Teut. bagge gemma; Isl. baug-r; Alem. boug, A. S. beag, Fr. bague, Ital. bagun, annulus.
BAUK, BAWK, s.
1. One of the cross-beams in the roof of a house, which support
and unite the rafters, S.
2. The beam by which scales are suspended
in a balance, S.
Teut. balck waeghe, a balance. We invert the term, making it weigh-bauks.
Germ. balk, Belg. balck, Dan. bielke, a beam.
BAUK, BAWK, s. A strip of land left
unploughed, two or three feet in breadth,
S.
Statist. Acc.
A. S. and C. B. balc, Su. G. balk, porca, a ridge of land between two furrows; Isl. baulkur, lira in agro, vel alia soli eminentia minor.
BAUKIE, s. The razorbill, Alca torda,
Orkn.
Barry.
BAUSY, adj. Big, strong.
Dunbar.
Su. G. basse, vir potens.
To BAW, v. a. To hush, to lull.
Watson.
Fr. bas, low.
V. Balow.
BAW, s.
1. A ball, used in play, S.
Ramsay.
2. Money given to school-boys by a marriage company, to prevent their being
maltreated; as otherwise they claim a right to cut the bride's gown, S. This
is the same with Ball money, E.
V. Coles.
Corr. from E. ball.
BAWAW, s. An oblique look, implying
contempt or scorn, S. B.
Ross.
BAWBIE, s. A half-penny.
V. Babie.
BAWBURD, s. The larboard, or the left
side of a ship.
Douglas.
Fr. bas-bord; Isl. batforda, id.
BAWD, s. A hare, Aberd.
Poems Buchan Dial.
A. S. Ir. and Gael, miol denotes a beast of whatever kind, miol bhuide, or boide, is a hare; also patas.
BAWD-BREE, s. Hare-soup, Aberd.
BAWDEKYN, s. Cloth of gold.
Fr. baldachin, baldaquin, baudequin, L. B. baldachinum, tissue de fil d'or.
To BAWME, v. a.
1. To embalm.
Fr. em-baum-er.
Wyntown.
2. To cherish, to warm.
Douglas.
BAWSAND, BASSAND, BAWSINT,
adj.
1. Having a white spot on the forehead
or face; a term applied to a horse,
cow, &c., S.
Douglas.
2. It seems to be used as equivalent to
brindled or streaked, S. A.
Minstrelsy Bord.
Hence, it would seem, bassie, an old horse, S.
Fr. balzan, balsan, a horse that has a white mark on the feet; deduced from Ital. balzano, and this from Lat. bal-ius, a horse that has a white mark either on the forehead or feet. Germ. blaesse, Su. G. blaes, a white mark on the forehead of a horse. Hence perhaps E. blazon, and blaze.
BAWSY-BROWN, s. A hobgoblin;
viewed as the same with Robin Goodfellow
of England, and Brownie of S.
Bannatyne Poems.
Perhaps from Su. G. basse, vir potens, V. Bausy, or base, spectrum, and brun, fuscus, q. the strong goblin of a brown appearance.
BAXTER, s. A baker, S.
V. Bakster.
Ramsay.
BAZED, BASED, BASIT, part. pa.
Watson's Coll.
Maitland Poems.
Teut. baes-en, delirare; Belg. byse, bysen, turbatus; Su. G. bes-a denotes the state of animals so stung by insects, that they are driven hither and thither; Fr. bez-er, id.
BE, prep.
1. By, as denoting the cause,
agent, or instrument, S.
Barbour.
2. Towards, in composition; as, be-east,
towards the east; be-west, towards the
west, S.
Wyntown.
3. Of, concerning; as, be the, concerning
thee.
Wallace.
4. By the time that.
Diallog.
5. During, expressive of the lapse of
time.
Keith.
A. S. be, per; de; circa.
BE, part. pa. Been.
Douglas.
To BEAL.
V. Beil.
BEANSHAW.
V. Benshaw.
To BEAR, BER, BERE, v. a. To bear
on hand, to affirm, to relate.
Wyntown.
To bear upon, to restrain one's self, S. B.
Ross.
BEAR, BERE, s. Barley, having four
rows of grains, S. Hordeum vulgare,
Linn.
Wyntown.
A. S. bere, Moes. G. bar, hordeum.
BEAR LAND, land appropriated for a
crop of barley, S.
To go through the bear land with one, to
tell him all the grounds of umbrage at his
conduct, to pluck a crow with him, S.
BEARIS BEFOR, Ancestors.
Wallace.
A translation of Lat. antecessores.
BEARANCE, s. Toleration, S.
J. Nicol.
BEAT, s. A stroke, a blow, a contusion, S. B. apparently the same with Byt used in this sense by Douglas.
To BEBBLE, v. a.
1. To swallow any liquid
in small, but frequent draughts;
whether the liquor be intoxicating or
not, S.
2. To tipple, v. n. "He's ay bebbling
and drinking;" he is much given to
tippling, S.
It seems to be formed from Lat. bibere to drink, in the same manner as bibulus, soaking, drinking, or taking it wet.
BECHT, part. pa. Tied; Gl. Rudd.
Germ. bieg-en, flectere, is probably the origin.
