beech1 (bech)

[ OBulg. bukui, bukuve, Bulg. buk, Serv. bukva, Pol. Bohem. buk, Ru . buků, Lith. buka, Hung. bük, bik, beech) = Goth. * bōka (not recorded), beech, = L. fāgus (see Fagus ), beech, = Gr. φηγός, φᾶγός, an esculent oak, perhaps orig. a tree with esculent fruit, from the root seen in Gr. φαγεῖν, eat, Skt. ✓ bhaj, share. For the connection with book, see book.] A tree of the genus Fagus, natural order Cupulifera. The common or European beech, F. sylvatic a, grows to a large size, with branches forming a beautiful head with thick foliage. The bark is smooth and of a silvery cast. The nuts or mast are eaten by swine, poultry, oxen, and other animals, and yield a good oil for lamps. The timber is not much used in building, as it soon rots in damp places, but it is used for piles in IMG:content-1845.png:[blocks in formation] cally-(a) The European Merops a piaster. (b) pl . The bee-flower (bē'flou"ėr), n . Same as bee -orchis. birds genera and the numerous familieich species, chiefly African. the real See Merops , bee-fly bee (be'fli), n. A dipterous insect, Phora Meropidæ . beef (bef), n. [Early mod. E. also beefe , beafe , biefe , etc., beef , befe , be of , bouf , boef , boef , buef , boeuf = Pr. bov Sp.buey = Pg. boi IMG:content-1846.png:[blocks in formation] and see beefsteak ), bovem , acc. of bos (see Bos and bovine ), = Gr. βοῦς , an ox, = Ir. and Gael. bo , a cow, = W. buw = Skt. go , a cow, = AS. cù , E. cowl: see cowl, which is thus ult. identical with beef .] 1. An animal of the bovine genus, whether ox, bull, or cow, in the full-grown state. [In this, which is the original sense, the word has a plural, beeves , formerly sometimes beefs . The singular is nearly obsolete.] These are the beasts which ye shall eat: the beef , the sheep, and the goat. Deut. xiv. 4 (ed. 1578). A pound of man's flesh, taken from a man, Is not so estimable, profitable neither, As flesh of muttons, beefs , or goats. A herd of beeves , fair oxen, and fair kine. Milton , P. L., xi. 647. [In this sense the word has no plural.]-3. A name given by quarrymen to certain beds of fibrous carbonate of lime occurring in England in the middle division of the Purbeck series, the highest part of the Jura ic.-4. Brawn; muscularity; weight and strength combined: as, the crew is lacking in beef . [Colloq.]-Ala- - Collared beef, beef rolled, boned, slightly salted or corned, and seasoned with herbs and spices. - Hung beef, beef cured by being hung up to dry; dried beef. - Jerked beef. See jerk . A beechen bowl, A maple dish, my furniture should be; Crisp, yellow leaves my bed. beech-fern (bēch'fèrn), n. A fern belonging to the genus Phegopteris (which see). beech-finch (bech'finch), n. The chaffinch, Fringilla cælebs. Macgillivray . beech-fungus (bēch'fung"gus), n. An edible fungus, Cyttaria Darwin i i , allied to the morel. It is abundant in Terra del Fuego upon the branches of evergreen beeches, and is at times the principal food of the natives. beech-gall (bēch'gâl), n. A gall or excrescence formed on the beech by insects. beech-hopper (bēch'hop"ėr), n. ous insect, Orchestes fag i , family Curculio nid a , IMG:content-1847.png:[blocks in formation] European Bee-eater ( Merops a piaster). beef-brain edt (bēf'brand), a . Having the brain or wit of an ox; beef-witted: as, "the most beef - brained sensualist," Turniers , Cure of Mis- prision, p. 29 (Ord MS.). beef-cattle (bēf'kat'l), n. pl . Bovine animals adapted or intended for conversion into beef; bovine animals for slaughter. beef-eater (bēf'ēter), n. [ beef + eater. In sense 2, merely a particular use of the same word; cf. AS. hlāf - āta , a domestic servant, lit. 'loaf-eater,' contrasting with hläford , master, lit. 