vainglory
1522
vain·glo·ry /veɪnˈglɔːri||ˈveɪŋglɔːri/ n [U] lit or old use derog
great and unreasonable pride in one's abilities; great VANITY
—rious /veɪnˈglɔːriəs/ adj —riously adv
val·ance /ˈvæləns/ n 1 a narrow length of cloth hanging as
a border from the edge of a shelf, or from the frame of a bed
to the floor 2 AmE for PELMET
Val·ance, Holly /vəˈlæns/ (1983–) a POP SINGER, actress, and
model who was born in New Zealand, but who lives in
Australia. She played the character of Felicity 'Flick' Scully in
the Australian television SOAP OPERA Neighbours. After leav-
ing the show, she became a pop singer and her songs include
Kiss Kiss and Naughty Girl.
vale /veɪl/ n (especially lit. or as part of a place name) a broad low
valley: the Vale of Evesham | (pom, humor) this vale of tears
(=life, with all its difficulties)
val·e·dic·tion /ˌvælɪˈdɪkʃən/ n [C;U] fml (an act of) saying
goodbye, especially on very important or formal occasions
val·e·dic·to·ri·an /ˌvælɪdɪkˈtɔːriən/ n (in the US) the stu-
dent who has received the best marks overall in his or her
years in HIGH SCHOOL, college, or university and who gives
the FAREWELL speech at COMMENCEMENT → see Feature on
page A13
val·e·dic·to·ry /ˌvælɪˈdɪktəri / adj fml or lit used in saying
goodbye: valedictory remarks
va·len·cy /ˈveɪlənsi/ especially BrE || va·lence /-ləns/ especially
AmE → n tech a measure of the power of atoms to combine
together to form compounds
val·en·tine /ˈvæləntaɪn/ n 1 also 'valentine card a greetings
card sent to arrive on Saint Valentine's Day (February 14th),
declaring one's love for someone, but usually without giving
the name of the sender 2 the person to whom a valentine is
sent: Who is your valentine?
'Valentine's Day SAINT VALENTINE'S DAY
Val·en·ti·no, Ru·dolph /ˌvælənˈtiːnəʊ, ˈruːdɒlf||-dɑːlf/
(1895–1926) a US film actor, born in Italy, who appeared as
romantic characters in SILENT FILMS (=films made with no
sound). He was known for being sexually attractive, and for
being loved by millions of women who watched his films.
These films include The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
(1921) and The Sheik (1921).
val·et /ˈvælt, ˈvæleɪ/ n 1 also gentleman's gentleman — a
man's personal male servant, who looks after his clothes,
cooks his food etc 2 someone who cleans and presses the
clothes of people staying in a hotel: the hotel valet service
val·e·tu·di·nar·i·an /ˌvælɪtjuːdɪˈneəriən|-tuːdɪnˈɛər-/ n
old-fash fml someone who is always thinking about the state of
their health, even when this is not really necessary
Val·hal·la /vælˈhælə/ in Norse MYTHOLOGY, a place in Asgard,
the Norse heaven, to which the souls of those who died
bravely in battle are taken by the VALKYRIES
val·i·ant /ˈvæliənt/ also val·or·ous /ˈvælərəs/ adj especially fml
or lit very brave, especially in war; HEROIC: valiant resistance | a
valiant attempt to break the record —-ly adv
val·id /ˈvæld/ adj 1 (of a reason, argument etc) firmly based
on what is true or reasonable; that can be defended: a valid
excuse for arriving late at work 2 that can legally be used for
a stated period or in certain conditions: a train ticket valid
for three months | a valid passport → opposite INVALID 3 law
written or done in a proper manner so that a court of law
would agree with it —-ly adv —-ity /vəˈlɪdɪti/ n [U(of)] I
would question the validity of that assumption.
val·i·date /ˈvælɪdeɪt/ v [T] fml to make valid, especially
legally: In order to validate the agreement, both parties sign it.
