Barranca noun [ Spanish ] A ravine caused by heavy rains or a watercourse. [ Texas & N. Mex.]

Barras noun [ French] A resin, called also galipot .

Barrator noun [ Middle English baratour , Old French barateor deceiver, from Old French barater , bareter , to deceive, cheat, barter. See Barter , intransitive verb ] One guilty of barratry.

Barratrous adjective (Law) Tainted with, or constituting, barratry. -- Bar"ra*trous*ly , adverb Kent.

Barratry noun [ Confer French baraterie , Late Latin barataria . See Barrator , and confer Bartery .]
1. (Law) The practice of exciting and encouraging lawsuits and quarrels. [ Also spelt barretry .] Coke. Blackstone.

2. (Mar. Law) A fraudulent breach of duty or willful act of known illegality on the part of a master of a ship, in his character of master, or of the mariners, to the injury of the owner of the ship or cargo, and without his consent. It includes every breach of trust committed with dishonest purpose, as by running away with the ship, sinking or deserting her, etc., or by embezzling the cargo. Kent. Park.

3. (Scots Law) The crime of a judge who is influenced by bribery in pronouncing judgment. Wharton.

Barred owl (Zoology) A large American owl ( Syrnium nebulosum ); -- so called from the transverse bars of a dark brown color on the breast.

Barrel (băr"rĕl) noun [ Middle English barel , French baril , probably from barre bar. Confer Barricade .]
1. A round vessel or cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends or heads.

2. The quantity which constitutes a full barrel. This varies for different articles and also in different places for the same article, being regulated by custom or by law. A barrel of wine is 31½ gallons; a barrel of flour is 196 pounds.

3. A solid drum, or a hollow cylinder or case; as, the barrel of a windlass; the barrel of a watch, within which the spring is coiled.

4. A metallic tube, as of a gun, from which a projectile is discharged. Knight.

5. A jar. [ Obsolete] 1 Kings xvii. 12.

6. (Zoology) The hollow basal part of a feather.

Barrel bulk (Com.) , a measure equal to five cubic feet, used in estimating capacity, as of a vessel for freight. - - Barrel drain (Architecture) , a drain in the form of a cylindrical tube. -- Barrel of a boiler , the cylindrical part of a boiler, containing the flues. -- Barrel of the ear (Anat.) , the tympanum, or tympanic cavity. -- Barrel organ , an instrument for producing music by the action of a revolving cylinder. -- Barrel vault . See under Vault .

Barrel (băr"rĕl) transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Barreled (-rĕld), or Barrelled ; present participle & verbal noun Barreling , or Barrelling .] To put or to pack in a barrel or barrels.

Barrel process (Metal.) A process of extracting gold or silver by treating the ore in a revolving barrel, or drum, with mercury, chlorine, cyanide solution, or other reagent.

Barreled, Barrelled adjective Having a barrel; -- used in composition; as, a double- barreled gun.

Barren (băr"r e n) adjective [ Middle English barein , Old French brehaing , fem. brehaigne , baraigne , French bréhaigne ; of uncertain origin; confer Arm. brékhañ , markhañ , sterile; Late Latin brana a sterile mare, principally in Aquitanian and Spanish documents; Bisc. barau , baru , fasting.]
1. Incapable of producing offspring; producing no young; sterile; -- said of women and female animals.

She was barren of children.

Bp. Hall.

2. Not producing vegetation, or useful vegetation; sterile. " Barren mountain tracts." Macaulay.

3. Unproductive; fruitless; unprofitable; empty.

Brilliant but barren reveries.
Prescott.

Some schemes will appear barren of hints and matter.
Swift.

4. Mentally dull; stupid. Shak.

Barren flower , a flower which has only stamens without a pistil, or which has neither stamens nor pistils. -- Barren Grounds (Geology) , a vast tract in British America northward of the forest regions. -- Barren Ground bear (Zoology) , a peculiar bear, inhabiting the Barren Grounds, now believed to be a variety of the brown bear of Europe. -- Barren Ground caribou (Zoology) , a small reindeer ( Rangifer Grœnlandicus ) peculiar to the Barren Grounds and Greenland.

Barren noun
1. A tract of barren land.

2. plural Elevated lands or plains on which grow small trees, but not timber; as, pine barrens ; oak barrens . They are not necessarily sterile, and are often fertile. [ Amer.] J. Pickering.

Barrenly adverb Unfruitfully; unproductively.

Barrenness noun The condition of being barren; sterility; unproductiveness.

A total barrenness of invention.
Dryden.

Barrenwort noun (Botany) An herbaceous plant of the Barberry family ( Epimedium alpinum ), having leaves that are bitter and said to be sudorific.

Barret noun [ French barrette , Late Latin barretum a cap. See Berretta , and confer Biretta .] A kind of cap formerly worn by soldiers; -- called also barret cap . Also, the flat cap worn by Roman Catholic ecclesiastics.

Barretter noun [ Old French bareter to exchange. Confer Barter .] (Wireless Teleg.) A thermal cymoscope which operates by increased resistance when subjected to the influence of electric waves. The original form consisted of an extremely fine platinum wire loop attached to terminals and inclosed in a small glass or silver bulb. In a later variety, called the liquid barretter , wire is replace by a column of liquid in a very fine capillary tube.

Barricade noun [ French barricade , from Spanish barricada , orig. a barring up with casks; from barrica cask, perhaps from Late Latin barra bar. See Bar , noun , and confer Barrel , noun ]

1. (Mil.) A fortification, made in haste, of trees, earth, palisades, wagons, or anything that will obstruct the progress or attack of an enemy. It is usually an obstruction formed in streets to block an enemy's access.

2. Any bar, obstruction, or means of defense.

Such a barricade as would greatly annoy, or absolutely stop, the currents of the atmosphere.
Derham.

Barricade transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Barricaded ; present participle & verbal noun Barricading .] [ Confer French barricader . See Barricade , noun ] To fortify or close with a barricade or with barricades; to stop up, as a passage; to obstruct; as, the workmen barricaded the streets of Paris.

The further end whereof [ a bridge] was barricaded with barrels.
Hakluyt.

Barricader noun One who constructs barricades.

Barricado noun & transitive verb See Barricade . Shak.

Barrier noun [ Middle English barrere , barere , French barrière , from barre bar. See Bar , noun ]
1. (Fort.) A carpentry obstruction, stockade, or other obstacle made in a passage in order to stop an enemy.

2. A fortress or fortified town, on the frontier of a country, commanding an avenue of approach.

3. plural A fence or railing to mark the limits of a place, or to keep back a crowd.

No sooner were the barriers opened, than he paced into the lists.
Sir W. Scott.

4. Any obstruction; anything which hinders approach or attack. "Constitutional barriers ." Hopkinson.

5. Any limit or boundary; a line of separation.

'Twixt that [ instinct] and reason, what a nice barrier !
Pope.

Barrier gate , a heavy gate to close the opening through a barrier. -- Barrier reef , a form of coral reef which runs in the general direction of the shore, and incloses a lagoon channel more or less extensive. -- To fight at barriers , to fight with a barrier between, as a martial exercise. [ Obsolete]

Barrigudo noun [ Native name, from Spanish barrigudo big-bellied.] (Zoology) A large, dark- colored, South American monkey, of the genus Lagothrix , having a long prehensile tail.

Barringout noun The act of closing the doors of a schoolroom against a schoolmaster; -- a boyish mode of rebellion in schools. Swift.

Barrio noun ; plural Barrios . [ Spanish ] In Spain and countries colonized by Spain, a village, ward, or district outside a town or city to whose jurisdiction it belongs.

Barrister noun [ From Bar , noun ] Counselor at law; a counsel admitted to plead at the bar, and undertake the public trial of causes, as distinguished from an attorney or solicitor. See Attorney . [ Eng.]

Barroom noun A room containing a bar or counter at which liquors are sold.

Barrow (băr"ro) noun [ Middle English barow , from Anglo-Saxon beran to bear. See Bear to support, and confer Bier .]
1. A support having handles, and with or without a wheel, on which heavy or bulky things can be transported by hand. See Handbarrow , and Wheelbarrow .

2. (Salt Works) A wicker case, in which salt is put to drain.

Barrow noun [ Middle English bergh , Anglo-Saxon beorg , beorh , hill, sepulchral mound; akin to German berg mountain, Goth. bairgahei hill, hilly country, and perhaps to Sanskrit brhant high, OIr. brigh mountain. Confer Berg , Berry a mound, and Borough an incorporated town.]
1. A large mound of earth or stones over the remains of the dead; a tumulus.

2. (Mining) A heap of rubbish, attle, etc.

Barrowist noun (Eccl. Hist.) A follower of Henry Barrowe, one of the founders of Independency or Congregationalism in England. Barrowe was executed for nonconformity in 1593.

Barrulet noun [ Dim. of bar , noun ] (Her.) A diminutive of the bar, having one fourth its width.

Barruly adjective (Her.) Traversed by barrulets or small bars; -- said of the field.

Barry adjective (Her.) Divided into bars; -- said of the field.

Barse (bärs) noun [ Anglo-Saxon bears , bærs , akin to Dutch baars , German bars , barsch . Confer 1st Bass , noun ] The common perch. See 1st Bass . [ Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Bartender noun A barkeeper.

Barter (bär"tẽr) intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Bartered (-tẽrd); present participle & verbal noun Bartering .] [ Middle English bartren , Old French barater , bareter , to cheat, exchange, perhaps from Greek pra`ttein to do, deal (well or ill), use practices or tricks, or perhaps from Celtic; confer Ir. brath treachery, W. brad . Confer Barrator .] To traffic or trade, by exchanging one commodity for another, in distinction from a sale and purchase , in which money is paid for the commodities transferred; to truck.

Barter transitive verb To trade or exchange in the way of barter; to exchange (frequently for an unworthy consideration); to traffic; to truck; -- sometimes followed by away ; as, to barter away goods or honor.

Barter noun
1. The act or practice of trafficking by exchange of commodities; an exchange of goods.

The spirit of huckstering and barter .
Burke.

2. The thing given in exchange.

Syn. -- Exchange; dealing; traffic; trade; truck.

Barterer noun One who barters.

Bartery noun Barter. [ Obsolete] Camden.

Barth noun [ Etymol. unknown.] A place of shelter for cattle. [ Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.

Bartholomew tide Time of the festival of St. Bartholomew, August 24th. Shak.

Bartizan noun [ Confer Brettice .] (Architecture) A small, overhanging structure for lookout or defense, usually projecting at an angle of a building or near an entrance gateway.

Bartlett noun (Botany) A Bartlett pear, a favorite kind of pear, which originated in England about 1770, and was called Williams' Bonchrétien . It was brought to America, and distributed by Mr. Enoch Bartlett, of Dorchester, Massachusetts.

Barton (bär"tŭn) noun [ Anglo-Saxon beretūn courtyard, grange; bere barley + tūn an inclosure.]
1. The demesne lands of a manor; also, the manor itself. [ Eng.] Burton.

2. A farmyard. [ Eng.] Southey.

Bartram noun (Botany) See Bertram . Johnson.

Barway noun A passage into a field or yard, closed by bars made to take out of the posts.

Barwise adverb (Her.) Horizontally.

Barwood (-wod`) noun A red wood of a leguminous tree ( Baphia nitida ), from Angola and the Gabon in Africa. It is used as a dyewood, and also for ramrods, violin bows and turner's work.