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.
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