the second letter of our alphabet, called by the Phœnicians beth, 'the house,' coresponding to Greek βετα, 'beta.'—B in music is the seventh note of the scale of C major; B or B flat, a humorous euphemism for the domestic bug.
Baa, bä, n. the cry of a sheep.—v.i. to cry or bleat as a sheep.—n. Baa′ing. [From the sound.]
Baal, bā′al, n. the chief male deity of the Phœnician nations: a false god generally:—pl. Bā′alim.—ns. Bā′alism; Bā′alite. [Heb.]
Babble, bab′bl, v.i. to speak like a baby: to make a continuous murmuring sound like a brook, &c.: to make a babbling noise: to tell secrets.—v.t. to prate: to utter.—adjs. Bab′blative, Bab′bly.—ns. Bab′ble, Bab′blement, Bab′bling, idle senseless talk: prattle: confused murmur, as of a stream; Bab′bler, one who babbles. [Prob. imit., from the repeated syllable ba; cf. Dut. babbelen, Ger. pappelen, Fr. babiller.]
Babe, bāb, Baby, bā′bi, n. an infant or child: a doll, puppet: the reflection of one's self in miniature seen in the pupil of another's eye.—ns. Bā′by-farm′er, one who takes in infants to nurse on payment; Bā′byhood.—adj. Bā′byish.—n. Bā′by-jump′er, a seat suspended from the ceiling of a room by elastic straps, to enable a baby to jump. [Prob. imitative. See Babble.]
Babel, bā′bel, n. a lofty structure: a confused combination of sounds: a scene of confusion.—ns. Bā′beldom, Bā′belism. [Heb. Babel, explained in Gen. xi. as confusion.]
Babiroussa, -russa, ba-bi-rōō′sa, n. a species of wild hog found in the East Indies, often called the horned or deer hog. [Malay bâbi, hog, and rûsa, deer.]
Baboo, bä′bōō, n. orig. the Hindu title corresponding to our Mr, but often applied disparagingly to a Hindu with a superficial English education, or adjectively as in 'baboo English,' which is more copious than correct, with long and learned words often most ingeniously misapplied.—ns. Ba′boodom, Ba′booism. [Hind. bābū.]
Baboon, ba-bōōn′, n. a species of large monkey, having a long face, dog-like tusks, large lips, and a short tail.—n. Baboon′ery.—adj. Baboon′ish. [Fr. babouin; remoter origin unknown.]