Volupty - Voussoir

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Volupty (?), n. [Cf. F. volupté pleasure. See .] Voluptuousness. [Obs.]
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Voluta (?), n.; pl. E. Volutas (#), L. Volutæ (#). [L., a spiral scroll. See .] (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of large, handsome marine gastropods belonging to Voluta and allied genera.
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Volutation (?), n. [L. volutatio, from volutare to roll, wallow, verb freq. volvere, volutum, to roll.] A rolling of a body; a wallowing. [R.] Sir T. Browne.
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Volute (?), n. [F. volute (cf. It. voluta), L. voluta, from volvere, volutum, to roll. See .]
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1. (Arch.) A spiral scroll which forms the chief feature of the Ionic capital, and which, on a much smaller scale, is a feature in the Corinthian and Composite capitals. See Illust. of , also , and .
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2. (Zoöl.) A spiral turn, as in certain shells.
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3. (Zoöl.) Any voluta.
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Coloq. Volute spiring , a spring formed of a spiral scroll of plate, rod, or wire, extended or extensible in the direction of the axis of the coil, in which direction its elastic force is exerted and employed.
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Voluted, a. Having a volute, or spiral scroll.
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Volution (?), n. [Cf. LL. volutio an arch, vault.]
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1. A spiral turn or wreath.
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2. (Zoöl.) A whorl of a spiral shell.
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Volva (?), n. [L. volva, vulva, covering.] (Bot.) A saclike envelope of certain fungi, which bursts open as the plant develops.
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Volvox (?), n. (Bot.) A genus of minute, pale-green, globular, organisms, about one fiftieth of an inch in diameter, found rolling through water, the motion being produced by minute colorless cilia. It has been considered as belonging to the flagellate Infusoria, but is now referred to the vegetable kingdom, and each globule is considered a colony of many individuals. The commonest species is Volvox globator, often called globe animalcule.
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Volvulus (?), n. [NL., fr. L. volvere to turn about, to roll.] (Med.) (a) The spasmodic contraction of the intestines which causes colic. (b) Any twisting or displacement of the intestines causing obstruction; ileus. See .
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Volyer (?), n. (Zoöl.) A lurcher. [Prov. Eng.]
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Vomer (?), n. [L., a plowshare.] (Anat.) (a) A bone, or one of a pair of bones, beneath the ethmoid region of the skull, forming a part a part of the partition between the nostrils in man and other mammals. (b) The pygostyle.
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Vomerine (?), a. Of or pertaining to the vomer.
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Vomica (?), n. [L., fr. vomere to throw up, vomit.] (Med.) (a) An abscess cavity in the lungs. (b) An abscess in any other parenchymatous organ.
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Vomicine (?), n. [From nux vomica.] (Chem.) See .
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Vomic nut (?). [Cf. F. noix vomique.] Same as .
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Vomit (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Vomited; p. pr. & vb. n. Vomiting.] [Cf. L. vomere, vomitum, and v. freq. vomitare. See , n.] To eject the contents of the stomach by the mouth; to puke; to spew.
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Vomit, v. t. 1. To throw up; to eject from the stomach through the mouth; to disgorge; to puke; to spew out; -- often followed by up or out.
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The fish . . . vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. Jonah ii. 10.
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2. Hence, to eject from any hollow place; to belch forth; to emit; to throw forth; as, volcanoes vomit flame, stones, etc.
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Like the sons of Vulcan, vomit smoke. Milton.
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Vomit, n. [L. vomitus, from vomere, vomitum, to vomit; akin to Gr. �, Skr. vam, Lith. vemiti. Cf. , .]
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1. Matter that is vomited; esp., matter ejected from the stomach through the mouth.
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Like vomit from his yawning entrails poured. Sandys.
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2. (Med.) That which excites vomiting; an emetic.
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He gives your Hollander a vomit. Shak.
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Coloq. Black vomit . (Med.) See in the Vocabulary. -- Coloq. Vomit nut , nux vomica.
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Vomiting, n. The spasmodic ejection of matter from the stomach through the mouth.
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Vomition (?), n. [L. vomitio.] The act or power of vomiting. Grew.
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Vomitive (?), a. [Cf. F. vomitif.] Causing the ejection of matter from the stomach; emetic.
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Vomito (?), n. [Sp. vómito, fr. L. vomitus. See , n.] (Med.) The yellow fever in its worst form, when it is usually attended with black vomit. See .
