BANNOCK, ban'nok, _n._ a flat home-made cake of oatmeal, barley, or
pease-meal. [Gael. _bannach_.]
BANNS, banz, _n.pl._ a proclamation of marriage.--TO FORBID THE BANNS, to
make formal objection to a projected marriage. [From BAN.]
BANQUET, bangk'wet, _n._ a feast: any rich treat or entertainment: a course
of sweetmeats, fruit, and wine, separately, or after the principal
meal--still used in the Scotch phrase, 'a cake and wine banquet.'--_v.t._
to give a feast to.--_v.i._ to fare sumptuously.--_ns._ BANQ'UETER,
BANQ'UETEER; BANQ'UETING; BANQ'UETING-HOUSE. [Fr.;--_banc_, bench, like It.
_banchetto_, from _banco_.]
BANQUETTE, bang-ket', _n._ a raised way inside a parapet; the long seat
behind the driver in a French diligence. [Fr.; It. _banchetta_, dim. of
_banca_, seat.]
BANSHEE, ban'sh[=e], _n._ a female fairy in Ireland and elsewhere, who
makes herself known by wailings and shrieks before a death in the
particular family to which she is attached. [Ir. _bean sídhe_, Old Ir. _ben
síde_, woman of the fairies.]
BANTAM, ban'tam, _n._ a small variety of the common domestic fowl, supposed
to be named from _Bantam_ in Java, notable for courage.--_adj._ of
bantam-breed: little and combative.
BANTER, bant'[.e]r, _v.t._ to assail with good-humoured raillery: to joke
or jest at: (_arch._) to impose upon, trick.--_n._ humorous raillery:
jesting.--_ns._ BANT'ERER; BANT'ERING.--_adv._ BANT'ERINGLY.--_adj._
BANT'ERY (_Carlyle_). [Ety. quite unknown.]
BANTING, bant'ing, _n._ a system of diet for reducing superfluous
fat.--_n._ BANT'INGISM. [From W. _Banting_ (1797-1878), a London
cabinetmaker, who recommended it to the public in 1863.]
BANTLING, bant'ling, _n._ a child. [So called from the _bands_ in which it
is wrapped.]
BANTU, ban't[=oo], _n._ a native name sometimes applied to the South
African family of languages and the peoples speaking these, including
Kaffirs and Zulus, Bechuans, and the peoples from the Hottentot country to
the Gulf of Guinea.
BANXRING, bangks'ring, _n._ a small insectivorous animal of Java and
Sumatra. [Jav.]
BANYAN. See BANIAN.
BAOBAB, b[=a]'o-bab, _n._ a magnificent tree, native to tropical Western
Africa, whose trunk is 20 to 30 feet thick, called also the _Monkey-bread
Tree_. [African.]
BAPHOMET, baf'[=o]-m[.e]t, _n._ the alleged name of a mysterious idol the
Templars were accused of worshipping.--_adj._ BAPH'OMETIC. [A medieval
corr. of the name _Mahomet_.]
BAPTISE, bapt-[=i]z', _v.t._ to administer baptism to: to christen, give a
name to.--_n._ BAPT'ISM, immersion in or sprinkling with water as a
religious ceremony--a sign and seal of the covenant of grace. It is
symbolic of spiritual purification, and as a religious rite marks
initiation into the Christian community.--_adj._ BAPTIS'MAL.--_adv._
BAPTIS'MALLY.--_ns._ BAPT'IST, one who baptises: one who approves only of
baptising by immersion, and that only to persons who profess their faith in
Christ; BAP'TISTERY, a place where baptism is administered, either a
separate building or a portion of a church.--BAPTISMAL REGENERATION, the
doctrine of the remission of sin original and actual, and of the new birth
into the life of sanctifying grace, in and through the sacrament of
baptism; BAPTISM BY DESIRE, the grace given to a believer who ardently
desires baptism, but dies before he can receive it; BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD,
the vicarious baptism of a living Christian for an unbaptised dead
Christian, who was thereby accounted baptised and received into bliss--it
is supposed to be alluded to in 1 Cor. xv. 29; BAPTISM OF BLOOD, martyrdom
for Christ's sake; BAPTISM OF FIRE, the gift of the Holy Spirit: martyrdom
by fire for Christ's sake: (_fig._) any trying ordeal to be endured, as a
young soldier's first experience of being under fire; CLINICAL BAPTISM,
baptism administered to sick persons; CONDITIONAL (or HYPOTHETICAL)
BAPTISM, baptism administered to those about whom it is doubtful whether
they were baptised or whether the form of their earlier baptism was valid;
NAME OF BAPTISM, the Christian or personal name given at baptism; PRIVATE
BAPTISM, baptism administered at home, or elsewhere, not in the church.
[Gr. _baptiz-ein_--_bapt-ein_, to dip in water.]
BAR, bär, _n._ a rod of any solid substance: a bolt: a hindrance or
obstruction--the barrier of a city or street, as the bars of York, Temple
Bar, a toll-bar: a bank of sand or other matter at the mouth of a river:
any terminus or limit (of life)--e.g. as in TO CROSS THE BAR: the railing
that encloses a space in a tavern, the counter across which drinks are
served, a public-house: the wooden rail dividing off the JUDGE'S SEAT, at
which prisoners are placed for arraignment or sentence--hence, TO APPEAR AT
THE BAR, TO PASS THE BAR = to be formally referred for trial from a lower
court to a higher: any tribunal: the pleaders in a court as distinguished
from the judges: a division in music.--_v.t._ to fasten or secure, as with
a bar: to hinder or exclude:--_pr.p._ bar'ring; _pa.p._ barred.--_ns._
BAR'-[=I]'RON, iron in malleable bars; BAR'MAID, a female waiter at the bar
of a tavern or hotel.--_prep._ BAR'RING, excepting, saving.--_ns._
BAR'RING-OUT, the shutting of the school-room doors and windows by the
pupils against the master, in order to enforce assent to their demands;
BAR'WOOD, a kind of red dye-wood imported from Africa in bars. [O. Fr.
_barre_--Low L. _barra_, perh. of Celt. origin.]
BARACAN. Same as BARRACAN.
BARAGOUIN, bä-rag-w[=e]n, _n._ any jargon or unintelligible language. [Fr.;
from Bret. _bara_, bread, and _gwîn_, wine, supposed to have originated in
the Breton soldiers' astonishment at white bread.]
BARB, bärb, _n._ the beard-like jag near the point of an arrow, fish-hook,
&c.--_v.t._ to arm with barbs, as an arrow, &c.: to shave, trim, mow, to
pierce, as with a barb.--_adjs._ BARB'ATE (_bot._), bearing a hairy tuft;
BARB'ATED, barbed, bearded.--_n._ BARBE, a term applied by the Waldenses to
their teachers.--_adjs._ BARBED, furnished with a barb: of a horse, armed
or caparisoned with a barb or bard; BARB'ELLATE (_bot._), having barbed or
bearded bristles. [Fr.--L. _barba_, a beard.]
BARB, bärb, _n._ a swift kind of horse, the breed of which came from
_Barbary_ in North Africa.
BARBACAN. See BARBICAN.
BARBAROUS, bär'bar-us, _adj._ uncivilised: rude: savage: brutal.--_adjs._
BAR'BARESQUE, pertaining to _Barbary_: barbarous, esp. in art;
BARB[=A]R'IAN, uncivilised: savage: without taste or refinement:
foreign.--_n._ an uncivilised man, a savage: a cruel, brutal man.--_adj._
BARBAR'IC, foreign: uncivilised.--_n._ BARBARIS[=A]'TION.--_v.t._
BAR'BARISE, to make barbarous: to corrupt as a language.--_ns._ BAR'BARISM,
savage life: rudeness of manners: an incorrect form of speech; BARBAR'ITY,
savageness: cruelty.--_adv._ BAR'BAROUSLY.--_n._ BAR'BAROUSNESS. [L.--Gr.
_barbaros_, foreign, lit. stammering, from the unfamiliar sound of foreign
tongues.]
BARBARY APE, bär'bar-i [=a]p, _n._ the magot, or small tailless ape found
in Africa and also on the rock of Gibraltar.
BARBECUE, bärb'e-k[=u], _v.t._ to roast whole, as a pig: to cure flesh by
exposing it on a barbecue.--_n._ a framework on which to dry and smoke meat
above a fire: an animal roasted whole: an open floor on which coffee-beans
and the like are spread out to dry: (_Amer._) a large social or political
entertainment, where the hospitalities are on a lavish scale. [Sp.
