contort

English

Etymology

Equivalent to con- + -tort; from Middle English, borrowed from Latin contortus, past participle of contorqueō, from com- + torqueō (“twist, turn”).

Pronunciation

Rhymes: -ɔː(r)t

Verb

contort (third-person singular simple present contorts, present participle contorting, simple past and past participle contorted)

(transitive) To twist in a violent manner.
features contorted with fury.
(intransitive) To twist into or as if into a strained shape or expression.

Synonyms

deform
detort
twist

Derived terms

contortion
contortive
contortionist

Translations

To twist in a violent manner

Bulgarian: изкривявам (bg) (izkrivjavam)
Czech: zkroutit pf
Dutch: verwringen (nl)
French: se contorsionner (fr)

Maori: whakapī (referring to making faces)
Russian: деформировать (ru) (deformirovatʹ), скручивать (ru) (skručivatʹ), изгиба́ть (ru) (izgibátʹ)
Swedish: förvrida (sv)
Walloon: si ctråyner (wa)

To twist into or as if into a strained shape or expression

Bulgarian: изкривявам (bg) (izkrivjavam)
Dutch: verwrongen of ontzet raken
Maori: whakakōiro, whakapī (of the features of the body)

Russian: искривля́ть (ru) (iskrivljátʹ), искажа́ть (ru) (iskažátʹ)
Spanish: contorsionar (es)

Anagrams

Norcott