B-Word Vocabulary Definitions
babassu. | Brazilian palm ("Bob and Sue") |
babesia. | parasitic sporozoans |
babirusa. | boar w. curved tusks |
babka. | coffee-cake: almonds, raisins, rum, orange rind |
babu. | Sir (India), (effendi, memsahib, sahib, tuan). ("My sweet babu") |
babul. | gum arabic tree |
baby tears. | minute green flowers |
bacciferous. | berry-bearing |
bacillary. | virgate |
back-bencher. | Parliament |
back matter. | back of book |
back-saw. | reinforced saw |
backseat. | rope supporting the mizzenmast |
backsword. | one edge |
bacteremia. | in blood |
Bactrian. | two humps |
baciluform. | virgate, bacillary |
badderlocks. | edible seaweed |
bagasse. | dried sugar cane pulp |
bagnio. | brothel/slave prison |
baguette. | baguette cut |
Bahasa Indonesia. | beche-de-mer (lingua franca) |
bail. | pole separating animals |
bailey. | outer wall or courtyard of castle ("Down in the old bailey") |
Bailey bridge. | shippable bridge |
bailie. | Scottish alderman |
bainmarie. | big pan-warmer (full of hot water) |
baize. | coarse woolen cloth, napped like felt |
baklava. | paper-thin, chopped nuts and honey |
baksheesh. | tip |
Balaam. | rebuked by Balaams ass |
balas. | rose-red to orange spinel ("balas-colored') |
balata. | latex used for golf balls (algoroba) |
balbriggen. | unbleached underwear cloth |
baldachin. | silk and gold canopy; stone canopy |
baldric. | sword or bugle belt |
bale. | mental suffering, anguish ("baleful") |
baleen. | whalebone |
Balinese. | Indonesian language |
balk. | barrier between plow-rows; timber; billiards |
balk line. | pool line |
balletomane. | ballet aficionado |
ballonet. | auxiliary airbag |
ballottement. | medical manipulation |
balmacaan. | overcoat with raglan sleeves |
Balmoral. | shoes; hat |
balneology. | bath therapy |
balsam of Tolu. | cough medicines and perfume |
banseau. | narrow hairband |
bandarilla. | barbed dart in bulls shoulder |
bandeiriliero. | guy who throws it |
balderole. | narrow forked flag or ribbon, inscribed scroll |
bandicoot. | rat-like Australian marsupial |
bandog. | Chris watchdog (chained) |
bandore. | ancient guitar ("Hey! He couldn't hit the broad side of a bandore!") |
bangalore torpedo. | pipe filled with explosives (minefields) |
banger. | sausage |
Bang disease. | brucellosis |
bang-tail. | racehorse |
banlan. | Hindu vegetarian merchant (Under the banlan tree) |
banker. | bank fisher/boat |
banker. | sculptors workbench |
bannaret. | knight between knight bachelor and baron. Also, a small banner |
bannock. | unleavened griddlecakes (Bannockburn: burned griddle cakes) |
banquette. | shelve on castle wall for archers; sidewalk; built-in bench; ledge |
bantling. | young child |
baobab. | 30 in diameter, white flowers, fleshy fruit |
barathea. | soft silk-blend fabric |
barb. | Moorish horse; dark pigeon |
barbasco. | poison tree |
barbate. | bearded |
barbers itch. | ringworm |
barbet. | toucan family |
barbette. | firing platform inside a fort; armored cylinder around a naval gun |
barbican. | town gate fortification |
barbicel. | hooks on feather barbules |
barbule. | pointed projection on barbs of feathers |
bard. | horse armor |
barege. | sheer fabric used for women (A barege peignoir) |
bargeboard. | gingerbread board projecting from roof gable |
bargee. | bargeman |
bargello. | zig-zag needlepoint stitch named for Bargello Museum |
bariatrics. | treatment of obesity |
barilla. | soda plant |
barite. | principal source of barium |
bark. | 3 to 5 masts; square-rigged except after-mast |
barkentine. | only the foremast is square-rigged |
barleduc. | gooseberry jam |
Barmecidal. | imaginary feast |
barmy. | foamy; dotty |
barong. | machete (billhook, parong) |
baro-receptor. | pressure |
barouche. | 4-wheeled carriage, opposing seats |
barracoon. | temporary slave or convict barracks |
barramunda. | lungfish |
barranca. | deep ditch or gorge |
barratry. | inciting quarrels; ship captains breach of duty causing injury to owners; simony |
barrio. | Spanglish quarters |
barrow. | castrated pig |
bar sinister. | bastard baldric |
bartizan. | overhanging corner turrets |
barycenter. | center of mass |
bascule. | bascule drawbridge |
baseburner. | auto-feeding grate |
basenji. | African dog |
basidiomycetes. | mushrooms, puffballs |
basidium. | club-shaped basidiomycete cell |
basilar. | base of skull |
basilisk. | lizard/serpent with lethal breath and glance |
basipetal. | growing from top toward base |
basking shark. | Australia. Feeds on plankton. very large |
basophil. | dye-able blood cell |
basque. | bodice |
bastnaesite. | reddish to yellowish brown rare earth ore |
bate. | flap wings wildly (falcon) ("The falcon bated its wings.") |
bateau. | Louisiana rowboat |
bateau bridge. | pontoon bridge |
batholith. | igneous rock that has melted and intruded into other rock at great depths |
bathometer. | depth gauge |
bathos. | insincere pathos. Triteness. Sudden switch from elevated to commonplace style |
batik. | wax dyeing |
batiste. | fine fabric |
batman. | officers orderly |
batter. | back-sloping wall |
battledore. | early badminton |
Baume scale. | hydrometer |
bawbee. | hapenny |
bayedere. | awning cloth |
bdellium. | myrrh-like resin |
beadle. | church usher |
beam. | tractor beam to which colter is attached |
bean caper. | plant |
bearberry. | Arctic, red berries |
bearnaise sauce. | like Hollendaise, but tarrago, shallots, and cervil |
Beaufort Scale. | wind speeds |
beau geste. | gallant but insubstantive |
Beaujolais. | red wine |
beau monde. | fashionable society |
beccafico | songbird, delicacy |
bechamel sauce. | white sauce |
beche-de-mer. | Bahasa Indonesia |
Bedford cord. | mattress cloth |
bedizen. | vulgar, tasteless |
beef bourguignon. | beef cubes in wine, carrots, and onions |
beefwood. | Australia. red. |
beggars lice. | stickseed |
beggars ticks. | bur marigold, tick trefoil |
beggarweed. | S. W. forage |
behoof. | benefit, advantage |
Beja. | Cushitic. Nile River to Red sea |
belemnite. | fossil cephalopod |
Belial. | Satanic representation of wickedness |
belladonna lily. | amaryllis |
bell-bird. | bell-like call |
belle epoque. | France at turn of century |
belles-lettres. | literature for esthetics rather than didactic value |
belletrist. | belles-lettres author |
Bellona. | Mars wife ("The Mare Bellicose") |
belonephobia. | fear of sharp objects |
Beltane. | May Day |
beluga. | while whale; sturgeon |
Beltsville. | Small White turkey |
belvedere. | gazebo |
bema. | synagogue platform |
ben. | inner room ("We entered the ben by way of the ben tree.") |
ben. | tree, with oil used in perfume and cosmetics |
bench mark. | surveying |
bench warrant. | authorizes arrest |
bend. | thick planks in ships side: wales; knot tying two ropes together |
bend. | Band from upper dexter corner of escutcheon to lower sinister corner |
Ben Davis. | large red cooking apple |
Ben Day. | early photographic toning technique |
benedict. | newly-married man who was a confirmed bachelor |
Benedictus. | canticle |
benefic. | beneficent |
benefice. | church office with a trust fund; Landed estate |
bengaline. | crosswise ribbed-effect fabric. Silk, wool or synthetic |
Bengal light. | sustained blue fireworks light |
benjamin. | benzoin |
benjamin bush. | spice bush |
benne. | sesame plant |
bennet. | herb bennet |
Bennington ware. | brown, mottled-glaze earthenware |
Benthamism. | greatest happiness for greatest number |
bentonite. | swelling filler |
berberine. | alkaloid used in medicine |
bergamot. | tree. Oil used in perfumery |
Bergmanns Rule. | body size varies with environmental temperature |
Bergsonism. | all life arises from a natural force, the elan vitale |
Berkeleianism. | material objects exist only as concepts of a human or divine mind |
berlin. | light wool |
berlin. | four-wheeled covered carriage |
berlin. | limousine with window between back and front |
berm. | ledge between parapet and moat |
Bermuda rig. | regular sailboat |
berseem. | desert clover |
bertha. | wide deep lace collar |
beseem. | befit ("unseemly") |
beshrew. | imprecate, curse ("He beshrewed him out.") |
bespeak. | foretell; reserve |
besprent. | sprinkled over |
bestead. | to be of aid |
bestiary. | animal fables |
betise. | stupid, foolish |
betony. | lousewort |
betta. | strikingly-colored Asiatic fish |
Beulah. | the Promised Land |
bey. | Turkish governor, tile of respect |
bezant. | solidus.. Byzantine gold coin |
bizique. | like pinochle, 64 cards |
bezoar. | hard mass in ruminants stomachs |
bhang. | hemp plant |
bialy. | onion roll |
bibb. | trestletree bracket |
bibber. | tippler |
bibelot. | decorative object or trinket |
bibliolatry. | fanatic |
bibliomancy. | random forecasting |
bibliopole. | rare book dealer |
bibliotheque. | book collection |
bibliotics. | determination of authenticity |
bibulous. | very absorbent; boozer |
bidarka. | Eskimo canoe ("The Eskimos travelled mostly bidarka.") |
bidonville. | shantytown |
Biedermeier. | 19th century furniture |
biforate. | two openings |
bigarreau. | light sweet cherries |
bigeminal. | pairs |
bigeminy. | twin-beat cardiovascular condition |
big eye. | fish |
bignonia. | woody vine |
bijou. | small, exquisitely wrought trinket |
bijouterie. | collection |
biliverdin. | green, sometimes found in bile |
billabong. | dead-end channel; stagnant backwater; dry until it rains |
billetdoux. | love-letter |
billhook. | brush blade |
bill of attainder. | takes away all legal rights prior to execution |
bill of exchange. | cashiers check |
billon. | gold/silver/copper coin alloy |
billy. | metal camp pot |
billycock. | felt hat |
bilocular | two cavities |
bilsted | sweet gum |
bilong | narrow strips of meat dried in the sun |
bimestial | bimonthly |
bindlestiff | migrant worker |
biocenology | study of communities and member interactions in nature |
biolysis | lysistic death |
biome | community |
biont | living organism |
biotite | black mica |
biotope | ecological niche |
biovular | fraternal twins |
bioparous | twins, two branches (heterozygotic) |
biramous | two branches |
birds foot | claw-shaped flowers, branches, etc. |
birds foot trefoil | sprawling plant |
biretta | black for priest, purple for bishop, red for cardinal |
birth root | trillium |
birthwort | unpleasant scent |
bis | again, encore. (Direction in music) |
bise | like mistral in France, Swiss Alps, Italy |
biserate | doubly serrate |
bisnaga | barrel cactus |
bister | yellowish-brown pigment made from beech soot |
bistort | U.S. pinkish mountain flower |
bistoury | minor surgical knife |
bitt | vertical ships post to secure ropes |
bitternut | Eastern U. S. Hickory nut |
bitter principle | bitter vegetable substances |
bivouac | temporary open-air encampment |
Black and Tan | Royal Irish constabulary sent to suppress Sinn Fein |
black bile | melancholia humor |
black bryony | climbing, poisonous red berries |
black-buck | antelope (India) |
blackcap | black raspberry; European bird |
black cohosh | tall plant |
black diamond | carbonado |
blackfish | any black fish; pilot whale |
black haw | shrub with purple-black fruit |
black horehound | strong-smelling |
black knot | plum-tree disease |
blackleg | card sharp; plant, sheep disease |
black medic | clover-like plant |
blackpoll | North American warbler |
Black Rod | chief usher of British institutions (house of Lords) |
black thorn | pear haw |
bladdernose | hooded seal |
bladdernut | hooded seed pods |
bladder wrack | a rockweed |
blade-apple | spiny vine-like cactus |
blanc fixe | barium sulfate base for water-color pigments |
blanc mange | pudding thickened with cornstarch ("Let's have some more of that blankety-blank mangy pudding.") |
blanket flower | gaillardia |
blastema | separated cells from which organ grows |
blasto- | bud, germ |
blastocoele | cavity of a blastula ("The blastoderm covered the blastocoel to form a blastule with a blastopore.") |
blastoderm. | covering of blastocoele |
blastogenesis | theory that inheritance passes by germ plasm |
blastomere | a cell formed during cleavage of fertilized ovum (zygote) |
blastopore | mouth-like opening into the primitive intestinal cavity of the gastrula |
blastula | hollow cellular sphere |
blat | blurt |
blatherskite | haver; blabbermouth |
bleb | pustule; bubble |
blenny | marine fish ("How about boiled blenny?") |
blepharitis | inflamed eyelid |
blepharospasm | compulsive eyeblink |
blesbok | curved horns, white face |
blimp | ultraconservative jingoism and misinformation |
blind tiger | speakeasy |
blindworm | slowworm |
blini | buckwheat pancakes with caviar and sour cream (bannock). |
blintz | pancake filled with cottage cheese and sour cream |
blite | strawberry blite |
blood fluke | schistosome |
bloodstone | deep green chalcedony flecked with red jasper |
bloodworm | used for bait |
blouson | fitted waistband, blousy above ("She had on her blousy blouson.") |
blowfly | deposit eggs in carrion, wounds |
blue cohosh | N. A. plant |
blue devils | despondancy |
blue-eyed Mary | two-lipped flowers |
blue flag | wild blue irises |
blue head | marine fish ("OK, if you don't want boiled blenny, how about broiled blue head?") |
bluejack | oak tree (A blue oak tree.) |
bluepeter | flag with blue center signaling that a ship is ready to sail |
bluestocking | pedantic or scholarly woman |
bo | pal (ace) |
board rule | for measuring board feet |
boast | to rough-shape a stone with a broad chisel |
boat bill | wading bird with boat-shaped bill |
bobbinet | machine-woven net with hexagonal meshes |
bobbin lace | intricate hand-woven lace |
bobstay | rope steadying the bowsprit ("Bob, stay and steady the bowsprit.") |
bocaccio | a rockfish |
bocce | like bowling ( so I joined a bocce league.") |
bodega | grocery store, wine warehouse ("I met my bo at the bodega.") |
bodhisattva. | giving up Nirvana out of compassion for others |
bodkin. | hole punch, thread-puller ("Odds bodkins, man!") |
boehmite. | mineral present in bauxite |
boffo. | exceedingly successful |
bog asphodel. | flower |
bog rosemary. | northern evergreen |
bogtrotter. | Irishman, someone who frequents bogs |
bohea. | black Chinese tea after Bohea Hills |
bois de rose. | grayish red |
Bokmal. | book language |
boletus. | poisonous mushroom |
bollard. | thick post for securing ropes and hawsers |
bolometer. | radiant-heat measurement |
bollonia. | daisy-like |
bolus. | a small round mass |
bombardon. | contrabass tube; a 16-foot reed stop on an organ |
bombe. | 2 layers of ice cream frozen in round mold |
bombycid. | silkworm moth |
bonboneirre. | candy box or dish; confectioners store |
boneset. | medicinal flower |
bongo. | spiral-horned antelope |
boniface. | inn-keeper |
bonnyclabber. | sour, clotted milk |
bonspiel. | curling tournament |
bontebok. | South African antelope |
bonton. | haut monde |
bonze. | Mahayana Buddhist monk |
bonzer. | very good |
booboisie. | the stupid and gullible |
booklouse. | eats books |
book lung. | arachnid lungs (book-like pages) |
bootjack. | holds boot while removing |
bora. | violent mistral in Yugoslavia (Dalmitic coast) |
borage. | star-shaped blue flowers |
bordetella pertussis. . | whooping cough coccobacillus |
bordure. | border around heraldic shield |
bornite. | brownish-bronze copper ore |
borrelia. | helicobacteria causing relapsing fever |
borscht. | Jewish Catskill resort hotels |
