*bea*

v. t. [ AS. āberan; pref. ā- + beran to bear. ] 1. To bear; to behave. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

So did the faery knight himself abear. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To put up with; to endure. [ Prov. ] Dickens. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Behavior. [ Obs. ] Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Behavior. [ Obs. ] Sir. T. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Jap. adzuki. ] A cultivated variety of the Asiatic gram, now introduced into the United States. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. (Zool.) See Amoebean. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL. ] (Zool.) That division of the Rhizopoda which includes the amoeba and similar forms. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Alternately answering. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) An edentate animal of tropical America (the Tamanoir), living on ants. It belongs to the genus Myrmecophaga. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who carries the armor or arms of another; an armiger. Judg. ix. 54. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Astron.) A row of bright spots observed in connection with total eclipses of the sun. Just before and after a total eclipse, the slender, unobscured crescent of the sun's disk appears momentarily like a row of bright spots resembling a string of beads. The phenomenon (first fully described by Francis Baily, 1774 -- 1844) is thought to be an effect of irradiation, and of inequalities of the moon's edge. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n.; pl. Beaches [ Cf. Sw. backe hill, Dan. bakke, Icel. bakki hill, bank. Cf. Bank. ] 1. Pebbles, collectively; shingle. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The shore of the sea, or of a lake, which is washed by the waves; especially, a sandy or pebbly shore; the strand. [ 1913 Webster ]

Beach flea (Zool.), the common name of many species of amphipod Crustacea, of the family Orchestidæ, living on the sea beaches, and leaping like fleas. --
Beach grass (Bot.), a coarse grass (Ammophila arundinacea), growing on the sandy shores of lakes and seas, which, by its interlaced running rootstocks, binds the sand together, and resists the encroachment of the waves. --
Beach wagon, a light open wagon with two or more seats. --
Raised beach, an accumulation of water-worn stones, gravel, sand, and other shore deposits, above the present level of wave action, whether actually raised by elevation of the coast, as in Norway, or left by the receding waters, as in many lake and river regions. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Beached p. pr. & vb. n. Beaching. ] To run or drive (as a vessel or a boat) upon a beach; to strand; as, to beach a ship. [ 1913 Webster ]

. [ Written also beach-comber or beach comber. ] (Naut.) 1. A vagrant seaman, usually of low character, who loiters about seaports, particularly on the shores and islands of the Pacific Ocean. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

I was fortunate enough, however, to forgather with a Scotchman who was a beach-comber. F. T. Bullen. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. a vagrant living on a beach. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. a person who searches along a beach for objects of value, such as lost objects or seashells. [ PJC ]

A long, curling wave rolling in from the ocean. See Comber. [ Amer., archaic ] [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

p. p. & a. 1. Bordered by a beach. [ 1913 Webster ]

The beached verge of the salt flood. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Driven on a beach; stranded; drawn up on a beach; as, the ship is beached. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. an area in hostile territory that has been occupied and is held to allow aditional troops and supplies to enter.
Syn. -- bridgehead, foothold. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. having an extensive gently sloping area of sand or gravel; -- of a shore or shoreline. Opposite of cliffy. [ Narrower terms: gravelly, pebbly, shingly ]
Syn. -- beachy. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. clothing to be worn at a beach. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. Having a beach or beaches; formed by a beach or beaches; shingly. [ 1913 Webster ]

The beachy girdle of the ocean. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. bekene, AS. beácen, bēcen; akin to OS. bōkan, Fries. baken, beken, sign, signal, D. baak, OHG. bouhhan, G. bake; of unknown origin. Cf. Beckon. ] 1. A signal fire to notify of the approach of an enemy, or to give any notice, commonly of warning. [ 1913 Webster ]

No flaming beacons cast their blaze afar. Gay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A signal, such as that from a lighthouse, or a conspicuous mark erected on an eminence near the shore, or moored in shoal water, as a guide to mariners. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A high hill near the shore. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

4. That which gives notice of danger. [ 1913 Webster ]

Modest doubt is called
The beacon of the wise. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Navigation) a radio transmitter which emits a characteristic signal indication its location, so that vehicles may determine their exact location by locating the beacon with a radio compass; -- also called
radio beacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. [ fig. ] that which provides guidance or inspiration; the Constitution has been a beacon for civil rights activists. [ PJC ]

Beacon fire, a signal fire. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Beaconed p. pr. & vb. n. Beaconing. ] 1. To give light to, as a beacon; to light up; to illumine. [ 1913 Webster ]

That beacons the darkness of heaven. Campbell. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To furnish with a beacon or beacons. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Money paid for the maintenance of a beacon; also, beacons, collectively. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having no beacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. bede prayer, prayer bead, AS. bed, gebed, prayer; akin to D. bede, G. bitte, AS. biddan, to ask, bid, G. bitten to ask, and perh. to Gr. pei`qein to persuade, L. fidere to trust. Beads are used by the Roman Catholics to count their prayers, one bead being dropped down a string every time a prayer is said. Cf. Sp. cuenta bead, fr. contar to count. See Bid, in to bid beads, and Bide. ] 1. A prayer. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A little perforated ball, to be strung on a thread, and worn for ornament; or used in a rosary for counting prayers, as by Roman Catholics and Muslims, whence the phrases to tell beads,
to be at one's beads,
to bid beads, etc., meaning, to be at prayer. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Any small globular body; as, (a) A bubble in spirits. (b) A drop of sweat or other liquid. “Cold beads of midnight dew.” Wordsworth. (c) A small knob of metal on a firearm, used for taking aim (whence the expression to draw a bead, for, to take aim). (d) (Arch.) A small molding of rounded surface, the section being usually an arc of a circle. It may be continuous, or broken into short embossments. (e) (Chem.) A glassy drop of molten flux, as borax or microcosmic salt, used as a solvent and color test for several mineral earths and oxides, as of iron, manganese, etc., before the blowpipe; as, the borax bead; the iron bead, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bead and butt (Carp.), framing in which the panels are flush, having beads stuck or run upon the two edges. Knight. --
Bead mold, a species of fungus or mold, the stems of which consist of single cells loosely jointed together so as to resemble a string of beads. [ Written also bead mould. ] --
Bead tool, a cutting tool, having an edge curved so as to make beads or beading. --
Bead tree (Bot.), a tree of the genus Melia, the best known species of which (Melia azedarach), has blue flowers which are very fragrant, and berries which are poisonous. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Beaded; p. pr. & vb. n. Beading. ] To ornament with beads or beading. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To form beadlike bubbles. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. imp. & p. p. of bead, v. t. & i.. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. covered with beads or jewels or sequins.
Syn. -- beady, bejeweled, bejewelled, bespangled, gemmed, jeweled, jewelled, sequined, spangled, spangly. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

3. appearing as if covered with beads; as, Her face was beaded with sweat. [ PJC ]

n. 1. (Arch.) Molding in imitation of beads. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The beads or bead-forming quality of certain liquors; as, the beading of a brand of whisky. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. bedel, bidel, budel, OF. bedel, F. bedeau, fr. OHG. butil, putil, G. büttel, fr. OHG. biotan, G. bieten, to bid, confused with AS. bydel, the same word as OHG. butil. See. Bid, v. ] 1. A messenger or crier of a court; a servitor; one who cites or bids persons to appear and answer; -- called also an apparitor or summoner. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An officer in a university, who precedes public processions of officers and students. [ Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In this sense the archaic spellings bedel (Oxford) and bedell (Cambridge) are preserved. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. An inferior parish officer in England having a variety of duties, as the preservation of order in church service, the chastisement of petty offenders, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Office or jurisdiction of a beadle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being, or the personality of, a beadle. A. Wood. [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Among distillers, a certain degree of strength in alcoholic liquor, as formerly ascertained by the floating or sinking of glass globules of different specific gravities thrown into it; now ascertained by more accurate meters. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A degree of strength in alcoholic liquor as shown by beads or small bubbles remaining on its surface, or at the side of the glass, when shaken. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (R. C. Ch.) A catalogue of persons, for the rest of whose souls a certain number of prayers are to be said or counted off on the beads of a chaplet; hence, a catalogue in general. [ 1913 Webster ]

On Fame's eternal beadroll worthy to be filed. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

It is quite startling, on going over the beadroll of English worthies, to find how few are directly represented in the male line. Quart. Rev. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) A small poisonous snake of North America (Elaps fulvius), banded with yellow, red, and black. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Ornamental work in beads. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Resembling beads; small, round, and glistening. “Beady eyes.” Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Covered or ornamented with, or as with, beads. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Characterized by beads; as, beady liquor. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. having eyes that gleam with malice. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ OE. begele; perh. of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. & Gael. beag small, little, W. bach. F. bigle is from English. ] 1. A small hound, or hunting dog, twelve to fifteen inches high, used in hunting hares and other small game. See Illustration in Appendix. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Fig.: A spy or detective; a constable. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. hunting rabbits with beagles. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ OE. bek, F. bec, fr. Celtic; cf. Gael. & Ir. bac, bacc, hook, W. bach. ] 1. (Zool.) (a) The bill or nib of a bird, consisting of a horny sheath, covering the jaws. The form varies much according to the food and habits of the bird, and is largely used in the classification of birds. (b) A similar bill in other animals, as the turtles. (c) The long projecting sucking mouth of some insects, and other invertebrates, as in the Hemiptera. (d) The upper or projecting part of the shell, near the hinge of a bivalve. (e) The prolongation of certain univalve shells containing the canal. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Anything projecting or ending in a point, like a beak, as a promontory of land. Carew. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Antiq.) A beam, shod or armed at the end with a metal head or point, and projecting from the prow of an ancient galley, in order to pierce the vessel of an enemy; a beakhead. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Naut.) That part of a ship, before the forecastle, which is fastened to the stem, and supported by the main knee. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Arch.) A continuous slight projection ending in an arris or narrow fillet; that part of a drip from which the water is thrown off. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. (Bot.) Any process somewhat like the beak of a bird, terminating the fruit or other parts of a plant. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. (Far.) A toe clip. See Clip, n. (Far.). [ 1913 Webster ]

8. A magistrate or policeman. [ Slang, Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Having a beak or a beaklike point; beak-shaped. “Each beaked promontory.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Biol.) Furnished with a process or a mouth like a beak; rostrate. [ 1913 Webster ]

Beaked whale (Zool.), a cetacean of the genus Hyperoodon; the bottlehead whale. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. biker; akin to Icel. bikarr, Sw. bägare, Dan. baeger, G. becher, It. bicchiere; -- all fr. LL. bicarium, prob. fr. Gr. bi^kos wine jar, or perh. L. bacar wine vessel. Cf. Pitcher a jug. ] 1. A large drinking cup, with a wide mouth, supported on a foot or standard. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An open-mouthed, thin glass vessel, having a projecting lip for pouring; -- used for holding solutions requiring heat. Knight. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. (Arch.) An ornament used in rich Norman doorways, resembling a head with a beak. Parker. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Naut.) (a) A small platform at the fore part of the upper deck of a vessel, which contains the water closets of the crew. (b) (Antiq.) Same as Beak, 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Bickern. ] A bickern; a bench anvil with a long beak, adapted to reach the interior surfaces of sheet metal ware; the horn of an anvil. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Boil a tumor. ] (Med.) A small inflammatory tumor; a pustule. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Bealed p. pr. & vb. n. Bealing. ] To gather matter; to swell and come to a head, as a pimple. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ AS. beám beam, post, tree, ray of light; akin to OFries. bām tree, OS. bōm, D. boom, OHG. boum, poum, G. baum, Icel. baðmr, Goth. bagms and Gr. fy^ma a growth, fy^nai to become, to be. Cf. L. radius staff, rod, spoke of a wheel, beam or ray, and G. strahl arrow, spoke of a wheel, ray or beam, flash of lightning. √97. See Be; cf. Boom a spar. ] 1. Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. One of the principal horizontal timbers of a building or ship. [ 1913 Webster ]

The beams of a vessel are strong pieces of timber stretching across from side to side to support the decks. Totten. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The width of a vessel; as, one vessel is said to have more beam than another. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. The bar of a balance, from the ends of which the scales are suspended. [ 1913 Webster ]

The doubtful beam long nods from side to side. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. The principal stem or horn of a stag or other deer, which bears the antlers, or branches. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. The pole of a carriage. [ Poetic ] Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. A cylinder of wood, making part of a loom, on which weavers wind the warp before weaving; also, the cylinder on which the cloth is rolled, as it is woven; one being called the fore beam, the other the back beam. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. The straight part or shank of an anchor. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. The main part of a plow, to which the handles and colter are secured, and to the end of which are attached the oxen or horses that draw it. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. (Steam Engine) A heavy iron lever having an oscillating motion on a central axis, one end of which is connected with the piston rod from which it receives motion, and the other with the crank of the wheel shaft; -- called also working beam or walking beam. [ 1913 Webster ]

11. A ray or collection of parallel rays emitted from the sun or other luminous body; as, a beam of light, or of heat. [ 1913 Webster ]

How far that little candle throws his beams! Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

12. (Fig.): A ray; a gleam; as, a beam of comfort. [ 1913 Webster ]

Mercy with her genial beam. Keble. [ 1913 Webster ]

13. One of the long feathers in the wing of a hawk; -- called also beam feather. [ 1913 Webster ]

Abaft the beam (Naut.), in an arc of the horizon between a line that crosses the ship at right angles, or in the direction of her beams, and that point of the compass toward which her stern is directed. --
Beam center (Mach.), the fulcrum or pin on which the working beam of an engine vibrates. --
Beam compass, an instrument consisting of a rod or beam, having sliding sockets that carry steel or pencil points; -- used for drawing or describing large circles. --
Beam engine, a steam engine having a working beam to transmit power, in distinction from one which has its piston rod attached directly to the crank of the wheel shaft. --
Before the beam (Naut.), in an arc of the horizon included between a line that crosses the ship at right angles and that point of the compass toward which the ship steers. --
On the beam, in a line with the beams, or at right angles with the keel. --
On the weather beam, on the side of a ship which faces the wind. --
To be on her beam ends, to incline, as a vessel, so much on one side that her beams approach a vertical position. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Beamed p. pr. & vb. n. Beaming. ] To send forth; to emit; -- followed ordinarily by forth; as, to beam forth light. [ 1913 Webster ]