Part 25

BEMA, b[=e]'ma, _n._ the tribune or rostrum from which Athenian orators made their speeches--hence the apse or chancel of a basilica. [Gr. _b[=e]ma_, a step.]

BEMAD, be-mad', _v.t._ to madden.

BEMAUL, be-mawl', _v.t._ to maul thoroughly.

BEMAZED, be-m[=a]zd', _p.adj._ stupefied, bewildered.

BEMBEX, bem'beks, _n._ a genus of solitary sand-wasps, with broad heads and very large eyes, noted for their making a loud buzz during their rapid flight. [Gr. _bembix_.]

BEMEAN, be-m[=e]n', _v.t._ to make mean, to lower or debase: (_obs._) to signify.

BEMIRE, be-m[=i]r', _v.t._ to soil with mire.--_p.adj._ BEMIRED'.

BEMOAN, be-m[=o]n', _v.t._ to lament: bewail: to pity.--_v.i._ to grieve.--_ns._ BEMOAN'ER; BEMOAN'ING.

BEMOCK, be-mok', _v.t._ to mock at, to deride.

BEMOIL, be-moil', _v.t._ (_Shak._) to bemire, to bedraggle.

BEMONSTER, be-mon'ster, _v.t._ to make monstrous: to regard or treat as a monster.

BEMOUTH, be-mowth', _v.i._ to declaim, to overpraise.

BEMUD, be-mud', _v.t._ to bespatter with mud: to confuse.

BEMUDDLE, be-mud'l, _v.t._ to confuse or muddle completely.

BEMUFFLE, be-muf'l, _v.t._ to wrap or muffle up completely.

BEMUSE, be-m[=u]z', _v.t._ to put in confusion: stupefy.

BEN, ben, _n._ a mountain peak. [Gael. _beann_.]

BEN, ben, _prep._ and _adv._ in toward the inner apartment of a house.--_n._ the inner apartment of a house, as opposed to the _But_ or kitchen through which one must generally pass first.--TO BE FAR BEN WITH ONE, to be on terms of great intimacy or friendship with; TO LIVE BUT AND BEN, to live respectively in these rooms, in close neighbourhood with any one. [M. E. _binne_--A.S. _binnan_, within.]

BENCH, bensh, _n._ a long seat or form with or without a back: a seat in a boat: a mechanic's work-table: a judge's seat: the body or assembly of judges: a tribunal: the dignity of holding an official seat, as the 'bench of bishops,' the 'civic bench.'--_v.t._ to place on or furnish with benches.--_ns._ BENCH'ER, a senior member of an inn of court; BENCH'ERSHIP; BENCH'-MARK, a surveyor's mark cut on a rock, gatepost, wall, or the like, into which a crooked iron is set so as to form a bench or temporary support for the levelling instrument; BENCH'-WAR'RANT, one issued by a judge rather than a justice or magistrate. [A.S. _benc_; cog. with Ger. and Dut. _bank_.]

[Illustration]

BEND, bend, _v.t._ to curve or bow: to make crooked: to turn or incline--mostly in passive, to be inclined _to_, _towards_, to be given _to_: to subdue: to direct to a certain point: to apply closely, to strain, to nerve one's self to: (_naut._) to tie, fasten, make fast.--_v.i._ to be crooked or curved: to incline in any direction: to stoop: to lean: to bow in submission (with _to_, _before_, _towards_):--_pa.p._ bend'ed or bent.--_n._ a curve or crook: the bent part of anything; (_her._) one of the nine ordinaries, consisting of the space contained between two parallel lines crossing the shield diagonally from dexter chief to sinister base. It is said to occupy a fifth part of the shield unless charged, when it occupies a third part--its diminutives are the _Bendlet_, _Cotise_, and _Ribbon_.--BEND SINISTER, an occasionally occurring variety of the bend, drawn from sinister chief to dexter base. [Old Eng. _bendan_.]

BEND, bend, _n._ in leather, half a butt cut lengthwise.

BENEATH, be-n[=e]th', _prep._ under, or lower in place: inside of, behind: unworthy the dignity of, unbecoming. [A.S. _bi-nathan_.]

BENEDICITE, ben-[=e]-dis'i-te, _n._ the canticle beginning _'Benedicite_ omnia opera Domini' ('O all ye works of the Lord'), from the Apocryphal _Song of the Three Holy Children_--in the Anglican morning service an alternate to the _Te Deum_: the blessing before a repast.

BENEDICT, ben'e-dikt, _n._ a common name for a newly married man, esp. a bachelor who has long held out against marriage, but at last succumbed--from _Benedick_ in Shakespeare's _Much Ado about Nothing_.--_adj._ blessed: benign.

BENEDICTINE, ben-e-dik'tin, _adj._ pertaining to St Benedict or his monastic rule.--_n._ a Black Friar or monk of the order founded at Monte Cassino by St _Benedict_ of Nursia (480-543), which became famous for its learning: a cordial or liqueur resembling Chartreuse, distilled at F['e]camp in Normandy--once distilled by Benedictine monks.

BENEDICTION, ben-e-dik'shun, _n._ a solemn invocation of the divine blessing on men or things--a priestly benediction is defined by Romanists as a formula of imperative prayer which transmits a certain grace or virtue to the object over which it is pronounced: a brief and popular service in the Romish Church, consisting of certain canticles and antiphons sung in presence of the host, and concluding with the priest making the sign of the cross over the people with the monstrance, and giving in silence the benediction of the most holy sacrament.--_adj._ BENEDICT'ORY.--_n._ BENEDICT'US, the canticle of Zacharias (Luke, i. 68-79), used in the Roman service of matin-lauds, and occurring after the second lesson in Anglican matins.--_p.adj._ BENEDIGHT' (_Longfellow_), blessed.--APOSTOLIC BENEDICTION, that given in 2 Cor. xiii. 14.

BENEFACTION, ben-e-fak'shun, _n._ the act of doing good: a good deed done or benefit conferred: a grant or endowment.--_n._ BENEFAC'TOR, one who gives a benefit to another, esp. one who leaves a legacy to some charitable or religious institution, a patron:--_fem._ BENEFAC'TRESS.--_adj._ BENEFAC'TORY. [L. _benefaction-em_.]

BENEFICE, ben'e-fis, _n._ any kind of church promotion or dignity, esp. with cure of souls, such as rectories, vicarages, and other parochial cures, as distinguished from bishoprics, deaneries, cathedral preferments, &c.: an ecclesiastical living.--_adj._ BEN'EFICED, possessed of a benefice. [Through Fr. from L. _beneficium_.]

BENEFICENCE, be-nef'i-sens, _n._ active goodness: kindness: charity: a beneficent gift.--_n._ BENEFIC'ENCY (_obs._).--_adjs._ BENEF'ICENT; BENEFICEN'TIAL.--_adv._ BENEF'ICENTLY. [L. _beneficentia_.]

BENEFICIAL, ben-e-fish'al, _adj._ useful; advantageous: (_law_) enjoying the usufruct of property.--_adj._ BENEF'IC, of good influence astrologically: beneficent, kindly.--_adv._ BENEFIC'IALLY.--_ns._ BENEFIC'IALNESS; BENEFIC'IARY, a legal term to denote a person who enjoys, or has the prospect of enjoying, any interest or estate held in trust by others. [L. _beneficium_.]

BENEFIT, ben'e-fit, _n._ a kindness: a favour: any advantage, natural or other: a performance at a theatre, the proceeds of which go to one of the company.--_v.t._ to do good to.--_v.i._ to gain advantage (with _from_),--_ns._ BEN'EFIT-OF-CLER'GY, in old English law, the exemption of the persons of ecclesiastics from criminal process before a secular judge, they being responsible only to their ordinary. This privilege, at first limited to those in actual orders, was in 1350 extended to all manner of clerks, and in later practice to all who could read, whether of clergy or laity; BEN'EFIT-OF-IN'VENTORY (_Scots law_), a legal privilege whereby an heir secured himself against unlimited liability for his ancestor, by giving up within the _annus deliberandi_ an inventory of his heritage or real estate, to the extent of which alone was the heir liable.--BENEFIT SOCIETIES, associations for mutual benefit chiefly among the labouring classes, better known as _Friendly societies_. [M. E. _benfet_, through Fr. from L. _benefactum_.]

BENET, be-net', _v.t._ to catch in a net, to ensnare.

BENET, ben'et, _n._ an exorcist, the third of the four lesser orders in the Roman Church. [Through Fr. from L. _benedict-us_, blessed.]

BENEVOLENCE, ben-ev'ol-ens, _n._ disposition to do good: an act of kindness: generosity: a gift of money, esp. for support of the poor: (_Eng. hist._) a kind of forced loan or contribution, levied by kings without legal authority, first so called under Edward IV. in 1473.--_adj._ BENEV'OLENT, charitable, generous, well disposed to.--_adv._ BENEV'OLENTLY. [Through Fr. from L. _benevolentia_.]

BENGALI, ben-gaw'l[=e], _adj._ of or belonging to _Bengal_.--_n._ a native of Bengal: the language of Bengal.--_n._ BENGAL'-LIGHT, a brilliant signal-light used at sea in a case of shipwreck, and in ordinary pyrotechny for illuminating a district of country--prepared from nitre, sulphur, and the black sulphide of antimony.

BENIGHTED, be-n[=i]t'ed, _adj._ overtaken by night: involved in darkness, intellectual or moral: ignorant.--_v.t._ BENIGHT', to involve in such darkness: to cloud with disappointment.--_ns._ BENIGHT'ENING; BENIGHT'ER; BENIGHT'ING; BENIGHT'MENT. [Pfx. _be-_ and NIGHT.]

BENIGN, ben-[=i]n', _adj._ favourable, esp. in astrology, as opposed to _malign_: gracious: kindly: (_med._) of a mild type, as opposed to malignant: salubrious.--_n._ BENIG'NANCY, benignant quality.--_adj._ BENIG'NANT, kind: gracious: beneficial.--_adv._ BENIG'NANTLY.--_n._ BENIG'NITY, goodness of disposition: kindness: graciousness: favourable circumstances--of climate, weather, disease, planets.--_adv._ BENIGN'LY. [O. Fr. _benigne_--L. _benignus_, for _benigenus_; _bene_, well, _genus_, born.]

BENISON, ben'izn, _n._ benediction, blessing, esp. blessing of God. [O. Fr. _beneicun_--L. _benediction-em_.]

BENITIER, b[=a]-n[=e]'ti[=a], _n._ the vase or vessel for holy water in R.C. churches, known in England as the holy-water font, vat, pot, stone, stock, or stoup. [Fr.--Low L. _benedictarium_--L. _benedictus_.]

BENJAMIN, ben'j[:a]-min, _n._ a kind of overcoat formerly worn by men. [Suggested possibly by 'Joseph's coat.' The Gipsy _b['e]ngari_, 'waistcoat,' has been proposed as an etymon.]

BENJAMIN, ben'j[:a]-min, _n._ gum benjamin, an essence made from benzoin.--_n._ BEN'JAMIN-TREE, a North American aromatic shrub, with stimulant tonic bark and berries: the tree which yields benzoin--_Styrax Benzoin_. [A corr. of BENZOIN.]

BENNET, ben'et, _n._ the herb Bennet or common avens (_Geum urbanum_), a yellow-flowered wayside plant throughout Europe. [Through Fr. from L. 'herba _benedicta_,' the flower being a protective against the devil.]

BENNET, ben'et, _n._ the same as BENT, indeed an earlier form.

BENT, bent, _pa.t._ and _pa.p._ of BEND.

BENT, bent, _n._ leaning or bias: tendency: intention: natural inclination of the mind towards anything: the condition of being bent, curved form: (_rare_) slope or declivity: (_Shak._) a cast, as of the eye: the extent to which a bow may be bent--degree of tension, capacity of endurance, as in the phrase 'to the top of one's bent' = to the full measure of one's inclination. [See BEND.]

BENT, bent, _n._ any stiff or wiry grass: the old dried stalks of grasses: a special genus (_Agrostis_) containing about sixty species of grasses, all slender and delicate in appearance, and some useful as pasture-grasses and for hay: a place covered with such, a heath: a hillside.--Often BENT'-GRASS.--BEN'NET is a variant, a name applied to the wild barley-grass.--_adj._ BENT'Y.--TO TAKE TO THE BENT (_Scot._), to fly to the moors, to escape from some danger by flight. [A.S. _beonet_, found in place-names, as _Beonetl['e]ah_, Bentley; the history is obscure, but the word is doubtless Teut.; cf. Ger. _binse_.]

BENTHAMISM, ben'tham-izm, _n._ a name applied to the social and political doctrines of Jeremy _Bentham_ (1748-1832), whose leading principle is the doctrine of utility, that happiness is identical with pleasure, summed up in Priestley's famous phrase, 'the greatest happiness of the greatest number.'

BENUMB, be-num', _v.t._ to make insensible or powerless: to stupefy (now chiefly of _cold_): to deaden the feelings: to paralyse generally.--_p.adj._ BENUMBED'.--_ns._ BENUMBED'NESS, BENUMB'MENT. [Pfx. _be-_ and NUMB.]

BENZENE, ben'z[=e]n, _n._ a compound of carbon and hydrogen, discovered by Faraday in 1825, in a tarry liquid resulting from the distillation of oil. It is found amongst the products of the destructive distillation of a great many organic bodies, but the most abundant source is coal-tar. It must not be confounded with _benzine_ or _benzoyl_, which names have at different times been used for benzene.--BEN'ZINE is the name given to a distillate from American petroleum, which is much used as a substitute for turpentine, and for dissolving oils and fats; BEN'ZOYL is the commercial name applied to a mixture of substances, including benzene and its homologues.--BEN'ZOL is synonymous with benzene, while BEN'ZOLINE is a name applied to benzine and impure benzene indiscriminately.

BENZOIN, ben'z[=o]-in, or -zoin, _n._ gum benjamin, the aromatic and resinous juice of the _Styrax Benzoin_ of Java and Sumatra. It is used in perfumery, in pastilles, and for incense, and its compound tincture yields Friar's Balsam or Jesuit's Drops, and is used in making court-plaster. [In the 16th century, BENJOIN. Most prob. through It. from Ar. _lub[=a]n j[=a]w[=i]_, frankincense of Java, Sumatra, &c.]

BEPAINT, be-p[=a]nt', _v.t._ to paint over: to colour.

BEPAT, be-pat', _v.t._ to pat frequently, to beat.

BEPATCHED, be-patcht', _p.adj._ mended with patches: wearing patches on the face by way of adornment.

BEPEARL, be-p[.e]rl', _v.t._ to cover over with pearls.

BEPELT, be-p[.e]lt', _v.t._ to pelt vigorously.

BEPEPPER, be-pep'[.e]r, _v.t._ to pelt with a rain of shot or of blows.

BEPESTER, be-pest'[.e]r, _v.t._ to vex or pester greatly.

BEPITY, be-pit'i, _v.t._ to pity greatly.

BEPLUMED, be-pl[=oo]md', _p.adj._ adorned with feathers.

BEPOMMEL, be-pom'el, _v.t._ to pommel soundly.

BEPOWDER, be-pow'd[.e]r, _v.t._ to powder over.

BEPRAISE, be-pr[=a]z', _v.t._ to praise extravagantly.

BEPROSE, be-pr[=o]z', _v.t._ to reduce to prose: to discuss in prose, and tediously.

BEPUFF, be-puf', _v.t._ to puff out: to praise beyond measure.

BEQUEATH, be-kw[=e]th', _v.t._ to leave personal property by will to another: to transmit to posterity, to leave behind: to commit or entrust to any one.--_adj._ BEQUEATH'ABLE.--_ns._ BEQUEATH'AL, BEQUEATH'MENT. [A.S. _becwedhan_; pfx. _be-_,and _cwedhan_, to say. See QUOTH.]

BEQUEST, be-kwest', _n._ act of bequeathing: that which is bequeathed, a legacy. [M. E. _bi-queste_--A.S. _bi'-cwiss_; _bi'-_, a form of pfx. _be-_, _qithan_, to say. See QUOTH.]

BERATE, be-r[=a]t', _v.t._ (_U.S._) to scold or chide vigorously.

BERBER, b[.e]r'b[.e]r, _n._ and _adj._ a member of one of the Hamitic tribes inhabiting the mountainous regions of Barbary and the northern portions of the Great Desert, originally occupying the whole southern coast of the Mediterranean: the language spoken by the Berbers. [Derived by Barth either from the name of their supposed ancestor, _Ber_, which we recognise in the L. A_-fer_, an African; or from the Gr. and L. term _Barbari_.]

BERE, another spelling of BEAR, barley (q.v.).

BEREAN, b[=e]-r[=e]'an, _n._ one of an extinct Scottish sect of the 18th century, named from the people of _Berea_ (Acts, xvii. 11, who derived all knowledge of God from the Bible, but differed little from ordinary Calvinists.

BEREAVE, be-r[=e]v', _v.t._ to rob a person of anything valued: to leave destitute:--_pa.t._ and _pa.p._ bereaved'--the latter also BEREFT'.--_adj._ BEREAVED', robbed by death of some dear relative or friend.--_n._ BEREAVE'MENT, the fact or state of being so bereaved. [A.S. _ber['e]afian_, to plunder. See REAVE.]

BERET, BERRET, b[.e]r'et, _n._ a flat woollen cap worn by the Basques. [Fr.]

BERG, berg, _n._ a mass or mountain of ice.--_ns._ BERG'FALL, the fall of a mountain rock; BERG'FIELD, an expanse of ice covered with bergs. [See ICEBERG.]

BERGAMASK, b[.e]r'ga-mask, _adj._ of or pertaining to _Bergamo_, whose natives are clownish in manners and dialect.--_n._ a rustic dance of theirs.

BERGAMOT, b[.e]r'ga-mot, _n._ a kind of citron whose aromatic rind yields the well-known oil of Bergamot, used in making pomades, fragrant essences, eau de Cologne, liqueurs, &c.: the essence so extracted. [From the town of _Bergamo_.]

BERGAMOT, b[.e]r'ga-mot, _n._ a group of varieties of pear of fine flavour. [Fr.--It.--Turk. _begarm[=u]di_.]

BERGMEHL, b[.e]rg'm[=a]l, _n._ a deposit of diatomaceous white earth or powder, that used in Norway to be mixed with flour and used as food. [Ger. 'mountain-flour.']

BERIBERI, ber'i-ber-i, _n._ an Eastern disease marked by anaemia, paralysis, and dropsical symptoms. [Singh.]

BERKELEIANISM, berk'l[=e]-an-izm, _n._ the philosophy of Bishop _Berkeley_ (1685-1753), who maintained that the world we see and touch is not an abstract independent substance, of which conscious mind may be an effect, but is the very world which is presented to our senses, and which depends for its actuality on being perceived.--_adj._ and _n._ BERKELEI'AN.

BERLIN, b[.e]r'lin, _n._ an old-fashioned four-wheeled covered carriage, with a seat behind covered with a hood--also BER'LINE.--BERLIN BLUE, Prussian blue; BERLIN WOOL, a fine dyed wool for worsted-work, knitting, &c.

BERM, b[.e]rm, _n._ a ledge: esp. a fortification. [Fr. _berme_; Ger. _berme_.]

BERNARDINE, b[.e]r'nard-in, _adj._ Cistercian. [From St _Bernard_ of Clairvaux, founder of the order.]

BEROB, be-rob', _v.t._ (_Spens._) to rob or plunder.

BERRY, ber'i, _n._ a popular term for any small succulent fruit, but restricted in botanical language to simple fruits with pericarp succulent throughout, whether developed from superior (grape, potato, bitternut, belladonna, bryony, asparagus, tomato), or more commonly inferior ovary (gooseberry, currant, barberry, bilberry, &c.)--thus, strictly, the strawberry, raspberry, blackberry, are not berries.--_v.i._ to come into berry, to swell.--_adj._ BER'RIED, bearing berries. [A.S. _berie_.]

BERSAGLIERI, b[=a]r-sal-y[=a]'r[=e], _n.pl._ the riflemen or sharpshooters of the Italian army, first organised in the Sardinian army in 1836. [It.; pl. of _bersagliere_, _bersaglio_, a mark.]

