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From early mainframe days, when the operator "console" was an IBM 1050 (modified Selectric) typewriter, IBM attempted to make the operator command language as terse as possible (since most computer operators were not touch typists, but more of the one-finger "hunt-and-peck" variety).
So, for example, you could type: " v 12f,on " for "vary device 12F on" and " v 242,off " for "vary device 242 off" and so forth.

The operator console command language abbreviations were something like this:

C for Cancel
D for Display ("D J" = display jobs, "D A" = display active, etc.)
F for modiFy ("m" was already used for "mount")
...
M for Mount
R for Reply to message
S for Start
T for sTop
...
V for Vary.

In part, the choice of the term "vary" may have been made to select a command name for which an easy-to-remember one-letter abbreviation was available. IBM actually did some "human factors" studies, when designing the operator command language for the System/360 DOS and OS, based on earlier experiences with the previous generation of IBM systems, the 1410s, 709s, 7090s, etc.

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