Emily Dickinson Lexicon

VIR'GIN'S-BOW-ER, n.

A plant of the genus Clematis.

VIR'GO, n. [L.]

A sign of the zodiac which the sun enters in August; a constellation, containing according to the British catalogue, one hundred and ten stars. Cyc.

VIR'GO-LEUSE, n. [Fr.]

A variety of pear of an excel. lent quality; with us pronounced virgoloo, or vergoloo, [See Vergouleuse, the correct orthography.]

VI-RID'I-TY, [L. viriditas, from virco, to be green.]

Greenness; verdure; the color of fresh vegetables. Evelyn

VIRILE, a. [L. virilis, from vir, a man, Sax. leer; Sans vim, strong; from the root of L. vireo.]

1. Pertaining to a man, in the eminent sense of the word [not to man, in the sense of the human race;] belonging the male sex; as, virile age.
2. Masculine; not puerile or feminine; as, virile strength vigor.

VI-RILI-TY, n. [Fr. virilue; L. virililas.]

1. Manhood; the state of the male sex, which has arrived to the maturity and strength of a man, and to the power o procreation.
2. The power of procreation.
3. Character of man. [Unusual.]

VIRT-LENT, a. [L. virulmitus, from virus, poison, that is, strength, from the same root as vie, vireo. See Venom.]

1. Extremely active in doing injury; very poisonous or venomous. No poison is more virulent than that of some species of serpents.
2. Very bitter in enmity; malignant; as, a virulent invective.

VIRTU, n. [It. verbs.]

A love of the fine arts; a taste for curiosities. Chesterfield

VIRTU-AL, a. [Fr. virtuel; from virtue. See Virtue.]

1. Potential; having the power of acting or of invisible efficacy without the material or sensible part. Every kind that lives, Fomented by his virtual power, and warm'd, Milton. Neither an actual nor virtual intention of the mind, but only that which may be gathered from the outward acts. Stillingfleet.
2. Being in essence or effect, not in fact; as, the virtual presence of a man in his agent or substitute.

VIR-TU-AL'I-TY, n.

Efficacy. Brown.

VIRTU-AL-LY, adv.

In efficacy or effect only; by means of some virtue or influence, or the instrumentality of something else. Titus the sun is virtually on earth by its light and heat. The citizens of an elective government are virtually present in the legislature by their representatives. A man may virtually agree to a proposition by silence or with-holding objections. Addison. Cyc.

VIRTU-ATE, v.t.

To make efficacious. [Not in use.] Harvey.

VIR-TUE, a. vertu. [Fr. vertu; It. virtu; Sp. vertud; L. virtus, from vireo, or its root. See Worth. The radical sense is strength, from straining, stretching, extending. This is the primary sense of L. vir, a man. Class Br.]

1. Strength; that substance or quality of physical bodies, by which they act and produce effects on other bodies. In this literal and proper sense, we speak of the virtue at virtues of plants in medicine, and the virtues of drugs. In decoctions the virtues of plants are extracted. By long standing in the open air, the virtues are lost.
2. Bravery; valor. This was the predominant signification of virtus among the Romans. Trust to thy single virtues. Shak. [This sense is nearly or quite obsolete.]
3. Moral goodness; the practice of moral duties and the abstaining from vice, or a conformity of life and conversation to the moral law. In this sense, virtue may be, and in many instances must be, distinguished from religion. The practice of moral duties merely from motives of convenience, or from compulsion, or from regard to reputation, is virtue, as distinct from religion. The practice of moral duties from sincere love to God and his laws, is virtue and religion. In this sense it is true, That virtue only makes our bliss below. Pope. Virtue is nothing but voluntary obedience to truth. Dwight.
4. A particular moral excellence; as, the virtue of temperance, of chastity, of charity. Remember all his virtues. Addison.
5. Acting power; something efficacious. Jesus, knowing that virtue had gone out of him, turned--- Mark iii.
6. Secret agency; efficacy without visible or material action. She moves the body which she doth possess, Yet no part toucheth, but by virtue's touch. Dories.
7. Excellency; or that which constitutes value and merit. Terence, who thought the sole grace and virtue of their fable, the sticking in of sentences. B. Jonson.
8. One of the orders of the celestial hierarchy. Thrones, dominations, princedoms, virtues, powers. Milton.
9. Efficacy; power. He used to travel through Greece by virtue of this fable, which procured him reception in all the towns. Addison.
10. Legal efficacy or power; authority. A man administers the laws by virtue of a commission. In virtue, in consequence; by the efficacy or authority. This they shall attain, partly in virtue of the promise of God, and partly in virtue of piety. Atterbury.

VIRTUE-LESS, a.

1. Destitute of virtue.
2. Destitute of efficacy or operating qualities. Virtueless she wish'd all her herbs and charms. Fairfax. ]

VIR-TU-O'SO-SHIP, n.

The pursuits of a virtuoso. Hurd.

VIRTU-OUS, a.

1. Morally good; acting in conformity to the moral law; practicing the moral duties, and abstaining from vice.; as, a virtuous man.
2. Being in conformity to the moral or divine law; as, a virtuous action; a virtuous life. The mere performance of virtuous actions does not denominate an agent virtuous. Price.
3. Chaste; applied lo women.
4. Efficacious by inherent qualities; as, virtuous herbs; virtuous drugs. [Not in use.] Chapman.
5. Having great or powerful. properties; as, virtuous steel; a virtuous staff; a virtuous ring. [Not in use.] Milton. Spenser.
6. Having medicinal qualities. [Not used.] Bacon.

VIRTU-OUS-LY, adv.

In a virtuous manner; in conformity with the moral law or with duty; as, a life virtuously spent. Denham. A child virtuously educated. Addison.

VIRTU-OUS-NESS, n.

The state or character of being virtuous. Spenser.

VIRTU-TU-O'SO, n. [It.]

A man skilled in the fine arts, particularly in music; or a man skilled in antiquities, curiosities and the like. Virtuoso the Italians call a man who loves the noble arts, and is a critic in them. Dryden.

VIR'U-LENCE, or VIR'U-LEN-CY, n. [from virulent.]

1. That quality of a thing which renders it extremely active in doing injury; acrimony; malignancy; as, the virulence of poison.
2. Acrimony of temper; extreme bitterness or malignity; as, the virulence of enmity or malice; the virulence of satire; to attack a man with virulence. Addison.

VIR'U-LENT-LY, adv.

With malignant activity; with bitter spite or severity.

VIRUS, n. [L. See Virulent.]

Active or contagious matter of an ulcer, pustule, &c.; poison.

VIS, n. [L]

Force; power. Used chiefly in mechanics.

VISAGE, n.

s as z. [Fr.; from It. visaggio; from L. virus, video.] The face; the countenance or look of a person, or of other animal; chiefly applied to human beings; as, a wolfish visage. Shak. Love and beauty still that visage grace. Walter. His visage was so marred, more than any man. Is. lii.

VIS'A-GED, a.

Having a visage or countenance. Milton.