B

1. Chess. bishop.

2. black.

3. Photog. bulb (def. 8).

Symbol.

1. the second in order or in a series.

2. (sometimes l.c.) (in some grading systems) a grade or mark, as in school or college, indicating the quality of a student's work as good or better than average.

3. (sometimes l.c.) (in some school systems) a symbol designating the second semester of a school year.

4. Physiol. a major blood group usually enabling a person whose blood is of this type to donate blood to persons of type B or AB and to receive blood from persons of type O or B. Cf. ABO system.

5. Music.

a. the seventh tone in the scale of C major or the second tone in the relative minor scale, A minor.

b. a string, key, or pipe tuned to this tone.

c. a written or printed note representing this tone.

d. (in the fixed system of solmization) the seventh tone of the scale of C major, called ti.

e. the tonality having B as the tonic note.

6. (sometimes l.c.) the medieval Roman numeral for 300.

7. Chem. boron.

8. a proportional shoe width size, narrower than C and wider than A.

9. a proportional brassiere cup size, smaller than C and larger than A.

10. Physics. See magnetic induction.

11. Elect. susceptance.

12. a designation for a motion picture made on a low budget and meant as the secondary part of a double feature.

13. a quality rating for a corporate or municipal bond, lower than BB and higher than CCC.

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