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":"s39VJPp5YYudP8AY8lc2e","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"fatherland","entry":"fatherland"},{"slug":"father-lasher","entry":"father lasher"},{"slug":"fatherless","entry":"fatherless"},{"slug":"fatherly","entry":"fatherly"},{"slug":"father-of-his-country","entry":"father of his country"}],"after":[{"slug":"father-of-the-house","entry":"Father of the House"},{"slug":"father-s-day","entry":"Father's Day"},{"slug":"father-substitute","entry":"father substitute"},{"slug":"father-time","entry":"Father Time"},{"slug":"fathogram","entry":"fathogram"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"father-of-the-chapel"},"requestId":"GGDq4EBiT__vHGcNYKDw9","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"father-of-the-chapel"},"requestId":"KjTqW7yj-NEqKnc37V2vW","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"CollinsEntry","headword":{"displayForm":"father of the chapel","slug":"father-of-the-chapel"},"homonym":null,"note":null,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechGroups":[{"definitions":[{"crossReferencesConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"type\": \"defgrp\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"(in British trade unions in the publishing and printing industries) a shop steward\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}, {\"text\": \"FoC\", \"type\": \"text\"}]","examples":[],"idiom":null,"ordinal":1,"sense":null,"subdefinitions":[]}],"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciations":[],"subEntry":[]}],"url":"father-of-the-chapel"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"father-of-the-chapel"},"requestId":"9BydbHT_ISMLYBjJROs-h","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"father-of-the-chapel","displayForm":"father of the chapel","canonicalSlug":"father-of-the-chapel","content":[{"source":"collins","entries":[{"id":"ac5f82a8f.6bfb.1014.b87b.c2803370a23a.1","type":"normal","entry":"father of the chapel","entrySyllabified":null,"entryVariants":"","homograph":null,"pronunciation":{"audio":null,"spell":null,"ipa":""},"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":"","definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"","definition":"(in British trade unions in the publishing and printing industries) a shop steward","postdefinitionContent":"Abbreviation: FoC"}]}],"origin":"","supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"derivedForms":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":55479,"index-rank-01":["father of the chapel"],"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":"father-of-the-chapel"},"requestId":"OlCjQFhbJHtP4hZQLm7zQ","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":[],"tuna":[],"lunaWithSlug":[],"tunaWithSlug":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"father-of-the-chapel"},"requestId":"vrqzQHzhBud09bxv7PjMb","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

father of the chapel

noun

Word of the Day