Chapter 1857

Vous`soir" (?) , n. [F., akin to vo\'96te an arch, a vault.] (Arch.) One of the wedgelike stones of which an arch is composed.

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Vow <Xpage=1620>

Vow (?) , n. [OE. vou , OF. vou , veu , vo , vu , F. v<?/u , from L. votum , from vovere , to vow. Cf. Avow , Devout , Vote .]

1. A solemn promise made to God, or to some deity; an act by which one consecrates or devotes himself, absolutely or conditionally, wholly or in part, for a longer or shorter time, to some act, service, or condition; a devotion of one's possessions; as, a baptismal vow ; a vow of poverty . "Nothing . . . that may . . . stain my vow of Nazarite."

Milton.

I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow . 2 Sam. xv. 7.

I am combined by a sacred vow . Shak.

2. Specifically, a promise of fidelity; a pledge of love or affection; as, the marriage vow .

Knights of love, who never broke their vow ; Firm to their plighted faith. Dryden.

Vow <Xpage=1620>

Vow (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Vowed (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Vowing .] [OE. vouen , OF. vouer , voer , F. vouer , LL. votare . See Vow , n. ]

1. To give, consecrate, or dedicate to God, or to some deity, by a solemn promise; to devote; to promise solemnly. "When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it."

Eccl. v. 4.

[Men] that vow a long and weary pilgrimage. Shak.

2. To assert solemnly; to asseverate.

Vow <Xpage=1620>

Vow , v. i. To make a vow, or solemn promise.

Better is it that thou shouldest not vow , than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Eccl. v. 5.

Vowel <Xpage=1620>

Vow"el (?) , n. [F. voyelle , or an OF. form without y , L. vocalis (sc. littera ), from vocalis sounding, from vox , vocis , a voice, sound. See Vocal .] (Phon.) A vocal, or sometimes a whispered, sound modified by resonance in the oral passage, the peculiar resonance in each case giving to each several vowel its distinctive character or quality as a sound of speech; -- distinguished from a consonant in that the latter, whether made with or without vocality, derives its character in every case from some kind of obstructive action by the mouth organs. Also, a letter or character which represents such a sound. See Guide to Pronunciation , &sect;&sect; 5, 146-149.

&hand; In the English language, the written vowels are a , e , i , o , u , and sometimes w and y. The spoken vowels are much more numerous.

Close vowel . See under Close , a. -- Vowel point . See under Point , n.

Vowel <Xpage=1620>

Vow"el , a. Of or pertaining to a vowel; vocal.

Voweled <Xpage=1620>

Vow"eled (?) , a. Furnished with vowels. [Written also vowelled .]

Dryden.

Vowelish <Xpage=1620>

Vow"el*ish (?) , a. Of the nature of a vowel. [R.] "The power [of w ] is always vowelish ."

B. Jonson.

Vowelism <Xpage=1620>

Vow"el*ism (?) , n. The use of vowels. [R.]

Vowelize <Xpage=1620>

Vow"el*ize (?) , v. t. To give the quality, sound, or office of a vowel to.

Vower <Xpage=1620>

Vow"er (?) , n. One who makes a vow.

Bale.

Vow-fellow <Xpage=1620>

Vow"-fel`low (?) , n. One bound by the same vow as another. [R.]

Shak.

Vox <Xpage=1620>

Vox (?) , n. [L. See Voice .] A voice.

Vox humana (<?/) [L., human voice] (Mus.) , a reed stop in an organ, made to imitate the human voice.

Voyage <Xpage=1620>

Voy"age (?; 48) , n. [OE. veage , viage , OF. veage , viage , veiage , voiage , F. voyage , LL. viaticum , fr. L. viaticum traveling money, provision for a journey, from viaticus belonging to a road or journey, fr. via way, akin to E. way . See Way , n. , and cf. Convey , Deviate , Devious , Envoy , Trivial , Viaduct , Viaticum .]

1. Formerly, a passage either by sea or land; a journey, in general; but not chiefly limited to a passing by sea or water from one place, port, or country, to another; especially, a passing or journey by water to a distant place or country.

I love a sea voyage and a blustering tempest. J. Fletcher.

So steers the prudent crane Her annual voyage , borne on winds. Milton.

All the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries. Shak.

2. The act or practice of traveling. [Obs.]

Nations have interknowledge of one another by voyage into foreign parts, or strangers that come to them. Bacon.

3. Course; way. [Obs.]

Shak.

Voyage <Xpage=1620>

Voy"age , v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Voyaged (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Voyaging (?) .] [Cf. F. voyager .] To take a voyage; especially, to sail or pass by water.

A mind forever Voyaging through strange seas of thought alone. Wordsworth.

Voyage <Xpage=1620>

Voy"age , v. t. To travel; to pass over; to traverse.

With what pain [I] voyaged the unreal, vast, unbounded deep. Milton.

Voyageable <Xpage=1620>

Voy"age*a*ble (?) , a. [Cf. F. voyageable .] That may be sailed over, as water or air; navigable.

Voyager <Xpage=1620>

Voy"a*ger (?) , n. [Cf. F. voyager traveling.] One who voyages; one who sails or passes by sea or water.

Voyageur <Xpage=1620>

Voy`a`geur" (?) , n. [F., fr. voyager to travel. See Voyage .] A traveler; -- applied in Canada to a man employed by the fur companies in transporting goods by the rivers and across the land, to and from the remote stations in the Northwest.

Voyol <Xpage=1620>

Voy"ol (?) , n. (Naut.) (a) See Viol , 2. (b) The block through which a messenger passes. [Written also viol , and voyal .]

Vraisemblance <Xpage=1620>

Vrai`sem`blance" (?) , n. [F.] The appearance of truth; verisimilitude.

Vugg, Vugh <Xpage=1620>

Vugg , Vugh (?) , n. (Mining) A cavity in a lode; -- called also vogle .

Vulcan <Xpage=1620>

Vul"can (?) , n. [L. Vulcanus , Volcanus : cf. Skr. ulk\'be a firebrand, meteor. Cf. Volcano .] (Rom. Myth.) The god of fire, who presided over the working of metals; -- answering to the Greek Heph\'91stus .

Vulcanian <Xpage=1620>

Vul*ca"ni*an (?) , a. [L. Vulcanius .]

1. Of or pertaining to Vulcan; made by Vulcan; hence, of or pertaining to works in iron or other metals.

Ingenious allusions to the Vulcanian panoply which Achilles lent to his feebler friend. Macaulay.

2. (Geol.) Volcanic.

Vulcanic <Xpage=1620>

Vul*can"ic (?) , a. 1. Of or pertaining to Vulcan; made by Vulcan; Vulcanian.

2. Of or pertaining to volcanoes; specifically, relating to the geological theory of the Vulcanists, or Plutonists.

Vulcanicity <Xpage=1620>

Vul`can*ic"i*ty (?) , n. Volcanicity.

Vulcanism <Xpage=1620>

Vul"can*ism (?) , n. Volcanism.

Vulcanist <Xpage=1620>

Vul"can*ist , n. A volcanist.

Vulcanite <Xpage=1620>

Vul"can*ite (?) , n. Hard rubber produced by vulcanizing with a large proportion of sulphur.

Vulcanization <Xpage=1620>

Vul`can*i*za"tion (?) , n. [See Vulcan .] The act or process of imparting to caoutchouc, gutta-percha, or the like, greater elasticity, durability, or hardness by heating with sulphur under pressure.

Vulcanize <Xpage=1620>

Vul"can*ize (?) , v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Vulcanized (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Vulcanizing (?) .] To change the properties of, as caoutchouc, or India rubber, by the process of vulcanization.

Vulcanized fiber , paper, paper pulp, or other fiber, chemically treated, as with metallic chlorides, so as to form a substance resembling ebonite in texture, hardness, etc. Knight . -- Vulcanized rubber , India rubber, vulcanized.

Vulcanizer <Xpage=1620>

Vul"can*i`zer (?) , n. One who, or that which, vulcanizes; esp., an apparatus for vulcanizing caoutchouc.

Vulcano <Xpage=1620>

Vul*ca"no (?) , n. A volcano. [Obs.]

Vulcanology <Xpage=1620>

Vul`can*ol"o*gy (?) , n. [See Vulcan , and -logy .] The science which treats of phenomena due to plutonic action, as in volcanoes, hot springs, etc. [R.]

Vulgar <Xpage=1620>

Vul"gar (?) , a. [L. vulgaris , from vulgus the multitude, the common people; of uncertain origin: cf. F. vulgaire . Cf. Divulge .]

1. Of or pertaining to the mass, or multitude, of people; common; general; ordinary; public; hence, in general use; vernacular. "As common as any the most vulgar thing to sense. "

Shak.

Things vulgar , and well-weighed, scarce worth the praise. Milton.

It might be more useful to the English reader . . . to write in our vulgar language. Bp. Fell.

The mechanical process of multiplying books had brought the New Testament in the vulgar tongue within the reach of every class. Bancroft.

2. Belonging or relating to the common people, as distinguished from the cultivated or educated; pertaining to common life; plebeian; not select or distinguished; hence, sometimes, of little or no value. "Like the vulgar sort of market men."

