BIRTH, b[.e]rth, _n._ the act of bearing or bringing forth: the offspring
born: dignity of family: origin.--_n._ BIRTH'DAY, the day on which one is
born, or the anniversary of that day.--_adj._ relating to the day of one's
birth.--_ns._ BIRTH'DAY-BOOK, a book in diary form, in which the birthdays
of one's friends are entered in their autographs; BIRTH'DOM (_Shak._),
birthright; BIRTH'-MARK, a peculiar mark on one's body at birth;
BIRTH'NIGHT, the night on which one is born, or the anniversary of that
night; BIRTH'PLACE, the place of one's birth; BIRTH'RIGHT, the right or
privilege to which one is entitled by birth: native rights.--_adj._
BIRTH'-STRANG'LED (_Shak._), strangled in birth.--_n._ BIRTH'-WORT, a genus
of perennial plants, formerly used medicinally in cases of difficult
parturition. [M. E. _birÞe_, prob. Scand.; cf. Goth, _ga-baurÞs_, Ger.
_ge-burt_.]
BIS, bis, _adv._ twice: (_mus._) a direction that a passage is to be
repeated [L.].--_n._ B[=I]SEG'MENT, a segment of a line or figure cut into
two equal parts.--_adjs._ B[=I]SER'RATE (_bot._), doubly serrate;
B[=I]SEX'UAL, of both sexes: (_bot._) applied to flowers which contain both
stamens and pistils within the same envelope.
BISCAYAN, bis'k[=a]-an, _adj._ and _n._ of or pertaining to the Basque
province of _Biscay_ in Spain, or its people: Basque generally: a long
heavy musket, or the bullet fired by such.
BISCUIT, bis'kit, _n._ hard dry bread in small cakes: a kind of unglazed
earthenware. [O. Fr. _bescoit_ (mod. _biscuit_)--L. _bis_, twice,
_coqu[)e]re_, _coctum_, to cook or bake.]
BISE, b[=e]z, _n._ a cold north or north-east wind prevalent at certain
seasons in Switzerland and neighbouring parts of France and Italy. [Fr.]
BISECT, b[=i]-sekt', _v.t._ to cut into two equal parts.--_n._ BISEC'TION.
[L. _bi_, twice, and _sec[=a]re_, _sectum_, to cut.]
BISERIAL, b[=i]-s[=e]'ri-al, _adj._ arranged in two series or rows. [L.
_bi-_, and SERIES.]
BISHOP, bish'op, _n._ in the Western and Eastern Churches, and in the
Anglican communion, a clergyman consecrated for the spiritual direction of
a diocese, under an archbishop, and over the priests or presbyters and
deacons: a spiritual overseer in the early Christian Church, whether of a
local church or of a number of churches--the terms _bishop_ [Gr.
_episcopos_] and _presbyter_ [Gr. _presbyteros_] are used interchangeably
in the New Testament for the officers who direct the discipline and
administer the affairs of a single congregation--the differentiation in
function and dignity is, however, well marked by the end of the 2d century:
one of the pieces or men in chess, from the upper part being carved into
the shape of a bishop's mitre (formerly the _archer_): a wholesome hot
drink compounded of red wine (claret, Burgundy, &c.) poured warm or cold
upon ripe bitter oranges, sugared and spiced to taste.--_v.t._
(_jocularly_) to play the bishop, to confirm: to supply with bishops: to
let milk or the like burn while cooking.--_ns._ BISH'OPESS, a she-bishop, a
bishop's wife; BISH'OPRIC, the office and jurisdiction of a bishop: a
diocese--also BISH'OPDOM.--BISHOP IN PARTIBUS (see PARTIBUS). [A.S.
_biscop_--L. _episcopus_--Gr. _episcopos_, an overseer--_epi_, upon,
_skop-ein_, to view.]
BISK. See BISQUE (1).
BISMAR, bis'mar, _n._ a kind of steelyard still used in Orkney. [Dan.
_bismer_.]
BISMILLAH, bis-mil'a, _interj._ in the name of Allah or God--a common
Mohammedan exclamation. [Ar.]
BISMUTH, biz'muth, _n._ a brittle metal of a reddish-white colour used in
the arts and in medicine. [Ger. _bismuth_, _wissmuth_; origin unknown.]
BISON, b[=i]'son, or bis'on, _n._ a large wild animal like the bull, found
in Lithuania, the Caucasus, &c., with shaggy hair and a fatty hump on its
shoulders.--The American 'buffalo' is also a bison. [From L. pl.
_bisontes_, prob. of Teut. origin; cf. Old High Ger. _wisunt_, A.S.
_wesend_.]
BISQUE, bisk, _n._ a rich soup made of meat or fish slowly stewed and
seasoned, crayfish soup.--Also BISK. [Fr.]
BISQUE, bisk, _n._ pottery that has undergone the first firing before being
glazed. [See BISCUIT.]
BISQUE, bisk, _n._ a term at tennis for the odds given by one player to
another, in allowing him to score one point once during the set--a means of
equalising a strong and a weak player. [Fr.]
BISSEXTILE, bis-sext'il, _n._ leap-year.--_adj._ containing the BISSEXT (L.
_bissextus_), or extra day which the Julian calendar inserts in
leap-year--the sixth before the kalends of March, 24th February. [L. _bis_,
twice, and _sextus_, sixth.]