petiole has three ternate leaflets. Ð BiÏter¶nateÏly, adv.
Gray.
Bi¶theÏism (?), n. [Pref. biÏ + theism.] Belief in the existence of two gods; dualism.
Bit¶ing (?), a. That bites; sharp; cutting; sarcastic; caustic. ½A biting affliction.¸ ½A biting jest.¸
Shak.
Bit¶ing in¶ (?). (Etching.) The process of corroding or eating into metallic plates, by means of an acid. See Etch.
G. Francis.
Bit¶ingÏly, adv. In a biting manner.
Bit¶less (?), a. Not having a bit or bridle.
Bit¶stock· (?), n. A stock or handle for holding and rotating a bit; a brace.
Bitt (?), n. (Naut.) See Bitts.
Bitt (?), v. t. [See Bitts.] (Naut.) To put round the bitts; as, to bitt the cable, in order to fasten it or to slacken it gradually, which is called veering away.
Totten.
Bit¶taÏcle (?), n. A binnacle. [Obs.]
Bit¶ten (?), p. p. of Bite.
Bit¶ten (?), a. (Bot.) Terminating abruptly, as if bitten off; premorse.
Bit¶ter (?), n. [See Bitts.] (Naut.) AA turn of the cable which is round the bitts.
Bitter end, that part of a cable which is abaft the bitts, and so within board, when the ship rides at anchor.
Bit¶ter (?), a. [AS. biter; akin to Goth. baitrs, Icel. bitr, Dan., Sw., D., & G. bitter, OS. bittar, fr. root of E. bite. See Bite, v. t.] 1. Having a peculiar, acrid, biting taste, like that of wormwood or an infusion of hops; as, a bitter medicine; bitter as aloes.
2. Causing pain or smart; piercing; painful; sharp; severe; as, a bitter cold day.
3. Causing, or fitted to cause, pain or distress to the mind; calamitous; poignant.
It is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God.
Jer. ii. 19.
4. Characterized by sharpness, severity, or cruelty; harsh; stern; virulent; as, bitter reproach.
Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
Col. iii. 19.
5. Mournful; sad; distressing; painful; pitiable.
The Egyptians … made their lives bitter with hard bondage.
Ex. i. 14.
Bitter apple, Bitter cucumber, Bitter gourd. (Bot.) See Colocynth. Ð Bitter cress (Bot.), a plant of the genus Cardamine, esp. C. amara. Ð Bitter earth (Min.), tale earth; calcined magnesia. Ð Bitter principles (Chem.), a class of substances, extracted from vegetable products, having strong bitter taste but with no sharply defined chemical characteristics. Ð Bitter salt, Epsom salts;; magnesium sulphate. Ð Bitter vetch (Bot.), a name given to two European leguminous herbs, Vicia Orobus and Ervum Ervilia. Ð To the bitter end, to the last extremity, however calamitous.
Syn. Ð Acrid; sharp; harsh; pungent; stinging; cutting; severe; acrimonious.
Bit¶ter (?), n. Any substance that is bitter. See Bitters.
Bit¶ter, v. t. To make bitter.
Wolcott.
Bit¶terÏbump· (?), n. (Zo”l.) the butterbump or bittern.
Bit¶terÏful (?), a. Full of bitterness. [Obs.]
Bit¶terÏing, n. A bitter compound used in adulterating beer; bittern.
Bit¶terÏish, a. Somewhat bitter.
Goldsmith.
Bit¶terÏling (?), n. [G.] (Zo”l.) A roachlike European fish (Rhodima amarus).
Bit¶terÏly, adv. In a bitter manner.
Bit¶tern (?), n. [OE. bitoure, betore, bitter, fr. F. butor; of unknown origin.] (Zo”l.) A wading bird of the genus Botaurus, allied to the herons, of various species.
µ The common European bittern is Botaurus stellaris. It makes, during the brooding season, a noise called by Dryden bumping, and by Goldsmith booming. The American bittern is B. lentiginosus, and is also called stakeÏdriver and meadow hen. See StakeÏdriver.
The name is applied to other related birds, as the least bittern (Ardetta exilis), and the sun bittern.
Bit¶tern, n. [From Bitter, a.] 1. The brine which remains in salt works after the salt is concreted, having a bitter taste from the chloride of magnesium which it contains.
2. A very bitter compound of quassia, cocculus Indicus, etc., used by fraudulent brewers in adulterating beer.
Cooley.
Bit¶terÏness (?), n. [AS. biternys; biter better + Ïnys = Ïness.] 1. The quality or state of being bitter, sharp, or acrid, in either a literal or figurative sense; implacableness; resentfulness; severity; keenness of reproach or sarcasm; deep distress, grief, or vexation of mind.
The lip that curls with bitterness.
Percival.
I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
Job vii. 11.
2. A state of extreme impiety or enmity to God.
Thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity.
Acts viii. 23.
3. Dangerous error, or schism, tending to draw persons to apostasy.
Looking diligently, … lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you.
Heb. xii. 15.
Bit¶terÏnut¶, n. (Bot.) The swamp hickory (Carya amara). Its thinÏshelled nuts are bitter.
Bit¶terÏroot· (?), n. (Bot.) A plant (Lewisia rediviva) allied to the purslane, but with fleshy, farinaceous roots, growing in the mountains of Idaho, Montana, etc. It gives the name to the Bitter Root mountains and river. The Indians call both the plant and the river Sp‘t'lum.
Bit¶ters (?), n. pl. A liquor, generally spirituous in which a bitter herb, leaf, or root is steeped.
Bit¶ter spar¶ (?). A common name of dolomite Ð so called because it contains magnesia, the soluble salts of which are bitter. See Dolomite.
Bit¶terÏsweet· (?), a. Sweet and then bitter or bitter and then sweet; esp. sweet with a bitter after taste; hence (Fig.), pleasant but painful.
Bit¶terÏsweet·, n. 1. Anything which is bittersweet.
2. A kind of apple so called.
Gower.
3. (Bot.) (a) A climbing shrub, with oval coralÏred berries (Solanum dulcamara); woody nightshade. The whole plant is poisonous, and has a taste at first sweetish and then bitter. The branches are the officinal dulcamara. (b) An American woody climber (Celastrus scandens), whose yellow capsules open late in autumn, and disclose the red aril which covers the seeds; Ð also called Roxbury waxwork.
Bit¶terÏweed· (?), n. (Bot.) A species of Ambrosia (A. artemisi‘folia); Roman worm wood.
Gray.
Bit¶terÏwood· (?), n. A West Indian tree (Picr‘na excelsa) from the wood of which the bitter drug Jamaica quassia is obtained.
Bit¶terÏwort· (?), n. (Bot.) The yellow gentian (Gentiana lutea), which has a very bitter taste.
Bit¶tock (?), n. [See Bit a morsel.] A small bit of anything, of indefinite size or quantity; a short distance. [Scot.]
Sir W. Scott.
Bit¶tor Bit¶tour } (?), n. [See Bittern] (Zo”l.) The bittern.
Dryden.
Bitts (?), n. pl. [Cf. F. bitte, Icel. biti, a beam. ?87.] (Naut.) A frame of two strong timbers fixed perpendicularly in the fore part of a ship, on which to fasten the cables as the ship rides at anchor, or in warping. Other bitts are used for belaying (belaying bitts), for sustaining the windlass (carrick bitts, winch bitts, or windlass bitts), to hold the pawls of the windlass (pawl bitts) etc.
BiÏtume¶ (?), n. [F. See Bitumen.] Bitumen. [Poetic]
May.
BiÏtumed¶ (?), a. Smeared with bitumen. [R.] ½The hatches caulked and bitumed.¸
Shak.
BiÏtu¶men (?), n. [L. bitumen: cf. F. bitume. Cf. B‚ton.] 1. Mineral pitch; a black, tarry substance, burning with a bright flame; Jew's pitch. ?

