vernal 
The vernal fancies and sensations of your time of life. 
Choate, Addresses, p. 184. 
3. In but., appearing in spring: as 
flowers. 4. Done or accomplished in spring : 
as, the vernal migration or molt of birds Ver- 
nal equinox See equinox, and equinoctial points (under 
equinoctial). Vernal fever, malarial fever. Vernal 
grass, a grass, Anthoxa-nthitm (tdoratum, native in the 
northern Old World, introduced in North America. It is 
a slender plant a foot or two high, with a loose cylindri- 
cal spike. From the presence of coumaiin it exhales an 
agreeable odor, especially at (lowering time, and though 
not specially nutritious is prized as an admixture in hay 
for the sake of its flavor. Often called sweet vernal grass, 
spring grass, sometimes sweet-scented grass. Vernal 
signs, the signs in which the sun appears in spring. 
Vernal whitlow-grass. See whitlow-grass. 
vernally (ver'nal-i), adi\ In a vernal manner. 
vernant (ver'nant), a. [< L. vernan(t-)s, ppr. of 
vernare, flouris!', bloom: see vernate.] Flour- 
ishing as in spring; vernal. 
Else had the spring 
Perpetual smiled on earth with vernant flowers. 
Miltmi, P. L., x. 679. 
veraate (ver'nat), v. i. ; pret. and pp. vernated, 
ppr. rernating. [< L. vcrnatus, pp. of vernare, 
flourish, bloom, < reruns, of the spring: see ver- 
nal.'] To be vernant; flourish. 
vernation (ver-na'shon), w. [< L. vernatio(n-), 
found only in the particular sense the slough- 
ing or shedding of the skin of snakes, the slough 
itself, lit. ' renewing of youth,' < vernare, be like 
spring, bloom, flourish, renew itself, of a snake, 
to shed its skin, slough: see vernate.] In lot., 
the disposition of the nascent leaves within the 
bud, not with reference to their insertion, but 
with regard to their folding, coiling, etc., taken 
singly or together. It is also called prefoliation. and 
the word corresponds to the terms estivation and prepara- 
tion, which indicate the manner in which the parts of the 
flower are arranged in the flower-bud. For the particular 
forms of vernation, see the terms plicate, conduplicate, in- 
flexed, convolute, involute, recolute, and circinate. 
vernicle (ver'ni-kl), . [< ME. vernicle, ver- 
nacle, vernakylle,<. ML. veronicula, dim. of veron- 
ica: see veronica.] A handkerchief impressed 
with the face of Christ : same as veronica, 1. 
A vernicle hadde he sowed on his cappe. 
Chaucer, Gen. Prol. to C. T., 1. 685. 
The vernicle, as worn by pilgrims, was a copy of the 
handkerchief of St. Veronica, which was miraculously im- 
pressed with the features of our Lord. 
Piers Plowman (ed. Skeat), II. 101, notes. 
vernier (ver'ni-er), n. [< F. vernier, named 
after Pierre rentier (1580-1637), who invented 
the instrument in 1631.] A small movable scale, 
running parallel with the fixed scale of a sex- 
tant. theodolite, barometer, or other graduated 
instrument, and used for measuring a fractional 
part of one of the equal divisions on the grad- 
uated fixed scale or arc. It consists, in its simplest 
form, of a small sliding scale, the divisions of which dif- 
fer from those of the primary scale. A space is taken 
equal to an exact number of parts of the primary scale. 
and is divided into a number of equal parts either greater 
by 1 or less by 1 than the number that it covers on the 
primary scale. Fig. 1 represents the vernier of the com- 
mon barometer for measuring to the hundredth of an inch. 
Fig. i. 
The scale is divided into inches and tenths of inches; 
the small movable scale is the vernier, which consists of 
a length of eleven parts of the main scale divided into ten 
equal parts each part being therefore equal to eleven 
tenths of a division on the main scale, and the difference 
between a scale-division and a vernier-division being one 
hundredth of an inch. To use the vernier, the zero or top 
line of it is set to coincide with the top of the barometric 
column, which in the figure stands between SO.l and 30.2 
inches. If the zero of the vernier were set to coincide 
with 30.1 inches on the scale, the first division would be 
one hundredth of an inch below 30 on the scale, division 
2 two hundredths below 29.9, and so on, division 10 co- 
inciding with 29 inches. Hence, as the vernier is raised 
itsdivisions coincide successively with scale-divisions, and 
the numbers on the vernier correspond to the hundredths 
it has been raised. In the figure the coincidence is at the 
seventh vernier-division that is, the vernier stands seven 
hundredths of an inch above 30.1, and the height of the 
mercury is therefore 30.17 inches. Fig. 2 represents part 
of the limb of a sextant with a vernier. Also called no- 
nius. See also cuts under caliper, square, and transit. 
Vernier-scale sight. See sight* . 
6732 
vernile (ver'nil), a. [< L. rcriiilin. servile, < 
verna, a home-born slave: see vernacular.] 
Suiting a slave ; servile; slavish. [Rare.] 
Vernile scurrility. De Quincey. (Imp. ffict.) 
vernility (ver-nil'i-ti). n. [< L. veniilita(t-)g, 
servility; < vemilis, servile: see senile.] The 
character or state of being vernile; servility. 
Bluunt, 1670. [Rare.] 
vernisht, >'. An obsolete form of varinx/i. 
vernix (ver'niks), n. [NL., varnish: see var- 
nisli.] In med., used in the phrase vernix caseo- 
sa, a fatty matter covering the skin of the fetus. 
Vernonia (ver-no'ni-a), . [NL. (Sehreber, 
1791), named after William Vernon, an English 
botanist, who collected plants in Maryland near 
the end of the 17th century.] A genus of com- 
posite plants, type of the tribe Vernoniacese and 
subtribe Euvernonieee. It is characterized by a poly- 
morphous inflorescence, usually with a naked receptacle, 
ten-ribbed achenes, and a pappus of two or three series, 
the inner slender, copious, and elongated, the outer much 
shorter, often more chaffy, sometimes absent. There are 
about 500 species. They are chiefly tropical, abundant in 
America, numerous in Africa, and frequent in Asia. A few 
occur beyond the tropics, in North and South America and 
South Africa. One Asiatic speeies, V. cinerea, is very com- 
mon also in Australia, and is naturalized in the West Indies. 
None occurs in Europe. They are shrubs or herbs, usually 
with straight, crisped, woolly or tangled hairs, rarely stel- 
late or scurfy. The leaves are alternate, entire or toothed, 
feather-veined, petioled or sessile, but not decurrent ; in 
V. opposititfolia and V. eupatortfolia of Brazil they are oppo- 
site. The fruit consists of smooth or hirsute achenes, com- 
monly glandular between the ribs. The flowers are purple, 
red, bluish, or rarely white ; they form 16111111131 flower- 
heads, which are usually cymose and panicled, or corym- 
bose, sometimes solitary or glomerate. The large section 
Lepidoploa includes over 200 American species, chiefly 
with many-flowered subspherical corymbed heads ; to this 
belong the 10 or more species of the United States, which 
are known as ironu-eed, perhaps from the hardness of their 
stems, and are peculiar in their usually crimson flow- 
era, brown or rusty-colored pappus, and resinous dotted 
achenes. They are polymorphous, and disposed to hybrid- 
ize. V. Noveboracensis, also known as flattop, extends 
north to New England ; V. altiisima, to Pennsylvania ; 
and V. fasciculata, to Ohio and the Dakotas ; the others 
are chiefly southwestern. V. arborescens is the fleabane 
of Jamaica. A decoction of V. cinerea is used in India as 
a febrifuge. The small black seeds of V. anthelmintica, a 
common annual of India, yield by pressure a solid green 
oil known as khatzum- or Irinlca-M, esteemed of value in 
the arts. 
Vernoniaceae (ver-no-ni-a'se-e), n. pi. [NL. 
(C. H. F. Lessing, 1829), < Vernonia + -accee.] 
A tribe of composite plants, characterized by 
flower-heads with all the flowers similar and 
tubular, and usually by setose or chaffy pappus 
and alternate leaves. From the Eupatonacese, the 
other similar tribe of uniformly tubular-flowered Com- 
positse, it is further distinguished by its sagittate anthers 
and its subulate style-branches, which are usually much 
elongated, stigmatose along the inner side, and minutely 
hispid externally. It includes 41 genera, classed in 5 
groups or series one of these series, the subtribe Lych- 
nophorex, peculiar in its densely glomerate small flower- 
heads, the others composing the subtribe Euvertwnietr , 
with the flower-heads separate, and usually panicled or 
solitary. They are herbs or shrubs, rarely trees. Theii 
leaves are alternate (except in 3 species), not opposite, 
as commonly in the Eupatoriacese, and are entire 01 
toothed, not dissected, as often in other composite tribes. 
Their flowers are purple, violet, or white, never yellow, 
frequent as that color is in the order. One genus, Stokesia, 
is blue-flowered. Two genera, Elephantopus and Vernonia 
(the type), extend into the middle United States. The 
tribe abounds in monotypic genera, chiefly Brazilian, with 
two confined to the West Indies, one to Australia, and 
three or four to tropical Africa. 
vernoniaceous (ver-no-ni-a'shins), a. In lot., 
of the tribe Vernoniacese; characterized like 
Vernonia. 
Verona brown. See brown. 
Veronese (ver-o-nes' or -nez'), a. and n. [< 
Verona (see def.) + -ese. Cf. L. reronensis.] I. 
a. In geog., of or pertaining to Verona, a city 
and province of northern Italy Veronese green. 
See greeni. 
II. . A native or an inhabitant of Verona. 
veronica (vc-ron'i-ka), w. [In ME. veronike and 
verony, < OF. veronique, F. veronique = Sp. ve- 
ronica = Pg. It. veronica; < ML. veronica, a nap- 
kin supposed to be impressed with the face of 
Christ (popularly connected with L. vera, true, 
+ LGr. e'tKuv, image : see very, icon), < Veronica, 
the traditional name of the woman who wiped 
the Saviour's face, ult. identical with Berenice, 
Bernice, the traditional name of the woman 
cured of the issue of blood, L. Berenice, also 
Beronice, and contr. Bernice, < Gr. RepeviKy, the 
name of the daughter of King Agrippa and of 
other women, Macedonian form of Gr. Qepev'uai, 
lit. 'bearer of victory,' < tfteptw, = E. bear 1 , + 
V'IKJJ, victory (see Nike). Hence ult. vernicle.'] 
