Very

Very (pronounced ver-ee)

(1) In a high degree; extremely; exceedingly (used as an intensive emphasizing superlatives or stressing identity or oppositeness).

(2) Actual, precise; particular.

(3) Mere (in certain contexts) or sheer; utter (depending on context).

(4) Being such in the true or fullest sense of the term; extreme.

(5) True; genuine; worthy of being called such; rightful or legitimate.

(6) Pure, simple, plain.

1200–50: From the Middle English verray & verrai (true, real, genuine (and in the fourteenth century "actual, sheer")), from the Anglo-French verrai, from the Old French verai (true, truthful, sincere; right, just, legal) (from which French gained vrai), from the (assumed) Vulgar Latin vērācus, an alteration of the Classical Latin vērāx (genitive veracis) (truthful) from vērus (true (and source of the Italian vero)); the construct of vērāx was vēr(us) (true (and cognate with the Old English wǣr & the German wahr (true, correct)) + -āx (the adjectival suffix).  The ultimate source was the primitive Indo-European weh- (true, benevolent), source also of the Old English wǣr (true, correct), the Dutch waar (true), the German wahr (true) and the Icelandic alvöru (earnest).  It displaced the native Middle English sore & sār (very), from the Old English sār (grievous, extreme) which was related to the German sehr, the Dutch zeer, the Middle English wel (very (from the Old English wel (well, very)).  Other links include the German wohl, the Dutch wel, the Swedish väl, and the Middle English swith (quickly; very), from the Old English swīþe (very).  Very is an adverb & adjective and the adjectival forms verier & veriest are obsolete.  The adverb verily is effectively obsolete except for ecclesiastical use where if remains familiar in ritualistic phrases such as “verily I say unto you”.

Circa 1914 Webley & Scott Mark 1 British Royal Flying Corps (RFC) Very Pistol, brass frame with steel barrel, composition grips and 1½ inch (40mm) bore.  The short barrel design was unusual and permitted the pistol to be fitted to a mount on the side of the aircraft.

Very (as a proper noun) is spelt with an initial capital if referring to the most common type of flare gun, named after US Navy Lieutenant Edward W Very (1847–1910) (although the devices are sometimes spelt Verey).  Lieutenant Very’s invention was a large caliber single-shot pistol with a single action firing mechanism, designed fire into the air flares to signal position, usually to indicate distress and the need for assistance.  The older Very pistols were always metal and typically built with a one inch (50 mm) bore while more modern versions are often fabricated in plastic with a 12 gauge (¾ inch (19 mm) bore.  The plastic versions are usually brightly colored to make them easier to find in an emergency and to distinguish them from handguns.  The flares are available in red, green and "white star", use governed by rules which vary according to use (aviation, at sea, when using explosives etc).

It was the misuse of a Very pistol which provided the inspiration for Smoke on the Water, the most famous song by the band Deep Purple.  In December 1971, the band were in Montreux, Switzerland to record an album at an entertainment complex attached to the town’s casino.  The evening before recording was due to begin, as part of the Montreux jazz festival, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention were playing a concert in the casino theatre, during which a member of the audience fired a flare gun, igniting the ceiling, the crowd initially thinking the pyrotechnics were part of the show.  The fire burned the casino to the ground and the members of Deep Purple, watching the blaze from across the lake were inspired to write Smoke on the Water which was released three months later on the Machine Head album.

Frank Zappa and the Mothers

Were at the best place around

But some stupid with a flare gun

Burned the place to the ground

The adverb verily (in truth) dates from the early fourteenth century, the construct being the Middle English verray (true, real), from verray (true, very) + -ly.  The –ly prefix was from the Middle English -ly, -li, -lik & -lich, from the Old English -līċ, from the Proto-West Germanic -līk, from the Proto-Germanic -līkaz (having the body or form of), from līką (body) (from whence Modern German gained lich); in form, it was probably influenced by the Old Norse -ligr (-ly) and was cognate with the Dutch -lijk, the German -lich and the Swedish -lig.  It was used (1) to form adjectives from nouns, the adjectives having the sense of "behaving like, having a likeness or having a nature typical of what is denoted by the noun" and (2) to form adjectives from nouns specifying time intervals, the adjectives having the sense of "occurring at such intervals".  The feminine proper name Vera is from the Latin (where literally it meant “true”)

Lindsay Lohan in very low-cut dress, New York Fashion Week, 2011.

The word very is common and familiar in English and in most of the ways it’s used, well understood.  Most past participles which have become established as adjectives can (like almost all adjectives in English) be modified by the adverb but this does not extend verbs although there are of course sentences where it’s not immediately clear if a certain past participle is adjectival and thus able to be modified by very without an intervening adverb.  In practice however, whatever the objection of the grammar Nazis, such sentences usually manage to convey the intended meaning although the adverb tends to be superfluous and detracts from the elegance of expression.  Technically, adverbs of degree such as very, too & quite should be used only to qualify adjectives and not to qualify past participles that follow the verb to be, since they would then they would be qualifying verbs.  With the exception of certain participles (disappointed, tired et al) that have come to be regarded as adjectives, all other past participles are qualified by adverbs such as much, greatly & seriously et al.

As an adverb synonyms (depending on context) can include extremely, exceedingly, exceptionally, especially, tremendously, immensely, vastly. hugely, extraordinarily, extra, excessively, overly, over, abundantly, inordinately, singularly, significantly, distinctly, outstandingly, uncommonly, unusually, decidedly, particularly, eminently, supremely, highly, remarkably, really, truly, mightily, thoroughly, most, très, right, terrifically, awfully, terribly, devilishly, madly, majorly, seriously, desperately, mega, ultra, stinking. damned, devilish, hellish, frightfully, well, bloody, jolly, dirty, fair, real, mighty, powerful, awful, darned, bitching & exceeding.  As an adjective synonyms (depending on context) can include actual, precise, exact, actual, particular, specific, distinct, ideal, perfect, appropriate, suitable, apt, fitting, fit & right.

As an intensifier, very is used to add emphasis to adjectives that have some quality of variation (long, big et al) and while hardly adding precision, the adverb can, if thoughtfully applied, enhance the meaning.  What the grammar Nazis don’t like is where very is used to modify words of single or absolute value and the one which most excites their interest is probably “unique”.  Unique does of course suggest a one-off and that meaning, noted since the 1610s remains current but the once erroneous sense of "remarkable, uncommon" had become common since the late nineteenth century, especially in commerce and has become so prevalent it can no longer be thought wrong except if used in a way deliberately deceptive or misleading.  In that sense using “very” to modify unique functions in a different manner than it operates upon words like “tall” or “capacity” et al; it exists as emphasis rather than intensify.  For that reason “most” or “quite” are also often used (especially in commerce) to modify unique.