balladry 
Wlmt though the greedy fry 
he taken with false baits 
Of worded bnllwli". 
And think it pu<>\ 
li. JoiMm, Inderwoods, xli. 
Tlie villages also must have their visitors to inquire 
what lectures the bagpipe and the rebec reailrt. even tu the 
ballatrtj anil the gamut of every municipal fiddler. 
MiltiHi, Aivopagitiea. 
ballad-singer (bar ad- sing 'tr), . A person 
whose employment consists in singing ballads 
in public. 
ballahou(biU'a-ho), H. [Prob. of native origin.] 
1. A fast-sailing two-masted vessel, rigged 
with high foro-aud-aft sails, much used in the 
West Indies. The foremast rakes forward, the 
mainmast aft. 2. A term of derision applied 
to an ill-conditioned, slovenly ship. 
ballam (bal'iim), //. [Native name, prob. same 
as Malayalam vallum, a large basket for storing 
grain, a dam.] A sort of canoe hollowed out 
of timber, in which Singhalese pearl-fishers 
wash out the pearls from pearl-oysters. 
ballan ( Ind'an), H. [Appar. < Gael, and Ir. bal- 
lach, spotted, speckled, < Gael, and Ir. bal, a spot, 
speck: see balfi.] A fish, the ballan-wrasse. 
balland (bal' and), n. [Origin unknown.] In 
mining, pulverized lead ore, after separation 
from its gangue. [North. Eng.] 
ballant (bal'ant), n. [Sc., a corruption of bal- 
lad.] A ballad. 
They're dying to rhyme ower prayers, and ballant*. nuA 
charms. Scott. 
ballan-wrasse (bal'an-ras), n. The most gen- 
eral English name of the Labrus maculatus, a 
fish of the family Labrida;. 
ballaragt, . t. An obsolete form of bullyrag. 
You vainly thought to ballarag us. 
T. H'arton, Newsman's Verses. 
ballardH, . [ME., also balard; prob. < ball? 
+ -ant.] A bald-headed person ; a baldhead. 
And scornede to hym saying, stye up, bollard! ["Go 
up, thou haldhead," in authorized version.} 
Wycl(f, 2 Ki. ii. 23. 
ballard 2 t; . [Origin unknown.] A kind of 
musical instrument. Purchas, Pilgrims. (N. 
E.D.) 
ballast, ballaset, . and v. See ballast. 
ballast (bal'ast), . [Early mod. E. also balast, 
balest, balist, and, with loss of t, ballas, ballass, 
ballasse, ballace, ballesse, balase, etc. (not in 
ME.), = F. balast = G. ballast (> Pol. balast = 
Russ. balastu, ballastu),< OLG. LG. Fries. D. bal- 
last, Plem. ballas, Dan. ballast, Sw. ballast, bar- 
last, OSw. ODan. barlast, the last being appar. 
the orig. form, < 6or = E. bare, mere, + last= E. 
last, load or weight ; but the first element is un- 
certain. The Dan. baglast, 'back-load,' D. obs. 
balglast, 'belly-load,' appear to be due to popu- 
lar etymology. The explanation of ballast as < 
MLG. bal-, = AS. balu, bad, evil (see bale 1 ), + 
last, load, that is, unprofitable cargo, is not 
satisfactory.] 1. Weight earned by a ship or 
boat for the purpose of insuring the proper sta- 
bility, both to avoid risk of capsizing and to se- 
cure the greatest effectiveness of the propel- 
ling power. A usual modem form of ballast is water, 
which is pumped in or out of compartments arranged to 
receive it ; lead is also much used, especially for craft of 
moderate size, and is often run into a space left for it be- 
tween the plates of the keel, or cost into plates of appro- 
priate form and bolted to the exterior of the keel. Gravel, 
stones, pig-iron, and other weighty materials are in com- 
mon use as ballast, in cases where the requisite weight 
cannot be found in the regular cargo itself. 
So rich shall be the rubbish of our barks, 
Ta'en here for ballam to the ports of France, 
That Charles himself shall wonder at the sight. 
Greene, Orlando Furioso. 
2. Bags of sand placed in the car of a balloon 
to steady it and to enable the aeronaut to light- 
en the balloon, when necessary to effect a rise, 
by throwing part of the sand out. 3. Gravel, 
broken stones, slag, or similar material (usually 
called road-metal), placed between the sleep- 
ers or ties of a railroad, to prevent them from 
shifting, and generally to give solidity to the 
road. The name is also given to the stones, burnt clay, 
etc., used as a foundation in making new roads, laying 
concrete floors, etc. 
Depressions frequently occur in concrete flooring when 
the ballast has been badly stamped down. 
Thausing, Beer (trans.), p. 298. 
4. Figuratively, that which gives stability or 
steadiness, mental, moral, or political. 
Those that are of solid and sober natures have more of 
the ballast than of the sail. Bacon, Vain Glory. 
These men have not bailout enough of humility and fear. 
Hammond, Sermons, p. 612. 
Ballast-plants, plants that grow upon the ballast of a 
ship after it has been discharged, from the seeds that may 
accidentally be brought with it. In ballast, without 
cargo : said of a ship laden with ballast only. 
431 
ballast (bal'ast), r. t. [Early mod. E. also 
linlii.it, and, with loss of t, Imllns (prct. and 
pp. linllttxi'il, sometimes lMilln.it. ]>|ir. lni/ln.--iiiii). 
eattaae, imiim-i, imin.-o, etc., =<;. D. Klem. !.<;. 
ballaxtfii = Dan. bitllitxti', b/uilii.ili- = S\v. Imr- 
lastn : I'rmii the imuu.] 1. To place ballast 
in or on; furnish with ballast : as, i Imllnst a 
ship ; to Ita/litxt a balloon ; to bailout the bed of 
a railroad. See the noun. 
Thr Mi;ul \\;t-. -- |M I h-i 1 1\ !,<i/l,,*t>-<t \vitll st-.Mr t hat \\r 
had no dust. L\ I>. \V<i^n>-,\ Koutniabuut .Pminn 
2. Figuratively : (a) To give steadiness to ; 
keep steady. 
'Tis charity must ballast the heart. 
Hammond, Sermons, p. 611. 
(b) To serve as a counterpoise to ; keep down 
by counteraction. 
Nnw you have ^ivrn nit- virtue fur my guide, 
And with tnn- honour ballasted my pride. Ifnjtlfn. 
3f. To load; freight. 4. To load or weigh 
down. 
When his belly is well ballaccd, and his brain rigged a 
little, he sails away withal. 
11. Jonson, Ind. to Kvery Man in his Humour. 
These yellow rascals [coins] must serve to hnll<i*t my 
purse a little longi-r. Scott, Old Mortality, ix. 
ballastt (bal'ast), pp. Ballasted. 
Who sent whole armadas of carracks to 1- '<//>^'. 
Hhak., (.'. of K., iii. >. 
Hulks of burden great, 
Which Brandimart rebated from his coast, 
And sent them home balfint with little wealth. 
Greene, Orlando Furioso. 
ballastage (bal'as-taj), n. [< ballast + -age.] 
1. An old right of the admiralty in all the 
royal rivers of Great Britain to levy a rate 
for supplying ships with ballast. 2. The toll 
paid for the privilege of taking ballast, as from 
a gravel-bed, etc. 
ballast-engine (bal'ast-en'jin), . A steam- 
engine used for dredging a river or drawing 
earth and ballast on a railroad. 
ballast-getter (bal'ast-gef'er), n. One who is 
employed in procuring ballast for ships. 
I now come to the nature of the ballast labour itself. 
This is divisible into three classes : that performed by the 
ballast-getters, or those who are engaged in raising it from 
the bed of the Thames ; by the ballast-lighters, or those 
who are engaged in carrying it from the getters to the 
ships requiring it ; and by the ballast-heavers, or those 
who are engaged in putting it on board of such ships. 
Mayltew, London Labour, III. 278. 
ballast-hammer (bal'ast-ham'er), n. Adouble- 
faced, long-handled hammer used in laying 
railroad-tracks. 
ballast-heaver (bal'ast-he"ver), . 1. One 
who is employed in putting ballast on board 
ships. See extract under ballast-getter. 2. 
A dredging-machine for raising ballast from a 
river-bed; a ballast-lighter. 
ballast-hole (bal'ast-hol), n. Same as ballast- 
port. 
ballasting (bal'as-ting), n. 1. The act of fur- 
nishing with ballast, as a ship or railroad. 
2. Ballast; that which is used for ballast, as 
gravel or broken stones, cinders, or other ma- 
terial used for the covering of roads or to form 
the upper works or permanent way of a rail- 
road. 
ballast-lighter (bal'ast-U'ter), n. [< ballast + 
lighter 2 .] 1. A person employed in convey- 
ing ballast for ships. See extract under bal- 
last-getter. 2. A large flat-bottomed barge 
for receiving and transporting ballast, or for 
removing sand, silt, ashes, or other deposits 
dredged from the beds of rivers and the bot- 
toms of harbors, docks, etc. 
ballast-port (bal'ast-port), . A large square 
port in the side of a merchant-ship serving for 
the reception and discharge of ballast. Also 
called ballast-hole. 
ballast-trim (bid'ast-trim), n. The state of a 
ship when she is merely in ballast or has no 
cargo on board: as, she is in ballast-trim. 
ballatt, . and v. An obsolete form of ballad. 
ballatoon (bal-a-tpn'), A heavy boat em- 
ployed in Russia in the transportation of tim- 
ber, especially from Astrakhan to Moscow. 
ballatorium (bal-a-td'ri-um), . : pi. ballatoria 
(-a). [ML., < 'ballare, < Gr. /3dl.teiv, throw. 
Cf. balista, ballista, etc.] The forecastle or 
the stern-castle of a medieval ship of war: 
so called because it was a position of vantage 
from which missiles were discharged. 
ballatryt. . An obsolete form of balladry. 
ball-bearing (bal'bar'ing), n. In mech., a 
method of lessening friction by causing a shaft 
to rest upon or to be surrounded by balls partly 
contained in sockets, each ball being loose, 
and turning with the shaft. 
Ftff. f. CLstcm with ball-cock at- 
tached. Fin. ? Section of ball-cock 
on larger scale '. a, valve shown open 
so as to admit water ; *, arm of the 
lever which being raised shuts the 
valve. 
ballimong 
If necessary, ball bearim/* ran t,<- plar, .1 n|>ii tin- crank- 
pin, tmar. <v s.i, i.l\ 
ball-block (bal'blok), . In printing with 
balls, the slab or plate which 1ml, Is the ink. 
ball-blue (bal' bio), . Same as soluble blue 
(which see, under blue). 
ball-caliber (bal'kal"i-ber), . A ring-gage for 
determining the diameter of gun-shot. 
ball-cartridge (bal'kiir 'tri.j). . A partridge 
containing a ball, in contradistinction to a shot- 
rurtritlgr or a Maul: i-m-lni/i/i . 
ball-caster (barkus"ter), . A caster for the 
legs of furniture, etc., having a ball instead of 
an ordinary roller. 
ball-COck (bal'kok), H. A hollow sphere or ball 
of metal attached to the end of a lever, which 
turns the stop-cock 
of a water-pipe and 
regulates the supply 
of water. The ball, 
tluatiri 1 .,' in the water of a 
tank or cistern, ri-< 
falls with it, shutting off 
the flow when the water 
has reached a certain 
level, ami letting it on 
when it falls below this 
level. 
balledt, . An obso- 
lete form of bald 1 . 
bailer 1 (ba'U-r), n. 
[< bain, v., + -er*.] 
One who or that 
which forms any- 
thing into balls. 
bailer 2 * (ba'ler), n. [< balft, v., + -er 1 .] One 
who takes part in a ball for dancing. 
ballerina (bal-la-re'nii), n. ; pi. ballerinas, bal- 
lerine (-naz, -na). [It., fern, of ballerina (pi. bal- 
lerine), a dancer, < ballare, dance : see bal ft.] A 
female ballet-dancer. 
ballet 1 (bal'et), . [< OF. balette, a little ball, 
dim. of bale, balle, a ball: see bain and -et.] 
A little ball : in her., a bearing in coats of arms, 
denominated, according to the color, bezants, 
plates, hurts, etc. 
ballet 2 (bal'a, formerly and still sometimes 
bal'et), n. [First in the 17th century, also 
ballot, toilette, balette, balet, < F. ballet (= It. 
balletto), dim. of bal = It. ballo, a dance : see 
ball 2 and -et.] 1. A spectacular dance, more 
or less elaborate in steps, poses, and costumes, 
in which a number of performers, chiefly fe- 
males, take part. It is led or conducted by one or 
more chief dancers or coryphees, and is usually incidental 
to an operatic or other dramatic representation. 
2. A complete pantomime or theatrical repre- 
sentation, in which a story is told, and actions, 
characters, and passions are represented, by 
gestures and grouping, accompanied by char- 
acteristic or illustrative music, dancing, and 
often rich scenery and decorations. 3. The 
corps of dancers who perform ballets. 
ballet 2 (bal'a), r. . [< balled, n.] To express 
by dancing or in a ballet. [Bare.] 
He ballets to her : " Will you come down here and dance?" 
Matjheu', London Labour, III. 155. 
ballet 3 t, " and v. An obsolete form of ballad. 
balletryt, w. An obsolete form of balladry. 
ball-flower (barflou'er), . In arch., an orna- 
ment resembling a ball placed in a circular 
' 
flower, the three petals of which form a cup 
round it. This ornament is usually found inserted In a 
hollow molding, and is generally characteristic in Eng- 
land of the decorated style of the thirteenth century. 
Some variations of form occur, as four petals instead of 
three (York cathedral), and balls of different sizes and 
shapes. 
ball-grinder (bal'grin'der), n. A pulverizer 
or disintegrator formed by balls of metal in- 
closed in a rotating cylinder. The material to 
be crushed is broken by the attrition of the 
rolling balls. 
ball-gudgeon (barguj^on), . A spherical 
gudgeon, permitting a lateral deflection of the 
arbor or shaft, while still remaining itself in 
the socket. E. H. Knight. 
balliage, n. See bailage. 
balliardst, . pi. Billiards. Spenser. 
ballimongt(bari-mong), w. [Origin unknown.] 
A dredge. Holland. 
