Bouri Bou"ri noun [ Native name.]
(Zoology) A mullet ( Mugil capito ) found in the rivers of Southern Europe and in Africa.
Bourn, Bourne Bourn, Bourne noun [ Middle English
burne ,
borne , Anglo-Saxon
burna ; akin to Old Saxon
brunno spring, German
born ,
brunnen , Old High German
prunno , Goth.
brunna , Icelandic
brunnr , and perhaps to Greek .... The root is probably that of
burn , v., because the source of a stream seems to issue forth bubbling and boiling from the earth. Confer
Torrent , and see
Burn ,
v. ]
A stream or rivulet; a burn. My little boat can safely pass this perilous bourn .
Spenser.
Bourn, Bourne Bourn, Bourne noun [ French
borne . See
Bound a limit.]
A bound; a boundary; a limit. Hence: Point aimed at; goal. Where the land slopes to its watery bourn .
Cowper.
The undiscovered country, from whose bourn
No traveler returns.
Shak.
Sole bourn , sole wish, sole object of my song.
Wordsworth.
To make the doctrine . . . their intellectual bourne .
Tyndall.
Bournless Bourn"less adjective Without a bourn or limit.
Bournonite Bour"non·ite noun [ Named after Count
Bournon , a mineralogist.]
(Min.) A mineral of a steel- gray to black color and metallic luster, occurring crystallized, often in twin crystals shaped like cogwheels (wheel ore), also massive. It is a sulphide of antimony, lead, and copper.
Bournous Bour·nous" noun See Burnoose .
Bourrée Bour·rée noun [ French]
(Mus.) An old French dance tune in common time.
Bourse Bourse noun [ French
bourse purse, exchange, Late Latin
bursa , from Greek ... skin, hide, of which a purse was usually made. Confer
Purse ,
Burse .]
An exchange, or place where merchants, bankers, etc., meet for business at certain hours; esp., the Stock Exchange of Paris.
Bouse Bouse intransitive verb To drink immoderately; to carouse; to booze. See Booze .
Bouse Bouse noun Drink, esp. alcoholic drink; also, a carouse; a booze. "A good
bouse of liquor."
Carlyle.
Bouser Bous"er noun A toper; a boozer.
Boustrophedon Bou`stro·phe"don noun [ Greek ... turning like oxen in plowing; ... to turn.]
An ancient mode of writing, in alternate directions, one line from left to right, and the next from right to left (as fields are plowed), as in early Greek and Hittite.
Boustrophedonic Bou·stroph`e·don"ic adjective Relating to the boustrophedon made of writing.
Boustrophic Bou·stroph"ic adjective [ Greek
boystro`fos ox-guiding.]
Boustrophedonic.
Bousy Bousy (bō"zȳ)
adjective Drunken; sotted; boozy. In his cups the bousy poet songs.
Dryden.
Bout Bout (bout)
noun [ A different spelling and application of
bought bend.]
1. As much of an action as is performed at one time; a going and returning, as of workmen in reaping, mowing, etc.; a turn; a round. In notes with many a winding bout
Of linked sweetness long drawn out.
Milton.
The prince . . . has taken me in his train, so that I am in no danger of starving for this bout .
Goldsmith.
2. A conflict; contest; attempt; trial; a set-to at anything; as, a fencing bout ; a drinking bout . The gentleman will, for his honor's sake, have one bout with you; he can not by the duello avoid it.
Shak.
Boutade Bou·tade" noun [ French, from
bouter to thrust. See
Butt .]
An outbreak; a caprice; a whim. [ Obsolete]
Boutefeu Boute"feu noun [ F.;
bouter to thrust, put +
feu fire.]
An incendiary; an inciter of quarrels. [ Obsolete]
Animated by . . . John à Chamber, a very boutefeu , . . . they entered into open rebellion.
Bacon.
Boutonnière Bou`ton`nière" noun [ French, buttonhole.]
A bouquet worn in a buttonhole.
Bouts-rimés Bouts`-ri·més" noun plural [ French
bout end +
rimé rhymed.]
Words that rhyme, proposed as the ends of verses, to be filled out by the ingenuity of the person to whom they are offered.
Bovate Bo"vate noun [ Late Latin
bovata , from
bos ,
bovis , ox.]
(O.Eng.Law.) An oxgang, or as much land as an ox can plow in a year; an ancient measure of land, of indefinite quantity, but usually estimated at fifteen acres.
Bovey coal Bo"vey coal` (Min.) A kind of mineral coal, or brown lignite, burning with a weak flame, and generally a disagreeable odor; -- found at Bovey Tracey, Devonshire, England. It is of geological age of the oölite, and not of the true coal era.
Bovid Bo"vid adjective [ Latin
bos ,
bovis , ox, cow.]
(Zoology) Relating to that tribe of ruminant mammals of which the genus Bos is the type.
Boviform Bo"vi·form adjective [ Latin
bos ,
bovis , ox +
-form .]
Resembling an ox in form; ox- shaped. [ R.]
Bovine Bo"vine adjective [ Late Latin
bovinus , from Latin
bos ,
bovis , ox, cow: confer French
bovine . See
Cow .]
1. (Zoology) Of or pertaining to the genus Bos ; relating to, or resembling, the ox or cow; oxlike; as, the bovine genus; a bovine antelope. 2. Having qualities characteristic of oxen or cows; sluggish and patient; dull; as, a bovine temperament. The bovine gaze of gaping rustics.
W. Black.
Bow Bow (bou)
transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Bowed ;
present participle & verbal noun Bowing .] [ Middle English
bowen ,
bogen ,
bugen , Anglo-Saxon
būgan (generally intransitive verb ); akin to Dutch
buigen , Old High German
biogan , German
biegen ,
beugen , Icelandic
boginn bent,
beygja to bend, Swedish
böja , Danish
böie ,
bugne , Coth.
biugan ; also to Latin
fugere to flee, Greek ..., and Sanskrit
bhuj to bend. √88. Confer
Fugitive .]
1. To cause to deviate from straightness; to bend; to inflect; to make crooked or curved. We bow things the contrary way, to make them come to their natural straightness.
Milton.
The whole nation bowed their necks to the worst kind of tyranny.
Prescott.
2. To exercise powerful or controlling influence over; to bend, figuratively; to turn; to incline. Adversities do more bow men's minds to religion.
Bacon.
Not to bow and bias their opinions.
Fuller.
3. To bend or incline, as the head or body, in token of respect, gratitude, assent, homage, or condescension. They came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.
2 Kings ii. 15.
4. To cause to bend down; to prostrate; to depress,;... to crush; to subdue. Whose heavy hand hath bowed you to the grave.
Shak.
5. To express by bowing; as, to bow one's thanks.
Bow Bow (bou)
intransitive verb 1. To bend; to curve. [ Obsolete]
2. To stop. [ Archaic]
They stoop, they bow down together.
Is. xlvi. 2...
3. To bend the head, knee, or body, in token of reverence or submission; -- often with down . O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.
Ps. xcv. 6.
4. To incline the head in token of salutation, civility, or assent; to make bow. Admired, adored by all circling crowd,
For wheresoe'er she turned her face, they bowed .
Dryden.
Bow Bow (bou)
noun An inclination of the head, or a bending of the body, in token of reverence, respect, civility, or submission; an obeisance; as, a bow of deep humility.
Bow Bow (bō)
noun [ Middle English
bowe ,
boge , Anglo-Saxon
boga , from Anglo-Saxon
būgan to bend; akin to Dutch
boog , German
bogen , Icelandic
bogi . See
Bow ,
transitive verb ]
1. Anything bent, or in the form of a curve, as the rainbow. I do set my bow in the cloud.
Gen. ix. 13.
2. A weapon made of a strip of wood, or other elastic material, with a cord connecting the two ends, by means of which an arrow is propelled. 3. An ornamental knot, with projecting loops, formed by doubling a ribbon or string. 4. The U-shaped piece which embraces the neck of an ox and fastens it to the yoke. 5. (Mus.) An appliance consisting of an elastic rod, with a number of horse hairs stretched from end to end of it, used in playing on a stringed instrument. 6. An arcograph. 7. (Mech. & Manuf.) Any instrument consisting of an elastic rod, with ends connected by a string, employed for giving reciprocating motion to a drill, or for preparing and arranging the hair, fur, etc., used by hatters. 8. (Nautical) A rude sort of quadrant formerly used for taking the sun's altitude at sea. 9. (Saddlery) sing. or plural Two pieces of wood which form the arched forward part of a saddletree. Bow bearer (O. Eng. Law) ,
an under officer of the forest who looked after trespassers. --
Bow drill ,
a drill worked by a bow and string. --
Bow instrument (Mus.) ,
any stringed instrument from which the tones are produced by the bow. --
Bow window (Architecture) See Bay window . --
To draw a long bow ,
to lie; to exaggerate. [ Colloq.]
Bow Bow (bō)
intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Bowed ;
present participle & verbal noun Bowing .]
To play (music) with a bow. --
intransitive verb To manage the bow.
