English
convertible
Convertible comes from Late Latin convertibilis ‘interchangeable’, from Latin convertere ‘to turn back, to turn over, to turn around, to…’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wert-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wert-‘to turn, to rotate, spin’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wertō‘to turn’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvertōas vertere‘to turn’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconvertere‘to turn back, to turn over, to turn around, to turn upside down’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEconvertibilis‘interchangeable’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400convertible
- Englishearliest quotation 1635convertible
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wert-‘to turn, to rotate, spin’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wertō‘to turn’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvertōas vertere‘to turn’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEconvertere‘to turn back, to turn over, to turn around, to turn upside down’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEconvertibilis‘interchangeable’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400convertible
- Englishearliest quotation 1635convertible
Earliest quotation: 1635, Nathanael Carpenter: “The Axis of the Earth is supposed to haue…”
Formed from convert + -ible
Proto-Italic *komwertō ‘to turn back’
Latin convertō ‘turn around’
Old French convertir ‘to convert’
Middle English converten ‘to change, transform’
English convert
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *wert- ‘to turn, to rotate, spin’
word, worth, weird, ridiculous, universe, ridicule, derision, deride, wurst, invert, derisive, extraversion, 55 more
through Proto-Italic *wertō ‘to turn’
adverse, diversion, transverse, inverse, perverse, aversion, averse, inversion, perversion, vertebra, reversion, evert, vertiginous, 38 more
through Latin vertō ‘to turn’
university, version, divorce, diversity, conversation, versus, diverse, verse, vertical, advertisement, vortex, versatile, adversity, advert, divert, revert, pervert, diversification, vertex, avert, vertebrate, vertigo, introvert, subvert, vert, verso, perversity, 50 more
Today it means
adj Able to be exchanged, one for the other, especially
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wert- / convertible