pervert. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

pervert

SYLLABICATION:	per·vert
PRONUNCIATION:	pr-vûrt
TRANSITIVE VERB:	Inflected forms: per·vert·ed, per·vert·ing, per·verts 1. To cause to turn away from what is right, proper, or good; corrupt. 2. To bring to a bad or worse condition; debase. 3. To put to a wrong or improper use; misuse. See synonyms at corrupt. 4. To interpret incorrectly; misconstrue or distort: an analysis that perverts the meaning of the poem.
NOUN:	(pûrvûrt) One who practices sexual perversion.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English perverten, from Old French pervertir, from Latin pervertere : per-, per- + vertere, to turn; see wer-² in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS:	per·verter —NOUN per·verti·ble —ADJECTIVE


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.