Violone, vē-ō-lō′nā, n. the largest kind of bass viol, having strings tuned an octave lower than the violoncello. [It.,—viola.]
Viper, vī′pėr, n. a genus of venomous snakes, representative of family Viperidæ—the Common Viper or adder being the only poisonous snake indigenous to Britain: loosely, any venomous serpent except a rattlesnake, any cobriform serpent: any base, malicious person.—adjs. Vī′perine, related to or resembling the viper; Vī′perish, like a viper; Vī′perous, having the qualities of a viper: venomous: malignant.—adv. Vī′perously.—Viper's bugloss, the blue weed or blue thistle; Viper's grass, a European perennial of the aster family. [Fr.,—L. vipera (contr. of vivipara)—vivus, living, parĕre, to bring forth.]
Virago, vi-rā′go, or vī-rā′gō, n. a masculine woman: a bold, impudent woman: a termagant.—adjs. Viragin′ian, Viraginous (viraj′-).—n. Viragin′ity. [L.,—vir, a man.]
Vire, vēr, n. a crossbow-bolt: (her.) an annulet. [Fr.]
Virelay, vir′e-lā, n. an ancient kind of French poem in short lines, and consisting of only two rhymes, their order as well as the length of the verses being arbitrary. [Fr. virelai—virer, to turn, lai, a song.]
Vireo, vir′ē-ō, n. a genus of American singing birds, the greenlets. [L.]
Virescent, vī-res′ent, adj. growing green, greenish.—n. Vires′cence, greenness: (bot.) the turning green of organs properly bright-coloured. [L., pr.p. of virēre, to be green.]
Virgate, vėr′gāt, adj. like a wand or rod: slender, straight.—n. an old English measure of surface. [L. virga, a rod.]
Virgilian, vėr-jil′i-an, adj. relating to or resembling the style of Virgil, the Roman poet (70-21 B.C.).
Virgin, vėr′jin, n. a maiden: a woman who has had no sexual intercourse with man: one devoted to virginity: a madonna, a figure of the Virgin: a person of either sex who has not known sexual intercourse: any female animal that has not copulated: a parthenogenetic insect: (astron.) Virgo, one of the signs of the zodiac.—adj. becoming a maiden: maidenly: pure: chaste: undefiled: fresh, new: parthenogenetic.—v.i. (Shak.) to continue chaste.—adj. Vir′ginal, maidenly: (zool.) parthenogenetic.—n. Virginā′le, a book of prayers and hymns to the Virgin Mary.—adj. Vir′gin-born, born of the Virgin, of Jesus Christ: (zool.) born by internal gemmation without impregnation.—ns. Virgin′ity, Vir′ginhood, the state of a virgin; Vir′gin-knot (Shak.), maidenly chastity, in reference to the unloosing of the girdles of Greek and Roman maidens on marriage.—adj. Vir′ginly, pure.—adv. chastely.—ns. Vir′gin's-bow′er, a species of clematis, hedge-vine; Vir′gin-wor′ship, adoration of the Virgin Mary; Vir′go, the Virgin, in the zodiac.—Virgin birth, generation, parthenogenesis; Virgin clay, in pottery, &c., clay which has never been fired.—The Virgin, The Blessed Virgin, the Virgin Mary, the mother of Christ. [O, Fr.,—L. virgo, virginis.]