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An American Dictionary of the English Language

by Noah Webster

Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)

Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865

Entries
95,912
Pages
1,538
Illustrations
2,133

Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.

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  1. Vĭs'ion-ist, n.p. 1479One who gives himself up to impracticable schemes: a visionary.
  2. Vĭs'ion-less, a.p. 1479Destitute of vision.
  3. Viz'it, v. t.p. 1479To go or come to see; to attend; as, the physician visits his patient. 2. Hence, specifically, to go or come to see for inspection, examination, correction of abuses, or the like; to come and make an…
  4. Vĭs'it, v. i.p. 1479To keep up the interchange of civilities and salutations; to practice going to see others.
  5. Vĭz'it, n.p. 1479The act of visiting, or going to see a person or thing; a brief stay of business, friendship, ceremony, curiosity, and the like, made with any one or any thing; as, a visit of civility or respect; a…
  6. Vĭs'it-a-ble, a.p. 1479Liable or subject to be visited or inspected; as, all hospitals in England, built since the Reformation, are visitable by the king or lord chancellor.
  7. Vis'it-ant, n.p. 1479One who visits; one who goes or comes to see another; one who is a guest in the house of a friend. When the visitant comes again, he is no more a stranger. South.
  8. Vĭs'it-ā'tion, n.p. 1479The act of visiting, or the state of being visited; access for inspection or examination. Nothing but peace and gentle visitation. Shak. 2. Object of visit. [Obs.] O flowers! My early visitation and…
  9. Vĭs'i-ta-tō'ri-al, a.p. 1480See VISITORIAL.
  10. Vi-si-té', n.p. 1480A light cape or short cloak of silk or lace worn by ladies in summer. Simmonds.
  11. Vĭs'it-er, n.p. 1480See VISITOR.
  12. Vĭs'it-ing, p. a.p. 1480Authorized to visit and inspect; as, a visiting committee.
  13. Vĭs'it-or, n.p. 1480One who visits, or who comes or goes to see another, as in civility or friendship. 2. A superior, or person authorized to visit a corporation, or any institution, for the purpose of seeing that the…
  14. Vĭs'it-ō'ri-al, a.p. 1480Belonging to a judicial visitor or superintendent. An archdeacon has visitorial power in parishes. Ayliffe. The queen, however, still had over the church a visitorial power of vast and undefined…
  15. Vĭ'sive, a.p. 1480Of, or pertaining to, the power of seeing; formed in the act of seeing. [Obs.] I can not satisfy myself how men should be so little surprised about this visive faculty. Berkeley.
  16. Vĭsne, n.p. 1480Neighborhood; venue. See VENUE.
  17. Vis'no-my, n.p. 1480Face; countenance. [Obs.] “His ugly visnomy.” Spenser.
  18. Vĭs'or, n.p. 1480A part of a helmet, perforated for the purpose of seeing through. 2. A head-piece or mask used to disfigure and disguise. “I have visors for you all.” Shak. My weaker government since makes you pull…
  19. Vĭs'ored, a.p. 1480Wearing a visor; masked; disguised. “Visored falsehood and base forgery.” Milton.
  20. Vis'tă, n.p. 1480A view, especially a distant view, through or between intervening objects, as trees; a view or prospect through an avenue, or the like; hence, the trees or other things that form the avenue. “The…
  21. Vĭs'to, n.p. 1480A vista. [Rare.] “Through the long visto of a thousand years.” Young.
  22. Vĭs′u-al, a.p. 1480Belonging or relating to sight; used in sight; serving as the instrument of seeing; as, the visual nerve. The air. Nowhere so clear, sharpened his visual ray. Milton. Visual angle (Opt.), the angle…
  23. Vĭs'ū-al-ize, v. t.p. 1480To make visual. [Rare.]
  24. Vi-tāille', n.p. 1480Provision; food; victuals. [Obs.]
  25. Vi'tal, a.p. 1480Belonging or relating to life, either animal or vegetable; as, vital energies; vital powers. 2. Contributing to life; necessary to life; as, vital air; vital blood. 3. Containing life; living. “And…
  26. Vi'tal-ism, n.p. 1480(Med.) The theory that all the living functions are the result of a special force differing from the forces of chemistry, physics, and the like. In an extreme form, it is animism, or Stahlism.
  27. Vĭ-tāl'i-ty, n.p. 1480The state or quality of being vital; the principle of animation, or of life; animation; as, the vitality of vegetable seeds, or of eggs.
  28. Vi′tal-i-zā′tion, n.p. 1480The act or process of vitalizing, or infusing the vital principle.
  29. Vi'tal-ize, v. t.p. 1480To make vital, or alive; to give life to; to furnish with the vital principle; as, vitalized blood.
  30. Vi'tal-ly, adv.p. 1480In a vital manner; so as to give life. The organic structure of human bodies—by which they are fitted to live and move, and to be vitally informed by the soul—is the workmanship of a most wise and…
  31. Vī'tals, n. pl.p. 1480Parts of animal bodies essential to life, such as the viscera dependent upon the great sympathetic nerve; the seat of life. 2. Hence, the part essential to life, or to a sound state; as, corruption…
  32. Vit'el-la-ry, n.p. 1480The place where the yolk of an egg swims in the white. [R.] Browne.
  33. Vĭt'ĕl-līne, n.p. 1480The albuminous substance characteristic of the yolk of birds' eggs.
  34. Vĭt'el-līne, a.p. 1480Of, or belonging to, the yolk of eggs. Carpenter.
  35. Vi-tĕl'lus, n.p. 1480(Physiol.) The yolk of an egg. 2. (Bot.) Any portion attached to the embryo, not distinctly referable to radicle, cotyledon, or plumule. Henslow.
  36. Vi'ti-āte, v. t.p. 1480To make vicious, faulty, or imperfect; to render defective; to injure the substance or qualities of; to impair; to spoil. A will vitiated and grown out of love with the truth disposes the…
  37. Vĭ-ti-ā'tion, n.p. 1480The act of vitiating, or the state of being vitiated; a depravation; corruption; invalidation; as, the vitiation of the blood; the vitiation of a contract.
  38. Vĭt'i-lĭt'i-gāte, v. i.p. 1480To contend in law litigiously or cavillously. [Obs.]
  39. Vĭt'i-lĭt'i-gā'tĭon, n.p. 1480Cavillous litigation. [Obs.]
  40. Vi-ti-ōs'i-ty, n.p. 1480The quality of being vicious; corrupt state; depravation. “The perverseness and vitiosity of man's will.” South.
  41. Vī'tiōus or Vī'tiōus-ly or Vī'tiōus-ness, a.p. 1480Vī'tiōus-ly, adv., Vī'tiōus-ness, n. See VICIOUS, VICIOUSLY, VICIOUSNESS.
  42. Vĭ'tis, n.p. 1480(Bot.) A genus of climbing plants, including the vines which produce grapes.
  43. Vit're-o-e-lēe'trie, a.p. 1480Containing or exhibiting positive electricity, or that which is excited by rubbing glass. Ure.
  44. Vĭt're-ous, a.p. 1480Of, pertaining to, or derived from glass; as, vitreous electricity. 2. Consisting of glass; as, a vitreous substance. 3. Resembling glass; as, the vitreous humor of the eye, so called from its…
  45. Vitreous electricityp. 1480the kind of electricity excited by rubbing glass with certain substances, as silk, &c., as distinguished from that developed by the friction of resinous substances, called resinous electricity. The…
  46. Vit're-ous-ness, n.p. 1480The state or quality of being vitreous; resemblance to glass.
  47. Vi-très'cence, n.p. 1480The state or quality of being vitreous; glassiness, or the quality of being capable of conversion into glass; susceptibility of being formed into glass. Kirwan.
  48. Vi-très'çent, a.p. 1480Capable of being formed into glass; tending to become glass.
  49. Vi-très'çi-ble, a.p. 1480Capable of being vitrified.
  50. Vit'ri-fi-cā'tion, n.p. 1480The act, process, or operation of vitrifying, or of converting into glass by heat; as, the vitrification of sand, flint, and pebbles, with alkaline salts.
  51. Vit’ri-fäc’ture, n.p. 1480The manufacture of glass and pottery.
  52. Vĭt'ri-fī'a-ble, a.p. 1480Capable of being vitrified, or converted into glass by heat and fusion; as, flint and alkalies are vitrifiable.
  53. Vi-trĭf'ic-a-ble, a.p. 1480Vitrifiable. [Obs.] Bailey.
  54. Vĭt'ri-fi-cāte, v. t.p. 1480To vitrify. [Obs.] Bacon.
  55. Vĭt'ri-fi-cā'tion, n.p. 1480Vitrifaction. [Obs.]
  56. Vit'ri-fôrm, a.p. 1480Having the form or appearance of glass; resembling glass.
  57. Vit’ri-fȳ, v. t.p. 1480To convert into glass by fusion, or the action of heat; as, to vitrify sand and alkaline salts.
  58. Vit’ri-fȳ, v. i.p. 1480To become glass; to be converted into glass. Chemists make vessels of animal substances, calcined, which will not vitrify in the fire. Arbuthnot.
  59. Vī-trī'na, n.p. 1480(Zoöl.) A genus of gastropodous mollusks, having slender, transparent, very thin, and brittle shells, whence the name. Baird.
  60. Vĭt'ri-ol, n.p. 1480(Chem.) (a.) A soluble sulphate of either of the metals. (b.) Sulphuric acid;— popularly so called. ☞ Copperas, or green proto-sulphate of iron, is called green vitriol; a red or flesh-colored…