Borassus 
cious palms, containing a single species, a na- 
tive of Africa and extensively cultivated in the 
East Indies. See palmyra. 
borate (bo'rat), . [< bor(ax) + -ate 1 .'] A salt 
formed by a combination of boracic acid with 
any base. 
boratto (bo-rat'6), . [Also borato, boratta (cf. 
D. borat, a kind of wool or woolen thread) ; < It. 
buratto, a thin fabric : see 6oM 2 .] A stuff woven 
of silk and wool, used in the time of Elizabeth : 
perhaps identical with bombazine. Falrholt. 
borax (bo'raks), n. [In this form < ML. borax; 
early mod. E. boras, borras, borace, borrace, < 
ME. boras, < OF. boras, borras, bourras, mod. 
F. borax = Sp. borraj, earlier borrax, = Pg. bo- 
rax = It. borrace = G. Dam. Sw. borax, < ML. 
borax (borac-), borac, boracum, bauracli, < Ar. 
boraq, buraq, bauraq, borax, prop, natron, < 
Pers. burah, borax; by some referred to Ar. 
baraqa, shine, glisten.] Sodium tetraborate 
orpyroborate, Na 2 B 4 O 7 + 10H 2 O, a salt formed 
by the union of boracic acid and soda, it is 
a white crystalline solid, slightly soluble in cold water, 
having a sweetish alkaline taste. It occurs in nature in 
solution in the water of lakes in Tibet, Tatary, China, and 
California, and is obtained from these waters by evapora- 
tion and crystallization. The United States is now almost 
wholly supplied with borax from California. Borax is 
also prepared artificially from soda and boracic acid. It is 
much used as a flux in assaying operations, and for clean- 
ing the surfaces of difficultly fusible metals previous to 
soldering, since when melted it dissolves the metallic oxids 
which form on their surfaces when heated. It is also used 
in glass and enamel manufacture : as an antiseptic, par- 
ticularly in foods, because its action on the system is fee- 
ble even in comparatively large doses ; and as a detergent. 
Crude borax is also called tineai. Glass Of borax. 
See alas*. Honey of borax. See honey. 
Borborite (b&r'bo-rit), . [< LL. Borboritce, < 
LGr. ftopftopiiTai, pi., < Gr. f)6pj3opo(, mud, mire, 
filth.] A nickname for certain Ophitic Gnos- 
tics, and also in general for one who holds or 
is supposed to hold filthy or immoral doctrines : 
in modern times specifically applied to a branch 
of the Mennonites. 
borborygm (bor'bo-rim), . Same as borboryg- 
mus. 
borborygmus (b6r-bo-rig'mus), n. [NL., < Gr. 
fiop^opv)'fi6f, < fiop{}opv&iii, have a rumbling in 
the bowels; cf. nopnopvyfioi; and Kopnopvyi], of 
same sense; imitative words.] The rumbling 
noise caused by wind within the intestines. 
Borcharclt's functions, modulus. See the 
nouns. 
bord 1 t, An obsolete or dialectal form of 
board. 
bord 2 t, n. Same as bourdl. 
bord 3 (bord), . A striped material for gar- 
ments, made in the Levant. 
bordage 1 (bor'daj), n. [< F. bordage, < bord, a 
ship's side, + -age: see board and -age.'] The 
planking on a ship's side. 
bordage- (bor'daj), n. [Law F. (LL. borda- 
gium), < OF. borde, a hut, cot (see bordar), + 
-age.] Under the Norman kings of England, 
the tenure by which a bordar held his cot ; the 
services due by a bordar to his lord. 
bordalisaundert, n. [ME., also boord, borde, 
burd alisaundre, bourde de Alisaundre, etc., i. e., 
'border (embroidery) of Alexandria,' Alexan- 
drian work, so named from Alexandria in 
Egypt.] A stuff used in the middle ages, prob- 
ably of silk, or silk and wool, and striped. Also 
burdaUsaunder. 
bordar, . [Also border ; < ML. bordarius, cot- 
tager, < borda (> OF. borde = Pr. Cat. borda = 
Sp. It. borda), a cottage, hut, perhaps < Teut. 
(AS. etc.) bord, a board: see board.'] In Nor- 
man times, in England, a villein who held a 
cot at his lord's pleasure, usually with a small 
holding of land in the open field, for which he 
rendered menial service ; a cottar. 
bordet, . A Middle English form of board. 
Bordeaux (bor-do'), . 1. A general term for 
the wines, both red and white, produced in 
the region about Bordeaux, France, including 
several departments, among which Gironde is 
preeminent ; specifically, any of the red wines 
of this region, commonly known in English as 
clarets. 2. A general name of azo-dyes from 
the azo derivatives of naphthyl amine. They 
are of a vinous red color. 
bordelt (bor'del), n. [< ME. bordel, < OF. bar- 
del = Pr. Pg. bordel = Sp. burdel = It. bordello, 
< ML. bordellum, a brothel, orig. a little hut, 
dim. of borda, > OF. borde: see bordar. Bor- 
del has been displaced by brothel?, q. v.] A 
brothel ; a bawdy-house ; a house devoted to 
prostitution. 