<— p. 150 —>

occurs as an abundant natural product in many places, as on the shores of the Dead and Caspian Seas. It is used in cements, in the construction of pavements, etc. See Asphalt. 2. By extension, any one of the natural hydrocarbons, including the hard, solid, brittle varieties called asphalt, the semisolid maltha and mineral tars, the oily petroleums, and even the light, volatile naphthas. BiÏtu¶miÏnate (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Bituminated; p. pr. & vb. n. Bituminating.] [L. bituminatus, p. p. of bituminare to bituminate. See Bitumen.] To treat or impregnate with bitumen; to cement with bitumen. ½Bituminated walls of Babylon.¸ Feltham. BiÏtu·miÏnif¶erÏous (?), a. [Bitumen + Ïferous.] Producing bitumen. Kirwan. BiÏtu·miÏniÏza¶tion (?), n. [Cf. F. bituminisation.] The process of bituminizing. Mantell. BiÏtu¶miÏnize (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Bituminized (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bituminizing.] [Cf. F. bituminiser.] To prepare, treat, impregnate, or coat with bitumen. BiÏtu¶miÏnous (?), a. [L. bituminosus: cf. F. bitumineux.] Having the qualities of bitumen; compounded with bitumen; containing bitumen. Near that bituminous lake where Sodom flamed. Milton. Bituminous coal, a kind of coal which yields, when heated, a considerable amount of volatile bituminous matter. It burns with a yellow smoky flame. Ð Bituminous limestone, a mineral of a brown or black color, emitting an unpleasant smell when rubbed. That of Dalmatia is so charged with bitumen that it may be cut like soap. Ð Bituminous shale, an argillaceous shale impregnated with bitumen, often accompanying coal. Bi¶uÏret (?), n. [Pref. biÏ + urea.] (Chem.) A white, crystalline, nitrogenous substance, C2O2N3H5, formed by heating urea. It is intermediate between urea and cyanuric acid. Biv¶aÏlenÏcy (?), n. (Chem.) The quality of being bivalent. Biv¶aÏlent (?), a. [L. bis twice + valens, p. pr. See Valence.] (Chem.) Equivalent in combining or displacing power to two atoms of hydrogen; dyad. Bi¶valve (?), n. [F. bivalve; biÏ (L. bis) + valve valve.] 1. (Zo”l.) A mollusk having a shell consisting of two lateral plates or valves joined together by an elastic ligament at the hinge, which is usually strengthened by prominences called teeth. The shell is closed by the contraction of two transverse muscles attached to the inner surface, as in the clam, Ð or by one, as in the oyster. See Mollusca. 2. (Bot.) A pericarp in which the seed case opens or splits into two parts or valves. Bi¶valve (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + valve.] (Zo”l. & Bot.) Having two shells or valves which open and shut, as the oyster and certain seed vessels. Bi¶valved (?), a. Having two valves, as the oyster and some seed pods; bivalve. BiÏval¶vous (?), a. Bivalvular. BiÏval¶vuÏlar (?), a. Having two valves. BiÏvault¶ed (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + vault.] Having two vaults or arches. BiÏvec¶tor (?), n. [Pref. biÏ + vector.] (Math.) A term made up of the two parts ? + ?1 ?Ð1, where ? and ?1 are vectors. BiÏven¶tral (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + ventral.] (Anat.) Having two bellies or protuberances; as, a biventral, or digastric, muscle, or the biventral lobe of the cerebellum. Biv¶iÏal (?), a. Of or relating to the bivium. Biv¶iÏous (?), a. [L. bivius; bis twice + via way.] Having, or leading, two ways. Bivious theorems and JanusÏfaced doctrines. Sir T. Browne. ØBiv¶iÏum (?), n. [L., a place with two ways. See Bivious.] (Zo”l.) One side of an echinoderm, including a pair of ambulacra, in distinction from the opposite side (trivium), which includes three ambulacra. Biv¶ouac (?), n. [F. bivouac, bivac, prab. fr. G. beiwache, or beiwacht; bei by, near + wachen to watch, wache watch, guard. See By, and Watch.] (Mil.) (a) The watch of a whole army by night, when in danger of surprise or attack. (b) An encampment for the night without tents or covering. Biv¶ouac, v. i. [imp. & p.p. Bivouacked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bivouacking.] (Mil.) (a) To watch at night or be on guard, as a whole army. (b) To encamp for the night without tents or covering. Bi¶week·ly (?), a. [Pref. biÏ + weekly.] Occurring or appearing once every two weeks; fortnightly. Ð n. A publication issued every two weeks. Ð Bi¶week¶ly, adv. BiÏwreye¶ (?), v. t. To bewray; to reveal. [Obs.] Biz¶anÏtine (?). See Byzantine. BiÏzarre¶ (?), a. [F. bizarre odd, fr. Sp. bizarro gallant, brave, liberal, prob. of Basque origin; cf. Basque bizarra beard, whence the meaning manly, brave.] Odd in manner or appearance; fantastic; whimsical; extravagant; grotesque. C. Kingsley. BiÏzet¶ (?), n. [Cf. Bezel.] The upper faceted portion of a brilliantÏcut diamond, which projects from the setting and occupies the zone between the girdle and the table. See Brilliant, n. Blab (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Blabbed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Blabbing.] [Cf. OE. blaberen, or Dan. blabbre, G. plappern, Gael. blabaran a stammerer; prob. of imitative origin. Cf. also Blubber, v.] To utter or tell unnecessarily, or in a thoughtless manner; to publish (secrets or trifles) without reserve or discretion. Udall. And yonder a vile physician blabbing The case of his patient. Tennyson. Blab, v. i. To talk thoughtlessly or without discretion; to tattle; to tell tales. She must burst or blab. Dryden. Blab, n. [OE. blabbe.] One who blabs; a babbler; a telltale. ½Avoided as a blab.¸ Milton. For who will open himself to a blab or a babbler. Bacon. Blab¶ber (?), n. A tattler; a telltale. Black (?), a. [OE. blak, AS. bl‘c; akin to Icel. blakkr dark, swarthy, Sw. bl„ck ink, Dan. bl‘k, OHG. blach, LG. & D. blaken to burn with a black smoke. Not akin to AS. bl¾c, E. bleak pallid. ?98.] 1. Destitute of light, or incapable of reflecting it; of the color of soot or coal; of the darkest or a very dark color, the opposite of white; characterized by such a color; as, black cloth; black hair or eyes. O night, with hue so black! Shak. 2. In a less literal sense: Enveloped or shrouded in darkness; very dark or gloomy; as, a black night; the heavens black with clouds. I spy a black, suspicious, threatening cloud. Shak. 3. Fig.: Dismal, gloomy, or forbidding, like darkness; destitute of moral light or goodness; atrociously wicked; cruel; mournful; calamitous; horrible. ½This day's black fate.¸ ½Black villainy.¸ ½Arise, black vengeance.¸ ½Black day.¸ ½Black despair.¸ Shak. 4. Expressing menace, or discontent; threatening; sullen; foreboding; as, to regard one with black looks. µ Black is often used in selfÏexplaining compound words; as, blackÏeyed, blackÏfaced, blackÏhaired, blackÏvisaged. Black act, the English statute 9 George I, which makes it a felony to appear armed in any park or warren, etc., or to hunt or steal deer, etc., with the face blackened or disguised. Subsequent acts inflicting heavy penalties for malicious injuries to cattle and machinery have been called black acts. Ð Black angel (Zo”l.), a fish of the West Indies and Florida (Holacanthus tricolor), with the head and tail yellow, and the middle of the body black. Ð Black antimony (Chem.), the black sulphide of antimony, Sb2S3, used in pyrotechnics, etc. Ð Black bear (Zo”l.), the common American bear (Ursus Americanus). Ð Black beast. See Bˆte noire. Ð Black beetle (Zo”l.), the common large cockroach (Blatta orientalis). Ð Black and blue, the dark color of a bruise in the flesh, which is accompanied with a mixture of blue. ½To pinch the slatterns black and blue.¸ Hudibras. Ð Black bonnet (Zo”l.), the blackÏheaded bunting (Embriza Sch?niclus) of Europe. Ð Black canker, a disease in turnips and other crops, produced by a species of caterpillar. Ð Black cat (Zo”l.), the fisher, a quadruped of North America allied to the sable, but larger. See Fisher. Ð Black cattle, any bovine cattle reared for slaughter, in distinction from dairy cattle. [Eng.] Ð Black cherry. See under Cherry. Ð Black cockatoo (Zo”l.), the palm cockatoo. See Cockatoo. Ð Black copper. Same as Melaconite. Ð Black currant. (Bot.) See Currant. Ð Black diamond. (Min.) See Carbonado. Ð Black draught (Med.), a cathartic medicine, composed of senna and magnesia. Ð Black drop (Med.), vinegar of opium; a narcotic preparation consisting essentially of a solution of opium in vinegar. Ð Black earth, mold; earth of a dark color. Woodward. Ð Black flag, the flag of a pirate, often bearing in white a skull and crossbones; a signal of defiance. Ð Black flea (Zo”l.), a flea beetle (Haltica nemorum) injurious to turnips. Ð Black flux, a mixture of carbonate of potash and charcoal, obtained by deflagrating tartar with half its weight of niter. Brande & C. Ð Black fly. (Zo”l.) (a) In the United States, a small, venomous, twoÏwinged fly of the genus Simuliu? of several ?, exceedingly abundant and troublesome in the northern forests. The larv‘ are aquatic. (b) A black plant louse, as the bean aphis (A. fab‘). Ð Black Forest

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2. A book compiled in the twelfth century, containing a description of the court of exchequer of England, an official statement of the revenues of the crown, etc.
