Inverting

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Changing the usual position or order of something to the opposite arrangement ; turning something so that its top becomes the bottom or inside becomes outside
2. Rearranging elements in a reverse sequence or orientation ; flipping or rotating an object to reverse its normal position or exposure
3. Altering the standard sequence to its inverse ; inverting involves rotating or turning an item fully to expose its underside or inner surface

Etymology: The word "inverting" is simply the present participle of "invert", so its history is that of the verb. "Invert" came into English from Middle French "invertir", which turned the Latin "invertere", meaning "to turn upside down or inside out" (from "in-", "into", plus "vertere", "to turn"). The core idea of turning something over to expose its other side has stayed constant, and the newer sense of reversing a sequence grew naturally out of it. English also has a second, unrelated "invert" that is a shortened form of "invertebrate", meaning an animal without a backbone. The two share a spelling by coincidence, so the everyday verb and the zoological noun have separate routes into the language.

Synonyms: reversing, turning, upending, flipping, transposing

Antonyms: stabilizing, maintaining, preserving, holding, keeping