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| Baconian |
Of or pertaining to Lord Bacon or his system of philosophy. |
| bacterium |
A microbe. |
| badger |
n. animal of the weasel family, grey with black and white stripes on its head, living in holes in the ground and moving about at night . |
| baffle |
v. be too difficult for to understand; puzzle |
| bailiff |
n. law officer who helps a sheriff in issuing writs and making arrests |
| baize |
n. thick woollen cloth used for covering billiard-tables, card-tables, doors, etc , |
| bale |
n. large bundle of paper, straw, goods, etc pressed together and tied with rope or wire ready to be moved, sold, etc |
| baleful |
adj. threatening evil or harm; menacing |
| ballad |
n. simple song or poem, esp one that tells a story |
| balsam |
n. flowering plant grown in gardens |
| banal |
adj. commonplace; uninteresting |
| barcarole |
n. piece of music, esp for the piano, with a steady lilting rhythm , |
| baritone |
n. male voice between tenor and bass |
| barograph |
An instrument that registers graphically and continuously the atmospheric pressure. |
| barometer |
n. instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure, used esp for forecasting the weather |
| bask |
v. ~ sit or lie enjoying warmth |
| bass |
n. any of several freshwater or sea fish of the perch family used as food |
| baste |
v. sew together with long temporary stitches |
| baton |
n. = truncheon |
| battalion |
n. army unit composed of several companies and forming part of a regiment or brigade |
| batten |
n. long board, esp one used to keep other boards in place, or to which other boards are nailed |
| batter |
v. ~ at/on sth hit hard and often |
| bauble |
n. showy ornament of little value |
| bawl |
v. ~ (out) shout or cry loudly |
| beatify |
v. (of the Pope) honour (a dead person) by stating officially that he or she is in heaven |
| beatitude |
n. great happiness; blessedness ; |
| beau |
n. (US) boy-friend; lover ; |
| becalm |
To make quiet. |
| beck |
n. mountain stream; brook ; |
| bedaub |
To smear over, as with something oily or sticky. |
| bedeck |
to clothe with finery:DECK |
| bedlam |
n. scene of noisy confusion; uproar |
| befog |
v. confuse (sb/sth); make unclear or obscure |
| befriend |
v. act as a friend to be kind to (esp sb needing help) |
| beget |
v. (arch ) be the father of (sb) |
| begrudge |
v. resent or be dissatisfied with |
| belay |
v. fix (a rope) round a peg, rock, etc in order to secure it |
| belie |
v. give a wrong or an untrue idea of (sth) |
| believe |
v. feel sure of the truth of accept the statement of (sb) as true |
| belittle |
v. make seem unimportant or of little value |
| belle |
n. beautiful woman or the most beautiful woman in a group, etc |
| bellicose |
adj. eager to fight; warlike; aggressive |
| belligerent |
adj. waging war; engaged in a conflict |
| bemoan |
v. show sorrow for or complain about (sb/sth) |
| benediction |
n. blessing, esp one said before a meal or at the end of a church service |
| benefactor |
n. person who gives money or other help to a school, hospital, charity, etc |
| benefice |
n. position that provides a clergyman with his income |
| beneficent |
adj. showing active kindness; generous; charitable |
| beneficial |
adj. ~ having a helpful or useful effect; advantageous |
| beneficiary |
n. person who receives sth, esp one who receives money, property, etc when sb dies |
| benefit |
n. profit; gain; future good (used esp with the vs and preps shown) |
| benevolence |
n. desire to do good; kindness and generosity ; |
| benevolent |
adj. ~ being, or wishing to be, kind, friendly and helpful |
| benign |
adj. kindly; gentle |
| benignant |
Benevolent in feeling, character, or aspect. |
| benison |
blessing |
| bequeath |
v. ~ sth (to sb) arrange, by making a will, to give (property, money etc) (to sb) when one dies |
| bereave |
v. ~ sb (fml ) deprive sb (esp of a relative) by death |
| berth |
n. sleeping-place on a ship, train, etc |
| beseech |
v. ~ sb (for sth) ask sb earnestly; implore sb; entreat sb |
| beset |
v. (fml ) surround (sb/sth) on all sides; trouble constantly; threaten |
| besmear |
v. ~ sth/sb (fml ) make sth/sb dirty; smear sth/sb (with greasy or sticky stuff) |
| bestial |
adj. of or like a beast; brutish; cruel |
| bestrew |
To sprinkle or cover with things strewn. |
| bestride |
v. (fml ) sit or stand with one leg on each side of (sth) |
| bethink |
To remind oneself. |
| betide |
v. woe betide sb |
| betimes |
In good season or time. |
| betroth |
become engaged to marry |
| betrothal |
n. engagement to be married |
| bevel |
n. sloping edge or surface, eg at the side of a picture frame or a sheet of plate glass . |
| bewilder |
v. puzzle (sb); confuse |
| bibliography |
n. list of books or articles about a particular subject or by a particular author |
| bibliomania |
preoccupation with the acquisition and possession of books |
| bibliophile |
n. person who loves or collects books |
| bibulous |
adj. excessively fond of or addicted to alcoholic drink |
| bide |
v. = abide |
| biennial |
adj. happening every second year |
| bier |
n. frame on which a coffin or a dead body is carried or placed before burial |
| bigamy |
n. marrying a person when still legally married to someone else |
| bight |
n. long inward curve in a coast |
| bilateral |
adj. having two sides; affecting or involving two parties, countries, etc |
| bilingual |
adj. able to speak two languages equally well |
| biography |
n. story of a person's life written by sb else |
| biology |
n. scientific study of the life and structure of plants and animals |
| biped |
n. animal with two feet |
| birthright |
n. privilege or property which a person may claim because of birth or status |
| blaspheme |
