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contortion

 - 2 dictionary results

con⋅tor⋅tion

[kuhn-tawr-shuhn]
–noun
1. the act or process of contorting.
2. the state of being contorted.
3. a contorted position.
4. something contorted or twisted, as in position or meaning: His account of the incident was a complete contortion of fact.

Origin:
1605–15; < L contortiōn- (s. of contortiō) a whirling around. See contort, -ion


con⋅tor⋅tion⋅al, adjective
con⋅tor⋅tioned, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To contortion
con·tort   (kən-tôrt')   
v.   con·tort·ed, con·tort·ing, con·torts

v.   tr.
To twist, wrench, or bend severely out of shape: pain that contorted their faces.
v.   intr.
To become twisted into a strained shape or expression. See Synonyms at distort.

[Latin contorquēre, contort-, to twist : com-, intensive pref.; see com- + torquēre, to twist; see terkw- in Indo-European roots.]
con·tor'tion n., con·tor'tive adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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