bay 
plural, with reference to tho leaves or branches 
of laurel. Also called bay-leaf. 
Yet as you hope hereafter to see plays, 
Encourage us, and give our poet bays. 
Beau, ami FL, Thierry and Theodoret, Epil. 
I play'd to please myself, on rustick reed, 
Nor sought for bay, the learned shepherd's meed. 
W. Broutne, Jiritannia's Pastorals, i. 1. 
[In the following quotation, the office of poet laureate : 
formerly a not uncommon use. 
If you needs must write, write Ctesar's praise. 
You'll gain at least a knighthood, or the bay*. 
Pope, Imit. of Horace, Satire i. 22. 
Bays was sometimes used as a singular (compare bay*, 
baize, as singular). 
Do plant a sprig of cypress, not of bays. 
Robert Randotyh. 
A greener bays shall crown Ben Jonson's name. 
Fcltltaw, Jonsonus Virbius.] 
4. [Of. bay 2 .] A piece of low, marshy ground 
producing large numbers of bay-trees. [N. 
Carolina and Florida.] liartlett Bull-bay, the 
Magnolia graiuliJium. CheTTy-ba,y, Prunus Laurocera- 
sus. Dwarf bay, <>f Knrope, the Daphne Laiirwla. In- 
dian or royal bay, Laura* liuiim. Loblolly-bay, r 
tan-bay, the Gunluida Lasianthus. 'Re& bay, the Per- 
sea CaroKnensie. Rose-bay, a name given (a) to the 
willow-herb, Epilobium anniittifnUum; (b) in the United 
States to the great laurel, Rhododendron maximum. 
Sweet-bay. See above, 2. Sweet-bay, or white bay, 
of the United States, the Magnolia plauca. 
bay 2 (ba), n. [Early mod. E. also baye, < ME. 
baye, < OF. baie, baye, mod. F. baie = Pr. baia 
= Sp. bahia, formerly also baia, baya (> Basque 
baia, baiya), = Pg. bahia = It. baja (cf . G. bai, < 
D. baai, MD. baeye = Dan. bai, < E. bay 2 ), < LL. 
baia, a bay, first mentioned by Isidore, and said 
to have its j*en. in -as, implying its existence at 
a much earlier period ; perhaps connected with 
L. Bai<e,yl., a noted watering-place on the 
coast of Campania, hence applied also to any 
watering-place. Bay in this sense has been 
confused in E. and Bom. with bay 3 ."] 1. A re- 
cess in the shore of a sea or lake, differing from 
a creek in being less long and narrow ; the ex- 
panse of water between two capes or head- 
lands. 
The sea winding, and breaking in bays into the land. 
Gray, Letters, I. 265. 
2f. An anchorage or roadstead for ships; a 
port ; a harbor. 
A bay or rode for ships. Cotgrave. 
I prithee, good lago, 
Go to the bay. and disembark my coffers. 
Shak., Othello, il. 1. 
3. A recess of land, as in a range of hills ; 
a level space partly surrounded by heights. 
[Bare.] 4. An arm of a prairie extending 
into woods and partly surrounded by them. 
[U. 8.] Bartlett. 5. A kind of mahogany 
obtained from Campeachy Bay (whence the 
name). 
bay 3 (ba), n. [Early mod. E. also baye, baie, < 
ME. bay, baye, < OF. baee, an opening, gap, 
mod. F. baie, a bay (< ML. as if *badata), on 
type of fern, pp., < baer, beer, bayer, mod. F. 
bayer, < LL. badare, gape (cf. E. gap, n., gape, 
.): see bay*. This word has been confused 
with&a^ 2 .] 1. A principal compartment or di- 
vision in the architectural arrangement of a 
building, marked by buttresses or pilasters on 
the walls, by the disposition of 
the main ribs (arcs doubleaux) 
of the interior vaulting, by 
the placing of the main arches 
and pillars or of the principals 
of the roof, or by any other 
leading features that separate 
the design into corresponding 
parts. Oxford Glossary. 2. 
The part of a window included 
between two mullions ; a light. 
Also called window-bay. 3. A 
bay-window. 
Some ladies walking with me, see- 
ing my father sitting at his singular 
writing establishment in the bay, 
went in through his glorified win- 
dows, and established themselves 
round his table. 
Lady Holland, Sydney Smith, vii. 
4. A compartment in a barn 
for the storage of hay or 
grain. 5. In carp., a portion 
of a compound or framed floor 
included between two girders, 
or between a girder and the 
wall. 6. In plastering, the 
space between two screeds. 
See screed. 7. Naut., that 
part of a ship between decks 
which lies forward of the bitts, 
Architectural Bays. 
Nave of Notre 
Dame, Dijon. 
F, C, A.bays; F, F, 
window-bays; C, tri- 
forium; A, arch of 
aisle. ( From Viollet- 
le-Duc's " Diet, de 
1' Architecture." ) 
482 
on either side ; in a ship of war, the foremost 
messing-plaee between decks. See sick-bay. 
8. In bridge-building, the portion between two 
Eiers. 9. In coal-mining : (a) An open spuce 
:>r the gob or waste in a long-wall working. 
(b) The space between two frames or sets in a 
level : synonymous with board. [Leicester- 
shire, Eng.] Bay Of joists, the joists between two 
binding-joists, or between two girders, in a framed iloor. 
Bay Of roofing, the small rafters and their supporting 
purlins between two principal rafters. 
bay 4 t (ba), v. i. [< OF. bayer, beer, baer, gape, 
< LL. badare, mod. F. bayer, dial, bader = Pr. 
badar = Cat. badar = It. badare, < LL. ba- 
dare, gape, be open. Cf. bay s and 6// 5 .] To 
open the mouth, as for food; seek with open 
mouth. 
Bayer a la mamelle, to seeke or baye for the dugge. 
Hollyband, Treasurie of the French Tongue. 
bay 5 (ba), v. [Early mod. E. also baye, < ME. 
bayen, < OF. bayer = It. bajare (also in comp., 
ME. abayen, < OF. abayer, abater, abbayer, mod. 
F. aboyer = It. abbajare), bark ; of uncertain 
origin, perhaps imitative (cf. E. bawl 1 , bark, 
L. baubari, ML. baulare, G. bailen, bark, and E. 
6aw 2 , bow-wow), but prob. associated in earlier 
use with OF. baer, beer, bayer = It. badare, < 
LL. badare, gape: see bay*, and cf. bay 5 , n., in 
which the two notions unite. In some senses 
the verb is from the noun.] I. intrans. To 
bark, as a dog ; especially, to bark with a deep 
prolonged sound, as hounds in the chase. 
The hounds at nearer distance hoarsely bayed. 
Dryden, Theodore and Honoria, 1. 271). 
II. trans. 1. To bark at; beset with deep 
prolonged barking. 
I had rather be a dog, and bay the moon, 
Than such a Koman. Shak., J. C., iv. :i. 
2. To express by barking. 
'Tis sweet to hear the watch-dog's honest bark 
Bay deep-mouthed welcome as we draw near home. 
Byron, Don Juan, i. 123. 
3. To drive or pursue so as to compel to stand 
at bay ; chase or hunt. 
They bay'd the bear 
With hounds of Sparta. 
Shak., M. N. D., iv. 1. 
4. To hold at bay. 
For we are at the stake, 
And bay'd about with many enemies. 
Shak., J. C., iv. 1. 
bay 5 (ba), n. [Early mod. E. also baye, beye, < 
ME. bay, baie, of different origin, according as 
it stands (a) for bay, a barking, < bay, ME. bay- 
en, bark; (6) by apheresis for abay, < OF. abai, 
abay, abbay, aboy, mod. F. aboi, a barking, < 
abayer, bark (see bay 6 , v.), esp. in the phrase 
to be or stand at bay (or at a bay, which is per- 
haps always to be read at abay), to bring to bay; 
(c) in the phrase to hold at bay, repr. OF. tenir 
a bay, It. tenere a bada, hold in suspense or ex- 
pectation, lit. on the gape : OF. bay (= It. bada), 
suspense, lit. gaping, < baer = It. badare, gape, a 
verb prob. in part connected with bay 5 , bark: 
see above. ] 1 . The deep-toned barking of a dog 
in pursuit of game ; especially, the barking of 
a pack of hounds. 2. The state of being so 
hard pressed, as a hunted animal by dogs and 
hunters, as to be compelled, from impossibility 
of escape, to turn and face the danger: with at 
or to : as, to be at bay, stand at bay. hold at 
bay (formerly also at a bay), bring to bay, etc.: 
often used figuratively, in these and other con- 
structions, with reference to persons beset by 
enemies or held at a disadvantage: strait; 
distress. 
Unhappy Squire ! what hard mishap thee brought 
Into this bay of perill and disgrace ? 
Spenser, F. Q., VI. 1. 12. 
Nor flight was left, nor hopes to force his way : 
Emboldened by despair, he stood at bay. Dryden. 
3. The state of being kept off by the bold at- 
titude of an opponent ; the state of being pre- 
vented by an enemy, or by any kind of resist- 
ance, from making further advance : with at. 
We have now, for ten years together, turned the whole 
force and expense of the war where the enemy was best 
able to hold us at bay. Swift. 
The barriers which they builded from the soil 
To keep the foe at bay. Bryant, The Prairies. 
bay 6 (ba), a. and . [I. a. Early mod. E. also 
baye, baie, < ME. bay, baye, < OF. bai, mod. F. bai 
= Pr. bai = Sp. bayo = Pg. &io= It. bajo, < L. 
badius (> E. badious), bay, in ref. to a color of 
horses. II. re. 1. Barely in sing, bay (= D. 
baai = MLG. baie, LG. baje (> G. boi) = Dan. 
bai = Sw. boi), usually in pi. bays, early mod. 