_barbacoa_--Haytian _barbacòa_, a framework of sticks set upon posts.]
BARBEL, bärb'el, _n._ a fresh-water fish with beard-like appendages at its
mouth. [O. Fr. _barbel_--Low L. _barbellus_--L. _barba_, a beard.]
BARBER, bärb'[.e]r, _n._ one who shaves beards and dresses hair.--_ns._
BARB'ER-MONG'ER (_Shak._), a man decked out by his barber, a fop;
BARB'ER-SUR'GEON, one who let blood and drew teeth as well as shaved--the
company of Barber-surgeons was incorporated in 1461, but by an act in 1545
barbers were confined to the more humble function.--BARBER'S BLOCK, a round
block on which wigs are made; BARBER'S POLE, the barber's sign in England,
a pole striped spirally with alternate bands of colours, generally red or
black and white, having often a brass basin hung at the end. [Fr.--L.
_barba_, a beard.]
BARBERRY, bär'ber-i, _n._ a thorny shrub with yellow flowers and red
berries, common in hedges. [Low L. _berberis_; the Ar. _barbaris_ is
borrowed.]
BARBETTE, bar-b[.e]t', _n._ an earthen terrace inside the parapet of a
rampart, serving as a platform for heavy guns: in ironclad ships, a heavily
armoured redoubt amidships. [Fr.]
BARBICAN, bär'bi-kan, _n._ a projecting watch-tower over the gate of a
castle or fortified town, esp. the outwork intended to defend the
drawbridge. [O. Fr. _barbacane_, also in Sp., Port., and It. forms; perh.
of Ar. or Pers. origin. Col. Yule suggests _b[=a]bkh[=a]nah_, gate-house,
name in the East for a towered gateway.]
BARBULE, bärb'[=u]l, _n._ (_bot._) a small barb or beard: a pointed
barb-like process fringing the barbs of a feather. [See BARBEL.]
BARCAROLLE, bär'ka-r[=o]l, _n._ a boat-song of the Venetian gondoliers: a
musical composition of a similar character. [It. _barcaruolo_, a boatman,
from _barca_, a bark, a barge, a boat.]
BARD, bärd, _n._ a poet and singer among the ancient Celts: a poet--dims.
BARD'LING, BARD'LET, poetaster.--_n._ BARD'-CRAFT (_Browning_).--_adj._
BARD'IC. [Gael. and Ir. _bàrd_.]
BARDED, bärd'ed, _adj._ caparisoned, as horses.--_n._ BARD (_obs._), the
protective covering of a war-horse or a man-at-arms. [Fr. _barde_--Sp.
_albarda_, pack-saddle, perh. from Ar. _al-barda`ah_; _al_, the, and
_barda`ah_, mule's pack-saddle.]
BARE, b[=a]r, _adj._ uncovered: naked: open to view: poor, scanty:
unadorned: (_Shak._) unarmed: mere or by itself: (_Shak._) paltry,
desolate: empty: (_Spens._) rude.--_v.t._ to strip or uncover.--_adj._
BARE'BACKED, with bare back: unsaddled.--_n._ BARE'BONE (_Shak._), a very
lean person.--_adj._ BARE'FACED, with the face uncovered: (_Shak._) avowed:
impudent.--_adv._ BARE'FACEDLY.--_n._ BARE'FACEDNESS.--_adjs._ BARE'FOOT,
-ED, having the feet bare, often of some monastic orders; BARE'-GNAWN
(_Shak._), gnawed bare; BARE'HEADED, having the head bare; BAR'ISH
(_Carlyle_), somewhat bare; BARE'LEGGED, having the legs bare.--_adv._
BARE'LY.--_ns._ BARE'NESS; BARE'SARK, a fierce Norse fighter, a
berserker.--_adv._ in a shirt only. [A.S. _bær_; Ger. _baar_, _bar_; Ice.
_berr_.]
BARE, b[=a]r, old _pa.t._ of BEAR.
BARAGE, ba-r[=a]zh', _n._ a light, silky dress-stuff, named from _Barèges_
in the Pyrenees.
BARGAIN, bär'gin, _n._ a contract or agreement: a favourable transaction:
an advantageous purchase: (_Shak._) chaffering.--_v.i._ to make a contract
or agreement: to chaffer: to count on, take into consideration (with
_for_): to lose by bad bargaining (with _away_).--_n._ BAR'GAINER.--BARGAIN
AND SALE, in law, a mode of conveyance whereby property may be assigned or
transferred for valuable consideration.--INTO THE BARGAIN, over and above;
TO MAKE THE BEST OF A BAD BARGAIN, to make the best of difficult
circumstances; TO SELL ANY ONE A BARGAIN (_Shak._), to befool him; TO
STRIKE A BARGAIN, to come to terms about a purchase. [O. Fr.
_bargaigner_--Low L. _barcaniare_; acc. to Diez from _barca_, a boat.]
BARGE, bärj, _n._ flat-bottomed freight boat, with or without sails, used
on rivers and canals: the second boat of a man-of-war: a large pleasure or
state boat.--_ns._ BAR'GEE, a bargeman; BARGE'MAN, The manager of a barge;
BARGE'-MAS'TER, the proprietor of a barge. [O. Fr. _barge_--Low L. _barga_.
Prob. a doublet of BARK, a barge.]
[Illustration]
BARGE-BOARD, barj'-b[=o]rd, _n._ a board extending along the edge of the
gable of a house to cover the rafters and keep out the rain. [The _barge_
here may be conn. with Low L. _bargus_, a gallows.]
BARGHEST, bär'gest, _n._ a dog-like goblin portending death. [Perh. conn.
with Ger. _berg-geist_, mountain-ghost.]
BARIC. See BARIUM.
BARILLA, bar-il'a, _n._ an impure carbonate of soda obtained by burning
several marine plants (that grow chiefly on the east coast of Spain), used
in the manufacture of soap, glass, &c. [Sp. _barrilla_.]
BARITONE, bar'i-t[=o]n. Same as BARYTONE.
BARIUM, b[=a]'ri-um, _n._ the metal present in heavy spar (sulphate of
baryta) and baryta, formerly thought to be white, but now known to possess
a yellow colour.--_adj._ BAR'IC. [From BARYTA; cf. _soda_, _sodium_.]
BARK, bärk, _n._ the abrupt cry uttered by a dog, wolf, &c.--_v.i._ to yelp
like a dog: to clamour.--_v.t._ (_Spens._) to utter with a bark.--_n._
BARK'ER, a shop-tout: (_slang_) a pistol, cannon.--HIS BARK IS WORSE THAN
HIS BITE, his angry expressions are worse than his actual deeds. [A.S.
_beorcan_, prob. a variety of _brecan_, to crack, snap. See BREAK.]
BARK, BARQUE, bärk, _n._ a barge: a ship of small size, square-sterned,
without head-rails: technically, a three-masted vessel whose mizzen-mast is
_fore-and-aft_ rigged instead of being square-rigged, like the fore and
main masts--barks of over 3000 tons are now frequently built.--_ns._
BAR'KANTINE, BAR'QUENTINE, a three-masted vessel, with the fore-mast
square-rigged, and the main-mast and mizzen-mast fore-and-aft rigged. [Fr.
_barque_--Low L. _barca_; perh. from Gr. _baris_, a Nile-boat.]
BARK, bärk, _n._ the rind or covering of the trunk and branches of a tree:
that used in tanning or dyeing, or the residue thereof, laid upon a street
to deaden the sound, &c.: the envelopment or outer covering of
anything.--_v.t._ to strip or peel the bark from: to rub off
(_skin_).--_n._ BARK'-BED, a hotbed made of spent bark.--_v.t._ BARK'EN, to
dry up into a barky substance.--_v.i._ to become like bark.--_adjs._
BARK'LESS; BARK'Y.--CINCHONA, JESUITS', PERUVIAN BARK, the bark of the
cinchona, from which quinine is made. [Scand. _börkr_; Dan. _bark_.]
BARKER'S MILL, bärk'[.e]rz mil, a water-wheel invented in the 18th century
by Dr _Barker_.
