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con·tort (kən-tôrt)
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v. con·tort·ed, con·tort·ing, con·torts
v.tr.
1. To twist, wrench, or bend out of proper or natural shape: fingers contorted by arthritis. See Synonyms at distort.
2. To cause to deviate from what is normal, proper, or accurate: The leaders of the movement contorted their own principles in trying to get what they wanted.
v.intr.
To become contorted: "Her face contorts with pain and horror, as if something deep inside her has been shattered" (Rachel Simon).

[Latin contorquēre, contort-, to twist : com-, intensive pref.; see COM- + torquēre, to twist; see terkw- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

con·tortion n.
con·tortive adj.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.