4 entries under this word

Violent

Vī'o-lent, a.

adjective

a. [Fr. & Pr. violent, Sp., Pg., & It. violento, Lat. violentus, violens, from vis, strength, force.]

  1. Moving or acting with physical strength; urged or impelled with force; excited by strong feeling or passion; forcible; vehement; impetuous; fierce; furious; severe. “Upon a wild and violent sea.” Shak. “A violent cross-wind.” Milton.
  2. Committing outrage; breaking law or right; acting by unjust or improper force; outrageous; assailant; as, a violent attack on the minister. “To bring forth more violent deeds.” Milton.

Some violent hands were laid on Humphrey’s life. Shak. 3. Produced or effected by force; not spontaneous; unnatural; abnormal. Violent delights have violent ends. Shak. No violent state can be perpetual. Burnet. Vows made in pain are violent and void. Milton. Violent presumption (Law), presumption of a fact that arises from proof of circumstances which necessarily attend such facts.—Violent profits (Scots Law), rents or profits of an estate, recoverable in a process of removing, against a tenant wrongfully holding over after warning. Syn.—Fierce; vehement; outrageous; boisterous; turbulent; furious; impetuous; passionate; severe; extreme.

Vī'o-lent, n.

noun

n. An assailant. [Obs.]

Remember, violents shall not take heaven, but hell, by force. Decay of Piety.

Vĭ'o-lent, v. t.

verbtransitive

v. t. To urge with violence. [Obs.]

Vĭ'o-lent, v. i.

verbintransitive

v. i. To be violent; to act violently. [Obs. and rare.]

The grief is fine, full, perfect that I taste, And violenteth in a sense as strong As that which causeth it. Shak.