- vox
- Latin, literally "voice" (see voice (n.)).
- vox populi (n.)
- 1540s, Latin, literally "voice of the people." The full maxim (first attested in Medieval Latin) is vox populi, vox Dei "the voice of the people is the voice of God." Short form vox pop attested by 1964.
- voyage (n.)
- c.1300, from Old French veiage "travel, journey," from Late Latin viaticum "a journey" (in classical Latin "provisions for a journey"), noun use of neuter of viaticus "of or for a journey," from via "road, journey, travel."
- voyage (v.)
- late 15c., from voyage (n.). Related: Voyaged; voyaging.
- voyeur (n.)
- a scopophiliac, 1900, from French voyeur (1898), literally "one who views or inspects," from voir "to view," from Latin videre "to see" (see vision).
- voyeurism (n.)
- "scopophilia," 1924, from voyeur + -ism.
- voyeuristic (adj.)
- 1929, from voyeur + -istic. Related: Voyeuristically.
- vroom
- 1967, echoic of the sound of a motor engine revving.
- vs
- abbreviation in law of Latin versus "against" (see versus). Also sometimes vs.; ver.
- vue
- French, literally "view, sight; aspect, appearance; vision" (see view (n.)).
- vug (n.)
- 1818, from Cornish vooga "a cavity in rock; cave, hollow."
- Vulcan (n.)
- god of fire and metal-work in Roman mythology, 1510s, from Latin Vulcanus, a word of Etruscan origin. Often with allusions to his lameness and the unfaithfulness of his wife, Venus. As the name of a hypothetical planet between Mercury and the Sun, it is attested from 1870. The Roman feast of Vulcanalia was on Aug. 23.
- vulcanize (v.)
- 1827, "to put into flames," from Vulcan (q.v.), name of the Roman god of fire, + -ize. As a treatment for rubber, first recorded 1846. Related: Vulcanized; vulcanizing.
- vulgar (adj.)
- late 14c., "common, ordinary," from Latin vulgaris "of or pertaining to the common people, common, vulgar," from vulgus "the common people, multitude, crowd, throng," from PIE root *wel- "to crowd, throng" (cf. Sanskrit vargah "division, group," Greek eilein "to press, throng," Middle Breton gwal'ch "abundance," Welsh gwala "sufficiency, enough"). Meaning "coarse, low, ill-bred" is first recorded 1640s, probably from earlier use (with reference to people) with meaning "belonging to the ordinary class" (1530).
- vulgarian (n.)
- "rich person of vulgar manners," 1804, from vulgar (adj.) + -ian.
- vulgarity (n.)
- 1570s, "the common people," from Late Latin vulgaritas "the multitude," from vulgaris (see vulgar). Meaning "coarseness, crudeness" is recorded from 1774.
- Vulgate (n.)
- c.1600, Latin translation of the Bible, especially that completed in 405 by St. Jerome (c.340-420), from Medieval Latin Vulgata, from Late Latin vulgata "common, general, ordinary, popular" (in vulgata editio "popular edition"), from Latin vulgata, fem. past participle of vulgare "make common or public," from vulgus "the common people" (see vulgar). So called because the translations made the book accessible to the common people of ancient Rome.
- vulnerable (adj.)
- c.1600, from Late Latin vulnerabilis "wounding," from Latin vulnerare "to wound," from vulnus (genitive vulneris) "wound," perhaps related to vellere "pluck, to tear."
- vulpine (adj.)
- "pertaining to a fox, fox-like," 1620s, from Latin vulpinus "of or pertaining to a fox," from vulpes, earlier volpes (genitive vulpis, volpis) "fox," of unknown origin.
- vulture (n.)
- late 14c., from Anglo-French vultur, Old French voultour, from Latin vultur, earlier voltur, perhaps related to vellere "to pluck, to tear." Figurative sense is recorded from 1580s.
- vulva (n.)
- 1540s, from Latin vulva, earlier volva "womb, female sexual organ," literally "wrapper," from volvere "to turn, twist, roll, revolve," also "turn over in the mind," from PIE root *wel- "to turn, revolve," with derivatives referring to curved, enclosing objects (cf. Sanskrit valate "turns round," ulvam "womb, vulva;" Lithuanian valtis "twine, net," apvalus "round;" Old Church Slavonic valiti "roll, welter," vluna "wave;" Greek eluo "wind, wrap," helix "spiral object," eilein "to turn, squeeze;" Gothic walwjan "to roll;" Old English wealwian "roll," weoloc "whelk, spiral-shelled mollusk;" Old High German walzan "to roll, waltz;" Old Irish fulumain "rolling;" Welsh olwyn "wheel").
- VW (n.)
- 1958, short for Volkswagen, which is German for "people's car" (see folk (n.) + wagon).