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":"OURuJukqI02NadyLRff2_","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"geoscience","entry":"geoscience"},{"slug":"geoscientist","entry":"geoscientist"},{"slug":"geospatial","entry":"geospatial"},{"slug":"geosphere","entry":"geosphere"},{"slug":"geostatic","entry":"geostatic"}],"after":[{"slug":"geostationary","entry":"geostationary"},{"slug":"geostationary-operational-environmental-satellite","entry":"Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite"},{"slug":"geostationary-orbit","entry":"geostationary orbit"},{"slug":"geostrategy","entry":"geostrategy"},{"slug":"geostrophic","entry":"geostrophic"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"geostatics"},"requestId":"3lCThh2a_uXq1KpJAh3di","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"geostatics"},"requestId":"x7oqqOptHgcqOqhw7l0Vr","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"CollinsEntry","headword":{"displayForm":"geostatics","slug":"geostatics"},"homonym":null,"note":null,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechGroups":[{"definitions":[{"crossReferencesConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"text\": \"functioning as singular\", \"type\": \"lb_grammar_desc\"}, {\"type\": \"defgrp\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"the branch of physics concerned with the statics of rigid bodies, esp the balance of forces within the earth\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}]","examples":[],"idiom":null,"ordinal":1,"sense":null,"subdefinitions":[]}],"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciations":[{"ipa":"ˌdʒiːəʊˈstætɪks"}],"subEntry":[]}],"url":"geostatics"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"geostatics"},"requestId":"IzbouoCT-pQ8ahoGvggQy","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"geostatics","displayForm":"geostatics","canonicalSlug":"geostatics","content":[{"source":"collins","entries":[{"id":"ac8e88c4b.6bfb.1014.b87b.c2803370a23a.1","type":"normal","entry":"geostatics","entrySyllabified":null,"entryVariants":"","homograph":null,"pronunciation":{"audio":null,"spell":null,"ipa":"(ˌdʒiːəʊˈstætɪks)"},"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":"","definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"(functioning as singular)","definition":"the branch of physics concerned with the statics of rigid bodies, esp the balance of forces within the earth","postdefinitionContent":""}]}],"origin":"","supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"derivedForms":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":63486,"index-rank-01":["geostatics"],"index-rank-02":[],"index-rank-03":[],"index-rank-04":[],"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":[],"tunaSlug":null,"isFeaturedMetaSlug":false}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"geostatics"},"requestId":"R3NMZ9b-_8rJGsvV2D1N7","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":[],"tuna":["statics","gestates","ecstatic","gestating","cosmetics","gestalts","static","gestate","most attic"],"lunaWithSlug":[],"tunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"statics","slug":"statics"},{"displayForm":"gestates","slug":"gestates"},{"displayForm":"ecstatic","slug":"ecstatic"},{"displayForm":"gestating","slug":"gestating"},{"displayForm":"cosmetics","slug":"cosmetics"},{"displayForm":"gestalts","slug":"gestalts"},{"displayForm":"static","slug":"static"},{"displayForm":"gestate","slug":"gestate"},{"displayForm":"most attic","slug":"most%20attic"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"geostatics"},"requestId":"uuop-IuGUHxx-5S925Ybg","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

geostatics

noun

Word of the Day