Chapter XXXIV: Appendix: Vermiformis (13)

BAGPIPE Bag"pipe, n.

Defn: A musical wind instrument, now used chiefly in the Highlands of Scotland.

Note: It consists of a leather bag, which receives the air by a tube that is stopped by a valve; and three sounding pipes, into which the air is pressed by the performer. Two of these pipes produce fixed tones, namely, the bass, or key tone, and its fifth, and form together what is called the drone; the third, or chanter, gives the melody.

BAGPIPE Bag"pipe, v. t.

Defn: To make to look like a bagpipe. To bagpipe the mizzen (Naut.), to lay it aback by bringing the sheet to the mizzen rigging. Totten.

BAGPIPER Bag"pip`er, n.

Defn: One who plays on a bagpipe; a piper. Shak.

BAGREEF Bag"reef`, n. Etym: [Bag + reef.] (Naut.)

Defn: The lower reef of fore and aft sails; also, the upper reef of topsails. Ham. Nav. Encyc.

BAGUE Bague, n. Etym: [F., a ring] (Arch.)

Defn: The annular molding or group of moldings dividing a long shaft or clustered column into two or more parts.

BAGUET; BAGUETTE Ba*guet", Ba*guette", n. Etym: [F. baguette, prop. a rodbacchetta, fr. L. baculum, baculu stick, staff.]

1. (Arch.)

Defn: A small molding, like the astragal, but smaller; a bead.

2. (Zoöl)

Defn: One of the minute bodies seen in the divided nucleoli of some Infusoria after conjugation.

BAGWIG Bag"wig", n.

Defn: A wig, in use in the 18th century, with the hair at the back of the head in a bag.

BAGWORM Bag"worm`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of several lepidopterous insects which construct, in the larval state, a baglike case which they carry about for protection. One species (Platoeceticus Gloveri) feeds on the orange tree. See Basket worm.

BAH Bah, interj.

Defn: An exclamation expressive of extreme contempt. Twenty-five years ago the vile ejaculation, Bah! was utterly unknown to the English public. De Quincey.

BAHADUR; BAHAUDUR Ba*ha"dur Ba*hau"dur, n. [Written also bahawder.] [Hind. bahadur hero, champion.]

Defn: A title of respect or honor given to European officers in East Indian state papers, and colloquially, and among the natives, to distinguished officials and other important personages.

BAHAI Ba*hai" (ba*hi"), n.; pl. Bahais (-hiz).

Defn: A member of the sect of the Babis consisting of the adherents of Baha (Mirza Husain Ali, entitled "Baha 'u 'llah," or, "the Splendor of God"), the elder half brother of Mirza Yahya of Nur, who succeeded the Bab as the head of the Babists. Baha in 1863 declared himself the supreme prophet of the sect, and became its recognized head. There are upwards of 20,000 Bahais in the United States.

BAHAISM Ba*ha"ism, n.

Defn: The religious tenets or practices of the Bahais.

BAHAR Ba*har", n. Etym: [Ar. bahar, from bahara to charge with a load.]

Defn: A weight used in certain parts of the East Indies, varying considerably in different localities, the range being from 223 to 625 pounds.

BAIGNE Baigne, v. i. Etym: [F. baigner to bathe, fr. L. balneum bath.]

Defn: To soak or drench. [Obs.]

BAIGNOIRE Bai`gnoire", n. [Written also baignoir.] [F., lit., bath tub.]

Defn: A box of the lowest tier in a theater. Du Maurier.

BAIL Bail, n. Etym: [F. baille a bucket, pail; cf. LL. bacula, dim. of bacca a sort of vessel. Cf. Bac.]

Defn: A bucket or scoop used in bailing water out of a boat. [Obs.] The bail of a canoe . . . made of a human skull. Capt. Cook.

BAIL Bail, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bailed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bailing.]

1. To lade; to dip and throw; -- usually with out; as, to bail water out of a boat. Buckets . . . to bail out the water. Capt. J. Smith.

2. To dip or lade water from; -- often with out to express completeness; as, to bail a boat. By the help of a small bucket and our hats we bailed her out. R. H. Dana, Jr.

BAIL Bail, v. Etym: [OF. bailler to give, to deliver, fr. L. bajulare to bear a burden, keep in custody, fr. bajulus

1. To deliver; to release. [Obs.] Ne none there was to rescue her, ne none to bail. Spenser.

2. (Law) (a) To set free, or deliver from arrest, or out of custody, on the undertaking of some other person or persons that he or they will be responsible for the appearance, at a certain day and place, of the person bailed.

Note: The word is applied to the magistrate or the surety. The magistrate bails (but admits to bail is commoner) a man when he liberates him from arrest or imprisonment upon bond given with sureties. The surety bails a person when he procures his release from arrest by giving bond for his appearance. Blackstone. (b) To deliver, as goods in trust, for some special object or purpose, upon a contract, expressed or implied, that the trust shall be faithfully executed on the part of the bailee, or person intrusted; as, to bail cloth to a tailor to be made into a garment; to bail goods to a carrier. Blackstone. Kent.

BAIL Bail, n. Etym: [OF. bail guardian, administrator, fr. L. bajulus. See Bail to deliver.]

1. Custody; keeping. [Obs.] Silly Faunus now within their bail. Spenser.

2. (Law) (a) The person or persons who procure the release of a prisoner from the custody of the officer, or from imprisonment, by becoming surely for his appearance in court. The bail must be real, substantial bondsmen. Blackstone. A. and B. were bail to the arrest in a suit at law. Kent.

(b) The security given for the appearance of a prisoner in order to obtain his release from custody of the officer; as, the man is out on bail; to go bail for any one. Excessive bail ought not to be required. Blackstone.

BAIL Bail, n. Etym: [OE. beyl; cf. Dan. böile an bending, ring, hoop, Sw. bögel, bygel, and Icel. beyla hump, swelling, akin to E. bow to bend.]

1. The arched handle of a kettle, pail, or similar vessel, usually movable. Forby.

2. A half hoop for supporting the cover of a carrier's wagon, awning of a boat, etc.

BAIL Bail, n. Etym: [OF. bail, baille. See Bailey.]

1. (Usually pl.)

Defn: A line of palisades serving as an exterior defense. [Written also bayle.] [Obs.]

2. The outer wall of a feudal castle. Hence: The space inclosed by it; the outer court. Holinshed.

3. A certain limit within a forest. [Eng.]

4. A division for the stalls of an open stable.

5. (Cricket)

Defn: The top or cross piece ( or either of the two cross pieces) of the wicket.

BAILABLE Bail"a*ble, a.

1. Having the right or privilege of being admitted to bail, upon bond with sureties; -- used of persons. "He's bailable, I'm sure." Ford.

2. Admitting of bail; as, a bailable offense.

3. That can be delivered in trust; as, bailable goods.

BAIL BOND Bail" bond`. (Law) (a) A bond or obligation given by a prisoner and his surety, to insure the prisoner's appearance in court, at the return of the writ. (b) Special bail in court to abide the judgment. Bouvier.

BAILEE Bail`ee", n. Etym: [OF. baillé, p.p. of bailler. See Bail to deliver.] (Law)

Defn: The person to whom goods are committed in trust, and who has a temporary possession and a qualified property in them, for the purposes of the trust. Blackstone.

Note: In penal statutes the word includes those who receive goods for another in good faith. Wharton.

BAILER Bail"er, n. (Law)

Defn: See Bailor.

BAILER Bail"er, n.

1. One who bails or lades.

2. A utensil, as a bucket or cup, used in bailing; a machine for bailing water out of a pit.

BAILEY Bai"ley, n. Etym: [The same word as bail line of palisades; cf. LL. ballium bailey, OF. bail, baille, a palisade, baillier to inclose, shut.]

1. The outer wall of a feudal castle. [Obs.]

2. The space immediately within the outer wall of a castle or fortress. [Obs.]

3. A prison or court of justice; -- used in certain proper names; as, the Old Bailey in London; the New Bailey in Manchester. [Eng.] Oxf. Gloss.

BAILIE Bail"ie, n. Etym: [See Bailiff.]

Defn: An officer in Scotland, whose office formerly corresponded to that of sheriff, but now corresponds to that of an English alderman.

BAILIFF Bail"iff, n. Etym: [OF. baillif, F. bailli, custodiabajulus porter. See Bail to deliver.]

1. Originally, a person put in charge of something especially, a chief officer, magistrate, or keeper, as of a county, town, hundred, or castle; one to whom power Abbott. Lausanne is under the canton of Berne, governed by a bailiff sent every three years from the senate. Addison.

2. (Eng. Law)

Defn: A sheriff's deputy, appointed to make arrests, collect fines, summon juries, etc.

Note: In American law the term bailiff is seldom used except sometimes to signify a sheriff's officer or constable, or a party liable to account to another for the rent and profits of real estate. Burrill.

3. An overseer or under steward of an estate, who directs husbandry operations, collects rents, etc. [Eng.]

BAILIFFWICK Bail"iff*wick, n.

Defn: See Bailiwick. [Obs.]

BAILIWICK Bail"i*wick, n. Etym: [Bailie, bailiff + wick a village.] (Law)

Defn: The precincts within which a bailiff has jurisdiction; the limits of a bailiff's authority.

BAILLIE Bail"lie, n.

1. Bailiff. [Obs.]

2. Same as Bailie. [Scot.]

BAILMENT Bail"ment, n.

1. (Law)

Defn: The action of bailing a person accused. Bailment . . . is the saving or delivery of a man out of prison before he hath satisfied the law. Dalton.

2. (Law)

Defn: A delivery of goods or money by one person to another in trust, for some special purpose, upon a contract, expressed or implied, that the trust shall be faithfully executed. Blackstone.

Note: In a general sense it is sometimes used as comprehending all duties in respect to property. Story.

BAILOR Bail`or", n. (Law)

Defn: One who delivers goods or money to another in trust.

BAILPIECE Bail"piece`, n. (Law)

Defn: A piece of parchment, or paper, containing a recognizance or bail bond.

BAILY'S BEADS Bai"ly's beads. (Astron.)

Defn: A row of bright spots observed in connection with total eclipses of the sun. Just before and after a total eclipse, the slender, unobscured crescent of the sun's disk appears momentarily like a row of bright spots resembling a string of beads. The phenomenon (first fully described by Francis Baily, 1774 -- 1844) is thought to be an effect of irradiation, and of inequalities of the moon's edge.

BAIN Bain, n. Etym: [F. bain, fr. L. balneum. Cf. Bagnio.]

Defn: A bath; a bagnio. [Obs.] Holland.

BAIN-MARIE Bain`-ma`rie", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A vessel for holding hot water in which another vessel may be heated without scorching its contents; -- used for warming or preparing food or pharmaceutical preparations.

BAIRAM Bai"ram, n. Etym: [Turk. baïram.]

Defn: The name of two Mohammedan festivals, of which one is held at the close of the fast called Ramadan, and the other seventy days after the fast.

BAIRN Bairn, n. Etym: [Scot. bairn, AS. bearn, fr. beran to bear; akin to Icel., OS., &Goth. barn. See Bear to support.]

Defn: A child. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.] Has he not well provided for the bairn ! Beau. & Fl.

BAISEMAINS Baise"mains`, n. pl. Etym: [F., fr. baiser to kiss + mains hands.]

Defn: Respects; compliments. [Obs.]

BAIT Bait, n. Etym: [Icel. beita food, beit pasture, akin to AS. bat food, Sw. bete. See Bait, v. i.]

1. Any substance, esp. food, used in catching fish, or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, inclosure, or net.

2. Anything which allures; a lure; enticement; temptation. Fairfax.

3. A portion of food or drink, as a refreshment taken on a journey; also, a stop for rest and refreshment.

4. A light or hasty luncheon. Bait bug (Zoöl), a crustacean of the genus Hippa found burrowing in sandy beaches. See Anomura.

BAIT Bait, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Baited; p. pr. & vb. n. Baiting.] Etym: [OE. baiten, beit, to feed, harass, fr. Icel. beita, orig. to cause to bite, fr. bita. sq. root87. See Bite.]

1. To provoke and harass; esp., to harass or torment for sport; as, to bait a bear with dogs; to bait a bull.

2. To give a portion of food and drink to, upon the road; as, to bait horses. Holland.

3. To furnish or cover with bait, as a trap or hook. A crooked pin . . . bailed with a vile earthworm. W. Irving.

BAIT Bait, v. i.

Defn: To stop to take a portion of food and drink for refreshment of one's self or one's beasts, on a journey. Evil news rides post, while good news baits. Milton. My lord's coach conveyed me to Bury, and thence baiting aEvelyn.

BAIT Bait, v. i. Etym: [F. battre de l'aile (or des ailes), to flap oBatter, v. i.]

Defn: To flap the wings; to flutter as if to fly; or to hover, as a hawk when she stoops to her prey. "Kites that bait and beat." Shak.

BAITER Bait"er, n.

Defn: One who baits; a tormentor.

BAIZE Baize, n. Etym: [For bayes, pl. fr. OF. baie; cf. F. bai bay-colored. See Bay a color.]

Defn: A coarse woolen stuff with a long nap; -- usually dyed in plain colors. A new black baize waistcoat lined with silk. Pepys.

BAJOCCO Ba*joc"co, n. Etym: [It., fr. bajo brown, bay, from its color.]

Defn: A small cooper coin formerly current in the Roman States, worth about a cent and a half.

BAKE Bake, v. t. [imp.& p. p. Baked; p. pr. & vb. n. Baking.] Etym: [AS. bacan; akin to D. bakken, OHG. bacchan, G. backen, Icel. & Sw. baca, Dan. bage, Gr.

1. To prepare, as food, by cooking in a dry heat, either in an oven or under coals, or on heated stone or metal; as, to bake bread, meat, apples.

