visual arts
1538
visual 'arts n art such as painting, SCULPTURE etc which makes its subject known by looking at it rather than reading or hearing it (such as a book or music)
visual dis'play unit n → see VDU
vi·su·al·ize also -ise BrE /'vɪʒuəlaɪz/ v [T(as)] to form a picture of (something or someone) in the mind; imagine: Though he described the place carefully, I couldn't visualize it because it was so different from anything I'd known. | [+obj+) v-ing] Try to visualize (yourself) sailing through the sky on a cloud. —ization /ˌvɪʒuəlaɪ'zeʃənl-ə-/ n [U]
vi·su·al·ly /'vɪʒuəli/ adv 1 in appearance: Visually the chair is very pleasing, but it's rather uncomfortable! 2 using VISUAL AIDS: He explained the journey visually by the use of pictures and maps.
vi·tal /'vaɪtl/ adj 1 [(to, for)] very necessary; of the greatest importance: Your support is vital to/for the success of my plan. | It's vital that we (should) act at once. | issues of vital national importance | the vital ingredient 2 [A] tech necessary in order to stay alive: He was lucky that the bullet hadn't entered a vital organ. (=any organ without which life cannot continue, such as the heart, brain etc) 3 fml apprec full of life and force: Their leader's vital and cheerful manner filled his men with courage. → see also VITALLY, VITALS
vi·tal·i·ty /vaɪ'tælɪti/ n [U] apprec 1 spirit; cheerfulness; force: I thought I detected a certain lack of vitality in her movements. 2 ability to stay alive or working in an effective way: This religious movement has shown surprising vitality, in spite of all that has been done to suppress it. | to sap the nation's vitality and spirit
vi·tal·ly /'vaɪtəl-i/ adv extremely: Would it matter vitally if he failed? | vitally important
vital 'organ n [usually pl.] a part of your body that is necessary to keep you alive, for example your heart and lungs
vi·tals /'vaɪtlz/ n [(the)P] especially old use or humor the main bodily organs (the lungs, heart, brain, and especially the stomach and bowels) without which a person cannot continue to live
vital 'signs n [P] med things that can be measured to see how well someone is, such as temperature, rate of heartbeat and breathing etc
vital sta'tistics n [P] 1 BrE infml the measurements, in INCHES, of a woman's body round the chest, waist, and HIPS: Jean's vital statistics are 38-24-38. 2 certain facts, officially collected and arranged, about people's lives, especially their births, marriages, deaths, and length of life
vit·a·min /'vɪtəmɪn, 'vaɪ-||'vaɪ-/ n 1 [C usually pl.] any of several chemical substances which are found in very small quantities in certain foods, and are important for growth and good health: This type of bread has added vitamins. | vitamin pills 2 [U] any particular type of this, named by a letter of the alphabet (A, B, C, D; E, G, H, K, or P): Oranges contain vitamin C. | vitamin B6
vi·ti·ate /'vɪʃieɪt/ v [T often pass.] fml to weaken; spoil; harm the quality of: The moral strength of his argument was vitiated by its impracticality. —ation /ˌvɪʃi'eɪʃən/ n [U(of)]
vit·i·cul·ture /'vɪtɪkʌltʃər/ n [U] tech (the study and science of) the growing of GRAPES, especially for making wine
vit·re·ous /'vɪtriəs/ adj tech of, made of, or like glass: Vitreous rocks are especially hard and shiny. | vitreous enamel
vit·ri·fy /'vɪtrɪfaɪ/ v [I;T] tech to (cause to) change into glass or a glasslike substance, by means of heat
vit·ri·ol /'vɪtriəl/ n [U] pure SULPHURIC ACID, which burns flesh deeply: (fig, lit) the vitriol in his pen (=cruel wounding quality in his writing)
vit·ri·ol·ic /ˌvɪtri'lɪk ||-'ɑ:l-/ adj fml fiercely cruel in speech or judgment; causing sharp pain to the mind: vitriolic criticism —~ally /kli/ adv
vi·tro /'vɪtrəʊ/ → see IN VITRO
vi·tu·pe·ra·tion /ˌvɪtjuːpə'reɪʃən||vaɪtuː-/ n [U] fml (the use of) angry speech and cursing
vi·tu·pe·ra·tive /vɪ'tjuːpərətɪv||vaɪ'tu-/ adj fml full of angry disapproval: vituperative comments.—~ly adv
vi·va·ce /vi'vɑ:tʃi, -tʃeɪ/ adv, adj (in music) played quickly and with spirit
vi·va·cious /vɪ'veɪʃəs/ adj apprec full of life and high spirits; LIVELY: a vivacious girl —~ly adv —~ness —~city /vɪ'væsɪti/ n [U]
Vi-val·di, An·to·nio /vɪ'vældɪl-'vaɪl-, æn'təʊniəʊ/ (1678-1741) an Italian COMPOSER who wrote many OPERAS and a lot of church music, but is best known for The Four Seasons, one of the most popular pieces of CLASSICAL music
vi·var·i·um /var'veəriəm/ n tech an enclosed place where animals are kept indoors in conditions as similar as possible to their natural surroundings
vi·va voc·e /ˌvaɪvə 'vəʊsi, -'vəʊtʃɪ||ˌvaɪvə 'vəʊsi, ˌviːvə 'vəʊtʃeɪ/ also viva BrE infml —n a spoken examination at a university
viv·id /'vɪvɪd/ adj 1 (of light or colour) bright and strong; producing a sharp sensation on the eye: a vivid flash of lightning | vivid red hair 2 that produces sharp clear pictures in the mind; lifelike: a vivid description/dream | 'I think he's married to two women.' 'Nonsense! You've got a vivid imagination!' —~ly adv —~ness n [U]
viv·i·sec·tion /ˌvɪvɪ'sekən/ n [U] the performing of operations on animals not to cure sickness but as scientific EXPERIMENTS (=tests), especially in order to increase medical knowledge of human diseases. Some people oppose vivisection because they think it is cruel to the animals. → see also ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUP
viv·i·sec·tion·ist /ˌvɪvɪ'sekʃənɪst/ n a person who practises or supports vivisection
vix·en /'vɪksən/ n 1 a female fox 2 lit a nasty bad-tempered woman
vix·en·ish /'vɪksənɪʃ/ adj lit (of a woman) fierce and bad-tempered
Viy·el·la /vaɪ'elə/ trademark a type of soft cloth made in the UK from cotton and wool, used for making clothes such as shirts and coats
viz. /vɪz/ also videlicet fml— adv and it is/they are; that is to say: On most English farms you'll find only three kinds of animal, viz. sheep, cattle, and pigs.
USAGE 1 Viz. is rather old-fashioned, and is less common than namely or i.e. 2 Viz. may be read aloud as 'namely'. → see also NAMELY (USAGE)
Viz /vɪz/ trademark a British COMIC (=magazine with stories told in pictures) for adults, which is full of rude jokes and is popular especially with students and other young adults. Most of its characters are STEREOTYPES (=people who are supposed to be very typical representatives of a certain type of person), and they include Sid the Sexist, Fascist Dad, and the Fat Slags.
vi·zi·er /vɪ'zɪər/ n (in former times) a minister in some Muslim countries
VJ /ˌviː 'dʒeɪ/ n abbrev. for VIDEO JOCKEY; someone who introduces music videos on television
V-J Day /ˌviː 'dʒeɪ ˌdeɪ/ abbrev. for Victory over Japan Day, August 15th 1945, the day on which victory over Japan in World War II was celebrated
Vlad·i·vos·tok /ˌvlædɪ'vɒstɒk||-'vɑːstɑːk/ a port and city on the east coast of Russia. The Trans-Siberian railway goes from Moscow to Vladivostok.
V-neck /'viː nek/ n a neck opening of a dress, shirt etc, with the front cut in the shape of a V—V-necked adj: a V-necked sweater
VoA, the /ˌviː əʊ 'eɪ/ n abbrev. for VOICE OF AMERICA
vo·cab /'vəʊkæb/ n infml for VOCABULARY
vo·cab·u·la·ry /və'kæbjʊləri, vəʊ-||-leri/ n 1 [C;U] words known, learnt, used etc: Our little boy's just starting to talk; he's got a vocabulary of (=knows) about ten words. | the average vocabulary of an intermediate student | to build up/extend one's vocabulary | to have a limited/extensive vocabulary | her musical vocabulary | The word 'failure' is not in my vocabulary. (=I will keep trying to do something however difficult it is) → compare LEXIS 2 [C] a list of words, usually in alphabetical order and with explanations of their meanings, less complete than a dictionary → see also GLOSSARY 3 [C;U] a list of the CODES or TERMS provided for use in a computer system
vo·cal¹ /'vəʊkəl/ adj 1 [A no comp.] of the voice; used in