con|vers´er

con|verse¹ «verb. kuhn VURS; noun. KON vurs», verb, -versed, -vers|ing, noun.

–v.i.

1. to talk together in an informal way; engage in conversation. SYNONYM(S): chat.

2. to hold spiritual communion (with): »

and there converse with nature (James Thomson).

3. Obsolete. to consort; keep company (with).

–n.

1. conversation; discourse; talk: »

In like manner as he enjoyed the converse of learned men so also did he take pleasure in the study of eminent writers (Atlantic).

2. spiritual intercourse; communion: »

Like the ships upon the sea which hold an hour's converse (Alexander Smith).

╂[< Old French converser, learned borrowing from Latin conversārī live with, dwell in < convertere to change < com- around + vertere turn]

–con|vers´er, noun.

con|verse² «adjective. kuhn VURS, KON vurs; noun. KON vurs», adjective, noun.

–adj.

1. opposite or contrary in direction or action: »

A converse wind slowed down the airplane.

2. reversed in order; turned about: »

The converse order of the alphabet is from “z” to “a.”

–n.

1. a thing, especially a statement, that is turned around, opposite, or contrary to something else: »

“Honest but poor” is the converse of “Poor but honest.”

2. Logic. a proposition obtained from another proposition as the result of conversion.

╂[< Latin conversus turned around, past participle of convertere; see etym. under converse¹ (Cf. ↑converse)]