# Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary 1908/Bring Byzantine

fāte, fär; mē, hėr; mīne; mōte; mūte; mōōn; then.
Bring, bring, v.t. to fetch: to carry: to procure: to occasion: to draw or lead:—pa.t. and pa.p. brought (brawt).—Bring about, to bring to pass, effect; Bring down, to humble; Bring forth, to give birth to, produce; Bring home, to prove, to impress; Bring in, to introduce; Bring off, to bring away, as by a boat from a ship, to rescue; Bring on, to cause to advance; Bring out, to express: to produce before the public, as a book, a play, a subscription: to introduce a young woman formally into so-called society; Bring over, to convert; Bring round, to restore from illness; Bring to, to check the course of, as a ship, by trimming the sails so as to counteract each other; Bring under, to subdue; Bring up, to rear or educate. [A.S. bringan, to carry, to bring; allied perh. to Bear.]
Brinjarry, brin-zhar′i, n. a travelling dealer in grain and salt in Southern India. [Hind. bānjāra.]
Brink, bringk, n. the edge or border of a steep place or of a river: (fig.) the very verge of time, at the very point of something—e.g. To be on the brink of death. [Dan. brink, declivity; Ice. bringa, a hillock.]
Brio, brī′o, n. liveliness, vivacity. [It. brio.]
Brioche, bri-osh′, n. a sponge-cake. [Fr.]
Briony. Same as Bryony.
Briquette, bri-ket′, n. a brick-shaped block of coal formed from coal-dust. [Fr. briquette, dim. of brique, a Brick.]
Brisk, brisk, adj. full of life and spirit: active: sharp: effervescing, as liquors.—v.t. to enliven, freshen.—v.i. to cheer up.—adjs. Brisk′ish, Brisk′y, (Shak.).—adv. Brisk′ly.—n. Brisk′ness. [Dr Murray notes that the word is first found in the end of the 16th century; prob. W. brysg, swift of foot; cf. Gael. brisg, Ir. briosg.]
Brisket, brisk′et, n. the breast of an animal: the part of the breast next to the ribs. [Fr. brechet, brichet.]
Bristle, bris′l, n. a short, stiff hair, as of swine.—v.i. to stand erect, as bristles.—v.t. to cover, as with bristles: to make bristly:—pr.p. bris′tling; pa.p. brist′led.—adj. Bristled (bris′ld), furnished with bristles.—n. Brist′liness.—adj. Brist′ly, set with bristles: rough.—To set up one's bristles, to show temper. [A.S. byrst; Scot. birse; cog. with Ger. borste, Ice. burst.]
Bristol-board, bris′tul-bōrd, n. a smooth pasteboard.—ns. Bris′tol-brick, an earthy material for scouring cutlery, like bath-brick; Bris′tol-dī′amond, a kind of crystal found near Bristol. [From the town of Bristol, in England.]
Brisure, bri-zhūr′, n. (fort.) any part of a rampart or parapet which breaks off at an angle from the general direction: (her.) a variation of a coat-of-arms, showing the relation of a younger to the main line. [Fr.—briser, to break.]
Britannia-metal, brit-an′i-a-met′l, n. a metallic alloy largely used in the manufacture of spoons, &c.
Britannic, brit-an′ik, adj. pertaining to Britannia or Great Britain: British.—adj. British, in ethnography, Old Celtic as opposed to Anglo-Saxon: pertaining to Great Britain or its people—ns. Brit′isher, a British subject (Amer.); Brit′on, a native of Britain.
Brittle, brit′l, adj. apt to break: easily broken: frail.—ns. Britt′leness; Britt′le-stars, or Sand-stars, one of the classes of Echinodermata, including forms not far removed from starfishes. [A.S. bréotan, to break.]
Britzka, Britzska, brits′ka, n. an open four-wheeled carriage with shutters to close at pleasure, and only one seat.—Also Britschka, Britska. [Polish bryczka, dim. of bryka, a wagon.]
Broach, brōch, n. a tapering, pointed instrument, used chiefly for boring: a spit: a church spire.—v.t. to pierce as a cask, to tap: to open up or begin: to utter.—n. Broach′er, a broach or spit: one who broaches or utters.—To broach the admiral, to steal some liquor from a cask while being carried by rail or otherwise, or when in store; To broach to, to turn a ship to windward. [Fr. brocher, to pierce, broche, an iron pin—L. brocchus, a projecting tooth.]
Broad, brawd, adj. wide: large, free or open: outspoken: coarse, indelicate: of pronunciation, e.g. a broad accent.—advs. Broad, Broad′ly.—ns. Broad′-ar′row, a mark, thus, stamped on materials belonging to Government; Broad′-brim, a hat with a broad brim, such as those worn by Quakers: (coll.) a Quaker.—adj. Broad′cast, scattered or sown abroad by the hand: dispersed widely.—adv. by throwing at large from the hand, only in phrases, as, 'to scatter broadcast,' &c.—v.t. to scatter freely.—n. Broad′cloth, a fine kind of woollen fulled cloth, used for men's garments.—v.t. Broad′en, to make broad or broader.—v.i. to grow broad or extend in breadth.—adj. Broad′-eyed (Shak.), having a wide or extended survey.—ns. Broad′-gauge (see Gauge); Broad′ness.—n.pl. Broads, lake-like expansions of rivers.—ns. Broad′side, the side of a ship: all the guns on one side of a ship of war, or their simultaneous discharge: a sheet of paper printed on one side, otherwise named Broad′sheet; Broad′sword, a cutting sword with a broad blade: a man armed with such a sword.—Broad Church, a party within the Church of England which advocates a broad and liberal interpretation of dogmatic definitions and creed subscription—the name was first used in 1833 by W. J. Conybeare. [A.S. brád, Goth. braids.]
Brobdingnagian, brob-ding-nā′ji-an, n. an inhabitant of the fabulous region of Brobdingnag in Gulliver's Travels, the people of which were of great stature—hence a gigantic person.—adj. gigantic.—adj. Brobdingnag′, immense.
Brocade, brok-ād′, n. a silk stuff on which figures are wrought.—adj. Brocad′ed, woven or worked in the manner of brocade: dressed in brocade. [It. broccato, Fr. brocart, from It. broccare, Fr. brocher, to prick, stitch; from root of Broach.]
Brocage, brōk′āj, n. Obsolete spelling of Brokage (q.v. under Broker).
Brocard, brok′ärd, n. an elementary law or principle: a canon: (Fr.) a gibe. [Fr. brocard, Low L. brocarda, from Brocard or Burchard, Bishop of Worms, who published a book of ecclesiastical rules.]
Broccoli, brok′o-li, n. a cultivated kind of cabbage resembling cauliflower, of which it is originally a hardy variety. [It.; pl. of broccolo, a sprout, dim. of brocco, a skewer, a shoot.]
Broch, broh, n. the local name applied in the north of Scotland to the ancient dry-built circular castles, known also to the Gaelic-speaking people as duns, and to antiquaries as Pictish towers.—Also Brogh and Brough. [Old Norse borg; A.S. burh.]
Broch, brōch, obsolete spelling of Broach.
Brochure, bro-shōōr′, n. a pamphlet. [Lit. a small book stitched, Fr.—brocher, to stitch—broche, a needle. See Broach.]
Brock, brok, n. a badger—hence, from the smell, a dirty, stinking fellow.—adj. Brocked (Scot.), variegated, having a mixture of black and white. [From the Celt., as in Gael. broc, a badger, which is from Gael. breac, speckled.]
Brode, brōd, adv. (Spens.). Same as Abroad.
Brodekin, Brodkin, brōd′kin, n. a buskin. [Fr. brodequin.]
Brog, brog, n. a pointed steel instrument used for piercing holes: (Scot.) an awl.—v.t. to prick. [Ety. dub.; the Gael. brog; an awl, is prob. borrowed.]
Brogue, brōg, n. a stout coarse shoe: a dialect or manner of pronunciation, esp. the Irish. [Ir. and Gael. brog, a shoe.]
Broider, broid′ėr, Broidery, broid′ėr-i. Same as Embroider, Embroidery.—Broidered (B.) = Embroidered.
Broil, broil, n. a noisy quarrel: a confused disturbance—(Scot.) Brul′yie, Brul′zie.—n. Broil′er, one who stirs up broils. [Fr. brouiller, to trouble.]
Broil, broil, v.t. to cook over hot coals: to grill.—v.i. to be greatly heated. [Ety. dub.]
Broke, brōk, pa.t. and old pa.p. of Break.—p.adj. Brok′en, rent asunder: infirm: humbled or crushed: dispersed, routed: altered in direction: shattered in estate or position: incomplete, fragmentary: uncertain.—adjs. Brok′en-backed, having the back broken, applied to a ship so loosened in her frame as to droop at both ends; Brok′en-down, decayed, ruined in character or strength; Brok′en-heart′ed, crushed with grief: greatly depressed in spirit.—adv. Brok′enly.—ns. Brok′en-man, one under outlawry, esp. in the Highlands and Border country; Brok′en-meat, the leavings of a banquet; Brok′enness.—adj. Brok′en-wind′ed, having short breath or disordered respiration, as a horse.
Broker, brōk′ėr, n. one employed to buy and sell for others: a second-hand dealer: a pander: a commissioner.—v.i. Broke, to bargain, negotiate: (Shak.) to act as a pander or go-between:—pr.p. brōk′ing; pa.p. brōked.—ns. Brok′erage, Brok′age, the business of a broker: the commission charged by a broker: a commission charged for transacting business for others; Brok′ery, the business of a broker.—p.adj. Brok′ing, doing business as a broker: practised by brokers. [M. E. brocour—A.S. brucan; Ger. brauchen, to use, to profit.]
Bromate. See Bromine.
Brome-grass, brōm′-gras, n. a kind of grass bearing a strong resemblance to oats. [Gr. brōmos, and bromos, grass.]
Bromine, brōm′in, n. one of the elements, closely allied to chlorine, so called from its disagreeable smell.—adj. Brom′ic, pertaining to bromine.—ns. Brom′ate, a combination of bromic acid with a salifiable base; Brom′ide, a combination of bromine with a base.—Bromic acid, an acid composed of bromine and oxygen. [Gr. brōmos, a disagreeable odour.]
Bronchiæ, brongk′i-ē, n.pl. a name given to the ramifications of the windpipe which carry air into the lungs.—adjs. Bronch′ic, Bronch′ial.—n. Bronchī′tis, inflammation of the bronchiæ. [L.—Gr. bronchia, the bronchial tubes.]
Broncho, Bronco, brong′ko, n. (U.S.) a half-tamed horse. [Sp. bronco, rough, sturdy.]
Brond. Same as Brand.
Bronze, bronz, n. an alloy of copper and tin used in various ways since the most ancient times: anything cast in bronze: the colour of bronze: (fig.) impudence.—adj. made of bronze: coloured like bronze.—v.t. to give the appearance of bronze to: (fig.) to harden.—adj. Bronzed, coated with bronze: hardened.—ns. Bronze′-steel, or Steel-bronze, a specially hardened bronze; Bronze′-wing, Bronze′-pi′geon, a species of Australian pigeon having wings marked with a lustrous bronze colour.—v.t. Bronz′ify, to make into bronze.—ns. Bronz′ing, the process of giving the appearance of bronze; Bronz′ite, a lustrous kind of diallage.—adj. Bronz′y, having the appearance of bronze.—Bronze age or period, a term in prehistoric archæology denoting the condition or stage of culture of a people using bronze as the material for cutting implements and weapons—as a stage of culture coming between the use of stone and the use of iron for those purposes—not an absolute division of time, but a relative condition of culture. [Fr.—It. bronzo—L. Brundusium, the modern Brindisi.]
Broo, brōō (mod. Scot.—vowel sounded like Ger. ü), n. (Scot.) broth. [Ety. dub.: prob. O. Fr. bro, breu, broth; prob conn. with Bree.]
Brooch, brōch, n. an ornamental pin or instrument for fastening any article of dress, consisting for the most part either of a ring or disc, or of a semicircle, there being a pin in either case passing across it, fastened at one end with a joint or loop, and at the other with a hook.—v.t. (Shak.) to adorn as with a brooch. [Fr. broche, a spit. See Broach.]
Brood, brōōd, v.t. to sit upon or cover in order to breed or hatch: to hatch: to cover, as with wings: to mature or foster with care: to meditate moodily upon.—v.i. to sit as a hen on eggs: to hover over: to think anxiously for some time: to meditate silently (with on, over): to be bred.—n. something bred: offspring, children, or family: a race, kind: parentage: the number hatched at once.—adj. for breeding, as in brood-mare, &c.—adv. Brood′ingly.—adj. Brood′y, inclined to sit or incubate. [A.S. bród; Dut. broed; what is hatched.]
Brook, brōōk, n. a small stream.—ns. Brook′let, a little brook; Brook′lime, a species of speedwell found in ditches. [A.S. bróc, water breaking forth; Dut. broek, Ger. bruch.]
Brook, brōōk, v.t. to enjoy: to bear or endure. [A.S. búrcan, to use, enjoy; Ger. brauchen, L. frui, fructus.]
Brool, brōōl, n. a deep murmur. [Ger. brüll, a roar.]
Broom, brōōm, n. a name given to a number of species of shrubs of the closely allied genera Cytisus, Genista, and Spartium: a besom made of its twigs.—v.t. to sweep with a broom.—ns. Broom′-corn, a species of plant resembling maize, cultivated for its seed and its spikes, of which brooms are made; Broom′-rape, a parasitic plant found adhering to the root of broom, clover, &c.; Broom′staff, Broom′stick, the staff or handle of a broom.—adj. Broom′y, abounding in or consisting of broom.—To marry over the broomstick, or To jump the besom, to go through an irregular form of marriage, in which both jump over a broomstick. [A.S. bróm; Ger. bram.]
Broose, brüz, n. (Scot.) a race at weddings in Scotland. [Derivation unknown.]
Brose, brōz, n. a simple and nutritious food, made by pouring boiling water or milk on oatmeal, seasoned with salt and butter.—Athole brose, a mixture of whisky and honey. [Scot.; O. Fr. broez.]
Broth, broth, n. an infusion or decoction of vegetable and animal substances in water.—A broth of a boy (Irish), a first-rate fellow. [A.S. broth—bréowan, to brew. See Brew.]
Brothel, broth′el, n. a house of ill-fame. [M. E. brothel—A. S. broð-en, ruined, bréðen, to go to ruin.]
Brother, bruth′ėr, n. a male born of the same parents: any one closely united with or resembling another; associated in common interests, occupation, &c.: a fellow-member of a religious order, a fellow-member of a guild, &c.: a fellow-creature, fellow-citizen, a co-religionist: (B.) a kinsman: pl. Broth′ers and Breth′ren, the latter esp. used in the sense of fellow-membership of guilds, religious communities, &c., and is a name given to certain sections of the Church of Christ, as Christian Brethren, Moravian Brethren, Plymouth Brethren, &c.—ns. Broth′er-ger′man, a brother having the same father and mother, in contradistinction to a half-brother, by one parent only; Broth′erhood, the state of being a brother: an association of men for any purpose; Broth′er-in-law, the brother of a husband or wife: a sister's husband.—adjs. Broth′er-like, Broth′erly, like a brother: kind: affectionate.—n. Broth′erliness, state of being brotherly: kindness. [A.S. broðor; cog. with Ger. bruder, Gael. brathair, Fr. frère, L. frater, Sans. bhrátar.]
Brougham, brōō′am, or brōōm, n. a one-horse close carriage, either two or four wheeled, named after Lord Brougham (1778-1868).
Brought, brawt, pa.t. and pa.p. of Bring.
Brow, brow, n. the eyebrow: the ridge over the eyes: the forehead: the edge of a hill: a gallery in a coalmine running across the face of the coal: (fig.) aspect, appearance.—v.t. Brow′beat, to bear down with stern looks or speech: to bully.—adjs. Brow′-bound, having the brow bound as with a crown: crowned; Brow′less, without shame. [A.S. brú; Ice. brün.]
Brown, brown, adj. of a dark or dusky colour, inclining to red or yellow: dark-complexioned: sunburnt.—n. a dark-reddish colour: (slang) a copper.—v.t. to make brown, or give a brown colour to: to roast brown.—ns. Brown′-bess, the old British flint-lock musket—from the brown walnut stock; Brown′-bill, a foot-soldier's or watchman's halbert, painted brown; Brown′-bread, bread of a brown colour, made of unbolted flour; Brown′-coal, commonly called Lignite, an imperfect kind of coal which exhibits more of its woody structure than ordinary coal; Brown′-George, a hard biscuit: a brown earthen vessel; Brown′ing, the process of imparting a brown colour to iron articles: a preparation for giving a brown colour to gravy, &c., or for dressing brown leather.—adj. Brown′ish.—ns. Brown′ness; Brown′-pā′per, coarse and strong paper used chiefly for wrapping; Brown′-spar, a name given to certain varieties of dolomite or magnesian limestone, distinguished by their brownish colour; Brown′-stout, a kind of porter; Brown′-stud′y, gloomy reverie: absent-mindedness.—adj. Brown′y (Shak.), of a brown colour.—To do brown (slang), to do thoroughly, to deceive or take in completely. [A.S. brún; Dut. bruin, Ger. braun.]
Brownie, brown′i, n. a kind of domestic spirit in the folklore of Scotland, represented as a good-humoured, drudging goblin, who attached himself to farmhouses, and occupied himself overnight in churning, thrashing corn, and the like. [Brown.]
Brownist, brown′ist, n. one holding the Church principles of Robert Browne (1550-1633), which may be said to have given birth to the Independents or Congregationalists of England.
Browse, browz, v.t. and v.i. to feed on the shoots or leaves of plants.—ns. Browse, Brows′ing, the shoots and leaves of plants: fodder: the action of the verb browse. [O. Fr. brouster (Fr. brouter)—broust, a sprout.]
Browst, browst, n. (Scot.) a brewing. [Brew.]
Bruckle, bruk′l, adj. (Scot.) liable to break, brittle. [A.S. brucol—brekan, to Break.]
Bruin, brōō′in, n. a bear, so called from the name of the bear in the famous beast-epic Reynard the Fox, just as reynard and chanticleer have also passed from proper names into common names, often written without capitals. [Bruin = brown.]
Bruise, brōōz, v.t. to crush by beating or pounding: to oppress: to box or fight with the fists: to ride recklessly in hunting, careless alike of horse and crops: to reduce to small fragments.—n. a wound made by anything heavy and blunt.—p.adj. Bruised, hurt by a heavy blow, with skin crushed and discoloured.—n. Bruis′er, one that bruises: a boxer.—p.adj. Bruis′ing, boxing. [A.S. brýsan, to crush, with which, says Dr Murray, afterwards coalesced Fr. brisie-r; bruisier, bruser, to break.]
Bruit, brōōt, n. noise: something noised abroad: a rumour or report.—v.t. to noise abroad: to report: to celebrate. [Fr. bruit—Fr. bruire; cf. Low L. brugītus; prob. imit.]
Brulzie, bruilzie, brül′yi, n. Scotch and northern form of Broil.
Brumaire, brōōmār′, n. the second month in the French revolutionary calendar, extending from Oct. 22 to Nov. 20. [Fr. brume, fog—L. bruma, winter.]
Brume, brōōm, n. fog.—adjs. Brum′al, relating to winter; Brum′ous, foggy, wintry. [L. bruma, winter, contr. from brevima, the shortest day.]
Brummagem, brum′a-jem, adj. showy but worthless, sham, counterfeit. [From a popular pronunciation of Birmingham.]
Brunette, brōōn-et′, n. a girl with a brown or dark complexion. [Fr. dim. of brun, brown.]
Brunonian, brōō-no′ni-an, adj. relating to the system of medicine founded by Dr John Brown of Edinburgh (1736-88)—all diseases sthenic, those depending on an excess of excitement, or asthenic, those resulting from a deficiency of it.
Brunt, brunt, n. the shock of an onset or contest: the force of a blow: the chief stress or crisis of anything.—v.t. to bear the brunt of. [Ice. bruna, to advance like fire, is usually given; Dr Murray suggests that it may be an onomatopœia of Eng. itself (cf. Dunt), or connected with burnt—Scot. brunt.]
Brush, brush, n. an instrument for removing dust, usually made of bristles, twigs, feathers, or stiff grass stems: a kind of hair-pencil used by painters: a painter, one who uses the brush: brushwood: a skirmish or encounter: the tail of a fox: (elect.) a brush-like discharge of sparks: one of the bundles of copper wires or flexible strips in contact with the commutator of the armature on opposite sides, and which carry off the positive and negative currents of electricity generated.—v.t. to remove dust, &c., from by sweeping: to touch lightly in passing: remove (with off): to thrash.—v.i. to move over lightly: to make off with a rush.—n. Brush′ing, the act of rubbing or sweeping.—adj. in a lively manner: brisk.—ns. Brush′-wheel, a wheel used in light machinery to turn another by having the rubbing surface covered with stiff hairs or bristles; Brush′wood, rough close bushes: a thicket.—adj. Brush′y, rough, rugged.—To brush up, to brighten, revive. [O. Fr. brosse, a brush, brushwood—Low L. bruscia; Diez connects the Fr. with Old High Ger. burst, bursta, bristle.]
Brusque, brōōsk, adj. blunt, abrupt in manner, rude.—adv. Brusque′ly.—ns. Brusque′ness; Brusque′rie. [Fr. brusque; rude. See Brisk.]
Brussels, brus′elz, n. contracted from Brussels-carpet, a kind of carpet in which the worsted threads are arranged in the warp, and are interwoven into a network of linen. Still, the bulk of the carpet consists of wool.—n.pl. Bruss′els-sprouts, a variety of the common cabbage with sprouts like miniature cabbages. [Named from Brussels in Belgium.]
