versts (en)

(noun) a Russian unit of distance equal to 0.6629 mile (1.067 kilometers)

vertiginous (en)

causing vertigo, especially by being extremely high or steep

via dolorosa (en)

the way of grief

viaticum (en)

(noun) the Christian Eucharist given to a person in danger of death / (noun) an allowance (as of transportation or supplies and money) for traveling expenses / (noun) provisions for a journey

vicissitudes (en)

(noun) a change or variation occurring in the course of something; successive, alternating, or changing phases or conditions, as of life or fortune; ups and downs

vide (en)

(verb imperative) see, consult, refer to

villanelle (en)

(noun) a chiefly French verse form running on two rhymes and consisting typically of five tercets and a quatrain in which the first and third lines of the opening tercet recur alternately at the end of the other tercets and together as the last two lines of the quatrain / (noun) a 16th century Italian part-song in an intentionally unsophisticated style / (noun) an instrumental piece in the style of a rustic dance

virago (en)

a domineering, violent, or bad-tempered woman

virgule (en)

(noun) slash

virtuosi (en)

plural of virtuoso

virtuosic (en)

from Italian virtuoso; requiring a high level of technical skill

vis a tergo (la)

a force acting from behind (used in cardiology)

viscid (en)

(adjective) having an adhesive quality; sticky / (adjective) having a glutinous consistency; viscous / (adjective) covered with a sticky layer

Visigothic (en)

(noun) a member of the western division of the Goths (nomadic tribes of Germanic peoples known for invading various parts of Europe)

vitiate (en)

(verb) to make faulty or defective; impair / (verb) to debase in moral or aesthetic status / (verb) to make ineffective

vitiligo (en)

(noun) a skin disorder manifested by smooth white spots on various parts of the body

vituperation (en)

(noun) sustained and bitter railing and condemnation; vituperative utterance / (noun) an act or instance of vituperating

volubility (en)

the quality of talking fluently, readily, or incessantly; talkativeness

votary (en)

(noun) a sworn adherent / (noun) devotee / (noun) a devoted admirer / (noun) a devout or zealous worshipper / (noun) a staunch believer or advocate

Wagner Act (en)

aka the National Labor Relations Act of 1935; a foundational statute of US labor law which guarantees basic rights of private sector employees to organize into trade unions, engage in collective bargaining for better terms and conditions at work, and take collective action including strike if necessary

Wagnerian (en)

relating to or characteristic of the operas of German composer Richard Wagner

wainscoting (en)

(noun) wainscot / (noun) material used to wainscot a surface / (verb) to line with or as if with boards or paneling

Walpurgisrevel (de)

(noun) alternative way of saying "Walpurgisnacht" or "Walpurgis Night", meaning Witches' Night; feast day of Saint Walpurga

Walrasian (en)

referring to the theories of 19th-century Swiss economist Leon Walras (that relative prices can find a system-wide or general equilibrium)

wangled (en)

obtain (something that is desired) by persuading others to comply or by manipulating events