converse

EnglishEdit

Etymology 1Edit

From Old French converser, from Latin conversor (“live, have dealings with”).

PronunciationEdit

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /kənˈvɜːs/
(US) enPR: kənvûrs', IPA^(key): /kənˈvɝs/
Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)s
Audio (UK) (file)

VerbEdit

converse (third-person singular simple present converses, present participle conversing, simple past and past participle conversed)

(formal, intransitive) To talk; to engage in conversation.
Synonyms: (nonstandard) conversate, (informal) convo
- c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]:
- 1695, C[harles] A[lphonse] du Fresnoy, John Dryden, transl., De Arte Graphica. The Art of Painting, […], London: […] J[ohn] Heptinstall for W. Rogers, […], →OCLC:
  We had conversed so often on that subject.
(followed by with) To keep company; to hold intimate intercourse; to commune.
- 1727, James Thomson, “Summer”, in The Seasons, London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, and sold by Thomas Cadell, […], published 1768, →OCLC:
  To seek the distant hills, and there converse
  With nature.
- 1820, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume (please specify |volume=I, II, or III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC:
  Conversing with the world, we use the world's fashions.
- 1814, William Wordsworth, The Excursion
(obsolete) To have knowledge of (a thing), from long intercourse or study.
- 1689 (indicated as 1690), [John Locke], An Essay Concerning Humane Understanding. […], London: […] Eliz[abeth] Holt, for Thomas Basset, […], →OCLC:
  according as the objects they converse with afford greater or less variety

Derived termsEdit

conversation

TranslationsEdit

to engage in conversation

Armenian: զրուցել (hy) (zrucʿel)
Belarusian: размаўля́ць impf (razmaŭljácʹ), размо́віць pf (razmóvicʹ)
Bulgarian: разговарям (bg) (razgovarjam), беседвам (bg) (besedvam)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 通話／通话 (zh) (tōnghuà), 交談／交谈 (zh) (jiāotán)
Czech: konverzovat, rozmlouvat, hovořit (cs)
Dutch: converseren (nl)
Esperanto: interparoli
Finnish: keskustella (fi)
French: converser (fr)
German: unterhalten (de) (reflexive), konversieren (de) (formal)
Greek: συνομιλώ (el) (synomiló), συνδιαλέγομαι (el) (syndialégomai)
Ancient: διαλέγομαι (dialégomai) ἔντευξις ποιῶ (énteuxis poiô) (+ dative)
Hebrew: שוחח‎ (he) (sokhéakh)
Hindi: बात करना (bāt karnā)
Icelandic: spjalla (is), tala saman
Irish: déan comhrá
Italian: conversare (it)
Kazakh: әңгімелесу (kk) (äñgımelesu)
Khmer: please add this translation if you can
Korean: 대화하다 (ko) (daehwahada)
Lao: please add this translation if you can
Latin: colloquor (la), fabulor, sermōcinor
Maori: kōwetewete, kōrerorero
Persian: صحبت کردن‎ (fa) (sohbat kardan)
Polish: rozmawiać (pl), gwarzyć (pl) impf, konwersować impf (rare)
Portuguese: conversar (pt)
Quechua: rimachiy, yawnay
Russian: бесе́довать (ru) (besédovatʹ), обща́ться (ru) (obščátʹsja), разгова́ривать (ru) (razgovárivatʹ)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: разгова́рати impf

Roman: razgovárati (sh) impf
Shan: ဢုပ်ႇဢူဝ်း (shn) (ʼùp ʼó)
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: rozgranjaś se impf
Spanish: conversar (es), tertuliar (es)
Swedish: konversera (sv)
Tagalog: makipag-usap
Thai: สนทนา (th) (sǒn-tá-naa)
Turkish: meşgul olmak (tr)
Ukrainian: розмовля́ти (uk) impf (rozmovljáty), розмо́вити pf (rozmóvyty)
Urdu: بات کرنا‎ (bāt karnā)
Vietnamese: đối thoại (vi)
Welsh: ymddiddan (cy)
Westrobothnian: bjärg

NounEdit

converse

(now literary) Free verbal interchange of thoughts or views; conversation; chat.
- 1728, Edward Young, Love of Fame, the Universal Passion, Satire V, On Women, lines 44-46:
  Twice ere the sun descends, with zeal inspir'd, / From the vain converse of the world retir'd, / She reads the psalms and chapters for the day […]
- 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 177:
  She had around her gay converse, in which she had no share; and laughter, in which she was little tempted to join.
- 1919, Saki, ‘The Disappearance of Crispina Umerleigh’, The Toys of Peace, Penguin 2000 (Complete Short Stories), p. 405:
  In a first-class carriage of a train speeding Balkanward across the flat, green Hungarian plain, two Britons sat in friendly, fitful converse.
- 1930, Norman Lindsay, Redheap, Sydney, N.S.W.: Ure Smith, published 1965, →OCLC, page 26:
  [S]uch was the aberration of mind attending converse with a successful draper.

Etymology 2Edit

From Latin conversus (“turned around”), past participle of converto (“turn about”).

PronunciationEdit

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒnvɜːs/
- Audio (UK) (file)
(US) enPR: kŏn'vûrs, IPA^(key): /ˈkɑnvɝs/

AdjectiveEdit

converse (not comparable)

opposite; reversed in order or relation; reciprocal
a converse proposition

NounEdit

converse (plural converses)

The opposite or reverse.
(logic) Of a proposition or theorem of the form: given that "If A is true, then B is true", then "If B is true, then A is true.".
All trees are plants, but the converse, that all plants are trees, is not true.
(semantics) One of a pair of terms that name or describe a relationship from opposite perspectives; converse antonym; relational antonym.