Brust, brust, pa.p. (Spens.). Same as Burst.
Brute, brōōt, adj. belonging to the lower animals: irrational: stupid: rude.—n. one of the lower animals.—adj. Brut′al, like a brute: unfeeling: inhuman.—v.t. Brut′alise, to make like a brute, to degrade.—v.i. to live like a brute.—n. Brutal′ity.—adv. Brut′ally.—n. Brute′ness, brute-like state: brutality: (Spens.) stupidity.—v.t. Brut′ify, to make brutal, stupid, or uncivilised:—pr.p. brutify′ing; pa.p. brutifīed′.—adj. Brut′ish, brutal: (B.) unwise.—adv. Brut′ishly.—n. Brut′ishness.—The brute creation, the lower animals. [Fr. brut—L. brutus, dull, irrational.]
Brutus, brōō′tus, n. a kind of wig: a way of wearing the hair brushed back from the forehead, popular at the time of the French Revolution, when it was an affectation to admire the old Romans, as Brutus.
Bryology, brī-ol′o-ji, n. the study of mosses. [Gr. bryon, moss, and logia—legein, to speak.]
Bryony, brī′o-ni, n. a wild climbing plant, common in English hedgerows.—Black bryony, a climbing plant similar to bryony in habit and disposition, but which may be readily distinguished by its simple, entire, heart-shaped leaves, which are smooth and somewhat glossy. [L.—Gr. bryōnia.]
Bryozoa, brī-ō-zō′a, n.pl. an old name for the Polyzoa, from their resemblance to mosses.
Brythonic, brīth-on′ik, adj. a name introduced by Prof. Rhys for the second of the two great divisions of Celtic ethnology. The Goidelic or Gadhelic group embraces Irish, Manx, and Gaelic; the Brythonic group, Welsh, Breton, and Cornish. [Brython, one of the Welsh words for the Welsh and so-called Ancient Britons.]
Bub, bub, n. (slang) strong drink.
Bubalis, bū′bal-is, n. a genus in the Antelope division of hollow-horned, even-toed Ruminants, not to be confused with the genus Bubalus, the Buffalo. [Gr.]
Bubble, bub′l, n. a bladder of water blown out with air: anything empty: a cheating scheme.—adj. unsubstantial, deceptive.—v.i. to rise in bubbles.—v.t. to cheat with bubble schemes:—pr.p. bubb′ling; pa.p. bubb′led.—adj. Bubb′ly.—n. Bubb′ly-jock, a Scotch name for a turkey-cock.—Bubble and squeak, meat and cabbage fried together.—To bubble over, as of a pot boiling, with anger, mirth, &c. [Cf. Sw. bubbla, Dut. bobbel.]
Bubo, bū′bo, n. an inflammatory swelling of the glands in the groin or armpit.—adj. Bubon′ic, accompanied by buboes.—n. Būb′ukle, a ridiculous word of Fluellen's for a red pimple, corrupted from bubo and carbuncle. [L.—Gr. boubōn, the groin.]
Buccal, buk′al, adj. pertaining to the cheek. [L.]
Buccaneer, Buccanier, buk-an-ēr′, n. one of the piratical adventurers in the West Indies during the 17th century, who plundered the Spaniards chiefly.—v.i. to act as a buccaneer.—n. Buccaneer′ing.—adj. Buccaneer′ish. [Fr. boucaner, to smoke meat—Carib. boucan, a wooden gridiron. The French settlers in the W.I. cooked their meat on a boucan in native fashion, and were hence called boucaniers.]
Buccinator, buk-sin-ā′tor, n. the name of a flat muscle forming the wall of the cheek, assisting in mastication and in the blowing of wind-instruments.—adj. Buccinat′ory. [L.;—buccinare.]
Bucentaur, bōō-sen′tawr, n. a mythical monster half man and half bull: the state barge of Venice used annually on Ascension Day in the ancient ceremony of the marriage of the state with the Adriatic. [It. bucentoro, usually explained as from Gr. bous, an ox, kentauros, a centaur.]
Bucephalus, bū-sef′a-lus, n. the famous war-horse of Alexander the Great: a familiar name for a riding-horse. [Gr.; bous, ox, kephalē, head.]
Buck, buk, n. the male of the deer, goat, hare, and rabbit—often used specifically of the male of the fallow-deer: a dashing young fellow.—v.i. (of a horse or mule—a Buck′jumper) to attempt to throw by a series of rapid jumps into the air, coming down with the back arched, the head down, and the forelegs stiff: (U.S.) to make obstinate resistance to any improvements.—ns. Buck′een, a poor Irish gentleman, without means to support his gentility; Buck′-eye, the American horse-chestnut; Buck′horn, the material of a buck's horn; Buck′-hound, a small kind of staghound used for hunting bucks; Buck′-shot, a large kind of shot, used in shooting deer; Buck′skin, a soft leather made of deerskin or sheepskin: a strong twilled woollen cloth, cropped of nap and carefully finished.—adj. made of the skin of a buck.—n.pl. Buck′skins, breeches made usually of the cloth, not of the leather.—ns. Buck′thorn, a genus of shrubs, the berry of which supplies the sap-green used by painters; Buck′-tooth, a projecting tooth. [A.S. buc, bucca; Dut. bok, Ger. bock, a he-goat.]
Buck, buk, v.t. to soak or steep in lye, a process in bleaching.—n. lye in which clothes are bleached.—n. Buck′-bas′ket, a basket in which clothes are carried to be bucked. [Ety. obscure; M. E. bouken; cog. words are Ger. bäuchen, beuchen.]
Buckbean, buk′bēn, n. the marsh-trefoil, a plant common in bogs in Britain. [Corr. of Bogbean.]
Bucket, buk′et, n. a vessel for drawing or holding water, &c.; one of the compartments on the circumference of a water-wheel, or one of the scoops of a dredging-machine: the leather socket for holding the whip in driving, or for the carbine or lance when mounted: a name given to the pitcher in some orchids.—ns. Buck′etful, as much as a bucket will hold; Buck′eting (U.S.), jerky rowing; Buck′et-shop, slang term for the offices of 'outside brokers'—mere agents for bets on the rise or fall of prices of stock, &c.; Buck′et-wheel, a contrivance for raising water by means of buckets attached to the circumference of a wheel.—Give the bucket, to dismiss; Kick the bucket (slang), to die. [Prob. conn. with A.S. búc, a pitcher; or O. Fr. buket, a pail. Not Gael. bucaid, a bucket.]
Buckie, buk′i, n. (Scot.) a shellfish such as the whelk: a refractory person. [Scot., prob. related somehow to L. buccinum, a shellfish.]
Buckle, buk′l, n. a metal instrument consisting of a rim and tongue, used for fastening straps or bands in dress, harness, &c.—v.t. to fasten with a buckle: to prepare for action: to engage in close fight.—v.i. to bend or bulge out: to engage with zeal in a task.—n. Buck′ler, a small shield used for parrying. [Fr. boucle, the boss of a shield, a ring—Low L. buccula, dim. of bucca, a cheek.]
Buckra, buk′ra, n. a word used by West Indian and American negroes for a white man—said in a dialect of the Calabar coast to mean 'demon.'
Buckram, buk′ram, n. a coarse open-woven fabric of cotton or linen made very stiff with size, used for the framework of ladies' bonnets, for the inside of belts and collars of dresses, and for bookbinding: stiffness in manners and appearance.—adj. made of buckram: stiff: precise.—v.t. to give the quality of buckram. [O. Fr. boquerant.]
Buckshish. Same as Backsheesh.
Buckwheat, buk′hwēt, n. a species of Polygonum, grown in Germany, Brittany, &c., for feeding horses, cattle, and poultry—buckwheat cakes are esteemed on American breakfast-tables. [Prob. Dut. boekweit, or Ger. buckweize.]
Bucolic, -al, bū-kol′ik, -al, adj. pertaining to the tending of cattle: pastoral: rustic, countrified.—n. Bucol′ic, a pastoral poem. [L.—Gr. boukolikos—boukolos, a herdsman.]
Bud, bud, n. the first shoot of a tree or plant: used of young people, as a term of endearment.—v.i. to put forth buds: to begin to grow.—v.t. to put forth as buds: to graft, as a plant, by inserting a bud under the bark of another tree:—pr.p. bud′ding; pa.p. bud′ded.—n. Bud′ding, a method of propagation by means of buds.—adjs. Bud′dy; Bud′less.—To nip in the bud, to destroy at its very beginning. [M. E. budde; prob. related to Dut. bot, a bud.]
Buddha, bōōd′da, n. an epithet applied to Sakyamuni or Gautama, the founder of the Buddhist religion.—ns. Bud′dhism, the religion founded by Buddha; Bud′dhist, a believer in Buddhism.—adjs. Buddhist′ic, Bud′dhist, pertaining to Buddhism.—Esoteric Buddhism (see Theosophy). [Sans. buddha, wise, from budh, to know.]
Buddle, bud′l, v.t. to wash ore with a buddle or inclined hutch over which water flows.
Budge, buj, v.i. and v.t. to move or stir.—n. Budg′er, one who stirs. [Fr. bouger—It. bulicare, to boil, to bubble—L. bullire.]
Budge, buj, n. lambskin fur.—adj. pompous: stiff. [Derivation unknown.]
Budget, buj′et, n. a sack with its contents: a compact collection of things: a socket in which the end of a cavalry carbine rests: that miscellaneous collection of matters which aggregate into the annual financial statement made to parliament by the Chancellor of the Exchequer. [Fr. bougette, dim. of bouge, a pouch—L. bulga.]
Buff, buf, n. a pliant and uncracking leather used for soldiers' belts and other military purposes, made out of salted and dried South American light ox and cow hides: a military coat: the colour of buff: a light yellow: the bare skin: (pl.) certain regiments in the British army, so named from their buff-coloured facings—e.g. East Kent Regiment, Ross-shire Buffs.—ns. Buff′-coat, a strong military coat: a soldier; Buff′-wheel, Buff′-stick, a wheel or stick covered with buff-leather or the like, and sprinkled with emery, for polishing.—In buff, naked. [Fr. buffle, a buffalo.]
Buff, buf, n. (obs.) a buffet, blow, or stroke.—v.t. to strike. [O. Fr. buffe, a blow.]
Buffalo, buf′a-lō, n. a genus of the ox kind, the tame, often domesticated Asiatic buffalo, and the entirely wild and fierce Cape buffalo. The so-called American buffalo is really a 'bison.' [It. buffalo, through L. from Gr. boubalos.]
Buffer, buf′ėr, n. a mechanical apparatus for deadening the force of a concussion, as in railway carriages: a fellow, as in 'old buffer.'—n. Buff′er-state, a neutral country lying between two others, whose relations are or may become strained.
Buffet, buf′et, n. a blow with the fist, a slap.—v.t. to strike with the hand or fist: to contend against.—n. Buff′eting, a striking with the hand, boxing: contention. [O. Fr. bufet—bufe, a blow, esp. on the cheek.]
Buffet, buf′et, n. a kind of sideboard: a low stool: a refreshment-bar (in this sense often pronounced buf'ā). [Fr. buffet; origin unknown.]
Buffoon, buf-ōōn′, n. one who amuses by jests, grimaces, &c.: a clown: a fool.—ns. Buff′o, the comic actor in an opera; Buffoon′ery, the practices of a buffoon; ludicrous or vulgar jesting. [Fr. bouffon—It. buffone, buffare, to jest.]
Bug, bug, n. an object of terror.—ns. Big-bug (slang), an aristocrat; Bug′aboo, a bogy, or object of terror; Bug′bear, an object of terror, generally imaginary.—adj. causing fright. [M. E. bugge, prob. W. bwg, a hobgoblin.]
Bug, bug, n. a name applied loosely to certain insects, esp. to one (Cimex lectularius) that infests houses and beds: in America applied to any insect.
Buggery, bug′gėr-i, n. the crime of bestiality, unnatural vice. [Fr. bougre—L. Bulgarus, a Bulgarian, a heretic.]
Buggy, bug′i, n. a name given to several kinds of light carriages or gigs—in America, a light one-horse, four-wheeled vehicle with one seat; in England, two-wheeled; in India, provided with a hood to ward off the sun. [By some conn. with Bogie; ety. really quite unknown.]
Bugle, bū′gl, Bugle-horn, bū′gl-horn, n. a hunting-horn, originally a buffalo-horn: a treble musical instrument, usually made of copper, like the trumpet, but having the bell less expanded and the tube shorter and more conical: (Spens.) a buffalo or wild ox—dim. Bū′glet.—v.i. Bū′gle, to sound a bugle.—n. Bū′gler, one who plays upon the bugle. [O. Fr. bugle;—L. buculus, dim. of bos, an ox.]
Bugle, bū′gl, n. a slender elongated kind of bead, usually black.—adj. (Shak.) like bugles. [Prob. conn. with Low L. bugulus; prob. obscurely conn. with Dut. beugel, a ring.]
Bugle, bū′gl, n. a palæarctic genus of plants of the natural order Labiatæ, with blue or sometimes white or purple flowers. [Fr., It. bugola—Low L. bugula, bugillo.]
Bugloss, bū′glos, n. a name popularly applied to many plants of the natural order Boragineæ, more strictly to Anchusa arvensis, a common weed in corn-fields in Britain. [Fr. buglosse—L. buglossa—Gr. bouglōssos—bous, ox, glōssa, tongue.]
Bugong, bū′gong, n. a noctuoid moth.
Buhl, būl, n. unburnished gold, brass, or mother-of-pearl worked in patterns for inlaying: furniture ornamented with such. [From André Charles Boule (1642-1732), a cabinet-maker in the service of Louis XIV.]
Buhrstone, bur′stōn, n. a variety of quartz, containing many small empty cells, which give it a peculiar roughness of surface, particularly adapting it for millstones.—Often Burr′-stone. [Perh. conn. with Burr, from its roughness.]
Build, bild, v.t. to erect, as a house or bridge: to form or construct, as a railway, &c.—v.i. to depend (with on, upon):—pa.p. built or build′ed.—n. construction: make.—ns. Build′er, one who builds, or who controls the actual work of building; Build′ing, the art of erecting houses, &c.: anything built: a house.—p.adj. Built, formed or shaped.—Build in, to enclose by building; Build up, to close up by building, as a door: to erect any edifice, as a reputation: to edify spiritually, as the church. [A.S. gebyld, bold, a dwelling, from an assumed byldan, to build.]
Buirdly, bürd′li, adj. stalwart, large and well made. [Scot., a variant of Burly.]
Buisson, bwē-song, n. a fruit-tree trained on a low stem, the branches closely pruned. [Fr.]
Buist, büst, n. (Scot.) a mark put on sheep or cattle to indicate ownership: a box.—v.t. to mark with such. [Ety. dub.]
Bukshi, Bukshee, buk′shē, n. the paymaster in native Indian states. [Hind. bakshi—baksh, pay.]
Bulb, bulb, n. an onion-like root: any protuberance or enlargement resembling such.—v.i. to form bulbs: to bulge out or swell.—adjs. Bul′bar, Bulbed, Bul′bous, Bulbā′ceous, Bulb′iform, Bulbif′erous, Bul′bose, Bul′by.—ns. Bul′bule, a little bulb: a young bulb which grows from an old one; Bul′bus, a bulb. [L. bulbus—Gr. bolbos, an onion.]
Bulbul, bool′bool, n. the Persian nightingale. [Arab.]
Buldering, bul′der-ing, adj. (prov.) hot, sultry.
Bulgarian, bul-gā′ri-an, adj. pertaining to Bulgaria or its language.—n. a native of Bulgaria: the Bulgarian language (Slavonic).—n. Bul′gar, a member of an ancient Finnic or Ugrian tribe which moved from the Volga towards Bulgaria.—adj. Bulgar′ic.—n. the ancient language of the foregoing.
Bulge, bulj, n. the widest part of a cask, a round protuberance, swelling.—v.i. to swell out.—ns. Bul′ger, a wooden golf-club with a convex face; Bul′giness.—adj. Bul′gy—To get the bulge on one (slang), to get a decided advantage over a person. [O. Fr. boulge, prob. L. bulga, a leather knapsack; a Gallic word.]
Bulimy, būl′i-mi, n. an unnatural hunger. [Gr.; bous, ox, limos, hunger.]
Bulk, bulk, n. a stall or framework built in front of a shop.—n. Bulk′er, a street thief or strumpet. [Ety. dub.; Prof. Skeat suggests Scand. bálk-r, beam, and Dr Murray quotes also an A.S. bolca, gangway of a ship.]
Bulk, bulk, n. magnitude or size: the greater part: any huge body or structure: the whole cargo in the hold of a ship.—v.i. to be in bulk: to be of weight or importance.—v.t. to put or hold in bulk.—ns. Bulk′head, a partition separating one part of the interior of a ship from another, either transverse or longitudinal, and usually made watertight; Bulk′iness.—adj. Bulk′y, having bulk: of great size, unwieldy.—Collision bulkhead, that nearest the bow—usually the only one in sailing-ships.—To load in bulk, to put the cargo in loose; To sell in bulk, to sell the cargo as it is in the hold: to sell in large quantities. [Prob. Scand.; Ice. bulki, a heap.]
Bull, bool, n. the male of the ox kind: an old male whale, fur-seal, &c.: a sign of the zodiac: one who tries artificially and unduly to raise the price of stocks, and speculates on a rise.—adj. denoting largeness of size—used in composition, as bull-trout: favourable to the bulls, rising.—v.t. to try to raise, as the price of shares, artificially: to copulate with a cow, of a bull.—v.i. to be in heat, of a cow.—ns. Bull′-baiting, the sport of baiting or exciting bulls with dogs; Bull′-bat (U.S.), the night-hawk or goat-sucker; Bull′-beef, the beef or flesh of bulls, coarse beef: (Shak., in pl.) Bull′-beeves; Bull′-begg′ar, a hobgoblin, &c.; Bull′-calf, a male calf: a stupid fellow, a lout; Bull′-dance, a dance of men only; Bull′dog, a breed of dogs of great courage, formerly used for baiting bulls, its general appearance that of a smooth-coated, compact dog, low in stature, but broad and powerful, with a massive head, large in proportion to its body: a person of obstinate courage: a short-barrelled revolver of large calibre: a proctor's attendant at Oxford and Cambridge.—v.t. Bull′-dose (U.S.) to intimidate, bully: flog.—n. Bull′-dōs′er.—adj. Bull′-faced, having a large face.—ns. Bull′-fight, a popular spectacle in Spain, in which a bull is goaded to fury in a kind of circus by mounted picadores armed with lances, and finally despatched by a specially skilful espada or swordsman; Bull′-fight′er; Bull′-finch, a species of red-breasted finch a little larger than the common linnet, closely allied to the grossbeaks and crossbills: a kind of hedge hard to jump; Bull′-frog, a large North American frog.—adj. Bull′-front′ed, having a front or forehead like a bull.—n. Bull′-head, or Miller's Thumb, a small river fish remarkable for its large, flat head.—adj. Bull′-head′ed, impetuous and obstinate.—n. Bull′-head′edness.—adj. Bull′ish.—ns. Bull′ock, an ox or castrated bull; Bull′-roar′er, a provincial English name for a boy's plaything, made of an oblong piece of wood, to one end of which a string is tied, then twisted tightly round the finger, when the whole is whirled rapidly round and round until a loud and peculiar whirring noise is produced—the native Australian turndun, the rhombos of the Greek mysteries; Bull's′-eye, the central boss formed in making a sheet of blown glass (hence adj. Bull's′-eyed), a round piece of glass in a lantern, a policeman's lantern, a round opening or window: the centre of a target, of a different colour from the rest, and usually round: a thick lump of coloured or striped candy; Bull′-terr′ier, a species of dog, a cross-breed between the bulldog and the terrier; Bull′-trout, a large trout of the salmon genus, also migratory in its habits, often called the Gray Trout; Bull′-whack, a heavy whip.—v.t. to lash with such.—n. Bull′wort, the bishop's weed.—Bull into, to plunge hastily into.—A bull in a china-shop, a synonym for a man who does harm through ignorance or fury, a man completely out of place.—Take the bull by the horns, to face a danger or difficulty with courage, to take the initiative boldly in a struggle. [M.E. bole, prob. Scand. bole, boli; most prob. cog. with Bellow.]
Bull, bool, n. an edict of the pope which has his seal affixed.—adj. Bullan′tic—n. Bull′ary, a collection of papal bulls. [L. bulla, a knob, a leaden seal.]
Bull, bool, n. a ludicrous blunder in speech implying some obvious absurdity or contradiction, often said to be an especial prerogative of Irishmen—'I was a fine child, but they changed me.' [Prob. O. Fr. boul, cheat.]
Bull, bool, n. drink made by pouring water into a cask that had held liquor.
Bulla, bool′a, n. a round metal ornament worn by ancient Roman children: a seal attached to a document: anything rounded or globular. [L.]
Bullace, bool′lās, n. a shrub closely allied to the sloe and the plum, its fruit making excellent pies or tarts. [O. Fr. beloce, of uncertain origin; prob. Celt.]
Bullate, bul′āt, adj. blistered, inflated—ns. Bullā′tion; Bulles′cence.
Bullary, bul′a-ri, n. a house in which salt is prepared by boiling.
Buller, bool′er, n. the boiling of a torrent. [Dan. bulder.]
Bullet, bool′et, n. the projectile of lead or other metal discharged from any kind of small-arm: a plumb or sinker in fishing.—n. Bull′et-head, a head round like a bullet: (U.S.) an obstinate fellow.—adjs. Bull′et-head′ed; Bull′et-proof, proof against bullets. [Fr. boulet, dim. of boule, a ball—L. bulla. See Bull, an edict.]
Bulletin, bool′e-tin, n. an official report of public news. [Fr.,—It. bullettino.]
