Etymology

subvert

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Today it means: To overturn from the foundation; to overthrow; to ruin utterly. Full definition →

Middle English subverten ← Old French subvertir ← Latin subvertō
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subvert · verb1

  1. Latin · derived fromsubvertō“to overthrow”
  2. Old French · derived fromsubvertir
  3. Middle English · inherited fromsubverten
  4. English todaysubvert

From Middle English subverten, from Old French subvertir, from Latin subvertō (“to overthrow”, literally “to underturn, turn from beneath”).

subvert · noun2

Back-formation from subvertising, by analogy with advert.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.