The act of turning toward or facing; opposition or adverse action (archaic).
From Latin 'adversio' (a turning toward), derived from 'adversus' (turned toward, opposite). The word entered English in the 17th-18th centuries as a philosophical or rhetorical term but has become extremely rare in modern usage.
This word is buried in old medical and philosophical texts where doctors discussed how organs 'turned toward' each other or diseases worked against the body—it's like finding the skeleton key to understanding how earlier scholars talked about opposition.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.