sub·vert (sb-vûrt)


      v. tr. sub·vert·ed, sub·vert·ing,
      sub·verts.

      
1.To destroy completely;
      ruin: "schemes to subvert the liberties of a great community"

      (Alexander Hamilton). 

      2.To undermine the character, morals, or allegiance of; corrupt.


      3.To overthrow completely: "Economic assistance . . . must
      subvert the existing . . . feudal or tribal order" (Henry
      A. Kissinger). See Synonyms at overthrow.

      
[Middle English subverten,
      from Old French subvertir, from Latin subvertere: sub-, sub-
      + vertere, to turn; see wer-2 in Indo-European Roots.]

      
sub·verter n.

      
I.Root *wert-,
      to turn, wind. 

      1. a. i.-ward, from Old English -weard, toward (< "turned
      toward"); ii.inward, from Old English inweard, inward, from
      Germanic *inwarth, inward (*in, in; see en). Both (i) and (ii)
      from Germanic variant *warth; b.worth1; stalwart, from Old English
      weorth, worth, valuable, and derivative noun weorth, wierth,
      value, from Germanic derivative *werthaz, "toward, opposite,"
      hence "equivalent, worth," perhaps from wer-2. Both
      a and b from Germanic *werth-. 2. worth2, from Old English weorthan,
      to befall, from Germanic *werthan, to become (< "to turn
      into"). 3.Zero-grade form *wt-. weird, from Old English
      wyrd, fate, destiny (< "that which befalls one"),
      from Germanic *wurthi-. 4. versatile, verse, version,
      versus, vertebra, vertex, vertigo, vortex; adverse, anniversary,
      avert, bouleversement, extrorse, (extroversion), extrovert, introrse,
      introvert, invert, malversation, obvert, pervert, prose,
      retrorse, revert, sinistrorse, subvert, tergiversate, transverse,
      universe, from Latin vertere, to turn, with its frequentative
      versre, to turn, and passive versr, to stay, behave (< "to
      move around a place, frequent"). 5. verst, from Russian
      versta, line, from Balto-Slavic *wirst-, a turn, bend. II. Root
      *wreit-, to turn. 1. a.wreath, from Old English writha, band
      (< "that which is wound around"); b.writhe, from
      Old English wrthan, to twist, torture; c.wrath, wroth, from Old
      English wrth, angry (< "tormented, twisted"). a,
      b, and c all from Germanic *wrth-, *wraith-. III.Root *wergh-,
      to turn. 1.worry, from Old English wyrgan, to strangle, from
      Germanic *wurgjan. 2. Nasalized variant *wrengh-. a.wring, from
      Old English wringan, to twist, from Germanic *wreng-; b. i.wrong,
      from Middle English wrong, wrong, from a Scandinavian source
      akin to Old Norse *vrangr, rangr, curved, crooked, wrong; ii.wrangle,
      from Middle English wranglen, to wrangle, from a Low German source
      akin to wrangeln, to wrestle. Both (i) and (ii) from Germanic
      *wrang-. IV.Root *werg-, to turn. 1.Nasalized variant form *wreng-.
      a.wrench, from Old English wrencan, to twist; b.wrinkle, from
      Old English gewrinclian, to wind (ge-, collective prefix; see
      kom). Both a and b from Germanic *wrankjan. 2.verge2; converge,
      diverge, from Latin vergere, to turn, tend toward. V.Root *wreik-,
      to turn. 1. a.wry, from Old English wrgian, to turn, bend, go;


      b.wriggle, from Middle Low German wriggeln, to wriggle. Both
      a and b from Germanic *wrg-. 2.a.wrist, from Old English wrist,
      wrist; b.gaiter, from Old French guietre, gaiter, from Frankish
      *wrist-. Both a and b from Germanic *wristiz, from *wrihst-.
      3.wrest, wrestle, from Old English wrstan, to twist, from secondary
      Germanic derivative *wraistjan. 

      4.Possibly o-grade form *wroik-. briar1, (brusque), from Late
      Latin brcus, heather, from

      Gaulish *brko-. VI.ribald, from Old French riber, to be wanton,
      from Germanic root *wrib. 

      VII.Root *werb-, also *werbh-, to turn, bend.
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