anfractuous

anfractuous

English

Etymology

Late Latin anfractuosus, from Latin anfractus (“bend, curve”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ænˈfɹæktjʊəs/

Adjective

anfractuous (comparative more anfractuous, superlative most anfractuous)

1. sinuous, twisty, winding.
   • 1995, Neal Stephenson, The Diamond Age:

     It was just that the story was anfractuous.

   • 1996, David Foster Wallace, Infinite Jest:

     Shy, iridescent, coltish, pelvically anfractuous, amply busted, given to diffident movements

2. craggy, rugged, coarse, rough, uneven.
   • 1920, T. S. Eliot, Poems, A. A. Knopf:

     Paint me the bold anfractuous rocks / Faced by the snarled and yelping seas.