Word origins

• bêche-de-merSynonym of sea cucumber.
• bechicRelating to, or relieving, a cough.
• BecquartA surname from French.
• bedanA kind of woodturning tool consisting of a bar with a single bevel.
• bedeguarA gall produced on rosebushes, especially on the sweetbrier or eglantine, by a puncture from the ovipositor of a gallfly (Diplolepis rosae). It was once supposed to have medicinal properties.
• bedlamerA young harp seal after its second moult.
• bed of justiceA special parliamentary session headed by the king in pre-Revolutionary France, where royal edicts could be forcibly registered.
• beef bourguignonA French stew dish, consisting of beef, red wine, garlic and vegetables.
• beef oliveThinly sliced beef wrapped around a savoury filling.
• beetravecommon beet (Beta vulgaris).
• BefortA surname from French.
• BeghardOne of an association of religious laymen living in semimonastic communities in imitation of the Beguines, and influenced by Albigensian teachings and by the Brethren of the Free Spirit.
• béguinAn infatuation or fancy.
• beguinageA walled community of small houses occupied by the Beguines.
• BejaiaA city and commune, the capital of Bejaia Province, Algeria.
• BelainskyA surname from French.; Synonym of Belansky.
• belandreA small flat-bottomed craft, used principally on the rivers, canals, and roadsteads of France.
• béléA genre of music and group dance from the Creole cultures of Dominica and other Caribbean islands, in modern times mostly performed to celebrate holidays and special occasions.
• bel espritA very witty or clever person.
• BelgicismThe political ideology which supports the political and economic union of Belgium; Belgian nationalism.
• BelinographA photograph transmitted by wire.
• Belle ChasseA census-designated place in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, United States.
• belle dame sans merciA beautiful woman who seduces a man and then consigns him to an unpleasant fate.
• belle époqueA period of European history, extending over several decades until the start of the First World War, characterized by artistic and cultural refinement.
• Belle FourcheA city, the county seat of Butte County, South Dakota, United States.
• BelleoramA town in Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
• belle sabreuseA gallant swordswoman; a dashing female adventurer.
• belles-lettresThe humanities.
• belletrismThe writing of belles-lettres.
• Belle VueA suburb of Carlisle, Cumbria (OS grid ref NY3755).
• bellicwarlike; bellicose
• BellotteA surname from French.
• belly danceA form of dance originating in the Middle East and characterized by movements of the torso.
• BelœilA municipality of Hainaut, Wallonia, Belgium.
• BelongiaA surname from French.
• bemoilTo soil or dirty
• bengalineA fabric made from silk and worsted; poplin.
• BengueA surname from French
• BeninoisBeninese
• benitierThe vase or vessel for holy water in Roman Catholic churches.
• BenoisA surname from French.
• BenredouaneA surname from Arabic
• Berchem-Sainte-AgatheA municipality of Brussels, Brussels Capital Region, Belgium
• BercierA surname from French.
• BerdineA surname from French.
• bergeretteA form of early rustic French song.
• berlingotA hard candy made from caramel, usually in pyramidal form.
• BerthiervilleA town, the seat of D'Autray Regional County Municipality, Lanaudière, Quebec, Canada.
• bertillonageAn early form of biometric identification used on criminals, usually by the French police, making use of distinguishing anthropometric measurements, such as head size, arm span and scars.
• BesançonA commune, the capital city of Doubs department, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France.
• bête noireSomeone or something that is unbearable and so particularly avoided or disliked; the bane of someone's existence; an object of aversion; an anathema.
• bête rougeA mite of the genus Trombidium.
• bêtisesilliness, folly, stupidity
• Betti numberAny of a sequence of numbers, denoted bₙ, which characterise a given topological space K by giving, for each dimension, the number of holes in K of said dimension; (formally) the rank of the nth homology group, Hₙ, of K.
• beurrageA dough made of mostly butter, used in French cuisine
• beurréAny of various pears with soft, juicy flesh, that seems to melt in the mouth.
• beurre blancA warm emulsified sauce made with a reduction of vinegar and/or white wine (normally Muscadet) and grey shallots into which butter is whisked.
• beurre maniéA dough consisting of equal parts of soft butter and flour, used to thicken soups and sauces.
• bezantlerBez (second branch of a deer's antler).
• BézierA surname from French.
• Bézier curveA type of parametric curve defined by a set of control points, two of which are the ends of the curve, while the others determine its shape.
• bibelotA bauble, knickknack or trinket.
• bibliognostOne versed in books.
• bibliographTo create a bibliography about (some topic).
• bibliomaneSynonym of bibliomaniac.
• bibliotaphOne who "buries" books, typically by hoarding them unread, hiding them, locking them away, or otherwise shutting them up and keeping them from use
• Bichon FriséA small bichon with white fur and dark eyes and nose, originating in Spain, Belgium and France.
• bidonA bottle or flask for holding a beverage such as water or wine; (specifically, sports) a water bottle which can be squeezed to squirt the beverage out of the nozzle, especially (cycling) one designed for mounting on a bicycle.
• bidonvilleA shantytown or slum, in French-speaking regions.
• BienaimeA surname from French.
• biennessThe quality of being good, wholesome, comfortable, etc.
• bien pensantRight-thinking; orthodox, conformist.
• bienséancePropriety, decorum.
• BièvreA river in France that flows into the Seine in Paris.
• bigaradeThe bitter orange (fruit).
• bigaroonThe Royal Ann cherry.
• big finalThe final that determines the winner of a competition, where the event also has a small final (consolation final).
• BigonvilleA town in Redange canton, Diekirch district, Luxembourg.
• Big WoodsA kind of temperate hardwood forest ecoregion found in western Wisconsin and south-central Minnesota.
• bilboquetA traditional children's toy consisting of a wooden cup with a handle, and a ball attached to the cup by a string.
• billet-douxA love letter.
• binarchySynonym of biarchy.
• BinedamaA village in Mopti, Mali.
• binocleA kind of double-barrelled field glass or opera glass.
• binocles-ciseauxSynonym of scissors-glasses
• BioteauA surname from French.
• BiscaichipyA surname.
• biscayenA kind of large-calibre musket ball.
• biscornuA kind of ornamental pincushion, usually made out of Aida cloth or linen, and decorated with embroidery.
• biscotinA sweet kind of biscuit.
• BiselA surname from French.
• bisetA pair of ordered sets of the same magnitude.
• bissapThe plant roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa).
• bistouryA narrow-bladed surgical knife
• bistreA brown pigment made from soot, especially from beech wood.
• bivoltineHaving two broods or generations in a year
• bizarrerieThe state or measure of being bizarre.
• blagueurA joker (person who makes jokes).
• blaireauSynonym of American badger
• blancardA kind of linen cloth formerly made in Normandy, the thread of which was partly blanched before it was woven.