balk
: to hesitate or refuse to proceed; to stop short
"He balked at the suggestion to invest in the risky venture"
From Old English balca "ridge, bank', originally "to leave an unplowed ridge when plowing." Extended meaning "omit, intentionally neglect" comes from the notion of a balk as a hindrance or obstruction. The sense of "stop short in one's course" (as a horse confronted with an obstacle) and "to refuse" developed later
Tags: verb
bane
: a cause of great distress, ruin, or death
"Unpaid overtime is the bane of my very existence"
From Old English bana "killer, a worker of death" (human, animal, or object), also "the devil." The sense of "that which causes ruin or woe" developed later.
Related: baneful. Not related to banal or banality
Tags: noun
bask
: to lie or relax in warmth; to take pleasure from a comfortable situation
"The cat basked in the afternoon sun on the windowsill"
Late 14c., from Middle English basken "to wallow" (especially in warm water or blood; of unknown etymology). The sense of "soak up a flood of warmth" was popularized by Shakespeare in As You Like It (1600).
Related: basked; basking.
Tags: verb
beck
: to make a gesture to encourage someone to come nearer or follow
"She beckoned him to come closer"
From Old English gebecnian "to make a mute sign, signal by a nod or gesture,"
Related: beck-and-call, beckoned, beckoning
Tags: verb
befall
: (of something bad) to happen to someone; to occur
"A great misfortune befell the town after the storm"
From Old English befeallan "to deprive of; fall to, occur to, be assigned to,"
Related: befell; befalling
Tags: verb
befoul
: to become dirty, rot, or decay
"The milk began to foul after being left out in the heat"
From Old English fulian "to become foul, rot, decay," from ful.
Related: fouled; fouling
Tags: verb
bereft
: deprived of something; lacking
"He was bereft of hope after hearing the news"
Past-participle adjective from bereave. From Old English bereafian "to deprive of, take away by violence, seize, rob," from be- + reafian "rob, plunder." Since the mid-17c., mostly used for loss of life, hope, loved ones, or other immaterial possessions
Related: bereaved
Tags: adjective
beget
: to father; to cause to exist; to generate
"Christians believe God begot His only son"
"The king hoped to beget an heir to continue his dynasty"
From Old English begietan, "to get by effort, find, acquire, attain, seize," from be- + get. The sense of "to procreate" is generally used of the father.
Related: begot, begotten
Tags: verb
bequeath
: to leave property or possessions to someone by will
"He chose to bequeath his estate to the church"
From Old English becweðan "to say, speak to, exhort, blame," also "leave by will," from be- + cweðan "to say." The original sense of "say, utter" died out, leaving the legal sense of "transfer by legacy."
Related: bequeathed, bequeathing
Tags: verb
bind
: to tie or fasten; to hold together; to restrain
"They used rope to bind the prisoner’s hands"
From Old English bindan "to tie up with bonds," also "to make captive; cover with dressings and bandages"
Related: bound, binding
Tags: verb
betide
: to happen; to come to pass (often used in warnings)
"Woe betide anyone who breaks the sacred oath"
From Old English getidan "to happen, come to pass," from be- + tide (in its original sense "to happen"). It survives chiefly in the expression "woe betide."
Related: betided, betiding
Tags: verb
bewitch
: to enchant or cast a spell upon, to charm greatly
"She seemed to bewitch everyone with her voice"
From be- + Old English wiccian "to enchant, to practice witchcraft." The original sense was literal and often harmful; the figurative sense of "fascinate, charm past resistance" developed later.
Related: bewitched, bewitching, bewitchery, bewitchment
Tags: verb
bide
: to remain; to stay; to wait patiently
"He chose to bide his time before making a decision"
From Old English bidan "to stay, continue, live, remain," also "to trust, rely." It survives chiefly in the expression "bide one's time."
Related: bided, biding
Tags: verb
bode
: to be a sign of something to come, especially something bad
"The dark clouds seemed to bode trouble for the travelers"
From Old English bodian "to proclaim, announce; foretell," from boda "messenger". A shortened form of forebode "to presage, give warning of," especially of something evil
Related: boded, boding, forebode
Tags: verb
bore
: to pierce or make a hole with a rotating tool
"They used a drill to bore through the thick wall"
From Old English borian "to bore through, perforate"
Related: bored, boring
Tags: verb
bout
: a short, specific period of an activity, illness, or emotion
"He suffered a bout of fever during the winter"
From Middle English bught "a roundabout way" (obsolete), probably from an unrecorded Old English variant of byht "a bend". The sense evolved from "a circuit of any kind" (as of a plow) to "a round at any kind of exercise" (1570s), "a round at fighting" (1590s), "a fit of drinking" (1660s), and "a fit of illness" (by 1938)
Related: bouts
Tags: noun
briar
: a thorny shrub or prickly plant, especially a wild rose
"The path was overgrown with briars and thorns"
From Old English brer, "bramble, prickly bush"
Related: brier
Tags: noun
brunt
: the main force or worst part of something
"She bore the brunt of her insults"
"a sharp blow," of uncertain origin, perhaps from Old Norse brundr "sexual heat," or bruna "to advance like wildfire" (said of a ship under sail, etc.). The meaning "chief force, the heaviest or worst (of something)," as in bear the brunt, is from early 15c
Tags: noun
bulwark
: a defensive wall or structure, a strong protection or support
"The fortress served as a bulwark against invading armies"
From Middle Dutch bulwerke or Middle High German bolwerc, likely from Germanic bole "plank, tree trunk" + work. Thus "bole-work" a construction of logs. Figurative sense "means of defense or security" is from mid-15c.
Tags: noun
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