[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. Mar. M. Grant, Sun-Maid, xi. A victoria is the prettiest carriage a lady can possibly 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.
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. (1871), 327.
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 sb. 14 b).
c. 1882. Cassell’s Nat. Hist., IV. 127.
5. A variety of plum characterized by its luscious flavor and rich red color. 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, [etc.].
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.)
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.
b. Misc., as Victoria black, blue, Court, crape, frilling, 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. Cagney, trans. Jaksch’s Clin. Diagn., x. 437. Staining with alcoholic solution of Victoria-blue.
1847. McCulloch, 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. Needlework, 515/1. *Victoria frilling,… a description of cotton cambric Frilling. Ibid., *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.
