Chapter Velvetbreast to Vengeful of V by Webster's Dictionary (1913 Edition)

Velvetbreast to Vengeful

Velvetbreast
(Vel"vet*breast`) n. (Zoöl.) The goosander. [Local, U. S.]

Velveteen
(Vel`vet*een") n. [Cf. F. velvetine. See Velvet.] A kind of cloth, usually cotton, made in imitation of velvet; cotton velvet.

Velveting
(Vel"vet*ing) n. The fine shag or nap of velvet; a piece of velvet; velvet goods.

Velvetleaf
(Vel"vet*leaf`) n. (Bot.) A name given to several plants which have soft, velvety leaves, as the Abutilon Avicennæ, the Cissampelos Pareira, and the Lavatera arborea, and even the common mullein.

Velvety
(Vel"vet*y) a. Made of velvet, or like velvet; soft; smooth; delicate.

Vena
(||Ve"na) n.; pl. Venæ [L. See Vein.] A vein.

Vena cava; pl. Venæ cavæ. [L., literally, hollow vein.] (Anat.) Any one of the great systemic veins connected directly with the heart.— Vena contracta. [L., literally, contracted vein.] (Hydraulics) The contracted portion of a liquid jet at and near the orifice from which it issues. — Vena portæ; pl. VenÆ portæ. [L., literally, vein of the entrance.] (Anat.) The portal vein of the liver. See under Portal.

Venada
(Ve*na"da) N. [Cf. Sp. venado a does, stag.] (Zoöl.) The pudu.

Venal
(Ve"nal) a. [L. vena a vein.] Of or pertaining to veins; venous; as, venal blood. [R.]

Venal
(Ve"nal), a. [L. venalis, from venus sale; akin to Gr. price, Skr. vasna: cf. F. vénal.] Capable of being bought or obtained for money or other valuable consideration; made matter of trade or barter; held for sale; salable; mercenary; purchasable; hireling; as, venal services. " Paid court to venal beauties." Macaulay.

The venal cry and prepared vote of a passive senate.

Burke.

Syn. — Mercenary; hireling; vendible. — Venal, Mercenary. One is mercenary who is either actually a hireling or is governed by a sordid love of gain; hence, we speak of mercenary motives, a mercenary marriage, etc. Venal goes further, and supposes either an actual purchase, or a readiness to be purchased, which places a person or thing wholly in the power of the purchaser; as, a venal press. Brissot played ingeniously on the latter word in his celebrated saying, " My pen is venal that it may not be mercenary," meaning that he wrote books, and sold them to the publishers, in order to avoid the necessity of being the hireling of any political party.

Thus needy wits a vile revenue made,
And verse became a mercenary trade.

Dryden.

This verse be thine, my friend, nor thou refuse
This, from no venal or ungrateful muse.

Pope.

Venality
(Ve*nal"i*ty) n. [L. venalitas: cf. F. vénalité.] The quality or state of being venal, or purchasable; mercenariness; prostitution of talents, offices, or services, for money or reward; as, the venality of a corrupt court; the venality of an official.

Complaints of Roman venality became louder.

Milton.

Venally
(Ve"nal*ly) adv. In a venal manner.

Venantes
(||Ve*nan"tes) n. pl. [NL., fr. L. venans, p. pr. of venari to hunt.] (Zoöl.) The hunting spiders, which run after, or leap upon, their prey.

Venary
(Ven"a*ry) a. [LL. venarius, fr. L. venari, p. p. venatus, to hunt.] Of or, pertaining to hunting.