Versus
/ˈvɜːr.səs/noun
Used to indicate opposition, contrast, or competition between two sides.
Did you know?The root behind versus also gave English words like verse and invert, because the same old Latin idea of ‘turning’ could become poetry, reversal, and opposition.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wer-
“to turn, bend”
Latin
Latin
vertere
“to turn, turn around, change”
Late Latin
Latin
versus
“turned, turned toward; a line of writing, a row”
Middle English
English
versus
“against, as opposed to”
Modern English
English
versus
“in opposition to; against”