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":"rcuD7-7BwsSLZWEhsfTLu","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"direct-input","entry":"direct input"},{"slug":"direction","entry":"direction"},{"slug":"directional","entry":"directional"},{"slug":"directional-derivative","entry":"directional derivative"},{"slug":"directional-drilling","entry":"directional drilling"}],"after":[{"slug":"direction-angle","entry":"direction angle"},{"slug":"direction-cosine","entry":"direction cosine"},{"slug":"direction-finder","entry":"direction finder"},{"slug":"direction-number","entry":"direction number"},{"slug":"directions","entry":"directions"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"directional-microphone"},"requestId":"ij-HE7zSS9NJAdqG3uq69","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"directional-microphone"},"requestId":"8J34ix3FrfGpymoCIvEi4","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"Entry","audioPronunciations":[],"confusableNotes":[],"genderNotes":[],"grammarNotes":[],"headword":{"displayForm":"directional microphone","slug":"directional-microphone"},"idioms":[],"orderKey":99999010,"ordinal":10,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechBlock":[{"definitions":[{"antonymsConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"type\": \"def\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"a microphone that has a greater sensitivity to sounds coming from a particular area in front of it: used to eliminate unwanted sounds.\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}]","examples":[],"ordinal":1,"subdefinitions":[],"synonymsConnection":{"edges":[]}}],"inflectionSets":[],"labelSet":null,"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciationNotes":[],"pronunciationSet":null,"relatedFormSets":[],"sensitiveNotes":[],"spellingNotes":[],"synonymStudy":[],"usageAlerts":[],"usageNotes":[],"variants":[],"verbPhrases":[]}],"url":"directional-microphone"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"directional-microphone"},"requestId":"83dbpeCbuS1MUaH1z_mjl","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"directional-microphone","displayForm":"directional microphone","canonicalSlug":"directional-microphone","content":[{"source":"luna","entries":[{"id":"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e63c14b.-3f82","type":"normal","entry":"directional microphone","entrySyllabified":"directional microphone","entryVariants":[],"homograph":null,"pronunciation":null,"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"","postdefinitionContent":"","definition":"a microphone that has a greater sensitivity to sounds coming from a particular area in front of it: used to eliminate unwanted sounds.","synonyms":"","antonyms":"","cites":[]}],"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":""}],"origin":null,"originData":null,"supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"variantSpellings":[],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"confusables":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":44068,"index-rank-01":["directional microphone"],"index-rank-02":[],"index-rank-03":[],"index-rank-04":["directional microphone's","directional microphones","directional microphones'"],"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":"324","complexityScore":0.2817594778236493,"gradeLevel":"middle_school","tunaSlug":null,"isFeaturedMetaSlug":false}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"directional-microphone"},"requestId":"PfpmgPaVxd1NuifcS67zq","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":[],"tuna":["directions","direction","correctional","direction(s)","directionalize","fractional","directionless"],"lunaWithSlug":[],"tunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"directions","slug":"directions"},{"displayForm":"direction","slug":"direction"},{"displayForm":"correctional","slug":"correctional"},{"displayForm":"direction(s)","slug":"direction%28s%29"},{"displayForm":"directionalize","slug":"directionalize"},{"displayForm":"fractional","slug":"fractional"},{"displayForm":"directionless","slug":"directionless"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"directional-microphone"},"requestId":"o_ZlTRCwXEsLGg-Scz26W","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

directional microphone

noun

Word of the Day