Bullion, bool′yun, n. gold and silver in the mass and uncoined, though occasionally used as practically synonymous with the precious metals, coined and uncoined: a heavy twisted cord fringe, often covered with gold or silver wire.—n. Bull′ionist, one in favour of an exclusive metallic currency. [Ety. dub.; but apparently related to Low L. bullio, a boiling, melting.]
Bully, bool′i, n. a blustering, noisy, overbearing fellow: a ruffian hired to beat or intimidate any one: a fellow who lives upon the gains of a prostitute: (obs.) a term of familiarity to either man or woman.—adj. blustering: brisk: (U.S.) first-rate.—v.i. to bluster.—v.t. to threaten in a noisy way:—pr.p. bull′ying; pa.p. bull′ied.—n. Bull′yism.—v.t. Bull′yrag (coll.), to assail with abusive language, to overawe.—ns. Bull′yragging; Bull′y-rook, a bully.—Bully for you, bravo! [Perh. Dut. boel, a lover; cf. Ger. buhle.]
Bully, bool′i, n. a miner's hammer.
Bully-tree, bool′i-trē, n. a name given to several West Indian sapotaceous trees yielding good timber.—Also Bull′et-tree, Bull′etrie, Boll′etrie.
Bulrush, bool′rush, n. a large strong rush, which grows on wet land or in water—often applied to the cat's-tail (Typha).—adj. Bul′rushy.
Bulse, buls, n. a bag for diamonds, &c.: a package or certain quantity of such. [Port. bolsa—Low L. bursa, a purse. See Purse.]
Bulwark, bool′wark, n. a fortification or rampart: a breakwater or sea-wall: any means of defence or security.—v.t. to defend. [Cf. Ger. bollwerk.]
Bum, bum, n. (Shak.) the buttocks.—ns. Bum′-bail′iff, an under-bailiff; Bum′-boat, boat for carrying provisions to a ship, originally a Thames scavenger's boat. [Ety. dub., prob. from bump, from sense of 'swelling.']
Bum, bum, v.i. to hum or make a murmuring sound, as a bee: (slang) to live dissolutely.—pr.p. bum′ming; pa.p. bummed.—n. a humming sound: a spree, debauch: a dissipated fellow. [Onomatopœic.]
Bumbaze, bum′bāz, v.t. to confound, bamboozle.
Bumble-bee, bum′bl-bē, n. a large kind of bee that makes a bumming or humming noise: the humble-bee.—n. Bum′-clock (Scot.), a drone-beetle. [M. E. bumble, freq. of Bum, and Bee.]
Bumbledom, bum′bl-dom, n. fussy pomposity. [From Bumble, name of the beadle in Dickens's Oliver Twist.]
Bumble-foot, bum′bl-foot, n. a disease of domestic fowls, marked by inflammation of the ball of the foot: a club-foot.—adj. Bum′ble-foot′ed, club-footed.
Bumble-puppy, bum′bl-pup′i, n. whist played regardless of rules: the game of nine-holes.—n. Bum′ble-pupp′ist, one who plays whist without knowing the game.
Bumbo, bum′bō, n. a punch of rum or gin with sugar, nutmeg, &c.
Bumkin, Bumpkin, bum′kin, n. a short beam of timber projecting from each bow of a ship, for the purpose of extending the lower corner of the foresail to windward: a small outrigger over the stern of a boat, usually serving to extend the mizzen. [From Boom, and dim. termination kin.]
Bummalo, bum′a-lō, n. a small fish dried and salted all round the coast of India—Bombay duck and nehar.—Also Bummalō′ti. [East Ind.]
Bummaree, bum′ar-ē, n. a middleman in the Billingsgate fish-market. [Ety. unknown: hardly the Fr. bonne marée, good fresh sea-fish.]
Bummer, bum′ėr, n. a plundering straggler or camp-follower during the American Civil War: a dissolute fellow, a loafer, a sponge.
Bummle, bum′l, v.i. (prov.) to blunder.—n. an idle fellow.
Bummock, bum′ok, n. (Scot.) a brewing of ale. [Ety. unknown.]
Bump, bump, v.i. to make a heavy or loud noise.—v.t. to strike with a dull sound: to strike against: to overtake and impinge upon the stern or side of a boat by the boat following, the bumper consequently taking the place of the bumped in rank—also 'to make a bump:' to spread out material in printing so as to fill any desired number of pages.—n. a dull heavy blow: a thump: a lump caused by a blow, one of the protuberances on the surface of the skull confidently associated by phrenologists with certain distinct qualities or propensities of the mind, hence colloquially for organ: the noise of the bittern.—n. Bump′er, a cup or glass filled to the brim for drinking a toast: anything large or generous in measure: a crowded house at a theatre or concert.—adj. as in a 'bumper house.'—v.i. to drink bumpers.—n. Bumpol′ogy, phrenology.—adj. Bump′y. [Onomatopœic.]
Bumpkin, bump′kin, n. an awkward, clumsy rustic: a clown.—adj. Bump′kinish. [Prob. Dut. boomken, a log.]
Bumptious, bump′shus, adj. offensively self-assertive.—adv. Bump′tiously.—n. Bump′tiousness. [Prob. formed from Bump.]
Bun, bun, n. a kind of sweet cake. [Prob. from O. Fr. bugne, a swelling.]
Bun, bun, n. a dry stalk: a hare's scut: a rabbit. [Prob. Gael. bun, a root.]
Bunce, buns, n. (slang) extra gain—used as an interjection.
Bunch, bunsh, n. a number of things tied together or growing together: a definite quantity fastened together, as of linen yarn (180,000 yards), &c.: a cluster: something in the form of a tuft or knot.—v.i. to swell out in a bunch.—v.t. to make a bunch of, to concentrate.—adjs. Bunch′-backed (Shak.), having a bunch on the back, crook-backed; Bunched, humped, protuberant.—ns. Bunch′-grass, a name applied to several West American grasses, growing in clumps; Bunch′iness, the quality of being bunchy: state of growing in bunches.—adj. Bunch′y, growing in bunches or like a bunch, bulging.—Bunch of fives, the fist with the five fingers clenched. [Ety. obscure.]
Buncombe. See Bunkum.
Bundesrath, bōōn′des-rät, n. the Federal Council of the German Empire, its members annually appointed by the governments of the various states.
Bundle, bun′dl, n. a number of things loosely bound together: an aggregation of one or more kinds of tissue traversing other tissues: a definite measure or quantity, as two reams of paper, twenty hanks of linen yarn, &c.—v.t. to bind or tie into bundles.—v.i. to pack up one's things for a journey, to go hurriedly or in confusion (with away, off, out).—n. Bun′dling, an old custom in Wales, New England, and elsewhere for sweethearts to sleep on the same bed without undressing.—To bundle off, bundle out, to send away unceremoniously or summarily. [Conn. with Bind and Bond.]
Bung, bung, n. the stopper of the hole in a barrel: a large cork: (Shak.) a sharper.—v.t. to stop up with a bung: to thrash severely.—ns. Bung′-hole, a hole in a cask through which it is filled, closed by a bung; Bung′-vent, a small hole in a bung to let gasses escape, &c.—Bung up, to bruise. [Ety. dub.]
Bungalow, bung′ga-lō, n. the kind of house usually occupied by Europeans in the interior of India, and commonly provided for officers' quarters in cantonments.—Dâk-bungalows are houses for travellers. [Hind. banglā, Bengalese.]
Bungle, bung′l, n. anything clumsily done: a gross blunder.—v.i. to act in a clumsy, awkward manner.—v.t. to make or mend clumsily: to manage awkwardly.—p.adj. Bung′led, done clumsily.—n. Bung′ler.—p.adj. Bung′ling, clumsy, awkward: unskilfully or ill done.—adv. Bung′lingly. [Ety. obscure; prob. onomatopœic; Prof. Skeat quotes a dial. Sw. bangla, to work ineffectually; Mr F. Hindes Groome suggests Gipsy bongo, left, awkward.]
Bunion, bun′yun, n. a lump or inflamed swelling on the ball of the great toe. [Ety. unknown; Prof. Skeat suggests It. bugnone, a botch.]
Bunk, bungk, n. a box or recess in a ship's cabin, a sleeping-berth anywhere.—v.i. to occupy the same bunk, sleep together.—n. Bunk′er, a large bin or chest used for stowing various things, as coals, &c.: a hazard in a golf-links, originally confined to sand-pits, but now often used for hazards generally. [Prob. of Scand. origin; cf. Ice. bunki, Dan. bunke, a heap.]
Bunko, Bunco, bung′kō, n. (U.S.) a form of confidence-trick by which a simple fellow is swindled or taken somewhere and robbed.—v.t. to rob or swindle in such a way.—n. Bunk′o-steer′er, that one of the swindling confederates who allures the victim.
Bunkum, bung′kum, n. empty clap-trap oratory, bombastic speechmaking intended for the newspapers rather than to persuade the audience.—Also Bun′combe. [From Buncombe, the name of a county in North Carolina. Bartlett quotes a story of how its member once went on talking in congress, explaining apologetically to the few hearers that remained that he was 'only talking for Buncombe.']
Bunny, bun′i, n. a pet name for a rabbit. [Ety. unknown; prob. conn. with Gael. bun, a root.]
Bunodont, bū′nō-dont, adj. having tuberculate molars—opp. to Lophodont. [Gr. bounos, a rounded hill, odous, odontos, a tooth.]
Bunsen, bōōn′sen, or bun′sen, adj. applied to some of the inventions of the great chemist, R. W. Bunsen of Heidelberg.—n. Bun′sen-burn′er, a gas-burner in which a plentiful supply of air is caused to mingle with the gas before ignition, so that a smokeless flame of low luminosity but great heating power is the result.
Bunt, bunt, n. a parasitic disease of wheat and other grains.—adjs. Bunt′ed, Bunt′y. [Ety. unknown.]
Bunt, bunt, n. the bagging part of a fishing-net, a sail, &c.—v.i. to belly, as a sail. [Ety. unknown.]
Bunt, bunt, v.i. to push with the horns, butt: to spring, rear.—n. a push.—n. Bunt′ing, pushing: a boys' game, played with sticks and a small piece of wood: a strong timber, a stout prop.
Bunter, bunt′ėr, n. a rag-picker, a low woman.
Bunting, bunt′ing, n. a thin worsted stuff of which ships' colours are made. [Ety. dub.]
Bunting, bunt′ing, n. a genus of birds in the Finch family nearly allied to the crossbills.
Buntline, bunt′līn, n. a rope passing from the foot-rope of a square sail, led up to the masthead and thence on deck, to help in hauling the sail up to the yard.
Buoy, boi, n. a floating cask or light piece of wood fastened by a rope or chain to indicate shoals, the position of a ship's anchor, &c.—v.t. to fix buoys or marks: to keep afloat, bear up, or sustain: to raise the spirits.—ns. Buoy′age, a series of buoys or floating beacons to mark the course for vessels: the providing of buoys; Buoy′ancy, capacity for floating lightly on water or in the air: specific lightness: (fig.) lightness of spirit, cheerfulness.—adj. Buoy′ant, light: cheerful.—n. Buoy′antness. [Dut. boei, buoy, fetter, through Romance forms (Norman boie), from Low L. boia, a collar of leather.]
Buphaga, bū′fā-ga, n. a small genus of African perching birds, nearly related to the starlings, feeding on the larvæ of gadflies and the like, which they find on the backs of cattle, camels, &c.—Also Beef-eater and Ox-pecker. [Gr., bous, an ox, phagein, to eat.]
Buprestis, bū-pres′tis, n. a genus of beetles, typical of a large family, Buprestidæ, those occurring in warmer countries having lively colour and metallic sheen—some known as Golden Beetles. [L.,—Gr. bouprestis, bous, an ox, prēthein, to swell.]
Bur, Burr, bur, the prickly seed-case or head of certain plants, which sticks to clothes: any impediment or inconvenient adherent: any lump, ridge, &c., more or less sharp, a knot on a tree, knot in thread, knob at the base of a deer's horn, &c.: waste raw silk: the sweetbread or pancreas: (Scot.) club-moss: the name for various tools and appliances, as the triangular chisel for clearing the corners of mortises, &c.: the blank driven out of a piece of sheet-metal by a punch: a partly vitrified brick.—ns. Bur′dock, a dock with a bur or prickly head; Bur′-this′tle, the spear-thistle.—Bur in the throat, something seeming to stick in the throat, producing a choking sensation. [Cog. with Dan. borre, a bur.]
Bur, Burr, bur, n. the rough sound of r pronounced in the throat, as in Northumberland—v.i. to whisper hoarsely, to murmur. [Usually associated with preceding, but perh. from the sound.]
Bur, bur, n. in an engraving, a slight ridge of metal raised on the edges of a line by the graver or the dry point, producing an effect like a smear, but dexterously used by some etchers, as Rembrandt, to deepen their shadows.
Burble, burb′l, n. trouble, disorder.—v.t. to trouble, confuse. [Scot.; prob. conn. with O. Fr. barbouiller, to confound.]
Burbot, bur′bot, n. a fresh-water fish, like the eel, having a longish beard on its lower jaw. [Fr. barbote—L. barba, a beard.]
Burd, burd, n. (obs.) for Bird, a poetic name for a girl or lady.—n. Bur′dalane, the last surviving child of a family.
Burdash, burd′ash, n. a fringed sash worn round the waist by fine gentlemen in the time of Anne and George I.
Burden, bur′dn, n. a load: weight: cargo: that which is grievous, oppressive, or difficult to bear, as blame, sin, sorrow, &c.: birth.—v.t. to load: to oppress: to encumber.—adjs. Bur′denous, Bur′densome, heavy: oppressive.—Burden of proof, in legal procedure, signifies the obligation to establish by evidence certain disputed facts. [A.S. byrthen—beran, to bear.]
Burden, bur′dn, n. part of a song repeated at the end of every stanza, refrain: the leading idea of anything: a load of care, sorrow, or responsibility. [Fr. bourdon, a humming tone in music—Low L. burdo, a drone or non-working bee.]
Burden, bur′dn, n. (Spens.) a pilgrim's staff. [See Bourdon.]
Burdock. See Bur (1).
Bureau, būr′ō, n. a writing-table or chest of drawers: a room or office where such a table is used: a department for the transacting of public business:—pl. Bureaux (būr′ō), Bureaus (būr′ōz). [Fr. bureau—O. Fr. burel, russet cloth—L. burrus, red.]
Bureaucracy, būrō′kras-i, n. a system of government centralised in graded series of officials, responsible only to their chiefs, and controlling every detail of public and private life.—ns. Bureau′crat, Bureau′cratist, one who advocates government by bureaucracy.—adj. Bureaucrat′ic, relating to or having the nature of a bureaucracy.—adv. Bureaucrat′ically. [Bureau, and Gr. kratein, to govern.]
Burette, bū-ret′, n. a flask-shaped vessel for holding liquids, an altar-cruet. [Fr.]
Burgage, bur′gāj, n. a tenure in socage for a yearly rent: a tenure in Scotland in royal burghs under nominal service of watching. [O. Fr.]
Burgamot. Same as Bergamot.
Burganet, bur′ga-net, n. a 16th-century helmet.—Also Bur′gonet. [Lit. 'Burgundian.']
Burgee, bur′jē, n. a swallow-tailed flag or pennant: a kind of small coal for furnaces.
Burgeon, bur′jun, n. and v.i. Same as Bourgeon.
Burgh, bur′ō, n. the Scotch word corresponding to the English Borough.—ns. Burg (same as Borough); Burg′age, a system of tenure where the king or other person is lord of an ancient borough, city, or town, by which the citizens hold their lands or tenements, for a certain annual rent; Burgess (bur′jes), Bur′gher, an inhabitant of a borough: a citizen or freeman: a magistrate of certain towns: one able to take the usual burgesses' oath (see Antiburgher).—adj. Bur′ghal, relating to a burgh.—n. Burg′omaster, the chief magistrate of a German or a Dutch borough, answering to the English term mayor.—Burgh of barony, a corporation consisting of the inhabitants of a determinate tract of land within the barony, and municipally governed by magistrates and a council whose election is either vested in the baron superior of the district, or vested in the inhabitants themselves; Burgh of regality, a burgh of barony, spiritual or temporal, enfranchised by crown charter, with regal or exclusive criminal jurisdiction within their own territories.—Parliamentary burgh, one like Paisley, Greenock, Leith, whose boundaries, as first fixed in 1832, were adopted for municipal purposes, with regard to which they stand practically in the same position as royal burghs; Police burgh, a burgh constituted by the sheriff for purposes of improvement and police, the local authority being the police commissioners; Royal burgh, a corporate body deriving its existence, constitution, and rights from a royal charter, such being either actual and express, or presumed to have existed.
Burglar, burg′lar, n. one who breaks into a house by night to steal.—v.t. and v.i. to commit burglary.—adj. Burglār′ious.—adv. Burglār′iously.—v.t. Burg′larise.—n. Burg′lary, breaking into a house by night to steal. [Ety. dub.]
Burgonet. See Burganet.
Burgoo, bur′gōō, n. a dish made of boiled oatmeal seasoned with salt, butter, and sugar, used by seamen. [Derivation unknown.]
Burgrave, bur′grāv, n. the governor of a town or castle. [Ger. burg-graf.]
Burgundy, bur′gun-di, n. a generous French red wine, so called from Burgundy, the district where it is made.
Burial, ber′i-al, n. the act of laying a dead body in the grave: interment.—ns. Bur′ial-aisle, an aisle in a church used for burials; Bur′ial-ground, Bur′ial-place, a piece of ground set apart for burying.—Burial service, a religious service or form of ritual accompanying a burial; Burial society, an insurance society for providing the expenses of burial. [A.S. byrgels, a tomb. See Bury.]
Burin, būr′in, n. a kind of chisel of tempered steel, used in copper engraving—the distinctive style of a master is frequently described by such expressions as a soft, a graphic, or a brilliant burin.—n. Bur′inist, an engraver. [Fr.; from root of Bore.]
Burke, burk, v.t. to murder, esp. by stifling: hence (fig.) to put an end to quietly. [From Burke, an Edinburgh Irishman (hanged 1829), who committed the crime in order to sell the bodies of his victims for dissection.]
Burl, burl, n. a small knot in thread, a knot in wood.—v.t. to pick knots, &c., from, in finishing cloth.—ns. Bur′ling-ī′ron; Bur′ling-machine′.—adj. Bur′ly, knotty.
Burlap, bur′lap, n. a coarse canvas for wrappings, &c.—usually in pl. [Origin unknown.]
Burlesque, bur-lesk′, n. a ludicrous representation—in speaking, acting, writing, drawing—a low and rude grade of the comic, whose legitimate office is to turn to laughter pretension and affectation.—adj. jocular: comical.—v.t. to turn into burlesque: to ridicule.—p.adj. Burlesqued′, caricatured.—adv. Burlesque′ly. [It. burlesco; prob. from Low L. burra, a flock of wool, a trifle.]
Burletta, bur-let′a, n. a musical farce: comic opera. [It.;—dim. of burla, a jest.]
Burly, bur′li, adj. bulky: boisterous, bluff.—n. Bur′liness. [M. E. borlich; prob. Old High Ger. burlīh, high, bōr, a height.]
Burmese, bur′mēz, adj. relating to Burma in Farther India, or its language.—n. a native of Burma, or the language of Burma—also Bur′man.
Burn, burn, n. a small stream or brook: a spring or fountain. [A.S. burna; cog. with Dut. and Ger. born.]
Burn, burn, v.t. to consume or injure by fire.—v.i. to be on fire: to feel excess of heat: to be inflamed with passion:—pa.p. burned or burnt.—n. a hurt or mark caused by fire.—ns. Burn′er, the part of a lamp or gas-jet from which the flame arises; Burn′ing, act of consuming by fire: conflagration: inflammation.—adj. very hot: scorching: ardent: excessive.—ns. Burn′ing-glass, a convex lens concentrating the sun's rays at its focus; Burn′ing-house, a kiln; Burn′ing-mirr′or, a concave mirror for producing heat by concentrating the sun's rays; Burn′ing-point, the temperature at which a volatile oil in an open vessel will take fire from a match held close to its surface; Burnt′-ear, a kind of smut in oats, wheat, &c., caused by a microscopic fungus; Burnt′-off′ering, something offered and burned upon an altar as a sacrifice—amongst the Hebrews, apparently offerings of dedication and to some extent of expiation; Burnt′-sienn′a (see Sienna); Burn′-the-wind (Scot.), a blacksmith.—Burn a hole in one's pocket, said of money, when one is eager to spend it; Burn blue, to burn with a bluish flame like that of brimstone; Burn daylight (Shak.), to waste time in superfluous actions; Burn down, to burn to the ground; Burn in, to eat into, as fire: to fix and render durable, as colours, by means of intense heat, to imprint indelibly on the mind; Burning bush, the emblem of the Presbyterian churches of Scotland, with the motto, 'Nec tamen consumebatur,' adopted from Ex. iii. 2, in memory of the unconquerable courage of the Covenanters under the cruel persecutions of the 17th century; Burning question, one being keenly discussed; Burn one's boats, to cut one's self off, as Cortes did, from all chance of retreat, to stake everything on success; Burn one's fingers, to suffer from interfering in others' affairs, from embarking in speculations, &c.; Burn out, to destroy by means of burning: to burn till the fire dies down from want of fuel; Burn the water, to spear salmon by torchlight; Burn up, to consume completely by fire: to be burned completely. [A.S.; the weak verb bœrnan, bœrnde, bœrned, has been confused with beornan, byrnan, barn, bornen; cf. Ger. brennen, to burn.]
Burnet, bur′net, n. the English name of two closely united genera of Rosaceæ—the Great Burnet common in meadows all over Europe; the Common Burnet growing on chalky soils, its slightly astringent leaves used in salads or soups, also as an ingredient in 'cool tankard.' [From its brown flowers.]
