Turned upside down or inside out; reversed from the normal or expected position. Can refer to physical orientation or abstract concepts like logic or values.
From Latin 'invertere' meaning to turn around or overturn, from 'in-' (into) + 'vertere' (to turn). Entered English in the 16th century, initially used in geometric and scientific contexts before expanding to general use.
The concept of inversion appears everywhere from music theory (inverted chords) to psychology (inverted thinking) to economics (inverted yield curves), showing how this spatial metaphor has become fundamental to describing abstract relationships. When markets or social hierarchies become 'inverted,' we immediately understand that something unusual is happening.
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