Chapter 84

Be*at"i*tude (&?;), n. [L. beatitudo: cf. F. béatitude. See Beatify.] 1. Felicity of the highest kind; consummate bliss.

2. Any one of the nine declarations (called the Beatitudes), made in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. v. 3-12), with regard to the blessedness of those who are distinguished by certain specified virtues.

3. (R. C. Ch.) Beatification. Milman.

Syn. -- Blessedness; felicity; happiness.

Beau (b), n.; pl. F. Beaux (E. pron. bz), E. Beaus (bz). [F., a fop, fr. beau fine, beautiful, fr. L. bellus pretty, fine, for bonulus, dim. of bonus good. See Bounty, and cf. Belle, Beauty.] 1. A man who takes great care to dress in the latest fashion; a dandy.

2. A man who escorts, or pays attentions to, a lady; an escort; a lover.

Beau"catch`er (&?;), n. A small flat curl worn on the temple by women. [Humorous]

Beau"fet (&?;), n. [See Buffet.] A niche, cupboard, or sideboard for plate, china, glass, etc.; a buffet.

A beaufet . . . filled with gold and silver vessels. Prescott.

Beau"fin (&?;), n. See Biffin. Wright.

Beau" i*de"al (b" *d"al; 277). [F. beau beautiful + idéal ideal.] A conception or image of consummate beauty, moral or physical, formed in the mind, free from all the deformities, defects, and blemishes seen in actual existence; an ideal or faultless standard or model.

Beau"ish (&?;), a. Like a beau; characteristic of a beau; foppish; fine. "A beauish young spark." Byrom.

||Beau` monde" (&?;). [F. beau fine + monde world.] The fashionable world; people of fashion and gayety. Prior.

Beau"pere` (&?;), n. [F. beau pére; beau fair + pére father.] 1. A father. [Obs.] Wyclif.

2. A companion. [Obs.] Spenser.

||Beau`se`ant" (&?;), n. [F. beaucéant.] The black and white standard of the Knights Templars.

Beau"ship (&?;), n. The state of being a beau; the personality of a beau. [Jocular] Dryden.

Beau"te*ous (&?;), a. Full of beauty; beautiful; very handsome. [Mostly poetic] -- Beau"te*ous*ly, adv. -- Beau"te*ous*ness, n.

Beau"tied (&?;), p. a. Beautiful; embellished. [Poetic] Shak.

Beau"ti*fi`er (&?;), n. One who, or that which, beautifies or makes beautiful.

Beau"ti*ful (b"t*fl), a. Having the qualities which constitute beauty; pleasing to the sight or the mind.

A circle is more beautiful than a square; a square is more beautiful than a parallelogram. Lord Kames.

Syn. -- Handsome; elegant; lovely; fair; charming; graceful; pretty; delightful. See Fine.

-- Beau"ti*ful*ly, adv. -- Beau"ti*ful*ness, n.

Beau"ti*fy (b"t*f), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beautified (- fd); p. pr. & vb. n. Beautifying.] [Beauty + -fy.] To make or render beautiful; to add beauty to; to adorn; to deck; to grace; to embellish.

The arts that beautify and polish life. Burke.

Syn. -- To adorn; grace; ornament; deck; decorate.

Beau"ti*fy, v. i. To become beautiful; to advance in beauty. Addison.

Beau"ti*less, a. Destitute of beauty. Hammond.

Beau"ty (b"t), n.; pl. Beauties (&?;). [OE. beaute, beute, OF. beauté, biauté, Pr. beltat, F. beauté, fr. an assumed LL. bellitas, from L. bellus pretty. See Beau.]

1. An assemblage of graces or properties pleasing to the eye, the ear, the intellect, the æsthetic faculty, or the moral sense.

Beauty consists of a certain composition of color and figure, causing delight in the beholder. Locke.

The production of beauty by a multiplicity of symmetrical parts uniting in a consistent whole. Wordsworth.

The old definition of beauty, in the Roman school, was, "multitude in unity;" and there is no doubt that such is the principle of beauty. Coleridge.

2. A particular grace, feature, ornament, or excellence; anything beautiful; as, the beauties of nature.

3. A beautiful person, esp. a beautiful woman.

All the admired beauties of Verona. Shak.

4. Prevailing style or taste; rage; fashion. [Obs.]

She stained her hair yellow, which was then the beauty. Jer. Taylor.

Beauty spot, a patch or spot placed on the face with intent to heighten beauty by contrast.

Beaux (&?;), n., pl. of Beau.

Beaux"ite (&?;), n. (Min.) See Bauxite.

