BUSH, boosh, _n._ the metal box or lining of any cylinder in which an axle works.--_v.t._ to furnish with a bush.--_n._ BUSH'-MET'AL, hard brass, gun-metal, a composition of copper and tin, used for journals, bearings, &c. [Dut. _bus_--L. _buxus_, the box-tree.]
BUSHEL, boosh'el, _n._ a dry measure of 8 gallons, for measuring grain, fruit, &c. [O. Fr. _boissiel_, from the root of BOX.]
BUSHEL, boosh'el, _v.t._ and _v.i._ (_U.S._) to mend or alter, as men's clothes.--_ns._ BUSH'ELLER; BUSH'ELLING; BUSH'EL-WOM'AN.
BUSINESS, biz'nes, _n._ employment: engagment: trade, profession, or occupation: one's concerns or affairs: a matter or affair: (_theat._) action as distinguished from dialogue.--_adj._ BUS'INESS-LIKE, methodical, systematic, practical.--DO THE BUSINESS FOR, to settle, make an end of: to ruin.--GENTEEL BUSINESS (_theat._), such parts as require good dressing.--MAKE IT ONE'S BUSINESS, to undertake to accomplish something or see it done; MEAN BUSINESS, to be in earnest; MIND ONE'S OWN BUSINESS, to confine one's self to one's own affairs.--SEND ABOUT ONE'S BUSINESS, to dismiss promptly.
BUSK, busk, _v.t._ or _v.i._ to prepare: to dress one's self. [Ice. _bua_, to prepare, and _-sk_, contr. of _sik_, the recip. pron.--_self_.]
BUSK, busk, _n._ the piece of bone, wood, or steel in the front of a woman's stays: a corset.--_adj._ BUSKED. [Fr. _busc_, which Scheler thinks a doublet of _bois_; Littre, the same as It. _busto_, a bust.]
BUSK, busk, _v.i._ (_naut._) to cruise along a shore, to beat about: to seek. [Prob. Sp. _buscar_, to seek.]
BUSKET, busk'et, _n._ (_Spens._) a little bush.
[Illustration]
BUSKIN, busk'in, _n._ a kind of half-boot with high heels worn in ancient times by actors of tragedy--hence, the tragic drama as distinguished from comedy: a half-boot.--_adj._ BUSK'INED, dressed in buskins, noting tragedy: tragic: dignified. [Ety. uncertain; cognates may be found in the O. Fr.
_brousequin_; Dut. _broos-ken_; Sp. _borcegui_.]
BUSKY, busk'i, _adj._ (_Shak._). Same as BOSKY.
BUSS, bus, _n._ a rude or playful kiss, a smack.--_v.t._ to kiss, esp. in a rude or playful manner. [M. E. _bass_, prob. from Old Ger. _bussen_, to kiss, but modified by Fr. _baiser_, to kiss, from L. _basium_, a kiss.]
BUSS, bus, _n._ a small two-masted Dutch vessel, used in the herring and mackerel fisheries. [O. Fr. _busse_, Low L. _bussa_; cf. Ger. _buse_.]
BUSSU-PALM, bus'soo-pam, _n._ a palm growing along the Amazon, with leaves as long as 30 feet and 5 feet broad, forming good thatch.
BUST, bust, _n._ a sculpture representing the head and breast of a person: the upper part of the human body, a woman's bosom.--_adj._ BUST'ED, breasted: adorned with busts. [Fr. _buste_; It. and Sp. _busto_.]
BUST, bust, _n._ and _v._ a vulgar form of Burst.--_n._ BUST'ER, something large: a frolic: (_slang_) a roisterer.
BUSTARD, bus'tard, _n._ a genus of birds, sometimes made the type of a large family, usually ranked in the order of marsh birds like the cranes.
[Fr. _bistard_, corr. from L. _avis tarda_, slow bird.]
BUSTLE, bus'l, _v.i._ to busy one's self noisily: to be active, often with more noise than actual work.--_n._ hurried activity: stir: tumult.--_n._ BUST'LER. [There is a M. E. _bustelen_, of doubtful relations; perh. conn.
with _bluster_, or with Ice. _bustl_, a splash, or with A.S. _bysig_, busy.]
BUSTLE, bus'l, _n._ a stuffed pad or cushion worn by ladies under the skirt of their dress, the intention to improve the figure.
BUSY, biz'i, _adj._ fully employed: active: diligent: meddling.--_v.t._ to make busy: to occupy:--_pr.p._ busying (biz'i-ing); _pa.p._ busied (biz'id).--_adv._ BUS'ILY.--_n._ BUS'YBODY, one busy about others' affairs, a meddling person.--_adj._ BUS'YLESS (_Shak._), without business.--_n._ BUS'YNESS, state of being busy. [A.S. _bysig_.]
BUT, but, _prep._ or _conj._ without: except: besides: only: yet: still.--Used as a noun for a verbal objection; also as a verb, as in Scott's '_but_ me no _buts_.'--_adj._ (_Scot._) outside, as in 'but end.'--BUT AND BEN, a house having an outer and an inner room. [A.S.
_be-utan_, _butan_, without--_be_, by, and _utan_, out--near and yet outside.]
BUT, but, _n._ Same as BUTT.
BUTCHER, booch'[.e]r, _n._ one whose business is to slaughter animals for food: one who delights in bloody deeds.--_v.t._ to slaughter animals for food: to put to a bloody death, to kill cruelly: (_fig._) to spoil anything, as a bad actor or the like.--_ns._ BUTCH'ER-BIRD, a shrike; BUTCH'ERING, BUTCH'ING, the act of killing for food, or cruelly.--_adv._ BUTCH'ERLY, butcher-like, cruel, murderous.--_ns._ BUTCH'ER-MEAT, BUTCH'ER'S-MEAT, the flesh of animals slaughtered by butchers, as distinguished from fish, fowls, and game; BUTCH'ER'S-BROOM, a genus of plants of the lily order, the common one being an evergreen shrub, a bunch of which is used by butchers for sweeping their blocks; BUTCH'ERY, great or cruel slaughter: a slaughter-house or shambles. [O. Fr. _bochier_, _bouchier_, one who kills he-goats--_boc_, a he-goat; allied to Eng. BUCK.]
BUT-END. Same as BUTT-END.
BUTLER, but'l[.e]r, _n._ a servant who has charge of the liquors, plate, &c.--_v.i._ to act as butler.--_ns._ BUT'LERSHIP, BUT'LERAGE; BUT'LERY, the butler's pantry. [Norm. Fr. _butuiller_--Low L. _buticularius_. See BOTTLE.]
BUTMENT. Same as ABUTMENT.
BUTT, but, _v.i._ and _v.t._ to strike with the head, as a goat, &c.--_n._ a push with the head of an animal.--_n._ BUTT'ER, an animal that butts. [O.
Fr. _boter_, to push, strike.]
BUTT, but, _n._ a large cask: a wine-butt = 126 gallons, a beer and sherry butt = 108 gallons. [Cf. Fr. _botte_, Sp. _bota_, Low L. _butta_.]
BUTT, but, _n._ a mark for archery practice: a mound behind musketry or artillery targets: one who is made the object of ridicule.--_n._ BUTT'-SHAFT (_Shak._), a shaft or arrow for shooting at butts with. [Fr.
_but_, goal.]
BUTT, but, or in longer form, BUTT'-END, _n._ the thick and heavy end: the stump. [Ety. dub.]
BUTT, but, _n._ an ox-hide minus the _offal_ or pieces round the margins.
BUTTE, b[=u]t, but, _n._ any conspicuous and isolated hill or peak, esp. in the Rocky Mountain region. [Fr.]
BUTTER, but'[.e]r, _n._ an oily substance obtained from cream by churning.--_v.t._ to spread over with butter.--_ns._ BUTT'ER-BIRD, the name in Jamaica for the rice-bunting; BUTT'ER-BOAT, a table vessel for holding melted butter; BUTT'ER-BUMP, a bittern; BUTT'ER-BUR, -DOCK, the sweet coltsfoot; BUTT'ERCUP, a plant of the Crowfoot genus, with a cup-like flower of a golden yellow; BUTT'ER-FING'ERS, one who lets a cricket-ball he ought to catch slip through his fingers; BUTT'ER-FISH (see GUNNEL); BUTT'ERFLY, the name of an extensive group of beautiful winged insects: (_fig._) a light-headed person.--_adj._ light, flighty, like a butterfly.--_ns._ BUTT'ERINE, an artificial fatty compound sold as a substitute for butter--since 1887 only allowed to be sold under the names _margarine_ or _oleo-margarine_; BUTT'ER-MILK, the milk that remains after the butter has been separated from the cream by churning; BUTT'ER-NUT, the oily nut of the North American white walnut, the tree itself or its light-coloured close-grained wood: the nut of a lofty timber-tree of Guiana--the _souari-nut_; BUTT'ER-SCOTCH, a kind of toffee containing a large admixture of butter; BUTT'ER-TREE, a genus of plants found in the East Indies and in Africa, remarkable for a sweet buttery substance yielded by their seeds when boiled; BUTT'ER-WIFE, BUTT'ER-WOM'AN, a woman who makes and sells butter; BUTT'ER-WORT, a genus of small plants found in marshy places, so called either from the power of the leaves to coagulate milk, or from their peculiar sliminess.--_adj._ BUTT'ERY, like butter. [A.S.
_butere_; Ger. _butter_; both from L. _butyrum_--Gr. _boutyron_--_bous_ ox, _tyros_, cheese.]
BUTTERY, but'[.e]r-i, _n._ a storeroom in a house for provisions, esp.
liquors.--_ns._ BUTT'ERY-BAR, the ledge for holding tankards in the buttery; BUTT'ERY-HATCH, a half-door over which provisions are handed from the buttery. [Fr. _bouteillerie_, lit. 'place for bottles.' See BUTLER, BOTTLE.]
BUTTOCK, but'ok, _n._ the rump or protuberant part of the body behind: a term in wrestling.--_ns._ BUTT'OCK-MAIL (_Scot._), the fine formerly exacted by the Church as part of the discipline for the offence of fornication. [Dim. of BUTT, end.]
BUTTON, but'n, _n._ a knob of metal, bone, &c., used to fasten the dress: the knob at the end of a foil: the head of an unexpanded mushroom: the knob of an electric bell, &c.: anything of small value, as in the phrase, 'I don't care a button:' a person who acts as a decoy: (_pl._) young mushrooms, sheep's dung.--_v.t._ to fasten by means of buttons: to close up tightly.--_v.i._ to be fastened with buttons.--_ns._ BUTT'ON-BUSH, a North American shrub of the madder family, having globular flower-heads; BUTT'ON-HOLE, the hole or slit in the dress by which the button is held.--_v.t._ to detain in talk, as if by taking hold of a man by the button.--_ns._ BUTT'ON-HOOK, a hook for pulling the buttons of gloves and shoes through the button-holes; BUTT'ON-WOOD, a small West Indian evergreen tree of the myrobalan family: the plane-tree of the United States--also BUTT'ON-BALL and incorrectly _Sycamore_.--_adj._ BUTT'ONY, decorated with buttons.--BOY IN BUTTONS, a boy servant in livery, a page. [Fr. _bouton_, any small projection, from _bouter_, to push.]
BUTTRESS, but'res, _n._ a projecting support built on to the outside of a wall: any support or prop.--_v.t._ to prop or support, as by a buttress.
[Acc. to Dr Murray, perh. from O. Fr. _bouterez_, apparently from _bouter_, to push, bear against.]
BUTTY, but'i, _n._ (_prov._) a chum, comrade, esp. one who takes a contract for working out a certain area of coal, or a partner in such.--_ns._ BUTT'Y-COLL'IER; BUTT'Y-GANG.
BUTYRIC, b[=u]-tir'ik, _adj._ pertaining to or derived from butter.--_n._ B[=U]'TYL, an alcohol radical.--_adj._ BUTYR[=A]'CEOUS, buttery, containing butter.--_n._ B[=U]'TYRATE, a salt of butyric acid.--BUTYRIC ACID, a volatile fatty acid possessing the disagreeable odour of rancid butter. [L.
_butyrum_.]
BUXOM, buks'um, _adj._ yielding, elastic: gay, lively, jolly.--_n._ BUX'OMNESS, the quality of being buxom: liveliness: gaiety. [M. E.
_buhsum_, pliable, obedient--A.S. _bugan_, to bow, yield, and affix SOME.]
BUY, b[=i], _v.t._ to purchase for money: to bribe: to obtain in exchange for something:--_pr.p._ buy'ing; _pa.t._ and _pa.p._ bought (bawt).--_adj._ BUY'ABLE, capable of being bought.--_n._ BUY'ER, one who buys, a purchaser.--BUY AND SELL (_Shak._), to barter; BUY IN, to purchase a stock: to buy back for the owner at an auction; BUY OFF, or OUT, to gain release from military service by payment of money; BUY OVER, to gain by bribery; BUY UP, to purchase the whole stock. [A.S. _bycgan_; Goth. _bugjan_.]
BUZZ, buz, _v.i._ to make a humming noise like bees.--_v.t._ to whisper or spread secretly.--_n._ the noise of bees and flies: a humming sound: a whispered report.--_n._ BUZZ'ER, one who buzzes: (_Shak._) a whisperer or tell-tale.--_adv._ BUZZ'INGLY.--_adj._ BUZZ'Y. [From the sound.]
BUZZ, buz, _v.t._ to drink to the bottom.
BUZZARD, buz'ard, _n._ a bird of prey of the falcon family: a blockhead: a name for some night moths and cockchafers.--_n._ BUZZ'ARD-CLOCK, a cockchafer, the dor. [Fr. _busard_; prob. from L. _buteo_, a kind of falcon.]