Where does “controversial” come from?
Controversial derives from Latin controversia, formed from versus (turned against) and the suffix -ia, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer- meaning to turn or bend.
controversial (English): Arousing controversy—a debate or discussion of...
Definitions
- Arousing controversy—a debate or discussion of...
Ancestry of “controversial”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | contrōversia | — |
| 2 | Latin | contrōversus | — |
| 3 | Latin | versus | turned, changed, having been turned; towards,... |
| 4 | Latin | vertō | — |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | wertō | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |
Words derived from “controversial”