To BECK, BEK, v. s.
1. To make obeisance,
to cringe, S.
Bannatyne Poems.
2. To curtsy; as restricted to the obeisance
made by a woman, and contra-distinguished
from bowing.
Isl. beig-a, Germ. bieg-en, to bow.
BECK, BEK, s. A curtsy, S.
Maitland Poems.
BEDDY, adj. Expressive of a quality in
grey-hounds; the sense uncertain.
Watson's Coll.
It may signify, attentive to the cry of the huntsman. Fr. baudé, "a cry as of hounds, Breton;" Cotgr. It may, however, be the same word which occurs in the S. Prov.; "Breeding wives are ay beddie;" Kelly, p. 75. "Covetous of some silly things," N. In this sense it is probably allied to Isl. beid-a, A. S. bidd-an, Moes. G. bid-jan, Belg. bidd-en, to ask, to supplicate, to solicit.
BEDE, pret. Offered; from the v. Bid.
Sir Gawan and Sir Gal.
Chaucer uses the v. Bede as signifying to offer.
A. S. baed, obtulit, from beodan.
BEDELUIN, part. pa. Buried, hid under
ground.
Douglas.
A. S. bedelfen, sepultus, infossus; be-delf-an, circumfodere.
BEDENE, BY DENE, adv.
1. Quickly,
forthwith.
Barbour.
2. It seems also to signify, besides, moreover;
in addition, as respecting persons.
Gawan and Gol.
3. It undoubtedly signifies, in succession,
or "one after another."
Gawan and Gol.
As belyve, very similar in sense, is undoubtedly the imperat. of belif-an, q. wait, stay; bedene may have been formed in the same manner, from Germ. bedien-en, to serve, to obey.
BEDIS, s. pl. Prayers.
King's Quair.
Germ. bed-en; Germ. ge-bet, prayer. Hence O. E. bidde, and the phrase, to bidde prayers, to ask, to solicit them.
BEDE-HOUSE, s. A term used for an
alms-house, S. B.
Statist. Acc.
BEDE-MAN, BEIDMAN, s.
1. A person
who resides in a bede-house, or is
supported from the funds appropriated
for this purpose, S.
Statist. Acc.
2. In the Court of Exchequer, this term
is used to denote one of that class of
paupers who enjoy the royal bounty. The
designation has originated from some
religious foundation, in times of popery.
Bedman occurs in O. E.
V. Assoilyie,
sense 3.
The origin is A. S. bead, a prayer. Hence, says Verstegan, the name of Beads, "they being made to pray on, and Beadsman."
BEDYIT, part. pa. Dipped.
Douglas.
A. S. deag-an, tingere.
BEDOYF, part. pa. Besmeared, fouled.
Douglas.
Su. G. doft, dupt, pulvis; or A. S. bedof-en, submersus, dipped.
BEDOWIN, part. pa.
Douglas.
Rudd. expl. bedowyne, besmeared, deriving it from Belg. bedauwen, to bedew, or sprinkle.
BEDRAL, s. A person who is bedrid.
V. Orphelin.
BEDREL, adj. Bedrid, Galloway.
Douglas.
Corr. perhaps from A. S. bedrida, id.; Teut. bedder, clinicus, Germ. bed-reise.
BEDUNDER'D, part. pa. Stupified, confounded, S. q. having the ear deafened by noise.
Su. G. dundr-a, Belg. dender-en, tonare, to thunder.
BEE, s. The hollow between the ribs and hip-bone of a horse, S. B.
Perhaps from A. S. bige, byge, flexus, angulus, sinus; big-an, byg-ean, flectere, curvare.
BEE-ALE, s. A species of beer, or rather mead, made from the refuse of honey; S. B. This in Clydes. is called swats.
BEE-BREAD, s. The substance that goes to the formation of bees, S.
A. S. beo-bread signifies honeycomb.
BE-EAST, Towards the East.
V. Be, prep.
BEELDE, BELD, s. "Properly an
image.—Model of perfection or imitation."
Gl. Wynt.
Wyntown.
A. S. bilith, bild, Belg. beeld, beld, Sw. bild, imago.
To BEENGE, BYNGE, v. a. To cringe,
in the way of making much obeisance,
S.
V. Beck.
Ferguson.
This is undoubtedly from A. S. bens-ian, also written boens-ian, to ask as a suppliant; supplicitor petere, orare; bensiende, supplicans.
BEENJIN, improperly written, is expl.
"fawning."
J. Nicol.
BEEVIT, part. pa. Perhaps, installed as
a knight.
Gawan and Gol.
A. S. befeht, cinctus, girded, Somn.
V. Falow.
To BEFF, BAFF, v. a. To beat, to strike,
S.
Beft, beaten, pret. and part. pa.
Douglas.
It is used more simply, as referring to the
act of beating with strokes; applied to
metal.
Douglas.
Doun Beft signifies, beat down, overthrown.
BEFF, BAFF, s. A stroke.
V. Baff.
BEFORN, prep. Before.
Wallace.
It occurs also in O. E.
R. Brunne.
A. S. beforan, ante; coram.
BEFOROUTH, adv. Before, formerly.
