List of Abbreviations Used in This Dictionary

Buncombe. See Bunkum.

Bundesrath, bōōn′des-rät, n. the Federal Council of the German Empire, its members annually appointed by the governments of the various states.

Bundle, bun′dl, n. a number of things loosely bound together: an aggregation of one or more kinds of tissue traversing other tissues: a definite measure or quantity, as two reams of paper, twenty hanks of linen yarn, &c.—v.t. to bind or tie into bundles.—v.i. to pack up one's things for a journey, to go hurriedly or in confusion (with away, off, out).—n. Bun′dling, an old custom in Wales, New England, and elsewhere for sweethearts to sleep on the same bed without undressing.—To bundle off, bundle out, to send away unceremoniously or summarily. [Conn. with Bind and Bond.]

Bung, bung, n. the stopper of the hole in a barrel: a large cork: (Shak.) a sharper.—v.t. to stop up with a bung: to thrash severely.—ns. Bung′-hole, a hole in a cask through which it is filled, closed by a bung; Bung′-vent, a small hole in a bung to let gasses escape, &c.—Bung up, to bruise. [Ety. dub.]

Bungalow, bung′ga-lō, n. the kind of house usually occupied by Europeans in the interior of India, and commonly provided for officers' quarters in cantonments.—Dâk-bungalows are houses for travellers. [Hind. banglā, Bengalese.]

Bungle, bung′l, n. anything clumsily done: a gross blunder.—v.i. to act in a clumsy, awkward manner.—v.t. to make or mend clumsily: to manage awkwardly.—p.adj. Bung′led, done clumsily.—n. Bung′ler.—p.adj. Bung′ling, clumsy, awkward: unskilfully or ill done.—adv. Bung′lingly. [Ety. obscure; prob. onomatopœic; Prof. Skeat quotes a dial. Sw. bangla, to work ineffectually; Mr F. Hindes Groome suggests Gipsy bongo, left, awkward.]

Bunion, bun′yun, n. a lump or inflamed swelling on the ball of the great toe. [Ety. unknown; Prof. Skeat suggests It. bugnone, a botch.]

Bunk, bungk, n. a box or recess in a ship's cabin, a sleeping-berth anywhere.—v.i. to occupy the same bunk, sleep together.—n. Bunk′er, a large bin or chest used for stowing various things, as coals, &c.: a hazard in a golf-links, originally confined to sand-pits, but now often used for hazards generally. [Prob. of Scand. origin; cf. Ice. bunki, Dan. bunke, a heap.]

Bunko, Bunco, bung′kō, n. (U.S.) a form of confidence-trick by which a simple fellow is swindled or taken somewhere and robbed.—v.t. to rob or swindle in such a way.—n. Bunk′o-steer′er, that one of the swindling confederates who allures the victim.

Bunkum, bung′kum, n. empty clap-trap oratory, bombastic speechmaking intended for the newspapers rather than to persuade the audience.—Also Bun′combe. [From Buncombe, the name of a county in North Carolina. Bartlett quotes a story of how its member once went on talking in congress, explaining apologetically to the few hearers that remained that he was 'only talking for Buncombe.']

Bunny, bun′i, n. a pet name for a rabbit. [Ety. unknown; prob. conn. with Gael. bun, a root.]

Bunodont, bū′nō-dont, adj. having tuberculate molars—opp. to Lophodont. [Gr. bounos, a rounded hill, odous, odontos, a tooth.]

Bunsen, bōōn′sen, or bun′sen, adj. applied to some of the inventions of the great chemist, R. W. Bunsen of Heidelberg.—n. Bun′sen-burn′er, a gas-burner in which a plentiful supply of air is caused to mingle with the gas before ignition, so that a smokeless flame of low luminosity but great heating power is the result.

Bunt, bunt, n. a parasitic disease of wheat and other grains.—adjs. Bunt′ed, Bunt′y. [Ety. unknown.]

Bunt, bunt, n. the bagging part of a fishing-net, a sail, &c.—v.i. to belly, as a sail. [Ety. unknown.]

Bunt, bunt, v.i. to push with the horns, butt: to spring, rear.—n. a push.—n. Bunt′ing, pushing: a boys' game, played with sticks and a small piece of wood: a strong timber, a stout prop.

Bunter, bunt′ėr, n. a rag-picker, a low woman.

Bunting, bunt′ing, n. a thin worsted stuff of which ships' colours are made. [Ety. dub.]

Bunting, bunt′ing, n. a genus of birds in the Finch family nearly allied to the crossbills.

Buntline, bunt′līn, n. a rope passing from the foot-rope of a square sail, led up to the masthead and thence on deck, to help in hauling the sail up to the yard.

Buoy, boi, n. a floating cask or light piece of wood fastened by a rope or chain to indicate shoals, the position of a ship's anchor, &c.—v.t. to fix buoys or marks: to keep afloat, bear up, or sustain: to raise the spirits.—ns. Buoy′age, a series of buoys or floating beacons to mark the course for vessels: the providing of buoys; Buoy′ancy, capacity for floating lightly on water or in the air: specific lightness: (fig.) lightness of spirit, cheerfulness.—adj. Buoy′ant, light: cheerful.—n. Buoy′antness. [Dut. boei, buoy, fetter, through Romance forms (Norman boie), from Low L. boia, a collar of leather.]

Buphaga, bū′fā-ga, n. a small genus of African perching birds, nearly related to the starlings, feeding on the larvæ of gadflies and the like, which they find on the backs of cattle, camels, &c.—Also Beef-eater and Ox-pecker. [Gr., bous, an ox, phagein, to eat.]

Buprestis, bū-pres′tis, n. a genus of beetles, typical of a large family, Buprestidæ, those occurring in warmer countries having lively colour and metallic sheen—some known as Golden Beetles. [L.,—Gr. bouprestis, bous, an ox, prēthein, to swell.]

Bur, Burr, bur, the prickly seed-case or head of certain plants, which sticks to clothes: any impediment or inconvenient adherent: any lump, ridge, &c., more or less sharp, a knot on a tree, knot in thread, knob at the base of a deer's horn, &c.: waste raw silk: the sweetbread or pancreas: (Scot.) club-moss: the name for various tools and appliances, as the triangular chisel for clearing the corners of mortises, &c.: the blank driven out of a piece of sheet-metal by a punch: a partly vitrified brick.—ns. Bur′dock, a dock with a bur or prickly head; Bur′-this′tle, the spear-thistle.—Bur in the throat, something seeming to stick in the throat, producing a choking sensation. [Cog. with Dan. borre, a bur.]

Bur, Burr, bur, n. the rough sound of r pronounced in the throat, as in Northumberland—v.i. to whisper hoarsely, to murmur. [Usually associated with preceding, but perh. from the sound.]

Bur, bur, n. in an engraving, a slight ridge of metal raised on the edges of a line by the graver or the dry point, producing an effect like a smear, but dexterously used by some etchers, as Rembrandt, to deepen their shadows.

Burble, burb′l, n. trouble, disorder.—v.t. to trouble, confuse. [Scot.; prob. conn. with O. Fr. barbouiller, to confound.]

Burbot, bur′bot, n. a fresh-water fish, like the eel, having a longish beard on its lower jaw. [Fr. barbote—L. barba, a beard.]

Burd, burd, n. (obs.) for Bird, a poetic name for a girl or lady.—n. Bur′dalane, the last surviving child of a family.

Burdash, burd′ash, n. a fringed sash worn round the waist by fine gentlemen in the time of Anne and George I.

Burden, bur′dn, n. a load: weight: cargo: that which is grievous, oppressive, or difficult to bear, as blame, sin, sorrow, &c.: birth.—v.t. to load: to oppress: to encumber.—adjs. Bur′denous, Bur′densome, heavy: oppressive.—Burden of proof, in legal procedure, signifies the obligation to establish by evidence certain disputed facts. [A.S. byrthen—beran, to bear.]

Burden, bur′dn, n. part of a song repeated at the end of every stanza, refrain: the leading idea of anything: a load of care, sorrow, or responsibility. [Fr. bourdon, a humming tone in music—Low L. burdo, a drone or non-working bee.]

Burden, bur′dn, n. (Spens.) a pilgrim's staff. [See Bourdon.]

Burdock. See Bur (1).

Bureau, būr′ō, n. a writing-table or chest of drawers: a room or office where such a table is used: a department for the transacting of public business:—pl. Bureaux (būr′ō), Bureaus (būr′ōz). [Fr. bureau—O. Fr. burel, russet cloth—L. burrus, red.]

Bureaucracy, būrō′kras-i, n. a system of government centralised in graded series of officials, responsible only to their chiefs, and controlling every detail of public and private life.—ns. Bureau′crat, Bureau′cratist, one who advocates government by bureaucracy.—adj. Bureaucrat′ic, relating to or having the nature of a bureaucracy.—adv. Bureaucrat′ically. [Bureau, and Gr. kratein, to govern.]

Burette, bū-ret′, n. a flask-shaped vessel for holding liquids, an altar-cruet. [Fr.]

Burgage, bur′gāj, n. a tenure in socage for a yearly rent: a tenure in Scotland in royal burghs under nominal service of watching. [O. Fr.]

Burgamot. Same as Bergamot.

Burganet, bur′ga-net, n. a 16th-century helmet.—Also Bur′gonet. [Lit. 'Burgundian.']

Burgee, bur′jē, n. a swallow-tailed flag or pennant: a kind of small coal for furnaces.

Burgeon, bur′jun, n. and v.i. Same as Bourgeon.

Burgh, bur′ō, n. the Scotch word corresponding to the English Borough.—ns. Burg (same as Borough); Burg′age, a system of tenure where the king or other person is lord of an ancient borough, city, or town, by which the citizens hold their lands or tenements, for a certain annual rent; Burgess (bur′jes), Bur′gher, an inhabitant of a borough: a citizen or freeman: a magistrate of certain towns: one able to take the usual burgesses' oath (see Antiburgher).—adj. Bur′ghal, relating to a burgh.—n. Burg′omaster, the chief magistrate of a German or a Dutch borough, answering to the English term mayor.—Burgh of barony, a corporation consisting of the inhabitants of a determinate tract of land within the barony, and municipally governed by magistrates and a council whose election is either vested in the baron superior of the district, or vested in the inhabitants themselves; Burgh of regality, a burgh of barony, spiritual or temporal, enfranchised by crown charter, with regal or exclusive criminal jurisdiction within their own territories.—Parliamentary burgh, one like Paisley, Greenock, Leith, whose boundaries, as first fixed in 1832, were adopted for municipal purposes, with regard to which they stand practically in the same position as royal burghs; Police burgh, a burgh constituted by the sheriff for purposes of improvement and police, the local authority being the police commissioners; Royal burgh, a corporate body deriving its existence, constitution, and rights from a royal charter, such being either actual and express, or presumed to have existed.

Burglar, burg′lar, n. one who breaks into a house by night to steal.—v.t. and v.i. to commit burglary.—adj. Burglār′ious.—adv. Burglār′iously.—v.t. Burg′larise.—n. Burg′lary, breaking into a house by night to steal. [Ety. dub.]

Burgonet. See Burganet.

Burgoo, bur′gōō, n. a dish made of boiled oatmeal seasoned with salt, butter, and sugar, used by seamen. [Derivation unknown.]

Burgrave, bur′grāv, n. the governor of a town or castle. [Ger. burg-graf.]

Burgundy, bur′gun-di, n. a generous French red wine, so called from Burgundy, the district where it is made.

Burial, ber′i-al, n. the act of laying a dead body in the grave: interment.—ns. Bur′ial-aisle, an aisle in a church used for burials; Bur′ial-ground, Bur′ial-place, a piece of ground set apart for burying.—Burial service, a religious service or form of ritual accompanying a burial; Burial society, an insurance society for providing the expenses of burial. [A.S. byrgels, a tomb. See Bury.]

Burin, būr′in, n. a kind of chisel of tempered steel, used in copper engraving—the distinctive style of a master is frequently described by such expressions as a soft, a graphic, or a brilliant burin.—n. Bur′inist, an engraver. [Fr.; from root of Bore.]

Burke, burk, v.t. to murder, esp. by stifling: hence (fig.) to put an end to quietly. [From Burke, an Edinburgh Irishman (hanged 1829), who committed the crime in order to sell the bodies of his victims for dissection.]

Burl, burl, n. a small knot in thread, a knot in wood.—v.t. to pick knots, &c., from, in finishing cloth.—ns. Bur′ling-ī′ron; Bur′ling-machine′.—adj. Bur′ly, knotty.

Burlap, bur′lap, n. a coarse canvas for wrappings, &c.—usually in pl. [Origin unknown.]

Burlesque, bur-lesk′, n. a ludicrous representation—in speaking, acting, writing, drawing—a low and rude grade of the comic, whose legitimate office is to turn to laughter pretension and affectation.—adj. jocular: comical.—v.t. to turn into burlesque: to ridicule.—p.adj. Burlesqued′, caricatured.—adv. Burlesque′ly. [It. burlesco; prob. from Low L. burra, a flock of wool, a trifle.]

Burletta, bur-let′a, n. a musical farce: comic opera. [It.;—dim. of burla, a jest.]

Burly, bur′li, adj. bulky: boisterous, bluff.—n. Bur′liness. [M. E. borlich; prob. Old High Ger. burlīh, high, bōr, a height.]

Burmese, bur′mēz, adj. relating to Burma in Farther India, or its language.—n. a native of Burma, or the language of Burma—also Bur′man.

Burn, burn, n. a small stream or brook: a spring or fountain. [A.S. burna; cog. with Dut. and Ger. born.]

Burn, burn, v.t. to consume or injure by fire.—v.i. to be on fire: to feel excess of heat: to be inflamed with passion:—pa.p. burned or burnt.—n. a hurt or mark caused by fire.—ns. Burn′er, the part of a lamp or gas-jet from which the flame arises; Burn′ing, act of consuming by fire: conflagration: inflammation.—adj. very hot: scorching: ardent: excessive.—ns. Burn′ing-glass, a convex lens concentrating the sun's rays at its focus; Burn′ing-house, a kiln; Burn′ing-mirr′or, a concave mirror for producing heat by concentrating the sun's rays; Burn′ing-point, the temperature at which a volatile oil in an open vessel will take fire from a match held close to its surface; Burnt′-ear, a kind of smut in oats, wheat, &c., caused by a microscopic fungus; Burnt′-off′ering, something offered and burned upon an altar as a sacrifice—amongst the Hebrews, apparently offerings of dedication and to some extent of expiation; Burnt′-sienn′a (see Sienna); Burn′-the-wind (Scot.), a blacksmith.—Burn a hole in one's pocket, said of money, when one is eager to spend it; Burn blue, to burn with a bluish flame like that of brimstone; Burn daylight (Shak.), to waste time in superfluous actions; Burn down, to burn to the ground; Burn in, to eat into, as fire: to fix and render durable, as colours, by means of intense heat, to imprint indelibly on the mind; Burning bush, the emblem of the Presbyterian churches of Scotland, with the motto, 'Nec tamen consumebatur,' adopted from Ex. iii. 2, in memory of the unconquerable courage of the Covenanters under the cruel persecutions of the 17th century; Burning question, one being keenly discussed; Burn one's boats, to cut one's self off, as Cortes did, from all chance of retreat, to stake everything on success; Burn one's fingers, to suffer from interfering in others' affairs, from embarking in speculations, &c.; Burn out, to destroy by means of burning: to burn till the fire dies down from want of fuel; Burn the water, to spear salmon by torchlight; Burn up, to consume completely by fire: to be burned completely. [A.S.; the weak verb bœrnan, bœrnde, bœrned, has been confused with beornan, byrnan, barn, bornen; cf. Ger. brennen, to burn.]

