Where does “universiteit” come from?
universiteit (Dutch) comes from Middle Dutch universiteit, from Old French universitei, from Medieval Latin universitas, from Latin ūniversitās, from Latin ūniversus, from Latin versus, from Latin vertō, from Proto-Italic wertō — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
universiteit (Dutch): university, college
Definitions
- university, college
Ancestry of “universiteit”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Dutch | universiteit | — |
| 2 | Old French | universitei | university |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | universitas | group of teachers and students; university;... |
| 4 | Latin | ūniversitās | the whole |
| 5 | Latin | ūniversus | whole, entire, taken collectively or altogether |
| 6 | Latin | versus | turned, changed, having been turned; towards,... |
| 7 | Latin | vertō | to turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to turn about, turn around, revolve |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | wertō | to turn |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |