<B>bedder, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a plant suitable for being grown in a flower bed. <DD><B> 2. </B>the lower stone in a mill for expressing oil from seeds, fruits, etc. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Southern U.S.) a farmer who works the soil of bottom land. <DD><B> 4. </B>(British.) a woman who makes up the beds at a college or university dormitory. </DL>
<A NAME="bedding">
<B>bedding, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1a. </B>sheets, blankets, quilts, and sometimes bedspreads and other coverings. <BR> <I>Ex. All of the bedding fell to the floor during the pillow fight.</I> <DD><B> b. </B>mattresses, pillows, sleeping bags, bedrolls, and sometimes springs. <DD><B> 2. </B>material for beds. <BR> <I>Ex. Straw is used as bedding for cows and horses.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>a foundation; bottom layer. <DD><B> 4. </B>(Geology.) arrangement of rocks or other strata in beds or layers; stratification. <DD><B> 5. </B>the planting of flowers in beds for decoration. <DD><I>adj. </I> suitable for being grown in decorative garden beds. <BR> <I>Ex. bedding varieties of petunias.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="beddingplane">
<B>bedding plane,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (Geology.) the surface between successive layers of a formation of stratified rocks; plane of stratification. </DL>
<A NAME="beddingroll">
<B>bedding roll,</B> =bedroll.</DL>
<A NAME="bede">
<B>bede, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Obsolete.) a prayer. </DL>
<A NAME="bedeck">
<B>bedeck, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to deck out; adorn; decorate. <BR> <I>Ex. The hero was bedecked with medals.</I> (SYN) embellish, trim, garnish. </DL>
<A NAME="bedegar">
<B>bedegar</B> or <B>bedeguar, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> spongy excrescence or gall produced on rosebushes, especially on the sweetbrier, by various gallflies. </DL>
<A NAME="bedehouse">
<B>bedehouse, </B>noun. =beadhouse.</DL>
<A NAME="bedel">
<B>bedel</B> or <B>bedell, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a beadle. </DL>
<A NAME="bederoll">
<B>bederoll, </B>noun. =beadroll.</DL>
<A NAME="bedesman">
<B>bedesman, </B>noun, pl. <B>-men.</B> =beadsman.</DL>
<A NAME="bedeswoman">
<B>bedeswoman, </B>noun, pl. <B>-women.</B> =beadswoman.</DL>
<A NAME="bedevil">
<B>bedevil, </B>transitive verb, <B>-iled,</B> <B>-iling</B> or (especially British) <B>-illed,</B> <B>-illing.</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>to trouble greatly; drive frantic; torment. <BR> <I>Ex. Biting flies bedeviled the horses.</I> (SYN) worry, bother. <DD><B> 2. </B>to confuse completely; muddle. <BR> <I>Ex. The accountant was bedeviled in a mass of figures.</I> (SYN) confound. <DD><B> 3. </B>to put under a spell; bewitch. <DD><B> 4. </B>to change so as to spoil or corrupt. noun <B>bedeviller.</B> noun <B>bedevilment.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="bedew">
<B>bedew, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to wet with dew or drops like dew. <BR> <I>Ex. Tears bedewed her cheeks.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="bedfast">
<B>bedfast, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> confined to bed; bedridden. </DL>
<A NAME="bedfellow">
<B>bedfellow, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a sharer of one's bed. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) an associate. <BR> <I>Ex. Politics makes strange bedfellows.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="bedfordcord">
<B>Bedford cord,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a heavy cloth ribbed like corduroy, used especially for riding breeches. </DL>
<A NAME="bedgown">
<B>bedgown, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a nightgown. <DD><B> 2. </B>(British Dialect.) a loose jacket worn by women of the working class. </DL>
<A NAME="bedhead">
<B>bedhead, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> the upper end of a bed. </DL>
<A NAME="bediasite">
<B>Bediasite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> tektite found in Texas. </DL>
<A NAME="bedight">
<B>bedight, </B>verb, <B>-dight,</B> <B>-dight</B> or <B>-dighted,</B> <B>-dighting,</B> adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Archaic.) <DD><I>v.t. </I> to adorn; array. <DD><I>adj. </I> adorned; arrayed. </DL>
<A NAME="bedim">
<B>bedim, </B>transitive verb, <B>-dimmed,</B> <B>-dimming.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to make dim; darken; obscure. (SYN) becloud, overcast. </DL>
<A NAME="bedivere">
<B>Bedivere, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> <B>Sir,</B> (Arthurian Legend.) the faithful Knight of the Round Table who brought the dying Arthur to the barge that carried him to Avalon. </DL>
<A NAME="bedizen">
<B>bedizen, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to dress or ornament with showy finery. (SYN) bedaub. noun <B>bedizenment.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="bedjacket">
<B>bed jacket,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> a jacket of lightweight material, often quilted, worn over a nightgown or pajamas, usually when sitting up in bed. </DL>
<A NAME="bedlam">
<B>bedlam, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1a. </B>noisy confusion; uproar. <BR> <I>Ex. When our team won, there was bedlam in the gym.</I> (SYN) Babel. <DD><B> b. </B>a scene of such confusion. (SYN) pandemonium. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Archaic.) an insane asylum; madhouse. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Obsolete.) a lunatic; madman. <DD><I>adj. </I> (Archaic.) of or fit for a madhouse; mad. </DL>
<A NAME="bedlamite">
