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A tribe of North American Indians formerly inhabiting the country from the upper Missouri River to the Saskatchewan, but now much reduced in numbers.

e structureless, protoplasmic tissue of the embryo; the primitive basis of an organ yet unformed, from which it grows.

One of the segments first formed by the division of the ovum. Balfour.

The hollow globe or sphere formed by the arrangement of the blastomeres on the periphery of an impregnated ovum.

To mark with deformity; to injure or impair, as anything which is well formed, or excellent; to mar, or make defective, either the body or mind. Sin is a soil which blemisheth the beauty of thy soul. Brathwait.

A cover or protection for an advanced trench or approach, formed of fascines and earth supported by a framework.

ard (Anguis fragilis), with minute eyes, popularly believed to be blind; the slowworm; -- formerly a name for the adder. Newts and blindworms do no wrong. Shak.

gned to raise a blister; -- usually made of Spanish flies. -- Blister steel, crude steel formed from wrought iron by cementation; -- so called because of its blistered surface. Called also blistered steel. -- Blood blister. See under Blood.

the lower story, thus enabling the defenders to fire downward, and in all directions; -- formerly much used in America and Germany.

recover game or prey which has escaped wounded from a hunter, and for tracking criminals. Formerly it was used for pursuing runaway slaves. Other varieties of dog are often used for the same purpose and go by the same name. The Cuban bloodhound is said to be a variety of the mastiff.

A sweat accompanied by a discharge of blood; a disease, called sweating sickness, formerly prevalent in England and other countries.

A large bar of steel formed directly from an ingot by hammering or rolling, being a preliminary shape for further working.

women; -- an abbreviation of bluestocking. [Colloq.] The ladies were very blue and well informed. Thackeray. Blue asbestus. See Crocidolite. -- Blue black, of, or having, a very dark blue color, almost black. -- Blue blood. See under Blood. -- Blue buck (Zoöl.), a small South African antelope (Cephalophus pygmæus);…

o open a certain room in his castle. She entered it, and found the murdered bodies of his former wives. -- Also used adjectively of a subject which it is forbidden to investigate. The Bluebeard chamber of his mind, into which no eye but his own must look. Carlyle.

A knot of worms, or of rags, on a string, used in angling, as for eels; formerly, a worm suitable for bait. Or yellow bobs, turned up before the plow, Are chiefest baits, with cork and lead enow. Lauson.

A small pin, or cylinder, formerly of bone, now most commonly of wood, used in the making of pillow lace. Each thread is wound on a separate bobbin which hangs down holding the thread at a slight tension.

mostly used as one of a pair connected by a reach or coupling; also, the compound sled so formed. [U. S.] The long wagon body set on bobsleds. W. D. Howells.

ssel, usually of wrought iron plates riveted together, or a composite structure variously formed, in which steam is generated for driving engines, or for heating, cooking, or other purposes.

trongly red by oxide of iron, and used to color and adulterate various substances. It was formerly used in medicine. It is composed essentially of hydrous silicates of alumina, or more rarely of magnesia. See Clay, and Terra alba.

A Scotch measure, formerly in use: for wheat and beans it contained four Winchester bushels; for oats, barley, and potatoes, six bushels. A boll of meal is 140 lbs. avoirdupois. Also, a measure for salt of two bushels. [Sometimes spelled bole.]