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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- 2,133
Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.
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.Vĭ′brāte, v. i. p. 1473To move to and fro, or from side to side, as a pendulum, an elastic rod, or a stretched string, when disturbed from its position of rest; to swing; to oscillate. 2. To have the constituent particles…Vĭ'brāte, v. t. p. 1473To brandish; to move to and fro; to swing; as, to vibrate a sword or staff. 2. To mark or measure by moving to and fro; as, a pendulum vibrating seconds. 3. To affect with vibratory motion; to set in…Vĭ'bra-tile, a. p. 1473Adapted to, or used in, vibratory motion; as, the vibratile organs of certain insects. 2. Having a constant vibratory motion.Vī′bra·til′i·ty, n. p. 1473The quality of being vibratile; disposition to vibration or oscillation. [Rare.] Rush.Vī-brā'tion, n. p. 1473The act of vibrating, or the state of being vibrated, or in vibratory motion; quick motion to and fro; oscillation, as of a pendulum, or musical cord. 2. (Physics.) A limited reciprocating motion of…Vi-brā'ti-ūn'cle, n. p. 1473A small vibration. Chambers.Vi'bra-tive, a. p. 1473Vibrating; vibratory. [Rare.] Newton.Vī'bra-to-ry, a. p. 1473Consisting in vibration or oscillation; vibrating; as, a vibratory motion. 2. Causing to vibrate.Vĭb′rĭ-ō,, n. p. 1473(Nat. Hist.) One of a family of very minute organisms, found in various infusions, in the purulent matter of tumors, and even in the tartar of the teeth. Their nature is not clearly understood, it…Vi-bŭr'num, n. p. 1473(Bot.) A genus of shrubs having opposite, petiolate leaves, and corymbose flowers, several species of which are cultivated as ornamental plants. Baird.