valley 
nil/iitn). a valley, vale, < nil, a vale, < L. r 
i-nlli'K. a vale: see rale 1 . The Rom. forms 
were prob. confused with ML. rttlhttti, f.. also 
riilliitiiiii. n., a ditch, a place surrounded by a 
ditch, < L. nillntiix, pp. of nil/an; surround with 
n nimpart or intreuehment: see rallnte.] 1. A 
depression, or a relatively low and somewhat 
level area, more or less completely inclosed by 
hills or mountains; the basin of a stream of 
any size, or the area drained by it, and, in ac- 
cordance with more general usage, the part of 
that area which lies near the stream and is 
not much raised above its level. The surface of 
a mountainous region is made up of hills (or mountains) 
and valleys ; but over those great expanses of country 
where uniformity of level is the dominant feature the 
term valley gives way to some other designation more 
specific in its character: thus, in English, heath, prairie, 
savanna, plain, desert; in Spanish-speaking countries. 
campo, pampa, llano, pdramo; in the Russian empire, 
steppe, tundra; in South Africa, veldt, etc. All the tracts 
thus designated lie within the basins of certain rivers, and 
thus technically form parts of the valleys of those rivers, 
but convenience demands and justifies the special desig- 
nation. So, on the other hand, in mountainous countries, 
or even in those in which the surface is only moderately 
broken, the valleys have their forms characterized by 
terms suited to express the great variety of features which 
they exhibit: thus, in English, dale, dell, dingle, cove, 
comb, gully, ravine, gorge, defile, chasm, and many others ; 
in French, combe, cluse, cirque, etc. ; in Spanish, cai'ailu 
(changed to cation in the western United States), barranca, 
(juebrada, etc. ; and so through all the various languages 
and countries. The forms of valleys are so numerous, and 
their existence dependent on such complicated and varied 
conditions, that a satisfactory classification of them is not 
possible. The simplest division of them, from the oro- 
graphic point of view, is into longitudinal and transverse : 
the former are parallel with the mountain-ranges to which 
they belong ; the latter, more or less nearly at right an- 
gles to them. Of longitudinal valleys the "Great Valley " 
of the Appalachian range otters an excellent example, this 
being parallel with the Blue Ridge, and having a devel- 
opment of about 500 miles in length in Pennsylvania and 
Virginia, and a very uniform width within those States 
of rarely less than 12 or more than 20 miles. The val- 
leys of the Rhone and the Rhine in their upper portions 
which rivers start from near the same point, and flow 
in exactly opposite directions, parallel with the crest of 
the Alps furnish another good illustration of a longi- 
tudinal valley ; while an equally satisfactory example 
of a transverse one is seen in the course of the Rhone 
from Martigny to the Lake of Geneva, where that river 
follows a direction at right angles to that which it has in 
the upper part of its course. Longitudinal valleys are 
more distinctly orographic in character than are the 
transverse that is, their origin is due primarily to the 
same causes which have governed the position and direc- 
tion of the ranges which make up the mountain-system to 
which they belong. Transverse valleys, on the other hand, 
though not necessarily independent of preexisting breaks 
and faults, arc, in general, chiefly the result of erosive 
agencies by which, indeed, the forms of almost all valleys 
have been more or less profoundly modified. In some 
chains, however, notably in the Himalayas, the tendency 
of large streams flowing in longitudinal valleys to break 
transversely through lofty and precipitousranges, and pass 
out of what seems their natural and predestined course, 
is an extraordinary orographic feature, and one which has 
not received a satisfactory explanation. 
For he chased a saisne that he hath ouertake in this 
derke valey, and hath hym smetyn down. 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.), ii. 195. 
Through these fore-named uallien glide Simois and di- 
vine Scamander. Sandys, Travailes, p. 17. 
2. Hence, any similar depression of any size. 
3. Specifically, in arch., the internal angle 
formed by the meeting of two inclined sides 
of a roof. The rafter which supports the valley is called 
the valley-rafter or valley-piece, and the Iward fixed upon 
it for the metallic gutter to lie upon is termed the valley- 
board. Cream of the valley. See cream i . Synclinal 
valley. See synclinal. Valley of the cerebellum. 
Same as vattecida cerebetti (which see, under vallecula). 
= Syn. 1. Valley, Vale, Dale, Glen, Jlavine, Defile, Gorge, 
Canon. These words differ a good deal, according to lo- 
cality. Valley is the general word (see def.), but may rep- 
resent a region much larger than any of the others : as. 
the valleys of the Amazon and the Mississippi. Vale is a 
poetic or elevated word for a small valley. Dale belongs 
chiefly to the north of England, and is used of a small val- 
ley, especially if cultivated or cultivable. The popular 
notion of a glen is that it is secluded and shady. A ravine 
is narrow and relatively long. A defile is a narrow passage- 
way, especially among hills a pass so narrow that troops 
can go through only by a narrow front, as by flies. A gorge 
is presumably deep, with sides somewhat if not quite pre- 
cipitous. Canon is a local word (see def.), without figur- 
ative extension as yet. 
valley-board (val'i-bord), n. See ralley, 3. 
valleylet (val'i-let), n. [< valley + -let.] A lit- 
tle valley. [Bare.] 
The infinite ramification of stream and valley, stream- 
let and valleylet. 
Greemuood, Rain and Rivers (1866), p. 188. (Dames.) 
valley-piece (val'i-pes), n. See valley, 3. 
valley-rafter (val'i-raf'ter), n. See valley, 3. 
By old writers valley-rafters were termed 
xla-pers. 
vallicula (va-lik'u-la), n. ; pi. valliculie (-le). 
Same as vallecula, 
vallicular (va-lik'u-lar). a. Same as vallecu- 
lar. 
valliculate (va-lik'u-lat). n. Same as ralln-ii- 
late. 
Vallisneria (val-is-ne'ri-a), . [NL. (Micheli, 
1729), named after Antonio f'allisiifri (1661- 
1730), an Italian naturalist.] 1. A genus of 
monoeotyledonous plants, of the order Hi/ili-n- 
cliarirtfee, type of the tribe VaUisncrieif. It is dis- 
tinguished from the othertwogeneraof the tribe by its sim- 
ple perianth, fewer stamens(one to three), and the absence 
of a beak to the fruit. There is but one species, V. spira- 
lis, the tape-grass or eel-grass, an aquatic plant common in 
fresh water, especially slow-flowing rivers, throughout the 
temperate and warmer regions of both hemispheres. It is 
a submerged herb with a very short stem, sometimes stolo- 
niferous; very long and narrowly linear leaves crowded 
together at the base within a short sheath ; and dioecious 
flowers on scapes, the male scapes very short, bearing 
clusters of buds within a spathe. These buds break from 
their short pedicels, and rise to the surface, where they 
open, and shed their pollen among the fertile flowers, 
which are raised to the surface on long filiform scapes. 
These latter subsequently coil up spirally, drawing the 
fertilized flowers underwater to mature their fruit, which 
is berry-like, cylindrical, and elongated, and filled with 
numerous oblong seeds. The plant is common in culti- 
vation in aquariums, its rapid growth aiding to aerate the 
water. In streams flowing into Chesapeake Bay, where it 
grows in great masses, it is known as water-celery or wild 
celery, and is said to be a favorite food of the canvasback 
duck and of the terrapin, and to impart to them their 
peculiar flavor. In Australia it is locally known as spring- 
plant. The square or oblong cells of its delicate flat leaves 
often exhibit to a remarkable degree the phenomenon of 
cyclosis, or active movement of protoplasm, the current 
of protoplasm carrying all the cell-contents, including the 
chforophyl-grains and nucleus, in continual rotation 
around the cell, close to the inside of its wall. It is 
therefore much used for laboratory demonstration. See 
cut under dioecious. 
2. [/. c.~\ A plant of this genus. 
Vallisneriaceae (val-is-ne-ri-a'se-e), >i. pi. [NL. 
(Link, 1829), < Valliffiieria + -ace.~\ A former 
name of the order Hydrocliaridese. 
Vallisneriese (val"is-ne-ri'e-e), u. pi. [NL. 
