Right bower, the knave of the trump suit, the highest card (except the ½Joker¸) in the game. Ð Left bower, the knave of the other suit of the same color as the trump, being the next to the right bower in value. Ð Best bower or? Joker, in some forms of euchre and some other games, an extra card sometimes added to the pack, which takes precedence of all others as the highest card.
Bow¶er, n. [OE. bour, bur, room, dwelling, AS. b?r, fr. the root of AS. ?ban to dwell; akin to Icel. br? chamber, storehouse, Sw. br? cage, Dan. buur, OHG. pr? room, G. bauer cage, bauer a peasant. ?97 Cf.Boor, Byre.]
1. Anciently, a chamber; a lodging room; esp., a lady's private apartment.
Give me my lute in bed now as I lie,
And lock the doors of mine unlucky bower.
Gascoigne.
2. A rustic cottage or abode; poetically, an attractive abode or retreat.
Shenstone. B.Johnson.
3. A shelter or covered place in a garden, made with boughs of trees or vines, etc., twined together; an arbor; a shady recess.
Bow¶er, v.t. To embowar; to inclose.
Shak.
Bow¶er, v.i. To lodge. [Obs.]
Spenser.
Bow¶er, n. [From Bough, cf. Brancher.] (Falconry) A young hawk, when it begins to leave thenest. [Obs.]
Bow¶er bird· (?). (Zo”l.) An Australian bird (Ptilonorhynchus violaceus or holosericeus), allied to the starling, which constructs singular bowers or playhouses of twigs and decorates them with brightcolored objects; the satin bird.
µ The name is also applied to other related birds of the same region, having similar habits; as, the spotted bower bird ( Chalmydodera maculata), and the regent bird (Sericulus melinus).
Bow¶erÏy (?), a. Shading, like a bower; full of bowers.
A bowery maze that shades the purple streams.
Trumbull.
Bow¶erÏy, n.; pl. Boweries (?) [D. bouwerij.] A farm or plantation with its buildings. [U.S.Hist.]
The emigrants [in New York] were scattered on boweries or plantetions; and seeing the evils of this mode of living widely ?apart, they were advised, in 1643 and 1646, by the Dutch authorities, to gather into ½villages, towns, and hamlets, as the English were in the habit of doing.¸
Bancroft.
Bow¶erÏy, a. Characteristic of the street called the ?Bowery, in New York city; swaggering; flashy.
Bow¶ess (?), n. (Falconry) Same as Bower. [Obs.]
Bow¶fin· (?), n. (Zo”l.) A voracious ganoid fish (Amia calva) found in the fresh waters of the United States; the mudfish; Ð called also Johnny Grindle, and dogfish.
Bowge (?), v. i. To swell out. See Bouge. [Obs.]
Bowge, v. t. To cause to leak. [Obs.] See Bouge.
Bow¶grace· (?), n. (Naut.) A frame or fender of rope or junk, laid out at the sides or bows of a vessel to secure it from injury by floating ice.
Bow¶ hand· (?). 1. (Archery) The hand that holds the bow, i.e., the left hand.
Surely he shoots wide on the bow hand.
Spenser.
2. (Mus.) The hand that draws the bow, i.e., the right hand.
Bow¶head· (?), n. (Zo”l.) The great Arctic or Greenland whale. (Bal‘na mysticetus). See Baleen, and Whale.
Bow¶ie knife· (?). A knife with a strong blade from ten to fifteen inches long, and doubleÐedged near the point; Ð used as a hunting knife, and formerly as a weapon in the southwestern part of the United States. It was named from its inventor, Coolnel James Bowie. Also, by extension, any large sheath knife.
Bow¶ing (?), n. (Mus.) 1. The act or art of managing the bow in playing on stringed instruments.
Bowing constitutes a principal part of the art of the violinist, the violist, etc.
J.W.Moore.
2. In hatmaking, the act or process of separating and distributing the fur or hair by means of a bow, to prepare it for felting.
Bow¶ingÏly (?), adv. In a bending manner.
Bow¶knot· (?), n. A knot in which a portion of the string is drawn through in the form of a loop or bow, so as to be readily untied.
Bowl (?), n. [OE. bolle, AS. bolla; akin to Icel. bolli, Dan. bolle, G. bolle, and perh. to E. boil a tumor. Cf. Boll.]
1. A concave vessel of various forms (often approximately hemisherical), to hold liquids, etc.
Brought them food in bowls of basswood.
Longfellow.
2. Specifically, a drinking vessel for wine or other spirituous liquors; hence, convival drinking.
3. The contents of a full bowl; what a bowl will hold.
4. The bollow part of a thing; as, the bowl of a spoon.
Bowl (?), n. [F. boule, fr. L. bulla bubble, stud. Cf. Bull an edict, Bill a writing.]
1. A ball of wood or other material used for rolling on a level surface in play; a ball of hard wood having one side heavier than the other, so as to give it a bias when rolled.
2. pl. An ancient game, popular in Great Britain, played with biased balls on a level plat of greensward.
Like an uninstructed bowler, ... who thinks to attain the jack by delivering his bowl straightforward upon it.
Sir W.Scott.
3. pl. The game of tenpins or bowling. [U.S.]