Bow Bow (bō)
noun [ Icelandic
bōgr shoulder, bow of a ship. See
Bough .]
1. (Nautical) The bending or rounded part of a ship forward; the stream or prow. 2. (Nautical) One who rows in the forward part of a boat; the bow oar. Bow chaser (Nautical) ,
a gun in the bow for firing while chasing another vessel. Totten. -
Bow piece ,
a piece of ordnance carried at the bow of a ship. --
On the bow (Nautical) ,
on that part of the horizon within 45° on either side of the line ahead. Totten.
Bow hand Bow" hand` 1. (Archery) The hand that holds the bow, i. e. , the left hand. Surely he shoots wide on the bow hand .
Spenser.
2. (Mus.) The hand that draws the bow, i. e. , the right hand.
Bow net Bow" net` 1. A trap for lobsters, being a wickerwork cylinder with a funnel-shaped entrance at one end. 2. A net for catching birds. J. H. Walsh.
Bow oar Bow" oar` 1. The oar used by the bowman. 2. One who rows at the bow of a boat.
Bow-bells Bow"-bells` noun plural The bells of Bow Church in London; cockneydom. People born within the sound of Bow-bells are usually called cockneys.
Murray's Handbook of London.
Bow-compass Bow"-com`pass noun ;
plural Bow-compasses 1. An arcograph. 2. A small pair of compasses, one leg of which carries a pencil, or a pen, for drawing circles. Its legs are often connected by a bow-shaped spring, instead of by a joint. 3. A pair of compasses, with a bow or arched plate riveted to one of the legs, and passing through the other.
Bow-legged Bow"-legged` adjective Having crooked legs, esp. with the knees bent outward. Johnson.
Bow-pen Bow"-pen` noun Bow-compasses carrying a drawing pen. See Bow-compass .
Bow-pencil Bow"-pen`cil noun Bow-compasses, one leg of which carries a pencil.
Bow-saw Bow"-saw` noun A saw with a thin or narrow blade set in a strong frame.
Bowable Bow"a·ble adjective Capable of being bowed or bent; flexible; easily influenced; yielding. [ Obsolete]
Bowbell Bow"bell` noun One born within hearing distance of Bow-bells; a cockney. Halliwell.
Bowbent Bow"bent` adjective Bent, like a bow. Milton.
Bowdlerize Bowd"ler·ize transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Bowdlerized ;
present participle & verbal noun Bowdlerizing .] [ After Dr. Thomas
Bowdler , an English physician, who published an expurgated edition of Shakespeare in 1818.]
To expurgate, as a book, by omitting or modifying the parts considered offensive. It is a grave defect in the splendid tale of Tom Jones . . . that a Bowlderized version of it would be hardly intelligible as a tale.
F. Harrison. --
Bowd`ler*i*za"tion noun --
Bowd"ler*ism noun
Bowel Bow"el noun [ Middle English
bouel ,
bouele , Old French
boel ,
boele , French
boyau , from Latin
botellus a small sausage, in Late Latin also intestine, dim. of Latin
botulus sausage.]
1. One of the intestines of an animal; an entrail, especially of man; a gut; -- generally used in the plural. He burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.
Acts i. 18.
2. plural Hence, figuratively: The interior part of anything; as, the bowels of the earth. His soldiers . . . cried out amain,
And rushed into the bowels of the battle.
Shak.
3. plural The seat of pity or kindness. Hence: Tenderness; compassion. "Thou thing of no
bowels ."
Shak. Bloody Bonner, that corpulent tyrant, full (as one said) of guts, and empty of bowels .
Fuller.
4. plural Offspring. [ Obsolete]
Shak.
Bowel Bow"el transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Boweled or
Bowelled ;
present participle & verbal noun Boweling or
Bowelling .]
To take out the bowels of; to eviscerate; to disembowel.
Boweled Bow"eled adjective [ Written also
bowelled .]
Having bowels; hollow. "The
boweled cavern."
Thomson.
Bowelless Bow"el·less adjective Without pity. Sir T. Browne.
Bowenite Bow"en·ite noun [ From G.T.
Bowen , who analyzed it in 1822.]
(Min.) A hard, compact variety of serpentine found in Rhode Island. It is of a light green color and resembles jade.
Bower Bo"wer noun [ From
Bow ,
v. & noun ]
1. One who bows or bends. 2. (Nautical) An anchor carried at the bow of a ship. 3. A muscle that bends a limb, esp. the arm. [ Obsolete]
His rawbone arms, whose mighty brawned bowers
Were wont to rive steel plates and helmets hew.
Spenser. Best bower ,
Small bower .
See the Note under Anchor .
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