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Back¶rack (?), Back¶rag (?),} n. See Bacharach.Backs (?), n. pl. Among leather dealers, the thickest and stoutest tanned hides.Back¶saw· (?), n. [2d back,n.+ saw.] A saw (as a tenon saw) whose blade is stiffened by an added metallic back.Back¶set· (?), n. [ÿBack, adv. + ÿset.] 1. A check; a relapse; a discouragement; a setback.2. Whatever is thrown back in its course, as water.Slackwater, or the ÿbackset caused by the overflow.Harper's Mag.Back¶set·, v.i. To plow again, in the fall; - said of prairie land broken up in the spring. [Western U.S.]Back¶set¶tler (?), n. [Back, a. + settler.] One living in the back or outlying districts of a community.The English backsettlers of Leinster and Munster.Macaulay.ØBack¶sheesh·, ØBack¶shish·} (?), n. [Pers.ÿbakhshÆsh, fr. ÿbakhshÆdan to give.] In Egypt and the Turkish empire, a gratuity; a ½tip¸.Back¶side· (?), n. [ÿBack, a. + side.ÿ] The hinder part, posteriors, or rump of a person or animal.µBackside (one word) was formerly used of therear part or side of any thing or place, but in such senses is now two words.Back¶sight· (?), n. [Back, adv. + sight.ÿ] (Surv.) The reading of the leveling staff in its unchanged position when the leveling instrument has been taken to a new position; a sight directed backwards to a station previously occupied. Cf. Foresight,ÿn., 3.Back·slide¶ (?), v.i. [ imp. Backslidÿ(?); p.p. Backslidden (?), Backslid; p.pr.&vb.n. ÿBacksliding.ÿ] [Backÿ, adv.+ slide.] To slide back; to fall away; esp. to abandon gradually the faith and practice of a religion that has been professed.Back¶slid¶er (?), n. One who backslides.Back¶slid¶ing, a. Slipping back; falling back into sin or error; sinning.Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord.Jer. iii. 14.Back¶slid¶ing, n. The act of one who backslides; abandonment of faith or duty.Our backslidings are many.Jer. xiv.7.Back¶staff· (?), n. An instrument formerly used for taking the altitude of the heavenly bodies, but now superseded by the quadrant and sextant; - so called because the observer turned his back to the body observed.Back¶ stairs·. Stairs in the back part of a house, as distinguished from the front stairs; hence, a private or indirect way.Back¶stairs·, Back¶stair·, a. Private; indirect; secret; intriguing; as if finding access by the back stairs.A backstairs influence.Burke.Female caprice and ÿbackstairs influence.Trevelyan.Back¶stay· (?), n. [ÿBack, a. or n. + stay.] 1.(Naut.) A rope or stay extending from the masthead to the side of a ship, slanting a little aft, to assist the shrouds in supporting the mast. [ Often used in the plural.]2. A rope or strap used to prevent excessive forward motion.Back¶ster (?), n. [See Baxter.] A backer. [Obs.]Back¶stitch· (?), n. [ÿBack, adv. + ÿstitch.] A stitch made by setting the needle back of the end of the last stitch, and bringing it out in front of the end.Back¶stitch·, v.i. To sew with backstitches; as, to backstitch a seam.Back¶stress (?), n. A female baker. [Obs.]Back¶sword· (?), n. [2d back, n. + sword.] 1. A sword with one sharp edge.2. In England, a stick with a basket handle, used in rustic amusements; also, the game in which the stick is used. Also called ÿsinglestick.Halliwell.Back¶ward (?), Back¶wards (?),} adv. [ÿBack, ÿadv. + Ïward.] 1. With the back in advance or foremost; as, to ride backward.2. Toward the back; toward the rear; as, to throw the arms ÿbackward.3. On the back, or with the back downward.Thou wilt fall ÿbackward.ÿShak.4. Toward, or in, past time or events; ago.Some reigns ÿbackward. ÿLocke.5. By way of reflection; reflexively.Sir J.Davies.6. From a better to a worse state, as from honor to shame, from religion to sin.The work went ÿbackward.ÿDryden.7. In a contrary or reverse manner, way, or direction; contrarily; as, to read ÿbackwards.We might have … beat them ÿbackward home.Shak.Back¶ward, a. 1. Directed to the back or rear; as, backward glances.2. Unwilling; averse; reluctant; hesitating; loath.For wiser brutes were ÿbackwardÿ to be slaves.Pope.3. Not well advanced in learning; not quick of apprehension; dull; inapt; as, a ÿbackward ÿchild. ½The backward learner.¸South.4. Late or behindhand; as, a ÿbackward season.5. Not advanced in civilization; undeveloped; as, the country or region is in a backward ÿstate.6. Already past or gone; bygone. [R.]And flies unconscious o'er each ÿbackwardÿ year.Byron.Back¶ward, n. The state behind or past. [Obs.]In the dark ÿbackwardÿ and abysm of time.Shak.Back¶ward, v.i. To keep back; to hinder. [Obs.]Back·warÏda¶tion (?), n. [Backward, v.i.+ Ïation.] (Stock Exchange) The seller's postponement of delivery of stock or shares, with the consent of the buyer, upon payment of a premium to the latter; - also, the premium so paid. See ÿContango.Biddle.Back¶wardÏly (?), adv. 1. Reluctantly; slowly; aversely. [Obs.]Sir P.Sidney.2. Perversely; ill.[Obs.]And does he think so ÿbackwardlyÿ of me?Shak.Back¶wardÏness, n. The state of being backward.Back¶wash· (?), v.i. To clean the oil from (wood) after combing.Back¶wa·ter (?), n. [ÿBack, a. or adv. + ÿÏward.ÿ] 1. Water turned back in its course by an obstruction, an opposing current , or the flow of the tide, as in a sewer or river channel, or across a river bar.2. An accumulation of water overflowing the low lands, caused by an obstruction.3. Water thrown back by the turning of a waterwheel, or by the paddle wheels of a steamer.Back¶woods¶ (?), n. pl. [Back,ÿ a. + ÿwoods.] The forests or partly cleared grounds on the frontiers.Back¶woods¶man (?), n.; pl. Backwoodsmen (?). A men living in the forest in or beyond the new settlements, especially on the western frontiers of the older portions of the United States.Fisher Ames.Back¶worm· (?), n. [2d ÿback, n. + worm.ÿ] A disease of hawks. See Filanders.Wright.Ba¶con (?), n. [OF. bacon, fr. OHG. bacho, bahho, flitch of bacon, ham; akin to E. back. ÿCf. ÿBack the back side.] The back and sides of a pig salted and smoked; formerly, the flesh of a pig salted or fresh.Bacon beetle (Zo”l.), a beetle (Dermestes lardarius) which, especially in the larval state, feeds upon bacon, woolens, furs, etc. See Dermestes. - To save one's bacon, to save one's self or property from harm or less. [Colloq.]BaÏco¶niÏan (?), a. Of or pertaining to Lord Bacon, or to his system of philosophy.Baconian method, the inductive method. See Induction.BacÏte¶riÏa (?), n.p. See ÿBacterium.BacÏte¶riÏal (?), a. (Biol.) Of or pertaining to bacteria.BacÏte¶riÏci·dal (?), a. Destructive of bacteria.BacÏte¶riÏcide (?), n. [ÿBacterium ÿ+ L. ÿcaedere to kill] (Biol.) Same as Germicide.BacÏte¶riÏoÏlog·icÏal (?), a. Of or pertaining to bacteriology; as, ÿbacteriological ÿstudies.BacÏte¶riÏol·oÏgist, n. One skilled in bacteriology.BacÏte¶riÏol·oÏgy (?), n. [ÿBacterium + Ïlogy.ÿ] (Biol.) The science relating to bacteria.BacÏte·riÏoÏscop¶ic (?), a. (Biol.) Relating to bacterioscopy; as, a ÿbacterioscopic examination.BacÏte·riÏos¶coÏpist (?), n. (Biol.) One skilled in bacterioscopic examinations.BacÏte·riÏos¶coÏpy (?), n. [ÿBacterium + Ïscopyÿ] (Biol.) The application of a knowledge of bacteria for their detection and identification, as in the examination of polluted water.BacÏte¶riÏum (?), n.; pl. ÿBacteria (?). [NL., fr. Gr.?, ?, a staff: cf. F. bact‚rie.ÿ] (Biol.) A microscopic vegetable organism, belonging to the class Alg‘, usually in the form of a jointed rodlike filament, and found in putrefying organic infusions. Bacteria are destitute of chlorophyll, and are the smallest of microscopic organisms. They are very widely diffused in nature, and multiply with marvelous rapidity, both by fission and by spores. Certain species are active agents in fermentation, while others appear to be the cause of certain infectious diseases. See ÿBacillus.Bac¶teÏroid (?), Bac·teÏroid¶al (?),} a. [ÿBacterium + Ïoid.] (Biol.) Resembling bacteria; as, bacteroid particles.Bac¶triÏan (?), a. Of or pertaining to Bacteria in Asia. - n. A native of Bacteria.Bactrian camel, the two-humped camel.Bac¶ule (?), n. [F.] (Fort.) See ÿBascule.Bac¶uÏline (?), a. [L. baculum staff.] Of or pertaining to the rod or punishment with the rod.Bac¶uÏlite (?), n. [L. baculune stick, staff; cf. F. baculite.] (Paleon.) A cephalopod of the extinct genus Baculites, found fossil in the Cretaceous rocks. It is like an uncoiled ammonite.Bac·uÏlom¶eÏtry (?), n. [L. baculum staff + Ïmetry] Measurement of distance or altitude by a staff or staffs.Bad (?), imp. of Bid.ÿ Bade. [Obs.]Dryden.Bad (?), a. [Compar. Worse (?); ÿsuperl. ÿWorst (?).ÿ] [Probably fr. AS. ÿb‘ddel hermaphrodite; cf. b‘dling effeminate fellow.] Wanting good qualities, whether physical or moral; injurious, hurtful, inconvenient, offensive, painful, unfavorable, or defective, either physically or morally; evil; vicious; wicked; - the opposite of good; as a ÿbad man; ÿbad conduct; bad habits; bad soil; ÿbad health; bad crop; bad news.Sometimes used substantively.The strong antipathy of good to ÿbad.ÿPope.Syn. - Pernicious; deleterious; noxious; baneful; injurious; hurtful; evil; vile; wretched; corrupt; wicked; vicious; imperfect.Bad¶der (?), compar. of ÿBad, a.[Obs.]Chaucer.Bad¶derÏlocks (?), n. [Perh. for Balderlocks, ÿfr. Balder the Scandinavian deity.] (Bot.) A large black seaweed (Alaria esculenta) sometimes eaten in Europe; - also called ÿmurlins, honeyware, ÿand henware.Bad¶dish, a. Somewhat bad; inferior.Jeffrey.Bade (?). A form of the pat tense of ÿBid.Badge (?), n. [LL. bagea, bagia, ÿsign, prob. of German origin; cf. AS. be g, be h, bracelet, collar, crown, OS ÿb?g- in comp., AS. b?gan ÿto bow, bend, G. ÿbiegen. See Bow to bend.] 1. A distinctive mark, token, sign, or cognizance, worn on the person; as, the ÿbadge of a society; the ÿbadge of a policeman. ½Tax gatherers, recognized by their official ÿbadges.ÿ¸Prescott.2. Something characteristic; a mark; a token.Sweet mercy is nobility's true ÿbadge.ÿShak.3. (Naut.) A carved ornament on the stern of a vessel, containing a window or the representation of one.Badge (?), v.t. To mark or distinguish with a badge.Badge¶less, a. Having no badge.Bp. Hall.Badg¶er (?), n. [Of uncertain origin; perh. fr. an old verb ÿbadge to lay up provisions to sell again.] An itinerant licensed dealer in commodities used for food; a hawker; a huckster; - formerly applied especially to one who bought grain in one place and sold it in another. [Now dialectic, Eng.]Badg¶er, n. [OE. bageard, prob. fr. badge + Ïard, in reference to the white mark on its forehead. See Badge,n.] 1. A carnivorous quadruped of the genus ÿMeles or of an allied genus. It is a burrowing animal, with short, thick legs, and long claws on the fore feet. One species (M. vulgaris), called also brock, inhabits the north of Europe and Asia; another species (Taxidea Americana or Labradorica) inhabits the northern parts of North America. See ÿTeledu.2. A brush made of badgers' hair, used by artists.Badger dog. (Zo”l.) See ÿDachshund.Badg¶er, v.t. [imp. & p.p. Badgered (?);p. pr. & vb. n. Badgering.] [For sense 1, see 2d ÿBadger; for 2, see 1st Badger.] 1. To tease or annoy, as a badger when baited; to worry or irritate persistently.2. To beat down; to cheapen; to barter; to bargain.
Badg¶erÏer (?), n. 1. One who badgers.2. A kind of dog used in badger baiting.Badg¶erÏing, n. 1. The act of one who badgers.2. The practice of buying wheat and other kinds of food in one place and selling them in another for a profit. [Prov. Eng.]Badg¶erÏlegged· (?), a. Having legs of unequal length, as the badger was thought to have.Shak.ØBad·iÏa¶ga (?), n. [Russ. badiaga.] (Zo”l.) A freshÐwater sponge (Spongilla), common in the north of Europe, the powder of which is used to take away the livid marks of bruises.ØBa¶diÏan (?), n. [F.badiane, fr. Per. b¾di¾n anise.] [Bot.] An evergreen Chinese shrub of the Magnolia family (Illicium anisatum), and its aromatic seeds; Chinese anise; star anise.BaÏdi¶geon (?), n. [F.] A cement or paste (as of plaster and freestone, or of sawdust and glue or lime) used by sculptors, builders, and workers in wood or stone, to fill holes, cover defects, or finish a surface.ØBa·di·nage¶ (?),n. [F., fr. badiner to joke, OF. to trifle, be silly, fr. badin silly.] Playful raillery; banter. ½He …indulged himself only in an elegant badinage.¸Warbur?on.Bad¶ lands¶ (?). Barren regions, especially in the western United States, where horizontal strata (Tertiary deposits) have been often eroded into fantastic forms, and much intersected by canons, and where lack of wood, water, and forage increases the difficulty of traversing the country, whence the name, first given by the Canadian French, Mauvaises Terres (bad lands).Bad¶ly, adv. In a bad manner; poorly; not well; unskillfully; imperfectly; unfortunately; grievously; so as to cause harm; disagreeably; seriously.µ Badly is often used colloquially for very much or very greatly, with words signifying to want or need.Bad¶minÏton (?), n. [From the name of the seat of the Duke of Beaufort in England.] 1. A game, similar to lawn tennis, played with shuttlecocks.2. A preparation of claret, spiced and sweetened.Bad¶ness, n. The state of being bad.ØB‘¶noÏmere (?), n. [Gr. ? to walk + Ðmere.] (Zo”l.) One of the somites (arthromeres) that make up the thorax of Arthropods.Packard.B‘¶noÏpod (?), n. [Gr. ? to walk + Ðpod.] (Zo”l.) One of the thoracic legs of Arthropods.ØB‘¶noÏsome (?), n. [Gr. ? to walk + Ðsome body.] (Zo”l.) The thorax of Arthropods.Packard.Baff (?), n. A blow; a stroke. [Scot.]H.Miller.Baf¶fle (?), v.i. [imp. & p.p. Baffled (?); p.pr. & vb.n. Baffling (?).] [Cf. Lowland Scotch bauchle to treat contemptuously, bauch tasteless, abashed, jaded, Icel. b¾gr uneasy, poor, or b¾gr, n., struggle, b‘gja to push, treat harshly, OF. beffler, beffer, to mock, deceive, dial. G. b„ppe mouth, beffen to bark, chide.]1. To cause to undergo a disgraceful punishment, as a recreant knight. [Obs.]He by the heels him hung upon a tree,And baffled so, that all which passed byThe picture of his punishment might see.Spenser.2. To check by shifts and turns; to elude; to foil.The art that baffles time's tyrannic claim.Cowper.3. To check by perplexing; to disconcert, frustrate, or defeat; to thwart. ½A baffled purpose.¸De Quincey.A suitable scripture ready to repel and baffle them all.South.Calculations so difficult as to have baffled, until within a … recent period, the most enlightened nations.Prescott.The mere intricacy of a question should not baffle us.Locke.Baffling wind (Naut.), one that frequently shifts from one point to another.Syn. Ð To balk; thwart; foil; frustrate; defeat.Baf¶fle, v.i. 1. To practice deceit. [Obs.]Barrow.2. To struggle against in vain; as, a ship baffles with the winds. [R.]Baf¶fle, n. A defeat by artifice, shifts, and turns; discomfiture. [R.] ½A baffle to philosophy.¸South.Baf¶fleÏment (?), n. The process or act of baffling, or of being baffled; frustration; check.Baf¶fler (?), n. One who, or that which, baffles.
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Baf¶fling (?), a. Frustrating; discomfiting; disconcerting; as, baffling currents, winds, tasks, Ð ? Baft (?). n. Same as Bafta. Baf¶ta (?), n. [Cf. Per. baft. woven, wrought.] A coarse stuff, usually of cotton, originally made in India. Also, an imitation of this fabric made for export. Bag (?), n. [OE. bagge; cf. Icel. baggi, and also OF. bague, bundle, LL. baga.] 1. A sack or pouch, used for holding anything; as, a bag of meal or of money. 2. A sac, or dependent gland, in animal bodies, containing some fluid or other substance; as, the bag of poison in the mouth of some serpents; the bag of a cow. 3. A sort of silken purse formerly tied about men's hair behind, by way of ornament. [Obs.] 4. The quantity of game bagged. 5. (Com.) A certain quantity of a commodity, such as it is customary to carry to market in a sack; as, a bag of pepper or hops; a bag of coffee. Bag and baggage, all that belongs to one. Ð To give one the bag, to disappoint him. [Obs.] Bunyan.
Bag, v.t. [imp. & p.p. Bagged(?); p.pr. & vb.n. Bagging] 1. To put into a bag; as, to bag hops.2. To seize, capture, or entrap; as, to bag an army; to bag game.3. To furnish or load with a bag or with a well filled bag.A bee bagged with his honeyed venom.Dryden.Bag, v.i. 1. To swell or hang down like a full bag; as, the skin bags from containing morbid matter.2. To swell with arrogance. [Obs.]Chaucer.3. To become pregnant. [Obs.]Warner.(Alb.Eng.).ØBaÏgasse¶ (?), n. [F.] Sugar cane, as it ?omes crushed from the mill. It is then dried and used as fuel. Also extended to the refuse of beetroot sugar.ØBag·aÏtelle¶ (?), n. [F., fr. It. bagatella; cf. Prov. It. bagata trifle, OF. bague, Pr. bagua, bundle. See Bag, n.] 1. A trifle; a thing of no importance.Rich trifles, serious bagatelles.Prior.2. A game played on an oblong board, having, at one end, cups or arches into or through which balls are to be driven by a rod held in the hand of the player.Bag¶gage (?), n. [F. bagage, from OF. bague bungle. In senses 6 and 7 cf. F. bagasse a prostitute. See Bag, n.] 1. The clothes, tents, utensils, and provisions of an army.µ ½The term itself is made to apply chiefly to articles of clothing and to small personal effects.¸Farrow.2. The trunks, valises, satchels, etc., which a traveler carries with him on a journey; luggage.The baronet's baggage on the roof of the coach.Thackeray.We saw our baggage following below.Johnson.µ The English usually call this luggage.3. Purulent matter. [Obs.]Barrough.4. Trashy talk. [Obs.]Ascham.5. A man of bad character. [Obs.]Holland.6. A woman of loose morals; a prostitute.A disreputable, daring, laughing, painted French baggage.Thackeray.7. A romping, saucy girl. [Playful]Goldsmith.Bag¶gage mas·ter (?). One who has charge of the baggage at a railway station or upon a line of public travel. [U.S.]Bag¶gaÏger (?), n. One who takes care of baggage; a camp follower. [Obs.]Sir W.Raleigh.ØBag¶gaÏla (?), n. [Ar. ½fem. of baghl a mule.¸ Balfour.] (Naut.) A twoÐmasted Arab or Indian trading vessel, used in Indian Ocean.Bag¶giÏly (?), adv. In a loose, baggy way.Bag¶ging, n. 1. Cloth or other material for bags.2. The act of putting anything into, or as into, a bag.3. The act of swelling; swelling.Bag¶ging, n. [Etymol. uncertain.] Reaping peas, beans, wheat, etc., with a chopping stroke. [Eng.]Bag¶gy (?), a. Resembling a bag; loose or puffed out, or pendent, like a bag; flabby; as, baggy trousers; baggy cheeks.Bag¶man (?), n.; pl. Bagmen (?). A commercial traveler; one employed to solicit orders for manufacturers and tradesmen.Thackeray.Bag¶ net· (?). A bagÐshaped net for catching fish.Bagn¶io (?), n. [It. bagno, fr. L. balneum. Cf. Bain.] 1. A house for bathing, sweating, etc.; Ð also, in Turkey, a prison for slaves. [Obs.]2. A brothel; a stew; a house of prostitution.Bag¶pipe (?), n. A musical wind instrument, now used chiefly in the Highlands of Scotland.µ It consists of a leather bag, which receives the air by a tube that is stopped by a valve; and three sounding pipes, into which the air is pressed by the performer. Two of these pipes produce fixed tones, namely, the bass, or key tone, and its fifth, and form together what is called the drone; the third, or chanter, gives the melody.Bag¶pipe, v.t. To make to look like a bagpipe.To bagpipe the mizzen (Naut.), to lay it aback by bringing the sheet to the mizzen rigging.Totten.Bag¶pip·er (?), n. One who plays on a bagpipe; a piper.Shak.Bag¶reef· (?), n. [Bag + reef.] (Naut.) The lower reef of fore and aft sails; also, the upper reef of topsails.Ham. Nav. Encyc.ØBague (?), n. [F., a ring] (Arch.) The annular molding or group of moldings dividing a long shaft or clustered column into two or more parts.BaÏguet¶, BaÏguette¶ } (?), n. [F. baguette, prop. a rod? It. bacchetta, fr. L. baculum, baculu? stick, staff.] 1. (Arch.) A small molding, like the astragal, but smaller; a bead.2. (Zo”l) One of the minute bodies seen in the divided nucleoli of some Infusoria after conjugation.Bag¶wig¶ (?), n. A wig, in use in the 18th century, with the hair at the back of the head in a bag.Bag¶worm· (?), n. (Zo”l.) One of several lepidopterous insects which construct, in the larval state, a baglike case which they carry about for protection. One species (Plat?ceticus Gloveri) feeds on the orange tree. See Basket worm.Bahÿ(?), interj. An exclamation expressive of extreme contempt.TwentyÐfive years ago the vile ejaculation, Bah! was utterly unknown to the English public.De Quincey.ØBaÏhar¶ (?), n. [Ar. bah¾r, from bahara to charge with a load.] A weight used in certain parts of the East Indies, varying considerably in different localities, the range being from 223 to 625 pounds.Baigne (?), v.i. [F. baigner to bathe, fr. L. balneum bath.] To soak or drench. [Obs.]Bail (?), n. [F. baille a bucket, pail; cf. LL. bacula, dim. of bacca a sort of vessel. Cf. Bac.] A bucket or scoop used in bailing water out of a boat. [Obs.]The bail of a canoe … made of a human skull.Capt. Cook.Bail, v.t. [imp. & p.p. Bailed (?); p. pr. & vb.n. Bailing.] 