English
diversity
Diversity comes from Latin dīversitās ‘diversity, difference’, from dīversus ‘separate, apart’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wert- ‘to turn, to rotate, spin’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wert-‘to turn, to rotate, spin’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wértetor‘to turn, be turning’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wertō‘to turn’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvertō‘to turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to turn about, turn around, revolve’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīvertō‘to separate’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīversus‘separate, apart’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīversitās‘diversity, difference’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400diversité
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500diversite‘deviation, diversion’
- Englishearliest quotation 1858diversity
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wert-‘to turn, to rotate, spin’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*wértetor‘to turn, be turning’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wertō‘to turn’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvertō‘to turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to turn about, turn around, revolve’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīvertō‘to separate’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīversus‘separate, apart’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEdīversitās‘diversity, difference’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400diversité
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500diversite‘deviation, diversion’
- Englishearliest quotation 1858diversity
Earliest quotation: 1858, Stephen A. Douglas: “From this view of the case, my friends, I…”
Formed from diverse + -ity
Proto-Indo-European *wert- ‘to rotate’
…
Latin dīvertō ‘to divert, turn away’
Latin dīversus ‘different, diverse’
Anglo-Norman divers
Middle English divers ‘different, divergent’
English diverse
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *wert- ‘to turn, to rotate, spin’
word, worth, weird, ridiculous, universe, ridicule, derision, invert, deride, wurst, derisive, extraversion, 59 more
through Proto-Italic *wertō ‘to turn’
adverse, inverse, transverse, perverse, inversion, aversion, averse, vertebra, perversion, evert, reversion, vertiginous, 42 more
through Latin vertō ‘to turn, turn oneself, direct one's way, to…’
university, version, conversation, divorce, vertical, versus, advertisement, verse, vortex, convertible, versatile, advert, revert, pervert, vertex, vertigo, avert, vertebrate, introvert, subvert, vert, adversity, verso, perversity, 53 more
Today it means
noun The quality of being diverse or different; a difference or unlikeness.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wert- / diversity