Chapter XL: Appendix: Vermiformis (19)

Defn: "A wooden pin stuck anciently on the sides of the bedstead, to hold the clothes from slipping on either side." Johnson. Hostess, accommodate us with a bedstaff. B. Jonson. Say there is no virtue in cudgels and bedstaves. Brome.

BEDSTEAD Bed"stead, n. Etym: [Bed + stead a frame.]

Defn: A framework for supporting a bed.

BED STEPS Bed" steps`.

Defn: Steps for mounting a bed of unusual height.

BEDSTOCK Bed"stock, n.

Defn: The front or the back part of the frame of a bedstead. [Obs. or Dial. Eng.]

BEDSTRAW Bed"straw`, n.

1. Straw put into a bed. Bacon.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of slender herbs, usually with square stems, whorled leaves, and small white flowers. Our Lady's bedstraw, which has yellow flowers, is Galium verum. -- White bedstraw is G. mollugo.

BEDSWERVER Bed"swerv`er, n.

Defn: One who swerves from and is unfaithful to the marriage vow. [Poetic] Shak.

BEDTICK Bed"tick`, n.

Defn: A tick or bag made of cloth, used for inclosing the materials of a bed.

BEDTIME Bed"time`, n.

Defn: The time to go to bed. Shak.

BEDUCK Be*duck", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beducked (.]

Defn: To duck; to put the head under water; to immerse. "Deep himself beducked." Spenser.

BEDUIN Bed"uin, n.

Defn: See Bedouin.

BEDUNG Be*dung", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedunged.]

Defn: To cover with dung, as for manuring; to bedaub or defile, literally or figuratively. Bp. Hall.

BEDUST Be*dust", v. t.

Defn: To sprinkle, soil, or cover with dust. Sherwood.

BEDWARD Bed"ward, adv.

Defn: Towards bed.

BEDWARF Be*dwarf", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedwarfed.]

Defn: To make a dwarf of; to stunt or hinder the growth of; to dwarf. Donne.

BEDYE Be*dye", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedyed; p. pr. & vb. n. Bedyeing.]

Defn: To dye or stain. Briton fields with Sarazin blood bedyed. Spenser.

BEE Bee,

Defn: p. p. of Be; -- used for been. [Obs.] Spenser.

BEE Bee, n. Etym: [AS. beó; akin to D. bij and bije, Icel. b, Sw. & Dan. bi, OHG. pini, G. biene, and perh. Ir. beach, Lith. bitis, Skr. bha. sq. root97.]

1. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An insect of the order Hymenoptera, and family Apidæ (the honeybees), or family Andrenidæ (the solitary bees.) See Honeybee.

Note: There are many genera and species. The common honeybee (Apis mellifica) lives in swarms, each of which has its own queen, its males or drones, and its very numerous workers, which are barren females. Besides the A. mellifica there are other species and varieties of honeybees, as the A. ligustica of Spain and Italy; the A. Indica of India; the A. fasciata of Egypt. The bumblebee is a species of Bombus. The tropical honeybees belong mostly to Melipoma and Trigona.

2. A neighborly gathering of people who engage in united labor for the benefit of an individual or family; as, a quilting bee; a husking bee; a raising bee. [U. S.] The cellar . . . was dug by a bee in a single day. S. G. Goodrich.

3. pl. Etym: [Prob. fr. AS. beáh ring, fr. b to bend. See 1st Bow.] (Naut.)

Defn: Pieces of hard wood bolted to the sides of the bowsprit, to reeve the fore-topmast stays through; -- called also bee blocks. Bee beetle (Zoöl.), a beetle (Trichodes apiarius) parasitic in beehives. -- Bee bird (Zoöl.), a bird that eats the honeybee, as the European flycatcher, and the American kingbird. -- Bee flower (Bot.), an orchidaceous plant of the genus Ophrys (O. apifera), whose flowers have some resemblance to bees, flies, and other insects. -- Bee fly (Zoöl.), a two winged fly of the family Bombyliidæ. Some species, in the larval state, are parasitic upon bees. -- Bee garden, a garden or inclosure to set beehives in ; an apiary. Mortimer. -- Bee glue, a soft, unctuous matter, with which bees cement the combs to the hives, and close up the cells; -- called also propolis. -- Bee hawk (Zoöl.), the honey buzzard. -- Bee killer (Zoöl.), a large two-winged fly of the family Asilidæ (esp. Trupanea apivora) which feeds upon the honeybee. See Robber fly. -- Bee louse (Zoöl.), a minute, wingless, dipterous insect (Braula cæca) parasitic on hive bees. -- Bee martin (Zoöl.), the kingbird (Tyrannus Carolinensis) which occasionally feeds on bees. -- Bee moth (Zoöl.), a moth (Galleria cereana) whose larvæ feed on honeycomb, occasioning great damage in beehives. -- Bee wolf (Zoöl.), the larva of the bee beetle. See Illust. of Bee beetle. -- To have a bee in the head or in the bonnet. (a) To be choleric. [Obs.] (b) To be restless or uneasy. B. Jonson. (c) To be full of fancies; to be a little crazy. "She's whiles crack-brained, and has a bee in her head." Sir W. Scott.

BEEBREAD Bee"bread`, n.

Defn: A brown, bitter substance found in some of the cells of honeycomb. It is made chiefly from the pollen of flowers, which is collected by bees as food for their young.

BEECH Beech, n.; pl. Beeches. Etym: [OE. beche, AS. b; akin to D. beuk, OHG. buocha, G. buche, Icel. beyki, Dan. bög, Sw. bok, Russ. buk, L. fagus, Gr. oak, to eat, Skr. bhaksh; the tree being named originally from the esculent fruit. See Book, and cf. 7th Buck, Buckwheat.] (Bot.)

Defn: A tree of the genus Fagus.

Note: It grows to a large size, having a smooth bark and thick foliage, and bears an edible triangular nut, of which swine are fond. The Fagus sylvatica is the European species, and the F. ferruginea that of America. Beech drops (Bot.), a parasitic plant which grows on the roots of beeches (Epiphegus Americana). -- Beech marten (Zoöl.), the stone marten of Europe (Mustela foina). -- Beech mast, the nuts of the beech, esp. as they lie under the trees, in autumn. -- Beech oil, oil expressed from the mast or nuts of the beech tree. -- Cooper beech, a variety of the European beech with copper- colored, shining leaves.

BEECHEN Beech"en, a. Etym: [AS. b.]

Defn: Consisting, or made, of the wood or bark of the beech; belonging to the beech. "Plain beechen vessels." Dryden.

BEECHNUT Beech"nut`, n.

Defn: The nut of the beech tree.

BEECH TREE Beech" tree`.

Defn: The beech.

BEECHY Beech"y, a.

Defn: Of or relating to beeches.

BEE-EATER Bee"-eat`er, n. (Zoöl.) (a) A bird of the genus Merops, that feeds on bees. The European species (M. apiaster) is remarkable for its brilliant colors. (b) An African bird of the genus Rhinopomastes.

BEEF Beef, n. Etym: [OE. boef, befe, beef, OF. boef, buef, F. b, fr. L. bos, bovis, ox; akin to Gr. , Skr. g cow, and E. cow. See 2d Cow.]

1. An animal of the genus Bos, especially the common species, B. taurus, including the bull, cow, and ox, in their full grown state; esp., an ox or cow fattened for food.

Note: [In this, which is the original sense, the word has a plural, beeves (.] A herd of beeves, fair oxen and fair kine. Milton.

2. The flesh of an ox, or cow, or of any adult bovine animal, when slaughtered for food.

Note: [In this sense, the word has no plural.] "Great meals of beef." Shak.

3. Applied colloquially to human flesh.

BEEF Beef, a.

Defn: Of, pertaining to, or resembling, beef. Beef tea, essence of beef, or strong beef broth.

BEEFEATER Beef"eat`er, n. Etym: [Beef + eater; prob. one who eats another's beef, as his servant. Cf. AS. hlaf servant, properly a loaf eater.]

1. One who eats beef; hence, a large, fleshy person.

2. One of the yeomen of the guard, in England.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: An African bird of the genus Buphaga, which feeds on the larvæ of botflies hatched under the skin of oxen, antelopes, etc. Two species are known.

BEEFSTEAK Beef"steak`, n.

Defn: A steak of beef; a slice of beef broiled or suitable for broiling.

BEEF-WITTED Beef"-wit`ted, n.

Defn: Stupid; dull. Shak.

BEEFWOOD Beef"wood`, n.

Defn: An Australian tree (Casuarina), and its red wood, used for cabinetwork; also, the trees Stenocarpus salignus of New South Wales, and Banksia compar of Queensland.

BEEFY Beef"y, a.

Defn: Having much beef; of the nature of beef; resembling beef; fleshy.

BEEHIVE Bee"hive`, n.

Defn: A hive for a swarm of bees. Also used figuratively.

Note: A common and typical form of beehive was a domeshaped inverted basket, whence certain ancient Irish and Scotch architectural remains are called beehive houses.

BEEHOUSE Bee"house`, n.

Defn: A house for bees; an apiary.

BEE LARKSPUR Bee" lark`spur.

Defn: (Bot.) See Larkspur.

BEELD Beeld, n.

Defn: Same as Beild. Fairfax.

BEE LINE Bee" line`.

Defn: The shortest line from one place to another, like that of a bee to its hive when loaded with honey; an air line. "A bee line for the brig." Kane.

BEELZEBUB Be*el"ze*bub, n.

Defn: The title of a heathen deity to whom the Jews ascribed the sovereignty of the evil spirits; hence, the Devil or a devil. See Baal.

BEEM Beem, n. Etym: [AS. b, b.]

Defn: A trumpet. [Obs.]

BEEMASTER Bee"mas`ter, n.

Defn: One who keeps bees.

BEEN Been. Etym: [OE. beon, ben, bin, p. p. of been, beon, to be. See Be.]

Defn: The past participle of Be. In old authors it is also the pr. tense plural of Be. See 1st Bee. Assembled been a senate grave and stout. Fairfax.

BEER Beer, n. Etym: [OE. beor, ber, AS. beór; akin to Fries. biar, Icel. bj, OHG. bior, D. & G. bier, and possibly E. brew. *93, See Brew.]

1. A fermented liquor made from any malted grain, but commonly from barley malt, with hops or some other substance to impart a bitter flavor.

Note: Beer has different names, as small beer, ale, porter, brown stout, lager beer, according to its strength, or other qualities. See Ale.

2. A fermented extract of the roots and other parts of various plants, as spruce, ginger, sassafras, etc. Small beer, weak beer; (fig.) insignificant matters. "To suckle fools, and chronicle small beer." Shak.

BEEREGAR Beer"e*gar, n. Etym: [Beer + eager.]

Defn: Sour beer. [Obs.]

BEERHOUSE Beer"house`, n.

Defn: A house where malt liquors are sold; an alehouse.

BEERINESS Beer"i*ness, n.

Defn: Beery condition.

BEERY Beer"y, a.

Defn: Of or resembling beer; affected by beer; maudlin.

BEESTINGS Beest"ings, n.

Defn: Same as Biestings.

BEESWAX Bees"wax`, n.

Defn: The wax secreted by bees, and of which their cells are constructed.

BEESWING Bees"wing`, n.

Defn: The second crust formed in port and some other wines after long keeping. It consists of pure, shining scales of tartar, supposed to resemble the wing of a bee.

BEET Beet, n. Etym: [AS. bete, from L. beta.]

1. (Bot.)

Defn: A biennial plant of the genus Beta, which produces an edible root the first year and seed the second year.

2. The root of plants of the genus Beta, different species and varieties of which are used for the table, for feeding stock, or in making sugar.

Note: There are many varieties of the common beet (Beta vulgaris). The Old "white beet", cultivated for its edible leafstalks, is a distinct species (Beta Cicla).

BEETE; BETE Beete, Bete, v. t. Etym: [AS. b to mend. See Better.]

1. To mend; to repair. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. To renew or enkindle (a fire). [Obs.] Chaucer.

BEETLE Bee"tle, n. Etym: [OE. betel, AS. bitl, b, mallet, hammer, fr. beátan to beat. See Beat, v. t.]

1. A heavy mallet, used to drive wedges, beat pavements, etc.

2. A machine in which fabrics are subjected to a hammering process while passing over rollers, as in cotton mills; -- called also beetling machine. Knight.

BEETLE Bee"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beetled; p. pr. & vb. n. Beetling.]

1. To beat with a heavy mallet.

2. To finish by subjecting to a hammering process in a beetle or beetling machine; as, to beetle cotton goods.

BEETLE Bee"tle, n. Etym: [OE. bityl, bittle, AS. b, fr. b to bite. See Bite, v. t.]

Defn: Any insect of the order Coleoptera, having four wings, the outer pair being stiff cases for covering the others when they are folded up. See Coleoptera. Beetle mite (Zoöl.), one of many species of mites, of the family Oribatidæ, parasitic on beetles. -- Black beetle, the common large black cockroach (Blatta orientalis).

BEETLE Bee"tle, v. i. Etym: [See Beetlebrowed.]

Defn: To extend over and beyond the base or support; to overhang; to jut. To the dreadful summit of the cliff That beetles o'er his base into the sea. Shak. Each beetling rampart, and each tower sublime. Wordsworth.

BEETLE BROW Bee"tle brow`.

Defn: An overhanging brow.

BEETLE-BROWED Bee"tle-browed`, a. Etym: [OE. bitelbrowed; cf. OE. bitel, adj., sharp, projecting, n., a beetle. See Beetle an insect.]

Defn: Having prominent, overhanging brows; hence, lowering or sullen.

Note: The earlier meaning was, "Having bushy or overhanging eyebrows."

BEETLEHEAD Bee"tle*head`, n. Etym: [Beetle a mallet + head.]

1. A stupid fellow; a blockhead. Sir W. Scott.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The black-bellied plover, or bullhead (Squatarola helvetica). See Plover.

BEETLE-HEADED Bee"tle-head`ed, a.

Defn: Dull; stupid. Shak.

BEETLESTOCK Bee"tle*stock`, n.

Defn: The handle of a beetle.

BEET RADISH Beet" rad`ish.

Defn: Same as Beetrave.

BEETRAVE Beet"rave`, n. Etym: [F. betterave; bette beet + rave radish.]

Defn: The common beet (Beta vulgaris).

BEEVE Beeve, n. Etym: [Formed from beeves, pl. of beef.]

Defn: A beef; a beef creature. They would knock down the first beeve they met with. W. Irving.

BEEVES Beeves, n.

Defn: ; plural of Beef, the animal.

BEFALL Be*fall", v. t. [imp. Befell; p. p. Befallen; p. pr. & vb. n. Befalling.] Etym: [AS. befeallan; pref. be- + feallan to fall.]

Defn: To happen to. I beseech your grace that I may know The worst that may befall me. Shak.

BEFALL Be*fall", v. i.

Defn: To come to pass; to happen. I have revealed . . . the discord which befell. Milton.

BEFIT Be*fit", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befitted; p. pr. & vb. n. Befitting.]

Defn: To be suitable to; to suit; to become. That name best befits thee. Milton.

BEFITTING Be*fit"ting, a.

Defn: Suitable; proper; becoming; fitting.

BEFITTINGLY Be*fit"ting*ly, adv.

Defn: In a befitting manner; suitably.

BEFLATTER Be*flat"ter, v. t.

Defn: To flatter excessively.

BEFLOWER Be*flow"er, v. t.

Defn: To besprinkle or scatter over with, or as with, flowers. Hobbes.

BEFOG Be*fog", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befogged; p. pr. & vb. n. Befogging.]

1. To involve in a fog; -- mostly as a participle or part. adj.

2. Hence: To confuse; to mystify.

BEFOOL Be*fool", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befooled; p. pr. & vb. n. Befooling.] Etym: [OE. befolen; pref. be- + fol fool.]

1. To fool; to delude or lead into error; to infatuate; to deceive. This story . . . contrived to befool credulous men. Fuller.

2. To cause to behave like a fool; to make foolish. "Some befooling drug." G. Eliot.

BEFORE Be*fore", prep. Etym: [OE. beforen, biforen, before, AS. beforan; pref. be- + foran, fore, before. See Be-, and Fore.]

1. In front of; preceding in space; ahead of; as, to stand before the fire; before the house. His angel, who shall go Before them in a cloud and pillar of fire. Milton.

2. Preceding in time; earlier than; previously to; anterior to the time when; -- sometimes with the additional idea of purpose; in order that. Before Abraham was, I am. John viii. 58. Before this treatise can become of use, two points are necessary. Swift.

Note: Formerly before, in this sense, was followed by that. "Before that Philip called thee . . . I saw thee." John i. 48.

3. An advance of; farther onward, in place or time. The golden age . . . is before us. Carlyle.

4. Prior or preceding in dignity, order, rank, right, or worth; rather than. He that cometh after me is preferred before me. John i. 15. The eldest son is before the younger in succession. Johnson.

5. In presence or sight of; face to face with; facing. Abraham bowed down himself before the people. Gen. xxiii. 12. Wherewith shall I come before the Lord Micah vi. 6.

6. Under the cognizance or jurisdiction of. If a suit be begun before an archdeacon. Ayliffe.

7. Open for; free of access to; in the power of. The world was all before them where to choose. Milton. Before the mast (Naut.), as a common sailor, -- because the sailors live in the forecastle, forward of the foremast. -- Before the wind (Naut.), in the direction of the wind and by its impulse; having the wind aft.

BEFORE Be*fore", adv.

1. On the fore part; in front, or in the direction of the front; -- opposed to in the rear. The battle was before and behind. 2 Chron. xiii. 14.

2. In advance. "I come before to tell you." Shak.

3. In time past; previously; already. You tell me, mother, what I knew before. Dryden.

4. Earlier; sooner than; until then. When the butt is out, we will drink water; not a drop before. Shak.

Note: Before is often used in self-explaining compounds; as, before- cited, before-mentioned; beforesaid.

BEFOREHAND Be*fore"hand`, adv. Etym: [Before + hand.]

1. In a state of anticipation ore preoccupation; in advance; -- often followed by with. Agricola . . . resolves to be beforehand with the danger. Milton. The last cited author has been beforehand with me. Addison.

2. By way of preparation, or preliminary; previously; aforetime. They may be taught beforehand the skill of speaking. Hooker.

BEFOREHAND Be*fore"hand`, a.

Defn: In comfortable circumstances as regards property; forehanded. Rich and much beforehand. Bacon.

BEFORETIME Be*fore"time`, adv.

Defn: Formerly; aforetime. [They] dwelt in their tents, as beforetime. 2 Kings xiii. 5.

BEFORTUNE Be*for"tune, v. t.

Defn: To befall. [Poetic] I wish all good befortune you. Shak.

BEFOUL Be*foul", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befouled; p. pr. & vb. n. Befouling.] Etym: [Cf. AS. bef; pref. be- + f to foul. See Foul, a.]

1. To make foul; to soil.

2. To entangle or run against so as to impede motion.

BEFRIEND Be*friend", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befriended; p. pr. & vb. n. Befriending.]

Defn: To act as a friend to; to favor; to aid, benefit, or countenance. By the darkness befriended. Longfellow.

BEFRIENDMENT Be*friend"ment, n.

Defn: Act of befriending. [R.]

BEFRILL Be*frill", v. t.

Defn: To furnish or deck with a frill.

BEFRINGE Be*fringe", v. t.

Defn: To furnish with a fringe; to form a fringe upon; to adorn as with fringe. Fuller.

BEFUDDLE Be*fud"dle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Befuddled]

Defn: To becloud and confuse, as with liquor.

BEG Beg, n. Etym: [Turk. beg, pronounced bay. Cf. Bey, Begum.]

Defn: A title of honor in Turkey and in some other parts of the East; a bey.

BEG Beg, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begged; p. pr. & vb. n. Begging.] Etym: [OE. beggen, perh. fr. AS. bedecian (akin to Goth. bedagwa beggar), biddan to ask. (Cf. Bid, v. t.); or cf. beghard, beguin.]

1. To ask earnestly for; to entreat or supplicate for; to beseech. I do beg your good will in this case. Shak. [Joseph] begged the body of Jesus. Matt. xxvii. 58.

Note: Sometimes implying deferential and respectful, rather than earnest, asking; as, I beg your pardon; I beg leave to disagree with you.

2. To ask for as a charity, esp. to ask for habitually or from house to house. Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. Ps. xxxvii. 25.

3. To make petition to; to entreat; as, to beg a person to grant a favor.

4. To take for granted; to assume without proof.

5. (Old Law)

Defn: To ask to be appointed guardian for, or to ask to have a guardian appointed for. Else some will beg thee, in the court of wards. Harrington. Hence: To beg (one) for a fool, to take him for a fool. I beg to, is an elliptical expression for I beg leave to; as, I beg to inform you. -- To bag the question, to assume that which was to be proved in a discussion, instead of adducing the proof or sustaining the point by argument. -- To go a-begging, a figurative phrase to express the absence of demand for something which elsewhere brings a price; as, grapes are so plentiful there that they go a-begging.

Syn. -- To Beg, Ask, Request. To ask (not in the sense of inquiring) is the generic term which embraces all these words. To request is only a polite mode of asking. To beg, in its original sense, was to ask with earnestness, and implied submission, or at least deference. At present, however, in polite life, beg has dropped its original meaning, and has taken the place of both ask and request, on the ground of its expressing more of deference and respect. Thus, we beg a person's acceptance of a present; we beg him to favor us with his company; a tradesman begs to announce the arrival of new goods, etc. Crabb remarks that, according to present usage, "we can never talk of asking a person's acceptance of a thing, or of asking him to do us a favor." This can be more truly said of usage in England than in America.

BEG Beg, v. i.

Defn: To ask alms or charity, especially to ask habitually by the wayside or from house to house; to live by asking alms. I can not dig; to beg I am ashamed. Luke xvi. 3.

BEGA Be"ga, n.

Defn: See Bigha.

BEGEM Be*gem", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begemmed; p. pr. & vb. n. Begemming.]

Defn: To adorn with gems, or as with gems. Begemmed with dewdrops. Sir W. Scott. Those lonely realms bright garden isles begem. Shelley.

BEGET Be*get", v. t. [imp. Begot, (Archaic) Begat (; p. p. Begot, Begotten (; p. pr. & vb. n. Begetting.] Etym: [OE. bigiten, bigeten, to get, beget, AS. begitan to get; pref. be- + gitan. See Get, v. t. ]

1. To procreate, as a father or sire; to generate; -- commonly said of the father. Yet they a beauteous offspring shall beget. Milton.

2. To get (with child.) [Obs.] Shak.

3. To produce as an effect; to cause to exist. Love is begot by fancy. Granville.

BEGETTER Be*get"ter, n.

Defn: One who begets; a father.

BEGGABLE Beg"ga*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being begged.

BEGGAR Beg"gar, n. Etym: [OE. beggere, fr. beg.]

1. One who begs; one who asks or entreats earnestly, or with humility; a petitioner.

2. One who makes it his business to ask alms.

3. One who is dependent upon others for support; -- a contemptuous or sarcastic use.

4. One who assumes in argument what he does not prove. Abp. Tillotson.

BEGGAR Beg"gar, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beggared; p. pr. & vb. n. Beggaring.]

1. To reduce to beggary; to impoverish; as, he had beggared himself. Milton.

2. To cause to seem very poor and inadequate. It beggared all description. Shak.

BEGGARHOOD Beg"gar*hood, n.

Defn: The condition of being a beggar; also, the class of beggars.

BEGGARISM Beg"gar*ism, n.

Defn: Beggary. [R.]

BEGGARLINESS Beg"gar*li*ness, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being beggarly; meanness.

BEGGARLY Beg"gar*ly, a.

1. In the condition of, or like, a beggar; suitable for a beggar; extremely indigent; poverty-stricken; mean; poor; contemptible. "A bankrupt, beggarly fellow." South. "A beggarly fellowship." Swift. "Beggarly elements." Gal. iv. 9.

2. Produced or occasioned by beggary. [Obs.] Beggarly sins, that is, those sins which idleness and beggary usually betray men to; such as lying, flattery, stealing, and dissimulation. Jer. Taylor.

BEGGARLY Beg"gar*ly, adv.

Defn: In an indigent, mean, or despicable manner; in the manner of a beggar.

BEGGAR'S LICE Beg"gar's lice`. (Bot.)

Defn: The prickly fruit or seed of certain plants (as some species of Echinospermum and Cynoglossum) which cling to the clothing of those who brush by them.

BEGGAR'S TICKS Beg"gar's ticks`.

Defn: The bur marigold (Bidens) and its achenes, which are armed with barbed awns, and adhere to clothing and fleeces with unpleasant tenacity.

BEGGARY Beg"gar*y, n. Etym: [OE. beggerie. See Beggar, n.]

1. The act of begging; the state of being a beggar; mendicancy; extreme poverty.

2. Beggarly appearance. [R.] The freedom and the beggary of the old studio. Thackeray.

Syn. -- Indigence; want; penury; mendicancy.

BEGGARY Beg"gar*y, a.

Defn: Beggarly. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

BEGGESTERE Beg"ge*stere, n. Etym: [Beg + -ster.]

Defn: A beggar. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BEGHARD; BEGUARD Be*ghard" Be*guard", n. Etym: [F. bégard, béguard; cf. G. beghard, LL. Beghardus, Begihardus, Begardus. Prob. from the root of beguine + -ard or -hard. See Beguine.] (Eccl. Hist.)

Defn: One of an association of religious laymen living in imitation of the Beguines. They arose in the thirteenth century, were afterward subjected to much persecution, and were suppressed by Innocent X. in 1650. Called also Beguins.

BEGILD Be*gild", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begilded or Begilt.]

Defn: To gild. B. Jonson.

BEGIN Be*gin", v. i. [imp. & p. p. Began, Begun; p. pr. & vb. n. Beginning.] Etym: [AS. beginnan (akin to OS. biginnan, D. & G. beginnen, OHG. biginnan, Goth., du-ginnan, Sw. begynna, Dan. begynde); pref. be- + an assumed ginnan. sq. root31. See Gin to begin.]

1. To have or commence an independent or first existence; to take rise; to commence. Vast chain of being! which from God began. Pope.

2. To do the first act or the first part of an action; to enter upon or commence something new, as a new form or state of being, or course of action; to take the first step; to start. "Tears began to flow." Dryden. When I begin, I will also make an end. 1 Sam. iii. 12.

BEGIN Be*gin", v. t.

1. To enter on; to commence. Ye nymphs of Solyma ! begin the song. Pope.

2. To trace or lay the foundation of; to make or place a beginning of. The apostle begins our knowledge in the creatures, which leads us to the knowledge of God. Locke.

Syn. -- To commence; originate; set about; start.

BEGIN Be*gin", n.

Defn: Beginning. [Poetic & Obs.] Spenser.

BEGINNER Be*gin"ner, n.

Defn: One who begins or originates anything. Specifically: A young or inexperienced practitioner or student; a tyro. A sermon of a new beginner. Swift.

BEGINNING Be*gin"ning, n.

1. The act of doing that which begins anything; commencement of an action, state, or space of time; entrance into being or upon a course; the first act, effort, or state of a succession of acts or states. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Gen. i. 1.

2. That which begins or originates something; the first cause; origin; source. I am . . . the beginning and the ending. Rev. i. 8.

3. That which is begun; a rudiment or element. Mighty things from small beginnings grow. Dryden.

4. Enterprise. "To hinder our beginnings." Shak.

Syn. -- Inception; prelude; opening; threshold; origin; outset; foundation.

