V.
V (vē). 1. V, the twenty-second
letter of the English alphabet, is a vocal consonant. V and U are only
varieties of the same character, U being the cursive form, while V is
better adapted for engraving, as in stone. The two letters were formerly
used indiscriminately, and till a comparatively recent date words
containing them were often classed together in dictionaries and other books
of reference (see U). The letter V is from the Latin alphabet, where
it was used both as a consonant (about like English w) and as a
vowel. The Latin derives it from it from a form (V) of the Greek vowel
Υ (see Y), this Greek letter being either from the same
Semitic letter as the digamma F (see F),
or else added by the Greeks to the alphabet which they took from the
Semitic. Etymologically v is most nearly related to u,
w, f, b, p; as in vine, wine;
avoirdupois, habit, have; safe, save;
trover, troubadour, trope. See U, F, etc.
See Guide to Pronunciation, § 265; also §§ 155,
169, 178-179, etc.
2. As a numeral, V stands for five, in English and
Latin.
Vaag"mer (?), n. [Icel. vāgmeri
a kind of flounder, literally, wave mare.] (Zoöl.) The
dealfish. [Written also vaagmær, and
vaagmar.]
Va"can*cy (?), n.; pl.
Vacancies (#). [Cf. F. vacance.]
1. The quality or state of being vacant; emptiness;
hence, freedom from employment; intermission; leisure; idleness;
listlessness.
All dispositions to idleness or vacancy, even before
they are habits, are dangerous.
Sir H. Wotton.
2. That which is vacant. Specifically: --
(a) Empty space; vacuity; vacuum.
How is't with you,
That you do bend your eye on vacancy?
Shak.
(b) An open or unoccupied space between bodies or
things; an interruption of continuity; chasm; gap; as, a vacancy
between buildings; a vacancy between sentences or
thoughts.
(c) Unemployed time; interval of leisure; time of
intermission; vacation.
Time lost partly in too oft idle vacancies given both
to schools and universities.
Milton.
No interim, not a minute's vacancy.
Shak.
Those little vacancies from toil are
sweet.
Dryden.
(d) A place or post unfilled; an unoccupied office;
as, a vacancy in the senate, in a school, etc.
Va"cant (?), a. [F., fr. L. vacans,
-antis, p. pr. of vacare to be empty, to be free or
unoccupied, to have leisure, also vocare; akin to vacuus
empty, and probably to E. void. Cf. Evacuate, Void,
a.]
1. Deprived of contents; not filled; empty; as, a
vacant room.
Stuffs out his vacant garments with his
form.
Shak.
Being of those virtues vacant.
Shak.
There is no fireside, howsoe'er defended,
But has one vacant chair.
Longfellow.
2. Unengaged with business or care; unemployed;
unoccupied; disengaged; free; as, vacant hours.
Religion is the interest of all; but philosophy of those . .
. at leisure, and vacant from the affairs of the world.
Dr. H. More.
There was not a minute of the day which he left
vacant.
Bp. Fell.
3. Not filled or occupied by an incumbent,
possessor, or officer; as, a vacant throne; a vacant
parish.
Special dignities which vacant lie
For thy best use and wearing.
Shak.
4. Empty of thought; thoughtless; not occupied with
study or reflection; as, a vacant mind.
The duke had a pleasant and vacant face.
Sir H. Wotton.
When on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood.
Wordsworth.
5. (Law) Abandoned; having no heir,
possessor, claimant, or occupier; as, a vacant estate.
Bouvier.
Vacant succession (Law), one that is
claimed by no person, or where all the heirs are unknown, or where all the
known heirs to it have renounced it. Burrill.
Syn. -- Empty; void; devoid; free; unemployed; disengaged;
unincumbered; uncrowded; idle. -- Vacant, Empty. A thing is
empty when there is nothing in it; as, an empty room, or an
empty noddle. Vacant adds the idea of having been previously
filled, or intended to be filled or occupied; as, a vacant seat at
table; a vacant office; vacant hours. When we speak of a
vacant look or a vacant mind, we imply the absence of the
intelligence naturally to be expected there.
Va"cant*ly (?), adv. In a vacant manner;
inanely.
Va"cate (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Vacated (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Vacating.] [L. vacare, vacatum, to be empty. See
Vacant.] 1. To make vacant; to leave empty; to
cease from filling or occupying; as, it was resolved by Parliament that
James had vacated the throne of England; the tenant vacated
the house.
2. To annul; to make void; to deprive of force; to
make of no authority or validity; as, to vacate a commission or a
charter; to vacate proceedings in a cause.
That after act vacating the authority of the
precedent.
Eikon Basilike.
The necessity of observing the Jewish Sabbath was
Vacated by the apostolical institution of the Lord's
Day.
R. Nelson.
3. To defeat; to put an end to. [R.]
He vacates my revenge.
Dryden.
Va*ca"tion (?), n. [F., fr. L. vacatio
a being free from a duty, service, etc., fr. vacare. See
Vacate.]
1. The act of vacating; a making void or of no
force; as, the vacation of an office or a charter.
2. Intermission of a stated employment, procedure,
or office; a period of intermission; rest; leisure.
It was not in his nature, however, at least till years had
chastened it, to take any vacation from controversy.
Palfrey.
Hence, specifically: -
(a) (Law) Intermission of judicial
proceedings; the space of time between the end of one term and the
beginning of the next; nonterm; recess. "With lawyers in the
vacation." Shak.
(b) The intermission of the regular studies and
exercises of an educational institution between terms; holidays; as, the
spring vacation.
(c) The time when an office is vacant; esp.
(Eccl.), the time when a see, or other spiritual dignity, is
vacant.
Vac"ca*ry (?), n. [LL. vaccarium, from
L. vacca cow. Cf. Vachery.] A cow house, dairy house,
or cow pasture. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Wright.
||Vac*ci"na (?), n. [NL.] (Med.)
Vaccinia.
Vac"ci*nal (?), a. (Med.) Of or
pertaining to vaccinia or vaccination.
Vac"ci*nate (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Vaccinated (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Vaccinating.] [See Vaccine.] To inoculate with the
cowpox by means of a virus, called vaccine, taken either directly or
indirectly from cows.
Vac`ci*na"tion (?), n. The act, art, or
practice of vaccinating, or inoculating with the cowpox, in order to
prevent or mitigate an attack of smallpox. Cf. Inoculation.
&fist; In recent use, vaccination sometimes includes inoculation
with any virus as a preventive measure; as, vaccination of
cholera.
Vac"ci*na`tor (?), n. One who, or that
which, vaccinates.
Vac"cine (?), a. [L. vaccinus, fr.
vacca a cow; cf. Skr. vāc to bellow, to groan.] Of
or pertaining to cows; pertaining to, derived from, or caused by, vaccinia;
as, vaccine virus; the vaccine disease. --
n. The virus of vaccinia used in
vaccination.
||Vac*cin"i*a (?), n. [NL. See
Vaccine.] (Med.) Cowpox; vaccina. See
Cowpox.
Vac"ci*nist (?), n. A
vaccinator.
||Vac*cin"i*um (?), n. [L., the blueberry, or
whortleberry.] (Bot.) A genus of ericaceous shrubs including
the various kinds of blueberries and the true cranberries.
||Va`cher" (?), n. [F., from vache a
cow. Cf. Vaquero.] A keeper of stock or cattle; a
herdsman. [Southwestern U. S.] Bartlett.
Vach"er*y (?), n. [F. vacherie, from
vache a cow, L. vacca. Cf. Vaccary.]
1. An inclosure for cows.
2. A dairy. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Prompt.
Parv.
Vac"il*lan*cy (?), n. The quality or
state of being vacillant, or wavering. [R.] Dr. H. More.
Vac"il*lant (?), a. [L. vacillans, p.
pr. of vacillare: cf. F. vacillant. See Vacillate.]
Vacillating; wavering; fluctuating; irresolute.
Vac"il*late (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Vacillated (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Vacillating.] [L. vacillare, vacillatum; cf. Skr.
vañc.]
1. To move one way and the other; to reel or
stagger; to waver.
[A spheroid] is always liable to shift and
vacillatefrom one axis to another.
Paley.
2. To fluctuate in mind or opinion; to be unsteady
or inconstant; to waver.
Syn. -- See Fluctuate.
Vac"il*la`ting (?), a. Inclined to
fluctuate; wavering. Tennyson. -- Vac"il*la`ting*ly,
adv.
Vac`il*la"tion (?), n. [L. vacillatio:
cf. F. vacillation.]
1. The act of vacillating; a moving one way and the
other; a wavering.
His vacillations, or an alternation of knowledge and
doubt.
Jer. Taylor.
Vac"il*la*to*ry (?), a. Inclined to
vacillate; wavering; irresolute. Hawthorne.
Vac"u*ate (?), v. t. [L. vacuatus, p.
p. of vacuare to empty, from vacuus empty. See
Vacant.] To make void, or empty. [R.]
Vac`u*a"tion (?), n. The act of
emptying; evacuation. [R.]
Vac"u*ist (?), n. [Cf. F. vacuiste.]
One who holds the doctrine that the space between the bodies of the
universe, or the molecules and atoms of matter., is a vacuum; -- opposed to
plenist.
Va*cu"i*ty (?), n. [L. vacuitas. See
Vacuous.]
1. The quality or state of being vacuous, or not
filled; emptiness; vacancy; as, vacuity of mind; vacuity of
countenance.
Hunger is such a state of vacuity as to require a
fresh supply of aliment.
Arbuthnot.
2. Space unfilled or unoccupied, or occupied with
an invisible fluid only; emptiness; void; vacuum.
A vacuity is interspersed among the particles of
matter.
Bentley.
God . . . alone can answer all our longings and fill every
vacuity of our soul.
Rogers.
3. Want of reality; inanity; nihility.
[R.]
Their expectations will meet with
vacuity.
Glanvill.
||Va*cu"na (?), n. [L. vacuus
unoccupied.] (Rom. Myth.) The goddess of rural leisure, to whom
the husbandmen sacrificed at the close of the harvest. She was especially
honored by the Sabines.
Vac"u*o*la`ted (?), a. (Biol.)
Full of vacuoles, or small air cavities; as, vacuolated
cells.
Vac"u*o*la"tion (?), n. (Biol.)
Formation into, or multiplication of, vacuoles.
Vac"u*ole (?), n. [L. vacuus empty:
cf. F. vacuole.] (Biol.) A small air cell, or globular
space, in the interior of organic cells, either containing air, or a
pellucid watery liquid, or some special chemical secretions of the cell
protoplasm.
Contractile vacuole. (Zoöl.) See under
Contractile, and see Illusts. of Infusoria, and
Lobosa. -- Food vacuole. (Zoöl.)
See under Food, and see Illust. of
Infusoria.
Vac"u*ous (?), a. [L. vacuus. See
Vacant.] Empty; unfilled; void; vacant.
Boundless the deep, because I am who fill
Infinitude; nor vacuous the space.
Milton.
That the few may lead selfish and vacuous
days.
J. Morley.
Vac"u*ous*ness, n. The quality or state
of being vacuous; emptiness; vacuity. W. Montagu.
Vac"u*um (?), n.; pl. E.
Vacuums (#), L. Vacua (#). [L., fr.
vacuus empty. See Vacuous.] 1.
(Physics) A space entirely devoid of matter (called also, by
way of distinction, absolute vacuum); hence, in a more general
sense, a space, as the interior of a closed vessel, which has been
exhausted to a high or the highest degree by an air pump or other
artificial means; as, water boils at a reduced temperature in a
vacuum.
2. The condition of rarefaction, or reduction of
pressure below that of the atmosphere, in a vessel, as the condenser of a
steam engine, which is nearly exhausted of air or steam, etc.; as, a
vacuum of 26 inches of mercury, or 13 pounds per square
inch.
Vacuum brake, a kind of continuous brake operated
by exhausting the air from some appliance under each car, and so causing
the pressure of the atmosphere to apply the brakes. -- Vacuum
pan (Technol.), a kind of large closed metallic retort
used in sugar making for boiling down sirup. It is so connected with an
exhausting apparatus that a partial vacuum is formed within. This allows
the evaporation and concentration to take place at a lower atmospheric
pressure and hence also at a lower temperature, which largely obviates the
danger of burning the sugar, and shortens the process. --
Vacuum pump. Same as Pulsometer, 1. --
Vacuum tube (Phys.), a glass tube provided
with platinum electrodes and exhausted, for the passage of the electrical
discharge; a Geissler tube. -- Vacuum valve, a
safety valve opening inward to admit air to a vessel in which the pressure
is less than that of the atmosphere, in order to prevent collapse. --
Torricellian vacuum. See under
Torricellian.
||Va*dan"tes (?), n. pl. [NL., from L.
vadans, p. pr. of vadare to wade, to ford.]
(Zoöl.) An extensive artificial group of birds including
the wading, swimming, and cursorial birds.
Vade (?), v. i. [For fade.] To
fade; hence, to vanish. [Obs.] " Summer leaves all vaded."
Shak.
They into dust shall vade.
Spenser.
Va`de me"cum (?). [L., go with me.] A book or other thing
that a person carries with him as a constant companion; a manual; a
handbook.
Vad"i*mo*ny (?), n. [L. vadimonium.]
(Law) A bond or pledge for appearance before a judge on a
certain day. [Obs.]
||Va"di*um (?), n. [LL., from L. vas,
vadis, bail.] (Law) Pledge; security; bail. See
Mortgage.
Vadium vivum [LL.] (Law), a living pledge,
which exists where an estate is granted until a debt is paid out of its
proceeds.
Vae (?), n. See Voe.
[Scot.]
Va"frous (?), a. [L. vafer.]
Crafty; cunning; sly; as, vafrous tricks. [Obs.]
Feltham.
Vag"a*bond (?), a. [F., fr. L.
vagabundus, from vagari to stroll about, from vagus
strolling. See Vague.] 1. Moving from place to
place without a settled habitation; wandering. "Vagabond
exile." Shak.
2. Floating about without any certain direction;
driven to and fro.
To heaven their prayers
Flew up, nor missed the way, by envious winds
Blown vagabond or frustrate.
Milton.
3. Being a vagabond; strolling and idle or
vicious.
Vag"a*bond, n. One who wanders from
place to place, having no fixed dwelling, or not abiding in it, and usually
without the means of honest livelihood; a vagrant; a tramp; hence, a
worthless person; a rascal.
A fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be.
Gen. iv. 12.
&fist; In English and American law, vagabond is used in bad
sense, denoting one who is without a home; a strolling, idle, worthless
person. Vagabonds are described in old English statutes as "such as
wake on the night and sleep on the day, and haunt customable taverns and
alehouses, and routs about; and no man wot from whence they came, nor
whither they go." In American law, the term vagrant is employed in
the same sense. Cf Rogue, n., 1. Burrill.
Bouvier.
Vag"a*bond, v. i. To play the vagabond;
to wander like a vagabond; to stroll.
On every part my vagabonding sight
Did cast, and drown mine eyes in sweet delight.
Drummond.
Vag"a*bond`age (?), n. [Cf. F.
vagabondage.] The condition of a vagabond; a state or habit of
wandering about in idleness; vagrancy.
Vag"a*bond`ism (?), n.
Vagabondage.
Vag"a*bond`ize (?), v. i. To play the
vagabond; to wander about in idleness.
Vag"a*bond`ry (?), n.
Vagabondage.
Va"gal (?), a. [See Vagus.]
(Anat.) Of or pertaining to the vagus, or pneumogastric nerves;
pneumogastric.
Va"gan*cy (?), n. [From L. vagans, p.
pr. See Vagantes.] A wandering; vagrancy. [Obs.]
A thousand vagancies of glory and
desight.
Milton.
||Va*gan"tes (?), n. pl. [NL., fr. L.
vagans, p. pr. of vagari to stroll or wander.]
(Zoöl.) A tribe of spiders, comprising some of those which
take their prey in a web, but which also frequently run with agility, and
chase and seize their prey.
Va*ga"ri*ous (?), a. Given to, or
characterized by, vagaries; capricious; whimsical; crochety.
Va*ga"ry (?), n.; pl.
Vagaries (#). [L. vagari to stroll about. See
Vague.]
1. A wandering or strolling. [Obs.]
2. Hence, a wandering of the thoughts; a wild or
fanciful freak; a whim; a whimsical purpose. "The vagaries of
a child." Spectator.
They changed their minds,
Flew off, and into strange vagaries fell.
Milton.
Va"gi*ent (?), a. [L. vagiens, p. pr.
of vagire to cry like a young child.] Crying like a
child. [Obs.]
Va*gi"na (?), n.; pl.
Vaginæ (#). [L. vagina a scabbard or
sheath.]
1. (Anat.) (a) A sheath; a
theca; as, the vagina of the portal vein. (b)
Specifically, the canal which leads from the uterus to the external
orifice if the genital canal, or to the cloaca.
2. (Zoöl.) The terminal part of the
oviduct in insects and various other invertebrates. See Illust., of
Spermatheca.
3. (Bot.) The basal expansion of certain
leaves, which inwraps the stem; a sheath.
4. (Arch.) The shaft of a terminus, from
which the bust of figure seems to issue or arise.
Vag"i*nal (?), a. [Cf. F.
vaginal.]
1. Of or pertaining to a vagina; resembling a
vagina, or sheath; thecal; as, a vaginal synovial membrane; the
vaginal process of the temporal bone.
2. (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the vagina of
the genital canal; as, the vaginal artery.
Vag"i*nant (?), a. [Cf. F. vaginant.
See Vagina.] Serving to in invest, or sheathe;
sheathing.
Vaginant leaf (Bot.), a leaf investing the
stem or branch by its base, which has the form of a tube.
{ Vag"i*nate (?), Vag"i*na`ted (?), }
a. [See Vagina.] Invested with, or as if
with, a sheath; as, a vaginate stem, or one invested by the tubular
base of a leaf.
||Vag`i*na"ti (?), n. pl. [NL.]
(Zoöl.) A tribe of birds comprising the
sheathbills.
Vag`i*ner*vose" (?), a. [L. vagus
wandering + E. nervose.] (Bot.) Having the nerves, or
veins, placed in apparent disorder.
||Vag`i*nic"o*la (?), n. [NL., from L.
vagina sheath + colere to in habit.] (Zoöl.)
A genus of Infusoria which form minute vaselike or tubular cases in
which they dwell.
||Vag`i*nis"mus (?), n. [NL.] (Med.)
A painful spasmodic contraction of the vagina, often rendering
copulation impossible.
||Vag`i*ni"tis (?), n. [NL. See
Vagina, and -itis.] (Med.) Inflammation of the
vagina, or the genital canal, usually of its mucous living
membrane.
||Vag`i*no*pen"nous (?), a. [L. vagina
a sheath + penna a feather, pl. pennae a wing.]
(Zoöl.) Having elytra; sheath-winged. [R.]
||Va*gin"u*la (?), n. [L., dim. of
vagina sheath.] (Bot.) (a) A little
sheath, as that about the base of the pedicel of most mosses.
(b) One of the tubular florets in composite
flowers. Henslow.
Vag"i*nule (?), n. (Bot.) A
vaginula.
Vag"is*sate (?), v. i. [L. vagari to
stroll or wander.] To caper or frolic. [Obs.]
Va"gous (?), a. [L. vagus. See
Vague.] Wandering; unsettled. [Obs.] Ayliffe.
Va"gran*cy (?), n. The quality or state
of being a vagrant; a wandering without a settled home; an unsettled
condition; vagabondism.
Threatened away into banishment and
vagrancy.
Barrow.
Va"grant (?), a. [Probably fr. OF.
waucrant, wacrant, p. p. of waucrer, wacrer,
walcrer, to wander (probably of Teutonic origin), but influenced by
F. vagant, p. pr. of vaguer to stray, L. vagari. Cf.
Vagary.]
