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":"mSdE4Klw1yQY6YPuk8x2E","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"carbonylic","entry":"carbonylic"},{"slug":"car-boot-sale","entry":"car-boot sale"},{"slug":"carborane","entry":"carborane"},{"slug":"carborundum","entry":"Carborundum"},{"slug":"carboxy-","entry":"carboxy-"}],"after":[{"slug":"carboxyl","entry":"carboxyl"},{"slug":"carboxylase","entry":"carboxylase"},{"slug":"carboxylate","entry":"carboxylate"},{"slug":"carboxylation","entry":"carboxylation"},{"slug":"carboxyl-group","entry":"carboxyl group"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"carboxyhaemoglobin"},"requestId":"4C8fC3VkbtfTwa9GDtGRM","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"carboxyhaemoglobin"},"requestId":"yk787rSnxUbGCKUgcIrQk","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"CollinsEntry","headword":{"displayForm":"carboxyhaemoglobin","slug":"carboxyhaemoglobin"},"homonym":null,"note":null,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechGroups":[{"definitions":[{"crossReferencesConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"type\": \"defgrp\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"haemoglobin coordinated with carbon monoxide, formed as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. As carbon monoxide is bound in preference to oxygen, tissues are deprived of oxygen\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}]","examples":[],"idiom":null,"ordinal":1,"sense":null,"subdefinitions":[]}],"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciations":[{"ipa":"-ˌhɛm-"},{"ipa":"kɑːˌbɒksɪˌhiːməʊˈɡləʊbɪn"}],"subEntry":[]}],"url":"carboxyhaemoglobin"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"carboxyhaemoglobin"},"requestId":"1yZYU3Z7c0_ns3b-HdjhX","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"carboxyhaemoglobin","displayForm":"carboxyhaemoglobin","canonicalSlug":"carboxyhaemoglobin","content":[{"source":"collins","entries":[{"id":"ac2d8591a.6bfb.1014.b87b.c2803370a23a.1","type":"normal","entry":"carboxyhaemoglobin","entrySyllabified":null,"entryVariants":"US carboxyhemoglobin","homograph":null,"pronunciation":{"audio":null,"spell":null,"ipa":"(kɑːˌbɒksɪˌhiːməʊˈɡləʊbɪn, -ˌhɛm-)"},"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":"","definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"","definition":"haemoglobin coordinated with carbon monoxide, formed as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. As carbon monoxide is bound in preference to oxygen, tissues are deprived of oxygen","postdefinitionContent":""}]}],"origin":"","supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"derivedForms":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":25199,"index-rank-01":["carboxyhaemoglobin"],"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":"carboxyhaemoglobin"},"requestId":"EfHuWDdPnTY8TiR9SAn9w","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":[],"tuna":[],"lunaWithSlug":[],"tunaWithSlug":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"carboxyhaemoglobin"},"requestId":"1bgB8yiVCi4vQw0RQaOri","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

carboxyhaemoglobin

noun

Word of the Day