Here - Norm's Book Club

VIRAGON.
characteristic of, a virago; Tira'^oshlp, the
character of a virago.
1666 KiLLiGREw Siege 0/ Urbin i.ii, How shall we answer
at ihe Resurrection ? for our Viraq;oships ? for our own, antl
others blood, thus shed ! 1887 E. Berdoe St, BernariVs
288 The over-dresied, robust, virasioish lady patient. z888
LadvD. Hardy Dang. Exper. I. iii. 59 Mrs. Brown*s rather
viracoish, coarse-featured face. ^
t Viragon, irreg. f. Vibagin or Virago.
1641 I'ox Borcalis Cjb, Wherein Women against the
I^ws of God, Nature, Nations, they act Man, and play the
very Viracons.
Virall, obs. f. Vibl. Virallay, obs. f. Vire-
LAi. Viranda, etc., obs. f. VEitANnA. Virandoed,
var. Veranua(h)eu a. Virchippe, ob>.
f. Worship. Virdingal, obs. var. Farthingale.
t Vire, sb.'^ Obs. Also 4 fyre, 4-6 vyre, 5 Sf,
wyr, wyir. [a. OF. vire ( = Prov., Sp., Pg. vira)y
f. virer to turn.] A form of quarrel or bolt for a
cross-bow. (Cf. Viretox.)
1375 Barbour Bruce v. 595, I haf a bow, hot and a vyre.
Ibiii. 623 He Losit the vyre and leit it fle. 1390 Gowkr Con/.
1. 164 As a fyre Which fieth out of a myhti bowe, Aweie he
fledde for a throwe, c 1400 I^aud Troy Bk. 4802 Thei fau^t
vn-armed in here atyres With longe Arwes and scharpe vires.
c 1425 Cast. Perscv. 2113 in Macro Plays (1904) 140, 1 schal
slynge at |?ec many a vyre, & ben a-vengyd hastely here,
c 1500 Lancelot 1092 The red knycht, byrnyng in loues fyre,
Goith to o knyclit, als swift as ony vyre. 1513 Douglas
^neid V. xi. 16 This virgine sprent on swifilie as a vyre.
fVire, J^.2 Obs.—^ In 5 wire. [ad. L. »/>/«.]
= Virus.
c 1400 Lan/raiic's Ciritrg.^ 77 For eucry oldc wounde
hauynge rotnes or wire, )>at is ^inne venymous quyttir or
ony oHr WnS-
+ Vire, i^.^ Obs, rare. Also 5 Sc. wyre, vyre.
[ad. OF. virer to turn : cf. Veer z^.-]
1. trans. To whirl or throw.
1375 Barbour Bruce xvii. 702 lohne Crab. . In his fagattis
has set the fyre, An-.! our the wall syne can thame wyre.
2. inlr. To turn ; to wind about.
1456 Sir G. Have Laxo Arms (S.T.S.) 119 As the dure
tumis about apon the herre, . . and vyris and revyris. n 1586
SinNEV Arcadia (1622) 436 No, no, hee hath vired all this
while, but to come the sooner to his affected end.
t Vire, z'.2 Obs. rare~~^. (Origin and meaning
doubtful: cf. Vire j//.l)
f X400 Laud Troy Bk. 5448 Many a Gregey was euel
al^red, With brode arwes al to-vired ; The! wounded hem
with arwes brode.
Vire, southern dial, var, FiBE ; obs. Sc. f. Wire,
Virelay (virel/'j. Now Ilisi. or arch. Forms:
4-7, 9 virelai (5 virallay, 7 virilai, 9 -lay), 5-6
vyrelay ; 4 verelai, 6-7, 9 verilay, 6 ver(re)lay.
[a. OF. virelai (14th c), an alteration (prob.
after /a« Lay sb.^) oivireli'. see Virly,] A song
or short lyric piece, of a type originating in France
in the 14th century, usu. consisting of short lines
arranged in stanzas with only two rhymes, the endrhyme
of one stanza being the chief one of the next.
Chiefly current in the Chaucerian period, from ^1575 to
1610, and in the 19th cent.
lys, & vyrelayes. 1300 Gower Con/. I, 133 kM. he caa
carolles make, Rondeaf, balade and virelai. 14. . Lydg. Ta
Soverain Lady 40 Thus nutny a roundel and many a virelay
In fre^^&he Englisshe..! do recorde. 1483 Caxton G.
de lit Tour A'}, For in that time I made., vyrelayes in the
mooste best wyse I cowde. a 1500 Chaucer's Drenteg^s
Som to make verclaies & laies, And som to othere diverts
pleyes. ijaj Ld. Berseks Froiss. II. xxvL 30/1 Whiche
boke was called the Melyader, conteyninge all the songes,
baladdcs, rundeaux, and vyrelayes, whiche the gentyll duke
had made in his tyme. 1579 Spenser Shepk. Cnl. Nov. 21
But if thou algate lust light virclayes, And looser son^s of
louc to vndcrfong. 1593 Draytom Eel. iii. 55 With damtie
and delightsome straynes of dapper Verilayes. 161^ J.
Davies (Hcref.) Eclogue 34 Let thy Virilaies Kill enuious
cunning swaines..With enuy. 1700 Dryoen Flower^ Lea/
365 And then the Band of Flutes bc^an to play, To which a
Lady sung a Virelay;. 179S H. WalpoleZ.*^. to Mrs. //.
More 13 Feb., I received your letter and packet of lays and
vtrelays. 181a D'Israeli Calam. Auth. (1867) 76 Thus he
lived, like some old troubadour, by his rhymes, and his
chants, and his virelays. 1851 Mrs. Browning CasaGuidi
IVimi. I. 233 O Dead, ye shall no longer.. Drag us backward
by the garment thus. To stand and laud you in longdrawn
virelays ! 1880 F. Hueffkr \n Afacm. Mag. No. 255.
51 Every one will admit that a halting rondel or virelai is
simply an abominatim.
trans/. 164a H. More Song 0/ Soul n. i. iii. 5 You chearfull
chaunters of the flowring woods, ..To mournfuU note
turn your light verilayes, Death be your song, and Winters
hoary sprayes. 1818 Milman ^awwri/i The merry birdj
..sprina-tide virelays carolling.
Virelle, obs. form of Virl.
Vireut (v^ia'rent), a. [ad. L. virent-, vireiis^ ;
pres. pple. oivirere to be green. Cf. IL virenle.'] '•
fl. Verdant; fresh, not faded. Obs.
595 Z-^Wm* in. ii. 11 By reason of the fatall massacre
Which shall be made vpon the virentplaines. 1606 N.Baxter
Sidmy's Ourauia, Song E iv b. Then comes the Deaw, and
doth them recreate : Making them fresh, virent, and fortu*
nate. 1646 Sir T. Browne Pseud. Ep. 94 In these [rootsl
yet fresh and virent, they carve out the figures of men and
women. 1646 G. XiKHWA. Poems Wks. (Grosart) I. 33 For
through y» Place is nothing witberd ; butstill-virent Bayc:»
. . Appearc.
2. Green in colour.
1890 J. Wbicht Retrospect ii. 69 Let not the virent snake
229
entwine thee round. 1837 Tait's Mag. IV. 107 The sun.,
illuminated its virent tints. 1852 Bailey Festus (ed. 5) 490
One hand a staff of virent emerald held.
Vireo {y\'^t\6). Ornith. [a. L. vireo^ -eonis
(Pliny) sotpe small bird, perhaps the greenfinch.]
Any small American bird belonging to the genus
Vireo or the family Vireonidsc, ; a greenlet, a flycatcher.
Many species are distinguished by special epithets, as
black-capped^ black-headed., blue-heeided, gray, mountain,
plumbeous, red.eyed, ".vhite-eyedy yellow-throated^ etc.
1834 Audubon Ornith. Biogr. II. 287 The Vireos quench
their thirst with the drops of dew or rain that adhere to the
leaves or twigs. 1845 Hin