Etymology Explorer › Latin

Where does “universus” come from?

universus (Latin) comes from Latin versus, from Latin vertō, from Proto-Italic wertō, from Proto-Indo-European wert-, from Proto-Indo-European wer- — to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel.

Ancestry of “universus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinversusturned, changed, having been turned; towards,...
2Latinvertō—
3Proto-Italicwertō—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwert-to turn, to rotate
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →