Chapter CDLXXXIX: Prologue (140)

VERT Vert, n. Etym: [F., green, from L. viridis. See Verdant, and cf. Verd.]

1. (Eng. Forest Law) (a) Everything that grows, and bears a green leaf, within the forest; as, to preserve vert and venison is the duty of the verderer. (b) The right or privilege of cutting growing wood.

2. (Her.)

Defn: The color green, represented in a drawing or engraving by parallel lines sloping downward toward the right.

VERTEBER Ver"te*ber, n.

Defn: A vertebra. [Obs.]

VERTEBRA Ver"te*bra, n.; pl. Vertebræ. Etym: [L. vertebra, fr. vertere to turn, change. See Verse.]

1. (Anat.)

Defn: One of the serial segments of the spinal column.

Note: In many fishes the vertebræ are simple cartilaginous disks or short cylinders, but in the higher vertebrates they are composed of many parts, and the vertebræ in different portions of the same column vary very greatly. A well-developed vertebra usually consists of a more or less cylindrical and solid body, or centrum, which is surmounted dorsally by an arch, leaving an opening which forms a part of the canal containing the spinal cord. From this dorsal, or neural, arch spring various processes, or apophyses, which have received special names: a dorsal, or neural, spine, spinous process, or neurapophysis, on the middle of the arch; two anterior and two posterior articular processes, or zygapophyses; and one or two transverse processes on each side. In those vertebræ which bear well- developed ribs, a tubercle near the end of the rib articulates at a tubercular facet on the transverse process (diapophysis), while the end, or head, of the rib articulates at a more ventral capitular facet which is sometimes developed into a second, or ventral, transverse process (parapophysis). In vertebrates with well-developed hind limbs, the spinal column is divided into five regions in each of which the vertebræ are specially designated: those vertebræ in front of, or anterior to, the first vertebra which bears ribs connected with the sternum are cervical; all those which bear ribs and are back of the cervicals are dorsal; the one or more directly supporting the pelvis are sacral and form the sacrum; those between the sacral and dorsal are lumbar; and all those back of the sacral are caudal, or coccygeal. In man there are seven cervical vertebræ, twelve dorsal, five lumbar, five sacral, and usually four, but sometimes five and rarely three, coccygeal.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the central ossicles in each joint of the arms of an ophiuran.

VERTEBRAL Ver"te*bral, a. Etym: [Cf. F. vertébral.]

1. (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a vertebræ, or the vertebral column; spinal; rachidian.

2. Vertebrate.

VERTEBRAL Ver"te*bral, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A vertebrate. [R.]

VERTEBRALLY Ver"te*bral*ly, adv. (Anat.)

Defn: At or within a vertebra or vertebræ; -- distinguished from interverterbrally.

VERTEBRARTERIAL Ver`te*brar*te"ri*al, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to a vertebræ and an artery; -- said of the foramina in the transverse processes of cervical vertebræ and of the canal which they form for the vertebral artery and vein.

VERTEBRATA Ver`te*bra"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the grand divisions of the animal kingdom, comprising all animals that have a backbone composed of bony or cartilaginous vertebræ, together with Amphioxus in which the backbone is represented by a simple undivided notochord. The Vertebrata always have a dorsal, or neural, cavity above the notochord or backbone, and a ventral, or visceral, cavity below it. The subdivisions or classes of Vertebrata are Mammalia, Aves, Reptilia, Amphibia, Pisces, Marsipobranchia, and Leptocardia.

VERTEBRATE Ver"te*brate, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: One of the Vertebrata.

VERTEBRATE; VERTEBRATED Ver"te*brate, Ver"te*bra`ted, a. Etym: [L. vertebratus.]

1. (Anat.)

Defn: Having a backbone, or vertebral column, containing the spinal marrow, as man, quadrupeds, birds, amphibia, and fishes.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: Contracted at intervals, so as to resemble the spine in animals. Henslow.

3. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Having movable joints resembling vertebræ; -- said of the arms ophiurans.

4. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Vertebrata; -- used only in the form vertebrate.

VERTEBRE Ver"te*bre, n. (Anat.)

Defn: A vertebra. [Obs.]

VERTEBRO- Ver"te*bro-.

Defn: A combining form used in anatomy to indicate connection with, or relation to, a vertebra, vertebræ, or vertebral column; as in vertebrocostal.

VERTEBRO-ILIAC Ver"te*bro-il"i*ac, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Iliolumbar.

VERTEX Ver"tex, n.; pl. Vertexes, L. Vertices. Etym: [L. vertex, -icis, a whirl, top of the head, top, summit, from vertere to turn. See Verse, and cf. Vortex.]

Defn: A turning point; the principal or highest point; top; summit; crown; apex. Specifically: --(a) (Anat.)

Defn: The top, or crown, of the head. (b) (Anat.) The zenith, or the point of the heavens directly overhead. (c) (Math.) The point in any figure opposite to, and farthest from, the base; the terminating point of some particular line or lines in a figure or a curve; the top, or the point opposite the base.

Note: The principal vertex of a conic section is, in the parabola, the vertex of the axis of the curve: in the ellipse, either extremity of either axis, but usually the left-hand vertex of the transverse axis; in the hyperbola, either vertex, but usually the right-hand vertex of the transverse axis. Vertex of a curve (Math.), the point in which the axis of the curve intersects it. -- Vertex of an angle (Math.), the point in which the sides of the angle meet. -- Vertex of a solid, or of a surface of revolution (Math.), the point in which the axis pierces the surface.

VERTICAL Ver"ti*cal, a. Etym: [Cf. F. vertical. See Vertex.]

1. Of or pertaining to the vertex; situated at the vertex, or highest point; directly overhead, or in the zenith; perpendicularly above one. Charity . . . is the vertical top of all religion. Jer. Taylor.

2. Perpendicular to the plane of the horizon; upright; plumb; as, a vertical line. Vertical angle (Astron. & Geod.), an angle measured on a vertical circle, called an angle of elevation, or altitude, when reckoned from the horizon upward, and of depression when downward below the horizon. -- Vertical anthers (Bot.), such anthers as stand erect at the top of the filaments. -- Vertical circle (Astron.), an azimuth circle. See under Azimuth. -- Vertical drill, an drill. See under Upright. -- Vertical fire (Mil.), the fire, as of mortars, at high angles of elevation. -- Vertical leaves (Bot.), leaves which present their edges to the earth and the sky, and their faces to the horizon, as in the Australian species of Eucalyptus. -- Vertical limb, a graduated arc attached to an instrument, as a theodolite, for measuring vertical angles. -- Vertical line. (a) (Dialing) A line perpendicular to the horizon. (b) (Conic Sections) A right line drawn on the vertical plane, and passing through the vertex of the cone. (c) (Surv.) The direction of a plumb line; a line normal to the surface of still water. (d) (Geom., Drawing, etc.) A line parallel to the sides of a page or sheet, in distinction from a horizontal line parallel to the top or bottom. -- Vertical plane. (a) (Conic Sections) A plane passing through the vertex of a cone, and through its axis. (b) (Projections) Any plane which passes through a vertical line. (c) (Persp.) The plane passing through the point of sight, and perpendicular to the ground plane, and also to the picture. -- Vertical sash, a sash sliding up and down. Cf. French sash, under 3d Sash. -- Vertical steam engine, a steam engine having the crank shaft vertically above or below a vertical cylinder.

VERTICAL Ver"ti*cal, n.

1. Vertical position; zenith. [R.]

2. (Math.)

Defn: A vertical line, plane, or circle. Prime vertical, Prime vertical dial. See under Prime, a.

VERTICALITY Ver`ti*cal"i*ty, n.

Defn: The quality or state of being vertical; verticalness. [R.] The different points of the verticality. Sir T. Browne.

VERTICALLY Ver"ti*cal*ly, adv.

Defn: In a vertical manner, position, or direction; perpendicularly; as, to look down vertically; to raise a thing vertically.

VERTICALNESS Ver"ti*cal*ness, n.

Defn: Quality or state of being vertical.

VERTICIL Ver"ti*cil, n. Etym: [L. verticillus, dim. of vertex a whirl: cf. F. verticille. See Vertex.] (Bot.)

Defn: A circle either of leaves or flowers about a stem at the same node; a whorl. [Written also verticel.]

VERTICILLASTER Ver`ti*cil*las"ter, a. Etym: [NL., fr. L. verticillus a whirl + aster a star.] (Bot.)

Defn: A whorl of flowers apparently of one cluster, but composed of two opposite axillary cymes, as in mint. See Illust. of Whorl.

VERTICILLATE; VERTICILLATED Ver*tic"il*late, Ver*tic"il*la`ted, a. Etym: [See Verticil.] (Bot. & Zoöl.)

Defn: Arranged in a transverse whorl or whorls like the rays of a wheel; as, verticillate leaves of a plant; a verticillate shell.

VERTICILLUS Ver`ti*cil"lus, n. Etym: [L., a whirl.] (Bot.)

Defn: A whorl; a verticil.

VERTICITY Ver*tic"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. verticité. See Vertex.]

Defn: The quality or power of turning; revolution; rotation. [R.] Locke. I hardly believe he hath from elder times unknown the verticity of the loadstone. Sir T. Browne.

VERTICLE Ver"ti*cle, n. Etym: [L. verticula a joint.]

Defn: An axis; hinge; a turning point. E. Waterhouse.

VERTIGINATE Ver*tig"i*nate, a.

Defn: Turned round; giddy. [R.] Coleridge.

VERTIGINOUS Ver*tig"i*nous, a. Etym: [L. vertiginosus, fr. vertigo a whirling around, giddiness: cf. F. vertigineux. See Vertig.]

1. Turning round; whirling; rotary; revolving; as, vertiginous motion. Some vertiginous whirl of fortune. De Quincey.

2. Affected with vertigo; giddy; dizzy. They [the angels] grew vertiginous, and fell from the battlements of heaven. Jer. Taylor. -- Ver*tig"i*nous*ly, adv. -- Ver*tig"i*nous*ness, n.

VERTIGO Ver"ti*go, n; pl. E. Vertigoes, L. Vertigines. Etym: [L., fr. vertere to turn. See Verse.]

1. (Med.)

Defn: Dizziness or swimming of the head; an affection of the head in which objects, though stationary, appear to move in various directions, and the person affected finds it difficult to maintain an erect posture; giddiness. Quian.

2. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of numerous species of small land snails belonging to the genus Vertigo, having an elongated or conical spiral shell and usually teeth in the aperture.

VERTILINEAR Ver`ti*lin"e*ar, a. Etym: [Vertical + linear.]

Defn: Straight; rectilinear. [R.]

