Chapter 89

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

Be*nign" (&?;), a. [OE. benigne, bening, OF. benigne, F. bénin, fem. bénigne, 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.

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

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

Be*nig"ni*ty (&?;), n. [OE. benignite, F. bénignité, OF. bénigneté, 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.

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

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

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

Ben"i*son (&?;), n. [OE. beneysun, benesoun, OF. beneï&?;un, beneïson, 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.

||Bé*ni"tier` (&?;), n. [F., fr. bénir to bless.] (R. C. Ch.) A holy-water stoup. Shipley.

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

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

Ben"ja*mite (&?;), n. A descendant of Benjamin; one of the tribe of Benjamin. Judg. iii. 15.

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.

Ben"net (&?;), n. [F. benoîte, 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Bare benting times . . . may come. Dryden.

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

2. Resembling bent. Holland.

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.

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

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

Ben"zal (&?;), n. [Benzoic + aldehyde.] (Chem.) A compound radical, C6H5.CH, of the aromatic series, related to benzyl and benzoyl; -- used adjectively or in combination.

Ben*zam"ide (&?;), n. [Benzoin + 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.

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.

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.

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.]

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

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

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Ben*zo"ic (bn*z"k), a. [Cf. F. benzoïque.] 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.

Ben*zoin" (bn*zoin"), n. [Cf. F. benjoin, Sp. benjui, Pg. beijoin; all fr. Ar. lubn-jw 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.

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

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

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.

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

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.]

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

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

Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek. Shak.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Be*queath" (b*kw"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bequeathed (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Bequeathing.] [OE. biquethen, AS. becweðan to say, affirm, bequeath; pref. be- + cweðan 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.

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

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

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

Be*quest" (&?;), n. [OE. biquest, corrupted fr. bequide; pref. be- + AS. cwide a saying, becweðan 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.

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

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

Be*quote" (&?;), v. t. To quote constantly or with great frequency.

Be*rain (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Berained (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Beraining.] To rain upon; to wet with rain. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Be*rate" (b*rt"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Berated; p. pr. & vb. n. Berating.] To rate or chide vehemently; to scold. Holland. Motley.

Be*rat"tle (b*rt"t'l), v. t. To make rattle; to scold vociferously; to cry down. [Obs.] Shak.

Be*ray" (b*r"), v. t. [Pref. be + ray to defile] To make foul; to soil; to defile. [Obs.] Milton.

||Berbe (brb), n. [Cf. Berber, Barb a Barbary horse.] (Zoöl.) An African genet (Genetta pardina). See Genet.

Ber"ber (br"br), n. [See Barbary.] A member of a race somewhat resembling the Arabs, but often classed as Hamitic, who were formerly the inhabitants of the whole of North Africa from the Mediterranean southward into the Sahara, and who still occupy a large part of that region; -- called also Kabyles. Also, the language spoken by this people.

Ber"ber*ine (&?;), n. (Chem.) An alkaloid obtained, as a bitter, yellow substance, from the root of the barberry, gold thread, and other plants.

Ber"ber*ry (&?;), n. See Barberry.

Ber"dash (&?;), n. A kind of neckcloth. [Obs.]

A treatise against the cravat and berdash. Steele.

Bere (br), v. t. [Cf. OIcel. berja to strike.] To pierce. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Bere, n. See Bear, barley. [Scot.]

Be*reave" (b*rv"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bereaved (b*rvd"), Bereft (b*rft"); p. pr. & vb. n. Bereaving.] [OE. bireven, AS. bereáfian. See Be-, and Reave.]

1. To make destitute; to deprive; to strip; -- with of before the person or thing taken away.

Madam, you have bereft me of all words. Shak.

Bereft of him who taught me how to sing. Tickell.

2. To take away from. [Obs.]

All your interest in those territories Is utterly bereft you; all is lost. Shak.

3. To take away. [Obs.]

Shall move you to bereave my life. Marlowe.

The imp. and past pple. form bereaved is not used in reference to immaterial objects. We say bereaved or bereft by death of a relative, bereft of hope and strength.

Syn. -- To dispossess; to divest.

Be*reave"ment (&?;), n. The state of being bereaved; deprivation; esp., the loss of a relative by death.

Be*reav"er (&?;), n. One who bereaves.

Be*reft" (b*rft"), imp. & p. p. of Bereave.

Be*ret"ta (&?;), n. Same as Berretta.

Berg (&?;), n. [&radic;95. See Barrow hill, and cf. Iceberg.] A large mass or hill, as of ice.

Glittering bergs of ice. Tennyson.

Ber"ga*mot (br"g*mt), n. [F. bergamote, fr. It. bergamotta; prob. a corruption of Turk. beg armdi a lord's pear.] 1. (Bot.) (a) A tree of the Orange family (Citrus bergamia), having a roundish or pear-shaped fruit, from the rind of which an essential oil of delicious odor is extracted, much prized as a perfume. Also, the fruit. (b) A variety of mint (Mentha aquatica, var. glabrata).

2. The essence or perfume made from the fruit.

3. A variety of pear. Johnson.

4. A variety of snuff perfumed with bergamot.

The better hand . . . gives the nose its bergamot. Cowper.

5. A coarse tapestry, manufactured from flock of cotton or hemp, mixed with ox's or goat's hair; -- said to have been invented at Bergamo, Italy. Encyc. Brit.

Wild bergamot (Bot.), an American herb of the Mint family (Monarda fistulosa).

Ber"gan*der (&?;), n. [Berg, for burrow + gander a male goose? Cf. G. bergente, Dan. gravgaas.] (Zoöl.) A European duck (Anas tadorna). See Sheldrake.

Ber"ger*et (&?;), n. [OF. bergerete, F. berger a shepherd.] A pastoral song. [Obs.]

Bergh (&?;), n. [AS. beorg.] A hill. [Obs.]

Berg"mas`ter (&?;), n. See Barmaster.

Berg"meal (&?;), n. [G. berg mountain + mehl meal.] (Min.) An earthy substance, resembling fine flour. It is composed of the shells of infusoria, and in Lapland and Sweden is sometimes eaten, mixed with flour or ground birch bark, in times of scarcity. This name is also given to a white powdery variety of calcite.

Berg"mote (&?;), n. See Barmote.

Ber"go*mask (&?;), n. A rustic dance, so called in ridicule of the people of Bergamo, in Italy, once noted for their clownishness.

Ber"gylt (&?;), n. [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zoöl.) The Norway haddock. See Rosefish.

Be*rhyme" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Berhymed (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Berhyming.] To mention in rhyme or verse; to rhyme about. [Sometimes use depreciatively.] Shak.

||Be`ri*be"ri (&?;), n. [Singhalese beri weakness.] An acute disease occurring in India, characterized by multiple inflammatory changes in the nerves, producing great muscular debility, a painful rigidity of the limbs, and cachexy.

Be*rime" (&?;), v. t. To berhyme. [The earlier and etymologically preferable spelling.]

Berke*le"ian (&?;), a. Of or relating to Bishop Berkeley or his system of idealism; as, Berkeleian philosophy. -- Berke"ley*ism, n.

Ber"lin (&?;), n. [The capital of Prussia] 1. A four-wheeled carriage, having a sheltered seat behind the body and separate from it, invented in the 17th century, at Berlin.

2. Fine worsted for fancy-work; zephyr worsted; -- called also Berlin wool.

Berlin black, a black varnish, drying with almost a dead surface; -- used for coating the better kinds of ironware. Ure. -- Berlin blue, Prussian blue. Ure. -- Berlin green, a complex cyanide of iron, used as a green dye, and similar to Prussian blue. -- Berlin iron, a very fusible variety of cast iron, from which figures and other delicate articles are manufactured. These are often stained or lacquered in imitation of bronze. -- Berlin shop, a shop for the sale of worsted embroidery and the materials for such work. -- Berlin work, worsted embroidery.

{ Berm Berme } (&?;), n. [F. berme, of German origin; cf. G. brame, bräme, border, akin to E. brim.] 1. (Fort.) A narrow shelf or path between the bottom of a parapet and the ditch.

2. (Engineering) A ledge at the bottom of a bank or cutting, to catch earth that may roll down the slope, or to strengthen the bank.

Ber*mu"da grass` (&?;). (Bot.) A kind of grass (Cynodon Dactylon) esteemed for pasture in the Southern United States. It is a native of Southern Europe, but is now wide-spread in warm countries; -- called also scutch grass, and in Bermuda, devil grass.

Ber"na*cle (&?;), n. See Barnacle.

