Baldwin Bald"win noun (Botany) A kind of reddish, moderately acid, winter apple. [ U.S.]
Bale Bale noun [ Middle English
bale , Old French
bale , French
balle , Late Latin
bala , from Old High German
balla ,
palla ,
pallo , German
ball ,
balle ,
ballen , ball, round pack; confer Dutch
baal . Confer
Ball a round body.]
A bundle or package of goods in a cloth cover, and corded for storage or transportation; also, a bundle of straw, hay, etc., put up compactly for transportation. Bale of dice ,
a pair of dice. [ Obsolete]
B. Jonson.
Bale Bale transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Baled ;
present participle & verbal noun Baling .]
To make up in a bale. Goldsmith.
Bale Bale transitive verb See Bail , transitive verb , to lade.
Bale Bale (bāl)
noun [ Anglo-Saxon
bealo ,
bealu ,
balu ; akin to Old Saxon
balu , Old High German
balo , Icelandic
böl , Goth.
balweins .]
1. Misery; calamity; misfortune; sorrow. Let now your bliss be turned into bale .
Spenser.
2. Evil; an evil, pernicious influence; something causing great injury. [ Now chiefly poetic]
Balearic Bal`e·ar"ic (băl`e*ăr"ĭk)
adjective [ Latin
Balearicus , from Greek
baliarei^s the Balearic Islands.]
Of or pertaining to the isles of Majorca, Minorca, Ivica, etc., in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Valencia. Balearic crane .
(Zoology) See Crane .
Baleen Ba·leen" (bȧ*lēn")
noun [ French
baleine whale and whalebone, Latin
balaena a whale; confer Greek
fa`laina .]
(Zoology & Com.) Plates or blades of "whalebone," from two to twelve feet long, and sometimes a foot wide, which in certain whales ( Balænoidea ) are attached side by side along the upper jaw, and form a fringelike sieve by which the food is retained in the mouth.
Balefire Bale"fire` (bāl"fīr)
noun [ Anglo-Saxon
bǣlfȳr the fire of the funeral pile;
bǣl fire, flame (akin to Icelandic
bāl , OSlav.
bēlŭ , white, Greek
falo`s bright, white, Sanskrit
bhāla brightness) +
fȳr , English
fire .]
A signal fire; an alarm fire. Sweet Teviot! on thy silver tide
The glaring balefires blaze no more.
Sir W. Scott.
Baleful Bale"ful (bāl"ful)
adjective [ Anglo-Saxon
bealoful . See
Bale misery.]
1. Full of deadly or pernicious influence; destructive. "
Baleful enemies."
Shak. Four infernal rivers that disgorge
Into the burning lake their baleful streams.
Milton.
2. Full of grief or sorrow; woeful; sad. [ Archaic]
Balefully Bale"ful·ly adverb In a baleful manner; perniciously.
Balefulness Bale"ful·ness noun The quality or state of being baleful.
Balisaur Bal"i·sa`ur (băl"ĭ*sä`ōr)
noun [ Hind.]
(Zoology) A badgerlike animal of India ( Arctonyx collaris ).
Balister Bal"is·ter (băl"ĭs*tẽr
or bȧ*lĭs"tẽr)
noun [ Old French
balestre . See
Ballista .]
A crossbow. [ Obsolete]
Blount.
Balistoid Bal"is·toid adjective (Zoology) Like a fish of the genus Balistes ; of the family Balistidæ . See Filefish .
Balistraria Bal`is·tra"ri·a noun [ Late Latin ]
(Anc. Fort.) A narrow opening, often cruciform, through which arrows might be discharged. Parker.
Balize Ba·lize" noun [ French
balise ; confer Spanish
balisa .]
A pole or a frame raised as a sea beacon or a landmark.
Balk Balk (bak)
noun [ Anglo-Saxon
balca beam, ridge; akin to Icelandic
bālkr partition,
bjālki beam, Old Saxon
balko , German
balken ; confer Gael.
balc ridge of earth between two furrows. Confer
Balcony ,
Balk ,
transitive verb , 3d
Bulk .]
1. A ridge of land left unplowed between furrows, or at the end of a field; a piece missed by the plow slipping aside. Bad plowmen made balks of such ground.
Fuller.
2. A great beam, rafter, or timber; esp., the tie- beam of a house. The loft above was called "the balks." Tubs hanging in the balks .
Chaucer.
3. (Mil.) One of the beams connecting the successive supports of a trestle bridge or bateau bridge. 4. A hindrance or disappointment; a check. A balk to the confidence of the bold undertaker.
South.
5. A sudden and obstinate stop; a failure. 6. (Baseball) A deceptive gesture of the pitcher, as if to deliver the ball. Balk line (Billiards) ,
a line across a billiard table near one end, marking a limit within which the cue balls are placed in beginning a game; also, a line around the table, parallel to the sides, used in playing a particular game, called the balk line game.
Balk Balk transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Balked (bakt);
present participle & verbal noun Balking .] [ From
Balk a beam; orig. to put a balk or beam in one's way, in order to stop or hinder. Confer , for sense 2, Anglo-Saxon
on balcan legan to lay in heaps.]
