Vanessa 
r. potfManB and r. urt>,;f ale tin- larger and smaller 
tonouMhvUti '!'! ntna butterfly is sometime* jilai eil 
in this KI-IIU^. Set; also cut iiixl' i jMi'iil''<l lady. 
2. [/.''. | A Imtlerfh nl' tliis "jcnii.s. 
Vanessinae (vaii-e-si'ne), . i>l. [XL., < I'n- 
iir.<xa + -iiiic.] A siii>i'ainily <f Nvmpkalida, 
liallleil from the gellllM I'ani-x.tll. It illclllilc., 
:ilso tlic ncncra <'i/iillnii iiml tli'ii/ita. All the 
species :nv s< iinet lines mlled iiHi/lfiriiii/x. 
vanessoid (va-ncs'oiil), <>. ami . I. . i,v- 
milling or related to n biitierllv of the genus 
I'ani'xxa ; belonging to tin- I'n in 'f.in.'i . 
II. n. A butterfly of this group. 
van-foss i rau'fM),. [< '' '"'"'. f'.i*e,< avant, 
In-fore, 4- fnnst; dilch, trench: sec /(.'-'.] In 
furl., a ditch on the outside of the counterscarp. 
vang (vang), 11. [< I), riiui/, a catch, a curb (< 
i'inii/1 n. catch i. = K.finii/: see /</.] A guy 
extending from the end of a gaff to the ship's 
rail on each side, and serving to steady the gaff. 
Vanga (vang'gji), . [NL. (Vieillot, 1816), < L. 
I'liin/ii. ;\ mattock.] 1. A genus of shrike-like 
birds of Madagascar. The name was applied by Les- 
son In 1831 to the African shrikes often called Malaemotut, 
and by Swainson In 1837 to certain shrike-like birds of 
Australia. It has lately been adopted by O. K. dray In Us 
original acceptation. As originally or very early used by 
Button, and as generically retained by Cuvler, It applied 
especially to Laiiiu* curvirntttrut (Gmelin) of .Madagascar. 
2. [/. <.] A -hrike of the genus f 'tint/a ; the 
hook-billed shrike, V. curviroHtrix, or the rufous 
shrike, V. rufti both of Madagascar. 
vanga-shrike (vang'gS-shrik), . A vanga. 
vangee (van'je), u. [Origin not ascertained.] 
A contrivance for working the pumps of a ship 
by means of a barrel and crank-brakes. 
vanglo, vangloe (vang'glo), n. [W. Ind.] 
Si-same or til. [West Indies.] 
vanguard (van'giird), n. [Formerly vantgard; 
by apheresis from arantgarde, < F. avant-garde, 
< avant, before, + j/arde, guard : see guard.] A 
detachment of an army whose duty it is to guard 
against surprise from the front and to clear the 
way ; the van. Compare nw2. 
The Earls of Hereford and Norfolk, with the Earl of 
Lincoln, led his [Edward I.'s] Van-fjuard at the famous 
Battle of Fonkirk. Baiter, Chronicles, p. 97. 
Of All The Beasts . . . 
I see (as rice-Roy of their brutish Band) 
The Elephant the Vant-yard doth command. 
Sylvester, tr. of Du Bartas's Weeks, i. (i. 
In the vaiit-guard he sat bravely mounted. 
Beau, and Ft., Love's Cure, I. 1. 
This Is the nnn.iiinrd of the hordes of Attila, the con- 
cession made In the regular army to legend and fancy. 
Harper i May., LX XVIII. 844. 
vanguardt, v. t. [< vanguard, n.] To stand 
as a guard before. 
Carthage Is strong, with many a mlghtle tower, 
With broad deepe ditch, vant-guarding stately wall. 
T. C. C. J., Remedy of Love, 1. 88. (ffarei.) 
vanilla (va-nil'il), . [= F. vanille, < NL. va- 
nilla, < Sp. rainilla, formerly raynilla, the pod or 
bean of the vanilla-plant, hence also the plant 
itself (also applied to heliotrope), lit. 'little 
pod, 'dim. of vaina, scabbard, sheath, pod, < L. 
vagina, sheath : see vagina.'] 1. A plant of the 
genus Vanilla (see def. 3), especially one of sev- 
eral species yielding the vanilla of commerce. 
