Chapter 88

8. (Mech.) A band of leather, or other flexible substance, passing around two wheels, and communicating motion from one to the other. [See Illust. of Pulley.]

9. (Nat. Hist.) A band or stripe, as of color, round any organ; or any circular ridge or series of ridges.

Belt lacing, thongs used for lacing together the ends of machine belting.

Belt, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Belted; p. pr. & vb. n. Belting.] To encircle with, or as with, a belt; to encompass; to surround.

A coarse black robe belted round the waist. C. Reade.

They belt him round with hearts undaunted. Wordsworth.

2. To shear, as the buttocks and tails of sheep. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Bel"tane (&?;), n. [Gael. bealltainn, bealltuinn.] 1. The first day of May (Old Style).

The quarter-days anciently in Scotland were Hallowmas, Candlemas, Beltane, and Lammas. New English Dict.

2. A festival of the heathen Celts on the first day of May, in the observance of which great bonfires were kindled. It still exists in a modified form in some parts of Scotland and Ireland.

Belt"ed (&?;), a. 1. Encircled by, or secured with, a belt; as, a belted plaid; girt with a belt, as an honorary distinction; as, a belted knight; a belted earl.

2. Marked with a band or circle; as, a belted stalk.

3. Worn in, or suspended from, the belt.

Three men with belted brands. Sir W. Scott.

Belted cattle, cattle originally from Dutch stock, having a broad band of white round the middle, while the rest of the body is black; -- called also blanketed cattle.

{ Bel"tein (&?;), Bel"tin } (&?;), n. See Beltane.

Belt"ing (&?;), n. The material of which belts for machinery are made; also, belts, taken collectively.

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Be*lu"ga (b*l"g), n. [Russ. bieluga a sort of large sturgeon, prop. white fish, fr. bieluii white.] (Zoöl.) A cetacean allied to the dolphins.

The northern beluga (Delphinapterus catodon) is the white whale and white fish of the whalers. It grows to be from twelve to eighteen feet long.

Be*lute" (b*lt"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beluted; p. pr. & vb. n. Beluting.] [Pref. be- + L. lutum mud.] To bespatter, as with mud. [R.] Sterne.

Bel`ve*dere" (&?;), n. [It., fr. bello, bel, beautiful + vedere to see.] (Arch.) A small building, or a part of a building, more or less open, constructed in a place commanding a fine prospect.

||Bel"ze*buth (&?;), n. [From Beelzebub.] (Zoöl.) A spider monkey (Ateles belzebuth) of Brazil.

||Be"ma (&?;), n. [Gr. &?; step, platform.] 1. (Gr. Antiq.) A platform from which speakers addressed an assembly. Mitford.

2. (Arch.) (a) That part of an early Christian church which was reserved for the higher clergy; the inner or eastern part of the chancel. (b) Erroneously: A pulpit.

Be*mad" (&?;), v. t. To make mad. [Obs.] Fuller.

Be*man"gle (&?;), v. t. To mangle; to tear asunder. [R.] Beaumont.

Be*mask" (&?;), v. t. To mask; to conceal.

Be*mas"ter (&?;), v. t. To master thoroughly.

Be*maul" (&?;), v. t. To maul or beat severely; to bruise. "In order to bemaul Yorick." Sterne.

Be*maze (&?;), v. t. [OE. bimasen; pref. be- + masen to maze.] To bewilder.

Intellects bemazed in endless doubt. Cowper.

Be*mean" (&?;), v. t. To make mean; to lower. C. Reade.

Be*meet" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bemet (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Bemeeting.] To meet. [Obs.]

Our very loving sister, well bemet. Shak.

Be*mete" (&?;), v. t. To mete. [Obs.] Shak.

Be*min"gle (&?;), v. t. To mingle; to mix.

Be*mire" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bemired (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Bemiring.] To drag through, encumber with, or fix in, the mire; to soil by passing through mud or dirt.

Bemired and benighted in the dog. Burke.

Be*mist" (&?;), v. t. To envelop in mist. [Obs.]

