vengeful
the Lord) saying from the Bible people should not try to take
REVENGE themselves for wrongs which have been done to
them, but should leave it to God to punish people
venge•ful /'vend3fəl/ adj especially lit showing a fierce desire to
punish someone for the harm they have done to oneself
→-ly adv →-ness n [U]
ve-ni, vi-di, vi-ci /'veni 'vi:di 'viki/ Lat a phrase used by
Julius CAESAR. It is Latin for 'I came, I saw, I conquered.'
ve-ni-al /'viniəl/ adj fml (of a fault, mistake, wrongdoing etc)
of only slight importance and therefore forgivable: a venial
sin → compare VENIAL
Ven•ice /'venɪs/ a city in northeast Italy that is built on a
system of CANALS (=artificial rivers) and famous for its many
beautiful buildings and works of art. In former times, Venice
was a powerful independent state and an important trading
nation. It is now one of the most popular places in the
world for tourists, who can travel around the city in special
boats called 'gondolas', and it is thought of as a very
romantic city. → see also DEATH IN VENICE -Venetian
/və'ni:ʃən/ n, adj
ven•i•son /'venɪzən, -sən/ n [U] the flesh of a deer eaten as
food. In Britain, venison is expensive and considered to be a
rather special meat. In the US, only people who hunt deer as
a sport usually eat venison. → see MEAT (USAGE)
Venn di•a•gram /'ven ˌdaɪəɡræm/ n a picture that shows
the relationship between a number of things by using circles
that OVERLAP each other (=when part of one covers part of
another)
ven•om /'venəm/ n [U] 1 liquid poison which certain
snakes, insects, and other creatures use in biting or sting-
ing 2 bitter anger or hatred; extreme bad feeling: Her
remarks about him were full of venom.
ven•om•ous /'venəməs/ adj 1 (of a snake, insect etc) having
an organ that produces poison; able to attack with poi-
son 2 full of bitter hatred, bad feeling etc; MALICIOUS: a
venomous look →-ly adv
ve•nous /'vi:nəs/ adj med 1 of the VEINS (=blood tubes) of the
body → see also INTRAVENOUS 2 (of blood) that is returning
to the heart → compare ARTERIAL
vent¹ /vent/ v [T(on)] to give expression to (one's feelings),
especially unfairly: He had had a bad day at work and vented
his anger on his family. (=directed it at them)
vent² n 1 a hole, opening, or pipe by which gases, smoke,
air, or liquid can enter or escape from an enclosed space or a
container: an air vent → see also VENTILATE 2 tech the
opening through which small animals, birds, fish, and
snakes get rid of waste matter from their bodies 3 tech a long
narrow straight opening at the bottom of a piece of cloth-
ing, at the sides or back 4 give vent to to express (a strong
feeling) freely: He gave vent to his anger by kicking the chair.
ven•ti•late /'ventɪleɪt ∥ -tl-eɪt/ v [T] 1 to allow or cause fresh
air to enter and move around inside (a room, building etc),
thus driving out bad air, smoke, gas etc: a well-ventilated
room 2 fml to permit or cause full public examination of (a
subject or question) —lation /ˌventɪ'leʃən∥-tɪ'er-/ n [U]
The workers complained about the factory's lack of ventilation.
ven•ti•la•tor /'ventɪleɪtə ∥ -tl-eɪ-/ n 1 an apparatus for ven-
tilating a room, building etc: a ventilator shaft 2 an appara-
tus for pumping air into and out of the lungs of someone
who cannot breathe properly: The patient is on a ventilator.
ven•tri•cle /'ventrɪkəl/ n tech 1 either of the two spaces in
the bottom of the heart that receive blood from the atria
(ATRIUM) and push it out into the body 2 a small hollow
place in an animal body or organ, especially in the brain
ven•tril•o•quism /ven'trɪləkwzəm/ n [U] the art of speak-
ing or singing without moving one's lips or jaws, in such a way
that the sound seems to come from someone else or from
some distance away—quist n: a ventriloquist's dummy
Ven•tu•ra, Jes•se /ven'tʃʊərə, 'dʒesɪ/ (1951-) a US politi-
cian, actor, and professional WRESTLER. He was GOVERNOR of
Minnesota from 1999 to 2003.
