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Webster 1913 Edition


Vent

Vent

(vĕnt)
,
Noun.
[F.
vente
, fr. L.
vendere
,
-itum
, to sell; perh. confused with E.
vent
an opening. See
Vend
.]
Sale; opportunity to sell; market.
[Obs.]
Shelton.
There is no
vent
for any commodity but of wool.
Sir W. Temple.

Vent

,
Verb.
T.
To sell; to vend.
[Obs.]
Therefore did those nations
vent
such spice.
Sir W. Raleigh.

Vent

,
Noun.
[Sp.
venta
a poor inn, sale, market. See
Vent
sale.]
A baiting place; an inn.
[Obs.]

Vent

,
Verb.
I.
[Cf. F.
venter
to blow,
vent
wind (see
Ventilate
); but prob influenced by E.
vent
an opening.]
To snuff; to breathe or puff out; to snort.
[Obs.]
Spenser.

Vent

(vĕnt)
,
Noun.
[OE.
fent
,
fente
, a slit, F.
fente
a slit, cleft, fissure, from
fendre
to split, L.
findere
; but probably confused with F.
vent
wind, L.
ventus
. See
Fissure
, and cf.
Vent
to snuff.]
1.
A small aperture; a hole or passage for air or any fluid to escape;
as, the
vent
of a cask; the
vent
of a mold; a volcanic
vent
.
Look, how thy wounds do bleed at many
vents
.
Shakespeare
Long ’t was doubtful, both so closely pent,
Which first should issue from the narrow
vent
.
Pope.
2.
Specifically: –
(a)
(Zool.)
The anal opening of certain invertebrates and fishes; also, the external cloacal opening of reptiles, birds, amphibians, and many fishes.
(b)
(Gun.)
The opening at the breech of a firearm, through which fire is communicated to the powder of the charge; touchhole.
(c)
(Steam Boilers)
Sectional area of the passage for gases divided by the length of the same passage in feet.
3.
Fig.: Opportunity of escape or passage from confinement or privacy; outlet.
4.
Emission; escape; passage to notice or expression; publication; utterance.
Without the
vent
of words.
Milton.
Thou didst make tolerable
vent
of thy travel.
Shakespeare
To give vent to
,
to suffer to escape; to let out; to pour forth; as, to give vent to anger.
To take vent
,
to escape; to be made public.
[R.]
Vent feather
(Zool.)
,
one of the anal, or crissal, feathers of a bird.
Vent field
(Gun.)
,
a flat raised surface around a vent.
Vent piece
.
(Gun.)
(a)
A bush. See 4th
Bush
,
Noun.
, 2.
(b)
A breech block.

Vent

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Vented
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Venting
.]
1.
To let out at a vent, or small aperture; to give passage or outlet to.
2.
To suffer to escape from confinement; to let out; to utter; to pour forth;
as, to
vent
passion or complaint
.
The queen of heaven did thus her fury
vent
.
Dryden.
3.
To utter; to report; to publish.
[Obs.]
By mixing somewhat true to
vent
more lies.
Milton.
Thou hast framed and
vented
very curious orations.
Barrow.
4.
To scent, as a hound.
[Obs.]
Turbervile.
5.
To furnish with a vent; to make a vent in;
as, to
vent
. a mold.

Webster 1828 Edition


Vent

VENT

,
Noun.
[L. venio, Eng. wind, &c.; properly a passage.]
1.
A small aperture; a hole or passage for air or other fluid to escape; as the vent of a cask.
2.
The opening in a cannon or other piece of artillery, by which fire is communicated to the charge.
3.
Passage from secrecy to notice; publication.
4.
The act of opening.
5.
Emission; passage; escape from confinement; as, his smothered passions urge for vent.
6.
Discharge; utterance; means of discharge.
Had like grief been dew'd in tears, without the vent of words -;
7.
Sale; as the vent of a thousand copies of a treatise.
8.
Opportunity to sell; demand.
There is no vent for any commodity except wool.
9.
An inn, a baiting place. [Not in use.]
To give vent to, to suffer to escape; to let out; to pour forth.

VENT

,
Verb.
T.
1.
To let out at a small aperture.
2.
To let out; to suffer to escape from confinement; to utter; to pour forth; as, to vent passion or complaint.
The queen of heav'n did thus her fury vent.
3.
To utter; to report. [Not in use.]
4.
To publish.
The sectators did greatly enrich their inventions by venting the stolen treasures of divine letters. [Not used.]
5.
To sell.
Therefore did those nations vent such spice. [Not in use.]
[Instead of vent in the latter sense, we use vend.

VENT

,
Verb.
I.
To snuff. [Not in use.]

