curriculum vitae

/kəˈrɪkjuləm ˈvitaɪ/

/kəˈrɪkjuləm ˈviteɪ/

You know that pack of lies you send out listing your qualifications and previous experience when applying for a job? Well that's a curriculum vitae, or CV for short, from the Latin phrase meaning "course of life."

In America, the curriculum vitae is better known as a resume, and its often dubious relationship to the truth was infamously poked fun at by the well-known American aphorist Mason Cooley, who once said: "If you call failures experiments, you can put them in your resume and claim them as achievements." Take that as a lesson.

Definitions of curriculum vitae

1. noun

   a summary of your academic and work history
   synonyms: CV, resume

   type of:

   sum-up, summary

   a brief statement that presents the main points in a concise form