The Facts on File Dictionary of Foreign Words and Phrases (Writers Reference) (76 page)

vexillum (veksilam) LATIN [banner,
from vehere to carry] noun (plural
vexilla, veksila) a Roman military
standard or banner; (in Christian art) a
white flag with a red cross, carried by
Jesus Christ as a symbol of the Resurrection.

v.1. See VIDE INFRA.

via (via, veea) LATIN [way] preposition by way of, by means of, through
the medium of: "She traveled to Australia
via Singapore."

Via Dolorosa (via dolaroza) ITALIAN
[sorrowing way] noun phrase the route
through Jerusalem taken by Christ as he
carried his cross to the crucifixion and
thus, by extension, any prolonged or
arduous trial or ordeal.

via media (via meedeea, naa~dee5)
LATIN [middle way] noun phrase a
middle way, a compromise.

viaticum (viatikam, veeatikam)
LATIN [travel provisions, from via road]
noun (plural viatica, viatika, veeatika)
(in Christianit),) the Eucharist, as
administered to a person who is near
death, to give him or her strength for
the voyage to eternity.

vibrato (vibrahto, vibrahto) ITALIAN
[past participle of vibrare to vibrate]
noun (in music) a tremulous effect
produced by rapid variation in pitch.
-adverb tremulously.

viceroy (visroi) FRENCH [from vice-roi
in place of the king] noun a governor
or other ruler of a country, colony, or
province who acts as representative
of an absent monarch: `And so unmeasureable is the ambition of princes, that
he seemed to think of nothing less than
reducing the whole empire of Blefuscu into
a province, and governing it, by a viceroy
..." (Jonathan Swift, Gulliver's Travels,
1726).

vice versa (visee versa, vis versa)
LATIN [the position being reversed]
adverb phrase conversely, with the
order reversed: "This sauce goes well with
fish, and vice versa ."'"abbreviated form v.v.

vichyssoise (visheeswahz, veesheeswahz) FRENCH [from vichyssois of Vichy, abbreviated from creme vichyssoise glacee iced cream soup of Vichy]
noun (in French cuisine) a cold soup
made with leeks or onions, potatoes,
cream, and chicken stock.

victor ludorum (vikta loodoram)
LATIN [victor of the games] noun
phrase the overall winner of a competition (usually relating to sports):
"After this last victory he was crowned
victor ludorum."

vide (~videe, veeday) LATIN [imperative singular of videre to see] verb see,
refer to (a direction to a reader to
consult a particular passage or text).
'abbreviated forms v., vid.

vide ante (videe antee, veeday antay)
LATIN [see before] verb phrase see
above, see previous (a direction to a
reader to consult an earlier passage
in a text) .

vide infra (videe infra, veeday infra)
LATIN [see below] verb phrase see
below (a direction to a reader to consult an subsequent passage in a text).
"abbreviated form v.i.

videlicet (videlaset, videlaset, vidailiket) LATIN [it is permitted to see,
from videre to see and licet it is
permitted] adverb that is to say,
namely, to wit: "One of the Macphersons, named Alexander, one of Rob's original profession, videlicet, a drover, but
a man of great strength and spirit..."

(Walter Scott, Rob Roy, 1817). 'noun
an explanatory note (usually referring to a note in a legal document).
'abbreviated form viz.

video (videeo) LATIN [I see, from
videre to see] adjective of or relating to the electronic transmission or
reception of visual images. -noun
abbreviation for video recorder, videocamera, or videotape: "The whole
incident was caught on video."

vide supra (videe soopra, veeday
soopra) LATIN [see above] verb phrase
see above (a direction to a reader to
consult a previous passage in a text).
'abbreviated form v.s.

vie en rose (vee on(g) r6Z) FRENCH
[life in rose, often associated with the
song "La vie en rose" sung by French
singer Edith Piaf (1915-63)] noun
phrase life as seen through rose-tinted
spectacles, a naive view of the world.

vi et armis (vee et ahrmees) LATIN [by
force and arms] adverb phrase violently, by force of arms.

vigilante (vijalantee) SPANISH [watchman, guard, from Latin vigilans, from
vigilare to keep watch] noun a member
of a volunteer committee of ordinary
citizens assembled to suppress crime
and punish lawbreakers in a particular
locality (usually when the authorities
are perceived to have failed to do so):
"The police warned that they would not tolerate the presence of vigilantes in the
area." 'adjective of or relating to such
vigilante groups or actions.

vigneron veenydron ) FRENCH
[from vigne vine, vineyard] noun a
winegrower, a person who grows
grapevines.

