inverto

in-verto, verti, versum, 3, v. a., 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, transpose; 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.