V. Forowth.
Barbour.
BEFT, part. pa. Beaten.
V. Beff.
To BEGARIE, v. a.
1. To variegate,
to deck with various colours.
Lyndsay.
2. To stripe, to variegate with lines of
various colours, to streak. Begaryit,
striped, part. pa.
Douglas.
3. To besmear; to bedaub, to bespatter.
"S. begaried, bedirted;" Rudd. vo.
Laggerit.
Lyndsay.
This v. has an evident affinity to our Gair, gare, a stripe of cloth, and Gaired, gairy, q. v. The word is immediately allied to Fr. begarr-er, to diversify; begarré, of sundry colours, mingled.
BEGAIRIES, s. pl. Stripes or slips of
cloth sewed on garments, by way of ornament,
such as are now worn in liveries;
pessments, S. synon.
Acts Ja. VI.
BEGANE, part. pa. Covered; Gold begane,
overlaid with gold.
Douglas.
Aurea tecta, Virg. According to Rudd. q. gone over. Chaucer uses the phrase, With gold begon, Rom. Rose, 943., "painted over with gold," Tyrwh.
To BEGECK, BEGAIK, BEGEIK,
v. a. To deceive; particularly by playing
the jilt, S.B.
Dunbar.
Teut. gheck-en, deridere, ludibrio habere.
V. Geck.
BEGEIK, BEGINK, BEGUNK, s.
1. A trick, or illusion, which exposes
one to ridicule, S.
Ramsay.
2. It often denotes the act of jilting one
in love; applied either to a male, or to
a female, S.
Begeik is the more common
term, S. B.
Morison.
BEGES, BEGESS, adv. By chance, at
random.
Evergreen.
From be, by, and gess, guess, Belg. ghisse.
BEGGER-BOLTS, s. pl. "A sort of darts or missile weapons. The word is used by James VI. in his Battle of Lepanto, to denote the weapons of the forceats, or galley-slaves." Gl. Sibb. Hudson writes beggers' bolts.
The word may have originated from contempt of the persons, who used these arms, q. bolts of beggars.
BEGOUTH, BEGOUDE, pret. Began.
Wyntown.
Begoud is now commonly used, S.
A. S. gynn-an, beginn-an, seem to have had their pret. formed like eode, from gan, ire: Beginnan, begeode.
BEGRAUIN, part. pa. Buried, interred.
Douglas.
A. S. graf-an, fodere; Teut. be-gra-ven, sepelire.
BEGRETTE, pret. Saluted.
Douglas.
A. S. gret-an, Belg. be-groet-en, salutare.
BEGRUTTEN, part. pa. Having the face disfigured with weeping, S.
Sw. begratande, bewailing.
V. Greit.
BEGUILE, s. A deception, trick, the
slip; sometimes a disappointment, S.
Ross.
BEGUNKIT, part. adj. Cheated, Clydes.
V. Begeck.
To BEHALD, v. a.
1. To behold, S. behaud.
Wyntown.
2. To have respect to, to view with favour
or partiality.
Douglas.
Spectat, Virg. A. S. beheald-an.
3. To wait, to delay; q. to look on for a
while, S. used both as an active, and as
a neuter verb.
Ross.
Behold occurs in the same sense.
Baillie.
BEHAUYNGIS, s. pl. Manners, deportment.
Bellenden.
Mores, Boeth.
V. Havings.
To BEHECHT, v. n. To promise.
Douglas.
Chaucer, behete, A. S. behaet-an, id. R. Glouc. behet; R. Brunne, be-hette, promised.
BEHECHT, BEHEST, BEHETE, s.
1. Promise.
Bellenden.
2. Engagement, covenant.
Douglas.
3. Command.
Douglas.
Chaucer, beheste, id.
BEHO, BOHO, s. A laughing-stock. "To mak a boho" of any thing, to hold it up to ridicule, S. B.
Alem. huohe, ludibrium.
To BEHUFE, v. n. To be dependent on.
Douglas.
A. S. behof-ian, Belg. behoev-en, to stand in need of, egere, opus habere.
BEJAN CLASS, a designation given to the Greek class in the Universities of St Andrew's and Aberdeen; as, till of late, in that of Edinburgh. Hence, the students in this class are denominated Bejans.
Fr. bejaune, a novice, an apprentice, a young beginner in any science, art, or trade. Cotgr. derives bejaune from bec jaulne, literally a yellow beak or bill. Du Cange observes that L. B. bejaunus signifies a young scholar of any university, and bejaunium the festivity that is held on his arrival. The term is thus very emphatic, being primarily used in relation to a bird newly hatched, whose beak is of a deep yellow.
To BEJAN, v. a. When a new shearer comes to a harvest-field, he is initiated by being lifted by the arms and legs, and struck down on a stone on his buttocks; Fife. This custom has probably had its origin in some of our universities. It is sometimes called horsing.
BEIK, s. A hive of bees.
V. Byke.
To BEIK, BEKE, BEEK, v. a.
1. To bask, S.
Barbour.
2. To warm, to communicate heat to.
Ramsay.
3. It is often used in a neuter sense, S.
Ywaine.
