150+ Science Words That Start With V | Complete Word List & Definitions

You’re here because you need science words starting with V for a test, homework, or just curiosity. The letter V is rich in science vocabulary. From velocity to virus to volcano, these words appear in labs, hospitals, classrooms, and space missions.

This article gives you 150+ words, organized by field, with clear definitions and real-life context.

20 Most-Used Science Words That Start With V

Word	Meaning
Vacuum	Space with no matter or air
Velocity	Speed in a specific direction
Vertebra	One bone in the spine
Virus	Particle that infects living cells
Voltage	Electrical pressure driving current
Volume	Amount of space an object occupies
Vein	Vessel carrying blood toward the heart
Vaporization	Liquid changing into gas
Valence	Bonding power of an atom
Viscosity	Resistance of a liquid to flow
Vertebrate	Animal with a backbone
Vacuole	Storage compartment inside a cell
Variable	Something that changes in an experiment
Vapor	Gas form of a normally liquid substance
Ventricle	Heart chamber that pumps blood
Vesicle	Small fluid-filled sac inside a cell
Volatile	Substance that evaporates quickly
Vascular	Related to fluid-carrying vessels
Vibration	Rapid back-and-forth movement
Vaccine	Substance that trains the immune system

Quick List of 150+ Science Words Starting With V

Vacuole

Vacuum

Vacuum Energy

Valence

Valence Electron

Valency

Van Allen Belt

Van der Waals Bond

Van der Waals Forces

Vapor

Vaporization

Vapor Pressure

Vapor Trail

Variable

Vascular

Vascular Bed

Vascular Bundle

Vascular Cambium

Vascular Endothelium

Vascular Flow

Vascular Lumen

Vascular Network

Vascular Occlusion

Vascular Permeability

Vascular Plant

Vascular Resistance

Vascular Smooth Muscle

Vascular Tissue

Vascular Tone

Vasodilation

Vasoconstriction

Vasopressin

Vector

Vein

Vein Graft

Velocity

Velocity Vector

Physics Science Words That Start With V

Word	Definition
Vacuum	A region with no matter outer space is the closest natural example
Velocity	Speed with direction 60 mph north is different from 60 mph south
Vibration	Particles moving back and forth rapidly around a fixed point
Voltage	The electrical pressure that pushes current through a circuit
Volt	SI unit of electric potential phone chargers use 5V, car batteries use 12V
Voltmeter	Device that measures voltage between two points in a circuit
Vortex	A spinning, spiraling mass of fluid or gas tornadoes are air vortexes
Vector	A quantity with both size and direction force and velocity are vectors
Visible Light	The portion of the electromagnetic spectrum human eyes can detect
Visible Spectrum	Wavelengths from ~380 to 700 nanometers what a prism splits into a rainbow
Void	An essentially empty region of space
Vacuum Energy	Quantum energy fluctuations present even in empty space
Vibrational Energy	Energy stored in the back-and-forth motion of atoms
Vibrational Frequency	Number of complete vibration cycles per second
Vibrational Mode	A specific pattern in which a molecule vibrates
Vibrational Resonance	When an external vibration matches an object’s natural frequency and amplifies it
Velocity Vector	A vector describing exact speed and direction used in spacecraft navigation
Vortex Ring	A doughnut-shaped spinning fluid structure smoke rings are one example
Voltage Gradient	Rate of voltage change over distance drives how lightning and spark plugs work
Voltage Drop	Loss of electrical pressure across a component in a circuit

Chemistry Science Words That Start With V

Word	Definition
Valence	The combining power of an atom determines how many bonds it can form
Valence Electron	Outermost shell electrons that participate in bonding
Valency	Number of hydrogen atoms an element can bond with or replace
Vapor	Gas form of a substance normally liquid at room temperature
Vaporization	Process of liquid becoming gas includes both boiling and evaporation
Vapor Pressure	Pressure created by vapor above a liquid in a closed container
Van der Waals Forces	Weak attractive forces between molecules geckos use these to climb walls
Van der Waals Bond	A bond formed through van der Waals attractions between molecules
Volatile	Easily evaporates at room temperature nail polish remover, perfume, gasoline
Volatile Compound	Any compound that readily turns into vapor
Volatile Organic Compound	Carbon-containing chemicals that evaporate into air found in paints and cleaners
Volatile Matter	Gases released from coal when heated without air
Viscosity	How thick a fluid is honey has high viscosity, water has low viscosity
Viscosity Index	A number showing how much viscosity changes with temperature
Voltaic Cell	Device that generates electricity through a chemical reaction
Voltaic Pile	The first battery stacked zinc and copper discs with saltwater cloth between them
Volumetric Flask	Lab flask with precise volume marking for preparing exact solutions
Volumetric Analysis	Finding solution concentration by measuring reacting volumes
Vitrification	Turning a material into glass-like solid through rapid cooling
Void Space	Empty regions between atoms or molecules in a material

Biology Science Words That Start With V

Word	Definition
Vertebra	One bone of the spinal column humans have 33 total
Vertebrate	Animal with a backbone fish, frogs, birds, mammals are all vertebrates
Vertebral Column	The full spine protects the spinal cord and supports the body
Vertebral Disc	Cushion pad between vertebrae absorbs shock and allows bending
Vertebral Body	The solid front part of each vertebra that bears body weight
Vertebral Arch	The bony arch at the back of each vertebra enclosing the spinal cord
Vertebral Foramen	The hole inside each vertebra through which the spinal cord passes
Vertebral Segment	One vertebra, its discs, and associated nerves
Vertebral Nerve	Nerve exiting the spinal cord through a vertebral gap
Virus	Not technically alive a strand of genetic material in a protein coat
Virion	A single complete virus particle the infectious unit
Virulence	How effectively a pathogen establishes infection
Virulence Factor	A molecule that helps a pathogen infect or evade the immune system
Viral Load	Amount of virus present in a patient’s blood
Viral Replication	Process of a virus copying itself inside a host cell
Viral Vector	Modified virus used to deliver therapeutic genes into cells
Viral Envelope	Outer membrane some viruses have, made from host cell material
Virion Assembly	The process of new virus particles being constructed inside a host cell
Viremia	Virus circulating in the bloodstream
Virology	The scientific study of viruses
Vacuole	Membrane-bound storage compartment inside a cell
Vacuolar Membrane	Thin membrane surrounding a vacuole that controls what enters and exits
Vascular	Relating to vessels carrying fluids in animals or plants
Vascular Tissue	Plant tissue network — xylem moves water up, phloem moves sugar down
Vascular Bundle	Tightly packed strands of xylem and phloem inside plant stems
Vascular Plant	Plant with a proper transport system — trees, ferns, and flowering plants
Vascular Cambium	Layer of dividing cells that makes plants grow wider
Vein	Carries blood toward the heart in animals; transports nutrients in plant leaves
Venule	Tiny vein collecting blood from capillaries
Ventricle	Lower heart chamber that pumps blood out to the body or lungs
Vesicle	Small membrane-bound transport sac inside a cell
Vesicle Transport	Movement of vesicles carrying materials inside a cell
Vesicle Fusion	When a vesicle merges with a cell membrane to release its contents
Vesicular Transport System	The cell’s full internal delivery network using vesicles
Vesicular	Having the structure of multiple small sac-like compartments
Vestigial	A structure that lost its original function through evolution
Vestigial Organ	Non-functional organ kept through evolution human appendix, whale leg bones
Vestigial Structure	Any physical feature reduced over evolutionary time
Vital Signs	Heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and temperature
Vital Capacity	Maximum air volume exhaled after the deepest possible breath
Vitreous Humor	Clear jelly filling the back chamber of the eye
Vitreous Body	The gel structure behind the eye lens that holds eye shape
Visual Cortex	Brain region at the back of the skull that processes visual information
Visual Field	Total area visible without moving the eyes
Visual Pathway	The neural route from retina to visual cortex
Vestibular System	Inner ear system that detects balance, motion, and spatial orientation

Earth Science Words That Start With V

Word	Definition
Volcano	An opening in Earth’s crust where magma and gases escape
Volcanic Eruption	Release of lava, ash, gas, and rock from a volcano
Volcanism	All geological processes involving magma movement and volcanic activity
Volcanology	Scientific study of volcanoes and eruption patterns
Volcanic Rock	Rock formed from cooled lava or ash basalt, obsidian, pumice
Volcanic Arc	A chain of volcanoes above a subducting tectonic plate
Volcanic Gas	Gases released during eruptions mainly water vapor, CO₂, sulfur dioxide
Volcanic Island	Island built up from the ocean floor by repeated volcanic activity
Volcanic Lava	Magma that has reached Earth’s surface temperatures 700°C to 1,200°C
Volcanic Plume	Column of ash and gas shot into the atmosphere during an eruption
Volcanic Vent	The opening through which lava and gases exit a volcano
Vernal Equinox	When day and night are equal length marks start of spring in March
Vernal	Relating to spring used in terms like vernal equinox and vernal pool
Vapor Trail	White streak airplanes leave forms when hot exhaust hits cold high-altitude air
Void Space	Empty pores and fractures in rock that can hold water, oil, or gas

