Word origins

• boudinageA process in which a more competent layer is broken into sausage-shaped pieces as less competent layers surrounding it are deformed.
• bouffageA satisfying meal
• bouilliMeat stewed with juice.
• bouillieA mixture; a paste.
• bouillotteA rapidly-played variety of brelan or gleek (a card game resembling poker)
• boulevardierA man who frequents the boulevards; thus, a man about town or bon vivant.
• bouleverseTo change drastically; to overturn or turn upside down.
• bouleversementComplete overthrow; reversal; turmoil
• bouquet garniA bundled mixture of herbs or dried herbs used as a flavouring for stews, soups, and sauces.
• bouquetinAlpine ibex (Capra ibex)
• bourekAn Algerian dish, a stuffed pastry roll
• bouretteA slubby yarn or fabric made of silk waste.
• bourréeA baroque dance of French origin, common in Auvergne and Biscay in Spain in the 17th century.
• bourreletAn accurately machined portion around the diameter of a shell of a gun, which acts to increase accuracy of projectile fit to the barrel.
• BoursiquotA surname from French.
• bousillageA mixture of clay and moss or grass, used in construction as a simpler substitute for pierrotage.
• BoussuA municipality of Hainaut, Brussels, Belgium.
• boutadeA sudden outbreak or outburst; a caprice, a whim.
• boutarguebottarga
• BoutboulA surname from French.
• boutefeuAn incendiary; an inciter of quarrels.
• BouvetteA surname from French
• bouvier des FlandresA breed of very large black dog with terrier-like appearance.
• BouxwillerA commune in the department of Bas-Rhin, Alsace, Grand Est, France.
• boyardA surname.
• boyauA small trench or ditch, typically built in a zigzag pattern, serving to connect or provide communication between two trenches, particularly the rear and front lines.
• braconniereA skirt or apron of mail or lamellar armor, worn with plate armor, to defend the stomach, groin, and upper thighs.
• BradferA surname from French.
• braguetteA codpiece.
• brancardA litter drawn by a horse, on which a person may be carried.
• branchagebranches, vegetation
• Braque du BourbonnaisA breed of gundog, of rustic appearance, sometimes born with a short tail, with a coat ticked with liver, fawn, or white color.
• braquemarda short, thick, double-edged sword
• bras d'honneurAn obscene gesture in which an arm is bent into an L-shape, with the closed palm pointing upwards, while the other hand then grips the biceps of the bent arm, and the bent forearm is then raised vertically; it conveys the sense of “up yours!”.
• BrasselleA surname from French.
• BreantA surname from French.
• bredeleA biscuit or small cake traditionally eaten in the Christmas period in Alsace and Moselle, France.
• brelanA French card game: gleek.
• breloqueA seal or charm for a watchchain.
• brésibrési
• bretellebraces; suspenders (to hold up trousers)
• bretesséEmbattled (as a bend, fesse, etc), especially if embattled-counterembattled on both sides with the projections coming opposite each other.
• BriançonA commune in Hautes-Alpes department, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France.
• bric-a-bracSmall ornaments and other miscellaneous display items of little value.
• bricoleA kind of traces with hooks and rings, used to drag manoeuvre guns where horses cannot be used.
• bricoleurA person who constructs bricolages; one who creates using whatever materials are available.
• brigueIntrigue; secretive machinations.
• brilliantineA hair pomade, making the hair shine brilliantly.
• brimborionA useless or worthless object.
• briquetageburnt-clay remains associated with historical salt production.
• BrisacA surname from French.
• briséA jump consisting of an assemblé with an extra beat that "breaks" the jump in its travel.
• brise-biseA net curtain (or lace curtain) for the lower half of a window.
• brisementThe breaking up of anything, such as an ankylosis.
• brise soleilA type of structural sunshade with slats, holes, etc, to keep sunlight from striking fully on a building.
• brisqueIn the card game bezique, an ace or ten won in a trick.
• BrissetteA surname from French.
• brisureAny part of a rampart or parapet which deviates from the general direction.
• brocatelleA heavy brocade fabric with raised designs.
• brochéWoven with a raised figure; brocaded.
• brodequinA buskin or half-boot.
• broderie anglaiseA whitework technique incorporating features of embroidery, cutwork and needle lace, popular in England in the 19th century.
• Brome-MissisquoiA regional county municipality of Estrie, Quebec, Canada.
• BrossartA surname from French.
• BrouhardA surname from French.
• BroulardA surname from French.
• BrugheasA village in Allier department, France.
• BruléA member of a subdivision of the Sioux Native American nation.
• BruleyA surname from French.
• brulotA fireship.
• brunailleConsisting of shades of brown, painted or executed with shades of brown, brown monochrome.
• brunatreBrown.
• brunionA hybrid of a plum and a peach.
• brunoiseA very fine dice. A method of cutting vegetables, usually to the dimensions of 2 mm or less, by julienning and then cutting many times at a 90-degree angle to the julienne.
• brusquerieBrusqueness; abruptness, bluntness.
• Bry-sur-MarneA commune in Val-de-Marne department, Île-de-France, France.
• buccanA framework or grill upon which meat is laid to dry, or to be roasted.
• buffontAn item of neckwear (a neckerchief), usually of linen, gauze, or lace, worn around the neck and puffed out over the bosom, popular from the 1750s to 1790s.
• bullistOne who writes or draws up papal bulls.
• bureaucratizeTo bring under the control of a bureaucracy; to make bureaucratic.
• bureau de changeA place where foreign currency can be exchanged.
• bureau platA flat writing desk.
• burnooseA thick hooded cloak worn by Berbers and Arabs in Northwest Africa.
• buronA traditional Auvergne shepherd's hut with a thatched roof, or a rustic mountain chalet in the same style.
• bush taxiSynonym of shared taxi.
• ButinA surname.
• buvettebar (place where beverages are sold), mainly in French contexts
• BuzançaisA commune and town in the department of Indre, Centre-Val de Loire, France.
• bycoketA type of medieval cap with a wide brim that comes to a point in the front and is turned up at the rear, originally worn by Western European nobility and royalty.
• cabécouA soft goat cheese from the Midi-Pyrénées in France.
• cabinet particulierA small private room, occasionally booth, set apart within a restaurant that may be hired by clientele wishing not to be disturbed.
• cabotinageoveracting; hamming
• cabréRearing; forcené.
• Cabriole legIn furniture design, a curved leg with outcurved knee and incurved ankle. A signature design element of the Queen Anne style of furniture, the cabriole predates both 18th century England and Italy. The style originated in Italy and is a conventionalized representation of the rear leg of a leaping goat.
• cachalotThe sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus.
• cache-sexeAn article of clothing sufficient to cover the genitalia, primarily as used by an exotic dancer or in certain aboriginal cultures.
• cachouA sweet eaten to sweeten the breath.
• cachou de LavalA forerunner of sulfur dyes, prepared by treating products with lignin (like sawdust or straw) with sulfide sources (like sodium hydroxide or sulfide mixed with sulfur).
• cacoletAn open chair mounted to one side of a pack animal, balanced by another on the other side.
• cacqueteuseAn antique French armchair with a narrow back and splayed arms.