English
versatile
Versatile comes from Latin versātilis ‘turning easily’, from versātus ‘turned’, 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-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*wertō‘to turn’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEvertō‘to turn’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEversō‘to turn, change’frequentative of vertō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEversātus‘turned’past participle of versō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEversātilis‘turning easily’
- Englishearliest quotation 1989versatile
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 CEvertō‘to turn’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEversō‘to turn, change’frequentative of vertō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEversātus‘turned’past participle of versō
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEversātilis‘turning easily’
- Englishearliest quotation 1989versatile
Earliest quotation: 1989, Jeff MacInnis, Braving the Northwest Passage: “The paddles were enormously versatile, serving as radio-antenna masts,…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *wert- ‘to turn, to rotate, spin’
word, worth, weird, ridiculous, universe, ridicule, derision, invert, deride, derisive, wurst, extraversion, 55 more
through Proto-Italic *wertō ‘to turn’
adverse, diversion, inverse, transverse, inversion, aversion, perverse, vertebrate, averse, vertebra, perversion, reversion, evert, vertiginous, 38 more
through Latin vertō ‘to turn’
university, version, divorce, diversity, versus, diverse, vertical, verse, advertisement, vortex, advert, divert, convertible, revert, pervert, adversity, vertex, avert, diversification, vertigo, introvert, subvert, vert, verso, perversity, 51 more
through Latin versō ‘to turn, change’
Today it means
adj Capable of doing many things competently.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wert- / versatile