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VIBGOUI.E(E.
as virgo may with gemini bewar. 1664 Butler Hud. II. iii.
534 Quoth Wizard, So ! In Virgo? Ha ! quoth Whachum,
Na Has Saturn nothing to do in 't. 1697 Creech Manilius
II. 70 .\gainst the Crab and Bull the Goat declares, And
Virgo too, and Libra feels his Wars. 1771 EncycL Brit, I.
460/2 In 14 days afterwards, the moon comes to Virgo and
Libra, which are the opposite signs to Pisces and Aries.
17S7 Burns Let. to Mmrc 2 Aug., Yet I went on with a
high hand with my geometry, till the sun entered Virgo,
a month which is always a carnival in my bosom. 1843
PrtiHyCj'c/.XXVl. 373/1 Virgo,.. the sixth constellation
in the zodiac... It is best known by two remarkable stars ;
the first, Spica (a Virginis):..the other, Praevindemiatrix,
or Vindemialrix (« Virginis). 1868 Lockver GMtllemin's
Heaz'eiis (ed. 3) 395 This zone . . is known under the name
of the nebulous regions of Virgo.
+ VirgOule(e. Obs. Also 7 vergoule. [a. F.
Virgoiilie, the popular pronunciation of Vilkgoureix,
the name of a village in the province of
Limousin (Hatzf.).] = next.
1699 Evelyn Kal. Hort. (ed. 9) 18 Pears. Winter Musk, .
Vergoules, the great Surrein. Ihid. 134 Ice-Pear, Dove-
Pear, Virgoule, Readman's-Pear. 1719 London & Wise
Comfl. Card. 53 La VirgouUe. The Virgoulee, otherwise
call d the Bujaleiif, Chambrett, the Ice-Pear [etc.]. Ibid.
160 Autumn, and Winter Pears, especially the largest ; as
the Beums, i'irgmUs, and Ban.Cretiens. 1741 Compl.
Fam.-Piece 11. iiL 406 These Pears; [Nov.] Martin Sec,..
Virgou le, Sucrevert.
II virgonlense (v»rg«I&). Also 7 Virguleua.
7, 9 Vergouleuse, 8 Virgoleuse. [F. ot>gouleuse,
f. Virgoulee (see prec.).] A jnicy variety
of winter pear. Also aitrib. with pear. Cf.
Vkeoaloo.
1698 .M. Lister Journ. Paris (1699) 159 The Virguleus
Pears were admirable. 1(99 Evelyn Kal. Hort. (ed. 9) 167
Pears. Bergamot de Busy. Vergouleuse. 1706 GentiCs
yardiiiier Solitaire 40 The Marquise, the E,ister Bergamot,
the Virgouleuse. 1715 Fam. Diet. s.v. Pears, Pears
which become ripe in November.—The Virgouleuse is an
old Pear, well known for its Goodness. 1818-31 Webster,
Vergoul,.use, a species of pears contracted to vergaloo.
«845 A. ). Downing Fruits >, Fruit trees Amer. 450
Virgouleuse... An excellent old French variety [of winter
pear). .It is, however, a very different pear from the Vir.
galieu of New.York, which is the White Doyenne', i860
HoGC Fruit Mail. 219 Virgouleuse... Fruit large and
pyriform. Skin smooth and delicate, pale lemon colour...
November till January.
II Virgnla (v5-jgiala). [L., small rod or twig,
critical mark, dim. oivirga twig, rod, wand, etc.]
1. Zool. A small rod like growth or formation :
+ a. One of the spines of a ray. Obs.
i«6i Lovei.l Hist. Aitim. ^ Min. bjb. They {sc. rays]
take their prey, by hiding themselves in the inudde and I
putting out their virgula;, and so alluring the smalt fishes,
comming to them as weeds.
b. The rod-like axis of a graptolite.
1907 Fossil Ini-ertebr. Anim. Brit. Mus. 47 The colony
acquired a median supporting rod or virgula ; this ended
often in a disk.
2. t a. Virgula divina or divinatoria, a divining-
or dowsing-rod. Obs.
1656 Cowley Pindar. Odes, To Mr. Hobs Note 28
Virgula Divina (see Divining vbl. si. 2). 1669 Worlidge
Syit. Agric. vL i 3. 80 It is th; onely Plant for the Virgula
Divina, for the discovery of .Mines. 1674 Blount Gtosso'r.
(ed. 4), Virgula divinatoria, is a Rod of Hazel, wherewith
Miners pretend to discover where the Ores of Metalls lie.
1691 LocKK Lower. Interest 40 Not of the nature of the
deusing.rod, or virgula divina, able to discover mines of
gold and silver.
b. = Ron sb. 6 b.
i8a6 Peacock in Eucyct. .Metro!: (1845) I. 411 Of this
description are the virgube, or rods of Napier, which were
formerly much celebrated and very generally used.
3. fa. = ViBQULE I. Obs. rare.
iTi8 Chambers Cyel. s.v. Point, A Point with a Virgula,
cali'd a Semicolon. Ibid. s,v. Comma.
b. Mus. (See quots.)
i8ai Bi;sBV Diet. Mus., Virgula, the name of one of the
ten notes used in the middle ages. 1876 Stainer& Barrktt
Diet. Mus. Ternti 450/1 Virgula, (i) The stem or tail of a
note. (2) .\ neume.
Virgnlar (va-jgi«?15j), a. [f. L. virgula (see
prec.) •^ -arI.]
1 1. Of musical syncopation ; Denoted by a smaU
dash or stroke. Obs.~^
1609 Douland Ornith. Microl. 51 To the same Signe
there may belong a double Diminution, to wit ; virgular and
numerall, thus : (p 2. Virgular syncopation is much used.
2. OfOgham characters, etc : Having the shape
of small thin rods ;
consisting of slender rod-like
lines or strokes.
i8»7 G. HiGGiNs Celtic Druids 3 Another example of an
Irish character called a virgular ogham. Ibid. 35 The
virgular alphabets of the Druids.
Vi'rgalate, a. [ad. L. virgulat-us, f. virgula :
see -ate] (See qnots.)
1840 Smart IValier'j Diet., Virgulate,.. shifxd like a
liule rod. 189a Crozier Diet. Bot, Terms 199 Virgulate,
diminutive of virgate, shaped like a little twig or rod.
Virffole (v5ugi«l). [a. F. virgule, or ad. L.
virgula Vikoula.]
L A thin sloping or npright line ( /, |
) occurring
in medixval MSS. as a mark for the caesura or as
a pimctuation-mark (frequently with the same value
as the modern comma).
1837 Hallam Hist. Lit. i. viii. {26 In the manuscripts
of Chaucer, the line is always broken by a csesura in the
middle, which is pointed out by a virgule. 1895 HoFE-
235
MAN Beginnings of Writing m According to Orozco y
Berra these virgules or commas represent the verb to blow
or to hum.
2. Clockmaking. (See quot.)
1884 t'. J. Britten Watch ^ Clockm. 2S4[A] Virgule. .(isj
an escapement having points of resemblance to the verge
and to the horizontal,
t Virguler, error for prec. or Virgula.
1610 Marcelline Triumphs Jos. /, Cj b, Let them
measure the Syllables, weigh the Words, controule the
pomts and Virgulers.
tVirgult. Obs. [ad. L. virguUa (nent. pi.),
bush, thicket, copse, slips or cuttings of trees, f.
virguia Virgula.]
1. A bush or shrub ; a set of young shoots ; a
branch or twig.
ij^ox Douglas Pal. Hon. i. Prol. xii, Amyd the virgultis
all in till a fary, As feminine sa feblit fell I down. 1656
Blount Giossogr., Virguli^ . . a company of young shoots, or
many young tender Sprigs and Sprouts growing together
out of the ground. 1657 Tomlinson Kenou's Disp. 240
Certain red berries adhere to its virgults.
2, A thicket or copse.
1736 Drake's Eboracuni 1. vii. 334 A loft and a virgult, and
three other measures of land,
Virgu-ltate, a. rare-°. [f. mod.L, virgult-um
(see next) + -ate.] Virgulate.
1888 Cassflts EncycL Did,
II Virgultum
(vajg^-lt^m). Bot. [mod.L.
see Virgult.] A young slender branch or twig.
x866 Treas. Bot. 1219/2 ;
and in recent Diets.
fVir-hime, southern ME. var. Fire-iron i.
t^iWS Gioss. W. lie BibbtisTv. in Rel. Ant. II. 81 Flint,
cailJeun % vir-hirne, lefnsH.
Virial (vi-rial). Physics, [a. G. virial (Clausius),
f. L. vir-^ pi. stem of vis force, strength.] In
Clansius* kinetic theorem of gases : (see quots.).
1870 tr. Clansiiis m Lond., eic Philos. Mag. Aug. 123
We will therefore give to the mean value which this magni.
tude has during the stationary motion of the system the
name of FrWa/of the system. 1875 EnzV/j (see
next), after rubicund.'] In a green state.
