Boomerang ( boom erang)

B., the invention of which would have done honor to the most celebrated scientist, has long been a common Fig . 388. BOOMERANG. weapon among almost the lowest race of savages upon earth. It has, of late years, been mooted to apply the principle of the B. to the propulsion of ships. The savage, by practice, knows precisely how to poise as well as project his familiar mi ile; and in this secret of the balanced centre consists Sir Thomas Mitchell's application of the principle of the B. to the propulsion of ve els. Great results are anticipated from the scientific application of this simple principle, suggesting, as it does, a means of adapting a surface revolving round a centre, so that it presents to equal pre ure a uniformity of resistance, because the spaces described by a body in falling are proportional to the squares of the times. When the same surface is placed vertically, and set in rotary motion through fluids, it is subject to a similar law, and when in the place of a screw, it is equally poised obliquely. Thus we have in this form equilibrium, and equal resistance and equal strength, the propeller being balanced when it is first formed on its axis. Hence, under any degree of velocity, centrifugal action is converted into concentrie action by the peculiar manner of balancing the surface round the centre of rotary motion. Boom'ing, p . a. Rushing with violence; roaring like waves. See Boom, г. "Forsook by thee, in vain I sought thy aid. When booming billows clos'd above my head." - Pope . Boom'ing, n. A violent rushing accompanied with a loud roar, as the booming of the ocean; a deep, hollow, reverberating sound, as the booming of a bittern. district. Daniel Boone, the Western pioneer, once dwelt in the neighborhood. Boone, in W. Virginia , a S.W. county, bounded on the N.E. by Coal River, an affluent of the Kanawha, and also watered by Little Coal River and Laurel Creek. Area , 525 sq. m. Surface , mountainous, and heavily wooded. Soil , partly fertile. Products , corn, wheat, oats, rye, tobacco, ., but not in large quantities. Coal is ex- tensively mined in some sections. This county was formerly included within those of Logan and Kanawha. Cap . Madison. Pop . (1898) 7,750. Boone Furnace, in Kentucky , a P. O. of Carter co. Boone River, in Iowa , rising in the N. of the State, after a course S., empties into the Des Moines river, in Webster co. Boones'borough, in Iowa . See BOONE. Boones'borough, in Kentucky , a village of Madison co., on the Kentucky River, 18 m. S.E. of Lexington. At this place, in 1775, Daniel Boone built a fort, the first erected in the State; and here, also, the first legislative body of the W. States a embled in council Boones'borough, in Mi ouri , a village of Boone co., 30 m. N. of Jefferson City. Boone's Grove, in Arkansas , a post-office of Wash- ington co. Boone's Mill, in Virginia , a post-office of Franklin co., 184 m. W. by S. of Richmond. Boone'ville, in Arkansas , a post-village of Scott co., 36 m. S. E. of Van Buren. Boone ville, in Colorado , a post-office of Pueblo county. Boone'ville, in Indiana , a town, cap. of Warrick co., 11 m. from the Ohio river, and 170 S. S.W. of Indian- apolis. Boon'ville, in Iowa , a village of Boone co., 140 m. W. by N. of Iowa City. Boone'ville, in Kentucky , the capital of Owsley co., on the south fork of the Kentucky river, 100 m. S. E. of Frankfort. Pop . (1897) about 400. Boone ville, in New York , a flourishing post-village and township of Oneida co., 31 m. N. of the city of Utica. Boone'ville, in Mi i ippi , the capital of Prenti co., 20 m. S. of Corinth. Boone'ville, in Tezas , the former capital of Brazos co., 110 m. E. by N. of Austin, and 10 from the Brazos Boon Grove, in Indiana , a post-office of Porter co. Boon'hill, in North Carolina , a post-village of John- ston co., 12 m. N.W. of Golds borough, Boons'borough, in Arkansas , a post-village of Wash- ington co., 20 m. S.W. of Fayetteville. Boons'borough, in Illinois , a village of Ogle co., 140 m. N. of Peoria. tures. Old B. lies to the W. and is in a state of general Boons'borough, in Kentucky . See BOONESBOROUGH. decay. Boone, in Illinois , a N. county, with an area of 270 sq. m., bordering on Wisconsin. It is drained by the Kish- waukee River, and the Pickasaw and some smaller creeks. Surface, undulating, and comprising