Chapter 73

||Bague (&?;), n. [F., a ring] (Arch.) The annular molding or group of moldings dividing a long shaft or clustered column into two or more parts.

{ Ba*guet", Ba*guette" } (&?;), n. [F. baguette, prop. a rod&?; It. bacchetta, fr. L. baculum, baculu&?; stick, staff.] 1. (Arch.) A small molding, like the astragal, but smaller; a bead.

2. (Zoöl) One of the minute bodies seen in the divided nucleoli of some Infusoria after conjugation.

Bag"wig" (&?;), n. A wig, in use in the 18th century, with the hair at the back of the head in a bag.

Bag"worm` (&?;), n. (Zoöl.) One of several lepidopterous insects which construct, in the larval state, a baglike case which they carry about for protection. One species (Platœceticus Gloveri) feeds on the orange tree. See Basket worm.

Bah (&?;), interj. An exclamation expressive of extreme contempt.

Twenty-five years ago the vile ejaculation, Bah! was utterly unknown to the English public. De Quincey.

||Ba*har" (&?;), n. [Ar. bahr, from bahara to charge with a load.] A weight used in certain parts of the East Indies, varying considerably in different localities, the range being from 223 to 625 pounds.

Baigne (bn), v. t. [F. baigner to bathe, fr. L. balneum bath.] To soak or drench. [Obs.] Carew.

Bail (bl), n. [F. baille a bucket, pail; cf. LL. bacula, dim. of bacca a sort of vessel. Cf. Bac.] A bucket or scoop used in bailing water out of a boat. [Obs.]

The bail of a canoe . . . made of a human skull. Capt. Cook.

Bail, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bailed (bld); p. pr. & vb. n. Bailing.] 1. To lade; to dip and throw; -- usually with out; as, to bail water out of a boat.

Buckets . . . to bail out the water. Capt. J. Smith.

2. To dip or lade water from; -- often with out to express completeness; as, to bail a boat.

By the help of a small bucket and our hats we bailed her out. R. H. Dana, Jr.

Bail, v. t. [OF. bailler to give, to deliver, fr. L. bajulare to bear a burden, keep in custody, fr. bajulus he who bears burdens.] 1. To deliver; to release. [Obs.]

Ne none there was to rescue her, ne none to bail. Spenser.

2. (Law) (a) To set free, or deliver from arrest, or out of custody, on the undertaking of some other person or persons that he or they will be responsible for the appearance, at a certain day and place, of the person bailed.

The word is applied to the magistrate or the surety. The magistrate bails (but admits to bail is commoner) a man when he liberates him from arrest or imprisonment upon bond given with sureties. The surety bails a person when he procures his release from arrest by giving bond for his appearance. Blackstone.

(b) To deliver, as goods in trust, for some special object or purpose, upon a contract, expressed or implied, that the trust shall be faithfully executed on the part of the bailee, or person intrusted; as, to bail cloth to a tailor to be made into a garment; to bail goods to a carrier. Blackstone. Kent.

Bail, n. [OF. bail guardian, administrator, fr. L. bajulus. See Bail to deliver.] 1. Custody; keeping. [Obs.]

Silly Faunus now within their bail. Spenser.

2. (Law) (a) The person or persons who procure the release of a prisoner from the custody of the officer, or from imprisonment, by becoming surety for his appearance in court.

The bail must be real, substantial bondsmen. Blackstone.

A. and B. were bail to the arrest in a suit at law. Kent.

(b) The security given for the appearance of a prisoner in order to obtain his release from custody of the officer; as, the man is out on bail; to go bail for any one.

Excessive bail ought not to be required. Blackstone.

Bail, n. [OE. beyl; cf. Dan. böile a bending, ring, hoop, Sw. bögel, bygel, and Icel. beyla hump, swelling, akin to E. bow to bend.] 1. The arched handle of a kettle, pail, or similar vessel, usually movable. Forby.

2. A half hoop for supporting the cover of a carrier's wagon, awning of a boat, etc.

Bail, n. [OF. bail, baille. See Bailey.] 1. (Usually pl.) A line of palisades serving as an exterior defense. [Written also bayle.] [Obs.]