Ber"na fly` (&?;). (Zoöl.) A Brazilian dipterous insect of the genus Trypeta, which lays its eggs in the nostrils or in wounds of man and beast, where the larvæ do great injury.

Ber"nar*dine (&?;), a. Of or pertaining to St. Bernard of Clairvaux, or to the Cistercian monks. -- n. A Cistercian monk.

Ber*nese" (&?;), a. Pertaining to the city or canton of Bern, in Switzerland, or to its inhabitants. -- n. sing. & pl. A native or natives of Bern.

Ber"ni*cle (&?;), n. [OE. bernak, bernacle; cf. OF. bernac; prob. fr. LL. bernacula for hibernicula, bernicula, fr. Hibernia; the birds coming from Hibernia or Ireland. Cf. 1st Barnacle.] A bernicle goose. [Written also barnacle.]

Bernicle goose (Zoöl.), a goose (Branta leucopsis), of Arctic Europe and America. It was formerly believed that it hatched from the cirripeds of the sea (Lepas), which were, therefore, called barnacles, goose barnacles, or Anatifers. The name is also applied to other related species. See Anatifa and Cirripedia.

Ber*nouse" (&?;), n. Same as Burnoose.

Be*rob" (&?;), v. t. To rob; to plunder. [Obs.]

||Ber"o*e (&?;), n. [L. Beroe, one of the Oceanidæ Gr. &?;: cf. F. beroé.] (Zoöl.) A small, oval, transparent jellyfish, belonging to the Ctenophora.

Ber*ret"ta (&?;), n. [It., fr. LL. birrettum, berretum, a cap, dim. of L. birrus, birrum, a cloak to keep off rain, cf. Gr. &?; tawny, red: cf. Sp. birreta, Pg. barrete, and E. Barret.] A square cap worn by ecclesiastics of the Roman Catholic Church. A cardinal's berretta is scarlet; that worn by other clerics is black, except that a bishop's is lined with green. [Also spelt beretta, biretta, etc.]

Ber"ried (&?;), a. Furnished with berries; consisting of a berry; baccate; as, a berried shrub.

Ber"ry (&?;), n.; pl. Berries. [OE. berie, AS. berie, berige; akin to D. bes, G. beere, OS. and OHG. beri, Icel. ber, Sw. bär, Goth. basi, and perh. Skr. bhas to eat.] 1. Any small fleshy fruit, as the strawberry, mulberry, huckleberry, etc.

2. (Bot.) A small fruit that is pulpy or succulent throughout, having seeds loosely imbedded in the pulp, as the currant, grape, blueberry.

3. The coffee bean.

4. One of the ova or eggs of a fish. Travis.

In berry, containing ova or spawn.

Ber"ry, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Berried (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Berrying.] To bear or produce berries.

Ber"ry, n. [AS. beorh. See Barrow a hill.] A mound; a hillock. W. Browne.

Ber"ry*ing, n. A seeking for or gathering of berries, esp. of such as grow wild.

{ Ber"serk (&?;), Ber"serk*er (&?;), } n. [Icel. berserkr.] 1. (Scand. Myth.) One of a class of legendary heroes, who fought frenzied by intoxicating liquors, and naked, regardless of wounds. Longfellow.

2. One who fights as if frenzied, like a Berserker.

Bers"tle (&?;), n. See Bristle. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Berth (&?;), n. [From the root of bear to produce, like birth nativity. See Birth.] [Also written birth.]

1. (Naut.) (a) Convenient sea room. (b) A room in which a number of the officers or ship's company mess and reside. (c) The place where a ship lies when she is at anchor, or at a wharf.

2. An allotted place; an appointment; situation or employment. "He has a good berth." Totten.

3. A place in a ship to sleep in; a long box or shelf on the side of a cabin or stateroom, or of a railway car, for sleeping in.

Berth deck, the deck next below the lower gun deck. Ham. Nav. Encyc. -- To give (the land or any object) a wide berth, to keep at a distance from it.

Berth, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Berthed (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Berthing.] 1. To give an anchorage to, or a place to lie at; to place in a berth; as, she was berthed stem to stern with the Adelaide.

2. To allot or furnish berths to, on shipboard; as, to berth a ship's company. Totten.

Ber"tha (&?;), n. [F. berthe, fr. Berthe, a woman's name.] A kind of collar or cape worn by ladies.

Berth"age (&?;), n. A place for mooring vessels in a dock or harbor.