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Baconian
adj. relating to Francis Bacon
Bacterium
n. singular of bacteria; a prokaryotic single-celled microorganism
Badger
v. to annoy persistently
Baffle
v. to confuse, bewilder or disconcert; to thwart
Bailiff
n. a court official employed to serve writs and make arrests
Baize
n. a coarse woolen fabric napped to resemble felt; a bright green cloth that covers gaming tables
Bale
n. evil; woe
Baleful
adj. sinister or evil in nature
Ballad
n. a popular and often romantic song
Balsam
n. fragrant tree resin that is healing and soothing
Banal
adj. trite; lacking originality or freshness
Barcarole
n. a Venetian folk song traditionally sung by gondoliers
Baritone
adj. having the range of a baritone (between tenor and bass)
Barograph
n. a barometer: an instrument that records atmospheric pressure
Barometer
n. something used to indicate fluctuations; an instrument that records atmospheric pressure
Barring
prep. Excluding; preventing entry
Bask
v. to enjoy a pleasant atmosphere
Bass
adj. low musical pitch; tonally grave
Baste
v. during cooking, to moisten meat with a liquid
Baton
n. a slender rod used by a conductor to direct a band or orchestra; a law enforcement club or truncheon
Battalion
n. an army unit composed of a headquarters and several companies; a large group
Batten
n. a narrow strip of lumber used in construction to hold components of a structure together
Batter
n. a semi-liquid mixture used in cooking
Bauble
n. a trinket of trifling appeal
Bawl
v. to wail loudly
Beatify
v. to exhilarate; to make sublimely happy
Beatitude
n. the state of supreme bliss
Beau
n. a boyfriend; a dandy who is overly concerned with his appearance
Becalm
v. to make calm or steady
Beck
v. to beckon
Bedaub
v. to spread over a surface; to ornament garishly
Bedeck
v. to decorate or adorn
Bedlam
n. chaos; an insane asylum
Befog
v. to confuse; to obscure
Befriend
v. to act as a friend to
Beget
v. to sire; to procreate
Begrudge
v. to envy; to concede reluctantly
Belate
v. to cause something to be late
Belay
v. to fasten or secure
Belie
v. to misrepresent; to contradict
Believe
v. to accept as true
Belittle
v. to disparage; to play down
Belle
n. a lovely and charming young woman
Bellicose
adj. belligerent; inclined to fight or quarrel
Belligerent
adj. eager to fight; combative; warlike
Bemoan
v. to grieve over; to regret strongly
Benediction
n. a blessing
Benefactor
n. someone who gives gifts (often financial) to people or institutions
Benefice
n. a land grant given in exchange for services rendered
Beneficent
adj. generous; doing acts of kindness
Beneficial
adj. promoting personal or social well-being
Beneficiary
n. the recipient of benefits
Benefit
n. something that promotes well-being
Benevolence
n. an inclination to do good and show kindness
Benevolent
adj. inclined to do good and show kindness
Benign
adj. not threatening; harmless; gentle in nature
Benignant
adj. mild; pleasant in nature
Benignity
n. the state of being pleasant and kindly in nature
Benison
n. benediction; a spoken blessing
Bequeath
v. to give an item of personal property by will
Bereave
v. to forcefully take away a valued something or someone (typically by death)
Berth
n. a sleeping space on a ship or plane; a location in a port where a ship lies at anchor
Beseech
v. to beg for or request earnestly
Beset
v. to trouble or harass; to assail
Besmear
v. to smear over
Bestial
adj. resembling a beast; having an inhumane or crude manner
Bestrew
v. to scatter all over
Bestride
v. to straddle; to sit or stand astride
Bethink
v. to cause oneself to recall something; to ponder something intently
Betide
v. to befall; to happen to
Betimes
adv. early; speedily
Betroth
v. to promise to wed
Betrothal
n. a mutual contract to marry
Bevel
n. a tool comprised of two rules joined together used for drawing angles of any size
Bewilder
v. to perplex or befuddle
Bibliography
n. the section of a written work containing citations to all the books referenced within the work
Bibliomania
n. obsessive preoccupation with the collection and possession of books
Bibliophile
n. an avid lover of books
Bibulous
adj. characterized by the consumption of alcohol
Bide
v. to tarry; to dwell
Biennial
n. occurring every two years; alternatively, lasting for two years
Bier
n. a stand that supports a coffin
Bigamist
n. someone who marries one person while still legally married to another
Bigamy
n. the act of having two spouses at the same time
Bight
n. a loop in a rope; a curve or bend in a coast forming a broad bay
Bilateral
adj. having two sides or parts; affecting or involving both of two sides equally; reciprocally affecting two parties or nations
Bilingual
adj. able to speak two languages fluently
Biograph
n. a biographical piece
Biography
n. a written account of a person's life story
Biology
n. the scientific study of living organisms and processes
Biped
n. an animal that walks on two feet
Birthright
n. a privilege one is entitled to at birth
Bitterness
n. resentment or ill-will; a harsh or acrid taste
Blasé
adj. unimpressed and uninterested in something due to excessive exposure and indulgence
Blaspheme
v. to profane, revile or curse; to speak of with irreverence
Blatant
adj. offensively noisy; unabashedly obvious
Blaze
n. a brightly burning fire; a sudden, violent burst of flame
Blazon
v. to proclaim; to decorate or adorn
Bleak
adj. grim; offering little or no hope; austere; cold and damp
Blemish
n. an imperfection or flaw that spoils one's appearance
Blithe
adj. carefree and lighthearted; merry
Blithesome
adj. merry; blithe
Blockade
n. a barricade; something that obstructs; in wartime, a restrictive measure designed to prevent communications from an unfriendly nation
Boatswain
n. a naval officer on a merchant ship who oversees hull maintenance and related work
Bodice
n. the part of a woman's dress that covers the upper part of her body, including the breasts
Bodily
adj. relating to the body
Boisterous
adj. exuberant, full of energy; rowdy or lacking in restraint; turbulent or stormy
Bole
n. the trunk of a tree
Bolero
n. a Spanish dance accompanied by guitar and castanets
Boll
n. the seed-bearing capsule or pod of a cotton or flax plant
Bolster
v. to support or reinforce; to prop up
Bomb
n. an explosive device designed to explode under specific conditions
Bombard
v. to attack with bombs or missiles; to barrage with questions
Bombardier
n. the bomber crew member responsible for releasing bombs on target
Bombast
n. pompous or pretentious speech or writing
Boorish
adj. coarse in behavior or appearance; ill-mannered; uncultured
Bore
v. to induce boredom; to make a hole or passage with a drill
Borough
n. an English town or urban constituency that sends a member to Parliament; one of the civil divisions of a large city or state
Bosom
n. a human chest; a woman's chest or breasts
Botanical
adj. relating to plants
Botanize
v. to collect and study plants
Botany
n. the scientific study of plants
Bountiful
adj. given freely; ample, plentiful
Bowdlerize
v. to remove or modify indecent, vulgar or otherwise offensive passages in a written work
Bowler
n. someone who engages in the sport of bowling; a felt, rounded hat or derby
Boycott
v. to refuse to engage in business dealings with an entity as a show of protest against its policies
Brae
n. a hillside
Braggart
n. an arrogant boaster
Brandish
v. to flourish one's weapon in a menacing and ostentatious manner
Bravado
n. a pretense of bravery
Bravo
interj. A cry of approval
Bray
n. a loud, harsh laugh; a donkey's cry
Braze
v. to join together two pieces of metal by using heat and diffusion; to harden
Brazier
n. a container for fire and hot coals
Breach
n. a transgression or violation of a law, contract or standard; a gap or opening; a social rupture
Breaker
n. a machine or worker charged with breaking stone or coal
Breech
n. the opening in the rear of the barrel of a firearm where bullets can be loaded; the lower part or hind end of the body a.k.a. buttocks
Brethren
n. plural for brother; the members of a male religious order or sect
Brevity
n. conciseness of expression
Bric-a-brac
n. miscellaneous articles typically of sentimental value
Bridle
n. a horse's headgear which carries a bit and reins; a restraint
Brigade
n. a tactical military unit composed of a headquarters, a few units of infantry and supporting units
Brigadier
n. a military officer ranking immediately below a major general
Brigand
n. bandit; an armed thief who is usually a member of a band of fellow plunderers
Brimstone
n. sulfur
Brine
n. seawater
Bristle
n. a stiff or coarse hair
Britannia
n. a Roman term for the British Isles
Briticism
n. a word or expression characteristic of British English
Brittle
adj. lacking elasticity; easily cracked or snapped
Broach
v. to present as a topic of discussion
Broadcast
adj. presented to the public by way of radio or television
Brogan
n. a coarse, heavy working shoe
Brogue
n. a thick dialectical accent
Brokerage
n. a stock broker's establishment or business
Bromine
n. a nonmetallic, volatile and corrosive deep-reddish-brown liquid halogen element naturally found in seawater
Bronchitis
n. a disease marked by acute inflammation of the membranes lining the bronchial tubes
Bronchus
n. bronchial tube; either of the two primary branches of the trachea
Brooch
n. an ornamental pin or clasp worn by women at or near the neck
Brotherhood
n. a fellowship or alliance formed for a particular purpose
Browbeat
v. to bully or intimidate
Brusque
adj. rudely blunt or abrupt; ungracious
Buffoon
n. a clown; a gross, uneducated or vulgar fool
Buffoonery
n. playfulness; silliness
Bulbous
adj. round like a bulb
Bullock
n. a young or castrated bull
Bulrush
n. any wetland herb such as a large rush or sedge
Bulwark
n. a manmade embankment or solid wall-like structure constructed for defensive purposes
Bumper
n. a mug, cup or glass filled to the brim with drink
Bumptious
adj. obnoxiously self-assertive
Bungle
v. to botch or make a mess of
Buoyancy
n. resilience ; airiness, cheerfulness, good spirits
Buoyant
adj. cheerful; characterized by lightheartedness; tending to float
Bureau
n. a specialized government unit
Bureaucracy
n. a group of nonelected government officials
Burgess
n. an inhabitant of an English borough with full rights
Burgher
n. a burgess; a middle class citizen
Burnish
v. to polish or make smooth and shiny
Bursar
n. a university treasurer
Bustle
v. to move about briskly or busily
Butt
v. to shove or strike with the head or horns
Butte
n. a hill with steep sides and a flat top
Buttress
n. a stone, brick or wood structure used to support the wall of a building
By-law
n. a local law dealing with matters of internal regulation
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