Variolite Va"ri·o·lite noun [ Latin
varius various +
-lite : confer French
variolite .]
(Geol.) A kind of diorite or diabase containing imbedded whitish spherules, which give the rock a spotted appearance.
Variolitic Va`ri·o·lit"ic adjective [ From
Variola .]
1. Thickly marked with small, round specks; spotted. 2. (Geol.) Of, pertaining to, or resembling, variolite.
Varioloid Va"ri·o·loid adjective [
Variola +
-oid : confer French
varioloïde .]
(Medicine) Resembling smallpox; pertaining to the disease called varioloid.
Varioloid Va"ri·o·loid noun [ Confer French
varioloïde . See
Varioloid ,
adjective ]
(Medicine) The smallpox as modified by previous inoculation or vaccination. » It is almost always a milder disease than smallpox, and this circumstance, with its shorter duration, exhibits the salutary effects of previous vaccination or inoculation.
Dunglison.
Variolous Va·ri"o·lous adjective [ Late Latin
variolosus , from
variola the smallpox: confer French
varioleux .]
(Medicine) Of or pertaining to the smallpox; having pits, or sunken impressions, like those of the smallpox; variolar; variolic.
Variometer Va`ri·om"e·ter noun [ Latin
varius various +
-meter .]
(Electricity) An instrument for comparing magnetic forces, esp. in the earth's magnetic field.
Variorum Va`ri·o"rum adjective [ Latin , abbrev. from
cum notis variorum with notes of various persons.]
Containing notes by different persons; -- applied to a publication; as, a variorum edition of a book.
Various Va"ri·ous adjective [ Latin
varius . Confer
Vair .]
1. Different; diverse; several; manifold; as, men of various names; various occupations; various colors. So many and so various laws are given.
Milton. A wit as various , gay, grave, sage, or wild.
Byron. 2. Changeable; uncertain; inconstant; variable. A man so various , that he seemed to be
Not one, but all mankind's epitome.
Dryden. The names of mixed modes . . . are very various .
Locke. 3. Variegated; diversified; not monotonous. A happy rural seat of various view.
Milton.
Variously Va"ri·ous·ly adverb In various or different ways.
Variscite Var"is·cite noun [ So called from
Variscia in Germany.]
(Min.) An apple-green mineral occurring in reniform masses. It is a hydrous phosphate of alumina.
Varisse Va·risse" noun [ Confer French
varice varix. Confer
Varix .]
(Far.) An imperfection on the inside of the hind leg in horses, different from a curb, but at the same height, and frequently injuring the sale of the animal by growing to an unsightly size. Craig.
Varisse Va·risse" noun [ Confer French
varice varix. Confer
Varix .]
(Far.) An imperfection on the inside of the hind leg in horses, different from a curb, but at the same height, and often growing to an unsightly size.
Varix Va"rix noun ;
plural Varices . [ Latin ]
1. (Medicine) A uneven, permanent dilatation of a vein. » Varices are owing to local retardation of the venous circulation, and in some cases to relaxation of the parietes of the veins. They are very common in the superficial veins of the lower limbs.
Dunglison. 2. (Zoology) One of the prominent ridges or ribs extending across each of the whorls of certain univalve shells. » The varices usually indicate stages of growth, each one showing a former position of the outer lip of the aperture.
Vark Vark noun [ Dutch
varken a pig.]
(Zoology) The bush hog, or boshvark.
Varlet Var"let noun [ Old French
varlet ,
vaslet ,
vallet , servant, young man, young noble, dim of
vassal . See
Vassal , and confer
Valet .]
1. A servant, especially to a knight; an attendant; a valet; a footman. [ Obsolete]
Spenser. Tusser. 2. Hence, a low fellow; a scoundrel; a rascal; as, an impudent varlet . What a brazen-faced varlet art thou !
Shak. 3. In a pack of playing cards, the court card now called the knave , or jack . [ Obsolete]
Varletry Var"let·ry noun [ Confer Old French
valeterie the young unmarried nobles.]
The rabble; the crowd; the mob. Shall they hoist me up,
And show me to the shouting varletry
Of censuring Rome.
Shak.
Varnish Var"nish noun [ Middle English
vernish , French
vernis , Late Latin
vernicium ; akin to French
vernir to varnish, from (assumed) Late Latin
vitrinire to glaze, from Late Latin
vitrinus glassy, from Latin
vitrum glass. See
Vitreous .]
1. A viscid liquid, consisting of a solution of resinous matter in an oil or a volatile liquid, laid on work with a brush, or otherwise. When applied the varnish soon dries, either by evaporation or chemical action, and the resinous part forms thus a smooth, hard surface, with a beautiful gloss, capable of resisting, to a greater or less degree, the influences of air and moisture. » According to the sorts of solvents employed, the ordinary kinds of varnish are divided into three classes:
spirit ,
turpentine , and
oil varnishes.
Encyc. Brit 2. That which resembles varnish, either naturally or artificially; a glossy appearance. The varnish of the holly and ivy.
Macaulay. 3. An artificial covering to give a fair appearance to any act or conduct; outside show; gloss. And set a double varnish on the fame
The Frenchman gave you.
Shak. Varnish tree (Botany) ,
a tree or shrub from the juice or resin of which varnish is made, as some species of the genus Rhus , especially R. vernicifera of Japan. The black varnish of Burmah is obtained from the Melanorrhœa usitatissima , a tall East Indian tree of the Cashew family. See Copal , and Mastic .
Varnish Var"nish transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Varnished ;
present participle & verbal noun Varnishing .] [ Confer French
vernir ,
vernisser . See
Varnish ,
noun ]
1. To lay varnish on; to cover with a liquid which produces, when dry, a hard, glossy surface; as, to varnish a table; to varnish a painting. 2. To cover or conceal with something that gives a fair appearance; to give a fair coloring to by words; to gloss over; to palliate; as, to varnish guilt. "Beauty doth
varnish age."
Shak. Close ambition, varnished o'er with zeal.
Milton. Cato's voice was ne'er employed
To clear the guilty and to varnish crimes.
Addison.
Varnisher Var"nish·er noun 1. One who varnishes; one whose occupation is to varnish. 2. One who disguises or palliates; one who gives a fair external appearance. Pope.
Varnishing Var"nish·ing noun The act of laying on varnish; also, materials for varnish.
Varsity Var"si·ty noun Colloq. contr. of University .
Varsovienne Var`so`vienne" noun [ French, prop. fem. of
varsovien pertaining to Warsaw, from
Varsovie Warsaw, Pol.
Warszawa .]
(a) A kind of Polish dance. (b) Music for such a dance or having its slow triple time characteristic strong accent beginning every second measure.
Vartabed Var"ta·bed noun [ Armen., a doctor, master, preceptor.]
(Eccl.) A doctor or teacher in the Armenian church. Members of this order of ecclesiastics frequently have charge of dioceses, with episcopal functions.
Varuna Va·ru"na (vȧ*ru"nȧ)
noun [ Sanskrit
Varuna .]
(Hindu Myth.) The god of the waters; the Indian Neptune. He is regarded as regent of the west, and lord of punishment, and is represented as riding on a sea monster, holding in his hand a snaky cord or noose with which to bind offenders, under water.
Varus Va"rus noun [ New Latin , from Latin , bent, grown inwards.]
(Medicine) A deformity in which the foot is turned inward. See Talipes .
Varvel Var"vel noun [ French
vervelle .]
In falconry, one of the rings secured to the ends of the jesses. [ Written also
vervel .]
Varveled Var"veled adjective Having varvels, or rings. [ Written also
varvelled , and
vervelled .] » In heraldry, when the jesses attached to the legs of hawks hang loose, or have pendent ends with rings at the tips, the blazon is a
hawk (
or a hawk's leg )
jessed and varveled .
Vary Va"ry transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Varied ;
present participle & verbal noun Varying .] [ Middle English
varien , French
varier , Latin
variare , from
varius various. See
Various , and confer
Variate .]
1. To change the aspect of; to alter in form, appearance, substance, position, or the like; to make different by a partial change; to modify; as, to vary the properties, proportions, or nature of a thing; to vary a posture or an attitude; to vary one's dress or opinions. Shall we vary our device at will,
Even as new occasion appears?
