below 
pendicnlar line of ; beneath, close under : ns, the sun Kinks 
MOW the hori/on ; a thing 18 under a chair or tree, be- 
neath a pile of rubbish. Under has often the sense of 
beneath: as, "under whose wings," Ruth ii. 12. Compare 
the old use of beneath in Ex. xxxli. 19 " Beneath the 
mount." 
[A sail] that sinks with all wo love below the verge. 
Tennyson, Princess, iv. 
Whereon a hundred stately beeches grew, 
And here ami then- uivat hollies intiler them. 
Tt'nt:n*i>ii, 1'elleas and Ettare. 
Beneath the milk-white thorn that scents the cv'iiing ual< . 
llm-iif, Cottar's Sat. Xi'jlit. 
belsiret (bel'sir), n. [< ME. belsire, lit. good 
sire, < lie/, fair, good, as a prefix, grand- (as in 
beldam, q. v.), + sire. Of. beimxiri'.'] 1. .\ 
grandfather: correlative to bcld/im. grand- 
mother. 2. An ancestor. Jtrni/lim. 
belswaggert (lii'l'swag f 'iT), . ' [Perhaps for 
belly-sirni/t/fi; :i form given by Ash, < belly + 
smug, sway.] A bully ; a pimp. 
belt (l)olt), 11. [< ME. belt, < AS. belt = OHG. 
bah = Icol. brlti = Sw. btilte = Dan. bielte = 
Ir. and Gael, bait, a 
belt, a border ; prob. 
< L. baltens, a belt.] 
1. A broad flat strip 
or strap of leather or 
other flexible mute- 
rial, used to encircle 
the waist; a gir- 
dle ; cincture ; zone ; 
band, ordinarily it is 
worn tmekled or hooked 
tight to the waist, and in 
all ages it has been a com- 
mon article of apparel, 
both to keep the gar- 
ments in place and to 
support weapons, or a 
purse, a writing-case, or 
the like : it may be made 
of any material. The mil- 
itary belt of the middle 
ages was sometimes com- 
posed of small plates of 
metal held to each other 
Quarter-turn Belt 
Military Belt, end of uth century. 
A, the l>elt, consisting of plates of 
- -- .1 i_T_: I ,!_.._ 
by rings, Waa attached to metal held together by rings or links 
and supporting the sword ny chains 
secured to the scabbard : the dagger 
is secured to the right side and Le- 
the armor, ami, accord- 
ing to the fashion of the 
latter, was Worn more hind the hip in a "similar way; B, 
01* less low, sometimes leather girdle buckling around the 
resting below the hips gSSSK^^edlVhrS! 
antine, buckled at the left side; D. 
braconniere of plates sliding one over 
another ; E , a rine secured to the 
brigantine from which a chain passes 
to the barrel of the sword-hilt to pre- 
vent it from falling if the hand lets it 
o during combat. [ From Viollet-le- 
:. du Mobilier francais.") 
upon the skirt of plate- 
armor. Sometimes the 
sword was not secured 
to the belt, which was 
then rather a mark of 
rank and dignity than a go during cor 
necessary part of the Due's Diet, 
dress. (See sword-belt &l\A 
baldric.) The broad bands supporting the bayonet-sheath 
and cartridge-box, worn by infantry in Europe during the 
century ending about 1850, were also called belts or cross- 
belts. See girdle. 
The shining belt with gold inlaid. Dryden. 
2. Any broad band or strip of leather or other 
flexible material, designed to pass round any- 
thing, with its ends joined, (a) In mach., a flexible 
cord or band passing about the periphery of wheels, drums, 
or pulleys, for the purpose of transmitting motion from 
one to another. Belts are usually made of leather, but 
india-rubber and gutta-percha are occasionally used ; also 
hempen cord, wire rope, and cords for small pulleys. See 
beltitvj. (b) In surij., a bandage or band used by surgeons 
for various purposes. 
3. Any broad band or stripe or continuous 
broad line distinguished in color or otherwise 
from adjacent objects, and encircling or ap- 
pearing to encircle something. Specifically (n) 
In astron., one of certain girdles or rings which surround 
the planet Jupiter, (b) A broad band or stripe on the 
earth's surface extending over or along a surface or re- 
gion, and distinguished from it by difference of color, as- 
pect, etc. ; a tract or district long in proportion to its 
breadth, and characterized by the presence, occurrence, 
or absence of some marked physical or other peculiarity 
or phenomenon : as, the oil belt ; a belt of vegetation ; the 
corn belt, wheat belt, etc. ; a belt of trees. 
Pinks were gleaming in every direction through the 
clumps and belts of the plantation. Lawrence. 
You see green trees rising above the belt of sand 
W. H. Jtusselt. 
The proposed Nicaragua Canal has proved to lie within 
the earthquake belt. Sci. Amer., N. S., LV. 64. 
The manufacturers of this favored region have decidedly 
the advantage of their less fortunate competitors away 
from the gas belt. Jour. Franklin Inst., CXXI. 310. 
(c) In masonn/, a band or string-course. 
4. That which restrains or confines like a gir- 
dle. 
He cannot buckle his distemper'd cause 
Within the belt of rule. Shak.. Macbeth, v. 2. 
5. A disease among sheep Angular chain- 
belt. See amiular. Belt Of Orion. See Orion and ell- 
waiul. Black belt. See black. Chain-belt, a ehain 
forming a band or belt for conveying or transmitting power. 
It is sometimes covered with piping, or overlaid with strips 
of various materials to form a round belt. Crossed belt, 
519 
a belt connectirm two pulleys and crossed between them, 
so as to cause them to revolve in opposite directions. Roll- 
ers are placed between the belts, 
If necessary, to prevent rulibinu. 
Endless belt, see . Hy- 
draulic belt, see ii<i<if,i.,r,c. 
Quarter-turn belt, a belt having 
u twist of '.> , used to transmit 
motion between pulleys on shafts 
plac< d at right angles to each other; a unai-tei-iny belt, 
To hold the belt, to hold the championship in pugilism 
or MH I lift- atlilelie ev 
belt (belt), r. t. [< belt, .] 1. To gird with a 
belt; specifically, to invest with a distinctive 
In It, ns in knighting some one. 2. To fasten 
or secure with a belt; gird: as, to belt on a 
sword. 3. To encircle; surround as if with a 
belt or girdle. 
Rclti'd with young children. De Quiitc, 1 ;/. 
The general college of civilization that now yelled the 
Mediterranean. De Qitincry, Herodotus. 
Come from the woods that belt the gray hill-side. 
Tennyxiui, ode to Memory. 
4. To strike with or as with a belt ; strap ; flog. 
[Colloq.] 
Beltane (bol'tan), . [Also written Beltein and 
Belten; < Gael, llt'iilltiiiini, ]!/iltiiin> Ir. Jit-nl- 
li'iiir, Hnilltiiine, Olr. Bclltaine, Beltene; usual- 
ly explained as Beal's fire, < 'Seal, *Bial, an 
alleged Celtic deity (by some writers patrioti- 
cally identified with the Oriental Belus or Baal), 
+ teine, fire. But the origin is quite unknown.] 
1. The first day of May (old style); old May- 
day, one of the four quarter-days (the others 
being Lammas, Hallow-mass, and Candlemas) 
anciently observed in Scotland. 2. An ancient 
Celtic festival or anniversary formerly observed 
on Beltane or May-day in Scotland, and in Ire- 
land on June 21st. Bonfires werekindled on the hills, 
all domestic fires having been previously extinguished, only 
to be relighted from the embers of the Beltane tires. This 
custom is supposed to derive its origin from th-j worship 
of the sun, or hre in general, which was formerly in vogue 
among the Celts as well as among many other heathen 
nations. The practice still survives in some remote local- 
ities. [Sometimes without a capital.] 
But o'er his hills, on festal day, 
How blazed Lord Ronald's beltane tree ! 
Scott, Glenflnlas. 
belt-clamp (belt'klamp), n. An apparatus for 
bringing together and holding in position the 
ends of belts while they are being cemented, 
laced, or coupled. 
belt-clasp (belt'klasp;, n. A clasp for a belt ; 
specifically, in mach., a device for connecting 
the ends of belting so as to make a continuous 
band. 
belt-coupling (belt'kup'ling), n. In mach., a 
device for connecting the ends of a belt. It is 
a substitute for the ordinary method of lacing 
them together with thongs of leather. 
belt-cutter (belt'kuf'er), n. A tool or machine 
for slitting tanned hides into strips for belting. 
belted (bel'ted), p. a. [< belt + -ecft.'] I. 
Wearing a belt; specifically, wearing a dis- 
tinctive belt, as a knight. 
A prince can mak a belted knight, 
A marquis, duke, and a' that 
Bums, For A' That. 
The melodramatic attitude of a general, belted and 
plumed, with a glittering staff of officers at his orders. 
De Quincey, Essenes, ii. 
With puffd cheek the belted hunter blew. 
Tennyson, Palace of Art. 
2. Marked or adorned with a band or circle : 
as, a belted stalk; the belted kingfisher. 3. 
Worn in the belt, or hanging from the belt: 
said especially of a sword the sheath of which 
is secured permanently to the belt. 
Three men with belted brands. Scott. 
He was dressed in his pontifical robes, with a belted 
sword at his side. Prescott, Ferd. and Isa., ii. 21. 
Belted plaid, the plaid worn by the Highlanders of Scot- 
land In full military dress : so called from being kept tight 
to the body by a belt : as, " wi' belted plaids and glittering 
blades," Alex. Laing. 
