Defn: A name given to fluor spar in Derbyshire, where it is used for ornamental purposes.
BLUELYBlue"ly, adv.
Defn: With a blue color. Swift.
BLUENESSBlue"ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being blue; a blue color. Boyle.
BLUENOSEBlue"nose, n.
Defn: A nickname for a Nova Scotian.
BLUENOSE; BLUENOSERBlue"nose`, Blue"nos*er, n.
Defn: A Nova Scotian; also, a Nova Scotian ship (called alsoBlue"nos`er); a Nova Scotian potato, etc.
BLUEPOLLBlue"poll` (, n. Etym: [Blue + poll head.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A kind of salmon (Salmo Cambricus) found in Wales.
BLUEPRINTBlue"print.
Defn: See under Print.
BLUE-SKYLAWBlue"-sky"law`.
Defn: A law enacted to provide for the regulation and supervision of investment companies in order to protect the public against companies that do not intend to do a fair and honest business and that offer investments that do not promise a fair return; — so called because the promises made by some investment companies are as boundless or alluring as the blue sky, or, perhaps, because designed to clear away the clouds and fogs from the simple investor's horizon. [Colloq.]
BLUESTOCKINGBlue"stock`ing, n.
1. A literary lady; a female pedant. [Colloq.]
Note: As explained in Boswell's "Life of Dr. Johnson", this term is derived from the name given to certain meetings held by ladies, in Johnson's time, for conversation with distinguished literary men. An eminent attendant of these assemblies was a Mr. Stillingfleet, who always wore blue stockings. He was so much distinguished for his conversational powers that his absence at any time was felt to be a great loss, so that the remark became common, "We can do nothing without the blue stockings." Hence these meetings were sportively called bluestocking clubs, and the ladies who attended them, bluestockings.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The American avocet (Recurvirostra Americana).
BLUESTOCKINGISMBlue"stock`ing*ism, n.
Defn: The character or manner of a bluestocking; female pedantry.[Colloq.]
BLUESTONEBlue"stone` (, n.
1. Blue vitriol. Dunglison.
2. A grayish blue building stone, as that commonly used in the eastern United States.
BLUETHROATBlue"throat`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A singing bird of northern Europe and Asia (Cyanecula Suecica), related to the nightingales; — called also blue-throated robin and blue-throated warbler.
BLUETSBlu"ets, n. Etym: [F. bluet, bleuet, dim. of bleu blue. See Blue, a.](Bot.)
Defn: A name given to several different species of plants having blue flowers, as the Houstonia coerulea, the Centaurea cyanus or bluebottle, and the Vaccinium angustifolium.
BLUE-VEINEDBlue"-veined` (, a.
Defn: Having blue veins or blue streaks.
BLUEWINGBlue"wing`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The blue-winged teal. See Teal.
BLUEYBlue"y
Defn: ,a.Bluish. Southey.
BLUFF Bluff, a. Etym: [Cf. OD. blaf flat, broad, blaffaert one with a broad face, also, a boaster; or G. verblüffen to confuse, LG. bluffen to frighten; to unknown origin.]
1. Having a broad, flattened front; as, the bluff bows of a ship. "Bluff visages." Irving.
2. Rising steeply with a flat or rounded front. "A bluff or boldshore." Falconer.Its banks, if not really steep, had a bluff and precipitous aspect.Judd.
3. Surly; churlish; gruff; rough.
4. Abrupt; roughly frank; unceremonious; blunt; brusque; as, a bluff answer; a bluff manner of talking; a bluff sea captain. "Bluff King Hal." Sir W. Scott. There is indeed a bluff pertinacity which is a proper defense in a moment of surprise. I. Taylor.
BLUFFBluff, n.
1. A high, steep bank, as by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or plain; a cliff with a broad face. Beach, bluff, and wave, adieu. Whittier.
2. An act of bluffing; an expression of self-confidence for the purpose of intimidation; braggadocio; as, that is only bluff, or a bluff.
3. A game at cards; poker. [U.S.] Bartlett.
BLUFFBluff, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bluffed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bluffing.]
1. (Poker)
Defn: To deter (an opponent) from taking the risk of betting on his hand of cards, as the bluffer does by betting heavily on his own hand although it may be of less value. [U. S.]
2. To frighten or deter from accomplishing a purpose by making a show of confidence in one's strength or resources; as, he bluffed me off. [Colloq.]
BLUFFBluff, v. i.
Defn: To act as in the game of bluff.
BLUFF-BOWEDBluff"-bowed` (, a. (Naut.)
Defn: Built with the stem nearly straight up and down.
BLUFFERBluff"er, ( n.
Defn: One who bluffs.
BLUFF-HEADEDBluff"-head`ed (, a. (Naut.)
Defn: Built with the stem nearly straight up and down.
BLUFFNESSBluff"ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being bluff.
BLUFFYBluff"y, a.
1. Having bluffs, or bold, steep banks.
2. Inclined to bo bluff; brusque.
BLUINGBlu"ing, n.
1. The act of rendering blue; as, the bluing of steel. Tomlinson.
2. Something to give a bluish tint, as indigo, or preparations used by washerwomen.
BLUISHBlu"ish, a.
Defn: Somewhat blue; as, bluish veins. "Bluish mists." Dryden.— Blu"ish*ly, adv.— Blu"ish*ness, n.
BLUNDERBlun"der, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blundered; p. pr. & vb. n. Blundering.]Etym: [OE. blunderen, blondren, to stir, confuse, blunder; perh.allied to blend to mix, to confound by mixture.]
1. To make a gross error or mistake; as, to blunder in writing or preparing a medical prescription. Swift.
2. To move in an awkward, clumsy manner; to flounder and stumble. I was never distinguished for address, and have often even blundered in making my bow. Goldsmith. Yet knows not how to find the uncertain place, And blunders on, and staggers every pace. Dryden. To blunder on. (a) To continue blundering. (b) To find or reach as if by an accident involving more or less stupidity, — applied to something desirable; as, to blunder on a useful discovery.
BLUNDERBlun"der, v. t.
1. To cause to blunder. [Obs.] "To blunder an adversary." Ditton.
2. To do or treat in a blundering manner; to confuse. He blunders and confounds all these together. Stillingfleet.
BLUNDERBlun"der, n.
