V — Violone to Virtue (Part 4 of 7)

Virginal
(Vir"gin*al), v. i. To play with the fingers, as if on a virginal; to tap or pat. [Obs.] "Still virginaling upon his palm!" Shak.

Virginhood
(Vir"gin*hood) n. Virginity; maidenhood.

Virginia
(Vir*gin"i*a) n. One of the States of the United States of America. — a. Of or pertaining to the State of Virginia.

Virginia cowslip (Bot.), the American lungwort — Virginia creeper (Bot.), a common ornamental North American woody vine climbing extensively by means of tendrils; — called also woodbine, and American ivy. [U. S.] — Virginia fence. See Worm fence, under Fence. — Virginia nightingale (Zoöl.), the cardinal bird. See under Cardinal. — Virginia quail (Zoöl.), the bobwhite. — Virginia reel, an old English contradance; — so called in the United States. Bartlett. — Virginia stock. (Bot.) See Mahon stock.

Virginity
(Vir*gin"i*ty) n. [OE. virgintee, F. virginité, L. virginitas.]

1. The quality or state of being a virgin; undefiled purity or chastity; maidenhood.

2. The unmarried life; celibacy. [Obs.] Chaucer.

Virgo
(Vir"go) n. [L. virgo a virgin, the constellation Virgo in the zodiac. See Virgin.] (Astron.) (a) A sign of the zodiac which the sun enters about the 21st of August, marked thus [&Virgo] in almanacs. (b) A constellation of the zodiac, now occupying chiefly the sign Libra, and containing the bright star Spica.

Virgouleuse
(Vir"gou*leuse) n. [F. virgouleuse, from the village of Virgoulée, near Limoges.] (Bot.) An old French variety of pear, of little value.

Virgularian
(Vir`gu*la"ri*an) n. [From. L. virgula a small rod.] (Zoöl.) Any one of numerous species of long, slender Alcyonaria belonging to Virgularia and allied genera of the family Virgularidæ. These corals are allied to the sea-pens, but have a long rodlike rhachis inclosing a slender, round or square, calcareous axis. The polyps are arranged in transverse rows or clusters along each side of the rhachis.

Virgulate
(Vir"gu*late) a. Shaped like a little twig or rod.

Virgule
(Vir"gule) n. [F. virgule, fr. L. virgula, dim. of virga. See Verge a rod.] A comma. [R.]

In the MSS. of Chaucer, the line is always broken by a cæsura in the middle, which is pointed by a virgule.

Virial
(Vir"i*al) n. [L. vis, viris, force.] (Physics) A certain function relating to a system of forces and their points of application, — first used by Clausius in the investigation of problems in molecular physics.

Virid
(Vir"id) a. [L. viridis green. See Verdant.] Green. [Obs.]

The virid marjoram
Her sparkling beauty did but see.

Viridescence
(Vir`i*des"cence) n. Quality or state of being viridescent.

Viridescent
(Vir`i*des"cent) a. [L. viridescens, p. pr. of viridescere to grow green.] Slightly green; greenish.

Viridine
(Vir"i*dine) n. [L. viridis green.] (Chem.) A greenish, oily, nitrogenous hydrocarbon, C₁₂H₁₉N₇, obtained from coal tar, and probably consisting of a mixture of several metameric compounds which are higher derivatives of the base pyridine.