Mid 19th century; earliest use found in William Allport Leighton (1805–1889), botanist. From classical Latin retrōversus backwards from retrō + versus.
Definition of retroverse in US English:
retroverse
adjectiveˌrɛtrə(ʊ)ˈvəːs
Turned, directed, or facing backwards; reversed.
Origin
Mid 19th century; earliest use found in William Allport Leighton (1805–1889), botanist. From classical Latin retrōversus backwards from retrō + versus.