Lewis & Short

per-verto (pervorto), ti, sum, 3, v. a., to turn around or about, to overturn, overthrow, throw down (class.).

  1. 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.
    1. 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.
  2. II. Trop.
    1. 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.
    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).
    1. 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.
    2. 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.
      1. 1. Lit.: sella curulis in senatu perverse collocata, Suet. Galb. 18.
      2. 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.