Burnish, burn′ish, v.t. to polish: to make bright by rubbing.—n. polish: lustre.—ns. Burn′isher, an instrument employed in burnishing; Burn′ishing; Burn′ishment.
Burnous, bur-nōōs′, n. a mantle with a hood much worn by the Arabs. [Fr.—Ar. burnus.]
Burnt, pa.p. of Burn (q.v.).
Burr. Same as Bur (q.v.).
Burrel, bur′el, n. a kind of coarse russet cloth in medieval times. [See Bureau.]
Burro, bur′ō, n. a donkey. [Sp.]
Burrock, bur′ok, n. a small weir or dam in a river, to direct the current toward fish-traps.
Burrow, bur′ō, n. a hole in the ground dug by certain animals for shelter or defence.—v.i. to make holes underground as rabbits: to dwell in a concealed place.—ns. Burr′ow-duck, the sheldrake or bergander; Burr′owing-owl, a small long-legged diurnal American owl nesting in burrows; Burr′owstown (Scot.), a town that is a burgh. [Ety. obscure; prob. a variant of Borough—A.S. beorgan, to protect.]
Bursa, bur′sa, n. a pouch or sac, esp. a synovial cavity formed where tendons pass over the harder parts of the body:—pl. Bur′sæ (-sē).—adj. Bur′sal.—ns. Bursā′lis, a muscle moving the nictitating membrane, as in birds; Bursal′ogy, knowledge about the bursæ. [See Bursar.]
Bursar, burs′ar, n. one who keeps the purse, a treasurer: in Scotland, a student maintained at a university by funds derived from endowment.—adj. Bursar′ial.—ns. Burs′arship, the office of a bursar; Burs′ary, in Scotland, the allowance paid to a bursar; Burse, a purse, an obsolete form of Bourse.—adjs. Bursic′ulate, bursiform: resembling a small pouch, or provided with such; Burs′iform, pouch-shaped. [Low L. bursarius—bursa, a purse—Gr. byrsa, skin or leather.]
Bursch, bōōrsh, n. a German student:—pl. Bursch′en.—n. Bursch′enism. [Ger. bursch, a companion, student.]
Burst, burst, v.t. to break into pieces: to break open suddenly or by violence: to disturb, interrupt.—v.i. to fly open or break in pieces: to break forth or away: to break into some sudden expression of feeling—e.g. 'to burst into song:'—pa.t. and pa.p. burst.—n. a sudden outbreak: a hard gallop: a spurt: a drunken bout.—Burst in, to force one's way violently into; Burst into blossom, to begin to blossom; Burst into tears, to fall a-crying; Burst out, to force one's way out violently; Burst up (coll.), to explode: to fail, become bankrupt.—A burst up, a collapse, failure.—On the burst, on the spree. [A.S. berstan; Ger. bersten; Gael. brisd, to break.]
Bursten, bur′stn, obs. pa.p. of Burst.
Burthen, bur′thn, n. and v.t. For Burden.
Burton, bur′ton, n. a tackle variously used.
Bury, ber′i, v.t. to hide in the ground: to cover: to place in the grave, as a dead body: to hide or blot out of remembrance:—pr.p. bur′ying; pa.p. bur′ied.—ns. Bur′ying-ground, Bur′ying-place, ground set apart for burying the dead: a graveyard.—Bury the hatchet, to cease strife. [A.S. byrgan, to bury; Ger. bergen, to hide.]
Bury, ber′i, n. a delicate pear of several varieties.—Also Burr′el, Burr′el-pear. [Cf. the Fr. beurré, as in 'Beurré d'Angoulême.']
Bus, Buss, bus, n. Short for Omnibus.
Busby, bus′bi, n. a fur hat with short bag hanging down from the top on its right side, of the same colour as the facings of the regiment, worn by hussars, and, in the British army, by horse artillerymen also. [Prob. Hung.]
Buscon, bus′kon, n. (U.S.) a miner paid by a percentage of the ore he raises. [Sp.]
Bush, boosh, n. a shrub thick with branches: anything of bushy tuft-like shape: any wild uncultivated country, esp. at the Cape or in Australia: a bunch of ivy hung up as a tavern sign, a tavern itself—'Good wine needs no bush.'—v.i. to grow thick or bushy.—v.t. to set bushes about, support with bushes: to cover seeds by means of the bush-harrow.—n. Bush′-cat, the serval.—adj. Bushed, lost in the bush.—ns. Bush′-harr′ow, a light kind of harrow used for covering grass-seeds, formed of a barred frame interwoven with bushes or branches; Bush′iness; Bush′man, a settler in the uncleared land of America or the Colonies, a woodsman: one of a native race in South Africa (Dut. boschjesman); Bush′-rang′er, in Australia, a lawless fellow, often an escaped criminal, who takes to the bush and lives by robbery; Bush′-shrike, a tropical American ant-thrush; Bush′tit, a small long-tailed titmouse of West America, building a large hanging-nest.—v.i. Bush′-whack, to range through the bush: to fight in guerilla warfare.—ns. Bush′-whack′er, a guerilla fighter: a country lout: a short heavy scythe for cutting bushes; Bush′-whack′ing, the habits or practice of bush-whackers: the process of forcing a way for a boat by pulling at the bushes overhanging a stream.—adj. Bush′y, full of bushes: thick and spreading.—Beat about the bush, to go round about anything, to evade coming to the point. [M. E. busk, busch; from a Teut. root found in Ger. busch, Low L. boscus, Fr. bois.]
Bush, boosh, n. the metal box or lining of any cylinder in which an axle works.—v.t. to furnish with a bush.—n. Bush′-met′al, hard brass, gun-metal, a composition of copper and tin, used for journals, bearings, &c. [Dut. bus—L. buxus, the box-tree.]
Bushel, boosh′el, n. a dry measure of 8 gallons, for measuring grain, fruit, &c. [O. Fr. boissiel, from the root of Box.]
Bushel, boosh′el, v.t. and v.i. (U.S.) to mend or alter, as men's clothes.—ns. Bush′eller; Bush′elling; Bush′el-wom′an.
Business, biz′nes, n. employment: engagment: trade, profession, or occupation: one's concerns or affairs: a matter or affair: (theat.) action as distinguished from dialogue.—adj. Bus′iness-like, methodical, systematic, practical.—Do the business for, to settle, make an end of: to ruin.—Genteel business (theat.), such parts as require good dressing.—Make it one's business, to undertake to accomplish something or see it done; Mean business, to be in earnest; Mind one's own business, to confine one's self to one's own affairs.—Send about one's business, to dismiss promptly.
Busk, busk, v.t. or v.i. to prepare: to dress one's self. [Ice. búa, to prepare, and -sk, contr. of sik, the recip. pron.—self.]
Busk, busk, n. the piece of bone, wood, or steel in the front of a woman's stays: a corset.—adj. Busked. [Fr. busc, which Scheler thinks a doublet of bois; Littré, the same as It. busto, a bust.]
Busk, busk, v.i. (naut.) to cruise along a shore, to beat about: to seek. [Prob. Sp. buscar, to seek.]
Busket, busk′et, n. (Spens.) a little bush.
Buskin, busk′in, n. a kind of half-boot with high heels worn in ancient times by actors of tragedy—hence, the tragic drama as distinguished from comedy: a half-boot.—adj. Busk′ined, dressed in buskins, noting tragedy: tragic: dignified. [Ety. uncertain; cognates may be found in the O. Fr. brousequin; Dut. broos-ken; Sp. borceguí.]
Busky, busk′i, adj. (Shak.). Same as Bosky.
Buss, bus, n. a rude or playful kiss, a smack.—v.t. to kiss, esp. in a rude or playful manner. [M. E. bass, prob. from Old Ger. bussen, to kiss, but modified by Fr. baiser, to kiss, from L. basium, a kiss.]
Buss, bus, n. a small two-masted Dutch vessel, used in the herring and mackerel fisheries. [O. Fr. busse, Low L. bussa; cf. Ger. büse.]
Bussu-palm, bus′soo-päm, n. a palm growing along the Amazon, with leaves as long as 30 feet and 5 feet broad, forming good thatch.
Bust, bust, n. a sculpture representing the head and breast of a person: the upper part of the human body, a woman's bosom.—adj. Bust′ed, breasted: adorned with busts. [Fr. buste; It. and Sp. busto.]
Bust, bust, n. and v. a vulgar form of Burst.—n. Bust′er, something large: a frolic: (slang) a roisterer.
Bustard, bus′tard, n. a genus of birds, sometimes made the type of a large family, usually ranked in the order of marsh birds like the cranes. [Fr. bistard, corr. from L. avis tarda, slow bird.]
Bustle, bus′l, v.i. to busy one's self noisily: to be active, often with more noise than actual work.—n. hurried activity: stir: tumult.—n. Bust′ler. [There is a M. E. bustelen, of doubtful relations; perh. conn. with bluster, or with Ice. bustl, a splash, or with A.S. bysig, busy.]
Bustle, bus′l, n. a stuffed pad or cushion worn by ladies under the skirt of their dress, the intention to improve the figure.
Busy, biz′i, adj. fully employed: active: diligent: meddling.—v.t. to make busy: to occupy:—pr.p. busying (biz′i-ing); pa.p. busied (biz′id).—adv. Bus′ily.—n. Bus′ybody, one busy about others' affairs, a meddling person.—adj. Bus′yless (Shak.), without business.—n. Bus′yness, state of being busy. [A.S. bysig.]
But, but, prep. or conj. without: except: besides: only: yet: still.—Used as a noun for a verbal objection; also as a verb, as in Scott's 'but me no buts.'—adj. (Scot.) outside, as in 'but end.'—But and ben, a house having an outer and an inner room. [A.S. be-útan, bútan, without—be, by, and útan, out—near and yet outside.]
But, but, n. Same as Butt.
Butcher, booch′ėr, n. one whose business is to slaughter animals for food: one who delights in bloody deeds.—v.t. to slaughter animals for food: to put to a bloody death, to kill cruelly: (fig.) to spoil anything, as a bad actor or the like.—ns. Butch′er-bird, a shrike; Butch′ering, Butch′ing, the act of killing for food, or cruelly.—adv. Butch′erly, butcher-like, cruel, murderous.—ns. Butch′er-meat, Butch′er's-meat, the flesh of animals slaughtered by butchers, as distinguished from fish, fowls, and game; Butch′er's-broom, a genus of plants of the lily order, the common one being an evergreen shrub, a bunch of which is used by butchers for sweeping their blocks; Butch′ery, great or cruel slaughter: a slaughter-house or shambles. [O. Fr. bochier, bouchier, one who kills he-goats—boc, a he-goat; allied to Eng. Buck.]
But-end. Same as Butt-end.
Butler, but′lėr, n. a servant who has charge of the liquors, plate, &c.—v.i. to act as butler.—ns. But′lership, But′lerage; But′lery, the butler's pantry. [Norm. Fr. butuiller—Low L. buticularius. See Bottle.]
