bitumen.noun,.plural.bitumens
any of various.flammable.mixtures of hydrocarbons and other substances, occurring.naturally or obtained by distillation from coal or petroleum, that are a component of asphalt and tar and are used for putting a surface on roads and for waterproofing
bituminous.adjective
like or containing bitumen; of.or.relating.to bituminous coal
bituminoid.adjective
like bitumen
Middle English 'bithumen', meaning a mineral.pitch from the Near East

baklava.noun,.plural.baklavas
a dessert of Turkish origin made of paper-thin layers of pastry, chopped nuts and honey

balaclava.noun,.plural.balaclavas
a woolen hood almost completely covering the head and neck, leaving tiny slits for the eyes only, worn by mountain climbers and skiers in cold climates; a similar hood often covering the shoulders

bamboo.noun,.plural.bamboos
any of various.usually woody grasses of the genera Arundinaria, Bambusa, Dendrocalamus, Phyllostachys or Sasa. which grows primarily in temperate or tropical.climates; the hard or woody stems of these plants, used in construction, crafts and fishing poles (bamboo furniture; bamboo sticks); from Malay 'bambu', of Indic origin

budget.noun,.plural.budgets
an itemized.summary of estimated.or.intended.expenditures for a given.period along with proposals for financing them (prepared the household budget); a systematic.plan for the expenditure of a resource, such as money or time, during a given period (a new bicycle for each of the family will be part of our budget this year); a sum of money allocated for a particular.purpose.or.period of time (this is a project with a budget large enough to cover the building of our cabin and surrounding buildings)
budget, budgeted, budgeting, budgets.verbs
transitive verb use.to plan in advance the expenditure of (needed help budgeting our income; budgeted my time wisely); to enter or account for in a budget (forgot to budget for the Christmas presents)
intransitive verb use.to make or use a budget
budget.adjective
of.or.relating.to a budget (we added items to fix up the yard to our budget); appropriate to a budget; inexpensive (a budget bike; budget meals)
budgetary.adjective
budgeter.noun,.plural.budgeters
one who is good at making a budget to fit the amount of money available for items to be purchased (both kids are very good at planning purchases using a budget
Middle English 'bouget' meaning wallet and from Old French 'bougette' the diminutive of 'bouge' meaning leather bag

Anthony Burgess, born 1917. British writer and critic noted for his comic novels, including the 1962 futuristic classic A Clockwork Orange. A quote of his.

borough.noun,.plural.boroughs
a town or part of a large city, that is responsible for managing its own schools, hospitals, roads, etc (the borough of Queens in New York City); Old English.origin 'burg' meaning 'castle' and 'town defended by a wall'

burrow.noun,.plural.burrows
a hole or tunnel dug in the ground by a small animal, such as a rabbit or a mole, for habitation or refuge; a narrow or snug place
burrow, burrowed, burrowing, burrows.verbs
intransitive verb use.to dig a hole or tunnel for habitation or refuge
transitive verb use.to make by or as if by tunneling; to dig a hole or tunnel in or through; to hide in or as if in a burrow
burrower.noun,.plural.burrowers
from Middle English 'borow'

burro.noun,.plural.burros
a small donkey, especially one used as a pack animal; from Spanish 'borrico' meaning donkey and from Late Latin 'burricus' meaning small horse

brace.noun,.plural.braces
a device that holds or fastens two or more parts.together or in place; a clamp; a device, such as a supporting.beam in a building or a connecting.wire or rope, that steadies or holds something.else.erect; an orthopedic.appliance used to support, align or hold a bodily part in the correct position; a dental appliance, constructed of bands and wires that is fixed to the teeth to correct irregular alignment
brace, braced, bracing, braces.verbs
transitive verb use.to furnish with a brace; to support or hold steady with or as if with a brace; reinforce
intransitive verb use.to get ready; make preparations; from Middle English and from Old French 'bracier', two arms

beast.noun,.plural.beasts
an animal other than a human being, such as a large four-footed mammal, for example, a horse or bull; from Middle English and Old French 'beste'
beastly, beastlier, beastliest.adjectives
of or resembling a beast; bestial; brute; unpleasant
beastly.adverb
unpleasant to an extreme.degree; very
beastliness.noun

beast of burden.noun,.plural.beasts of burden
an animal, such as a camel, donkey, ox or elephants, used for transporting loads and doing other heavy work

backfire.noun,.plural.backfires
if a plan or action backfires, it has the opposite effect to the one you intended; when a motor vehicle or its engine backfires, it produces an explosion in the exhaust pipe (the car backfired); an explosion of prematurely.ignited.fuel or of unburned exhaust gases in an internal combustion engine causes a loud backfire; a backfire is also another fire started to extinguish or control an oncoming fire, as in a forest, by burning an area in the path of the oncoming flames
backfire, backfired, backfiring, backfires.intransitive verbs
to explode in the manner of or make the sound of a backfire; to start or use a backfire in extinguishing or controlling a forest fire; when something such as one's expectations backfire, they produce an unexpected, undesired result

blot, blotted, blotting, blots.verbs
transitive verb use.to make a wet surface become dry by pressing soft paper or cloth on it; to obliterate (erase writing, for example); to make obscure; hide (clouds blotting out the moon); to soak up or dry with absorbent.material
intransitive verb use.to become blotted, soaked up or absorbed; also, to spill or spread causing a spot or stain (blotted out the fabric's color by a stain)
blot out, blotted out, blotting out, blots out.transitive verbs
to destroy utterly; annihilate (war blotted out their traditional way of life)

beverage.noun,.plural.beverages
any one of various liquids for drinking, usually excluding water; Middle English, from Old French 'bevrage' from 'beivre' meaning 'to drink' and from Latin 'bibere'

blink, blinked, blinking, blinks.verbs
intransitive verb use.to close and open one or both of the eyes rapidly; to look through half closed eyes, as in a bright glare; squint; to shine with intermittent.gleams; flash on and off (the working of the universe is it flashes off and on); to be startled or dismayed
transitive verb use.to cause to blink (blinked back the tears); to transmit a message with a flashing light (blinked the flashlight on and off)
blink.noun,.plural.blinks
the act or an instance of rapidly closing and opening the eyes or an eye; a flash of light

barrage.noun,.plural.barrages
an artificial.obstruction, such as a dam or an irrigation.channel, built in a watercourse to increase its depth or to divert its flow

barrage.noun,.plural.barrages
an overwhelming, concentrated.outpouring, as of words (a barrage of praiseful words aimed toward the rescuers of children caught in the hurricane); barrage is also a heavy curtain of artillery fire directed in front of friendly troops to screen and protect them
barrage, barraged, barraging, barrages.transitive verbs
to direct a barrage at; from 1845 French 'tir de' meaning 'barrer' from 'barre bar' and from 'barbarrage' or 'barrier' meaning to fire a weapon 

Ludwig van Beethoven, 1770-1827, German composer
The greatest composer of his day, he began to lose his hearing in 1801 and was deaf by 1819. His music, which formed a transition from classical to romantic composition, includes 9 symphonies, 5 piano concertos, a violin concerto, 32 piano sonatas, several other sonatas, 2 Masses and an opera. By age 11 Beethoven had to leave school due to having to support his family and at 18 he was the breadwinner of the family.

bombard, bombarded, bombarding, bombards.transitive verbs
to assail.persistently, as with requests; attack, barrage; to do or experience something too often or too much (today he has been bombarded with a mass of paperwork; today we are bombarded with good advice on what to eat and what to avoid); to irradiate an atom; to attack with a cannon firing stone balls bombard.noun,.plural.bombards
a late medieval cannon used to hurl large stone balls; from 1400-1500 A.D..Middle English, a 'bombard' and from Old French 'bombarde' meaning 'a large gun', which is from Medieval Latin 'bombarda' and probably from Latin 'bombus' meaning 'a booming sound' like a bomb going off
bombarder.noun,.plural.bombarders
bombardment.noun,.plural.bombardments