Bowl (?), v.t. [imp. & p. p. Bowledÿ(?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bowling.] 1. To roll, as a bowl or cricket ball.
Break all the spokes and fellies from her wheel,
And bowl the round nave down the hill of heaven.
Shak.
2. To roll or carry smoothly on, or as on, wheels; as, we were bowled rapidly along the road.
3. To pelt or strike with anything rolled.
Alas, I had rather be set quick i' the earth,
And bowled to death with turnips?
Shak.
To bowl (a player) out ?, in cricket, to put out a striker by knocking down a bail or a stump in bowling.
Bowl, v. i.
1. To play with bowls.
2. To roll a ball on a plane, as at cricket, bowls, etc.
3. To move rapidly, smoothly, and like a ball; as, the carriage bowled along.
Bowl¶der, Boul¶der (?), n. [Cf. Sw. bullra to roar, rattle, Dan. buldre, dial. Sw. bullersteen larger kind of pebbles; perh. akin to E. bellow.]
1. A large stone, worn smooth or rounded by the action of water; a large pebble.
2. (Geol.) A mass of any rock, whether rounded or not, that has been transported by natural agencies from its native bed. See Drift.
Bowlder clay, the unstratified clay deposit of the Glacial or Drift epoch, often containing large numbers of bowlders. Ð Bowlder wall, a wall constructed of large stones or bowlders.
Bowl¶derÏy (?), a. Characterized by bowlders.
Bow¶leg· (?), n. A crooked leg.
Jer.Taylor.
Bowl¶Ðlegged· (?), a. Having crooked legs, esp. with the kness bent outward.
Johnson.
Bowl¶er (?), n. One who plays at bowls, or who rolls the ball in cricket or any other game.
Bow¶less, a. Destitute of a bow.
Bow¶line (?), n. [Cf. D. boelijn, Icel. b”gl‹na?, Dan. bovline; properly the line attached to the shoulder or side of the sail. See Bow (of a ship), and Line.] (Naut.) A rope fastened near the middle of the leech or perpendicular edge of the square sails, by subordinate ropes, called bridles, and used to keep the weather edge of the sail tight forward, when the ship is closehauled.
Bowline bridles, the ropes by which the bowline is fastened to the leech of the sail. Ð Bowline knot. See Illust. under Knot. Ð On a bowline, closeÐhauled or sailing close to the wind; Ð said of a ship.
Bowl¶ing (?), n. The act of playing at or rolling bowls, or of rolling the ball at cricket; the game of bowls or of tenpins.
Bowling alley, a covered place for playing at bowls or tenpins. Ð Bowling green, a level piece of greensward or smooth ground for bowling, as the small park in lower Broadway, New York, where the Dutch of New Amsterdam played this game.?
Bowls (?), n. pl. See Bowl, a ball, a game.
Bow¶man (?), n.; pl. Bowmen (?). A man who uses a bow; an archer.
The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen.
Jer.iv.29.
Bowman's root. (Bot.) See Indian physic, under Indian.
Bow¶man (?), n. (Naut.) The man who rows the foremost oar in a boat; the bow oar.
Bowne (?), v.t. [See Boun.] To make ready; to prepare; to dress. [Obs.]
We will all bowne ourselves for the banquet.
Sir W.Scott.
Bow¶ net· (?).
1. A trap for lobsters, being a wickerwork cylinder with a funnelÐshaped entrance at one end.
2. A net for catching birds.
J.H.Walsh.
Bow¶ oar· (?).
1. The oar used by the bowman.
2. One who rows at the bow of a boat.
Bow¶Ðpen· (?), n. BowÐcompasses carrying a drawing pen. See BowÐcompass.
Bow¶Ðpen·cil (?), n. BowÐcompasses, one leg of which carries a pencil.
Bow¶Ðsaw· (?), n. A saw with a thin or narrow blade set in a strong frame.
Bowse (?), v.i. [See Booze, and Bouse.]
1. To carouse; to bouse; to booze.
De Quincey.
2. (Naut.) To pull or haul; as, to bowse upon a tack; to bowse away, i.e., to pull all together.
Bowse, n. A carouse; a drinking bout; a booze.
Bow¶shot· (?), n. The distance traversed by an arrow shot from a bow.
Bow¶sprit· (?), n. [Bow + sprit; akin to D.boegspriet; boeg bow of a ship + spriet, E. sprit, also Sw. bogspr”t, G. bugspriet.] (Naut.) A large boom or spar, which project over the stem of a ship or other vessel, to carry sail forward.
Bows¶sen (?), v.t. To drench; to soak; especially, to immerse (in water believed to have curative properties). [Obs.]
There were many bowssening places, for curing of mad men.
...If there appeared small amendment he was bowssened again and again.
Carew.
Bow¶string· (?), n.
1. The string of a bow.
2. A string used by the Turks for strangling offenders.
Bowstring bridge, a bridge formed of an arch of timber or iron, often braced, the thrust of which is resisted by a tie forming a chord of the arch. Ð Bowstring girder, an arched beam strengthened by a tie connecting its two ends. Ð Bowstring hemp (Bot.), the tenacious fiber of the Sanseviera Zeylanica, growing in India and Africa, from which bowstrings are made.
