divers

See also: divèrs

English

Etymology 1

See diver.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdaɪvə(ɹ)z/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪvə(ɹ)z

Noun

divers

1. plural of diver

Etymology 2

See diverse.

Alternative forms

• diuers (obsolete)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdaɪvɜː(ɹ)z/, /ˈdaɪvə(ɹ)z/
• Rhymes: -aɪvə(ɹ)z

Adjective

divers (comparative more divers, superlative most divers)

1. Archaic form of diverse, in the sense of various or assorted.
   • 1551, James A.H. Murray, editor, A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles: Founded Mainly on the Materials Collected by the Philological Society.‎^[1], volume 1, Oxford: Clarendon Press, published 1888, Part 1, page 217:

     Also the rule of false position, with dyuers examples not onely vulgar, but some appertaynyng to the rule of Algeber.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 4:24:

     And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

   • 1831, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter I, in Romance and Reality. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn and Richard Bentley, […], →OCLC, page 8:

     But to-night, the third rainy evening of three rainy days, every flower in the divers china bowls, cups, vases, was withered; the harp was out of tune with the damp; and Emily betook herself to the leafy labyrinth of a muslin flounce, la belle alliance of uselessness and industry.

   • 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 112:

     Divers plans and numerous devices were tried to stop the leakage.

   • 1919, P. G. Wodehouse, My Man Jeeves:

     Shortly after this I had to go out of town. Divers sound sportsmen had invited me to pay visits to their country places, and it wasn't for several months that I settled down in the city again.

   • 1949, William Dale Morris, The Christian Origins of Social Revolt, page 25:

     One of the most formidable of the heretical movements of the Middle Ages was Lollardy or Lollery. The Lollard movement was made up of divers elements, [...]

   • 1951 December, “Notes and News: Overland to Iraq”, in Railway Magazine, page 854:

     Nevertheless, a good Turkish meal was enjoyed in the merry company of Customs men and divers gaily-caparisoned officials.

Pronoun

divers

1. (archaic or literary) An indefinite number (at least two).
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i]:

     Tubal: There came divers of Antonio’s creditors in my company to Venice that swear he cannot choose but break.

Usage notes

When used as a pronoun, divers functions as a plural and takes a plural verb.

Anagrams

• drives

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dīversus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central) [diˈβɛrs]
• IPA^(key): (Balearic, Valencia) [diˈvɛrs]

Adjective

divers (feminine diversa, masculine plural diversos, feminine plural diverses)

1. diverse
2. (in the plural) several

Related terms

• diversificar
• diversitat

Further reading

• “divers” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “divers”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “divers” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “divers” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch divers, from Old French divers, from Latin dīversus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diˈvɛrs/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: di‧vers
• Rhymes: -ɛrs

Adjective

divers (comparative diverser, superlative meest divers or diverst)

1. diverse
2. (in the plural) several

Declension

Declension of divers
uninflected	divers
inflected	diverse
comparative	diverser
		positive	comparative	superlative
predicative/adverbial		divers	diverser	het diverst het diverste
indefinite	m./f. sing.	diverse	diversere	diverste
	n. sing.	divers	diverser	diverste
	plural	diverse	diversere	diverste
definite		diverse	diversere	diverste
partitive		divers	diversers	—

Derived terms

• diversiteit

 

Descendants

• Negerhollands: divers

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dīversus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /di.vɛʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

divers (feminine diverse, masculine plural divers, feminine plural diverses)

1. various; varying

   Synonym: différent

Derived terms

• divers et varié
• fait divers

Related terms

• diverger
• diversement
• diversifier
• diversité

References

• Etymology and history of “divers”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• verdis

German

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dīversus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diˈvɛʁs/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

divers (strong nominative masculine singular diverser, comparative diverser, superlative am diversesten)

1. (in the plural) different, various, miscellaneous (a certain number of different items)

   Synonym: verschieden

2. (formal) diverse, varying (showing great variety)

   Synonyms: unterschiedlich, verschieden, verschiedenartig

3. (neologism) diverse (of a society or group: showing variety in terms of ethnicity, language, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, etc.)

