torsion

[ tawr-shuhn ]
See synonyms for torsion on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. the act of twisting.

  2. the state of being twisted.

  1. Mechanics.

    • the twisting of a body by two equal and opposite torques.

    • the internal torque so produced.

  2. Mathematics.

    • the degree of departure of a curve from a plane.

    • a number measuring this.

Origin of torsion

1
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

Other words from torsion

  • tor·sion·al, adjective
  • tor·sion·al·ly, adverb

Words Nearby torsion

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use torsion in a sentence

  • Coulomb was the maker of the first instrument for measuring a current, which was known as the torsion balance.

    Steam Steel and Electricity | James W. Steele
  • Penaud's machine, relying only on india rubber under torsion, flies for some fifty yards.

    The Mark Of Cain | Andrew Lang
  • On the other hand, the law of torsion could hardly be quite so simple, at all events, to the second order of approximations.

    On Laboratory Arts | Richard Threlfall
  • Its free motion differs entirely from that given it by torsion or stress.

  • The old freighter swung a great circle, its torsion jets blasting desperately in an effort to keep it on an even keel.

    Runaway | William Morrison

British Dictionary definitions for torsion

torsion

/ (ˈtɔːʃən) /


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

  1. the act of twisting or the state of being twisted

Origin of torsion

1
C15: from Old French, from medical Latin torsiō griping pains, from Latin torquēre to twist, torture

Derived forms of torsion

  • torsional, adjective
  • torsionally, adverb

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

Scientific definitions for torsion

torsion

[ tôrshən ]


  1. The stress on an object when torque is applied to it.

  2. A mathematical operation in geometry measuring how tightly a plane is twisted.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.