Where does “universitas” come from?
universitas (Medieval Latin) comes from Latin ūniversitās, from Latin ūniversus, 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.
universitas (Medieval Latin): group of teachers and students; university;...
Definitions
- group of teachers and students; university;...
Ancestry of “universitas”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | ūniversitās | the whole |
| 2 | Latin | ūniversus | whole, entire, taken collectively or altogether |
| 3 | Latin | versus | turned, changed, having been turned; towards,... |
| 4 | Latin | vertō | to turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to turn about, turn around, revolve |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | wertō | to turn |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |