Brigandish Brig"and·ish adjective Like a brigand or freebooter; robberlike.

Brigandism Brig"and·ism noun Brigandage.

Brigantine Brig"an·tine noun [ French brigantin , from Italian brigantino , originally, a practical vessel. See Brigand , and confer Brig ] 1. A practical vessel. [ Obsolete]

2. A two-masted, square-rigged vessel, differing from a brig in that she does not carry a square mainsail.

3. See Brigandine .

Brigge Brig"ge noun A bridge. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Bright Bright intransitive verb See Brite , intransitive verb

Bright Bright adjective [ Middle English briht , Anglo-Saxon beorht , briht ; akin to Old Saxon berht , Old High German beraht , Icelandic bjartr , Goth. baírhts . √94.] 1. Radiating or reflecting light; shedding or having much light; shining; luminous; not dark.

The sun was bright o'erhead.
Longfellow.

The earth was dark, but the heavens were bright .
Drake.

The public places were as bright as at noonday.
Macaulay.

2. Transmitting light; clear; transparent.

From the brightest wines
He 'd turn abhorrent.
Thomson.

3. Having qualities that render conspicuous or attractive, or that affect the mind as light does the eye; resplendent with charms; as, bright beauty.

Bright as an angel new-dropped from the sky.
Parnell.

4. Having a clear, quick intellect; intelligent.

5. Sparkling with wit; lively; vivacious; shedding cheerfulness and joy around; cheerful; cheery.

Be bright and jovial among your guests.
Shak.

6. Illustrious; glorious.

In the brightest annals of a female reign.
Cotton.

7. Manifest to the mind, as light is to the eyes; clear; evident; plain.

That he may with more ease, with brighter evidence, and with surer success, draw the bearner on.
I. Watts.

8. Of brilliant color; of lively hue or appearance.

Here the bright crocus and blue violet grew.
Pope.

» Bright is used in composition in the sense of brilliant, clear, sunny, etc.; as, bright -eyed, bright -haired, bright -hued.

Syn. -- Shining; splending; luminous; lustrous; brilliant; resplendent; effulgent; refulgent; radiant; sparkling; glittering; lucid; beamy; clear; transparent; illustrious; witty; clear; vivacious; sunny.

Bright Bright noun Splendor; brightness. [ Poetic]

Dark with excessive bright thy skirts appear.
Milton.

Bright Bright adverb Brightly. Chaucer.

I say it is the moon that shines so bright .
Shak.

Bright-harnessed Bright"-har`nessed adjective Having glittering armor. [ Poetic] Milton.

Bright's disease Bright's" dis·ease" [ From Dr. Bright of London, who first described it.] (Medicine) An affection of the kidneys, usually inflammatory in character, and distinguished by the occurrence of albumin and renal casts in the urine. Several varieties of Bright's disease are now recognized, differing in the part of the kidney involved, and in the intensity and course of the morbid process.

Brighten Bright"en transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Brightened ; present participle & verbal noun Brightening .] [ From Bright , adjective ] 1. To make bright or brighter; to make to shine; to increase the luster of; to give a brighter hue to.

2. To make illustrious, or more distinguished; to add luster or splendor to.

The present queen would brighten her character, if she would exert her authority to instill virtues into her people.
Swift.

3. To improve or relieve by dispelling gloom or removing that which obscures and darkens; to shed light upon; to make cheerful; as, to brighten one's prospects.

An ecstasy, which mothers only feel,
Plays round my heart and brightens all my sorrow.
Philips.

4. To make acute or witty; to enliven. Johnson.

Brighten Bright"en intransitive verb [ Anglo-Saxon beorhtan .] To grow bright, or more bright; to become less dark or gloomy; to clear up; to become bright or cheerful.

And night shall brighten into day.
N. Cotton.

And, all his prospects brightening to the last,
His heaven commences ere world be past.
Goldsmith.

Brightly Bright"ly adverb 1. Brilliantly; splendidly; with luster; as, brightly shining armor.

2. With lively intelligence; intelligently.

Looking brightly into the mother's face.
Hawthorne.