BEGIRD Be*gird", v. t. [imp. Begirt, Begirded; p. p. Begirt; p. pr. & vb. n. Begirding.] Etym: [AS. begyrdan (akin to Goth. bigairdan); pref. be- + gyrdan to gird.]

1. To bind with a band or girdle; to gird.

2. To surround as with a band; to encompass.

BEGIRDLE Be*gir"dle, v. t.

Defn: To surround as with a girdle.

BEGIRT Be*girt", v. t.

Defn: To encompass; to begird. Milton.

BEGLERBEG Beg"ler*beg`, n. Etym: [Turk. beglerbeg, fr. beg, pl. begler. See Beg, n.]

Defn: The governor of a province of the Ottoman empire, next in dignity to the grand vizier.

BEGNAW Be*gnaw", v. t. [p. p. Begnawed, (R.) Begnawn (.] Etym: [AS. begnagan; pref. be- + gnagan to gnaw.]

Defn: To gnaw; to eat away; to corrode. The worm of conscience still begnaw thy soul. Shak.

BEGOD Be*god", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begodded.]

Defn: To exalt to the dignity of a god; to deify. [Obs.] "Begodded saints." South.

BEGOHM Beg"ohm`, n. (Elec.)

Defn: A unit of resistance equal to one billion ohms, or one thousand megohms.

BEGONE Be*gone", interj. Etym: [Be, v. i. + gone, p. p.]

Defn: Go away; depart; get you gone.

BEGONE Be*gone", p. p. Etym: [OE. begon, AS. bigan; pref. be- + gan to go.]

Defn: Surrounded; furnished; beset; environed (as in woe-begone). [Obs.] Gower. Chaucer.

BEGONIA Be*go"ni*a, n. Etym: [From Michel Begon, a promoter of botany.] (Bot.)

Defn: A genus of plants, mostly of tropical America, many species of which are grown as ornamental plants. The leaves are curiously one- sided, and often exhibit brilliant colors.

BEGORE Be*gore", v. t.

Defn: To besmear with gore.

BEGOT Be*got",

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Beget.

BEGOTTEN Be*got"ten,

Defn: p. p. of Beget.

BEGRAVE Be*grave", v. t. Etym: [Pref. be- + grave; akin to G. begraben, Goth. bigraban to dig a ditch around.]

Defn: To bury; also, to engrave. [Obs.] Gower.

BEGREASE Be*grease", v. t.

Defn: To soil or daub with grease or other oily matter.

BEGRIME Be*grime", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begrimed; p. pr. & vb. n. Begriming.]

Defn: To soil with grime or dirt deeply impressed or rubbed in. Books falling to pieces and begrimed with dust. Macaulay.

BEGRIMER Be*grim"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, begrimes.

BEGRUDGE Be*grudge", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Begrudged; p. pr. & vb. n. Begrudging.]

Defn: To grudge; to envy the possession of.

BEGUILE Be*guile", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beguiled; p. pr. & vb. n. Beguiling.]

1. To delude by guile, artifice, or craft; to deceive or impose on, as by a false statement; to lure. The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. Gen. iii. 13.

2. To elude, or evade by craft; to foil. [Obs.] When misery could beguile the tyrant's rage. Shak.

3. To cause the time of to pass without notice; to relieve the tedium or weariness of; to while away; to divert. Ballads . . . to beguile his incessant wayfaring. W. Irving.

Syn. -- To delude; deceive; cheat; insnare; mislead; amuse; divert; entertain.

BEGUILEMENT Be*guile"ment, n.

Defn: The act of beguiling, or the state of being beguiled.

BEGUILER Be*guil"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, beguiles.

BEGUILING Be*guil"ing, a.

Defn: Alluring by guile; deluding; misleading; diverting. -- Be*guil"ing*ly, adv.

BEGUIN Be`guin", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: See Beghard.

BEGUINAGE Be`gui`nage", n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: A collection of small houses surrounded by a wall and occupied by a community of Beguines.

BEGUINE Be`guine", n. Etym: [F. béguine; LL. beguina, beghina; fr. Lambert le Bègue (the Stammerer) the founder of the order. (Du Cange.)]

Defn: A woman belonging to one of the religious and charitable associations or communities in the Netherlands, and elsewhere, whose members live in beguinages and are not bound by perpetual vows.

BEGUM Be"gum, n. Etym: [Per., fr. Turk., perh. properly queen mother, fr. Turk. beg (see Beg, n.) + Ar. umm mother.]

Defn: In the East Indies, a princess or lady of high rank. Malcom.

BEGUN Be*gun", p. p.

Defn: of Begin.

BEHALF Be*half", n. Etym: [OE. on-behalve in the name of, bihalven by the side of, fr. AS. healf half, also side, part: akin to G. halb half, halber on account of. See Be-, and Half, n.]

Defn: Advantage; favor; stead; benefit; interest; profit; support; defense; vindication. In behalf of his mistress's beauty. Sir P. Sidney. Against whom he had contracted some prejudice in behalf of his nation. Clarendon. In behalf of, in the interest of. -- On behalf of, on account of; on the part of.

BEHAPPEN Be*hap"pen, v. t.

Defn: To happen to. [Obs.]

BEHAVE Be*have", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Behaved; p. pr. & vb. n. Behaving.] Etym: [AS. behabban to surround, restrain, detain (akin to G. gehaben (obs.) to have, sich gehaben to behave or carry one's self); pref. be- + habban to have. See Have, v. t. ]

1. To manage or govern in point of behavior; to discipline; to handle; to restrain. [Obs.] He did behave his anger ere 't was spent. Shak.

2. To carry; to conduct; to comport; to manage; to bear; -- used reflexively. Those that behaved themselves manfully. 2 Macc. ii. 21.

BEHAVE Be*have", v. i.

Defn: To act; to conduct; to bear or carry one's self; as, to behave well or ill.

Note: This verb is often used colloquially without an adverb of manner; as, if he does not behave, he will be punished. It is also often applied to inanimate objects; as, the ship behaved splendidly.

BEHAVIOR Be*hav"ior, n.

Defn: Manner of behaving, whether good or bad; mode of conducting one's self; conduct; deportment; carriage; -- used also of inanimate objects; as, the behavior of a ship in a storm; the behavior of the magnetic needle. A gentleman that is very singular in his behavior. Steele. To be upon one's good behavior, To be put upon one's good behavior, to be in a state of trial, in which something important depends on propriety of conduct. -- During good behavior, while (or so long as) one conducts one's self with integrity and fidelity or with propriety.

Syn. -- Bearing; demeanor; manner. -- Behavior, Conduct. Behavior is the mode in which we have or bear ourselves in the presence of others or toward them; conduct is the mode of our carrying ourselves forward in the concerns of life. Behavior respects our manner of acting in particular cases; conduct refers to the general tenor of our actions. We may say of soldiers, that their conduct had been praiseworthy during the whole campaign, and their behavior admirable in every instance when they met the enemy.

BEHEAD Be*head", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beheaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Beheading.] Etym: [OE. bihefden, AS. beheáfdian; pref. be- + heáfod head. See Head.]

Defn: To sever the head from; to take off the head of.

BEHEADAL Be*head"al

Defn: ,n.Beheading. [Modern]

BEHELD Be*held",

Defn: imp. & p. p. of Behold.

BEHEMOTH Be"he*moth, n. Etym: [Heb. behem, fr. Egyptian P-ehe-maut hippopotamus.]

Defn: An animal, probably the hippopotamus, described in Job xl. 15- 24.

BEHEN; BEHN Be"hen, Behn, n. Etym: [Per. & Ar. bahman, behmen, an herb, whose leaves resemble ears of corn, saffron.] (Bot.) (a) The Centaurea behen, or saw-leaved centaury. (b) The Cucubalus behen, or bladder campion, now called Silene inflata. (c) The Statice limonium, or sea lavender.

BEHEST Be*hest", n. Etym: [OE. biheste promise, command, AS. beh promise; pref. be- + h command. See Hest, Hight.]

1. That which is willed or ordered; a command; a mandate; an injunction. To do his master's high behest. Sir W. Scott.

2. A vow; a promise. [Obs.] The time is come that I should send it her, if I keep the behest that I have made. Paston.

BEHEST Be*hest", v. t.

Defn: To vow. [Obs.] Paston.

BEHETE Be*hete", v. t.

Defn: See Behight. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BEHIGHT Be*hight", v. t. [imp. Behight; p. p. Behight, Behoten.] Etym: [OE. bihaten, AS. behatan to vow, promise; pref. be- + hatan to call, command. See Hight, v.] [Obs. in all its senses.]

1. To promise; to vow. Behight by vow unto the chaste Minerve. Surrey.

2. To give in trust; to commit; to intrust. The keys are to thy hand behight. Spenser.

3. To adjudge; to assign by authority. The second was to Triamond behight. Spenser.

4. To mean, or intend. More than heart behighteth. Mir. for Mag.

5. To consider or esteem to be; to declare to be. All the lookers-on him dead behight. Spenser.

6. To call; to name; to address. Whom . . . he knew and thus behight. Spenser.

7. To command; to order. He behight those gates to be unbarred. Spenser.

BEHIGHT Be*hight", n.

Defn: A vow; a promise. [Obs.] Surrey.

BEHIND Be*hind", prep. Etym: [AS. behindan; pref. be- + hindan. See Hind, a.]

1. On the side opposite the front or nearest part; on the back side of; at the back of; on the other side of; as, behind a door; behind a hill. A tall Brabanter, behind whom I stood. Bp. Hall.

2. Left after the departure of, whether this be by removing to a distance or by death. A small part of what he left behind him. Pope.

3. Left a distance by, in progress of improvement Hence: Inferior to in dignity, rank, knowledge, or excellence, or in any achievement. I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles. 2 Cor. xi. 5.

BEHIND Be*hind", adv.

1. At the back part; in the rear. "I shall not lag behind." Milton.

2. Toward the back part or rear; backward; as, to look behind.

3. Not yet brought forward, produced, or exhibited to view; out of sight; remaining. We can not be sure that there is no evidence behind. Locke.

4. Backward in time or order of succession; past. Forgetting those things which are behind. Phil. ii. 13.

5. After the departure of another; as, to stay behind. Leave not a rack behind. Shak.

BEHIND Be*hind", n.

Defn: The backside; the rump. [Low]

BEHINDHAND Be*hind"hand`, adv. & a. Etym: [Behind + hand.]

1. In arrears financially; in a state where expenditures have exceeded the receipt of funds.

2. In a state of backwardness, in respect to what is seasonable or appropriate, or as to what should have been accomplished; not equally forward with some other person or thing; dilatory; backward; late; tardy; as, behindhand in studies or in work. In this also [dress] the country are very much behindhand. Addison.

BEHITHER Be*hith"er, prep.

Defn: On this side of. [Obs.] Two miles behither Clifden. Evelyn.

BEHOLD Be*hold", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beheld ( (p. p. formerly Beholden (, now used only as a p. a.); p. pr. & vb. n. Beholding.] Etym: [OE. bihalden, biholden, AS. behealdan to hold, have in sight; pref. be- + healdan to hold, keep; akin to G. behalten to hold, keep. See Hold.]

Defn: To have in sight; to see clearly; to look at; to regard with the eyes. When he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. Num. xxi. 9. Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. John. i. 29.

Syn. -- To scan; gaze; regard; descry; view; discern.

BEHOLD Be*hold", v. i.

Defn: To direct the eyes to, or fix them upon, an object; to look; to see. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne, . . . a lamb as it had been slain. Rev. v. 6.

BEHOLDEN Be*hold"en, p. a. Etym: [Old p. p. of behold, used in the primitive sense of the simple verb hold.]

Defn: Obliged; bound in gratitude; indebted. But being so beholden to the Prince. Tennyson.

BEHOLDER Be*hold"er, n.

Defn: One who beholds; a spectator.

BEHOLDING Be*hold"ing, a.

Defn: Obliged; beholden. [Obs.] I was much bound and beholding to the right reverend father. Robynson (More's Utopia). So much hath Oxford been beholding to her nephews, or sister's children. Fuller.

BEHOLDING Be*hold"ing, n.

Defn: The act of seeing; sight; also, that which is beheld. Shak.

BEHOLDINGNESS Be*hold"ing*ness, n.

Defn: , The state of being obliged or beholden. [Obs.] Sir P. Sidney.

BEHOOF Be*hoof", n. Etym: [OE. to bihove for the use of, AS. beh advantage, a word implied in beh necessary; akin to Sw. behof, Dan. behov, G. behuf, and E. heave, the root meaning to seize, hence the meanings "to hold, make use of." See Heave, v. t.]

Defn: Advantage; profit; benefit; interest; use. No mean recompense it brings To your behoof. Milton.

BEHOOVABLE Be*hoov"a*ble, a.

Defn: Supplying need; profitable; advantageous. [Obs.] Udall.

BEHOOVE Be*hoove", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Behooved; p. pr. & vb. n. Behooving.] Etym: [OE. bihoven, behoven, AS. beh to have need of, fr. beh. See Behoof.]

Defn: To be necessary for; to be fit for; to be meet for, with respect to necessity, duty, or convenience; -- mostly used impersonally. And thus it behooved Christ to suffer. Luke xxiv. 46. [Also written behove.]

BEHOOVE Be*hoove", v. i.

Defn: To be necessary, fit, or suitable; to befit; to belong as due. Chaucer.

BEHOOVE Be*hoove", n.

Defn: Advantage; behoof. [Obs.] It shall not be to his behoove. Gower.

BEHOOVEFUL Be*hoove"ful, a.

Defn: Advantageous; useful; profitable. [Archaic] -- Be*hoove"ful*ly, adv. -- Be*hoove"ful*ness, n. [Archaic]

BEHOVE Be*hove", v.

Defn: , and derivatives. See Behoove, & c.