1. A napkin or piece of cloth impressed with 
the face of Christ : from the legend that a wo- 
man named Veronica wiped the face of Christ 
with her handkerchief when he was on his wav 
verricule 
to Calvary, and that the likeness of the face was 
miraculously impressed upon the cloth. Also 
i-ii-iiicle. 2. [cap.] [NL. (Riviuus, 1690; ear- 
lier, about 1554, by Mattioli).] A genus of gamo- 
petalous plants, of the order Sfrophularinese and 
tribe Diyitnlese, type of the subtribe Veronicex. 
It is characterized by opposite lower leaves, a wheel- 
shaped corolla with a very short tube and spreading lobes, 
and by two stamens with their anther-cells confluent at 
the apex. About 220 species have been described, perhaps 
to be reduced to 180. They are widely scattered through 
temperate and cold regions, and are usually low herbs, 
their stem-leaves almost always plainly opposite, but the 
floral leaves always alternate, and commonly diminished. 
into bracts. V. Viryitiica is exceptional in its whorled 
leaves. The flowers are blue, often penciled with violet. 
and varying to purple, pink, or white, but never yellow ; 
they form terminal or axillary racemes, or are solitary and 
sessile in the axils. The fruit is a loculicidal or four-valved 
capsule, often obtuse or notched, rarely acute. The spe- 
cies are known as speedwell, especially V. Cham&drys, also 
called forget-me-not (see speedwell). A few are of medici- 
nal repute, especially V. Viryinica, known as black-root 
The Upper Part of the Stem with the Flowers of Culver's-root 
(ferotnca yirginica'i. 
a, flower ; *, fruit ; c, part of stem with the whorled leaves. 
and Culeer's-root or Culver's-physic, a tall perennial with 
wand-like stem from 2 to 6 feet high, and a white spike 
from 6 to 10 inches long, occurring in Canada, the eastern 
and central United States, Japan, and Siberia. The leaves 
of V . ojficinalis have been used as a medicinal tea ; the so- 
called Mont Cenis tea is from V. AUionii. Twelve species 
are natives of England, 60 of Europe, 6 of Alaska, and 11 of 
the United States proper, only two of which are confined 
to North America : V. Cusickii, a large-flowered alpine 
plant of Oregon and California, and r. Americana, known 
as brooklime, a petiolate aquatic with purple-striped pale- 
blue flowers, distributed from Virginia and New Mexico 
to Alaska. The similar V. Beccalntnpa of the Old World 
is the original brooklime. Five other species are now nat- 
uralized in the United States ; of these, V. peregrina and 
V. serpyll\folia are almost cosmopolitan. (See necfcu-eed, 
and Paul's betony (under betony).) For T. hedereefolia, see 
henbit; and for V. ojficinalis, see speedwell (with cut) and 
Jluellen. Many foreign species (at least fifty) are valued 
for cultivation in gardens, as V. longifolia, or for rockeries, 
as V. repens, a creeper forming a mat of pale-blue flowers. 
Many are of variegated colors, as V. saxatilis. an alpine 
plant with blue violet-striped flowers, narrowly ringed 
with crimson around the white center. Numerous spe- 
cies occur in high southern latitudes, 14 in Australia, and 
24 in New Zealand, one of which, V. elliptica, extends to 
Cape Horn, and sometimes becomes a small tree 20 feet 
high. The genus reaches its greatest development in New 
Zealand, where it is present in remarkable beauty and 
abundance. Nearly all the species are shrubby, usually 
from 2 to 6 feet high, and are cultivated under glass, espe- 
cially V. salicifolia and V. speciosa, with wine-colored flow- 
ers, the largest-leafed species, as also K. formoga of Tas- 
mania, V. buxtfolia, with purple-veined white flowers, is 
sometimes known as New Zealand box; and V. per.foliata, 
of southern Australia, as digger's-speedwell. V. tetragona 
of New Zealand, from its hard imbricated decussate con- 
nate leaves, has been mistaken for a conifer. 
verrayt, verraylichet. Middle English forms 
of very, verily. 
Verret.M- [ME.,<OF. (andF.)mre, <'L.mtrum, 
glass: see vitreous. The same word is con- 
tained in sandiver and ult. in varnish.] Glass. 
Forthy, who that hath an hede of verre 
Fro caste of stones war hym in the werre. 
Chaucer, Troilus, ii. 867. 
verr6, verrey (ve-ra' ), a. In her., same as vaire. 
verrelt, n. An obsolete form of ferrule^. 
verriculate (ve-rik'u-lat), a. [< verricule + 
-ate 1 .] In entom., covered with verricules. 
verricule (ver'i-kul), . [< L. verrienlum, a 
drag-net, < rerrere, sweep.] In entom., a thick- 
set tuft of upright parallel hairs. 
