W

1. 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.

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