1. Confusion; disturbance. [Obs.]
2. A gross error or mistake, resulting from carelessness, stupidity, or culpable ignorance.
Syn. — Blunder, Error, Mistake, Bull. An error is a departure or deviation from that which is right or correct; as, an error of the press; an error of judgment. A mistake is the interchange or taking of one thing for another, through haste, inadvertence, etc.; as, a careless mistake. A blunder is a mistake or error of a gross kind. It supposes a person to flounder on in his course, from carelessness, ignorance, or stupidity. A bull is a verbal blunder containing a laughable incongruity of ideas.
BLUNDERBUSS Blun"der*buss, n. Etym: [Either fr. blunder + D. bus tube, box, akin to G. büchse box, gun, E. box; or corrupted fr. D. donderbus (literally) thunder box, gun, musket.]
1. A short gun or firearm, with a large bore, capable of holding a number of balls, and intended to do execution without exact aim.
2. A stupid, blundering fellow.
BLUNDERERBlun"der*er, n.
Defn: One who is apt to blunder.
BLUNDERHEADBlun"der*head` (, n. [Blunder + head.]
Defn: A stupid, blundering fellow.
BLUNDERINGBlun"der*ing, a.
Defn: Characterized by blunders.
BLUNDERINGLYBlun"der*ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a blundering manner.
BLUNGEBlunge, v. t.
Defn: To amalgamate and blend; to beat up or mix in water, as clay.
BLUNGERBlun"ger, n. Etym: [Corrupted from plunger.]
Defn: A wooden blade with a cross handle, used for mi Tomlinson.
BLUNGINGBlun"ging, n.
Defn: The process of mixing clay in potteries with a blunger.Tomlinson.
BLUNT Blunt, a. Etym: [Cf. Prov. G. bludde a dull or blunt knife, Dan. blunde to sleep, Sw. & Icel. blunda; or perh. akin to E. blind.]
1. Having a thick edge or point, as an instrument; dull; not sharp. The murderous knife was dull and blunt. Shak.
2. Dull in understanding; slow of discernment; stupid; — opposed to acute. His wits are not so blunt. Shak.
3. Abrupt in address; plain; unceremonious; wanting the forms of civility; rough in manners or speech. "Hiding his bitter jests in blunt behavior." "A plain, blunt man." Shak.
4. Hard to impress or penetrate. [R.] I find my heart hardened and blunt to new impressions. Pope.
Note: Blunt is much used in composition, as blunt-edged, blunt- sighted, blunt-spoken.
Syn. — Obtuse; dull; pointless; curt; short; coarse; rude; brusque; impolite; uncivil.
BLUNTBlunt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blunted; p. pr. & vb. n. Blunting.]
1. To dull the edge or point of, by making it thicker; to make blunt. Shak.
2. To repress or weaken, as any appetite, desire, or power of the mind; to impair the force, keenness, or susceptibility, of; as, to blunt the feelings.
BLUNTBlunt, n.
1. A fencer's foil. [Obs.]
2. A short needle with a strong point. See Needle.
3. Money. [Cant] Beaconsfield.
BLUNTISHBlunt"ish, a.
Defn: Somewhat blunt.— Blunt"ish*ness, n.
BLUNTLYBlunt"ly, adv.
Defn: In a blunt manner; coarsely; plainly; abruptly; without delicacy, or the usual forms of civility. Sometimes after bluntly giving his opinions, he would quietly lay himself asleep until the end of their deliberations. Jeffrey.
BLUNTNESSBlunt"ness, n.
1. Want of edge or point; dullness; obtuseness; want of sharpness. The multitude of elements and bluntness of angles. Holland.
2. A bruptness of address; rude plainness. "Bluntness of speech." Boyle.
BLUNT-WITTEDBlunt"-wit`ted, n.
Defn: Dull; stupid.Blunt-witted lord, ignoble in demeanor! Shak.
BLURBlur, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blurred; p. pr. & vb. n. Blurring.] Etym:[Prob. of same origin as blear. See Blear.]
1. To render obscure by making the form or outline of confused and uncertain, as by soiling; to smear; to make indistinct and confused; as, to blur manuscript by handling it while damp; to blur the impression of a woodcut by an excess of ink. But time hath nothing blurred those lines of favor Which then he wore. Shak.
2. To cause imperfection of vision in; to dim; to darken. Her eyes are blurred with the lightning's glare. J. R. Drake.
3. To sully; to stain; to blemish, as reputation. Sarcasms may eclipse thine own, But can not blur my lost renown. Hudibras.
Syn.— To spot; blot; disfigure; stain; sully.
BLURBlur, n.
1. That which obscures without effacing; a stain; a blot, as upon paper or other substance. As for those who cleanse blurs with blotted fingers, they make it worse. Fuller.
2. A dim, confused appearance; indistinctness of vision; as, to see things with a blur; it was all blur.
3. A moral stain or blot. Lest she . . . will with her railing set a great blur on mine honesty and good name. Udall.
BLURRYBlur"ry, a.
Defn: Full of blurs; blurred.
BLURTBlurt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Blurted; p. pr. & vb. n. Blurting.] Etym:[Cf. Blare.]
Defn: To utter suddenly and unadvisedly; to divulge inconsiderately; to ejaculate; — commonly with out. Others . . . can not hold, but blurt out, those words which afterward they forced to eat. Hakewill. To blurt at, to speak contemptuously of. [Obs.] Shak.
BLUSHBlush v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blushed; p. pr. & vb. n. Blushing.] Etym:[OE. bluschen to shine, look, turn red, AS. blyscan to glow; akin toblysa a torch, abl to blush, D. blozen, Dan. blusse to blaze, blush.]
1. To become suffused with red in the cheeks, as from a sense of shame, modesty, or confusion; to become red from such cause, as the cheeks or face. To the nuptial bower I led her blushing like the morn. Milton. In the presence of the shameless and unblushing, the young offender is ashamed to blush. Buckminster. He would stroke The head of modest and ingenuous worth, That blushed at its own praise. Cowper.
2. To grow red; to have a red or rosy color. The sun of heaven, methought, was loth to set, But stayed, and made the western welkin blush. Shak.
3. To have a warm and delicate color, as some roses and other flowers. Full many a flower is born to blush unseen. T. Gray.
BLUSHBlush, v. t.
1. To suffuse with a blush; to redden; to make roseate. [Obs.] To blush and beautify the cheek again. Shak.
2. To express or make known by blushing. I'll blush you thanks. Shak.
BLUSHBlush, n.
1. A suffusion of the cheeks or face with red, as from a sense of shame, confusion, or modesty. The rosy blush of love. Trumbull.
2. A red or reddish color; a rosy tint. Light's last blushes tinged the distant hills. Lyttleton. At first blush, or At the first blush, at the first appearance or view. "At the first blush, we thought they had been ships come from France." Hakluyt.
Note: This phrase is used now more of ideas, opinions, etc., than of material things. "All purely identical propositions, obviously, and at first blush, appear." etc. Locke. — To put to the blush, to cause to blush with shame; to put to shame.
BLUSHERBlush"er, n.
Defn: One that blushes.
BLUSHETBlush"et, n.
Defn: A modest girl. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
BLUSHFULBlush"ful, a.
Defn: Full of blushes. While from his ardent look the turning Spring Averts her blushful face. Thomson.
BLUSHINGBlush"ing, a.
Defn: Showing blushes; rosy red; having a warm and delicate color like some roses and other flowers; blooming; ruddy; roseate. The dappled pink and blushing rose. Prior.
BLUSHINGBlush"ing, n.
Defn: The act of turning red; the appearance of a reddish color or flush upon the cheeks.
BLUSHINGLYBlush"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a blushing manner; with a blush or blushes; as, to answer or confess blushingly.
BLUSHLESSBlush"less, a.
Defn: Free from blushes; incapable of blushing; shameless; impudent.Vice now, secure, her blushless front shall raise. Dodsley.
BLUSHYBlush"y, a.
Defn: Like a blush; having the color of a blush; rosy. [R.] "A blushy color." Harvey.
BLUSTERBlus"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Blustered; p. pr. & vb. n. Blustering.]Etym: [Allied to blast.]
1. To blow fitfully with violence and noise, as wind; to be windy and boisterous, as the weather. And ever-threatening storms Of Chaos blustering round. Milton.
2. To talk with noisy violence; to swagger, as a turbulent or boasting person; to act in a noisy, tumultuous way; to play the bully; to storm; to rage. Your ministerial directors blustered like tragic tyrants. Burke.
BLUSTERBlus"ter, v. t.
Defn: To utter, or do, with noisy violence; to force by blustering;to bully.He bloweth and blustereth out . . . his abominable blasphemy. Sir T.More.As if therewith he meant to bluster all princes into a perfectobedience to his commands. Fuller.
BLUSTERBlus"ter, n.
1. Fitful noise and violence, as of a storm; violent winds;boisterousness.To the winds they set Their corners, when with bluster to confoundSea, air, and shore. Milton.
2. Noisy and violent or threatening talk; noisy and boastful language. L'Estrange.
Syn. — Noise; boisterousness; tumult; turbulence; confusion; boasting; swaggering; bullying.
BLUSTERERBlus"ter*er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, blusters; a noisy swaggerer.
BLUSTERINGBlus"ter*ing, a.
1. Exhibiting noisy violence, as the wind; stormy; tumultuous. A tempest and a blustering day. Shak.
2. Uttering noisy threats; noisy and swaggering; boisterous. "A blustering fellow." L'Estrange.
BLUSTERINGLYBlus"ter*ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a blustering manner.
BLUSTEROUSBlus"ter*ous, a.
Defn: Inclined to bluster; given to blustering; blustering. Motley.
BLUSTROUSBlus"trous, a.
Defn: Blusterous. Shak.
BO Bo, interj. Etym: [Cf. W. bw, an interj. of threatening or frightening; n., terror, fear, dread.]
Defn: An exclamation used to startle or frighten. [Spelt also boh and boo.]
BOA Bo"a, n.; pl. Boas . Etym: [L. boa a kind of water serpent. Perh. fr. bos an ox.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of large American serpents, including the boa constrictor, the emperor boa of Mexico (B. imperator), and the chevalier boa of Peru (B. eques).
Note: The name is also applied to related genera; as, the dog-headed boa (Xiphosoma caninum).
2. A long, round fur tippet; — so called from its resemblance in shape to the boa constrictor.
BOA CONSTRICTORBo"a con*strict"or. Etym: [NL. See Boa, and Constrictor.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large and powerful serpent of tropical America, sometimes twenty or thirty feet long. See Illustration in Appendix.
Note: It has a succession of spots, alternately black and yellow, extending along the back. It kills its prey by constriction. The name is also loosely applied to other large serpents which crush their prey, particularly to those of the genus Python, found in Asia and Africa.
BOANERGESBo`a*ner"ges. Etym: [Gr. , fr. Heb. bn sons of thunder.— an appellation given by Christ to two of his disciples (James andJohn). See Mark iii. 17.]
Defn: Any declamatory and vociferous preacher or orator.
BOARBoar, n. Etym: [OE. bar, bor, bore, AS. bar; akin to OHG. p, MHG. b,G. bär, boar (but not bär bear), and perh. Russ. borov' boar.](Zoöl.)
Defn: The uncastrated male of swine; specifically, the wild hog.
BOARD Board, n. Etym: [OE. bord, AS. bord board, shipboard; akin to bred plank, Icel. bor board, side of a ship, Goth. f footstool, D. bord board, G. brett, bort. See def. 8. sq. root92.]
1. A piece of timber sawed thin, and of considerable length and breadth as compared with the thickness, — used for building, etc.
Note: When sawed thick, as over one and a half or two inches, it is usually called a plank.
2. A table to put food upon.
Note: The term board answers to the modern table, but it was oftenmovable, and placed on trestles. Halliwell.Fruit of all kinds . . . She gathers, tribute large, and on the boardHeaps with unsparing hand. Milton.
3. Hence: What is served on a table as food; stated meals; provision; entertainment; — usually as furnished for pay; as, to work for one's board; the price of board.
4. A table at which a council or court is held. Hence: A council, convened for business, or any authorized assembly or meeting, public or private; a number of persons appointed or elected to sit in council for the management or direction of some public or private business or trust; as, the Board of Admiralty; a board of trade; a board of directors, trustees, commissioners, etc. Both better acquainted with affairs than any other who sat then at that board. Clarendon. We may judge from their letters to the board. Porteus.
5. A square or oblong piece of thin wood or other material used for some special purpose, as, a molding board; a board or surface painted or arranged for a game; as, a chessboard; a backgammon board.
6. Paper made thick and stiff like a board, for book covers, etc.; pasteboard; as, to bind a book in boards.
7. pl.
Defn: The stage in a theater; as, to go upon the boards, to enter upon the theatrical profession.
