torques

American  

[tawr-kweez] / ˈtɔr kwiz /

noun

Zoology.

1. a ringlike band or formation about the neck, as of feathers, hair, or integument of distinctive color or appearance; a collar.

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torques British  

/ -kweɪt, ˈtɔːkwɪt, ˈtɔːkwiːz /

noun

1. a distinctive band of hair, feathers, skin, or colour around the neck of an animal; a collar

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Other Word Forms

• torquate adjective

Etymology

Origin of torques

1560–70; < Latin torquēs twisted necklace or collar, equivalent to torqu ( ēre ) to twist (akin to Greek trépein to turn) + -ēs feminine deverbative noun suffix

Example Sentences

Ultimately, though, the author torques her contrarianism past trolling, past knee-jerk philosophizing and past satire, alchemizing a critique of literary culture in all its ideological waywardness.

From Los Angeles Times

Some of the white terracotta tiles that cover the building’s facade were haphazardly installed, wrecking the precise geometries of a design that ripples and torques.

From Los Angeles Times

Now, we could orient the sunshield to cancel out the torques—but we want to point the telescope at targets, not get the sunshield perfectly balanced by sunlight.

From Scientific American

Her body is strong, and she torques it forcefully against the god, trying to free herself.

From New York Times

The gnarl of a tree trunk torques into velvet and sharpens back up.

From New York Times