V
Abbreviation with 5 meanings
| Stands for | Volt |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 5 |
| Categories | Units & Measurements, Law & Legal, Writing & Everyday, Science & Engineering |
| Also written | v. |
V has five meanings. The most common are Volt (engineering unit) and Versus (legal citation); it can also stand for Verb, Vegetarian and Vanadium.
Meanings of V at a glance
| # | V stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Volt | Units & Measurements › Engineering Unit |
| 2 | Versus | Law & Legal › Legal Citation |
| 3 | Verb | Writing & Everyday › Grammar and Dictionary |
| 4 | Vegetarian | Units & Measurements › Cooking |
| 5 | Vanadium | Science & Engineering › Chemical Element |
1. Volt
Units & Measurements · Engineering Unit Abbreviations
Electric potential difference, the "pressure" that drives current through a circuit, is measured in volts. US household outlets supply 120 V, most of the world uses 220 to 240 V, AA batteries supply 1.5 V and car batteries 12 V.
Example: The adapter accepts 100 to 240 V input, so it works in most countries.
Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, who built the first electric battery, the voltaic pile, in 1800, is the unit's namesake. One volt drives one ampere through one ohm. Power equals volts times amps, so higher-voltage circuits deliver the same power with less current. USB-C Power Delivery negotiates voltages from 5 V up to 48 V.
2. Versus (v.)
Law & Legal · Legal Citation Abbreviations · also used in general use
Separates the names of opposing parties in a case name, as in Brown v. Board of Education, with the plaintiff or petitioner usually named first. In US citations it is lowercase with a period and is italicized or underlined together with the rest of the case name.
Example: The class was eventually certified in Smith v. Acme Corp., and the case settled before trial.
From Latin "versus", meaning "against". The Bluebook requires "v." in case names, not "vs.", which is common in sports and general writing. In the United Kingdom and Commonwealth it is written "v" without a full stop and read aloud as "and" in civil cases ("Donoghue and Stevenson") and "against" in criminal cases ("the Crown against Smith").
3. Verb (v.)
Writing & Everyday · Grammar and Dictionary Abbreviations
Marks a headword as a verb, the part of speech expressing an action, occurrence or state. Many dictionaries refine the label into vt. (transitive) and vi. (intransitive), showing whether the verb takes a direct object.
Example: run (v.) to move swiftly on foot so that both feet leave the ground during each stride
Variants include vb. and the full word "verb." Irregular verbs are usually followed by their principal parts, such as "ran, run, running." Grammar books also use a capital V in sentence patterns such as SVO (subject-verb-object). In law, v. stands for versus in case names, an unrelated use.
4. Vegetarian
Units & Measurements · Cooking Abbreviations
On restaurant menus and food labels, V marks dishes without meat, poultry or fish. Most vegetarian dishes may still contain dairy and eggs, so diners avoiding all animal products look for VG or VE instead.
Example: Look for the V next to dishes suitable for vegetarians.
Conventions differ: a few menus use V for vegan and VG for vegetarian, so the key at the bottom of the menu is the safest guide. The European Vegetarian Union licenses the V-Label trademark for certified vegetarian and vegan products. Hidden non-vegetarian ingredients include gelatin, animal rennet in some cheeses and fish sauce.
5. Vanadium
Science & Engineering · Chemical Element Abbreviations
Vanadium (atomic number 23) is a hard transition metal used mainly as an additive that toughens steel for tools, springs and axles. Its ions take four different oxidation states, each with a distinct color, a property exploited in vanadium redox flow batteries for grid-scale energy storage.
Example: Chrome-V wrenches are forged from chromium-vanadium steel containing a small percentage of V.
Andrés Manuel del Río found the element in Mexican lead ore in 1801 but was persuaded it was impure chromium. Nils Gabriel Sefström rediscovered it in 1830 and named it after Vanadís, an Old Norse name of the goddess Freyja, for its many beautifully colored compounds. Henry Ford's Model T used vanadium steel for strength at low weight.
Related abbreviations
More engineering unit abbreviations
- toe – Tonne of oil equivalent
- TPI – Threads per inch
- TR – Ton of refrigeration
- TWh – Terawatt-hour
- VA – Volt-ampere
- W – Watt
- Wh – Watt-hour
- whp – Wheel horsepower
See all 103 engineering unit abbreviations →
More legal citation abbreviations
- A.2d – Atlantic Reporter, Second Series
- A.3d – Atlantic Reporter, Third Series
- A.D.3d – Appellate Division Reports, Third Series
- A.L.R. – American Law Reports
- AC – Appeal Cases
- aff'd – Affirmed
- aff'g – Affirming
- All ER – All England Law Reports
See all 87 legal citation abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not legal advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.