tors-, tort-, -tort, tortu-, torqu-

A retort (vessel where substances are distilled or decomposed by heat) in which mercury is distilled off from gold, or silver amalgam is obtained in amalgamation.

1. To become so twisted as to take on an unnatural or grotesque shape, or to twist something; especially, a part of the body, in this way: "Their horror contorted their faces."
2. To twist, wrench, or bend severely out of shape: "Twisting her ankles showed the severe pain which contorted face."
3. To change something so greatly that it becomes unrecognizable: "My friend always seemed to contort the truth."

1. Twisted, or stained, in a violent manner; distorted.
2. Twisted back on itself; convoluted.

1. A twisting of something, especially a part of the body, out of its natural shape.
2. The act of twisting or deforming the shape of something.
3. A bewilderingly complex maneuvering or manipulation of something.
4. A tortuous and twisted shape or position of someone or something.

1. An acrobat who is able to twist into unusual positions.
2. Anyone who bends his, or her, own body into unusual shapes; especially, for purposes of entertainment.
3. Someone who twists, or distorts, something; such as, a statement made by another person.

Consisting of a floating mass of diatoms.

A twisting or warping.

A twisting to the right.

1. To bend, twist, stretch, or force something out of its usual or natural shape, or to be made to do this.
2. To describe, or to report, something in an inaccurate or misleading way.
3. To make something unclear or unrecognizable; for example, to change something; such as, an image in such a way that it becomes unclear or unrecognizable.
4. To twist out of a proper, or natural, relation of parts; to misshape something.
5. To give a false, or misleading, account of something; for example, to misrepresent another person's statement.

1. A reference to altering or misrepresenting something; such as, facts.
2. Relating to twisting out of shape or deforming.
3. In electronics, characterized by reproduction or amplification of something inaccurately; such as, to reproduce a signal falsely.

Someone who, or that which, distorts; twists out of shape; or makes crooked or deformed.

1. The describing, or reporting, of something in a way that is inaccurate or misleading.
2. The bending, twisting, stretching, or forcing of something out of its usual or natural shape.
3. A part of something that has been bent, twisted, stretched, or forced out of its usual or natural shape.
4. The altering of something; such as, a radio or television signal to the extent that it becomes unclear or unrecognizable.
5. An alteration in an image in which the original proportions are changed, resulting from a defect in a lens or an optical system.

1. Relating to a statement that twists facts; a misrepresentation.
2. Characterized by a change in the shape of an image that results from imperfections in an optical system, such as a lens.
3. In electronics, a reference to an undesired change in the waveform of a signal.

1. To obtain something; such as, money or information from someone by using force, threats, or other unacceptable methods.
2. To obtain something from another person by coercion or intimidation.
3. To compel, or to coerce, as with a confession or information, by any means serving to overcome the other's power of resistance; therefore, making the confession or admission legally involuntary.
4. To gain by wrongful methods; that is, to obtain in an unlawful manner, as when someone compels payments by means of threats of injury to person, property, or reputation.
5. The natural meaning of the word extort is to obtain money or other valuable things by compulsion, by actual force, or by the force of motives applied to the will, and often more overpowering and irresistible than physical force.

1. The crime of obtaining something; such as, money or information from someone by using force, threats, or other unacceptable methods.
2. The charging of an excessive amount of money for something.
3. The acquisition of something through the use of force or threats.
4. The illegal use of someone's official position, or powers, to obtain property, funds, or patronage.
5. Etymology: from Latin extorquere, "to wrench out, to wrest away"; from ex-, "out" + torquere "to twist".