Vesper - Veteran

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Vesper (vĕspẽr), n. [L., the evening, the evening star, the west; akin to Gr. esperos, espera, and perhaps to E. west. Cf. , .] The evening star; Hesper; Venus, when seen after sunset; hence, the evening. Shak.
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Vesper, a. Of or pertaining to the evening, or to the service of vespers; as, a vesper hymn; vesper bells.
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Coloq. Vesper sparrow , the grass finch. See under .
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Vesperal (?), a. Vesper; evening. [R.]
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Vespers (?), n. pl. [OF. vespres, F. vêpres, LL. vesperae, fr. L. vespera evening. See , n.] (R. C. Ch.) (a) One of the little hours of the Breviary. (b) The evening song or service.
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Coloq. Sicilian vespers . See under , a.
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Vespertilio (?), n. [L., a bat.] (Zoöl.) A genus of bats including some of the common small insectivorous species of North America and Europe.
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Vespertiliones (?), n. pl. [NL.] (Zoöl.) A tribe of bats including the common insectivorous bats of America and Europe, belonging to Vespertilio and allied genera. They lack a nose membrane.
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Vespertilionine (?), a. (Zoöl.) Of or pertaining to the Vespertiliones.
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Vespertinal (?), a. Vespertine. Lowell.
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Vespertine (?), a. [L. vespertinus. See .] 1. Of or pertaining to the evening; happening or being in the evening. Gray.
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2. (Bot.) Blossoming in the evening.
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Vespiary (?), n. [L. vespa a wasp.] A nest, or habitation, of insects of the wasp kind.
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Vespillo (?), n.; pl. Vespilloes (#). [L.] (Rom. Antiq.) One who carried out the dead bodies of the poor at night for burial.
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Like vespilloes or grave makers. Sir T. Browne.
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Vessel, n. [OF. vessel, veissel, vaissel, vaissiel, F. vaisseau, fr. L. vascellum, dim. of vasculum, dim. of vas a vessel. Cf. , .] 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.
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[They drank] out of these noble vessels. Chaucer.
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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.
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[He] began to build a vessel of huge bulk. Milton.
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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.
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He is a chosen vessel unto me. Acts ix. 15.
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[The serpent] fit vessel, fittest imp of fraud, in whom
To enter. Milton.
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4. (Anat.) Any tube or canal in which the blood or other fluids are contained, secreted, or circulated, as the arteries, veins, lymphatics, etc.
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5. (Bot.) 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.
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Coloq. Acoustic vessels . See under . -- Coloq. 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.
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Vessel, v. t. To put into a vessel. [Obs.] Bacon.
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Vesselful (?), n.; pl. Vesselfuls (�). As much as a vessel will hold; enough to fill a vessel.
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{ Vesses (?), Vessets (?), } n. A kind of worsted; also, a worsted cloth. [Prov. Eng.]
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{ Vessicnon (?), Vessignon (?), } n. [F. vessigon, fr. L. vesica a bladder, blister.] (Far.) A soft swelling on a horse's leg; a windgall.
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Vest (vĕst), n. [L. vestis a garment, vesture; akin to Goth. wasti, and E. wear: cf. F. veste. See to carry on the person, and cf. , , .]
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1. An article of clothing covering the person; an outer garment; a vestment; a dress; a vesture; a robe.
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In state attended by her maiden train,
Who bore the vests that holy rites require. Dryden.
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2. Any outer covering; array; garb.
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Not seldom clothed in radiant vest
Deceitfully goes forth the morn. Wordsworth.
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3. Specifically, a waistcoat, or sleeveless body garment, for men, worn under the coat.
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Syn. -- Garment; vesture; dress; robe; vestment; 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.
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Vest, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Vested; p. pr. & vb. n. Vesting.] [Cf. L. vestire, vestitum, OF. vestir, F. vêtir. See , n.] 1. To clothe with, or as with, a vestment, or garment; to dress; to robe; to cover, surround, or encompass closely.
