Vic

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A informal clipped form of victim, used especially for a person harmed in a crime ; a nickname shortened from the names Victor or Victoria
2. Slang shortening of victim, referring to someone who has suffered harm in a criminal act ; a familiar short form of the first names Victor or Victoria
3. Informal abbreviation for a person who has been harmed or killed in a crime ; a pet form of the masculine or feminine name Victor or Victoria

Etymology: "Vic" is a word of two different lives. In the NATO phonetic alphabet, it is the codeword used to represent the letter V in radio and telephone spelling, where clarity mattered more than tradition. Its use there is deliberate: the alphabet was built so that letters could be told apart over noisy lines, and each code word was chosen for that purpose. The name "Vic" in that role stands for "vehicle," a word that fits the alphabet's habit of using short, easily recognized words for spelling. The codeword is a standard part of the alphabet's system rather than a general English term, so its meaning is tied closely to that function.