a. Sour or severe. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. pl., but sing. or pl. in usage 1. physical exercises performed in a sustained and strenuous fashion designed to cause a temporary increase in respiration rate and heart rate, such a running, swimming, walking, or calisthenics. Calisthenic sessions in groups, performed by following a leader in moving to a rhythmic musical accompaniment, are a popular form of aerobics. [ PJC. ]

2. a system of physical conditioning relying largely on aerobics exercises. [ PJC. ]

a. (Biol.) Growing or thriving only in the presence of oxygen; also, pertaining to, or induced by, aërobies; as, aërobic fermentation. -- A`ër*o"bic*al*ly adv. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

a. [ L. albicans, p. pr. of albicare, albicatum, to be white, fr. albus white. ] Growing or becoming white. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The process of becoming white, or developing white patches, or streaks. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. albicore (cf. Sp. albacora, Pg. albacor, albacora, albecora), fr. Ar. bakr, bekr, a young camel, young cow, heifer, and the article al: cf. Pg. bacoro a little pig. ] (Zool.) same as albacore. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. alambic (cf. Sp. alambique), Ar. al-anbīq, fr. Gr. 'a`mbix cup, cap of a still. The cap or head was the alembic proper. Cf. Limbec. ] An apparatus formerly used in distillation, usually made of glass or metal. It has mostly given place to the retort and worm still.
Used also metaphorically.

The alembic of a great poet's imagination. Brimley. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. an-not + aërobic. ] 1. (Biol.) Not requiring air or oxygen for life; -- applied especially to those microbes to which free oxygen is unnecessary; anaërobiotic; -- opposed to aërobic. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

2. (Biol.) Relating to, or like, anaërobies; anaërobiotic. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Med.) Counteracting or preventing hydrophobia. -- n. A remedy for hydrophobia. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. Arabicus, fr. Arabia. ] Of or pertaining to Arabia or the Arabians. [ 1913 Webster ]

Arabic numerals or
figures, the nine digits, 1, 2, 3, etc., and the cipher 0. --
Gum arabic. See under Gum. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The language of the Arabians. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The Arabic is a Semitic language, allied to the Hebrew. It is very widely diffused, being the language in which all Moslems must read the Koran, and is spoken as a vernacular tongue in Arabia, Syria, and Northern Africa. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Relating to Arabia; Arabic. -- A*rab"ic*al*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

{ } n. [ OE. barbican, barbecan, F. barbacane, LL. barbacana, barbicana, of uncertain origin: cf. Ar. barbakh aqueduct, sewer. F. barbacane also means, an opening to let out water, loophole. ] 1. (Fort.) A tower or advanced work defending the entrance to a castle or city, as at a gate or bridge. It was often large and strong, having a ditch and drawbridge of its own. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. An opening in the wall of a fortress, through which missiles were discharged upon an enemy. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ LL. barbicanagium. See Barbican. ] Money paid for the support of a barbican. [ Obs. ] Bouvier. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ NL. barbicella, dim. of L. barba. See 1st Barb. ] (Zool.) One of the small hooklike processes on the barbules of feathers. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + calcarate. ] Having two spurs, as the wing or leg of a bird. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ Pref. bi- + callose, callous. ] (Bot.) Having two callosities or hard spots. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + camera. ] Consisting of, or including, two chambers, or legislative branches. Bentham. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + capsular: cf. F. bicapsulaire. ] (Bot.) Having two capsules; as, a bicapsular pericarp. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. bi- + carbonate. ] (Chem.) A carbonate in which but half the hydrogen of the acid is replaced by a positive element or radical, thus making the proportion of the acid to the positive or basic portion twice what it is in the normal carbonates; an acid carbonate; -- sometimes called supercarbonate. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + carinate. ] (Biol.) Having two keel-like projections, as the upper palea of grasses. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + caudal. ] Having, or terminating in, two tails. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + caudate. ] Two-tailed; bicaudal. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Of unknown origin. ] Pecked; pitted; notched. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bicched bones, pecked, or notched, bones; dice. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + centenary. ] Of or pertaining to two hundred, esp. to two hundred years; as, a bicentenary celebration. -- n. The two hundredth anniversary, or its celebration. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + centennial. ] 1. Consisting of two hundred years. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Occurring every two hundred years. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The two hundredth year or anniversary, or its celebration. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + cephalous: cf. F. bicéphale. ] Having two heads. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ L., two-headed; bis twice + caput head. See Capital. ] (Anat.) A muscle having two heads or origins; -- applied particularly to a flexor in the arm, and to another in the thigh. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Native name. ] (Zool.) A remarkable ganoid fish (Polypterus bichir) found in the Nile and other African rivers. See Brachioganoidei. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. bi- + chloride. ] (Chem.) A compound consisting of two atoms of chlorine with one or more atoms of another element; -- called also dichloride. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bichloride of mercury, mercuric chloride; -- sometimes called corrosive sublimate. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ Sp. ] (Zool.) See Jigger. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Pref. bi- + chromate. ] (Chem.) A salt containing two parts of chromic acid to one of the other ingredients; as, potassium bichromate; -- called also dichromate. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To combine or treat with a bichromate, esp. with bichromate of potassium; as, bichromatized gelatine. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. biceps, bicipitis: cf. F. bicipital. See Biceps. ] 1. (Anat.) (a) Having two heads or origins, as a muscle. (b) Pertaining to a biceps muscle; as, bicipital furrows, the depressions on either side of the biceps of the arm. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Bot.) Dividing into two parts at one extremity; having two heads or two supports; as, a bicipital tree. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having two heads; bicipital. “Bicipitous serpents.” Sir T. Browne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ See Beaker. ] A small wooden vessel made of staves and hoops, like a tub. [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Bickered p. pr. & vb. n. Bickering. ] [ OE. bikeren, perh. fr. Celtic; cf. W. bicra to fight, bicker, bicre conflict, skirmish; perh. akin to E. beak. ] 1. To skirmish; to exchange blows; to fight. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Two eagles had a conflict, and bickered together. Holland. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To contend in petulant altercation; to wrangle. [ 1913 Webster ]

Petty things about which men cark and bicker. Barrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To move quickly and unsteadily, or with a pattering noise; to quiver; to be tremulous, like flame. [ 1913 Webster ]

They [ streamlets ] bickered through the sunny shade. Thomson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A skirmish; an encounter. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A fight with stones between two parties of boys. [ Scot. ] Jamieson. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A wrangle; also, a noise, as in angry contention. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who bickers. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A skirmishing. “Frays and bickerings.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Altercation; wrangling. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Contention. [ Obs. ] Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. bigorne. See Bicorn. ] An anvil ending in a beak or point (orig. in two beaks); also, the beak or horn itself. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ or or . A fuse used in blasting, consisting of a long cylinder of explosive material inclosed in a varnished wrapping of rope or hose. It burns from 2 to 4 feet a minute. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. [ L. bis twice + colligatus, p. p. See Colligate, v. t. ] (Zool.) Having the anterior toes connected by a basal web. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } a. [ L. bicolor; bis twice + color color. ] Of two colors. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. having two colors.
Syn. -- bicolor, bicolour, bicolored. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + concave. ] Concave on both sides; as, biconcave vertebræ. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + conjugate, a. ] (Bot.) Twice paired, as when a petiole forks twice. Gray. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ Pref. bi- + convex. ] Convex on both sides; as, a biconvex lens. [ 1913 Webster ]