Volsungs, vol′sungz, n.pl. a famous heroic race in old German legend, its founder Volsung or Wolsung, the grandson of Odin, and its brightest ornament Volsung's son, Siegmund.
Volt, vōlt, n. a turn or bound: a sudden movement or leap to avoid a thrust: a gait of two treads made by a horse going sideways round a centre.—n. Vol′tage. [Fr. volte—It. volta—L. volvĕre, volutum, to turn.]
Volt, vōlt, n. the unit of electro-motive force now in universal use among electricians, defined legally in terms of the ohm and ampere.—adj. Vol′ta-elec′tric, of or pertaining to galvanism.—n. Vol′ta-electrom′eter, an instrument for measuring electric currents.—adj. Vol′ta-electromō′tive.—n. Vōl′tage, electro-motive force reckoned in volts.—adj. Voltā′ic, pertaining to Alessandro Volta, an Italian scientist (1745-1826), who mainly developed the theory of current electricity along purely physical lines, discovered the electric decomposition of water, and invented a new electric battery, the electrophorus, and the electroscope.—ns. Vol′taism, that branch of electric science which treats of the production of an electric current from the chemical interaction of two immersed dissimilar metals (same as Galvanism); Voltam′eter, an instrument for measuring the decomposition produced by an electric current; Vōlt′-am′pere, the rate of activity in an electric circuit when the electro-motive force is one volt and the current one ampere; Volt′atype, an electrotype; Vōlt′meter, an instrument for measuring voltage.—Voltaic pile, a galvanic battery.
Volta, vōl′ta, n. an old dance: (mus.) turn, time:—pl. Vol′te (-te). [It.]
Voltairian, vol-tār′i-an, adj. pertaining to Voltaire, a famous French poet, dramatist, historian, and sceptic (1694-1778).—n. one who advocates the views and principles of Voltaire.—ns. Voltair′ianism, the spirit of Voltaire—i.e. a sceptical, incredulous, and sarcastic attitude, especially towards Christianity; Voltair′ism, incredulity, scepticism.
Voltigeur, vol-ti-zhėr′, n. a vaulter or tumbler: formerly in the French army, one of a light-armed company of picked men placed on the left of a battalion: under the Second Empire, a member of several special infantry regiments. [Fr.]
Voluble, vol′ū-bl, adj. easy to roll or move: flowing smoothly: fluent in speech.—adj. Vol′ubile (Milt.), rolling: revolving.—ns. Volubil′ity, Vol′ubleness, state or quality of being voluble: fluency of speech.—adv. Vol′ubly. [L. volubilis—volvĕre, volutum, to roll.]
Volucrine, vol′ū-krin, adj. pertaining to birds, bird-like. [L. volucris, a bird—volāre, to fly.]
Volume, vol′ūm, n. a roll or scroll, which was the form of ancient books: a book, whether complete in itself or part of a work: a rounded mass, convolution: cubical content: a quantity: dimensions: fullness of voice.—v.i. to swell.—adj. Vol′umed, having the form of a volume or roll: of volume or bulk.—ns. Volumenom′eter, an instrument for measuring the volume of a solid body by the quantity of fluid it displaces; Vol′umēter, an instrument for measuring the volumes of gases.—adjs. Volumet′ric, -al.—adv. Volumet′rically.—adjs. Volū′minal, pertaining to cubical content; Volū′minous, consisting of many volumes or books, or of many coils: of great bulk: having written much, as an author: in many volumes, capable of filling many volumes.—adv. Volū′minously.—ns. Volū′minousness, Voluminos′ity; Vol′ūmist (rare), an author.—Volumetric analysis, the analysis of a compound by determining the quantity of a standard solution required to satisfy a reaction in a known quantity of the compound.—Speak, Tell, volumes, to mean much, to be very significant. [Fr.,—L. volumen, a roll—volvĕre, volutum, to roll.]
Voluntary, vol′un-ta-ri, adj. willing: acting by choice: free: proceeding from the will: subject to the will: done by design or without compulsion: of or pertaining to voluntaryism.—n. one who does anything of his own free-will: a piece of music played at will: an upholder of voluntaryism.—adv. Vol′untarily.—ns. Vol′untariness; Vol′untaryism, the system of maintaining the Church by voluntary offerings, instead of by the aid of the State, as alone consistent with true religious liberty, involving freedom from State support, patronage, or control; Vol′untaryist.—adj. Vol′untātive, voluntary.—Voluntary school, in England, one of a number of elementary schools supported by voluntary subscriptions, and in many cases controlled by religious bodies. [L. voluntarius—voluntas, choice—volo, velle, to will.]