BERSERK, -ER, b[.e]r'serk, -[.e]r, _n._ a Norse warrior whom the sight of the field of battle would fill with a frenzied and resistless fury--'the berserker rage.' [Ice. _berserkr_; Vigfusson explains the word as 'bear-sark,' and most probably a reference to the uncanny Werewolf superstition is involved.]

BERTH, b[.e]rth, _n._ a ship's station at anchor; a room or sleeping-place in a ship, a sleeping-carriage, &c.: any allotted or assigned place: a situation or place of employment, usually a comfortable one--even without such a qualifying adjective as 'a snug berth.'--_v.t._ to moor a ship: to furnish with a berth.--TO GIVE A WIDE BERTH TO, to keep well away from generally. [A doublet of BIRTH; from BEAR.]

BERYL, b[.e]r'il, _n._ a precious stone resembling the emerald, but colourless, yellowish, greenish yellow or blue--its finer varieties are called precious beryl, and sometimes aquamarine. It has important uses as a magic crystal in which the future becomes visible.--_adj._ beryl-like in colour. [O. Fr. _beryl_--L. _beryllus_--Gr. _b[=e]ryllos_.]

BESAINT, be-s[=a]nt', _v.t._ to make a saint of.--_pa.p._ BESAINT'ED, canonised: haunted with saints.

BESCATTER, be-skat'[.e]r, _v.t._ to scatter over.

BESCRAWL, be-skrawl', _v.t._ to scrawl or scribble over.

BESCREEN, be-skr[=e]n', _v.t._ to screen: to overshadow.

BESCRIBBLE, be-skrib'l, _v.t._ to write in a scribbling hand: to scribble about or upon.

BESEECH, be-s[=e]ch', _v.t._ to entreat, to implore (as a person, _for_ a thing, or _to do_ a thing): to ask or pray earnestly: to solicit--(_Spens._) BESEEKE':--_pa.t._ and _pa.p._ besought'.--_ns._ BESEECH'ER; BESEECH'ING.--_adv._ BESEECH'INGLY.--_ns._ BESEECH'INGNESS; BESEECH'MENT. [Pfx. _be-_, and M. E. _sechen_, to SEEK.]

BESEEM, be-s[=e]m', _v.t._ to be seemly or fit for: to become: to be fit for or worthy of: (_Spens._) to become or appear.--_ns._ BESEEM'ING, BESEEM'INGNESS--_adv._ BESEEM'INGLY.

BESEEN, be-s[=e]n', _pa.p._ of good appearance, comely: well furnished (with _well_).--BESEE' is quite obsolete.

BESET, be-set', _v.t._ to surround or set round with anything (now only in _pa.p._): to surround with hostile intentions, to besiege: to occupy so as to allow none to go out or in: to assail, perplex, endanger, as by temptations, obstacles, &c.:--_pr.p._ beset'ting; _pa.t._ and _pa.p._ beset'.--_ns._ BESET'MENT; BESET'TER.--_p.adj._ BESET'TING, that besets, as in 'besetting sin.'

BESHADOW, be-shad'[=o], _v.t._ to cast a shadow over.

BESHAME, be-sh[=a]m', _v.t._ to put to shame.

BESHINE, be-sh[=i]n', _v.i._ to light up.--_p.adj._ BESHONE'.

BESHREW, be-shr[=oo]', _v.t._ to invoke evil upon, to curse--now only in such mild imprecations as 'beshrew me,' or 'thee'--prob. not imperative but elliptical, like '(I) thank you.' [Pfx. _be-_, and SHREW.]

BESIDE, be-s[=i]d', _prep._ and _adv._ by the side of, near: over and above (in this sense, now usually BESIDES'), distinct from: apart from, not falling within, as of a question, resolution, &c.--BESIDE THE MARK, away from the mark aimed at, irrelevant.--TO BE BESIDE ONE'S SELF, to be out of one's senses. [M. E. _bi siden_--A.S. _be si'dan_, by the side (dat.).]

