| word | definition |
| va banque |
Hit the bank (seems to mean a full-out bet). |
| vade mecum |
1. A referential book such as a handbook or manual. 2. A useful object, constantly carried on one's person. |
| valetudinarian |
A weak or sickly person, especially one morbidly concerned with his or her health. |
| vaquero |
A cowboy; a cattle driver. |
| varve |
An annual layer of sediment or sedimentary rock. |
| vatic |
Of or characteristic of a prophet; oracular. |
| venery |
1. Indulgence in or pursuit of sexual activity. 2. The practice or sport of hunting game animals, or the wild animals so hunted. |
| veneto |
Veneto or Venetia, is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 4.8 million, and its capital is Venice. |
| Verblüffung |
das Verblüfftsein, sprachloses Erstaunen, große Überraschung |
| veridical |
Pertaining to an experience, perception, or interpretation that accurately represents reality; as opposed to unsubstantiated, illusory, or delusory. |
| vermeil |
Vermeil (pronounced ver-may) is a process that combines precious metals to produce semi-fine quality jewelry. The inside core is sterling silver, the outside is a thin coating of 14 karat gold. This combination produces jewelry that looks and feels like pure gold. |
| vesicate |
To form vesicles, i.e. blisters, in or beneath the skin. |
| vestryman |
A member of a parochial vestry. |
| vetulicolians |
Vetulicolia is an extinct phylum encompassing several Cambrian organisms. |
| viatic |
Of or pertaining to traveling or a journey. |
| vibraphone |
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the mallet subfamily of the percussion family, similar to a xylophone but having metal bars and rotating disks in the resonators that produce a vibrato sound. |
| vide infra |
A term used to refer a reader to a place farther on in a text. |
| vide supra |
See above; see earlier (in the book, etc.). |
| vigesimal |
A twentieth part; Occurring in intervals of 20; To the base 20. |
| vilayet |
A wilāyah (Arabic: ولاية) or vilâyet (in Persian) and vilayat (in Urdu) is an administrative division, usually translated as "province" rarely as "governorate." Under the Caliphate, it referred to one of the constituent near-sovereign states. |
| vinculum |
1. An anatomical ligament that limits the movement of an organ or part. (pl. vincula) 2. A horizontal line placed over a mathematical expression, used to indicate that it is to be considered a group. Vinculum is Latin for "bond", "fetter", "chain", or "tie," which is roughly suggestive of some of the uses of the symbol. |
| virago |
1. A domineering, violent, or bad-tempered woman. 2. A woman of masculine strength or spirit; a female warrior. |
| virid |
Vividly green; verdant. |
| viscus |
An internal organ of the body, specifically one within the chest (as the heart or lungs) or abdomen (as the liver, pancreas or intestines). "Viscus" is the Latin word for "an organ of the body." The plural of "viscus" is "viscera." |
| vivarium |
An indoor enclosure for keeping and raising living animals and plants and observing them under natural conditions. |
| Voluptas |
In Roman mythology Voluptas, or Volupta, was the beautiful daughter born from the union of Cupid and Psyche. She is known as the goddess of "sensual pleasures" whose Latin name means "pleasure" or "bliss." |
| volute |
1. A spiral or twisted formation or object. 2. A spiral ornament, found esp. in the capitals of the Ionic, Corinthian and Composite orders. 3. A horizontal scrolled termination to the handrail of a stair. |
| vorarephilia |
Vorarephilia (often shortened to vore) is a paraphilia where arousal occurs from the idea of someone or something eating, or being eaten by, someone or something. It is thus distinguishable from cannibalism, the actual act of a human eating human flesh, as there are no bounds on the species of either party in vorarephilia. The fantasy may sometimes involve the victim being swallowed dead or alive, and may or may not include digestion. Since satisfying the fetish in real life may be illegal or even physically impossible depending on the specific vorarephiliac fantasy, it is most often enjoyed through pictures, stories, videos, and video games. It may be seen as a variation on macrophilia in some cases, and may also be combined with other fetishes. |
| vota |
A vow made to a god in order to obtain a divine favour stipulated in advance. The granting of the request obliged the vower to fulfil his promise. |
| voussoir |
Any of the pieces, in the shape of a truncated wedge, that make up an arch or vault. |