Space & Astronomy Science Words That Start With V

Word	Definition
Van Allen Belt	Two zones of charged particles trapped by Earth’s magnetic field
Vacuum (Space)	Near-empty space no atmosphere, no sound, heat moves only by radiation
Velocity (Orbital)	Speed needed to stay in orbit ISS travels at ~7.66 km/s
Visible Light (Astronomy)	The wavelengths telescopes like Hubble use to image stars and galaxies
Void (Cosmic)	Massive near-empty regions between galaxy clusters Boötes Void spans 330 million light-years
Vernal Equinox (Astronomy)	Sky reference point where the Sun crosses the celestial equator starting point for sky coordinates
Velocity Vector	Exact speed and direction of a spacecraft tiny changes affect the whole mission
Volatiles (Planetary Science)	Easily-vaporized compounds like water, methane, CO₂ form comet tails near the Sun
Vacuum Energy (Cosmology)	Energy present in empty space possibly connected to dark energy and universe expansion
Vortex (Planetary)	Large spinning storm systems on planets Saturn’s polar hexagon, Jupiter’s Great Red Spot

Medical & Health Science Words That Start With V

Word	Definition
Vaccine	Trains the immune system to fight a specific pathogen before infection
Vasodilation	Blood vessels widening happens during exercise and in hot weather
Vasoconstriction	Blood vessels narrowing happens in cold weather and during stress
Vasopressin	Hormone that tells kidneys to retain water also controls blood pressure
Vasopressin Receptor	Protein that receives vasopressin signals two types control different organs
Ventricular Fibrillation	Life-threatening quivering of ventricles heart stops pumping effectively
Ventricular Tachycardia	Abnormally fast heartbeat originating in the ventricles
Ventricular Wall	Muscular wall of the ventricle that contracts to push blood out
Venous Blood	Blood in veins generally deoxygenated and returning to the heart
Venous Return	Flow of blood back to the heart through the veins
Venous Pressure	Low blood pressure in veins much lower than arterial pressure
Vascular Resistance	Opposition blood faces flowing through vessels contributes to blood pressure
Vascular Permeability	How easily fluids pass through vessel walls increases during inflammation
Vascular Occlusion	Blockage in a blood vessel causes heart attacks and strokes
Vascular Endothelium	Thin cell layer lining the inside of blood vessels
Vascular Smooth Muscle	Muscle in vessel walls that controls diameter automatically
Vascular Adhesion	White blood cells attaching to vessel walls before entering tissue to fight infection
Vascular Tone	Baseline level of vessel constriction determines resting blood flow
Vascular Lumen	The hollow channel inside a blood vessel where blood flows
Vascular Flow	Rate and pattern of blood movement measured by ultrasound
Vascular Bed	Network of capillaries within a specific organ
Vascular Impedance	Resistance to pulsatile blood flow accounts for heartbeat pressure waves
Vascular Smooth Muscle Tone	The resting contraction level of muscle in blood vessel walls
Vein Graft	Transplanted vein used to bypass a blocked artery common in heart surgery
Vein Pressure	Pressure inside veins lower than arterial, important in circulation assessment
Visceral Fat	Fat stored around internal organs raises risk of heart disease and diabetes
Visceral Organ	Organs in body cavities liver, stomach, intestines, kidneys
Visceral Sensation	Sensations from internal organs often dull and hard to localize precisely
Visceral Peritoneum	Membrane covering abdominal organs allows smooth organ movement
Visceral Pleura	Membrane directly covering the lungs inflamed in pleuritis
Visceral Nervous System	The part of the nervous system controlling internal organs automatically
Visual Acuity	Clarity and sharpness of vision measured in the standard eye test
Vital Signs	Heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and temperature checked first in any exam
Vital Capacity	Maximum exhaled breath volume used to diagnose asthma and COPD
Vitreous Body	Gel filling the eye behind the lens shrinkage causes floaters
Vitreous Gel	The jelly-like substance filling the vitreous chamber of the eye
Viral Load	Virus quantity in blood used to monitor HIV, COVID-19, and other viral infections

Technology & Applied Science Words That Start With V

Word	Definition
Voltage Regulator	Keeps voltage constant regardless of load changes inside every phone charger
Voltage Drop	Reduction in voltage across a circuit component as current passes through
Voltage Divider	Two-resistor circuit that produces a lower voltage from a higher one
Voltage Amplifier	Circuit that boosts weak voltage signals used in microphone processing
Voltage Source	Any device producing electrical potential batteries, generators, solar cells
Voltage Spike	Sudden, brief surge in voltage that can damage electronic components
Voltaic Arc	Sustained electrical discharge through air used in arc welding
Vibrational Spectroscopy	Identifies chemicals by how molecular bonds vibrate used in food safety and forensics
Vibrational Raman Spectroscopy	A laser-based version of vibrational spectroscopy used in pharmaceutical analysis
Volatile Memory	Computer memory that loses data when power is off RAM is volatile
Volatile Organic Compound (Industrial)	VOCs in manufacturing that require filters and scrubbers to control air quality
Vortex Ring	Doughnut-shaped vortex studied for fluid mixing and propulsion applications
Void Fraction	Proportion of empty space in a packed chemical reactor affects fluid flow
Voltage-Gated Ion Channel	Membrane protein that opens with voltage change triggers all nerve signals
Void Volume	Volume of empty space inside a chromatography column or packed system

