torque

[ tawrk ]

/ tɔrk /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR torque ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Mechanics. something that produces or tends to produce torsion or rotation; the moment of a force or system of forces tending to cause rotation.

Machinery. the measured ability of a rotating element, as of a gear or shaft, to overcome turning resistance.

Optics. the rotational effect on plane-polarized light passing through certain liquids or crystals.

Also torc. a collar, necklace, or similar ornament consisting of a twisted narrow band, usually of precious metal, worn especially by the ancient Gauls and Britons.

verb (used with object), torqued, torqu·ing.

Machinery. to apply torque to (a nut, bolt, etc.).

to cause to rotate or twist.

verb (used without object), torqued, torqu·ing.

to rotate or twist.

Words nearby torque

torpor, torpor retinae, torporific, torquate, torquay, torque, torque converter, torque meter, torque spanner, torque wrench, torquemada

Origin of torque

1825–35; < Latin torquēre to twist; (def 4) < French torque < Latin torques torques (torc perhaps < Irish ≪ L)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for torque

“I think the show had lost a certain amount of torque,” he says.
Michael C. Hall on Where ‘Dexter’ Went Wrong and His New Killer Role in ‘Cold in July’|Melissa Leon|May 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To fully feel the depth of the Russian humiliation, you would have to have witnessed the torque of its rev-up.
Russia's Olympic Choke Job|Michael Idov|February 26, 2010|DAILY BEAST
It was the torque which Heidrek's men had taken from him, and I told her so.
A Sea Queen's Sailing|Charles Whistler
On one of these occasions a pair of curious, kidney-shaped earrings was found, together with a torque.
The Arts and Crafts of Older Spain, Volume I (of 3)|Leonard Williams

Also the torque, a twisted rod of gold flattened or curled together at the ends, was a mark of dignity.
Dress design|Talbot Hughes
The change in the distance d is proportional to the change in the torque transmitted from the shaft to the pulley.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 9|Various
The torque of the rubber strands on so short an arm is very great.
The Theory and Practice of Model Aeroplaning|V. E. Johnson

British Dictionary definitions for torque

torque

/ (tɔːk) /

noun

Also: torc a necklace or armband made of twisted metal, worn esp by the ancient Britons and Gauls

any force or system of forces that causes or tends to cause rotation

the ability of a shaft to cause rotation

Word Origin for torque

C19: from Latin torquēs necklace, and torquēre to twist

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for torque

torque

[ tôrk ]

n.

A turning or twisting force.

Science definitions for torque

torque

[ tôrk ]

The tendency of a force applied to an object to make it rotate about an axis. For a force applied at a single point, the magnitude of the torque is equal to the magnitude of the force multiplied by the distance from its point of application to an axis of rotation. Torque is also a vector quantity, equal to the vector product of the vector pointing from the axis to the point of application of force and the vector of force; torque thus points upward from a counterclockwise rotation. See also angular momentum lever.