Vol

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A unit of electric potential difference measured in volts, which indicates the amount of work needed to move a charge between two points
2. The abbreviation for volume, often used in measurements of liquid or solid capacity in contexts such as scientific and culinary applications
3. In academic and literary contexts, it may refer to a volume in a set of works, such as a book belonging to a series or collection

Etymology: A volume was once a scroll. The Latin "volumen" meant a roll of papyrus or parchment, from "volvere", to roll or turn, so the idea of a separate book began with something literally wound up. When pages bound into a codex replaced rolls, the name stayed, and a long work divided across several bound books came to be called by it. "Vol." is a shortened form of that word, cut down for use in citations, catalogues and bibliographies, where it marks which book of a series is meant. The abbreviation keeps the Latin sense of a unit within a larger whole.

Synonyms: volume, issue, edition