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viva

1 American  
[vee-vuh, vee-vah] / ˈvi və, ˈvi vɑ /

interjection

  1. Italian, Spanish. (an exclamation of acclaim or approval).

    Viva Zapata!

noun

  1. a shout of “viva.”

viva 2 American  
[vahy-vuh] / ˈvaɪ və /

noun

  1. (in British and European universities) an oral examination; viva voce.

viva 1 British  
/ ˈvaɪvə /

noun

  1. an oral examination

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to examine orally

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
viva 2 British  
/ ˈviːvə /

interjection

  1. long live; up with (a specified person or thing)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of viva1

First recorded in 1665–75; literally: “may (he) live!” 3rd-person singular present subjunctive of Italian vivere, Spanish vivir, ultimately from Latin vīvere “to live”; vital

Origin of viva2

First recorded in 1890–95; shortened form

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.