BOOTY, b[=oo]t'i, _n._ spoil taken in war or by force: plunder, a prize.--TO PLAY BOOTY, to join with others in order to cheat one player, to play a game with intention to lose. [Ice. _bti_, share--_bta_, to divide.]
BOOZE. See BOUSE.
BO-PEEP, bo-p[=e]p', _n._ a simple play among children in which one peeps from behind something and cries 'Bo.'
BORA, b[=o]'ra, _n._ a strong north-east wind in the upper Adriatic. [Diez explains the word as a Venetian variant of It. _borea_--L. _boreas_; acc.
to others, Slav.; cf. Servian _bura_.]
BORACHIO, bor-ach'i-o, _n._ a Spanish wine-bottle of leather: a drunken fellow. [Sp. _borracha_.]
BORAGE, bur'[=a]j, _n._ a plant of the genus Borago, formerly in great repute as a cordial. [Low L. _borago_.]
BORAX, b[=o]'raks, _n._ a mineral salt used for soldering, as a flux in metallurgy, in enamelling and glazing, as a mordant in dyeing, as a substitute for soap, and also in medicine.--_adj._ BORAC'IC, of or relating to borax.--_ns._ BOR'ACITE, a mineral composed of boracic acid and carbonate of magnesia; B[=O]'RATE, a salt of boracic acid.--BORACIC ACID, an acid obtained by dissolving borax, and also found native in mineral springs in Italy. [Through Fr. and Low L. _borax_, _borac-em_, from Ar.
_buraq_.]
BORDAR, bord'ar, _n._ a villein who held his hut at his lord's pleasure.
[Low L. _bordarius_; of Teut. origin. See BOARD.]
BORDEAUX, bor-d[=o]', _n._ claret, wine of _Bordeaux_, a great city in the south-west of France.
BORDEL, bor'del, _n._ a house for prostitution. [O. Fr. _bordel_, a cabin--Low L. _borda_.]
BORDER, bord'[.e]r, _n._ the edge or margin of anything: the march or boundary of a country, esp. that between England and Scotland: a flower-bed in a garden: a piece of ornamental edging or trimming round a garment, &c.--_v.i._ to resemble (with _on_): to be adjacent (with _upon_, _with_).--_v.t._ to make or adorn with a border: to bound.--_ns._ BORD'ERER, one who dwells on the border of a country; BORD'ER-LAND.--_adj._ BORD'ERLESS. [O. Fr. _bordure_; from root of BOARD.]
BORD-RAGING. See BODRAGING.
BORDURE, bor'd[=u]r, _n._ (_her._) a border surrounding a shield, generally said to occupy one-fifth of the field. [BORDER.]
BORE, b[=o]r, _v.t._ to pierce so as to form a hole; to weary or annoy.--_n._ a hole made by boring: the size of the cavity of a gun; a person or thing that wearies (not from the foregoing, according to Dr Murray, who says both verb and noun arose after 1750).--_ns._ BOR'ER, the person or thing that bores: a genus of sea-worms that pierce wood; a name common to many insects that pierce wood; BOR'ING, the act of making a hole in anything: a hole made by boring: (_pl._) the chips produced by boring.
[A.S. _borian_, to bore; cf. Ger. _bohren_; allied to L. _for-[=a]re_, to bore, Gr. _pharynx_, the gullet.]
BORE, b[=o]r, did bear, _pa.t._ of BEAR.
BORE, b[=o]r, _n._ a tidal flood which rushes with great violence up the estuaries of certain rivers, also called _Eagre_. [Ice. _bara_, a wave or swell.]
BOREAS, b[=o]'re-as, _n._ the north wind.--_adj._ B[=O]'REAL. [L. and Gr.]
BORIC. Same as BORACIC (q.v. under BORAX).
BORN, bawrn,--_pa.p._ of BEAR, to bring forth.--BORN AGAIN, having received new spiritual life or regeneration through Christ.--BORN IN, or WITH, inherited by birth; BORN OF, sprung from.--A BORN FOOL, one whose folly is from his birth--also in compounds, as _English-born_, _eldest-born_, _base-born_, _gently-born_, _well-born_, &c.--IN ONE'S BORN DAYS, in one's life-time.
BORNE, b[=o]rn, _pa.p._ of BEAR, to carry.
BORNe, bor'n[=a], _adj._ limited, narrow-minded. [Fr. pa.p. of _borner_, to limit.]
BORON, b[=o]'ron, _n._ a simple non-metallic element present in borax and boracic acid, obtained in crystals which resemble diamonds. [See BORAX.]
BOROUGH, bur'[=o], _n._ a town with a corporation and special privileges granted by royal charter; a town that sends representatives to parliament.--_ns._ BOR'OUGH-ENGLISH, a custom in some ancient English boroughs, by which estates descend to the youngest son or the youngest brother; BOR'OUGHMONGER, one who buys or sells the patronage of boroughs; BOR'OUGH-REEVE, the chief municipal official in some unincorporated English towns prior to 1835.--CLOSE or POCKET BOROUGH, a borough the representation of which was in the nomination of some person--common before 1832; COUNTY BOROUGH, a borough of above 50,000 inhabitants, constituted by the Local Government Act of 1888; ROTTEN BOROUGH, one which still returned members to parliament although the constituency had disappeared--all abolished in 1832.--The Scotch terms are grouped under BURGH. [A.S. _burg_, _burh_, a city, from _beorgan_; Ger. _bergen_, to protect.]
BORREL, bor'el, _adj._ (_Spens._) rustic, clownish. [O. Fr. _burel_, coarse cloth worn by peasantry.]
BORROW, bor'[=o], _v.t._ to obtain on loan or trust: to adopt from a foreign source: to derive one's authority from another (with _from_, _of_).--_p.adj._ BORR'OWED, taken on loan, counterfeit, assumed.--_n._ BORR'OWER.--BORROWING DAYS, the last three days of March (O.S.), supposed in Scotch folklore to have been borrowed by March from April, and to be especially stormy. [A.S. _borgian_--_borg_, _borh_, a pledge, security.]
BORSTALL, bor'stal, _n._ a way up a hill, still used in the district of the Downs. [A.S. _beorh_, a hill, and _stigel_, a stile.]
BORT, bort, _n._ diamond-dust. [Fr.]
BORZOI, bor'zoi, _n._ a breed of dogs of great grace and beauty, in shape like a gigantic greyhound, though covered with a soft coat about the length of a deerhound's. [Russ.]
BOSCAGE, bosk'[=a]j, _n._ thick foliage: woodland. [Fr. _boscage_, _bocage_--Low L. _boscus_ (hence Fr. _bois_), conn. with Ger. _busch_, Eng.
BUSH.]
BOSH, bosh, _n._ used also as _interj._ nonsense, foolish talk or opinions.
[Turk. _bosh_, worthless, frequent in Morier's popular novel _Ayesha_ (1834).]
BOSKY, bosk'i, _adj._ woody or bushy: shady.--_ns._ BOSK'ET, BOSK (_Tennyson_), a thicket.
BOSOM, b[=oo]z'um, _n._ the breast of a human being, or the part of the dress which covers it: (_fig._) the seat of the passions and feelings: the heart: embrace, enclosure, as within the arms: any close or secret receptacle.--_adj._ (in composition) confidential: intimate.--_v.t._ to enclose in the bosom.--ABRAHAM'S BOSOM, the abode of the blessed dead.--TO TAKE TO ONE'S BOSOM, to marry: to make an intimate friend of. [A.S. _bosm_; Ger. _busen_.]
BOSON, b[=o]'sn, _n._ a corruption of BOATSWAIN.
[Illustration]
BOSS, bos, _n._ a knob or stud: a raised ornament.--_v.t._ to ornament with bosses.--_adj._ BOSS'Y, having bosses.--_p.adj._ BOSSED, embossed. [O. Fr.
_boce_ (Fr. _bosse_), from Old Ger. _bozan_, to beat.]
BOSS, bos, _n._ the chief or leader: the master, manager, or foreman: the person who pulls the wires in political intrigues.--_adj._ chief: excellent.--_v.t._ to manage or control.--TO BOSS THE SHOW, to be supreme director of an enterprise. [Amer.; from the New York Dutch _baas_, master; cog. with Ger. _base_, a cousin.]
BOSTANGI, bos-tan'ji, _n._ a Turkish guard of the palace. [Turk.]
BOSTON, bost'on, _n._ a game at cards, somewhat similar to whist. [From _Boston_ in Mass., U.S.]
BOSWELLIAN, bos-wel'li-an, _adj._ after the manner of _Boswell_, the famous biographer of Samuel Johnson.--_v.i._ BOS'WELLISE, to write after the manner of Boswell--full of an absolute admiration for one's hero and interest in him descending to the smallest particulars.--_n._ BOS'WELLISM.
BOT. See BOTS.
BOTANY, bot'an-i, _n._ the science of plants.--_adj._ BOTAN'IC.--_adv._ BOTAN'ICALLY.--_v.i._ BOT'ANISE, to seek for and collect plants for study.--_ns._ BOT'ANIST, one skilled in botany; BOT'ANOMANCY, divination by means of plants, esp. the leaves of the sage and fig.--BOTANY BAY, a famous convict settlement in New South Wales, near to what is now Sydney: convict settlements generally. [Gr. _botan[=e]_, herb, plant--_bosk-ein_, to feed, L. _vescor_, I feed myself; perh. cog. with A.S. _woed_.]
BOTARGO, bot-ar'go, _n._ a relish made of mullet or tunny roe. [It.--Ar.]
BOTCH, boch, _n._ a swelling on the skin: a clumsy patch: ill-finished work.--_v.t._ to patch or mend clumsily: to put together unsuitably or unskilfully.--_ns._ BOTCH'ER, one who botches; BOTCH'WORK, BOTCH'ERY.--_adj._ BOTCH'Y, marked with or full of botches. [From root of BOSS.]
BOTFLY. See BOTS.
BOTH, b[=o]th, _adj._ and _pron._ the two: the one and the other.--_conj._ as well: on the one side. [Ice. _bathi_, Ger. _beide_; A.S. _ba_; cf. L.
_am-bo_, Gr. _am-ph[=o]_, Sans. _ubha_, orig. _ambha_.]
BOTHER, bo_th_'[.e]r, _v.t._ to perplex or tease.--_ns._ BOTH'ER; BOTHER[=A]'TION.--_adj._ BOTH'ERSOME. [Murray notes that the word first appeared in the writings of Irish-born men, as Dr Sheridan, Swift, and Sterne. Perh. from Ir. _buaidhirt_, trouble.]