V AS 



737 



VEI 



Ing the same air, cither by subdivision 

 ^{ its notes, or by the addition of graces. 

 4. Variation of the moon, in astronomy, 

 is an inequality of the moon's motion, 

 depending on the angular distance of the 

 moon from the sun. 



VARICEL'LA, dim. of variola. The 

 chicken-pox or water- pox. A well-known 

 eruptive disease, consisting of vesicles 

 scattered over the body. 



VARI'CIFORM. Resembling a varix. 



VARICO'CELE, from varix, and XY,K'/I, a 

 tumour. A swelling of the veins of the 

 scrotum. 



VARIETY. In natural history, a term 

 used to designate animals, shells, plants, 

 &c., which differ in some circumstances 

 from others of the same species, but not 

 so essentially or permanently as to war- 

 rant their being separated as distinct 

 species. 



VARI'OLA, from varius, changing colour. 

 The small-pox. 



VARI'OLOID, ) Resembling variola or 



VARI'OLOUS. j small-pox. 



VARio'RrM. In literature, aa abbrevia- 

 tion of cum notis variorum, with the notes 

 of different authors. Used in character- 

 ising an edition of a classic author, with 

 annotations by different hands. 



VA'RIX. In surgery, a permanent dila- 

 tation of a vein. 



VAR'NISH, Fr. remit, low Lat. vernix. A 

 solution of resinous matter, which is made 

 to be spread over the surface of any body, 

 in order to give it a shining, transparent, 

 and hard coating, capable of resisting, in 

 a more or less degree, the influence of air 

 and moisture. The common solvents are 

 alcohol and turpentine; but the resins 

 are numerous, as are consequently the 

 orts of varnishes. 



VAs'crLAR, from rasculum, dim. of vai, 

 a vessel. Consisting of vessels within 

 which fluids are confined, and by which 

 their course and their velocity are re- 

 gulated. 



VASE, Lat. ras. 1. In architecture, a 

 name given to 

 the bell or naked 

 form of the Cor- 

 inthian capital, 

 on which the 

 leaves are dis- 

 posed. 2. An 



ornament of 

 sculpture, placed 

 on socles and 

 pediments, re- 

 presenting such 

 vessels as the 

 ancients used in 

 sacrifices. An- 

 tique vases are 

 of great value 

 among antiquar- 

 ian*.. &nd many of them, both Etruscan 



and Grecian, have been dug up hi Italy. 

 The figure represents a Grecian vase. 



VAS'SAL, "Welsh, gwds, a young man or 

 page. The holder of a fief by fealty ana 

 service, of a feudal lord. 



VAS'TCS. In anatomy, a name given to 

 certain muscles of the thigh. 



VATI'CAN. One of the hills on which 

 the city of Rome is built ; on this stands 

 a celebrated palace of the Pope , that bears 

 the same name ; and at the foot of the 

 hill is the Cathedral of St. Peter. 



VAC'DEVILLE (Fr.). A species of song, 

 in French poetry, frequently of a satirical 

 turn, consisting of several couplets and a 

 refrain, introduced into theatrical pieces. 



VAULT, Ital. volto. An arched roof so 

 contrived that the stones which form it 

 sustain each other. There are numerous 

 kinds of vaults, named according to their 

 form, as cylindric, surmounted, rampant, 

 conic, spherical, annular, simple, com- 

 pound, cylindro-cylindric, and groined 

 vaults. 



VE'ADER. The 13th month of the Jewish 

 ecclesiastical year. 



VEC'TIS (Lat.). Synonymous with lever. 



VEDAN'TA. A Hindoo sect, whose phi- 

 losophy is founded on the Vedas. 



VE'DAS. The Hindoo sacred writings. 



VEDET'TE (Fr.). A sentinel on horse- 

 back. 



VEER'INO. "Wearing. A term in navi- 

 gation for the operation to which a ship, 

 in changing her course from one board to 

 the other, turns her stern to windward : 

 in opposition to tacking, wherein the bow 

 is turned to the wind and the stern to lee- 

 ward. 



VEG'ETABLE EARTH. Soil in which de- 

 cayed vegetable matter is much more pre- 

 valent than the primitive earths. 



VEG'ETABLE KING'DOM. That depart- 

 ment of nature which embraces the va- 

 rious organised bodies to which we indif- 

 ferently give the names of vegetables and 

 plants. The natural history of this de- 

 partment is botany, which, in its widest 

 sense, embraces the anatomy, physiology, 

 chemical composition, economical uses, 

 and scientific classification of plants. 



VEIL. The horizontal membrane in 

 fungi, connecting the margin of the pi- 

 leus with the stipes. 



VEIN, Lat. vena. 1. In anatomy, a long 

 membraneous canal, which 'ontinually 

 becomes wider, does not pulsate, and re- 

 turns the blood from the arteries to the 



heart. 2. In geology and mineralogy, 



fissures in rocks, filled up by mineral or 

 metallic substances, differing from the 

 rocks in which they are situated. It is in 

 veins that metallic ores are commonly 

 found. 



VEIN-STONES, or GANOCES, are the mi- 

 neral substances which accompany C 

 often inclose the metallic ores. 

 3 B 



