Chapter 127

Balloon fish <Xpage=114>

Bal*loon" fish` (?) . (Zo\'94l.) A fish of the genus Diodon or the genus Tetraodon , having the power of distending its body by taking air or water into its dilatable esophagus. See Globefish , and Bur fish .

Ballooning <Xpage=114>

Bal*loon"ing , n. 1. The art or practice of managing balloons or voyaging in them.

2. (Stock Exchange) The process of temporarily raising the value of a stock, as by fictitious sales. [U.S.]

Ballooning spider <Xpage=114>

Bal*loon"ing spi"der (?) . (Zo\'94l.) A spider which has the habit of rising into the air. Many kinds ( esp. species of Lycosa ) do this while young by ejecting threads of silk until the force of the wind upon them carries the spider aloft.

Balloonist <Xpage=114>

Bal*loon"ist , n. An a\'89ronaut.

Balloonry <Xpage=114>

Bal*loon"ry (?) , n. The art or practice of ascending in a balloon; a\'89ronautics.

Ballot <Xpage=114>

Bal"lot (?) , n. [F. ballotte , fr. It. ballotta . See Ball round body.]

1. Originally, a ball used for secret voting. Hence: Any printed or written ticket used in voting.

2. The act of voting by balls or written or printed ballots or tickets; the system of voting secretly by balls or by tickets.

The insufficiency of the ballot . Dickens.

<-- p. 115 -->

3. The whole number of votes cast at an election, or in a given territory or electoral district.

Ballot box , a box for receiving ballots.

Ballot <Xpage=115>

Bal"lot (?) , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Balloted ; p. pr. & vb. n. Balloting .] [F. ballotter to toss, to ballot, or It. ballottare . See Ballot , n. ] To vote or decide by ballot; as, to ballot for a candidate .

Ballot <Xpage=115>

Bal"lot , v. t. To vote for or in opposition to.

None of the competitors arriving to a sufficient number of balls, they fell to ballot some others. Sir H. Wotton.

Ballotade <Xpage=115>

Bal"lo*tade` (?) , n. [F. ballottade , fr. ballotter to toss. See Ballot , v. i. ] (Man.) A leap of a horse, as between two pillars, or upon a straight line, so that when his four feet are in the air, he shows only the shoes of his hind feet, without jerking out.

Ballotation <Xpage=115>

Bal`lo*ta"tion (?) , n. Voting by ballot. [Obs.]

Sir H. Wotton.

Balloter <Xpage=115>

Bal"lot*er (?) , n. One who votes by ballot.

Ballotin <Xpage=115>

Bal"lo*tin (?) , n. [F.] An officer who has charge of a ballot box. [Obs.]

Harrington.

Ballow <Xpage=115>

Bal"low (?) , n. A cudgel. [Obs.]

Shak.

Ballproof <Xpage=115>

Ball"proof` (?) , a. Incapable of being penetrated by balls from firearms.

Ballroom <Xpage=115>

Ball"room` (<?/) , n. A room for balls or dancing.

Balm <Xpage=115>

Balm (?) , n. [OE. baume , OF. bausme , basme , F. baume , L. balsamum balsam, from Gr. <?/ ; perhaps of Semitic origin; cf. Heb. b\'bes\'bem . Cf. Balsam .]

1. (Bot.) An aromatic plant of the genus Melissa .

2. The resinous and aromatic exudation of certain trees or shrubs.

Dryden.

3. Any fragrant ointment.

Shak.

4. Anything that heals or that mitigates pain. " Balm for each ill."

Mrs. Hemans.

Balm cricket (Zo\'94l.) , the European cicada. Tennyson . -- Balm of Gilead (Bot.) , a small evergreen African and Asiatic tree of the terebinthine family (Balsamodendron Gileadense) . Its leaves yield, when bruised, a strong aromatic scent; and from this tree is obtained the balm of Gilead of the shops, or balsam of Mecca . This has a yellowish or greenish color, a warm, bitterish, aromatic taste, and a fragrant smell. It is valued as an unguent and cosmetic by the Turks. The fragrant herb Dracocephalum Canariense is familiarly called balm of Gilead , and so are the American trees, Populus balsamifera , variety candicans (balsam poplar), and Abies balsamea (balsam fir).

Balm <Xpage=115>

Balm , v. i. To anoint with balm, or with anything medicinal. Hence: To soothe; to mitigate. [Archaic]

Shak.

Balmify <Xpage=115>

Balm"i*fy (?) , v. t. [ Balm + -fy .] To render balmy. [Obs.]

Cheyne.

Balmily <Xpage=115>

Balm"i*ly , adv. In a balmy manner.

Coleridge.

