torsion

 
Pronunciation: /ˈtɔːʃ(ə)n/

noun

[mass noun]
  • the action of twisting or the state of being twisted, especially of one end of an object relative to the other.
  • the twisting of the cut end of an artery after surgery to impede bleeding.
  • Mathematics the extent to which a curve departs from being planar.
  • Zoology (in a gastropod mollusc) the spontaneous twisting of the visceral hump through 180° during larval development.

Derivatives

torsional

adjective

torsionally

adverb

torsionless

adjective

Origin:

late Middle English (as a medical term denoting colic or in the sense 'twisting' (especially of a loop of the intestine)): via Old French from late Latin torsio(n-), variant of tortio(n-) 'twisting, torture', from Latin torquere 'to twist'