VER 



439 



VER 



vMdis, green), is an acrid, 

 emetic, and powerful stimulant, 

 followed by sedative effects : ver- 

 atrin, n., ver-dt'rin, or veratria, 

 n., vZr-at'-ri-a, an alkaloid, to 

 whose presence is due the prop- 

 erties of Veratrum, used as an 

 emetic and purgative, and in 

 gout : veratric acid, ver-dt'-rik, 

 an acid found in the seeds of 

 Asagrsea officinalis, formerly called 

 Veratrum Sabadilla. 

 Verbascum, n., verb-aslc'-tim (L. 

 verbascum, lungwort, the plant 

 mullein), a genus of strong 

 plants, producing an abundance 

 of showy flowers, Ord. Scrophul- 

 ariacese : Verbascum Thapsus, 

 thap'-sus ( Thapsus, said to be an 

 island where it grew), a species 

 whose woolly leaves are emollient, 

 and slightly narcotic, used in 

 some pectoral affections.; also 

 called Great Mullein. 

 VerbenacesB, n. ^\.\\..,verb f -^n'd r -se-e 

 (L. verbence, the boughs or branches 

 of laurel, or other sacred boughs), 

 the Vervain family, an Order of 

 plants, many of which are frag- 

 rant and aromatic, some bitter 

 and tonic, and some acrid : Verb- 

 ena, n., verb-en' a, a genus of 

 extremely beautiful and orna- 

 mental plants in flower: Verbena 

 officinalis, *f-f&fo-4&U (L. 

 officinalis, officinal, by authority 

 from officlna, a workshop), the 

 Vervain, a sacred plant among 

 the Greeks, and received from 

 them the name Holywort : V. 

 camsedrifolia, kam'ed'ri'fdV-i-d 

 (Gr. chamai, on the ground ; Gr. 

 drus, an oak ; L. fdlium, a leaf), 

 a species from which the varieties 

 of Verbenas of the gardens are 

 chiefly obtained : V. Teucrioides, 

 tuMri'dyd'-ez (after Teucer, its 

 discoverer ; Gr. eidos, resem- 

 blance), a species whose flowers 

 have a delightful jasmine-like 

 odour. 



Vermes, n., verm'ez (L. vermis, a 

 worm, vermes, worms), employed 



in nearly the same sense as 

 Annaloida and Anarthropoda. 



vermicular, a., verm-ik'-ul-ar (L. 

 vermicUlUs, a little worm from 

 vermis, a worm), of or pert, to a 

 worm ; that resembles the move- 

 ments of a worm : vermiculate, 

 a., verm-i&ul-dt, also vermiform, 

 a., verm'i'ftirm (L. forma, shape), 

 resembling a worm ; shaped like 

 a worm. 



vernation, n., vem-d'-shun (L. 

 verndtio, a renewal from ver, 

 spring), in bot., the arrangement 

 of the nascent leaves in the leaf- 

 bud. 



Veronica, n. , ver-on'ik-a (said to be 

 a corruption of Arabic viroo-nikoo, 

 beautiful remembrance ; It. and 

 Sp. veronica), an extensive genus 

 of plants, producing beautiful 

 flowers, Ord. Scrophulariacese : 

 Veronica officinalis, df-fis'in-dl'- 

 is (L. o/icindlis, officinal, by 

 authority from p/icina, a work- 

 shop), a species whose leaves are 

 bitter and astringent, sometimes 

 used as tea. 



verrucaa, n. plu., vZr-rds'e (L. 

 verruca, a wart, an excrescence, 

 verrucce, warts), in bot., collec- 

 tions of thickened cells on the 

 surface of plants, assuming a 

 rounded form, and containing 

 starch and other matters : ver- 

 ruc8Bform, a., vgr-rds'-eftirm (L. 

 forma, shape), shaped like warts: 

 verrucose, a., ver'-rdk-oz' , covered 

 with wart-like excrescences. 



versatile, a., vers'at-tt (L. versdt- 

 ttis, that turns round, moveable 

 from verso, I turn much and 

 often), in bot., attached by one 

 point to the filament, and so very 

 easily turned round, as an anther. 



vertebra, n., vertf-Zb-ra, vertebras, 

 n. plu., vert'-eb-re (L. vertebra, a 

 joint from verto, I turn), a bone 

 of the spine or backbone, so 

 called from its moving upon the 

 adjoining one: cervical vertebras 

 are those of the neck, and are 

 seven in number: dorsal vertebrae 