1599 A. M. tr. Gabelhouer's Bk. Pkysicke 191/2 Take
hojjpes with the stalckes, and roote, ether vincunde, or
e.\siccated,
Vi rid, a. poet, and rhet. Also 7 viride. [ad.
L. virid'is green, blooming, vigorous.] Green,
verdant.
1600 Fairfax Tasso xii. xdv, Her tombe was not of viride
Spartane greet. Nor yet by cunning hand of Scopas
wrought. 1658 H. Crompton PieHdes 82 The virid Marjoram
Her sparkling l)cauty did but see. 1794 T. Tavloi*
Pausanias* Dtscr. Greece I. 61 There is, also, a temple of
Earth the nurse of youths, and of virid Ceres. iSia H. & J.
Smith Rej. Addr. x. (1873) 97 The pillars, .blooming in
virid antiquity, like two massy evergreens. 1866 J. B. Rose
tr. Ovids Met. 341 And as he spoke the virid bough upon
Wound a-s he wa.s, the dragon turned to stone.
Roman Antiq. [L. viridd-
li Virida*rium.
Hum plantation of trees, pleasure-garden, f. viridis
ViBiD ?V/«r£ to
grow green, f. viridis Vibid a.] (See quots.)
VIRIDITY.
i6»3 CocKERAM I, Viridate, to wax or make greene. i6«6
Blount Glossogr.^ Viridate, to make green and lusty
fVindeer. Obs-"- [ad. med.L. viridaHus
(see ViRiUABY j^.), after words ending in -€er^ A
verderer,
1609 Skene Reg. Maj., Stat. K. William 12 Gif he be
found the third time with grene wode, he sail be presented
to the virideer (the keiper of the grene wode and grassej
t Viri-deous, a. Obs,-'^ [Irreg. f. \..viHd-is
ViiiiD a.] Virid.
1688 Holme Armoury 11. 313/2 Viridis, virideous, green,
colour.
Viride'SCence. rare. [Cf. next.] The quality
of being viridescent.
1841 Blackm. Ma^. L. 697 An artist of this school.. is
signalized by the flatness and viridescence of his canvass in
a moment. 191s Natio7t 25 May 282/2 More like potatoes
than_the tender viridescence that we like best.
Viride'SCent, a. rare. [ad. ppl. stem of late
L. viridescire to become green, f. viridis ViRiD a. :
see -ESCENT.] Somewhat green or virid. Alsoyf^.
1847 Darlington Amer. Weeds, etc. (i860) 433 Virid.
escent, greenish. i88 Stevenson Lett. (1899) II. 158 The
front of the mountain ivied and furred with clinging forest,
one viridescent cliff. 1907 Sat. Rev. 5 Oct. 420/2 Philosophers,
like gods, may have a crude and viridescent old age.
llViri'dia. Chem. [mod.L., f. L. viridis
Virid a. Cf. Viridine 3.] A vegetable alkaloid
obtained from the rootstock of Veralrum viride,
an American variety of white hellebore ; jervine.
1874 Garrod & Baxter Mat. Med. 383 The researches of
Dr. H. C. Wood have led him to conclude that Viridia and
Veratroidea both exert a depressant influence on the heart.
Viri'dian, sb. and a. [f. L. virid-is Virid a.]
a. sb. Veronese green, b. adj. Of or pertaining
to this colour,
i88a W. T. Suffolk in Science Gossip Mar. 49 The following
list of colours contained in my own box may prove
useful . . . Viridian. [Note.] A transparent oxide of chromium,
perfectly permanent, of great u.se both by itself and in
compounding other greens. ^ 1903 Sat. Rev. 21 Mar. 356/2
The patch of green bank shimmering up to viridian pitch
encouraged by.. greys.
Viri'dic, a. Chem, [f. as prec. + -ic] Viridic
acid (see quot.).
1868 Watts Diet. Chem. V. 1002 Viridic acid,.. am acid
produced by the oxidation of cafi'etanic acid in presence of
ammonia.
Viridine (vi ridain). Also -in, [f. as prec. +
-INE. Cf. F. viridine,']
1. Bol, = Chlorophyll, Chromule.
1837 p. Keith Bot. Lex, 59 The pulp constituting the
parenchyma of the leaves was at one time designated by
the appellation ol viiidine, because it is generally of a green
colour. 1859 Mayne Expos. Lex. s.v.
2. Dyeing. A green aniline dye (see quots.),
1875 lire's Diet. Arts (ed, 7) 1. 72