boscage 
634 
bushes ; full of thickets. 
This is Britain : a little island with little lakes, little 
rivers, quiet bosky fields, but mighty interests and power 
that reach round the world. The Century, XXVII. 102. 
In lowliest depths of bosky dells 
The hermit Contemplation dwells. 
Whittier, Questions of Life. 
2. In old /, probably, food or sustenance for potamia, who dwelt upon the mountains, never 
cattle which is yielded by bushes and trees. occupied a house, lived entirely on herbs, and 
bosch, a. See lioslt*. devoted their whole time to the worship of 
boschbok, boshbok (bosh'bok; D. pron. bosk'- God in prayers and hymns. Sometimes called 
bok), n. [I). boscMok, < boxcli, wood, =E. busli 1 , Grazers. 
+ bok=:E.biick 1 .] A name given by the Dutch bosky (bos'ki), a. [< bosk + -y 1 . Cf. busky, 
colonists to an antelope of the genus Tragela- bushy.] Woody; consisting of or covered with 
phux, as T. sylvitticus. Also written buslibok. 
boschvark, boshvark (bosh'vark; D. pron. 
bosk'fark), n. [D. boschvark, < bosch, wood, = 
E. bush 1 , + vark, used only in dim. Darken, hog, 
= E. farrow, q. v.] The name given by the 
Dutch colonists to the African bush-hog, bush- 
pig, river-pig, or guinea-pig, as the species of " muun r '<*''"' "' "'" 
aquatic swine of the genus Potamochcerus are Bosmac (bos m-ak), a. and n. \_< Bosnia + -ac.] 
variously called. p. africanus, or P. pictns, is a mid- Same as - Bo *- 
die-sized swine with large, strong, protrusive canine teeth All this petty persecution has made Austrian rule odious 
and penciled ears. among the Bosnians. 
Boselaphus (bos-el'a-fus), n. [NL., irreg. < L. Fortnightly Rev., N. s., XXXIX. 146. 
60,? (Gr. /*%), ox (or rather NL. Bo* as a ge- Bosnian (bos'ni-an), a. and n. [< Bosnia + -an.] 
neric name), + Gr. EAC^O?, stag.] A genus of I. a. Of or pertaining to Bosnia, a nominal 
large bubaliue antelopes, including the nylghau province of Turkey, lying west of Servia, the 
(B. tragocamelus), etc. administration of which was transferred to Aus- 
boshH (bosh), n. [Prob. < F. ebauche (cf. debosh tria-Hungary by the Berlin Congress of 1878. 
and debauch), a sketch, < OF. *esboche = Sp. II. . A native or an inhabitant of Bosnia. 
esbozo = Pg. esboco = It. sbozzo (also, with dif- bosom (buz'um or bo'zum), n. and a. [Early 
ferent prefix, abbozzo), a sketch; with verb, F. mod. E. also bosome, boosome ; < ME. bosom, 
ebaucher, < OF. esbaucher, esbocher = Pg. esbo- bosum, bosem, < AS. bosum, bosm (= OS. bosom = 
<}ar It. sbozzare (also abbozzare, sketch), < pre- OFries. bosm = D. boezem = MLG. buscm, bosem, 
fix s-, es-, L. ex-, out, + bozza, a rough draft, a bosscn, LG. bussem = OHG. buosum, buosam, 
blotch, swelling, =F. bosse, >E. fees* 1 , q. v. Cf. MHG. buosem, buosen, G. busen), bosom; per- 
OD. boetse, bootse, a sketch, D. boetseren, mold, ' 
emboss, of same ult. origin.] A rough sketch; 
haps orig., like fathom, the space between the 
two arms; with formative -sm, < boh, bog, arm: 
see bough 1 .] I. n. 1. The breast; the subcla- 
vian and mammary regions of the thorax of a 
human being; the upper part of the chest. 
And she turn'd her bosom shaken with a sudden storm 
of sighs. Tennyson, Loeksley Hall. 
2. That part of one's clothing which covers the 
(oosh), n. [< lurk, bosh, empty, vain, breast ; especially, that portion of a shirt which 
useless, tutile, void of meaning: a word adopt- covers the bosom, generally made of finer ma- 
ed into E. use from Morier's novel " Ayesha" +<i tv.-- *i- --* 
it frequently occurs in its Turk. 
an outline ; a figure. 
The bosh of an argument, . . . the shadow of a syllo- 
gism. The Student, II. 287. 
To cut a bosh, to make a display ; cut a figure. 
boshHfbosh),?;.*. [<&O8*l,n.] Tocutafigure; 
make a show. Tatter. 
terial than the rest 
And he put his hand into his bosom again ; and plucked 
sense: as, "this firman is bosh nothing."] it out of his bom,,,, and, behold, it waS turned attain as 
Utter nonsense ; absurd or foolish talk or opin- his other flesh. 
ions; stuff; trash. [Colloq.] 
This is what Turks and Englishmen call bosh. 
W. H. Russell. 
I always like to read old Darwin's Loves of the Plants, 
bosh as it is in a scientific point of view. 
Kingsley, Two Years Ago, x. 
bosh 2 (bosh), r. t. [<iosft2, .] To make bosh 
or nonsense of; treat as bosh; spoil; humbug. 
[Slang.] 
bosh. 3 (bosh), n. [See boshes.] 1. See boshes. 
2. A trough in which bloomery tools (or, in 
copper-smelting, hot ingots) are cooled. Ray- 
mond, Mining Glossary. 
bosh 4 , bosch (bosh), n. [Short f or Bosclibutter. 
i. e., imitation butter made at 's Hertogenbosch 
or den Bosch (F. Bois-U-Duc), lit. 'the duke's 
wood,' a city of the Netherlands : D. boxch = 
E. bush 1 .] A kind of imitation butter; butter- 
ine : a trade-name in England. 
boshah (bosh'ii), n. [Turk.] A silk handker- 
chief made in Turkey, 
boshes (bosh'ez), n. pi. [Cf. G. boschung, a "or, tne inmost recess, etc. : as, the bosom of 
slope, < bdsclwn, slope, < G. dial. (Swiss) bosch, tno earth or of the deep. 
turf, sod.] The lower part of a blast-furnace) Upon the bosom of the ground. 
extending from the widest part to the top of the 
hearth. In the older forms of blast-furnace there was a 
marked division into specific zones. In many of the more 
approved modern forms there are no such definite limits 
but a gradual curvature from top to bottom. In such 
cases it is difficult to say where the boshes begin or end 
Bpsjesman (bosh'ez-man), n. [S. African D.] 
Ex. iv. 7. 
3. The inclosure formed by the breast and the 
arms; hence, embrace; compass; inclosure: as, 
to lie in one's bosom. 
They which live within the bosom of that church. 
Hooker. 
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was car- 
ried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. Luke xvi. 22. 
4. The breast as the supposed abode of tender 
affections, desires, and passions. 
Their soul was poured out into their mothers' bosom. 
Lam. ii. 12. 
Anger resteth in the bosom of fools. Eccl. vii. 9. 
Hence the weighing of motives must always be confined 
to the bosom of the individual. Jevons, Polit. Econ., p. 16. 
5\. Inclination ; desire. 
You shall have your bosom on this wretch. 
Shak., M. forM., iv. B. 
6. Something regarded as resembling or repre- 
senting in some respect the human bosom as a 
sustaining surface, an inclosed place, the inte- 
Same as bushman, 2. 
bosk (bosk), n. [< ME. boske, also biiske, unas- 
nlated forms of bush 1 , q. v. Cf . boscage, bosky.] 
Shak., K. John, iv. 1. 
Slips into the botom of the lake. Tennyson, Princess, vii. 
7. A recess or shelving depression around the 
eye of a millstone._in Abraham's bosom, in the 
abode of the blessed : in allusion to the parable of Dives 
and Lazarus, Luke xvi. 19-31. In the bosom of one's 
family, in the privacy of one's home, and in the enjoy- 
ment of family affection and confidence. To take to 
one's bosom, to marry. 
II. a. [The noun used attributively.] Of 
or pertaining to the bosom, either literally or 
figuratively. In particular (a) Worn or carried on or 
in the bosom : as, a bosom brooch, (fi) Cherished in the 
bosom : as, a botom sin ; a bosom secret, (c) Intimate ; 
familiar; confidential: as, a bosom friend. 
I know you are his ftotfom-counsellor. 
Fletcher and Rowley, Maid in the Mill, ii. 2. 
The bosome admonition of a Friend is a Presbytery and 
a Consistory to them. Milton, Ref. in Eng., i. 
Blowing bosks of wilderness. Tennyson, Princess, i. 
The wondrous elm that seemed 
To my young fancy like an airy bosk, 
Poised by a single stem upon the earth 
J. G. Holland, Kathrina, i. 
boskage, n. See boscage. 
bosket, bosquet (bos'ket), n. [< F. bosquet (= bosom (buz'um or bo'zum), v. t. [< bosom, n.] 
bp. bosquete = It. boschetto), dim. of OF. bos a * To inc l se > harbor, or cherish in the bosom ; 
thicket: see bois, bosk, bush 1 , and cf bouquet em1:) race ; keep with care ; cherish intimately, 
and boscage. ] A grove ; a thicket or small plan- 
tation m a garden, park, etc., formed of trees, 
shrubs, or tall plants. Also written busket. 
nnolnnaocj ^li^va'H **,\ -. p/ J, rte( r. i 
fnu Lca /j " o uuxKy T -ttess.i 
Ihe quality of being bosky, or covered with 
thickets. 
Boskoi (bos'koi), n. pi. [Gr. fioanoi, pi of 0o- 
OKOS, a herdsman, < fUoiutv, feed, graze.] 
ancient body of monks in Palestine and Meso- 
An 
Bosom up my counsel, 
You'll find it wholesome. Shak., Hen. VIII., i. 1. 
rom the lion's hug his 6osom'<i whelp. J. Baillie. 
2 ' T con ceal; hide from view ; embosom. 
To happy convents, bosom'd deep in vines. 
