BECOMINGLY — BEEN

BECOMINGLY — BEEN NWAD BECOMINGLY.1

BECOMINGLY, adv. After a becoming or proper manner. NWAD BECOMINGLY.1

BECOMINGNESS, n. Fitness, congruity; propriety; decency; gracefulness arising from fitness. NWAD BECOMINGNESS.1

BECRIPPLE, v.t. [See Cripple.] To make lame; to cripple [Little used.] NWAD BECRIPPLE.1

BECURL, v.t. To curl. [Not used.] NWAD BECURL.1

BED, n. [The sense is a lay or spread, from laying or setting.] NWAD BED.1

1. A place or an article of furniture to sleep and take rest on; in modern times, and among civilized men, a sack or tick filled with feathers or wool; but a bed may be made of straw or any other materials. The word bed includes often the bedstead. NWAD BED.2

2. Lodging; a convenient place for sleep. NWAD BED.3

3. Marriage; matrimonial connection. NWAD BED.4

George, the eldest son of his second bed. NWAD BED.5

4. A plat or level piece of ground in a garden, usually a little raised above the adjoining ground. NWAD BED.6

5. The channel of a river, or that part in which the water usually flows. NWAD BED.7

6. Any hollow place, especially in the arts; a hollow place, in which any thing rests; as the bed of a mortar. NWAD BED.8

7. A layer; a stratum; an extended mass of any thing, whether upon the earth or within it; as a bed of sulphur; a bed of sand or clay. NWAD BED.9

8. Pain, torment. Revelation 2:22. The grave. Isaiah 57:1, 2. The lawful use of wedlock. Hebrews 13:4. NWAD BED.10

The bed of the carriage of a gun is a thick plank which lies under the piece, being, as it were, the body of the carriage. NWAD BED.11

The bed of a mortar is a solid piece of oak, hollow in the middle, to receive the britch and half the trunnions. NWAD BED.12

In masonry, bed is a range of stones, and the joint of the bed is the mortar between two stones placed over each other. NWAD BED.13

Bed of justice, in France, was a throne on which the king was seated when he went to parliament. Hence the phrase, to hold a bed of justice. NWAD BED.14

To make a bed, is to put it in order after it has been used. NWAD BED.15

To bring to bed, to deliver of a child, is rarely used. But in the passive form, to be brought to bed, that is, to be delivered of a child, is common. It is often followed by of; as, to be brought to bed of a son. NWAD BED.16

To put to bed, in midwifery, is to deliver of a child. NWAD BED.17

Dining bed, or discubitory bed, among the ancients, a bed on which persons lay at meals. It was four or five feet high, and would hold three or four persons. Three of these beds were ranged by a square table, one side of the table being left open, and accessible to the waiters. Hence the Latin name for the table and the room, triclinium, or three beds. NWAD BED.18

From bed and board. In law, a separation of man and wife, without dissolving the bands of matrimony, is called a separation from bed and board, a mensa et thoro. In this case the wife has a suitable maintenance allotted to her out of the husband’s estate, called alimony. NWAD BED.19

BED, v.t. To place in a bed. NWAD BED.20

1. To go to bed with. [Unusual.] NWAD BED.21

2. To make partaker of the bed. NWAD BED.22

3. To plant and inclose or cover; to set or lay and inclose; as, to bed the roots of a plant in soft mold. NWAD BED.23

4. To lay in any hollow place, surrounded or inclosed; as to bed a stone. NWAD BED.24

5. To lay in a place of rest or security, covered, surrounded or inclosed; as a fish bedded in sand, or under a bank. NWAD BED.25

6. To lay in a stratum; to stratify; to lay in order or flat; as bedded clay, bedded hairs NWAD BED.26

BED, v.t. To cohabit; to use the same bed. NWAD BED.27

If he be married and bed with his wife. NWAD BED.28

BEDABBLE, v.t. [be and dabble.] To wet; to sprinkle NWAD BEDABBLE.1

Bedabbled with the dew. NWAD BEDABBLE.2

BEDABBLED, pp. Wet; sprinkled. NWAD BEDABBLED.1

BEDABBLING, ppr. Wetting; sprinkling. NWAD BEDABBLING.1

BEDAFF, v.t. To make a fool of. [Not in use.] NWAD BEDAFF.1

BEDAGGLE, v.t. [be and daggle.] To soil, as clothes, by drawing the ends in the mud, or spattering them with dirty water. NWAD BEDAGGLE.1

BEDAGGLED, pp. Soiled by reaching the mud in walking; bespattering. NWAD BEDAGGLED.1

BEDARE, v.t. [be and dare.] To dare; to defy. [Not used.] NWAD BEDARE.1

BEDARK, v.t. [be and dark.] To darken. [Not used.] NWAD BEDARK.1

BEDASH, v.t. [be and dash.] To wet, by throwing water, or other liquor upon; to bespatter, with water or mud. NWAD BEDASH.1

BEDASHED, pp. Bespattered with water or other liquid. NWAD BEDASHED.1

BEDASHING, ppr. Bespattering; dashing water upon, or other liquid. NWAD BEDASHING.1

BEDAUB, v.t. [be and daub.] To daub over; to besmear with viscous, slimy matter; to soil with any thing thick and dirty. NWAD BEDAUB.1

BEDAUBED, pp. Daubed over; besmeared. NWAD BEDAUBED.1

BEDAUBING, ppr. Daubing over; besmearing. NWAD BEDAUBING.1

BEDAZZLE, v.t. [be and dazzle.] To confound the sight by too strong a light; to make dim by luster. NWAD BEDAZZLE.1

BEDAZZLED, pp. Having the sight confounded by too strong a light. NWAD BEDAZZLED.1

BEDAZZLING, ppr. Confounding or making dim by a too brilliant luster. NWAD BEDAZZLING.1

BEDCHAMBER, n. [bed and chamber.] An apartment or chamber intended or appropriated for a bed, or for sleep and repose. NWAD BEDCHAMBER.1

BED-CLOTHES, n. plu. [bed and clothes.] NWAD BED-CLOTHES.1

Blankets, or coverlets, etc., for beds. NWAD BED-CLOTHES.2

BEDDED, pp. Laid in a bed; inclosed as in a bed. NWAD BEDDED.1

BEDDER, BEDETTER, n. [from bed.] The nether stone of an oil mill. NWAD BEDDER.1

BEDDING, ppr. Laying in a bed; inclosing as in a bed. NWAD BEDDING.1

BEDDING, n. A bed and its furniture; a bed; the materials of a bed, whether for man or beast. NWAD BEDDING.2

BEDECK, v.t. [be and deck.] To deck; to adorn; to grace. NWAD BEDECK.1

BEDECKED, pp. Adorned; ornamented. NWAD BEDECKED.1

BEDECKING, ppr. Adorning; decking. NWAD BEDECKING.1

BEDEHOUSE, n. Formerly, a hospital or alms house, where the poor prayed for their founders and benefactors. NWAD BEDEHOUSE.1

BEDEL, n. An officer in the universities of England. [A peculiar orthography of beadle.] NWAD BEDEL.1

BEDELRY, n. The extent of a bedel’s office. NWAD BEDELRY.1

BEDEW, v.t. [be and dew.] To moisten, as with dew; to moisten in a gentle manner with any liquid; as, tears bedew her face. NWAD BEDEW.1

BEDEWED, pp. Moistened, as if with dew; gently moistened. NWAD BEDEWED.1

BEDEWER, n. That which bedews. NWAD BEDEWER.1

BEDEWING, ppr. Moistening gently, as with dew; wetting. NWAD BEDEWING.1

BEDEWY, a. Moist with dew. [Little used.] NWAD BEDEWY.1

BEDFELLOW, n. [bed and fellow.] One who lies in the same bed. NWAD BEDFELLOW.1

BED-HANGINGS, n. Curtains. NWAD BED-HANGINGS.1

BEDIGHT, v.t. bedi’te. [be and dight.] To adorn; to dress; set off with ornaments. [Little used.] NWAD BEDIGHT.1

BEDIGHTED, pp. Adorned; set off with ornaments. NWAD BEDIGHTED.1

BEDIGHTING, ppr. Adorning. NWAD BEDIGHTING.1

BEDIM, v.t. [be and dim.] To make dim; to obscure or darken. NWAD BEDIM.1

BEDIMMED, pp. Made dim; obscured. NWAD BEDIMMED.1

BEDIMMING, ppr. Making dim; obscuring; darkening. NWAD BEDIMMING.1

BEDIZEN, v.t. bediz’n. [be and dizen.] To adorn; to deck; a low word. NWAD BEDIZEN.1

BEDIZENED, pp. Bedecked; adorned. NWAD BEDIZENED.1

BEDIZENING, ppr. Adorning. NWAD BEDIZENING.1

BEDLAM, n. [Corrupted from Bethlehem, the name of a religious house in London, afterward converted into a hospital for lunatics.] NWAD BEDLAM.1

1. A mad house; a place appropriated for lunatics. NWAD BEDLAM.2

2. A madman; a lunatic; one who lives in Bedlam. NWAD BEDLAM.3

3. A place of uproar. NWAD BEDLAM.4

BEDLAM, a. Belonging to a mad house; fit for a mad house. NWAD BEDLAM.5

BEDLAMITE, n. An inhabitant of a madhouse, a madman. NWAD BEDLAMITE.1

BEDMAKER, n. [bed and maker.] One whose occupation is to make beds, as a college or university. NWAD BEDMAKER.1

BEDMATE, n. [bed and mate.] A bedfellow. NWAD BEDMATE.1

BED-MOLDING, [bed and molding.] In architecture, the members of a cornice, which are placed below the coronet, consisting of an ogee, a list, a large boultine, and another list under the coronet. NWAD BED-MOLDING.1

BEDOTE, v.t. [be and dote.] To make to dote. [Not in use.] NWAD BEDOTE.1

BEDPOST, n. [bed and post.] The post of a bedstead. NWAD BEDPOST.1

BEDPRESSER, n. [bed and press.] A lazy fellow; one who loves his bed. NWAD BEDPRESSER.1

BEDRAGGLE, v.t. [be and draggle.] To soil, as garments which are suffered, in walking, to reach the dirt; to soil by drawing along on mud. NWAD BEDRAGGLE.1

BEDRAGGLED, pp. Soiled by reaching the dirt, in walking. NWAD BEDRAGGLED.1

BEDRAGGLING, ppr. Soiling by drawing along in dirt or mud. NWAD BEDRAGGLING.1

BEDRENCHv.t. [be and drench.] To drench; to soak; to saturate with moisture; applied to things which imbibe moisture. NWAD BEDRENCH.1

BEDRENCHED, pp. Drenched; soaked. NWAD BEDRENCHED.1

BEDRENCHING, ppr. Soaked; drenching. NWAD BEDRENCHING.1

BEDRID, BEDRIDDEN, a. [bed and ride.] Confined to the bed, by age or infirmity. NWAD BEDRID.1

BEDRITE, n. [bed and rite.] The privilege of the marriage bed. NWAD BEDRITE.1

BEDROOM, n. [bed and room.] A room or apartment intended or used for a bed; a lodging room. NWAD BEDROOM.1

1. Room in a bed. [Not in use.] NWAD BEDROOM.2

BEDROP, v.t. [be and drop.] To sprinkle, as with drops. NWAD BEDROP.1

BEDROPPED, pp. Sprinkled as with drops; speckled; variegated with spots. NWAD BEDROPPED.1

BEDSIDE, n. The side of the bed. NWAD BEDSIDE.1

BEDSTAFF, n. [bed and staff.] A wooden pin anciently inserted on the sides of bedsteads, to keep the clothes from slipping on either side. NWAD BEDSTAFF.1

BEDSTEAD, n. bed’sted. [bed and stead.] A frame for supporting a bed. NWAD BEDSTEAD.1

BEDSTRAW, n. [bed and straw.] Straw laid under a bed to make it soft; also the name of a plant, a species of galium. NWAD BEDSTRAW.1

BEDSWERVER, n. [bed and swerve.] One that swerves from his bed; that is one who is false and unfaithful to the marriage vow. NWAD BEDSWERVER.1

BEDTIME, n. [bed and time.] The time to go to rest; the usual hour of going to bed. NWAD BEDTIME.1

BEDUCK, v.t. [be and duck.] To duck; to put the head under water; to immerse. NWAD BEDUCK.1

BEDUST, v.t. [be and dust.] To sprinkle, soil or cover with dust. NWAD BEDUST.1

BEDWARD, adv. [bed and ward.] Toward bed. NWAD BEDWARD.1

BEDWARF, v.t. [be and dwarf.] To make little; to stunt or hinder growth. NWAD BEDWARF.1

BEDWORK, n. [bed and work.] Work done in bed, without toil of the hands or with ease. NWAD BEDWORK.1

BEDYE, v.t. [be and dye.] To dye; to stain. NWAD BEDYE.1

BEDYED, pp. Dyed; stained. NWAD BEDYED.1

BEE, n. An insect of the genus Apis. [See Apis.] The species are numerous, of which the honey-bee is the most interesting to man. It has been cultivated from the earliest periods, for its wax and honey. It lives in swarms or societies, of from 10,000 to 50,000 individuals. These swarms contain three classes of bees, the females or queen bees, the males or drones, and the neuters or working bees. Of the former, there is only one in each hive or swarm, whose sole office is to propagate the species. It is much larger than the other bees. The drones serve merely for impregnating the queen, after which they are destroyed by the neuters. These last are the laborers of the hive. They collect the honey, form the cells, and feed the other bees and the young. They are furnished with a proboscis by which they suck the honey from flowers, and a mouth by which they swallow it, and then convey it to the hive in their stomachs, where they disgorge it into the cells. The pollen of flowers settles on the hairs with which their body is covered, whence it is collected into pellets, by a brush on their second pair of legs, and deposited in a hollow in the third pair. It is called bee bread, and is the food of the larvae or young. The adult bees feed on honey. The wax was supposed to be formed from pollen by a digestive process, but it is now ascertained that it is formed from the honey by a similar process. The females and neuters have a barbed sting, attached to a bag of poison, which flows into the wound inflicted by the sting. When a hive is overstocked, a new colony is sent out under the direction of a queen bee. This is called swarming. NWAD BEE.1

BEE-BREAD, n. [bee and bread.] The pollen of flowers collected by bees, as food for their young. [See Bee.] NWAD BEE-BREAD.1

BEE-EATER, n. [bee and eat.] A bird that feeds on bees. There are several species included in the genus merops, of which the apiaster of Europe is remarkable for the brilliancy of its plumage. NWAD BEE-EATER.1

BEE-FLOWER, n. [bee and flower.] A plant; a species of Ophrys or twyblade, whose flowers represent singular figures of bees, flies and other insects. NWAD BEE-FLOWER.1

BEE-GARDEN, n. [bee and garden.] A garden, or inclosure to set bee-hives in. NWAD BEE-GARDEN.1

BEE-GLUE, n. [bee and glue.] A soft, unctuous matter with which bees cement the combs to the hives, and close up the cells; called also propolis. NWAD BEE-GLUE.1

BEE-HIVE, n. [bee and hive.] A case, box, or other hollow vessel, which serves as a habitation for bees. Hives are made of various materials, as of boards, the hollow trunk of a tree, and withes of straw, or of glass. NWAD BEE-HIVE.1

BEE-MASTER, n. [bee and master.] One who keeps bees. NWAD BEE-MASTER.1

BEECH, n. [Gr. payos; L. fagus.] A tree arranged by Linne under the genus fagus, with the chestnut. The beech grows to a large size, with branches forming a beautiful head, with thick foliage. The bark is smooth and of a silvery cast. The mast or nuts are the food of swine, and of certain wild animals, and yield a good oil for lamps. When eaten by man, they are said to occasion giddiness and headache. NWAD BEECH.1

BEECH-COAL, n. [beech and coal.] Charcoal from beech wood. NWAD BEECH-COAL.1

BEECHEN, a. bee’chn. Consisting of the wood or bark of the beech; belonging to the beech; as a beechen vessel. NWAD BEECHEN.1

BEECHMAST, n. The fruit or nuts of the beech. NWAD BEECHMAST.1

BEECH-OIL, n. [beech and oil.] Oil expressed from the mast or nuts of the beech-tree. It is used in Picardy, and in other parts of France, instead of butter; but is said to occasion heaviness and pains in the stomach. NWAD BEECH-OIL.1

BEECH-TREE, n. [beech and tree.] The beech. NWAD BEECH-TREE.1

BEEF, n. [L. bos, bovis; Gr. Bous.] NWAD BEEF.1

1. An animal of the bovine genus, whether ox, bull or cow; but used of those which are full grown or nearly so. In this, which is the original sense, the word has a plural, beeves. NWAD BEEF.2

2. The flesh of an ox, bull, or cow, when killed. In popular language, the word is often applied to the live animal; as, an ox is good beef; that is, is well fattened. In this sense, the word has no plural. NWAD BEEF.3

BEEF, a. Consisting of the flesh of the ox, or bovine kind; as a beef-steak. NWAD BEEF.4

BEEF-EATER, n. [beef and eat.] One that eats beef. NWAD BEEF-EATER.1

1. A yeoman of the guards, in England. NWAD BEEF-EATER.2

2. The Buphaga, an African bird that feeds on the larvas which nestle under the hides of oxen. NWAD BEEF-EATER.3

3. In popular use, a stout fleshy man. NWAD BEEF-EATER.4