prairie and heavy timber. Soil , highly productive. Cap . Belvidere. Pop . in 1890, 12,500. -A township of above county 10 m. N. E. of Belvidere. Boone, in Indiana , a central county, comprising 308 sq. m., and traversed by the Eagle and Sugar creeks. Surface, diversified. Soil , productive. Cap ., Lebanon. Pon (1890) 26,500. Boons'borough, in Maryland , a township and village of Washington co. Boons'borough, in Mi ouri , a village of Howard co., 14 m. W. of Fayette, and within a short distance of Boon's Creek, in Tenne ee , a P. O. of Washington co. Boon Spring, in low a , a township of Clinton co. Boon'ton, in Mi ouri , a village of Boone co. Boon'ton, in New Jersey, a flourishing post-town of Hanover township, Morris co., on the Rockaway River, 8 m. N.E. of Morris town. Extensive iron furnaces and rolling mills are at work here. Boon'ville, in Idaho , a mining village of Owyhee co., on Jordan creek, 2 m. below Ruby City. Boon'ville, in Indiana , a fine town, cap. of Warrick co., on the L., Ev. & St. L. R.R., 17 m. N.E. of Evans- ville. Pop . (1898) 2,310. Boon'ville, in Mi ouri , a prosperous city, and the cap. of Cooper co., on the S. bank of the Mi ouri river, 48 m. N.W. of Jefferson City. This is a fine and flourish- ing place, in the midst of a fertile and highly produc- tive country. Iron, lead, coal, and other minerals are abundantly found in the neighborhood. Named after its original settler, Daniel Boone. Boon'ville, in N.Carolina , a P.O. of Yadkin co. Boops, n. ( Zool .) A genus of small Acanthopterygious fishes, found in the Mediterranean and in the seas of South America. The species are generally of brilliant coloring, and characterized by a small mouth, large eyes, and a rounded form. - This name is also given to the pike-headed whale, Balana boöps , found in the Green land seas. Boor, n. [A. S. gebur , from buan , to till; Du. boer ; Ger baûer , from baûen , to till, to cultivate.] A farmer; a countryman; specifically, a rustic; a rude peasant; a clownish fellow; a lout. "To one well-born, th affront is worse and more, When he 's abus d and baffled by a boor ." - Dryden. Boor'ish, a . Clownish; rustic; rude; illiterate; un- IMG:content-0692.jpg:[merged small][graphic][merged small][ocr errors] Boort, or Bort, n. ( Min .) A kind of diamond, gen- erally of a spherical shape, and apparently formed of a confused ma of interlaced and twisted parts, like knots in wood. In consequence of this peculiar structure, it cannot be cut like the ordinary diamond, and is only of use for polishing other stones, after it has been broken and reduced to powder in a mortar. Boose, ( bōōs .) [Dan. baas , a stall.] A stall or enclos- ure for cattle. (Used in some parts of England.) Boose, v . i . See BooZE. Boosempra, or Boosum Prah, ( boo's em -pra',) a river in the country of Ashantee, W. Africa, that dis- embogues into the Atlantic, in Lat. 4° 52′ N., Lon. 90 30' W. Boost, v. 1. [See BOAST.] To push a person up from behind. (A vulgarism peculiar to some of the New Eng- land States.) Boo'sy, a . See Boozy. Boot, n. [Fr. botte , from Celt. botès , bott as , a shoe- bot , foot, and tech , or tes , to hide; Swed. and Goth. bota ; Sp. bota.] A leather case or covering for the leg, united with a shoe (For history and trade statistics, see SHOE.) -An instrument of torture for compre ing the legs; for- merly used in Scotland in order to extort confe ion from persons accused of crimes. It was of various kinds. Sometimes it was composed of parchment applied moist, and then brought near the fire, so as by shrinking to cause great pain and uneasine ; at others, it consisted of four thick strong boards bound tightly round either one or both legs with cords, and then compre ed by means of wedges, until, occasionally, the bones of the unfortunate sufferer's legs were broken; it was, some- times, also made of iron. (Called also bordekin .) So he was put to the torture, which in Scotland they call the boot. Bishop Burnet. IMG:content-0693.jpg:[blocks in formation] Boot , boot master Shallow;... let us take any man's horses.' Shaks Boot, n. Booty; plunder. (o. and R.) - Profit; gain; advantage. "My gravity..... Could I, with boot , change for idle plume, Which the air beats for vain. Shaks Man is God's image; but a poor man is Christ's image to boot. Herbert. Boot, v. a. [A. S. bot , bote , compensation