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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)


A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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Bultong Bul"tong noun Biltong.

Bultow Bul"tow` noun A trawl; a boulter; the mode of fishing with a boulter or spiller.

Bulwark Bul"wark noun [ Akin to Dutch bolwerk , German bollwerk , Swedish bolwerk , Danish bolvärk , bulvärk , rampart; akin to German bohle plank, and werk work, defense. See Bole stem, and Work , noun , and confer Boulevard .] 1. (Fort.) A rampart; a fortification; a bastion or outwork.

2. That which secures against an enemy, or defends from attack; any means of defense or protection.

The royal navy of England hath ever been its greatest defense, . . . the floating bulwark of our island.
Blackstone.

3. plural (Nautical) The sides of a ship above the upper deck.

Syn. -- See Rampart .

Bulwark Bul"wark transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Bulwarked ; present participle & vb . noun Bulwarking .] To fortify with, or as with, a rampart or wall; to secure by fortification; to protect.

Of some proud city, bulwarked round and armed
With rising towers.
Glover.

Bum Bum noun [ Contr. from bottom in this sense.] The buttock. [ Low] Shak.

Bum Bum intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Bummed ; present participle & vb . noun Bumming ] [ See Boom , intransitive verb , to roar.] To make murmuring or humming sound. Jamieson.

Bum Bum noun A humming noise. Halliwell.

Bumbailiff Bum"bail"iff noun [ A corruption of bound bailiff .] [ Low, Eng.] See Bound bailiff , under Bound , adjective

Bumbard Bum"bard See Bombard . [ Obsolete]

Bumbarge Bum"barge` noun See Bumboat . Carlyle.

Bumbast Bum"bast See Bombast . [ Obsolete]

Bumbelo Bum"be·lo noun ; plural Bumbeloes [ Italian bombola .] A glass used in subliming camphor. [ Spelled also bombolo and bumbolo .]

Bumble Bum"ble noun [ See Bump to boom.] (Zoology) The bittern. [ Local, Eng.]

Bumble Bum"ble intransitive verb To make a hollow or humming noise, like that of a bumblebee; to cry as a bittern.

As a bittern bumbleth in the mire.
Chaucer.

Bumblebee Bum"ble·bee` noun [ Middle English bumblen to make a humming noise (dim. of bum , intransitive verb ) + bee . Confer Humblebee .] (Zoology) A large bee of the genus Bombus , sometimes called humblebee ; -- so named from its sound.

» There are many species. All gather honey, and store it in the empty cocoons after the young have come out.

Bumblepuppy Bum"ble·pup`py noun [ Origin unknown; confer Bumble , noun ] 1. The old game of nineholes.

2. (Card Playing) Whist played in an unscientific way.

Bumboat Bum"boat` noun [ From bum the buttocks, on account of its clumsy form; or from Dutch bun a box for holding fish in a boat.] (Nautical) A clumsy boat, used for conveying provisions, fruit, etc., for sale, to vessels lying in port or off shore.

Bumkin Bum"kin noun [ Boom a beam + - kin . See Bumpkin .] (Nautical) A projecting beam or boom; as: (a) One projecting from each bow of a vessel, to haul the fore tack to, called a tack bumpkin . (b) One from each quarter, for the main-brace blocks, and called brace bumpkin . (c) A small outrigger over the stern of a boat, to extend the mizzen. [ Written also boomkin .]

Bummalo Bum"ma·lo noun [ Native name.] (Zoology) A small marine Asiatic fish ( Saurus ophidon ) used in India as a relish; -- called also Bombay duck .

Bummer Bum"mer noun An idle, worthless fellow, who is without any visible means of support; a dissipated sponger. [ Slang, U.S.]

Bummery Bum"me·ry noun See Bottomery . [ Obsolete]

There was a scivener of Wapping brought to hearing for relief against a bummery bond.
R. North.

Bump Bump transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Bumped ; present participle & verbal noun Bumping .] [ Confer W. pwmp round mass, pwmpiaw to thump, bang, and English bum , intransitive verb , boom to roar.] To strike, as with or against anything large or solid; to thump; as, to bump the head against a wall.

Bump Bump intransitive verb To come in violent contact with something; to thump. " Bumping and jumping." Southey.

Bump Bump noun [ From Bump to strike, to thump.] 1. A thump; a heavy blow.

2. A swelling or prominence, resulting from a bump or blow; a protuberance.

It had upon its brow
A bump as big as a young cockerel's stone.
Shak.

3. (Phren.) One of the protuberances on the cranium which are associated with distinct faculties or affections of the mind; as, the bump of "veneration;" the bump of "acquisitiveness." [ Colloq.]

4. The act of striking the stern of the boat in advance with the prow of the boat following. [ Eng.]

Bump Bump intransitive verb [ See Boom to roar.] To make a loud, heavy, or hollow noise, as the bittern; to boom.

As a bittern bumps within a reed.
Dryden.

Bump Bump noun The noise made by the bittern.

Bumper Bum"per noun [ A corruption of bumbard , bombard , a large drinking vessel.] 1. A cup or glass filled to the brim, or till the liquor runs over, particularly in drinking a health or toast.

He frothed his bumpers to the brim.
Tennyson.

2. A covered house at a theater, etc., in honor of some favorite performer. [ Cant]

Bumper Bump"er noun 1. That which bumps or causes a bump.

2. Anything which resists or deadens a bump or shock; a buffer.

Bumpkin Bump"kin noun [ The same word as bumkin , which Cotgrave defines thus: " Bumkin , Fr. chicambault, the luffe-block, a long and thick piece of wood, whereunto the fore-sayle and sprit-sayle are fastened, when a ship goes by the winde." Hence, a clumsy man may easily have been compared to such a block of wood; confer OD. boomken a little tree. See Boom a pole.] An awkward, heavy country fellow; a clown; a country lout. "Bashful country bumpkins ." W. Irving.

Bumptious Bump"tious adjective Self-conceited; forward; pushing. [ Colloq.] Halliwell.

Bumptiousness Bump"tious·ness noun Conceitedness. [ Colloq.]

Bun, Bunn Bun, Bunn noun [ Scot. bun , bunn , Middle English bunne , bonne ; from Celtic; confer Ir. bunna , Gael. bonnach , or Old French bugne tumor, Prov. French bugne a kind of pancake; akin to Old High German bungo bulb, Middle High German bunge , Prov. English bung heap, cluster, bunny a small swelling.] A slightly sweetened raised cake or bisquit with a glazing of sugar and milk on the top crust.

Bunch Bunch noun [ Akin to OSw. & Danish bunke heap, Icelandic bunki heap, pile, bunga tumor, protuberance; confer W. pwng cluster. Confer Bunk .] 1. A protuberance; a hunch; a knob or lump; a hump.

They will carry . . . their treasures upon the bunches of camels.
Isa. xxx. 6.

2. A collection, cluster, or tuft, properly of things of the same kind, growing or fastened together; as, a bunch of grapes; a bunch of keys.

3. (Mining) A small isolated mass of ore, as distinguished from a continuous vein. Page.

Bunch Bunch intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Bunched ; present participle & verbal noun Bunching .] To swell out into a bunch or protuberance; to be protuberant or round.

Bunching out into a large round knob at one end.
Woodward.

Bunch Bunch transitive verb To form into a bunch or bunches.

Bunch grass Bunch" grass` (Botany) A grass growing in bunches and affording pasture. In California, Atropis tenuifolia , Festuca scabrella , and several kinds of Stipa are favorite bunch grasses. In Utah, Eriocoma cuspidata is a good bunch grass.

Bunch-backed Bunch"-backed` adjective Having a bunch on the back; crooked. " Bunch-backed toad." Shak.

Bunchberry Bunch"ber`ry noun (Botany) The dwarf cornel ( Cornus Canadensis ), which bears a dense cluster of bright red, edible berries.

Bunchiness Bunch"i·ness noun The quality or condition of being bunchy; knobbiness.

Bunchy Bunch"y adjective 1. Swelling out in bunches.

An unshapen, bunchy spear, with bark unpiled.
Phaer.

2. Growing in bunches, or resembling a bunch; having tufts; as, the bird's bunchy tail.

3. (Mining) Yielding irregularly; sometimes rich, sometimes poor; as, a bunchy mine. Page.

Buncombe, Bunkum Bun"combe, Bun"kum noun [ Buncombe a county of North Carolina.] Speech-making for the gratification of constituents, or to gain public applause; flattering talk for a selfish purpose; anything said for mere show. [ Cant or Slang, U.S.]

All that flourish about right of search was bunkum -- all that brag about hanging your Canada sheriff was bunkum . . . slavery speeches are all bunkum .
Haliburton.

To speak for Buncombe , to speak for mere show, or popularly.

» "The phrase originated near the close of the debate on the famous ‘Missouri Question,' in the 16th Congress. It was then used by Felix Walker -- a naïve old mountaineer, who resided at Waynesville, in Haywood, the most western country of North Carolina, near the border of the adjacent county of Buncombe , which formed part of his district. The old man rose to speak, while the house was impatiently calling for the ‘ Question ,' and several members gathered round him, begging him to desist. He preserved, however, for a while, declaring that the people of his district expected it, and that he was bound to ‘make a speech for Buncombe .'" W. Darlington.

Bund Bund noun [ G.] League; confederacy; esp. the confederation of German states.

Bund Bund noun [ Hindi band .] An embankment against inundation. [ India] S. Wells Williams.

Bunder Bun"der noun [ Pers. bandar a landing place, pier.] A boat or raft used in the East Indies in the landing of passengers and goods.

Bundes-Versammlung Bun"des-Ver·samm"lung noun [ G.; bund confederacy + versammlung assembly.] See Legislature , Switzerland .

Bundesrath Bun"des·rath` (bon"dĕs*rät`) noun [ G., from bund (akin to English bond ) confederacy + rath council, probably akin to English read .] The federal council of the German Empire. In the Bundesrath and the Reichstag are vested the legislative functions. The federal council of Switzerland is also so called.

» The Bundesrath of the German empire is presided over by a chancellor, and is composed of sixty-two members, who represent the different states of the empire, being appointed for each session by their respective governments.

By this united congress, the highest tribunal of Switzerland, -- the Bundesrath -- is chosen, and the head of this is a president.
J. P. Peters (Trans. Müller's Pol. Hist.).

Bundesrath Bun"des·rath` noun [ G.; bund confederacy + rath council.] Lit., a federal council, esp. of the German Empire. See Legislature .

Bundle Bun"dle (bŭn"d'l) noun [ Middle English bundel , Anglo-Saxon byndel ; akin to Dutch bondel , bundel , German bündel , dim. of bund bundle, from the root of English bind . See Bind .] A number of things bound together, as by a cord or envelope, into a mass or package convenient for handling or conveyance; a loose package; a roll; as, a bundle of straw or of paper; a bundle of old clothes.

The fable of the rods, which, when united in a bundle , no strength could bend.
Goldsmith.

Bundle pillar (Architecture) , a column or pier, with others of small dimensions attached to it. Weale.

Bundle Bun"dle transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Bundled ; present participle & verbal noun Bundling ] 1. To tie or bind in a bundle or roll.

2. To send off abruptly or without ceremony.

They unmercifully bundled me and my gallant second into our own hackney coach.
T. Hook.

To bundle off , to send off in a hurry, or without ceremony. -- To bundle one's self up , to wrap one's self up warmly or cumbrously.

Bundle Bun"dle intransitive verb 1. To prepare for departure; to set off in a hurry or without ceremony.

2. To sleep on the same bed without undressing; -- applied to the custom of a man and woman, especially lovers, thus sleeping. Bartlett.

Van Corlear stopped occasionally in the villages to eat pumpkin pies, dance at country frolics, and bundle with the Yankee lasses.
W. Irving.

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