Lewis & Short

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con-verso, āvi, ātum, 1, v. freq.

  1. * I. Act., to turn round: animus se ipse conversans, * Cic. Univ. 8 med.
    More freq.,
  2. II. In medial form conversor, ātus, 1 (post-Aug.; a favorite word of Seneca; not in Quint.),
    1. A. To abide, live, or dwell somewhere: in montibus (aquila), Plin. 10, 3, 3, § 6.
    2. B. To live with, have intercourse with, keep company with: nobiscum, Sen. Ep. 41, 5; 55, 9 sqq.; 99, 21: inter humano sanguine delibutos, Sen. Contr. 1, 2.
      Absol., Sen. Ira, 3, 8, 1; id. Ep. 108, 4.
      Of animals, Col. 9, 11, 1: equis a tenero asinus, id. 6, 37, 8.
    3. C. To live, pass one’s life: male, Dig. 26, 7, 5, § 3: ut oportet, ib. 1, 16, 9, § 3 a.

con-verto (-vorto), ti, sum, 3, v. a. and n.

  1. 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).
    1. A. Lit.
      1. 1. In gen.
        1. 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.
        2. b. With the designation of the terminus in quem.
          1. (α) By in: equos frenis in hostes, Lucr. 5, 1317: naves in eam partem, Caes. B. G. 3, 15: ferrum in me, Verg. A. 9, 427: omnium ora atque oculos in aliquem, Cic. Cat. 4, 1, 1 (cf. under B. 1.): iter in provinciam, Caes. B. G. 7, 56: se in Phrygiam, Nep. Ages. 3, 2 et saep.
            Medial: in fugam nemo convortitur, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 83 Fleck.
          2. (β) By ad: ad hunc se confestim a Pulfione omnis multitudo convertit, Caes. B. G. 5, 44, 10: eam materiam ad hostem, id. ib. 3, 29: colla ad freta, Ov. M. 15, 516: tum bis ad occasum, bis se convertit ad ortum, id. ib. 14, 386: nos ad judicem, Quint. 11, 3, 157 et saep.
          3. * (γ) By contra: tigna contra vim atque impetum fluminis, Caes. B. G. 4, 17, 5.
          4. (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. 2. In partic.
        1. 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.
        2. 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.
    2. B. Trop.
      1. 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. 2. Pregn., to change the nature of a thing; i. e. to change, alter, transform, turn.
          1. (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.
          2. (β) With ad: nisi si id putas, non posse jam ad salutem convorti hoc malum, Ter. And. 4, 1, 48: poena omnis oculorum ad caecitatem mentis est conversa, Cic. Dom. 40, 105: mater magna, cujus ludi violati, polluti, paene ad caedem et ad funus civitatis conversi sunt, id. Har. Resp. 11, 24: quod ad perniciem suam fuerat cogitatum, id ad salutem convertit, Nep. Dat. 6, 8.
          3. (γ) With in: si antequam tumor discutiatur in suppurationem convertitur, Col. 6, 17, 6: jam ego me convortam in hirudinem, Plaut. Ep. 2, 2, 4: deum sese in hominem, Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 40: Hecubam in canem, Cic. Tusc. 3, 26, 63: terras in freti formam, Ov. M. 11, 209: deum (sc. Jovem) in pretium (i. e. aurum), Hor. C. 3, 16, 8: vim morbi in quartanam, Cic. Fam. 16, 11, 1 et saep.: crimen in laudem, id. Fl. 29, 70: amicitiae se in graves inimicitias, id. Lael. 21, 78; Quint. 12, 1, 2 et saep.
        1. b. Of written works, to translate: converti ex Atticis duorum eloquentissimorum nobilissimas orationes … nec converti ut interpres, sed ut orator, etc., Cic. Opt. Gen. 5, 14: orationes e Graeco, id. ib. 6, 18: aliqua de Graecis, id. Fin. 1, 2, 6: librum in Latinum, id. Off. 2, 24, 87; id. Tusc. 3, 14, 29; cf. id. Fin. 1, 2, 5; id. N. D. 2, 41, 104.
  2. II. Neutr., to relurn (rare).
    1. 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.
    2. B. Trop.
      1. 1. To return, turn: in amicitiam atque in gratiam, Plaut. Stich. 3, 1, 18: ad sapientiora, Tac. A. 3, 55.
      2. 2. To change, turn: hoc vitium huic uni in bonum convertebat, Cic. Brut. 38, 141; id. de Or. 3, 29, 114; id. Fat. 7, 14; cf. id. ib. 9, 17: regium imperium in superbiam dominationemque, Sall. C. 6, 7 Kritz: ne ista vobis mansuetudo et misericordia … in miseriam convortet, id. ib. 52, 27: ad aliquem, of political support, Cic. Planc. 20, 50; Tac. A. 12, 18.