Where does “controverse” come from?
controverse (English) comes from Middle French controverse, from Old French controversie, from Latin contrōversia, from Latin contrōversus, from Latin versus, from Latin vertō, from Proto-Italic wertō, from Proto-Indo-European wert- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.
controverse (English): Controversy; to controvert
Definitions
- Controversy; to controvert
Ancestry of “controverse”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | controverse | — |
| 2 | Old French | controversie | — |
| 3 | Latin | contrōversia | a quarrel, dispute, debate |
| 4 | Latin | contrōversus | controversial, debatable, disputed |
| 5 | Latin | versus | turned, changed, having been turned; towards,... |
| 6 | Latin | vertō | to turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to turn about, turn around, revolve |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | wertō | to turn |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |