First recorded in 1350–1400.
Comes via Middle English from the Latin word tortuōsus, which derives from the verb torquēre, “to twist, bend.”
Sign up for more Word of the Day!

\r\nEXAMPLES OF TORTUOUS\r\n

The tortuous road through the mountains made for a challenging but scenic drive.
The author's writing style was known for its elegant prose and tortuous plot twists.

\r\nIt's National Poetry Month, and we’ve created a challenge that really is for everyone. Submit now!","audio":"https://static.sfdict.com/audio/T03/T0390200.mp3","definitions":[{"partofspeech":"adjective","data":"full of twists, turns, or bends; twisting, winding, or crooked."}],"examples":[],"imageUrl":"https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/tortuous_IG.png","accentColor":"#0063D7"}},"status":"succeeded"}},"meta":{"requestId":"e4IzyELdPmhM_JgclSysl","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"delayed","entry":"delayed"},{"slug":"delayed-action","entry":"delayed-action"},{"slug":"delayed-drop","entry":"delayed drop"},{"slug":"delayed-neutron","entry":"delayed neutron"},{"slug":"delayed-opening","entry":"delayed opening"}],"after":[{"slug":"delayed-stress-reaction","entry":"delayed stress reaction"},{"slug":"delayer","entry":"delayer"},{"slug":"delayering","entry":"delayering"},{"slug":"delaying-action","entry":"delaying action"},{"slug":"delay-line","entry":"delay line"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"delayed-speech"},"requestId":"_GBYtZaB2Njv-E4z5rMwl","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"delayed-speech"},"requestId":"IFaedJD8-MUM0Q2LfWGNT","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"Entry","audioPronunciations":[],"confusableNotes":[],"genderNotes":[],"grammarNotes":[],"headword":{"displayForm":"delayed speech","slug":"delayed-speech"},"idioms":[],"orderKey":99999010,"ordinal":10,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechBlock":[{"definitions":[{"antonymsConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"type\": \"def\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"a speech disorder of children in which the levels of intelligibility, vocabulary, complexity of utterance, etc., are significantly below the levels considered standard for a particular age.\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}]","examples":[],"ordinal":1,"subdefinitions":[],"synonymsConnection":{"edges":[]}}],"inflectionSets":[],"labelSet":{"labelSetText":"Speech Pathology."},"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciationNotes":[],"pronunciationSet":null,"relatedFormSets":[],"sensitiveNotes":[],"spellingNotes":[],"synonymStudy":[],"usageAlerts":[],"usageNotes":[],"variants":[],"verbPhrases":[]}],"url":"delayed-speech"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"delayed-speech"},"requestId":"t8IDe89w95pNcTZmLxlwc","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"delayed-speech","displayForm":"delayed speech","canonicalSlug":"delayed-speech","content":[{"source":"luna","entries":[{"id":"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e62ff0b.6b8d","type":"normal","entry":"delayed speech","entrySyllabified":"delayed speech","entryVariants":[],"homograph":null,"pronunciation":null,"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"","postdefinitionContent":"","definition":"a speech disorder of children in which the levels of intelligibility, vocabulary, complexity of utterance, etc., are significantly below the levels considered standard for a particular age.","synonyms":"","antonyms":"","cites":[]}],"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":"Speech Pathology."}],"origin":null,"originData":null,"supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"variantSpellings":[],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"confusables":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":41554,"index-rank-01":["delayed speech"],"index-rank-02":[],"index-rank-03":[],"index-rank-04":["delayed speech's","delayed speeches","delayed speeches'"],"index-rank-05":[],"index-rank-06":[],"index-rank-07":[],"index-rank-08":[],"index-rank-09":[],"index-rank-10":[],"index-rank-11":[],"index-rank-12":[],"index-rank-13":[],"index-rank-14":[],"index-rank-15":[],"categoryId":"325","complexityScore":0.24074812483266825,"gradeLevel":"high_school","tunaSlug":null,"isFeaturedMetaSlug":false}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"delayed-speech"},"requestId":"a-E88L6U3MLmI1mA9ABWH","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":[],"tuna":[],"lunaWithSlug":[],"tunaWithSlug":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"delayed-speech"},"requestId":"iVmc9ngFDvQzE2Jbe1lC-","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

delayed speech

noun

Word of the Day