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avow v. To declare openly.
awaken v. To arouse, as emotion, interest, or the like.
awry adv. & adj. Out of the proper form, direction, or position.
aye adv. An expression of assent.
azalea n. A flowering shrub.
azure n. The color of the sky.
Baconian adj. Of or pertaining to Lord Bacon or his system of philosophy.
bacterium n. A microbe.
badger v. To pester.
baffle v. To foil or frustrate.
bailiff n. An officer of court having custody of prisoners under arraignment.
baize n. A single-colored napped woolen fabric used for table-covers, curtains, etc.
bale n. A large package prepared for transportation or storage.
baleful adj. Malignant.
ballad n. Any popular narrative poem, often with epic subject and usually in lyric form.
balsam n. A medical preparation, aromatic and oily, used for healing.
banal adj. Commonplace.
barcarole n. A boat-song of Venetian gondoliers.
barograph n. An instrument that registers graphically and continuously the atmospheric
pressure.
barometer n. An instrument for indicating the atmospheric pressure per unit of surface.
barring prep. Apart from.
baritone adj. Having a register higher than bass and lower than tenor.
bask v. To make warm by genial heat.
bass adj. Low in tone or compass.
baste v. To cover with melted fat, gravy, while cooking.
baton n. An official staff borne either as a weapon or as an emblem of authority or
privilege.
battalion n. A body of infantry composed of two or more companies, forming a part of a
regiment.
batten n. A narrow strip of wood.
batter n. A thick liquid mixture of two or more materials beaten together, to be used in
cookery.
bauble n. A trinket.
bawl v. To proclaim by outcry.
beatify v. To make supremely happy.
beatitude n. Any state of great happiness.
beau n. An escort or lover.
becalm v. To make quiet.
beck v. To give a signal to, by nod or gesture.
bedaub v. To smear over, as with something oily or sticky.
bedeck v. To cover with ornament.
bedlam n. Madhouse.
befog v. To confuse.
befriend v. To be a friend to, especially when in need.
beget v. To produce by sexual generation.
begrudge v. To envy one of the possession of.
belate v. To delay past the proper hour.
belay v. To make fast, as a rope, by winding round a cleat.
belie v. To misrepresent.
believe v. To accept as true on the testimony or authority of others.
belittle v. To disparage.
belle n. A woman who is a center of attraction because of her beauty, accomplishments,
etc.
bellicose adj. Warlike.
belligerent adj. Manifesting a warlike spirit.
bemoan v. To lament
benediction n. a solemn invocation of the divine blessing.
benefactor n. A doer of kindly and charitable acts.
benefice n. A church office endowed with funds or property for the maintenance of divine
service.
beneficent adj. Characterized by charity and kindness.
beneficial adj. Helpful.
beneficiary n. One who is lawfully entitled to the profits and proceeds of an estate or
property.
benefit n. Helpful result.
benevolence n. Any act of kindness or well-doing.
benevolent adj. Loving others and actively desirous of their well-being.
benign adj. Good and kind of heart.
benignant adj. Benevolent in feeling, character, or aspect.
benignity n. Kindness of feeling, disposition, or manner.
benison n. Blessing.
bequeath v. To give by will.
bereave v. To make desolate with loneliness and grief.
berth n. A bunk or bed in a vessel, sleeping-car, etc.
beseech v. To implore.
beset v. To attack on all sides.
besmear v. To smear over, as with any oily or sticky substance.
bestial adj. Animal.
bestrew v. To sprinkle or cover with things strewn.
bestride v. To get or sit upon astride, as a horse.
bethink v. To remind oneself.
betide v. To happen to or befall.
betimes adv. In good season or time.
betroth v. To engage to marry.
betrothal n. Engagement to marry.
bevel n. Any inclination of two surfaces other than 90 degrees.
bewilder v. To confuse the perceptions or judgment of.
bibliomania n. The passion for collecting books.
bibliography n. A list of the words of an author, or the literature bearing on a
particular subject.
bibliophile n. One who loves books.
bibulous adj. Fond of drinking.
bide v. To await.
biennial n. A plant that produces leaves and roots the first year and flowers and fruit
the second.
bier n. A horizontal framework with two handles at each end for carrying a corpse to the
grave.
bigamist n. One who has two spouses at the same time.
bigamy n. The crime of marrying any other person while having a legal spouse living.
bight n. A slightly receding bay between headlands, formed by a long curve of a
coast-line.
bilateral adj. Two-sided.
bilingual adj. Speaking two languages.
biograph n. A bibliographical sketch or notice.
biography n. A written account of one's life, actions, and character.
biology n. The science of life or living organisms.
biped n. An animal having two feet.
birthright n. A privilege or possession into which one is born.
bitterness n. Acridity, as to the taste.
blase adj. Sated with pleasure.
blaspheme v. To indulge in profane oaths.
blatant adj. Noisily or offensively loud or clamorous.
blaze n. A vivid glowing flame.
blazon v. To make widely or generally known.
bleak adj. Desolate.
blemish n. A mark that mars beauty.
blithe adj. Joyous.
blithesome adj. Cheerful.
blockade n. The shutting up of a town, a frontier, or a line of coast by hostile forces.
boatswain n. A subordinate officer of a vessel, who has general charge of the rigging,
anchors, etc.
bodice n. A women's ornamental corset-shaped laced waist.
bodily adj. Corporeal.
boisterous adj. Unchecked merriment or animal spirits.
bole n. The trunk or body of a tree.
bolero n. A Spanish dance, illustrative of the passion of love, accompanied by caste nets
and singing.
boll n. A round pod or seed-capsule, as a flax or cotton.
bolster v. To support, as something wrong.
bomb n. A hollow projectile containing an explosive material.
bombard v. To assail with any missile or with abusive speech.
bombardier n. A person who has charge of mortars, bombs, and shells.
bombast n. Inflated or extravagant language, especially on unimportant subjects.
boorish adj. Rude.
bore v. To weary by tediousness or dullness.
borough n. An incorporated village or town.
bosom n. The breast or the upper front of the thorax of a human being, especially of a
woman.
botanical adj. Connected with the study or cultivation of plants.
botanize v. To study plant-life.
botany n. The science that treats of plants.
bountiful adj. Showing abundance.
Bowdlerize v. To expurgate in editing (a literary composition) by omitting words or
passages.
bowler n. In cricket, the player who delivers the ball.
boycott v. To place the products or merchandise of under a ban.
brae n. Hillside.
braggart n. A vain boaster.
brandish v. To wave, shake, or flourish triumphantly or defiantly, as a sword or spear.
bravado n. An aggressive display of boldness.
bravo interj. Well done.
bray n. A loud harsh sound, as the cry of an ass or the blast of a horn.
braze v. To make of or ornament with brass.
brazier n. An open pan or basin for holding live coals.
breach n. The violation of official duty, lawful right, or a legal obligation.
breaker n. One who trains horses, dogs, etc.
breech n. The buttocks.
brethren n. pl. Members of a brotherhood, gild, profession, association, or the like.
brevity n. Shortness of duration.
bric-a-brac n. Objects of curiosity or for decoration.
bridle n. The head-harness of a horse consisting of a head-stall, a bit, and the reins.
brigade n. A body of troops consisting of two or more regiments.
brigadier n. General officer who commands a brigade, ranking between a colonel and a
major-general.
brigand n. One who lives by robbery and plunder.
brimstone n. Sulfur.
brine n. Water saturated with salt.
bristle n. One of the coarse, stiff hairs of swine: used in brush-making, etc.
Britannia n. The United Kingdom of Great Britain.
Briticism n. A word, idiom, or phrase characteristic of Great Britain or the British.
brittle adj. Fragile.
broach v. To mention, for the first time.
broadcast adj. Disseminated far and wide.
brogan n. A coarse, heavy shoe.
brogue n. Any dialectic pronunciation of English, especially that of the Irish people.
brokerage n. The business of making sales and purchases for a commission; a broker.
bromine n. A dark reddish-brown, non-metallic liquid element with a
suffocating odor.
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