Burnet, bur′net, n. the English name of two closely united genera of Rosaceæ—the Great Burnet common in meadows all over Europe; the Common Burnet growing on chalky soils, its slightly astringent leaves used in salads or soups, also as an ingredient in 'cool tankard.' [From its brown flowers.]

Burnish, burn′ish, v.t. to polish: to make bright by rubbing.—n. polish: lustre.—ns. Burn′isher, an instrument employed in burnishing; Burn′ishing; Burn′ishment.

Burnous, bur-nōōs′, n. a mantle with a hood much worn by the Arabs. [Fr.—Ar. burnus.]

Burnt, pa.p. of Burn (q.v.).

Burr. Same as Bur (q.v.).

Burrel, bur′el, n. a kind of coarse russet cloth in medieval times. [See Bureau.]

Burro, bur′ō, n. a donkey. [Sp.]

Burrock, bur′ok, n. a small weir or dam in a river, to direct the current toward fish-traps.

Burrow, bur′ō, n. a hole in the ground dug by certain animals for shelter or defence.—v.i. to make holes underground as rabbits: to dwell in a concealed place.—ns. Burr′ow-duck, the sheldrake or bergander; Burr′owing-owl, a small long-legged diurnal American owl nesting in burrows; Burr′owstown (Scot.), a town that is a burgh. [Ety. obscure; prob. a variant of Borough—A.S. beorgan, to protect.]

Bursa, bur′sa, n. a pouch or sac, esp. a synovial cavity formed where tendons pass over the harder parts of the body:—pl. Bur′sæ (-sē).—adj. Bur′sal.—ns. Bursā′lis, a muscle moving the nictitating membrane, as in birds; Bursal′ogy, knowledge about the bursæ. [See Bursar.]

Bursar, burs′ar, n. one who keeps the purse, a treasurer: in Scotland, a student maintained at a university by funds derived from endowment.—adj. Bursar′ial.—ns. Burs′arship, the office of a bursar; Burs′ary, in Scotland, the allowance paid to a bursar; Burse, a purse, an obsolete form of Bourse.—adjs. Bursic′ulate, bursiform: resembling a small pouch, or provided with such; Burs′iform, pouch-shaped. [Low L. bursarius—bursa, a purse—Gr. byrsa, skin or leather.]

Bursch, bōōrsh, n. a German student:—pl. Bursch′en.—n. Bursch′enism. [Ger. bursch, a companion, student.]

Burst, burst, v.t. to break into pieces: to break open suddenly or by violence: to disturb, interrupt.—v.i. to fly open or break in pieces: to break forth or away: to break into some sudden expression of feeling—e.g. 'to burst into song:'—pa.t. and pa.p. burst.—n. a sudden outbreak: a hard gallop: a spurt: a drunken bout.—Burst in, to force one's way violently into; Burst into blossom, to begin to blossom; Burst into tears, to fall a-crying; Burst out, to force one's way out violently; Burst up (coll.), to explode: to fail, become bankrupt.—A burst up, a collapse, failure.—On the burst, on the spree. [A.S. berstan; Ger. bersten; Gael. brisd, to break.]

Bursten, bur′stn, obs. pa.p. of Burst.

Burthen, bur′thn, n. and v.t. For Burden.

Burton, bur′ton, n. a tackle variously used.

Bury, ber′i, v.t. to hide in the ground: to cover: to place in the grave, as a dead body: to hide or blot out of remembrance:—pr.p. bur′ying; pa.p. bur′ied.—ns. Bur′ying-ground, Bur′ying-place, ground set apart for burying the dead: a graveyard.—Bury the hatchet, to cease strife. [A.S. byrgan, to bury; Ger. bergen, to hide.]

Bury, ber′i, n. a delicate pear of several varieties.—Also Burr′el, Burr′el-pear. [Cf. the Fr. beurré, as in 'Beurré d'Angoulême.']

Bus, Buss, bus, n. Short for Omnibus.

Busby, bus′bi, n. a fur hat with short bag hanging down from the top on its right side, of the same colour as the facings of the regiment, worn by hussars, and, in the British army, by horse artillerymen also. [Prob. Hung.]

Buscon, bus′kon, n. (U.S.) a miner paid by a percentage of the ore he raises. [Sp.]

