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Bas¶to (?), n. [Sp.] The ace of clubs in qua?rille and omber. Pope. Bas¶ton (?), n. [OF. baston, F. b?ton, LL. basto. See Bastion, and cf. Baton, and 3d Batten.] 1. A staff or cudgel. [Obs.] ½To fight with blunt bastons.¸ Holland. 2. (Her.) See Baton. 3. An officer bearing a painted staff, who formerly was in attendance upon the king's court to take into custody persons committed by the court. Mozley & W. Bas¶yle (?), n. [Gr. ? base + ? wood. See Ïyl.] (Chem.) A positive or nonacid constituent of compound, either elementary, or, if compound, performing the functions of an element. Bas¶yÏlous (?), a. Pertaining to, or having the nature of, a basyle; electroÐpositive; basic; Ð opposed to chlorous. Graham. Bat (?), n. [OE. batte, botte, AS. batt; perhaps fr. the Celtic; cf. Ir. bat, bata, stick, staff; but cf. also F. batte a beater (thing), wooden sword, battre to beat.] 1. A large stick; a club; specifically, a piece of wood with one end thicker or broader than the other, used in playing baseball, cricket, etc. 2. (Mining) Shale or bituminous shale. Kirwan. 3. A sheet of cotton used for filling quilts or comfortables; batting. 4. A part of a brick with one whole end. Bat bolt (Machinery), a bolt barbed or jagged at its butt or tang to make it hold the more firmly. Knight. Bat, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Batted (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Batting.] To strike or hit with a bat or a pole; to cudgel; to beat. Holland. Bat, v. i. To use a bat, as in a game of baseball. Bat, n. [Corrupt. from OE. back, backe, balke; cf. Dan. aftenÐbakke (aften evening), Sw. nattÐbacka (natt night), Icel. le?rÐblaka (le?r leather), Icel. blaka to flutter.] (Zo”l.) One of the Cheiroptera, an order of flying mammals, in which the wings are formed by a membrane stretched between the elongated fingers, legs, and tail. The common bats are small and insectivorous. See Cheiroptera and Vampire. Bat tick (Zo”l.), a wingless, dipterous insect of the genus Nycteribia, parasitic on bats. Bat¶aÏble (?), a. [Abbrev. from debatable.] Disputable. [Obs.] µ The border land between England and Scotland, being formerly a subject of contention, was called batable or debatable ground. Bat¶ailled (?), a. Embattled. [Obs.] Chaucer. ØBa·tarÏdeau¶ (?),n. [F.] 1. A cofferdam. Brande & C. 2. (Mil.) A wall built across the ditch of a fortification, with a sluice gate to regulate the height of water in the ditch on both sides of the wall. ØBaÏta¶tas (?), ØBaÏta¶ta (?), } n. An aboriginal American name for the sweet potato (Ipom‘a batatas). BaÏta¶viÏan (?), a. Of or pertaining to (a) the Batavi, an ancient Germanic tribe; or to (b) ?atavia or Holland; as, a Batavian legion. Batavian Republic, the name given to Holland by the French after its conquest in 1795. BaÏta¶viÏan, n. A native or inhabitant of Batavia or Holland. [R.] Bancroft. Batch (?), n. [OE. bache, bacche, fr. AS. bacan to bake; cf. G. geb„ck and D. baksel. See Bake, v. t.] 1. The quantity of bread baked at one time. 2. A quantity of anything produced at one operation; a group or collection of persons or things of the same kind; as, a batch of letters; the next batch of business. ½A new batch of Lords.¸ Lady M. W. Montagu. Bate (?), n. [Prob. abbrev. from debate.] Strife; contention. [Obs.] Shak. Bate, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Bated; p. pr. & vb. n. Bating.] [From abate.] 1. To lessen by retrenching, deducting, or reducing; to abate; to beat down; to lower. He must either bate the laborer's wages, or not employ or not pay him. Locke. 2. To allow by way of abatement or deduction. To whom he bates nothing or what he stood upon with the parliament. South. 3. To leave out; to except. [Obs.] Bate me the king, and, be he flesh and blood. He lies that says it. Beau. & Fl. 4. To remove. [Obs.] About autumn bate the earth from about the roots of olives, and lay them bare. Holland. 5. To deprive of. [Obs.] When baseness is exalted, do not bate The place its honor for the person's sake. Herbert. Bate, v. i. 1. To remit or retrench a part; Ð with of. Abate thy speed, and I will bate of mine. Dryden. 2. To waste away. [Obs.] Shak. Bate (?), v. t. To attack; to bait. [Obs.] Spenser. Bate, imp. of Bite. [Obs.] Spenser. Bate, v. i. [F. battre des ailes to flutter. Cf. Bait to flutter.] To flutter as a hawk; to bait. [Obs.] Bacon. Bate, n. (Jewish Antiq.) See 2d Bath. Bate, n. [Cf. Sw. beta maceration, soaking, G. beize, and E. bite.] An alkaline solution consisting of the dung of certain animals; Ð employed in the preparation of hides; grainer. Knight. Bate, v. t. To steep in bate, as hides, in the manufacture of leather. ØBaÏteau¶ (?), n.; pl. Bateaux (?). [F. bateau, LL. batellus, fr. battus, batus, boa, which agrees with AS. b¾t boat: cf. W. bad boat. See Boat, n.] A boat; esp. a flatÐbottomed, clumsy boat used on the Canadian lakes and rivers. [Written also, but less properly, batteau.] Bateau bridge, a floating bridge supported by bateaux. Bat¶ed (?), a. Reduced; lowered; restrained; as, to speak with bated breath. Macaulay. Bate¶ful (?), a. Exciting contention; contentious. [Obs.] ½It did bateful question frame. ¸ Sidney. Bate¶less, a. Not to be abated. [Obs.] Shak. Bate¶ment (?), n. [For Abatement. See 2d Bate.] Abatement; diminution. Moxon. Batement light (Arch.), a window or one division of a window having vertical sides, but with the sill not horizontal, as where it follows the rake of a staircase. Bat¶fish· (?), n. (Zo”l.) A name given to several species of fishes: (a) The Malthe vespertilio of the Atlantic coast. (b) The flying gurnard of the Atlantic (Cephalacanthus spinarella). (c) The California batfish or sting ray (Myliobatis Californicus.) Bat¶fowl·er (?), n. One who practices or finds sport in batfowling. Bat¶fowl·ing (?), n. [From Bat a stick.] A mode of catching birds at night, by holding a torch or other light, and beating the bush or perch where they roost. The birds, flying to the light, are caught with nets or otherwise. Bat¶ful (?), a. [Icel. bati amelioration, batna to grow better; akin to AS. bet better. Goth. gaÏbatnan to profit. ?255. Cf. Batten, v. i., Better.] Rich; fertile. [Obs.] ½Batful valleys.¸ Drayton. Bath (?), n.; pl. Baths (?). [AS. b‘?; akin to OS. & Icel. ba?, Sw., Dan., D., & G. bad, and perh. to G. b„hen to foment.] 1. The act of exposing the body, or part of the body, for purposes of cleanliness, comfort, health, etc., to water, vapor, hot air, or the like; as, a cold or a hot bath; a medicated bath; a steam bath; a hip bath. 2. Water or other liquid for bathing. 3. A receptacle or place where persons may immerse or wash their bodies in water. 4. A building containing an apartment or a series of apartments arranged for bathing. Among the ancients, the public baths were of amazing extent and magnificence. Gwilt. 