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spoken or written, but commonly in spoken words; hence, spoken; oral; not written; as, a verbal contract; verbal testimony. Made she no verbal question Shak. We subjoin an engraving . . . which will give the reader a far better notion of the structure than any verbal description could convey to the mind. Mayhew.…

Something expressed verbally; a verbal remark or expression.

A literal adherent to, or a minute critic of, words; a literalist.

The quality or state of being verbal; mere words; bare literal expression. [R.] "More verbality than matter." Bp. Hall.

The act of verbalizing, or the state of being verbalized.

To convert into a verb; to verbify.

In a verbal manner; orally.

Excess of weight or value; something more than an equivalent; as, an overbalance of exports. J. Edwards.

An authentic minute of an official act, or statement of facts.

In process of; in the act of; into; to; -- used with verbal substantives in -ing which begin with a consonant. This is a shortened form of the preposition an (which was used before the vowel sound); as in a hunting, a building, a begging. "Jacob, when he was a dying" Heb. xi. 21. "We'll a birding together." " It was a…

Before a verbal noun or an infinitive:

Act of addressing one's self to a person; verbal application.

To give notice, verbal or written; to inform; -- followed by of; as, we will apprise the general of an intended attack; he apprised the commander of what he had done.

A suffix forming nouns of action, and often equivalent to the verbal substantive in -ing. It sometimes has the further meanings of state, and that which results from the action. Many of these nouns have verbs in -ate; as, alliterate -ation, narrate -ation; many are derived through the French; as, alteration, visitation…

The act of attesting; testimony; witness; a solemn or official declaration, verbal or written, in support of a fact; evidence. The truth appears from the attestation of witnesses, or of the proper officer. The subscription of a name to a writing as a witness, is an attestation.

. (Zoöl) See Hammerhead. -- Balance knife, a carving or table knife the handle of which overbalances the blade, and so keeps it from contact with the table. -- Balance of power. (Politics), such an adjustment of power among sovereign states that no one state is in a position to interfere with the independence of the…

A worshiper of books; especially, a worshiper of the Bible; a believer in its verbal inspiration. De Quincey.

sealed brief, With winged hastle, to the lord marshal. Shak. And she told me In a sweet, verbal brief. Shak.

To turn (the balance or scale); to overbalance; hence, to make preponderate; to decide; as, a casting voice. How much interest casts the balance in cases dubious! South.

To punish by stripes; to chastise by blows; to chasten; also, to chastise verbally; to reprove; to criticise severely.