bort. | carbonados |
borzoi. | Russian dog |
boscage. | mass of trees and shrubs |
bosh. | meaningless talk |
Boskop Man. | Hottentot and Bushman ancestor` |
botfly. | parasitic fly |
bo tree. | the peepul (fig tree) |
botyroidal. | grape-shaped |
bots. | cattle disease caused by botfly larvae |
bottlebrush. | Australian flower |
bottom round. | steak from the outer section of a round of beef |
bottomry. | pledging ship to finance voyage |
boucle. | rough-textured yarn/cloth |
bouffe. | comic opera |
bougle. | flexible instrument inserted into a body cavity; suppository |
bouleversement. | reversal; violent uproar |
bourg. | French market town |
bourree. | old French dance like gavotte |
boustrophedon | writing/printing back and forth |
bouvardia. | shrubs |
Bouvier des Flandres. | cattle dog |
bouzouki. | Greek, like a mandolin |
bowfin. | freshwater fish |
bowline. | holds leach forward when sailing close-hauled; non-slip knot |
Bowmans capsule. | Malpighian corpuscle |
bowmans root. | flower |
bowstring hemp. | used for cordage |
bowyer. | archer or bow-maker (fletcher) |
box elder. | maple (abutilon - flowering maple) |
boxfish. | trunkfish |
box-haul. | to bring a square-rigged ship about on the heel by bracing the sails aback |
boyar. | Russian aristocratic order abolished by Peter I |
brabble. | wrangle noisily (affray, branigen) |
brachium . | arm or homologous structure (flipper) |
brachylogy. | etc. |
brachyurous. | short abdomen under cephalothorax (includes crabs) |
bracket fungus. | on trees |
bract. | showy leaflet under flower |
bracteate. | bract-bearing |
bracteoles. | a small or secondary bract |
brachycardia. | slow |
bradylexia. | slow reader |
bradylogia. | slow speaking |
brae. | hillside, slope |
Brahma. | the eternal spirit from which all are formed and to which all return |
Brahmin. | highest caste |
branchiopod. | segmented body, flattened appendages |
branch water. | stream water |
brandling. | common earthworm |
branks. | bit used to punish scolds |
brannigan. | noisy quarrel; binge |
brash. | pile of fragments, as of floating ice |
brassage. | charge for converting bullion to currency |
brasserie. | beer joint |
bratice. | partition.. in mine for ventilation |
brattle. | rattle |
bravura. | boffo! |
braw. | boffo! (brave) |
bray. | to crush into mortar; to spread ink |
brayer. | ink roller |
brazilin. | brazilwood dye |
brazilwood. | red tropical wood (like beefwood?) |
breakbone fever. | dengue |
breaker. | small water cask on lifeboat |
breakfront. | cabinet with center beyond ends |
breeching. | harness strap behind haunches; rope tied to cannon on ship |
breeks. | breeches |
bregma. | junction of coronal and sagittal sutures |
breviary. | missal: hymns, offices, and prayers for the canonical hours. |
brewis. | broth; bread soaked in broth |
briard. | rugged French dog |
Briareus. | giant who aided Zeus and Olympians against the Titans |
bridgeboard. | supports treads and risers |
bridoon. | like snaffle bit: can be reined independently of the curb bit (See "brank"). |
briefless. | unemployed lawyer |
brig. | two-master, square-rigged, 2+ headsails, quadrilateral gaff sail, spanker aft |
brigantine. | similar. sq. rigged fsail, fore-and-aft mainsl, square maintopsails. |
brilliantine. | oily, perfumed hairdressing; glossy fabric of cotton and mohair |
Brills disease. | recurrent epidemic typhus |
brin. | one of the ribs of a fan |
brioche. | soft roll; eggs, butter, flour and yeast |
briolette. | pear-shaped gem |
brisling. | the sprat (young herring) |
bristletail. | silverfish |
Bristol board. | fine pasteboard |
britannia metal. | white tin alloy |
Briton. | Celts before the Roman invasion |
brittle star. | like starfish but whip-like arms |
broach. | veer crosswise to the waves |
broad bean. | bean |
Broadchurch. | liberal Anglican |