Balmoral <Xpage=115>

Bal*mor"al (?) , n. [From Balmoral Castle, in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.] 1. A long woolen petticoat, worn immediately under the dress.

2. A kind of stout walking shoe, laced in front.

A man who uses his balmorals to tread on your toes. George Eliot.

Balmy <Xpage=115>

Balm"y (?) , a. 1. Having the qualities of balm; odoriferous; aromatic; assuaging; soothing; refreshing; mild. "The balmy breeze."

Tickell.

Tired nature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep ! Young.

2. Producing balm. "The balmy tree."

Pope.

Syn. -- Fragrant; sweet-scented; odorous; spicy.

Balneal <Xpage=115>

Bal"ne*al (?) , a. [L. balneum bath.] Of or pertaining to a bath.

Howell.

Balneary <Xpage=115>

Bal"ne*a*ry (?) , n. [L. balnearium , fr. balneum bath.] A bathing room.

Sir T. Browne.

Balneation <Xpage=115>

Bal`ne*a"tion (?) , n. [LL. balneare to bathe, fr. L. balneum bath.] The act of bathing. [R.]

Balneatory <Xpage=115>

Bal"ne*a*to*ry (?) , a. [L. balneatorius .] Belonging to a bath. [Obs.]

Balneography <Xpage=115>

Bal`ne*og"ra*phy (?) , n. [L. balneum bath + -graphy .] A description of baths.

Balneology <Xpage=115>

Bal`ne*ol"o*gy (?) , n. [L. balneum bath + -logy .] A treatise on baths; the science of bathing.

Balneotherapy <Xpage=115>

Bal`ne*o*ther"a*py (?) , n. [L. balneum bath + Gr. <?/ to heal.] The treatment of disease by baths.

Balotade <Xpage=115>

Bal"o*tade` (?) , n. See Ballotade .

Balsa <Xpage=115>

Bal"sa (?) , n. [Sp. or Pg. balsa .] (Naut.) A raft or float, used principally on the Pacific coast of South America.

Balsam <Xpage=115>

Bal"sam (?) , n. [L. balsamum the balsam tree or its resin, Gr. <?/ . See Balm , n. ] 1. A resin containing more or less of an essential or volatile oil.

&hand; The balsams are aromatic resinous substances, flowing spontaneously or by incision from certain plants. A great variety of substances pass under this name, but the term is now usually restricted to resins which, in addition to a volatile oil, contain benzoic and cinnamic acid. Among the true balsams are the balm of Gilead, and the balsams of copaiba, Peru, and Tolu. There are also many pharmaceutical preparations and resinous substances, possessed of a balsamic smell, to which the name balsam has been given.

2. (Bot.) (a) A species of tree ( Abies balsamea ). (b) An annual garden plant ( Impatiens balsamina ) with beautiful flowers; balsamine.

3. Anything that heals, soothes, or restores.

Was not the people's blessing a balsam to thy blood? Tennyson.

Balsam apple (Bot.) , an East Indian plant ( Momordica balsamina ), of the gourd family, with red or orange-yellow cucumber-shaped fruit of the size of a walnut, used as a vulnerary, and in liniments and poultices. -- Balsam fir (Bot.) , the American coniferous tree, Abies balsamea , from which the useful Canada balsam is derived. -- Balsam of copaiba . See Copaiba . -- Balsam of Mecca , balm of Gilead. -- Balsam of Peru , a reddish brown, syrupy balsam, obtained from a Central American tree ( Myroxylon Pereir\'91 and used as a stomachic and expectorant, and in the treatment of ulcers, etc. It was long supposed to be a product of Peru. -- Balsam of Tolu , a reddish or yellowish brown semisolid or solid balsam, obtained from a South American tree ( Myxoxylon toluiferum .). It is highly fragrant, and is used as a stomachic and expectorant. -- Balsam tree , any tree from which balsam is obtained, esp. the Abies balsamea . -- Canada balsam , Balsam of fir , Canada turpentine, a yellowish, viscid liquid, which, by time and exposure, becomes a transparent solid mass. It is obtained from the balm of Gilead (or balsam) fir ( Abies balsamea ) by breaking the vesicles upon the trunk and branches. See Balm .

Balsam <Xpage=115>

Bal"sam (?) , v. t. To treat or anoint with balsam; to relieve, as with balsam; to render balsamic.

Balsamation <Xpage=115>

Bal`sam*a"tion (?) , n. 1. The act of imparting balsamic properties.

2. The art or process of embalming.

Balsamic, Balsamical <Xpage=115>

Bal*sam"ic (?) , Bal*sam"ic*al (?) , a. [Cf. F. balsamique .] Having the qualities of balsam; containing, or resembling, balsam; soft; mitigative; soothing; restorative.

