Etymologically
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verto

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈwɛr.toː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈvɛr.to][1]

Forms

vertō (present infinitive vertere, perfect active vertī, supine versum); third conjugation[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *wertō, inherited from Proto-Indo-European *wert- (“to turn”).[1] Until about the middle of the 2nd century BC the regular form was vortō.[2][3]

Cognate with Sanskrit वर्तते (vártate, “turns”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌹𐍂𐌸𐌰𐌽 (wairþan, “to become”) and Russian вертеть (vertetʹ, “to rotate”).[2][1][4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is found from Plautus onwards, who says of his comedy that “Maccus turned it into barbarian”, that is, translated it into Latin.[2]

Semantic evolution

It meant to turn or spin, to make something depend on a pivot, and in the passive to move about, as Virgil's Turnus among the foremost.[2] It meant to turn over the ground in ploughing, as in Cato and Lucretius, to overturn, as Virgil's falling Troy, and to turn upside down or reverse.[2]

It meant to turn back in flight, terga vertere, to turn in another direction, to turn to someone for help, to direct weapons or thoughts, and to transfer to another party or owner.[2] It meant to change or transform, to exchange, as solum vertere, “to go into exile”, and to translate from one language to another.[2][1] Its derivatives gave English verse and version.[5]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it of translating a comedy.[2][6]
  • 234–149 BC – Cato uses it of turning the soil.[2][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of things turned upside down.[2][6]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil uses it of the overthrow of Troy.[2][6]
  • 1580s – English version comes from its derivative versio.[5]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To turn, spin, revolve.[2][1]
  2. To turn on a pivot, (passive) to depend on.[2]
  3. (passive) To move about, be engaged in.[2][1]
  4. To turn over (soil), plough.[2]
  5. To overturn, overthrow.[2][1]
  6. To invert, reverse.[2][1]
  7. To turn back, terga vertere: to flee.[2][1]
  8. To direct (weapons, thoughts) at.[2]
  9. To transfer, divert.[2]
  10. To change, alter, transform.[2][1]
  11. To exchange, solum vertere: to go into exile.[2][1]
  12. To translate.[2][1]

Word family

  • advertō
  • āvertō
  • circumvertō
  • convertō
  • dēvertō
  • dīvertō
  • ēvertō
  • intervertō
  • invertō
  • obvertō
  • pervertō

Usage notes

Döderlein distinguishes vertere, turning something to give it a new position, from torquere, twisting it round a fixed point.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  5. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper