torsion
Americannoun
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the act of twisting.
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the state of being twisted.
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Mechanics.
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the twisting of a body by two equal and opposite torques.
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the internal torque so produced.
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Mathematics.
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the degree of departure of a curve from a plane.
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a number measuring this.
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noun
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the twisting of a part by application of equal and opposite torques at either end
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the condition of twist and shear stress produced by a torque on a part or component
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the act of twisting or the state of being twisted
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The stress on an object when torque is applied to it.
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A mathematical operation in geometry measuring how tightly a plane is twisted.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of torsion
1375–1425; 1535–45 torsion 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
Explanation
A force that twists something is called torsion. The shape of the twisted object can also be called torsion, like the torsion of a tree's branches that makes it tricky to build a treehouse. In physics, you can calculate torsion using a formula. The turning or twisting force that causes torsion is called torque. Both words share a Latin root, torquere, "to twist or distort." Torsion first meant "wringing pain in the bowels," from the idea that abdominal pain was caused by twisted insides. Medically, torsion is still used today for conditions caused by twisting, like a torsion fracture, when a bone breaks while twisting.
Vocabulary lists containing torsion
Twists and Turns: Tor
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Civil Engineering
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Engineering - Middle School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Torsion Group, the developer, says it can't comment on the independently owned agent, but it "expects them to operate at the highest professional standards".
From BBC • Apr. 7, 2025
This season they return, with a reprisal of two of those pieces – Russell Maliphant's Torsion and Paul Roberts's Alpha – plus two new works by choreographers relatively unknown over here.
From The Guardian • Jan. 29, 2011
The results, as shown last week, bear such titles as Torsion, Crystallic Image, Construction in Space with Crystal Center.
From Time Magazine Archive
Torsion is the twisting of the blood vessel until the walls come together and form a barrier to the flow of blood.
From Special Report on Diseases of the Horse by Michener, Charles B.
This law was proved by Coulomb by means of an instrument known as Coulomb's Torsion Balance, and I must refer the reader to any work on electricity for a full establishment of this law.
From Aether and Gravitation by Hooper, William George
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
