viva
viva Lexical Profile
viva Game Scores & Validity
• interjection
Used as a shout or exclamation of acclaim, salute, or support, meaning 'long live!'
"The crowd raised their glasses and shouted, 'Viva la revolución!'"
• noun
British An oral examination at a university, typically for a doctoral degree, in which a student answers questions and defends their thesis in spoken form before a panel of examiners.
"After three years of intensive laboratory research, she passed her PhD viva with only minor corrections."
A shout, cheer, or exclamation of applause, goodwill, or acclaim.
"The returning athletes were greeted with enthusiastic vivas from the thousands of fans lining the streets."
• verb
British To subject a candidate to an oral academic examination.
"The external examiners will viva the borderline candidates next Tuesday before finalizing the degree classifications."
Word Nuance & Usage
In British and Commonwealth universities, 'viva' (short for 'viva voce') is the standard term for an oral doctoral examination, equivalent to the 'defense' in American English. As an interjection meaning 'long live', it is borrowed from Italian and Spanish and precedes the person or cause being praised.
• Rhymes for viva
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The academic sense is shortened from the Medieval Latin phrase 'viva voce' (literally 'with the living voice'). The acclamation sense derives from Italian and Spanish 'viva' ('long live!'), the third-person singular present subjunctive of 'vivere' or 'vivir' ('to live'), from Latin 'vivere'.