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tortillon

[tawr-tee-on, -ohn; French tawr-tee-yawn]
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noun, plural tor·til·lions [tawr-tee-onz, -ohnz; French tawr-tee-yawn] /ˌtɔr tiˈɒnz, -ˈoʊnz; French tɔr tiˈyɔ̃/.
  1. a stump made of paper twisted to a point, used in drawing.
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Origin of tortillon

1890–95; < French: literally, something twisted < tortill(er) to twist (see tort) + -on noun suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for tortillon

Historical Examples

  • Tortillon stumps are used in making the face, when it is desired to produce the stump effect, and also in making the hair.

    Crayon Portraiture

    Jerome A. Barhydt

  • It will also be well to make a chamois block for applying the crayon sauce, to be worked with the tortillon stump.

    Crayon Portraiture

    Jerome A. Barhydt

British Dictionary definitions for tortillon

tortillon

noun
  1. another word for stump (def. 5)
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Word Origin

from French: something twisted, from Old French tortiller 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