Be*moan" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bemoaned (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Bemoaning.] [OE. bimenen, AS. bem&?;nan; pref. be- + m&?;nan to moan. See Moan.] To express deep grief for by moaning; to express sorrow for; to lament; to bewail; to pity or sympathize with.

Implores their pity, and his pain bemoans. Dryden.

Syn. -- See Deplore.

Be*moan"er (&?;), n. One who bemoans.

Be*mock" (&?;), v. t. To mock; to ridicule.

Bemock the modest moon. Shak.

Be*moil" (&?;), v. t. [Pref. be- + moil, fr. F. mouiller to wet; but cf. also OE. bimolen to soil, fr. AS. ml spot: cf. E. mole.] To soil or encumber with mire and dirt. [Obs.] Shak.

Be"mol (b"ml), n. [F. bémol, fr. bé + mol soft.] (Mus.) The sign ; the same as B flat. [Obs.]

Be*mon"ster (&?;), v. t. To make monstrous or like a monster. [Obs.] Shak.

Be*mourn" (&?;), v. t. To mourn over. Wyclif.

Be*mud"dle (&?;), v. t. To muddle; to stupefy or bewilder; to confuse.

Be*muf"fle (&?;), v. t. To cover as with a muffler; to wrap up.

Bemuffled with the externals of religion. Sterne.

Be*muse" (&?;), v. t. To muddle, daze, or partially stupefy, as with liquor.

A parson much bemused in beer. Pope.

{ Ben (&?;), Ben" nut` } (&?;). [Ar. bn, name of the tree.] (Bot.) The seed of one or more species of moringa; as, oil of ben. See Moringa.

Ben, adv. & prep. [AS. binnan; pref. be- by + innan within, in in.] Within; in; in or into the interior; toward the inner apartment. [Scot.]

Ben, n. [See Ben, adv.] The inner or principal room in a hut or house of two rooms; -- opposed to but, the outer apartment. [Scot.]

Ben. An old form of the pl. indic. pr. of Be. [Obs.]

Be*name" (&?;), v. t. [p. p. Benamed, Benempt.] To promise; to name. [Obs.]

Bench (&?;), n.; pl. Benches (&?;). [OE. bench, benk, AS. benc; akin to Sw. bänk, Dan bænk, Icel. bekkr, OS., D., & G. bank. Cf. Bank, Beach.] 1. A long seat, differing from a stool in its greater length.

Mossy benches supplied the place of chairs. Sir W. Scott.

2. A long table at which mechanics and other work; as, a carpenter's bench.

3. The seat where judges sit in court.

To pluck down justice from your awful bench. Shak.

4. The persons who sit as judges; the court; as, the opinion of the full bench. See King's Bench.

5. A collection or group of dogs exhibited to the public; -- so named because the animals are usually placed on benches or raised platforms.

6. A conformation like a bench; a long stretch of flat ground, or a kind of natural terrace, near a lake or river.

Bench mark (Leveling), one of a number of marks along a line of survey, affixed to permanent objects, to show where leveling staffs were placed. -- Bench of bishops, the whole body of English prelates assembled in council. -- Bench plane, any plane used by carpenters and joiners for working a flat surface, as jack planes, long planes. -- Bench show, an exhibition of dogs. -- Bench table (Arch.), a projecting course at the base of a building, or round a pillar, sufficient to form a seat.

Bench (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Benched (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Benching.] 1. To furnish with benches.

'T was benched with turf. Dryden.

Stately theaters benched crescentwise. Tennyson.

2. To place on a bench or seat of honor.

Whom I . . . have benched and reared to worship. Shak.

Bench, v. i. To sit on a seat of justice. [R.] Shak.

Bench"er (&?;), n. 1. (Eng. Law) One of the senior and governing members of an Inn of Court.

2. An alderman of a corporation. [Eng.] Ashmole.

3. A member of a court or council. [Obs.] Shak.

4. One who frequents the benches of a tavern; an idler. [Obs.]

Bench" war`rant (&?;). (Law) A process issued by a presiding judge or by a court against a person guilty of some contempt, or indicted for some crime; -- so called in distinction from a justice's warrant.

