Glossary M-Z

M-O | P | R-S | T-Z

M-O

Malt - Grain, usually barley, that has been allowed to sprout, and is used in brewing beer.

Maltster - Somebody who makes malt or sells malt.

Marine breeze - Sea air

Materially reduced - 'Have been materially reduced in circumstances' means 'are earning a lot less'.

Mayor - The leader of a town or borough council which organises how the town is run.

Measles - A disease causing fever and rash (red spots) on the skin.

Messrs - Plural of Mr, used when referring to more than one man. For example 'Mr Smith' would mean only one Smith, 'Messrs Smith' would mean several (father and son, or brothers).

Middle class - People who earn enough money to live comfortably, such as doctors and lawyers.

Mortality - The death-rate; the number of people dying.

Muffler - A scarf

Museum - A place for collecting, displaying and looking after objects that have a scientific, historical or artistic value.

Music hall - A theatre where musicians, singers, and orchestras perform music. They usually give ‘variety shows’ where comedy acts play alongside musical acts.

Myriorama - A show using pictures projected onto a screen that combine to make different scenes or landscapes. It would often show current events and places around the world, and be accompanied by a band playing music.

Numerous - Many

Nurseryman - A person working in a nursery where plants and trees are grown for sale.

Occupation - Job

Ocular - Of the eyes. 'Ocular demonstration can be given' means people can understand something by looking at it.

Odour - A smell

Omnibus - A bus - in Victorian times buses were single or double-deckers and were pulled by horses.

Opera - A play that is sung on stage with an orchestra.

Orchestra - A large group of musicians who play together on various instruments, usually including strings, woodwinds, brass instruments, and percussion instruments.

Orthodox - A ‘proper’ way of behaving that is acceptable.

Ozone - A gas in the air (particularly at the seaside) that the Victorians believed was good for treating various diseases.

Ozone bath - A bath using water that has had ozone bubbled through it.

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P

Paddle steamer - A boat driven by paddles powered by steam.

Page - A boy or young man working as a servant.

Parlour - Living room

Pedestrian - A person walking

Pence - An old unit of money (2 and a half old pence equals 1 pence in today's money).

Penny-farthing bicycle - A bicycle with a very large front wheel and a small back wheel, with the pedals connected directly to the front wheel.

Percussion - The section of a band or orchestra composed of percussion instruments. Percussion instruments, such as a drum, triangle or xylophone, produce their sound by one object striking another, or by being scraped or shaken.

Pertaining to - Concerning, to do with

Phonograph - An early type of music player, invented by Thomas A. Edison in 1877. The wax cylinder was developed later in 1888. You could only listen to about 2 minutes of sound when playing a wax cylinder.

Pier - A platform supported by pillars, and built out from the shore over water. Usually found at the seaside, piers are used for entertainment. 

Pitchfork - A long-handled tool with 2 prongs used by farm workers for haymaking.

Pleurisy - A lung infection causing fever, coughing and difficulty in breathing.

Pneumonia - A lung infection causing fever, coughing and difficulty in breathing.

Polyphon - A large, wooden music box that plays large flat metal discs with punched holes which moves over ‘teeth’ connected to musical bells to produce the notes - sounds like little bells when played.

Poorhouse - A place where poor, old or sick people lived and were taken care of. Those that were well enough had to work. Also known as the workhouse.

Porous - Leaky; letting water through.

Portrait - A portrait is a ‘likeness’ created of an individual or group of people through photography or in paintings. Portrait photography developed during the Victorian period.

Postboy - A man or boy working at a post house or inn to help change the horses on coaches or carriages.

Posting - Travelling in a coach or carriage and changing horses at different stops (post houses) along the way.

Prevail - To exist in large quantity: 'where dirt prevailed' means where there was a lot of dirt.

Prevailing - Most common or most frequent: 'prevailing winds' means the usual direction of the wind.

Prevalent - Widespread; found or existing everywhere

Prior to - Before

Prodigious - Great in size, large, a lot

Promoting - Encouraging

Propelled - Pushed

Proprietor - Owner

Prosperity - Wealth

Punch and Judy - A funny puppet show featuring Punch (with a large nose) and his wife Judy.

Punch magazine - A famous magazine that contained funny drawings and cartoons, and commented on events of the day.

Pursued - 1) Carried on  2) Followed

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R-S

Rapidity - Speed

Reared - Grown

Remains - Body

Ruin - Going out of business. 'Ruin before many of them' means faced with going out of business.

Salubrity - Healthiness. 'Salubrity of the climate' means having a warm, healthy climate.

Salvation Army - A religious organisation that provided help to the poor. Unhappy with the living conditions and bad behaviour of the poor, founder William Booth launched a mission to bring people back to God.

Scarlet fever - A fever usually suffered by children, causing red skin (rash) and high fever. Also called Scarlatina.

Shewn - Another way of spelling 'shown'.

Shilling - Old unit of money equal to 12 old pence (one shilling = 5 pence in today's money).

Slate - Children once learned to write by writing on black slates. They scratched letters on them with chalk.

Smacks - Boats used for fishing.

Small-pox - An infection causing fever and markings on the skin, often followed by death.

Solicited - Asked for; requested

Solitary - Only

Song - A piece of music with words that is sung, and can be accompanied by musical instruments.

Spacious - Large

Stagecoach - A large, 4-wheeled, horse-drawn passenger vehicle covering a fixed route and stopping at set places along the way.

Steam locomotive - An engine powered by steam and used to pull a train.

Stricken - Affected by; suffering from

Strings - The section of a band or orchestra composed of stringed instruments such as a violin, viola, cello, or double bass, in which sound is produced by plucking, striking, or bowing taut strings.

Subscription - 1) A fee to be paid, for example entrance fee.  2) A collection of money.  3) A donation given to help somebody in need.

Substantial - Large

Suet pudding - A pudding made with animal fat

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T-Z

Tepid - Slightly warm

Three R’s - Victorian children were taught the three Rs (Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic).

Thriving - Doing well

Trade directory - A book with names and addresses of tradesmen, shopkeepers, businesses, and so on, also with advertisements and other information about the town.

Tradesman - 1) A shopkeeper; someone who buys and sells goods.  2) A skilled worker, such as a carpenter or plumber.

Tram - A large vehicle for fare-paying passengers, usually a double-decker, pulled on rails by horses and later by a steam engine.

Transcript - A typed copy of a handwritten document.

Trunks - Suitcases

Turnpike - A road that people paid a toll to travel on; the money collected was used to keep the road in good condition.

Typhoid - An illness caused by drinking dirty water (contaminated by sewage) and which can spread quickly and affect a lot of people.

Unprovided for - With no money

Upper class - People whose families are rich and powerful, such as landowners, factory owners, or aristocrats (lords, earls).

Vapour - Steam

Vie with - Compete with

Wholesome - Healthy

Whooping Cough - A disease that affects breathing and causes heavy coughing.

Widow - A woman whose husband has died.

Widower - A man whose wife has died.

Wireless - The old-fashioned name for a radio. Marconi invented an early form of communicating by radio called wireless telegraphy in 1896.

Woodwind - The section of a band or orchestra composed of woodwind instruments such as a bassoon, clarinet, oboe or saxophone. Sound is produced by the vibration of reeds in the mouthpiece, or by blowing across the mouthpiece, such as in a flute.

Workhouse - A place where poor, old or sick people lived and were taken care of. Those that were well enough had to work. Also known as the Poorhouse.

Working class - People doing heavy manual work, usually for low wages, such as farm labourers, miners, builders and factory workers.

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