1. To leave or make balks in. [ Obsolete]
Gower. 2. To leave heaped up; to heap up in piles. [ Obsolete]
Ten thousand bold Scots, two and twenty knights,
Balk'd in their own blood did Sir Walter see.
Shak.
3. To omit, miss, or overlook by chance. [ Obsolete]
4. To miss intentionally; to avoid; to shun; to refuse; to let go by; to shirk. [ Obsolete or Obsolescent]
By reason of the contagion then in London, we balked the inns.
Evelyn.
Sick he is, and keeps his bed, and balks his meat.
Bp. Hall.
Nor doth he any creature balk ,
But lays on all he meeteth.
Drayton.
5. To disappoint; to frustrate; to foil; to baffle; to thwart; as, to balk expectation. They shall not balk my entrance.
Byron.
Balk Balk intransitive verb 1. To engage in contradiction; to be in opposition. [ Obsolete]
In strifeful terms with him to balk .
Spenser.
2. To stop abruptly and stand still obstinately; to jib; to stop short; to swerve; as, the horse balks . » This has been regarded as an Americanism, but it occurs in Spenser's "Faërie Queene," Book IV., 10, xxv.
Ne ever ought but of their true loves talkt,
Ne ever for rebuke or blame of any balkt .
Balk Balk intransitive verb [ Prob. from Dutch
balken to bray, bawl.]
To indicate to fishermen, by shouts or signals from shore, the direction taken by the shoals of herring.
Balker Balk"er noun [ See 2d
Balk .]
One who, or that which, balks.
Balker Balk"er noun [ See last
Balk .]
A person who stands on a rock or eminence to espy the shoals of herring, etc., and to give notice to the men in boats which way they pass; a conder; a huer.
Balkingly Balk"ing·ly adverb In a manner to balk or frustrate.
Balkish Balk"ish adjective Uneven; ridgy. [ R.]
Holinshed.
Balky Balk"y (bak"ȳ)
adjective Apt to balk; as, a balky horse.
Ball Ball (bal)
noun [ Middle English
bal ,
balle ; akin to Old High German
balla ,
palla , German
ball , Icelandic
böllr , ball; confer French
balle . Confer 1st
Bale ,
noun ,
Pallmall .]
1. Any round or roundish body or mass; a sphere or globe; as, a ball of twine; a ball of snow. 2. A spherical body of any substance or size used to play with, as by throwing, knocking, kicking, etc. 3. A general name for games in which a ball is thrown, kicked, or knocked. See Baseball , and Football . 4. Any solid spherical, cylindrical, or conical projectile of lead or iron, to be discharged from a firearm; as, a cannon ball ; a rifle ball ; -- often used collectively; as, powder and ball . Spherical balls for the smaller firearms are commonly called bullets . 5. (Pyrotechnics & Mil.) A flaming, roundish body shot into the air; a case filled with combustibles intended to burst and give light or set fire, or to produce smoke or stench; as, a fire ball ; a stink ball . 6. (Print.) A leather-covered cushion, fastened to a handle called a ballstock ; -- formerly used by printers for inking the form, but now superseded by the roller. 7. A roundish protuberant portion of some part of the body; as, the ball of the thumb; the ball of the foot. 8. (Far.) A large pill, a form in which medicine is commonly given to horses; a bolus. White. 9. The globe or earth. Pope. Move round the dark terrestrial ball .
Addison.
Ball and socket joint ,
a joint in which a ball moves within a socket, so as to admit of motion in every direction within certain limits. --
Ball bearings ,
a mechanical device for lessening the friction of axle bearings by means of small loose metal balls. --
Ball cartridge ,
a cartridge containing a ball, as distinguished from a blank cartridge, containing only powder. --
Ball cock ,
a faucet or valve which is opened or closed by the fall or rise of a ball floating in water at the end of a lever. --
Ball gudgeon ,
a pivot of a spherical form, which permits lateral deflection of the arbor or shaft, while retaining the pivot in its socket. Knight. --
Ball lever ,
the lever used in a ball cock. --
Ball of the eye ,
the eye itself, as distinguished from its lids and socket; -- formerly, the pupil of the eye. --
Ball valve (Machinery) ,
a contrivance by which a ball, placed in a circular cup with a hole in its bottom, operates as a valve. --
Ball vein (Mining) ,
a sort of iron ore, found in loose masses of a globular form, containing sparkling particles. --
Three balls , or
Three golden balls ,
a pawnbroker's sign or shop. Syn. -- See
Globe .
Ball Ball intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Balled (bald);
present participle & verbal noun Balling .]
To gather balls which cling to the feet, as of damp snow or clay; to gather into balls; as, the horse balls ; the snow balls .
Ball Ball transitive verb 1. (Metal.) To heat in a furnace and form into balls for rolling. 2. To form or wind into a ball; as, to ball cotton.
Ball Ball noun [ French
bal , from Old French
baler to dance, from Late Latin
ballare . Of uncertain origin; confer Greek
ba`llein to toss or throw, or
pa`llein ,
pa`llesqai , to leap, bound,
balli`zein to dance, jump about; or confer 1st
Ball ,
noun ]
A social assembly for the purpose of dancing.
Ball Ball noun (Baseball) A pitched ball, not struck at by the batsman, which fails to pass over the home base at a height not greater than the batsman's shoulder nor less than his knee.
Ball-flower Ball"-flow`er noun (Architecture) An ornament resembling a ball placed in a circular flower, the petals of which form a cup round it, -- usually inserted in a hollow molding.
Ballad Bal"lad noun [ Middle English
balade , Old French
balade , French
ballade , from Pr.
ballada a dancing song, from
ballare to dance; confer Italian
ballata . See 2d
Ball ,
noun , and
Ballet .]
A popular kind of narrative poem, adapted for recitation or singing; as, the ballad of Chevy Chase; esp., a sentimental or romantic poem in short stanzas.
Ballad Bal"lad intransitive verb To make or sing ballads. [ Obsolete]
Ballad Bal"lad transitive verb To make mention of in ballads. [ Obsolete]
Ballad monger Bal"lad mon`ger [ See Monger .] A seller or maker of ballads; a poetaster. Shak.
Ballade Bal·lade" noun [ See
Ballad ,
noun ]
A form of French versification, sometimes imitated in English, in which three or four rhymes recur through three stanzas of eight or ten lines each, the stanzas concluding with a refrain, and the whole poem with an envoy.
Ballader Bal"lad·er noun A writer of ballads.
Balladry Bal"lad·ry noun [ From
Ballad ,
noun ]
Ballad poems; the subject or style of ballads. "Base
balladry is so beloved."
Drayton.
Ballahoo, Ballahou Bal"la·hoo, Bal"la·hou (băl"lȧ*hō)
noun A fast-sailing schooner, used in the Bermudas and West Indies.
Ballarag Bal"la·rag (-răg)
transitive verb [ Corrupted from
bullirag .]
To bully; to threaten. [ Low]
T. Warton.
Ballast Bal"last (băl"l
a st)
noun [ Dutch
ballast ; akin to Danish
baglast ,
ballast , OSw.
barlast , Swedish
ballast . The first part is perhaps the same word as English
bare , adj.; the second is
last a burden, and hence the meaning
a bare , or
mere ,
load . See
Bare ,
adjective , and
Last load.]
1. (Nautical) Any heavy substance, as stone, iron, etc., put into the hold to sink a vessel in the water to such a depth as to prevent capsizing. 2. Any heavy matter put into the car of a balloon to give it steadiness. 3. Gravel, broken stone, etc., laid in the bed of a railroad to make it firm and solid. 4. The larger solids, as broken stone or gravel, used in making concrete. 5. Fig.: That which gives, or helps to maintain, uprightness, steadiness, and security. It [ piety] is the right ballast of prosperity.
Barrow.
Ballast engine ,
a steam engine used in excavating and for digging and raising stones and gravel for ballast. --
Ship in ballast ,
a ship carrying only ballast.
Ballast Bal"last transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Ballasted ;
present participle & verbal noun Ballasting .]
1. To steady, as a vessel, by putting heavy substances in the hold. 2. To fill in, as the bed of a railroad, with gravel, stone, etc., in order to make it firm and solid. 3. To keep steady; to steady, morally. 'T is charity must ballast the heart.
Hammond.
Ballastage Bal"last·age noun (Law) A toll paid for the privilege of taking up ballast in a port or harbor.
Ballasting Bal"last·ing noun That which is used for steadying anything; ballast.
Ballatry Bal"la·try noun See Balladry . [ Obsolete]
Milton.
Ballet Bal"let` (băl"la`
or băl"lĕt; 277)
noun [ French, a dim. of
bal dance. See 2d
Ball ,
noun ]
1. An artistic dance performed as a theatrical entertainment, or an interlude, by a number of persons, usually women. Sometimes, a scene accompanied by pantomime and dancing. 2. The company of persons who perform the ballet. 3. (Mus.) A light part song, or madrigal, with a fa la burden or chorus, -- most common with the Elizabethan madrigal composers. 4. (Her.) A bearing in coats of arms, representing one or more balls, which are denominated bezants, plates, etc., according to color.
Ballista Bal·lis"ta noun ;
plural Ballistæ [ Latin
ballista ,
balista , from Greek
ballein to throw.]
An ancient military engine, in the form of a crossbow, used for hurling large missiles.
Ballister Bal"lis·ter (băl"lĭs*tẽr
or băl*lĭs"tẽr)
noun [ Latin
ballista . Confer
Balister .]
A crossbow. [ Obsolete]
Ballistic Bal·lis"tic adjective 1. Of or pertaining to the ballista, or to the art of hurling stones or missile weapons by means of an engine. 2. Pertaining to projection, or to a projectile. Ballistic pendulum ,
an instrument consisting of a mass of wood or other material suspended as a pendulum, for measuring the force and velocity of projectiles by means of the arc through which their impact impels it.
Ballistics Bal·lis"tics noun [ Confer French
balistique . See
Ballista .]
The science or art of hurling missile weapons by the use of an engine. Whewell.
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