5. (Chem.) A medium, as heated sand, ashes, steam, hot air, through which heat is applied to a body. 6. (Photog.) A solution in which plates or prints are immersed; also, the receptacle holding the solution. µ Bath is used adjectively or in combination, in an obvious sense of or for baths or bathing; as, bathroom, bath tub, bath keeper. Douche bath. See Douche. Ð Order of the Bath, a high order of British knighthood, composed of three classes, viz., knights grand cross, knights commanders, and knights companions, abbreviated thus: G. C. B., K. C. B., K. B. Ð Russian bath, a kind of vapor bath which consists in a prolonged exposure of the body to the influence of the steam of water, followed by washings and shampooings. Ð Turkish bath, a kind of bath in which a profuse perspiration is produced by hot air, after which the body is washed and shampooed. Ð Bath house, a house used for the purpose of bathing; Ð also a small house, near a bathing place, where a bather undresses and dresses. Bath (?), n. [Heb.] A Hebrew measure containing the tenth of a homer, or five gallons and three pints, as a measure for liquids; and two pecks and five quarts, as a dry measure. Bath (?), n. A city in the west of England, resorted to for its hot springs, which has given its name to various objects. Bath brick, a preparation of calcareous earth, in the form of a brick, used for cleaning knives, polished metal, etc. Ð Bath chair, a kind of chair on wheels, as used by invalids at Bath. ½People walked out, or drove out, or were pushed out in their Bath chairs.¸ Dickens. Ð Bath metal, an alloy consisting of four and a half ounces of zinc and one pound of copper. Ð Bath note, a folded writing paper, 8 1/2 by 14 inches. Ð Bath stone, a species of limestone (o”lite) found near Bath, used for building. Bathe (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Bathed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bathing.] [OE. ba?ien, AS. ba?ian, fr. b‘? bath. See 1st Bath, and cf. Bay to bathe.] 1. To wash by immersion, as in a bath; to subject to a bath. Chancing to bathe himself in the River Cydnus. South. 2. To lave; to wet. ½The lake which bathed the foot of the Alban mountain.¸ T. Arnold. 3. To moisten or suffuse with a liquid. And let us bathe our hands in C‘sar's blood. Shak. 4. To apply water or some liquid medicament to; as, to bathe the eye with warm water or with sea water; to bathe one's forehead with camphor. 5. To surround, or envelop, as water surrounds a person immersed. ½The rosy shadows bathe me. ¸ Tennyson. ½The bright sunshine bathing all the world.¸ Longfellow. Bathe (?), v. i. 1. To bathe one's self; to take a bath or baths. ½They bathe in summer.¸ Waller. 2. To immerse or cover one's self, as in a bath. ½To bathe in fiery floods.¸ Shak. ½Bathe in the dimples of her cheek.¸ Lloyd. 3. To bask in the sun. [Obs.] Chaucer. Bathe, n. The immersion of the body in water; as to take one's usual bathe. Edin. Rev. Bath¶er (?), n. One who bathes. BaÏthet¶ic (?), a. Having the character of bathos. [R.] Bath¶ing (?), n. Act of taking a bath or baths. Bathing machine, a small room on wheels, to be driven into the water, for the convenience of bathers, who undress and dress therein. Bath¶mism (?), n. See Vital force. BaÏthom¶eÏter (?), n. [Gr. ? depth + Ïmeter.] An instrument for measuring depths, esp. one for taking soundings without a sounding line. Bat¶horse· (?), n. [F. b?t packsaddle (cheval de b?t packhorse) + E. horse. See Bastard.] A horse which carries an officer's baggage during a campaign. Ba¶thos (?), n. [Gr. ? depth, fr. ? deep.] (Rhet.) A ludicrous descent from the elevated to the low, in writing or speech; anticlimax. ØBaÏthyb¶iÏus (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? deep + ? life] (Zo”l.) A name given by Prof. Huxley to a gelatinous substance found in mud dredged from the Atlantic and preserved in alcohol. He supposed that it was free living protoplasm, covering a large part of the ocean bed. It is now known that the substance is of chemical, not of organic, origin. Bath·yÏmet¶ric (?), Bath·yÏmet¶ricÏal (?), } a. Pertaining to bathymetry; relating to the measurement of depths, especially of depths in the sea. BaÏthym¶eÏtry (?), n. [Gr. ? depth + Ïmetry.] The art or science of sounding, or measuring depths in the sea. Bat¶ing (?), prep. [Strictly p. pr. of Bat? to abate.] With the exception of; excepting. We have little reason to think that they bring many ideas with them, bating some faint ideas of hunger and thirst. Locke. BaÏtiste¶ (?), n. [F. batiste, from the name of the alleged first maker, Baptiste of Cambrai. Littr‚.] Originally, cambric or lawn of fine linen; now applied also to cloth of similar texture made of cotton. Bat¶let (?), n. [Bat stick + Ïlet.] A short bat for beating clothes in washing them; Ð called also batler, batling staff, batting staff. Shak. ØBat¶man (?), n. [Turk. batman.] A weight used in the East, varying according to the locality; in Turkey, the greater batman is about 157 pounds, the lesser only a fourth of this; at Aleppo and Smyrna, the batman is 17 pounds. Simmonds. Bat¶man (?), n.; pl. Batmen (?). [F. b?t packsaddle + E. man. Cf. Bathorse.] A man who has charge of a bathorse and his load. Macaulay. ØBaÏtoi¶deÏi (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? a kind of ray + Ïoid.] (Zo”l.) The division of fishes which includes the rays and skates. Bat¶on (?), n. [F. b?ton. See Baston.] 1. A staff or truncheon, used for various purposes; as, the baton of a field marshal; the baton of a conductor in musical performances. He held the baton of command. Prescott. 2. (Her.) An ordinary with its ends cut off, borne sinister as a mark of bastardy, and containing one fourth in breadth of the bend sinister; Ð called also bastard bar. See Bend sinister. BaÏtoon¶ (?), n. See Baton, and Baston. Bat¶ print·ing (?). (Ceramics) A mode of printing on glazed ware. ØBaÏtra¶chiÏa (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? belonging to a frog, fr. ? frog.] (Zo”l.) The order of amphibians which includes the frogs and toads; the Anura. Sometimes the word is used in a wider sense as equivalent to Amphibia. BaÏtra¶chiÏan (?), a. (Zo”l.) Pertaining to the Batrachia. Ð n. One of the Batrachia. Bat¶raÏchoid (?), a. [Batrachia + Ïoid.] (Zo”l.) Froglike. Specifically: Of or pertaining to the Batrachid‘, a family of marine fishes, including the toadfish. Some have poisonous dorsal spines. Bat·raÏchoÏmyÏom¶aÏchy (?), n. [Gr. ?; ? frog + ? mouse + ? battle.] The battle between the frogs and mice; Ð a Greek parody on the Iliad, of uncertain authorship. Bat·raÏchoph¶aÏgous (?), a. [Gr. ? frog + ? to eat.] Feeding on frogs. Quart. Rev. Bats¶man (?), n.; pl. Batsmen (?). The one who wields the bat in cricket, baseball, etc. Bat's¶Ðwing¶ (?) or Bat¶wing, a. Shaped like a bat's wing; as, a bat'sÐwing burner. ØBat¶ta (?), n. [Prob. through Pg. for Canarese bhatta rice in the husk.] Extra pay; esp. an extra allowance to an English officer serving in India. Whitworth.
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ØBat¶ta (?), n. [Hind. ba??a.] Rate of exchange; also, the discount on uncurrent coins. [India] Bat¶taÏble (?), a. [See Batful.] Capable of culti?ation; fertile; productive; fattening. [Obs.] Burton. Bat¶tailÏant (?), a. [F. bataillant, p. pr. See Battle, v. i. ] [Obs.] Prepared for battle; combatant; warlike. Spenser. Ð n. A combatant. Shelton. Bat¶tailÏous (?), a. [OF. bataillos, fr. bataille. See Battle, n.] Arrayed for battle; fit or eager for battle; warlike. [Obs.] ½In battailous aspect.¸ Milton. BatÏtal¶ia (?), n. [LL. battalia battle, a body of troops. See Battle, n.] 1. Order of battle; disposition or arrangement of troops (brigades, regiments, battalions, etc.), or of a naval force, for action. A drawing up the armies in battalia. Jer. Taylor. 2. An army in battle array; also, the main battalia or body. [Obs.] Shak. BatÏtal¶ion (?), n. [F. bataillon, fr. It. battaglione. See Battalia.] 1. A body of troops; esp. a body of troops or an army in battle array. ½The whole battalion views.¸ Milton. 2. (Mil.) A regiment, or two or more companies of a regiment, esp. when assembled for drill or battle. BatÏtal¶ion (?), v. t. To form into battalions. [R.] Bat¶tel (?), n. [Obs. form. of Battle.] (Old Eng. Law) A single combat; as, trial by battel. See Wager of battel, under Wager. Bat¶tel, n. [Of uncertain etymology.] Provisions ordered from the buttery; also, the charges for them; Ð only in the pl., except when used adjectively. [Univ. of Oxford, Eng.] Bat¶tel, v. i. To be supplied with provisions from the buttery. [Univ. of Oxford, Eng.] Bat¶tel, v. t. [Cf. Batful, Batten, v. i.] To make fertile. [Obs.] ½To battel barren land.¸ Ray. Bat¶tel, a. Fertile; fruitful; productive. [Obs.] A battel soil for grain, for pasture good. Fairfax. Bat¶telÏer (?), Bat¶tler (?), n. [See 2d Battel, n.] A student at Oxford who is supplied with provisions from the buttery; formerly, one who paid for nothing but what he called for, answering nearly to a sizar at Cambridge. Wright. Bat¶ten (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Battened (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Battening.] [See Batful.] 1. To make fat by plenteous feeding; to fatten. ½Battening our flocks.¸ Milton. 2. To fertilize or enrich, as land. Bat¶ten, v. i. To grow fat; to grow fat in ease and luxury; to glut one's self. Dryden. The pampered monarch lay battening in ease. Garth. Skeptics, with a taste for carrion, who batten on the hideous facts in history, Ð persecutions, inquisitions. Emerson. Bat¶ten, n . [F. b?ton stick, staff. See Baton.] A strip of sawed stuff, or a scantling; as, (a) pl. (Com. & Arch.) Sawed timbers about 7 by 2 1/2 inches and not less than 6 feet long. Brande & C. (b) (Naut.) A strip of wood used in fastening the edges of a tarpaulin to the deck, also around masts to prevent chafing. (c) A long, thin strip used to strengthen a part, to cover a crack, etc. Batten door (Arch.), a door made of boards of the whole length of the door, secured by battens nailed crosswise. Bat¶ten, v. t. To furnish or fasten with battens. To batten down, to fasten down with battens, as the tarpaulin over the hatches of a ship during a storm. Bat¶ten, n. [F. battant. See Batter, v. t.] The movable bar of a loom, which strikes home or closes the threads of a woof. Bat¶tenÏing (?), n. (Arch.) Furring done with small pieces nailed directly upon the wall. Bat¶ter (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Battered (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Battering.] [OE. bateren, OF. batre, F. battre, fr. LL. battere, for L. batuere to strike, beat; of unknown origin. Cf. Abate, Bate to abate.] 1. To beat with successive blows; to beat repeatedly and with violence, so as to bruise, shatter, or demolish; as, to batter a wall or rampart. 2. To wear or impair as if by beating or by hard usage. ½Each battered jade.¸ Pope. 3. (Metallurgy) To flatten (metal) by hammering, so as to compress it inwardly and spread it outwardly. Bat¶ter, n. [OE. batere, batire; cf. OF. bateure, bature, a beating. See Batter, v. t.] 1. A semiÐliquid mixture of several ingredients, as, flour, eggs, milk, etc., beaten together and used in cookery. King. 2. Paste of clay or loam. Holland. 3. (Printing) A bruise on the face of a plate or of type in the form. Bat¶ter, n. A backward slope in the face of a wall or of a bank; receding slope. Batter rule, an instrument consisting of a rule or frame, and a plumb line, by which the batter or slope of a wall is regulated in building. Bat¶ter, v. i. (Arch.) To slope gently backward. Bat¶ter, n. One who wields a bat; a batsman. Bat¶terÏer (?), n. One who, or that which, batters. Bat¶terÏingÐram· (?), n. 1. (Mil.) An engine used in ancient times to beat down the walls of besieged places. µ It was a large beam, with a head of iron, which was sometimes made to resemble the head of a ram. It was suspended by ropes t a beam supported by posts, and so balanced as to swing backward and forward, and was impelled by men against the wall. Grose. 2. A blacksmith's hammer, suspended, and worked horizontally. Bat¶terÏing train· (?). (Mil.) A train of artillery for siege operations. Bat¶terÏy (?), n.; pl. Batteries (?). [F. batterie, fr. battre. See Batter, v. t.] 1. The act of battering or beating. 2. (Law) The unlawful beating of another. It includes every willful, angry and violent, or negligent touching of another's person or clothes, or anything attached to his person or held by him. 3. (Mil.) (a) Any place where cannon or mortars are mounted, for attack or defense. (b) Two or more pieces of artillery in the field. (c) A company or division of artillery, including the gunners, guns, horses, and all equipments. In the United States, a battery of flying artillery consists usually of six guns. Barbette battery. See Barbette. Ð Battery d'enfilade, or Enfilading battery, one that sweeps the whole length of a line of troops or part of a work. Ð Battery en ‚charpe, one that plays obliquely. Ð Battery gun, a gun capable of firing a number, of shots simultaneously or successively without stopping to load. Ð Battery wagon, a wagon employed to transport the tools and materials for repair of the carriages, etc., of the battery. Ð In battery, projecting, as a gun, into an embrasure or over a parapet in readiness for firing. Ð Masked battery, a battery artificially concealed until required to open upon the enemy. Ð Out of battery, or From battery, withdrawn, as a gun, to a position for loading. 4. (Elec.) (a) A number of coated jars (Leyden jars) so connected that they may be charged and discharged simultaneously. (b) An apparatus for generating voltaic electricity. µ In the trough battery, copper and zinc plates, connected in pairs, divide the trough into cells, which are filled with an acid or oxidizing liquid; the effect is exhibited when wires connected with the two endÐplates are brought together. In Daniell's battery, the metals are zinc and copper, the former in dilute sulphuric acid, or a solution of sulphate of zinc, the latter in a saturated solution of sulphate of copper. A modification of this is the common gravity battery, so called from the automatic action of the two fluids, which are separated by their specific gravities. In Grove's battery, platinum is the metal used with zinc; two fluids are used, one of them in a porous cell surrounded by the other. In Bunsen's or the carbon battery, the carbon of gas coke is substituted for the platinum of Grove's. In Leclanch‚'s battery, the elements are zinc in a solution of ammonium chloride, and gas carbon surrounded with manganese dioxide in a porous cell. A secondary battery is a battery which usually has the two plates of the same kind, generally of lead, in dilute sulphuric acid, and which, when traversed by an electric current, becomes charged, and is then capable of giving a current of itself for a time, owing to chemical changes produced by the charging current. A storage battery is a kind of secondary battery used for accumulating and storing the energy of electrical charges or currents, usually by means of chemical work done by them; an accumulator. 5. A number of similar machines or devices in position; an apparatus consisting of a set of similar parts; as, a battery of boilers, of retorts, condensers, etc. 6. (Metallurgy) A series of stamps operated by one motive power, for crushing ores containing the precious metals. Knight. 7. The box in which the stamps for crushing ore play up and down. 8. (Baseball) The pitcher and catcher together. Bat¶ting (?), n. 1. The act of one who bats; the management of a bat in playing games of ball. Mason. 2. Cotton in sheets, prepared for use in making quilts, etc.; as, cotton batting. Bat¶tle (?), a. Fertile. See Battel, a. [Obs.] Bat¶tle, n. [OE. bataille, bataile, F. bataille battle, OF., battle, battalion, fr. L. battalia, battualia, the fighting and fencing exercises of soldiers and gladiators, fr. batuere to strike, beat. Cf. Battalia, 1st Battel, and see Batter, v. t. ] 1. A general action, fight, or encounter, in which all the divisions of an army are or may be engaged; an engagement; a combat. 2. A struggle; a contest; as, the battle of life. The whole intellectual battle that had at its center the best poem of the best poet of that day. H. Morley. 3. A division of an army; a battalion. [Obs.] The king divided his army into three battles. Bacon. The cavalry, by way of distinction, was called the battle, and on it alone depended the fate of every action. Robertson. 4. The main body, as distinct from the van and rear; battalia. [Obs.] Hayward. µ Battle is used adjectively or as the first part of a selfÐexplaining compound; as, battle brand, a ½brand¸ or sword used in battle; battle cry; battlefield; battle ground; battlearray; battle song. Battle piece, a painting, or a musical composition, representing a battle. Ð Battle royal. (a) A fight between several gamecocks, where the one that stands longest is the victor. Grose. (b) A contest with fists or cudgels in which more than two are engaged; a mˆl‚e. Thackeray. Ð Drawn battle, one in which neither party gains the victory. Ð To give battle, to attack an enemy. Ð To join battle, to meet the attack; to engage in battle. Ð Pitched battle, one in which the armies are previously drawn up in form, with a regular disposition of the forces. Ð Wager of battle. See under Wager, n. Syn. Ð Conflict; encounter; contest; action. Battle, Combat, Fight, Engagement. These words agree in denoting a close encounter between contending parties. Fight is a word of less dignity than the others. Except in poetry, it is more naturally applied to the encounter of a few individuals, and more commonly an accidental one; as, a street fight. A combat is a close encounter, whether between few or many, and is usually premeditated. A battle is commonly more general and prolonged. An engagement supposes large numbers on each side, engaged or intermingled in the conflict. Bat¶tle (?), v. i. [imp. & p.p. Battled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Battling.] [F. batailler, fr. bataille. See Battle, n.] To join in battle; to contend in fight; as, to battle over theories. To meet in arms, and battle in the plain. Prior. Bat¶tle, v. t. To assail in battle; to fight. Bat¶tleÐax· Bat¶tleÐaxe· } (?), n. (Mil.) A kind of broadax formerly used as an offensive weapon. Bat¶tled (?), p. p. Embattled. [Poetic] Tennyson. Bat¶tleÏdoor· (?), n. [OE. batyldour. A corrupted form of uncertain origin; cf. Sp. batallador a great combatant, he who has fought many battles, Pg. batalhador, Pr. batalhador, warrior, soldier, fr. L. battalia; or cf. Pr. batedor batlet, fr. batre to beat, fr. L. batuere. See Battle, n.] 1. An instrument, with a handle and a flat part covered with parchment or crossed with catgut, used to strike a shuttlecock in play; also, the play of battledoor and shuttlecock. 2. [OE. battleder.] A child's hornbook. [Obs.] Halliwell. Bat¶tleÏment (?), n. [OE. batelment; cf. OF. bataillement combat, fr. batailler, also OF. bastillier, bateillier, to fortify. Cf. Battle, n., Bastile, Bastion.] (Arch.) (a) One of the solid upright parts of a parapet in ancient fortifications. (b) pl. The whole parapet, consisting of alternate solids and open spaces. At first purely a military feature, afterwards copied on a smaller scale with decorative features, as for churches. Bat¶tleÏmentÏed (?), a. Having battlements. A battlemented portal. Sir W. Scott. BatÏtol¶oÏgist (?), n. One who battologizes. BatÏtol¶oÏgize (?), v. t. To keep repeating needlessly; to iterate. Sir T. Herbert. BatÏtol¶oÏgy (?), n. [F. battologie, fr. Gr. ?; ? a stammerer + ? speech.] A needless repetition of words in speaking or writing. Milton. Bat¶ton (?), n. See Batten, and Baton. ØBat¶tue· (?), n. [F. battue, fr. battre to beat. See Batter, v. t., and cf. Battuta.] (Hunting) (a) The act of beating the woods, bushes, etc., for game. (b) The game itself. (c) The wanton slaughter of game. Howitt. ØBat·ture¶ (?), n. [F., fr. battre to beat. ] An elevated river bed or sea bed. ØBatÏtu¶ta (?), n. [It. battuta, fr. battere to beat.] (Mus.) The measuring of time by beating. Bat¶ty (?), a. Belonging to, or resembling, a bat. ½Batty wings.¸ Shak. Bat¶ule (?), n. A springboard in a circus or gymnasium; Ð called also batule board. ØBatz (?), n.; pl. Batzen (?). [Ger. batz, batze, batzen, a coin bearing the image of a bear, Ger. b„tz, betz, bear.] A small copper coin, with a mixture of silver, formerly current in some parts of Germany and Switzerland. It was worth about four cents. BauÏbee¶ (?), n. Same as Bawbee. Bau¶ble (?), n. [Cf. OF. baubel a child's plaything, F. babiole, It. babbola, LL. baubellum gem, jewel, L. babulus,a baburrus, foolish.] 1. A trifling piece of finery; a gewgaw; that which is gay and showy without real value; a cheap, showy plaything. The ineffective bauble of an Indian pagod. Sheridan. 2. The fool's club. [Obs.] ½A fool's bauble was a short stick with a head ornamented with an ass's ears fantastically carved upon it.¸ Nares. Bau¶bling (?), a. See Bawbling. [Obs.] Bau¶deÏkin (?), n. [OE. bawdekin rich silk stuff, OF. baudequin. See Baldachin.] The richest kind of stuff used in garments in the Middle Ages, the web being gold, and the woof silk, with embroidery : Ð made originally at Bagdad. [Spelt also baudkin, baudkyn, bawdekin, and baldakin.] Nares. Bau¶drick (?), n. A belt. See Baldric. Bauk, Baulk (?), n. & v. See Balk. Baun¶scheidtÏism (?), n. [From the introducer, a German named Baunscheidt.] (Med.) A form of acupuncture, followed by the rubbing of the part with a stimulating fluid. Baux¶ite, Beaux¶ite (?), n. [F., fr. Baux or Beaux, near Arles.] (Min.) A ferruginous hydrate of alumina. It is largely used in the preparation of aluminium and alumina, and for the lining of furnaces which are exposed to intense heat. BaÏva¶riÏan (?), a. Of or pertaining to Bavaria. Ð n. A native or an inhabitant of Bavaria. Bavarian cream. See under Cream. Bav¶aÏroy (?), n. [F. Bavarois Bavarian.] A kind of cloak or surtout. [Obs.] Johnson. Let the looped bavaroy the fop embrace. Gay.
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Ba¶viÏan (?), n. [See Baboon.] A baboon.
Bav¶in (?), n. [Cf. Gael. & Ir. baban tuft, tassel.] 1. A fagot of brushwood, or other light combustible matter, for kindling fires; refuse of brushwood. [Obs. or Dial. Eng.]
2. Impure limestone. [Prov. Eng.]
Wright.
BawÏbee¶ (?), n. [Perh. corrupt. fr. halfpenny.] A halfpenny. [Spelt also baubee.] [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]
Baw¶ble (?), n. A trinket. See Bauble.
Baw¶bling, a. Insignificant; contemptible. [Obs.]
Baw¶cock (?), n. [From F. beau fine + E. cock (the bird); or more prob. fr. OF. baud bold, gay + E. cock. Cf. Bawd.] A fine fellow; Ð a term of endearment. [Obs.] ½How now, my bawcock ?¸
Shak.
Bawd (?), n. [OE. baude, OF. balt, baut, baude, bold, merry, perh. fr. OHG. bald bold; or fr. Celtic, cf. W. baw dirt. Cf. Bold, Bawdry.] A person who keeps a house of prostitution, or procures women for a lewd purpose; a procurer or procuress; a lewd person; Ð usually applied to a woman.
Bawd, v. i. To procure women for lewd purposes.
Bawd¶iÏly (?), adv. Obscenely; lewdly.
Bawd¶iÏness, n. Obscenity; lewdness.
Bawd¶rick (?), n. A belt. See Baldric.
Bawd¶ry (?), n. [OE. baudery, OF. bauderie, balderie, boldness, joy. See Bawd.] 1. The practice of procuring women for the gratification of lust.
2. Illicit intercourse; fornication.
Shak.
3. Obscenity; filthy, unchaste language. ½The pert style of the pit bawdry.¸
Steele.
Bawd¶y, a. /1. Dirty; foul; Ð said of clothes. [Obs.]
It Chaucer.
2. Obscene; filthy; unchaste. ½A bawdy story.¸
Burke.
Baw¶dyÏhouse· (?), n. A house of prostitution; a house of ill fame; a brothel.
Baw¶horse· (?), n. Same as Bathorse.
Bawl (?), v. i. [imp. & p.p. Bawled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bawling.] [Icel. baula to low, bellow, as a cow; akin to Sw. b”la; cf. AS bellan, G. bellen to bark, E. bellow, bull.] 1. To cry out with a loud, full sound; to cry with vehemence, as in calling or exultation; to shout; to vociferate.
2. To cry loudly, as a child from pain or vexation.
Bawl, v. t. To proclaim with a loud voice, or by outcry, as a hawker or townÐcrier does.
Swift.
Bawl, n. A loud, prolonged cry; an outcry.
Bawl¶er (?), n. One who bawls.
Bawn (?), n. [Ir. & Gael. babhun inclosure, bulwark.] 1. An inclosure with mud or stone walls, for keeping cattle; a fortified inclosure. [Obs.]
Spenser.
2. A large house. [Obs.]
Swift.
Baw¶rel (?), n. [Cf. It. barletta a tree falcon, or hobby.] A kind of hawk. [Obs.]
Halliwell.
Baw¶sin (?), Baw¶son (?), } n. [OE. bawson, baucyne, badger (named from its color), OF. bauzan, baucant, bauchant, spotted with white, pied; cf. It. balzano, F. balzan, a whiteÐfooted horse, It. balza border, trimming, fr. L. balteus belt, border, edge. Cf. Belt.] 1. A badger. [Obs.]
B. Jonson.
2. A large, unwieldy person. [Obs.]
Nares.
Bax¶ter (?), n. [OE. bakestre, bakistre, AS. b‘cestre, prop. fem. of b‘cere baker. See Baker.] A baker; originally, a female baker. [Old Eng. & Scotch]
Bay (?), a. [F. bai, fr. L. badius brown, chestnutcolored; Ð used only of horses.] Reddish brown; of the color of a chestnut; Ð applied to the color of horses.
Bay cat (Zo”l.), a wild cat of Africa and the East Indies (Felis aurata). Ð Bay lynx (Zo”l.), the common American lynx (Felis, or Lynx, rufa).
Bay, n. [F. baie, fr. LL. baia. Of uncertain origin: cf. Ir. & Gael. badh or bagh bay harbor, creek; Bisc. baia, baiya, harbor, and F. bayer to gape, open the mouth.] 1. (Geol.) An inlet of the sea, usually smaller than a gulf, but of the same general character.
µ The name is not used with much precision, and is often applied to large tracts of water, around which the land forms a curve; as, Hudson's Bay. The name is not restricted to tracts of water with a narrow entrance, but is used foe any recess or inlet between capes or headlands; as, the Bay of Biscay.
2. A small body of water set off from the main body; as a compartment containing water for a wheel; the portion of a canal just outside of the gates of a lock, etc.
3. A recess or indentation shaped like a bay.
4. A principal compartment of the walls, roof, or other part of a building, or of the whole building, as marked off by the buttresses, vaulting, mullions of a window, etc.; one of the main divisions of any structure, as the part of a bridge between two piers.
5. A compartment in a barn, for depositing hay, or grain in the stalks.
6. A kind of mahogany obtained from Campeachy Bay.
Sick bay, in vessels of war, that part of a deck appropriated to the use of the sick.
Totten.
Bay, n. [ F. baie a berry, the fruit of the laurel and other trees, fr. L. baca, bacca, a small round fruit, a berry, akin to Lith. bapka laurel berry.] 1. A berry, particularly of the laurel. [Obs.]
2. The laurel tree (Laurus nobilis). Hence, in the plural, an honorary garland or crown bestowed as a prize for victory or excellence, anciently made or consisting of branches of the laurel.
The patriot's honors and the poet's bays.
Trumbull.
3. A tract covered with bay trees. [Local, U. S.]
Bay leaf, the leaf of the bay tree (Laurus nobilis). It has a fragrant odor and an aromatic taste.
Bay, v. i. [imp. & p.p. Bayed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Baying.] [ OE. bayen, abayen, OF. abaier, F. aboyer, to bark; of uncertain origin.] To bark, as a dog with a deep voice does, at his game.
The hounds at nearer distance hoarsely bayed.
Dryden.
Bay (?), v. t. To bark at; hence, to follow with barking; to bring or drive to bay; as, to bay the bear.
Shak.
Bay (?), n. [See Bay, v. i.] 1. DeepÐtoned, prolonged barking. ½The bay of curs.¸
Cowper.
2. [OE. bay, abay, OF. abai, F. aboi barking, pl. abois, prop. the extremity to which the stag is reduced when surrounded by the dogs, barking (aboyant); aux abois at or a difficulty, when escape has become impossible.
Embolden'd by despair, he stood at bay.
Dryden.
The most terrible evils are just kept at bay by incessant efforts.
I. Taylor
Bay, v. t. [Cf. OE. b‘wen to bathe, and G. b„hen to foment.] To bathe. [Obs.]
Spenser.
Bay, n. A bank or dam to keep back water.
Bay, v. t. To dam, as water; Ð with up or back.
ØBa¶ya (?), n. [Native name.] (Zo”l.) The East Indian weaver bird (Ploceus Philippinus).
ØBaÏyad¶ (?), BaÏyatte¶ (?), n. [Ar. bayad.] (Zo”l.) A large, edible, siluroid fish of the Nile, of two species (Bagrina bayad and B. docmac).
Ba·yaÏdere¶ (?), n. [F., from Pg. bailadeira a female dancer, bailar to dance.] A female dancer in the East Indies. [Written also bajadere.]
Bay¶Ðant·ler (?), n. [See BezÐAntler.] (Zo”l.) The second tine of a stag's horn. See under Antler.
Bay¶ard (?), n. 1. [OF. bayard, baiart, bay horse; bai bay + Ïard. See Bay, a., and Ïard.] Properly, a bay horse, but often any horse. Commonly in the phrase blind bayard, an old blind horse.
Blind bayard moves the mill.
Philips.
2. [Cf. F. bayeur, fr. bayer to gape.] A stupid, clownish fellow. [Obs.]
B. Jonson.
Bay¶ardÏly, a. Blind; stupid. [Obs.] ½A formal and bayardly round of duties.¸
Goodman.
Bay¶berÏry (?), n. (Bot.) (a) The fruit of the bay tree or Laurus nobilis. (b) A tree of the West Indies related to the myrtle (Pimenta acris). (c) The fruit of Myrica cerifera (wax myrtle); the shrub itself; Ð called also candleberry tree.
Bayberry tallow, a fragrant green wax obtained from the bayberry or wax myrtle; Ð called also myrtle wax.
Bay¶bolt· (?), n. A bolt with a barbed shank.
Bayed (?), a. Having a bay or bays. ½The large bayed barn.¸
Drayton.
Bay¶ ice· (?). See under Ice.
Bay¶ leaf· (?). See under 3d Bay.
Bay¶oÏnet (?), n. [F. bayonnette, ba‹onnette; Ð so called, it is said, because the first bayonets were made at Bayonne.]
1. (Mil.) A pointed instrument of the dagger kind fitted on the muzzle of a musket or rifle, so as to give the soldier increased means of offense and defense.
µ Originally, the bayonet was made with a handle, which required to be fitted into the bore of the musket after the soldier had fired.
2. (Mach.) A pin which plays in and out of holes made to receive it, and which thus serves to engage or disengage parts of the machinery.
Bayonet clutch. See Clutch. Ð Bayonet joint, a form of coupling similar to that by which a bayonet is fixed on the barrel of a musket.
Knight.
Bay¶oÏnet, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Bayoneted; p. pr. & vb. n. Bayoneting.] 1. To stab with a bayonet.
2. To compel or drive by the bayonet.
To bayonet us into submission.
Burke.
Bay¶ou (?), n.; pl. Bayous (?). [North Am. Indian bayuk, in F. spelling bayouc, bayouque.] An inlet from the Gulf of Mexico, from a lake, or from a large river, sometimes sluggish, sometimes without perceptible movement except from tide and wind. [Southern U. S.]
A dark slender thread of a bayou moves loiteringly northeastward into a swamp of huge cypresses.
G. W. Cable.
Bay¶ rum¶ (?). A fragrant liquid, used for cosmetic and medicinal purposes.
µ The original bay rum, from the West Indies, is prepared, it is believed, by distillation from the leaves of the bayberry (Myrcia acris). The bay rum of the Pharmacop?ia (spirit of myrcia) is prepared from oil of myrcia (bayberry), oil of orange peel, oil of pimento, alcohol, and water.
Bays, Bayze (?), n. See Baize. [Obs.]
Bay¶ salt· (?). Salt which has been obtained from sea water, by evaporation in shallow pits or basins, by the heat of the sun; the large crystalline salt of commerce.
Bacon. Ure.
Bay¶ tree·. A species of laurel. (Laurus nobilis).
Bay¶ win¶dow (?). (Arch.) A window forming a bay or recess in a room, and projecting outward from the wall, either in a rectangular, polygonal, or semicircular form; Ð often corruptly called a bow window.
Bay¶ yarn· (?). Woolen yarn. [Prov. Eng.]
Wright.
BaÏzaar¶ BaÏzar¶ } (?), n. [Per. b¾zar market.] 1. In the East, an exchange, marketplace, or assemblage of shops where goods are exposed for sale.
2. A spacious hall or suite of rooms for the sale of goods, as at a fair.
3. A fair for the sale of fancy wares, toys, etc., commonly for a charitable objects.
Macaulay.
Bdel¶lium (?), n. [L., fr. Gr. ?; cf. Heb. b'dolakh bdellium (in sense 1).] 1. An unidentified substance mentioned in the Bible (Gen. ii. 12, and Num. xi. 7), variously taken to be a gum, a precious stone, or pearls, or perhaps a kind of amber found in Arabia.
2. A gum resin of reddish brown color, brought from India, Persia, and Africa.
µ Indian bdellium or false myrrh is an exudation from Balsamodendron Roxb?rghii. Other kinds are known as African, Sicilian, etc.
ØBdelÏloi¶deÏa (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? leech + Ïoid.] (Zo”l.) The order of Annulata which includes the leeches. See Hirudinea.
BdelÏlom¶eÏter (?), n. [Gr. ? leech + Ïmeter.] (Med.) A cupping glass to which are attached a scarificator and an exhausting syringe.
Dunglison.
ØBdel·loÏmor¶pha (?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? leech + ? form.] (Zo”l.) An order of Nemertina, including the large leechlike worms (Malacobdella) often parasitic in clams.
Be (?), v. i. [imp. Was (?); p. p. Been (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Being.] [OE. been, beon, AS. be¢n to be, be¢m I am; akin to OHG. bim, pim, G. bin, I am, Gael. & Ir. bu was, W. bod to be, Lith. buÐti, O. Slav. byÐti, to be, L. fuÐi I have been, fuÐturus about to be, foÐre to be about to be, and perh to fieri to become, Gr. ? to be born, to be, Skr. bh? to be. This verb is defective, and the parts lacking are supplied by verbs from other roots, is, was, which have no radical connection with be. The various forms, am, are, is, was, were, etc., are considered grammatically as parts of the verb ½to be¸, which, with its conjugational forms, is often called the substantive verb. ?97. Cf. Future, Physic.] 1. To exist actually, or in the world of fact; to have ex?stence.
To be contents his natural desire.
Pope.
To be, or not to be: that is the question.
Shak.
2. To exist in a certain manner or relation, Ð whether as a reality or as a product of thought; to exist as the subject of a certain predicate, that is, as having a certain attribute, or as belonging to a certain sort, or as identical with what is specified, Ð a word or words for the predicate being annexed; as, to be happy; to be here; to be large, or strong; to be an animal; to be a hero; to be a nonentity; three and two are five; annihilation is the cessation of existence; that is the man.
3. To take place; to happen; as, the meeting was on Thursday.
4. To signify; to represent or symbolize; to answer to.
The field is the world.
Matt. xiii. 38.
The seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
Rev.i. 20.
µ The verb to be (including the forms is, was, etc.) is used in forming the passive voice of other verbs; as, John has been struck by James. It is also used with the past participle of many intransitive verbs to express a state of the subject. But have is now more commonly used as the auxiliary, though expressing a different sense; as, ½Ye have come too late Ð but ye are come. ¸ ½The minstrel boy to the war is gone.¸ The present and imperfect tenses form, with the infinitive, a particular future tense, which expresses necessity, duty, or purpose; as, government is to be supported; we are to pay our just debts; the deed is to be signed toÐmorrow.
Have or had been, followed by to, implies movement. ½I have been to Paris.¸ Sydney Smith. ½Have you been to Franchard ?¸ R. L. Slevenson.
µ Been, or ben, was anciently the plural of the indicative present. ½Ye ben light of the world.¸ Wyclif, Matt. v. 14. Afterwards be was used, as in our Bible: ½They that be with us are more than they that be with them.¸ 2 Kings vi. 16. Ben was also the old infinitive: ½To ben of such power.¸ R. of Gloucester. Be is used as a form of the present subjunctive: ½But if it be a question of words and names.¸ Acis xviii. 15. But the indicative forms, is and are, with if, are more commonly used.
Be it so, a phrase of supposition, equivalent to suppose it to be so; or of permission, signifying let it be so. Shak. Ð If so be, in case. Ð To be from, to have come from; as, from what place are you ? I am from Chicago. Ð To let be, to omit, or leave untouched; to let alone. ½Let be, therefore, my vengeance to dissuade.¸
Spenser.
Syn. Ð To be, Exist. The verb to be, except in a few rare case, like that of Shakespeare's ½To be, or not to be¸, is used simply as a copula, to connect a subject with its predicate; as, man is mortal; the soul is immortal. The verb to exist is never properly used as a mere copula, but points to things that stand forth, or have a substantive being; as, when the soul is freed from all corporeal alliance, then it truly exists. It is not, therefore, properly synonymous with to be when used as a copula, though occasionally made so by some writers for the sake of variety; as in the phrase ½there exists [is] no reason for laying new taxes.¸ We may, indeed, say, ½a friendship has long existed between them,¸ instead of saying, ½there has long been a friendship between them;¸ but in this case, exist is not a mere copula. It is used in its appropriate sense to mark the friendship as having been long in existence.
BeÏ. [AS. be, and in accented form bÆ, akin to OS. be and bÆ, OHG. bi, pi, and pÆ, MHG. be and bÆ, G. be and bei, Goth. bi, and perh. Gr. ? about (cf. AS. bese¢n to look about). ?203. Gr. By, AmbÏ.] A prefix, originally the same word as by; joined with verbs, it serves: (a) To intensify the meaning; as, bespatter, bestir. (b) To render an intransitive verb transitive; as, befall (to fall upon); bespeak (to speak for). (c) To make the action of a verb particular or definite; as, beget (to get as offspring); beset (to set around).
It is joined with certain substantives, and a few adjectives, to form verbs; as, bedew, befriend, benight, besot; belate (to make late); belittle (to make little). It also occurs in certain nouns, adverbs, and prepositions,
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often with something of the force of the preposition by, or about; as, belief (believe), behalf, bequest (bequeath); because, before, beneath, beside, between. In some words the original force of be is obscured or lost; as, in become, begin, behave, behoove, belong. Beach (?), n.; pl. Beaches (?). [Cf. Sw. backe hill, Dan. bakke, Icel. bakki hill, bank. Cf. Bank.] 1. Pebbles, collectively; shingle. 2. The shore of the sea, or of a lake, which is washed by the waves; especially, a sandy or pebbly shore; the strand.
Beach flea (Zo”l.), the common name of many species of amphipod Crustacea, of the family Orchestid‘, living on the sea beaches, and leaping like fleas. Ð Beach grass (Bot.), a coarse grass (Ammophila arundinacea), growing on the sandy shores of lakes and seas, which, by its interlaced running rootstocks, binds the sand together, and resists the encroachment of the waves. Ð Beach wagon, a light open wagon with two or more seats. Ð Raised beach, an accumulation of waterÐworn stones, gravel, sand, and other shore deposits, above the present level of wave action, whether actually raised by elevation of the coast, as in Norway, or left by the receding waters, as in many lake and river regions.
Beach, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Beached (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Beaching.] To run or drive (as a vessel or a boat) upon a beach; to strand; as, to beach a ship.
Beach¶ comb·er (?). A long, curling wave rolling in from the ocean. See Comber. [Amer.]
Beached (?), p. p. & a. 1. Bordered by a beach.
The beached verge of the salt flood.
Shak.
2. Driven on a beach; stranded; drawn up on a beach; as, the ship is beached.
Beach¶y (?), a. Having a beach or beaches; formed by a beach or beaches; shingly.
The beachy girdle of the ocean.
Shak.
Bea¶con (?), n. [OE. bekene, AS. be cen, b?cen; akin to OS. b?kan, Fries. baken, beken, sign, signal, D. baak, OHG. bouhhan, G. bake; of unknown origin. Cf. Beckon.] 1. A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning.
No flaming beacons cast their blaze afar.
Gay.
2. A signal or conspicuous mark erected on an eminence near the shore, or moored in shoal water, as a guide to mariners.
3. A high hill near the shore. [Prov. Eng.]
4. That which gives notice of danger.
Modest doubt is called
The beacon of the wise.
Shak.
Beacon fire, a signal fire.
Bea¶con, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Beaconed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Beaconing.] 1. To give light to, as a beacon; to light up; to illumine.
That beacons the darkness of heaven.
Campbell.
2. To furnish with a beacon or beacons.
Bea¶conÏage (?), n. Money paid for the maintenance of a beacon; also, beacons, collectively.
Bea¶conÏless, a. Having no beacon.
Bead (?), n. [OE. bede prayer, prayer bead, AS. bed, gebed, prayer; akin to D. bede, G. bitte, AS. biddan, to ask, bid, G. bitten to ask, and perh. to Gr. ? to persuade, L. fidere to trust. Beads are used by the Roman Catholics to count their prayers, one bead being dropped down a string every time a prayer is said. Cf. Sp. cuenta bead, fr. contar to count. See Bid, in to bid beads, and Bide.] 1. A prayer. [Obs.]
2. A little perforated ball, to be strung on a thread, and worn for ornament; or used in a rosary for counting prayers, as by Roman Catholics and Mohammedans, whence the phrases to tell beads, to at one's beads, to bid beads, etc., meaning, to be at prayer.
3. Any small globular body; as, (a) A bubble in spirits. (b) A drop of sweat or other liquid. ½Cold beads of midnight dew.¸ Wordsworth. (c) A small knob of metal on a firearm, used for taking aim (whence the expression to draw a bead, for, to take aim). (d) (Arch.) A small molding of rounded surface, the section being usually an arc of a circle. It may be continuous, or broken into short embossments. (e) (Chem.) A glassy drop of molten flux, as borax or microcosmic salt, used as a solvent and color test for several mineral earths and oxides, as of iron, manganese, etc., before the blowpipe; as, the borax bead; the iron bead, etc.
Bead and butt (Carp.), framing in which the panels are flush, having beads stuck or run upon the two edges. Knight. Ð Beat mold, a species of fungus or mold, the stems of which consist of single cells loosely jointed together so as to resemble a string of beads. [Written also bead mould.] Ð Bead tool, a cutting tool, having an edge curved so as to make beads or beading. Ð Bead tree (Bot.), a tree of the genus Melia, the best known species of which (M. azedarach), has blue flowers which are very fragrant, and berries which are poisonous.
Bead, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Beaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Beading.] To ornament with beads or beading.
Bead, v. i. To form beadlike bubbles.
Bead¶house·, Bede¶house· (?), n. [OE. bede prayer + E. house. See Bead, n.] An almshouse for poor people who pray daily for their benefactors.
Bead¶ing, n. 1. (Arch.) Molding in imitation of beads.
2. The beads or beadÐforming quality of certain liquors; as, the beading of a brand of whisky.
Bea¶dle (?), n. [OE. bedel, bidel, budel, OF. bedel, F. bedeau, fr. OHG. butil, putil, G. bttel, fr. OHG. biotan, G. bieten, to bid, confused with AS. bydel, the same word as OHG. butil. See. Bid, v.] 1. A messenger or crier of a court; a servitor; one who cites or bids persons to appear and answer; Ð called also an apparitor or summoner.
2. An officer in a university, who precedes public processions of officers and students. [Eng.]
µ In this sense the archaic spellings bedel (Oxford) and bedell (Cambridge) are preserved.
3. An inferior parish officer in England having a variety of duties, as the preservation of order in church service, the chastisement of petty offenders, etc.
Bea¶dleÏry (?), n. Office or jurisdiction of a beadle.]
Bea¶dleÏship, n. The state of being, or the personality of, a beadle.
A. Wood.
Bead¶ proof· (?). 1. Among distillers, a certain degree of strength in alcoholic liquor, as formerly ascertained by the floating or sinking of glass globules of different specific gravities thrown into it; now ascertained by more accurate meters.
2. A degree of strength in alcoholic liquor as shown by beads or small bubbles remaining on its surface, or at the side of the glass, when shaken.
Bead¶roll· (?), n. (R. C. Ch.) A catalogue of persons, for the rest of whose souls a certain number of prayers are to be said or counted off on the beads of a chaplet; hence, a catalogue in general.
On Fame's eternal beadroll worthy to be field.
Spenser.
It is quite startling, on going over the beadroll of English worthies, to find how few are directly represented in the male line.
Quart. Rev.
Beads¶man, Bedes¶man (?), n.; pl. Ïmen (?). A poor man, supported in a beadhouse, and required to pray for the soul of its founder; an almsman.
