I. adverb
also top·sy-tur·vey -vē, -vi
Etymology: earlier topsy-tirvy, topsy-tervy, probably from tops (plural of top ) (I) + -y (diminutive suffix) + obsolete English tirve, terve to turn, turn upside down (from Middle English terven, probably from — assumed — Old English tierfan ) + English -y (diminutive suffix); akin to Old English tearflian to turn, roll — more at tirl
1. : in an inverted posture : with the top or head downward : upside down
fall topsy-turvy
2. : in a state where proper or normal places, values, standards, objects, or facts are reversed
the lives of two families are turned topsy-turvy — Evangeline Davis
II. adjective
( sometimes -er/-est )
: turned topsy-turvy : totally disordered : reversed
interprets the … licensing regulations to suit its own topsy-turvy hours of labor — Dorothy Sayers
III. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
: to turn or make topsy-turvy
make in places the order of sedimentation a topsy-turvied sequence — W.E.Swinton
IV. noun
( -es )
: topsy-turviness