Dictionary
An American Dictionary of the English Language
Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)
Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865
- Entries
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Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.
Blĕn'ny, n. p. 141(Ichth.) A fish of different species, usually of small size, of the genus Blennius, and family Blenniidæ: — so called from the shining mucus with which their skin is clothed. S. F. Baird.Blĕnt, p. p. p. 141Mixed; mingled. “Blent together.” Shak. Rider and horse, friend, foe, in one red burial blent. Byron.Bless, v. t. p. 141To make happy, blithesome, or joyous; to confer prosperity or happiness upon. Happy the isle with such a hero blest. Waller. Bless to both nations this auspicious hour. Dryden. 2. To pronounce a wish…Blēss'ed, a. p. 141Enjoying happiness or bliss; favored with blessings; happy; highly favored. “All generations shall call me blessed.” Luke i. 48. “Toward England’s blessed shore.” Shak. 2. Imparting happiness or…Blĕss'ed-ly, adv. p. 141Happily; fortunately; joyfully. One day we shall blessedly meet again never to depart. Sidney.Blĕss'ed-ness, n. p. 141Happiness; felicity; heavenly joys; the favor of God. “The blessedness of being little.” Shak. “The assurance of a future blessedness.” Tillotson. Single blessedness, the unmarried state; happiness…Blĕss'ed Thīs'tle p. 141A plant, the Cnicus (formerly Centaurea) benedictus. The Carthamus lanatus also is sometimes so called. Dana.Blĕss'er, n. p. 141One who blesses or prospers; one who bestows a blessing.Blĕss'ing, n. p. 141A means of happiness; a gift, benefit, or advantage; that which promotes prosperity and welfare. Nature's full blessings would be well dispensed. Milton. 2. A wish of happiness pronounced; a prayer…Blĕst, a. p. 141Made happy. In his seed all nations shall be blest. Milton. 2. Making happy; cheering. While these blest sounds my ravished ear assail. Trumbull. ☞ Rarely used as an adjective. See BLESS.Blĕt, n. p. 141A decayed spot on fruit. Lindley proposes the use of this word as a verb; as, the fruit blets, that is, becomes decayed in spots from being over-ripe.Blē'ton-ism, n. p. 141The supposed faculty of perceiving and indicating subterraneous springs and currents by sensation;— so called from one Bleton, of France, who was said to possess this faculty.Blē'ton-ist, n. p. 141One supposed to possess the faculty of perceiving subterraneous springs by sensation.Blĕt'ting, n. p. 141The spotted appearance of over-ripe fruit from incipient decomposition. Lindley.Blew, imp. p. 141of blow.Blēyme, n. p. 141(Far.) An inflammation in the foot of a horse, between the sole and the bone.Blight, n. p. 141Mildew; decay; any thing nipping or blasting; — applied as a general name to various injuries or diseases of plants, causing the whole or a part to wither, whether occasioned by insects, fungi, or…Blight, v. t. p. 141To affect with blight; to blast; to prevent the growth and fertility of; to frustrate. “Blighted corn.” Locke. This vapor . . . blasts vegetables, blights corn and fruit, and is sometimes injurious…Blight, v. i. p. 141To injure as by blight. But strong to blast and blight By pestilence and thunder storm. Prael.Blight'ing-ly, adv. p. 141By blasting.Blĭn, v. t. p. 141To stop or cease. [Obs.] Spencer.Blĭn, n. p. 141Cessation; end. [Obs.] B. Jonson.Blind, a. p. 141Destitute of the sense of seeing, either by natural defect or by deprivation; not having sight. He that is stricken blind can not forget. The precious treasure of his eye-sight lost. Shak. 2. Not…Blīnd, v. t. p. 141To make blind; to deprive of sight or discernment. “Salt water blinds them not.” Shak. A blind guide is certainly a great mischief; but a guide that blinds those whom he should lead is undoubtedly a…Blĭnd or Blĭnde p. 141See BLENDE.Blīnd, n. p. 141Something to hinder sight or keep out light; a screen; a cover; as, a blind for a window or for a horse. “The blinds neatly covered up with old newspapers.” Thackeray. 2. Something to mislead the eye…Blīnd'aġe, n. p. 141See BLIND, No. 3.Blīnd'-cōal, n. p. 141Coal that burns without flame; anthracite coal. Simmonds.Blīnd'ed, p. a. p. 141Deprived of sight; deprived of intellectual discernment; made dark or obscure.Blind'er, n. p. 141One who blinds. 2. The broad pieces of leather on a bridle near the eyes of a horse, to hinder him from seeing on the side.Blind'-fish, n. p. 141A variety of fish (Amblyopsis spelaeus) destitute of eyes, found in the waters of the Mammoth Cave, in Kentucky. Wyman.Blind′fōld, a. p. 141Having the eyes covered; blinded; having the mental eye darkened. Fate’s blindfold reign the atheist loudly owns. Dryden.Blind'fōld, v. t. p. 141To cover the eyes of; to hinder from seeing. And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face. Luke xxii. 64.Blind'ing, p. a. p. 141Making blind; depriving of sight or of understanding; obscuring. “Glazed with blinding tears.” Shak.Blind'ly, adv. p. 141Without sight or understanding. 2. Without discernment; implicitly; without examination. By his imperious mistress blindly led. Dryden.Blind'man, n. p. 141A man who is blind. 2. A person who deciphers indistinct addresses of letters in a post-office. [Eng.]Blind'-măn’s-bŭff', n. p. 141A play in which one person is blindfolded, and hunts out the rest of the company. But surely he fancies I play at blind-man's-buff with him. Stillingfleet.Blind'ness, n. p. 141State or quality of being blind; want of sight; want of discernment; ignorance.Blind'-sīde, n. p. 141The side which is most easily assailed; or the side on which the party is least able or disposed to see danger; weakness; foible; weak part. Swift.Blind'-worm, n. p. 141A small reptile without feet, like a snake. It belongs to the family Scincidæ, and is called also slow-worm. It is a species of Anguis (A. fragilis), and is about a foot long. Its eyes being very…Blink, v. i. p. 141To wink; to twinkle with the eye; to see with the eyes half shut, or with frequent winking, as a person with weak eyes. One eye was blinking, and one leg was lame. Pope. Show me thy chink to blink…Blink, v. t. p. 142To shut out of sight; to avoid, or purposely evade; as, to blink the question.Blink, n. p. 142A glimpse or glance. Not a blink of light was there. Wordsworth. 2. Glimmering or intermittent light. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell. 3. (Naut.) The dazzling whiteness about the horizon occasioned by the…Blĭnk'ard, n. p. 142One who blinks, or has bad eyes. Among the blind the one-eyed blinkard reigns. Marvell. 2. That which twinkles or glances, as a dim star, which appears and disappears. Hakewill.Blink'-beer, n. p. 142Beer kept unbroached until it is sharp. Crabb.Blink'er, n. p. 142One who blinks. 2. A blind for horses; an expansion of the bridle to prevent a horse from seeing objects at his sides; hence, whatever checks or obstructs sight or discernment. Nor bigots who but one…Blĭnk'ing, p. a. p. 142Winking, twinkling; glimmering. Who by a blinking lamp consume the night. Cotton.Bliss, n. p. 142The highest degree of happiness; blessedness; exalted felicity; heavenly joy. And then at last our bliss Full and perfect is. Milton. Syn.—Blessedness; felicity, beatitude; happiness; joy; enjoyment.…Bliss'ful, a. p. 142Full of joy and felicity; happy in the highest degree. Ever as these blissful creatures do I fare. Wordsworth.Bliss'ful-ly, adv. p. 142In a blissful manner; happily; joyously.Bliss'ful-ness, n. p. 142Exalted happiness; felicity; fullness of joy. Barrow.Bliss'less, a. p. 142Destitute of bliss. [Obs. or rare.] “My blissless lot.” Sidney.Blĭs'som, v. i. p. 142To be lustful; to be lascivious. [Obs.]Blis'ter, n. p. 142A thin bladder on the skin, containing watery matter or serum, whether occasioned by a burn or other injury, or by a vesicatory. And painful blisters swelled my tender hands. Grainger. 2. Any tumor…Blis'ter, v. i. p. 142To rise in blisters. “Let my tongue blister.” Shak.Blis'ter, v. t. p. 142To raise blisters upon. “My hands were blistered.” Franklin. 2. To give pain to, as if by a blister. Whose sole name blisters our tongue. Shak.Blis’ter-fly or Blis’ter-bee’tle, n. p. 142The Spanish fly; Cantharis of the druggists; otherwise called Lytta vesicatoria;—used in raising blisters.Blis'ter-plas'ter, n. p. 142A plaster of Spanish flies, designed to raise a blister.Blis'ter-steel or Blis'tered-steel, n. p. 142Steel covered on the surface, in the process of manufacture, with blisters produced by the formation and bursting of vesicles filled with gaseous carbon. Tomlinson.Blis'ter-y, a. p. 142Full of blisters. Hooker.