vacuous
[VAK-yuh-wus]
1. emptied of
or lacking content
2. marked by lack of ideas or intelligence
Synonyms: stupid, inane
Example:
Alyssa was told that her blind date was well-read
and articulate, so she was disappointed to discover
that he was a vacuous bore.
3. devoid of serious occupation
Synonym: idle
History, rrlated words:
As you might have guessed, "vacuous"
shares the same root as "vacuum"
- the Latin adjective "vacuus,"
meaning "empty." This root also gave
us the noun "vacuity" (the oldest
meaning of which is "an empty space")
as well as the verb "evacuate"
(originally "to remove the contents of; empty").
Its predecessor, the verb "vacare,"
is also an ancestor of the words "vacation"
and "vacancy" as well as "void."
All of these words suggest an emptiness of space,
or else a fleeing of people or things from one
place to another. "Vacuous"
first appeared in English in the middle of the
17th century, literally describing something that
was empty, but then acquired its figurative usage,
describing one who is lacking any substance of
the mind, in the mid-1800s.
vade
mecum
[vay-dee-MEE-kuhm;
vah-dee-MAY-]
1. A book for ready reference; a manual;
a handbook.
2. A useful thing that one regularly carries
about.
Examples:
1) The reader who wants honestly
to understand it, and not merely read into it
his own ideas, needs some kind of vade mecum to
provide the necessary background and explain unfamiliar
words and allusions and strange turns of thought.
(Robert C. Dentan, "Including Uz and Buz",
New York Times, November 17, 1968)
2) Roget's Thesaurus, which had come
into being as a linguistic example of the Platonic
ideal, became instead a vade mecum for the crossword
cheat. (Simon Winchester, "Word Imperfect",
The Atlantic,
May 2001)
Etymology:
"Vade mecum" is from Latin,
literally meaning "go with me".
vagary
[VAY-guh-ree; vuh-GER-ee]
An extravagant, erratic, or unpredictable
notion, action, or occurrence.
Examples:
1) Her words are a dreadful reminder
that much of life's consequences are resultant
of vagary and caprice, dictated by the tragedy
of the ill-considered action, the irrevocable
misstep, the irrevocable moment in which a terrible
wrong can seem the only right. (Rosemary Mahoney,
"Acts of Mercy?", New York Times, September
13, 1998)
2) Weather
is one of the vagaries of blue-water racing, ruling
the sport like a malicious jester. (Martin
Dugard, "Knockdown")
3) This thing called love was a
total mystery to me, but the vagaries of passion
and despair that accompanied each devotion kept
my life in high drama. (Jane Alexander, "Command
Performance")
Etymology:
"Vagary" comes from Latin
"vagari" ("to stroll about,
to wander"), from "vagus"
("wandering").
vainglory
[VAYN-glor-ee; vayn-GLOR-ee]
1. Excessive pride in one's achievements,
abilities, qualities, etc.
2. Vain display.
Examples:
1) Spurred by the vainglory of being
the first person in recent memory to catch a Solovki
canal trout on a fly, I fished with newfound intensity.
(Fen Montaigne, "Reeling in Russia")
2) As if to underscore the awkward
mix of social unease and vainglory on which such
claims are based, they are always delivered in
the same triumphant tone: 'We have the tallest
high-rise flats, the longest wall, the largest
community of artists... in Europe.' (Deyan
Sudjic, "The race to be a Capital of Culture
is a non-starter," The Observer, April 15,
2001)
Etymology, related words:
"Vainglory" is from Middle
English "vein glory", ultimately
from Latin "vana gloria" ("empty
pride"), from "vana" ("empty")
and "gloria" ("glory, pride").
The adjective form is vainglorious.
valetudinarian
[val-uh-too-duh-NAIR-ee-un]
A person of a weak or sickly constitution;
especially: one whose chief concern
is being or becoming a chronic invalid.
Example:
Will complained constantly of his aches, pains,
and sniffles; he was a terrible valetudinarian.
History, related words:
It's ironic that hypochondriacs and others who
are convinced that their health is fragile often
outlive their heartier compatriots. It is also
ironic that "valetudinarian,"
a word for someone who is sickly (or at least
thinks he or she is) comes from "valere,"
a Latin word that means "to be strong"
or "to be well." Most of the English
offspring of "valere" imply having
some kind of strength or force - consider, for
instance, "valiant," "prevail,"
"valor," and "value."
But the Latin "valere" also gave
rise to "valetudo." In Latin,
"valetudo" refers to one's state
of health (whether good or bad), but by the time
that root had given rise to "valetudinarian"
in the early 1700s, English-speaking
pessimists had given it a decidedly sickly spin.
vamoose
[vuh-MOOSS]
To depart quickly.
Example:
With Sheriff Barclay and his posse hot on their
tails, the bank robbers knew they had better vamoose.
Etymology:
In the 1820s and '30s, the American Southwest
was rough-and-tumble territory - the true Wild
West. English-speaking cowboys, Texas Rangers,
and gold prospectors regularly rubbed elbows with
Spanish-speaking vaqueros in the local saloons,
and a certain amount of linguistic intermixing
was inevitable. One Spanish term that caught on
with English speakers was "vamos,"
which means "let's go." Cowpokes and
dudes alike adopted the word, at first using a
range of spellings and pronunciations that varied
considerably in their proximity to the original
Spanish form, but when the dust settled, the version
most American English speakers were using was
"vamoose."
vanilla
[vuh-NILL-uh]
1. Flavored with vanilla.
2. Lacking distinction
: plain, ordinary, conventional.
Example:
The Razorbacks [football team] backed off the
blitz and played vanilla defense in the second
half... (Scott Cain, "Arkansas Democrat-Gazette", November 16, 2003)
Etymology:
For lexicographers, "vanilla"
has more flavor than "chocolate," because
it adds a tasty synonym for "plain"
to the English menu. The noun "vanilla"
was first served up in 1662, but it took almost
200 years for its adjective use to become established
for things, like ice and sugar, flavored with
vanilla. By the 1970s vanilla
was perceived as being the plain flavor
of the ice-cream world, and people began using
the word itself to describe anything plain, ordinary,
or conventional.
vanward
- advanced
- advance
- vanguard
- van
[VAN-werd]
Located in the vanguard.
Synonym: advanced
Example:
[Joint venturing] opportunities now exist for
vanward companies in a variety of industries,
especially other financial services businesses
and retailing. (Vikas Kapoor, "American
Banker", February 6, 1998)
Etymology, related words:
The troops at the head of an army are called the
"vanguard," and that word
can also mean "the forefront of an action
or movement." It was "vanguard,"
rather than "vanward,"
that led the way on the route into English. "Vanguard"
was first documented in English in the 15th century.
By the early 17th century, it was sometimes shortened
to "van" - a reference
might be made to an army's "van and rear."
Some 200 years later "vanward"
brought up the rear, making its English debut
when writers appended "-ward,"
an adjective suffix meaning "is situated
in the direction of," to the shortened "van,"
thereby creating a word meaning "in the forefront."
vapid
[VAP-id]
lacking liveliness, tang, briskness, or force
Synonyms: flat, dull, inane, insipid
Example:
The movie was billed as a gripping summer blockbuster
but turned out to be a vapid effort with a slow
pace and a poorly written script.
History:
"Then away goes the brisk and pleasant
Spirits and leave a vapid or sour Drink."
So wrote John Mortimer, an early 18th-century
expert on agriculture, orchards, and cider-making,
in his book on husbandry. His use was typical
for his day, when "vapid"
was often used specifically in reference to liquor.
The term, which entered English in the 17th century,
comes from "vapidus," a Latin
word that means "flat-tasting" and may
be related to "vapor." These
days people referring to wine as "vapid";
the word is used in plenty of other situations,
too. "Vapid," along with
its synonyms, is often used to describe people
and things that lack spirit and character.
vapor
[VAY-per]
1. To rise or pass off in vapor.
2. To emit vapor.
3. To indulge in bragging, blustering,
or idle talk.
Example:
Team members vapored all week about how they were
going to steamroller the opposing team, but come
crunch time they failed to produce.
Etymology, related words, examples:
Speakers of the English language, mindful of the
lightness and unsubstantiality of floating air
and gas, have put several airy words to good use
over the years to describe the act of talking
idly or boastfully. The earliest such word is
"blow" (as in "he
kept blowing about his new job"), which
drifted into English sometime about 1400. "Vapor"
wafted into the language in 1628, and a little
over 200 years later "windbags,"
later also known as "gasbags,"
not only blew and vapored but also "gassed"
about anything they could.
vaporware
[VAY-per-wair]
A computer-related product that has been widely
advertised but has not and may never become available.
Example:
Experts in the computer industry suspected that
the vaporware being pushed by the software company
was still full of bugs and would never hit the
market.
History:
The practice of marketing products before they
are available for sale is common to many industries,
but especially the computer industry, where technological
advancement is rapid and competition cutthroat.
Unforeseen glitches occasionally result in the
marketing of products that ultimately never see
the light of day. Since the 1980s, such phantom
computer products have been referred to by the
word "vaporware," which
is modeled after familiar computer terms such
as "software" and "hardware."
