Bower Bow"er (bou"ẽr) noun [ German bauer a peasant. So called from the figure sometimes used for the knave in cards. See Boor .] One of the two highest cards in the pack commonly used in the game of euchre. Right bower , the knave of the trump suit, the highest card (except the "Joker") in the game. -- Left bower , the knave of the other suit of the same color as the trump, being the next to the right bower in value. -- Best bower or Joker , in some forms of euchre and some other games, an extra card sometimes added to the pack, which takes precedence of all others as the highest card.

Bower Bow"er noun [ Middle English bour , bur , room, dwelling, Anglo-Saxon būr , from the root of Anglo-Saxon būan to dwell; akin to Icelandic būr chamber, storehouse, Swedish būr cage, Danish buur , Old High German pūr room, German bauer cage, bauer a peasant. √97] Confer Boor , Byre .] 1. Anciently, a chamber; a lodging room; esp., a lady's private apartment.

Give me my lute in bed now as I lie,
And lock the doors of mine unlucky bower .
Gascoigne.

2. A rustic cottage or abode; poetically, an attractive abode or retreat. Shenstone. B. Johnson. 3. A shelter or covered place in a garden, made with boughs of trees or vines, etc., twined together; an arbor; a shady recess.

Bower Bow"er transitive verb To embower; to inclose. Shak.

Bower Bow"er intransitive verb To lodge. [ Obsolete] Spenser.

Bower Bow"er noun [ From Bough , confer Brancher .] (Falconry) A young hawk, when it begins to leave the nest. [ Obsolete]

Bower bird Bow"er bird` (Zoology) An Australian bird ( Ptilonorhynchus violaceus or holosericeus ), allied to the starling, which constructs singular bowers or playhouses of twigs and decorates them with bright-colored objects; the satin bird. » The name is also applied to other related birds of the same region, having similar habits; as, the spotted bower bird ( Chalmydodera maculata ), and the regent bird ( Sericulus melinus ).

Bower-Barff process Bow"er-Barff" proc`ess (Metal.) A certain process for producing upon articles of iron or steel an adherent coating of the magnetic oxide of iron (which is not liable to corrosion by air, moisture, or ordinary acids). This is accomplished by producing, by oxidation at about 1600° F. in a closed space, a coating containing more or less of the ferric oxide (Fe ₂ O ₃ ) and the subsequent change of this in a reduced atmosphere to the magnetic oxide (Fe ₂ O ₄ ).

Bowery Bow"er·y adjective Shading, like a bower; full of bowers.

A bowery maze that shades the purple streams.
Trumbull.

Bowery Bow"er·y noun ; plural Boweries [ Dutch bouwerij .] A farm or plantation with its buildings. [ U.S.Hist.]

The emigrants [ in New York] were scattered on boweries or plantations; and seeing the evils of this mode of living widely apart, they were advised, in 1643 and 1646, by the Dutch authorities, to gather into "villages, towns, and hamlets, as the English were in the habit of doing."
Bancroft.

Bowery Bow"er·y adjective Characteristic of the street called the Bowery , in New York city; swaggering; flashy.

Bowess Bow"ess noun (Falconry) Same as Bower . [ Obsolete]

Bowfin Bow"fin` noun (Zoology) A voracious ganoid fish ( Amia calva ) found in the fresh waters of the United States; the mudfish; -- called also Johnny Grindle , and dogfish .

Bowge Bowge intransitive verb To swell out. See Bouge . [ Obsolete]

Bowge Bowge transitive verb To cause to leak. [ Obsolete] See Bouge .

Bowgrace Bow"grace` noun (Nautical) A frame or fender of rope or junk, laid out at the sides or bows of a vessel to secure it from injury by floating ice.

Bowhead Bow"head` noun (Zoology) The great Arctic or Greenland whale. ( Balæna mysticetus ). See Baleen , and Whale .

Bowie knife Bow"ie knife` A knife with a strong blade from ten to fifteen inches long, and double-edged near the point; -- used as a hunting knife, and formerly as a weapon in the southwestern part of the United States. It was named from its inventor, Colonel James Bowie . Also, by extension, any large sheath knife.

Bowing Bow"ing noun (Mus.) 1. The act or art of managing the bow in playing on stringed instruments.

Bowing constitutes a principal part of the art of the violinist, the violist, etc.
J. W. Moore.

2. In hatmaking, the act or process of separating and distributing the fur or hair by means of a bow, to prepare it for felting.

Bowingly Bow"ing·ly adverb In a bending manner.

Bowknot Bow"knot` noun A knot in which a portion of the string is drawn through in the form of a loop or bow, so as to be readily untied.

Bowl Bowl (bōl) noun [ Middle English bolle , Anglo-Saxon bolla ; akin to Icelandic bolli , Danish bolle , German bolle , and perhaps to English boil a tumor. Confer Boll .] 1. A concave vessel of various forms (often approximately hemispherical), to hold liquids, etc.

Brought them food in bowls of basswood.
Longfellow.

2. Specifically, a drinking vessel for wine or other spirituous liquors; hence, convivial drinking. 3. The contents of a full bowl; what a bowl will hold. 4. The hollow part of a thing; as, the bowl of a spoon.

Bowl Bowl (bōl) noun [ French boule , from Latin bulla bubble, stud. Confer Bull an edict, Bill a writing.] 1. A ball of wood or other material used for rolling on a level surface in play; a ball of hard wood having one side heavier than the other, so as to give it a bias when rolled. 2. plural An ancient game, popular in Great Britain, played with biased balls on a level plat of greensward.

Like an uninstructed bowler, . . . who thinks to attain the jack by delivering his bowl straightforward upon it.
Sir W. Scott.

3. pl . The game of tenpins or bowling. [ U.S.]

Bowl Bowl transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Bowled ; present participle & verbal noun Bowling .] 1. To roll, as a bowl or cricket ball.

Break all the spokes and fellies from her wheel,
And bowl the round nave down the hill of heaven.
Shak.

2. To roll or carry smoothly on, or as on, wheels; as, we were bowled rapidly along the road. 3. To pelt or strike with anything rolled.

Alas, I had rather be set quick i' the earth,
And bowled to death with turnips...
Shak.

To bowl (a player) out , in cricket, to put out a striker by knocking down a bail or a stump in bowling.

Bowl Bowl intransitive verb 1. To play with bowls. 2. To roll a ball on a plane, as at cricket, bowls, etc. 3. To move rapidly, smoothly, and like a ball; as, the carriage bowled along.

Bowlder, Boulder Bowl"der, Boul"der noun [ Confer Swedish bullra to roar, rattle, Danish buldre , dial. Swedish bullersteen larger kind of pebbles; perhaps akin to English bellow .] 1. A large stone, worn smooth or rounded by the action of water; a large pebble. 2. (Geol.) A mass of any rock, whether rounded or not, that has been transported by natural agencies from its native bed. See Drift . Bowlder clay , the unstratified clay deposit of the Glacial or Drift epoch, often containing large numbers of bowlders. -- Bowlder wall , a wall constructed of large stones or bowlders.

Bowldery Bowl"der·y adjective Characterized by bowlders.

Bowleg Bow"leg` noun A crooked leg. Jer. Taylor.

Bowler Bowl"er noun One who plays at bowls, or who rolls the ball in cricket or any other game.

Bowler Bowl"er noun [ From 2d Bowl .] A derby hat. [ Eng.]

Bowless Bow"less adjective Destitute of a bow.

Bowline Bow"line noun [ Confer Dutch boelijn , Icelandic böglïna ..., Danish bovline ; properly the line attached to the shoulder or side of the sail. See Bow (of a ship), and Line .] (Nautical) A rope fastened near the middle of the leech or perpendicular edge of the square sails, by subordinate ropes, called bridles , and used to keep the weather edge of the sail tight forward, when the ship is closehauled. Bowline bridles , the ropes by which the bowline is fastened to the leech of the sail. -- Bowline knot . See Illust. under Knot . -- On a bowline , close-hauled or sailing close to the wind; -- said of a ship.

Bowling Bowl"ing noun The act of playing at or rolling bowls, or of rolling the ball at cricket; the game of bowls or of tenpins. Bowling alley , a covered place for playing at bowls or tenpins. -- Bowling green , a level piece of greensward or smooth ground for bowling, as the small park in lower Broadway, New York, where the Dutch of New Amsterdam played this game.

Bowls Bowls (bōlz) noun plural See Bowl , a ball, a game.

Bowman Bow"man noun ; plural Bowmen A man who uses a bow; an archer.

The whole city shall flee for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen .
Jer. iv. 29.

Bowman's root . (Botany) See Indian physic , under Indian .

Bowman Bow"man noun (Nautical) The man who rows the foremost oar in a boat; the bow oar.

Bowne Bowne transitive verb [ See Boun .] To make ready; to prepare; to dress. [ Obsolete]

We will all bowne ourselves for the banquet.
Sir W. Scott.

Bowse Bowse intransitive verb [ See Booze , and Bouse .] 1. To carouse; to bouse; to booze. De Quincey. 2. (Nautical) To pull or haul; as, to bowse upon a tack; to bowse away, i. e. , to pull all together.

Bowse Bowse noun A carouse; a drinking bout; a booze.

Bowshot Bow"shot` noun The distance traversed by an arrow shot from a bow.

Bowsprit Bow"sprit` noun [ Bow + sprit ; akin to Dutch boegspriet ; boeg bow of a ship + spriet , English sprit , also Swedish bogspröt , German bugspriet .] (Nautical) A large boom or spar, which projects over the stem of a ship or other vessel, to carry sail forward.

Bowssen Bows"sen transitive verb To drench; to soak; especially, to immerse (in water believed to have curative properties). [ Obsolete]

There were many bowssening places, for curing of mad men.
. . . If there appeared small amendment he was bowssened again and again.
Carew.

