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":"uYhMti-mnM0zOK_t6qwqD","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"particle-accelerator","entry":"particle accelerator"},{"slug":"particle-beam","entry":"particle beam"},{"slug":"particle-beam-weapon","entry":"particle beam weapon"},{"slug":"particle-board","entry":"particle board"},{"slug":"particle-physics","entry":"particle physics"}],"after":[{"slug":"particle-velocity","entry":"particle velocity"},{"slug":"parti-colored","entry":"parti-colored"},{"slug":"parti-coloured","entry":"parti-coloured"},{"slug":"particular","entry":"particular"},{"slug":"particular-affirmative","entry":"particular affirmative"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"particle-separation"},"requestId":"JAvrkok8pOQMrYnGLhMii","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"particle-separation"},"requestId":"XpMEVueO4a0Mf4MK2SUMu","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"CollinsEntry","headword":{"displayForm":"particle separation","slug":"particle-separation"},"homonym":null,"note":null,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechGroups":[{"definitions":[{"crossReferencesConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"text\": \"transformational grammar\", \"type\": \"lb_subject_field\"}, {\"type\": \"defgrp\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"a rule that moves the particle of a phrasal verb, thus deriving a sentence like\", \"type\": \"text\"}, {\"text\": \"He looked the answer up\", \"type\": \"emphasis\"}, {\"text\": \"from a structure that also underlies\", \"type\": \"text\"}, {\"text\": \"He looked up the answer\", \"type\": \"emphasis\"}]}]","examples":[],"idiom":null,"ordinal":1,"sense":null,"subdefinitions":[]}],"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciations":[],"subEntry":[]}],"url":"particle-separation"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"particle-separation"},"requestId":"7BW0HzsSpKqVzJMnqTlbr","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"particle-separation","displayForm":"particle separation","canonicalSlug":"particle-separation","content":[{"source":"collins","entries":[{"id":"ad5a5ed9c.6bfb.1014.b87b.c2803370a23a.1","type":"normal","entry":"particle separation","entrySyllabified":null,"entryVariants":"","homograph":null,"pronunciation":{"audio":null,"spell":null,"ipa":""},"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":"","definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"transformational grammar","definition":"a rule that moves the particle of a phrasal verb, thus deriving a sentence like He looked the answer up from a structure that also underlies He looked up the answer","postdefinitionContent":""}]}],"origin":"","supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"derivedForms":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":114265,"index-rank-01":["particle separation"],"index-rank-02":[],"index-rank-03":[],"index-rank-04":[],"index-rank-05":[],"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":"particle-separation"},"requestId":"8HfivlSc065Rz2FRkAKXO","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":[],"tuna":[],"lunaWithSlug":[],"tunaWithSlug":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"particle-separation"},"requestId":"QH5M45-1-4UJEXnZmECcN","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

particle separation

noun

Word of the Day