Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993.
inversion 1, diversion, perversion (nn.)
An inversion is “a reversal, a turning upside down or over”; the noun has many specialized meanings, but the general sense is clear in The inversion of your coffee cup tells the server you don’t want coffee. Perversion has the general sense of “anything that is wrongly or corruptly changed to a different course or purpose,” as in Their perversion of democratic principles was a shock to Americans. But by far the most common specialized meaning of perversion is “sexual abnormality, deviation from the norms of sexual behavior,” as in Rumors of his perversion cost him the nomination. See also PERVERSE.
Diversion has two clusters of meaning, literally “a turning aside,” as in The diversion of the path led him away from the lake, plus a figurative sense that is perhaps even more frequently encountered, meaning “a distraction” or “an amusement,” as in Her diversion of his attention almost caused an accident and After hours of deskwork, he needed some diversion.