1. To lade; to dip and throw; Ð usually with out; as, to bail water out of a boat.Buckets … to bail out the water.Capt. J. Smith.2. To dip or lade water from; Ð often with out to express completeness; as, to bail a boat.By the help of a small bucket and our hats we bailed her out.R.H.Dana, Jr.Bail, v.?t. [OF. bailler to give, to deliver, fr. L. bajulare to bear a burden, keep in custody, fr. bajulus ? who bears burdens.] 1. To deliver; to release. [Obs.]Ne none there was to rescue her, ne none to bail.Spenser.2. (Law) (a) To set free, or deliver from arrest, or out of custody, on the undertaking of some other person or persons that he or they will be responsible for the appearance, at a certain day and place, of the person bailed.µ The word is applied to the magistrate or the surety. The magistrate bails (but admits to bail is commoner) a man when he liberates him from arrest or imprisonment upon bond given with sureties. The surety bails a person when he procures his release from arrest by giving bond for his appearance.Blackstone.(b) To deliver, as goods in trust, for some special object or purpose, upon a contract, expressed or implied, that the trust shall be faithfully executed on the part of the bailee, or person intrusted; as, to bail cloth to a tailor to be made into a garment; to bail goods to a carrier.Blackstone. Kent.Bail, n. [OF. bail guardian, administrator, fr. L. bajulus. See Bail to deliver.] 1. Custody; keeping. [Obs.]Silly Faunus now within their bail.Spenser.2. (Law) (a) The person or persons who procure the release of a prisoner from the custody of the officer, or from imprisonment, by becoming surely for his appearance in court.The bail must be real, substantial bondsmen.Blackstone.A. and B. were bail to the arrest in a suit at law.Kent.(b) The security given for the appearance of a prisoner in order to obtain his release from custody of the officer; as, the man is out on bail; to go bail for any one.Excessive bail ought not to be required.Blackstone.Bail, n. [OE. beyl; cf. Dan. b”ile an bending, ring, hoop, Sw. b”gel, bygel, and Icel. beyla hump, swelling, akin to E. bow to bend.] 1. The arched handle of a kettle, pail, or similar vessel, usually movable.Forby.2. A half hoop for supporting the cover of a carrier's wagon, awning of a boat, etc.Bail, n. [OF. bail, baille. See Bailey.] 1. (Usually pl.) A line of palisades serving as an exterior defense. [Written also bayle.] [Obs.]2. The outer wall of a feudal castle. Hence: The space inclosed by it; the outer court.Holinshed.3. A certain limit within a forest. [Eng.]4. A division for the stalls of an open stable.5. (Cricket) The top or cross piece ( or either of the two cross pieces) of the wicket.Bail¶aÏble (?), a. 1. Having the right or privilege of being admitted to bail, upon bond with sureties; Ð used of persons. ½He's bailable, I'm sure.¸Ford.2. Admitting of bail; as, a bailable offense.3. That can be delivered in trust; as, bailable goods.Bail¶ bond· (?). (Law) (a) A bond or obligation given by a prisoner and his surety, to insure the prisoner's appearance in court, at the return of the writ. (b) Special bail in court to abide the judgment.Bouvier.Bail·ee¶ (?), n. [OF. baill‚, p.p. of bailler. See Bail to deliver.] (Law) The person to whom goods are committed in trust, and who has a temporary possession and a qualified property in them, for the purposes of the trust.Blackstone.µ In penal statutes the word includes those who receive goods for another in good faith.Wharton.Bail¶erÿ(?), n. (Law) See Bailor.Bail¶er, n. 1. One who bails or lades.2. A utensil, as a bucket or cup, used in bailing; a machine for bailing water out of a pit.Bai¶ley (?), n. [The same word as bail line of palisades; cf. LL. ballium bailey, OF. bail, baille, a palisade, baillier to inclose, shut.] 1. The outer wall of a feudal castle. [Obs.]2. The space immediately within the outer wall of a castle or fortress. [Obs.]3. A prison or court of justice; Ð used in certain proper names; as, the Old Bailey in London; the New Bailey in Manchester. [Eng.]Oxf. Gloss.Bail¶ie (?), n. [See Bailiff.] An officer in Scotland, whose office formerly corresponded to that of sheriff, but now corresponds to that of an English alderman.Bail¶iff (?), n. [OF. baillif, F. bailli, custodia? magistrate, fr. L. bajulus porter. See Bail to deliver.]1. Originally, a person put in charge of something especially, a chief officer, magistrate, or keeper, as of a county, town, hundred, or castle; one to whom power? of custody or care are intrusted.Abbott.Lausanne is under the canton of Berne, governed by a bailiff sent every three years from the senate.Addison.2. (Eng. Law) A sheriff's deputy, appointed to make arrests, collect fines, summon juries, etc.µ In American law the term bailiff is seldom used except sometimes to signify a sheriff's officer or constable, or a party liable to account to another for the rent and profits of real estate.Burrill.3. An overseer or under steward of an estate, who directs husbandry operations, collects rents, etc. [Eng.]Bail¶iffÏwick (?), n. See Bailiwick. [Obs.]Bail¶iÏwick (?), n. [Bailie, bailiff + wick a village.] (Law) The precincts within which a bailiff has jurisdiction; the limits of a bailiff's authority.Bail¶lie (?), n. 1. Bailiff. [Obs.]2. Same as Bailie. [Scot.]Bail¶ment (?), n. 1. (Law) The action of bailing a person accused.Bailment …is the saving or delivery of a man out of prison before he hath satisfied the law.Dalton.2. (Law) A delivery of goods or money by one person to another in trust, for some special purpose, upon a contract, expressed or implied, that the trust shall be faithfully executed.Blackstone.µ In a general sense it is sometimes used as comprehending all duties in respect to property.Story.Bail·or¶ (?), n. (Law) One who delivers goods or money to another in trust.Bail¶piece· (?), n. (Law) A piece of parchment, or paper, containing a recognizance or bail bond.Bain (?), n. [F. bain, fr. L. balneum. Cf. Bagnio.] A bath; a bagnio. [Obs.]Holland.ØBain·Ïma·rie¶ (?), n. [F.] A vessel for holding hot water in which another vessel may be heated without scorching its contents; Ð used for warming or preparing food or pharmaceutical preparations.ØBai¶ram (?), n. [Turk. ba‹r¾m.] The name of two Mohammedan festivals, of which one is held at the close of the fast called Ramadan, and the other seventy days after the fast.Bairn (?), n. [Scot. bairn, AS. bearn, fr. beran to bear; akin to Icel., OS., &Goth. barn. See Bear to support.] A child. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]Has he not well provided for the bairn !Beau. & Fl.Baise¶mains· (?), n. pl. [F., fr. baiser to kiss + mains hands.] Respects; compliments. [Obs.]Bait (?), n. [Icel. beita food, beit pasture, akin to AS. b¾t food, Sw. bete. See Bait, v.i.] 1. Any substance, esp. food, used in catching fish, or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, inclosure, or net.2. Anything which allures; a lure; enticement; temptation.Fairfax.3. A portion of food or drink, as a refreshment taken on a journey; also, a stop for rest and refreshment.4. A light or hasty luncheon.Bait bug (Zo”l), a crustacea? of the genus Hippa found burrowing in sandy beaches. See Anomura.Bait, v.t. [imp. & p.p. Baited; p. pr. & vb. n. Baiting.] [OE. baiten, beit?n, to feed, harass, fr. Icel. beita, orig. to cause to bite, fr. bÆta. ?87. See Bite.]1. To provoke and harass; esp., to harass or torment for sport; as, to bait a bear with dogs; to bait a bull.2. To give a portion of food and drink to, upon the road; as, to bait horses.
Holland.3. To furnish or cover with bait, as a trap or hook.A crooked pin … bailed with a vile earthworm.W.Irving.Bait, v.i. To stop to take a portion of food and drink for refreshment of one's self or one's beasts, on a journey.Evil news rides post, while good news baits.Milton.My lord's coach conveyed me to Bury, and thence baiting a? Newmarket.Evelyn.Bait, v.i. [F. battre de l'aile (or des ailes), to flap o? flutter. See Batter, v.i.] To flap the wings; to flutter as if to fly; or to hover, as a hawk when she stoops to her prey. ½Kites that bait and beat.¸Shak.Bait¶er (?), n. One who baits; a tormentor.Baize (?), n. [For bayes, pl. fr. OF. baie; cf. F. bai bayÐcolored. See Bay a color.] A coarse woolen stuff with a long nap; Ð usually dyed in plain colors.A new black baize waistcoat lined with silk.Pepys.ØBaÏjoc¶co (?), n. [It., fr. bajo brown, bay, from its color.] A small cooper coin formerly current in the Roman States, worth about a cent and a half.Bake (?), v. t. [imp.& p.p. Baked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Baking.] [ AS. bacan; akin to D. bakken, OHG. bacchan, G. backen, Icel. & Sw. baca, Dan. bage, Gr. ? to roast.] 1. To prepare, as food, by cooking in a dry heat, either in an oven or under coals, or on heated stone or metal; as, to bake bread, meat, apples.µ Baking is the term usually applied to that method of cooking which exhausts the moisture in food more than roasting or broiling; but the distinction of meaning between roasting and baking is not always observed.2. To dry or harden (anything) by subjecting to heat, as, to bake bricks; the sun bakes the ground.3. To harden by cold.The earth … is baked with frost.Shak.They bake their sides upon the cold, hard stone.Spenser.Bake, v.i. 1. To do the work of baking something; as, she brews, washes, and bakes.Shak.2. To be baked; to become dry and hard in heat; as, the bread bakes; the ground bakes in the hot sun.Bake, n. The process, or result, of baking.Bake¶house·ÿ(?), n. [AS. b‘ch?s. See Bak?, v.i., and House.] A house for baking; a bakery.
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Bake¶meat· (?), Baked¶Ïmeat· (?), } n. A pie; baked food. [Obs.]Gen. xl.17. Shak.Bak¶en (?), p.p. of Bake. [Obs. or. Archaic]Bak¶er (?), n. [AS. b‘cere. See Bake, v.i.] 1. One whose business it is to bake bread, biscuit, etc.2. A portable oven in which baking is done. [U.S.]A baker's dozen, thirteen. Ð Baker foot, a distorted foot. [Obs.] Jer.Taylor. Ð Baker's itch, a rash on the back of the hand, caused by the irritating properties of yeast. Ð Baker's salt, the subcarbonate of ammonia, sometimes used instead of soda, in making bread.Bak¶erÐlegged· (?), a. Having legs that bend inward at the knees.Bak¶erÏy (?), n. 1. The trade of a baker. [R.]2. The place for baking bread; a bakehouse.Bak¶ing, n. 1. The act or process of cooking in an oven, or of drying and hardening by heat or cold.2. The quantity baked at once; a batch; as, a baking of bread.Baking powder, a substitute for yeast, usually consisting of an acid, a carbonate, and a little farinaceous matter.Bak¶ingÏly, adv. In a hot or baking manner.Bak¶isÏtre (?), n. [See Baxter.] A baker. [Obs.]Chaucer.ØBak¶sheesh·, Bak¶shish· (?), n. Same as Backsheesh.Ba¶laam (?), n. A paragraph describing something wonderful, used to fill out a newspaper column; Ð an allusion to the miracle of Balaam's ass speaking. Numb. xxii.30. [Cant]Balaam basket or box (Print.), the receptacle for rejected articles.Black?. Mag.ØBal¶aÏchong (?), n. [Malay b¾lach¾n.] A condiment formed of small fishes or shrimps, pounded up with salt and spices, and then dried. It is much esteemed in China.ØBal·‘Ïnoi¶deÏa (?), n. [NL., from L. balaena whale + Ðoid.] (Zo”l) A division of the Cetacea, including the right whale and all other whales having the mouth fringed with baleen. See Baleen.Bal¶ance (?), n. [OE. balaunce, F. balance, fr. L. bilan?, bilancis, having two scales; bis twice (akin to E. two) + lanx plate, scale.] 1. An apparatus for weighing.µ In its simplest form, a balance consists of a beam or lever supported exactly in the middle, having two scales or basins of equal weight suspended from its extremities. Another form is that of the Roman balance, our steelyard, consisting of a lever or beam, suspended near one of its extremities, on the longer arm of which a counterpoise slides. The name is also given to other forms of apparatus for weighing bodies, as to the combinations of levers making up platform scales; and even to devices for weighing by the elasticity of a spring.2. Act of weighing mentally; comparison; estimate.A fair balance of the advantages on either side.Atterbury.3. Equipoise between the weights in opposite scales.4. The state of being in equipoise; equilibrium; even adjustment; steadiness.And hung a bottle on each sideTo make his balance true.Cowper.The order and balance of the country were destroyed.Buckle.English workmen completely lose their balance.J. S. Mill.5. An equality between the sums total of the two sides of an account; as, to bring one's accounts to a balance; Ð also, the excess on either side; as, the balance of an account. ½ A balance at the banker's. ¸Thackeray.I still think the balance of probabilities leans towards the account given in the text.J. Peile.6. (Horol.) A balance wheel, as of a watch, or clock. See Balance wheel (in the Vocabulary).7. (Astron.) (a) The constellation Libra. (b) The seventh sign in the Zodiac, called Libra, which the sun enters at the equinox in September.8. A movement in dancing. See Balance, v. i., S.Balance electrometer, a kind of balance, with a poised beam, which indicates, by weights suspended from one arm, the mutual attraction of oppositely electrified surfaces. Knight. Ð Balance fish. (Zo”l) See Hammerhead. Ð Balance knife, a carving or table knife the handle of which overbalances the blade, and so keeps it from contact with the table. Ð Balance of power. (Politics), such an adjustment of power among sovereign states that no one state is in a position to interfere with the independence of the others; international equilibrium; also, the ability ( of a state or a third party within a state) to control the relations between sovereign states or between dominant parties in a state. Ð Balance sheet (Bookkeeping), a paper showing the balances of the open accounts of a business, the debit and credit balances footing up equally, if the system of accounts be complete and the balances correctly taken. Ð Balance termometer, a termometer mounted as a balance so that the movement of the mercurial column changes the indication of the tube. With the aid of electrical or mechanical devices adapted to it, it is used for the automatic regulation of the temperature of rooms warmed artificially, and as a fire alarm. Ð Balance of torsion. See Torsion Balance. Ð Balance of trade (Pol. Econ.), an equilibrium between the money values of the exports and imports of a country; or more commonly, the amount required on one side or the other to make such an equilibrium. Ð Balance valve, a valve whose surfaces are so arranged that the fluid pressure tending to seat, and that tending to unseat the valve, are nearly in equilibrium; esp., a puppet valve which is made to operate easily by the admission of steam to both sides. See Puppet valve. Ð Hydrostatic balance. See under Hydrostatic. Ð To lay in balance, to put up as a pledge or security. [Obs.] Chaucer. Ð To strike a balance, to find out the difference between the debit and credit sides of an account.Bal¶ance (?), v. t. [imp. & p.p. Balanced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Balancing (?).] [From Balance, n.: cf. F. balancer. ] 1. To bring to an equipoise, as the scales of a balance by adjusting the weights; to weigh in a balance.2. To support on a narrow base, so as to keep from falling; as, to balance a plate on the end of a cane; to balance one's self on a tight rope.3. To equal in number, weight, force, or proportion; to counterpoise, counterbalance, counteract, or neutralize.One expression … must check and balance another.Kent.4. To compare in relative force, importance, value, etc.; to estimate.Balance the good and evil of things.L'Estrange.5. To settle and adjust, as an account; to make two accounts equal by paying the difference between them.I am very well satisfied that it is not in my power to balance accounts with my Maker.Addison.6. To make the sums of the debits and credits of an account equal; Ð said of an item; as, this payment, or credit, balances the account.7. To arrange accounts in such a way that the sum total of the debits is equal to the sum total of the credits; as, to balance a set of books.8. (Dancing) To move toward, and then back from, reciprocally; as, to balance partners.9. (Naut.) To contract, as a sail, into a narrower compass; as, to balance the boom mainsail.Balanced valve. See Balance valve, under Balance, n.Syn. Ð To poise; weigh; adjust; counteract; neutralize; equalize.Bal¶ance, v.i. 1. To have equal weight on each side; to be in equipoise; as, the scales balance.2. To fluctuate between motives which appear of equal force; to waver; to hesitate.He would not balance or err in the determination of his choice.Locke.3. (Dancing) To move toward a person or couple, and then back.Bal¶anceÏaÏble (?), a. Such as can be balanced.Bal¶anceÏment (?), n. The act or result of balancing or adjusting; equipoise; even adjustment of forces. [R.]Darwin.Bal¶anÏcerÿ(?), n. 1. One who balances, or uses a balance.2. (Zo”l.) In Diptera, the rudimentary posterior wing.Bal¶anceÏreef· (?), n. (Naut.) The last reef in a foreÐandÐaft sail, taken to steady the ship.Bal¶ance wheel· (?). 1. (Horology) (a) A wheel which regulates the beats or pulses of a watch or chronometer, answering to the pendulum of a clock; Ð often called simply a balance. (b) A ratchetÐshaped scape wheel, which in some watches is acted upon by the axis of the balance wheel proper (in those watches called a balance).2. (Mach.) A wheel which imparts regularity to the movements of any engine or machine; a fly wheel.Bal·aÏnif¶erÏous (?), a. [L. balanus acorn + Ðferous.] Bearing or producing acorns.Bal¶aÏnite (?), n. [L. balanus acorn: cf. F. balanite.] (Paleon.) A fossil balanoid shell.ØBal·aÏnoÏglos¶susÿ(?), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? acorn + ? tongue.] (Zo”l) A peculiar marine worm. See Enteropneusta, and Tornaria.Bal¶aÏnoid (?), a. [Gr. ? acorn + Ðoid.] (Zo”l.) Resembling an acorn; Ð applied to a group of barnacles having shells shaped like acorns. See Acornshell, and Barnacle.Bal¶as ru·by (?). [OE. bales, balais, F. balais, LL. balascus, fr. Ar. balakhsh, so called from Badakhshan, Balashan, or Balaxiam, a place in the neighborhood of Samarcand, where this ruby is found.] (Min.) A variety of spinel ruby, of a pale rose red, or inclining to orange. See Spinel.BaÏlaus¶tineÿ(?), n. [L. balaustium, Gr. ?.] (Bot.) The pomegranate tree (Punica granatum). The bark of the root, the rind of the fruit, and the flowers are used medicinally.BalÏbu¶tiÏate (?), BalÏbu¶ciÏnateÿ(?),} v.i. [L. balbutire, fr. balbus stammering: cf. F. balbutier.] To stammer. [Obs.]ØBalÏbu¶tiÏesÿ(?), n. (Med.) The defect of stammering; also, a kind of incomplete pronunciation.Bal¶conÿ(?), n. A balcony. [Obs.]Pepys.Bal¶coÏniedÿ(?), a. Having balconies.Bal¶coÏny (?), n.; pl. Balconies (?). [It. balcone; cf. It. balco, palco, scaffold, fr. OHG. balcho, pa?cho, beam, G. balken. See Balk beam.] 1. (Arch.) A platform projecting from the wall of a building, usually resting on brackets or consoles, and inclosed by a parapet; as, a balcony in front of a window. Also, a projecting gallery in places of amusement; as, the balcony in a theater.2. A projecting gallery once common at the stern of large ships.µ ½The accent has shifted from the second to the first syllable within these twenty years.¸Smart (1836).Bald (?), a. [OE. balled, ballid, perh. the p.p. of ball to reduce to the roundness or smoothness of a ball, by removing hair. ?85. But cf. W. bali whiteness in a horse's forehead.] 1. Destitute of the natural or common covering on the head or top, as of hair, feathers, foliage, trees, etc.; as, a bald head; a bald oak.On the bald top of an eminence.Wordsworth.2. Destitute of ornament; unadorned; bare; literal.In the preface to his own bald translation.Dryden.3. Undisguised. ½ Bald egotism.¸Lowell.4. Destitute of dignity or value; paltry; mean. [Obs.]5. (Bot.) Destitute of a beard or awn; as, bald wheat.6. (Zo”l.) (a) Destitute of the natural covering. (b) Marked with a white spot on the head; baldÐfaced.Bald buzzard (Zo”l.), the fishhawk or osprey. Ð Bald coot (Zo”l.), a name of the European coot (Fulica atra), alluding to the bare patch on the front of the head.Bal¶daÏchin (?), n. [LL. baldachinus, baldechinus, a canopy of rich silk carried over the host; fr. Bagdad, It. Baldacco, a city in Turkish Asia from whence these rich silks came: cf. It. baldacchino. Cf. Baudekin.] 1. A rich brocade; baudekin. [Obs.]2. (Arch.) A structure in form of a canopy, sometimes supported by columns, and sometimes suspended from the roof or projecting from the wall; generally placed over an altar; as, the baldachin in St. Peter's.3. A portable canopy borne over shrines, etc., in procession.[Written also baldachino, baldaquin, etc.]Bald¶ ea¶gle (?). (Zo”l.) The whiteÐheaded eagle (Hali‘etus ?eucocephalus) of America. The young, until several years old, lack the white feathers on the head.µ The bald eagle is represented in the coat of arms, and on the coins, of the United States.Bal¶der (?), n. [Icel. Baldr, akin to E. bold.] (Scan. Myth.) The most beautiful and beloved of the gods; the god of peace; the son of Odin and Freya. [Written also Baldur.]Bal¶derÏdash (?), n. [Of uncertain origin: cf. Dan. balder noise, clatter, and E. dash; hence, perhaps, unmeaning noise, then hodgepodge, mixture; or W. baldorduss a prattling, baldordd, baldorddi, to prattle.] 1. A worthless mixture, especially of liquors.Indeed beer, by a mixture of wine, hath lost both name and nature, and is called balderdash.Taylor (Drink and Welcome).2. Senseless jargon; ribaldry; nonsense; trash.Bal¶derÏdash (?), v.t. To mix or adulterate, as liquors.The wine merchants of Nice brew and balderdash, and evenmix it with pigeon's dung and quicklime.Smollett.Bald¶Ïfaced· (?), a. Having a white face or a white mark on the face, as a stag.Bald¶head·ÿ(?), n. 1. A person whose head is bald.2 Kings ii. 23.2. (Zo”l.) A whiteÐheaded variety of pigeon.Bald¶head·ed, a. Having a bald head.Bald¶ly, adv. Nakedly; without reserve; inelegantly.Bald¶ness, n. The state or condition of being bald; as, baldness of the head; baldness of style.This gives to their syntax a peculiar character of simplicity and baldness.W.D. Whitney.Bald¶pate· (?), n. 1. A baldheaded person.Shak.2. (Zo”l.) The American widgeon (Anas Americana).Bald¶pate· (?), Bald¶pat·ed (?), } a. Destitute of hair on the head; baldheaded.Shak.Bald¶rib· (?),n. A piece of pork cut lower down than the sparerib, and destitute of fat. [Eng.]Southey.Bal¶dric (?), n. [OE. baudric, bawdrik, through OF. (cf. F. baudrier and LL. baldringus, baldrellus), from OHG. balderich, cf. balz, palz, akin to E. belt. See Belt, n.] A broad belt, sometimes richly ornamented, worn over one shoulder, across the breast, and under the opposite arm; less properly, any belt. [Also spelt bawdrick.]A radiant baldric o'er his shoulder tiedSustained the sword that glittered at his side.Pope.Bald¶win (?), n. (Bot.) A kind of reddish, moderately acid, winter apple. [U.S.]Bale (?), n. [OE. bale, OF. bale, F. balle, LL. bala, fr. OHG. balla, palla, pallo, G. ball, balle, ballen, ball round pack; cf. D. baal. Cf. Ball a round body.] A bundle or package of goods in a cloth cover, and corded for storage or transportation; also, a bundle of straw ? hay, etc., put up compactly for transportation.Bale of dice, a pair of dice. [Obs.]B. Jonson.Bale, v.t. [imp. & p.p. Baled (?); p.pr. & vb.n. Baling.] To make up in a bale.Goldsmith.Bale, v.t. See Bail, v.t., to lade.
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Bale (?), n. [AS. bealo, bealu, balu; akin to OS. ?alu, OHG. balo, Icel. b”l, Goth. balweins.] 1. Misery; ?alamity; misfortune; sorrow.Let now your bliss be turned into bale.Spenser.2. Evil; an evil, pernicious influence; something causing great injury. [Now chiefly poetic]Bal·eÏar¶ic (?), a. [L. Balearicus, fr. Gr. ? the Balearic Islands.] Of or pertaining to the isles of Majorca, Minorca, Ivica, etc., in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Valencia.Balearic crane. (Zo”l.) See Crane.BaÏleen¶ (?), n. [F. baleine whale and whalibone, L. balaena a whale; cf. Gr. ?. ] (Zo”l. & Com.) Plates or blades of ½whalebone,¸ from two to twelve feet long, and sometimes a foot wide, which in certain whales (Bal‘noidea) are attached side by side along the upper jaw, and form a fringelike sieve by which the food is retained in the mouth.Bale¶fire· (?), n. [AS. b?lj?r the fire of the ?uneral pile; b?l fire, flame (akin to Icel. b¾l, OSlav. b?l?, white, Gr. ? bright, white, Skr. bh¾la brightness) + f?r, E. fire.] A signal fire; an alarm fire.Sweet Teviot! on thy silver tideThe glaring balefires blaze no more.Sir W. Scott.Bale¶ful (?), a. [AS. bealoful. See Bale misery.] 1. Full of deadly or pernicious influence; destructive. ½Baleful enemies.¸Shak.Four infernal rivers that disgorgeInto the burning lake their baleful streams.Milton.2. Full of grief or sorrow; woeful; sad. [Archaic]Bale¶fulÏly, adv. In a baleful manner; perniciously.Bale¶fulÏness, n. The quality or state of being baleful.ØBal¶iÏsa·ur (?), n. [Hind.] (Zo”l.) A badgerlike animal of India (Arcionyx collaris).Bal¶isÏter (?), n. [OF. balestre. See Ballista.] A crossbow. [Obs.]Blount.Bal¶isÏtoid (?), a. (Zo”l.) Like a fish of the genus Balistes; of the family Balistid‘. See Filefish.ØBal·isÏtra¶riÏa (?), n. [LL.] (Anc. Fort.) A narrow opening, often cruciform, through which arrows might be discharged.ØBaÏlize¶ (?), n. [F. balise; cf. Sp. balisa.] A pole or a frame raised as a sea beacon or a landmark.Balk (?), n. [AS. balca beam, ridge; akin to Icel. b¾lkr partition, bj¾lki beam, OS. balko, G. balken; cf. Gael. balc ridge of earth between two furrows. Cf. Balcony, Balk, v.i., 3d Bulk.] 1. A ridge of land left unplowed between furrows, or at the end of a field; a piece missed by the plow slipping aside.Bad plowmen made balks of such ground.Fuller.2. A great beam, rafter, or timber; esp., the tieÐbeam ?f a house. The loft above was called ½the balks.¸Tubs hanging in the balks.Chaucer.3. (Mil.) One of the beams connecting the successive supports of a trestle bridge or bateau bridge.4. A hindrance or disappointment; a check.A balk to the confidence of the bold undertaker.South.5. A sudden and obstinate stop; a failure.6. (Baseball) A deceptive gesture of the pitcher, as if to deliver the ball.Balk line (Billiards), a line across a billiard table near one end, marking a limit within which the cue balls are placed in beginning a game; also, a line around the table, parallel to the sides, used in playing a particular game, called the balk line game.Balk, v.t. [imp. & p.p. Balked (?); p.pr. & vb.n. Balking.] [From Balk a beam; orig. to put a balk or beam in one's way, in order to stop or hinder. Cf., for sense 2, AS. on balcan legan to lay in heaps.]1. To leave or make balks in. [Obs.]Gower.2. To leave heaped up; to heap up in piles. [Obs.]Ten thousand bold Scots, two and twenty knights,Balk'd in their own blood did Sir Walter see.Shak.3. To omit, miss, or overlook by chance. [Obs.]4. To miss intentionally; to avoid; to shun; to refuse; to let go by; to shirk. [Obs. or Obsolescent]By reason of the contagion then in London, we balked the ?nns.Evelyn.Sick he is, and keeps his bed, and balks his meat.Bp. Hall.Nor doth he any creature balk,But lays on all he meeteth.Drayton.5. To disappoint; to frustrate; to foil; to baffle; to ?hwart; as, to balk expectation.They shall not balk my entrance.Byron.Balk, v.i. 1. To engage in contradiction; to be in opposition. [Obs.]In strifeful terms with him to balk.Spenser.2. To stop abruptly and stand still obstinately; to jib; to stop short; to swerve; as, the horse balks.µ This has been regarded as an Americanism, but it occurs in Spenser's ½Fa‰rie Queene,¸ Book IV., 10, xxv.Ne ever ought but of their true loves talkt,Ne ever for rebuke or blame of any balkt.Balk, v.i. [Prob. from D. balken to bray, bawl.] To indicate to fishermen, by shouts or signals from shore, the direction taken by the shoals of herring.Balk¶er (?), n. [See 2d Balk.] One who, or that which balks.Balk¶er (?), n. [See last Balk.] A person who stands on a rock or eminence to espy the shoals of herring, etc., and to give notice to the men in boats which way they pass; a conder; a huer.Bale¶ingÏly, adv. In manner to balk or frustrate.Balk¶ish, a. Uneven; ridgy. [R.]Holinshed.Balk¶y (?), a. Apt to balk; as, a balky horse.Ball (?), n. [OE. bal, balle; akin to OHG. balla, palla, G. ball, Icel. b”llr, ball; cf. F. balle. Cf. 1st Bale, n., Pallmall.] 1. Any round or roundish body or mass; a sphere or globe; as, a ball of twine; a ball of snow.2. A spherical body of any substance or size used to play with, as by throwing, knocking, kicking, etc.3. A general name for games in which a ball is thrown, kicked, or knocked. See Baseball, and Football.4. Any solid spherical, cylindrical, or conical projectile of lead or iron, to be discharged from a firearm; as, a cannon ball; a rif?e ball; Ð often used collectively; as, powder and ball. Spherical balls for the smaller firearms are commonly called bullets.5. (Pirotechnics & Mil.) A flaming, roundish body shot into the air; a case filled with combustibles intended to burst and give light or set fire, or to produce smoke or stench; as, a fire ball; a stink ball.6. (Print.) A leatherÐcovered cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock; Ð formerly used by printers for inking the form, but now superseded by the roller.7. A roundish protuberant portion of some part of the body; as, the ball of the thumb; the ball of the foot.8. (Far.) A large pill, a form in which medicine is commonly given to horses; a bolus.White.9. The globe or earth.Pope.Move round the dark terrestrial ball.Addison.Ball and socket joint, a joint in which a ball moves within a socket, so as to admit of motion in every direction within certain limits. Ð Ball bearings, a mechanical device for lessening the friction of axle bearings by means of small loose metal balls. Ð Ball cartridge, a cartridge containing a ball, as distinguished from a blank cartridge, containing only powder. Ð Ball cock, a faucet or valve which is opened or closed by the fall or rise of a ball floating in water at the end of a lever. Ð Ball gudgeon, a pivot of a spherical form, which permits lateral deflection of the arbor or shaft, while retaining the pivot in its socket. Knight. Ð Ball lever, the lever used in a ball cock. Ð Ball of the eye, the eye itself, as distinguished from its lids and socket; Ð formerly, the pupil of the eye. Ð Ball valve (Mach.), a contrivance by which a ball, placed in a circular cup with a hole in its bottom, operates as a valve. Ð Ball vein (Mining), a sort of iron ore, found in loose masses of a globular form, containing sparkling particles. Ð Three balls, or Three golden balls, a pawnbroker's sign or shop.Syn.Ð See Globe.Ball, v.i. [imp. & p.p. Balled (?); p.pr. & vb.n. Balling.] To gather balls which cling to the feet, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into balls; as, the horse balls; the snow balls.Ball, v.t. 1. (Metal.) To heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling.2. To form or wind into a ball; as, to ball cotton.Ball, n. [F. bal, fr. OF. baler to dance, fr. LL. ballare. Of uncertain origin; cf. Gr. ? to toss or throw, or ?, ?, to leap, bound, ? to dance, jump about; or cf. 1st Ball, n.] A social assembly for the purpose of dancing.Bal¶lad (?), n. [OE. balade, OF. balade, F. ballade, fr. Pr. ballada a dancing song, fr. ballare to dance; cf. It. ballata. See 2d Ball, n., and Ballet.] A popular kind of narrative poem, adapted for recitation or singing; as, the ballad of Chevy Chase; esp., a sentimental or romantic poem in short stanzas.Bal¶lad, v.i. To make or sing ballads. [Obs.]Bal¶lad, v.t. To make mention of in ballads. [Obs.]BalÏlade¶ (?), n. [See Ballad, n.] A form of French versification, sometimes imitated in English, in which three or four rhymes recur through three stanzas of eight or ten lines each, the stanzas concluding with a refrain, and the whole poem with an envoy.Bal¶ladÏer (?), n. A writer of ballads.Bal¶lad mon·ger (?). [See Monger.] A seller or maker of ballads; a poetaster.Shak.Bal¶ladÏry (?), n. [From Ballad, n. ] Ballad poems; the subject or style of ballads. ½Base balladry is so beloved.¸Drayton.Bal¶laÏhoo, Bal¶laÏhou } (?), n. A fastÐsailing schooner, used in the Bermudas and West Indies.Bal¶laÏrag (?), v.i. [Corrupted fr. bullirag.] To bully; to threaten. [Low]T. Warton.Bal¶last (?), n. [D. ballast; akin to Dan. baglast, ballast, OSw. barlast, Sw. ballast. The first part is perh. the same word as E. bare, adj.; the second is last a burden, and hence the meaning a bare, or mere, load. See Bare, a., and Last load.] 1. (Naut.) Any heavy substance, as stone, iron, etc., put into the hold to sink a vessel in the water to such a depth as to prevent capsizing.2. Any heavy matter put into the car of a balloon to give it steadiness.3. Gravel, broken stone, etc., laid in the bed of a railroad to make it firm and solid.4. The larger solids, as broken stone or gravel, used in making concrete.5. Fig.: That which gives, or helps to maintain, uprightness, steadiness, and security.It [piety] is the right ballast of prosperity.Barrow.Ballast engine, a steam engine used in excavating and for digging and raising stones and gravel for ballast. Ð Ship in ballast, a ship carring only ballast.Bal¶last, v.t. [imp. & p.p. Ballasted; p.pr. & vb.n. Ballasting.] 1. To steady, as a vessel, by putting heavy substances in the hold.2. To fill in, as the bed of a railroad, with gravel, stone, etc., in order to make it firm and solid.3. To keep steady; to steady, morally.'T is charity must ballast the heart.Hammond.
