Friday word: Divers

[med_cat]

divers, adjective
di·​vers | \ ˈdī-vərz \

: VARIOUS

Did You Know?

Adjective

Do not mistake divers with diverse. Divers is a word in its own right, albeit a fairly formal and uncommon one. Both words come from Latin diversus, meaning "turning in opposite directions," and until around 1700 they were pretty much interchangeable-both meant "various" and could be pronounced as either DYE-verz (like the plural of the noun diver) or dye-VERSS. Both words still carry the "various" meaning, but these days divers (now DYE-verz) is more likely to emphasize multiplicity (as in "on divers occasions"), whereas diverse (now dye-VERSS) usually emphasizes uniqueness. Diverse typically means either "dissimilar" (as in "a variety of activities to appeal to the children's diverse interests") or "having distinct or unlike elements or qualities" ("a diverse student body").

Example:

the state fair offers divers amusements for the whole family


First Known Use

14th century

Etymology

Middle English divers, diverse

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(with thanks to lindahoyland for reminding me of this word :))