“twists” is a form of
twist
/twɪst/ noun, verb, proper noun
- noun A twisting force.
- noun Anything twisted, or the act of twisting.
- noun The form given in twisting.
- noun The degree of stress or strain when twisted.
- noun A type of thread made from two filaments twisted together.
- noun A sliver of lemon peel added to a cocktail, etc.
- noun A sudden bend (or short series of bends) in a road, path, etc.
- noun A distortion to the meaning of a passage or word.
- verb To turn the ends of something, usually thread, rope etc., in opposite directions, often using force.
- verb To join together by twining one part around another.
- verb To contort; to writhe; to complicate; to crook spirally; to convolve.
- verb To wreathe; to wind; to encircle; to unite by intertexture of parts.
- verb (reflexive) To wind into; to insinuate. “Avarice twists itself into all human concerns.”
- verb To turn a knob etc.
- verb To distort or change the truth or meaning of words when repeating.
- verb To form a twist (in any of the above noun meanings).
- proper noun A surname.
Synonyms
torque convolute braid intertwist lace betwine entwist entwine interlace interthread intertwine interweave lock raddle ruddle twine wrest cajole inveigle wheedle turn turn of events construction device gimmick spin twirl twisting whirl wrench
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English twist, from Old English *twist, in compounds (e.g. mæsttwist (“a rope; stay”), candeltwist (“a wick”)), from Proto-Germanic *twistaz, a derivative of *twi- (“two-”) (compare also twine, between, betwixt).
Related to Saterland Frisian Twist (“discord”), Dutch twist (“twist; strife; discord”), German Low German Twist (“strife; discord”), German Zwist (“turmoil; strife; discord”), Swedish tvist (“quarrel; dispute”), Icelandic tvistur (“deuce”).
The verb is from Middle English twisten. Compare Dutch twisten, Danish tviste (“to dispute”), Swedish tvista (“to argue; dispute”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To contort; to writhe; to complicate; to crook spirally; to convolve.
- verb Hence, to turn from the true form or meaning; to pervert; as, to twist a passage cited from an author.
- verb To be contorted; to writhe; to be distorted by torsion; to be united by winding round each other; to be or become twisted; as, some strands will twist more easily than others.
- verb To follow a helical or spiral course; to be in the form of a helix.
Etymology [OE. twisten, AS. twist a rope, as made of two (twisted) strands, fr. twi- two; akin to D. twist a quarrel, dissension, G. zwist, Dan. & Sw. tvist, Icel. twistr the deuce in cards, tvistr distressed. See Twice, Two.]
Etymology [OE.; -- so called as being a two-forked branch. See Twist, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “twist”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details