vera
- 01 A1 Beginner
a common female first name, originally from Russia.
a female given name of Russian origin, meaning 'faith'.
Simple“Vera lived in the same house for over fifty years.”
In context“The protagonist, Vera, represents the stoic resilience often found in mid-century literature.”
- 02 C2 Proficiency
a very technical way to measure how interest rates and price changes affect investments.
a second-order derivative sensitivity measuring the rate of change of vega with respect to the risk-free interest rate.
Simple“The analyst looked at the vera to see how the interest rate might change the risk.”
In context“Advanced traders monitor vera to understand how shifts in the risk-free rate influence the volatility sensitivity of their options portfolio.”
UsageUsed primarily in quantitative finance and options trading.
- 03 C2 Proficiency
a piece of paper used to make a cigarette.
a cigarette rolling paper; derived from Cockney rhyming slang 'Vera Lynn' for 'skin'.
Simple“He asked his friend if he had a spare vera for his cigarette.”
In context“The old man at the pub reached into his pocket, searching for a vera to roll his tobacco.”
Teacher's tipThis is very specific to London and older generations; most modern speakers will simply say 'skins' or 'papers'.
Borrowed in the nineteenth century from the Russian virtue name Ве́ра (Véra, “faith”). By folk etymology it has also been explained as Latin vera (“true”).
From Spanish.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.