| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
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| vent1 |
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| PRONUNCIATION: |  v nt |
| NOUN: | 1. A means of escape or release from confinement; an outlet: give vent to one's anger. 2. An opening permitting the escape of fumes, a liquid, a gas, or steam. 3. The small hole at the breech of a gun through which the charge is ignited. 4. Zoology The excretory opening of the digestive tract in animals such as birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. 5. Geology a. The opening of a volcano in the earth's crust. b. An opening on the ocean floor that emits hot water and dissolved minerals. | | VERB: | Inflected forms: vent·ed, vent·ing, vents
| | TRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. To express (one's thoughts or feelings, for example), especially forcefully. 2. To release or discharge (steam, for example) through an opening. 3. To provide with a vent. | | INTRANSITIVE VERB: | 1. To vent one's feelings or opinions. 2. To be released or discharged through an opening. 3. To rise to the surface of water to breathe. Used of a marine mammal. | | ETYMOLOGY: | Partly from French vent (from Old French) and partly alteration of French évent (from Old French esvent, from esventer, to let out air, from Vulgar Latin *exvent re ( Latin ex-; see ex– + Latin ventus, wind; see w - in Appendix I). | | OTHER FORMS: | vent er —NOUN
| | SYNONYMS: | vent1, express, utter1, voice, air These verbs mean to give outlet to thoughts or emotions. To vent is to unburden oneself of a strong pent-up emotion: “She was jealous … and glad of any excuse to vent her pique” (Edward G.E.L. Bulwer-Lytton). Express, a more comprehensive term, refers to both verbal and nonverbal communication: found the precise words to express her idea; expressed his affection with a hug; “expressing emotion in the form of art” (T.S. Eliot). Utter involves vocal expression: “The words were uttered in the hearing of Montezuma” (William Hickling Prescott). Voice denotes the expression of outlook or viewpoint: The lawyer voiced her satisfaction with the verdict. To air is to show off one's feelings, beliefs, or ideas: They aired their differences during dinner.
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| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
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