VAG 



434 



VAL 



small-pox : vaccinin, n., vak'sm- 

 in, the specific matter of cow- 

 pox. 



VacciniacesB, n. plu., vaTc'Sin'-I'd'- 

 s'e-e (L. vacclnium, the bilberry), 

 the Cranberry family, an Order 

 of plants, some are astringent, 

 and others yield sub-acid edible 

 fruits : Vaccinium, n., vale-sin'- 

 i-ilm, a genus of plants : Vaccin- 

 ium oxycoccus, dks'-i-kdk'us (Gr. 

 oxus, acid ; kokkos, a berry) ; and V. 

 macrocarpum, mdk'ro-kdrp'um 

 (G. makros, great ; karpos, fruit) , 

 are species which produce cran- 

 berries : V. vitis-Idaea, vlt'-is-id- 

 e'a (L. vltis, a vine ; idea, 

 Idsean from Mount Ida of Crete), 

 the Idsean vine ; the Red Whortle- 

 berry or Cowberry, whose fruit 

 or berries are often used instead 

 of cranberries : V. uliginosum, 

 ul-tdj'-m'd'zf'Um (L. ullginosus, full 

 of moisture or wet from uligo, 

 moisture),the Black Whortleberry, 

 found in Alpine countries : V. 

 myrtillus, mert-il'-lus (L. myrtus, 

 the myrtle), produces the Bil- 

 berry or Blaeberry. 



vacuolse, n. plu., valc-u'-ol-e, also 

 vacuoli, n. plu. , -ol-l, and vac'- 

 uoles, n. plu., -olz (L. dim. of 

 vdcUus, void, empty), in bot., and 

 animal histology, clear spaces of 

 indefinite size and arrangement 

 in the protoplasm of a cell ; in 

 zool. , little cavities found in the 

 interior of many of the Protozoa, 

 caused by the presence of little 

 particles of food ; clear spaces 

 often found in the tissues of the 

 Cceleriterata. 



vagina, n., vadj-in'-a (L. vagina, 

 a scabbard, a sheath), the canal 

 or passage which leads from the 

 external orifice of the female 

 genitals to the uterus ; in bot. , 

 a sheath formed by the petiole 

 around the stem ; a sheath : 

 vaginal, a., vddj-m'-dl, pert, to 

 the vagina ; resembling a sheath : 

 yaginate, a. , vadf-in-at, sheathed; 

 invested as with a sheath : vag- 



initis, n., vddf-in-U'-is, inflamma- 

 tion of the vagina. 



vaginula, n., vadj-in'ul-a, also 

 vaginule, n., vddj'm-ul (L. vag- 

 inula, a little sheath from 

 vagina, a sheath), in bot. t a 

 sheath surrounding the basal 

 portion of the Archegonium, in 

 Mosses. 



vagus, n., vdg'-us (L. vagus, 

 roaming, wandering), one of the 

 three divisions of the eighth pair 

 of cranial nerves having a more 

 extensive distribution than any 

 of the others. 



Vahea, n., va-he'a (probably Sp. 

 vahear, to emit steam or vapour), a 

 genus of plants, Ord. Apocynacese, 

 which yield caoutchouc : Vahea 

 gummifera, gum-mif'-er-ti (L. 

 gummi, gum ; fero, I bear) ; and V. 

 Madagascariensis, madf-a-gask'- 

 ar>i'ens f 'is (of or from Madagasc- 

 ar), are two large climbing shrubs 

 or trees of Madagascar, yielding 

 abundance of caoutchouc. 



Valerianaceaa, n. plu., val-er't-dn- 

 d'-se-e (after the anc. Roman 

 Valerius, who first used it ; 

 or L. valeo, I am in health, 

 from its virtues), the Valerian 

 family, an Order of plants, which 

 are generally strong scented or 

 aromatic, some used as bitter 

 tonics, anthelmintics, and anti- 

 spasmodics : Valeriana, n., vdl' 

 er f 'i'dn f -d, a genus of plants, most 

 of the species being ornamental 

 in flower borders : Valerianus 

 officinalis, df-fis'm-al'is (L. 

 officindlis, officinal, by authority 

 from officlna, a workshop), the 

 common medicinal Valerian, hav- 

 ing a bitter, acrid taste, and 

 peculiar odour, disagreeable in the 

 dry state, prescribed for hysteria: 

 Valerianus Celtica, sZlt'-ik-a (L. 

 celticus, Celtic, pert, to Gaul), 

 and others, possess similar prop- 

 erties : Valerianella, n., vdl>erl 

 i-tin-el'-ld (a dim. of valerian), 

 a genus of plants : Valerianella 

 olitoria, ol f 'it-or f 'i'd (L. dhtorius, 



