Definitions for: Verbal


[adj] communicated in the form of words; "verbal imagery"; "a verbal protest"
[adj] (archaic) "you put me to forget a lady's manners by being so verbal"- Shakespeare
[adj] relating to or having facility in the use of words; "a good poet is a verbal artist"; "a merely verbal writer who sacrifices content to sound"; "verbal aptitude"
[adj] expressed in spoken words; "a verbal contract"
[adj] of or relating to or formed from a verb; "verbal adjectives like `running' in `hot and cold running water'"
[adj] of or relating to or formed from words in general; "verbal ability"



Webster (1913) Definition: Ver"bal, a. [F., fr. L. verbalis. See Verb.]
1. Expressed in words, whether 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.

2. Consisting in, or having to do with, words only; dealing
with words rather than with the ideas intended to be
conveyed; as, a verbal critic; a verbal change.

And loses, though but verbal, his reward. --Milton.

Mere verbal refinements, instead of substantial
knowledge. --Whewell.

3. Having word answering to word; word for word; literal; as,
a verbal translation.

4. Abounding with words; verbose. [Obs.] --Shak.

5. (Gram.) Of or pertaining to a verb; as, a verbal group;
derived directly from a verb; as, a verbal noun; used in
forming verbs; as, a verbal prefix.

Verbal inspiration. See under Inspiration.

Verbal noun (Gram.), a noun derived directly from a verb or
verb stem; a verbal. The term is specifically applied to
infinitives, and nouns ending in -ing, esp. to the latter.
See Gerund, and -ing, 2. See also, Infinitive mood,
under Infinitive.


Ver"bal, n. (Gram.)
A noun derived from a verb.

Synonyms: communicative, communicatory, prolix, spoken

Antonyms: mathematical, numerical

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