bay

noun

1. A body of water (especially the sea) contained by a concave shoreline.

   “This hotel has a great view across the bay.”

   “'Twas early June, the new grass was flourishing everywheres, the posies in the yard—peonies and such—in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the water of the bay was blue, with light green streaks where the shoal showed.”

2. A bank or dam to keep back water.
3. (countable)A tree or shrub of species Laurus nobilis (family Lauraceae), having dark green leaves and berries.
4. (uncountable)Bay leaf, the leaf of this or certain other species of tree or shrub, used as a herb.
5. (uncountable)Mahogany of species Swietenia macrophylla obtained from Campeche in Mexico.
6. (archaic, countable, in-plural, uncountable)The leaves of this shrub, woven into a garland used to reward a champion or victor; hence, fame, victory.

   “both you here with many a cursed oth, / Sweare she is yours, and stirre vp bloudie frayes, / To win a willow bough, whilest other weares the bayes.”

   “The patriot's honours and the poet's bays.”

7. (US, countable, dialectal, uncountable)A tract covered with bay trees.
8. (countable, obsolete, uncountable)A berry.
9. An opening in a wall, especially between two columns.
10. An internal recess; a compartment or area surrounded on three sides.

    “Wrex: And Shepard--I like what you've done with the Normandy. Got tired of always hanging around the cargo bay before.”

    “A “moving platform” scheme[…]is more technologically ambitious than maglev trains even though it relies on conventional rails. Local trains would use side-by-side rails to roll alongside intercity trains and allow passengers to switch trains by stepping through docking bays.”

11. A display unit in a shop or store, especially a large metal one.

    “end bay”

    “gondola bay”

    “wall bay”

12. A section of ceiling delineated by supports such as rafters or vaulting ribs.
13. Each of the spaces, port and starboard, between decks, forward of the bitts, in sailing warships.
14. A bay platform.

    “There is a short bay at the west end of each platform, but neither is used for passenger trains.”

15. A bay window.
16. A room for editing video footage or physical film.
17. (countable, uncountable)The excited howling of dogs when hunting or being attacked.

    “The hunt is up, the morn is bright and grey, / The fields are fragrant, and the woods are green. / Uncouple here, and let us make a bay / And wake the Emperor and his lovely bride, / And rouse the Prince, and ring a hunter's peal, / That all the court may echo with the noise.”

18. (broadly, countable, uncountable)The climactic confrontation between hunting-dogs and their prey.
19. (figuratively, uncountable)A state of being obliged to face an antagonist or a difficulty, when escape has become impossible.

    “Embolden'd by despair, he stood at bay.”

    “The most terrible evils are just kept at bay by incessant efforts.”

20. (countable, uncountable)A brown colour/color of the coat of some horses.
21. (countable, uncountable)A horse of this color.

    “[…] browns are the soberest, bays are the worst tempered, and chestnuts are the most foolish.”

verb

1. (intransitive)To howl.

   “The hounds at nearer distance hoarsely bay'd.”

   “For at the last shall the thunder, fleeing to escape from the doom of the gods, roar horribly among the Worlds; and Time, the hound of the gods, shall bay hungrily at his masters because he is lean with age.”

   “The scene was rocking, all were digging the sounds Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds The coffin-bangers were about to arrive With their vocal group, The Crypt-Kicker Five.”

2. (transitive)To bark at; hence, to follow with barking; to bring or drive to bay.

   “to bay the bear”

   “Spit, and throw stones, cast mire upon me, set / The dogs o'th' street to bay me”

3. (transitive)To pursue noisily, like a pack of hounds.

adj

1. (especially)Of a reddish-brown colour.

   “Mr. Free also owned restaurants and bred horses. His bay gelding, Packett's Landing, won almost $800,000 in his five-year career in the late 1980's and early 1990's.”

name

1. A region of Somalia.
2. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, informal)Ellipsis of San Francisco Bay Area (metropolitan area in California): a geographic region of California, United States.
3. (abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, informal)Ellipsis of San Francisco Bay: a bay of the Pacific Ocean in California, United States.
4. A surname