BELITTLE, be-lit'l, _v.t._ to make small: to cause to appear small, to
depreciate or disparage.--_n._ BELIT'TLEMENT.--_adj._ BELIT'TLING. [Pfx.
_be-_, and LITTLE.]
BELIVE, be-l[=i]v', _adv._ (_Scot._) with speed: soon, erelong. [M. E. _bi
life_; _be_, _bí_, by, _life_, dat. of _l[=i]f_, life.]
BELL, bel, _n._ a hollow vessel of metal, which gives forth a ringing sound
when struck by the tongue or clapper suspended inside--as in _church-bell_,
_hand-bell_, _alarm-bell_, _night-bell_, _marriage-bell_, &c.: a corolla
shaped like a bell: the body of a Corinthian or composite capital, without
the surrounding foliage: anything bell-shaped, as in _diving-bell_,
_bell-glass_, the _bell_ or outward-turned orifice of a trumpet, &c.: a
bell rung to tell the hour: (_naut._) the bell struck on shipboard every
half-hour as many times as there are half-hours of the watch elapsed--'two
bells,' 'three bells,' &c., meaning that there are two or three half-hours
past; the watch of four hours is eight bells.--_v.t._ to furnish with a
bell, esp. in TO BELL THE CAT, to take the leading part in any hazardous
movement, from the ancient fable of the mice who proposed to hang a warning
bell round the cat's neck.--_ns._ BELL'COTE (_archit._), an ornamental
[Illustration] structure made to contain one or two bells, and often
crowned by a small spire; BELL'-CRANK, a rectangular lever in the form of a
crank, used for changing the direction of bell-wires; BELL'-FOUND'ER, one
who founds or casts bells; BELL'-GLASS, a bell-shaped glass for sheltering
flowers; BELL'-HANG'ER, one who hangs and repairs bells; BELL'MAN, one who
rings a bell, esp. on the streets, before making public announcements: a
town-crier; BELL'-MET'AL, the metal of which bells are made--an alloy of
copper and tin; BELL'-PUNCH, a hand-punch containing a signal-bell, used
for punching a hole in a ticket in order to keep a record of the number of
fares taken; BELL'-RING'ER, one whose business it is to ring a bell on
stated occasions: a performer with musical hand-bells; BELL'-ROPE, the rope
by which a bell is rung.--_adj._ BELL'-SHAPED.--_ns._ BELL'-TOW'ER, a tower
built to contain one or more bells, a campanile; BELL'-TUR'RET, a turret
containing a bell-chamber, usually crowned with a spire; BELL'-WETH'ER, the
leading sheep of a flock, on whose neck a bell is hung: (_fig._) any loud,
turbulent fellow, esp. the leader of a mob.--BELL, BOOK, AND CANDLE, a
phrase popularly used in reference to a form of excommunication ending with
the words, 'Do to [shut] the book, quench the candle, ring the bell.'--TO
BEAR or CARRY OFF THE BELL, to have or to gain the first place. [A.S.
_belle_; cog. with Dut. _bel_.]
BELL, bel, _n._ a bubble formed in a liquid. [Ety. dub.; cf. Dut. _bel_, a
bubble in water, perh. from L. _bulla_, bubble in water.]
BELL, bel, _v.i._ to bellow, roar: to utter loudly.--_n._ the cry of a stag
at rutting-time. [A.S. _bellan_, to roar; cf. Ger. _bellen_.]
BELLADONNA, bel'la-don-na, _n._ the deadly nightshade or dwale, all parts
of which are narcotic and poisonous from the presence therein of the
alkaloid atropia: the drug prepared from the foregoing. [It. _bella donna_,
fair lady; one property of belladonna is to enlarge the pupil, and so add a
brilliance to the eyes.]
BELLARMINE, bel'lar-m[=e]n, _n._ a large stoneware drinking jug with a big
belly and a narrow neck, decorated with a bearded face, originally that of
Cardinal _Bellarmine_, made in mockery by the Dutch Protestants.
