breeding 
of a species or variety with another, with a 
view to improve the breed. See arWMfMdMy 
and in-antl-in. 3. Upbringing; nurture; edu- 
cation; hmtruction. 
slit- had her breeding at my father's charge. 
Shak., All's Well, II. 8. 
4. Deportment or behavior in social life ; man- 
ners, especially good manners : as, good breed- 
iitfj (politeness); a man of no lircnliiiti (that is. 
a very ill-bred man). 
As men of 6v. -/,/,</. >n]iietimen men of wit, 
'I" avoid great errors, must the less commit. 
/'"/"', Essay on Criticism, I. 259. 
In society his gooi! '</ <tin-i and vivacity made him al- 
ways uelriiiiir. Min-itulnjt, Dramatists of the Restoration. 
6f. Descent; extraction. 
Honest ucntleinan, I know not your breeding. 
Shot., 2 Hen. IV., v. 8. 
Breeding In the line, breeding from animals of the same 
variety, but of different parentage. = 8yn. 1. Generation, 
production. 2. Raising. 3. Training, discipline. 
breeding-cage (bre'ding-kaj), n. 1. A contri- 
vance used by entomologists for rearing in- 
sects in captivity, as a box of wire netting, a 
jar covered with cloth, or any similar arrange- 
ment. 2. A large cage, with a box, pan, or 
compartment for a nest, in which a pair of 
birds are placed for breeding in captivity. 
breeding-pen (bre' ding-pen), . I. A pen or 
inclosure, or a yard with the necessary house 
for shelter, in which animals or poultry are 
confined for the purpose of producing pure- 
bred stock. 2. At exhibitions of poultry, a 
certain number of females, commonly four, but 
sometimes five, shown, together with a male, in 
competition for a prize. 
breedlingt (bred'ling), n. [< breed + -ling* ] A 
native ; an inhabitant. 
Over most sad fens, all the way observing the sad life 
which the people of the place which, if they be born 
there, they do call the Breedlingi of the place do live. 
Ptpys, Diary, Sept. 17, 1683. 
breek 1 , n. Scotch, northern English, and ob- 
solete form of breech. 
breek 2 t, . An obsolete or dialectal variant of 
break or breach. 
breeks (breks), a. pi. Scotch and northern Eng- 
lish form of breeches. 
I have linen breekt on. /'. Jonton, Magnetick Lady, v. 4. 
breeme 1 t, n. An old spelling of bream 1 . 
breeme' 2 t, See brim*. 
breer 1 . brere (brer), . [= brier, q. v.] A com- 
mon English name for the blackberry, Rubux 
friiticimitu, and the dogrose, Kosa canina : hence 
Brerecliff, Brerecroft, and other names of places. 
The amorous birds now pair in every brake, 
And build their mossy homes in field and brere. 
SheUey, AdonaU, viii. 
breer 2 (brer), n. and r. [Sc.] Same as braird. 
breese, . See breeze*. 
675 
brim 1 . Ct. Skt. bhramara, a large black bee, 
perhaps from the same root.] A gadfly; a 
horse-fly; specifically, one of certain strong- 
bodied dipterous insects of the family Tatia- 
nidtv. There are many species. The lams live In niolit 
ground, and are subaquatlc. The black breeie, Tabanii* 
HI ruin t ( Fuhrii-iiis), Is one of the largest North American 
species. Also called breeze-jly. 
But he them all from him full lightly swept, 
As doth a Steare, in heat of sommers day, 
With his long tuile the bryzei brush away. 
Speiuer, K. Q., VI. i. J4 
Runs like a heifer bitten with the brize 
About the court. B. Jonton, New Inn, v. 1. 
breeze 1 !, r. i. [< breeze*, n.] To buzz. 
breeze 2 (brez), n. [Early mod. E. also brize, 
briegg; = Q. brige = Dan. brig, < F. brize, now 
brige. a breeze, = Sp. briga = Pg. briza, the 
northeast wind ; of . It. brezza, a cold wind ; pos- 
sibly same as bise, q. v., with intrusive -r.] 1. 
A moderately brisk wind ; a movement of air 
not so strong as a gale : as, a refreshing breeze ; 
a stiff breeze at sea. 
The heat of Summer [In Virginia) Is In Jane, July and 
August, but commonly a cool Brit** asswages the velie- 
mency of the heat. 
S. Clarke, Plantations of the English In America 
[(1670), p. 5. 
From land a gentle breeze arose at night. Dryften. 
2. A noisy quarrel; a disturbance; a row. 
[Colloq.] 
The marine went forward and gave the order ; and Jem- 
my, who expected a breeze, told his wife to behave quietly. 
Marryat, Snarleyyow, I. xv. 