2. The outer wall of a feudal castle. Hence: The space inclosed by it; the outer court. Holinshed.

3. A certain limit within a forest. [Eng.]

4. A division for the stalls of an open stable.

5. (Cricket) The top or cross piece (or either of the two cross pieces) of the wicket.

Bail"a*ble (&?;), a. 1. Having the right or privilege of being admitted to bail, upon bond with sureties; -- used of persons. "He's bailable, I'm sure." Ford.

2. Admitting of bail; as, a bailable offense.

3. That can be delivered in trust; as, bailable goods.

Bail" bond` (bnd`). (Law) (a) A bond or obligation given by a prisoner and his surety, to insure the prisoner's appearance in court, at the return of the writ. (b) Special bail in court to abide the judgment. Bouvier.

Bail`ee" (bl`"), n. [OF. baillé, p. p. of bailler. See Bail to deliver.] (Law) The person to whom goods are committed in trust, and who has a temporary possession and a qualified property in them, for the purposes of the trust. Blackstone.

In penal statutes the word includes those who receive goods for another in good faith. Wharton.

Bail"er (&?;), n. (Law) See Bailor.

Bail"er, n. 1. One who bails or lades.

2. A utensil, as a bucket or cup, used in bailing; a machine for bailing water out of a pit.

Bai"ley (&?;), n. [The same word as bail line of palisades; cf. LL. ballium bailey, OF. bail, baille, a palisade, baillier to inclose, shut.] 1. The outer wall of a feudal castle. [Obs.]

2. The space immediately within the outer wall of a castle or fortress. [Obs.]

3. A prison or court of justice; -- used in certain proper names; as, the Old Bailey in London; the New Bailey in Manchester. [Eng.] Oxf. Gloss.

Bail"ie (&?;), n. [See Bailiff.] An officer in Scotland, whose office formerly corresponded to that of sheriff, but now corresponds to that of an English alderman.

Bail"iff (&?;), n. [OF. baillif, F. bailli, custodian, magistrate, fr. L. bajulus porter. See Bail to deliver.]

1. Originally, a person put in charge of something; especially, a chief officer, magistrate, or keeper, as of a county, town, hundred, or castle; one to whom powers of custody or care are intrusted. Abbott.

Lausanne is under the canton of Berne, governed by a bailiff sent every three years from the senate. Addison.

2. (Eng. Law) A sheriff's deputy, appointed to make arrests, collect fines, summon juries, etc.

In American law the term bailiff is seldom used except sometimes to signify a sheriff's officer or constable, or a party liable to account to another for the rent and profits of real estate. Burrill.

3. An overseer or under steward of an estate, who directs husbandry operations, collects rents, etc. [Eng.]

Bail"iff*wick (&?;), n. See Bailiwick. [Obs.]

Bail"i*wick (&?;), n. [Bailie, bailiff + wick a village.] (Law) The precincts within which a bailiff has jurisdiction; the limits of a bailiff's authority.

Bail"lie (&?;), n. 1. Bailiff. [Obs.]

2. Same as Bailie. [Scot.]

Bail"ment (&?;), n. 1. (Law) The action of bailing a person accused.

Bailment . . . is the saving or delivery of a man out of prison before he hath satisfied the law. Dalton.

2. (Law) A delivery of goods or money by one person to another in trust, for some special purpose, upon a contract, expressed or implied, that the trust shall be faithfully executed. Blackstone.

In a general sense it is sometimes used as comprehending all duties in respect to property. Story.

Bail`or" (&?;), n. (Law) One who delivers goods or money to another in trust.

Bail"piece` (&?;), n. (Law) A piece of parchment, or paper, containing a recognizance or bail bond.

Bain (bn; as F., bN), n. [F. bain, fr. L. balneum. Cf. Bagnio.] A bath; a bagnio. [Obs.] Holland.

||Bain`-ma`rie" (&?;), n. [F.] A vessel for holding hot water in which another vessel may be heated without scorching its contents; -- used for warming or preparing food or pharmaceutical preparations.

||Bai"ram (&?;), n. [Turk. baïrm.] The name of two Mohammedan festivals, of which one is held at the close of the fast called Ramadan, and the other seventy days after the fast.