Bend (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bended or Bent (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Bending.] [AS. bendan to bend, fr. bend a band, bond, fr. bindan to bind. See Bind, v. t., and cf. 3d & 4th Bend.] 1. To strain or move out of a straight line; to crook by straining; to make crooked; to curve; to make ready for use by drawing into a curve; as, to bend a bow; to bend the knee.

2. To turn toward some certain point; to direct; to incline. "Bend thine ear to supplication." Milton.

Towards Coventry bend we our course. Shak.

Bending her eyes . . . upon her parent. Sir W. Scott.

3. To apply closely or with interest; to direct.

To bend his mind to any public business. Temple.

But when to mischief mortals bend their will. Pope.

4. To cause to yield; to render submissive; to subdue. "Except she bend her humor." Shak.

5. (Naut.) To fasten, as one rope to another, or as a sail to its yard or stay; or as a cable to the ring of an anchor. Totten.

To bend the brow, to knit the brow, as in deep thought or in anger; to scowl; to frown. Camden.

Syn. -- To lean; stoop; deflect; bow; yield.

Bend, v. i. 1. To be moved or strained out of a straight line; to crook or be curving; to bow.

The green earth's end Where the bowed welkin slow doth bend. Milton.

2. To jut over; to overhang.

There is a cliff, whose high and bending head Looks fearfully in the confined deep. Shak.

3. To be inclined; to be directed.

To whom our vows and wished bend. Milton.

4. To bow in prayer, or in token of submission.

While each to his great Father bends. Coleridge.

Bend, n. [See Bend, v. t., and cf. Bent, n.] 1. A turn or deflection from a straight line or from the proper direction or normal position; a curve; a crook; as, a slight bend of the body; a bend in a road.

2. Turn; purpose; inclination; ends. [Obs.]

Farewell, poor swain; thou art not for my bend. Fletcher.

3. (Naut.) A knot by which one rope is fastened to another or to an anchor, spar, or post. Totten.

4. (Leather Trade) The best quality of sole leather; a butt. See Butt.

5. (Mining) Hard, indurated clay; bind.

6. pl. (Med.) same as caisson disease. Usually referred to as the bends.

Bends of a ship, the thickest and strongest planks in her sides, more generally called wales. They have the beams, knees, and foothooks bolted to them. Also, the frames or ribs that form the ship's body from the keel to the top of the sides; as, the midship bend.

Bend, n. [AS. bend. See Band, and cf. the preceding noun.] 1. A band. [Obs.] Spenser.

2. [OF. bende, bande, F. bande. See Band.] (Her.) One of the honorable ordinaries, containing a third or a fifth part of the field. It crosses the field diagonally from the dexter chief to the sinister base.

Bend sinister (Her.), an honorable ordinary drawn from the sinister chief to the dexter base.

Bend"a*ble (&?;), a. Capable of being bent.

Bend"er (&?;), n. 1. One who, or that which, bends.

2. An instrument used for bending.

3. A drunken spree. [Low, U. S.] Bartlett.

4. A sixpence. [Slang, Eng.]

Bend"ing, n. The marking of the clothes with stripes or horizontal bands. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Bend"let (&?;), n. [Bend + - let: cf. E. bandlet.] (Her.) A narrow bend, esp. one half the width of the bend.

Bend"wise (&?;), adv. (Her.) Diagonally.

Ben"dy (&?;), a. [From Bend a band.] (Her.) Divided into an even number of bends; -- said of a shield or its charge. Cussans.

Ben"e (&?;), n. (Bot.) See Benne.

Be"ne (&?;), n. [AS. bn.] A prayer; boon. [Archaic]

What is good for a bootless bene ? Wordsworth.

{ ||Bene, Ben } (&?;), n. [Native name.] (Zoöl.) A hoglike mammal of New Guinea (Porcula papuensis).

Be*neaped" (&?;), a. (Naut.) See Neaped.

