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con-verto (-vorto ), ti, sum, 3, v. a. and n.
I. Act., to turn or whirl round, to wheel about, to cause to turn, to turn back, reverse; and with the designation of the terminus in quem, to turn or direct somewhere, to direct to or towards, to move or turn to, etc. (very freq. in all perr. and species of composition).
A. Lit.
1. In gen.
a. With a simple acc.: “caelos omnes,Lucr. 2, 1097; cf.: “in infimo orbe luna convertitur,Cic. Rep. 6, 17, 17; id. Ac. 2, 39, 123; cf.: “minore sonitu quam putaram, orbis hic in re publicā est conversus,id. Att. 2, 9, 1: “manum,Quint. 11, 3, 100: “reddita inclusarum ex speluncā boum vox Herculem convertit,Liv. 1, 7, 7: “ter se convertit,Ov. M. 7, 189: “crines calamistro,” i. e. to curl, Petr. 102, 15 et saep.—
b. With the designation of the terminus in quem.
(δ). By sub: “cursum sub terras,Lucr. 5, 654.—(ε) By the dat.: “majus lumen in diem nobis luna,Lucr. 5, 706.—Medial: “Zephyro convertitur ales Itque super Libyen,Luc. 9, 689.—(ζ) By local adv.: “aspectum facile quo vellent,Cic. N. D. 2, 57, 142.—(η) By the acc. alone: “se domum,Ter. Ad. 2, 4, 22.—
2. In partic.
a. Milit. t. t.: convertere signa, aciem, etc., to wheel about, change the direction of a march: “conversa signa in hostes inferre,Caes. B. G. 2, 26: “Romani conversa signa bipartito intulerunt,id. ib. 1, 25: “reliquos sese convertere cogunt,to retreat, id. B. C. 1, 46: “cum conversis signis retro in urbem rediretur,Liv. 8, 11, 4; cf.: “convertunt inde signa,id. 3, 54, 10 Drak. ad loc. (where Weissenb. ex conj., convellunt): “aciem,id. 42, 57, 12; so, “aciem in fugam,Caes. B. G. 1, 52. —
b. Rhet. t. t., of words, to transpose, interchange: “non modo mutare quaedam verba, sed extendere, corripere, convertere, dividere cogitur (poësis),Quint. 10, 1, 29.—
B. Trop.
1. In gen.: “ut ab eo quod agitur avertat animos, ut saepe in hilaritatem risumve convertat,Cic. Or. 40, 138; so, “risum in judicem,id. de Or. 2, 60, 245: “omnem orationem transduxi et converti in increpandam Caepionis fugam,id. ib. 2, 48, 199: “rationem in fraudem malitiamque,to employ, id. N. D. 3, 31, 78; cf. id. Rosc. Am. 39, 114 and 115: “beneficium in injuriam,Sen. Ben. 2, 13, 1 et saep.: “animos imperitorum ad deorum cultum a vitae pravitate,Cic. N. D. 1, 27, 77; cf. Liv. 24, 4, 4 and 9: qui eas copias, quas diu simulatione rei publicae comparabant, subito ad patriae periculum converterunt, Brut. ap. Cic. Fam. 11, 13, a, 5 fin.: “facultatem dicendi ad hominum perniciem,Quint. 2, 20, 2 et saep.: “ingenium et studium ad causas agendas,Tac. Or. 14 et saep.: “se aliquando ad timorem, numquam ad sanitatem,Cic. Sull. 5, 17; id. Fam. 3, 10, 10: “se ad philosophos,id. Fin. 5, 3, 7; cf. id. Q. Fr. 3, 5, 5 et saep.: “quocumque te animo et cogitatione converteris,Cic. de Or. 1, 2, 6: “aculeum testimonii sui,id. Fl. 34, 86: “argumentum,Gell. 5, 10, 3.—Of turning to the political support of any one: “tota civitas se ad eos convertisse videretur,Nep. Att. 8, 1; cf. Cic. Rep. 6, 12, 12; Sen. Clem. 1, 4, 3; cf.: “fama hujus rei convertit ad Masinissam Numidas,Liv. 29, 30, 7.—Pass. in mid. sense: “cuncta ad victoris opes conversa,Tac. H. 3, 44.—In eccl. Lat., to convert to Christianity, etc.: “aliquem ad fidem Christi,Hier. in Philem. 5, 10 sq.—Esp. freq. of turning or arresting the attention: “illud intellego, omnium ora in me convorsa esse,Sall. J. 85, 5: “converterat Cn. Pompeii persona totum in se terrarum orbem,Vell. 2, 31, 1: “proximas (provincias) in se,Suet. Vesp. 4 al.: nihil opus est, ad continendas custodias plures commilitones converti, Traj. ap. Plin. Ep. 10, 20 (31), 1: “omnium oculos ad se,Nep. Alcib. 3, 5.—And with inanimate things as subjects: “cum aliqua iis ampla et honesta res objecta totos ad se convertit et rapit,Cic. Off. 2, 10, 37.—Since the Aug. per. also freq. with a simple acc.: “sive elephas albus volgi converteret ora,Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 196; Suet. Calig. 35; cf. Liv. 26, 29, 2: “animos,id. 29, 26, 5: “homines quaqua iret,Suet. Tit. 5.—
2. Pregn., to change the nature of a thing; i. e. to change, alter, transform, turn.
(α). With a simple acc.: “omnes Res ita convortant formas mutentque colores,Lucr. 2, 1005; cf. id. 1, 678: “omnia,id. 4, 441: “tellus induit ignotas hominum conversa figuras,Ov. M. 1, 88: “humanam vicem (venena),Hor. Epod. 5, 88: “rem,Cic. Att. 8, 13, 2: “rem publicam,to bring into disorder, id. Fl. 38, 94: “hunc ordinem,Quint. 7, 2, 15: “animum avaritiā,Sall. J. 29, 1: “vitae viam,Hor. Ep. 1, 17, 26: “studia,id. A. P. 166 et saep.: “conversi animum vultumque,Tac. H. 1, 85: castra castris, to change camp with camp (i. e. to establish new camps by constantly removing), Caes. B. C. 1, 81.— “In gram.: casus conversi, = casus obliqui,the cases which undergo a change of form, Cic. N. D. 2, 25, 64.—
II. Neutr., to relurn (rare).
A. Lit.: “inde (imago) retro rursum redit et convertit eodem,Lucr. 4, 334 (Lachm. conj. convertitur): “clam cum paucis ad pedites convortit,Sall. J. 101, 6: “in regnum suum,id. ib. 20, 4: “convortit Varro,Sil. 9, 645: “ad me,Gell. 1, 26, 3.—
B. Trop.
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hide References (94 total)
  • Cross-references in general dictionaries from this page (94):
    • Cicero, Letters to his Friends, 11.13
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    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 42, 57
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 29, 30.7
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    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 24, 4
    • Livy, The History of Rome, Book 26, 29.2
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    • Seneca, de Clementia, 1.4.3
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    • Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria, Book 2, 20.2
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