Bush, boosh, n. a shrub thick with branches: anything of bushy tuft-like shape: any wild uncultivated country, esp. at the Cape or in Australia: a bunch of ivy hung up as a tavern sign, a tavern itself—'Good wine needs no bush.'—v.i. to grow thick or bushy.—v.t. to set bushes about, support with bushes: to cover seeds by means of the bush-harrow.—n. Bush′-cat, the serval.—adj. Bushed, lost in the bush.—ns. Bush′-harr′ow, a light kind of harrow used for covering grass-seeds, formed of a barred frame interwoven with bushes or branches; Bush′iness; Bush′man, a settler in the uncleared land of America or the Colonies, a woodsman: one of a native race in South Africa (Dut. boschjesman); Bush′-rang′er, in Australia, a lawless fellow, often an escaped criminal, who takes to the bush and lives by robbery; Bush′-shrike, a tropical American ant-thrush; Bush′tit, a small long-tailed titmouse of West America, building a large hanging-nest.—v.i. Bush′-whack, to range through the bush: to fight in guerilla warfare.—ns. Bush′-whack′er, a guerilla fighter: a country lout: a short heavy scythe for cutting bushes; Bush′-whack′ing, the habits or practice of bush-whackers: the process of forcing a way for a boat by pulling at the bushes overhanging a stream.—adj. Bush′y, full of bushes: thick and spreading.—Beat about the bush, to go round about anything, to evade coming to the point. [M. E. busk, busch; from a Teut. root found in Ger. busch, Low L. boscus, Fr. bois.]

Bush, boosh, n. the metal box or lining of any cylinder in which an axle works.—v.t. to furnish with a bush.—n. Bush′-met′al, hard brass, gun-metal, a composition of copper and tin, used for journals, bearings, &c. [Dut. bus—L. buxus, the box-tree.]

Bushel, boosh′el, n. a dry measure of 8 gallons, for measuring grain, fruit, &c. [O. Fr. boissiel, from the root of Box.]

Bushel, boosh′el, v.t. and v.i. (U.S.) to mend or alter, as men's clothes.—ns. Bush′eller; Bush′elling; Bush′el-wom′an.

Business, biz′nes, n. employment: engagment: trade, profession, or occupation: one's concerns or affairs: a matter or affair: (theat.) action as distinguished from dialogue.—adj. Bus′iness-like, methodical, systematic, practical.—Do the business for, to settle, make an end of: to ruin.—Genteel business (theat.), such parts as require good dressing.—Make it one's business, to undertake to accomplish something or see it done; Mean business, to be in earnest; Mind one's own business, to confine one's self to one's own affairs.—Send about one's business, to dismiss promptly.

Busk, busk, v.t. or v.i. to prepare: to dress one's self. [Ice. búa, to prepare, and -sk, contr. of sik, the recip. pron.—self.]

Busk, busk, n. the piece of bone, wood, or steel in the front of a woman's stays: a corset.—adj. Busked. [Fr. busc, which Scheler thinks a doublet of bois; Littré, the same as It. busto, a bust.]

Busk, busk, v.i. (naut.) to cruise along a shore, to beat about: to seek. [Prob. Sp. buscar, to seek.]

Busket, busk′et, n. (Spens.) a little bush.

Buskin, busk′in, n. a kind of half-boot with high heels worn in ancient times by actors of tragedy—hence, the tragic drama as distinguished from comedy: a half-boot.—adj. Busk′ined, dressed in buskins, noting tragedy: tragic: dignified. [Ety. uncertain; cognates may be found in the O. Fr. brousequin; Dut. broos-ken; Sp. borceguí.]

Busky, busk′i, adj. (Shak.). Same as Bosky.

Buss, bus, n. a rude or playful kiss, a smack.—v.t. to kiss, esp. in a rude or playful manner. [M. E. bass, prob. from Old Ger. bussen, to kiss, but modified by Fr. baiser, to kiss, from L. basium, a kiss.]

Buss, bus, n. a small two-masted Dutch vessel, used in the herring and mackerel fisheries. [O. Fr. busse, Low L. bussa; cf. Ger. büse.]

Bussu-palm, bus′soo-päm, n. a palm growing along the Amazon, with leaves as long as 30 feet and 5 feet broad, forming good thatch.

Bust, bust, n. a sculpture representing the head and breast of a person: the upper part of the human body, a woman's bosom.—adj. Bust′ed, breasted: adorned with busts. [Fr. buste; It. and Sp. busto.]

Bust, bust, n. and v. a vulgar form of Burst.—n. Bust′er, something large: a frolic: (slang) a roisterer.

Bustard, bus′tard, n. a genus of birds, sometimes made the type of a large family, usually ranked in the order of marsh birds like the cranes. [Fr. bistard, corr. from L. avis tarda, slow bird.]

Bustle, bus′l, v.i. to busy one's self noisily: to be active, often with more noise than actual work.—n. hurried activity: stir: tumult.—n. Bust′ler. [There is a M. E. bustelen, of doubtful relations; perh. conn. with bluster, or with Ice. bustl, a splash, or with A.S. bysig, busy.]

Bustle, bus′l, n. a stuffed pad or cushion worn by ladies under the skirt of their dress, the intention to improve the figure.

Busy, biz′i, adj. fully employed: active: diligent: meddling.—v.t. to make busy: to occupy:—pr.p. busying (biz′i-ing); pa.p. busied (biz′id).—adv. Bus′ily.—n. Bus′ybody, one busy about others' affairs, a meddling person.—adj. Bus′yless (Shak.), without business.—n. Bus′yness, state of being busy. [A.S. bysig.]

But, but, prep. or conj. without: except: besides: only: yet: still.—Used as a noun for a verbal objection; also as a verb, as in Scott's 'but me no buts.'—adj. (Scot.) outside, as in 'but end.'—But and ben, a house having an outer and an inner room. [A.S. be-útan, bútan, without—be, by, and útan, out—near and yet outside.]

But, but, n. Same as Butt.

Butcher, booch′ėr, n. one whose business is to slaughter animals for food: one who delights in bloody deeds.—v.t. to slaughter animals for food: to put to a bloody death, to kill cruelly: (fig.) to spoil anything, as a bad actor or the like.—ns. Butch′er-bird, a shrike; Butch′ering, Butch′ing, the act of killing for food, or cruelly.—adv. Butch′erly, butcher-like, cruel, murderous.—ns. Butch′er-meat, Butch′er's-meat, the flesh of animals slaughtered by butchers, as distinguished from fish, fowls, and game; Butch′er's-broom, a genus of plants of the lily order, the common one being an evergreen shrub, a bunch of which is used by butchers for sweeping their blocks; Butch′ery, great or cruel slaughter: a slaughter-house or shambles. [O. Fr. bochier, bouchier, one who kills he-goats—boc, a he-goat; allied to Eng. Buck.]

But-end. Same as Butt-end.

Butler, but′lėr, n. a servant who has charge of the liquors, plate, &c.—v.i. to act as butler.—ns. But′lership, But′lerage; But′lery, the butler's pantry. [Norm. Fr. butuiller—Low L. buticularius. See Bottle.]

Butment. Same as Abutment.

Butt, but, v.i. and v.t. to strike with the head, as a goat, &c.—n. a push with the head of an animal.—n. Butt′er, an animal that butts. [O. Fr. boter, to push, strike.]

Butt, but, n. a large cask: a wine-butt = 126 gallons, a beer and sherry butt = 108 gallons. [Cf. Fr. botte, Sp. bota, Low L. butta.]

Butt, but, n. a mark for archery practice: a mound behind musketry or artillery targets: one who is made the object of ridicule.—n. Butt′-shaft (Shak.), a shaft or arrow for shooting at butts with. [Fr. but, goal.]

Butt, but, or in longer form, Butt′-end, n. the thick and heavy end: the stump. [Ety. dub.]

Butt, but, n. an ox-hide minus the offal or pieces round the margins.

Butte, būt, but, n. any conspicuous and isolated hill or peak, esp. in the Rocky Mountain region. [Fr.]

Butter, but′ėr, n. an oily substance obtained from cream by churning.—v.t. to spread over with butter.—ns. Butt′er-bird, the name in Jamaica for the rice-bunting; Butt′er-boat, a table vessel for holding melted butter; Butt′er-bump, a bittern; Butt′er-bur, -dock, the sweet coltsfoot; Butt′ercup, a plant of the Crowfoot genus, with a cup-like flower of a golden yellow; Butt′er-fing′ers, one who lets a cricket-ball he ought to catch slip through his fingers; Butt′er-fish (see Gunnel); Butt′erfly, the name of an extensive group of beautiful winged insects: (fig.) a light-headed person.—adj. light, flighty, like a butterfly.—ns. Butt′erine, an artificial fatty compound sold as a substitute for butter—since 1887 only allowed to be sold under the names margarine or oleo-margarine; Butt′er-milk, the milk that remains after the butter has been separated from the cream by churning; Butt′er-nut, the oily nut of the North American white walnut, the tree itself or its light-coloured close-grained wood: the nut of a lofty timber-tree of Guiana—the souari-nut; Butt′er-scotch, a kind of toffee containing a large admixture of butter; Butt′er-tree, a genus of plants found in the East Indies and in Africa, remarkable for a sweet buttery substance yielded by their seeds when boiled; Butt′er-wife, Butt′er-wom′an, a woman who makes and sells butter; Butt′er-wort, a genus of small plants found in marshy places, so called either from the power of the leaves to coagulate milk, or from their peculiar sliminess.—adj. Butt′ery, like butter. [A.S. butere; Ger. butter; both from L. butyrum—Gr. boutyron—bous ox, tyros, cheese.]

Buttery, but′ėr-i, n. a storeroom in a house for provisions, esp. liquors.—ns. Butt′ery-bar, the ledge for holding tankards in the buttery; Butt′ery-hatch, a half-door over which provisions are handed from the buttery. [Fr. bouteillerie, lit. 'place for bottles.' See Butler, Bottle.]

Buttock, but′ok, n. the rump or protuberant part of the body behind: a term in wrestling.—ns. Butt′ock-mail (Scot.), the fine formerly exacted by the Church as part of the discipline for the offence of fornication. [Dim. of Butt, end.]

Button, but′n, n. a knob of metal, bone, &c., used to fasten the dress: the knob at the end of a foil: the head of an unexpanded mushroom: the knob of an electric bell, &c.: anything of small value, as in the phrase, 'I don't care a button:' a person who acts as a decoy: (pl.) young mushrooms, sheep's dung.—v.t. to fasten by means of buttons: to close up tightly.—v.i. to be fastened with buttons.—ns. Butt′on-bush, a North American shrub of the madder family, having globular flower-heads; Butt′on-hole, the hole or slit in the dress by which the button is held.—v.t. to detain in talk, as if by taking hold of a man by the button.—ns. Butt′on-hook, a hook for pulling the buttons of gloves and shoes through the button-holes; Butt′on-wood, a small West Indian evergreen tree of the myrobalan family: the plane-tree of the United States—also Butt′on-ball and incorrectly Sycamore.—adj. Butt′ony, decorated with buttons.—Boy in buttons, a boy servant in livery, a page. [Fr. bouton, any small projection, from bouter, to push.]

Buttress, but′res, n. a projecting support built on to the outside of a wall: any support or prop.—v.t. to prop or support, as by a buttress. [Acc. to Dr Murray, perh. from O. Fr. bouterez, apparently from bouter, to push, bear against.]

Butty, but′i, n. (prov.) a chum, comrade, esp. one who takes a contract for working out a certain area of coal, or a partner in such.—ns. Butt′y-coll′ier; Butt′y-gang.

Butyric, bū-tir′ik, adj. pertaining to or derived from butter.—n. Bū′tyl, an alcohol radical.—adj. Butyrā′ceous, buttery, containing butter.—n. Bū′tyrate, a salt of butyric acid.—Butyric acid, a volatile fatty acid possessing the disagreeable odour of rancid butter. [L. butyrum.]

Buxom, buks′um, adj. yielding, elastic: gay, lively, jolly.—n. Bux′omness, the quality of being buxom: liveliness: gaiety. [M. E. buhsum, pliable, obedient—A.S. búgan, to bow, yield, and affix Some.]

Buy, bī, v.t. to purchase for money: to bribe: to obtain in exchange for something:—pr.p. buy′ing; pa.t. and pa.p. bought (bawt).—adj. Buy′able, capable of being bought.—n. Buy′er, one who buys, a purchaser.—Buy and sell (Shak.), to barter; Buy in, to purchase a stock: to buy back for the owner at an auction; Buy off, or out, to gain release from military service by payment of money; Buy over, to gain by bribery; Buy up, to purchase the whole stock. [A.S. bycgan; Goth. bugjan.]

Buzz, buz, v.i. to make a humming noise like bees.—v.t. to whisper or spread secretly.—n. the noise of bees and flies: a humming sound: a whispered report.—n. Buzz′er, one who buzzes: (Shak.) a whisperer or tell-tale.—adv. Buzz′ingly.—adj. Buzz′y. [From the sound.]

Buzz, buz, v.t. to drink to the bottom.

Buzzard, buz′ard, n. a bird of prey of the falcon family: a blockhead: a name for some night moths and cockchafers.—n. Buzz′ard-clock, a cockchafer, the dor. [Fr. busard; prob. from L. buteo, a kind of falcon.]

By, bī, prep. at the side of: near to: through, denoting the agent, cause, means, &c.—adv. near: passing near: in presence of: aside, away.—adv. By′-and-by, soon, presently.—ns. By′-blow, a side blow: an illegitimate child; By′-cor′ner, an out-of-the-way place; By′-drink′ing (Shak.), drinking between meals; By′-elec′tion, a parliamentary election during the sitting of parliament: By′-end, a subsidiary aim; By′-form, a form of a word slightly varying from it; By′-gō′ing, the action of passing by, esp. In the by-going.—adj. By′gone.—ns. By′-lane, a side lane or passage out of the common road; By′-mō′tive, an unavowed motive; By′name, a nickname; By′-pass′age, a side passage.—adj. By′-past (Shak.), past: gone by.—ns. By′path, a side path; By′-place, a retired place; By′play, a scene carried on, subordinate to and apart from the main part of the play; By′-prō′duct, an accessory product resulting from some specific process or manufacture; By′road, a retired side road; By′room (Shak.), a side or private room; By′-speech, a casual speech; By′stander, one who stands by or near one—hence a looker-on; By′-street, an obscure street; By′-thing, a thing of minor importance; By′-time, leisure time; By′way, a private and obscure way; By′word, a common saying: a proverb: an object of common derision; By′work, work for leisure hours.—By-the-by, By the way, in passing.—Let bygones be bygones, let the past alone. [A.S. bi, big; Ger. bei, L. ambi.]

By, Bye, bī, n. anything of minor importance, a side issue, a thing not directly aimed at: the condition of being odd, as opposed to even, the state of being left without a competitor, as in tennis, &c.: in cricket, a run stolen by the batsman on the ball passing the wicket-keeper and long-stop, the batsman not having struck the ball.—By-the-bye, or -by, incidentally, by the way.

Bycocket, bī′kok-et, n. a turned-up peaked cap worn by noble persons in the 15th century—sometimes erroneously abacot. [O. Fr. bicoquet, prob. bi- (L. bis), double, coque, a shell.]

Byde, bīd, v.i. Same as Bide.

Bylander, obsolete form of Bilander.

Bylaw, Bye-law, bī′-law, n. the law of a city, town, or private corporation: a supplementary law or regulation. [The same as Byrlaw, from Ice. byarlög, Dan. by-lov, town-law; Scot. bir-law; from Ice. bua, to dwell. See Bower. By, town, is the suffix in many place-names. The by in bylaw is generally confused with the preposition.]

Bynempt, bī-nempt′, pa.t. of obsolete verb Bename (Spens.), named. [A.S. pfx. by-, be-, and nemnen, to name. See Name.]

Byous, bī′us, adj. (Scot.) extraordinary.—adv. By′ously.

Byre, bīr, n. (Scot.) a cow-house. [A.S. býre pl. dwellings—búr, a bower. See Bower.]

