ب be called با bā in Arabic, is the second letter of the Arabic and Persian alphabets: and, in the representation of Hindī words by the letters of these alphabets, it corresponds to the Nā- garī ब; or, with ه (he) subjoined, to भ. When used numerically, according to the ابجد or arrangement of the Arabic alphabet to sig- nify numbers, it stands for two; hence, it is used to denote the second day of the week, Monday; and, in astronomical calculations, the sign Gemini. By way of abbreviation, more- over, it is occasionally written for the month رجب rajab, of which word it is the final letter. At the middle or end of a word, this letter is sometimes changed to ف پ or م as, تپ tap for تب tab, A fever; زفان zafān for زبان za- bān, Language; غژم g̠ẖuzhm for غژب g̠ẖuzhb, A grape-stone. In Persian words, too, it is occasionally interchanged with و and in such as are borrowed or derived from the Sanskrit, it is frequently substituted for the Nāgarī letter व.

بنهاٴي banhāʼī H s. f. A female conjurer, an en- chantress.

ببي babai S̱. s. m. 1. (वर्वरा) The seed of a sweet scented herb (Ocymum pilosum. Roxb.). 2. Name of a bird.

برکهب brikhab S̱. (for वृषभ) s. m. A bull.

بهينسياداد bhaiṅsiyā-dād S̱. (महिषद्द्रु) s. m. A kind of ringworm. S. بهينکر भयंकर (from भय Fear, and r. कृ Make) bhayankar, adj. Horrible, terrifick.

بهراوٿ bharāwaṭ S̱. (r. भृ Fill) s. f. Filling, stuf- fing.

بين bīn P part. act. (from ديدن) in compos. Seeing, beholding, looking, regarding. S̱. بين 1. ben or benu or bain (for वेणु) s. f. A flute, pipe, fife. 2. bīn (for वीणा) s. f. A kind of lute. (See Asiat. Res., vol. i. art. xiii.). 3. bain (for वाणी) s. m. f. A word, speech.

بج بجانا baj bajānā S̱. (see بجانا) v. n. To effer- vesce with noise in putrefying. A. S̱. بجدهونا ba-jidd-honā, v. n. To be in earnest, to be importunate, to insist.

بيت الله baitu-l-lāh A s. m. (House of God) The temple of Mecca.

بنچنا banchnā S̱. (वचन Discourse) v. n. To be read or perused.