Where does “University” come from?
University (English) comes from Middle English universite, from Anglo-Norman université, from Old French universitei, from Medieval Latin universitas, from Latin ūniversitās, from Latin ūniversus, from Latin versus, from Latin vertō — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
University (English): An institution of higher education that provides facilities for teaching, research, and the conferral of academic degrees across undergraduate, graduate, and often professional levels
Definitions
- An institution of higher education that provides facilities for teaching, research, and the conferral of academic degrees across undergraduate, graduate, and often professional levels
Ancestry of “University”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | universite | A university or college; The totality of students... |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | université | university |
| 3 | Old French | universitei | university |
| 4 | Medieval Latin | universitas | group of teachers and students; university;... |
| 5 | Latin | ūniversitās | the whole |
| 6 | Latin | ūniversus | whole, entire, taken collectively or altogether |
| 7 | Latin | versus | turned, changed, having been turned; towards,... |
| 8 | Latin | vertō | to turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to turn about, turn around, revolve |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | wertō | to turn |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |