Chapter XXXVII: Appendix: Vermiformis (16)

Syn. -- Dishonorable; worthless; ignoble; low-minded; infamous; sordid; degraded. -- Base, Vile, Mean. These words, as expressing moral qualities, are here arranged in the order of their strength, the strongest being placed first. Base marks a high degree of moral turpitude; vile and mean denote, in different degrees, the want of what is valuable or worthy of esteem. What is base excites our abhorrence; what is vile provokes our disgust or indignation; what is mean awakens contempt. Base is opposed to high-minded; vile, to noble; mean, to liberal or generous. Ingratitude is base; sycophancy is vile; undue compliances are mean.

BASE Base, n. Etym: [F. base, L. basis, fr. Gr. a stepping step, a base, pedestal, fr. to go, step, akin to E. come. Cf. Basis, and see Come.]

1. The bottom of anything, considered as its support, or that on which something rests for support; the foundation; as, the base of a statue. "The base of mighty mountains." Prescott.

2. Fig.: The fundamental or essential part of a thing; the essential principle; a groundwork.

3. (Arch.) (a) The lower part of a wall, pier, or column, when treated as a separate feature, usually in projection, or especially ornamented. (b) The lower part of a complete architectural design, as of a monument; also, the lower part of any elaborate piece of furniture or decoration.

4. (Bot.)

Defn: That extremity of a leaf, fruit, etc., at which it is attached to its support.

5. (Chem.)

Defn: The positive, or non-acid component of a salt; a substance which, combined with an acid, neutralizes the latter and forms a salt; -- applied also to the hydroxides of the positive elements or radicals, and to certain organic bodies resembling them in their property of forming salts with acids.

6. (Pharmacy)

Defn: The chief ingredient in a compound.

7. (Dyeing)

Defn: A substance used as a mordant. Ure.

8. (Fort.)

Defn: The exterior side of the polygon, or that imaginary line which connects the salient angles of two adjacent bastions.

9. (Geom.)

Defn: The line or surface constituting that part of a figure on which it is supposed to stand.

10. (Math.)

Defn: The number from which a mathematical table is constructed; as, the base of a system of logarithms.

11. Etym: [See Base low.]

Defn: A low, or deep, sound. (Mus.) (a) The lowest part; the deepest male voice. (b) One who sings, or the instrument which plays, base. [Now commonly written bass.] The trebles squeak for fear, the bases roar. Dryden.

12. (Mil.)

Defn: A place or tract of country, protected by fortifications, or by natural advantages, from which the operations of an army proceed, forward movements are made, supplies are furnished, etc.

13. (Mil.)

Defn: The smallest kind of cannon. [Obs.]

14. (Zoöl.)

Defn: That part of an organ by which it is attached to another more central organ.

15. (Crystallog.)

Defn: The basal plane of a crystal.

16. (Geol.)

Defn: The ground mass of a rock, especially if not distinctly crystalline.

17. (Her.)

Defn: The lower part of the field. See Escutcheon.

18. The housing of a horse. [Obs.]

19. pl.

Defn: A kind of skirt ( often of velvet or brocade, but sometimes of mailed armor) which hung from the middle to about the knees, or lower. [Obs.]

20. The lower part of a robe or petticoat. [Obs.]

21. An apron. [Obs.] "Bakers in their linen bases." Marston.

22. The point or line from which a start is made; a starting place or a goal in various games. To their appointed base they went. Dryden.

23. (Surv.)

Defn: A line in a survey which, being accurately determined in length and position, serves as the origin from which to compute the distances and positions of any points or objects connected with it by a system of triangles. Lyman.

24. A rustic play; -- called also prisoner's base, prison base, or bars. "To run the country base." Shak.

25. (Baseball)

Defn: Any one of the four bounds which mark the circuit of the infield. Altern base. See under Altern. -- Attic base. (Arch.) See under Attic. -- Base course. (Arch.) (a) The first or lower course of a foundation wall, made of large stones of a mass of concrete; -- called also foundation course. (b) The architectural member forming the transition between the basement and the wall above. -- Base hit (Baseball), a hit, by which the batsman, without any error on the part of his opponents, is able to reach the first base without being put out. -- Base line. (a) A main line taken as a base, as in surveying or in military operations. (b) A line traced round a cannon at the rear of the vent. -- Base plate, the foundation plate of heavy machinery, as of the steam engine; the bed plate. -- Base ring (Ordnance), a projecting band of metal around the breech, connected with the body of the gun by a concave molding. H. L. Scott.

BASE Base, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Based (p. pr. & vb. n. Basing.] Etym: [From Base, n.]

Defn: To put on a base or basis; to lay the foundation of; to found, as an argument or conclusion; -- used with on or upon. Bacon.

BASE Base, v. t. Etym: [See Base, a., and cf. Abase.]

1. To abase; to let, or cast, down; to lower. [Obs.] If any . . . based his pike. Sir T. North.

2. To reduce the value of; to debase. [Obs.] Metals which we can not base. Bacon.

BASEBALL Base"ball", n.

1. A game of ball, so called from the bases or bounds ( four in number) which designate the circuit which each player must endeavor to make after striking the ball.

2. The ball used in this game.

BASEBOARD Base"board, n. (Arch.)

Defn: A board, or other woodwork, carried round the walls of a room and touching the floor, to form a base and protect the plastering; -- also called washboard (in England), mopboard, and scrubboard.

BASEBORN Base"born`, a.

1. Born out of wedlock. Gay.

2. Born of low parentage.

3. Vile; mean. "Thy baseborn heart." Shak.

BASE-BURNER Base"-burn`er, n.

Defn: A furnace or stove in which the fuel is contained in a hopper or chamber, and is fed to the fire as the lower stratum is consumed.

BASE-COURT Base"-court`, n. Etym: [F. basse-cour. See Base, a., and Court, n.]

1. The secondary, inferior, or rear courtyard of a large house; the outer court of a castle.

2. (Law)

Defn: An inferior court of law, not of record.

BASED Based, p. p. & a.

1. Having a base, or having as a base; supported; as, broad-based.

2. Etym: [See Base, n., 18-21.]

Defn: Wearing, or protected by, bases. [Obs.] "Based in lawny velvet." E. Hall.

BASEDOW'S DISEASE Ba"se*dow's dis*ease". Etym: [Named for Dr. Basedow, a German physician.] (Med.)

Defn: A disease characterized by enlargement of the thyroid gland, prominence of the eyeballs, and inordinate action of the heart; -- called also exophthalmic goiter. Flint.

BASELARD Bas"e*lard, n. Etym: [OF. baselarde, LL. basillardus.]

Defn: A short sword or dagger, worn in the fifteenth century. [Written also baslard.] Fairholt.

BASELESS Base"less, a.

Defn: Without a base; having no foundation or support. "The baseless fabric of this vision." Shak.

BASELY Base"ly, adv.

1. In a base manner; with despicable meanness; dishonorably; shamefully.

2. Illegitimately; in bastardy. [Archaic] Knolles.

BASEMENT Base"ment, n. Etym: [F. soubassement. Of uncertain origin. Cf. Base, a., Bastion.] (Arch.)

Defn: The outer wall of the ground story of a building, or of a part of that story, when treated as a distinct substructure. ( See Base, n., 3 (a).) Hence: The rooms of a ground floor, collectively. Basement membrane (Anat.), a delicate membrane composed of a single layer of flat cells, forming the substratum upon which, in many organs, the epithelioid cells are disposed.

BASENESS Base"ness, n.

Defn: The quality or condition of being base; degradation; vileness. I once did hold it a baseness to write fair. Shak.

BASENET Bas"e*net, n.

Defn: See Bascinet. [Obs.]

BASE VIOL Base" vi`ol.

Defn: See Bass viol.

BASH Bash, v. t. & i. Etym: [OE. baschen, baissen. See Abash.]

Defn: To abash; to disconcert or be disconcerted or put out of countenance. [Obs.] His countenance was bold and bashed not. Spenser.

BASHAW Ba*shaw", n. Etym: [See Pasha.]

1. A Turkish title of honor, now written pasha. See Pasha.

2. Fig.: A magnate or grandee.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A very large siluroid fish (Leptops olivaris) of the Mississippi valley; -- also called goujon, mud cat, and yellow cat.

BASHFUL Bash"ful, a. Etym: [See Bash.]

1. Abashed; daunted; dismayed. [Obs.]

2. Very modest, or modest excess; constitutionally disposed to shrink from public notice; indicating extreme or excessive modesty; shy; as, a bashful person, action, expression.

Syn. -- Diffident; retiring; reserved; shamefaced; sheepish.

BASHFULLY Bash"ful*ly, adv.

Defn: In a bashful manner.

BASHFULNESS Bash"ful*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being bashful.

Syn. -- Bashfulness, Modesty, Diffidence, Shyness. Modesty arises from a low estimate of ourselves; bashfulness is an abashment or agitation of the spirits at coming into contact with others; diffidence is produced by an undue degree of self-distrust; shyness usually arises from an excessive self-consciousness, and a painful impression that every one is looking at us. Modesty of deportment is becoming at all; bashfulness often gives rise to mistakes and blundering; diffidence is society frequently makes a man a burden to himself; shyness usually produces a reserve or distance which is often mistaken for haughtiness.

BASHI-BAZOUK Bash"i-ba*zouk", n. Etym: [Turkish, light-headed, a foolish fellow.]

Defn: A soldier belonging to the irregular troops of the Turkish army.

BASHLESS Bash"less, a.

Defn: Shameless; unblushing. [Obs.] Spenser.

BASHYLE Bas"hyle, n. (Chem.)

Defn: See Basyle.

BASI- Ba"si-.

Defn: A combining form, especially in anatomical and botanical words, to indicate the base or position at or near a base; forming a base; as, basibranchials, the most ventral of the cartilages or bones of the branchial arches; basicranial, situated at the base of the cranium; basifacial, basitemporal, etc.

BASIC Ba"sic, a.

1. (Chem.) (a) Relating to a base; performing the office of a base in a salt. (b) Having the base in excess, or the amount of the base atomically greater than that of the acid, or exceeding in proportion that of the related neutral salt. (c) Apparently alkaline, as certain normal salts which exhibit alkaline reactions with test paper.

2. (Min.)

Defn: Said of crystalline rocks which contain a relatively low percentage of silica, as basalt. Basic salt (Chem.), a salt formed from a base or hydroxide by the partial replacement of its hydrogen by a negative or acid element or radical.

BASICERITE Ba*sic"er*ite, n. Etym: [Basi- + Gr. horn, antenna.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The second joint of the antennæ of crustaceans.

BASICITY Ba*sic"i*ty, n. (Chem.) (a) The quality or state of being a base. (b) The power of an acid to unite with one or more atoms or equivalents of a base, as indicated by the number of replaceable hydrogen atoms contained in the acid.

BASIC PROCESS Ba"sic proc"ess. (Iron Metal.)

Defn: A Bessemer or open-hearth steel-making process in which a lining that is basic, or not siliceous, is used, and additions of basic material are made to the molten charge during treatment. Opposed to acid process, above. Called also Thomas process.

BASIC SLAG Basic slag.

Defn: A by-product from the manufacture of steel by the basic process, used as a fertilizer. It is rich in lime and contains 14 to 20 per cent of phosphoric acid. Called also Thomas slag, phosphatic slag, and odorless phosphate.

BASIC STEEL Basic steel.

Defn: Steel produced by the basic process.

BASIDIOMYCETES Ba*sid`i*o*my*ce"tes, n. pl. [NL., fr. NL. & E. basidium + Gr. , , fungus.] (Bot.)

Defn: A large subdivision of fungi coördinate with the Ascomycetes, characterized by having the spores borne on a basidium. It embraces those fungi best known to the public, such as mushrooms, toadstools, etc.

BASIDIOSPORE Ba*sid"i*o*spore, n. Etym: [Basidium + spore.] (Bot.)

Defn: A spore borne by a basidium. -- Ba*sid`i*o*spor"ous (, a.

BASIDIUM Ba*sid"i*um, n. Etym: [NL., dim. of Gr. base.] (Bot.)

Defn: A special oblong or pyriform cell, with slender branches, which bears the spores in that division of fungi called Basidiomycetes, of which the common mushroom is an example.

BASIFIER Ba"si*fi`er, n. (Chem.)

Defn: That which converts into a salifiable base.

BASIFUGAL Ba*sif"u*gal, a. Etym: [Base,n.+ L. fugere to flee.] (Bot.)

Defn: Tending or proceeding away from the base; as, a basifugal growth.

BASIFY Ba"si*fy, v. t. Etym: [Base + -fy.] (Chem.)

Defn: To convert into a salifiable base.

BASIGYNIUM Ba`si*gyn"i*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. base + woman.] (Bot.)

Defn: The pedicel on which the ovary of certain flowers, as the passion flower, is seated; a carpophore or thecaphore.

BASIHYAL Ba`si*hy"al, a. Etym: [Basi- + Gr. (Anat.)

Defn: Noting two small bones, forming the body of the inverted hyoid arch.

BASIHYOID Ba`si*hy"oid, n. Etym: [Basi- + hyoid.] (Anat.)

Defn: The central tongue bone.

BASIL Bas"il, n. Etym: [Cf. F. basile and E. Bezel.]

Defn: The slope or angle to which the cutting edge of a tool, as a plane, is ground. Grier.

BASIL Bas"il, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Basiled (p. pr. & vb. n. Basiling.]

Defn: To grind or form the edge of to an angle. Moxon.

BASIL Bas"il, n. Etym: [F. basilic, fr. L. badilicus royal, Gr. , fr. king.] (Bot.)

Defn: The name given to several aromatic herbs of the Mint family, but chiefly to the common or sweet basil (Ocymum basilicum), and the bush basil, or lesser basil (O. minimum), the leaves of which are used in cookery. The name is also given to several kinds of mountain mint (Pycnanthemum). Basil thyme, a name given to the fragrant herbs Calamintha Acinos and C. Nepeta. -- Wild basil, a plant (Calamintha clinopodium) of the Mint family.

BASIL Bas"il, n. Etym: [Corrupt. from E. basan, F. basane, LL. basanium, bazana, fr. Ar. bithana, prop., lining.]

Defn: The skin of a sheep tanned with bark.

BASILAR; BASILARY Bas"i*lar, Bas"i*la*ry, a. Etym: [F. basilaire, fr. L. basis. See Base, n.]

1. Relating to, or situated at, the base.

2. Lower; inferior; applied to impulses or springs of action. [R.] "Basilar instincts." H. W. Beecher.

BASILIC Ba*sil"ic, n. Etym: [F. basilique.]

Defn: Basilica.

BASILIC; BASILICAL Ba*sil"ic, Ba*sil"ic*al, a. Etym: [See Basilica.]

1. Royal; kingly; also, basilican.

2. (Anat.)

Defn: Pertaining to certain parts, anciently supposed to have a specially important function in the animal economy, as the middle vein of the right arm.

BASILICA Ba*sil"i*ca, n.; pl. Basilicas; sometimes Basilic. Etym: [L. basilica, Gr. ( sc. , or ) fr. royal, fr. .]

Defn: Originally, the place of a king; but afterward, an apartment provided in the houses of persons of importance, where assemblies were held for dispensing justice; and hence, any large hall used for this purpose.

2. (Arch.) (a) A building used by the Romans as a place of public meeting, with court rooms, etc., attached. (b) A church building of the earlier centuries of Christianity, the plan of which was taken from the basilica of the Romans. The name is still applied to some churches by way of honorary distinction.

BASILICA Ba*sil"i*ca, n.

Defn: A digest of the laws of Justinian, translated from the original Latin into Greek, by order of Basil I., in the ninth century. P. Cyc.

BASILICAN Ba*sil"i*can, a.

Defn: Of, relating to, or resembling, a basilica; basilical. There can be no doubt that the first churches in Constantinople were in the basilican form. Milman.

BASILICOK Ba*sil"i*cok, n. Etym: [OF. basilicoc.]

Defn: The basilisk. [Obs.] Chaucer

BASILICON Ba*sil"i*con, n. Etym: [L. basilicon, Gr. , neut. of : cf. F. basilicon. See Basilica.] (Med.)

Defn: An ointment composed of wax, pitch, resin, and olive oil, lard, or other fatty substance.

BASILISK Bas"i*lisk, n. Etym: [L. basiliscus, Gr. little king, kind of serpent, dim. of king; -- so named from some prominences on the head resembling a crown.]

1. A fabulous serpent, or dragon. The ancients alleged that its hissing would drive away all other serpents, and that its breath, and even its look, was fatal. See Cockatrice. Make me not sighted like the basilisk. Shak.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A lizard of the genus Basiliscus, belonging to the family Iguanidæ.

Note: This genus is remarkable for a membranous bag rising above the occiput, which can be filled with air at pleasure; also for an elevated crest along the back, that can be raised or depressed at will.

3. (Mil.)

Defn: A large piece of ordnance, so called from its supposed resemblance to the serpent of that name, or from its size. [Obs.]

BASIN Ba"sin, n. Etym: [OF. bacin, F. bassin, LL. bacchinus, fr. bacca a water vessel, fr. L. bacca berry, in allusion to the round shape; or perh. fr. Celtic. Cf. Bac.]

1. A hollow vessel or dish, to hold water for washing, and for various other uses.

2. The quantity contained in a basin.

3. A hollow vessel, of various forms and materials, used in the arts or manufactures, as that used by glass grinders for forming concave glasses, by hatters for molding a hat into shape, etc.

4. A hollow place containing water, as a pond, a dock for ships, a little bay.

5. (Physical Geog.) (a) A circular or oval valley, or depression of the surface of the ground, the lowest part of which is generally occupied by a lake, or traversed by a river. (b) The entire tract of country drained by a river, or sloping towards a sea or lake.

6. (Geol.)

Defn: An isolated or circumscribed formation, particularly where the strata dip inward, on all sides, toward a center; -- especially applied to the coal formations, called coal basins or coal fields.

BASINED Ba"sined, a.

Defn: Inclosed in a basin. "Basined rivers." Young.

BASINET Bas"i*net, n.

Defn: Same as Bascinet.

BASIOCCIPITAL Ba`si*oc*cip"i*tal, a. Etym: [Basi- + occipital.] (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the bone in the base of the cranium, frequently forming a part of the occipital in the adult, but usually distinct in the young. -- n.

Defn: The basioccipital bone.

BASION Ba"si*on, n. Etym: [Gr. a base.] (Anat.)

Defn: The middle of the anterior margin of the great foramen of the skull.

BASIPODITE Ba*sip"o*dite, n. Etym: [Basi- + , , foot.] (Anat.)

Defn: The basal joint of the legs of Crustacea.

BASIPTERYGIUM Ba*sip`te*ryg"i*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. a base + a fin.] (Anat.)

Defn: A bar of cartilage at the base of the embryonic fins of some fishes. It develops into the metapterygium. -- Ba*sip`ter*yg"i*al (, a.

BASIPTERYGOID Ba`sip*ter"y*goid, a. & n. Etym: [Basi- + pierygoid.] (Anat.)

Defn: Applied to a protuberance of the base of the sphenoid bone.

BASIS Ba"sis, n.; pl. Bases. Etym: [L. basis, Gr. . See Base, n.]

1. The foundation of anything; that on which a thing rests. Dryden.

2. The pedestal of a column, pillar, or statue. [Obs.] If no basis bear my rising name. Pope.

3. The ground work the first or fundamental principle; that which supports. The basis of public credit is good faith. A. Hamilton.

4. The principal component part of a thing.

BASISOLUTE Ba*sis"o*lute, a. Etym: [Basi- + solute, a.] (Bot.)

Defn: Prolonged at the base, as certain leaves.

BASISPHENOID; BASISPHENOIDAL Ba`si*sphe"noid, Ba`si*sphe*noid"al, a. Etym: [Basi- + spheroid.] (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to that part of the base of the cranium between the basioccipital and the presphenoid, which usually ossifies separately in the embryo or in the young, and becomes a part of the sphenoid in the adult.

BASISPHENOID Ba`si*sphe"noid, n. (Anat.)

Defn: The basisphenoid bone.

BASK Bask, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Basked (p. pr. & vb. n. Basking.] Etym: [ OScand. ba to bathe one's self, or perh. bakask to bake one's self, sk being reflexive. See Bath, n., Bake, v. t.]

Defn: To lie in warmth; to be exposed to genial heat. Basks in the glare, and stems the tepid wave. Goldsmith.

BASK Bask, v. t.

Defn: To warm by continued exposure to heat; to warm with genial heat. Basks at the fire his hairy strength. Milton.

BASKET Bas"ket, n. Etym: [Of unknown origin. The modern Celtic words seem to be from the English.]

1. A vessel made of osiers or other twigs, cane, rushes, splints, or other flexible material, interwoven. "Rude baskets . . . woven of the flexile willow." Dyer.

