Vocal
Vo´cal, a. [L. vocalis, fr. vox, vocis, voice: cf. F. vocal. See Voice, and cf. Vowel.]
1. Of or pertaining to the voice or speech; having voice; endowed with utterance; full of voice, or voices.
"To hill or valley, fountain, or fresh shade, Made vocal by my song." Milton.
2. Uttered or modulated by the voice; oral; as vocal melody; vocal prayer. "Vocal worship." Milton.
3. Of or pertaining to a vowel or voice sound; also poken with tone, intonation, and resonance; sonant; sonorous; — said of certain articulate sounds.
4. (Phon.) (a) Consisting of, or characterized by, voice, or tone produced in the larynx, which may be modified, either by resonance, as in the case of the vowels, or by obstructive action, as in certain consonants, such as v, l, etc., or by both, as in the nasals m, n, n. ; sonant; intonated; voiced. See Voice, and Vowel, also Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 199-202. (b) Of or pertaining to a vowel; having the character of a vowel; vowel. Vocal cords or chords. (Anat.) See Larynx, and the Note under Voice, n. , 1. — Vocal fremitus [L. fremitus a dull roaring or murmuring] (Med.), the perceptible vibration of the chest wall, produced by the transmission of the sonorous vibrations during the act of using the voice. — Vocal music, music made by the voice, in distinction from instrumental music; hence, music or tunes set to words, to be performed by the human voice. — Vocal tube (Anat.), the part of the air passages above the inferior ligaments of the larynx, including the passages through the nose and mouth.

Vocal
Vo´cal, n. [Cf. F. vocal, LL. vocalis.]
1. (Phon.) A vocal sound; specifically, a purely vocal element of speech, unmodified except by resonance; a vowel or a diphthong; a tonic element; a tonic; — distinguished from a subvocal, and a nonvocal.
2. (R. C. Ch.) A man who has a right to vote in certain elections.

Vocalic
Vo•cal´ic, a. [L. vocalis (sc. littera) a vowel. See Vocal, a. ] Of or pertaining to vowel sounds; consisting of the vowel sounds. Earle.
"The Gaelic language being uncommonly vocalic." Sir W. Scott.

Vocalist
Vo´cal•ist, n. [Cf. F. vocaliste.] A singer, or vocal musician, as opposed to an instrumentalist.

Vocality
Vo•cal´i•ty, n. [Cf. L. vocalitas euphony.]
1. The quality or state of being vocal; utterableness; resonance; as the vocality of the letters.
2. The quality of being a vowel; vocalic character.

Vocalization
Vo•cal•i•za´tion, n.
1. The act of vocalizing, or the state of being vocalized.
2. The formation and utterance of vocal sounds.

Vocalize
Vo´cal•ize, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Vocalized p. pr. & vb. n. Vocalizing ] [Cf. F. vocaliser.]
1. To form into voice; to make vocal or sonant; to give intonation or resonance to.
"It is one thing to give an impulse to breath alone, another thing to vocalize that breath." Holder.
2. To practice singing on the vowel sounds.

Vocalness
Vo´cal•ness, n. The quality of being vocal; vocality.

Vocation
Vo•ca´tion, n. [L. vocatio a bidding, invitation, fr. vocare to call, fr. vox, vocis, voice: cf. F. vocation. See Vocal.]
1. A call; a summons; a citation; especially, a designation or appointment to a particular state, business, or profession.
"What can be urged for them who not having the vocation of poverty to scribble, out of mere wantonness make themselves ridiculous?" Dryden.
2. Destined or appropriate employment; calling; occupation; trade; business; profession.
"He would think his service greatly rewarded, if he might obtain by that means to live in the sight of his prince, and yet practice his own chosen vocation." Sir. P. Sidney.
3. (Theol.) A calling by the will of God. Specifically: — (a) The bestowment of God’s distinguishing grace upon a person or nation, by which that person or nation is put in the way of salvation; as the vocation of the Jews under the old dispensation, and of the Gentiles under the gospel. "The golden chain of vocation, election, and justification." Jer. Taylor. (b) A call to special religious work, as to the ministry.
"Every member of the same [the Church], in his vocation and ministry." Bk. of Com. Prayer.

Vociferance
Vo•cif´er•ance, n. Vociferation; noise; clamor. [R.] R. Browning.

Vociferant
Vo•cif´er•ant, a. [L. vociferans, p. pr.] Noisy; clamorous. Gauden. R. Browning.

Vociferate
Vo•cif´er•ate, v. i. [L. vociferatus, p. p. vociferari to vociferate; vox, vocis, voice + ferre to bear. See Voice, and Bear to carry.] To cry out with vehemence; to exclaim; to bawl; to clamor. Cowper.

Vociferate
Vo•cif´er•ate, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Vociferated p. pr. & vb. n. Vociferating.] To utter with a loud voice; to shout out.
"Though he may vociferate the word liberty." V. Knox.

Vociferator
Vo•cif´er•a•tor, n. One who vociferates, or is clamorous. [R.]

Vociferous
Vo•cif´er•ous, a. [Cf. F. vocifère.] Making a loud outcry; clamorous; noisy; as vociferous heralds. — Vo•cif´er•ous•ly, adv. — Vo•cif´er•ous•ness, n.

Vocule
Voc´ule, n. [L. vocula, dim. of vox, vocis, voice.] (Phon.) A short or weak utterance; a faint or feeble sound, as that heard on separating the lips in pronouncing p or b. Rush. — Voc´u•lar (#), a.

Vodanium
Vo•da´ni•um, n. [NL.] (Old Chem.) A supposed element, afterward found to be a mixture of several metals, as copper, iron, lead, nickel, etc.

Vodka
Vod´ka, n. [Russ.] A Russian drink distilled from rye.

Voe, n. [Cf. Icel ver sea, vöar a fenced-in landing place.] An inlet, bay, or creek; — so called in the Orkney and Shetland Islands. Jamieson.

Vogle
Vo´gle, n. (Mining) Same as Vugg.

Voiced, a.
1. Furnished with a voice; expressed by the voice.
2. (Phon.) Uttered with voice; pronounced with vibrations of the vocal cords; sonant; — said of a sound uttered with the glottis narrowed. Voiced stop, Voice stop (Phon.), a stopped consonant made with tone from the larynx while the mouth organs are closed at some point; a sonant mute, as b, d, g hard.

Voiceful
Voice´ful, a. Having a voice or vocal quality; having a loud voice or many voices; vocal; sounding.
"Beheld the Iliad and the Odyssey Rise to the swelling of the voiceful sea." Coleridge.

Voiceless
Voice´less, a.
1. Having no voice, utterance, or vote; silent; mute; dumb.
"I live and die unheard, With a most voiceless thought, sheathing it as a sword." Byron.
2. (Phon.) Not sounded with voice; as a voiceless consonant; surd. Voiceless stop (Phon.), a consonant made with no audible sound except in the transition to or from another sound; a surd mute, as p, t, k. — Voice´less•ly, adv. — Voice´less•ness, n.

Void, a. [OE. voide, OF. voit, voide, vuit, vuide, F. vide, fr. (assumed) LL. vocitus, fr. L. vocare, an old form of vacare to be empty, or a kindred word. Cf. Vacant, Avoid.]
1. Containing nothing; empty; vacant; not occupied; not filled.
"The earth was without form, and void." Gen. i. 2.
"I ’ll get me to a place more void." Shak.
"I ’ll chain him in my study, that, at void hours, I may run over the story of his country." Massinger.
2. Having no incumbent; unoccupied; — said of offices and the like.
"Divers great offices that had been long void." Camden.
3. Being without; destitute; free; wanting; devoid; as void of learning, or of common use. Milton.
"A conscience void of offense toward God." Acts xxiv. 16.
"He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbor." Prov. xi. 12.
4. Not producing any effect; ineffectual; vain.
"[My word] shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please." Isa. lv. 11.
"I will make void the counsel of Judah." Jer. xix. 7.
5. Containing no immaterial quality; destitute of mind or soul. "Idol, void and vain." Pope.
6. (Law) Of no legal force or effect, incapable of confirmation or ratification; null. Cf. Voidable, 2. Void space (Physics), a vacuum.
Syn. — Empty; vacant; devoid; wanting; unfurnished; unsupplied; unoccupied.

Void, n. An empty space; a vacuum.
"Pride, where wit fails, steps in to our defense, And fills up all the mighty void of sense." Pope.

Void, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Voided; p. pr. & vb. n. Voiding.] [OF. voidier, vuidier. See Void, a. ]
1. To remove the contents of; to make or leave vacant or empty; to quit; to leave; as to void a table.
"Void anon her place." Chaucer.
"If they will fight with us, bid them come down, Or void the field." Shak.
2. To throw or send out; to evacuate; to emit; to discharge; as to void excrements.
"A watchful application of mind in voiding prejudices." Barrow.
"With shovel, like a fury, voided out The earth and scattered bones." J. Webster.
3. To render void; to make to be of no validity or effect; to vacate; to annul; to nullify.
"After they had voided the obligation of the oath he had taken." Bp. Burnet.
"It was become a practice … to void the security that was at any time given for money so borrowed." Clarendon.

Void, v. i. To be emitted or evacuated. Wiseman.

Voidable
Void´a•ble, a.
1. Capable of being voided, or evacuated.
2. (Law) Capable of being avoided, or of being adjudged void, invalid, and of no force; capable of being either avoided or confirmed.
"If the metropolitan … grants letters of administration, such administration is not, but voidable by sentence." Ayliffe. A voidable contract may be ratified and confirmed; to render it null and of no effect, it must be avoided; a void contract can not be ratified.

Voidance
Void´ance, n.
1. The act of voiding, emptying, ejecting, or evacuating.
2. (Eccl.) A ejection from a benefice.
3. The state of being void; vacancy, as of a benefice which is without an incumbent.
4. Evasion; subterfuge. [Obs.] Bacon.

Voided
Void´ed, a.
1. Emptied; evacuated.
2. Annulled; invalidated.
3. (Her.) Having the inner part cut away, or left vacant, a narrow border being left at the sides, the tincture of the field being seen in the vacant space; — said of a charge.

Voider
Void´er, n.
1. One who, or that which, voids, mpties, vacates, or annuls.
2. A tray, or basket, formerly used to receive or convey that which is voided or cleared away from a given place; especially, one for carrying off the remains of a meal, as fragments of food; sometimes, a basket for containing household articles, as clothes, etc.
"Piers Plowman laid the cloth, and Simplicity brought in the voider." Decker.
"The cloth whereon the earl dined was taken away, and the voider, wherein the plate was usually put, was set upon the cupboard’s head." Hist. of Richard Hainam.
3. A servant whose business is to void, or clear away, a table after a meal. [R.] Decker.
4. (Her.) One of the ordinaries, much like the flanch, but less rounded and therefore smaller.

Voiding
Void´ing, n.
1. The act of one who, or that which, vids. Bp. Hall.
2. That which is voided; that which is ejected or evacuated; a remnant; a fragment. [R.] Rowe. Voiding knife, a knife used for gathering up fragments of food to put them into a voider.

Voiding
Void´ing, a. Receiving what is ejected or voided. "How in our voiding lobby hast thou stood?" Shak.

Voidness
Void´ness, n. The quality or state of being void; mptiness; vacuity; nullity; want of substantiality.

Voir dire [OF., to say the truth, fr. L. verus true + dicere to say.] (Law) An oath administered to a witness, usually before being sworn in chief, requiring him to speak the truth, or make true answers in reference to matters inquired of, to ascertain his competency to give evidence. Greenleaf. Ld. Abinger.

