📖 V — The English dictionary · page 4

varicella — Everyday, meaning 1: (medicine) The proper medical name for chickenpox, a common illness that gives an itchy rash of spots and blisters, mostly in children.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (medicine) The virus that causes it, called the varicella-zoster virus.↗ Example: Varicella is the doctor's word for chickenpox.↗ · The leaflet said the varicella vaccine protects children from chickenpox.↗ · My little brother had varicella and was covered in itchy spots.↗ · The nurse wrote "varicella" on the school note.↗ · Varicella spreads easily, so children stay home until the spots crust over.↗ · The varicella virus can return years later as shingles.↗

varied — Everyday, meaning 1: Varied means made of many different kinds, as in a varied diet.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Varied is the past form of vary: changed or was different, as in the temperature varied.↗ Example: Eat a varied diet with lots of fruit and vegetables.↗ · Use varied sentence openers in your story.↗ · The weather varied from sunny to stormy.↗ · Our results varied each time we did the test.↗ · The zoo has a varied collection of animals.↗ · Prices varied from shop to shop.↗ · It was indeed a scene of varied life in the street.↗ · He also formed and designed from his Spirit, and from the void and formless made earth, even as a rampart, or standing wall, and varied its surface even as the crossing of beams.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1887)↗

variegated — Everyday, meaning 1: Variegated leaves or flowers have patches, stripes or edges of different colours, often green and white or yellow.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Variegated means having many different colours or kinds.↗ Example: The variegated ivy has green and cream leaves.↗ · Grandma grows a variegated holly with yellow edges.↗ · Variegated plants need lots of light.↗ · The shop sold variegated wool in many colours.↗ · We drew a variegated leaf in science.↗ · The snake had variegated scales of brown and gold.↗ · Do you notice the variegated splendour of the walls and windows?↗

variety — Everyday, meaning 1: Variety means having many different kinds of things, not all the same: a menu with variety has lots of choices.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A variety of things is a number of different kinds of them: «a variety of fruit».↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A variety is one particular type of something, especially a type of plant or animal: «a new variety of apple».↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Variety, or a variety show, is entertainment made of many short acts like songs, jokes and magic.↗ Example: The school canteen has a good variety of lunches.↗ · Granny grows ten varieties of tomato.↗ · We read a variety of books this term, from comics to poems.↗ · For variety, we had pasta instead of rice.↗ · The talent show was a variety show with singers, dancers and a juggler.↗ · Variety is the spice of life, so let's try something new.↗ · The shop sells a wide variety of pens.↗ · Penguins come in many varieties, from tiny blue ones to huge emperors.↗ · His daughter Metra, who was devotedly attached to him, possessed the power of transforming herself into a variety of different animals.↗

various — Everyday, meaning 1: Several different; of different kinds.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: More than one; many separate ones.↗ Example: The shop sells various kinds of sweets.↗ · We measured various objects in the classroom with a ruler.↗ · She was late for various reasons.↗ · The puzzle can be solved in various ways.↗ · Various children brought in pets for show and tell.↗ · The museum has various dinosaur bones from around the world.↗ · We drew various shapes: circles, squares and triangles.↗ · I have visited my nan at various times this year.↗ · Various causes led to this selection.↗ · They then put the question, how came so many various beings into existence?↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877)↗ · Here the view of various writers differ widely.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗ · Various views prevailed about the origin of these two sym- bols.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗

variously — Everyday, meaning 1: In different ways, or by different people at different times.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Used to show that something has been given several different names or descriptions.↗ Example: The animal is variously called a cougar, a puma or a mountain lion.↗ · The castle has been variously described as beautiful and gloomy.↗ · The children were variously dressed as pirates, robots and fairies.↗ · The old story is variously told in different villages.↗ · His age was variously reported as nine and ten.↗ · The colour was variously described as blue, green and teal.↗ · This goddess of Fortune is variously represented.↗ · Yod is variously written in English letters as I, Y, or J, or sometimes le.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · The relation they bear to each other is variously explained.↗ (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914))↗

