vestry 
and sometimes the sacred vessels and other 
treasures of the church, are kept. Such an apart- 
ment is also called sacristy or vestry-room. It is now, 
in Anglican churches, generally under the same roof with 
the church, uml is usually placed at one side of the chan- 
cel. 
A vestrii or sanctuary, on the Gospel side of the altar. 
J. Fergusson, Hist. Arch., I. 426. 
2. In non-liturgical churches, a room or build- 
ing attached to a church, and used for the Sab- 
bath-school, the weekly prayer-meetings, reli- 
gious services, etc.; a chapel. 3. In Eng. 
eccles. law, and in Amer, colonial law: (a) A 
meeting of the inhabitants or ratepayers of a 
parish for the despatch of the official business 
of the parish. (l>) A meeting or a board con- 
sisting of representatives of the ratepa_yers at 
large, all of whom are entitled to vote in their 
election. It is not essential to the validity of the meet- 
ing that it be held in the vestry, or even in connection with 
the church-building. The general charge of the church 
property is intrusted to the vestry, together with certain 
administrative duties respecting the parish, such as the 
care of the poor, and sometimes the paving and lighting 
of the streets, etc. 
The farmers whom he met at vestry. 
T. Hughes, Tom Brown at Rugby, i. 3. 
4. In the Prot. Epis. Ch. in the United States 
of America, a committee (chosen annually by 
the members of the congregation) who, in con- 
junction with the churchwardens, manage its 
temporal affairs. The time and manner of electing 
the vestrymen, and their rights and duties, are different in 
different dioceses, being determined by diocesan regula- 
tions. The vestry has a general charge of the temporali- 
ties of the church, and, in the case of a vacancy in the pas- 
torate, is the official representative of the parish ; but it 
exercises no ecclesiastical control over the rector, either 
lu his administration of the spiritual affairs of the church 
or in the conduct of its services. It nominates the rec- 
tor of the parish, subject to the approval of the bishop. 
Common vestry, an assembly of the ratepayers at large. 
Select vestry, a board consisting of representatives of 
the ratepayers : sometimes called select vestry only when 
renewed by filling its own vacancies, and general vestry 
when filled by election by the ratepayers at large. 
vestry-board (ves'tri-bord), . Same as ves- 
try, 3, 4. 
vestry-clerk (ves'tri-klerk), n. An officer 
chosen by the vestry, who keeps the parish ac- 
counts and books. 
vestrydom (ves'tri-dum), n. [< vestry + -dom.'] 
The system of the government of parishes by 
vestries. 
Relieved from the incubus of <_ tnnipotent vestrydom. 
Daily Telegraph, Jan. 8, 1886. (Encyc. Diet.) 
vestryman ( ves ' tri - man), n. \ pi. vestrymen 
(-men). A member of a vestry. 
vestry-room (ves'tri-rom), . Same as vestry, 1. 
vestu (ves'tu), a. [F. , pp. of vestir, clothe: see 
vest, v.~] In her., same as revestu. 
vestural (ves'tur-al), a. [< vesture + -a.] 
Pertaining or relating to vesture or dress. 
The vestural Tissue ... of woollen or other cloth 
which Man's Soul wears as its outmost wrappage and 
over-all. Carlyle, Sartor Resartus, i. 1. 
vesture (ves'tur), . [< ME. vesture, < OP. ves- 
ture, vesteure, < ML. *vestitura, < L. vestire, 
clothe: see vest.~\ 1. Garments in general; 
especially, the dress or costume worn at one 
time by any person. 
I am a maid, and as by my nature 
And by my semblant and by vesture 
Myn handes ben nat shapen for a knyf. 
Chaucer, Good Women, 1. 2691. 
As a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be 
changed. Heb. i. 12. 
Madam, with your pardon, 
I kiss your vesture. B. Jonson, Alchemist, iv. 1. 
2. That which invests or covers; covering gen- 
erally ; envelop; integument. 
The napless vesture of humility. Shale., COT., ii. 1. 260. 
3. In old late: (a) All, except trees, that grows 
on or forms the covering of land : as, the ves- 
ture of an acre. 
The profits and advantages of the vesture and herbage 
of the garden called the Halgarth. 
Quoted in Child's Ballads, V. 126. 
But the best ground is knowneby the vesture it beareth, 
as by the greatnesse of trees, or abundance of weeds. 
Capt. John Smith, Works, I. 115. 
(b) Investiture; seizin; possession. =Syn. 1 and 
2. See raiment. 
vesture (ves'tur), v. t. ; pret. and pp. vestured, 
ppr. vesturing. [< vesture, n.~\ To put vesture 
or clothing on; clothe ; robe ; vest. 
Wyllynge furthermore that he shuld bee honourably re- 
ceaued and vestured with silke. 
R. Eden, tr. of Paolo Oiovio (First Books on America, 
[ed. Arber, p. 309). 
We never tired of the graceful women walking through 
the streets vestured in garments of barbaric tint 
Lathrop, Spanish Vistas, p. 67. 
6742 
vesturer (ves'tur-er), n. [< vesture + -er 1 .] 
1. Eccles., a subordinate officer who has charge 
of the ecclesiastical vestments. 2. A sub- 
treasurer of a collegiate church or cathedral. 
Lee, 
Vesuvian (ve-sii'vi-an), a. and n. [= F. Vesu- 
vien, < L. Vesuvius (see def .).] I. a. Of or per- 
taining to Mount Vesuvius, a volcano near Na- 
ples ; resembling Vesuvius ; volcanic. 
II. . [1. c.] 1. In mineral., same as vesuvi- 
anite. 2. A kind of match, used for lighting 
cigars, etc. ; a fusee. Also Vesuvius. 
Lord Steepleton Kildarc, in the act of lighting a cheroot, 
dropped the Vesuvian incontinently, and stood staring at 
Isaacs, . . . while the match sputtered and smouldered 
and died away in the grass by the door. 
F. M. Crawford, Mr. Isaacs, xi. 
vesuvianite (ve-su'vi-an-it), n. [< Vesuvian + 
-te 2 .] A mineral occurring in tetragonal crys- 
tals of a brown to green color, rarely yellow 
or blue. It is a silicate of aluminium, calcium, and 
iron, and was first found on Mount Vesuvius (whence the 
name). Also called idocrase and egeran. Xanthite, cyprine, 
and wiluite are varieties. 
vesuviate (ve-su'vi-at), v. i. ; pret. and pp. ve- 
suviated, ppr'. vesuviating. To burst forth as a 
volcanic eruption. [Rare.] 
It vesuviates. This sudden heat in the atmosphere has 
something to do with the eruption of the mountain which 
killed Pliny the elder. 
Mortimer Collins, Thoughts in my Garden, I. 166. 
vesuvin, vesuvlne (ve-su'vin), n. Bismuth 
brown. It is used as a stain in histological 
examinations. See brown. 
Vesuvius (ve-su'vi-us), . Same as vesuvian, 2. 
Vesuvius-salt (ve-su'vi-us-salt), n. Same as 
aphthitalite. 
vet (vet), n. A colloquial contraction of veter- 
inary (surgeon). 
Great pains are taken with the shoeing, which is under 
the direct charge of the accomplished vet employed by 
that department. The Atlantic, LXVI. 114. 
VOta (vo'ta), n. A condition characterized by 
nausf a, throbbing headache, and vertigo, often 
exp^ ienced by unacclimatized persons in the 
pu^ ,s or elevated table-lauds of Peru and Bo- 
livia. Also called puna. 
vetanda (ve-tan'da), n.pl. [Neut. pi. gerundive 
of vetare, forbid: see veto."] Things to be for- 
bidden or prohibited. 
In general design as well as in details this work [Win- 
stanley's Eddystone Light] must be placed among the ve- 
tanda of maritime engineering. Encyc. Brit., XIV. 615. 
vetch (vech), re. [Also fitch, fetch (?) (see fitch 1 ); 
< ME. veche, alsofeche, ficche, < OF. veche, vesse, 
later vesce, F. vesce = Sp. veza = It. vezza, veccia 
= OHGr. wiccka, MHG. G. wicke = D. wikke = 
Sw. vicker = Dan. vikke, < L. vicia, vetch, = Gr. 
fiiKtov, vetch; akin tovincia,vinca,pervinca (see 
periwinMel),<. vincire (-\/vic), bind; cf. 6in<J = L. 
vitis, a vine, vimen, a pliant twig, < vi, bind : see 
vitis, vine, withy. ~\ A plant of the genus Vicia; 
the tare. The species are mostly climbing herbs of mod- 
erate height ; many of them are useful as wild or cultivated 
forage-plants. The common vetch, the species most large- 
ly cultivated, is V. 
sativa. (See tare-.) 
V. peregrina and 
V. cordata are an- 
nuals grown in 
Italy ; and V. (Er- 
vum) Ervilia of 
the Mediterranean 
region, known as 
black bitter-vetch, 
is grown as a for- 
age-plant on cal- 
careous soils. V. 
tetrasperma, the 
lentil tare, is said 
to be better than 
the common vetch 
for sandy ground, 
and V. hirsuta, the 
tare-vetch, and V. 
calcarata approach 
it in value. The 
wood- vetch, V. syl- 
vatica, the bush- 
vetch, V. sepium, 
and the tufted 
vetch, V. Cracca, 
are perennials use- 
ful in pastures. 
The common bean 
of Europe is of 
the vetch genus, V. 
Faba. (See&eanl.) 
The name is extended to some kindred plants of other 
genera. Bastard hatchet- vetch, Binerrula Pelecinus, 
a diffuse leguminous herb, the only species of its genus, 
having linear pods, which are extremely flattened con- 
trary to the valves, thus bearing two false keels which 
are sinuate-dentate. Bastard vetch, a plant of the for- 
mer genus Phaca, now included in Astragalus. Bitter 
vetch. See Utter-vetch. Bladder- vetch. Same as bos- 
tard vetch : the name referring to the inflated pods. 
Bush vetch. See def. Chickling vetch, an annual 
The Upper Part of the Stem with Flowers ami 
Leaves of Vetch (yicia sativa). 
a. Sower. 
veterinary 
herb, Lathyrus sativus, extensively grown in southern 
Europe as a forage-plant and for its seeds, which are used 
like those of the chick-pea. Its cultivation has some- 
times been prohibited, as its continuous use is said to in- 
duce paralysis of the legs in man and animals. Grass 
vetch. See grans-vetch. Hairy vetch. Name as tare- 
vetch. Hatchet vetch. See hatchet-vetch. Horse or 
horseshoe vetch, Ilippacrepw eomom; so named from its 
curved pods, which were credited with drawing the shoes 
of horses that tread upon it : hence also called unshoe-the- 
horse. See Hippocretris. Kidney vetch. See IMney- 
vctch. Licorice-vetch, a milk-vetch, Astragalus glycy- 
phyllus, having a sweet root. Milk vetch. SeemM- 
vetch. Sensitive joint-vetch, a plant of the genus 
jEschynomene. The pod is jointed, and the leaves in 
some species are sensitive. Tare-vetch, the hairy vetch 
or tare, Vina hirmita. Tufted vetch, Vicia Cracca, a 
species found in the northern Old World and eastern 
North America, climbing 2 or 3 feet high, and bearing 
clusters of blue flowers, turning purple. See def. WOOd- 
vetch. See def. 
vetchling (vech'ling), n. [< vetch + -ling 1 .'] 
In bot., a name given loosely to plants of the 
genus Latliyrus. The meadow-vetchling is L. 
pratensis, a plant difficult to eradicate, but use- 
ful for forage. 
yetchy (vech'i), . [< vetch + -y l .~] Consist- 
ing of vetches or of pea-straw; abounding with 
vetches. 
