 W originated as a doubled V (VV) used to represent the sound found in Old English as early as the 7th century.It came into common use in the later 11th century, replacing the runic Wynn letter which had been used for the same sound.In the Romance languages, the minuscule form of V was a rounded "u"; from this was derived a rounded capital U for the vowel in the 16th century, while a new, pointed minuscule "v" was derived from V for the consonant.