Bea"ver (&?;), n. [OE. bever, AS. beofer, befer; akin to D. bever, OHG. bibar, G. biber, Sw. bäfver, Dan. bæver, Lith. bebru, Russ. bobr', Gael. beabhar, Corn. befer, L. fiber, and Skr. babhrus large ichneumon; also as an adj., brown, the animal being probably named from its color. √253. See Brown.]

1. (Zoöl.) An amphibious rodent, of the genus Castor.

It has palmated hind feet, and a broad, flat tail. It is remarkable for its ingenuity in constructing its lodges or "houses,\' and dams across streams. It is valued for its fur, and for the material called castor, obtained from two small bags in the groin of the animal. The European species is Castor fiber, and the American is generally considered a variety of this, although sometimes called Castor Canadensis.

2. The fur of the beaver.

3. A hat, formerly made of the fur of the beaver, but now usually of silk.

A brown beaver slouched over his eyes. Prescott.

4. Beaver cloth, a heavy felted woolen cloth, used chiefly for making overcoats.

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

Bea"ver, n. [OE. baviere, bauier, beavoir, bever; fr. F. bavière, fr. bave slaver, drivel, foam, OF., prattle, drivel, perh. orig. an imitative word. Bavière, 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.

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

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

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{ Be*bee"rine, or Be*bi"rine } (b*b"rn or -rn), n. (Chem.) An alkaloid got from the bark of the bebeeru, or green heart of Guiana (Nectandra Rodiœi). It is a tonic, antiperiodic, and febrifuge, and is used in medicine as a substitute for quinine. [Written also bibirine.]

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

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

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

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

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.

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

||Bec"ard (&?;), n. (Zoöl.) A South American bird of the flycatcher family. (Tityra inquisetor).

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.

||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.

||Bec`ca*fi"co (&?;), n.; pl. Beccaficos (&?;). [It., fr. beccare to peck + fico fig.] (Zoöl.) 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.

||Bech"a*mel (&?;), n. [F. béchamel, named from its inventor, Louis de Béchamel.] (Cookery) A rich, white sauce, prepared with butter and cream.

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

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

God knows what hath bechanced them. Shak.

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

||Bêche` de mer" (&?;). [F., lit., a sea spade.] (Zoöl.) The trepang.

Be"chic (&?;), a. [L. bechicus, adj., for a cough, Gr. &?;, fr. &?; cough: cf. F. béchique.] (Med.) Pertaining to, or relieving, a cough. Thomas. -- n. A medicine for relieving coughs. Quincy.

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

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, n. A vat. See Back.

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, 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, 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.

Beck"er (&?;), n. (Zoöl.) A European fish (Pagellus centrodontus); the sea bream or braise.

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

1. (Naut.) A small grommet, or a ring or loop of rope or 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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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 piquëman, 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.

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.

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

And gave him what becomed love I might. Shak.

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.

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

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

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

The becomingness of human nature. Grew.

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

||Be*cu"na (&?;), n. [Sp.] (Zoöl.) A fish of the Mediterranean (Sphyræna spet). See Barracuda.

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

Bed (&?;), n. [AS. bed, bedd; akin to OS. bed, D. bed, bedde, Icel. be&?;r, Dan. bed, Sw. bädd, 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.

Bed is much used adjectively or in combination; as, bed key or bedkey; bed wrench or bedwrench; bedchamber; bedmaker, 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, 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 (&?;), v. i. To go to bed; to cohabit.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Bed"bug` (&?;), n. (Zoöl.) A wingless, bloodsucking, hemipterous insect (Cimex Lectularius), sometimes infesting houses and especially beds. See Illustration in Appendix.

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

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.]

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

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

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

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 (&?;), v. t. [See Bid, v. t.] To pray; also, to offer; to proffer. [Obs.] R. of Gloucester. Chaucer.

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

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.

{ ||Bed"e*guar, Bed"e*gar } (&?;), n. [F., fr. Per. bd-ward, or bd-wardag, 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 rosæ). It was once supposed to have medicinal properties.

Bede"house` (&?;), n. Same as Beadhouse.

{ Be"del, Be"dell } (&?;), n. Same as Beadle.

Be"del*ry (&?;), n. Beadleship. [Obs.] Blount.

||Bed"en (&?;), n. (Zoöl.) The Abyssinian or Arabian ibex (Capra Nubiana). It is probably the wild goat of the Bible.

Bedes"man (&?;), n. Same as Beadsman. [Obs.]