vignette (vin et, veen ret) FRENCH
[small vine, diminutive of vigne vine]
noun a scene, anecdote, sketch, or episode (as in a film or story); may also
refer to an ornamental design on the
title or chapter pages of a book, to an
architectural decoration comprising
intertwined leaves or branches, or to
a portrait photograph or other picture in which the central image fades
at the edges into the background:
"After calling at one or two flat places,
with low dams stretching out into the
lake, whereon were stumpy lighthouses,
like windmills without sails, the whole
looking like a Dutch vignette, we came
at midnight to Cleveland, where we lay
all night, and until nine o'clock next
morning." (Charles Dickens, American
Notes, 1842).

villa (L115) LATIN [country house]
noun a large country house or estate
(often referring to the houses of
wealthy citizens of ancient Rome); may
also refer to a vacation home or to
relatively modest rural or suburban
detached or semidetached residences
(usually with their own yard or garden

space): "They used the money to buy a substantial villa on the French Riviera."

ville (vil) FRENCH [town] noun a
town or village.

vim (vim) LATIN [accusative of vis
strength] noun enthusiasm, energy,
spirit: "I wouldn't give a dog I liked to that
Blewett woman,'said Matthew with unusual
vim" (Luc), Maud Montgomery, Anne of
Green Gables, 1908).

vin (van(g)) FRENCH [wine] noun
wine (especially French wine).

vinaigrette (vinagret) FRENCH [from
vinaigre vinegar] noun a dressing for
meats, fish, or salad made with oil and
vinegar, onions, parsley, and herbs;
may also refer to a small ornamental
box used to store smelling salts or
other aromatic preparations: "But this
treating servants as f they were exotic flowers, or china vases, is really ridiculous,' said
Marie, as she plunged languidly into the
depths of a voluminous and pillowy lounge,
and drew toward her an elegant cut-glass
vinaigrette" (Harriet Beecher Stowe,
Uncle Tom's Cabin, 1852). -adjective of
or relating to a dish served with such a
dressing or sauce.

vin blanc (van(g) blon(g)) FRENCH
[white wine] noun phrase white wine
(especially white wine of French origin): "Then when he had drunk up the bottle of petit vin blanc, she gave him her hand, and took him up to the drawing-room..."
(William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity
Fair, 1847-48).

vindaloo (vindaloo) PORTUGUESE [probably from Indo-Portuguese vinh d'alho
wine of garlic] noun a highly spiced
curried dish of Indian origin made with
meat or fish and incorporating garlic
and vinegar among other ingredients:
"The restaurant is particularly famous for its
fiery vindaloos, which only the bravest diners
can look in the eye.' -adjective of or relating to such a curry.

vin de table (van(g) da tahbla) FRENCH
[table wine] noun phrase wine suitable for drinking with a meal: "She
ordered some cheap vin de table, considering this homecoming hardly worthy of
better fare."

vin du pays (van(g) da pay) FRENCH
[wine of the country] noun phrase a
wine of local origin.

vingt-et-un (vanta),an(g)) FRENCH
[twenty-one] noun the card game
blackjack (or pontoon).

vinho verde (veeno verdee) PoRTUGUESE [green wine] noun phrase a
Portuguese wine with a greenish color
(indicating that it has been bottled
early in the maturing process).

vino (yeenno) ITALIAN/SPANISH [wine,
from Latin vinum vine] noun wine.

vin ordinaire (van(g) ord3nair) FRENCH
[ordinary wine] noun phrase cheap,
ordinary table wine suitable for
everyday consumption (rather than
more expensive classic vintages):
"They dined off bread and cheese washed
down with a very acceptable if modest
vin ordinaire."

vin rouge (van(g) MCA) FRENCH
[red wine] noun phrase red wine
(especiall), red wine of French origin).

virago (v5rahgo) LATIN [manlike
woman, from vir man] noun (plural
viragos or viragoes) a fierce or
brash, overbearing woman; a woman
of great strength, courage, or indomitability: "All he discovered was a strange,
fat woman, a sort of virago, who had,
apparently, been put in as a caretaker by
the man of affairs" (Joseph Conrad, The
Arrow of Gold, 1919).

Virgo (vergo) LATIN [virgin] noun
(in astronom),) the Virgin, a large constellation on the celestial equator; (in
astrolog),) the sixth sign of the zodiac,
occurring between Leo and Libra.

virgo intacta (vergo intokt3) LATIN
[untouched virgin] noun phrase a
virgin, a female who has never had
sexual intercourse: "The police doctor
declared the girl was still virgo intacta,
and the charge of rape was dropped."

virtu (vertoo) ITALIAN [from virtu
virtue] noun a love of or enthusiasm for curios or works or art; may also
refer to curios or objets d'art themselves: With the cessation of the call, the
gallery was cleared of the soldiery; many
of whom, as they dared not appear in the
ranks with visible plunder in their hands,
flung what they had upon the floor, until
it was strewn with articles of richest virtu"
(Lew Wallace, Ben Hur, 1880).

virtuoso (vert),oooso, vertyooozo)
ITALIAN [virtuous, skilled] noun (plural
virtuosos or virtuosi, vert),ooosee,
vertyoooee) a person with interest or expertise in a particular field,
especially the fine arts; a connoisseur.
-adjective expert, skilled: "Her dreams
of fame as a virtuoso violinist were
dashed by the injuries she received in the
accident."

virus (virhs) LATIN [venom] noun an
infective microorganism or complex
molecule that reproduces in living
cells, especially one that causes disease in humans, animals, or plants;
may also refer to a disease caused by
such microorganisms or more generally to anything that tends to corrupt
or poison: "The panic spread like a virus
through the population."

Vis (vis) LATIN [strength] noun (plural
vires, vireez) force, power, energy.

visa (veeza, Veesa) LATIN [videre to
see] noun an official endorsement
on a passport permitting the holder
passage: "They had to queue for hours to get the necessary visas to enter the
country"

visage (vizij) FRENCH [face, from
Latin visus sight] noun (literar)) a
person's face or facial expression: "The
boys trembled before the stern visage of the
headmaster."

vis-a-vis (veez-a-vee, vees-a-vee)
FRENCH [face-to-face] preposition
face-to-face with, in relation to, as
compared with, regarding. noun a
counterpart or opposite number; may
also refer to a date, partner, or escort
or to a private conversation between
two partners. 'adverb opposite, face
to face.

viscera (vis2rh) LATIN [from viscus
organ] plural noun the internal
organs of the body; may also refer
more generally to the interior or inner
contents of something: "He meant to be
a unit who would make a certain amount
of d)erence toward that spreading change
which would one day tell appreciably
upon the averages, and in the mean time
have the pleasure of making an advantageous d)erence to the viscera of his own
patients" (George Eliot, Middle-march,
1871-72).

vista (vista) ITALIAN [sight, from
vista, past participle of vedere to see]
noun a prospect or extensive view of
something (real or imaginar)): "This
discovery opened up new vistas for research
scientists around the globe."

vis viva (vis viva) LATIN [living force]
noun phrase the principal in mechanics that the power of an object equals
its weight or mass multiplied by the
square of its velocity.

viva (VCCVa) ITALIAN/SPANISH [long
live, ultimately from Latin vivere to
live] interjection hurrah! long live!
(an expression of acclamation or
approval, often followed by the name
of the person or ideal being landed).

vivace (veevahchay, veevahchee)
ITALIAN [vivacious] adverb (in music)
brisk, spirited, vivacious. -adjective
brisk, spirited, vivacious.

vivarium (vivahreeam) LATIN [park,
preserve, warren, from vivus alive]
noun (plural vivariums or vivaria,
vivahreea) a terrarium for small
animals or fish.

vivat (jvat, veevat) LATIN [may he
or she live, from vivere to live] interjection hurrah! long live! (an expression of acclamation or approval): `And
as soon as they had got out, in their
soaked and streaming clothes, they shouted
`Vivat!' and looked ecstatically at the spot
where Napoleon had been but where he no
longer was and at that moment considered
themselves happy." (Leo Tolstoy, War and
Peace, 1863-69).

viva voce (viva vosee, veeva vochay)
LATIN [with the living voice] adverb
phrase by word of mouth, orally.

'adjective phrase oral: "The old crude
viva voce system of Henchard, in which
everything depended upon his memory, and
bargains were made by the tongue alone,
was swept away." (Thomas Hardy, The
Mayor of Casterbridge, 1886). 'noun
phrase an oral examination. ' abbreviatedform viva (viva), v.v.

vive (veev) FRENCH [may he, she,
or it live, from vivre to live] interjection hurrah! long live! (an expression
of acclamation or approval): "There were
four French delegates in a brake and one, a
plump smiling young man, held, wedged on a
stick, a card on which were printed the words:
Vive 1'Irlande!" (James Joyce, A Portrait Of
theArtist as aYoung Man, 1914-15).