Bairn (bârn), n. [Scot. bairn, AS. bearn, fr. beran to bear; akin to Icel., OS., & Goth. barn. See Bear to support.] A child. [Scot. & Prov. Eng.]

Has he not well provided for the bairn? Beau. & Fl.

Baise"mains` (&?;), n. pl. [F., fr. baiser to kiss + mains hands.] Respects; compliments. [Obs.]

Bait (bt), n. [Icel. beita food, beit pasture, akin to AS. bt food, Sw. bete. See Bait, v. t.] 1. Any substance, esp. food, used in catching fish, or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, inclosure, or net.

2. Anything which allures; a lure; enticement; temptation. Fairfax.

3. A portion of food or drink, as a refreshment taken on a journey; also, a stop for rest and refreshment.

4. A light or hasty luncheon.

Bait bug (Zoöl.), a crustacean of the genus Hippa found burrowing in sandy beaches. See Anomura.

Bait, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Baited; p. pr. & vb. n. Baiting.] [OE. baiten, beitn, to feed, harass, fr. Icel. beita, orig., to cause to bite, fr. bta. √87. See Bite.]

1. To provoke and harass; esp., to harass or torment for sport; as, to bait a bear with dogs; to bait a bull.

2. To give a portion of food and drink to, upon the road; as, to bait horses. Holland.

3. To furnish or cover with bait, as a trap or hook.

A crooked pin . . . baited with a vile earthworm. W. Irving.

Bait, v. i. To stop to take a portion of food and drink for refreshment of one's self or one's beasts, on a journey.

Evil news rides post, while good news baits. Milton.

My lord's coach conveyed me to Bury, and thence baiting at Newmarket. Evelyn.

Bait, v. i. [F. battre de l'aile (or des ailes), to flap or flutter. See Batter, v. t.] To flap the wings; to flutter as if to fly; or to hover, as a hawk when she stoops to her prey. "Kites that bait and beat." Shak.

Bait"er (&?;), n. One who baits; a tormentor.

Baize (bz), n. [For bayes, pl. fr. OF. baie; cf. F. bai bay-colored. See Bay a color.] A coarse woolen stuff with a long nap; -- usually dyed in plain colors.

A new black baize waistcoat lined with silk. Pepys.

||Ba*joc"co (&?;), n. [It., fr. bajo brown, bay, from its color.] A small copper coin formerly current in the Roman States, worth about a cent and a half.

Bake (bk), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Baked (bkt); p. pr. & vb. n. Baking.] [AS. bacan; akin to D. bakken, OHG. bacchan, G. backen, Icel. & Sw. baka, Dan. bage, Gr. fw`gein to roast.] 1. To prepare, as food, by cooking in a dry heat, either in an oven or under coals, or on heated stone or metal; as, to bake bread, meat, apples.

Baking is the term usually applied to that method of cooking which exhausts the moisture in food more than roasting or broiling; but the distinction of meaning between roasting and baking is not always observed.

2. To dry or harden (anything) by subjecting to heat, as, to bake bricks; the sun bakes the ground.

3. To harden by cold.

The earth . . . is baked with frost. Shak.

They bake their sides upon the cold, hard stone. Spenser.

Bake, v. i. 1. To do the work of baking something; as, she brews, washes, and bakes. Shak.

2. To be baked; to become dry and hard in heat; as, the bread bakes; the ground bakes in the hot sun.

Bake, n. The process, or result, of baking.

Bake"house` (-hous`), n. [AS. bæchs. See Bake, v. t., and House.] A house for baking; a bakery.

<! p. 113 pr=SA !>

{ Bake"meat` (bk"mt`), Baked"-meat` (bkt"-), } n. A pie; baked food. [Obs.] Gen. xl. 17. Shak.

Bak"en (&?;), p. p. of Bake. [Obs. or Archaic]

Bak"er (&?;), n. [AS. bæcere. See Bake, v. t.] 1. One whose business it is to bake bread, biscuit, etc.

2. A portable oven in which baking is done. [U.S.]

A baker's dozen, thirteen. -- Baker foot, a distorted foot. [Obs.] Jer. Taylor. -- Baker's itch, a rash on the back of the hand, caused by the irritating properties of yeast. -- Baker's salt, the subcarbonate of ammonia, sometimes used instead of soda, in making bread.

Bak"er-legged` (&?;), a. Having legs that bend inward at the knees.

Bak"er*y (&?;), n. 1. The trade of a baker. [R.]

2. A place for baking bread; a bakehouse.

Bak"ing, n. 1. The act or process of cooking in an oven, or of drying and hardening by heat or cold.

2. The quantity baked at once; a batch; as, a baking of bread.

Baking powder, a substitute for yeast, usually consisting of an acid, a carbonate, and a little farinaceous matter.

Bak"ing*ly, adv. In a hot or baking manner.

Bak"is*tre (&?;), n. [See Baxter.] A baker. [Obs.] Chaucer.

{ ||Bak"sheesh`, Bak"shish` } (&?;), n. Same as Backsheesh.

Ba"laam (&?;), n. A paragraph describing something wonderful, used to fill out a newspaper column; -- an allusion to the miracle of Balaam's ass speaking. Numb. xxii. 30. [Cant]

Balaam basket or box (Print.), the receptacle for rejected articles. Blackw. Mag.

||Bal"a*chong (&?;), n. [Malay blachn.] A condiment formed of small fishes or shrimps, pounded up with salt and spices, and then dried. It is much esteemed in China.

||Bal`æ*noi"de*a (&?;), n. [NL., from L. balaena whale + -oid.] (Zoöl) A division of the Cetacea, including the right whale and all other whales having the mouth fringed with baleen. See Baleen.

Bal"ance (bl"ans), n. [OE. balaunce, F. balance, fr. L. bilanx, bilancis, having two scales; bis twice (akin to E. two) + lanx plate, scale.] 1. An apparatus for weighing.

In its simplest form, a balance consists of a beam or lever supported exactly in the middle, having two scales or basins of equal weight suspended from its extremities. Another form is that of the Roman balance, our steelyard, consisting of a lever or beam, suspended near one of its extremities, on the longer arm of which a counterpoise slides. The name is also given to other forms of apparatus for weighing bodies, as to the combinations of levers making up platform scales; and even to devices for weighing by the elasticity of a spring.

2. Act of weighing mentally; comparison; estimate.

A fair balance of the advantages on either side. Atterbury.

3. Equipoise between the weights in opposite scales.

4. The state of being in equipoise; equilibrium; even adjustment; steadiness.

And hung a bottle on each side To make his balance true. Cowper.

The order and balance of the country were destroyed. Buckle.

English workmen completely lose their balance. J. S. Mill.

5. An equality between the sums total of the two sides of an account; as, to bring one's accounts to a balance; -- also, the excess on either side; as, the balance of an account. "A balance at the banker's." Thackeray.

I still think the balance of probabilities leans towards the account given in the text. J. Peile.

6. (Horol.) A balance wheel, as of a watch, or clock. See Balance wheel (in the Vocabulary).

7. (Astron.) (a) The constellation Libra. (b) The seventh sign in the Zodiac, called Libra, which the sun enters at the equinox in September.

8. A movement in dancing. See Balance, v. t., 8.

Balance electrometer, a kind of balance, with a poised beam, which indicates, by weights suspended from one arm, the mutual attraction of oppositely electrified surfaces. Knight. -- Balance fish. (Zoöl) See Hammerhead. -- Balance knife, a carving or table knife the handle of which overbalances the blade, and so keeps it from contact with the table. -- Balance of power (Politics), such an adjustment of power among sovereign states that no one state is in a position to interfere with the independence of the others; international equilibrium; also, the ability (of a state or a third party within a state) to control the relations between sovereign states or between dominant parties in a state. -- Balance sheet (Bookkeeping), a paper showing the balances of the open accounts of a business, the debit and credit balances footing up equally, if the system of accounts be complete and the balances correctly taken. -- Balance thermometer, a thermometer mounted as a balance so that the movement of the mercurial column changes the inclination of the tube. With the aid of electrical or mechanical devices adapted to it, it is used for the automatic regulation of the temperature of rooms warmed artificially, and as a fire alarm. -- Balance of torsion. See Torsion Balance. -- Balance of trade (Pol. Econ.), an equilibrium between the money values of the exports and imports of a country; or more commonly, the amount required on one side or the other to make such an equilibrium. -- Balance valve, a valve whose surfaces are so arranged that the fluid pressure tending to seat, and that tending to unseat, the valve, are nearly in equilibrium; esp., a puppet valve which is made to operate easily by the admission of steam to both sides. See Puppet valve. -- Hydrostatic balance. See under Hydrostatic. -- To lay in balance, to put up as a pledge or security. [Obs.] Chaucer. -- To strike a balance, to find out the difference between the debit and credit sides of an account.

