Etymograph

English

diversion

Diversion comes from Medieval Latin diversiō ‘the act of diverting, a diversion’, from Latin vertō ‘to turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to…’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wert-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wert-‘to turn, to rotate, spin’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wértetor‘to turn, be turning’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wertō‘to turn’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvertō‘to turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to turn about, turn around, revolve’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdivertō‘to divert’
  6. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500diversiō‘the act of diverting, a diversion’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500diversion
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1640diversion

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-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wértetor‘to turn, be turning’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wertō‘to turn’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvertō‘to turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to turn about, turn around, revolve’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdivertō‘to divert’
  6. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500diversiō‘the act of diverting, a diversion’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500diversion
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1640diversion

Earliest quotation: 1640, Thomas Hobbes: “Of those therefore that have attained to the highest…”

Linked words

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

word, worth, weird, ridiculous, universe, ridicule, invert, deride, derision, wurst, derisive, 60 more

through Proto-Italic *wertō ‘to turn’

adverse, inverse, transverse, perverse, averse, vertebra, evert, vertiginous, extraversion, 42 more

through Latin vertō ‘to turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to…’

university, conversation, divorce, vertical, versus, advertisement, verse, vortex, versatile, convertible, advert, revert, pervert, vertex, vertigo, adversity, avert, vertebrate, introvert, subvert, vert, inversion, aversion, verso, perversion, reversion, perversity, 50 more

Today it means

noun A tactic used to draw attention away from the real threat or action.

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

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

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