vice versa

See also: viceversa, vice-versa, and vice versâ

English

Alternative forms

• vice-versa, v.v. (abbreviation), vicey versey, vice versâ (with marked ablative)

Etymology

From Latin ablative absolute vice versā (“the position having been reversed”), from feminine third declension noun vicis (“arrangement, order, position, etc.”) + feminine ablative singular of perfect passive participle versus, from vertō (“I turn, I reverse”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈvaɪsɪ ˈvɜːsə/, /ˈvaɪsə-/, /vaɪs-/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈvaɪsi ˈvɝsə/, /ˈvaɪsə-/, /vaɪs-/, enPR: vīʹsē vûrʹsə, vīʹsə-, vīs-

Some speakers regard the pronunciations where "vice" has one syllable as less correct than the others, whereas other speakers regard the pronunciations with two syllables as less correct.

Adverb

vice versa (not comparable)

1. (generally after or) The same but with the two items mentioned reversed.

   Since there are two contestants left in the race, either Bob will come first place and Alice second place, or vice versa.

Usage notes

• The adverb is the last element in the clause specifying the two elements whose roles can be switched, and is preceded by the conjunction and or or. Rarely, in English writing, and is replaced by the Latin conjunction et, similar to “et cetera”:
  • 1842, A. Taylor, “On the Curative Influence of the Climate of Pau, and the Mineral Waters of the Pyrénées, on Disease, &c.”, in The Lancet‎^[1], volume II, page 885:

    […] we are convinced, from considerable experience and observation, that the class of diseases described by Sir James as unsuited to the climate of Pau, et vice versâ […]

  • 1881, E. Abbe, “On the Conditions of Orthoscopic and Pseudoscopic Effects in the Binocular Microscope”, in Journal of the Royal Microscopical Society‎^[2], volume I, page 208:

    Therefore, any projection which affords right-eye perspective in regard to the solid image of the Microscope, will always afford right-eye perspective in regard to the object likewise, et vice versâ.

  • 1894, James Alwis, Terms of Address and modes of Salutation in use amongst the Singhalese‎^[3], volume III, Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, page 222:

    […] terms of regard or attachment used frequently amongst the lower classes  : the first by husbands towards their wives et vice versa, and by ordained priests towards their Samanera pupils […]

Synonyms

• vicey versey, conversely, the other way round; See also Thesaurus:vice versa

Translations

the other way round

• Arabic: الْعَكْس بِالْعَكْس‎ (al-ʕaks bi-l-ʕaks), الْعَكْس صَحِيح‎ (al-ʕaks ṣaḥīḥ)
• Bashkir: киреһенсә (kerihinsə)
• Belarusian: наадваро́т (naadvarót)
• Bulgarian: обра́тно (bg) (obrátno)
• Catalan: viceversa (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 反之亦然 (zh) (fǎnzhīyìrán)

• Czech: naopak (cs)
• Danish: vice versa (da), omvendt
• Dutch: vice versa (nl), omgekeerd (nl)
• Esperanto: la ordo kontraŭa
• Estonian: vastupidi, ümberpöördult
• Finnish: päinvastoin (fi), toisinpäin (fi), toistepäin
• French: vice versa (fr)
• Galician: viceversa (gl)
• Georgian: პირიქით (ṗirikit)
• German: umgekehrt (de), andersherum (de), andersrum (de), und umgekehrt, und umgedreht, vice versa (de)
• Hungarian: fordítva (hu)
• Ido: permutite
• Indonesian: juga sebaliknya
• Interlingua: vice versa
• Italian: viceversa (it)
• Japanese: 逆に (ja) (ぎゃくに, gyaku ni), 反対に (ja) (はんたいに, hantai ni)
• Latin: vice versa
• Macedonian: обратно (obratno)
• Old English: þweorlīce
• Persian: برعکس‎ (fa) (bar'aks), بالعکس‎ (fa) (bel'aks), برخلاف‎ (fa) (barxalâf)
• Polish: odwrotnie (pl), na odwrót, vice versa (pl)
• Portuguese: vice versa, vice-versa (pt)
• Romanian: vice versa
• Russian: наоборо́т (ru) (naoborót)
• Slovak: naopak
• Spanish: viceversa (es), contrariamente
• Swedish: vice versa (sv)
• Tamil: முற்றிலும் எதிர்த்திசையில் (muṟṟilum etirtticaiyil)
• Turkish: tam tersi
• Ukrainian: навпаки́ (uk) (navpaký)
• Urdu: اس کے برعکس‎ (us ke bar'aks), اس کے برخلاف‎ (īs key barḵelāf)
• Vietnamese: ngược lại (vi)

Danish

Etymology

From Latin vice versā (“the position having been reversed”).

Adverb

vice versa

1. vice versa

   Synonym: omvendt

Dutch

Etymology

From Latin vice versā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvisə ˈvɛrsɑ/

• Audio

  (file)

Adverb

vice versa

1. vice versa

   Synonyms: omgekeerd, andersom

   Als je het raam open doet, moet je de verwarming uit doen, en vice versa.

   If you open the window, you should turn off the heating, and vice versa.

Interlingua

Etymology

From Latin vice versā.

Adverb

vice versa

1. vice versa

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from Latin vice versā.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈvi.t͡sɛ ˈvɛr.sa/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛrsa

Adverb

vice versa (not comparable)

1. vice versa

Further reading

• vice versa in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• vice versa in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Adverb

vice versa (not comparable)

1. Alternative spelling of vice-versa

Swedish

Etymology

From Latin vice versā.

Adverb

vice versa (not comparable)

1. vice versa

   Synonym: omvänt