different between combat vs versus

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French, from Old French combatre, from Vulgar Latin *combattere, from Latin com- (“with”) + battuere (“to beat, strike”).

Pronunciation

• Noun:
  • (UK) IPA^(key): /?k?m?bæt/
  • (US) IPA^(key): /?k?m?bæt/
• Verb:
  • (UK) IPA^(key): /?k?m?bæt/
  • (US) IPA^(key): /k?m?bæt/, /?k?m?bæt/
• Rhymes: -æt

Noun

combat (countable and uncountable, plural combats)

1. A battle, a fight (often one in which weapons are used).

   • "My tastes," he said, still smiling, "incline me to the garishly sunlit side of this planet." And, to tease her and arouse her to combat: "I prefer a farandole to a nocturne; I'd rather have a painting than an etching; Mr. Whistler bores me with his monochromatic mud; I don't like dull colours, dull sounds, dull intellects; […]."
2. a struggle for victory

Derived terms

• combat pay
• combatant
• combative
• stage combat

Translations

Verb

combat (third-person singular simple present combats, present participle combatting or combating, simple past and past participle combatted or combated)

1. (transitive) To fight; to struggle against.

   It has proven very difficult to combat drug addiction.

2. (intransitive) To fight (with); to struggle for victory (against).
   • 1671, John Milton, Samson Agonistes

     To combat with a blind man I disdain.

Translations

Anagrams

• M.B. coat, tombac

Catalan

Etymology

From combatre, attested from 1490.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /kom?bat/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /kum?bat/
• Rhymes: -at

Noun

combat m (plural combats)

1. combat

Verb

combat

1. third-person singular present indicative form of combatre
2. second-person singular imperative form of combatre

References

Further reading

• “combat” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “combat” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “combat” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

French

Etymology

From combattre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k??.ba/
• Homophone: combats

Noun

combat m (plural combats)

1. combat (hostile interaction)
2. (figuratively) combat (contest; competition)
3. (in the plural) battle; military combat

Derived terms

Verb

combat

1. third-person singular present indicative of combattre

Further reading

• “combat” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Norman

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

combat m (plural combats)

1. (Jersey) combat

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kom?bat]

Verb

combat

1. first-person singular present indicative of combate
2. third-person plural present indicative of combate
3. first-person singular present subjunctive of combate

English

Etymology

From Middle English versus, borrowed from Latin versus (“facing”), past participle of vertere (“to turn, change, overthrow, destroy”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?v??s?s/, /?v??s?z/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?v?s?s/, /?v?s?z/, /?v?s/
• Rhymes: -??(r)s?s
• Homophone: verses

Preposition

versus

1. Against; in opposition to.

   Synonyms: vs, vs., (abbreviations) v

2. Compared with, as opposed to.
   • 2005, Robert E. Weiss, Modeling Longitudinal Data, Springer, ?ISBN, page 104:

     If, for example, we select random people entering a workout gym, versus if we pick random people entering a hospital, we will get very different samples.

3. (law) Bringing a legal action against, as used in the title of a court case in which the first party indicates the plaintiff (or appellant or the like), and the second indicates the defendant (or respondent or the like).

   Synonyms: v, (abbreviation) v.

Translations

Related terms

Further reading

• versus on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

Finnish

Etymology

Latin versus

Preposition

versus

1. versus

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin versus. Doublet of verso, which is inherited.

Preposition

versus

1. versus

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /?u?er.sus/, [?u??rs??s?]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /?ver.sus/, [?v?rsus]

Etymology 1

From earlier vorsus, from Proto-Italic *worssos, perfect passive participle of vert? (“to turn”).

Alternative forms

• vorsus

Participle

versus (feminine versa, neuter versum); first/second-declension participle

1. turned, changed, having been turned

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

Derived terms

• annivers?rius
• contr?versus
• pr?rsus/ pr?sus
• ?niversus

Etymology 2

Adverbial use of versus (“turned”).

Alternative forms

• versum
• vorsum
• vorsus

Adverb

versus (not comparable)

1. towards, turned to or in the direction of, facing

Derived terms

Descendants

Etymology 3

Action noun from vert? + -tus.

Alternative forms

• vorsus

Noun

versus m (genitive vers?s); fourth declension

1. a furrow (turned earth)
2. (transf.) a line, row
   2. (partic.) a line of writing, a verse

3. a land measure (= ??????? (pléthron))
4. (dance) a turn, step

Declension

Fourth-declension noun.

Derived terms

• versiculus
• versific?

Descendants

Etymology 4

Perfect passive participle of verr? (“to sweep”).

Participle

versus (feminine versa, neuter versum); first/second-declension participle

1. swept

Declension

First/second-declension adjective.

References

• versus in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• versus in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
• versus in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• versus in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré Latin-Français, Hachette
• Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book?^[2], London: Macmillan and Co.

Anagrams

• servus

Polish

Etymology

From Latin versus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?v?r.sus/

Preposition

versus

1. versus (in opposition to)

   Synonym: kontra

Further reading

• versus in Wielki s?ownik j?zyka polskiego, Instytut J?zyka Polskiego PAN
• versus in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Preposition

versus

1. Alternative spelling of vérsus

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from English versus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?be?sus/, [?be?.sus]

Preposition

versus

1. versus

Usage notes

This word is sometimes frowned upon as an anglicism, with the suggestion that contra or the conjunction y should be used instead.

Further reading

• “versus” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

References