advert

Middle English adverten, from Old French advertir (“to notice”), from Latin advertere (“to turn toward”). See also adverse.

advert (plural adverts)

1. (Britain, informal) An advertisement, an ad.
   • 2011 March 1, Phil McNulty, “Chelsea 2 - 1 Man Utd”, in BBC‎:

     This was a wonderful advert for the Premier League, with both Chelsea and United intent on all-out attack - but Ferguson will be concerned at how his side lost their way after imperiously controlling much of the first period.

   • 2013 May 25, “No hiding place”, in The Economist‎, volume 407, number 8837, page 74:

     In America alone, people spent $170 billion on “direct marketing”—junk mail of both the physical and electronic varieties—last year. Yet of those who received unsolicited adverts through the post, only 3% bought anything as a result.

advert (third-person singular simple present adverts, present participle adverting, simple past and past participle adverted)

1. To turn attention.
2. To call attention, refer; construed with to.
   • 1842, Edgar Allan Poe, ‘The Mystery of Marie Rogêt’:

     ‘I have before suggested that a genuine blackguard is never without a pocket-handkerchief. But it is not to this fact that I now especially advert.’

   • 1860, Wilkie Collins, The Woman In White:

     As soon as Miss Fairlie had left the room he spared us all embarrassment on the subject of the anonymous letter, by adverting to it of his own accord.

   • 2007 September 9, the Vatican (trans.), Pope Benedict XVI (speaker), speaking in German at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Austria:

     At a time when creation seems to be endangered in so many ways through human activity, we should consciously advert to this dimension of Sunday, too.

• refer

• varted