Volunteer navy Vol`un·teer" na"vy A navy of vessels fitted out and manned by volunteers who sail under the flag of the regular navy and subject to naval discipline. Prussia in 1870, in the Franco-German war, organized such a navy, which was commanded by merchant seamen with temporary commissions, with the claim (in which England acquiesced) that it did not come within the meaning of the term privateer .
Volunteer State Volunteer State Tennessee; -- a nickname.
Volunteers of America Vol`un·teers" of America A religious and philanthropic organization, similar to the Salvation Army, founded (1896) by Commander and Mrs. Ballington Booth.
Volupere Vol"u·pere noun [ Confer
Envelop .]
A woman's cap. [ Obsolete]
Chaucer.
Voluptuary Vo·lup"tu·a·ry noun ;
plural Voluptuaries . [ Latin
voluptuarius or
voluptarius , from
voluptas pleasure.]
A voluptuous person; one who makes his physical enjoyment his chief care; one addicted to luxury, and the gratification of sensual appetites. A good-humored, but hard-hearted, voluptuary .
Sir W. Scott. Syn. -- Sensualist; epicure.
Voluptuary Vo·lup"tu·a·ry adjective Voluptuous; luxurious.
Voluptuous Vo·lup"tu·ous adjective [ French
voluptueux , Latin
voluptuosus , from
voluptas pleasure,
volup agreeably, delightfully; probably akin to Greek ... to hope, ... hope, and to Latin
velle to wish. See
Voluntary .]
1. Full of delight or pleasure, especially that of the senses; ministering to sensuous or sensual gratification; exciting sensual desires; luxurious; sensual. Music arose with its voluptuous swell.
Byron. Sink back into your voluptuous repose.
De Quincey. 2. Given to the enjoyments of luxury and pleasure; indulging to excess in sensual gratifications. "The jolly and
voluptuous livers."
Atterbury. Softened with pleasure and voluptuous life.
Milton. --
Vo*lup"tu*ous*ly ,
adverb --
Vo*lup"tu*ous*ness ,
noun
Volupty Vo·lup"ty noun [ Confer French
volupté pleasure. See
Voluptuous .]
Voluptuousness. [ Obsolete]
Voluta Vo·lu"ta noun ;
plural English
Volutas , Latin
Volutæ . [ Latin , a spiral scroll. See
Volute .]
(Zoology) Any one of numerous species of large, handsome marine gastropods belonging to Voluta and allied genera.
Volutation Vol`u·ta"tion noun [ Latin
volutatio , from
volutare to roll, wallow, verb freq.
volvere ,
volutum , to roll.]
A rolling of a body; a wallowing. [ R.]
Sir T. Browne.
Volute Vo·lute" noun [ French
volute (cf. Italian
voluta ), Latin
voluta , from
volvere ,
volutum , to roll. See
Voluble .]
1. (Architecture) A spiral scroll which forms the chief feature of the Ionic capital, and which, on a much smaller scale, is a feature in the Corinthian and Composite capitals. See Illust. of Capital , also Helix , and Stale . 2. (Zoology) A spiral turn, as in certain shells. 3. (Zoology) Any voluta. Volute spiring ,
a spring formed of a spiral scroll of plate, rod, or wire, extended or extensible in the direction of the axis of the coil, in which direction its elastic force is exerted and employed.
Voluted Vo·lut"ed adjective Having a volute, or spiral scroll.
Volution Vo·lu"tion noun [ Confer Late Latin
volutio an arch, vault.]
1. A spiral turn or wreath. 2. (Zoology) A whorl of a spiral shell.
Volva Vol"va noun [ Latin
volva ,
vulva , covering.]
(Botany) A saclike envelope of certain fungi, which bursts open as the plant develops.
Volvox Vol"vox noun (Botany) A genus of minute, pale-green, globular, organisms, about one fiftieth of an inch in diameter, found rolling through water, the motion being produced by minute colorless cilia. It has been considered as belonging to the flagellate Infusoria, but is now referred to the vegetable kingdom, and each globule is considered a colony of many individuals. The commonest species is Volvox globator , often called globe animalcule .
