Borax Bo"rax noun [ Middle English boras , from French borax , earlier spelt borras ; confer Late Latin borax , Spanish borraj ; all from Arabic b...rag , from Pers. b...rah .] A white or gray crystalline salt, with a slight alkaline taste, used as a flux, in soldering metals, making enamels, fixing colors on porcelain, and as a soap. It occurs native in certain mineral springs, and is made from the boric acid of hot springs in Tuscany. It was originally obtained from a lake in Thibet, and was sent to Europe under the name of tincal . Borax is a pyroborate or tetraborate of sodium, Na2B4O7.10H2O.

Borax bead . (Chemistry) See Bead , noun , 3.

Borborygm Bor"bo·rygm noun [ French borborygme , from Greek ... , from ... to rumble in the bowels.] (Medicine) A rumbling or gurgling noise produced by wind in the bowels. Dunglison.

Bord Bord noun [ See Board , noun ] 1. A board; a table. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

2. (Mining) The face of coal parallel to the natural fissures.

Bord Bord noun See Bourd . [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Bord service Bord" serv`ice [ Bordar (or perhaps bord a board) + service .] (O. Eng. Law) Service due from a bordar; bordage.

Bordage Bord"age noun [ Late Latin bordagium .] The base or servile tenure by which a bordar held his cottage.

Bordar Bord"ar noun [ Late Latin bordarius , from borda a cottage; of uncertain origin.] A villein who rendered menial service for his cottage; a cottier.

The cottar, the bordar , and the laborer were bound to aid in the work of the home farm.
J. R. Green.

Bordeaux Bor·deaux" adjective Pertaining to Bordeaux in the south of France. -- noun A claret wine from Bordeaux.

Bordeaux mixture Bor·deaux" mix"ture (Hort.) A fungicidal mixture composed of blue vitriol, lime, and water. The formula in common use is: blue vitriol, 6 lbs.; lime, 4 lbs.; water, 35 -- 50 gallons.

Bordel, Bordello Bor"del, Bor·del"lo noun [ French bordel , orig. a little hut, Old French borde hut, cabin, of German origin, and akin to English board , noun See Board , noun ] A brothel; a bawdyhouse; a house devoted to prostitution. [ Obsolete] B. Jonson.

Bordelais Bor`de·lais" adjective [ French] Of or pertaining to Bordeaux, in France, or to the district around Bordeaux.

Bordeller Bor"del·ler noun A keeper or a frequenter of a brothel. [ Obsolete] Gower.

Border Bor"der noun [ Middle English bordure , French bordure , from border to border, from bord a border; of German origin; confer Middle High German borte border, trimming, German borte trimming, ribbon; akin to English board in sense 8. See Board , noun , and confer Bordure .] 1. The outer part or edge of anything, as of a garment, a garden, etc.; margin; verge; brink.

Upon the borders of these solitudes.
Bentham.

In the borders of death.
Barrow.

2. A boundary; a frontier of a state or of the settled part of a country; a frontier district.

3. A strip or stripe arranged along or near the edge of something, as an ornament or finish.

4. A narrow flower bed.

Border land , land on the frontiers of two adjoining countries; debatable land; -- often used figuratively; as, the border land of science. -- The Border , The Borders , specifically, the frontier districts of Scotland and England which lie adjacent. -- Over the border , across the boundary line or frontier.

Syn. -- Edge; verge; brink; margin; brim; rim; boundary; confine.

Border Bor"der intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Bordered ; present participle & verbal noun Bordering .] 1. To touch at the edge or boundary; to be contiguous or adjacent; -- with on or upon as, Connecticut borders on Massachusetts.

2. To approach; to come near to; to verge.

Wit which borders upon profaneness deserves to be branded as folly.
Abp. Tillotson.

Border Bor"der transitive verb 1. To make a border for; to furnish with a border, as for ornament; as, to border a garment or a garden.

2. To be, or to have, contiguous to; to touch, or be touched, as by a border; to be, or to have, near the limits or boundary; as, the region borders a forest, or is bordered on the north by a forest.

The country is bordered by a broad tract called the "hot region."
Prescott.

Shebah and Raamah . . . border the sea called the Persian gulf.
Sir W. Raleigh.

3. To confine within bounds; to limit. [ Obsolete]

That nature, which contemns its origin,
Can not be bordered certain in itself.
Shak.

Bordereau Bor`de·reau" noun ; plural Bordereaux . [ French] A note or memorandum, esp. one containing an enumeration of documents.

Borderer Bor"der·er noun One who dwells on a border, or at the extreme part or confines of a country, region, or tract of land; one who dwells near to a place or region.

Borderers of the Caspian.
Dyer.

Bordland Bord"land` noun [ Bordar (or perhaps bord a board) + land .] (O. Eng. Law) Either land held by a bordar, or the land which a lord kept for the maintenance of his board, or table. Spelman.

Bordlode Bord"lode` noun [ Bordar (or perhaps bord a board) + lode leading.] (O. Eng. Law) The service formerly required of a tenant, to carry timber from the woods to the lord's house. Bailey. Mozley & W.

Bordman Bord"man noun [ Bordar (or perhaps bord a board) + man .] A bordar; a tenant in bordage.

Bordrag, Bordraging Bord"rag, Bord"ra`ging noun [ Perh. from Middle English bord , for border + raging . Confer Bodrage .] An incursion upon the borders of a country; a raid. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Bordure Bor"dure noun [ French bordure . See Border , noun ] (Her.) A border one fifth the width of the shield, surrounding the field. It is usually plain, but may be charged.

Bore Bore transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Bored ; present participle & verbal noun Boring .] [ Middle English borien , Anglo-Saxon borian ; akin to Icelandic bora , Danish bore , Dutch boren , Old High German por...n , German bohren , Latin forare , Greek ... to plow, Zend bar . √91.] 1. To perforate or penetrate, as a solid body, by turning an auger, gimlet, drill, or other instrument; to make a round hole in or through; to pierce; as, to bore a plank.

I'll believe as soon this whole earth may be bored .
Shak.

2. To form or enlarge by means of a boring instrument or apparatus; as, to bore a steam cylinder or a gun barrel; to bore a hole.

Short but very powerful jaws, by means whereof the insect can bore , as with a centerbit, a cylindrical passage through the most solid wood.
T. W. Harris.

3. To make (a passage) by laborious effort, as in boring; as, to bore one's way through a crowd; to force a narrow and difficult passage through. "What bustling crowds I bored ." Gay.

4. To weary by tedious iteration or by dullness; to tire; to trouble; to vex; to annoy; to pester.

He bores me with some trick.
Shak.

Used to come and bore me at rare intervals.
Carlyle.

5. To befool; to trick. [ Obsolete]

I am abused, betrayed; I am laughed at, scorned,
Baffled and bored , it seems.
Beau. & Fl.

Bore Bore intransitive verb 1. To make a hole or perforation with, or as with, a boring instrument; to cut a circular hole by the rotary motion of a tool; as, to bore for water or oil ( i. e. , to sink a well by boring for water or oil); to bore with a gimlet; to bore into a tree (as insects).

2. To be pierced or penetrated by an instrument that cuts as it turns; as, this timber does not bore well, or is hard to bore .

3. To push forward in a certain direction with laborious effort.

They take their flight . . . boring to the west.
Dryden.

4. (Man.) To shoot out the nose or toss it in the air; -- said of a horse. Crabb.

Bore Bore (bōr) noun 1. A hole made by boring; a perforation.

2. The internal cylindrical cavity of a gun, cannon, pistol, or other firearm, or of a pipe or tube.

The bores of wind instruments.
Bacon.

Love's counselor should fill the bores of hearing.
Shak.

3. The size of a hole; the interior diameter of a tube or gun barrel; the caliber.

4. A tool for making a hole by boring, as an auger.

5. Caliber; importance. [ Obsolete]

Yet are they much too light for the bore of the matter.
Shak.