Making even his own house a stew, a bordel, and a school 
of lewdness. South. 
630 
bordelert (b&r'del-er), H. [ME., also bordiller, 
< OF. bordclei; bordclier, < bordel : see bordel.] 
The keeper of a brothel. Gower. 
bordello (bor-del'6), . [It.] Same as bordel. 
B. Jonson; Milton. 
border (bor'der), n. and a. [Early mod. E. 
also bordure, Sc. bordour: < ME. border, bor- 
dure, bordeure, earliest form bordure, < OF. 
bordure, earlier bordeure, mod. F. bordwe = Pr. 
Sp. Pg. bordadura = It. bordatura, < ML. bor- 
datttra, border, edging, < *bordare (pp. borda- 
tus) (> It. bordare = Sp. Pg. Pr. bordar = F. 
border), edge, border, < bordusC>H. Sp. bordo = 
Pg. borda = F. bord), edge, side, < Teut. (AS. 
etc.) bord, edge, side, mixed with bord, aboard: 
see board, where the two orig. forms are dis- 
tinguished. In termination, border is parallel 
phonetically with armor, the earlier accented 
suffix -ure having weakened under loss of ac- 
cent to -er, -or.] I. n. 1. A side, edge, brink, 
or margin; a limit or boundary. 
Take heed to yourselves, that ye go not up into the 
mount, or touch the border of it. Ex. xix. 12. 
2. The line which separates one country, state, 
or province from another; a frontier line or 
march. 
In bringing his border into contact with that of the 
Danelaw, Eadward announced that the time of rest was 
over, and that a time of action had begun. 
J. R. Green, Conq. of Eng., p. 188. 
3. The district or territory which lies along the 
edge or boundary-line of a country ; the fron- 
tier ; specifically, in the plural, the marches or 
border districts: hence, in English and Scot- 
tish history, "the borders," the districts ad- 
joining the line separating the two countries. 
These outlaws, as I may call them, who robbed upon the 
borders. Bj>. Patrick, Com. on Genesis, xlvi. 34. 
4. Territory; domain. 
The Lord thy God shall enlarge thy border. Deut. xii. 20. 
5. Figuratively, a limit, boundary, or verge; 
brink: as, he is on the border of threescore; 
driven by disaster to the border of despair; 
"in the borders of death," Barrow, Works, III. 
xvii. 6. A strip, band, or edging surrounding 
any general area or plane surface, or placed 
along its margin, and differing from it by some 
well-defined character, as in material, color, 
design, or purpose. () A narrow bed or strip of 
ground in a garden inclosing a portion of it, and gen- 
erally divided from it by a path or walk. (6) Ornamental 
work surrounding a printed page, a handbill, a drawing, 
etc., the black band around mourning stationery, or the 
like, (e) A piece of ornamental trimming about the edge 
of a garment, a cap, etc. In the seventeenth century, and 
perhaps earlier, borders of garments were made detach- 
able, similar to the apparels of the alb, and could be trans- 
ferred from one garment to another ; they were then rich- 
ly embroidered, and are especially mentioned in wills and 
inventories. 
And beneath the cap's border gray mingles with brown. 
Whittier, The Quaker Alumni. 
(<?) In her., the outer edge of the field when of different 
tincture from the center. Its width is uniform, and 
should be one fifth the width of the 
field. French heralds consider the bor- 
der as one of the ordinaries ; in English 
heraldry it is sometimes a mark of dif- 
ference. The border always covers the 
end of any ordinary, as the chevron, f ess, 
etc. When a coat of arms is impaled 
with another, if either of them has a 
border, it is not carried along the pale, 
but surrounds the outside of the field 
only. The border when charged with 
r i i 
A Border Paly. 
an ordinary shows only so much of the ordinary as comes 
naturally upon that part of the field occupied by the bor- 
der ; thus, the cut represents a border paly of six pieces, 
azure and argent. 
7t. A plait or braid of hair worn round the fore- 
head. 
I did try two or three borders and periwigs, meaning to 
wear one. Pepys, Diary, May 9, 1063. 
8. In milling, a hoop, rim, or curb about a bed- 
stone or bed-plate, which prevents the meal 
from falling off except at the proper opening. 
9. pi. The portions of scenery in a theater 
which hang from above and represent foliage, 
clouds, beams, etc Alveolar border. See alveo- 
lar. Mitered border, in a hearth, the edging about the 
slab-stone. = Syn. Bouiids, Confines, etc. See boundary. 
II. a. Of or pertaining to the border of a 
country. Specifically () In England and Scotland, of 
or pertaining to " the borders " of those countries : as, the 
border barons ; border thieves, (b) In the United States, 
of or pertaining to the frontier-line between the settled 
and unsettled parts of the country : as, a border quarrel. 
Border ruffian, in U. S. hist., one of the proslavery 
party in Missouri, who in 1854-58 habitually crossed the 
border into Kansas for the purpose of voting illegally and 
of intimidating free-State colonists. 
border (bor'der), v. [Early mod. E. also bor- 
dure, Sc. bordour ; < ME. borduren, bourduroi, 
border; from the noun. Cf. braider, brouder.] 
I. trans. 1. To make a border about; adorn 
bord-lode 
with a border: as, to border a garment or a 
garden. 
Rivulets bordered with the softest grass. 
T. n'arton, Hist. Eng. Poetry. 
2. To form a border or boundary to. 3. To 
lie on the border of; be contiguous to; ad- 
join ; lie next. 
Sheba and Raamah border the Persian Gulf. Raleigh. 
4f. To confine or keep within bounds ; limit. 
That nature, which contemns its origin, 
Cannot be border'd certain in itself. 
Shak., Lear, iv. 2. 
II. intrans. To have a contiguous boundary 
or dividing line; abut exteriorly: with on or 
upon : as, the United States border on the two 
great oceans. 
Virtue and Honour had their temples bordering on 
each other and are sometimes both on the same coin. 
Addition, Dialogues on Medals, ii. 
To border on or upon, figuratively, to approach closely 
in character; verge on ; resemble closely: as, his conduct 
borders upon vulgarity. 
Wit which borders upon profaneness . . . deserves to 
be branded as folly. Tillotxon, Works (ed. 1728), I. 33. 
bordered (bor'derd), p. a. [< border + -ed?.~\ 
Having a border : specifically, in math., applied 
to a determinant formed from another by adding 
one or more rows and columns. Thus, a bordered 
symmetrical determinant is a determinant formed by add- 
ing a row and column to a symmetrical determinant. 
borderer (bor'der-er), . [Early mod. E. (Sc.) 
also bordurer, bonrdurer : < late ME. borderer ; 
< border + -er 1 .] 1. One who dwells on a bor- 
der, or at the extreme part or confines of a 
country, region, or tract of land; one who 
dwells near to a place. 2. One who approach- 
es near to another in any relation. [Bare.] 
The poet is the nearest borderer upon the orator. 
B. Jonson, Discoveries. 
3. One who makes borders or bordering. 
bordering (b6r'der-ing), n. [Verbal n. of bor- 
der, K.] 1. The act of making a border, or of 
surrounding with a border. 2. Material for 
a border; a border of any kind; particularly, 
an ornamental band of paper placed around the 
upper part of the walls of a room. 
bordering-wax (bor'der-ing-waks), n. Wax 
used by etchers and aquatint engravers for 
forming a bordering about plates which are to 
be etched, to retain the acid, it is made of s parts 
of Burgundy pitch to 1 part of yellow beeswax. To these 
ingredients, when melted, sweet oil is added, and, after 
cooling, the mixture is poured into water. 
border-knife (bor'der-nlf), . A knife with a 
convex blade fixed at the end of a long handle, 
used to trim the edges of sods; an edging- 
knife or sod-cutter. 
border-land (bor'der-land), n. Land forming a 
border or frontier ; an uncertain intermediate 
district or space : often used figuratively. 
The indefinite border-land between the animal and vege- 
table kingdoms. H. Spencer, First Principles. 
border-lights (bor'der-litz), n. pi. The row of 
gaslights behind the borders in a theater. 
border-plane (bor'der -plan), . A joiner's 
edging-plane. 
border-tower (b6r'der-tou"er), n. A small 
fortified post, consisting usually of a high square 
tower with a flat roof and battlements, and one 
or more machicolated protections for the gate, 
drawbridge, and the like, and surrounded by a 
strong wall inclosing a court. Such dwellings, for- 
merly occupied by petty landowners in exposed positions, 
are frequent along the border between Scotland and Eng- 
land : hence the name. 
border-warrant (bor'der-wor'ant), n. In Scots 
law, a warrant issued by the judge ordinary, 
on the borders between Scotland and England, 
on the application of a creditor, for arresting 
the effects of a debtor residing on the English 
side of the border, and detaining him until he 
finds caution that he shall sist himself in judg- 
ment in any action which may be brought for 
the debt within six months. 
bord-halfpennyt, n. Same as burgh-halfpenny. 
bord-landt, . [A ME. law term, appar. < bord, 
a table, board (but prob. with ref. to bordnr/e 2 , 
q. v.), -f- land.'] In feudal lair, a term of un- 
certain meaning, defined, from the apparent 
etymology, as the demain laud which a lord 
kept in his hands for the maintenance of his 
board or table, but more probably land held 
by a tenant in bordage. 
bord-lodet, [A ME. law term, appar. < bord, 
a table, board (but prob. with ref. to bordage 2 , 
q. v.), + lode, a leading, conveyance.] in feudal 
law, some service due by a tenant to his lord, 
involving the carrying of wood, etc., to the 
lord's house. 
