Convertebat

Convertebat is a Latin verb form, not a standalone word. It is the imperfect active indicative third-person singular of converto, convertere, contuli, conlatus, a verb meaning to turn, to change, or to convert. The imperfect tense expresses an action in progress in the past, so convertebat can be translated as “he was turning,” “he kept turning,” or “he used to turn,” depending on context. Converto is a third-conjugation verb, with the infinitive convertere and the perfect forms built on the stem conver-.

Usage and meanings

Converto has a broad range of senses, including literal turning (to rotate or redirect something), changing form or state, and more figurative uses such as turning someone or something toward a different direction, belief, or purpose. In religious or ideological contexts, converto can convey the sense of “to convert” in the sense of turning someone to a new faith or opinion, a usage that becomes common in later Latin but can appear in classical authors as well. In classical Latin, the verb governs a direct object in the accusative for the thing turned and may be extended with prepositions or other constructions to express direction or aim.

Related forms

The verb’s principal parts (converto, convertere, contuli, conlatus) yield forms across the full conjugation. Nouns formed from the root include conversio (a turning or conversion) and conversus (having turned).

See also

Converto (the headword), conversion, and related Latin verb conjugation resources.

References

Standard Latin dictionaries and grammars, such as Lewis and Short and Allen and Greenough, document converto and its forms, including convertebat and related tense and usage.