VERTU Ver"tu, n.

1. Virtue; power. See Virtue. [Obs.] Chaucer.

2. See Virtu.

VERTUOUS Ver"tu*ous, a.

Defn: Virtuous; powerful. [Obs.] Spenser.

VERUMONTANUM Ver`u*mon*ta"num, n. Etym: [NL.] (Anat.)

Defn: An elevation, or crest, in the wall of the urethra where the seminal ducts enter it.

Note: This is sometimes written veru montanum.

VERVAIN Ver"vain, n. Etym: [OE. verveine, F. verveine, fr. L. verbena, pl. verbenae sacred boughs of laurel, olive, or myrtle, a class of plants; cf. verbenaca vervain. Cf. Verbena.] (Bot.)

Defn: Any plant of the genus Verbena. Vervain mallow (Bot.), a species of mallow (Malva Alcea) with rose-colored flowers.

VERVE Verve, n. Etym: [F.]

Defn: Excitement of imagination such as animates a poet, artist, or musician, in composing or performing; rapture; enthusiasm; spirit; energy.

VERVEL Ver"vel, n.

Defn: See Varvel.

VERVET Ver"vet, n. (Zoöl.)

Defn: A South African monkey (Cercopithecus pygerythrus, or Lelandii). The upper parts are grayish green, finely specked with black. The cheeks and belly are reddish white.

VERY Ver"y, a. [Compar. Verier; superl. Veriest.] Etym: [OE. verai, verray, OF. verai, vrai, F. vrai, (assumed) LL. veracus, for L. verax true, veracious, fr. verus true; akin to OHG. & OS. war, G. wahr, D. waar; perhaps originally, that is or exists, and akin to E. was. Cf. Aver, v. t., Veracious, Verdict, Verity.]

Defn: True; real; actual; veritable. Whether thou be my very son Esau or not. Gen. xxvii. 21. He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends. Prov. xvii. 9. The very essence of truth is plainness and brightness. Milton. I looked on the consideration of public service or public ornament to be real and very justice. Burke.

Note: Very is sometimes used to make the word with which it is connected emphatic, and may then be paraphrased by same, self-same, itself, and the like. "The very hand, the very words." Shak. "The very rats instinctively have quit it." Shak. "Yea, there where very desolation dwells." Milton. Very is used occasionally in the comparative degree, and more frequently in the superlative. "Was not my lord the verier wag of the two" Shak. "The veriest hermit in the nation." Pope. "He had spoken the very truth, and transformed it into the veriest falsehood." Hawthorne. Very Reverend. See the Note under Reverend.

VERY Ver"y, adv.

Defn: In a high degree; to no small extent; exceedingly; excessively; extremely; as, a very great mountain; a very bright sum; a very cold day; the river flows very rapidly; he was very much hurt.

VERY'S NIGHT SIGNALS; VERY NIGHT SIGNALS; VERY'S LIGHT SIGNALS; VERY LIGHT SIGNALS Ver"y's, or Ver"y, night signals . [After Lieut. Samuel W. Very, who invented the system in 1877.] (Naut.)

Defn: A system of signaling in which balls of red and green fire are fired from a pistol, the arrangement in groups denoting numbers having a code significance.

VESBIUM Ves"bi*um, n. Etym: [NL., from L. Vesuvius, contr. Vesbius, Vesuvius.] (Chem.)

Defn: A rare metallic element of which little is known. It is said by Scacchi to have been extracted from a yellowish incrustation from the cracks of a Vesuvian lava erupted in 1631.

VESE Vese, n. Etym: [Cf. Frese, n.]

Defn: Onset; rush; violent draught or wind. [Obs.] Chaucer.

VESICA Ve*si"ca, n. Etym: [L.]

Defn: A bladder. Vesica piscis. Etym: [L., dish bladder.] (Eccl. Art) A glory, or aureole, of oval shape, or composed of two arcs of circles usually represented as surrounding a divine personage. More rarely, an oval composed of two arcs not representing a glory; a solid oval, etc.

VESICAL Ves"i*cal, a. Etym: [L. vesica bladder.] (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the bladder. Dunglison.

VESICANT Ves"i*cant, n. Etym: [L. vesica blister: cf. F. vésicant.] (Med.)

Defn: A vesicatory.

VESICATE Ves"i*cate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Vesicated; p. pr. & vb. n. Vesicating.] Etym: [See Vesicant.] (Med.)

Defn: To raise little bladders or blisters upon; to inflame and separate the cuticle of; to blister. Wiseman.

VESICATION Ves`i*ca"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. vésication.] (Med.)

Defn: The process of vesicating, or of raising blisters.

VESICATORY Ves"i*ca*to*ry, a. Etym: [Cf. F. vésicatoire.] (Med.)

Defn: Tending, or having power, to raise a blister. -- n.

Defn: A blistering application or plaster; a vesicant; an epispastic.

VESICLE Ves"i*cle, n. Etym: [L. vesicula, dim. of vesica a bladder, blister; akin to Skr. vasti bladder: cf. F. vésicule.]

Defn: A bladderlike vessel; a membranous cavity; a cyst; a cell. Specifically: --(a) (Bot.)

Defn: A small bladderlike body in the substance of vegetable, or upon the surface of a leaf. (b) (Med.)