Belg. baeker-en is used in the same sense; baeker-en een kindt, to warm a child. We say, To beik in the sun; so, Belg. baekeren in de sonne. But our word is more immediately allied to the Scandinavian dialects; Su. G. bak-a, to warm.
BEIK, adj. Warm.
Bannatyne Poems.
BEIK, s.
1. This word primarily signifying
the beak or bill of a fowl, is "sometimes
used for a man's mouth, by way
of contempt;" Rudd.
Douglas.
2. It is used, as a cant word, for a person;
"an auld beik," "a queer beik,"
&c. S.
Belg. biek, Fr. bec, rostrum. It may be observed that the latter is metaph. applied to a person.
V. Bejan.
To BEIL, BEAL, v. n.
1. To suppurate,
S.
Maitland Poems.
2. To swell or rankle with pain, or remorse;
metaph. applied to the mind,
S. B.
Ross.
Wodrow.
Belg. buyl-en, protuberare? Ihre derives Su. G. bold, a boil, from Isl. bolg-a, intumescere.
BEILIN, s. A suppuration, S.
BEILD, BIELD, s.
1. Shelter, refuge,
protection, S.
Gawan and Gol.
"Every man bows to the bush he gets bield frae;" S. Prov. Every man pays court to him who gives him protection.
2. Support, stay, means of sustenance,
S.
Douglas.
3. A place of shelter; hence, applied to
a house, a habitation; S.
Morison.
A. Bor. beild, id.
Beilding also occurs, where it seems
doubtful whether buildings or shelter be
meant.
Gawan and Gol.
Isl. baele denotes both a bed or couch, and a cave, a lurking place; cubile, spelunca. It is highly probable, that baele is radically the same with Isl. boele, domicilium, habitatio; from bo, to build, to inhabit.
To BEILD, v. a.
1. To supply, to support.
Wallace.
2. In one passage it seems to signify, to
take refuge; in a neuter sense.
Gawan and Gol.
This verb, it would seem, has been formed from the noun, q. v., or has a common origin with Isl. bael-a, used to denote the act of causing cattle to lie down.
BEILDY, adj. Affording shelter.
Ramsay.
BEILD, adj. Bold.
Houlate.
A. S. beald, id. A. S. Alem. belde, audacia.
BEILL, s. Perhaps, sorrow, care, q. baill.
Bannatyne Poems.
BEIN, s. Bone, Ang.
One is said to be aw frae the bein, all from the bone, when proud, elevated, or highly pleased; in allusion, as would seem, to the fleshy parts rising from the bone, when the body is swollen.
BEIN, BEYNE, adj. Beinlier.
V. Bene.
BEIR, BERE, BIR, BIRR, s.
1. Noise,
cry, roar.
Douglas.
The word is used in this sense by R.
Glouc.
2. Force, impetuosity; often as denoting
the violence of the wind, S. Vir,
virr, Aberd.
Douglas.
O. E. bire, byre, birre. The term, especially as used in the second sense, seems nearly allied to Isl. byre (tempestas), Su. G. boer, the wind; which seem to acknowledge byr-ia, boer-ia, surgere, as their root.
To BEIR, BERE, v. s. To roar, to make
a noise.
Wallace.
Teut. baeren, beren, is expl. by Kilian; Fremere, sublatè et ferociter clamare more ursorum. The learned writer seems thus to view it as a derivative from baere, bere, a bear.
BEIRD, s. A bard, a minstrel.
V. Baird.
Douglas.
BEYRD, pret. Laid on a bere.
Maitland Poems.
From A. S. baer, baere, feretrum.
BEIRTH, BYRTHE, s. Burden, incumbrance, charge; Gl. Sibb.
Dan. byrde, byrth; Isl. byrd; Su. G. boerd-a; Belg. borde, A. S. byrth-in; from Moes. G. bair-an, Su. G. baer-a, to bear.
BEIS, v. s. Be, is; third p. sing. subj. S.
Douglas.
Here the second pers. is improperly used for the third. A. S. byst, sis; Alem. Franc. bist, es, from bin, sum; Wachter, vo. Bin.
BEIS, BEES, One's head is said to be in
the bees, when one is confused or stupified
with drink or otherwise, S.
Shirrefs.
Teut. bies-en, aestuari, furente impetu agitari; or from the same origin with Bazed, q. v.
BEIST, BEISTYN, s. The first milk of a cow after she has calved, S. biestings, E.
A. S. beost, byst; Teut. biest, biest melck, id. (colostrum).
To BEIT, BETE, BEET, v. a.
1. To
help, to supply; to mend, by making
addition.
Henrysone.
To beit the fire, or beit the ingle. To add
fuel to the fire, S. "To beet, to make or feed a fire." Gl. Grose.
To beit a mister, to supply a want, Loth.
2. To blow up, to inkindle, applied to the fire.
Douglas.
3. To bring into a better state, by removing
calamity or cause of sorrow.
Wallace.
A. S. bet-an, ge-bet-an, to mend, to restore to the original state; Belg. boet-en; Isl. bet-a, Su. G. boet-a, id. boet-a klaeder, to repair or mend clothes. A. S. bet-an fyr, corresponds to the S. phrase mentioned above, struere ignem.
Bett, part. pa. Supplied.