Shak.

Men who have passed all their time in low and vulgar life. Addison.

In reading an account of a battle, we follow the hero with our whole attention, but seldom reflect on the vulgar heaps of slaughter. Rambler.

3. Hence, lacking cultivation or refinement; rustic; boorish; also, offensive to good taste or refined feelings; low; coarse; mean; base; as, vulgar men, minds, language, or manners .

Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar . Shak.

Vulgar fraction . (Arith.) See under Fraction .

Vulgar <Xpage=1620>

Vul"gar , n. [Cf. F. vulgaire .]

1. One of the common people; a vulgar person. [Obs.]

These vile vulgars are extremely proud. Chapman.

2. The vernacular, or common language. [Obs.]

Vulgarian <Xpage=1620>

Vul*ga"ri*an (?) , n. A vulgar person; one who has vulgar ideas. Used also adjectively.

Vulgarism <Xpage=1620>

Vul"gar*ism (?) , n. [Cf. F. vulgarisme .]

1. Grossness; rudeness; vulgarity.

2. A vulgar phrase or expression.

A fastidious taste will find offense in the occasional vulgarisms , or what we now call "slang," which not a few of our writers seem to have affected. Coleridge.

Vulgarity <Xpage=1620>

Vul*gar"i*ty (?) , n. [Cf. F. vulgarit\'82 , L. vulgaritas the multitude.]

1. The quality or state of being vulgar; mean condition of life; the state of the lower classes of society.

Sir T. Browne.

2. Grossness or clownishness of manners of language; absence of refinement; coarseness.

The reprobate vulgarity of the frequenters of Bartholomew Fair. B. Jonson.

Vulgarization <Xpage=1620>

Vul`gar*i*za"tion (?) , n. The act or process of making vulgar, or common.

Vulgarize <Xpage=1620>

Vul"gar*ize (?) , v. t. & i. [ imp. & p. p. Vulgarized (?) ; p. pr. & vb. n. Vulgarizing (?) .] [Cf. F. vulgariser , LL. vulgarizare .] To make vulgar, or common.

Exhortation vulgarized by low wit. V. Knox.

Vulgarly <Xpage=1620>

Vul"gar*ly , adv. In a vulgar manner.

Vulgarness <Xpage=1620>

Vul"gar*ness , n. The quality of being vulgar.

Vulgate <Xpage=1620>

Vul"gate (?) , n. [NL. vulgata , from L. vulgatus usual, common, p. p. of vulgare to make general, or common, fr. vulgus the multitude: cf. F. vulgate . See Vulgar , a. ] An ancient Latin version of the Scripture, and the only version which the Roman Church admits to be authentic; -- so called from its common use in the Latin Church.

&hand; The Vulgate was made by Jerome at the close of the 4th century. The Old Testament he translated mostly from the Hebrew and Chaldaic, and the New Testament he revised from an older Latin version. The Douay version, so called, is an English translation from the Vulgate. See Douay Bible .

Vulgate <Xpage=1620>

Vul"gate (?) , a. Of or pertaining to the Vulgate, or the old Latin version of the Scriptures.

Vulnerability <Xpage=1620>

Vul`ner*a*bil"i*ty (?) , n. The quality or state of being vulnerable; vulnerableness.

Vulnerable <Xpage=1620>

Vul"ner*a*ble (?) , a. [L. vulnerabilis wounding, injurious, from vulnerare to wound, vulnus a wound; akin to Skr. vra<?/a : cf. F. vuln\'82rable .]

1. Capable of being wounded; susceptible of wounds or external injuries; as, a vulnerable body .

Achilles was vulnerable in his heel; and there will be wanting a Paris to infix the dart. Dr. T. Dwight.

2. Liable to injury; subject to be affected injuriously; assailable; as, a vulnerable reputation .

His skill in finding out the vulnerable parts of strong minds was consummate. Macaulay.

Vulnerableness <Xpage=1620>

Vul"ner*a*ble*ness , n. The quality or state of being vulnerable; vulnerability.

Vulnerary <Xpage=1620>

Vul"ner*a*ry (?) , a. [L. vulnearius : cf. F. vuln\'82raire .] Useful in healing wounds; adapted to the cure of external injuries; as, vulnerary plants or potions . "Such vulnerary remedies." Sir W. Scott . -- n. [Cf. F. vuln\'82raire .] (Med.) A vulnerary remedy.

Vulnerate <Xpage=1620>

Vul"ner*ate (?) , v. t. [L. vulneratus , p. p. of vulnerare to wound.] To wound; to hurt. [Obs.]

