Chapter XXXIX: Appendix: Vermiformis (18)

Note: In the passive form of this verb, the best modern usage restricts the past participle born to the sense of brought forth, while borne is used in the other senses of the word. In the active form, borne alone is used as the past participle. To bear down. (a) To force into a lower place; to carry down; to depress or sink. "His nose, . . . large as were the others, bore them down into insignificance." Marryat. (b) To overthrow or crush by force; as, to bear down an enemy. -- To bear a hand. (a) To help; to give assistance. (b) (Naut.) To make haste; to be quick. -- To bear in hand, to keep (one) up in expectation, usually by promises never to be realized; to amuse by false pretenses; to delude. [Obs.] "How you were borne in hand, how crossed." Shak. -- To bear in mind, to remember. -- To bear off. (a) To restrain; to keep from approach. (b) (Naut.) To remove to a distance; to keep clear from rubbing against anything; as, to bear off a blow; to bear off a boat. (c) To gain; to carry off, as a prize. -- To bear one hard, to owe one a grudge. [Obs.] "Cæsar doth bear me hard." Shak. -- To bear out. (a) To maintain and support to the end; to defend to the last. "Company only can bear a man out in an ill thing." South. (b) To corroborate; to confirm. -- To bear up, to support; to keep from falling or sinking. "Religious hope bears up the mind under sufferings." Addison.

Syn. -- To uphold; sustain; maintain; support; undergo; suffer; endure; tolerate; carry; convey; transport; waft.

BEAR Bear, v. i.

1. To produce, as fruit; to be fruitful, in opposition to barrenness. This age to blossom, and the next to bear. Dryden.

2. To suffer, as in carrying a burden. But man is born to bear. Pope.

3. To endure with patience; to be patient. I can not, can not bear. Dryden.

4. To press; -- with on or upon, or against. These men bear hard on the suspected party. Addison.

5. To take effect; to have influence or force; as, to bring matters to bear.

6. To relate or refer; -- with on or upon; as, how does this bear on the question

7. To have a certain meaning, intent, or effect. Her sentence bore that she should stand a certain time upon the platform. Hawthorne.

8. To be situated, as to the point of compass, with respect to something else; as, the land bears N. by E. To bear against, to approach for attack or seizure; as, a lion bears against his prey. [Obs.] -- To bear away (Naut.), to change the course of a ship, and make her run before the wind. -- To bear back, to retreat. "Bearing back from the blows of their sable antagonist." Sir W. Scott. -- To bear down upon (Naut.), to approach from the windward side; as, the fleet bore down upon the enemy. -- To bear in with (Naut.), to run or tend toward; as, a ship bears in with the land. -- To bear off (Naut.), to steer away, as from land. -- To bear up. (a) To be supported; to have fortitude; to be firm; not to sink; as, to bear up under afflictions. (b) (Naut.) To put the helm up (or to windward) and so put the ship before the wind; to bear away. Hamersly. -- To bear upon (Mil.), to be pointed or situated so as to affect; to be pointed directly against, or so as to hit (the object); as, to bring or plant guns so as to bear upon a fort or a ship; the artillery bore upon the center. -- To bear up to, to tend or move toward; as, to bear up to one another. -- To bear with, to endure; to be indulgent to; to forbear to resent, oppose, or punish.

BEAR Bear, n.

Defn: A bier. [Obs.] Spenser.

BEAR Bear, n. Etym: [OE. bere, AS. bera; akin to D. beer, OHG. bero, pero, G. bär, Icel. & Sw. björn, and possibly to L. fera wild beast, Gr. beast, Skr. bhalla bear.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any species of the genus Ursus, and of the closely allied genera. Bears are plantigrade Carnivora, but they live largely on fruit and insects.

Note: The European brown bear (U. arctos), the white polar bear (U. maritimus), the grizzly bear (U. horribilis), the American black bear, and its variety the cinnamon bear (U. Americanus), the Syrian bear (Ursus Syriacus), and the sloth bear, are among the notable species.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An animal which has some resemblance to a bear in form or habits, but no real affinity; as, the woolly bear; ant bear; water bear; sea bear.

3. (Astron.)

Defn: One of two constellations in the northern hemisphere, called respectively the Great Bear and the Lesser Bear, or Ursa Major and Ursa Minor.

4. Metaphorically: A brutal, coarse, or morose person.

5. (Stock Exchange)

Defn: A person who sells stocks or securities for future delivery in expectation of a fall in the market.

Note: The bears and bulls of the Stock Exchange, whose interest it is, the one to depress, and the other to raise, stocks, are said to be so called in allusion to the bear's habit of pulling down, and the bull's of tossing up.

6. (Mach.)

Defn: A portable punching machine.

7. (Naut.)

Defn: A block covered with coarse matting; -- used to scour the deck. Australian bear. (Zoöl.) See Koala. -- Bear baiting, the sport of baiting bears with dogs. -- Bear caterpillar (Zoöl.), the hairy larva of a moth, esp. of the genus Euprepia. -- Bear garden. (a) A place where bears are kept for diversion or fighting. (b) Any place where riotous conduct is common or permitted. M. Arnold. -- Bear leader, one who leads about a performing bear for money; hence, a facetious term for one who takes charge of a young man on his travels.

BEAR Bear, v. t. (Stock Exchange)

Defn: To endeavor to depress the price of, or prices in; as, to bear a railroad stock; to bear the market.

BEAR; BERE Bear, Bere, n. Etym: [AS. bere. See Barley.] (Bot.)

Defn: Barley; the six-rowed barley or the four-rowed barley, commonly the former (Hord. vulgare). [Obs. except in North of Eng. and Scot.]

BEARABLE Bear"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being borne or endured; tolerable. -- Bear"a*bly, adv.

BEARBERRY Bear"ber*ry, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A trailing plant of the heath family (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi), having leaves which are tonic and astringent, and glossy red berries of which bears are said to be fond.

BEARBIND Bear"bind`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: The bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis).

BEARD Beard, n. Etym: [OE. berd, AS. beard; akin to Fries. berd, D. baard, G. bart, Lith. barzda, OSlav. brada, Pol. broda, Russ. boroda, L. barba, W. barf. Cf. 1st Barb.]

1. The hair that grows on the chin, lips, and adjacent parts of the human face, chiefly of male adults.

2. (Zoöl.) (a) The long hairs about the face in animals, as in the goat. (b) The cluster of small feathers at the base of the beak in some birds (c) The appendages to the jaw in some Cetacea, and to the mouth or jaws of some fishes. (d) The byssus of certain shellfish, as the muscle. (e) The gills of some bivalves, as the oyster. (f) In insects, the hairs of the labial palpi of moths and butterflies.

3. (Bot.)

Defn: Long or stiff hairs on a plant; the awn; as, the beard of grain.

4. A barb or sharp point of an arrow or other instrument, projecting backward to prevent the head from being easily drawn out.

5. That part of the under side of a horse's lower jaw which is above the chin, and bears the curb of a bridle.

6. (Print.)

Defn: That part of a type which is between the shoulder of the shank and the face.

7. An imposition; a trick. [Obs.] Chaucer. Beard grass (Bot.), a coarse, perennial grass of different species of the genus Andropogon. -- To one's beard, to one's face; in open defiance.

BEARD Beard, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bearded; p. pr. & vb. n. Bearding.]

1. To take by the beard; to seize, pluck, or pull the beard of (a man), in anger or contempt.

2. To oppose to the gills; to set at defiance. No admiral, bearded by three corrupt and dissolute minions of the palace, dared to do more than mutter something about a court martial. Macaulay.

3. To deprive of the gills; -- used only of oysters and similar shellfish.

BEARDED Beard"ed, a.

Defn: Having a beard. "Bearded fellow." Shak. "Bearded grain." Dryden. Bearded vulture, Bearded eagle. (Zoöl.) See Lammergeir. -- Bearded tortoise. (Zoöl.) See Matamata.

BEARDIE Beard"ie, n. Etym: [From Beard, n.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The bearded loach (Nemachilus barbatus) of Europe. [Scot.]

BEARDLESS Beard"less, a.

1. Without a beard. Hence: Not having arrived at puberty or manhood; youthful.

2. Destitute of an awn; as, beardless wheat.

BEARDLESSNESS Beard"less*ness, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being destitute of beard.

BEARER Bear"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, bears, sustains, or carries. "Bearers of burdens." 2 Chron. ii. 18. "The bearer of unhappy news." Dryden.

2. Specifically: One who assists in carrying a body to the grave; a pallbearer. Milton.

3. A palanquin carrier; also, a house servant. [India]

4. A tree or plant yielding fruit; as, a good bearer.

5. (Com.)

Defn: One who holds a check, note, draft, or other order for the payment of money; as, pay to bearer.

6. (Print.)

Defn: A strip of reglet or other furniture to bear off the impression from a blank page; also, a type or type-high piece of metal interspersed in blank parts to support the plate when it is shaved.

BEARHERD Bear"herd`, n.

Defn: A man who tends a bear.

BEARHOUND Bear"hound`, n.

Defn: A hound for baiting or hunting bears. Car

BEARING Bear"ing, n.

1. The manner in which one bears or conducts one's self; mien; behavior; carriage. I know him by his bearing. Shak.

2. Patient endurance; suffering without complaint.

3. The situation of one object, with respect to another, such situation being supposed to have a connection with the object, or influence upon it, or to be influenced by it; hence, relation; connection. But of this frame, the bearings and the ties, The strong connections, nice dependencies. Pope.

4. Purport; meaning; intended significance; aspect.

5. The act, power, or time of producing or giving birth; as, a tree in full bearing; a tree past bearing. [His mother] in travail of his bearing. R. of Gloucester.

6. (Arch.) (a) That part of any member of a building which rests upon its supports; as, a lintel or beam may have four inches of bearing upon the wall. (b) The portion of a support on which anything rests. (c) Improperly, the unsupported span; as, the beam has twenty feet of bearing between its supports.

7. (Mach.) (a) The part of an axle or shaft in contact with its support, collar, or boxing; the journal. (b) The part of the support on which a journal rests and rotates.

8. (Her.)

Defn: Any single emblem or charge in an escutcheon or coat of arms -- commonly in the pl. A carriage covered with armorial bearings. Thackeray.

9. (Naut.) (a) The situation of a distant object, with regard to a ship's position, as on the bow, on the lee quarter, etc.; the direction or point of the compass in which an object is seen; as, the bearing of the cape was W. N. W. (b) pl.

Defn: The widest part of a vessel below the plank-sheer. (c) pl.

Defn: The line of flotation of a vessel when properly trimmed with cargo or ballast. Ball bearings. See under Ball. -- To bring one to his bearings, to bring one to his senses. -- To lose one's bearings, to become bewildered. -- To take bearings, to ascertain by the compass the position of an object; to ascertain the relation of one object or place to another; to ascertain one's position by reference to landmarks or to the compass; hence (Fig.), to ascertain the condition of things when one is in trouble or perplexity.

Syn. -- Deportment; gesture; mien; behavior; manner; carriage; demeanor; port; conduct; direction; relation; tendency; influence.

BEARING CLOTH Bear"ing cloth`.

Defn: A cloth with which a child is covered when carried to be baptized. Shak.

BEARING REIN Bear"ing rein`.

Defn: A short rein looped over the check hook or the hames to keep the horse's head up; -- called in the United States a checkrein.

BEARING RING Bear"ing ring`.

Defn: In a balloon, the braced wooden ring attached to the suspension ropes at the bottom, functionally analogous to the keel of a ship.

BEARISH Bear"ish, a.

Defn: Partaking of the qualities of a bear; resembling a bear in temper or manners. Harris.

BEARISHNESS Bear"ish*ness, n.

Defn: Behavior like that of a bear.

BEARN Bearn, n.

Defn: See Bairn. [Obs.]

BEAR'S-BREECH Bear's"-breech`, n. (Bot.) (a) See Acanthus, n., 1. (b) The English cow parsnip (Heracleum sphondylium) Dr. Prior.

BEAR'S-EAR Bear's-ear`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A kind of primrose (Primula auricula), so called from the shape of the leaf.

BEAR'S-FOOT Bear's"-foot`, n. (Bot.)

Defn: A species of hellebore (Helleborus foetidus), with digitate leaves. It has an offensive smell and acrid taste, and is a powerful emetic, cathartic, and anthelmintic.

BEARSKIN Bear"skin`, n.

1. The skin of a bear.

2. A coarse, shaggy, woolen cloth for overcoats.

3. A cap made of bearskin, esp. one worn by soldiers.

BEAR'S-PAW Bear's"-paw`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A large bivalve shell of the East Indies (Hippopus maculatus), often used as an ornament.

BEAR STATE Bear State.

Defn: Arkansas; -- a nickname, from the many bears once inhabiting its forests.

BEAR-TRAP DAM Bear"-trap` dam. (Engin.)

Defn: A kind of movable dam, in one form consisting of two leaves resting against each other at the top when raised and folding down one over the other when lowered, for deepening shallow parts in a river.

BEARWARD Bear"ward`, n. Etym: [Bear + ward a keeper.]

Defn: A keeper of bears. See Bearherd. [R.] Shak.

BEAST Beast, n. Etym: [OE. best, beste, OF. beste, F. bête, fr. L. bestia.]

1. Any living creature; an animal; -- including man, insects, etc. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. Any four-footed animal, that may be used for labor, food, or sport; as, a beast of burden. A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast. Prov. xii. 10.

3. As opposed to man: Any irrational animal.

4. Fig.: A coarse, brutal, filthy, or degraded fellow.

5. A game at cards similar to loo. [Obs.] Wright.

6. A penalty at beast, omber, etc. Hence: To be beasted, to be beaten at beast, omber, etc. Beast royal, the lion. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Syn. -- Beast, Brute. When we use these words in a figurative sense, as applicable to human beings, we think of beasts as mere animals governed by animal appetite; and of brutes as being destitute of reason or moral feeling, and governed by unrestrained passion. Hence we speak of beastly appetites; beastly indulgences, etc.; and of brutal manners; brutal inhumanity; brutal ferocity. So, also, we say of a drunkard, that he first made himself a beast, and then treated his family like a brute.

BEASTHOOD Beast"hood, n.

Defn: State or nature of a beast.

BEASTINGS Beast"ings, n. pl.

Defn: See Biestings.

BEASTLIHEAD Beast"li*head, n. Etym: [Beastly + -head state.]

Defn: Beastliness. [Obs.] Spenser.

BEASTLIKE Beast"like", a.

Defn: Like a beast.

BEASTLINESS Beast"li*ness, n.

Defn: The state or quality of being beastly.

BEASTLY Beast"ly, a.

1. Pertaining to, or having the form, nature, or habits of, a beast. Beastly divinities and droves of gods. Prior.

2. Characterizing the nature of a beast; contrary to the nature and dignity of man; brutal; filthy. The beastly vice of drinking to excess. Swift.

3. Abominable; as, beastly weather. [Colloq. Eng.]

Syn. -- Bestial; brutish; irrational; sensual; degrading.

BEAT Beat, v. t. [imp. Beat; p. p. Beat, Beaten (; p. pr. & vb. n. Beating.] Etym: [OE. beaten, beten, AS. beátan; akin to Icel. bauta, OHG. b. Cf. 1st Butt, Button.]

1. To strike repeatedly; to lay repeated blows upon; as, to beat one's breast; to beat iron so as to shape it; to beat grain, in order to force out the seeds; to beat eggs and sugar; to beat a drum. Thou shalt beat some of it [spices] very small. Ex. xxx. 36. They did beat the gold into thin plates. Ex. xxxix. 3.

2. To punish by blows; to thrash.

3. To scour or range over in hunting, accompanied with the noise made by striking bushes, etc., for the purpose of rousing game. To beat the woods, and rouse the bounding prey. Prior.

4. To dash against, or strike, as with water or wind. A frozen continent . . . beat with perpetual storms. Milton.

5. To tread, as a path. Pass awful gulfs, and beat my painful way. Blackmore.

6. To overcome in a battle, contest, strife, race, game, etc.; to vanquish or conquer; to surpass. He beat them in a bloody battle. Prescott. For loveliness, it would be hard to beat that. M. Arnold.

7. To cheat; to chouse; to swindle; to defraud; -- often with out. [Colloq.]

8. To exercise severely; to perplex; to trouble. Why should any one . . . beat his head about the Latin grammar who does not intend to be a critic Locke.

9. (Mil.)

Defn: To give the signal for, by beat of drum; to sound by beat of drum; as, to beat an alarm, a charge, a parley, a retreat; to beat the general, the reveille, the tattoo. See Alarm, Charge, Parley, etc. To beat down, to haggle with (any one) to secure a lower price; to force down. [Colloq.] -- To beat into, to teach or instill, by repetition. -- To beat off, to repel or drive back. -- To beat out, to extend by hammering. -- To beat out of a thing, to cause to relinquish it, or give it up. "Nor can anything beat their posterity out of it to this day." South. -- To beat the dust. (Man.) (a) To take in too little ground with the fore legs, as a horse. (b) To perform curvets too precipitately or too low. -- To beat the hoof, to walk; to go on foot. -- To beat the wing, to flutter; to move with fluttering agitation. -- To beat time, to measure or regulate time in music by the motion of the hand or foot. -- To beat up, to attack suddenly; to alarm or disturb; as, to beat up an enemy's quarters.

Syn. -- To strike; pound; bang; buffet; maul; drub; thump; baste; thwack; thrash; pommel; cudgel; belabor; conquer; defeat; vanquish; overcome.

BEAT Beat, v. i.

1. To strike repeatedly; to inflict repeated blaows; to knock vigorously or loudly. The men of the city . . . beat at the door. Judges. xix. 22.

2. To move with pulsation or throbbing. A thousand hearts beat happily. Byron.

3. To come or act with violence; to dash or fall with force; to strike anything, as, rain, wind, and waves do. Sees rolling tempests vainly beat below. Dryden. They [winds] beat at the crazy casement. Longfellow. The sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wisbed in himself to die. Jonah iv. 8. Public envy seemeth to beat chiefly upon ministers. Bacon.

4. To be in agitation or doubt. [Poetic] To still my beating mind. Shak .

5. (Naut.)

Defn: To make progress against the wind, by sailing in a zigzag line or traverse.

6. To make a sound when struck; as, the drums beat.

7. (Mil.)

Defn: To make a succession of strokes on a drum; as, the drummers beat to call soldiers to their quarters.

8. (Acoustics & Mus.)

Defn: To sound with more or less rapid alternations of greater and less intensity, so as to produce a pulsating effect; -- said of instruments, tones, or vibrations, not perfectly in unison. A beating wind (Naut.), a wind which necessitates tacking in order to make progress. -- To beat about, to try to find; to search by various means or ways. Addison. -- To beat about the bush, to approach a subject circuitously. -- To beat up and down (Hunting), to run first one way and then another; -- said of a stag. -- To beat up for recruits, to go diligently about in order to get helpers or participators in an enterprise.

BEAT Beat, n.

1. A stroke; a blow. He, with a careless beat, Struck out the mute creation at a heat. Dryden.

2. A recurring stroke; a throb; a pulsation; as, a beat of the heart; the beat of the pulse.

3. (Mus.) (a) The rise or fall of the hand or foot, marking the divisions of time; a division of the measure so marked. In the rhythm of music the beat is the unit. (b) A transient grace note, struck immediately before the one it is intended to ornament.

4. (Acoustics & Mus.)

Defn: A sudden swelling or reënforcement of a sound, recurring at regular intervals, and produced by the interference of sound waves of slightly different periods of vibrations; applied also, by analogy, to other kinds of wave motions; the pulsation or throbbing produced by the vibrating together of two tones not quite in unison. See Beat, v. i., 8.

5. A round or course which is frequently gone over; as, a watchman's beat.

6. A place of habitual or frequent resort.

7. A cheat or swindler of the lowest grade; -- often emphasized by dead; as, a dead beat. [Low] Beat of drum (Mil.), a succession of strokes varied, in different ways, for particular purposes, as to regulate a march, to call soldiers to their arms or quarters, to direct an attack, or retreat, etc. -- Beat of a watch, or clock, the stroke or sound made by the action of the escapement. A clock is in beat or out of beat, according as the strokes is at equal or unequal intervals.

BEAT Beat, a.

Defn: Weary; tired; fatigued; exhausted. [Colloq.] Quite beat, and very much vexed and disappointed. Dickens.

BEATEN Beat"en, a.

1. Made smooth by beating or treading; worn by use. "A broad and beaten way." Milton. "Beaten gold." Shak.

2. Vanquished; conquered; baffled.

3. Exhausted; tired out.

4. Become common or trite; as, a beaten phrase. [Obs.]

5. Tried; practiced. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

BEATER Beat"er, n.

1. One who, or that which, beats.

2. A person who beats up game for the hunters. Black.

BEATH Beath, v. t. Etym: [AS. be to foment.]

Defn: To bathe; also, to dry or heat, as unseasoned wood. [Obs.] Spenser.

BEATIFIC; BEATIFICAL Be`a*tif"ic, Be`a*tif"ic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. béatifique, L. beatificus. See Beatify.]

Defn: Having the power to impart or complete blissful enjoyment; blissful. "The beatific vision." South. -- Be`a*tif"ic*al*ly, adv.

BEATIFICATE Be`a*tif"i*cate, v. t.

Defn: To beatify. [Obs.] Fuller.

BEATIFICATION Be*at`i*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. béatification.]

Defn: The act of beatifying, or the state of being beatified; esp., in the R. C. Church, the act or process of ascertaining and declaring that a deceased person is one of "the blessed," or has attained the second degree of sanctity, -- usually a stage in the process of canonization. "The beatification of his spirit." Jer. Taylor.

BEATIFY Be*at"i*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beatified (p. pr. & vb. n. Beatifying.] Etym: [L. beatificare; beatus happy (fr. beare to bless, akin to bonus good) + facere to make: cf. F. béatifier. See Bounty.]

1. To pronounce or regard as happy, or supremely blessed, or as conferring happiness. The common conceits and phrases that beatify wealth. Barrow.

2. To make happy; to bless with the completion of celestial enjoyment. "Beatified spirits." Dryden.

3. (R. C. Ch.)

Defn: To ascertain and declare, by a public process and decree, that a deceased person is one of "the blessed" and is to be reverenced as such, though not canonized.

BEATING Beat"ing, n.

1. The act of striking or giving blows; punishment or chastisement by blows.

2. Pulsation; throbbing; as, the beating of the heart.

3. (Acoustics & Mus.)

Defn: Pulsative sounds. See Beat, n.

4. (Naut.)

Defn: The process of sailing against the wind by tacks in zigzag direction.

BEATITUDE Be*at"i*tude, n. Etym: [L. beatitudo: cf. F. béatitude. See Beatify.]

1. Felicity of the highest kind; consummate bliss.

2. Any one of the nine declarations (called the Beatitudes), made in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. v. 3-12), with regard to the blessedness of those who are distinguished by certain specified virtues.

3. (R. C. Ch.)

Defn: Beatification. Milman.

Syn. -- Blessedness; felicity; happiness.

BEAU Beau, n.; pl. F. Beaux (E. pron. b), E. Beaus. Etym: [F., a fop, fr. beau fine, beautiful, fr. L. bellus pretty, fine, for bonulus, dim. of bonus good. See Bounty, and cf. Belle, Beauty.]

1. A man who takes great care to dress in the latest fashion; a dandy.

2. A man who escorts, or pays attentions to, a lady; an escort; a lover.

BEAUCATCHER Beau"catch`er, n.

Defn: A small flat curl worn on the temple by women. [Humorous]

BEAUFET Beau"fet, n. Etym: [See Buffet.]

Defn: A niche, cupboard, or sideboard for plate, china, glass, etc.; a buffet. A beaufet . . . filled with gold and silver vessels. Prescott.

BEAUFIN Beau"fin, n.

Defn: See Biffin. Wright.

BEAUFORT'S SCALE Beau"fort's scale`. (Meteor.)

Defn: A scale of wind force devised by Sir F. Beaufort, R. N., in 1805, in which the force is indicated by numbers from 0 to 12.

The full scale is as follows: -- 0, calm; 1, light air; 2, light breeze; 3, gentle breeze; 4, moderate breeze; 5, fresh breeze; 6, strong breeze; 7, moderate gale; 8, fresh gale; 9, strong gale; 10, whole gale; 11, storm; 12, hurricane.

BEAU IDEAL Beau" i*de"al. Etym: [F. beau beautiful + idéal ideal.]

Defn: A conception or image of consummate beauty, moral or physical, formed in the mind, free from all the deformities, defects, and blemishes seen in actual existence; an ideal or faultless standard or model.

BEAUISH Beau"ish, n.

Defn: Like a beau; characteristic of a beau; foppish; fine. "A beauish young spark." Byrom.

BEAU MONDE Beau` monde". Etym: [F. beau fine + monde world.]

Defn: The fashionable world; people of fashion and gayety. Prior.

BEAUMONTAGUE Beau`mon"ta*gue, n.

Defn: A cement used in making joints, filling cracks, etc. For iron, the principal constituents are iron borings and sal ammoniac; for wood, white lead or litharge, whiting, and linseed oil.

BEAUPERE Beau"pere`, n. Etym: [F. beau pére; beau fair + pére father.]

1. A father. [Obs.] Wyclif.

2. A companion. [Obs.] Spenser.

BEAUSEANT Beau`se`ant", n. Etym: [F. beaucéant.]

Defn: The black and white standard of the Knights Templars.

BEAUSHIP Beau"ship, n.

Defn: The state of being a beau; the personality of a beau. [Jocular] Dryden.

BEAUTEOUS Beau"te*ous, a.

Defn: Full of beauty; beautiful; very handsome. [Mostly poetic] -- Beau"te*ous*ly, adv. --

Defn: Beau"te*ous*ness, n.

BEAUTIED Beau"tied, p. a.

Defn: Beautiful; embellished. [Poetic] Shak.

BEAUTIFIER Beau"ti*fi`er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, beautifies or makes beautiful.

BEAUTIFUL Beau"ti*ful, a.

Defn: Having the qualities which constitute beauty; pleasing to the sight or the mind. A circle is more beautiful than a square; a square is more beautiful than a parallelogram. Lord Kames.

Syn. -- Handsome; elegant; lovely; fair; charming; graceful; pretty; delightful. See Fine. -- Beau"ti*ful*ly, adv. -- Beau"ti*ful*ness, n.

BEAUTIFY Beau"ti*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beautified (p. pr. & vb. n. Beautifying.] Etym: [Beauty + -fy.]

Defn: To make or render beautiful; to add beauty to; to adorn; to deck; to grace; to embellish. The arts that beautify and polish life. Burke.

Syn. -- To adorn; grace; ornament; deck; decorate.

BEAUTIFY Beau"ti*fy, v. i.

Defn: To become beautiful; to advance in beauty. Addison.

BEAUTILESS Beau"ti*less, a.

Defn: Destitute of beauty. Hammond.

BEAUTY Beau"ty, n.; pl. Beauties. Etym: [OE. beaute, beute, OF. beauté, biauté, Pr. beltat, F. beauté, fr. an assumed LL. bellitas, from L. bellus pretty. See Beau.]

1. An assemblage or graces or properties pleasing to the eye, the ear, the intellect, the æsthetic faculty, or the moral sense. Beauty consists of a certain composition of color and figure, causing delight in the beholder. Locke. The production of beauty by a multiplicity of symmetrical parts uniting in a consistent whole. Wordsworth. The old definition of beauty, in the Roman school, was, "multitude in unity;" and there is no doubt that such is the principle of beauty. Coleridge.

2. A particular grace, feature, ornament, or excellence; anything beautiful; as, the beauties of nature.

3. A beautiful person, esp. a beautiful woman. All the admired beauties of Verona. Shak.

4. Prevailing style or taste; rage; fashion. [Obs.] She stained her hair yellow, which was then the beauty. Jer. Taylor. Beauty spot, a patch or spot placed on the face with intent to heighten beauty by contrast.

BEAUX Beaux, n.,

Defn: pl. of Beau.

BEAUXITE Beaux"ite, n. (Min.)

Defn: See Bauxite.

BEAVER Bea"ver, n. Etym: [OE. bever, AS. beofer, befer; akin to D. bever, OHG. bibar, G. biber, Sw. bäfver, Dan. bæver, Lith. bebru, Russ. bobr', Gael. beabhar, Corn. befer, L. fiber, and Skr. babhrus large ichneumon; also as an adj., brown, the animal being probably named from its color. Brown.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An amphibious rodent, of the genus Castor.

Note: It has palmated hind feet, and a broad, flat tail. It is remarkable for its ingenuity in constructing its valued for its fur, and for the material called castor, obtained from two small bags in the groin of the animal. The European species is Castor fiber, and the American is generally considered a variety of this, although sometimes called Castor Canadensis.

2. The fur of the beaver.

3. A hat, formerly made of the fur of the beaver, but now usually of silk. A brown beaver slouched over his eyes. Prescott.

4. Beaver cloth, a heavy felted woolen cloth, used chiefly for making overcoats. Beaver rat (Zoöl.), an aquatic ratlike quadruped of Tasmania (Hydromys chrysogaster). -- Beaver skin, the furry skin of the beaver. -- Bank beaver. See under 1st Bank.

BEAVER Bea"ver, n. Etym: [OE. baviere, bauier, beavoir, bever; fr. F. bavière, fr. bave slaver, drivel, foam, OF., prattle, drivel, perh. orig. an imitative word. Bavière, according to Cotgrave, is the bib put before a (slavering) child.]

Defn: That piece of armor which protected the lower part of the face, whether forming a part of the helmet or fixed to the breastplate. It was so constructed (with joints or otherwise) that the wearer could raise or lower it to eat and drink.

BEAVERED Bea"vered, a.

Defn: Covered with, or wearing, a beaver or hat. "His beavered brow." Pope.

BEAVER STATE Bea"ver State.

Defn: Oregon; -- a nickname.

BEAVERTEEN Bea"ver*teen, n.

Defn: A kind of fustian made of coarse twilled cotton, shorn after dyeing. Simmonds.

BEBEERINE; BEBIRINE Be*bee"rine, or Be*bi"rine, n. (Chem.)

Defn: An alkaloid got from the bark of the bebeeru, or green heart of Guiana (Nectandra Rodioei). It is a tonic, antiperiodic, and febrifuge, and is used in medicine as a substitute for quinine. [Written also bibirine.]

BEBEERU Be*bee"ru, n. [Written also bibiru.] [Native name.] (Bot.)

Defn: A tropical South American tree (Nectandra Rodioi), the bark of which yields the alkaloid bebeerine, and the wood of which is known as green heart.

BEBLEED Be*bleed", v. t.

Defn: To make bloody; to stain with blood. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BEBLOOD; BEBLOODY Be*blood", Be*blood"y, v. t.

Defn: To make bloody; to stain with blood. [Obs.] Sheldon.

BEBLOT Be*blot", v. t.

Defn: To blot; to stain. Chaucer.

BEBLUBBER Be*blub"ber, v. t.

Defn: To make swollen and disfigured or sullied by weeping; as, her eyes or cheeks were beblubbered.

BEBUNG Be"bung, n. [G., lit., a trembling.] (Music)

Defn: A tremolo effect, such as that produced on the piano by vibratory repetition of a note with sustained use of the pedal.

BECALM Be*calm", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Becalmed (p. pr. & vb. n. Becalming.]

1. To render calm or quiet; to calm; to still; to appease. Soft whispering airs . . . becalm the mind. Philips.

2. To keep from motion, or stop the progress of, by the stilling of the wind; as, the fleet was becalmed.

BECAME Be*came", imp.

Defn: of Become.

BECARD Bec"ard, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A South American bird of the flycatcher family. (Tityra inquisetor).

BECAUSE Be*cause", conj. Etym: [OE. bycause; by + cause.]

1. By or for the cause that; on this account that; for the reason that. Milton.

2. In order that; that. [Obs.] And the multitude rebuked them because they should hold their peace. Matt. xx. 31. Because of, by reason of, on account of. [Prep. phrase.] Because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Eph. v. 6.

Syn, -- Because, For, Since, As, Inasmuch As. These particles are used, in certain connections, to assign the reason of a thing, or that "on account of" which it is or takes place. Because (by cause) is the strongest and most emphatic; as, I hid myself because I was afraid. For is not quite so strong; as, in Shakespeare, "I hate him, for he is a Christian." Since is less formal and more incidental than because; as, I will do it since you request me. It more commonly begins a sentence; as, Since your decision is made, I will say no more. As is still more incidental than since, and points to some existing fact by way of assigning a reason. Thus we say, as I knew him to be out of town, I did not call. Inasmuch as seems to carry with it a kind of qualification which does not belong to the rest. Thus, if we say, I am ready to accept your proposal, inasmuch as I believe it is the best you can offer, we mean, it is only with this understanding that we can accept it.

BECCABUNGA Bec`ca*bun"ga, n. Etym: [NL. (cf. It. beccabunga, G. bachbunge), fr. G. bach brook + bunge, OHG. bungo, bulb. See Beck a brook.]

Defn: See Brooklime.

BECCAFICO Bec`ca*fi"co, n.; pl. Beccaficos (. Etym: [It., fr. beccare to peck + fico fig.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A small bird. (Silvia hortensis), which is highly prized by the Italians for the delicacy of its flesh in the autumn, when it has fed on figs, grapes, etc.

BECCHI'S TEST Bec"chi's test. [After E. Becchi, Italian chemist.] (Chem.)

Defn: A qualitative test for cottonseed oil, based on the fact this oil imparts a maroon color to an alcoholic solution of silver nitrate.

BECHAMEL Bech"a*mel, n. Etym: [F. béchamel, named from its inventor, Louis de Béchamel.] (Cookery)

Defn: A rich, white sauce, prepared with butter and cream.

BECHANCE Be*chance", adv. Etym: [Pref. be- for by + chance.]

Defn: By chance; by accident. [Obs.] Grafton.

BECHANCE Be*chance", v. t. & i.

Defn: To befall; to chance; to happen to. God knows what hath bechanced them. Shak.

BECHARM Be*charm", v. t.

Defn: To charm; to captivate.

BECHE DE MER Bêche` de mer". Etym: [F., lit., a sea spade.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The trepang.

BECHIC Be"chic, a. Etym: [L. bechicus, adj., for a cough, Gr. , fr. cough: cf. F. béchique.] (Med.)

Defn: Pertaining to, or relieving, a cough. Thomas. -- n.

Defn: A medicine for relieving coughs. Quincy.

BECHUANAS Bech`u*a"nas, n. pl.

Defn: A division of the Bantus, dwelling between the Orange and Zambezi rivers, supposed to be the most ancient Bantu population of South Africa. They are divided into totemic clans; they are intelligent and progressive.

BECK Beck, n.

Defn: See Beak. [Obs.] Spenser.

BECK Beck, n. Etym: [OE. bek, AS. becc; akin to Icel. bekkr brook, OHG. pah, G. bach.]

Defn: A small brook. The brooks, the becks, the rills. Drayton.

BECK Beck, n.

Defn: A vat. See Back.

BECK Beck, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Becked (; p. pr. & vb. n. Becking.] Etym: [Contr. of beckon.]

Defn: To nod, or make a sign with the head or hand. [Archaic] Drayton.

BECK Beck, v. t.

Defn: To notify or call by a nod, or a motion of the head or hand; to intimate a command to. [Archaic] When gold and silver becks me to come on. Shak.

BECK Beck, n.

Defn: A significant nod, or motion of the head or hand, esp. as a call or command. They have troops of soldiers at their beck. Shak.

BECKER Beck"er, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A European fish (Pagellus centrodontus); the sea bream or braise.

BECKET Beck"et, n. Etym: [Cf. D. bek beak, and E. beak.]

1. (Naut.)

Defn: A small grommet, or a ring or loop of rope

2. A spade for digging turf. [Prov. Eng.] Wright.

BECKON Beck"on, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beckoned (p. pr. & vb. n. Beckoning.]

Defn: To make a significant sign to; hence, to summon, as by a motion of the hand. His distant friends, he beckons near. Dryden. It beckons you to go away with it. Shak.

BECKON Beck"on, n.

Defn: A sign made without words; a beck. "At the first beckon." Bolingbroke.

BECK'S SCALE Beck's scale.

Defn: A hydrometer scale on which the zero point corresponds to sp. gr. 1.00, and the 30º-point to sp. gr. 0.85. From these points the scale is extended both ways, all the degrees being of equal length.

BECLAP Be*clap, v. t. Etym: [OE. biclappen.]

Defn: To catch; to grasp; to insnare. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BECLIP Be*clip", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beclipped ( Etym: [AS. beclyppan; pref. be + clyppan to embrace.]

Defn: To embrace; to surround. [Obs.] Wyclif.

BECLOUD Be*cloud", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beclouded; p. pr. & vb. n. Beclouding.]

Defn: To cause obscurity or dimness to; to dim; to cloud. If thou becloud the sunshine of thine eye. Quarles.

BECOME Be*come", v. i. [imp. Became; p. p. Become; p. pr. & vb. n. Becoming.] Etym: [OE. bicumen, becumen, AS. becuman to come to, to happen; akin to D. bekomen, OHG.a piquëman, Goth. biquiman to come upon, G. bekommen to get, suit. See Be-, and Come.]

1. To pass from one state to another; to enter into some state or condition, by a change from another state, or by assuming or receiving new properties or qualities, additional matter, or a new character. The Lord God . . . breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Gen. ii. 7. That error now which is become my crime. Milton.

2. To come; to get. [Obs.] But, madam, where is Warwick then become! Shak. To become of, to be the present state or place of; to be the fate of; to be the end of; to be the final or subsequent condition of. What is then become of so huge a multitude Sir W. Raleigh.

BECOME Be*come", v. t.

Defn: To suit or be suitable to; to be congruous with; to befit; to accord with, in character or circumstances; to be worthy of, or proper for; to cause to appear well; -- said of persons and things. It becomes me so to speak of so excellent a poet. Dryden. I have known persons so anxious to have their dress become them, as to convert it, at length, into their proper self, and thus actually to become the dress. Coleridge.

BECOMED Be*com"ed, a.

Defn: Proper; decorous. [Obs.] And gave him what becomed love I might. Shak.

BECOMING Be*com"ing, a.

Defn: Appropriate or fit; congruous; suitable; graceful; befitting. A low and becoming tone. Thackeray.

Note: Formerly sometimes followed by of. Such discourses as are becoming of them. Dryden.

Syn. -- Seemly; comely; decorous; decent; proper.

BECOMING Be*com"ing, n.

Defn: That which is becoming or appropriate. [Obs.]

BECOMINGLY Be*com"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a becoming manner.

BECOMINGNESS Be*com"ing*ness, n.

Defn: The quality of being becoming, appropriate, or fit; congruity; fitness. The becomingness of human nature. Grew.

BECQUEREL RAYS Becque`rel" rays". (Physics)

Defn: Radiations first observed by the French physicist Henri Becquerel, in working with uranium and its compounds. They consist of a mixture of alpha, beta, and gamma rays.

BECRIPPLE Be*crip"ple, v. t.

Defn: To make a cripple of; to cripple; to lame. [R.] Dr. H. More.

BECUIBA; BECUIBA NUT Be*cui"ba, n., Be*cui"ba nut`. [Native name.] (Bot.)

Defn: The nut of the Brazilian tree Myristica Bicuhyba, which yields a medicinal balsam used for rheumatism.

BECUNA Be*cu"na, n. Etym: [Sp.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A fish of the Mediterranean (Sphyræna spet). See Barracuda.

BECURL Be*curl", v. t.

Defn: To curl; to adorn with curls.

BED Bed, n. Etym: [AS. bed, bedd; akin to OS. bed, D. bed, bedde, Icel. be, Dan. bed, Sw. bädd, Goth. badi, OHG. betti, G. bett, bette, bed, beet a plat of ground; all of uncertain origin.]

1. An article of furniture to sleep or take rest in or on; a couch. Specifically: A sack or mattress, filled with some soft material, in distinction from the bedstead on which it is placed (as, a feather bed), or this with the bedclothes added. In a general sense, any thing or place used for sleeping or reclining on or in, as a quantity of hay, straw, leaves, or twigs. And made for him [a horse] a leafy bed. Byron. I wash, wring, brew, bake, . . . make the beds. Shak. In bed he slept not for my urging it. Shak.

2. (Used as the symbol of matrimony) Marriage. George, the eldest son of his second bed. Clarendon.

3. A plat or level piece of ground in a garden, usually a little raised above the adjoining ground. "Beds of hyacinth and roses." Milton.

4. A mass or heap of anything arranged like a bed; as, a bed of ashes or coals.

5. The bottom of a watercourse, or of any body of water; as, the bed of a river. So sinks the daystar in the ocean bed. Milton.

6. (Geol.)

Defn: A layer or seam, or a horizontal stratum between layers; as, a bed of coal, iron, etc.

7. (Gun.)

Defn: See Gun carriage, and Mortar bed.

8. (Masonry) (a) The horizontal surface of a building stone; as, the upper and lower beds. (b) A course of stone or brick in a wall. (c) The place or material in which a block or brick is laid. (d) The lower surface of a brick, slate, or tile. Knight.

9. (Mech.)

Defn: The foundation or the more solid and fixed part or framing of a machine; or a part on which something is laid or supported; as, the bed of an engine.

10. The superficial earthwork, or ballast, of a railroad.

11. (Printing)

Defn: The flat part of the press, on which the form is laid.

Note: Bed is much used adjectively or in combination; as, bed key or bedkey; bed wrench or bedwrench; bedchamber; bedmaker, etc. Bed of justice (French Hist.), the throne (F. lit bed) occupied by the king when sitting in one of his parliaments (judicial courts); hence, a session of a refractory parliament, at which the king was present for the purpose of causing his decrees to be registered. -- To be brought to bed, to be delivered of a child; -- often followed by of; as, to be brought to bed of a son. -- To make a bed, to prepare a bed; to arrange or put in order a bed and its bedding. -- From bed and board (Law), a phrase applied to a separation by partial divorce of man and wife, without dissolving the bonds of matrimony. If such a divorce (now commonly called a judicial separation) be granted at the instance of the wife, she may have alimony.

BED Bed, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedded; p. pr. & vb. n. Bedding.]

1. To place in a bed. [Obs.] Bacon.

2. To make partaker of one's bed; to cohabit with. I'll to the Tuscan wars, and never bed her. Shak.

3. To furnish with a bed or bedding.

4. To plant or arrange in beds; to set, or cover, as in a bed of soft earth; as, to bed the roots of a plant in mold.

5. To lay or put in any hollow place, or place of rest and security, surrounded or inclosed; to embed; to furnish with or place upon a bed or foundation; as, to bed a stone; it was bedded on a rock. Among all chains or clusters of mountains where large bodies of still water are bedded. Wordsworth.

6. (Masonry)

Defn: To dress or prepare the surface of stone) so as to serve as a bed.

7. To lay flat; to lay in order; to place in a horizontal or recumbent position. "Bedded hair." Shak.

BED Bed, v. i.

Defn: To go to bed; to cohabit. If he be married, and bed with his wife. Wiseman.

BEDABBLE Be*dab*ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedabbled (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bedabbling (.]

Defn: To dabble; to sprinkle or wet. Shak.

BEDAFF Be*daff", v. t.

Defn: To make a daff or fool of. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BEDAGAT Bed"a*gat, n.

Defn: The sacred books of the Buddhists in Burmah. Malcom.

BEDAGGLE Be*dag"gle, v. t.

Defn: To daggle.

BEDASH Be*dash", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedashed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedashing.]

Defn: To wet by dashing or throwing water or other liquid upon; to bespatter. "Trees bedashed with rain." Shak.

BEDAUB Be*daub", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedaubed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedaubing.]

Defn: To daub over; to besmear or soil with anything thick and dirty. Bedaub foul designs with a fair varnish. Barrow.

BEDAZZLE Be*daz"zle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedazzled (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedazzling (

Defn: To dazzle or make dim by a strong light. "Bedazzled with the sun." Shak.

BEDBUG Bed"bug`, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A wingless, bloodsucking, hemipterous insect (Cimex Lectularius), sometimes infesting houses and especially beds. See Illustration in Appendix.

BEDCHAIR Bed"chair`, n.

Defn: A chair with adjustable back, for the sick, to support them while sitting up in bed.

BEDCHAMBER Bed"cham`ber, n.

Defn: A chamber for a bed; an apartment form sleeping in. Shak. Lords of the bedchamber, eight officers of the royal household, all of noble families, who wait in turn a week each. [Eng.] -- Ladies of the bedchamber, eight ladies, all titled, holding a similar official position in the royal household, during the reign of a queen. [Eng.]

BEDCLOTHES Bed"clothes`, n. pl.

Defn: Blankets, sheets, coverlets, etc., for a bed. Shak.

BEDCORD Bed"cord`, n.

Defn: A cord or rope interwoven in a bedstead so as to support the bed.

BEDDED Bed"ded, a.

Defn: Provided with a bed; as, double-bedded room; placed or arranged in a bed or beds.

BEDDING Bed"ding, n. Etym: [AS. bedding, beding. See Bed.]

1. A bed and its furniture; the materials of a bed, whether for man or beast; bedclothes; litter.

2. (Geol.)

Defn: The state or position of beds and layers.

BEDE Bede, v. t. Etym: [See Bid, v. t.]

Defn: To pray; also, to offer; to proffer. [Obs.] R. of Gloucester. Chaucer.

BEDE Bede, n. (Mining)

Defn: A kind of pickax.

BEDECK Be*deck", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedecked (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedecking.]

Defn: To deck, ornament, or adorn; to grace. Bedecked with boughs, flowers, and garlands. Pennant.

BEDEGUAR; BEDEGAR Bed"e*guar, Bed"e*gar, n. Etym: [F., fr. Per. bad-award, or bad- awardag, prop., a kind of white thorn or thistle.]

Defn: A gall produced on rosebushes, esp. on the sweetbrier or eglantine, by a puncture from the ovipositor of a gallfly (Rhodites rosæ). It was once supposed to have medicinal properties.

BEDEHOUSE Bede"house`

Defn: ,n.Same as Beadhouse.

BEDEL; BEDELL Be"del, Be"dell

Defn: ,n.Same as Beadle.

BEDELRY Be"del*ry, n.

Defn: Beadleship. [Obs.] Blount.

BEDEN Bed"en, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The Abyssinian or Arabian ibex (Capra Nubiana). It is probably the wild goat of the Bible.

BEDESMAN Bedes"man, n.

Defn: Same as Beadsman. [Obs.]

BEDEVIL Be*dev"il, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedevilled (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedeviling or Bedevilling.]

1. To throw into utter disorder and confusion, as if by the agency of evil spirits; to bring under diabolical influence; to torment. Bedeviled and used worse than St. Bartholomew. Sterne.

2. To spoil; to corrupt. Wright.

BEDEVILMENT Be*dev"il*ment, n.

Defn: The state of being bedeviled; bewildering confusion; vexatious trouble. [Colloq.]

BEDEW Be*dew", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedewed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedewing.]

Defn: To moisten with dew, or as with dew. "Falling tears his face bedew." Dryden.

BEDEWER Be*dew"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, bedews.

BEDEWY Be*dew"y, a.

Defn: Moist with dew; dewy. [Obs.] Night with her bedewy wings. A. Brewer.

BEDFELLOW Bed"fel`low, n.

Defn: One who lies with another in the same bed; a person who shares one's couch.

BEDFERE; BEDPHERE Bed"fere` Bed"phere`, n. Etym: [Bed + AS. fera a companion.]

Defn: A bedfellow. [Obs.] Chapman.

BEDGOWN Bed"gown`, n.

Defn: A nightgown.

BEDIGHT Be*dight", v. t. [p. p. Bedight, Bedighted.]

Defn: To bedeck; to array or equip; to adorn. [Archaic] Milton.

BEDIM Be*dim", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedimmed (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedimming.]

Defn: To make dim; to obscure or darken. Shak.

BEDIZEN Be*diz"en, v. t.

Defn: To dress or adorn tawdrily or with false taste. Remnants of tapestried hangings, . . . and shreds of pictures with which he had bedizened his tatters. Sir W. Scott.

BEDIZENMENT Be*diz"en*ment, n.

Defn: That which bedizens; the act of dressing, or the state of being dressed, tawdrily.

BEDKEY Bed"key`, n.

Defn: An instrument for tightening the parts of a bedstead.

BEDLAM Bed"lam, n. Etym: [See Bethlehem.]

1. A place appropriated to the confinement and care of the insane; a madhouse. Abp. Tillotson.

2. An insane person; a lunatic; a madman. [Obs.] Let's get the bedlam to lead him. Shak.

3. Any place where uproar and confusion prevail.

BEDLAM Bed"lam, a.

Defn: Belonging to, or fit for, a madhouse. "The bedlam, brainsick duchess." Shak.

BEDLAMITE Bed"lam*ite, n.

Defn: An inhabitant of a madhouse; a madman. "Raving bedlamites." Beattie.

BEDMAKER Bed"mak`er, n.

Defn: One who makes beds.

BED-MOLDING; BED-MOULDING Bed"-mold`ing Bed"-mould`ing, n. (Arch.)

Defn: The molding of a cornice immediately below the corona. Oxf. Gloss.

BEDOTE Be*dote", v. t.

Defn: To cause to dote; to deceive. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BEDOUIN Bed"ou*in, n. Etym: [F. bédouin, OF. béduin, fr. Ar. bedawi rural, living in the desert, fr. badw desert, fr. bada to live in the desert, to lead a nomadic life.]

Defn: One of the nomadic Arabs who live in tents, and are scattered over Arabia, Syria, and northern Africa, esp. in the deserts. -- Bed"ou*in*ism (, n.

BEDOUIN Bed"ou*in, a.

Defn: Pertaining to the Bedouins; nomad.

BEDPAN Bed"pan`, n.

1. A pan for warming beds. Nares.

2. A shallow chamber vessel, so constructed that it can be used by a sick person in bed.

BEDPHERE Bed"phere`, n.

Defn: See Bedfere. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

BEDPIECE; BEDPLATE Bed"piece`, Bed"plate`, n. (Mach.)

Defn: The foundation framing or piece, by which the other parts are supported and held in place; the bed; -- called also baseplate and soleplate.

BEDPOST Bed"post`, n.

1. One of the four standards that support a bedstead or the canopy over a bedstead.

2. Anciently, a post or pin on each side of the bed to keep the clothes from falling off. See Bedstaff. Brewer.

BEDQUILT Bed"quilt`, n.

Defn: A quilt for a bed; a coverlet.

BEDRABBLE Be*drab"ble, v. t.

Defn: To befoul with rain and mud; to drabble.

BEDRAGGLE Be*drag"gle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedraggled (; p. pr. & vb. n. Bedraggling (.]

Defn: To draggle; to soil, as garments which, in walking, are suffered to drag in dust, mud, etc. Swift.

BEDRENCH Be*drench", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedrenched (p. pr. & vb. n. Bedrenching.]

Defn: To drench; to saturate with moisture; to soak. Shak.

BEDRIBBLE Be*drib"ble, v. t.

Defn: To dribble upon.

BEDRID; BEDRIDDEN Bed"rid`, Bed"rid`den, a. Etym: [OE. bedrede, AS. bedreda, bedrida; from bed, bedd, a bed or couch + ridda a rider; cf. OHG. pettiriso, G. bettrise. See Bed, n., and Ride, v. i. ]

Defn: Confined to the bed by sickness or infirmity. "Her decrepit, sick, and bedrid father." Shak. "The estate of a bedridden old gentleman." Macaulay.

BEDRIGHT; BEDRITE Bed"right` Bed"rite`, n. Etym: [Bed + right, rite.]

Defn: The duty or privilege of the marriage bed. Shak.

BEDRIZZLE Be*driz"zle, v. t.

Defn: To drizzle upon.

BED ROCK Bed" rock". (Mining)

Defn: The solid rock underlying superficial formations. Also Fig.

BEDROOM Bed"room, n.

1. A room or apartment intended or used for a bed; a lodging room.

2. Room in a bed.

Note: [In this sense preferably bed room.] Then by your side no bed room me deny. Shak.

BEDROP Be*drop", v. t.

Defn: To sprinkle, as with drops. The yellow carp, in scales bedropped with gold. Pope.

BEDRUG Be*drug", v. t.

Defn: To drug abundantly or excessively.

BED SCREW Bed" screw`.

1. (Naut.) A form of jack screw for lifting large bodies, and assisting in launching.

2. A long screw formerly used to fasten a bedpost to one of the adjacent side pieces.

BEDSIDE Bed"side`, n.

Defn: The side of a bed.

BEDSITE Bed"site`, n.

Defn: A recess in a room for a bed. Of the three bedrooms, two have fireplaces, and all are of fair size, with windows and bedsite well placed. Quart. Rev.

BEDSORE Bed"sore`, n. (Med.)

Defn: A sore on the back or hips caused by lying for a long time in bed.

BEDSPREAD Bed"spread`, n.

Defn: A bedquilt; a counterpane; a coverlet. [U. S.]

BEDSTAFF Bed"staff`, n.; pl. Bedstaves (.