bad

imp. of Bid. Bade. [ Obs. ] Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. [ F. ] A person given to idle observation of everything, with wonder or astonishment; a credulous or gossipy idler. [ 1913 Webster ]

A host of stories . . . dealing chiefly with the subject of his great wealth, an ever delightful topic to the badauds of Paris. Pall Mall Mag. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

compar. of Bad, a. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Perh. for Balderlocks, fr. Balder the Scandinavian deity. ] (Bot.) A large black seaweed (Alaria esculenta) sometimes eaten in Europe; -- also called murlins, honeyware, and henware. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Somewhat bad; inferior. Jeffrey. [ 1913 Webster ]

A form of the past tense of Bid. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To mark or distinguish with a badge. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. bagea, bagia, sign, prob. of German origin; cf. AS. beág, beáh, bracelet, collar, crown, OS. bōg- in comp., AS. būgan to bow, bend, G. biegen. See Bow to bend. ] 1. A distinctive mark, token, sign, or cognizance, worn on the person; as, the badge of a society; the badge of a policeman. “Tax gatherers, recognized by their official badges.” Prescott. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Something characteristic; a mark; a token. [ 1913 Webster ]

Sweet mercy is nobility's true badge. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Naut.) A carved ornament on the stern of a vessel, containing a window or the representation of one. [ 1913 Webster ]