versatile
adjUK /ˈvɜː.səˌtaɪl/ · CA, US /ˈvɝ.sə.təl/
Etymology From Latin versātilis (“turning easily”), from versātus, past participle of versō (“to turn, change”), frequentative of vertō (“to turn”).
7 senses
- 1Capable of doing many things competently.
- 2Having varied uses or many functions.
- 3Changeable or inconstant.
- 4Capable of moving freely in all directions.
- 5Synonym of vers (“Willing to take either a penetrative…
- 6Being a switch; capable of taking either a dominant or a…
- 7Capable of being either a dominant or a submissive…
1
Capable of doing many things competently.
- 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 88.2007 January 8, Jack Anderson, “Ruthanna Boris, Versatile Ballet Russe Dancer, Dies at 88”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 26 Jan 2021:
2
Having varied uses or many functions.
3
Changeable or inconstant.
4
Biology, Natural sciences Capable of moving freely in all directions.
- The versatile anther is an important step up in flowering plant evolution and it may be the most widespread of all simple anther types.1996, William G. D'Arcy, edited by William G. D'Arcy and Richard C. Keating, The anther: form, function, and phylogeny:
5
Synonym of vers (“Willing to take either a penetrative or receptive role in anal sex”).
- Among men who do engage in anal intercourse, about one-quarter are tops, one-quarter are bottoms, and one-half are versatile.2017, Simon LeVay, Gay, Straight, and the Reason why: The Science of Sexual Orientation:
- Derived terms
- digital versatile disc, unversatile, vers, versatility