verbthird conjugation
convertō
convertō (present infinitive convertere, perfect active convertī, supine conversum)
Classical[kɔnˈwɛr.toː]Ecclesiastical[koɱˈvɛr.to]
№ 834 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- transitiveto turn upside-down; to invert
- transitiveto turn over (soil etc)
- transitiveto turn back or recoil
- intransitiveto direct oneself
- transitiveto rotate
- transitiveto reverse
- to reverse or to turn as in to convert, change, alter
DĀVUS: Hāc nōn successit; alia aggrediēmur via. / Nīsī id putās, quia prīmō prōcessit parum, / nōn posse iam ad salūtem convertī hoc malum.
DAVUS: This didn’t succeed; we’ll try another way. Unless you think that because at first it made so little progress, this bad situation cannot now be turned to a favorable outcome.166 BCE, Publius Terentius Afer, Andria 670–672memorans illum sermonem quem dixit Dominus per Amos prophetam dies festi vestri convertentur in lamentationem et luctum (Remembering the word which the Lord spoke by Amos the prophet: Your festival days shall be turned into lamentation and mourning.)
4th century, St Jerome, Vulgate, Tobit 2:6 - transitiveto translate
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
tōtum vertō; omnēs ōra ad rem convertunt.convertō -ere -vertī — in Mille Verba, Circus Maximus
vertō, in aliam viam dūcōconvertō -ere — in Evangelium secundum Marcum, ch. 2
turn around
convertō -ere, -versus — in De Bello Gallico III
Choosing the right word Döderlein's Latin Synonyms
Vertere · Torquere · Convertere · Invertere · Pervertere
Vertere means to turn, that is, to move anything in order to give it another position or situation, like τρέπειν; torquere (from τρέκω), ἀτρεκής), to twist, that is, in order to move a fixed point, like στρέφειν. 2. Convertere means, either to turn in a body, with reference to those acting, as, for instance, Ut pæne terga convertant; or, with reference to the action, to turn completely; whereas invertere means, to turn only half round, so that the reverse side of the thing turned is exposed; lastly, pervertere means to turn upside down, so that the thing turned becomes useless, or falls to the ground. (v. 289.)
Conjugation conjugation 3
| form | present | imperfect | future | perfect | pluperfect | fut. perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | convertō | convertēbam | convertam | convertī | converteram | converterō |
| 2nd sg. | convertis | convertēbās | convertēs | convertistī | converterās | converteris |
| 3rd sg. | convertit | convertēbat | convertet | convertit | converterat | converterit |
| 1st pl. | convertimus | convertēbāmus | convertēmus | convertimus | converterāmus | converterimus |
| 2nd pl. | convertitis | convertēbātis | convertētis | convertistis | converterātis | converteritis |
| 3rd pl. | convertunt | convertēbant | convertent | convertērunt convertēre | converterant | converterint |
active subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect | perfect | pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | convertam | converterem | converterim | convertissem |
| 2nd sg. | convertās | converterēs | converterīs | convertissēs |
| 3rd sg. | convertat | converteret | converterit | convertisset |
| 1st pl. | convertāmus | converterēmus | converterīmus | convertissēmus |
| 2nd pl. | convertātis | converterētis | converterītis | convertissētis |
| 3rd pl. | convertant | converterent | converterint | convertissent |
passive indicative
| form | present | imperfect | future |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | convertor | convertēbar | convertar |
| 2nd sg. | converteris convertere | convertēbāris convertēbāre | convertēris convertēre |
| 3rd sg. | convertitur | convertēbātur | convertētur |
| 1st pl. | convertimur | convertēbāmur | convertēmur |
| 2nd pl. | convertiminī | convertēbāminī | convertēminī |
| 3rd pl. | convertuntur | convertēbantur | convertentur |
passive subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect |
|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | convertar | converterer |
| 2nd sg. | convertāris convertāre | converterēris converterēre |
| 3rd sg. | convertātur | converterētur |
| 1st pl. | convertāmur | converterēmur |
| 2nd pl. | convertāminī | converterēminī |
| 3rd pl. | convertantur | converterentur |
imperative
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| pres. 2nd sg. | converte | convertere |
| pres. 2nd pl. | convertite | convertiminī |
| fut. 2nd sg. | convertitō | convertitor |
| fut. 3rd sg. | convertitō | convertitor |
| fut. 2nd pl. | convertitōte | — |
| fut. 3rd pl. | convertuntō | convertuntor |
infinitives & participles
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| present infinitive | convertere | convertī |
| perfect infinitive | convertisse | conversum esse |
| future infinitive | conversūrum esse | conversum īrī |
| present participle | convertēns | — |
| perfect participle | — | conversus conversa, conversā, conversae, conversam, conversārum, conversās, converse, conversī, conversīs, conversō, conversōrum, conversōs |
| future participle | conversūrus conversūra, conversūrā, conversūrae, conversūram, conversūrārum, conversūrās, conversūre, conversūrī, conversūrīs, conversūrō, conversūrōrum, conversūrōs, conversūrum | convertendus convertundus, convertenda, convertendā, convertendae, convertendam, convertendārum, convertendās, convertende, convertendīs, convertendōrum, convertendōs |
gerundconvertendī, convertendō, convertendumsupineconversum, conversū
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- Platonem vertere, convertere
- to translate Plato.