Brightness Bright"ness noun [ Anglo-Saxon beorhines . See Bright .] 1. The quality or state of being bright; splendor; luster; brilliancy; clearness.

A sudden brightness in his face appear.
Crabbe.

2. Acuteness (of the faculties); sharpness 9wit.

The brightness of his parts . . . distinguished him.
Prior.

Syn. -- Splendor; luster; radiance; resplendence; brilliancy; effulgence; glory; clearness.

Brightsome Bright"some adjective Bright; clear; luminous; brilliant. [ R.] Marlowe.

Brigose Bri·gose" adjective [ Late Latin brigosus , Italian brigoso . See Brigue , noun ] Contentious; quarrelsome. [ Obsolete] Puller.

Brigue Brigue noun [ French brigue , from Late Latin briga quarrel. See Brigand .] A cabal, intrigue, faction, contention, strife, or quarrel. [ Obsolete] Chesterfield.

Brigue Brigue intransitive verb [ French briguer . See Brigue , noun ] To contend for; to canvass; to solicit. [ Obsolete] Bp. Hurd.

Brike Brike noun [ Anglo-Saxon brice .] A breach; ruin; downfall; peril. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Brill Brill (brĭl) noun [ Confer Corn. brilli mackerel, from brith streaked, speckled.] (Zoology) A fish allied to the turbot ( Rhombus levis ), much esteemed in England for food; -- called also bret , pearl , prill . See Bret .

Brillante Bril·lan"te adverb [ Italian See Brilliant , adjective ] (Mus.) In a gay, showy, and sparkling style.

Brilliance Bril"liance (brĭl"y a n*s) noun Brilliancy. Tennyson.

Brilliancy Bril"lian·cy (brĭl"y a n*sȳ) noun [ See Brilliant .] The quality of being brilliant; splendor; glitter; great brightness, whether in a literal or figurative sense.

With many readers brilliancy of style passes for affluence of thought.
Longfellow.

Brilliant Bril"liant (brĭl"y a nt) adjective [ French brillant , present participle of briller to shine or sparkle (cf. Pr. & Spanish brillar , Italian brillare ), from Latin beryllus a precious stone of sea-green color, Prov. Italian brill . See Beryl .] 1. Sparkling with luster; glittering; very bright; as, a brilliant star.

2. Distinguished by qualities which excite admiration; splendid; shining; as, brilliant talents.

Washington was more solicitous to avoid fatal mistakes than to perform brilliant exploits.
Fisher Ames.

Syn. -- See Shining .

Brilliant Bril"liant noun [ French brillant . See Brilliant , adjective ] 1. A diamond or other gem of the finest cut, formed into faces and facets, so as to reflect and refract the light, by which it is rendered more brilliant. It has at the middle, or top, a principal face, called the table , which is surrounded by a number of sloping facets forming a bizet ; below, it has a small face or collet , parallel to the table, connected with the girdle by a pavilion of elongated facets. It is thus distinguished from the rose diamond, which is entirely covered with facets on the surface, and is flat below.

This snuffbox -- on the hinge see brilliants shine.
Pope.

2. (Print.) The smallest size of type used in England printing.

» This line is printed in the type called Brilliant.

3. A kind of cotton goods, figured on the weaving.

Brilliantine Bril"lian·tine noun [ French brillantine . See lst Brilliant .] 1. An oily composition used to make the hair glossy.

2. A dress fabric having a glossy finish on both sides, resembling alpaca but of superior quality.

Brilliantly Bril"liant·ly adverb In a brilliant manner.

Brilliantness Bril"liant·ness noun Brilliancy; splendor; glitter.

Brills Brills noun plural [ CF. German brille spectacles, Dutch bril , from Latin berillus . See Brilliant .] The hair on the eyelids of a horse. Bailey.

Brim Brim noun [ Middle English brim , brimme , Anglo-Saxon brymme edge, border; akin to Icelandic barmr , Swedish bräm , Danish bræmme , German brame , bräme . Possibly the same word as Anglo-Saxon brim surge, sea, and properly meaning, the line of surf at the border of the sea, and akin to Latin fremere to roar, murmur. Confer Breeze a fly.] 1. The rim, border, or upper edge of a cup, dish, or any hollow vessel used for holding anything.

