B

B
    n 1: aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often
         occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil
         [syn: {bacillus}, {B}]
    2: originally thought to be a single vitamin but now separated
       into several B vitamins [syn: {B-complex vitamin}, {B
       complex}, {vitamin B complex}, {vitamin B}, {B vitamin}, {B}]
    3: a trivalent metalloid element; occurs both in a hard black
       crystal and in the form of a yellow or brown powder [syn:
       {boron}, {B}, {atomic number 5}]
    4: a logarithmic unit of sound intensity equal to 10 decibels
       [syn: {Bel}, {B}]
    5: (physics) a unit of nuclear cross section; the effective
       circular area that one particle presents to another as a
       target for an encounter [syn: {barn}, {b}]
    6: the 2nd letter of the Roman alphabet [syn: {B}, {b}]
    7: the blood group whose red cells carry the B antigen [syn:
       {B}, {type B}, {group B}]
    

Gastropoda \Gas*trop"o*da\, n. pl., [NL., fr. Gr. ?, ?, stomach
   + -poda.] (Zool.)
   One of the classes of Mollusca, of great extent. It includes
   most of the marine spiral shells, and the land and
   fresh-water snails. They generally creep by means of a flat,
   muscular disk, or foot, on the ventral side of the body. The
   head usually bears one or two pairs of tentacles. See
   {Mollusca}. [Written also {Gasteropoda}.]
   [1913 Webster]

   Note: The Gastropoda are divided into three subclasses; viz.:
         ({a}) The Streptoneura or Dioecia, including the
         Pectinibranchiata, Rhipidoglossa, Docoglossa, and
         Heteropoda. ({b}) The Euthyneura, including the
         Pulmonata and Opisthobranchia. ({c}) The Amphineura,
         including the Polyplacophora and Aplacophora.
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Infinitive \In*fin"i*tive\, n. [L. infinitivus: cf. F.
   infinitif. See {Infinite}.]
   Unlimited; not bounded or restricted; undefined.
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   {Infinitive mood} (Gram.), that form of the verb which merely
      names the action, and performs the office of a verbal
      noun. Some grammarians make two forms in English: ({a})
      The simple form, as, speak, go, hear, before which to is
      commonly placed, as, to speak; to go; to hear. ({b}) The
      form of the imperfect participle, called the infinitive in
      -ing; as, going is as easy as standing.
      [1913 Webster]

   Note: With the auxiliary verbs may, can, must, might, could,
         would, and should, the simple infinitive is expressed
         without to; as, you may speak; they must hear, etc. The
         infinitive usually omits to with the verbs let, dare,
         do, bid, make, see, hear, need, etc.; as, let me go;
         you dare not tell; make him work; hear him talk, etc.
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   Note: In Anglo-Saxon, the simple infinitive was not preceded
         by to (the sign of modern simple infinitive), but it
         had a dative form (sometimes called the gerundial
         infinitive) which was preceded by to, and was chiefly
         employed in expressing purpose. See {Gerund}, 2.
         [1913 Webster]

   Note: The gerundial ending (-anne) not only took the same
         form as the simple infinitive (-an), but it was
         confounded with the present participle in -ende, or
         -inde (later -inge).
         [1913 Webster]
    

Labial \La"bi*al\, n.
   1. (Phonetics) A letter or character representing an
      articulation or sound formed or uttered chiefly with the
      lips, as {b}, {p}, {w}.
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   2. (Mus.) An organ pipe that is furnished with lips; a flue
      pipe.
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   3. (Zool.) One of the scales which border the mouth of a fish
      or reptile.
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Legate \Leg"ate\ (l[e^]g"[asl]t), n. [OE. legat, L. legatus, fr.
   legare to send with a commission or charge, to depute, fr.
   lex, legis, law: cf. F. l['e]gat, It. legato. See {Legal}.]
   1. An ambassador or envoy.
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   2. An ecclesiastic representing the pope and invested with
      the authority of the Holy See.
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   Note: Legates are of three kinds: ({a}) Legates a latere, now
         always cardinals. They are called ordinary or
         extraordinary legates, the former governing provinces,
         and the latter class being sent to foreign countries on
         extraordinary occasions. ({b}) Legati missi, who
         correspond to the ambassadors of temporal governments.
         ({c}) Legati nati, or legates by virtue of their
         office, as the archbishops of Salzburg and Prague.
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   3. (Rom. Hist.)
      (a) An official assistant given to a general or to the
          governor of a province.
      (b) Under the emperors, a governor sent to a province.
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Libration \Li*bra"tion\ (l[-i]*br[=a]"sh[u^]n), n. [L. libratio:
   cf. F. libration.]
   1. The act or state of librating. --Jer. Taylor.
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   2. (Astron.) A real or apparent libratory motion, like that
      of a balance before coming to rest.
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   {Libration of the moon}, any one of those small periodical
      changes in the position of the moon's surface relatively
      to the earth, in consequence of which narrow portions at
      opposite limbs become visible or invisible alternately. It
      receives different names according to the manner in which
      it takes place; as: {(a)} Libration in longitude, that
      which, depending on the place of the moon in its elliptic
      orbit, causes small portions near the eastern and western
      borders alternately to appear and disappear each month.
      ({b}) Libration in latitude, that which depends on the
      varying position of the moon's axis in respect to the
      spectator, causing the alternate appearance and
      disappearance of either pole. ({c}) Diurnal or parallactic
      libration, that which brings into view on the upper limb,
      at rising and setting, some parts not in the average
      visible hemisphere.
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Monkey \Mon"key\, n.; pl. {Monkeys}. [Cf. OIt. monicchio, It.
   monnino, dim. of monna an ape, also dame, mistress, contr.
   fr. madonna. See {Madonna}.]
   1. (Zool.)
      (a) In the most general sense, any one of the Quadrumana,
          including apes, baboons, and lemurs.
      (b) Any species of Quadrumana, except the lemurs.
      (c) Any one of numerous species of Quadrumana (esp. such
          as have a long tail and prehensile feet) exclusive of
          apes and baboons.
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   Note: The monkeys are often divided into three groups: ({a})
         {Catarrhines}, or {Simidae}. These have an oblong head,
         with the oblique flat nostrils near together. Some have
         no tail, as the apes. All these are natives of the Old
         World. ({b}) {Platyrhines}, or {Cebidae}. These have a
         round head, with a broad nasal septum, so that the
         nostrils are wide apart and directed downward. The tail
         is often prehensile, and the thumb is short and not
         opposable. These are natives of the New World. ({c})
         {Strepsorhines}, or {Lemuroidea}. These have a pointed
         head with curved nostrils. They are natives of Southern
         Asia, Africa, and Madagascar.
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   2. A term of disapproval, ridicule, or contempt, as for a
      mischievous child.
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            This is the monkey's own giving out; she is
            persuaded I will marry her.           --Shak.
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   3. The weight or hammer of a pile driver, that is, a very
      heavy mass of iron, which, being raised on high, falls on
      the head of the pile, and drives it into the earth; the
      falling weight of a drop hammer used in forging.
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   4. A small trading vessel of the sixteenth century.
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   {Monkey boat}. (Naut.)
      (a) A small boat used in docks.
      (b) A half-decked boat used on the River Thames.

   {Monkey block} (Naut.), a small single block strapped with a
      swivel. --R. H. Dana, Jr.

   {Monkey flower} (Bot.), a plant of the genus {Mimulus}; -- so
      called from the appearance of its gaping corolla. --Gray.

   {Monkey gaff} (Naut.), a light gaff attached to the topmast
      for the better display of signals at sea.

   {Monkey jacket}, a short closely fitting jacket, worn by
      sailors.

   {Monkey rail} (Naut.), a second and lighter rail raised about
      six inches above the quarter rail of a ship.

   {Monkey shine}, monkey trick. [Slang, U.S.]

   {Monkey trick}, a mischievous prank. --Saintsbury.

   {Monkey wheel}. See {Gin block}, under 5th {Gin}.
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Motion \Mo"tion\, n. [F., fr. L. motio, fr. movere, motum, to
   move. See {Move}.]
   1. The act, process, or state of changing place or position;
      movement; the passing of a body from one place or position
      to another, whether voluntary or involuntary; -- opposed
      to {rest}.
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            Speaking or mute, all comeliness and grace
            attends thee, and each word, each motion, forms.
                                                  --Milton.
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   2. Power of, or capacity for, motion.
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            Devoid of sense and motion.           --Milton.
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   3. Direction of movement; course; tendency; as, the motion of
      the planets is from west to east.
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            In our proper motion we ascend.       --Milton.
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   4. Change in the relative position of the parts of anything;
      action of a machine with respect to the relative movement
      of its parts.
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            This is the great wheel to which the clock owes its
            motion.                               --Dr. H. More.
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   5. Movement of the mind, desires, or passions; mental act, or
      impulse to any action; internal activity.
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            Let a good man obey every good motion rising in his
            heart, knowing that every such motion proceeds from
            God.                                  --South.
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   6. A proposal or suggestion looking to action or progress;
      esp., a formal proposal made in a deliberative assembly;
      as, a motion to adjourn.
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            Yes, I agree, and thank you for your motion. --Shak.
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   7. (Law) An application made to a court or judge orally in
      open court. Its object is to obtain an order or rule
      directing some act to be done in favor of the applicant.
      --Mozley & W.
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   8. (Mus.) Change of pitch in successive sounds, whether in
      the same part or in groups of parts.
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            The independent motions of different parts sounding
            together constitute counterpoint.     --Grove.
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   Note: Conjunct motion is that by single degrees of the scale.
         Contrary motion is that when parts move in opposite
         directions. Disjunct motion is motion by skips. Oblique
         motion is that when one part is stationary while
         another moves. Similar or direct motion is that when
         parts move in the same direction.
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   9. A puppet show or puppet. [Obs.]
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            What motion's this? the model of Nineveh? --Beau. &
                                                  Fl.
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   Note: Motion, in mechanics, may be simple or compound.

   {Simple motions} are: ({a}) straight translation, which, if
      of indefinite duration, must be reciprocating. ({b})
      Simple rotation, which may be either continuous or
      reciprocating, and when reciprocating is called
      oscillating. ({c}) Helical, which, if of indefinite
      duration, must be reciprocating.

   {Compound motion} consists of combinations of any of the
      simple motions.
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   {Center of motion}, {Harmonic motion}, etc. See under
      {Center}, {Harmonic}, etc.

   {Motion block} (Steam Engine), a crosshead.

   {Perpetual motion} (Mech.), an incessant motion conceived to
      be attainable by a machine supplying its own motive forces
      independently of any action from without. According to the
      law of conservation of energy, such perpetual motion is
      impossible, and no device has yet been built that is
      capable of perpetual motion.
      [1913 Webster +PJC]

   Syn: See {Movement}.
        [1913 Webster]
    

