BARRIER, bar'i-[.e]r, _n._ a defence against attack: a limit or boundary: a
fence, railing, gate where customs are collected: the lists in a
tournament: any obstacle that keeps apart: (_pl._) a martial exercise in
15th and 16th centuries.--_v.t._ to shut by means of a barrier.--_n._
BAR'RIER-REEF, a coral-reef surrounding an island or fringing a coast with
a navigable channel inside.--BARRIER ACT, an act passed by the General
Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1697 as a security against
innovations, decreeing that changes in the law of the Church, even when
approved by the Assembly, shall not become law till approved also by a
majority of presbyteries. [O. Fr. _barrière_--Low L. _barraria_--_barra_,
bar.]
BARRISTER, bar'is-t[.e]r, _n._ one who is qualified to plead at the bar in
an English or Irish law-court.--_adj._ BARRIST[=E]R'IAL.--_n._
BAR'RISTERSHIP.--REVISING BARRISTER, a barrister appointed annually by the
English judges to revise the lists and settle who are the persons entitled
to vote for members of parliament. [From _barra_, bar, the suffix being
undetermined.]
BARROW, bar'r[=o], _n._ a small hand or one-wheel carriage used to bear or
convey a load.--_n._ BAR'ROW-TRAM, the shaft of a barrow. [M. E. _barewe_,
from an assumed A.S. form _bearwe_--_beran_, to bear.]
BARROW, bar'r[=o], _n._ originally a mountain, hillock: a mound raised over
graves in former times. [A.S. _beorg_; cog. with Ger. _berg_.]
BARROW, bar'r[=o], _n._ a long sleeveless flannel garment for infants.
[A.S. _beorgan_, to protect.]
BAR-SINISTER. Variant of BATON-SINISTER (q.v. under BATON).
BARTER, bär't[.e]r, _v.t._ to give one thing in exchange for another (with
_for_, _away_).--_v.i._ to traffic by exchanging.--_n._ traffic by exchange
of commodities.--_n._ BAR'TERER, one who barters. [Prob. from O. Fr.
_barat_.]
BARTHOLOMEW-TIDE, bar-thol'o-m[=u]-t[=i]d, _n._ the day of the festival of
St Bartholomew, 24th August: the name was also applied to things sold at
the fair.--Often spelt BAR'TLEMY.--BLACK BARTHOLOMEW, 24th August 1662, the
day on which the Act of Uniformity came into force within the Church of
England.
[Illustration]
BARTISAN, bär'ti-zan, _n._ a small overhanging turret projecting from an
angle on the top of a tower. [Apparently an adaptation by Scott of Scot.
_bertisene_, traceable to O. Fr. _bretesche_, a parapet of wood.]
BARTON, bar'ton, _n._ a farm-yard. [A.S. _bere-tún_, yard, _bere_, barley,
and _tún_, enclosure.]
BARYCENTRIC, bar-i-sen'trik, _adj._ pertaining to the centre of gravity.
[Gr. _barys_, heavy, _kentron_, centre.]
BARYTA, ba-r[=i]'ta, BARYTES, ba-r[=i]'t[=e]z, _n._ the earth present in
the minerals _witherite_ and _heavy spar_.--_adj._ BARYT'IC, of or
containing baryta. [From Gr. _barys_, heavy.]
BARYTONE, bar'i-t[=o]n, _n._ a deep-toned male voice between bass and
tenor: a singer with such a voice: in Greek, applied to words not having an
acute accent on the last syllable. [Through Fr. from Gr. _barys_, heavy,
deep, and _tonos_, a tone.]
BASALT, bas-awlt', _n._ a hard, dark-coloured rock of igneous
origin.--_adj._ BASALT'IC. [L. _basaltes_, an African word.]
BASANITE, bas'an-[=i]t, _n._ a kind of quartz serviceable for testing the
purity of the precious metals by the marks made. [Gr. _basanos_,
touchstone.]
BASBLEU. Same as BLUE-STOCKING (q.v. under BLUE).