BESIDES, be-s[=i]dz', _prep._ and _adv._ in addition, otherwise, aside: over and above, in addition to, away from. [BESIDE, with the _s_ of the _adv._ gen.]

BESIEGE, be-s[=e]j', _v.t._ to lay siege to: to beset with armed forces: to throng round.--_n._ BESIEG'ER.--_adv._ BESIEG'INGLY (_rare_), urgently.

BESIGH, be-s[=i]', _v.t._ to sigh over.

BESING, be-sing', _v.t._ to celebrate in song.--_p.adj._ BESUNG'.

BESIT, be-sit', _v.t._ (_obs._) to besiege: to sit well on, as clothes, to become.--_p.adj._ BESIT'TING (_Spens._), becoming.

BESLAVE, be-sl[=a]v', _v.t._ to make a slave of: to call slave.

BESLAVER, be-sl[=a]v'[.e]r, _v.t._ to slaver or slobber upon: to cover with fulsome flattery.

BESLOBBER, be-slob'[.e]r, _v.t._ to besmear with the spittle running from one's mouth: to cover with drivelling kisses: to flatter fulsomely.--_v.t._ BESLUB'BER, to bedaub or besmear.

BESMEAR, be-sm[=e]r', _v.t._ to smear over: to bedaub: to pollute.

BESMIRCH, be-smirch', _v.t._ to soil, as with smoke or soot: to sully.--_v.t._ BESMUTCH', to besmirch.

BESMUT, be-smut', _v.t._ to blacken with soot.--_p.adj._ BESMUT'TED.

BESOGNO, BESONIO. Same as BEZONIAN.

BESOM, b[=e]'zum, _n._ an implement for sweeping, a broom: any cleansing or purifying agent: (_Scot._) a term of reproach for a woman.--_ns._ B[=E]'SOM-HEAD, a blockhead; B[=E]'SOM-RID'ER, a witch.--TO JUMP THE BESOM (see BROOM). [A.S. _besema_, _besma_; a common Teut. word; Ger. _besen_, Dut. _bezem_.]

BESORT, be-sort', _v.t._ (_obs._, _Shak._) to match with, befit, become.--_n._ suitable company.

BESOT, be-sot', _v.t._ to make sottish, dull, or stupid: to make a sot of: to cause to dote on: to infatuate (_with_):--_pr.p._ besot'ting; _pa.p._ besot'ted.--_p.adj._ BESOT'TED, infatuated.--_adv._ BESOT'TEDLY.--_n._ BESOT'TEDNESS.

BESOUGHT, be-sawt', _pa.t._ and _pa.p._ of BESEECH.

BESOULED, be-s[=o]ld', _adj._ endowed with a soul.

BESPANGLE, be-spang'gl, _v.t._ to adorn with spangles, or with anything sparkling or shining.

BESPATE, be-sp[=a]t', _p.adj._ spit upon.

BESPATTER, be-spat'[.e]r, _v.t._ to spatter or sprinkle with dirt or anything moist: to defame.

BESPEAK, be-sp[=e]k', _v.t._ to speak for or engage beforehand: to stipulate or ask for: to betoken.--_v.i._ (_obs._) to speak:--_pa.t._ besp[=o]ke'; _pa.p._ besp[=o]ke' and besp[=o]k'en.--_n._ an actor's benefit, so called because the actor's friends and patrons bespeak or choose the piece to be performed that night.

BESPECKLE, be-spek'l, _v.t._ to mark with speckles or spots.

BESPECTACLED, be-spek'ta-kld, _pa.p._ having spectacles on.

BESPEED, be-sp[=e]d', _v.t._ to help on.--_p.adj._ BESPED'.

BESPICE, be-sp[=i]s', _v.t._ (_Shak._) to season with spice: to drug or poison.

BESPOKE, be-sp[=o]k', BESPOKEN, be-sp[=o]k'n, _pa.p._ of BESPEAK, ordered, as boots, clothes, &c.

BESPOT, be-spot', _v.t._ to cover with spots.--_p.adj._ BESPOT'TED.--_n._ BESPOT'TEDNESS.

BESPOUT, be-spowt', _v.t._ to spout over: to declaim pompously.