- signa convertere (B. G. 1. 25)
- to deviate, change the direction.
- aliquid ad ridiculum convertere
- to make a joke of a thing.
- iter flectere, convertere, avertere
- to deviate, change the direction.
- omnium oculos (et ora) ad se convertere
- to draw every one's eyes upon one.
- omnium animos or mentes in se convertere
- to attract universal attention.
- liber (scriptoris) conversus, translatus
- the work when translated; translation (concrete).
- se convertere, converti ad alicuius nutum
- to take one's directions from another; to obey him in everything.
5 more phrases
- ex Platonis Phaedone haec in latinum conversa sunt
- what follows has been translated into Latin from Plato's Phaedo.
- his fere verbis, hoc fere modo convertere, transferre
- to translate freely.
- ab or de (not ex) Platone vertere, convertere, transferre
- to translate from Plato.
- alicuius odium subire, suscipere, in se convertere, sibi conflare
- to incur a person's hatred.
- aliquid e graeco in latinum (sermonem) convertere, vertere, transferre
- to translate from Greek into Latin.
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.
(a). 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.— (b). 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.—* (g). By contra:
tigna contra vim atque impetum fluminis, Caes. B. G. 4, 17, 5.—(d). 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.
(a). 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.—(b). 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.—(g). 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.—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.—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.
1. To return, turn:
in amicitiam atque in gratiam, Plaut. Stich. 3, 1, 18: ad sapientiora, Tac. A. 3, 55.—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.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
con-vertō (-vortō) tī, sus, ere.—
Trans, to turn round, cause to turn, turn back, reverse, direct: in infimo orbe luna convertitur: vox Herculem convertit, L.: ter se, O.: vias, V.: caeli conversa per auras, wheeled, V.: conversae acies nituntur, face to face, V.: conversis in eam partem navibus, Cs.: haec (sica) conversa est in me: conversā cuspide montem Impulit, pointed the spear and struck, V.: se in Phrygiam, N.: ad hunc se, Cs.: colla ad freta, O.: legiones ab itinere ad suam potentiam, withdraw ... to reinforce, Cs.: tigna contra vim fluminis, Cs.: aspectum quo vellent.—Of an army, to wheel, turn, change the direction of: conversa signa in hostes inferre, change front and charge, Cs.: signa ad hostem converti, to face the enemy, Cs.: sese, to retreat, Cs.: conversis signis redire, L.: itinere converso, by a flank movement, Cs.: acies in fugam conversa, routed, Cs.: convorso equo, S.—Intrans, to return, turn away: ad pedites, S.: in regnum suum, S.: ad uxorem Silviam, Ta. — Fig., trans, to turn, direct, throw back: risum in iudicem: haec ad suos quaestūs: animum ad curam, L.: se ad timorem: subitam convertor in iram, O.: animos: aculeum testimoni sui: omen in ipsum, V.: se ad eos, to their support, N.: omnium ora in me convorsa esse, S.— To attract, fix, rivet, draw: volgi ora, H.: animos, L.—To change, alter, transform, turn, convert, pervert: se ex homine in beluam: tellus Induit conversa figuras, O.: rem p., to bring into disorder: animum avaritiā, S.: civitatis lingua convorsa conubio Numidarum, S.: castra castris, to change continually, Cs.: conversa numina, alienated, V.: casūs conversi, which undergo a change of form: ad salutem convorti hoc malum, T.: ludi ad funus civitatis conversi: id ad salutem, N.: Deum in hominem, T.: in classem nymphas, V.: praemia in pestem, S.: amicitiae se in graves inimicitias. —To translate: aliqua de Graecis: librum in Latinum.—Intrans, to change, turn, be changed, go over, C.: imperium in superbiam, S.: ad aliquem, to the support of: ad sapientiora, Ta.
Origins
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱe?
- Proto-Indo-European*ḱóm
- Proto-Italic*kom
- Proto-Italic*kom-
- Proto-Indo-European*wert-
- Proto-Indo-European*wértetor
- Proto-Italic*wertō
- Proto-Italic*komwertō
- Latinconvertō
Inherited from Proto-Italic *komwertō. By surface analysis, con- + vertō.
Descendants
- Catalanconvertir
- Englishconvertfrom Old French convertir
- Frenchconvertirfrom Old French convertir
- Germankonvertierenfrom Old French convertir
- Italianconvertire
- Occitanconvertir
- Portugueseconverter
- Romanianconverti
- Spanishconvertir
- Dutchconverteren