| bead |
a small, round object made of material such as glass, wood, or plastic. A bead has a small hole through its center so it can be put on a string to make necklaces or to decorate clothing. [1/3 definitions] |
| beech |
a tree that has smooth, gray bark and nuts that people can eat. |
| beet |
a plant whose leaves and fleshy dark red root can be eaten. |
| bellows |
(used with a singular or plural verb) a bag that can be expanded to draw air in and squeezed to force air out. Bellows are used to blow air on a fire or produce sound on a musical instrument. |
| binary system |
a numbering system with a base of two. In binary numbers, any number can be expressed by 1, 0, or a combination of these. The number five is written as "101" in the binary system. |
| birch |
a tree or shrub with hard wood and smooth bark that can be peeled off. |
| bird |
an animal with two wings, two feet, and a body covered with feathers. Most birds can fly. Birds are warm-blooded animals with skeletons inside their bodies. Birds lay eggs with hard shells. Robins, eagles, chickens, and ostriches are a few of the many kinds of birds. |
| bishop |
a piece that can be moved diagonally across squares in the game of chess. [1/2 definitions] |
| black hole |
a region or body in space with gravity so strong that neither light nor matter can escape it. Scientists believe that black holes form when very large stars collapse. |
| blueberry |
a small round berry that is blue in color and can be eaten. [1/2 definitions] |
| blue whale |
a mammal that lives in the ocean. Blue whales are the largest kind of animal that has ever lived. They can grow up to 100 feet long and weigh up to 150 tons. Their large mouths have baleen instead of teeth. Blue whales use baleen to filter lots of very small food such as shrimp from ocean water. |
| bony |
having bones that can be seen; thin. [1/3 definitions] |
| book |
sheets of paper bound together between two covers. These pages can be blank or can have writing, printing, or pictures on them. [1/3 definitions] |
| boomerang |
a curved wooden stick that can be thrown so that it will return to the thrower. Boomerangs are used as hunting weapons by Australian aborigines. |
| breadbox |
a kitchen container used for storing bread. It is usually made of metal and has a lid that can move to open or close the box. |
| bud1 |
a swelling on a plant that can grow into new parts, such as leaves or a flower. [1/4 definitions] |
| butternut |
the nut of this tree that can be eaten as food. [1/2 definitions] |
| buttonhole |
a small slit in a piece of clothing through which a button can be fastened. [1/2 definitions] |
| caffeine |
a bitter substance found in coffee, tea, chocolate, and some sodas. Caffeine stimulates the heart and nervous system and can cause a person to stay awake and alert. |
| cake |
a sweet, baked food made of flour, eggs, sugar, and flavoring. Cakes can be made in the form of a loaf or layers. [1/4 definitions] |
| calculation |
the process of getting an answer to a number question by adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing. The answer that is reached at the end of this process can also be called a calculation. |