A vetchy bed. Spenser, Shep. Cal., September. 
veteran (vet'e-ran), a. and n. [= F. veteran, 
ii., = Sp. Pg. "It. ,'veterano, a. and n., < L. vete- 
ranus, old, aged, that has been long in use (in 
rural language, of cattle, slaves, vines, etc.), 
esp., of soldiers, old, experienced, < veins (ve- 
ter-), also veter, old, aged, that has existed a 
long time, lit. 'advanced in years,' akin to ve- 
terina, f., veterinum (usually in pi.), a beast of 
burden, prob. orig. ' a beast a year old' or more, 
and to vitulus, a calf, lit. 'a yearling' (>ult. E. 
veal), < *vetus ("veter-), a year, = Gr. erof (ere-), 
orig. * Ftrof -(Ferea-), a year; cf. Skt. vatsa, a 
year. From the same L. source are ult. invet- 
erate, veterinary, and (< L. vitulus) E. veal, vel- 
lum.'] I. a. 1. Grown old in service. 2. Hence 
(a) Practised and skilful, (b) Entitled to 
consideration and allowance on account of long 
service, (c) In milit. matters, practised and ac- 
customed to war, as distinguished from raw, 
newly enlisted, etc. A veteran soldier is one who has 
been through one or more campaigns, and has gained the 
steadiness and confidence which make him a trustworthy 
soldier. 
The ceteran warrior, with nearly a century of years upon 
his head, had all the fire and animation of youth at the 
prospect of a foray. Irving, Granada, p. 108. 
3. Long-continued; of, pertaining to, or char- 
acteristic of a veteran or veterans. 
Great and veteran service to the state. Longfellow. 
II. n. One long practised, and therefore 
skilled and trustworthy, or entitled to consider- 
ation on account of past services; especially 
(milit.), a veteran soldier. See L, 2 (c). 
Superfluous lags the vet'ran on the stage. 
Johnson, Vanity of Human Wishes, 1. 308. 
The long-trained veteran scarcely wincing hears 
The infallible strategy of volunteers 
Making through Nature's walls its easy breach. 
Lowell, Agassiz, iii. 3. 
veteran (vet'e-ran), v. i. [< veteran, .] Same 
as veteranize. [Colloq., U. 8.] 
veteranize (vet'e-ran-iz), v.; pret. and pp. vet- 
eranized, ppr. veteranizing. [< veteran + -4ze^\ 
I. trans. To make veteran. 
During the civil war in the U. S. the proportion was at 
first a little over three pieces for one thousand infantry, 
but as the latter became more veteranized this was reduced. 
Johnson's Cyc. (revised ed.), I. 266. 
II. intrans. To reenlist for service as a sol- 
dier: often abbreviated to veteran. [Colloq., 
U. S.] 
veterinarian (vet"e-ri-na'ri-an), n. [< veteri- 
nary + -aw.] One who practises the art of treat- 
ing disease and injuries "in domestic animals, 
surgically or medically. 
The second assertion, that an horse hath no gall, is very 
general, not only swallowed by the people and common 
farriers, but also received by good veterinarians, and some 
who have laudably discoursed upon horses. 
Sir T. Browne, Vulg. Err., iii. 2. 
To the veterinarian a knowledge of the comparative anat- 
omy of the domestic animals is essential to the study of 
their diseases. Encyc. Brit., VI. 225. 
veterinary (vet'e-ri-na-ri), . and . [= F. 
veterinaire = Sp. T?g. It. veterinario, < L. veteri- 
narius, of or belonging to beasts of burden, 
hence a cattle-doctor, < veterina (so. bcstia.), 
veterinum (sc. animal or j amentum ?), beast of 
burden: see veteran.] I. a. Of or pertaining 
to domestic animals ; specifically, pertaining to 
the surgical or medical treatment of domestic 
animals, especially of horses and cattle : as, a 
