Bicker Bick"er intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Bickered ; present participle & verbal noun Bickering .] [ Middle English bikeren , perhaps from Celtic; confer W. bicra to fight, bicker, bicre conflict, skirmish; perhaps akin to English beak .] 1. To skirmish; to exchange blows; to fight. [ Obsolete]

Two eagles had a conflict, and bickered together.
Holland.

2. To contend in petulant altercation; to wrangle.

Petty things about which men cark and bicker .
Barrow.

3. To move quickly and unsteadily, or with a pattering noise; to quiver; to be tremulous, like flame.

They [ streamlets] bickered through the sunny shade.
Thomson.

Bicker Bick"er noun 1. A skirmish; an encounter. [ Obsolete]

2. A fight with stones between two parties of boys. [ Scot.] Jamieson.

3. A wrangle; also, a noise,, as in angry contention.

Bickerer Bick"er·er noun One who bickers.

Bickering Bick"er·ing noun 1. A skirmishing. "Frays and bickerings ." Milton.

2. Altercation; wrangling.

Bickerment Bick"er·ment noun Contention. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Bickern Bick"ern noun [ French bigorne . See Bicorn .] An anvil ending in a beak or point (orig. in two beaks); also, the beak or horn itself.

Bickford fuse, fuze Bick"ford fuse, fuze or Bickford match A fuse used in blasting, consisting of a long cylinder of explosive material inclosed in a varnished wrapping of rope or hose. It burns from 2 to 4 feet a minute.

Bicolligate Bi·col"li·gate adjective [ Latin bis twice + colligatus , past participle See Colligate , transitive verb ] (Zoology) Having the anterior toes connected by a basal web.

Bicolor, Bicolored Bi"col`or, Bi"col`ored adjective [ Latin bicolor ; bis twice + color color.] Of two colors.

Biconcave Bi·con"cave adjective [ Prefix bi- + concave .] Concave on both sides; as, biconcave vertebræ.

Biconjugate Bi·con"ju·gate adjective [ Prefix bi- + conjugate , adjective ] (Botany) Twice paired, as when a petiole forks twice. Gray.

Biconvex Bi·con"vex adjective [ Prefix bi- + convex .] Convex on both sides; as, a biconvex lens.

Bicorn, Bicorned Bi"corn, Bi"corned Bi*cor"nous adjective [ Latin bicornis ; bis twice + cornu horn: confer French bicorne . Confer Bickern .] Having two horns; two-horned; crescentlike.

Bicorporal Bi·cor"po·ral adjective [ Prefix bi- + corporal .] Having two bodies.

Bicorporate Bi·cor"po·rate adjective [ Prefix bi- + corporate .] (Her.) Double-bodied, as a lion having one head and two bodies.

Bicostate Bi·cos"tate adjective [ Prefix bi- + costate .] (Botany) Having two principal ribs running longitudinally, as a leaf.

Bicrenate Bi·cre"nate adjective [ Prefix bi- + crenate .] (Botany) Twice crenated, as in the case of leaves whose crenatures are themselves crenate.

Bicrescentic Bi`cres·cen"tic adjective [ Prefix bi- + crescent .] Having the form of a double crescent.

Bicrural Bi·cru"ral adjective [ Prefix bi- + crural .] Having two legs. Hooker.

Bicuspid Bi·cus"pid noun (Anat.) One of the two double-pointed teeth which intervene between the canines (cuspids) and the molars, on each side of each jaw. See Tooth , noun

Bicuspid, Bicuspidate Bi·cus"pid, Bi·cus"pid·ate adjective [ See prefix Bi- , and Cuspidate .] Having two points or prominences; ending in two points; -- said of teeth, leaves, fruit, etc.

Bicyanide Bi·cy"a·nide noun See Dicyanide .

Bicycle Bi"cy·cle noun [ Prefix bi- + cycle .] A light vehicle having two wheels one behind the other. It has a saddle seat and is propelled by the rider's feet acting on cranks or levers.

Bicycler Bi"cy·cler noun One who rides a bicycle.

Bicyclic Bi·cyc"lic adjective Relating to bicycles.

Bicycling Bi"cy·cling noun The use of a bicycle; the act or practice of riding a bicycle.

Bicyclism Bi"cy·clism noun The art of riding a bicycle.

Bicyclist Bi"cy·clist noun A bicycler.

Bicycular Bi·cyc"u·lar adjective Relating to bicycling.

Bid Bid (bĭd) transitive verb [ imperfect Bade (băd), Bid , (Obsolete) Bad ; past participle Bidden Bid ; present participle & verbal noun Bidding .] [ Middle English bidden , prop to ask, beg, Anglo-Saxon biddan ; akin to Old Saxon biddian , Icelandic biðja , Old High German bittan , German bitten , to pray, ask, request, and English bead , also perhaps to Greek teiqein to persuade, Latin fidere to trust, English faith , and bide . But this word was early confused with Middle English beden , beoden , Anglo-Saxon beódan , to offer, command; akin to Icelandic bjōða , Goth. biudan (in comp.), Old High German biotan to command, bid, German bieten , Dutch bieden , to offer, also to Greek pynqa`nesqai to learn by inquiry, Sanskrit budh to be awake, to heed, present OSlav. budēti to be awake, English bode , v. The word now has the form of Middle English bidden to ask, but the meaning of Middle English beden to command, except in "to bid beads." √30.]

1. To make an offer of; to propose. Specifically : To offer to pay ( a certain price, as for a thing put up at auction), or to take (a certain price, as for work to be done under a contract).

2. To offer in words; to declare, as a wish, a greeting, a threat, or defiance, etc.; as, to bid one welcome; to bid good morning, farewell, etc.

Neither bid him God speed.
2. John 10.

He bids defiance to the gaping crowd.
Granrille.

3. To proclaim; to declare publicly; to make known. [ Mostly obsolete ] "Our banns thrice bid !" Gay.

4. To order; to direct; to enjoin; to command.

That Power who bids the ocean ebb and flow.
Pope

Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee.
Matt. xiv. 28

I was bid to pick up shells.
D. Jerrold.

5. To invite; to call in; to request to come.

As many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
Matt. xxii. 9

To bid beads , to pray with beads, as the Roman Catholics; to distinguish each bead by a prayer. [ Obsolete] -- To bid defiance to , to defy openly; to brave. -- To bid fair , to offer a good prospect; to make fair promise; to seem likely.

Syn. -- To offer; proffer; tender; propose; order; command; direct; charge; enjoin.

Bid Bid imperfect & past participle of Bid .

Bid Bid noun An offer of a price, especially at auctions; a statement of a sum which one will give for something to be received, or will take for something to be done or furnished; that which is offered.

Bid Bid intransitive verb [ See Bid , transitive verb ] 1. To pray. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

2. To make a bid; to state what one will pay or take.

Bidale Bid"ale` noun [ Bid + ale .] An invitation of friends to drink ale at some poor man's house, and there to contribute in charity for his relief. [ Prov. Eng.]

Bidarkee, Bidarka Bi·dar"kee, Bi·dar"ka noun [ Russian baidarka , dim. Confer Baidar .] A portable boat made of skins stretched on a frame. [ Alaska] The Century.

Biddable Bid"da·ble adjective Obedient; docile. [ Scot.]

Bidden Bid"den past participle of Bid .

Bidder Bid"der noun [ Anglo-Saxon biddere . ] One who bids or offers a price. Burke.

Biddery ware Bid"der·y ware` [ From Beder or Bidar a town in India.] A kind of metallic ware made in India. The material is a composition of zinc, tin, and lead, in which ornaments of gold and silver are inlaid or damascened. [ Spelt also bidry, bidree , bedery , beder .]

Bidding Bid"ding noun 1. Command; order; a proclamation or notifying. "Do thou thy master's bidding ." Shak.

2. The act or process of making bids; an offer; a proposal of a price, as at an auction.

Bidding prayer Bid"ding prayer` 1. (R. C. Ch.) The prayer for the souls of benefactors, said before the sermon.

2. (Angl. Ch.) The prayer before the sermon, with petitions for various specified classes of persons.

Biddy Bid"dy noun [ Etymology uncertain.] A name used in calling a hen or chicken. Shak.

Biddy Bid"dy noun [ A familiar form of Bridget .] An Irish serving woman or girl. [ Colloq.]

Bide Bide intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Bided ; present participle & verbal noun Biding .] [ Middle English biden , Anglo-Saxon bīdan ; akin to Old High German bītan , Goth. beidan , Icelandic bī...... ; perhaps orig., to wait with trust, and akin to bid . See Bid , transitive verb , and confer Abide .] 1. To dwell; to inhabit; to abide; to stay.

All knees to thee shall bow of them that bide
In heaven or earth, or under earth, in hell.
Milton.

2. To remain; to continue or be permanent in a place or state; to continue to be. Shak.

Bide Bide transitive verb 1. To encounter; to remain firm under (a hardship); to endure; to suffer; to undergo.

Poor naked wretches, wheresoe'er you are,
That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm.
Shak.

2. To wait for; as, I bide my time. See Abide .

Bident Bi"dent noun [ Latin bidens , - entis , having two prongs; bis twice + dens a tooth.] An instrument or weapon with two prongs.

Bidental Bi·den"tal adjective Having two teeth. Swift.

Bidentate Bi·den"tate adjective (Bot. & Zoology) Having two teeth or two toothlike processes; two- toothed.

Bidet Bi·det" noun [ French bidet , perhaps from Celtic; cr. Gael. bideach very little, diminutive, bidein a diminutive animal, W. bidan a weakly or sorry wretch.]

1. A small horse formerly allowed to each trooper or dragoon for carrying his baggage. B. Jonson.

2. A kind of bath tub for sitting baths; a sitz bath.

Bidigitate Bi·dig"i·tate adjective [ Prefix bi- + digitate .] Having two fingers or fingerlike projections.

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
You are here: Webster > Letter B > Page 48 of 120.
« Previous ¦40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 ¦ Next »