Chapter 150

Bengal light , a firework containing niter, sulphur, and antimony, and producing a sustained and vivid colored light, used in making signals and in pyrotechnics; -- called also blue light . -- Bengal stripes , a kind of cotton cloth woven with colored stripes. See Bengal , 3. -- Bengal tiger . (Zo\'94l.) . See Tiger .

Bengalee, Bengali <Xpage=137>

Ben*gal"ee , Ben*gal"i (?) , n. The language spoken in Bengal.

Bengalese <Xpage=137>

Ben`gal*ese" (?) , a. Of or pertaining to Bengal. -- n. sing. & pl . A native or natives of Bengal.

Bengola <Xpage=137>

Ben*go"la (?) , n. A Bengal light.

Benight <Xpage=137>

Be*night" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Benighted ; p. pr. & vb. n. Benighting .] 1. To involve in darkness; to shroud with the shades of night; to obscure. [Archaic]

The clouds benight the sky. Garth.

2. To overtake with night or darkness, especially before the end of a day's journey or task.

Some virgin, sure, . . . benighted in these woods. Milton.

3. To involve in moral darkness, or ignorance; to debar from intellectual light.

Shall we to men benighted The lamp of life deny ? Heber.

Benightment <Xpage=137>

Be*night"ment (?) , n. The condition of being benighted.

Benign <Xpage=137>

Be*nign" (?) , a. [OE. benigne , bening , OF. benigne , F. b\'82nin , fem. b\'82nigne , fr. L. benignus , contr. from benigenus ; bonus good + root of genus kind. See Bounty , and Genus .] 1. Of a kind or gentle disposition; gracious; generous; favorable; benignant.

Creator bounteous and benign . Milton.

2. Exhibiting or manifesting kindness, gentleness, favor, etc.; mild; kindly; salutary; wholesome.

Kind influences and benign aspects. South.

3. Of a mild type or character; as, a benign disease .

Syn. -- Kind; propitious; bland; genial; salubrious; favorable salutary; gracious; liberal.

Benignancy <Xpage=137>

Be*nig"nan*cy (?) , n. Benignant quality; kindliness.

Benignant <Xpage=137>

Be*nig"nant (?) , a. [LL. benignans , p. pr. of benignare , from L. benignus . See Benign .] Kind; gracious; favorable. -- Be*nig"nant*ly , adv.

Benignity <Xpage=137>

Be*nig"ni*ty (?) , n. [OE. benignite , F. b\'82nignit\'82 , OF. b\'82nignet\'82 , fr. L. benignitas . See Benign .] 1. The quality of being benign; goodness; kindness; graciousness. " Benignity of aspect."

Sir W. Scott.

2. Mildness; gentleness.

The benignity or inclemency of the season. Spectator.

3. Salubrity; wholesome quality.

Wiseman.

Benignly <Xpage=137>

Be*nign"ly (?) , adv. In a benign manner.

Benim <Xpage=137>

Be*nim" (?) , v. t. [AS. beniman . See Benumb , and cf. Nim .] To take away. [Obs.]

Ire . . . benimeth the man fro God. Chaucer.

Benison <Xpage=137>

Ben"i*son (?) , n. [OE. beneysun , benesoun , OF. bene\'8b<?/un , bene\'8bson , fr. L. benedictio , fr. benedicere to bless; bene (adv. of bonus good) + dicere to say. See Bounty , and Diction , and cf. Benediction .] Blessing; beatitude; benediction.

Shak.

More precious than the benison of friends. Talfourd.

B\'82nitier <Xpage=137>

B\'82*ni"tier` (?) , n. [F., fr. b\'82nir to bless.] (R. C. Ch.) A holy-water stoup.

Shipley.

Benjamin <Xpage=137>

Ben"ja*min (?) , n. [Corrupted from benzoin .] See Benzoin .

Benjamin <Xpage=137>

Ben"ja*min , n. A kind of upper coat for men. [Colloq. Eng.]

Benjamite <Xpage=137>

Ben"ja*mite (?) , n. A descendant of Benjamin; one of the tribe of Benjamin.

Judg. iii. 15.

Benne <Xpage=137>

Ben"ne (?) , n. [Malay bijen .] (Bot.) The name of two plants ( Sesamum orientale and S. indicum ), originally Asiatic; -- also called oil plant . From their seeds an oil is expressed, called benne oil , used mostly for making soap. In the southern United States the seeds are used in candy.

