V
(viː)
the 22nd letter of the modern English and the 20th of the ancient Roman alphabet, was in the latter an adoption of the early Greek vowel-symbol V, now also represented by U and Y (q.v.), but in Latin was employed also with the value of the Greek digamma (viz. w), to which it corresponds etymologically. When not purely vocalic, it still denoted this sound at the time when the earliest Latin loan-words were adopted in the Teutonic languages; consequently such words beginning with v appear in Old English with w. Under the Empire, however, the semi-vocalic sound gradually changed to a bilabial consonant, and finally became the labio-dental voiced spirant now denoted by the letter in English and various other languages. This development did not take place in Old English; and no v, whether bilabial or labio-dental, occurred initially in the older Teutonic languages, although the sound was common in other positions (in OE. denoted by f, in early texts by b).
In OE. dictionaries there is thus no set of words with initial V, one or two Latin words adopted at a late period usually appearing with f, as fann, fers (but also vers), from L. vannus, versus. The first appearance of V-words is found in those ME. texts which begin to show a distinct French influence, as the Ancren Riwle; even early writers like Orm and Laȝamon, while not free from the use of French words, do not employ any beginning with v. The number of such words steadily increases in later texts, and is subsequently greatly reinforced by direct adoptions from Latin, by new formations on Latin stems, and by adoptions from other Romanic languages. The other sources of initial V are of minor importance. The change of w to v, which took place in the middle period of the Scandinavian languages, is represented in a few words, as Valhalla, valkyrie, viking, but otherwise the words with this initial are chiefly derived from languages not directly related to English. A small number of words, however, as vat, vixen, exemplify the voicing of f- peculiar to southern (now only south-western) dialects. This change is not indicated in OE. spelling, and how far it had developed in speech is uncertain, but in southern ME. texts all native words (rarely those of French or Latin origin) beginning with f may appear with v- (or its equivalent u-); the more important variant forms due to this cause are entered in their places below. Conversely words properly having v- are occasionally written with f-, and there is evidence that this is not merely graphic, but represents an actual pronunciation. (‘Euen so oure Englishmen vse to speake in Essexe, for they say fineger for vineger, feale for veale, & contrary wyse a voxe for a foxe, voure for foure, etc.’ 1546 Langley, tr. Pol. Verg. de Invent. i. vi. 14.)
When not initial, v occurs freely in native words as well as in those of Latin or other origin. In the former it represents OE. f when voiced, as in ǽfen even, dr{iacu}fan drive, lufu love. The use of f (or ff) in such words was partly retained in ME. (and especially in Sc. down to the 16th century); but even in late OE. u is frequently substituted, and in early ME. (as in med.L. and OF.) u and v come into general use to denote the sound in all positions. It was only in the 17th century that these two letters, both of which had been employed in a double function (see U), were finally distinguished as vowel and consonant; and down to the 19th century words beginning with either letter continued to form one series in dictionaries.
In some ME. (chiefly northern) manuscripts, and in many Scottish texts of the 15th and 16th centuries, v is more or less frequently written in place of w, while conversely w is freely written instead of v. These forms are merely graphic, and do not imply a phonetic interchange of w and v (though in mod. north-eastern Sc. wr- has become vr-). In south-eastern English dialects the change of v- to w- does occur, and older representations of Cockney speech exhibit a converse change of w- to v-, which recent investigators have been unable to verify as still existent. The latter change is illustrated in the following quotations.
| 1803 Pegge Anecd. Eng. Lang. (1814) 77 Villiam, I vants my vig... Vitch vig, Sir?.. Vy, the vite vig in the vooden vig-box, vitch I vore last Vensday at the westry. 1824 Spirit Publ. Jrnls. (1825) 37, I vas valking by the Admirallity in my vay home. 1837 Dickens Pickw. xxxiii, Ve got Tom Vildspark off..ven all the big vigs..said as nothing couldn't save him. |
Elision of
v when not initial has taken place extensively in dialects, especially those of the North and Scotland, as in
deil devil,
shule shovel,
hairst harvest. In standard English this is represented by such words as
hawk,
head,
lark,
lord, and is specially indicated in a few archaic or poetic forms, as
e'en even,
e'er ever,
ne'er never,
o'er over.
I. 1. Illustrations of the use of the letter or of its name.
† double V [
i.e. U],
= W.
| ? 1460 in Archaeol. (1842) XXIX. 331 There was an V and thre arres to-gydre. 1530 Palsgr. 440 A byfore V. 1552 Huloet s.v., There is a diuersitie betwene the single V. and the dowble W., therfore the alphabete of them shalbe set diuersly. 1593 G. Harvey Pierces Super. Wks. (Grosart) II. 211 He that can tickle Mar-prelate with taunts, can twitch double V. to the quicke. 1636 B. Jonson Eng. Gram. iii, V..is, like our i, a letter of a double power. 1668 Wilkins Real Char. 16 Some Letters of the same name and shape are used sometimes for Vowels, and sometimes for Consonants; as J, V, W, Y. 1676 Grew Anat. Pl., Anat. Fl. iv. 154 An Angle, twice as big as that of a V Consonant. 1728 Chambers Cycl. s.v. U, Besides the Vowel U, there is a Consonant of the same Denomination, wrote V, or U. 1736 Ainsworth ii. s.v., Our Saxon ancestors, who commonly substitute f in the place of v. 1808 Jamieson, V, in some of our old printed books, is invariably used for W. 1888 Jacobi Printers' Vocab. 151, V is not used as a signature in the printer's alphabet. 1901 Scotsman 9 Oct. 11 The letter for the ensuing year was directed to be changed to V Gothic. |
2. Used with reference to the shape of the letter; an object having this shape; a V-shaped, acute-angled formation.
Cf. vee a.
| 1832 [see V-pug below]. 1835 Court Mag. VI. p. xiii/1 The corsage draped in the form of a V on the bosom. 1863 Tyndall Heat (1870) iv. §131 The water..is first brought into one arm of the V. 1894 Outing XXIV. 45/2 The first geese of the season will wing their way in lines and V's from the south. a 1917 W. De Morgan Old Madhouse (1919) ii. 14 Until you've seen her in a low neck, or at least a V, you really can't tell. 1930 Sat. Even. Post 13 Dec. 11/3 Midway, the range was cleft from summit to base by a V more than 2000 feet deep. 1958 E. Birney Turvey vii. 78 The V of Ashanti spears above the fireplace. 1985 J. Melville Death Ceremony xxi. 156 A pulsing at her throat above the V of her delicate silk under-kimono. |
b. attrib., as
V-form,
V shape;
freq. in the sense ‘shaped like the letter V’, as
V anvil,
V-blouse,
V body,
V edge,
V-formation,
V-front,
V girder,
V hut,
V slide,
V thread,
V tool (in fret-cutting),
V-trough, etc.;
V aerial,
antenna, an aerial in which the conductors form a large horizontal V that transmits principally along its axis;
V-belt, a belt which is V-shaped in cross-section in order to give better traction on a pulley;
V-block, a metal block with a V-shaped recess cut in it to hold a cylindrical object while it is being worked on;
V-eight, an internal combustion engine with eight cylinders arranged in two rows of four at an angle to each other, forming a V-shaped cross-section;
freq. attrib. and written
V-8; also, a motor vehicle with such an engine; so
V engine;
V-neck, a garment neckline in the shape of a V;
freq. attrib.; also
absol., a garment, as a pullover etc., with a V-shaped neckline;
V-pug, a species of moth (see
quot.);
V-thread, a screw thread which is V-shaped in profile.
Cf. vee b.
| 1961 Amat. Radio Handbk. (ed. 3) xiii. 385/2 The *V aerial produces one major beam along its axis, together with a rather complex pattern of minor lobes. |
| [1931 Proc. IRE XIX. 1822 Fig. 41 is a polar diagram showing the power distribution for a V wire, having sides equal to one wave, in the plane of the wires.] 1932 Ibid. XX. 1033 These [curves] were taken during the process of adjustment of a *V antenna system in which both antenna and reflector units each consisted of 2 V wires one above the other. 1959 K. Henney Radio Engin. Handbk. (ed. 5) xx. 60 V antennas are arranged to utilize this main lobe from all wires of the system. |
| 1861 Sir W. Fairbairn Iron 125 The *V anvil, fig. 43, the natural offspring of the steam-hammer. |
| 1911 C. S. Lake Motor Cyclist's Handbk. viii. 116 The most common form of transmission on a motor cycle is that of a ‘*V’ belt. 1973 A. Parrish Mech. Engineer's Ref. Bk. xiii. 7 One of the problems associated with V belts..is the variation in velocity ratio which occurs from time to time. |
| 1901 Shop & Foundry Pract. (Colliery Engineer Co.) II. §10.45 Cylindrical parts are usually supported on *V blocks. 1971 B. Scharf Engin. & its Lang. viii. 54 V-blocks are usually made in pairs so that they can support a long tube. |
| 1915 Contemp. Rev. Sept. 370 Quaker maidens now wear tucks or *V-blouses or anything else that is the fashion. |
| 1885 ‘Mrs. Alexander’ Valerie's Fate iv. 69 That black satin and lace costume..with the clear sleeves and a *V body. |
| 1930 Autocar 2 May 841/2 It is said..that the *V eight..is superior as regards compactness of build. 1936 Motor Man. (ed. 29) ii. 40 The V-eight engine comprises two blocks, each containing four cylinders, which are set at right angles on a single crankcase. 1942 G. R. Gilbert in D. M. Davin N.Z. Short Stories (1953) 252 Lena would giggle and look pleased as though she had Prince Charming waiting in a V8 outside the kitchen door. 1959 I. Jefferies Thirteen Days x. 162 A V-8 pick-up was parked, with a pair of Haganah in the back. 1963 Bird & Hutton-Stott Veteran Motor Car 57 Often claimed to be the first V-eight to be marketed. 1982 Times Lit. Suppl. 5 Mar. 249/4 The comparison between the purist Bugatti engine..and an American V-8 engine of thirty years later. |
| 1924 Motor Man. (ed. 25) i. 19 An eight-cylinder *V engine. 1967 Economist 29 July 425/3 Berliet has a range of v-engines due to appear soon. |
| 1844 H. Stephens Bk. Farm III. 794 A rod passing..through a *V-form brace of iron. |
| 1949 Koestler Insight & Outlook xi. 163 The *V-formation of migrating geese. 1974 ‘J. Graham’ Bloody Passage i. 10 A flight of Brent geese drifted across the sky..in a v formation. |
| 1895 Montgomery Ward Catal. Spring & Summer 92/1 Men's Rutland *V front collars. 1919 Brit. Manufacturer Nov. 24/1 The output of ‘T’, ‘*V’, and lattice girders of all gauges. |
| 1851 Lyttelton (N.Z.) Times 1 Feb. 3 One *V hut was blown away. 1857 R. B. Paul Lett. Canterbury 57 The form is that of a V hut, the extremities of the rafters being left bare. 1879 C. L. Innes Canterbury Sk. 20 A ‘V’ hut..is exactly as if you took the roof off a house and stood it on the ground. |
| 1910–11 T. Eaton & Co. Catal. Fall & Winter 20/1 Women's coat sweater... The *V-neck and fronts have wide, plain knitted border. 1921 [see house-dress s.v. house n.1 19]. 1949 O. Nash Versus 62 They lose their rubbers and store their V-necks. 1970 T. Lewis Jack's Return Home 127 He had on a white shirt.., a bottle green V-neck, twill trousers. 1978 Detroit Free Press 5 Mar. 30 (Advt.), T-shirts or V-neck shirts. |
| 1832 J. Rennie Consp. Butterfl. & M. 132 The *V. Pug [Eupithecia V. ata]... Wings..marked with a black V behind the middle. |
| 1869 Rankine Machine & Hand-tools Pl. N 2, A pair of opposite dies of a *V shape. |
| 1844 Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. VII. 88/1 A rectangular or oblong table of iron..upon two *V slides. |
| 1869 Routledge's Ev. Boy's Ann. 479 The *V supports may now be secured in their places. |
| a 1877 Knight Dict. Mech. III. 2061/2 (caption) *V-thread. 1887 D. A. Low Machine Draw. (1892) 14 The Whitworth V thread..is the standard form of triangular thread used in this country. 1939 [see square thread s.v. square a. 15 a]. 1971 B. Scharf Engin. & its Lang. xi. 101 A distinction is also made between V-threads and square threads, according to their cross-section. |
| 1875 T. Seaton Fret-Cutting 8 The *V tool is the most difficult of all tools to sharpen. |
| 1862 Catal. Internat. Exhib., Brit. II. No. 2983, *V-trough for funnel and subterranean wires. |
| 1842 Francis Dict. Arts, *V tube, a glass tube, in the form of the letter V.., to show the decomposition of a neutral salt by galvanism. |
c. Comb. in
V-shaped adj.,
spec. designating or pertaining to a valley having such a cross-section,
esp. when contrasted with a U-shaped valley; also in
Comb. with other
adjs.,
ppl. adjs., and
ns., as
V-cut,
V-fronted,
V-like,
V-necked,
V-type,
V-winged adjs. Cf. vee b.
| 1912 S. Ford Shorty McCabe's Odd Numbers 107 Maybe Cornelia will have some plans of her own, thinks I, as I gets into my silk faced dinner jacket and V-cut vest. 1977 H. Kaplan Damascus Cover iv. 36 She wore a V-cut peasant blouse. |
| 1927 Blackw. Mag. Jan. 76/1 They stamp the snow from their V-fronted high-heeled jackboots. 1929 E. Linklater Poet's Pub xxiv. 258 A cattle-track.., branching V-like off the road. 1971 V-necked [see signature n. 4 b]. |
| 1835–6 Todd's Cycl. Anat. I. 202/1 A fissure or triangular V-shaped notch. 1843 Penny Cycl. XXV. 423/2 Tools..generally double-angular or V-shaped. 1872 Coues N. Amer. Birds 103 A V-shaped black mark on side of head. 1894 V-shaped [see U-shaped s.v. U 2 a]. 1907 Bull. Geol. Soc. Amer. XVIII. 355 Downstream from the glacial region the valley ceases to be U-shaped. It becomes narrow and V-shaped, and the terraces die out. 1937 [see hypsograph]. 1970 R. J. Small Study of Landforms i. 6 On the resultant maps..the forms of valley floors (whether V-shaped, rounded, or flat-bottomed)..[are] shown. |
| 1967 Technology Week 20 Feb. 35/1 The ‘V’ type antenna is used because it can be designed to give good performance even if distorted. |
| 1876 G. M. Hopkins Poems (1967) 178 Through the velvety wind V-winged..To the nest's nook I balance and buoy. |
d. as
v. intr. Of geese: to fly forming the shape of a horizontal V.
Cf. V-formation, sense 2 b above and V 2 a (
quot. 1894).
| 1907 Canad. Mag. XXIX. 21/1 Then across his senses came the nearing doom—the honk, honk of wild geese V-ing their way along the shadow trail of the night sky. 1970 R. Lowell Notebk. 245 The usual autumn Flight of Canada geese V above it, moonborne. 1972 J. Gores Dead Skip ii. 14 Another batch of kids..their cries as full of spring as geese V-ing north. |
3. Used to denote serial order, as V Battery,
MS. V, or as a symbol of some thing or person, a point in a diagram, etc.
V-agent, any of a group of organophosphorus nerve gases having anticholinesterase activity;
VX, a type of V-agent, O-ethyl
S-2-diisopropylaminoethyl methylphosphonothiolate.
| 1964 Kirk & Othmer Encycl. Chem. Technol. (ed. 2) IV. 874 Aerosolized V agents also are quite lethal by inhalation. 1975 Nature 10 Jan. 82/3 The nerve gas codenamed VX is the most toxic of a family of V-agents produced by British chemical warfare scientists since World War Two. |
| 1966 New Statesman 16 Dec. 900/1 The Americans..have also produced less volatile gases called V agents, particularly a liquid called VX. 1980 Sci. Amer. Apr. 36/1 Some 5,000 tons of VX were made between 1961 and 1967. |
II. 4. The Roman numeral symbol for: Five (
† or fifth).
| 13.. K. Alis. 1851 Anon he doþ his bemen blowe, v c. on a þrowe. 1340 Ayenb. 23 Þe v. boȝ of prede. c 1449 Pecock Repr. i. v. 23, v. Chapiter. The v⊇. principal argument..is this. 1484 Caxton Fables of æsop, Alfonce iii, [Of the x tonnes] v were ful of oylle, & the other v were but half ful. 1530 Palsgr. 58 As appereth in the iii chaptre and the v rule of the same. 1535 Coverdale Job i. 3, v. C. yock of oxen, v. C. she asses. 1636 B. Jonson Eng. Gram. ii, Our numeral letters are, I for 1, V for 5. 1788 Gibbon Decl. & F. xlviii. V. 6 A single chapter will include, III. The Bulgarians, IV. Hungarians, and, V. Russians. 1842 Civil Eng. & Arch. Jrnl. V. 151/2 With an Engraving, Plate V. Ibid. 197/1 Lecture V. |
b. V,
V-spot,
V-note, a five-dollar note.
U.S.| 1837 Knickerbocker Mag. IX. 96 My wallet..[was] distended with V's and X's to its utmost capacity. 1849 Lowell Biglow P. Ser. i. viii. 57, I vow my holl sheer o' the spiles wouldn't come nigh a V spot. 1864 Browning Dram. Pers. Wks. 1896 I. 603 Sixty Vs must do. A trifle, though, to start with! Ibid., A poor lad..hears the company Talk grand of dollars, V-notes, and so forth. |
III. 5. Abbreviations.
a. Of various Latin words or phrases:
v. = verso ‘the back of the leaf’,
versus ‘against’,
vide ‘see’;
v.g. = verbi gratia;
vs. = versus.
| 1678 Phillips, V.G. an usual character or abbreviation of the words verbi gratia, i.e. namely, or to instance in a word. 1690 Locke Hum. Und. ii. xxx. §5 [Ideas] made up of such collections of simple ideas as were really never united..: v.g. [etc.]. 1738 Chambers Cycl. (1751) s.v. Angle, V. Phil. Trans. No. 420. p. 147. 1767 R. Burn Eccl. Law (ed. 2) IV. C c, A Table of the Cases adjudged;..Acton v. Smith... Adams v. Rush [etc.]. 1827 Jarman Powell's Devises II. 311 It is to be observed that Maddison v. Andrew, and Mills v. Norris, were decided at a period when the rule..was not so well settled. 1865 Reader 28 Jan., Rime v. Rhyme. 1889 Cent. Dict., vs, an abbreviation of versus. 1949 E. Pound Pisan Cantos lxxix. 74 Kumasaka vs/ vulgarity. 1967 Boston Sunday Herald 26 Mar. vi. 4/7 It has developed a way of seeing Europe that seems the perfect answer to the group vs. non-group argument. 1970 Jrnl. Gen. Psychol. LXXXIII. 133 Conditions..are optimal for divergent vs. convergent tasks. |
b. Of English words and phrases:
V., various proper names, as Victoria, Vincent, Violet, etc.;
V., the chemical symbol of Vanadium;
V, victory,
spec. used as the symbol of allied victory in the war of 1939–45 (
cf. V-Day below;
VE,
VJ,
V-sign);
V, v, volt;
v., verb;
v., verse;
v., very (in various phrases, as
v.g. very good,
v.h.c. very highly commended, etc.);
v., vision (in
Med.);
VA (
U.S.), Veterans' Administration;
V.A., Vicar-Apostolic;
V.A., Vice-Admiral;
V.A., visual acuity;
V.A.D., (a member of a) Voluntary Aid Detachment;
V. and A., Victoria and Albert Museum;
VASCAR,
Vascar, visual average speed computer and recorder;
V-bomber (see
quot. 1955);
V.C., Vice-Chancellor;
V.C., Victoria Cross, a holder of the Victoria Cross;
VC (
orig. and chiefly
U.S.)
= Viet Cong n. and a.;
V.C.H., Victoria County History (or Histories);
V.C.O., Viceroy's Commissioned Officer;
VCR, videocassette recorder;
v.d., various dates;
V.D.,
v.d., venereal disease;
freq. attrib.;
V.D., Volunteer Decoration (formerly awarded in the Territorial Army or the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve);
V-Day,
V-day,
V Day, Victory Day, used variously with reference to allied victory in the war of 1939–45 (
cf. VE-day s.v. VE;
VJ-day s.v. VJ); also
transf. and
fig.;
VDT, video (or visual) display terminal;
VDU,
vdu, visual (or video) display unit;
V.F. (
R.C.Ch.)
= vicar foran(e) s.v. vicar 4 c;
V.F.A. (
Austral.), Victorian Football Association;
V.F.L. (
Austral.), Victorian Football League;
V.F.R., visual flight rules;
VFW (
U.S.), Veterans of Foreign Wars;
V.G. = vicar general (sense 2);
VHD, video high density (system);
VHF,
vhf, very high frequency: applied to radio waves with a frequency between 30 and 300 MHz;
VHS, Video Home System;
VIP, vasoactive intestinal (poly)peptide;
VISTA, Volunteers in Service to America;
VLA (
Astron.), very large array (system of radio telescopes in the
U.S.);
VLBI (
Astron.), very long baseline interferometry (method of measuring signals from a radio astronomical source);
VLCC, very large crude (oil) carrier;
VLDL (
Biochem.), very low-density lipoprotein;
VLF, very low frequency: applied to radio waves with a frequency between 10 and 30 kHz;
V.L.R., very long range;
VLSI (
Electronics), very large scale integration (
or integrated);
V.M., Virgin Mary;
V-Mail (
U.S.), victory mail (see
quot. 1966);
VOA, Voice of America;
VOR, VHF omnirange (
cf. omnirange s.v. omni-);
VP, verb phrase (in Transformational Grammar);
V.P., Vice-President;
V.P.P. (
India), value payable post (see
quot. 1975);
v.r., variant or various reading;
V.S., veterinary surgeon;
V.S.O., Voluntary Service Overseas; a member of the organization thus called;
V.S.O.P., very special old pale (brandy);
V-STOL,
V/STOL,
VSTOL, vertical and short take-off and landing;
VTO(L), vertical take-off (and landing);
VTR, video tape recorder;
VU,
vu (
Electronics) [
prob. abbrev. of
volume unit:
cf. quots. for this
s.v. volume 10 c, where it is implied to be so], a unit in which some types of volume indicator are calibrated, a sine wave with a power of 1 mW being assigned the reference value of 0 VU (see
quot. 1940 and
cf. volume indicator s.v. volume 10 c);
freq. attrib.,
esp. in
VU meter, any volume indicator employing the VU scale;
v.y., various years. See also (as main entries)
VAT,
VE, Veejay, P.,
VJ,
V-sign.
| 1866 F. H. Wilson Our Father (1869) 122 Placards with the lion and unicorn at the top, the letter *V at the one side and R at the other. |
| 1863 Q. Rev. Jan. 159 It is said also, that the prisoners have been known to make an example of a warden who was not in their opinion sufficiently liberal with his *V.G.'s (‘Very Good,’ as marked in the accounts). 1901 Essex Weekly News 8 Mar. 3/4, I have been ‘good, bad, and indifferent’ and I have been ‘v.g.’ 1901 Scotsman 9 Oct. 10/2, v.h.c. in the cheese fair. 1891 W. S. Churchill Let. 1 Jan. in R. S. Churchill Winston S. Churchill (1967) I. Compan. i. v. 219 V-happy V. well. |
| 1941 C. Milburn Diary 20 July (1979) 104 The *V campaign ({ddd}—) was launched by Mr Churchill today. V for victory, the opening notes of Beethoven's V (fifth) symphony. 1973 D. Westheimer Going Public iv. 67 She raised her hand in a peace sign... He realized it was not the peace sign at all. To those of the old woman's generation it was V for Victory. |
| 1889 W. P. Maycock Pract. Electr. Notes & Definitions ii. 23 Comparison of various E.M.F.s... Continuous dynamo = 10*V to 500V. 1943 C. L. Boltz Basic Radio x. 166 Mains valves..can be operated with 200V, 300V, and even 400V on the anode. 1966 Wireless World July (Advt. section) 83 Power pack kits. Fully smoothed output 250 v. 60 mA. H.T. and L.T. 6·3 v. 1·5 amps. |
| 1945 Newsweek 16 Apr. 40/2 Last week..unfavourable publicity hit the *VA. 1976 N. Thornburg Cutter & Bone xii. 275 He spent a long time with the shrinks in VA hospitals. |
| 1787 in Milner Suppl. Mem. Eng. Cath. (1820) 48 The ecclesiastical government by *V.V.A. is by no means essential to our religion. 1820 Milner Ibid. 252 The Prelate who did publish the Resolutions was the Western V.A. |
| 1794 R. F. Greville Diary 23 Aug. (1930) 300 We near'd the Minotaur, on which *V.A. McBride took that Opportunity of hoisting out His barge. 1915 W. S. Churchill 23 Jan. in M. Gilbert Winston S. Churchill (1972) III. Compan. i. 444 In the absence of Adl Carden, Adl de Robeck will have a temporary rank of V.A. |
| 1932 Optician LXXXIII. 398/2 No effect on the peripheral *V.A. of one half of an eye was noted when the other half was illuminated. 1982 M. Urvoy et al. in Fran{cced}ois & Maione Paediatric Ophthalmol. 399/2 For a subjective measurement of V.A., we have four groups of tests. |
| 1915 G. Bell Let. 10 Feb. (1927) I. xiv. 359 She is a *V.A.D. part of a detachment which is going up as orderlies to the Cross Hospital at G.H.Q. 1916 Lancet 18 Mar. 651/1 Whether he had received any complaints from the V.A.D. hospitals as to the strict nature of the regulations governing the movements of convalescent wounded. 1980 ‘M. Yorke’ Scent of Fear x. 85 In that earlier war she had become a VAD nurse. |
| 1937 Partridge Dict. Slang 929/1 *V. and A., the..The Victoria and Albert Museum: museum-world coll.; late C. 19–20. 1958 Listener 28 Aug. 317/1 At the V. and A. both the Morris dining-room and the magnificent Poynter grill room..have gone. 1977 J. Aiken Last Movement vi. 115 He sold them [sc. pictures] all to the V & A. |
| 1966 N.Y. Times 1 Oct. 39/5 Trademarked *Vascar, the instrument divides the time a car takes by the distance it travels, and shows the answer in miles an hour. 1967 Traffic Digest & Rev. May 3/2 VASCAR is a device which allows an operator by measuring quantities of distance and time to compute the speed of vehicles on a highway. The chief advantage of VASCAR, according to its inventor, Arthur N. Marshall of Richmond, Virginia, is that the officer in a car equipped with VASCAR can maintain regular patrol and still clock the speed of other vehicles on the road. 1973 Times 13 Aug. 4/3 Essex police are..to introduce a new speed detection device. Known as VASCAR—visual average speed computer and recorder—it has been tested in the country for two years. 1983 Times 24 Feb. 3/8 He had decided to make a Vascar speed check with the equipment fitted in his vehicle, which meant choosing two fixed features on the road—this case a large tree and a bridge. |
| 1955 Britannica Bk. of Year 489/2 Concentration on air⁓power was reflected in terms like *V-Bomber (the initial referring to the types, Victor, Vulcan and Valiant). 1958 Spectator 10 Jan. 59/1 This weapon is the natural armament of the ‘V’ bombers. 1975 in R. Crossman Diaries I. 57 Mr Wilson proposed to replace the M.L.F. with an Atlantic nuclear force, which would include American Polaris submarines, British V-bombers, ‘some kind of mixed-manned, jointly owned elements’ and the British Polaris submarine that Labour was not going to scrap after all. |
| 1715 in Bodleian MS. Ballard 49 f. 154, We the *V.C. & Heads of Houses & Professors think it incumbent on Us to make this publick Declaration of our Utmost Abhorrence & Detestation of Such Offences. 1866 Law Rep. (Chancery Appeal Cases) I. 66 V.C. Wood held that the Plaintiff's having come to the nuisance did not disentitle him to equitable relief. 1883 J. A. H. Murray Let. 8 Nov. in K. M. E. Murray Caught in Web of Words (1977) xii. 227 The V.C. had to rush off in a cab. 1953 M. Davidson Medicine in Oxford ii. 26 It seems not unlikely that the latter may have consulted the V.-C. about Francis's migration. 1971 Rayden's Pract. & Law of Divorce (ed. 11) I. iii. 43 Sir Richard Kindersley V.-C., nevertheless said [etc.]. |
| 1859 A. Thackeray Let. in H. Ritchie Lett. A. T. Ritchie (1924) v. 111 Papa gave us a letter to read..from Edward Thackeray's colonel recommending him for a *V.C. 1872 Lever Ld. Kilgobbin lxxix, It's a case for the V.C. 1929 Daily Express 7 Nov. 13/5 Mr. Thomas Dinesen, the Danish V.C., and the only foreigner to win the decoration, arrived at Liverpool-street Station. |
| 1964 N.Y. Times 16 Sept. 4 *V.C.—They are of course the Vietcong, the enemy. But when a private displeases his sergeant, he may hear ‘you knucklehead V.C.!’ 1965 Punch 11 Aug. 214/1 Some of them [sc. GIs] responded to a professional sergeant's claim that they were..eager to get to grips with the ‘VCs’, as the Viet Cong are now known in the trade. 1968 Listener 23 May 656/3, I felt rather anxious that the patrol might have disappeared and left me in the empty suburb with Mr Van and the VC snipers. 1977 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 23 June 6/3 A nineteen-year-old Marine is discovered cutting the ears off a dead VC. |
| 1931 Times Lit. Suppl. 10 Sept. 683/1 Thornton Riseborough, according to the *V.C.H., appears always with a double title after the twelfth century. 1965 Listener 8 Apr. 531/3 The V.C.H., as it is known to all its users, is a great work of reference, but it is unreadable. |
| 1945 C. J. Auchinleck Let. 24 Nov. in Mansergh & Moon Transfer of Power (1976) VI. 531 Officers, *V.C.O.s, and I.O.R.s who became officers in the I.N.A. 1977 ‘D. MacNeil’ Wolf in Fold ii. 15 The acting squadron commander's a VCO—a risaldar named Jalala Khan. |
| 1971 New Scientist 26 Aug. 469/1 So that the television does not have to be adapted to take the recorder, the *VCR is put between the TV and its aerial. 1983 Listener 12 May 3/1 VCRs whirred away as people took advantage of watching the latest movies. 1984 What Video? Aug. 5/4 The cassette is totally incompatible with British VCRs and TV sets. |
| 1863 Hotten Hand-bk. Topogr. 195/2 Cuttings from Newspapers [etc.]..*V.D. |
| 1920 Ann. Rep. Chief Med. Officer, Ministry of Health ii. iii. (caption facing p. 163), *V.D. clinic. Suggested plan of arrangement of a..hut. 1920 F. Fox G.H.Q. vi. 87, I do not know where the idea sprang from that v.d. was very common in the Army. 1962 E. Snow Other Side of River (1963) xxxv. 262, I didn't spend my old man's money learning to become a V.D. quack for a gangster society. 1978 ‘L. Black’ Foursome ii. 15, I don't do it for money—only with men I like the look of. And I haven't got VD. |
| 1901 T. F. Fremantle Bk. of Rifle p. v, The Hon. T. F. Fremantle, *V.D. 1946 Jrnl. R. United Service Institution XCI. 129 Captain C. A. R. Shillington, V.D., R.N.V.R. |
| 1941 Newsweek 28 July 22/3 Encouraged by the success [of the V propaganda campaign], Britain proclaimed July 20 as ‘*V Day’. 1942 Time 16 Mar. 11/1 We at Hercules are eager to learn of any new material, process, or equipment..which can enable us to create more employment after V-Day. 1945 Times 5 Apr. 5/2 To-day the battle still rages with loss and peril in Europe. On V Day it will still go on over great stretches of land and water in the Far East. 1949 Koestler Promise & Fulfilment i. xiii. 146 It was Jewry's V-day—the first since the time of the Maccabeans. 1967 A. Christie Endless Night xxiii. 211 ‘Well,’ said Greta with a deep satisfied sigh, ‘we've made it.’ ‘V-Day all right,’ I said. |
| 1975 Nature 16 Oct. 557/1 If reporters can operate typewriters with the accuracy necessary for an OCR reader they can probably operate keyboards producing punched tape for the computer or sophisticated visual display terminals (*VDTs) on-line to the computer. 1979 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 20 Feb. 9/1 Mr. Brown described himself as not very mechanically minded, but said he has worked hard to become knowledgeable about the video display terminals—known as VDTs. 1982 A. Clements Microcomputer Design & Construction ii. 236 The main output device..of many microprocessor systems is the video display terminal (VDT). |
| 1968 Brit. Med. Bull. XXIV. 192/2 The data⁓terminal..may consist of a ‘video display unit’ (*VDU), in effect the combination of a television-like display tube with a keyboard. 1970 Computer Management Nov. 52 (caption) Entering data via the keyboard of the VDU. 1976 Liverpool Echo 24 Nov. (Advt.), Hardware consists of an ICI 1900 mainframe linked to mini-computers with disc storage, local printers and VDUs. 1982 What's New in Computing Nov. 5/3 Because the entire unit is stalk mounted, the vdu angle can be adjusted for best visibility. 1985 Personal Computer World Feb. 195/2 Designs published to date have concentrated on putting the intelligence in the node controller which then allows operation of the system through an ordinary VDU. |
| a 1912 W. T. Rogers Dict. Abbrev. (1913) 197/1 *V.F., Vicar Forane. 1922 Joyce Ulysses 312 The rev. John Lavery, V.F. |
| 1936 Age (Melbourne) 1 May 7/8 (heading) *V.F.A. Seconds. 1969 Melbourne Truth 12 July 24/1 Dandenong and Preston meet in the most tension packed VFA game of the season. |
| 1936 Age (Melbourne) 1 May 7 (heading) *V.F.L. Season opens on Saturday. 1969 Melbourne Truth 12 July 2/6 The new kicking out-of-bounds rule introduced by the VFL this season. |
| 1949 Jrnl. R. Aeronaut. Soc. LIII. 967/2 Under *V.F.R. (Visual Flight Rules) it appears that communication takes place between the ground and the aircraft for an aggregate time of about 60 seconds. 1974 L. Deighton Spy Story xv. 146 This aircraft's electronics were primitive. Flying V.F.R. meant he'd have to put it down before dark. 1981 Pilot Jan. 13/1 A special VFR clearance. |
| 1920 Foreign Service Mag. Dec. 12/1 The *V.F.W. is an organization for service. That is the purpose of its existence. 1977 C. McFadden Serial (1978) xlviii. 103/2 You're gonna get all those calls again from people who want you to sing ‘God Bless America’ at VFW conventions. |
| 1871 Tablet 14 Oct. 502/1 Very Rev. Dr. O'Shea, P.P., *V.G. 1922 Joyce Ulysses 312 The rt rev. Mgr M'Manus, V.G. |
| 1980 New Scientist 13 Nov. 442 In the US, *VHD will face stiff competition from Philips's laser-reading (VLP) system. 1984 What Video? Aug. 11/1 The juke boxes use Thorn EMI VHD disc players and discs (not available for the home). |
| 1932 Admiralty Handbk. Wireless Telegr. 1931 p. ii, The range of frequencies of the æther waves used in wireless communication is now subdivided as follows:..Above 30,000 kc./s... Very high Frequencies (*V.H.F.). 1951 ‘N. Shute’ Round Bend ii. 50 A small V.H.F. radio set. 1955 Times 29 July 5/4 The present system of amplitude modulation in the v.h.f. maritime services should be changed to one of frequency modulation. 1956 B.B.C. Handbk. 1957 134 The introduction of very high frequency transmissions, with frequency modulation (VHF/FM) in several parts of the country, was the major development of the year in sound broadcasting. 1974 Harvey & Bohlman Stereo F.M. Radio Handbk. ii. 9 Also, at v.h.f., there was sufficient bandwidth available for hi-fi quality. |
| 1982 Daily Tel. 30 July 3/5 (Advt.), Simple to use *VHS recorder with 10-day timer. 1984 What Video? Aug. 10/2 SKC..is also launching a range of high grade cassettes in standard lengths in VHS and Beta formats. |
| 1972 Bioorganic Chem. II. 30 (heading) Synthesis of the vasoactive intestinal peptide (*VIP). Ibid. 87 Information on partial sequences of VIP became available recently. 1983 R. G. Long et al. in Oxf. Textbk. Med. I. xii. 50/1 VIP secretion has been demonstrated after direct neural stimulation. |
| 1964 Amer. Forests Oct. 13/1 The act provides for establishment of the Volunteers In Service To America (*VISTA)—a sort of domestic peace corps. 1980 New Age (U.S.) Oct. 42/2 NOFA..sponsored VISTA workers to help set up farmers' markets in New Hampshire and Vermont. |
| 1974 *VLA [see optical a. 2 a]. 1978 Pasachoff & Kutner University Astron. xxvi. 669 When fully operational..the VLA will make pictures of a field of view a few minutes of arc across, with resolutions comparable to the 1 arc sec of optical observations from large telescopes, in about 10 hours. |
| 1969 Sci. Jrnl. Aug. 63/2 This interferometer system which is called the very long baseline interferometer (*VLBI) is unusual in that there is no connection between the receiving elements. 1982 Sci. Amer. May 85/3 The VLBI maps now being made are as good as the maps made with linked telescopes 10 years ago. |
| 1968 Punch 24 Apr. 612/3 The introduction of *VLCCs (very large crude carriers, supertankers of up to 200,000 tons) will cut transport costs dramatically. 1974 Nature 19 Jan. 196/1 In December 1969 three VLCCs had serious explosions in one of their centre tanks during tank cleaning. 1975 Times 30 June 16/5 Tanker rates continued to increase..as Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) premiums moved up. |
| 1977 Time 21 Nov. 40/1 Among the largest and lightest of these globules are the very-low-density lipoproteins (*VLDL). |
| 1938 Admiralty Handbk. Wireless Telegr. 1938 I. (Nomenclature of Waves), On the basis of a recent C.C.I.R. recommendation, promulgated in French; a suitable nomenclature, likely soon to be accepted internationally, may be given in English as follows:—Below 30 kc/s... Very Low Frequencies (*V.L./F.). 1962 L. Deighton Ipcress File xx. 136 There was a V.L.F. (very low frequency) radio wave-length and a compass bearing. 1983 New Scientist 13 Jan. 93/1 Scientists in California have discovered that the Earth's magnetic field can act as a giant neutral amplifier for very low-frequency (VLF) radio waves. |
| 1943 W. S. Churchill in Hansard Commons 8 June 566 We took the measures which have thrown the long-range aircraft—the very long-range aircraft—the *V.L.R., as they are called—, effectively in to the anti U-boat struggle. 1946 Happy Landings July 7/3 In April, 1945 [he] became A.O.A., Tiger Force (V.L.R.), Bomber Force for the bombing of Japan. |
| 1978 World Book Year Bk. 309/1 In 1977..the semiconductor segment of the industry was virtually on the threshold of a new frontier—very large scale integration (*VLSI). 1979 W. J. Caelli Microcomputer Revolution p. xvii, VLSI—Very Large Scale Integration. This term flows on from the LSI designation and refers to component densities of well over 1000 components. 1983 Listener 25 Aug. 25/2 The amount of VLSI (Very Large Scale Integrated) circuitry needed to enable them to sync Autocue clichés with corny visuals is as great as that employed in the space shuttle. 1984 Ann. Rep. Racol Electronics PLC 6/1 The collaborative development of a microelectronic very large scale integrated (VLSI) process. Ibid. 7/1 The design of VLSI chips. |
| 1670 Covel in Early Voy. Levant (Hakluyt Soc.) 111 A pretty little picture of the *V.M. |
| 1942 N.Y. Times 13 June 17/6 The new *V-Mail for United States overseas forces, patterned after the British microfilm postal system, was started when letters were delivered to President Roosevelt today. 1943 R. Vance They made me a Leatherneck 44 ‘George never lets up on V mail to that female,’ Weber observed. 1966 Sunday Times (Colour Suppl.) 4 Dec. 73/4 [GI jargon.] V-Mail, letters to or from home, reproduced photographically to conserve shipping space. |
| 1949 Bull. U.S. Dept. of State 27 Mar. 396/2 The second part [of a broadcast] originating in the *VOA offices in New York, will include news. 1975 New Yorker 26 May 28/3 The basic problem is that V.O.A. has been placed at the intersection of journalism and diplomacy: the practice of one of these disciplines negates the practice of the other. |
| 1955 Times 17 Aug. 6/4 There was controversy earlier this year over how soon—if at all—Tacan should replace *VOR/DME..as the standard air navigation system in the United States for civil as well as military aircraft. 1982 T. Beattie Diamonds xviii. 157 ‘Could you confirm your VOR is monitoring?’ ‘Freetown roger... The VOR is unserviceable.’ |
| 1972 Hartmann & Stork Dict. Lang. & Linguistics 249/1 In transformational-generative grammar, the verb phrase is that constituent of a sentence which contains the predicate (or complement or adjunct)... The abbreviation *VP is used in phrase structure rules. 1976 Word 1971 XXVII. 248 The main verb or an auxiliary verb, if there is one, is placed in the final position of a verb phrase in German deep structure while it occupies the initial position of a VP in surface structure. |
| 1887 Irish Times 30 Nov. 5/3 Sir Andrew Hart, *V.P., T.C.D. 1925 C. S. Lewis Let. 14 Aug. (1966) 103 When the V.P. [of Magdalen College, Oxford] laid a red cushion at his feet I realized..that this was going to be a kneeling affair. 1978 M. Puzo Fools Die xxvii. 310 With his bosses, like the VP in charge of production at Wartberg's Tri-Culture International Studios,..he was much more frank, more human. |
| 1888 Kipling Barrack-Room Ballads (1892) 112 How he met with his fate and the *V.P.P. 1975 C. Allen Plain Tales from Raj viii. 93 With VPP or Value Payable Post, you paid the postman the value of the goods in the parcel. |
| 1952 A. M. Sullivan Last Serjeant xiii. 139 The ancient claimant to the degree of *V.S. was a little more learned but often a little less skilful than the country cow doctor. |
| 1960 Voluntary Service Overseas 4 Volunteers give their service free... This leaves *V.S.O. with the task of raising funds to cover the cost of travel and insurance. 1962 Times Lit. Suppl. 28 Dec. 1007/3 Mrs. Dickson's husband was largely responsible for initiating the scheme, known as Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). 1965 Listener 7 Jan. 21/2 He was the first British V.S.O. to come to Libya. 1967 Guardian 30 May 5/5 The conflict came to a head shortly before my VSO year came to an end. 1980 Jrnl. R. Soc. Arts Jan. 111/1 She has a VSO working with her and six or seven dedicated staff. 1981 E. North Dames xiii. 256 Your children will..work for V.S.O. and Amnesty International. |
| 1907 Yesterday's Shopping (1969) 99/2 J. and F. Martell's..*V.S.O.P.—108/0. 1951 R. Postgate Plain Man's Guide to Wine ix. 125 Five Stars should indicate a good brandy; higher-up the various firms have their own indications: X.O., V.S.O.P., Cordon bleu, and so forth. 1982 M. O'Donnell Devil's Prison ii. i. 88 The waiters had left them alone with a jug of coffee and a bottle of VSOP. |
| 1960 Aeroplane XCVIII. 234/1 In the United States, NASA applies the STOL appelation to any fixed-wing type capable of operating from a 500-ft. strip surrounded by 50-ft. obstacles. This is sufficiently drastic, however, to eliminate all but a handful of experimental aircraft, which may more accurately be described as *V-STOL (very short take-off, etc.) types. 1961 New Scientist 23 Feb. 462/2 Construction of economical V/STOL aircraft..is..a much more urgent and profitable line of development than supersonic aircraft will ever be. 1977 R.A.F. News 30 Mar.–12 Apr. 13/2 The future of military VSTOL would seem to be assured in a maritime context. |
| 1954 Aviation Week 26 Apr. 30/2 New approaches to the problems of developing vertical-rising aircraft are being explored... NACA has been doing basic research in the *VTO field for more than a decade. 1955 Sci. Amer. Apr. 106/3 V.T.O. aircraft (vertical take-off) are being developed vigorously in both England and the U.S. 1963 Ann. Reg. 1962 390 Bristol-Siddeley had produced a prototype supersonic VTO fighter. |
| 1955 Wall St. Jrnl. 4 Feb. 3/4 Bell Aircraft Corp. announced it has built and flown the first jet-propelled vertical rising airplane which takes off and lands without needing a runway. The test *VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) airplane weighs about 2,000 pounds, is 21 feet long, has a wing span of 26 feet, and carries only the pilot. 1958 Times 1 Mar. 7/3 V.T.O.L. designs are as yet in their infancy. 1979 N. Slater Falcon i. 24 The basic [plane] design owed much to the VTOL Harrier. |
| 1954 Britannica Bk. of Year 638/1 *VTR (video tape recorder). 1968 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 17 Feb. 51 (Advt.), Minimum of two years experience preferably in colour telecine and Ampex VTR. 1982 J. Gardner For Special Services xii. 109 Each [cabin] had a large sitting room with television, stereo and VTR. |
| 1940 H. A. Chinn et al. in Proc. IRE XXVIII. 14/2 It was thought..that there would be less confusion in adopting the new standards if a new name were coined for expressing the measurements. The term selected is ‘*vu’, the number of vu being numerically the same as the number of decibels above or below the new reference⁓volume level. 1944 Ibid. XXXII. 601/1 A key located to the left of the VU meter should be used. 1959 K. Henney Radio Engin. Handbk. (ed. 5) xiii. 19 The A scale emphasizes the VU markings and has an inconspicuous voltage scale. 1976 Canad. Jrnl. Linguistics Spring 70 The speaker made every attempt to maintain equal intensity across syllables by monitoring his output on a VU meter. |
c. In music an
abbrev. of various Italian words, as
verte ‘turn’,
violino ‘violin’,
voce ‘voice’,
volta ‘time’.
| 1724 Short Explic. For. Wds. in Mus. Bks. 1 The Letter V is often used as an Abbreviation of the Word Violino. Ibid., The Letters VS at the Bottom of a Leaf are often used as an Abbreviation of the Words Volti Subito. 1753 Chambers' Cycl. Suppl., V, in music, is often used to shew that a piece is designed for the violin; and VV, for two violins, or more. |
d. Of German words:
V,
Vergeltungswaffe, ‘reprisal weapon’; used to denote German missiles of the war of 1939–45, as
V-1 = flying bomb s.v. flying vbl. n. 3; hence
V-bomb;
V-2, a type of rocket bomb; hence
V-weapons;
VW, Volkswagen.
| 1944 Times 30 June 3/5 For two weeks London has now been subjected to ceaseless bombardment by the German weapon V1. 1944 Life 21 Aug. 17/1 It seems probable..that the V-2, successor to the V-1 robot bomb, will be a heavy rocket. 1944 Evening Sun (Baltimore) 13 Sept. 1/6 The Germans, after toning down their ‘V’ weapons threat for a few days, are now making new threats. 1944 Sun (Baltimore) 20 Nov. 3/4 Lord Vansittart found no substance in objections that German V-bombs debar a Big Three meeting in Britain. 1952 M. Allingham Tiger in Smoke ii. 43 Night. V2 time... Remember V2's?.. Suddenly, no warning, no whistle, wallop! 1962 F. I. Ordway et al. Basic Astronautics ii. 23 The modern space carrier vehicle is a direct descendant of the V2 guided missile developed by the German army during World War II. 1978 D. Kyle Black Camelot x. 156 Hitler remains confident he can win the war... The V-weapons, I suppose. 1982 T. FitzGibbon With Love ii. viii. 155 After D-Day, 6 June 1944, a new horror arrived..the pilotless flying bombs, called V1s and known..as ‘doodle⁓bugs’... In September..the first rockets (V2s) reached London. |
| 1958 S. Abbey Bk. of Volkswagen v. 45 It is possible to improve the performance of the VW by a standardized engine tuning process... The VW owner is saved the cost of several accessories which are desirable. 1962 A. Lurie Love & Friendship vii. 135 Maybe it's just the fellow feeling of his Volkswagen for my Renault; he would be equally helpless if the VW broke down. 1977 C. McFadden Serial (1978) iii. 13/1 She..extricated Kat Vonnegut..from the rear of her VW bus. |
e. Of French words:
V.D.Q.S.,
vin délimité de qualité supérieure, a wine of superior quality from amongst the wines of a limited area.
| 1962 Wine Mag. Sept.–Oct. 253/2 Next in order of quality are the V.D.Q.S. wines, or, to give them their full title, the Vins Delimités de Qualitié Supérieure. 1966 P. V. Price France: Food & Wine Guide 135 Below the A.C. wines come those marked V.D.Q.S.—vins délimités de qualité supérieure. 1974 Times 2 Dec. (Suppl.) p. ii/1 The VDQS stamp..[is] a stamp of quality awarded by the French Government. VDQS stands for ‘Vins Délimités de Qualité Supérieure’. |
IV. Symbolic uses.
6. Particle Physics.
V is used to designate the heavy unstable particles that produce characteristic V-shaped tracks when they decay (
V-events), now identified as hyperons and kaons.
Obs. exc. hist.| 1950 P. M. S. Blackett Let. 12 July (MS.), We have been discussing here the question of nomenclature and I would like to ask your views about the following suggestion. This is that we should call the special type of track that you and we have observed v-tracks and the particle or particles which make them v-particles. The advantage of this seems to be that the letter v is reasonably unallocated and that the name has strong mnemonic values as, in fact, the tracks are v shaped. 1951 Nature 31 Mar. 503/1 Six charged V-tracks are due to the decay of new unstable particles. Ibid. 503/2 Two schemes are suggested to explain the photographs: Vo → p+ + π-..; Vo → π+ + π-. 1952 Sci. Amer. Jan. 26/2 The V-particles appear to be somewhat more massive than a proton or neutron, because in some instances a proton is a decay product. 1968 M. S. Livingston Particle Physics v. 98 If an incident neutral particle has an interaction leading to two charged particles, the vertex of the V event shows the location, and the balance of transverse momenta identifies the incoming direction of the neutral particle. 1974 Frauenfelder & Henley Subatomic Physics vii. 170 By about 1952, many V events had been seen, and a mystery had developed: the V particles were produced copiously but decayed very slowly. |
Hence
V-d pa. pple., cut with a V-shaped incision.
| 1881 Greener Gun 380 The sight consists of a steel spring screwed on to the top rib, with one end set at right angles and V-d to form the sight. |
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Add:
[III.] [5.] [b.] VR, virtual reality.
| 1989 PC-Computing Nov. 96/1 VPL Research proclaimed the occasion a holiday, Virtual Reality Day. Declared its press release, ‘Like Columbus Day, *VR Day celebrates the opening of a new world.’ 1993 Guardian 22 July ii. 17/2 The pressure to develop this technology may come from robot control systems or from a desire for better VR arcade games. Further technology will provide physical sensations from the VR world, but this is not required for the posture interpretation suit to become the Dance Suit. |
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V-brake n. Cycling (a proprietary name for) a type of bicycle braking system that uses a single continuous cable and requires less force on the brake lever than conventional cantilever brakes; (
freq. in
pl.) brakes of this type.
| 1995Re: New for '96? in rec.bicycles.tech (Usenet Newsgroup) 15 May XT will have new *V-brakes: very long lever arms, pads mounted on a link assembly so that their angle does not change as they approach the rim, cable casing stops at a rod rotating at the end of one arm, cable goes through and is attached to the other arm, brake levers redesigned with a different amount of cable pull. 2000 P. Vincent Mountain Bike Maintenance 56 The V-brake..uses one continuous cable—rather than a cable and straddle wire—to draw the brake arms together, so the compression on the brake arms is more direct than it is with a cantilever. 2003 Nelson (N.Z.) Mail (Nexis) 22 Apr. 9 They come with 18-speed grip shift gears, front suspension, v-brakes (these pull across the top of the wheel rather than from the sides) and a steel frame. |
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▸
VCAM n. Biochem. vascular cell adhesion molecule;
cf. CAM n. at
C n. Additions.
| 1989 L. Osborn et al. in Cell 59 1203 We have cloned a previously undescribed adhesion molecule, *VCAM-1, which is induced by cytokines on human endothelial cells and binds lymphocytes. 1997 New Scientist 15 Nov. 6/2 One key protein, called vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, or VCAM-1, serves as a docking point on the cell surface for white blood cells. |
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▸
vCJD n. Med. = variant CJD n. at
variant adj. and
n. Additions.
| 1997 Science 3 Oct. 31/1 More than 20 Britons have died over recent months of a variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (*vCJD). 2003 Times 28 Apr. i. 2/2 A link has been established between gelatine..and vCJD. |
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▸
VCT n. Finance (
orig. and chiefly
Brit.)
= venture capital trust n. at
venture n. Additions.
| 1993 Independent 1 Dec. 6/2 The *VCT will enable investors to receive dividends tax-free and will not attract capital gains tax. 2001 Working from Home Mar. 67/1 Enterprise Investment Schemes (EIS) are similar to VCTs except that they invest in only one company; they are therefore even more riskier [sic], but some have shown spectacular growth. |
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VOD n. Broadcasting = video on demand n. at
video n. Additions
| 1987 Data Communications (Nexis) July 129 A service such as video-on-demand (*VOD) is a perfect candidate for W-ISDN. 1995 Computer May 32/1 One of the first commercial VOD systems, employed by Bell Atlantic and targeted at entertainment, allows residential subscribers to access a video information provider's database to view different movies. 1999 Star-Ledger (Newark, New Jersey) 22 Aug. iii. 1/3 For the 12 million subscribers using VOD over cable in 2005, renting videos will be a thing of the past. |
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VPL n. colloq. (
orig. U.S.) visible panty line.
| 1977 ‘W. Allen’ & M. Brickman Annie Hall in Four Films W. Allen (1982) 89 Rob: He goes with that girl over there... The one with the *V.P.L. Alvy: V.P.L.? Rob: Visible panty line. Max, she is gorgeous. 1995 Face Aug. 98 Once that bastion of Eighties taboo had been rumbled, out they all came: gold name chains, black bras under white shirts,..and, most importantly, the VPL. 2001 Daily Record (Glasgow) (Electronic ed.) 6 Apr. If I was on a night out I'd probably suffer and wear a G-string to avoid VPL. |