First recorded in 1350–1400.
Comes via Middle English from the Latin word tortuōsus, which derives from the verb torquēre, “to twist, bend.”
Sign up for more Word of the Day!

\r\nEXAMPLES OF TORTUOUS\r\n

The tortuous road through the mountains made for a challenging but scenic drive.
The author's writing style was known for its elegant prose and tortuous plot twists.

\r\nIt's National Poetry Month, and we’ve created a challenge that really is for everyone. Submit now!","audio":"https://static.sfdict.com/audio/T03/T0390200.mp3","definitions":[{"partofspeech":"adjective","data":"full of twists, turns, or bends; twisting, winding, or crooked."}],"examples":[],"imageUrl":"https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/tortuous_IG.png","accentColor":"#0063D7"}},"status":"succeeded"}},"meta":{"requestId":"KCEuv1d3Sbl-3BFOL3WWs","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"maguire","entry":"Maguire"},{"slug":"magus","entry":"Magus"},{"slug":"mag-wheel","entry":"mag wheel"},{"slug":"magyar","entry":"Magyar"},{"slug":"magyarorszag","entry":"Magyarország"}],"after":[{"slug":"mahabharata","entry":"Mahabharata"},{"slug":"mahadeva","entry":"Mahadeva"},{"slug":"mahajanga","entry":"Mahajanga"},{"slug":"mahal","entry":"mahal"},{"slug":"mahala","entry":"Mahala"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"Mahabalipuram"},"requestId":"TVwIe_RcNPHA6CvAs5TVm","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"Mahabalipuram"},"requestId":"GRZC8gbLsDWxpuGJPXLmx","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"Entry","audioPronunciations":[{"mpeg":"https://nonprod-audio.dictionary.com/M00/M0049900/M0049900.mp3"}],"confusableNotes":[],"genderNotes":[],"grammarNotes":[],"headword":{"displayForm":"Mahabalipuram","slug":"mahabalipuram"},"idioms":[],"orderKey":99999010,"ordinal":10,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechBlock":[{"definitions":[{"antonymsConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"type\": \"def\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"a village in NE Tamil Nadu, in SE India: Hindu temples; early Dravidian architecture.\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}]","examples":[],"ordinal":1,"subdefinitions":[],"synonymsConnection":{"edges":[]}}],"inflectionSets":[],"labelSet":null,"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciationNotes":[],"pronunciationSet":{"pronunciationSetChunk":"{\"type\": \"pronunciation_set\", \"pointsTo\": \"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e6dcbf4.-87\", \"pronunciationGroupChunks\": [{\"type\": \"pronunciation_group\", \"pointsTo\": \"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e6dcbf4.-86\", \"ipaChunks\": [{\"text\": \"m\\u0259\\u02c8h\\u0251 b\\u0259 li\\u02ccp\\u028a\\u0259r \\u0259m\", \"type\": \"text\", \"pointsTo\": \"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e6dcbf4.-85\"}], \"spellChunks\": [{\"text\": \"m\", \"type\": \"text\"}, {\"text\": \"uh\", \"type\": \"emphasis\", \"pointsTo\": \"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e6dcbf4.-83\"}, {\"text\": \"-\", \"type\": \"text\"}, {\"text\": \"hah\", \"type\": \"bold\", \"pointsTo\": \"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e6dcbf4.-82\"}, {\"text\": \"-b\", \"type\": \"text\"}, {\"text\": \"uh\", \"type\": \"emphasis\", \"pointsTo\": \"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e6dcbf4.-81\"}, {\"text\": \"-lee-p\", \"type\": \"text\"}, {\"text\": \"oo\", \"type\": \"emphasis\", \"pointsTo\": \"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e6dcbf4.-80\"}, {\"text\": \"r-\", \"type\": \"text\"}, {\"text\": \"uh\", \"type\": \"emphasis\", \"pointsTo\": \"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e6dcbf4.-7f\"}, {\"text\": \"m\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}]}"},"relatedFormSets":[],"sensitiveNotes":[],"spellingNotes":[],"synonymStudy":[],"usageAlerts":[],"usageNotes":[],"variants":[],"verbPhrases":[]}],"url":"mahabalipuram"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"mahabalipuram"},"requestId":"-2o3cKjXl1mpjfZehWByQ","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"mahabalipuram","displayForm":"Mahabalipuram","canonicalSlug":"mahabalipuram","content":[{"source":"luna","entries":[{"id":"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e6dcbf4.-8b","type":"normal","entry":"Mahabalipuram","entrySyllabified":"Ma·ha·ba·li·pur·am","entryVariants":[],"homograph":null,"pronunciation":{"ipa":"məˈhɑ bə liˌpʊər əm ","spell":"muh-hah-buh-lee-poor-uhm ","audio":{"audio/ogg":"https://static.sfdict.com/audio/lunawav/M00/M0049900.ogg","audio/mpeg":"https://static.sfdict.com/audio/M00/M0049900.mp3"}},"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"","postdefinitionContent":"","definition":"a village in NE Tamil Nadu, in SE India: Hindu temples; early Dravidian architecture.","synonyms":"","antonyms":"","cites":[]}],"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":""}],"origin":null,"originData":null,"supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"variantSpellings":["Also Ma·ha·ba·li·pur, Mamallapuram. "],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"confusables":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":93771,"index-rank-01":["mahabalipuram"],"index-rank-02":[],"index-rank-03":["mahabalipur"],"index-rank-04":["mahabalipuram's","mahabalipurams","mahabalipurams'"],"index-rank-05":["mahabalipur's","mahabalipurs","mahabalipurs'"],"index-rank-06":[],"index-rank-07":[],"index-rank-08":[],"index-rank-09":[],"index-rank-10":[],"index-rank-11":[],"index-rank-12":[],"index-rank-13":[],"index-rank-14":[],"index-rank-15":[],"tunaSlug":null,"isFeaturedMetaSlug":false}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"Mahabalipuram"},"requestId":"mu6ORTiPZtS_HbvU8gojC","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":["Mahabalipuram","Mamallapuram"],"tuna":[],"lunaWithSlug":[{"displayForm":"Mahabalipuram","slug":"mahabalipuram"},{"displayForm":"Mamallapuram","slug":"mamallapuram"}],"tunaWithSlug":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"Mahabalipuram"},"requestId":"hwq8O1Y1uNzxJ0G4YljX9","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

Mahabalipuram

noun

Word of the Day