Online Etymology Dictionary

-ville: suffix sporadically in vogue in U.S. colloquial word formation since c.1840 (cf. dullsville, palookaville), abstracted from the -ville in place names (Louisville, Greenville, etc.), from Old French ville "town," from Latin villa (see villa).
-vorous: word-forming element meaning "eating," from Latin -vorous, from stem of vorare "to devour" (see voracity).
V: In Middle English, -u- and -v- were used interchangeably, though with a preference for v- as the initial letter (vnder, vain, etc.) and -u- elsewhere (full, euer, etc.). The distinction into consonant and vowel identities was established in English by 1630, under influence of continental printers, but into 19c. some dictionaries and other catalogues continued to list -u- and -v- words as a single series.

No native Anglo-Saxon words begin in v- except those (vane, vat, vixen) altered by the southwestern England habit of replacing initial f- with v- (and initial s- with z-). Confusion of -v- and -w- also was a characteristic of 16c. Cockney accents.

In German rocket weapons systems of World War II, it stood for Vergeltungswaffe "reprisal weapon." V-eight as a type of motor engine is recorded from 1930 (V-engine is attested from 1924), so called for the arrangement. The V for "victory" hand sign was conceived January 1941 by Belgian politician and resistance leader Victor de Laveleye, to signify French victoire and Flemish vrijheid ("freedom"). It was broadcast into Europe by Radio België/Radio Belgique and popularized by the BBC by June 1941, from which time it became a universal allied gesture.
V.D. (n.): 1920, short for venereal disease (see venereal).
v.i.: abbreviation of Latin vide infra, literally "see below."
vac: 1709 as a colloquial shortening of vacation; 1942 as a colloquial shortening of vacuum (v.); 1974 as a colloquial shortening of vacuum cleaner.
vacancy (n.): c.1600, "state of being vacant," from Late Latin vacantia, from vacans (see vacant). Meaning "available room at a hotel" is recorded from 1953. Related: Vacancies.
vacant (adj.): late 13c., from Old French vacant, from Latin vacantem (nominative vacans), present participle of vacare "to be empty" (see vain). Related: Vacantly.
vacate (v.): 1640s, "to make void, to annul," from Latin vacatum, past participle of vacare "to be empty" (see vain). Meaning "to leave, give up, quit" (a place) is attested from 1791. Related: Vacated; vacating.
vacation (n.): late 14c., "freedom from obligations, leisure, release" (from some activity or occupation), from Old French vacation, from Latin vacationem (nominative vacatio) "leisure, a being free from duty," noun of state from past participle stem of vacare "be empty, free, or at leisure" (see vain).

Meanings "state of being unoccupied; process of vacating" are early 15c. Meaning "formal suspension of activity" (in reference to schools, courts, etc.) is recorded from mid-15c. As the U.S. equivalent of what in Britain is called a holiday, it is attested from 1878.
vacation (v.): 1876, from vacation (n.). Related: Vacationed; vacationing.
vaccinate (v.): 1803, back-formation from vaccination. Related: Vaccinated; vaccinating.
vaccination (n.): 1803, used by British physician Edward Jenner (1749-1823) for the technique he devised of preventing smallpox by injecting people with the cowpox virus (variolae vaccinae), from vaccine (adj.) "pertaining to cows, from cows" (1798), from Latin vaccinus "from cows," from vacca "cow" (bos being originally "ox," "a loan word from a rural dialect" according to Buck, who cites Umbrian bue). "The use of the term for diseases other than smallpox is due to Pasteur" [OED].
vaccine (n.): "matter used in vaccination," 1846, from Latin vaccina, fem. of vaccinus "pertaining to a cow" (see vaccination).
vacillate (v.): 1590s, "to sway unsteadily," from Latin vacillatum, from vacillare (see vacillation). Meaning "to waver between two opinions or courses" is recorded from 1620s. Related: Vacillated; vacillates; vacillating.
vacillation (n.): c.1400, from Latin vacillationem (nominative vacillatio) "a reeling, wavering," noun of action from past participle stem of vacillare "sway to and fro." Originally in reference to opinion or conduct; literal sense is recorded from 1630s.
vacuity (n.): late 14c., "hollow space," from Latin vacuitas "empty space, vacancy, freedom," from vacuus "empty" (see vacuum). Originally in anatomy. Meaning "vacancy of mind or thought" is attested from 1590s.
vacuole (n.): 1853, from French vacuole, from Latin vacuus "empty" (see vacuum).
vacuous (adj.): 1640s, "empty," from Latin vacuus "empty, void, free" (see vacuum). Figurative sense of "empty of ideas" is from 1848. Related: Vacuously; vacuousness.
vacuum (v.): "to clean with a vacuum cleaner," 1922; see vacuum (n.). Related: Vacuumed; vacuuming.
vacuum (n.): 1540s, "emptiness of space," from Latin vacuum "an empty space, void," noun use of neuter of vacuus "empty," related to vacare "be empty" (see vain). Properly a loan-translation of Greek xenon, literally "that which is empty." Meaning "a place emptied of air" is attested from 1650s. Vacuum tube is attested from 1859. Vacuum cleaner is from 1903; shortened form vacuum (n.) first recorded 1910.
vade: Latin, imperative singular of vadere "to go" (see vamoose).
vade mecum (n.): "a manual," 1620s, Latin, literally "go with me."
vae victis: Latin, literally "woe to the vanquished," from Livy, "History" V.xlviii.9.
vagabond (adj.): early 15c. (earlier vacabond, c.1400), from Middle French vagabonde, from Late Latin vagabundus "wandering, strolling about," from Latin vagari "wander" (from vagus "wandering, undecided;" see vague) + gerundive suffix -bundus. The noun is first recorded c.1400, earlier wagabund (c.1300).
vagal (adj.): 1854, from vagus + -al (1).
vagary (n.): 1570s, "a wandering, a roaming journey," probably from Latin vagari "to wander, roam, be unsettled, spread abroad," from vagus "roving, wandering" (see vague). Current meaning of "eccentric notion or conduct" (1620s) is from notion of mental wandering. Related: Vagaries.
vagina (n.): 1680s, from Latin vagina "sheath, scabbard" (plural vaginae), from PIE *wag-ina- (cf. Lithuanian voziu "ro cover with a hollow thing"), from root *wag- "to break, split, bite." Probably the ancient notion is of a sheath made from a split piece of wood (see sheath). A modern medical word; the Latin word was not used in an anatomical sense in classical times. Anthropological vagina dentata is attested from 1908.
vaginal (adj.): 1726, from vagina + -al (1). Related: Vaginally.
vaginismus (n.): 1866, Modern Latin, from vagina + -ismus (see -ism).
vaginitis (n.): 1846, Modern Latin; see vagina + -itis.
vagrancy (n.): "life of idle begging," 1706, from vagrant + -cy.
vagrant (n.): mid-15c., perhaps an alteration (by influence of Latin vagari "wander") of Anglo-French wacrant, noun use of present participle of Old French wacrer "to walk or wander," from a Germanic source (e.g. Old Norse valka "wander"). The adjective is recorded from early 15c.
vague (adj.): 1540s, from Middle French vague, from Latin vagus "wandering, rambling, vacillating, vague," of unknown origin. Related: Vagueness.
vaguely (adv.): 1781, from vague + -ly (2).
vagus (n.): plural vagi, 1840, from Latin vagus "wandering, straying" (see vague).
vail (n.): "advantage, profit," early 15c., from vail (v.) "to be of use or service" (c.1300), from Old French vail, from valoir "to be of value or worth" (see value (n.)).
vain (adj.): c.1300, "devoid of real value, idle, unprofitable," from Old French vein "worthless," from Latin vanus "idle, empty," from PIE *wa-no-, from root *eue- "to leave, abandon, give out" (cf. Old English wanian "to lessen," wan "deficient;" Old Norse vanta "to lack;" Latin vacare "to be empty," vastus "empty, waste;" Avestan va- "lack," Persian vang "empty, poor;" Sanskrit una- "deficient"). Meaning "conceited" first recorded 1690s, from earlier sense of "silly, idle, foolish" (late 14c.). Phrase in vain "to no effect" (c.1300, after Latin in vanum) preserves the original sense. Related: Vainly.
vainglorious (adj.): late 15c., from vainglory + -ous. Related: Vaingloriously; vaingloriousness.
vainglory (n.): c.1300, "worthless glory," waynglori, from Old French vaine glorie, from Medieval Latin vana gloria (see vain + glory (n.)).
vair (n.): "squirrel fur," c.1300, from Old French vair, from Latin varium, masculine accusative singular of varius "parti-colored" (see vary).
valance (n.): piece of drapery, mid-15c., from Anglo-French *valance, from valer "go down," variant of Old French avaler; or possibly from the plural of Old French avalant, from present participle of avaler "go down." The notion is of something "hanging down."
vale (n.): river-land between two ranges of hills, c.1300, from Old French val "valley," from Latin vallem (nominative vallis, valles) "valley." Vale of years "old age" is from "Othello." Vale of tears "this world as a place of trouble" is attested from 1550s.
valediction (n.): 1610s, from past participle stem of Latin valedicere "bid farewell," from vale, imperative of valere "be well" (see valiant) + dicere "to say" (see diction).
valedictorian: 1832 (n.), 1834 (adj.), American English, from valedictory + -ian.
valedictory (adj.): 1650s, from Latin valedictum (past participle of valedicere; see valediction) + -ory. Valedictory address is recorded from 1779.
valence (n.): early 15c., "extract, preparation," from Latin valentia "strength, capacity," from valentem (nominative valens), present participle of valere "be strong" (see valiant). Meaning "combining power of an element" is recorded from 1884, from German Valenz (1868), from the Latin word.
Valentine (n.): mid-15c., "sweetheart chosen on St. Valentine's Day," from Late Latin Valentinus, the name of two early Italian saints (from Latin valentia "strength, capacity;" see valence). Choosing a sweetheart on this day originated 14c. as a custom in English and French court circles. Meaning "letter or card sent to a sweetheart" first recorded 1824. The romantic association of the day is said to be from it being around the time when birds choose their mates.
For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd cometh there to chese his make.
[Chaucer, "Parlement of Foules," c.1381]
Probably the date was the informal first day of spring in whatever French region invented the custom (many surviving medieval calendars reckon the start of spring on the 7th or 22nd of February). No evidence connects it with the Roman Lupercalia (an 18c. theory) or to any romantic or avian quality in either of the saints. The custom of sending special cards or letters on this date flourished in England c.1840-1870, declined around the turn of the 20th century, and revived 1920s.
To speak of the particular Customs of the English Britons, I shall begin with Valentine's Day, Feb. 14. when young Men and Maidens get their several Names writ down upon Scrolls of Paper rolled up, and lay 'em asunder, the Men drawing the Maidens Names, and these the Mens; upon which, the Men salute their chosen Valentines and present them with Gloves, &c. This Custom (which sometimes introduces a Match) is grounded upon the Instinct of Animals, which about this Time of the Year, feeling a new Heat by the approach of the Sun, begin to couple. ["The Present State of Great Britain and Ireland" London, 1723]
Valentino (n.): "gigolo, good-looking romantic man," 1927, from Italian-born U.S. movie actor Rudolph Valentino (1895-1926), who was adored by female fans. His full name was Rodolfo Guglielmi di Valentino.
valerian (n.): late 14c., from Old French valeriane, apparently from feminine singular of Latin adjective Valerianus, from the personal name Valerius (see Valerie); but Weekley writes, "some of the German and Scand. forms of the name point rather to connection with the saga-hero Wieland."