Vehemence—vē´he-mence, not ve-hē´mence nor ve-hĕm´ence. Vehemently and vehement have also the accent on the first syllable.
Vermicelli—-vër-me-chĕl-lĭ or vër-me-sĕl´lĭ, not vêr-me-sĭl´ly. Worcester sanctions the first method only.
Veterinary—vĕt´er-ĭn-a-ry, not ve-tĕr´in-a-ry.
Vicar—vĭk´ar, not vī´kar. Vicarage and vicarship have also the short i in the first syllable.
Violent (vī´o-lent), violence (vī´o-lence), violet (vī´o-let), violin (vī-o-lĭn´), etc., not voi´o-lent, voi´o-lence, voi´o-let, voi-o-lin´, etc.
Viscount—vī´kount, not vĭs´kount. Viscountess (vī´kountess), etc.
Visor—vĭz´or, not vī´zor.
W.
Wake, etc. Wake is both a transitive and an intransitive verb. Present tense, wake; imperfect and past participle, waked; present participle, waking. Awake is also both transitive and intransitive. Present, awake; imperfect, awoke or awaked; participles, awaked and awaking. Awaken is another verb, both transitive and intransitive. Present, awaken; imperfect and past participle, awakened; present participle, awakening. Thus it is seen that we have a great many words to express the fact of being in a conscious state, and the arousing of a person who is asleep. With a little attention there is no reason for committing an error in the use of these words. One may say that he waked, awoke, or awakened early in the morning, but it is wrong to say that he woke in the morning, or that he woke another; for there is no such word as woke. "I wakened at five o'clock," should be, "I awakened at five o'clock;" for there is no such word as wakened. Up is used only with wake, waked and waking, but even then it is one of our most senseless superfluities. There is no stronger meaning in the assertion that a man was waked up, than that he was waked or awakened. If waking up meant to wake and make get up, it would be different, but it does not. One may be waked up and it is just as likely that he will go to sleep again as if he were simply awakened. Awake and awaken are more elegant words than wake.
Wassail—wŏs´sĭl, not wăs´sĭl. A festive occasion, carousal, the song sung at such a time, etc. The verb and the adjective are spelled and pronounced similarly.