Butment. Same as Abutment.
Butt, but, v.i. and v.t. to strike with the head, as a goat, &c.—n. a push with the head of an animal.—n. Butt′er, an animal that butts. [O. Fr. boter, to push, strike.]
Butt, but, n. a large cask: a wine-butt = 126 gallons, a beer and sherry butt = 108 gallons. [Cf. Fr. botte, Sp. bota, Low L. butta.]
Butt, but, n. a mark for archery practice: a mound behind musketry or artillery targets: one who is made the object of ridicule.—n. Butt′-shaft (Shak.), a shaft or arrow for shooting at butts with. [Fr. but, goal.]
Butt, but, or in longer form, Butt′-end, n. the thick and heavy end: the stump. [Ety. dub.]
Butt, but, n. an ox-hide minus the offal or pieces round the margins.
Butte, būt, but, n. any conspicuous and isolated hill or peak, esp. in the Rocky Mountain region. [Fr.]
Butter, but′ėr, n. an oily substance obtained from cream by churning.—v.t. to spread over with butter.—ns. Butt′er-bird, the name in Jamaica for the rice-bunting; Butt′er-boat, a table vessel for holding melted butter; Butt′er-bump, a bittern; Butt′er-bur, -dock, the sweet coltsfoot; Butt′ercup, a plant of the Crowfoot genus, with a cup-like flower of a golden yellow; Butt′er-fing′ers, one who lets a cricket-ball he ought to catch slip through his fingers; Butt′er-fish (see Gunnel); Butt′erfly, the name of an extensive group of beautiful winged insects: (fig.) a light-headed person.—adj. light, flighty, like a butterfly.—ns. Butt′erine, an artificial fatty compound sold as a substitute for butter—since 1887 only allowed to be sold under the names margarine or oleo-margarine; Butt′er-milk, the milk that remains after the butter has been separated from the cream by churning; Butt′er-nut, the oily nut of the North American white walnut, the tree itself or its light-coloured close-grained wood: the nut of a lofty timber-tree of Guiana—the souari-nut; Butt′er-scotch, a kind of toffee containing a large admixture of butter; Butt′er-tree, a genus of plants found in the East Indies and in Africa, remarkable for a sweet buttery substance yielded by their seeds when boiled; Butt′er-wife, Butt′er-wom′an, a woman who makes and sells butter; Butt′er-wort, a genus of small plants found in marshy places, so called either from the power of the leaves to coagulate milk, or from their peculiar sliminess.—adj. Butt′ery, like butter. [A.S. butere; Ger. butter; both from L. butyrum—Gr. boutyron—bous ox, tyros, cheese.]
Buttery, but′ėr-i, n. a storeroom in a house for provisions, esp. liquors.—ns. Butt′ery-bar, the ledge for holding tankards in the buttery; Butt′ery-hatch, a half-door over which provisions are handed from the buttery. [Fr. bouteillerie, lit. 'place for bottles.' See Butler, Bottle.]
Buttock, but′ok, n. the rump or protuberant part of the body behind: a term in wrestling.—ns. Butt′ock-mail (Scot.), the fine formerly exacted by the Church as part of the discipline for the offence of fornication. [Dim. of Butt, end.]
Button, but′n, n. a knob of metal, bone, &c., used to fasten the dress: the knob at the end of a foil: the head of an unexpanded mushroom: the knob of an electric bell, &c.: anything of small value, as in the phrase, 'I don't care a button:' a person who acts as a decoy: (pl.) young mushrooms, sheep's dung.—v.t. to fasten by means of buttons: to close up tightly.—v.i. to be fastened with buttons.—ns. Butt′on-bush, a North American shrub of the madder family, having globular flower-heads; Butt′on-hole, the hole or slit in the dress by which the button is held.—v.t. to detain in talk, as if by taking hold of a man by the button.—ns. Butt′on-hook, a hook for pulling the buttons of gloves and shoes through the button-holes; Butt′on-wood, a small West Indian evergreen tree of the myrobalan family: the plane-tree of the United States—also Butt′on-ball and incorrectly Sycamore.—adj. Butt′ony, decorated with buttons.—Boy in buttons, a boy servant in livery, a page. [Fr. bouton, any small projection, from bouter, to push.]
Buttress, but′res, n. a projecting support built on to the outside of a wall: any support or prop.—v.t. to prop or support, as by a buttress. [Acc. to Dr Murray, perh. from O. Fr. bouterez, apparently from bouter, to push, bear against.]
Butty, but′i, n. (prov.) a chum, comrade, esp. one who takes a contract for working out a certain area of coal, or a partner in such.—ns. Butt′y-coll′ier; Butt′y-gang.
Butyric, bū-tir′ik, adj. pertaining to or derived from butter.—n. Bū′tyl, an alcohol radical.—adj. Butyrā′ceous, buttery, containing butter.—n. Bū′tyrate, a salt of butyric acid.—Butyric acid, a volatile fatty acid possessing the disagreeable odour of rancid butter. [L. butyrum.]
Buxom, buks′um, adj. yielding, elastic: gay, lively, jolly.—n. Bux′omness, the quality of being buxom: liveliness: gaiety. [M. E. buhsum, pliable, obedient—A.S. búgan, to bow, yield, and affix Some.]
Buy, bī, v.t. to purchase for money: to bribe: to obtain in exchange for something:—pr.p. buy′ing; pa.t. and pa.p. bought (bawt).—adj. Buy′able, capable of being bought.—n. Buy′er, one who buys, a purchaser.—Buy and sell (Shak.), to barter; Buy in, to purchase a stock: to buy back for the owner at an auction; Buy off, or out, to gain release from military service by payment of money; Buy over, to gain by bribery; Buy up, to purchase the whole stock. [A.S. bycgan; Goth. bugjan.]
Buzz, buz, v.i. to make a humming noise like bees.—v.t. to whisper or spread secretly.—n. the noise of bees and flies: a humming sound: a whispered report.—n. Buzz′er, one who buzzes: (Shak.) a whisperer or tell-tale.—adv. Buzz′ingly.—adj. Buzz′y. [From the sound.]
Buzz, buz, v.t. to drink to the bottom.
Buzzard, buz′ard, n. a bird of prey of the falcon family: a blockhead: a name for some night moths and cockchafers.—n. Buzz′ard-clock, a cockchafer, the dor. [Fr. busard; prob. from L. buteo, a kind of falcon.]
By, bī, prep. at the side of: near to: through, denoting the agent, cause, means, &c.—adv. near: passing near: in presence of: aside, away.—adv. By′-and-by, soon, presently.—ns. By′-blow, a side blow: an illegitimate child; By′-cor′ner, an out-of-the-way place; By′-drink′ing (Shak.), drinking between meals; By′-elec′tion, a parliamentary election during the sitting of parliament: By′-end, a subsidiary aim; By′-form, a form of a word slightly varying from it; By′-gō′ing, the action of passing by, esp. In the by-going.—adj. By′gone.—ns. By′-lane, a side lane or passage out of the common road; By′-mō′tive, an unavowed motive; By′name, a nickname; By′-pass′age, a side passage.—adj. By′-past (Shak.), past: gone by.—ns. By′path, a side path; By′-place, a retired place; By′play, a scene carried on, subordinate to and apart from the main part of the play; By′-prō′duct, an accessory product resulting from some specific process or manufacture; By′road, a retired side road; By′room (Shak.), a side or private room; By′-speech, a casual speech; By′stander, one who stands by or near one—hence a looker-on; By′-street, an obscure street; By′-thing, a thing of minor importance; By′-time, leisure time; By′way, a private and obscure way; By′word, a common saying: a proverb: an object of common derision; By′work, work for leisure hours.—By-the-by, By the way, in passing.—Let bygones be bygones, let the past alone. [A.S. bi, big; Ger. bei, L. ambi.]
By, Bye, bī, n. anything of minor importance, a side issue, a thing not directly aimed at: the condition of being odd, as opposed to even, the state of being left without a competitor, as in tennis, &c.: in cricket, a run stolen by the batsman on the ball passing the wicket-keeper and long-stop, the batsman not having struck the ball.—By-the-bye, or -by, incidentally, by the way.
Bycocket, bī′kok-et, n. a turned-up peaked cap worn by noble persons in the 15th century—sometimes erroneously abacot. [O. Fr. bicoquet, prob. bi- (L. bis), double, coque, a shell.]
Byde, bīd, v.i. Same as Bide.
Bylander, obsolete form of Bilander.
Bylaw, Bye-law, bī′-law, n. the law of a city, town, or private corporation: a supplementary law or regulation. [The same as Byrlaw, from Ice. byarlög, Dan. by-lov, town-law; Scot. bir-law; from Ice. bua, to dwell. See Bower. By, town, is the suffix in many place-names. The by in bylaw is generally confused with the preposition.]
Bynempt, bī-nempt′, pa.t. of obsolete verb Bename (Spens.), named. [A.S. pfx. by-, be-, and nemnen, to name. See Name.]
Byous, bī′us, adj. (Scot.) extraordinary.—adv. By′ously.
Byre, bīr, n. (Scot.) a cow-house. [A.S. býre pl. dwellings—búr, a bower. See Bower.]
Byrlady, bir-lā′di, contraction for By our Lady.
Byrlaw, bir′law, n. a sort of popular jurisprudence formerly in use in Scotland, in villages and among husbandmen, concerning neighbourhood to be kept among themselves.—n. Byr′law-man, still in parts of Scotland, an arbiter, oddsman, or umpire. [A.S. burh, a borough.]
Byronic, bī-ron′ik, adj. possessing the characteristics of Lord Byron (1788-1824), or of his poetry, overstrained in sentiment or passion, cynical and libertine.—adv. Byron′ically.—n. By′ronism.
Byssolite, bis′o-līt, n. an olive-green variety of actinolite, in long crystals.—Also Amian′tus. [Gr. byssos, byssus, lithos, stone.]
Byssus, bis′us, n. a fine yellowish flax, and the linen made from it: the bundle of fine silky filaments by which many shellfish attach themselves to rocks, &c.: a genus of cryptogamic plants of a silky fibrous texture found on decaying wood, in mines, &c., and other dark places.—adjs. Byssif′erous, bearing or having a byssus; Byss′ine, made of fine linen. [L.—Gr. byssos, a fine flaxen or silky substance.]
Byzant, biz′ant. Same as Bezant.
Byzantine, biz-an′tīn, biz′-, adj. relating to Byzantium or Constantinople.—n. an inhabitant thereof.—n. Byzan′tinism, the manifestation of Byzantine characteristics.—Byzantine architecture, the style prevalent in the Eastern Empire down to 1453, marked by the round arch springing from columns or piers, the dome supported upon pendentives, capitals elaborately sculptured, mosaic or other incrustations, &c.; Byzantine Church, the Eastern or Greek Church; Byzantine Empire, the Eastern or Greek Empire from 395 A.D. to 1453; Byzantine historians, the series of Greek chroniclers of the affairs of the Byzantine Empire down to its fall in 1453.