Balfour.
Bow¶string· (?), v.t. [imp. & p.p.] Bowstringed (?) or
Bowstrung (?); p.pr. & vb.n. Bowstringing.] To strangle with a bowstring.
Bow¶stringed· (?), p.a. 1. Furnished with bowstring.
2. Put to death with a bowstring; strangled.
Bow¶tel (?), n. See Boultel.
Bow¶wow· (?), n. An onomatopoetic name for a dog or its bark. Ð a. Onomatopoetic; as, the bowwow theory of language; a bowwow word.
[Jocose.]
Bow¶yer (?), n. [From Bow, like lawyer from law.]
1. An archer; one who uses bow.
2. One who makes or sells bows.
Box (?), n. [As. box, L. buxus, fr. Gr. ?. See Box a case.] (Bot.) A tree or shrub, flourishing in different parts of the world. The common box (Buxus sempervirens) has two varieties, one of which, the dwaft box (B.suffruticosa), is much used for borders in gardens. The wood of the tree varieties, being very hard and smooth, is extensively used in the arts, as by turners, engravers, mathematical instrument makers, etc.
Box elder, the ashÐleaved maple (Negundo aceroides), of North America. Ð Box holly, the butcher's broom (Russus aculeatus). Ð Box thorn, a shrub (Lycium barbarum). Ð Box tree, the tree variety of the common box.
Box, n.pl. Boxes (?) [As. box a small case or vessel with a cover; akin to OHG. buhsa box, G. bchse; fr. L. buxus boxwood, anything made of boxwood. See Pyx, and cf. Box a tree, Bushel.]
1. A receptacle or case of any firm material and of various shapes.
2. The quantity that a box contain.
3. A space with a few seats partitioned off in a theater, or other place of public amusement.
Laughed at by the pit, box, galleries, nay, stage.
Dorset.
The boxes and the pit are sovereign judges.
Dryden.
4. A chest or any receptacle for the deposit of money; as, a poor box; a contribution box.
Yet since his neighbors give, the churl unlocks,
Damning the poor, his trippleÐbolted box.
J.Warton.
5. A small country house. ½A shooting box.¸
Wilson.
Tight boxes neatly sashed.
Cowper.
6. A boxlike shed for shelter; as, a sentry box.
7. (Mach) (a) An axle box, journal box, journal bearing, or bushing. (b) A chamber or section of tube in which a valve works; the bucket of a lifting pump.
8. The driver's seat on a carriage or coach.
9. A present in a box; a present; esp. a Christmas box or gift. ½A Christmas box.¸
Dickens.
10. (Baseball) The square in which the pitcher stands.
11. (Zo”l.) A Mediterranean food fish; the bogue.
µ Box is much used adjectively or in composition; as box lid, box maker, box circle, etc.; also with modifying substantives; as money box, letter box, bandbox, hatbox or hat box, snuff box or snuffbox.
Box beam (Arch.), a beam made of metal plates so as to have the form of a long box. Ð Box car (Railroads), a freight car covered with a roof and inclosed on the sides to protect its contents. Ð Box chronometer, a ship's chronometer, mounted in gimbals, to preserve its proper position. Ð Box coat, a thick overcoat for driving; sometimes with a heavy cape to carry off the rain. Ð Box coupling, a metal collar uniting the ends of shafts or other parts in machinery. Ð Box crab (Zo”l.), a crab of the genus Calappa, which, when at rest with the legs retracted, resembles a box. Ð Box drain (Arch.), a drain constructed with upright sides, and with flat top and bottom. Ð Box girder (Arch.), a box beam. Ð Box groove (Metal Working), a closed groove between two rolls, formed by a collar on one roll fitting between collars on another.
R.W.Raymond.
Ð Box metal, an alloy of copper and tin, or of zinc, lead, and antimony, for the bearings of journals, etc. Ð Box plait, a plait that doubles both to the rigth and the left. Ð Box turtle or Box tortoise (Zo”l.), a land tortoise or turtle of the genera Cistudo and Emys; Ð so named because it can withdraw entirely within its shell, which can be closed by hinged joints in the lower shell. Also, humorously, an exceedingly reticent person.
Emerson.
Ð In a box, in a perplexity or an embarrassing position; in difficulty. (Colloq.) Ð In the wrong box, out of one's place; out of one's element; awkwardly situated. (Colloq.)
Ridley (1554)?
Box, v.t. [imp. & p.p. Boxed (?); p.pr. & vb.n. Boxing.]
1. To inclose in a box.
2. To furnish with boxes, as a wheel.
3. (Arch.) To inclose with boarding, lathing, etc., so as to bring to a required form.
To box a tree, to make an incision or hole in a tree for the purpose of procuring the sap. Ð To box off, to divide into tight compartments. Ð To box up. (a) To put into a box in order to save; as, he had boxed up twelve score pounds. (b) To confine; as, to be boxed up in narrow quarters.
Box, n. [Cf.Dan. baske to slap, bask slap, blow. Cf. Pash.] A blow on the head or ear with the hand.
A goodÐhumored box on the ear.
W.Irving.
Box, v.i. To fight with the fist; to combat with, or as with, the hand or fist; to spar.