<B>bedlamite, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an insane person; madman. </DL>
<A NAME="bedlinen">
<B>bed linen,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> sheets and pillowcases for a bed. </DL>
<A NAME="bedlingtonterrier">
<B>Bedlington terrier,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> any one of a breed of medium-sized terriers with rough, woolly fur, typically bluish- or grayish-brown in color. As most terriers are, Bedlingtons are noted for their gameness. </DL>
<A NAME="bedload">
<B>bedload, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> (Geology.) <DD><B> 1. </B>bits of rock, soil, or other detritus, carried along the bottom of a river or stream by the current. <DD><B> 2. </B>coarse particles, such as sand, carried along the ground by the wind. </DL>
<A NAME="bedmaker">
<B>bedmaker, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a person who makes the beds and sweeps the college rooms at Oxford and Cambridge. </DL>
<A NAME="bedmate">
<B>bedmate, </B>noun. =bedfellow.</DL>
<A NAME="bedmolding">
<B>bed molding,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a molding, or a series of moldings, on or directly under a cornice, between the corona of the cornice and the frieze of the entablature. <DD><B> 2. </B>any molding beneath a projection. </DL>
<A NAME="bedofroses">
<B>bed of roses,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a situation of luxurious ease. <DD><B> 2. </B>an easy and highly agreeable position. </DL>
<A NAME="bedouin">
<B>Bedouin, </B>noun, pl. <B>-ins</B> or <B>-in,</B> adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>a member of certain tribes of wandering Arabs who live in the deserts of Arabia, Syria, and northern Africa. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) any wanderer or nomad. <DD><I>adj. </I> of the Bedouins; nomadic. Also, <B>Beduin.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="bedouinism">
<B>Bedouinism, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>the Bedouin way of life. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) any nomadic or vagabond way of life. </DL>
<A NAME="bedpan">
<B>bedpan, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>a shallow pan used as a toilet by sick people in bed. <DD><B> 2. </B>a pan filled with hot coals for warming a bed; warming pan. </DL>
<A NAME="bedplate">
<B>bedplate, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a flat piece of metal serving as the foundation or support for a machine, stove, or the like. </DL>
<A NAME="bedpost">
<B>bedpost, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> an upright support at a corner of the framework of a bed. <BR><I>expr. <B>between you and me and the bedpost,</B> </I>in all confidence or secrecy. <BR> <I>Ex. Between you and me and the bedpost, young master's quarrelled with old master (Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton).</I> </DL>
<A NAME="bedrabble">
<B>bedrabble, </B>transitive verb, <B>-bled,</B> <B>-bling.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to make drabbled, or wet and dirty; bedraggle. </DL>
<A NAME="bedraggle">
<B>bedraggle, </B>transitive verb, <B>-gled,</B> <B>-gling.</B><DL COMPACT><DD> to make limp and soiled by dragging through dirt or moisture. noun <B>bedragglement.</B> </DL>
<A NAME="bedraggled">
<B>bedraggled, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>wet and hanging limp. <BR> <I>Ex. When she came in out of the rain she tried to comb her bedraggled hair.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>soiled by being dragged in the dirt. </DL>
<A NAME="bedrail">
<B>bedrail, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>one of the two side pieces of the frame of a bedstead. <DD><B> 2. </B>a rail pulled above the side pieces, as in a hospital bed, to keep a person from falling out of bed. </DL>
<A NAME="bedrench">
<B>bedrench, </B>transitive verb.<DL COMPACT><DD> to drench completely; soak. </DL>
<A NAME="bedrest">
<B>bed rest,</B><DL COMPACT><DD><B> 1. </B>rest taken in bed, especially by a patient. <DD><B> 2. </B>an apparatus for supporting patients in bed. </DL>
<B>bedridden, </B>adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD> compelled to stay in bed, usually for a long time, because of sickness or weakness. <BR> <I>Ex. a bedridden invalid.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="bedrock">
<B>bedrock, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> <B>1. </B>the solid rock beneath the soil and looser rocks. <DD><B> 2. </B>(Figurative.) a firm foundation. <DD><B> 3. </B>(Figurative.) the lowest level; bottom. <BR> <I>Ex. Demands on resources by the Government and all public authorities should be kept to absolute bedrock (London Times).</I> <DD><B> 4. </B>(Figurative.) underlying principle. <BR> <I>Ex. Honesty was the bedrock of his personal life.</I> <DD><I>adj. </I> basic; fundamental. </DL>
<A NAME="bedroll">
<B>bedroll, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> blankets or a sleeping bag that can be rolled up and tied for carrying. </DL>
<A NAME="bedroom">
<B>bedroom, </B>noun, adjective.<DL COMPACT><DD><I>noun </I> a room to sleep in. <DD><I>adj. </I> <B>1. </B>(U.S.) of or belonging to a bedroom suburb; inhabited by persons who work in the city. <BR> <I>Ex. bedroom communities, a bedroom town.</I> <DD><B> 2. </B>dealing with sexual relationships. <BR> <I>Ex. a bedroom comedy.</I> <DD><B> 3. </B>sexually appealing or stimulating. <BR> <I>Ex. bedroom eyes.</I> </DL>
<A NAME="bedroomsuburb">
<B>bedroom suburb,</B><DL COMPACT><DD> (U.S.) a suburb inhabited by persons who work all day in the city and spend only the night at home. </DL>
<A NAME="bedsheet">
<B>bedsheet, </B>noun.<DL COMPACT><DD> a sheet for a bed. </DL>
