Part 21

BANTER, bant'[.e]r, _v.t._ to assail with good-humoured raillery: to joke or jest at: (_arch._) to impose upon, trick.--_n._ humorous raillery: jesting.--_ns._ BANT'ERER; BANT'ERING.--_adv._ BANT'ERINGLY.--_adj._ BANT'ERY (_Carlyle_). [Ety. quite unknown.]

BANTING, bant'ing, _n._ a system of diet for reducing superfluous fat.--_n._ BANT'INGISM. [From W. _Banting_ (1797-1878), a London cabinetmaker, who recommended it to the public in 1863.]

BANTLING, bant'ling, _n._ a child. [So called from the _bands_ in which it is wrapped.]

BANTU, ban't[=oo], _n._ a native name sometimes applied to the South African family of languages and the peoples speaking these, including Kaffirs and Zulus, Bechuans, and the peoples from the Hottentot country to the Gulf of Guinea.

BANXRING, bangks'ring, _n._ a small insectivorous animal of Java and Sumatra. [Jav.]

BANYAN. See BANIAN.

BAOBAB, b[=a]'o-bab, _n._ a magnificent tree, native to tropical Western Africa, whose trunk is 20 to 30 feet thick, called also the _Monkey-bread Tree_. [African.]

BAPHOMET, baf'[=o]-m[.e]t, _n._ the alleged name of a mysterious idol the Templars were accused of worshipping.--_adj._ BAPH'OMETIC. [A medieval corr. of the name _Mahomet_.]

BAPTISE, bapt-[=i]z', _v.t._ to administer baptism to: to christen, give a name to.--_n._ BAPT'ISM, immersion in or sprinkling with water as a religious ceremony--a sign and seal of the covenant of grace. It is symbolic of spiritual purification, and as a religious rite marks initiation into the Christian community.--_adj._ BAPTIS'MAL.--_adv._ BAPTIS'MALLY.--_ns._ BAPT'IST, one who baptises: one who approves only of baptising by immersion, and that only to persons who profess their faith in Christ; BAP'TISTERY, a place where baptism is administered, either a separate building or a portion of a church.--BAPTISMAL REGENERATION, the doctrine of the remission of sin original and actual, and of the new birth into the life of sanctifying grace, in and through the sacrament of baptism; BAPTISM BY DESIRE, the grace given to a believer who ardently desires baptism, but dies before he can receive it; BAPTISM FOR THE DEAD, the vicarious baptism of a living Christian for an unbaptised dead Christian, who was thereby accounted baptised and received into bliss--it is supposed to be alluded to in 1 Cor. xv. 29; BAPTISM OF BLOOD, martyrdom for Christ's sake; BAPTISM OF FIRE, the gift of the Holy Spirit: martyrdom by fire for Christ's sake: (_fig._) any trying ordeal to be endured, as a young soldier's first experience of being under fire; CLINICAL BAPTISM, baptism administered to sick persons; CONDITIONAL (or HYPOTHETICAL) BAPTISM, baptism administered to those about whom it is doubtful whether they were baptised or whether the form of their earlier baptism was valid; NAME OF BAPTISM, the Christian or personal name given at baptism; PRIVATE BAPTISM, baptism administered at home, or elsewhere, not in the church. [Gr. _baptiz-ein_--_bapt-ein_, to dip in water.]

BAR, b[:a]r, _n._ a rod of any solid substance: a bolt: a hindrance or obstruction--the barrier of a city or street, as the bars of York, Temple Bar, a toll-bar: a bank of sand or other matter at the mouth of a river: any terminus or limit (of life)--e.g. as in TO CROSS THE BAR: the railing that encloses a space in a tavern, the counter across which drinks are served, a public-house: the wooden rail dividing off the JUDGE'S SEAT, at which prisoners are placed for arraignment or sentence--hence, TO APPEAR AT THE BAR, TO PASS THE BAR = to be formally referred for trial from a lower court to a higher: any tribunal: the pleaders in a court as distinguished from the judges: a division in music.--_v.t._ to fasten or secure, as with a bar: to hinder or exclude:--_pr.p._ bar'ring; _pa.p._ barred.--_ns._ BAR'-[=I]'RON, iron in malleable bars; BAR'MAID, a female waiter at the bar of a tavern or hotel.--_prep._ BAR'RING, excepting, saving.--_ns._ BAR'RING-OUT, the shutting of the school-room doors and windows by the pupils against the master, in order to enforce assent to their demands; BAR'WOOD, a kind of red dye-wood imported from Africa in bars. [O. Fr. _barre_--Low L. _barra_, perh. of Celt. origin.]

BARACAN. Same as BARRACAN.

BARAGOUIN, b[:a]-rag-w[=e]n, _n._ any jargon or unintelligible language. [Fr.; from Bret. _bara_, bread, and _gw[^i]n_, wine, supposed to have originated in the Breton soldiers' astonishment at white bread.]

BARB, b[:a]rb, _n._ the beard-like jag near the point of an arrow, fish-hook, &c.--_v.t._ to arm with barbs, as an arrow, &c.: to shave, trim, mow, to pierce, as with a barb.--_adjs._ BARB'ATE (_bot._), bearing a hairy tuft; BARB'ATED, barbed, bearded.--_n._ BARBE, a term applied by the Waldenses to their teachers.--_adjs._ BARBED, furnished with a barb: of a horse, armed or caparisoned with a barb or bard; BARB'ELLATE (_bot._), having barbed or bearded bristles. [Fr.--L. _barba_, a beard.]

BARB, b[:a]rb, _n._ a swift kind of horse, the breed of which came from _Barbary_ in North Africa.

BARBACAN. See BARBICAN.

BARBAROUS, b[:a]r'bar-us, _adj._ uncivilised: rude: savage: brutal.--_adjs._ BAR'BARESQUE, pertaining to _Barbary_: barbarous, esp. in art; BARB[=A]R'IAN, uncivilised: savage: without taste or refinement: foreign.--_n._ an uncivilised man, a savage: a cruel, brutal man.--_adj._ BARBAR'IC, foreign: uncivilised.--_n._ BARBARIS[=A]'TION.--_v.t._ BAR'BARISE, to make barbarous: to corrupt as a language.--_ns._ BAR'BARISM, savage life: rudeness of manners: an incorrect form of speech; BARBAR'ITY, savageness: cruelty.--_adv._ BAR'BAROUSLY.--_n._ BAR'BAROUSNESS. [L.--Gr. _barbaros_, foreign, lit. stammering, from the unfamiliar sound of foreign tongues.]

BARBARY APE, b[:a]r'bar-i [=a]p, _n._ the magot, or small tailless ape found in Africa and also on the rock of Gibraltar.

BARBECUE, b[:a]rb'e-k[=u], _v.t._ to roast whole, as a pig: to cure flesh by exposing it on a barbecue.--_n._ a framework on which to dry and smoke meat above a fire: an animal roasted whole: an open floor on which coffee-beans and the like are spread out to dry: (_Amer._) a large social or political entertainment, where the hospitalities are on a lavish scale. [Sp. _barbacoa_--Haytian _barbac[`o]a_, a framework of sticks set upon posts.]

BARBEL, b[:a]rb'el, _n._ a fresh-water fish with beard-like appendages at its mouth. [O. Fr. _barbel_--Low L. _barbellus_--L. _barba_, a beard.]

BARBER, b[:a]rb'[.e]r, _n._ one who shaves beards and dresses hair.--_ns._ BARB'ER-MONG'ER (_Shak._), a man decked out by his barber, a fop; BARB'ER-SUR'GEON, one who let blood and drew teeth as well as shaved--the company of Barber-surgeons was incorporated in 1461, but by an act in 1545 barbers were confined to the more humble function.--BARBER'S BLOCK, a round block on which wigs are made; BARBER'S POLE, the barber's sign in England, a pole striped spirally with alternate bands of colours, generally red or black and white, having often a brass basin hung at the end. [Fr.--L. _barba_, a beard.]

