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"V" Word Origins

Where do words come from? Trace the origin and history of any English word, from its Latin, Greek or Old English roots through to its modern meaning. Every etymology is sourced.

“V” Word Origins

valentine
Origin
Named after Saint Valentine, whose feast day on February 14th became associated with romantic love and the exchanging of cards.
Valentino
Italian · 1895
From the surname of Italian-American actor Rudolph Valentino (1895–1926), famed for his romantic leading-man roles.
Valeria
Latin
From the Latin "valere," meaning to be strong.
valerian
Medieval Latin
From Old French valeriane or Medieval Latin valeriana, likely linked to Latin valere ("to be strong") or the Roman family name Valerius.
Valerie
Latin
From French Valérie, from Latin Valeria. Doublet of Valeria.
Valerius
Latin
From Latin Valerius. Doublet of Valery.
Valery
French
From French Valéry, from Latin Valerius. Doublet of Valerius.
valet
Old French
From Old French vaslet, related to "vassal" — originally meaning a young manservant.
valetudinarian
Origin
From Latin valētūdin- + -arian, from oblique stem of Latin valētūdō, from valeō + -tūdō. By surface analysis, valetude + -arian.
valetudinary
Origin
From Latin valētūdin- + -ary, from oblique stem of Latin valētūdō, from valeō + -tūdō. By surface analysis, valetude + -arian. Doublet of valetudinarious.
valgrind
Origin
From Old Norse Valgrind, from valr (“dead warrior”) + grind (“gate”).
Valhalla
Old Norse
From Old Norse Valhǫll, combining valr ("the slain") and hǫll ("hall").
Vali
Turkish
From Turkish vali, from Arabic وَالٍ (wālin). Compare English vilayet.
valiance
Origin
From Middle English valiaunce, from Anglo-Norman vaillaunce and Old French vaillance.
valiant
Latin
From Old French vaillant, from Latin valere, "to be strong or worth something" — the same root as "value" and "valid".
valiantly
Origin
From "valiant" + the adverb-forming suffix "-ly".
valid
Latin
From Latin validus, "strong", from valere, "to be strong or worth something".
validate
Medieval Latin
From Medieval Latin validatus, from Latin validus, "strong" — the same root as "valid".
validation
Origin
From "validate" + the noun-forming suffix "-ion".
validator
Origin
From validate + -or.
validity
Origin
From "valid" + the noun-forming suffix "-ity".
valise
French
Borrowed from French valise, meaning "suitcase".
Valium
Origin
A trademarked brand name created for marketing purposes.
Valjean
French
Borrowed from French Valjean.
valkyrie
Old Norse
From Old Norse valkyrja, "chooser of the slain".
Valle
Spanish
Borrowed from Spanish Valle.
valley
Latin
From Old French valee, from Latin vallis.
Valli
Origin
Borrowed from Tamil வள்ளி (vaḷḷi).
Valmont
French
Borrowed from French Valmont.
valorous
Origin
From Old French valeureux.
valorousness
Origin
From valorous + -ness.
valour
Latin
From Anglo-Norman valour, from Latin valor, related to valere, "to be strong".
valuable
Origin
From "value" + the adjective-forming suffix "-able".
valuation
Old French
From Middle French valuation, related to Old French valoir, "to be worth".
valuator
Origin
From valuate + -or.
value
Latin
From Old French value, from Latin valere, "to be strong, to be worth".
valve
Latin
From Latin valva, "a fold or leaf of a door".
vamoose
Spanish
From Spanish vamos, "let's go".
vamos
Spanish
Spanish, first-person plural of ir 'to go', meaning 'we go' or 'let's go'.
vamp
Anglo-Norman
From Anglo-Norman vampe, referring to the part of a stocking covering the top of the foot; the "seductive woman" sense developed later, likely shortened from "vampire".
vamper
Origin
From vamp + -er.
vampire
French
From French vampire, via German and Hungarian from a Slavic word, ultimately of uncertain origin.
van
Origin
Shortened from "caravan".
Vance
Old English
From a Southern English dialectal form of Old English fenn (“marsh, bog”).
Vancouver
Origin
The family name is from the Dutch place name Coevorden (“the place where cows ford the river”) via the Dutch family name van Coevorden (“a person from Coevorden”). The place names are derived from the family name, being named after George Vancouver, an English explorer who charted the northwestern Pacific coast of North America in a 1791–1794 expedition.
vanda
Origin
Taken directly from the scientific genus name Vanda.
vandal
Germanic · 455
From "Vandal", the ancient Germanic tribe blamed for sacking Rome in 455 CE; the tribe's name became a byword for needless destruction from the 1600s onward.
vandalism
French · 1794
From French vandalisme, coined in 1794 to describe the destruction of art during the French Revolution, itself named after the Vandals.