in·vert

[v. in-vurt; adj., n. in-vurt]
verb (used with object)
1.
to turn upside down.
2.
to reverse in position, order, direction, or relationship.
3.
to turn or change to the opposite or contrary, as in nature, bearing, or effect: to invert a process.
4.
to turn inward or back upon itself.
5.
to turn inside out.
6.
Chemistry. to subject to inversion.
7.
Music. to subject to musical inversion.
8.
Phonetics. to articulate as a retroflex vowel.
verb (used without object)
9.
Chemistry. to become inverted.
00:10
Invert is always a great word to know.
So is formaldehyde. Does it mean:
a colorless, toxic, water-soluble gas having a suffocating odor, used chiefly as a disinfectant and preservative, contained in resins and plastics
a colorless, pungent, suffocating, highly water-soluble, gaseous compound, NH3, usually produced by the combination of nitrogen and hydrogen gases
adjective
10.
Chemistry. subjected to inversion.
noun
11.
a person or thing that is inverted.
12.
a homosexual.
13.
(in plumbing) that portion of the interior of a drain or sewer pipe where the liquid is deepest.
14.
an inverted arch or vault.
15.
Philately. a two-colored postage stamp with all or part of the central design printed upside down in relation to the inscription.

Origin:
1525–35; < Latin invertere to turn upside down or inside out, equivalent to in- in-2 + vertere to turn; see verse

in·vert·i·ble, adjective
in·vert·i·bil·i·ty, noun
non·in·vert·ed, adjective
un·in·vert·ed, adjective
un·in·vert·i·ble, adjective


2. See reverse.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To invert
Collins
World English Dictionary
invert
 
vb
1.  to turn or cause to turn upside down or inside out
2.  (tr) to reverse in effect, sequence, direction, etc
3.  (tr) phonetics
 a.  to turn (the tip of the tongue) up and back
 b.  to pronounce (a speech sound) by retroflexion
4.  logic to form the inverse of a categorial proposition
 
n
5.  psychiatry
 a.  a person who adopts the role of the opposite sex
 b.  another word for homosexual
6.  architect
 a.  Compare soffit the lower inner surface of a drain, sewer, etc
 b.  an arch that is concave upwards, esp one used in foundations
 
[C16: from Latin invertere, from in-² + vertere to turn]
 
in'vertible
 
adj
 
inverti'bility
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

invert
1533, from M.Fr. invertir, from L. invertere "turn upside down, turn about," from in- "in, on" + vertere "to turn" see versus). Inversion is from 1551.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

invert in·vert (ĭn-vûrt')
v. in·vert·ed, in·vert·ing, in·verts

  1. To turn inside out or upside down.

  2. To reverse the position, order, or condition of.

  3. To subject to inversion.

n. (ĭn'vûrt')
  1. Something inverted.

  2. One who takes on the gender role of the opposite sex.

  3. A homosexual. Used in psychology.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
To turn, slide cake out onto a large plate, cover with another large plate and
  invert.
It is an attempt not so much to diversify the economy as to invert it.
Invert onto a serving platter or into the well of a dinner plate.
Run a knife around the sides of puddings and invert onto serving plates.
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