Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A summary of one's education, professional history, and job qualifications, as for a prospective employer.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A brief biographical summary of the main points of a person's life, especially one's education and training, the jobs one has held, and other notable activities one has participated in, as well as other notable points such as honors one has received. It is prepared and used commonly by a person who is submitting an application for a job or position of responsibility. It is also called a
vita orvitae , and is abbreviated CV.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun UK A written account of one's life comprising one's
education ,accomplishments ,work experience ,publications , etc.; especially, one used to apply for ajob . - noun US A detailed written account of one's education and experience used to seek positions in
academic oreducational environments, typically including academiccredentials , publications,courses taught, etc.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a summary of your academic and work history
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
[Latin curriculum vītae, the race of life : curriculum, course + vītae, genitive of vīta, life.]
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
From Latin curriculum ("course") + vītae, genitive of vīta ("life").
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Examples
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oroboros commented on the word curriculum vitae
See resume.
November 22, 2007
uselessness commented on the word curriculum vitae
Curiously, I'm beginning to see CV used more often than resume (or résumé, even) on the internet. The latter is distinctly America, but the former may be gaining traction.
November 22, 2007
reesetee commented on the word curriculum vitae
Maybe because "CV" is easier to key in? There was once a definite difference, but I think you're right that the two terms are becoming more interchangeable. Though I'm not sure that means that the documents themselves are interchangeable. Back in the day, a CV was primarily used by those seeking a position in an academic or educational institution, and it's traditionally more person-centered (as the Latin suggests) and chronological. A resume is more or less focused on job description and experience and has a target audience--and it's usually not as long as a CV.
November 22, 2007
kiltwraith commented on the word curriculum vitae
c.v.
October 19, 2010