converse

See also: Converse and conversé

English

Etymology 1

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

Pronunciation

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

Verb

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, (formal) discourse
- 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]:
  Companions […]
  That do converse and waste the time together.
- 1695, C[harles] A[lphonse] du Fresnoy, translated by John Dryden, 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.
- a. 1749 (date written), 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.
- 1814, William Wordsworth, The Excursion:
  But to converse with heaven — This is not easy.
- 1819 December 20 (indicated as 1820), Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], →OCLC:
  Conversing with the world, we use the world's fashions.
(obsolete) To have knowledge of something, from long talk 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 terms

Translations

to engage in conversation

Afrikaans: gesels, gesprek voer
Armenian: զրուցել (hy) (zrucʻel)
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)
Hungarian: társalog (hu)
Icelandic: spjalla (is), tala saman
Irish: déan comhrá
Italian: conversare (it)
Kazakh: әңгімелесу (äñgımelesu)
Khiamniungan Naga: thìtìe
Khmer: please add this translation if you can
Kituba: solola, kusolola
Korean: 대화하다 (ko) (daehwahada)
Lao: please add this translation if you can
Latin: colloquor (la), fabulor, sermōcinor
Ligurian: dialogâ
Maori: kōwetewete, kōrerorero
Ottoman Turkish: صحبت ایتمك (sohbet etmek)
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), prosear (es)
Swedish: konversera (sv)
Tagalog: makipag-usap
Thai: สนทนา (th) (sǒn-tá-naa)
Turkish: konuşmak (tr), söyleşmek (tr), sohbet etmek (tr), muhabbet etmek (tr)
Ukrainian: розмовля́ти (uk) impf (rozmovljáty), розмо́вити pf (rozmóvyty)
Urdu: بات کرنا (bāt karnā)
Vietnamese: đối thoại (vi)
Welsh: ymddiddan (cy)

Noun

converse (uncountable)

(now literary) Free verbal interchange of thoughts or views; conversation; chat.
- 1727, [Edward Young], “Satire V. On Women.”, in Love of Fame, the Universal Passion. In Seven Characteristical Satires, 4th edition, London: […] J[acob] and R[ichard] Tonson […], published 1741, →OCLC:
  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 […]
- 1764 December 24 (indicated as 1765), Onuphrio Muralto, translated by William Marshal [pseudonyms; Horace Walpole], chapter III, in The Castle of Otranto, […], London: […] Tho[mas] Lownds […], →OCLC, page 93:
  [R]eturn to thy maſter, and tell him, e'er vve liquidate our differences by the ſvvord, Manfred vvould hold ſome converſe vvith him.
- 1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XVI, in 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 [pseudonym; Hector Hugh Munro], “The Disappearance of Crispina Umerleigh”, in R[othay] R[eynolds], editor, The Toys of Peace and Other Papers. […], London: John Lane, The Bodley Head […], →OCLC:
  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 2

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

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

converse (not comparable)

Opposite; reversed in order or relation; reciprocal.
a converse proposition

Noun

converse (plural converses)

The opposite or reverse.
(logic) Of a proposition or theorem consisting of a statement of the form "If A is true, then B is true", the statement "If B is true, then A is true" which need not be equivalent to the first one.
All trout are fish, but the converse, that all fish are trout, is not true.
(semantics) One of a pair of terms that name or describe a relationship from opposite perspectives; converse antonym; relational antonym.
(graph theory) Synonym of transpose