Boon Boon noun [ Scot.
boon ,
bune ,
been , Gael. & Ir.
bunach coarse tow, from
bun root, stubble.]
The woody portion flax, which is separated from the fiber as refuse matter by retting, braking, and scutching.
Boor Boor noun [ Dutch
boer farmer, boor; akin to Anglo-Saxon
geb...r countryman, German
bauer ; from the root of Anglo-Saxon
b...an to inhabit, and akin to English
bower ,
be . Confer
Neighbor ,
Boer , and
Big to build.]
1. A husbandman; a peasant; a rustic; esp. a clownish or unrefined countryman. 2. A Dutch, German, or Russian peasant; esp. a Dutch colonist in South Africa, Guiana, etc.: a boer. 3. A rude ill-bred person; one who is clownish in manners.
Boorish Boor"ish adjective Like a boor; clownish; uncultured; unmannerly. --
Boor"ish*ly ,
adverb --
Boor"ish*ness ,
noun Which is in truth a gross and boorish opinion.
Milton.
Boort Boort noun See Bort .
Boose Boose noun [ Anglo-Saxon
bōs ,
bōsig ; akin to Icelandic
bāss , Swedish
bås , Danish
baas , stall, German
banse , Goth.
bansts barn, Sanskrit
bhāsas stall. √252.]
A stall or a crib for an ox, cow, or other animal. [ Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.
Boose Boose intransitive verb To drink excessively. See Booze .
Booser Boos"er noun A toper; a guzzler. See Boozer .
Boost Boost (bōst)
transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Boosted ;
present participle & verbal noun Boosting .] [ Confer
Boast ,
intransitive verb ]
To lift or push from behind (one who is endeavoring to climb); to push up; hence, to assist in overcoming obstacles, or in making advancement. [ Colloq. U. S.]
Boost Boost (bōst)
noun A push from behind, as to one who is endeavoring to climb; help. [ Colloq. U. S.]
Booster Boost"er noun (Electricity) An instrument for regulating the electro-motive force in an alternating- current circuit; -- so called because used to "boost", or raise, the pressure in the circuit.
Boot Boot (bōt)
noun [ Middle English
bot ,
bote , advantage, amends, cure, Anglo-Saxon
bōt ; akin to Icelandic
bōt , Swedish
bot , Danish
bod , Goth.
bōta , Dutch
boete , German
busse ; prop., a making good or better, from the root of English
better , adj. √255.]
1. Remedy; relief; amends; reparation; hence, one who brings relief. He gaf the sike man his boote .
Chaucer.
Thou art boot for many a bruise
And healest many a wound.
Sir W. Scott.
Next her Son, our soul's best boot .
Wordsworth.
2. That which is given to make an exchange equal, or to make up for the deficiency of value in one of the things exchanged. I'll give you boot , I'll give you three for one.
Shak.
3. Profit; gain; advantage; use. [ Obsolete]
Then talk no more of flight, it is no boot .
Shak.
To boot ,
in addition; over and above; besides; as a compensation for the difference of value between things bartered. Helen, to change, would give an eye to boot .
Shak.
A man's heaviness is refreshed long before he comes to drunkenness, for when he arrives thither he hath but changed his heaviness, and taken a crime to boot .
Jer. Taylor.
Boot Boot transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Booted ;
present participle & verbal noun Booting .]
1. To profit; to advantage; to avail; -- generally followed by it ; as, what boots it? What booteth it to others that we wish them well, and do nothing for them?
Hooker.
What subdued
To change like this a mind so far imbued
With scorn of man, it little boots to know.
Byron.
What boots to us your victories?
Southey.
2. To enrich; to benefit; to give in addition. [ Obsolete]
And I will boot thee with what gift beside
Thy modesty can beg.
Shak.
Boot Boot noun [ Middle English
bote , Old French
bote , French
botte , Late Latin
botta ; of uncertain origin.]
1. A covering for the foot and lower part of the leg, ordinarily made of leather. 2. An instrument of torture for the leg, formerly used to extort confessions, particularly in Scotland. So he was put to the torture, which in Scotland they call the boots ; for they put a pair of iron boots close on the leg, and drive wedges between them and the leg.
Bp. Burnet.
3. A place at the side of a coach, where attendants rode; also, a low outside place before and behind the body of the coach. [ Obsolete]
4. A place for baggage at either end of an old- fashioned stagecoach. 5. An apron or cover (of leather or rubber cloth) for the driving seat of a vehicle, to protect from rain and mud. 6. (Plumbing) The metal casing and flange fitted about a pipe where it passes through a roof. Boot catcher ,
the person at an inn whose business it was to pull off boots and clean them. [ Obsolete]
Swift. --
Boot closer ,
one who, or that which, sews the uppers of boots. --
Boot crimp ,
a frame or device used by bootmakers for drawing and shaping the body of a boot. --
Boot hook ,
a hook with a handle, used for pulling on boots. --
Boots and saddles (Cavalry Tactics) ,
the trumpet call which is the first signal for mounted drill. --
Sly boots .
See Slyboots , in the Vocabulary.
Boot Boot transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Booted ;
present participle & verbal noun Booting .]
1. To put boots on, esp. for riding. Coated and booted for it.
B. Jonson.
2. To punish by kicking with a booted foot. [ U. S.]
Boot Boot intransitive verb To boot one's self; to put on one's boots.
Boot Boot noun Booty; spoil. [ Obsolete or R.]
Shak.
Bootblack Boot"black` noun One who blacks boots.
Booted Boot"ed adjective 1. Wearing boots, especially boots with long tops, as for riding; as, a booted squire. 2. (Zoology) Having an undivided, horny, bootlike covering; -- said of the tarsus of some birds.
Bootee Boot·ee" noun A half boot or short boot.
Booth Booth (bō&thlig;)
noun [ Middle English
bothe ; confer Icelandic
būđ , Dan. & Swedish
bod , Middle High German
buode , German
bude ,
baude ; from the same root as Anglo-Saxon
būan to dwell, English
boor ,
bower ,
be ; confer Bohem.
bauda , Pol.
buda , Russian
budka , Lithuanian buda, W.
bwth , plural
bythod , Gael.
buth , Ir.
both .]
1. A house or shed built of boards, boughs, or other slight materials, for temporary occupation. Camden. 2. A covered stall or temporary structure in a fair or market, or at a polling place.
Boothale Boot"hale` transitive verb & i. [
Boot , for
booty +
hale .]
To forage for booty; to plunder. [ Obsolete]
Beau. & Fl.
Boothose Boot"hose` noun 1. Stocking hose, or spatterdashes, in lieu of boots. Shak. 2. Hose made to be worn with boots, as by travelers on horseback. Sir W. Scott.
Boothy Booth"y noun See Bothy .
Bootikin Boot"i·kin noun [
Boot +
- kin .]
1. A little boot, legging, or gaiter. 2. A covering for the foot or hand, worn as a cure for the gout. H. Walpole.
Booting Boot"ing noun Advantage; gain; gain by plunder; booty. [ Obsolete]
Sir. J. Harrington.
Booting Boot"ing noun 1. A kind of torture. See Boot , noun , 2. 2. A kicking, as with a booted foot. [ U. S.]
Bootjack Boot"jack` noun A device for pulling off boots.
Bootless Boot"less adjective [ From
Boot profit.]
Unavailing; unprofitable; useless; without advantage or success. Chaucer. I'll follow him no more with bootless prayers.
Shak.
--
Boot"less*ly ,
adverb --
Boot"less*ness ,
noun
Bootlick Boot"lick` noun A toady. [ Low, U. S.]
Bartlett.
Bootmaker Boot"mak`er noun One who makes boots. --
Boot"mak`ing ,
noun
Boots Boots noun A servant at a hotel or elsewhere, who cleans and blacks the boots and shoes.
Boottopping Boot"top`ping noun 1. (Nautical) The act or process of daubing a vessel's bottom near the surface of the water with a mixture of tallow, sulphur, and resin, as a temporary protection against worms, after the slime, shells, etc., have been scraped off. 2. (Nautical) Sheathing a vessel with planking over felt.
Boottree Boot"tree` noun [
Boot +
tree wood, timber.]
An instrument to stretch and widen the leg of a boot, consisting of two pieces, together shaped like a leg, between which, when put into the boot, a wedge is driven. The pretty boots trimly stretched on boottrees .
Thackeray.
Booty Boo"ty noun [ Confer Icelandic
b...ti exchange, barter, Swedish
byte barter, booty, Danish
bytte ; akin to Dutch
buit booty, German
beute , and from Icelandic
byta , Swedish
byta , Danish
bytte , to distribute, exchange. The Scandinavian word was influenced in English by
boot profit.]
That which is seized by violence or obtained by robbery, especially collective spoil taken in war; plunder; pillage. Milton. To play booty ,
to play dishonestly, with an intent to lose; to allow one's adversary to win at cards at first, in order to induce him to continue playing and victimize him afterwards. [ Obsolete]
L'Estrange.
Booze Booze intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Boozed ;
present participle & verbal noun Boozing .] [ Dutch
buizen ; akin to German
bausen , and perhaps from Dutch
buis tube, channel,
bus box, jar.]
To drink greedily or immoderately, esp. alcoholic liquor; to tipple. [ Written also
bouse , and
boose .]
Landor. This is better than boozing in public houses.
H. R. Haweis.
Booze Booze noun A carouse; a drinking. Sir W. Scott.
Boozer Booz"er noun One who boozes; a toper; a guzzler of alcoholic liquors; a bouser.
Boozy Booz"y adjective A little intoxicated; fuddled; stupid with liquor; bousy. [ Colloq.]
C. Kingsley.
Bopeep Bo·peep" noun [
Bo +
peep .]
The act of looking out suddenly, as from behind a screen, so as to startle some one (as by children in play), or of looking out and drawing suddenly back, as if frightened. I for sorrow sung,
That such a king should play bopeep ,
And go the fools among.
Shak.
Borable Bor"a·ble adjective Capable of being bored. [ R.]
Borachte Bo·rach"te noun [ Spanish
borracha a leather bottle for wine,
borracho drunk, from
borra a lamb.]
A large leather bottle for liquors, etc., made of the skin of a goat or other animal. Hence: A drunkard. [ Obsolete]
You're an absolute borachio .
Congreve.
Boracic Bo·rac"ic adjective [ Confer French
boracique . See
Borax .]
Pertaining to, or produced from, borax; containing boron; boric; as, boracic acid.
Boracite Bo"ra·cite noun (Min.) A mineral of a white or gray color occurring massive and in isometric crystals; in composition it is a magnesium borate with magnesium chloride.
Boracous Bo"ra·cous adjective (Chemistry) Relating to, or obtained from, borax; containing borax.
Borage Bor"age noun [ Middle English
borage (cf. French
bourrache , Italian
borraggine ,
borrace , Late Latin
borago ,
borrago , LGr.
... ), from Late Latin
borra , French
bourre , hair of beasts, flock; so called from its hairy leaves.]
(Botany) A mucilaginous plant of the genus Borago (B. officinalis), which is used, esp. in France, as a demulcent and diaphoretic.
Boragewort Bor"age·wort` noun Plant of the Borage family.
Boraginaceous Bo·rag`i·na"ceous adjective (Botany) Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a family of plants ( Boraginaceć ) which includes the borage, heliotrope, beggar's lice, and many pestiferous plants.
Boragineous Bor`a·gin"e·ous adjective (Botany) Relating to the Borage tribe; boraginaceous.
Boramez Bor"a·mez noun See Barometz .
Borate Bo"rate noun [ From
Boric .]
(Chemistry) A salt formed by the combination of boric acid with a base or positive radical.