Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BICK'ER, v.i. [W. bicra, to fight, to bicker; Scot. bicker, to fight by throning stones, to move quickly, to skirmish; allied perhaps to It. picchiare, to beat; picchiarsi, to fight; picchiere, a soldier armed with a pike; picchio, a blow or stroke, a woodpecker; beccare, to peck. This verb is from the root of beak, peck, pike, and primarily signifies to beat, to strike, to thrust at, or to make at by repeated thrusts or blows.]

1. To skirmish; to fight off and on; that is, to make repeated attacks. [But in this sense I believe rarely used.]
2. To quarrel; to contend in words; to scold; to contend in petulant altercation. [This is the usual signification.]
3. To move quickly; to quiver; to be tremulous, like flame or water; as, the bickering flame; the bickering stream. – Milton. Thomson.

BICK'ER-ER, n.

One who bickers, or engages in a petty quarrel.

BICK'ER-ING, ppr.

Quarreling; contending; quivering.

BICK'ER-MENT, n.

Contention. [Not used.] – Spenser.

BICK'ERN, n. [Of W. pig, a beak, or beak and iron.]

An iron ending in a beak or point.

BI-COL'LI-GATE, a. [bis and colligo, to bind together.]

In ornithology, connected by a web, as all the anterior toes.

BI-COL'OR, a. [bis and color.]

Of two colors.

BI'CORN, or BI-CORN'OUS, a.

Having two horns. – Browne.

BI'CORN, n. [L. bis, twice, and cornu, a horn, bicornis.]

A plant whose anthers have the appearance of two horns. – Milne.

BI-CRU'RAL, a.

Having two legs.

BI-CUS'PID, or BI-CUS'PID-ATE, n. [L. bis, and cuspis, a point.]

Having two points.

BID, n.

An offer of a price: a word much used at auctions.

BID, or BID'DEN, pp. [of Bid.]

Invited; offered; commanded.

BID, v.t. [pret. bid or bade; pp. bid, bidden. Sax. biddan; Goth. bidyan; to ask, request or pray; Sax. beodan, to command; bead, one who persuades or exhorts; Sw. bidia, to ask or entreat; D. bieden, to offer, or bid; gebieden, to command; G. bieten, to offer; gebieten, entbieten, to command; Dan. beder, to pray, or desire; byder, to command, to bid, to offer, to invite; L. peto, to drive at, to attack, to ask, to desire, to beseech, anciently beto; Ir. impidhim, to beseech; Sp. and Port. pedir, to ask or beg; Sans. badi, padi, petir, botti, a commander; Ch. פיט fat, to pray or beseech; Eth. ፈተወ fato, or fatho, to desire. The primary sense is, to press forward, to drive, to urge; hence L. impetus. Applied to the voice, it denotes utterance, a driving of sounds, which is applied to asking, prayer, and command. Class Bd.]

1. To ask; to request; to invite. Go ye into the highways, and as many as ye shalt find, bid to the marriage. – Matth. xxii. This sense is antiquated, but we have the same word from the Latin, in incite, [in and bid.]
2. To command; to order or direct. And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come to thee on the water. – Matth. xiv.
3. To offer; to propose; as, to bid a price at an auction.
4. To proclaim; to make known by a public voice. [Obs.] Our bans thrice bid. – Shak.
5. To pronounce or declare; as, to bid a welcome.
6. To denounce, or threaten; as, to bid defiance.
7. To wish or pray. Neither bid him God speed. [A mistake for good speed.] – 2 John 10. To bid beads, is to pray with beads, as the Catholics; to distinguish each bead by a prayer. – Johnson. Also, to charge parishioners to say a number of paternosters. – Encyc. To bid fair, is to open or offer a good prospect; to appear fair.

BID'ALE, n. [bid and ale.]

In England, an invitation of friends to drink ale at some poor man's house, and there to contribute in charity; an ancient and still a local custom. – Encyc.

BID'DER, n.

One who offers a price. Bidders at the auction of popularity. – Burke.

BID'DING, n.

Invitation; command; order; a proclamation or notifying. – Shak.

BID'DING, ppr.

Inviting; offering; commanding.

BIDE, v.i. [Sax. bidan. See Abide.]

1. To dwell; to inhabit. – Milton.
2. To remain; to continue or be permanent in a place or state. [Nearly antiquated.] – Shak.

BIDE, v.t.

To endure; to suffer. [See Abide.] – Shak.

BI'DENS, n.

A genus of plants, bur marigold. – Muhlenberg.

BI-DENT'AL, a. [L. bidens, of bis, twice, and dens, a tooth.]

Having two teeth. – Swift.

BI-DENT'ATE, a.

In botany, two-toothed; having two teeth.

BI-DET', n. [Fr.]

A small horse, formerly allowed to each trooper or dragoon for carrying his baggage. – B. Jonson. Encyc.

BID'ING, n.

Residence; habitation. – Rowe.