Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BEARD'-GRASS, n.

A plant, the Andropogon.

BEARD'ING, ppr. [berd'ing.]

Taking by the beard; opposing to the face.

BEARD'LESS, a. [berd'less.]

Without a beard; young; not having arrived to manhood. In botany, not having a tuft of hairs.

BEARD'LESS-NESS, n.

The state or quality of being destitute of beard. – Lawrence, Lect.

BEAR'ER, n. [See Bear.]

1. One who bears, sustains, or carries; a carrier, especially of a corpse to the grave.
2. One who wears any thing, as a badge or sword.
3. A tree or plant that yields its fruit; as, a good bearer.
4. In architecture, a post or brick wall between the ends of a piece of timber, to support it. In general, any thing that supports another thing.
5. In heraldry, a figure in an achievement, placed by the side of a shield, and seeming to support it; generally the figure of a beast. The figure of a human creature for a like purpose is called a tenant. – Encyc.

BEAR'-FLY, n.

An insect. – Bacon.

BEAR'-GAR-DEN, a.

Rude; turbulent; as, bear-garden sport. – Todd.

BEAR'-GAR-DEN, n.

A place where bears are kept for diversion. – Ash.

BEAR'HERD, n. [bear and herd.]

A man that tends bears. – Shak.

BEAR'ING, n.

1. Gesture; mien; behavior. I know him by his bearing. – Shak.
2. The situation of an object, with respect to another object, by which it is supposed to have a connection with it or influence upon it, or to be influenced by it. But of this frame, the bearings and the ties. – Pope.
3. In architecture, the space between the two fixed extremes of a piece of timber, or between one extreme and a supporter. – Builder's Dict.
4. In navigation, the situation of a distant object, with regard to a ship's position, as on the bow, on the lee quarter, &c. Also, an arch of the horizon intercepted between the nearest meridian and any distant object, either discovered by the eye and referred to a point on the compass, or resulting from sinical proportion. – Mar. Dict.
5. In heraldry, bearings are the coats of arms or figures of armories, by which the nobility and gentry are distinguished from common persons. – Encyc.

BEAR'ING, ppr.

Supporting; carrying; producing.

BEAR'ISH, a.

Partaking of the qualities of a bear. – Harris.

BEAR'LIKE, a.

Resembling a bear. – Shak.

BEARN, n. [Sax. bearn; Goth. barn; from bear; Goth. gabaurans, born.]

A child. In Scotland, bairn. – Shak.

BEAR'S-BREECH, n.

Brank-ursine or Acanthus, a genus of plants.

BEAR'S-EAR, n.

The trivial name of Primula auricula.

BEAR'S-FOOT, n.

A plant, a species of Hellebore.

BEAR'S-WORT, n.

A plant. – Shak.

BEAR'WARD, n.

A keeper of bears. – Shak.

BEAR'-WHELP, n.

The whelp of a bear. – Shak.

BEAST, n. [Ir. biast, piasd; Corn. bêst; D. beest; L. bestia; Fr. bête, from beste; Dan. bæst, beest; W. bwyst, wild, savage, ferocious. See Boisterous.]

1. Any four-footed animal, which may be used for labor, food or sport; distinguished from fowls, insects, fishes and man; as, beasts of burden, beasts of the chase, beasts of the forest. It is usually applied to large animals.
2. Opposed to man, it signifies any irrational animal, as in the phrase “man and beast.” So, wild beast.
3. Figuratively, a brutal man; a person rude, coarse, filthy, or acting in a manner unworthy of a rational creature. – Johnson.
4. A game at cards. Hence, to beast. – Encyc.

BEAST'ISH, a.

Like a beast; brutal.

BEAST'LIKE, a.

Like a beast; brutal. – Titus Andronicus.

BEAST'LI-NESS, n. [from beastly.]

Brutality; coarseness; vulgarity; filthiness; a practice contrary to the rules of humanity.

BEAST'LY, a.

1. Like a beast; brutal; coarse; filthy; contrary to the nature and dignity of man.
2. Having the form and nature of a beast. – Prior.