| bankruptcy |
the condition of being legally insolvent or bankrupt; impoverishment or destitution. [2 definitions] |
| bank statement |
a document that shows all the transactions that have occurred during a specific period of time in a bank account, esp. a periodic statement compiled by a bank for an account holder. |
| banner |
a piece of cloth, usu. with a motto or emblem and mounted on a staff, representing a person, organization, or cause. [5 definitions] |
| bannister |
variant of banister. |
| bannock |
in Scottish or British cookery, a flat unleavened cake made of oatmeal, wheat, or other grains and baked on a griddle. |
| banns |
a public announcement in church of an upcoming marriage. |
| banquet |
an elaborate formal dinner. [4 definitions] |
| banquette |
a long, upholstered bench along a wall. |
| banshee |
in Irish folklore, a female spirit whose wailing forbodes the death of a loved one. |
| bantam |
(often cap.) a member of a small-sized breed of chicken, sometimes the miniature version of a larger breed. [3 definitions] |
| bantamweight |
a boxer of a weight class between flyweight and featherweight, between 112 and 118 pounds. |
| banter |
witty, playful conversation. [3 definitions] |
| Bantu |
a member of any of several peoples native to central and southern Africa who speak related languages. [2 definitions] |
| banyan |
a large East Indian fig tree, the branches of which send down added roots which become supports. [2 definitions] |
| banzai |
used by the Japanese as a battle cheer and meaning "Long live the emperor". [2 definitions] |
| baobab |
a large African tree with a trunk up to thirty feet thick and large, gourd-like, fleshy-centered fruits. |
| baptism |
a Christian rite in which an applicant for membership to the church is sprinkled with or immersed in water, signifying purification. [2 definitions] |
| baptism of fire |
a soldier's first experience of being in combat and under fire. [2 definitions] |
| Baptist |
a member of a Christian sect that believes in baptism of adults by immersion, following a profession of faith. [2 definitions] |
| baptistery |
a part of a church or a separate building used for administering baptism. [2 definitions] |
| baptize |
to administer the Christian rite of immersion in or sprinkling with water, to purify symbolically and admit to church membership. [4 definitions] |