Bilestone Bile"stone` noun [ Bile + stone .] A gallstone, or biliary calculus. See Biliary . E. Darwin.

Bilge Bilge noun [ A different orthography of bulge , of same origin as belly . Confer Belly , Bulge .] 1. The protuberant part of a cask, which is usually in the middle.

2. (Nautical) That part of a ship's hull or bottom which is broadest and most nearly flat, and on which she would rest if aground.

3. Bilge water.

Bilge free (Nautical) , stowed in such a way that the bilge is clear of everything; -- said of a cask. -- Bilge pump , a pump to draw the bilge water from the gold of a ship. -- Bilge water (Nautical) , water which collects in the bilge or bottom of a ship or other vessel. It is often allowed to remain till it becomes very offensive. -- Bilge ways , the timbers which support the cradle of a ship upon the ways, and which slide upon the launching ways in launching the vessel.

Bilge Bilge (bĭlj) intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Bilged (bĭljd); present participle & verbal noun Bilging .] 1. (Nautical) To suffer a fracture in the bilge; to spring a leak by a fracture in the bilge.

2. To bulge.

Bilge Bilge transitive verb 1. (Nautical) To fracture the bilge of, or stave in the bottom of (a ship or other vessel).

2. To cause to bulge.

Bilgy Bil"gy adjective Having the smell of bilge water.

Biliary Bil"ia·ry (bĭl"yȧ*rȳ; 106) adjective [ Latin bilis bile: confer French biliaire .] (Physiol.) Relating or belonging to bile; conveying bile; as, biliary acids; biliary ducts.

Biliary calculus (Medicine) , a gallstone, or a concretion formed in the gall bladder or its duct.

Biliation Bil`i·a"tion noun (Physiol.) The production and excretion of bile.

Biliferous Bi·lif"er·ous adjective Generating bile.

Bilifuscin Bil`i·fus"cin noun [ Latin bilis bile + fuscus dark.] (Physiol.) A brownish green pigment found in human gallstones and in old bile. It is a derivative of bilirubin.

Bilimbi Bi·lim"bi Bi*lim"bing noun [ Malay.] The berries of two East Indian species of Averrhoa , of the Oxalideæ or Sorrel family. They are very acid, and highly esteemed when preserved or pickled. The juice is used as a remedy for skin diseases. [ Written also blimbi and blimbing .]

Biliment Bil"i·ment noun A woman's ornament; habiliment. [ Obsolete]

Bilin Bi"lin noun [ Confer French biline , from Latin bilis bile.] (Physiol. Chem.) A name applied to the amorphous or crystalline mass obtained from bile by the action of alcohol and ether. It is composed of a mixture of the sodium salts of the bile acids.

Bilinear Bi·lin"e·ar adjective (Math.) Of, pertaining to, or included by, two lines; as, bilinear coördinates.

Bilingual Bi·lin"gual adjective [ Latin bilinguis ; bis twice + lingua tongue, language.] Containing, or consisting of, two languages; expressed in two languages; as, a bilingual inscription; a bilingual dictionary. -- Bi*lin"gual*ly , adverb

Bilingualism Bi·lin"gual·ism noun Quality of being bilingual.

The bilingualism of King's English.
Earle.

Bilinguar Bi·lin"guar adjective See Bilingual .

Bilinguist Bi·lin"guist noun One versed in two languages.

Bilinguous Bi·lin"guous adjective [ Latin bilinguis .] Having two tongues, or speaking two languages. [ Obsolete]

Bilious Bil"ious (bĭl"yŭs) adjective [ Latin biliosus , from bilis bile.] 1. Of or pertaining to the bile.

2. Disordered in respect to the bile; troubled with an excess of bile; as, a bilious patient; dependent on, or characterized by, an excess of bile; as, bilious symptoms.

3. Choleric; passionate; ill tempered. "A bilious old nabob." Macaulay.

Bilious temperament . See Temperament .

Biliousness Bil"ious·ness noun The state of being bilious.

Biliprasin Bil`i·pra"sin noun [ Latin bilis bile + prasinus green.] (Physiol.) A dark green pigment found in small quantity in human gallstones.

Bilirubin Bil`i·ru"bin noun [ Latin bilis biel + ruber red.] (Physiol.) A reddish yellow pigment present in human bile, and in that from carnivorous and herbivorous animals; the normal biliary pigment.

Biliteral Bi·lit"er·al adjective [ Latin bis twice + littera letter.] Consisting of two letters; as, a biliteral root of a Sanskrit verb. Sir W. Jones. -- noun A word, syllable, or root, consisting of two letters.

Biliteralism Bi·lit"er·al·ism noun The property or state of being biliteral.

Biliverdin Bil`i·ver"din noun [ Latin bilis bile + viridis green. Confer Verdure .] (Physiol.) A green pigment present in the bile, formed from bilirubin by oxidation.

Bilk Bilk transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Bilked ; present participle & verbal noun Bilking .] [ Origin unknown. Confer Balk .] To frustrate or disappoint; to deceive or defraud, by nonfulfillment of engagement; to leave in the lurch; to give the slip to; as, to bilk a creditor. Thackeray.

Bilk Bilk noun 1. A thwarting an adversary in cribbage by spoiling his score; a balk.

2. A cheat; a trick; a hoax. Hudibras.

3. Nonsense; vain words. B. Jonson.

4. A person who tricks a creditor; an untrustworthy, tricky person. Marryat.

Bill Bill noun [ Middle English bile , bille , Anglo-Saxon bile beak of a bird, proboscis; confer Ir. & Gael. bil , bile , mouth, lip, bird's bill. Confer Bill a weapon.] A beak, as of a bird, or sometimes of a turtle or other animal. Milton.

Bill Bill intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Billed ; present participle & verbal noun Billing .] 1. To strike; to peck. [ Obsolete]

2. To join bills, as doves; to caress in fondness. "As pigeons bill ." Shak.

To bill and coo , to interchange caresses; -- said of doves; also of demonstrative lovers. Thackeray.

Bill Bill noun The bell, or boom, of the bittern

The bittern's hollow bill was heard.
Wordsworth.

Bill Bill noun [ Middle English bil , Anglo-Saxon bill , bil ; akin to Old Saxon bil sword, Old High German bill pickax, German bille . Confer Bill bea....] 1. A cutting instrument, with hook-shaped point, and fitted with a handle; -- used in pruning, etc.; a billhook. When short, called a hand bill , when long, a hedge bill .

2. A weapon of infantry, in the 14th and 15th centuries. A common form of bill consisted of a broad, heavy, double-edged, hook-shaped blade, having a short pike at the back and another at the top, and attached to the end of a long staff.

France had no infantry that dared to face the English bows end bills .
Macaulay.

3. One who wields a bill; a billman. Strype.

4. A pickax, or mattock. [ Obsolete]

5. (Nautical) The extremity of the arm of an anchor; the point of or beyond the fluke.

Bill Bill transitive verb To work upon ( as to dig, hoe, hack, or chop anything) with a bill.

Bill Bill noun [ Middle English bill , bille , from Late Latin billa (or Old French bille ), for Latin bulla anything rounded, Late Latin , seal, stamp, letter, edict, roll; confer French bille a ball, probably from German ; confer Middle High German bickel , Dutch bikkel , dice. Confer Bull papal edict, Billet a paper.]

1. (Law) A declaration made in writing, stating some wrong the complainant has suffered from the defendant, or a fault committed by some person against a law.

2. A writing binding the signer or signers to pay a certain sum at a future day or on demand, with or without interest, as may be stated in the document. [ Eng.]

» In the United States, it is usually called a note , a note of hand , or a promissory note .

3. A form or draft of a law, presented to a legislature for enactment; a proposed or projected law.

4. A paper, written or printed, and posted up or given away, to advertise something, as a lecture, a play, or the sale of goods; a placard; a poster; a handbill.

She put up the bill in her parlor window.
Dickens.

5. An account of goods sold, services rendered, or work done, with the price or charge; a statement of a creditor's claim, in gross or by items; as, a grocer's bill .

6. Any paper, containing a statement of particulars; as, a bill of charges or expenditures; a weekly bill of mortality; a bill of fare, etc.

Bill of adventure . See under Adventure . -- Bill of costs , a statement of the items which form the total amount of the costs of a party to a suit or action. -- Bill of credit . (a) Within the constitution of the United States, a paper issued by a State, on the mere faith and credit of the State, and designed to circulate as money. No State shall "emit bills of credit ." U. S. Const. Peters. Wharton. Bouvier (b) Among merchants, a letter sent by an agent or other person to a merchant, desiring him to give credit to the bearer for goods or money. -- Bill of divorce , in the Jewish law, a writing given by the husband to the wife, by which the marriage relation was dissolved. Jer. iii. 8. -- Bill of entry , a written account of goods entered at the customhouse, whether imported or intended for exportation. -- Bill of exceptions . See under Exception . -- Bill of exchange (Com.) , a written order or request from one person or house to another, desiring the latter to pay to some person designated a certain sum of money therein generally is, and, to be negotiable, must be, made payable to order or to bearer. So also the order generally expresses a specified time of payment, and that it is drawn for value. The person who draws the bill is called the drawer , the person on whom it is drawn is, before acceptance, called the drawee , -- after acceptance, the acceptor ; the person to whom the money is directed to be paid is called the payee . The person making the order may himself be the payee. The bill itself is frequently called a draft . See Exchange . Chitty. -- Bill of fare , a written or printed enumeration of the dishes served at a public table, or of the dishes (with prices annexed) which may be ordered at a restaurant, etc. -- Bill of health , a certificate from the proper authorities as to the state of health of a ship's company at the time of her leaving port. -- Bill of indictment , a written accusation lawfully presented to a grand jury. If the jury consider the evidence sufficient to support the accusation, they indorse it "A true bill," otherwise they write upon it "Not a true bill," or "Not found," or " Ignoramus ", or "Ignored." -- Bill of lading , a written account of goods shipped by any person, signed by the agent of the owner of the vessel, or by its master, acknowledging the receipt of the goods, and promising to deliver them safe at the place directed, dangers of the sea excepted. It is usual for the master to sign two, three, or four copies of the bill; one of which he keeps in possession, one is kept by the shipper, and one is sent to the consignee of the goods. -- Bill of mortality , an official statement of the number of deaths in a place or district within a given time; also, a district required to be covered by such statement; as, a place within the bills of mortality of London. -- Bill of pains and penalties , a special act of a legislature which inflicts a punishment less than death upon persons supposed to be guilty of treason or felony, without any conviction in the ordinary course of judicial proceedings. Bouvier. Wharton. -- Bill of parcels , an account given by the seller to the buyer of the several articles purchased, with the price of each. -- Bill of particulars (Law) , a detailed statement of the items of a plaintiff's demand in an action, or of the defendant's set-off. - - Bill of rights , a summary of rights and privileges claimed by a people. Such was the declaration presented by the Lords and Commons of England to the Prince and Princess of Orange in 1688, and enacted in Parliament after they became king and queen. In America, a bill or declaration of rights is prefixed to most of the constitutions of the several States. -- Bill of sale , a formal instrument for the conveyance or transfer of goods and chattels. -- Bill of sight , a form of entry at the customhouse, by which goods, respecting which the importer is not possessed of full information, may be provisionally landed for examination. -- Bill of store , a license granted at the customhouse to merchants, to carry such stores and provisions as are necessary for a voyage, custom free. Wharton. -- Bills payable ( plural ), the outstanding unpaid notes or acceptances made and issued by an individual or firm. -- Bills receivable ( plural ), the unpaid promissory notes or acceptances held by an individual or firm. McElrath. -- A true bill , a bill of indictment sanctioned by a grand jury.

Bill Bill transitive verb 1. To advertise by a bill or public notice.

2. To charge or enter in a bill; as, to bill goods.

Bill book Bill" book` (Com.) A book in which a person keeps an account of his notes, bills, bills of exchange, etc., thus showing all that he issues and receives.

Bill broker Bill" bro`ker One who negotiates the discount of bills.

Bill holder Bill" hold`er (bĭl" hōl`dẽr). 1. A person who holds a bill or acceptance.

2. A device by means of which bills, etc., are held.

Billabong Bil"la·bong` noun [ Native name.] In Australia, a blind channel leading out from a river; -- sometimes called an anabranch . This is the sense of the word as used in the Public Works Department; but the term has also been locally applied to mere back-waters forming stagnant pools and to certain water channels arising from a source.

Billage Bil"lage noun & transitive verb & i. Same as Bilge .

Billard Bil"lard noun (Zoology) An English fish, allied to the cod; the coalfish. [ Written also billet and billit .]

Billbeetle, Billbug Bill`bee"tle, Bill"bug` noun (Zoology) A weevil or curculio of various species, as the corn weevil. See Curculio .

Billboard Bill"board` noun 1. (Nautical) A piece of thick plank, armed with iron plates, and fixed on the bow or fore channels of a vessel, for the bill or fluke of the anchor to rest on. Totten.

2. A flat surface, as of a panel or of a fence, on which bills are posted; a bulletin board.

Billed Billed adjective Furnished with, or having, a bill, as a bird; -- used in composition; as, broad- billed .

Billet Bil"let noun [ French billet , dim. of an Old French bille bill. See Bill a writing.] 1. A small paper; a note; a short letter. "I got your melancholy billet ." Sterne.

2. A ticket from a public officer directing soldiers at what house to lodge; as, a billet of residence.

Billet Bil"let transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Billeted ; present participle & verbal noun Billeting .] [ From Billet a ticket.] (Mil.) To direct, by a ticket or note, where to lodge. Hence: To quarter, or place in lodgings, as soldiers in private houses.

Billeted in so antiquated a mansion.
W. Irving.

Billet Bil"let noun [ French billette , bille , log; of unknown origin; a different word from bille ball. Confer Billiards , Billot .] 1. A small stick of wood, as for firewood.

They shall beat out my brains with billets .
Shak.

2. (Metal.) A short bar of metal, as of gold or iron.

3. (Architecture) An ornament in Norman work, resembling a billet of wood either square or round.

4. (Saddlery) (a) A strap which enters a buckle. (b) A loop which receives the end of a buckled strap. Knight.

5. (Her.) A bearing in the form of an oblong rectangle.

Billet Bil"let noun Quarters or place to which one is assigned, as by a billet or ticket; berth; position. Also used fig. [ Colloq.]

The men who cling to easy billets ashore.

Harper's Mag.

His shafts of satire fly straight to their billet , and there they rankle.

Pall Mall Mag.

Billet-doux Bil`let-doux" (bĭl`la*dō") noun ; plural Billets-doux (bĭl`la*dōz"). [ French billet note + doux sweet, Latin dulcis .] A love letter or note.

A lover chanting out a billet-doux .
Spectator.

Billethead Bil"let·head` (bĭl"let*hĕd) noun (Nautical) A round piece of timber at the bow or stern of a whaleboat, around which the harpoon line is run out when the whale darts off.

Billfish Bill"fish` (-fĭsh`) noun (Zoology) A name applied to several distinct fishes : (a) The garfish ( Tylosurus, or Belone, longirostris ) and allied species. (b) The saury, a slender fish of the Atlantic coast ( Scomberesox saurus ). (c) The Tetrapturus albidus , a large oceanic species related to the swordfish; the spearfish. (d) The American fresh-water garpike ( Lepidosteus osseus ).

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