   Synonym: (informal) bunt

4. (neologism, officialese) non-binary, intersex (belonging to any category of gender that is neither male nor female)

Declension

Positive forms of divers

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist divers	sie ist divers	es ist divers	sie sind divers
strong declension (without article)	nominative	diverser	diverse	diverses	diverse
	genitive	diversen	diverser	diversen	diverser
	dative	diversem	diverser	diversem	diversen
	accusative	diversen	diverse	diverses	diverse
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der diverse	die diverse	das diverse	die diversen
	genitive	des diversen	der diversen	des diversen	der diversen
	dative	dem diversen	der diversen	dem diversen	den diversen
	accusative	den diversen	die diverse	das diverse	die diversen
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein diverser	eine diverse	ein diverses	(keine) diversen
	genitive	eines diversen	einer diversen	eines diversen	(keiner) diversen
	dative	einem diversen	einer diversen	einem diversen	(keinen) diversen
	accusative	einen diversen	eine diverse	ein diverses	(keine) diversen

Comparative forms of divers

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist diverser	sie ist diverser	es ist diverser	sie sind diverser
strong declension (without article)	nominative	diverserer	diversere	diverseres	diversere
	genitive	diverseren	diverserer	diverseren	diverserer
	dative	diverserem	diverserer	diverserem	diverseren
	accusative	diverseren	diversere	diverseres	diversere
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der diversere	die diversere	das diversere	die diverseren
	genitive	des diverseren	der diverseren	des diverseren	der diverseren
	dative	dem diverseren	der diverseren	dem diverseren	den diverseren
	accusative	den diverseren	die diversere	das diversere	die diverseren
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein diverserer	eine diversere	ein diverseres	(keine) diverseren
	genitive	eines diverseren	einer diverseren	eines diverseren	(keiner) diverseren
	dative	einem diverseren	einer diverseren	einem diverseren	(keinen) diverseren
	accusative	einen diverseren	eine diversere	ein diverseres	(keine) diverseren

Superlative forms of divers

number & gender		singular			plural
		masculine	feminine	neuter
predicative		er ist am diversesten	sie ist am diversesten	es ist am diversesten	sie sind am diversesten
strong declension (without article)	nominative	diversester	diverseste	diversestes	diverseste
	genitive	diversesten	diversester	diversesten	diversester
	dative	diversestem	diversester	diversestem	diversesten
	accusative	diversesten	diverseste	diversestes	diverseste
weak declension (with definite article)	nominative	der diverseste	die diverseste	das diverseste	die diversesten
	genitive	des diversesten	der diversesten	des diversesten	der diversesten
	dative	dem diversesten	der diversesten	dem diversesten	den diversesten
	accusative	den diversesten	die diverseste	das diverseste	die diversesten
mixed declension (with indefinite article)	nominative	ein diversester	eine diverseste	ein diversestes	(keine) diversesten
	genitive	eines diversesten	einer diversesten	eines diversesten	(keiner) diversesten
	dative	einem diversesten	einer diversesten	einem diversesten	(keinen) diversesten
	accusative	einen diversesten	eine diverseste	ein diversestes	(keine) diversesten

Related terms

• Diversität

Further reading

• “divers” in Duden online
• “divers”, in Online-Wortschatz-Informationssystem Deutsch (in German), Mannheim: Leibniz-Institut für Deutsche Sprache, 2008–
• “divers” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Maltese

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian diverso, from Latin diversus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɪˈvɛrs/

Adjective

divers (feminine singular diversa, plural diversi)

1. diverse, showing great variation

   Il-problemi li jbatu minnhom il-familji foqra f’pajjiżna huma diversi ħafna.

   The problems that poor families in our country suffer from are quite diverse.

Usage notes

• The plural form is also used as a determiner meaning “several”, see there.

Derived terms

• diversità

 

Middle French

Etymology

Latin diversus.

Adjective

divers m (feminine singular diverse, masculine plural divers, feminine plural diverses)

1. various; varying; different

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French divers, from Latin diversus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /diˈvers/

Adjective

divers m or n (feminine singular diversă, masculine plural diverși, feminine and neuter plural diverse)

1. various, diverse, varied

   Synonyms: variat, felurit, diferit

Declension

Declension of divers

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	divers		diversă	diverși	diverse
	definite	diversul		diversa	diverșii	diversele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	divers		diverse	diverși	diverse
	definite	diversului		diversei	diverșilor	diverselor

Related terms

• diversitate