Origin and history of IOU

as an alphabetic character, the older form of -U-, and the two letters were used interchangeably through Middle English, with a preference for v- as the initial letter (vnder, vain, etc.) and -u- elsewhere (full, euer, etc.).

The distinction into consonant and vowel identities was established in English by 1630, under influence of continental printers, but into 19c. some dictionaries and other catalogues sometimes mingled U and V words as a single series, as they also did with I and J.

No native Anglo-Saxon words begin in v- except those (vane, vat, vixen) altered by the southwestern England habit of replacing initial f- with v- (and initial s- with z-). Confusion of -v- and -w- also was a characteristic of 16c. Cockney accents.

As a Roman numeral, "five;" before the introduction of Arabic numerals, V was used in Middle English to represent the ordinal number 5. Of V-shaped objects or arrangements, by 1832: V-eight as a type of motor engine is recorded from 1929 (V-engine is attested from 1909), so called for the arrangement. V-neck in clothing is by 1879.

Mr. D.—"Is that your new dress?"

Mrs. D.—"Yes. It is right in style. How do you like it?"

Mr. D—"Seems to me the neck is fearfully low."

Mrs. D.—"Oh, that is all right. It is the very latest cut. That is called a V neck."

Mr. D—"Indeed! I should call it a C neck."

[Vermont Sentry, Feb. 7, 1884]

In German rocket weapons systems of World War II, it stood for Vergeltungswaffe "reprisal weapon."

The V for "victory" hand sign was conceived January 1941 by Belgian politician and resistance leader Victor de Laveleye, to signify French victoire and Flemish vrijheid ("freedom"). It was broadcast into Europe by Radio België/Radio Belgique and popularized by the BBC by June 1941, from which time it became a universal allied gesture.