Be*neath" (&?;), prep. [OE. benethe, bineoðen, AS. beneoðan, benyðan; pref. be- + neoðan, nyðan, downward, beneath, akin to E. nether. See Nether.] 1. Lower in place, with something directly over or on; under; underneath; hence, at the foot of. "Beneath the mount." Ex. xxxii. 19.

Beneath a rude and nameless stone he lies. Pope.

2. Under, in relation to something that is superior, or that oppresses or burdens.

Our country sinks beneath the yoke. Shak.

3. Lower in rank, dignity, or excellence than; as, brutes are beneath man; man is beneath angels in the scale of beings. Hence: Unworthy of; unbecoming.

He will do nothing that is beneath his high station. Atterbury.

Be*neath" (&?;), adv. 1. In a lower place; underneath.

The earth you take from beneath will be barren. Mortimer.

2. Below, as opposed to heaven, or to any superior region or position; as, in earth beneath.

||Ben`e*dic"i*te (&?;), n. [L., (imperative pl.,) bless ye, praise ye.] A canticle (the Latin version of which begins with this word) which may be used in the order for morning prayer in the Church of England. It is taken from an apocryphal addition to the third chapter of Daniel.

||Ben`e*dic"i*te, interj. [See Benedicite, n.] An exclamation corresponding to Bless you !.

{ Ben"e*dict (&?;), Ben"e*dick (&?;), } n. [From Benedick, one of the characters in Shakespeare's play of "Much Ado about Nothing."] A married man, or a man newly married.

Ben"e*dict, a. [L. benedictus, p. p. of benedicere to bless. See Benison, and cf. Bennet.] Having mild and salubrious qualities. [Obs.] Bacon.

Ben`e*dic"tine (&?;), a. Pertaining to the monks of St. Benedict, or St. Benet.

Ben`e*dic"tine, n. (Eccl. Hist.) One of a famous order of monks, established by St. Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century. This order was introduced into the United States in 1846.

The Benedictines wear black clothing, and are sometimes called Black Monks. The name Black Fr&?;&?;&?;&?;rs which belongs to the Dominicans, is also sometimes applied to the Benedictines.

Ben`e*dic"tion (&?;), n. [L. benedictio: cf. F. bénédiction. See Benison.] 1. The act of blessing.

2. A blessing; an expression of blessing, prayer, or kind wishes in favor of any person or thing; a solemn or affectionate invocation of happiness.

So saying, he arose; whom Adam thus Followed with benediction. Milton.

Homeward serenely she walked with God's benediction upon her. Longfellow.

Specifically: The short prayer which closes public worship; as, to give the benediction.

3. (Eccl.) The form of instituting an abbot, answering to the consecration of a bishop. Ayliffe.

4. (R. C. Ch.) A solemn rite by which bells, banners, candles, etc., are blessed with holy water, and formally dedicated to God.

Ben`e*dic"tion*al (&?;), n. A book of benedictions.

Ben`e*dic"tion*a*ry (&?;), n. A collected series of benedictions.

The benedictionary of Bishop Athelwold. G. Gurton's Needle.

Ben`e*dic"tive (&?;), a. Tending to bless. Gauden.

Ben`e*dic"to*ry (&?;), a. Expressing wishes for good; as, a benedictory prayer. Thackeray.

||Ben`e*dic"tus (&?;), n. [L., blessed. See Benedict, a.] The song of Zacharias at the birth of John the Baptist (Luke i. 68); -- so named from the first word of the Latin version.

Ben"e*dight (&?;), a. Blessed. [R.] Longfellow.

Ben`e*fac"tion (&?;), n. [L. benefactio, fr. benefacere to do good to one; bene well + facere to do. See Benefit.] 1. The act of conferring a benefit. Johnson.

2. A benefit conferred; esp. a charitable donation.

Syn. -- Gift; present; gratuity; boon; alms.

Ben`e*fac"tor (&?;), n. [L.] One who confers a benefit or benefits. Bacon.

Ben`e*fac"tress, n. A woman who confers a benefit.

His benefactress blushes at the deed. Cowper.

Be*nef"ic (&?;), a. [L. beneficus. See Benefice.] Favorable; beneficent. Milton.

