2009 UIL Spelling Study Manual/B

Word List
131. bacteriology*
 * (biology) The scientific study of bacteria, especially in relation to disease and agriculture.

132. baedeker, Baedeker
 * Proprietary name of a longtime series of travel guidebooks.;(by extension from the proprietary name) Any travel guide, advice for travelers, or guide pertaining to other subjects (Example: "His middle-of-the-road guidebook to the Georgians (Henry James to T. S. Eliot) will be a useful Baedeker for literary sightseers." [1934, "Literary Guide: Review of The Georgian Scene by Frank Swinnerton," Time, 3 Dec])

133. bain-marie
 * in cooking, a large pan containing hot water, into which other smaller pans are set in order to cook food slowly, or to keep food warm [French, from Medieval Latin balneum Mariae Maria’s bath]

134. balletomane
 * /bæˈlɛt.əˌmeɪn/, /bəˈlɛt.əˌmeɪn/ An enthusiastic ballet fan

135. ballonet*
 * one of several small balloons, inside a dirigible, that can be inflated or deflated to control buoyancy during flight

136. balsamic*
 * /ˌbɔːlˈsæmɪk/ Having the pleasant odour of balsam; balmy, fragrant (Example: "he stood in the road, fragrant with the odor of the azaleas in the undergrowth and the balsamic breath of the low-hanging firs, which were all fibrously a-glitter wherever the moon touched the dew in the dense midst of their shadows." [1891, Mary Noailles Murfree, In the "Stranger People's" Country, Nebraska 2005, p. 14]

137. banderilla
 * (bullfighting) A stick with a sharp end and a decorated end, which a bullfighter stick into the bull's back.

138. bandoneon
 * (music) A small Latin American accordion played with buttons.

139. bangalore torpedo
 * pipe bomb

140. Barbary Coast 141. bariatrician
 * doctor of bariatrics [bariatrics - (medicine) The branch of medicine dealing with obesity and weight problems.]

142. barramunda
 * Any of several Australian fish of the genus Ceratodus; the lungfish

143. basil*
 * A plant (Ocimum basilicum), OR the leaves of this plant used as an herb

144. basilisk
 * /ˈbæz.ə.lɪsk/ A mythical (and heraldic) snake-like dragon type, reputed to be so venomous that its gaze was deadly; (zoology) A treedwelling type of lizard, of genus Basiliscus. [From Middle English < Old French basilisc < Latin basiliscus < Ancient Greek βασιλίσκος (basiliskos), “‘royal, imperial’”) < βασιλεύς (basileus), “‘king’”).]

145. bassoon
 * /bəˈsuːn/ A musical instrument in the woodwind family, having a double reed and, playing in the tenor and bass ranges [From French basson, from Italian bassone, from basso (“‘bass’”) + augmentative suffix -one.]

146. batophobia
 * fear of something tall

147. bayou*
 * a slow-moving creek [From American French bayou, from Choctaw bayuk (“‘creek’”).]

148. beatific
 * blessed, blissful, heavenly [From beatify, from Latin beatificare, make blessed, from beatus, blessed + ficare, make, variant form of facere, make]

149. beef stroganoff
 * A dish of sautéed pieces of beef (or a substitute) served in a sauce with sour cream [Named after the Stroganov family, a distinguished Russian family involved in the settlement of Siberia; however, keep in mind that the 'stroganoff' in the word is not capitalized like a name would be]

150. beefalo*
 * A cross between a domestic cow and an American buffalo or bison, or the meat of such a hybrid.

151. Bella Coola
 * small community in British Columbia

152. belletrist*
 * one who writes belles-lettres (belles-letteres - literary works valued more for their aesthetic qualities than for any informative or educational content)

153. bellicose*
 * Warlike in nature; aggressive; hostile

154. bellwether
 * anything that indicates future trends [from bell + wether, originally a sheep with a bell around its neck that led a flock]

155. Bengalese
 * Bangladeshi

156. besom
 * A broom made from a bundle of twigs tied onto a shaft. [Old English besma, from West Germanic *besmon.]

157. bestowal
 * the act of bestowing

158. bête noire
 * An anathema; someone or something which is particularly disliked or avoided; an

object of aversion, the bane of one’s existence. [French, literally ‘black beast’.] 159. bêtise
 * silliness, folly, stupidity

160. bibliofilm*
 * "A bibliofilm is a series of still images on 35 mm. standard safety photographic film."

161. bibliopole
 * a bookseller, especially of secondhand or rare books

162. bilirubin
 * pigment in bile

163. bioaccumulation
 * The process by which substances accumulate in the tissues of living organisms

164. bioenvironmental 165. bipedal 166. bivouacked 167. blandisher 168. blepharoplasty 169. bolster 170. bonbonnière 171. bonsai 172. bookmobile 173. bordure*
 * (heraldry) A contrasting border round a shield

174. Botswana*
 * A country in Southern Africa (formerly Bechuanaland). Official name: Republic of Botswana

175. bouillon 176. bouldering 177. braceros 178. brachydactylic 179. brainstorming 180. bravissimo* 181. breathtaking 182. brevet*
 * A military document entitling a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but without an increase in pay

183. bric-a-brac 184. brigand 185. brinksmanship 186. brochette 187. broncobuster*
 * A person who breaks horses so that they can be ridden with a saddle (Example: Over in the large corral a bronco buster, assisted by two of the cowboys, was engaged in roping and throwing some wild mustangs.)

188. brownout 189. buckram*
 * A coarse cloth of linen or hemp, stiffened with size or glue, used in garments to keep them in the form intended, and for wrappers to cover merchandise. (Example: 1882: Buckram was probably from the first a stiffened material employed for lining, often dyed. — James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, Volume 4, p. 557)

190. builddown, build-down 191. Bunsen burner* 192. Bunyanesque 193. burgage 194. bush leaguer 195. Bushido, bushido