Chapter 96

The angelic song in Bethlehem field, On thy birthnight, that sung thee Savior born. Milton.

Birth"place` (&?;), n. The town, city, or country, where a person is born; place of origin or birth, in its more general sense. "The birthplace of valor." Burns.

Birth"right` (&?;), n. Any right, privilege, or possession to which a person is entitled by birth, such as an estate descendible by law to an heir, or civil liberty under a free constitution; esp. the rights or inheritance of the first born.

Lest there be any . . . profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. Heb. xii. 16.

Birth"root` (&?;), n. (Bot.) An herbaceous plant (Trillium erectum), and its astringent rootstock, which is said to have medicinal properties.

Birth"wort` (&?;), n. A genus of herbs and shrubs (Aristolochia), reputed to have medicinal properties.

Bis (&?;), adv. [L. bis twice, for duis, fr. root of duo two. See Two, and cf. Bi- .] Twice; -- a word showing that something is, or is to be, repeated; as a passage of music, or an item in accounts.

Bis-, pref. A form of Bi-, sometimes used before s, c, or a vowel.

Bi"sa an"te*lope (&?;). (Zoöl.) See Oryx.

Bi*sac"cate (&?;), a. [Pref. bi- + saccate.] (Bot.) Having two little bags, sacs, or pouches.

Bis*cay"an (&?;), a. Of or pertaining to Biscay in Spain. -- n. A native or inhabitant of Biscay.

Bis"co*tin (&?;), n. [F. biscotin. See Biscuit.] A confection made of flour, sugar, marmalade, and eggs; a sweet biscuit.

Bis"cuit (&?;), n. [F. biscuit (cf. It. biscotto, Sp. bizcocho, Pg. biscouto), fr. L. bis twice + coctus, p. p. of coquere to cook, bake. See Cook, and cf. Bisque a kind of porcelain.] 1. A kind of unraised bread, of many varieties, plain, sweet, or fancy, formed into flat cakes, and bakes hard; as, ship biscuit.

According to military practice, the bread or biscuit of the Romans was twice prepared in the oven. Gibbon.

2. A small loaf or cake of bread, raised and shortened, or made light with soda or baking powder. Usually a number are baked in the same pan, forming a sheet or card.

3. Earthen ware or porcelain which has undergone the first baking, before it is subjected to the glazing.

4. (Sculp.) A species of white, unglazed porcelain, in which vases, figures, and groups are formed in miniature.

Meat biscuit, an alimentary preparation consisting of matters extracted from meat by boiling, or of meat ground fine and combined with flour, so as to form biscuits.

Bi*scu"tate (&?;), a. [Pref. bi- + scutate.] (Bot.) Resembling two bucklers placed side by side.

||Bise (&?;), n. [F.] A cold north wind which prevails on the northern coasts of the Mediterranean and in Switzerland, etc.; -- nearly the same as the mistral.

Bise (&?;), n. (Paint.) See Bice.

Bi*sect" (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bisected; p. pr. & vb. n. Bisecting.] [L. bis twice + secare, sectum, to cut.] 1. To cut or divide into two parts.

2. (Geom.) To divide into two equal parts.

Bi*sec"tion (&?;), n. [Cf. F. bissection.] Division into two parts, esp. two equal parts.

Bi*sec"tor (&?;), n. One who, or that which, bisects; esp. (Geom.) a straight line which bisects an angle.

Bi*sec"trix (&?;), n. The line bisecting the angle between the optic axes of a biaxial crystal.

Bi*seg"ment (&?;), n. [Pref. bi- + segment.] One of tow equal parts of a line, or other magnitude.

Bi*sep"tate (&?;), a. [Pref. bi- + septate.] With two partitions or septa. Gray.

{ Bi*se"ri*al (&?;), Bi*se"ri*ate (&?;), } a. [Pref. bi- + serial, seriate.] In two rows or series.

Bi*ser"rate (&?;), a. [Pref. bi- + serrate.] 1. (Bot.) Doubly serrate, or having the serratures serrate, as in some leaves.

2. (Zoöl.) Serrate on both sides, as some antennæ.

{ Bi*se"tose (&?;), Bi*se"tous (&?;), } a. [Pref. bi- + setose, setous.] Having two bristles.

Bi*sex"ous (&?;), a. [L. bis twice + sexus sex: cf. F. bissexe.] Bisexual. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.

