n.
Pronunciation: in- ' v ə r-zh ə n, -sh ə n
Function: noun
Date: 1586
1 : a reversal of position, order, form, or relationship: as a (1) : a change in normal word order especially : the placement of a verb before its subject (2) : the process or result of changing or reversing the relative positions of the notes of a musical interval, chord, or phrase b : the condition of being turned inward or inside out c : a breaking off of a chromosome section and its subsequent reattachment in inverted position also : a chromosomal section that has undergone this process
2 : the act or process of inverting
3 a : a change in the order of the terms of a mathematical proportion effected by inverting each ratio b : the operation of forming the inverse of a magnitude, a function, an operation, or an element
4 a : the conversion of dextrorotatory sucrose into a levorotatory mixture of glucose and fructose b : a change from one stereochemical figuration at a chiral center in a usually organic molecule to the opposite configuration that is brought about by a reaction in which a substitution of one group is made for a different group
5 : HOMOSEXUALITY
6 : an increase of temperature with height through a layer of air