Cvs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An abbreviation that can refer to a large American retail pharmacy chain ; files used to track changes in text or source code using a version control system ; records storing information about medications or health care
2. Used as shorthand for a national drugstore brand ; a format for managing revisions in collaborative software projects ; documents related to prescriptions and pharmaceutical data
3. Represents a well-known United States pharmacy retailer ; digital files central to code version history management ; compilations of pharmacy services, patient data, or medication dispensing

Etymology: Three unrelated meanings share these three letters, and none began as an ordinary word. The best-known is the American drugstore chain, which started as Consumer Value Stores, and the initials were later shortened into a brand name that no longer spells out the original phrase. The software tool was named in the same way. CVS stands for Concurrent Versions System, a program for tracking changes to files that several people edit at once. It was built as a layer on top of an earlier revision tool, so its name describes its function rather than borrowing from another word.

Synonyms: CVs, resumes