What does vee mean?
The word vee has as its main use the spoken name of the letter V, the twenty-second letter of the Roman alphabet. In written English the symbol is normally shown as V or v, while vee spells out its pronunciation when a letter must be named individually. As a noun, vee can also denote a mark, object, or arrangement shaped like the letter, although this use is less common than the letter-name sense. A rare verb, vee means to form or bend into a V-shaped configuration, as in describing a road or stream that divides into two directions. The distinction between the letter name and an ordinary consonant sound is important: vee ends in the vowel /iː/, whereas the consonant V is pronounced /v/. Outside teaching, spelling, and descriptions of shapes, the plain symbol V is usually more natural than the fully written word. Vee nevertheless usefully reminds us that alphabet letters can have familiar names as well as sounds.
The letter V or its spoken name; occasionally, a mark or formation shaped like V.
"The word ends with a capital V, pronounced “vee.”"
The letter-name sense is dominant in modern English.
To form or bend into a V shape.
"The road vees sharply before reaching the river."
This is a relatively uncommon verb, chiefly used in descriptive and technical writing.
The plural is uncommon because ordinary writing generally uses the symbol V rather than the fully spelled-out letter name.
"The acronym is written with three vees."
The Roman alphabet’s V began as a symbol for /w/; its familiar /v/ sound came later.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of vee
The spelling vee developed during the nineteenth century as the spoken name of the uppercase letter V, whose shape also gave rise to uses for V-shaped marks and formations. The letter itself ultimately passed through the Greek alphabet from the Phoenician waw and was used in Classical Latin for a /w/ sound before becoming associated with /v/. The verb vee is a later derivative meaning “to form into a V.”
Related word forms
How vee is actually used
The written symbol V or v is normally preferred when referring to the letter itself; vee is especially useful when its pronunciation is being spelled out. The verb is uncommon and tends to occur in descriptive or technical contexts.