Online Etymology Dictionary

victory (n.): early 14c., from Old French victorie, from Latin victoria, from past participle stem of vincere (see victor). V.E. ("victory in Europe") and V.J. ("victory in Japan") days in World War II were first used Sept. 2, 1944, by James F. Byrne, U.S. director of War Mobilization ["Washington Post," Sept. 10, 1944].
Victrola (n.): 1905, trademark of a phonograph, from Victor Talking Machine Co. Coined because it had "a sound suggestive of music," with ending from pianola.
victual (n.): c.1300; see victuals.
victual (v.): c.1300, from Anglo-French or Old French vitailler, from vitaille (see victuals). Related: Victualed; victualing.
victuals (n.): c.1300, vitaylle (singular), from Anglo-French and Old French vitaille, from Late Latin victualia "provisions," noun use of plural of victualis "of nourishment," from victus "livelihood, food, sustenance," from root of vivere "to live" (see vital). Spelling altered early 16c. to conform with Latin, but pronunciation remains "vittles."
vicuna (n.): Peruvian ruminant, c.1600, from Spanish vicuña, from Quechua (Peru) wikuna, the native name of the animal.
vid.: abbreviation of vide, Latin imperative singular of videre "to see" (see vision).
vide: "see," Latin imperative singular of videre "to see" (see vision).
videlicet: "namely, to wit," mid-15c., see viz.
video (adj., n., pref.): 1935, as visual equivalent of audio, from Latin video "I see," first person singular present indicative of videre "to see" (see vision). video game is from 1973.
videocassette (n.): 1971, from video + cassette. Videocassette recorder is from 1971, now usually VCR (also 1971).
videographer (n.): 1983, from video + second element from photographer.
videotape (n.): 1953, from video + tape (n.). The verb is 1958, from the noun. Related: Videotaped; videotaping.
vidette (n.): 1680s, from French vidette, from Italian (Florentine) vedetta "watch tower, peep hole," from vedere "to see" (see vista).
vie (v.): 1560s, shortened form of Middle English envie "make a challenge," from Old French envier, from Latin invitare (see invite).
Vienna: Roman Vindobona, from Celtic vindo "white" + bona "foundation, fort." The "white" might be a reference to the river flowing through it.
Viet Cong (n.): also Vietcong, 1957, "the communist guerilla force in Vietnam 1954-1976," from Vietnamese, in full Viet Nam Cong San, literally "Vietnamese communist."
Viet Minh (n.): also Vietminh, 1945, name of the independence movement in French Indo-China 1941-50, in full Viet Nam Doc-Lap Dong-Minh "Vietnamese Independence League."
Vietnam: from Vietnamese Viet, the people's name + nam "south." Vietnam War attested by 1963.
Vietnamese: 1947, from Vietnam + -ese.
Vietnamization (n.): 1957, from Vietnam + -ization.
view (n.): early 14c., "formal inspection or survey" (of land); mid-14c., "visual perception," from Anglo-French vewe "view," from Old French veue, noun use of fem. past participle of veoir "to see," from Latin videre "to see" (see vision). Sense of "manner of regarding something" first recorded early 15c. Meaning "sight or prospect of a landscape, etc." is recorded from c.1600.
view (v.): 1520s, from view (n.). Related: Viewed; viewing.
viewer (n.): early 15c., "civic official responsible for surveying property," agent noun from view (v.). Meaning "watcher of television" first recorded 1935, in place of earlier suggestion looker-in (1927).
viewing (n.): "last presentation of a dead body before the funeral," 1944, verbal noun from view (v.).
viewpoint (n.): 1856, of mental positions; 1858 in a physical sense, from view + point (n.).
vigil (n.): early 13c., "eve of a religious festival" (an occasion for devotional watching or observance), from Anglo-French and Old French vigile, from Latin vigilia "watch, watchfulness," from vigil "watchful, awake," from PIE *wog-/*weg- "be lively or active, be strong" (cf. Latin vigere "be lively, thrive," velox "fast, lively," vegere "to enliven;" Sanskrit vaja- "strength, speed;" Old English wacan "to wake up, arise," wacian "to be awake;" Old High German wahta "watch, vigil"). Meaning "watch kept on a festival eve" is from late 14c.; that of "occasion of keeping awake for some purpose" is recorded from 1711.
vigilance (n.): 1560s, from French vigilance, from Latin vigilantia "wakefulness," from vigilia (see vigil).
vigilant (adj.): late 15c., from Latin vigilantia "wakefulness," from vigilia (see vigil). Related: Vigilantly.
vigilante (n.): "member of a vigilance committee," 1856, American English, from Spanish vigilante, literally "watchman," from Latin vigilantem (see vigilance). Vigilant man in same sense is attested from 1824 in a Missouri context. Vigilance committees kept informal rough order on the frontier or in other places where official authority was imperfect.