BELLE, bel, _n._ a handsome woman: the chief beauty of a place: a fair lady
generally. [Fr. _belle_--L. _bella_, _bellus_.]
BELLES-LETTRES, bel-let'r, _n.pl._ polite or elegant literature, including
poetry, fiction, criticism, æsthetics, &c.--_ns._ BELLET'RIST,
BELLET'TRIST.--_adj._ BELLETRIS'TIC. [Fr., lit. 'fine letters.']
BELLIBONE, bel'i-b[=o]n, _n._ (_Spens._) a beautiful and good woman.
BELLICOSE, bel'ik-[=o]s, _adj._ contentious, war-like.--_adv._
BEL'LICOSELY.--_n._ BELLICOS'ITY. [L. _bellicosus_.]
BELLIED, bel'lid, _p.adj._ with a belly, esp. a big belly, pot-bellied:
bulging: puffed out. [See BELLY.]
BELLIGERENT, bel-ij'[.e]r-[.e]nt, _adj._ carrying on regular war.--_n._ a
party or person waging such.--_n._ BELLIG'ERENCY. [L. _belligerant-em_,
_belliger[=a]re_, to wage war.]
BELLONA, bel'l[=o]-na, _n._ the Roman goddess of war--hence (_fig._) a
woman of great spirit and vigour.
BELLOW, bel'l[=o], _v.i._ to roar like a bull: to make any violent outcry,
often with sense of contempt or ridicule: to shout aloud: to roar, as of
cannon, the ocean, &c.--with objective, to give forth a loud sound.--_n._
the roar of a bull: any deep sound or cry. [M. E. _belwen_; there is an
A.S. _bellan_, to roar.]
BELLOWS, bel'l[=o]z, or bel'lus, _n.pl._ an instrument for producing a
current of air so as to blow up a fire, either in a kitchen, a furnace, or
a forge--or for producing the current of air by which the pipes and reeds
of an organ are sounded: (_fig._) that which fans the fire of hatred,
jealousy, &c.: the lungs. [Same as BELLY (q.v.); now used only in _pl._,
the sing. not having survived the 15th century.]
BELLY, bel'li, _n._ the part of the body between the breast and the thighs,
containing the bowels: the stomach, as the receptacle of the food: the
bowels proper: the womb or uterus: the interior of anything: the bulging
part of anything, as a bottle, or any concave or hollow surface, as of a
sail: the inner or lower surface of anything, as opposed to the _back_, as
of a violin, &c.--_adj._ ventral, abdominal: (_theol._) belonging to the
flesh, carnal.--_v.i._ to swell or bulge out.--_ns._ BEL'LY-BAND, a
saddle-girth: a band fastened to the shafts of a vehicle, and passing under
the belly of the horse drawing it; BEL'LYFUL, a sufficiency; BEL'LY-GOD,
one who makes a god of his belly, a glutton.--_p.adj._ BEL'LYING.--_n._
BEL'LY-TIM'BER, provisions. [M. E. _bali_, _bely_--A.S. _bælig_, _belig_;
_bælg_, _belg_, bag.]
BELOMANCY, bel'o-man-si, _n._ a kind of divination by means of arrows. [Gr.
_belos_, a dart, _manteia_, divination.]
BELONG, be-long', _v.i._ to go along with: to pertain to: to be one's
property: to be a part of, or appendage of, or in any way connected with:
to be specially the business of: (_U.S._) to be a native of, or have a
residence in.--_n.pl._ BELONG'INGS, circumstances or relations of any
person: possessions: persons connected, relatives: accessories. [_Bi-_,
_be-longen_, intens. of _longen_, with pfx. _be-_. See LONG.]
BELOVED, be-luvd', or be-luv'ed, _p.adj._ much loved, very dear--often
compounded with _well-_; _best-_, &c.--_n._ one who is much loved.--_adj._
BELOV'ING (_Shak._) = loving.
BELOW, be-l[=o]', _prep._ beneath in place, rank, or quality: underneath:
not worthy of.--_adv._ in a lower place: (_fig._) on earth, or in hell, as
opposed to heaven. [Pfx. _be-_, and adj. LOW.]
BELT, belt, _n._ a girdle, zone, or band: such a piece, as of leather, worn
by way of ornament, or given as a prize or badge of victory in wrestling or
the like: a broad strip of anything, different in colour or material: that
which confines or restrains: (_geog._) a strait.--_v.t._ to surround with a
belt, or to invest formally with such, as in knighting a man: to encircle:
to thrash with a belt.--_p.adj._ BELT'ED, wearing a belt, of a knight:
marked with a belt, as the 'belted kingfisher.'--_n._ BELT'ING, flexible
belts for the transmission of motion in machinery, made of leather,
indiarubber, &c.--as in _chainbelt_, _crossed belt_, _endless belt_, &c.; a
thrashing.--TO HOLD THE BELT, to hold the championship in wrestling,
boxing, or the like. [A.S. _belt_; Ice. _belti_, Gael. _balt_, L.
_balteus_.]
BELTANE, bel't[=a]n, _n._ an ancient Celtic heathen festival, held in the
beginning of May, when bonfires were lighted on the hills: the first day of
May (O.S.)--one of the four old quarter-days of Scotland, the others being
Lammas, Hallowmas, and Candlemas.--_adj._ in _Beltane_ games, &c. [Gael.
_bealltainn_, _beilteine_; usually explained as 'Beal's fire,' _Beal_ being
a supposed Celtic deity who has been courageously identified with the Baal
or Bel of the Phoenicians and other Semitic peoples, and Gael. _teine_,
fire. But even this last is doubtful.]
BELUGA, be-l[=oo]'ga, _n._ the white whale, one of the dolphin family,
closely allied to the narwhal, 12 to 16 feet long, of creamy-white colour,
found in droves round Greenland and all over the Arctic seas: applied also
to a great Russian sturgeon--the _Acipenser Huso_. [Russ.]
BELVEDERE, bel've-d[=e]r, _n._ a pavilion or raised turret or lantern on
the top of a house, open for the view, or to admit the cool evening breeze:
a summer-house on an eminence in a park or garden. [It. _belvedere_; _bel_,
beautiful, _vedere_, a view.]
BEMA, b[=e]'ma, _n._ the tribune or rostrum from which Athenian orators
made their speeches--hence the apse or chancel of a basilica. [Gr.
_b[=e]ma_, a step.]
BEMAD, be-mad', _v.t._ to madden.
BEMAUL, be-mawl', _v.t._ to maul thoroughly.
BEMAZED, be-m[=a]zd', _p.adj._ stupefied, bewildered.
BEMBEX, bem'beks, _n._ a genus of solitary sand-wasps, with broad heads and
very large eyes, noted for their making a loud buzz during their rapid
flight. [Gr. _bembix_.]
BEMEAN, be-m[=e]n', _v.t._ to make mean, to lower or debase: (_obs._) to
signify.
BEMIRE, be-m[=i]r', _v.t._ to soil with mire.--_p.adj._ BEMIRED'.
BEMOAN, be-m[=o]n', _v.t._ to lament: bewail: to pity.--_v.i._ to
grieve.--_ns._ BEMOAN'ER; BEMOAN'ING.
BEMOCK, be-mok', _v.t._ to mock at, to deride.
BEMOIL, be-moil', _v.t._ (_Shak._) to bemire, to bedraggle.
BEMONSTER, be-mon'ster, _v.t._ to make monstrous: to regard or treat as a
monster.
BEMOUTH, be-mowth', _v.i._ to declaim, to overpraise.
BEMUD, be-mud', _v.t._ to bespatter with mud: to confuse.
BEMUDDLE, be-mud'l, _v.t._ to confuse or muddle completely.
BEMUFFLE, be-muf'l, _v.t._ to wrap or muffle up completely.
BEMUSE, be-m[=u]z', _v.t._ to put in confusion: stupefy.