Pope, Dunciad, iv. 301. 
bosom-board (buz'um-bord), n. A board upon 
which the bosom of a shirt or other garment is 
ironed. 
boss 
bosomer (buz'um-tT or bo'zum-er), n. One who 
or that which embosoms. [Rare.] 
Blue ! "J'is the life of heaven the domain 
Of Cynthia . . . the bosomer of clouds. 
Keats, Sonnet. 
bosom-spring (buz'um-spring), n. A spring 
rising in the bosom or heart ; heart-spring ; 
heart-joy. [Bare.] 
From thee that bosom-sprinrr of rapture flows 
Which only Virtue, tranquil Virtue, knows. 
Rogers, Pleasures of Memory, ii. 
bosom-staff (buz'um-staf), n. An instrument 
for testing the symmetry of the bosom or cen- 
tral concavity of a millstone. 
bosomy (buz'um-i or bo'zum-i), a. [< bosom 
+ -y 1 .] Full of sheltered recesses or hollows. 
A T . E. D. 
boson 1 (bp'sn), n. A corruption of boatswain, 
representing its common pronunciation. 
The merry boson from his side 
His whistle takes. 
Dryden, Albion and Albanius, ii. 3. 
boson 2 t, n. [Appar. < OF. *bogon, dim. of boce, 
a boss: see boss 1 .] A bolt for the crossbow, 
haying a round knob at the end, with a small 
point projecting from it. 
bosporian (bos-po'ri-an), a. [< bosporus + 
-i-an.] Pertaining to a bosporus, particularly 
(with a capital) to the Thraeian or the Cim- 
merian Bosporus, or to the Greek kingdom of 
Bosporus named from the latter (about 500 
B. c. to A. D. 259). 
The Alans forced the Bosporian kings to pay them 
tribute, and exterminated the Taurians. Tooke. 
bosporus (bos'po-rus), n. [L., sometimes in 
erroneous form bosphorus, < Gr. j-iocnropof, a 
name applied to several straits, for /3oof Tr6pof, 
lit. ox's ford (cf. E. Oxford, < AS. Oxenaford, 
oxen's ford) : /feof, gen. of /?<%, an ox (see Bos) ; 
iropof, passage, ford (akin to E. ford) ( > E. pore), 
< irepav, pass over, cross, = E. fare, go : see 
fare, pore%.] A strait or channel between two 
seas, or between a sea and a lake. More particu- 
larly applied as a proper name to the strait between the 
sea of Marmora and the Black Sea, formerly the Thraeian 
Bosporus, and to the strait of Yenikale, or Cimmerian Bos- 
porus, which connects the sea of Azov with the Black Sea 
bosquet, . See bosket. 
boss 1 (bos), n. [< ME. bos, bose, boce, a boss, < 
OF. boce , the boss of a buckler, a botch or boil, 
F. bossc, boss, hump, swelling, = Pr. bossa = 
It. bozza, a blotch, swelling (also OF. (Norm.) 
boche, > ME. bocche, E. botch 1 , q. v.); prob. < 
OHG. bozo, a bundle (of flax), boz, a blow, < 
bozan, MHG. bozen, G. bosseti, strike, beat, = E. 
beat 1 : see beat 1 . Ct. emboss.] 1. A protuber- 
ant part ; a round, swelling process or excres- 
cence on the body or upon some organ of an 
animal or plant. Hence 2f. (a) A hump or 
hunch on the back; a humpback. (6) A bulky 
animal, (c) A fat woman. 
Be she neuer so straight, thinke her croked. And wrest 
all parts of hir body to the worst, be she neuer so worthy. 
If shee be well sette, then call hir a Ilosse, if slender a 
Hasill twygge. Lylg, Euphues, Anat. of Wit, p. 115. 
Disdainful Turkess and unreverend boss ! 
Marlmee, Tamburlfcine, I., iii. 3. 
3. A stud or knob. Specifically, a knob or protuberant 
ornament of silver, ivory, or other material, used on bri- 
dles, harness, the centers of ancient shields, etc., or af- 
fixed to any object. Bosses are placed at regular inter- 
vals on the sides of some book-covers, for the purpose of 
preserving the gilding or the leather of the cover from 
abrasion. 
He runneth . . . upon the thick bosses of his bucklers. 
Job xv. 26. 
On the high altar is placed the Statue of the B. Virgin 
and our Saviour in white marble, which has a bonne in the 
girdle consisting of a very faire and rich sapphire, with 
divers other stones of price. Evelyn, Diary, Oct. 4, 1041. 
A number of prominent crags and bosses of rock project 
beyond the general surface of the ground. 
Geikie, Ice Age, p. 17. 
4. In sculp., a projecting mass to be after- 
ward cut or carved. 5. In arch., an ornament 
] 
A B 
Architectural Bosses. French. i3th century. 
A, from sanctuary of the collegiate church of Semur-en-Auxois. B 
from the refector, of the Abbey of St. Martin des Champs, Paris 
(From Viollet-le-Duc's "Diet, de 1'Architecture.") 
placed at the intersection of the ribs or groins 
in vaulted or flat roofs, sometimes richly sculp- 