Volvulus Vol"vu·lus noun [ New Latin , from Latin
volvere to turn about, to roll.]
(Medicine) (a) The spasmodic contraction of the intestines which causes colic. (b) Any twisting or displacement of the intestines causing obstruction; ileus. See Ileus .
Volyer Vol"yer noun (Zoology) A lurcher. [ Prov. Eng.]
Vomer Vo"mer noun [ Latin , a plowshare.]
(Anat.) (a) A bone, or one of a pair of bones, beneath the ethmoid region of the skull, forming a part a part of the partition between the nostrils in man and other mammals. (b) The pygostyle.
Vomerine Vo"mer·ine adjective Of or pertaining to the vomer.
Vomic nut Vom"ic nut` [ Confer French noix vomique .] Same as Nux vomica .
Vomica Vom"i·ca noun [ Latin , from
vomere to throw up, vomit.]
(Medicine) (a) An abscess cavity in the lungs. (b) An abscess in any other parenchymatous organ.
Vomicine Vom"i·cine noun [ From nux
vomica .]
(Chemistry) See Brucine .
Vomit Vom"it intransitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Vomited ;
present participle & verbal noun Vomiting .] [ Confer Latin
vomere ,
vomitum , and v. freq.
vomitare . See
Vomit ,
noun ]
To eject the contents of the stomach by the mouth; to puke; to spew.
Vomit Vom"it transitive verb 1. To throw up; to eject from the stomach through the mouth; to disgorge; to puke; to spew out; -- often followed by up or out . The fish . . . vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
Jonah ii. 10. 2. Hence, to eject from any hollow place; to belch forth; to emit; to throw forth; as, volcanoes vomit flame, stones, etc. Like the sons of Vulcan, vomit smoke.
Milton.
Vomit Vom"it noun [ Latin
vomitus , from
vomere ,
vomitum , to vomit; akin to Greek ..., Sanskrit
vam , Lithuanian
vemiti . Confer
Emetic ,
Vomito .]
1. Matter that is vomited; esp., matter ejected from the stomach through the mouth. Like vomit from his yawning entrails poured.
Sandys. 2. (Medicine) That which excites vomiting; an emetic. He gives your Hollander a vomit .
Shak. Black vomit .
(Medicine) See in the Vocabulary. --
Vomit nut ,
nux vomica.
Vomiting Vom"it·ing noun The spasmodic ejection of matter from the stomach through the mouth.
Vomition Vo·mi"tion noun [ Latin
vomitio .]
The act or power of vomiting. Grew.
Vomitive Vom"i·tive adjective [ Confer French
vomitif .]
Causing the ejection of matter from the stomach; emetic.
Vomito Vo·mi"to noun [ Spanish
vómito , from Latin
vomitus . See
Vomit ,
noun ]
(Medicine) The yellow fever in its worst form, when it is usually attended with black vomit. See Black vomit .
Vomitory Vom"i·to·ry adjective [ Latin
vomitorious .]
Causing vomiting; emetic; vomitive.
Vomitory Vom"i·to·ry noun ;
plural Vomitories 1. An emetic; a vomit. Harvey. 2. [ Latin
vomitorium .]
(Architecture) A principal door of a large ancient building, as of an amphitheater. Sixty-four vomitories . . . poured forth the immense multitude.
Gibbon.
Vomiturition Vom`i·tu·ri"tion noun [ Confer French
vomiturition .]
(Medicine) (a) An ineffectual attempt to vomit. (b) The vomiting of but little matter; also, that vomiting which is effected with little effort. Dunglison.
Vondsira Vond·si"ra noun (Zoology) Same as Vansire .
Voodoo Voo"doo noun 1. See Voodooism . 2. One who practices voodooism; a negro sorcerer.
Voodoo Voo"doo adjective Of or pertaining to voodooism, or a voodoo; as, voodoo incantations.
Voodooism Voo"doo·ism noun [ Probably (through Creole French
vaudoux a negro sorcerer) from French
Vaudois Waldensian, because the Waldenses were accused of sorcery.]
A degraded form of superstition and sorcery, said to include human sacrifices and cannibalism in some of its rites. It is prevalent among the negroes of Hayti, and to some extent in the United States, and is regarded as a relic of African barbarism.
Voortreker Voor"trek`er noun [ Dutch (in South Africa).]
One who treks before or first; a pioneer. [ South Africa]
Voracious Vo·ra"cious adjective [ Latin
vorax ,
- acis , from
vorare to devour; akin to Greek ... meat, food, ... to devour, Sanskrit
gar . Confer
Devour .]
Greedy in eating; very hungry; eager to devour or swallow; ravenous; gluttonous; edacious; rapacious; as, a voracious man or appetite; a voracious gulf or whirlpool. Dampier. --
Vo*ra"cious*ly ,
adverb --
Vo*ra"cious*ness ,
noun
Voracity Vo·rac"i·ty noun [ Latin
voracitas : confer French
voracité .]
The quality of being voracious; voraciousness.
Voraginous Vo·rag"i·nous adjective [ Latin
voraginosus , from
vorago an abyss, from
vorare to swallow up.]
Pertaining to a gulf; full of gulfs; hence, devouring. [ R.]
Mallet.
Vortex Vor"tex noun ;
plural English
Vortexes , Latin
Vortices . [ Latin
vortex ,
vertex ,
-icis , from
vortere ,
vertere , to turn. See
Vertex .]
1. A mass of fluid, especially of a liquid, having a whirling or circular motion tending to form a cavity or vacuum in the center of the circle, and to draw in towards the center bodies subject to its action; the form assumed by a fluid in such motion; a whirlpool; an eddy. 2. (Cartesian System) A supposed collection of particles of very subtile matter, endowed with a rapid rotary motion around an axis which was also the axis of a sun or a planet. Descartes attempted to account for the formation of the universe, and the movements of the bodies composing it, by a theory of vortices. 3. (Zoology) Any one of numerous species of small Turbellaria belonging to Vortex and allied genera. See Illustration in Appendix. Vortex atom (Chemistry) ,
a hypothetical ring- shaped mass of elementary matter in continuous vortical motion. It is conveniently regarded in certain mathematical speculations as the typical form and structure of the chemical atom. --
Vortex wheel ,
a kind of turbine.
Vortex filament Vor"tex fil"a·ment A vortex tube of infinitesimal cross section.
Vortex fringe Vor"tex fringe The region immediately surrounding a disk moving flatwise through air; -- so called because the air has a cyclic motion as in vortex ring.
Vortex line Vortex line A line, within a rotating fluid, whose tangent at every point is the instantaneous axis of rotation as that point of the fluid.
Vortex ring Vortex ring (Physics) A ring-shaped mass of moving fluid which, by virtue of its motion of rotation around an axis disposed in circular form, attains a more or less distinct separation from the surrounding medium and has many of the properties of a solid.
Vortex theory Vortex theory (Chem. & Physics) The theory, advanced by Thomson (Lord Kelvin) on the basis of investigation by Helmholtz, that the atoms are vortically moving ring-shaped masses (or masses of other forms having a similar internal motion) of a homogeneous, incompressible, frictionless fluid. Various properties of such atoms ( vortex atoms ) can be mathematically deduced.
Vortex tube Vortex tube (Physics) An imaginary tube within a rotating fluid, formed by drawing the vortex lines through all points of a closed curve.
Vortical Vor"ti·cal adjective Of or pertaining to a vortex or vortexes; resembling a vortex in form or motion; whirling; as, a vortical motion. --
Vor"ti*cal*ly ,
adverb
Vorticel Vor"ti·cel noun [ Confer French
vorticelle . See
Vortex .]
(Zoology) A vorticella.
Vorticella Vor`ti·cel"la noun ;
plural English
Vorticellas Latin
Vorticellæ [ New Latin , dim. from Latin
vortex . See
Vortex .]
(Zoology) Any one of numerous species of ciliated Infusoria belonging to Vorticella and many other genera of the family Vorticellidæ . They have a more or less bell-shaped body with a circle of vibrating cilia around the oral disk. Most of the species have slender, contractile stems, either simple or branched.
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