varnish — Everyday, meaning 1: Varnish is a clear liquid painted onto wood or other surfaces that dries to make a hard, shiny, protective layer.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To varnish something is to paint it with varnish.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: Nail varnish (UK, Australia; US: nail polish) is coloured paint for fingernails and toenails.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: Varnish can also mean the polished outward show of good manners or looks that makes a person seem fine.↗ Example: Dad put a coat of varnish on the table.↗ · We varnished our wooden boxes in DT.↗ · Let the varnish dry before touching it.↗ · My sister painted her nails with red nail varnish.↗ · Varnish protects the wood from water.↗ · Open a window when you use varnish.↗ · The old varnish was cracked and peeling.↗

vary — Everyday, meaning 1: To be different from each other.↗ e.g. "Prices vary from shop to shop."↗ Everyday, meaning 2: To change, often again and again.↗ e.g. "The weather varies a lot."↗ Everyday, meaning 3: To change something on purpose to make it different.↗ e.g. "Vary your exercises."↗ Example: Prices vary from shop to shop.↗ · The size of apples varies a lot.↗ · Temperatures vary between day and night.↗ · In a fair test, vary only one thing at a time.↗ · Try to vary the food you eat.↗ · "How long does it take?" "↗ It varies."↗ · Of course the Neverlands vary a good deal.↗ · Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · Yod Tzaddi Yod Resh Heh ; modes of transliteration vary with different authors.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗ · Whether a book is still in copyright varies from country to country, and we can't offer guidance on whether any specific use of any specific book is allowed.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗

vas — Everyday, meaning 1: (medicine, Latin) A tube or vessel in the body that carries fluid; mostly seen in vas deferens, the tube in a man's body that carries sperm.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A fragment of longer words such as vascular (to do with blood vessels) or canvas.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: (French) Vas is a form of the French verb aller, to go: tu vas means you go or you are going; vas-y means go on!↗ It sounds like va to an English ear.↗ It is not an English word on its own.↗ Example: The vas deferens is a tube in the male reproductive system.↗ · Vascular plants have tubes that carry water.↗ · In French, comment vas-tu means how are you.↗ · Vas-y! means go on! in French.↗ · Vas is Latin for vessel.↗ · The word canvas ends with the letters vas.↗

vascular — Everyday, meaning 1: Vascular means to do with the tubes that carry blood in animals (blood vessels: arteries, veins and capillaries).↗ Everyday, meaning 2: In plants, vascular means having tubes (xylem and phloem) that carry water and food through the plant.↗ Example: Your vascular system carries blood all round your body.↗ · Trees are vascular plants with tubes that carry water up from the roots.↗ · Mosses are non-vascular, so they stay small and grow in damp places.↗ · We saw the vascular bundles in a celery stick dyed with red ink.↗ · Grandad saw a vascular surgeon about the veins in his legs.↗ · Exercise keeps your heart and vascular system healthy.↗

vase — Everyday, meaning 1: A vase is a container, often tall and pretty, for holding flowers in water.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A vase can also be an ornament that stands on its own.↗ Example: There were 6 roses in the vase.↗ · She put 24 flowers into 4 vases equally.↗ · Each vase holds 5 flowers.↗ · How many flowers are in the vase now?↗ · Fill the vase with water.↗ · The cat knocked over the vase.↗ · Grandma's vase is very old.↗ · He painted a vase of sunflowers.↗ · The glass vase broke into pieces.↗ · She put the tulips in a blue vase.↗ · Why, I did not even know that the vase had olives in it!↗

vassal — Everyday, meaning 1: A vassal was, in old times, a person who served a lord and owed him loyalty and work.↗ It is an old word.↗ Example: The vassal bowed before his lord.↗ · Katoda was a vassal who obeyed her mistress.↗ · The vassals gave the king their loyalty.↗

vast — Everyday, meaning 1: Extremely large in size, amount or area.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: «The vast majority» means nearly all.↗ Example: The Pacific is a vast ocean.↗ · Space is so vast that light takes years to cross it.↗ · They walked across a vast, empty desert.↗ · The vast majority of the class passed the test.↗ · A vast crowd filled the stadium.↗ · The library has a vast number of books.↗ · Empty, vast, and cold were the halls of the Snow Queen.↗

vastly — Everyday, meaning 1: Very much; to a very great degree.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: Over a very large area or amount.↗ Example: The Sun is vastly bigger than the Earth.↗ · My handwriting has vastly improved this term.↗ · The two stories are vastly different.↗ · The defenders were vastly outnumbered by the attackers.↗ · A blue whale is vastly heavier than an elephant.↗ · Life today is vastly different from life in the Middle Ages.↗ · The new game is vastly better than the old one.↗ · All this admiration vastly pleased the Queen.↗

vastness — Everyday, meaning 1: The quality of being extremely large, wide or huge.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A very large, empty area, such as a desert, an ocean or space.↗ Example: The astronaut stared out at the vastness of space.↗ · The vastness of the ocean made the little boat seem tiny.↗ · We were amazed by the vastness of the desert.↗ · In the vastness of the Australian outback, there was no house for miles.↗ · The vastness of the library made it easy to get lost.↗ · Scientists still cannot imagine the vastness of the universe.↗ · Abyss ; the word is OUMQ for OMQ, a depth, vastness, or valley.↗ (Sefer Yetzirah, Westcott 1893)↗

vat — Everyday, meaning 1: A vat is a very large tank or barrel for holding liquids, used in factories, breweries and dye works.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: (UK, money) VAT (value added tax) is a tax added to the price of most things you buy in shops; you say each letter, V-A-T, or «vat».↗ Example: Grapes are crushed in big wooden vats.↗ · The factory had huge vats of chocolate.↗ · The workers stirred the cloth in a vat of blue dye.↗ · The price is fifty pounds plus VAT.↗ · VAT in the UK is usually twenty per cent of the price.↗ · If a toy costs ten pounds before VAT at twenty per cent, it costs twelve pounds with VAT.↗ · Books and children's clothes have no VAT in the UK.↗ · Then the thrice-lovely Nastasia herself leaped into the vats.↗ · So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall overflow with new wine.↗ (Writings PRO.3.10, JPS 1917)↗ · And the floors shall be full of corn, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.↗ (Prophets JOL.2.24, JPS 1917)↗ · Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe; come, tread ye, for the winepress is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great.↗ (Prophets JOL.4.13, JPS 1917)↗

vaudeville — Everyday, meaning 1: A vaudeville is a light stage show with songs, jokes and short acts, popular long ago.↗ Example: The theatre put on a vaudeville with funny songs.↗ · We saw a short vaudeville about a thief.↗ · The vaudeville had dancing and jokes.↗

vault — Everyday, meaning 1: A vault is a strong, locked room for keeping money and treasure safe, as in a bank.↗ Everyday, meaning 2: A vault is a room under a church or building, sometimes used for burying people.↗ Everyday, meaning 3: A vault is an arched roof or ceiling.↗ Everyday, meaning 4: To vault is to jump over something, pushing off with your hands or with a pole; a vault is that jump.↗ Everyday, meaning 5: To vault can also mean to jump up onto something, such as a horse, using your hands to push off.↗ Example: The gold was kept in a bank vault.↗ · She vaulted over the gate.↗ · In gymnastics, we jumped over the vault.↗ · The pole vault champion cleared a high bar.↗ · The church had a high stone vault.↗ · The robbers could not open the vault.↗ · He placed his hands on the box and vaulted over.↗ · Jose thanked him, and vaulting on his horse they rode on to the river.↗ · That sit among the graves, and lodge in the vaults; that eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels; (Prophets ISA.65.4, JPS 1917)↗