Byrlady, bir-lā′di, contraction for By our Lady.

Byrlaw, bir′law, n. a sort of popular jurisprudence formerly in use in Scotland, in villages and among husbandmen, concerning neighbourhood to be kept among themselves.—n. Byr′law-man, still in parts of Scotland, an arbiter, oddsman, or umpire. [A.S. burh, a borough.]

Byronic, bī-ron′ik, adj. possessing the characteristics of Lord Byron (1788-1824), or of his poetry, overstrained in sentiment or passion, cynical and libertine.—adv. Byron′ically.—n. By′ronism.

Byssolite, bis′o-līt, n. an olive-green variety of actinolite, in long crystals.—Also Amian′tus. [Gr. byssos, byssus, lithos, stone.]

Byssus, bis′us, n. a fine yellowish flax, and the linen made from it: the bundle of fine silky filaments by which many shellfish attach themselves to rocks, &c.: a genus of cryptogamic plants of a silky fibrous texture found on decaying wood, in mines, &c., and other dark places.—adjs. Byssif′erous, bearing or having a byssus; Byss′ine, made of fine linen. [L.—Gr. byssos, a fine flaxen or silky substance.]

Byzant, biz′ant. Same as Bezant.

Byzantine, biz-an′tīn, biz′-, adj. relating to Byzantium or Constantinople.—n. an inhabitant thereof.—n. Byzan′tinism, the manifestation of Byzantine characteristics.—Byzantine architecture, the style prevalent in the Eastern Empire down to 1453, marked by the round arch springing from columns or piers, the dome supported upon pendentives, capitals elaborately sculptured, mosaic or other incrustations, &c.; Byzantine Church, the Eastern or Greek Church; Byzantine Empire, the Eastern or Greek Empire from 395 A.D. to 1453; Byzantine historians, the series of Greek chroniclers of the affairs of the Byzantine Empire down to its fall in 1453.

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the third letter of our alphabet, originally having the sound of g, then of k, and finally, in some languages, equivalent to s: (mus.) name of one of the notes of the gamut, also the sound on which the system is founded—the scale C major has neither flats nor sharps, and therefore is called the natural scale.

Caaba, kä′a-ba, n. the Moslem Holy of Holies, a square building at Mecca, containing the famous Black Stone built into the south-east corner at a height convenient for being kissed. [Ar.]

Caaing-whale, kä′ing-hwāl, n. one of the Cetacea, in the dolphin family, very gregarious, and oftener stranded than any other 'whale'—16 to 24 feet long, and 10 feet in girth. Other names are Pilot-whale, Black-fish, Social Whale, Grindhval. [Scot. ca, to drive.]

Cab, kab, n. a public carriage of various sizes and shapes, with two or four wheels, drawn by one horse.—ns. Cab′by, a shortened form of Cab′man, one who drives a cab for hire; Cab′-stand, a place where cabs stand for hire; Cab′-tout, one whose business it is to call cabs.—Cabmen's shelter, a place of shelter for cabmen while waiting for hire. [Shortened from Cabriolet.]

Cab, kab, n. a Hebrew dry measure = nearly three pints. [Heb. kab—kabab, to hollow.]

Cabal, ka-bal′, n. a small party united for some secret design: the plot itself: a name in English history esp. given to five unpopular ministers of Charles II. (1672), whose initials happened to make up the word.—v.i. to form a party for a secret purpose: to plot:—pr.p. cabal′ling.—n. Cabal′ler, a plotter or intriguer. [Fr. cabale; from Cabala.]

Caballero, kä-bä-lyā′rō, n. a Spanish gentleman: a Spanish dance.

Caballine, kab′a-lin, adj. pertaining to, or suited to, a horse. [L. caballinus—caballus, a horse.]

Cabaret, kab′a-ret, n. a small tavern. [Fr., prob. for cabanaret—cabane, a hut.]

Cabas, Caba, kab′a, n. a woman's work-basket or reticule: a rush basket or pannier. [Fr.]

Cabbage, kab′āj, n. a well-known kitchen vegetable.—ns. Cabb′age-butt′erfly, a large butterfly whose larvæ injure the leaves of cabbage and other cruciferous plants; Cabb′age-moth, a moth whose larva feeds on the cabbage; Cabb′age-palm, Cabb′age-tree, a name given in different countries to different species of palm, the great terminal bud of which is eaten cooked like cabbage, or sometimes also raw in salads; Cabb′age-rose, a species of rose which has a thick form like a cabbage-head; Cabb′age-worm, the larva of the cabbage-butterfly or of the cabbage-moth. [Fr. caboche, head (choux cabus, a cabbage); from L. caput, the head.]

Cabbage, kab′āj, v.t. and v.i. to purloin, esp. a tailor of portions of a customer's cloth.—n. cloth so appropriated.

Cabbala, Cabala, kab′a-la, n. a secret science of the Jewish rabbis for the interpretation of the hidden sense of Scripture, claimed to be handed down by oral tradition.—ns. Cabb′alism, the science of the cabbala; Cabb′alist, one versed in the cabbala.—adjs. Cabbalist′ic, -al, relating to the cabbala: having a hidden meaning. [Heb. qabbālāh, tradition, qibbēl, to receive.]