—dation /ˌvælˈdeɪʃən/ n [C;U]
va·lise /vəˈliːz||vəˈliːs/ n a small bag used while travelling,
especially for carrying clothes
Val·i·um /ˈvæliəm/ n [U] a drug to make people feel calmer
and less anxious
Val·ky·rie /ˈvælkɪri||vælˈkɪriə/ n in Norse MYTHOLOGY, one of
ODIN's female servants, who ride on their horses into battles
and decide which brave soldiers will die. They then take the
souls of the dead soldiers to VALHALLA.
val·ley /ˈvæli/ n 1 an area of land lying between two lines of
hills or mountains, often with a river running through it →
see also RIFT VALLEY 2 the valley of Death quote a phrase
from Tennyson's poem The Charge of the Light Brigade:
Half a league, half a league
Half a league onward.
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
3 the valley of the shadow of death quote a phrase from the
Bible often used when talking about death
USAGE A deep, narrow mountain valley with steep sides, is
a ravine or gorge. If it is very small and steep it is a
gully; if it is very large it is a canyon.
Valley Forge a place in Pennsylvania in the US where
George WASHINGTON's soldiers stayed during the winter in
1777–78 in the AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR. Many men
died because of the cold and lack of food.
val·our BrE || -or AmE /ˈvælər/ n [U] especially fml or lit great
bravery, especially in war → see also VALIANT
val·u·a·ble¹ /ˈvæljuəbəl, -jʊbəl||ˈvæljuːbəl/ adj 1 worth a lot
of money: a valuable painting/property 2 [(for, to)] having
great usefulness or value: years of valuable service | valuable
advice | a waste of my valuable time
USAGE Things of great value are valuable or (much
stronger) priceless: This ancient gold coin isn't just
valuable it's priceless. Invaluable is not used to talk
about prices or money. It means 'very useful indeed': Your
assistance has been invaluable. | Their advice proved
invaluable to us on our journey. Things of little or no
value are worthless or (less common) valueless: The
metal looked like gold, but in fact it was
worthless/valueless.
valuable² n [usually pl.] something, especially something
small such as a piece of jewellery, that is worth a lot of
money: Guests may deposit their valuables in the hotel safe.
val·u·a·tion /ˌvæljuˈeɪʃən/ n 1 [C;U(of)] the action or busi-
ness of calculating how much money something is worth:
We asked an expert to make a valuation of the paint-
ing. 2 [C[of, on]] a value or price decided on: The valuation
(put) on the house was £190,000.
val·ue¹ /ˈvæljuː/ n 1 [S;U] the usefulness, helpfulness, or
importance of something, especially in comparison with
other things: You'll find this map of great value in helping
you to get around London. | The government sets a higher
value on defence (=considers it more important) than on
education. | Their research into ancient languages seems to
have little practical value. 2 [C;U] the worth of something in
money or as compared with other goods for which it might
be exchanged: Because of continual price increases, the value
of the pound has fallen in recent years. | land values | I paid
him £50 for the painting, but its true value/its market value
must be at least £500. | The thieves took some clothes and a few
books, but nothing of any value/of great value. 3 [U] worth
compared with the amount paid: We offer the best value in
London: only £5 for a meal with wine and coffee. | You always
get value for money at that shop. (=the goods are always
worth the price charged) 4 [C] tech (in MATHEMATICS) the
quantity expressed by a letter of the alphabet or other sign:
Let 'x' have the value 25. 5 [C] tech the length of a musical
note → see also VALUES, FACE VALUE, NUISANCE VALUE,
STREET VALUE; see VALUABLE (USAGE) —-less adj
value² v [T] 1 [(at)] to calculate the value, price, or worth of
If you want to sell your collection of stamps you ought to have
it valued. | The house has been valued at £142,000. 2 to
consider to be of great worth; ESTEEM: I've always valued
your friendship/your advice. | a valued friend
value-added tax n → see VAT
'value judgment n a judgment about the quality of some-
thing, based on opinion rather than facts: Try to assess his
actions without making value judgments.
val·u·er /ˈvæljuər/ n a person whose work is to decide how
much money things are worth
val·ues /ˈvæljuːz/ n [P] standards or principles; ideas about
the worth or importance of certain qualities, especially
those generally accepted by a particular group: moral values
valve /vælv/ n 1 a doorlike part of a pipe or tube which
opens and shuts so as to control the flow of liquid, air, gas
etc, through it: The valves of the heart and blood vessels
allow the blood to pass in one direction only. → see picture a