The word plays on the humorous notion of "vapors"
being equated with rumors surrounding the development
of a product that appears to be on its way but
that never actually materializes.
varicolored
- varicoloured
- varicolor
- varicolour
[VER-ih-kuh-lurd]
Having a variety of colors; of various colors.
Examples:
1) Where a bottleneck of sky showed
between the hills, dark and light clouds lay in
alternating layers like varicolored liquid that
would not mix. (William Gay, "The Long
Home")
2) Along with wild hogs, cattle, horses,
and dogs, the varicolored wild African jungle
fowl was domesticated early in our distant ancestors'
spread around the globe. (Buff Orpingtons,
"Save the chickens!" Mother Earth News,
December 10, 1996)
Etymology:
"Varicolored" is from
"vari-" (from Latin "varius"
- "various, diversified") + "colored"
(from Latin "color" - "color,
tint, hue.")
variegated
[VAIR-ee-uh-gay-tid] 1. Having marks
or patches of different colors; as,
"variegated leaves or flowers".
2. Varied; distinguished or characterized
by variety; diversified.
Examples:
1) We spotted variegated hollies,
wild mahonia, bergenia, vinca and cotoneaster
growing freely between the markers, and as we
made our way up and down the fragrant paths, pausing
over the monuments to the dead that nestled, neglected,
in the tousled undergrowth, we felt like explorers
in a haunted jungle. (Caroline Seebohm, "Ambushed
by Brussels", New York Times, August 22,
1999)
2) Colours range from golden yellow
to blue and include conspicuously variegated
examples. (Catherine Fieldman, "Hostas
don't bear grudges", Times (London), September
2, 2000)
3) But as no one was being hurt,
you were right to sit quietly and marvel at the
variegated - and sometimes idiotic - beliefs of
humanity. (Randy Cohen, "What Can I Say?",
New York Times Magazine, July 11, 1999)
Etymology:
"Variegated" derives from
the past participle of Late Latin "variegare",
from Latin "varius" ("various")
+ "agere" ("to do, to make").
vatic
[VAT-ik]
Of or characteristic of a prophet or
prophecy.
Synonyms: prophetic; oracular.
Examples:
1) [He] needs to be reminded that...
his poetry is just that - poetry, not the vatic
revelation of spiritual truth. (Ruth Franklin,
"Black Milk of Language," New Republic,
December 25, 2000)
2) One encounters plenty of vatic pronouncements
in the pages devoted to, among others, Muriel
Rukeyser, Kenneth Rexroth, William Everson, H.
D. and Olson. (William H. Pritchard, "Eliot,
Frost, Ma Rainey and the Rest," New York
Times, April 2, 2000)
Etymology:
"Vatic" comes from Latin
"vates" - "a prophet, a
soothsayer, a seer."
vaticination
- vaticinian
- vaticinar
- vaticinatress
- vaticiny
- vatic
- vaticinal
1. Prediction.
Example:
The Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
could make his vaticination - "I will blot
out the sun" - because he knew the exact
day and hour of a solar eclipse that occurred
in the year 528.
2. The act of prophesying.
Etymology:
"Vaticination" is based
on the Latin "vates",
meaning "prophet". It has endured better
than other words of the same origin: "vaticinian"
(prophetic), "vaticinar" (prophet),
"vaticinatress" (prophetess),
and "vaticiny" (prophesy) have
all faded into obscurity (although two synonyms
of "prophetic," "vatic"
and "vaticinal", also keep the
"vates" lineage alive
today).
vaunted
[VAWN-tud]
Highly or widely praised or boasted
about.
Example:
For all her vaunted writing talent, Pauline has
yet to find a publisher for her book.
History, synonyms, more examples:
1340 (implied in "vaunting"),
from M.Fr. "vanter" ("to
praise, speak highly of"), from L.L. "vanitare"
("to boast"), frequentative of L. "vanare"
("to utter empty words"), from "vanus"
("idle, empty").
It's fine to express pride in your accomplishments,
but synonyms such as "boast,"
"brag" ("exaggerate
about oneself"), "vaunt,"
and "crow" may suggest
you've overdone it. "Boast,"
for instance, implies ostentation and exaggeration
("he boasts of every trivial success"),
although it can connote justifiable pride ("the
town boasts an excellent museum"). "Crow"
is ideal for exultant boasting or bragging
("they crowed about winning the championship").