(Endlicher, 1836), < l-'alUsneria + -cse.~\ A tribe 
of plants, of the order Hydrocliaridese, charac- 
terized by very short, sometimes stolonifer- 
ous stems, growing immersed in fresh water. 
producing crowded sessile elongated leaves and 
peduncled spathes. It consists of 3 monotypic 
genera, T'allisneria being the type. 
Vallota (va-16'ta), n. [NL. (Herbert, 1821), 
said to have beeri named after Vallot, a French 
botanist (beginning of 17th century).] A ge- 
nus of plants, of the order Amaryllidacese and 
tribe Amaryllete. It is characterized by a broadly fun- 
nel-shaped perianth with short tube usually involucrate 
with three bracts, furnished with a small callus between 
contiguous lobes, and by numerous ovules in two vertical 
rows in each cell, ripening into winged seeds. The only 
species, V. purpurea, is a native of South Africa. It is a 
bulbous plant with thong-like leaves and a stout scape 
bearing an umbel of numerous large scarlet flowers, erect 
and nearly or quite sessile. It is cultivated under the 
name of Scarborough lily. 
vallum (val'iim), n. ; pi. valla (-a). [L., a ram- 
part: see ujalfl-.'] 1. A rampart; a palisaded 
rampart; a line of intreuehment; specifically, 
Vallum. 
Part of the Roman Wall near Carrow, in the north of England. 
a a, ramparts ; b b, ditches or fosses ; TV, wall. 
the rampart with which the Romans inclosed 
their camps. It consisted essentially of two parts, the 
agger, or mound of earth, and the sudes, or palisades, that 
were driven into the ground to secure and strengthen it. 
2. Ill anat., the supercilium or eyebrow. 
Valois head-dress. A style of dressing wo- 
men's hair in fashion about 1850, the hair 
being drawn back from the forehead, and form- 
ing a roll on the crown of the head. 
valonia (va-16'ni-a), n. [< It. vallonia, < Gr. 
iiafavos, an acorn, an oak.] The commercial 
name for the acorn-cups of the valonia-oak, 
which are imported into Great Britain in large 
quantities from Asia Minor and Greece for use 
in tanning, dyeing, and making ink. They are of 
large size, and yield from 25 to 40 per cent of tannin. 
Leather tanned with this material has a rich bloom, and 
is little permeable by water. 
valonia-oak (va-16'ni-a-6k), . An oak, Quer- 
<:MS jUgilojis, of Greece and the Levant, it is a 
handsome tree, 30 or 40 feet high, nearly evergreen, with 
large prickly cupped acorns. The cups form valonia, and 
the immature acorns camata. The wood is useful, par- 
ticularly for cabinet-making. 
valor, valour (val'or), M. [Early mod. E. also 
valure ; < ME. valour, < OF. valour, valur, later 
valfur, strength, valor, value. F. vtileiir^ Sp. Pg. 
ralor = It. ralore, < ML. valor, strength, valor, 
LL. value, worth, < L. valere, be strong, be 
worth: see valiant.'] I. Strength of mind in 
7 
on 
valuable 
resisting fear and braving danger: bravery; es- 
pecially, courage and skill in fighting. 
I knowe well I haue don right euell, not for than I shall 
lete hem well wite that I am not hidde, yef in me be so 
moche vatoure, though I sholde be deed or all to hewen. 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.), iii. 405. 
Discretion, the best part of valour. 
Beau, and Fl., King and no King, iv. 3. 
Some men's valours are in the eyes of them that look on. 
Bacon, Advancement of Learning, i. 
2f. Value; worth. 
For goode dede done thurgh praiere 
Is sold and bought to deere iwys, 
To herte that of gretc calmtr [var. <;oZwre,16th cent. edd. ] is. 
Rom. of the Hose, 1. 5236. 
And a Coppe ys inestymable, Ifor they be full sett with 
precious stunys of grett valour that may be. 
Torhington, Diarie of Eng. Travel], p. 11. 
Of small valure, lady fair, alas, my name it is ! 
Peele, Sir Clyomon and Sir Clamydes. 
Valure wins applause 
That dares but to maintain the weaker cause. 
