[tawrk] 
,noun, verb, torqued, torqu⋅ing.| 1. | Mechanics. something that produces or tends to produce torsion or rotation; the moment of a force or system of forces tending to cause rotation. |
| 2. | Machinery. the measured ability of a rotating element, as of a gear or shaft, to overcome turning resistance. |
| 3. | Optics. the rotational effect on plane-polarized light passing through certain liquids or crystals. |
| 4. | Also, torc. a collar, necklace, or similar ornament consisting of a twisted narrow band, usually of precious metal, worn esp. by the ancient Gauls and Britons. |
| 5. | Machinery. to apply torque to (a nut, bolt, etc.). |
| 6. | to cause to rotate or twist. |
| 7. | to rotate or twist. |
| torque 1 (tôrk) n.
To impart torque to. [From Latin torquēre, to twist; see terkw- in Indo-European roots.] torqu'er n., torque'y adj. |
| torque 2 (tôrk) n. A collar, a necklace, or an armband made of a strip of twisted metal, worn by the ancient Gauls, Germans, and Britons. [French, from Old French, from Latin torquēs, from torquēre, to twist; see terkw- in Indo-European roots.] |
torque (tôrk)
n.
A turning or twisting force.
| torque (tôrk) Pronunciation Key
The tendency of a force applied to an object to make it rotate about an axis. For a force applied at a single point, the magnitude of the torque is equal to the magnitude of the force multiplied by the distance from its point of application to an axis of rotation. Torque is also a vector quantity, equal to the vector product of the vector pointing from the axis to the point of application of force and the vector of force; torque thus points upward from a counterclockwise rotation. See also angular momentum, lever. |