Initial B

• baby-sitter: person engaged to care for children when the parents are not home

• bachelor: unmarried men; the first or lowest academic degree conferred by universities and colleges

• backbone: support; mainstay; vertebrate spine or spinal column

• backward: directed to the back or rear; unwilling; averse; reluctant; hesitating; undeveloped

• bacon: back and sides of a pig salted and smoked

• bacterium: single celled organism with no nucleus

• badge: distinctive mark, token, or sign worn on the person

• badminton: game played on a court with light long-handled rackets

• baffle: frustrate as by confusing or perplexing; impede force or movement of

• baggage: trunks, bags, parcels, and suitcases in which one carries one’s belongings while traveling; luggage

• bait: harass; tease; lure, entice, or entrap

• bake: prepare, as food, by cooking in a dry heat, either in an oven or under coals, or on heated stone or metal

• balance: being in equilibrium; equilibrium; symmetry; stability

• balcony: platform projecting from the wall of a building

• bald: hairless; lacking a natural or usual covering

• ballet: a sort of theatrical representation by dancers

• balloon: large non-rigid bag filled with gas or heated air

• ballroom: large room used mainly for dancing

• bamboo: plant of family of grasses, growing in tropical countries

• band: orchestra; team; strip; ribbon; belt; unite; ally

• bandage: strip of woven material, used in dressing and binding up wounds

• bang: a vigorous blow; a conspicuous success

• banker: person in charge of the bank in a gambling game; one who owns or is an executive in a bank

• bankrupt: penniless, without any money; financially ruined

• banner: flag; sign; a newspaper headline that runs across the full page

• banquet: feast; entertainment of eating and drinking

• bar: a counter where you can obtain food or drink; cafe; strip; stick

• barber: haircutter; one whose business is to cut hair and to shave or trim beards

• bare: lacking the usual or appropriate covering or clothing

• barely: just; only; hardly; scarcely

• bargain: agreement between parties concerning the sale of property

• barge: flatboat; long, large boat for transporting freight that is unpowered and towed or pushed by other craft

• bark: sound made by a dog; harsh sound uttered by a dog

• barn: an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals

• barometer: instrument for determining the weight or pressure of the atmosphere

• baron: title or degree of nobility

• barrel: vessel; large cylindrical container

• barren: desolate; fruitless and unproductive; lacking

• barrier: obstacle; structure built to bar passage; boundary or limit

• barter: trade goods or services without the exchange of money

• baseball: game played with a bat and ball by two opposing teams of nine players; ball used in this game

• basement: cellar; storage room

• basin: bowl-shaped vessel, usually used for holding food or liquids

• bathe: wash by immersion, as in a bath; subject to bath; lave; immerse or cover one’s self

• batter: beat with successive blows; beat repeatedly and with violence

• battery: beating or pounding; set of guns or heavy artillery; dry cell that produces electric current

• bay: inlet of the sea, usually smaller than a gulf; small body of water set off from the main body bazaar: market consisting of a street lined with shops and stalls, especially one in the Middle East bead: small piece of material, such as glass, plastic, or wood, that is pierced for stringing

• beak: nib ;horny projecting mouth of a bird

• beam: ray of light; long piece of metal or wood; long piece fixed or movable in structure, machine, or tool

• bean: various edible seeds; small oval or roundish seed, berry, nut, or lump

• bear: support; sustain; carry; have; yield; give birth; hold up or support

• bearing: carrying another part; patient endurance; suffering without complaint; act of producing or giving birth

• beat: whip; strike; defeat; hit repeatedly

• become: suit or be suitable to; be worthy of, or proper for; cause to appear well; grow or come to be

• beforehand: in state of anticipation; in advance; by way of preparation

• behalf: represent; advantage, benefit, interest of someone

• behave: perform; conduct oneself in a proper way

• behavior: conduct; manner

• belly: part of human body which extends downward from breast to thighs, and contains bowels; womb

• beloved: greatly loved; dear to the heart

• below: under, or lower in place; beneath not so high; inferior to in rank; unworthy of

• bend: strain or move out of a straight line; curve; turn toward some certain point

