=Barb=, _n._ L. _barba_, a beard; a tuft of hairs; a sharp point
projecting backward from the point of a fish hook or arrow or any
other sharp-pointed instrument. The barb prevents the instrument
from being readily withdrawn.
=Bark=, _n._ The outer covering of the stems and roots of woody
plants.
=Beak=, _n._ The bill of a bird; the long, projecting point in the
fruit of the geraniums.
=Bloodroot=, _n._ An early spring flower. A pretty, delicate, white
flower opens on a stem that comes up from the ground, and the roots,
when wounded, yield a blood-red sap.
=Boer=, _n._ D. _boer_, a farmer; a peasant; the name of the Dutch
colonists of South Africa. They are principally farmers and cattle
raisers. They have had many difficulties with the English settlers,
in some of which blood has been shed.
=Bract=, _n._ L. _bractea_, a thin plate of metal; gold-leaf. Used of
small, usually thin, leaf-like parts, and often found near a flower
or flower cluster.
=Bulb=, _n._ L. _bulbus_, a bulbous root; an onion; the name of the
underground, scale-covered part of hyacinths, etc.