Bal"ance (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Balanced (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Balancing (&?;).] [From Balance, n.: cf. F. balancer.] 1. To bring to an equipoise, as the scales of a balance by adjusting the weights; to weigh in a balance.

2. To support on a narrow base, so as to keep from falling; as, to balance a plate on the end of a cane; to balance one's self on a tight rope.

3. To equal in number, weight, force, or proportion; to counterpoise, counterbalance, counteract, or neutralize.

One expression . . . must check and balance another. Kent.

4. To compare in relative force, importance, value, etc.; to estimate.

Balance the good and evil of things. L'Estrange.

5. To settle and adjust, as an account; to make two accounts equal by paying the difference between them.

I am very well satisfied that it is not in my power to balance accounts with my Maker. Addison.

6. To make the sums of the debits and credits of an account equal; -- said of an item; as, this payment, or credit, balances the account.

7. To arrange accounts in such a way that the sum total of the debits is equal to the sum total of the credits; as, to balance a set of books.

8. (Dancing) To move toward, and then back from, reciprocally; as, to balance partners.

9. (Naut.) To contract, as a sail, into a narrower compass; as, to balance the boom mainsail.

Balanced valve. See Balance valve, under Balance, n.

Syn. -- To poise; weigh; adjust; counteract; neutralize; equalize.

Bal"ance, v. i. 1. To have equal weight on each side; to be in equipoise; as, the scales balance.

2. To fluctuate between motives which appear of equal force; to waver; to hesitate.

He would not balance or err in the determination of his choice. Locke.

3. (Dancing) To move toward a person or couple, and then back.

Bal"ance*a*ble (&?;), a. Such as can be balanced.

Bal"ance*ment (&?;), n. The act or result of balancing or adjusting; equipoise; even adjustment of forces. [R.] Darwin.

Bal"an*cer (&?;), n. 1. One who balances, or uses a balance.

2. (Zoöl.) In Diptera, the rudimentary posterior wing.

Bal"ance*reef` (&?;), n. (Naut.) The last reef in a fore-and-aft sail, taken to steady the ship.

Bal"ance wheel` (&?;). 1. (Horology) (a) A wheel which regulates the beats or pulses of a watch or chronometer, answering to the pendulum of a clock; -- often called simply a balance. (b) A ratchet-shaped scape wheel, which in some watches is acted upon by the axis of the balance wheel proper (in those watches called a balance).

2. (Mach.) A wheel which imparts regularity to the movements of any engine or machine; a fly wheel.

Bal`a*nif"er*ous (&?;), a. [L. balanus acorn + -ferous.] Bearing or producing acorns.

Bal"a*nite (&?;), n. [L. balanus acorn: cf. F. balanite.] (Paleon.) A fossil balanoid shell.

||Bal`a*no*glos"sus (&?;), n. [NL., fr. Gr. ba`lanos acorn + glw^ssa tongue.] (Zoöl) A peculiar marine worm. See Enteropneusta, and Tornaria.

Bal"a*noid (&?;), a. [Gr. balanos acorn + -oid.] (Zoöl.) Resembling an acorn; -- applied to a group of barnacles having shells shaped like acorns. See Acornshell, and Barnacle.