2. The contents of a basket; as much as a basket contains; as, a basket of peaches.

3. (Arch.)

Defn: The bell or vase of the Corinthian capital. [Improperly so used.] Gwilt.

4. The two back seats facing one another on the outside of a stagecoach. [Eng.] Goldsmith. Basket fish (Zoöl.), an ophiuran of the genus Astrophyton, having the arms much branched. See Astrophyton. -- Basket hilt, a hilt with a covering wrought like basketwork to protect the hand. Hudibras. Hence, Baskethilted, a. -- Basket work, work consisting of plaited osiers or twigs. -- Basket worm (Zoöl.), a lepidopterous insect of the genus Thyridopteryx and allied genera, esp. T. ephemeræformis. The larva makes and carries about a bag or basket-like case of silk and twigs, which it afterwards hangs up to shelter the pupa and wingless adult females.

BASKET Bas"ket, v. t.

Defn: To put into a basket. [R.]

BASKET BALL Bas"ket ball`.

Defn: A game, usually played indoors, in which two parties of players contest with each other to toss a large inflated ball into opposite goals resembling baskets.

BASKETFUL Bas"ket*ful, n.; pl. Basketfuls (.

Defn: As much as a basket will contain.

BASKETRY Bas"ket*ry, n.

Defn: The art of making baskets; also, baskets, taken collectively.

BASKING SHARK Bask"ing shark`. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the largest species of sharks (Cetorhinus maximus), so called from its habit of basking in the sun; the liver shark, or bone shark. It inhabits the northern seas of Europe and America, and grows to a length of more than forty feet. It is a harmless species.

BASNET Bas"net, n.

Defn: Same as Bascinet.

BASOMMATOPHORA Ba*som`ma*toph"o*ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. base + eye + to bear.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of Pulmonifera having the eyes at the base of the tentacles, including the common pond snails.

BASON Ba"son, n.

Defn: A basin. [Obs. or Special form]

BASQUE Basque, a. Etym: [F.]

Defn: Pertaining to Biscay, its people, or their language.

BASQUE Basque, n. Etym: [F.]

1. One of a race, of unknown origin, inhabiting a region on the Bay of Biscay in Spain and France.

2. The language spoken by the Basque people.

3. A part of a lady's dress, resembling a jacket with a short skirt; -- probably so called because this fashion of dress came from the Basques.

BASQUISH Basqu"ish, a. Etym: [F. Basque Biscayan: cf. G. Baskisch.]

Defn: Pertaining to the country, people, or language of Biscay; Basque [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

BAS-RELIEF Bas`-re*lief", n. Etym: [F. bas-relief; bas law + relief raised work, relever to raise: cf. It. bassorilievo.]

Defn: Low relief; sculpture, the figures of which project less than half of their true proportions; -- called also bassrelief and basso- rilievo. See Alto-rilievo.

BASS Bass, n.

Defn: ; pl. Bass, and sometimes Basses. Etym: [A corruption of barse.] (Zoöl.)

1. An edible, spiny-finned fish, esp. of the genera Roccus, Labrax, and related genera. There are many species.

Note: The common European bass is Labrax lupus. American species are: the striped bass (Roccus lineatus); white or silver bass of the lakes. (R. chrysops); brass or yellow bass (R. interruptus).

2. The two American fresh-water species of black bass (genus Micropterus). See Black bass.

3. Species of Serranus, the sea bass and rock bass. See Sea bass.

4. The southern, red, or channel bass (Sciæna ocellata). See Redfish.

Note: The name is also applied to many other fishes. See Calico bass, under Calico.

BASS Bass, n. Etym: [A corruption of bast.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: The linden or lime tree, sometimes wrongly called whitewood; also, its bark, which is used for making mats. See Bast.

2. (Pron.

Defn: A hassock or thick mat.

BASS Bass, n. Etym: [F. basse, fr. bas low. See Base, a.]

1. A bass, or deep, sound or tone.

2. (Mus.) (a) The lowest part in a musical composition. (b) One who sings, or the instrument which plays, bass. [Written also base.] Thorough bass. See Thorough bass.

BASS Bass, a.

Defn: Deep or grave in tone. Bass clef (Mus.), the character placed at the beginning of the staff containing the bass part of a musical composition. [See Illust. under Clef.] -- Bass voice, a deepsounding voice; a voice fitted for singing bass.

BASS Bass, v. t.

Defn: To sound in a deep tone. [R.] Shak.

BASSA; BASSAW Bas"sa, Bas*saw", n.

Defn: See Bashaw.

BASS DRUM Bass` drum". (Mus.)

Defn: The largest of the different kinds of drums, having two heads, and emitting a deep, grave sound. See Bass, a.

BASSET Bas"set, n. Etym: [F. bassette, fr.It. bassetta. Cf. Basso.]

Defn: A game at cards, resembling the modern faro, said to have been invented at Venice. Some dress, some dance, some play, not to forget Your piquet parties, and your dear basset. Rowe.

BASSET Bas"set, a. Etym: [Cf. OF. basset somewhat low, dim. of bas low.] (Geol.)

Defn: Inclined upward; as, the basset edge of strata. Lyell.

BASSET Bas"set, n. (Geol.)

Defn: The edge of a geological stratum at the surface of the ground; the outcrop.

BASSET Bas"set, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Basseted; p. pr. & vb. n. Basseting.] (Geol.)

Defn: To inclined upward so as to appear at the surface; to crop out; as, a vein of coal bassets.

BASSET HORN Bas"set horn`. Etym: [See Basset, a.] (Mus.)

Defn: An instrument blown with a reed, and resembling a clarinet, but of much greater compass, embracing nearly four octaves.

BASSET HOUND Bas"set hound`. Etym: [F. basset.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small kind of hound with a long body and short legs, used as an earth dog.

BASSETING Bas"set*ing, n.

Defn: The upward direction of a vein in a mine; the emergence of a stratum at the surface.

BASSETTO Bas*set"to, n. Etym: [It., adj., somewhat low; n., counter tenor. See Basso.] (Mus.)

Defn: A tenor or small bass viol.

BASS HORN Bass" horn". (Mus.)

Defn: A modification of the bassoon, much deeper in tone.

BASSINET Bas"si*net, n. Etym: [Cf. F. bassinet, dim. of bassin. See Basin, and cf. Bascinet.]

1. A wicker basket, with a covering or hood over one end, in which young children are placed as in a cradle.

2. See Bascinet. Lord Lytton.

BASSO Bas"so, n. Etym: [It., fr. LL. bassus. See Base, a.] (Mus.) (a) The bass or lowest part; as, to sing basso. (b) One who sings the lowest part. (c) The double bass, or contrabasso. Basso continuo (. Etym: [It., bass continued.] (Mus.) A bass part written out continuously, while the other parts of the harmony are indicated by figures attached to the bass; continued bass.

BASSOCK Bas"sock, n.

Defn: A hassock. See 2d Bass, 2.

BASSOON Bas*soon", n. Etym: [F. basson, fr. basse bass; or perh. fr. bas son low sound. See Bass a part in music. ] (Mus.)

Defn: A wind instrument of the double reed kind, furnished with holes, which are stopped by the fingers, and by keys, as in flutes. It forms the natural bass to the oboe, clarinet, etc.

Note: Its compass comprehends three octaves. For convenience of carriage it is divided into two parts; whence it is also called a fagot.

BASSOONIST Bas*soon"ist, n.

Defn: A performer on the bassoon. Busby.

BASSO-RILIEVO; BASSO-RELIEVO Bas"so-ri*lie"vo, Bas"so-re*lie"vo, n. Etym: [It. basso-rilievo.]

Defn: Same as Bas-relief.

BASSORIN Bas"so*rin, n. Etym: [Cf. F. bassorine.] (Chem.)

Defn: A constituent part of a species of gum from Bassora, as also of gum tragacanth and some gum resins. It is one of the amyloses. Ure.

BASS-RELIEF Bass"-re*lief`, n.

Defn: Some as Bas-relief.

BASS VIOL Bass" vi`ol. (Mus.)

Defn: A stringed instrument of the viol family, used for playing bass. See 3d Bass, n., and Violoncello.

BASSWOOD Bass"wood`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The bass (Tilia) or its wood; especially, T. Americana. See Bass, the lime tree. All the bowls were made of basswood, White and polished very smoothly. Longfellow.

BAST Bast, n. Etym: [AS. bæst; akin to Icel., Sw., Dan., D., & G. bast, of unknown origin. Cf. Bass the tree.]

1. The inner fibrous bark of various plants; esp. of the lime tree; hence, matting, cordage, etc., made therefrom.

2. A thick mat or hassock. See 2d Bass, 2.

BASTA Bas"ta, interj. Etym: [It.]

Defn: Enough; stop. Shak.

BASTARD Bas"tard, n. Etym: [OF. bastard, bastart, F. b, prob. fr. OF. bast, F. b, a packsaddle used as a bed by the muleteers (fr. LL. bastum) + -ard. OF. fils de bast son of the packsaddle; as the muleteers were accustomed to use their saddles for beds in the inns. See Cervantes, "Don Quixote," chap. 16; and cf.G. bankert, fr. bank bench.]

1. A "natural" child; a child begotten and born out of wedlock; an illegitimate child; one born of an illicit union.

Note: By the civil and canon laws, and by the laws of many of the United States, a bastard becomes a legitimate child by the intermarriage of the parents at any subsequent time. But by those of England, and of some states of the United States, a child, to be legitimate, must at least be born after the lawful marriage. Kent. Blackstone.

2. (Sugar Refining) (a) An inferior quality of soft brown sugar, obtained from the sirups that (b) A large size of mold, in which sugar is drained.

3. A sweet Spanish wine like muscadel in flavor. Brown bastard is your only drink. Shak.

4. A writing paper of a particular size. See Paper.

BASTARD Bas"tard, a.

1. Begotten and born out of lawful matrimony; illegitimate. See Bastard, n., note.

2. Lacking in genuineness; spurious; false; adulterate; -- applied to things which resemble those which are genuine, but are really not so. That bastard self-love which is so vicious in itself, and productive of so many vices. Barrow.

3. Of an unusual make or proportion; as, a bastard musket; a bastard culverin. [Obs.]

4. (Print.)

Defn: Abbreviated, as the half title in a page preceding the full title page of a book. Bastard ashlar (Arch.), stones for ashlar work, roughly squared at the quarry. -- Bastard file, a file intermediate between the coarsest and the second cut. -- Bastard type (Print.), type having the face of a larger or a smaller size than the body; e.g., a nonpareil face on a brevier body. -- Bastard wing (Zoöl.), three to five quill feathers on a small joint corresponding to the thumb in some mam malia; the alula.

BASTARD Bas"tard, v. t.

Defn: To bastardize. [Obs.] Bacon.

BASTARDISM Bas"tard*ism, n.

Defn: The state of being a bastard; bastardy.

BASTARDIZE Bas"tard*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bastardized (p. pr. & vb. n. Bastardizing.]

1. To make or prove to be a bastard; to stigmatize as a bastard; to declare or decide legally to be illegitimate. The law is so indulgent as not to bastardize the child, if born, though not begotten, in lawful wedlock. Blackstone.

2. To beget out of wedlock. [R.] Shak.

BASTARDLY Bas"tard*ly, a.

Defn: Bastardlike; baseborn; spuripous; corrupt. [Obs.] -- adv.

Defn: In the manner of a bastard; spuriously. [Obs.] Shak. Donne.

BASTARDY Bas"tar*dy, n.

1. The state of being a bastard; illegitimacy.

2. The procreation of a bastard child. Wharton.

BASTE Baste, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Basted; p. pr. & vb. n. Basting.] Etym: [Cf. Icel. beysta to strike, powder; Sw. basa to beat with a rod: perh. akin to E. beat.]

1. To beat with a stick; to cudgel. One man was basted by the keeper for carrying some people over on his back through the waters. Pepys.

2. (Cookery)

Defn: To sprinkle flour and salt and drip butter or fat on, as on meat in roasting.

3. To mark with tar, as sheep. [Prov. Eng.]

BASTE Baste, v. t. Etym: [OE. basten, OF. bastir, F. b, prob. fr. OHG. bestan to sew, MHG. besten to bind, fr. OHG. bast bast. See Bast.]

Defn: To sew loosely, or with long stitches; -- usually, that the work may be held in position until sewed more firmly. Shak.

BASTILE; BASTILLE Bas*tile" Bas*tille", n. Etym: [F. bastille fortress, OF. bastir to build, F. b.]

1. (Feud. Fort.)

Defn: A tower or an elevated work, used for the defense, or in the siege, of a fortified place. The high bastiles . . . which overtopped the walls. Holland.

2. "The Bastille", formerly a castle or fortress in Paris, used as a prison, especially for political offenders; hence, a rhetorical name for a prison.

BASTINADE Bas`ti*nade", n.

Defn: See Bastinado, n.

BASTINADE Bas`ti*nade", v. t.

Defn: To bastinado. [Archaic]

BASTINADO Bas`ti*na"do, n.; pl. Bastinadoes. Etym: [Sp. bastonada (cf. F. bastonnade), fr. baston (cf. F. b) a stick or staff. See Baston.]

1. A blow with a stick or cudgel.

2. A sound beating with a stick or cudgel. Specifically: A form of punishment among the Turks, Chinese, and others, consisting in beating an offender on the soles of his feet.

BASTINADO Bas`ti*na"do, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bastinadoes (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bastinadoing.]

Defn: To beat with a stick or cudgel, especially on the soles of the feet.

BASTION Bas"tion, n. Etym: [F. bastion (cf. It. bastione), fr. LL. bastire to build (cf. F. b, It. bastire), perh. from the idea of support for a weight, and akin to Gr. to lift, carry, and to E. baston, baton.] (Fort.)

Defn: A work projecting outward from the main inclosure of a fortification, consisting of two faces and two flanks, and so constructed that it is able to defend by a flanking fire the adjacent curtain, or wall which extends from one bastion to another. Two adjacent bastions are connected by the curtain, which joins the flank of one with the adjacent flank of the other. The distance between the flanks of a bastion is called the gorge. A lunette is a detached bastion. See Ravelin.