v. ~ swear or curse using the name of God; speak in an irreverent way about (God or sacred things) |
| blatant |
adj. very obvious; unashamed; flagrant |
| blaze |
n. bright flame or fire |
| blazon |
n. heraldic shield; coat of arms ; |
| bleak |
adj. (of a landscape) bare; exposed; wind-swept |
| blemish |
n. mark or stain that spoils the beauty or perfection of sb/sth |
| blithe |
adj. happy and carefree; casual |
| blithesome |
Cheerful. |
| blockade |
n. surrounding or closing of a place by warships or soldiers to prevent people or goods getting in or out |
| boatswain |
n. senior seaman on a ship who supervises the crew and is responsible for the ship's equipment |
| bodice |
n. upper part of a woman's dress, down to the waist |
| bodily |
adj. of the human body; physical |
| boisterous |
adj. noisy, lively and cheerful |
| bole |
n. trunk of a tree |
| bolero |
n. 1 (music for a) type of Spanish dance |
| boll |
n. seed-case of the cotton plant or flax |
| bolster |
n. long pillow, usu shaped like a roll, across the head of a bed |
| bomb |
n. container filled with explosive or incendiary material, made to explode when dropped or thrown, or by a timing device |
| bombard |
v. ~ sb/sth attack (a place) with bombs or shells (esp from big guns) |
| bombardier |
n. non-commissioned officer in an artillery regiment below a sergeant |
| bombast |
n. pompous and meaningless words |
| boorish |
adj. of or like a boor |
| bore |
v. make with a revolving tool or by digging |
| borough |
n. town or district with a corporation and certain rights of self-government granted by royal charter |
| bosom |
n. person's chest, esp a woman's breasts |
| botanical |
adj. of or relating to botany |
| botanize |
To study plant-life. |
| botany |
n. scientific study of plants and their structure |
| bountiful |
adj. giving generously |
| bowdlerize |
expurgate |
| bowler |
n. person who bowls in cricket |
| boycott |
v. (usu of a group of people) refuse to have social or commercial relations with (a person, company, country, etc) |
| brae |
n. steep slope; hillside ; |
| braggart |
n. person who brags |
| brandish |
v. wave in a triumphant or threatening way; display |
| bravado |
n. display of boldness |
| bravo |
interj, n shout of approval, esp to an actor or a performer |
| bray |
n. cry of a donkey |
| braze |
To make of or ornament with brass. |
| brazier |
n. open metal framework for holding a charcoal or coal fire |
| breach |
n. breaking or neglect |
| breaker |
n. large wave that breaks into foam as it moves towards the shore |
| breech |
n. back part of a gun barrel where the bullet or shell is placed |
| brethren |
n. brothers |
| brevity |
n. shortness or briefness |
| bric-a-brac |
n. ornaments, trinkets and small items of furniture of little value |
| bridle |
n. part of a horse's harness that goes on its head, including the metal bit for the mouth, the straps and the reins |
| brigade |
n. army unit, usu of three battalions, forming part of a division |
| brigadier |
n. officer in the British Army between the ranks of colonel and major general, commanding a brigade; staff officer having similar status , ; . |
| brigand |
n. member of a band of robbers, esp one attacking travellers in forests and mountains , |
| brimstone |
n. sulphur |
| brine |
n. very salty water used esp for pickling |
| bristle |
n. short stiff hair |
| Briticism |
A word, idiom, or phrase characteristic of Great Britain or the British. |
| brittle |
adj. hard but easily broken; fragile |
| broach |
v. make a hole in to draw off the liquid inside; open (a bottle, etc) to use the contents |
| broadcast |
v. send out (programmes) by radio or television |
| brogan |
A coarse, heavy shoe. |
| brogue |
n. strong outdoor shoe with thick soles and a pattern in the leather |
| brokerage |
n. broker's fee or commission |
| bromine |
n. chemical element, a non-metallic liquid, compounds of which are used in medicine and photography . |
| bronchitis |
n. inflammationof the mucous membrane inside the bronchial tubes |
| bronchus |
Either of the two subdivisions of the trachea conveying air into the lungs. |
| brooch |
n. ornament with a hinged pin and clasp, worn on women's clothes , |
| brotherhood |
n. relationship of brothers |
| browbeat |
v. ~ sb (into doing sth) frighten sb with stern looks and words; bully ; intimidate |
| brusque |
adj. rough and abrupt; curt |
| buffoon |
n. ridiculous but amusing person; clown |
| buffoonery |
n. ridiculous behaviour; clowning ; |
| bulbous |
adj. growing from a bulb |
| bullock |
n. bull that has been castrated |
| bulrush |
n. type of tall rushwith a thick velvety head |
| bulwark |
n. wall, esp of earth, built as a defence |
| bumper |
n. bar fixed to the front and back of a motor vehicle to lessen the effect of a collision . |
| bumptious |
adj. (of a person, his manner, etc) self-important and conceited |
| bungle |
v. do badly or clumsily; spoil (a task) through lack of skill |
| buoyancy |
cheerfulness that bubbles to the surface ; the property of something weightless and insubstantial |
| buoyant |
adj. (of an object) able to float |
| bureau |
n. (Brit) writing desk with drawers |
| bureaucracy |
n. system of government through departments managed by State officials, not by elected representatives |
| burgess |
In colonial times, a member of the lower house of the legislature of Maryland or Virginia. |
| burgher |
n. (esp respectable) citizen of a particular town |
| burnish |
v. make smooth and shiny by rubbing; polish |
| bursar |
n. person who manages the finances of a school or college |
| bustle |
v. move busily and energetically (in the specified direction) |
| butt |
n. large cask or barrel for storing wine or beer |
| butte |
A conspicuous hill, low mountain, or natural turret, generally isolated. |
| buttress |
n. support built against a wall . |