3. A book containing details of the enormities practiced in the English monasteries and religious houses, compiled by order of their visitors under Henry VIII., to hasten their dissolution.
4. A book of admiralty law, of the highest authority, compiled in the reign of Edw. III.
Bouvier. Wharton.
5. A book kept for the purpose of registering the names of persons liable to censure or punishment, as in the English universities, or the English armies.
6. Any book which treats of necromancy.
Black¶Ðbrowed· (?), a. Having black eyebrows. Hence: Gloomy; dismal; threatening; forbidding.
Shak. Dryden.
BlackÏbur¶niÏan war¶Ïbler (?). [Named from Mrs. Blackburn, an English lady.] (Zo”l.) A beautiful warbler of the United States (Dendroica Blackburni‘). The male is strongly marked with orange, yellow, and black on the head and neck, and has an orangeÏyellow breast.
Black¶cap· (?), n. 1. (Zo”l.) (a) A small European song bird (Sylvia atricapilla), with a black crown; the mock nightingale. (b) An American titmouse (Parus atricapillus); the chickadee.
2. (Cookery) An apple roasted till black, to be served in a dish of boiled custard.
3. The black raspberry.
Black¶coat· (?), n. A clergyman; Ð familiarly so called, as a soldier is sometimes called a redcoat or a bluecoat.
Black¶cock· (?), n. (Zo”l.) The male of the European black grouse (Tetrao tetrix, Linn.); Ð so called by sportsmen. The female is called gray hen. See Heath grouse.
Black¶ death· (?). A pestilence which ravaged Europe and Asia in the fourteenth century.
Black¶en (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Blackened (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Blackening.] [See Black, a., and cf. Black, v. t. ] 1. To make or render black.
While the long funerals blacken all the way.
Pope.
2. To make dark; to darken; to cloud. ½Blackened the whole heavens.¸
South.
3. To defame; to sully, as reputation; to make infamous; as, vice blackens the character.
Syn. Ð To denigrate; defame; vilify; slander; calumniate; traduce; malign; asperse.
Black¶en, v. i. To grow black or dark.
Black¶enÏer (?), n. One who blackens.
Black¶Ðeyed· (?), a. Having black eyes.
Dryden.
Black¶Ðfaced· (?), a. Having a black, dark, or gloomy face or aspect.
Black¶feet· (?), n. pl. (Ethn.) A tribe of North American Indians formerly inhabiting the country from the upper Missouri River to the Saskatchewan, but now much reduced in numbers.
Black¶fin· (?), n. (Zo”l.) See Bluefin.
Black¶fish (?), n. 1. (Zo”l.) A small kind of whale, of the genus Globicephalus, of several species. The most common is G. melas. Also sometimes applied to other whales of larger size.
2. (Zo”l.) The tautog of New England (Tautoga).
3. (Zo”l.) The black sea bass (Centropristis atrarius) of the Atlantic coast. It is excellent food fish; Ð locally called also black Harry.
4. (Zo”l.) A fish of southern Europe (Centrolophus pompilus) of the Mackerel family.
5. (Zo”l.) The female salmon in the spawning season.
µ The name is locally applied to other fishes.
Black¶foot· (?), a. Of or pertaining to the Blackfeet; as, a Blackfoot Indian. Ð n. A Blackfoot Indian.
Black¶ fri·ar (?). (Eccl.) A friar of the Dominican order; Ð called also predicant and preaching friar; in France, Jacobin. Also, sometimes, a Benedictine.
Black¶guard (?), n. [Black + guard.] 1. The scullions and lower menials of a court, or of a nobleman's household, who, in a removal from one residence to another, had charge of the kitchen utensils, and being smutted by them, were jocularly called the ½black guard¸; also, the servants and hangersÏon of an army. [Obs.]
A lousy slave, that … rode with the black guard in the duke's carriage, 'mongst spits and dripping pans.
Webster (1612).
2. The criminals and vagrants or vagabonds of a town or community, collectively. [Obs.]
3. A person of stained or low character, esp. one who uses scurrilous language, or treats others with foul abuse; a scoundrel; a rough.
A man whose manners and sentiments are decidedly below those of his class deserves to be called a blackguard.
Macaulay.
4. A vagrant; a bootblack; a gamin. [Obs.]
Black¶guard·, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Blackguarded; p. pr. & vb. n. Blackguarding.] To revile or abuse in scurrilous language.
Southey.
Black¶guard, a. Scurrilous; abusive; low; worthless; vicious; as, blackguard language.
Black¶guardÏism (?), n. The conduct or language of a blackguard; rufflanism.
Black¶guardÏly, adv. & a. In the manner of or resembling a blackguard; abusive; scurrilous; ruffianly.
Black¶head· (?), n. (Zo”l.) The scaup duck.
Black¶heart· (?), n. A heartÏshaped cherry with a very darkÏcolored skin.
Black¶Ðheart·ed, a. Having a wicked, malignant disposition; morally bad.
Black¶ hole· (?). A dungeon or dark cell in a prison; a military lockÏup or guardroom; Ð now commonly with allusion to the cell (the Black Hole) in a fort at Calcutta, into which 146 English prisoners were thrust by the nabob Suraja Dowla on the night of June 20, 17656, and in which 123 of the prisoners died before morning from lack of air.
A discipline of unlimited autocracy, upheld by rods, and ferules, and the black hole.
H. Spencer.
Black¶ing, n. 1. Any preparation for making things black; esp. one for giving a black luster to boots and shoes, or to stoves.
2. The act or process of making black.
Black¶ish, a. Somewhat black.
Black¶Ðjack· , n. 1. (Min.) A name given by English miners to sphalerite, or zinc blende; Ð called also false galena. See Blende.
2. Caramel or burnt sugar, used to color wines, spirits, ground coffee, etc.
3. A large leather vessel for beer, etc. [Obs.]
4. (Bot.) The Quercus nigra, or barren oak.
5. The ensign of a pirate.
Black· lead¶ (?). Plumbago; graphite.It leaves a blackish mark somewhat like lead. See Graphite.
Black·lead¶, v. t. To coat or to polish with black lead.
Black¶leg· (?), n. 1. A notorious gambler. [Colloq.]
2. A disease among calves and sheep, characterized by a settling of gelatinous matter in the legs, and sometimes in the neck. [Eng.]
Black¶ let·ter (?). The old English or Gothic letter, in which the Early English manuscripts were written, and the first English books were printed. It was conspicuous for its blackness. See Type.
Black¶Ðlet·ter, a. 1. Written or printed in black letter; as, a blackÏletter manuscript or book.
2. Given to the study of books in black letter; that is, of old books; out of date.
Kemble, a blackÐletter man!
J. Boaden.
3. Of or pertaining to the days in the calendar not marked with red letters as saints' days. Hence: Unlucky; inauspicious.
Black¶list· (?), v. t. To put in a black list as deserving of suspicion, censure, or punishment; esp. to put in a list of persons stigmatized as insolvent or untrustworthy, Ð as tradesmen and employers do for mutual protection; as, to blacklist a workman who has been discharged. See Black list, under Black, a.
If you blacklist us, we will boycott you.
John Swinton.
Black¶ly, adv. In a black manner; darkly, in color; gloomily; threateningly; atrociously. ½Deeds so blackly grim and horrid.¸
Feltham.
Black¶mail· (?), n. [Black + mail a piece of money.] 1. A certain rate of money, corn, cattle, or other thing, anciently paid, in the north of England and south of Scotland, to certain men who were allied to robbers, or moss troopers, to be by them protected from pillage.
Sir W. Scott.
2. Payment of money exacted by means of intimidation; also, extortion of money from a person by threats of public accusation, exposure, or censure.
3. (Eng. Law) Black rent, or rent paid in corn, flesh, or the lowest coin, a opposed to ½white rent¸, which paid in silver.
To levy blackmail, to extort money by threats, as of injury to one's reputation.
Black¶mail·, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Blackmailed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Blackmailing.] To extort money from by exciting fears of injury other than bodily harm, as injury to reputation, distress of mind, etc.; as, to blackmail a merchant by threatening to expose an alleged fraud. [U. S.]
Black¶mail·er (?), n. One who extorts, or endeavors to extort, money, by black mailing.
Black¶mail·ing, n. The act or practice of extorting money by exciting fears of injury other than bodily harm, as injury to reputation.
Black¶ Mon·day (?). 1. Easter Monday, so called from the severity of that day in 1360, which was so unusual that many of Edward III.'s soldiers, then before Paris, died from the cold.
Stow.
Then it was not for nothing that may nose fell a bleeding on Black Monday last.
Shak.
2. The first Monday after the holidays; Ð so called by English schoolboys.
Halliwell.
Black¶ monk· (?). A Benedictine monk.
Black¶moor (?), n. See Blackamoor.
Black¶Ðmouthed· (?), a. Using foul or scurrilous language; slanderous.
Black¶ness, n. The quality or state of being black; black color; atrociousness or enormity in wickedness.
They're darker now than blackness.
Donne.
Black¶poll· (?), n. [Black + poll head.] (Zo”l.) A warbler of the United States (Dendroica striata).
Black¶ pud¶ding (?). A kind of sausage made of blood, suet, etc., thickened with meal.
And fat black puddings, Ð proper food,
For warriors that delight in blood.
Hudibras.
Black¶ Rod· (?). (a) the usher to the Chapter of the Garter, so called from the black rod which he carries. He is of the king's chamber, and also usher to the House of Lords. [Eng.] (b) An usher in the legislature of British colonies.
Cowell.
Committed to the custody of the Black Rod.
Macaulay.
Black¶root· , n. (Bot.) See Colicroot.
Blacks (?), n. pl. 1. The name of a kind of in used in copperplate printing, prepared from the charred husks of the grape, and residue of the wine press.
2. Soot flying in the air. [Eng.]
3. Black garments, etc. See Black, n., 4.
Black¶salt·er (?), n. One who,makes crude potash, or black salts.
Black¶ salts· (?). Crude potash.
De Colange.
Black¶smith· (?), n. [Black (in allusion to the color of the metal) + smith. Cf. Whitesmith.] 1. A smith who works in iron with a forge, and makes iron utensils, horseshoes, etc.
The blacksmith may forge what he pleases.
Howell.
2. (Zo”l.) A fish of the Pacific coast (Chromis, or Heliastes, punctipinnis), of a blackish color.
Black¶ snake· (?) or Black¶snake, n. (Zo”l.) A snake of a black color, of which two species are common in the United States, the Bascanium constrictor, or racer, sometimes six feet long, and the Scotophis Alleghaniensis, seven or eight feet long.
µ %The name is also applied to various other black serpents, as Natrix atra of Jamaica.
Black¶strap· (?), n. 1. A mixture of spirituous liquor (usually rum) and molasses.
No blackstrap toÏnight; switchel, or ginger pop.
Judd.
2. Bad port wine; any commo wine of the Mediterranean; Ð so called by sailors.
Black¶tail· (?), n. [Black + tail.] 1. (Zo”l.) A fish; the ruff or pope.
2. (Zo”l.) The blackÏtailed deer (Cervus or Cariacus Columbianus) of California and Oregon; also, the mule deer of the Rocky Mountains. See Mule deer.
