B

*benevolent \buh-NEV-uh-luhnt\ (adjective) –
1 : Characterized by or suggestive of doing good.
2 : Of, concerned with, or organized for the benefit of charity.
‘While all initially hoped that the new boss would be more benevolent than the previous one, he turned out to be considerably nastier and cold-blooded.’
Middle English, from Old French, from Latin benevolens, benevolent- : bene, well + volens, present participle of velle, to wish.

benignant \bih-NIG-nuhnt\ (adjective) –
1 : Kind; gracious.
2 : Beneficial; favorable.
"Bruce’s benignant behavior in financially supporting the homeless shelter’s programs were rather at odds with his image as a grouchy skinflint."
Benignant comes from the present participle of Late Latin benignare, from Latin benignus, "kind, friendly."

billingsgate \BIL-ingz-gayt; -git\ (noun) – Coarsely abusive, foul, or profane language.
"These are the people who make life a burthen to the tourist. Their tongues are never still. They talk forever and forever, and that is the kind of billingsgate they use. — Mark Twain, ‘The Innocents Abroad’
Billingsgate is so called after Billingsgate, a former market in London celebrated for fish and foul language.

blackguard \BLAG-uhrd\ (noun) –
1 : A rude or unscrupulous person; a scoundrel.
2 : A person who uses foul or abusive language.
(adjective) – 1 : Scurrilous; abusive; low; worthless; vicious; as, "blackguard language."
(transitive verb) – 1 : To revile or abuse in scurrilous language.
"In spite of his fine manners and rich clothing Ross was, at heart, little more than a common blackguard, capable of stabbing someone in the back and utterly destroying them if it would get him further in his world."
Blackguard is from black + guard. The term originally referred to the lowest kitchen servants of a court or of a nobleman’s household. They had charge of pots and pans and kitchen other utensils, and rode in wagons conveying these during journeys from one residence to another. Being dirtied by this task, they were jocularly called the "black guard."

boondocks \BUN-dahks\ (noun) –
A remote, wild, unexplored region; rural, isolated area.
"You should move to the city; you will never find yourself a husband living out there in the boondocks."
Borrowed from Tagalog (the national language of the Philippines) bundok "mountain." American GIs returning from the Philippines at the end of World War II brought with them not only victory, but a new word referring to a wild, untamed, remote region. In the Philippines it was the mountains but in the US the word refers to any remote area away from the civilization. The doors of the English language, as we have said before, are as wide open to immigrant vocabulary as the English-speaking nations are open to immigration.

bootless \BOOT-lis\ (adjective) –
Unavailing; useless; without advantage or benefit.
"I have seen a swan
With bootless labour swim against the tide."
— Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part III
Bootless is from Old English bot, "advantage, profit" + -less, from Old English from leas, "without."

brackish \BRAK-ish\ (adjective) –
1 : Somewhat salty.
2 : Distasteful; unpalatable.
"As my body grew steadily larger, my craving for cheese continued and my desire for stronger and more brackish cheeses increased." — J. Angelica, "Fermentation"
Brackish derives from Dutch brak, "salty." It is especially used to describe a mixture of seawater and fresh water.

brasserie \bras-uh-REE, bras-REE\ (noun) –
A restaurant serving alcoholic beverages, especially beer, as well as food.
‘Since the traditional approach to dating always failed for him, Mel decided to go with his instincts, taking Janice to his favorite brasserie on their first outing together.’
French, from brasser, to malt, brew, from Old French bracier, from Vulgar Latin *braciare, from Latin brace, malt, of Celtic origin.

bovine \BO-vyn, -veen\ (adjective) –
1 : Of, relating to, or resembling a ruminant mammal of the genus Bos, such as an ox, cow, or buffalo.
2 : Sluggish, dull, and stolid.
‘Annette foud it best to pass her time at work in a dull, bovine, torpor thereby lessening the tedium spawned by the mindless, repetitive tasks she was required to perform.’
Late Latin bovinus, from Latin bos, cow.

braggadocio \brag-uh-DOH-see-oh; -shee-oh; -shoh\ (noun) –
1 : A braggart.
2 : Empty boasting.
3 : A swaggering, cocky manner.
"While many considered Lance to be little more than a loud-mouthed braggadocio, when the chips were down, he would inevitably produce impressive results."
Braggadocio is from Braggadocchio, a boastful character in Spenser’s Faerie Queene.

brio \BREE-oh\ (noun) –
Enthusiastic vigor; vivacity; liveliness; spirit.
"Carrie attacked problems with such gutsiness, fearlessness, and brio that it was difficult to be pessimestic around her."
Brio is from the Italian, ultimately of Celtic origin.

buss \BUS\ (noun) –
1 : A kiss; a playful kiss; a smack.
(transitive verb) – 1 : To kiss; especially to kiss with a smack.
"Hopelessly, gloriously in love, Nate and Natalia spent the entire tour bussing repeatedly in the back of the bus."
Buss is probably from Old English basse, from Latin basium, "kiss."

Byzantine \BIZ-en-teen, -tin, bi-ZAN-tin\ (adjective) – 1 : Of or relating to the ancient city of Byzantium. Of or relating to the Byzantine Empire. 2 : Of or belonging to the style of architecture developed from the fifth century A.D. in the Byzantine Empire, characterized by a central dome resting on a cube formed by four round arches and their pendentives and by the extensive use of surface decoration, especially veined marble panels, low relief carving, and colored glass mosaics. 3 : Of the painting and decorative style developed in the Byzantine Empire, characterized by formality of design, frontal stylized presentation of figures, rich use of color, especially gold, and generally religious subject matter. 4 : Of the Eastern Orthodox Church or the rites performed in it. Of a Uniat church that maintains the worship of the Eastern Orthodox Church or the rites performed in it. 5 : Often byzantine. Of, relating to, or characterized by intrigue; scheming or devious. Highly complicated; intricate and involved.
(noun) – A native or inhabitant of Byzantium or the Byzantine Empire.
"Trying to unravel the labyrinth of Ryan’s byzantine plan to pull the company out of its downward spiral was only slightly less satisfying that pounding one’s head against the wall."