Revers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The turned-back edge of a garment, such as the facing of a lapel or collar ; the reverse face of a coin or medal, opposite the main design
2. A folded-back section of cloth on a jacket or coat front ; the back side of a coin or medallion, bearing the secondary design
3. The part of a garment that is folded over to show a contrasting surface ; the opposite face of a coin or medal from its obverse

Etymology: The English "revers" is a straight borrowing from French, where "revers" means "lapel" or "reverse side." The French word is itself the same word as the English "reverse," which entered English from Old French and Latin, so the two are doublets: one came into English directly through French as a term for the turned-back edge of a garment, while the other arrived as the everyday word for the opposite or back side of something. The meaning is literal. A revers is the part of a jacket, coat or lapel that folds back on itself to show the inner fabric, so the word describes the garment's own turned-back surface rather than any abstract idea of reversal. The same French root gives the sense of backward motion in both languages, which is why the lapel and the reverse of a coin or page are linked in origin.