Chapter 142

Beaver rat (Zo\'94l.) , an aquatic ratlike quadruped of Tasmania ( Hydromys chrysogaster ). -- Beaver skin , the furry skin of the beaver. -- Bank beaver . See under 1st Bank .

Beaver <Xpage=129>

Bea"ver , n. [OE. baviere , bauier , beavoir , bever ; fr. F. bavi\'8are , fr. bave slaver, drivel, foam, OF., prattle, drivel, perh. orig. an imitative word. Bavi\'8are , according to Cotgrave, is the bib put before a (slavering) child.] That piece of armor which protected the lower part of the face, whether forming a part of the helmet or fixed to the breastplate. It was so constructed (with joints or otherwise) that the wearer could raise or lower it to eat and drink.

Beavered <Xpage=129>

Bea"vered (?) , a. Covered with, or wearing, a beaver or hat. "His beavered brow."

Pope.

Beaverteen <Xpage=129>

Bea"ver*teen (?) , n. A kind of fustian made of coarse twilled cotton, shorn after dyeing.

Simmonds.

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Bebeerine, &or; Bebirine <Xpage=130>

Be*bee"rine , &or; Be*bi"rine (?) , n. (Chem.) An alkaloid got from the bark of the bebeeru, or green heart of Guiana ( Nectandra Rodi\'d2i ). It is a tonic, antiperiodic, and febrifuge, and is used in medicine as a substitute for quinine. [Written also bibirine .]

Bebleed <Xpage=130>

Be*bleed" (?) , v. t. To make bloody; to stain with blood. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Beblood, Bebloody <Xpage=130>

Be*blood" (?) , Be*blood"y (?) , v. t. To make bloody; to stain with blood. [Obs.]

Sheldon.

Beblot <Xpage=130>

Be*blot" (?) , v. t. To blot; to stain.

Chaucer.

Beblubber <Xpage=130>

Be*blub"ber (?) , v. t. To make swollen and disfigured or sullied by weeping; as, her eyes or cheeks were beblubbered .

Becalm <Xpage=130>

Be*calm" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Becalmed (<?/); p. pr. & vb . n. Becalming .] 1. To render calm or quiet; to calm; to still; to appease.

Soft whispering airs . . . becalm the mind. Philips.

2. To keep from motion, or stop the progress of, by the stilling of the wind; as, the fleet was becalmed .

Became <Xpage=130>

Be*came" (?) , imp. of Become .

Becard <Xpage=130>

Bec"ard (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) A South American bird of the flycatcher family. ( Tityra inquisetor ).

Because <Xpage=130>

Be*cause" (?) , conj. [OE. bycause ; by + cause .] 1. By or for the cause that; on this account that; for the reason that.

Milton.

2. In order that; that. [Obs.]

And the multitude rebuked them because they should hold their peace. Matt. xx. 31.

Because of , by reason of, on account of. [Prep. phrase.]

Because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Eph. v. 6.

Syn, -- Because , For , Since , As , Inasmuch As . These particles are used, in certain connections, to assign the reason of a thing, or that "on account of" which it is or takes place. Because (by cause) is the strongest and most emphatic; as, I hid myself because I was afraid. For is not quite so strong; as, in Shakespeare, "I hate him, for he is a Christian." Since is less formal and more incidental than because ; as, I will do it since you request me. It more commonly begins a sentence; as, Since your decision is made, I will say no more. As is still more incidental than since , and points to some existing fact by way of assigning a reason. Thus we say, as I knew him to be out of town, I did not call. Inasmuch as seems to carry with it a kind of qualification which does not belong to the rest. Thus, if we say, I am ready to accept your proposal, inasmuch as I believe it is the best you can offer, we mean, it is only with this understanding that we can accept it.

Beccabunga <Xpage=130>

Bec`ca*bun"ga (?) , n. [NL. (cf. It. beccabunga , G. bachbunge ), fr. G. bach brook + bunge , OHG. bungo , bulb. See Beck a brook.] See Brooklime .

Beccafico <Xpage=130>

Bec`ca*fi"co (?) , n. ; pl. Beccaficos (<?/) . [It., fr. beccare to peck + fico fig.] (Zo\'94l.) A small bird. ( Silvia hortensis ), which is highly prized by the Italians for the delicacy of its flesh in the autumn, when it has fed on figs, grapes, etc.

Bachamel <Xpage=130>

Bach"a*mel (?) , n. [F. b\'82chamel , named from its inventor, Louis de B\'82chamel .] (Cookery) A rich, white sauce, prepared with butter and cream.

Bechance <Xpage=130>

Be*chance" (?) , adv. [Pref. be- for by + chance .] By chance; by accident. [Obs.]

Grafton.

Bechance <Xpage=130>

Be*chance" , v. t. & i. To befall; to chance; to happen to.

God knows what hath bechanced them. Shak.

Becharm <Xpage=130>

Be*charm" (?) , v. t. To charm; to captivate.

B\'88che de mer <Xpage=130>

B\'88che` de mer" (?) . [F., lit., a sea spade.] (Zo\'94l.) The trepang.

Bechic <Xpage=130>

Be"chic (?) , a. [L. bechicus , adj., for a cough, Gr. <?/ , fr. <?/ cough: cf. F. b\'82chique .] (Med.) Pertaining to, or relieving, a cough. Thomas . -- n. A medicine for relieving coughs.

Quincy.

Beck <Xpage=130>

Beck (?) , n. See Beak . [Obs.]

Spenser.

Beck <Xpage=130>

Beck , n. [OE. bek , AS. becc ; akin to Icel. bekkr brook, OHG. pah , G. bach .] A small brook.

The brooks, the becks , the rills. Drayton.

Beck <Xpage=130>

Beck , n. A vat. See Back .

Beck <Xpage=130>

Beck , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Becked (<?/) ; p. pr. & vb. n . Becking .] [ Contr . of beckon .] To nod, or make a sign with the head or hand. [Archaic]

Drayton.

Beck <Xpage=130>

Beck , v. t. To notify or call by a nod, or a motion of the head or hand; to intimate a command to. [Archaic]

When gold and silver becks me to come on. Shak.

Beck <Xpage=130>

Beck , n. A significant nod, or motion of the head or hand, esp. as a call or command.

They have troops of soldiers at their beck . Shak.

Becker <Xpage=130>

Beck"er (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) A European fish ( Pagellus centrodontus ); the sea bream or braise.

Becket <Xpage=130>

Beck"et (?) , n. [Cf. D. bek beak, and E. beak .]

1. (Naut.) A small grommet, or a ring or loop of rope <?/ metal for holding things in position, as spars, ropes, etc.; also a bracket, a pocket, or a handle made of rope.

2. A spade for digging turf. [Prov. Eng.]

Wright.

Beckon <Xpage=130>

Beck"on , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Beckoned (<?/); p. pr. & vb. n. Beckoning .] To make a significant sign to; hence, to summon, as by a motion of the hand.

His distant friends, he beckons near. Dryden.

It beckons you to go away with it. Shak .

Beckon <Xpage=130>

Beck"on , n. A sign made without words; a beck. "At the first beckon ."

Bolingbroke.

Beclap <Xpage=130>

Be*clap (?) , v. t. [OE. biclappen .] To catch; to grasp; to insnare. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Beclip <Xpage=130>

Be*clip" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Beclipped (<?/).] [AS. beclyppan ; pref. be + clyppan to embrace.] To embrace; to surround. [Obs.]

Wyclif.

Becloud <Xpage=130>

Be*cloud" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Beclouded ; p. pr. & vb. n. Beclouding .] To cause obscurity or dimness to; to dim; to cloud.

If thou becloud the sunshine of thine eye. Quarles.

Become <Xpage=130>

Be*come" (?) , v. i. [ imp. Became (?) ; p. p. Become ; p. pr. & vb. n. Becoming .] [OE. bicumen , becumen , AS. becuman to come to, to happen; akin to D. bekomen , OHG.a piqu\'89man , Goth. biquiman to come upon, G. bekommen to get, suit. See Be- , and Come .] 1. To pass from one state to another; to enter into some state or condition, by a change from another state, or by assuming or receiving new properties or qualities, additional matter, or a new character.

The Lord God . . . breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Gen. ii. 7.

That error now which is become my crime. Milton.

2. To come; to get. [Obs.]

But, madam, where is Warwick then become ! Shak.

To become of , to be the present state or place of; to be the fate of; to be the end of; to be the final or subsequent condition of.

What is then become of so huge a multitude? Sir W. Raleigh.

Become <Xpage=130>

Be*come" , v. t. To suit or be suitable to; to be congruous with; to befit; to accord with, in character or circumstances; to be worthy of, or proper for; to cause to appear well; -- said of persons and things.

It becomes me so to speak of so excellent a poet. Dryden.

I have known persons so anxious to have their dress become them, as to convert it, at length, into their proper self, and thus actually to become the dress. Coleridge.

Becomed <Xpage=130>

Be*com"ed (?) , a. Proper; decorous. [Obs.]

And gave him what becomed love I might. Shak.

Becoming <Xpage=130>

Be*com"ing , a. Appropriate or fit; congruous; suitable; graceful; befitting.

A low and becoming tone. Thackeray.

Formerly sometimes followed by of .

Such discourses as are becoming of them. Dryden.

Syn. -- Seemly; comely; decorous; decent; proper.

Becoming <Xpage=130>

Be*com"ing , n. That which is becoming or appropriate. [Obs.]

Becomingly <Xpage=130>

Be*com"ing*ly , adv. In a becoming manner.

Becomingness <Xpage=130>

Be*com"ing*ness , n. The quality of being becoming, appropriate, or fit; congruity; fitness.

The becomingness of human nature. Grew.

Becripple <Xpage=130>

Be*crip"ple (?) , v. t. To make a cripple of; to cripple; to lame. [R.]

Dr. H. More.

Becuna <Xpage=130>

Be*cu"na (?) , n. [Sp.] (Zo\'94l.) A fish of the Mediterranean ( Sphyr\'91na spet ). See Barracuda .

Becurl <Xpage=130>

Be*curl" (?) , v. t. To curl; to adorn with curls.

Bed <Xpage=130>

Bed (?) , n. [AS. bed , bedd ; akin to OS. bed , D. bed , bedde , Icel. be<?/r , Dan. bed , Sw. b\'84dd , Goth. badi , OHG. betti , G. bett , bette , bed, beet a plat of ground; all of uncertain origin.] 1. An article of furniture to sleep or take rest in or on; a couch. Specifically: A sack or mattress, filled with some soft material, in distinction from the bedstead on which it is placed (as, a feather bed ), or this with the bedclothes added. In a general sense, any thing or place used for sleeping or reclining on or in, as a quantity of hay, straw, leaves, or twigs.

And made for him [a horse] a leafy bed . Byron.

I wash, wring, brew, bake, . . . make the beds . Shak.

In bed he slept not for my urging it. Shak.

2. (Used as the symbol of matrimony) Marriage.

George, the eldest son of his second bed . Clarendon.

3. A plat or level piece of ground in a garden, usually a little raised above the adjoining ground. " Beds of hyacinth and roses."

Milton.

4. A mass or heap of anything arranged like a bed; as, a bed of ashes or coals .

5. The bottom of a watercourse, or of any body of water; as, the bed of a river .

So sinks the daystar in the ocean bed . Milton.

6. (Geol.) A layer or seam, or a horizontal stratum between layers; as, a bed of coal, iron, etc.

7. (Gun.) See Gun carriage , and Mortar bed .

8. (Masonry) (a) The horizontal surface of a building stone; as, the upper and lower beds . (b) A course of stone or brick in a wall. (c) The place or material in which a block or brick is laid. (d) The lower surface of a brick, slate, or tile.

Knight.

9. (Mech.) The foundation or the more solid and fixed part or framing of a machine; or a part on which something is laid or supported; as, the bed of an engine .

10. The superficial earthwork, or ballast, of a railroad.

11. (Printing) The flat part of the press, on which the form is laid.

&hand; Bed is much used adjectively or in combination; as, bed key or bedkey; bed wrench or bed wrench; bed chamber; bed maker, etc.

Bed of justice (French Hist.) , the throne (F. lit bed) occupied by the king when sitting in one of his parliaments (judicial courts); hence, a session of a refractory parliament, at which the king was present for the purpose of causing his decrees to be registered. -- To be brought to bed , to be delivered of a child; -- often followed by of ; as, to be brought to bed of a son. -- To make a bed , to prepare a bed; to arrange or put in order a bed and its bedding. -- From bed and board (Law) , a phrase applied to a separation by partial divorce of man and wife, without dissolving the bonds of matrimony. If such a divorce (now commonly called a judicial separation ) be granted at the instance of the wife, she may have alimony.

Bed <Xpage=130>

Bed , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bedded ; p. pr. & vb. n. Bedding .] 1. To place in a bed. [Obs.]

Bacon.

2. To make partaker of one's bed; to cohabit with.

I'll to the Tuscan wars, and never bed her. Shak.

3. To furnish with a bed or bedding.

4. To plant or arrange in beds; to set, or cover, as in a bed of soft earth; as, to bed the roots of a plant in mold .

5. To lay or put in any hollow place, or place of rest and security, surrounded or inclosed; to embed; to furnish with or place upon a bed or foundation; as, to bed a stone; it was bedded on a rock.

Among all chains or clusters of mountains where large bodies of still water are bedded . Wordsworth.

6. (Masonry) To dress or prepare the surface of stone) so as to serve as a bed.

7. To lay flat; to lay in order; to place in a horizontal or recumbent position. " Bedded hair."

Shak.

Bed <Xpage=130>

Bed (?) , v. i. To go to bed; to cohabit.

If he be married, and bed with his wife. Wiseman.

Bedabble <Xpage=130>

Be*dab*ble (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bedabbled (<?/) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Bedabbling (<?/) .] To dabble; to sprinkle or wet.

Shak.

Bedaff <Xpage=130>

Be*daff" (?) , v. t. To make a daff or fool of. [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Bedagat <Xpage=130>

Bed"a*gat (?) , n. The sacred books of the Buddhists in Burmah.

Malcom.

Bedaggle <Xpage=130>

Be*dag"gle (?) , v. t. To daggle.

Bedash <Xpage=130>

Be*dash" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bedashed (<?/); p. pr. & vb. n. Bedashing .] To wet by dashing or throwing water or other liquid upon; to bespatter. "Trees bedashed with rain."

Shak.

Bedaub <Xpage=130>

Be*daub" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bedaubed (<?/); p. pr. & vb. n. Bedaubing .] To daub over; to besmear or soil with anything thick and dirty.

Bedaub foul designs with a fair varnish. Barrow.

Bedazzle <Xpage=130>

Be*daz"zle (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bedazzled (<?/); p. pr. & vb. n. Bedazzling (<?/).] To dazzle or make dim by a strong light. " Bedazzled with the sun."

Shak.

Bedbug <Xpage=130>

Bed"bug` (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) A wingless, bloodsucking, hemipterous insect ( Cimex Lectularius ), sometimes infesting houses and especially beds. See Illustration in Appendix.

Bedchair <Xpage=130>

Bed"chair` (?) , n. A chair with adjustable back, for the sick, to support them while sitting up in bed.

Bedchamber <Xpage=130>

Bed"cham`ber (?) , n. A chamber for a bed; an apartment form sleeping in.

Shak.

Lords of the bedchamber , eight officers of the royal household, all of noble families, who wait in turn a week each. [Eng.] -- Ladies of the bedchamber , eight ladies, all titled, holding a similar official position in the royal household, during the reign of a queen. [Eng.]

Bedclothes <Xpage=130>

Bed"clothes` (?) , n. pl. Blankets, sheets, coverlets, etc., for a bed.

Shak.

Bedcord <Xpage=130>

Bed"cord` (?) , n. A cord or rope interwoven in a bedstead so as to support the bed.

Bedded <Xpage=130>

Bed"ded (?) , a. Provided with a bed; as, double- bedded room ; placed or arranged in a bed or beds.

Bedding <Xpage=130>

Bed"ding (?) , n. [AS. bedding , beding . See Bed .] 1. A bed and its furniture; the materials of a bed, whether for man or beast; bedclothes; litter.

2. (Geol.) The state or position of beds and layers.

Bede <Xpage=130>

Bede (?) , v. t. [See Bid , v. t. ] To pray; also, to offer; to proffer. [Obs.]

R. of Gloucester. Chaucer.

Bede <Xpage=130>

Bede , n. (Mining) A kind of pickax.

Bedeck <Xpage=130>

Be*deck" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bedecked (<?/); p. pr. & vb. n. Bedecking .] To deck, ornament, or adorn; to grace.

Bedecked with boughs, flowers, and garlands. Pennant.

Bedeguar, Bedegar <Xpage=130>

Bed"e*guar , Bed"e*gar (?) , n. [F., fr. Per. b\'bed-\'beward , or b\'bed-\'bewardag , prop., a kind of white thorn or thistle.] A gall produced on rosebushes, esp. on the sweetbrier or eglantine, by a puncture from the ovipositor of a gallfly ( Rhodites ros\'91 ). It was once supposed to have medicinal properties.

Bedehouse <Xpage=130>