Balsamiferous <Xpage=115>

Bal`sam*if"er*ous (?) , a. [ Balsam + -ferous .] Producing balsam.

Balsamine <Xpage=115>

Bal"sam*ine (?) , n. [Cf. F. balsamine , fr. Gr. <?/ balsam plant.] (Bot.) The Impatiens balsamina , or garden balsam.

Balsamous <Xpage=115>

Bal"sam*ous (?) , a. Having the quality of balsam; containing balsam. "A balsamous substance."

Sterne.

Balter <Xpage=115>

Bal"ter (?) , v. t. [Etymol. uncertain. Cf. Bloodboltered .] To stick together. [Obs.]

Holland.

Baltic <Xpage=115>

Bal"tic (?) , a. [NL. mare Balticum , fr. L. balteus belt, from certain straits or channels surrounding its isles, called belts. See Belt .] Of or pertaining to the sea which separates Norway and Sweden from Jutland, Denmark, and Germany; situated on the Baltic Sea.

Baltimore bird. Baltimore oriole <Xpage=115>

Bal"ti*more bird` (?) . Bal"ti*more o"ri*ole (?) . ( Zo\'94l .) A common American bird ( Icterus galbula ), named after Lord Baltimore, because its colors (black and orange red) are like those of his coat of arms; -- called also golden robin .

Baluster <Xpage=115>

Bal"us*ter (?) , n. [F. balustre , It. balaustro , fr. L. balaustium the flower of the wild pomegranate, fr. Gr. <?/ ; -- so named from the similarity of form.] (Arch.) A row of balusters topped by a rail, serving as an open parapet, as along the edge of a balcony, terrace, bridge, staircase, or the eaves of a building.

Bam <Xpage=115>

Bam (?) , n. [Prob. a contr. of bamboozle .] An imposition; a cheat; a hoax.

Garrick.

To relieve the tedium<?/ he kept plying them with all manner of bams . Prof. Wilson.

Bam <Xpage=115>

Bam , v. t. To cheat; to wheedle. [Slang]

Foote.

Bambino <Xpage=115>

Bam*bi"no (?) , n. [It., a little boy, fr. bambo silly; cf. Gr. <?/ , <?/ , to chatter.] A child or baby; esp., a representation in art of the infant Christ wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Bambocciade <Xpage=115>

Bam*boc`ci*ade" (?) , n. [It. bambocciata , fr. Bamboccio a nickname of Peter Van Laer, a Dutch genre painter; properly, a child, simpleton, puppet, fr. bambo silly.] (Paint.) A representation of a grotesque scene from common or rustic life.

Bamboo <Xpage=115>

Bam*boo" (?) , n. [Malay bambu , mambu .] (Bot.) A plant of the family of grasses, and genus Bambusa , growing in tropical countries.

&hand; The most useful species is Bambusa arundinacea , which has a woody, hollow, round, straight, jointed stem, and grows to the height of forty feet and upward. The flowers grow in large panicles, from the joints of the stalk, placed three in a parcel, close to their receptacles. Old stalks grow to five or six inches in diameter, and are so hard and durable as to be used for building, and for all sorts of furniture, for water pipes, and for poles to support palanquins. The smaller stalks are used for walking sticks, flutes, etc.

Bamboo <Xpage=115>

Bam*boo" , v. t. To flog with the bamboo.

Bamboozle <Xpage=115>

Bam*boo"zle (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bamboozled (<?/); p. pr. & vb. n. Bamboozling (<?/).] [Said to be of Gipsy origin.] To deceive by trickery; to cajole by confusing the senses; to hoax; to mystify; to humbug. [Colloq.]

Addison.

What oriental tomfoolery is bamboozling you? J. H. Newman.

Bamboozler <Xpage=115>

Bam*boo"zler (?) , n. A swindler; one who deceives by trickery. [Colloq.]

Arbuthnot.

Ban <Xpage=115>

Ban (?) , n. [AS. bann command, edict; akin to D. ban , Icel. bann , Dan. band , OHG. ban , G. bann , a public proclamation, as of interdiction or excommunication, Gr. <?/ to say, L. fari to speak, Skr. bhan to speak; cf. F. ban , LL. bannum , of G. origin. <?/. Cf. Abandon , Fame .] 1. A public proclamation or edict; a public order or notice, mandatory or prohibitory; a summons by public proclamation.

2. (Feudal & Mil.) A calling together of the king's (esp. the French king's) vassals for military service; also, the body of vassals thus assembled or summoned. In present usage, in France and Prussia, the most effective part of the population liable to military duty and not in the standing army.

3. pl. Notice of a proposed marriage, proclaimed in church. See Banns (the common spelling in this sense).

4. An interdiction, prohibition, or proscription. "Under ban to touch."

Milton.

