torsion

[tawr-shuh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR torsion ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of twisting.

the state of being twisted.

Mechanics.

the twisting of a body by two equal and opposite torques.
the internal torque so produced.

Mathematics.

the degree of departure of a curve from a plane.
a number measuring this.

Origin of torsion

1375–1425; 1535–45 for def 1; late Middle English torcion wringing one's bowels < Old French torsion < Late Latin torsiōn- (stem of torsiō) torment, equivalent to tors(us) twisted (see torse) + -iōn- -ion

Related formstor·sion·al, adjectivetor·sion·al·ly, adverb

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

Related Words for torsion

curve, flourish, convolution, puzzle, twist, winding, perplexity, tangle, web, network, hodgepodge, muddle, mesh, imbroglio, knot, entanglement, morass, bewilderment, skein, uncertainty

Examples from the Web for torsion

Historical Examples of torsion

In the b-position, on the other hand, the torsion is against the hands of a clock.
Life Movements in Plants, Volume II, 1919
Sir Jagadis Chunder Bose
In all these cases the torsion and asymmetry of the body are unaffected.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5
Various
This is because the torsion varies as the fourth power of the diameter.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 717, September 28, 1889
Various
Even if it is only halved, the torsion is reduced sixteenfold.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 717, September 28, 1889
Various
It might be supposed that the torsion of the wire would appreciably affect the result.
Scientific American Supplement, No. 447, July 26, 1884
Various

British Dictionary definitions for torsion

torsion

noun

the twisting of a part by application of equal and opposite torques at either end
the condition of twist and shear stress produced by a torque on a part or component

the act of twisting or the state of being twisted

Derived Formstorsional, adjectivetorsionally, adverb

Word Origin for torsion

C15: from Old French, from medical Latin torsiō griping pains, from Latin torquēre to twist, torture

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 torsion

early 15c., "wringing pain in the bowels," from Old French torsion (early 14c.), from Late Latin torsionem (nominative torsio) "a wringing or gripping," from Latin tortionem (nominative tortio) "torture, torment," noun of action from past participle stem of torquere "to twist" (see thwart). Meaning "action or process of twisting as by opposing forces" is first recorded 1540s.

torsion in Medicine