BASCINET. Same as BASINET.
BASCULE, bas'k[=u]l, _n._ an apparatus of the lever kind, in which one end
is raised while the other is depressed. [Fr. _bas_, down, and _cul_, the
posteriors.]
BASE, b[=a]s, _n._ that on which a thing rests: foot: bottom: foundation:
support: the chief ingredient, as in dyeing and chemistry: the
starting-point, in a race: the fixed goal across which the ball is struck
in hockey, the fixed stations at base-ball: the point from which the
operations of a campaign are conducted: a measured line serving as a basis
for trigonometrical calculations: the surface on which a plane or solid
figure stands: (_chem._) a term applied to a compound body, generally
consisting of a metal united with oxygen; (_archit._) the foot or lower
member of a pillar, on which the shaft rests: (_her._) the lower portion of
the shield--any figure placed on it is said to be 'in base:' a small
portion of the base of a shield parted off by a horizontal line is
sometimes called a base.--_v.t._ to found or place on a base:--_pr.p._
b[=a]s'ing; _pa.p._ based (b[=a]st).--_adjs._ BAS'AL, BAS'ILAR, pertaining
to or situated at the base, esp. of the skull; BASE'LESS, without a base or
foundation.--_ns._ BASE'LESSNESS; BASE'MENT, the base or lowest story of a
building.--_adj._ BAS'EN-WIDE (_Spens._), widely extended.--_n._
BASE'-PLATE, the foundation plate of a piece of heavy machinery.--_n.pl._
BAS'ES, a kind of embroidered mantle which hung down from the middle to
about the knees or lower, worn by knights on horseback: (_Spens._) armour
for the legs.--_ns._ BASE'-STRING, the string of a musical instrument that
gives the lowest note; BASE'-V[=I]OL (same as BASS-VIOL).--_adj._ BAS'IC
(_chem._), belonging to or of the nature of a base.--_v.t._ BAS'IFY
(_chem._), to convert into a salifiable base:--_pr.p._ b[=a]s'ifying;
_pa.p._ b[=a]s'if[=i]ed. [Fr.--L.--Gr. _basis_--_ba-_, in _bainein_, to
go.]
BASE, b[=a]s, _adj._ low in place, value, estimation, or principle: mean:
vile: worthless: debased: counterfeit: (_law_) servile, as opposed to
_free_: humble: (_B._ and _Shak._) lowly.--_adj._ BASE'-BORN,
illegitimate.--_adv._ BASE'LY.--_adj._ BASE'-MIND'ED, of a low mind or
spirit: mean.--_n._ BASE'NESS.--_adj._ BASE'-SPIR'ITED, mean-spirited. [Fr.
_bas_--Low L. _bassus_, thick, fat, a vulgar Roman word, found also in name
_Bassus_.]
BASE, b[=a]s, _v.t._ a form of ABASE.
BASE, b[=a]s, _n._ an old game played by two sides occupying contiguous
spaces, called _bases_ or _homes_, off which any player is liable to be
touched with the hand or struck by a ball by the enemy, and so attached to
their sides. Forms of this game are known as _Prisoner's Base_ or _Bars_,
and _Rounders_, and the national American game of _Base-ball_ is a
development from it.
BASE-BALL, b[=a]s'-bawl, _n._ a game played with a bat and a ball, and run
round bases, marking the circuit to be taken by each player of the inside
after striking the ball. There are nine players on each side; the pitcher,
of the one side, throws the ball; one of the other side tries to hit it as
it passes him; and the runs to the bases are regulated according as the
ball falls inside or outside certain lines, &c. A development from
rounders, base-ball has been the American national game since 1865.
[Coupled with cricket in Jane Austen's _Northanger Abbey_ (written 1798).]
BASECOURT, b[=a]s'k[=o]rt, _n._ the outer court of a mansion, which
contained the stable-yard and servants' accommodation, as distinguished
from the principal quadrangle: an inferior court of justice. [Fr.
_basse-court_.]
BASENET. Same as BASINET.