ver|mouth /vɜː r məθ/ (vermouths ) N‑VAR Vermouth is a strong alcoholic drink made from red or white wine flavoured with herbs.
ver|nacu|lar /və r næ kjʊlə r / (vernaculars ) N‑COUNT The vernacular is the language or dialect that is most widely spoken by ordinary people in a region or country. □ …books or plays written in the vernacular.
ver|ru|ca /vəruː kə/ (verrucas ) N‑COUNT A verruca is a small infectious lump which grows on the bottom of your foot. [BRIT ]
ver|sa|tile /vɜː r səta I l, [AM ] -t ə l/
1 ADJ If you say that a person is versatile , you approve of them because they have many different skills. [APPROVAL ] □ He had been one of the game's most versatile athletes. ● ver|sa|til|ity /vɜː r sət I l I ti/ N‑UNCOUNT □ Aileen stands out for her incredible versatility as an actress.
2 ADJ A tool, machine, or material that is versatile can be used for many different purposes. □ Never before has computing been so versatile. ● ver|sa|til|ity N‑UNCOUNT □ Velvet is not known for its versatility.
verse /vɜː r s/ (verses )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Verse is writing arranged in lines which have rhythm and which often rhyme at the end. □ I have been moved to write a few lines of verse.
2 → see also blank verse
3 N‑COUNT A verse is one of the parts into which a poem, a song, or a chapter of the Bible or the Koran is divided. □ This verse describes three signs of spring.
versed /vɜː r st/ ADJ [adv ADJ ] If you are versed in or well versed in something, you know a lot about it. □ [+ in ] Page is well versed in many styles of jazz.
ver|sion ◆◆◇ /vɜː r ʃ ə n, -ʒ ə n/ (versions )
1 N‑COUNT A version of something is a particular form of it in which some details are different from earlier or later forms. □ [+ of ] …an updated version of his book. □ [+ of ] Ludo is a version of an ancient Indian racing game.
2 N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] Someone's version of an event is their own description of it, especially when it is different to other people's. □ [+ of ] Yesterday afternoon the White House put out a new version of events.
ver|sus /vɜː r səs/
1 PREP You use versus to indicate that two figures, ideas, or choices are opposed. □ Only 18.8% of the class of 1982 had some kind of diploma four years after high school, versus 45% of the class of 1972. □ …bottle-feeding versus breastfeeding.
2 PREP Versus is used to indicate that two teams or people are competing against each other in a sporting event. □ Italy versus Japan is turning out to be a surprisingly well-matched competition.
ver|te|bra /vɜː r t I brə/ (vertebrae /vɜː r t I bre I /) N‑COUNT [usu pl] Vertebrae are the small circular bones that form the spine of a human being or animal.
ver|te|brate /vɜː r t I br I t/ (vertebrates ) N‑COUNT [oft N n] A vertebrate is a creature which has a spine. Mammals, birds, reptiles, and fish are vertebrates.
ver|ti|cal /vɜː r t I k ə l/
1 ADJ Something that is vertical stands or points straight up. □ The gadget can be attached to any vertical or near vertical surface. ● ver|ti|cal|ly ADV [ADV after v] □ Cut each bulb in half vertically.
2 N‑SING The vertical is the direction that points straight up, at an angle of 90 degrees to a flat surface. □ Pluto seems to have suffered a major collision that tipped it 122 degrees from the vertical.
ver|tigi|nous /vɜː r t I dʒ I nəs/ ADJ [usu ADJ n] A vertiginous cliff or mountain is very high and steep. [LITERARY ]
ver|ti|go /vɜː r t I goʊ/ N‑UNCOUNT If you get vertigo when you look down from a high place, you feel unsteady and sick.
verve /vɜː r v/ N‑UNCOUNT Verve is lively and forceful enthusiasm. [WRITTEN ] □ He looked for the dramatic, like the sunset in this painting, and painted it with great verve.
very ◆◆◆ /ve ri/
1 ADV [ADV adj/adv] Very is used to give emphasis to an adjective or adverb. [EMPHASIS ] □ The problem and the answer are very simple. □ It is very, very strong evidence indeed. □ I'm very sorry. □ They are getting the hang of it very quickly. □ Thank you very much. □ The men were very much like my father.
2 PHRASE Not very is used with an adjective or adverb to say that something is not at all true, or that it is true only to a small degree. □ She's not very impressed with them. □ It's obviously not used very much. □ 'How well do you know her?'—'Not very.'
3 ADV You use very to give emphasis to a superlative adjective or adverb. For example, if you say that something is the very best , you are emphasizing that it is the best. [EMPHASIS ] □ They will be helped by the very latest in navigation aids. □ At the very least, the Government must offer some protection to mothers who fear domestic violence.
4 ADJ [ADJ n] You use very with certain nouns in order to specify an extreme position or extreme point in time. [EMPHASIS ] □ At the very back of the yard, several feet from Lenny, was a wooden shack. □ I turned to the very end of the book, to read the final words. □ He was wrong from the very beginning. □ We still do not have enough women at the very top.
5 ADJ [ADJ n] You use very with nouns to emphasize that something is exactly the right one or exactly the same one. [EMPHASIS ] □ Everybody says he is the very man for the case. □ She died in this very house.