< V > TOEFL Vocabulary (206)

Vigorous (adjective) 

extremely strong and active, physically and mentally

A pamphlet entitled A Dissertation on the Canon and the Feudal Law and town

instructions denouncing the Stamp Act (1765) marked him as a  vigorous, patriotic

penman, and, holding various local offices, he soon became a leader among

Massachusetts radicals.

Virtually (adv) 

near to in quantity or amount

Except for dietary fibers (nuts, husks, bran, celery strings and such), our gut

disassembles  virtually everything we eat into smaller components that our body can

use.

Virtuoso (noun) 

a musician who shows exceptional ability, technique, or artistry

Both children played the keyboard, but Wolfgang became a violin virtuoso as well.

Virus (noun) 

anything that is injurious, destructive, or fatal

Smallpox, influenza, polio, rabies, and measles are diseases caused by viruses.

Vivid (adjective) 

producing strong and distinct mental images

In a pungent diary,  vivid letters, learned tracts, and patriotic speeches he revealed

himself as a quintessential Puritan.

Volatile (adjective)

characterized by or subject to rapid or unexpected change

The Consumer Price Index, the most widely used gauge of U.S. inflation, was unchanged

last month, the Labor Department said. But the so called core CPI, which strips out

volatile food and energy prices, climbed 0.3 percent after two consecutive flat readings. 

Volume (noun) 

a single book that belongs to a set of books

Among her volumes of poetry are A Brave and Startling Truth (Random House, 1995),

The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou (1994), Wouldn't Take Nothing for My

Journey Now (1993), Now Sheba Sings the Song (1987), I Shall Not Be Moved (1990), and

Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Die (1971), which was nominated for the

Pulitzer prize.

Vomit (verb) 

to expel the contents of the stomach through the mouth as a result of a series of 

involuntary spasms of the stomach muscles

Bulimia nervosa, on the other hand, is when a person consumes large amounts of food,

but then induces vomiting or diarrhea in an attempt to avoid weight gain.

Vortex (noun) 

any whirling motion or mass; a whirlpool or whirlwind

Scientists Christopher Davis, Stanley Trier, and colleagues have also gained new insight

on a type of low pressure center that connects one mesoscale convective vortex to the

next.

Vow (noun) 

a solemn promise or assertion; specifically : one by which a person is bound to an act, 

service, or condition 

A spouse may feel that he or she is fulfilling wedding vows.