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Vaisya

The third of the four great original castes among the Hindus, now either extinct or partially represented by the mercantile class of Banyas. See the Note under Caste, 1.

Vakeel

A native attorney or agent; also, an ambassador.

Valance

To furnish with a valance; to decorate with hangings or drapery.

Valedictorian

One who pronounces a valedictory address; especially, in American colleges, the student who pronounces the valedictory of the graduating class at the annual commencement, usually the student who ranks first in scholarship.

Valedictory

A valedictory oration or address spoken at commencement in American colleges or seminaries by one of the graduating class, usually by the leading scholar.

Valence

The degree of combining power of an atom (or radical) as shown by the number of atoms of hydrogen (or of other monads, as chlorine, sodium, etc.) with which it will combine, or for which it can be substituted, or with which it can be compared; thus, an atom of hydrogen is a monad, and has a valence of one; the atoms of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon are respectively dyads, triads, and tetrads, and have a valence respectively of two, three, and four.

Valencia

A kind of woven fabric for waistcoats, having the weft of wool and the warp of silk or cotton.

Valency

See Valence. A unit of combining power; a so-called bond of affinity.

Valentine

A sweetheart chosen on St. Valentine's Day.

Valentinian

One of a school of Judaizing Gnostics in the second century; -- so called from Valentinus, the founder.

Valeramide

The acid amide derivative of valeric acid, obtained as a white crystalline substance.

Valerian

Any plant of the genus Valeriana. The root of the officinal valerian (Valeriana officinalis) has a strong smell, and is much used in medicine as an antispasmodic.

Valerianaceous

Of, pertaining to, or resembling, plants of a natural order (Valerianaceae) of which the valerian is the type. The order includes also the corn salads and the oriental spikenard.

Valerianic

Pertaining to, or obtained from, valerian root; specifically, designating an acid which is usually called valeric acid.

Valeric

Valerianic; specifically, designating any one of three metameric acids, of which the typical one (called also inactive valeric acid), C4H9CO2H, is obtained from valerian root and other sources, as a corrosive, mobile, oily liquid, having a strong acid taste, and an odor of old cheese.

Valeridine

A base, C10H19N, produced by heating valeric aldehyde with ammonia. It is probably related to the conine alkaloids.

Valerin

A salt of valeric acid with glycerin, occurring in butter, dolphin oil, etc., and forming an oily liquid with a slightly unpleasant odor.

Valeritrine

A base, C15H27N, produced together with valeridine, which it resembles.

Valerone

A ketone of valeric acid obtained as an oily liquid.

Valeryl

The hypothetical radical C5H9O, regarded as the essential nucleus of certain valeric acid derivatives.

Valerylene

A liquid hydrocarbon, C5H8; -- called also pentine.

Valet

A male waiting servant; a servant who attends on a gentleman's person; a body servant.

Valetudinarian

A person of a weak or sickly constitution; one who is seeking to recover health.

Valetudinarianism

The condition of a valetudinarian; a state of feeble health; infirmity.

Validate

To confirm; to render valid; to give legal force to.

Validly

In a valid manner; so as to be valid.

Validness

The quality or state of being valid.

Valinch

A tube for drawing liquors from a cask by the bunghole.

Valise

A small sack or case, usually of leather, but sometimes of other material, for containing the clothes, toilet articles, etc., of a traveler; a traveling bag; a portmanteau.

Valkyria

One of the maidens of Odin, represented as awful and beautiful, who presided over battle and marked out those who were to be slain, and who also ministered at the feasts of heroes in Valhalla. Now commonly written Valkyrie.

Valkyrian

Of or pertaining to the Valkyries; hence, relating to battle.

Vallancy

A large wig that shades the face.

Vallatory

Of or pertaining to a vallation; used for a vallation; as, vallatory reeds.

Vallum

A rampart; a wall, as in a fortification.

Valorization

Act or process of attempting to give an arbitrary market value or price to a commodity by governmental interference, as by maintaining a purchasing fund, making loans to producers to enable them to hold their products, etc.; -- used chiefly of such action by Brazil.

Valorous

Possessing or exhibiting valor; brave; courageous; valiant; intrepid.

Valsalvian

Of or pertaining to Valsalva, an Italian anatomist of the 17th century.

Valuable

A precious possession; a thing of value, especially a small thing, as an article of jewelry; -- used mostly in the plural.

Valuation

The act of valuing, or of estimating value or worth; the act of setting a price; estimation; appraisement; as, a valuation of lands for the purpose of taxation.

Valuator

One who assesses, or sets a value on, anything; an appraiser.

Value

The property or aggregate properties of a thing by which it is rendered useful or desirable, or the degree of such property or sum of properties; worth; excellence; utility; importance.

Valued

Highly regarded; esteemed; prized; as, a valued contributor; a valued friend.

Valuer

One who values; an appraiser.

Valvata

A genus of small spiral fresh-water gastropods having an operculum.

Valve-shell

Any fresh-water gastropod of the genus Valvata.

Valved

Having a valve or valves; valvate.

Valvelet

A little valve; a valvule; especially, one of the pieces which compose the outer covering of a pericarp.

Valvula

A little valve or fold; a valvelet; a valvule.

Valylene

A volatile liquid hydrocarbon, C5H6, related to ethylene and acetylene, but possessing the property of unsaturation in the third degree. It is the only known member of a distinct series of compounds. It has a garlic odor.

Vambrace

The piece designed to protect the arm from the elbow to the wrist.

vamoose

To depart quickly; to depart from.

vamose

To vamoose; -- an older spelling and pronunciation variant.

Vamp

To provide, as a shoe, with new upper leather; hence, to to piece, as any old thing, with a new part; to repair; to patch; -- often followed by up.

vamp

To seduce (a man) sexually for purpose of exploitation.

Vamper

To swagger; to make an ostentatious show.

Vampire

A blood-sucking ghost; a soul of a dead person superstitiously believed to come from the grave and wander about by night sucking the blood of persons asleep, thus causing their death. This superstition was once prevalent in parts of Eastern Europe, and was especially current in Hungary about the year 1730. The vampire was often said to have the ability to transform itself into the form of a bat, as presented in the novel depicting the legend of Dracula published by Bram Stoker in 1897, which has inspired several movies.

Vamplate

A round plate of iron on the shaft of a tilting spear, to protect the hand.

Van

To fan, or to cleanse by fanning; to winnow.

Van-courier

One sent in advance; an avant-courier; a precursor.

Vanadic

Pertaining to, or obtained from, vanadium; containing vanadium; specifically, designating those compounds in which vanadium has a relatively higher valence as contrasted with the vanadous compounds; as, vanadic oxide.

Vanadinite

A mineral occurring in yellowish, brownish, and ruby-red hexagonal crystals. It consists of lead vanadate with a small proportion of lead chloride.

Vanadious

Pertaining to, or containing, vanadium; specifically, designating those compounds in which vanadium has a lower valence as contrasted with the vanadic compounds; as, vanadious acid. Usually written vanadous.

Vanadite

A salt of vanadious acid, analogous to a nitrite or a phosphite.

Vanadium

A rare element of the nitrogen-phosphorus group, found combined, in vanadates, in certain minerals, and reduced as an infusible, grayish-white metallic powder. It is intermediate between the metals and the non-metals, having both basic and acid properties. Symbol V (or Vd, rarely). Atomic weight 50.94 (C12=12.000).

Vanadous

Of or pertaining to vanadium; obtained from vanadium; -- said of an acid containing one equivalent of vanadium and two of oxygen; specifically, designating those compounds in which vanadium has a lower valence as contrasted with the vanadic compounds; as, vanadous acid

Vanadyl

The hypothetical radical VO, regarded as a characteristic residue of certain vanadium compounds.

Vandalic Vandal

Of or pertaining to the Vandals; resembling the Vandals in barbarism and destructiveness.

Vandalism

The spirit or conduct of the Vandals; ferocious cruelty; hostility to the arts and literature, or willful destruction or defacement of any object of beauty or value.

Vandyke

To fit or furnish with a Vandyke; to form with points or scallops like a Vandyke.

Vanessa

Any one of numerous species of handsomely colored butterflies belonging to Vanessa and allied genera. Many of these species have the edges of the wings irregularly scalloped.

Vanfoss

A ditch on the outside of the counterscarp, usually full of water.

Vang

A rope to steady the peak of a gaff.

Vanglo

Benne (Sesamum orientale); also, its seeds; -- so called in the West Indies.

Vanguard

The troops who march in front of an army; the advance guard; the van.

Vanillic

Pertaining to, or derived from, vanilla or vanillin; resembling vanillin; specifically, designating an alcohol and an acid respectively, vanillin being the intermediate aldehyde.

Vanillin

A white crystalline aldehyde having a burning taste and characteristic odor of vanilla. It is extracted from vanilla pods, and is also obtained by the decomposition of coniferin, and by the oxidation of eugenol.

Vanilloes

An inferior kind of vanilla, the pods of Vanilla Pompona.

Vanillyl

The hypothetical radical characteristic of vanillic alcohol.

Vanish

The brief terminal part of a vowel or vocal element, differing more or less in quality from the main part; as, a as in ale ordinarily ends with a vanish of i as in ill, o as in old with a vanish of oo as in foot.

Vanjas

The Australian pied crow shrike (Strepera graculina). It is glossy bluish black, with the under tail coverts and the tips and bases of the tail feathers white.

Vanner

A machine for concentrating ore. See Frue vanner.

Vanning

A process by which ores are washed on a shovel, or in a vanner.

Vanquish

A disease in sheep, in which they pine away.

Vanquishment

The act of vanquishing, or the state of being vanquished.

Vansire

An ichneumon (Herpestes galera) native of Southern Africa and Madagascar. It is reddish brown or dark brown, grizzled with white. Called also vondsira, and marsh ichneumon.

Vantage game

The first game after the set is deuce. See Set, n., 9.

Vanward

Being on, or towards, the van, or front.

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