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Came vested all in white, pure as her mind. Milton.
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With ether vested, and a purple sky. Dryden.
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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.
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Had I been vested with the monarch's power. Prior.
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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.
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Empire and dominion was [were] vested in him. Locke.
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4. To invest; to put; as, to vest money in goods, land, or houses. [R.]
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5. (Law) 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.
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Vest (vĕst), v. i. 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.
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Vesta (vĕstȧ), n. [L. Vesta, akin to Gr. Estia Vesta, estia the hearth of the house, and perhaps to Skr. ush to burn (see East), or perhaps to Skr. vas to dwell, and E. was.] 1. (Rom. Myth.) 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.
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2. (Astron.) An asteroid, or minor planet, discovered by Olbers in 1807.
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3. A wax friction match. Simmonds.
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Vestal (?), a. [L. Vestalis belonging to Vesta, vestal. See .] Of or pertaining to Vesta, the virgin goddess of the hearth; hence, pure; chaste.
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Vestal, n. [L. Vestalis (sc. virgo): cf. F. vestale. See , a.] 1. (Rom. Antiq.) A virgin consecrated to Vesta, and to the service of watching the sacred fire, which was to be perpetually kept burning upon her altar.
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☞ 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.
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2. A virgin; a woman pure and chaste; also, a nun.
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How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! Pope.
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Vestales (?), n. pl. [NL. See .] (Zoöl.) A group of butterflies including those known as virgins, or gossamer-winged butterflies.
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Vested (?), a. 1. Clothed; robed; wearing vestments. “The vested priest.” Milton.
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2. (Law) Not in a state of contingency or suspension; fixed; as, vested rights; vested interests.
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Coloq. 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. -- Coloq. Vested remainder (Law), an estate settled, to remain to a determined person, after the particular estate is spent. Blackstone. Kent.
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Vested interest. 1. a special personal interest, usually financial, in an existing system, law, or institution, which hinders a person from making objective decisions regarding that system, law, or institution. A vested interest may be one which benefits a relative, or, in an extended sense, one which defends a person's own reputation or previously expressed views.
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2. a right given to an employee by a pension plan, which cannot be taken away.
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3. pl. the persons, corporations, or other groups which benefit most (usually financially) from the existing system of institutions, laws, and customs.
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Vested school. 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.
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Vestiarian (?), a. [See .] Of or pertaining to a vestiary or vestments.
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Vestiary (?), n. [L. vestiarium. See .] A wardrobe; a robing room; a vestry. Fuller.
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Vestiary, a. Pertaining to clothes, or vestments.
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Vestibular (?), a. Of or pertaining to a vestibule; like a vestibule.
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Vestibule (?), n. [L. vestibulum, of uncertain origin: cf. F. vestibule.] The porch or entrance into a house; a hall or antechamber next the entrance; a lobby; a porch; a hall.
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Coloq. Vestibule of the ear . (Anat.) See under . -- Coloq. Vestibule of the vulva (Anat.), a triangular space between the nymphæ, in which the orifice of the urethra is situated. -- Coloq. 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.
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Syn. -- 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
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Vestibule (?), v. t. To furnish with a vestibule or vestibules. Brander Matthews.
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Vestibuled train. (Railroad) Same as Vestibule train, under .
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Vestibulum (?), n.; pl. Vestibula (#). [L., vestibule.] (Zoöl.) A cavity into which, in certain bryozoans, the esophagus and anus open.
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Vestigate (?), v. t. [L. vestigatus, p. p. of vestigare. See .] To investigate. [Obs.]
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Vestige (?), n. [F., from L. vestigium footprint, trace, sign; the last part (-stigium) is probably akin to E. sty, v. i. Cf. .] 1. 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.
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What vestiges of liberty or property have they left? Burke.
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Ridicule has followed the vestiges of Truth, but never usurped her place. Landor.
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2. (Biol.) A small, degenerate, or imperfectly developed part or organ which has been more fully developed in some past generation.
