Word of the Day

: January 23, 2011

adversary

noun AD-ver-sair-ee

What It Means

: one that contends with, opposes, or resists : enemy

adversary in Context

Susan dreaded meeting her adversary at the negotiating table again, because she had come out on the losing side every time so far.

"New START is not explicitly about improving relations with a former cold-war adversary, but rather reducing stockpiles of dangerous weapons, some of which could be at risk of falling into terrorists' hands." -- From an article by Howard LaFranchi in The Christian Science Monitor, December 20, 2010

Did You Know?

If you've ever had someone turn on you and become your adversary, you've inadvertently lived out the etymology of "adversary." The word is from the Latin adjective "adversarius" ("turned toward" or "antagonistic toward"), which in turn can be traced back to the verb "advertere," meaning "to turn to." "Advertere" itself derives from "ad-" and "vertere" ("turn"), and "vertere" is the source of a number of English words. Along with obvious derivatives like "inadvertently" and "adverse" are some surprises, such as "anniversary," "prose," and "vertebra," among others.