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v T
Jat. boundcd by the river Patowmack, which rcparates it
from M aryland. on the Dorth; by the AtI:tnlic·oce~[],
00 the can; by Carolinfl, OD lhe fouth; and lI1ay be ex–
tended as (ar weHw:\rd as we (hink 6t.
VIRGINITY. the tdl or criterioD or • virtin. or tbat
whieh IMid es her to lhe denomination.
VIRGO, iD aflronomy, one of lhe figos ar conneJlarioD'
ofthe zodiaco See ASTRONOMY. p. 487.
VIRILE . fomethiog that belongs or is peculiar lo aman,
or lhe mate {ex.
VIRTUAL, or POTENT IAL, fometbing Ihat has a power
ar virtue of atling ar doing. The term is chidly und.:r.
fi ood of fometbiog that aéls by • fecre< iDvilible caufe,
in oppofition lO aflual and fenlible.
VJRTU E, a tc:rm ufed in nrious figni6cations. In the
,cDeral it denote. power, or perfe(tion oC any thing, whc·
ther natural or fupcrn2tural, anim21e or ¡n anímate, dfen.
lial or acceffor}'. But ia its mor~ proper or refirained
rcare, virtue ligni6es ao habll, which improves and per·
feéls the polfeO;'r ood his aélioos.
VIRTUOSO, '0 l talian term, lately introduced iDtO E ng.
Jifh, fignifyiog a Olan of curio(ity and learning, or oae
who layes and promotes the arts and fciences: but a–
mong us the term feenu tObe appropriated lO (hofe who
apply themfelves 10 fome cunous and quaint, rather than
immc:dialc:ly ufeful, 3rt or Iludy, as antiquaries, collec·
tórs of ruities of aoy kicd, Oli~rorcopical obfervers, &~.
VIRULENT, • term applied tO any thiog tha' yields •
virus, Ihat is, a conugious or malignaDt pus.
VISCERA, in .natomy, a term fignlfyiog the fame with
catrails, ioeluding die hean , liver, lungs, fpleen, ¡nte–
Ilines, aDd other IDward paru of the body. See ANA–
TO,",Y. Part VI.
VI SCIDITY, or V"COSlTY, the qu.lity or fomethiog
thll is vifcid or vilcous, that iSt glutinous and.. flicky,
Jike birJ.lime, which the Latins c.1l by the Dame V;¡CUlo
VlSCU .MI. in botany, 'a genus of che dia:cia tetraodria elitfs.
The cal:x of both m,l. aod female cooGO. of four feg'
ments; neicher of them have any corolla j toere are no
CiJamenls in Ihe m..!.le, Ihe anlhera: being conneéled 10 the
c.illix; the fcmalc has no lIyJus; and lhe berry coolains
one heart-roapt!J f::eu. j 'here are fix fpecies, none of
them natíves of BriulO.
VISIBLE, fomething that i, an obi,éI of fight or vifioo,
or fOOlething whert:by the eye is ~ffeétt':d, fo as to pro–
duce a (en(illion.
VISI ER, ao officer or dignitary in the Q u oman empire,
whereof lhere are two klnds; lhe {¡rll. called by Ihe
T urks vi{¡er_.nc:m. that ¡s, grand ... i:ler, ¡s lhe prime Oli·
niUt:r of. Hate of lhe wholc: emplre. He commands·rhe
army in ellId, and prefidts in the div;¡n or grei\l council.
N'!xl 10 hinl <tr\! (ix other fuhorJin.tte "diers. eallee! vi–
fiel s of lhe btneh , who officiate as his counfe Uors, or af.
fdJors in the div;¡n.
VISION, in opucs. lhe atl of fecin g or percciving exter·
nal objeéts, by mcttns uf Ihe organ (lf fight, lhe r:ye. See
ANA 'rOMY , p. 289. and O PTles.
VI STU LA, ()r WEI SFL, a .!.e nver of Ptlland . which,
t<tk,ng its rile in Ihe mOllnl ..l1ns fou!!) (lf Sdcfia, VlriU
Cr.tco\'l, \\'"",f6\V, Oc. ;:tno (onfinuin~ its coulre nonh,
f", lIs Into the Haltic fea bclow D.lnlZlek
VISU:\ L, 10 $!cncl .. I, lotllclbíng bell)ngln~ 10 virioo.
