What does adverting mean?
Adverting is the present participle of the uncommon verb 'advert', which means to turn one's attention to something or to make passing reference to it. To advert to a matter is to bring it up, often briefly or incidentally rather than at length — a lawyer might advert to a clause in a contract, or a speaker might advert to an earlier objection without dwelling on it. The word derives from the Latin advertere, 'to turn toward', the same root that gives us avert, divert, and subvert. Though once more widely used, adverting today survives almost entirely in formal registers: legal opinions, parliamentary proceedings, and academic writing, and it is noticeably more at home in British than American English. In everyday speech it would sound stilted, with most modern writers preferring plainer alternatives such as 'referring to', 'mentioning', or 'alluding to'. Its value lies precisely in that formality — it signals measured, deliberate acknowledgment of a point.
verbAdverting is the present participle and gerund of the verb 'advert', meaning to turn one's attention to something or to make reference to it, especially briefly or in passing.
- To turn one's attention or mind to a particular subject or matter.
- To make brief or passing reference to something in speech or writing.
"In closing, the chairman adverting briefly to the committee's earlier objections, thanked members for their candour."
"The judge, adverting to the defendant's prior record, noted that it weighed heavily in her deliberations."
"The essayist adverting only lightly to his own hardships, kept the focus on the broader social question."
'Adverting' has nothing to do with advertising — it's a formal legal-and-parliamentary word for glancingly mentioning something, straight from Latin advertere, 'to turn toward'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of adverting
Adverting comes from the Latin advertere, formed from ad- ('toward') plus vertere ('to turn'), literally meaning 'to turn toward'. The verb entered English in the late Middle English period via Anglo-Norman and Latin legal usage, retaining its core sense of directing the mind toward something. It shares this root with a family of English words built on vertere, including avert, divert, convert, invert, subvert, and adverse. The related noun advertence (attentiveness) and the adjective advertent preserve the same lineage.
Related word forms
How adverting is actually used
Adverting is distinctly formal and somewhat old-fashioned, surviving chiefly in legal opinion, parliamentary debate, and scholarly prose. It is far more common in British usage than American, where writers would more naturally say 'referring to' or 'noting'. The verb it inflects, 'advert', is itself rare outside these registers.
Easily confused with adverting
Despite the similar spelling, 'advertising' refers to promoting products or services publicly, whereas 'adverting' means turning attention to or making brief mention of a subject.