MM 
ma the fruit ,if >'./../,.. -I perliaps of some 
"i< -lti'1--, then kno\\ n a.- i-iinillii r/ii.-'i.or little vanilla, 
i- u-icil Ilk.- that ..I tine \aiiill:i. Tin- v:.'.:!! i ],lant Is a 
climber easily pi'ipa-.Mt'-il i.> ratting*, IM ^inninu to bear 
when three years old, ami continuing tliii-iy or forty years. 
Hie flowers need to lie ni 1 1 in the 
plant's natural habitat, wln-n- iri till/ ii i^n i- effected by 
in-. etH. The fruit Is a long fleshy |l, known as nmilltt- 
Ijenn, from its form, not from Its seeds, which are minute 
2. The vanilla-bean or it economic extract. 
The valuable property of the bean, which resides in a 
volatile oil (see mnillin\ Is developed by a slow process 
of curing involving fermentation. The extract has u 
peculiar agreeitlile odor IIIK) aromatic taste. It has the 
mediclnsl property of an aromatic stimulant, with some 
effect ii]M.n the nervous system. Its chief use, however. 
Is In the preparation of liquors, in perfumery, and as a 
flavoring of chocolate, confectionery, creams, etc. 
3. leap.] [NL. (Plumier, 1703).] A genus of 
orchids, of the tribe y'eottiete, type of the snli- 
tribe f'anillefP. It Is characterized by having tall climb- 
ing anil branching leafy steins, and large flowers with a 
broad concave stalked 1I|. at the base rolled about the 
column, to which the stalk Is adnate. There are about 20 
species, widely scattered through the tropics. They are 
robust climbers, sending out adventitious roots, by which 
they cling to trees, and hem-inn thick fleshy or coriaceous 
leaves. The flowers are usually large, often abundant, 
and of delicious fragrance, chiefly white and red, in 
several economic species green. The dark-brown pods 
are 6 to 9 Inches long, and are filled with a dark oily 
odorous pulp. (See def. 1 and vanilloe*.) The Jamaican 
species are there known as areeniatlte and purjMip. V. 
plitnifulia occurs also in Florida along the everglades, 
where Its green (towers reach about 2 inches In diameter. 
V. lutfKcfiut and V. Phalxnopnn are cultivated under glass 
for their flowers, which are large and handsome, ycllou- 
Ish, white, or orange. Frosted vanilla (F. rant!/' 
gicrre), vanilla-beans upon the surface of which vanillin 
appears hi frost-like crystals : the best quality. A. It'. 
Harrison Wild vanilla, a composite plant, Trilisa (Li- 
atris) odorati&rima, found from North Carolina to Florida 
and Louisiana. It Is a rather tall erect plant with numerous 
small rose-purple heads in a cymose panicle. The leaves 
have a persistent vanilla-like fragrance, and are consid- 
erably used to improve the odor of tobacco. The root- 
leaves are much larger than the others, and gain for the 
plant the name also of deer't-tomjue or hovnd't-tonyue. 
vanilla-bean (va-nil'S-ben), . The fruit of 
the plant vanilla. See vanilla, I and 2. 
vanilla-grass (va-nil'S-gras), n. A grass of 
the genus Hicrorhloe, chiefly //. borealig; holy- 
grass. The large-leafed vanilla-grass is //. 
of California. See Hierochloe. 
vanity 
VII mil.' fei 1 thill livhl|Shcllc)'s| sul ' llt\ 
he caught many 14 (/' '... / tim ! earth and -k\ u!.i !, 
uo poet In-fore bin li.ul n< 
J. C. Htuiirp. Aspects of 1'oetry, p. i 
4. To rise or be given oft. iis breath; exhale. 
[Rare.] 
A gentler Judgment vaninh'il from bin lips 
filial:, K. andJ., III. X. 10. 
6. In math., to become /.ero. Vanishing circle. 
See cirefr. -Vanishing fraction, In aln. Hee/racti'-n. 
Vanishing line, In l#r*]>., the line which represent 
line at Intlnity in which any given plane cuts all paiall. I 
planes. VanlBhlng Plane, in reltrt pernp., the pi. iii' 
which represents the plane at infinity, and thus contain* 
Flowering Branch of Manilla flanifotia. 
a, the fruit. 
