reversion

noun

re·​ver·​sion ri-ˈvər-zhən 

-shən

1

a

: the part of a simple estate remaining in the control of its owner after the owner has granted therefrom a lesser particular estate

b

: a future interest in property left in the control of a grantor or the grantor's successor

2

: the right of succession or future possession or enjoyment

3

a

: an act or the process of returning (as to a former condition)

b

: a return toward an ancestral type or condition : reappearance of an ancestral character

4

: an act or instance of turning the opposite way : the state of being so turned

5

: a product of reversion

specifically : an organism with an atavistic character : throwback

Synonyms

• regression
• retrogression

Examples of reversion in a Sentence

His photos document the land's reversion to swamp.

the reversion of the estate

Recent Examples on the Web

Economists caution that a straightforward reversion to historical economic conditions is probably not realistic. —Tobias Burns, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024

Small-caps have significantly lagged their larger counterparts, creating a potential springboard for mean reversion. —Robert Daugherty, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024

But the reversion to the mean of a White male CEO also is happening at the same time that many firms are backing off their early-2020s commitments to diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI. —Allison Morrow, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024

The dramatic increase in AMT applicability is due to the reversion back to pre-TCJA phase-out and exemption amounts. —Lynn Mucenski Keck, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin reversion-, reversio act of returning, from revertere

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

reversion

noun

re·​ver·​sion ri-ˈvər-zhən 

1

: a right of future possession (as of property or a title)

2

a

: an act or the process of returning (as to an earlier condition)

b

: a product of reversion

3

: an act or instance of turning the opposite way : the state of being so turned

Medical Definition

reversion

noun

re·​ver·​sion ri-ˈvər-zhən, -shən 

1

a

: an act or the process of returning (as to a former condition)

b

: a return toward an ancestral type or condition : reappearance of an ancestral character

2

: a product of reversion

specifically : an organism with an atavistic character

Legal Definition

reversion

noun

re·​ver·​sion ri-ˈvər-zhən 

1

: the returning of an estate upon its termination to the former owner or to his or her successor in interest

2

a

: the present vested interest in the residue of an estate that remains in its owner after the grant therefrom of a lesser estate (as a life estate) and that will commence in possession by operation of law upon termination of the lesser estate

b

: the future interest in property left in a grantor or his or her successor in interest that is not subject to a condition precedent compare possibility of reverter, remainder

reversionary

-zhə-ˌner-ē 

adjective

Etymology

Anglo-French, from Middle French, from Latin reversio act of turning back, from revertere to turn back