8. Etym: [In this use originally perh. a different word meaning border, margin; cf. D. boord, G. bord, shipboard, and G. borte trimming; also F. bord (fr. G.) the side of a ship. Cf. Border.]
Defn: The border or side of anything. (Naut.) (a) The side of a ship. "Now board to board the rival vessels row." Dryden. See On board, below. (b) The stretch which a ship makes in one tack.
Note: Board is much used adjectively or as the last part of a compound; as, fir board, clapboard, floor board, shipboard, sideboard, ironing board, chessboard, cardboard, pasteboard, seaboard; board measure. The American Board, a shortened form of "The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions" (the foreign missionary society of the American Congregational churches). — Bed and board. See under Bed. — Board and board (Naut.), side by side. — Board of control, six privy councilors formerly appointed to superintend the affairs of the British East Indies. Stormonth. — Board rule, a figured scale for finding without calculation the number of square feet in a board. Haldeman. — Board of trade, in England, a committee of the privy council appointed to superintend matters relating to trade. In the United States, a body of men appointed for the advancement and protection of their business interests; a chamber of commerce. — Board wages. (a) Food and lodging supplied as compensation for services; as, to work hard, and get only board wages. (b) Money wages which are barely sufficient to buy food and lodging. (c) A separate or special allowance of wages for the procurement of food, or food and lodging. Dryden. — By the board, over the board, or side. "The mast went by the board." Totten. Hence (Fig.), To go by the board, to suffer complete destruction or overthrow. — To enter on the boards, to have one's name inscribed on a board or tablet in a college as a student. [Cambridge, England.] "Having been entered on the boards of Trinity college." Hallam. — To make a good board (Naut.), to sail in a straight line when close-hauled; to lose little to leeward. — To make short boards, to tack frequently. — On board. (a) On shipboard; in a ship or a boat; on board of; as, I came on board early; to be on board ship. (b) In or into a railway car or train. [Colloq. U. S.] — Returning board, a board empowered to canvass and make an official statement of the votes cast at an election. [U.S.]
BOARDBoard, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boarded; p. pr. & vb. n. Boarding.]
1. To cover with boards or boarding; as, to board a house. "The boarded hovel." Cowper.
2. Etym: [Cf. Board to accost, and see Board, n.]
Defn: To go on board of, or enter, as a ship, whether in a hostile ora friendly way.You board an enemy to capture her, and a stranger to receive news ormake a communication. Totten.
3. To enter, as a railway car. [Colloq. U. S.]
4. To furnish with regular meals, or with meals and lodgings, for compensation; to supply with daily meals.
5. To place at board, for compensation; as, to board one's horse at a livery stable.
BOARDBoard, v. i.
Defn: To obtain meals, or meals and lodgings, statedly for compensation; as, he boards at the hotel. We are several of us, gentlemen and ladies, who board in the same house. Spectator.
BOARDBoard, v. t. Etym: [F. aborder. See Abord, v. t.]
Defn: To approach; to accost; to address; hence, to woo. [Obs.] I will board her, though she chide as loud As thunder when the clouds in autumn crack. Shak.
BOARDABLEBoard"a*ble, a.
Defn: That can be boarded, as a ship.
BOARDERBoard"er, n.
1. One who has food statedly at another's table, or meals and lodgings in his house, for pay, or compensation of any kind.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: One who boards a ship; one selected to board an enemy's ship.Totten.
BOARDINGBoard"ing, n.
1. (Naut.)
Defn: The act of entering a ship, whether with a hostile or afriendly purpose.Both slain at one time, as they attempted the boarding of a frigate.Sir F. Drake.
2. The act of covering with boards; also, boards, collectively; or a covering made of boards.
3. The act of supplying, or the state of being supplied, with regular or specified meals, or with meals and lodgings, for pay. Boarding house, a house in which boarders are kept. — Boarding nettings (Naut.), a strong network of cords or ropes erected at the side of a ship to prevent an enemy from boarding it. — Boarding pike (Naut.), a pike used by sailors in boarding a vessel, or in repelling an attempt to board it. Totten. — Boarding school, a school in which pupils receive board and lodging as well as instruction.
BOARFISH Boar"fish`, n. (Zoöl.) (a) A Mediterranean fish (Capros aper), of the family Caproidæ; — so called from the resemblance of the extended lips to a hog's snout. (b) An Australian percoid fish (Histiopterus recurvirostris), valued as a food fish.
BOARISHBoar"ish, a.
Defn: Swinish; brutal; cruel.In his anointed flesh stick boarish fangs. Shak.
BOAST Boast, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Boasted; p. pr. & vb. n. Boasting.] Etym: [OE. bosten, boosten, v., bost, boost, n., noise, boasting; cf. G. bausen, bauschen, to swell, pusten, Dan. puste, Sw. pusta, to blow, Sw. pösa to swell; or W. bostio to boast, bost boast, Gael. bosd. But these last may be from English.]
1. To vaunt one's self; to brag; to say or tell things which are intended to give others a high opinion of one's self or of things belonging to one's self; as, to boast of one's exploits courage, descent, wealth. By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: .. not of works, lest any man should boast. Eph. ii. 8, 9.
2. To speak in exulting language of another; to glory; to exult. In God we boast all the day long. Ps. xiiv. 8
Syn.— To brag; bluster; vapor; crow; talk big.
BOASTBoast, v. t.
1. To display in ostentatious language; to speak of with pride, vanity, or exultation, with a view to self-commendation; to extol. Lest bad men should boast Their specious deeds. Milton.
2. To display vaingloriously.
3. To possess or have; as, to boast a name. To boast one's self, to speak with unbecoming confidence in, and approval of, one's self; — followed by of and the thing to which the boasting relates. [Archaic] Boast not thyself of to-morrow. Prov. xxvii.
BOASTBoast, v. t. Etym: [Of uncertain etymology.]
1. (Masonry)
Defn: To dress, as a stone, with a broad chisel. Weale.
2. (Sculp.)
Defn: To shape roughly as a preparation for the finer work to follow; to cut to the general form required.
BOASTBoast, n.
1. Act of boasting; vaunting or bragging. Reason and morals and where live they most, In Christian comfort, or in Stoic boast! Byron.
2. The cause of boasting; occasion of pride or exultation, — sometimes of laudable pride or exultation. The boast of historians. Macaulay.
BOASTANCEBoast"ance, n.
Defn: Boasting. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BOASTERBoast"er, n.
Defn: One who boasts; a braggart.
BOASTERBoast"er, n.
Defn: A stone mason's broad-faced chisel.
BOASTFULBoast"ful, a.
Defn: Given to, or full of, boasting; inclined to boast; vaunting;vainglorious; self-praising.— Boast"ful*ly, adv.— Boast"ful*ness, n.
BOASTINGBoast"ing, n.
Defn: The act of glorying or vaunting; vainglorious speaking; ostentatious display. When boasting ends, then dignity begins. Young.
BOASTINGLYBoast"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: Boastfully; with boasting. "He boastingly tells you." Burke.
BOASTIVEBoast"ive, a.
Defn: Presumptuous. [R.]
BOASTLESSBoast"less, a.
Defn: Without boasting or ostentation.
BOATBoat, n. Etym: [OE. boot, bat, AS. bat; akin to Icel. batr, Sw. båt,Dan. baad, D.& G. boot. Cf. Bateau.]
1. A small open vessel, or water craft, usually moved by cars or paddles, but often by a sail.
Note: Different kinds of boats have different names; as, canoe, yawl, wherry, pinnace, punt, etc.
2. Hence, any vessel; usually with some epithet descriptive of its use or mode of propulsion; as, pilot boat, packet boat, passage boat, advice boat, etc. The term is sometimes applied to steam vessels, even of the largest class; as, the Cunard boats.
3. A vehicle, utensil, or dish, somewhat resembling a boat in shape; as, a stone boat; a gravy boat.
Note: Boat is much used either adjectively or in combination; as, boat builder or boatbuilder; boat building or boatbuilding; boat hook or boathook; boathouse; boat keeper or boatkeeper; boat load; boat race; boat racing; boat rowing; boat song; boatlike; boat-shaped. Advice boat. See under Advice. — Boat hook (Naut.), an iron hook with a point on the back, fixed to a long pole, to pull or push a boat, raft, log, etc. Totten. — Boat rope, a rope for fastening a boat; — usually called a painter. — In the same boat, in the same situation or predicament. [Colloq.] F. W. Newman.
BOATBoat, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boated; p. pr. & vb. n. Boating.]
1. To transport in a boat; as, to boat goods.
2. To place in a boat; as, to boat oars. To boat the oars. See under Oar.
BOATBoat, v. i.
Defn: To go or row in a boat.I boated over, ran my craft aground. Tennyson.
BOATABLEBoat"a*ble, a.
1. Such as can be transported in a boat.
2. Navigable for boats, or small river craft. The boatable waters of the Alleghany. J. Morse.
BOATAGEBoat"age, n.
Defn: Conveyance by boat; also, a charge for such conveyance.
BOATBILLBoat"bill` (, n. (Zoöl.)
1. A wading bird (Cancroma cochlearia) of the tropical parts of South America. Its bill is somewhat like a boat with the keel uppermost.
2. A perching bird of India, of the genus Eurylaimus.
BOAT BUGBoat" bug` (. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An aquatic hemipterous insect of the genus Notonecta; — so called from swimming on its back, which gives it the appearance of a little boat. Called also boat fly, boat insect, boatman, and water boatman.
BOATFULBoat"ful, n.; pl. Boatfuls.
Defn: The quantity or amount that fills a boat.
BOATHOUSEBoat"house`, n.
Defn: A house for sheltering boats.Half the latticed boathouse hides. Wordsworth.
BOATINGBoat"ing, n.
1. The act or practice of rowing or sailing, esp. as an amusement; carriage in boats.
2. In Persia, a punishment of capital offenders, by laying them on the back in a covered boat, where they are left to perish.
BOATIONBo*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. boatus, fr. boare to roar.]
Defn: A crying out; a roaring; a bellowing; reverberation. [Obs.] The guns were heard . . . about a hundred Italian miles, in long boations. Derham.
BOATMANBoat"man, n.; pl. Boatmen (.
1. A man who manages a boat; a rower of a boat. As late the boatman hies him home. Percival.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A boat bug. See Boat bug.
BOATMANSHIPBoat"man*ship, n.
Defn: The art of managing a boat.
BOAT-SHAPEDBoat"-shaped` (, a. (Bot.)
Defn: See Cymbiform.
BOAT SHELL Boat" shell` (. (Zoöl.) (a) A marine gastropod of the genus Crepidula. The species are numerous. It is so named from its form and interior deck. (b) A marine univalve shell of the genus Cymba.
BOATSMANBoats"man, n.
Defn: A boatman. [Archaic]
BOATSWAINBoat"swain, n. Etym: [Boat + swain.]
1. (Naut.)
Defn: An officer who has charge of the boats, sails, rigging, colors, anchors, cables, cordage, etc., of a ship, and who also summons the crew, and performs other duties.
2. (Zoöl.) (a) The jager gull. (b) The tropic bird. Boatswain's mate, an assistant of the boatswain. Totten.
BOAT-TAILBoat"-tail`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large grackle or blackbird (Quiscalus major), found in theSouthern United States.
BOATWOMANBoat"wom`an, n.; pl. Boatwomen (.
Defn: A woman who manages a boat.
BOB Bob, n. Etym: [An onomatopoetic word, expressing quick, jerky motion; OE. bob bunch, bobben to strike, mock, deceive. Cf. Prov. Eng. bob, n., a ball, an engine beam, bunch, blast, trick, taunt, scoff; as, a v., to dance, to courtesy, to disappoint, OF. bober to mock.]
1. Anything that hangs so as to play loosely, or with a short abrupt motion, as at the end of a string; a pendant; as, the bob at the end of a kite's tail. In jewels dressed and at each ear a bob. Dryden.
2. A knot of worms, or of rags, on a string, used in angling, as for eels; formerly, a worm suitable for bait. Or yellow bobs, turned up before the plow, Are chiefest baits, with cork and lead enow. Lauson.
3. A small piece of cork or light wood attached to a fishing line to show when a fish is biting; a float.
4. The ball or heavy part of a pendulum; also, the ball or weight at the end of a plumb line.
5. A small wheel, made of leather, with rounded edges, used in polishing spoons, etc.
6. A short, jerking motion; act of bobbing; as, a bob of the head.
7. (Steam Engine)
Defn: A working beam.