BESPREAD, be-spred', _v.t._ to spread over: to cover:--_pr.p._ bespread'ing; _pa.t._ and _pa.p._ bespread'.

BESPRENT, be-sprent', _pa.p._ sprinkled over: scattered. [A.S. _besprengan_. See SPRINKLE.]

BESPRINKLE, be-spring'kl, _v.t._ to sprinkle over.

BESSEMER, bes'[.e]m-[.e]r, _adj._ derived from the name of the inventor, Sir H. _Bessemer_, applied to steel for rails, tires, ship-plates, &c., prepared by the Bessemer process.

BEST, best, _adj._ (serves as _superl._ of GOOD) good in the highest degree: first: highest: most excellent.--_n._ one's utmost endeavour: the highest perfection.--_adv._ (_superl._ of WELL) in the highest degree: in the best manner.--_v.t._ (_coll._) to get the better of.--BEST MAN and BEST MAID, the groomsman and bridesmaid at a wedding.--AT THE BEST, or AT BEST, in the best possible way, at most after every allowance is made; FOR THE BEST, with the best intentions; I WERE BEST = it were best _for me_.--TO HAVE THE BEST OF IT, to gain the advantage in a contest; TO MAKE THE BEST OF ONE'S WAY, to go by the best possible road; TO PUT ONE'S BEST FOOT FOREMOST, to do the best, or to make the best show, one can. [A.S. _betst_, _betest_. See BETTER.]

BESTAIN, be-st[=a]n', _v.t._ to stain all over.

BESTEAD, be-sted', _v.t._ to help, relieve: to be of use to, to avail.--_v.i._ to profit, be advantageous.

BESTEAD, BESTED, be-sted', _p.adj._ set about (_with_): beset (with _by_, of foes; _with_, of dangers, &c.): situated--usually with _ill_, _hard_, &c.

BESTIAL, best'i-al, _adj._ like a beast: rude: brutally sensual.--_n._ (_Scot._) a collective name for cattle.--_v.t._ BEST'IALISE, to make like a beast.--_ns._ BEST'IALISM, irrationality; BESTIAL'ITY, beastliness: disgusting vice. [L. _bestialis_. See BEAST.]

BESTIARY, best'i-ar-i, _n._ the name given to a class of books of great popularity in the Middle Ages, describing all the animals of creation, real or fabled, generally illustrated by drawings, and allegorised for edification. [Low L. _bestiarium_, a menagerie.]

BESTICK, be-stik', _v.t._ to stick over, as with sharp points.

BESTILL, be-stil', _v.t._ to make quiet, to hush.

BESTIR, be-st[.e]r', _v.t._ to put into lively action: arouse into

## activity: (_refl._) to rouse one's self--_p.adj._ BESTIR'RING.

BESTORM, be-storm', _v.t._ to assail with storms or tumult.

BESTOW, be-st[=o]', _v.t._ to stow, place, or put by: to give or confer: to accommodate with quarters: to apply (with _on_ and _upon_): (_refl._, _Shak._) to acquit one's self.--_ns._ BESTOW'AL, act of bestowing: disposal; BESTOW'ER; BESTOW'MENT.

BESTRADDLE, be-strad'dl, _v.t._ to bestride.

BESTRAUGHT, be-strawt', _adj._ (_obs._) distraught: distracted: mad. [Formed with pfx. _be-_, on the analogy of _distraught_--L. _dis-tractus_.]

BESTREAK, be-str[=e]k', _v.t._ to overspread with streaks.

BESTREW, be-str[=oo]', _v.t._ to strew or scatter loosely over:--_pa.p._ bestrewed', bestr[=o]wn', bestrewn' (_with_).

BESTRIDE, be-str[=i]d', _v.t._ to stride over: to sit or stand across: to defend, protect, from the sense of standing over a fallen man to defend him:--_pa.t._ bestrid', bestr[=o]de'; _pa.p._ bestrid', bestrid'den.

BESTUCK, be-stuk', _pa.t._ and _pa.p._ of BESTICK, to stick about, adorn: to transfix.

BESTUD, be-stud', _v.t._ to adorn as with studs, as the sky with stars.