Ben"e*fice (&?;), n. [F. bénéfice, L. beneficium, a kindness , in LL. a grant of an estate, fr. L. beneficus beneficent; bene well + facere to do. See Benefit.]

1. A favor or benefit. [Obs.] Baxter.

2. (Feudal Law) An estate in lands; a fief.

Such an estate was granted at first for life only, and held on the mere good pleasure of the donor; but afterward, becoming hereditary, it received the appellation of fief, and the term benefice became appropriated to church livings.

3. An ecclesiastical living and church preferment, as in the Church of England; a church endowed with a revenue for the maintenance of divine service. See Advowson.

All church preferments are called benefices, except bishoprics, which are called dignities. But, ordinarily, the term dignity is applied to bishoprics, deaneries, archdeaconries, and prebendaryships; benefice to parsonages, vicarages, and donatives.

Ben"e*fice, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Beneficed.] To endow with a benefice. [Commonly in the past participle.]

Ben"e*ficed (&?;), a. Possessed of a benefice or church preferment. "Beneficed clergymen." Burke.

Ben"e*fice*less (&?;), a. Having no benefice. "Beneficeless precisians." Sheldon.

Be*nef"i*cence (&?;), n. [L. beneficentia, fr. beneficus: cf. F. bénéficence. See Benefice.] The practice of doing good; active goodness, kindness, or charity; bounty springing from purity and goodness.

And whose beneficence no charge exhausts. Cowper.

Syn. -- See Benevolence.

Be*nef`i*cent (&?;), a. Doing or producing good; performing acts of kindness and charity; characterized by beneficence.

The beneficent fruits of Christianity. Prescott.

Syn. -- See Benevolent.

Be*nef`i*cen"tial (&?;), a. Relating to beneficence.

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Be*nef"i*cent*ly (b*nf"*sent*l), adv. In a beneficent manner; with beneficence.

Ben`e*fi"cial (&?;), a. [Cf. F. bénéficial, LL. beneficialis.] 1. Conferring benefits; useful; profitable; helpful; advantageous; serviceable; contributing to a valuable end; -- followed by to.

The war which would have been most beneficial to us. Swift.

2. (Law) Receiving, or entitled to have or receive, advantage, use, or benefit; as, the beneficial owner of an estate. Kent.

3. King. [Obs.] "A beneficial foe." B. Jonson.

Syn. -- See Advantage.

Ben`e*fi"cial*ly, adv. In a beneficial or advantageous manner; profitably; helpfully.

Ben`e*fi"cial*ness, n. The quality of being beneficial; profitableness.

Ben`e*fi"ci*a*ry (&?;), a. [Cf. F. bénéficiaire, LL. beneficiarius.] 1. Holding some office or valuable possession, in subordination to another; holding under a feudal or other superior; having a dependent and secondary possession.

A feudatory or beneficiary king of England. Bacon.

2. Bestowed as a gratuity; as, beneficiary gifts.

Ben`e*fi"ci*a*ry, n.; pl. Beneficiaries (&?;). 1. A feudatory or vassal; hence, one who holds a benefice and uses its proceeds. Ayliffe.

2. One who receives anything as a gift; one who receives a benefit or advantage; esp. one who receives help or income from an educational fund or a trust estate.

The rich men will be offering sacrifice to their Deity whose beneficiaries they are. Jer. Taylor.

Ben`e*fi"ci*ate (&?;), v. t. [Sp. beneficiar to benefit, to work mines.] (Mining) To reduce (ores). -- Ben`e*fi`ci*a"tion (&?;), n.

Ben`e*fi"cient (&?;), a. Beneficent. [Obs.]

Ben"e*fit (&?;), n. [OE. benefet, benfeet, bienfet, F. bienfait, fr. L. benefactum; bene well (adv. of bonus good) + factum, p. p. of facere to do. See Bounty, and Fact.] 1. An act of kindness; a favor conferred.

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Ps. ciii. 2.

2. Whatever promotes prosperity and personal happiness, or adds value to property; advantage; profit.

Men have no right to what is not for their benefit. Burke.