Defn: A small, and more or less circular, elevation of the cuticle, containing a clear watery fluid. (c) (Anat.) A cavity or sac, especially one filled with fluid; as, the umbilical vesicle. (d) (Zoöl.) A small convex hollow prominence on the surface of a shell or a coral. (e) (Geol.) A small cavity, nearly spherical in form, and usually of the size of a pea or smaller, such as are common in some volcanic rocks. They are produced by the liberation of watery vapor in the molten mass.

VESICO- Ves"i*co-.

Defn: A combining form used in anatomy to indicate connection with, or relation to, the bla; as in vesicoprostatic, vesicovaginal.

VESICOPROSTATIC Ves`i*co*pro*stat"ic, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Of a pertaining to the bladder and the prostrate gland.

VESICOUTERINE Ves`i*co*u"ter*ine, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the bladder and the uterus.

VESICOVAGINAL Ves`i*co*vag"i*nal, a. (Anat.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the bladder and the vagina.

VESICULA Ve*sic"u*la, n.; pl. Vesiculæ . Etym: [L., dim. of vesica.] (Anat. & Med.)

Defn: A vesicle.

VESICULAR Ve*sic"u*lar, a. Etym: [Cf. F. vésiculaire.]

1. Of or pertaining to vesicles; esp., of or pertaining to the air vesicles, or air cells, of the lungs; as, vesicular breathing, or normal breathing, in which the air enters freely the air vesicles of the lungs.

2. Containing, or composed of, vesicles or vesiclelike structures; covered with vesicles or bladders; vesiculate; as, vesicular coral; vesicular lava; a vesicular leaf.

3. Having the form or structure of a vesicle; as, a vesicular body. Vesicular column (Anat.), a series of nerve cells forming one of the tracts distinguished in the spinal; -- also called the ganglionic column. -- Vesicular emphysema (Med.), emphysema of the lungs, in which the air vesicles are distended and their walls ruptured. -- Vesicular murmur (Med.), the sound, audible on auscultation of the chest, made by the air entering and leaving the air vesicles of the lungs in respiration.

VESICULARIA Ve*sic`u*la"ri*a, n. Etym: [NL. See Vesicle.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of numerous species of marine Bryozoa belonging to Vesicularia and allied genera. They have delicate tubular cells attached in clusters to slender flexible stems.

VESICULATA Ve*sic`u*la"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Vesicle.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: The campanularian medusæ.

VESICULATE Ve*sic"u*late, a.

Defn: Bladdery; full of, or covered with, bladders; vesicular.

VESICULATE Ve*sic"u*late, v. t.

Defn: To form vesicles in, as lava.

VESICULATION Ve*sic`u*la"tion, n. (Geol.)

Defn: The state of containing vesicles, or the process by which vesicles are formed.

VESICULITIS Ve*sic`u*li"tis, n. [NL.; vesicula + -itis.]

Defn: Inflammation of a vesicle.

VESICULOSE; VESICULOUS Ve*sic"u*lose`, Ve*sic"u*lous, a. Etym: [L. vesiculosus: cf. F. vésiculeux.]

Defn: Bladdery; vesicular; vesiculate; composed of vesicles; covered with vesicles; as, a vesiculose shell.

VESPA Ves"pa, n. Etym: [L., wasp.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of Hymenoptera including the common wasps and hornets.

VESPER Ves"per, n. Etym: [L., the evening, the evening star, the west; akin to Gr. west. Cf. Hesperian, Vespers.]

Defn: The evening star; Hesper; Venus, when seen after sunset; hence, the evening. Shak.

VESPER Ves"per, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to the evening, or to the service of vespers; as, a vesper hymn; vesper bells. Vesper sparrow, the grass finch. See under Grass.

VESPERAL Ves"per*al, a.

Defn: Vesper; evening. [R.]

VESPERS Ves"pers, n.; pl. Etym: [OF. vespres, F. vêpres, LL. vesperae, fr. L. vespera evening. See Vesper, n.] (R. C. Ch.) (a) One of the little hours of the Breviary. (b) The evening song or service. Sicilian vespers. See under Sicilian, a.

VESPERTILIO Ves`per*til"i*o, n. Etym: [L., a bat.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A genus of bats including some of the common small insectivorous species of North America and Europe.

VESPERTILIONES Ves`per*til`i*o"nes, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A tribe of bats including the common insectivorous bats of America and Europe, belonging to Vespertilio and allied genera. They lack a nose membrane.

VESPERTILIONINE Ves`per*til`i*o"nine, a. (Zoöl.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the Vespertiliones.

VESPERTINAL Ves"per*ti`nal, a.

Defn: Vespertine. Lowell.

VESPERTINE Ves"per*tine, a. Etym: [L. vespertinus. See Vesper.]

1. Of or pertaining to the evening; happening or being in the evening. Gray.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: Blossoming in the evening.

VESPIARY Ves"pi*a*ry, n. Etym: [L. vespa a wasp.]

Defn: A nest, or habitation, of insects of the wasp kind.

VESPILLO Ves*pil"lo, n.; pl. Vespilloes. Etym: [L.] (Rom. Antiq.)

Defn: One who carried out the dead bodies of the poor at night for burial. Like vespilloes or grave makers. Sir T. Browne.

VESSEL Ves"sel, n. Etym: [OF. vessel, veissel, vaissel, vaissiel, F. vascellum, dim. of vasculum, dim. of vas a vessel. Cf. Vascular, Vase.]

