Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “subvert” come from?

Subvert comes from Old French subvertir, from Latin subvertere meaning to overthrow, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root ád.

subvert (English): To overturn from the foundation; to overthrow; to...

Definitions

  1. To overturn from the foundation; to overthrow; to...

Ancestry of “subvert”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishsubverten—
2Old Frenchsubvertir—
3LatinsubvertoI overturn, upset, overthrow; I destroy, subvert
4Latinvertō—
5Proto-Italicwertō—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwert-to turn, to rotate
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “subvert”

  • subverting
  • subverter
  • subvertible
  • subverteth
  • subvertest
  • resubvert
  • subvertingly
  • unsubvertible
  • subvertable
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →