| betatron | (noun) accelerates a continuous beam of electrons to high speeds by means of the electric field produced by changing magnetic flux | Synonyms: induction accelerator |
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| bettong | (noun) short-nosed rat kangaroo | - |
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| bevatron | (noun) a cyclotron that accelerates protons up to several billion electron volts | - |
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| bicarbonate | (noun) a salt of carbonic acid (containing the anion HCO3) in which one hydrogen atom has been replaced; an acid carbonate | Synonyms: hydrogen carbonate |
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| bifurcation | (noun) the act of splitting into two branches | - |
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| (noun) the place where something divides into two branches | - |
| (noun) a bifurcating branch (one or both of them) | - |
| bignoniad | (noun) any woody plant of the family Bignoniaceae | - |
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| bilestone | (noun) a calculus formed in the gall bladder or its ducts | Synonyms: gallstone |
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| billabong | (noun) a branch of a river made by water flowing from the main stream only when the water level is high | - |
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| (noun) a stagnant pool of water in the bed of a stream that flows intermittently | - |
| billion | (noun) the number that is represented as a one followed by 9 zeros | Synonyms: 1000000000, one thousand million |
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| (noun) the number that is represented as a one followed by 12 zeros; in the United Kingdom the usage followed in the United States is frequently seen | Synonyms: 1000000000000, one million million |
| (noun) a very large indefinite number (usually hyperbole) | Synonyms: bazillion, gazillion, jillion, million, trillion, zillion |
| billionaire | (noun) a very rich person whose material wealth is valued at more than a billion dollars | - |
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| billionth | (noun) one part in a billion equal parts | Synonyms: one-billionth |
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| (noun) position 1,000,000,000 in a countable series of things | - |
| bilocation | (noun) the ability (said of certain Roman Catholic saints) to exist simultaneously in two locations | - |
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| biltong | (noun) meat that is salted and cut into strips and dried in the sun | - |
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| bimonthly | (noun) a periodical that is published twice a month or every two months (either 24 or 6 issues per year) | - |
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| binturong | (noun) arboreal civet of Asia having a long prehensile tail and shaggy black hair | Synonyms: Arctictis bintourong, bearcat |
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| bionics | (noun) application of biological principles to the study and design of engineering systems (especially electronic systems) | - |
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| bionomics | (noun) the branch of biology concerned with the relations between organisms and their environment | Synonyms: ecology, environmental science |
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| biont | (noun) a discrete unit of living matter | - |
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| bioremediation | (noun) the act of treating waste or pollutants by the use of microorganisms (as bacteria) that can break down the undesirable substances | - |
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| (noun) the branch of biotechnology that uses biological process to overcome environmental problems | - |
| bioweapon | (noun) any weapon usable in biological warfare | Synonyms: bioarm, biological weapon |
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| birdsong | (noun) the characteristic sound produced by a bird | Synonyms: birdcall, call, song |
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| bisection | (noun) dividing into two equal parts | - |
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| bison | (noun) any of several large humped bovids having shaggy manes and large heads and short horns | - |
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| blaxploitation | (noun) the exploitation of black people (especially with regard to stereotyped roles in movies) | - |
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| blazon | (noun) the official symbols of a family, state, etc. | Synonyms: arms, blazonry, coat of arms |
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| blazonry | (noun) the official symbols of a family, state, etc. | Synonyms: arms, blazon, coat of arms |
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| blond | (noun) a light grayish yellow to near white | Synonyms: blonde |
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| (noun) a male person with fair skin and hair | - |
| blonde | (noun) a light grayish yellow to near white | Synonyms: blond |
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| (noun) a female person with fair skin and hair | - |
| blondness | (noun) the property of having a naturally light complexion | Synonyms: fairness, paleness |
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| bloodstone | (noun) green chalcedony with red spots that resemble blood | Synonyms: heliotrope |
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| bludgeon | (noun) a club used as a weapon | - |
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| bludgeoner | (noun) an assailant who uses a bludgeon | - |
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| bluebonnet | (noun) a brimless dark blue Scottish cap with a flat top and a plume on one side | Synonyms: Balmoral |
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| (noun) low-growing annual herb of southwestern United States (Texas) having silky foliage and blue flowers; a leading cause of livestock poisoning in the southwestern United States | Synonyms: buffalo clover, Lupinus subcarnosus, Texas bluebonnet |
| bluestone | (noun) bluish-grey sandstone used for paving and building | - |
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| bluetongue | (noun) a viral disease of sheep and cattle that is transmitted by biting midges | - |
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| bocconia | (noun) small Central American tree having loose racemes of purple-tinted green flowers | Synonyms: Bocconia frutescens, tree celandine |
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| (noun) herb of China and Japan widely cultivated for its plumelike panicles of creamy white flowers | Synonyms: Macleaya cordata, plume poppy |
| boloney | (noun) pretentious or silly talk or writing | Synonyms: baloney, bilgewater, bosh, drool, humbug, taradiddle, tarradiddle, tommyrot, tosh, twaddle |
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| bombardon | (noun) a large shawm; the bass member of the shawm family | Synonyms: bombard |
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| (noun) a tuba that coils over the shoulder of the musician | Synonyms: helicon |
| bombilation | (noun) sound of rapid vibration | Synonyms: bombination, buzz |
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| bombination | (noun) sound of rapid vibration | Synonyms: bombilation, buzz |
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| bonanza | (noun) a sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money) | Synonyms: boom, bunce, godsend, gold rush, gravy, manna from heaven, windfall |
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| (noun) an especially rich vein of precious ore | - |
| bonavist | (noun) perennial twining vine of Old World tropics having trifoliate leaves and racemes of fragrant purple pea-like flowers followed by maroon pods of edible seeds; grown as an ornamental and as a vegetable on the Indian subcontinent; sometimes placed in genus Dolichos | Synonyms: Dolichos lablab, Egyptian bean, hyacinth bean, Indian bean, Lablab purpureus |
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| bonbon | (noun) a candy that usually has a center of fondant or fruit or nuts coated in chocolate | - |
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| bonce | (noun) informal terms for a human head | Synonyms: attic, bean, dome, noggin, noodle |
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| bond | (noun) a restraint that confines or restricts freedom (especially something used to tie down or restrain a prisoner) | Synonyms: hamper, shackle, trammel |
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| (noun) a connection that fastens things together | Synonyms: attachment |
| (noun) the property of sticking together (as of glue and wood) or the joining of surfaces of different composition | Synonyms: adherence, adhesion, adhesiveness |
| (noun) an electrical force linking atoms | Synonyms: chemical bond |
| (noun) a certificate of debt (usually interest-bearing or discounted) that is issued by a government or corporation in order to raise money; the issuer is required to pay a fixed sum annually until maturity and then a fixed sum to repay the principal | Synonyms: bond certificate |
| (noun) (criminal law) money that must be forfeited by the bondsman if an accused person fails to appear in court for trial | Synonyms: bail, bail bond |
| (noun) a connection based on kinship or marriage or common interest | Synonyms: alliance |
| (noun) a superior quality of strong durable white writing paper; originally made for printing documents | Synonyms: bond paper |
| bondage | (noun) sexual practice that involves physically restraining (by cords or handcuffs) one of the partners | - |
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| (noun) the state of being under the control of another person | Synonyms: slavery, thraldom, thrall, thralldom |
| (noun) the state of being under the control of a force or influence or abstract power | - |
| bondholder | (noun) a holder of bonds issued by a government or corporation | - |
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| bonding | (noun) fastening firmly together | Synonyms: soldering |
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| (noun) (dentistry) a technique for repairing a tooth; resinous material is applied to the surface of the tooth where it adheres to the tooth's enamel | - |
| (noun) a close personal relationship that forms between people (as between husband and wife or parent and child) | - |
| bondmaid | (noun) a female slave | Synonyms: bondswoman, bondwoman |
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| (noun) a female bound to serve without wages | Synonyms: bondswoman, bondwoman |
| bondman | (noun) a male slave | Synonyms: bondsman |
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| (noun) a male bound to serve without wages | Synonyms: bondsman |
| bondsman | (noun) a male slave | Synonyms: bondman |
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| (noun) a male bound to serve without wages | Synonyms: bondman |
| (noun) a male who signs a bond as surety for someone else | - |
| bondsperson | (noun) someone who signs a bond as surety for someone else | - |
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| bondswoman | (noun) a female slave | Synonyms: bondmaid, bondwoman |
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| (noun) a female bound to serve without wages | Synonyms: bondmaid, bondwoman |
| (noun) a female who signs a bond as surety for someone else | - |
| bonduc | (noun) tropical tree with large prickly pods of seeds that resemble beans and are used for jewelry and rosaries | Synonyms: bonduc tree, Caesalpinia bonduc, Caesalpinia bonducella |
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| (noun) handsome tree of central and eastern North America having large bipinnate leaves and green-white flowers followed by large woody brown pods whose seeds are used as a coffee substitute | Synonyms: chicot, Gymnocladus dioica, Kentucky coffee tree |
| bondwoman | (noun) a female slave | Synonyms: bondmaid, bondswoman |
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| (noun) a female bound to serve without wages | Synonyms: bondmaid, bondswoman |
| bone | (noun) a shade of white the color of bleached bones | Synonyms: ivory, off-white, pearl |
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| (noun) rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates | Synonyms: os |
| (noun) the porous calcified substance from which bones are made | Synonyms: osseous tissue |
| bonefish | (noun) slender silvery marine fish found in tropical mud flats and mangrove lagoons | Synonyms: Albula vulpes |
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| bonehead | (noun) a stupid person; these words are used to express a low opinion of someone's intelligence | Synonyms: blockhead, dumbass, dunce, dunderhead, fuckhead, hammerhead, knucklehead, loggerhead, lunkhead, muttonhead, numskull, shithead |
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| bonelet | (noun) a small bone; especially one in the middle ear | Synonyms: ossicle, ossiculum |
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| bonemeal | (noun) fertilizer made of ground bones | - |
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| boner | (noun) an embarrassing mistake | Synonyms: bloomer, blooper, blunder, boo-boo, botch, bungle, flub, foul-up, fuckup, pratfall |
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| bones | (noun) (used in the plural) a percussion instrument consisting of a pair of hollow pieces of wood or bone (usually held between the thumb and fingers) that are made to click together (as by Spanish dancers) in rhythm with the dance | Synonyms: castanets, clappers, finger cymbals |
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| boneset | (noun) perennial herb of southeastern United States having white-rayed flower heads; formerly used as in folk medicine | Synonyms: agueweed, Eupatorium perfoliatum, thoroughwort |
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| (noun) European herb having small white, pink or purple flowers; naturalized as a weed in North America | Synonyms: common comfrey, Symphytum officinale |
| bonesetter | (noun) someone (not necessarily a licensed physician) who sets broken bones | - |
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| boneshaker | (noun) any wheeled vehicle that is dilapidated and uncomfortable | - |
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| bonfire | (noun) a large outdoor fire that is lighted as a signal or in celebration | Synonyms: balefire |
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| bong | (noun) a dull resonant sound as of a bell | - |
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| bongo | (noun) large forest antelope of central Africa having a reddish-brown coat with white stripes and spiral horns | Synonyms: Boocercus eurycerus, Tragelaphus eurycerus |
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| (noun) a small drum; played with the hands | Synonyms: bongo drum |
| bonheur | (noun) (French) happiness and good humor | - |
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| bonhomie | (noun) a disposition to be friendly and approachable (easy to talk to) | Synonyms: affability, affableness, amiability, amiableness, geniality |
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| boniface | (noun) the owner or manager of an inn | Synonyms: host, innkeeper |
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| boniness | (noun) extreme leanness (usually caused by starvation or disease) | Synonyms: bonyness, emaciation, gauntness, maceration |
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| bonito | (noun) any of various scombroid fishes intermediate in size and characteristics between mackerels and tunas | - |
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| (noun) fish whose flesh is dried and flaked for Japanese cookery; may be same species as skipjack tuna | Synonyms: Katsuwonus pelamis, oceanic bonito |
| (noun) flesh of mostly Pacific food fishes of the genus Sarda of the family Scombridae; related to but smaller than tuna | - |
| bonnet | (noun) a hat tied under the chin | Synonyms: poke bonnet |
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| (noun) protective covering consisting of a metal part that covers the engine | Synonyms: cowl, cowling, hood |
| bonnethead | (noun) small harmless hammerhead having a spade-shaped head; abundant in bays and estuaries | Synonyms: bonnet shark, shovelhead, Sphyrna tiburo |
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| bonobo | (noun) small chimpanzee of swamp forests in Zaire; a threatened species | Synonyms: Pan paniscus, pygmy chimpanzee |
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| bonsai | (noun) a dwarfed ornamental tree or shrub grown in a tray or shallow pot | - |
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| bonus | (noun) anything that tends to arouse | Synonyms: fillip |
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| (noun) an additional payment (or other remuneration) to employees as a means of increasing output | Synonyms: incentive |
| bonxie | (noun) gull-like jaeger of northern seas | Synonyms: skua |
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| bonyness | (noun) extreme leanness (usually caused by starvation or disease) | Synonyms: boniness, emaciation, gauntness, maceration |
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| boon | (noun) a desirable state | Synonyms: blessing |
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| boondocks | (noun) a remote and undeveloped area | Synonyms: back country, backwoods, hinterland |
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| boondoggle | (noun) work of little or no value done merely to look busy | - |
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| booyong | (noun) large tree of Australasia | Synonyms: brown oak, crow's foot, Heritiera trifoliolata, red beech, silky elm, stave wood, Terrietia trifoliolata |
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| boron | (noun) a trivalent metalloid element; occurs both in a hard black crystal and in the form of a yellow or brown powder | Synonyms: atomic number 5, B |
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| boson | (noun) any particle that obeys Bose-Einstein statistics but not the Pauli exclusion principle; all nuclei with an even mass number are bosons | - |
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| botheration | (noun) something or someone that causes trouble; a source of unhappiness | Synonyms: annoyance, bother, infliction, nuisance, pain, pain in the ass, pain in the neck |
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| (noun) the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed | Synonyms: annoyance, irritation, vexation |
| bouillon | (noun) a clear seasoned broth | - |
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| bourbon | (noun) whiskey distilled from a mash of corn and malt and rye and aged in charred oak barrels | - |
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| bourdon | (noun) a pipe of the bagpipe that is tuned to produce a single continuous tone | Synonyms: drone, drone pipe |
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| bourguignon | (noun) reduced red wine with onions and parsley and thyme and butter | Synonyms: bourguignon sauce, Burgundy sauce |
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| boustrophedon | (noun) an ancient writing system: having alternate lines written in opposite directions; literally `as the ox ploughs' | - |
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| boutonniere | (noun) a flower that is worn in a buttonhole | - |
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| bowdlerisation | (noun) the act of deleting or modifying all passages considered to be indecent | Synonyms: bowdlerization |
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| (noun) written material that has been bowdlerized | Synonyms: bowdlerization |
| bowdlerization | (noun) the act of deleting or modifying all passages considered to be indecent | Synonyms: bowdlerisation |
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| (noun) written material that has been bowdlerized | Synonyms: bowdlerisation |
| brachiation | (noun) swinging by the arms from branch to branch | - |
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| brachistochrone | (noun) a curve between two points along which a body can move under gravity in a shorter time than for any other curve. | - |
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| breakstone | (noun) any of various plants of the genus Saxifraga | Synonyms: rockfoil, saxifrage |
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| breastbone | (noun) the flat bone that articulates with the clavicles and the first seven pairs of ribs | Synonyms: sternum |
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| bridoon | (noun) a bit resembling a snaffle bit; used with a separate curb | - |
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