Voiture
Voi´ture, n. [F., fr. L. vectura a carrying, conveying. Cf. Vettura.] A carriage. Arbuthnot.

Volador
Vo•la•dor´, n. [Sp.] (Zoöl.) (a) A flying fish of California ( Exocœtus Californicus): — called also volator. (b) The Atlantic flying gurnard. See under Flying.

Volant
Vo´lant ( 277), a. [L. volans, - antis, p. pr. of volare to fly: cf. F. volant.]
1. Passing through the air upon wings, or as if upon wings; flying; hence, passing from place to place; current.
"English silver now was current, and our gold volant in the pope’s court." Fuller.
2. Nimble; light and quick; active; rapid. "His volant touch." Milton.
3. (Her.) Represented as flying, or having the wings spread; as an eagle volant. Volant piece (Anc. Armor), an adjustable piece of armor, for guarding the throat, etc., in a joust.

Volante
Vo•lan´te, n. [Sp., prop., flying.] A cumbrous two-wheeled pleasure carriage used in Cuba.

Volante
Vo•lan´te, n. [Sp., prop., flying.] A two-wheeled carriage formerly much used in Cuba. The body is in front of the axle; the driver rides on the horse.

Volapük
Vol•a•pük", n. Literally, world’s speech; the name of an artificial language invented by Johan Martin Schleyer, of Constance, Switzerland, about 1879.

Volapükist
Vol•a•pük"ist, n. One who is conversant with, or who favors adoption of, Volapük.

Volar
Vo´lar, a. [L. vola the palm of the hand, the sole of the foot.] (Anat.) Of or pertaining to the palm of the hand or the sole of the foot.

Volary
Vol´a•ry, n. See Volery. [Obs.]

Volatilization
Vol•a•til•i•za´tion, n. [Cf. F. volatilisation.] The act or process of volatilizing, or rendering volatile; the state of being volatilized.

Volatilize
Vol´a•til•ize, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Volatilized p. pr. & vb. n. Volatilizing ] [Cf. F. volatiliser.] To render volatile; to cause to exhale or evaporate; to cause to pass off in vapor.
"The water … dissolving the oil, and volatilizing it by the action." Sir I. Newton.

Volborthite
Vol´borth•ite, n. [So named after Volborth, who first discovered it.] (Min.) A mineral occurring in small six-sided tabular crystals of a green or yellow color. It is a hydrous vanadate of copper and lime.

Volcanian
Vol•ca´ni•an, a. Volcanic. [R.] Keats.

Volcanic
Vol•can´ic, a. [Cf. F. volcanique, It. vulcanico.]
1. Of or pertaining to a volcano or volcanoes; as volcanic heat.
2. Produced by a volcano, or, more generally, by igneous agencies; as volcanic tufa.
3. Changed or affected by the heat of a volcano. Volcanic bomb, a mass ejected from a volcano, often of molten lava having a rounded form. — Volcanic cone, a hill, conical in form, built up of cinders, tufa, or lava, during volcanic eruptions. — Volcanic foci, the subterranean centers of volcanic action; the points beneath volcanoes where the causes producing volcanic phenomena are most active. — Volcanic glass, the vitreous form of lava, produced by sudden cooling; obsidian. See Obsidian. — Volcanic mud, fetid, sulphurous mud discharged by a volcano. — Volcanic rocks, rocks which have been produced from the discharges of volcanic matter, as the various kinds of basalt, trachyte, scoria, obsidian, etc., whether compact, scoriaceous, or vitreous.

Volcanic wind. (Meteorol.) A wind associated with a volcanic outburst and due to the eruption or to convection currents over hot lava.

Volcanically
Vol•can´ic•al•ly, adv. Like a volcano.

Volcanicity
Vol•can•ic´i•ty, n. [Cf. F. volcanicite.] Quality or state of being volcanic; volcanic power.

Volcanism
Vol´can•ism, n. Volcanic power or action; volcanicity.

Volcanist
Vol´can•ist, n. [Cf. F. volcaniste, vulcaniste.]
1. One versed in the history and phenomena of volcanoes.
2. One who believes in the igneous, as opposed to the aqueous, origin of the rocks of the earth’s crust; a vulcanist. Cf. Neptunist.

Volcanize
Vol´can•ize, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Volcanized p. pr. & vb. n. Volcanizing ] [Cf. Vulcanize.] To subject to, or cause to undergo, volcanic heat, and to be affected by its action.

Volery
Vol´er•y, n. [F. volerie a flying, volière a large bird cage, fr. voler to fly, L. volare. See Volatile.]
1. A flight of birds. [R.] Locke.
2. A large bird cage; an aviary.

Volitable
Vol´i•ta•ble, a. Volatilizable. [Obs.]

Volitation
Vol•i•ta´tion, n. [L. volitare, volitatum, to fly to and fro, v. freq. from volare to fly.] The act of flying; flight. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

Volitient
Vo•li´tient, a. [See Volition.] Exercising the will; acting from choice; willing, or having power to will. "What I do, I do volitient, not obedient." Mrs. Browning.

Volitive
Vol´i•tive, a. [See Volition.]
1. Of or pertaining to the will; originating in the will; having the power to will. "They not only perfect the intellectual faculty, but the volitive." Sir M. Hale.
2. (Gram.) Used in expressing a wish or permission as volitive proposition.

Volksraad
Volks´raad, n. [D.] A legislative assembly or parliament of any one of several countries colonized by the Dutch, esp. that of the South African Republic, or the Transvaal, and that of the Orange Free State.

Volley
Vol´ley, n. ; pl. Volleys (#). [F. volee; flight, a volley, or discharge of several guns, fr. voler to fly, L. volare. See Volatile.]
1. A flight of missiles, as arrows, bullets, or the like; the simultaneous discharge of a number of small arms.
"Fiery darts in flaming volleys flew." Milton.
"Each volley tells that thousands cease to breathe." Byron.
2. A burst or emission of many things at once; as a volley of words. "This volley of oaths." B. Jonson.
"Rattling nonsense in full volleys breaks." Pope.
3. (a) (Tennis) A return of the ball before it touches the ground. (b) (Cricket) A sending of the ball full to the top of the wicket. Half volley. (a) (Tennis) A return of the ball immediately after is has touched the ground. (b) (Cricket) A sending of the ball so that after touching the ground it flies towards the top of the wicket. R. A. Proctor. — On the volley, at random. [Obs.] "What we spake on the volley begins work." Massinger. — Volley gun, a gun with several barrels for firing a number of shots simultaneously; a kind of mitrailleuse.

Volley
Vol´ley, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Volleyed p. pr. & vb. n. Volleying.] To discharge with, or as with, a volley.

Volley
Vol´ley, v. i.
1. To be thrown out, or discharged, at once; to be discharged in a volley, or as if in a volley; to make a volley or volleys. Tennyson.
2. (a) (Tennis) To return the ball before it touches the ground. (b) (Cricket) To send the ball full to the top of the wicket. R. A. Proctor.

Volley ball
Vol"ley ball. A game played by volleying a large inflated ball with the hands over a net 7 ft. 6 in. high.

Volleyed
Vol´leyed, a. Discharged with a sudden burst, or as if in a volley; as volleyed thunder.

Volost
Vo´lost, n. [Russ. volost’.] In the greater part of Russia, a division for local government consisting of a group of mirs, or village communities; a canton.

Volow
Vol´ow, v. t. [From the answer, Volo I will, in the baptismal service. Richardson (Dict.).] To baptize; — used in contempt by the Reformers. [Obs.] Tyndale.

Volplane
Vol´plane, v. i. [F. vol plane act of volplaning; vol flight + plane, p.p.; cf. planer to hover.] (Aëronautics) To glide in a flying machine.

Volt, n. [F. volte; cf. It. volta. See Vault.]
1. (Man.) A circular tread; a gait by which a horse going sideways round a center makes two concentric tracks.
2. (Fencing) A sudden movement to avoid a thrust.

Volt, n. [After Alessandro Volta, the Italian electrician.] (Elec.) The unit of electro-motive force; — defined by the International Electrical Congress in 1893 and by United States Statute as that electro-motive force which steadily applied to a conductor whose resistance is one ohm will produce a current of one ampère. It is practically equivalent to &frac1000x1434; the electro- motive force of a standard Clark’s cell at a temperature of 15° C.

Volt ampère. (Elec.) A unit of electric measurement equal to the product of a volt and an ampere. For direct current it is a measure of power and is the same as a watt; for alternating current it is a measure of apparent power.

Volta
Vol´ta, n. ; pl. Volte (#). [It. volta a turn, turning, a time. See Volt a tread.] (Mus.) A turning; a time; — chiefly used in phrases signifying that the part is to be repeated one, two, or more times; as una volta, once. Seconda volta, second time, points to certain modifications in the close of a repeated strain.

Volta-electrometer
Vol•ta-e•lec•trom´e•ter, n. An instrument for the exact measurement of electric currents.

Voltage
Vol´tage, n. (Elec.) Electric potential or potential difference, expressed in volts.

Voltagraphy
Vol•tag´ra•phy, n. [ Voltaic + - graphy.] In electrotypy, the act or art of copying, in metals deposited by electrolytic action, a form or pattern which is made the negative electrode. [R.]

Voltaic
Vol•ta´ic, a. [Cf. F. voltaïque, It. voltaico.]
1. Of or pertaining to Alessandro Volta, who first devised apparatus for developing electric currents by chemical action, and established this branch of electric science; discovered by Volta; as voltaic electricity.
2. Of or pertaining to voltaism, or voltaic electricity; as voltaic induction; the voltaic arc. See the Note under Galvanism. Voltaic arc, a luminous arc, of intense brilliancy, formed between carbon points as electrodes by the passage of a powerful voltaic current. — Voltaic battery, an apparatus variously constructed, consisting of a series of plates or pieces of dissimilar metals, as copper and zinc, arranged in pairs, and subjected to the action of a saline or acid solution, by which a current of electricity is generated whenever the two poles, or ends of the series, are connected by a conductor; a galvanic battery. See Battery, 4. (b), and Note. — Voltaic circuit. See under Circuit. — Voltaic couple or element, a single pair of the connected plates of a battery. — Voltaic electricity. See the Note under Electricity. — Voltaic pile, a kind of voltaic battery consisting of alternate disks of dissimilar metals, separated by moistened cloth or paper. See 5th Pile. — Voltaic protection of metals, the protection of a metal exposed to the corrosive action of sea water, saline or acid liquids, or the like, by associating it with a metal which is positive to it, as when iron is galvanized, or coated with zinc.

Voltairism
Vol•tair´ism, n. The theories or practice of Voltaire. J. Morley.

Voltaism
Vol´ta•ism, n. [Cf. F. voltaïsme.] (Physics) That form of electricity which is developed by the chemical action between metals and different liquids; voltaic electricity; also the science which treats of this form of electricity; — called also galvanism, from Galvani, on account of his experiments showing the remarkable influence of this agent on animals.

Voltameter
Vol•tam´e•ter, n. [ Voltaic + - meter.] (Physics) An instrument for measuring the voltaic electricity passing through it, by its effect in decomposing water or some other chemical compound acting as an electrolyte.

Voltammeter
Volt•am´me•ter, n. A wattmeter.

Voltaplast
Vol´ta•plast, n. [ Voltaic + Gr. molded.] A form of voltaic, or galvanic, battery suitable for use electrotyping. G. Francis.

Voltatype
Vol´ta•type, n. [ Voltaic + type.] An electrotype. [R.]

Volti
Vol´ti, imperative. [It., fr. voltare to turn. See Volt a tread.] (Mus.) Turn, that is, turn over the leaf. Volti subito [It.] (Mus.), turn over quickly.

