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All Words Glossary Glossary of Military Terms beginning with letter B Browse the Military Glossary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z  baggage noun (uncountable) luggage, especially in a metaphorical or negative sense: emotional baggage (idiom) (1811) heavy baggage; women and children. Also a familiar epithet for a woman; as, cunning baggage, wanton baggage, &c.       ballista noun (ballistae) An ancient military engine, in the form of a crossbow, used for hurling large missiles.       bandit noun  one who robs others an outlaw one who cheats others       bandoleer noun  A pocketed belt for holding ammunition, worn over the shoulder.       bar noun  A solid, more or less rigid object with a uniform cross-section smaller than its length. (metallurgy) a solid metal object with uniform (round, square, hexagonal, octagonal or rectangular) cross-section, whose smallest dimension is .25 inch or greater (US), a piece of thinner material being called a strip. Ancient Sparta used iron s instead of handy coins in more valuable alloi, to physically disencourage the use of money A cuboid piece of any solid commodity. bar of chocolate bar of soap A long, narrow drawn or printed rectangle, cuboid or cylinder, especially as used in a bar code or a bar chart. A business licensed to sell intoxicating beverages for consumption on the premises, or the premises themselves; public house. The counter of such a premises A similar device or simply a closet containing alcoholic beverages in a private house or a hotel room. An official order or pronouncement that prohibits some activity. (computing, whimsical, derived from fubar) Used to stand for some unspecified entity, usually a second entity following foo. Suppose we have two objects, foo and bar (legal: the Bar) Short for the Bar Exam, the legal licensing exam. He's studying hard to pass the Bar this time; he's failed it twice before. (British: the Bar) A collective term for barristers. (British: the Bar) (loosely) The profession of barristers. (music) A vertical line across a musical staff dividing written music into sections, typically of equal durational value. (music) One of these musical sections. (soccer) The crossbar An addition to a military medal, on account of a subsequent act A linear shoaling landform feature within a body of water. (nautical) A ridge or succession of ridges of sand or other substance, especially a formation extending across the mouth of a river or harbor or off a beach, and which may obstruct navigation. (FM 55-501). (heraldry) One of the ordinary, ordinaries in heraldry. See wikipedia article on the topic: (w, Ordinary (heraldry)) verb (bars, barring, barred, barred) (transitive) To obstruct the passage of (someone or something). (transitive) To prohibit. I couldn't get into the nightclub because I had been barred (transitive) To lock or bolt with a bar. bar the door       barbette noun  (naval) The inside fixed trunk of a warship's gun-mounting, on which the turret revolves. It contains the hoists for shells and cordite from the shell-room and magazine.       barrack noun  (military) A building for soldiers, especially when in garrison. Commonly in the plural, originally meaning temporary huts, but now usually applied to a permanent structure or set of buildings. Quotation He lodged in a miserable hut or , composed of dry branches and thatched with straw. - Gibbon. (local, United States, U.S.) A movable roof sliding on four posts, to cover hay, straw, etc. (Ireland,Colloquial, usually plural) the police station. verb  To house military personnel; to quarter (context, Australian English, New Zealand English) to cheer on a team etc (British) to jeer       barrage noun  an artificial obstruction, such as a dam, in a river designed to increase its depth or to divert its flow a heavy curtain of artillery fire directed in front of one's own troops to screen and protect them a concentrated discharge of projectile weapons (context, by extension) an overwhelming outburst of words, especially of criticism (fencing) A "next hit wins" fight-off to determine the winner of a bout in case of a tie.       barrage balloon noun  a tethered balloon, attached to the ground with a metal cable, intended to deter low-flying enemy aircraft; used especially in World War II       barrel noun  (countable) A round vessel or cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends or heads. Sometimes applied to a similar cylindrical container made of metal, usually called a drum. a cracker The quantity which constitutes a full barrel. This varies for different articles and also in different places for the same article, being regulated by custom or by law. A barrel of wine is 31 1/2 gallons; a barrel of flour is 196 pounds; of beer 31 gallons; of ale 32 gallons. Quotations 1882: Again, by 28 Hen. VIII, cap. 14, it is re-enacted that the tun of wine should contain 252 gallons, a butt of Malmsey 126 gallons, a pipe 126 gallons, a tercian or puncheon 84 gallons, a hogshead 63 gallons, a tierce 41 gallons, a barrel 31.5 gallons, a rundlet 18.5 gallons. &mdash; James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, Volume 4, p. 205. 1882: 23 Hen. VIII, cap. 4... The barrel of beer is to hold 36 gallons, the kilderkin 18 gallons the firkin 9. But the barrel, kilderkin, and firkin of ale are to contain 32, 16, and 8 gallons. &mdash; James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, Volume 4, p. 205. A solid drum, or a hollow cylinder or case; ''the of a windlass; the barrel of a watch, within which the spring is coiled. A metallic tube, as of a gun, from which a projectile is discharged. (obsolete) A jar. Obs. 1 Kings xvii. 12. (archaic) A tube. (zoology) The hollow basal part of a feather. (music) The part of a clarinet which connects the mouthpiece and upper joint, and looks rather like a barrel (1). (context, idiomatic, surfing) A wave that breaks with a hollow compartment. (context, US, specifically, _, New England) A waste receptacle. Throw it away in the trash . The ribs and belly of a horse or pony. verb (barrel, l, ed) to move quickly or in an uncontrolled manner He came barrelling around the corner and I almost hit him.       bastard noun  An illegitimate person. (baby, child, or adult) (informal) : A child that does not know his father. Previously used as a title. (as in William the Bastard). (vulgar referring to a man) A wrong-doer; a sod. (vulgar referring to a man) A contemptible, inconsiderate, overly or arrogantly rude, or spiteful person. See asshole. (context, often, humorous) A man, a fellow. (as in lucky bastard, poor bastard) (informal) : A problem or situation extremely difficult or unpleasant to deal with. Life can be a real . Derogatory term for a variation that is not genuine; something irregular or inferior or of dubious origin; The architecture was a kind of suggesting Gothic but not true Gothic" A mongrel. A cross between different breeds, groups, or varieties. A coarse-grade steel file; also : bastard file. A long, straight, narrow sword, with an undecorated hilt.       battalion noun  An army unit having two or more companies etc. and a headquarters. Any large body of troops. (context, by extension) A great number of things.       battering ram noun (plural battering rams) (also ram) A heavy object used for battering down walls before gunpowder was known in Europe. (heraldry) This object borne as a charge in a coat of arms.       battle noun  A general action, fight, or encounter, in which all the divisions of an army are or may be engaged; an engagement; a combat. A struggle; a contest; as, the battle of life. The whole intellectual that had at its center the best poem of the best poet of that day. -H. Morley. (obsolete) A division of an army; a battalion. The king divided his army into three battles. -Bacon. The cavalry, by way of distinction, was called the , and on it alone depended the fate of every action. -Robertson. (obsolete) The main body, as distinct from the van and rear; battalia. verb (battl, ing) (intransitive): To join in battle; to contend in fight; as, to battle over theories. (transitive): To assail in battle; to fight.       battle cruiser noun  A fast, relatively lightly armoured cruiser designed to act as an advanced scout of the battle fleet; a development of the Dreadnought battleships       battlefield noun  The field where a land battle is or was fought. 1886 The night of the 16th of May found McPherson?'s command bivouacked from two to six miles west of the , along the line of the road to Vicksburg " Ulysses S. Grant, Personal memoirs of U.S. Grant, http://etext.virginia.edu/etcbin/ot2www-pubeng?specfile=/texts/english/modeng/publicsearch/modengpub.o2w&act=surround&offset=327246025&tag=Grant,+Ulysses+S.+(Ulysses+Simpson),+1822-1885.:+Personal+memoirs+of+U.S.+Grant,+Volume+I,+1885&query=battlefield&id=GraPers Chapter 35.       battleship noun  (military) Large capital warship displacing tens of thousands of tons, heavily armoured and armed with big guns. Battleships are now obsolescent, replaced by smaller vessels with guided missiles.       bayonet noun  (Weapon) A pointed instrument of the dagger kind fitted on the muzzle of a musket or rifle, so as to give the soldier increased means of offence and defence. Originally, the bayonet was made with a handle, which required to be fitted into the bore of the musket after the soldier had fired. Quotations 1786: Fig. 3. Its bayonet, to be fixed by sticking the handle into the muzzle of the musquet. &mdash; Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page xvi. (Machinery) A pin which plays in and out of holes made to receive it, and which thus serves to engage or disengage parts of the machinery. verb  (transitive) To stab with a bayonet. (transitive) To compel or drive by the bayonet. To us into submission. Burke.       bazooka noun (wikipedia, Bazooka (instrument))(wikipedia, Bazooka) a primitive trombone having wide tubes an American shoulder-held rocket launcher used as an anti-tank weapon, used in World War II       BB noun  A type of pellet which can be shot out of a gun-type "toy"; a ball bearing. initialism  Big Brother Baseband. (electronics) (baseball) The statistic reporting the number of "bases on balls".       BCD initialism  Binary Coded Decimal       beachhead noun  (military) An area of hostile territory (especially on a beach) that, when captured, serves for the continuous landing (or movement into position) of further troops and materiel (context, by extension) an initial success that ensures the possibility of further advances in a project; a foothold       bead noun  (archaic) prayer, Prayer, later especially with a rosary. 1760: That he must believe in the Pope;"go to Mass;"cross himself;"tell his beads;"be a good Catholick, and that this, in all conscience, was enough to carry him to heaven. " Laurence Sterne, The Life & Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (Penguin 2003, p. 115) Each in a string of small balls making up the rosary or paternoster. A small round object with a hole to allow it to be threaded on a cord or wire. A small drop of water or other liquid. beads of sweat verb  (intransitive) To form into a bead. The raindrops beaded on the car's waxed finish. (transitive) To apply beads to. She spent the morning beading the gown. (transitive) To form into a bead. He beaded some solder for the ends of the wire.       belligerent noun (plural: belligerents) country or other group which starts or carries on a war The U.N. sent a treaty proposal to the belligerents. adjective  Of or pertaining to war. Engaged in war, warring. Eager to go to war, warlike. aggressive, Aggressively hostile, eager to fight. act Verb, Acting violently towards others.       Bill proper noun  (given name, male), diminutive of William. (context, UK, slang) A nickname for the British constabulary. Often called "The Bill" or "Old Bill" (context, US, slang) One Hundred Dollars.       billet noun  a place where a soldier is assigned to lodge metallurgy a semi-finished length of metal a short piece of wood, especially one used as firewood (heraldry) A rectangle used as a charge on an escutcheon verb (billets, billeting or billetting, billeted or billetted) (context, of a householder etc) to lodge soldiers, usually by order (context, of a soldier) to lodge, or be quartered, in a private house       biological warfare noun  the use of any harmful organism (such as a bacterium or virus) as a weapon of war       bivouac noun  The watch of a whole army by night, when in danger of surprise or attack. An encampment for the night, usually without tents or covering. A temporary encampment. 2005, Boston Globe, September 23, 2005 : The outing begins by Thursday noon, when the recreational vehicles start rumbling into town and their owners set up bivouacs.       blackout noun  Temporary loss of consciousness or memory A large-scale power failure, and resulting loss of electricity to consumers. "The repairs at the Koeberg Power Station in the Western Cape were on schedule for completion in the third week of May. This follows huge blackouts related to the problems at the power supplier since November. Weekend Argus May 13/14 2006 p.5.       Blitz proper noun The Blitz The series of air-raids launched on London by the German airforce in 1940-1.       blitzkrieg noun Blitzkrieg A fast, sudden military offensive, usually combining ground forces with air support.       blockade noun  The isolation of something, especially a port, in order to prevent commerce and traffic in or out. The ships or other forces used to effect the blockade. verb (blockades, blockading, blockaded) (transitive) To create a blockade against.       blockbuster noun  A high-explosive bomb used for the purposes of demolishing extensive areas, such as a city block. Something, such as a film or book, that sustains exceptional and widespread popularity and achieves enormous sales, as opposed to a box office bomb. A large firecracker type of fireworks; an M-80. adjective  An exceptional event: a blockbuster trade in baseball.       blockhouse noun  A sturdy military fortification, often of concrete, with gunports. A reinforced building from which to control hazardous operations, such as an explosion or a rocket launch. (dated) A temporary wooden fortification with a projecting upper story.       blowgun noun  a hollow tube through which a dart or similar missile may be blown       bluejacket noun  (nautical) a seaman of a British warship Note: Before the introduction of rules for uniforms in 1858, the term was tar (for the tar used waterproof clothes)       blunderbuss noun  Old style of firearm with a distinctive large opening at the muzzle, therefore able to fire quantities of nails, stones, shot, etc.       bogey noun  (golf) A score of one over par in golf. One of two sets of wheels under a train car. A piece of solid or semisolid mucus in or removed from the nostril. (engineering) A representative specimen, taken from the centre a spread of production - a sample with bogey (typical) characteristics. (military) An enemy aircraft. (military) An unidentified aircraft, especially as observed as a spot on a radar screen. verb  (golf) To make a .       bogy noun  A specter; a hobgoblin; a bugbear.       bolo noun  A long, heavy, single-edged machete.       bolt noun  A (usually) metal fastener consisting of a cylindrical body, partially or completely threaded, and a larger head; it is inserted into an unthreaded hole (unlike a screw) up to the head, and a nut is threaded on the other end. A slide, sliding pin or bar in a lock or latch mechanism. A bar of wood or metal dropped in hooks on a door and adjoining walls, or between the two sides of a double door, to prevent the door(s) from being forced open. A sliding mechanism to chamber and unchamber a round in a gun. A shaft or missile intended to be shot from a crossbow or a catapult, especially a short, stout, blunt-headed arrow. A lightning spark, i.e. lightning bolt: a bolt from the blue. A large roll of material, e.g. fabric: a bolt of cloth. (nautical) The standard measurement of length of canvas for use at sea; 39 yards verb  To connect or assemble pieces using a bolt. Bolt the vice to the bench. To secure a door by locking or barring it. Bolt the door. To accelerate suddenly. The horse bolted. To escape. Of a plant, to grow quickly; to go to seed. Lettuce and spinach will as the weather warms up.       bombard noun  a medieval form of cannon, used chiefly in sieges for throwing heavy stone balls. verb  To attack something with bombs, artillery shells, or other missiles. (figuratively) To attack something or someone by directing objects at them. (physics) to direct an intense stream of high-energy particles, usually sub-atomic or made of at most a few atoms, at a substance.       bomber noun (wikipedia, bomber, bomber (aircraft)) A military aircraft designed to carry and drop bombs. A person who makes and detonates bombs.       bombshell noun  a bomb or artillery shell designed to explode on impact something that is very surprising, shocking, amazing or sensational (context, by extension) someone who is very attractive (compare sex symbol)       bombsight noun  A device which allows bombs to be accurately dropped from moving aircraft so as to hit a desired target.       booby trap noun  (military) An antipersonnel device deliberately hidden or disguised as a harmless object (context, by extension) An unforeseen source of danger; a pitfall       booby-trap noun  (alternative spelling of, booby trap) verb (booby-trap, p, ed) To set up with booby traps; to plant a booby trap on.       boot camp noun  Indoctrination, physical fitness training and basic instruction in service-related subjects for recruits in the Navy and Marine Corps. An short, intensive, quasi-military program generally aimed at young offenders as an alternative to a jail term. Any short, intensive course of training. We will institute a for training the sales force in these new products.       