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 v ine, w ine; a v oirdupois, ha b it, ha v e; sa f e, sa v e; tro v er, trou b adour, tro p e. 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.

V hook V" hook` (Steam Engine) A gab at the end of an eccentric rod, with long jaws, shaped like the letter V.

V moth V" moth` (Zoology) A common gray European moth ( Halia vauaria ) having a V -shaped spot of dark brown on each of the fore wings.

Vaagmer Vaag"mer noun [ Icelandic vāgmeri a kind of flounder, literally, wave mare.] (Zoology) The dealfish. [ Written also vaagmær , and vaagmar .]

Vacancy Va"can·cy noun ; plural Vacancies . [ Confer French 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.

Vacant Va"cant adjective [ French, from Latin vacans , -antis , present participle of vacare to be empty, to be free or unoccupied, to have leisure, also vocare ; akin to vacuus empty, and probably to English void . Confer Evacuate , Void , adjective ] 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.

Vacantly Va"cant·ly adverb In a vacant manner; inanely.

Vacate Va"cate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Vacated ; present participle & verbal noun Vacating .] [ Latin 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.

Vacation Va·ca"tion noun [ French, from Latin vacatio a being free from a duty, service, etc., from 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.

Vacatur Va·ca"tur noun [ New Latin , it is made void, from Latin vacare to be empty. See Vacant .] (Law) An order of court by which a proceeding is set aside or annulled.

Vaccary Vac"ca·ry noun [ Late Latin vaccarium , from Latin vacca cow. Confer Vachery .] A cow house, dairy house, or cow pasture. [ Obsolete or Prov. Eng.] Wright.

Vaccina Vac·ci"na noun [ New Latin ] (Medicine) Vaccinia.

Vaccinal Vac"ci·nal adjective (Medicine) Of or pertaining to vaccinia or vaccination.

Vaccinate Vac"ci·nate transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Vaccinated ; present participle & verbal noun Vaccinating .] [ See Vaccine .] To inoculate with the cowpox by means of a virus, called vaccine , taken either directly or indirectly from cows.

Vaccination Vac`ci·na"tion noun The act, art, or practice of vaccinating, or inoculating with the cowpox, in order to prevent or mitigate an attack of smallpox. Confer Inoculation . » In recent use, vaccination sometimes includes inoculation with any virus as a preventive measure; as, vaccination of cholera.

Vaccinator Vac"ci·na`tor noun One who, or that which, vaccinates.

Vaccine Vac"cine adjective [ Latin vaccinus , from vacca a cow; confer Sanskrit vāc to bellow, to groan.] Of or pertaining to cows; pertaining to, derived from, or caused by, vaccinia; as, vaccine virus; the vaccine disease. -- noun The virus of vaccinia used in vaccination.

Vaccine point Vac"cine point` (Medicine) See Point , noun , 26.

Vaccinia Vac·cin"i·a noun [ New Latin See Vaccine .] (Medicine) Cowpox; vaccina. See Cowpox .

Vaccinist Vac"ci·nist noun A vaccinator.

Vaccinium Vac·cin"i·um noun [ Latin , the blueberry, or whortleberry.] (Botany) A genus of ericaceous shrubs including the various kinds of blueberries and the true cranberries.

Vacher Va`cher" noun [ French, from vache a cow. Confer Vaquero .] A keeper of stock or cattle; a herdsman. [ Southwestern U. S.] Bartlett.

Vachery Vach"er·y noun [ French vacherie , from vache a cow, Latin vacca . Confer Vaccary .] 1. An inclosure for cows. 2. A dairy. [ Obsolete or Prov. Eng.] Prompt. Parv.

Vachette clasp Va`chette" clasp [ Confer French vachette cowhide leather used for ligatures.] (Veter.) A piece of strong steel wire with the ends curved and pointed, used on toe or quarter cracks to bind the edges together and prevent motion. It is clasped into two notches, one on each side of the crack, burned into the wall with a cautery iron.

Vacillancy Vac"il·lan·cy noun The quality or state of being vacillant, or wavering. [ R.] Dr. H. More.

Vacillant Vac"il·lant adjective [ Latin vacillans , present participle of vacillare : confer French vacillant . See Vacillate .] Vacillating; wavering; fluctuating; irresolute.

Vacillate Vac"il·late transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Vacillated ; present participle & verbal noun Vacillating .] [ Latin vacillare , vacillatum ; confer Sanskrit vañc .] 1. To move one way and the other; to reel or stagger; to waver.

[ A spheroid] is always liable to shift and vacillate from one axis to another.

Paley. 2. To fluctuate in mind or opinion; to be unsteady or inconstant; to waver. Syn. -- See Fluctuate .

Vacillating Vac"il·la`ting adjective Inclined to fluctuate; wavering. Tennyson. -- Vac"il*la`ting*ly , adverb

Vacillation Vac`il·la"tion noun [ Latin vacillatio : confer French 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.

Vacillatory Vac"il·la·to·ry adjective Inclined to vacillate; wavering; irresolute. Hawthorne.

Vacuate Vac"u·ate transitive verb [ Latin vacuatus , past participle of vacuare to empty, from vacuus empty. See Vacant .] To make void, or empty. [ R.]

Vacuation Vac`u·a"tion noun The act of emptying; evacuation. [ R.]

Vacuist Vac"u·ist noun [ Confer French 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 .

Vacuity Va·cu"i·ty noun [ Latin 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.

Vacuna Va·cu"na noun [ Latin 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.

Vacuolated Vac"u·o·la`ted adjective (Biol.) Full of vacuoles, or small air cavities; as, vacuolated cells.

Vacuolation Vac"u·o·la"tion noun (Biol.) Formation into, or multiplication of, vacuoles.

Vacuole Vac"u·ole noun [ Latin vacuus empty: confer French 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 . (Zoology) See under Contractile , and see Illusts . of Infusoria , and Lobosa . -- Food vacuole . (Zoology) See under Food , and see Illust. of Infusoria .

Vacuometer Vac`u·om"e·ter noun [ Vacuum + -meter .] (Physics) (a) An instrument for the comparison of barometers. (b) An apparatus for the measurement of low pressures.

Vacuous Vac"u·ous adjective [ Latin 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.

Vacuousness Vac"u·ous·ness noun The quality or state of being vacuous; emptiness; vacuity. W. Montagu.

Vacuum Vac"u·um noun ; plural English Vacuums , Latin Vacua . [ Latin , from 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 (Physics ) , 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 .

Vacuum cleaner Vac"u·um clean"er A machine for cleaning carpets, tapestry, upholstered work, etc., by suction.

Vadantes Va·dan"tes noun plural [ New Latin , from Latin vadans , present participle of vadare to wade, to ford.] (Zoology) An extensive artificial group of birds including the wading, swimming, and cursorial birds.

Vade Vade intransitive verb [ For fade .] To fade; hence, to vanish. [ Obsolete] " Summer leaves all vaded ." Shak.

They into dust shall vade .

Spenser.

Vade mecum Va`de me"cum [ Latin , go with me.] A book or other thing that a person carries with him as a constant companion; a manual; a handbook.

Vadimony Vad"i·mo·ny noun [ Latin vadimonium .] (Law) A bond or pledge for appearance before a judge on a certain day. [ Obsolete]

Vadium Va"di·um noun [ Late Latin , from Latin vas , vadis , bail.] (Law) Pledge; security; bail. See Mortgage . Vadium vivum [ Late Latin ] (Law) , a living pledge, which exists where an estate is granted until a debt is paid out of its proceeds.

Vae Vae noun See Voe . [ Scot.]

Vafrous Va"frous adjective [ Latin vafer .] Crafty; cunning; sly; as, vafrous tricks. [ Obsolete] Feltham.