1.
[syn: box beam, box girder]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Box \Box\, n.; pl. Boxes [As. box a small case or vessel with
a cover; akin to OHG. buhsa box, G. b["u]chse; fr. L. buxus
boxwood, anything made of boxwood. See Pyx, and cf. Box a
tree, Bushel.]
1. A receptacle or case of any firm material and of various
shapes.
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2. The quantity that a box contain.
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3. A space with a few seats partitioned off in a theater, or
other place of public amusement.
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Laughed at by the pit, box, galleries, nay, stage.
--Dorset.
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The boxes and the pit are sovereign judges.
--Dryden.
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4. A chest or any receptacle for the deposit of money; as, a
poor box; a contribution box.
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Yet since his neighbors give, the churl unlocks,
Damning the poor, his tripple-bolted box. --J.
Warton.
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5. A small country house. "A shooting box." --Wilson.
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Tight boxes neatly sashed. --Cowper.
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6. A boxlike shed for shelter; as, a sentry box.
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7. (Mach)
(a) An axle box, journal box, journal bearing, or bushing.
(b) A chamber or section of tube in which a valve works;
the bucket of a lifting pump.
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8. The driver's seat on a carriage or coach.
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9. A present in a box; a present; esp. a Christmas box or
gift. "A Christmas box." --Dickens.
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10. (Baseball) The square in which the pitcher stands.
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11. (Zool.) A Mediterranean food fish; the bogue.
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Note: Box is much used adjectively or in composition; as box
lid, box maker, box circle, etc.; also with modifying
substantives; as money box, letter box, bandbox, hatbox
or hat box, snuff box or snuffbox.
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Box beam (Arch.), a beam made of metal plates so as to have
the form of a long box.
Box car (Railroads), a freight car covered with a roof and
inclosed on the sides to protect its contents.
Box chronometer, a ship's chronometer, mounted in gimbals,
to preserve its proper position.
Box coat, a thick overcoat for driving; sometimes with a
heavy cape to carry off the rain.
Box coupling, a metal collar uniting the ends of shafts or
other parts in machinery.
Box crab (Zool.), a crab of the genus Calappa, which,
when at rest with the legs retracted, resembles a box.
Box drain (Arch.), a drain constructed with upright sides,
and with flat top and bottom.
Box girder (Arch.), a box beam.
Box groove (Metal Working), a closed groove between two
rolls, formed by a collar on one roll fitting between
collars on another. --R. W. Raymond.
Box metal, an alloy of copper and tin, or of zinc, lead,
and antimony, for the bearings of journals, etc.
Box plait, a plait that doubles both to the right and the
left.
Box turtle or
Box tortoise (Zool.), a land tortoise or turtle of the
genera Cistudo and Emys; -- so named because it can
withdraw entirely within its shell, which can be closed by
hinged joints in the lower shell. Also, humorously, an
exceedingly reticent person. --Emerson.
In a box, in a perplexity or an embarrassing position; in
difficulty. (Colloq.)
In the wrong box, out of one's place; out of one's element;
awkwardly situated. (Colloq.) --Ridley (1554)
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
box beam
n 1: a beam built up from boards; has a hollow rectangular cross
section [syn: box beam, box girder]