invert

Where does the word "invert" come from? It comes from Latin invertere, and was adopted directly into English (1500s).

Invert’s story begins in Latin: invertere meant “to turn upside down.” To turn upside down, from in- (in, on) and vertere (to turn). It reached English by 1500s as invert. Settled as the English word for reversing the position or order of something. Today, invert means to turn something upside down, or reverse its position or order.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient invertere "to turn upside down", to turn upside down, from in- (in, on) and vertere (to turn).
2. Stage 2 · English · 1500s invert "to reverse the position, order, or condition of something", settled as the English word for reversing the position or order of something.