a. & n. from Vie.
   W () the twenty-third letter of the English alphabet, is usually a
   consonant, but sometimes it is a vowel, forming the second element of
   certain diphthongs, as in few, how. It takes its written form and its
   name from the repetition of a V, this being the original form of the
   Roman capital letter which we call U. Etymologically it is most related
   to v and u. See V, and U. Some of the uneducated classes in England,
   especially in London, confuse w and v, substituting the one for the
   other, as weal for veal, and veal for weal; wine for vine, and vine for
   wine, etc. See Guide to Pronunciation, // 266-268.