Bequest

Bequest-n
1-something disposed of in a will
2-something passed down to future generations
3-an act of bequeathing something

Synonyms
inheritance
legacy
gift
donation

Bequeath

Bequeath-vt
1-to leave personal or other property to somebody after death by means of a will
2-to hand something, for example, knowledge or a practice, down to future generations

Synonyms
leave
give
bestow
confer on
donate
hand down
will

Benumb

Benumb-vt
1-to remove the sense of feeling from a faculty or part of the body, especially be exposure to extreme cold
2-to make somebody incapable of activity or thought (usually passive)

Benign

Benign-adj
1-having a kind and gentle or disposition or appearance
2-not a threat to life or long-term health, especially by being noncancerous
3-neutral or harmless in its effect or influence
4-mild or favorable in effect

Synonyms
kind
benevolent
caring
kind
gentle
compassionate
malignant (antonym)

Benevolent

Benevolent-adj
1-showing kindness or goodwill
2-performing good or charitable acts and not seeking to make a profit

Synonyms
kind
caring
compassionate
generous
giving
kindly
benign
munificent
malevolent (antonym)

Benevolence

Benevolence-n
1-an inclination to be kind and helpful or generous
2-something done or given out of kindness
3-a compulsory loan or gift of money imposed by English kings of the late Middle Ages on their subjects

Synonyms
kindness
compassion
generosity
munificence
good will
malevolence (antonym)

Beneficiary

Beneficiary-n
1-somebody who receives a benefit from something
2-somebody who is entitled by a will, trust, or insurance policy to receive money or property
3-a member of the clergy who holds an office that provides a living (benefice)

adj
relating to a church office that provides a living (benefice) or the member of the clergy who holds it

Synonyms
recipient
receiver
benefactor (antonym)

Beneficence

Beneficence-n
1-generosity or cherity
2-a good or charitable act, especially a generous gift
3-the beneficial nature or effect that something has

Benefaction

Benefaction-n
1-an act of doing good
2-a good deed, especially an act of charity
3-a donation given to a charity

Synonyms
support
patronage
investment
backing
sponsorship
aid

Benediction

Benediction-n
1-an expression of approval or good wishes
2-a prayer asking for God's blessing, usually at the end of a service
3-Benediction/benediction in the Roman Catholic Church,k a devotional service during which the congregation is blessed with the Host
4-the state of being blessed

Synonyms
blessing
approval
sanction

Benedictine

Benedictine-n
a monk or nun belonging to a religious order founded by St. Benedict or following his rule

adj
relating to or characteristic of St. Benedict, his rule, or the monastic order that he founded

benedictie

benedicite-n
a blessing or grace used in some Christian religious communities

Benedicite

Benedicite-n
a Latin hymn beginning "Benedicite omnia opera Domini Domino," traditionally translated as "O all ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord"

Bemuse

Bemuse-vt
to cause somebody to be confused or puzzled

Synonyms
confuse
bewilder
puzzle
perplex
muddle

Bemoan

Bemoan-vt
to express grief or disappointment about something

Synonyms
lament
bewail
regret
mourn
complain about
moan about
grumble about
applaud (antonym)

Belligerent

Belligerent-n
1-see belligerence
2-the state of being at war

Belligerence

Belligerence-n
the quality of being hostile, ready to start a fight, or ready to go to war

Synonyms
violence
hostility
anger
violent behavior
antagonism

Bellicose

Bellicose-adj
ready or inclined to quarrel, fight, or go to war

Synonyms
belligerent
aggressive
warlike
pugnacious
combative
confrontational
argumentative
quarrelsome

Belladonna

Belladonna-n
1-an extremely poisonous Eurasian plant with drooping purplish flowers and small black berries. Latin name: Atropa belladonna
Also called deadly nightshade
U.S. term deadly nightshade
2-a drug, for example, atropine or hyoscyamine, that is made from belladonna

Belie

Belie-vt
1-to disguise the true nature of something
2-to show that something is not true or real

Synonyms
contradict
disprove
give the lie to

Belfry

Belfry-n
1-the part of a church steeple or a tower in which bells are hung
2-a tower on a building, in which a bell or bells are hung

Beleaguer

Beleaguer-vt (usually passive)
1-to make somebody feel harassed, hemmed in, or under severe pressure
2-to surround somebody or something with an army

Synonyms
bother
annoy
harass
worry
disturb
delight (antonym)

Belabor

Belabor-vt
1-to repeat something unnecessarily, or discuss it at too great a length or in too much detail
2-to subject somebody to a sustained verbal or literary attack (literary)
3-to hit somebody hard and repeatedly with something (literary or humorous)

Synonyms
dwell on
overstress
ignore (antonym)

Beholden

Beholden-adj
under an obligation to somebody because of something helpful that person has done

Synonyms
obliged
grateful
in somebody's debt
indebted

Behest

Behest-n
an order or request (formal)

Synonyms
request
command
order
will

Behemoth

Behemoth-n
1-behemoth/Behemoth a huge beast referred to in the Bible, usually thought to be a hippopotamus (Job 40:15)
2-something that is enormously big or powerful

