different between wonder vs versus

English

Etymology

From Middle English wonder, wunder, from Old English wundor (“wonder, miracle, marvel”), from Proto-Germanic *wundr?. Cognate with Scots wunner (“wonder”), West Frisian wonder, wûnder (“wonder, miracle”), Dutch wonder (“miracle, wonder”), Low German wunner, wunder (“wonder”), German Wunder (“miracle, wonder”), Danish, Norwegian and Swedish under (“wonder, miracle”), Icelandic undur (“wonder”).

The verb is from Middle English wondren, from Old English wundrian, which is from Proto-Germanic *wundr?n?. Cognate with Saterland Frisian wunnerje, West Frisian wûnderje, Dutch wonderen, German Low German wunnern, German wundern, Swedish undra, Icelandic undra.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?w?nd?/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?w?nd?/
• Rhymes: -?nd?(?)
• Hyphenation: won?der

Noun

wonder (countable and uncountable, plural wonders)

1. Something that causes amazement or awe; a marvel.
2. Something astonishing and seemingly inexplicable.

3. Someone very talented at something, a genius.

4. The sense or emotion which can be inspired by something curious or unknown; surprise; astonishment, often with awe or reverence.
   • 1781, Samuel Johnson, The Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets

     All wonder is the effect of novelty upon ignorance.

   • 1871, Plato, Benjamin Jowett (translator), Theaetetus (section 155d)

     Socrates: I see, my dear Theaetetus, that Theodorus had a true insight into your nature when he said that you were a philosopher, for wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder. He was not a bad genealogist who said that Iris (the messenger of heaven) is the child of Thaumas (wonder).

5. (Britain, informal) A mental pondering, a thought.
6. (US) A kind of donut; a cruller.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

wonder (third-person singular simple present wonders, present participle wondering, simple past and past participle wondered)

1. (intransitive) To be affected with surprise or admiration; to be struck with astonishment; to be amazed; to marvel; often followed by at.
   • October 8, 1751, Samuel Johnson, The Rambler No. 163

     Some had read the manuscript, and rectified its inaccuracies; others had seen it in a state so imperfect, that the could not forbear to wonder at its present excellence.
2. (transitive, intransitive) To ponder; to feel doubt and curiosity; to query in the mind.

Conjugation

Derived terms

• bewonder
• forwonder
• unwonder
• wonderer

Synonyms

• thauma

Translations

Anagrams

• Nedrow, Rowden, Worden, downer, red won, wondre

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch wonder, wunder, from Old Dutch wundar, from Proto-Germanic *wundr?, from Proto-Indo-European *wenh?- (“to wish for, desire, strive for, win, love”). Compare Low German wunder, wunner, German Wunder, West Frisian wonder, wûnder, English wonder, Danish under.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???n.d?r/
• Hyphenation: won?der
• Rhymes: -?nd?r

Noun

wonder n (plural wonderen, diminutive wondertje n)

1. wonder, miracle

Synonyms

• mirakel

Derived terms

• wonderteken
• wonderlijk

Anagrams

• worden

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