V

V, 22nd letter in the English alphabet, corresponding with the Semitic letter waw, meaning “hook,” represented by a tenthook symbol probably derived from an ancient Egyptian symbol for a pole support. The Greeks altered it to Y, and as the 20th letter of the Roman alphabet it became a V, representing both V, and U sounds. The use of V for the V sound dates from the Middle Ages, though the old confusion persisted longer. V represents 5 in Roman numerals, and serves as an abbreviation for words including vanadium, verb, versus, and volt.