Select a letter for some words



Bachelor's button
A plant with flowers shaped like buttons; especially, several species of , and the cornflower () and globe amaranth ().

Back
A large shallow vat; a cistern, tub, or trough, used by brewers, distillers, dyers, picklers, gluemakers, and others, for mixing or cooling wort, holding water, hot glue, etc.

Backsettler
One living in the back or outlying districts of a community.

Baconian
Of or pertaining to Lord Francis Bacon, or to his system of philosophy.

Bacterial
Of, pertaining to, or caused by bacteria.

Bacule
See .

Bag
To swell or hang down like a full bag; .

Ballot
To vote for or in opposition to.

bandwagon
A popular trend that attracts growing support.

Bangladeshi
Of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Bangladesh.

Bankrupt
To make bankrupt; to bring financial ruin upon; to impoverish.

Bank swallow
See under 1st ,

Baptization
Baptism.

Barebacked
Having the back uncovered; .

Barenecked
Having the neck bare.

Barkless
Destitute of bark.

Barnabite
A member of a religious order, named from .

Baseball
A game of ball, so called from the bases or bounds (four in number) which designate the circuit which each player must endeavor to make after striking the ball.

Basidiomycetes
a phylum of fungi with the Basidiomycota

Basketry
The art of making baskets; also, baskets, taken collectively.

Basking shark
One of the largest species of sharks (), so called from its habit of basking in the sun; the , or . It inhabits the northern seas of Europe and America, and grows to a length of more than forty feet. It is a harmless species.

Basset
To incline upward so as to appear at the surface; to crop out; .

Bastardism
The state of being a bastard; bastardy.

Batten
To make fat by plenteous feeding; to fatten.

Bedizen
To dress or adorn tawdrily or with false taste.

beefed-up
made greater or stronger.

Bellow
To make a hollow, loud noise, as an enraged bull.

belly up
to approach (a counter) and stand in front of it; -- used mostly in the phrase (i.e. to a counter in a saloon).

Bench
A long seat, differing from a stool in its greater length.

Bibirine
See .

Bicapsular
Having two capsules; .

Biforous
See .

Bigamy
The offense of marrying one person when already legally married to another.

Biggest
of .

biocatalytic
of or pertaining to a biocatalyst.

Biometry
Measurement of life; calculation of the probable duration of human life.

Bird's-eye
Seen from above, as if by a flying bird; embraced at a glance; hence, general; not minute, or entering into details; .

Bitless
Not having a bit or bridle.

Blackamoor
A negro or negress.

Blasphemer
One who blasphemes.

Blast
A violent gust of wind.

Blazon
A shield.

Bleach
To make white, or whiter; to remove the color, or stains, from; to blanch; to whiten.

bleep out
same as , .

blither
same as .

Board
To cover with boards or boarding; .

Boast
To vaunt one's self; to brag; to say or tell things which are intended to give others a high opinion of one's self or of things belonging to one's self; .

Boaster
One who boasts; a braggart.

Boehmenism
the mystical theological doctrine of that influenced the Quakers.

Boneshaw
Sciatica.

Borel
See .

Bornite
A valuable ore of copper, containing copper, iron, and sulphur; -- also called (or ), in allusion to the colors shown upon the slightly tarnished surface.

Boroglyceride
A compound of boric acid and glycerin, used as an antiseptic.

Bowbent
Bent, like a bow.

Bowhead
The great Arctic or Greenland whale. (). See , and .

Branglement
Wrangle; brangle.

Brassets
See .

Brawl
A noisy quarrel; loud, angry contention; a wrangle; a tumult; .

Brede
A braid.

Brightly
Brilliantly; splendidly; with luster; .

Brilliant
Sparkling with luster; glittering; very bright; .

Brioschi
a type of antacid sold over-the-counter.

Bronzy
Like bronze.

Broom
See .

Brown bill
A bill or halberd of the 16th and 17th centuries. See 4th .

Bruiser
One who, or that which, bruises.

Bufflehead
One who has a large head; a heavy, stupid fellow.

bull-necked
Having a short, thick and muscular neck like that of a bull.

Buttercup
A plant of the genus , or crowfoot, particularly , with bright yellow flowers; -- called also , , and . It is the of Shakespeare.

Byssolite
An olive-green fibrous variety of hornblende.