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":"ACPBPPGnKB3r_3yeUmOEA","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"fang","entry":"fang"},{"slug":"fangio","entry":"Fangio"},{"slug":"fangirl","entry":"fangirl"},{"slug":"fang-lizhi","entry":"Fang Lizhi"},{"slug":"fango","entry":"fango"}],"after":[{"slug":"fan-heater","entry":"fan heater"},{"slug":"fanion","entry":"fanion"},{"slug":"fanjet","entry":"fanjet"},{"slug":"fankle","entry":"fankle"},{"slug":"fanleaf","entry":"fanleaf"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"fa-ngum"},"requestId":"wdab1AKNPzPqDaa95PJGh","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"fa-ngum"},"requestId":"oAnSR3_pR_5MhNVzdaHbq","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"CollinsEntry","headword":{"displayForm":"Fa Ngum","slug":"fa-ngum"},"homonym":null,"note":null,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechGroups":[{"definitions":[{"crossReferencesConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"text\": \"Fa Ngum13161374MLaotianPOLITICS: hereditary ruler\", \"type\": \"text\"}, {\"type\": \"defgrp\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"1316\\u201374, founder and first king of Lan Xang (1354\\u201373), a kingdom that included the present-day republic of Laos; abdicated\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}]","examples":[],"idiom":null,"ordinal":1,"sense":null,"subdefinitions":[]}],"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciations":[{"ipa":"ˈfɑː ˈŋʊm"}],"subEntry":[]}],"url":"fa-ngum"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"fa-ngum"},"requestId":"-n-ARwMmNhEufoGjBZHyW","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"fa-ngum","displayForm":"Fa Ngum","canonicalSlug":"fa-ngum","content":[{"source":"collins","entries":[{"id":"ac5ada0b1.6bfb.1014.b87b.c2803370a23a.1","type":"normal","entry":"Fa Ngum","entrySyllabified":null,"entryVariants":"","homograph":null,"pronunciation":{"audio":null,"spell":null,"ipa":"(ˈfɑː ˈŋʊm)"},"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":"","definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"","definition":"1316–74, founder and first king of Lan Xang (1354–73), a kingdom that included the present-day republic of Laos; abdicated","postdefinitionContent":""}]}],"origin":"","supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"derivedForms":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":55136,"index-rank-01":["fa ngum"],"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":"fa-ngum"},"requestId":"ZrsYwniQg11ZHobBvw6V9","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":["GUM","NGU","NUM","gum","Num.","num.","ng"],"tuna":["far","fay","AF","FAQ","FS","fab","fad","fag","fan","fat","DA","a","fax","fe","FX","AA","BA","QA","ca","ja","ma","pa","A1","c a","c-a","q a","A-1","a 1"],"lunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"GUM","slug":"gum"},{"displayForm":"NGU","slug":"ngu"},{"displayForm":"NUM","slug":"num"},{"displayForm":"gum","slug":"gum"},{"displayForm":"Num.","slug":"num"},{"displayForm":"num.","slug":"num"},{"displayForm":"ng","slug":"ng"}],"tunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"far","slug":"far"},{"displayForm":"fay","slug":"fay"},{"displayForm":"AF","slug":"af"},{"displayForm":"FAQ","slug":"faq"},{"displayForm":"FS","slug":"fs"},{"displayForm":"fab","slug":"fab"},{"displayForm":"fad","slug":"fad"},{"displayForm":"fag","slug":"fag"},{"displayForm":"fan","slug":"fan"},{"displayForm":"fat","slug":"fat"},{"displayForm":"DA","slug":"da"},{"displayForm":"a","slug":"a"},{"displayForm":"fax","slug":"fax"},{"displayForm":"fe","slug":"fe"},{"displayForm":"FX","slug":"fx"},{"displayForm":"AA","slug":"aa"},{"displayForm":"BA","slug":"ba"},{"displayForm":"QA","slug":"qa"},{"displayForm":"ca","slug":"ca"},{"displayForm":"ja","slug":"ja"},{"displayForm":"ma","slug":"ma"},{"displayForm":"pa","slug":"pa"},{"displayForm":"A1","slug":"a1"},{"displayForm":"c a","slug":"c%20a"},{"displayForm":"c-a","slug":"c-a"},{"displayForm":"q a","slug":"q%20a"},{"displayForm":"A-1","slug":"a-1"},{"displayForm":"a 1","slug":"a%201"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"fa-ngum"},"requestId":"oDfxgH_37_PBvxgaU3S0x","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

Fa Ngum

noun

Word of the Day