Lexemes from Left Field: A Selection of Uncommon, Obscure and Archaic “B” Words

 

Word	Meaning	Derivation
Babeldom	a confused sound of voices	ME babble + OE -dōm (“state”)
Bacchanal	drunkard; reveller	L bacchanalis (from the god Bacchus)
Bahadur	self-important official	Persian bahādur (“brave”, “valiant”)
Balatron	joker; clown	L balatrō (“jester”, “buffoon”) 🤡
Barmecide	an insincere benefactor (one who promises but doesn’t deliver)	Pers Barmeki  (family name, The Arabian Nights)
Barratry	inciting riot or violence	Old Fr barraterie (from “deceive”)
Bathykolpian	deep-bosomed	Gk bathys (“deep”) + kolpos (“breast”)
Bedswerver	an unfaithful spouse	Eng 17th cent neologism, Shakespeare
Benedict	benign; a long-time bachelor, now newly married	L bene (“good”) + dicte (“speak”)
Bersatrix	babysitter	Fr berseaux (“cradle”) + trix (feminine suffix)
Bibliognost	well-read individual; person with wide knowledge of books	Gk biblio (“book”) + gnōstēs (“one who knows”)
Bodacious	remarkable; unmistakable; sexy; voluptuous	Eng “bold” + “audacious”
Boursocrat	stock exchange official	Origin unknown
Brio	enthuiastic vigour	It (“mettle”, “fire”, “life”)
Brobdingnagian	immense in size Gulliver in Brobdingnag	18th century neologism, Jonathan Swift
Burrole	an eavesdropper	Origin unknown
Bywoner	agricultural labourer	Afrikaans from Middle Dutch bi + woner (“dweller”)
Addendum	⛶⛶⛶⛶⛶⛶ ⛶⛶⛶⛶⛶ ⛶⛶⛶⛶⛶ ⛶	⛶⛶⛶⛶⛶⛶ ⛶⛶⛶⛶⛶ ⛶⛶⛶⛶⛶ ⛶⛶⛶⛶⛶ ⛶⛶⛶⛶⛶
Barbigerous	bearded, bearing a beard	L barbiger (“beard”) + gerō (“wear”)
Bavian	baboon; insignificant or unskilled poet	D baviaan Even with the best quill in the world…
Belliferous	bringing war	L bellum (“war”) + ferō (“to bear”)
Bloviate	Talk at length in empty, pompous, inflated fashion	Eng (19th cent) “blow”,( sense of boasting) original use to describe politicians
Bromaphile  (or -mania)	lover of food; a “foodie”; obsessed with food	Gk brôma  (“food”) + phile lover”)
Bromopnea	bad breath	Gk brômos (“stink”) + nea
Brumal	Wintry; of, like or pertaining to winter	L brūmālis (“relating to the winter solstice”)
The Blognik’s Pick