Voltzite
Voltz´ite, n. [So named in honor of Voltz, a French engineer.] (Min.) An oxysulphide of lead occurring in implanted spherical globules of a yellowish or brownish color; — called also voltzine. { Vo•lu´bi•late, Vol´u•bile }, a. [See Voluble.] Turning, or whirling; winding; twining; voluble.

Voluble
Vol´u•ble, a. [L. volubilis, fr. volvere, volutum, to roll, to turn round; akin to Gr. to infold, to inwrap, to roll, G. welle a wave: cf. F. voluble. Cf. F. Well of water, Convolvulus, Devolve, Involve, Revolt, Vault an arch, Volume, Volute.]
1. Easily rolling or turning; easily set in motion; apt to roll; rotating; as voluble particles of matter.
2. Moving with ease and smoothness in uttering words; of rapid speech; nimble in speaking; glib; as a flippant, voluble, tongue.
"[Cassio,] a knave very voluble." Shak. Voluble was used formerly to indicate readiness of speech merely, without any derogatory suggestion. "A grave and voluble eloquence." Bp. Hacket.
3. Changeable; unstable; fickle. [Obs.]
4. (Bot.) Having the power or habit of turning or twining; as the voluble stem of hop plants. Voluble stem (Bot.), a stem that climbs by winding, or twining, round another body. — Vol´u•ble•ness, n. — Vol´u•bly, adv.

Volumenometer
Vol•u•me•nom´e•ter, n. [L. volumen volume + -meter.] (Physics) An instrument for measuring the volume of a body, especially a solid, by means of the difference in tension caused by its presence and absence in a confined portion of air.

Volumenometry
Vol•u•me•nom´e•try, n. (Chem. & Physics) The method or process of measuring volumes by means of the volumenometer.

Volumescope
Vo•lu´me•scope, n. [ Volume + - scope.] (Physics) An instrument consisting essentially of a glass tube provided with a graduated scale, for exhibiting to the eye the changes of volume of a gas or gaseous mixture resulting from chemical action, and the like.

Volumescope
Vo•lu´me•scope, n. [ Volume + -scope.] (Physics) An instrument consisting essentially of a glass tube provided with a graduated scale, for exhibiting to the eye the changes of volume of a gas or gaseous mixture resulting from chemical action, etc.

Volumeter
Vo•lu´me•ter, n. [Cf. F. volumètre. See Volumetric.] (Physics) An instrument for measuring the volumes of gases or liquids by introducing them into a vessel of known capacity.

Volumetrical
Vol•u•met´ric•al, a. Volumetric. — Vol•u•met´ric•al•ly, adv.

Voluminous
Vo•lu´mi•nous, a. [L. voluminosus: cf. F. volumineux.] Of or pertaining to volume or volumes. Specifically: — (a) Consisting of many folds, coils, or convolutions.
"But ended foul in many a scaly fold, Voluminous and vast." Milton.
"Over which dusky draperies are hanging, and voluminous curtains have long since fallen." De Quincey. (b) Of great volume, or bulk; large. B. Jonson. (c) Consisting of many volumes or books; as the collections of Muratori are voluminous. (d) Having written much, or produced many volumes; copious; diffuse; as a voluminous writer. — Vo•lu´mi•nous•ly, adv. — Vo•lu´mi•nous•ness, n.

Volumist
Vol´u•mist, n. One who writes a volume; an author. [Obs.] Milton.

Voluntarily
Vol´un•ta•ri•ly, adv. In a voluntary manner; of one’s own will; spontaneously.

Voluntariness
Vol´un•ta•ri•ness, n. The quality or state of being voluntary; spontaneousness; specifically, the quality or state of being free in the exercise of one’s will.

Voluntarism
Vol´un•ta•rism, n. Any theory which conceives will to be the dominant factor in experience or in the constitution of the world; — contrasted with intellectualism. Schopenhauer and Fichte are typical exponents of the two types of metaphysical voluntarism, Schopenhauer teaching that the evolution of the universe is the activity of a blind and irrational will, Fichte holding that the intelligent activity of the ego is the fundamental fact of reality.

Voluntary
Vol´un•ta•ry, a. [L. voluntarius, fr. voluntas will, choice, from the root of velle to will, p. pr. volens; akin to E. will: cf. F. volontaire, Of. also voluntaire. See Will, v. t., and cf. Benevolent, Volition, Volunteer.]
1. Proceeding from the will; produced in or by an act of choice.
"That sin or guilt pertains exclusively to voluntary action is the true principle of orthodoxy." N. W. Taylor.
2. Unconstrained by the interference of another; unimpelled by the influence of another; not prompted or persuaded by another; done of his or its own accord; spontaneous; acting of one’s self, or of itself; free.
"Our voluntary service he requires." Milton.
"She fell to lust a voluntary prey." Pope.
3. Done by design or intention; intentional; purposed; intended; not accidental; as if a man kills another by lopping a tree, it is not voluntary manslaughter.
4. (Physiol.) Of or pertaining to the will; subject to, or regulated by, the will; as the voluntary motions of an animal, such as the movements of the leg or arm (in distinction from involuntary motions, such as the movements of the heart); the voluntary muscle fibers, which are the agents in voluntary motion.
5. Endowed with the power of willing; as man is a voluntary agent.
"God did not work as a necessary, but a voluntary, agent, intending beforehand, and decreeing with himself, that which did outwardly proceed from him." Hooker.
6. (Law) Free; without compulsion; according to the will, consent, or agreement, of a party; without consideration; gratuitous; without valuable consideration.
7. (Eccl.) Of or pertaining to voluntaryism; as a voluntary church, in distinction from an established or state church. Voluntary affidavit or oath (Law), an affidavit or oath made in extrajudicial matter. - - Voluntary conveyance (Law), a conveyance without valuable consideration. — Voluntary escape (Law), the escape of a prisoner by the express consent of the sheriff. — Voluntary jurisdiction. (Eng. Eccl. Law) See Contentious jurisdiction, under Contentious. — Voluntary waste. (Law) See Waste, n. , 4.
Syn. — See Spontaneous.

Voluntary
Vol´un•ta•ry, n. ; pl. Voluntaries .
1. One who engages in any affair of his own free will; a volunteer. [R.] Shak.
2. (Mus.) A piece played by a musician, often extemporarily, according to his fancy; specifically, an organ solo played before, during, or after divine service.
3. (Eccl.) One who advocates voluntaryism.

Voluntaryism
Vol´un•ta•ry•ism, n. (Eccl.) The principle of supporting a religious system and its institutions by voluntary association and effort, rather than by the aid or patronage of the state.

Volunteer
Vol•un•teer´, n. [F. volontaire. See Voluntary, a. ]
1. One who enters into, or offers for, any service of his own free will.
2. (Mil.) One who enters into service voluntarily, but who, when in service, is subject to discipline and regulations like other soldiers; — opposed to conscript; specifically, a voluntary member of the organized militia of a country as distinguished from the standing army.
3. (Law) A grantee in a voluntary conveyance; one to whom a conveyance is made without valuable consideration; a party, other than a wife or child of the grantor, to whom, or for whose benefit, a voluntary conveyance is made. Burrill.

Volunteer
Vol•un•teer´, a. Of or pertaining to a volunteer or volunteers; consisting of volunteers; voluntary; as volunteer companies; volunteer advice.

Volunteer
Vol•un•teer´, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Volunteered p. pr. & vb. n. Volunteering.] To offer or bestow voluntarily, or without solicitation or compulsion; as to volunteer one’s services.

Volunteer
Vol•un•teer´, v. i. To enter into, or offer for, any service of one’s own free will, without solicitation or compulsion; as he volunteered in that undertaking.

Volunteer navy
Vol•un•teer" na"vy. A navy of vessels fitted out and manned by volunteers who sail under the flag of the regular navy and subject to naval discipline. Prussia in 1870, in the Franco-German war, organized such a navy, which was commanded by merchant seamen with temporary commissions, with the claim (in which England acquiesced) that it did not come within the meaning of the term privateer.

Volunteer State. Tennessee; — a nickname.

Volunteers of America
Vol•un•teers" of America. A religious and philanthropic organization, similar to the Salvation Army, founded (1896) by Commander and Mrs. Ballington Booth.

Volupere
Vol´u•pere, n. [Cf. Envelop.] A woman’s cap. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Voluptuous
Vo•lup´tu•ous, a. [F. voluptueux, L. voluptuosus, fr. voluptas pleasure, volup agreeably, delightfully; probably akin to Gr. to hope, hope, and to L. velle to wish. See Voluntary.]
1. Full of delight or pleasure, especially that of the senses; ministering to sensuous or sensual gratification; exciting sensual desires; luxurious; sensual.
"Music arose with its voluptuous swell." Byron.
"Sink back into your voluptuous repose." De Quincey.
2. Given to the enjoyments of luxury and pleasure; indulging to excess in sensual gratifications. "The jolly and voluptuous livers." Atterbury.
"Softened with pleasure and voluptuous life." Milton. — Vo•lup´tu•ous•ly, adv. — Vo•lup´tu•ous•ness, n.

Volute
Vo•lute´, n. [F. volute (cf. It. voluta), L. voluta, from volvere, volutum, to roll. See Voluble.]
1. (Arch.) A spiral scroll which forms the chief feature of the Ionic capital, and which, on a much smaller scale, is a feature in the Corinthian and Composite capitals. See Illust. of Capital, also Helix, and Stale.
2. (Zoöl.) A spiral turn, as in certain shells.
3. (Zoöl.) Any voluta. Volute spiring, a spring formed of a spiral scroll of plate, rod, or wire, extended or extensible in the direction of the axis of the coil, in which direction its elastic force is exerted and employed.

Volution
Vo•lu´tion, n. [Cf. LL. volutio an arch, vault.]
1. A spiral turn or wreath.
2. (Zoöl.) A whorl of a spiral shell.

Volva
Vol´va, n. [L. volva, vulva, covering.] (Bot.) A saclike envelope of certain fungi, which bursts open as the plant develops.

Volvox
Vol´vox, n. (Bot.) A genus of minute, pale-green, globular, organisms, about one fiftieth of an inch in diameter, found rolling through water, the motion being produced by minute colorless cilia. It has been considered as belonging to the flagellate Infusoria, but is now referred to the vegetable kingdom, and each globule is considered a colony of many individuals. The commonest species is Volvox globator, often called globe animalcule.

Volvulus
Vol´vu•lus, n. [NL., fr. L. volvere to turn about, to roll.] (Med.) (a) The spasmodic contraction of the intestines which causes colic. (b) Any twisting or displacement of the intestines causing obstruction; ileus. See Ileus.

Vomer
Vo´mer, n. [L., a plowshare.] (Anat.) (a) A bone, or one of a pair of bones, beneath the ethmoid region of the skull, forming a part a part of the partition between the nostrils in man and other mammals. (b) The pygostyle.

Vomerine
Vo´mer•ine, a. Of or pertaining to the vomer.

Vomic nut
Vom"ic nut [Cf. F. noix vomique.] Same as Nux vomica.

Vomicine
Vom´i•cine, n. [From nux vomica.] (Chem.) See Brucine.

Vomition
Vo•mi´tion, n. [L. vomitio.] The act or power of vomiting. Grew.

Vomitive
Vom´i•tive, a. [Cf. F. vomitif.] Causing the ejection of matter from the stomach; emetic.

Vomito
Vo•mi´to, n. [Sp. vómito, fr. L. vomitus. See Vomit, n. ] (Med.) The yellow fever in its worst form, when it is usually attended with black vomit. See Black vomit.

Vomiturition
Vom•i•tu•ri´tion, n. [Cf. F. vomiturition.] (Med.) (a) An ineffectual attempt to vomit. (b) The vomiting of but little matter; also that vomiting which is effected with little effort. Dunglison.

Vondsira
Vond•si´ra, n. (Zoöl.) Same as Vansire.

Voodooism
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.

Voortreker
Voor´trek•er, n. [D. (in South Africa).] One who treks before or first; a pioneer. [South Africa]

Voracious
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.

Voraginous
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.

Vortex
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.

Vortex fringe
Vor"tex fringe. The region immediately surrounding a disk moving flatwise through air; — so called because the air has a cyclic motion as in vortex ring.

Vortex line. A line, within a rotating fluid, whose tangent at every point is the instantaneous axis of rotation as that point of the fluid.

Vortex ring. (Physics) A ring-shaped mass of moving fluid which, by virtue of its motion of rotation around an axis disposed in circular form, attains a more or less distinct separation from the surrounding medium and has many of the properties of a solid.

Vortex theory. (Chem. & Physics) The theory, advanced by Thomson (Lord Kelvin) on the basis of investigation by Helmholtz, that the atoms are vortically moving ring-shaped masses (or masses of other forms having a similar internal motion) of a homogeneous, incompressible, frictionless fluid. Various properties of such atoms vortex atoms can be mathematically deduced.

Vortex tube. (Physics) An imaginary tube within a rotating fluid, formed by drawing the vortex lines through all points of a closed curve.

Vortical
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.

Vorticel
Vor´ti•cel, n. [Cf. F. vorticelle. See Vortex.] (Zoöl.) A vorticella.

Vortiginous
Vor•tig´i•nous, a. [Cf. Vertiginous.] Moving rapidly round a center; vortical. [R.] Cowper.

Vote, n. [L. votum a vow, wish, will, fr. vovere, votum, to vow: cf. F. vote. See Vow.]
1. An ardent wish or desire; a vow; a prayer. [Obs.] Massinger.
2. A wish, choice, or opinion, of a person or a body of persons, expressed in some received and authorized way; the expression of a wish, desire, will, preference, or choice, in regard to any measure proposed, in which the person voting has an interest in common with others, either in electing a person to office, or in passing laws, rules, regulations, etc.; suffrage.
3. That by means of which will or preference is expressed in elections, or in deciding propositions; voice; a ballot; a ticket; as a written vote.
"The freeman casting with unpurchased hand The vote that shakes the turrets of the land." Holmes.
4. Expression of judgment or will by a majority; legal decision by some expression of the minds of a number; as the vote was unanimous; a vote of confidence.
5. Votes, collectively; as the Tory vote; the labor vote. Casting vote, Cumulative vote, etc. See under Casting, Cumulative, etc.

Vote, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Voted; p. pr. & vb. n. Voting.] [Cf. F. voter.] To express or signify the mind, will, or preference, either viva voce, or by ballot, or by other authorized means, as in electing persons to office, in passing laws, regulations, etc., or in deciding on any proposition in which one has an interest with others.
"The vote for a duelist is to assist in the prostration of justice, and, indirectly, to encourage the crime." L. Beecher.
"To vote on large principles, to vote honestly, requires a great amount of information." F. W. Robertson.

Vote, v. t.
1. To choose by suffrage; to elec; as to vote a candidate into office.
2. To enact, establish, grant, determine, etc., by a formal vote; as the legislature voted the resolution.
"Parliament voted them one hundred thousand pounds." Swift.
3. To declare by general opinion or common consent, as if by a vote; as he was voted a bore. [Colloq.]
4. To condemn; to devote; to doom. [Obs.] Glanvill.

Voter
Vot´er, n. One who votes; one who has a legal right to vote, or give his suffrage; an elector; a suffragist; as an independent voter.

Voting
Vot´ing, a. & n. from Vote, v. Voting paper, a form of ballot containing the names of more candidates than there are offices to be filled, the voter making a mark against the preferred names. [Eng.]

Votive
Vo´tive, a. [L. votivus, fr. votum a vow: cf. F. votif. See Vow.] Given by vow, or in fulfillment of a vow; consecrated by a vow; devoted; as votive offerings; a votive tablet. "Votive incense." Keble.
"We reached a votive stone, that bears the name Of Aloys Reding." Wordsworth.
"Embellishments of flowers and votive garlands." Motley. Votive medal, a medal struck in grateful commemoration of some auspicious event. — Votive offering, an offering in fulfillment of a religious vow, as of one’s person or property. — Vo´tive•ly, adv. — Vo´tive•ness, n.

Vouch, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Vouched p. pr. & vb. n. Vouching.] [OE. vouchen, OF. vochier to call, fr. L. vocare to call, fr. vox, vocis, voice. See Voice, and cf. Avouch.]
1. To call; to summon. [Obs.]
"[They] vouch (as I might say) to their aid the authority of the writers." Sir T. Elyot.
2. To call upon to witness; to obtest.
"Vouch the silent stars and conscious moon." Dryden.
3. To warrant; to maintain by affirmations; to attest; to affirm; to avouch.
"They made him ashamed to vouch the truth of the relation, and afterwards to credit it." Atterbury.
4. To back; to support; to confirm; to establish.
"Me damp horror chilled At such bold words vouched with a deed so bold." Milton.
5. (Law) To call into court to warrant and defend, or to make good a warranty of title.
"He vouches the tenant in tail, who vouches over the common vouchee." Blackstone.
Syn. — To obtest; declare; affirm; attest; warrant; confirm; asseverate; aver; protest; assure.

Vouch, v. i.
1. To bear witness; to give testimony or full attestation.
"He will not believe her until the elector of Hanover shall vouch for the truth of what she has … affirmed." Swift.
2. To assert; to aver; to declare. Shak.

Vouch, n. Warrant; attestation. [Obs.]
"The vouch of very malice itself." Shak.

Vouchee
Vouch•ee´, n. (Law) The person who is vouched, or called into court to support or make good his warranty of title in the process of common recovery. Blackstone.

Voucher
Vouch´er, n.
1. One who vouches, or gives witness or full attestation, to anything.
"Will his vouchers vouch him no more?" Shak.
"The great writers of that age stand up together as vouchers for one another’s reputation." Spectator.
2. A book, paper, or document which serves to vouch the truth of accounts, or to confirm and establish facts of any kind; also any acquittance or receipt showing the payment of a debt; as the merchant’s books are his vouchers for the correctness of his accounts; notes, bonds, receipts, and other writings, are used as vouchers in proving facts.
3. (Law) (a) The act of calling in a person to make good his warranty of title in the old form of action for the recovery of lands. (b) The tenant in a writ of right; one who calls in another to establish his warranty of title. In common recoveries, there may be a single voucher or double vouchers. Blackstone.

Vouchment
Vouch´ment, n. A solemn assertion. [R.]

Vouchor
Vouch´or, n. (Law) Same as Voucher, 3 (b).

Vouchsafement
Vouch•safe´ment, n. The act of vouchsafing, or that which is vouchsafed; a gift or grant in condescension. Glanvill.

Voussoir
Vous•soir´, n. [F., akin to voûte an arch, a vault.] (Arch.) One of the wedgelike stones of which an arch is composed.

Vow, n. [OE. vou, OF. vou, veu, v. , v. , F. v. , from L. votum, from vovere, to vow. Cf. Avow, Devout, Vote.]
1. A solemn promise made to God, or to some deity; an act by which one consecrates or devotes himself, absolutely or conditionally, wholly or in part, for a longer or shorter time, to some act, service, or condition; a devotion of one’s possessions; as a baptismal vow; a vow of poverty. "Nothing … that may … stain my vow of Nazarite." Milton.
"I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow." 2 Sam. xv. 7.
"I am combined by a sacred vow." Shak.
2. Specifically, a promise of fidelity; a pledge of love or affection; as the marriage vow.
"Knights of love, who never broke their vow; Firm to their plighted faith." Dryden.

Vow, v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Vowed p. pr. & vb. n. Vowing.] [OE. vouen, OF. vouer, voer, F. vouer, LL. votare. See Vow, n. ]
1. To give, consecrate, or dedicate to God, or to some deity, by a solemn promise; to devote; to promise solemnly. "When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it." Eccl. v. 4.
"[Men] that vow a long and weary pilgrimage." Shak.
2. To assert solemnly; to asseverate.

Vow, v. i. To make a vow, or solemn promise.
"Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay." Eccl. v. 5.

Vowel
Vow´el, n. [F. voyelle, or an OF. form without y, L. vocalis (sc. littera), from vocalis sounding, from vox, vocis, a voice, sound. See Vocal.] (Phon.) A vocal, or sometimes a whispered, sound modified by resonance in the oral passage, the peculiar resonance in each case giving to each several vowel its distinctive character or quality as a sound of speech; — distinguished from a consonant in that the latter, whether made with or without vocality, derives its character in every case from some kind of obstructive action by the mouth organs. also a letter or character which represents such a sound. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 5, 146-149. In the English language, the written vowels are a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes w and y. The spoken vowels are much more numerous. Close vowel. See under Close, a. — Vowel point. See under Point, n.

Vowel
Vow´el, a. Of or pertaining to a vowel; vocal.

Voweled
Vow´eled, a. Furnished with vowels. [Written also vowelled.] Dryden.

Vowelish
Vow´el•ish, a. Of the nature of a vowel. [R.] "The power [of w] is always vowelish." B. Jonson.

Vowelism
Vow´el•ism, n. The use of vowels. [R.]

Vowelize
Vow´el•ize, v. t. To give the quality, sound, or office of a vowel to.

Vower
Vow´er, n. One who makes a vow. Bale.

Vow-fellow
Vow´-fel•low, n. One bound by the same vow as another. [R.] Shak.

Vox, n. [L. See Voice.] A voice. Vox humana [L., human voice] (Mus.), a reed stop in an organ, made to imitate the human voice.

Voyage
Voy´age ( 48), n. [OE. veage, viage, OF. veage, viage, veiage, voiage, F. voyage, LL. viaticum, fr. L. viaticum traveling money, provision for a journey, from viaticus belonging to a road or journey, fr. via way, akin to E. way. See Way, n. , and cf. Convey, Deviate, Devious, Envoy, Trivial, Viaduct, Viaticum.]
1. Formerly, a passage either by sea or land; a journey, in general; but not chiefly limited to a passing by sea or water from one place, port, or country, to another; especially, a passing or journey by water to a distant place or country.
"I love a sea voyage and a blustering tempest." J. Fletcher.
"So steers the prudent crane Her annual voyage, borne on winds." Milton.
"All the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries." Shak.
2. The act or practice of traveling. [Obs.]
"Nations have interknowledge of one another by voyage into foreign parts, or strangers that come to them." Bacon.
3. Course; way. [Obs.] Shak.

Voyage
Voy´age, v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Voyaged p. pr. & vb. n. Voyaging ] [Cf. F. voyager.] To take a voyage; especially, to sail or pass by water.
"A mind forever Voyaging through strange seas of thought alone." Wordsworth.

Voyage
Voy´age, v. t. To travel; to pass over; to traverse.
"With what pain [I] voyaged the unreal, vast, unbounded deep." Milton.

Voyageable
Voy´age•a•ble, a. [Cf. F. voyageable.] That may be sailed over, as water or air; navigable.

Voyager
Voy´a•ger, n. [Cf. F. voyager traveling.] One who voyages; one who sails or passes by sea or water.

Voyageur
Voy•a•geur´, n. [F., fr. voyager to travel. See Voyage.] A traveler; — applied in Canada to a man employed by the fur companies in transporting goods by the rivers and across the land, to and from the remote stations in the Northwest.