| b
|
(physics) a unit of nuclear cross section; the effective circular area that one particle presents to another as a target for an encounter |
barn |
| b
|
the 2nd letter of the Roman alphabet |
B |
| baa
|
the cry made by sheep |
- |
| baas
|
South African term for `boss' |
- |
| baba
|
a small cake leavened with yeast |
- |
| babassu
|
tall feather palm of northern Brazil with hard-shelled nuts yielding valuable oil and a kind of vegetable ivory |
Orbignya martiana,
Orbignya phalerata,
Orbignya spesiosa,
coco de macao,
babassu palm |
| babbitt
|
an alloy of tin with some copper and antimony; a lining for bearings that reduces friction |
Babbitt metal |
| babbitting
|
lining a surface or bearing with Babbitt metal |
- |
| babble
|
gibberish resembling the sounds of a baby |
babbling,
lallation |
| babbler
|
an obnoxious and foolish and loquacious talker |
spouter,
chatterbox,
magpie,
chatterer,
prater |
| babbler
|
any of various insectivorous Old World birds with a loud incessant song; in some classifications considered members of the family Muscicapidae |
cackler |
| babbling
|
gibberish resembling the sounds of a baby |
babble,
lallation |
| babe
|
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk |
baby,
infant |
| babel
|
a confusion of voices and other sounds |
- |
| babiroussa
|
Indonesian wild pig with enormous curved canine teeth |
Babyrousa Babyrussa,
babirusa,
babirussa |
| babirusa
|
Indonesian wild pig with enormous curved canine teeth |
Babyrousa Babyrussa,
babiroussa,
babirussa |
| babirussa
|
Indonesian wild pig with enormous curved canine teeth |
Babyrousa Babyrussa,
babiroussa,
babirusa |
| babka
|
a coffee cake flavored with orange rind and raisins and almonds |
- |
| baboo
|
used as a Hindi courtesy title; equivalent to English `Mr' |
babu |
| baboon
|
large terrestrial monkeys having doglike muzzles |
- |
| babu
|
used as a Hindi courtesy title; equivalent to English `Mr' |
baboo |
| babushka
|
a woman's headscarf folded into a triangle and tied under the chin; worn by Russian peasant women |
- |
| baby
|
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk |
infant,
babe |
| baby
|
the youngest member of a group (not necessarily young) |
- |
| baby
|
an immature childish person |
child |
| baby
|
an unborn child; a human fetus |
- |
| baby
|
a very young mammal |
- |
| baby
|
a project of personal concern to someone |
- |
| babygram
|
an X-ray of the entire body of an infant. |
- |
| babyhood
|
the early stage of growth or development |
infancy,
early childhood |
| babyhood
|
the earliest state of immaturity |
infancy |
| babyminder
|
a person who looks after babies (usually in the person's own home) while the babys' parents are working |
minder,
baby minder |
| babysitter
|
a person engaged to care for children when the parents are not home |
sitter,
baby-sitter |
| babysitting
|
the work of a baby sitter; caring for children when their parents are not home |
baby sitting |
| babytalk
|
an adult's imitation of the speech of a young child |
motherese,
baby talk |
| babytalk
|
the developing speech of a young child |
baby talk |
| bacca
|
an indehiscent fruit derived from a single ovary having one or many seeds within a fleshy wall or pericarp: e.g. grape; tomato; cranberry |
simple fruit |
| baccalaureate
|
a farewell sermon to a graduating class at their commencement ceremonies |
- |
| baccalaureate
|
an academic degree conferred on someone who has successfully completed undergraduate studies |
bachelor's degree |
| baccarat
|
a card game played in casinos in which two or more punters gamble against the banker; the player wins who holds 2 or 3 cards that total closest to nine |
chemin de fer |
| bacchanal
|
someone who engages in drinking bouts |
drunken reveler,
drunken reveller,
bacchant |
| bacchanal
|
a drunken reveller; a devotee of Bacchus |
bacchant |
| bacchanal
|
a wild gathering involving excessive drinking and promiscuity |
riot,
debauch,
debauchery,
drunken revelry,
orgy,
saturnalia,
bacchanalia |
| bacchanalia
|
a wild gathering involving excessive drinking and promiscuity |
riot,
debauch,
debauchery,
drunken revelry,
orgy,
saturnalia,
bacchanal |
| bacchant
|
someone who engages in drinking bouts |
bacchanal,
drunken reveler,
drunken reveller |
| bacchant
|
a drunken reveller; a devotee of Bacchus |
bacchanal |
| bacchant
|
(classical mythology) a priest or votary of Bacchus |
- |
| bacchante
|
(classical mythology) a priestess or votary of Bacchus |
- |
| baccy
|
leaves of the tobacco plant dried and prepared for smoking or ingestion |
tobacco |
| bachelor
|
a man who has never been married |
unmarried man |
| bachelor
|
a knight of the lowest order; could display only a pennon |
knight bachelor,
bachelor-at-arms |
| bachelorette
|
a young unmarried woman who lives alone |
bachelor girl |
| bachelorhood
|
the time of a man's life prior to marriage |
- |
| bachelorhood
|
the state of being an unmarried man |
- |
| bacillus
|
aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil |
B |
| bacitracin
|
a polypeptide antibiotic of known chemical structure effective against several types of Gram-positive organisms; usually applied locally |
- |
| back
|
the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine |
dorsum |
| back
|
the side that goes last or is not normally seen |
rear |
| back
|
the part of something that is furthest from the normal viewer |
rear |
| back
|
(football) a person who plays in the backfield |
- |
| back
|
the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord |
backbone,
spine,
rachis,
spinal column,
vertebral column |
| back
|
the protective covering on the front, back, and spine of a book |
cover,
binding,
book binding |
| back
|
the part of a garment that covers the back of your body |
- |
| back
|
a support that you can lean against while sitting |
backrest |
| back
|
(American football) the position of a player on a football team who is stationed behind the line of scrimmage |
- |
| backache
|
an ache localized in the back |
- |
| backband
|
a broad band that passes over the back of a horse and supports the shafts of a vehicle |
- |
| backbeat
|
a loud steady beat |
- |
| backbench
|
any of the seats occupied by backbenchers in the House of Commons |
- |
| backbencher
|
a member of the House of Commons who is not a party leader |
- |
| backbend
|
an acrobatic feat in which the trunk is bent backward from a standing position until the hands touch the floor |
- |
| backbiter
|
one who attacks the reputation of another by slander or libel |
maligner,
defamer,
slanderer,
vilifier,
traducer,
libeler |
| backblast
|
backfire from a recoilless weapon |
back-blast |
| backboard
|
a raised vertical board with basket attached; used to play basketball |
basketball backboard |
| backboard
|
a board used to support the back of someone or something |
- |
| backbone
|
a central cohesive source of support and stability |
mainstay,
keystone,
anchor,
linchpin,
lynchpin |
| backbone
|
fortitude and determination |
gumption,
grit,
sand,
moxie,
guts |
| backbone
|
the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord |
back,
spine,
rachis,
spinal column,
vertebral column |
| backbone
|
the part of a book's cover that encloses the inner side of the book's pages and that faces outward when the book is shelved |
spine |
| backbone
|
the part of a network that connects other networks together |
- |
| backchat
|
light teasing repartee |
give-and-take,
raillery,
banter |
| backcloth
|
scenery hung at back of stage |
background,
backdrop |
| backdoor
|
an undocumented way to get access to a computer system or the data it contains |
back door |
| backdoor
|
an entrance at the rear of a building |
back door,
back entrance |
| backdoor
|
a secret or underhand means of access (to a place or a position) |
back door |
| backdown
|
a retraction of a previously held position |
withdrawal,
climb-down |
| backdrop
|
scenery hung at back of stage |
background,
backcloth |
| backer
|
someone who provides financial support for some venture |
angel |
| backfield
|
the offensive football players who line up behind the linemen |
- |
| backfire
|
the backward escape of gases and unburned gunpowder after a gun is fired |
blowback |
| backfire
|
a loud noise made by the explosion of fuel in the manifold or exhaust of an internal combustion engine |
- |
| backfire
|
a fire that is set intentionally in order to slow an approaching forest fire or grassfire by clearing a burned area in its path |
- |
| backfire
|
a miscalculation that recoils on its maker |
boomerang |
| backflow
|
a flow that returns toward its source |
backflowing |
| backflowing
|
a flow that returns toward its source |
backflow |
| backgammon
|
a board game for two players; pieces move according to throws of the dice |
- |
| background
|
a person's social heritage: previous experience or training |
- |
| background
|
the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground |
ground |
| background
|
information that is essential to understanding a situation or problem |
background knowledge |
| background
|
extraneous signals that can be confused with the phenomenon to be observed or measured |
background signal |
| background
|
relatively unimportant or inconspicuous accompanying situation |
- |
| background
|
the state of the environment in which a situation exists |
setting,
scope |
| background
|
(computer science) the area of the screen in graphical user interfaces against which icons and windows appear |
desktop,
screen background |
| background
|
scenery hung at back of stage |
backcloth,
backdrop |
| backgrounder
|
a press conference or interview in which a government official explains to reporters the background of an action or policy |
- |
| backgrounding
|
the execution of low priority programs while higher priority programs are not using the processing system |
background processing |
| backhand
|
a return made with the back of the hand facing the direction of the stroke |
backhand shot,
backhand stroke |
| backhander
|
a backhanded blow |
- |
| backhoe
|
an excavator whose shovel bucket is attached to a hinged boom and is drawn backward to move earth |
- |
| backing
|
the act of providing approval and support |
patronage,
championship,
backup |
| backing
|
something forming a back that is added for strengthening |
mount |
| backing
|
financial resources provided to make some project possible |
support,
funding,
financial backing,
financial support |
| backlash
|
a movement back from an impact |
repercussion,
rebound,
recoil |
| backlash
|
an adverse reaction to some political or social occurrence |
- |
| backlighting
|
lighting from behind |
- |
| backlog
|
an accumulation of jobs not done or materials not processed that are yet to be dealt with (especially unfilled customer orders for products or services) |
- |
| backlog
|
the large log at the back of a hearth fire |
- |
| backlog
|
something kept back or saved for future use or a special purpose |
reserve,
stockpile |
| backpack
|
a bag carried by a strap on your back or shoulder |
rucksack,
haversack,
packsack,
knapsack,
back pack |
| backpacker
|
a hiker who wears a backpack |
packer |
| backpacking
|
carrying something in a pack on the back |
packing |
| backplate
|
plate armor protecting the back; worn as part of a cuirass |
- |
| backrest
|
a support that you can lean against while sitting |
back |
| backroom
|
the meeting place of a group of leaders who make their decisions via private negotiations |
- |
| backsaw
|
a handsaw that is stiffened by metal reinforcement along the upper edge |
back saw |
| backscratcher
|
someone who is willing to trade favors or services for mutual advantage |
- |
| backscratcher
|
a long-handled scratcher for scratching your back |
- |
| backseat
|
a secondary or inferior position or status |
- |
| backseat
|
a seat at the back of a vehicle (especially the seat at the back of an automobile) |
- |
| backsheesh
|
a relatively small amount of money given for services rendered (as by a waiter) |
tip,
pourboire,
gratuity,
baksheesh,
bakshis,
bakshish |
| backside
|
the side of an object that is opposite its front |
rear,
back end |
| backside
|
the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on |
rear,
seat,
bottom,
ass,
fundament,
stern,
can,
butt,
tail,
rear end,
rump,
nates,
hind end,
hindquarters,
derriere,
posterior,
prat,
keister,
arse,
behind,
bum,
buns,
buttocks,
fanny,
tail end,
tooshie,
tush |
| backslapper
|
someone who demonstrates enthusiastic or excessive cordiality |
- |
| backslider
|
someone who lapses into previous undesirable patterns of behavior |
recidivist,
reversionist |
| backsliding
|
a failure to maintain a higher state |
relapse,
relapsing,
reversion,
reverting,
lapse,
lapsing |
| backspace
|
the typewriter key used for back spacing |
backspace key,
backspacer |
| backspacer
|
the typewriter key used for back spacing |
backspace,
backspace key |
| backspin
|
spin (usually of a moving ball) that retards or reverses the forward motion |
- |
| backstage
|
a stage area out of sight of the audience |
wing,
offstage |
| backstairs
|
a second staircase at the rear of a building |
- |
| backstay
|
a stay that supports the back of something |
- |
| backstitch
|
an overlapping stitch made by starting the next stitch at the middle of the preceding one |
- |
| backstop
|
(baseball) the person who plays the position of catcher |
catcher |
| backstop
|
(baseball) a fence or screen (as behind home plate) to prevent the ball from traveling out of the playing field |
- |
| backstop
|
a precaution in case of an emergency |
- |
| backstroke
|
a swimming stroke that resembles the crawl except the swimmer lies on his or her back |
- |
| backstroker
|
someone who swims the backstroke |
- |
| backswimmer
|
predaceous aquatic insect that swims on its back and may inflict painful bites |
Notonecta undulata |
| backsword
|
a stick used instead of a sword for fencing |
singlestick,
fencing stick |
| backsword
|
a sword with only one cutting edge |
- |
| backtalk
|
an impudent or insolent rejoinder |
mouth,
lip,
sass,
sassing,
back talk |
| backup
|
an accumulation caused by clogging or a stoppage |
- |
| backup
|
someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult) |
relief,
substitute,
reliever,
stand-in,
backup man,
fill-in |
| backup
|
a musical part (vocal or instrumental) that supports or provides background for other musical parts |
support,
accompaniment,
musical accompaniment |
| backup
|
(computer science) a copy of a file or directory on a separate storage device |
computer backup |
| backup
|
the act of providing approval and support |
patronage,
championship,
backing |