(adj.adj.adv.adv.) : rētrō-versus or -sum (-vorsus, and sync. rētrōrsus, -sum, also rē-trōsus, Tert. Apol. 19), a, um, adj. verto
* Turned back or backwards (adj. very rare, but freq. as adv.; v.infra).
* Form rē-trōversus: Medusae Ipse retroversus squalentia prodidit ora,Ov. M. 4, 655: retroversi ortus omen,Sol. 4. — Trop.: argumentum,confuted,Lact. 1, 16 fin.
* Lit.
* Trop., back, as to time, former, earlier; so only in comp.: retrosior,older,Tert. Apol. 19.—Hence, adv., in four forms: retrorsum (the predom. one, class.), retrorsus, retrovorsum, and retroversus, back, backwards, behind.
* Trop.
* Form rētrōrsus: dare terga metu, Val. Fl. 3, 268: cedentem,Sil. 11, 513; App. M. 3, p. 143, 39.
* Form rētrōvorsum: cedam, imitabor nepam, Plaut. Fragm. ap. Non. 145, 14; Macr. S. 1, 17.
* Form rētrōversus: colonia crescit tamquam coda vituli,Petr. 44, 12.
* In time, back, before, earlier (jurid. Lat.): retrorsus ad id tempus, etc.,Dig. 15, 1, 32 fin.: retrorsum se actio refert,ib. 13, 5, 18.
* In other relations, back, backwards, in return, in reversed order.
* Form rētrōr-sum: ex terrā aqua, ex aquā oritur aer, ex aëre aether; deinde retrorsum vicissim ex aethere aër, etc.,Cic. N. D. 2, 33, 84 (cf. the like use of retro, Lucr. 1, 785): ut viros ac feminas, diem ac noctem dicas potius, quam retrorsum,Quint. 9, 4, 23; 7, 1, 25: quaedam et retrorsum idem valent,id. 5, 9, 6: sed omnia retrorsum,Flor. 4, 12, 25.
* Form rētrōrsus: ac si retrorsus homo mihi venisset,Dig. 44, 3, 6, § 1.