to an injured party, from Goth. botjan , to profit, to advantage.) To make reparation; specifically, to profit, to advantage; usually preceding, or following, it ; as, what boots it ? "For what I have, I need not to repeat; And what I want, it boots not to complain." -Shaks . Boot, in Illinois , a post-office of Rich land co. Bootan', or BHOTAN', an independent state of N. Hindo stan, between Lat. 26° 30' and 28° 30′ N., and Lon. 880 30 and 94° E.; having N. the Him a lay as, dividing it from Thibet; E. and S. A am and Bengal, and W. the The American Dictionary and Cyclopedia IMG:content-0695.jpg:[graphic][subsumed][subsumed] Boothauk', a fortified pa of Afghanistan, 12 m. E. Booz'y, Boos'y, Bou'sy, a. Inebriated; fuddled; of Cabul. It runs for 5 m. between cliffs 500 feet high, and is in some places only 50 yards wide. Booth Bay, in Marne , a post-village and township of Lincoln co., lying between the Sheep scot and Damaris- cotta rivers, and with the Atlantic for its S. boundary, 40 m. S.E. of August a. It has a large fishing commerce, and also quite extensive ship-building yards and saw- mills. Booth Corner, in Pennsylvania , a P.O. of Delaware co. Boothia Felix, ( boo'the - a fe'lix ,) an insulated region of British N. America, stretching into the Arctic Ocean, between Lat. 69° and 75° N., and Lon. 92° and 97° W., and so called in honor of Sir Felix Booth, by Sir James Ro its discoverer, who here determined the position of the magnetic pole. Booth'ia Gulf, an inlet of the sea in British N America, being a southward extension of Prince Regent's Sound, and separating Boothia Felix from Melville Peninsula and Cock burn Island. Its length is about 310 m. from N.E. to S.W.; and its breadth varies from 60 to 100 m. Boot'-hose, n. [ boot and hose .] Spatterdashes used in- stead of boots; stockings to serve for boots. "His lackey with a linen stock on one leg, and a boot -hose on the other." - Shaks. Booth's Point, in Tenne ee , a post-office of Dyer co. Boot'ikin, n. A small boot. - A covering for any limb or member of the body, curatively used for the gout. " I desire no more of my bootikins ." - Walpole . The government is administered by a deb - Rajah under Boot'ing, n. A description of torture. See Boor. British authority; the latter people having annexed the country in 1865. Towns . Pa is sud on and Tunakka. Pop. estimated at 1,500,000. Boot-catcher, n. A servant at an inn, formerly em- ployed to take off travellers' boots. (0.) Boot-jack, n. A contrivance used for drawing off boots. Boot'-last, n. See BOOT-TREE. Boot'le , a. Destitute of boot; unavailing; unprofit- able; usele ; as, a bootle errand. "Bootle speed, When cowardice pursues and valor flies." - Shaks. Boot'le ly, adv . Without use or profit. Boot'ee, n. A half-boot, ankle-boot, or short boot. Boot'erstown, a parish of Ireland, co. Dublin. Boötes, (bo-o'tes.) [Gr., a ploughman.] ( Myth .) The son of Ceres and of Iasion, who, being plundered of all his po e ions by his brother Pluto, invented the plough, to which he yoked two oxen, and cultivated the soil to procure subsistence for himself. As a reward for this discovery, he was translated to heaven by his mother, with the plough and of oxen, under the name B. i. e. the Or - driver , which is still borne by one of the Boot'lick, n. A toady; a lick-spittle; one who flatters and cringes to another. (Used in the U. States.) Boot'on, an island of the Eastern Archipelago, 2d di- vision, lying off the S.E. extremity of Celebes; length, 85 m.; average breadth, about 20 m.; between Lat. 4o and 6° S., Lon. 123° E. It is high, wooded, well cultivated, and yields maize, rice, and fruits. The Dutch had for- merly a settlement here. the scraping off the slimy, greasy coating from a ship's bottom, and dubbing it with a preparation of tallow, boot-makers to stretch the leg of a boot; consisting of two pieces of hard wood fitting into it, and between which wedges are driven. to divide; Ger. beute .] That which is captured in war, and is intended to be divided; anything taken by rob- bery; spoil; plunder; pillage; as, they made off with their booty . "And when he reckons that he has gotten a booty , he has only caught a Tartar."-L'Estrange. ( Hist .) The Greeks divided their booty among the army in common, reserving to the general only a larger share. One of the prerogatives of a Grecian general was the distribution of the plunder taken from a van- quished enemy. We read in Homer that the valuable armor usually fell to the share of the leaders, while the common soldiery were permitted to gather the spoils of the dead. Among the Lacedæmonians, however, the soldiery were forbidden to plunder the conquered, al- though, in certain instances, a portion of the spoils was dedicated to the gods, while some other parts were re- served for the highest commanders. After the battle of Platea, which took place 800 years subsequently to the Trojan war, the spoils of the Persians were regulated by the generals, who, after setting apart a portion for the decoration of the temples, shared the remainder among the soldiery. From that time the plunder was sold, (the proceeds being applied to the decoration of the temples,) to the soldiers, and to the generals and their friends. By the military discipline of the Romans, spoils taken from the enemy belonged to the republic, particular persons having no right to them. The generals, who piqued themselves on their probity, carried it intact to the public treasury. Sometimes, indeed, they divided it among the soldiery, to animate them, and to serve in lieu of reward; but this distribution depended entirely upon the generals, who were bound to conduct themselves in its distribution with great equity and moderation; otherwise it became a crime of peculation to lay hands upon the pillage, which was considered as the rightful property of the State. The consuls Romulius and Ve- turius were condemned for having sold the booty taken from the Equi. Booty among the Jews was divided into equal parts between the army and the people, though, under the kings, a different mode of distribution ob- tained. ( Num . xxx i. 27.)-According to Calmet, the Mo- hammed an practice was to allow two-thirds of the B. to the army, the other third to God, to Mohammed and his descendants, and to orphans, pilgrims, and the poor. In modern times the victor's share is generally termed prize-money, (q. v..) and in the East, loot . Booze, Boose, Bouse, v . i . [Du. buysen , to drink heavily.] To drink lavishly or exce ively; to tope; to fuddle; to ply one's self with liquor. "And in his hand did bear a bousing can, Of which he sipp'd."- Faerie Queene. fuddler. Bo-peep', n. A kind of advancing and retiring, or hiding the face, and after looking, crying bol as is sometimes done with children for their amusement. "That such a king should play bo -peep, And go the fools among."-Shaks. Bopp, FRANZ, a German philologist, B. at Mayence, 1791. His early education was conducted at Aschaffen- burg, where he studied under Profe or Windischmann, who filled the chair of Philosophy and History in the university of that town. By the advice of this learned man and profound Orientalist, (the disciple of Schelling.) Bopp resolved to dedicate himself entirely to Oriental literature. Having finished his elementary studies, he set out in 1812, to make himself acquainted with Indian languages, supported by a small pension allowed him by the king of Bavaria. In Paris, he was encouraged by M. Sylvestre De Sacy and August Wilhelm Schlegel, and completed his studies in London and Göttingen. On his return to Pru ia, he was appointed profe or of San- skrit in the University of Berlin; in 1842 he was created Chevalier of the Order of Merit, and in 1857, the French Institute nominated him foreign a ociate. Profe or B.'s philological labors have given quite a new character to this science. His great work, the Comparative Gram- mar of the Sanskrit, Greek, Latin , Lithuanian , Ancient Slavic, Gothic , and German ("Vergleichende Grammatik des Sanskrit," ., Berlin, 1833-49; 2d edition, entirely revised, 1857,) contains a complete analysis of the gram- matical form of the Indo-Germanic languages; and the general laws he deduces from them are highly credit- able to his perspicuity. His writings, which are both numerous and voluminous, have greatly facilitated the study of the Sanskrit language, and his translations of various Indian cla ics have contributed largely to our knowledge of Oriental poetry, morals, and philosophy, as exhibited in the ancient literature of India. D. 1867. Bora, KATHARINA VON, the wife of LUTHER, q . v . Bor'able, a. That may be bored. (R.) fectly pure. B. acid, on being strongly