torso
UK /ˈtɔː.səʊ̯/ · US /ˈtoɹ.soʊ̯/ noun
Forms torsos torsi
- noun The main part of the (human) body that extends from the neck to the groin, excluding the head and limbs.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Italian torso, from Late Latin tursus, from Latin thyrsus, from Ancient Greek θύρσος (thúrsos, “Bacchic staff”). Doublet of thyrse, thyrsus, and torse.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The human body, as distinguished from the head and limbs; in sculpture, the trunk of a statue, mutilated of head and limbs; as, the torso of Hercules.
Etymology [It. torso, probably fr. L. thyrsus a stalk, stem, thyrsus, Gr. torso, turso, a stalk, stem, G. dorsche a cabbage stalk. Cf. Thyrsus, Truss.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “torso”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details