Load some vain church with old theatric state.
Pope.
Syn. — Empty; worthless; fruitless; ineffectual; idle; unreal; shadowy;
showy; ostentatious; light; inconstant; deceitful; delusive;
unimportant; trifling.
Vain, n. Vanity; emptiness; — now used only in the phrase in vain.
For vain. See In vain. [Obs.] Shak. — In vain, to no purpose; without
effect; ineffectually. " In vain doth valor bleed." Milton. " In vain
they do worship me." Matt. xv. 9. — To take the name of God in vain, to
use the name of God with levity or profaneness.
Vain`glo"ri*ous (?), a. Feeling or indicating vainglory; elated by
vanity; boastful. "Arrogant and vainglorious expression." Sir M. Hale.
— Vain`glo"ri*ous*ly, adv. — Vain`glo"ri*ous*ness, n.
Vain`glo"ry (?), n. [Vain + glory.] Excessive vanity excited by one's
own performances; empty pride; undue elation of mind; vain show;
boastfulness.
He had nothing of vainglory.
Bacon.
The man's undone forever; for if Hector break not his neck i' the
combat, he'll break't himself in vainglory.
Shak.
Vain"ly (?), adv. In a vain manner; in vain.
Vain"ness, n. The quality or state of being vain.
Vair (?), n. [F. vair, from OF. vair, a., L. varius various,
variegated. See Various, and cf. Menivel.] The skin of the squirrel,
much used in the fourteenth century as fur for garments, and frequently
mentioned by writers of that period in describing the costly dresses of
kings, nobles, and prelates. It is represented in heraldry by a series
of small shields placed close together, and alternately white and blue.
Fairholt.
No vair or ermine decked his garment.
Sir W. Scott.
Counter vair (Her.), a fur resembling vair, except in the arrangement
of the patches or figures.
Vair"y (?), a. [F. vairé. See Vair, n.] (Her.) Charged with vair;
variegated with shield-shaped figures. See Vair.
Vaish"na*va (vsh"n*v), n. [Skr. vaishava.] (Hindu Myth.) A worshiper of
the god Vishnu in any of his incarnations.
Vaish"na*vism (?), n. The worship of Vishnu.
||Vais"ya (?), n. [Skr. vaiçya.] The third of the four great original
||castes among the Hindus, now either extinct or partially represented
||by the mercantile class of Banyas. See the Note under Caste, 1.
||
Vai"vode (?), n. [Cf. F. vayvode. See Waywode.] See Waywode.
||Va*keel" (?), n. [Ar. wakl.] A native attorney or agent; also, an
||ambassador. [India]
||
Val"ance (?), n. [Perhaps fr. OF. avalant descending, hanging down, p.
pr. of avaler to go down, let down, descent (cf. Avalanche); but
probably from the town of Valence in France.]
1. Hanging drapery for a bed, couch, window, or the like, especially
that which hangs around a bedstead, from the bed to the floor. [Written
also valence.]
Valance of Venice gold in needlework.
Shak.
2. The drooping edging of the lid of a trunk. which covers the joint
when the lid is closed.
Val"ance, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Valanced (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Valancing
(?).] To furnish with a valance; to decorate with hangings or drapery.
His old fringed chair valanced around with party- colored worsted bobs.
Sterne.
Vale (?), n. [OE. val, F. val, L. vallis; perhaps akin to Gr. &?; low
ground, marsh meadow. Cf. Avalanche, Vail to lower, Valley.] A tract of
low ground, or of land between hills; a valley. " Make me a cottage in
the vale." Tennyson.
Beyond this vale of tears there is a life above.
Montgomery.
In those fair vales, by nature formed to please.
Harte.
Vale is more commonly used in poetry, and valley in prose and common
discourse.
Syn. — Valley; dingle; dell; dale.
Vale, n. See 2d Vail, 3.
Val`e*dic"tion (?), n. [L., valedicere, valedictum, to say farewell;
vale farewell (imperative of valere to be strong or well) + dicere to
say. See Valiant, Diction.] A farewell; a bidding farewell. Donne.
<! p. 1592 !>
Val`e*dic*to"ri*an (?), n. One who pronounces a valedictory address;
especially, in American colleges, the student who pronounces the
valedictory of the graduating class at the annual commencement, usually
the student who ranks first in scholarship.
Val`e*dic"to*ry (?), a. Bidding farewell; suitable or designed for an
occasion of leave-taking; as, a valedictory oration.
Val`e*dic"to*ry, n.; pl. Valedictories (&?;). A valedictory oration or
address spoken at commencement in American colleges or seminaries by
one of the graduating class, usually by the leading scholar.