BARBERRY, b[:a]r'ber-i, _n._ a thorny shrub with yellow flowers and red berries, common in hedges. [Low L. _berberis_; the Ar. _barbaris_ is borrowed.]

BARBETTE, bar-b[.e]t', _n._ an earthen terrace inside the parapet of a rampart, serving as a platform for heavy guns: in ironclad ships, a heavily armoured redoubt amidships. [Fr.]

BARBICAN, b[:a]r'bi-kan, _n._ a projecting watch-tower over the gate of a castle or fortified town, esp. the outwork intended to defend the drawbridge. [O. Fr. _barbacane_, also in Sp., Port., and It. forms; perh. of Ar. or Pers. origin. Col. Yule suggests _b[=a]bkh[=a]nah_, gate-house, name in the East for a towered gateway.]

BARBULE, b[:a]rb'[=u]l, _n._ (_bot._) a small barb or beard: a pointed barb-like process fringing the barbs of a feather. [See BARBEL.]

BARCAROLLE, b[:a]r'ka-r[=o]l, _n._ a boat-song of the Venetian gondoliers: a musical composition of a similar character. [It. _barcaruolo_, a boatman, from _barca_, a bark, a barge, a boat.]

BARD, b[:a]rd, _n._ a poet and singer among the ancient Celts: a poet--dims. BARD'LING, BARD'LET, poetaster.--_n._ BARD'-CRAFT (_Browning_).--_adj._ BARD'IC. [Gael. and Ir. _b[`a]rd_.]

BARDED, b[:a]rd'ed, _adj._ caparisoned, as horses.--_n._ BARD (_obs._), the protective covering of a war-horse or a man-at-arms. [Fr. _barde_--Sp. _albarda_, pack-saddle, perh. from Ar. _al-barda`ah_; _al_, the, and _barda`ah_, mule's pack-saddle.]

BARE, b[=a]r, _adj._ uncovered: naked: open to view: poor, scanty: unadorned: (_Shak._) unarmed: mere or by itself: (_Shak._) paltry, desolate: empty: (_Spens._) rude.--_v.t._ to strip or uncover.--_adj._ BARE'BACKED, with bare back: unsaddled.--_n._ BARE'BONE (_Shak._), a very lean person.--_adj._ BARE'FACED, with the face uncovered: (_Shak._) avowed: impudent.--_adv._ BARE'FACEDLY.--_n._ BARE'FACEDNESS.--_adjs._ BARE'FOOT, -ED, having the feet bare, often of some monastic orders; BARE'-GNAWN (_Shak._), gnawed bare; BARE'HEADED, having the head bare; BAR'ISH (_Carlyle_), somewhat bare; BARE'LEGGED, having the legs bare.--_adv._ BARE'LY.--_ns._ BARE'NESS; BARE'SARK, a fierce Norse fighter, a berserker.--_adv._ in a shirt only. [A.S. _baer_; Ger. _baar_, _bar_; Ice. _berr_.]

BARE, b[=a]r, old _pa.t._ of BEAR.

BARAGE, ba-r[=a]zh', _n._ a light, silky dress-stuff, named from _Bar[`e]ges_ in the Pyrenees.

BARGAIN, b[:a]r'gin, _n._ a contract or agreement: a favourable transaction: an advantageous purchase: (_Shak._) chaffering.--_v.i._ to make a contract or agreement: to chaffer: to count on, take into consideration (with _for_): to lose by bad bargaining (with _away_).--_n._ BAR'GAINER.--BARGAIN AND SALE, in law, a mode of conveyance whereby property may be assigned or transferred for valuable consideration.--INTO THE BARGAIN, over and above; TO MAKE THE BEST OF A BAD BARGAIN, to make the best of difficult circumstances; TO SELL ANY ONE A BARGAIN (_Shak._), to befool him; TO STRIKE A BARGAIN, to come to terms about a purchase. [O. Fr. _bargaigner_--Low L. _barcaniare_; acc. to Diez from _barca_, a boat.]

BARGE, b[:a]rj, _n._ flat-bottomed freight boat, with or without sails, used on rivers and canals: the second boat of a man-of-war: a large pleasure or state boat.--_ns._ BAR'GEE, a bargeman; BARGE'MAN, The manager of a barge; BARGE'-MAS'TER, the proprietor of a barge. [O. Fr. _barge_--Low L. _barga_. Prob. a doublet of BARK, a barge.]

[Illustration]

BARGE-BOARD, barj'-b[=o]rd, _n._ a board extending along the edge of the gable of a house to cover the rafters and keep out the rain. [The _barge_ here may be conn. with Low L. _bargus_, a gallows.]

BARGHEST, b[:a]r'gest, _n._ a dog-like goblin portending death. [Perh. conn. with Ger. _berg-geist_, mountain-ghost.]

BARIC. See BARIUM.

BARILLA, bar-il'a, _n._ an impure carbonate of soda obtained by burning several marine plants (that grow chiefly on the east coast of Spain), used in the manufacture of soap, glass, &c. [Sp. _barrilla_.]

BARITONE, bar'i-t[=o]n. Same as BARYTONE.

BARIUM, b[=a]'ri-um, _n._ the metal present in heavy spar (sulphate of baryta) and baryta, formerly thought to be white, but now known to possess a yellow colour.--_adj._ BAR'IC. [From BARYTA; cf. _soda_, _sodium_.]

BARK, b[:a]rk, _n._ the abrupt cry uttered by a dog, wolf, &c.--_v.i._ to yelp like a dog: to clamour.--_v.t._ (_Spens._) to utter with a bark.--_n._ BARK'ER, a shop-tout: (_slang_) a pistol, cannon.--HIS BARK IS WORSE THAN HIS BITE, his angry expressions are worse than his actual deeds. [A.S. _beorcan_, prob. a variety of _brecan_, to crack, snap. See BREAK.]

BARK, BARQUE, b[:a]rk, _n._ a barge: a ship of small size, square-sterned, without head-rails: technically, a three-masted vessel whose mizzen-mast is _fore-and-aft_ rigged instead of being square-rigged, like the fore and main masts--barks of over 3000 tons are now frequently built.--_ns._ BAR'KANTINE, BAR'QUENTINE, a three-masted vessel, with the fore-mast square-rigged, and the main-mast and mizzen-mast fore-and-aft rigged. [Fr. _barque_--Low L. _barca_; perh. from Gr. _baris_, a Nile-boat.]

BARK, b[:a]rk, _n._ the rind or covering of the trunk and branches of a tree: that used in tanning or dyeing, or the residue thereof, laid upon a street to deaden the sound, &c.: the envelopment or outer covering of anything.--_v.t._ to strip or peel the bark from: to rub off (_skin_).--_n._ BARK'-BED, a hotbed made of spent bark.--_v.t._ BARK'EN, to dry up into a barky substance.--_v.i._ to become like bark.--_adjs._ BARK'LESS; BARK'Y.--CINCHONA, JESUITS', PERUVIAN BARK, the bark of the cinchona, from which quinine is made. [Scand. _b[:o]rkr_; Dan. _bark_.]

BARKER'S MILL, b[:a]rk'[.e]rz mil, a water-wheel invented in the 18th century by Dr _Barker_.

BARLEY, b[:a]r'li, _n._ a hardy grain used for food, but chiefly for making malt liquors and spirits.--_ns._ BAR'LEY-BREE, -BROTH, strong ale; BAR'LEY-CORN, personified as _John Barleycorn_, the grain from which malt is made: a single grain of barley: a measure of length = 1/3 of an inch; BAR'LEY-SU'GAR, a mixture of sugar with a decoction of pearl-barley, boiled till it is candied; BAR'LEY-WAT'ER, a decoction of pearl-barley; PEARL'-BAR'LEY, the grain stripped of husk and pellicle, and completely rounded by grinding; POT'-BAR'LEY, the grain deprived by milling of its outer husk, used in making broth, &c. [A.S. _baerl['i]c_, _bere_, and suffix _-l['i]c_.]

BARLEY, b[:a]r'li, _interj._ (_Scot._) a term used in games in demand of a truce, parley (of which it is most prob. a corruption).

BARLEY-BRAKE, b[:a]r'li-br[=a]k, _n._ an old country game, originally played by three couples, of which one, left in a middle den called 'hell,' had to catch the others, who could break or separate when about to be overtaken. [Perh. from the grain, _barley_, because often played in a barley-field; or perh. from the word preceding.]

BARM, b[:a]rm, _n._ froth of beer or other fermenting liquor, used as leaven: yeast.--_adjs._ BARM'Y; BARM'Y-BRAINED, flighty. [A.S. _beorma_; cog. with Dan. _b[:a]rme_, Ger. _b[:a]rme_.]

BARMBRACK, b[:a]rm'brak, _n._ a currant-bun. [Ir. _bairigen breac_, speckled cake.]

BARM-CLOTH, b[:a]rm'-kloth, _n._ (_Morris_) an apron. [A.S. _barm_, bosom, _-beran_, to bear, and CLOTH.]

BARMECIDE, b[:a]r'me-s[=i]d, _n._ one who offers an imaginary or pretended banquet or other benefit.--_adjs._ BAR'MECIDE, BARMEC[=I]'DAL. [From a story in the _Arabian Nights_, in which a beggar is entertained to an imaginary feast by one of the _Barmecides_, a Persian family who attained to great influence at the court of the Abbasside caliphs.]

BARMKIN, b[:a]rm'kin, _n._ the rampart of a castle.

BARN, b[:a]rn, _n._ a building in which grain, hay, &c. are stored.--_v.t._ to store in a barn.--_ns._ and _adjs._ BARN'-DOOR, BARN'-YARD, as in barn-yard fowl.--_n._ BARN'-OWL, the commonest of British owls.--BARN-DOOR, in cricket, used of a player who blocks every ball: humorously, any large target. [A.S. _bere-ern_, contracted _bern_, from _bere_, barley, _ern_, a house.]

BARNABY, b[:a]rn'a-bi, _n._ form of _Barnabas_, the apostle.--_n._ BAR'NABITE, a member of the congregation of regular canons of St Paul, founded at Milan in 1530, so called from their preaching in the church of St Barnabas there.--BARNABY-DAY, BARNABY BRIGHT, or LONG BARNABY, St Barnabas' Day, 11th June, in Old Style reckoned the longest day.

BARNACLE, b[:a]r'na-kl, _n._ a shellfish which adheres to rocks and the bottoms of ships: a companion who sticks closely.--_n._ BAR'NACLE-GOOSE, a species of wild goose belonging to the Northern seas, so called from a notion that they were produced from the barnacles mentioned. [O. Fr. _bernaque_--Low L. _bernaca_; by some referred to a supposed form _pernacula_, dim. of _perna_, a kind of shellfish; by others to a Celtic origin.]

BARNACLE, b[:a]r'na-kl, _n._ an instrument consisting of two branches joined by a hinge, placed on the nose of horses to keep them quiet: (_pl._) a colloquial term for 'spectacles.'--_adj._ BAR'NACLED. [O. Fr. _bernac_, of which _bernacle_ seems to be a dim. form. The sense of 'spectacles' has been traced to O. Fr. _bericle_, eye-glass--_berillus_, beryl; but this is improbable.]

BARNEY, b[:a]r'ni, _n._ (_slang_) humbug: a prize-fight.

BARNUMISE, b[:a]r'num-[=i]z, _v.t._ to advertise and display on a great scale.--_n._ BAR'NUMISM. [From _Barnum_, a great showman (1810-91).]

BAROGRAPH, bar'o-graf, _n._ a barometer which records automatically variations of atmospheric pressure. [Gr. _baros_, weight, _graphein_, to write.]

BAROMETER, bar-om'et-[.e]r, _n._ an instrument by which the weight or pressure of the atmosphere is measured, and changes of weather, or heights above sea-level, indicated.--_adj._ BAROMET'RIC.--_adv._ BAROMET'RICALLY.--_n._ BAROM'ETRY. [Gr. _baros_, weight, _metron_, measure.]

BAROMETZ, bar'o-metz, _n._ the hairy prostrate stem of a fern found near the Caspian Sea, at one time supposed to be at once plant and animal, to grow on a stalk, and to eat grass like a lamb, &c.; hence also called, as by Mandeville, the _Scythian Lamb_. [Erroneous form of Russ. _baranetz_, dim. of _baran_, ram.]

[Illustration]

BARON, bar'on, _n._ a title of rank, the lowest in the House of Peers: formerly a title of the judges of the Court of Exchequer: in feudal times the tenants-in-chief of the Crown, later the peers or great lords of the realm generally: till 1832, the name for the parliamentary representatives of the Cinque Ports: in Germany, the signification, instead of becoming restricted as in England, has become extended--the greater or dynasty barons having all been elevated to higher titles, a large number being designated barons in virtue of a diploma from some reigning prince, the title being used also by all his descendants.--_ns._ BAR'ONAGE, the whole body of barons; BAR'ON-BAIL'IE, a magistrate appointed by the lord-superior in a burgh of barony; BAR'ONESS, a baron's wife, or a lady holding a baronial title in her own right.--_adj._ BAR[=O]N'IAL, pertaining to a baron or barony.--_n._ BAR'ONY, the territory of a baron: in Ireland, a division of a county: in Scotland, a large freehold estate, or manor, even though not carrying with it a baron's title and rank: the rank of baron.--BARON OF BEEF, a joint consisting of two sirloins left uncut at the backbone. [O. Fr. _barun_, _-on_--Low L. _baro_, _-onem_; in the Romance tongues the word meant a man as opposed to a woman, a strong man, a warrior; traced by some to Celt. _bar_, a hero; by others to Old High Ger. _bero_, bearer, carrier.]

BARONET, bar'on-et, _n._ the lowest hereditary title in the United Kingdom (of England--now of Great Britain--since 1611; of Scotland--or of Nova Scotia--since 1625; of Ireland, since 1619).--_ns._ BAR'ONETAGE, the whole body of baronets: a list of such; BAR'ONETCY.--_adj._ BARONET'ICAL. [Dim. of BARON.]

BAROQUE, bar-[=o]k', _adj._ originally a jeweller's term, but applied in art generally to extravagant ornamental designs: whimsical, odd. [Fr. _baroque_; perh. from L. _verruca_, wart, but referred by some to Ar. _bur[=a]q_, hard earth mixed with stones.]

BAROSCOPE, bar'[=o]-sk[=o]p, _n._ an instrument for indicating changes in the density of the air. [Gr. _baros_, weight, _skopein_, to see.]

BAROUCHE, ba-r[=oo]sh', _n._ a double-seated four-wheeled carriage with a falling top. [It. _baroccio_--L. _birotus_, two-wheeled, from _bis_, twice, _rota_, a wheel.]

BARQUE. Same as BARK (2).

BARQUENTINE, b[:a]r'ken-t[=e]n, _n._ same as BARKANTINE (q.v. under BARK, a ship). [Formed from BARQUE, like BRIGANTINE from BRIG.]

