VM
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | Virtual machine |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Technology & Computing, Medical, Business & Finance |
VM has three meanings. The most common are Virtual machine (cloud computing) and Venturi mask (respiratory); it can also stand for Visual merchandising.
Meanings of VM at a glance
| # | VM stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virtual machine | Technology & Computing › Cloud Computing |
| 2 | Venturi mask | Medical › Respiratory |
| 3 | Visual merchandising | Business & Finance › E-commerce & Retail |
1. Virtual machine
Technology & Computing · Cloud Computing Abbreviations
A software-based computer that runs its own operating system and applications on shared physical hardware, isolated from other VMs by a hypervisor. Cloud servers, test environments and running Windows on a Mac commonly rely on VMs.
Example: Spin up a Linux VM in VirtualBox to test the install script without touching your laptop.
IBM pioneered virtualization on mainframes in the 1960s, and VMware brought it to x86 PCs and servers around 1999. Hypervisors include VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, KVM and Xen. Containers are lighter because they share the host's kernel instead of each running a full operating system. In programming, a VM can also be a process virtual machine such as the JVM.
2. Venturi mask
Medical · Respiratory Abbreviations
Oxygen mask with a color-coded adapter that entrains room air at a fixed ratio, delivering a precise oxygen concentration, typically from 24 to 60 percent, regardless of the patient's breathing pattern. It is favored for patients at risk of carbon dioxide retention.
Example: AECOPD with CO2 retention: 28% VM, target SpO2 88 to 92%.
The device uses the Venturi effect, named for 18th-century Italian physicist Giovanni Battista Venturi, in which gas jetting through a narrow opening draws in surrounding air. Each colored adapter corresponds to a specific oxygen percentage and minimum flow rate. Outside medicine VM usually means voicemail or virtual machine.
3. Visual merchandising
Business & Finance · E-commerce & Retail Abbreviations
Practice of designing store layouts, window displays, fixtures, signage and product presentation to attract shoppers and increase sales, and the team that does it.
Example: The VM team resets the front table every Monday with new arrivals.
Planograms, diagrams that show exactly where each product sits on a shelf, help apply visual merchandising consistently across chain stores. Online, a similar discipline governs the order and imagery of products on category pages.
Related abbreviations
More cloud computing abbreviations
- AIOps – Artificial intelligence for IT operations
- AKS – Azure Kubernetes Service
- AMI – Amazon Machine Image
- APM – Application performance monitoring
- ARN – Amazon Resource Name
- AWS – Amazon Web Services
- AZ – Availability zone
- BaaS – Backend as a service
See all 63 cloud computing abbreviations →
More respiratory abbreviations
- A-a gradient – Alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient
- AATD – Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency
- ABPA – Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis
- AC – Assist-control ventilation
- AECOPD – Acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- AERD – Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease
- AHI – Apnea-hypopnea index
- AHRF – Acute hypoxemic respiratory failure
See all 109 respiratory abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.