by ['bī, before consonants also bə] -prep
- in proximity to : near
- through or through the medium of : via
- in the direction of : toward
- into the vicinity of and beyond : past
- during the course of
- not later than
- through the agency or instrumentality of
- born or begot of
- sired or borne by
- with the witness or sanction of
- swear by all that is holy
- in conformity with
- according to
- on behalf of
- did right by his children
- with respect to
- in or to the amount or extent of
- in comparison with : beside
- used as a function word to indicate successive units or increments
- used as a function word in multiplication, in division, and in measurements
- a room 15 feet by 20 feet
- in the opinion of : from the point of view of
- close at hand : near
- at or to another's home
- past
- aside, away
- being off the main route : side
- incidental
- something of secondary importance : a side issue
- used to express farewell often used with following now
byandby [,bī-ən-'bī] -n
- a future time or occasion
by and by -adv
- before long, soon
by and large -adv
- on the whole : in general
byblow ['bī-,blō] -n
- an indirect blow
- an illegitimate child
by·catch [-,kach, -,kech] -n
- the portion of a commercial fishing catch that consists of marine animals caught unintentionally
bye ['bī] -n
- the position of a participant in a tournament who advances to the next round without playing
byebye ['bī-,bī, bī-'bī] -interj
- used to express farewell
- out esp. for a walk or ride used with the verb go
- bed, sleep
- lie down...and go to byebye -- Rudyard Kipling
- to bed or sleep used with the verb go
byelec·tion ['bī-ə-,lek-shən] -n
- a special election held between regular elections in order to fill a vacancy
Bye·lo·rus·sian [bē-,e-lō-'rə-shən, ,bye-lō-] -n
- belarusian
byform ['bī-,fȯrm] -n
- a parallel and sometimes less important form of a word, stem, or formative element in a given language or dialect
by·gone ['bī-,gȯn also -,gän] -adj, n
- gone by : past
- outmoded
by·law ['bī-,lȯ] -n
- a rule adopted by an organization chiefly for the government of its members and the regulation of its affairs
- a local ordinance
by·line ['bī-,līn] -n
- a secondary line : sideline
- a line at the beginning of a news story, magazine article, or book giving the writer's name
byline [-,lī-nər] -vt, n
- to write (an article) under a byline
by·name ['bī-,nām] -n
- a secondary name
- nickname
BYO -abbr
- bring your own
BYOB -abbr
- bring your own beer; bring your own booze; bring your own bottle
by·pass ['bī-,pas] -n
- a passage to one side
- a deflected route usu. around a town
- a channel carrying a fluid around a part and back to the main stream
- shunt
- shunt
- a surgical procedure for the establishment of a shunt
bypass -vt
- to avoid by means of a bypass
- to cause to follow a bypass
- to neglect or ignore usu. intentionally
- circumvent
- attempting to bypass the law
by·past ['bī-,past] -adj
- bygone
by·path [-,path, -,päth] -n
- byway
by·play [-,plā] -n
- action engaged in on the side while the main action proceeds (as during a dramatic production)
byprod·uct [-,prä-(,)dəkt] -n
- something produced in a usu. industrial or biological process in addition to the principal product
- a secondary and sometimes unexpected or unintended result
byre ['bī(-ə)r] -n
- a cow barn
by·road ['bī-,rōd] -n
- byway
bys·si·no·sis [,bi-sə-'nō-səs] -n
- an occupational respiratory disease associated with inhalation of cotton, flax, or hemp dust and characterized initially by chest tightness, shortness of breath, and cough and eventually by irreversible lung disease
bys·sus ['bi-səs] -n
- a fine prob. linen cloth of ancient times
- a tuft of long tough filaments by which some bivalve mollusks (as mussels) adhere to a surface
by·stand·er ['bī-,stan-dər] -n
- one present but not taking part in a situation or event : a chance spectator
by·street [-,strēt] -n
- a street off a main thoroughfare
byte ['bīt] -n
- a unit of computer information or data-storage capacity that consists of a group of eight bits and that is used esp. to represent an alphanumeric character
by·way ['bī-,wā] -n
- a little traveled side road
- a secondary or little known aspect or field
- meandering more and more in the fascinating byway s of learning -- Times Lit. Supp.
by·word [-,wərd] -n
- a proverbial saying : proverb
- one that personifies a type
- one that is noteworthy or notorious
- epithet
- a frequently used word or phrase
byyourleave [,bī-yər-'lēv] -n
- a request for permission
- imposed...without so much as a byyourleave -- J. L. Granatstein
Byz·an·tine ['bi-zᵊn-,tēn, 'bī-, -,tīn; bə-'zan-,, bī-'] -adj
- of, relating to, or characteristic of the ancient city of Byzantium
- of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a style of architecture developed in the Byzantine Empire esp. in the fifth and sixth centuries featuring the dome carried on pendentives over a square and incrustation with marble veneering and with colored mosaics on grounds of gold
- of or relating to the churches using a traditional Greek rite and subject to Eastern canon law
- of, relating to, or characterized by a devious and usu. surreptitious manner of operation
- a Byzantine power struggle
- intricately involved : labyrinthine
- rules of Byzantine complexity
Byzantine -n
- a native or inhabitant of Byzantium
By·zan·tin·ist [bi-'zan-ti-nist, bī-] -n
- a student of Byzantine culture