BARLEY, bär'li, _n._ a hardy grain used for food, but chiefly for making
malt liquors and spirits.--_ns._ BAR'LEY-BREE, -BROTH, strong ale;
BAR'LEY-CORN, personified as _John Barleycorn_, the grain from which malt
is made: a single grain of barley: a measure of length = 1/3 of an inch;
BAR'LEY-SU'GAR, a mixture of sugar with a decoction of pearl-barley, boiled
till it is candied; BAR'LEY-WAT'ER, a decoction of pearl-barley;
PEARL'-BAR'LEY, the grain stripped of husk and pellicle, and completely
rounded by grinding; POT'-BAR'LEY, the grain deprived by milling of its
outer husk, used in making broth, &c. [A.S. _bærlíc_, _bere_, and suffix
_-líc_.]
BARLEY, bär'li, _interj._ (_Scot._) a term used in games in demand of a
truce, parley (of which it is most prob. a corruption).
BARLEY-BRAKE, bär'li-br[=a]k, _n._ an old country game, originally played
by three couples, of which one, left in a middle den called 'hell,' had to
catch the others, who could break or separate when about to be overtaken.
[Perh. from the grain, _barley_, because often played in a barley-field; or
perh. from the word preceding.]
BARM, bärm, _n._ froth of beer or other fermenting liquor, used as leaven:
yeast.--_adjs._ BARM'Y; BARM'Y-BRAINED, flighty. [A.S. _beorma_; cog. with
Dan. _bärme_, Ger. _bärme_.]
BARMBRACK, bärm'brak, _n._ a currant-bun. [Ir. _bairigen breac_, speckled
cake.]
BARM-CLOTH, bärm'-kloth, _n._ (_Morris_) an apron. [A.S. _barm_, bosom,
_-beran_, to bear, and CLOTH.]
BARMECIDE, bär'me-s[=i]d, _n._ one who offers an imaginary or pretended
banquet or other benefit.--_adjs._ BAR'MECIDE, BARMEC[=I]'DAL. [From a
story in the _Arabian Nights_, in which a beggar is entertained to an
imaginary feast by one of the _Barmecides_, a Persian family who attained
to great influence at the court of the Abbasside caliphs.]
BARMKIN, bärm'kin, _n._ the rampart of a castle.
BARN, bärn, _n._ a building in which grain, hay, &c. are stored.--_v.t._ to
store in a barn.--_ns._ and _adjs._ BARN'-DOOR, BARN'-YARD, as in barn-yard
fowl.--_n._ BARN'-OWL, the commonest of British owls.--BARN-DOOR, in
cricket, used of a player who blocks every ball: humorously, any large
target. [A.S. _bere-ern_, contracted _bern_, from _bere_, barley, _ern_, a
house.]
BARNABY, bärn'a-bi, _n._ form of _Barnabas_, the apostle.--_n._ BAR'NABITE,
a member of the congregation of regular canons of St Paul, founded at Milan
in 1530, so called from their preaching in the church of St Barnabas
there.--BARNABY-DAY, BARNABY BRIGHT, or LONG BARNABY, St Barnabas' Day,
11th June, in Old Style reckoned the longest day.
BARNACLE, bär'na-kl, _n._ a shellfish which adheres to rocks and the
bottoms of ships: a companion who sticks closely.--_n._ BAR'NACLE-GOOSE, a
species of wild goose belonging to the Northern seas, so called from a
notion that they were produced from the barnacles mentioned. [O. Fr.
_bernaque_--Low L. _bernaca_; by some referred to a supposed form
_pernacula_, dim. of _perna_, a kind of shellfish; by others to a Celtic
origin.]
BARNACLE, bär'na-kl, _n._ an instrument consisting of two branches joined
by a hinge, placed on the nose of horses to keep them quiet: (_pl._) a
colloquial term for 'spectacles.'--_adj._ BAR'NACLED. [O. Fr. _bernac_, of
which _bernacle_ seems to be a dim. form. The sense of 'spectacles' has
been traced to O. Fr. _bericle_, eye-glass--_berillus_, beryl; but this is
improbable.]
BARNEY, bär'ni, _n._ (_slang_) humbug: a prize-fight.
BARNUMISE, bär'num-[=i]z, _v.t._ to advertise and display on a great
scale.--_n._ BAR'NUMISM. [From _Barnum_, a great showman (1810-91).]
