contortion

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: con=tor=tion

CIDE DICTIONARY

contortion, n. [L. contortio: cf. F. contorsion. See Contort, and cf. Torsion.].

 A twisting; a writhing; wry motion; a twist; as, the contortion of the muscles of the face.  Swift.  [1913 Webster]
"All the contortions of the sibyl, without the inspiration."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

contortion, n.
1 the act or process of twisting.
2 a twisted state, esp. of the face or body.

Etymology

L contortio (as CONTORT)

THESAURUS

contortion

anamorphism, anamorphosis, asymmetry, buckle, crookedness, detorsion, deviation, disproportion, distortion, gnarl, imbalance, irregularity, knot, lopsidedness, quirk, screw, torsion, tortuosity, turn, twist, unsymmetry, warp, wrench, wrest, wring

ROGET THESAURUS

contortion

Distortion

N distortion, detortion, contortion, twist, crookedness, grimace, deformity, malformation, malconformation, harelip, monstrosity, misproportion, want of symmetry, anamorphosis, ugliness, talipes, teratology, asymmetry, irregularity, distorted, out of shape, irregular, asymmetric, unsymmetric, awry, wry, askew, crooked, not true, not straight, on one side, crump, deformed, harelipped, misshapen, misbegotten, misproportioned, ill proportioned, ill-made, grotesque, monstrous, crooked as a ram's horn, camel backed, hump backed, hunch backed, bunch backed, crook backed, bandy, bandy legged, bow legged, bow kneed, knock kneed, splay footed, club footed, round shouldered, snub nosed, curtailed of one's fair proportions, stumpy, gaunt, bloated, scalene, simous, taliped, talipedic, all manner of ways, crooked as a Virginia fence.