heated, becomes | Bora'go, n. [Lat., from bor , for cor , the heart, and ago, anhydrous; and at a red heat it fuses into a transparent gla , which remains clear as it cools. It soon crumbles to pieces by absorbing water from the air. B. acid com- municates to its compounds the property of fusibility; hence the use of many borates, more especially the bi- borate of soda, as fluxes. It di olves in three times its weight of boiling water, but is very insoluble in cold. The solution is remarkable for po e ing the properties of an alkali when tested with turmeric paper, which it changes to a deep brown. Even to litmus it only gives a slight reddish-purple tinge. When a solution of B. acid is evaporated, a certain quantity of the acid rises with the steam; and this is the cause of the fumerolles described above as existing in Tuscany. Anhydrous B. acid is but slowly volatilized by heat. It enters into combination with alkaline bases in several proportions, resembling silicic acid in this as well as in other partic- ulars. A sex borate and tri borate of potash have been obtained; and although one contains six equivalents of acid and the other three, they po e the property of restoring the color of reddened litmus like an alkali. B. acid di olves in alcohol, and burns with a characteristic green flame, with the exception of biborate of soda. The borates are not very important salts, and need not be alluded to here, further than to mention that, as a rule, alkaline borates are freely soluble, while those of the other bases are either insoluble or very sparingly so. Form . BO3. to cheer; because it was believed to exhilarate the heart.] (Bot.) A genus of plants, order Boraginacee . The spe- cies B. officinal is , commonly known as Borage, native of Asia Minor, but naturalized in many parts of Europe, is with us a common inhabitant of the garden. It is characterized by a wheel-shaped corolla with a very short tube, the mouth of which is closed by scales; by five stamens with forked filaments, the inner arms of which support the anthers; and by these anthers being connivent around the style, in the form of a cone. The entire plant is rough with hairs, and has rather a coarse appearance; but its flowers are very beautiful, being of a fine blue color. The young leaves were formerly al- ways added to a cool tankard , or draught made of wine or cider, with water, lemon, and sugar. The flowers are used on the continent of Europe to ornament salads, and the tender tops are sometimes boiled in soups. Bor'ametz, n. ( Bot . ) See CIBOTIUM. Boras's us, n. [Gr. bora os, the skin of the date.] ( Bot .) A genus of trees, order Palmacea . It consists of but one species, which is found in every part of India. This has been named B. flabelliform is , and is commonly known to the European inhabitants as the Palmyra. Its stem attains a height of from 25 to 40 feet, and bears upon its summit a magnificent coronal of fan-shaped leaves. The fruit is about the size of a child's head, Bo'racite, n. ( Min .) Native borate of magnesia. It occurs in cubes, inclining to gray, yellow, or green, with a vitreous lustre, and opaque, or more or le translu- cent. Small but perfect crystals are found at Kalkberg and Schildstein, near Lüneburg, in Hanover, in beds of gypsum. Bo'racous, a. Partaking of borax. Bo'rage, n. ( Bot .) The English name of the genus BORAGO, q. v. Boraginacese, ( bo - raje -naise-e,) n. pl. ( Bot .) The Borage-worts, an order of plants, alliance Echiales. Diag. Regular symmetrical flowers, 5 stamens, 4 nuts, or two pairs, a naked stigma, and circinate inflorescence. They are herbs or shrubs, with alternate leaves usually rough with hairs. The flowers are regular and sym- metrical; the calyx is persistent, and divided into either four or five segments; the corolla has the same number of lobes, and, usually, scales in the throat; the stamens rise from the corolla, are equal in number to its lobes, and alternate with them. The fruit consists of two or four distinct achenia, placed at the bottom of the per- sistent calyx. There are 54 genera, which include 683 IMG:content-0696.png:[blocks in formation] and, when very young, contains sweet pulp be eaten. From the juice obtained from this plant, large quantities of an intoxicating drink are prepared by the natives. The fibres of the leaves are used for cordage, and the outer wood of the stem for bows.