“B” Words from Left Field II – Redux: A Supplement to the Logolept’s Diet

Creative Writing, Literary & Linguistics, Popular Culture, Society & Culture

<word meaning and root formation>

Badaud: a person given to idle observation of everything, with wonder or astonishment; a credulous or gossipy idler; an urban bystander who “rubbernecks” (gawks) at some incident [Fr. from Old Occitan badau, from badar, from Medieval Latin badare (to gape”; “yawn)]

Badaud, a type in French literature (Gérard Auliac, Le Badaud sculpture)

Baffona: a woman with a slight moustache [It. from baffo (“moustache”)]

Balmaiden: a female surface miner [Cornish: bal (“mine”) + -maiden (“a young or unmarried woman”)]

Balmaiden: (Cornwall, Eng. 1890)

Balistarius: a crossbowman [Gk. ballístra from bállō, (“I throw) + -ius]

Balletomane: a person fanatically devoted to ballet; balletmaniac [from Fr. balletomane]

Balletomane: Billy Elliot (film)

Balneal: pertaining to bathing or baths [Lbalneum (“bath”) + -al, -ary] (cf. Balneotherapy: treatment using natural water)

Balneal: Roman Baths, UK (photo: romanbaths.co.uk)

Banausic: common, ordinary, mundane, undistinguished, dull, insipid [Gk. banausikós, (“of or for mechanics), from bánausos, (“mechanical; ironsmith)]

Bandobast: protection of a person, building or organisation from crime or attack [Pers. band-o-bast (“tying and binding”), from Urdu. bundobast]

Baryecoia: dullness of hearing; deafness (OU)

Basial: pertaining to kissing (OU) 💋

Battue: the driving of game towards hunters by beaters; massacre of helpless people [Frbattue, (“beaten”), from L. battere]

Biverbal: relating to two words; punning [L. bi (“two”) + from LateL. -verbālis (belonging to a word”)]

Brachiation: the act of swinging from tree limb to tree limb (as performed by primates) [L. bracchium, (“arm) + -tion] 🐵

Breedbate: someone looking for an argument; originator of quarrels [Breed from OldEngbrēdan, from Proto-Germ. brōdijaną (to brood) + MidEngbate (contention), from OldFrbatre (Frbattre), from Lbattere.]

Byrthynsak: the theft of a calf or a sheep; stealing as much as you can carry (OU)

Byrthynsak (source: thekashmiriyat.co.uk/)

Key: OU = origin unknown

2 thoughts on ““B” Words from Left Field II – Redux: A Supplement to the Logolept’s Diet

  1. Bowdlerise: the state censor awakes in the morning and asks himself or herself or his or her non-binaryself….am I feeling a bit bowdlerish today? If the answer is in the affirmative, the aforesaid official will waste no time getting busy expurgating a book or other written or printed work, modifying its content with the objective of removing any material deemed improper or offensive from the text [term coined in (19th cent. from the name of Dr Thos. Bowdler who expurgated an edition of Wm. Shakespeare’s plays]

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