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Webster 1913 Edition


Pervert

Per-vert′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Perverted
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Perverting
.]
[F.
pervertir
, L.
pervertere
,
perversum
;
per
+
vertere
to turn. See
Per-
, and
Verse
.]
1.
To turn another way; to divert.
[Obs.]
Let’s follow him, and
pervert
the present wrath.
Shakespeare
2.
To turn from truth, rectitude, or propriety; to divert from a right use, end, or way; to lead astray; to corrupt; also, to misapply; to misinterpret intentionally;
as, to
pervert
one's words
.
Dryden.
He, in the serpent, had
perverted
Eve.
Milton.

Per-vert′

,
Verb.
I.
To become perverted; to take the wrong course.
[R.]
Testament of Love.

Per′vert

,
Noun.
One who has been perverted; one who has turned to error, especially in religion; – opposed to
convert
. See the Synonym of
Convert
.
That notorious
pervert
, Henry of Navarre.
Thackeray.

Webster 1828 Edition


Pervert

PERVERT'

,
Verb.
T.
[L. perverto; per and verto, to turn.]
1.
To turn from truth, propriety, or from its proper purpose; to distort from its true use or end; as, to pervert reason by misdirecting it; to pervert the laws by misinterpreting and misapplying them; to pervert justice; to pervert the meaning of an author; to pervert nature; to pervert truth.
2.
To turn from the right; to corrupt.
He in the serpent had perverted Eve.

Definition 2024


pervert

pervert

English

Noun

pervert (plural perverts)

  1. (dated) One who has been perverted; one who has turned to error; one who has turned to a twisted sense of values or morals.
  2. A person whose sexual habits are not considered acceptable.
    Those perverts were trying to spy on us while we changed clothes!

Usage notes

  • In contemporary usage, pervert is usually understood to refer to a sexually perverted person. Traditionally the word was mainly associated with persons of false religious beliefs.

Synonyms

  • (sexually perverted person): perv (slang)

Antonyms

Translations

Verb

pervert (third-person singular simple present perverts, present participle perverting, simple past and past participle perverted)

  1. (transitive) To turn another way; to divert.
    • Shakespeare
      Let's follow him, and pervert the present wrath.
  2. (transitive) To turn from truth, rectitude, or propriety; to divert from a right use, end, or way; to lead astray; to corrupt.
    • Milton
      He, in the serpent, had perverted Eve.
    • 2004 April 15, “Morning swoop in hunt for Jodi's killer”, in The Scotsman:
      A spokesman for Lothian and Borders Police said: "We can confirm that a 15-year-old boy has been arrested and charged in connection with the murder of Jodi Jones. A 45-year-old has also been arrested in connection with allegations of attempting to pervert the course of justice. A report on this has been sent to the procurator fiscal."
  3. To misapply; to misinterpret designedly.
    pervert one's words
  4. (intransitive) To become perverted; to take the wrong course.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Testament of Love to this entry?)

Synonyms

Translations

Related terms


Icelandic

Etymology

From the Latin verb pervertere "to overturn" or "to subvert".

Noun

pervert f

  1. a pervert

Synonyms

  • perri m
  • öfuggi m