BASTIONED Bas"tioned, a.

Defn: Furnished with a bastion; having bastions.

BASTO Bas"to, n. Etym: [Sp.]

Defn: The ace of clubs in qua Pope.

BASTON Bas"ton, n. Etym: [OF. baston, F. b, LL. basto. See Bastion, and cf. Baton, and 3d Batten.]

1. A staff or cudgel. [Obs.] "To fight with blunt bastons." Holland.

2. (Her.)

Defn: See Baton.

3. An officer bearing a painted staff, who formerly was in attendance upon the king's court to take into custody persons committed by the court. Mozley & W.

BASUTOS Ba*su"tos, n. pl.; sing. Basuto. (Ethnol.)

Defn: A warlike South African people of the Bantu stock, divided into many tribes, subject to the English. They formerly practiced cannibalism, but have now adopted many European customs.

BASYLE Bas"yle, n. Etym: [Gr. base + wood. See -yl.] (Chem.)

Defn: A positive or nonacid constituent of compound, either elementary, or, if compound, performing the functions of an element.

BASYLOUS Bas"y*lous, a.

Defn: Pertaining to, or having the nature of, a basyle; electro- positive; basic; -- opposed to chlorous. Graham.

BAT Bat, n. Etym: [OE. batte, botte, AS. batt; perhaps fr. the Celtic; cf. Ir. bat, bata, stick, staff; but cf. also F. batte a beater (thing), wooden sword, battre to beat.]

1. A large stick; a club; specifically, a piece of wood with one end thicker or broader than the other, used in playing baseball, cricket, etc.

2. (Mining)

Defn: Shale or bituminous shale. Kirwan.

3. A sheet of cotton used for filling quilts or comfortables; batting.

4. A part of a brick with one whole end. Bat bolt (Machinery), a bolt barbed or jagged at its butt or tang to make it hold the more firmly. Knight.

BAT Bat, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Batted (p. pr. & vb. n. Batting.]

Defn: To strike or hit with a bat or a pole; to cudgel; to beat. Holland.

BAT Bat, v. i.

Defn: To use a bat, as in a game of baseball.

BAT Bat, n. Etym: [Corrupt. from OE. back, backe, balke; cf. Dan. aften- bakke] (aften evening), Sw. natt-backa] (natt night), Icel. le (le leather), Icel. blaka to flutter.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Cheiroptera, an order of flying mammals, in which the wings are formed by a membrane stretched between the elongated fingers, legs, and tail. The common bats are small and insectivorous. See Cheiroptera and Vampire. Bat tick (Zoöl.), a wingless, dipterous insect of the genus Nycteribia, parasitic on bats.

BATABLE Bat"a*ble, a. Etym: [Abbrev. from debatable.]

Defn: Disputable. [Obs.]

Note: The border land between England and Scotland, being formerly a subject of contention, was called batable or debatable ground.

BATAILLED Bat"ailled, a.

Defn: Embattled. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BATARDEAU Ba`tar*deau", n. Etym: [F.]

1. A cofferdam. Brande & C.

2. (Mil.)

Defn: A wall built across the ditch of a fortification, with a sluice gate to regulate the height of water in the ditch on both sides of the wall.

BATATAS; BATATA Ba*ta"tas, Ba*ta"ta, n.

Defn: An aboriginal American name for the sweet potato (Ipomæa batatas).

BATAVIAN Ba*ta"vi*an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to (a) the Batavi, an ancient Germanic tribe; or to (b) as, a Batavian legion. Batavian Republic, the name given to Holland by the French after its conquest in 1795.

BATAVIAN Ba*ta"vi*an, n.

Defn: A native or inhabitant of Batavia or Holland. [R.] Bancroft.

BATCH Batch, n. Etym: [OE. bache, bacche, fr. AS. bacan to bake; cf. G. gebäck and D. baksel. See Bake, v. t.]

1. The quantity of bread baked at one time.

2. A quantity of anything produced at one operation; a group or collection of persons or things of the same kind; as, a batch of letters; the next batch of business. "A new batch of Lords." Lady M. W. Montagu.

BATE Bate, n. Etym: [Prob. abbrev. from debate.]

Defn: Strife; contention. [Obs.] Shak.

BATE Bate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bated; p. pr. & vb. n. Bating.] Etym: [From abate.]

1. To lessen by retrenching, deducting, or reducing; to abate; to beat down; to lower. He must either bate the laborer's wages, or not employ or not pay him. Locke.

2. To allow by way of abatement or deduction. To whom he bates nothing or what he stood upon with the parliament. South.

3. To leave out; to except. [Obs.] Bate me the king, and, be he flesh and blood. He lies that says it. Beau. & Fl.

4. To remove. [Obs.] About autumn bate the earth from about the roots of olives, and lay them bare. Holland.

5. To deprive of. [Obs.] When baseness is exalted, do not bate The place its honor for the person's sake. Herbert.

BATE Bate, v. i.

1. To remit or retrench a part; -- with of. Abate thy speed, and I will bate of mine. Dryden.

2. To waste away. [Obs.] Shak.

BATE Bate, v. t.

Defn: To attack; to bait. [Obs.] Spenser.

BATE Bate, imp.

Defn: of Bite. [Obs.] Spenser.

BATE Bate, v. i. Etym: [F. battre des ailes to flutter. Cf. Bait to flutter.]

Defn: To flutter as a hawk; to bait. [Obs.] Bacon.

BATE Bate, n. (Jewish Antiq.)

Defn: See 2d Bath.

BATE Bate, n. Etym: [Cf. Sw. beta maceration, soaking, G. beize, and E. bite.]

Defn: An alkaline solution consisting of the dung of certain animals; -- employed in the preparation of hides; grainer. Knight.

BATE Bate, v. t.

Defn: To steep in bate, as hides, in the manufacture of leather.

BATEAU Ba*teau", n.; pl. Bateaux. Etym: [F. bateau, LL. batellus, fr. battus, batus, boa, which agrees with AS. bat boat: cf. W. bad boat. See Boat, n.]

Defn: A boat; esp. a flat-bottomed, clumsy boat used on the Canadian lakes and rivers. [Written also, but less properly, batteau.] Bateau bridge, a floating bridge supported by bateaux.

BATED Bat"ed, a.

Defn: Reduced; lowered; restrained; as, to speak with bated breath. Macaulay.

BATEFUL Bate"ful, a.

Defn: Exciting contention; contentious. [Obs.] "It did bateful question frame. " Sidney.

BATELESS Bate"less, a.

Defn: Not to be abated. [Obs.] Shak.

BATEMENT Bate"ment, n. Etym: [For Abatement. See 2d Bate.]

Defn: Abatement; diminution. Moxon. Batement light (Arch.), a window or one division of a window having vertical sides, but with the sill not horizontal, as where it follows the rake of a staircase.