Note: Baking is the term usually applied to that method of cooking which exhausts the moisture in food more than roasting or broiling; but the distinction of meaning between roasting and baking is not always observed.

2. To dry or harden (anything) by subjecting to heat, as, to bake bricks; the sun bakes the ground.

3. To harden by cold. The earth . . . is baked with frost. Shak. They bake their sides upon the cold, hard stone. Spenser.

BAKE Bake, v. i.

1. To do the work of baking something; as, she brews, washes, and bakes. Shak.

2. To be baked; to become dry and hard in heat; as, the bread bakes; the ground bakes in the hot sun.

BAKE Bake, n.

Defn: The process, or result, of baking.

BAKEHOUSE Bake"house`, n. Etym: [AS. bæch. See Bak, v. i., and House.]

Defn: A house for baking; a bakery.

BAKEMEAT; BAKED-MEAT Bake"meat`, Baked"-meat`, n.

Defn: A pie; baked food. [Obs.] Gen. xl. 17. Shak.

BAKEN Bak"en,

Defn: p. p. of Bake. [Obs. or. Archaic]

BAKER Bak"er, n. Etym: [AS. bæcere. See Bake, v. i.]

1. One whose business it is to bake bread, biscuit, etc.

2. A portable oven in which baking is done. [U.S.] A baker's dozen, thirteen. -- Baker foot, a distorted foot. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor. -- Baker's itch, a rash on the back of the hand, caused by the irritating properties of yeast. -- Baker's salt, the subcarbonate of ammonia, sometimes used instead of soda, in making bread.

BAKER-LEGGED Bak"er-legged`, a.

Defn: Having legs that bend inward at the knees.

BAKERY Bak"er*y, n.

1. The trade of a baker. [R.]

2. The place for baking bread; a bakehouse.

BAKING Bak"ing, n.

1. The act or process of cooking in an oven, or of drying and hardening by heat or cold.

2. The quantity baked at once; a batch; as, a baking of bread. Baking powder, a substitute for yeast, usually consisting of an acid, a carbonate, and a little farinaceous matter.

BAKINGLY Bak"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a hot or baking manner.

BAKISTRE Bak"is*tre, n. Etym: [See Baxter.]

Defn: A baker. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BAKSHEESH; BAKSHISH Bak"sheesh`, Bak"shish`, n.

Defn: Same as Backsheesh.

BALAAM Ba"laam, n.

Defn: A paragraph describing something wonderful, used to fill out a newspaper column; -- an allusion to the miracle of Balaam's ass speaking. Numb. xxii. 30. [Cant] Balaam basket or box (Print.), the receptacle for rejected articles. Blackw. Mag.

BALACHONG Bal"a*chong, n. Etym: [Malay balachan.]

Defn: A condiment formed of small fishes or shrimps, pounded up with salt and spices, and then dried. It is much esteemed in China.

BALAENOIDEA Bal`æ*noi"de*a, n. Etym: [NL., from L. balaena whale + -oid.] (Zoöl)

Defn: A division of the Cetacea, including the right whale and all other whales having the mouth fringed with baleen. See Baleen.

BALANCE Bal"ance, n. Etym: [OE. balaunce, F. balance, fr. L. bilan, bilancis, having two scales; bis twice (akin to E. two) + lanx plate, scale.]

1. An apparatus for weighing.

Note: In its simplest form, a balance consists of a beam or lever supported exactly in the middle, having two scales or basins of equal weight suspended from its extremities. Another form is that of the Roman balance, our steelyard, consisting of a lever or beam, suspended near one of its extremities, on the longer arm of which a counterpoise slides. The name is also given to other forms of apparatus for weighing bodies, as to the combinations of levers making up platform scales; and even to devices for weighing by the elasticity of a spring.

2. Act of weighing mentally; comparison; estimate. A fair balance of the advantages on either side. Atterbury.

3. Equipoise between the weights in opposite scales.

4. The state of being in equipoise; equilibrium; even adjustment; steadiness. And hung a bottle on each side To make his balance true. Cowper. The order and balance of the country were destroyed. Buckle. English workmen completely lose their balance. J. S. Mill.

5. An equality between the sums total of the two sides of an account; as, to bring one's accounts to a balance; -- also, the excess on either side; as, the balance of an account. " A balance at the banker's. " Thackeray. I still think the balance of probabilities leans towards the account given in the text. J. Peile.

6. (Horol.)

Defn: A balance wheel, as of a watch, or clock. See Balance wheel (in the Vocabulary).

7. (Astron.) (a) The constellation Libra. (b) The seventh sign in the Zodiac, called Libra, which the sun enters at the equinox in September.

8. A movement in dancing. See Balance, v. i., S. Balance electrometer, a kind of balance, with a poised beam, which indicates, by weights suspended from one arm, the mutual attraction of oppositely electrified surfaces. Knight. -- Balance fish. (Zoöl) See Hammerhead. -- Balance knife, a carving or table knife the handle of which overbalances the blade, and so keeps it from contact with the table. -- Balance of power. (Politics), such an adjustment of power among sovereign states that no one state is in a position to interfere with the independence of the others; international equilibrium; also, the ability ( of a state or a third party within a state) to control the relations between sovereign states or between dominant parties in a state. -- Balance sheet (Bookkeeping), a paper showing the balances of the open accounts of a business, the debit and credit balances footing up equally, if the system of accounts be complete and the balances correctly taken. -- Balance thermometer, a thermometer mounted as a balance so that the movement of the mercurial column changes the indication of the tube. With the aid of electrical or mechanical devices adapted to it, it is used for the automatic regulation of the temperature of rooms warmed artificially, and as a fire alarm. -- Balance of torsion. See Torsion Balance. -- Balance of trade (Pol. Econ.), an equilibrium between the money values of the exports and imports of a country; or more commonly, the amount required on one side or the other to make such an equilibrium. -- Balance valve, a valve whose surfaces are so arranged that the fluid pressure tending to seat, and that tending to unseat the valve, are nearly in equilibrium; esp., a puppet valve which is made to operate easily by the admission of steam to both sides. See Puppet valve. -- Hydrostatic balance. See under Hydrostatic. -- To lay in balance, to put up as a pledge or security. [Obs.] Chaucer. -- To strike a balance, to find out the difference between the debit and credit sides of an account.

BALANCE Bal"ance, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Balanced (p. pr. & vb. n. Balancing ( Etym: [From Balance, n.: cf. F. balancer. ]

1. To bring to an equipoise, as the scales of a balance by adjusting the weights; to weigh in a balance.

2. To support on a narrow base, so as to keep from falling; as, to balance a plate on the end of a cane; to balance one's self on a tight rope.

3. To equal in number, weight, force, or proportion; to counterpoise, counterbalance, counteract, or neutralize. One expression . . . must check and balance another. Kent.

4. To compare in relative force, importance, value, etc.; to estimate. Balance the good and evil of things. L'Estrange.

5. To settle and adjust, as an account; to make two accounts equal by paying the difference between them. I am very well satisfied that it is not in my power to balance accounts with my Maker. Addison.

