Adjacent Words

Vehicle definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

VE'HICLE, n. [L. vehiculum, from veho, to carry.]
1. That in which any thing is or may be carried; any kind of carriage moving on land, either on wheels or runners. This word comprehends coaches, chariots, gigs, sullies, wagons, carts of every kind, sleighs and sleds. These are all vehicles. But the word is more generally applied to wheel carriages, and rarely I believe to water craft.
2. That which is used as the instrument of conveyance. Language is the vehicle which conveys ideas to others. Letters are vehicles of communication.
A simple style forms the best vehicle of thought to a popular assembly.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a conveyance that transports people or objects
2: a medium for the expression or achievement of something; "his editorials provided a vehicle for his political views"; "a congregation is a vehicle of group identity"; "the play was just a vehicle to display her talents"
3: any substance that facilitates the use of a drug or pigment or other material that is mixed with it
4: any inanimate object (as a towel or money or clothing or dishes or books or toys etc.) that can transmit infectious agents from one person to another [syn: fomite, vehicle]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: French véhicule, from Latin vehiculum carriage, conveyance, from vehere to carry — more at way Date: 1612 1. a. an inert medium (as a syrup) in which a medicinally active agent is administered b. any of various media acting usually as solvents, carriers, or binders for active ingredients or pigments 2. an agent of transmission ; carrier 3. a medium through which something is expressed, achieved, or displayed <an investment vehicle>; especially a work created especially to display the talents of a particular performer 4. a means of carrying or transporting something <planes, trains, and other vehicles>: as a. motor vehicle b. a piece of mechanized equipment

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 any conveyance for transporting people, goods, etc., esp. on land. 2 a medium for thought, feeling, or action (the stage is the best vehicle for their talents). 3 a liquid etc. as a medium for suspending pigments, drugs, etc. 4 the literal meaning of a word or words used metaphorically (opp. TENOR 6). Derivatives: vehicular adj. Etymology: F véhicule or L vehiculum f. vehere carry

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Vehicle Ve"hi*cle, n. [L. vehiculum, fr. vehere to carry; akin to E. way, wain. See Way, n., and cf. Convex, Inveigh, Veil, Vex.] 1. That in or on which any person or thing is, or may be, carried, as a coach, carriage, wagon, cart, car, sleigh, bicycle, etc.; a means of conveyance; specifically, a means of conveyance upon land. 2. That which is used as the instrument of conveyance or communication; as, matter is the vehicle of energy. A simple style forms the best vehicle of thought to a popular assembly. --Wirt. 3. (Pharm.) A substance in which medicine is taken. 4. (Paint.) Any liquid with which a pigment is applied, including whatever gum, wax, or glutinous or adhesive substance is combined with it. Note: Water is used in fresco and in water-color painting, the colors being consolidated with gum arabic; size is used in distemper painting. In oil painting, the fixed oils of linseed, nut, and poppy, are used; in encaustic, wax is the vehicle. --Fairholt.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Vehicle Ve"hi*cle, n. (Chem.) A liquid used to spread sensitive salts upon glass and paper for use in photography.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(vehicles) Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English. 1. A vehicle is a machine such as a car, bus, or truck which has an engine and is used to carry people from place to place. ...a vehicle which was somewhere between a tractor and a truck. N-COUNT 2. You can use vehicle to refer to something that you use in order to achieve a particular purpose. Her art became a vehicle for her political beliefs... = medium N-COUNT: usu with supp, oft N for n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Carriage, conveyance. 2. Medium, instrument. 3. (Med.) Excipient. 4. (Painting.) Medium.

Moby Thesaurus

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