Etymograph

English

adverse

Adverse comes from Latin adversus ‘turned against’, from vertō ‘to turn’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wert-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wert-‘to turn, to rotate, spin’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wertō‘to turn’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvertōas vertere‘to turn’next step skipped: Latin advertō
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEadversus‘turned against’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400avers
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1809adverse

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wert-‘to turn, to rotate, spin’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wertō‘to turn’reconstructed
  3. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvertōas vertere‘to turn’next step skipped: Latin advertō
  4. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEadversus‘turned against’
  5. Old Frenchc. 842–1400avers
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1809adverse

Earliest quotation: 1809, Lord Byron: “Calpe's adverse height / […] must greet my sight”.

first attested First attested around 1374, from Old French avers (French adverse), from Latin adversus (“turned against”), past participle of advertere, from ad- (“to”) + vertere (“to turn”) (as stated in the etymology)

The story

First attested around 1374, from Old French avers (French adverse), from Latin adversus (‘turned against’), past participle of advertere, from ad- (‘to’) + vertere (‘to turn’).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *wert- ‘to turn, to rotate, spin’

word, worth, weird, ridiculous, universe, ridicule, derision, invert, deride, derisive, wurst, extraversion, 59 more

through Proto-Italic *wertō ‘to turn’

diversion, inversion, aversion, transverse, vertebra, perversion, reversion, evert, vertiginous, 42 more

through Latin vertō ‘to turn’

university, version, divorce, conversation, diversity, vertical, versus, vortex, diverse, convertible, versatile, divert, revert, pervert, diversification, vertex, vertigo, avert, vertebrate, inverse, introvert, subvert, vert, perverse, averse, verso, perversity, 50 more

Today it means

adj Unfavorable; antagonistic in purpose or effect; hostile; actively opposing one's interests or wishes; contrary to one's welfare; acting against; working in an opposing direction.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wert- / adverse

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