Spenser. 2. To change to something else; to transmute; to exchange; to alternate. Gods, that never change their state,
Vary oft their love and hate.
Waller. We are to vary the customs according to the time and country where the scene of action lies.
Dryden. 3. To make of different kinds; to make different from one another; to diversity; to variegate. God hath varied their inclinations.
Sir T. Browne. God hath here
Varied his bounty so with new delights.
Milton. 4. (Mus.) To embellish; to change fancifully; to present under new aspects, as of form, key, measure, etc. See Variation , 4.
Vary Va"ry intransitive verb 1. To alter, or be altered, in any manner; to suffer a partial change; to become different; to be modified; as, colors vary in different lights. That each from other differs, first confess;
Next, that he varies from himself no less.
Pope. 2. To differ, or be different; to be unlike or diverse; as, the laws of France vary from those of England. 3. To alter or change in succession; to alternate; as, one mathematical quantity varies inversely as another. While fear and anger, with alternate grace,
Pant in her breast, and vary in her face.
Addison. 4. To deviate; to depart; to swerve; -- followed by from ; as, to vary from the law, or from reason. Locke. 5. To disagree; to be at variance or in dissension; as, men vary in opinion. The rich jewel which we vary for.
Webster (1623).
Vary Va"ry noun Alteration; change. [ Obsolete]
Shak.
Varying Va"ry·ing adjective & noun from Vary . Varying hare (Zoology) ,
any hare or rabbit which becomes white in winter, especially the common hare of the Northern United States and Canada.
Vas Vas noun ;
plural Vasa . [ Latin , a vessel. See
Vase .]
(Anat.) A vessel; a duct. Vascular Vas"cu·lar adjective [ Latin
vasculum a small vessel, dim. of
vas vessel: confer French
vasculaire . See
Vase , and confer
Vessel .]
1. (Biol.) (a) Consisting of, or containing, vessels as an essential part of a structure; full of vessels; specifically (Botany) , pertaining to, or containing, special ducts, or tubes, for the circulation of sap. (b) Operating by means of, or made up of an arrangement of, vessels; as, the vascular system in animals, including the arteries, veins, capillaries, lacteals, etc. (c) Of or pertaining to the vessels of animal and vegetable bodies; as, the vascular functions. 2. (Botany) Of or pertaining to the higher division of plants, that is, the phænogamous plants, all of which are vascular, in distinction from the cryptogams, which to a large extent are cellular only. Vascular plants (Botany) ,
plants composed in part of vascular tissue, as all flowering plants and the higher cryptogamous plants, or those of the class Pteridophyta . Confer Cellular plants , Cellular . --
Vascular system (Botany) ,
the body of associated ducts and woody fiber; the fibrovascular part of plants. --
Vascular tissue (Botany) ,
vegetable tissue composed partly of ducts, or sap tubes. --
Water vascular system (Zoology) ,
a system of vessels in annelids, nemerteans, and many other invertebrates, containing a circulating fluid analogous to blood, but not of the same composition. In annelids the fluid which they contain is usually red, but in some it is green, in others yellow, or whitish.
Vascularity Vas`cu·lar"i·ty noun ;
plural Vascularities (Biol.) The quality or state of being vascular.
Vasculose Vas"cu·lose` noun (Botany) One of the substances of which vegetable tissue is composed, differing from cellulose in its solubility in certain media.
Vasculum Vas"cu·lum noun ;
plural Vascula . [ Latin , a small vessel.]
1. (Botany) Same as Ascidium , noun , 1. 2. A tin box, commonly cylindrical or flattened, used in collecting plants.
Vase Vase (vās
or väz; 277)
noun [ French
vase ; confer Spanish & Italian
vaso ; from Latin
vas ,
vasum . Confer
Vascular ,
Vessel .]
1. A vessel adapted for various domestic purposes, and anciently for sacrificial uses; especially, a vessel of antique or elegant pattern used for ornament; as, a porcelain vase ; a gold vase ; a Grecian vase . See Illust. of Portland vase , under Portland . No chargers then were wrought in burnished gold,
Nor silver vases took the forming mold.
Pope. 2. (Architecture) (a) A vessel similar to that described in the first definition above, or the representation of one in a solid block of stone, or the like, used for an ornament, as on a terrace or in a garden. See Illust. of Niche . (b) The body, or naked ground, of the Corinthian and Composite capital; -- called also tambour , and drum . » Until the time of Walker (1791),
vase was made to rhyme with
base ,,
case , etc., and it is still commonly so pronounced in the United States. Walker made it to rhyme with
phrase ,
maze , etc. Of modern English practice, Mr. A. J. Ellis (1874) says: "
Vase has four pronunciations in English:
vaz , which I most commonly say, is going out of use,
väz I hear most frequently,
vāz very rarely, and
vās I only know from Cull's marking. On the analogy of
case , however, it should be the regular sound."
3. (Botany) The calyx of a plant.
Vase clock Vase clock (Art) A clock whose decorative case has the general form of a vase, esp. one in which there is no ordinary dial, but in which a part of a vase revolves while a single stationary indicator serves as a hand.
Vase-shaped Vase"-shaped` adjective Formed like a vase, or like a common flowerpot.
Vasectomy Vas·ec"to·my (văs*ĕk"to*mȳ)
noun [
Vas +
-ecmoty .]
(Surg.) Resection or excision of the vas deferens.
Vaseline Vas"e·line noun [ Said by the manufacturer to be derived from German
wasser water + Greek
'e`laion olive oil.]
A yellowish translucent substance, almost odorless and tasteless, obtained as a residue in the purification of crude petroleum, and consisting essentially of a mixture of several of the higher members of the paraffin series. It is used as an unguent, and for various purposes in the arts. See the Note under Petrolatum . [ Written also
vaselin .]
Vasiform Vas"i·form adjective [ Latin
vas a vessel +
-form .]
(Biol.) Having the form of a vessel, or duct. Vasiform tissue (Botany) ,
tissue containing vessels, or ducts.
Vaso-inhibitory Vas`o-in·hib"i·to·ry adjective (Physiol.) See Vasodilator .
Vasoconstrictor Vas`o·con·strict"or adjective (Physiol.) Causing constriction of the blood vessels; as, the vasoconstrictor nerves, stimulation of which causes constriction of the blood vessels to which they go. These nerves are also called vasohypertonic .
Vasodentine Vas`o·den"tine noun [ Latin
vas a vessel + English
dentine .]
(Anat.) A modified form of dentine, which is permeated by blood capillaries; vascular dentine.
Vasodilator Vas`o·di·lat"or adjective [ Latin
vas a vessel +
dilator .]
(Physiol.) Causing dilation or relaxation of the blood vessels; as, the vasodilator nerves, stimulation of which causes dilation of the blood vessels to which they go. These nerves are also called vaso-inhibitory , and vasohypotonic nerves, since their stimulation causes relaxation and rest.
Vasoformative Vas`o·form"a·tive adjective [ Latin
vas a vessel +
formative ]
(Physiol.) Concerned in the development and formation of blood vessels and blood corpuscles; as, the vasoformative cells.
Vasomotor Vas`o·mo"tor adjective [ Latin
vas a vessel +
motor that which moves from
movere to move.]
(Physiol.) Causing movement in the walls of vessels; as, the vasomotor mechanisms; the vasomotor nerves, a system of nerves distributed over the muscular coats of the blood vessels. Vasomotor center ,
the chief dominating or general center which supplies all the unstriped muscles of the arterial system with motor nerves, situated in a part of the medulla oblongata; a center of reflex action by the working of which afferent impulses are changed into efferent, -- vasomotor impulses leading either to dilation or constriction of the blood vessels.
Vassal Vas"sal noun [ French, from Late Latin
vassallus ,
vassus ; of Celtic origin; confer W. & Corn.
gwas a youth, page, servant, Arm.
gwaz a man, a male. Confer
Valet ,
Varlet ,
Vavasor .]
1. (Feud. Law) The grantee of a fief, feud, or fee; one who holds land of superior, and who vows fidelity and homage to him; a feudatory; a feudal tenant. Burrill. 2. A subject; a dependent; a servant; a slave. "The
vassals of his anger."
Milton. Rear vassal ,
the vassal of a vassal; an arriere vassal.
Vassal Vas"sal adjective Resembling a vassal; slavish; servile. The sun and every vassal star.
Keble.
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