B. Jonson, The Barriers. 
3. A man of courage ; a brave man. [Rare.] 
Leading young valours reckless as myself. 
Bulwer, Richelieu, i. 1. 
= Syn. L Courage, gallantly. See brave, 
valorous (val'or-us), a. [< F. vulcureux = It. 
valoroso, < ML. riiloroxux. valorous, < L. vnlnr. 
strength, valor : see ralor.'] 1. Having or dis- 
playing valor ; brave; courageous; valiant; in- 
trepid : as, a valorous knight. 
The knight, yet wrothfull for his late disgrace, 
Fiercely advaunst his valorous right arme. 
Spenser, F. Q., II. ii. 34. 
The most valorous Hector. Shak., T. and C., iii. 3. 275. 
2. Characteristic of or pertaining to valor. 
Full well they know the valorous heat that runs 
In every pulse-beat of their loyal sons. 
0. W. Holmes, A Family Record. 
3f. Having value ; valuable. 
Thy garments shall be made of Median silk. 
Enchased with precious jewels of mine own, 
More rich and valurous than Zenocrate's. 
Marlowe, Tamburlaine, I., i. 2. 
= Syn. 1. See brave. 
valorously (val'pr-us-li), adv. In a valorous or 
brave manner ; valiantly. 
Hold to the track on which thou enteredst in thy early 
;outh, which thou pursuedst as consul so valorously and 
ravely. Cicero to Atticus, tr. in Froude's Ceesar, xii. 
Valparaiso oak. See live-oal: 
Valsa (val'sa), n. [NL. (Fries).] A genus 
of sphseriaceous fungi, having the perithecia 
immersed in the cortex of the host, and eight- 
spored or rarely four-spored asci, which are 
sessile without paraphyses. V. Prunastri oc-- 
curs on the branches of the apricot. 
Valsalvan (val-sal'van), a. [< Valsalva (see 
def.) + -an.] Of or 'pertaining to the Italian 
anatomist Valsalva (1666-1723) Valsalvan ex- 
periment, the forcing of air into the middle ear by a for- 
cible expiration while the mouth and nose are closed. 
Valsalvan ligament, a fibrous hand miming from the 
pinna of the ear to the temporal bone. Valsalvan 
method, an attempt to obtain coagulation in an aneurism 
by reducing the force of the circulation by blood-letting, 
purgation, and a low diet. Valsalvan sinus. See sinua 
of Valsalva, under sinus. 
valuable (val'u-a-bl), . and . [Early mod. E. 
also valiable; altered, to suit value (as if direct- 
ly < value + -able), < OF. valable, of force or 
value, valuable, < valoir, be of force or value : 
see value.] I. a. 1. Capable of being valued ; 
capable of having the value measured or esti- 
mated. 
Commodities are movesbles, valuable by money, the com- 
mon measure. 
Locke, Further Considerations concerning Raising the 
[Value of Money. 
I never value people as they value me, but as they are 
valuable. Sydney Smith, To Countess Grey, Nov. 1, 1821. 
2. Of great value or price; having financial 
worth ; representing a large market value : as, 
a valuable horse; valuable land; a valuable 
house. 3. Of great moral worth, utility, or im- 
portance; precious; worthy; estimable; deserv- 
ing esteem: as, a valuable friend; a rtihitiblf 
companion. 
One example is more valiable, both to good and ill, than 
xx. preceptes written in bookes. 
Ascham, The Scholemaster, p. 66. 
He ought to think no man valuable but for his public 
spirit, justice, and integrity. Steele, Spectator, No. 340. 
Alumn is esteemed a very valuable charm against the 
evil eye. E. W. Lane, Modern Egyptians, I. 328. 
Valuable consideration. See amMeration. =Syn. 2 
and 3. Valuable, Costly, Precious, useful, serviceable. That 
is valuable which has value, however small, and whether 
pecuniary or otherwise. That is costly which has cost or 
would cost a large sum of money : figuratively, we may 
sometimes call that costly which has cost work, sacrifice, 
or the like, or inflicted loss : as, a costly mistake or victory ; 
but such use is not common. That is precious which has a 
