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Webster 1913 Edition

Reverse

Re-verse′

,
Adj.
[OE.
revers
, OF.
revers
, L.
reversus
, p. p. of
revertere
. See
Revert
.]
1.
Turned backward; having a contrary or opposite direction; hence; opposite or contrary in kind;
as, the
reverse
order or method
.
“A vice reverse unto this.”
Gower.
2.
Turned upside down; greatly disturbed.
[Obs.]
He found the sea diverse
With many a windy storm
reverse
.
Gower.
3.
(Bot. & Zool.)
Reversed;
as, a
reverse
shell
.
Reverse bearing
(Surv.)
,
the bearing of a back station as observed from the station next in advance.
–
Reverse curve
(Railways)
,
a curve like the letter
S
, formed of two curves bending in opposite directions.
–
Reverse fire
(Mil.)
,
a fire in the rear.
–
Reverse operation
(Math.)
,
an operation the steps of which are taken in a contrary order to that in which the same or similar steps are taken in another operation considered as direct; an operation in which that is sought which in another operation is given, and that given which in the other is sought; as, finding the length of a pendulum from its time of vibration is the reverse operation to finding the time of vibration from the length.

Re-verse′

(rē̍-vẽrs′)
,
Noun.
[Cf. F.
revers
. See
Reverse
,
Adj.
]
1.
That which appears or is presented when anything, as a lance, a line, a course of conduct, etc., is reverted or turned contrary to its natural direction.
He did so with the
reverse
of the lance.
Sir W. Scott.
2.
That which is directly opposite or contrary to something else; a contrary; an opposite.
Chaucer.
And then mistook
reverse
of wrong for right.
Pope.
To make everything the
reverse
of what they have seen, is quite as easy as to destroy.
Burke.
3.
The act of reversing; complete change; reversal; hence, total change in circumstances or character; especially, a change from better to worse; misfortune; a check or defeat;
as, the enemy met with a
reverse
.
The strange
reverse
of fate you see;
I pitied you, now you may pity me.
Dryden.
By a
reverse
of fortune, Stephen becomes rich.
Lamb.
4.
The back side;
as, the
reverse
of a drum or trench; the
reverse
of a medal or coin, that is, the side opposite to the
obverse
. See
Obverse
.
5.
A thrust in fencing made with a backward turn of the hand; a backhanded stroke.
[Obs.]
Shak.
6.
(Surg.)
A turn or fold made in bandaging, by which the direction of the bandage is changed.

Re-verse′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Reversed
(rē̍-vẽrst′)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Reversing
.]
[See
Reverse
,
Adj.
, and cf.
Revert
.]
1.
To turn back; to cause to face in a contrary direction; to cause to depart.
And that old dame said many an idle verse,
Out of her daughter’s heart fond fancies to
reverse
.
Spenser.
2.
To cause to return; to recall.
[Obs.]
And to his fresh remembrance did
reverse

The ugly view of his deformed crimes.
Spenser.
3.
To change totally; to alter to the opposite.
Reverse
the doom of death.
Shakespeare
She
reversed
the conduct of the celebrated vicar of Bray.
Sir W. Scott.
4.
To turn upside down; to invert.
A pyramid
reversed
may stand upon his point if balanced by admirable skill.
Sir W. Temple.
5.
Hence, to overthrow; to subvert.
These can divide, and these
reverse
, the state.
Pope.
Custom . . .
reverses
even the distinctions of good and evil.
Rogers.
6.
(Law)
To overthrow by a contrary decision; to make void; to under or annual for error;
as, to
reverse
a judgment, sentence, or decree
.
Reverse arms
(Mil.)
,
a position of a soldier in which the piece passes between the right elbow and the body at an angle of 45°, and is held as in the illustration.
–
To reverse an engine
or
To reverse a machine
,
to cause it to perform its revolutions or action in the opposite direction.
Syn. – To overturn; overset; invert; overthrow; subvert; repeal; annul; revoke; undo.

Re-verse′

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To return; to revert.
[Obs.]
Spenser.
2.
To become or be reversed.

Webster 1828 Edition

Reverse

REVERSE

,
Verb.
T.
revers'. [L. reversus, reverto; re and verto, to turn.]
1.
To turn upside down; as, to reverse a pyramid or cone.
2.
To overturn; to subvert; as, to reverse the state.
3.
To turn back; as with swift wheel reverse.
4.
To turn to the contrary; as, to reverse the scene.
- Or affectations quite reverse the soul.
5.
To put each in the place of the other; as, to reverse the distinctions of good and evil.
6.
In law, to overthrow by a contrary decision; to make void; to annul; as, to reverse a judgment, sentence or decree. Judgments are reversed by writs of error; and for certain causes, may be reversed without such writs.
7.
To recall. [Not in use.]

REVERSE

,
Verb.
I.
revers'. To return. [Not in use.]

REVERSE

,
Noun.
revers'.
1.
Change; vicissitude; a turn of affairs; in a good sense.
By a strange reverse of things, Justinian's law, which for many ages was neglected, now obtains -
2.
Change for the worse; misfortune. By an unexpected reverse of circumstances, an affluent man is reduced to poverty.
3.
A contrary; an opposite.
The performances to which God has annexed the promises of eternity, are just the reverse of all the pursuits of sense.

