Versatility

How to spell versatility

11 letters · 5 syllables

How to pronounce versatility

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does versatility mean?

1. nounThe quality of being able to adapt to many different tasks, roles, or uses.

Versatility in a sentence

• The new manager was hired for her versatility across several departments.

• The versatility of this software lets one tool replace three older programs.

Where does versatility come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin versatilis, meaning 'turning easily' or 'capable of turning', which was built on versare, 'to keep turning or twisting about', itself a frequentative of vertere, 'to turn'. The same vertere root quietly powers a whole family of English words, including convert, reverse, and even verse (a line of poetry, literally a 'turning' back at the end of each row). English took on the adjective versatile in the 1600s, at first describing something that could move or turn freely, and only later settled on the figurative sense of a mind or skill that adapts readily to many tasks. The abstract noun versatility followed naturally, naming the quality of being able to turn one's hand to anything. For spelling, it helps to remember the buried 'turn' idea: the middle is vers-AT-il, with the unstressed schwa vowels (the second e and the i in -ility) being the slippery spots rather than any silent letters.

How the word is built

• versat- (from Latin versare 'to turn, keep turning')
• -il- (capable of)
• -ity (noun of quality)