Box, v.t. To strike with the hand or fist, especially to strike on the ear, or on the side of the head.
Box, v.t. [Cf.Sp. boxar, now spelt bojar.] To boxhaul.
To box off (Naut.), to turn the head of a vessel either way by bracing the headyards aback. Ð To box the compass (Naut.), to name the thirtyÐtwo points of the compass in their order.
Box¶ber·ry (?), n. (Bot.) The wintergreern. (Gaultheria procumbens). [Local, U.S.]
<-- p. 173 -->
Box¶en (?), a. Made of boxwood; pertaining to, or resembling, the box (Buxus). [R.]
The faded hue of sapless boxen leaves.
Dryden.
Box¶er (?),n. One who packs boxes.
Box¶er ,n. One who boxes; a pugilist.
Box¶fish·ÿ(?), n. (Zo”l.) The trunkfish.
Box¶haul· (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boxhauled (?).] (Naut.) To put (a vessel) on the other tack by veering her short round on her heel; Ð so called from the circumstance of bracing the head yards abox (i. e., sharp aback, on the wind).
Totten.
Box¶haul·ing, n. (Naut.) A method of going from one tack to another. See Boxhaul.
Box¶ing, n. 1. The act of inclosing (anything) in a box, as for storage or transportation.
2. Material used in making boxes or casings.
3. Any boxlike inclosure or recess; a casing.
4. (Arch.) The external case of thin material used to bring any member to a required form.
Box¶ing, n. The act of fighting with the fist; a combat with the fist; sparring.
Blackstone.
Boxing glove, a large padded mitten or glove used in sparring for exercise or amusement.
Box¶Ði·ronÿ(?), n. A hollow smoothing iron containing a heater within.
Box¶keep·er (?), n. An attendant at a theater who has charge of the boxes.
Box¶thorn· (?), n. (Bot.) A plant of the genus Lycium, esp. Lycium barbarum.
Box¶wood· (?), n. The wood of the box (Buxus).
Boy (?), n. [Cf. D. boef, Fries. boi, boy; akin to G. bube, Icel. bofi rouge.] A male child, from birth to the age of puberty; a lad; hence, a son.
My only boy fell by the side of great Dundee.
Sir W. Scott.
µBoy is often used as a term of comradeship, as in college, or in the army or navy. In the plural used colloquially of members of an assosiaton, fraternity, or party.
Boy bishop, a boy (usually a chorister) elected bishop, in old Christian sports, and invested with robes and other insignia. He practiced a kind of mimicry of the ceremonies in which the bishop usually officiated. The Old Boy, the Devil. [Slang] Ð Yellow boys, guineas. [Slang, Eng.] Ð Boy's love, a popular English name of Southernwood (Artemisia abrotonum);) Ð called also lad's love. Ð Boy's play, childish amusements; anything trifling.
Boy, v. t. To act as a boy; Ð in allusion to the former practice of boys acting women's parts on the stage.
I shall see
Some squeaking Cleopatra boy my greatness.
Shak.
BoÐyar¶ (?), BoÐyard¶ (?), n. [Russ. boi rin'.] A member of a Russian aristocratic order abolished by Peter the Great. Also, one of a privileged class in Roumania.
µ English writers sometimes call Russian landed proprietors boyars.
Ø Boy¶au (?), n.; pl. Boyaux or Boyaus (?). [F. boyau gut, a long and narrow place, and (of trenches) a branch. See Bowel.] (Fort.) A winding or zigzag trench forming a path or communication from one siegework to another, to a magazine, etc.
Boy¶cott· (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Boycotted; p. pr. & vb. n. Boycotting.] [From Captain Boycott, a land agent in Mayo, Ireland, so treated in 1880.] To combine against (a landlord, tradesman, employer, or other person), to withhold social or business relations from him, and to deter other from holding such relations; to subject to a boycott.
Boy¶cott, n. The process, fact, or pressure of boycotting; a combining to withhold or prevent dealing or social intercourse with a tradesman, employer, etc.; social and business interdiction for the purpose of coercion.
Boy¶cott·er (?), n. A participant in boycotting.
Boy¶cottÐism (?), n. Methods of boycotters.
Boy¶deÐkin (?), n. A dagger; a bodkin. [Obs.]
Boy¶er (?), n. [D. boeijer; Ð so called because these vessels were employed for laying the boeijen, or buoys: cf. F. boyer. See Buoy.] (Naut.) A Flemish sloop with a castle at each end.
Sir W. Raleigh.
Boy¶hood (?), n. [Boy + Ðhood.] The state of being a boy; the time during which one is a boy.
Hood.
Boy¶ish, a. Resembling a boy in a manners or opinions; belonging to a boy; childish; trifling; puerile.
A boyish, odd conceit.
Baillie.
Boy¶ishÐly, adv. In a boyish manner; like a boy.
Boy¶ishÐness, n. The manners or behavior of a boy.
Boy¶ism (?), n 1. Boyhood. [Obs.]
T.Warton.
2. The nature of a boy; childishness.
Dryden.
Boyle's¶ law·ÿ(?). See under Law.