BEHOVELY Be*hove"ly, a. & adv.

Defn: Useful, or usefully. [Obs.]

BEHOWL Be*howl", v. t.

Defn: To howl at. [Obs.] The wolf behowls the moon. Shak.

BEIGE Beige, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: Debeige.

BEILD Beild, n. Etym: [Prob. from the same root as build, v. t.]

Defn: A place of shelter; protection; refuge. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.] [Also written bield and beeld.] The random beild o' clod or stane. Burns.

BEING Be"ing, p. pr. from Be.

Defn: Existing.

Note: Being was formerly used where we now use having. "Being to go to a ball in a few days." Miss Edgeworth.

Note: In modern usage, is, are, was or were being, with a past participle following (as built, made, etc.) indicates the process toward the completed result expressed by the participle. The form is or was building, in this passive signification, is idiomatic, and, if free from ambiguity, is commonly preferable to the modern is or was being built. The last form of speech is, however, sufficiently authorized by approved writers. The older expression was is, or was, a-building or in building. A man who is being strangled. Lamb. While the article on Burns was being written. Froude. Fresh experience is always being gained. Jowett (Thucyd. )

BEING Be"ing, n.

1. Existence, as opposed to nonexistence; state or sphere of existence. In Him we live, and move, and have our being. Acts xvii. 28.

2. That which exists in any form, whether it be material or spiritual, actual or ideal; living existence, as distinguished from a thing without life; as, a human being; spiritual beings. What a sweet being is an honest mind ! Beau. & Fl. A Being of infinite benevolence and power. Wordsworth.

3. Lifetime; mortal existence. [Obs.] Claudius, thou Wast follower of his fortunes in his being. Webster (1654).

4. An abode; a cottage. [Prov. Eng.] Wright. It was a relief to dismiss them [Sir Roger's servants] into little beings within my manor. Steele.

BEING Be"ing, adv.

Defn: Since; inasmuch as. [Obs. or Colloq.] And being you have Declined his means, you have increased his malice. Beau. & Fl.

BEJADE Be*jade", v. t.

Defn: To jade or tire. [Obs.] Milton.

BEJAPE Be*jape", v. t.

Defn: To jape; to laugh at; to deceive. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BEJAUNDICE Be*jaun"dice, v. t.

Defn: To infect with jaundice.

BEJEWEL Be*jew"el, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bejeweled or Bejewelled; p. pr. & vb. n. Bejeweling or Bejewelling.]

Defn: To ornament with a jewel or with jewels; to spangle. "Bejeweled hands." Thackeray.

BEJUCO Be*ju"co, n. [Sp., a reed or woody vine.]

Defn: Any climbing woody vine of the tropics with the habit of a liane; in the Philippines, esp. any of various species of Calamus, the cane or rattan palm.

BEJUMBLE Be*jum"ble, v. t.

Defn: To jumble together.

BEKAH Be"kah, n. Etym: [Heb.]

Defn: Half a shekel.

BEKNAVE Be*knave", v. t.

Defn: To call knave. [Obs.] Pope.

BEKNOW Be*know", v. t.

Defn: To confess; to acknowledge. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BEL Bel, n.

Defn: The Babylonian name of the god known among the Hebrews as Baal. See Baal. Baruch vi. 41.

BELABOR Be*la"bor, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belabored; p. pr. & vb. n. Belaboring.]

1. To ply diligently; to work carefully upon. "If the earth is belabored with culture, it yieldeth corn." Barrow.

2. To beat soundly; to cudgel. Ajax belabors there a harmless ox. Dryden.

BEL-ACCOYLE Bel`-ac*coyle", n. Etym: [F. bel beautiful + accueil reception.]

Defn: A kind or favorable reception or salutation. [Obs.]

BELACE Be*lace", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belaced.]

1. To fasten, as with a lace or cord. [Obs.]

2. To cover or adorn with lace. [Obs.] Beaumont.

3. To beat with a strap. See Lace. [Obs.] Wright.

BELAM Be*lam", v. t. Etym: [See Lam.]

Defn: To beat or bang. [Prov. & Low, Eng.] Todd.

BELAMOUR Bel"a*mour, n. Etym: [F. bel amour fair love.]

1. A lover. [Obs.] Spenser.

2. A flower, but of what kind is unknown. [Obs.] Her snowy brows, like budded belamours. Spenser.

BELAMY Bel"a*my, n. Etym: [F. bel ami fair friend.]

Defn: Good friend; dear friend. [Obs.] Chaucer.

BELATE Be*late", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belated; p. pr. & vb. n. Belating.]

Defn: To retard or make too late. Davenant.

BELATED Be*lat"ed, a.

Defn: Delayed beyond the usual time; too late; overtaken by night; benighted. "Some belated peasant." Milton. -- Be*lat"ed*ness, n. Milton.

BELAUD Be*laud", v. t.

Defn: To laud or praise greatly.

BELAY Be*lay", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belaid, Belayed; p. pr. & vb. n. Belaying.] Etym: [For senses 1 & 2, D. beleggen to cover, belay; akin to E. pref. be-, and lay to place: for sense 3, OE. beleggen, AS. belecgan. See pref. Be-, and Lay to place.]

1. To lay on or cover; to adorn. [Obs.] Jacket . . . belayed with silver lace. Spenser.

2. (Naut.)

Defn: To make fast, as a rope, by taking several turns with it round a pin, cleat, or kevel. Totten.

3. To lie in wait for with a view to assault. Hence: to block up or obstruct. [Obs.] Dryden. Belay thee! Stop.

BELAYING PIN Be*lay"ing pin`. (Naut.)

Defn: A strong pin in the side of a vessel, or by the mast, round which ropes are wound when they are fastened or belayed.

BELCH Belch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belched; p. pr. & vb. n. Belching.] Etym: [OE. belken, AS. bealcan, akin to E. bellow. See Bellow, v. i.]

1. To eject or throw up from the stomach with violence; to eruct. I belched a hurricane of wind. Swift.

2. To eject violently from within; to cast forth; to emit; to give vent to; to vent. Within the gates that now Stood open wide, belching outrageous flame. Milton.

BELCH Belch, v. i.

1. To eject wind from the stomach through the mouth; to eructate.

2. To issue with spasmodic force or noise. Dryden.

BELCH Belch, n.

1. The act of belching; also, that which is belched; an eructation.

2. Malt liquor; -- vulgarly so called as causing eructation. [Obs.] Dennis.

BELCHER Belch"er, n.

Defn: One who, or that which, belches.

BELDAM; BELDAME Bel"dam Bel"dame, n. Etym: [Pref. bel-, denoting relationship + dame mother: cf. F. belledame fair lady, It. belladonna. See Belle, and Dame.]

1. Grandmother; -- corresponding to belsire. To show the beldam daughters of her daughter. Shak.

2. An old woman in general; especially, an ugly old woman; a hag. Around the beldam all erect they hang. Akenside.

BELEAGUER Be*lea"guer, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beleaguered; p. pr. & vb. n. Beleaguering.] Etym: [D. belegeren (akin to G. belagern, Sw. belägra, Dan. beleire); pref. be- = E. be- + leger bed, camp, army, akin to E. lair. See Lair.]

