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":"2L0Umf4VYQ0T_EJQ4n5nw","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"lolland","entry":"Lolland"},{"slug":"lollapalooza","entry":"lollapalooza"},{"slug":"lollard","entry":"Lollard"},{"slug":"lollingite","entry":"löllingite"},{"slug":"lollipop","entry":"lollipop"}],"after":[{"slug":"lollop","entry":"lollop"},{"slug":"lollo-rosso","entry":"lollo rosso"},{"slug":"lolly","entry":"lolly"},{"slug":"lollygag","entry":"lollygag"},{"slug":"lollywater","entry":"lollywater"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"lollipop-man"},"requestId":"3wCQmymJNNU4W8BzuXI24","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"lollipop-man"},"requestId":"aaXl_XmEnjqGGwsDmoXeQ","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"CollinsEntry","headword":{"displayForm":"lollipop man","slug":"lollipop-man"},"homonym":null,"note":null,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechGroups":[{"definitions":[{"crossReferencesConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"type\": \"defgrp\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"(in Britain) a person who stops traffic by holding up a circular sign on a pole to allow children to cross a road safely\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}, {\"text\": \"Official nameschool crossing patrol\", \"type\": \"text\"}]","examples":[],"idiom":null,"ordinal":1,"sense":null,"subdefinitions":[]}],"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciations":[],"subEntry":[]}],"url":"lollipop-man"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"lollipop-man"},"requestId":"F8tEbI2qmgqN2uHWE7bAQ","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"lollipop-man","displayForm":"lollipop man","canonicalSlug":"lollipop-man","content":[{"source":"collins","entries":[{"id":"u11d1def534ea1be0.1a3ea532.11d23ee9e7b.-6533.1","type":"normal","entry":"lollipop man","entrySyllabified":null,"entryVariants":"lollipop lady","homograph":null,"pronunciation":{"audio":null,"spell":null,"ipa":""},"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":"","definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"","definition":"(in Britain) a person who stops traffic by holding up a circular sign on a pole to allow children to cross a road safely","postdefinitionContent":"Official name: school crossing patrol"}]}],"origin":"","supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"derivedForms":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":91437,"index-rank-01":["lollipop man"],"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":"lollipop-man"},"requestId":"w39yC5tFbG2qyVzSZOLvt","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":[],"tuna":["lollop","lolloped","lolloping","slipup","slip up","slip-up","blowpipe","glop up","lap up"],"lunaWithSlug":[],"tunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"lollop","slug":"lollop"},{"displayForm":"lolloped","slug":"lolloped"},{"displayForm":"lolloping","slug":"lolloping"},{"displayForm":"slipup","slug":"slipup"},{"displayForm":"slip up","slug":"slip%20up"},{"displayForm":"slip-up","slug":"slip-up"},{"displayForm":"blowpipe","slug":"blowpipe"},{"displayForm":"glop up","slug":"glop%20up"},{"displayForm":"lap up","slug":"lap%20up"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"lollipop-man"},"requestId":"rPdYelkUfqYNwfSMtzTCA","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

lollipop man

noun

Word of the Day