Ø Bo¶za (?), n. [See Bosa.] An acidulated fermented drink of the Arabs and Egyptians, made from millet seed and various astringent substances; also, an intoxicating beverage made from hemp seed, darnel meal, and water. [Written also bosa, bozah, bouza.]
BraÐbant¶ine (?), a. Pertaining to Brabant, an ancient province of the Netherlands.
Brab¶ble (?), v.i. [D. brabbelen to talk confusedly. ?95. Cf. Blab, Babble.] To clamor; to contest noisily. [R.]
Brab¶ble, n. A broil; a noisy contest; a wrangle.
This petty brabble will undo us all.
Shak.
Brab¶bleÐment (?), n. A brabble. [r.]
Holland.
Brab¶blerÿ3, n. A clamorous, quarrelsome, noisy fellow; a wrangler. [R]
Shak.
Brac¶cate (?), a.[L. bracatus wearing breeches, fr. bracae breeches.] (Zo”l.) Furnished with feathers which conceal the feet.
Brace (?), n. [OF. brace, brasse, the two arms, embrace, fathom, F. brasse fathom, fr. L. bracchia the arms (stretched out), pl. of bracchium arm; cf. Gr. ?.] 1. That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop.
2. A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension, as a cord on the side of a drum.
The little bones of the ear drum do in straining and relaxing it as the braces of the war drum do in that.
Derham.
3. The state of being braced or tight; tension.
The laxness of the tympanum, when it has lost its brace or tension.
Holder.
4. (Arch. & Engin.) A piece of material used to transmit, or change the direction of, weight or pressure; any one of the pieces, in a frame or truss, which divide the structure into triangular parts. It may act as a tie, or as a strut, and serves to prevent distortion of the structure, and transverse strains in its members. A boiler brace is a diagonal stay, connecting the head with the shell.
5. (Print.) A vertical curved line connecting two or more words or lines, which are to be taken together; thus, boll, bowl; or, in music, used to connect staves.
6. (Naut.) A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon.
7. (Mech.) A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock.
8. A pair; a couple; as, a brace of ducks; now rarely applied to persons, except familiarly or with some contempt. ½A brace of greyhounds.¸
Shak.
He is said to have shot...fifty brace of pheasants.
Addison.
A brace of brethren, both bishops, both eminent for learning and religion, now appeared in the church.
Fuller.
But you, my brace of lords.
Shak.
9. pl. Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders.
I embroidered for you a beautiful pair of braces.
Thackeray.
10. Harness; warlike preparation. [Obs.]
For that it stands not in such warlike brace.
Shak.
11. Armor for the arm; vantbrace.
12. (Mining) The mouth of a shaft. [Cornwall]
Angle brace. See under Angle.
Braceÿ(?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Braced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bracing.] 1. To furnish with braces; to support; to prop; as, to brace a beam in a building.
2. To draw tight; to tighten; to put in a state of tension; to strain; to strengthen; as, to brace the nerves.
And welcome war to brace her drums.
Campbell.
3. To bind or tie closely; to fasten tightly.
The women of China, by bracing and binding them from their infancy, have very little feet.
Locke.
Some who spurs had first braced on.
Sir W. Scott.
4. To place in a position for resisting pressure; to hold firmly; as, he braced himself against the crowd.
A sturdy lance in his right hand he braced.
Fairfax.
5. (Naut.) To move around by means of braces; as, to brace the yards.
To brace about (Naut.), to turn (a yard) round for the contrary tack. ÐTo brace a yard (Naut.), to move it horizontally by means of a brace. Ð To brace in (Naut.), to turn (a yard) by hauling in the weather brace. Ð To brace one's self, to call up one's energies. ½He braced himself for an effort which he was little able to make.¸
J.D.Forbes.Ð To brace to (Naut.), to turn (a yard) by checking or easing off the lee brace, and hauling in the weather one, to assist in tacking. Ð To brace up (Naut.), to bring (a yard) nearer the direction of the keel by hauling in the lee brace. Ð To brace up sharp (Naut.), to turn (a yard) as far forward as the rigging will permit.
Brace, v.i. To get tone or vigor; to rouse one's energies; Ðwith up. [Colloq.]
Brace¶let (?), n. [F. bracelet, dim. of OF. bracel armlet, prop. little arm, dim. of bras arm, fr. L. bracchium. See Brace,n.] 1. An ornamental band or ring, for the wrist or the arm; in modern times, an ornament encircling the wrist, worn by women or girls.
2. A piece of defensive armor for the arm.
Johnson.
Bra¶cer (?), n. 1. That which braces, binds, or makes firm; a band or bandage.
2. A covering to protect the arm of the bowman from the vibration of the string; also, a brassart.
Chaucer.
3. A medicine, as an astringent or a tonic, which gives tension or tone to any part of the body.
Johnson.
Brach (?), n. [OE. brache a kind of scenting hound or setting dog, OF. brache, ? braque, fr. OHG. braccho, G. bracke; possibly akin to E. fragrant, fr. L. fragrare to smell.] A bitch of the hound kind.
Shak.
Ø BrachÐel¶yÐtra (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. (?) short + ? a covering.] (Zo”l.) A group of beetles having short elytra, as the rove beetles.
ØBrach¶iÐa (?), n. pl. See Brachium.
