Etymology Explorer › Latin

Where does “versus” come from?

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

versus (Latin): turned, changed, having been turned; towards,...

Definitions

  1. turned, changed, having been turned; towards,...

Ancestry of “versus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinvertō—
2Proto-Italicwertō—
3Proto-Indo-Europeanwert-to turn, to rotate
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

Words derived from “versus”

  • v.
  • universal
  • university
  • universe
  • versus
  • verse
  • controversy
  • verses
  • prose
  • controversial
  • universally
  • traverse
  • versatile
  • traversing
  • prosaic
  • versatility
  • universalism
  • versification
  • universalist
  • uncontroversial
  • universalistic
  • proselyte
  • controversially
  • proselytism
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer- →