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inversion

inversion

3 6.3
An act of turning something upside down or inside out
  • noun
  • /ɪnˈvɜrʒən/
translation icon : inversión
  • The apparent inversion of courtly roles is the first in a long series of inversions that characterize the play.
  • inversion of roles
  • ankle inversion
  • inversion of a hierarchy

However, it's an inversion, A reversal because nothing is coming back at you.

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Examples

  • The exercise was then completed, and the ankle inversion testing was repeated.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The subject was tested for ankle inversion prior to the exercise.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Rather than a parallel, this is instead an inversion of the equation.

    Academic text (1991)
  • The principal measurement used in the study was one of inversion ROM of the right ankle.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Five subjects had their ankles taped, and the inversion ROM was measured on two separate days.

    Academic text (1992)
  • To imply that Justice participated in the prostitution trade was a supremely ironic inversion.

    Academic text (2011)
  • During the performance, the magician did an astonishing inversion of the usual card trick, leaving the audience amazed.

  • The scientific experiment focused on the inversion of the typical behavior patterns observed in the animal species.

  • In the art installation, the inversion of everyday objects created a thought-provoking commentary on consumer culture.

Synonyms

reversal
vsinversion
25 4.2

A change to the opposite direction or position, for example when wind turns

is broader, also including turning inside out or flipping orientation
inverse
vsinversion
8 6.2

Something that is the opposite of another thing in order or effect

refers to the action or process of producing that opposite state
rearrangement
vsinversion
4 3.4

A change in the order or position of things

can mean a complete reversal or inversion, not merely a reorder
upending
vsinversion
1 5.5

Turning something so its top is on the bottom or making it stand on its end

also covers other kinds of reversal beyond simply turning upside down
transposition
vsinversion
1 7.3

Changing the order or position of things, for example swapping letters

includes reversing direction or orientation, not only exchanging positions

Compounds

matrix inversion
  • Specialized
8.6

To find a matrix that, when multiplied by the original, makes the identity matrix

9.9

An old word for someone who behaves in ways usually seen in the other sex

Surface Forms

inversion singular
inversions plural

Morphology

inversion = invert (transparent) = invert + ion

A straightforward nominalization of the verb 'invert' meaning 'the act or process of reversing', which maps directly onto this general sense.

Etymology

Inversion comes from the Latin invertere, where in- means 'in' and vertere means 'to turn'. So an inversion is a 'turning the other way', like flipping a cake or turning a bottle upside down.