reversal

Etymology

It is formed from English reverse + -al,^{[2][3][4][5][6]} originally in legal use after Anglo-Norman reversaille,^[2] which is recorded from 1341 in the sense of revocation or annulment.^[7] Merriam-Webster Unabridged derives it from the Middle English verb reversen.^[8] The verb reverse is from Old French reverser, from Late Latin reversō (“to turn about, turn back”), a frequentative of revertō (“to turn back”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

In law, the annulment of a judgment, sentence or decree: 1489–90, in the Rolls of Parliament.^[2][3][5]

Semantic evolution

Johnson (1755) knew only the legal sense, "change of sentence", quoting Bacon on the reversal of attainders under Henry VII.^[9] The general senses came in the 17th century: the opposite of something (before 1626), and the action of reversing or a change to the opposite direction or course (1648);^[2] the Shorter Oxford dates the general sense to the late 17th century.^[4] Like the noun reverse, it was used for a change of fortune from 1842, and for a setback or defeat from 1846.^[2] Later technical uses include the production of a positive print from a negative in photography (1859) and a return to a former state (1862).^[2]

Timeline

• 1489 – law, annulment of a judgment.^[2]
• before 1626 – the opposite or contrary of something.^[2]
• 1648 – the action of reversing; a change to the opposite course.^[2]
• 1842 – a change of fortune.^[2]
• 1846 – a setback, a defeat.^[2]
• 1859 – photography, conversion between negative and positive.^[2]
• 1862 – a return to a former state or practice.^[2]

Meanings

Noun

1. The act of reversing, or the fact of being reversed; a change to the opposite direction, position or course: a reversal of policy on taxes.^[10][8][2]
2. A change for the worse; a setback or defeat: The team suffered a reversal in the final match.^[10][2]
3. (law) The annulment of a judgment, especially by a higher court on appeal.^[10][8][2]
4. (photography) The production of a positive image from a negative, or the reverse.^[2]

Word family

• prereversal
• time reversal

Related words

• reverse
• revert
• reversion
• converse
• inversion

Usage notes

The OED also records a separate obsolete adjective reversal, used from 1619 to 1798 of a letter containing a promise (letters reversal), which has a separate source, French réversal.^[2]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
5. ^ a b Stevenson, Angus, ed. (2010), Oxford Dictionary of English, 3rd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
6. ^ Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
7. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
8. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
9. ^ Johnson, Samuel (1755), A Dictionary of the English Language, London; 4th ed. 1773; Johnson's Dictionary Online, ed. Beth Rapp Young et al.
10. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins