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VEDA. 71 VEEE.
three Things, which one Nation selleth vnto another; The
Commodilie. .; The Manufacture; and the Vecture or
Carriage, a 1643 [see Sectube].
Ved, obs. So. form of Wed v., Weed s/>.
II Veda (v^-c?a). Also 8 Beda ; Vidam, "Viedam,
Vedara. [a. Skr. vec/a knowledge, sacred
knowledge, sacred book, from the root vti/- to
know : see Wit zf. The a-forms are from the Skr.
nom. and ace. vei/am, perh. partly through Tamil.
The Urdu form ^^// (Hindi ved) is also represented
in older use by BeaU (1698), BeiJ (1776), and
Bec/e (1789).] One or other of the four ancient
sacred books of the Hindus(called the A"?^-, Yajur-^
Sdnia-y and Atharvaveda) ; the body of sacred
literature contained in these books.
«. 1734 PiCART tr. Roger^s Relig. f Manners Bramins in
Cerem, Sf Relig. Customs Var. Nations 1 1 1. 353 The Vedani
is the Book of the Law among these People, and contains
alt they are to believe or practise. 1763 Schafton Indostan
{1770) 4 The Bramins say, that Brumma, their law-giver,
left them a book, called the Vidam, whcih contains all his
doctrines and institutions. 1766 J. Z. ^\o\.fi^\JL Interesting
Hist. Events (ed. 2) I. 12 The great absurdities and im-
ui ilies of the Viedam. 1778 Orme Hist. MHit. Trans, vt.
wI.
5 The Shasier . . they assert to be the genuine scripture of
Bramah, in preference to the Vidam. 1794 R. J. Sulivan
View Nat. IV. 295 The Vedams, or texts of scripture, were
published by Brahma, together with the Shasters, or commentaries,
about six hundred years afterwards.
/3. 1776 JusTAMosD tr. RayimCs Hist. Ind. I. 33 The
Bramin.. promised to pardon him on condition that he
should swear never to translate the Beda-!, or sacred volumes,
1788 Asiatic Researches I. 340 The first four [parts of knowledge]
are the immortal i'iJas evidently revealed by God.
1808 CoLEBROOKE Ibtd. VIII. 387 It may be here proper to
remark, that each Veda consists of two parts, denommated
the Mantras and the Brahmanas ; or prayers and precepts.
1841 Elphinstone Hist. Ind, I. 71 The religion taught in
the Institutes is derived from the V^das, to which scriptures
they refer in every page. 1871 Mateer Travancore 35
Accordingly, as a matter of fact, tlie Sudras never do read
the Sanscrit Vedas.
attrib. 1841 Penny Cyd. XX. 40^/1 In like manner, the
Veda-hymns . . led to the consideration of the laws of metre.
1843 Ibid. XXVI. 171 These various schools of the Veda
theology.
Hence Teda'ic
Vedism.
a., = Vedic a. ; Ve'daism, =
1865 Baring-Gould IVerewoIves x. 176 In ancient Indian
Vedaic mythology the upsaras were heavenly damsels who
dwelt in the iether, between Earth and Sun. 1887 L. Parks
Star in Ectst viii. 202 Their religion sprung from the same
root as Ved a ism.
II Veda'Iita.
Also Vedanta, Ved&nta. [Skr.
veddniay f. veJa Veda ^ anta end.] One of the
leading systems of Hindu philosophy. Also attrib.
The Hindi form Vedant has also been occas. used.
18J3 CoLKBHOOKE PkHos. Hindus in Trans. Roy. Asiatic
Soc. (1827) I. ig The latter (Uttara) commonly called Vedinta,
and attributed to Vy.isa, deduces from the text of the
Indian scriptures, a reBned psychology, which goes to a
denial of a material world, 184^ C. S. Hesry tr. £>/'.
Hist. Pkilos. 28 The Vedanta philosophy is an exhibition
of pantheism in its greatest metaphysical strictness. Ibid.
29 The Vedanta system shows us .. how pantheism must
logically result in scepticism. 1895 It-'estm. Cm. 23 Oct. 1/3
The philosophy of Vedanta is the abstract science which
embraces ail these methods.
