I. ˈbē noun
( plural b's or bs ˈbēz)
Usage: often capitalized, often attributive
1.
a. : the second letter of the English alphabet
b. : an instance of this letter printed, written, or otherwise represented
c. : a speech counterpart of orthographic b (as b in bib, baby, dabbed, or German bühne )
2.
a. : the keynote of B major or B minor
b. : the tone B
3. : a printer's type, a stamp, or some other instrument for reproducing the letter b
4. : someone or something arbitrarily or conveniently designated b especially as the second in order or class
A deeded land to B
5.
a. : a grade assigned by a teacher or examiner rating a student's work as good, better than average, but short of excellent
the typical student begins at D, moves up steadily, and is doing C or B work at the finish — Philip Marsh
b. : one graded or rated with a B
a B student
c. : a motion picture produced on a small budget and usually shown as a supplement to the main feature of a program
6. : something having the shape of the capital letter B
II. abbreviation
Usage: often capitalized
1. bachelor
2. bacillus
3. back
4. bag
5. baht
6. balboa
7. bale
8. ball
9. ban
10.
[Medieval Latin bancus ]
bench
11. band
12. bar
13. barge
14. baron
15. base
16. bass
17. basso
18. bat
19. bath
20. battery
21. battle
22. Baumé
23. bay
24. bearing
25.
[Latin beata (feminine) & beatus (masculine) — more at beatify ]
blessed
26. before
27. bel
28. Bible
29. bid
30. bishop
31. bitch
32. black
33. blend
34. blue
35. boatswain
36. bogach
37. boils at
38. bolivar
39. boliviano
40. bomber
41. bond
42. book
43. born
44. bottom
45. bowled
46. brass
47. breadth
48. breezing
49. brick
50. brightness
51. British
52. British thermal unit
53. broadcast
54. broken
55. brotherhood
56. bulb
57. bulletin
58. bye
III. symbol
Usage: capitalized
1. boron
2. magnetic induction