Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun The 22nd letter of the modern English alphabet.
  • noun Any of the speech sounds represented by the letter v.
  • noun The 22nd in a series.
  • noun Something shaped like the letter V.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun An abbreviation of vice-president.
  • The abbreviation, used in this work, of verb transitive.
  • An abbreviation [l. c] of verb active
  • [lowercase] of verbal adjective
  • of Vicar Apostolic
  • of Vice-Admiral
  • of Victoria and Albert (Order of)
  • [lowercase] of the Latin vixit annos, lived [so many] years.
  • noun An abbreviation in book-catalogues of various years.
  • noun An abbreviation of the Latin verbum neutrum, neuter verb.
  • noun An abbreviation of Very Worshipful.
  • noun In music, an abbreviation of volti subito.
  • noun An abbreviation of veterinary surgeon.
  • noun A five-dollar bill: so called from the character V which is conspicuous upon it.
  • noun An abbreviation in electrotechnics, of voltmeter
  • noun of the Latin Veterinarius Medicus, veterinary physician.
  • noun An abbreviation of verb intransitive.
  • noun An abbreviation, in book-catalogues, of various dates.
  • noun An abbreviation of Victoria cross.
  • noun An abbreviation of Vice-Lieutenant.
  • This character, the twenty-second in our alphabet, is (see U) the older form of the character U, having been long used equivalently with the latter, and only recently strictly distinguished from it as the representative of a different sound.
  • As a Roman numeral, V stands for 5; with a dash over it (V), 5,000.
  • 3, [lowercase] An abbreviation of velocity (in physics); verb; verse; versus (in law); vert (in heraldry); vision (in medicine); of verte, violino, voce, and volta (in music); of ventral (fin), etc.
  • The chemical symbol of vanadium.
  • noun An abbreviation of Vice-Chairman
  • noun of Vice-Chancellor.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • V, the twenty-second letter of the English alphabet, is a vocal consonant. V and U are only varieties of the same character, U being the cursive form, while V is better adapted for engraving, as in stone. The two letters were formerly used indiscriminately, and till a comparatively recent date words containing them were often classed together in dictionaries and other books of reference (see u). The letter V is from the Latin alphabet, where it was used both as a consonant (about like English w) and as a vowel. The Latin derives it from a form (V) of the Greek vowel Υ (see y), this Greek letter being either from the same Semitic letter as the digamma F (see f), or else added by the Greeks to the alphabet which they took from the Semitic. Etymologically v is most nearly related to u, w, f, b, p; as in vine, wine; avoirdupois, habit, have; safe, save; trover, troubadour, trope. See U, F, etc.
  • As a numeral, V stands for five, in English and Latin.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun physics velocity
  • noun phonetics used in the International Phonetic Alphabet and in several romanization systems of non-Latin scripts to represent a voiced labiodental fricative (IPA: /v/).
  • noun The twenty-second letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.
  • noun cardinal number five (5).
  • noun The twenty-second letter of the English alphabet, called vee and written in the Latin script.
  • abbreviation Alternative form of v..
  • noun a shape resembling the letter v

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt; equivalent to the potential difference across a resistance of 1 ohm when 1 ampere of current flows through it
  • noun the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
  • adjective being one more than four
  • noun a soft silvery white toxic metallic element used in steel alloys; it occurs in several complex minerals including carnotite and vanadinite
  • noun the 22nd letter of the Roman alphabet

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Minuscule variation of Latin V, from seventh century Old Latin adoption of Old Italic letter 𐌖 (V), from Greek letter Υ (Y, "Upsilon").

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Lower case form of upper case roman numeral V, from abbreviation of IIIIΛ or IIIIV (representing 5), from tally stick markings resembling \\\\⋁ or ////⋌, from the practice of designating each fifth notch with a double cut, like the corresponding Western tally mark, .

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English lower case letter v (also written u), from Old English lower case u and respelling of Old English f between vowels and voiced consonants.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word v.

Examples

  • Next, if the shot advances a distance [Delta] s ft. in the time [Delta] t, during which the velocity falls from v+½ [Delta] v to v-½ [Delta] v, we have

    Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2 "Baconthorpe" to "Bankruptcy" Various

  • If [Delta] t seconds is the time during which the resistance of the air, R lb, causes the velocity of the shot to fall [Delta] v (f/s), so that the velocity drops from v+½ [Delta] v to v-½ [Delta] v in passing through the mean velocity v, then

    Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Part 1, Slice 2 "Baconthorpe" to "Bankruptcy" Various

  • As an attempt to defend a contextualist hidden variables interpretation, this position must concede that not only does the system have, in the Q-measurement situation, a value v (Q), but also, in a P-measurement situation, it has a value v² (Q), although perhaps v² (Q) ‰ 

    The Kochen-Specker Theorem Held, Carsten 2006

  • We now apply Lemma 7, substituting v for the new variable v².

    Classical Logic Shapiro, Stewart 2000

  • In other words, the diagonalism which we have noticed above in the arrangement of young and old satyrs (vi a, v b, iv: iv¹, v¹ b, vi¹ a), is extended here to the groups themselves.

    The American Journal of Archaeology, 1893-1 Various

  • V¹ = v '(1 - 5/4) = - ¼v': the planet wheel, or epicycloidal yoke, then, has the higher speed, so that if it be desired to "gear up," and drive the propeller faster than the engine goes (and this, we believe, was the purpose of the inventor), the pin-wheel must be made the driver; which is the reverse of advantageous in respect to the relative amounts of approaching and receding action.

    Scientific American Supplement, No. 470, January 3, 1885 Various

  • Prices were also affixed to woollen cloth, [****] to caps and hats: [v] and the wages of laborers were regulated by law. [v*] It is evident, that these matters ought always to be left free, and be intrusted to the common course of business and commerce.

    The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part C. From Henry VII. to Mary David Hume 1743

  • Company upon trust, and sold at a great discount for ready money. [v] A scheme was proposed for coining two or three hundred thousand pounds of base money: [v*] such were the extremities to which Charles was reduced.

    The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part E. From Charles I. to Cromwell David Hume 1743

  • London was committed to the Tower for his activity in supporting the officers of the custom-house: the goods of Rolles, a merchant, and member of the house, being seized for his refusal to pay the duties, complaints were made of this violence as if it were a breach of privilege: [v] Charles supported his officers in all these measures; and the quarrel grew every day higher between him and the commons. [v*]

    The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part E. From Charles I. to Cromwell David Hume 1743

  • Every man was ordered to have a bow; [v] butts were ordered to be erected in every parish; [v*] and every bowyer was ordered, for each bow of yew which he made, to make two of elm or witch, for the service of the common people. [v**] The use of crossbows and handguns was also prohibited. [v***] * 23 Henry VIII. c.

    The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.I., Part C. From Henry VII. to Mary David Hume 1743

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • V. Chemical element symbol for Vanadium.

    December 1, 2007

  • shortened form of very , spotted in the twitterverse.

    v sad

    December 11, 2017