Victoria2
(vɪkˈtɔərɪə)
[The name of the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, etc., from 1837 to 1901, employed attributively or by itself as a designation of various things.]
1. A light, low, four-wheeled carriage having a collapsible hood, with seats (usually) for two persons and an elevated seat in front for the driver.
| [1844 Art Union Jrnl. VI. 238 A calèche..which the French have named after Queen Victoria.] 1870 Pall Mall G. 24 Aug. 11, I have taken a victoria and driven to the Porte Maillot to watch the engineers fell the trees in the Bois de Boulogne. 1876 M. M. Grant Sun-Maid xi, A victoria is the prettiest carriage a lady can possible drive in. 1886 Pall Mall G. 10 May 3/2 We are threatened with an inundation of new cabs and victorias for the coming season. |
| attrib. 1903 Motor. Ann. 258 The motor-car best suited to India would be that..with a canopy—or, better still, a victoria top. |
b. A sovereign minted in the reign of Queen Victoria.
| 1870 E. G. E. Ward Jrnl. 9 Nov. in D. P. Carew Many Years, Many Girls (1967) i. 35 Let a packet of the bright, solid, sell-milled ‘Victorias’ reach you, and see if you do not deem them ‘golden angels’! 1958 [see pecorino]. |
2. Bot. A gigantic species of water-lily,
Victoria regia, indigenous to South America.
| 1846 Lindley Veg. Kingd. 411 Floating plants..on the continent of South America..are represented by Victoria... Victoria, the most gigantic and beautiful of water plants, is..called Water Maize in South America. 1852 Phil. Trans. CXLII. 289 The specimen of Victoria which flowered in the Gardens of the Royal Botanic Society. 1866 Treas. Bot. 1215 The Victoria..has delighted..thousands, by the size of its leaves and the beauty and fragrance of its flowers. |
| attrib. 1861 Bentley Man. Bot. 445 The plant is commonly known in this country as the Victoria Water-lily. 1880 Bessey Botany 558 Victoria regia, the Victoria Lily of the Amazon Valley in South America. |
3. Astr. One of the minor planets, discovered by Hind in 1850.
| 1851 J. R. Hind Solar System 91 The name selected for the twelfth member [of the extra-zodiacal group] is Victoria. Ibid. 92 The discovery of Victoria..was quickly followed by that of another small planetary body. 1868 Lockyer Elem. Astron. 328. |
4. A variety of domestic pigeon.
| 1879 L. Wright Pigeon Keeper 208 Victorias are simply Hyacinths of a lighter shade. 1881 Lyell Fancy Pigeons 97 These varieties.. have been promiscuously named Hyacinths, Victorias and Porcelains in our pigeon literature. |
b. Victoria crown(ed) pigeon, a queen's pigeon (
queen n. 15 b).
| c 1882 Cassell's Nat. Hist. IV. 127. |
5. A variety of plum characterized by its luscious flavour and rich red colour. Also
attrib.| 1860 R. Hogg Fruit Manual 256 Denyer's Victoria... Skin bright red on the side next the sun, but pale red on the shaded side. 1883 H. Drummond Nat. Law in Spir. W. (1884) 364 He arranges his..plums in his shop window. He may tell me a magnum bonum from a Victoria. 1883 19th Cent. Nov. 870 Some sixteen years ago..I planted two Victoria plums. Ibid., A Victoria plum tree. |
6. A kind of woollen dress material.
| 1891 Times 26 Oct. 4/2 The parcels of miscellaneous goods..have consisted of blue victorias, meltons in all colours, brown venetians. |
7. attrib. a. Victoria Cross, a British military and naval decoration bestowed for conspicuous bravery in battle. (Abbreviated V.C.)
Victoria Day, the anniversary of the birthday of Queen Victoria, May 24. (Also called
Empire Day.)
Victoria sandwich, a sponge cake consisting of two layers of sponge sandwiched together with a jam filling; also
Victoria sponge (sandwich). (The ingredients and style of presentation have not always been the same since the mid-19th century.)
| 1856 Royal Warrant in Lond. Gaz. 5 Feb. 410/2 The distinction shall be styled and designated ‘The Victoria Cross’, and shall consist of a Maltese Cross of Bronze, with Our Royal Crest in the centre, and underneath which an escroll bearing this inscription ‘For Valour’. 1863 Chambers Bk. Days I. 319/1 The 1st of March, 1857, is one among many days associated with the bestowal of the Victoria Cross upon heroic soldiers and sailors. |
| 1901 Scotsman 28 Feb. 7/4 A bill was introduced in the Canadian parliament to make Victoria day—May 24th— a permanent public holiday throughout Canada. |
| 1861 Mrs. Beeton Bk. Househ. Managem. 751 Victoria sandwiches... Spread one half of the cake with a layer of nice preserve, place over it the other half. 1902 Little Folks LV. 448/2 Auntie Kate told her cook to make some cakes,..some little cakes,..and some Victoria sandwich. 1976 Burnham-on-Sea Gaz. 20 Apr., Victoria sandwich. |
| 1934 Woman's Jrnl. Home Cookery 150 (heading) Victoria sponge with grated pineapple. 1951 Good Housek. Home Encycl. 701/2 Victoria sponge sandwich, a sponge made with fat, which enables it to keep moist longer than the fatless type. 1980 D. Clark Poacher's Bag v. 121 He..was..handing round wedges of Victoria sponge. |
b. Misc., as
Victoria black,
Victoria blue,
Victoria Court,
Victoria crape,
Victoria frilling,
Victoria green,
Victoria lawn (see
quots.).
| 1888 Jacobi Printers' Voc. 152 *Victoria black, a fancy black-letter character. |
| 1891 Cent. Dict., *Victoria blue. 1895 Buck's Handbk. Med. Sci. IX. 429 Victoria Blue..is a brilliant and useful nuclear stain. 1899 J. Cagney Jaksch's Clin. Diagnosis x. 437 Staining with alcoholic solution of Victoria-blue. |
| 1847 M{supc}Culloch Brit. Emp. (ed. 3) II. 220 The principal sheriff..visiting the county..for the purpose of holding statutory, registration, and small debt, commonly called *Victoria Courts. |
| 1877 Encycl. Brit. VI. 553/1 A very successful imitation of real crape is made in Manchester of cotton yarn, and sold under the name of *Victoria crape. |
| 1882 Caulfeild & Saward Dict. Needlew. 515/1 *Victoria frilling,..a description of cotton cambric Frilling. |
| 1890 Webster, *Victoria green. 1934 H. Hiler Notes Technique Painting ii. 117 Victoria green, a potter's pigment, introduced by William Burton, but unfortunately not current, though it is absolutely permanent. a 1977 Harrison Mayer Ltd. Catal. 38/1 Body slip and glaze stains..colour..Victoria Green. |
| 1882 Caulfeild & Saward Dict. Needlew. 515/1 *Victoria lawn,..a description of muslin..employed as a lining for skirts of dresses. |
| 1851 Catal. Gt. Exhib. 495 Cloakings:—Frazer tartan,..*Victoria [tartan], Royal Stewart, Forbes, and Gordon. |
| Ibid. 491/1 Silk and worsted and cotton and worsted *Victoria velvet damasks. |