Definition 2024

reverse

reverse

See also: reversé

English

Adjective

reverse ‎(comparative more reverse, superlative most reverse)

  1. Opposite, contrary; going in the opposite direction. [from 14th c.]
    We ate the meal in reverse order, starting with dessert and ending with the starter.
    The mirror showed us a reverse view of the scene.
  2. Pertaining to engines, vehicle movement etc. moving in a direction opposite to the usual direction. [from 19th c.]
    He selected reverse gear.
  3. (rail transport, of points) To be in the non-default position; to be set for the lesser-used route.
  4. Turned upside down; greatly disturbed.
    • Gower
      He found the sea diverse / With many a windy storm reverse.
  5. (botany) Reversed.
    a reverse shell
  6. (genetics) In which cDNA synthetization is obtained from an RNA template.

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

reverse ‎(comparative more reverse, superlative most reverse)

  1. (now rare) In a reverse way or direction; upside-down. [from 14thc.]
    • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d’Arthur, Bk.XVIII:
      they three smote hym at onys with their spearys, and with fors of themselff they smote Sir Launcelottis horse revers to the erthe.
    • 1963, Donal Serrell Thomas, Points of Contact:
      The man was killed to feed his image fat / Within this pictured world that ran reverse, / Where miracles alone were ever plain.

Noun

reverse ‎(plural reverses)

  1. The opposite of something. [from 14th c.]
    We believed the Chinese weren't ready for us. In fact, the reverse was true.
  2. The act of going backwards; a reversal. [from 15th c.]
    • Lamb
      By a reverse of fortune, Stephen becomes rich.
  3. A piece of misfortune; a setback. [from 16th c.]
    • 1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society 2010, p. 309:
      In fact, though the Russians did not yet know it, the British had met with a reverse.
  4. The tails side of a coin, or the side of a medal or badge that is opposite the obverse. [from 17th c.]
  5. The side of something facing away from a viewer, or from what is considered the front; the other side. [from 18th c.]
  6. The gear setting of an automobile that makes it travel backwards. [from 19th c.]
  7. A thrust in fencing made with a backward turn of the hand; a backhanded stroke.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Shakespeare to this entry?)
  8. (surgery) A turn or fold made in bandaging, by which the direction of the bandage is changed.

Derived terms

  • in reverse

Translations

Verb

reverse ‎(third-person singular simple present reverses, present participle reversing, simple past and past participle reversed)

  1. (intransitive) To turn something around such that it faces in the opposite direction.
  2. (intransitive) To turn something inside out or upside down.
    • Sir W. Temple
      A pyramid reversed may stand upon his point if balanced by admirable skill.
  3. (intransitive) To transpose the positions of two things.
  4. (transitive) To change totally; to alter to the opposite.
    • Shakespeare
      Reverse the doom of death.
    • Sir Walter Scott
      She reversed the conduct of the celebrated vicar of Bray.
  5. (obsolete, intransitive) To return, come back.
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, III.4:
      Bene they all dead, and laide in dolefull herse? / Or doen they onely sleepe, and shall againe reuerse?
  6. (obsolete, transitive) To turn away; to cause to depart.
    • Spenser
      And that old dame said many an idle verse, / Out of her daughter's heart fond fancies to reverse.
  7. (obsolete, transitive) To cause to return; to recall.
    • Spenser
      And to his fresh remembrance did reverse / The ugly view of his deformed crimes.
  8. (law) To revoke a law, or to change a decision into its opposite.
    to reverse a judgment, sentence, or decree
  9. (ergative) To cause a mechanism or a vehicle to operate or move in the opposite direction to normal.
  10. (chemistry) To change the direction of a reaction such that the products become the reactants and vice-versa.
  11. (rail transport, transitive) To place a set of points in the reverse position
  12. (rail transport, intransitive, of points) to move from the normal position to the reverse position
  13. To overthrow; to subvert.
    • Alexander Pope
      These can divide, and these reverse, the state.
    • Rogers
      Custom […] reverses even the distinctions of good and evil.

Derived terms

Antonyms

Translations

Anagrams

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ʁə.vɛʁs/

Verb

reverse

  1. first-person singular present indicative of reverser
  2. third-person singular present indicative of reverser
  3. first-person singular present subjunctive of reverser
  4. first-person singular present subjunctive of reverser
  5. second-person singular imperative of reverser

Anagrams

Latin

Participle

reverse

  1. vocative masculine singular of reversus

References

Spanish

Verb

reverse

  1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of reversar.
  2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of reversar.
  3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present subjunctive form of reversar.
  4. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of reversar.

Etymology

Borrowing from Anglo-Norman revers (noun, adjective), reverser (verb), Middle French revers (noun, adjectve), reverser (verb), and their source, Latin reversus (perfect passive participle), reversō (verb), from re- + versō.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ɹɪˈvəːs/
  • Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)s

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