n. A light box of pasteboard or thin wood, usually cylindrical, for holding ruffs (the bands of the 17th century), collars, caps, bonnets, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Zool.) A wingless, bloodsucking, hemipterous insect (Cimex Lectularius), sometimes infesting houses and especially beds. See Illustration in Appendix. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a training program in which a person is given information about physiological processes (heart rate or blood pressure) that is not normally available with the goal of gaining conscious control of them. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. an ornamental basin (usually in a garden) for birds to bathe in. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A short blunt arrow for killing birds without piercing them. Hence: Anything which smites without penetrating. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. a person with confused ideas; incapable of serious thought.
Syn. -- addle-head, loon. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. Indiscriminate slaughter; the killing of multiple persons.
Syn. -- bloodletting, bloodshed, battue. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. [ fig. ] Substantial losses by many people, as in a mass termination of employment or widespread financial loss; as, the sudden market drop created a bloodbath among overoptimistic investors. [ PJC ]

n. A bushy houseplant (Rivina humilis) having white to pale pink flowers followed by racemes of scarlet berries; it is native to the tropical Americas.
Syn. -- rougeberry, rouge plant. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. (Zool.) An Australian honeysucker (Myzomela sanguineolata); -- so called from the bright red color of the male bird. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The stomach. [ Humorous ] S. Foote. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a container used to store breads or cake, to keep them fresh.
Syn. -- bread-bin. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. One who breeds or originates quarrels. [ Obs. ] “No telltale nor no breedbate.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. an Old World upright plant grown esp. for its large flat edible seeds but also as fodder.
Syn. -- broad bean, broad-bean plant, English bean, European bean, field bean, Vicia faba. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. (Zool.) A wild duck (Aythya marila, or Fuligula marila), which appears in large numbers on the eastern coast of the United States, in autumn; -- called also bluebill, blackhead, raft duck, and scaup duck. See Scaup duck. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Zool.) The shoveler. See Shoveler. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A hat with a very broad brim, like those worn by men of the society of Friends. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A member of the society of Friends; a Quaker. [ Sportive ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Prov. E. codbait, cadbote fly. ] (Zoöl.) See Caddice.

n. A stiff compact pasteboard of various qualities, for making cards, etc., often having a polished surface. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of producing or bringing forth children; parturition. Milton. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of a woman bringing forth a child, or being in labor; parturition. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The act of bringing forth a child; travail; labor. Jer. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A species of raspberry (Rubus Chamæmerous) growing in the northern regions, and bearing edible, amber-colored fruit. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Also cudbeard, corrupted fr. the name of Dr. Cuthbert Gordon, a Scotchman, who first brought it into notice. ] 1. A powder of a violet red color, difficult to moisten with water, used for making violet or purple dye. It is prepared from certain species of lichen, especially Lecanora tartarea. Ure. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) A lichen (Lecanora tartarea), from which the powder is obtained. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ acronym from DataBase Management System. ] a database management system, a software system that facilitates the creation and maintenance and use of an electronic database.
Syn. -- database management system. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. (Physics) Making a beat without recoil; giving indications by a single beat or excursion; -- said of galvanometers and other instruments in which the needle or index moves to the extent of its deflection and stops with little or no further oscillation. [ 1913 Webster ]

Deadbeat escapement. See under Escapement. [ 1913 Webster ]

a loafer, sponger, or swindler; especially, one who does not pay his debts. Same as Beat, n., 7. [ Low, U.S. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Stillborn. Pope. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. the process in which part of the output of a system is returned to its input. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. response to an inquiry or experiment. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a canvas bag that is used to feed an animal (such as a horse or mule); animal feed such as oats are placed in the bag, and it is fastened at the top of the head, covering the muzzle. The animal may then eat the contents while thus wearing the feedbag.
Syn. -- nosebag. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. (Zool.) The gadfly. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An artisan who beats gold into goldleaf. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. an idle worthless person. [ slang ]
Syn. -- goof-off, ne'er-do-well, good-for-nothing, good-for-naught. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The evasion of work or duty. [ informal ]
Syn. -- shirking, slacking, soldiering, goofing off. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A small prostrate or ascending shrub (Astroloma humifusum) having scarlet flowers and thin-fleshed succulent fruit resembling cranberries; sometimes placed in the genus Styphelia.
Syn. -- native cranberry, cranberry heath, Astroloma humifusum, Styphelia humifusum. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. A creeping shrub of eastern North America (Gaultheria procumbens) having white bell-shaped flowers followed by spicy red berrylike fruit and shiny aromatic leaves that yield wintergreen oil.
Syn. -- teaberry, wintergreen, checkerberry, mountain tea, creeping wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The ceremonial breaking of the ground to formally begin a construction project. It is sometimes carried out by an official who digs the first spadeful of dirt from the ground, to begin the preparatory excavation work.
Syn. -- groundbreaking ceremony. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a small bag usually made of cloth, leather or a similar imitation material, and often having a strap to permit carrying it by slinging it over a shoulder, used by women to carry money and small personal items or accessories; as, she had to search under the cosmetics, hankies, and medicines in her handbag to find a comb.
Syn. -- bag, pocketbook, purse. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. A small ball, usually made of rubber, thrown or struck with the hand in various games. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. A game played with such a ball, as by players striking it to and fro between them with the hands, or, when played in a walled court or against a single wall, striking it in turns against a wall, until one side or the other fails to return the ball. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

n. A frame or barrow, without a wheel, carried by hand. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A small basin used for washing thehands; as, `wash-hand basin' is a British term.
Syn. -- washbasin, washbowl, lavabo, wash-hand basin. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. a container that is usually woven and has handles.
Syn. -- basket. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

go to hell in a handbasket to deteriorate substantially and quickly; as, after they lost the contract, the company's profits went to hell in a handbasket. [ PJC ]

n. a bell that is held in the hand. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. A loose, printed sheet, to be distributed by hand. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A pruning hook. [ Usually written hand bill. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Hand + book; cf. AS. handbōc, or G. handbuch. ] 1. A book of reference, to be carried in the hand; a manual; a guidebook. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A book containing reference information for a specific field; as, the Handbook of Chemistry. [ PJC ]

n. a brake operated by hand, used to stop a vehicle or keep it stationary; it usually operates by a mechanical linkage.
Syn. -- handbrake, emergency, emergency brake, parking brake. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A space equal to the breadth of the hand; a palm. Ex. xxxvii. 12.
Syn. -- handsbreadth. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. to make without a wheel; of pottery.
Syn. -- coil. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A book with cardboard or cloth or leather covers; a hardcover book. Compare paperback.
Syn. -- hardcover. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A sweetmeat of boiled brown sugar or molasses made with almonds, and flavored with orange or lemon juice, etc. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Bot.) A tree of the genus Carpinus, of compact, horny texture; hornbeam. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. a cheap hard material made from wood chips that are pressed together and bound with synthetic resin to form sheets, used in construction and various other purposes; -- called also particle board and chipboard.
Syn. -- chipboard. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. same as hardback; -- used of books. [ WordNet 1.5 ]