Online Etymology Dictionary

vatic (adj.): "pertaining to a prophet," c.1600, from Latin vates (see vates) + -ic.
Vatican: 1550s, from Latin mons Vaticanus, Roman hill on which Papal palace stands. An Etruscan loan-word, not related to vates "sooth-sayer."
vaudeville (n.): 1739, "light, popular song," especially one sung on the stage, from French vaudeville, alteration (by influence of ville "town") of Middle French vaudevire, said to be from (chanson du) Vau de Vire "(song of the) valley of Vire," in the Calvados region of Normandy, first applied to the popular satirical songs of Olivier Basselin, a 15c. poet who lived in Vire.

The alternative explanation is that vaudevire derives from Middle French dialectal vauder "to go" + virer "to turn." The meaning "theatrical entertainment interspersed with songs" first recorded 1827.
vaudevillian (n.): 1913, from vaudeville + -ian.
Vaughan: from Welsh fychan, mutation of bychan "small."
vault (n.1): "arched roof or ceiling," c.1300, vaute, from Old French voute "arch, vaulted roof," from Vulgar Latin *volta, contraction of *volvita, noun use of fem. of *volvitus, alteration of Latin volutus "bowed, arched," past participle of volvere "to turn, turn around, roll" (see vulva). The -l- appeared in English c.1400.
vault (v.): "jump or leap over," 1530s (implied in vaulting), from Middle French volter "to gambol, leap," from Italian voltare "to turn," from Vulgar Latin *volvitare "to turn, leap," frequentative of Latin volvere "to turn, turn around, roll" (see vulva). Related: Vaulted; vaulting.
vault (n.2): "a leap," 1763, from vault (v.).
vaunt (v.): c.1400, "speak vainly or proudly," from Middle French vanter "to praise, speak highly of," from Late Latin vanitare "to boast," frequentative of Latin vanare "to utter empty words," from vanus "idle, empty" (see vain). Related: Vaunted; vaunting.
Vauxhall: popular pleasure garden on south bank of Thames in London, c.1661-1859; the name is Middle English Faukeshale (late 13c.), "Hall or manor of a man called Falkes," an Old French personal name.
VCR (n.): 1971, initialism from videocassette recorder (see videocassette).
VE Day (n.): initialism for Victory in Europe, from September 1944 (see victory).
veal (n.): late 14c., from Anglo-French vel, Old French veel "a calf" (Modern French veau), earlier vedel, from Latin vitellus, diminutive of vitulus "calf," perhaps originally "yearling," if related, as some think, to Sanskrit vatsah "calf," literally "yearling;" Gothic wiþrus, Old English weðer (see wether; cf. also veteran).
vector (n.): "quantity having magnitude and direction," 1704, from Latin vector "one who carries or conveys, carrier," from past participle stem of vehere "carry, convey" (see vehicle).
Veda (n.): ancient sacred Hindu book, 1734, from Sanskrit veda "knowledge, sacred book," from root vid- "to know," from PIE root *weid- "to see" (related to wit, and to Avestan vaeda "I know," Latin videre "to see;" see vision). The books are the Rig-, Yajur-, Sama-, and Atharva-veda.
vedette (n.): "mounted sentinel placed in advance of an outpost," 1680s, from French vedette, from Italian vedetta, probably from vedere "to see" (see vista).
Vedic (adj.): 1840s, from Veda + -ic.
vee (n.): 1883, to denote the shape of the letter V. As a type of engine, by 1951.
veejay (n.): 1982, from video, on model of deejay (see disk).
veep (n.): 1949, American English headline word, coined from V.P., abbreviation of vice president.
veer (v.): 1580s, "to change direction" (originally with reference to the wind), from Middle French virer "to turn," of uncertain origin, perhaps from the Latin stem vir- in viriae (plural) "bracelets;" or perhaps from a Vulgar Latin contraction of Latin vibrare "to shake." Related: veered, veering.
veg: since 1898 as an abbreviation of vegetable, vegetarian. As a verb, colloquially short for vegetate, by 1985 (usually with out).
Vega (n.): 1638, bright northern star, the alpha of Lyra, from Arabic (Al Nasr) al Waqi translated variously as "the eagle of the desert" or "the falling vulture."
vegan (n.): 1944, from vegetable (n.) + -an; coined by Donald Watson to distinguish those who abstain from all animal products (eggs, cheese, etc.) from those who merely refuse to eat the animals.
vegetable (adj.): c.1400, "living and growing as a plant," from Old French vegetable "living, fit to live," from Medieval Latin vegetabilis "growing, flourishing," from Late Latin vegetabilis "animating, enlivening," from Latin vegetare "to enliven," from vegetus "vigorous, active," from vegere "to be alive, active, to quicken," from PIE *weg- "be strong, lively," related to watch (v.), vigor, velocity, and possibly witch (see vigil). The meaning "resembling that of a vegetable, dull, uneventful" is attested from 1854 (see vegetable (n.)).
vegetable (n.): mid-15c., originally any plant, from vegetable (adj.); specific sense of "plant cultivated for food, edible herb or root" is first recorded 1767. Meaning "person who leads a monotonous life" is recorded from 1921.

Slang shortening veggie first recorded 1955. The Old English word was wyrt (see wort). The commonest source of words for vegetables in Indo-European languages are derivatives of words for "green" or "growing" (cf. Italian, Spanish verdura, Irish glasraidh, Danish grøntsager). For a different association, cf. Greek lakhana, related to lakhaino "to dig."
vegetarian (n.): 1839, irregular formation from vegetable (n.) + -arian, as in agrarian, etc. "The general use of the word appears to have been largely due to the formation of the Vegetarian Society in Ramsgate in 1847" [OED].
vegetarianism (n.): 1851, from vegetarian + -ism.
vegetate (v.): c.1600, "to grow as plants do," perhaps a back-formation from vegetation, or from Latin vegetatus, past participle of vegetare "to enliven, to animate" (see vegetable (adj.)). Sense of "to lead a dull, empty, or stagnant life" is from 1740. Related: Vegetated; vegetating.
vegetation (n.): 1560s, "act of vegetating," from Middle French végétation, from Medieval Latin vegetationem (nominative vegetatio) "a quickening, action of growing," from vegetare "grow, quicken" (see vegetable). Meaning "plant life" first recorded 1727.
vegetative (adj.): late 14c., "endowed with the power of growth," from Medieval Latin vegetativus, from past participle stem of vegetare (see vegetable (adj.)). Middle English transferred sense was "characterized by growth." Modern pathological sense of "brain-dead, mentally inert" is from 1893.
vehemence (n.): mid-15c., from Old French vehemence or directly from Latin vehementia (see vehement).
vehement (adj.): late 15c., from Middle French vehement "impetuous, ardent," from Latin vehementem (nominative vehemens) "impetuous, carried away," perhaps from a lost present middle participle of vehere "to carry" (see vehicle). The other theory is that it represents vehe- "lacking, wanting" + mens "mind." Related: Vehemently.
vehicle (n.): 1610s, "a medium through which a drug or medicine is administered," also "any means of conveying or transmitting," from French véhicule, from Latin vehiculum "means of transport, a vehicle," from vehere "to carry," from PIE *wegh- "to go, transport in a vehicle" (cf. Old English wegan "to carry;" Old Norse vegr, Old High German weg "way;" Middle Dutch wagen "wagon;" see wagon). Sense of "cart or other conveyance" first recorded 1650s.
vehicular (adj.): 1610s, from Late Latin vehicularis, from vehiculum (see vehicle).
veil (n.): early 13c., from Anglo-French and Old North French veil (Old French voile) "a head-covering," also "a sail," from Latin vela, plural of velum "sail, curtain, covering," from PIE root *weg- "to weave a web." Vela was mistaken in Vulgar Latin for a feminine singular noun. To take the veil "become a nun" is attested from early 14c.
veil (v.): late 14c., from Old French veler, voiller, from Latin velare "to cover, veil," from velum (see veil (n.)). Figurative sense of "to conceal" (something immaterial) is recorded from 1530s. Related: Veiled; veiling.
vein (n.): c.1300, from Old French veine, from Latin vena "a blood vessel," also "a water course, a vein of metal, a person's natural ability or interest," of unknown origin. The mining sense is attested in English from late 14c. (Greek phleps "vein" had the same secondary sense). Figurative sense of "strain or intermixture" (of some quality) is recorded from 1560s; that of "a humor or mood, natural tendency" is first recorded 1570s.
velar (adj.): 1726, from Latin velaris, from velum "sail, curtain" (see veil (n.)). Originally an architect's term for a type of cupola; phonetics sense is from 1876, on notion of "pertaining to the velum," the anatomist's name for the soft palate (velum in this sense is attested from 1771, in full velum palati). The noun meaning "a velar guttural" is recorded from 1886.
Velcro (n.): 1960, proprietary name (Britain), from French vel(ours) cro(ché) "hooked velvet."
veld (n.): 1785, South African, from older Dutch veldt (see field (n.)).
veldt (n.): South African grassland, 1785, from Afrikaans, from older Dutch veld "field;" related to English field (n.).
velleity (n.): 1610s, from Medieval Latin stem of velleitas (from Latin velle "to wish, will;" see will (v.)) + -ity.
vellum (n.): early 15c., from Old French velin "parchment made from calfskin," from vel, veel "calf" (see veal).
velocipede (n.): 1819, "wheeled vehicle propelled by the feet on the ground," from French vélocipède, from Latin velox (genitive velocis) "swift" (see velocity) + pedem, accusative of pes "foot" (see foot (n.)). Applied to an early kind of bicycle or tricycle in 1849.
velociraptor (n.): 1924, from Latin velox (genitive velocis) "swift" (see velocity) + raptor "robber" (see raptor).
velocity (n.): 1550a, from Latin velocitatem (nominative velocitas) "swiftness, speed," from velox (genitive velocis) "swift," of uncertain origin, perhaps related to vehere "carry" (see vehicle), or from the same root as vegetable (see vigil).
velodrome (n.): "building for bicycle races," 1902, from French vélodrome, from vélo, colloquial abbreviation of vélocipède (see velocipede) + -drome, as in hippodrome.
velour (n.): 1706, from French velours "velvet," from Old French velour, alteration of velous, from Old Provençal velos, from Latin villosus (adj.) "shaggy" (in Medieval Latin "velvet"), from villus "shaggy hair, tuft of hair" (see velvet).
Velox (n.): type of paper made by a process patented 1893 by Leo Baekeland, who sold it to George Eastman in 1899 for $1 million and used the money to build the laboratory where he made great discoveries in plastics (see Bakelite).