Dictionary
An American Dictionary of the English Language
Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)
Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865
- Entries
- 95,912
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- Illustrations
- 2,133
Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.
Ves-tīb’ū-lar, a. p. 1472Of, pertaining to, or like, a vestibule.Vĕs'ti-būle, n. p. 1472The porch or entrance into a house; a hall or ante-chamber next the entrance, and from which doors open to the various rooms of the house; a lobby; a porch; a hall. Vestibule of the ear (Anat.), a…Vĕs'ti-gāte, v. t. p. 1472To investigate. [Obs.]Vē'stĭge, n. p. 1472The mark of the foot left on the earth; a track or footstep; trace; sign; hence, faint mark of something which has been or was present, but is lost or has perished; remains; as, the vestiges of…Vēst'ing, n. p. 1472Cloth for vests; a vest pattern.Vĕs'ti-tūre, n. p. 1472Investiture. [Rare.] 2. The act or process of making or preparing cloth. [Rare.] R. Park.Vĕst’ment, n. p. 1472A covering or garment; some part of clothing or dress; an article of dress; a dress; a robe. “Priests in holy vestments.” Shak. The sculptor could not give vestments suitable to the quality of the…Vēs'try, n. p. 1472A room appendant to a church, in which the sacerdotal vestments and sacred utensils are usually kept, and where parochial meetings are held. 2. (Church of Eng.) A parochial assembly; an assembly of…Vestry-board or Vestry-meeting p. 1472a vestry. See 2.— Vestry-meeting, the meeting of a vestry-board; also, a meeting of a parish held in a vestry or other place.Vēs'try-clērk, n. p. 1472An officer chosen by the vestry, who keeps the parish accounts and books.Vēs'try-man, n. p. 1472One belonging to a select number of persons in each parish, who manage its temporal concerns. See VESTRY.Vēst'ūre, n. p. 1472A garment; a robe; clothing; dress; apparel; vestment; habit; covering; envelope. “And kiss her sacred vesture’s hem.” Milton. “Rocks, precipices, and gulfs, appareled with a vesture of plants.”…Vēst'ūred, p. a. p. 1472Covered with vesture or garments; clothed; enveloped. “We be vestured with poor cloth.” Berners.Vēst'ūre-shroud, n. p. 1472A covering for a corpse; a shroud.Ve-sū'vi-an, a. p. 1472(Geog.) Of, or pertaining to, Vesuvius, a volcano near Naples.Ve-sū'vi-an, n. p. 1472(Min.) The same as IDOCRASE, q. v.Vĕtch, n. p. 1472(Bot.) A leguminous plant of the genus Vicia, some species of which are valuable for fodder, the common species being V. sativa. The name is also applied to many other leguminous plants of different…Vĕtch'ling, n. p. 1472(Bot.) A small, leguminous plant of the genus Lathyrus; everlasting-pea.Vĕtch'y, a. p. 1472Consisting of vetches or of pea straw. “A vetchy bed.” Spenser. 2. Abounding with vetches.Vĕt'er-an, a. p. 1472Long exercised in any thing, especially in military life and the duties of a soldier; long practiced or experienced; as, a veteran officer or soldier; veteran skill. “The insinuating eloquence and…Vĕt'er-an, n. p. 1472One who has been long exercised in any service or art, particularly in war; one who has grown old in service, and has had much experience. Ensigns that pierced the foe's remotest lines, The hardy…Vĕt'er-i-nā'ri-an, n. p. 1472One skilled in the diseases of cattle or domestic animals.Vĕt'er-i-na-ry, a. p. 1472Of, or pertaining to, the art of healing or treating the diseases of domestic animals, as oxen, horses, sheep, and the like.Vē'to, n. p. 1472Any authoritative prohibition; especially, the power possessed by the executive branch of a legislative body, as a king, president, governor, &c., to negative a bill which has passed the other…Vē'to, v. t. p. 1472To withhold assent to, especially to a bill for a law, and thus prevent its enactment.Vē'to-ĭst, n. p. 1472One who sustains the use of the veto.Vet-tu'ră, n. p. 1472An Italian four-wheeled carriage.Vet'tu-rī'no, n. p. 1472One who carries travelers from one place to another in a vettura, or four-wheeled carriage, at a price agreed on. [Italy.]Ve-tūst', a. p. 1472Venerable from antiquity; ancient; old. [Obs.]Vĕx, v. t. p. 1473To make angry by little provocations; to irritate; to plague; to torment; to harass; to afflict; to trouble. I will not vex your souls. Shak. Ten thousand torments vex my heart. Prior. 2. To disturb…Vĕx, v. i. p. 1473To be teased or irritated; to fret. [Rare.]Vex-ā'tion, n. p. 1473The act of vexing, or the state of being vexed; irritation; trouble; disquiet; agitation; affliction. Passions too violent ... afford us vexation and pain. Sir W. Temple. Those who saw him after a…Vex-ā'tious, a. p. 1473Causing vexation; vexing; teasing; annoying; disturbing or agitating to the mind; causing disquiet; afflictive; as, a vexatious controversy; a vexatious neighbor. 2. Distressing; harassing.…Vex-ā'tious-ly, adv. p. 1473In a vexatious manner; so as to give trouble or annoyance.Vex-ā'tious-ness, n. p. 1473The quality of being vexatious, or of giving trouble and disquiet.Vĕx'er, n. p. 1473One who vexes, irritates, or troubles.Vĕx'il, n. p. 1473The same as VEXILLUM, q. v.Vĕx'il-lar or Vĕx'il-la-ry, a. p. 1473Of, or pertaining to, an ensign or standard. 2. (Bot.) (a.) Of, or pertaining to, the vexillum, or upper petal of papilionaceous flowers. (b.) Of, or pertaining to, a mode of estivation in which the…Vĕx'il-la-ry, n. p. 1473A standard-bearer.Vĕx'il-lā'tion, n. p. 1473(Rom. Antiq.) A company of troops under one ensign.Vex-īl'lum, n. p. 1473(Rom. Antiq.) (a.) A flag or standard. (b.) A company of troops. 2. (Bot.) The upper petal of a papilionaceous flower. Martyn.Vĕx'ing-ly, adv. p. 1473In a vexing manner; so as to vex, tease, or irritate. Tatler.Vēze, v. t. p. 1473See FEESE.V-hŏŏk, n. p. 1473(Steam-eng.) A gab at the end of an eccentric rod, with long jaws shaped like the letter V.Vĭ'a, n. p. 1473A road or way. Via Lactea. [Lat.] (Astron.) The Galaxy, or Milky Way. — Via media. [Lat.] (Theol.) The middle way; — a name applied to themselves by the Anglican High Churchmen, as being between…Vī'a, adv. p. 1473By the way of; as, via Boston. [Colloq.]Vī’a-bĭl’i-ty, n. p. 1473The quality of being viable; capacity of living after birth. Bouvier. 2. Capacity of living or being distributed over wide geographical limits; as, the viability of a species.Vī'a-ble, a. p. 1473Capable of living; born alive in such a state of formation as to be capable of living, as a new-born infant or premature child. “Unless he [an infant] is born viable, he acquires no rights, and can…Vi'a-dūct, n. p. 1473A structure of considerable magnitude, and usually of masonry, for carrying a railway across a valley or river; a bridge.Vī'age, n. p. 1473A voyage. [Obs.] Gower.Vī'al, n. p. 1473A small bottle, usually of glass; a little glass vessel, with a narrow aperture, intended to be closed with cork, &c.; as, a vial of medicine. [Written also phial.] Take thou this vial, being then in…Vī'al, v. t. p. 1473To put in a vial or vials. “Precious vialed liquors.” Milton.Vī-ăm'e-ter, n. p. 1473Lat. via, a way, and metrum, a measure.] An instrument for measuring distances traveled over, usually by registering the revolutions of a carriage-wheel with which it is connected; an odometer.Vi'and, n. p. 1473An article of food; provision for eating; food; victuals;—used chiefly in the plural. Viands of various kinds allure the taste. Pope.Vī'an-der, n. p. 1473A feeder; an eater; one who provides viands or food; a host. [Obs.] A good viander would bid divers guests to a costly dinner. Holinshed.Vī'a-ry, a. p. 1473Of, pertaining to, or happening in, roads. [Obs.]Vī'a-tēct/ūre, n. p. 1473The art of making roads or ways for traveling, including the construction of bridges, canals, viaducts, and the like. [Rare.] R. Park.Vi-ăt'ic, a. p. 1473Of, or pertaining to a journey, or to traveling.Vi-āt'i-ŭm, n. p. 1473Provisions for a journey. 2. (Rom. Antiq.) (a.) An allowance to those who were sent into the provinces to exercise any office or perform any service. (b.) An allowance to the officers and soldiers of…Vī'brant, a. p. 1473Vibrating; resonant; as, vibrant drums.