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Syn. -- Trace; mark; sign; token. -- , . 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 of 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.
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Vestigial (?), a. Of or pertaining to a vestige or remnant; like a vestige.
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Vesting (?), n. Cloth for vests; a vest pattern.
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Vestiture (?; 135), n. [See .] Investiture. [R.]
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Vestlet (?), n. [Dim. of vest.] (Zoöl.) 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.
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Vestment (?), n. [OE. vestement, vestiment, OF. vestement, vestiment, F. vêtement, fr. L. vestimentum, fr. vestire to clothe, fr. vestis a garment, clothing. See .] A covering or garment; some part of clothing or dress; specifically (Eccl.), any priestly garment. “Royal vestiment.” Chaucer. “Priests in holy vestments.” Shak.
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The sculptor could not give vestments suitable to the quality of the persons represented. Dryden.
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Vestry (?), n.; pl. Vestries (#). [OE. vestrye, F. vestiaire, L. vestiarium, fr. vestiarius belonging to clothes, fr. vestis a garment. See , n., and cf. .] 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.
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He said unto him that was over the vestry, Bring forth vestments for all the worshipers of Baal. 2 Kings x. 22.
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2. (Ch. of Eng.) A parochial assembly; an assembly of persons who manage parochial affairs; -- so called because usually held in a vestry.
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3. (Prot. Epis. Ch.) A body, composed of wardens and vestrymen, chosen annually by a parish to manage its temporal concerns.
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Coloq. 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. -- Coloq. 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. -- Coloq. Vestry board (Ch. of Eng.), a vestry. See def. 2, above. -- Coloq. 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. -- Coloq. Vestry meeting , the meeting of a vestry or vestry board; also, a meeting of a parish held in a vestry or other place.
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Vestryman (?), n.; pl. Vestrymen (�). A member of a vestry; especially (Prot. Epis. Ch.), a member other than a warden. See .
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Vesture (?; 135), n. [OF. vesture, vesteure, F. vêture, LL. vestitura, from L. vestire to clothe, dress. See , v. t., and cf. .] 1. A garment or garments; a robe; clothing; dress; apparel; vestment; covering; envelope. Piers Plowman.
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Approach, and kiss her sacred vesture's hem. Milton.
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Rocks, precipices, and gulfs, appareled with a vesture of plants. Bentley.
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There polished chests embroidered vestures graced. Pope.
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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.
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Vestured (?), a. Covered with vesture or garments; clothed; enveloped.
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We be vestured with poor cloth. Ld. Berners.
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Vesuvian (?), a. [Cf. F. Vésuvien, It. Vesuviano.] Of or pertaining to Vesuvius, a volcano near Naples.
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Vesuvian, n. [G. vesuvian. See , a.] 1. (Min.) Vesuvianite.
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2. A kind of match or fusee for lighting cigars, etc.
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Vesuvianite (?), n. (Min.) 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.
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Vesuvine (?), n. A trade name for a brown dyestuff obtained from certain basic azo compounds of benzene; -- called also Bismarck brown, Manchester brown, etc.
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Vetch (vĕch), n. [Also fitch; OE. ficche, feche, for veche, OF. veche, vecce, vesche, vesce, F. vesce, fr. L. vicia.] (Bot.) Any leguminous plant of the genus Vicia, some species of which are valuable for fodder. The common species is Vicia sativa.
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☞ 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).
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Vetchling (vĕchlĭng), n. [Vetch + -ling.] (Bot.) Any small leguminous plant of the genus Lathyrus, especially Lathyrus Nissolia.
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Vetchy (?), a. 1. Consisting of vetches or of pea straw. “A vetchy bed.” Spenser.
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2. Abounding with vetches.
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Veteran (vĕtẽr�n), a. [L. veteranus, from vetus, veteris, old; akin to Gr. 'etos year, Skr. vatsara. See .] 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.
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The insinuating eloquence and delicate flattery of veteran diplomatists and courtiers. Macaulay.
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