Bal"as ru`by (&?;). [OE. bales, balais, F. balais, LL. balascus, fr. Ar. balakhsh, so called from Badakhshan, Balashan, or Balaxiam, a place in the neighborhood of Samarcand, where this ruby is found.] (Min.) A variety of spinel ruby, of a pale rose red, or inclining to orange. See Spinel.

Ba*laus"tine (&?;), n. [L. balaustium, Gr. balay`stion.] (Bot.) The pomegranate tree (Punica granatum). The bark of the root, the rind of the fruit, and the flowers are used medicinally.

{ Bal*bu"ti*ate (&?;), Bal*bu"ci*nate (&?;), } v. i. [L. balbutire, fr. balbus stammering: cf. F. balbutier.] To stammer. [Obs.]

||Bal*bu"ti*es (&?;), n. (Med.) The defect of stammering; also, a kind of incomplete pronunciation.

Bal"con (&?;), n. A balcony. [Obs.] Pepys.

Bal"co*nied (&?;), a. Having balconies.

Bal"co*ny (bl"k*n; 277), n.; pl. Balconies (-nz). [It. balcone; cf. It. balco, palco, scaffold, fr. OHG. balcho, palcho, beam, G. balken. See Balk beam.] 1. (Arch.) A platform projecting from the wall of a building, usually resting on brackets or consoles, and inclosed by a parapet; as, a balcony in front of a window. Also, a projecting gallery in places of amusement; as, the balcony in a theater.

2. A projecting gallery once common at the stern of large ships.

"The accent has shifted from the second to the first syllable within these twenty years." Smart (1836).

Bald (bld), a. [OE. balled, ballid, perh. the p. p. of ball to reduce to the roundness or smoothness of a ball, by removing hair. &radic;85. But cf. W. bali whiteness in a horse's forehead.] 1. Destitute of the natural or common covering on the head or top, as of hair, feathers, foliage, trees, etc.; as, a bald head; a bald oak.

On the bald top of an eminence. Wordsworth.

2. Destitute of ornament; unadorned; bare; literal.

In the preface to his own bald translation. Dryden.

3. Undisguised. " Bald egotism." Lowell.

4. Destitute of dignity or value; paltry; mean. [Obs.]

5. (Bot.) Destitute of a beard or awn; as, bald wheat.

6. (Zoöl.) (a) Destitute of the natural covering. (b) Marked with a white spot on the head; bald-faced.

Bald buzzard (Zoöl.), the fishhawk or osprey. -- Bald coot (Zoöl.), a name of the European coot (Fulica atra), alluding to the bare patch on the front of the head.

Bal"da*chin (&?;), n. [LL. baldachinus, baldechinus, a canopy of rich silk carried over the host; fr. Bagdad, It. Baldacco, a city in Turkish Asia from whence these rich silks came: cf. It. baldacchino. Cf. Baudekin.] 1. A rich brocade; baudekin. [Obs.]

2. (Arch.) A structure in form of a canopy, sometimes supported by columns, and sometimes suspended from the roof or projecting from the wall; generally placed over an altar; as, the baldachin in St. Peter's.

3. A portable canopy borne over shrines, etc., in procession.

[Written also baldachino, baldaquin, etc.]

Bald" ea"gle (&?;). (Zoöl.) The white-headed eagle (Haliæetus leucocephalus) of America. The young, until several years old, lack the white feathers on the head.

The bald eagle is represented in the coat of arms, and on the coins, of the United States.

Bal"der (&?;), n. [Icel. Baldr, akin to E. bold.] (Scan. Myth.) The most beautiful and beloved of the gods; the god of peace; the son of Odin and Freya. [Written also Baldur.]

Bal"der*dash (&?;), n. [Of uncertain origin: cf. Dan. balder noise, clatter, and E. dash; hence, perhaps, unmeaning noise, then hodgepodge, mixture; or W. baldorduss a prattling, baldordd, baldorddi, to prattle.] 1. A worthless mixture, especially of liquors.

Indeed beer, by a mixture of wine, hath lost both name and nature, and is called balderdash. Taylor (Drink and Welcome).

2. Senseless jargon; ribaldry; nonsense; trash.

Bal"der*dash (&?;), v. t. To mix or adulterate, as liquors.