1. A hollow or concave utensil for holding anything; a hollow receptacle of any kind, as a hogshead, a barrel, a firkin, a bottle, a kettle, a cup, a bowl, etc. [They drank] out of these noble vessels. Chaucer.

2. A general name for any hollow structure made to float upon the water for purposes of navigation; especially, one that is larger than a common rowboat; as, a war vessel; a passenger vessel. [He] began to build a vessel of huge bulk. Milton.

3. Fig.: A person regarded as receiving or containing something; esp. (Script.), one into whom something is conceived as poured, or in whom something is stored for use; as, vessels of wrath or mercy. He is a chosen vessel unto me. Acts ix. 15. [The serpent] fit vessel, fittest imp of fraud, in whom To enter. Milton.

4. (Anat.)

Defn: Any tube or canal in which the blood or other fluids are contained, secreted, or circulated, as the arteries, veins, lymphatics, etc.

5. (Bot.)

Defn: A continuous tube formed from superposed large cylindrical or prismatic cells (tracheæ), which have lost their intervening partitions, and are usually marked with dots, pits, rings, or spirals by internal deposition of secondary membranes; a duct. Acoustic vessels. See under Acoustic. -- Weaker vessel, a woman; -- now applied humorously. "Giving honor unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel." 1 Peter iii. 7. "You are the weaker vessel." Shak.

VESSEL Ves"sel, v. t.

Defn: To put into a vessel. [Obs.] Bacon.

VESSELFUL Ves"sel*ful, n.; pl. Vesselfuls (.

Defn: As much as a vessel will hold; enough to fill a vessel.

VESSES; VESSETS Ves"ses, Ves"sets, n.

Defn: A kind of worsted; also, a worsted cloth. [Prov. Eng.]

VESSICNON; VESSIGNON Ves"sic*non, Ves"sig*non, n. Etym: [F. vessigon, fr. L. vesica a bladder, blister.] (Far.)

Defn: A soft swelling on a horse's leg; a windgall.

VEST Vest, n. Etym: [L. vestis a garment, vesture; akin to Goth. wasti, and E. wear: cf. F. veste. See Wear to carry on the person, and cf. Divest, Invest, Travesty.]

1. An article of clothing covering the person; an outer garment; a vestment; a dress; a vesture; a robe. In state attended by her maiden train, Who bore the vests that holy rites require. Dryden.

2. Any outer covering; array; garb. Not seldom clothed in radiant vest Deceitfully goes forth the morn. Wordsworth.

3. Specifically, a waistcoat, or sleeveless body garment, for men, worn under the coat.

Syn. -- Garment; vesture; dress; robe; vestment; waistcoat. -- Vest, Waistcoat. In England, the original word waistcoat is generally used for the body garment worn over the shirt and immediately under the coat. In the United States this garment is commonly called a vest, and the waistcoat is often improperly given to an under-garment.

VEST Vest, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Vested; p. pr. & vb. n. Vesting.] Etym: [Cf. L. vestire, vestitum, OF. vestir, F. vêtir. See Vest, n.]

1. To clothe with, or as with, a vestment, or garment; to dress; to robe; to cover, surround, or encompass closely. Came vested all in white, pure as her mind. Milton. With ether vested, and a purple sky. Dryden.

2. To clothe with authority, power, or the like; to put in possession; to invest; to furnish; to endow; -- followed by with before the thing conferred; as, to vest a court with power to try cases of life and death. Had I been vested with the monarch's power. Prior.

3. To place or give into the possession or discretion of some person or authority; to commit to another; -- with in before the possessor; as, the power of life and death is vested in the king, or in the courts. Empire and dominion was [were] vested in him. Locke.

4. To invest; to put; as, to vest money in goods, land, or houses. [R.]

5. (Law)

Defn: To clothe with possession; as, to vest a person with an estate; also, to give a person an immediate fixed right of present or future enjoyment of; as, an estate is vested in possession. Bouvier.

VEST Vest, v. i.

Defn: To come or descend; to be fixed; to take effect, as a title or right; -- followed by in; as, upon the death of the ancestor, the estate, or the right to the estate, vests in the heir at law.

VESTA Ves"ta, n. Etym: [L. Vesta, akin to Gr. ush to burn (see East), or perhaps to Skr. vas to dwell, and E. was.]

1. (Rom. Myth.)

Defn: One of the great divinities of the ancient Romans, identical with the Greek Hestia. She was a virgin, and the goddess of the hearth; hence, also, of the fire on it, and the family round it.

2. (Astron.)

Defn: An asteroid, or minor planet, discovered by Olbers in 1807.

3. A wax friction match. Simmonds.

VESTAL Ves"tal, a. Etym: [L. Vestalis belonging to Vesta, vestal. See Vesta.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to Vesta, the virgin goddess of the hearth; hence, pure; chaste.

VESTAL Ves"tal, n. Etym: [L. Vestalis (sc. virgo): cf. F. vestale. See Vestal, a.]

1. (Rom. Antiq.)

Defn: A virgin consecrated to Vesta, and to the service of watching the sacred fire, which was to be perpetually kept burning upon her altar.

Note: The Vestals were originally four, but afterward six, in number. Their term of service lasted thirty years, the period of admission being from the sixth to the tenth year of the candidate's age.

2. A virgin; a woman pure and chaste; also, a nun. How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! Pope.

VESTALES Ves*ta"les, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Vestal.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A group of butterflies including those known as virgins, or gossamer-winged butterflies.

VESTED Vest"ed, a.