"Vaunt" usually imparts
less crudity or naivete than "brag"
and more pomp and bombast than "boast"
("the promotional flier vaunts the natural
beauty of the area").
veg
out
To spend time relaxing, doing nothing at all.
Examples:
1) After a long day at work, I usually
just veg out in front of the TV. 2)
I'm going to the mountains to veg out for a few
days.
Etymology:
"Veg" is short for "vegetable"
(corn, potato, peas, etc.). When you "veg
out" you become like a vegetable
- without thought or motion.
vegan
vegetarian who does not eat any animal products
at all
velocipede
- draisine
- dandy-horse
- hobby-horse
- velocipedist
An early type of bicycle.
Example:
The "Times" reported in June
1819 that "Mrs. Bearham, wife of Mr. Bearham,
maltster, of Hunsley, Hants, returning home lately
in her cart, the horse took fright at a velocipede
and she was thrown out and killed on the spot."
History, synonyms, related words:
It appeared on English roads about 1818: a strange
vehicle with two wheels, one behind the other,
joined by a horizontal beam on which the rider
sat, pushing the contraption along with his feet.
This was an early precursor of our modern bicycle,
the invention of a German named Karl
Drais. The name for the contraption was varied:
Drais called it a "Laufmaschine",
a running machine; the French described
it as a "velocipede", from the
Latin words for "swift feet". The English
borrowed the French term, but also called
it a "draisine" after
the German inventor, as well as "dandy-horse"
(because it was taken up by the fashionable young
men of the period called dandies), or a "hobby-horse"
(abbreviated to "hobby"), after
the ancient toy of a stick with a horse's head
that children would pretend to ride. The machines
seemed innocuous enough, but they caused problems.
They weren't easy to learn to ride, since nobody
had any experience of the art of balancing required.
The original Drais version had a brake,
but the ripped-off French, English
and American versions didn't, which resulted
in accidents. Roads, even in towns, were often
so rutted that riders took to the pavements (sidewalks),
to the terror of pedestrians.
A rider of an early type of bicycle was called
"velocipedist".
velocitize
To cause a person to become used to a fast speed.
velocitization - n.
Examples:
1) Safety experts argue that speeding
has "velocitizing" effects on drivers,
making it harder for them to slow down when conditions
change and it's urgent to do so. ("The
mentality behind the wheel", The Oregonian,
December 10, 2003)
2) He then described a road evil called
"driver velocitization". "Our freeways
have cables on them to keep people from slamming
into each other, but drivers become velocitized.
When they enter a rural road from a freeway, for
instance, and the speed changes from 65 mph to 55 mph, their perception is that speeding is OK,
so they don't slow down," Vitolo said.
(Carol McAlice Currie, "Raise the speed limit?
That's just plain silliness", Statesman Journal
(Salem, OR), April 15, 2003)
3) But the four-speed automatic transmission
upshifts and downshifts very smoothly and the
car accelerates well at speed and cruises so effortlessly
and comfortably that it's very easy to become
velocitized and suddenly realize you're driving
a steady 80
mph. (Russ DeVault, "Ford Merkur Scorpio
a new touring sedan that deserves raves",
Atlanta Journal and Constitution, June 13, 1987)
Etymology:
From "velocity" - early 15c.,
from L. "velocitas" ("swiftness,
speed"), from "velox" (gen.
"velocis") - "swift",
perhaps related to "vehere" ("carry").
venal
[VEE-nuhl] 1. Capable of being bought
or obtained for money or other valuable
consideration; held for sale; salable; purchasable.
2. Capable of being corrupted. 3.
Marked by or associated with bribery and
corrupt dealings.
Examples:
1) Not everything was so venal in
this operation, however. Sometimes votes were
bought outright, but this was frowned on if the
sums were too high. (Kenneth R. Johnston, "The
Hidden Wordsworth")
2) The news items accumulate to project
an image of French politics as venal, power-mongering,
and posing a crazy threat to all those values
of humanity and civilization that Picasso's work
had always embraced. (Rosalind E. Krauss, "The
Picasso Papers")
3) While the enemy in Vietnam was
mysterious and, to some Americans, heroic, America's
allies in Saigon seemed venal and corrupt, more
interested in graft than in combat and unable
to rally their people behind a common cause or
to create an effective military force. (Charles
E. Neu, "After Vietnam")
4) Magistrates were expected to
supplement their modest incomes, in theory from
personal fortunes, in reality from a variety of
venal practices. (Michelle De Kretser, "The
Rose Grower")
Etymology, related words:
"Venal" comes from the
Latin "venalis", from "venum"
("sale"). It is related to "vendor"
and "vending machine". Be careful
not to confuse it with "venial"
("easily excused or forgiven").
vendetta
[ven-DET-uh]
1. A feud between different clans or
families; blood feud.