Hence Vedantic a., Vedantlsm, Veda'ntist.
The Skr. I'edantin and Hindi Vcdanti have also been
used instead of ' Vedani ist ',
1881 Max Muller India vii. 270 The Brabma.Samag..
was 'Vedantic in spirit. 1881 Atfunaeum 8 July 41/1 He
commences his enumeration with that system which is
furthest removed from Veduntic speculation,, .omitting, bowever,
the VedanU itself. 1849 C S. Henry tr. Epit. Hist.
Philos. 29 "Vedantism embraces in its wide comprchcn:»ion,
a multitude of other conceptions, which are common to it
and to the other pbiIoso{}hies of India. 1S80 Birdwood Ind
Arts I. 4 But Vedantism is really nothing eUe than Nihilism.
18^ C. S. Henbv tr. Epit. Hist. Philos. 26 Brahma alone
exists; everything else is an illusion. The *Vedaniistft
prove this capital axiom by [etc J. Ibid, 29 In order (o
avoid misconception of the Vedantist reasoning. 1864
Tkevelvam Compet. lyaiiak (1866) 215 His sect went by
the name of ' Vedanti^ts;* in fact, the 'Evangelicals' of
the East.
Ve'dda. Also 7 Vaddah, 9 Veddah, Wedda.
[Sinhalese veddd archer, hunter.] A member of
a primitive race inhabiting the forest districts of
Ceylon.
x68t R. Ksox /////. Ceylon 6i In this Land arc many of
these wild men, they call them Vaddahs. 1851 Carpenter
i\fan. Pkys. (ed. 2) 289 The Veddahs or wild hunters of
Ceylon. 1875 Jevoss Money iv. 28 Somewhat similar pieces
circulated m Abyssinia, the Soulou .\rchipelago, ., and
among the Veddaiis. i88« Tylor Anthropology vi. (1904)
164 In the forests of Ceylon arc found.. the Vcddas or
'hunters', shy wild men who build bough huts, and live on
game and wild honey.
Vedde, obs. Sc. f. Withv. Vedder, -ir, obs.
Sc. f. AVeather, Wether. Vede, obs. Sc. f.
Weed sb. Vede(n, southern MK. varr. Fekd v,
Veder, southern MK. var. Father, Featheu.
Jl Vedette (v/de-t). Alsogvedet; 7-vidette.
[K., ad. It. vedetta^ prob. f. vedere to see. The
incorrect spelling vidette^ now rare, was common in
the first half of the 19th cent.]
1. Mil. A mounted sentry placed in advance of
the outposts of an army to observe the movements
of the enemy.
[ a. 1690 Da VIES Diary (Camden) 129 And then lay down to
sleep . . without posting any scouts or videttes abroad. 1778
Gouv. MoRKis in Sparks Corr. Amer. Rev. U853) II. 228 A
few good cavalry may be requisite for the videttes. i8iz
Examiner 7 Sept. 561/2 He fell in with the enemy's
videttes. 1843 Prescott Mexico in. iii. (1864J 152 One
of the videttes perceived.. a large body of Indians moving
towards the Christian lines. x868 Regul. ^ Orders Army
§ 892 Instructions for the guidance of Outposts,, .videttes,
and sentries, i^x R. W. Chambers Maids 0/ Paradise
xxii. 376 The rigid system of patrol which brought death, .to
our sleet-soaked videttes.
p. 170a Milit. Diet., Vedette, a Sentinel of the Horse.,
detached from the main Body of the Army [etc.]- 1746 R^P'
Comi. Sir J. Cope 78 To post the Out-Guard, and see the Vedettes
placed properly. 1786 Gillies Hist. Greece iii. I. ico
The order of their guards and watches was highly judicious
they employed, for their security, out-sentries and vedettes.
1809 Wellington in Gurw. Desp. (1836) V, 355 note^ The
vedettes of the outposts were within shot of each other.
\^^Queen"s Re^. \ Ord. Army 394 Whether they have
been m the habit of placing piquets, posting vedets, conducting
patrols, &c. 1879 Blachw, Mag. July 23 A vedette
was killed to-day. Half-a-dozen Zulus rushed out on him
soon after he had been posted for the day.
trans/. 1807 Pike Sources Mississ. (1810) 248, I made a
pretext to halt—established my boy as a vedet, and sat
down peacably under a bush and made my noies. tSia
CoL. Hawker Diary (1893) I. 53 An old cock, who was the
vidette. 1878 L. W. M. Lockhart Mine is Thine xxii.
II. 98 The blackcock vedette rolled his burnished plumage
leisurely against the sun.
Jig. 1801 Jkfeebson Writ. (1859) VII. 483 Philosophical
vedette at the distance of one thousand miles, .is precious
to us here. \9io Spectator j-^ Nov. 1439 They cannot bear to
see the landlords, whom they regard as their own vedettes,
terrorized.
2. Vedette boaty a small vessel used for scouting
purposes in naval warfare.
1884 Pall Mall G. 6 Oct. 6/1 Building armour-clads, f;ist
cruisers, vedette and torpedo boats. 189a Times (weekly
ed.) 7 Oct. 7/2 They are vedette boats and not torpedo
boats in the proper sense.
Vedic (v^''dik), a. and sb. [f. Ved-a + -ic]
a. adj. Of or pertaining to, contained or mentioned
in, contemporary with, the Vedas. b. sb. The
language of the Vedas, an early form of Sanskrit.
1859 Max MiJLLER Anc. Sanskrit Lit. 10 The sacred
literature of the Vedic age. Ibid. 11 The.. publication of
all Vedic texts and commentaries. 1864 Pisi v Ltd, Daniel
ix. 558 The old Vedic worship was a libation to the god of
fire. 1873 Whitney Oriental * Ling. Stud, i A general
view of tne whole body of Vedic literature. 1884 American
VIII. 90 There arc still orthodox Brahmans, who. .maintain
old V«iic sacrifices. 189a Schrumpf First Aryan Reader
p. xi. Specimen B ought to have preceded specimen A, as
Vedic is older than Sanskrit.
Vedir, obs. Sc. f. Weather.
Ve'dism, [f. Ved-a-(--ism. Cf. Vedaism.]
The system of religious beliefs and practices contained
in the Vedas,
188a Athenxuvt 29 Apr. 543/3 In this paper he showed
the relationship between the Vaishnava religion and three
other forms of the Hindu religious system, viz., Ved ism,
Brahmanism, and Saivism. 1895 J. KiDD Morality^ Relig.
v. 191 Vedibm, then, generally speaking, was a religion of
nature.
Ve'dist. [f. as prec. + -I8T.] A student of, or
authority on, the Vedas.
1896 Seeley Introd. Pol. Sd. (1903) 364 Not dealing with
ihe new matter introduced by Kgyptologbts or As>yrioIogists
or Vedists.
Vedlaky obs. form of Wedlock.
Vedo(^u, obs. Sc. ff. Widow.
llVedrO. AlsoSwedro. [Russ. Be^po pail.]
A Russian liquid measure equal to 2.7 imperial
gallons.
1753 Hanway Trav, vi. Ixxxi. {1762) I. 371, 8 Krushquos, i
wedro— 13 english quarts. 1799 W. Tookk View Russian
F.mp. II. 523 The greater part was then already podraded
(contracted) for at 148 kopecks for every vedro. 1802-3 "''
Pallas s Trav. (1812) I. 234 Boiled in large kettles contain*
ing from forty to forty.thrce Russian vedros, or eimers, of
water. 1833 R. Pinkerton Russia 77 The. .di^tilleries.
issue about twenty-five millions of vedros. 1907 Edin. Rev.
Jan. 224 The peasants of that province.. drank this year
62,924 vedros of vodka more than last.
Vee. Mining. (See quot.)
1883 Gkesley Gloss. Coal-M, »5g Vee. the junction of two
underground roadways meeting in the form of a V.
II Veedor, Obs, Also 6 veadore, viador. [a,
Sp. and Pg. vteddry Pg. vedor^ veador^ viador, f.
ver to see.] An official invested with inspecting
or controlling power.
" [1555 Eden Z>r