Valve, valv, n. one of the leaves of a folding-door: a cover to an aperture which opens in one direction and not in the other: one of the pieces or divisions forming a shell: (anat.) a membraneous fold resembling a valve or serving as a valve in connection with the flow of blood, lymph, or other fluid—also Val′va.—adjs. Val′val, pertaining to a valve; Val′vāte, having or resembling a valve or valves: (bot.) meeting at the edges without overlapping, as the petals of flowers; Valved, having or composed of valves.—ns. Valve′-gear, the mechanism for working a valve; Valve′let, Val′vūla, Val′vūle, a little valve: (bot.) formerly used of the pieces which compose the outer covering of a pericarp.—adj. Val′vūlar.—n. Valvūlī′tis, inflammation of one of the valves of the heart. [Fr.,—L. valva, a folding-door.]
Vambrace, vam′brās, n. a piece of plate-armour to protect the forearm.—adj. Vam′brāced (her.), having armour on the forearm. [Also vantbrace, vantbrass—Fr. avant-bras—avant, before, bras, arm.]
Vamose, va-mōs′, v.i. (slang) to be off, to be gone. [Sp. vamos, 1st pers. pl. pres. indic.—L. vadimus, we go—vadĕre, to go.]
Vamp, vamp, n. the upper leather of a boot or shoe.—v.t. to repair with a new vamp: to patch old with new: give a new face to: (mus.) to improvise an accompaniment to (coll.).—v.i. to improvise accompaniments, to travel, proceed.—n. Vam′per, one who vamps or cobbles up anything old to pass for new.—Vamp up, to patch up, to improvise, to cook up.—In Vamp, in pawn. [Corr. of Fr. avant-pied, the forepart of the foot—avant, before, pied—L. pes, pedis, foot.]
Vampire, vam′pīr, n. in eastern Europe, an accursed body which cannot rest in the kindly earth, but nightly leaves its grave to suck the blood of sleeping men: an extortioner.—n. Vam′pire-bat, the name of several species of bats all supposed to suck blood—the real blood-suckers only in Central and South America, attacking cattle, horses, and sometimes human beings asleep.—adj. Vampir′ic.—n. Vam′pirism, the actions of a vampire or the practice of blood-sucking: extortion. [Fr.,—Servian vampir; the word is common in the Slavonic tongues.]
Vamplate, vam′plāt, n. the iron plate through which the lance passed, serving as a protection to the hand when the lance was couched. [Fr. avant-plat—avant, before, plat, plate.]
Van, van, n. the front: the front of an army or a fleet: the leaders of any movement. [Abbrev. of vanguard.]
Van, van, n. a fan for grain, &c.: a vane, wing: a test for ascertaining the value of an ore by washing a small quantity on a shovel.—v.t. to separate ore in this way.—ns. Van′ner, an ore-separator; Van′ning. [Fr.,—L. vannus.]
Van, van, n. a large covered wagon for goods, &c.: a light vehicle, covered or not, used by tradesmen in delivering goods: a carriage in a railway-train for carrying luggage, for the use of the guard, &c. [Short for caravan.]
Vanadium, van-ā′di-um, n. a rare metal somewhat resembling silver in appearance, very brittle and infusible, and unoxidisible either by air or water.—ns. Van′adāte, Vanā′diāte, a salt formed by vanadic acid combined with a base.—adjs. Vanad′ic, Vanā′dious, Van′adous, pertaining to or obtained from vanadium; Vanadif′erous, yielding vanadium.—n. Van′adinite, a compound of lead vanadate and lead chloride. [Named from Vanadis, a Scandinavian goddess.]