2. An often prolonged series of retaliatory,
vengeful, or hostile acts or exchange
of such acts.
Example:
From the day the ants swarmed over Gram's apple
pie in her own kitchen, their eradication took
the form of a personal vendetta - she vowed to
exterminate them at any cost.
History, related words:
"Vendetta" has been getting
even in English since the mid-19th century. English
speakers borrowed "vendetta,"
spelling and all, from Italian, in which it means
"revenge." It ultimately traces to the
Latin verb "vindicare," which
means "to lay claim to" or "to
avenge." That Latin word is also in the family
tree of many other English terms related to getting
even, including "avenge," "revenge,"
"vengeance," "vindicate,"
and "vindictive."
venial
- excusable
- pardonable
- venal
[VEE-nee-uhl]
Capable of being forgiven; not heinous.
Synonyms: excusable; pardonable.
Examples:
1) Look less severely on a venial
error. (Jean Racine, "Phaedra", translated
by Robert Bruce Boswell)
2) His mistake might in other circumstances
have seemed a venial one. (Michael Knox Beran,
"The Last Patrician")
3) Committing adultery was a mortal
sin, while eating meat on Fridays was a venial
sin. (Sheryl McCarthy, "O'Connor Proposal
for Meatless Day Is Thoughtless," Newsday,
August 12, 1996)
Etymology, related words:
"Venial" comes from Latin
"venia" ("grace, indulgence,
favor"). Venial sins are contrasted
with mortal ones. It is not to be confused
with "venal", which means
"capable of being bought; salable; open to
bribery," and comes from Latin "venum"
("sale").
vent
- ventilate
- blow off steam
- blow off
- steam
To express suppressed emotions; to let one's feelings
out into the open.
Examples:
1) Don't take his remarks too seriously
- he's just venting. 2) Thanks for
listening. I really needed to vent.
Etymology:
A "vent" is an opening
which allows air or steam to escape, and "ventilate"
means "to allow fresh air to enter".
So when a person "vents",
he cleans his mind and emotions by allowing all
the hot, pressurized thoughts and complaints out
into the air. Synonym: blow off
steam
verbiage
1. a profusion of words usually of little
or obscure content.
Example:
One of the tasks of an editor is to remove verbiage
and render a piece concise and coherent.
2. manner of expressing oneself in words.
Synonym: diction.
Etymology:
"Verbiage" descends from
Middle French "verbier" ("to chatter"),
itself an offspring of "werbler," an
Old French word meaning "to trill."
The usual sense of the word implies an overabundance
of possibly unnecessary words. It is similar to
"wordiness", except that it stresses
the superfluous words themselves more than the
quality that produces them. In other words, a
writer with a fondness for "verbiage"
might be accused of "wordiness".
Some people think the phrase "excess verbiage"
is redundant, but that's not necessarily true.
In the early 19th century, "verbiage"
developed a second sense meaning, simply, "wording",
with no suggestion of excess. This second definition
has sometimes been treated as an error by people
who insist that "verbiage"
must always imply excessiveness, but that sense
is well-established and can be considered standard.
verbose
[vuhr-BOHS]
1. Abounding in words; using or containing
more words than are necessary; tedious by an excess
of words; impaired by wordiness.
2. Given to wordiness.
Synonym: wordy, verbal; as, "a
verbose speaker; a verbose argument."
Examples:
1) ... his singular style of flattening
verbose politicians with the phrase: "Will
you please get to the point." (Paul McCann,
"Pioneer of TV debate put end to deference,"
Times (London), August 8, 2000)
2) One reason I admire Oscar is
that he's the least verbose, if sometimes plain
to the point of being uninteresting. (Frank
Rich, "Conversations with Sondheim,"
New York Times Magazine, March 12, 2000)
3) Many tombstones have inscriptions
that are not only touching but also, by modern
standards, verbose. (Francine Prose, "Entering
New Castle, Del.," New York Times Magazine,
February 27, 2000)
4) The writing style in government
publications is often both dry and verbose - a
deadly combination.
Etymology, related words:
There's no shortage of words to describe wordiness
in English. "Diffuse," "long-winded,"
"prolix," "redundant," "windy,"
"repetitive," "loose," "rambling,"
"digressive," and "circumlocutory"
are some that come to mind. Want to express the
opposite idea? Try "succinct," "concise,"
"brief," "short," "summary,"
"terse," "precise," "compact,"
"lean," "tight," or "compendious."
"Verbose," which falls
solidly into the first camp of words, comes from
Latin "verbosus," from "verbum,"
meaning "word." Other descendants of
"verbum" include "verb,"
"adverb," "proverb,"
"verbal," "verbatim,"
and "verbicide" (that's the deliberate
distortion of the sense of a word).
verboten
[ver-BOH-tun]
1. Forbidden; especially:
prohibited by dictate.
2. Something forbidden by authority.
Example:
During the era of prohibition in the United States,
when the sale of alcohol was verboten, speakeasies
were routinely raided by the authorities and shut
down.
Etymology, more examples:
Despite its spelling, the adjective "verboten"
has nothing to do with "verb,"
or any of the other words in the English language
related to the Latin "verbum."
Rather, "verboten" comes
from German, which got it from Old High German
"farboten," the past participle
of the verb "farbioten," meaning
"to forbid." ("Forbid"
itself derives from Old English "forbeodan,"
a relative of "farbioten".) "Verboten,"
which first appeared in English in 1916, is used
to describe things that are forbidden according
to a law or a highly regarded authority. There
also exists a noun "verboten,"
meaning "something forbidden by authority"
(as in "well-established verbotens"),
but this sense is quite rare and is typically
entered only in large, unabridged dictionaries.
verbunkos
a dance performed to persuade people to enlist
in the Hungarian army
verdant
[VUR-dnt]
1. Covered with growing plants or grass;
green with vegetation.
2. Green.
3. Unripe in knowledge, judgment, or
experience; unsophisticated; green.
Examples:
1) Drab in winter, then suddenly
sodden with alpine runoff, the region turns dazzlingly
verdant in spring. (Patricia Albers, "Shadows,
Fire, Snow")
2) Dry as the region just outside
the delta may be, it would still be covered with
grasses, yellowish in the dry season, verdant
in the wet. (Niles Eldredge, "Life in
the Balance")
3) I was verdant enough to think her
Agrippine very fine. (Henry James, "The
Theatre Francais")
Etymology:
"Verdant" comes from French
"verdoyant", present participle
of "verdoyer" ("to be verdant,
to grow green"), from Old French "verdoier,
verdeier", from "verd, vert"
("green"), from Latin "viridis"
("green"), from "virere"
("to be green").
verdure
[VUR-jur]
Green; greenness; freshness of vegetation; as,
"the verdure of the meadows in June."
Examples:
1) A wide expanse of living verdure,
cultivated gardens, shady groves, fertile cornfields,
flowed round it like a sea. (Motley)
2) The first white settlers in the
area started as yeomen, scouring the land of trees
and verdure to create and homesteads. (Claude
Andrew Clegg III, "An Original Man")
3) The road silent, somnolent yet
with a speech of its own, speaking back to them,
father and child, through trappings of sun and
fretted verdure, speaking of the old mutinies
and a fresh crime mounting in the blood. (Edna
O'Brien, "Down by the River")
Etymology:
"Verdure" is from Old
French "verd" ("green"),
from Latin "viridis".
verisimilitude
1. The appearance of truth; the quality
of seeming to be true.
2. Something that has the appearance of
being true or real.
Examples:
1) In an attempt to create verisimilitude,
in addition to the usual vulgarities, the dialogue
is full of street slang. (Wilborn Hampton,
"'Sugar Down Billie Hoak': An Unexpected
Spot to Find a Father", New York Times, August
1, 1997)
2) For those plays, Ms. Smith interviewed
hundreds of people of different races and ages,
somehow managing to internalize their expressions,
anger and quirks enough to be able to portray
them with astonishing verisimilitude. (Sarah
Boxer, "An Experiment in Artistic Democracy",
New York Times, August 7, 2000)
3) The old man's massive forehead,
penetrating eyes and enormous beard lent verisimilitude
to this unappealing portrait. ("Charm
itself", Economist, October 16, 1999)
Etymology:
"Verisimilitude" comes
from Latin "verisimilitudo",
from "verisimilis", from "verus"
("true") + "similis"
("like, resembling, similar"). The adjective
form is "verisimilar".
verjuice
[VER-joos]
1. the sour juice of crab apples or of
unripe fruit (as grapes or apples); an acid liquor
made from verjuice
Example:
The other women took to their Bibles and hymnbooks,
and looked as sour as verjuice over their reading.