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Vomitory (?), a. [L. vomitorious.] Causing vomiting; emetic; vomitive.
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Vomitory, n.; pl. Vomitories (�). 1. An emetic; a vomit. Harvey.
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2. [L. vomitorium.] (Arch.) A principal door of a large ancient building, as of an amphitheater.
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Sixty-four vomitories . . . poured forth the immense multitude. Gibbon.
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Vomiturition (?), n. [Cf. F. vomiturition.] (Med.) (a) An ineffectual attempt to vomit. (b) The vomiting of but little matter; also, that vomiting which is effected with little effort. Dunglison.
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Vondsira (?), n. (Zoöl.) Same as .
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Voodoo (?), n. 1. See .
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2. One who practices voodooism; a negro sorcerer.
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Voodoo, a. Of or pertaining to voodooism, or a voodoo; as, voodoo incantations.
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Voodoo economics, n. (Politics) an economic hypothesis, proposed by President Ronald Regan, that large cuts in tax rates would so stimulate the economy that the tax revenue on the increases in business and personal income would offset the anticipated tax revenue losses, so that such tax cuts would not increasing the federal budget deficit. Its believers do not consider the actual massive deficit increases subsequent to the 1982-83 tax cut as being caused by the tax cut itself, but by other governmental policies. This hypothesis was graphically illustrated by the .
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Voodooism (?), n. [Probably (through Creole French vaudoux a negro sorcerer) fr. F. Vaudois Waldensian, because the Waldenses were accused of sorcery.] A degraded form of superstition and sorcery, said to include human sacrifices and cannibalism in some of its rites. It is prevalent among the negroes of Haiti, and to some extent in the United States, and is regarded as a relic of African barbarism.
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Voortreker (?), n. [D. (in South Africa).] One who treks before or first; a pioneer. [South Africa]
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Voracious (?), a. [L. vorax, -acis, fr. vorare to devour; akin to Gr. � meat, food, � to devour, Skr. gar. Cf. .] Greedy in eating; very hungry; eager to devour or swallow; ravenous; gluttonous; edacious; rapacious; as, a voracious man or appetite; a voracious gulf or whirlpool. Dampier. -- Voraciously, adv. -- Voraciousness, n.
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Voracity (?), n. [L. voracitas: cf. F. voracité.] The quality of being voracious; voraciousness.
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Voraginous (?), a. [L. voraginosus, fr. vorago an abyss, fr. vorare to swallow up.] Pertaining to a gulf; full of gulfs; hence, devouring. [R.] Mallet.
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Vortex (?), n.; pl. E. Vortexes (#), L. Vortices (#). [L. vortex, vertex, -icis, fr. vortere, vertere, to turn. See .]
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1. A mass of fluid, especially of a liquid, having a whirling or circular motion tending to form a cavity or vacuum in the center of the circle, and to draw in towards the center bodies subject to its action; the form assumed by a fluid in such motion; a whirlpool; an eddy.
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2. (Cartesian System) A supposed collection of particles of very subtile matter, endowed with a rapid rotary motion around an axis which was also the axis of a sun or a planet. Descartes attempted to account for the formation of the universe, and the movements of the bodies composing it, by a theory of vortices.
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3. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of small Turbellaria belonging to Vortex and allied genera. See Illustration in Appendix.
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Coloq. Vortex atom (Chem.), a hypothetical ring-shaped mass of elementary matter in continuous vortical motion. It was conveniently regarded in certain early mathematical models as the typical form and structure of the chemical atom, but is no longer considered a useful model, having been superseded by quantum mechanics. -- Coloq. Vortex wheel , a kind of turbine.
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Vortex filament. A vortex tube of infinitesimal cross section.
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Vortex fringe. The region immediately surrounding a disk moving flatwise through air; -- so called because the air has a cyclic motion as in vortex ring.
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Vortex line. A line, within a rotating fluid, whose tangent at every point is the instantaneous axis of rotation as that point of the fluid.
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Vortex ring. (Physics) A ring-shaped mass of moving fluid which, by virtue of its motion of rotation around an axis disposed in circular form, attains a more or less distinct separation from the surrounding medium and has many of the properties of a solid.
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Vortex theory. (Chem. & Physics) The theory, advanced by Thomson (Lord Kelvin) on the basis of investigation by Helmholtz, that the atoms are vortically moving ring-shaped masses (or masses of other forms having a similar internal motion) of a homogeneous, incompressible, frictionless fluid. Various properties of such atoms ( Coloq. vortex atoms ) can be mathematically deduced. This theory is now (1998) obsolete, and has been superseded by quantum mechanics, which provides more accurate and detailed explanations of atomic behavior.
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Vortex tube. (Physics) An imaginary tube within a rotating fluid, formed by drawing the vortex lines through all points of a closed curve.
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Vortical (?), a. Of or pertaining to a vortex or vortexes; resembling a vortex in form or motion; whirling; as, a vortical motion. -- Vortically, adv.
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Vorticel (?), n. [Cf. F. vorticelle. See .] (Zoöl.) A vorticella.
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Vorticella (?), n.; pl. E. Vorticellas (�), L. Vorticellæ (�). [NL., dim. fr. L. vortex. See .] (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of ciliated Infusoria belonging to Vorticella and many other genera of the family Vorticellidæ. They have a more or less bell-shaped body with a circle of vibrating cilia around the oral disk. Most of the species have slender, contractile stems, either simple or branched.
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Vorticose (?), a. [L. vorticosus.] Vortical; whirling; as, a vorticose motion.
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Vortiginous (?), a. [Cf. .] Moving rapidly round a center; vortical. [R.] Cowper.
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Votaress (?), n. [See , n.] A woman who is a votary. Shak.
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Votarist (?), n. [See .] A votary.
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Like a sad votarist in palmer's weed. Milton.
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Votary (?), a. [From L. votus, p. p. vovere to vow, to devote. See , .] Consecrated by a vow or promise; consequent on a vow; devoted; promised.
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Votary resolution is made equipollent to custom. Bacon.
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Votary, n.; pl. Votaries (�). One devoted, consecrated, or engaged by a vow or promise; hence, especially, one devoted, given, or addicted, to some particular service, worship, study, or state of life. “You are already love's firm votary.” Shak.
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'T was coldness of the votary, not the prayer, that was in fault. Bp. Fell.
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But thou, my votary, weepest thou? Emerson.
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Vote (?), n. [L. votum a vow, wish, will, fr. vovere, votum, to vow: cf. F. vote. See .]
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1. An ardent wish or desire; a vow; a prayer. [Obs.] Massinger.
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2. A wish, choice, or opinion, of a person or a body of persons, expressed in some received and authorized way; the expression of a wish, desire, will, preference, or choice, in regard to any measure proposed, in which the person voting has an interest in common with others, either in electing a person to office, or in passing laws, rules, regulations, etc.; suffrage.
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3. That by means of which will or preference is expressed in elections, or in deciding propositions; voice; a ballot; a ticket; as, a written vote.
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The freeman casting with unpurchased hand
The vote that shakes the turrets of the land. Holmes.
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4. Expression of judgment or will by a majority; legal decision by some expression of the minds of a number; as, the vote was unanimous; a vote of confidence.
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5. Votes, collectively; as, the Tory vote; the labor vote.
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Coloq. Casting vote , Coloq. Cumulative vote , etc. See under , , etc.
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Vote (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Voted; p. pr. & vb. n. Voting.] [Cf. F. voter.] To express or signify the mind, will, or preference, either viva voce, or by ballot, or by other authorized means, as in electing persons to office, in passing laws, regulations, etc., or in deciding on any proposition in which one has an interest with others.
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The vote for a duelist is to assist in the prostration of justice, and, indirectly, to encourage the crime. L. Beecher.
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To vote on large principles, to vote honestly, requires a great amount of information. F. W. Robertson.
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Vote, v. t. 1. To choose by suffrage; to elec�; as, to vote a candidate into office.
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2. To enact, establish, grant, determine, etc., by a formal vote; as, the legislature voted the resolution.
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Parliament voted them one hundred thousand pounds. Swift.
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3. To declare by general opinion or common consent, as if by a vote; as, he was voted a bore. [Colloq.]
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4. To condemn; to devote; to doom. [Obs.] Glanvill.
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Voter (?), n. One who votes; one who has a legal right to vote, or give his suffrage; an elector; a suffragist; as, an independent voter.
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Voting, a. & n. from , v.
