advert / verb / ad-VERT
Definition
1: to turn the mind or attention — used with to
2: to call attention in the course of speaking or writing : make reference — used with to
Examples
"He also adverted to the practice of demanding that producers take back unsold produce as an 'unfair' practice that concerns the commission."
— Patrick Smyth, The Irish Times, 12 Apr. 2018
"Painfully as I am affected by the family calamity which has fallen on me, I cannot let this opportunity pass without adverting to another subject which seriously concerns your welfare…."
— Wilkie Collins, No Name,
Did You Know?
You may be familiar with the noun advert, which is used, especially in British sources, as a shortened form of advertisement.
That's one way to use advert, but it has also been used as a verb in English since the 15th century. There's a hint about the origin of the verb in the idea of "turning" the mind or attention to something; the word derives via Anglo-French from the Latin verb advertere, which in turn comes from Latin vertere, meaning "to turn."
Vertere is the ancestor of a number of words in English, including controversy, divert, invert, revert, and even versatile.
In addition, we'd like to turn your attention to one particular vertere descendant: avert, meaning "to avoid." Be careful to avoid mixing this one up with advert.
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