'divers' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'divers', which in turn comes from Latin 'diversus', where the elements 'di-' (from 'dis-') meant 'apart' and 'vertere' meant 'to turn'.

'diversus' (Latin) passed into Old French as 'divers' and entered Middle English as 'divers', eventually becoming the modern English form 'divers' (used both as an adjective in older/literary usage and as the plural of 'diver').

Initially it meant 'turned apart, different' in Latin; over time it evolved into the sense 'different' or 'various' (archaic/literary) and separately exists as the regular plural form of the noun 'diver'.