Emily Dickinson Lexicon

VAUNT, n.

Boast; a vain display of what one is or has, or has done; ostentation from vanity. Him I seduc'd / With other vaunts and other promises. – Milton.

VAUNT, v.i.¹ [Fr. vanter; It. vantarsi, from vanto, a boasting, from vano, vain, L. vanus. This ought to be written vant.]

To boast; to make a vain display of one's own worth, attainments or decorations; to talk with vain ostentation; to brag. Pride … prompts a man to vaunt and overvalue what he is. – Gov. of the Tongue.

VAUNT, v.t.²

To boast of; to make a vain display of. My vanquisher, spoiled of his vaunted spoil. – Milton. Charity vaunteth not itself. 1 Cor. xiii.

VAUNT-COU'RIER, n. [Fr. avant-coureur.]

A precursor. – Shak.

VAUNT'ED, pp.

Vainly boasted of or displayed.

VAUNT'ER, n.

A vain conceited boaster; a braggart; a man given to vain ostentation. – Spenser.

VAUNT'FUL, a.

Boastful; vainly ostentatious.

VAUNT'ING, ppr.

Vainly boasting; ostentatiously setting forth what one is or has.

VAUNT'ING-LY, adv.

Boastfully; with vain ostentation . – Shak.

VAUNT'MURE, n. [Fr. avant-mur.]

A false wall; a work raised in front of the main wall. – Camden.

VAU'QUE-LIN-ITE, n.

Chromate of copper and lead, green of various shades. – Ure.

VAV'A-SOR, n. [This word in old books is variously written, valvasor, vavasour, valvasour. It is said to be from vassal. But qu.]

Camden holds that the vavasor was next below a baron. Du Cange maintains that there were two sorts of vavasors; the greater, who held of the king, such as barons and counts; and the lesser, called valvasini, who held of the former. The dignity or rank is no longer in use, and the name is known only in books. – Cyc.

VAV'A-SO-RY, n.

The quality or tenure of the fee held by a vavasor. – Cyc.

VA'WARD, n. [van and ward.]

The fore part. [Obs.] – Shak.

VEAL, n. [Fr. veau, a calf; probably contracted from L. vitellus.]

The flesh of a calf killed for the table.

VEC'TION, n. [L. vectio, from veho, to carry.]

The act of carrying, or state of being carried. [Not in use.]

VEC-TI-TA'TION, n. [L. vectito.]

A carrying. [Not in use.] – Arbuthnot.

VEC'TOR, n. [L. from veho, to carry.]

In astronomy, a line supposed to be drawn from any planet moving round a center or the focus of an ellipsis, to that center or focus.

VEC'TURE, n. [L. vectura, from veho, supra.]

A carrying; carriage; conveyance by carrying. [Little used.] – Bacon.

VE'DA, n.

The name of the collective body of the Hindoo sacred writings. These are divided into four parts or vedas. The word is sometimes written vedam. – Sir W. Jones. Colebrooke.

VE-DET, or VE-DETTE, n. [Fr. vedette; It. vedetta, from vedere, L. video, to see.]

A sentinel on horseback. A dragoon or horseman stationed on the outpost of an army, to watch an enemy and give notice of danger.

VEER, v.i. [Fr. virer; Sp. birar; D. vieren; allied probably to L. vario and verto. See Ware.]

To turn; to change direction; as, the wind veers to the west or north. And as he leads, the following navy veers. – Dryden. And turn your veering heart with ev'ry gale. – Roscommon. To veer and haul, as wind, to alter its direction.

VEER, v.t.

To turn; to direct to a different course. To veer out, to suffer to run or to let out to a greater length; as, to veer out a rope. To veer away, to let out; to slacken and let run; as, to veer away the cable. This is called also paying out the cable. To veer and haul, to pull tight and slacken alternately. – Mar. Dict.

VEER'A-BLE, a.

Changeable; shifting. [Not in use.] – Randolph.

VEER'ED, pp.

Turned; changed in direction; let out.