BATFISH Bat"fish`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A name given to several species of fishes: (a) The Malthe vespertilio of the Atlantic coast. (b) The flying gurnard of the Atlantic (Cephalacanthus spinarella). (c) The California batfish or sting ray (Myliobatis Californicus.)

BATFOWLER Bat"fowl`er, n.

Defn: One who practices or finds sport in batfowling.

BATFOWLING Bat"fowl`ing, n. Etym: [From Bat a stick.]

Defn: A mode of catching birds at night, by holding a torch or other light, and beating the bush or perch where they roost. The birds, flying to the light, are caught with nets or otherwise.

BATFUL Bat"ful, a. Etym: [Icel. bati amelioration, batna to grow better; akin to AS. bet better. Goth. ga-batnan to profit. Batten, v. i., Better.]

Defn: Rich; fertile. [Obs.] "Batful valleys." Drayton.

BATH Bath, n.; pl. Baths. Etym: [AS. bæ; akin to OS. & Icel. ba, Sw., Dan., D., & G. bad, and perh. to G. bähen to foment.]

1. The act of exposing the body, or part of the body, for purposes of cleanliness, comfort, health, etc., to water, vapor, hot air, or the like; as, a cold or a hot bath; a medicated bath; a steam bath; a hip bath.

2. Water or other liquid for bathing.

3. A receptacle or place where persons may immerse or wash their bodies in water.

4. A building containing an apartment or a series of apartments arranged for bathing. Among the ancients, the public baths were of amazing extent and magnificence. Gwilt.

5. (Chem.)

Defn: A medium, as heated sand, ashes, steam, hot air, through which heat is applied to a body.

6. (Photog.)

Defn: A solution in which plates or prints are immersed; also, the receptacle holding the solution.

Note: Bath is used adjectively or in combination, in an obvious sense of or for baths or bathing; as, bathroom, bath tub, bath keeper. Douche bath. See Douche. -- Order of the Bath, a high order of British knighthood, composed of three classes, viz., knights grand cross, knights commanders, and knights companions, abbreviated thus: G. C. B., K. C. B., K. B. -- Russian bath, a kind of vapor bath which consists in a prolonged exposure of the body to the influence of the steam of water, followed by washings and shampooings. -- Turkish bath, a kind of bath in which a profuse perspiration is produced by hot air, after which the body is washed and shampooed. -- Bath house, a house used for the purpose of bathing; -- also a small house, near a bathing place, where a bather undresses and dresses.

BATH Bath, n. Etym: [Heb.]

Defn: A Hebrew measure containing the tenth of a homer, or five gallons and three pints, as a measure for liquids; and two pecks and five quarts, as a dry measure.

BATH Bath, n.

Defn: A city in the west of England, resorted to for its hot springs, which has given its name to various objects. Bath brick, a preparation of calcareous earth, in the form of a brick, used for cleaning knives, polished metal, etc. -- Bath chair, a kind of chair on wheels, as used by invalids at Bath. "People walked out, or drove out, or were pushed out in their Bath chairs." Dickens. -- Bath metal, an alloy consisting of four and a half ounces of zinc and one pound of copper. -- Bath note, a folded writing paper, 8 1/2 by 14 inches. -- Bath stone, a species of limestone (oölite) found near Bath, used for building.

BATHE Bathe, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bathed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bathing.] Etym: [OE. ba, AS. ba, fr. bæ bath. See 1st Bath, and cf. Bay to bathe.]

1. To wash by immersion, as in a bath; to subject to a bath. Chancing to bathe himself in the River Cydnus. South.

2. To lave; to wet. "The lake which bathed the foot of the Alban mountain." T. Arnold.

3. To moisten or suffuse with a liquid. And let us bathe our hands in Cæsar's blood. Shak.

4. To apply water or some liquid medicament to; as, to bathe the eye with warm water or with sea water; to bathe one's forehead with camphor.

5. To surround, or envelop, as water surrounds a person immersed. "The rosy shadows bathe me. " Tennyson. "The bright sunshine bathing all the world." Longfellow.

BATHE Bathe, v. i.

1. To bathe one's self; to take a bath or baths. "They bathe in summer." Waller.

2. To immerse or cover one's self, as in a bath. "To bathe in fiery floods." Shak. "Bathe in the dimples of her cheek." Lloyd.

3. To bask in the sun. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BATHE Bathe, n.

Defn: The immersion of the body in water; as to take one's usual bathe. Edin. Rev.

BATHER Bath"er, n.

Defn: One who bathes.

BATHETIC Ba*thet"ic, a.

Defn: Having the character of bathos. [R.]

BATHING Bath"ing, n.

Defn: Act of taking a bath or baths. Bathing machine, a small room on wheels, to be driven into the water, for the convenience of bathers, who undress and dress therein.

BATHMISM Bath"mism, n.

Defn: See Vital force.

BATHOMETER Ba*thom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Gr. depth + -meter.]

Defn: An instrument for measuring depths, esp. one for taking soundings without a sounding line.

BATHORSE Bat"horse`, n. Etym: [F. b packsaddle (cheval de b packhorse) + E. horse. See Bastard.]

Defn: A horse which carries an officer's baggage during a campaign.

BATHOS Ba"thos, n. Etym: [Gr. depth, fr. deep.] (Rhet.)

Defn: A ludicrous descent from the elevated to the low, in writing or speech; anticlimax.

BATHYBIUS Ba*thyb"i*us, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. deep + life] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A name given by Prof. Huxley to a gelatinous substance found in mud dredged from the Atlantic and preserved in alcohol. He supposed that it was free living protoplasm, covering a large part of the ocean bed. It is now known that the substance is of chemical, not of organic, origin.

BATHYGRAPHIC Bath`y*graph"ic, a. [Gr. deep + graphic.]

Defn: Descriptive of the ocean depth; as, a bathygraphic chart.

BATHYMETRIC; BATHYMETRICAL Bath`y*met"ric, Bath`y*met"ric*al, a.

Defn: Pertaining to bathymetry; relating to the measurement of depths, especially of depths in the sea.

BATHYMETRY Ba*thym"e*try, n. Etym: [Gr. depth + -metry.]

Defn: The art or science of sounding, or measuring depths in the sea.

BATING Bat"ing, prep. Etym: [Strictly p. pr. of Bat to abate.]

Defn: With the exception of; excepting. We have little reason to think that they bring many ideas with them, bating some faint ideas of hunger and thirst. Locke.

BATISTE Ba*tiste", n. Etym: [F. batiste, from the name of the alleged first maker, Baptiste of Cambrai. Littré.]

Defn: Originally, cambric or lawn of fine linen; now applied also to cloth of similar texture made of cotton.

BATLET Bat"let, n. Etym: [Bat stick + -let.]

Defn: A short bat for beating clothes in washing them; -- called also batler, batling staff, batting staff. Shak.

BATMAN Bat"man, n. Etym: [Turk. batman.]

Defn: A weight used in the East, varying according to the locality; in Turkey, the greater batman is about 157 pounds, the lesser only a fourth of this; at Aleppo and Smyrna, the batman is 17 pounds. Simmonds.

BATMAN Bat"man, n.; pl. Batmen. Etym: [F. b packsaddle + E. man. Cf. Bathorse.]