Defn: To surround with an army so as to preclude escape; to besiege; to blockade. The wail of famine in beleaguered towns. Longfellow.

Syn. -- To block up; environ; invest; encompass.

BELEAGUERER Be*lea"guer*er, n.

Defn: One who beleaguers.

BELEAVE Be*leave", v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Beleft.]

Defn: To leave or to be left. [Obs.] May.

BELECTURE Be*lec"ture, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belectured; p. pr. & vb. n. Belecturing.]

Defn: To vex with lectures; to lecture frequently.

BELEE Be*lee", v. t.

Defn: To place under the lee, or unfavorably to the wind. Shak.

BELEMNITE Be*lem"nite, n. Etym: [Gr. dart, fr. dart, fr. to throw: cf. F. bélemnite.] (Paleon.)

Defn: A conical calcareous fossil, tapering to a point at the lower extremity, with a conical cavity at the other end, where it is ordinarily broken; but when perfect it contains a small chambered cone, called the phragmocone, prolonged, on one side, into a delicate concave blade; the thunderstone. It is the internal shell of a cephalopod related to the sepia, and belonging to an extinct family. The belemnites are found in rocks of the Jurassic and Cretaceous ages. -- Bel*em*nit"ic, a.

BELEPER Be*lep"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belepered.]

Defn: To infect with leprosy. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

BEL-ESPRIT Bel"-es*prit", n.; pl. Beaux-esprits. Etym: [F., fine wit.]

Defn: A fine genius, or man of wit. "A man of letters and a bel esprit." W. Irving.

BELFRY Bel"fry, n. Etym: [OE. berfray movable tower used in sieges, OF. berfreit, berfroit, F. beffroi, fr. MHG. bervrit, bercvrit, G. bergfriede, fr. MHG. bergen to protect (G. bergen to conceal) + vride peace, protection, G. friede peace; in compounds often taken in the sense of security, or place of security; orig. therefore a place affording security. G. friede is akin to E. free. See Burg, and Free.]

1. (Mil. Antiq.)

Defn: A movable tower erected by besiegers for purposes of attack and defense.

2. A bell tower, usually attached to a church or other building, but sometimes separate; a campanile.

3. A room in a tower in which a bell is or may be hung; or a cupola or turret for the same purpose.

4. (Naut.)

Defn: The framing on which a bell is suspended.

BELGARD Bel*gard", n. Etym: [It. bel guardo.]

Defn: A sweet or loving look. [Obs.] Spenser.

BELGIAN Bel"gi*an, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to Belgium. -- n.

Defn: A native or inhabitant of Belgium.

BELGIAN BLOCK Belgian block.

Defn: A nearly cubical block of some tough stone, esp. granite, used as a material for street pavements. Its usual diameter is 5 to 7 inches.

BELGIC Bel"gic, a. Etym: [L. Belgicus, fr. Belgae the Belgians.]

1. Of or pertaining to the Belgæ, a German tribe who anciently possessed the country between the Rhine, the Seine, and the ocean. How unlike their Belgic sires of old. Goldsmith.

2. Of or pertaining to the Netherlands or to Belgium.

BELGRAVIAN Bel*gra"vi*an, a.

Defn: Belonging to Belgravia (a fashionable quarter of London, around Pimlico), or to fashionable life; aristocratic.

BELIAL Be"li*al, n. Etym: [Heb. beli ya'al; beli without + ya'al profit.]

Defn: An evil spirit; a wicked and unprincipled person; the personification of evil. What concord hath Christ with Belia 2 Cor. vi. 15. A son (or man) of Belial, a worthless, wicked, or thoroughly depraved person. 1 Sam. ii. 12.

BELIBEL Be*li"bel, v. t. Etym: [See Libel, v. t. ]

Defn: To libel or traduce; to calumniate. Fuller.

BELIE Be*lie", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belied; p. pr. & vb. n. Belying.] Etym: [OE. bilien, bili, AS. beleógan; pref. be- + leógan to lie. See Lie, n.]

1. To show to be false; to convict of, or charge with, falsehood. Their trembling hearts belie their boastful tongues. Dryden.

2. To give a false representation or account of. Should I do so, I should belie my thoughts. Shak.

3. To tell lie about; to calumniate; to slander. Thou dost belie him, Percy, thou dost belie him. Shak.

4. To mimic; to counterfeit. [Obs.] Dryden.

5. To fill with lies. [Obs.] "The breath of slander doth belie all corners of the world." Shak.

BELIEF Be*lief", n. Etym: [OE. bileafe, bileve; cf. AS. geleáfa. See Believe.]

1. Assent to a proposition or affirmation, or the acceptance of a fact, opinion, or assertion as real or true, without immediate personal knowledge; reliance upon word or testimony; partial or full assurance without positive knowledge or absolute certainty; persuasion; conviction; confidence; as, belief of a witness; the belief of our senses. Belief admits of all degrees, from the slightest suspicion to the fullest assurance. Reid.

2. (Theol.)

Defn: A persuasion of the truths of religion; faith. No man can attain [to] belief by the bare contemplation of heaven and earth. Hooker.

3. The thing believed; the object of belief. Superstitious prophecies are not only the belief of fools, but the talk sometimes of wise men. Bacon.

4. A tenet, or the body of tenets, held by the advocates of any class of views; doctrine; creed. In the heat of persecution to which Christian belief was subject upon its first promulgation. Hooker. Ultimate belief, a first principle incapable of proof; an intuitive truth; an intuition. Sir W. Hamilton.

Syn. -- Credence; trust; reliance; assurance; opinion.

BELIEFFUL Be*lief"ful, a.

Defn: Having belief or faith.

BELIEVABLE Be*liev"a*ble, a.

Defn: Capable of being believed; credible. -- Be*liev"a*ble*ness, n. -- Be*liev`a*bil"i*ty (, n.

BELIEVE Be*lieve", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Believed; p. pr. & vb. n. Believing.] Etym: [OE. bileven (with pref. be- for AS. ge-), fr. AS. gel, gel; akin to D. gelooven, OHG. gilouban, G. glauben, OS. gil, Goth. galaubjan, and Goth. liubs dear. See Lief, a., Leave, n.]

Defn: To exercise belief in; to credit upon the authority or testimony of another; to be persuaded of the truth of, upon evidence furnished by reasons, arguments, and deductions of the mind, or by circumstances other than personal knowledge; to regard or accept as true; to place confidence in; to think; to consider; as, to believe a person, a statement, or a doctrine. Our conqueror (whom I now Of force believe almighty). Milton. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets Acts xxvi. Often followed by a dependent clause. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Acts viii. 37.

Syn. -- See Expect.

BELIEVE Be*lieve", v. i.

1. To have a firm persuasion, esp. of the truths of religion; to have a persuasion approaching to certainty; to exercise belief or faith. Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. Mark ix. 24. With the heart man believeth unto righteousness. Rom. x. 10.