Beggarly

Beggarly-adj
insufficiant and showing stinginess

Beguile

Beguile-vt
1-to win, and hold somebody's attention, interest, or devotion
2-to mislead or deceive somebody (literary)
3-to rob somebody of something (literary)
4-to pass time in a pleasant way (literary)

Synonyms
entice
lure
woo
charm
captivate
mesmerize
fascinate
enthrall
put under a spell
appeal to
attract

Befuddle

Befuddle-vt
1-to make somebody confused or perplexed
2-to make somebody inebriated and unable to think clearly

Synonyms
confuse
confound
muddle
mix up
bewilder
baffle
puzzle
stupefy
perplex
stump
flummox
nonplus
enlighten (antonym)
instruct (antonym)

Befoul

Befoul-vt
to make something dirty or impure, or diminish somebody or something's moral purity or reputation (archaic or literary)

Synonyms
pollute
contaminate
dirty
soil
foul
clean (antonym)

Befall

Befall-vti
to happen, or happen to somebody, especially through the unexpected workings of chance or fate (archaic or literary)

Synonyms
happen
ensue
occur
take place
come about
transpire
come to pass

Beech

Beech-n
1-a tall tree found in temperate regions that has smooth gray bark, glossy leaves, and nuts enclosed in spiny cases. Genus: Fagus
2-the wood of the beech tree, used especially for furniture

Bedlam

Bedlam-n
1-a place or situation full of noise, frenzied activity, and confusion
2- a psychatric hospital (archaic, offensive in some contexts)

Synonyms
mayhem
chaos
pandamonium
confusion
anarchy
disorder
disarray
turmoil
cootion
uproar
order (antonym)

Bedevil

Bedevil-vt
to be a continual source of problems or irritation to something or somebody

Becloud

Becloud-vt (literary)
1-to cover or conceal something wit hcloud or mist
2-to make something confused or difficult to understand

Bedazzle

Bedazzle-vt (literary)
1-to astonish somebody by being immediately impressive (usually passive)
2-to make somebody temporarily unable to see by shining a bright light

Beau

Beau-n
1-a boyfriend or male admirer (dated)
2-a man always smartly dressed in the most fashionable clothes (archaic)

Beatitude

Beatitude-n (literary)
1-the perfect happiness and inner peace supposed to be enjoyed by the soul in ehaven
2-extreme happiness and serenity

Beatitude

Beatitude-n
1-each of teh sayings of Jesus Christ in the Sermon on the Mount about the 8 groups of people who will recieve blessing in heaven (Matthew 5:3-11)

Beatific

Beatific-adj (literary)
1-expressing or radiating great happiness and serenity
2-bringing or expressing the perfect happiness and inner peace supposed to be enjoyed by the soul in heaven

Synonyms
innocent
good
pure
saintly
adorable
virtuous
wicked (antonym)

Bearish

Bearish-adj
1-moving or behaving roughly or clumsily
2-surly or ill-tempered toward people
3-conductive to or characterized by selling rather than buying stocks or commodities in anticipation of falling prices
4-anticipating unfavorable business conditons

Bayon

Bayon-n
in the southern United States, an area of slow-moving water, often overgrown with reeds, leading from a river or lake

Synonyms
swamp
swampland
marsh
marshland
everglade
wetlands
bog

Bawdy

Bawdy-adj
ribald in a frank, humorous, and often crude way

Synonyms
crude
vulgar
rude
lewd
refined (anotonym)

Bauble

Bauble-n
1-something that is small and decorative but of little real value
2-a mock scepter of office carried by a court jester (archaic)

Synonyms
trinket
trifle
glass decoration
costume jewelry
ornament
paste jewelry

Batty

Batty-adj
slightly eccentric (informal)

Synonyms
crazy
loony
loopy
nutty
nuts
mad
eccentric
not in your right mind
sane (antonym)

Bawd

Bawd-n
1-a woman who runs a brothel
2-a prostitute

Batten

Batten-n
1-a thin flexible strip of wood or plastic inserted in pockets at the edge of a sail to keep it taut and flat
2-a narrow metal or wooden slat used to fasten down the edges of a tarpaulin coverign a ship's raised hatch in poor weather
3-a row of lights in a theater, or the strip or bar that holds it

vt
to provide, strengthen, or secure something with battens

Synonyms
strip of wood
board
slat
plank
bar
block
panel

Batiste

Batiste-n
a fine soft plain-woven fabric made of cotton or linen, used especially for clothing

Batik/battik

Batik/battik n
1-a method of hand-printing a fabric by covering with removable wax the parts that will not be dyed
2-fabric that has been hand-dyed by the batik method
3-a design produced by batik

Bastion

Bastion-n
1-somebody or something regarded as providing strong defense or support, especially for a belief or cause, or a place where there are such people
2-a fortified place
3-a projecting part of a wall, rampart, or other fortification

Synonyms
stronghold
mainstay
fortress
citadel