Emily Dickinson Lexicon

VIL'LAIN-OUS-LY, adv.

Basely; with extreme wickedness or depravity.

VILLAIN-OUS-NESS, n.

Baseness; extreme depravity.

VIL'LAIN-Y, n.

1. Extreme depravity; atrocious wickedness; as, the villainy of the thief or the robber; the villainy of the seducer. The commendation is not in his wit, but in his villainy.
2. A crime; an action of deep depravity. In this sense, the word has a pluraL Such villainies roused Horace into wrath. Dryden.

VILLA-IZ-ED, pp.

Defamed; debased. [Little used.]

VILLA-KIN, n.

A little village. [A word used by Gay.]

VIL'LAN-AGE, n.

1. The state of a villain; base servitude.
2. A base tenure of lands; tenure on condition of doing the meanest services for the lord; usually written villenage.
3. Baseness; infamy. [See Villainy.]

VIL'LAN-IZE, v.t.

To debase; to degrade; to defame; to revile. Were virtue by descent, a noble name Could never villanize his father's fame. Dryden. [Little used.]

VIL'LAN-IZ-ING, ppr.

Defaming; debasing. [Little used.]

VIL-LAT'IC, a. [L. villaticus.]

Pertaining to a village. Tame villatic fowl.

VILLEN-AGE, n. [from villain.]

A. tenure of lands and tenements by base services. Blackstone.

VILLI, n. plur. [L. villus.]

1. In anatomy, fibers.
2. In botany, fine hairs on plants.

VIL'LOUS, a. [L. villosus, from villus, hair, Eng. wool.]

1. Abounding with fine hairs or wooly substance; nappy; shaggy; rough; as, a villous coat. The vinous coat of the stomach and intestines is the inner mucous membrane, so called from the innumerable villi or fine fibrils with which its internal surface is covered. Cyc. Parr.
2. In botany, covered with soft hairs.

VIMIN-AL, a. [L. viminalis.]

Pertaining to twigs; consisting of twigs; producing twigs.

VI-MIN'E-OUS, a. [L. vimincus, from vimen, a twig.]

Made of twigs or shoots. In the hive's vimineous dome. Prior.

VI-NA'CEOUS, a. [L. vinaceus.]

1. Belonging to wine or grapes. White.
2. Of the color of wine.

VIN'CI-BLE, a. [from L. vinco, to conquer. See Victor.]

Conquerable; that may be overcome or subdued. He not vincible in spirit. Hayward.

VIN'CI-BLE-NESS, or VIN-CI-BIL'I-TY, n.

The capacity of being conquered; conquerableness. Dict.

VINC'TURE, n. [L. tincture.]

A binding. [Not m use.]

VIN-DEMI-AL, a. [L. vindemialis, from vindernia, vintage; vinea and demo.]

Belonging to a vintage or grape harvest.

VIN-DEMI-ATE, v.i. [supra.]

To gather the vintage. Evelyn.

VIN-DE-MI-ATION, n.

The operation of gathering grapes.

VIN-DI-CA-BILI-TY, n.

The quality of being vindicable, or capable of support or justification. Journ. of Science.

VIN'DI-CA-BLE, a. [infra.]

That may be vindicated, justified or supported. Dwight.

VIN'DI-CAT, v.t. [L. vindico.]

1. To defend; to justify; to support or maintain as true or correct, against denial, censure or objections. When the respondent denies any proposition, the opponent must vindicate it. Watts. Laugh where we must, be candid where we can; But Vindicate the ways of God to man. Pope.
2. To assert; to defend with success; to maintain; to prove to be just or valid; as, to vindicate a claim or title.
3. To defend with arms, or otherwise; as, to vindicate our rights.
4. To avenge; to punish; as, a war to vindicate or punish infidelity. Bacon. God is more powerful to exact subjection and to vindicate rebellion. Pearson. [This latter use is entirely obsolete.]

VIN'DI-CA-TED, pp.

Defended; supported; maintained; proved to be just or true.