Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “vortex” come from?

Vortex comes from Latin vortex, derived from the Latin verb vertere meaning "to turn," which traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root wer-.

vortex (English): A whirlwind, whirlpool, or similarly moving...

Definitions

  1. A whirlwind, whirlpool, or similarly moving...

Ancestry of “vortex”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinvortexwhirlpool, eddy, vortex
2Latinvortō—
3Proto-Italicwertō—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwert-to turn, to rotate
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “vortex”

  • vorticity
  • vortexing
  • vortexed
  • antivortex
  • intervortex
  • vortexlike
  • vortexer
  • mesovortex
  • nanovortex
  • nonvortex
  • revortexed
  • vortexon
  • uveovortex
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →