English
versute
Versute comes from Latin versūtus ‘adroit, dexterous, versatile’, from vertö ‘to turn’, 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 CEvertö‘to turn’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEversūtus‘adroit, dexterous, versatile’
- Englishearliest quotation 1851versute
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
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 CEvertö‘to turn’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEversūtus‘adroit, dexterous, versatile’
- Englishearliest quotation 1851versute
Earliest quotation: 1851, John James Blunt: “a more versute and specious forgery”.
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, perversion, subvert, vertebra, reversion, evert, vertiginous, 38 more
through Latin vertö ‘to turn’
university, version, divorce, conversation, diversity, vertical, diverse, advertisement, verse, vortex, convertible, versatile, advert, divert, revert, pervert, adversity, diversification, vertigo, avert, introvert, vertex, vert, verso, perversity, 52 more
Today it means
adj crafty; wily; artful
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wert- / versute