tortuous
UK /ˈtɔːt͡ʃuːəs/ · US /ˈtɔɹt͡ʃuəs/ adjective
- adjective (often figurative) Twisted; having many turns; convoluted.
- adjective (astrology) Oblique; applied to the six signs of the zodiac (from Capricorn to Gemini) that ascend most rapidly and obliquely.
- adjective (obsolete) Injurious; tortious.
Synonyms
Byzantine convoluted involved knotty tangled twisting twisty winding voluminous
Etymology
From Middle English tortuous, tortuose, from Anglo-Norman and Old French tortuos, from Latin tortuōsus, from tortus (“a twisting, winding”).
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Bent in different directions; wreathed; twisted; winding; as, a tortuous train; a tortuous train; a tortuous leaf or corolla.
- adjective Fig.: Deviating from rectitude; indirect; erroneous; deceitful.
Etymology [OE. tortuos, L.tortuosus, fr.tortus a twisting, winding, fr. torquere, tortum, to twist: cf. F. tortueux. See Torture.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “tortuous”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details