Emily Dickinson Lexicon

BID'ING, ppr.

Dwelling; continuing; remaining. [See Abiding.]

BID'ON, n.

A measure of liquids, of about five quarts, wine measure, used by seamen. – Encyc.

BI-EN'NI-AL, a. [L. biennis, of bis, twice, and annus, a year.]

1. Continuing for two years; or happening, or taking place once in two years; as, a biennial election.
2. In botany, continuing for two years and then perishing; as plants, whose root and leaves are formed the first year, and which produce fruit the second. – Martyn.

BI-EN'NI-AL-LY, adv.

Once in two years; at the return of two years.

BIER, n. [Sax. bær; D. baar; Ger. bahre; Dan. baare; Ir. fier; from the same root as bear; L. feretrum, from fero. See Bear.]

A carriage or frame of wood for conveying dead human bodies to the grave.

BIER'BALK, n.

The church road for burials. [Not used in America.] – Homilies.

BIEST'INGS, n. [plur. Sax. byst, or bysting; D. biest; Ger. biestmilch.]

The first milk given by a cow after calving. – B. Jonson.

BI-FA'RI-OUS, a. [L. bifarius; bis and fero, or Teutonic, faran, to go.]

Two-fold. In botany, pointing two ways, as leaves that grow only on opposite sides of a branch. – Martyn.

BI-FA'RI-OUS-LY, adv.

In a bifarious manner. A stem or branch is bifariously hairy, when the hairs between any two joints come out on the front and back, and in the two adjoining internodes, on the right and left side. – Martyn.

BIF'ER-OUS, a. [L. bifer, biferus; of bis, twice, and fero, to bear.]

Bearing fruit twice a year, as plants do in warm climates. – Martyn.

BIF'ID, or BIF'ID-A-TED, a. [L. bifidus, of bis, twice, and findo, fidi, to split or cleave. See Divide and Wide.]

In botany, two-cleft; divided; opening with a cleft; divided by a linear sinus, with straight margins. – Martyn.

BIF-LO'ROUS, a. [L. bis, twice, and floreo.]

Bearing two flowers. – Martyn.

BI'FOLD, a. [L. bis, twice, and fold.]

Two-fold; double; of two kinds, degrees, &c.

BI-FO'LI-ATE, a.

In botany, having two leaves.

BI'FO-RATE, a. [L. bis and foro.]

Having two perforations, as the anthers of the Rhododendron.

BIF'O-RIN, n.

A minute oval sac found in the interior of the green pulpy part of the leaves of some plants.

BI'FORM, a. [L. biformis, of bis, twice, and forma, form.]

Having two forms, bodies or shapes. – Croxall.

BI'FORM-ED, a.

Compounded of two forms. – Johnson.

BI-FORM'I-TY, n.

A double form. – More.

BI-FRONT'ED, a.

Having two fronts.

BI'FUR-CATE, or BI'FUR-CA-TED, a. [L. bifurcus, of bis, twice, and furca, a fork.]

Forked; divided into two branches. – Johnson.

BI-FUR-CA'TION, n.

A forking, or division into two branches. – Brown.

BI-FUR'COUS, a.

Forked. – Coles.

BIG, a. [In W. baic is a load; beiciaw, to load or lay on; beiciawg, pregnant; and bog, is a swelling; buciaw, to bellow; Dan. bug, the belly. These words seem to be allied to big, but I have not found this word in any other language.]

1. Bulky; protuberant; pregnant, applied to females. Big, in the sense of pregnant, is followed by with; as, big with child. The use of of, big of child, is not good English.
2. Great; large; in a more general sense; applied to any body or object.
3. Full; fraught, and about to have vent, or be brought forth. The important day, big with the fate of Rome. – Addison.
4. Distended; full, as with grief or passion. Thy heart is big, get thee apart and weep. – Shak.
5. Swelled; tumid; inflated, as with pride; hence, haughty in air or mien, or indicating haughtiness; proud; as, big looks; big words; to look big.
6. Great in spirit; lofty; brave. Have not I a heart as big as thine? – Shak.

BIG, n.

A kind of barley.