Chapter Bleaky to Blessed of B by Webster's Dictionary (1913 Edition)

Bleaky to Blessed

Bleaky
(Bleak"y) a. Bleak. [Obs.] Dryden.

Blear
(Blear) a. [See Blear, v.]

1. Dim or sore with water or rheum; — said of the eyes.

His blear eyes ran in gutters to his chin.
Dryden.

2. Causing or caused by dimness of sight; dim.

Power to cheat the eye with blear illusion.
Milton.

Blear
(Blear), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bleared ; p. pr. & vb. n. Blearing.] [OE. bleren; cf. Dan. plire to blink, Sw. plira to twinkle, wink, LG. plieren; perh. from the same root as E. blink. See Blink, and cf. Blur.] To make somewhat sore or watery, as the eyes; to dim, or blur, as the sight. Figuratively: To obscure (mental or moral perception); to blind; to hoodwink.

That tickling rheums
Should ever tease the lungs and blear the sight.
Cowper.

To blear the eye of, to deceive; to impose upon. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Bleared
(Bleared) a. Dimmed, as by a watery humor; affected with rheum. — Blear"ed*ness n.

Dardanian wives,
With bleared visages, come forth to view
The issue of the exploit.
Shak.

Bleareye
(Blear"eye`) n. (Med.) A disease of the eyelids, consisting in chronic inflammation of the margins, with a gummy secretion of sebaceous matter. Dunglison.

Blear-eyed
(Blear"-eyed`) a.

1. Having sore eyes; having the eyes dim with rheum; dim- sighted.

The blear-eyed Crispin.
Drant.

2. Lacking in perception or penetration; short- sighted; as, a blear-eyed bigot.

Bleareyedness
(Blear"eyed`ness), n. The state of being blear-eyed.

Bleary
(Blear"y) a. Somewhat blear.

Bleat
(Bleat) v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bleated; p. pr. & vb. n. Bleating.] [OE. bleten, AS. bltan; akin to D. blaten, bleeten, OHG. blazan, plazan; prob. of imitative origin.] To make the noise of, or one like that of, a sheep; to cry like a sheep or calf.

Then suddenly was heard along the main,
To low the ox, to bleat the woolly train.
Pope

The ewe that will not hear her lamb when it baas, will never answer a calf when he bleats.
Shak.

Bleat
(Bleat), n. A plaintive cry of, or like that of, a sheep.

The bleat of fleecy sheep.
Chapman's Homer.

Bleater
(Bleat"er) n. One who bleats; a sheep.

In cold, stiff soils the bleaters oft complain
Of gouty ails.
Dyer.