rē^trō-versus — Lewis & Short
rē^trō-versus or -sum (-vorsus, and sync. rē^trōrsus, -sum, also rē^-trōsus, a, um, adj.verto,
Tert. Apol. 19),I turned back or backwards (adj. very rare, but freq. as adv.; v. infra).
(a) Form rē^-trōversus:
Medusae Ipse retroversus squalentia prodidit ora,Ov. M. 4, 655:
retroversi ortus omen,Sol. 4. — Trop.:
argumentum,confuted, Lact. 1, 16 fin.—
(b) Form rē^trōrsus:
retrorsā manu,Plin. 26, 9, 60, § 93:
denique saepe retrorsa respiciens (mulier) substitit,App. M. 2, 6 Hild. p. 101 Oud. (retrorsus, p. 101 Elm.).—
B Trop., back, as to time, former, earlier; so only in comp.:
retrosior,older, Tert. Apol. 19.—Hence, adv., in four forms: retrorsum (the predom. one, class.), retrorsus, retrovorsum, and retroversus, back, backwards, behind.
I Lit.
(a) Form rē^trōrsum:
me vestigia terrent, Omnia te adversum spectantia, nulla retrorsum,Hor. Ep. 1, 1, 75:
vela dare,id. C. 1, 34, 3; cf.:
mutata te ferat aura,id. Ep. 1, 18, 88:
rejectae Hannibalis minae,id. C. 4, 8, 16; cf.
redire,Plin. 9, 31, 51, § 99.—
(b) Form rē^trōrsus: dare terga metu, Val. Fl. 3, 268:
cedentem,Sil. 11, 513; App. M. 3, p. 143, 39.—
(g) Form rē^trōvorsum: cedam, imitabor nepam, Plaut. Fragm. ap. Non. 145, 14; Macr. S. 1, 17. —
(d) Form rē^trōversus:
colonia crescit tamquam coda vituli,Petr. 44, 12.—
II Trop.
a In time, back, before, earlier (jurid. Lat.):
retrorsus ad id tempus, etc.,Dig. 15, 1, 32 fin.:
retrorsum se actio refert,ib. 13, 5, 18.—
b In other relations, back, backwards, in return, in reversed order.
(a) Form rē^trōr-sum: ex terrā aqua, ex aquā oritur aer, ex aëre aether;
deinde retrorsum vicissim ex aethere aër, etc.,Cic. N. D. 2, 33, 84 (cf. the like use of retro, Lucr. 1, 785):
ut viros ac feminas, diem ac noctem dicas potius, quam retrorsum,Quint. 9, 4, 23; 7, 1, 25:
quaedam et retrorsum idem valent,id. 5, 9, 6:
sed omnia retrorsum,Flor. 4, 12, 25.—
(b) Form rē^trōrsus:
ac si retrorsus homo mihi venisset,Dig. 44, 3, 6, § 1.