Sunday, 13 September 2015

OBSCURE WORDS V

vade mecum
n. - a favorite book carried everywhere

vadose
adj. - pertaining to water above the water table.

vagile
adj. - able to move about freely.

vaginate
adj. - sheathed.

vaginismus
n. - painful contraction of the vagina.

vagitus
n. - new-born child's cry.

vale
n. - 'farewell'. valediction, n. bidding farewell. valedictory, adj.

valency
n. - element's power to combine, measured by number of atomic weights
of other elements with which the atomic weight of the element will
combine. valence, n. valent, adj.

valetudinarian
n. - hypochondriac; sickly person. valetudinarianism, n. valetudinary, adj.

valetudinarianism
n. - weak or sickly state; thinking only of one's illness

valgus
adj. - clubfoot; bow-legged or knock-kneed (condition). valgoid, adj.
like valgus.

vallate
adj. - having a raised rim. vallated, adj. having a rampart.
vallation, n. rampart.

vallecular
adj. - pertaining to or like a groove. valleculate, adj. bearing grooves.

valorise
v. - fix arbitrary price of. valorization, n.

valorization
n. - government price-fixing

vaniloquence
n. - vain and foolish talk

vapulate
v. - to beat, whip

varec
n. - seaweed; kelp.

varicose
adj. - swollen, especially in irregular lumps and twists. varicotomy,
n. incision into varicose vein. varicosis, n. state of being varicose.
varicosity, n.

varietal
adj. - pertaining to a variety. varietist, n. person who chooses
variety in the satisfaction of (sexual) desire.

varietist
n. - an unorthodox person; or someone who practices unorthodox sex

variola
n. - smallpox. variolic, variolar, adj. varioloid, adj. like smallpox;
n. mild form of same. variolate, v. inoculate with smallpox.

variole
n. - small depression resembling pockmark; Geology, small light-
colored sphere found in type of igneous rock. variolite, n. such rock.
variolitic, adj.

variometer
n. - instrument measuring variations in magnetic force; variable
inductor with one coil rotating within another.

variorum
n. - pertaining to a literary classic annotated by sundry contemporaries

varistor
n. - semiconductor with resistance varying in accordance with voltage.

varix
n. - (pl. -rices ) varicose swelling; ridge on surface of e.g. snail's shell.

varus
adj. - pigeon-toed (person or condition).

vas
n. - (pl. vasa ) Medicine, duct; vessel. vas deferens, spermatic duct.
vasal, adj. vascular, vasculose, vasculous, adj. pertaining to
fluid-conveying vessels. vasculature, n. arrangement of blood vessels.
vasculiform, adj. flowerpot-shaped. vasiferous, adj. bearing a vas.

vasoconstriction
n. - constriction of blood vessels. vasodilatation, n. dilatation of
blood vessels. vasomotor, adj. applied to nerves controlling
constriction and dilatation of blood vessels.

vastate
v. - make immune. vastation, n. purification.

vastation
v. - purification through fire

vaticinate
v. - prophesy. vaticinal, vaticinatory, adj. prophetic. vaticination,
vaticinator, n.

vecordious
adj. - senseless, insane, mad

vection
n. - infection with disease. vector, n. disease-carrying insect;
Mathematics, symbol of quantity having magnitude and direction;
compass direction of aircraft.

vedette
n. - outpost mounted sentry. vedette boat, small boat or ship for
watching enemy.

vegetal
adj. - pertaining to or like a vegetable; lacking feelings. vegetant,
adj. vegetable-like; causing growth; tonic. vegetative, adj. growing;
plant-like; fertile; pertaining to unconscious life processes, as
growth, digestion, etc. vegetivorous, adj. eating vegetables.

velamen
n. - (pl. -lamina ) water-absorbing outer covering of aerial roots of
certain orchids. velamentous, adj. pertaining to or like a thin
membrane.

velar
adj. - pertaining to soft palate; pronounced with back of tongue
touching soft palate, as k, ng, etc.; n. such sound. velate, adj.
having veil or velum. velation, n. act of veiling; secrecy. velic,
adj. pertaining to velum. veliferous, veligerous, adj. bearing a sail
or velum.

velitation
n. - a petty fight; a skirmish

velleity
n. - state of desiring faintly; slight wish.

vellicate
v. - to pull at, off, or out with a sudden jerk; to pluck; or to move
with spasmodic convulsions; twitch

vellum
n. - calf or lamb gut or skin prepared for writing on; parchment.

velocious
adj. - jocular, with great speed.

velocipede
n. - old-fashioned bicycle. velocipedist, n.

velum
n. - (pl. -la) veil-like membrane; soft palate.

velutinous
adj. - having downy covering; velvety.

venatic(al)
adj. - pertaining to, used in, or fond of hunting.

venation
n. - arrangement of veins on leaf or wing of insect.

vendue
n. - auction.

venenation
n. - poisoning; poisoned state.

venenose
adj. - poisonous.

venereology
n. - study of venereal diseases. venereologist, n.

venery
n. - the pursuit of sexual pleasure or indulgence

venesect
v. - open vein in blood-letting. venesection, n.

venial
adj. - forgivable; not criminal. veniality, n.

venireman
n. - a member of the jury

venous
adj. - pertaining to the veins; applied to blood carried by veins to
heart, containing impurities. venostasis, n. constricting veins to
check blood.

ventage
n. - finger hole in a wind instrument

venter
n. - Zoology, abdomen, belly; Law, womb, whence wife or mother.

ventiduct
n. - air-pipe. ventifact, n. stone rounded by wind action.

ventoseness
adj. - windiness; flatulence

ventral
adj. - pertaining to the belly.

ventricumbent
adj. - lying face down; prone

ventripotent
adj. - fat, overindulgent with respect to food

venule
n. - small vein. venulose, venulous, adj. having many venules.

veracious
adj. - truthful; true; exact. veracity, n.

verbigerate
v. -i. involuntarily repeat certain words, phrases, etc.
verbigeration, n. verbigerative, adj.

verbigeration
n. - senseless reiteration of cliches

verbile
n. - person whose mental processes are most easily stimulated by words.

verbophobia
n. - fear and dislike of words

verboten
adj. - 'forbidden'; prohibited.

verd-antique
n. - kind of green mottled marble.

verecund
adj. - bashful; modest

vergiform
adj. - like a rod.

veridic(al)
adj. - veracious; genuine. veridicality, n.

veriloquent
adj. - speaking truthfully

verjuice
n. - sour juice; sourness.

vermeil
n. - vermilion; n. gilded metal.

vermian
adj. - like a worm.

vernal
adj. - pertaining or belonging to spring (season).

vernalagnia
n. - spring fever

vernalize
v. - to cause (plants) to come to early maturity, especially by
chilling seeds, bulbs etc. vernalization, n.

vernicose
adj. - covered with natural varnish.

vernier
n. - short sliding scale indicating fractions of a graduation;
additional control for obtaining fine adjustments.

vernissage
n. - preview or opening of an art exhibition.

veronal
n. - hypnotic drug, also called barbital.

verricule
n. - tuft of bristles, hairs, etc. verriculate, adj. having verricules.

verruca
n. - wart. verrucated, adj. bearing wart-like prominences. verrucose,
verrucous, adj. covered with warts. verruculose, adj. having very
small warts or wart-like prominences.

versant
n. - slope of a mountain (range); general slope of a region.

versicle
n. - short verse; Ecclesiastical, short verse followed by response.
versicular, adj. pertaining to or marking verses.

versicolor
adj. - of various or varying colors.

verst
n. - unit of distance, equivalent of two-thirds of a mile.

verticil
n. - Botany, whorl.

vertiginous
adj. - having or causing vertigo; whirling.

vesicle
n. - small blister; bladder-like or rounded cavity; cell; cyst.
vesical, adj. pertaining to bladder; oval. vesicant, vesicatory, adj.
raising blisters. vesicate, v. blister. vesicular, adj. like a vesicle
or bladder; bearing many vesicles.

vespal
adj. - pertaining to wasps. vespacide, n. substance or person killing wasps.

vespertine
adj. - in or of the evening; setting at same time as, or just after, the sun.

vespiary
n. - wasps'nest. vespid, n. social wasp. vespine, adj. pertaining to
or like wasps.

vesta
n. - wax-match.

vestiary
adj. - pertaining to clothes or dress.

vesticate
v. - to blister

vesuvian
n. - old-fashioned kind of match; fusee. vesuviate, v.i. erupt; burst with heat.

vetanda
n. -pl. pl. forbidden things.

vetitive
adj. - having power to forbid or veto.

vexillary
adj. - pertaining to regimental colors or standard; n.
standard-bearer. vexillology, n. study of flags.

viaggiatory
adj. - on the move; traveling around

viands
n. -pl. pl. food.

viatic(al)
adj. - pertaining to roads or travel. viaticum, n. Holy Communion
administered to dying person; travelling provisions or expenses.
viator, n. traveller. viatorial, adj. travelling.

vibrissa
n. - (pl. -sae ) sensitive whisker on animal's face. vibrissal, adj.

viburnum
n. - kind of shrub or tree including guelder-rose, etc.

vicarial
adj. - pertaining to vicar or delegate. vicarious, adj. acting for
another; enjoyed or suffered for, or through, another; substituted.

vicegerent
adj.,n. - (person) representing a ruler or God. vicegerency, n. vicegeral, adj.

vicenary
adj. - pertaining to or consisting of 20; having 20 as a base.
vicennial, adj. lasting, or happening every, 20 years.

vicinage
n. - neighbourhood. vicinal, adj. neighbouring; local.

vicissitude
n. - change of fortune; alternation. vicissitudinous, adj.

vicissitudinary
adj. - pertaining to change, alteration, mutation

victoria
n. - light open two-seater four-wheeled carriage, with raised driver's seat.

victual
v. -i. provision; n.pl. food. victualler, n. licensee of public house.

vicuna
n. - wild wool-bearing llama-like animal of the Andes.

viduage
n. - widowhood. viduity, n.

vigentennial
adj. - lasting, or happening every, twenty years; n. twentieth anniversary.

vigesimal
adj. - pertaining to or based on number twenty; twentieth.

vigesimation
n. - killing every twentieth person

vignette
n. - small, ornamental illustration without frame or with background
shaded off; slight portrait or character sketch.

vilify
v. - slander; degrade. vilification, n. vilipend, v. speak slightingly
of. vilipenditory, adj. despising.

vilipend
v. - to belittle, to disparage

villar
adj. - pertaining to feudal manor or village; n. villein. villatic,
adj. rural; pertaining to villa.

villein
n. - free villager; serf. villeinage, n.

villus
n. - (pl. -li ) small vein-like outgrowth; soft hair. villiform, adj.
like villus; with velvety surface. villose, villous, adj. bearing soft
hairs. villosity, n.

vimen
n. - (pl. -mina ) long thin branch or twig. vimineous, adj. pertaining
to or made of twigs.

vinaceous
adj. - pertaining to or like grapes or wine; wine-colored.

vincular
adj. - connective. vinculum, n. (pl. - la) bond, tie; Mathematics,
horizontal line over figures with the same function as brackets.

vindemiate
v. -i. gather in fruit, or the vintage. vindemiation, n. vindemiatory, adj.

vinous
adj. - pertaining to or like wine; fond of wine; wine-colored. vinosity, n.

viparious
adj. - life-renewing

virelay
n. - old French poem with refrain and various special rhyming schemes.

virescent
adj. - becoming or slightly green. virescence, n.

virgal
adj. - composed of twigs. virgate, adj. like a rod; having many twigs;
v.i. branch off.

virgule
n. - slanting mark (/) indicating pause, hyphen, or alternative.
virgulate, adj. rod-like.

viridescent
adj. - greenish. viridigenous a. producing greenness. viridity, n.
greenness; freshness.

virilescence
n. - acquisition by females of male characteristics. virilia, n. male
reproductive organs. virilism, n. masculinity in women, especially
with secondary male characteristics.

virose
adj. - poisonous; foul-smelling.

vis major
n. - 'greater force'; act of God; unavoidable accident.

visard
n. - mask; visor.

viscerotonic
adj. - Psychology, having sociable, comfort-loving temperament
associated with endomorphy.

viscid
adj. - viscous. viscose,, n. cellulose prepared for use as rayon, etc.
viscous, adj. thick and sticky like glue or treacle. viscosity,, n.
treacliness; force opposing flow.

