Emily Dickinson Lexicon

VOM'IT, v.t.

1. To throw up or eject from the stomach; to discharge from the stomach through the mouth. It is followed often by up or out, but without necessity and to the injury of the language. In the yellow fever, the patients often vomit dark colored matter like coffee grounds. The fish vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. – Jonah ii.
2. To eject with violence from any hollow place. Volcanoes vomit flames, ashes, stones and liquid lava.

VOM'IT-ED, pp.

Ejected from the stomach through the mouth, or from any deep place through an opening.

VOM'IT-ING, n.

1. The act of ejecting the contents of the stomach through the mouth. Vomiting is essentially an inverted action of the stomach and esophagus. – Cyc.
2. The act of throwing out substances with violence from a deep hollow, as a volcano, &c.

VOM'IT-ING, ppr.

Discharging from the stomach through the mouth, or ejecting from any deep place.

VO-MI'TION, n.

The act or power of vomiting. – Grew.

VOM'IT-IVE, a. [Fr. vomitif.]

Causing the ejection of matter from the stomach; emetic. – Brown.

VOM'IT-O-RY, a. [L. vomitorius.]

Procuring vomiting; causing to eject from the stomach; emetic. – Brown.

VOM'IT-O-RY, n.

1. An emetic. – Harvey.
2. A door. – Gibbon.

VO-RA'CIOUS, a. [Fr. and It. vorace; L. vorax, from voro, to devour; Heb. and Ch. בער, to clear away, to consume; Gr. βορα, food. Class Br, No. 6.]

1. Greedy for eating; ravenous; very hungry; as, a voracious man or appetite.
2. Rapacious; eager to devour; as, voracious animals.
3. Ready to swallow up; as, a voracious gulf or whirlpool.

VO-RA'CIOUS-LY, adv.

With greedy appetite; ravenously.

VO-RA'CIOUS-NESS, n.

Greediness of appetite; ravenousness; eagerness to devour; rapaciousness.

VO-RAC'I-TY, n.

Greediness of appetite; voraciousness. Creatures by their voracity pernicious, have commonly fewer young. – Derham.

VO-RAG'IN-OUS, a. [L. voraginosus, vorago.]

Full of gulfs. – Scott.

VOR'TEX, n. [plur. Vortices or Vortexes; L. from verto, Ant. vorto, to turn.]

1. A whirlpool; a whirling or circular motion of water, forming a kind of cavity in the center of the circle, and in some instances, drawing in water or absorbing other things.
2. A whirling of the air; whirlwind. – Cyc.
3. In the Cartesian system, the circular motion originally impressed on the particles of matter, carrying them around their own axes, and around a common center. By mean, of these vortices, Descartes attempted to account for the formation of the universe.

VOR'TIC-AL, a.

Whirling; turning; as, a vortical motion. – Newton. Bentley.

VOR'TI-CEL, n.

A little whirl.

VO'TA-RESS, n.

A female devoted to any service, worship or state of life. No rosary this votaress needs. – Cleaveland.

VO'TA-RIST, n. [See Votary.]

One devoted or given up to any person or thing, to any service, worship or pursuit. I am no idle votarist. – Shak. [Votary is now used.]

VO'TA-RY, a. [from L. votus, from voveo. See Vow.]

Devoted; promised; consecrated by a vow or promise; consequent on a vow. Votary resolution is made equipollent to custom. – Bacon.

VO'TA-RY, n.

One devoted, consecrated or engaged by vow or promise; hence more generally, one devoted, given or addicted to some particular service, worship, study or state of life. Every goddess of antiquity had her votaries. Every pursuit or study has now its votaries. One is a votary to mathematics, another is a votary to music, and alas, a great portion of the world are votaries of sensual pleasures. It was the coldness of the rotary, not the prayer, which was in fault. – Fell.

VOTE, n. [It. and Sp. voto; L. votum, from voveo, to vow. Votum is properly wish or will.]

1. Suffrage; 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 man to office, or in passing laws, rules, regulations and the like. This vote or expression of will may be given by holding up the hand, by rising and standing up, by the voice, [viva voce,] by ballot, by a ticket or otherwise. All these modes and others are used. Hence,
2. That by which will or preference is expressed in elections, or in deciding propositions; a ballot; a ticket, &c.; as, a written vote.
3. Expression of will by a majority; legal decision by some expression of the minds of a number; as, the vote was unanimous.
4. United voice in public prayer.

VOTE, v.i.

To express or signify the mind, will or preference, in electing men to office, or in passing laws, regulations and the like, or in deciding on any proposition in which one has an interest with others. In elections, men are bound to vote for the best men to fill offices, according to their best knowledge and belief. To vote for a duelist, is to assist in the prostration of justice, and indirectly to encourage the crime. – L. Beecher.

VOTE, v.t.

1. To choose by suffrage; to elect by some expression of will; as, the citizens voted their candidate into office with little opposition.
2. To enact or establish by vote or some expression of will. The legislature voted the resolution unanimously.
3. To grant by vote or expression of will. Parliament voted them a hundred thousand pounds. – Swift.

VOT'ED, pp.

Expressed by vote or suffrage; determined.

VOT'ER, n.

One who has a legal right to vote or give his suffrage.