Bi*sex"u*al (&?;), a. [Pref. bi- + sexual.] (Biol.) Of both sexes; hermaphrodite; as a flower with stamens and pistil, or an animal having ovaries and testes.

Bi*sex"u*ous (&?;), a. Bisexual.

Bi*seye" (&?;), p. p. of Besee. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Evil biseye, ill looking. [Obs.]

Bish (&?;), n. Same as Bikh.

Bish"op (&?;), n. [OE. bischop, biscop, bisceop, AS. bisceop, biscop, L. episcopus overseer, superintendent, bishop, fr. Gr. &?;, &?; over + &?; inspector, fr. root of &?;, &?;, to look to, perh. akin to L. specere to look at. See Spy, and cf. Episcopal.]

1. A spiritual overseer, superintendent, or director.

Ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. 1 Pet. ii. 25.

It is a fact now generally recognized by theologians of all shades of opinion, that in the language of the New Testament the same officer in the church is called indifferently "bishop" ( &?; ) and "elder" or "presbyter." J. B. Lightfoot.

2. In the Roman Catholic, Greek, and Anglican or Protestant Episcopal churches, one ordained to the highest order of the ministry, superior to the priesthood, and generally claiming to be a successor of the Apostles. The bishop is usually the spiritual head or ruler of a diocese, bishopric, or see.

Bishop in partibus [infidelium] (R. C. Ch.), a bishop of a see which does not actually exist; one who has the office of bishop, without especial jurisdiction. Shipley. -- Titular bishop (R. C. Ch.), a term officially substituted in 1882 for bishop in partibus. -- Bench of Bishops. See under Bench.

3. In the Methodist Episcopal and some other churches, one of the highest church officers or superintendents.

4. A piece used in the game of chess, bearing a representation of a bishop's miter; -- formerly called archer.

5. A beverage, being a mixture of wine, oranges or lemons, and sugar. Swift.

6. An old name for a woman's bustle. [U. S.]

If, by her bishop, or her "grace" alone, A genuine lady, or a church, is known. Saxe.

Bish"op, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bishoped (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Bishoping.] To admit into the church by confirmation; to confirm; hence, to receive formally to favor.

Bish"op (&?;), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bishoped (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Bishoping.] [From the name of the scoundrel who first practiced it. Youatt.] (Far.) To make seem younger, by operating on the teeth; as, to bishop an old horse or his teeth.

The plan adopted is to cut off all the nippers with a saw to the proper length, and then with a cutting instrument the operator scoops out an oval cavity in the corner nippers, which is afterwards burnt with a hot iron until it is black. J. H. Walsh.

Bish"op*dom (&?;), n. Jurisdiction of a bishop; episcopate. "Divine right of bishopdom." Milton.

Bish"op*like` (&?;), a. Resembling a bishop; belonging to a bishop. Fulke.

Bish"op*ly, a. Bishoplike; episcopal. [Obs.]

Bish"op*ly, adv. In the manner of a bishop. [Obs.]

Bish"op*ric (&?;), n. [AS. bisceoprce; bisceop bishop + rce dominion. See -ric.] 1. A diocese; the district over which the jurisdiction of a bishop extends.

2. The office of a spiritual overseer, as of an apostle, bishop, or presbyter. Acts i. 20.

Bish"op's cap` (&?;). (Bot.) A plant of the genus Mitella; miterwort. Longfellow.

Bish"op sleeve` (&?;). A wide sleeve, once worn by women.

Bish"op's length` (&?;). A canvas for a portrait measuring 58 by 94 inches. The half bishop measures 45 by 56.

Bish"op-stool` (&?;), n. A bishop's seat or see.

Bish"op's-weed` (&?;), n. (Bot.) (a) An umbelliferous plant of the genus Ammi. (b) Goutweed (Ægopodium podagraria).

Bish"op's-wort` (&?;), n. (Bot.) Wood betony (Stachys betonica); also, the plant called fennel flower (Nigella Damascena), or devil-in-a-bush.

Bis"ie (&?;), v. t. To busy; to employ. [Obs.]

Bi*sil"i*cate (&?;), n. (Min. Chem.) A salt of metasilicic acid; -- so called because the ratio of the oxygen of the silica to the oxygen of the base is as two to one. The bisilicates include many of the most common and important minerals.

Bisk (&?;), n. [F. bisque.] Soup or broth made by boiling several sorts of flesh together. King.

Bisk, n. [F. bisque.] (Tennis) See Bisque.

{ Bi*smare" (&?;), Bi*smer" } (&?;), n. [AS. bismer.] Shame; abuse. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Bis"mer (&?;), n. 1. A rule steelyard. [Scot.]

2. (Zoöl.) The fifteen-spined (Gasterosteus spinachia).

||Bis*mil"lah (&?;), interj. [Arabic, in the name of God!] An adjuration or exclamation common among the Mohammedans. [Written also Bizmillah.]

Bis"mite (&?;), n. (Min.) Bismuth trioxide, or bismuth ocher.

Bis"muth (&?;), n. [Ger. bismuth, wismuth: cf. F. bismuth.] (Chem.) One of the elements; a metal of a reddish white color, crystallizing in rhombohedrons. It is somewhat harder than lead, and rather brittle; masses show broad cleavage surfaces when broken across. It melts at 507° Fahr., being easily fused in the flame of a candle. It is found in a native state, and as a constituent of some minerals. Specific gravity 9.8. Atomic weight 207.5. Symbol Bi.

Chemically, bismuth (with arsenic and antimony is intermediate between the metals and nonmetals; it is used in thermo-electric piles, and as an alloy with lead and tin in the fusible alloy or metal. Bismuth is the most diamagnetic substance known.

Bismuth glance, bismuth sulphide; bismuthinite. -- Bismuth ocher, a native bismuth oxide; bismite.

Bis"muth*al (&?;), a. Containing bismuth.

Bis"muth*ic (&?;), a. (Chem.) Of or pertaining to bismuth; containing bismuth, when this element has its higher valence; as, bismuthic oxide.

Bis`muth*if"er*ous (&?;), a. [Bismuth + -ferous.] Containing bismuth.

{ Bis"muth*ine (&?;), Bis"muth*in*ite (&?;), } n. Native bismuth sulphide; -- sometimes called bismuthite.

Bis"muth*ous (&?;), a. Of, or containing, bismuth, when this element has its lower valence.

Bis"muth*yl` (&?;), n. (Min.) Hydrous carbonate of bismuth, an earthy mineral of a dull white or yellowish color. [Written also bismuthite.]

Bi"son (b"sn; 277), n. [L. bison, Gr. bi`swn, a wild ox; akin to OHG. wisunt, wisant, G. wisent, AS. wesend, Icel. vsundr: cf. F. bison.] (Zoöl.) (a) The aurochs or European bison. (b) The American bison buffalo (Bison Americanus), a large, gregarious bovine quadruped with shaggy mane and short black horns, which formerly roamed in herds over most of the temperate portion of North America, but is now restricted to very limited districts in the region of the Rocky Mountains, and is rapidly decreasing in numbers.

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Bi*spi"nose (b*sp"ns), a. [Pref. bi- + spinose.] (Zoöl.) Having two spines.

||Bisque (&?;), n. [A corruption of biscuit.] Unglazed white porcelain.

Bisque, n. [F.] A point taken by the receiver of odds in the game of tennis; also, an extra innings allowed to a weaker player in croquet.

||Bisque, n. [F.] A white soup made of crayfish.

Bis*sex"tile (&?;), n. [L. bissextilis annus, fr. bissextus (bis + sextus sixth, fr. sex six) the sixth of the calends of March, or twenty-fourth day of February, which was reckoned twice every fourth year, by the intercalation of a day.] Leap year; every fourth year, in which a day is added to the month of February on account of the excess of the tropical year (365 d. 5 h. 48 m. 46 s.) above 365 days. But one day added every four years is equivalent to six hours each year, which is 11 m. 14 s. more than the excess of the real year. Hence, it is necessary to suppress the bissextile day at the end of every century which is not divisible by 400, while it is retained at the end of those which are divisible by 400.

Bis*sex"tile, a. Pertaining to leap year.

Bis"son (&?;), a. [OE. bisen, bisne, AS. bisen, prob. for bs&?;ne; bi by + s&?;ne clear, akin to seón to see; clear when near, hence short-sighted. See See.] Purblind; blinding. [Obs.] "Bisson rheum." Shak.

{ Bis"ter, Bis"tre } (&?;), n. [F. bistre a color made of soot; of unknown origin. Cf., however, LG. biester frowning, dark, ugly.] (Paint.) A dark brown pigment extracted from the soot of wood.

Bi*stip"uled (&?;), a. [Pref. bi- + stipule.] (Bot.) Having two stipules.

Bis"tort (&?;), n. [L. bis + tortus, p. p. of torquere to twist: cf. F. bistorte.] (Bot.) An herbaceous plant of the genus Polygonum, section Bistorta; snakeweed; adderwort. Its root is used in medicine as an astringent.

Bis"tou*ry (&?;), n.; pl. Bistouries (&?;). [F. bistouri.] A surgical instrument consisting of a slender knife, either straight or curved, generally used by introducing it beneath the part to be divided, and cutting towards the surface.

Bis"tre (&?;), n. See Bister.

Bi*sul"cate (&?;), a. [Pref. bi- + sulcate.] 1. Having two grooves or furrows.

2. (Zoöl.) Cloven; said of a foot or hoof.

Bi*sul"cous (&?;), a. [L. bisulcus; bis twice + sulcus furrow.] Bisulcate. Sir T. Browne.

Bi*sul"phate (&?;), n. [Pref. bi- + sulphate.] (Chem.) A sulphate in which but half the hydrogen of the acid is replaced by a positive element or radical, thus making the proportion of the acid to the positive or basic portion twice what it is in the normal sulphates; an acid sulphate.

Bi*sul"phide (&?;), n. [Pref. bi- + sulphide.] (Chem.) A sulphide having two atoms of sulphur in the molecule; a disulphide, as in iron pyrites, FeS2; -- less frequently called bisulphuret.

Bi*sul"phite (&?;), n. (Chem.) A salt of sulphurous acid in which the base replaces but half the hydrogen of the acid; an acid sulphite.

Bi*sul"phu*ret (&?;), n. [Pref. bi- + sulphuret.] (Chem.) See Bisulphide.

Bit (&?;), n. [OE. bitt, bite, AS. bite, bite, fr. btan to bite. See Bite, n. & v., and cf. Bit a morsel.] 1. The part of a bridle, usually of iron, which is inserted in the mouth of a horse, and having appendages to which the reins are fastened. Shak.

The foamy bridle with the bit of gold. Chaucer.

2. Fig.: Anything which curbs or restrains.

Bit, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bitted (&?;); p. pr. & vb. n. Bitting.] To put a bridle upon; to put the bit in the mouth of.

Bit, imp. & p. p. of Bite.

Bit, n. [OE. bite, AS. bita, fr. btan to bite; akin to D. beet, G. bissen bit, morsel, Icel. biti. See Bite, v., and cf. Bit part of a bridle.] 1. A part of anything, such as may be bitten off or taken into the mouth; a morsel; a bite. Hence: A small piece of anything; a little; a mite.

2. Somewhat; something, but not very great.

My young companion was a bit of a poet. T. Hook.

This word is used, also, like jot and whit, to express the smallest degree; as, he is not a bit wiser.

3. A tool for boring, of various forms and sizes, usually turned by means of a brace or bitstock. See Bitstock.

4. The part of a key which enters the lock and acts upon the bolt and tumblers. Knight.

5. The cutting iron of a plane. Knight.

6. In the Southern and Southwestern States, a small silver coin (as the real) formerly current; commonly, one worth about 12 1/2 cents; also, the sum of 12 1/2 cents.

Bit my bit, piecemeal. Pope.

Bit, 3d sing. pr. of Bid, for biddeth. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Bi*take" (&?;), v. t. [See Betake, Betaught.] To commend; to commit. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Bi*tan"gent (&?;), a. [Pref. bi- + tangent.] (Geom.) Possessing the property of touching at two points. -- n. A line that touches a curve in two points.

Bi*tar"trate (&?;), n. (Chem.) A salt of tartaric acid in which the base replaces but half the acid hydrogen; an acid tartrate, as cream of tartar.

Bitch (&?;), n. [OE. biche, bicche, AS. bicce; cf. Icel. bikkja, G. betze, peize.] 1. The female of the canine kind, as of the dog, wolf, and fox.

2. An opprobrious name for a woman, especially a lewd woman. Pope.

Bite (&?;), v. t. [imp. Bit (&?;); p. p. Bitten (&?;), Bit; p. pr. & vb. n. Biting.] [OE. biten, AS. btan; akin to D. bijten, OS. btan, OHG. bzan, G. beissen, Goth. beitan, Icel. bta, Sw. bita, Dan. bide, L. findere to cleave, Skr. bhid to cleave. &radic;87. Cf. Fissure.]