V. iiliiiinntiii is by far the largest source ; but other species, 
as ('. aromatica and V. granilijifira, are also grown for use. 
Vanillais most largely produced in Mexico,the product be- 
ing obtained to a great extent from the wild plant ; but the 
plant is also found, either wild or in cultivation, In various 
parts of Central and South America, and is more or less 
grown in man) warm countries, notably in Mauritius and 
the Seychelles, .lava, mid Tahiti. On the isthmus of Pana- 
vanilla-plant (va-nil'a-plant), n. 1. See va- 
nilla, 1 and 3. 2. Same as iri'M ranilln (which 
see, under vanilbi). 
vanillic (va-nil'ik), a. [<iW( ) + -<.] Be- 
lated to or derived from vanilla.- Vanillic acid, 
a monobasic crystalline acid obtained by the oxidation of 
its aldehyde vanillin. 
vanillin (va-nil'in), H. [< raitilla + -/'*.] The 
neutral odoriferous principle (C' 8 HgO s ) of va- 
nilla. It forms crystalline needles having a hot, biting 
taste, soluble hi hot water and In alcohol. It is now pre- 
pared artificially from conifertn and from oil of cloves, and 
used as a flavoring extract. 
vanillism (va-nil'izm), >i. [< ranilla + -ism.] 
An affection observed among workers in va- 
nilla, characterized by an itching papular erup- 
tion of the skin, irritation of the nasal mucous 
membrane, headache, vertigo, pains in the mus- 
cles, and great prostration. It Is supposed to be 
due to a poisonous action of the vanilla or of the oil of 
cashew with which the pods arc coated. 
vanilloes (va-nil'oz), n. An inferior kind of 
vanilla obtained from ranilla 1'omptma. 
vaniloquencet (va-nil'o-kwens), . [< L. rn- 
iiiloiiuentiti, <.*raniloqnen(t-'J8, vaniloquent: see 
vaiiiloquent.] Idle talk; vain babbling. Mount, 
Glossographia (1670). 
vaniloquentt (va-nil'o-kweiit), a. [< L. *ra- 
Hilotjuen(t-)K, vaniloquent, < vantix, empty, + 
/oi/Mf (<-), ppr. of /w/iii, speak, talk.] Talking 
idly or vainly. Bailey, 1727. 
vanish (van'ish), r. i. [< ME. ranisxhen, ran- 
ischcn, raitcsehen, ranscken, < OF. ranigs- (stem 
of certain parts of "vanif = It. ranire, pres. 
ranisco), (. L. vanescere, disappear, be in vain. 
< van us, empty, vain: see rain.] 1. To disap- 
pear quickly; pass from a visible to an invisi- 
ble state ; become imperceptible. 
The heavens shall txiniiA away like smoke. Isa. II. It. 
Of the vaniithrd dream 
No image was there left to him. 
H'tttiant Morris, Earthly Paradise, I. 9U. 
2. To pass out of view ; pass beyond the limit 
of vision ; disappear gradually ; fade away. 
Now when she [the queen) could no longer detain the 
Empire from her son, not enduring to survive her glory, 
she oanisht out of sight. Sattily*, Travailes, p. 118. 
3. To pass away; be annihilated or lost; be no 
more. 
Pick'd from the worm-holes of long-tnnuA'rf days. 
SAof., Hen. V., U. 4. 80. 
Before Atrides' rage so sinks the foe, 
\\hok 1 squadrons ranuA, and proud heads lie low. 
Pot*, Iliad, xi. 208. 
all vanishing points and vanishing lines Vanishing 
point, In pertp.. the point which represents the point at 
infinity in which an Imaginary line passing through the 
eye of the observer parallel to any straight line of an ob- 
ject to be drawn cuts that line produced and all parallel 
lines; hence, colloquially and in confusion with sense 6, 
the point or condition of disappearance of anything. 
The margin of profit has been reduced to ram 
tioiiit. Quarterly lire .. t'XI.V. ?j. 