Saw I that insect on this goblet's brim
I would remove it with an anxious pity.
Coleridge.

2. The edge or margin, as of a fountain, or of the water contained in it; the brink; border.

The feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water.
Josh. iii. 15.

3. The rim of a hat. Wordsworth.

Brim Brim intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Brimmed ; present participle & verbal noun Brimming .] To be full to the brim. "The brimming stream." Milton.

To brim over (literally or figuratively), to be so full that some of the contents flows over the brim; as, a cup brimming over with wine; a man brimming over with fun.

Brim Brim transitive verb To fill to the brim, upper edge, or top.

Arrange the board and brim the glass.
Tennyson.

Brim Brim adjective Fierce; sharp; cold. See Breme . [ Obsolete]

Brimful Brim"ful adjective Full to the brim; completely full; ready to overflow. "Her brimful eyes." Dryden.

Brimless Brim"less adjective Having no brim; as, brimless caps.

Brimmed Brimmed adjective 1. Having a brim; -- usually in composition. "Broad- brimmed hat." Spectator.

2. Full to, or level with, the brim. Milton.

Brimmer Brim"mer noun A brimful bowl; a bumper.

Brimming Brim"ming adjective Full to the brim; overflowing.

Brimstone Brim"stone noun [ Middle English brimston , bremston , bernston , brenston ; confer Icelandic brennistein . See Burn , transitive verb , and Stone .] Sulphur; See Sulphur .

Brimstone Brim"stone adjective Made of, or pertaining to, brimstone; as, brimstone matches.

From his brimstone bed at break of day
A-walking the devil has gone.
Coleridge.

Brimstony Brim"sto`ny adjective Containing or resembling brimstone; sulphurous. B. Jonson.

Brin Brin noun [ French] One of the radiating sticks of a fan. The outermost are larger and longer, and are called panaches . Knight.

Brinded Brin"ded adjective [ Confer Icelandic bröndōttr brindled, from brandr brand; and Middle English bernen , brinnen , to burn. See Brand , Burn .] Of a gray or tawny color with streaks of darker hue; streaked; brindled. "Three brinded cows," Dryden. "The brinded cat." Shak.

Brindle Brin"dle noun [ See Brindled .] 1. The state of being brindled.

2. A brindled color; also, that which is brindled.

Brindle Brin"dle adjective Brindled.

Brindled Brin"dled adjective [ A dim. form of brinded .] Having dark streaks or spots on a gray or tawny ground; brinded. "With a brindled lion played." Churchill.

Brine Brine noun [ Anglo-Saxon bryne a burning, salt liquor, brine, from brinnan , brynnan , to burn. See Burn .] 1. Water saturated or strongly impregnated with salt; pickle; hence, any strong saline solution; also, the saline residue or strong mother liquor resulting from the evaporation of natural or artificial waters.

2. The ocean; the water of an ocean, sea, or salt lake.

Not long beneath the whelming brine . . . he lay.
Cowper.

3. Tears; -- so called from their saltness.

What a deal of brine
Hath washed thy sallow cheecks for
Rosaline!
Shak.

Brine fly (Zoology) , a fly of the genus Ephydra , the larvæ of which live in artificial brines and in salt lakes. -- Brine gauge , an instrument for measuring the saltness of a liquid. -- Brine pan , a pit or pan of salt water, where salt is formed by cristallization. -- Brine pit , a salt spring or well, from which water is taken to be boiled or evaporated for making salt. -- Brine pump (Marine Engin.) , a pump for changing the water in the boilers, so as to clear them of the brine which collects at the bottom. -- Brine shrimp , Brine worm (Zoology) , a phyllopod crustacean of the genus Artemia , inhabiting the strong brines of salt works and natural salt lakes. See Artemia . -- Brine spring , a spring of salt water. -- Leach brine (Saltmaking) , brine which drops from granulated salt in drying, and is preserved to be boiled again.

Brine Brine transitive verb 1. To steep or saturate in brine.

2. To sprinkle with salt or brine; as, to brine hay.

Bring Bring transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Brought ; present participle & verbal noun Bringing .] [ Middle English bringen , Anglo-Saxon bringan ; akin to Old Saxon brengian , Dutch brengen , Fries. brenga , Old High German bringan , German bringen , Goth. briggan .] 1. To convey to the place where the speaker is or is to be; to bear from a more distant to a nearer place; to fetch.

And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread.
1 Kings xvii. 11.

To France shall we convey you safe,
And bring you back.
Shak.

2. To cause the accession or obtaining of; to procure; to make to come; to produce; to draw to.

There is nothing will bring you more honor . . . than to do what right in justice you may.
Bacon.

3. To convey; to move; to carry or conduct.

In distillation, the water . . . brings over with it some part of the oil of vitriol.
Sir I. Newton.

4. To persuade; to induce; to draw; to lead; to guide.

It seems so preposterous a thing . . . that they do not easily bring themselves to it.
Locke.

The nature of the things . . . would not suffer him to think otherwise, how, or whensoever, he is brought to reflect on them.
Locke.

5. To produce in exchange; to sell for; to fetch; as, what does coal bring per ton?

To bring about , to bring to pass; to effect; to accomplish. -- To bring back . (a) To recall. (b) To restore, as something borrowed, to its owner. -- To bring by the lee (Nautical) , to incline so rapidly to leeward of the course, when a ship sails large, as to bring the lee side suddenly to the windward, any by laying the sails aback, expose her to danger of upsetting. -- To bring down . (a) To cause to come down. (b) To humble or abase; as, to bring down high looks. -- To bring down the house , to cause tremendous applause. [ Colloq.] -- To bring forth . (a) To produce, as young fruit. (b) To bring to light; to make manifest. -- To bring forward (a) To exhibit; to introduce; to produce to view. (b) To hasten; to promote; to forward. (c) To propose; to adduce; as, to bring forward arguments. -- To bring home . (a) To bring to one's house. (b) To prove conclusively; as, to bring home a charge of treason. (c) To cause one to feel or appreciate by personal experience. (d) (Nautical) To lift of its place, as an anchor. -- To bring in . (a) To fetch from without; to import. (b) To introduce, as a bill in a deliberative assembly. (c) To return or repot to, or lay before, a court or other body; to render; as, to bring in a verdict or a report. (d) To take to an appointed place of deposit or collection; as, to bring in provisions or money for a specified object. (e) To produce, as income. (f) To induce to join. -- To bring off , to bear or convey away; to clear from condemnation; to cause to escape. -- To bring on . (a) To cause to begin. (b) To originate or cause to exist; as, to bring on a disease. -- To bring one on one's way , to accompany, guide, or attend one. -- To bring out , to expose; to detect; to bring to light from concealment. -- To bring over . (a) To fetch or bear across. (b) To convert by persuasion or other means; to cause to change sides or an opinion. -- To bring to . (a) To resuscitate; to bring back to consciousness or life, as a fainting person. (b) (Nautical) To check the course of, as of a ship, by dropping the anchor, or by counterbracing the sails so as to keep her nearly stationary (she is then said to lie to ). (c) To cause (a vessel) to lie to, as by firing across her course. (d) To apply a rope to the capstan. -- To bring to light , to disclose; to discover; to make clear; to reveal. -- To bring a sail to (Nautical) , to bend it to the yard. -- To bring to pass , to accomplish to effect. "Trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass ." Ps. xxxvii. 5. -- To bring under , to subdue; to restrain; to reduce to obedience. -- To bring up . (a) To carry upward; to nurse; to rear; to educate. (b) To cause to stop suddenly. (c) [ intransitive verb by dropping the reflexive pronoun] To stop suddenly; to come to a standstill. [ Colloq.] -- To bring up (any one) with a round turn , to cause (any one) to stop abruptly. [ Colloq.] -- To be brought to bed . See under Bed .

Syn. -- To fetch; bear; carry; convey; transport; import; procure; produce; cause; adduce; induce.

Bringer Bring"er noun One who brings.

Yet the first bringer of unwelcome news
Hath but a losing office.
Shak.

Bringer in , one who, or that which, introduces.

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 99 of 120.
« Previous ¦91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 ¦ Next »