Biding Bid"ing noun Residence; habitation. Rowe.

Biela's comet Bie"la's com"et (Astron.) A periodic coment, discovered by Biela in 1826, which revolves around the sun in 6.6 years. The November meteors (Andromedes or Bielids) move in its orbit, and may be fragments of the comet.

Bield Bield noun A shelter. Same as Beild . [ Scot.]

Bield Bield transitive verb To shelter. [ Scot.]

Bielid Bie"lid noun (Astron.) See Andromede .

Biennial Bi·en"ni·al adjective [ Latin biennalis and biennis , from biennium a space of two years; bis twice + annus year. Confer Annual .] 1. Happening, or taking place, once in two years; as, a biennial election.

2. (Botany) Continuing for two years, and then perishing, as plants which form roots and leaves the first year, and produce fruit the second.

Biennial Bi·en"ni·al noun 1. Something which takes place or appears once in two years; esp. a biennial examination.

2. (Botany) A plant which exists or lasts for two years.

Biennially Bi·en"ni·al·ly adverb Once in two years.

Bier Bier noun [ Middle English bĉe , beere , Anglo-Saxon b...r , b...re ; akin to Dutch baar , Old High German bāra , German bahre , Icel barar , D... baare , Latin feretrum , Greek ... , from the same ...... bear to produce. See 1st Bear , and confer Barrow .] 1. A handbarrow or portable frame on which a corpse is placed or borne to the grave.

2. (Weaving) A count of forty threads in the warp or chain of woolen cloth. Knight.

Bierbalk Bier"balk` (bēr"bak`) noun [ See Bier , and Balk , noun ] A church road (e. g., a path across fields) for funerals. [ Obsolete] Homilies.

Biestings, Beestings Biest"ings, Beest"ings noun plural [ Middle English bestynge , Anglo-Saxon bȳsting , from bȳst , beost ; akin to Dutch biest , Old High German biost , German biest ; of unknown origin.] The first milk given by a cow after calving. B. Jonson.

The thick and curdy milk . . . commonly called biestings .
Newton. (1574).

Bifacial Bi·fa"cial adjective [ Prefix bi- + facial .] Having the opposite surfaces alike.

Bifarious Bi·fa"ri·ous adjective [ Latin bifarius ; bis twice + fari to speak. Confer Greek ... twofold; ... twice + ... to say.] 1. Twofold; arranged in two rows.

2. (Botany) Pointing two ways, as leaves that grow only on opposite sides of a branch; in two vertical rows.

Bifariously Bi·fa"ri·ous·ly adverb In a bifarious manner.

Biferous Bif"er·ous adjective [ Latin bifer ; bis twice + ferre to bear.] Bearing fruit twice a year.

Biffin Bif"fin noun [ Confer Beaufin .] 1. A sort of apple peculiar to Norfolk, Eng. [ Sometimes called beaufin ; but properly beefin (it is said), from its resemblance to raw beef.] Wright.

2. A baked apple pressed down into a flat, round cake; a dried apple. Dickens.

Bifid Bi"fid adjective [ Latin bifidus ; bis twice + root of findere to cleave or split: confer French bifide .] Cleft to the middle or slightly beyond the middle; opening with a cleft; divided by a linear sinus, with straight margins.

Bifidate Bif"i·date adjective [ Latin bifidatus .] See Bifid .

Bifilar Bi·fi"lar adjective [ Prefix bi- + filar .] Two-threaded; involving the use of two threads; as, bifilar suspension; a bifilar balance.

Bifilar micrometer (often called a bifilar ), an instrument form measuring minute distances or angles by means of two very minute threads (usually spider lines), one of which, at least, is movable; -- more commonly called a filar micrometer .

Biflabellate Bi`fla·bel"late adjective [ Prefix bi- + flabellate .] (Zoology) Flabellate on both sides.

Biflagellate Bi`fla·gel"late adjective [ Prefix bi- + flagellate .] Having two long, narrow, whiplike appendages.

Biflorate, Biflorous Bi·flo"rate, Bi·flo"rous adjective [ Latin bis twice + flos , floris , flower.] (Botany) Bearing two flowers; two-flowered.

Bifocal Bi·fo"cal adjective [ Prefix bi-+ focal .] Having two foci, as some spectacle lenses.

Bifold Bi"fold adjective [ Prefix bi- + fold .] Twofold; double; of two kinds, degrees, etc. Shak.

Bifoliate Bi·fo"li·ate adjective [ Prefix bi- + foliate .] (Botany) Having two leaves; two- leaved.

Bifoliolate Bi·fo"li·o·late adjective [ Prefix bi- + foliolate .] (Botany) Having two leaflets, as some compound leaves.

Biforate Bif"o·rate adjective [ Latin bis twice + foratus , past participle of forare to bore or pierce.] (Botany) Having two perforations.

Biforine Bif"o·rine noun [ Latin biforis , biforus , having two doors; bis twice + foris door.] (Botany) An oval sac or cell, found in the leaves of certain plants of the order Araceĉ . It has an opening at each end through which raphides, generated inside, are discharged.

Biforked Bi"forked adjective Bifurcate.

Biform Bi"form adjective [ Latin biformis ; bis twice + forma shape: confer French biforme .] Having two forms, bodies, or shapes. Croxall.

Biformed Bi"formed adjective [ Prefix bi- + form .] Having two forms. Johnson.

Biformity Bi·form"i·ty noun A double form.

Biforn Bi·forn" preposition & adverb Before. [ Obsolete]

Biforous Bif"o·rous adjective [ Latin biforis having two doors; bis twice, two + foris door.] See Biforate .

Bifronted Bi·front"ed adjective [ Prefix bi- + front .] Having two fronts. " Bifronted Janus." Massinger.

Bifurcate Bi·fur"cate intransitive verb To divide into two branches.

Bifurcate, Bifurcated Bi·fur"cate, Bi·fur"ca·ted adjective [ Prefix bi- + furcate .] Two-pronged; forked.

Bifurcation Bi`fur·ca"tion noun [ Confer French bifurcation .] A forking, or division into two branches.

Bifurcous Bi·fur"cous adjective [ Latin bifurcus ; bis twice + furca fork.] See Bifurcate , adjective [ R.] Coles.

Big Big adjective [ Compar. Bigger ; superl. Biggest .] [ Perh. from Celtic; confer W. beichiog , beichiawg , pregnant, with child, from baich burden, Arm. beac'h ; or confer Middle English bygly , Icelandic biggiligr , (properly) habitable; (then) magnigicent, excellent, from Middle English biggen , Icelandic byggja , to dwell, build, akin to English be .] 1. Having largeness of size; of much bulk or magnitude; of great size; large. "He's too big to go in there." Shak.

2. Great with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce; -- often figuratively.

[ Day] big with the fate of Cato and of Rome.
Addison.

3. Having greatness, fullness, importance, inflation, distention, etc., whether in a good or a bad sense; as, a big heart; a big voice; big looks; to look big . As applied to looks, it indicates haughtiness or pride.

God hath not in heaven a bigger argument.
Jer. Taylor.

» Big is often used in self-explaining compounds; as, big- boned; big- sounding; big- named; big- voiced.

To talk big , to talk loudly, arrogantly, or pretentiously.

I talked big to them at first.
De Foe.

Syn. -- Bulky; large; great; massive; gross.

Big Bend State Big Bend State Tennessee; -- a nickname.

Big-bellied Big"-bel`lied adjective Having a great belly; as, a big-bellied man or flagon; advanced in pregnancy.

Big-wigged Big"-wigged` adjective characterized by pomposity of manner. [ Eng.]

Big, Bigg Big, Bigg noun [ Middle English bif , bigge ; akin to Icelandic bygg , Danish byg , Swedish bjugg .] (Botany) Barley, especially the hardy four-rowed kind.

"Bear interchanges in local use, now with barley, now with bigg ."
New English Dict.

Big, Bigg Big, Bigg transitive verb [ Middle English biggen , from Icelandic byggja to inhabit, to build, b...a (neut.) to dwell (active) to make ready. See Boor , and Bound .] To build. [ Scot. & North of Eng. Dial.] Sir W. Scott.

Biga Bi"ga noun [ Latin ] (Antiq.) A two-horse chariot.

Bigam Big"am noun [ Latin bigamus twice married: confer French bigame . See Bigamy. ] A bigamist. [ Obsolete]

Bigamist Big"a·mist noun [ Confer Digamist .] One who is guilty of bigamy. Ayliffe.

Bigamous Big"a·mous adjective Guilty of bigamy; involving bigamy; as, a bigamous marriage.

Bigamy Big"a·my noun [ Middle English bigamie , from Latin bigamus twice married; bis twice + Greek ... marriage; probably akin to Skt. jāmis related, and Latin gemini twins, the root meaning to bind , join : confer French bigamie . Confer Digamy .] (Law) The offense of marrying one person when already legally married to another. Wharton.

» It is not strictly correct to call this offense bigamy : it more properly denominated polygamy , i. e., having a plurality of wives or husbands at once, and in several statutes in the United States the offense is classed under the head of polygamy .

In the canon law bigamy was the marrying of two virgins successively, or one after the death of the other, or once marrying a widow. This disqualified a man for orders, and for holding ecclesiastical offices. Shakespeare uses the word in the latter sense. Blackstone. Bouvier.

Base declension and loathed bigamy .
Shak.

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