- See TODDY. Bo'rate, n. (Chem.) A salt resulting from the combina- tion of boracic acid with a base. Bo'rax, n. [Lat., from Ar. baurai , baurach , a species of nitre.] (Chem.) A compound containing boracic acid and soda . It was formerly imported from the East in the crude state, under the name of tincal , which con- tained borax in combination with various substances of a saponaceous nature. It was purified by being heated with lime or soda, until the whole of the soapy matter and other impurities were separated. B. is now mostly prepared by fusing two parts of boracic acid, obtained from the Tuscan lagoons, (see BORACIC ACID,) with one part of soda-ash. The mixture is thrown on the floor of a reverberatory furnace, and heated until all efferves- cence has ceased. The fused ma is lixiviated and boiled until the impurities are precipitated; it is then decanted and set aside to crystallize slowly. It crystallizes in rectangular hexagonal prisms, containing 10 equiva- lents of water. B. is of great use in the arts as a flux. Having the property, when melted, of di olving metallic oxide, it is used in soldering to clean away the film of oxide that would otherwise prevent the metals from uniting. It is sprinkled on the metallic surface, and melts with the solder. It is also used in gold and silver refining, and in making enamel, to render the com- pound more fusible. It is extensively employed in the manufacture of certain kinds of gla , and for fixing colors on porcelain and stone-ware. To the chemist it is very valuable in blow-pipe analysis. In addition to the locality named, B. is found as a saline incrustation on the shores of lakes in India, Persia, Thibet, Peru, Chile, and in this country in California, Nevada, and elsewhere. It occurs in the form of crystals imbedded in the mud of lakes, while the mud itself is highly charged with it. The production on the Pacific coast increased from 5,000,000 lbs. in 1876 to over 13,000,000 lbs. in 1896. B. is used in medicine, as a detergent in the laundry, and is also found to po e valuable antiseptic properties, in common with BORACIC ACID (q. v.). Borba, a town of Brazil, on the Madeira River. Borbore'ma, a mountain-chain of Brazil, bounding the prov. of Ceara on the S. Borborygm, ( bōr'bo -rim.) [Fr. borborygme .] A rum- bling of wind in the bowels. (R.) Bor'cer, n. (Quarrying.) An iron instrument, steel- pointed, used for boring holes in large rocks, in order to charge and blow them up with gunpowder. Bor'da, JEAN CHARLES, a French mathematician and as- tronomer, B. at Dax, 1733. In 1771 he was a ociated with Verdun and Pingré in proving the accuracy of chronometers. He also devoted much attention to the subject of ship-building, and suggested great improve- ments in the form of ve els. In 1787 he took an ac- tive part in bringing the observatories of Paris and Green wich into closer relation with one another. Along with Delambre and Méchain, he was a leading member of the French commi ion intrusted with the measure- ment of a meridian arc. He rendered e ential service in the commi ion on the new system of weights and measures. He invented a new instrument for measuring the inclination of the magnetic needle: and his correc- tions of the seconds' pendulum are still in use. But his reputation depends most of all on his improvement of the reflecting circle, on which instrument he pub- lished, in 1787, a work in 2 vols. D. 1799. Bord'age, Bord'land, n. ( Fewlal Law .) The de- mesne land kept by the lord of a manor for the support of his bord or table. Bordeaux, ( bordō , ) a handsome and important city and sea-port of France; cap. dep. Gironde, in the centre of an extensive plain, on the W. bank of the Garonne, 55 m. S.E. from its embouchure, 102 N.N.E. of Bayonne, and 307 S.W. of Paris. The city is divided into the New and Old quarters; the former, or S. portion, which in- cludes the ancient Roman town, contains only narrow, crooked, dirty streets, while the latter, comprising the IMG:content-0697.png:[graphic] & E. of Trenton, 30 N.E. of Philadelphia, and 57 S.W. of New York city. It has an active trade, and is much resorted to by summer tourists. Near this place is the mansion once occupied by Joseph Bonaparte, ex-king of Spain during his residence in the United States. Pop . (1890) 4,238.