Bowstring Bow"string` noun 1. The string of a bow. 2. A string used by the Turks for strangling offenders. Bowstring bridge , a bridge formed of an arch of timber or iron, often braced, the thrust of which is resisted by a tie forming a chord of the arch. -- Bowstring girder , an arched beam strengthened by a tie connecting its two ends. -- Bowstring hemp (Botany) , the tenacious fiber of the Sanseviera Zeylanica , growing in India and Africa, from which bowstrings are made. Balfour.

Bowstring Bow"string` transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Bowstringed or Bowstrung ; present participle & verbal noun Bowstringing .] To strangle with a bowstring.

Bowstringed Bow"stringed` p.a. 1. Furnished with bowstring. 2. Put to death with a bowstring; strangled.

Bowtel Bow"tel noun See Boultel .

Bowwow Bow"wow` noun An onomatopoetic name for a dog or its bark. -- adjective Onomatopoetic; as, the bowwow theory of language; a bowwow word. [ Jocose.]

Bowyer Bow"yer noun [ From Bow , like lawyer from law .] 1. An archer; one who uses bow. 2. One who makes or sells bows.

Box Box (bŏks) noun [ As. box , Latin buxus , from Greek .... See Box a case.] (Botany) A tree or shrub, flourishing in different parts of the world. The common box ( Buxus sempervirens ) has two varieties, one of which, the dwarf box ( B. suffruticosa ), is much used for borders in gardens. The wood of the tree varieties, being very hard and smooth, is extensively used in the arts, as by turners, engravers, mathematical instrument makers, etc. Box elder , the ash-leaved maple ( Negundo aceroides ), of North America. -- Box holly , the butcher's broom ( Russus aculeatus ). -- Box thorn , a shrub ( Lycium barbarum ). -- Box tree , the tree variety of the common box.

Box Box noun ; plural Boxes [ As. box a small case or vessel with a cover; akin to Old High German buhsa box, German büchse ; from Latin buxus boxwood, anything made of boxwood. See Pyx , and confer Box a tree, Bushel .] 1. A receptacle or case of any firm material and of various shapes. 2. The quantity that a box contain. 3. A space with a few seats partitioned off in a theater, or other place of public amusement.

Laughed at by the pit, box , galleries, nay, stage.
Dorset.

The boxes and the pit are sovereign judges.
Dryden.

4. A chest or any receptacle for the deposit of money; as, a poor box ; a contribution box .

Yet since his neighbors give, the churl unlocks,
Damning the poor, his tripple-bolted box .
J. Warton.

5. A small country house. "A shooting box ." Wilson.

Tight boxes neatly sashed.
Cowper.

6. A boxlike shed for shelter; as, a sentry box . 7. (Mach) (a) An axle box, journal box, journal bearing, or bushing. (b) A chamber or section of tube in which a valve works; the bucket of a lifting pump. 8. The driver's seat on a carriage or coach. 9. A present in a box; a present; esp. a Christmas box or gift. "A Christmas box ." Dickens. 10. (Baseball) The square in which the pitcher stands. 11. (Zoology) A Mediterranean food fish; the bogue. » Box is much used adjectively or in composition; as box lid, box maker, box circle, etc.; also with modifying substantives; as money box , letter box , band box , hat box or hat box , snuff box or snuff box . Box beam (Architecture) , a beam made of metal plates so as to have the form of a long box. -- Box car (Railroads) , a freight car covered with a roof and inclosed on the sides to protect its contents. -- Box chronometer , a ship's chronometer, mounted in gimbals, to preserve its proper position. -- Box coat , a thick overcoat for driving; sometimes with a heavy cape to carry off the rain. -- Box coupling , a metal collar uniting the ends of shafts or other parts in machinery. -- Box crab (Zoology) , a crab of the genus Calappa , which, when at rest with the legs retracted, resembles a box. -- Box drain (Architecture) , a drain constructed with upright sides, and with flat top and bottom. -- Box girder (Architecture) , a box beam. -- Box groove (Metal Working) , a closed groove between two rolls, formed by a collar on one roll fitting between collars on another. R. W. Raymond. -- Box metal , an alloy of copper and tin, or of zinc, lead, and antimony, for the bearings of journals, etc. -- Box plait , a plait that doubles both to the right and the left. -- Box turtle or Box tortoise (Zoology) , a land tortoise or turtle of the genera Cistudo and Emys ; -- so named because it can withdraw entirely within its shell, which can be closed by hinged joints in the lower shell. Also, humorously, an exceedingly reticent person. Emerson. -- In a box , in a perplexity or an embarrassing position; in difficulty. (Colloq.) -- In the wrong box , out of one's place; out of one's element; awkwardly situated. (Colloq.) Ridley (1554)

Box Box transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Boxed ; present participle & verbal noun Boxing .] 1. To inclose in a box. 2. To furnish with boxes, as a wheel. 3. (Architecture) To inclose with boarding, lathing, etc., so as to bring to a required form. To box a tree , to make an incision or hole in a tree for the purpose of procuring the sap. -- To box off , to divide into tight compartments. -- To box up . (a) To put into a box in order to save; as, he had boxed up twelve score pounds. (b) To confine; as, to be boxed up in narrow quarters.