6. A person or thing that wearies by prolixity or dullness; a tiresome person or affair; any person or thing which causes ennui.

It is as great a bore as to hear a poet read his own verses.
Hawthorne.

Bore Bore noun [ Icelandic bāra wave: confer German empor upwards, Old High German bor height, burren to lift, perhaps allied to Anglo-Saxon beran , E. 1st bear . √92.] (Physical Geology) (a) A tidal flood which regularly or occasionally rushes into certain rivers of peculiar configuration or location, in one or more waves which present a very abrupt front of considerable height, dangerous to shipping, as at the mouth of the Amazon, in South America, the Hoogly and Indus, in India, and the Tsien- tang, in China. (b) Less properly, a very high and rapid tidal flow, when not so abrupt, such as occurs at the Bay of Fundy and in the British Channel.

Bore Bore imperfect of 1st & 2d Bear .

Boreal Bo"re·al adjective [ Latin borealis : confer French boréal . See Boreas .] Northern; pertaining to the north, or to the north wind; as, a boreal bird; a boreal blast.

So from their own clear north in radiant streams,
Bright over Europe bursts the boreal morn.
Thomson.

Boreal Bo"re·al adjective (Biogeography) Designating or pertaining to a terrestrial division consisting of the northern and mountainous parts of both the Old and the New World; -- equivalent to the Holarctic region exclusive of the Transition, Sonoran, and corresponding areas. The term is used by American authors and applied by them chiefly to the Nearctic subregion. The Boreal region includes approximately all of North and Central America in which the mean temperature of the hottest season does not exceed 18° C. (= 64.4° F.). Its subdivisions are the Arctic zone and Boreal zone , the latter including the area between the Arctic and Transition zones.

Boreas Bo"re·as noun [ Latin boreas , Greek ... .] The north wind; -- usually a personification.

Borecole Bore"cole` noun [ Confer Dutch boerenkool (lit.) husbandman's cabbage.] A brassicaceous plant of many varieties, cultivated for its leaves, which are not formed into a compact head like the cabbage, but are loose, and are generally curled or wrinkled; kale.

Boredom Bore"dom noun 1. The state of being bored, or pestered; a state of ennui. Dickens.

2. The realm of bores; bores, collectively.

Boree Bo·ree" noun Same as BourrÉé . [ Obsolete] Swift.

Borel Bor"el noun See Borrel .

Borele Bor"e·le noun (Zoology) The smaller two-horned rhinoceros of South Africa ( Atelodus bicornis ).

Borer Bor"er noun 1. One that bores; an instrument for boring.

2. (Zoology) (a) A marine, bivalve mollusk, of the genus Teredo and allies, which burrows in wood. See Teredo . (b) Any bivalve mollusk ( Saxicava , Lithodomus , etc.) which bores into limestone and similar substances. (c) One of the larvæ of many species of insects, which penetrate trees, as the apple, peach, pine, etc. See Apple borer , under Apple . (d) The hagfish ( Myxine ).

Boric Bo"ric adjective (Chemistry) Of, pertaining to, or containing, boron.

Boric acid , a white crystalline substance B(OH) ₃ , easily obtained from its salts, and occurring in solution in the hot lagoons of Tuscany.

Boride Bo"ride noun (Chemistry) A binary compound of boron with a more positive or basic element or radical; -- formerly called boruret .

Boring Bor"ing noun 1. The act or process of one who, or that which, bores; as, the boring of cannon; the boring of piles and ship timbers by certain marine mollusks.

One of the most important applications of boring is in the formation of artesian wells.
Tomlinson.

2. A hole made by boring.

3. plural The chips or fragments made by boring.

Boring bar , a revolving or stationary bar, carrying one or more cutting tools for dressing round holes. -- Boring tool (Metal Working) , a cutting tool placed in a cutter head to dress round holes. Knight.

Born Born (bôrn) past participle & adjective [ See Bear , transitive verb ] 1. Brought forth, as an animal; brought into life; introduced by birth.

No one could be born into slavery in Mexico.
Prescott.

2. Having from birth a certain character; by or from birth; by nature; innate; as, a born liar. "A born matchmaker." W. D. Howells.

Born again (Theol.) , regenerated; renewed; having received spiritual life. "Except a man be born again , he can not see the kingdom of God." John iii. 3. -- Born days , days since one was born; lifetime. [ Colloq.]

Borne Borne (bōrn) past participle of Bear . Carried; conveyed; supported; defrayed. See Bear , transitive verb

Borneol Bor"ne·ol noun [ Borneo + - ol .] (Chemistry) A rare variety of camphor, C ₁₀ H ₁₇ .OH, resembling ordinary camphor, from which it can be produced by reduction. It is said to occur in the camphor tree of Borneo and Sumatra ( Dryobalanops camphora ), but the natural borneol is rarely found in European or American commerce, being in great request by the Chinese. Called also Borneo camphor , Malay camphor , and camphol .

Bornite Bor"nite noun [ Named after Von Born , a mineralogist.] (Min.) A valuable ore of copper, containing copper, iron, and sulphur; -- also called purple copper ore (or erubescite ), in allusion to the colors shown upon the slightly tarnished surface.

Borofluoride Bo`ro·flu"or·ide noun [ Boron + fluoride .] (Chemistry) A double fluoride of boron and hydrogen, or some other positive element, or radical; -- called also fluoboride , and formerly fluoborate .

Boroglyceride Bo"ro·glyc"er·ide noun [ Boron + glyceride .] (Chemistry) A compound of boric acid and glycerin, used as an antiseptic.

Boron Bo"ron (bō"rŏn) noun [ See Borax .] (Chemistry) A nonmetallic element occurring abundantly in borax. It is reduced with difficulty to the free state, when it can be obtained in several different forms; viz., as a substance of a deep olive color, in a semimetallic form, and in colorless quadratic crystals similar to the diamond in hardness and other properties. It occurs in nature also in boracite, datolite, tourmaline, and some other minerals. Atomic weight 10.9. Symbol B.

Borosilicate Bo"ro·sil"i·cate noun [ Boron + silicate .] (Chemistry) A double salt of boric and silicic acids, as in the natural minerals tourmaline, datolite, etc.

Borough Bor"ough noun [ Middle English burgh , burw , boru , port, town, burrow, Anglo-Saxon burh , burg ; akin to Icelandic , Swedish , & Danish borg , Old Saxon & Dutch burg , Old High German puruc, purc, Middle High German burc , German burg , Goth. baúrgs ; and from the root of Anglo-Saxon beorgan to hide, save, defend, German bergen ; or perhaps from that of Anglo-Saxon beorg hill, mountain. √95. See Bury , transitive verb , and confer Burrow , Burg , Bury , noun , Burgess , Iceberg , Borrow , Harbor , Hauberk .] 1. In England, an incorporated town that is not a city; also, a town that sends members to parliament; in Scotland, a body corporate, consisting of the inhabitants of a certain district, erected by the sovereign, with a certain jurisdiction; in America, an incorporated town or village, as in Pennsylvania and Connecticut. Burrill. Erskine.

2. The collective body of citizens or inhabitants of a borough; as, the borough voted to lay a tax.

Close borough , or Pocket borough , a borough having the right of sending a member to Parliament, whose nomination is in the hands of a single person. -- Rotten borough , a name given to any borough which, at the time of the passage of the Reform Bill of 1832, contained but few voters, yet retained the privilege of sending a member to Parliament.

Borough Bor"ough noun [ See Borrow .] (O. Eng. Law) (a) An association of men who gave pledges or sureties to the king for the good behavior of each other. (b) The pledge or surety thus given. Blackstone. Tomlins.

Borough-English Bor"ough-Eng"lish noun (Eng. Law) A custom, as in some ancient boroughs, by which lands and tenements descend to the youngest son, instead of the eldest; or, if the owner have no issue, to the youngest brother. Blackstone.

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 81 of 120.
« Previous ¦73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 ¦ Next »