Wallace.
BEIT, s. An addition, a supply, S. B.
V. the v.
BEITMISTER, s. That which is used in
a strait, for supplying any deficiency;
applied either to a person or to a thing;
Loth.
V. Beit, v. and Mister.
To BEKE, v. a. To bask.
V. Beik.
BEKEND, part. Known; S. B. bekent.
Douglas.
Germ. bekaunt, id. Teut. be-kennen, to know; A. S. be-cunnan, experiri.
BELCH, BAILCH, BILCH, s. (gutt.)
1. A monster.
Douglas.
2. A term applied to a very lusty person, S. B.
"A bursen belch, or bilch, one who is breathless from corpulence,
q. burst, like a horse that is broken-winded.
Ross.
Teut. balgh, the belly; or as it is pron. bailg, Moray, from Su. G. bolg-ia, bulg-ia, to swell.
BELD, adj. Bald, without hair on the
head, S.
V. Bellit.
Burns.
Seren. derives it from Isl. bala, planities. With fully as much probability might it be traced to Isl. bael-a, vastare, prosternere, to lay flat.
BELD, s. Pattern, model of perfection.
V. Beelde.
BELD, imperf. v. Perhaps, took the
charge of, or protected.
Houlate.
Fr. bail, a guardian. In this sense it is nearly allied to E. bailed, Fr. bailler, to present, to deliver up. As, however, we have the word beild, shelter, protection, beld may possibly belong to a verb corresponding in sense.
BELD CYTTES, s. pl. Bald coots.
Houlate.
The bald coot receives its name from a bald spot on its head. It is vulgarly called bell-kite, S.
BELDIT, part. pa. Imaged, formed.
V. Beelde.
Houlate.
Belg. beeld-en, Germ. bild-en, Sw. bild-a, formare, imaginari. A. S. bild, bilith, Germ. Sw. bild, belaete, an image.
To BELE, v. s. "To burn, to blaze."
Wyntown.
This, however, may mean, bellowed, roared, from A. S. bell-an, Su. G. bal-a, id. Chaucer uses belle in the same sense.
BELE, s. A fire, a blaze.
V. Bail.
To BELEIF, v. a. To leave; pret. beleft.
A. S. be and leof-an, linquere.
Douglas.
To BELEIF, BELEWE, v. a. To deliver
up.
Douglas.
It is also used as a v. n. with the prep.
of.
Barbour.
A. S. belaew-an, tradere; belaewed, traditus.
BELEFE, s. Hope.
Douglas.
To BELENE, v. n. To tarry; or perhaps,
to recline, to rest.
Sir Gawan.
A. S. bilen-ed, inhabited.
V. Leind.
Or allied to Germ. len-en, recumbere.
BELEWYT, imperf. v. Delivered up.
V. Beleif, v. 2.
BELGHE, s. Eructation, E. belch.
Z. Boyd.
BELYVE, BELIFF, BELIUE, BELIFE,
adv.
1. Immediately, quickly.
Douglas.
2. By and by, S.
Barbour.
This seems to be the only modern sense
of the term in S.
3. At length.
Douglas.
4. It is used in a singular sense, S. B.
Litle belive, or bilive, a small remainder.
Popular Ball.
Chaucer belive, blive, quickly; Gower, blyve, id. Hickes mentions Franc. belibe, as signifying protinus, confestim; and Junius refers to Norm. Sax. bilive. This is certainly the same word; from Alem. and Franc. belib-an, manere; A. S. belif-an, id.
To BELY, v. a. To besiege.
Spotswood.
TO BELL THE CAT, to contend,
with one, especially, of superior rank or
power; to withstand him, either by words
or actions; to use strong measures,
without regard to consequences, S.
Godscroft.
Fr. Mettre la campane au chat, "to begin a quarrel, to raise a brabble; we say also, in the same sense, to hang the bell about the cat's neck." Cotgr.
To BELLER, v. n. To bubble up.
Bp. Galloway.
Isl. belg-ia, inflare buccas.
BELL-PENNY, s. Money laid up, for paying the expence of one's funeral; from the ancient use of the passing-bell. This word is still used in Aberbrothick.
BELL-KITE, s. The bald Coot.
V. Beld Cyttes.
BELLAN, s. Fight, combat.
Douglas.
Lat. bellum.
BELLE, s. Bonfire.
V. Bail.
BELLING, s. The state of desiring the
female; a term properly applied to harts.
Douglas.
Rudd. derives the phrase from Fr. belier, a ram; but perhaps it is rather from Isl. bael-a, bel-ia, baul-a, Germ. bell-en, mugire, boare.
BELLIS, s. pl.
Wallace.
BELLIT, adj. Bald.
Fordun.
Scotichron.
BELLY-BLIND, s. The play called
Blind-man's buff, S. A.: Blind Harie,
synon. S.
Anciently this term denoted the person
who was blindfolded in the game.
Lyndsay.
In Su. G. this game is called blind-bock, i. e. blind goat; and in Germ. blinde kuhe, q. blind cow. It is probable, that the term is the same with Billy Blynde, mentioned in the Tales of Wonder, and said to be the name of "a familiar spirit, or good genius."
BELLY-FLAUGHT.
1. To slay, or
flay, belly-flaught, to bring the skin overhead,
as in flaying a hare, S. B.
Monroe's Iles.
2. It is used in Loth. and other provinces,
in a sense considerably different;
as denoting great eagerness or violence
in approaching an object.
Ramsay.
3. It is also rendered, "flat forward."
J. Nicol.
BELLY-HUDDROUN.
V. Huddroun.
BELLY-THRA, s. The colic.
Gl. Complaynt.
A. S. belg, belly, and thra, affliction. This term, I am informed, is still used on the Border.
To BELLWAVER, v. n.
1. To straggle,
to stroll, S.
2. To fluctuate, to be inconstant; applied
to the mind, S.
I am informed, however, that the pronunciation of the term in some places in the west of S. is bullwaver; and that it is primarily applied to a bull when going after the cow, and hence transferred to man, when supposed to be engaged in some amorous pursuit.
The origin of the latter part of the v. is obvious; either from E. waver or L. B. wayviare, to stray. Perhaps the allusion may be to a ram or other animal, roaming with a bell hung round its neck.
To BELT, v. a.
1. To gird, S.
Hence, in our old ballads belted knights
are often introduced.
2. To gird, metaph. used in relation to
the mind.
Bellenden.
3. To surround, to environ in a hostile
manner.
Bellenden.
Isl. belt-a, cingere zona.
To BELT, v. a. To flog, to scourge, S.
To BELT, v. n. To come forward with a sudden spring, S.
Isl. bilt-a, bilt-ast, signifies, to tumble headlong.
BELT, part. pa. Built.
Douglas.
BELTANE, BELTEIN, s. The name
of a sort of festival observed on the first
day of May, O. S.; hence used to denote
the term of Whitsunday.
Peblis to the Play.
This festival is chiefly celebrated by the cow-herds, who assemble by scores in the fields, to dress a dinner for themselves, of boiled milk and eggs. These dishes they eat with a sort of cakes baked for the occasion, and having small lumps in the form of nipples, raised all over the surface. The cake seems to have been an offering to some Deity in the days of Druidism.—In Ireland, Beltein is celebrated on the 21st June, at the time of the solstice. There, as they make fires on the tops of hills, every member of the family is made to pass through the fire; as they reckon this ceremony necessary to ensure good fortune through the succeeding year.—The Gael. and Ir. word Beal-tine or Beil-tine signifies Bel's Fire; as composed of Baal or Belis, one of the names of the sun in Gaul, and tein signifying fire. Even in Angus a spark of fire is called a tein or teind.
BELTH, s.
Douglas.
This word may denote a whirlpool or rushing of waters. I am inclined, however, to view it, either as equivalent to belch, only with a change in the termination, metri causa; or as signifying, figure, image, from A. S. bilith, Alem. bilid, bileth, id.
To BEMANG, v. a. To hurl, to injure;
to overpower, S. B.
Minstrelsy Border.
To BEME, v. n.
1. To resound, to make
a noise.
Douglas.
2. To call forth by sound of trumpet.
Gawan and Gol.
Germ. bomm-en, resonare; or A. S. beam, bema, tuba. It is evident that beme is radically the same with bommen, because Germ. bomme, as well as A. S. beam, signifies a trumpet.
BEME, s. A trumpet; Bemys, pl.
Gawan and Gol.
O. E. beem, id.
V. the v.
BEMYNG, s. Bumming, buzzing.
Douglas.
BEN, adv.
1. Towards the inner apartment
of a house; corresponding to But,
S.
Wyntown.
It is also used as a preposition, Gae
ben the house, Go into the inner apartment.
A But and a Ben, S.; i. e. a house containing
two rooms.
Statist. Acc.
2. It is used metaph. to denote intimacy,
favour, or honour. Thus it is said
of one, who is admitted to great familiarity
with another, who either is, or
wishes to be thought his superior; He
is far ben. "O'er far ben, too intimate
or familiar," Gl. Shirr.
Lyndsay.
3. Leg. as in edit. 1670, far ben.
A. S. binnan, Belg. binnen, intus, (within); binnen-kamer, locus secretior in penetralibus domus; Kilian. Belg. binnen gaan, to go within, S. to gae ben; binnen brengen, to carry within, S. to bring ben.
BEN-END, s.
1. The ben-end of a house,
the inner part of it, S.
2. Metaph., the best part of any thing;
as, the ben-end of one's dinner, the principal
part of it, S. B.
BEN-HOUSE, s. The inner or principal apartment, S.
BENNER, adj. A comparative formed
from ben. Inner, S. B.
Poems Buchan Dial.
BENMOST is used as a superlative, signifying
innermost.
Ferguson.
Teut. binnenste is synon.
BEN-INNO, prep. Within, beyond, S. B.
Journal Lond.
From ben, q. v. and A. S. inne, or innon, within; Alem. inna; Isl. inne, id.
There-ben, adv. Within, in the inner
apartment, S.
V. Thairben.
BEND, s.
1. Band, ribbon, or fillet; pl.
bendis.
Douglas.
"Bend, a border of a woman's cap,
North.; perhaps from band," Gl. Grose.
2. It is used improperly for a fleece.
Douglas.
A. S. bend, baende, Moes. G. bandi, Germ. band, Pers. bend, vinculum.
To BEND, v. n. To drink hard; a cant
term, S.
Ramsay.
BEND, s. A pull of liquor, S.
Ramsay.
BENDER, s. A hard drinker, S.
Ramsay.
BENE, v. subst. Are.
Bellenden.
Chaucer, ben, id. from beon, third p. pl. subj. of the A. S. substantive verb.
BENE is also used for be.
King's Quair.
BENE, BEIN, BEYNE, BIEN, adj.
1. Wealthy, well-provided, possessing
abundance, S.
Henrysone.
This is perhaps the most common sense of the term, S. Thus we say, A bene or bein farmer, a wealthy farmer, one who is in easy, or even in affluent circumstances; a bein laird, &c.
2. Warm, genial. In this sense it is
applied to a fire, S.
Douglas.
3. Pleasant.
Douglas.
4. Happy, blissful, S.
Ferguson.
5. Splendid, showy.
Wallace.
6. Good, excellent in its kind.
Dunbar.
7. Eager, new-fangled. People are said
to be bein upon any thing that they are
very fond of, Loth. In this sense bayne
occurs in O. E.
Isl. bein-a signifies to prosper, to give success to any undertaking. Bein, as allied to this, signifies hospitable; beine, hospitality, hospitis advenae exhibita beneficentia. G. Andr. mentions the v. beina, as signifying, hospitii beneficia praestare. Beini, hospitality, liberality.
BENELY, BEINLY, adv. In the possession
of fulness, S.
L. Scotland's Lament.
BENE, adv. Well; full bene, full well.
Douglas.
This word is most probably from Lat. benè, well.
BENJEL, s. A heap, a considerable
quantity; as "a benjel of coals," when
many are laid at once on the fire, S. B.
Bensil, however, is used in the same
sense in the South and West of S.
V. Bensell.
BENK, BINK, s. A bench, a seat. It
seems sometimes to have denoted a seat
of honour.
Kelly.
Dan. benk, Germ. bank, scamnum; Wachter.
BENN, s. A sash.
V. Bend.
Statist. Acc.
BENORTH, prep. To the northward of;
besouth, to the southward of, S.
Wyntown.
BENSELL, BENSAIL, BENT-SAIL,
s.
1. Force, violence of whatever kind,
S.
Douglas.
2. A severe stroke; properly that which
one receives from a push or shove, S.
3. "A severe rebuke," Gl. Shirr. "I
got a terrible bensell;" I was severely
scolded, S.
4. Bensil of a fire, a strong fire, South
and West of S.
It is not unlikely that the word was originally bent-sail, as alluding to a vessel driven by the force of the winds.
To BENSEL, v. a. To bang, or beat, Gl. Sibb. "Bensel, to beat or bang. Vox rustica, Yorksh." Gl. Grose.
BENSHAW, BEANSHAW, s. A disease,
apparently of horses.
Polwart.
Formed perhaps from A. S. ban, Teut. been, os, and hef, elevatio; q. the swelling of the bone.
BENSHIE, BENSHI, s. Expl. "Fairy's
wife."
Pennant.
It has been observed, that this being, who is still reverenced as the tutelar daemon of ancient Irish families, is of pure Celtic origin, and owes her title to two Gaelic words, Ben and sighean, signifying the head or chief of the fairies. But it seems rather derived from Ir. Gael. ben, bean a woman, said by Obrien to be the root of the Lat. Venus, and sighe, a fairy or hobgoblin.
BENT, s.
1. A coarse kind of grass, growing
on hilly ground, S. Agrostis vulgaris,
Linn. Common hair-grass.
2. The coarse grass growing on the sea-shore,
S. denoting the Triticum juncium,
and also the Arundo arenaria.
Lightfoot.
3. The open field, the plain, S.
Douglas.
4. To gae to the bent, to provide for one's
safety, to flee from danger, by leaving
the haunts of men; as it is also vulgarly
said, to tak the cuntrie on his back.
Henrysone.
Teut. biendse; Germ. bintz, bins, a rush, juncus, scirpus; a binden, vincire, quia sportas, sellas, fiscellas, et similia ex juncis conteximus; Wachter.
BENTY, BENTEY, adj. Covered with
bent-grass, S.
Monroe's Iles.
To BER on hand.
V. Bear.
BERBER, s. Barberry, a shrub.
Sir Gawan and Sir Gol.
L. B. berberis, Sw. id.
BERE, s. Noise; also, To Bere.
V. Beir.
BERE, s. Boar.
V. Bair.
Douglas.
BERE, s. Barley.
Wyntown.
BERGLE, BERGELL, s. The wrasse,
a fish, Orkn.
Barry.
The first syllable of its name is undoubtedly from Isl. berg, a rock. Had it any resemblance to the eel, we might suppose the last from aal, q. the rock eel.
BERHEDIS, s. pl. Heads of boars.
V. Bere.
Gawan and Gal.
BERIT, imperf.
V. Beir, v.
To BERY, BERYSS, BERISCH, v. a. To inter, to bury.
Douglas.
A. S. byrig-an, id. Junius says that A. S. byrig-an is literally, tumulare. It may, however, be supposed that the primitive idea is found in Isl. birg-ia, Franc. berg-an, to cover, to hide, to defend.
BERIIS, s. Sepulture.
A. S. byrigels, sepultura. Birielis is accordingly used by Wiclif for tombs.
BERYNES, BERYNISS, s. Burial, interment.
Barbour.
A. S. byrignesse, sepultura.
BERY BROUNE, a shade of brown approaching
to red.
Gawan. and Gol.
We still say, "as brown as a berry," S. A. S. beria, bacca.
BERLE, s. Beryl, a precious stone.
Houlate.
From this s. Doug. forms the adj. beriall, shining like beryl.
BERLY, adj. Apparently, strong, mighty.
Henrysone.
This word is the same, I suspect, with E. burly, strong. If berly be the ancient word, either from Germ. bar, vir illustris; or from baer, ursus; especially as Su. G. biorn, id. was metaph. used to denote an illustrious personage.
BERN, BERNE, s.
1. A baron.
Wallace.
2. It is often used in a general sense, as
denoting a man of rank or authority;
or one who has the appearance of rank,
although the degree of it be unknown.
Gawan and Gol.
3. A man in general.
Douglas.
A. S. beorne, princeps, homo, Benson; "a prince, a nobleman, a man of honour and dignity," Somner. Bern, as denoting a man, in an honourable sense, may be from A. S. bar, free, or Lat. baro, used by Cicero, as equivalent to a lord or peer of the realm.
BERN, s. A barn, a place for laying up
and threshing grain.
Gawan and Gol.
A. S. bern, id. Junius supposes that this is comp. of bere, barley, and ern, place, q. "the place where barley is deposited," Gl. Goth.
BERSIS, s. "A species of cannon formerly
much used at sea. It resembled
the faucon, but was shorter, and of a
larger calibre," Gl. Compl.
Complaynt S.
Fr. barce, berche, "the piece of ordnance called a base;" Cotgr. pl. barces, berches.
BERTH, s. Apparently, rage.
Wyntown.
Isl. and Sw. braede, id.
BERTHINSEK, BIRDINSEK,
BURDINSECK. The law of Berthinsek,
a law, according to which no man
was to be punished capitally for stealing
a calf, sheep, or so much meat as he
could carry on his back in a sack.
Skene.
A. S. ge-burthyn in saeca, a burden in a sack; or from ge-beor-a, portare.
BERTYNIT, BERTNYT, pret. and
part. pa. Struck, battered.
Wallace.
This is evidently the same with Brittyn, q. v.
BESAND, BEISAND, s. An ancient
piece of cold coin, offered by the French
kings at the mass of their consecration
at Rheims, and called a Bysantine, as
the coin of this description was first
struck at Byzantium or Constantinople.
It is said to have been worth, in French
money, fifty pounds Tournois.
Kennedy.
To BESEIK, v. a. To beseech, to entreat.
Douglas.
A. S. be and sec-an, to seek; Belg. ver-soek-en, to solicit, to entreat; Moes. G. sok-jan, to ask, used with respect to prayer.
BESY, adj. Busy.
Wyntown.
A. S. bysi, Belg. besigh, id.; allied perhaps to Teut. byse turbatus, bijs-en, violento impetu agitari.
BESYNES, s. Business.
Wyntown.
BESYNE, BYSENE, BYSIM, s.
Expl. "whore, bawd," Gl. Sibb.
V. Bisym.
BESCHACHT, part. pa.
1. Not straight,
distorted, Ang.
2. Torn, tattered; often including the
idea of dirtiness, Perths. The latter
seems to be an oblique use.
V. Shacht.
To BESLE, or BEZLE, v. n. To talk much at random, to talk inconsiderately and boldly on a subject that one is ignorant of, Ang.
Belg. beuzel-en, to trifle, to fable; Teut. beusel-en, nugari.
BESLE, BEZLE, s. Idle talking, Ang.
Belg. beusel, id.
BESMOTTRIT, part. pa. Bespattered,
fouled.
Douglas.
A. S. besmyt-an, maculare, inquinare; Belg. besmodder-en, Germ. schmader-n, schmatter-n, to stain, S. to smadd, Su. G. smitt-a.
BESOUTH, prep. To the southward of.
V. Benorth.
BEST, part. pa. Struck, beaten.
V. Baist.
Barbour.
BEST, part. pa. Perhaps, fluttering, or
shaken.
Barbour.
Isl. beyst-i, concutio.
BEST, s. "Beast, any animal not human,"
Gl. Wynt.
Wyntown.
The term is still used in this general sense, S. pronounced q. baist. S. B.
BEST-MAN, s. Brideman; as best-maid is bride-maid; from having the principal offices in waiting on the bride, S.
BESTIAL, (off Tre) s. An engine for a
siege.
Wallace.
It seems uncertain, whether this word be formed from Lat. bestialis, as at first applied to the engines called rams, sows, &c., or from Fr. bastille, a tower; L. B. bastillae.
BESTIALITÉ, s. Cattle.
Complaynt S.
L. B. bestialia, pecudes; Fr. bestail.