Meanings
viva1
- Long live ... ! (used to express acclaim or support).
The message has been mostly perverted from the moment of his death, but it hasn't been invalidated. So, viva Jesus of Nazareth and joy to the world!
1986 February 8, Emma Whitby, “Old Testament Claptrap?”, in Gay Community News, volume 13, number 29, page 5
present singular third person vivas · participle present vivaing · participle past vivaed · past vivaed
- ambitransitivedatedTo cheer, applaud
...did you not hear how the beasts last night were cheering and vivaing those French heretics?
1857, George Payne R James, Leonora d'Orco2 more examples
...the people clapped and vivaed, groaned and hooted, as they were pleased or disappointed, until at length the intense excitement began to subside...
1841, Joseph Bullar, Henry Bullar, A winter in the Azores, and a summer at the baths of the FurnasThe next evening Paine went to the theatre. The state-box had been prepared for him. The house rose and vivaed as he entered.
1859, The Atlantic Monthly
viva2
present singular third person vivas · participle present vivaing · participle past vivaed · past vivaed
- transitiveTo subject to an examination of this kind.
I was vivaed by Charles Cannan, who was then a Fellow of Trinity...
1931, Henry Sanderson Furniss Sanderson, Memories of sixty years2 more examples
Throughout his life, he took college responsibilities seriously, he came to All Souls whenever possible on weekends, he vivaed or interviewed candidates...
1972, The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth HistoryMy doctoral thesis was vivaed three years before the publication of the revised and expanded edition of Richard H. Popkin's work...
2009, Gianni Paganini, Jose Raimundo Maia Neto, Renaissance Scepticisms
ViVa3
- a region of Manhattanville, Harlem, New York City
Synonyms & antonyms
nounan examination conducted by spoken communication
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
viva · interjection, verb, noun
- Italianviva
- Spanishviva
- Englishviva
Borrowed from Spanish viva and Italian viva.
More words from Spanish, Italian
Full word history & related roots →viva · noun, verb
Shortened from viva voce, Latin for “live voice”
Full word history & related roots →Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with viva
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
viva. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/viva
“viva.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/viva. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “viva,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/viva.
Source: viva on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.