versatile

English

Etymology

From Latin versātilis (“turning easily”), from versātus, past participle of versō (“to turn, change”), frequentative of vertō (“to turn”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈvɜː.səˌtaɪl/, [ˈvɜː.səˌtaɪɫ]

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈvɝ.sə.təl/, [ˈvɝ.sə.ɾəl], /ˈvɝ.səˌtaɪl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /ˈvɜː.sə.təl/, /ˈvɜː.səˌtɑɪl/, [ˈvɜː.səˌtɑɪɫ]

Adjective

versatile (comparative more versatile, superlative most versatile)

1. Capable of doing many things competently.
   • 2007 January 8, Jack Anderson, “Ruthanna Boris, Versatile Ballet Russe Dancer, Dies at 88”, in The New York Times‎^[1], archived from the original on 26 January 2021:

     Ruthanna Boris, a versatile dancer and choreographer who was the first American ballerina to be a star of one of the prestigious Ballets Russes troupes of the ’40s, died Friday at her home in El Cerrito, Calif. She was 88.

2. Having varied uses or many functions.
3. Changeable or inconstant.
4. (biology) Capable of moving freely in all directions.
   • 1996, William G. D'Arcy, edited by William G. D'Arcy and Richard C. Keating, The anther: form, function, and phylogeny:

     The versatile anther is an important step up in flowering plant evolution and it may be the most widespread of all simple anther types.

5. Synonym of vers (“Willing to take either a penetrative or receptive role in anal sex”).
   • 2017, Simon LeVay, Gay, Straight, and the Reason why: The Science of Sexual Orientation‎^[2]:

     Among men who do engage in anal intercourse, about one-quarter are tops, one-quarter are bottoms, and one-half are versatile.

6. (BDSM) Being a switch; capable of taking either a dominant or a submissive role.

   Synonyms: vers, switchy

   • 2004, queenchaser1158, “Horny Versatile TV/TS Wanted in Phoenix”, in alt.personals.gay (Usenet):
7. (sex, loosely) Capable of being either a dominant or a submissive partner in a sexual relationship.

Derived terms

• digital versatile disc
• unversatile
• vers
• versatility

Translations

capable of doing many things competently

• Bulgarian: многостранен (bg) (mnogostranen)
• Catalan: versàtil (ca)
• Dutch: veelzijdig (nl), pluriform (nl)
• Esperanto: multforma, plurforma, ŝanĝiĝiva, ŝanĝiĝpova, ŝanĝiĝkapabla
• Finnish: monipuolinen (fi)
• French: polyvalent (fr)
• Galician: versátil
• Georgian: მრავალმხრივი (mravalmxrivi), მრავალფეროვანი (mravalperovani)
• German: bewandt (de), beweglich (de), gewandt (de)
• Hungarian: sokoldalú (hu)
• Italian: versatile (it)
• Korean: 다재다능한 (dajaedaneunghan)
• Polish: uniwersalny (pl), wszechstronny (pl), wersatylny
• Portuguese: versátil (pt)
• Romanian: versatil (ro), multilateral (ro)
• Russian: разносторо́нний (ru) (raznostorónnij)
• Spanish: versátil (es)
• Swedish: kvick (sv), pigg (sv), belevad (sv), behändig (sv)
• Turkish: becerikli (tr), elinden her iş gelen

having varied uses or many functions

• Bulgarian: многофункциона́лен (mnogofunkcionálen)
• Catalan: versàtil (ca)
• Danish: alsidig (da)
• Dutch: veelzijdig (nl), handig (nl), multiverseel
• Finnish: monipuolinen (fi), monikäyttöinen
• French: polyvalent (fr), versatile (fr)
• Galician: versátil
• Georgian: მრავალფუნქციონალური (mravalpunkcionaluri), მრავალფუნქციური (mravalpunkciuri)
• German: vielseitig (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: πολύτροπος (polútropos)

• Hungarian: sokoldalú (hu)
• Japanese: 多目的 (ja) (tamokuteki)
• Manx: so-hyndaa
• Polish: uniwersalny (pl), wielofunkcyjny (pl)
• Portuguese: versátil (pt)
• Romanian: versatil (ro)
• Russian: многофункциона́льный (ru) (mnogofunkcionálʹnyj)
• Spanish: versátil (es), multiuso (es), multívoco m
• Swedish: mångsidig (sv)
• Thai: สารพัดประโยชน์ (sǎa-rá-pát-bprà-yòot)
• Turkish: çok amaçlı

changeable or inconstant

• Dutch: grillig (nl), veranderlijk (nl), onstabiel (nl), versatiel (nl), wispelturig (nl), capricieus (nl)
• Esperanto: ŝanĝiĝema (eo)
• Finnish: vaihteleva (fi), muuttuvainen
• French: versatile (fr)
• Georgian: ცვალებადი (cvalebadi), მერყევი (merq̇evi)
• German: wandlungsfähig (de), wendig (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: πολύτροπος (polútropos)

• Manx: so-hyndaa
• Polish: zmienny (pl)
• Portuguese: versátil (pt)
• Romanian: pivotant (ro), inconstant (ro)
• Russian: изме́нчивый (ru) (izménčivyj), непостоя́нный (ru) (nepostojánnyj)
• Swedish: föränderlig (sv), ombytlig (sv)
• Turkish: değişken (tr)

biology: capable of moving freely in all directions

• Dutch: wendbaar (nl)
• Georgian: მოძრავი (moʒravi)
• German: versatil (de)
• Polish: wersatylny
• Romanian: versatil (ro), pivotant (ro)
• Russian: подви́жный (ru) (podvížnyj)

gay sexual slang: willing to take both a top and bottom role — see vers

Further reading

• “versatile”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “versatile”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.
• “versatile”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• levirates, relatives

French

Etymology

From Latin versātilis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vɛʁ.sa.til/

• Audio (Switzerland (Valais)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Brétigny-sur-Orge)):

  (file)

• Audio (France (Vosges)):

  (file)

Adjective

versatile (plural versatiles)

1. versatile; easily changeable
2. indecisive

Derived terms

• versatilité

Descendants

• → Romanian: versatil

Further reading

• “versatile”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012

Italian

Etymology

From Latin versātilis, from versāre (“to turn, to twist”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /verˈsa.ti.le/
• Rhymes: -atile
• Hyphenation: ver‧sà‧ti‧le

Adjective

versatile m or f by sense (plural versatili)

1. versatile
2. all-round, all around, multiskilled

Derived terms

• versatilità

Anagrams

• laveresti, rilevaste, rivaleste, rivelaste, servitela, versateli

Latin

Adjective

versātile

1. nominative/accusative/vocative neuter singular of versātilis

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /versaˈtile/

Adjective

versatile f pl or n pl

1. nominative/accusative feminine/neuter plural of versatil