booty noun (booties) (nautical) A form of prize which, when a ship was captured at sea, could be distributed at once. (nautical) Plunder taken from an enemy in time of war, or seized by piracy.       boy noun  A young male, usually a child or adolescent. the boys were playing kickball in the mud. (racist, offensive, archaic, pejorative) A male African-American of any age. A male servant, regardless of age, especially in a colonial context and in numerous compounds. (Compare French garí§on; also adopted as such in various others languages, such as Dutch) When the dipenda (independence movement) in Belgian Congo turned violent, the white colonisators' often materially privileged black domestic boys were mistrusted and often abused as collaborators (context, colloquial, always used in plural) Male (usually adult) friends. I"m going out for a few drinks with the boys. A man of any age, used as a friendly diminutive, or of a man who is merely younger than the speaker. Whatever else you say about him, the can play. 1977: I like the boy. &mdash; Australian entertainer w:Bert Newton, Bert Newton, to w:Mohammed Ali, Mohammed Ali at the 1977 Logie Awards, famously unaware of how insulting this is under the US usage above http://www.abc.net.au/thingo/txt/s1088100.htm An adult male, particularly when used by straight women or gay men to refer to someone considered attractive. (figurative, endearing) A proud parent's son (of any age.) That's my . (figurative, endearing) A caring owner's pet or working animal (of any age.) Here, boys, heel; yes, Bobby, show the puppies how, good !       brace noun  That which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly; a bandage or a prop. A cord, ligament, or rod, for producing or maintaining tension, as a cord on the side of a drum. The state of being braced or tight; tension. A piece of material used to transmit, or change the direction of, weight or pressure; any one of the pieces, in a frame or truss, which divide the structure into triangular parts. It may act as a tie, or as a strut, and serves to prevent distortion of the structure, and transverse strains in its members. A boiler brace is a diagonal stay, connecting the head with the shell. A vertical curved line ('{' or '}') connecting two or more words or lines, which are to be taken together; thus, boll, bowl; or, in music, used to connect staves. (nautical) A rope reeved through a block at the end of a yard, by which the yard is moved horizontally; also, a rudder gudgeon. A curved instrument or handle of iron or wood, for holding and turning bits, etc.; a bitstock. A pair; a couple; as, a brace of ducks; now rarely applied to persons, except familiarly or with some contempt. Harness; warlike preparation. Armor for the arm; vambrace. The mouth of a shaft. (usually plural) Straps or bands to sustain trousers; suspenders. (usually plural) A system of wires, brackets, and elastic bands used to correct crooked teeth. verb to brace To prepare for something bad, as an impact or blow. All hands, brace for impact! (nautical) To swing round the yards of a square rigged ship, using braces, to present a more efficient sail surface to the direction of the wind To stop someone for questioning, usually said of police To confront with questions, demands or requests       bracket noun  Item attached to a wall to hold up a shelf. Generically any of "(", ")", "", "", "{", "}", and, in the area of computer languages, "<", ">". "(" and ")" specifically, the other forms above requiring adjectives for disambiguation. (Technical) "" and "" specifically - opposed to the other forms which have their own technical names. (sports) printed diagram of games in a tournament prediction of the outcome of games in a tournament, used for betting purposes one of several ranges of numbers tax bracket, age bracket verb  To bound on both sides, to surround as enclosing with brackets. I tried to hit the bullseye by first bracketing it with two shots and then splitting the difference with my third, but I missed.       