1. Clothed; robed; wearing vestments. "The vested priest." Milton.

2. (Law)

Defn: Not in a state of contingency or suspension; fixed; as, vested rights; vested interests. Vested legacy (Law), a legacy the right to which commences in præsenti, and does not depend on a contingency; as, a legacy to one to be paid when he attains to twenty-one years of age is a vested legacy, and if the legatee dies before the testator, his representative shall receive it. Blackstone. -- Vested remainder (Law), an estate settled, to remain to a determined person, after the particular estate is spent. Blackstone. Kent.

VESTED SCHOOL Vest"ed school.

Defn: In Ireland, a national school which has been built by the aid of grants from the board of Commissioners of National Education and is secured for educational purposes by leases to the commissioners themselves, or to the commissioners and the trustees.

VESTIARIAN Ves`ti*a"ri*an, a. Etym: [See Vestiary.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to a vestiary or vestments.

VESTIARY Ves"ti*a*ry, n. Etym: [L. vestiarium. See Vestry.]

Defn: A wardrobe; a robing room; a vestry. Fuller.

VESTIARY Ves"ti*a*ry, a.

Defn: Pertaining to clothes, or vestments.

VESTIBULAR Ves*tib"u*lar, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to a vestibule; like a vestibule.

VESTIBULE Ves"ti*bule, n. Etym: [L. vestibulum, of uncertain origin: cf. F. vestibule.]

Defn: The porch or entrance into a house; a hall or antechamber next the entrance; a lobby; a porch; a hall. Vestibule of the ear. (Anat.) See under Ear. -- Vestibule of the vulva (Anat.), a triangular space between the nymphæ, in which the orifice of the urethra is situated. -- Vestibule train (Railroads), a train of passenger cars having the space between the end doors of adjacent cars inclosed, so as to admit of leaving the doors open to provide for intercommunication between all the cars.

Syn. -- Hall; passage. -- Vestibule, Hall, Passage. A vestibule is a small apartment within the doors of a building. A hall is the first large apartment beyond the vestibule, and, in the United States, is often long and narrow, serving as a passage to the several apartments. In England, the hall is generally square or oblong, and a long, narrow space of entrance is called a passage, not a hall, as in America. Vestibule is often used in a figurative sense to denote a place of entrance. "The citizens of Rome placed the images of their ancestors in the vestibules of their houses." Bolingbroke

VESTIBULED TRAIN Vestibuled train. (Railroad)

Defn: Same as Vestibule train, under Vestibule.

VESTIBULUM Ves*tib"u*lum, n.; pl. Vestibula. Etym: [L., vestibule.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: A cavity into which, in certain bryozoans, the esophagus and anus open.

VESTIGATE Ves"ti*gate, v. t. Etym: [L. vestigatus, p. p. of vestigare. See Vestige.]

Defn: To investigate. [Obs.]

VESTIGE Ves"tige, n. Etym: [F., from L. vestigium footprint, trace, sign; the last part (-stigium) is probably akin to E. sty, v. i. Cf. Investigate.]

Defn: The mark of the foot left on the earth; a track or footstep; a trace; a sign; hence, a faint mark or visible sign left by something which is lost, or has perished, or is no longer present; remains; as, the vestiges of ancient magnificence in Palmyra; vestiges of former population. What vestiges of liberty or property have they left Burke. Ridicule has followed the vestiges of Truth, but never usurped her place. Landor.

Syn. -- Trace; mark; sign; token. -- Vestige, Trace. These words agree in marking some indications of the past, but differ to some extent in their use and application. Vestige is used chiefly in a figurative sense, for the remains something long passed away; as, the vestiges of ancient times; vestiges of the creation. A trace is literally something drawn out in a line, and may be used in this its primary sense, or figuratively, to denote a sign or evidence left by something that has passed by, or ceased to exist. Vestige usually supposes some definite object of the past to be left behind; while a trace may be a mere indication that something has been present or is present; as, traces of former population; a trace of poison in a given substance.

VESTIGIAL Ves*tig"i*al, a.

Defn: Of or pertaining to a vestige or remnant; like a vestige.

VESTING Vest"ing, n.

Defn: Cloth for vests; a vest pattern.

VESTITURE Ves"ti*ture, n. Etym: [See Vesture.]

Defn: In vestiture. [R.]

VESTLET Vest"let, n. Etym: [Dim. of vest.] (Zoöl.)

Defn: Any one of several species of actinians belonging to the genus Cerianthus. These animals have a long, smooth body tapering to the base, and two separate circles of tentacles around the mouth. They form a tough, flexible, feltlike tube with a smooth internal lining, in which they dwell, whence the name.

VESTMENT Vest"ment, n. Etym: [OE. vestement, vestiment, OF. vestement, vestiment, F. vêtement, fr. L. vestimentum, fr. vestire to clothe, fr. vestis a garment, clothing. See Vest.]

Defn: A covering or garment; some part of clothing or dress; specifically (Eccl.), any priestly garment. "Royal vestiment." Chaucer. "Priests in holy vestments." Shak. The sculptor could not give vestments suitable to the quality of the persons represented. Dryden.

VESTRY Ves"try, n.; pl. Vestries. Etym: [OE. vestrye, F. vestiaire, L. vestiarium, fr. vestiarius belonging to clothes, fr. vestis a garment. See Vest, n., and cf. Vestiary.]