BARRACAN, bar'a-kan, _n._ a thick, strong stuff resembling camlet. [Fr.; It.--Ar. _barrak[=a]n_, a dark dress, Pers. _barak_, a stuff made of camel's hair.]

BARRACE, bar'as, _n._ (_obs._) the lists in a tournament. [O. Fr. _barras_--_barre_, bar.]

BARRACK, bar'ak, _n._ a building for soldiers, esp. in garrison (generally in _pl._). [Fr. _baraque_ (It. _baracca_, Sp. _barraca_, a tent); acc. to Diez from _barra_, bar.]

BARRACOON, bar'a-k[=oo]n, _n._ a dep[^o]t for slaves. [Sp.--_barraca_.]

BARRACOOTA, -CUDA, bar'a-k[=oo]'ta, -k[=oo]'da, _n._ a voracious West Indian fish.--Also BARRACOU'TA, an Australian food-fish. [Sp.]

BARRAGE, b[:a]r'[=a]j, _n._ the forming of an artificial bar in order to deepen a river. [Fr. _barrage_--_barre_, bar.]

BARRATOR, bar-[=a]t'or, _n._ one who vexatiously stirs up lawsuits, quarrels, &c.--_adj._ BAR'RATROUS.--_adv._ BAR'RATROUSLY.--_n._ BAR'RATRY, fraudulent practices on the part of the master or mariners of a ship to the prejudice of the owners: vexatious litigation, or the stirring up of suits and quarrels among subjects, forbidden under penalties to lawyers: traffic in offices of church or state. [O. Fr. _barateor_--_barat_, deceit; traced by some to Gr. _prattein_, by others to a Celt. or a Scand. origin.]

BARREL, bar'el, _n._ a cylindrical wooden vessel made of curved staves bound with hoops: the quantity which such a vessel contains (36 imperial gallons of ale and beer): a certain weight or quantity of other goods usually sold in casks called barrels: anything long and hollow, as the barrel of a gun, or cylindrical and barrel-shaped.--_v.t._ to put in a barrel.--_n._ BAR'REL-BULK, a measurement of five cubic feet.--_p.adj._ BAR'RELLED, having a barrel or barrels: placed in a barrel.--_ns._ BAR'REL-OR'GAN, an organ in which the music is produced by a barrel or cylinder set with pins, the revolution of which opens the key-valves and produces the music; BARREL-VAULT, a vault with a simple semi-cylindrical roof.--_adj._ BAR'REL-VAULT'ED. [Fr. _baril_ (Sp. _barril_, It. _barile_)--Low L. _barile_, _barillus_, possibly from _barra_, bar.]

BARREN, bar'en, _adj._ incapable of bearing offspring: unfruitful: dull, stupid: unprofitable (with _of_).--_adj._ BAR'REN-BEAT'EN.--_adv._ BAR'RENLY.--_n._ BAR'RENNESS.--_adjs._ BAR'REN-SPIR'ITED; BAR'REN-WIT'TED. [O. Fr. _barain_, _brahain_, _brehaing_, perh. from _bar_, man, as if 'male-like, not producing offspring.']

BARRET, bar'et, _n._ a flat cap, esp. the BIRETTA (q.v.). [Fr. _barrette_, Sp. _birreta_. See BIRETTA.]

BARRICADE, bar'ik-[=a]d, _n._ a temporary fortification raised to hinder the advance of an enemy, as in the street fights of Parisian insurrections.--_v.t._ to obstruct: to fortify.--Earlier form BARRIC[=A]'DO. [Fr.; _barrique_, a cask, the first street barricades having consisted of casks filled with stones, &c. See BAR.]

BARRICO, bar-[=e]'ko, _n._ a small cask. [Sp.]