breakthrough noun  (context, Military) An advance through and past enemy lines (or vice versa). Any major progress; such as a great innovation or discovery that overcomes a significant obstacle. w:Albert Einstein, Albert Einstein is credited with making some of the greatest breakthroughs in w:general relativity, modern physics. adjective  characterized by major progress or overcoming some obstacle a technology       breech noun (es, -) The lower part of the body behind; the buttocks. A reference to a view of or visual aspect of the buttocks or rear lower body below the waist, from which meaning is derived the term breech birth, the word in this case apparently referring to the obvious cleavage between the buttocks . A garment whose purpose is to cover or clothe the buttocks, such as early 18th century undergarments. breeches The hinder part of anything; esp., the part of a cannon, or other firearm, behind the chamber. Nautical: The external angle of knee timber, the inside of which is called the throat A breech birth. adjective  Born, or having been born, breech. adverb  With the hips coming out before the head.       breechloader noun  a variety of firearm in which the weapon is loaded from the breech, i.e. the end opposite that which discharges the projectile       brevet noun (plural brevets) A military document entitling a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but without an increase in pay. An organized, long-distance bicycle ride " not a race, but a test of endurance " which follows a designated but unmarked route passing through check points.       brig noun  (nautical) a two-masted vessel square-rigged on both fore and main masts (context, US) a jail or guardhouse, especially in a military installation       brigade noun  military unit forming part of an army. A brigade usually consists of three battalions and forms part of a division. civilian workforce or organization (e.g. fire brigade)       brigadier noun  An army rank; an officer commanding a brigade.       brigadier general noun  A military officer who commands a brigade. (American military) A one star general.       Bronze Star proper noun  a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration, the fourth highest award for bravery, heroism or meritorious service       buck noun  A male deer or goat. A male rabbit or hare. A male of other species, such as the ferret. An uncastrated sheep, a ram. (context, US, Canadian English, colloquial) A dollar (one hundred cents). (context, Canadian English, colloquial) By extension, one hundred of anything. The police caught me driving a -forty on the freeway. (context , North America, derogatory) A black or Native American man. A young buck; an adventurous or high-spirited young man. (context, UK, obsolete) Hence, a fop or dandy. (rfv-sense) (poker) A plastic disc used to represent the player in dealer position. blame, Blame; responsibility; scapegoating; finger-pointing. w:Harry S. Truman, Harry S. Truman, : The stops here. verb  Of a horse: to rise sharply up on its hind legs. Of a horse: to leap upward arching its back. 1848: At the same time we got speared, the horses got speared too, and jumped and bucked all about &mdash; Statement by Jackey Jackey (an Aborigine) published in William Carron Narrative of an Expedition Undertaken Under the Direction of the Late Mr. Assistant Surveyor E. B. Kennedy (http://gutenberg.net.au/plusfifty.html carron at Project Gutenberg Australia) By extension, to move in any sharp or jerking manner. By extension, to resist obstinately.       bullet noun  A projectile, usually of metal, shot from a gun at high speed. (colloquial) An entire round of unfired ammunition for a firearm, including the projectile, the cartridge casing, the explosive charge, etc. The ammunition for a sling or slingshot. A printed symbol in the form of a solid circle, ", often used for marking items in a list. (slang) One year of prison time (slang) An ace (the playing card).       bum noun  (context, informal) The buttocks or anus. (context, US, Canadian English) A hobo, homeless person. verb (bum, m, ed) (transitive) (slang) (with, after the object, off or, nonstandardly, off of) To ask someone to give one (something) for free; to beg for something. Can I bum a cigarette off you? (transitive) (slang) To sodomize; to engage in anal sex. (UK) (transitive) (slang) To wet the end of a marijuana cigarette. (UK) be - or behave like a bum adjective  Of poor quality or highly undesirable. bum note bum deal       buzz bomb noun  any small, jet-propelled flying missile that carries a bomb the w:V-1 flying bomb, V-1 flying bomb; the doodlebug       BW initialism  Bench Warrant       Browse the Dictionary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z  Find:   Words Starting With:   Words Ending With:   Words Containing:   Words That Match:    Translate Into:    Dutch   French   German    Italian   Spanish     Show 51015202550100250500 results per page.

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