baltei 
baltei, ". I'lm-al of . 
baiter, r. [Kurly mod. K. baiiltri; bnlti-r (in 
bloiiil-ltnltrri'il, <j. v.), now only dial, lunilii. < 
ME. biiltrn n, prob. (if Scaiul. origin; of. Dan. 
balln; var. otooltrt. roll, tumble, gambol.] I. 
inli'<iitx. If. To tumble; dance clumsily. 
S.i l.Iythc ..f liis wodhyne lie liall. ,v< (h. r vnde[r). 
Mlii'-mi;,:- pomu(L \i.,ms>, in, i.-,t>. 
2. To become tangled ormatted. [Prov. Eng.] 
It [a goat ' heard | ImltrrrHi nn. I clnttcrcth liitn knot* 
!ind balls. l/nllnn.l. (r. ..f l-liny, xii. 17. (.V. /;. /<. > 
II. trims. 1. To tread down iu a olumsyman- 
ncr. [Prov. Kng.] 2f. To tangle; clot; mat, 
as the hair. 
balteus (bal'te-us), n. ; pi. faf/fet (-i). [L., a 
belt: according to Varro, a Tuscan word, but 
perhaps of Critic- origin: see hi-lt.] 1. In /,'</- 
niiiii <niti(/.. a belt : either a girdle, or a baldric 
worn over the shoulder to support a sword, 
shield, or quiver. 2. In arch.: (a) A band 
perpendicular to the axis in the lateral part of 
the volute of an Ionic- pnlvinated capital. (6) 
One of the passages dividing the auditorium 
of ancient Roman theaters and amphitheaters 
horizontally into upper and lower zones, and 
affording access to the different cunei, or wedge- 
shaped divisions of the auditorium, without dis- 
turbing persons occupying seats. Such a pas- 
sage hail usually the form of a wide step. 
Baltic (bal'tik), a. [< NL. Jktlticux, prob. < 
Lith. bnlliiK, white, Imlli, be white.] Appella- 
tive of or pertaining to the sea which separates 
Sweden from Denmark, Germany, and Russia ; 
situated on or bordering the Baltic sea: as, the 
linltic islands; the Baltic coasts. 
Baltimore bird, oriole. See oriole. 
baltimorite (bai'ti-mor-it), n. [< Baltimore, the 
chief city in Maryland. + -ifc-2.] A variety of 
serpentine from Bare Hills, Maryland. 
balu(ba'lo), . [Native name.] A kind of wild- 
cat, Felis nnintitraiiti, native in Sumatra. 
Baluchi (ba-16'che), n. [Pers. Baluchi, Belu- 
chi.] 1. A native or an inhabitant of Balu- 
chistan, a country lying to the east of Persia 
and between Afghanistan and the Arabian sea ; 
specifically, a member of one of the tribes of 
Baluchistan, a distinct race from the present 
dominant tribe, the Brahoes. 2. The language 
spoken by the Baluchis and by over 300,000 
British subjects inhabiting Sind and the Pan- 
jab. It belongs to the Iranlc branch of the Aryan family 
of languages. It has no literature and written characters 
cif its own, Arabic characters having been used for such 
works in Baluchi as have recently appeared. 
Also written Beloochee and Beloocli. 
baluster (bal'us-ter), . [Also ballitster, ballix- 
ter (and corruptly bannister, banister, q. v.), 
formerly also ballester; < F. baltistre, < It. ba- 
laustro (= Sp. Pg. balaustre), a baluster, small 
pillar, so called from a fancied resemblance to 
the flower of the wild pomegranate, < balausto, 
balausta,, bataustra = Sp. balaustra, balaustriti 
= Pg. balaustia = F. balauste, formerly also ba- 
lustre, < L. balaustium, < Gr. fiaZaiiarcov, the 
flower of the wild pomegranate-tree. Cf. Ba- 
lu us/ inn.] 1. In in-i-li. and building, a small 
upright member made in a great variety of 
At tin- l..,lt,,n, i- a parterre; tin- lip|er terraee neere 
half u mylc in length, ". a.nil,], ,1, . li\ iii, ,, an h.-.l an. I 
i:,ttini, r ,i \\- *i,,n, ,,f uint and royal 
K'-r/llll. Illlirj. Ki-h. 27, H. I I. 
baluster-Shaft (lial'us-ter-shaft), n. A form 
of pillar occiii-riii!.' in so-called Anirlo-Savon 
architecture, and 
in work influenced 
by it as lat. 
twelftli century. 