E. bayes, bates, baize (whence the mod. sing. 
bayard 
baize, q. v.), < OF. baies, pi. of baie, fern, of bai, 
adj.] I. a. Reddish or brownish-red, inclining 
to chestnut ; rufous ; badious ; castaneous : ap- 
plied most frequently to horses, but also to 
other animals displaying the same color. 
II. . It. A light woolen fabric (originally 
of a bay color), the manufacture of which was 
introduced into England in 1561 by refugees 
from France and the Netherlands : usually in 
plural bays, now, as singular, baize (which see). 
2. A bay horse. 
The ploughman stopped to gaze 
Whene'er his chariot swept in view 
Behind the shining bays. 
0. W. Holmes, Agnes. 
bay 7 (ba), n. [Origin uncertain ; the ME. " bay, 
or withstondynge, obstaculum," may possibly 
be a use of bay$ in to stand at bay, etc. : see 
bayT, v.~] A dam ; a pond-head ; an embank- 
ment. [Eng.] 
bay 7 (ba), r. t. [Perhaps from the related noun 
(buyl), or, as the source of that, < Icel. bcea- 
ja, push back, hinder, < bdgr, opposition, colli- 
sion; cf.fara i bag, come athwart.] To dam: 
as, to buy back the water. 
bay 8 (ba), n. [Short for bay-antler.'] The bay- 
antler or bez-antler of a stag. 
bay 9 (ba), v. t. [E. dial., < ME. beien, bcighen, 
beigen, bien, btiyen, bugcii, (. AS. began, biegan, 
bigan, bygan (= OFries. beja = MD. boghen = 
MLG. bogen = OHG. bougen, MHG. bmtgen, 
G. beugen = Icel. beygja = Sw. biija = Dan. boje 
= Goth, baugjan), trans, bend, causative of 
bugan (= Goth, biwgan, etc.), E. bowl, intrans. 
bend: see Ziow 1 , and cf. baifi.] To bend. [Prov. 
Eng.] 
bay Wf, v. [Only in Spenser, who also uses em- 
bay for embathe, in most instances for the sake 
of rime.] A poetical perversion of bathe. 
Hee feedes upon the cooling shade, and bayes 
His sweatie forehead in the breathing wynd. 
Spenser, F. Q., I. vii. 3. 
baya (ba'ya), n. [Hind.] The weaver-bird, 
I'loceus pliilijipinus, an East Indian passerine 
bird, somewhat like the bulfinch, remarkable 
for its extremely curious nest. See weaver- 
bird. 
baya-bird, n. Same as baya. 
bayadere, bayadeer (ba-ya-der'), [Also 
spelled bajadere (< F. bayadere); formerly bal- 
liadere, balliadera, < Pg. bailadeira (fern, of bai- 
lador = Sp. bailador), a dancer, < bailor = Sp. 
bailar, dance : see balP.~\ An East Indian dan- 
cing girl. 
bayal (ba'al), n. A fine kind of cotton. Sim- 
monds. 
bayamo (ba-ya'mo), n. [Cuban.] A violent 
blast of wind, accompanied by vivid lightning, 
blowing from the land on the south coast of 
Cuba, and especially from the Bight of Bayamo. 
bay-antler, n. See beg-antler. 
bayard 1 (ba'ard), a. and . [Early mod. E. 
also bayerd, tiaiard, bayart, < ME. bayard, bay- 
art, < OF. bayard, baiard, baiart (= Pr. baiart), 
bay, a bay horse, < bai, bay : see bay 6 and -ard. 
The adj. came to be a general appellative of a 
bay horse, esp. of Benaud's (Binaldo's) magic 
steed in the Charlemagne romances; later of 
any horse, esp. in alliterative proverbial use, 
bold bayard, blind bayard, often with reference 
to reckless or stupid persons, perhaps associated 
in the latter sense with OF. bayard, gaping, 
staring, one who gapes or gazes, < bayer, baer, 
gape, gaze: see Zww*.] I.t a. Bay; of a bay 
color: applied to a horse. 
II. n, 1. A bay horse; generally, any horse : 
formerly frequent in proverbial use, especially 
with the epithet blind or bold. 
Blind bayard moves the mill. Philips. 
Who so bold as blind bayard ? Proverbial saying. 
2. A person who is self-confident and ignorant : 
usually with the epithet blind or bold. 
The more we know, the more we know we want : 
What Bayard boulder then the ignorant ? 
Marston, What you Will, Iml. 
Phillip the second, late king of Spain, perceiving that 
inanyTJlind Bayards were overbold to undertake the work- 
ing of his mines of silver in the West Indies, etc. 
Gerard Malynes, Lex Mercatoria (1622), p. 189. 
What are most of our papists, hut stupid, ignorant and 
blind bayards! Burton, Anat. of Mel., p. 609. 
[Obsolete or archaic in all uses.] 
bayard 2 t, [< OF. baiard, bayart. a basket 
used for the carrying of earth and fastened 
about the neck; perhaps a fanciful application 
of bayard, a horse: see bayard^.] A kind of 
hand-barrow used for carrying heavy loads, 
especially of stones. 
