ā-verto (arch. -vorto; in MSS. also abverto; cf. ab init.), ti, sum, 3, v. a., to turn something away from a place, to avert, turn off, remove, etc. (opp. adverto).
I Lit.
A In gen.
a Constr. aliquem ab or with the simple abl.; the limit designated by in with acc. (more rarely by ad ): ab saxo avortit fluctus ad litus scapham, Plaut. Rud. 1, 2, 76: Jup. Te volo, uxor, conloqui. Quor ted avortisti? Alc. Est ita ingenium meum: Inimicos semper osa sum optuerier, id. Am. 3, 2, 18: (M. Lepidus) Antonio diadema Caesari imponente se avertit, Cic. Phil. 5, 14; id. Balb. 5, 11: aliquid ab oculis, id. N. D. 2, 56, 141: nos flumina arcemus, dirigimus, avertimus, turn off , id. ib. 2, 60, 152; so Liv. 41, 11, 3: quod iter ab Arari Helvetii averterant, had turned aside their march from Caes. B. G. 1, 16 et saep.: locis seminis ic tum, Lucr. 4, 1273: Italiā Teucrorum regem, Verg. A. 1, 42: a ceteris omnium in se oculos, Liv. 2, 5, 6: in comitiorum disceptationem ab lege certamen, id. 3, 24, 9: ab hominibus ad deos preces, id. 6, 20, 10: se alicui, instead of ab aliquo. Col. 6, 37, 10.—And poet. with acc.: quo regnum Italiae Libycas averteret oras, Verg. A. 4, 106. —With dat.: Quod mihi non patrii poterant avertere amici, Prop. 4, 24, 9; so Val. Fl. 3, 491.—Also without an antecedent ab (since this is included in the verb) with in with acc. : in fugam classem, Liv. 22, 19, 11: dissipatos in fugam, id. 34, 15, 2; hence absol. : mille acies avertit avertetque (sc. in fugam), put to flight, id. 9, 19, 17.—
b Pass. in mid. signif. with the acc., in the Greek manner, to turn away from : equus fontes avertitur, Verg. G. 3, 499 (cf. the Gr. ἀποστρέφεσθαι τὸ ὕδωρ, and aversari): oppositas impasta avertitur herbas, Stat. Th. 6, 192; Petr. 124, 248.—
c As v. n. avertere = se avertere, to turn one's self away , to retire : ob eam causam huc abs te avorti, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 83: ecce avortit, id. ib. 2, 2, 50: dixit et avertens roseā cervice refulsit, Verg. A. 1, 402: tum prora avertit, id. ib. 1, 104: avertit et ire in Capitolium coepit, Gell. 4, 18, 4 al.—
B To take away , drive away , carry off , steal , embezzle , to appropriate to one’s self : pecuniam publicam, Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 4: compertum publicam pecuniam avertisse, Tac. H. 1, 53: aliquid domum tuam, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 19: praedam omnem domum avertebant, Caes. B. C. 3, 59: intellexistis innumerabilem frumenti numerum per triennium aversum a re publicā esse ereptumque aratoribus, Cic. Verr. 2, 3, 69 fin. : auratam Colchis pellem, to carry off , Cat. 64, 5: quattuor a stabulis tauros, Verg. A. 8, 208: avertere praedas, id. ib. 10, 78: carā pisces avertere mensā, Hor. S. 2, 4, 37.—
II Trop.