Black¶thorn· (?), n. (Bot.) (a) A spreading thorny shrub or small tree (Prunus spinosa), with blackish bark, and bearing little black plums, which are called sloes; the sloe. (b) A species of Crat‘gus or hawthorn (C. tomentosa). Both are used for hedges.
Black¶ vom¶it (?). (Med.) A copious vomiting of darkÏcolored matter; or the substance so discharged; Ð one of the most fatal symptoms in yellow fever.
Black¶ wash· (?) or Black¶wash, n. 1. (Med.) A lotion made by mixing calomel and lime water.
2. A wash that blackens, as opposed to whitewash; hence, figuratively, calumny.
To remove as far as he can the modern layers of black wash, and let the man himself, fair or foul, be seen.
C. Kingsley.
Black¶wood (?), n. A name given to several darkÏcolored timbers. The East Indian black wood is from the tree Dalbergia latifolia.
Balfour.
Black¶work· (?), n. Work wrought by blacksmiths; Ð so called in distinction from that wrought by whitesmiths.
Knight.
Blad¶der (?), n. [OE. bladder, bleddre, AS. bl?dre, bl?ddre; akin to Icel. bla?ra, SW. bl„ddra, Dan. bl‘re, D. blaar, OHG. bl¾tara the bladder in the body of animals, G. blatter blister, bustule; all fr. the same root as AS. bl¾wan, E. blow, to puff. See Blow to puff.]
1. (Anat.) A bag or sac in animals, which serves as the receptacle of some fluid; as, the urinary bladder; the gall bladder; Ð applied especially to the urinary bladder, either within the animal, or when taken out and inflated with air.
2. Any vesicle or blister, especially if filled with air, or a thin, watery fluid.
3. (Bot.) A distended, membranaceous pericarp.
4. Anything inflated, empty, or unsound. ½To swim with bladders of philosophy.¸
Rochester.
Bladder nut, or Bladder tree (Bot.), a genus of plants (Staphylea) with bladderlike seed pods. Ð Bladder pod (Bot.), a genus of low herbs (Vesicaria) with inflated seed pods. Ð Bladdor senna (Bot.), a genus of shrubs (Colutea), with membranaceous, inflated pods. Ð Bladder worm (Zo”l.), the larva of any species of tapeworm (T‘nia), found in the flesh or other parts of animals. See Measle, Cysticercus. Ð Bladder wrack (Bot.), the common black rock weed of the seacoast (Fucus nodosus and F. vesiculosus) Ð called also bladder tangle. See Wrack.
Blad¶der, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Bladdered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bladdering.] 1. To swell out like a bladder with air; to inflate. [Obs.]
G. Fletcher.
2. To put up in bladders; as, bladdered lard.
Blad¶derÏwort· (?), n. (Bot.) A genus (Utricularia) of aquatic or marshy plants, which usually bear numerous vesicles in the divisions of the leaves. These serve as traps for minute animals. See Ascidium.
Blad¶derÏy (?), a. Having bladders; also, resembling a bladder.
Blade (?), n. [OE. blade, blad, AS. bl‘d leaf; akin to OS., D., Dan., & Sw. blad, Icel. bla?, OHG. blat, G. blatt, and perh. to L. folium, Gr. ?. The root is prob. the same as that of AS. bl?wan, E. blow, to blossom. See Blow to blossom, and cf. Foil leaf of metal.]
1. Properly, the leaf, or flat part of the leaf, of any plant, especially of gramineous plants. The term is sometimes applied to the spire of grasses.
The crimson dulse … with its waving blade.
Percival.
First the blade, then ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
Mark iv. 28.
2. The cutting part of an instrument; as, the blade of a knife or a sword.
3. The broad part of an oar; also, one of the projecting arms of a screw propeller.
4. The scapula or shoulder blade.
5. pl. (Arch.) The principal rafters of a roof.
Weale.
6. pl. (Com.) The four large shell plates on the sides, and the five large ones of the middle, of the carapace of the sea turtle, which yield the best tortoise shell.
De Colange.
7. A sharpÏwitted, dashing, wild, or reckless, fellow; Ð a word of somewhat indefinite meaning.
He saw a turnkey in a trice
Fetter a troublesome blade.
Coleridge.

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