5. A curse or anathema. "Hecate's ban ."

Shak.

6. A pecuniary mulct or penalty laid upon a delinquent for offending against a ban; as, a mulct paid to a bishop by one guilty of sacrilege or other crimes .

Ban of the empire (German Hist.) , an imperial interdict by which political rights and privileges, as those of a prince, city, or district, were taken away.

Ban <Xpage=115>

Ban , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Banned (<?/); p. pr. & vb. n. Banning .] [OE. bannen , bannien , to summon, curse, AS. bannan to summon; akin to Dan. bande , forbande , to curse, Sw. banna to revile, bannas to curse. See Ban an edict, and cf. Banish .] 1. To curse; to invoke evil upon.

Sir W. Scott.

2. To forbid; to interdict.

Byron.

Ban <Xpage=115>

Ban , v. i. To curse; to swear. [Obs.]

Spenser.

Ban <Xpage=115>

Ban , n. [Serv. ban ; cf. Russ. & Pol. pan a master<?/ lord, Per. ban .] An ancient title of the warden of the eastern marches of Hungary; now, a title of the viceroy of Croatia and Slavonia.

Banal <Xpage=115>

Ban"al (?) , a. [F., fr. ban an ordinance.] Commonplace; trivial; hackneyed; trite.

Banality <Xpage=115>

Ba*nal"i*ty (?) , n. ; pl. Banalities (#) . [F. banalit\'82 . See Banal .] Something commonplace, hackneyed, or trivial; the commonplace, in speech.

The highest things were thus brought down to the banalities of discourse. J. Morley.

Banana <Xpage=115>

Ba*na"na (?) , n. [Sp. banana , name of the fruit.] (Bot.) A perennial herbaceous plant of almost treelike size ( Musa sapientum ); also, its edible fruit. See Musa .

&hand; The banana has a soft, herbaceous stalk, with leaves of great length and breadth. The flowers grow in bunches, covered with a sheath of a green or purple color; the fruit is five or six inches long, and over an inch in diameter; the pulp is soft, and of a luscious taste, and is eaten either raw or cooked. This plant is a native of tropical countries, and furnishes an important article of food.

Banana bird (Zo\'94l.) , a small American bird ( Icterus leucopteryx ), which feeds on the banana. -- Banana quit (Zo\'94l.) , a small bird of tropical America, of the genus Certhiola , allied to the creepers.

Banat <Xpage=115>

Ban"at (?) , n. [Cf. F. & G. banat . See Ban a warden.] The territory governed by a ban.

Banc, Bancus, Bank <Xpage=115>

Banc (?) , Ban"cus (?) , Bank (?) , n. [OF. banc , LL. bancus . See Bank , n. ] A bench; a high seat, or seat of distinction or judgment; a tribunal or court.

In banc , In banco (the ablative of bancus ), In bank , in full court, or with full judicial authority; as, sittings in banc (distinguished from sittings at nisi prius ).

Banco <Xpage=115>

Ban"co (?) , n. [It. See Bank .] A bank, especially that of Venice.

&hand; This term is used in some parts of Europe to indicate bank money, as distinguished from the current money, when this last has become depreciated.

Band <Xpage=115>

Band (?) , n. [OE. band , bond , Icel. band ; akin to G., Sw., & D. band , OHG. bant , Goth. banti , Skr. bandha a binding, bandh to bind, for bhanda , bhandh , also to E. bend , bind . In sense 7, at least, it is fr. F. bande , from OHG. bant . <?/ See Bind , v. t. , and cf. Bend , Bond , 1st Bandy .] 1. A fillet, strap, or any narrow ligament with which a thing is encircled, or fastened, or by which a number of things are tied, bound together, or confined; a fetter.

Every one's bands were loosed. Acis xvi 26.

2. (Arch.) (a) A continuous tablet, stripe, or series of ornaments, as of carved foliage, of color, or of brickwork, etc. (b) In Gothic architecture, the molding, or suite of moldings, which encircles the pillars and small shafts.

3. That which serves as the means of union or connection between persons; a tie. "To join in Hymen's bands ."

Shak.

4. A linen collar or ruff worn in the 16th and 17th centuries.

5. pl. Two strips of linen hanging from the neck in front as part of a clerical, legal, or academic dress.

6. A narrow strip of cloth or other material on any article of dress, to bind, strengthen, ornament, or complete it. " Band and gusset and seam."

Hood.

<-- p. 116 -->

7. A company of persons united in any common design, especially a body of armed men.

Troops of horsemen with his bands of foot. Shak.

8. A number of musicians who play together upon portable musical instruments, especially those making a loud sound, as certain wind instruments (trumpets, clarinets, etc.), and drums, or cymbals.