1. Moving without certain direction; wandering;
erratic; unsettled.
That beauteous Emma vagrant courses
took.
Prior.
While leading this vagrant and miserable life,
Johnson fell in live.
Macaulay.
2. Wandering from place to place without any
settled habitation; as, a vagrant beggar.
Va"grant, n. One who strolls from place
to place; one who has no settled habitation; an idle wanderer; a sturdy
beggar; an incorrigible rogue; a vagabond.
Vagrants and outlaws shall offend thy
view.
Prior.
Va"grant*ly, adv. In a vagrant
manner.
Va"grant*ness, n. State of being
vagrant; vagrancy.
Vague (vāg), a.
[Compar. Vaguer (vāg"&etilde;r);
superl. Vaguest.] [F. vague, or L.
vagus. See Vague, v. i.]
1. Wandering; vagrant; vagabond. [Archaic]
"To set upon the vague villains." Hayward.
She danced along with vague, regardless
eyes.
Keats.
2. Unsettled; unfixed; undetermined; indefinite;
ambiguous; as, a vague idea; a vague proposition.
This faith is neither a mere fantasy of future glory, nor a
vague ebullition of feeling.
I. Taylor.
The poet turned away, and gave himself up to a sort of
vague revery, which he called thought.
Hawthorne.
3. Proceeding from no known authority;
unauthenticated; uncertain; flying; as, a vague report.
Some legend strange and vague.
Longfellow.
Vague year. See Sothiac year, under
Sothiac.
Syn. -- Unsettled; indefinite; unfixed; ill-defined; ambiguous;
hazy; loose; lax; uncertain.
Vague, n. [Cf. F. vague.] An
indefinite expanse. [R.]
The gray vague of unsympathizing sea.
Lowell.
Vague, v. i. [F. vaguer, L.
vagari, fr. vagus roaming.] To wander; to roam; to
stray. [Obs.] "[The soul] doth vague and wander."
Holland.
Vague, n. A wandering; a vagary.
[Obs.] Holinshed.
Vague"ly, adv. In a vague
manner.
What he vaguely hinted at, but dared not
speak.
Hawthorne.
Vague"ness, n. The quality or state of
being vague.
||Va"gus (?), a. [L., wandering.]
(Anat.) Wandering; -- applied especially to the pneumogastric
nerve. -- n. The vagus, ore pneumogastric,
nerve.
Vail (?), n. & v. t. Same as
Veil.
Vail, n. [Aphetic form of avail,
n.]
1. Avails; profit; return; proceeds.
[Obs.]
My house is as were the cave where the young outlaw hoards
the stolen vails of his occupation.
Chapman.
2. An unexpected gain or acquisition; a casual
advantage or benefit; a windfall. [Obs.]
3. Money given to servants by visitors; a gratuity;
-- usually in the plural. [Written also vale.]
Dryden.
Vail, v. t. [Aphetic form of avale.
See Avale, Vale.] [Written also vale, and
veil.] 1. To let fail; to allow or cause to
sink. [Obs.]
Vail your regard
Upon a wronged, I would fain have said, a maid!
Shak.
2. To lower, or take off, in token of inferiority,
reverence, submission, or the like.
France must vail her lofty-plumed crest!
Shak.
Without vailing his bonnet or testifying any
reverence for the alleged sanctity of the relic.
Sir. W.
Scott.
Vail (?), v. i. To yield or recede; to
give place; to show respect by yielding, uncovering, or the like.
[Written also vale, and veil.] [Obs.]
Thy convenience must vail to thy neighbor's
necessity.
South.
Vail, n. Submission; decline;
descent. [Obs.]
Vail"er (?), n. One who vails.
[Obs.] Overbury.
Vai"mure (?), n. An outer, or exterior.
wall. See Vauntmure. [Obs.] Hakluyt.
Vain (?), a. [Compar.
Vainer (?); superl. Vainest.] [F.
vain, L. vanus empty, void, vain. Cf. Vanish,
Vanity, Vaunt to boast.]
1. Having no real substance, value, or importance;
empty; void; worthless; unsatisfying. "Thy vain excuse."
Shak.
Every man walketh in a vain show.
Ps.
xxxix. 6.
Let no man deceive you with vain words.
Eph. v. 6.
Vain pomp, and glory of this world, I hate
ye!
Shak.
Vain visdom all, and false philosophy.
Milton.
2. Destitute of forge or efficacy; effecting no
purpose; fruitless; ineffectual; as, vain toil; a vain
attempt.
Bring no more vain oblations.
Isa. i.
13.
Vain is the force of man
To crush the pillars which the pile sustain.
Dryden.
3. Proud of petty things, or of trifling
attainments; having a high opinion of one's own accomplishments with slight
reason; conceited; puffed up; inflated.
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith apart from
works is barren?
James ii. 20 (Rev. Ver.).
The minstrels played on every side,
Vain of their art.
Dryden.
4. Showy; ostentatious.
Load some vain church with old theatric
state.
Pope.
Syn. -- Empty; worthless; fruitless; ineffectual; idle; unreal;
shadowy; showy; ostentatious; light; inconstant; deceitful; delusive;
unimportant; trifling.
Vain, n. Vanity; emptiness; -- now used
only in the phrase in vain.
For vain. See In vain. [Obs.]
Shak. -- In vain, to no purpose; without
effect; ineffectually. " In vain doth valor bleed."
Milton. " In vain they do worship me." Matt. xv. 9. --
To take the name of God in vain, to use the name of
God with levity or profaneness.
Vain`glo"ri*ous (?), a. Feeling or
indicating vainglory; elated by vanity; boastful. "Arrogant and
vainglorious expression." Sir M. Hale. --
Vain`glo"ri*ous*ly, adv. --
Vain`glo"ri*ous*ness, n.
Vain`glo"ry (?), n. [Vain +
glory.] Excessive vanity excited by one's own performances;
empty pride; undue elation of mind; vain show; boastfulness.
He had nothing of vainglory.
Bacon.
The man's undone forever; for if Hector break not his neck
i' the combat, he'll break't himself in vainglory.
Shak.
Vain"ly (?), adv. In a vain manner; in
vain.
Vain"ness, n. The quality or state of
being vain.
Vair (?), n. [F. vair, from OF.
vair, a., L. varius various, variegated. See Various,
and cf. Menivel.] The skin of the squirrel, much used in the
fourteenth century as fur for garments, and frequently mentioned by writers
of that period in describing the costly dresses of kings, nobles, and
prelates. It is represented in heraldry by a series of small shields placed
close together, and alternately white and blue. Fairholt.
No vair or ermine decked his garment.
Sir W. Scott.
Counter vair (Her.), a fur resembling vair,
except in the arrangement of the patches or figures.
Vair"y (?), a. [F. vairé. See
Vair, n.] (Her.) Charged with vair;
variegated with shield-shaped figures. See Vair.
Vaish"na*va (vīsh"n&adot;*v&adot;), n.
[Skr. vaish&nsdot;ava.] (Hindu Myth.) A worshiper of the
god Vishnu in any of his incarnations.
Vaish"na*vism (?), n. The worship of
Vishnu.
||Vais"ya (?), n. [Skr.
vaiçya.] The third of the four great original castes
among the Hindus, now either extinct or partially represented by the
mercantile class of Banyas. See the Note under Caste, 1.
Vai"vode (?), n. [Cf. F. vayvode. See
Waywode.] See Waywode.
||Va*keel" (?), n. [Ar. wakīl.]
A native attorney or agent; also, an ambassador. [India]
Val"ance (?), n. [Perhaps fr. OF.
avalant descending, hanging down, p. pr. of avaler to go
down, let down, descent (cf. Avalanche); but probably from the town
of Valence in France.]
1. Hanging drapery for a bed, couch, window, or the
like, especially that which hangs around a bedstead, from the bed to the
floor. [Written also valence.]
Valance of Venice gold in needlework.
Shak.
2. The drooping edging of the lid of a trunk. which
covers the joint when the lid is closed.
Val"ance, v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Valanced (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Valancing (?).] To furnish with a valance; to decorate with
hangings or drapery.
His old fringed chair valanced around with party-
colored worsted bobs.
Sterne.
Vale (?), n. [OE. val, F. val,
L. vallis; perhaps akin to Gr. &?; low ground, marsh meadow. Cf.
Avalanche, Vail to lower, Valley.] A tract of low
ground, or of land between hills; a valley. " Make me a cottage in
the vale." Tennyson.
Beyond this vale of tears there is a life
above.
Montgomery.
In those fair vales, by nature formed to
please.
Harte.
&fist; Vale is more commonly used in poetry, and valley in
prose and common discourse.
Syn. -- Valley; dingle; dell; dale.
Vale, n. See 2d Vail,
3.
Val`e*dic"tion (?), n. [L.,
valedicere, valedictum, to say farewell; vale farewell
(imperative of valere to be strong or well) + dicere to say.
See Valiant, Diction.] A farewell; a bidding
farewell. Donne.
Val`e*dic*to"ri*an (?), n. One who
pronounces a valedictory address; especially, in American colleges, the
student who pronounces the valedictory of the graduating class at the
annual commencement, usually the student who ranks first in
scholarship.
Val`e*dic"to*ry (?), a. Bidding
farewell; suitable or designed for an occasion of leave-taking; as, a
valedictory oration.
Val`e*dic"to*ry, n.; pl.
Valedictories (&?;). A valedictory oration or
address spoken at commencement in American colleges or seminaries by one of
the graduating class, usually by the leading scholar.
Va"lence (?), n. [From L. valens, -
entis, p. pr. of valere to have power, to be strong. See
Valiant.] (Chem.) The degree of combining power of an
atom (or radical) as shown by the number of atoms of hydrogen (or of other
monads, as chlorine, sodium, etc.) with which it will combine, or for which
it can be substituted, or with which it can be compared; thus, an atom of
hydrogen is a monad, and has a valence of one; the atoms of oxygen,
nitrogen, and carbon are respectively dyads, triads, and tetrads, and have
a valence respectively of two, three, and four.
&fist; The valence of certain elements varies in different compounds.
Valence in degree may extend as high as seven or eight, as in the cases of
iodine and osmium respectively. The doctrine of valence has been of
fundamental importance in distinguishing the equivalence from the atomic
weight, and is an essential factor in explaining the chemical structures of
compounds.
Va*len"ci*a (?), n. [Perhaps fr.
Valence in France.] A kind of woven fabric for waistcoats,
having the weft of wool and the warp of silk or cotton. [Written also
valentia.]
Va*len`ci*ennes" lace" (?). [F.; -- so called after the town of
Valenciennes.] A rich kind of lace made at Valenciennes, in
France. Each piece is made throughout, ground and pattern, by the same
person and with the same thread, the pattern being worked in the
net.
Val"en*cy (?), n.; pl.
Valencies (&?;). (Chem.) (a)
See Valence. (b) A unit of combining
power; a so-called bond of affinity.
Va*len"ti*a (?), n. See
Valencia.
Val"en*tine (?), n. 1. A
sweetheart chosen on St. Valentine's Day.
2. A letter containing professions of love, or a
missive of a sentimental, comic, or burlesque character, sent on St.
Valentine's Day.
St. Valentine's Day, a day sacred to St.
Valentine; the 14th of February. It was a very old notion, alluded to by
Shakespeare, that on this day birds begin to mate. Hence, perhaps, arose
the custom of sending love tokens at that time.
Val`en*tin"i*an (?), n. (Eccl. Hist.)
One of a school of Judaizing Gnostics in the second century; -- so
called from Valentinus, the founder.
Val`er*am"ide (?), n. [Valeric +
amide.] (Chem.) The acid amide derivative of valeric
acid, obtained as a white crystalline substance.
Val"er*ate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt
of valeric acid.
Va*le"ri*an (?), n. [LL. valeriana,
perhaps from some person named Valerius, or fr. L. valere to
be strong. powerful, on account of its medicinal virtues: cf. F.
valériane.] (Bot.) Any plant of the genus
Valeriana. The root of the officinal valerian (V.
officinalis) has a strong smell, and is much used in medicine as an
antispasmodic.
Greek valerian (Bot.), a plant
(Polemonium cæruleum) with blue or white flowers, and leaves
resembling those of the officinal valerian.
Va*le`ri*an*a"ceous (?), a. (Bot.)
Of, pertaining to, or resembling, plants of a natural order
(Valerianaccæ) of which the valerian is the type. The order
includes also the corn salads and the oriental spikenard.
Va*le"ri*an*ate (?), n. (Chem.) A
valerate.
Va*le`ri*an"ic (?), a. (Chem.)
Performance to, or obtained from, valerian root; specifically,
designating an acid which is usually called valeric acid.
Va*ler"ic (?), a. (Chem.)
Valerianic; specifically, designating any one of three metameric
acids, of which the typical one (called also inactive valeric acid),
C4H9CO2H, is obtained from valerian
root and other sources, as a corrosive, mobile, oily liquid, having a
strong acid taste, and an odor of old cheese.
Active valeric acid, a metameric variety which
turns the plane of polarization to the right, although formed by the
oxidation of a levorotatory amyl alcohol.
Va*ler"i*dine (?), n. (Chem.) A
base, C10H19N, produced by heating valeric aldehyde
with ammonia. It is probably related to the conine alkaloids.
Val"er*in (?), n. [Valeric +
glycerin.] (Chem.) A salt of valeric acid with glycerin,
occurring in butter, dolphin oil., and forming an forming an oily liquid
with a slightly unpleasant odor.
Va*ler"i*trine (?), n. [Valeric +
iropine + -ine.] (Chem.) A base,
C15H27N, produced together with valeridine, which it
resembles.
Val"er*o-. (Chem.) A combining form (also used
adjectively) indicating derivation from, or relation to,
valerian or some of its products, as valeric acid; as in
valerolactone, a colorless oily liquid produced as the anhydride of
an hydroxy valeric acid.
Val"er*one (?), n. (Chem.) A
ketone of valeric acid obtained as an oily liquid.
Val"er*yl (?), n. [Valeric + -
yl.] (Chem.) The hypothetical radical
C5H9O, regarded as the essential nucleus of certain
valeric acid derivatives.
Val`er*yl*ene (?), n. (Chem.) A
liquid hydrocarbon, C5H8; -- called also
pentine.
Val"et (?; 277), n. [F. valet, OF.
vallet, varlet, vaslet. See Varlet, and
Vassal.]
1. A male waiting servant; a servant who attends on
gentleman's person; a body servant.
2. (Man.) A kind of goad or stick with a
point of iron.
||Valet de chambre (&?;) [F.], a body servant, or
personal attendant.
Val`e*tu`di*na"ri*an (?), a. [L.
valetudinarius, from valetudo state of health, health, ill
health, fr. valere to be strong or well: cf. F.
valétudinaire. See Valiant.] Of infirm health;
seeking to recover health; sickly; weakly; infirm.
My feeble health and valetudinarian
stomach.
Coleridge.
The virtue which the world wants is a healthful virtue, not
a valetudinarian virtue.
Macaulay.
Val`e*tu`di*na"ri*an, n. A person of a
weak or sickly constitution; one who is seeking to recover
health.
Valetudinarians must live where they can command and
scold.
Swift.
Val`e*tu`di*na"ri*an*ism (?), n. The
condition of a valetudinarian; a state of feeble health;
infirmity.
Val`e*tu"di*na*ry (?), a. Infirm;
sickly; valetudinarian. -- Val`e*tu"di*na*ri*ness,
n.
It renders the habit of society dangerously.
Burke.
Val`e*tu"di*na*ry, n. A
valetudinarian.
Val`e*tu"di*nous (?), a.
Valetudinarian. [Obs.] "The valetudinous condition of
King Edward." Fuller.
Val*hal"la (?), n. [Icel.
valhöll, literally, hall of the slain; valr the slain
(akin to AS. wæl, OHG. wal battlefield, wuol
defeat, slaughter, AS. wōl pestilence) + höll a
royal hall. See Hall, and cf. Walhalla.] [Written also
walhalla.]
1. (Scand. Myth.) The palace of immortality,
inhabited by the souls of heroes slain in battle.
2. Fig.: A hall or temple adorned with statues and
memorials of a nation's heroes; specifically, the Pantheon near Ratisbon,
in Bavaria, consecrated to the illustrious dead of all Germany.
{ Val"iance (?), Val"ian*cy (?), }
n. [Cf. F. vaillance. See Valiant.]
The quality or state of being valiant; bravery; valor. [Obs.]
"His doughty valiance." Spenser.
Val"iant (?), a. [OE. valiant, F.
vaillant, OF. vaillant, valant, originally p. pr. of
OF. & F. valoir to be worth, L. valere to be strong. See
Wield, and cf. Avail, Convalesce, Equivalent,
Prevail, Valid.]
1. Vigorous in body; strong; powerful; as, a
valiant fencer. [Obs.] Walton.
2. Intrepid in danger; courageous; brave.
A valiant and most expert gentleman.
Shak.
And Saul said to David . . . be thou valiant for me,
and fight the Lord's battles.
1 Sam. xviii. 17.
3. Performed with valor or bravery; heroic.
"Thou bearest the highest name for valiant acts."
Milton.
[The saints] have made such valiant
confessions.
J. H. Newman.
-- Val"iant*ly, adv. --
Val"iant*ness, n.
Val"id (?), a. [F. valide, F.
validus strong, from valere to be strong. See
Valiant.]
1. Strong; powerful; efficient. [Obs.]
"Perhaps more valid arms . . . may serve to better us."
Milton.
2. Having sufficient strength or force; founded in
truth; capable of being justified, defended, or supported; not weak or
defective; sound; good; efficacious; as, a valid argument; a
valid objection.
An answer that is open to no valid
exception.
I. Taylor.
3. (Law) Having legal strength or force;
executed with the proper formalities; incapable of being rightfully
overthrown or set aside; as, a valid deed; a valid covenant;
a valid instrument of any kind; a valid claim or title; a
valid marriage.
Syn. -- Prevalent; available; efficacious; just; good; weighty;
sufficient; sound; well-grounded.
Val"i*date (?), v. t. [See Valid.]
To confirm; to render valid; to give legal force to.
The chamber of deputies . . . refusing to validate at
once the election of an official candidate.
London
Spectator.
Val`i*da"tion (?), n. [Cf. F.
validation.] The act of giving validity. [R.]
Knowles.
Va*lid"i*ty (?), n. [Cf. F.
validité, L. validitas strength.]
1. The quality or state of being valid; strength;
force; especially, power to convince; justness; soundness; as, the
validity of an argument or proof; the validity of an
objection.
2. (Law) Legal strength, force, or
authority; that quality of a thing which renders it supportable in law, or
equity; as, the validity of a will; the validity of a
contract, claim, or title.
3. Value. [Obs.] "Rich validity."
Shak.
Val"id*ly (?), adv. In a valid manner;
so as to be valid.
Val"id*ness, n. The quality or state of
being valid.
Val"inch (?), n. [Cf. F. avaler to let
down, drink up. Cf. Avalanche.] A tube for drawing liquors
from a cask by the bunghole. [Written also velinche.]
Va*lise" (?), n. [F. valise; cf. It.
valigia, Sp. balija, LL. valisia, valesia; of
uncertain origin, perhaps through (assumed) LL. vidulitia, from L.
vidulus a leathern trunk; a knapsack.] A small sack or case,
usually of leather, but sometimes of other material, for containing the
clothes, toilet articles, etc., of a traveler; a traveling bag; a
portmanteau.
Val*kyr"i*a (?), n. [Icel. valkyrja
(akin to AS. wælcyrie); valr the slain +
kjōsa to choose. See Valhalla, and Choose.]
(Scand. Myth.) One of the maidens of Odin, represented as awful
and beautiful, who presided over battle and marked out those who were to be
slain, and who also ministered at the feasts of heroes in Valhalla.
[Written also Valkyr, and Walkyr.]
Val*kyr"i*an (?), a. Of or pertaining to
the Valkyrias; hence, relating to battle. "Ourself have often tried
Valkyrian hymns." Tennyson.
Val*lan"cy (?), n. [From Valance.]
A large wig that shades the face. [Obs.]
Val"lar (?), a. [L. vallaris.] Of
or pertaining to a rampart.
Vallar crown (Rom. Antiq.), a circular gold
crown with palisades, bestowed upon the soldier who first surmounted the
rampart and broke into the enemy's camp.
Val"lar, n. A vallar crown.
Val"la*ry (?), a. Same as
Vallar.
Val*la"tion (?), n. [L. vallatio, fr.
vallare to surround with a rampart, fr. vallum rampart. See
Wall, n.] A rampart or
intrenchment.
Val"la*to*ry (?), a. Of or pertaining to
a vallation; used for a vallation; as, vallatory reads. [Obs.]
Sir T. Browne.
||Val*lec"u*la (?), n.; pl.
Valleculæ (#). [NL., dim. fr. L. vallis,
valles, a valley.]
1. (Anat.) A groove; a fossa; as, the
vallecula, or fossa, which separates the hemispheres of the
cerebellum.
2. (Bot.) One of the grooves, or hollows,
between the ribs of the fruit of umbelliferous plants.
Val`let's pills" (?). [From Dr. Vallet of Paris.]
(Med.) Pills containing sulphate of iron and carbonate of
sodium, mixed with saccharine matter; -- called also Vallet's
mass.
Val"ley (?), n.; pl.
Valleys (#). [OE. vale, valeie, OF.
valée, valede, F. vallée, LL.
vallata, L. vallis, valles. See Vale.]
1. The space inclosed between ranges of hills or
mountains; the strip of land at the bottom of the depressions intersecting
a country, including usually the bed of a stream, with frequently broad
alluvial plains on one or both sides of the stream. Also used
figuratively.
The valley of the shadow of death.
Ps. xxiii. 4.
Sweet interchange
Of hill and valley, rivers, woods, and plains.
Milton.
&fist; Deep and narrow valleys with abrupt sides are usually the
results of erosion by water, and are called gorges, ravines,
cañons, gulches, etc.
2. (Arch.) (a) The place of
meeting of two slopes of a roof, which have their plates running in
different directions, and form on the plan a reëntrant angle.
(b) The depression formed by the meeting of two slopes
on a flat roof.
Valley board (Arch.), a board for the
reception of the lead gutter in the valley of a roof. The valley board and
lead gutter are not usual in the United States. -- Valley
rafter, or Valley piece (Arch.), the
rafter which supports the valley. -- Valley roof
(Arch.), a roof having one or more valleys. See Valley,
2, above.
||Val"lum (?), n.; pl. L.
Valla (#), E. Vallums (#). [L. See
Wall.] (Rom. Antiq.) A rampart; a wall, as in a
fortification.
Va*lo"ni*a (?), n. [It. vallonia,
vallonea, fr. NGr. balania`, balanidia`, the
holm oak, bala`ni, balani`di, an acorn, Gr.
ba`lanos.]
1. The acorn cup of two kinds of oak (Quercus
macrolepis, and Q. vallonea) found in Eastern Europe. It
contains abundance of tannin, and is much used by tanners and
dyers.
2. [Perhaps named from its resemblance to an acorn.]
(Bot.) A genus of marine green algæ, in which the whole
frond consists of a single oval or cylindrical cell, often an inch in
length.
Val"or (?), n. [OE. valour, OF.
valor, valur, valour, F. valeur, LL.
valor, fr. L. valere to be strong, or worth. See
Valiant.] [Written also valour.]
1. Value; worth. [Obs.] "The valor of
a penny." Sir T. More.
2. Strength of mind in regard to danger; that
quality which enables a man to encounter danger with firmness; personal
bravery; courage; prowess; intrepidity.
For contemplation he and valor formed.
Milton.
When valor preys on reason,
It eats the sword it fights with.
Shak.
Fear to do base, unworthy things is
valor.
B. Jonson.
3. A brave man; a man of valor. [R.] Ld.
Lytton.
Syn. -- Courage; heroism; bravery; gallantry; boldness;
fearlessness. See Courage, and Heroism.
Val"or*ous (?), a. [Cf. F. valeureux,
LL. valorosus.] Possessing or exhibiting valor; brave;
courageous; valiant; intrepid. -- Val"or*ous*ly,
adv.
Val*sal"vi*an (?), a. Of or pertaining
to Valsalva, an Italian anatomist of the 17th century.
Valsalvian experiment (Med.), the process
of inflating the middle ear by closing the mouth and nostrils, and blowing
so as to puff out the cheeks.
Val"u*a*ble (?), a. 1.
Having value or worth; possessing qualities which are useful and
esteemed; precious; costly; as, a valuable horse; valuable
land; a valuable cargo.
2. Worthy; estimable; deserving esteem; as, a
valuable friend; a valuable companion.
Valuable consideration (Law), an equivalent
or compensation having value given for a thing purchased, as money,
marriage, services, etc. Blackstone. Bouvier.
Val"u*a*ble, n. A precious possession; a
thing of value, especially a small thing, as an article of jewelry; -- used
mostly in the plural.
The food and valuables they offer to the
gods.
Tylor.
Val"u*a*ble*ness, n. The quality of
being valuable.
Val"u*a*bly, adv. So as to be of
value.
Val`u*a"tion (?), n. 1.
The act of valuing, or of estimating value or worth; the act of
setting a price; estimation; appraisement; as, a valuation of lands
for the purpose of taxation.
2. Value set upon a thing; estimated value or
worth; as, the goods sold for more than their valuation.
Since of your lives you set
So slight a valuation.
Shak.
Val"u*a`tor (?), n. One who assesses, or
sets a value on, anything; an appraiser. Swift.
Val"ue (?), n. [OF. value, fr.
valoir, p. p. valu, to be worth, fr. L. valere to be
strong, to be worth. See Valiant.] 1. The
property or aggregate properties of a thing by which it is rendered useful
or desirable, or the degree of such property or sum of properties; worth;
excellence; utility; importance.
Ye are all physicians of no value.
Job xiii. 4.
Ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Matt. x. 31.
Cæsar is well acquainted with your virtue,
And therefore sets this value on your life.
Addison.
Before events shall have decided on the value of the
measures.
Marshall.
2. (Trade & Polit. Econ.) Worth estimated by
any standard of purchasing power, especially by the market price, or the
amount of money agreed upon as an equivalent to the utility and cost of
anything.
An article may be possessed of the highest degree of
utility, or power to minister to our wants and enjoyments, and may be
universally made use of, without possessing exchangeable
value.
M'Culloch.
Value is the power to command commodities
generally.
A. L. Chapin (Johnson's Cys.).
Value is the generic term which expresses power in
exchange.
F. A. Walker.
His design was not to pay him the value of his
pictures, because they were above any price.
Dryden.
&fist; In political economy, value is often distinguished as
intrinsic and exchangeable. Intrinsic value is the
same as utility or adaptation to satisfy the desires or wants of men.
Exchangeable value is that in an article or product which disposes
individuals to give for it some quantity of labor, or some other article or
product obtainable by labor; as, pure air has an intrinsic value,
but generally not an exchangeable value.
3. Precise signification; import; as, the
value of a word; the value of a legal instrument
Mitford.
4. Esteem; regard. Dryden.
My relation to the person was so near, and my value
for him so great
Bp. Burnet.
5. (Mus.) The relative length or duration of
a tone or note, answering to quantity in prosody; thus, a quarter
note [&?;] has the value of two eighth notes [&?;].
6. In an artistical composition, the character of
any one part in its relation to other parts and to the whole; -- often used
in the plural; as, the values are well given, or well
maintained.
7. Valor. [Written also valew.] [Obs.]
Spenser.
Value received, a phrase usually employed in a
bill of exchange or a promissory note, to denote that a consideration has
been given for it. Bouvier.
Val"ue (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Valued (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Valuing.]
1. To estimate the value, or worth, of; to rate at
a certain price; to appraise; to reckon with respect to number, power,
importance, etc.
The mind doth value every moment.
Bacon.
The queen is valued thirty thousand
strong.
Shak.
The king must take it ill,
That he's so slightly valued in his messenger.
Shak.
Neither of them valued their promises according to
rules of honor or integrity.
Clarendon.
2. To rate highly; to have in high esteem; to hold
in respect and estimation; to appreciate; to prize; as, to value one
for his works or his virtues.
Which of the dukes he values most.
Shak.
3. To raise to estimation; to cause to have value,
either real or apparent; to enhance in value. [Obs.]
Some value themselves to their country by jealousies
of the crown.
Sir W. Temple.
4. To be worth; to be equal to in value.
[Obs.]
The peace between the French and us not values
The cost that did conclude it.
Shak.
Syn. -- To compute; rate; appraise; esteem; respect; regard;
estimate; prize; appreciate.
Val"ued (?), a. Highly regarded;
esteemed; prized; as, a valued contributor; a valued
friend.
Valued policy. See under Policy.
Val"ue*less, a. Being of no value;
having no worth.
Val"u*er (?), n. One who values; an
appraiser.
Val"ure (?), n. Value. [Obs.]
Ld. Berners.
Val"va*sor (?), n. (Feud. Law)
See Vavasor.
||Val*va"ta (?), n. [NL.; cf. L.
valvatus having folding doors. See Valve.]
(Zoöl.) A genus of small spiral fresh-water gastropods
having an operculum.
Valv"ate (?), a. [L. valvatus having
folding doors.]
1. Resembling, or serving as, a valve; consisting
of, or opening by, a valve or valves; valvular.
2. (Bot.) (a) Meeting at the
edges without overlapping; -- said of the sepals or the petals of flowers
in æstivation, and of leaves in vernation. (b)
Opening as if by doors or valves, as most kinds of capsules and some
anthers.
Valve (?), n. [L. valva the leaf,
fold, or valve of a door: cf. F. valve.]
1. A door; especially, one of a pair of folding
doors, or one of the leaves of such a door.
Swift through the valves the visionary fair
Repassed.
Pope.
Heavily closed, . . . the valves of the barn
doors.
Longfellow.
2. A lid, plug, or cover, applied to an aperture so
that by its movement, as by swinging, lifting and falling, sliding,
turning, or the like, it will open or close the aperture to permit or
prevent passage, as of a fluid.
&fist; A valve may act automatically so as to be opened by the
effort of a fluid to pass in one direction, and closed by the effort to
pass in the other direction, as a clack valve; or it may be opened
or closed by hand or by mechanism, as a screw valve, or a slide
valve.
3. (Anat.) One or more membranous
partitions, flaps, or folds, which permit the passage of the contents of a
vessel or cavity in one direction, but stop or retard the flow in the
opposite direction; as, the ileocolic, mitral, and semilunar
valves.
4. (Bot.) (a) One of the
pieces into which a capsule naturally separates when it bursts.
(b) One of the two similar portions of the shell of a
diatom. (c) A small portion of certain anthers,
which opens like a trapdoor to allow the pollen to escape, as in the
barberry.
5. (Zoöl.) One of the pieces or
divisions of bivalve or multivalve shells.
Air valve, Ball valve, Check
valve, etc. See under Air. Ball, Check,
etc. -- Double-beat valve, a kind of balance
valve usually consisting of a movable, open-ended, turban-shaped shell
provided with two faces of nearly equal diameters, one above another, which
rest upon two corresponding seats when the valve is closed. --
Equilibrium valve. (a) A balance
valve. See under Balance. (b) A valve for
permitting air, steam, water, etc., to pass into or out of a chamber so as
to establish or maintain equal pressure within and without. --
Valve chest (Mach.), a chamber in which a
valve works; especially (Steam Engine), the steam chest; -- called
in England valve box, and valve casing. See Steam
chest, under Steam. -- Valve face
(Mach.), that part of the surface of a valve which comes in
contact with the valve seat. -- Valve gear,
or Valve motion (Steam Engine), the system of
parts by which motion is given to the valve or valves for the distribution
of steam in the cylinder. For an illustration of one form of valve
gear, see Link motion. -- Valve seat.
(Mach.) (a) The fixed surface on which a valve
rests or against which it presses. (b) A part or
piece on which such a surface is formed. -- Valve
stem (Mach.), a rod attached to a valve, for moving
it. -- Valve yoke (Mach.), a strap
embracing a slide valve and connecting it to the valve stem.
Valved (?), a. Having a valve or valve;
valvate.
Valve"let (?), n. A little valve; a
valvule; especially, one of the pieces which compose the outer covering of
a pericarp.
Valve"-shell` (?), n. (Zoöl.)
Any fresh-water gastropod of the genus Valvata.
||Val"vu*la (?), n.; pl.
Valvulæ (#). [NL., dim. fr. L. valva fold,
valve of a door.] (Anat.) A little valve or fold; a valvelet; a
valvule.
Valv"u*lar (?), a. [Cf. F.
valvulaire.]
1. Of or pertaining to a valve or valves;
specifically (Med.), of or pertaining to the valves of the heart;
as, valvular disease.
2. Containing valves; serving as a valve; opening
by valves; valvate; as, a valvular capsule.
Valv"ule (?), n. [Cf. F. valvule.]
1. A little valve; a valvelet.
2. (Zoöl.) A small valvelike
process.
Val"yl*ene (?), n. [Valerian + -
yl.] (Chem.) A volatile liquid hydrocarbon,
C5H6, related to ethylene and acetylene, but
possessing the property of unsaturation in the third degree. It is the only
known member of a distinct series of compounds. It has a garlic
odor.
Vam"brace (?), n. [See Vantbrass.]
(Anc. Armor) The piece designed to protect the arm from the
elbow to the wrist.
Va*mose" (?), v. i. & t. [Sp. vamos
let us go.] To depart quickly; to depart from. [Written also
vamos, and vamoose.] [Slang, Eng. & U. S.]
Vamp (?), v. i. To advance; to
travel. [Obs.]
Vamp, n. [OE. vampe, vaumpe,
vauntpe, F. avantpied the forefoot, vamp; anat before,
fore + pied foot, L. pes. See Advance, Van of
an army, and Foot.]
1. The part of a boot or shoe above the sole and
welt, and in front of the ankle seam; an upper.
2. Any piece added to an old thing to give it a new
appearance. See Vamp, v. t.
Vamp, v. t. [imp. & p. p.
Vamped (?; 215); p. pr. & vb. n. Vamping.]
To provide, as a shoe, with new upper leather; hence, to piece, as any
old thing, with a new part; to repair; to patch; -- often followed by
up.
I had never much hopes of your vamped
play.
Swift.
Vamp"er (?), n. One who vamps; one who
pieces an old thing with something new; a cobbler.
Vamp"er, v. i. [Cf. Vaunt.] To
swagger; to make an ostentatious show. [Prov. eng. & Scot.]
Jamieson.
Vam"pire (?), n. [F. vampire (cf. It.
vampiro, G. & D. vampir), fr. Servian vampir.]
[Written also vampyre.]
1. A blood-sucking ghost; a soul of a dead person
superstitiously believed to come from the grave and wander about by night
sucking the blood of persons asleep, thus causing their death. This
superstition is now prevalent in parts of Eastern Europe, and was
especially current in Hungary about the year 1730.
The persons who turn vampires are generally wizards,
witches, suicides, and persons who have come to a violent end, or have been
cursed by their parents or by the church,
Encyc.
Brit.
2. Fig.: One who lives by preying on others; an
extortioner; a bloodsucker.
3. (Zoöl.) Either one of two or more
species of South American blood-sucking bats belonging to the genera
Desmodus and Diphylla. These bats are destitute of molar
teeth, but have strong, sharp cutting incisors with which they make
punctured wounds from which they suck the blood of horses, cattle, and
other animals, as well as man, chiefly during sleep. They have a
cæcal appendage to the stomach, in which the blood with which they
gorge themselves is stored.
4. (Zoöl.) Any one of several species
of harmless tropical American bats of the genus Vampyrus, especially
V. spectrum. These bats feed upon insects and fruit, but were
formerly erroneously supposed to suck the blood of man and animals. Called
also false vampire.
Vampire bat (Zoöl.), a vampire,
3.
Vam"pir*ism (?), n. [Cf. F.
vampirisme.]
1. Belief in the existence of vampires.
2. The actions of a vampire; the practice of
bloodsucking.
3. Fig.: The practice of extortion.
Carlyle.
Vam"plate` (?), n. [F. avant fore,
fore + E. plate.] A round of iron on the shaft of a tilting
spear, to protect the hand. [Written also vamplet.]
Va"mure (?), n. See
Vauntmure. [Obs.]
Van (?), n. [Abbrev. fr. vanguard.]
The front of an army; the first line or leading column; also, the
front line or foremost division of a fleet, either in sailing or in
battle.
Standards and gonfalons, twixt van and rear,
Stream in the air.
Milton.
Van, n. [Cornish.] (Mining) A
shovel used in cleansing ore.
Van, v. t. (Mining) To wash or
cleanse, as a small portion of ore, on a shovel. Raymond.
Van, n. [Abbreviated from
caravan.]
1. A light wagon, either covered or open, used by
tradesmen and others fore the transportation of goods. [Eng.]
2. A large covered wagon for moving furniture,
etc., also for conveying wild beasts, etc., for exhibition.
3. A close railway car for baggage. See the Note
under Car, 2. [Eng.]
Van, n. [L. vannus a van, or fan for
winnowing grain: cf. F. van. Cf. Fan, Van a wing
Winnow.]
1. A fan or other contrivance, as a sieve, for
winnowing grain.
2. [OF. vanne, F. vanneau beam feather
(cf. It. vanno a wing) fr. L. vannus. See Etymology above.]
A wing with which the air is beaten. [Archaic] "[/Angels] on the
air plumy vans received him. " Milton.
He wheeled in air, and stretched his vans in
vain;
His vans no longer could his flight sustain.
Dryden.
Van, v. t. [Cf. F. vanner to winnow,
to fan. See Van a winnowing machine.] To fan, or to cleanse by
fanning; to winnow. [Obs.] Bacon.
Van"a*date (?), n. [Cf. F. vanadate.]
(Chem.) A salt of vanadic acid. [Formerly also
vanadiate.]
Va*nad"ic (?), a. (Chem.)
Pertaining to, or obtained from, vanadium; containing vanadium;
specifically distinguished those compounds in which vanadium has a
relatively higher valence as contrasted with the vanadious
compounds; as, vanadic oxide.
Vanadic acid (Chem.), an acid analogous to
phosphoric acid, not known in the free state but forming a well-known
series of salts.
Va*nad"i*nite (?), n. (Min.) A
mineral occurring in yellowish, and ruby-red hexagonal crystals. It consist
of lead vanadate with a small proportion of lead chloride.
Va*na"di*ous (?), a. (Chem.)
Pertaining to, or containing, vanadium; specifically, designating
those compounds in which vanadium has a lower valence as contrasted with
the vanadic compounds; as, vanadious acid. [Sometimes
written also vanadous.]
Van"a*dite (?), n. (Chem.) A salt
of vanadious acid, analogous to a nitrite or a phosphite.
Va*na"di*um (?), n. [NL., fr. Icel.
Vanadīs, a surname of the Scandinavian goddess Freya.]
(Chem.) A rare element of the nitrogen-phosphorus group, found
combined, in vanadates, in certain minerals, and reduced as an infusible,
grayish-white metallic powder. It is intermediate between the metals and
the non-metals, having both basic and acid properties. Symbol V (or Vd,
rarely). Atomic weight 51.2.
Van"a*dous (?), a. (Chem.) Of or
pertaining to vanadium; obtained from vanadium; -- said of an acid
containing one equivalent of vanadium and two of oxygen.
Van"a*dyl (?), n. [Vanadium + -
yl.] (Chem.) The hypothetical radical VO, regarded as a
characterized residue of certain vanadium compounds.
Van"-cou`ri*er (?), n. [F. avant-
courrier. See Avant, Van of an army, and Courier,
and cf. Avant-courier, Vaunt-courier.] One sent in
advance; an avant-courier; a precursor.
Van"dal (?), n. [L. Vandalus,
Vandalius; of Teutonic origin, and probably originally signifying, a
wanderer. Cf. Wander.]
1. (Anc. Hist.) One of a Teutonic race,
formerly dwelling on the south shore of the Baltic, the most barbarous and
fierce of the northern nations that plundered Rome in the 5th century,
notorious for destroying the monuments of art and literature.
2. Hence, one who willfully destroys or defaces any
work of art or literature.
The Vandals of our isle,
Sworn foes to sense and law.
Cowper.
{ Van"dal (?), Van*dal"ic (?), } a.
Of or pertaining to the Vandals; resembling the Vandals in barbarism
and destructiveness.
Van"dal*ism (?), n. The spirit or
conduct of the Vandals; ferocious cruelty; hostility to the arts and
literature, or willful destruction or defacement of their
monuments.
Van*dyke" (văn*dīk"), a. Of
or pertaining to the style of Vandyke the painter; used or represented by
Vandyke. "His Vandyke dress." Macaulay. [Written also
Vandyck.]
Vandyke brown (Paint.), a pigment of a deep
semitransparent brown color, supposed to be the color used by Vandyke in
his pictures. -- Vandyke collar or
cape, a broad collar or cape of linen and lace with a
deep pointed or scalloped edge, worn lying on the shoulders; -- so called
from its appearance in pictures by Vandyke. -- Vandyke
edge, an edge having ornamental triangular points.
Van*dyke", n. A picture by Vandyke.
Also, a Vandyke collar, or a Vandyke edge. [Written also
Vandyck.]
Van*dyke", v. t. fit or furnish with a
Vandyke; to form with points or scallops like a Vandyke. [R.]
[Written also Vandyck.]
Vane (?), n. [OE. & E. Prov. E. fane
weathercock, banner, AS. fana a banner, flag; akin to D.
vaan, G. fahne, OHG. fano cloth, gund fano
flag, Icel. fāni, Sw. fana, Dan. fane, Goth.
fana cloth, L. pannus, and perhaps to Gr.&?; a web, &?; a
bobbin, spool. Cf. Fanon, Pane a compartment, panel.]
1. A contrivance attached to some elevated object
for the purpose of showing which way the wind blows; a weathercock. It is
usually a plate or strip of metal, or slip of wood, often cut into some
fanciful form, and placed upon a perpendicular axis around which it moves
freely.
Aye undiscreet, and changing as a vane.
Chaucer.
2. Any flat, extended surface attached to an axis
and moved by the wind; as, the vane of a windmill; hence, a similar
fixture of any form moved in or by water, air, or other fluid; as, the
vane of a screw propeller, a fan blower, an anemometer,
etc.
3. (Zoöl.) The rhachis and web of a
feather taken together.
4. One of the sights of a compass, quadrant,
etc.
Vane of a leveling staff. (Surv.) Same as
Target, 3.
||Van*es"sa (?), n. [Probably from Swift's
poem of Cadenus and Vanessa. See Vanessa, in the Dictionary
of Noted Names in Fiction.] (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous
species of handsomely colored butterflies belonging to Vanessa and
allied genera. Many of these species have the edges of the wings
irregularly scalloped.
Van*es"si*an (?), n. (Zoöl.)
A vanessa.
Van"fess` (?), n. [F. avant-
fossé; avant before + fossé ditch. Cf.
Fosse.] (Fort.) A ditch on the outside of the
counterscarp, usually full of water.
Vang (?), n. [D. vangen to catch,
seize. See Fang.] (Naut.) A rope to steady the peak of a
gaff.
Van"glo (?), n. (Bot.) Benne
(Sesamum orientale); also, its seeds; -- so called in the West
Indies.
Van"guard` (?), n. [For vantguard,
avantguard, F. avant-garde; avant before, fore +
garde guard. See Avant, Ab-,Ante-, and
Guard, and cf. Advance, Vamp, Van of an army,
Vaward.] (Mil.) The troops who march in front of an
army; the advance guard; the van.
Va*nil"la (?), n. [NL., fr. Sp.
vainilla, dim. of Sp. vaina a sheath, a pod, L.
vagina; because its grains, or seeds, are contained in little
pods.]
1. (Bot.) A genus of climbing orchidaceous
plants, natives of tropical America.
2. The long podlike capsules of Vanilla
planifolia, and V. claviculata, remarkable for their delicate
and agreeable odor, for the volatile, odoriferous oil extracted from them;
also, the flavoring extract made from the capsules, extensively used in
confectionery, perfumery, etc.
&fist; As a medicine, vanilla is supposed to possess powers
analogous to valerian, while, at the same time, it is far more
grateful.
Cuban vanilla, a sweet-scented West Indian
composite shrub (Eupatorium Dalea). -- Vanilla
bean, the long capsule of the vanilla plant. --
Vanilla grass. Same as Holy grass, under
Holy.
Va*nil"late (?), n. (Chem.) A
salt of vanillic acid.
Va*nil"lic (?), a. (Chem.)
Pertaining to, or derived from, vanilla or vanillin; resembling
vanillin; specifically, designating an alcohol and an acid respectively,
vanillin being the intermediate aldehyde.
Va*nil"lin (?), n. (Chem.) A
white crystalline aldehyde having a burning taste and characteristic odor
of vanilla. It is extracted from vanilla pods, and is also obtained by the
decomposition of coniferin, and by the oxidation of eugenol.
Va*nil"loes (?), n. pl. An inferior kind
of vanilla, the pods of Vanilla Pompona.
Va*nil"lyl (?), n. [Vanillic + -
yl.] (Chem.) The hypothetical radical characteristic of
vanillic alcohol.
Va*nil"o*quence (?), n. [L.
vaniloquentia; vanus vain + loquentia talk,
loqui to speak.] Vain or foolish talk. [Obs.]
Van"ish (?), v. i. [imp. & p.
p. Vanished (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Vanishing.] [OE. vanissen, OF. vanir (in comp.): cf.
OF. envanir, esvanir, esvanuïr, F.
s'évanouir; fr. L. vanus empty, vain; cf. L.
vanescere, evanescere, to vanish. See Vain, and cf.
Evanescent,-ish.]
1. To pass from a visible to an invisible state; to
go out of sight; to disappear; to fade; as, vapor vanishes from the
sight by being dissipated; a ship vanishes from the sight of
spectators on land.
The horse vanished . . . out of sight.
Chaucer.
Go; vanish into air; away!
Shak.
The champions vanished from their posts with the
speed of lightning.
Sir W. Scott.
Gliding from the twilight past to vanish among
realities.
Hawthorne.
2. To be annihilated or lost; to pass away.
"All these delights will vanish." Milton.
Van"ish (?), n. (Phon.) The brief
terminal part of vowel or vocal element, differing more or less in quality
from the main part; as, a as in ale ordinarily ends with a
vanish of i as in ill, o as in old with
a vanish of oo as in foot. Rush.
&fist; The vanish is included by Mr. Bell under the general term
glide.
Van"ish*ing (?), a. & n. from
Vanish, v.
Vanishing fraction (Math.), a fraction
which reduces to the form &frac00; for a particular value of the variable
which enters it, usually in consequence of the existence of a common factor
in both terms of the fraction, which factor becomes 0 for this particular
value of the variable. Math. Dict. -- Vanishing
line (Persp.), the intersection of the parallel of any
original plane and picture; one of the lines converging to the vanishing
point. -- Vanishing point (Persp.), the
point to which all parallel lines in the same plane tend in the
representation. Gwilt. -- Vanishing stress
(Phon.), stress of voice upon the closing portion of a
syllable. Rush.
Van"ish*ment (?), n. A vanishing.
[Obs.]
Van"i*ty (?), n.; pl.
Vanities (#). [OE. vanite, vanité,
L. vanitas, fr. vanus empty, vain. See Vain.]
1. The quality or state of being vain; want of
substance to satisfy desire; emptiness; unsubstantialness; unrealness;
falsity.
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity
of vanities; all is vanity.
Eccl. i. 2.
Here I may well show the vanity of that which is
reported in the story of Walsingham.
Sir J. Davies.
2. An inflation of mind upon slight grounds; empty
pride inspired by an overweening conceit of one's personal attainments or
decorations; an excessive desire for notice or approval; pride;
ostentation; conceit.
The exquisitely sensitive vanity of Garrick was
galled.
Macaulay.
3. That which is vain; anything empty, visionary,
unreal, or unsubstantial; fruitless desire or effort; trifling labor
productive of no good; empty pleasure; vain pursuit; idle show;
unsubstantial enjoyment.
Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher.
Eccl. i. 2.
Vanity possesseth many who are desirous to know the
certainty of things to come.
Sir P. Sidney.
[Sin] with vanity had filled the works of
men.
Milton.
Think not, when woman's transient breath is fled,
That all her vanities at once are dead;
Succeeding vanities she still regards.
Pope.
4. One of the established characters in the old
moralities and puppet shows. See Morality, n.,
5.
You . . . take vanity the puppet's part.
Shak.
Syn. -- Egotism; pride; emptiness; worthlessness; self-
sufficiency. See Egotism, and Pride.
Van"jas (?), n. (Zoöl.) The
Australian pied crow shrike (Strepera graculina). It is glossy
bluish black, with the under tail coverts and the tips and bases of the
tail feathers white.
Van"ner (?), n. (Mining) A
machine for concentrating ore. See Frue vanner.
Van"ner hawk` (?). The kestrel. [Prov. Eng.]
Van"ning, n. (Mining) A process
by which ores are washed on a shovel, or in a vanner.
Van"quish (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Vanquished (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Vanquishing.] [OE. venquishen, venquissen,
venkisen,F. vaincre, pret. vainquis, OF.
veintre, pret. venqui, venquis (cf. an OF. infin.
vainquir), fr. L. vincere; akin to AS. wīg war,
battle, wīgant a warrior, wīgan to fight, Icel.
vīg battle, Goth. weihan to fight, contend. Cf.
Convince, Evict, Invincible, Victor.]
1. To conquer, overcome, or subdue in battle, as an
enemy. Hakluyt.
They . . . Vanquished the rebels in all
encounters.
Clarendon.
2. Hence, to defeat in any contest; to get the
better of; to put down; to refute.
This bold assertion has been fully vanquished in a
late reply to the Bishop of Meaux's treatise.
Atterbury.
For e'en though vanquished, he could argue
still.
Goldsmith.
Syn. -- To conquer; surmount; overcome; confute; silence. See
Conquer.
Van"quish, n. (Far.) A disease in
sheep, in which they pine away. [Written also vinquish.]
Van"quish*a*ble (?), a. That may be
vanquished.
Van"quish*er (?), n. One who, or that
which, vanquishes. Milton.
Van"quish*ment (?), n. The act of
vanquishing, or the state of being vanquished. Bp. Hall.
Van"sire (?), n. [The native name: cf. F.
vansire.] (Zoöl.) An ichneumon (Herpestes
galera) native of Southern Africa and Madagascar. It is reddish brown
or dark brown, grizzled with white. Called also vondsira, and
marsh ichneumon.
Vant (?), v. i. See Vaunt.
[Obs.]
Van"tage (v&adot;n"t&asl;j; 48), n. [Aphetic
form of OE. avantage, fr. F. avantage. See
Advantage.]
1. superior or more favorable situation or
opportunity; gain; profit; advantage. [R.]
O happy vantage of a kneeling knee!
Shak.
2. (Lawn Tennis) The first point after
deuce.
&fist; When the server wins this point, it is called vantage in;
when the receiver, or striker out, wins, it is called vantage
out.
To have at vantage, to have the advantage of; to
be in a more favorable condition than. "He had them at
vantage, being tired and harassed with a long march." Bacon. --
Vantage ground, superiority of state or place; the
place or condition which gives one an advantage over another. "The
vantage ground of truth. Bacon.
It is these things that give him his actual standing, and it
is from this vantage ground that he looks around him.
I. Taylor.
Van"tage, v. t. To profit; to aid.
[Obs.] Spenser.
{ Vant"brace (?), Vant"brass (?), }
n. [F. avant fore + bras arm: cf. F.
brassard armor for the arm, brace, forearm. Cf. Vambrace.]
(Anc. Armor) Armor for the arm; vambrace.
Milton.
{ Vant"-cou`ri*er (?), n. } An avant-
courier. See Van-courier. [Obs.] Holland.
Van"ward (?), a. Being on, or towards,
the van, or front. "The vanward frontier." De
Quincey.
Vap (văp), n. [See Vapid.]
That which is vapid, insipid, or lifeless; especially, the lifeless
part of liquor or wine. [Obs.]
In vain it is to wash a goblet, if you mean to put into it
nothing but the dead lees and vap of wine.
Jer.
Taylor.
Vap"id (?), a. [L. vapidus having lost
its lire and spirit, vapid; akin to vappa vapid wine, vapor
vapor. See Vapor.] Having lost its life and spirit; dead;
spiritless; insipid; flat; dull; unanimated; as, vapid beer; a
vapid speech; a vapid state of the blood.
A cheap, bloodless reformation, a guiltless liberty, appear
flat and vapid to their taste.
Burke.
-- Vap"id*ly (#), adv. --
Vap"id*ness, n.
Va*pid"i*ty (?), n. The quality or state
of being vapid; vapidness.
Va"por (?), n. [OE. vapour, OF.
vapour, vapor, vapeur, F. vapeur, L.
vapor; probably for cvapor, and akin to Gr. &?; smoke, &?; to
breathe forth, Lith. kvepti to breathe, smell, Russ. kopote
fine soot. Cf. Vapid.] [Written also vapour.]
1. (Physics) Any substance in the gaseous,
or aëriform, state, the condition of which is ordinarily that of a
liquid or solid.
&fist; The term vapor is sometimes used in a more extended sense,
as identical with gas; and the difference between the two is not so
much one of kind as of degree, the latter being applied to all permanently
elastic fluids except atmospheric air, the former to those elastic fluids
which lose that condition at ordinary temperatures. The atmosphere contains
more or less vapor of water, a portion of which, on a reduction of
temperature, becomes condensed into liquid water in the form of rain or
dew. The vapor of water produced by boiling, especially in its
economic relations, is called steam.
Vapor is any substance in the gaseous condition at
the maximum of density consistent with that condition. This is the strict
and proper meaning of the word vapor.
Nichol.
2. In a loose and popular sense, any visible
diffused substance floating in the atmosphere and impairing its
transparency, as smoke, fog, etc.
The vapour which that fro the earth glood
[glided].
Chaucer.
Fire and hail; snow and vapors; stormy wind
fulfilling his word.
Ps. cxlviii. 8.
3. Wind; flatulence. [Obs.]
Bacon.
4. Something unsubstantial, fleeting, or
transitory; unreal fancy; vain imagination; idle talk; boasting.
For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that
appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
James
iv. 14.
5. pl. An old name for hypochondria, or
melancholy; the blues. "A fit of vapors." Pope.
6. (Pharm.) A medicinal agent designed for
administration in the form of inhaled vapor. Brit. Pharm.
Vapor bath. (a) A bath in vapor;
the application of vapor to the body, or part of it, in a close place;
also, the place itself. (b) (Chem.) A small
metallic drying oven, usually of copper, for drying and heating filter
papers, precipitates, etc.; -- called also air bath. A modified form
is provided with a jacket in the outside partition for holding water, or
other volatile liquid, by which the temperature may be limited exactly to
the required degree. -- Vapor burner, a burner
for burning a vaporized hydrocarbon. -- Vapor
density (Chem.), the relative weight of gases and
vapors as compared with some specific standard, usually hydrogen, but
sometimes air. The vapor density of gases and vaporizable substances as
compared with hydrogen, when multiplied by two, or when compared with air
and multiplied by 28.8, gives the molecular weight. -- Vapor
engine, an engine worked by the expansive force of a vapor,
esp. a vapor other than steam.
Va"por, v. i. [imp. & p. p.
Vapored (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Vaporing.]
[From Vapor, n.: cf. L. vaporare.] [Written
also vapour.]
1. To pass off in fumes, or as a moist, floating
substance, whether visible or invisible, to steam; to be exhaled; to
evaporate.
2. To emit vapor or fumes. [R.]
Running waters vapor not so much as standing
waters.
Bacon.
3. To talk idly; to boast or vaunt; to
brag.
Poets used to vapor much after this
manner.
Milton.
We vapor and say, By this time Matthews has beaten
them.
Walpole.
Va"por, v. t. To send off in vapor, or
as if in vapor; as, to vapor away a heated fluid. [Written
also vapour.]
He'd laugh to see one throw his heart away,
Another, sighing, vapor forth his soul.
B.
Jonson.
Vap`o*ra*bil"i*ty (?), n. The quality or
state of being vaporable.
Vap"o*ra*ble (?), a. Capable of being
converted into vapor by the agency of heat; vaporizable.
Vap"o*rate (?), v. i. [L. vaporare,
vaporatum. See Vapor.] To emit vapor; to
evaporate. [R.]
Vap`o*ra"tion (?), n. [Cf. F.
vaporation, L. vaporatio.] The act or process of
converting into vapor, or of passing off in vapor; evaporation.
[R.]
Va"pored (?), a. 1. Wet
with vapors; moist.
2. Affected with the vapors. See Vapor,
n., 5.
Va"por*er (?), n. One who vapors; a
braggart.
Vaporer moth. (Zoöl.) See
Orgyia.
Vap`o*rif"er*ous (?), a. [L.
vaporifer; vapor + ferre to bear.] Conveying or
producing vapor.
Vap`o*rif"ic (?), a. [L. vapor vapor +
facere to make.] (Chem.) Producing vapor; tending to
pass, or to cause to pass, into vapor; thus, volatile fluids are
vaporific; heat is a vaporific agent.
Va*por"i*form (?), a. Existing in a
vaporous form or state; as, steam is a vaporiform
substance.
Vap`o*rim"e*ter (?), n. [Vapor + -
meter.] An instrument for measuring the volume or the tension of
any vapor; specifically, an instrument of this sort used as an
alcoholometer in testing spirituous liquors.
Va"por*ing (?), a. Talking idly;
boasting; vaunting. -- Va"por*ing*ly,
adv.
Va"por*ish, a. 1. Full
of vapors; vaporous.
2. Hypochondriacal; affected by hysterics;
splenetic; peevish; humorsome.
Pallas grew vap'rish once and odd.
Pope.
Vap"o*ri`za*ble (?; 110), a. Capable of
being vaporized into vapor.
Vap`o*ri*za"tion (?), n. [Cf. F.
vaporisation.] The act or process of vaporizing, or the state
of being converted into vapor; the artificial formation of vapor;
specifically, the conversion of water into steam, as in a steam
boiler.
Vap"o*rize (?), v. t. [imp. & p.
p. Vaporized (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Vaporizing (?).] [Cf. F. vaporiser.] To convert into
vapor, as by the application of heat, whether naturally or
artificially.
Vaporizing surface. (Steam Boilers) See
Evaporating surface, under Evaporate, v.
t.
Vap"o*rize, v. i. To pass off in
vapor.
Vap"o*ri`zer (?), n. One who, or that
which, vaporizes, or converts into vapor.
Va"por*ose` (?), a. Full of vapor;
vaporous.
Va"por*ous (?), a. [L. vaporosus: cf.
vaporeux.]
1. Having the form or nature of vapor.
Holland.
2. Full of vapors or exhalations.
Shak.
The warmer and more vaporous air of the
valleys.
Derham.
3. Producing vapors; hence, windy; flatulent.
Bacon.
The food which is most vaporous<
