Where does “vertigo” come from?
Vertigo comes from Latin vertigo, derived from the verb vertere meaning "to turn," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European wer- with the same sense.
vertigo (English): A sensation of whirling and loss of balance,...
Definitions
- A sensation of whirling and loss of balance,...
Ancestry of “vertigo”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | vertigo | gyration, giddiness, dizziness |
| 2 | Latin | vertex | whirlpool, eddy, vortex; crown; top, peak, summit |
| 3 | Latin | vertō | to turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to turn about, turn around, revolve |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | wertō | to turn |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |