torque

[tawrk]

SEE MORE 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.

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

Related Words for torque

revolution, force, twist, turn, necklace, collar, armband

Examples from the Web for torque

Contemporary Examples of 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
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

Historical Examples of torque

It seems to be descending from overhead, but Pat says that that's the "torque" doing it.
The Dope on Mars
John Michael Sharkey
The torque of the rubber strands on so short an arm is very great.
The Theory and Practice of Model Aeroplaning
V. E. Johnson
There are various devices by which the torque may be (approximately) got rid of.
The Theory and Practice of Model Aeroplaning
V. E. Johnson
Around his neck was the torque, the emblem of chieftainship.
Beric the Briton
G. A. Henty
The head snapped off as soon as I applied a few inch-pounds of torque.
The Trouble with Telstar
John Berryman

British Dictionary definitions for torque

torque

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

Word Origin and History for torque

"rotating force," 1884, from Latin torquere "to twist" (see thwart). The verb is attested from 1954. The word also is used (since 1834) by antiquarians and others as a term for the twisted metal necklace worn anciently by Gauls, Britons, Germans, etc., from Latin torques in this sense. Earlier it had been called in English torques (1690s).

torque in Medicine

torque

[tôrk]

n.

A turning or twisting force.

torque in Science

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.