Dictionary

inversive en · ADJ

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Latin invers-, the past participial stem of invertō, + -ive.

Meanings

1. Of, pertaining to, characterised by, or causing inversion.
   • In fact, the most inversive of all such moves is Goffman's use of players as models for those involved in serious activities. 1983, Raritan, volume 3, page 90:
   • For example, while the French inversive prefix dé- only attaches to transitive dynamic verbs, HC [Haitian Creole] de- can attach to both transitive and intransitive verbs, whether dynamic or stative. 2002, Claire Lefebvre, “The emergence of productive morphology in creole languages: the case of Haitian Creole”, in Geert Booij, Jaap van Marle, editors, Yearbook of Morphology 2002, Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, published 2003, →DOI, →ISBN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 08 Jun 2026, “The morphology of creole languages” section (guest editor: Ingo Plag), page 36:
   • The sexual revolution was in many ways inversive, turning many older ideas on their heads.
   • The more inversive, peer-oriented, outdoor activities precede Halloween, while the family gatherings, meal, fireworks, and bonfire all take place on Halloween itself. 2015, Jack Santino, The Hallowed Eve: Dimensions of Culture in a Calendar Festival in Northern Ireland, page 140:

Forms

Deriveds

inversive geometry · inversively