Beltein, Belten, n. See Beltane. 
belting (bel'ting), . [< belt + ing.'] Belts 
collectively or in general ; the material of which 
belts are made. See belt Angular belting. See 
angular, Round belting, belting, usually made from a 
flat strap, which is rolled into a tubular form. Scandi- 
navian belting, a cotton cloth woven solid and treated 
with Stockholm tar. E. II. Knight. 
belt-lacing (belt'la'sing), n. Leather thongs 
for lacing together the ends of a machine-belt 
to make it continuous. 
belt-pipe (belt'pip), n. In a steam-engine, a 
steam-pipe surrounding the cylinder. 
belt-rail (belt'ral), n. A longitudinal strip or 
guard of wood along the outside of a street- 
car, beneath the windows Belt-rail cap, a strip 
of wood fastened to the top of a belt-rail and forming the 
seat of the window-sill. 
belt-saw (belt'sa), n. Same as band-saw. 
belvedered 
belt-screw (bflt'skru), . A double clamping- 
screw with broad, flat heads, used for joining 
the ends of a belt. 
belt-shifter (belt'shif ter), w. A contrivance 
for shifting a machine-belt from one pulley 
to another, in order to stop or set in motion 
certain parts of the machine, or to change the 
motion. E. II. Hni<//tt. 
belt-shipper (belt'ship'er), . A belt-shifter. 
belt-speeder (belt'spe <lcr), . A contrivance 
in a machine for transmitting varying rates 
of motion by means of a belt, it Is mn. i, med 
in sj.iniiinij machinal t.. vary the rate of rotation of the 
-p'>"! ;i - T] |l ill. ] ' ;t~r> in si/e. 
belt-tightener (belt 'tit nor), n. An idle or 
independent pulley resting on a machine-belt, 
and tending by its weight to keep the belt 
stretched, thus securing better adhesion. 
belt-tool (belt'tol), H. A combined cutter, 
punch, awl, and nippers, used in making belts. 
beluga (bo-lii'g|i), n. [< Kuss. bi< in/in. < hi, in,,. 
white ; cf. Litli. Imlli, be white.] 1. The large 
white sturgeon, Aci/imxi-i- ltnm>, from the roe of 
which, sometimes weighing 800 pounds, caviar 
or botargo is prepared. The flsh is from 12 to is feet 
in length, weighing in some eases j.ntio pounds or more. 
Isinglass is prepared from its swim-bladder. 
2. [cap.'] [NL.] A generic name of the white 
whales: a synonym of lii-l/ilni'ii/itrnix. The only 
species found in northern seas is ;;. tretttu, I: urn*, or 
albicaiis, which from its color is commonly called />/"/. 
trhale or whitrfih. It is from 12 to 18 feet in length. 
The tail is divided into two lobes, lying horizontally, and 
there is no dorsal tin. In swimming, the animal Inmds Its 
tail under its liody like a lobster, and thrusts itself along 
with the rapidity of an arrow. It is found in the arctic 
seas and rivers, and is caught for its oil and its skin. 
Belus (be'lus), n. [L., < Or. B)>of, the tradi- 
tional founder of Babylon ; the Greek form of 
Baal, q. v.] 1. The chief deity of the Baby- 
lonians and Assyrians; Baal (which see). Also 
Bel. 2. [NL.] A genus of weevils, of the 
family Curculionidce. 
belute (be-lut'),t'. t. ; pret. and pp. beluted, ppr. 
beluting. [< be- 1 + lute 2 , < L. lutum, mud.] 
1. To cover or bespatter with mud. [Bare.] 
Never was a Dr. Slop so brluted. 
Sterne, Tristram Shandy, Ii. 9. 
2. To coat with lute or cement of any kind, 
belvedere (bel-ve-der', It. pron. bel-ve-da're), 
n. [Also less correctly belvidere, < It. belvedere, 
lit. a beautiful view, < bel, bello, beautiful, + 
vedere, a view, < L. videre, see: see vision, vieic.] 
1. In Italian arch., an upper story of a build- 
ing, or a portion of such a story, open to the 
Belvedere. Palazzo Durazzo, Via Balbl, Genoa, Italy. 
air, at least on one side, and frequently on all, 
for the purpose of affording a view of the coun- 
try and providing a place for enjoying the cool 
evening breeze. The belvedere is sometimes a 
sort of lantern or kiosk erected on the roof. 
Here and there among the low roofs a lofty one with 
round-topped dormer windows and a breezy belvidere 
looking out upon the plantations of coffee and indigo be- 
yond the town. 6. W. Cable, The Grandissimes, p. 220. 
2. In France, a summer-house on an eminence 
in a park or garden. 
They build their palaces and belvedere* 
With musical water-works. 
Webster, Devil's Law-Case, i. L 
belvedered (bel-ve-derd'), a. Provided with a 
belvedere. 
Gardened and belvedered villas. 
Q. W. Cable, The Graudlssinies, p. 14. 