'loaf-keeper.' Servants are often thought of as caters; Ben Jonson uses eaters in the sense of 'servants' ("Epicœne," iii. 2). The beefsteak (bef'stāk'), n. Adopted in other languages, D. biefstuk (a im- ilated to stuk , piece), G. beefsteak , Dan. böfsteg , Sw. biffstek , F. bifteck , Sp. (Cuban) bifteq , It. biftecco , Ru . bifsteksu , etc.] A steak or slice of beef, cut from the hind quarter, suitable for broiling or frying. beefsteak-fungus (bef'stāk'fung"gus), n. An edible hymenomycetous fungus, Fistulina he- patica, belonging to the family Polypore i . It beefsteak-plant (bēf'stāk plant), n. 1. A spe- cies of Saxifraga , S. sar mentos a, with fleshy purplish leaves.-2. A name applied to species of Begonia . beefsuet-tree (bef'sū'et-trē), n. The buffalo- berry, Shepherd i a argentea . beef-tea (bef'te'), n. An aqueous extract of beef obtained by soaking and heating chopped beef in water, straining it, and seasoning to taste. It contains salts and extractives, a little gelatin, and fat. It is useful as a stimulant, and forms an appro- tier , buffet , sideboard, is mere fiction.] 1. One who eats beef; hence, a well-fed fellow; a stout fleshy man.-2. One of the yeomen of the English royal guard, who, since the acces- sion of Henry VII. in 1485, have attended the sovereign at state banquets and on other to the warders of the Tower of London, who wear a similar uniform. [In this sense com- monly without a hyphen.] Charles had begun to form a small standing army. He felt that without some better protection than that of the train-bands and beef - eaters his palace and person would scarcely be secure in the vicinity of a great city swarming with warlike Fifth Monarchy men who had been just dis- banded. IMG:content-1848.png:[blocks in formation] Following the dusty trails made by the beef - herds that had been driven toward one of the Montana shipping T. Roosevelt, Hunting Trips, p. 132. beefine (bēf'i-nes), n . 1. Beefy quality.-2. Brawnine ; muscularity; hardine . beefing1 (bēf'ing), n. [ beef + -ing1 .] A bul- lock fit for slaughter. [Prov. Eng.] beefing2 (bēf'ing), n. The original but later recorded and le usual form of biffin . [Eng.] beefish (bēf'ish), a . 1. Stupid; thick-headed; having the brain or sense of an ox.-2. Obese; solid; beefy. bee beegerite (bē'ger-īt), n. [After H. Beeger of Denver, Colorado.] A sulphid of bismuth and liant metallic sealized found lead occurring in dark-gray ma es with bril- IMG:content-1849.png:[graphic] bee-eater (bē'ēter), n. That which eats bees, as a bird; an a piaster, Specifi towns. This degeneracy has turned him into that " beefish , por- terish," bellowing sort of a John Bull, hardly endured by his own kind. And over Rev., VII. 32. beef-kid (befʼkid), n. A me utensil used by the crew of a merchant ship for holding cooked beef. Beehive Houses at Cahernamacturech, County Kerry, Ireland. 1 beehive cal buildings in Ireland, of small size, formed of long stones, so laid, on a circular plan, that each course is overlapped by that resting upon it. No cement is used, and the stones remain for the most part in their natural state. These houses occur alone or in clusters, often beside oratories, in which case it is believed that they served as dwellings of priests, or, when in groups, sometimes encircled by a stone wall, for defense. Occasionally they contain more than one apartment. Houses of this kind occur also in the Western Isles of Scotland; and the "Picts' houses" on the east coast, though differing in being under ground, resemble them in their mode of construction. They are referred to a period between the seventh and twelfth centuries. - Beehive oven, a low, square furnace with a dome-shaped top. It has an opening at the top for the escape of gases, and a door in the side through which to admit air, to charge with coal, and to discharge the coke. Science, III. 358.