inverto

Latin > English (Lewis & Short)

in-verto: verti, versum, 3, v. a.,
I to turn upside down, turn about, to upset, invert (class.).
I Lit.: pingue solum Fortes invertant tauri, to turn up, plough up, Verg. G. 1, 64: campum, id. ib. 3, 161: Boreas invertit ornos, upturns, overthrows, Luc. 6, 390: vinaria, to upset, empty, Hor. S. 2, 8, 39: mare, i. e. disturbed, rough, id. Epod. 10, 5: alveos navium inversos pro tuguriis habere, Sall. J. 18, 5: adeo vehementer talum inverti, ut minimum affuerim quin articulum defregerim, dislocated, App. Flor. 3, p. 134, 3: si polypus invertatur, Plin. 9, 30, 48, § 91: invertere se, to turn over, id. 32, 2, 5, § 13: cum in locum anulum inverterat, Cic. Off. 3, 9, 38. —
   2    Esp., to dip, dye: albentes lanas, Sil. 16, 568.—
II Trop., to invert, transp?*!se; to change. alter; to pervert; to exchange: ut cum semel dictum sit directe, invertatur ordo, et idem quasi sursum versus retroque dicatur, Cic. Part. 7, 24: quae in vulgus edita ejus verbis, invertere supersedeo, to alter, give in another form, Tac. A. 15, 63: virtutes, to alter, misrepresent, Hor. S. 1, 3, 55: lanas, to dye, color, Sil. 16, 569: Vertumnus Deus invertendarum rerum est, i. e. of barter, trade, Ascon. ad Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 59, § 154. —
   B Esp. of words, to pervert, misapply, use ironically (cf. inversio, I.): invertuntur verba, ut, etc., Cic. de Or. 2, 65, 262.—Hence, inversus, a, um, P. a., turned upside down, inverted.
   A Lit.: vomer inversus, Hor. Epod. 2, 63: carinae, Plin. 9, 6, 5, § 15: manus (opp. supina), id. 12, 25, 54, § 121: charta, Mart. 4, 87, 11: submovere Euros Pellibus inversis, turned inside out, Juv. 14, 187.—
   B Trop., inverted, perverted: annus, inverted, brought back to its beginning, i. e. completed, ended, Hor. S. 1, 1, 36: pro curia, inversique mores! perverted, corrupt, id. C. 3, 5, 7: consuetudo, Quint. 3, 9, 9: verba, perverted from their proper meanings, ambiguous, Ter. Heaut. 2, 3, 131; so, too, verba, dark, obscure, Lucr. 1, 642. — Neutr. sing. as adv.: inversum, upside down: surculis inversum superpositis, Sol. 8.