Easy Science Words That Start With V (Beginners & Kids)

Word	Simple Definition
Vein	Tube that carries blood back to your heart
Vertebra	One bone in your backbone
Virus	Tiny particle smaller than bacteria that can make you sick
Vaccine	A shot that teaches your body to fight disease before you catch it
Volume	How much space something takes up
Vapor	When liquid becomes gas steam is water vapor
Vibration	Fast shaking guitar strings vibrate to make sound
Variable	Anything that can change in a science experiment
Vacuum	Space with no air inside like sealed empty space
Vertebrate	Any animal with a backbone you, your dog, birds, fish
Vacuole	A storage bubble inside a cell plant cells have one large one
Vascular	Related to tubes that carry fluids like blood vessels

Advanced Science Words That Start With V

Word	Definition
Van der Waals Forces	Weak forces between molecules caused by temporary shifts in electron clouds
Virulence Factor	Specific molecule that helps a pathogen infect, survive, or evade immunity
Voltage-Gated Ion Channel	Membrane protein opening in response to voltage — basis of all nerve function
Vascular Cambium	Lateral meristem producing new xylem and phloem — makes woody plants grow wider
Viral Vector	Modified virus carrying therapeutic DNA into patient cells for gene therapy
Vibrational Spectroscopy	Identifies molecular structure through characteristic infrared absorption frequencies
Vacuum Energy Density	Energy per unit volume in empty space — one of physics’ biggest unsolved problems
Vasopressin Receptor	V1 and V2 receptors with different roles — V2 in kidneys controls water retention
Vestibular System	Fluid-filled inner ear canals detecting motion, gravity, and head position
Vascular Impedance	Opposition to pulsatile blood flow accounting for heartbeat wave dynamics
Vitrification (Cell Biology)	Ultra-rapid cooling preventing ice crystal formation — used in embryo freezing
Void Fraction	Empty space ratio in a packed reactor bed — affects industrial chemical processes
Virion Assembly	Step-by-step construction of new virus particles inside an infected host cell
Vesicular Transport System	The complete vesicle-based internal delivery network within a cell
Viral Envelope	Lipid layer surrounding some viruses — acquired from the host cell membrane

Common Confusions

Velocity vs. Speed

Speed is how fast. Velocity is how fast and in which direction. Same number, different meanings in physics.

Vein vs. Artery

Veins carry blood toward the heart. Arteries carry it away. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood except pulmonary veins, which carry oxygenated blood from lungs to heart.

Virus vs. Bacteria

Viruses are not alive no cell, no metabolism. Bacteria are living single-celled organisms. Antibiotics kill bacteria. They do not work on viruses.

Volatile vs. Flammable

Volatile means evaporates easily. Flammable means catches fire easily. Many volatile liquids are flammable, but not all. They are not the same word.

Vacuole vs. Vesicle

Vacuoles are large storage chambers especially prominent in plant cells. Vesicles are small transport sacs that carry cargo around inside a cell.

Ventricle vs. Atrium

Atria are the upper heart chambers that receive blood. Ventricles are the lower chambers that pump it out.

Vaporization vs. Evaporation

Evaporation is slow surface vaporization below boiling point. Boiling is rapid vaporization throughout the entire liquid. Both are forms of vaporization.

Volume vs. Mass

Volume is space occupied. Mass is amount of matter. A balloon has high volume but very low mass.

FAQs

How many science words start with V?

Hundreds exist across all scientific fields. This article covers 155+ of the most useful and commonly tested ones.

Which V words appear most on science exams?

• Velocity
• Voltage
• Volume
• Variable
• Vaporization
• Vaccine
• Vertebrate
• Vacuole

Know these eight well and you’re ahead of most students.

Do V science words come from Latin?

Most do. “Vein” comes from vena, “vapor” from vapor, “virus” from virus (Latin for poison). Knowing the Latin root helps words stick in memory.

Which V words are most important in chemistry?

Valence, valence electron, vapor pressure, viscosity, volatile, van der Waals forces, voltaic cell, and vaporization.

Which V words are most important in biology?

Vertebrate, virus, vacuole, vascular, vesicle, vestigial, and vital signs.

Are these words hard to learn?

Not when grouped by topic. Learn them by field biology V words together, physics V words together rather than alphabetically.

Conclusion

This list covers 155+ science words starting with V across physics, chemistry, biology, earth science, space, medicine, and technology.

The most useful approach: don’t try to memorize everything at once. Find your subject area, learn 8–10 words with their meanings and real-world connections, then expand from there.

These words appear in textbooks, standardized tests, medical settings, and everyday science. Knowing them gives you a real advantage not just for exams, but for understanding how the world actually works.