Bal¶lastÏage (?), n. (Law) A toll paid for the privilege of taking up ballast in a port or harbor.Bal¶lastÏing, n. That which is used for steadying anything; ballast.Bal¶laÏtry (?), n. See Balladry. [Obs.]Milton.ØBal¶let· (?), n. [F., a dim. of bal dance. See 2d Ball, n.] 1. An artistic dance performed as a theatrical entertainment, or an interlude, by a number of persons, usually women. Sometimes, a scene accompanied by pantomime and dancing.2. The company of persons who perform the ballet.3. (Mus.) A light part song, or madrigal, with a fa la burden or chorus, Ð most common with the Elizabethan madrigal composers.4. (Her.) A bearing in coats of arms, representing one or more balls, which are denominated bezants, plates, etc., according to color.Ball¶Ïflow·er (?), n. (Arch.) An ornament resembling a ball placed in a circular flower, the petals of which form a cup round it, Ð usually inserted in a hollow molding.ØBalÏlis¶taÿ(?), n.; pl. Ballist?e (?). [L. ballista, balista, fr. Gr. ? to throw.] An ancient military engine, in the form of a crossbow, used for hurling large missiles.Bal¶lisÏter (?), n. [L. ballista. Cf. Balister.] A crossbow. [Obs.]BalÏlis¶tic (?), a. 1. Of or pertaining to the ballista, or to the art of hurling stones or missile weapons by means of an engine.2. Pertaining to projection, or to a projectile.Ballistic pendulum, an instrument consisting of a mass of wood or other material suspended as a pendulum, for measuring the force and velocity of projectiles by means of the arc through which their impact impels it.BalÏlis¶tics (?), n. [Cf. F. balistique. See Ballista.] The science or art of hurling missile weapons by the use of an engine.Whewell.ØBal¶liÏumÿ(?),n. [LL.] See Bailey.BalÏloon¶ÿ(?), n. [F. ballon, aug. of balle ball: cf. It. ballone. See 1st Ball, n., and cf. Pallone.] 1. A bag made of silk or other light material, and filled with hydrogen gas or heated air, so as to rise and float in the atmosphere; especially, one with a car attached for a‰rial navigation.2. (Arch.) A ball or globe on the top of a pillar, church, etc., as at St. Paul's, in London. [R.]3. (Chem.) A round vessel, usually with a short neck, to hold or receive whatever is distilled; a glass vessel of a spherical form.4. (Pyrotechnics) A bomb or shell. [Obs.]5. A game played with a large inf?ated ball. [Obs.]6. (Engraving) The outline inclosing words represented as coming from the mouth of a pictured figure.Air balloon, a balloon for a‰rial navigation. Ð Balloon frame (Carp.), a house frame constructed altogether of small timber. Ð Balloon net, a variety of woven lace in which the weft threads are twisted in a peculiar manner around the warp.BalÏloon¶, v.t. To take up in, or as if in, a balloon.BalÏloon¶, v.i. 1. To go up or voyage in a balloon.2. To expand, or puff out, like a balloon.BalÏlooned¶ (?),a. Swelled out like a balloon.BalÏloon¶er (?), n. One who goes up in a balloon; an a‰ronaut.BalÏloon¶ fish· (?). (Zo”l.) A fish of the genus Diodon or the genus Tetraodon, having the power of distending its body by taking air or water into its dilatable esophagus. See Globefish, and Bur fish.BalÏloon¶ing, n. 1. The art or practice of managing balloons or voyaging in them.2. (Stock Exchange) The process of temporarily raising the value of a stock, as by fictitious sales. [U.S.]BalÏloon¶ing spi¶der (?). (Zo”l.) A spider which has the habit of rising into the air. Many kinds ( esp. species of Lycosa) do this while young by ejecting threads of silk until the force of the wind upon them carries the spider aloft.BalÏloon¶ist, n. An a‰ronaut.BalÏloon¶ryÿ(?), n. The art or practice of ascending in a balloon; a‰ronautics.Bal¶lot (?), n. [F. ballotte, fr. It. ballotta. See Ball round body.]1. Originally, a ball used for secret voting. Hence: Any printed or written ticket used in voting.2. The act of voting by balls or written or printed ballots or tickets; the system of voting secretly by balls or by tickets.The insufficiency of the ballot.Dickens.
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3. The whole number of votes cast at an election, or in a given territory or electoral district.Ballot box, a box for receiving ballots.Bal¶lot (?), v.i. [imp. & p.p. Balloted; p.pr. & vb. n. Balloting.] [F. ballotter to toss, to ballot, or It. ballottare. See Ballot, n.] To vote or decide by ballot; as, to ballot for a candidate.Bal¶lot, v.t. To vote for or in opposition to.None of the competitors arriving to a sufficient number of balls, they fell to ballot some others.Sir H. Wotton.Bal¶loÏtade· (?), n. [F. ballottade, fr. ballotter to toss. See Ballot, v.i.] (Man.) A leap of a horse, as between two pillars, or upon a straight line, so that when his four feet are in the air, he shows only the shoes of his hind feet, without jerking out.Bal·loÏta¶tion (?), n. Voting by ballot. [Obs.]Sir H. Wotton.Bal¶lotÏer (?), n. One who votes by ballot.Bal¶loÏtin (?),n. [F.] An officer who has charge of a ballot box. [Obs.]Harrington.Bal¶low (?),n. A cudgel. [Obs.]Shak.Ball¶proof· (?), a. Incapable of being penetrated by balls from firearms.Ball¶room· (?), n. A room for balls or dancing.Balm (?), n. [OE. baume, OF. bausme, basme, F. baume, L. balsamum balsam, from Gr. ?; perhaps of Semitic origin; cf. Heb. b¾s¾m. Cf. Balsam.]1. (Bot.) An aromatic plant of the genus Melissa.2. The resinous and aromatic exudation of certain trees or shrubs.Dryden.3. Any fragrant ointment.Shak.4. Anything that heals or that mitigates pain. ½Balm for each ill.¸Mrs. Hemans.Balm cricket (Zo”l.), the European cicada. Tennyson. Ð Balm of Gilead (Bot.), a small evergreen African and Asiatic tree of the terebinthine family (Balsamodendron Gileadense). Its leaves yield, when bruised, a strong aromatic scent; and from this tree is obtained the balm of Gilead of the shops, or balsam of Mecca. This has a yellowish or greenish color, a warm, bitterish, aromatic taste, and a fragrant smell. It is valued as an unguent and cosmetic by the Turks. The fragrant herb Dracocephalum Canariense is familiarly called balm of Gilead, and so are the American trees, Populus balsamifera, variety candicans (balsam poplar), and Abies balsamea (balsam fir).Balm, v.i. To anoint with balm, or with anything medicinal. Hence: To soothe; to mitigate. [Archaic]Shak.Balm¶iÏfy (?), v. t. [Balm + Ðfy.] To render balmy. [Obs.]Cheyne.Balm¶iÏly, adv. In a balmy manner.Coleridge.BalÏmor¶al (?), n. [From Balmoral Castle, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.] 1. A long woolen petticoat, worn immediately under the dress.2. A kind of stout walking shoe, laced in front.A man who uses his balmorals to tread on your toes.George Eliot.Balm¶y (?), a. 1. Having the qualities of balm; odoriferous; aromatic; assuaging; soothing; refreshing; mild. ½The balmy breeze.¸Tickell.Tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep !Young.2. Producing balm. ½The balmy tree.¸Pope.Syn. Ð Fragrant; sweetÐscented; odorous; spicy.Bal¶neÏalÿ(?), a. [L. balneum bath.] Of or pertaining to a bath.Howell.Bal¶neÏaÏry (?), n. [L. balnearium, fr. balneum bath.] A bathing room.Sir T. Browne.Bal·neÏa¶tion (?), n. [LL. balneare to bathe, fr. L. balneum bath.] The act of bathing. [R.]Bal¶neÏaÏtoÏry (?), a. [L. balneatorius.] Belonging to a bath. [Obs.]Bal·neÏog¶raÏphy (?), n. [L. balneum bath + Ðgraphy.] A description of baths.Bal·neÏol¶oÏgy (?), n. [L. balneum bath + Ðlogy.] A treatise on baths; the science of bathing.Bal·neÏoÏther¶aÏpy (?), n. [L. balneum bath + Gr. ? to heal.] The treatment of disease by baths.Bal¶oÏtade· (?), n. See Ballotade.ØBal¶sa (?), n. [Sp. or Pg. balsa.] (Naut.) A raft or float, used principally on the Pacific coast of South America.Bal¶sam (?), n. [L. balsamum the balsam tree or its resin, Gr. ?. See Balm, n.] 1. A resin containing more or less of an essential o? volatile oil.µ The balsams are aromatic resinous substances, flowing spontaneously r by incision from certain plants. A great variety of substances pass under this name, but the term is now usually restricted to resins which, in addition to a volatile oil, contain benzoic and cinnamic acid. Among the true balsams are the balm of Gilead, and the balsams of copaiba, Peru, and Tolu. There are also many pharmaceutical preparations and resinous substances, possessed of a balsamic smell, to which the name balsam has been given.2. (Bot.) (a) A species of tree (Abies balsamea). (b) An annual garden plant (Impatiens balsamina) with beautiful flowers; balsamine.3. Anything that heals, soothes, or restores.Was not the people's blessing a balsam to thy blood?Tennyson.Balsam apple (Bot.), an East Indian plant ( Momordica balsamina), of the gourd family, with red or orangeÐyellow cucumberÐshaped fruit of the size of a walnut, used as a vulnerary, and in liniments and poultices. ÐBalsam fir (Bot.), the American coniferous tree, Abies balsamea, from which the useful Canada balsam is derived. Ð Balsam of copaiba. See Copaiba. Ð Balsam of Mecca, balm of Gilead. Ð Balsam of Peru, a reddish brown, syrupy balsam, obtained from a Central American tree ( Myroxylon Pereir‘ and used as a stomachic and expectorant, and in the treatment of ulcers, etc. It was long supposed to be a product of Peru. Ð Balsam of Tolu, a reddish or yellowish brown semisolid or solid balsam, obtained from a South American tree ( Myxoxylon toluiferum.). It is highly fragrant, and is used as a stomachic and expectorant. Ð Balsam tree, any tree from which balsam is obtained, esp. the Abies balsamea. Ð Canada balsam, Balsam of fir, Canada turpentine, a yellowish, viscid liquid, which, by time and exposure, becomes a transparent solid mass. It is obtained from the balm of Gilead (or balsam) fir (Abies balsamea) by breaking the vesicles upon the trunk and branches. See Balm.Bal¶sam (?), v.t. To treat or anoint with balsam; to relieve, as with balsam; to render balsamic.Bal·samÏa¶tionÿ(?), n. 1. The act of imparting balsamic properties.2. The art or process of embalming.BalÏsam¶icÿ(?), BalÏsam¶icÏalÿ(?), } a. [Cf. F. balsamique.] Having the qualities of balsam; containing, or resembling, balsam; soft; mitigative; soothing; restorative.Bal·samÏif¶erÏous (?), a. [Balsam + Ðferous.] Producing balsam.Bal¶samÏineÿ(?), n. [Cf. F. balsamine, fr. Gr. ? balsam plant.] (Bot.) The Impatiens balsamina, or garden balsam.Bal¶samÏous (?), a. Having the quality of balsam; containing balsam. ½A balsamous substance.¸Sterne.Bal¶terÿ(?), v. t. [Etymol. uncertain. Cf. Bloodboltered.] To stick together.