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In boxing the compass, by indicates a pint nearer to, or towards, the next cardinal point; as, north by
east, i.e., a point towards the east from the north; northeast by east, i.e., on point nearer the east than
northeast is.
With is used instead of by before the instrument with which anything is done; as, to beat one with a
stick; the board was fastened by the carpenter with nails. But there are many words which may be regarded
as means or processes, or, figuratively, as instruments; and whether with or by shall be used with them
is a matter of arbitrary, and often, of unsettled usage; as, to a reduce a town by famine; to consume
stubble with fire; he gained his purpose by flattery; he entertained them with a story; he distressed us
with or by a recital of his sufferings. see With.
By all means, most assuredly; without fail; certainly. — By and by. (a) Close together [Obs.] "Two
yonge knightes liggyng [lying] by and by." Chaucer. (b) Immediately; at once. [Obs.] "When . . . persecution
ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended." Matt. xiii. 21. (c) Presently; pretty soon; before
long. In this phrase, by seems to be used in the sense of nearness in time, and to be repeated for
the sake of emphasis, and thus to be equivalent to "soon, and soon," that is instantly; hence, — less
emphatically, — pretty soon, presently. — By one's self, with only one's self near; alone; solitary.- By
the bye. See under Bye. — By the head (Naut.), having the bows lower than the stern; — said of
a vessel when her head is lower in the water than her stern. If her stern is lower, she is by the stern.
— By the lee, the situation of a vessel, going free, when she has fallen off so much as to bring the
wind round her stern, and to take her sails aback on the other side. — By the run, to let go by the
run, to let go altogether, instead of slacking off. — By the way, by the bye; — used to introduce an
incidental or secondary remark or subject. -Day by day, One by one, Piece by piece, etc., each
day, each one, each piece, etc., by itself singly or separately; each severally. — To come by, to get
possession of; to obtain. — To do by, to treat, to behave toward. — To set by, to value, to esteem.
— To stand by, to aid, to support.
The common phrase good-by is equivalent to farewell, and would be better written good-bye, as it is a
corruption of God be with you
By
(By) adv.
1. Near; in the neighborhood; present; as, there was no person by at the time.
2. Passing near; going past; past; beyond; as, the procession has gone by; a bird flew by.
3. Aside; as, to lay by; to put by.
By
(By) a. Out of the common path; aside; — used in composition, giving the meaning of something
aside, secondary, or incidental, or collateral matter, a thing private or avoiding notice; as, by-line, by-
place, by-play, by- street. It was formerly more freely used in composition than it is now; as, by-business,
by-concernment, by-design, by- interest, etc.
Byard
(By"ard) n. A piece of leather crossing the breast, used by the men who drag sledges in coal
mines.
By-bidder
(By"-bid`der) n. One who bids at an auction in behalf of the auctioneer or owner, for the purpose
of running up the price of articles. [U.S.]
By-blow
(By"-blow`) n.
1. A side or incidental blow; an accidental blow.
With their by-blows they did split the very stones in pieces.
Bunyan.
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