(Wilkie Collins, "The Moonstone")
2. acidity of disposition or manner
Etymology:
"Verjuice" has been getting
some attention lately - it's "a recent buzzword
on the culinary scene". For those of us not
on the culinary edge, verjuice is a tart, pale
juice pressed from unripe white grapes, ideal
for use in sauces and salad dressings. "Verjuice"
has been around for centuries and is used
in Dijon mustard, but the word (a descendant of
Anglo-French "vert", meaning
"green", and "jous",
meaning "juice") was largely forgotten
by English speakers until its "rediscovery"
in the early 90s. While it's apparent that "verjuice"
has returned to our kitchens, the same can't yet
be said of the literary scene. Writers have not
generally begun to write of "dispositions
of verjuice" the way they did in the
past.
vermicular
[ver-MIK-yuh-ler]
1. Resembling a worm in form or motion.
2. Marked with irregular fine lines
or with wavy impressed lines.
3. Of, relating to, or caused by worms.
Example:
[The painting] 'Evening' shows what was likely
a meandering stream that in Criss's treatment
is less vermicular than just plain geometric.
(Susan Lindt, "Intelligencer Journal"
[Lancaster, PA], July 3, 2003)
Etymology, related words:
What does the word "vermicular"
have in common with the pasta on your plate? If
you're eating vermicelli (a spaghetti-like
pasta made in long thin strings) the answer is
"vermis," a Latin noun meaning
"worm." "Vermis" is
the root underlying not only "vermicular"
and "vermicelli," but
also "vermiculate" (which
can mean either "full of worms" or "tortuous")
and even "worm" itself.
vernal
[VER-nul]
1. Of, relating to, or occurring
in the spring.
2. Fresh or new like the spring;
suggestive of youth; vigorous and fresh.
Synonym: youthful
3. (Astron.) Equinox, the time when
the sun crosses the equator when proceeding northward.
4. (Astron.) The signs, Aries, Taurus,
and Gemini, in which the sun appears between the
vernal equinox and summer solstice. 5. (Bot.)
Grass, a low, soft grass (anthoxanthum odoratum),
producing in the spring narrow spikelike panicles,
and noted for the delicious fragrance which it
gives to new-mown hay.
Synonym: sweet vernal grass
Examples:
1) I consented and, likewise, I
wanted to explore the thicket of your thighs,
which to my delight I found heavy with vernal
dew.
2) The stream began to murmur by
the door, and the fragrance of growing herbs and
flowers came softly on the vernal breeze. (Mark
Twain, "Life on the Mississippi")
3) This is officially the last of
the Zodiacal constellations, though since it now
contains the Vernal Equinox it really ought to
be the first.
4) Perhaps against expectations
the Pastoral receives a performance of radiant,
vernal openheartedness. History:
If you want to sound sophisticated this spring,
you can do what various learned individuals have
done since the 16th century and refer to the spring
equinox as the vernal equinox. You
might also say that it is not April showers but
vernal showers that bring May flowers
(with help from the vernal sun,
of course). And if you really want to wax poetic,
you might compliment your lass's vernal
grace or your beau's vernal charm.
If you do, and your sweetheart asks where such
a word comes from, you can further impress by
saying, "'Vernal,' my dear,
comes from the Latin 'vernalis,' which
is derived from the Latin word for spring, 'ver.'"
vertiginous
1. Affected with vertigo; giddy; dizzy.
2. Causing or tending to cause dizziness.
3. Turning round; whirling; revolving.
4. Inclined to change quickly or frequently;
inconstant.
Examples:
1) But up close the building is
impossibly steep, vertiginous, hostile. (Neil
Baldwln, "Legends of the Plumed Serpent")
2) [H]e did us no good when, without
permission, he entered Tibetan air space and flew
up over central China, explaining that it was
impossible to comply with the authorities' instructions
to land because of the vertiginous mountain terrain.
(Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones, "Around
the World in 20 Days")
3) ... The bouldery ruins of vertiginous
cliffs pounded and lashed by the fury of wind
and water. (Lena Lencek and Gideon Bosker,
"The Beach")
Etymology:
"Vertiginous" derives
from Latin "vertigo" ("a
turning round, a whirling round; giddiness"),
from "vertere" ("to turn").
Related words include "reverse"
("to turn back ("re-") or around");
"subvert" ("to undermine")
- from "sub-" ("under")
+ "vertere" (at root "to
turn from under, to overturn"); and "versus"
("against") - from "versus"
("turned towards", hence "facing,
opposed"), from the past participle of "vertere".
vet
1. To provide veterinary care for (an animal).
2. To provide (a person) with medical care.
3. To examine carefully; to subject to
thorough appraisal; to evaluate.
4. To practice as a veterinarian.
5. Expert in the medical treatment of animals;
animal doctor.
Examples:
1) She was the right age (in her
fifties), and her personal background had been
vetted during the Senate confirmation hearings.
