We explain what something versatile is, the origin of the term and its figurative meaning. Also, why does it have a positive connotation.
What is something versatile?
Something versatile It is something that can have very different functions or that can adapt to very different needs.. In other words, something versatile is something that can be used for many different things, or that can show many different aspects of itself.
The word “versatile” comes from Latin versatilityderived in turn from the verb versarewhich can be translated as “turn around” or “turn.” It was used in ancient times (by authors such as Titus Livy, in the 1st century AD) with a figurative meaning to refer to those people who know how to adapt to different situationsthat is, they are flexible.
Nowadays, we use this adjective very often with that last meaning, and with a certain positive connotation, more or less related to terms like “useful” and “diverse.” However, it can also be used as a synonym for “not very firm” or “accommodative”, that is, someone who is not committed to a cause or who lacks convictions.
Thus, for example, we say that a tool is versatile when it can be used for very different uses or to solve different problems; or that a worker is versatile when we can place him, within an organization, in different positions or responsibilities.
Continue with: Fickle
References
- “Versatile” in Wiktionary.
- “Versatile” in the Dictionary of the language of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “Etymology of Versatile” in Etymologies de Chile.net.
- “Be a versatile person” in Entropía. Strategic Creative Intelligence.
