Vark - Vat

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2. (Zoöl.) One of the prominent ridges or ribs extending across each of the whorls of certain univalve shells.
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☞ The varices usually indicate stages of growth, each one showing a former position of the outer lip of the aperture.
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Vark (värk), n. [D. varken a pig.] (Zoöl.) The bush hog, or boshvark.
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Varlet (?), n. [OF. varlet, vaslet, vallet, servant, young man, young noble, dim. of vassal. See , and cf. .]
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1. A servant, especially to a knight; an attendant; a valet; a footman. [Obs.] Spenser. Tusser.
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2. Hence, a low fellow; a scoundrel; a rascal; as, an impudent varlet.
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What a brazen-faced varlet art thou ! Shak.
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3. In a pack of playing cards, the court card now called the knave, or jack. [Obs.]
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Varletry (?), n. [Cf. OF. valeterie the young unmarried nobles.] The rabble; the crowd; the mob.
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Shall they hoist me up,
And show me to the shouting varletry
Of censuring Rome. Shak.
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Varnish (?), n. [OE. vernish, F. vernis, LL. vernicium; akin to F. vernir to varnish, fr. (assumed) LL. vitrinire to glaze, from LL. vitrinus glassy, fr. L. vitrum glass. See .]
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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.
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☞ According to the sorts of solvents employed, the ordinary kinds of varnish are divided into three classes: spirit, turpentine, and oil varnishes. Encyc. Brit
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2. That which resembles varnish, either naturally or artificially; a glossy appearance.
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The varnish of the holly and ivy. Macaulay.
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3. An artificial covering to give a fair appearance to any act or conduct; outside show; gloss.
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And set a double varnish on the fame
The Frenchman gave you. Shak.
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Coloq. Varnish tree (Bot.), a tree or shrub from the juice or resin of which varnish is made, as some species of the genus Rhus, especially Rhus vernicifera of Japan. The black varnish of Burmah is obtained from the Melanorrhœa usitatissima, a tall East Indian tree of the Cashew family. See , and .
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Varnish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Varnished (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Varnishing.] [Cf. F. vernir, vernisser. See , n.]
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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.
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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.
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Close ambition, varnished o'er with zeal. Milton.
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Cato's voice was ne'er employed
To clear the guilty and to varnish crimes. Addison.
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Varnisher (?), n. 1. One who varnishes; one whose occupation is to varnish.
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2. One who disguises or palliates; one who gives a fair external appearance. Pope.
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Varnishing, n. The act of laying on varnish; also, materials for varnish.
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Varsity (?), n. 1. Colloquial contraction of . [Brit.]
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2. the team with the best players of a school or club, being the main representative of the organization in competitive play between schools or organizations. In schools, contrasted with junior varsity. Also used attributively, as, the varsity football team.
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Varsovienne (?), n. [F., prop. fem. of varsovien pertaining to Warsaw, fr. 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.
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Vartabed (?), n. [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.
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Varuna (vȧrṳnȧ), n. [Skr. Varuṇa.] (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.
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Varus (?), n. [NL., fr. L., bent, grown inwards.] (Med.) A deformity in which the foot is turned inward. See .
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Varvel (?), n. [F. vervelle.] In falconry, one of the rings secured to the ends of the jesses. [Written also vervel.]
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Varveled (?), a. Having varvels, or rings. [Written also varvelled, and vervelled.]
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☞ 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.
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Vary (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Varied (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Varying.] [OE. varien, F. varier, L. variare, fr. varius various. See , and cf. .]
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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.
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Shall we vary our device at will,
Even as new occasion appears? Spenser.
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2. To change to something else; to transmute; to exchange; to alternate.
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Gods, that never change their state,
Vary oft their love and hate. Waller.
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We are to vary the customs according to the time and country where the scene of action lies. Dryden.
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3. To make of different kinds; to make different from one another; to diversify; to variegate.
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God hath varied their inclinations. Sir T. Browne.
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God hath here
Varied his bounty so with new delights. Milton.
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4. (Mus.) To embellish; to change fancifully; to present under new aspects, as of form, key, measure, etc. See , 4.
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Vary (?), v. i. 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.
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That each from other differs, first confess;
Next, that he varies from himself no less. Pope.
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2. To differ, or be different; to be unlike or diverse; as, the laws of France vary from those of England.
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3. To alter or change in succession; to alternate; as, one mathematical quantity varies inversely as another.
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While fear and anger, with alternate grace,
Pant in her breast, and vary in her face. Addison.
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4. To deviate; to depart; to swerve; -- followed by from; as, to vary from the law, or from reason. Locke.
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5. To disagree; to be at variance or in dissension; as, men vary in opinion.
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The rich jewel which we vary for. Webster (1623).
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Vary, n. Alteration; change. [Obs.] Shak.
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Varying, a. & n. from .
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Coloq. Varying hare (Zoöl.), any hare or rabbit which becomes white in winter, especially the common hare of the Northern United States and Canada.
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Vas (?), n.; pl. Vasa (#). [L., a vessel. See .] (Anat.) A vessel; a duct.
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Coloq. Vas deferens ; pl. Vasa deferentia. [L. vas vessel + deferens carrying down.] (Anat.) The excretory duct of a testicle; a spermatic duct.
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Vascular (?), a. [L. vasculum a small vessel, dim. of vas vessel: cf. F. vasculaire. See , and cf. Vessel.]
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1. (Biol.) (a) Consisting of, or containing, vessels as an essential part of a structure; full of vessels; specifically (Bot.), 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.
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2. (Bot.) 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.
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Coloq. Vascular plants (Bot.), plants composed in part of vascular tissue, as all flowering plants and the higher cryptogamous plants, or those of the class Pteridophyta. Cf. Cellular plants, under . -- Coloq. Vascular system (Bot.), the body of associated ducts and woody fiber; the fibrovascular part of plants. -- Coloq. Vascular tissue (Bot.), vegetable tissue composed partly of ducts, or sap tubes. -- Coloq. Water vascular system (Zoöl.), 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.
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Vascularity (văsk�lărĭt�), n.; pl. Vascularities (văsk�lărĭtĭz). (Biol.) The quality or state of being vascular.
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Vascularization (văsk�lẽrĭzāshŭn), n. (Physiol.) The process of becoming vascular, or the condition of being vascular; as, the vascularization of cartilege.
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Vasculose (?), n. (Bot.) One of the substances of which vegetable tissue is composed, differing from cellulose in respect to its solubility in certain media.
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Vasculum (?), n.; pl. Vascula (#). [L., a small vessel.] 1. (Bot.) Same as , n., 1.
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2. A tin box, commonly cylindrical or flattened, used in collecting plants.
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Vase (vās or väz; 277), n. [F. vase; cf. Sp. & It. vaso; fr. L. vas, vasum. Cf. , .] 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 .
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No chargers then were wrought in burnished gold,
Nor silver vases took the forming mold. Pope.
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2. (Arch.) (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 . (b) The body, or naked ground, of the Corinthian and Composite capital; -- called also tambour, and drum.
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☞ 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: v�z, 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.”
The Merriam-Webster's 10th Colletgiate Dictionary says: “U. S. oftenest vās; Canada usu. and U. S. also vāz; Canada also & U. S. sometimes väz.”
One wit has noted that “a väz is a vāz that costs more than $100.”, suggesting that the former is considered a higher-class pronunciation.
[ Webster + PJC]

3. (Bot.) The calyx of a plant.
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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.
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Vasectomy (văsĕkt�m�), n. [Vas + -ecmoty.] (Surg.) Resection or excision of the vas deferens.
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Vaseline (?), n. [Said by the manufacturer to be derived from G. wasser water + Gr. 'elaion 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 . [Written also vaselin.]
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Vase-shaped (?), a. Formed like a vase, or like a common flowerpot.
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Vasiform (?), a. [L. vas a vessel + -form.] (Biol.) Having the form of a vessel, or duct.
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Coloq. Vasiform tissue (Bot.), tissue containing vessels, or ducts.
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Vasoconstrictor (?), a. (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.
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Vasoconstrictor (?), n. (Medicine, Physiology) A substance which causes constriction of the blood vessels. Such substances are used in medicine to raise abnormally low blood pressure.
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Vasodentine (?), n. [L. vas a vessel + E. dentine.] (Anat.) A modified form of dentine, which is permeated by blood capillaries; vascular dentine.
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Vasodilator (?), a. [L. 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.
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Vasodilator (?), n. [L. vas a vessel + dilator.] (Medicine & Physiology) A substance which causes dilation of blood vessels.
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Vasoformative (?), a. [L. vas a vessel + formative.] (Physiol.) Concerned in the development and formation of blood vessels and blood corpuscles; as, the vasoformative cells.
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Vasohypertonic (?), a. [See , and .] See .
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Vasohypotonic (?), a. [See , and .] See .
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Vaso-inhibitory (?), a. (Physiol.) See .
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Vasomotor (?), a. [L. vas a vessel + motor that which moves fr. 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.
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Coloq. 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.
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Vassal (?), n. [F., fr. LL. vassallus, vassus; of Celtic origin; cf. W. & Corn. gwas a youth, page, servant, Arm. gwaz a man, a male. Cf. , , .]
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1. (Feud. Law) The grantee of a fief, feud, or fee; one who holds land of a superior, and who vows fidelity and homage to him; a feudatory; a feudal tenant. Burrill.
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2. A subject; a dependent; a servant; a bondman; a slave. “The vassals of his anger.” Milton.
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Coloq. Rear vassal , the vassal of a vassal; an arriere vassal.
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Vassal, a. Resembling a vassal; slavish; servile.
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The sun and every vassal star. Keble.
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Vassal, v. t. To treat as a vassal; to subject to control; to enslave. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
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Vassalage (?), n. [OE. vassalage, F. vasselage, LL. vassallaticum.]
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1. The state of being a vassal, or feudatory.
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2. Political servitude; dependence; subjection; slavery; as, the Greeks were held in vassalage by the Turks.
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3. A territory held in vassalage. “The Countship of Foix, with six territorial vassalages.” Milman.
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4. Vassals, collectively; vassalry. [R.] Shak.
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5. Valorous service, such as that performed by a vassal; valor; prowess; courage. [Obs.] Chaucer.
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Vassaless, n. A female vassal. [R.] Spenser.
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Vassalry (?), n. The body of vassals. [R.]
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Vast (vȧst), a. [Compar. Vaster (vȧstẽr); superl. Vastest.] [L. vastus empty, waste, enormous, immense: cf. F. vaste. See , and cf. .]
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1. Waste; desert; desolate; lonely. [Obs.]
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The empty, vast, and wandering air. Shak.
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2. Of great extent; very spacious or large; also, huge in bulk; immense; enormous; as, the vast ocean; vast mountains; the vast empire of Russia.
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Through the vast and boundless deep. Milton.
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3. Very great in numbers, quantity, or amount; as, a vast army; a vast sum of money.
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4. Very great in force; mighty; as, vast labor.
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5. Very great in importance; as, a subject of vast concern.
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Syn. -- Enormous; huge; immense; mighty.
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Vast, n. A waste region; boundless space; immensity. “The watery vast.” Pope.
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Michael bid sound
The archangel trumpet. Through the vast of heaven
It sounded. Milton.
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Vastation (?), n. [L. vastatio, fr. vastare to lay waste, fr. vastus empty, waste.] A laying waste; waste; depopulation; devastation. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
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Vastel (?), n. See . [Obs.] Fuller.
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Vastidity (?), n. [Cf. OF. vastité, L. vastitas.] Vastness; immensity. [Obs.] “All the world's vastidity.” Shak.
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Vastitude (?), n. [L. vastitudo.] 1. Vastness; immense extent. [R.]
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2. Destruction; vastation. [Obs.] Joye.
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Vastity (?), n. [L. vastitas.] Vastness. [Obs.]
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The huge vastity of the world. Holland.
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Vastly, adv. To a vast extent or degree; very greatly; immensely. Jer. Taylor.
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Vastness, n. The quality or state of being vast.
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Vasty (?), a. [From .] Vast; immense. [R.]
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I can call spirits from the vasty deep. Shak.
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Vasum (?), n. [L., a vase. See .] (Zoöl.) A genus including several species of large marine gastropods having massive pyriform shells, with conspicuous folds on the columella.
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Vat (văt), n. [A dialectic form for fat, OE. fat, AS. fæt; akin to D. vat, OS. fat, G. fass, OHG. faz, Icel. & Sw. fat, Dan. fad, Lith. půdas a pot, and probably to G. fassen to seize, to contain, OHG. fazzōn, D. vatten. Cf. a vat.]
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