Whereby ye shall bind me to be your poor beadsman for ever unto Almighty God.
Fuller.
Bead¶snake· (?), n. (Zo”l.) A small poisonous snake of North America (Elaps fulvius), banded with yellow, red, and black.
Beads¶wom·an, Bedes¶wom·an (?), n.; pl. Ïwomen (?). Fem. of Beadsman.
Bead¶work· (?), n. Ornamental work in beads.
Bead¶y (?), a. 1. Resembling beads; small, round, and glistening. ½Beady eyes.¸
Thackeray.
2. Covered or ornamented with, or as with, beads.
3. Characterized by beads; as, beady liquor.
Bea¶gle (?), n. [OE. begele; perh. of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. & Gael. beag small, little, W. bach. F. bigle is from English.] 1. A small hound, or hunting dog, twelve to fifteen inches high, used in hunting hares and other small game. See Illustration in Appendix.
2. Fig.: A spy or detective; a constable.
Beak (?), n. [OE. bek, F. bec, fr. Celtic; cf. Gael. & Ir. bac, bacc, hook, W. bach.] 1. (Zo”l.) (a) The bill or nib of a bird, consisting of a horny sheath, covering the jaws. The form varied much according to the food and habits of the bird, and is largely used in the classification of birds. (b) A similar bill in other animals, as the turtles. (c) The long projecting sucking mouth of some insects, and other invertebrates, as in the Hemiptera. (d) The upper or projecting part of the shell, near the hinge of a bivalve. (e) The prolongation of certain univalve shells containing the canal.
2. Anything projecting or ending in a point, like a beak, as a promontory of land.
Carew.
3. (Antiq.) A beam, shod or armed at the end with a metal head or point, and projecting from the prow of an ancient galley, in order to pierce the vessel of an enemy; a beakhead.
4. (Naut.) That part of a ship, before the forecastle, which is fastened to the stem, and supported by the main knee.
5. (Arch.) A continuous slight projection ending in an arris or narrow fillet; that part of a drip from which the water is thrown off.
6. (Bot.) Any process somewhat like the beak of a bird, terminating the fruit or other parts of a plant.
7. (Far.) A toe clip. See Clip, n. (Far.)
8. A magistrate or policeman. [Slang, Eng.]
Beaked (?), a. 1. Having a beak or a beaklike point; beakÐshaped. ½Each beaked promontory.¸
Milton.
2. (Biol.) Furnished with a process or a mouth like a beak; rostrate.
Beaked whale (Zo”l.), a cetacean of the genus Hyperoodon; the bottlehead whale.
Beak¶er (?), n. [OE. biker; akin to Icel. bikarr, Sw. b„gare, Dan. baeger, G. becher, It. bicchiere; Ð all fr. LL. bicarium, prob. fr. Gr. ? wine jar, or perh. L. bacar wine vessel. Cf. Pitcher a jug.] 1. A large drinking cup, with a wide mouth, supported on a foot or standard.
2. An openÐmouthed, thin glass vessel, having a projecting lip for pouring; Ð used for holding solutions requiring heat.
Knight.
Beak¶head· (?), n. 1. (Arch.) An ornament used in rich Norman doorways, resembling a head with a beak.
Parker.
2. (Naut.) (a) A small platform at the fore part of the upper deck of a vessel, which contains the water closets of the crew. (b) (Antiq.) Same as Beak, 3.
Beak¶iÏron (?), n. [From Bickern.] A bickern; a bench anvil with a long beak, adapted to reach the interior surface of sheet metal ware; the horn of an anvil.
Beal (?), n. [See Boil a tumor.] (Med.) A small inflammatory tumor; a pustule. [Prov. Eng.]
Beal, v. i. [imp. & p.p. Bealed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bealing.] To gather matter; to swell and come to a head, as a pimple. [Prov. Eng.]
Be¶Ðall· (?), n. The whole; all that is to be. [Poetic]
Shak.
Beam (?), n. [AS. be m beam, post, tree, ray of light; akin to OFries. b¾m tree, OS. b?m, D. boom, OHG. boum, poum, G. baum, Icel. ba?mr, Goth. bahms and Gr. ? a growth, ? to become, to be. Cf. L. radius staff, rod, spoke of a wheel, beam or ray, and G. strahl arrow, spoke of a wheel, ray or beam, flash of lightning. ?97. See Be; cf. Boom a spar.] 1. Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use.
2. One of the principal horizontal timbers of a building or ship.
The beams of a vessel are strong pieces of timber stretching across from side to side to support the decks.
Totten.
3. The width of a vessel; as, one vessel is said to have more beam than another.
4. The bar of a balance, from the ends of which the scales are suspended.
The doubtful beam long nods from side to side.
Pope.
5. The principal stem or horn of a stag or other deer, which bears the antlers, or branches.
6. The pole of a carriage. [Poetic]
Dryden.
7. A cylinder of wood, making part of a loom, on which weavers wind the warp before weaving; also, the cylinder on which the cloth is rolled, as it is woven; one being called the fore beam, the other the back beam.
8. The straight part or shank of an anchor.
9. The main part of a plow, to which the handles and colter are secured, and to the end of which are attached the oxen or horses that draw it.
10. (Steam Engine) A heavy iron lever having an oscillating motion on a central axis, one end of which is connected with the piston rod from which it receives motion, and the other with the crank of the wheel shaft? Ð called also working beam or walking beam.
11. A ray or collection of parallel rays emitted from the sun or other luminous body; as, a beam of light, or of heat.
How far that little candle throws his beams !
Shak.
12. Fig.: A ray; a gleam; as, a beam of comfort.
Mercy with her genial beam.
Keble.
13. One of the long feathers in the wing of a hawk; Ð called also beam feather.
Abaft the beam (Naut.), in an are of the horizon between a line that crosses the ship at right angles, or in the direction of her beams, and that point of the compass toward which her stern is directed. Ð Beam center (Mach.), the fulcrum or pin on which the working beam of an engine vibrates. Ð Beam compass, an instrument consisting of a rod or beam, having sliding sockets that carry steel or pencil points; Ð used for drawing or describing large circles. Ð Beam engine, a steam engine having a working beam to transmit power, in distinction from one which has its piston rod attached directly to the crank of the wheel shaft. Ð Before the beam (Naut.), in an arc of the horizon included between a line that crosse the ship at right angles and that point of the compass toward which the ship steers. Ð On the beam , in a line with the beams, or at right angled with the keel. Ð On the weather beam, on the side of a ship which faces the wind. Ð To be on her beam ends, to incline, as a vessel, so much on one side that her beams approach a vertical position.
Beam, v. t. [imp. & p.p. Beamed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Beaming.] To send forth; to emit; Ð followed ordinarily by forth; as, to beam forth light.
Beam, v. i. To emit beams of light.
He beamed, the daystar of the rising age.
Trumbull.
Beam¶bird· (?), n. (Zo”l.) A small European flycatcher (Muscicapa gricola), so called because it often nests on a beam in a building.
Beamed (?), a. Furnished with beams, as the head of a stag.
Tost his beamed frontlet to the sky.
Sir W. Scott.
Beam¶ful (?), a. Beamy; radiant.
Beam¶iÏly (?), adv. In a beaming manner.
Beam¶iÏness, n. The state of being beamy.
Beam¶ing, a. Emitting beams; radiant.
Beam¶ingÏly, adv. In a beaming manner; radiantly.
Beam¶less, a. 1. Not having a beam.
2. Not emitting light.
Beam¶let (?), n. A small beam of light.
Beam¶ tree· (?). [AS. be m a tree. See Beam.] (Bot.) A tree (Pyrus aria) related to the apple.
Beam¶y (?), a. 1. Emitting beams of light; radiant; shining. ½Beamy gold.¸
Tickell.