English Dictionary: bigwig | by the DICT Development Group |
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From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Boa \Bo"a\, n.; pl. {Boas} . [L. boa a kind of water serpent. Perh. fr. bos an ox.] 1. (Zo[94]l.) 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. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bongo \Bon"go\ (b[ocr][nsm]"g[omac]), n. Either of two large antelopes ({Bo[94]cercus eurycercus} of West Africa, and {B. isaaci} of East Africa) of a reddish or chestnut-brown color with narrow white stripes on the body. Their flesh is especially esteemed as food. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
B82zique \B[82]*zique"\ (b[asl]*z[emac]k"), n. [F. b[82]sigue.] A game at cards in which various combinations of cards in the hand, when declared, score points. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bacchic \Bac"chic\, Bacchical \Bac"chic*al\, a. [L. Bacchicus, Gr. [?]] Of or relating to Bacchus; hence, jovial, or riotous,with intoxication. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bacchus \Bac"chus\, n. [L., fr. Gr. [?]] (Myth.) The god of wine, son of Jupiter and Semele. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Backhouse \Back"house`\, n. [Back, a. + house.] A building behind the main building. Specifically: A privy; a necessary. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Backwash \Back"wash`\, v. i. To clean the oil from (wood) after combing. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Baggage \Bag"gage\, n. [F. bagage, from OF. bague bungle. In senses 6 and 7 cf. F. bagasse a prostitute. See {Bag}, n.] 1. The clothes, tents, utensils, and provisions of an army. Note: [bd]The term itself is made to apply chiefly to articles of clothing and to small personal effects.[b8] --Farrow. 2. The trunks, valises, satchels, etc., which a traveler carries with him on a journey; luggage. The baronet's baggage on the roof of the coach. --Thackeray. We saw our baggage following below. --Johnson. Note: The English usually call this luggage. 3. Purulent matter. [Obs.] --Barrough. 4. Trashy talk. [Obs.] --Ascham. 5. A man of bad character. [Obs.] --Holland. 6. A woman of loose morals; a prostitute. A disreputable, daring, laughing, painted French baggage. --Thackeray. 7. A romping, saucy girl. [Playful] --Goldsmith. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bagwig \Bag"wig"\, n. A wig, in use in the 18th century, with the hair at the back of the head in a bag. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bakehouse \Bake"house`\ (-hous`), n. [AS. b[91]ch[umac]s. See {Bake}, v. t., and {House}.] A house for baking; a bakery. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
d8Baksheesh \[d8]Bak"sheesh`\, Bakshish \Bak"shish`\, n. Same as {Backsheesh}. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Basis \Ba"sis\, n.; pl. {Bases}. [L. basis, Gr. [?]. See {Base}, n.] 1. The foundation of anything; that on which a thing rests. --Dryden. 2. The pedestal of a column, pillar, or statue. [Obs.] If no basis bear my rising name. --Pope. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Basic \Ba"sic\, a. 1. (Chem.) (a) Relating to a base; performing the office of a base in a salt. (b) Having the base in excess, or the amount of the base atomically greater than that of the acid, or exceeding in proportion that of the related neutral salt. (c) Apparently alkaline, as certain normal salts which exhibit alkaline reactions with test paper. 2. (Min.) Said of crystalline rocks which contain a relatively low percentage of silica, as basalt. {Basic salt} (Chem.), a salt formed from a base or hydroxide by the partial replacement of its hydrogen by a negative or acid element or radical. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Basis \Ba"sis\, n.; pl. {Bases}. [L. basis, Gr. [?]. See {Base}, n.] 1. The foundation of anything; that on which a thing rests. --Dryden. 2. The pedestal of a column, pillar, or statue. [Obs.] If no basis bear my rising name. --Pope. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Basquish \Basqu"ish\, a. [F. Basque Biscayan: cf. G. Baskisch.] Pertaining to the country, people, or language of Biscay; Basque [Obs.] --Sir T. Browne. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bass \Bass\, n.; pl. {Bass}, and sometimes {Basses}. [A corruption of barse.] (Zo[94]l.) 1. An edible, spiny-finned fish, esp. of the genera {Roccus}, {Labrax}, and related genera. There are many species. Note: The common European bass is {Labrax lupus}. American species are: the striped bass ({Roccus lineatus}); white or silver bass of the lakes. ({R. chrysops}); brass or yellow bass ({R. interruptus}). 2. The two American fresh-water species of black bass (genus {Micropterus}). See {Black bass}. 3. Species of {Serranus}, the sea bass and rock bass. See {Sea bass}. 4. The southern, red, or channel bass ({Sci[91]na ocellata}). See {Redfish}. Note: The name is also applied to many other fishes. See {Calico bass}, under {Calico}. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bassock \Bas"sock\, n. A hassock. See 2d {Bass}, 2. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bawcock \Baw"cock\, n. [From F. beau fine + E. cock (the bird); or more prob. fr. OF. baud bold, gay + E. cock. Cf. {Bawd}.] A fine fellow; -- a term of endearment. [Obs.] [bd]How now, my bawcock ?[b8] --Shak. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Beach \Beach\ (b[emac]ch), n.; pl. {Beaches} (-[ecr]z). [Cf. Sw. backe hill, Dan. bakke, Icel. bakki hill, bank. Cf. {Bank}.] 1. Pebbles, collectively; shingle. 2. The shore of the sea, or of a lake, which is washed by the waves; especially, a sandy or pebbly shore; the strand. {Beach flea} (Zo[94]l.), the common name of many species of amphipod Crustacea, of the family {Orchestid[91]}, living on the sea beaches, and leaping like fleas. {Beach grass} (Bot.), a coarse grass ({Ammophila arundinacea}), growing on the sandy shores of lakes and seas, which, by its interlaced running rootstocks, binds the sand together, and resists the encroachment of the waves. {Beach wagon}, a light open wagon with two or more seats. {Raised beach}, an accumulation of water-worn stones, gravel, sand, and other shore deposits, above the present level of wave action, whether actually raised by elevation of the coast, as in Norway, or left by the receding waters, as in many lake and river regions. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Because \Be*cause"\, conj. [OE. bycause; by + cause.] 1. By or for the cause that; on this account that; for the reason that. --Milton. 2. In order that; that. [Obs.] And the multitude rebuked them because they should hold their peace. --Matt. xx. 31. {Because of}, by reason of, on account of. [Prep. phrase.] Because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. --Eph. v. 6. Syn: {Because}, {For}, {Since}, {As}, {Inasmuch As}. Usage: These particles are used, in certain connections, to assign the reason of a thing, or that [bd]on account of[b8] which it is or takes place. Because (by cause) is the strongest and most emphatic; as, I hid myself because I was afraid. For is not quite so strong; as, in Shakespeare, [bd]I hate him, for he is a Christian.[b8] Since is less formal and more incidental than because; as, I will do it since you request me. It more commonly begins a sentence; as, Since your decision is made, I will say no more. As is still more incidental than since, and points to some existing fact by way of assigning a reason. Thus we say, as I knew him to be out of town, I did not call. Inasmuch as seems to carry with it a kind of qualification which does not belong to the rest. Thus, if we say, I am ready to accept your proposal, inasmuch as I believe it is the best you can offer, we mean, it is only with this understanding that we can accept it. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bechic \Be"chic\, a. [L. bechicus, adj., for a cough, Gr. [?], fr. [?] cough: cf. F. b[82]chique.] (Med.) Pertaining to, or relieving, a cough. --Thomas. -- n. A medicine for relieving coughs. --Quincy. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Beech \Beech\, n.; pl. {Beeches}. [OE. beche, AS. b[?]ce; akin to D. beuk, OHG. buocha, G. buche, Icel. beyki, Dan. b[94]g, Sw. bok, Russ. buk, L. fagus, Gr. [?] oak, [?] to eat, Skr. bhaksh; the tree being named originally from the esculent fruit. See {Book}, and cf. 7th {Buck}, {Buckwheat}.] (Bot.) A tree of the genus {Fagus}. Note: It grows to a large size, having a smooth bark and thick foliage, and bears an edible triangular nut, of which swine are fond. The {Fagus sylvatica} is the European species, and the {F. ferruginea} that of America. {Beech drops} (Bot.), a parasitic plant which grows on the roots of beeches ({Epiphegus Americana}). {Beech marten} (Zo[94]l.), the stone marten of Europe ({Mustela foina}). {Beech mast}, the nuts of the beech, esp. as they lie under the trees, in autumn. {Beech oil}, oil expressed from the mast or nuts of the beech tree. {Cooper beech}, a variety of the European beech with copper-colored, shining leaves. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Beeswax \Bees"wax`\, n. The wax secreted by bees, and of which their cells are constructed. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Beseech \Be*seech"\, n. Solicitation; supplication. [Obs. or Poetic] --Shak. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Beseech \Be*seech"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Besought}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Beseeching}.] [OE. bisechen, biseken (akin to G. besuchen to visit); pref. be- + sechen, seken, to seek. See {Seek}.] 1. To ask or entreat with urgency; to supplicate; to implore. I beseech you, punish me not with your hard thoughts. --Shak. But Eve . . . besought his peace. --Milton. Syn: To beg; to crave. Usage: {To Beseech}, {Entreat}, {Solicit}, {Implore}, {Supplicate}. These words agree in marking that sense of want which leads men to beg some favor. To solicit is to make a request, with some degree of earnestness and repetition, of one whom we address as a superior. To entreat implies greater urgency, usually enforced by adducing reasons or arguments. To beseech is still stronger, and belongs rather to the language of poetry and imagination. To implore denotes increased fervor of entreaty, as addressed either to equals or superiors. To supplicate expresses the extreme of entreaty, and usually implies a state of deep humiliation. Thus, a captive supplicates a conqueror to spare his life. Men solicit by virtue of their interest with another; they entreat in the use of reasoning and strong representations; they beseech with importunate earnestness; they implore from a sense of overwhelming distress; they supplicate with a feeling of the most absolute inferiority and dependence. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Beseek \Be*seek"\, v. t. To beseech. [Obs.] --Chaucer. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Besiege \Be*siege"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Besieged}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Besieging}.] [OE. bisegen; pref. be- + segen to siege. See {Siege}.] To beset or surround with armed forces, for the purpose of compelling to surrender; to lay siege to; to beleaguer; to beset. Till Paris was besieged, famished, and lost. --Shak. Syn: To environ; hem in; invest; encompass. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Beswike \Be*swike"\, v. t. [AS. besw[c6]can; be- + sw[c6]can to deceive, entice; akin to OS. sw[c6]kan, OHG. sw[c6]hhan, Icel. sv[c6]kja.] To lure; to cheat. [Obs.] --Gower. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bias \Bi"as\ (b[imac]"[ait]s), n.; pl. {Biases} (-[ecr]z). [F. biasis, perh. fr. LL. bifax two-faced; L. bis + facies face. See {Bi-}, and cf. {Face}.] 1. A weight on the side of the ball used in the game of bowls, or a tendency imparted to the ball, which turns it from a straight line. Being ignorant that there is a concealed bias within the spheroid, which will . . . swerve away. --Sir W. Scott. 2. A leaning of the mind; propensity or prepossession toward an object or view, not leaving the mind indifferent; bent; inclination. Strong love is a bias upon the thoughts. --South. Morality influences men's lives, and gives a bias to all their actions. --Locke. 3. A wedge-shaped piece of cloth taken out of a garment (as the waist of a dress) to diminish its circumference. 4. A slant; a diagonal; as, to cut cloth on the bias. Syn: Prepossession; prejudice; partiality; inclination. See {Bent}. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bigwig \Big"wig`\, n. [Big,a.+ wig.] A person of consequence; as, the bigwigs of society. [Jocose] In our youth we have heard him spoken of by the bigwigs with extreme condescension. --Dickens. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
d8Bijou \[d8]Bi*jou"\, n.; pl. {Bijoux}. [F.; of uncertain origin.] A trinket; a jewel; -- a word applied to anything small and of elegant workmanship. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
d8Viscacha \[d8]Vis*ca"cha\, d8Viz-cacha \[d8]Viz-ca"cha\, n. [Sp.] (Zo[94]l.) A large burrowing South American rodent ({Lagostomus trichodactylus}) allied to the chinchillas, but much larger. Its fur is soft and rather long, mottled gray above, white or yellowish white beneath. There is a white band across the muzzle, and a dark band on each cheek. It inhabits grassy plains, and is noted for its extensive burrows and for heaping up miscellaneous articles at the mouth of its burrows. Called also {biscacha}, {bizcacha}, {vischacha}, {vishatscha}. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
d8Viscacha \[d8]Vis*ca"cha\, d8Viz-cacha \[d8]Viz-ca"cha\, n. [Sp.] (Zo[94]l.) A large burrowing South American rodent ({Lagostomus trichodactylus}) allied to the chinchillas, but much larger. Its fur is soft and rather long, mottled gray above, white or yellowish white beneath. There is a white band across the muzzle, and a dark band on each cheek. It inhabits grassy plains, and is noted for its extensive burrows and for heaping up miscellaneous articles at the mouth of its burrows. Called also {biscacha}, {bizcacha}, {vischacha}, {vishatscha}. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Jack \Jack\, n. [F. Jacques James, L. Jacobus, Gr. [?], Heb. Ya 'aq[omac]b Jacob; prop., seizing by the heel; hence, a supplanter. Cf. {Jacobite}, {Jockey}.] 1. A familiar nickname of, or substitute for, John. You are John Rugby, and you are Jack Rugby. --Shak. 2. An impertinent or silly fellow; a simpleton; a boor; a clown; also, a servant; a rustic. [bd]Jack fool.[b8] --Chaucer. Since every Jack became a gentleman, There 's many a gentle person made a Jack. --Shak. 3. A popular colloquial name for a sailor; -- called also {Jack tar}, and {Jack afloat}. 4. A mechanical contrivance, an auxiliary machine, or a subordinate part of a machine, rendering convenient service, and often supplying the place of a boy or attendant who was commonly called Jack; as: (a) A device to pull off boots. (b) A sawhorse or sawbuck. (c) A machine or contrivance for turning a spit; a smoke jack, or kitchen jack. (b) (Mining) A wooden wedge for separating rocks rent by blasting. (e) (Knitting Machine) A lever for depressing the sinkers which push the loops down on the needles. (f) (Warping Machine) A grating to separate and guide the threads; a heck box. (g) (Spinning) A machine for twisting the sliver as it leaves the carding machine. (h) A compact, portable machine for planing metal. (i) A machine for slicking or pebbling leather. (k) A system of gearing driven by a horse power, for multiplying speed. (l) A hood or other device placed over a chimney or vent pipe, to prevent a back draught. (m) In the harpsichord, an intermediate piece communicating the action of the key to the quill; -- called also {hopper}. (n) In hunting, the pan or frame holding the fuel of the torch used to attract game at night; also, the light itself. --C. Hallock. 5. A portable machine variously constructed, for exerting great pressure, or lifting or moving a heavy body through a small distance. It consists of a lever, screw, rack and pinion, hydraulic press, or any simple combination of mechanical powers, working in a compact pedestal or support and operated by a lever, crank, capstan bar, etc. The name is often given to a jackscrew, which is a kind of jack. 6. The small bowl used as a mark in the game of bowls. --Shak. Like an uninstructed bowler who thinks to attain the jack by delivering his bowl straight forward upon it. --Sir W. Scott. 7. The male of certain animals, as of the ass. 8. (Zo[94]l.) (a) A young pike; a pickerel. (b) The jurel. (c) A large, California rock fish ({Sebastodes paucispinus}); -- called also {boccaccio}, and {m[82]rou}. (d) The wall-eyed pike. 9. A drinking measure holding half a pint; also, one holding a quarter of a pint. [Prov. Eng.] --Halliwell. 10. (Naut.) (a) A flag, containing only the union, without the fly, usually hoisted on a jack staff at the bowsprit cap; -- called also {union jack}. The American jack is a small blue flag, with a star for each State. (b) A bar of iron athwart ships at a topgallant masthead, to support a royal mast, and give spread to the royal shrouds; -- called also {jack crosstree}. --R. H. Dana, Jr. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bogey \Bo"gey\, n.; pl. {Bogeys}. [Also {bogie}.] 1. A goblin; a bugbear. I have become a sort of bogey -- a kill-joy. --Wm. Black. 2. (Golf) A given score or number of strokes, for each hole, against which players compete; -- said to be so called because assumed to be the score of an imaginary first-rate player called Colonel Bogey. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bogy \Bo"gy\, n.; pl. {Bogies}. [See {Bogle}.] A specter; a hobgoblin; a bugbear. [bd]Death's heads and bogies.[b8] --J. H. Newman. [Written also {bogey}.] There are plenty of such foolish attempts at playing bogy in the history of savages. --C. Kingsley. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bogus \Bo"gus\, a. [Etymol. uncertain.] Spurious; fictitious; sham; -- a cant term originally applied to counterfeit coin, and hence denoting anything counterfeit. [Colloq. U. S.] | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bogus \Bo"gus\, n. A liquor made of rum and molasses. [Local, U. S.] --Bartlett. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bookcase \Book"case`\, n. A case with shelves for holding books, esp. one with glazed doors. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bookish \Book"ish\, a. 1. Given to reading; fond of study; better acquainted with books than with men; learned from books. [bd]A bookish man.[b8] --Addison. [bd]Bookish skill.[b8] --Bp. Hall. 2. Characterized by a method of expression generally found in books; formal; labored; pedantic; as, a bookish way of talking; bookish sentences. -- {Book"ish*ly}, adv. -- {Book"ish*ness}, n. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Boscage \Bos"cage\, n. [OF. boscage grove, F. bocage, fr. LL. boscus, buscus, thicket, wood. See 1st {Bush}.] 1. A growth of trees or shrubs; underwood; a thicket; thick foliage; a wooded landscape. 2. (O. Eng. Law) Food or sustenance for cattle, obtained from bushes and trees; also, a tax on wood. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bosh \Bosh\, n.; pl. {Boshes}. [Cf. G. b[94]schung a slope.] 1. One of the sloping sides of the lower part of a blast furnace; also, one of the hollow iron or brick sides of the bed of a puddling or boiling furnace. 2. pl. The lower part of a blast furnace, which slopes inward, or the widest space at the top of this part. 3. In forging and smelting, a trough in which tools and ingots are cooled. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Boskage \Bos"kage\, n. Same as {Boscage}. Thridding the somber boskage of the wood. --Tennyson. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bossage \Boss"age\, n. [F. bossage, fr. bosse. See {Boss} a stud.] 1. (Arch.) A stone in a building, left rough and projecting, to be afterward carved into shape. --Gwilt. 2. (Arch.) Rustic work, consisting of stones which seem to advance beyond the level of the building, by reason of indentures or channels left in the joinings. --Gwilt. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Boss \Boss\ (b[ocr]s; 115), n.; pl. {Bosses} (-[ecr]z). [OE. boce, bose, boche, OF. boce, boche, bosse, F. bosse, of G. origin; cf. OHG. b[d3]zo tuft, bunch, OHG. b[d3]zan, MHG. b[93]zen, to beat. See {Beat}, and cf. {Botch} a swelling.] 1. Any protuberant part; a round, swelling part or body; a knoblike process; as, a boss of wood. 2. A protuberant ornament on any work, either of different material from that of the work or of the same, as upon a buckler or bridle; a stud; a knob; the central projection of a shield. See {Umbilicus}. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Box \Box\, n.; pl. {Boxes} [As. box a small case or vessel with a cover; akin to OHG. buhsa box, G. b[81]chse; fr. L. buxus boxwood, anything made of boxwood. See {Pyx}, and cf. {Box} a tree, {Bushel}.] 1. A receptacle or case of any firm material and of various shapes. 2. The quantity that a box contain. 3. A space with a few seats partitioned off in a theater, or other place of public amusement. Laughed at by the pit, box, galleries, nay, stage. --Dorset. The boxes and the pit are sovereign judges. --Dryden. 4. A chest or any receptacle for the deposit of money; as, a poor box; a contribution box. Yet since his neighbors give, the churl unlocks, Damning the poor, his tripple-bolted box. --J. Warton. 5. A small country house. [bd]A shooting box.[b8] --Wilson. Tight boxes neatly sashed. --Cowper. 6. A boxlike shed for shelter; as, a sentry box. 7. (Mach) (a) An axle box, journal box, journal bearing, or bushing. (b) A chamber or section of tube in which a valve works; the bucket of a lifting pump. 8. The driver's seat on a carriage or coach. 9. A present in a box; a present; esp. a Christmas box or gift. [bd]A Christmas box.[b8] --Dickens. 10. (Baseball) The square in which the pitcher stands. 11. (Zo[94]l.) A Mediterranean food fish; the bogue. Note: Box is much used adjectively or in composition; as box lid, box maker, box circle, etc.; also with modifying substantives; as money box, letter box, bandbox, hatbox or hat box, snuff box or snuffbox. {Box beam} (Arch.), a beam made of metal plates so as to have the form of a long box. {Box car} (Railroads), a freight car covered with a roof and inclosed on the sides to protect its contents. {Box chronometer}, a ship's chronometer, mounted in gimbals, to preserve its proper position. {Box coat}, a thick overcoat for driving; sometimes with a heavy cape to carry off the rain. {Box coupling}, a metal collar uniting the ends of shafts or other parts in machinery. {Box crab} (Zo[94]l.), a crab of the genus {Calappa}, which, when at rest with the legs retracted, resembles a box. {Box drain} (Arch.), a drain constructed with upright sides, and with flat top and bottom. {Box girder} (Arch.), a box beam. {Box groove} (Metal Working), a closed groove between two rolls, formed by a collar on one roll fitting between collars on another. --R. W. Raymond. {Box metal}, an alloy of copper and tin, or of zinc, lead, and antimony, for the bearings of journals, etc. {Box plait}, a plait that doubles both to the right and the left. {Box turtle} [or] {Box tortoise} (Zo[94]l.), a land tortoise or turtle of the genera {Cistudo} and {Emys}; -- so named because it can withdraw entirely within its shell, which can be closed by hinged joints in the lower shell. Also, humorously, an exceedingly reticent person. --Emerson. {In a box}, in a perplexity or an embarrassing position; in difficulty. (Colloq.) {In the wrong box}, out of one's place; out of one's element; awkwardly situated. (Colloq.) --Ridley (1554) | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Horse-chestnut \Horse`-chest"nut\, n. (Bot.) (a) The large nutlike seed of a species of {[92]sculus} ({[92]. Hippocastanum}), formerly ground, and fed to horses, whence the name. (b) The tree itself, which was brought from Constantinople in the beginning of the sixteenth century, and is now common in the temperate zones of both hemispheres. The native American species are called {buckeyes}. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Buckish \Buck"ish\, a. Dandified; foppish. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Buggy \Bug"gy\, n.; pl. {Buggies}. 1. A light one horse two-wheeled vehicle. [Eng.] Villebeck prevailed upon Flora to drive with him to the race in a buggy. --Beaconsfield. 2. A light, four-wheeled vehicle, usually with one seat, and with or without a calash top. [U.S.] {Buggy cultivator}, a cultivator with a seat for the driver. {Buggy plow}, a plow, or set of plows, having a seat for the driver; -- called also {sulky plow}. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Zamouse \Za*mouse"\, n. [From a native name.] (Zo[94]l.) A West African buffalo ({Bubalus brachyceros}) having short horns depressed at the base, and large ears fringed internally with three rows of long hairs. It is destitute of a dewlap. Called also {short-horned buffalo}, and {bush cow}. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Bush \Bush\, n. [OE. bosch, busch, buysch, bosk, busk; akin to D. bosch, OHG. busc, G. busch, Icel. b[umac]skr, b[umac]ski, Dan. busk, Sw. buske, and also to LL. boscus, buscus, Pr. bosc, It. bosco, Sp. & Pg. bosque, F. bois, OF. bos. Whether the LL. or G. form is the original is uncertain; if the LL., it is perh. from the same source as E. box a case. Cf. {Ambush}, {Boscage}, {Bouquet}, {Box} a case.] 1. A thicket, or place abounding in trees or shrubs; a wild forest. Note: This was the original sense of the word, as in the Dutch bosch, a wood, and was so used by Chaucer. In this sense it is extensively used in the British colonies, especially at the Cape of Good Hope, and also in Australia and Canada; as, to live or settle in the bush. 2. A shrub; esp., a shrub with branches rising from or near the root; a thick shrub or a cluster of shrubs. To bind a bush of thorns among sweet-smelling flowers. --Gascoigne. 3. A shrub cut off, or a shrublike branch of a tree; as, bushes to support pea vines. 4. A shrub or branch, properly, a branch of ivy (as sacred to Bacchus), hung out at vintners' doors, or as a tavern sign; hence, a tavern sign, and symbolically, the tavern itself. If it be true that good wine needs no bush, 't is true that a good play needs no epilogue. --Shak. 5. (Hunting) The tail, or brush, of a fox. {To beat about the bush}, to approach anything in a round-about manner, instead of coming directly to it; -- a metaphor taken from hunting. {Bush bean} (Bot.), a variety of bean which is low and requires no support ({Phaseolus vulgaris}, variety {nanus}). See {Bean}, 1. {Bush buck}, [or] {Bush goat} (Zo[94]l.), a beautiful South African antelope ({Tragelaphus sylvaticus}); -- so called because found mainly in wooden localities. The name is also applied to other species. {Bush cat} (Zo[94]l.), the serval. See {Serval}. {Bush chat} (Zo[94]l.), a bird of the genus {Pratincola}, of the Thrush family. {Bush dog}. (Zo[94]l.) See {Potto}. {Bush hammer}. See {Bushhammer} in the Vocabulary. {Bush harrow} (Agric.) See under {Harrow}. {Bush hog} (Zo[94]l.), a South African wild hog ({Potamoch[d2]rus Africanus}); -- called also {bush pig}, and {water hog}. {Bush master} (Zo[94]l.), a venomous snake ({Lachesis mutus}) of Guinea; -- called also {surucucu}. {Bush pea} (Bot.), a variety of pea that needs to be bushed. {Bush shrike} (Zo[94]l.), a bird of the genus {Thamnophilus}, and allied genera; -- called also {batarg}. Many species inhabit tropical America. {Bush tit} (Zo[94]l.), a small bird of the genus {Psaltriparus}, allied to the titmouse. {P. minimus} inhabits California. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Hog \Hog\, n. [Prob. akin to E. hack to cut, and meaning orig., a castrated boar; cf. also W. hwch swine, sow, Armor. houc'h, hoc'h. Cf. {Haggis}, {Hogget}, and {Hoggerel}.] 1. (Zo[94]l.) A quadruped of the genus {Sus}, and allied genera of {Suid[91]}; esp., the domesticated varieties of {S. scrofa}, kept for their fat and meat, called, respectively, {lard} and {pork}; swine; porker; specifically, a castrated boar; a barrow. Note: The domestic hogs of Siam, China, and parts of Southern Europe, are thought to have been derived from {Sus Indicus}. 2. A mean, filthy, or gluttonous fellow. [Low.] 3. A young sheep that has not been shorn. [Eng.] 4. (Naut.) A rough, flat scrubbing broom for scrubbing a ship's bottom under water. --Totten. 5. (Paper Manuf.) A device for mixing and stirring the pulp of which paper is made. {Bush hog}, {Ground hog}, etc.. See under {Bush}, {Ground}, etc. {Hog caterpillar} (Zo[94]l.), the larva of the green grapevine sphinx; -- so called because the head and first three segments are much smaller than those behind them, so as to make a resemblance to a hog's snout. See {Hawk moth}. {Hog cholera}, an epidemic contagious fever of swine, attended by liquid, fetid, diarrhea, and by the appearance on the skin and mucous membrane of spots and patches of a scarlet, purple, or black color. It is fatal in from one to six days, or ends in a slow, uncertain recovery. --Law (Farmer's Veter. Adviser.) {Hog deer} (Zo[94]l.), the axis deer. {Hog gum} (Bot.), West Indian tree ({Symphonia globulifera}), yielding an aromatic gum. {Hog of wool}, the trade name for the fleece or wool of sheep of the second year. {Hog peanut} (Bot.), a kind of earth pea. {Hog plum} (Bot.), a tropical tree, of the genus {Spondias} ({S. lutea}), with fruit somewhat resembling plums, but chiefly eaten by hogs. It is found in the West Indies. {Hog's bean} (Bot.), the plant henbane. {Hog's bread}.(Bot.) See {Sow bread}. {Hog's fennel}. (Bot.) See under {Fennel}. {Mexican hog} (Zo[94]l.), the peccary. {Water hog}. (Zo[94]l.) See {Capybara}. | |
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
Buxeous \Bux"e*ous\, a. [L. buxeus, fr. buxus the box tree.] Belonging to the box tree. | |
From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]: | |
Backus, MN (city, FIPS 3124) Location: 46.82092 N, 94.51414 W Population (1990): 240 (181 housing units) Area: 1.5 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 56435 | |
From U.S. Gazetteer (1990) [gazetteer]: | |
Bokoshe, OK (town, FIPS 7450) Location: 35.19069 N, 94.79035 W Population (1990): 403 (183 housing units) Area: 1.4 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water) Zip code(s): 74930 | |
From Jargon File (4.2.0, 31 JAN 2000) [jargon]: | |
BASIC /bay'-sic/ n. A programming language, originally designed for Dartmouth's experimental timesharing system in the early 1960s, which for many years was the leading cause of brain damage in proto-hackers. Edsger W. Dijkstra observed in "Selected Writings on Computing: A Personal Perspective" that "It is practically impossible to teach good programming style to students that have had prior exposure to BASIC: as potential programmers they are mentally mutilated beyond hope of regeneration." This is another case (like {Pascal}) of the cascading {lossage} that happens when a language deliberately designed as an educational toy gets taken too seriously. A novice can write short BASIC programs (on the order of 10-20 lines) very easily; writing anything longer (a) is very painful, and (b) encourages bad habits that will make it harder to use more powerful languages well. This wouldn't be so bad if historical accidents hadn't made BASIC so common on low-end micros in the 1980s. As it is, it probably ruined tens of thousands of potential wizards. [1995: Some languages called `BASIC' aren't quite this nasty any more, having acquired Pascal- and C-like procedures and control structures and shed their line numbers. --ESR] Note: the name is commonly parsed as Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code, but this is a {backronym}. BASIC was originally named Basic, simply because it was a simple and basic programming language. Because most programming language names were in fact acronyms, BASIC was often capitalized just out of habit or to be silly. No acronym for BASIC originally existed or was intended (as one can verify by reading texts through the early 1970s). Later, around the mid-1970s, people began to make up backronyms for BASIC because they weren't sure. Beginner's All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code is the one that caught on. | |
From Jargon File (4.2.0, 31 JAN 2000) [jargon]: | |
bogus adj. 1. Non-functional. "Your patches are bogus." 2. Useless. "OPCON is a bogus program." 3. False. "Your arguments are bogus." 4. Incorrect. "That algorithm is bogus." 5. Unbelievable. "You claim to have solved the halting problem for Turing Machines? That's totally bogus." 6. Silly. "Stop writing those bogus sagas." Astrology is bogus. So is a bolt that is obviously about to break. So is someone who makes blatantly false claims to have solved a scientific problem. (This word seems to have some, but not all, of the connotations of {random} -- mostly the negative ones.) It is claimed that `bogus' was originally used in the hackish sense at Princeton in the late 1960s. It was spread to CMU and Yale by Michael Shamos, a migratory Princeton alumnus. A glossary of bogus words was compiled at Yale when the word was first popularized there about 1975-76. These coinages spread into hackerdom from CMU and MIT. Most of them remained wordplay objects rather than actual vocabulary items or live metaphors. Examples: `amboguous' (having multiple bogus interpretations); `bogotissimo' (in a gloriously bogus manner); `bogotophile' (one who is pathologically fascinated by the bogus); `paleobogology' (the study of primeval bogosity). Some bogowords, however, obtained sufficient live currency to be listed elsewhere in this lexicon; see {bogometer}, {bogon}, {bogotify}, and {quantum bogodynamics} and the related but unlisted {Dr. Fred Mbogo}. By the early 1980s `bogus' was also current in something like hacker usage sense in West Coast teen slang, and it had gone mainstream by 1985. A correspondent from Cambridge reports, by contrast, that these uses of `bogus' grate on British nerves; in Britain the word means, rather specifically, `counterfeit', as in "a bogus 10-pound note". | |
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]: | |
BACAIC Boeing Airplane Company Algebraic Interpreter Coding system. A pre-{Fortran} system on the {IBM 701} and {IBM 650}. (1995-02-08) | |
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]: | |
BASIC A simple language oroginally designed for ease of programming by students and beginners. BASIC exists in many dialects, and is popular on {microcomputers} with sound and graphics support. Most micro versions are {interactive} and {interpreted}. BASIC has become the leading cause of brain-damage in proto-hackers. This is another case (like {Pascal}) of the cascading lossage that happens when a language deliberately designed as an educational toy gets taken too seriously. A novice can write short BASIC programs (on the order of 10-20 lines) very easily; writing anything longer is (a) very painful, and (b) encourages bad habits that will make it harder to use more powerful languages well. This wouldn't be so bad if historical accidents hadn't made BASIC so common on low-end micros. As it is, it ruins thousands of potential wizards a year. Originally, all references to code, both {GOTO} and GOSUB (subroutine call) referred to the destination by its line number. This allowed for very simple editing in the days before {text editors} were considered essential. Just typing the line number deleted the line and to edit a line you just typed the new line with the same number. Programs were typically numbered in steps of ten to allow for insertions. Later versions, such as {BASIC V}, allow {GOTO}-less {structured programming} with named {procedures} and {functions}, IF-THEN-ELSE-ENDIF constructs and {WHILE} loops etc. Early BASICs had no graphic operations except with graphic characters. In the 1970s BASIC {interpreters} became standard features in {mainframes} and {minicomputers}. Some versions included {matrix} operations as language {primitives}. A {public domain} {interpreter} for a mixture of {DEC}'s {MU-Basic} and {Microsoft Basic} is {here (ftp://oak.oakland.edu/pub/Unix-c/languages/basic/basic.tar-z)}. A {yacc} {parser} and {interpreter} were in the comp.sources.unix archives volume 2. See also {ANSI Minimal BASIC}, {bournebasic}, {bwBASIC}, {ubasic}, {Visual Basic}. [{Jargon File}] (1995-03-15) | |
From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (15Feb98) [foldoc]: | |
BUGSYS and preparing animated films, for {IBM 7094} and {IBM 360}. ["BUGSYS: A Programming System for Picture Processing - Not for Debugging", R.A. Ledley et al, CACM 9(2) (Feb 1966)]. (1995-02-14) | |
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]: | |
Bezek lightning. (1.) The residence of Adoni-bezek, in the lot of Judah (Judg. 1:5). It was in the mountains, not far from Jerusalem. Probably the modern Bezkah, 6 miles south-east of Lydda. (2.) The place where Saul numbered the forces of Israel and Judah (1 Sam. 11:8); somewhere in the centre of the country, near the Jordan valley. Probably the modern Ibzik, 13 miles north-east of Shechem. | |
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary [easton]: | |
Bosses the projecting parts of a shield (Job 15:26). The Hebrew word thus rendered means anything convex or arched, and hence the back, as of animals. | |
From Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (late 1800's) [hitchcock]: | |
Bezek, lightning; in the chains | |
From Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary (late 1800's) [hitchcock]: | |
Bozez, mud; bog |