Vanishing stress. See tmi. 
vanish (van'ish), H. [< iviiii.v/i, i-.j In jtlm- 
iiiln'K. a sound with which another principal 
sound vanishes or ends, as tin < -sou ml of ti ' i the 
i in ei as pronounced in n-il), or the ti-sound of 
ii (the in ou as pronounced in mmh. 
vanlsher (viin'ish-er), n. [< iviiiix/i + -!'.] On. 
who disappears or vanishes. H'liittii r. 
vanishingly (van'ish-ing-li), ilr. In a vanish- 
ing manner: so as to vanish; imperceptibly: 
as, a certain probability is eaninhinaly small. 
vanishment (van'ish-meut), n. [< nmixli + 
-mint.] A vanishing. 
Vanist (va'nist), . [< Fniic (see def.) + -int.] 
One of the New England Antinomians, about 
1637 : so called from Sir Henry Vane, governor 
of Massachusetts Bay Colony in 163(i. 
vanitied (van'i-tid), a. [< vanity + -etl?.] Af- 
fected with vanity. [Rare.] 
I am exasperated against your foolish, your low-eam- 
tifd Lovelace. 
Itifliiirilmni, Clarissa llarlowe, IV. si;. (Uamet.) 
vanity (van'i-ti), w. ; pi. vanities (-tiz). [Early 
mod. E. vaniiyi; ranitie; < ME. vanitte, ranite, 
< OF. vanitf, vanitet, F. vanM = Pr. ranitat, 
rii in tut Sp. ranidad = Pg. raidade = It. r- 
nita, < L. va*ita(t-)g, emptiness, vanity, < ranuti, 
empty, vain: see ram. ] 1. The character or 
state of being vain . (a) Wortblessness ; futility ; fal- 
sity; unsubstantlnlness; unrealness; Illusion; deception: 
emptiness ; folly ; want of substance to satisfy desire ; hol- 
lowness. 
Nothing, Hod wot, but nanitet In sweven Is. 
Chaucer, Nun's Priest's Tale, 1. 102. 
V<mii>i of vanitien, saith the preacher, all is vanity. 
Eccles. L >. 
All was rntit/y, feeding the wind, and folly. 
Sir T. Brotene, Urn-burial, v. 
('/) The desire of Indiscriminate admiration ; inflation of 
mind upon slight ground ; empty pride, inspired by an 
overweening conceit of one's personal attainments or 
adornments, and making Its possessor anxious for the 
notice and applause of others. 
To he fair, 
And nothing virtuous, only flts the eye 
Of gaudy youth and swelling vanity. 
Fletcher, Faithful Shepherdess, I. 3. 
They were falne to let him goe on till all men saw his 
vanity. Bradford, Plymouth Plantation, p. 171. 
Vanity is the cordial drop which makes the bitter cup 
of life go down. 
./. Adams, in Josiah Quincy's Figures of the Past, p. 78. 
(e) Ostentation ; ambitious display ; pompons vaunting ; 
pride ; vainglory. 
They . . . through their owne vanitye . . . doe there- 
upon nuild and enlarge many forged hlstoryes of theyr 
owne antiqnitye. Speiuer, State of Ireland 
When the superior acts out of a principle of vanity, the 
dependant will be sure to allow It him. 
Steele, Taller. No. 202. 
2. That which is vain ; anything empty, vision- 
ary, or unsubstantial, (a) Empty pleasure; Idle 
show ; unsubstantial enjoyment ; petty object of pride. 
The pomps and rantri/ of this wicked world. 
Book of Common Prayer, Catechism. 
They are gilded and adulterate vanities. 
Fletcher (and another^), Prophetess, v. :i. 
Think not, when woman's transient breath Is fled. 
That all her ranitien at once are dead. 
Pope, R. of theL., L Si 
(6) Fruitless desire or endeavor : effort which produces no 
result 
It is a ranitu to waste our days In the blind pursuit of 
knowledge. Sir T. Brmcne, Religio Medici, 11. 8. 
There, far In the apse, Is seen the sad Madonna standing 
in her folded robe, lifting her hands In ranifvof blessing. 
Hiittin, Stones of Venice, II. III. { 39. 
(c) An empty or vain conceit ; a trifle. 
I must 
Bestow uiH>n the eyes of this young couple 
some riinii'i of mine art. >'/.nl- , Tempest, iv. 1. 41. 
