v. i. [ L. accumbere; ad + cumbere (only in compounds) to lie down. ] To recline, as at table. [ Obs. ] Bailey. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The state of being accumbent or reclining. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Leaning or reclining, as the ancients did at their meals. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Roman . . . accumbent posture in eating. Arbuthnot. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Lying against anything, as one part of a leaf against another leaf. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

Accumbent cotyledons have their edges placed against the caulicle. Eaton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who reclines at table. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To encumber. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. adumbrans, p. pr. of adumbrare. ] Giving a faint shadow, or slight resemblance; shadowing forth. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ L. adumbratus, p. p. of adumbrare; ad + umbrare to shade; umbra shadow. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. To give a faint shadow or slight representation of; to outline; to shadow forth. [ 1913 Webster ]

Both in the vastness and the richness of the visible universe the invisible God is adumbrated. L. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To overshadow; to shade. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. adumbratio. ] 1. The act of adumbrating, or shadowing forth. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A faint sketch; an outline; an imperfect portrayal or representation of a thing. [ 1913 Webster ]

Elegant adumbrations of sacred truth. Bp. Horsley. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Her.) The shadow or outlines of a figure. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Faintly representing; typical. Carlyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A number that precedes another. [ R. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Same as Ambry. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To jumble together. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Benumbed p. pr. & vb. n. Benumbing. ] [ OE. binomen, p. p. of binimen to take away, AS. beniman; pref. be + niman to take. See Numb, a., and cf. Benim. ] To make torpid; to deprive of sensation or sensibility; to stupefy; as, a hand or foot benumbed by cold. [ 1913 Webster ]

The creeping death benumbed her senses first. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Made torpid; numbed; stupefied; deadened; as, a benumbed body and mind. -- Be*numbed"ness, n. [1913 Webster]

n. Act of benumbing, or state of being benumbed; torpor. Kirby. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } v. t. [ Pref. be- + scumber, scummer. ] To discharge ordure or dung upon. [ Obs. ] B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To handle; to wear or soil by handling; as books. Poe. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Betumbled ] To throw into disorder; to tumble. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

From her betumbled couch she starteth. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. the mailing address to which answers to a newspaper ad can be sent. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

prop. n. (Geography) The capital city of Burundi. Population (2000) = 300, 000. [ PJC ]

n. [ A corruption of bound bailiff. ] [ Low, Eng. ] See Bound bailiff, under Bound, a. [ 1913 Webster ]

See Bombard. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Bumboat. Carlyle. [ 1913 Webster ]

See Bombast. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Bumbeloes [ It. bombola. ] A glass used in subliming camphor. [ Spelled also bombolo and bumbolo. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Bump to boom. ] (Zool.) The bittern. [ Local, Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To make a hollow or humming noise, like that of a bumblebee; to buzz; to cry as a bittern. [ 1913 Webster ]

As a bittern bumbleth in the mire. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. to act ineptly or without clear understanding of what one is doing; to blunder; to stumble about; -- sometimes used with around. [ PJC ]

v. t. to bungle (a task). [ PJC ]

n. [ OE. bumblen to make a humming noise (dim. of bum, v. i.) + bee. Cf. Humblebee. ] (Zool.) A large bee of the genus Bombus, sometimes called humblebee; -- so named from its sound. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ There are many species. All gather honey, and store it in the empty cocoons after the young have come out. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Origin unknown; cf. Bumble, n. ] 1. The old game of nineholes. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. (Card Playing) Whist played in an unscientific way. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

adj. not skillful in physical movement especially with the hands; as, a bumbling mechanic.
Syn. -- bungling, butterfingered, ham-fisted, ham-handed, handless, heavy-handed, left-handed. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ From bum the buttocks, on account of its clumsy form; or fr. D. bun a box for holding fish in a boat. ] (Naut.) A clumsy boat, used for conveying provisions, fruit, etc., for sale, to vessels lying in port or off shore. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ from kalumb, its native name in Mozambique. ] (Med.) The root of a plant (Jateorrhiza Calumba, and probably Cocculus palmatus), indigenous in Mozambique. It has an unpleasantly bitter taste, and is used as a tonic and antiseptic. [ Written also colombo, columbo, and calombo. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

American calumba, the Frasera Carolinensis, also called American gentian. Its root has been used in medicine as bitter tonic in place of calumba. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Chem.) A bitter principle extracted as a white crystalline substance from the calumba root. [ Written also colombin, and columbin ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A roundabout or indirect way. [ Jocular ] Goldsmith. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Named from the estate of the Duke of Newcastle. ] (Zool.) A kind of field spaniel, with short legs and stout body, which, unlike other spaniels, hunts silently. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Med.) See Calumba. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl.; [ L. columba pigeon. ] (Zool.) An order of birds, including the pigeons. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n.; pl. L. Columbaria /plu> [ L. See Columbary. ] (Rom. Antiq.) (a) A dovecote or pigeon house. (b) A sepulchral chamber with niches for holding cinerary urns. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Columbaries [ L. columbarium, fr. columba a dove. ] A dovecote; a pigeon house. Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. colombate. See Columbium. ] (Chem.) A salt of columbic acid; a niobate. See Columbium. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ From Kolumbatz, a mountain in Germany. ] (Zool.) See Buffalo fly, under Buffalo. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ NL., dim. of L. columba a dove. So called from a fancied resemblance in color and form, of some species. ] (Zool.) A genus of univalve shells, abundant in tropical seas. Some species, as Columbella mercatoria, were formerly used as shell money. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. America; the United States; -- a poetical appellation given in honor of Columbus, the discoverer. Dr. T. Dwight. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From Columbia the United States. ] (Mil.) A form of seacoast cannon; a long, chambered gun designed for throwing shot or shells with heavy charges of powder, at high angles of elevation. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Since the War of 1812 the Columbiad has been much modified, especially by General Rodman, and the improved form now used in seacoast defense is often called the Rodman gun. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ From Columbia. ] Of or pertaining to the United States, or to America. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ From Columbium. ] (Chem.) Pertaining to, or containing, columbium or niobium; niobic. [ 1913 Webster ]

Columbic acid (Chem.), a weak acid derived from columbic or niobic oxide, Nb2O5; -- called also niobic acid. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ From Columbo. ] Pertaining to, or derived from, the columbo root. [ 1913 Webster ]

Columbic acid (Chem.), an organic acid extracted from the columbo root as a bitter, yellow, amorphous substance. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Colombier. [ 1913 Webster ]