Bryson's Dictionary For Writers And Editors (v5.0) (45 page)

Vv

vacillate.

vade-mecum.
A handbook carried on the person for constant use.

vagary,
pl.
vagaries.

vagrant, vagrancy.

Vaishnava.
Hindu devotee of Vishnu.

Vajpayee, Atal Bihari.
(1924–) Prime minister of India (1996, 1998–2004).

valance, valence.
The first is a short drapery; the second is a term from chemistry to describe molecular bonding.

Val-d'Isère.
Ski resort in French Alps.

valediction.
A farewell speech; adj.
valedictory.

Valenciennes lace.

Valera, Éamon de.
(1882–1975) U.S.-born prime minister of Ireland (1919–1921, 1932–1948, 1957–1959) and president (1959–1973).

valetudinarian.
A person, particularly an invalid, obsessed with his or her health.

Valhalla.
In Norse mythology, a great hall of slain warriors.

valiant.

Valium.
(Cap.) Brand of tranquilizer.

Valkyrie.
In Norse mythology, one of the twelve handmaidens of Odin.

Valladolid.
Province and city in Castile, Spain.

Valle d'Aosta.
Region of Italy.

Valletta.
Capital of Malta.

vamoose.
To flee or leave hurriedly.

Van Alen, William.
(1883–1954) American architect who designed Chrysler Building, New York. Note unusual spelling of Alen.

Vanbrugh, Sir John.
(1664–1726) English architect and playwright.

Van Buren, Martin.
(1782–1862) U.S. president (1837–1841).

Van de Graaff, Robert J(emison).
(1901–1967) American physicist and inventor of the Van de Graaff generator.

van der Post, Sir Laurens.
(1906–1996) South African writer and explorer.

Vandross, Luther.
(1951–2005) American entertainer.

Vandyke
(or
Van Dyck
),
Sir Anthony.
(1599–1641) Born Anton Van Dijck, but that spelling is almost never encountered outside his native Belgium. In America his name is usually rendered as Sir Anthony Vandyke, though Van Dyck (the spelling favored in Britain) is also sometimes found. In both countries, objects associated with him are spelled
Vandyke
—e.g., “a Vandyke beard,” “a Vandyke collar.”

Vänern.
Largest lake in Sweden.

van Eyck, Jan.
(c. 1380–1440) Flemish painter.

van Gogh, Vincent.
(1853–1890) Dutch painter.

Vanuatu.
Island republic in the South Pacific, formerly the New Hebrides; capital Port-Vila (or Port Vila, without hyphen).

vaquero.
Spanish for “cowboy.”

Vargas, Getúlio Dornelles.
(1883–1954) President of Brazil (1930–1945, 1951–1954).

varicella.
Medical name for chickenpox.

varicose veins.

variegated.

various different
is inescapably repetitive.

VDU.
Visual display unit, a computer screen.

Veblen, Thorstein.
(1857–1929) American economist.

Vecchio, Palazzo,
Florence, Italy. The famous bridge across the Arno is the
Ponte Vecchio.

VE Day
(or
V-E Day
). May 8, 1945, the date of the Allied victory in Europe in World War II.

veins,
but
venous.

Velázquez
(or
Velásquez
),
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y.
(1599–1660) Spanish painter.

veld
(pref.)/
veldt
(alt.). Grassland.

vellum.
The finest type of parchment.

venal, venial.
Venial
, from the Latin
venialis
(“forgivable”), means excusable; a venial sin is a minor one.
Venal
means corruptible. It comes from the Latin
venalis
(“for sale”) and describes someone who is capable of being bought.

vendetta.

vendible.

veneer.

venerable.

venerate, worship.
Although in figurative senses the words are interchangeable, in religious contexts
worship
should apply only to God. Roman Catholics, for instance, worship God but venerate saints.

Venezuela.
South American republic; capital Caracas.

vengeance.

Veni, vidi, vici.
(Lat.) “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

venomous.

venous.
Pertaining to veins.

ventilator.

ventre à terre.
(Fr.) Full out, at top speed.

ventricles
for the heart valves. Not
ventricals
.

Venus' fly-trap.
(Note apos.)

veranda
is the preferred spelling, but
verandah
is acceptable.

verbal agreement,
because it can mean either a written or spoken agreement, can be ambiguous. Where the manner of agreeing is important, it is generally better to describe it as an oral or a written agreement.

verbatim
means in exactly the same words.

verboten.
(Ger.) Forbidden.

verdant.
Green.

Verdi, Giuseppe.
(1813–1901) Italian opera composer.

verdigris.
Green rust on copper or brass.

verisimilitude.
Air of truth, the quality of being realistic.

Vermeer, Jan.
(1632–1696) Dutch painter.

vermicelli.
Type of pasta.

vermilion
(one
l
) for the color, but Vermillion (two
l
's) for the towns in Kansas and South Dakota.

vermouth.

vernal.
Pertaining to the spring, as in
vernal equinox
.

Veronese, Paolo.
(1528–1588) Italian painter; born Paolo Cagliari.

Verrazano-Narrows Bridge,
New York City.

Verrocchio, Andrea del.
(1436–1488) Italian painter and sculptor.

Versailles.
Palace near Paris.

vertebra,
pl.
vertebrae.

Verwoerd, Hendrik.
(1901–1966) Dutch-born South African prime minister (1958–1966).

very
should be made to pay its way in sentences. Too often it is used where it adds nothing to sense (“It was a very tragic death”) or is inserted in a futile effort to prop up a weak word that would be better replaced by something with more punch (“The play was very good”).

Vespucci, Amerigo.
(1454–1512) Italian navigator and explorer after whom America was named.

vestibule.
Entrance room or hall.

Veterans Administration.
(No apos.) Former name of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

vetoes.

Veuve Clicquot.
Champagne.

vexatious.

VHF.
Very high frequency.

via,
meaning “by way of,” indicates the direction of a journey and not the means by which the journey is achieved. It is correct to say “We flew from London to Sydney via Singapore,” but not “We traveled to the islands via seaplane.”

viable
does not mean feasible or promising, senses in which it is frequently used. It means capable of independent existence. A fetus is viable if it can live outside the womb.

Via Dolorosa.
Jerusalem; “Way of sadness” route taken by Jesus to the Crucifixion.

Vianchang.
Capital of Laos; formerly called Vientiane.

vicereine.
Female viceroy; the wife of a viceroy.

vichyssoise.
Soup. Note
-ss-.

vicious.

vicissitude.
A change of circumstance. Although there is no compelling reason for it, the word is almost always used in the plural.

victualer.
A provider of food and drink; pronouned
vittler.

vie, vying.

Vientiane.
Capital of Laos, now called
Vianchang.

Vietcong, Vietminh.
(Each one word.)

Vietnam.
(One word.) Southeast Asian nation; capital Hanoi.

Vieux Carré.
French quarter of New Orleans.

vigilance, vigilant, vigilante.

vignette.
A decoration or sketch; an image with no definite border; a literary sketch.

vilify.
Not
-ll-.
Defame.

Villa-Lobos, Heitor.
(1887–1959) Not Hector. Brazilian composer.

Villaraigosa, Antonio.
(1953–) Mayor of Los Angeles (2005–).

Ville Lumière.
(Fr.) “City of light,” nickname of Paris.

Villette.
Novel by Charlotte Brontë (1853).

vinaigrette.
A kind of salad dressing.

vin ordinaire.
(Fr.) Inexpensive wine.

Virgil.
Anglicized name of Publius Vergilius Maro (70–19
BC
), Roman poet.

Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Virgin Islands
comprise the British Virgin Islands (capital Road Town) and the U.S. Virgin Islands (capital Charlotte Amalie).

virtuoso,
pl.
virtuosi
or
virtuosos.

vis-à-vis.
(Fr.) “Face-to-face” with regard to.

Visconti, Count Luchino.
(1907–1976) Italian stage and film director.

viscous.
Sticky.

Vishnu.
A Hindu god.

visitable.

vis major.
(Lat.) “Greater force” pl.
vires majores
.

visor.
Sun shield.

VISTA,
Volunteers in Service to America, is now AmeriCorps VISTA.

vita brevis, ars longa.
(Lat.) “Life is short, art is long.”

vitiate.
Contaminate, ruin.

Viti Levu.
Main island of Fiji, site of Suva, the capital.

vitreous, vitriform.
The first describes something made of or having the quality of glass. The second means to have the appearance of glass.

vituperate, vituperative.

vivacious, vivacity.

Vivat regina!
(Lat.) “Long live the queen.”

Vivat rex!
(Lat.) “Long live the king.”

viva voce.
An oral examination.

vivify.
To bring to life.

viz.,
the abbreviation of
videlicet
(Lat.), means “namely” or “that is to say.”

Vizcaíno, Sebastián.
(c. 1550–1615) Spanish explorer.

V-J Day.
August 15, 1945, the date of Japan's surrender in World War II.

Vlaanderen.
Flemish for Flanders.

Vladivostok,
Russia.

Vlaminck, Maurice de.
(1876–1958) French artist and writer.

Vlissingen,
the Netherlands.

vocal cords.
Not
chords
. Vocal cords are so called because of their shape and structure, not because of their tonal qualities.

vociferous.
Outspoken.

Vodafone.
A telecommunications company.

voilà.

Volapük.
Artificial language that once rivaled Esperanto in popularity.

volatile.

vol-au-vent.
Puff pastry filled with savory foodstuffs and sauce.

volcano,
pl.
volcanoes.

volcanology, vulcanology.
Both are the terms for the science of volcanoes. The first is the preferred American spelling, the second the preferred British one.

Volcker, Paul.
(1927–) American banking executive and government official, chairman of the Federal Reserve (1979–1987).

Volgograd.
Russian city; formerly Stalingrad and before that Tsaritsyn.

Volkswagen.
German car company; formally Volkswagenwerk AG.

Volstead Act.
Act passed in 1919 to enforce Prohibition.