Lewis Short
(v. a.v. n.P. a.) : 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).
* Lit.
* In gen.
* Trop.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.—Hence, āver-sus, a, um, P. 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).
* Disinclined, alienated, unfavorable, opposed, hostile, averse; constr. with ab, with dat., or absol.
* 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.
* 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.).
* 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.
Charlton T. Lewis, Charles Short, A Latin Dictionary