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Coloq. Voting paper , a form of ballot containing the names of more candidates than there are offices to be filled, the voter making a mark against the preferred names. [Eng.]
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Votist, n. One who makes a vow. [Obs.] Chapman.
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Votive (?), a. [L. votivus, fr. votum a vow: cf. F. votif. See .] Given by vow, or in fulfillment of a vow; consecrated by a vow; devoted; as, votive offerings; a votive tablet. “Votive incense.” Keble.
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We reached a votive stone, that bears the name
Of Aloys Reding. Wordsworth.
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Embellishments of flowers and votive garlands. Motley.
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Coloq. Votive medal , a medal struck in grateful commemoration of some auspicious event. -- Coloq. Votive offering , an offering in fulfillment of a religious vow, as of one's person or property.
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-- Votively, adv. -- Votiveness, n.
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Votress (?), n. A votaress. Dryden.
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Vouch (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Vouched (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Vouching.] [OE. vouchen, OF. vochier to call, fr. L. vocare to call, fr. vox, vocis, voice. See , and cf. .]
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1. To call; to summon. [Obs.]
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[They] vouch (as I might say) to their aid the authority of the writers. Sir T. Elyot.
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2. To call upon to witness; to obtest.
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Vouch the silent stars and conscious moon. Dryden.
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3. To warrant; to maintain by affirmations; to attest; to affirm; to avouch.
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They made him ashamed to vouch the truth of the relation, and afterwards to credit it. Atterbury.
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4. To back; to support; to confirm; to establish.
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Me damp horror chilled
At such bold words vouched with a deed so bold. Milton.
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5. (Law) To call into court to warrant and defend, or to make good a warranty of title.
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He vouches the tenant in tail, who vouches over the common vouchee. Blackstone.
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Syn. -- To obtest; declare; affirm; attest; warrant; confirm; asseverate; aver; protest; assure.
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Vouch, v. i. 1. To bear witness; to give testimony or full attestation.
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He will not believe her until the elector of Hanover shall vouch for the truth of what she has . . . affirmed. Swift.
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2. To assert; to aver; to declare. Shak.
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Vouch, n. Warrant; attestation. [Obs.]
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The vouch of very malice itself. Shak.
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Vouchee (?), n. (Law) The person who is vouched, or called into court to support or make good his warranty of title in the process of common recovery. Blackstone.
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Voucher (?), n. 1. One who vouches, or gives witness or full attestation, to anything.
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Will his vouchers vouch him no more? Shak.
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The great writers of that age stand up together as vouchers for one another's reputation. Spectator.
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2. A book, paper, or document which serves to vouch the truth of accounts, or to confirm and establish facts of any kind; also, any acquittance or receipt showing the payment of a debt; as, the merchant's books are his vouchers for the correctness of his accounts; notes, bonds, receipts, and other writings, are used as vouchers in proving facts.
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3. (Law) (a) The act of calling in a person to make good his warranty of title in the old form of action for the recovery of lands. (b) The tenant in a writ of right; one who calls in another to establish his warranty of title. In common recoveries, there may be a single voucher or double vouchers. Blackstone.
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4. A document attesting to a credit against certain defined expenditures; a recipt for prepayment; -- often used in pre-arranged travel plans, to provide evidence of pre-payment of the cost of lodging, transportation, or meals.
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Vouchment (?), n. A solemn assertion. [R.]
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Vouchor (?), n. (Law) Same as , 3 (b).
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Vouchsafe (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Vouchsafed (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Vouchsafing.] [Vouch + safe, that is, to vouch or answer for safety.]
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1. To condescend to grant; to concede; to bestow.
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If ye vouchsafe that it be so. Chaucer.
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Shall I vouchsafe your worship a word or two? Shak.
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It is not said by the apostle that God vouchsafed to the heathens the means of salvation. South.
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2. To receive or accept in condescension. [Obs.] Shak.
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Vouchsafe, v. i. To condescend; to deign; to yield; to descend or stoop. Chaucer.
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Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin. Bk. of Com. Prayer.
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Vouchsafe, illustrious Ormond, to behold
What power the charms of beauty had of old. Dryden.
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Vouchsafement (?), n. The act of vouchsafing, or that which is vouchsafed; a gift or grant in condescension. Glanvill.
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Voussoir (?), n. [F., akin to voûte an arch, a vault.] (Arch.) One of the wedgelike stones of which an arch is composed.
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