broad seal. | official national seal |
broadside. | side of ship above the waterline |
broadtail. | Karakul lamb |
brocatel. | very heavy brocade with exaggerated relief |
brochette. | skewer |
brock. | badger |
brogue . | heavy (oxford) shoe |
bronchyectasis | . chronic bronchial dilation |
bronchiole. | tiny bronchial tube |
bronchium. | middle-sized bronchial tube |
bronchus. | either of the two main bronchial tubes |
bronzer. | tanning cosmetic |
brookite. | titanium dioxide |
brooklime. | small blue flowers |
brookweed. | small white flowers |
broomrape. | parasitic plant |
brown coal. | lignite |
brown lung disease. | byssinosis |
Brown Swiss. | cattle |
brucine. | alkaloid |
brumal. | wintry |
brummagem. | tinsel |
Brunhild. | queen of Iceland |
brut. | very dry |
Brynhild. | Valkyrie roused from enchanted sleep by Sigurd |
bryophytes. | peat moss, true moss, and liverwort |
bryology. | botany of bryophytes |
bryony. | black bryony |
bryozoan. | moss-like branching colonies |
Brython. | Cornwall, Wales or Cumbria |
bubby. | breast |
bubo. | painful swelling of lymphatic gland |
buck. | sawhorse; vaulting frame |
buck counter. | designating next dealer (Passing the buck) |
bucket shop. | fraudulent brokerage operation |
buckhound. | deer-hound |
buckra. | honky |
buckram. | used to stiffen books |
buddleia. | butterfly bush |
budgerigar. | Australian parakeet |
budgie. | budgerigar |
buff. | to deaden the shock |
bufflehead. | duck |
buffo. | comic opera singer |
bugbane. | insect-repelling plant |
bugger. | a sodomite; a chap |
buggery. | sodomy |
bugleweed. | flower |
bugloss. | blue flowers |
buhrstone. | tough limestone used for millstones |
bulbar. | bulbous (medulla oblongata) |
bulbil. | pulvination of flower stem just above ground |
bulbul. | songbird |
bulla. | round seal attached to papal bull |
bullace. | the damson |
bullate. | puckered or blistered |
bullbat. | night hawk |
bullnose. | swine snout disease |
bullroarer. | childs toy |
bull tongue. | heavy plow, one shovel, used in cotton fields |
bum. | make humming sound |
bum. | buttocks |
bumboat. | small boat peddling to ships anchored offshore |
bunch berry. | dwarf cornet |
bunch flower. | bog plant, greenish flowers |
bund. | embankment or dike; waterfront street |
Bundesrat. | Upper House of German legislature |
Bundestag. | lower house |
Bunraku. | Japanese puppet theater with large puppets |
bunt. | midsection of a square sail; the sagging center of a fishnet |
bunt. | disease of wheat and rye |
bunting. | flag cloth |
bunting. | bird |
bunting. | close-fitting sleeping bag |
buntline. | rope that keeps a square sail from bellying when it is hauled up |
bunya. | Australian evergreen tree |
buprestid. | wood-boring beetle |
burbot. | freshwater, related to cod |
burette. | graduated column |
burgage. | annual land rental to the king |
burgee. | yacht flag |
burgess. | freeman; Parliamentary representative |
burgonet | 16th century helmet |
burgoo. | stew, oatmeal |
burin. | stone-carving tool |
burke. | strangle; suppress quietly |
burnet. | cucumber-flavored leaves |
burr. | rivet washer |
burse. | flat cloth case for carrying corporal for Eucharist |
bursiform. | pouch-shaped |
burton. | light single or double tackle to hoist or tighten rigging |
bush-baby. | galago |
bush-buck. | twisted horns |
bush ranger. | outlaw |
busk. | whalebone; entertain by singing and dancing; to prepare |
bustard. | bird |
buteo-. | hawks |
butyraceous. | relating to butter |
button snakeroot. | blazing star |
buttonwood. | sycamore |
byblow. | illegitimate child |
by-election. | to fill vacated post |
by-play. | 1. Secondary stage speech while main action continues.. 2. Byre. 3. Cowshed. |
byssinosis. | cotton dust pneumoconoisis |
byssus. | linen mummy-wrap; filaments used by mussels to attach themselves |