Emily Dickinson Lexicon

bubble (-ed), v. [see bubble, n.] (webplay: gurgling, show).

1. Babble; burble; gush; flow; surge; ripple; rustle; effervesce; make a pleasant moving sound; [fig.] whisper; murmur sweetly; speak softly.
2. Dissipate; scatter; decrescendo; [fig.] chirp; quaver; twitter; trill; warble.
3. Create melody; make music; play a song; [fig.] compose lyrics; write poetry; create verses.
4. Evaporate; dissipate; vaporize; disperse; disappear in particles; [fig.] recuperate; recover from agitation; [paradox] simmer; swelter; boil; seethe; churn.

buccaneer (bucaneer, -s), n. [Fr. 'one who hunts wild oxen' < boucaner, to dry meat on a barbecue.]

1. Adventurer; explorer; scout; frontiersman; [fig.] flying insect.
2. Sailor; mariner; seaman; pirate.

buccaneer (-ing), v. [see buccaneer, n.] (webplay: dried).

Navigate; sail; [fig.] float; fly; wing.

bucket (-s), n. [poss. < OFr 'washing tub,' 'milk-pail'.] (webplay: deeper, sea, side, water, well).

1. Pail; vessel for carrying water; (see Isaiah 40:15).
2. Overflow; pailful; big spill; large amount of water.

buckle (-s), n. [Fr. < L. buccula 'cheek-strap of a helmet,' 'boss of a shield' < bucca 'cheek'.] (webplay: life).

Fastener; clasp.

buckle (-ed), v. [see buckle, n.] (webplay: age).

Fasten; fix; secure; confine; attach; circumscribe; stick on; cause to adhere.

buckled, verbal adj. [see buckle, n.]

Closed; sealed; fastened shut; [sense play] bent; warped; [fig.] silent; mute; mum.

bud (-s), n. [ME] (webplay: bloom, flower, grow, plant, stem, winter).

1. Blossom; colorful petals; (see Isaiah 18:5).
2. Spring; time of unfolding; month when plants sprout; season of renewal.
3. Sprout; shoot; kernel; [fig.] genesis; emergence; coming forth; (see Isaiah 61:11).
4. Top part of a flower; head of a blossoming plant.
5. Pod; casque; floral hip.
6. Gem; hybernacle; closed blossom.
7. Flag; banner; standard; pennant; ensign; colors; beacon.

Buenos Ayre, proper n. [Sp. 'good air', 'favorable winds' < Ciudad da la Santísima Trinidad y puerto de nuestra señora la virgen Maria de los buenos aires.]

Argentina's capital; wealthy port; European-style city on the southeastern coast of South America; center of expansive economic growth and land acquisition in the mid-1800s; [metonymy] Argentina; Great Britain's sixth dominion.

bugle (-s), n. [OFr < L. búculus < bov-is 'ox'.]

1. Musician; trumpeteer; brass player; [fig.] singing bird.
2. Trumpet; cornet; military signal horn.
3. Blast; loud sound; musical noise; burst of air through an instrument.