Where does “vertebra” come from?
Vertebra comes from Latin vertebra, a noun derived from the verb vertere meaning "to turn," ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root wer- with the same sense.
vertebra (English): Any of the small bones which make up the backbone
Definitions
- Any of the small bones which make up the backbone
Ancestry of “vertebra”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | vertebra | joint; vertebra |
| 2 | Latin | vertō | — |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | wertō | — |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |
Words derived from “vertebra”