It serves espe. ialh a- 
a separation of win- 
dow-ifghU and other 
..pennies, ami iMiameil 
I'runi its niile i, -,in 
blanre in shape l.i a 
lialn.-terof thee.,ii\,n 
tii.nal t\ pe. 
baluster-stem 
bamboo-brier 
tinnativr ; i, ttiat tluTont'tii^ioii iHaparticnlarnmrnmtiv. ; 
an.l i'. thiit tin: roncliiiiinn of iKiriinru has in the rc-.hi. ti..n 
to In.- o.livrrtfl IM-I- ar. i.l. n~ I" -ivi- tin: o.inc-ln^ioll of 
bainalif. '!'bi in.i"'l \iax originally 'all.'.l A-i,,.//, - 
Petrns llis|>ami~. linuli-h l.iui.'ian- m.irc: n>nini<inly call 
the llHHt'l >l>-<II/Ul,tftj' ill onllT t'l inak'- 111.- ll.-\alll.-Irt 
I'.i ,un:tiit !i )i 
p.' fr.-sison. 
" . , f e i T a 
goblet, chalice', or 
otlii-r similar vessel when of the bulging shape 
characteristic of a baluster. 
balustrade (bal-us-trad'j, M. [<F. Imliistraitc, < 
It. balamtrata (= Sp. Pg. biiliinxtriiiln I. a bains- 
trade, prop. adj. fern., furnished with balusters, 
< balaitiitro, a baluster.] In iirch., strictly, a 
barrier or railing consisting of a horizontal 
. 
bamalipton (bam-a-li|i'ton), . [An artificial 
term.] A mood of syllogism, differing from 
baralipton only in having !! names of tin- ma- 
jor and minor pri.ini~. -> Iransposeil. 'I'll.- uani. 
wallnvrliteil by Ji.il...- Ti nti". .l.-i ..( l.i-. iia.'li a I. ail,, i ,,i 
l.ulh. i, li.i .In-.l in I.M'.i. 
bambara(liam'lia-rii), . (An artilicial term.] 
A mood of syllogism, differing from bavbara 
only in having the names of the major and 
minor premises transposed. The name was in- 
vi-nted by .lodoe Trutfeder. Sfe Imiiiiil^iliiii. 
bambino (bam-lie'nc"i). n. ; pi. bambini (-no). 
[It., a child, dim. of IHIHI/HI. c-hildish, simple; 
cf. bimbo, a child, Sp. buiiibnrriii, a child, a 
foolish man, Austrian bums, child. 1'roli. c,l 
imitative origin, and so far related to (!i. 
.. diatti-r with the teeth, also stamm. -i ; 
M,'i/r, In it in'/.i -*itv, .1ii/i : iii'/i~in', stammer. 
Cf. babble.] A child or baby; specifically, u 
figure of the Child Jesus. It is ,-iiminnly repn-- 
-' Ml. 'I a~ in tllr InaliL' I a! 
Balusters. 
A, from church of Santa Trinita del Monte, Rome; B, from pulpit- 
stairs, Duomo of Siena ; C (bronze), from Casa de Pilatos, Seville. 
forms, but typically strongly swelled outward 
at some point between the base and the top or 
capital, and commonly vase- or urn-shaped, 
used in series to support the rail of a railing or 
balustrade. The baluster, asdistingulshed from a small 
column serving the same purpose, originated in the archl- 
tertnre nf the Renaissance. Now often called banister. 
2. In iirch., the lateral part of the volute of the 
Ionic capital. Also bolster. 
balustered (bal'us-terd), a. [< baluster + -erf2.] 
Furnished with balusters. 
Balustrade. From the Villa d'Este, Tivoli. Italy. 
member resting on a series of balusters ; but. 
commonly, an ornamental railing or pierced 
parapet of any kind, whether serving as a bar- 
rier or merely as a decorative feature, and 
whether composed of balusters or not. 
Rrnad-based flights of marble stairs 
Ran up with golden balustrade. 
Tennyson, Arabian Nights. 
balustraded (bal-us-tra'ded), a. [< balustrade 
+ -erf 2 .] Furnished with a balustrade or bal- 
ustrades. 
I like the balunlradeil terraces, the sun-proof laurel 
walks, the vases and statues. 
Lowell, Fireside Travels, p. 321. 
balustrading (bal-us-tra'ding), n. [< balus- 
trade + -ing':'] A balustrade or balustrades; 
balustrade-work. 
The upper [floor] was terraced and defended by strong 
l*duxti-adiny. L. Wallace, Ben-Hur, p. 92. 
balysaur, n. See balisaur. 
balza, . See balsa. 
balzant, n. [F., < It. balzano, white-footed, 
white-spotted, = OF. bausan, bansant : see bau- 
nond, fcawsoM.] A horse having four white feet. 
balzarine (bal-za-ren'), n. [Origin obscure.] 
A light mixed fabric of cotton and wool for 
women's dresses, commonly used for summer 
gowns before the introduction of barege. 
bam (bam), r. ; pret. and pp. bammed, ppr. 
bamming. [A slang word, formerly also bamb, 
either an abbr., or the source of the first syl- 
lable, of bamboozle, q. v.] I. trans. To bam- 
boozle ; cheat ; hoax ; wheedle. [Slang.] 
Tills is some conspiracy, I suppose, to bam, to chouse 
me out of my money. Foote. 
H. intrans. To practise hoaxing or imposi- 
tion. [Slang.] 
bam (bam), . [< bam, r.] A cheat; a hoax; 
an imposition. [Slang. ] 
It was all a 6ai, madam, a scene we thought proper to 
act . A. Murphy. 
To relieve the tedium he kept plying them with all 
manner of bam*. J. H't/non. 
bamalip (bam'a-lip), . [An artificial term.] 
In logic, a mnemonic word denoting a mood of 
the fourth figure, containing syllogisms with 
universal affirmative premises and a particular 
affirmative conclusion : as, All greyhounds are 
dogs ; but all dogs are quadrupeds ; therefore, 
some quadrupeds are greyhounds. of the 
seven letters composing the word are significant. /.' shows 
that the mood is to be rednced to barbara (which see) : o, 
that the major premise is a universal affirmative ; in. that 
the premises are to In- transposed in reducing it to the 
first figure ; a, that the minor premise is a universal at- 
II. u n i .nn .. Church of Ara c . , li 
Rome. 
n, an, I 
in many Kuinun talli.,li< 
i Imirhe.s tin , >ii-lu, ut the 
world from Christmas to 
Epiphany, the effect beiiiK 
often heightened by figures 
of angels, of the shepherds, 
of the Magi, etc. Tlie whole 
togetlier is commonly call- 
ed in English the crib. As 
a subject of popular devo- 
tion, it owes its origin to 
St. Francis of Assist in the 
early part of the thirteenth 
century. The famous bam- 
bino in the church of Ara 
Cu-li at Rome is of olive- 
wood, and was made in Pal- 
estine by a Franciscan lay 
brother some time l>ef<ne 
the seventeenth century: 
it is in repute for minu-u- 
lons healing, and ha.s 1.. en 
richly decorated by the 
faithful. In the tine arts 
this subject has been often 
treated, notably in the 
glazed terra-cotta reliefs of 
l.ii.-a della Robbia. 
bambocciade (bam-boch-i-ad'), [Also bam- 
bocciate, and bainbofciatn (after It.); < F. bitm- 
bocliade, < It. bambocciaiit, grotesque painting, 
caricature, < bamboccio, a little child, puppet, 
simpleton (like bambino, a dim. of bambo, child- 
ish, simple : see bambino) ; said to have been a 
nickname given to Pieter van Laer (17th cen- 
tury), a painter of such scenes.] In painting, 
a grotesque scene from common life, as rustic 
games, a village festival, rollicking peasants 
drinking and smoking, and kindred subjects. 
Tenters is the great master of this style, and in British art 
Wilkie is probably its best representative. 
bamboo (bam-bo'), n. [Also bambti, and for- 
merly also bambou, btimboir, bambo, and (after 
D.) bamboHse, bambua; = D. bamboes = G. Dan. 
bambus = Sw. bambit = Pol. Bohem. bambits = 
Russ. bambnkii = F. bambou = Sp. bambit = Pg. 
bambti (first recorded as manibu) = It. bambii 
(ML. bambiisa) ; from the native E. Ind. name, 
MalayandJav. banibn, Cunaresebanbuorbantcu. 
The orig. language is uncertain.] 1. (a) The 
common name of the arborescent grasses be- 
longing to the genus Bambiisa (which see) and 
its allies. (6) In tho West Indies, a tall climb- 
ing grass of the genus Paiiiciim, P. dirarica- 
ttim. (c) In Queensland, a coarse grass, Stipa 
micrantha. 2. A stick or cane from the stem 
of the bamboo. 3. In potter;/, a name given to 
a cane-colored biscuit made by Wedgwood. 
4. An Eastern measure of length, equal in 
Pondieherry to 3} meters. 5. In Sumatra, a 
measure of capacity : in Bencoolen, eq^ual to the 
United States (Winchester) gallon ; in Achin. 
to 5 pints Bamboo books, a collection of ancient 
Chinese writings, chiefly historical, said to have been dis- 
covered in the tomb of a prince of Wei, A. D. 279. The 
writings were engraved on slips of bamboo, as was cus- 
tomary in China before the invention of paper. Sacred 
bamboo, the Xanditia domfxtica, a handsome evergreen 
IjtTberidaceons shrub, bearing red berries, and extensively 
cultivated in China and Japan. It is chiefly used for dec- 
oration. 
bamboo (bam-b8'), r. /. [< bamboo, n.] To 
beat with a bamboo ; punish by flogging with 
a smooth lath of bamboo ; bastinado. 
bamboo-brier (bam-bo'bri'fer), n. The green- 
brier of the United States, Smilax rotunaifolia, 
a tall thorny climber. 
