Aversus

Aversus is a Latin term most commonly encountered in numismatics to designate the obverse or front side of a coin or medal. In cataloging and descriptions, the obverse is frequently labeled as “aversus” (often abbreviated av. or av.) while the opposite side is referred to as the reverse or “reversus.” The term reflects the classical language convention of naming coin faces by direction or orientation.

Etymology and usage in Latin texts: Aversus is the masculine nominative singular form of the adjective aversus, derived from the participle of the verb averto, meaning to turn away or to avert. In classical Latin, the form appears in various contexts with the sense of something turned toward or facing, and it can function as an adjective describing a noun in the masculine gender. The accompanying feminine and neuter forms are aversa and aversum, respectively.

Context and scope: While aversus is chiefly a technical term in numismatics today, its roots lie in Latin grammar and general descriptive usage. Outside coin descriptions, aversus can appear in classical texts as an adjective meaning turned toward or opposed, depending on syntactic context. In modern practice, the term survives primarily as a specialized label for the obverse side, alongside the corresponding Latin term reversus for the reverse.

See also: obverse, reverse, numismatics, Latin grammar.