Tortuous
/ˈtɔːr.tʃu.əs/noun
Full of twists and turns; winding or indirect.
Did you know?Tortuous and torture both ultimately come from Latin torquere, meaning “to twist,” because the original idea was physical twisting or wringing, not just emotional pain.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*tork- / *terk-
“to twist, turn”
Latin
Latin
torquēre
“to twist, turn, wring”
Late Latin
Latin
tortuōsus
“twisted, full of bends”
Middle English
English
tortuous
“winding, full of turns”
Modern English
English
tortuous
“full of twists and turns; indirect”