Past tense of 'overturn,' meaning to reverse a decision, typically a legal ruling, or to physically turn something upside down. Commonly used in legal contexts when higher courts reverse lower court decisions.
From Old English 'ofer' (over) plus 'turnian' (to turn), literally meaning to turn over or upside down. The legal sense developed in Middle English as judicial systems formalized appeal processes.
When courts 'overturn' decisions, they're using a metaphor as old as civilization—the idea that justice can be literally turned upside down, flipped like a coin or a cart. This physical imagery reflects our deep intuition that legal reversals don't just change outcomes, they fundamentally invert power relationships.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.