BAROGRAPH, bar'o-graf, _n._ a barometer which records automatically
variations of atmospheric pressure. [Gr. _baros_, weight, _graphein_, to
write.]
BAROMETER, bar-om'et-[.e]r, _n._ an instrument by which the weight or
pressure of the atmosphere is measured, and changes of weather, or heights
above sea-level, indicated.--_adj._ BAROMET'RIC.--_adv._
BAROMET'RICALLY.--_n._ BAROM'ETRY. [Gr. _baros_, weight, _metron_,
measure.]
BAROMETZ, bar'o-metz, _n._ the hairy prostrate stem of a fern found near
the Caspian Sea, at one time supposed to be at once plant and animal, to
grow on a stalk, and to eat grass like a lamb, &c.; hence also called, as
by Mandeville, the _Scythian Lamb_. [Erroneous form of Russ. _baranetz_,
dim. of _baran_, ram.]
[Illustration]
BARON, bar'on, _n._ a title of rank, the lowest in the House of Peers:
formerly a title of the judges of the Court of Exchequer: in feudal times
the tenants-in-chief of the Crown, later the peers or great lords of the
realm generally: till 1832, the name for the parliamentary representatives
of the Cinque Ports: in Germany, the signification, instead of becoming
restricted as in England, has become extended--the greater or dynasty
barons having all been elevated to higher titles, a large number being
designated barons in virtue of a diploma from some reigning prince, the
title being used also by all his descendants.--_ns._ BAR'ONAGE, the whole
body of barons; BAR'ON-BAIL'IE, a magistrate appointed by the lord-superior
in a burgh of barony; BAR'ONESS, a baron's wife, or a lady holding a
baronial title in her own right.--_adj._ BAR[=O]N'IAL, pertaining to a
baron or barony.--_n._ BAR'ONY, the territory of a baron: in Ireland, a
division of a county: in Scotland, a large freehold estate, or manor, even
though not carrying with it a baron's title and rank: the rank of
baron.--BARON OF BEEF, a joint consisting of two sirloins left uncut at the
backbone. [O. Fr. _barun_, _-on_--Low L. _baro_, _-onem_; in the Romance
tongues the word meant a man as opposed to a woman, a strong man, a
warrior; traced by some to Celt. _bar_, a hero; by others to Old High Ger.
_bero_, bearer, carrier.]
BARONET, bar'on-et, _n._ the lowest hereditary title in the United Kingdom
(of England--now of Great Britain--since 1611; of Scotland--or of Nova
Scotia--since 1625; of Ireland, since 1619).--_ns._ BAR'ONETAGE, the whole
body of baronets: a list of such; BAR'ONETCY.--_adj._ BARONET'ICAL. [Dim.
of BARON.]
BAROQUE, bar-[=o]k', _adj._ originally a jeweller's term, but applied in
art generally to extravagant ornamental designs: whimsical, odd. [Fr.
_baroque_; perh. from L. _verruca_, wart, but referred by some to Ar.
_bur[=a]q_, hard earth mixed with stones.]
BAROSCOPE, bar'[=o]-sk[=o]p, _n._ an instrument for indicating changes in
the density of the air. [Gr. _baros_, weight, _skopein_, to see.]
BAROUCHE, ba-r[=oo]sh', _n._ a double-seated four-wheeled carriage with a
falling top. [It. _baroccio_--L. _birotus_, two-wheeled, from _bis_, twice,
_rota_, a wheel.]
BARQUE. Same as BARK (2).
BARQUENTINE, bär'ken-t[=e]n, _n._ same as BARKANTINE (q.v. under BARK, a
ship). [Formed from BARQUE, like BRIGANTINE from BRIG.]
BARRACAN, bar'a-kan, _n._ a thick, strong stuff resembling camlet. [Fr.;
It.--Ar. _barrak[=a]n_, a dark dress, Pers. _barak_, a stuff made of
camel's hair.]
BARRACE, bar'as, _n._ (_obs._) the lists in a tournament. [O. Fr.
_barras_--_barre_, bar.]
BARRACK, bar'ak, _n._ a building for soldiers, esp. in garrison (generally
in _pl._). [Fr. _baraque_ (It. _baracca_, Sp. _barraca_, a tent); acc. to
Diez from _barra_, bar.]