Brach¶iÐal (?) or (?), a. [L. brachialis (bracchÐ), from bracchium (bracchÐ) arm: cf. F. brachial.] 1. (Anat.) Pertaining or belonging to the arm; as, the brachial artery; the brachial nerve.
2. Of the nature of an arm; resembling an arm.
Ø Brach·iÐa¶ta (?), n. pl. [See Brachiate.] (Zo”l.) A division of the Crinoidea, including those furnished with long jointed arms. See Crinoidea.
Brach¶iÐateÿ(?), a. [L. brachiatus (bracchÐ) with boughs or branches like arms, from brackium (bracchÐ) arm.] (Bot.) Having branches in pairs, decussated, all nearly horizontal, and each pair at right angles with the next, as in the maple and lilac.
Brach·iÐog¶aÐnoid (?), n. One of the Brachioganoidei.
Ø Brach·iÐoÐgaÐnoid¶eÐi (?), n. pl.[NL., from L. brachium (bracchÐ) arm + NL. ganoidei.] (Zo”l.) An order of ganoid fishes of which the bichir of Africa is a living example. See Crossopterygii.
Ø Brach·iÐoÐla¶riÐaÿ(?), n. pl. [ NL., fr. L. brachiolum (bracchÐ), dim. of brachium (bracchÐ) arm.] (Zo”l.) A peculiar early larval stage of certain starfishes, having a bilateral structure, and swimming by means of bands of vibrating cilia.
Brach¶iÐoÐpodÿ(?), n. [Cf.F. brachiopode.] (Zo”l.) One of the Brachiopoda, or its shell.
Ø Brach·iÐop¶oÐda (?), n. [NL., from Gr. ? arm + Ðpoda.] (Zo”l.) A class of Molluscoidea having a symmetrical bivalve shell, often attached by a fleshy peduncle.
µ Within the shell is a pair of ½arms,¸ often long and spirally coiled, bearing rows of ciliated tentacles by which a current of water is made to flow into the mantle cavity, bringing the microscopic food to the mouth between the bases of the arms. The shell is both opened and closed by special muscles. They form two orders; Lyopoma, in which the shell is thin, and without a distinct hinge, as in Lingula; and Arthropoma, in which the firm calcareous shell has a regular hinge, as in Rhynchonella. See Arthropomata.
Ø Brach¶iÐum (?), n.; pl. Bracchiaÿ(?). [L. brachium or bracchium, arm.] (Anat.) The upper arm; the segment of the fore limb between the shoulder and the elbow.
Brach¶manÿ(?), n. [L. Brachmanae, pl., Gr. ?.] See Brahman. [Obs.]
Brach·yÐcat·aÐlec¶ticÿ(?), n. [Gr. ?; ? short + ? to leave off; cf. ? incomplete.] (Gr.& Last. Pros.) A verse wanting two syllables at its termination.
Brach·yÐceÐphal¶ic (?), Brach·yÐceph¶aÐlous (?)}, a. [Gr. ? short + ? head.] (Anat.) Having the skull short in proportion to its breadth; shortheaded; Ð in distinction from dolichocephalic.
Brach·yÐceph¶aÐly (?), Brach·yÐceph¶aÐlism (?)}, n. [Cf. F. Brachyc‚phalie]. (Anat.) The state or condition of being brachycephalic; shortness of head.
BraÐchyc¶erÐal (?), a. [Gr. ? short + ? horn.] (Zo”l.) Having short antenn‘, as certain insects.
Brach·yÐdiÐag¶oÐnal (?), a. [Gr. ? short + E. diagonal.] Pertaining to the shorter diagonal, as of a rhombic prism.
Brachydiagonal axis, the shorter lateral axis of an orthorhombic crystal.
Brach·yÐdiÐag¶oÐnal, n. The shorter of the diagonals in a rhombic prism.
Brach·yÐdomeÿ(?), n. [Gr. ? short + E. dome.] (Crystallog.) A dome parallel to the shorter lateral axis. See Dome.
BraÐchyg¶raÐpher (?), n. A writer in short hand; a stenographer.
He asked the brachygrapher whether he wrote the notes of the sermon.
Gayton.
BraÐchyg¶raÐphyÿ(?), n. [Gr. ? short + Ðgraphy: cf. F. brachygraphie.] Stenograhy.
B.Jonson.
BraÐchyl¶oÐgyÿ(?), n. [Gr. ? :? short + ? discourse: cf. F. brachylogie.] ( Rhet.) Conciseness of expression; brevity.
Brach·yÐpin¶aÐcoid (?), n. [Gr. ? short + E. pinacoid.] (Crytallog.) A plane of an orthorhombic crystal which is parallel both to the vertical axis and to the shorter lateral (brachydiagonal) axis.
Ø BraÐchyp¶teÐraÿ(?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? shortÐwinged; short + ? feather, wing.] (Zo”l.) A group of Coleoptera having short wings; the rove beetles.
Ø BraÐchyp¶teÐres (?), n.pl. [NL. See Brachyptera. ] (Zo”l.) A group of birds, including auks, divers, and penguins.
BraÐchyp¶terÐous (?), a. [Gr. ? :cf. F. brachyptŠre.] (Zo”l.) Having short wings.
BraÐchys¶toÐchrone (?), n. [Incorrect for brachistochrone, fr. Gr. ? shortest (superl. of ? short) + ? time : cf. F. brachistochrone. ] (Math.) A curve, in which a body, starting from a given point, and descending solely by the force of gravity, will reach another given point in a shorter time than it could by any other path. This curve of quickest descent, as it is sometimes called, is, in a vacuum, the same as the cycloid.
Brach¶yÐty·pous (?), a. [Gr. ? short + ? stamp, form.] (Min.) Of a short form.
Ø Brach·yÐu¶raÿ(?), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. ? short + ? tail.] (Zo”l.) A group of decapod Crustacea, including the common crabs, characterized by a small and short abdomen, which is bent up beneath the large cephaloÐthorax. [Also spelt Brachyoura.] See Crab, and Illustration in Appendix.
Brach·yÐu¶ralÿ(?), Brach·yÐu¶rous (?)}, a. [Cf. F. brachyure.] (Zo”l.) Of or pertaining to the Brachyura.
Brach·yÐu¶ran (?), n. One of the Brachyura.
Bra¶cing (?), a. Imparting strength or tone; strengthening; invigorating; as, a bracing north wind.
Bra¶cing (?), n. 1. The act of strengthening, supporting, or propping, with a brace or braces; the state of being braced.
2. (Engin.) Any system of braces; braces, collectively; as, the bracing of a truss.
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Brack (?), n. [Cf.D. braak, Dan. br‘k, a breaking, Sw. & Isel. brak a crackling, creaking. Cf. Breach.]
An opening caused by the parting of any solid body; a crack or breach; a flaw.
Stain or brack in her sweet reputation.
J.Fletcher.
Brack, n. [D. brak, adj., salt; cf. LG. wrak refuse, G. brack.] Salt or brackish water. [Obs.]
Drayton.
Brack¶en (?), n. [OE. braken, AS. bracce. See 2d Brake, n.] A brake or fern.
Sir W.Scott.
Brack¶et (?), n. [Cf.OF. braguette codpiece, F. brayette, Sp. bragueta, also a projecting mold in architecture; dim. fr.L. bracae breeches; cf. also, OF. bracon beam, prop, support; of unknown origin. Cf. Breeches.]
1. (Arch.) An architectural member, plain or ornamental, projecting from a wall or pier, to support weight falling outside of the same; also, a decorative feature seeming to discharge such an office.
µ This is the more general word. See Brace, Cantalever, Console, Corbel, Strut.
2. (Engin. & Mech.) A piece or combination of pieces, usually triangular in general shape, projecting from, or fastened to, a wall, or other surface, to support heavy bodies or to strengthen angles.
3. (Naut.) A shot, crooked timber, resembling a knee, used as a support.
4. (Mil.) The cheek or side of an ordnance carriage.
5. (Print.) One of two characters [ ]?, used to inclose a reference, explanation, or note, or a part to be excluded from a sentence, to indicate an interpolation, to rectify a mistake, or to supply an omission, and for certain other purposes; Ð called also crotchet.
6. A gas fixture or lamp holder projecting from the face of a wall, column, or the like.
Bracket light, a gas fixture or a lamp attached to a wall, column, etc.
Brack¶et, v.t. [imp. & p.p. Bracketed; p.pr. & vb.n. Bracketing] To place within brackets; to connect by brackets; to furnish with brackets.
Brack¶etÏing, n. (Arch.) A series or group of brackets; brackets, collectively.
Brack¶ish (?), a. [See Brack salt water.] Saltish, or salt in a moderate degree, as water in saline soil.
Springs in deserts found seem sweet, all brackish though they be.
Byron.
Brack¶ishÏness, n. The quality or state of being brackish, or somewhat salt.
Brack¶y (?), a. Brackish.
Drayton.
Bract (?), n. [See Bractea.] (Bot.) (a) A leaf, usually smaller than the true leaves of a plant, from the axil of which a flower stalk arises. (b) Any modified leaf, or scale, on a flower stalk or at the base of a flower.
µ Bracts are often inconspicuous, but sometimes large and showy, or highly colored, as in many cactaceous plants. The spathes of aroid plants are conspicuous forms of bracts.
ØBrac¶teÏa (?), n. [L., a thin plate of metal or wood, gold foil.] (Bot.) A bract.
Brac¶teÏal (?), a. [Cf.F. bract‚al.] Having the nature or appearance of a bract.
Brac¶teÏate (?), a. [Cf.L. bracteatus covered with gold plate.] (Bot.) Having a bract or bracts.
Bract¶ed (?), a. (Bot.) Furnished with bracts.
Brac¶teÏoÏlate (?), a. (Bot.) Furnished with bracteoles or bractlets.
Brac¶teÏole (?), n. [L. bracteola, dim. of bractea. See Bractea.] (Bot.) Same as Bractlet.
Bract¶less, a. (Bot.) Destitute of bracts.
Bract¶let (?), n. [Bract + Ðlet] (Bot.) A bract on the stalk of a single flower, which is itself on a main stalk that support several flowers.
Gray.