Va"lence (?), n. [From L. valens, - entis, p. pr. of valere to have
power, to be strong. See Valiant.] (Chem.) The degree of combining
power of an atom (or radical) as shown by the number of atoms of
hydrogen (or of other monads, as chlorine, sodium, etc.) with which it
will combine, or for which it can be substituted, or with which it can
be compared; thus, an atom of hydrogen is a monad, and has a valence of
one; the atoms of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon are respectively dyads,
triads, and tetrads, and have a valence respectively of two, three, and
four.
The valence of certain elements varies in different compounds. Valence
in degree may extend as high as seven or eight, as in the cases of
iodine and osmium respectively. The doctrine of valence has been of
fundamental importance in distinguishing the equivalence from the
atomic weight, and is an essential factor in explaining the chemical
structures of compounds.
Va*len"ci*a (?), n. [Perhaps fr. Valence in France.] A kind of woven
fabric for waistcoats, having the weft of wool and the warp of silk or
cotton. [Written also valentia.]
Va*len`ci*ennes" lace" (?). [F.; — so called after the town of
Valenciennes.] A rich kind of lace made at Valenciennes, in France.
Each piece is made throughout, ground and pattern, by the same person
and with the same thread, the pattern being worked in the net.
Val"en*cy (?), n.; pl. Valencies (&?;). (Chem.) (a) See Valence. (b) A
unit of combining power; a so-called bond of affinity.
Va*len"ti*a (?), n. See Valencia.
Val"en*tine (?), n. 1. A sweetheart chosen on St. Valentine's Day.
2. A letter containing professions of love, or a missive of a
sentimental, comic, or burlesque character, sent on St. Valentine's
Day.
St. Valentine's Day, a day sacred to St. Valentine; the 14th of
February. It was a very old notion, alluded to by Shakespeare, that on
this day birds begin to mate. Hence, perhaps, arose the custom of
sending love tokens at that time.
Val`en*tin"i*an (?), n. (Eccl. Hist.) One of a school of Judaizing
Gnostics in the second century; — so called from Valentinus, the
founder.
Val`er*am"ide (?), n. [Valeric + amide.] (Chem.) The acid amide
derivative of valeric acid, obtained as a white crystalline substance.
Val"er*ate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of valeric acid.
Va*le"ri*an (?), n. [LL. valeriana, perhaps from some person named
Valerius, or fr. L. valere to be strong. powerful, on account of its
medicinal virtues: cf. F. valériane.] (Bot.) Any plant of the genus
Valeriana. The root of the officinal valerian (V. officinalis) has a
strong smell, and is much used in medicine as an antispasmodic.
Greek valerian (Bot.), a plant (Polemonium cæruleum) with blue or white
flowers, and leaves resembling those of the officinal valerian.
Va*le`ri*an*a"ceous (?), a. (Bot.) Of, pertaining to, or resembling,
plants of a natural order (Valerianaccæ) of which the valerian is the
type. The order includes also the corn salads and the oriental
spikenard.
Va*le"ri*an*ate (?), n. (Chem.) A valerate.
Va*le`ri*an"ic (?), a. (Chem.) Performance to, or obtained from,
valerian root; specifically, designating an acid which is usually
called valeric acid.
Va*ler"ic (?), a. (Chem.) Valerianic; specifically, designating any one
of three metameric acids, of which the typical one (called also
inactive valeric acid), C4H9CO2H, is obtained from valerian root and
other sources, as a corrosive, mobile, oily liquid, having a strong
acid taste, and an odor of old cheese.
Active valeric acid, a metameric variety which turns the plane of
polarization to the right, although formed by the oxidation of a
levorotatory amyl alcohol.
Va*ler"i*dine (?), n. (Chem.) A base, C10H19N, produced by heating
valeric aldehyde with ammonia. It is probably related to the conine
alkaloids.
Val"er*in (?), n. [Valeric + glycerin.] (Chem.) A salt of valeric acid
with glycerin, occurring in butter, dolphin oil., and forming an
forming an oily liquid with a slightly unpleasant odor.
Va*ler"i*trine (?), n. [Valeric + iropine + -ine.] (Chem.) A base,
C15H27N, produced together with valeridine, which it resembles.
Val"er*o-. (Chem.) A combining form (also used adjectively) indicating
derivation from, or relation to, valerian or some of its products, as
valeric acid; as in valerolactone, a colorless oily liquid produced as
the anhydride of an hydroxy valeric acid.
Val"er*one (?), n. (Chem.) A ketone of valeric acid obtained as an oily
liquid.
Val"er*yl (?), n. [Valeric + - yl.] (Chem.) The hypothetical radical
C5H9O, regarded as the essential nucleus of certain valeric acid
derivatives.
Val`er*yl*ene (?), n. (Chem.) A liquid hydrocarbon, C5H8; — called also
pentine.
Val"et (?; 277), n. [F. valet, OF. vallet, varlet, vaslet. See Varlet,
and Vassal.]
1. A male waiting servant; a servant who attends on gentleman's person;
a body servant.