I.to turn around or about, to overturn, overthrow, throw down (class.).
I. Lit.: pinus proceras pervortunt, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 2 (Ann. v. 196 Vahl.): “(coqui) aulas pervortunt,” Plaut. Cas. 4, 1, 16: “turrim ballistā,” id. Bacch. 4, 4, 59: “tum visam beluam immanem, quàcunque incederet, arbusta, virgulta, tecta pervertere,” Cic. Div. 1, 24, 49: “perversae rupes,” broken, craggy rocks, Liv. 21, 33.—
B. Esp., in wrestling or boxing, to throw down, knock down; hence: “si rex opstabit ob viam, regem ipsum prius pervortito,” Plaut. Stich. 2, 1, 14.—
II. Trop.
A. To overthrow, subvert; to destroy, ruin, undo, corrupt: “cito homo pervorti potest,” Plaut. Poen. 4, 2, 52: “labefactare atque pervertere amicitiam aut justitiam,” Cic. Fin. 3, 21, 70: “quidam, propositis malorum et bonorum finibus, omne officium perverterunt,” id. Off. 1, 2, 5: “omnia jura divina atque humana,” id. ib. 1, 8, 26: “ipse (Quinctius) postquam Junium pervertit, totam causam reliquit,” id. Quint. 39, 108: “hostium vim se perversurum putavit, pervertit autem suam,” id. Div. 2, 56, 115; id. Brut. 79, 273: “aliquem amicitiā alicujus,” Tac. A. 13, 45: “aliquem,” id. H. 3, 38: “aliquos et ambitio pervertet,” Quint. 12, 8, 2.—
B. To put down, confute, silence one (in allusion to the meaning I. B. supra): “nemo umquam me tenuissimā suspicione perstrinxit, quem non perverterim ac perfregerim,” Cic. Sull. 16, 47: “numquam ille me opprimet consilio, numquam ullo artificio pervertet,” id. Div. in Caecil. 14, 44.—Hence, perver-sus (pervorsus ), a, um, P. a., turned the wrong way, askew, awry (cf. praeposterus).
A. Lit.: rectus perversusque partus, Varr. ap. Gell. 16, 16, 4: “perversas induit comas,” gets her false hair on awry, Ov. A. A. 3, 246: “pondere capitum perversa ova,” Plin. 10, 16, 18, § 38: perversa vestis, i. e. pulla, Sen. Ira, 1, 16, 5: “Roscius erat perversissimis oculis, quales sunt strabonum,” dreadfully squint-eyed, Cic. N. D. 1, 28, 79.—
B. Trop., perverse, not right, wrong, evil, bad: “dies pervorsus atque advorsus,” Plaut. Men. 5, 5, 1: “nihil pravum et perversum,” Cic. Rosc. Com. 10, 30: “quid magis inquinatum, deformatum, perversum, conturbatum dici potest,” id. Har. Resp. 12, 25: “homo praeposterus atque perversus,” id. Clu. 26, 71: “sapientia,” id. Mur. 36, 75: “mos,” id. Rosc. Com. 18, 56: “bellum Contra fata deūm perverso numine poscunt,” Verg. A. 7, 584: “perversa grammaticorum subtilitas,” Plin. 35, 3, 4, § 13: “ambitio,” Quint. 10, 7, 21: “generatio perversa,” wicked, Vulg. Deut. 32, 20 et saep. —As subst.: perversum , i, n., a wrong, evil: “in perversum sollers,” Sen. Vit. Beat. 5, 3.—Hence, adv.: perversē (pervor-sē ), awry, the wrong way.
2. Trop., perversely, wrongly, badly, ill: dicere, Enn. ap. Gell. 11, 4, 3 (Trag. v. 229 Vahl.); so, “dicere,” Cic. de Or. 1, 33, 150: “erras pervorse, pater,” Plaut. Most. 4, 2, 36: “interpretari,” id. Truc. 1, 2, 41: “si quid fleri pervorse videt,” id. Pers. 3, 1, 40: “vides,” id. Merc. 2, 2, 20: si quid perverse tetreque factum est, Cato ap. Gell. 10, 23, 4: “uti deorum beneficio,” Cic. N. D. 3, 28, 70: “imitari,” id. Off. 3, 32, 113: “quiescite agere perverse,” Vulg. Isa. 1, 16.—Comp.: “perversius,” Tert. Apol. 2.—Sup.: “perversissime suspicari,” Hier. in Matt. 1, 25.
