Where does “universal” come from?
universal (Middle English) comes from Old French universal, from Latin universalis, 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.
universal (Middle English): all-encompassing, subject to everything and...
Definitions
- all-encompassing, subject to everything and...
Ancestry of “universal”, step by step
universal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old French universal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | universal | universal |
| 2 | Latin | universalis | universal; general |
| 3 | Latin | ūniversus | whole, entire, taken collectively or altogether |
| 4 | Latin | versus | turned, changed, having been turned; towards,... |
| 5 | Latin | vertō | to turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to turn about, turn around, revolve |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | wertō | to turn |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | wert- | to turn, to rotate |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wer- | to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel |
via Middle French universel
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle French | universel | — |