b ['bē] -n
- the second letter of the English alphabet
- a graphic representation of this letter
- a speech counterpart of orthographic b
- the seventh tone of a C-major scale
- a graphic device for reproducing the letter b
- one designated besp. as the second in order or class
- a grade rating a student's work as good but short of excellent
- one graded or rated with a B
- something shaped like the letter B
- the one of the four ABO blood groups characterized by the presence of antigens designated by the letter B and by the presence of antibodies against the antigens present in the A blood group
- bachelor
- bacillus
- back
- bag
- bale
- bass
- basso
- bat
- Baume
- before
- Bible
- billion
- bishop
- black
- blue
- bolivar
- book
- born
- bottom
- brick
- brightness
- British
- bulb
- butut
B -symbol
- boron
Ba -symbol
- barium
BA -abbr
- bachelor of arts
- batting average
- Buenos Aires
baa ['ba, 'bä] -vi, n
- to make the bleat of a sheep
BAA -abbr
- bachelor of applied arts
BAAE -abbr
- bachelor of aeronautical and astronautical engineering
baal ['bā(-ə)l, 'bäl] -n
- any of numerous Canaanite and Phoenician local deities
baas ['bäs] -n
- boss, master used esp. by nonwhites when speaking to or about Europeans in positions of authority
Baath·ism ['bä-thi-zəm] -n, n or adj
- the principles and policies of the Baath political party of Iraq and Syria characterized esp. by promotion of pan-Arab socialism
ba·ba ['bä-(,)bä, -bə] -n
- a rich cake soaked in a rum and sugar syrup called also baba au rhum -o-rm
ba·ba gha·noush [,bä-bə-gə-'nüsh] -n
- an appetizer or spread made chiefly of eggplant, tahini, garlic, olive oil, and lemon
ba·bas·su [,bä-bə-'sü] -n
- a tall pinnate-leaved palm ( Orbignya phaleratasyn. O. barbosiana) of Brazil with hard-shelled nuts yielding a valuable oil
Bab·bitt ['ba-bət] -n, adj
- a person and esp. a business or professional man who conforms unthinkingly to prevailing middle-class standards
bab·ble ['ba-bəl] -vb, n
- to talk enthusiastically or excessively
- to utter meaningless or unintelligible sounds
- to make sounds as though babbling
- to utter in an incoherently or meaninglessly repetitious manner
- to reveal by talk that is too free
babe ['bāb] -n
- infant, baby
- girl, woman
- a person and esp. a young woman who is sexually attractive
- a naive inexperienced person used esp. in the phrase babe in the woods
Ba·bel ['bā-bəl, 'ba-] -n
- a city in Shinar where the building of a tower is held in Genesis to have been halted by the confusion of tongues
- a confusion of sounds or voices
- a scene of noise or confusion
ba·be·sia [bə-'bē-zh(ē-)ə] -n
- any of a genus ( Babesia) of sporozoans parasitic in mammalian red blood cells (as in Texas fever) and transmitted by the bite of a tick called also piroplasm
ba·be·si·o·sis [bə-,bē-zē-'ō-səs] -n
- an infection with or disease caused by babesias
Ba·bin·ski reflex [bə-'bin(t)-skē-] -n
- a reflex movement in which when the sole is tickled the big toe turns upward instead of downward and which is normal in infancy but indicates damage to the central nervous system (as in the pyramidal tracts) later in life called also Babinski sign Ba*bin*ski's reflex -skez-
bab·i·ru·sa [,ba-bə-'rü-sə, ,bä-] -n
- a large wild swine ( Babyrousa babyrussa) of Indonesia
ba·boon [ba-'bün, chiefly Brit bə-] -n
- any of a genus ( Papio) of large gregarious primates of Africa and southwestern Asia having a long square naked muzzle
- any of several closely related primates
ba·bu ['bä-(,)bü] -n
- a Hindu gentleman a form of address corresponding to Mr.
- an Indian clerk who writes English
- an Indian having some education in English
ba·bul [bə-'bül] -n
- an acacia tree ( Acacia niloticasyn. A. arabica) widespread in India and northern Africa that yields gum arabic and tannins as well as fodder and timber
ba·bush·ka [bə-'büsh-kə, -'bu̇sh-, ba-] -n
- a usu. triangularly folded kerchief for the head
- a head covering (as a scarf) resembling a babushka
- an elderly Russian woman
ba·by ['bā-bē] -n, adj
- an extremely young child
- infant
- an extremely young animal
- the youngest of a group
- one that is like a baby (as in behavior)
- something that is one's special responsibility, achievement, or interest
- girl, woman often used in address
- boy, man often used in address
- person, thing
baby -adj
- of, relating to, or being a baby
- much smaller than the usual
- to tend to indulge with often excessive or inappropriate care and solicitude
- baby ing their only child
- to use or treat with care
baby back ribs -n pl
- meaty pork ribs cut from the lower back rib section
baby blue -n
- a pale blue
- blue eyes
baby blue eyes -n pl but sing or pl in constr
- a delicate blue-flowered California herb ( Nemophila menziesii) of the waterleaf family
baby boom -n
- a marked rise in birthrate (as in the U.S. immediately following the end of World War II)
baby boomlet -n
- a small or secondary baby boom (as in the U.S. in the 1980's and 90's)
baby bust -n
- a marked decline in birthrate
baby carriage -n
- a small four-wheeled carriage often with a folding top for pushing a baby around in called also baby buggy
baby grand -n
- a small grand piano
Bab·y·lon ['ba-bə-,län, -lən] -n
- a city devoted to materialism and sensual pleasure
Bab·y·lo·nian [,ba-bə-'lō-nyən, -nē-ən] -n
- a native or inhabitant of ancient Babylonia or Babylon
- the form of the Akkadian language used in ancient Babylonia
Babylonian -adj
- of, relating to, or characteristic of Babylonia or Babylon, the Babylonians, or Babylonian
- marked by luxury, extravagance, or the pursuit of sensual pleasure
- the Babylonian halls of the big hotel -- G. K. Chesterton
- the Babylonian delights of the city
baby oil -n
- a usu. fragrant mineral oil that is used esp. to moisturize and cleanse the skin
- any of various oils used similarly
baby's breath -n
- gypsophila
- a perennial herb ( Gypsophila paniculata) or an annual herb ( G. elegans) commonly used in floral arrangements
ba·by·sit ['bā-bē-,sit] -vb, n
- to care for children usu. during a short absence of the parents
- to give care
- babysit for a neighbor's pets
- to babysit for
- mind, tend
- police babysitting a witness
baby talk -n
- the consciously imperfect or altered speech used by adults in speaking to small children
- the syntactically imperfect speech or phonetically modified forms used by small children learning to talk
- oversimplified speech or writing
baby tooth -n
- milk tooth
BAC -abbr
- blood alcohol concentration
bac·ca·lau·re·ate [,ba-kə-'lȯr-ē-ət, -'lär-] -n
- the degree of bachelor conferred by universities and colleges
- a sermon to a graduating class
- the service at which this sermon is delivered
bac·ca·rat [,bä-kə-'rä, ,ba-] -n
- a card game resembling chemin de fer in which three hands are dealt and players may bet either or both hands against the dealer's
- a two-handed version in which players may bet on or against either hand
Bac·chae ['ba-,kē, -,kī] -n pl
- the female attendants or priestesses of Bacchus
- the women participating in the Bacchanalia
bac·cha·nal ['ba-kə-nᵊl, 'bä-; ,ba-kə-'nal, ,bä-kə-'näl] -n
- orgy
- orgy
- a devotee of Bacchus
- one who celebrates the Bacchanalia
- reveler
- of, relating to, or suggestive of the Bacchanalia : bacchanalian
bac·cha·na·lia [,ba-kə-'nāl-yə, ,bä-] -n, adj or n
- a Roman festival of Bacchus celebrated with dancing, song, and revelry
- orgy
- orgy
bac·chant [bə-'kant, -'känt; 'ba-kənt, 'bä-] -n, adj
- bacchanal
bac·chante [bə-'kant, -'känt; -'kan-tē, -'kän-] -n
- a priestess or female follower of Bacchus
bac·chic ['ba-kik, 'bä-] -adj
- of, relating to, or suggestive of Bacchus or the Bacchanalia : bacchanalian
Bac·chus ['ba-kəs, 'bä-] -n
- the Greek god of wine called also Dionysus
bach ['bach] -n
- bachelor
- to live as a bachelor often used with it
- a small house or weekend cottage
bach·e·lor ['bach-lər, 'ba-chə-] -n
- a young knight who follows the banner of another
- a person who has received what is usu. the lowest degree conferred by a 4-year college, university, or professional school
- the degree itself
- received a bachelor of laws
- an unmarried man
- a male animal (as a fur seal) without a mate during breeding time
bachelor -adj
- suitable for or occupied by a single person
- unmarried
bach·e·lor·ette [,bach-lə-'ret, ,ba-chə-] -n
- an unmarried woman
bachelor's button -n
- a European composite ( Centaurea cyanus) having flower heads with usu. blue, pink, or white rays that is often cultivated in No. America called also cornflower
ba·cil·la·ry ['ba-sə-,ler-ē, bə-'si-lə-rē] -adj
- shaped like a rod
- consisting of small rods
- of, relating to, or caused by bacilli
ba·cil·lus [bə-'si-ləs] -n
- any of a genus ( Bacillus) of rod-shaped gram-positive usu. aerobic bacteria producing endospores and including many saprophytes and some parasites (as B. anthracisof anthrax)
- a straight rod-shaped bacterium
- bacterium
- a disease-producing bacterium
bac·i·tra·cin [,ba-sə-'trā-sᵊn] -n
- a polypeptide antibiotic isolated from a bacillus ( Bacillus subtilisor B. licheniformis) and usu. used topically esp. against gram-positive bacteria
back ['bak] -n, adj
- the rear part of the human body esp. from the neck to the end of the spine
- the body considered as the wearer of clothes
- capacity for labor, effort, or endurance
- the back considered as the seat of one's awareness of duty or failings
- the back considered as an area of vulnerability
- the police officer's partner always watches his back
- the part of a lower animal (as a quadruped) corresponding to the human back
- spinal column
- spine
- the side or surface opposite the front or face : the rear part
- the farther or reverse side
- something at or on the back for support
- a place away from the front
- a position in some games (as football or soccer) behind the front line of players
- a player in this position
- to, toward, or at the rear
- in or into the past : backward in time
- ago
- to or at an angle off the vertical
- under restraint
- in a delayed or retarded condition
- to, toward, or in a place from which a person or thing came
- to or toward a former state
- in return or reply
- being at or in the back
- distant from a central or main area
- articulated at or toward the back of the oral passage
- having returned or been returned
- being in arrears : overdue
- moving or operating backward : reverse
- not current
- back issues of a magazine
- constituting the final 9 holes of an 18-hole golf course
- to support by material or moral assistance often used with up
- substantiate
- to assume financial responsibility for
- to provide musical accompaniment for often used with up
- to cause to go back or in reverse
- to articulate (a sound) with the tongue farther back
- to furnish with a back
- to be at the back of
- to move backward often used with up
- to shift counterclockwise
- to have the back in the direction of something
back·ache ['bak-,āk] -n
- a pain in the lower back
backandforth -n
- discussion , give-and-take
- exchange
back and forth -adv
- backward and forward
- between two places or persons
back away -vi
- to move away (as from a stand on an issue or from a commitment)
back bacon -n
- canadian bacon
back·beat ['bak-,bēt] -n
- a steady pronounced rhythm stressing the second and fourth beats of a four-beat measure
back·bench [-'bench] -n
- a bench in a British legislature (as the House of Commons) occupied by rank-and-file members
back·bite [-,bīt] -vb, n
- to say mean or spiteful things about (as one not present)
- to backbite a person
back·block [-,bläk] -n
- boondocks usu. used in pl.
back·board [-,bȯrd] -n
- a board placed at or serving as the back of something
- a rounded or rectangular board behind the basket on a basketball court which serves to keep missed shots from going out-of-bounds and from which the ball can be made to rebound into the basket
- a stiff board on which an injured person and esp. one with neck or spinal injuries is placed and immobilized in order to prevent further injury during transport
back·bone [-'bōn, -,bōn] -n, adj
- spinal column, spine
- : something that resembles a backbone: as
- a chief mountain ridge, range, or system
- the foundation or most substantial or sturdiest part of something
- the longest chain of atoms or groups of atoms in a usu. long molecule (as a polymer or protein)
- the primary high-speed hardware and transmission lines of a telecommunications network (as the Internet)
- firm and resolute character
- spine
back·break·ing [-,brā-kiŋ] -adj, n
- extremely arduous, exhausting, or demoralizing : oppressive
back burner -n, vt
- the condition of being out of active consideration or development usu. used in the phrase on the back burner
back channel -n, adj
- a secret, unofficial, or irregular means of communication
back·chat ['bak-,chat] -n
- back talk
- gossipy or bantering conversation
backcheck [-,chek] -vi, n
- to skate back toward one's own goal while closely defending against the offensive rushes of an opposing player in ice hockey
back·cloth [-,klȯth] -n
- backdrop
back·coun·try [-,kən-trē] -n
- a remote undeveloped rural area
back·court [-'kȯrt] -n
- the area near or nearest the back boundary lines or back wall of the playing area in a net or court game
- a basketball team's defensive half of the court
- the positions of the guards on a basketball team
- the guards themselves
- a team with a strong backcourt
back·court·man [-mən] -n
- a guard on a basketball team
back·cross ['bak-,krȯs] -vt
- to cross (a first-generation hybrid) with one of the parental types
backcross -n
- a mating that involves backcrossing
- an individual produced by backcrossing
back·date ['bak-,dāt] -vt
- to put a date earlier than the actual one on
- to make retroactive
back dive -n
- a dive from a position facing the diving board
back·door ['bak-'dȯr] -adj
- indirect, devious
- involving or being a play in basketball in which a player moves behind the defense and toward the basket to receive a quick pass
back down -vi
- to withdraw from a commitment or position
back·drop ['bak-,dräp] -n, vt
- a painted cloth hung across the rear of a stage
- background
back·field [-,fēld] -n
- the football players whose positions are behind the line of scrimmage
- the positions themselves
back·fill [-,fil] -vt, n
- to refill (as an excavation) usu. with excavated material
- to backfill an excavation
back·fire [-,fī(-ə)r] -n
- a fire started to check an advancing fire by clearing an area
- a loud noise caused by the improperly timed explosion of fuel mixture in the cylinder of an internal combustion engine
backfire -vi
- to make or undergo a backfire
- to have the reverse of the desired or expected effect
back·fit ['bak-,fit] -vt, n
- retrofit
back·flip [-,flip] -n
- a backward somersault esp. in the air
back·flow [-,flō] -n
- a flowing back or returning esp. toward a source
backformation -n
- a word formed by subtraction of a real or supposed affix from an already existing longer word (as burglefrom burglar)
- the formation of back-formations
back·gam·mon ['bak-,ga-mən, ,bak-'] -n
- a board game played with dice and counters in which players try to be the first to gather their pieces into one corner and then systematically remove them from the board
back·ground ['bak-,(g)rau̇nd] -n
- the scenery or ground behind something
- the part of a painting representing what lies behind objects in the foreground
- an inconspicuous position
- the conditions that form the setting within which something is experienced
- the circumstances or events antecedent to a phenomenon or development
- information essential to understanding of a problem or situation
- the total of a person's experience, knowledge, and education
- intrusive sound or radiation that interferes with received or recorded electronic signals
- a more or less steady level of noise above which the effect (as radioactivity) being measured by an apparatus (as a Geiger counter) is detected
- a somewhat steady level of radiation in the natural environment (as from cosmic rays)
- a level of computer processing at which the processor uses time not required for a primary task to work on an additional task
background -vt
- to provide with background
back·ground·er ['bak-,(g)rau̇n-dər] -n
- an off-the-record briefing for reporters
background music -n
- music to accompany the dialogue or action of a motion picture or radio or television drama
background radiation -n
- the microwave radiation pervading the universe that exhibits a corresponding blackbody temperature of 2.7 K and that is the principal evidence supporting the big bang theory called also cosmic background radiation
back·hand ['bak-,hand] -n
- a stroke (as in tennis) made with the back of the hand turned in the direction of movement
- the side on which such strokes are made
- a catch (as in baseball) made to the side of the body opposite the hand being used
- handwriting whose strokes slant downward from left to right
backhand -adj
- made with a backhand
- with a backhand
- to do, hit, or catch backhand
back·hand·ed ['bak-'han-dəd] -adj, adv
- indirect, devious
- sarcastic
- using or made with a backhand
back·hand·er [-dər] -n
- bribe
- a backhand shot
back·hoe [-,hō] -n
- an excavating machine having a bucket that is attached to a rigid bar hinged to a boom and that is drawn toward the machine in operation
back·house [-,hau̇s] -n
- privy
back·ing ['ba-kiŋ] -n
- something forming a back
- support, aid
- endorsement esp. of a warrant by a magistrate
back judge -n
- a football official whose duties include keeping the game's official time and identifying eligible pass receivers
back·land ['bak-,land] -n
- backcountry, hinterland usu. used in pl.
back·lash ['bak-,lash] -n
- a sudden violent backward movement or reaction
- the play between adjacent movable parts (as in a series of gears)
- the jar caused by this when the parts are put into action
- a snarl in that part of a fishing line wound on the reel
- a strong adverse reaction (as to a recent political or social development)
back·light [-,līt] -n, vt
- illumination from behind
- the source of such illumination
back·list ['bak-,list] -n
- a list of books kept in print as distinguished from books newly published
back·log [-,lȯg, -,läg] -n
- a large log at the back of a hearth fire
- an accumulation of tasks unperformed or materials not processed
backlog -vb
- accumulate
back matter -n
- matter following the main text of a book
back mutation -n
- mutation of a previously mutated gene to its former condition
back of -prep
- behind
back of beyond
- a remote place
back off -vi
- back down
backoffice ['bak-'ä-fəs, -'ȯ-fəs] -adj
- of or relating to the inner workings of a business or institution : internal
backorder -vt
- to assign to the status of back order
back order -n
- a business order yet to be fulfilled because stock is unavailable
back out -vi
- to withdraw esp. from a commitment or contest
back·pack ['bak-,pak] -n
- a load carried on the back
- a camping pack (as of canvas or nylon) supported by a usu. aluminum frame and carried on the back
- knapsack
- a piece of equipment designed for use while being carried on the back
backpack -vt, n
- to carry (food or equipment) on the back esp. in hiking
- to hike with a backpack
back·ped·al ['bak-,pe-dᵊl] -vi
- to retreat or move backward
back·rest [-,rest] -n
- a rest for the back
back·room ['bak-'rüm, -'ru̇m] -adj
- made or operating in an inconspicuous way : behind-the-scenes
back room -n
- a room situated in the rear
- the meeting place of a directing group that exercises its authority in an inconspicuous and indirect way
back·saw ['bak-,sȯ] -n
- a saw with a metal rib along its back
back·scat·ter [-,ska-tər] -n, vb
- the scattering of radiation or particles in a direction opposite to that of the incident radiation due to reflection from particles of the medium traversed
- the radiation or particles so reversed in direction
backscratch·ing ['bak-,skra-chiŋ] -n
- the reciprocal exchange of favors, services, assistance, or praise
back·seat [-'sēt] -n
- a seat in the back (as of an automobile)
- an inferior position
- won't take a backseat to anyone
back·set ['bak-,set] -n
- setback
back·side [-,sīd] -n
- buttocks often used in pl.
back·slap [-,slap] -vt, n
- to display excessive or effusive goodwill for
- to display excessive cordiality or goodwill
back·slash [-,slash] -n
- a mark used esp. in computer programming
back·slide [-,slīd] -vi, n
- to lapse morally or in the practice of religion
- to revert to a worse condition : retrogress
back·space [-,spās] -vi
- to move back a space in a text with the press of a key
backspace -n
- an instance of backspacing
- the key pressed in backspacing
back·spin [-,spin] -n
- a backward rotary motion of a ball
back·splash ['bak-,splash] -n
- a vertical surface (as of tiles) designed to protect the wall behind a stove or countertop
back·stab·bing [-,sta-biŋ] -n, vb
- betrayal (as by a verbal attack against one not present) esp. by a false friend
back·stage ['bak-,stāj] -adj
- of, relating to, or occurring in the area behind the stage and esp. in the dressing rooms
- of or relating to the private lives of theater people
- of or relating to the inner working or operation (as of an organization)
- in or to a backstage area
- in private : secretly
back·stairs [-,sterz] -adj
- secret, furtive
- backstairs political deals
- sordid, scandalous
back·stay [-,stā] -n
- a stay extending aft from a masthead
- a strengthening or supporting device at the back (as of a carriage or a shoe)
back·stitch [-,stich] -n, vb
- a stitch sewn one stitch length backward on the front side and two stitch lengths forward on the reverse side to form a solid line of stitching on both sides
back·stop [-,stäp] -n
- : something at the back serving as a stop: as
- a screen or fence for keeping a ball from leaving the field of play
- a stop (as a pawl) that prevents a backward movement (as of a wheel)
- a player (as the catcher) positioned behind the batter
backstop -vt
- support, bolster
- to serve as a backstop to
- to play the position of goalkeeper for
back·story [-,stȯr-ē] -n
- a story that tells what led up to the main story or plot (as of a film)
back·street ['bak-'strēt] -n
- a street away from the main thoroughfares
back·stretch ['bak-,strech] -n
- the side opposite the homestretch on a racecourse
back·stroke [-,strōk] -n
- a swimming stroke executed on the back and usu. consisting of alternating circular arm pulls and a flutter kick
back·swept [-,swept] -adj
- swept or slanting backward
back·swim·mer [-,swi-mər] -n
- an aquatic bug (family Notonectidae) that swims on its back
back·swing ['bak-,swiŋ] -n
- the movement of a club, racket, bat, or arm backward to a position from which the forward or downward swing is made
back·sword [-,sȯrd] -n
- a single-edged sword
back talk -n
- impudent, insolent, or argumentative replies
backtoback -adj or adv
- facing in opposite directions and often touching
- coming one after the other : consecutive
back·track ['bak-,trak] -vi
- to retrace one's course
- to go back to an earlier point in a sequence
- to reverse a position
back·up [-,əp] -n
- one that serves as a substitute or support
- musical accompaniment
- additional personnel who provide assistance
- an accumulation caused by a stoppage in the flow
- a copy of computer data (as a file or the contents of a hard drive)
- the act or an instance of making a backup
back up -vi
- to accumulate in a congested state
- traffic backed up for miles
- to move into a position behind (a teammate) in order to assist on a play
- hold back
- to make a copy of (a computer file or data) to protect against accidental loss
- to make copies of all the files on (a hard drive)
back·ward ['bak-wərd] -adv
- toward the back
- with the back foremost
- in a reverse or contrary direction or way
- toward the past
- toward a worse state
backward -adj, adv, n
- directed or turned backward
- done or executed backward
- diffident, shy
- retarded in development
- the part behind or past
back·wash ['bak-,wȯsh, -,wäsh] -n
- a backward flow or movement (as of water or air) produced esp. by a propelling force
- the fluid that is moving backward
- consequence, aftermath
back·wa·ter [-,wȯ-tər, -,wä-] -n
- water backed up in its course by an obstruction, an opposing current, or the tide
- a body of water (as an inlet or tributary) that is out of the main current of a larger body
- an isolated or backward place or condition
- an unpopular or unimportant field (as of study or business)
back·woods [-'wu̇dz] -n pl but sing or pl in constr, adj
- wooded or partly cleared areas far from cities
- a remote or culturally backward area
backwoods -adj
- of, relating to, or suggesting backwoods
- culturally backward or unsophisticated
- a backwoods sentimentality
back·woods·man [,bak-'wu̇dz-mən, 'bak-,] -n
- a person who lives in or is a native of the backwoods
back·wrap ['bak-,rap] -n
- a wraparound garment (as a skirt) that fastens in the back
back·yard [-'yärd] -n
- an area at the rear of a house
- a nearby area : neighborhood
- crimes committed in our own backyard
backyard -adj
- located or occurring in a backyard
- lacking professional training : amateur
bac·lo·fen ['bak-lō-,fen] -n
- a gamma-aminobutyric acid analog C 10H 12ClNO 2used as a relaxant of skeletal muscle esp. in treating spasticity (as in multiple sclerosis)
ba·con ['bā-kən sometimes -kᵊŋ] -n
- a side of a pig cured and smoked
- money
- money gained through employment or legislation usu. used in the phrase bring home the bacon
Ba·co·ni·an [bā-'kō-nē-ən] -adj, n
- of, relating to, or characteristic of Francis Bacon or his doctrines
- of or relating to those who believe that Francis Bacon wrote the works usu. attributed to Shakespeare
bact -abbr
- bacterial
- bacteriology
- bacterium
bac·ter·emia [,bak-tə-'rē-mē-ə] -n, adj
- the usu. transient presence of bacteria in the blood
bacteri- -comb form
- bacteria
bac·te·ria [bak-'tir-ē-ə] -n
- bacterium not usu. used technically
bac·te·ri·al [bak-'tir-ē-əl] -adj, adv
- of, relating to, or caused by bacteria
bacterial vaginosis -n
- vaginitis that is marked by a grayish vaginal discharge usu. of foul odor and that is associated with the presence of excessive amounts of some bacteria (esp. Gardnerella vaginalis) called also nonspecific vaginitis
bac·te·ri·cid·al [bak-,tir-ə-'sī-dᵊl] -adj, n
- destroying bacteria
bac·ter·in ['bak-tə-rən] -n
- a suspension of killed or attenuated bacteria for use as a vaccine
bac·te·ri·o·chlo·ro·phyll [bak-,tir-ē-ō-'klȯr-ə-,fil, -fəl] -n
- a pyrrole derivative in photosynthetic bacteria related to the chlorophyll of higher plants
bac·te·ri·o·cin [bak-'tir-ē-ə-sən] -n
- an antibiotic (as colicin) produced by bacteria
bac·te·ri·ol·o·gy [(,)bak-,tir-ē-'ä-lə-jē] -n, adj, adv
- a science that deals with bacteria and their relations to medicine, industry, and agriculture
- bacterial life and phenomena
bac·te·ri·ol·y·sis [(,)bak-,tir-ē-'ä-lə-səs] -n, adj
- destruction or dissolution of bacterial cells
bac·te·ri·o·phage [bak-'tir-ē-ə-,fāj also -,fäzh] -n
- a virus that infects bacteria
bac·te·ri·o·rho·dop·sin [bak-,tir-ē-ə-rō-'däp-sin] -n
- a purple-pigmented protein that is found in the outer membrane of a bacterium ( Halobacterium salinariumsyn. H. halobium) and that converts light energy into chemical energy in the synthesis of ATP
bac·te·ri·o·sta·sis [bak-,tir-ē-ō-'stā-səs] -n
- inhibition of the growth of bacteria without destruction
bac·te·ri·o·stat [-'tir-ē-ō-,stat] -n, adj
- an agent that causes bacteriostasis
bac·te·ri·um [bak-'tir-ē-əm] -n
- any of a domain (Bacteria) of prokaryotic round, spiral, or rod-shaped single-celled microorganisms that may lack cell walls or are gram-positive or gram-negative if they have cell walls, that are often aggregated into colonies or motile by means of flagella, that typically live in soil, water, organic matter, or the bodies of plants and animals, that are usu. autotrophic, saprophytic, or parasitic in nutrition, and that are noted for their biochemical effects and pathogenicity
- prokaryote
bac·te·ri·uria [bak-,tir-ē-'yu̇r-ē-ə] -n
- the presence of bacteria in the urine
bac·te·rize ['bak-tə-,rīz] -vt, n
- to subject to bacterial action
bac·te·roid ['bak-tə-,rȯid] -n
- an irregularly shaped form of a nitrogen-fixing bacterium (as a rhizobium) found esp. in root nodules of legumes
Bac·tri·an camel ['bak-trē-ən-] -n
- camel
bad ['bad] -adj, n
- failing to reach an acceptable standard : poor
- unfavorable
- not fresh : spoiled
- not sound : dilapidated
- the house was in bad condition
- morally objectionable : evil
- mischievous, disobedient
- inadequate or unsuited to a purpose
- disagreeable, unpleasant
- injurious, harmful
- serious, severe
- incorrect, faulty
- suffering pain or distress
- unhealthy, diseased
- sorrowful, sorry
- feels bad about forgetting to call
- invalid, void
- not able to be collected
- good, great
- tough, mean
- something that is bad
- an evil or unhappy state
- fault
- badly
- doesn't want it bad enough
bad·ass [-,as] -adj
- ready to cause or get into trouble : mean
- pretending to be a badass gunslinger -- L. L. King
- of formidable strength or skill
- such a badass guitar player -- N'Gai Croal
badass -n
- a person who is badass
bad blood -n
- ill feeling : bitterness
bad boy -n
- a person who flouts convention
bad cholesterol -n
- LDL
bad·die ['ba-dē] -n
- one that is bad
- an opponent of the hero (as in fiction or motion pictures)
bade ['bid] -vb, n
(variant of bid)
- beseech, entreat
- to issue an order to : tell
- to request to come : invite
- to give expression to
- offer usu. used in the phrase to bid defiance
- to offer (a price) whether for payment or acceptance
- to make a bid of or in (a suit at cards)
- to make a bid
- the act of one who bids
- a statement of what one will give or take for something
- an offer of a price
- something offered as a bid
- an opportunity to bid
- invitation
- an announcement of what a cardplayer proposes to undertake
- the amount of such a bid
- a biddable bridge hand
- an attempt or effort to win, achieve, or attract
- twice a day
badge ['baj] -n, vt
- a device or token esp. of membership in a society or group
- a characteristic mark
- an emblem awarded for a particular accomplishment
bad·ger ['ba-jər] -n
- any of various burrowing mammals (esp. Taxidea taxusand Meles meles) of the weasel family that are widely distributed in the northern hemisphere
- the pelt or fur of a badger
- a native or resident of Wisconsin used as a nickname
badger -vt
- to harass or annoy persistently
ba·di·nage [,ba-də-'näzh] -n
- playful repartee : banter
bad·land ['bad-,land] -n
- a region marked by intricate erosional sculpturing, scanty vegetation, and fantastically formed hills usu. used in pl.
bad·ly ['bad-lē] -adv
- in a bad manner
- to a great or intense degree
bad·min·ton ['bad-,mi-tᵊn, -,min-tᵊn] -n
- a court game played with light long-handled rackets and a shuttlecock volleyed over a net
badmouth ['bad-,mau̇th, -,mau̇th] -vt
- to criticize severely
bad news -n pl but sing in constr
- one that is troublesome, unwelcome, or dangerous
- stay away from him, he's bad news
BAE -abbr
- bachelor of aeronautical engineering
- bachelor of agricultural engineering
- bachelor of architectural engineering
- bachelor of art education
- bachelor of arts in education
BAEd -abbr
- bachelor of arts in education
Bae·de·ker ['bā-di-kər, 'be-] -n
- guidebook
BAeE -abbr
- bachelor of aeronautical engineering
BAEE -abbr
- bachelor of arts in elementary education
baf·fle ['ba-fəl] -vt, n, adv
- to defeat or check (as a person) by confusing or puzzling : disconcert
- to check or break the force or flow of by or as if by a baffle
baffle ['ba-fəld] -n, adj
- a device (as a plate, wall, or screen) to deflect, check, or regulate flow or passage (as of a fluid, light, or sound)
baf·fle·gab ['ba-fəl-,gab] -n
- gobbledygook
bag ['bag also 'bāg] -n
- : a usu. flexible container that may be closed for holding, storing, or carrying something: as
- purse
- handbag
- a bag for game
- suitcase
- : something resembling a bag: as
- a pouched or pendulous bodily part or organ
- udder
- a puffy or sagging protuberance of flabby skin
- a puffed-out sag or bulge in cloth
- a square white stuffed canvas bag used to mark a base in baseball
- the amount contained in a bag
- a quantity of game taken
- the maximum legal quantity of game
- an assortment or collection esp. of nonmaterial things
- an unattractive woman
- something one likes or does regularly or well
- one's characteristic way of doing things
- to swell out : bulge
- to hang loosely
- to cause to swell
- to put into a bag
- to take (animals) as game
- to get possession of esp. by strategy or stealth
- capture, seize
- to shoot down : destroy
- to achieve in or as if in competition : win
- to give up, forgo, or abandon esp. for something more desirable or attainable
- decided to bag her job and move to the country
often used with it
BAg -abbr
- bachelor of agriculture
ba·gasse [bə-'gas] -n
- plant residue (as of sugarcane or grapes) left after a product (as juice) has been extracted
bag·a·telle [,ba-gə-'tel] -n
- trifle
- any of various games involving the rolling of balls into scoring areas
- a short literary or musical piece in light style
ba·gel ['bā-gəl] -n
- a firm doughnut-shaped roll traditionally made by boiling and then baking
bag·ful ['bag-,fu̇l] -n
- as much or as many as a bag will hold
- a large number or amount
bag·gage ['ba-gij] -n
- suitcases, trunks, and personal belongings of travelers : luggage
- transportable equipment esp. of a military force
- intangible things (as feelings, circumstances, or beliefs) that get in the way
baggage -n
- a contemptible woman
- prostitute
- a young woman
baggage claim -n
- the area in an airport where arriving passengers pick up their checked baggage
bag·gies ['ba-gēz] -n pl
- baggy pants or shorts
Bag·gies ['ba-gēz] -trademark
- used for transparent plastic bags
bag·ging ['ba-giŋ] -n
- material (as cloth) for bags
bag·gy ['ba-gē] -adj, adv, n
- loose, puffed out, or hanging like a bag
- loosely constructed and inflated with inessential elements
bag·house ['bag-,hau̇s] -n
- a device or facility in which particulates are removed from a stream of exhaust gases (as from a blast furnace) as the stream passes through a large cloth bag
- the bag used to filter the gas stream
bag lady -n
- a homeless woman who roams the streets of a city carrying her possessions in shopping bags
bag·man ['bag-mən] -n
- traveling salesman
- a person who on behalf of another collects or distributes illicitly gained money
- an intermediary in an illicit or unethical transaction
ba·gnio ['ban-(,)yō, 'bän-] -n
- prison
- bordello
bag of waters
- the double-walled fluid-filled sac that encloses and protects the fetus in the womb and that breaks releasing its fluid during the birth process
bag·pipe ['bag-,pīp] -n
- a wind instrument consisting of a reed melody pipe and from one to five drones with air supplied continuously either by a bag with valve-stopped mouth tube or by bellows often used in pl.
ba·guette [ba-'get] -n
- a gem having the shape of a narrow rectangle
- the shape itself
- a long thin loaf of French bread
bag·wig ['bag-,wig] -n
- an 18th century wig with the back hair enclosed in a small silk bag
bag·worm [-,wərm] -n
- any of a family (Psychidae) of moths with wingless females and plant-feeding larvae that live in a silk case covered with plant debris
- one ( Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis) often destructive to deciduous and evergreen trees of the eastern U.S.
bah ['bä, 'ba] -interj
- used to express disdain or contempt
Ba·ha'i [bä-'hä-,ē, -'hī, bə-] -n, adj, n or adj
- an adherent of a religious movement originating in Iran in the 19th century and emphasizing the spiritual unity of humankind
Ba·ha·sa In·do·ne·sia [bə-,hä-sə-,in-də-'nē-zhə, -shə] -n
- indonesian
Ba·hia grass [bə-'hē-ə-] -n
- a perennial tropical American grass ( Paspalum notatum) used in the southern U.S. as a lawn grass
bail ['bāl] -n
- a container used to remove water from a boat
- to clear (water) from a boat by dipping and throwing over the side usu. used with out
- to clear water from by dipping and throwing usu. used with out
- bail out
- the temporary release of a prisoner in exchange for security given for the due appearance of the prisoner
- security given for the release of a prisoner on bail
- one who provides bail
- to release under bail
- to procure the release of by giving bail often used with out
- to help from a predicament used with out
- bail ing out impoverished countries
- a supporting half hoop
- a hinged bar for holding paper against the platen of a typewriter
- a usu. arched handle (as of a kettle or pail)
- to deliver (personal property) in trust to another for a special purpose and for a limited period
- a device for confining or separating animals
bail·ee [bā-'lē] -n
- the person to whom personal property is bailed
bai·ley ['bā-lē] -n
- the outer wall of a castle or any of several walls surrounding the keep
- a courtyard within the external wall or between two outer walls of a castle
bai·lie ['bā-lē] -n
- bailiff
- a Scottish municipal magistrate corresponding to an English alderman
bai·liff ['bā-ləf] -n
- an official employed by a British sheriff to serve writs and make arrests and executions
- a minor officer of some U.S. courts usu. serving as a messenger or usher
- one who manages an estate or farm
bai·li·wick ['bā-li-,wik, -lē-] -n
- the office or jurisdiction of a bailiff
- a special domain
bail·ment ['bā(ə)l-mənt] -n
- the act of bailing a person or personal property
bail·or [bā-'lȯr, 'bā-lər] -n
- a person who delivers personal property to another in trust
bail·out ['bā-,lau̇t] -n
- a rescue from financial distress
bail out -vi
- to parachute from an aircraft
- to abandon a harmful or difficult situation
- leave, depart
bails·man ['bālz-mən] -n
- one who gives bail for another
bainma·rie [,ban-mə-'rē, ,baⁿ-] -n
- a cooking utensil containing heated water in which food in smaller pots is cooked
bairn ['bern] -n
- child
bait ['bāt] -vb, n
- to persecute or exasperate with unjust, malicious, or persistent attacks
- tease
- to harass (as a chained animal) with dogs usu. for sport
- to attack by biting and tearing
- to furnish with bait
- entice, lure
- to give food and drink to (an animal) esp. on the road
- to stop for food and rest when traveling
- something (as food) used in luring esp. to a hook or trap
- a poisonous material placed where it will be eaten by harmful or objectionable animals
- lure, temptation
bait and switch -n
- a sales tactic in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced item but is then encouraged to buy a higher-priced one
- the ploy of offering a person something desirable to gain favor (as political support) then thwarting expectations with something less desirable
bait·fish ['bāt-,fish] -n
- a small fish (as a golden shiner or menhaden) that attracts and is a food source for a larger game fish
- a fish used for bait
bai·za ['bī-(,)zä] -n
- see rial at
baize ['bāz] -n
- a coarse woolen or cotton fabric napped to imitate felt
bake ['bāk] -vb, n
- to cook (as food) by dry heat esp. in an oven
- to dry or harden by subjecting to heat
- to prepare food by baking it
- to become baked
- to be or become extremely hot
- sidewalks baking in the sun
- the act or process of baking
- a social gathering at which a baked food is served
Ba·ke·lite ['bā-kə-,līt, -,klīt] -trademark
- used for any of various synthetic resins and plastics
baker's dozen -n
- thirteen
baker's yeast -n
- a yeast (as Saccharomyces cerevisiae) used or suitable for use as a leavening agent
bak·ery ['bā-k(ə-)rē] -n
- a place for baking or selling baked goods
bake sale -n
- a fund-raising event at which usu. homemade foods (as cakes and cookies) are sold
bake·shop ['bāk-,shäp] -n
- bakery
bake·ware [-,wer] -n
- dishes used for baking and serving food
baking powder -n
- a powder used as a leavening agent in making baked goods (as quick breads) that typically consists of sodium bicarbonate, an acidic substance (as cream of tartar), and starch or flour
baking soda -n
- sodium bicarbonate
bak·la·va ['bä-klə-,vä, ,bä-klə-'vä] -n
- a dessert made of thin pastry, nuts, and honey
bak·sheesh ['bak-,shēsh, bak-'] -n
- payment (as a tip or bribe) to expedite service
bal -abbr
- balance
BAL [,bē-(,)ā-'el] -n
- dimercaprol
Ba·laam ['bā-ləm] -n
- an Old Testament prophet who is reproached by the ass he is riding and rebuked by God's angel while on the way to meet with an enemy of Israel
bal·a·cla·va [,ba-lə-'klä-və, -'kla-] -n
- a knit cap for the head and neck called also balaclava helmet
bal·a·lai·ka [,ba-lə-'lī-kə] -n
- a usu. 3-stringed instrument of Russian origin with a triangular body played by plucking or strumming
bal·ance ['ba-lən(t)s] -n, adj
- : an instrument for weighing: as
- a beam that is supported freely in the center and has two pans of equal weight suspended from its ends
- a device that uses the elasticity of a spiral spring for measuring weight or force
- a means of judging or deciding
- a counterbalancing weight, force, or influence
- an oscillating wheel operating with a hairspring to regulate the movement of a timepiece
- stability produced by even distribution of weight on each side of the vertical axis
- equipoise between contrasting, opposing, or interacting elements
- equality between the totals of the two sides of an account
- an aesthetically pleasing integration of elements
- the juxtaposition in writing of syntactically parallel constructions containing similar or contrasting ideas
- physical equilibrium
- the ability to retain one's balance
- weight or force of one side in excess of another
- something left over : remainder
- an amount in excess esp. on the credit side of an account
- mental and emotional steadiness
balance -vb
- to compute the difference between the debits and credits of (an account)
- to pay the amount due on : settle
- to arrange so that one set of elements exactly equals another
- balance a mathematical equation
- to complete (a chemical equation) so that the same number of atoms and electric charges of each kind appears on each side
- counterbalance, offset
- to equal or equalize in weight, number, or proportion
- to weigh in or as if in a balance
- to bring to a state or position of equipoise
- to poise in or as if in balance
- to bring into harmony or proportion
- to become balanced or established in balance
- to be an equal counterpoise
- waver
- balance s and temporizes on matters that demand action
balance beam -n
- a narrow wooden beam supported in a horizontal position approximately four feet above the floor and used for balancing feats in gymnastics
- an event in gymnastics competition in which the balance beam is used
balance of payments
- a summary of the international transactions of a country or region over a period of time including commodity and service transactions, capital transactions, and gold movements
balance of power
- an equilibrium of power sufficient to discourage or prevent one nation or party from imposing its will on or interfering with the interests of another
balance of trade
- the difference in value over a period of time between a country's imports and exports
bal·anc·er ['ba-lən(t)-sər] -n
- one that balances
- haltere
balance sheet -n
- a statement of financial condition at a given date
balance wheel -n
- a wheel that regulates or stabilizes the motion of a mechanism
- a balancing or stabilizing force
balancing act -n
- an attempt to cope with several often conflicting factors or situations at the same time
bal·as ['ba-ləs] -n
- a ruby spinel of a pale rose-red or orange
ba·la·ta [bə-'lä-tə] -n
- the dried latex of a tropical American tree (genus Manilkaraand esp. M. bidentata) of the sapodilla family that is similar to gutta-percha and is used esp. in belting and golf balls
- a tree yielding it
bal·brig·gan [bal-'bri-gən] -n
- a knitted cotton fabric used esp. for underwear or hosiery
bal·co·ny ['bal-kə-nē] -n, adj
- a platform that projects from the wall of a building and is enclosed by a parapet or railing
- an interior projecting gallery in a public building (as a theater)
bald ['bȯld] -adj, adv, n
- lacking a natural or usual covering (as of hair, vegetation, or nap)
- having little or no tread
- marked with white
- lacking adornment or amplification
- undisguised, palpable
- to make bald
- to become bald
bal·da·chin ['bȯl-də-kən, 'bal-] -n
- a cloth canopy fixed or carried over an important person or a sacred object
- a rich embroidered fabric of silk and gold
- an ornamental structure resembling a canopy used esp. over an altar
bald cypress -n
- a large deciduous conifer ( Taxodium distichumof the family Taxodiaceae, the bald cypress family) of southern U.S. swamps that has flexible flat needles and is related to the sequoias
- a related tree ( T. mucronatum) of Mexico and southern Texasillustration
- the hard red wood of bald cypress that is much used for shingles
bald eagle -n
- an eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus) of No. America that is brown when young with white only on the undersides of the wings but in full adult plumage has white head and neck feathers and a white tail
Bal·der ['bȯl-dər] -n
- the son of Odin and Frigga and Norse god of light and peace slain through the trickery of Loki by a mistletoe sprig
bal·der·dash ['bȯl-dər-,dash] -n
- nonsense
baldfaced ['bȯl(d)-'fāst] -adj
- barefaced
bald·head ['bȯld-,hed] -n
- a bald-headed person
balding -adj
- becoming bald
bald·pate ['bȯl(d)-,pāt] -n
- baldhead
- american wigeon
bal·dric ['bȯl-drik] -n
- an often ornamented belt worn over one shoulder to support a sword or bugle
bale ['bāl] -n
- great evil
- woe, sorrow
- a large bundle of goods
- a large closely pressed package of merchandise bound and usu. wrapped
- to make up into a bale
ba·leen [bə-'lēn, 'bā-,lēn] -n
- a horny keratinous substance found in two rows of transverse plates which hang down from the upper jaws of baleen whales
baleen whale -n
- any of a suborder (Mysticeti) of usu. large whales lacking teeth but having baleen which is used to filter chiefly small crustaceans (as krill) out of large quantities of seawater
bale·fire ['bāl-,fī(-ə)r] -n
- an outdoor fire often used as a signal fire
bale·ful [-fəl] -adj, adv, n
- deadly or pernicious in influence
- foreboding or threatening evil
Ba·li·nese [,bä-li-'nēz, ,ba-, -'nēs] -n, adj
- a native or inhabitant of Bali
- any of a breed of slender longhaired cats that originated as a spontaneous mutation of the Siamese
balk ['bȯk sometimes 'bȯlk] -n
- a ridge of land left unplowed as a dividing line or through carelessness
- beam, rafter
- hindrance, check
- the space behind the balkline on a billiard table
- any of the outside divisions made by the balklines
- failure of a player to complete a motion
- an illegal motion of the pitcher in baseball while in position
- to pass over or by
- to check or stop by or as if by an obstacle : block
- to stop short and refuse to proceed
- to refuse abruptly used with at
- Congress balk ed at putting up the money -- Thomas Fleming
- to commit a balk in sports
bal·kan·ize ['bȯl-kə-,nīz] -vt, n
- to break up (as a region or group) into smaller and often hostile units
- divide, compartmentalize
- now pop culture has been balkanized; it is full of niches, with different groups watching and playing their own things -- Richard Corliss
balk·line ['bȯ-,klīn] -n
- a line across a billiard table near one end behind which the cue balls are placed in making opening shots
- one of four lines parallel to the cushions of a billiard table dividing it into nine compartments
- a billiards game that sets restrictions in scoring caroms according to these lines
balky ['bȯ-kē sometimes 'bȯl-] -adj, n
- refusing or likely to refuse to proceed, act, or function as directed or expected
ball ['bȯl] -n
- : a round or roundish body or mass: as
- a spherical or ovoid body used in a game or sport used figuratively in phrases like the ball is in your court to indicate who has the responsibility or opportunity for further action
- earth, globe
- a spherical or conical projectile
- projectiles used in firearms
- a roundish protuberant anatomical structure (as near the tip of a human finger or toe or at the base of a thumb)
- the part of the sole of the human foot between the toes and arch on which the main weight of the body rests in normal walking
- testis
- nonsense often used interjectionally
- nerve
- a game in which a ball is thrown, kicked, or struck
- quality of play in such a game
- a pitch not swung at by the batter that fails to pass through the strike zone
- a hit or thrown ball in various games
- to form or gather into a ball
- ball ed the paper into a wad
- to have sexual intercourse with
- to form or gather into a ball
- to engage in sexual intercourse
- a large formal gathering for social dancing
- a very pleasant experience : a good time
- everyone had a ball at the wedding
bal·lad ['ba-ləd] -n, adj
- a narrative composition in rhythmic verse suitable for singing
- an art song accompanying a traditional ballad
- a simple song : air
- a popular song
- a slow romantic or sentimental song
bal·lade [bə-'läd, ba-] -n
- a fixed verse form consisting usu. of three stanzas with recurrent rhymes, an envoi, and an identical refrain for each part
- a musical composition usu. for piano suggesting the epic ballad
bal·lad·eer [,ba-lə-'dir] -n
- a singer of ballads
bal·lad·ist ['ba-lə-dist] -n
- a person who writes or sings ballads
bal·lad·ry ['ba-lə-drē] -n
- the composing or performing of ballads
- ballads
ballad stanza -n
- a stanza consisting of four lines with the first and third lines unrhymed iambic tetrameters and the second and fourth lines rhymed iambic trimeters
ballandsocket joint -n
- a joint in which a ball moves within a socket so as to allow rotary motion in every direction within certain limits
- an articulation (as the hip joint) in which the rounded head of one bone fits into a cuplike cavity of the other and admits movement in any direction
bal·last ['ba-ləst] -n
- a heavy substance placed in such a way as to improve stability and control (as of the draft of a ship or the buoyancy of a balloon or submarine)
- something that gives stability (as in character or conduct)
- gravel or broken stone laid in a railroad bed or used in making concrete
- a device used to provide the starting voltage or to stabilize the current in a circuit (as of a fluorescent lamp)
ballast -vt
- to steady or equip with or as if with ballast
- to fill in (as a railroad bed) with ballast
ball bearing -n
- a bearing in which the journal turns upon loose hardened steel balls that roll easily in a race
- one of the balls in such a bearing
ball boy -n
- a male attendant who retrieves balls for players or officials (as in a tennis match or a baseball or basketball game)
ball·bust·er ['bȯl-,bəs-tər] -n
- a person who is relentlessly aggressive, intimidating, or domineering
ball·car·ri·er ['bȯl-,ker-ē-ər, -,ka-rē-] -n
- a football player who carries the ball on offense
ball cock -n
- an automatic valve whose opening and closing are controlled by a hollow float at the end of a lever
ball control -n
- an offensive strategy (as in football) in which a team tries to keep possession of the ball for extended periods of time
ball·er ['bȯ-lər] -n
- an implement for shaping food into a ball or removing a core
bal·le·ri·na [,ba-lə-'rē-nə] -n
- a woman who is a ballet dancer : danseuse
bal·let ['ba-,lā, ba-'] -n, adj
- a theatrical art form using dancing, music, and scenery to convey a story, theme, or atmosphere
- dancing in which conventional poses and steps are combined with light flowing figures (as leaps and turns)
- music for a ballet
- a group that performs ballets
bal·let·o·mane [ba-'le-tə-,mān] -n
- a devotee of ballet
ballflow·er ['bȯl-,flau̇(-ə)r] -n
- an architectural ornament consisting of a ball in the flower-shaped hollow of a circular mold
ball game -n
- a game played with a ball
- a set of circumstances : situation
- contest
ball girl -n
- a female attendant who retrieves balls for players or officials (as in a tennis match or a baseball or basketball game)
ball handler -n
- a player who controls the ball in any of various games
- a player who is skilled at handling the ball (as in basketball)
bal·lis·ta [bə-'lis-tə] -n
- an ancient military engine often in the form of a crossbow for hurling large missiles
bal·lis·tic [bə-'lis-tik] -adj, adv
- of or relating to ballistics or to a body in motion according to the laws of ballistics
- being or characterized by repeated bouncing
- extremely and usu. suddenly excited, upset, or angry : wild
ballistic missile -n
- a missile guided in the ascent of a high-arch trajectory and freely falling in the descent
bal·lis·tics [bə-'lis-tiks] -n pl but sing or pl in constr
- the science of the motion of projectiles in flight
- the flight characteristics of a projectile
- the study of the processes within a firearm as it is fired
- the firing characteristics of a firearm or cartridge
ball joint -n
- ball-and-socket joint
ball lightning -n
- a rare form of lightning consisting of luminous balls that may move along solid objects or float in the air
ball mill -n
- a pulverizing machine consisting of a rotating drum which contains pebbles or metal balls as the grinding implements
ball of fire
- a person of unusual energy, vitality, or drive
ball of wax
- affair, concern
bal·lon [ba-'lōⁿ] -n
- lightness of movement that exaggerates the duration of a ballet dancer's jump
bal·lo·net [,ba-lə-'nā] -n
- a compartment of variable volume within the interior of a balloon or airship used to control ascent and descent
bal·loon [bə-'lün] -n
- : a nonporous bag of light material that can be inflated esp. with air or gas: as
- a bag that is filled with heated air or a gas lighter than air so as to rise and float in the atmosphere and that usu. carries a suspended load (as a gondola with passengers)
- an inflatable bag (as of rubber or plastic) usu. used as a toy or for decoration
- the outline enclosing words spoken or thought by a figure esp. in a cartoon
balloon -adj
- relating to, resembling, or suggesting a balloon
- being or having a final installment that is much larger than preceding ones in a term or installment note
- to swell or puff out : expand
- to ascend or travel in or as if in a balloon
- to increase rapidly
- inflate, increase
balloon angioplasty -n
- dilation of an obstructed atherosclerotic artery by the passage of a balloon catheter through the vessel to the area of disease where inflation of the catheter's tip compresses the plaque against the vessel wall
balloon catheter -n
- a catheter with an inflatable tip that serves esp. to hold the catheter in place or to expand a partly closed or obstructed bodily passage or tube (as a coronary artery) called also balloon-tipped catheter
balloon flower -n
- a perennial Asian herb ( Platycodon grandiflorus) cultivated for its star-shaped flowers which open from buds resembling balloons
bal·loon·ing [bə-'lü-niŋ] -n
- the act or sport of riding in a balloon
bal·loon·ist [-nist] -n
- a person who operates or rides in a balloon
balloon tire -n
- a flexible low-pressure pneumatic tire with a large cross section designed to provide cushioning
balloon vine -n
- a tropical American vine ( Cardiospermum halicacabum) of the soapberry family bearing large ornamental pods
bal·lot ['ba-lət] -n
- a small ball used in secret voting
- a sheet of paper used to cast a secret vote
- the action or system of secret voting
- the right to vote
- vote
- the number of votes cast
- the drawing of lots
ballot -vi, n
- to vote or decide by ballot
ballot box -n
- a box for receiving ballots
- ballot
ball·park ['bȯl-,pärk] -n
- a park in which ball games (as baseball) are played
- a range (as of prices or views) within which comparison or compromise is possible
ballpark -adj
- approximately correct : roughly estimated
ballpeen hammer ['bȯl-'pēn-] -n
- a hammer having a hemispherical peen at one end of its head
ball·play·er ['bȯl-,plā-ər] -n
- a person who plays ball
- a baseball player
ball·point [-,pȯint] -n
- a pen having as the writing point a small rotating metal ball that inks itself by contact with an inner magazine
ball·room ['bȯl-,rüm, -,ru̇m] -n
- a large room used for dances
ballroom dance -n
- any of various usu. social dances (as the tango, two-step, and waltz) in which couples perform set moves
ballsout ['bȯlz-,au̇t] -adj
- all-out, full-out
- boldly aggressive or competitive
ballsup ['bȯlz-,əp] -n
- foul-up
ball·sy ['bȯl-zē] -adj, n
- aggressively bold : gutsy, nervy
ball up -vt
- to make a mess of : confuse, muddle
- to become badly muddled or confused
ball valve -n
- a valve in which a ball regulates the aperture esp. by its rise and fall due to fluid pressure, a spring, or its own weight
bally ['ba-lē] -adj or adv
- used as an intensive
ball·yard ['bȯl-,yärd] -n
- ballpark
bal·ly·hoo ['ba-lē-,hü] -n, vt
- a noisy attention-getting demonstration or talk
- flamboyant, exaggerated, or sensational promotion or publicity
- excited commotion
ballyrag [-,rag] -vt
(variant of bullyrag)
- to intimidate by bullying
- to vex by teasing : badger
balm ['bä(l)m] -n
- a balsamic resin
- one from small tropical evergreen trees (genus Commiphoraof the family Burseraceae)
- an aromatic preparation (as a healing ointment)
- any of several aromatic plants of the mint family
- lemon balm
- a spicy aromatic odor
- a soothing restorative agency
bal·ma·caan [,bal-mə-'kan, -'kän] -n
- a loose single-breasted overcoat usu. having raglan sleeves and a short turnover collar
balm of Gil·e·ad [-'gi-lē-əd]
- an agency that soothes, relieves, or heals
- a small evergreen African and Asian tree ( Commiphora opobalsamumsyn. C. meccanensisof the family Burseraceae) with aromatic leaves
- a fragrant oleoresin from this tree
- : any of several poplars having resinous buds: as
- a hybrid No. American tree ( Populus gileadensis) with broadly cordate leaves that are pubescent esp. on the underside
- balsam poplar
bal·mor·al [bal-'mȯr-əl, -'mär-] -n
- a laced boot or shoe
- a round flat cap with a top projecting all around
balmy ['bä-mē, 'bäl-mē] -adj, adv, n
- having the qualities of balm : soothing
- mild
- crazy, foolish
bal·ne·ol·o·gy [,bal-nē-'ä-lə-jē] -n
- the science of the therapeutic use of baths
baloney [bə-'lō-nē also -nyə, -nə] -n
(variant of bologna)
- a large smoked sausage of beef, veal, and pork
- a sausage made (as of turkey) to resemble bologna
ba·lo·ney [bə-'lō-nē] -n
- pretentious nonsense : bunkum often used as a generalized expression of disagreement
bal·sa ['bȯl-sə] -n
- a small raft or boat
- one made of tightly bundled reeds and used on Lake Titicaca
- a tropical American tree ( Ochroma pyramidalesyn. O. lagopus) of the silk-cotton family with extremely light strong wood used esp. for floats
- its wood
bal·sam ['bȯl-səm] -n
- an aromatic and usu. oily and resinous substance flowing from various plants
- any of several resinous substances containing benzoic or cinnamic acid and used esp. in medicine
- a preparation containing resinous substances and having a balsamic odor
- a balsam-yielding tree
- balsam fir
- impatiens
- a common garden ornamental ( Impatiens balsamina)
- balm
balsam fir -n
- a resinous No. American fir ( Abies balsamea) that is widely used for pulpwood and as a Christmas tree and is the source of Canada balsam
bal·sam·ic [bȯl-'sa-mik, -'sä-] -adj
- of, relating to, yielding, or containing balsam
- made with balsamic vinegar
balsamic vinegar -n
- an aged Italian vinegar made from the must of white grapes
balsam poplar -n
- a No. American poplar ( Populus balsamifera) that is often cultivated as a shade tree and has buds thickly coated with an aromatic resin called also balm of Gilead tacamahac
Balt ['bȯlt] -n
- a native or inhabitant of Lithuania, Latvia, or Estonia
Bal·ti ['bəl-tē, 'bȯl-] -n
- a Tibeto-Burman language of northern Kashmir
Bal·tic ['bȯl-tik] -adj
- of or relating to the Baltic Sea or to the states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia
- of or relating to a branch of the Indo-European language family containing Latvian, Lithuanian, and Old Prussian
Bal·ti·more oriole ['bȯl-tə-,mȯr-, -mər-] -n
- an oriole ( Icterus galbula) of the eastern and central U.S. and southern Canada in which the male has a solid black head and the female usu. has an olive-brown back and orange-yellow underside and that was formerly considered to be a subspecies of northern oriole
Bal·toSlav·ic [,bȯl-(,)tō-'slä-vik, -'sla-] -n
- a subgroup of Indo-European languages consisting of the Baltic and the Slavic branches
Ba·lu·chi [bə-'lü-chē] -n
- a member of an Indo-Iranian people of Baluchistan
- the Iranian language of the Baluchis
bal·us·ter ['ba-lə-stər] -n
- an object or vertical member (as the leg of a table, a round in a chair back, or the stem of a glass) having a vaselike or turned outline
- an upright often vase-shaped support for a rail
bal·us·trade ['ba-lə-,strād] -n, adj
- a row of balusters topped by a rail
- a low parapet or barrier
bam ['bam] -n
- a sudden loud noise often used interjectionally to indicate a sudden impact or occurrence
- was fine, then bam, he lost his job
BAM -abbr
- bachelor of applied mathematics
- bachelor of arts in music
Bam·ba·ra [bam-'bär-ə] -n
- a member of an African people of the upper Niger
- a Mande language of the Bambara people
bam·bi·no [bam-'bē-(,)nō, bäm-] -n
- a representation of the infant Christ
- child, baby
bam·boo [(,)bam-'bü, 'bam-,] -n
- any of various woody or arborescent grasses (as of the genera Bambusa, Arundinaria,and Dendrocalamusof the subfamily Bambusoideae) of tropical and temperate regions having hollow stems, thick rhizomes, and shoots that are used for food
- the jointed stem of bamboo used esp. for building, furniture, and utensils
bamboo curtain -n
- a political, military, and ideological barrier isolating an area of eastern Asia
bam·boo·zle [bam-'bü-zəl] -vt, n
- to deceive by underhanded methods : dupe, hoodwink
- to confuse, frustrate, or throw off thoroughly or completely
- a quarterback bamboozled by an unexpected defense
ban ['ban] -vb
- curse
- to prohibit esp. by legal means
- to prohibit the use, performance, or distribution of
- bar
- to utter curses or maledictions
- the summoning in feudal times of the king's vassals for military service
- anathema, excommunication
- malediction, curse
- legal or formal prohibition
- censure or condemnation esp. through social pressure
- see leu at
Ba·nach space ['bä-,näk-, -nək-, -,näk̲-, -nək̲-] -n
- a complete normed vector space
ba·nal [bə-'nal, ba-, -'näl; bā-'nal; 'bā-nᵊl] -adj, vt, adv
- lacking originality, freshness, or novelty : trite
ba·nal·i·ty [bə-'na-lə-tē, bā-, also ba-] -n
- something banal : commonplace
- the quality or state of being banal
ba·nana [bə-'na-nə, esp Brit -'nä-] -n
- an elongated usu. tapering tropical fruit with soft pulpy flesh enclosed in a soft usu. yellow rind
- any of several widely cultivated perennial herbs (genus Musaof the family Musaceae, the banana family) bearing bananas in compact pendent bunches
banana oil -n
- amyl acetate
banana pepper -n
- a long tapered yellow pepper occurring in several varieties from mild and sweet tasting to hot and pungent
banana republic -n
- a small dependent country usu. of the tropics
- one run despotically
ba·nan·as [bə-'na-nəz, esp Brit -'nä-] -adj
- crazy
banana seat -n
- an elongated bicycle saddle
bananas Fos·ter [-'fȯs-tər, -'fäs-] -n
- a dessert of bananas flamed (as with rum) and served with ice cream
banana split -n
- ice cream served on a banana sliced in half lengthwise and usu. garnished with flavored syrups, fruits, nuts, and whipped cream
ba·nau·sic [bə-'nȯ-sik, -zik] -adj
- relating to or concerned with earning a living used pejoratively
- contempt for the banausic occupations -- T. S. Eliot
- utilitarian, practical
- such mundane and banausic considerations as comfort and durability -- G. B. Boyer
band ['band] -n
- something that confines or constricts while allowing a degree of movement
- something that binds or restrains legally, morally, or spiritually
- : a strip serving to join or hold things together: as
- belt
- a cord or strip across the back of a book to which the sections are sewn
- : a thin flat encircling strip: as
- a close-fitting strip that confines material at the waist, neck, or cuff of clothing
- a strip of cloth used to protect a newborn baby's navel called also bellyband
- a ring of elastic
- a strip (as of living tissue or rock) or a stripe (as on an animal) differentiable (as by color, texture, or structure) from the adjacent material or area
- a more or less well-defined range of wavelengths, frequencies, or energies
- range
- : a narrow strip serving chiefly as decoration: as
- a narrow strip of material applied as trimming to an article of dress
- a pair of strips hanging at the front of the neck as part of a clerical, legal, or academic dress
- a ring without raised portions
- track
- to affix a band to or tie up with a band
- to finish or decorate with a band
- to gather together : unite
- band ed themselves together for protection
- to unite for a common purpose often used with together
- have band ed together in hopes of attacking the blight that is common to them all -- J. B. Conant
- a group of persons, animals, or things
- a group of musicians organized for ensemble playing
ban·dage ['ban-dij] -n
- a strip of fabric used esp. to cover, dress, and bind up wounds
- a flexible strip or band used to cover, strengthen, or compress something
bandage -vt
- to bind, dress, or cover with a bandage
BandAid ['ban-'dād] -adj
- offering, making use of, or serving as a temporary or expedient remedy or solution
- used for a small adhesive strip with a gauze pad for covering minor wounds
ban·dan·na [ban-'da-nə] -n
- a large often colorfully patterned handkerchief
band·box ['ban(d)-,bäks] -n
- a usu. cylindrical box of cardboard or thin wood for holding light articles of attire
- a structure (as a baseball park) having relatively small interior dimensions
bandbox -adj, adv
- exquisitely neat, clean, or ordered as if just taken from a bandbox
- a bandbox perfection of appearance
ban·deau [ban-'dō] -n
- a fillet or band esp. for the hair
- brassiere
- a band-shaped covering for the breasts
band·ed ['ban-dəd] -adj
- having or marked with bands
ban·de·ri·lla [,ban-də-'rē(l)-yə] -n
- a decorated barbed dart that the banderillero thrusts into the neck or shoulders of the bull in a bullfight
ban·de·ri·lle·ro [,ban-də-(,)rē(l)-'yer-(,)ō] -n
- a person who thrusts in the banderillas in a bullfight
ban·de·role ['ban-də-,rōl] -n
- a long narrow forked flag or streamer
- a long scroll bearing an inscription or a device
ban·di·coot ['ban-di-,küt] -n
- any of several very large rats (genera Bandicotaand Nesokia) of southern Asia destructive to crops
- any of various small chiefly insectivorous and herbivorous marsupial mammals (family Peramelidae or family Peroryctidae) of Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea
ban·dit ['ban-dət] -n
- an outlaw who lives by plunder
- a member of a band of marauders
- robber
- an enemy plane
ban·di·to [ban-'dē-(,)tō] -n
- an outlaw esp. of Mexican extraction or origin
band·lead·er ['band-,lē-dər] -n
- the conductor of a band (as a dance band)
band·mas·ter ['ban(d)-,mas-tər] -n
- bandleader
- a conductor of a military or concert band
band·mate ['ban(d)-,māt] -n
- a fellow member of a band
ban·dog ['ban-,dȯg] -n
- a dog kept tied to serve as a watchdog or because of its ferocity
ban·do·lier [,ban-də-'lir] -n
- a belt worn over the shoulder and across the breast often for the suspending or supporting of some article (as cartridges) or as a part of an official or ceremonial dress
ban·dore ['ban-,dȯr] -n
- a bass stringed instrument resembling a guitar
bandpass filter ['ban(d)-,pas-] -n
- a filter that transmits only frequencies within a selected band
band saw -n
- a saw in the form of an endless steel belt running over pulleys
- a power saw using this device usu. with the blade in a vertical position
band shell -n
- a bandstand having at the rear a sounding board shaped like a huge concave seashell
bands·man ['ban(d)z-mən] -n
- a member of a musical band
band·stand ['ban(d)-,stand] -n
- a usu. roofed platform on which a band or orchestra performs outdoors
- a platform in a ballroom or nightclub on which musicians perform
band·wag·on ['band-,wa-gən] -n
- a usu. ornate and high wagon for a band of musicians esp. in a circus parade
- a popular party, faction, or cause that attracts growing support often used in such phrases as jump on the bandwagon
- a current or fashionable trend
band·width ['band-,width] -n
- a range within a band of wavelengths, frequencies, or energies
- a range of radio frequencies which is occupied by a modulated carrier wave, which is assigned to a service, or over which a device can operate
- the capacity for data transfer of an electronic communications system
- graphics consume more bandwidth than text does
- the maximum data transfer rate of such a system
- a bandwidth of 56 kilobits per second
ban·dy ['ban-dē] -vb
- to bat (as a tennis ball) to and fro
- to toss from side to side or pass about from one to another often in a careless or inappropriate manner
- exchange
- to exchange (words) argumentatively
- to discuss lightly or banteringly
- to use in a glib or offhand manner often used with about
- bandy these statistics about with considerable bravado -- Richard Pollak
- to band together
- contend
- unite
bandy -n
- a game similar to hockey and believed to be its prototype
- bowed
- bowlegged
bane ['bān] -n
- killer, slayer
- poison
- death, destruction
- stop the way of those that seek my bane -- Philip Sidney
- woe
- a source of harm or ruin : curse
- national frontiers have been more of a bane than a boon for mankind -- D. C. Thomson
- to kill esp. with poison
- bone
bane·ber·ry ['bān-,ber-ē] -n
- any of several perennial herbs (genus Actaea) of the buttercup family having acrid poisonous berries
- one of the berries
bane·ful ['bān-fəl] -adj, adv
- productive of destruction or woe : seriously harmful
- poisonous
bang ['baŋ] -vb
- to strike sharply : bump
- to knock, hit, or thrust vigorously often with a sharp noise
- to have sexual intercourse with
- to strike with a sharp noise or thump
- to produce a sharp often metallic explosive or percussive noise or series of such noises
- to play a sport (as basketball) in a very aggressive and forceful manner
- a resounding blow
- a sudden loud noise often used interjectionally
- a sudden striking effect
- a quick burst of energy
- thrill
- I get a bang out of all this -- W. H. Whyte
- right, directly
- ran bang up against more trouble
- a fringe of banged hair usu. used in pl.
- to cut (as front hair) short and squarely across
ban·ga·lore torpedo ['baŋ-gə-,lȯr-] -n
- a metal tube that contains explosives and a firing mechanism and is used to cut barbed wire and detonate buried mines
bang away -vi
- to work with determined effort
- students banging away at their homework
- to attack persistently
- police are going to keep banging away at you -- Erle Stanley Gardner
bangbang ['baŋ-,baŋ] -adj
- having a sudden, forceful, or attention-grabbing effect : punchy
- executed or happening so quickly as to make judgment (as by an umpire or referee) difficult
- a bangbang play at first base
- characterized by violent or fast-paced action
bang·er ['baŋ-ər] -n
- sausage
- firecracker
- jalopy
- a forceful and aggressive athlete
bang·kok ['baŋ-,käk, baŋ-'] -n
- a hat woven of fine palm fiber in the Philippines
ban·gle ['baŋ-gəl] -n
- a stiff usu. ornamental bracelet or anklet slipped or clasped on
- an ornamental disk that hangs loosely (as on a bracelet)
bang on -adj
- exactly correct or appropriate
Bang's disease ['baŋz-] -n
- brucellosis
- contagious abortion of cattle caused by a brucella ( Brucella abortus)
bang·tail ['baŋ-,tāl] -n
- racehorse
bangup ['baŋ-,əp] -adj
- first-rate
bang up -vt
- to cause extensive damage to
bani ['ban] -vb
(variant of ban)
- curse
- to prohibit esp. by legal means
- to prohibit the use, performance, or distribution of
- bar
- to utter curses or maledictions
- the summoning in feudal times of the king's vassals for military service
- anathema, excommunication
- malediction, curse
- legal or formal prohibition
- censure or condemnation esp. through social pressure
- see leu at
ban·ish ['ba-nish] -vt, n
- to require by authority to leave a country
- to drive out or remove from a home or place of usual resort or continuance
- to clear away : dispel
- his discovery banish es anxiety -- Stringfellow Barr
ban·is·ter ['ba-nəs-tər] -n, adj
- a handrail with its supporting posts
- handrail
- baluster
ban·jax ['ban-,jaks] -vt
- damage, ruin
- smash
ban·jo ['ban-(,)jō] -n
- a musical instrument with a drumlike body, a fretted neck, and usu. four or five strings which may be plucked or strummed
banjo clock -n
- a pendulum clock whose shape suggests a banjo
bank ['baŋk] -n
- : a mound, pile, or ridge raised above the surrounding level: as
- a piled-up mass of cloud or fog
- an undersea elevation rising esp. from the continental shelf
- the rising ground bordering a lake, river, or sea or forming the edge of a cut or hollow
- a steep slope (as of a hill)
- the lateral inward tilt of a surface along a curve or of a vehicle (as an airplane) when turning
- a protective or cushioning rim or piece
- to raise a bank about
- to cover (as a fire) with fresh fuel and adjust the draft of air so as to keep in an inactive state
- to build (a curve) with the roadbed or track inclined laterally upward from the inside edge
- to heap or pile in a bank
- to drive (a ball in billiards) into a cushion
- to bounce (a ball or shot) off a surface (as a backboard) into or toward a goal
- to form or group in a tier
- to rise in or form a bank often used with up
- clouds would bank up about midday, and showers fall -- William Beebe
- to incline an airplane laterally
- to incline laterally
- to follow a curve or incline
- skiers bank ing around the turn
- an establishment for the custody, loan, exchange, or issue of money, for the extension of credit, and for facilitating the transmission of funds
- the table, counter, or place of business of a money changer
- a person conducting a gambling house or game
- dealer
- : a supply of something held in reserve: as
- the fund of supplies (as money, chips, or pieces) held by the banker or dealer for use in a game
- a fund of pieces belonging to a game (as dominoes) from which the players draw
- a place where something is held available
- a depot for the collection and storage of a biological product
- to manage a bank
- to deposit money or have an account in a bank
- to deposit or store in a bank
- : a group or series of objects arranged together in a row or a tier: as
- a set of elevators
- a row or tier of telephones
- one of the horizontal and usu. secondary or lower divisions of a headline
bank·able ['baŋ-kə-bəl] -adj, n
- acceptable to or at a bank
- sure to bring in a profit
- Hollywood's most bankable star -- Sidney Sheldon
bank·book ['baŋk-,bu̇k] -n
- the depositor's book in which a bank records deposits and withdrawals called also passbook
bank card -n
- a card (as a credit card or an ATM card) issued by a bank
bank discount -n
- the interest discounted in advance on a note and computed on the face value of the note
bank·er ['baŋ-kər] -n, adj
- one that engages in the business of banking
- the player who keeps the bank in various games
banker -n
- a person or boat employed in the cod fishery on the Newfoundland banks
banker's acceptance -n
- a short-term credit instrument issued by an importer's bank that guarantees payment of an exporter's invoice
bank holiday -n
- legal holiday
- a period when banks in general are closed often by government fiat
bank·ing -n
- the business of a bank or a banker
bank money -n
- a medium of exchange consisting chiefly of checks and drafts
bank·note ['baŋk-,nōt] -n
- a promissory note issued by a bank payable to bearer on demand without interest and acceptable as money
bank·roll ['baŋk-,rōl] -n
- supply of money : funds
bankroll -vt, n
- to supply money for (a business, project, or person)
bank·rupt ['baŋk-(,)rəpt] -n
- a person who has done any of the acts that by law entitle creditors to have his or her estate administered for their benefit
- a person judicially declared subject to having his or her estate administered under the bankrupt laws for the benefit of creditors
- a person who becomes insolvent
- a person who is completely lacking in a particular desirable quality or attribute
bankrupt -adj
- reduced to a state of financial ruin : impoverished
- legally declared a bankrupt
- the company went bankrupt
- of or relating to bankrupts or bankruptcy
- broken, ruined
- a bankrupt professional career
- exhausted of valuable qualities : sterile
- destitute used with of or in
- bankrupt of all merciful feelings
- to reduce to bankruptcy
- impoverish
- defections had bankrupt ed the party of its brainpower
bank·rupt·cy ['baŋk-(,)rəp(t)-sē] -n
- the quality or state of being bankrupt
- utter failure or impoverishment
bank shot -n
- a shot in billiards and pool in which a player banks the cue ball or the object ball
- a shot in basketball played to rebound from the backboard into the basket
bank·sia ['baŋ(k)-sē-ə] -n
- any of a genus ( Banksia) of Australian evergreen trees or shrubs of the protea family with alternate leathery leaves and flowers in dense cylindrical heads
bank·side ['baŋk-,sīd] -n
- the slope of a bank esp. of a stream
ban·ner ['ba-nər] -n
- a piece of cloth attached by one edge to a staff and used by a leader (as a monarch or feudal lord) as his standard
- flag
- an ensign displaying a distinctive or symbolic device or legend
- one presented as an award of honor or distinction
- a headline in large type running across a newspaper page
- a strip of cloth on which a sign is painted
- welcome banner s stretched across the street
- a name, slogan, or goal associated with a particular group or ideology
- the new banner is community control -- F. M. Hechinger
often used with under - every new administration arrives...under the banner of change -- John Cogley
- an advertisement graphic that runs usu. across the top of a World Wide Web page
banner -adj
- prominent in support of a political party
- a banner Democratic county
- distinguished from all others esp. in excellence
- a banner year for business
- to furnish with a banner
- to print (as a news story) under a banner usu. on the front page
ban·ner·et ['ba-nə-rət, ,ba-nə-'ret] -n
- a knight leading his vassals into the field under his own banner
banneret -n
- a small banner
ban·ne·rol ['ba-nə-,rōl] -n
- banderole
bannister ['ba-nəs-tər] -n, adj
(variant of banister)
- a handrail with its supporting posts
- handrail
- baluster
ban·nock ['ba-nək] -n
- a usu. unleavened flat bread or biscuit made with oatmeal or barley meal
- corn bread
- a thin cake baked on a griddle
banns ['banz] -n pl
- public announcement esp. in church of a proposed marriage
ban·quet ['baŋ-kwət, 'ban- also -,kwet] -n
- a sumptuous feast
- an elaborate and often ceremonious meal for numerous people often in honor of a person
- a meal held in recognition of some occasion or achievement
banquet -vi, n
- to partake of a banquet
- to treat with a banquet : feast
banquet room -n
- a large room (as in a restaurant or hotel) suitable for banquets
ban·quette [baŋ-'ket, ban-, 1b is also 'baŋ-kət] -n
- a raised way along the inside of a parapet or trench for gunners or guns
- sidewalk
- a long upholstered bench
- a sofa having one roll-over arm
- a built-in usu. upholstered bench along a wall
Ban·quo ['baŋ-(,)kwō, 'ban-] -n
- a murdered Scottish thane in Shakespeare's Macbethwhose ghost appears to Macbeth
ban·shee ['ban-(,)shē, ban-'] -n
- a female spirit in Gaelic folklore whose appearance or wailing warns a family that one of them will soon die
ban·tam ['ban-təm] -n
- any of numerous small domestic fowls that are often miniatures of members of the standard breeds
- a person of diminutive stature and often combative disposition
bantam -adj
- small, diminutive
- pertly combative
ban·tam·weight [-,wāt] -n
- a boxer in a weight division having a maximum limit of 118 pounds for professionals and 119 pounds for amateurs
ban·teng ['bän-,teŋ] -n
- a wild ox ( Bos javanicussyn. B. banteng) of southeastern Asia sometimes domesticated for use as a draft animal or for its meat
ban·ter ['ban-tər] -vb, n, adv
- to speak to or address in a witty and teasing manner
- delude
- challenge
- to speak or act playfully or wittily
banter -n
- good-natured and usu. witty and animated joking
bant·ling ['bant-liŋ] -n
- a very young child
Ban·tu ['ban-(,)tü, 'bän-] -n
- a family of Niger-Congo languages spoken in central and southern Africa
- a member of any of a group of African peoples who speak Bantu languages
Ban·tu·stan [,ban-tü-'stan, ,bän-tü-'stän, 'ban-tü-,, 'bän-tü-,, -tə-] -n
- any of several all-black enclaves formerly in the Republic of So. Africa that had a limited degree of self-government
ban·yan ['ban-yən, -yan] -n
- an East Indian fig tree ( Ficus benghalensis) of the mulberry family with branches that send out roots which grow down to the soil and form secondary trunks
ban·zai [(,)bän-'zī, 'bän-,] -n
- a Japanese cheer or war cry
banzai attack -n
- a mass attack by Japanese soldiers in World War II
- an all-out usu. desperate attack
banzai charge -n
- banzai attack
- a determined often reckless act
bao·bab ['bau̇-,bab, 'bā-ə-] -n
- a broad-trunked tropical tree ( Adansonia digitata) of the silk-cotton family that is native to Africa and has an edible acidic fruit resembling a gourd and bark used in making paper, cloth, and rope
- any of several related trees chiefly of Madagascar and Australia
bap ['bap] -n
- a small bun or roll
Bap -abbr
- Baptist
bap·ti·sia [bap-'ti-zh(ē-)ə] -n
- any of a genus ( Baptisia) of No. American plants of the legume family having showy papilionaceous flowers similar in form to those of the pea plant
bap·tism ['bap-,ti-zəm, esp Southern 'bab-] -n, adj, adv
- a Christian sacrament marked by ritual use of water and admitting the recipient to the Christian community
- a non-Christian rite using water for ritual purification
- purification by or submergence in Spirit
- an act, experience, or ordeal by which one is purified, sanctified, initiated, or named
baptismal name -n
- a name given at christening or confirmation
baptism of fire
- an introductory or initial experience that is a severe ordeal
- a soldier's first exposure to enemy fire
- a spiritual baptism by a gift of the Holy Spirit often used in allusion to Acts 2:34; Mt 3:11(RSV)
bap·tist ['bap-tist, esp Southern 'bab- also 'bəb-dist] -n, adj
- one that baptizes
- a member or adherent of an evangelical Protestant denomination marked by congregational polity and baptism by immersion of believers only
bap·tis·tery ['bap-tə-strē, esp Southern 'bab-] -n
- a part of a church or formerly a separate building used for baptism
bap·tize [bap-'tīz, 'bap-,, esp Southern bab- or 'bab-] -vb, n
- to administer baptism to
- to purify or cleanse spiritually esp. by a purging experience or ordeal
- initiate
- to give a name to (as at baptism) : christen
- to administer baptism
bar ['bär] -n
- a straight piece (as of wood or metal) that is longer than it is wide and has any of various uses (as for a lever, support, barrier, or fastening)
- a solid piece or block of material that is longer than it is wide
- a usu. rigid piece (as of wood or metal) longer than it is wide that is used as a handle or support
- a handrail used by ballet dancers to maintain balance while exercising
- : something that obstructs or prevents passage, progress, or action: as
- the destruction of an action or claim in law
- a plea or objection that effects such destruction
- an intangible or nonphysical impediment
- a submerged or partly submerged bank (as of sand) along a shore or in a river often obstructing navigation
- the railing in a courtroom that encloses the place about the judge where prisoners are stationed or where the business of the court is transacted in civil cases
- court, tribunal
- a particular system of courts
- an authority or tribunal that hands down judgment
- the barrier in the English Inns of Court that formerly separated the seats of the benchers or readers from the body of the hall occupied by the students
- the whole body of barristers or lawyers qualified to practice in the courts of any jurisdiction
- the profession of barrister or lawyer
- : a straight stripe, band, or line much longer than it is wide: as
- one of two or more horizontal stripes on a heraldic shield
- a metal or embroidered strip worn on a usu. military uniform esp. to indicate rank (as of a company officer) or service
- a counter at which food or esp. alcoholic beverages are served
- barroom
- shop
- a vertical line across the musical staff before the initial measure accent
- measure
- a lace and embroidery joining covered with buttonhole stitch for connecting various parts of the pattern in needlepoint lace and cutwork
- standard
- wants to raise the bar for approving new drugs
- to fasten with a bar
- to place bars across to prevent ingress or egress
- to mark with bars : stripe
- to confine or shut in by or as if by bars
- to set aside : rule out
- did not bar the possibility of further measures
- to keep out : exclude
- barring him from the club
- to interpose legal objection to or to the claim of
- prevent, forbid
- a decision barring his participation
- except
- the country's most popular actor, bar none
- a unit of pressure equal to 100,000 pascals
- barometer; barometric
- barrel
Bar -abbr
- Baruch
BAr -abbr
- bachelor of architecture
BAR -abbr
- Browning automatic rifle
bar- -comb form
- weight : pressure
Ba·rab·bas [bə-'ra-bəs] -n
- a prisoner according to Matthew, Mark, and John released in preference to Christ at the demand of the multitude
bar·a·thea [,ber-ə-'thē-ə, ,ba-rə-] -n
- a fabric that has a broken rib weave and a pebbly texture and that is made of silk, worsted, or synthetic fiber or a combination of these
barb ['bärb] -n, adj
- a medieval cloth headdress passing over or under the chin and covering the neck
- a sharp projection extending backward (as from the point of an arrow or fishhook) and preventing easy extraction
- a sharp projection with its point similarly oblique to something else
- a biting or pointedly critical remark or comment
- barbel
- any of the side branches of the shaft of a feather
- a plant hair or bristle ending in a hook
- to furnish with a barb
- any of a northern African breed of horses that are noted for speed and endurance
- barbiturate
bar·bar·i·an [bär-'ber-ē-ən] -adj, n
- of or relating to a land, culture, or people alien and usu. believed to be inferior to another land, culture, or people
- lacking refinement, learning, or artistic or literary culture
bar·bar·ic [bär-'ber-ik, -'ba-rik] -adj, adv
- of, relating to, or characteristic of barbarians
- possessing or characteristic of a cultural level more complex than primitive savagery but less sophisticated than advanced civilization
- marked by a lack of restraint : wild
- having a bizarre, primitive, or unsophisticated quality
- barbarous
bar·ba·rism ['bär-bə-,ri-zəm] -n
- a barbarian or barbarous social or intellectual condition : backwardness
- the practice or display of barbarian acts, attitudes, or ideas
- an idea, act, or expression that in form or use offends against contemporary standards of good taste or acceptability
bar·bar·i·ty [bär-'ber-ə-tē, -'ba-rə-] -n
- barbarism
- barbarous cruelty : inhumanity
- an act or instance of such cruelty
bar·ba·rize ['bär-bə-,rīz] -vb, n
- to make barbarian or barbarous
- to become barbarous
bar·ba·rous ['bär-b(ə-)rəs] -adj, adv, n
- uncivilized
- lacking culture or refinement : philistine
- characterized by the occurrence of barbarisms
- mercilessly harsh or cruel
Bar·ba·ry ape ['bär-b(ə-)rē-] -n
- a tailless monkey ( Macaca sylvanus) of northern Africa and Gibraltar called also Barbary macaque
Barbary sheep -n
- aoudad
bar·be·cue ['bär-bi-,kyü] -vt, n
- to roast or broil on a rack or revolving spit over or before a source of heat (as hot coals)
- to cook in a highly seasoned vinegar sauce
barbecue -n
- a large animal (as a steer) roasted whole or split over an open fire or a fire in a pit
- barbecued food
- a social gathering esp. in the open air at which barbecued food is eaten
- an often portable fireplace over which meat and fish are roasted
barbed ['bärbd] -adj
- having barbs
- characterized by pointed and biting criticism or sarcasm
barbed wire ['bärb(d)-'wī(-ə)r, 'bäb(d)-] -n
- twisted wires armed with barbs or sharp points called also barbwire
bar·bel ['bär-bəl] -n
- a European freshwater cyprinid fish ( Barbus barbus) with four barbels on its upper jaw
- any of various closely related fishes
barbel -n
- a slender tactile process on the lips of certain fishes (as catfishes)
bar·bell ['bär-,bel] -n
- a bar with adjustable weighted disks attached to each end that is used for exercise and in weight lifting
bar·ber ['bär-bər] -n
- one whose business is cutting and dressing hair, shaving and trimming beards, and performing related services
barber [-b(ə-)riŋ] -vb
- to perform the services of a barber for
- trim or groom the hair or beard of
- to perform the services of a barber
bar·ber·ry ['bär-,ber-ē, -,be-rē] -n
- any of a genus ( Berberisof the family Berberidaceae, the barberry family) of shrubs usu. having spines, usu. yellow flowers, and oblong red or blackish berries
bar·ber·shop ['bär-bər-,shäp] -n
- a barber's place of business
barbershop -adj
- of a style of unaccompanied group singing of popular songs usu. marked by highly conventionalized close harmony
bar·bet ['bär-bət] -n
- any of various often brightly colored nonpasserine tropical birds (families Capitonidae, Lybiidae, and Megalaimidae) having a stout bill bearing bristles at the base
bar·bette [bär-'bet] -n
- a mound of earth or a protected platform from which guns fire over a parapet
- an armored structure protecting a gun turret on a warship
bar·bi·can ['bär-bi-kən] -n
- an outer defensive work
- a tower at a gate or bridge
bar·bi·cel ['bär-bə-,sel] -n
- any of the small hook-bearing processes on a barbule of a feather
bar·bie ['bär-bē] -n
- barbecue
- barbecue
bar·bi·tal ['bär-bə-,tȯl] -n
- a crystalline barbiturate C 8H 12N 2O 3used as a sedative and hypnotic often in the form of its soluble sodium salt
bar·bi·tone ['bär-bə-,tōn] -n
- barbital
bar·bi·tu·rate [bär-'bi-chə-rət, -,rāt; ,bär-bə-'tyu̇r-ət, -'tu̇r-, -,āt; ÷bär-'bi-chə-wət] -n
- a salt or ester of barbituric acid
- any of various derivatives of barbituric acid (as phenobarbital) that are used esp. as sedatives, hypnotics, and antispasmodics and are often addictive
bar·bi·tu·ric acid [,bär-bə-'t(y)u̇r-ik-] -n
- a synthetic crystalline acid C 4H 4N 2O 3derived from pyrimidine
Bar·bi·zon [,bär-bə-'zōn, -'zän] -adj
- of, relating to, or being a school of mid-19th century French landscape painters whose naturalistic canvases were based on direct observation of nature
bar·bule ['bär-(,)byü(ə)l] -n
- a minute barb
- one of the processes that fringe the barbs of a feather
barb·wire ['bärb-'wī(-ə)r, 'bäb-] -n
- barbed wire
bar car -n
- club car
bar·ca·role ['bär-kə-,rōl] -n
- a Venetian boat song usu. in or time characterized by the alternation of a strong and weak beat that suggests a rowing rhythm
- music imitating a barcarole
Bar·ce·lo·na chair [,bär-sə-'lō-nə-] -n
- an armless chair with leather-covered cushions on a stainless steel frame
bar·chan [(,)bär-'kän, -'k̲än] -n
- a moving crescent-shaped sand dune
bar chart -n
- bar graph
bar code ['bär-,kō-dəd] -n, adj
- a code consisting of a group of printed and variously patterned bars and spaces and sometimes numerals that is designed to be scanned and read into computer memory and that contains information (as identification) about the object it labels
bard ['bärd] -n, adj
- a tribal poet-singer skilled in composing and reciting verses on heroes and their deeds
- a composer, singer, or declaimer of epic or heroic verse
- poet
- a piece of armor or ornament for a horse's neck, breast, or flank
- to furnish with bards
- to dress meat for cooking by covering with strips of fat
bard·ol·a·ter [bär-'dä-lə-tər] -n
- a person who idolizes Shakespeare
Bar·do·li·no [,bär-də-'lē-(,)nō] -n
- a light red Italian wine
bare ['ber] -adj, n
- lacking a natural, usual, or appropriate covering
- lacking clothing
- bareheaded
- lacking any tool or weapon
- opened the box with his bare hands
- open to view : exposed
- laying bare their secrets
- unfurnished or scantily supplied
- destitute
- having nothing left over or added
- the bare necessities of life
- mere
- devoid of amplification or adornment
- worthless
- to make or lay bare : uncover
bare ['ber] -n, adj
(variant of bear)
- any of a family (Ursidae of the order Carnivora) of large heavy mammals of America and Eurasia that have long shaggy hair, rudimentary tails, and plantigrade feet and feed largely on fruit, plant matter, and insects as well as on flesh
- a surly, uncouth, burly, or shambling person
- a tall, friendly bear of a man
- one that sells securities or commodities in expectation of a price decline
- something difficult to do or deal with
- the oven is a bear to clean
- to move while holding up and supporting
- to be equipped or furnished with
- behave, conduct
- to have as a feature or characteristic
- bear s a likeness to her grandmother
- to give as testimony
- to have as an identification
- to hold in the mind or emotions
- disseminate
- lead, escort
- render, give
- to give birth to
- to produce as yield
- to permit growth of
- contain
- to support the weight of : sustain
- to accept or allow oneself to be subjected to esp. without giving way
- I can't bear seeing you cry
- to call for as suitable or essential
- to hold above, on top, or aloft
- to admit of : allow
- assume, accept
- thrust, press
- to produce fruit : yield
- to force one's way
- to extend in a direction indicated or implied
- to be situated : lie
- to become directed
- to go or incline in an indicated direction
- to support a weight or strain often used with up
- to exert influence or force
- apply, pertain often used with on or upon
- facts bear ing on the question
bare·back [-,bak] -adv or adj
- on the bare back of a horse : without a saddle
bare·boat [-,bōt] -n
- a boat chartered without its crew
bare bones -n pl, adj
- the barest essentials, facts, or elements
- the bare bones of her life
bare·faced ['ber-'fāst] -adj, adv, n
- : having the face uncovered:
- having no whiskers : beardless
- wearing no mask
- open, unconcealed
- having or showing a lack of scruples
bare·foot [-,fu̇t] -adv or adj
- with the feet bare
- barefoot boy, with cheek of tan -- J. G. Whittier
bare·hand ['ber-,hand] -vt
- to catch or retrieve (a baseball) with a bare hand
barehand·ed ['ber-'han-dəd] -adv or adj
- without gloves
- without tools or weapons
- fight an animal barehanded
bare·head·ed [-'he-dəd] -adv or adj
- without a covering for the head
- went bareheaded in the hot sun
- a bareheaded boy who had lost his cap
bareknuck·le [-'nə-kəl] -adj or adv
- not using boxing gloves
- champion bareknuckle prizefighter of England -- Dennis Craig
- when men fought bareknuckle
- having a fierce unrelenting character
bare·ly -adv
- in a meager manner : plainly
- scarcely, hardly
- barely enough money for lunch
barf ['bärf] -vi
- vomit
bar·fly ['bär-,flī] -n
- a person who spends much time in bars
bar·gain ['bär-gən] -n
- an agreement between parties settling what each gives or receives in a transaction between them or what course of action or policy each pursues in respect to the other
- something acquired by or as if by bargaining
- an advantageous purchase
- at that price the car is a bargain
- a transaction, situation, or event regarded in the light of its results
bargain -vb, n
- to negotiate over the terms of a purchase, agreement, or contract : haggle
- to come to terms : agree
- to bring to a desired level by bargaining
- to sell or dispose of by bargaining
bar·gainbase·ment ['bär-gən-'bās-mənt] -adj
- of inferior quality or worth
- markedly inexpensive
bargain basement -n
- a section of a store (as the basement) where merchandise is sold at reduced prices
barge ['bärj] -n
- : any of various boats: as
- a roomy usu. flat-bottomed boat used chiefly for the transport of goods on inland waterways and usu. propelled by towing
- a large motorboat supplied to the flag officer of a flagship
- a roomy pleasure boat
- a boat of state elegantly furnished and decorated
- to carry by barge
- to move ponderously or clumsily
- to thrust oneself heedlessly or unceremoniously
barge·board ['bärj-,bȯrd] -n
- an often ornamented board that conceals roof timbers projecting over gables
barg·ee [bär-'jē] -n
- bargeman
bar·gel·lo [bär-'je-(,)lō] -n
- a needlework stitch that produces a zigzag pattern
barge·man ['bärj-mən] -n
- the master or a deckhand of a barge
bar graph -n
- a graphic means of quantitative comparison by rectangles with lengths proportional to the measure of the data or things being compared called also bar chart
bar·hop ['bär-,häp] -vi
- to visit and drink at a series of bars in the course of an evening
bar·iat·ric [,ber-ē-'a-trik, ,ba-rē-] -adj
- relating to or specializing in the treatment of obesity
ba·ris·ta [bə-'rēs-tə, bä-'rēs-tä] -n
- a person who makes and serves coffee (as espresso) to the public
bar·ite ['ber-,īt] -n
- barium sulfate occurring as a mineral
bari·tone ['ber-ə-,tōn, 'ba-rə-] -n, adj
- a male singing voice of medium compass between bass and tenor
- a person having this voice
- a member of a family of instruments having a range between tenor and bass
- the baritone saxhorn or baritone saxophone
baritone -adj
- relating to or having the range or part of a baritone
bar·i·um ['ber-ē-əm] -n
- a silver-white malleable toxic divalent metallic element of the alkaline-earth group that occurs only in combination
- barium sulfate
barium sulfate -n
- a crystalline insoluble compound BaSO 4that is used esp. as a pigment and extender, as a filler (as in fluids used in gas and oil drilling), and as a substance opaque to X rays in medical photography of the alimentary canal
bark ['bärk] -vb
- to make the characteristic short loud cry of a dog
- to make a noise resembling a bark
- to speak in a curt loud and usu. angry tone : snap
- to utter in a curt loud usu. angry tone
- an officer bark ing orders
- to advertise by persistent outcry
- the sound made by a barking dog
- a similar sound
- a short sharp peremptory tone of speech or utterance
- the tough exterior covering of a woody root or stem
- the tissues outside the cambium that include an inner layer esp. of secondary phloem and an outer layer of periderm
- cinchona
- a candy containing chocolate and nuts that is made in a sheet and broken into pieces
- to treat with an infusion of tanbark
- to strip the bark from
- to rub off or abrade the skin of
- bark ed a shin on the desk
- a small sailing ship
- a sailing ship of three or more masts with the aftmost mast fore-and-aft rigged and the others square-rigged
- a craft propelled by sails or oars
bark beetle -n
- any of numerous beetles (family Scolytidae) that bore under the bark of trees both as a larva and as an adult
bar·keep ['bär-,kēp] -n
- bartender
bar·ken·tine ['bär-kən-,tēn] -n
- a sailing ship of three or more masts with the foremast square-rigged and the others fore-and-aft rigged
bark·er ['bär-kər] -n
- one that barks
- a person who advertises by hawking at an entrance to a show
barker -n
- one that removes or prepares bark
barking deer -n
- muntjac
barky ['bär-kē] -adj
- covered with or resembling bark
bar·ley ['bär-lē] -n
- a cereal grass (genus Hordeumand esp. H. vulgare) having the flowers in dense spikes with long awns and three spikelets at each joint of the rachis
- its seed used esp. in malt beverages, breakfast foods, and stock feeds
bar·leybree [-,brē] -n
- whisky
- malt liquor
bar·ley·corn [-,kȯrn] -n
- a grain of barley
- an old unit of length equal to a third of an inch
bar·low ['bär-,lō] -n
- a sturdy inexpensive jackknife
barm ['bärm] -n
- yeast formed on fermenting malt liquors
bar·maid ['bär-,mād] -n
- a woman who serves liquor at a bar
bar·man [-mən] -n
- bartender
Bar·me·cid·al [,bär-mə-'sī-dᵊl] -adj
- providing only the illusion of abundance
bar mitz·vah [bär-'mits-və] -n
- a Jewish boy who reaches his 13th birthday and attains the age of religious duty and responsibility
- the initiatory ceremony recognizing a boy as a bar mitzvah
bar mitzvah -vt
- to administer the ceremony of bar mitzvah to
barmy ['bär-mē] -adj
- full of froth or ferment
- balmy
barn ['bärn] -n, adj
- a usu. large building for the storage of farm products or feed and usu. for the housing of farm animals or farm equipment
- an unusually large and usu. bare building
- a great barn of a hotel -- W. A. White
- a large building for the housing of a fleet of vehicles (as trolley cars or trucks)
Bar·na·bas ['bär-nə-bəs] -n
- a companion of the apostle Paul on his first missionary journey
bar·na·cle ['bär-ni-kəl] -n, adj
- barnacle goose
- any of numerous marine crustaceans (subclass Cirripedia) with feathery appendages for gathering food that are free-swimming as larvae but permanently fixed (as to rocks, boat hulls, or whales) as adults
barnacle goose -n
- a European goose ( Branta leucopsis) that has a whitish face and black breast and breeds in the arctic
barn burner -n
- one that arouses much interest or excitement
- the game should be a real barn burner
barn dance -n
- an American social dance orig. held in a barn and featuring several dance forms (as square dancing)
barn lot -n
- barnyard
barn owl -n
- a widely distributed owl ( Tyto alba) that has plumage mottled buff brown and gray above and chiefly white below, frequents barns and other buildings, and preys esp. on rodents
barn raising -n
- a gathering for the purpose of erecting a barn
barn·storm ['bärn-,stȯrm] -vi, n
- to tour through rural districts staging usu. theatrical performances
- to travel from place to place making brief stops (as in a political campaign or a promotional tour)
- to pilot one's airplane in sight-seeing flights with passengers or in exhibition stunts in an unscheduled course esp. in rural districts
- to travel across while barnstorming
barn swallow -n
- a swallow ( Hirundo rusticaof the family Hirundinidae) that is widespread in the northern hemisphere, has a deeply forked tail, and often nests in or near buildings
barn·yard [-,yärd] -n
- a usu. fenced area adjoining a barn
barnyard -adj
- smutty, earthy, scatological
barnyard grass -n
- a coarse annual panicled grass ( Echinochloa crusgalli) that has flowers borne on only one side of the raceme and is nearly cosmopolitan as a weed in cultivated ground
baro·gram ['ber-ə-,gram, 'ba-rə-] -n
- a barographic tracing
baro·graph [-,graf] -n, adj
- a recording barometer
Ba·ro·lo [bä-'rō-(,)lō, bə-] -n
- a dry red Italian wine
ba·rom·e·ter [bə-'rä-mə-tər] -n, adj, adv
- an instrument for determining the pressure of the atmosphere and hence for assisting in forecasting weather and for determining altitude
- something that indicates fluctuations (as in public opinion)
- housing sales and other economic barometer s
- standard, test
- a barometer to measure high school talent -- Jeff Fellenzer
barometric pressure -n
- the pressure of the atmosphere usu. expressed in terms of the height of a column of mercury
bar·on ['ber-ən, 'ba-rən] -n
- one of a class of tenants holding his rights and title by military or other honorable service directly from a feudal superior (as a king)
- a lord of the realm : noble, peer
- a member of the lowest grade of the peerage in Great Britain
- a nobleman on the continent of Europe of varying rank
- a member of the lowest order of nobility in Japan
- a joint of meat consisting of two sirloins or loins and legs not cut apart at the backbone
- a man who possesses great power or influence in some field of activity
bar·on·age [-ə-nij] -n
- the whole body of barons or peers : nobility
bar·on·ess ['ber-ə-nəs, 'ba-rə-, -,nes, US also ,ber-ə-'nes, ,ba-rə-] -n
- the wife or widow of a baron
- a woman who holds a baronial title in her own right
bar·on·et ['ber-ə-nət, 'ba-rə-, US also ,ber-ə-'net, ,ba-rə-] -n
- the holder of a rank of honor below a baron and above a knight
bar·on·et·age ['ber-ə-nə-(,)tij, ,ba-rə-; ,ber-ə-'ne-tij, ,ba-rə-] -n
- baronetcy
- the whole body of baronets
bar·on·et·cy ['ber-ə-nət-sē, 'ba-rə-; ,ber-ə-'net-sē, ,ba-rə-] -n
- the rank of a baronet
ba·rong [bə-'rȯŋ, -'räŋ] -n
- a thick-backed thin-edged knife or sword used by the Moros
ba·ro·ni·al [bə-'rō-nē-əl] -adj
- of or relating to a baron or the baronage
- stately, ample
bar·ony ['ber-ə-nē, 'ba-rə-] -n
- the domain, rank, or dignity of a baron
- a vast private landholding
- a field of activity under the sway of an individual or a special group
ba·roque [bə-'rōk, ba-, -'räk, -'rȯk] -adj, adv
- of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of artistic expression prevalent esp. in the 17th century that is marked generally by use of complex forms, bold ornamentation, and the juxtaposition of contrasting elements often conveying a sense of drama, movement, and tension
- characterized by grotesqueness, extravagance, complexity, or flamboyance
- irregularly shaped used of gems
baroque -n
- the baroque style or the period in which it flourished
baro·re·cep·tor [,ber-ō-ri-'sep-tər, ,ba-rə-] -n
- a sensory nerve ending esp. in the walls of large arteries (as the carotid sinus) that is sensitive to changes in blood pressure
baro·trau·ma [-'trau̇-mə, -'trȯ-] -n
- injury of a body part or organ as a result of changes in barometric pressure
ba·rouche [bə-'rüsh] -n
- a four-wheeled carriage with a driver's seat high in front, two double seats inside facing each other, and a folding top over the back seat
barque ['bärk] -vb
(variant of bark)
- to make the characteristic short loud cry of a dog
- to make a noise resembling a bark
- to speak in a curt loud and usu. angry tone : snap
- to utter in a curt loud usu. angry tone
- an officer bark ing orders
- to advertise by persistent outcry
- the sound made by a barking dog
- a similar sound
- a short sharp peremptory tone of speech or utterance
- the tough exterior covering of a woody root or stem
- the tissues outside the cambium that include an inner layer esp. of secondary phloem and an outer layer of periderm
- cinchona
- a candy containing chocolate and nuts that is made in a sheet and broken into pieces
- to treat with an infusion of tanbark
- to strip the bark from
- to rub off or abrade the skin of
- bark ed a shin on the desk
- a small sailing ship
- a sailing ship of three or more masts with the aftmost mast fore-and-aft rigged and the others square-rigged
- a craft propelled by sails or oars
bar·quette [bär-'ket] -n
- a small boat-shaped pastry shell
bar·rack ['ber-ək, -ik; 'ba-rək, -rik] -n
- a building or set of buildings used esp. for lodging soldiers in garrison
- a structure resembling a shed or barn that provides temporary housing
- housing characterized by extreme plainness or dreary uniformity usu. used in pl. in all senses
barrack -vt
- to lodge in barracks
- to shout at derisively or sarcastically
- root, cheer usu. used with for
- jeer, scoff
barracks bag -n
- a fabric bag for carrying personal equipment
- duffel bag
bar·ra·coon [,ber-ə-'kün, ,ba-rə-] -n
- an enclosure or barracks formerly used for temporary confinement of slaves or convicts often used in pl.
bar·ra·cou·ta [,ber-ə-'kü-tə, ,ba-rə-] -n
- a large elongate marine bony fish ( Thyrsites atunof the family Gempylidae) used for food and caught commercially in the waters off New Zealand and southern Australia
bar·ra·cu·da [,ber-ə-'kü-də, ,ba-rə-] -n
- any of a genus ( Sphyraenaof the family Sphyraenidae) of elongate predaceous often large bony fishes of warm seas that includes food and sport fishes as well as some forms frequently causing ciguatera poisoning
- one that uses aggressive, selfish, and sometimes unethical methods to obtain a goal esp. in business
bar·rage ['bär-ij] -n
- a dam placed in a watercourse to increase the depth of water or to divert it into a channel for navigation or irrigation
- artillery fire laid on a line close to friendly troops to screen and protect them
- a vigorous or rapid outpouring or projection of many things at once
- to deliver a barrage against
barrage balloon -n
- a small captive balloon used to support wires or nets as protection against air attacks
bar·ra·mun·di [,ber-ə-'mən-dē, ,ba-rə-] -n, pl
- a catadromous bony fish ( Lates calcariferof the family Centropomidae) with a greenish-bronze back and silvery sides that is found from the Persian Gulf to southern China and Australia and is valued as a sport and food fish
bar·ran·ca [bə-'raŋ-kə] -n
- a deep gully or arroyo with steep sides
- a steep bank or bluff
bar·ra·tor ['ber-ə-tər, 'ba-rə-] -n
- one who engages in barratry
bar·ra·try ['ber-ə-trē, 'ba-rə-] -n
- the purchase or sale of office or preferment in church or state
- an unlawful act or fraudulent breach of duty by a master of a ship or by the mariners to the injury of the owner of the ship or cargo
- the persistent incitement of litigation
Barr body ['bär-] -n
- a densely staining inactivated condensed X chromosome that is present in each somatic cell of most female mammals and is used as a test of genetic femaleness (as in a fetus) called also sex chromatin
barre ['bär] -n
- bar
barred ['bärd] -adj
- marked by or divided off by bars
- having alternate bands of different color
barred owl -n
- a large No. American owl ( Strix varia) with brown eyes and bars of dark brown on the breast
bar·rel ['ber-əl, 'ba-rəl] -n, adj
- a round bulging vessel of greater length than breadth that is usu. made of staves bound with hoops and has flat ends of equal diameter
- the amount contained in a barrel
- the amount (as 31 gallons of fermented beverage or 42 gallons of petroleum) fixed for a certain commodity used as a unit of measure
- a great quantity
- : a drum or cylindrical part: as
- the discharging tube of a gun
- the part of a fountain pen or of a pencil containing the ink or lead
- a cylindrical or tapering housing containing the optical components of a photographic-lens system and the iris diaphragm
- the fuel outlet from the carburetor on a gasoline engine
- the trunk of a quadruped
barrel -vb
- to put or pack in a barrel
- to move at a high speed or without hesitation
bar·rel·age ['ber-ə-lij, 'ba-rə-] -n
- amount (as of beer) in barrels
barrel cactus -n
- any of a genus ( Ferocactus) of nearly globular deeply ribbed spiny cacti of Mexico and the adjacent U.S.
- any of several similar cacti (genus Echinocactus)
bar·relchest·ed ['ber-əl-,ches-təd, 'ba-rəl-] -adj
- having a large rounded chest
barrel cuff -n
- an unfolded cuff (as on a shirt) usu. fastened by a button
bar·rel·ful ['ber-əl-,fu̇l, 'ba-rəl-] -n
- as much or as many as a barrel will hold
- a large number or amount
bar·rel·head [-,hed] -n
- the flat end of a barrel
bar·rel·house [-,hau̇s] -n
- a cheap drinking and usu. dancing establishment
- a strident, uninhibited, and forcefully rhythmic style of jazz or blues
barrel organ -n
- an instrument for producing music by the action of a revolving cylinder studded with pegs on a series of valves that admit air from a bellows to a set of pipes
barrel racing -n
- a rodeo event for women in which a mounted rider makes a series of sharp turns around three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern
barrel roll -n
- an airplane maneuver in which a complete revolution about the longitudinal axis is made
barrel vault [-,vȯl-təd] -n, adj
- a semicylindrical vault
bar·ren ['ber-ən, 'ba-rən] -adj, adv, n
- : not reproducing: as
- incapable of producing offspring used esp. of females or matings
- not yet or not recently pregnant
- habitually failing to fruit
- : not productive: as
- producing little or no vegetation : desolate
- producing inferior crops
- unproductive of results or gain : fruitless
- devoid, lacking used with of
- lacking interest or charm
- lacking inspiration or ideas
barren -n
- an extent of usu. level land having an inferior growth of trees or little vegetation
- a tract of barren land
bar·rette [bä-'ret, bə-] -n
- a clip or bar for holding hair in place
bar·ri·cade ['ber-ə-,kād, 'ba-rə-, ,ber-ə-', ,ba-rə-'] -vt
- to block off or stop up with a barricade
- to prevent access to by means of a barricade
barricade -n
- an obstruction or rampart thrown up across a way or passage to check the advance of the enemy
- barrier
- barrier , obstacle
- a field of combat or dispute
bar·ri·ca·do [,ber-ə-'kā-(,)dō, ,ba-rə-] -n, vt
- barricade
bar·ri·er ['ber-ē-ər, 'ba-rē-] -n
- something material that blocks or is intended to block passage
- a natural formation or structure that prevents or hinders movement or action
- geographic barrier s to species dissemination
- drugs that cross the placental barrier
- a medieval war game in which combatants fight on foot with a fence or railing between them
- something immaterial that impedes or separates : obstacle
barrier island -n
- a long broad sandy island lying parallel to a shore that is built up by the action of waves, currents, and winds and that protects the shore from the effects of the ocean
barrier reef -n
- a coral reef roughly parallel to a shore and separated from it usu. by a lagoon
bar·ring ['bär-iŋ] -prep
- excluding by exception : excepting
bar·rio ['bär-ē-,ō, 'ber-, 'ba-rē-] -n
- a ward, quarter, or district of a city or town in a Spanish-speaking country
- a Spanish-speaking quarter or neighborhood in a city or town in the U.S. esp. in the Southwest
bar·ris·ter ['ber-ə-stər, 'ba-rə-] -n
- a counsel admitted to plead at the bar and undertake the public trial of causes in an English superior court
bar·room ['bär-,rüm, -,ru̇m] -n
- a room or establishment whose main feature is a bar for the sale of liquor
bar·row ['ber-(,)ō, 'ba-(,)rō] -n
- mountain, mound used only in the names of hills in England
- a large mound of earth or stones over the remains of the dead : tumulus
barrow -n
- a male hog castrated before sexual maturity
- handbarrow
- wheelbarrow
- a cart with a shallow box body, two wheels, and shafts for pushing it
barrow boy -n
- costermonger
bar sinister -n
- a heraldic charge held to be a mark of bastardy
- the fact or condition of being of illegitimate birth
Bart -abbr
- baronet
bar·tend·er ['bär-,ten-dər] -n, vi
- a person who serves drinks at a bar
bar·ter ['bär-tər] -vb, n
- to trade by exchanging one commodity for another
- to trade or exchange by or as if by bartering
barter -n
- the act or practice of carrying on trade by bartering
- the thing given in exchange in bartering
Bar·tho·lin's gland ['bär-thə-lənz-, 'bär-tᵊl-ənz-] -n
- either of two oval racemose glands lying one to each side of the lower part of the vagina and secreting a lubricating mucus
bar·ti·zan ['bär-tə-zən, ,bär-tə-'zan] -n
- a small structure (as a turret) projecting from a building and serving esp. for lookout or defense
Bart·lett ['bärt-lət] -n
- a pear that has yellowish-green or sometimes red skin and whitish flesh and is the principal commercially produced pear in the U.S.
Ba·ruch [bə-'rük, 'bär-,ük, 'ber-] -n
- a homiletic book included in the Roman Catholic canon of the Old Testament and in the Protestant Apocrypha
bar·ware ['bär-,wer] -n
- glassware or utensils used in preparing and serving alcoholic beverages
bary·on ['ber-ē-,än, 'ba-rē-] -n, adj
- any of a group of subatomic particles (as nucleons) that are subject to the strong force and are composed of three quarks
ba·ry·tes ['ber-,īt] -n
(variant of barite)
- barium sulfate occurring as a mineral
barytone ['ber-ə-,tōn, 'ba-rə-] -n, adj
(variant of baritone)
- a male singing voice of medium compass between bass and tenor
- a person having this voice
- a member of a family of instruments having a range between tenor and bass
- the baritone saxhorn or baritone saxophone
BAS -abbr
- bachelor of applied science
- bachelor of arts and sciences
bas·al ['bā-səl, -zəl] -adj, adv
- relating to, situated at, or forming the base
- arising from the base of a stem
- of or relating to the foundation, base, or essence : fundamental
- of, relating to, or being essential for maintaining the fundamental vital activities of an organism : minimal
- used for teaching beginners
basal body -n
- a minute distinctively staining cell organelle found at the base of a flagellum or cilium and identical to a centriole in structure called also basal granule kinetosome
basal cell -n
- one of the innermost cells of the deeper epidermis of the skin
basal ganglion -n
- any of four deeply placed masses of gray matter (as the amygdala) in each cerebral hemisphere called also basal nucleus
basal metabolic rate -n
- the rate at which heat is given off by an organism at complete rest
basal metabolism -n
- the turnover of energy in a fasting and resting organism using energy solely to maintain vital cellular activity, respiration, and circulation as measured by the basal metabolic rate
ba·salt [bə-'sȯlt, 'bā-,] -n, adj
- a dark gray to black dense to fine-grained igneous rock that consists of basic plagioclase, augite, and usu. magnetite
bas·cule ['bas-(,)kyül] -n
- an apparatus or structure (as a drawbridge) in which one end is counterbalanced by the other on the principle of the seesaw or by weights
base ['bās] -n, adj
- the lower part of a wall, pier, or column considered as a separate architectural feature
- the lower part of a complete architectural design
- the bottom of something considered as its support : foundation
- a side or face of a geometrical figure from which an altitude can be constructed
- one on which the figure stands
- the length of a base
- that part of a bodily organ by which it is attached to another more central structure of the organism
- a main ingredient
- paint having a latex base
- a supporting or carrying ingredient (as of a medicine)
- the fundamental part of something : groundwork, basis
- the economic factors on which in Marxist theory all legal, social, and political relations are formed
- the lower part of a heraldic field
- the starting point or line for an action or undertaking
- a baseline in surveying
- : a center or area of operations: as
- the place from which a military force draws supplies
- a place where military operations begin
- a permanent military installation
- a number (as 5 in 5 6.44or 5 7) that is raised to a power
- the number that when raised to a power equal to the logarithm of a number yields the number itself
- the logarithm of 100 to the base 10 is 2 since 10 2 100
- a number equal to the number of units in a given digit's place that for a given system of writing numbers is required to give the numeral 1 in the next higher place
- the decimal system uses a base of 10
- such a system of writing numbers using an indicated base
- convert from base 10 to base 2
- a number that is multiplied by a rate or of which a percentage or fraction is calculated
- to find the interest on 90 at 10 percent multiply the base 90 by .10
- root
- the starting place or goal in various games
- any one of the four stations at the corners of a baseball infield
- a point to be considered
- his opening remarks touched every base
- any of various typically water-soluble and bitter tasting compounds that in solution have a pH greater than 7, are capable of reacting with an acid to form a salt, and are molecules or ions able to take up a proton from an acid or able to give up an unshared pair of electrons to an acid
- any of the five purine or pyrimidine bases of DNA and RNA that include cytosine, guanine, adenine, thymine, and uracil
- a price level at which a security previously declining in price resists further decline
- the part of a transformational grammar that consists of rules and a lexicon and generates the deep structures of a language
- to make, form, or serve as a base for
- to find a base or basis for usu. used with on or upon
- of little height
- low in place or position
- bass
- baseborn
- resembling a villein : servile
- held by villenage
- being of comparatively low value and having relatively inferior properties (as lack of resistance to corrosion)
- a base metal such as iron
- containing a larger than usual proportion of base metals
- lacking or indicating the lack of higher qualities of mind or spirit : ignoble
- lacking higher values : degrading
base angle -n
- either of the angles of a triangle that have one side in common with the base
base·ball ['bās-,bȯl] -n
- a game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players each on a large field having four bases that mark the course a runner must take to score
- the ball used in this game
baseball cap -n
- a cap of the kind worn by baseball players that has a rounded crown and a long visor
base·board [-,bȯrd] -n
- a board situated at or forming the base of something
- a molding covering the joint of a wall and the adjoining floor
base·born [-'bȯrn] -adj
- mean, ignoble
- of humble birth
- of illegitimate birth
base exchange -n
- a post exchange at a naval or air force base
base hit -n
- a hit in baseball that enables the batter to reach base safely without benefit of an error or fielder's choice
BASE jumping ['bās-] -n
- the activity or sport of parachuting from a high structure (as a building, tower, or bridge) or cliff
base·line ['bās-,līn] -n
- a line serving as a basis
- one of known measure or position used (as in surveying or navigation) to calculate or locate something
- either of the lines on a baseball field that lead from home plate to first base and third base and are extended into the outfield as foul lines
- base path
- a boundary line at either end of a court (as in tennis or basketball)
- a usu. initial set of critical observations or data used for comparison or a control
- a starting point
- the baseline of this discussion
base·lin·er ['bās-,lī-nər] -n
- a tennis player who stays on or near the baseline and seldom moves to the net
base·ment ['bās-mənt] -n, adj
- the part of a building that is wholly or partly below ground level
- the ground floor facade or interior in Renaissance architecture
- the lowest or fundamental part of something
- the rocks underlying stratified rocks
- a toilet or washroom esp. in a school
basement membrane -n
- a thin membranous layer of connective tissue that separates a layer of epithelial cells from the underlying lamina propia
ba·sen·ji [bə-'sen-jē, -'zen-] -n
- any of a breed of small curly-tailed dogs of African origin that do not bark
base on balls
- an advance to first base awarded a baseball player who during a turn at bat takes four pitches that are balls
basepair -vi
- to participate in formation of a base pair
- adenine basepair s with thymine
base pair -n
- one of the pairs of nucleotide bases on complementary strands of nucleic acid that consist of a purine on one strand joined to a pyrimidine on the other strand by hydrogen bonds holding together the two strands much like the rungs of a ladder and that include adenine linked to thymine in DNA or to uracil in RNA and guanine linked to cytosine in both DNA and RNA
base path -n
- the area between the bases of a baseball field used by a base runner
base pay -n
- a rate or amount of pay for a standard work period, job, or position exclusive of additional payments or allowances
base·plate ['bās-,plāt] -n
- a plate that serves as a base or support
base runner -n
- a baseball player of the team at bat who is on base or is attempting to reach a base
bases ['bās] -n, adj
(variant of base)
- the lower part of a wall, pier, or column considered as a separate architectural feature
- the lower part of a complete architectural design
- the bottom of something considered as its support : foundation
- a side or face of a geometrical figure from which an altitude can be constructed
- one on which the figure stands
- the length of a base
- that part of a bodily organ by which it is attached to another more central structure of the organism
- a main ingredient
- paint having a latex base
- a supporting or carrying ingredient (as of a medicine)
- the fundamental part of something : groundwork, basis
- the economic factors on which in Marxist theory all legal, social, and political relations are formed
- the lower part of a heraldic field
- the starting point or line for an action or undertaking
- a baseline in surveying
- : a center or area of operations: as
- the place from which a military force draws supplies
- a place where military operations begin
- a permanent military installation
- a number (as 5 in 5 6.44or 5 7) that is raised to a power
- the number that when raised to a power equal to the logarithm of a number yields the number itself
- the logarithm of 100 to the base 10 is 2 since 10 2 100
- a number equal to the number of units in a given digit's place that for a given system of writing numbers is required to give the numeral 1 in the next higher place
- the decimal system uses a base of 10
- such a system of writing numbers using an indicated base
- convert from base 10 to base 2
- a number that is multiplied by a rate or of which a percentage or fraction is calculated
- to find the interest on 90 at 10 percent multiply the base 90 by .10
- root
- the starting place or goal in various games
- any one of the four stations at the corners of a baseball infield
- a point to be considered
- his opening remarks touched every base
- any of various typically water-soluble and bitter tasting compounds that in solution have a pH greater than 7, are capable of reacting with an acid to form a salt, and are molecules or ions able to take up a proton from an acid or able to give up an unshared pair of electrons to an acid
- any of the five purine or pyrimidine bases of DNA and RNA that include cytosine, guanine, adenine, thymine, and uracil
- a price level at which a security previously declining in price resists further decline
- the part of a transformational grammar that consists of rules and a lexicon and generates the deep structures of a language
- to make, form, or serve as a base for
- to find a base or basis for usu. used with on or upon
- of little height
- low in place or position
- bass
- baseborn
- resembling a villein : servile
- held by villenage
- being of comparatively low value and having relatively inferior properties (as lack of resistance to corrosion)
- a base metal such as iron
- containing a larger than usual proportion of base metals
- lacking or indicating the lack of higher qualities of mind or spirit : ignoble
- lacking higher values : degrading
bash ['bash] -vb, n
- to strike violently : hit
- to injure or damage by striking : smash often used with in
- to attack physically or verbally
- crash
- a forceful blow
- a festive social gathering : party
- try, attempt
bashaw ['pä-shə, 'pa-; pə-'shä, -'shȯ] -n
(variant of pasha)
- a man of high rank or office (as in Turkey or northern Africa)
bash·ful ['bash-fəl] -adj, adv, n
- socially shy or timid : diffident, self-conscious
- resulting from or typical of a bashful nature
ba·sic ['bā-sik also -zik] -adj, n
- of, relating to, or forming the base or essence : fundamental
- concerned with fundamental scientific principles : not applied
- constituting or serving as the basis or starting point
- of, relating to, containing, or having the character of a chemical base
- having an alkaline reaction
- containing relatively little silica
- relating to, made by, used in, or being a process of making steel done in a furnace lined with basic material and under basic slag
basic -n
- something that is basic : fundamental
- basic training
BA·SIC ['bā-sik] -n
- a simplified high-level language for programming a computer
ba·si·cal·ly ['bā-si-k(ə-)lē also -zi-] -adv
- at a basic level : in fundamental disposition or nature
- basically, they are simple people
- for the most part
- they basically play zone defense
- in a basic manner : simply
basic slag -n
- a slag low in silica and high in base-forming oxides that is used in the basic process of steelmaking and that is subsequently useful as a fertilizer
basic training -n
- the initial period of training of a military recruit
ba·sid·io·my·cete [bə-,si-dē-ō-'mī-,sēt, -,mī-'sēt] -n, adj
- any of a group of higher fungi that have septate hyphae and spores borne on a basidium, that include rusts, smuts, mushrooms, and puffballs, and that are variously considered to comprise a class (Basidiomycetes), a subdivision (Basidiomycotina), or a division (Basidiomycota)
ba·sid·io·spore [bə-'si-dē-ə-,spȯr] -n
- a spore produced by a basidium
ba·sid·i·um [bə-'si-dē-əm] -n
- a structure on a basidiomycete in which karyogamy occurs followed by meiosis to form usu. four basidiospores
ba·si·fy ['bā-sə-,fī] -vt, n
- to convert into a base or make alkaline
ba·sil ['ba-zəl, 'bā-, -səl] -n
- any of several aromatic herbs (genus Ocimum) of the mint family
- sweet basil
- the dried or fresh leaves of a basil used esp. as a seasoning
bas·i·lar ['ba-zə-lər, -sə- also 'bā-] -adj
- of, relating to, or situated at the base
basilar membrane -n
- a membrane extending from the bony shelf of the cochlea to the outer wall and supporting the organ of Corti
Ba·sil·i·an [bə-'zi-lē-ən] -n, adj
- a member of the monastic order founded by St. Basil in the fourth century in Cappadocia
ba·sil·i·ca [bə-'si-li-kə also -'zi-] -n, adj
- an oblong building ending in a semicircular apse used in ancient Rome esp. for a court of justice and place of public assembly
- an early Christian church building consisting of nave and aisles with clerestory and a large high transept from which an apse projects
- a Roman Catholic church given ceremonial privileges
bas·i·lisk ['ba-sə-,lisk, 'ba-zə-] -n
- a legendary reptile with fatal breath and glance
- any of several crested tropical American lizards (genus Basiliscusof the family Iguanidae) related to the iguanas and noted for their ability to run on their hind legs
basilisk -adj
- suggesting a basilisk : baleful, spellbinding
- the eyes...with all their blaze of basilisk horror -- Bram Stoker
ba·sin ['bā-sᵊn] -n, adj
- an open usu. circular vessel with sloping or curving sides used typically for holding water for washing
- a bowl used esp. in cooking
- the quantity contained in a basin
- a dock built in a tidal river or harbor
- an enclosed or partly enclosed water area
- a large or small depression in the surface of the land or in the ocean floor
- the entire tract of country drained by a river and its tributaries
- a great depression in the surface of the lithosphere occupied by an ocean
- a broad area of the earth beneath which the strata dip usu. from the sides toward the center
bas·i·net [,ba-sə-'net] -n
- a light typically pointed steel helmet often having a visor
ba·sip·e·tal [bā-'si-pə-tᵊl, -'zi-] -adj, adv
- proceeding from the apex toward the base or from above downward
- basipetal maturation of an inflorescence
ba·sis ['bā-səs] -n
- the bottom of something considered as its foundation
- the principal component of something
- something on which something else is established or based
- an underlying condition or state of affairs
- the basic principle
- a set of linearly independent vectors in a vector space such that any vector in the vector space can be expressed as a linear combination of them with appropriately chosen coefficients
basis point -n
- one hundredth of one percent (as in the yield of an investment)
bask ['bask] -vb
- to lie or relax in a pleasant warmth or atmosphere
- to take pleasure or derive enjoyment
- to warm by continued exposure to heat
bas·ket ['bas-kit, Brit also 'bäs-] -n, adj
- a receptacle made of interwoven material (as osiers)
- any of various lightweight usu. wood containers
- the quantity contained in a basket
- something that resembles a basket esp. in shape or use
- a net open at the bottom and suspended from a metal ring that constitutes the goal in basketball
- a field goal in basketball
- an aggregate of values (as of selected currencies) the average of which serves as a monetary standard
- a selection of financial instruments (as equities, futures, or options) the values of which reflect market fluctuations
- a ring around the lower end of a ski pole that keeps the pole from sinking too deep in snow
bas·ket·ball [-,bȯl] -n
- a usu. indoor court game between two teams of usu. five players each who score by tossing an inflated ball through a raised goal
- the ball used in this game
bas·ket·bal·ler [-,bȯ-lər] -n
- a basketball player
basket case -n
- a person who has all four limbs amputated
- a person who is mentally incapacitated or worn out (as from nervous tension)
- one that is not functioning well or is in a run-down condition
basket catch -n
- a catch of a fly ball made with the glove held palm up at waist level
bas·ket·ful ['bas-kit-,fu̇l] -n
- as much or as many as a basket will hold
- a considerable quantity
basket hilt [,bas-kit-'hil-təd] -n, adj
- a hilt with a basket-shaped guard to protect the hand
Basket Maker -n
- any of three stages of an ancient culture of the plateau area of southwestern U.S.
- a member of the people who produced the Basket Maker culture
basketofgold -n
- a European perennial herb ( Aurinia saxatilissyn. Alyssum saxatile) of the mustard family widely cultivated for its grayish foliage and yellow flowers
bas·ket·ry ['bas-ki-trē] -n
- basketwork
- the art or craft of making baskets or objects woven like baskets
basket star -n
- any of various brittle stars with slender complexly branched interlacing arms
basket weave -n
- a textile weave resembling the checkered pattern of a plaited basket
- something resembling this weave
bas·ket·work ['bas-kit-,wərk] -n
- objects produced by basketry
bask·ing shark ['bas-kiŋ-] -n
- a large plankton-feeding shark ( Cetorhinus maximus) that has an oil-rich liver and may attain a length of up to 45 feet (13.7 meters)
bas·ma·ti rice [,bäz-'mä-tē-, ,bäs- also ,baz-, ,bas-] -n
- a cultivated aromatic long-grain rice originating in southern Asia called also basmati
bas mitzvah [bät-'mits-və] -n
(variant of bat mitzvah)
- a Jewish girl who at 12 or more years of age assumes religious responsibilities
- the initiatory ceremony recognizing a girl as a bat mitzvah
ba·so·phil ['bā-sə-,fil, -zə-] -n
- a basophilic substance or structure
- a white blood cell containing basophilic granules that is similar in function to a mast cell
ba·so·phil·ia [,bā-sə-'fi-lē-ə, -zə-] -n
- tendency to stain with basic dyes
- an abnormal condition in which some tissue element has increased basophilia
ba·so·phil·ic [-'fi-lik] -adj
- staining readily with basic stains
Ba·so·tho [bä-'sō-,tō, -'sü-,tü] -n
- a Bantu-speaking people of Lesotho
- a member of this people
Basque ['bask, 'bäsk] -n, adj
- a member of a people inhabiting the western Pyrenees on the Bay of Biscay
- the language of the Basques of unknown relationship
- a tight-fitting bodice for women
basre·lief [,bä-ri-'lēf, ,bas-, bās-; 'bä-ri-,, 'bas-, 'bās-] -n
- sculptural relief in which the projection from the surrounding surface is slight and no part of the modeled form is undercut
- sculpture executed in bas-relief
bass ['bas] -n
- any of numerous edible marine or freshwater bony fishes (esp. families Centrarchidae, Serranidae, and Percichthyidae of the order Perciformes)
- deep or grave in tone
- of low pitch
- relating to or having the range or part of a bass
- the lowest voice part in a 4-part chorus
- the lower half of the whole vocal or instrumental tonal range
- the lowest adult male singing voice
- a person having this voice
- a member of a family of instruments having the lowest range
- double bass
- a deep or grave tone : a low-pitched sound
- basswood
- a coarse tough fiber from palms
bass clef -n
- a clef placing the F below middle C on the fourth line of the staff
- the bass staff
bass drum -n
- a large drum having two heads and giving a booming sound of low indefinite pitch
bas·set hound ['ba-sət-] -n
- any of an old breed of short-legged hunting dogs of French origin having very long ears and a short smooth coat called also basset
bass fiddle -n
- double bass
bass horn -n
- an obsolete wind instrument shaped like a bassoon but with a cup-shaped mouthpiece
bas·si·net [,ba-sə-'net, 'ba-sə-,] -n
- a baby's basketlike bed (as of wickerwork or plastic) often with a hood over one end
bass·ist ['bā-sist] -n
- a person who plays an acoustic or electric bass
bas·so ['ba-(,)sō, 'bä-] -n
- a bass singer
- an operatic bass
- a low deep voice
bas·soon [bə-'sün, ba-] -n
- a double-reed woodwind instrument having a long U-shaped conical tube connected to the mouthpiece by a thin metal tube and a usual range two octaves lower than that of the oboe
bas·so pro·fun·do [,ba-(,)sō-prə-'fən-(,)dō, ,bä-, -'fu̇n-] -n
- a deep heavy bass voice with an exceptionally low range
- a person having this voice
bas·sore·lie·vo [,ba-(,)sō-ri-'lē-(,)vō, ,bä-(,)sō-rēl-'yā-(,)vō] -n
- bas-relief
bass viol -n
- viola da gamba
- double bass
bass·wood ['bas-,wu̇d] -n
- any of several New World lindens
- linden
- the straight-grained soft white wood of a basswood
bast ['bast] -n
- phloem
- bast fiber
bas·tard ['bas-tərd] -n, adj
- an illegitimate child
- something that is spurious, irregular, inferior, or of questionable origin
- an offensive or disagreeable person used as a generalized term of abuse
- man, fellow
bastard -adj
- illegitimate
- of mixed or ill-conceived origin
- known for coining bastard words
- of abnormal shape or irregular size
- of a kind similar to but inferior to or less typical than some standard
- lacking genuineness or authority : false
bas·tard·ise ['bas-tər-,dīz] -vt, n
(variant of bastardize)
- to reduce from a higher to a lower state or condition : debase
- to declare or prove to be a bastard
- to modify esp. by introducing discordant or disparate elements
bas·tard·ize ['bas-tər-,dīz] -vt, n
- to reduce from a higher to a lower state or condition : debase
- to declare or prove to be a bastard
- to modify esp. by introducing discordant or disparate elements
bastard wing -n
- alula
bas·tardy ['bas-tər-dē] -n
- the quality or state of being a bastard : illegitimacy
- the begetting of an illegitimate child
baste ['bāst] -vt, n
- to sew with long loose stitches in order to hold something in place temporarily
- to moisten (as meat) at intervals with a liquid (as melted butter, fat, or pan drippings) esp. during cooking
- to beat severely or soundly : thrash
- to scold vigorously : berate
bast fiber -n
- a strong woody fiber obtained chiefly from the phloem of plants and used esp. in cordage, matting, and fabrics
bas·tille [ba-'stē(ə)l] -n
- prison, jail
Bastille Day -n
- July 14 observed in France as a national holiday in commemoration of the fall of the Bastille in 1789
bas·ti·na·do [,bas-tə-'nā-(,)dō, -'nä-] -n
- a blow with a stick or cudgel
- a beating esp. with a stick
- a punishment consisting of beating the soles of the feet with a stick
- stick, cudgel
bastinado -vt
- to subject to repeated blows
basting -n
- the action of a sewer who bastes
- the thread used in basting
- the stitching made by basting
- the action of one that bastes food
- the liquid used in basting
- a severe beating
bas·tion ['bas-chən] -n, adj
- a projecting part of a fortification
- a fortified area or position
- stronghold
- the last bastion of academic standards -- Amer. Scientist
Ba·su·to [bə-'sü-(,)tō] -n
- basotho
bat ['bat] -n
- a stout solid stick : club
- a sharp blow : stroke
- a usu. wooden implement used for hitting the ball in various games
- a paddle used in various games (as table tennis)
- the short whip used by a jockey
- batsman, batter
- a turn at batting usu. used in the phrase at bat
- hitting ability
- we need his bat in the lineup
- batt
- rate of speed : gait
- binge
- to strike or hit with or as if with a bat
- to advance (a base runner) by batting
- to have a batting average of
- to discuss at length : consider in detail
- to strike or hit a ball with a bat
- to take one's turn at bat
- to wander aimlessly
- any of a widely distributed order (Chiroptera) of nocturnal usu. frugivorous or insectivorous flying mammals that have wings formed from four elongated digits of the forelimb covered by a cutaneous membrane and that have adequate visual capabilities but often rely on echolocation
- to wink esp. in surprise or emotion
- flutter
BAT -abbr
- bachelor of arts in teaching
bat·boy ['bat-,bȯi] -n
- a boy employed to look after the equipment (as bats) of a baseball team
batch ['bach] -n
- the quantity baked at one time : baking
- the quantity of material prepared or required for one operation
- a mixture of raw materials ready for fusion into glass
- the quantity produced at one operation
- a group of jobs (as programs) that are submitted for processing on a computer and whose results are obtained at a later time
- a quantity (as of persons or things) considered as a group
- to bring together or process as a batch
batch ['bach] -n
(variant of bach)
- bachelor
- to live as a bachelor often used with it
- a small house or weekend cottage
bate ['bāt] -vb
- to reduce the force or intensity of : restrain
- to take away : deduct
- to lower esp. in amount or estimation
- blunt
- diminish, decrease
- to attempt to fly off something (as a gauntlet) in fear
bateared fox ['bat-,ird-] -n
- a large-eared yellowish-gray fox ( Otocyon megalotis) that inhabits arid unforested areas of eastern and southern Africa
ba·teau [ba-'tō] -n
- any of various small craft
- a flat-bottomed boat with raked bow and stern and flaring sides
Bates·ian ['bāt-sē-ən] -adj
- characterized by or being mimicry involving resemblance of an innocuous species to another that is protected from predators by repellent qualities (as unpalatability)
bat·fish ['bat-,fish] -n
- any of several fishes with winglike processes
- any of a family (Ogcocephalidae of the order Lophiiformes) of flattened pediculate bony fishes
bat·fowl [-,fau̇(-ə)l] -vi
- to catch birds at night by blinding them with a light and knocking them down with a stick or netting them
bat girl -n
- a girl or woman employed to look after the equipment (as bats) of a baseball team
bath ['bath, 'bäth] -n
- a washing or soaking (as in water or steam) of all or part of the body
- water used for bathing
- a contained liquid for a special purpose
- a receptacle holding the liquid
- a medium for regulating the temperature of something placed in or on it
- a vessel containing this medium
- bathroom
- a building containing an apartment or a series of rooms designed for bathing
- spa usu. used in pl.
- swimming pool often used in pl.
- the quality or state of being covered with a liquid
- flood
- bathtub
- a financial setback : loss
- took a bath in the market
- to give a bath to
- to take a bath
- an ancient Hebrew liquid measure corresponding to the ephah of dry measure
bath chair ['bath-, 'bäth-] -n
- a hooded and sometimes glassed wheeled chair used esp. by invalids
- wheelchair
bathe ['bāth] -vb, n
- moisten, wet
- to wash in a liquid (as water)
- to apply water or a liquid medicament to
- to flow along the edge of : lave
- to suffuse with or as if with light
- to take a bath
- to go swimming
- to become immersed or absorbed
- bath
- swim, dip
ba·thet·ic [bə-'the-tik] -adj, adv
- characterized by bathos
bath·house ['bath-,hau̇s, 'bäth-] -n
- a building equipped for bathing
- a building containing dressing rooms for bathers
bathing beauty -n
- a woman in a bathing suit who is a contestant in a beauty contest
bathing suit -n
- swimsuit
bath mat -n
- a usu. washable mat used in a bathroom
bath·o·lith ['ba-thə-,lith] -n, adj
- a great mass of intruded igneous rock that for the most part stopped in its rise a considerable distance below the surface
ba·thos ['bā-,thäs] -n
- the sudden appearance of the commonplace in otherwise elevated matter or style
- anticlimax
- exceptional commonplaceness : triteness
- insincere or overdone pathos : sentimentalism
bath·robe ['bath-,rōb, 'bäth-] -n
- a loose often absorbent robe worn before and after bathing or as a dressing gown
bath·room [-,rüm, -,ru̇m] -n
- a room containing a bathtub or shower and usu. a sink and toilet
- lavatory
bath salts -n pl
- a usu. colored crystalline compound for perfuming and softening bathwater
bath·tub [-,təb] -n
- a usu. fixed tub for bathing
bathtub gin -n
- a homemade spirit concocted from raw alcohol, water, essences, and essential oils
bath·wa·ter ['bath-,wȯ-tər, 'bäth-, -,wä-tər] -n
- water for a bath
bathy- -comb form
- deep : depth
- deep-sea
bathy·al ['ba-thē-əl] -adj
- of or relating to the ocean depths or floor usu. from 600 to 6000 feet (180 to 1800 meters)
ba·thym·e·try [bə-'thi-mə-trē] -n, adj, adv
- the measurement of water depth at various places in a body of water
- the information derived from such measurements
bathy·pe·lag·ic [,ba-thi-pə-'la-jik] -adj
- of, relating to, or living in the ocean depths esp. between approximately 2000 and 12,000 feet (600 and 3600 meters)
bathy·scaphe ['ba-thi-,skaf, -,skāf] -n
- a navigable submersible for deep-sea exploration having a spherical watertight cabin attached to its underside
bathy·sphere [-,sfir] -n
- a strongly built steel diving sphere for deep-sea observation
bathy·ther·mo·graph [-'thər-mə-,graf] -n
- an instrument designed to record water temperature as a function of depth
ba·tik [bə-'tēk, 'ba-tik] -n
- a fabric printed by an Indonesian method of hand-printing textiles by coating with wax the parts not to be dyed
- the method itself
- a design executed in batik
bat·ing ['bā-tiŋ] -prep
- with the exception of : excepting
ba·tiste [bə-'tēst, ba-] -n
- a fine soft sheer fabric of plain weave made of various fibers
bat·man ['bat-mən] -n
- an orderly of a British military officer
bat mitz·vah [bät-'mits-və] -n
- a Jewish girl who at 12 or more years of age assumes religious responsibilities
- the initiatory ceremony recognizing a girl as a bat mitzvah
bat mitzvah -vt
- to administer the ceremony of bat mitzvah to
ba·ton [bə-'tän, ba- also 'ba-tᵊn] -n
- cudgel, truncheon
- billy club
- a staff borne as a symbol of office
- a narrow heraldic bend
- a slender rod with which a leader directs a band or orchestra
- a hollow cylinder carried by each member of a relay team and passed to the succeeding runner
- a hollow metal rod with a weighted bulb at one or both ends that is flourished or twirled by a drum major or drum majorette
bat out -vt
- to compose esp. in a casual, careless, or hurried manner
- batted out a first draft of the memo
ba·tra·chi·an [bə-'trā-kē-ən] -n, adj
- amphibian
- frog, toad
bat ray -n
- a stingray ( Myliobatis californica) of coastal waters from Oregon to the Gulf of California having two long pectoral fins and a large protruding head
bats ['bats] -adj
- batty
bats·man ['bats-mən] -n
- a batter esp. in cricket
batt ['bat] -n
- batting
- an often square piece of batting
bat·tai·lous ['ba-tᵊl-əs] -adj
- ready for battle : warlike
bat·ta·lia [bə-'tāl-yə, -'tal-] -n
- order of battle
- a large body of men in battle array
bat·tal·ion [bə-'tal-yən] -n
- a considerable body of troops organized to act together : army
- a military unit composed of a headquarters and two or more companies, batteries, or similar units
- a large group
batteau [ba-'tō] -n
(variant of bateau)
- any of various small craft
- a flat-bottomed boat with raked bow and stern and flaring sides
bat·te·ment [,bat-'mäⁿ] -n
- a ballet movement in which the foot is extended in any direction usu. followed by a beat against the supporting foot
bat·ten ['ba-tᵊn] -vb
- to grow fat
- to feed gluttonously
- to grow prosperous esp. at the expense of another usu. used with on
- fatten
batten -n
- a piece of lumber used esp. for flooring
- a thin narrow strip of lumber used esp. to seal or reinforce a joint
- a strip, bar, or support resembling or used similarly to a batten (as in a sail)
- to furnish with battens
- to fasten with or as if with battens often used with down
- to make one secure by or as if by battens
- batten ing down for the hurricane
bat·ter ['ba-tər] -vb, n
- to beat with successive blows so as to bruise, shatter, or demolish
- bombard
- to subject to strong, overwhelming, or repeated attack
- batter ed by forces of change
- to wear or damage by hard usage or blows
- to strike heavily and repeatedly : beat
batter -n
- a mixture consisting chiefly of flour, egg, and milk or water and being thin enough to pour or drop from a spoon
- a mixture (as of flour and egg) used as a coating for food that is to be fried
- an instance of battering
- to coat (food) with batter for frying
- a receding upward slope of the outer face of a structure
- to give a receding upward slope to (as a wall)
- one that bats
- the player whose turn it is to bat
battered child syndrome -n
- the complex of physical injuries sustained by a grossly abused child
battered woman syndrome -n
- the highly variable symptom complex of physical and psychological injuries exhibited by a woman repeatedly abused esp. physically by her mate called also battered woman's syndrome battered wife syndrome battered women's syndrome
bat·te·rie [,ba-tə-'rē] -n
- a ballet movement consisting of beating together the feet or calves of the legs during a leap
battering ram -n
- a military siege engine consisting of a large wooden beam with a head of iron used in ancient times to beat down the walls of a besieged place
- a heavy metal bar with handles used (as by firefighters) to batter down doors and walls
bat·tery ['ba-t(ə-)rē] -n
- the act of battering or beating
- an offensive touching or use of force on a person without the person's consent
- a grouping of artillery pieces for tactical purposes
- the guns of a warship
- an artillery unit in the army equivalent to a company
- a combination of apparatus for producing a single electrical effect
- a group of two or more cells connected together to furnish electric current
- a single cell that furnishes electric current
- level of energy or enthusiasm
- needs a vacation to recharge her batteries
- a number of similar articles, items, or devices arranged, connected, or used together : set, series
- a usu. impressive or imposing group : array
- the position of readiness of a gun for firing
- the pitcher and catcher of a baseball team
bat·ting ['ba-tiŋ] -n
- the action of one who bats
- the use of or ability with a bat
- layers or sheets of raw cotton or wool or of synthetic fibrous material used for lining quilts or for stuffing or packaging
- a blanket of thermal insulation (as fiberglass)
batting average -n
- a ratio (as a rate per thousand) of base hits to official times at bat for a baseball player
- a record of achievement or accomplishment
batting cage -n
- a screen placed around the back and sides of the home plate area to stop baseballs during batting practice
bat·tle ['ba-tᵊl] -n
- battalion
- a combat between two persons
- a general encounter between armies, ships of war, or aircraft
- an extended contest, struggle, or controversy
battle ['bat-liŋ, 'ba-tᵊl-iŋ] -vb, n
- to engage in battle : fight
- to contend with full strength, vigor, skill, or resources : struggle
- to fight or struggle against
- to force (as one's way) by battling
- to fortify with battlements
bat·tleax ['ba-tᵊl-,aks] -n
- a broadax formerly used as a weapon of war
- a usu. older woman who is sharp-tongued, domineering, or combative
battle cruiser -n
- a large heavily armed warship that is lighter, faster, and more maneuverable than a battleship
battle cry -n
- war cry
battle dress uniform -n
- a military uniform for field service
battle fatigue -n, adj
- combat fatigue
bat·tle·field ['ba-tᵊl-,fēld] -n
- a place where a battle is fought
- an area of conflict
bat·tle·front [-,frənt] -n
- the military sector in which actual combat takes place
bat·tle·ground [-,grau̇nd] -n
- battlefield
battle line -n
- a line along which a battle is fought
- a line defining the positions of opposing groups in a conflict or controversy usu. used in pl.
- battle lines were drawn over economic policies
bat·tle·ment ['ba-tᵊl-mənt] -n, adj
- a parapet with open spaces that surmounts a wall and is used for defense or decoration
battle royal -n
- a fight participated in by more than two combatants
- one in which the last man in the ring or on his feet is declared the winner
- a violent struggle
- a heated dispute
bat·tle·ship ['ba-tᵊl-,ship] -n
- a warship of the largest and most heavily armed and armored class
bat·tle·wag·on [-,wa-gən] -n
- battleship
bat·tu [ba-'tü, -'tyü] -adj
- performed with a striking together of the legs
bat·tue [ba-'tü, -'tyü] -n
- the beating of woods and bushes to flush game
- a hunt in which this procedure is used
bat·ty ['ba-tē] -adj, n
- of, relating to, or resembling a bat
- mentally unstable : crazy
bau·ble ['bȯ-bəl, 'bä-] -n
- trinket
- a fool's scepter
- something of trifling appeal
Bau·cis ['bȯ-səs] -n
- the wife of Philemon
baud ['bȯd, 'bäd, Brit 'bōd] -n
- a variable unit of data transmission speed (as one bit per second)
Bau·haus ['bau̇-,hau̇s] -adj
- of, relating to, or influenced by a school of design noted esp. for a program that synthesized technology, craftsmanship, and design aesthetics
bau·hin·ia [bō-'i-nē-ə, -'hi-, bȯ-] -n
- any of a genus ( Bauhinia) of leguminous vines, shrubs, and trees of the legume family that grow in tropical and subtropical regions and include some that are grown esp. for their fragrant orchid-like flowers
baulk ['bȯk sometimes 'bȯlk] -n
(variant of balk)
- a ridge of land left unplowed as a dividing line or through carelessness
- beam, rafter
- hindrance, check
- the space behind the balkline on a billiard table
- any of the outside divisions made by the balklines
- failure of a player to complete a motion
- an illegal motion of the pitcher in baseball while in position
- to pass over or by
- to check or stop by or as if by an obstacle : block
- to stop short and refuse to proceed
- to refuse abruptly used with at
- Congress balk ed at putting up the money -- Thomas Fleming
- to commit a balk in sports
Bau·me [bō-'mā] -adj
- being, calibrated in accordance with, or according to either of two arbitrary hydrometer scales for liquids lighter than water or for liquids heavier than water that indicate specific gravity in degrees
baum marten ['bau̇m-,mär-tᵊn] -n
- the pelt or fur of the European marten ( Martes martes)
baux·ite ['bȯk-,sīt, 'bäk-] -n, adj
- an impure mixture of earthy hydrous aluminum oxides and hydroxides that is the principal source of aluminum
Bav -abbr
- Bavaria; Bavarian
Ba·var·i·an [bə-'ver-ē-ən] -n, adj
- a native or inhabitant of Bavaria
- the High German dialect of southern Bavaria and Austria
Bavarian cream -n
- flavored custard or pureed fruit combined with gelatin and whipped cream
baw·bee ['bȯ-(,)bē, bȯ-'] -n
- any of various Scottish coins of small value
- an English halfpenny
baw·cock ['bȯ-,käk] -n
- a fine fellow
bawd ['bȯd] -n
- pander
- one who keeps a house of prostitution : madam
- prostitute
bawd·ry ['bȯ-drē] -n
- unchastity
- suggestive, coarse, or obscene language
bawdy ['bȯ-dē] -adj, adv, n
- obscene, lewd
- boisterously or humorously indecent
- bawdry
bawdy house -n
- bordello
bawl ['bȯl] -vb, n
- to cry out loudly and unrestrainedly
- to cry loudly : wail
- to cry out at the top of one's voice
- a loud prolonged cry : outcry
bawl out -vt
- to reprimand loudly or severely
bay ['bā] -adj
- reddish brown
- a bay-colored animal
- a horse with a bay-colored body and black mane, tail, and points
- a reddish brown
- a principal compartment of the walls, roof, or other part of a building or of the whole building
- a main division of a structure
- any of various compartments or sections used for a special purpose (as in an airplane, spacecraft, or service station)
- bay window
- a support or housing for electronic equipment
- to bark with prolonged tones
- to cry out : shout
- to bark at
- to bring to bay
- to pursue with barking
- to utter in deep prolonged tones
- a baying of dogs
- the position of one unable to retreat and forced to face danger
- brought his quarry to bay
- the position of one checked
- police kept the rioters at bay
- an inlet of the sea or other body of water usu. smaller than a gulf
- a small body of water set off from the main body
- any of various terrestrial formations resembling a bay of the sea
- laurel
- any of several shrubs or trees (as the red bay or sweet bay) resembling the laurel
- a garland or crown esp. of laurel given as a prize for victory or excellence
- honor, fame usu. used in pl.
ba·ya·dere ['bī-ə-,dir, -,der] -n
- a fabric with horizontal stripes in strongly contrasted colors
bay·ber·ry ['bā-,ber-ē, -,be-rē] -n
- any of several wax myrtles
- a hardy shrub ( Myrica pensylvanica) of coastal eastern No. America bearing dense clusters of small berries covered with grayish-white wax
- the fruit of a bayberry
Bayes·ian ['bā-zē-ən, -zhən] -adj
- being, relating to, or involving statistical methods that assign probabilities or distributions to events (as rain tomorrow) or parameters (as a population mean) based on experience or best guesses before experimentation and data collection and that apply Bayes' theorem to revise the probabilities and distributions after obtaining experimental data
Bayes' theorem ['bāz-] -n
- a theorem about conditional probabilities: the probability that an event A occurs given that another event B has already occurred is equal to the probability that the event B occurs given that A has already occurred multiplied by the probability of occurrence of event A and divided by the probability of occurrence of event B
bay leaf -n
- the dried leaf of the European laurel ( Laurus nobilis) used in cooking
bay·man ['bā-mən, -,man] -n
- a person and esp. a fisherman who lives or works on or about a bay
bay·o·net ['bā-ə-nət, -,net, ,bā-ə-'net] -n
- a steel blade attached at the muzzle end of a shoulder arm (as a rifle) and used in hand-to-hand combat
bayonet -vb
- to stab with a bayonet
- to compel or drive by or as if by the bayonet
- to use a bayonet
bay·ou ['bī-(,)ü, -(,)ō] -n
- a creek, secondary watercourse, or minor river that is tributary to another body of water
- any of various usu. marshy or sluggish bodies of water
bay rum -n
- a fragrant cosmetic and medicinal liquid distilled from the leaves of a West Indian bay tree ( Pimenta racemosa) of the myrtle family or usu. prepared from essential oils, alcohol, and water
bay scallop -n
- a scallop ( Argopecten irradians) of U.S. coastal and estuarine waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico that is harvested commercially for food
Bay Stat·er ['bā-,stā-tər] -n
- a native or resident of Massachusetts used as a nickname
bay window -n
- a window or series of windows forming a bay in a room and projecting outward from the wall
- potbelly
ba·zaar [bə-'zär] -n
- a market (as in the Middle East) consisting of rows of shops or stalls selling miscellaneous goods
- a place for the sale of goods
- department store
- a fair for the sale of articles esp. for charitable purposes
ba·zoo·ka [bə-'zü-kə] -n
- a light portable antitank weapon consisting of an open-breech smoothbore firing tube that launches an armor-piercing rocket and is fired from the shoulder