Definition 2024


vent

vent

See also: vènt

English

Noun

vent (plural vents)

A vent (opening) in the wall of a house.
  1. An opening through which gases, especially air, can pass.
    the vent of a cask; the vent of a mould
  2. A small aperture.
    • Shakespeare
      Look, how thy wounds do bleed at many vents.
    • Alexander Pope
      Long 'twas doubtful, both so closely pent, / Which first should issue from the narrow vent.
  3. The opening of a volcano from which lava flows.
  4. A verbalized frustration.
  5. The excretory opening of lower orders of vertebrates.
  6. A slit in the seam of a garment.
  7. The opening at the breech of a firearm, through which fire is communicated to the powder of the charge; touchhole.
  8. In steam boilers, a sectional area of the passage for gases divided by the length of the same passage in feet.
  9. Opportunity of escape or passage from confinement or privacy; outlet.
  10. Emission; escape; passage to notice or expression; publication; utterance.
    • Milton
      without the vent of words
    • Shakespeare
      Thou didst make tolerable vent of thy travel.
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

vent (third-person singular simple present vents, present participle venting, simple past and past participle vented)

  1. (intransitive) To allow gases to escape.
    The stove vents to the outside.
  2. (transitive) To allow to escape through a vent.
    Exhaust is vented to the outside.
  3. (transitive, intransitive) To express a strong emotion.
    He vents his anger violently.
    Can we talk? I need to vent.
    • 2013 June 18, Simon Romero, "Protests Widen as Brazilians Chide Leaders," New York Times (retrieved 21 June 2013):
      But the demonstrators remained defiant, pouring into the streets by the thousands and venting their anger over political corruption, the high cost of living and huge public spending for the World Cup and the Olympics.
  4. To snuff; to breathe or puff out; to snort.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Spenser to this entry?)
Translations

Etymology 2

Clipping of ventriloquism

Noun

vent (plural vents)

  1. Ventriloquism.
Derived terms
  • vent puppet

Etymology 3

French vente, from Latin vendere (to sell).

Noun

vent

  1. sale; opportunity to sell; market
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shelton to this entry?)
    • Sir W. Temple
      There is no vent for any commodity but of wool.

Verb

vent (third-person singular simple present vents, present participle venting, simple past and past participle vented)

  1. To sell; to vend.
    • Sir Walter Raleigh
      Therefore did those nations vent such spice.

Etymology 4

Spanish venta (a poor inn, sale, market). See vent (sale).

Noun

vent (plural vents)

  1. (obsolete) A baiting place; an inn.

Catalan

Noun

vent m (plural vents)

  1. wind (movement of air).

Danish

Verb

vent

  1. imperative of vente

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • Rhymes: -ɛnt

Etymology

From Middle Dutch vent (hero; man). Unknown earlier origin. Compare West Frisian feint (servant; fellow; boyfriend).

  • Possibly from Proto-Germanic *fanþijô (walker, walking), from Proto-Indo-European *pent-, *penth- (to go, pass). This would make it related to Dutch vinden (to find; (archaic) to explore) and cognate to Old High German fendo (footsoldier) and Old English fēþa (footsoldier). The expected descendant in Dutch would have been vend(e), which existed in Middle Dutch as vende (pawn in a chess game; farmer). Final-obstruent devoicing is common in Dutch and was already widespread in Old Dutch, rendering vent as a variant of vend(e) possible.
  • Possibly a shortening of vennoot (partner (in a company)), which is equivalent to a compound of veem ((storage) company) + genoot (companion, partner), but there is no evidence of an overlap in sentences.

Noun

vent m (plural venten, diminutive ventje n)

  1. chap, fellow

Verb

vent

  1. first-, second- and third-person singular present indicative of venten
  2. imperative of venten

French

Etymology

From Old French, from Latin ventus, from Proto-Italic *wentos, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wéh₁n̥ts < *h₂weh₁- (to blow).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /vɑ̃/

Noun

vent m (plural vents)

  1. Atmospheric wind.
  2. (euphemistic) A flatulence.
  3. (uncountable) Empty words, hot air.
    Toutes ces promesses, c'est du vent. — Those are empty promises.

Synonyms

  • (flatulence): pet (neutral)
  • (empty words): paroles en l'air

Derived terms

Related terms

See also


Norman

Etymology

From Old French vent, from Latin ventus, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- (to blow).

Pronunciation

Noun

vent m (plural vents)

  1. (Jersey, Guernsey) wind

Derived terms


Norwegian Bokmål

Adjective

vent

  1. neuter singular of ven

Verb

vent

  1. imperative of vente

Norwegian Nynorsk

Adjective

vent

  1. neuter singular of ven

Verb

vent

  1. imperative of venta
  2. imperative of vente

Occitan

Noun

vent m (plural vents)

  1. wind (movement of air)

Old French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /vãnt/
  • Rhymes: -ãnt

Noun

vent m (oblique plural venz or ventz, nominative singular venz or ventz, nominative plural vent)

  1. wind (movement of air)
    • circa 1110, Benedeit, Le Voyage de saint Brandan:
      Un meis sanz vent nagerent tut plein
      They sailed for a whole month without wind