[Obs.]Holland.Bal¶tic (?), a. [NL. mare Balticum, fr. L. balteus belt, from certain straits or channels surrounding its isles, called belts. See Belt.] Of or pertaining to the sea which separates Norway and Sweden from Jutland, Denmark, and Germany; situated on the Baltic Sea.Bal¶tiÏmore bird· (?). Bal¶tiÏmore o¶riÏoleÿ(?). } (Zo”l.) A common American bird (Icterus galbula), named after Lord Baltimore, because its colors (black and orange red) are like those of his coat of arms; Ð called also golden robin.Bal¶usÏter (?), n. [F. balustre, It. balaustro, fr. L. balaustium the flower of the wild pomegranate, fr. Gr. ?; Ð so named from the similarity of form.] (Arch.) A row of balusters topped by a rail, serving as an open parapet, as along the edge of a balcony, terrace, bridge, staircase, or the eaves of a building.Bam (?), n. [Prob. a contr. of bamboozle.] An imposition; a cheat; a hoax.Garrick.To relieve the tedium? he kept plying them with all manner of bams.Prof. Wilson.Bam, v.t. To cheat; to wheedle. [Slang]Foote.ØBamÏbi¶noÿ(?), n. [It., a little boy, fr. bambo silly; cf. Gr. ?, ?, to chatter.] A child or baby; esp., a representation in art of the infant Christ wrapped in swaddling clothes.BamÏboc·ciÏade¶ÿ(?), n. [It. bambocciata, fr. Bamboccio a nickname of Peter Van Laer, a Dutch genre painter; properly, a child, simpleton, puppet, fr. bambo silly.] (Paint.) A representation of a grotesque scene from common or rustic life.BamÏboo¶ (?), n. [Malay bambu, mambu.] (Bot.) A plant of the family of grasses, and genus Bambusa, growing in tropical countries.µ The most useful species is Bambusa arundinacea, which has a woody, hollow, round, straight, jointed stem, and grows to the height of forty feet and upward. The flowers grow in large panicles, from the joints of the stalk, placed three in a parcel, close to their receptacles. Old stalks grow to five or six inches in diameter, and are so hard and durable as to be used for building, and for all sorts of furniture, for water pipes, and for poles to support palanquins. The smaller stalks are used for walking sticks, flutes, etc.BamÏboo¶, v.t. To flog with the bamboo.BamÏboo¶zle (?), v.t. [Imp. & p.p. Bamboozled (?); p.pr. & vb.n. Bamboozlingÿ(?).] [Said to be of Gipsy origin.] To deceive by trickery; to cajole by confusing the senses; to hoax; to mystify; to humbug. [Colloq.]Addison.What oriental tomfoolery is bamboozling you?J.H.Newman.BamÏboo¶zler (?), n. A swindler; one who deceives by trickery. [Colloq.]Arbuthnot.ØBan (?), n. [AS. bann command, edict; akin to D. ban, Icel. bann, Dan. band, OHG. ban, G. bann, a public proclamation, as of interdiction or excommunication, Gr. ? to say, L. fari to speak, Skr. bhan to speak; cf. F. ban, LL. bannum, of G. origin. ?. Cf. Abandon, Fame.] 1. A public proclamation or edict; a public order or notice, mandatory or prohibitory; a summons by public proclamation.2. (Feudal & Mil.) A calling together of the king's (esp. the French king's) vassals for military service; also, the body of vassals thus assembled or summoned. In present usage, in France and Prussia, the most effective part of the population liable to military duty and not in the standing army.3. pl. Notice of a proposed marriage, proclaimed in church. See Banns (the common spelling in this sense).4. An interdiction, prohibition, or proscription. ½Under ban to touch.¸Milton.5. A curse or anathema. ½Hecate's ban.¸Shak.6. A pecuniary mulct or penalty laid upon a delinquent for offending against a ban; as, a mulct paid to a bishop by one guilty of sacrilege or other crimes.Ban of the empire (German Hist.), an imperial interdict by which political rights and privileges, as those of a prince, city, or district, were taken away.Ban, v.t. [imp. & p.p. Banned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Banning.] [OE. bannen, bannien, to summon, curse, AS. bannan to summon; akin to Dan. bande, forbande, to curse, Sw. banna to revile, bannas to curse. See Ban an edict, and cf. Banish.] 1. To curse; to invoke evil upon.Sir W. Scott.2. To forbid; to interdict.Byron.Ban, v.i. To curse; to swear. [Obs.]Spenser.Ban, n. [Serv. ban; cf. Russ. & Pol. pan a master? lord, Per. ban.] An ancient title of the warden of the eastern marches of Hungary; now, a title of the viceroy of Croatia and Slavonia.Ban¶alÿ(?), a. [F., fr. ban an ordinance.] Commonplace; trivial; hackneyed; trite.BaÏnal¶iÏty (?), n.; pl. Banalities (?). [F. banalit‚. See Banal.] Something commonplace, hackneyed, or trivial; the commonplace, in speech.The highest things were thus brought down to the banalities of discourse.J. Morley.BaÏna¶na (?), n. [Sp. banana, name of the fruit.] (Bot.) A perennial herbaceous plant of almost treelike size (Musa sapientum); also, its edible fruit. See Musa.µ The banana has a soft, herbaceous stalk, with leaves of great length and breadth. The flowers grow in bunches, covered with a sheath of a green or purple color; the fruit is five or six inches long, and over an inch in diameter; the pulp is soft, and of a luscious taste, and is eaten either raw or cooked. This plant is a native of tropical countries, and furnishes an important article of food.Banana bird (Zo”l.), a small American bird (Icterus leucopteryx), which feeds on the banana. Ð Banana quit (Zo”l.), a small bird of tropical America, of the genus Certhiola, allied to the creepers.Ban¶at (?), n. [Cf. F. & G. banat. See Ban a warden.] The territory governed by a ban.Banc (?), ØBan¶cus (?), Bank (?), } n. [OF. banc, LL. bancus. See Bank, n.] A bench; a high seat, or seat of distinction or judgment; a tribunal or court.In banc, In banco (the ablative of bancus), In bank, in full court, or with full judicial authority; as, sittings in banc (distinguished from sittings at nini prius).ØBan¶co (?), n. [It. See Bank.] A bank, especially that of Venice.µ This term is used in some parts of Europe to indicate bank money, as distinguished from the current money, when this last has become depreciated.Bandÿ(?), n. [OE. band, bond, Icel. band; akin to G., Sw., & D. band, OHG. bant, Goth. banti, Skr. bandha a binding, bandh to bind, for bhanda, bhandh, also to E. bend, bind. In sense 7, at least, it is fr. F. bande, from OHG. bant. ? See Bind, v.t., and cf. Bend, Bond, 1st Bandy.] 1. A fillet, strap, or any narrow ligament with which a thing is encircled, or fastened, or by which a number of things are tied, bound together, or confined; a fetter.Every one's bands were loosed.Acis xvi 26.2. (Arch.) (a) A continuous tablet, stripe, or series of ornaments, as of carved foliage, of color, or of brickwork, etc. (b) In Gothic architecture, the molding, or suite of moldings, which encircles the pillars and small shafts.3. That which serves as the means of union or connection between persons; a tie. ½To join in Hymen's bands.¸Shak.4. A linen collar or ruff worn in the 16th and 17th centuries.5. pl. Two strips of linen hanging from the neck in front as part of a clerical, legal, or academic dress.6. A narrow strip of cloth or other material on any article of dress, to bind, strengthen, ornament, or complete it. ½Band and gusset and seam.¸Hood.
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7. A company of persons united in any common design, especially a body of armed men. Troops of horsemen with his bands of foot. Shak. 8. A number of musicians who play together upon portable musical instruments, especially those making a loud sound, as certain wind instruments (trumpets, clarinets, etc.), and drums, or cymbals. 9. (Bot.) A space between elevated lines or ribs, as of the fruits of umbelliferous plants. 10. (Zo”l.) A stripe, streak, or other mark transverse to the axis of the body. 11. (Mech.) A belt or strap. 12. A bond [Obs.] ½Thy oath and band.¸ Shak. 13. Pledge; security. [Obs.] Spenser. Band saw, a saw in the form of an endless steel belt, with teeth on one edge, running over wheels. Band (?), v.t. [imp. & p.p. Banded; p.pr. & vb.n. Banding.] 1. To bind or tie with a band. 2. To mark with a band. 3. To unite in a troop, company, or confederacy. ½Banded against his throne.¸ Milton. Banded architrave, pier, shaft, etc. (Arch.), an architrave, pier, etc., of which the regular profile is interrupted by blocks or projections crossing it at right angles. Band, v.i. To confederate for some common purpose; to unite; to conspire together. Certain of the Jews banded together. Acts xxiii. 12. Band, v.t. To bandy; to drive away. [Obs.] Band, imp. of Bind. [Obs.] Band¶age (?), n. [F. bandage, fr. bande. See Band.] 1. A fillet or strip of woven material, used in dressing and binding up wounds, etc. 2. Something resembling a bandage; that which is bound over or round something to cover, strengthen, or compress it; a ligature. Zeal too had a place among the rest, with a bandage over her eyes. Addison. Band¶age, v.t. [imp. & p.p. Bandaged (?); p.pr. & vb.n. Bandaging (?).] To bind, dress, or cover, with a bandage; as, to bandage the eyes. ØBanÏda¶la (?), n. A fabric made in Manilla from the older leaf sheaths of the abaca (Musa textilis). BanÏdan¶na, BanÏdan¶a } (?), n. [Hind. b¾ndhn? a mode of dyeing in which the cloth is tied in different places so as to prevent the parts tied from receiving the dye. Cf. Band, n.] 1. A species of silk or cotton handkerchief, having a uniformly dyed ground, usually of red or blue, with white or yellow figures of a circular, lozenge, or other simple form. 2. A style of calico printing, in which white or bright spots are produced upon cloth previously dyed of a uniform red or dark color, by discharging portions of the color by chemical means, while the rest of the cloth is under pressure. Ure. Band¶box·ÿ(?), n. A light box of pasteboard or thin wood, usually cylindrical, for holding ruffs (the bands of the 17th century), collars, caps, bonnets, etc. ØBan¶deauÿ(?), n.; pl. Bandeauxÿ(?). [F.] A narrow band or fillet; a part of a headÐdress. Around the edge of this cap was a stiff bandeau of leather. Sir W.Scott. Band¶eÏlet (?), Band¶letÿ(?), n. [F. bandelette, dim. of bande. See Band, n., and ch. Bendlet.] (Arch.) A small band or fillet; any little band or flat molding, compassing a column, like a ring. Gwilt. Band¶er (?), n. One banded with others. [R.] Band¶eÏrole (?), Band¶rolÿ(?), n. [F. banderole, dim. of bandiŠre, banniŠre, banner; cf. It. banderuola a little banner. See Banner.] A little banner, flag, or streamer. [Written also bannerol.] From the extremity of which fluttered a small banderole or streamer bearing a cross. Sir W. Scott. Band¶ fish· (?). (Zo”l.) A small red fish of the genus Cepola; the ribbon fish. Ban¶diÏcoot (?), n. [A corruption of the native name.] (Zo”l.) (a) A species of very large rat (Mus giganteus), found in India and Ceylon. It does much injury to rice fields and gardens. (b) A ratlike marsupial animal (genus Perameles) of several species, found in Australia and Tasmania. Band¶ing plane· (?). A plane used for cutting out grooves and inlaying strings and bands in straight and circular work. Ban¶dit (?), n.; pl.Bandits (?), or Banditti (?). [It. bandito outlaw, p.p. of bandire to proclaim, to banish, to proscribe, LL. bandire, bannire. See Ban an edict, and cf. Banish.] An outlaw; a brigand. No savage fierce, bandit, or mountaineer. Milton. µ The plural banditti was formerly used as a collective noun. Deerstealers are ever a desperate banditti. Sir W. Scott. Ban¶dle (?),n. [Ir. bannlamh cubit, fr. bann a measure + lamh hand, arm.] An Irish measure of two feet in length. Band¶let (?),n. Same as Bandelet. Band¶mas·ter (?), n. The conductor of a musical band. Ban¶dog· (?),n. [Band + dog, i.e., bound dog.] A mastiff or other large and fierce dog, usually kept chained or tied up. The keeper entered leading his bandog, a large bloodhound, tied in a leam, or band, from which he takes his name. Sir W. Scott. Ban·doÏleer¶, Ban·doÏlier¶ (?), n. [ F. bandouliŠre (cf.It. bandoliera, Sp.bandolera), fr.F. bande band, Sp.