Very important person

A very important person (VIP) is a person who is given special privileges due to the status or importance of the person. The term "VIP" (usually pronounced V-I-P) is often used as an abbreviation for very important person. Such a person might be a celebrity, a head of state, a politician, a rich person, or any other person who receives special service for any reason.

The term V.I.P. appeared before World War Two,^[1] starting in the Russian emigration. It abbreviated the Russian phrase “ves'ma imenitaya persona”^[2] which described someone accorded special privileges due to social status or importance.

Notes

↑ John Ayto. Movers and shakers: a chronology of words that shaped our age. Oxford University Press US, 2006
↑ François Bauchpas. L'émigration blanche. Paris, 1968

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[1] John Ayto. Movers and shakers: a chronology of words that shaped our age. Oxford University Press US, 2006

[2] François Bauchpas. L'émigration blanche. Paris, 1968

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