1. To seize with the teeth, so that they enter or nip the thing seized; to lacerate, crush, or wound with the teeth; as, to bite an apple; to bite a crust; the dog bit a man.

Such smiling rogues as these, Like rats, oft bite the holy cords atwain. Shak.

2. To puncture, abrade, or sting with an organ (of some insects) used in taking food.

3. To cause sharp pain, or smarting, to; to hurt or injure, in a literal or a figurative sense; as, pepper bites the mouth. "Frosts do bite the meads." Shak.

4. To cheat; to trick; to take in. [Colloq.] Pope.

5. To take hold of; to hold fast; to adhere to; as, the anchor bites the ground.

The last screw of the rack having been turned so often that its purchase crumbled, . . . it turned and turned with nothing to bite. Dickens.

To bite the dust, To bite the ground, to fall in the agonies of death; as, he made his enemy bite the dust. -- To bite in (Etching), to corrode or eat into metallic plates by means of an acid. -- To bite the thumb at (any one), formerly a mark of contempt, designed to provoke a quarrel; to defy. "Do you bite your thumb at us?" Shak. -- To bite the tongue, to keep silence. Shak.

Bite (&?;), v. i. 1. To seize something forcibly with the teeth; to wound with the teeth; to have the habit of so doing; as, does the dog bite?

2. To cause a smarting sensation; to have a property which causes such a sensation; to be pungent; as, it bites like pepper or mustard.

3. To cause sharp pain; to produce anguish; to hurt or injure; to have the property of so doing.

At the last it [wine] biteth like serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Prov. xxiii. 32.

4. To take a bait into the mouth, as a fish does; hence, to take a tempting offer.

5. To take or keep a firm hold; as, the anchor bites.

Bite, n. [OE. bite, bit, bitt, AS. bite bite, fr. btan to bite, akin to Icel. bit, OS. biti, G. biss. See Bite, v., and cf. Bit.] 1. The act of seizing with the teeth or mouth; the act of wounding or separating with the teeth or mouth; a seizure with the teeth or mouth, as of a bait; as, to give anything a hard bite.

I have known a very good fisher angle diligently four or six hours for a river carp, and not have a bite. Walton.

2. The act of puncturing or abrading with an organ for taking food, as is done by some insects.

3. The wound made by biting; as, the pain of a dog's or snake's bite; the bite of a mosquito.

4. A morsel; as much as is taken at once by biting.

5. The hold which the short end of a lever has upon the thing to be lifted, or the hold which one part of a machine has upon another.

6. A cheat; a trick; a fraud. [Colloq.]

The baser methods of getting money by fraud and bite, by deceiving and overreaching. Humorist.

7. A sharper; one who cheats. [Slang] Johnson.

8. (Print.) A blank on the edge or corner of a page, owing to a portion of the frisket, or something else, intervening between the type and paper.

Bit"er (&?;), n. 1. One who, or that which, bites; that which bites often, or is inclined to bite, as a dog or fish. "Great barkers are no biters." Camden.

2. One who cheats; a sharper. [Colloq.] Spectator.

Bi*ter"nate (&?;), a. [Pref. bi- + ternate.] (Bot.) Doubly ternate, as when a petiole has three ternate leaflets. -- Bi*ter"nate*ly, adv. Gray.

Bi"the*ism (&?;), n. [Pref. bi- + theism.] Belief in the existence of two gods; dualism.

Bit"ing (&?;), a. That bites; sharp; cutting; sarcastic; caustic. "A biting affliction." "A biting jest." Shak.

Bit"ing in" (&?;). (Etching.) The process of corroding or eating into metallic plates, by means of an acid. See Etch. G. Francis.

Bit"ing*ly, adv. In a biting manner.

Bit"less (&?;), a. Not having a bit or bridle.

Bit"stock` (&?;), n. A stock or handle for holding and rotating a bit; a brace.

Bitt (&?;), n. (Naut.) See Bitts.

Bitt (&?;), v. t. [See Bitts.] (Naut.) To put round the bitts; as, to bitt the cable, in order to fasten it or to slacken it gradually, which is called veering away. Totten.

Bit"ta*cle (&?;), n. A binnacle. [Obs.]

Bit"ten (&?;), p. p. of Bite.

Bit"ten (&?;), a. (Bot.) Terminating abruptly, as if bitten off; premorse.

Bit"ter (&?;), n. [See Bitts.] (Naut.) AA turn of the cable which is round the bitts.

Bitter end, that part of a cable which is abaft the bitts, and so within board, when the ship rides at anchor.

Bit"ter (&?;), a. [AS. biter; akin to Goth. baitrs, Icel. bitr, Dan., Sw., D., & G. bitter, OS. bittar, fr. root of E. bite. See Bite, v. t.] 1. Having a peculiar, acrid, biting taste, like that of wormwood or an infusion of hops; as, a bitter medicine; bitter as aloes.

2. Causing pain or smart; piercing; painful; sharp; severe; as, a bitter cold day.

3. Causing, or fitted to cause, pain or distress to the mind; calamitous; poignant.

It is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God. Jer. ii. 19.

4. Characterized by sharpness, severity, or cruelty; harsh; stern; virulent; as, bitter reproach.

Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Col. iii. 19.

5. Mournful; sad; distressing; painful; pitiable.

The Egyptians . . . made their lives bitter with hard bondage. Ex. i. 14.

Bitter apple, Bitter cucumber, Bitter gourd. (Bot.) See Colocynth. -- Bitter cress (Bot.), a plant of the genus Cardamine, esp. C. amara. -- Bitter earth (Min.), tale earth; calcined magnesia. -- Bitter principles (Chem.), a class of substances, extracted from vegetable products, having strong bitter taste but with no sharply defined chemical characteristics. -- Bitter salt, Epsom salts; magnesium sulphate. -- Bitter vetch (Bot.), a name given to two European leguminous herbs, Vicia Orobus and Ervum Ervilia. -- To the bitter end, to the last extremity, however calamitous.

Syn. -- Acrid; sharp; harsh; pungent; stinging; cutting; severe; acrimonious.

Bit"ter (&?;), n. Any substance that is bitter. See Bitters.

Bit"ter, v. t. To make bitter. Wolcott.

Bit"ter*bump` (&?;), n. (Zoöl.) the butterbump or bittern.

Bit"ter*ful (&?;), a. Full of bitterness. [Obs.]

Bit"ter*ing, n. A bitter compound used in adulterating beer; bittern.

Bit"ter*ish, a. Somewhat bitter. Goldsmith.

Bit"ter*ling (&?;), n. [G.] (Zoöl.) A roachlike European fish (Rhodima amarus).

Bit"ter*ly, adv. In a bitter manner.

Bit"tern (&?;), n. [OE. bitoure, betore, bitter, fr. F. butor; of unknown origin.] (Zoöl.) A wading bird of the genus Botaurus, allied to the herons, of various species.

The common European bittern is Botaurus stellaris. It makes, during the brooding season, a noise called by Dryden bumping, and by Goldsmith booming. The American bittern is B. lentiginosus, and is also called stake-driver and meadow hen. See Stake- driver.

The name is applied to other related birds, as the least bittern (Ardetta exilis), and the sun bittern.

Bit"tern, n. [From Bitter, a.] 1. The brine which remains in salt works after the salt is concreted, having a bitter taste from the chloride of magnesium which it contains.

2. A very bitter compound of quassia, cocculus Indicus, etc., used by fraudulent brewers in adulterating beer. Cooley.

Bit"ter*ness (&?;), n. [AS. biternys; biter better + -nys = -ness.] 1. The quality or state of being bitter, sharp, or acrid, in either a literal or figurative sense; implacableness; resentfulness; severity; keenness of reproach or sarcasm; deep distress, grief, or vexation of mind.

The lip that curls with bitterness. Percival.

I will complain in the bitterness of my soul. Job vii. 11.

2. A state of extreme impiety or enmity to God.

Thou art in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity. Acts viii. 23.

3. Dangerous error, or schism, tending to draw persons to apostasy.

Looking diligently, . . . lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you. Heb. xii. 15.

Bit"ter*nut", n. (Bot.) The swamp hickory (Carya amara). Its thin-shelled nuts are bitter.

Bit"ter*root` (&?;), n. (Bot.) A plant (Lewisia rediviva) allied to the purslane, but with fleshy, farinaceous roots, growing in the mountains of Idaho, Montana, etc. It gives the name to the Bitter Root mountains and river. The Indians call both the plant and the river Spæt'lum.