8. A knot or short curl of hair; also, a bob wig. A plain brown bob he wore. Shenstone.
9. A peculiar mode of ringing changes on bells.
10. The refrain of a song. To bed, to bed, will be the bob of the song. L'Estrange.
11. A blow; a shake or jog; a rap, as with the fist.
12. A jeer or flout; a sharp jest or taunt; a trick. He that a fool doth very wisely hit, Doth very foolishly, although he smart, Not to seem senseless of the bob. Shak.
13. A shilling. [Slang, Eng.] Dickens.
BOB Bob, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bobbed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bobbing.] Etym: [OE. bobben. See Bob, n.]
1. To cause to move in a short, jerking manner; to move (a thing) with a bob. "He bobbed his head." W. Irving.
2. To strike with a quick, light blow; to tap. If any man happened by long sitting to sleep . . . he was suddenly bobbed on the face by the servants. Elyot.
3. To cheat; to gain by fraud or cheating; to filch. Gold and jewels that I bobbed from him. Shak.
4. To mock or delude; to cheat. To play her pranks, and bob the fool, The shrewish wife began. Turbervile.
5. To cut short; as, to bob the hair, or a horse's tail.
BOBBob, v. i.
1. To have a short, jerking motion; to play to and fro, or up and down; to play loosely against anything. "Bobbing and courtesying." Thackeray.
2. To angle with a bob. See Bob, n., 2 & 3. He ne'er had learned the art to bob For anything but eels. Saxe. To bob at an apple, cherry, etc. to attempt to bite or seize with the mouth an apple, cherry, or other round fruit, while it is swinging from a string or floating in a tug of water.
BOBACBo"bac, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The Poland marmot (Arctomys bobac).
BOBANCE Bo*bance", n. Etym: [OF. bobance, F. bombance, boasting, pageantry, fr. L. bombus a humming, buzzing.]
Defn: A boasting. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BOBBERBob"ber, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, bobs.
BOBBERY Bob"ber*y, n. Etym: [Prob. an Anglo-Indian form of Hindi bap re O thou father! (a very disrespectful address).]
Defn: A squabble; a tumult; a noisy disturbance; as, to raise a bobbery. [Low] Halliwell.
BOBBIN Bob"bin, n. Etym: [F. bobine; of uncertain origin; cf. L. bombus a humming, from the noise it makes, or Ir. & Gael. baban tassel, or E. bob.]
1. A small pin, or cylinder, formerly of bone, now most commonly of wood, used in the making of pillow lace. Each thread is wound on a separate bobbin which hangs down holding the thread at a slight tension.
2. A spool or reel of various material and construction, with a head at one or both ends, and sometimes with a hole bored through its length by which it may be placed on a spindle or pivot. It is used to hold yarn or thread, as in spinning or warping machines, looms, sewing machines, etc.
3. The little rounded piece of wood, at the end of a latch string, which is pulled to raise the latch.
4. (Haberdashery)
Defn: A fine cord or narrow braid.
5. (Elec.)
Defn: A cylindrical or spool-shaped coil or insulated wire, usually containing a core of soft iron which becomes magnetic when the wire is traversed by an electrical current. Bobbin and fly frame, a roving machine. — Bobbin lace, lace made on a pillow with bobbins; pillow lace.
BOBBINETBob`bi*net", n. Etym: [Bobbin + net.]
Defn: A kind of cotton lace which is wrought by machines, and not by hand. [Sometimes written bobbin net.]The English machine-made net is now confined to point net, warp net, and bobbin net, so called from the peculiar construction of the machines by which they are produced. Tomlinsom.
BOBBINWORKBob"bin*work`, n.
Defn: Work woven with bobbins.
BOBBISHBob"bish, a.
Defn: Hearty; in good spirits. [Low, Eng.] Dickens.
BOBBYBob"by, n.
Defn: A nickname for a policeman; — from Sir Robert Peel, who remodeled the police force. See Peeler. [Slang, Eng.] Dickens.
BOB-CHERRYBob"-cher`ry, n.
Defn: A play among children, in which a cherry, hung so as to bob against the mouth, is to be caught with the teeth.
BOBFLYBob"fly`, n. (Fishing)
Defn: The fly at the end of the leader; an end fly.
BOBOLINKBob"o*link`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An American singing bird (Dolichonyx oryzivorus). The male isblack and white; the female is brown; — called also, ricebird,reedbird, and Boblincoln.The happiest bird of our spring is the bobolink. W. Irving.
BOBSLED; BOBSLEIGHBob"sled`, Bob"sleigh`, n.
Defn: A short sled, mostly used as one of a pair connected by a reach or coupling; also, the compound sled so formed. [U. S.] The long wagon body set on bobsleds. W. D. Howells.
BOBSTAYBob"stay` (, n. Etym: [Bob + stay.] (Naut.)
Defn: A rope or chain to confine the bowsprit of a ship downward to the stem or cutwater; — usually in the pl.
BOBTAILBob"tail`, n. Etym: [Bob + tail.]
Defn: An animal (as a horse or dog) with a short tail. Rag, tag, and bobtail, the rabble.
BOBTAILBob"tail`, a.
Defn: Bobtailed. "Bobtail cur." Marryat.
BOBTAILEDBob"tailed` (, a.
Defn: Having the tail cut short, or naturally short; curtailed; as, a bobtailed horse or dog; a bobtailed coat.
BOBWHITEBob"white`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The common qua(Colinus, or Ortyx, Virginianus); — so called from its note.
BOB WIGBob" wig` (.
Defn: A short wig with bobs or short curls; — called also bobtail wig. Spectator.
BOCALBo"cal, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A cylindrical glass vessel, with a large and short neck.
BOCARDOBo*car"do, n. Etym: [A mnemonic word.]
1. (Logic)
Defn: A form of syllogism of which the first and third propositionsare particular negatives, and the middle term a universalaffirmative.Baroko and Bocardo have been stumbling blocks to the logicians.Bowen.
2. A prison; — originally the name of the old north gate in Oxford, which was used as a prison. [Eng.] Latimer.
BOCASINEBoc"a*sine, n. Etym: [F. bocassin, boucassin.]
Defn: A sort of fine buckram.
BOCCABoc"ca, n. Etym: [It., mouth.]
Defn: The round hole in the furnace of a glass manufactory through which the fused glass is taken out. Craig.
BOCEBoce, n. Etym: [L. box, bocis, Gr. , .] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A European fish (Box vulgaris), having a compressed body and bright colors; — called also box, and bogue.