1. A room appendant to a church, in which sacerdotal vestments and sacred utensils are sometimes kept, and where meetings for worship or parish business are held; a sacristy; -- formerly called revestiary. He said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshipers of Baal. 2 Kings x. 22.

2. (Ch. of Eng.)

Defn: A parochial assembly; an assembly of persons who manage parochial affairs; -- so called because usually held in a vestry.

3. (Prot. Epis. Ch.)

Defn: A body, composed of wardens and vestrymen, chosen annually by a parish to manage its temporal concerns. Metropolitan vestry, in the city of London, and certain specified parishes and places in England, a body composed of householders who pay poor rates. Its duties include the repair of churches, care of highways, the appointment of certain officers, etc. -- Select vestry, a select number of persons chosen in large and populous English parishes to represent and manage the concerns of the parish for one year. Mozley & W. -- Vestry board (Ch. of Eng.), a vestry. See def. 2, above. -- Vestry clerk, an officer chosen by the vestry, who keeps a record of its proceedings; also, in England, one who keeps the parish accounts and books. -- Vestry meeting, the meeting of a vestry or vestry board; also, a meeting of a parish held in a vestry or other place.

VESTRYMAN Ves"try*man, n.; pl. Vestrymen (.

Defn: A member of a vestry; especially (Prot. Epis. Ch.), a member other than a warden. See Vestry.

VESTURE Ves"ture, n. Etym: [OF. vesture, vesteure, F. vêture, LL. vestitura, from L. vestire to clothe, dress. See Vest, v. t., and cf. Vestiture.]

1. A garment or garments; a robe; clothing; dress; apparel; vestment; covering; envelope. Piers Plowman. Approach, and kiss her sacred vesture's hem. Milton. Rocks, precipices, and gulfs, appareled with a vesture of plants. Bentley. There polished chests embroidered vestures graced. Pope.

2. (O. Eng. Law) (a) The corn, grass, underwood, stubble, etc., with which land was covered; as, the vesture of an acre. (b) Seizin; possession.

VESTURED Ves"tured, a.

Defn: Covered with vesture or garments; clothed; enveloped. We be vestured with poor cloth. Ld. Berners.

VESUVIAN Ve*su"vi*an, a. Etym: [Cf. F. Vésuvien, It. Vesuviano.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to Vesuvius, a volcano near Naples.

VESUVIAN Ve*su"vi*an, n. Etym: [G. vesuvian. See Vesuvian, a.] (Min.)

Defn: Vesuvianite.

VESUVIANITE Ve*su"vi*an*ite, n. (Min.)

Defn: A mineral occurring in tetragonal crystals, and also massive, of a brown to green color, rarely sulphur yellow and blue. It is a silicate of alumina and lime with some iron magnesia, and is common at Vesuvius. Also called idocrase.

VESUVINE Ve*su"vine, n.

Defn: A trade name for a brown dyestuff obtained from certain basic azo compounds of benzene; -- called also Bismarck brown, Manchester brown, etc.

VETCH Vetch, n. Etym: [Also fitch; OE. ficche, feche, for veche, OF. veche, vecce, vesche, vesce, F. vesce, fr. L. vicia.] (Bot.)

Defn: Any leguminous plant of the genus Vicia, some species of which are valuable for fodder. The common species is V. sativa.

Note: The name is also applied to many other leguminous plants of different genera; as the chichling vetch, of the genus Lathyrus; the horse vetch, of the genus Hippocrepis; the kidney vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria); the milk vetch, of the genus Astragalus; the licorice vetch, or wild licorice (Abrus precatorius).

VETCHLING Vetch"ling, n. Etym: [Vetch + -ling.] (Bot.)

Defn: Any small leguminous plant of the genus Lathyrus, especially L. Nissolia.

VETCHY Vetch"y, a.

1. Consisting of vetches or of pea straw. "A vetchy bed." Spenser.

2. Abounding with vetches.

VETERAN Vet"er*an, a. Etym: [L. veteranus, from vetus, veteris, old; akin to Gr. vatsara. See Wether.]

Defn: Long exercised in anything, 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 delicate flattery of veteran diplomatists and courtiers. Macaulay.

VETERAN Vet"er*an, n. Etym: [L. veteranus (sc. miles): cf. F. vétéran.]

Defn: One who has been long exercised in any service or art, particularly in war; one who has had. Ensigns that pierced the foe's remotest lines, The hardy veteran with tears resigns. Addison.

Note: In the United States, during the civil war, soldiers who had served through one term of enlistment and had reënlisted were specifically designated veterans.

VETERANIZE Vet"er*an*ize, v. i.

Defn: To reënlist for service as a soldier. [U.S.] Gen. W. T. Sherman.

VETERINARIAN Vet`er*i*na"ri*an, n. Etym: [L. veterinarius. See Veterinary.]

Defn: One skilled in the diseases of cattle or domestic animals; a veterinary surgeon.

VETERINARY Vet"er*i*na*ry, a. Etym: [L. veterinarius of or belonging to beasts of burden an draught, fr. veterinus, probably originally, of or pertaining to yearlings: cf. F. vétérinaire. See Veteran, Wether.]

Defn: Of or pertaining to the art of healing or treating the diseases of domestic animals, as oxen, horses, sheep, etc.; as, a veterinary writer or school.

VETIVER Vet"i*ver, n. (Bot.)

Defn: An East Indian grass (Andropogon muricatus); also, its fragrant roots which are much used for making mats and screens. Also called kuskus, and khuskhus. [Sometimes written vetivert, and vitivert.]

VETO Ve"to, n.; pl. Vetoes (. Etym: [L. veto I forbid.]

1. An authoritative prohibition or negative; a forbidding; an interdiction. This contemptuous veto of her husband's on any intimacy with her family. G. Eliot.

2. Specifically: -- (a) A power or right possessed by one department of government to forbid or prohibit the carrying out of projects attempted by another department; especially, in a constitutional government, a power vested in the chief executive to prevent the enactment of measures passed by the legislature. Such a power may be absolute, as in the case of the Tribunes of the People in ancient Rome, or limited, as in the case of the President of the United States. Called also the veto power. (b) The exercise of such authority; an act of prohibition or prevention; as, a veto is probable if the bill passes. (c) A document or message communicating the reasons of the executive for not officially approving a proposed law; -- called also veto message. [U.S.]

Note: Veto is not a term employed in the Federal Constitution, but seems to be of popular use only. Abbott.

VETO Ve"to, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Vetoed; p. pr. & vb. n. Vetoing.]

Defn: To prohibit; to negative; also, to refuse assent to, as a legislative bill, and thus prevent its enactment; as, to veto an appropriation bill.

VETOIST Ve"to*ist, n.

Defn: One who uses, or sustains the use of, the veto.

VETTURA Vet*tu"ra, n.; pl. Vetture. Etym: [It. vettura, fr. L. vectura conveyance. Cf. Vecture.]

Defn: An Italian four-wheeled carriage, esp. one let for hire; a hackney coach.

VETTURINO Vet`tu*ri"no, n.; pl. Vetturini. Etym: [It.]

1. One who lets or drives a vettura.

2. A vettura.

VETUST Ve*tust", a. Etym: [L. vetustus old, ancient.]

Defn: Venerable from antiquity; ancient; old. [Obs.]

VEX Vex, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Vexed; p. pr. & vb. n. Vexing.] Etym: [F. vexer, L. vexare, vexatum, to vex, originally, to shake, toss, in carrying, v. intens. fr. vehere, vectum, to carry. See Vehicle.]

1. To to White curl the waves, and the vexed ocean roars. Pope.

2. To make angry or annoyed by little provocations; to irritate; to plague; to torment; to harass; to afflict; to trouble; to tease. "I will not vex your souls." Shak. Then thousand torments vex my heart. Prior.

3. To twist; to weave. [R.] Some English wool, vexed in a Belgian loom. Dryden.

Syn. -- See Tease.

VEX Vex, v. i.

Defn: To be irritated; to fret. [R.] Chapman.

VEXATION Vex*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. vexatio: cf. F. vexation.]

1. The act of vexing, or the state of being vexed; agitation; disquiet; trouble; irritation. Passions too violent . . . afford us nothing but vexation and pain. Sir W. Temple. Those who saw him after a defeat looked in vain for any trace of vexation. Macaulay.

2. The cause of trouble or disquiet; affliction. Your children were vexation to your youth. Shak.

3. A harassing by process of law; a vexing or troubling, as by a malicious suit. Bacon.

Syn. -- Chagrin; agitation; mortification; uneasiness; trouble; grief; sorrow; distress. See Chagrin.

VEXATIOUS Vex*a"tious, a. Etym: [See Vexation.]

1. Causing vexation; agitating; afflictive; annoying; as, a vexatious controversy; a vexatious neighbor. "Continual vexatious wars." South.

2. Full or vexation, trouble, or disquiet; disturbed. He leads a vexatious life. Sir K. Digby. Vexatious suit (Law), a suit commenced for the purpose of giving trouble, or without cause. -- Vex*a"tious*ly, adv. -- Vex*a"tious*ness, n.

VEXED Vexed, a.

1. Annoyed; harassed; troubled.

2. Much debated or contested; causing discussion; as, a vexed question.

VEXER Vex"er, n.

Defn: One who vexes or troubles.

VEXIL Vex"il, n.

Defn: A vexillum.

VEXILLAR; VEXILLARY Vex"il*lar, Vex"il*la*ry,Etym: [Cf. F. vexillaire, L. vexillarius a standard bearer.]

1. Of or pertaining to an ensign or standard.

2. (Bot.)

Defn: Of or pertaining to the vexillum, or upper petal of papilionaceous flowers. Vexilary æstivation (Bot.), a mode of æstivation in which one large upper petal folds over, and covers, the other smaller petals, as in most papilionaceous plants.

VEXILLARY Vex"il*la*ry, n. Etym: [L. vexillarius: cf. F. vexillaire.]

Defn: A standard bearer. Tennyson.

VEXILLATION Vex`il*la"tion, n. Etym: [L. vexillatio.] (Rom. Antiq.)

Defn: A company of troops under one vexillum.

VEXILLUM Vex*il"lum, n.; pl. Vexilla. Etym: [L., a standard, a flag.]

1. (Rom. Antiq.) (a) A flag or standard. (b) A company of troops serving under one standard.

2. (Eccl.) (a) A banner. (b) The sign of the cross.

3. (Bot.)

Defn: The upper petal of a papilionaceous flower; the standard.

4. (Zoöl.)

Defn: The rhachis and web of a feather taken together; the vane.

VEXINGLY Vex"ing*ly, adv.

Defn: In a vexing manner; so as to vex, tease, or irritate. Tatler.