VITAL , in plt}liology, an appella"on glvco tO IVhatevcr
v v
minifitC9 principally to the conOituting oc múnuining ol
Jife in .the bodies o~ animals : thus, the hcan, lungs,
and bUlO are callcd vllid parts; and thofe operuion. of
thefe pans, whereby the life of aDimals is maiotaiaed,
are calJed vital funétions.
VITEX, 'o botany, a genus orthe didynamia oogiofpernú
clafs. The coroU. cooliO. of fix tegments• •od the ca·
Jix of five teetb ; ;urd the berry contaios four feeds.
There are four fpecies, none of them n¡tives of Britaio.
VITIS, "the VIN E, in bonoy, .a. genu, of the pentaodria
mooogynia c1af~. The petétls adhere at ,he apex; and
the ber~y contalOS 6ve feeds. There are {eveo fpecies,
none of them natin, of Brinin.
VITIS IDAi:A, in botany. See VACC1N IUM .
VITIOUS INTROMUSlON, in SCOI> law. Seo LAW,
T it. xXTiii. '20.
VITREOUS Humour of/1e Eje. SeeA'ATOMY, p. 289.
VITRIFICATION, io chemillry, is ,he confertiog . body
into gl"fs, by means of tire.
VITRIOL, a compound body rormed of the parti~les of
metal, ddrolved by tbe acid of fulphur, aod that eithu
by the operations of nature withiJJ the eanh, or iD the
chemills elaboratory by proper admixtures aod al1iflances.
and arterwards, by the help of water, brought into the
form ofa fall. See C HEMI ST RY, p. 8 1,1 32.
VITR[OLATED, among chtmiH" fomething th.. ha.
vitriol infufed in it.
VITRIOLIC , 3n áppeUation giyen to whatever ,
\Virh, or partakes of, lhe nature of vitriol : thus fuch
foffil bodies as contaio vitriol, are called vitriolic mine·
rals, or ores of vitriol.
VITTA, in ana,omy, .th.. part of the amnio, which Ilieks
to ao ¡nfant's head when jul1 born.
VITUS', DANCE . S ee M!DICIN E, P.99.
VIVERRA, in zoology, o geous of quadrupeds belonging
tO lhe arder of ferz. T hey have fix {ore. leeth, the in–
termediale ones being (horter, and more Ihao (hree grin.
ders; and Ihe cJaws are exferted. There are fix fpe–
cíes, viz. l . The ichneumon, with Ihe tail tapering [O–
wards the poi nt, and the toes diflanl from eaeh otht:r.
It is a nati\'e of Egypt and I ndia, wlJere it i, umed, and
follows its maller ltke a dogo It , upon lizards,
(rogs, &c. and is pan ieularly ao enemy tO fe rpcms. 2.
Tht: nafua, is reddif'h, with white rings on the tai!. It
is,a native of America, and d'gs lhe gIound in fearch of
worrtls; il feeds likewife upon miee, and Cruits; when
enraged. it feod, forth an abominable IIcoch. 3. T he
oarica is of a dufky colour; it is J.kewife a native: of A·
merica. 4. The putorius varíes iD colour, but h.u ¡e–
neraJly four u hite parallel lioes on 1he back. It is a na·
tive o{ North America, is in its lUt>tÍon, and emits
its urine, 3ttendcd Wilh a mo!1 dif~greeable fOlelJ, whel)
enraged. 5. Thc zibctha, has ¡I.n annuhterl· ni l, ano
the back is Ilreakcd with WHes of black and ,,01.c.o!uu r.
lt is a nal ivt of China, and l\.1exico. It is a fleree and
llngoverll..blc: aniOl,ll, and ere& Ihe hairs of ils back
whe-n angry . 6 T he gencl1a IHS..4n "nr ttl.ncd tail, and
Ihe body i5 fpotted with a dlrty p 'lIow "ntl hl.c!! colom.
11 is a nalive of Ihe E,lft, and Imdls 01 .
VIVIPAROUS. in natu,,111l0ory••n <Pllhct orrlied to
fm:h ;¡,nim;.¡ls as bring ronlt Ih~ir y·'un:! 311\'c: and r r rfc:el' ;
in contr:.td'fltntlion to them lhat Id}' l'seS, whlch ar~ ,,·al ..
led oVlparous ;
U~R..'\IN,