View source for B

{{Lewis
|lshtext=<b>B</b>: b, indecl. n., designates, in the Latin [[alphabet]], the [[soft]], labial [[sound]] as in English, [[unlike]] the Gr. [[beta]] (B, β), [[which]] approached the Engl.<br /><b>I</b> v in [[sound]]; v. Corss. Ausspr. I. p. 124 sqq. At the [[beginning]] of words it represents an [[original]] dv or gv, and [[elsewhere]] an [[original]] gv, p, v, or bh (v); v. Corss. Ausspr. I. pp. 134, 161. It corresponds [[regularly]] [[with]] Gr. β, [[but]] freq. also [[with]] π, and, in the [[middle]] of words, [[with]] φ; cf. [[brevis]], [[βραχύς]]; ab, ἀπό; [[carbasus]], [[κάρπασος]]; [[ambo]], [[ἀμφί]], [[ἄμφω]]; [[nubes]], [[νέφος]], etc.; v. Roby, Gram. I. p. 26; Kühner, Gram. § 34, 6. In Latin, as in all [[kindred]] languages, it [[was]] used in forming words to [[express]] the [[cry]] of [[different]] animals, as balare, barrire, baubari, blacterare, boare, bombitare, bubere, bubulare; children [[beginning]] to [[talk]] called [[their]] [[drink]] bua; so, [[balbus]] denoted the stammering [[sound]], bambalio the stuttering, blatire and blaterare the [[babbling]], [[blaesus]] the lisping, [[blandus]] the [[caressing]]. At the [[beginning]] of words b is [[found]] [[with]] no [[consonants]] [[except]] l and r (for [[bdellium]], [[instead]] of [[which]] Marc. Emp. also wrote bdella, is a [[foreign]] [[word]]); [[but]] in the [[middle]] of words it is [[connected]] [[with]] [[other]] [[liquid]] and [[feeble]] [[consonants]]. Before [[hard]] [[consonants]] b is [[found]] [[only]] in compounds [[with]] ob and sub, the [[only]] prepositions, [[besides]] ab, [[which]] [[end]] in a labial [[sound]]; and these freq. rejected the labial, [[even]] [[when]] [[they]] are separated by the [[insertion]] of s, as [[abspello]] and absporto [[pass]] [[into]] [[aspello]] and [[asporto]]; or the [[place]] of the labial is supplied by u, as in [[aufero]] and [[aufugio]] (cf. ab init. and au); [[before]] f and p it is assimilated, as [[suffero]], [[suppono]]; [[before]] m assimilated or not, as [[summergo]] or submergo; [[before]] c [[sometimes]] assimilated, as [[succedo]], [[succingo]], [[sometimes]] [[taking]] the form sus (as if from subs; cf. abs), as [[suscenseo]]; and [[sometimes]] su [[before]] s followed by a consonant, as [[suspicor]]. When b belonged to the [[root]] of a [[word]] it seems to [[have]] been retained, as [[plebs]] from [[plebis]], [[urbs]] from urbis, etc.; so in [[Arabs]], [[chalybs]] ( = Αραψ, [[χάλυψ]]), the Gr. ψ [[was]] represented by bs; as also in [[absis]], absinthi-um, etc. But in scripsi from [[scribo]], nupsi from [[nubo]], etc., b [[was]] changed to p, [[though]] [[some]] grammarians [[still]] wrote bs in these words; cf. Prisc. pp. 556, 557 P.; Vel. Long. pp. 2224, 2261 ib. Of the liquids, l and r [[stand]] [[either]] [[before]] or [[after]] b, [[but]] m [[only]] [[before]] it, [[with]] the [[exception]] of [[abmatertera]], [[parallel]] [[with]] the [[equally]] [[anomalous]] [[abpatruus]] (cf. ab init. and fin.), and n [[only]] [[after]] it; [[hence]] con and in [[before]] b [[always]] [[become]] com and im; as [[inversely]] b [[before]] n is [[sometimes]] changed to m, as [[Samnium]] for Sabinium and [[scamnum]] for scabnum, [[whence]] the [[dim]]. [[scabellum]]. B is so [[readily]] joined [[with]] u [[that]] not [[only]] acubus, arcubus, etc., were written for acibus, arcibus, etc., [[but]] also [[contubernium]] [[was]] formed from [[taberna]], and [[bubile]] [[was]] used for [[bovile]], as also in [[dubius]] ( = [[δοιός]], duo) a b [[was]] inserted. B could be doubled, as appears not [[only]] from the [[foreign]] words [[abbas]] and [[sabbatum]], [[but]] also from [[obba]] and [[gibba]], and the compounds [[with]] ob and sub. B is reduplicated in [[bibo]] (cf the Gr. πίω), as the [[shortness]] of the [[first]] [[syllable]] in the preterit bĭbi, compared [[with]] dēdi and stĕti or sti/ti, shows; [[although]] [[later]] [[bibo]] [[was]] treated as a [[primitive]], and the [[supine]] bibitum formed from it. Sometimes [[before]] b an m [[was]] inserted, e. g. in cumbo for [[cubo]] [[κύπτω]], [[lambo]] for [[λάπτω]], [[nimbus]] for [[νέφος]]; [[inversely]], also, it [[was]] rejected in [[sabucus]] for [[sambucus]] and [[labdacismus]] for [[lambdacismus]]. As in the [[middle]], so at the [[beginning]] of words, b [[might]] [[take]] the [[place]] of [[another]] labial, e. g. buxis for [[pyxis]], [[balaena]] for [[φάλαινα]], [[carbatina]] for [[carpatina]], [[publicus]] from [[poplicus]], [[ambo]] for [[ἄμφω]]; as [[even]] Enn. wrote [[Burrus]] and [[Bruges]] for [[Pyrrhus]] and [[Phryges]]; Naev., Balantium for [[Palatium]] (v. the [[latter]] words, and cf. Fest. p. 26).—In a [[later]] [[age]], [[but]] not [[often]] [[before]] A.D. 300, [[intercourse]] [[with]] the Greeks caused the [[pronunciation]] of the b and v to be so [[similar]] [[that]] Adamantius Martyrius in Cassiod. pp. 2295-2310 P., drew up a [[separate]] [[catalogue]] of words [[which]] [[might]] be written [[with]] [[either]] b or v. So, [[Petronius]] has [[berbex]] for verbex, and in inscrr., [[but]] not [[often]] [[before]] A. D. 300, [[such]] errors as bixit for vixit, abe for ave, ababus for [[abavus]], etc. (as [[inversely]] vene, devitum, [[acervus]], vasis [[instead]] of [[bene]], [[debitum]], [[acerbus]], [[basis]]), are [[found]]; Flabio, Jubentius, for Flavio, Juventius, are [[rare]] cases from the [[second]] [[century]] [[after]] Christ.—The [[interchange]] [[between]] labials, palatals, and linguals (as [[glans]] for [[βάλανος]], [[bilis]] for fel or [[χολή]]) is [[rare]] at the [[beginning]] of words, [[but]] [[more]] freq. in the [[middle]]; cf. [[tabeo]], [[τήκω]], and Sanscr. tak, [[terebra]] and [[τέρετρον]], [[uber]] and [[οὖθαρ]]; [[besides]] [[which]] the [[change]] of [[tribus]] Sucusana [[into]] Suburana (Varr. L. L. 5, § 48 Müll.; Quint. 1, 7, 29) deserves [[consideration]]. This [[interchange]] is [[most]] freq. in terminations used in forming words, as ber, cer, ter; brum or bulum, crum or culum, trum, bundus and cundus; [[bilis]] and tilis, etc.—Finally, the [[interchange]] of b [[with]] du at the [[beginning]] of words deserves [[special]] [[mention]], as [[duonus]] for [[bonus]], [[Bellona]] for [[Duellona]], [[bellum]] for [[duellum]], [[bellicus]] for duellicus, etc., and bis from [[duis]].—As an [[abbreviation]], B [[usually]] designates [[bonus]] or [[bene]]. Thus, B. D. = [[Bona]] Dea, Inscr. Orell. 1524; 2427; 2822: B. M. = [[bene]] merenti, ib. 99; 114; 506: B. M. P. = [[bene]] merenti posuit, ib. 255: B. D. S. M. = [[bene]] de se meritae, ib. 2437: B. V. V. = [[bene]] [[vale]] valeque, ib. 4816: B. M. = bonae memoriae, ib. 1136; 3385: B. M. = bonā mente, ib. 5033; [[sometimes]] it stands for [[beneficiarius]], and BB. beneficiarii, ib. 3489; 3868; 3486 al.
}}
{{Georges
|georg=B, b, der [[zweite]] [[Buchstabe]] [[des]] [[latein]]. Alphabetes, entsprechend dem griech. [[beta]] (Β, β), [[aber]] [[kurzweg]] be [[genannt]]. – Als [[Abkürzung]] [[auf]] Inschr. = Bonus od. Bene, zB. B. D. = [[bona]] [[Dea]], [[aber]] [[auch]] = [[bonum]] [[datum]]. – B. L. = [[bona]] [[lex]]. – B. O. = bono omine, [[bona]] omina. – B. P. = bono [[publico]], [[bona]] [[possessio]]. – B. ([[mit]] u. [[ohne]] D. S.) M. = [[bene]] (de se) merenti. – B. V. V. = [[bene]] [[vale]], [[vale]]!
}}