BOCK BEER Bock" beer` (. Etym: [G. bockbier; bock a buck + bier beer; — said to be so named from its tendency to cause the drinker to caper like a goat.]
Defn: A strong beer, originally made in Bavaria. [Also written buck beer.]
BOCKELETBock"e*let, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A kind of long-winged hawk; — called also bockerel, and bockeret. [Obs.]
BOCKEYBock"ey, n. Etym: [D. bokaal.]
Defn: A bowl or vessel made from a gourd. [Local, New York] Bartlett.
BOCKINGBock"ing, n.
Defn: A coarse woolen fabric, used for floor cloths, to cover carpets, etc.; — so called from the town of Bocking, in England, where it was first made.
BOCKLANDBock"land, n.
Defn: See Bookland.
BODDICEBod"dice, n.
Defn: See Bodick.
BODE Bode, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boded; p. pr. & vb. n. Boding.] Etym: [OE. bodien, AS. bodian to announce, tell from bod command; akin to Icel. bo to announce, Sw. båda to announce, portend. sq. root89. See Bid.]
Defn: To indicate by signs, as future events; to be the omen of; toportend to presage; to foreshow.A raven that bodes nothing but mischief. Goldsmith.Good onset bodes good end. Spenser.
BODEBode, v. i.
Defn: To foreshow something; to augur.Whatever now The omen proved, it boded well to you. Dryden.
Syn.— To forebode; foreshadow; augur; betoken.
BODEBode, n.
1. An omen; a foreshadowing. [Obs.] The owl eke, that of death the bode bringeth. Chaucer.
2. A bid; an offer. [Obs. or Dial.] Sir W. Scott
BODEBode, n. Etym: [AS. boda; akin to OFries. boda, AS. bodo, OHG. boto.See Bode, v. t.]
Defn: A messenger; a herald. Robertson.
BODEBode, n. Etym: [See Abide.]
Defn: A stop; a halting; delay. [Obs.]
BODEBode, imp. & p. p. from Bide.
Defn: Abode.There that night they bode. Tennyson.
BODEBode, p. p.
Defn: of Bid. Bid or bidden. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BODEFULBode"ful, a.
Defn: Portentous; ominous. Carlyle.
BODEMENTBode"ment, n.
Defn: An omen; a prognostic. [Obs.]This foolish, dreaming, superstitious girl Makes all these bodements.Shak.
BODGEBodge, n.
Defn: A botch; a patch. [Dial.] Whitlock.
BODGEBodge, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bodged.]
Defn: To botch; to mend clumsily; to patch. [Obs. or Dial.]
BODGEBodge, v. i.
Defn: See Budge.
BODHISAT; BODHISATTVA; BODHISATTWA Bo"dhi*sat, Bo`dhi*satt"va, Bo`dhi*satt"wa, n. [Skr. bodhisattva (perh. through Pali bodhisatto); fr. bodhi knowledge, enlightenment + sattva being, essence.] (Buddhism)
Defn: One who has reached the highest degree of saintship, so that in his next incarnation he will be a Buddha, or savior of the world. — Bo"dhi*sat`ship, n.
BODIANBo"di*an, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large food fish (Diagramma lineatum), native of the EastIndies.
BODICE Bod"ice, n. Etym: [This is properly the plural of body, Oe. bodise a pair of bodies, equiv. to a bodice. Cf. Corset, and see Body.]
1. A kind of under waist stiffened with whalebone, etc., worn esp. by women; a corset; stays.
2. A close-fitting outer waist or vest forming the upper part of a woman's dress, or a portion of it. Her bodice half way she unlaced. Prior.
BODICEDBod"iced, a.
Defn: Wearing a bodice. Thackeray.
BODIEDBod"ied, a.
Defn: Having a body; — usually in composition; as, able-bodied. A doe . . . not altogether so fat, but very good flesh and good bodied. Hakluyt.
BODILESSBod"i*less, a.
1. Having no body.
2. Without material form; incorporeal. Phantoms bodiless and vain. Swift.
BODILINESSBod"i*li*ness, n.
Defn: Corporeality. Minsheu.
BODILYBod"i*ly, a.
1. Having a body or material form; physical; corporeal; consisting of matter. You are a mere spirit, and have no knowledge of the bodily part of us. Tatler.
2. Of or pertaining to the body, in distinction from the mind. "Bodily defects." L'Estrange.
3. Real; actual; put in execution. [Obs.] Be brought to bodily act. Shak. Bodily fear, apprehension of physical injury.
Syn.— See Corporal.
BODILYBod"i*ly, adv.
1. Corporeally; in bodily form; united with a body or matter; in the body. For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Col. ii. 9
2. In respect to, or so as to affect, the entire body or mass; entirely; all at once; completely; as, to carry away bodily. "Leapt bodily below." Lowell.
BODINGBod"ing, a.
Defn: Foreshowing; presaging; ominous.— Bod"ing*ly, adv.
BODINGBod"ing, n.
Defn: A prognostic; an omen; a foreboding.
BODKIN Bod"kin, n. Etym: [OE. boydekyn dagger; of uncertain origin; cf. W. bidog hanger, short sword, Ir. bideog, Gael. biodag.]
1. A dagger. [Obs.] When he himself might his quietus make With a bare bodkin. Shak.
2. (Needlework)
Defn: An implement of steel, bone, ivory, etc., with a sharp point, for making holes by piercing; a
3. (Print.)
Defn: A sharp tool, like an awl, used for picking
4. A kind of needle with a large eye and a blunt point, for drawing tape, ribbon, etc., through a loop or a hem; a tape needle. Wedged whole ages in a bodkin's eye. Pope.
5. A kind of pin used by women to fasten the hair. To sit, ride, or travel bodkin, to sit closely wedged between two persons. [Colloq.] Thackeray.
BODKINBod"kin, n.
Defn: See Baudekin. [Obs.] Shirley.
BODLEBo"dle, n.
Defn: A small Scotch coin worth about one sixth of an English penny.Sir W. Scott.
BODLEIANBod"lei*an, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Sir Thomas Bodley, or to the celebrated library at Oxford, founded by him in the sixteenth century.
BODOCKBo*dock", n. Etym: [Corrupt. fr. bois d'arc.]
Defn: The Osage orange. [Southwestern U.S.]
BODRAGEBod"rage, n. Etym: [Prob. of Celtic origin: cf. Bordrage.]
Defn: A raid. [Obs.]
BOD VEALBod veal.
Defn: Veal too immature to be suitable for food.