&It. banda. See Band, n.] 1. A broad leather belt formerly worn by soldiers over the right shoulder and across the breast under the left arm. Originally it was used for supporting the musket and twelve cases for charges, but later only as a cartridge belt. 2. One of the leather or wooden cases in which the charges of powder were carried. [Obs.] Ban¶doÏline (?), n. [Perh. allied to band.] A glutinous pomatum for the fair. Ban¶don (?), n. [OF. bandon. See Abandon.] Disposal; control; license. [Obs.] Rom. of R. Ban¶dore (?), n. [Sp. bandurria, fr. L. pandura, pandurium, a musical instrument of three strings, fr. Gr. ?. Cf. Pandore, Banjo, Mandolin.] A musical stringed instrument, similar in form to a guitar; a pandore. Band¶rol (?), n. Same as Banderole. Ban¶dy (?), n. [Telugu bandi.] A carriage or cart used in India, esp. one drawn by bullocks. Ban¶dy, n. pl. Bandies (?). [Cf. F. band‚, p.p. of bander to bind, to bend (a bow), to bandy, fr. bande. See Band, n.] 1. A club bent at the lower part for striking a ball at play; a hockey stick. Johnson. 2. The game played with such a club; hockey; shinney; bandy ball. Ban¶dy, v.t. [imp. & p.p. Bandied (?); p.pr. & vb.n. Bandying.] 1. To beat to and fro, as a ball in playing at bandy. Like tennis balls bandied and struck upon us … by rackets from without. Cudworth. 2. To give and receive reciprocally; to exchange. ½To bandy hasty words.¸ Shak. 3. To toss about, as from man to man; to agitate. Let not obvious and known truth be bandied about in a disputation. I. Watts. Ban¶dy, v.i. To content, as at some game in which each strives to drive the ball his own way. Fit to bandy with thy lawless sons. Shak. Ban¶dy, a. Bent; crooked; curved laterally, esp. with the convex side outward; as, a bandy leg. Ban¶dyÐlegged· (?), a. Having crooked legs. Bane (?), n. [OE. bane destruction, AS. bana murderer; akin to Icel. bani death, murderer, OHG. bana murder, bano murderer, ? murder, OIr. bath death, benim I strike. ?.] 1. That which destroys life, esp. poison of a deadly quality. [Obs. except in combination, as in ratsbane, henbane, etc.] 2. Destruction; death. [Obs.] The cup of deception spiced and tempered to their bane. Milton. 3. Any cause of ruin, or lasting injury; harm; woe. Money, thou bane of bliss, and source of woe. Herbert. 4. A disease in sheep, commonly termed the rot. Syn. Ð Poison; ruin; destruction; injury; pest. Bane, v.t. To be the bane of; to ruin. [Obs.] Fuller. Bane¶ber·ry (?), n.(Bot.) A genus (Act‘a) of plants, of the order Ranunculace‘, native in the north temperate zone. The red or white berries are poisonous. Bane¶ful (?), a. Having poisonous qualities; deadly; destructive; injurious; noxious; pernicious. ½Baneful hemlock.¸ Garth. ½Baneful wrath.¸ ? Chapman. ?ÐBane¶fulÏly, adv.ÐBane¶fulÏness, n. Bane¶wort (?), n. (Bot.) Deadly nightshade. Bang (?), v.t. [imp. & p.p. Banged; p.pr. & vb.n. Banging.] [Icel. banga to hammer; akin to Dan. banke to beat, Sw.b†ngas to be impetuous, G. bengel club, clapper of a bell.] 1. To beat, as with a club or cudgel; to treat with violence; to handle roughly. The desperate tempest hath so banged the Turks. Shak. 2. To beat or thump, or to cause ( something) to hit or strike against another object, in such a way as to make a loud noise; as, to bang a drum or a piano; to bang a door (against the doorpost or casing) in shutting it. Bang, v.i. To make a loud noise, as if with a blow or succession of blows; as, the window blind banged and waked me; he was banging on the piano. Bang, n. 1. A blow as with a club; a heavy blow. Many a stiff thwack, many a bang. Hudibras. 2. The sound produced by a sudden concussion. Bang, v.t. To cut squarely across, as the tail of a hors, or the forelock of human beings; to cut (the hair). His hair banged even with his eyebrows. The Century Mag. Bang, n. The short, front hair combed down over the forehead, esp. when cut squarely across; a false front of hair similarly worn. His hair cut in front like a young lady's bang. W. D. Howells. Bang, Bangue (?), n. See Bhang. Bang¶ing, a. Huge; great in size. [Colloq.] Forby. Ban¶gle (?), v.t. [From 1st Bang.] To waste by little and little; to fritter away. [Obs.] Ban¶gle, n. [Hind. bangrÆ bracelet, bangle.] An ornamental circlet, of glass, gold, silver, or other material, worn by women in India and Africa, and in some other countries, upon the wrist or ankle; a ring bracelet. Bangle ear, a loose hanging ear of a horse, like that of a spaniel. Ban¶ian (?),n. [Skr. banij merchant. The tree was so named by the English, because used as a market place by the merchants.] 1. A Hindoo trader, merchant, cashier, or money changer. [Written also banyan.] 2. A man's loose gown, like that worn by the Banians. 3. (Bot.) The Indian fig. See Banyan. Banian days (Naut.), days in which the sailors have no flesh meat served out to them. This use seems to be borrowed from the Banians or Banya race, who eat no flesh. Ban¶ish (?), v.t. [imp. & p.p. Banished(?); p.pr. & vb.n. Banishing.] [OF. banir, F. bannir, LL. bannire, fr. OHG. bannan to summon, fr. ban ban. See Ban an edict, and Finish, v.t.] 1. To condemn to exile, or compel to leave one's country, by authority of the ruling power. ½We banish you our territories.¸ Shak. 2. To drive out, as from a home or familiar place; Ð used with from and out of. How the ancient Celtic tongue came to be banished from the Low Countries in Scotland. Blair. 3. To drive away; to compel to depart; to dispel. ½Banish all offense.¸ Shak. Syn. Ð To Banish, Exile, Expel. The idea of a coercive removal from a place is common to these terms. A man is banished when he is forced by the government of a country (be he a foreigner or a native) to leave its borders. A man is exiled when he is driven into banishment from his native country and home. Thus to exile is to banish, but to banish is not always to exile. To expel is to eject or banish, summarily or authoritatively, and usually under circumstances of disgrace; as, to expel from a college; expelled from decent society. Ban¶ishÏer (?), n. One who banishes. Ban¶ishÏment (?), n. [Cf. F. bannissement.] The act of banishing, or the state of being banished. He secured himself by the banishment of his enemies. Johnson. Round the wide world in banishment we roam. Dryden. Syn. Ð Expatriation; ostracism; expulsion; proscription; exile; outlawry. Ban¶isÏter (?),n. [Formerly also banjore and banjer; corrupted from bandore, through negro slave pronunciation.] A stringed musical instrument having a head and neck like the guitar, and its body like a tambourine. It has five strings, and is played with the fingers and hands. Bank (?), n. [OE. banke; akin to E. bench, and prob. of Scand. origin.; cf. Icel. bakki. See Bench.] 1. A mound, pile, or ridge of earth, raised above the surrounding level; hence, anything shaped like a mound or ridge of earth; as, a bank of clouds; a bank of snow. They cast up a bank against the city. 2 Sam. xx. 15. 2. A steep acclivity, as the slope of a hill, or the side of a ravine. 3. The margin of a watercourse; the rising ground bordering a lake, river, or sea, or forming the edge of a cutting, or other hollow. Tiber trembled underneath her banks. Shak. 4. An elevation, or rising ground, under the sea; a shoal, shelf, or shallow; as, the banks of Newfoundland. 5. (Mining) (a) The face of the coal at which miner? are working. (b) A deposit of ore or coal, worked by excavations above water level. (c) The ground at the top of a shaft; as, ores are brought to bank. Bank beaver (Zo”l.), the otter. [Local, U.S.] Ð Bank swallow, a small American and European swallow (Clivicola riparia) that nests in a hole which it excavates in a bank. Bank, v.t. [imp. & p.p. Banked(?); p.pr. & vb.n. Banking.] 1. To raise a mound or dike about; to inclose, defend, or fortify with a bank; to embank. ½Banked well with earth.¸ Holland. 2. To heap or pile up; as, to bank sand. 3. To pass by the banks of. [Obs.] Shak. To bank a fire, To bank up a fire, to cover the coals or embers with ashes or cinders, thus keeping the fire low but alive. Bank, n. [Prob. fr. F. banc. Of German origin, and akin to E. bench. See Bench.] 1. A bench, as for rowers in a galley; also, a tier of oars. Placed on their banks, the lusty Trojan sweep Neptune's smooth face, and cleave the yielding deep. Waller. 2. (Law) (a) The bench or seat upon which the judges sit. (b) The regular term of a court of law, or the full court sitting to hear arguments upon questions of law, as distinguished from a sitting at Nisi Prius, or a court held for jury trials. See Banc. Burrill. 3. (Printing) A sort of table used by printers. 4. (Music) A bench, or row of keys belonging to a keyboard, as in an organ. Knight. Bank, n. [F. banque, It. banca, orig. bench, table, counter, of German origin, and akin to E. bench; cf. G. bank bench, OHG. banch. See Bench, and cf. Banco, Beach.] 1. An establishment for the custody, loan, exchange, or issue, of money, and for facilitating the transmission of funds by drafts or bills of exchange; an institution incorporated for performing one or more of such functions, or the stockholders (or their representatives, the directors), acting in their corporate capacity. 2. The building or office used for banking purposes. 3. A fund from deposits or contributions, to be used in transacting business; a joint stock or capital. [Obs.] Let it be no bank or common stock, but every man be master of his own money. Bacon. 4. (Gaming) The sum of money or the checks which the dealer or banker has as a fund, from which to draw his stakes and pay his losses. 5. In certain games, as dominos, a fund of pieces from which the players are allowed to draw. Bank credit, a credit by which a person who has give? the required security to a bank has liberty to draw to ? certain extent agreed upon. Ð Bank of deposit, a bank which receives money for safe keeping. Ð Bank of issue, a bank which issues its own notes payable to bearer. Bank, v.t. To deposit in a bank. Bank, v.i. 1. To keep a bank; to carry on the business of a banker.