Dictionary
An American Dictionary of the English Language
Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)
Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865
- Entries
- 95,912
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- Illustrations
- 2,133
Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.
Bal'dric, n. p. 104A girdle, or richly ornamented belt, worn pendent from one shoulder across the breast, and under the opposite arm. “A radiant baldric o’er his shoulders tied.” Pope.Bāle, n. p. 104A bundle or package of goods in a cloth cover, and corded for carriage or transportation. Bale of dice, a pair of dice. [Obs.] B. Jonson.Bāle, v. t. p. 104To make up in a bale. “These goods are baled up.” Goldsmith. 2. To free from water by dipping; as, to bale a boat. [More properly bail. See BAIL.]Bāle, n. p. 104Misery; calamity; misfortune; sorrow. Let now your bliss be turned into bale. Spenser.Băl'e-ār'ie, a. p. 104(Geog.) Pertaining to the isles of Majorca, Minorca, Ivica, Formentera, and Cabrera, in the Mediterranean Sea.Ba-leen’, n. p. 104(Com.) Plates of whale-bone. Tomlinson.Bāle'-fire, n. p. 104A signal-fire; an alarm-fire. Sweet Teviot! on thy silver tide The gloomy bale-fires blaze no more. W. Scott.Bāle'ful, a. p. 104Full of bale or misery; calamitous; destructive. “Baleful enemies.” Shak. 2. Full of grief or sorrow; woful; sad. “Baleful eyes.” Milton.Bāle'ful-ly, adv. p. 104In a baleful manner; perniciously.Bāle'ful-ness, n. p. 104The state or quality of being baleful.Bāl'ing-prĕss, n. p. 104A power-press used for compressing cotton, goods, &c., into bales for transportation.Băl'is-ter or Băl'lis-ter, n. p. 104A cross-bow. Blount.Ba-līze', n. p. 104A sea-mark; a pole raised on a bank.Bālk, n. p. 104A ridge of land left unplowed between furrows, or at the end of a field. Bad plowmen made balks of such ground. Fuller. 2. A great beam, or rafter, or timber. “Tubs hanging in the balks.” Chaucer. 3.…Bālk, v. t. p. 104To leave untouched in plowing. Gower. 2. To omit, miss, or overlook. [Obs.] Nor doth he any creature balk, But lays on all he meets. Drayton. 3. To disappoint; to frustrate; to baffle; as, to balk…Balk, v. i. p. 104To deal in cross-purposes. [Obs.] “In strifeful terms with him to balk.” Spenser. 2. To stop abruptly in one's course; as, the horse balks; he balked in his speech. ☞ This has been regarded as an…Balk'er, n. p. 104One who balks. 2. A person who stands on a rock or eminence to espy the shoals of herring, and to give notice to the men in boats which way they pass. Cowell.Balk'ing-ly, adv. p. 104In a manner to balk or frustrate.Balk'ish, a. p. 104Uneven; ridgy. [Rare.] Holinshed.Balk'y, a. p. 104Apt to turn aside or stop abruptly; as, a balky horse. [Amer.]Ball or Ball-vein or Ball and socket joint, n. p. 104Any round body, or one nearly so; as, a ball of twine; a ball of snow; a ball to play with. 2. Any part of the body that is round or protuberant; as, the ball of the eye, of the thumb, &c. 3.…Ball, n. p. 104A social assembly for the purpose of dancing.Ball, v. i. p. 104To gather snow into balls, as on horses’ hoofs, or on the feet; as, the horse balls.Băl'lage, v. t. p. 104To ballast. [Obs.] Holland.Bāl'lad, n. p. 104(Poet.) A popular song, narrative or sentimental, in simple, homely verses, each song commonly to the same tune; as, the ancient ballad of Chevy Chase.Băl'lad, v. t. p. 104To make or sing ballads. 