Bennet <Xpage=137>

Ben"net (?) , n. [F. beno\'8cte , fr. L. benedicta , fem. of benedictus , p. p., blessed. See Benedict , a. ] (Bot.) The common yellow-flowered avens of Europe ( Geum urbanum ); herb bennet. The name is sometimes given to other plants, as the hemlock, valerian, etc.

Benshee <Xpage=137>

Ben"shee (?) , n. See Banshee .

Bent <Xpage=137>

Bent (?) , imp. & p. p. of Bend .

Bent <Xpage=137>

Bent , a. & p. p. 1. Changed by pressure so as to be no longer straight; crooked; as, a bent pin; a bent lever.

2. Strongly inclined toward something, so as to be resolved, determined, set, etc.; -- said of the mind, character, disposition, desires, etc., and used with on ; as, to be bent on going to college; he is bent on mischief.

Bent <Xpage=137>

Bent , n. [See Bend , n. & v .] 1. The state of being curved, crooked, or inclined from a straight line; flexure; curvity; as, the bent of a bow . [Obs.]

Wilkins.

2. A declivity or slope, as of a hill. [R.]

Dryden.

3. A leaning or bias; proclivity; tendency of mind; inclination; disposition; purpose; aim.

Shak.

With a native bent did good pursue. Dryden.

4. Particular direction or tendency; flexion; course.

Bents and turns of the matter. Locke.

5. (Carp.) A transverse frame of a framed structure.

6. Tension; force of acting; energy; impetus. [Archaic]

The full bent and stress of the soul. Norris.

Syn. -- Predilection; turn. Bent , Bias , Inclination , Prepossession . These words agree in describing a permanent influence upon the mind which tends to decide its actions. Bent denotes a fixed tendency of the mind in a given direction. It is the widest of these terms, and applies to the will, the intellect, and the affections, taken conjointly; as, the whole bent of his character was toward evil practices. Bias is literally a weight fixed on one side of a ball used in bowling, and causing it to swerve from a straight course. Used figuratively, bias applies particularly to the judgment, and denotes something which acts with a permanent force on the character through that faculty; as, the bias of early education, early habits, etc. Inclination is an excited state of desire or appetency; as, a strong inclination to the study of the law. Prepossession is a mingled state of feeling and opinion in respect to some person or subject, which has laid hold of and occupied the mind previous to inquiry. The word is commonly used in a good sense, an unfavorable impression of this kind being denominated a prejudice . "Strong minds will be strongly bent , and usually labor under a strong bias ; but there is no mind so weak and powerless as not to have its inclinations , and none so guarded as to be without its prepossessions ."

Crabb.

Bent <Xpage=137>

Bent (?) , n. [AS. beonet ; akin to OHG. pinuz , G. binse , rush, bent grass; of unknown origin.] 1. A reedlike grass; a stalk of stiff, coarse grass.

His spear a bent , both stiff and strong. Drayton.

2. (Bot.) A grass of the genus Agrostis , esp. Agrostis vulgaris , or redtop. The name is also used of many other grasses, esp. in America.

3. Any neglected field or broken ground; a common; a moor. [Obs.]

Wright.

Bowmen bickered upon the bent . Chevy Chase.

Bent grass <Xpage=137>

Bent" grass` (?) . (Bot.) Same as Bent , a kind of grass.

Benthal <Xpage=137>

Ben"thal (?) , a. [Gr. <?/ the depth of the sea.] Relating to the deepest zone or region of the ocean.

Benthamic <Xpage=137>

Ben*tham"ic (?) , a. Of or pertaining to Bentham or Benthamism.

Benthamism <Xpage=137>

Ben"tham*ism (?) , n. That phase of the doctrine of utilitarianism taught by Jeremy Bentham; the doctrine that the morality of actions is estimated and determined by their utility; also, the theory that the sensibility to pleasure and the recoil from pain are the only motives which influence human desires and actions, and that these are the sufficient explanation of ethical and jural conceptions.

Benthamite <Xpage=137>

Ben"tham*ite (?) , n. One who believes in Benthamism.

Benting time <Xpage=137>

Bent"ing time" (?) . The season when pigeons are said to feed on bents, before peas are ripe.

Bare benting times . . . may come. Dryden.

Benty <Xpage=137>

Bent"y (?) , a. 1. A bounding in bents, or the stalks of coarse, stiff, withered grass; as, benty fields .

2. Resembling bent.

Holland.

Benumb <Xpage=137>

Be*numb" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Benumbed (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Benumbing .] [OE. binomen , p. p. of binimen to take away, AS. beniman ; pref. be + niman to take. See Numb , a. , and cf. Benim .] To make torpid; to deprive of sensation or sensibility; to stupefy; as, a hand or foot benumbed by cold .

The creeping death benumbed her senses first. Dryden.

Benumbed <Xpage=137>

Be*numbed" (?) , a. Made torpid; numbed; stupefied; deadened; as, a benumbed body and mind . -- Be*numbed"ness , n.

Benumbment <Xpage=137>

Be*numb"ment (?) , n. Act of benumbing, or state of being benumbed; torpor.

Kirby.

Benzal <Xpage=137>

Ben"zal (?) , n. [ Benzoic + al dehyde.] (Chem.) A transparent crystalline substance,<?/ C6H5.CO. NH2, obtained by the action of ammonia upon chloride of benzoyl, as also by several other reactions with benzoyl compounds.

Benzamide <Xpage=137>

Ben*zam"ide (?) , n. [ Benz oin + amide .] (Chem.) A transparent crystalline substance, C6H5.CO.NH2, obtained by the action of ammonia upon chloride of benzoyl, as also by several other reactions with benzoyl compounds.

Benzene <Xpage=137>

Ben"zene (?) , n. [From Benzoin .] (Chem.) A volatile, very inflammable liquid, C6H6, contained in the naphtha produced by the destructive distillation of coal, from which it is separated by fractional distillation. The name is sometimes applied also to the impure commercial product or benzole , and also, but rarely, to a similar mixed product of petroleum.

Benzene nucleus , Benzene ring (Chem.) , a closed chain or ring, consisting of six carbon atoms, each with one hydrogen atom attached, regarded as the type from which the aromatic compounds are derived. This ring formula is provisionally accepted as representing the probable constitution of the benzene molecule, C6H6, and as the type on which its derivatives are formed.

Benzile <Xpage=137>

Ben"zile (?) , n. [From Benzoin .] (Chem.) A yellowish crystalline substance, C6H5.CO.CO.C6H5, formed from benzoin by the action of oxidizing agents, and consisting of a doubled benzoyl radical.

Benzine <Xpage=137>

Ben"zine (?) , n. [From Benzoin .] (Chem.) 1. A liquid consisting mainly of the lighter and more volatile hydrocarbons of petroleum or kerosene oil, used as a solvent and for cleansing soiled fabrics; -- called also petroleum spirit , petroleum benzine . Varieties or similar products are gasoline, naphtha, rhigolene, ligroin, etc.

2. Same as Benzene . [R.]

&hand; The hydrocarbons of benzine proper are essentially of the marsh gas series, while benzene proper is the typical hydrocarbon of the aromatic series.

Benzoate <Xpage=137>

Ben"zo*ate (?) , n. [Cf. F. benzoate .] (Chem.) A salt formed by the union of benzoic acid with any salifiable base.

<page="138"> Page 138

Benzoic <Xpage=138>

Ben*zo"ic (?) , a. [Cf. F. benzo\'8bque .] Pertaining to, or obtained from, benzoin.

Benzoic acid , or flowers of benzoin , a peculiar vegetable acid, C6H5.CO2H, obtained from benzoin, and some other balsams, by sublimation or decoction. It is also found in the urine of infants and herbivorous animals. It crystallizes in the form of white, satiny flakes; its odor is aromatic; its taste is pungent, and somewhat acidulous. -- Benzoic aldehyde , oil of bitter almonds; the aldehyde, C6H5.CHO, intermediate in composition between benzoic or benzyl alcohol, and benzoic acid. It is a thin colorless liquid.

Benzoin <Xpage=138>

Ben*zoin" (?) , n. [Cf. F. benjoin , Sp. benjui , Pg. beijoin ; all fr. Ar. lub\'ben-j\'bew\'c6 incense form Sumatra (named Java in Arabic), the first syllable being lost. Cf. Benjamin.] [Called also benjamin .] 1. A resinous substance, dry and brittle, obtained from the Styrax benzoin , a tree of Sumatra, Java, etc., having a fragrant odor, and slightly aromatic taste. It is used in the preparation of benzoic acid, in medicine, and as a perfume.

2. A white crystalline substance, C14H12O2 , obtained from benzoic aldehyde and some other sources.

3. (Bot.) The spicebush ( Lindera benzoin ).

Flowers of benzoin , benzoic acid. See under Benzoic .

Benzoinated <Xpage=138>

Ben*zoin"a*ted (?) , a. (Med.) Containing or impregnated with benzoin; as, benzoinated lard .

Benzole Benzol <Xpage=138>

Ben"zole Ben"zol (?) , n. [ Benzoin + L. ol eum oil.] (Chem.) An impure benzene, used in the arts as a solvent, and for various other purposes. See Benzene .

