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Definition of Inversion in English :

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Inversion

see synonyms of inversion

Noun

1. inversion

the layer of air near the earth is cooler than an overlying layer

2. inversion

abnormal condition in which an organ is turned inward or inside out (as when the upper part of the uterus is pulled into the cervical canal after childbirth)

3. inversion

a chemical process in which the direction of optical rotation of a substance is reversed from dextrorotatory to levorotary or vice versa

4. inversion

(genetics) a kind of mutation in which the order of the genes in a section of a chromosome is reversed

5. anastrophe, inversion

the reversal of the normal order of words

6. inversion

(counterpoint) a variation of a melody or part in which ascending intervals are replaced by descending intervals and vice versa

7. inversion, sexual inversion

a term formerly used to mean taking on the gender role of the opposite sex

8. inversion, upending

turning upside down; setting on end

9. eversion, everting, inversion

the act of turning inside out

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Inversion

see synonyms of inversion
noun
1. 
the act of inverting or state of being inverted
2. 
something inverted, esp a reversal of order, mutual functions, etc
an inversion of their previous relationship
3. Also called: anastrophe rhetoric
the reversal of a normal order of words
4. chemistry
a. 
the conversion of a dextrorotatory solution of sucrose into a laevorotatory solution of glucose and fructose by hydrolysis
b. 
any similar reaction in which the optical properties of the reactants are opposite to those of the products
5. music
a. 
the process or result of transposing the notes of a chord (esp a triad) such that the root, originally in the bass, is placed in an upper part. When the bass note is the third of the triad, the resulting chord is the first inversion; when it is the fifth, the resulting chord is the second inversion
See also root position
b. 
(in counterpoint) the modification of a melody or part in which all ascending intervals are replaced by corresponding descending intervals and vice versa
c. 
the modification of an interval in which the higher note becomes the lower or the lower one the higher
complement (sense 8)
6. pathology
abnormal positioning of an organ or part, as in being upside down or turned inside out
7. psychiatry
a. 
the adoption of the role or characteristics of the opposite sex
b.  another word for homosexuality
8. meteorology
an abnormal condition in which the layer of air next to the earth's surface is cooler than an overlying layer
9. anatomy, phonetics another word for retroflexion (sense 2)
10. computing
an operation by which each digit of a binary number is changed to the alternative digit, as 10110 to 01001
11. genetics
a type of chromosomal mutation in which a section of a chromosome, and hence the order of its genes, is reversed
12. logic
the process of deriving the inverse of a categorial proposition
13. mathematics
a transformation that takes a point P to a point P′ such that OP·OP′ = a2, where a is a constant and P and P′ lie on a straight line through a fixed point O and on the same side of it

Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers

Inversion

see synonyms of inversion
noun
1. 
an inverting or being inverted
2. 
something inverted; reversal
3.  Chemistry
a. 
a chemical change in which an optically active substance is converted into another substance having no effect, or the opposite rotatory effects, on the plane of polarization
b. 
the conversion of an isomeric compound to its opposite
4.  Grammar and Rhetoric
a reversal of the normal order of words in a sentence (Ex.: “said he” for “he said”)
5.  Ancient Mathematics
a. 
the process of using an opposite rule or method
b. 
an interchange of the terms of a ratio
6.  Meteorology
an atmospheric condition in which the normal properties of layers of air are reversed; esp., a temperature reversal in which a layer of warm air traps cooler air near the surface of the earth, preventing the normal rising of surface air
7.  Music
a. 
the reversal of the position of the tones in an interval or chord, as by raising the lower tone by an octave, etc.
b. 
the recurrence of a theme, fugue subject, motive, or figure in identical intervals and note values, but consistently in the opposite direction
8.  Phonetics
a position of the tongue in which the tip is turned upward and backward
9.  Psychiatry
homosexuality
now seldom used

Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.

Inversion

see synonyms of inversion
n.
1.
a. The act of inverting.
b. The state of being inverted.
2. An interchange of position of adjacent objects in a sequence, especially a change in normal word order, such as the placement of a verb before its subject.
3. Music
a. A rearrangement of tones in which the upper and lower voices of a melody are transposed, as in counterpoint.
b. A rearrangement of tones in which each interval in a single melody is applied in the opposite direction.
c. An arrangement of the tones of a chord such that the root is not the lowest pitch, as in the rearrangement of the C-major triad CEG to EGC.
4. Psychology In early psychology, behavior or attitudes in an individual considered typical of the opposite sex, including sexual attraction to members of one's own sex. No longer in scientific use.
5. Chemistry Conversion of a substance in which the direction of optical rotation is reversed, from the dextrorotatory to the levorotatory or from the levorotatory to the dextrorotatory form.
6. Meteorology An atmospheric condition in which the air temperature rises with increasing altitude, holding surface air down and preventing dispersion of pollutants.
7. Genetics A chromosomal rearrangement in which a segment of the chromosome breaks off and reattaches in the reverse direction.

The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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