Part 643

Bif"o*rate (&?;), a. [L. bis twice + foratus, p. p. of forare to bore or pierce.] (Bot.) Having two perforations.

Bif"o*rine (&?;), n. [L. biforis, biforus, having two doors; bis twice + foris door.] (Bot.) An oval sac or cell, found in the leaves of certain plants of the order Araceæ. It has an opening at each end through which raphides, generated inside, are discharged.

Bi"forked (&?;), a. Bifurcate.

Bi"form (&?;), a. [L. biformis; bis twice + forma shape: cf. F. biforme.] Having two forms, bodies, or shapes. Croxall.

Bi"formed (&?;), a. [Pref. bi- + form.] Having two forms. Johnson.

Bi*form"i*ty (&?;), n. A double form.

Bi*forn" (&?;), prep. & adv. Before. [Obs.]

Bif"o*rous (&?;), a. [L. biforis having two doors; bis twice, two + foris door.] See Biforate.

Bi*front"ed (&?;), a. [Pref. bi- + front.] Having two fronts. "Bifronted Janus." Massinger.

{ Bi*fur"cate (&?;), Bi*fur"ca*ted (&?;), } a. [Pref. bi- + furcate.] Two-pronged; forked.

Bi*fur"cate (&?;), v. i. To divide into two branches.

Bi`fur*ca"tion (&?;), n. [Cf. F. bifurcation.] A forking, or division into two branches.

Bi*fur"cous (&?;), a. [L. bifurcus; bis twice + furca fork.] See Bifurcate, a. [R.] Coles.

Big (&?;), a. [Compar. Bigger; superl. Biggest.] [Perh. from Celtic; cf. W. beichiog, beichiawg, pregnant, with child, fr. baich burden, Arm. beac'h; or cf. OE. bygly, Icel. biggiligr, (properly) habitable; (then) magnigicent, excellent, fr. OE. biggen, Icel. byggja, to dwell, build, akin to E. be.] 1. Having largeness of size; of much bulk or magnitude; of great size; large. "He's too big to go in there." Shak.

2. Great with young; pregnant; swelling; ready to give birth or produce; -- often figuratively.

big with the fate of Cato and of Rome. Addison.

3. Having greatness, fullness, importance, inflation, distention, etc., whether in a good or a bad sense; as, a big heart; a big voice; big looks; to look big. As applied to looks, it indicates haughtiness or pride.

God hath not in heaven a bigger argument. Jer. Taylor.

Big is often used in self-explaining compounds; as, big-boned; big-sounding; big-named; big- voiced.

To talk big, to talk loudly, arrogantly, or pretentiously.

I talked big to them at first. De Foe.

Syn. -- Bulky; large; great; massive; gross.

{ Big, Bigg }, n. [OE. bif, bigge; akin to Icel. bygg, Dan. byg, Sw. bjugg.] (Bot.) Barley, especially the hardy four-rowed kind.

"Bear interchanges in local use, now with barley, now with bigg." New English Dict.

{ Big, Bigg }, v. t. [OE. biggen, fr. Icel. byggja to inhabit, to build, b&?;a (neut.) to dwell (active) to make ready. See Boor, and Bound.] To build. [Scot. & North of Eng. Dial.] Sir W. Scott.

||Bi"ga (&?;), n. [L.] (Antiq.) A two-horse chariot.

Big"am (&?;), n. [L. bigamus twice married: cf. F. bigame. See Bigamy.] A bigamist. [Obs.]

Big"a*mist (&?;), n. [Cf. Digamist.] One who is guilty of bigamy. Ayliffe.