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 Balaam’s 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 bull’s 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. | sculptor’s 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 |
| barber’s 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 captain’s 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. | officer’s orderly |
| batter. | back-sloping wall |
| battledore. | early badminton |
| Baume scale. | hydrometer |
| bawbee. | ha’penny |
| 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. |
| beggar’s lice. | stickseed |
| beggar’s 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 ship’s 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 |
| Bergmann’s 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. | cashier’s 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 |
| bird’s foot | claw-shaped flowers, branches, etc. |
| bird’s 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 ship’s 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; confectioner’s 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 |
| Bowman’s capsule. | Malpighian corpuscle |
| bowman’s 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 f’sail, fore-and-aft mains’l, square maintopsails. |
| brilliantine. | oily, perfumed hairdressing; glossy fabric of cotton and mohair |
| Brill’s 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. | child’s 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 |