Vulneration <Xpage=1620>

Vul`ner*a"tion (?) , n. [L. vulneratio .] The act of wounding, or the state of being wounded. [Obs.]

Vulnerose <Xpage=1620>

Vul"ner*ose` (?) , a. Full of wounds; wounded.

Vulnific, Vulnifical <Xpage=1620>

Vul*nif"ic (?) , Vul*nif"ic*al (?) , a. [L. vulnificus ; vulnus a wound + facere to make.] Causing wounds; inflicting wounds; wounding.

Vulnose <Xpage=1620>

Vul*nose" (?) , a. Having wounds; vulnerose. [R.]

Vulpes <Xpage=1620>

Vul"pes (?) , n. [L., a fox.] (Zo\'94l.) A genus of Carnivora including the foxes.

Vulpic <Xpage=1620>

Vul"pic (?) , a. (Chem.) Pertaining to, derived from, or designating, an acid obtained from a lichen ( Cetraria vulpina ) as a yellow or red crystalline substance which on decomposition yields pulvinic acid.

Vulpicide <Xpage=1620>

Vul"pi*cide (?) , n. [L. vulpes a fox + caedere to kill.] One who kills a fox, except in hunting; also, the act of so killing a fox. [Written also vulpecide .]

Vulpine <Xpage=1620>

Vul"pine (?; 277) , a. [L. vulpinus , from vulpes a fox.] Of or pertaining to the fox; resembling the fox; foxy; cunning; crafty; artful.

Vulpine phalangist (Zo\'94l.) , an Australian carnivorous marsupial ( Phalangista, &or; Trichosurus, vulpina ); -- called also vulpine phalanger , and vulpine opossum .

Vulpinic <Xpage=1620>

Vul*pin"ic (?) , a. (Chem.) Same as Vulpic .

Vulpinism <Xpage=1620>

Vul"pin*ism (?) , n. The quality of being cunning like the fox; craft; artfulness. [R.]

He was without guile, and had no vulpinism at all. Carlyle.

Vulpinite <Xpage=1620>

Vul"pi*nite (?) , n. [So called after Vulpino , in Italy.] (Min.) A scaly granular variety of anhydrite of a grayish white color, used for ornamental purposes.

Vultern <Xpage=1620>

Vul"tern (?) , n. (Zo\'94l.) The brush turkey ( Talegallus Lathami ) of Australia. See Brush turkey .

Vulture <Xpage=1620>

Vul"ture (?; 135) , n. [OE. vultur , L. vultur : cf. OF. voltour , F. vautour .] (Zo\'94l.) Any one of numerous species of rapacious birds belonging to Vultur , Cathartes , Catharista , and various other genera of the family Vulturid\'91 .

&hand; In most of the species the head and neck are naked or nearly so. They feed chiefly on carrion. The condor, king vulture, turkey buzzard, and black vulture ( Catharista atrata ) are well known American species. The griffin, lammergeir, and Pharaoh's chicken, or Egyptian vulture, are common Old World vultures.

Vulturine <Xpage=1620>

Vul"tur*ine (?; 277) , a. [L. vulturinus .] Of or pertaining to a vulture; resembling a vulture in qualities or looks; as, the vulturine sea eagle ( Gypohierax Angolensis ); vulturine rapacity.

The vulturine nose, which smells nothing but corruption, is no credit to its possessor. C. Kingsley.

Vulturish <Xpage=1620>

Vul"tur*ish , a. Vulturous.

Vulturism <Xpage=1620>

Vul"tur*ism (?) , n. The quality or state of being like a vulture; rapaciousness.

Vulturous <Xpage=1620>

Vul"tur*ous (?) , a. Like a vulture; rapacious.

Vulva <Xpage=1620>

Vul"va (?) , n. [L. vulva , volva , from volvere to roll.]

1. (Anat.) The external parts of the female genital organs; sometimes, the opening between the projecting parts of the external organs.

2. (Zo\'94l.) The orifice of the oviduct of an insect or other invertebrate.

Vulviform <Xpage=1620>

Vul"vi*form (?) , a. [L. vulva , volva , a wrapper + -form .] (Bot.) Like a cleft with projecting edges.

Vulvitis <Xpage=1620>

Vul*vi"tis (?) , n. [NL. See Vulva , and -itis .] (Med.) Inflammation of the vulva.

Vulvo-uterine <Xpage=1620>

Vul`vo-u"ter*ine (?) , a. (Anat.) Pertaining both to the vulva and the uterus.

Vulvovaginal <Xpage=1620>

Vul`vo*vag"i*nal (?) , a. (Anat.) Pertaining both to the vulva and the vagina.

Vyce <Xpage=1620>