Bush, n. [D. bus a box, akin to E.
box; or F. boucher to plug.] 1.
(Mech.) A lining for a hole to make it smaller; a thimble or
ring of metal or wood inserted in a plate or other part of machinery to
receive the wear of a pivot or arbor. Knight.
☞ In the larger machines, such a piece is called a box,
particularly in the United States.
2. (Gun.) A piece of copper, screwed into a
gun, through which the venthole is bored. Farrow.
Bush, v. t. To furnish with a bush, or
lining; as, to bush a pivot hole.
Bush (?), n. [OE. bosch,
busch, buysch, bosk, busk; akin to D.
bosch, OHG. busc, G. busch, Icel. būskr,
būski, Dan. busk, Sw. buske, and also to LL.
boscus, buscus, Pr. bosc, It. bosco, Sp. & Pg.
bosque, F. bois, OF. bos. Whether the LL. or G. form
is the original is uncertain; if the LL., it is perh. from the same source
as E. box a case. Cf. Ambush, Boscage, Bouquet,
Box a case.] 1. A thicket, or place abounding
in trees or shrubs; a wild forest.
☞ This was the original sense of the word, as in the Dutch
bosch, a wood, and was so used by Chaucer. In this sense it is
extensively used in the British colonies, especially at the Cape of Good
Hope, and also in Australia and Canada; as, to live or settle in the
bush.
2. A shrub; esp., a shrub with branches rising from
or near the root; a thick shrub or a cluster of shrubs.
To bind a bush of thorns among sweet-smelling
flowers.
Gascoigne.
3. A shrub cut off, or a shrublike branch of a
tree; as, bushes to support pea vines.
4. A shrub or branch, properly, a branch of ivy (as
sacred to Bacchus), hung out at vintners' doors, or as a tavern sign;
hence, a tavern sign, and symbolically, the tavern itself.
If it be true that good wine needs no bush, 't is
true that a good play needs no epilogue.
Shak.
5. (Hunting) The tail, or brush, of a
fox.
To beat about the bush, to approach anything in a
round-about manner, instead of coming directly to it; -- a metaphor taken
from hunting. -- Bush bean (Bot.), a
variety of bean which is low and requires no support (Phaseolus
vulgaris, variety nanus). See Bean, 1. --
Bush buck, or Bush goat
(Zoöl.), a beautiful South African antelope (Tragelaphus
sylvaticus); -- so called because found mainly in wooden localities.
The name is also applied to other species. -- Bush
cat (Zoöl.), the serval. See Serval.
-- Bush chat (Zoöl.), a bird of the genus
Pratincola, of the Thrush family. -- Bush
dog. (Zoöl.) See Potto. --
Bush hammer. See Bushhammer in the
Vocabulary. -- Bush harrow (Agric.) See
under Harrow. -- Bush hog
(Zoöl.), a South African wild hog (Potamochœrus
Africanus); -- called also bush pig, and water hog.
-- Bush master (Zoöl.), a venomous snake
(Lachesis mutus) of Guinea; -- called also surucucu. --
Bush pea (Bot.), a variety of pea that needs
to be bushed. -- Bush shrike (Zoöl.),
a bird of the genus Thamnophilus, and allied genera; -- called
also batarg. Many species inhabit tropical America. --
Bush tit (Zoöl.), a small bird of the
genus Psaltriparus, allied to the titmouse. P. minimus
inhabits California.
Bush (?), v. i. To branch thickly in
the manner of a bush. "The bushing alders." Pope.
Bush, v. t. [imp. & p. p.
Bushed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Bushing.]
1. To set bushes for; to support with bushes; as, to
bush peas.
2. To use a bush harrow on (land), for covering
seeds sown; to harrow with a bush; as, to bush a piece of land; to
bush seeds into the ground.