twisting or changing something from its original good purpose into something bad or wrong.
From Latin 'pervertere': 'per-' meaning 'thoroughly' and 'vertere' meaning 'to turn.' So it literally means 'to turn thoroughly away' from the right path or purpose.
The word suggests a kind of corruption or twist—which is why it shows up in discussions of justice ('perversion of justice') because the system is being turned from its proper purpose of fairness.
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