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versatility

 - 3 dictionary results

ver⋅sa⋅tile

  [vur-suh-tl or, especially Brit., -tahyl]
Use versatility in a Sentence
–adjective
1. capable of or adapted for turning easily from one to another of various tasks, fields of endeavor, etc.: a versatile writer.
2. having or capable of many uses: a versatile tool.
3. Botany. attached at or near the middle so as to swing freely, as an anther.
4. Zoology. turning either forward or backward: a versatile toe.
5. variable or changeable, as in feeling, purpose, or policy: versatile moods.
Origin:
1595–1605; < L versātilis revolving, many-sided, equiv. to versāt(us) (ptp. of versāre, freq. of vertere to turn; see verse, -ate 1 ) + -ilis -ile

Related forms:
ver⋅sa⋅tile⋅ly, adverb
ver⋅sa⋅til⋅i⋅ty, ver⋅sa⋅tile⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1, 2. adaptable, all-around. 2. handy.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To versatility
ver·sa·tile   (vûr'sə-təl, -tīl')   
adj.  

  1. Capable of doing many things competently.

  2. Having varied uses or serving many functions: "The most versatile of vegetables is the tomato" (Craig Claiborne).

  3. Variable or inconstant; changeable: a versatile temperament.

  4. Biology Capable of moving freely in all directions, as the antenna of an insect, the toe of an owl, or the loosely attached anther of a flower.


[Latin versātilis, from versātus, past participle of versāre, to turn; see wer-2 in Indo-European roots.]
ver'sa·tile·ly adv., ver'sa·til'i·ty (-tĭl'ĭ-tē), ver'sa·tile·ness (-təl-nĭs, -tīl'-) n.
Synonyms: These adjectives mean having many aspects, uses, or abilities: a versatile writer; an all-around athlete; a many-sided subject; a multifaceted undertaking; multifarious interests.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

versatile 
1605, from L. versatilis "turning, revolving, moving, capable of turning to varied subjects or tasks," from pp. stem of versare "keep turning, be engaged in something, turn over in the mind," frequentative of vertere "to turn" (see versus).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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