Distort
/dɪˈstɔːrt/noun
To twist out of its normal, original, or true shape or meaning.
Did you know?Distort comes from Latin distortus, the past participle of distorquēre, and that same torqu- root also gave English torque, torture, and retort—words originally tied to twisting, wringing, and turning.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*twer-
“to turn, twist”
Latin
Latin
torquēre
“to twist, turn, wrench”
Latin
Latin
distorquēre
“to twist apart, wrench aside”
Late Latin
Latin
distortus
“twisted apart, deformed”
Middle English
English
distorten
“to twist out of shape”
Modern English
English
distort
“to alter or bend from the true, natural, or original form”