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":"_9iTo6bhYlIVaZPHa-Q5w","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"southern-paiute","entry":"Southern Paiute"},{"slug":"southern-rhodesia","entry":"Southern Rhodesia"},{"slug":"southern--rhodesian","entry":"Southern Rhodesian"},{"slug":"southern-sotho","entry":"Southern Sotho"},{"slug":"southern-stars","entry":"Southern Stars"}],"after":[{"slug":"southern-triangle","entry":"Southern Triangle"},{"slug":"southern-uplands","entry":"Southern Uplands"},{"slug":"southernwood","entry":"southernwood"},{"slug":"south-euclid","entry":"South Euclid"},{"slug":"southey","entry":"Southey"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"southern-toad"},"requestId":"zuzAN8gKx7CwUEBz48NYa","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"southern-toad"},"requestId":"NXdsB5v_PrzekDdVGdqAU","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"Entry","audioPronunciations":[],"confusableNotes":[],"genderNotes":[],"grammarNotes":[],"headword":{"displayForm":"southern toad","slug":"southern-toad"},"idioms":[],"orderKey":99999010,"ordinal":10,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechBlock":[{"definitions":[{"antonymsConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"type\": \"def\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"a common toad,\", \"type\": \"text\"}, {\"text\": \"Bufo terrestris,\", \"type\": \"emphasis\"}, {\"text\": \"of the southeastern U.S., having prominent knoblike crests on its head.\", \"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":"southern-toad"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"southern-toad"},"requestId":"XoV5m8wuiQnA6b4DXb-kx","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"southern-toad","displayForm":"southern toad","canonicalSlug":"southern-toad","content":[{"source":"luna","entries":[{"id":"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e782fe7.-692d","type":"normal","entry":"southern toad","entrySyllabified":"southern toad","entryVariants":[],"homograph":null,"pronunciation":null,"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"","postdefinitionContent":"","definition":"a common toad, Bufo terrestris, of the southeastern U.S., having prominent knoblike crests on its head.","synonyms":"","antonyms":"","cites":[]}],"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":""}],"origin":null,"originData":null,"supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"variantSpellings":[],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"confusables":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":145010,"index-rank-01":["southern toad"],"index-rank-02":[],"index-rank-03":[],"index-rank-04":["southern toad's","southern toads","southern toads'"],"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":"175","complexityScore":0.3800863295129985,"gradeLevel":"middle_school","tunaSlug":null,"isFeaturedMetaSlug":false}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"southern-toad"},"requestId":"HEiyiZM9jmOso0Bs3w_5u","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":[],"tuna":[],"lunaWithSlug":[],"tunaWithSlug":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"southern-toad"},"requestId":"Uu9YA5PJ4p0iTZ0H0gF9y","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

southern toad

noun

Word of the Day