Land-breeze, sea-breeze, breezes blowing respectively 
from the land to or over the sea, and from the sea over 
the land. The former is apt to blow especially by night, 
and the latter by day ; ana in some regions this alterim 
tfon occurs with great regularity. = Byn. Out, etc. Sec 
i'-iitfi, n. 
breeze 2 (brez), v. i. ; pret. and pp. breezed, 
ppr. breezing. [< breeze^, n.] To blow gently. 
[Bare.] To breeze up (nan/.), to blow with greater 
strength ; freshen. 
breeze 8 (brez), n. [= E. dial, briss? (q. v.), dust, 
rubbish, < F. bru, rubbish, fragments, break- 
age, etc., < briner, break: see bruige and brazil. 
and cf. debris. But in sense 2 perhaps < OF. 
brege, cinders, orig. live coals, F. braise, live 
coals: see braise 1 .'] 1. House-sweepings, as 
fluff, dust, ashes, etc. 2. The material sifted 
put from house-ashes, extensively used in burn- 
ing bricks; cinders. [Eng.] 
breeze-fly (brez'fli), n. Same as breeze*. 
breeze-oven (brez'uv'n), n. 1. An oven for 
the manufacture of small coke. 2. A furnace 
designed to consume breeze or coal-dust. 
breezy (bre'zi), a. [< breeze* + -y*.~] 1. Of 
the nature of a breeze ; blowy ; windy. 
The breezy call of incense-breathing morn. 
Gray, Elegy. 
2. Fanned with gentle winds or breezes : as, 
the breezy shore. 3. Figuratively, brisk ; live- 
ly; sprightly: as, a breezy essay. 
The chapter on " Value " is particularly fresh and breezy. 
The American, VIII. 87. 
bregma (breg'ma), M. ; pi. bregmata (-ma-tS). 
[NL., < Gr. Ppfypa, also pptxp a > the front part of 
the head, sinciput, prob. < /Jp^rttv, wet, moisten ; 
perhaps akin to E. rain, q. v.] In anat., the 
junction of the sagittal and coronal sutures of 
the skull ; the anterior f ontanel. it was so named 
because in infants it is soft, and was thought to corre- 
spond with the most humid part of the brain. Also writ- 
ten brechma and brechmus. See cut under i-raniuiitctry. 
Bregmaceros (breg-mas'e-ros), n. [NL., < Gr. 
, the front part of the head, the sinciput, 
, horn.] A genus of anacan thine fishes, 
Black Breeze ( Tahattut atratta). 
a, larva ; *, pupa : f. Imago. (Alt slightly enlarged.) 
breeze 1 (brez), . [Also written breese, early 
mod. E. brize, brizze, brise^ briese, < ME. brese, 
< AS. bredsa, britisa (only in glosses), a gadfly ; 
not found in other tongues, and supposed to 
be an irreg. reduction of 'brimsa (also cited 
as AS., but not well authorized: see brimse, 
brimsey) = MD. bremse, D. brems = OHG. bri- 
ttriMd/MHG. brimse, G. bremse =ODan. brimse, 
bremse, Dan. bremse = Sw. broms, a horse- 
fly; also (without the formative -g) bream = 
OHG. bremo, MHG. G. breme, MD. bremme (see 
bream'-*) ; so named, perhaps, from its buzzing: 
cf. AS. hri'iiimiin, roar, OHG. breman, MHG. 
brcmen, roar, buz/.. MHO. (i. hritninirti, D. brom- 
men, hum, buzz, grumble. L. fremere, roar: see 
Brtfrnacervs atletnticus. 
containing a few small pelagic species, and 
representing in some systems a family Breg- 
macerotida'. 
bregmacerotid (breg'ma-se-rot'id). . A fish 
of the family Bregmacerotidte. 
BregmacerotidsB (breg'ma-se-rot'i-de), n. pi. 
[NL., < Bregmaceros (-rot-) + -ida:.] A family 
of gadoid fishes, typified by the genus Breg- 
maceros. They have a robust caudal portion truncate 
nvex behind, almost without |inx-urrent caudal rays 
above or below, with an antemedian anus, moderate sub- 
brent-goose 
orbitaU, terminal mouth, jugular ventrals abnormally 
cli -v. l.ijird, .in iii-i-lplul ray, a continuous dorsal fln mostly 
confined to the caudul portion, and an anal nearly similar 
to the long dorsal. The few known specie* are of small site, 
and Inhabitants of the high or deep sea* ; their nearest rel- 
atives are supposed to be the codfishe*. 
bregmata, . Plural of br< <//</. 
bregmatic (breg-mat'ik), a. [< bregma(t-) + 
-c.J Of or pertuiniiig to the bregma : as, brea- 
matic tension. 
brehon (bre'hon), . [< Olr. britht-m, a judge, 
Ir. Gael, breitheamli, a judge, < Olr. breth, Ir. 
Gael, breith, f., Olr. Ir. bram, m., judgment, de- 
cision.] One of the ancient hereditary judges 
of Ireland, similar to those of Scotland during 
its Celtic period. 
In the territories of each sent, judges, called Brthotu, 
and taken out of certain families, sat with primeval sim- 
plicity on turfen benches in some conspicuous situation, 
to determine controversies. 
//attain, Const. Hist., III. 390. 
Brehon laws, the ancient system of laws of Ireland. 
These laws, originally unwritten, and developed by the 
brehon*, were largely embodied at an early period in cer- 
tain ancient writings known now as Brehon Tract*. Of 
these two have been translated : the Senefiut Mar, or Great 
Book of the Law, compiled, It is said, by nine " pillars of 
Erin," under the superintendence of St. Patrick ; and the 
Book of Ait-in, containing the wisdom of two of the most 
famous brehons, the "Royal Cormac" and the "Learned 
Cennfaelah." This system of law was not entirely super- 
seded by English laws among the native Irish until about 
1050. 
breithauptite (brit'houp-tit), . [After the 
German mineralogist J. A. F. Breithaupt (1791- 
1873).] An antimonide of nickel occurring in 
hexagonal crystals and also in massive forms. 
It has a copper-red color and brilliant metallic 
luster. 
breitoline (bri'to-lin), n. [Named for the in- 
ventor, L. Breit. ] A musical instrument of the 
violin family, having five metal strings and 
a compass somewhat lower than a viola. It is 
fastened upon a table, like a zither, and played 
with a bow. 
breloque (bre-lok'), . [F. ; origin uncertain.] 
A seal, locket, charm, or other small trinket or 
article of jewelry attached to a watch-chain. 
bremet, a. See brim*. 
bremelyt, adv. See brimly. 
Bremen blue, green, etc. See the nouns. 
bremlyt, adv. See brimly. 
bren't (en-en),?. [< ME. brennen,the usual form 
of burn*, q. v.] An obsolete or dialectal va- 
riant of burn*. 
Closely the wicked flame his tjowels brent. 
Spenter, F. if., III. vll. 16. 
The Romanies this Night (Candlemas Day] went about 
the City of Rome, with Torches and Candle* brrnning in 
Worship of this Woman Febnia, for hope to have the 
more Helpe and Succoure of her sonne Mars. 
J. Brand, In Bourne s Pop. Antlq. (1777), p. 224. 
bren' 2 t, . An obsolete variant of bran*. Chau- 
cer. 
brennage (bren'aj), n. [< OF. brenagc (ML. 
brenagium), < bren, ML. brennium, bran : see 
bran*.'] In old law, a tribute or composition 
which tenants paid to their lord in lieu of bran 
which they were obliged to furnish for his 
hounds. 
brenninglyt, arfc. Burningly ; ardently. Chau- 
cer. 
brent 1 (brent), a. [= brant 1 , q. v.] 1. Steep; 
upright; straight; high. 2. Smooth; unwrin- 
kled : applied to the brow. [Scotch.] 
Your bonnie brow was brent. Burnt, John Anderson. 
Her fair brent brow, smooth a* th' unruukled deep 
When a' the winds are in their caves asleep. Ramtay. 
brent 2 (brent), n. Same as brent-goose. 
brenta (bren'tft), n. [It.] An Italian liquid 
measure, generally equal to about 18 or 19 gal- 
lons. But the brenta of Crema was only IflJ United 
States gallons, and the brenta of Rome was S7.8. The 
last was quite exceptional. 
brente (bren'te), n. [Cf. brenta.'] A Swiss 
liquid measure, varying in capacity from 10.31 
to 17.66 gallons. 
brent-fox (brent'foks), M. See brant-fox. 
brent-goose (brent'giJs), n. [Also brant-goose 
andbrand-goose, often shortened to brent, brant, 
G. brentgans Q prob. It. branta); all due to Icel. 
brandgds (= Sw. brandg&s = Dan. brandgaas), 
< brandr (= Sw. Dan. brand = E. brand : with 
reference prob. to the color; cf. brant^ox) + 
gds= Sw. gas = Dan. gaas = E. goose.] The 
brent or brant, a goose, Benticla brenta, of the 
family Anatidce, inhabiting most of the north- 
ern hemisphere. It is smaller than most geese, and 
has the heaa, neck, and bill black, the neck with patches 
of small whit* stripes, the tall-covert* whit*, and the body- 
colors dark. It breed* in high latitudes, migrating south 