vignette (n.): 1751, "decorative design," originally a design in the form of vine tendrils around the borders of a book page, especially a picture page, from French vignette, from Old French diminutive of vigne "vineyard" (see vine). Sense transferred from the border to the picture itself, then (1853) to a type of small photographic portrait with blurred edges very popular mid-19c. Meaning "literary sketch" is first recorded 1880, probably from the photographic sense.
vigor (n.): c.1300, from Anglo-French vigour, Old French vigor, from Latin vigorem (nominative vigor) "liveliness, activity, force," from vigere "be lively, flourish, thrive," from PIE *wog-/*weg- "be lively or active" (see vigil).
vigorous (adj.): c.1300 (early 13c. as a surname), from Anglo-French vigrus, Old French vigorosus, from Latin vigere "be lively, flourish, thrive" (see vigor). Related: Vigorously.
vigour (n.): chiefly British English spelling of vigor (q.v.); for spelling, see -or.
Viking (n.): Scandinavian pirate, 1807, vikingr; modern spelling attested from 1840. The word is a historical revival; it was not used in Middle English, but it was revived from Old Norse vikingr "freebooter, sea-rover, pirate, viking," which usually is explained as meaning properly "one who came from the fjords," from vik "creek, inlet, small bay" (cf. Old English wic, Middle High German wich "bay," and second element in Reykjavik). But Old English wicing and Old Frisian wizing are almost 300 years older, and probably derive from wic "village, camp" (temporary camps were a feature of the Viking raids), related to Latin vicus "village, habitation" (see villa).

The connection between the Norse and Old English words is still much debated. The period of Viking activity was roughly 8c. to 11c. In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the raiding armies generally were referred to as þa Deniscan "the Danes," while those who settled in England were identified by their place of settlement. Old Norse viking (n.) meant "freebooting voyage, piracy;" one would "go on a viking."
vile (adj.): early 13c. (implied in vilety), from Anglo-French and Old French vile, from Latin vilis "cheap, worthless, base, common," of unknown origin. Related: Vilely.
vilify (v.): mid-15c., "to lower in worth or value," from Late Latin vilificare "to make cheap or base," from Latin vilis "cheap, base" (see vile) + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Meaning "to slander, speak evil of" is first recorded 1590s. Related: Vilified, vilifying.
villa (n.): 1610s, from Italian villa "country house, villa, farm," from Latin villa "country house, farm," related to vicus "village, group of houses," from PIE *weik- "clan" (cf. Sanskrit vesah "house," vit "dwelling, house, settlement;" Avestan vis "house, village, clan;" Old Persian vitham "house, royal house;" Greek oikos "house;" Old Church Slavonic visi "village;" Gothic weihs "village;" Lithuanian viešpats "master of the house").
village (n.): late 14c., "inhabited place larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town," from Old French village "houses and other buildings in a group" (usually smaller than a town), from Latin villaticum "farmstead" (with outbuildings), noun use of neuter singular of villaticus "having to do with a farmstead or villa," from villa "country house" (see villa). Village idiot is recorded from 1907.
villain (n.): c.1300, "base or low-born rustic," from Anglo-French and Old French villain, from Medieval Latin villanus "farmhand," from Latin villa "country house" (see villa).
The most important phases of the sense development of this word may be summed up as follows: 'inhabitant of a farm; peasant; churl, boor; clown; miser; knave, scoundrel.' Today both Fr. vilain and Eng. villain are used only in a pejorative sense. [Klein]
Meaning "character in a novel, play, etc. whose evil motives or actions help drive the plot" is from 1822.
villainous (adj.): c.1300, from Old French vileneus, from villain; see villain.
villainy (n.): early 13c., from Old French vilanie, from villain; see villain.
villanelle (n.): 1580s, from French villanelle, from Italian villanella "ballad, rural song," from fem. of villanello "rustic," from Medieval Latin villanus (see villain). As a poetic form, five 3-lined stanzas and a final quatrain, with only two rhymes throughout, usually of pastoral or lyric nature.
Villanova: European culture of the early Iron Age, 1901, named for a hamlet near Bologna where archaeological remains of it were found.
villein (n.): early 14c., spelling variant of villain, referring to a feudal class of half-free peasants.
villus (n.): 1704, plural villi, from Latin villus "tuft of hair, shaggy hair" (see velvet).
vim (n.): 1843, usually said to be from Latin vim, accusative of vis "strength, force, power, energy." But perhaps the modern word is purely imitative.
vinaigrette (n.): 1690s, a type of condiment, from French vinaigrette, diminutive of vinaigre "(aromatic) vinegar" (see vinegar). Modern sense of a type of dressing for salads or cold vegetables is attested from 1877.
Vincent: masc. proper name, from French, shortened from Latin Vincentius, from vincens "conquering," from vincere "to overcome" (see victor). The name of a 3c. martyr, it was introduced in England c.1200.
vincible (adj.): 1540s, from Latin vincibilis, from vincere (see victor).