converse

1
[ verb kuhn-vurs; noun kon-vurs ]
/ verb kənˈvɜrs; noun ˈkɒn vɜrs /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR converse ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), con·versed, con·vers·ing.

to talk informally with another or others; exchange views, opinions, etc., by talking.
Archaic. to maintain a familiar association (usually followed by with).
Obsolete. to have sexual intercourse (usually followed by with).

noun

familiar discourse or talk; conversation.

Origin of converse

1
1300–50; Middle English conversen < Middle French converser < Latin conversārī to associate with. See con-, verse

OTHER WORDS FROM converse

con·vers·er, noun

Words nearby converse

conversational, conversational implicature, conversational quality, conversationalist, conversazione, converse, conversely, conversion, conversion disorder, conversion ratio, conversion table

Definition for converse (2 of 3)

converse 2
[ adjective kuh n-vurs, kon-vurs; noun kon-vurs ]
/ adjective kənˈvɜrs, ˈkɒn vɜrs; noun ˈkɒn vɜrs /

adjective

opposite or contrary in direction, action, sequence, etc.; turned around.

noun

something opposite or contrary.
Logic.
  1. a proposition obtained from another proposition by conversion.
  2. the relation between two terms, one of which is related to the other in a given manner, as “younger than” to “older than.”
a group of words correlative with a preceding group but having a significant pair of terms interchanged, as “hot in winter but cold in summer” and “cold in winter but hot in summer.”

Origin of converse

2
1350–1400; Middle English convers (< Anglo-French) < Latin conversus past participle of convertere to turn around, equivalent to con- con- + vert- turn + -tus past participle suffix; see convert1

OTHER WORDS FROM converse

con·verse·ly [kuh n-vurs-lee, kon-vurs-] /kənˈvɜrs li, ˈkɒn vɜrs-/, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH converse

converse inverse obverse reverse

Definition for converse (3 of 3)

Converse
[ kon-vurs ]
/ ˈkɒn vɜrs /

noun

Frederick Shep·herd [shep-erd] /ˈʃɛp ərd/,1871–1940, U.S. composer.

Words related to converse

inverse, reverse, obverse, antithesis, counter, contrary, antipode, contra, commune, use, yak, chat, parley, chitchat, exchange, confer, discourse, rap, gab, speak

Example sentences from the Web for converse

British Dictionary definitions for converse (1 of 2)

converse 1

verb (kənˈvɜːs) (intr often foll by with)

to engage in conversation (with)
to commune spiritually (with)
obsolete
  1. to associate; consort
  2. to have sexual intercourse

noun (ˈkɒnvɜːs)

conversation (often in the phrase hold converse with)
obsolete
  1. fellowship or acquaintance
  2. sexual intercourse

Derived forms of converse

converser, noun

Word Origin for converse

C16: from Old French converser, from Latin conversārī to keep company with, from conversāre to turn constantly, from vertere to turn

British Dictionary definitions for converse (2 of 2)

converse 2
/ (ˈkɒnvɜːs) /

adjective

(prenominal) reversed; opposite; contrary

noun

something that is opposite or contrary
logic
  1. a categorical proposition obtained from another by the transposition of subject and predicate, as no bad man is bald from no bald man is bad
  2. a proposition so derived, possibly by weakening a universal proposition to the corresponding particular, as some socialists are rich from all rich men are socialists
logic maths a relation that holds between two relata only when a given relation holds between them in reverse order: thus father of is the converse of son of

Word Origin for converse

C16: from Latin conversus turned around; see converse 1