ballottement: diagnosis of pregnancy by applying sharp force to abdomen
this definition fails to make and important point. The uterus with fetus rebounds against
the obstetricians' fingers with an impact that can be recognised
banausic: materialistic; merely mechanical; relating to workshops
bannock: flat unleavened loaf of bread
baragouin: any jargon or unintelligible language
barbigerous: bearded; bearing a beard
barege: gauzy fabric of silk, cotton, wool, or worsted
barnard: member of gang of thieves who acts as decoy
barouche: four-wheeled hooded carriage
barton: farmyard
basilica: Roman Catholic church given special privileges
but the word is of Greek origin
bathmism: directive evolutionary force
bathyorographical: relating to depth underwater or elevation above sea level
batology: the study of brambles
batten: timber used to fasten down a door or hatch
batten 1
n.
5var. of BATON6
1 a sawed strip of wood, flooring, etc.
2 a strip of wood put over a seam between boards as a fastening or covering
3 a short piece of wood or plastic inserted in a sail to keep it taut
4 a strip of steel or wood used to fasten canvas over a ship‘s hatchways
vt.
1 to fasten with battens
2 to supply or strengthen with battens
batten down the hatches to fasten canvas over the hatches, esp. in preparing for a storm

batten 2
vi.
5ON batna, improve < IE base *bhad3, good > BETTER16
1 to grow fat; thrive
2 to be well fed or wealthy at another‘s expense
vt.
to fatten up; overfeed

batten 3
n.
5Fr battant, orig. prp. of battre < OFr: see fol.6 in a loom, the movable frame that presses into place the threads of a woof
"board and batten describes a common barn siding: the vertical boards need not fit tightly, any
gap is made wind tight by a two or three inch vertical stip covering the gap.

bavardage: chattering; prattle
bdellotomy: act of cutting a leech to increase its suction
beatus: beatified man
bedaggle: to soil by dragging along the wet ground
beestings: the first milk drawn from a cow after calving
my uncle, who was a dairyman, called it "beaslings". The calf was allowed to have it, because
it was disagreeably laxative for humans.
beldam: an old woman; a hag; an ancestress