BARRIER, bar'i-[.e]r, _n._ a defence against attack: a limit or boundary: a fence, railing, gate where customs are collected: the lists in a tournament: any obstacle that keeps apart: (_pl._) a martial exercise in 15th and 16th centuries.--_v.t._ to shut by means of a barrier.--_n._ BAR'RIER-REEF, a coral-reef surrounding an island or fringing a coast with a navigable channel inside.--BARRIER ACT, an act passed by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1697 as a security against innovations, decreeing that changes in the law of the Church, even when approved by the Assembly, shall not become law till approved also by a majority of presbyteries. [O. Fr. _barri[`e]re_--Low L. _barraria_--_barra_, bar.]

BARRISTER, bar'is-t[.e]r, _n._ one who is qualified to plead at the bar in an English or Irish law-court.--_adj._ BARRIST[=E]R'IAL.--_n._ BAR'RISTERSHIP.--REVISING BARRISTER, a barrister appointed annually by the English judges to revise the lists and settle who are the persons entitled to vote for members of parliament. [From _barra_, bar, the suffix being undetermined.]

BARROW, bar'r[=o], _n._ a small hand or one-wheel carriage used to bear or convey a load.--_n._ BAR'ROW-TRAM, the shaft of a barrow. [M. E. _barewe_, from an assumed A.S. form _bearwe_--_beran_, to bear.]

BARROW, bar'r[=o], _n._ originally a mountain, hillock: a mound raised over graves in former times. [A.S. _beorg_; cog. with Ger. _berg_.]

BARROW, bar'r[=o], _n._ a long sleeveless flannel garment for infants. [A.S. _beorgan_, to protect.]

BAR-SINISTER. Variant of BATON-SINISTER (q.v. under BATON).

BARTER, b[:a]r't[.e]r, _v.t._ to give one thing in exchange for another (with _for_, _away_).--_v.i._ to traffic by exchanging.--_n._ traffic by exchange of commodities.--_n._ BAR'TERER, one who barters. [Prob. from O. Fr. _barat_.]

BARTHOLOMEW-TIDE, bar-thol'o-m[=u]-t[=i]d, _n._ the day of the festival of St Bartholomew, 24th August: the name was also applied to things sold at the fair.--Often spelt BAR'TLEMY.--BLACK BARTHOLOMEW, 24th August 1662, the day on which the Act of Uniformity came into force within the Church of England.

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BARTISAN, b[:a]r'ti-zan, _n._ a small overhanging turret projecting from an angle on the top of a tower. [Apparently an adaptation by Scott of Scot. _bertisene_, traceable to O. Fr. _bretesche_, a parapet of wood.]

BARTON, bar'ton, _n._ a farm-yard. [A.S. _bere-t['u]n_, yard, _bere_, barley, and _t['u]n_, enclosure.]

BARYCENTRIC, bar-i-sen'trik, _adj._ pertaining to the centre of gravity. [Gr. _barys_, heavy, _kentron_, centre.]

BARYTA, ba-r[=i]'ta, BARYTES, ba-r[=i]'t[=e]z, _n._ the earth present in the minerals _witherite_ and _heavy spar_.--_adj._ BARYT'IC, of or containing baryta. [From Gr. _barys_, heavy.]

BARYTONE, bar'i-t[=o]n, _n._ a deep-toned male voice between bass and tenor: a singer with such a voice: in Greek, applied to words not having an acute accent on the last syllable. [Through Fr. from Gr. _barys_, heavy, deep, and _tonos_, a tone.]

BASALT, bas-awlt', _n._ a hard, dark-coloured rock of igneous origin.--_adj._ BASALT'IC. [L. _basaltes_, an African word.]

BASANITE, bas'an-[=i]t, _n._ a kind of quartz serviceable for testing the purity of the precious metals by the marks made. [Gr. _basanos_, touchstone.]

BASBLEU. Same as BLUE-STOCKING (q.v. under BLUE).

BASCINET. Same as BASINET.

BASCULE, bas'k[=u]l, _n._ an apparatus of the lever kind, in which one end is raised while the other is depressed. [Fr. _bas_, down, and _cul_, the posteriors.]