Ban"ter, n. The act of bantering; joking or jesting; humorous or good-humored raillery; pleasantry.
Part banter, part affection.
Tennyson.
Ban"ter*er (&?;), n. One who banters or rallies.
Ban"ting*ism (&?;), n. A method of reducing corpulence by avoiding food containing much farinaceous, saccharine, or oily matter; -- so called from William Banting of London.
Bant"ling (&?;), n. [Prob. for bandling, from band, and meaning a child wrapped in swaddling bands; or cf. G. bäntling a bastard, fr. bank bench. Cf. Bastard, n.] A young or small child; an infant. [Slightly contemptuous or depreciatory.]
In what out of the way corners genius produces her bantlings.
W. Irving.
Banx"ring (&?;), n. (Zoöl.) An East Indian insectivorous mammal of the genus Tupaia.
Ban"yan (&?;), n. [See Banian.] (Bot.) A tree of the same genus as the common fig, and called the Indian fig (Ficus Indica), whose branches send shoots to the ground, which take root and become additional trunks, until it may be the tree covers some acres of ground and is able to shelter thousands of men.
Ba"o*bab (&?;), n. [The native name.] (Bot.) A gigantic African tree (Adansonia digitata), also naturalized in India. See Adansonia.
Baph"o*met (&?;), n. [A corruption of Mahomet or Mohammed, the Arabian prophet: cf. Pr. Bafomet, OSp. Mafomat, OPg. Mafameda.] An idol or symbolical figure which the Templars were accused of using in their mysterious rites.
Bap"tism (&?;), n. [OE. baptim, baptem, OE. baptesme, batisme, F. baptême, L. baptisma, fr. Gr. &?;, fr. &?; to baptize, fr. &?; to dip in water, akin to &?; deep, Skr. gh to dip, bathe, v. i.] The act of baptizing; the application of water to a person, as a sacrament or religious ceremony, by which he is initiated into the visible church of Christ. This is performed by immersion, sprinkling, or pouring.
Bap*tis"mal (&?;), a. [Cf. F. baptismal.] Pertaining to baptism; as, baptismal vows.
Baptismal name, the Christian name, which is given at baptism.
Bap*tis"mal*ly, adv. In a baptismal manner.