reversion
UK[rɪˈvɜːʃn]US[rɪˈvɜːrʒn]
n
a return to a previous state, practice, or belief.
n
the legal right, especially of the original owner or their heirs, to possess or receive property when a grant or lease ends.
n
(biology) a return to an earlier or ancestral type or condition.
Morpheme Breakdown
re
vers
ion
re
again
vers
turn
ion
action/state
Etymology
the word "reversion" originates from latin reversionem, the noun of action from revertere, meaning "to turn back". this verb itself is composed of the prefix re- (back, again) and vertere (to turn). the core concept of turning back physically evolved in legal english to signify the right of an estate to return to the grantor, and more broadly to any return to a prior condition. thus, the literal idea of "turning back" provides the logical foundation for its modern abstract meanings concerning restoration, return of rights, or biological atavism.
Analysis
Structure: re (again) + vers (turn) + ion (action/state)
- re: latin origin, a prefix meaning "again" or "back".
- vers: from latin vertere (to turn), a root indicating a turning motion or change.
- ion: latin suffix forming nouns denoting an action or its result.
Examples
the policy change was a reversion to the strategies of a previous era.
upon the tenant's death, the property ownership passed by reversion to the landlord's heirs.
the appearance of a vestigial tail in the offspring was considered a reversion.