(Eleanor Clift and Tom Brazaitis, "Madam
President")
2) The "Stasi files law,"
as it is popularly known, also made it possible
to vet parliamentarians for Stasi connections.
(John O. Koehler, "Stasi: The Untold Story
of the East German Secret Police")
3) Unlike, say, Bob Rubin (the Wall
Street investment banker and incoming head of
the National Economic Council), who probably needed
half a law firm to vet his portfolio, I had no
stocks or bonds. (George Stephanopoulos, "All
Too Human")
4) The vet left them in the staff
room while they tried to discuss Lizzie's future.
("Dogs Today")
Etymology:
"Vet" is short for veterinary
or veterinarian, which comes from Latin "veterinarius"
("of or belonging to beasts of burden and
draught"), from "veterinus"
("of draught, of beasts of burden").
The earlier sense was "to submit to examination
or treatment by a veterinary surgeon", hence
"to subject to thorough appraisal".
vice
investing
- vice
- investing
- vice investment
- vice investor
- investment
- investor
- vice-based investing
- vice-based
- sinful investing
- sinful
- unethical investing
- unethical
An investment strategy that targets companies
selling products related to human vices, such
as alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and weapons.
Examples:
1) Ms. Waxler says her basket of
vice stocks outperformed the Standard & Poor's
500-stock index by 42 per cent for the five years
to Dec. 31. Not only is vice investing more fun,
she argues, it's financially sound: the sin stocks
have little correlation to the overall market,
and the more the economy tanks, the more people
need their alcohol, tobacco and pornography. (Carolyn
Leitch, "Tired of ethical investing? Profit
from vice instead", The Globe and Mail, March
20, 2004)
2) The idea of vice investing has
also created a buzz in the literary world. St.
Martin's Press is due to release a new book on
the subject by Dan Ahrens, manager of the VICE
Fund. 'Investing in Vice: The Recession Proof
Portfolio of Booze, Bets, Bombs, and Butts,' should
be in bookstores nationwide in January 2004. ("Sin
Stocks Pay Off!", Business Wire, October
7, 2003)
Etymology:
This phrase, from the Gordon Gekko "greed
is good" school of investing, has been in
the news of late thanks to the recent publication
of two vice investing books: "Stocking
Up on Sin" by Caroline Waxler (John Wiley;
February, 2004) and "Investing in Vice"
by Dan Ahrens (St. Martin's; February, 2004).
As the second example citation points out, Ahrens
is the manager of the Vice Fund, a mutual fund
started in August, 2002 that, according to its
prospectus, looks for "companies that derive
a significant portion of their revenues from products
often considered socially irresponsible".
Synonyms:
vice-based investing (2002)
sinful investing (2003)
unethical investing (2002); the latter being the
proper linguistic and financial opposite of
"ethical investing" (1980).
vice
versa
When people use this Latin term, they mean, "exactly
the same, but the other way round."
Example:
Martha comes to visit me once a year, and vice
versa. That way we get to see each other twice
a year.
vicious
circle
- vicious
- circle
- Vicious spiral
- spiral
[VISH-us-SER-kul]
1. An argument or definition that
assumes as true something that is to be proven
or defined.
2. A chain of events in which the response
to one difficulty creates a new problem that aggravates
the original difficulty.
Example:
Lower profits lead to spending cuts, which cause
falling sales, in a vicious circle.
History:
"Vicious circle" originally
referred to a circular argument, that is, an argument
that assumes the conclusion as one of its premises.
That sense was first documented around the end
of the 18th century. Approximately 50 years later,
"vicious circle" acquired
the now more common "chain of events"
sense as people began to think of the circle as
a metaphorical circle rather than a circular argument.
Today, "vicious cycle"
is a common variant for the "chain of events"
sense. "Vicious spiral,"
in which the ill effects are cumulative as well
as self-aggravating, puts in an occasional appearance
as well.
vicissitude
- the vicissitudes of life
- vicissitudes of life
- vicissitudes
- life
- alternation
- inconstancy
- fluctuation
[vuh-SISS-uh-tood, vih-SIS-ih-tood; -tyood]
1. Regular change or succession
from one thing to another; alternation; mutual
succession; interchange.
2. Irregular change; revolution; mutation.
3. A change in condition or fortune;
an instance of mutability in life or nature
(especially successive alternation
from one condition to another).
Synonyms: alternation, inconstancy, fluctuation.
Examples:
1) This man had, after many vicissitudes
of fortune, sunk at last into abject and hopeless
poverty. (Thomas Macaulay)
2) Max had rescued his father's
gold watch