Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BAB'BLER, n.

An idle talker; an irrational prattler; a teller of secrets.

BAB'BLING, n.

Foolish talk. 1 Tim. vi.

BAB'BLING, ppr.

1. Talking idly; telling secrets.
2. Uttering a succession of murmuring sounds; as, a babbling stream.
3. In hunting, babbling is when the hounds are too busy after they have found a good scent.

BABE, n. [Ger. bube, a boy; Ir. baban; D. babyn; Syr. babia; Phenician, babion; Ar. babah, a babe, an infant. Ar. نَانُرسٌ babos, or baboson, the young of man or beast; Syr. babosa, a little child. It is remarkable that this Syriac and Arabic word for an infant, is retained by the natives of America, who call an infant pappoos. L. pupus, a word of endearment; pupa, little girl; whence pupillus, pupilla, pupil. Ar. bobohon, the beginning of youth; Gr. βαβαι, and παπαι; Ar. نَأنَأ baba, to say baba, that is, father; papa, a word taken from the first attempts of children to pronounce the name of a parent.]

An infant; a young child of either sex.

BA'BEL, n. [Heb.]

Confusion; disorder. Beaumont.

BABE'RY, n.

Finery to please a child; any trifling toy for children. Sidney.

BAB'ISH, a.

Like a babe; childish. Ascham.

BAB'ISH-LY, adv.

Childishly.

BAB'LAH, n.

The rind or shell of the fruit of the Mimosa cineraria. Ure.

BAB-OON', n. [Fr. babouin, so called from its resemblance to a babe. This name seems to have originated in the Oriental babion, papio. See Babe.]

A monkey of the largest species; a quadruped belonging to the genus Simia, in the class Mammalia, and order Primates, according to the system of Linnæus; but by Pennant arranged under the digitated quadrupeds. Baboons have short tails; a long face; a broad high muzzle; dog-like tusks, or canine teeth; and naked callosities on the buttocks. They are found only on the eastern continent. Encyc.

BA'BY, a.

Like a young child; pertaining to an infant.

BA'BY, n. [See Babe.]

1. An infant or young child of either sex; a babe; [used in familiar language.]
2. A small image in form of an infant, for girls to play with; a doll.

BA'BY, v.t.

To treat like a young child. Young.

BA'BY-HOOD, n.

The state of being a baby. Ash.

BA'BY-HOUSE, n.

A place for children's dolls and babies. Swift.

BA'BY-ISH, a.

Like a baby; childish.

BAB-Y-LO'NI-AN, or BAB-Y-LO'NISH, a.

1. Pertaining to Babylon, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Babylonia, or to the kingdom. The city stood on the river Frat, or Euphrates, and it is supposed, on the spot where the tower of Babel was founded.
2. Like the language of Babel; mixed; confused.

BAB-Y-LO'NI-AN, n.

An inhabitant of Babylonia. In ancient writers, an astrologer, as the Chaldeans were remarkable for the study of astrology.

BAB-Y-LON'IC, or BAB-Y-LON'IC-AL, a.

1. Pertaining to Babylon, or made there; as, Babylonic garments, carpets, or hangings. Encyc.
2. Tumultuous; disorderly. Harrington.

BAB-Y-LON'ICS, n. [plur.]

The title of a fragment of the history of the world, ending 267 years before Christ, composed by Berosus, a priest of Babylon. Encyc.

BAB-Y-ROUS'SA, n.

In zoology, the Indian hog, a native of Celebes and of Buero, but not found on the continent of Asia, or of Africa. This quadruped belongs to the genus Sus, in the class Mammalia, and order Bellua. From the outside of the upper jaw, spring two teeth twelve inches long, bending like horns, and almost touching the forehead. Along the back are some weak bristles, and on the rest of the body only a sort of wool. These animals live in herds, feed on herbage, are sometimes tamed, and their flesh is well tasted. When pursued hard, they rush into the sea, swim or dive, and pass from isle to isle. In the forest they rest their heads by hooking their upper tusks on a bough. Encyc.

BAC, or BACK, n. [D. bak, a bowl or cistern.]

1. In navigation, a ferry-boat or praam.
2. In brewing, a large flat tub, or vessel, in which wort is cooled before boiling; hence called a cooler.
3. In distilleries, a vessel into which the liquor to be fermented is pumped from the cooler, in order to be worked with the yeast.

BAC'CA, n. [L.]

In botany, a berry; a fruit which consists of a pulpy pericarp, without valves, inclosing several naked seeds. Milne.

BAC-CA-LAU'RE-ATE, n. [The first part of this word is from the same root as bachelor; or as Bailey supposes, from bacca, berry; and the latter part from laurea, a laurel, from the practice of wearing a garland of bay berries.]

The degree of bachelor of arts.

BAC'CATE, a.

In botany, consisting of a berry.