Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors - Bill Bryson [125]
veld (pref.)/veldt (alt.). Grassland.
vellum. The finest type of parchment.
venal, venial. Venial, from the Latin venialis (“forgivable”), means excusable; a venial sin is a minor one. Venal means corruptible. It comes from the Latin venalis (“for sale”) and describes someone who is capable of being bought.
vendetta.
vendible.
veneer.
venerable.
venerate, worship. Although in figurative senses the words are interchangeable, in religious contexts worship should apply only to God. Roman Catholics, for instance, worship God but venerate saints.
Venezuela. South American republic; capital Caracas.
vengeance.
Veni, vidi, vici. (Lat.) “I came, I saw, I conquered.”
venomous.
venous. Pertaining to veins.
ventilator.
ventre à terre. (Fr.) Full out, at top speed.
ventricles for the heart valves. Not ventricals.
Venus’ fly-trap. (Note apos.)
veranda is the preferred spelling, but verandah is acceptable.
verbal agreement, because it can mean either a written or spoken agreement, can be ambiguous. Where the manner of agreeing is important, it is generally better to describe it as an oral or a written agreement.
verbatim means in exactly the same words.
verboten. (Ger.) Forbidden.
verdant. Green.
Verdi, Giuseppe. (1813–1901) Italian opera composer.
verdigris. Green rust on copper or brass.
verisimilitude. Air of truth, the quality of being realistic.
Vermeer, Jan. (1632–1696) Dutch painter.
vermicelli. Type of pasta.
vermilion (one l) for the color, but Vermillion (two l’s) for the towns in Kansas and South Dakota.
vermouth.
vernal. Pertaining to the spring, as in vernal equinox.
Veronese, Paolo. (1528–1588) Italian painter; born Paolo Cagliari.
Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, New York City.
Verrocchio, Andrea del. (1436–1488) Italian painter and sculptor.
Versailles. Palace near Paris.
vertebra, pl. vertebrae.
Verwoerd, Hendrik. (1901–1966) Dutch-born South African prime minister (1958–1966).
very should be made to pay its way in sentences. Too often it is used where it adds nothing to sense (“It was a very tragic death”) or is inserted in a futile effort to prop up a weak word that would be better replaced by something with more punch (“The play was very good”).
Vespucci, Amerigo. (1454–1512) Italian navigator and explorer after whom America was named.
vestibule. Entrance room or hall.
Veterans Administration. (No apos.) Former name of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
vetoes.
Veuve Clicquot. Champagne.
vexatious.
VHF. Very high frequency.
via, meaning “by way of,” indicates the direction of a journey and not the means by which the journey is achieved. It is correct to say “We flew from London to Sydney via Singapore,” but not “We traveled to the islands via seaplane.”
viable does not mean feasible or promising, senses in which it is frequently used. It means capable of independent existence. A fetus is viable if it can live outside the womb.
Via Dolorosa. Jerusalem; “Way of sadness” route taken by Jesus to the Crucifixion.
Vianchang. Capital of Laos; formerly called Vientiane.
vicereine. Female viceroy; the wife of a viceroy.
vichyssoise. Soup. Note -ss-.
vicious.
vicissitude. A change of circumstance. Although there is no compelling reason for it, the word is almost always used in the plural.
victualer. A provider of food and drink; pronouned vittler.
vie, vying.
Vientiane. Capital of Laos, now called Vianchang.
Vietcong, Vietminh. (Each one word.)
Vietnam. (One word.) Southeast Asian nation; capital Hanoi.
Vieux Carré. French quarter of New Orleans.
vigilance, vigilant, vigilante.
vignette. A decoration or sketch; an image with no definite border; a literary sketch.
vilify. Not -ll-. Defame.
Villa-Lobos, Heitor. (1887–1959) Not Hector. Brazilian composer.
Villaraigosa, Antonio. (1953–) Mayor of Los Angeles (2005–).
Ville Lumière. (Fr.) “City of light,” nickname of Paris.
Villette. Novel by Charlotte Brontë (1853).
vinaigrette. A kind of salad dressing.
vin ordinaire. (Fr.) Inexpensive wine.
Virgil. Anglicized