A To turn , divert a person from a course of action, purpose, etc.: accusandi terrores et minae populi opinionem a spe adipiscendi avertunt, Cic. Mur. 21: avertant animos a spe recuperandae arcis, Liv. 9, 24, 11: qui mentem optimi viri a defensione meae salutis averterant, Cic. Sest. 31: ut nec vobis averteretur a certamine animus, Liv. 1, 28, 5: animum a pietate, id. 7, 5, 7: aliquem ab incepto avertit, id. 23, 18, 9: a philosophiā, Suet. Ner. 52.—
B Aliquem, to turn away from one in feeling , i. e. to make averse or disinclined to , to alienate , estrange : legiones abducis a Bruto. Quas? nempe eas, quas ille a C. Antonii scelere avertit et ad rem publicam suā auctoritate traduxit, Cic. Phil. 10, 3: ipse Pompeius totum se ab ejus (sc. Caesaris) amicitiā averterat, had quite alienated himself from , Caes. B. C. 1, 4: civitates ab alicujus amicitiā, id. ib. 3, 79: popularium animos, Sall. J. 111, 2: futurum, uti totius Galliae animi a se averterentur, Caes. B. G. 1, 20: nobis mentem deorum, Cat. 64, 406.
X —Hence, āver-sus , a, um, P. a.
A Turned off or away : aversum hostem videre nemo potuit, turned away , i. e. turned in flight , Caes. B. G. 1, 26; hence, backwards , behind , back ( = a tergo; opp. adversus), distant : et adversus et aversus impudicus es, before and behind , Cic. de Or. 2, 63, 256: canities homini semper a priori parte capitis, tum deinde ab aversā, Plin. 11, 37, 47, § 131; 11, 52, 113, § 272: ne aversos nostros aggrederentur, fall upon our troops in the rear , Galba ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 30, 3: ne aversi ab hoste circumvenirentur, from behind , in the rear , Caes. B. G. 2, 26: aversos proterere, id. B. C. 2, 41: aversi vulnerantur, Auct. B. Alex. 30; 32: aversum ferro transfixit, Nep. Dat. 11, 5: aversos boves caudis in speluncam traxit, backwards , Liv. 1, 7, 5 (cf. Prop. 5, 9, 12: Aversos caudā traxit in antra boves): aversa hosti porta, Tac. A. 1, 66: scribit in aversā Picens epigrammata chartā, upon the back of the paper , Mart. 8, 62 (cf. Juv. 1, 6: liber scriptus in tergo), and so al.—Trop.: milites aversi a proelio, withdrawn from the battle , Caes. B. C. 2, 12. —Subst.: āversum , i, n., the hinder or back part , the back (as subst. only in the plur.): per aversa castrorum receptus est, Vell. 2, 63 Ruhnk.: per aversa urbis fugam dederat, Liv. 5, 29, 4: ad aversa insulae, id. 37, 27, 2: aversa montis, Plin. 4, 11, 18, § 41: aversa Indiae, the back or remoter parts of India , id. 37, 8, 33, § 110.—So in adverb. phrase: in aversum, backwards : Cetera animalia in aversum posterioribus pedibus quam prioribus, Plin. 11, 45, 101, § 248 (Jan, in diversum ): collum circum agit (lynx) in aversum, id. 11, 47, 107, § 256 (Jan, in aversum se; Sillig, in adversum ). —
B Disinclined , alienated , unfavorable , opposed , hostile , averse; constr. with ab , with dat., or absol.
α With ab (so most frequently in Cicero): aversus a Musis, Cic. Arch. 9, 20: aversus a vero, id. Cat. 3, 9, 21: turbidi animorum motus, aversi a ratione, et inimicissimi mentis vitaeque tranquillae, id. Tusc. 4, 15, 34: Quintus aversissimo a me animo fuit, id. Att. 11, 5 fin. ; Col. 11, 1, 14: aversissimus ab istis prodigiis sum, Sen. Ep. 50.—
β With dat.: aversus mercaturis, Hor. S. 2, 3, 107: vilicus aversus contubernio, Col. 12, 1, 2: defensioni aversior, Quint. 7, 1, 11 (but acc. to the MSS., adversior seems here to deserve the preference; so Halm; cf. Spald. and Zumpt ad h. l.).—
γ Absol. : aversa deae mens, Verg. A. 2, 170: aversa voluntas, id. ib. 12, 647: aversos soliti componere amicos, Hor. S. 1, 5, 29: aversus animus, Tac. H. 4, 80 et saep.: vultus aversior, Sen. Ira, 2, 24: aversi animis, Tac. A. 14, 26.—Adv. not used.