| bird of passage |
a bird that migrates. [2 definitions] |
| bird of prey |
any bird that feeds on other birds or animals, such as a hawk or vulture. |
| birdseed |
seeds, usu. in a mixture, used to feed birds. |
| bird's-eye |
as seen from high above; covering a wide span but not detailed or thorough. [4 definitions] |
| bird shot |
small shot used to shoot birds. |
| birds of a feather |
persons having common interests, values, opinions, or backgrounds. |
| bird-watching |
the activity or hobby of observing and identifying birds in the wild: birding. |
| birefringence |
the splitting of a light wave into two perpendicular waves that have different speeds, as in some crystals. |
| bireme |
a galley of ancient times, with two tiers of oarsmen on each side. |
| biretta |
in the Roman Catholic and some Anglican churches, a stiff, square cap with three or four raised ridges, worn by clergymen and varying in color according to their rank. |
| birl |
to rotate (a floating log) by running in place on its exposed surface, as in a contest among lumberjacks. |
| birling |
a game or contest of skill between two lumberjacks, won by whoever maintains his balance longest while balancing on and rotating a floating log. |
| birr1 |
a whirring sound. [3 definitions] |
| birr2 |
the chief monetary unit of Ethiopia, equaling one hundred cents. |
| birth |
the process or fact of being born. [4 definitions] |
| birth certificate |
an official document recording the time and place of a person's birth and the names of the parents. |
| birth control |
control of the number and timing of children born, esp. through the use of contraceptive devices or drugs. |
| birthday |
the calendar day and month of one's birth, which is often celebrated as it occurs every year, or the day of the inception of something such as a nation. |
| birthmark |
a mark or mole on the skin present from birth. |
| birthplace |
the place of birth or origin, of a person or of an idea, movement, or the like. |
| birthrate |
the number of births in a specified place or group per unit of time, usu. expressed as a quantity per thousand of the total specified population. |