Webster's Unabridged Dictionary - Letter B - Page 12

Barbacan (n.) A tower or advanced work defending the entrance to a castle or city, as at a gate or bridge. It was often large and strong, having a ditch and drawbridge of its own.

Barbacan (n.) An opening in the wall of a fortress, through which missiles were discharged upon an enemy.

Barbicanage (n.) Alt. of Barbacanage

Barbacanage (n.) Money paid for the support of a barbican.

Barbicel (n.) One of the small hooklike processes on the barbules of feathers.

Barbiers (n.) A variety of paralysis, peculiar to India and the Malabar coast; -- considered by many to be the same as beriberi in chronic form.

Barbigerous (a.) Having a beard; bearded; hairy.

Barbiton (n.) An ancient Greek instrument resembling a lyre.

Barbituric acid () A white, crystalline substance, CH2(CO.NH)2.CO, derived from alloxantin, also from malonic acid and urea, and regarded as a substituted urea.

Barble (n.) See Barbel.

Barbotine (n.) A paste of clay used in decorating coarse pottery in relief.

Barbre (a.) Barbarian.

Barbule (n.) A very minute barb or beard.

Barbule (n.) One of the processes along the edges of the barbs of a feather, by which adjacent barbs interlock. See Feather.

Barcarolle (n.) A popular song or melody sung by Venetian gondoliers.

Barcarolle (n.) A piece of music composed in imitation of such a song.

Barcon (n.) A vessel for freight; -- used in Mediterranean.

Bard (n.) A professional poet and singer, as among the ancient Celts, whose occupation was to compose and sing verses in honor of the heroic achievements of princes and brave men.

Bard (n.) Hence: A poet; as, the bard of Avon.

Bard (n.) Alt. of Barde

Barde (n.) A piece of defensive (or, sometimes, ornamental) armor for a horse's neck, breast, and flanks; a barb. [Often in the pl.]

Barde (pl.) Defensive armor formerly worn by a man at arms.

Barde (pl.) A thin slice of fat bacon used to cover any meat or game.

Bard (v. t.) To cover (meat or game) with a thin slice of fat bacon.

Barded (p.a.) Accoutered with defensive armor; -- said of a horse.

Barded (p.a.) Wearing rich caparisons.

Bardic (a.) Of or pertaining to bards, or their poetry.

Bardish (a.) Pertaining to, or written by, a bard or bards.

Bardism (n.) The system of bards; the learning and maxims of bards.

Bardling (n.) An inferior bard.

Bardship (n.) The state of being a bard.

Bare (a.) Without clothes or covering; stripped of the usual covering; naked; as, his body is bare; the trees are bare.

Bare (a.) With head uncovered; bareheaded.

Bare (a.) Without anything to cover up or conceal one's thoughts or actions; open to view; exposed.

Bare (a.) Plain; simple; unadorned; without polish; bald; meager.

Bare (a.) Destitute; indigent; empty; unfurnished or scantily furnished; -- used with of (rarely with in) before the thing wanting or taken away; as, a room bare of furniture.

Bare (a.) Threadbare; much worn.

Bare (a.) Mere; alone; unaccompanied by anything else; as, a bare majority.

Bare (n.) Surface; body; substance.

Bare (n.) That part of a roofing slate, shingle, tile, or metal plate, which is exposed to the weather.

Bared (imp. & p. p.) of Bare

Baring (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Bare

Bare (a.) To strip off the covering of; to make bare; as, to bare the breast.

Bare () Bore; the old preterit of Bear, v.

Bareback (adv.) On the bare back of a horse, without using a saddle; as, to ride bareback.

Barebacked (a.) Having the back uncovered; as, a barebacked horse.

Barebone (n.) A very lean person; one whose bones show through the skin.

Barefaced (a.) With the face uncovered; not masked.

Barefaced (a.) Without concealment; undisguised. Hence: Shameless; audacious.

Barefacedly (adv.) Openly; shamelessly.

Barefacedness (n.) The quality of being barefaced; shamelessness; assurance; audaciousness.

Barefoot (a. & adv.) With the feet bare; without shoes or stockings.

Barefooted (a.) Having the feet bare.

Barege (n.) A gauzelike fabric for ladies' dresses, veils, etc. of worsted, silk and worsted, or cotton and worsted.

Barehanded (n.) Having bare hands.

Bareheaded (a. & adv.) Alt. of Barehead

Barehead (a. & adv.) Having the head uncovered; as, a bareheaded girl.

Barelegged (a.) Having the legs bare.

Barely (adv.) Without covering; nakedly.

Barely (adv.) Without concealment or disguise.

Barely (adv.) Merely; only.

Barely (adv.) But just; without any excess; with nothing to spare ( of quantity, time, etc.); hence, scarcely; hardly; as, there was barely enough for all; he barely escaped.

Barenecked (a.) Having the neck bare.

Bareness (n.) The state of being bare.

Baresark (n.) A Berserker, or Norse warrior who fought without armor, or shirt of mail. Hence, adverbially: Without shirt of mail or armor.

Barfish (n.) Same as Calico bass.

Barful (a.) Full of obstructions.

Bargain (n.) An agreement between parties concerning the sale of property; or a contract by which one party binds himself to transfer the right to some property for a consideration, and the other party binds himself to receive the property and pay the consideration.

Bargain (n.) An agreement or stipulation; mutual pledge.

Bargain (n.) A purchase; also ( when not qualified), a gainful transaction; an advantageous purchase; as, to buy a thing at a bargain.

Bargain (n.) The thing stipulated or purchased; also, anything bought cheap.

Bargain (n.) To make a bargain; to make a contract for the exchange of property or services; -- followed by with and for; as, to bargain with a farmer for a cow.

Bargained (imp. & p. p.) of Bargain

Bargaining (p. pr. & vb. n.) of Bargain

Bargain (v. t.) To transfer for a consideration; to barter; to trade; as, to bargain one horse for another.

Bargainee (v. i.) The party to a contract who receives, or agrees to receive, the property sold.

Bargainer (n.) One who makes a bargain; -- sometimes in the sense of bargainor.

Bargainor (n.) One who makes a bargain, or contracts with another; esp., one who sells, or contracts to sell, property to another.

Barge (n.) A pleasure boat; a vessel or boat of state, elegantly furnished and decorated.

Barge (n.) A large, roomy boat for the conveyance of passengers or goods; as, a ship's barge; a charcoal barge.

Barge (n.) A large boat used by flag officers.

Barge (n.) A double-decked passenger or freight vessel, towed by a steamboat.

Barge (n.) A large omnibus used for excursions.

Bargeboard (n.) A vergeboard.

Bargecourse (n.) A part of the tiling which projects beyond the principal rafters, in buildings where there is a gable.

Bargee (n.) A bargeman.

Bargeman (n.) The man who manages a barge, or one of the crew of a barge.

Bargemastter (n.) The proprietor or manager of a barge, or one of the crew of a barge.

Barger (n.) The manager of a barge.

Barghest (n.) A goblin, in the shape of a large dog, portending misfortune.

Baria (n.) Baryta.

Baric (a.) Of or pertaining to barium; as, baric oxide.

Baric (a.) Of or pertaining to weight, esp. to the weight or pressure of the atmosphere as measured by the barometer.

Barilla (n.) A name given to several species of Salsola from which soda is made, by burning the barilla in heaps and lixiviating the ashes.

Barilla (n.) The alkali produced from the plant, being an impure carbonate of soda, used for making soap, glass, etc., and for bleaching purposes.

Barilla (n.) Impure soda obtained from the ashes of any seashore plant, or kelp.

Barillet (n.) A little cask, or something resembling one.

Bar iron () See under Iron.

Barite (n.) Native sulphate of barium, a mineral occurring in transparent, colorless, white to yellow crystals (generally tabular), also in granular form, and in compact massive forms resembling marble. It has a high specific gravity, and hence is often called heavy spar. It is a common mineral in metallic veins.

Baritone (a. & n.) See Barytone.

[previous page] [Index] [next page]