A kind of gun in which the elastic force of condensed air is used to discharge the ball. The air is powerfully compressed into a reservoir attached to the gun, by a condensing pump, and is controlled by a valve actuated by the trigger. The common BB gun is a type of air gun. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Bergander. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. devirginatus, p. p. of devirginare. ] Deprived of virginity. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To deprive of virginity; to deflower. [ R. ] Sandys. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. devirginatio. ] A deflowering. [ R. ] Feltham. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Contraction of Lat. dirige, direct thou (imperative of dirigere), the first word of a funeral hymn (Lat. transl. of Psalm v. 8) beginning, “Dirige, Domine, in conspectu tuo vitam meam.” See Direct, a., and cf. Dirige. ] A piece of music of a mournful character, to accompany funeral rites; a funeral hymn. [ 1913 Webster ]

The raven croaked, and hollow shrieks of owls
Sung dirges at her funeral. Ford. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Funereal; moaning. [ 1913 Webster ]

Soothed sadly by the dirgeful wind. Coleridge. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. an open area for holding fairs or exhibitions or circuses. Often used in plural. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. pl. same as fairground. [ PJC ]

a. [ See In- not, Devirginate. ] Not devirginate. [ Obs. ] Chapman. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A country in Central Asia, formerly an Asian Soviet. It borders on Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, China, and Tajikistan.
Syn. -- Kirghiz, Kyrgyzstan, Kirghizstan. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. [ Cf. Virgouleuse. ] (Bot.) A valuable kind of pear, of an obovate shape and with melting flesh of delicious flavor; -- more properly called White Doyenné. [ Written also virgaloo, vergalieu, vergaloo, etc. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. virgatus made of twigs, fr. virga a twig, rod. See Verge a rod. ] (Bot.) Having the form of a straight rod; wand-shaped; straight and slender. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ LL. virgata, virgata terrae, so much land as virga terrae, a land measure, contains, fr. L. virga a twig, rod. ] A yardland, or measure of land varying from fifteen to forty acres. [ Obs. ] T. Warton. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. virgatus striped. See Virgate, a. ] Striped; streaked. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A wand. See Verge. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

n. See Verger. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. Virgilianus, better Vergilianus. ] Of or pertaining to Virgil, the Roman poet; resembling the style of Virgil. [ Spelt also Vergilian. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The rich Virgilian rustic measure
Of Lari Maxume. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. virgo, -inis: cf. OF. virgine, virgene, virge, vierge, F. vierge. ] 1. A woman who has had no carnal knowledge of man; a maid. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A person of the male sex who has not known sexual indulgence. [ Archaic ] Wyclif. [ 1913 Webster ]

These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. Rev. xiv. 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

He his flesh hath overcome;
He was a virgin, as he said. Gower. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Astron.) See Virgo. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Zool.) Any one of several species of gossamer-winged butterflies of the family Lycaenidae. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. (Zool.) A female insect producing eggs from which young are hatched, though there has been no fecundation by a male; a parthenogenetic insect. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Virgin, or
The Blessed Virgin, the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ. --
Virgin's bower (Bot.), a name given to several climbing plants of the genus Clematis, as Clematis Vitalba of Europe, and Clematis Virginiana of North America. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. 1. Being a virgin; chaste; of or pertaining to a virgin; becoming a virgin; maidenly; modest; indicating modesty; as, a virgin blush. “Virgin shame.” Cowley. [ 1913 Webster ]

Innocence and virgin modesty . . .
That would be wooed, and unsought be won. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Pure; undefiled; unmixed; fresh; new; as, virgin soil; virgin gold. “Virgin Dutch.” G. W. Cable. [ 1913 Webster ]

The white cold virgin snow upon my heart. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

A few ounces of mutton, with a little virgin oil. Landor. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Not yet pregnant; impregnant. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To act the virgin; to be or keep chaste; -- followed by it. See It, 5. [ Obs. ] “My true lip hath virgined it e'er since [ that kiss ].” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ L. virginalis: cf. F. virginal. ] Of or pertaining to a virgin; becoming a virgin; maidenly. “Chastity and honor virginal.” Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

Virginal generation (Biol.), parthenogenesis. --
Virginal membrane (Anat.), the hymen. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. virginale; -- probably so called from being used by young girls, or virgins. ] (Mus.) An instrument somewhat resembling the spinet, but having a rectangular form, like the small piano. It had strings and keys, but only one wire to a note. The instrument was used in the sixteenth century, but is now wholly obsolete. It was sometimes called a pair of virginals. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To play with the fingers, as if on a virginal; to tap or pat. [ Obs. ] “Still virginaling upon his palm!” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Virginity; maidenhood. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One of the States of the United States of America. -- a. Of or pertaining to the State of Virginia. [ 1913 Webster ]

Virginia cowslip (Bot.), the American lungwort (Mertensia Virginica). --
Virginia creeper (Bot.), a common ornamental North American woody vine (Ampelopsis quinquefolia), climbing extensively by means of tendrils; -- called also woodbine, and American ivy. [ U. S. ] --
Virginia fence. See Worm fence, under Fence. --
Virginia nightingale (Zool.), the cardinal bird. See under Cardinal. --
Virginia quail (Zool.), the bobwhite. --
Virginia reel, an old English contradance; -- so called in the United States. Bartlett. --
Virginia stock. (Bot.) See Mahon stock. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. virgintee, F. virginité, L. virginitas. ] 1. The quality or state of being a virgin; undefiled purity or chastity; maidenhood. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The unmarried life; celibacy. [ Obs. ] Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ L. virgo a virgin, the constellation Virgo in the zodiac. See Virgin. ] (Astron.) (a) A sign of the zodiac which the sun enters about the 21st of August, marked thus [ &virgo_; ] in almanacs. (b) A constellation of the zodiac, now occupying chiefly the sign Libra, and containing the bright star Spica. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. virgouleuse, from the village of Virgoulée, near Limoges. ] (Bot.) An old French variety of pear, of little value. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ From. L. virgula a small rod. ] (Zool.) Any one of numerous species of long, slender Alcyonaria belonging to Virgularia and allied genera of the family Virgularidae. These corals are allied to the sea-pens, but have a long rodlike rhachis inclosing a slender, round or square, calcareous axis. The polyps are arranged in transverse rows or clusters along each side of the rhachis. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Shaped like a little twig or rod. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. virgule, fr. L. virgula, dim. of virga. See Verge a rod. ] A comma. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

In the MSS. of Chaucer, the line is always broken by a caesura in the middle, which is pointed by a virgule. Hallam. [ 1913 Webster ]