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":"hCFIiF5exMnl-N8xgWWpX","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"letter-of-the-law","entry":"letter of the law"},{"slug":"letter-perfect","entry":"letter-perfect"},{"slug":"letterpress","entry":"letterpress"},{"slug":"letter-quality","entry":"letter-quality"},{"slug":"letter-quality-printing","entry":"letter-quality printing"}],"after":[{"slug":"letters","entry":"letters"},{"slug":"letterset","entry":"letterset"},{"slug":"letter-size","entry":"letter-size"},{"slug":"letters-of-administration","entry":"letters of administration"},{"slug":"letters-of-credence","entry":"letters of credence"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"letter-ruling"},"requestId":"mxLIjQLAEg-W7dNBNjZIf","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"letter-ruling"},"requestId":"eib8ezufUEpUvN1hMWPXW","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"Entry","audioPronunciations":[],"confusableNotes":[],"genderNotes":[],"grammarNotes":[],"headword":{"displayForm":"letter ruling","slug":"letter-ruling"},"idioms":[],"orderKey":99999010,"ordinal":10,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechBlock":[{"definitions":[{"antonymsConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"type\": \"def\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"a written ruling sent by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service in response to a query concerning the application of the tax laws to a specific situation.\", \"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":"letter-ruling"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"letter-ruling"},"requestId":"ANlzW137fp0TvxmFjgdbU","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"letter-ruling","displayForm":"letter ruling","canonicalSlug":"letter-ruling","content":[{"source":"luna","entries":[{"id":"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e6cecbb.6c","type":"normal","entry":"letter ruling","entrySyllabified":"letter ruling","entryVariants":[],"homograph":null,"pronunciation":null,"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"","postdefinitionContent":"","definition":"a written ruling sent by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service in response to a query concerning the application of the tax laws to a specific situation.","synonyms":"","antonyms":"","cites":[]}],"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":""}],"origin":null,"originData":null,"supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"variantSpellings":[],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"confusables":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":89216,"index-rank-01":["letter ruling"],"index-rank-02":[],"index-rank-03":[],"index-rank-04":["letter ruling's","letter rulings","letter rulings'"],"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":"424","complexityScore":0.2203491381518686,"gradeLevel":"high_school","tunaSlug":null,"isFeaturedMetaSlug":false}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"letter-ruling"},"requestId":"Br_Ph2JoZ3Hm9Ql44TCFh","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":[],"tuna":[],"lunaWithSlug":[],"tunaWithSlug":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"letter-ruling"},"requestId":"A8QH67MQxEWTwbM84ukzx","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

letter ruling

noun

Word of the Day