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":"NTVNfKP6n32rz8ij4vuf9","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchWordsNearby/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"before":[{"slug":"shoulder-patch","entry":"shoulder patch"},{"slug":"shoulder-season","entry":"shoulder season"},{"slug":"shoulder-strap","entry":"shoulder strap"},{"slug":"shoulder-surfing","entry":"shoulder surfing"},{"slug":"shoulder--to--shoulder","entry":"shoulder to shoulder"}],"after":[{"slug":"should-have-stood-in-bed--i","entry":"should have stood in bed, I"},{"slug":"shouldna","entry":"shouldna"},{"slug":"shouldn-t","entry":"shouldn't"},{"slug":"shouldst","entry":"shouldst"},{"slug":"shouse","entry":"shouse"}]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"shoulder-weapon"},"requestId":"gl6dB1nRwu4IJZJqtnFjQ","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"luna/fetchExampleSentences/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"tdb":[],"gbg":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"shoulder-weapon"},"requestId":"XzxKA9yFOId8uEYs0Odo8","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchDictionaryResults/fulfilled","payload":{"slugs":[{"entries":[{"__typename":"Entry","audioPronunciations":[{"mpeg":"https://nonprod-audio.dictionary.com/NEW2016/shoulderweapon_000/shoulderweapon_000.mp3"}],"confusableNotes":[],"genderNotes":[],"grammarNotes":[],"headword":{"displayForm":"shoulder weapon","slug":"shoulder-weapon"},"idioms":[],"orderKey":99999010,"ordinal":10,"origin":null,"partOfSpeechBlock":[{"definitions":[{"antonymsConnection":{"edges":[]},"definitionSetChunks":"[{\"type\": \"def\", \"children\": [{\"text\": \"a firearm that is fired while being held in the hands with the butt of the weapon braced against the shoulder.\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}]","examples":[],"ordinal":1,"subdefinitions":[],"synonymsConnection":{"edges":[]}}],"inflectionSets":[],"labelSet":null,"ordinal":1,"partOfSpeech":"noun"}],"pronunciationNotes":[],"pronunciationSet":{"pronunciationSetChunk":"{\"type\": \"pronunciation_set\", \"pointsTo\": \"u9a83a7bdcaf17f6c.-c67f106.154285be9b0.-3a95\", \"pronunciationGroupChunks\": [{\"type\": \"pronunciation_group\", \"punc\": \"none\", \"pointsTo\": \"u9a83a7bdcaf17f6c.-c67f106.154285be9b0.-3a94\", \"ipaChunks\": [{\"text\": \"\\u02c8\\u0283o\\u028al d\\u0259r \\u02ccw\\u025bp \\u0259n\", \"type\": \"text\", \"pointsTo\": \"u9a83a7bdcaf17f6c.-c67f106.154285be9b0.-3a93\"}], \"spellChunks\": [{\"text\": \"shohl\", \"type\": \"bold\", \"pointsTo\": \"u5e4d883de37776bc.6aee89bb.158dd93aaad.-7b53\"}, {\"text\": \"-der wep-\", \"type\": \"text\"}, {\"text\": \"uh\", \"type\": \"emphasis\", \"pointsTo\": \"u5e4d883de37776bc.6aee89bb.158dd93aaad.-7b52\"}, {\"text\": \"n\", \"type\": \"text\"}]}]}"},"relatedFormSets":[],"sensitiveNotes":[],"spellingNotes":[],"synonymStudy":[],"usageAlerts":[],"usageNotes":[],"variants":[],"verbPhrases":[]}],"url":"shoulder-weapon"}]},"meta":{"arg":{"slug":"shoulder-weapon"},"requestId":"rDcOWr9eiGL3Qg_rUg-jM","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchResultsData/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"url":"shoulder-weapon","displayForm":"shoulder weapon","canonicalSlug":"shoulder-weapon","content":[{"source":"luna","entries":[{"id":"u3bb48a285cbafaf0.-3bc55cee.14d9e77509f.-69e5","type":"normal","entry":"shoulder weapon","entrySyllabified":"shoul·der weap·on","entryVariants":[],"homograph":null,"pronunciation":{"ipa":"ˈʃoʊl dər ˌwɛp ən ","spell":"shohl-der wep-uhn ","audio":{"audio/ogg":"https://static.sfdict.com/audio/lunawav/NEW2016/shoulderweapon_000.ogg","audio/mpeg":"https://static.sfdict.com/audio/NEW2016/shoulderweapon_000.mp3"}},"predefinitionContent":"","posBlocks":[{"definitions":[{"order":1,"type":"simple","predefinitionContent":"","postdefinitionContent":"","definition":"a firearm that is fired while being held in the hands with the butt of the weapon braced against the shoulder.","synonyms":"","antonyms":"","cites":[]}],"pos":"noun","posSupplementaryInfo":""}],"origin":null,"originData":null,"supplementaryNotes":[],"variantForms":[],"variantSpellings":["Also shoul·der gun

[shohl-der guhn], /ˈʃoʊl dər ˌgʌn/, shoul·der arm

[shohl-der ahrm] /ˈʃoʊl dər ˌɑrm/ ."],"referenceData":[],"relatedForms":[],"confusables":[]}]}],"nearbyWordOrdinal":140579,"index-rank-01":["shoulder weapon"],"index-rank-02":[],"index-rank-03":["shoulder arm","shoulder gun"],"index-rank-04":["shoulder weapon's","shoulder weapons","shoulder weapons'"],"index-rank-05":["shoulder arm's","shoulder arms","shoulder arms'","shoulder gun's","shoulder guns","shoulder guns'"],"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":[],"categoryId":"415","complexityScore":0.23601781248614034,"gradeLevel":"high_school","tunaSlug":null,"isFeaturedMetaSlug":false}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"shoulder-weapon"},"requestId":"XHoyYFqKLdk9NgBmB3pV-","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}},{"type":"fetchSpellSuggestions/fulfilled","payload":{"data":{"luna":[],"tuna":[],"lunaWithSlug":[],"tunaWithSlug":[]}},"meta":{"arg":{"word":"shoulder-weapon"},"requestId":"gKY0f0kNcT8Gezix3VDlF","requestStatus":"fulfilled"}}]},"actionData":null,"errors":null}

shoulder weapon

noun

Word of the Day