6. To make the sums of the debits and credits of an account equal; -- said of an item; as, this payment, or credit, balances the account.

7. To arrange accounts in such a way that the sum total of the debits is equal to the sum total of the credits; as, to balance a set of books.

8. (Dancing)

Defn: To move toward, and then back from, reciprocally; as, to balance partners.

9. (Naut.)

Defn: To contract, as a sail, into a narrower compass; as, to balance the boom mainsail. Balanced valve. See Balance valve, under Balance, n.

Syn. -- To poise; weigh; adjust; counteract; neutralize; equalize.

BALANCE Bal"ance, v. i.

1. To have equal weight on each side; to be in equipoise; as, the scales balance.

2. To fluctuate between motives which appear of equal force; to waver; to hesitate. He would not balance or err in the determination of his choice. Locke.

3. (Dancing)

Defn: To move toward a person or couple, and then back.

BALANCEABLE Bal"ance*a*ble, a.

Defn: Such as can be balanced.

BALANCEMENT Bal"ance*ment, n.

Defn: The act or result of balancing or adjusting; equipoise; even adjustment of forces. [R.] Darwin.

BALANCER Bal"an*cer, n.

1. One who balances, or uses a balance.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: In Diptera, the rudimentary posterior wing.

BALANCEREEF Bal"ance*reef`, n. (Naut.)

Defn: The last reef in a fore-and-aft sail, taken to steady the ship.

BALANCE WHEEL Bal"ance wheel`.

1. (Horology) (a) A wheel which regulates the beats or pulses of a watch or chronometer, answering to the pendulum of a clock; -- often called simply a balance. (b) A ratchet-shaped scape wheel, which in some watches is acted upon by the axis of the balance wheel proper (in those watches called a balance).

2. (Mach.)

Defn: A wheel which imparts regularity to the movements of any engine or machine; a fly wheel.

BALANIFEROUS Bal`a*nif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. balanus acorn + -ferous.]

Defn: Bearing or producing acorns.

BALANITE Bal"a*nite, n. Etym: [L. balanus acorn: cf. F. balanite.] (Paleon.)

Defn: A fossil balanoid shell.

BALANOGLOSSUS Bal`a*no*glos"sus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl)

Defn: A peculiar marine worm. See Enteropneusta, and Tornaria.

BALANOID Bal"a*noid, a. Etym: [Gr. -oid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Resembling an acorn; -- applied to a group of barnacles having shells shaped like acorns. See Acornshell, and Barnacle.

BALAS RUBY Bal"as ru`by. Etym: [OE. bales, balais, F. balais, LL. balascus, fr. Ar. balakhsh, so called from Badakhshan, Balashan, or Balaxiam, a place in the neighborhood of Samarcand, where this ruby is found.] (Min.)

Defn: A variety of spinel ruby, of a pale rose red, or inclining to orange. See Spinel.

BALATA Bal"a*ta, n. [Sp., prob. fr. native name.]

1.

Defn: A West Indian sapotaceous tree (Bumelia retusa).

2. The bully tree (Minusops globosa); also, its milky juice (balata gum), which when dried constitutes an elastic gum called chicle, or chicle gum.

BALAUSTINE Ba*laus"tine, n. Etym: [L. balaustium, Gr. (Bot.)

Defn: The pomegranate tree (Punica granatum). The bark of the root, the rind of the fruit, and the flowers are used medicinally.

BALAYEUSE Ba`la`yeuse", n. [F., lit., a female sweeper.]

Defn: A protecting ruffle or frill, as of silk or lace, sewed close to the lower edge of a skirt on the inside.

BALBUTIATE; BALBUCINATE Bal*bu"ti*ate, Bal*bu"ci*nate, v. i. Etym: [L. balbutire, fr. balbus stammering: cf. F. balbutier.]

Defn: To stammer. [Obs.]

BALBUTIES Bal*bu"ti*es, n. (Med.)

Defn: The defect of stammering; also, a kind of incomplete pronunciation.

BALCON Bal"con, n.

Defn: A balcony. [Obs.] Pepys.

BALCONIED Bal"co*nied, a.

Defn: Having balconies.

BALCONY Bal"co*ny, n.; pl. Balconies. Etym: [It. balcone; cf. It. balco, palco, scaffold, fr. OHG. balcho, pa, beam, G. balken. See Balk beam.]

1. (Arch.)

Defn: A platform projecting from the wall of a building, usually resting on brackets or consoles, and inclosed by a parapet; as, a balcony in front of a window. Also, a projecting gallery in places of amusement; as, the balcony in a theater.

2. A projecting gallery once common at the stern of large ships.

Note: "The accent has shifted from the second to the first syllable within these twenty years." Smart (1836).

BALD Bald, a. Etym: [OE. balled, ballid, perh. the p.p. of ball to reduce to the roundness or smoothness of a ball, by removing hair. sq. root85. But cf. W. bali whiteness in a horse's forehead.]

1. Destitute of the natural or common covering on the head or top, as of hair, feathers, foliage, trees, etc.; as, a bald head; a bald oak. On the bald top of an eminence. Wordsworth.

2. Destitute of ornament; unadorned; bare; literal. In the preface to his own bald translation. Dryden.

3. Undisguised. " Bald egotism." Lowell.

4. Destitute of dignity or value; paltry; mean. [Obs.]

5. (Bot.)

Defn: Destitute of a beard or awn; as, bald wheat.

6. (Zoöl.) (a) Destitute of the natural covering. (b) Marked with a white spot on the head; bald-faced. Bald buzzard (Zoöl.), the fishhawk or osprey. -- Bald coot (Zoöl.), a name of the European coot (Fulica atra), alluding to the bare patch on the front of the head.

BALDACHIN Bal"da*chin, n. Etym: [LL. baldachinus, baldechinus, a canopy of rich silk carried over the host; fr. Bagdad, It. Baldacco, a city in Turkish Asia from whence these rich silks came: cf. It. baldacchino. Cf. Baudekin.]

1. A rich brocade; baudekin. [Obs.]

2. (Arch.)

Defn: A structure in form of a canopy, sometimes supported by columns, and sometimes suspended from the roof or projecting from the wall; generally placed over an altar; as, the baldachin in St. Peter's.

3. A portable canopy borne over shrines, etc., in procession. [Written also baldachino, baldaquin, etc.]

BALD EAGLE Bald" ea"gle. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The white-headed eagle (Haliæetus leucocephalus) of America. The young, until several years old, lack the white feathers on the head.

Note: The bald eagle is represented in the coat of arms, and on the coins, of the United States.

BALDER Bal"der, n. Etym: [Icel. Baldr, akin to E. bold.] (Scan. Myth.)

Defn: The most beautiful and beloved of the gods; the god of peace; the son of Odin and Freya. [Written also Baldur.]

BALDERDASH Bal"der*dash, n. Etym: [Of uncertain origin: cf. Dan. balder noise, clatter, and E. dash; hence, perhaps, unmeaning noise, then hodgepodge, mixture; or W. baldorduss a prattling, baldordd, baldorddi, to prattle.]

1. A worthless mixture, especially of liquors. Indeed beer, by a mixture of wine, hath lost both name and nature, and is called balderdash. Taylor (Drink and Welcome).

2. Senseless jargon; ribaldry; nonsense; trash.

BALDERDASH Bal"der*dash, v. t.

Defn: To mix or adulterate, as liquors. The wine merchants of Nice brew and balderdash, and even mix it with pigeon's dung and quicklime. Smollett.

BALD-FACED Bald"-faced`, a.

Defn: Having a white face or a white mark on the face, as a stag.

BALDHEAD Bald"head`, n.

1. A person whose head is bald. 2 Kings ii. 23.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A white-headed variety of pigeon.

BALDHEADED Bald"head`ed, a.

Defn: Having a bald head.

BALDLY Bald"ly, adv.

Defn: Nakedly; without reserve; inelegantly.

BALDNESS Bald"ness, n.

Defn: The state or condition of being bald; as, baldness of the head; baldness of style. This gives to their syntax a peculiar character of simplicity and baldness. W. D. Whitney.

BALDPATE Bald"pate`, n.

1. A baldheaded person. Shak.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The American widgeon (Anas Americana).

BALDPATE; BALDPATED Bald"pate`, Bald"pat`ed, a.

Defn: Destitute of hair on the head; baldheaded. Shak.

BALDRIB Bald"rib`, n.

Defn: A piece of pork cut lower down than the sparerib, and destitute of fat. [Eng.] Southey.

BALDRIC Bal"dric, n. Etym: [OE. baudric, bawdrik, through OF. (cf. F. baudrier and LL. baldringus, baldrellus), from OHG. balderich, cf. balz, palz, akin to E. belt. See Belt, n.]

Defn: A broad belt, sometimes richly ornamented, worn over one shoulder, across the breast, and under the opposite arm; less properly, any belt. [Also spelt bawdrick.] A radiant baldric o'er his shoulder tied Sustained the sword that glittered at his side. Pope.

BALDWIN Bald"win, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A kind of reddish, moderately acid, winter apple. [U.S.]

BALE Bale, n. Etym: [OE. bale, OF. bale, F. balle, LL. bala, fr. OHG. balla, palla, pallo, G. ball, balle, ballen, ball round pack; cf. D. baal. Cf. Ball a round body.]

Defn: A bundle or package of goods in a cloth cover, and corded for storage or transportation; also, a bundle of straw Bale of dice, a pair of dice. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

BALE Bale, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Baled (p. pr. & vb. n. Baling.]

Defn: To make up in a bale. Goldsmith.

BALE Bale, v. t.

Defn: See Bail, v. t., to lade.

BALE Bale, n. Etym: [AS. bealo, bealu, balu; akin to OS. , OHG. balo, Icel. böl, Goth. balweins.]

1. Misery; Let now your bliss be turned into bale. Spenser.

2. Evil; an evil, pernicious influence; something causing great injury. [Now chiefly poetic]

BALEARIC Bal`e*ar"ic, a. Etym: [L. Balearicus, fr. Gr. the Balearic Islands.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the isles of Majorca, Minorca, Ivica, etc., in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Valencia. Balearic crane. (Zoöl.) See Crane.

BALEEN Ba*leen", n. Etym: [F. baleine whale and whalibone, L. balaena a whale; cf. Gr. . ] (Zoöl. & Com.)

Defn: Plates or blades of "whalebone," from two to twelve feet long, and sometimes a foot wide, which in certain whales (Balænoidea) are attached side by side along the upper jaw, and form a fringelike sieve by which the food is retained in the mouth.

BALEFIRE Bale"fire`, n. Etym: [AS. b the fire of the b fire, flame (akin to Icel. bal, OSlav. b, white, Gr. bright, white, Skr. bhala brightness) + f, E. fire.]

Defn: A signal fire; an alarm fire. Sweet Teviot! on thy silver tide The glaring balefires blaze no more. Sir W. Scott.

BALEFUL Bale"ful, a. Etym: [AS. bealoful. See Bale misery.]

1. Full of deadly or pernicious influence; destructive. "Baleful enemies." Shak. Four infernal rivers that disgorge Into the burning lake their baleful streams. Milton.

2. Full of grief or sorrow; woeful; sad. [Archaic]

BALEFULLY Bale"ful*ly, adv.

Defn: In a baleful manner; perniciously.

BALEFULNESS Bale"ful*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being baleful.

BALISAUR Bal"i*sa`ur, n. Etym: [Hind.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A badgerlike animal of India (Arcionyx collaris).

BALISTER Bal"is*ter, n. Etym: [OF. balestre. See Ballista.]

Defn: A crossbow. [Obs.] Blount.

BALISTOID Bal"is*toid, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Like a fish of the genus Balistes; of the family Balistidæ. See Filefish.

BALISTRARIA Bal`is*tra"ri*a, n. Etym: [LL.] (Anc. Fort.)

Defn: A narrow opening, often cruciform, through which arrows might be discharged.

BALIZE Ba*lize", n. Etym: [F. balise; cf. Sp. balisa.]

Defn: A pole or a frame raised as a sea beacon or a landmark.

BALK Balk, n. Etym: [AS. balca beam, ridge; akin to Icel. balkr partition, bjalki beam, OS. balko, G. balken; cf. Gael. balc ridge of earth between two furrows. Cf. Balcony, Balk, v. i., 3d Bulk.]

1. A ridge of land left unplowed between furrows, or at the end of a field; a piece missed by the plow slipping aside. Bad plowmen made balks of such ground. Fuller.

2. A great beam, rafter, or timber; esp., the tie-beam of a house. The loft above was called "the balks." Tubs hanging in the balks. Chaucer.

3. (Mil.)

Defn: One of the beams connecting the successive supports of a trestle bridge or bateau bridge.

4. A hindrance or disappointment; a check. A balk to the confidence of the bold undertaker. South.

5. A sudden and obstinate stop; a failure.

6. (Baseball)

Defn: A deceptive gesture of the pitcher, as if to deliver the ball. Balk line (Billiards), a line across a billiard table near one end, marking a limit within which the cue balls are placed in beginning a game; also, a line around the table, parallel to the sides, used in playing a particular game, called the balk line game.

BALK Balk, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Balked (p. pr. & vb. n. Balking.] Etym: [From Balk a beam; orig. to put a balk or beam in one's way, in order to stop or hinder. Cf., for sense 2, AS. on balcan legan to lay in heaps.]

1. To leave or make balks in. [Obs.] Gower.

2. To leave heaped up; to heap up in piles. [Obs.] Ten thousand bold Scots, two and twenty knights, Balk'd in their own blood did Sir Walter see. Shak.

3. To omit, miss, or overlook by chance. [Obs.]

4. To miss intentionally; to avoid; to shun; to refuse; to let go by; to shirk. [Obs. or Obsolescent] By reason of the contagion then in London, we balked the Evelyn. Sick he is, and keeps his bed, and balks his meat. Bp. Hall. Nor doth he any creature balk, But lays on all he meeteth. Drayton.

5. To disappoint; to frustrate; to foil; to baffle; to as, to balk expectation. They shall not balk my entrance. Byron.

BALK Balk, v. i.

1. To engage in contradiction; to be in opposition. [Obs.] In strifeful terms with him to balk. Spenser.

2. To stop abruptly and stand still obstinately; to jib; to stop short; to swerve; as, the horse balks.

Note: This has been regarded as an Americanism, but it occurs in Spenser's "Faërie Queene," Book IV., 10, xxv. Ne ever ought but of their true loves talkt, Ne ever for rebuke or blame of any balkt.

BALK Balk, v. i. Etym: [Prob. from D. balken to bray, bawl.]

Defn: To indicate to fishermen, by shouts or signals from shore, the direction taken by the shoals of herring.

BALKER Balk"er, n. Etym: [See 2d Balk.]

Defn: One who, or that which balks.

BALKER Balk"er, n. Etym: [See last Balk.]

Defn: A person who stands on a rock or eminence to espy the shoals of herring, etc., and to give notice to the men in boats which way they pass; a conder; a huer.

BALKINGLY Balk"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In manner to balk or frustrate.

BALKISH Balk"ish, a.

Defn: Uneven; ridgy. [R.] Holinshed.

BALKY Balk"y, a.

Defn: Apt to balk; as, a balky horse.

BALL Ball, n. Etym: [OE. bal, balle; akin to OHG. balla, palla, G. ball, Icel. böllr, ball; cf. F. balle. Cf. 1st Bale, n., Pallmall.]

1. Any round or roundish body or mass; a sphere or globe; as, a ball of twine; a ball of snow.

2. A spherical body of any substance or size used to play with, as by throwing, knocking, kicking, etc.

3. A general name for games in which a ball is thrown, kicked, or knocked. See Baseball, and Football.

4. Any solid spherical, cylindrical, or conical projectile of lead or iron, to be discharged from a firearm; as, a cannon ball; a rifball; -- often used collectively; as, powder and ball. Spherical balls for the smaller firearms are commonly called bullets.

5. (Pirotechnics & Mil.)

Defn: A flaming, roundish body shot into the air; a case filled with combustibles intended to burst and give light or set fire, or to produce smoke or stench; as, a fire ball; a stink ball.

6. (Print.)

Defn: A leather-covered cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock; -- formerly used by printers for inking the form, but now superseded by the roller.

7. A roundish protuberant portion of some part of the body; as, the ball of the thumb; the ball of the foot.

8. (Far.)

Defn: A large pill, a form in which medicine is commonly given to horses; a bolus. White.

9. The globe or earth. Pope. Move round the dark terrestrial ball. Addison. Ball and socket joint, a joint in which a ball moves within a socket, so as to admit of motion in every direction within certain limits. -- Ball bearings, a mechanical device for lessening the friction of axle bearings by means of small loose metal balls. -- Ball cartridge, a cartridge containing a ball, as distinguished from a blank cartridge, containing only powder. -- Ball cock, a faucet or valve which is opened or closed by the fall or rise of a ball floating in water at the end of a lever. -- Ball gudgeon, a pivot of a spherical form, which permits lateral deflection of the arbor or shaft, while retaining the pivot in its socket. Knight. -- Ball lever, the lever used in a ball cock. -- Ball of the eye, the eye itself, as distinguished from its lids and socket; -- formerly, the pupil of the eye. -- Ball valve (Mach.), a contrivance by which a ball, placed in a circular cup with a hole in its bottom, operates as a valve. -- Ball vein (Mining), a sort of iron ore, found in loose masses of a globular form, containing sparkling particles. -- Three balls, or Three golden balls, a pawnbroker's sign or shop.

Syn. -- See Globe.

BALL Ball, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Balled (p. pr. & vb. n. Balling.]

Defn: To gather balls which cling to the feet, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into balls; as, the horse balls; the snow balls.

BALL Ball, v. t.

1. (Metal.)

Defn: To heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling.

2. To form or wind into a ball; as, to ball cotton.

BALL Ball, n. Etym: [F. bal, fr. OF. baler to dance, fr. LL. ballare. Of uncertain origin; cf. Gr. to toss or throw, or , , to leap, bound, to dance, jump about; or cf. 1st Ball, n.]

Defn: A social assembly for the purpose of dancing.

BALLAD Bal"lad, n. Etym: [OE. balade, OF. balade, F. ballade, fr. Pr. ballada a dancing song, fr. ballare to dance; cf. It. ballata. See 2d Ball, n., and Ballet.]

Defn: A popular kind of narrative poem, adapted for recitation or singing; as, the ballad of Chevy Chase; esp., a sentimental or romantic poem in short stanzas.

BALLAD Bal"lad, v. i.

Defn: To make or sing ballads. [Obs.]

BALLAD Bal"lad, v. t.

Defn: To make mention of in ballads. [Obs.]

BALLADE Bal*lade", n. Etym: [See Ballad, n.]

Defn: A form of French versification, sometimes imitated in English, in which three or four rhymes recur through three stanzas of eight or ten lines each, the stanzas concluding with a refrain, and the whole poem with an envoy.

BALLADER Bal"lad*er, n.

Defn: A writer of ballads.

BALLAD MONGER Bal"lad mon`ger. Etym: [See Monger.]

Defn: A seller or maker of ballads; a poetaster. Shak.

BALLADRY Bal"lad*ry, n. Etym: [From Ballad, n. ]

Defn: Ballad poems; the subject or style of ballads. "Base balladry is so beloved." Drayton.

BALLAHOO; BALLAHOU Bal"la*hoo, Bal"la*hou, n.

Defn: A fast-sailing schooner, used in the Bermudas and West Indies.

BALLARAG Bal"la*rag, v. i. Etym: [Corrupted fr. bullirag.]

Defn: To bully; to threaten. [Low] T. Warton.

BALLAST Bal"last, n. Etym: [D. ballast; akin to Dan. baglast, ballast, OSw. barlast, Sw. ballast. The first part is perh. the same word as E. bare, adj.; the second is last a burden, and hence the meaning a bare, or mere, load. See Bare, a., and Last load.]

1. (Naut.)

Defn: Any heavy substance, as stone, iron, etc., put into the hold to sink a vessel in the water to such a depth as to prevent capsizing.

2. Any heavy matter put into the car of a balloon to give it steadiness.

3. Gravel, broken stone, etc., laid in the bed of a railroad to make it firm and solid.

4. The larger solids, as broken stone or gravel, used in making concrete.

5. Fig.: That which gives, or helps to maintain, uprightness, steadiness, and security. It [piety] is the right ballast of prosperity. Barrow. Ballast engine, a steam engine used in excavating and for digging and raising stones and gravel for ballast. -- Ship in ballast, a ship carring only ballast.

