UZZIAH, (Heb. 'Uzziyyalt or'Uzzi.yyu kfi, Yahweh is my strength), or AZARIAll (Heb. 'Azaryuh or 'Azoryahu, Yahweh has helped). A king of .Judah, son of Amaziah (II. Kings xv. 1-7; II. Chron. xxvi.). The relation of the two names is uncertain. They may be prac tically synonyms, double names occurring in the Davidic line, or possibly one is a textual cor ruption of the other. Uzziah is assigned a reign of 52 years, the end of which is variously dated within B.c. 740-737. The Book of Kings simply re counts his piety, and that he was smitten with leprosy in the latter part of his reign. his son Jotham becoming regent. The Chronicler rep resents Uzziah as a successful warrior, sub duing the Philistines, and driving hack the Arabians and Ammonites, and so extending his boundaries southward. He added to the fortifica tions of Jerusalem, fortified the Southland, and zealously developed the royal domains. The stroke of leprosy, however, was due to the pride created by his success; he arrogated the right to offer incense in the Temple, and, when he persisted against the high priest, was stricken with the plague. Uzziali was the contemporary of the northern Jeroboam TI. (q.v.) ; in their reigns the Israelitish kingdoms enjoyed political free dom, and, from the notices of the prophets. seem to have gained power and wealth. Isaiah records that his prophetic vision came in the year Uzziah died. Consult the histories of Israel; also, G. A. Smith, Isaiah (New York, 1899).
The twenty-second letter and seven teenth consonant of the English alphabet. Its form corresponds to
the Roman V. which answers to the Greek upsilon (T, v), and that in turn was a variation of the Pie nieian (ran). In Latin .e and a were used indifferently to represent either the consonantal or the vocalic sound. This confused usage ex tended into Middle English and the letters were not differentiated until the seventeenth century.
ot..7so AND PIIILOLOBICAL VALUE. As a phonetic character r in modern English is a voiced labio dental spirant. The sound is produced by the audible friction of the breath passing between the edges of the upper teeth and the lips over which they close. The philological sources of the letters are various. When not initial, Eng lish r may represent (1) Indo-Germanic bh, as in English lore, German Helm, Sanskrit lubh, 'to desire:' (2) Indo-Germanic p, as in English orer. German Uhcr, Sanskrit upari. In a few words initial r in English represents Indo-Ger manic p = Anglo-Saxon f, as in rat, Anglo Saxon ice: vane, Anglo-Saxon fana; vixen, Anglo-Saxon fixen. In these eases c is clue to the influence of the Southern English dialect which gave a voiced sound regularly to the older Eng lish f. As a rule, initial r in English is a sign of a loan-word from Latin or French, as in villa, voice, vacation.
As A SYMBOL AND ABBREVIATION. in chem istry = vanadium. In Roman numerals V = 5; V = 5,000.