Defn: A man who has charge of a bathorse and his load. Macaulay.

BATOIDEI Ba*toi"de*i, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. a kind of ray + -oid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The division of fishes which includes the rays and skates.

BATON Bat"on, n. Etym: [F. b. See Baston.]

1. A staff or truncheon, used for various purposes; as, the baton of a field marshal; the baton of a conductor in musical performances. He held the baton of command. Prescott.

2. (Her.)

Defn: An ordinary with its ends cut off, borne sinister as a mark of bastardy, and containing one fourth in breadth of the bend sinister; -- called also bastard bar. See Bend sinister.

BATOON Ba*toon", n.

Defn: See Baton, and Baston.

BAT PRINTING Bat" print`ing. (Ceramics)

Defn: A mode of printing on glazed ware.

BATRACHIA Ba*tra"chi*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. belonging to a frog, fr. frog.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The order of amphibians which includes the frogs and toads; the Anura. Sometimes the word is used in a wider sense as equivalent to Amphibia.

BATRACHIAN Ba*tra"chi*an, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Pertaining to the Batrachia. -- n.

Defn: One of the Batrachia.

BATRACHOID Bat"ra*choid, a. Etym: [Batrachia + -oid.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Froglike. Specifically: Of or pertaining to the Batrachidæ, a family of marine fishes, including the toadfish. Some have poisonous dorsal spines.

BATRACHOMYOMACHY Bat`ra*cho*my*om"a*chy, n. Etym: [Gr. ; frog + mouse + battle.]

Defn: The battle between the frogs and mice; -- a Greek parody on the Iliad, of uncertain authorship.

BATRACHOPHAGOUS Bat`ra*choph"a*gous, a. Etym: [Gr. frog + to eat.]

Defn: Feeding on frogs. Quart. Rev.

BATSMAN Bats"man, n.; pl. Batsmen (.

Defn: The one who wields the bat in cricket, baseball, etc.

BAT'S-WING; BATWING Bat's"-wing" or Bat"wing, a.

Defn: Shaped like a bat's wing; as, a bat's-wing burner.

BATTA Bat"ta, n. Etym: [Prob. through Pg. for Canarese bhatta rice in the husk.]

Defn: Extra pay; esp. an extra allowance to an English officer serving in India. Whitworth.

BATTA Bat"ta, n. Etym: [Hind. ba.]

Defn: Rate of exchange; also, the discount on uncurrent coins. [India]

BATTABLE Bat"ta*ble, a. Etym: [See Batful.]

Defn: Capable of culti [Obs.] Burton.

BATTAILANT Bat"tail*ant, a. Etym: [F. bataillant, p. pr. See Battle, v. i. ] [Obs.]

Defn: Prepared for battle; combatant; warlike. Spenser. -- n.

Defn: A combatant. Shelton.

BATTAILOUS Bat"tail*ous, a. Etym: [OF. bataillos, fr. bataille. See Battle, n.]

Defn: Arrayed for battle; fit or eager for battle; warlike. [Obs.] "In battailous aspect." Milton.

BATTALIA Bat*tal"ia, n. Etym: [LL. battalia battle, a body of troops. See Battle, n.]

1. Order of battle; disposition or arrangement of troops (brigades, regiments, battalions, etc.), or of a naval force, for action. A drawing up the armies in battalia. Jer. Taylor.

2. An army in battle array; also, the main battalia or body. [Obs.] Shak.

BATTALION Bat*tal"ion, n. Etym: [F. bataillon, fr. It. battaglione. See Battalia.]

1. A body of troops; esp. a body of troops or an army in battle array. "The whole battalion views." Milton.

2. (Mil.)

Defn: A regiment, or two or more companies of a regiment, esp. when assembled for drill or battle.

BATTALION Bat*tal"ion, v. t.

Defn: To form into battalions. [R.]

BATTEL Bat"tel, n. Etym: [Obs. form. of Battle.] (Old Eng. Law)

Defn: A single combat; as, trial by battel. See Wager of battel, under Wager.

BATTEL Bat"tel, n. Etym: [Of uncertain etymology.]

Defn: Provisions ordered from the buttery; also, the charges for them; -- only in the pl., except when used adjectively. [Univ. of Oxford, Eng.]

BATTEL Bat"tel, v. i.

Defn: To be supplied with provisions from the buttery. [Univ. of Oxford, Eng.]

BATTEL Bat"tel, v. t. Etym: [Cf. Batful, Batten, v. i.]

Defn: To make fertile. [Obs.] "To battel barren land." Ray.

BATTEL Bat"tel, a.

Defn: Fertile; fruitful; productive. [Obs.] A battel soil for grain, for pasture good. Fairfax.

BATTELER; BATTLER Bat"tel*er, Bat"tler, n. Etym: [See 2d Battel, n.]

Defn: A student at Oxford who is supplied with provisions from the buttery; formerly, one who paid for nothing but what he called for, answering nearly to a sizar at Cambridge. Wright.

BATTEN Bat"ten, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Battened (p. pr. & vb. n. Battening.] Etym: [See Batful.]

1. To make fat by plenteous feeding; to fatten. "Battening our flocks." Milton.

2. To fertilize or enrich, as land.

BATTEN Bat"ten, v. i.

Defn: To grow fat; to grow fat in ease and luxury; to glut one's self. Dryden. The pampered monarch lay battening in ease. Garth. Skeptics, with a taste for carrion, who batten on the hideous facts in history, -- persecutions, inquisitions. Emerson.

BATTEN Bat"ten, n . Etym: [F. b stick, staff. See Baton.]

Defn: A strip of sawed stuff, or a scantling; as, (a) pl. (Com. & Arch.) Sawed timbers about 7 by 2 1/2 inches and not less than 6 feet long. Brande & C. (b) (Naut.) A strip of wood used in fastening the edges of a tarpaulin to the deck, also around masts to prevent chafing. (c) A long, thin strip used to strengthen a part, to cover a crack, etc. Batten door (Arch.), a door made of boards of the whole length of the door, secured by battens nailed crosswise.

BATTEN Bat"ten, v. t.

Defn: To furnish or fasten with battens. To batten down, to fasten down with battens, as the tarpaulin over the hatches of a ship during a storm.

BATTEN Bat"ten, n. Etym: [F. battant. See Batter, v. t.]

Defn: The movable bar of a loom, which strikes home or closes the threads of a woof.

BATTENING Bat"ten*ing, n. (Arch.)

Defn: Furring done with small pieces nailed directly upon the wall.

BATTER Bat"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Battered (; p. pr. & vb. n. Battering.] Etym: [OE. bateren, OF. batre, F. battre, fr. LL. battere, for L. batuere to strike, beat; of unknown origin. Cf. Abate, Bate to abate.]

1. To beat with successive blows; to beat repeatedly and with violence, so as to bruise, shatter, or demolish; as, to batter a wall or rampart.

2. To wear or impair as if by beating or by hard usage. "Each battered jade." Pope.

3. (Metallurgy)

Defn: To flatten (metal) by hammering, so as to compress it inwardly and spread it outwardly.