Voo"doo, a. Of or pertaining to voodooism, or a voodoo; as, voodoo
incantations.
Voo"doo*ism (?), n. [Probably (through Creole French vaudoux a negro
sorcerer) fr. F. Vaudois Waldensian, because the Waldenses were accused
of sorcery.] A degraded form of superstition and sorcery, said to
include human sacrifices and cannibalism in some of its rites. It is
prevalent among the negroes of Hayti, and to some extent in the United
States, and is regarded as a relic of African barbarism.
Vo*ra"cious (?), a. [L. vorax, - acis, fr. vorare to devour; akin to
Gr. &?; meat, food, &?; to devour, Skr. gar. Cf. Devour.] Greedy in
eating; very hungry; eager to devour or swallow; ravenous; gluttonous;
edacious; rapacious; as, a voracious man or appetite; a voracious gulf
or whirlpool. Dampier. — Vo*ra"cious*ly, adv. — Vo*ra"cious*ness, n.
Vo*rac"i*ty (?), n. [L. voracitas: cf. F. voracité.] The quality of
being voracious; voraciousness.
Vo*rag"i*nous (?), a. [L. voraginosus, fr. vorago an abyss, fr. vorare
to swallow up.] Pertaining to a gulf; full of gulfs; hence, devouring.
[R.] Mallet.
Vor"tex (?), n.; pl. E. Vortexes (#), L. Vortices (#). [L. vortex,
vertex, -icis, fr. vortere, vertere, to turn. See Vertex.]
1. A mass of fluid, especially of a liquid, having a whirling or
circular motion tending to form a cavity or vacuum in the center of the
circle, and to draw in towards the center bodies subject to its action;
the form assumed by a fluid in such motion; a whirlpool; an eddy.
2. (Cartesian System) A supposed collection of particles of very
subtile matter, endowed with a rapid rotary motion around an axis which
was also the axis of a sun or a planet. Descartes attempted to account
for the formation of the universe, and the movements of the bodies
composing it, by a theory of vortices.
3. (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of small Turbellaria belonging
to Vortex and allied genera. See Illustration in Appendix.
Vortex atom (Chem.), a hypothetical ring- shaped mass of elementary
matter in continuous vortical motion. It is conveniently regarded in
certain mathematical speculations as the typical form and structure of
the chemical atom. — Vortex wheel, a kind of turbine.
Vor"ti*cal (?), a. Of or pertaining to a vortex or vortexes; resembling
a vortex in form or motion; whirling; as, a vortical motion. —
Vor"ti*cal*ly, adv.
Vor"ti*cel (?), n. [Cf. F. vorticelle. See Vortex.] (Zoöl.) A
vorticella.
Vor`ti*cel"la (?), n.; pl. E. Vorticellas (&?;), L. Vorticellæ (&?;).
[NL., dim. fr. L. vortex. See Vortex.] (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous
species of ciliated Infusoria belonging to Vorticella and many other
genera of the family Vorticellidæ. They have a more or less bell-shaped
body with a circle of vibrating cilia around the oral disk. Most of the
species have slender, contractile stems, either simple or branched.
Vor"ti*cose` (?), a. [L. vorticosus.] Vortical; whirling; as, a
vorticose motion.
Vor*tig"i*nous (?), a. [Cf. Vertiginous.] Moving rapidly round a
center; vortical. [R.] Cowper.
Vo"ta*ress (?), n. [See Votary, n.] A woman who is a votary. Shak.
Vo"ta*rist (?), n. [See Votary.] A votary.
Like a sad votarist in palmer's weed.
Milton.
Vo"ta*ry (?), a. [From L. votus, p. p. vovere to vow, to devote. See
Vote, Vow.] Consecrated by a vow or promise; consequent on a vow;
devoted; promised.
Votary resolution is made equipollent to custom.
Bacon.
Vo"ta*ry, n.; pl. Votaries (&?;). One devoted, consecrated, or engaged
by a vow or promise; hence, especially, one devoted, given, or
addicted, to some particular service, worship, study, or state of life.
"You are already love's firm votary." Shak.
'T was coldness of the votary, not the prayer, that was in fault.
Bp. Fell.
But thou, my votary, weepest thou?
Emerson.
Vote (?), n. [L. votum a vow, wish, will, fr. vovere, votum, to vow:
cf. F. vote. See Vow.]