bone-turquoise 
bone-turquoise (bon'ter-koiz' 1 '), n. A fossil 
bone or tooth colored bright-blue, probably by 
phosphate of iron : early used as an imitation 
of true turquoise. Sometimes called odontolltc. 
bone-waste (boa' wast), . The dust or refuse 
of bones after the gelatin has been extracted 
from them. 
bone-yard (bon'yard), n. 1. A knacker's yard. 
2. A graveyard. [Slang.] 3. In the game 
of dominoes, the pieces reserved to draw from. 
bonfire (bon'fir), 11. [Early mod. E. boonfire, 
bondfire, bounfire, later bnrnfire, but reg. bon- 
fire or bonefire, Sc. banefire ; < late ME. bonefyre, 
Sc. banefyre (the earliest known instance is 
"banefyre, ignis ossium," in the " Catholicon 
Anglicum," A. D. 1483) ; < bonel (Sc. bane, ME. 
bone, ban, bane, etc.) +fire. The vowel is short- 
ened before two consonants, as in collier, etc. 
The W. banffagl, also spelled bonffagl, a bonfire, 
as if < ban, lofty, + ffagl, flame, blaze, appears 
to have been formed in imitation of the E. 
word.] If. A fire of bones. 2f. A funeral 
pile ; a pyre. 3. A fire for the burning of here- 
tics, proscribed books, etc. Hence 4. Any 
great blazing fire made in the open air for 
amusement, or for the burning of brushwood, 
weeds, rubbish, etc. Specifically 5. A fire 
kindled, usually in some open and conspicu- 
ous place, such as a hill-top or public square, 
as an expression of public joy or exultation, or 
as a beacon. 
Ring ye the bels, to make it weare away, 
And bonejierg make all day. 
Spenser, Epithalamion, 1. 275. 
The Citizens and Subjects of Bohemia, . . . ioyfull that 
there was an Heyre apparant to the Kingdome, made Bone- 
flres and shewes throughout all the Cittie. 
Greene, Pandosto. 
There was however order given for bonfires and bells ; 
but God knows it was rather a deliverance than a tri- 
umph. Evelyn, Diary, June 6, 1666. 
bongar (bon'gar), n. [Native name.] A large 
venomous East Indian serpent : also called 
rock-snake. See Bungarus. 
Bongarus, n. See Bungarus. 
bongracet (bon'gras), n. [Early mod. E. also 
tone-, bond-, bonn-, bun-, boongrace, < F. bonne- 
grace, "the uppermost flap of the down-hang- 
ing tail of a French hood, whence belike our 
Boongrace" (Cotgrave) ; < bonne, fern, of bon, 
good, + grace (now grace), grace: see boon 3 
and (/race.] A shade formerly worn by women 
on the front of a bonnet to protect the com- 
plexion from the sun ; also, a large bonnet or 
broad-brimmed hat serving the same purpose. 
[My face] was spoiled for want of a bongrace when I was 
young. Beau, and Fl., The Captain, ii. 1. 
Ye wad laugh well to see my round face at the far end 
of a strae bongraot, that looks as nuickle and round as 
the middle aisle in Libberton Kirk. 
Scott, Heart of Midlothian. 
bongret, adv. and i>rep., orig.pJir. [Early mod. 
E. boun gree, < ME. bongre, <OF. (de) bon gre, 
(of) good will: see bont, boon 3 , and gree 2 , and 
cf. maugre.] I. adv. With good will :' now used 
only as French bun gre, in the phrase bon gre 
mal gre, willingly or unwillingly ; willy-nilly. 
II. prep. Agreeably to. 
bonhomie (bon-o-me'), n. [F., < bonliomme, a 
simple, easy man, < bon, good (see boon 3 ), + 
homiim, < L. homo, man. Cf. goodman.] Frank 
and simple good-heartedness ; a good-natured 
manner. 
The other redeeming qualities of the Meccan are his 
courage, his bonhomie, his manly suavity of manners, 
. . . and his general knowledge. 
R. F. Burton, El-Medinah, p. 481. 
Boniface (bon'i-fas), n. [From the name of the 
landlord in Farquhar's " Beaux' Stratagem." 
It is the F. form of ML. Bonifacius, a frequent 
proper name, meaning 'beneficent,' < L. bo- 
nus, good, + facere, do.] A landlord or inn- 
keeper. 
bonification (bon"i-fi-ka'shon), n. [< ML. as 
if *bonificatio(n-), < bonificare: see bonify.'] If. 
Amelioration ; betterment. 
Mr. Ivecker, in his discourse, proposes, among his boni- 
fications of revenue, the suppression of our two free ports 
of Bayonne and I/Orient. 
Je/erson, Correspondence, II. 462. 
2. The paying of a bonus. N. E. D. 
622 
< facere, make. Cf. benefit.'] To convert into 
good; make good; ameliorate: as, "to bonifie 
evils," Cudworth, Intellectual System. [Bare.] 
boniness (bo'ni-nes), . [< bony + -ness.] The 
state or quality of being bony. 
A painful reminder of the exceeding boninesfi of Orem- 
llitz's knuckles. The Century, XXVIII. 89. 
boning, borning (bo'ning, bor'ning), n. [Verbal 
n. of bone 2 , born 2 , and thus prob. orig. botirn- 
ing : see bone 2 .] The act or art of determin- 
ing a level or plane surface or a straight level 
line by the guidance of the eye. Joiners and ma- 
sons "try up" their work by boning with two straight- 
edges, a process which determines whether the surface is 
uneven or is a true plane. Surveyors and architects per- 
form the operation by means of poles, called boning- or 
borning-rods, set up at certain distances. These are ad- 
justed to the required line by looking along their vertical 
surfaces. Gardeners also employ a similar simple device 
in laying out grounds, to guide them in making the sur- 
face level or of regular slope. 
boning-rod (bo'ning-rod), . The rod used in 
boning. See toning. 
bonitarian (bou-i-ta'ri-an), a. [< L. bonitas, 
goodness, bounty (see bounty), + -arian.] Equi- 
table : used to characterize a class or form of 
rights recognized by Boman law, in contra- 
distinction to quiritarian, which corresponds to 
legal in modern law. Bonitarian ownership or 
title, the title or ownership recognized in Roman law by 
the pretors in a person not having absolute legal (or quiri- 
tarian) title, because claiming by an informal transfer, or 
claiming, under some circumstances, by a formal transfer 
made by one not the true owner. It corresponded some- 
what to the equitable ownership recognized by courts of 
equity, as distinguished from legal title at common law. 
bonitary (bon'i-ta-ri), a. Same as bonitarian. 
bonito (bo-ne'to)J n. [Formerly also boneto, 
bonita, boneta, bontito, etc.; = F. bonite, former- 
ly bonito = G. bonit, bonitfisch, < Sp. (Pg.) 60- 
nito, said to be < Ar. bainith, bainis, a bonito, 
but perhaps < Sp. (Pg.) bonito, pretty good, 
good, pretty, dim. of bueno (= Pg. bom), good: 
see boon 3 .] A name applied primarily to pela- 
gic fishes of the family Scombrida;, of a robust 
fusiform shape, and secondarily to others sup- 
posed to resemble them or be related to them. 
(a) A scombrid, Euthymms pelamys, having a bluish back 
and 4 longitudinal brownish bands on the belly. It is an 
inhabitant of the warmer parts of the Atlantic and Indian 
oceans. (6) A scombrid, Sarda mediterranea, distinguished 
Bonito (Sarda tneditcrrattea']. 
(From Report of U. S. Fish Commission.) 
by the oblique stripes on the bluish back and the silvery 
belly. It is the bonito of the American fishermen and mar- 
kets, and the belted bonito of books, (c) A scombrid, 
Sarda chilensis, closely related to the S. mediterranea, but 
occurring in the Pacific ocean. It is everywhere known 
as bonito along the California!! coast, but also miscalled 
Spanish mackerel, skipjack, and tuna, (d) A scombrid, 
Aiixis thazard, with a blue back and silvery belly. The 
second dorsal fin is widely separated from the first, and 
the body is more slender than in Sarda chilensis. It is 
the plain bonito of the English, but called along the New 
England coast frigate mackerel, (e) A carangid, Seriola 
.faeciata; the madregal. [Bermuda.] (/) A fish of the 
family Elacatidie, Elacate Canada, so called about Chesa- 
peake Bay ; the cobia. [U.S. (Chesapeake Bay).] See cut 
under cobia. 
bonityt, n. [< L. bonitas, goodness : see bounty, 
an older form from the same source.] Good- 
ness. Hacket. 
Bonjean's ergotine. See ergotine. 
bon jour (F. pron. b6n zho'r). [F. : bon, good ; 
jour, day: see bon* and journal.'] Good day; 
good morning. 
bon mot (F. pron. bon mo) ; pi. bons mots (b6n 
mo, or, us E., moz). [F. : bon, good ; mot, word : 
see bon* and mot.] A witticism; a clever or 
witty saying; a witty repartee. 
Some of us have written down several of her sayings, or 
what the French call bans mats, wherein she excelled be- 
yond belief. Swift, Death of Stella. 
You need not hurry when the object is only to prevent 
my saying a bon-mot, for there is not the least wit in my 
nature. Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, ix. 
bonnage, . See bonage. 
bonnailet, " Same as bonally. 
+ forma, form.] Having ,,..0 UO ,I,IUK ui guuu- 
ness ; akin to what is good or to the chief good 
[Bare.] 
Knowledge and truth may likewise both be said to be 
boniform things. Cudworth, Intellectual System. 
bonify (bon'i-fi), v. t.-. pret. and pp. bonified, 
ppr. bonifying. [< F. bonifier, < ML. bonificare, 
make good or better, < L. bonus, good, + -ftcare, 
a [<l Units, good, b ? n ? e , ( A bo ?)v,f- C F '' fe . m ' of 6 ?",', g d: se e 
ing the nature of food- bon " ] A chlld s nursemald > especially a French 
nurse. 
bonne bouche (bon bosh); pi. bonnes bouches 
(bon bosh). [F.: see bonne and bouche.] A 
choice mouthful of food ; a dainty morsel : said 
especially of something very excellent reserved 
to the end of a repast. [In French use, as an idiom- 
atic phrase, bmine bouche signifies an agreeable taste in 
the mouth.] 
bonnet 
bonnet (bon'et), n. [Early mod. E. also bonet, 
< ME. bonet, bonette, bonat, < OF. bonet, bonnet, 
bounet, mod. F. bonnet (= Pr. boneta = Sp. bo- 
nete ; cf. D. bonnet = MHG. bonit = Gael, bo- 
naid; ML. bonctus, bonetum,a,lso boneta, bonneta), 
bonnet, cap (hence the naut. sense, ME. bonet, 
< OF. bonette, F. bonnette, bonnet) ; prop, the 
name of a stuff (ML. bonetus, bonnetus, bonetum, 
bonnetiim) of which the thing (chapel de bonet, 
hat or cap of bonet) was made. Perhaps of 
Eastern origin ; cf . Hind, bdnat, woolen cloth, 
broadcloth.] 1. A covering for the head, worn 
by men and boys, and differing from a hat 
chiefly in having no brim ; a cap, usually of 
some 89ft material. In Scotland the term is applied 
to any kind of cap worn by men, but specifically to the 
distinctively Scotch closely woven and seamless caps of 
wool, usually of a dark-blue color, known as tilengarrys 
(worn by the Highland regiments in undress uniform), bid- 
morals, braid bonnets, kilmarnocke, etc. 
Off goes his bonnet to an oyster-wench. 
Shak., Rich. II., 1. 4. 
2. A form of hat or head-covering worn by 
women out of doors. It incloses the head more or 
less at the sides and generally the back, and is usually 
trimmed with some elaborateness, and tied on the head 
with ribbons. It differs from a hat of ordinary form 
especially in having no brim. 
A sudden scud of rain . . . fixed all her thoughts on the 
welfare of her new straw bonnet. 
Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey, p. 128. 
3. The cap, usually of velvet, within the me- 
tallic part of a crown, covering the head when 
the crown is worn. 4. In fort., a small work 
with two faces, having only a parapet with two 
rows of palisades about 10 or 12 feet apart. 
Generally it is raised above the salient angle of the coun- 
terscarp, and communicates with the covered way. Its 
object is to retard 
a lodgment by be- \ 
siegers, or to pre- 
vent one from being 
made. 
5. Naut., an ad- 
dition to a sail, 
or an additional 
part laced to the 
foot of a sail. 
A storm jib, with 
the bonnet off, was 
bent and furled to 
the boom. 
R. H. Dana, Jr., 
[Before the Mast, 
[p. 260. 
6. A cast-iron 
plate covering 
the openings in 
the valve-chambers of a pump. 7. A frame 
of wire netting over the chimney of a locomo- 
tive engine to prevent the escape of sparks: 
used chiefly in engines which burn wood. [U. 
S.] 8. In mining, a shield or cover over the 
cage to protect the miners in case anything 
should fall down the shaft. 9. A cowl or 
wind-cap for a chimney; a hood for ventila- 
tion. 10. The hood over the platform of a 
railroad-car. 11. A sliding lid or cover for a 
hole in an iron pipe. 12. A protuberance oc- 
curring chiefly on the snout of one of the right 
whales. It appears to be primitively smooth, 
but becomes honeycombed by the barnacles 
which attach themselves to it. 13. A decoy ; 
a player at a gaming-table, or bidder at an auc- 
tion, whose business it is to lure others to play or 
buy : so called because such a person figurative- 
ly bonnets or blinds the eyes of the victims. 
When a stranger appears, the bonnet generally wins. 
London Times. 
14. A local name in Florida of the yellow 
water-lily, Nuphar advena. Bonnet a prdtre, or 
priest's bonnet, in. fort., an outwork having at the head 
three salient and two reentrant angles. Also called steal- 
lowtail. Braid bonnet, a thick, closely woven Scotch 
cap of wool, usually of a dark- blue color, and surmounted 
by a bob or stumpy tasse of a different color. It is round 
in shape, the upper part being much wider than the band, 
or part which fits the head. Coal-scuttle bonnet. See 
coal-scuttle. Kllmarnock bonnet, a cap of similar make 
to the braid bonnet, but less wide at the top, and furnished 
with a peak of the same material : so called because made 
extensively at Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. To have a bee 
In one's bonnet. See be*\. To have a green bon- 
nett, to have failed in trade.- To vail (or vale) the 
bonnett, to doff the bonnet in iv^m i. 
bonny Ewe tree, 
Needes to thy boughs will bow this knee and taile my 
bonnet. Nash; Strange Newes (1592), sig. D 2. 
bonnet (bou'et), K. [< bonnet, n.] I. trans. To 
force the bonnet or hat over the eyes of, with 
the view of mobbing or hustling. 
Bomu't him by knocking bis hat over his eyes, and he is 
at the mercy of bis opponent. 
0. W. Holmes, Elsie Venner, xxiii. 