Brad (?), n. [Cf.OE. brod, Dan. braad prick, sting, brodde ice spur, frost nail, Sw. brodd frost nail, Icel. broddr any pointed piece of iron or stell; akin to AS. brord point, spire of grass, and perh. to E. bristle. See Bristle, n.]
A thin nail, usually small, with a slight projection at the top on one side instead of a head; also, a small wire nail, with a flat circular head; sometimes, a small, tapering, squareÐbodied finishing nail, with a countersunk head.
Brad¶ awl· (?). A straight awl with chisel edge, used to make holes for brads, etc.
Weale.
BraÏdoon¶ (?), n. Same as Bridoon.
ØBrae (?), n. [See Bray a hill.] A hillside; a slope; a bank; a hill. [Scot.]
Burns.
Brag (?), v.i. [imp. & p. p. Bragged (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bragging.] [OE. braggen to resound, blow, boast (cf. F. braguer to lead a merry life, flaunt, boast, OF. brague merriment), from Icel. braka to creak, brak noise, fr. the same root as E. break; properly then, to make a noise, boast. ?95.] To talk about one's self, or things pertaining to one's self, in a manner intended to excite admiration, envy, or wonder; to talk boastfully; to boast; Ð often followed by of; as, to brag of one's exploits, courage, or money, or of the great things one intends to do.
Coinceit, more rich in matter than in words,
Brags of his substance, not of ornament.
Shak.
Syn. Ð To swagger; boast; vapor; bluster; vaunt; flourish; talk big.
Brag, v.t. To boast of. [Obs.]
Shak.
Brag, n.
1. A boast or boasting; bragging; ostentatious pretense or self glorification.
C‘sar ... made not here his brag
Of ½came,¸ and ½saw,¸ and ½overcame.¸
Shak.
2. The thing which is boasted of.
Beauty is Nature's brag.
Milton.
3. A game at cards similar to bluff.
Chesterfield.
Brag (?), a. [See Brag, v.i.] Brisk; full of spirits; boasting; pretentious; conceited. [Arhaic]
A brag young fellow.
B.Jonson.
Brag, adv. Proudly; boastfully. [Obs.]
Fuller.
Brag·gaÏdo¶cio (?), n. [From Braggadocchio, a boastful character in Spenser's ½Fa‰rie Queene.¸]
1. A braggart; a boaster; a swaggerer.
Dryden.
2. Empty boasting; mere brag; pretension.
Brag¶gardÏism (?), n. [See Braggart.] Boastfulness; act of bragging.
Shak.
Brag¶gart (?), n. [OF. bragard flaunting, vain, bragging. See Brag, v.i.] A boaster.
O, I could play the woman with mine eyes,
And braggart with my tongue.
Shak.
Brag¶gart, a. Boastful.Ð Brag¶gartÏly, adv.
Brag¶ger (?), n. One who brags; a boaster.
Brag¶get (?), n. [OE. braket, bragot, fr. W. bragawd, bragod, fr. brag malt.] A liquor made of ale and honey fermented, with spices, etc. [Obs.]
B.Jonson.
Brag¶ging·ly (?), adv. Boastingly.
Brag¶less, a. Without bragging. [R.]
Shak.
Brag¶ly, adv. In a manner to be bragged of; finely; proudly. [Obs.]
Spenser.
Brah¶ma (?), n. [See Brahman.]
1. (Hindoo Myth.) The One First Cause; also, one of the triad of Hindoo gods. The triad consists of Brahma, the Creator, Vishnu, the Preserver, and Siva, the Destroyer.
µ According to the Hindoo religious books, Brahma (with the final a short), or Brahm, is the Divine Essence, the One First Cause, the All in All, while the personal gods, Brahm (with the final a long), Vishnu, and Siva, are emanations or manifestations of Brahma the Divine Essence.
2. (Zo”l.) A valuable variety of large, domestic fowl, peculiar in having the comb divided lengthwise into three parts, and the legs well feathered. There are two breeds, the dark or penciled, and the light; Ð called also Brahmapootra.
Brah¶man (?), Brah¶min (?), } n.; pl. Brahmans, Brahmins. [Skr. Br¾hmana (cf. Brahman 0worship, holiness; the God Brahma, also Brahman): cf. F. Brahmane, Brachmane, Bramine, L. Brachmanae, Ðmanes, Ðmani, pl., Gr. ?, pl.] A person of the highest or sacerdotal caste among the Hindoos.
Brahman bull (Zo”l.), the male of a variety of the zebu, or Indian ox, considered sacred by the Hindoos.
Brah¶manÏess (?), n. A Brahmani.
Brah¶manÏi (?), n. [Fem. of Brahman.] Any Brahman woman. [Written also Brahmanee.]
BrahÏman¶ic (?), ÏicÏal (?), BrahÏmin¶Ïic (?),ÏicÏal (?), a. Of or pertaining to the Brahmans or to their doctrines and worship.
Brah¶manÏism (?), Brah¶minÏism (?), } n. The religion or system of doctrines of the Brahmans; the religion of Brahma.
Brah¶manÏist (?), Brah¶minÏist (?), } n. An adherent of the religion of the Brahmans.
Brah¶moÏism (?), n. The religious system of BrahmoÐsomaj.
Balfour.