3. A theatrical performance, a concert, or the like, the proceeds of which do not go to the lessee of the theater or to the company, but to some individual actor, or to some charitable use.

4. Beneficence; liberality. [Obs.] Webster (1623).

5. pl. Natural advantages; endowments; accomplishments. [R.] "The benefits of your own country." Shak.

Benefit of clergy. (Law) See under Clergy.

Syn. -- Profit; service; use; avail. See Advantage.

Ben"e*fit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Benefited; p. pr. & vb. n. Benefitting.] To be beneficial to; to do good to; to advantage; to advance in health or prosperity; to be useful to; to profit.

I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them. Jer. xviii. 10.

Ben"e*fit, v. i. To gain advantage; to make improvement; to profit; as, he will benefit by the change.

Ben"e*fit`er (&?;), n. One who confers a benefit; -- also, one who receives a benefit.

Be*neme" (&?;), v. t. [AS. ben&?;man. Cf. Benim.] To deprive (of), or take away (from). [Obs.]

Be*nempt" (&?;), p. p. of Bename. 1. Promised; vowed. [Obs.] Spenser.

2. Named; styled. [Archaic] Sir W. Scott.

||Be`ne plac"i*to (b`n pls"*t; It. b`n plä"ch*t). [It. beneplacito pleasure, fr. L. bene well + placitus pleasing.] 1. At or during pleasure.

For our English judges there never was . . . any bene placito as their tenure. F. Harrison.

2. (Mus.) At pleasure; ad libitum.

Be*net" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Benetted.] To catch in a net; to insnare. Shak.

Be*nev"o*lence (&?;), n. [OF. benevolence, L. benevolentia. See Benevolent.] 1. The disposition to do good; good will; charitableness; love of mankind, accompanied with a desire to promote their happiness.

The wakeful benevolence of the gospel. Chalmers.

2. An act of kindness; good done; charity given.

3. A species of compulsory contribution or tax, which has sometimes been illegally exacted by arbitrary kings of England, and falsely represented as a gratuity.

Syn. -- Benevolence, Beneficence, Munificence. Benevolence marks a disposition made up of a choice and desire for the happiness of others. Beneficence marks the working of this disposition in dispensing good on a somewhat broad scale. Munificence shows the same disposition, but acting on a still broader scale, in conferring gifts and favors. These are not necessarily confined to objects of immediate utility. One may show his munificence in presents of pictures or jewelry, but this would not be beneficence. Benevolence of heart; beneficence of life; munificence in the encouragement of letters.

Be*nev"o*lent (&?;), a. [L. benevolens, -entis; bene well (adv. of bonus good) + volens, p. pr. of volo I will, I wish. See Bounty, and Voluntary.] Having a disposition to do good; possessing or manifesting love to mankind, and a desire to promote their prosperity and happiness; disposed to give to good objects; kind; charitable. -- Be*nev"o*lent*ly, adv.

Syn. -- Benevolent, Beneficent. Etymologically considered, benevolent implies wishing well to others, and beneficent, doing well. But by degrees the word benevolent has been widened to include not only feelings, but actions; thus, we speak of benevolent operations, benevolent labors for the public good, benevolent societies. In like manner, beneficent is now often applied to feelings; thus, we speak of the beneficent intentions of a donor. This extension of the terms enables us to mark nicer shades of meaning. Thus, the phrase "benevolent labors" turns attention to the source of these labors, viz., benevolent feeling; while beneficent would simply mark them as productive of good. So, "beneficent intentions" point to the feelings of the donor as bent upon some specific good act; while "benevolent intentions" would only denote a general wish and design to do good.

Be*nev"o*lous (&?;), a. [L. benevolus.] Kind; benevolent. [Obs.] T. Puller.

Ben*gal" (&?;), n. 1. A province in India, giving its name to various stuffs, animals, etc.

2. A thin stuff, made of silk and hair, originally brought from Bengal.

3. Striped gingham, originally brought from Bengal; Bengal stripes.

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. (Zoöl.). See Tiger.

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

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

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

Be*night" (b*nt"), 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.