v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Inverted; p. pr. & vb. n. Inverting. ] [ L. invertere, inversum; pref. in- in + vertere to turn. See Verse. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. To turn over; to put upside down; to upset; to place in a contrary order or direction; to reverse; as, to invert a cup, the order of words, rules of justice, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

That doth invert the attest of eyes and ears,
As if these organs had deceptious functions. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Such reasoning falls like an inverted cone,
Wanting its proper base to stand upon. Cowper. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Mus.) To change the position of; -- said of tones which form a chord, or parts which compose harmony. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To divert; to convert to a wrong use. [ Obs. ] Knolles. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Chem.) To convert; to reverse; to decompose by, or subject to, inversion. See Inversion, n., 10. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. (Chem.) To undergo inversion, as sugar. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Chem.) Subjected to the process of inversion; inverted; converted; as, invert sugar. [ 1913 Webster ]

Invert sugar (Chem.), a variety of sugar, consisting of a mixture of dextrose and levulose, found naturally in fruits, and produced artificially by the inversion of cane sugar (sucrose); also, less properly, the grape sugar or dextrose obtained from starch. See Inversion, Dextrose, Levulose, and Sugar. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Masonry) An inverted arch. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Chem.) (a) An enzyme capable of effecting the inversion of cane suger, producing invert sugar. It is found in many plants and in the intestines of animals. (b) By extension, any enzyme which splits cane sugar, milk sugar, lactose, etc., into monosaccharides. [ Webster 1913 Suppl. ]

a. (Zool.) Same as Invertebrate. [ 1913 Webster ]

‖n. pl. [ NL., fr. L. in- not + vertebratus vertebrate. ] (Zool.) A comprehensive division of the animal kingdom, including all except the Vertebrata. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. (Zool.) Destitute of a backbone; having no vertebræ; of or pertaining to the Invertebrata. -- n. One of the Invertebrata. [ 1913 Webster ]

Age of invertebrates. See Age, and Silurian. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having no backbone; invertebrate. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. [ 1913 Webster ]

1. Changed to a contrary or counterchanged order; reversed; characterized by inversion. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Geol.) Situated apparently in reverse order, as strata when folded back upon themselves by upheaval. [ 1913 Webster ]

Inverted arch (Arch.), an arch placed with crown downward; -- much used in foundations. [ 1913 Webster ]