BAY


Meaning of BAY in English

/ beɪ; NAmE / noun , verb , adjective

■ noun

1.

[ C ] a part of the sea, or of a large lake, partly surrounded by a wide curve of the land :

the Bay of Bengal

Hudson Bay

a magnificent view across the bay

2.

[ C ] a marked section of ground either inside or outside a building, for example for a vehicle to park in, for storing things, etc. :

a parking / loading bay

Put the equipment in No 3 bay.

—see also sickbay

3.

[ C ] a curved area of a room or building that sticks out from the rest of the building

4.

[ C ] a horse of a dark brown colour :

He was riding a big bay.

5.

[ C ] a deep noise, especially the noise made by dogs when hunting

6.

(also ˈsweet bay ) [ C ] = bay tree

7.

[ U ] a herb used to give flavour to food, made of the leaves of the bay tree

IDIOMS

- at bay

- hold / keep sb/sth at bay

■ verb [ v ]

1.

( of a dog or wolf ) to make a long deep sound, especially while hunting

SYN howl :

a pack of baying hounds

2.

bay (for sth) (usually used in the progressive tenses) to demand sth in a loud and angry way :

The referee's decision left the crowd baying for blood (= threatening violence towards him) .

■ adjective

( of a horse ) dark brown in colour :

a bay mare

••

WORD ORIGIN

noun sense 1 late Middle English : from Old French baie , from Old Spanish bahia , of unknown origin.

noun senses 2 to 3 late Middle English : from Old French baie , from baer to gape, from medieval Latin batare , of unknown origin.

noun sense 4 and adjective Middle English : from Old French bai , from Latin badius .

verb Middle English (as a noun): from Old French (a)bai (noun), (a)baiier (verb) to bark, of imitative origin.

Oxford Advanced Learner's English Dictionary.      Оксфордский английский словарь для изучающик язык на продвинутом уровне.