Where does “controversialist” come from?
Controversialist comes from English controversial, derived from Latin controversia, formed from Latin versus (turned against) and Latin vertere (to turn), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer-.
controversialist (English): One who regularly engages in public controversies
Definitions
- One who regularly engages in public controversies
Ancestry of “controversialist”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | controversial | Arousing controversy—a debate or discussion of... |
| 2 | Latin | contrōversia | a quarrel, dispute, debate |
| 3 | Latin | contrōversus | controversial, debatable, disputed |
| 4 | Latin | versus | turned, changed, having been turned; towards,... |
| 5 | Latin | vertō | to turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to turn about, turn around, revolve |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | wertō | to turn |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |