from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Bead \Bead\ (b[=e]d), n. [OE. bede prayer, prayer bead, AS. bed,
gebed, prayer; akin to D. bede, G. bitte, AS. biddan, to ask,
bid, G. bitten to ask, and perh. to Gr. pei`qein to persuade,
L. fidere to trust. Beads are used by the Roman Catholics to
count their prayers, one bead being dropped down a string
every time a prayer is said. Cf. Sp. cuenta bead, fr. contar
to count. See {Bid}, in to bid beads, and {Bide}.]
1. A prayer. [Obs.]
[1913 Webster]
2. A little perforated ball, to be strung on a thread, and
worn for ornament; or used in a rosary for counting
prayers, as by Roman Catholics and Mohammedans, whence the
phrases to tell beads,
{to be at one's beads},
{to bid beads}, etc., meaning, to be at prayer.
[1913 Webster]
3. Any small globular body; as,
(a) A bubble in spirits.
(b) A drop of sweat or other liquid. "Cold beads of
midnight dew." --Wordsworth.
(c) A small knob of metal on a firearm, used for taking
aim (whence the expression to draw a bead, for, to
take aim).
(d) (Arch.) A small molding of rounded surface, the
section being usually an arc of a circle. It may be
continuous, or broken into short embossments.
(e) (Chem.) A glassy drop of molten flux, as borax or
microcosmic salt, used as a solvent and color test for
several mineral earths and oxides, as of iron,
manganese, etc., before the blowpipe; as, the borax
bead; the iron bead, etc.
[1913 Webster]
{Bead and butt} (Carp.), framing in which the panels are
flush, having beads stuck or run upon the two edges.
--Knight.
{Bead mold}, a species of fungus or mold, the stems of which
consist of single cells loosely jointed together so as to
resemble a string of beads. [Written also {bead mould}.]
{Bead tool}, a cutting tool, having an edge curved so as to
make beads or beading.
{Bead tree} (Bot.), a tree of the genus {Melia}, the best
known species of which ({Melia azedarach}), has blue
flowers which are very fragrant, and berries which are
poisonous.
[1913 Webster]
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Butt \Butt\, But \But\, n. [F. but butt, aim (cf. butte knoll),
or bout, OF. bot, end, extremity, fr. boter, buter, to push,
butt, strike, F. bouter; of German origin; cf. OHG. b[=o]zan,
akin to E. beat. See {Beat}, v. t.]
1. A limit; a bound; a goal; the extreme bound; the end.
[1913 Webster]
Here is my journey's end, here my butt
And very sea mark of my utmost sail. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
Note: As applied to land, the word is nearly synonymous with
mete, and signifies properly the end line or boundary;
the abuttal.
[1913 Webster]
2. The larger or thicker end of anything; the blunt end, in
distinction from the sharp end; as, the butt of a rifle.
Formerly also spelled {but}. See 2nd {but}, n. sense 2.
[1913 Webster +PJC]
3. A mark to be shot at; a target. --Sir W. Scott.
[1913 Webster]
The groom his fellow groom at butts defies,
And bends his bow, and levels with his eyes.
--Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
4. A person at whom ridicule, jest, or contempt is directed;
as, the butt of the company.
[1913 Webster]
I played a sentence or two at my butt, which I
thought very smart. --Addison.
[1913 Webster]
5. A push, thrust, or sudden blow, given by the head of an
animal; as, the butt of a ram.
[1913 Webster]
6. A thrust in fencing.
[1913 Webster]
To prove who gave the fairer butt,
John shows the chalk on Robert's coat. --Prior.
[1913 Webster]
7. A piece of land left unplowed at the end of a field.
[1913 Webster]
The hay was growing upon headlands and butts in
cornfields. --Burrill.
[1913 Webster]
8. (Mech.)
(a) A joint where the ends of two objects come squarely
together without scarfing or chamfering; -- also
called {butt joint}.
(b) The end of a connecting rod or other like piece, to
which the boxing is attached by the strap, cotter, and
gib.
(c) The portion of a half-coupling fastened to the end of
a hose.
[1913 Webster]
9. (Shipbuilding) The joint where two planks in a strake
meet.
[1913 Webster]
10. (Carp.) A kind of hinge used in hanging doors, etc.; --
so named because fastened on the edge of the door, which
butts against the casing, instead of on its face, like
the strap hinge; also called {butt hinge}.
[1913 Webster]
11. (Leather Trade) The thickest and stoutest part of tanned
oxhides, used for soles of boots, harness, trunks.
[1913 Webster]
12. The hut or shelter of the person who attends to the
targets in rifle practice.
[1913 Webster]
13. The buttocks; as, get up off your butt and get to work;
-- used as a euphemism, less objectionable than {ass}.
[slang]
Syn: ass, rear end, derriere, behind, rump, heinie.
[PJC]
{Butt chain} (Saddlery), a short chain attached to the end of
a tug.
{Butt end}. The thicker end of anything. See {But end}, under
2d {But}.
[1913 Webster]
Amen; and make me die a good old man!
That's the butt end of a mother's blessing. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
{A butt's length}, the ordinary distance from the place of
shooting to the butt, or mark.
{Butts and bounds} (Conveyancing), abuttals and boundaries.
In lands of the ordinary rectangular shape, butts are the
lines at the ends (F. bouts), and bounds are those on the
sides, or sidings, as they were formerly termed.
--Burrill.
{Bead and butt}. See under {Bead}.
{Butt and butt}, joining end to end without overlapping, as
planks.
{Butt weld} (Mech.), a butt joint, made by welding together
the flat ends, or edges, of a piece of iron or steel, or
of separate pieces, without having them overlap. See
{Weld}.
{Full butt}, headfirst with full force. [Colloq.] "The
corporal . . . ran full butt at the lieutenant."
--Marryat.
[1913 Webster]