Be*dev"il (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedevilled (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Bedeviling or Bedevilling.] 1. To throw into utter disorder and confusion, as if by the agency of evil spirits; to bring under diabolical influence; to torment.

Bedeviled and used worse than St. Bartholomew. Sterne.

2. To spoil; to corrupt. Wright.

Be*dev"il*ment (&?;), n. The state of being bedeviled; bewildering confusion; vexatious trouble. [Colloq.]

Be*dew" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedewed (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Bedewing.] To moisten with dew, or as with dew. "Falling tears his face bedew." Dryden.

Be*dew"er (&?;), n. One who, or that which, bedews.

Be*dew"y (&?;), a. Moist with dew; dewy. [Obs.]

Night with her bedewy wings. A. Brewer.

Bed"fel`low (&?;), n. One who lies with another in the same bed; a person who shares one's couch.

{ Bed"fere` Bed"phere` } (&?;), n. [Bed + AS. fera a companion.] A bedfellow. [Obs.] Chapman.

Bed"gown` (&?;), n. A nightgown.

Be*dight" (&?;), v. t. [p. p. Bedight, Bedighted.] To bedeck; to array or equip; to adorn. [Archaic] Milton.

Be*dim" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedimmed (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Bedimming.] To make dim; to obscure or darken. Shak.

Be*diz"en (&?;), v. t. To dress or adorn tawdrily or with false taste.

Remnants of tapestried hangings, . . . and shreds of pictures with which he had bedizened his tatters. Sir W. Scott.

Be*diz"en*ment (&?;), n. That which bedizens; the act of dressing, or the state of being dressed, tawdrily.

Bed"key` (&?;), n. An instrument for tightening the parts of a bedstead.

Bed"lam (&?;), n. [See Bethlehem.] 1. A place appropriated to the confinement and care of the insane; a madhouse. Abp. Tillotson.

2. An insane person; a lunatic; a madman. [Obs.]

Let's get the bedlam to lead him. Shak.

3. Any place where uproar and confusion prevail.

Bed"lam, a. Belonging to, or fit for, a madhouse. "The bedlam, brainsick duchess." Shak.

Bed"lam*ite (&?;), n. An inhabitant of a madhouse; a madman. "Raving bedlamites." Beattie.

Bed"mak`er (&?;), n. One who makes beds.

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{ Bed"-mold`ing Bed"-mould`ing} (bd"mld`ng), n. (Arch.) The molding of a cornice immediately below the corona. Oxf. Gloss.

Be*dote" (b*dt"), v. t. To cause to dote; to deceive. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Bed"ou*in (&?;), n. [F. bédouin, OF. béduin, fr. Ar. bedaw rural, living in the desert, fr. badw desert, fr. bad to live in the desert, to lead a nomadic life.] One of the nomadic Arabs who live in tents, and are scattered over Arabia, Syria, and northern Africa, esp. in the deserts. -- Bed"ou*in*ism (&?;), n.

Bed"ou*in, a. Pertaining to the Bedouins; nomad.

Bed"pan` (&?;), n. 1. A pan for warming beds. Nares.

2. A shallow chamber vessel, so constructed that it can be used by a sick person in bed.

Bed"phere` (&?;), n. See Bedfere. [Obs.] B. Jonson.

{ Bed"piece` (&?;), Bed"plate` (&?;), } n. (Mach.) The foundation framing or piece, by which the other parts are supported and held in place; the bed; -- called also baseplate and soleplate.

Bed"post` (&?;), n. 1. One of the four standards that support a bedstead or the canopy over a bedstead.

2. Anciently, a post or pin on each side of the bed to keep the clothes from falling off. See Bedstaff. Brewer.

Bed"quilt` (&?;), n. A quilt for a bed; a coverlet.

Be*drab"ble (&?;), v. t. To befoul with rain and mud; to drabble.

Be*drag"gle (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedraggled (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Bedraggling (&?;).] To draggle; to soil, as garments which, in walking, are suffered to drag in dust, mud, etc. Swift.

Be*drench" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bedrenched (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Bedrenching.] To drench; to saturate with moisture; to soak. Shak.

Be*drib"ble (&?;), v. t. To dribble upon.

{ Bed"rid` (&?;), Bed"rid`den (&?;), } a. [OE. bedrede, AS. bedreda, bedrida; from bed, bedd, a bed or couch + ridda a rider; cf. OHG. pettiriso, G. bettrise. See Bed, n., and Ride, v. i. ] Confined to the bed by sickness or infirmity. "Her decrepit, sick, and bedrid father." Shak. "The estate of a bedridden old gentleman." Macaulay.