English
tortuous
Tortuous comes from Latin tortuōsus ‘twisting, tortuous’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- ‘to turn, spin’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*terkʷ-‘to turn, spin’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*torkʷ-éye-tireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*torkʷejōreconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*torkʷeōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtorqueō‘to twist, wind, bend awry, distort’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtortus‘a twisting, winding’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtortuōsus‘twisting, tortuous’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400tortuos
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tortuous
- Englishearliest quotation 1848same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*terkʷ-‘to turn, spin’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*torkʷ-éye-tireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*torkʷejōreconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*torkʷeōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtorqueō‘to twist, wind, bend awry, distort’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtortus‘a twisting, winding’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtortuōsus‘twisting, tortuous’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400tortuos
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tortuous
- Englishearliest quotation 1848same form
Earliest quotation: 1848, Thomas Babington Macaulay, The History of England from the Accession of James the Secon: “The badger made his dark and tortuous hole on…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- ‘to turn, spin’
queer, tart, thwart, trowel, tortious, 21 more
through Latin torqueō ‘to twist, wind, bend awry, distort’
torch, torque, torment, extortion, distort, torsion, retort, extort, contortion, 18 more
through Latin tortus ‘a twisting, winding’
Today it means
adj Twisted; having many turns; convoluted.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- / tortuous