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":"y6RPFWzhIQGVy4X9CnL2f","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"metacomputer","entry":"metacomputer"},{"slug":"metacryst","entry":"metacryst"},{"slug":"metadata","entry":"metadata"},{"slug":"meta-dichlorobenzene","entry":"meta-dichlorobenzene"},{"slug":"metaethics","entry":"metaethics"}],"after":[{"slug":"metafiction","entry":"metafiction"},{"slug":"metagalaxy","entry":"metagalaxy"},{"slug":"metage","entry":"metage"},{"slug":"metagenesis","entry":"metagenesis"},{"slug":"metagnathous","entry":"metagnathous"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"metafemale"},"requestId":"aVuZ301Th2RiBx_uz1akL","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"metafemale"},"requestId":"mBrvgorsX5MIIWUeUEYGK","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"CollinsEntry","headword":{"displayForm":"metafemale","slug":"metafemale"},"homonym":null,"note":null,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechGroups":[{"definitions":[{"crossReferencesConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"text\": \"genetics\", \"type\": \"lb_subject_field\"}, {\"type\": \"defgrp\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"a sterile female organism, esp a fruit fly (\", \"type\": \"text\"}, {\"text\": \"Drosophila\", \"type\": \"emphasis\"}, {\"text\": \") that has three X chromosomes\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}, {\"text\": \"Former namesuperfemale\", \"type\": \"text\"}]","examples":[],"idiom":null,"ordinal":1,"sense":null,"subdefinitions":[]}],"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciations":[{"ipa":"ˌmɛtəˈfiːmeɪl"}],"subEntry":[]}],"url":"metafemale"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"metafemale"},"requestId":"WzPxpRufLuS7DxaV06Mip","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"metafemale","displayForm":"metafemale","canonicalSlug":"metafemale","content":[{"source":"collins","entries":[{"id":"u11d1def534ea1be0.1a3ea532.11d23eef159.6e2b.1","type":"normal","entry":"metafemale","entrySyllabified":null,"entryVariants":"","homograph":null,"pronunciation":{"audio":null,"spell":null,"ipa":"(ˌmɛtəˈfiːmeɪl)"},"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":"","definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"genetics","definition":"a sterile female organism, esp a fruit fly (Drosophila) that has three X chromosomes","postdefinitionContent":"Former name: superfemale"}]}],"origin":"","supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"derivedForms":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":97955,"index-rank-01":["metafemale"],"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":"metafemale"},"requestId":"vBIy5hTnYvVjL5KGt4E_d","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":[],"tuna":["medieval","more formal","modifiable","most family","art family","wert family","more family","coat of mail","wert of family"],"lunaWithSlug":[],"tunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"medieval","slug":"medieval"},{"displayForm":"more formal","slug":"more%20formal"},{"displayForm":"modifiable","slug":"modifiable"},{"displayForm":"most family","slug":"most%20family"},{"displayForm":"art family","slug":"art%20family"},{"displayForm":"wert family","slug":"wert%20family"},{"displayForm":"more family","slug":"more%20family"},{"displayForm":"coat of mail","slug":"coat%20of%20mail"},{"displayForm":"wert of family","slug":"wert%20of%20family"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"metafemale"},"requestId":"laiVebUeE0t1l8Uh4O-fo","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

metafemale

noun

Word of the Day