V

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  V \V\ (v[=e]).
     1. 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 [Upsilon] (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.
        [1913 Webster] See Guide to Pronunciation, [sect] 265;
        also [sect][sect] 155, 169, 178-179, etc.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. As a numeral, V stands for five, in English and Latin.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  v
       adj : being one more than four [syn: {five}, {5}]
       n 1: 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 [syn: {volt}]
       2: a soft silvery white toxic metallic element used in steel
          alloys; it occurs in several complex minerals including
          carnotite and vanadinite [syn: {vanadium}, {atomic number
          23}]
       3: the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one [syn: {five},
           {5}, {cinque}, {quint}, {quintet}, {fivesome}, {quintuplet},
           {pentad}, {fin}, {Phoebe}, {Little Phoebe}]
       4: the 22nd letter of the Roman alphabet

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:

  V
       
          Upper case V, {ASCII} character 86, known in {INTERCAL} as
          book.
       
          1. A testbed for distributed system research.
       
          2. Wide-spectrum language used in the knowledge-based
          environment {CHI}.  "Research on Knowledge-Based Software
          Environments at Kestrel Inst", D.R.  Smith et al, IEEE Trans
          Soft Eng SE-11(11):1278-1295 (1985).