2. To make mention of in ballads. Shak.Băl'lad-er, n. p. 104A writer of ballads. Overbury.Băl'lad-mŏn/ger, n. p. 104A dealer in ballads. Shak.Băl'lad-ŏp/e-rā, n. p. 104An opera in which only ballads are sung. Johnson.Bāl'lad-ry, n. p. 104The subject or style of ballads. [Obs.] “Base balladry is so beloved.” Drayton.Băl'la-răg, v. t. p. 104To bully; to threaten. [Low.] Warton.Bāl'lass, v. t. p. 104To ballast. [Obs.] Webster, 1623.Băl'last, n. p. 104(Naut.) Any heavy substance, as stone, iron, &c., placed in the hold of a vessel, to sink it in the water to such a depth as to enable it to carry sufficient sail without oversetting. 2. Gravel…Băl'last, v. t. p. 104To steady, as a vessel, by placing heavy substances in the hold. 2. To fill in, as the bed of a railroad, with gravel, stone, &c., in order to make it firm and solid.Băl'last-aġe, n. p. 104(Law.) A toll paid for the privilege of taking up ballast in a port or harbor. Bouvier.Băl'last-ing, n. p. 104That which is used for steadying any thing; ballast.Băl'la-ted, a. p. 104Sung in a ballad. [Obs.] Webster, 1623.Băl'la-to͞on', n. p. 104A heavy luggage boat employed in the transport of timber in Russia. Simmonds.Băl'la-try, n. p. 104A song; a jig. [Obs.] Milton.Ball'-cär'tridge, n. p. 104A cartridge containing a ball.Ball'-cŏck, n. p. 104A contrivance which allows water to enter a cistern, but shuts of itself by means of a floating ball, when the cistern is full.Băl'let, n. p. 104A theatrical exhibition or pantomime, in which a story is told, or actions, characters, and passions are represented, by gestures accompanied by characteristic or illustrative music, dancing…Ball'-flow'er, n. p. 104(Arch.) An ornament resembling a ball placed in a circular flower, the three petals of which form a cup round it;—usually inserted in a hollow molding. Oxf. Gloss.Băl'li-aġe, n. p. 104Same as BAILAGE.Băl'liards, n. pl. p. 104See BILLIARDS.Băl'li-mong, n. p. 104A dredge. [Obs.] Holland.Bal-lĭs'tȧ, n. p. 104A machine or engine, in the form of a cross-bow, used by the ancients in war for throwing stones, &c.Băl'lis-ter or Bal-lĭs'ter, n. p. 104A cross-bow.Bal-lĭs'tic, a. p. 104Pertaining to the ballista, or to the art of shooting darts, and other missive weapons, by means of an engine. Ballistic pendulum, an instrument consisting of a mass of wood or other material…Bal-lĭs'tics, n. p. 104The art of throwing missive weapons by the use of an engine. 2. The science of projectiles. Whewell.Băl'li-ŭm, n. p. 104(Old Fort.) The same as BAILEY, q. v.Bal-lo͞on', n. p. 104A bag or hollow vessel, made of silk or other light material, and filled with hydrogen gas or heated air, so as to rise and float in the atmosphere;—called, for distinction, an air-balloon. 2.…Bal-lo͞oned', a. p. 104Swelled out like a balloon.Bal-lo͞on'-fish, n. p. 104(Ichth.) A fish of the genus Diodon, having the power of inflating its body bladder-like, by swallowing air and making it pass into cavities beneath the skin. Cuvier.Bal-lo͞on'ist, n. p. 104One who makes or ascends in a balloon; an aëronaut.Bal-lo͞on'ry, n. p. 104The art or practice of ascending in a balloon; aëronautics. Quarterly Rev.Băl'lot, n. p. 104Originally, a ball used in voting; hence, a piece of paper, or other thing used for the same purpose; whole amount of votes cast. 2. The act of voting by balls or tickets. “The insufficiency of the…Băl'lot, v. i. p. 105To vote or decide by ballot.Bál'lo-tāde, n. p. 105(Man.) A leap of a horse, as between two pillars, or upon a straight line, so that when his four feet are in the air, he shows only the shoes of his hind feet, without jerking out.Băl'lo-tānt, n. p. 105One who votes by ballot; a balloter. [Obs.] Harrington.