Where does “vers” come from?

vers (Middle English) comes from Old English fers, 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.

vers (Middle English): A line or passage of a text or work; A larger...

Definitions

  1. A line or passage of a text or work; A larger...

Ancestry of “vers”, step by step

vers traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English fers

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishfersverse; sentence, title
2Latinversusturned, changed, having been turned; towards,...
3Latinvertōto turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to turn about, turn around, revolve
4Proto-Italicwertōto turn
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwert-to turn, to rotate
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwer-to burn; to cover, heed, notice; squirrel

via Old French vers

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchversverse; toward

Words derived from “vers

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wer-
vers — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer