b Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil
bacillus.
noun originally thought to be a single vitamin but now separated into several B vitamins
B vitamin; vitamin B; vitamin B complex; B-complex vitamin; B complex.
noun a trivalent metalloid element; occurs both in a hard black crystal and in the form of a yellow or brown powder
atomic number 5; boron.
noun a logarithmic unit of sound intensity equal to 10 decibels
Bel.
noun (physics) a unit of nuclear cross section; the effective circular area that one particle presents to another as a target for an encounter
barn.
noun the 2nd letter of the Roman alphabet
noun the blood group whose red cells carry the B antigen
type B; group B.

is the second letter of the English alphabet. (See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 196,220.) It is etymologically related to p , v , f , w and m , letters representing sounds having a close organic affinity to its own sound; as in Eng. bursar and purser; Eng. bear and Lat. pear; Eng. silver and Ger. silber; Lat. cubitum and It. gomito; Eng. seven, Anglo-Saxon seofon, Ger. sieben, Lat. septem, Gr., Sanskrit saptan. The form of letter B is Roman, from Greek B (Beta), of Semitic origin. The small b was formed by gradual change from the capital B. In Music, B is the nominal of the seventh tone in the model major scale (the scale of C major ), or of the second tone in it's relative minor scale (that of A minor ) . B♭ stands for B flat, the tone a half step , or semitone, lower than B. In German, B stands for our B♭, while our B natural is called H (pronounced hä).