These three words are all nouns, the most common of which are vale and veil. Vail is a very little-known word, except as the name of a town in Colorado, famous for its ski-resorts. Vale is an old-fashioned word for valley, dale, or hollow—a small valley. It is used mainly in older or more poetic writing and place-names. […]

Waiver is a noun meaning “an action, official document, or status releasing a person or organization from a requirement, or giving up a right, privilege, or claim.” Note there are two meanings here—(1) “freeing an individual or organization from a requirement,” and (2) “giving up a right, privilege, or etc.”: Students can apply for a […]

Ween, meaning “to believe” is archaic and often only used and seen in creative writing, not conversation, nor academic, technical, or practical writing. Wean means “to accustom a person to something—to cause someone to become dependent or independent of something.” The original and primary meaning is “to guide children or animals to lose the habit of […]

Veracious means true, accurate, truthful, and honest. The root vera, “truth,” appears also in verify, veracity, and veritable: John and Julia’s story did not seem veracious; I think they were lying. Voracious means very hungry, or insatiable; it describes desires and hungers that cannot easily be satisfied; a voracious person can consume large amounts and still want […]

Viral describes anything with the qualities of a virus—a viral infection or a viral disease, such as the flu, or the virus that causes COVID. Viral can also describe anything that reproduces itself and spreads, metaphorically like a virus, such as a viral idea or a viral fashion. Internet memes are often called viral. Virile describes qualities […]