| azote | n. | nitrogen | ||
| backdate | v. | to antedate, to mark with date earlier than actual date | ||
| backhand | n. | handwriting that slopes to the left | ||
| bad cess to | n. | a curse upon, may evil befall | idiom | |
| badmash | miscreant, ruffian, dishonest man or youth | |||
| bailiwick | n. | area of expertise or skill | ||
| bain-marie | n. | steam table, receptacle containing hot water in which other vessels containing food are placed to cook or to keep warm; (British) double boiler | ||
| baize | n. | woolen fabric with long nap, usu. green, resembling felt, frequently seen covering billiard tables | ||
| baldachin | n. | rich brocade; canopy over a throne, altar, or doorway | ||
| baldric | n. | belt worn across the breast from shoulder to hip, supporting a sword or bugle, etc. | ||
| balestra | n. | leap towards opponent with an immediate lunge | ||
| balliwick | n. | area of expertise; jurisdiction district for a bailiff | ||
| baluster | n. | (architecture) short pillar, usu. supporting a handrail or coping (which series is then called a balustrade) | ||
| bamboula | n. | drum made from a rum barrel; dance using such a drum | ||
| banal | adj. | unoriginal or common in a boring fashion | ||
| bandbox | n. | small cardboard box for storing collars or small hats | ||
| bandeau | n. | headband; narrow strapless bra | ||
| bangle | v. | to squabble, to noisily dispute | ||
| bangtail | n. | racehorse | slang | |
| banjo | v. | to beat, to knock down, to thrash | slang | |
| bantling | n. | young child; bastard child | archaic | |
| Bantustan | n. | one of the quasi-autonomous ‘homelands’ for blacks under South Africa’s apartheid regime | ||
| banty | adj. | small yet belligerent | ||
| barbel | n. | slender filament dangling from the mouths of certain fishes (such as the catfish), in which taste buds are located | ||
| barbola | n. | decorative fruit or flowers made from barbotine; such decoration when added to a craft piece | ||
| barcarolle | n. | gondolier’s song | ||
| barchan | n. | crescent-shaped sand dune formed by wind | ||
| bargee | n. | worker on a barge | ||
| bariatric | adj. | of or related to treatment of obesity and associated conditions | ||
| Barmecidal | adj. | illusory, offering imaginary sustenance (fr. Arabian Nights story) | ||
| barmkin | n. | protective wall built around castles, towers, and fortified farmhouses | Scots | |
| barnburner | n. | very exciting event; radical wing of New York Democrats in 19th Century | ||
| barney | n. | fight, quarrel, brawl | British | |
| barouche | n. | four-wheeled horse carriage with facing seats for two couples, having a collapsible top over the rear seat and a separate bench seat for the driver | ||
| barrack | v. | to jeer at adversaries so as to discommode, to heckle boisterously opposing team | ||
| barracoon | n. | temporary holding place for prisoners, esp. slaves | ||
| barratry | n. | misconduct by ship’s master or crew against the interest of the shipowner | ||
| bartizan | n. | (also bartisan) small overhanging turret | ||
| bashi-bazouk | n. | irregular mounted soldiers of Ottoman army, lit. ‘crazy head’ | ||
| basset | n. | banking card game similar to faro | ||
| bate | v. | to reduce in intensity, to diminish; to blunt, to beat | ||
| bathos | n. | ludicrous descent from sublime to the small; triviality of style | ||
| bathykolpian | adj. | having large bosoms | ||
| batiste | n. | soft light opaque fabric of cotton or linen, similar to (and sometimes synonymous with) cambric, used as linings, handkerchiefs, or lingerie | ||
| batrachian | adj. | of or related to frogs and toads | ||
| battledore | n. | badminton racket | ||
| batture | n. | alluvial land raised from sea-bed or river-bed; specifically, land between Mississippi River and the levees | ||
| Baumes rush | n. | to leave the state of New York to avoid a third conviction, which under a state law sponsored by Caleb Baumes would lead to life imprisonment | slang | |
| bawdry | n. | lewd speech or writing, obscenity; the practice of a prostitute | archaic | |
| bdellium | n. | fragrant gum resin; the plant producing this resin |