visile
adj.,n. - (person) with mental processes most readily stimulated by
visual impressions.

vitalism
n. - philosophical doctrine that life processes are not entirely
explicable, or bound, by scientific laws. vitalist, n. vitalistic,
adj.

vitascope
n. - moving picture projector.

vitative
adj. - fond of life.

vitellus
n. - yolk of egg. vitelline, adj. pertaining to or colored like egg
yolk. vitelline membrane, sac surrounding fertilized ovum. vitellin,
n. protein in egg yolk.

vitiate
v. - impair; spoil; debase; make useless or impure. vitiation, vitiator, n.

viticula
n. - trailing, climbing vine

viticulture
n. - vine-growing. vitiferous, adj. bearing vines.

vitiligo
n. - Medicine, condition characterized by smooth white patches on skin.

vitilitigate
adj. - to be particularly quarrelsome

vitrail
n. - (pl. -aux ) stained glass.

vitreous
adj. - pertaining to or like glass. vitreal, adj. vitrescent, adj.
becoming vitreous; able to be made into glass. vitrescible, adj.
vitrifiable. vitric, adj. glassy. vitrics, n. study of glassware.
vitrifacture, n. making of glassware. vitriform, adj. glassy. vitrify,
v.i. & t. make or become vitreous. vitrine, n. glass case.

vittate
adj. - striped length-wise.

vituline
adj. - pertaining to or like calf, or veal.

vituperate
v. - speak bitterly, harshly or abusively (of). vituperation,
vituperator, n. vituperative, vituperatory, adj.

vivandière
n. - woman camp-follower supplying provisions.

vivarium
n. - (pl. -ia) place or box, etc., for keeping living animals.

viverrine
adj. - pertaining to or like a civet; belonging to civet family; n. civet.

vives
n. - swelling of horse's submaxillary glands.

viveur
n. - person who lives (well); person indulging in pleasures.

vivify
v. - make alive or vivid; animate; sharpen. vivification, n.

viviparous
adj. - bringing forth live young. viviparism, viviparity, n.

vivisepulture
n. - live burial

vocable
n. - word; name; sound. vocabular, adj.

vocalic
adj. - pertaining to or like vowels.

volant
adj. - flying; able to fly; quick.

volar
adj. - pertaining to palm or sole; pertaining to flight.

volary
n. - aviary.

volation
n. - ability to fly.

volent
adj. - exercising will power.

volitate
v. -i. fly about; flutter. volitant, adj. able to fly; flying. volitation, n.

volitient
adj. - exercising free will

volitorial
adj. - able to fly.

volplane
v. -i. glide through air.

volte-face
n. - change to opposite opinion or direction.

volucrine
adj. - pertaining to birds.

voluptuary
n. - person excessively devoted to luxury. voluptuous, adj. luxurious;
given up to luxury; sensuous. volupty, n. sexual pleasure.

volute
adj.,n. - spiral (object or ornament). volutate v.i. roll. volution,
n. twist; convolution.

vomer
n. - slender bone which separates the nostrils

vomitory
n. - emetic; vessel for receiving vomit; passageway leading to a tier
of seats, especially in Roman amphitheatre.

vomituration
n. - retching, ineffectual vomiting, dry heaves

vomiturition
n. - retching; unsuccessful attempt to vomit; easy vomiting.

voussoir
n. - any wedge-shaped stone forming part of arch, vault, etc.

vrouw
n. - housewife; woman.

vulcanology
n. - study of volcanic activity.

vulgarian
n. - vulgar person, especially one who is rich or has pretensions to taste.

vulgarism
n. - coarse, substandard or obscene expression; vulgarity.

vulgate
n. - 4th-century Latin translation of Scriptures; generally accepted
text or version.

vulgus
n. - the common people; school composition in Latin verse.

vulpicide
n. - killing or killer of fox, except by hunting. vulpecular, adj.
pertaining to young fox. vulpine, adj. fox-like; cunning.

vulva
n. - external portion of female reproductive organs. vulval, vulvar,
adj. vulvate, vulviform, adj. shaped like vulva. vulvitis, n.
inflammation of vulva.
 

No comments:

Post a Comment