be+tortuous

  • 1Tortuous — Tor tu*ous, a. [OE. tortuos, L. tortuosus, fr. tortus a twisting, winding, fr. torquere, tortum, to twist: cf. F. tortueux. See {Torture}.] 1. Bent in different directions; wreathed; twisted; winding; as, a tortuous train; a tortuous leaf or… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 2tortuous — tortuous, torturous Both words are derived from Latin torquēre meaning ‘to twist’, but their literal meanings are different. The (less common) word torturous is a derivative of the English word torture, whereas tortuous has no such intermediary… …

    Modern English usage

  • 3tortuous, torturous —    Tortuous means winding and circuitous ( The road wound tortuously through the mountains ). When used figuratively it usually suggests crookedness or deviousness ( a tortuous tax evasion scheme ). The word is thus better avoided if all you mean …

    Dictionary of troublesome word

  • 4tortuous, torturous —    Tortuous means winding and circuitous ( The road wound tortuously through the mountains ). When used figuratively it usually suggests crookedness or deviousness ( a tortuous tax evasion scheme ). The word is thus better avoided if all you mean …

    Dictionary of troublesome word

  • 5tortuous, torturous — Tortuous means winding, crooked. Torturous means full of, or causing, torture (pain). The path of the stream is tortuous. The surgeon began a torturous examination of the patient s neck. Noting that torturous has two r s will help one to… …

    Dictionary of problem words and expressions

  • 6tortuous — (adj.) late 14c., from Anglo Fr. tortuous (12c.), from L. tortuosus full of twists, winding, from tortus a twisting, winding, from stem of torquere to twist, wring, distort (see THWART (Cf. thwart)) …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 7tortuous — [adj1] very twisted anfractuous, bent, circuitous, convoluted, crooked, curved, flexuous, indirect, involute, labyrinthine, mazy, meandering, meandrous, roundabout, serpentine, sinuous, snaky, twisting, vermiculate, winding, zigzag; concept 581… …

    New thesaurus

  • 8tortuous / torturous —    Tortuous means winding, crooked, with many twists and turns : Wiley Driver was very adept at driving the tortuous mountain roads of western North Carolina.    Torturous means very painful, like torture : Mick Stupp found doing math homework… …

    Confused words

  • 9tortuous / torturous —    Tortuous means winding, crooked, with many twists and turns : Wiley Driver was very adept at driving the tortuous mountain roads of western North Carolina.    Torturous means very painful, like torture : Mick Stupp found doing math homework… …

    Confused words

  • 10tortuous — I (bending) adjective anfractuous, circuitous, complicated, conniving, contorted, convoluted, curved, curvilinear, indirect, involved, irregular, labyrinthine, mazy, meandering, roundabout, serpentine, sinuate, sinuated, sinuous, snakelike,… …

    Law dictionary