ven•ture¹ /'ventʃər/ n a course of action, especially in
business, of which the result is uncertain and there is a risk
of loss or failure as well as a chance of gain or success: a
commercial/costly venture | The two companies have
embarked on a joint venture to produce cars in America.
venture² v fml 1 [I+adv/prep] to risk going somewhere or doing
something (dangerous): Today's the first time I've ventured
out of doors since my illness. 2 [T] to take the risk of saying
(something that may be opposed or considered foolish,
dare: If I may venture an opinion, I'd say the plan needs
closer examination. | [+to-v] May I venture to suggest a few
improvements? 3 [T(on)] to take the risk of harming or losi
He ventured his whole fortune on one throw of the
dice. 4 nothing ventured, nothing gained saying one cannot
obtain anything except by risking something or making an
effort to obtain it
venture on/upon sthg. phr v [T] to attempt (something
dangerous or risky): Now is not the time to venture on such an
ambitious project.
USAGE Venture, which can be either a verb or a noun,
carries the idea of risk to one's life or money: a new
business venture | Nobody ventured (=dared) to speak
to the angry king. An adventure (the more general word)
suggests excitement, with or without some danger. In the
plural it means the exciting life and activities of a character
in a story: This book is about the adventures of Sinbad
the Sailor.
'venture ,capital n [U] money lent to start up a new
business company, especially a risky one
ven•tur•er /'ventʃərər/ n someone who takes great risks,
especially someone who risked their life, money, ships etc
in distant places in former times: merchant venturers
'Venture ,Scouts, the a former part of the British SCOUT
ASSOCIATION, that was for boys and girls who were 16 to 21
years old → see EXPLORER SCOUTS, THE, SCOUT NETWORK
THE
ven•ture•some /'ventʃəsəm∥-tʃər-/ adj especially lit
AmE 1 (of a person) daring; ready to take risks 2 (of an
action) risky →-ness n [U]
ven•ue /'venju:/ n the place where something is arranged t
happen: The Grand Hotel, venue of this week's talks, is
packed out. | a change of venue
Ve•nus /'vi:nəs/ n [singular] 1 the PLANET second in order
from the sun and nearest to the Earth 2 in Roman MYTHOL
OGY, the GODDESS of beauty and love. In Greek mythology
her name is Aphrodite. A beautiful woman is sometimes
described as a Venus.
Venus de Mi•lo, the
/,vi:nəs də 'mi:ləʊ, -'mɑɪ-/ a
Greek statue of the goddess
VENUS that can be seen in
the LOUVRE in Paris. It is
badly damaged and is
famous for having no arms.
Venus fly•trap /ˌvi:nəs
'flɑɪtræp/ n a plant that
catches flies by quickly shut-
ting its leaves together
ve•ra•cious /və'reɪʃəs/ adj
rare truthful: a veracious wit-
ness →-ly adv
ve•rac•i•ty /və'ræsɪti/ n [U]
fml truthfulness
ve•ran•da, -dah /və'rændə/
also porch AmE- n an open
area with a floor and a roof
at the side of a house on the
ground floor. Houses in hot countries sometimes have a
veranda: She sat in the shade on the veranda. → compare
PATIO
verb /v3:b∥vɜ:rb/ n a word or group of words that is used
describing an action, experience, or state (such as wrote in S
wrote a letter, put on in He put on his coat or feels in She feel
hungry). In this dictionary the letter [I] shows that a verb is
INTRANSITIVE and the letter [T] shows that a verb is TRANS
TIVE: the first person singular of the verb 'to be' is I | to conjug
a verb → see also AUXILIARY VERB, PHRASAL VERB
verb•al¹ /'vɜ:bəl∥'vɜ:r-/ adj 1 spoken, not written: a verbal
description → opposite NONVERBAL 2 connected with words
and their use: verbal skill | verbal abuse → compare VER
BOSE 3 of a verb → see also VERBAL NOUN
verbal² n 1 [C] tech a word that has been formed from a verb