BODY Bod"y, n.; pl. Bodies. Etym: [OE. bodi, AS. bodig; akin to OHG. botah. sq. root257. Cf. Bodice.]
1. The material organized substance of an animal, whether living or dead, as distinguished from the spirit, or vital principle; the physical person. Absent in body, but present in spirit. 1 Cor. v. 3 For of the soul the body form doth take. For soul is form, and doth the body make. Spenser.
2. The trunk, or main part, of a person or animal, as distinguished from the limbs and head; the main, central, or principal part, as of a tree, army, country, etc. Who set the body and the limbs Of this great sport together Shak. The van of the king's army was led by the general; . . . in the body was the king and the prince. Clarendon. Rivers that run up into the body of Italy. Addison.
3. The real, as opposed to the symbolical; the substance, as opposed to the shadow. Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Col. ii. 17.
4. A person; a human being; — frequently in composition; as, anybody, nobody. A dry, shrewd kind of a body. W. Irving.
5. A number of individuals spoken of collectively, usually as united by some common tie, or as organized for some purpose; a collective whole or totality; a corporation; as, a legislative body; a clerical body. A numerous body led unresistingly to the slaughter. Prescott.
6. A number of things or particulars embodied in a system; a general collection; as, a great body of facts; a body of laws or of divinity.
7. Any mass or portion of matter; any substance distinct from others; as, a metallic body; a moving body; an aëriform body. "A body of cold air." Huxley. By collision of two bodies, grind The air attrite to fire. Milton.
8. Amount; quantity; extent.
9. That part of a garment covering the body, as distinguished from the parts covering the limbs.
10. The bed or box of a vehicle, on or in which the load is placed; as, a wagon body; a cart body.
11. (Print.)
Defn: The shank of a type, or the depth of the shank (by which the size is indicated); as, a nonpareil face on an agate body.
12. (Geom.)
Defn: A figure that has length, breadth, and thickness; any solid figure.
13. Consistency; thickness; substance; strength; as, this color has body; wine of a good body.
Note: Colors bear a body when they are capable of being ground so fine, and of being mixed so entirely with oil, as to seem only a very thick oil of the same color. After body (Naut.), the part of a ship abaft the dead flat. — Body cavity (Anat.), the space between the walls of the body and the inclosed viscera; the cælum; — in mammals, divided by the diaphragm into thoracic and abdominal cavities. — Body of a church, the nave. — Body cloth; pl. Body cloths, a cloth or blanket for covering horses. — Body clothes. (pl.)
1. Clothing for the body; esp. underclothing.
2. Body cloths for horses. [Obs.] Addison. — Body coat, a gentleman's dress coat. — Body color (Paint.), a pigment that has consistency, thickness, or body, in distinction from a tint or wash. — Body of a law (Law), the main and operative part. — Body louse (Zoöl.), a species of louse (Pediculus vestimenti), which sometimes infests the human body and clothes. See Grayback. — Body plan (Shipbuilding), an end elevation, showing the conbour of the sides of a ship at certain points of her length. — Body politic, the collective body of a nation or state as politically organized, or as exercising political functions; also, a corporation. Wharton. As to the persons who compose the body politic or associate themselves, they take collectively the name of "people", or "nation". Bouvier. — Body servant, a valet. — The bodies seven (Alchemy), the metals corresponding to the planets. [Obs.] Sol gold is, and Luna silver we threpe (=call), Mars yren (=iron), Mercurie quicksilver we clepe, Saturnus lead, and Jupiter is tin, and Venus coper. Chaucer. — Body snatcher, one who secretly removes without right or authority a dead body from a grave, vault, etc.; a resurrectionist. — Body snatching (Law), the unauthorized removal of a dead body from the grave; usually for the purpose of dissection.
BODYBod"y, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bodied (p. pr. & vb. n. Bodying.]
Defn: To furnish with, or as with, a body; to produce in definite shape; to embody. To body forth, to give from or shape to mentally. Imagination bodies forth The forms of things unknown. Shak.
BODYGUARDBod"y*guard` (, n.
1. A guard to protect or defend the person; a lifeguard.
2. Retinue; attendance; following. Bp. Porteus.
BOEOTIAN Boe*o"tian, a. Etym: [L. Boeotia, Gr. , noted for its moist, thick atmosphere, and the dullness and stupidity of its inhabitants.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Boeotia; hence, stupid; dull; obtuse. — n.
Defn: A native of Boeotia; also, one who is dull and ignorant.
BOERBoer, n. Etym: [D., a farmer. See Boor.]
Defn: A colonist or farmer in South Africa of Dutch descent.
BOESBo"es, 3d sing. pr. of Behove.
Defn: Behoves or behooves. [Obs.] Chaucer.
BOG Bog, n. Etym: [Ir. & Gael. bog soft, tender, moist: cf. Ir. bogach bog, moor, marsh, Gael. bogan quagmire.]
1. A quagmire filled with decayed moss and other vegetable matter; wet spongy ground where a heavy body is apt to sink; a marsh; a morass. Appalled with thoughts of bog, or caverned pit, Of treacherous earth, subsiding where they tread. R. Jago.
2. A little elevated spot or clump of earth, roots, and grass, in a marsh or swamp. [Local, U. S.] Bog bean. See Buck bean. — Bog bumper (bump, to make a loud noise), Bog blitter, Bog bluiter, Bog jumper, the bittern. [Prov.] — Bog butter, a hydrocarbon of butterlike consistence found in the peat bogs of Ireland. — Bog earth (Min.), a soil composed for the most part of silex and partially decomposed vegetable fiber. P. Cyc. — Bog moss. (Bot.) Same as Sphagnum. — Bog myrtle (Bot.), the sweet gale. — Bog ore. (Min.) (a) An ore of iron found in boggy or swampy land; a variety of brown iron ore, or limonite. (b) Bog manganese, the hydrated peroxide of manganese. — Bog rush (Bot.), any rush growing in bogs; saw grass. — Bog spavin. See under Spavin.
BOGBog, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bogged; p. pr. & vb. n. Bogging.]
Defn: To sink, as into a bog; to submerge in a bog; to cause to sinkand stick, as in mud and mire.At another time, he was bogged up to the middle in the slough ofLochend. Sir W. Scott.
BOGBERRYBog"ber`ry, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The small cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus), which grows in boggy places.
BOGEYBo"gey, n.
Defn: A goblin; a bugbear. See Bogy.