*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of -verse

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ís? Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos Proto-Italic *oinos Old Latin oinos Latin ūnus Proto-Indo-European *wert- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *wr̥ttós Proto-Italic *worssosd

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗
suffix

Forming compound nouns denoting the whole range or totality of what is indicated by the first element. · Forming compound nouns denoting the fictional world of a given character, television series etc. · Forming compound nouns denoting an alternative universe.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ís? Proto-Indo-European *h₁óynos Proto-Italic *oinos Old Latin oinos Latin ūnus Proto-Indo-European *wert- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *wr̥ttós Proto-Italic *worssosder. Latin vorsus Latin versus Latin ūniversusder. Old French universbor. Middle English universe English universebf. English -verse Extracted from universe.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bf",
        "3": "universe",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *ís?\nProto-Indo-European *h₁óynos\nProto-Italic *oinos\nOld Latin oinos\nLatin ūnus\nProto-Indo-European *wert-\nProto-Indo-European *-tós\nProto-Indo-European *wr̥ttós\nProto-Italic *worssosder.\nLatin vorsus\nLatin versus\nLatin ūniversusder.\nOld French universbor.\nMiddle English universe\nEnglish universebf.\nEnglish -verse\n[Appendix:Glossary#back-formation|Back-formation]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"bor.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Borrowed from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"one\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"one\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"one\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"one\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"is_uncertain\" : true, \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*ís\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*h₁óynos\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*oinos\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Old Latin\", \"term\" : \"oinos\", \"lang\" : \"itc-ola\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"ūnus\", \"lang\" : \"la\" }, { \"id\" : \"turned\", \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ { \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"turn\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*wert-\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" }, { \"id\" : \"verbal adjectives\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*-tós\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Indo-European\", \"term\" : \"*wr̥ttós\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"ine-pro\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Proto-Italic\", \"term\" : \"*worssos\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"itc-pro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"vorsus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"keyword\" : \"from\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"versus\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"From\", \"is_group\" : true, \"keyword\" : \"affix\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Latin\", \"term\" : \"ūniversus\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"la\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"univers\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"bor\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Middle English\", \"term\" : \"universe\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"enm\" } ], \"keyword_label\" : \"Inherited from\", \"keyword\" : \"inherited\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"universe\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"back-formation\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"-verse\", \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"-verse\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":bf",
        "3": "universe",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "Etymology tree\nProto-Indo-European *ís?\nProto-Indo-European *h₁óynos\nProto-Italic *oinos\nOld Latin oinos\nLatin ūnus\nProto-Indo-European *wert-\nProto-Indo-European *-tós\nProto-Indo-European *wr̥ttós\nProto-Italic *worssosder.\nLatin vorsus\nLatin versus\nLatin ūniversusder.\nOld French universbor.\nMiddle English universe\nEnglish universebf.\nEnglish -verse"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*ís",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/ís"
    ],
    [
      "*h₁óynos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₁óynos#Proto-Indo-European:_one"
    ],
    [
      "*oinos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/oinos#Proto-Italic:_one"
    ],
    [
      "oinos",
      "oinos#Latin:_one"
    ],
    [
      "ūnus",
      "unus#Latin:_one"
    ],
    [
      "*wert-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/wert-#Proto-Indo-European:_turn"
    ],
    [
      "*-tós",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/-tós#Proto-Indo-European:_verbal_adjectives"
    ],
    [
      "*wr̥ttós",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/wr̥ttós"
    ],
    [
      "*worssos",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Italic/worssos"
    ],
    [
      "vorsus",
      "vorsus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "versus",
      "versus#Latin:_turned"
    ],
    [
      "ūniversus",
      "universus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "univers",
      "univers#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "universe",
      "universe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "universe",
      "universe#English"
    ],
    [
      "universe",
      "universe#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "suffix",
      "glosses": [
        "Forming compound nouns denoting the whole range or totality of what is indicated by the first element.",
        "Forming compound nouns denoting the fictional world of a given character, television series etc.",
        "Forming compound nouns denoting an alternative universe."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "morpheme",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "d41f36d74f886b10d7b773dc9266f9db9a1130d7daf669c4bab77b3c9d5031a2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "bf83fb2cd6264879c53e7c9c69eb524cef4b26f19d1d67b5b83a62e154c7069e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4121494
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for -verse →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-LXZlcnNl