BALLAST Bal"last, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Ballasted; p. pr. & vb. n. Ballasting.]

1. To steady, as a vessel, by putting heavy substances in the hold.

2. To fill in, as the bed of a railroad, with gravel, stone, etc., in order to make it firm and solid.

3. To keep steady; to steady, morally. 'T is charity must ballast the heart. Hammond.

BALLASTAGE Bal"last*age, n. (Law)

Defn: A toll paid for the privilege of taking up ballast in a port or harbor.

BALLASTING Bal"last*ing, n.

Defn: That which is used for steadying anything; ballast.

BALLATRY Bal"la*try, n.

Defn: See Balladry. [Obs.] Milton.

BALLET Bal"let`, n. Etym: [F., a dim. of bal dance. See 2d Ball, n.]

1. An artistic dance performed as a theatrical entertainment, or an interlude, by a number of persons, usually women. Sometimes, a scene accompanied by pantomime and dancing.

2. The company of persons who perform the ballet.

3. (Mus.)

Defn: A light part song, or madrigal, with a fa la burden or chorus, -- most common with the Elizabethan madrigal composers.

4. (Her.)

Defn: A bearing in coats of arms, representing one or more balls, which are denominated bezants, plates, etc., according to color.

BALL-FLOWER Ball"-flow`er, n. (Arch.)

Defn: An ornament resembling a ball placed in a circular flower, the petals of which form a cup round it, -- usually inserted in a hollow molding.

BALLISTA Bal*lis"ta, n.; pl. Ballist. Etym: [L. ballista, balista, fr. Gr. to throw.]

Defn: An ancient military engine, in the form of a crossbow, used for hurling large missiles.

BALLISTER Bal"lis*ter, n. Etym: [L. ballista. Cf. Balister.]

Defn: A crossbow. [Obs.]

BALLISTIC Bal*lis"tic, a.

1. Of or pertaining to the ballista, or to the art of hurling stones or missile weapons by means of an engine.

2. Pertaining to projection, or to a projectile. Ballistic pendulum, an instrument consisting of a mass of wood or other material suspended as a pendulum, for measuring the force and velocity of projectiles by means of the arc through which their impact impels it.

BALLISTICS Bal*lis"tics, n. Etym: [Cf. F. balistique. See Ballista.]

Defn: The science or art of hurling missile weapons by the use of an engine. Whewell.

BALLISTITE Bal"lis*tite, n. [See Ballista.] (Chem.)

Defn: A smokeless powder containing equal parts of soluble nitrocellulose and nitroglycerin.

BALLIUM Bal"li*um, n. Etym: [LL.]

Defn: See Bailey.

BALLOON Bal*loon", n. Etym: [F. ballon, aug. of balle ball: cf. It. ballone. See 1st Ball, n., and cf. Pallone.]

1. A bag made of silk or other light material, and filled with hydrogen gas or heated air, so as to rise and float in the atmosphere; especially, one with a car attached for aërial navigation.

2. (Arch.)

Defn: A ball or globe on the top of a pillar, church, etc., as at St. Paul's, in London. [R.]

3. (Chem.)

Defn: A round vessel, usually with a short neck, to hold or receive whatever is distilled; a glass vessel of a spherical form.

4. (Pyrotechnics)

Defn: A bomb or shell. [Obs.]

5. A game played with a large inf [Obs.]

6. (Engraving)

Defn: The outline inclosing words represented as coming from the mouth of a pictured figure. Air balloon, a balloon for aërial navigation. -- Balloon frame (Carp.), a house frame constructed altogether of small timber. -- Balloon net, a variety of woven lace in which the weft threads are twisted in a peculiar manner around the warp.

BALLOON Bal*loon", v. t.

Defn: To take up in, or as if in, a balloon.

BALLOON Bal*loon", v. i.

1. To go up or voyage in a balloon.

2. To expand, or puff out, like a balloon.

BALLOONED Bal*looned", a.

Defn: Swelled out like a balloon.

BALLOONER Bal*loon"er, n.

Defn: One who goes up in a balloon; an aëronaut.

BALLOON FISH Bal*loon" fish`. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A fish of the genus Diodon or the genus Tetraodon, having the power of distending its body by taking air or water into its dilatable esophagus. See Globefish, and Bur fish.

BALLOONING Bal*loon"ing, n.

1. The art or practice of managing balloons or voyaging in them.

2. (Stock Exchange)

Defn: The process of temporarily raising the value of a stock, as by fictitious sales. [U.S.]

BALLOONING SPIDER Bal*loon"ing spi"der. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A spider which has the habit of rising into the air. Many kinds ( esp. species of Lycosa) do this while young by ejecting threads of silk until the force of the wind upon them carries the spider aloft.

BALLOONIST Bal*loon"ist, n.

Defn: An aëronaut.

BALLOONRY Bal*loon"ry, n.

Defn: The art or practice of ascending in a balloon; aëronautics.

BALLOT Bal"lot, n. Etym: [F. ballotte, fr. It. ballotta. See Ball round body.]

1. Originally, a ball used for secret voting. Hence: Any printed or written ticket used in voting.

2. The act of voting by balls or written or printed ballots or tickets; the system of voting secretly by balls or by tickets. The insufficiency of the ballot. Dickens.

3. The whole number of votes cast at an election, or in a given territory or electoral district. Ballot box, a box for receiving ballots.

BALLOT Bal"lot, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Balloted; p. pr. & vb. n. Balloting.] Etym: [F. ballotter to toss, to ballot, or It. ballottare. See Ballot, n.]

Defn: To vote or decide by ballot; as, to ballot for a candidate.

BALLOT Bal"lot, v. t.

Defn: To vote for or in opposition to. None of the competitors arriving to a sufficient number of balls, they fell to ballot some others. Sir H. Wotton.

BALLOTADE Bal"lo*tade`, n. Etym: [F. ballottade, fr. ballotter to toss. See Ballot, v. i.] (Man.)

Defn: A leap of a horse, as between two pillars, or upon a straight line, so that when his four feet are in the air, he shows only the shoes of his hind feet, without jerking out.

BALLOTAGE Bal"lot*age, n. [F. ballottage.]

Defn: In France, a second ballot taken after an indecisive first ballot to decide between two or several candidates.

BALLOTATION Bal`lo*ta"tion, n.

Defn: Voting by ballot. [Obs.] Sir H. Wotton.

BALLOTER Bal"lot*er, n.

Defn: One who votes by ballot.

BALLOTIN Bal"lo*tin, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: An officer who has charge of a ballot box. [Obs.] Harrington.

BALLOW Bal"low, n.

Defn: A cudgel. [Obs.] Shak.

BALLPROOF Ball"proof`, a.

Defn: Incapable of being penetrated by balls from firearms.

BALLROOM Ball"room` (, n.

Defn: A room for balls or dancing.

BALM Balm, n. Etym: [OE. baume, OF. bausme, basme, F. baume, L. balsamum balsam, from Gr. ; perhaps of Semitic origin; cf. Heb. basam. Cf. Balsam.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: An aromatic plant of the genus Melissa.

2. The resinous and aromatic exudation of certain trees or shrubs. Dryden.

3. Any fragrant ointment. Shak.

4. Anything that heals or that mitigates pain. "Balm for each ill." Mrs. Hemans. Balm cricket (Zoöl.), the European cicada. Tennyson. -- Balm of Gilead (Bot.), a small evergreen African and Asiatic tree of the terebinthine family (Balsamodendron Gileadense). Its leaves yield, when bruised, a strong aromatic scent; and from this tree is obtained the balm of Gilead of the shops, or balsam of Mecca. This has a yellowish or greenish color, a warm, bitterish, aromatic taste, and a fragrant smell. It is valued as an unguent and cosmetic by the Turks. The fragrant herb Dracocephalum Canariense is familiarly called balm of Gilead, and so are the American trees, Populus balsamifera, variety candicans (balsam poplar), and Abies balsamea (balsam fir).

BALM Balm, v. i.

Defn: To anoint with balm, or with anything medicinal. Hence: To soothe; to mitigate. [Archaic] Shak.

BALMIFY Balm"i*fy, v. t. Etym: [Balm + -fy.]

Defn: To render balmy. [Obs.] Cheyne.

BALMILY Balm"i*ly, adv.

Defn: In a balmy manner. Coleridge.

BALMORAL Bal*mor"al, n. Etym: [From Balmoral Castle, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.]

1. A long woolen petticoat, worn immediately under the dress.

2. A kind of stout walking shoe, laced in front. A man who uses his balmorals to tread on your toes. George Eliot.

BALMY Balm"y, a.

1. Having the qualities of balm; odoriferous; aromatic; assuaging; soothing; refreshing; mild. "The balmy breeze." Tickell. Tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep ! Young.

2. Producing balm. "The balmy tree." Pope.

Syn. -- Fragrant; sweet-scented; odorous; spicy.

BALNEAL Bal"ne*al, a. Etym: [L. balneum bath.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to a bath. Howell.

BALNEARY Bal"ne*a*ry, n. Etym: [L. balnearium, fr. balneum bath.]

Defn: A bathing room. Sir T. Browne.

BALNEATION Bal`ne*a"tion, n. Etym: [LL. balneare to bathe, fr. L. balneum bath.]

Defn: The act of bathing. [R.]

BALNEATORY Bal"ne*a*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. balneatorius.]

Defn: Belonging to a bath. [Obs.]

BALNEOGRAPHY Bal`ne*og"ra*phy, n. Etym: [L. balneum bath + -graphy.]

Defn: A description of baths.

BALNEOLOGY Bal`ne*ol"o*gy, n. Etym: [L. balneum bath + -logy.]

Defn: A treatise on baths; the science of bathing.

BALNEOTHERAPY Bal`ne*o*ther"a*py, n. Etym: [L. balneum bath + Gr. to heal.]

Defn: The treatment of disease by baths.

BALOPTICON Bal*op"ti*con, n. [Gr. to throw + stereopticon.]

Defn: See Projector, below.

BALOTADE Bal"o*tade`, n.

Defn: See Ballotade.

BALSA Bal"sa, n. Etym: [Sp. or Pg. balsa.] (Naut.)

Defn: A raft or float, used principally on the Pacific coast of South America.

BALSAM Bal"sam, n. Etym: [L. balsamum the balsam tree or its resin, Gr. . See Balm, n.]

1. A resin containing more or less of an essential or volatile oil.

Note: The balsams are aromatic resinous substances, flowing spontaneously or by incision from certain plants. A great variety of substances pass under this name, but the term is now usually restricted to resins which, in addition to a volatile oil, contain benzoic and cinnamic acid. Among the true balsams are the balm of Gilead, and the balsams of copaiba, Peru, and Tolu. There are also many pharmaceutical preparations and resinous substances, possessed of a balsamic smell, to which the name balsam has been given.

2. (Bot.) (a) A species of tree (Abies balsamea). (b) An annual garden plant (Impatiens balsamina) with beautiful flowers; balsamine.

3. Anything that heals, soothes, or restores. Was not the people's blessing a balsam to thy blood Tennyson. Balsam apple (Bot.), an East Indian plant ( Momordica balsamina), of the gourd family, with red or orange-yellow cucumber-shaped fruit of the size of a walnut, used as a vulnerary, and in liniments and poultices. -- Balsam fir (Bot.), the American coniferous tree, Abies balsamea, from which the useful Canada balsam is derived. -- Balsam of copaiba. See Copaiba. -- Balsam of Mecca, balm of Gilead. -- Balsam of Peru, a reddish brown, syrupy balsam, obtained from a Central American tree ( Myroxylon Pereiræ and used as a stomachic and expectorant, and in the treatment of ulcers, etc. It was long supposed to be a product of Peru. -- Balsam of Tolu, a reddish or yellowish brown semisolid or solid balsam, obtained from a South American tree ( Myxoxylon toluiferum.). It is highly fragrant, and is used as a stomachic and expectorant. -- Balsam tree, any tree from which balsam is obtained, esp. the Abies balsamea. -- Canada balsam, Balsam of fir, Canada turpentine, a yellowish, viscid liquid, which, by time and exposure, becomes a transparent solid mass. It is obtained from the balm of Gilead (or balsam) fir (Abies balsamea) by breaking the vesicles upon the trunk and branches. See Balm.

BALSAM Bal"sam, v. t.

Defn: To treat or anoint with balsam; to relieve, as with balsam; to render balsamic.

BALSAMATION Bal`sam*a"tion, n.

1. The act of imparting balsamic properties.

2. The art or process of embalming.

BALSAMIC; BALSAMICAL Bal*sam"ic, Bal*sam"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. balsamique.]

Defn: Having the qualities of balsam; containing, or resembling, balsam; soft; mitigative; soothing; restorative.

BALSAMIFEROUS Bal`sam*if"er*ous, a. Etym: [Balsam + -ferous.]

Defn: Producing balsam.

BALSAMINE Bal"sam*ine, n. Etym: [Cf. F. balsamine, fr. Gr. balsam plant.] (Bot.)

Defn: The Impatiens balsamina, or garden balsam.

BALSAMOUS Bal"sam*ous, a.

Defn: Having the quality of balsam; containing balsam. "A balsamous substance." Sterne.

BALTER Bal"ter, v. t. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain. Cf. Bloodboltered.]

Defn: To stick together.[Obs.] Holland.

BALTIC Bal"tic, a. Etym: [NL. mare Balticum, fr. L. balteus belt, from certain straits or channels surrounding its isles, called belts. See Belt.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the sea which separates Norway and Sweden from Jutland, Denmark, and Germany; situated on the Baltic Sea.

BALTIMORE BIRD; BALTIMORE ORIOLE Bal"ti*more bird`. Bal"ti*more o"ri*ole. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A common American bird (Icterus galbula), named after Lord Baltimore, because its colors (black and orange red) are like those of his coat of arms; -- called also golden robin.