&hand; It has great solvent powers, and is used by manufacturers of India rubber and gutta percha; also for cleaning soiled kid gloves, and for other purposes.

Benzoline <Xpage=138>

Ben"zo*line (?) , n. (Chem.) (a) Same as Benzole . (b) Same as Amarine . [R.]

Watts.

Benzoyl <Xpage=138>

Ben"zoyl (?) , n. [ Benzoic + Gr. <?/ wood. See -yl .] (Chem.) A compound radical, C6H5.CO ; the base of benzoic acid, of the oil of bitter almonds, and of an extensive series of compounds. [Formerly written also benzule .]

Benzyl <Xpage=138>

Ben"zyl (?) , n. [ Benzoic + -yl .] (Chem.) A compound radical, C6H5.CH2 , related to toluene and benzoic acid; -- commonly used adjectively.

Bepaint <Xpage=138>

Be*paint" (?) , v. t. To paint; to cover or color with, or as with, paint.

Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek. Shak.

Bepelt <Xpage=138>

Be*pelt" (?) , v. t. To pelt roundly.

Bepinch <Xpage=138>

Be*pinch" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bepinched (#) .] To pinch, or mark with pinches.

Chapman.

Beplaster <Xpage=138>

Be*plas"ter (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Beplastered (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Beplastering .] To plaster over; to cover or smear thickly; to bedaub.

Beplastered with rouge. Goldsmith.

Beplumed <Xpage=138>

Be*plumed" (?) , a. Decked with feathers.

Bepommel <Xpage=138>

Be*pom"mel (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bepommeled (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Bepommeling .] To pommel; to beat, as with a stick; figuratively, to assail or criticise in conversation, or in writing.

Thackeray.

Bepowder <Xpage=138>

Be*pow"der (?) , v. t. To sprinkle or cover with powder; to powder.

Bepraise <Xpage=138>

Be*praise" (?) , v. t. To praise greatly or extravagantly.

Goldsmith.

Beprose <Xpage=138>

Be*prose" (?) , v. t. To reduce to prose. [R.] "To beprose all rhyme."

Mallet.

Bepuffed <Xpage=138>

Be*puffed" (?) , a. Puffed; praised.

Carlyle.

Bepurple <Xpage=138>

Be*pur"ple (?) , v. t. To tinge or dye with a purple color.

Bequeath <Xpage=138>

Be*queath" (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Bequeathed (#) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Bequeathing .] [OE. biquethen , AS. becwe<?/an to say, affirm, bequeath; pref. be- + cwe<?/an to say, speak. See Quoth .] 1. To give or leave by will; to give by testament; -- said especially of personal property.

My heritage, which my dead father did bequeath to me. Shak.

2. To hand down; to transmit.

To bequeath posterity somewhat to remember it. Glanvill.

3. To give; to offer; to commit. [Obs.]

To whom, with all submission, on my knee I do bequeath my faithful services And true subjection everlastingly. Shak.

Syn. -- To Bequeath , Devise . Both these words denote the giving or disposing of property by will. Devise , in legal usage, is property used to denote a gift by will of real property, and he to whom it is given is called the devisee . Bequeath is properly applied to a gift by will or legacy; i. e. , of personal property; the gift is called a legacy , and he who receives it is called a legatee . In popular usage the word bequeath is sometimes enlarged so as to embrace devise ; and it is sometimes so construed by courts.

Bequeathable <Xpage=138>

Be*queath"a*ble (?) , a. Capable of being bequeathed.

Bequeathal <Xpage=138>

Be*queath"al (?) , n. The act of bequeathing; bequeathment; bequest.

Fuller.

Bequeathment <Xpage=138>

Be*queath"ment (?) , n. The act of bequeathing, or the state of being bequeathed; a bequest.

Bequest <Xpage=138>

Be*quest" (?) , n. [OE. biquest , corrupted fr. bequide ; pref. be- + AS. cwide a saying, becwe<?/an to bequeath. The ending -est is probably due to confusion with quest . See Bequeath , Quest .] 1. The act of bequeathing or leaving by will; as, a bequest of property by A . to B.

2. That which is left by will, esp. personal property; a legacy; also, a gift.

Bequest <Xpage=138>

Be*quest" , v. t. To bequeath, or leave as a legacy. [Obs.] "All I have to bequest ."

Gascoigne.

Bequethen <Xpage=138>

Be*queth"en (?) , old p. p. of Bequeath . [Obs.]

Chaucer.

Bequote <Xpage=138>