• beneath: lower in place, with something directly over or on; under; underneath; below

• beneficial: helpful; tending to promote physical well-being

• beneficiary: person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy or will

• benefit: advantage; something that aids or promotes well-being ; welfare; gain

• benevolent: generous in providing aid to others; charitable

•  bent: determined to do or have

• besides: over and above; separate or distinct from; in addition to; other than

• bestow: give as gift; present

• bet: stake or pledge upon the event of a contingent issue; amount or object risked in a wager

• betray: be unfaithful; reveal unconsciously or unwillingly

• beverage: liquids for drinking, usually excluding water; refreshment

• bewilder: lead into perplexity or confusion; perplex with mazes

• bias: preference or inclination, especially one that inhibits impartial judgment; influence in unfair way bid: make an offer of; propose; offer in words; declare, as a wish, a greeting, a threat, or defiance

• bill: invoice; act; proposal; statement or list of particulars, such as a theater program or menu

• billion: the number that is represented as a one followed by 9 zeros

• bind: tie, or confine with a cord, band, or chain; make fast; contract; cohere or stick together biographer: one who writes a book about somebody’s life

• biography: an account of the series of events making up a person’s life; accounts of people’s life biologist: scientist who studies living organisms

• bite: pierce skin with teeth; seize with the teeth; sting with a stinger; eat into; have a sharp taste bitter: harsh or corrosive in tone; painful; acrid; acrimonious

• bitterness: sharp and bitter manner

• blacksmith: one who forges and shapes iron with a hammer and anvil

• blade: flat part of the leaf, of any plant, especially of gramineous plants; cutting part of an instrument blame: condemn; rebuke; find fault with; censure

• blank: of a white or pale color; without color; empty; void

• blanket: heavy, loosely woven fabric, usually of wool, and having a nap, used in bed clothing

• blast: explode; burst; gale; very strong gust of wind or air

• blaze: brilliant burst of fire; destructive fire; flame

• bleach: make white or colorless; blanch

• bleed: emit blood; lose blood; withdraw blood from the body

• blend: combination; mixture; forming uniform mixture

• bless: make or pronounce holy; consecrate; make happy

• blessing: praying for divine protection; formal act of giving approval

• blink: shut eyes briefly; wink

• block: hinder; obstruct; indicate broadly without great detail; sketch

• bloom: flower; blossom; best time of youth; period of greatest prosperity or productivity

• blossom: reproductive organ of plants, especially one having showy or colorful parts

• blot: spot or stain, as of ink on paper; blur; weak point or failing

• blunder: serious mistake typically caused by ignorance or confusion

• blunt: having a dull edge or end; not sharp; lacking in feeling; insensitive

• blush: become rosy or reddish; turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame

• board: a committee having supervisory powers; a flat piece of material designed for a special purpose

• boarding: wooden boards collectively; act of entering a ship; supplying with meals and lodgings for

• pay

• boast: show off oneself; speak of with excessive pride

• bodyguard: guard to protect or defend person; lifeguard

• boil: be agitated; pass from a liquid to vapor when heated; be excited with passion; heat in water

• bold: brave; daring; intrepid; impudent

• bolt: dash or dart off; move or jump suddenly

• bond: link; connection; uniting force or tie; binding agreement; duty

• bonus: an extra dividend to the shareholders; money paid in addition to a stated compensation

• bookcase: case with shelves for holding books, especially one with glazed doors

• boom: bonanza; prosperity; prosper; expand; flourish

• booming: deep and resonant; flourishing; thriving

• boost: raise; advance; push or shove upward

• booth: house or shed built for temporary occupation; covered stall or temporary structure

• border: outer part or edge of anything, as of a garment, a garden; margin; verge; brink; boundary

• bore: drill; make a hole in or through, with or as if with a drill

• boring: uninteresting and tiresome; dull

• bother: annoy; trouble; make agitated or nervous; fluster

• bounce: jolt; rebound after having struck an object or a surface

• bound: tied; held; committed; limit; constraint; leap; jump

• boundary: dividing line; border; frontier

• bourgeois: middle class; selfishly materialistic; dully conventional

• bow: inclination of head, or bending of body for reverence, respect, civility, or submission; bending or rounded part of ship forward

• bowl: throw or roll a ball; move quickly and smoothly, especially by rolling

• boycott: refrain from buying or using

• brace: something which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly, as bandage, cord, or rod;

• brain: organ or seat of intellect; understanding or imagination

• brake: a piece of mechanism for retarding or stopping motion by friction

• brand: burning piece of wood; mark made by burning with a hot iron; distinctive mark upon in any way

• breach: breaking of contract or duty

• breadth: measure or dimension from side to side; width; extent

• break: opportunity to do something; pause or interval, as from work; sudden change

• breakdown: process of failing to function or continue; sudden collapse in physical or mental health; summary of itemized data

• breakthrough: act of overcoming or penetrating an obstacle or restriction

• breath: air that is inhaled and exhaled in respiration

• breathe: respire; inhale and exhale air

• breed: raise; produce offspring; give birth to or hatch; mate

• breeze: light current of air; gentle wind; progress swiftly and effortlessly

• bribe: something serving to influence or persuade; reward or gift with a view to prevent judgment

• bridle: headgear with which a horse is directed and which carries a bit and reins

• brief: short in time, duration, length, or extent; concise

• brighten: lighten; cheer; encourage; make or become bright or brighter

• brilliance: cleverness; magnificence

• brilliant: full of light; shining; bright; sharp and clear in tone

• brim: brink; edge

• brink: edge, margin, or border of a steep place verge

• brisk: marked by speed, liveliness, and vigor; energetic; swift; keen or sharp in speech or manner brittle: easily broken; having little elasticity

• broadcast: message that is transmitted by radio or television; radio or television show

• broaden: widen; grow broad or broader

• brochure: pamphlet; small book usually having paper cover

• bronze: an alloy of copper and tin and sometimes other elements

• brood: think long and anxiously; be in a state of gloomy, serious thought

• brook: creek; stream

• brown: of dark color, of various shades between black and red or yellow

• bruise: injure, as by a blow or collision; contuse; fight with the fists

• brutal: like a brute; savage; cruel; inhuman; merciless

• brute: not having sensation; senseless; inanimate; unconscious; without intelligence

• bubble: foam; dome-shaped covering made of transparent glass or plastic; fantastic or impracticable idea or belief

• bucket: vessel for drawing up water from a well; vessel for hoisting and conveying coal, ore, grain

• bud: one that is not yet fully developed; sprout

• budget: estimate; a sum of money allocated for a particular purpose

• buffet: table with food set out for people to serve themselves; meal at which people help themselves to food that’s been set out

• bug: general name applied to various insects

• bulb: rounded part of a cylindrical structure; electric lamp consisting of a glass ball

• bulk: majority; main part; volume; mass

• bulky: of large size for its weight

• bull: male of any species of cattle; large, strong, and aggressive person; optimist regarding business conditions

• bulletin: brief statement of facts; any public notice or announcement; a periodical publication

• bullion: gold and silver in the form of bars

• bump: impact as from a collision; lump on the body caused by a blow

• bunch: clump; cluster; gathering

• bundle: packet; a package of things tied together; a large sum of money

• burdensome: not easily borne; wearing; causing uneasiness or fatigue bureaucracy: over-regulated administrative system

• burial: grave or tomb; ritual placing of a corpse in a grave; concealing something under the ground bush: place abounding in trees or shrubs; wild forest

• business: rightful concern or responsibility; occupation, work, or trade in which a person is engaged; commercial enterprise

• butcher: one whose job is to kill animals for food; one who kills in large numbers, or with unusual cruelty

• butter: oily, unctuous substance obtained from cream or milk by churning

• butterfly: insect typically having a slender body with broad colorful wings

• buzz: confusion of activity and gossip; sound of rapid vibration

•  bygone: past; gone by

• bypass: channel used to conduct gas or liquid around another pipe or a fixture; conductor having low resistance in parallel

• by-product: product made during the manufacture of something else