Respiration \Res`pi*ra"tion\ (r?s`p?*r?"sh?n), n. [L.
   respiratio: cf. F. respiration. See {Respire}.]
   1. The act of respiring or breathing again, or catching one's
      breath.
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   2. Relief from toil or suffering: rest. [Obs.]
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            Till the day
            Appear of respiration to the just
            And vengeance to the wicked.          --Milton.
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   3. Interval; intermission. [Obs.] --Bp. Hall.
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   4. (Physiol.) The act of resping or breathing; the act of
      taking in and giving out air; the aggregate of those
      processes bu which oxygen is introduced into the system,
      and carbon dioxide, or carbonic acid, removed.
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   Note: Respiration in the higher animals is divided into:
         ({a}) Internal respiration, or the interchange of
         oxygen and carbonic acid between the cells of the body
         and the bathing them, which in one sense is a process
         of nutrition. ({b}) External respiration, or the
         gaseous interchange taking place in the special
         respiratory organs, the lungs. This constitutes
         respiration proper. --Gamgee.
         [1913 Webster] In the respiration of plants oxygen is
         likewise absorbed and carbonic acid exhaled, but in the
         light this process is obscured by another process which
         goes on with more vigor, in which the plant inhales and
         absorbs carbonic acid and exhales free oxygen.
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Mute \Mute\, n.
   1. One who does not speak, whether from physical inability,
      unwillingness, or other cause. Specifically:
      (a) One who, from deafness, either congenital or from
          early life, is unable to use articulate language; a
          deaf-mute.
      (b) A person employed by undertakers at a funeral.
      (c) A person whose part in a play does not require him to
          speak.
      (d) Among the Turks, an officer or attendant who is
          selected for his place because he can not speak.
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   2. (Phon.) A letter which represents no sound; a silent
      letter; also, a close articulation; an element of speech
      formed by a position of the mouth organs which stops the
      passage of the breath; as, {p}, {b}, {d}, {k}, {t}.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. (Mus.) A little utensil made of brass, ivory, or other
      material, so formed that it can be fixed in an erect
      position on the bridge of a violin, or similar instrument,
      in order to deaden or soften the tone.
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B \B\ (b[=e])
   is the second letter of the English alphabet. (See Guide to
   Pronunciation, [sect][sect] 196, 220.) It is etymologically
   related to p, v, f, w, and m, letters representing sounds
   having a close organic affinity to its own sound; as in Eng.
   bursar and purser; Eng. bear and Lat. ferre; Eng. silver and
   Ger. silber; Lat. cubitum and It. gomito; Eng. seven,
   Anglo-Saxon seofon, Ger. sieben, Lat. septem, Gr."epta`,
   Sanskrit saptan. The form of letter B is Roman, from the
   Greek B (Beta), of Semitic origin. The small b was formed by
   gradual change from the capital B.
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   Note: In (Music), B is the nominal of the seventh tone in the
         model major scale (the scale of C major), or of the
         second tone in it's relative minor scale (that of A
         minor). B[flat] stands for B flat, the tone a half
         step, or semitone, lower than B. In German, B stands
         for our B[flat], while our B natural is called H
         (pronounced h[aum]).
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Ferment \Fer"ment\, n. [L. fermentum ferment (in senses 1 & 2),
   perh. for fervimentum, fr. fervere to be boiling hot, boil,
   ferment: cf. F. ferment. Cf. 1st {Barm}, {Fervent}.]
   1. That which causes fermentation, as yeast, barm, or
      fermenting beer.
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   Note: Ferments are of two kinds: ({a}) Formed or organized
         ferments. ({b}) Unorganized or structureless ferments.
         The latter are now called {enzymes} and were formerly
         called {soluble ferments} or {chemical ferments}.
         Ferments of the first class are as a rule simple
         microscopic vegetable organisms, and the fermentations
         which they engender are due to their growth and
         development; as, the {acetic ferment}, the {butyric
         ferment}, etc. See {Fermentation}. Ferments of the
         second class, on the other hand, are chemical
         substances; as a rule they are proteins soluble in
         glycerin and precipitated by alcohol. In action they
         are catalytic and, mainly, hydrolytic. Good examples
         are pepsin of the dastric juice, ptyalin of the salvia,
         and disease of malt. Before 1960 the term "ferment" to
         mean "enzyme" fell out of use. Enzymes are now known to
         be {globular protein}s, capable of catalyzing a wide
         variety of chemical reactions, not merely hydrolytic.
         The full set of enzymes causing production of ethyl
         alcohol from sugar has been identified and individually
         purified and studied. See {enzyme}.
         [1913 Webster +PJC]

   2. Intestine motion; heat; tumult; agitation.
      [1913 Webster]

            Subdue and cool the ferment of desire. --Rogers.
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            the nation is in a ferment.           --Walpole.
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   3. A gentle internal motion of the constituent parts of a
      fluid; fermentation. [R.]
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            Down to the lowest lees the ferment ran. --Thomson.
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   {ferment oils}, volatile oils produced by the fermentation of
      plants, and not originally contained in them. These were
      the quintessences of the alchemists. --Ure.
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B

   1. {byte}.

   2. <language> A systems language written by {Ken Thompson} in
   1970 mostly for his own use under {Unix} on the {PDP-11}.  B
   was later improved by Kerninghan(?) and Ritchie to produce
   {C}.  B was used as the systems language on {Honeywell}'s
   {GCOS-3}.

   B was, according to Ken, greatly influenced by {BCPL}, but the
   name B had nothing to do with BCPL.  B was in fact a revision
   of an earlier language, {bon}, named after Ken Thompson's
   wife, Bonnie.

   ["The Programming Language B", S.C. Johnson & B.W. Kernighan,
   CS TR 8, Bell Labs (Jan 1973)].

   [Features?  Differences from C?]

   (1997-02-02)

   3. <language> A simple interactive programming language by
   Lambert Meertens and Steven Pemberton.  B was the predecessor
   of {ABC}.

   (ftp://ftp.uni-kl.de/pub/languages/B.tar.Z).

   ["Draft Proposal for the B Language", Lambert Meertens, CWI,
   Amsterdam, 1981].

   4. <language, specification> A specification language by
   Jean-Raymond Abrial of {B Core UK}, Magdalen Centre, Oxford
   Science Park, Oxford OX4 4GA.  B is related to {Z} and
   supports development of {C} code from specifications.  B has
   been used in major {safety-critical system} specifications in
   Europe, and is currently attracting increasing interest in
   industry.  It has robust, commercially available tool support
   for specification, design, proof and code generation.

   E-mail: <[email protected]>.

   (1995-04-24)
    

b

   {bit} or maybe {byte} (B).

   (1996-11-03)