EnptUtf. 
ypniCi lli.-r.itic. 
1. The s<'c,on<l letter in 
order in the English al- 
phabet, as it was in the 
Phcniciau, and has been 
in most other alphabets 
dcrivoil from the Pheni- 
cian. (See A.) The mum- 
itf the Hiriiii iaii rharacter was 
/''/'. thralling house; from till- 
comes the Creek name, beta. 
Tlic I'henician beth, with some 
early Greek iintl Latin forms of b, and witli the ancient 
Egyptian character hieratic and hieroglyphic, from which 
the others an- liy many authorities supposed to he ulti- 
mately derived, are given below : 
Early 
Greek ami Latin. 
The value of the eharaeter is the same in all these alpha- 
bets. It is a luhial sonant (or voieed) mute (or stop, or 
check) ; that is, it is made with the lips alone, by a com- 
plete closure cutting off all exit of breath from the mouth, 
hut with accompanying sonant vibrations of the vocal 
chords, the eurrent of air neeessary to produce this being 
driven from the lungs into the closed cavity of the mouth. 
The corresponding surd (or voiceless) mute is p. (See 1'.) 
11 has in 't hi M- of that variety of pronunciation shown by 
most Knglish letters ; but it is sometimes silent, as when 
tlnal after in, in liunlt, fimb, tomb, thumb, anil in a few 
other cases, a.s <ti-l>t, il<ntlit. In most of these cases b is a 
modern graphic insertion, and was never pronounced (in 
tlie English forms); c. ?i.,liu<f>. tln'mh, ilcbt, ilituttt. In the 
fundamental or Germanic part of our language a b comes 
from a more original aspirate found in Sanskrit as bh, in 
Greek as <f> (ph), in Latin usually as /. Examples are : 
E. brother = Skt. bhnltar = Or. 0paT7jp = L. /rater; E. 
bearl (v.) = Skt. y bluir - r. *ep.i- = L./erre. With tin- 
English b corresponds that of most of ihe other Germanic 
dialects. In tlie original Indo-European or Aryan lan- 
guage b was nearly or altogether wanting. 
2. As a numeral, B was used by the Hebrews 
and Greeks, as now by the Arabians, for 2. 
3. As a symbol : (a) In music, the seventh tone, 
or "leading tone," of the model diatonic scale, 
or scale of C. B was the last tone to be adopted into 
the modern major scale. It was the first note to be modi* 
tied by lowering its pitch a semitone ; its two forms, the 
b rotnnduin or B flat (jj) and the b quadratttnt or li natu- 
ral (C) (see below), afterward became conventional signs 
which were applied as accidentals to all the notes of the 
scale. See accidental, n., 1. In Italian and French the 
same note is called it. In German use B denotes B fiat, 
while B natural is represented by //, and is called lid. 
(b) In client., the symbol of boron, (c) In oraitli., 
the accessory femorocaudal muscle, one of the 
chief elassificatory muscles of the leg. A. H. 
(larrod. (d) In math., see A, 2 (c). (e) In ab- 
stract reasoning, suppositions, etc., the second 
or other person or thing mentioned : as, if A 
strike li. (/) In general, the second in any se- 
ries : as, Company B (of a regiment), schedule 
B, etc. ; in the form b, or b, the second column 
of a page, in a book printed in columns. 4. As 
an abbreviation, B. stands for (a) Bachelor 
(or Middle Latin Bavcalaureus), iu B. A. or A. 
B., B. C. E., B. D., B. L., B. M., etc. See these 
abbreviations. (6) In dates, before, as in B. C. 
or B. c., and born, as in 6. 1813. (c) In a ship's 
log-book, in the form 6., blue sky. (d) In hy- 
drometrie measurements, Bauine : as, 8 B. See 
Buume'g hydrometer, under hydrometer. Also Jit: 
B, or B Hat, an English humorous euphemism for '"'' 
(Cimex Irrtularitu). B cancellatum, in music, the sharp : 
so called because it was originally indicated by crossing or 
canceling the symbol of B quadratum. B quadratum, 
in music, literally square B, a modified form (5) of the 
black-letter b used before the invention of accidentals 
to denote B natural in distinction from B Hat : now used 
as the natural. See <n;'i</,'iit<it. n., 1. B rotunduin, in 
music, literally round I!, a modified form ft) of the Roman 
letter b first used to denote B Hat, as distinguished from 
B quadratum : it is now the conventional sign of the Hat. 
See ni-t-UicntttJ, n., i. Not to know B from a bull's 
foot, or a broomstick, or a battledore, to be very il- 
literate or very Ignorant: popular alliterative compari- 
sons, the tlrst dating from the -Middle English period. 
ba x t, c. t. [Perhaps a humorous imitation of a 
smack ; but cf. OF. baer, beer, open the mouth, 
gape (see buy*), and busy", kiss.] To kiss. 
Let me tnl thy cheke. 
Chaucer, 1'rol. to Wife of Bath's Tale, 1. 433. 
ha'- 1 (ba), c. I. [Imitative of I lie sound.] To lull 
asleep by a continuous, inarticulate, musical 
hum. [Hootch.] 
I'll hit the bairn* i' an iinkelined tune. 
II'. .v /,;.,. 
Ba. The chemical symbol of hiiriiiin. 
ba' (ba), H. [Sc., = E. bain. Cf. .] A ball. 
[Scotch.] 
B.A. An abbreviation of i) HuclielorofArte. 
Si-.- .1. IS. and biti-lH'lttr. (b) Bachelor of Atjri- 
i-iiUure: same as li. Ayr. ('') Britixh Associti- 
tion (for the Advancement of Science): used iu 
such phrases, as B. A. unit. See unit. 
baa (ba), ''. i. [Imitative of the sound. Cf. L. 
In-*; the sound made by a sheep (Varro), L. 
haltirr, bleat, Gr. itt.r/xh Doric i)>.ax<i, a bleat- 
ing; G. bit, bleating, Cat. be, a sheep, with simi- 
lar forms in many languages.] To cry or bleat 
as a sheep. 
Like a lamb whose dam away is set 
He treble baas for help. Sir P. Sidney. 
baa (ba), n. [< baa, r.] The cry or bleating of 
a sheep or lamb. 
baag-nouk, . A weapon for secret attack used 
among the Mahrattas in India, consisting of 
short, sharp, curving steel blades, secured to a 
strap or plate passing across the palm of the 
hand, and so arranged as not to wound the 
user. An apparently friendly movement of 
the hand inflicts a terrible wound. 
Baal (ba'al), . [LL. Baal, Gr. Baa?., Bad?., < 
Heb. Ba'al, orig. 'lord,' or 'owner,' applied to 
any deity, then to a particular deity ; pi. 
/>'/</.] The name of a Semitic solar deity 
worshiped, especially by the Phenicians and 
their descendants the Carthaginians, with much 
license and sensuality. Baal was derived from the 
Babylonian Bel, a deity of a much higher type, and was 
merged in the Tynan Melkarth. In its original generic 
sense of 'lord, 'the name was applied to many different 
divinities, or, with qualifying epithets, to the same divin- 
ity regarded in different aspects and as exercising differ- 
ent functions. Thus in Hos. ii. 1C it is applied to Jehovah 
himself, while Baal-berith (the covenant-lord) was the god 
of the Shechemites, and Baal-zebub (the fly-god) the idol of 
the t'hilistines at Ekron. Baal-peor (lord of the opening) 
was a god of Moah and Midian, probably the same as C'he- 
uiosli. The word enters into the composition of many lie- 
brew, Phenician, and Carthaginian names of persons and 
places, as Jerubbanl, llasdrubal (help of Baal), Hannibal 
(grace of Baal), Baal-Hammon, Baaf-Thawar, etc. 
Baalism (ba'al-izm), M. [< Baal + -ism.'] The 
worship of Baal ; gross idolatry of any kind. 
His seven thousand whose knees were not suppled witli 
the Baalism of that age. fuller. 
Baalist (ba'al-ist), . [< Baal + -ist.] A wor- 
shiper of Baal ; a Baalite. 
Baalite (ba'al-it), . [< Baal + -ite*.] A wor- 
shiper of Baal ; hence, a worshiper of heathen 
gods in general ; an idolater, or idolatrous 
worshiper. 
These Baalitet of pelf. Keats, Isabel. 
Baanite (ba'an-it), n. [< Baaites + -ite%.] A 
follower of Baanes, a I'aulician of the eighth 
century. 
baar, . See bahar. 
bab 1 (bab), w. [Sc. and E. dial., = E. bobl, q. 
v.] 1. A bunch; tassel; cockade. [Scotch.] 
A cockit hat with a bab of blue ribbands at it. Scott. 
2. A bob, as used in fishing. 
Besides these eel-seta, however, the Norfolk Broadmen 
also fish for eels with bab*, which can hardly be called 
sport in any sense of the term. fop. Set. Mo., XXIX. 258. 
bab 1 (bab), c. i. [E. dial., = ftofti, r.] To fish 
with a bob. See bob 1 . 
bab' 2 (bab), n. [E. dial., = bubo, a. v.] A babe. 
[Prov. Eng.] 
Bab s (bab), . [Ar. Pers. bab, a gate or door; 
forming part of many eastern place-names, as 
Bab-el-utantlcb.] 1. The title assumed by the 
founder of Babism. 2. ABabist; an adherent 
of or a believer in Babism. 
baba 1 (ba'ba'), ' A child's variant of papa. 
baba- (ba-ba'), H. [F.] A light kind of fruit- 
cake, of Polish origin. 
407 
Baba :! (bii'bii), . [Turk, and Ar. baba, 
father. (.'(. lutlm.] An Oriental title of 
applied (a) by tributary Arabs to the Turks, 
(b) to the ushers of the seraglio, and (<) to 
the Patriarch of Alexandria. 
babacoote, . Same as bitbakuto. 
babakoto (bii-ba-ko'to), H. [Native name.] A 
name of the indri or short-tailed woolly lemur 
of Madagascar, ludriti or LirlHtmitiix bn run,; 
datus. 
babber (bab'er), . [E. dial., = liulilnr^ .] One 
who fishes with a bob ; a bobber. 
Norfolk babbers frequently catch foni >t"ii' \\tiuht ..l 
vel.s to a boat per night, especially in thr >paunin^ 
grounds. /'"/.. M. M" . XXIX. -J.V.i. 
babbint. ". An obsolete fonn of //(///' . 
babbitting (bab'it-ing), n. [Verbal u. of *bli- 
bitt, v., < Babbitt (metal).] 1. The operation of 
lining shells or bushings for a bearing with 
Babbitt metal ; hence, commonly, the similar 
use of any antifriction alloy. 2. Babbitt metal. 
Babbitting Jig, a tool used to hold bearing-lK.xes ill 
poatnon about tin- journals of shafts, etc., while any bo\ 
lining metal, as the Babbitt, is being poured in. Bab- 
bitting ladle, an iron ladle used to pour the Babbitt 
metal or any antifriction alloy uj>on the bearings of ma- 
chinery. 
Babbitt metal. See metal. 
babblative (bab'la-tiv), a. [Formerly also bab- 
latire; < babble + -atire. Cf. talkative.] Given 
to babbling. 
Argumentative, babblatice, and unpleasant to me. 
Carlyle, in Froude, I. 119. 
babble (bab'l). c. ; pret. and pp. babbled, ppr. 
babbling. [< ME. babejen, bablen = D. babbe- 
len = LG. babbelen = Icel. babbla = Dan. bablt 
= G. bappeln, banpern, babble (cf. F. babillfi; 
chatter) ; all perhaps imitative, with freq. suf- 
fix -I, from the redupl. syllable ba: see 6<A] I. 
intrans. 1. To utter words imperfectly or in- 
distinctly, as children do ; prattle ; jabber. 
I babbled for yon, as babies for the moon, 
Vague brightness. Tennyson, Princess, iv. 
2. To talk idly, irrationally, or thoughtlessly ; 
chatter or prate heedlessly or mischievously. 
A babbled at green flelds. Shut., Hen. V., ii. :(. 
The people, when they met, . . . 
Began to scoff and jeer and balMe of him. 
Tennyson, Geraint. 
3. To make a continuous murmuring sound, 
as a stream ; repeat a sound frequently and in- 
distinctly. 
The babblinf/ echo mocks the hounds. 
Shak., T. of A., il. 3. 
The babbtiny runnel crispeth. Tennyson, t'laribel. 
II. trans. 1. To utter incoherently or with 
meaningless iteration ; repeat ; prate. 
These [words] he used to babble indifferently in all com- 
panies. Arbuthnut. 
2. To utter foolishly or thoughtlessly ; let out 
by babbling or prating: as, to babble a plot or 
a secret. 
babble (bab'l), . [< babble, t'.] Inarticulate 
speech, such as that of an infant; idle talk; 
senseless prattle; murmur, as of a stream. 
Making merry in odd tones, and a babble of outlandish 
words. llawthornf. Old Manse, II. 
An extraordinary incessant babble of rapid prayer from 
tlie priests in the stalls. fjathrop, Spanish Vistas, p. 54. 
= Syn. See prattle, n. 
babblement (bab'1-ment), n. [< babble + 
-inent.] Idle talk; senseless prate; unmean- 
ing words. 
Deluded all this while with ragged notions and babbU 
iiii'iit*. Hilton, Education. 
babbler (bab'ler), . 1. One who babbles; an 
idle talker; an irrational prater; one who says 
things heedlessly or mischievously. 
i'" mi. No blabbing, as you love me. 
Sir Grey. N'one of our blood 
Were ever babblern. 
Beau, and f'l., Wit at Several Weapons, iv. 1. 
(treat babblers, or talkers, are not lit for trust. 
.Sir it. L'Kttrawi.: 
2. In oriiith.: (a) A name of various old-world 
dentirostral osciue passerine birds more or less 
nearly related to thrushes, (b) pi. The family 
