Babble (verb)
to talk aimlessly or
incoherently.
At
approximately the age of six months, a child begins to babble, but many of
the sounds he/she makes may not yet carry meaning for the child.
Backed (adjective)
characterized as promoting
the interests or cause of or upholding or defending as valid.
The U.S. House
earlier this year passed a Bush administration backed measure that would
ban both types of cloning. The measure hasn't been acted on in the Senate.
the act of hurling or
scattering a liquid in a reverse motion of its normal path.
At the lower
end of the esophagus, a one way valve (the esophageal sphincter) prevents the backsplash of stomach
contents upward into the esophagus.
Bald (noun)
without the usual covering.
Chemotherapy
causes patients to become bald although it is usually a temporary condition.
Ballistic (adjective)
moving under the force of
gravity only.
A method of
stretching is ballistic which involves 'bouncing' in your stretch.
Balmy (adjective)
not severe, temperate.
It is balmy in Paris and the birds and
the bees are busy.
Banal (adjective)
without freshness or
appeal due to overuse
At a garage
sale, what may seem as banal objects to one person may be valued by another.
Bandage (noun)
a therapeutic material
applied to a wound
To stop the
bleeding and to prevent infection, the paramedic put bandages on the woman’s
cut arm.
Bard (noun)
someone who writes verse
or poetry.
Sir Walter
Scott, a Scottish hero and bard, published many works still read in college classes
today.
Baron (noun)
a man of great power or
influence in some field of activity.
Jesse Fish, a
native from New York City, moved to St. Augustine where he became Florida’s first orange baron.
Baseline (noun)
a set of critical
observations or data used for comparison or a control.
Sales calls
made within one state will fall under the new rules, setting a national baseline above which
states can set tougher guidelines if they wish.
Basin (noun)
the region drained by a
river system, an area sunk below its surroundings.
Sitting just
west of the Nevada boundary, in the basin and range
district of the Mojave Desert, Death Valley is
all but surrounded by mountain ranges, with a few roads connecting the valley
to the outside world through narrow passes.
Befriend (verb)
to favor, to act as a
friend to
Later the
Mozart children displayed (1763-66) their talents to audiences in Germany, in Paris,
at court in Versailles, and in London (where Wolfgang wrote his first
symphonies and was befriended by Johann Christian Bach, whose musical influence on Wolfgang was
profound).
Belabor (verb)
to hit heavily and
repeatedly.
It is not the
point of this discussion to belabor the issues of abortion. Rather, we will examine
why women choose to have one.
Berserk (adjective)
in a violent rage, especially
to “go” berserk
After finding
out that his wife had cheated on him, the murder suspect allegedly went berserk and shot her
five times.
Bestow (verb)
to convey as a gift --
usually used with on or upon.
According to
tradition, Brigit took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the presence
of the missionary bishop, Saint Patrick, who bestowed on her the nun's veil.
Bewildering
(adjective)
difficult to understand or
solve: puzzling.
From components
to software to accessories, new PCs offer a bewildering array of choices,
and for some folks, sifting through the large number of options can be
daunting.
Bicentennial
(adjective)
lasting two hundred years
or occurring every two hundred years.
Maya Angelou
returned to the United
States in 1974 and was appointed by Gerald
Ford to the Bicentennial Commission and later by Jimmy Carter to the
Commission for International Woman of the Year.
Binding (noun)
the act of making fast or
firmly fixed by means of a cord, rope, etc.
A properly
constructed shoe supports and protects the foot without any pressure or binding.
Bipedal (adjective)
a two footed animal.
Anatomical
details indicate that A. anamnesis, a hominid whose remains were discovered by
Leakey in 1995 in
Kenya,
to between 4.07 million and 4.17 million years ago, was capable of bipedal walking.
Birthmark (noun)
brown or red mark on one’s
body from birth; a naturally occurring mark on an inanimate object.
Almost all
diamonds contain very tiny natural birthmarks known as inclusions.
Bitter (adjective)
bitingly feeling or
showing unfriendliness
After the
government lent the two companies money and gave them large sections of land for
every mile they built, the Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific
Railroad became bitter rivals, with each company laying as much track as possible.
Bizarre (adjective)
departing from the
customary.
The stars would
be moving three times faster across the sky while observers at other points on
Mercury's surface would see different but equally bizarre motions.
Blanketed (verb)
to extend over the surface.
One could see
what the world was like when ice sheets a thousand feet thick blanketed Canada and
northern Europe, or when the Indonesian volcano Toba blew its top in the largest
volcanic eruption of the last half million years.
Blaze (noun)
the visible signs of
combustion (a fire).
Once any blaze begins to
threaten human life or property or there is high danger of wildfire, the blaze
is to be stopped or controlled.
Bleak (adjective)
cold and forbidding; dark
and depressing.
One bleak wintery day, a
major snowstorm dumped 34
inches on Buffalo,
New York.
Blemish (noun)
something that mars the
appearance.
In addition to
internal inclusions in a diamond, surface irregularities are referred to as blemishes.
Blend (verb)
to mingle in a way that is
not readily noticeable.
But other
poisonous animals blend into their environments, perhaps because they use their poisons to
attack and disable prey.
Blight (noun)
a deteriorated condition.
Think of the
inner city and you envision images of physical blight, high crime
and moral decay. But up against that bad news image, there's a good news
reality-- and it's emerging in the heart of the inner city.
Blob (noun)
a small drop or lump of
something viscid or thick ; a daub or spot of color.
A pink blob indicating
above normal fire danger colors the map across eastern Oregon
and southwestern Idaho, and then reaches down
the Sierra Nevada through Southern California and into western Arizona.
Bloodstream
(noun)
the flowing blood in a circulatory
system.
When responding
to sudden fright, the human brain releases adrenaline, the fight-or flight hormone,
into the bloodstream.
Bog down (verb)
to sink or submerge in mud
or mire; idiom: to become overly concerned with something at the point of
distraction.
Then read the
essay over once, quickly, looking for the main idea, for what the essay is about
in general, and for what the author seems to be saying. Don't get bogged down in details.
Bogus (adjective)
fraudulently or
deceptively imitative.
Although
several successful mining ventures were launched, much of the hype was bogus.
Bombard (verb)
to direct a concentrated
outpouring at something such as missiles, words, or blows.
The lunar
surface is bombarded with water rich objects such as comets, and scientists have
suspected that some of the water in these objects could migrate to permanently
dark areas at the lunar poles, perhaps accumulating to useable quantities.
Bone (noun)
any piece of hard tissue
making up the skeleton.
Another benefit
of exercising is that it increases bone mass.
Boon (noun)
something beneficial.
The tax
reduction package passed by congress last year was a boon to middle
class households with annual earnings less than $75,000.
Boost (verb)
to push or shove up from
below; increase or raise.
Vivendi was
also boosted as Moody's
Investors Service late Thursday said that it had changed the outlook on the
Franco-American group to stable from negative.
Botch (verb)
to foul up hopelessly --
often used with up.
The Maryland inmate claims
inexperienced lawyers badly botched his trial.
Brace (verb)
to get ready as for an
attack.
Emergency
officials braced for more rain Tuesday following storms that sent torrents of mud
and water down already saturated hillsides in central Appalachia,
forcing dozens of
people to flee
their homes and blocking roads.
to extend activities over
a wide area; to increase in dimensions, scope, or inclusiveness.
In the early
1800's, factories were most common in Massachusetts
although they later branched out into the more populous areas of New York,
New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
Brand (verb)
to mark with a brand or
name.
By the mid -
90's Patagonian Tooth fish was a highly prized catch, branded 'white gold'by
industrial long range fishing fleets.
Breadth (noun)
the extent of something
from side to side.
Regardless of
your career path, the breadth of your preparation as a liberal arts major is very important.
Breakage (noun)
an act, instance, or
consequence of making something unusable or inoperative
Homeowners with
hillside homes can recognize the beginnings of slope failure through the
following indicators: stairs that have pulled away from the building, widening
of previously patched cracks in driveways, yards creaking and making groaning
sounds,
breakage of underground
utility lines, or leakage from swimming pools.
Breakthrough
(noun)
an offensive thrust that
penetrates and carries beyond a defensive line in warfare; an act or instance
of breaking through an obstruction; a sudden advance especially in knowledge or
technique <a medical breakthrough>; a person's first notable success.
The possibility
of a breakthrough raised hopes
for some progress toward peace on the 1,000th day of the current intifada, the
Palestinian uprising against Israel.
Breeding (adjective)
characterized by producing
descendants directly from the same parents or ancestors.
The larval
stage of the Rhinoceros Beetle lasts for 2.5 to 7 months after which pupation takes
place within the breeding site.
Brew (verb)
to prepare as beer or ale
by steeping, boiling, and fermentation or by infusion and fermentation.
People have
been brewing and fermenting
alcoholic drinks since the dawn of civilization.
Brilliant (adjective)
having of showing
intelligence, often of a high order.
His speeches
and writings (especially a newspaper series signed "Novanglus" in
1775) articulating the colonial cause and his brilliant championing of
American rights in Congress caused Thomas Jefferson to call him the
"Colossus of Independence."
Bristle (noun)
a short stiff coarse hair
or filament.
Caterpillars of
giant silkworm moths and royal moths often bear stiff bristles on their bodies.
Brooch (noun)
an ornament that is held
by a pin or clasp and is worn at or near the neck.
Even though most
people do not believe that birthstone’s affect the wearer’s life, many still
choose their birthstones to be set in rings, brooches, and other pieces of jewelry.
Bubble up (verb)
to become progressively
greater as in size, amount, number, or intensity.
When it comes
to home prices, Bergson does not believe values are bubbling up, reasoning
that prices are being driven higher by income gains as well as a shortage of supply.
Buffer (adjective)
something serving to
separate two items; something acting as a cushion.
Georgia was valued by
the British as a buffer zone to protect the highly valued
Carolinas against attack from the Spanish in Florida
and the French in Louisiana..
Buggy (noun)
a light one horse carriage
made with four wheels.
Before the
invention of the automobile, the horse and buggy was a popular form of transportation.
Built-up
(adjective)
covered with buildings.
Crime tends to
occur in heavily built-up areas since they are more opportunities for the criminals.
Bundle (verb)
to make into a bundle or
package: wrap; to include a product or service with a related product for sale
at a single price.
Gateway bundled a wealth of
blank media for these tasks, including six DVD-R and one DVD-RAM disc, as well
as three CD-RW and five CD-R discs.
Burgeoning
(adjective)
to become greater in
number, amount, or intensity.
Before the mid
1800s, there was no "Dante's View," nor was there a "Devil's
Corn Field."
These names
were coined by the hustlers and con-men who sought to attract visitors and investors
to this burgeoning mining area.
Burrow (noun)
a hollow place used as an
animal’s dwelling.
The Western
Diamondback Rattlesnake hibernates in the burrows of other small animals, but is
often seen lying in the sun on rocks and on the side of roads.
Burst (noun)
a concentrated outpouring,
as of missiles, words, or blows.
A sudden burst of recognition
came upon Albert Einstein on November 7, 1919, when British astronomers
announced they had found the first confirmation of Einstein’s theory of
relativity.
Butchered (adjective)
relating to slaughtering
and dressing for market or killing in a barbarous manner.
The fossils
include two adult males and one child and are estimated to be 160,000 years old.
They were found among stone tools and butchered hippopotamus bones.
0 Comments