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Plates or blades of "whalebone," from two to twelve feet long, and sometimes a foot wide, which in certain whales (Balænoidea) are attached side by side along the upper jaw, and form a fringelike sieve by which the food is retained in the mouth.

A signal fire; an alarm fire. Sweet Teviot! on thy silver tide The glaring balefires blaze no more. Sir W. Scott.

Full of deadly or pernicious influence; destructive. "Baleful enemies." Shak. Four infernal rivers that disgorge Into the burning lake their baleful streams. Milton.

In a baleful manner; perniciously.

The quality or state of being baleful.

A scale of wind force devised by Sir F. Beaufort, R. N., in 1805, in which the force is indicated by numbers from 0 to 12.

A hydrometer scale on which the zero point corresponds to sp. gr. 1.00, and the 30º-point to sp. gr. 0.85. From these points the scale is extended both ways, all the degrees being of equal length.

The language spoken in Bengal.

Of or pertaining to Bengal. -- n. sing. & pl. A native or natives of Bengal.

An invitation of friends to drink ale at some poor man's house, and there to contribute in charity for his relief. [Prov. Eng.]

The quality of being bivalent.

Equivalent in combining or displacing power to two atoms of hydrogen; dyad.

To forage for booty; to plunder. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.

A photometric standard used in France, having the value of one twentieth of the Violle platinum standard, or slightly less than a British standard candle. Called also decimal candle.

A verse wanting two syllables at its termination.

A rustic wedding feast; a bridal. See Ale. The man that 's bid to bride-ale, if he ha' cake, And drink enough, he need not fear his stake. B. Jonson.

A large antelope (Alcelaphus bubalis) of Egypt and the Desert of Sahara, supposed by some to be the fallow deer of the Bible.

See Calash.

The ancient Latin name of Scotland; -- still used in poetry.

Of or pertaining to Caledonia or Scotland; Scottish; Scotch. -- n.