"V" Word Origins

verily

Middle English

From Middle English verray ("true"), the same root that gives us "very," plus "-ly."

verisimilitude

Origin

From Middle French vérisimilitude, from Latin vērīsimilitūdō (“likeness to truth”), more correctly written separately as vērī similitūdō; from vērī, genitive singular of vērus (“true, real”), + similitūdō (“likeness, resemblance”).

veritable

Latin

From Old French veritable, ultimately from Latin veritas ("truth").

veritably

Origin

From verity + -ably.

veritas

Latin

Directly from Latin veritas, "truth," from verus ("true").

verity

Latin

From Old French verite, from Latin veritas ("truth").

verklempt

Origin

Borrowed from Yiddish פֿאַרקלעמט (farklemt, “depressed, distraught; choked up”). The English spelling was influenced by the German prefix ver- corresponding to Yiddish פֿאַר־ (far-). German verklemmt (“uptight”, literally “jammed”) is formally cognate, but semantically unrelated; a closer match is beklommen (“anxious, despondent”). Popularized by a 1990s sketch comedy series.

Verma

Origin

Borrowed from Hindi वर्मा (varmā). Variant of Varma.

vermicelli

Origin

From Italian vermicelli, plural of vermicello (“little worm”), from verme (“worm”), from Latin vermis + -cello (“diminutive suffix”).

vermilion

Latin

From Old French vermeillon, from vermeil, ultimately from Latin vermiculus ("little worm") — the color was originally made from crushed scale insects used for red dye.

vermin

Vulgar Latin

From Old French vermine, from Vulgar Latin verminum, a collective term built from Latin vermis ("worm").

Vermont

French

From French vert mont, "green mountain," referring to the Green Mountains that run through the state.

vermouth

German

From German Wermut, "wormwood" — the plant traditionally used to flavor it. A doublet of the English word "wormwood."

Verna

Latin

Coined in the 19th century, from Latin vernus (“spring-like”) or as a feminine of Vernon.

vernacular

Latin

From Latin vernaculus, "native, domestic," originally describing something belonging to home-born slaves — later broadened to mean anything native or local.

Verne

French

From French Verne.

vernie

Origin

Diminutives + -ie.

Vernon

Origin

From a Norman place name meaning roughly "place of alder trees", tracing back to a Celtic word for the alder tree.

Verona

Latin

From the Italian city name Verona, going back to the Latin Vērōna.

veronica

Origin

Named after Saint Veronica, whose legend gave rise to both the given name and the bullfighting term (from the image on her cloth).

verruca

Origin

Borrowed from Latin verrūca. Doublet of wart.

Versace

Italian

From the Italian surname Versace, taken by the fashion house's founder.

versaillais

Origin

Borrowed from French versaillais, from Versailles + -ais. Doublet of Versaillese.

Versailles

French

From the French place name Versailles, of disputed origin, possibly linked to an old word meaning "to turn".

versaillese

Origin

From Versailles + -ese. Doublet of Versaillais.

versal

Origin

By surface analysis, verse + -al.

versant

Origin

Borrowed from French versant, present participle (used as a noun) of verser, from Latin versō, frequentative of vertō (“to turn”).

versatile

Latin

From Latin versatilis, "turning easily", from versare, "to turn or change" — the same root family as "vertigo" and "convert".

verse

Latin

From Old English fers and Old French vers, both ultimately from Latin versus, "a line of writing" — literally "a turn", since a line of writing "turns" back at its end like a plough furrow.

versifier

Origin

From Middle English versifiour, from Old French versifieor; equivalent to versify + -er.

version

Medieval Latin

From Latin vertere, "to turn", by way of Medieval Latin versio — the idea of "turning" a text from one language into another, or "turning" facts into an account.

versus

Latin

From Latin versus, "turned toward, facing", the past participle of vertere, "to turn".

vert

Latin

From Old French vert ("green"), going back to Latin viridis — the same Latin root that gives English "verdant" and "viridian."

vertebra

Latin

From Latin vertebra, "a joint", from vertere, "to turn" — because these bones let the spine twist and bend.

vertebral

Origin

From vertebra + -al.

vertex

Latin

From Latin vertex 'whirl, crown of the head, highest point', from vertere 'to turn'.

vertical

Late Latin

From Late Latin verticalis, related to vertex, "the highest point" — from vertere, "to turn".

vertigo

Latin

From Latin vertigo, "a whirling", from vertere, "to turn".

vervain

Latin

From Old French verveine, from Latin verbena — the same root as the garden plant "verbena".

verve

Origin

Borrowed from French verve (“animation; caprice, whim; rapture; spirit; vigour; type of expression”), probably from Late Latin verva, a variant of Latin verba (“words; discourse; expressions; language”), the plural of verbum (“word”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *werh₁- (“to say, speak”). Doublet of verb and word.

very

Latin

From Old French verai ("true"), ultimately from Latin verus ("true") — it originally meant "truly" before softening into a general intensifier.

vesicle

Origin

From Middle French vesicule, from Latin vēsīcula. By surface analysis, vesic- + -le. Doublet of vesicule.

Vespa

Italian

From Italian vespa, "wasp" — the scooter's designer thought its body and buzzing engine resembled the insect.

Vespasian

Latin

From Latin Vespasianus, the family name of the emperor.

vesper

Origin

From Old French vespre, from Latin vesper (“evening star”). The martini name was coined by English novelist Ian Fleming in 1953 in his novel Casino Royale, where fictional secret agent James Bond concocts the recipe and names it after the character Vesper Lynd.

vespers

Late Latin

From Old French vespres, from Late Latin vesperae, related to vesper, "evening".

vespertide

Origin

From vesper + -tide.

vessel

Late Latin

From Old French vaissel, from Late Latin vascellum, "small container" — a diminutive of vas, "vase".