Torrential, Torrentine Tor·ren"tial, Tor·ren"tine adjective Of or pertaining to a torrent; having the character of a torrent; caused by a torrent . [ R.]
Torricellian Tor`ri·cel"li·an adjective Of or pertaining to Torricelli , an Italian philosopher and mathematician, who, in 1643, discovered that the rise of a liquid in a tube, as in the barometer, is due to atmospheric pressure. See Barometer . Torricellian tube ,
a glass tube thirty or more inches in length, open at the lower end and hermetically sealed at the upper, such as is used in the barometer. --
Torricellian vacuum (Physics) ,
a vacuum produced by filling with a fluid, as mercury, a tube hermetically closed at one end, and, after immersing the other end in a vessel of the same fluid, allowing the inclosed fluid to descend till it is counterbalanced by the pressure of the atmosphere, as in the barometer. Hutton.
Torrid Tor"rid adjective [ Latin
torridus , from
torrere to parch, to burn, akin to English
Thist : confer French
torride . See
Thirst .]
1. Parched; dried with heat; as, a torrid plain or desert. "Barca or Cyrene's
torrid soil."
Milton. 2. Violenty hot; drying or scorching with heat; burning; parching. "
Torrid heat."
Milton. Torrid zone (Geology) ,
that space or board belt of the earth, included between the tropics, over which the sun is vertical at some period of every year, and the heat is always great.
Torridity Tor·rid"i·ty noun Torridness. [ R.]
Torridness Tor"rid·ness noun The quality or state of being torrid or parched.
Torril Tor"ril noun A worthless woman; also, a worthless horse. [ Prov. Eng.]
Halliwell.
Torrock Tor"rock noun (Zoology) A gull. [ Prov. Eng.]
Torsade Tor·sade" noun [ French]
A twisted cord; also, a molded or worked ornament of similar form. The crown decked with torsades of pearls.
Harper's Mag.
Torsal Tor"sal noun (Carp.) A torsel. Knight.
Torse Torse noun [ Old French , from Old French & French
tors ,
torse , twisted, wreathed, past participle of
tordre to twist, Latin
torquere . See
Torture .]
1. (Her.) A wreath. 2. [ French
tors ,
torse , twisted.]
(Geom.) A developable surface. See under Developable .
Torsel Tor"sel noun (Carp.) A plate of timber for the end of a beam or joist to rest on. Gwilt
Torsibillty Tor`si·bil"l·ty noun The tendency, as of a rope, to untwist after being twisted.
Torsion Tor"sion noun [ French, from Late Latin
torsio , from Latin
torquere ,
tortum , to twist. See
Torture .]
1. The act of turning or twisting, or the state of being twisted; the twisting or wrenching of a body by the exertion of a lateral force tending to turn one end or part of it about a longitudinal axis, while the other is held fast or turned in the opposite direction. 2. (Mech.) That force with which a thread, wire, or rod of any material, returns, or tends to return, to a state of rest after it has been twisted; torsibility. Angle of torsion (of a curve) (Geom.) , the indefinitely small angle between two consecutive osculating planes of a curve of double curvature. --
Moment of torsion (Mech.) the moment of a pair of equal and opposite couples which tend to twist a body. --
Torsion balance (Physics.) ,
an instrument for estimating very minute forces, as electric or magnetic attractions and repulsions, by the torsion of a very slender wire or fiber having at its lower extremity a horizontal bar or needle, upon which the forces act. --
Torsion scale ,
a scale for weighing in which the fulcra of the levers or beams are strained wires or strips acting by torsion.
Torsion electrometer Tor"sion e·lec·trom"e·ter (Electricity) A torsion balance used for measuring electric attraction or repulsion.
Torsion galvanometer Torsion galvanometer (Electricity) A galvanometer in which current is measured by torsion.
Torsion head Torsion head That part of a torsion balance from which the wire or filament is suspended.
Torsion indicator Torsion indicator An autographic torsion meter.
Torsion meter Torsion meter (Mech.) An instrument for determining the torque on a shaft, and hence the horse power of an engine, esp. of a marine engine of high power, by measuring the amount of twist of a given length of the shaft. Called also torsimeter , torsiometer , torsometer .
Torsional Tor"sion·al adjective Of or pertaining to torsion; resulting from torsion, or the force with which a thread or wire returns to a state of rest after having been twisted round its axis; as, torsional force.
Torsk Torsk noun [ Dan.; akin to Icelandic
þorskr a codfish, German
dorsch .]
(Zoology) (a) The cusk. See Cusk . (b) The codfish. Called also tusk .
Torso Tor"so noun ;
plural English
Torsos , Italian
Torsi . [ Italian
torso , probably from Latin
thyrsus a stalk, stem, thyrsus, Greek ...; confer Old High German
torso ,
turso , a stalk, stem, German
dorsche a cabbage stalk. Confer
Thyrsus ,
Truss .]
The human body, as distinguished from the head and limbs; in sculpture, the trunk of a statue, mutilated of head and limbs; as, the torso of Hercules.
Tort Tort noun [ French, from Late Latin
tortum , from Latin
tortus twisted, crooked, past participle of
torqure to twist, bend. See
Torture .]
1. Mischief; injury; calamity. [ Obsolete]
That had them long opprest with tort .
Spenser. 2. (Law) Any civil wrong or injury; a wrongful act (not involving a breach of contract) for which an action will lie; a form of action, in some parts of the United States, for a wrong or injury. Tort Tort adjective Stretched tight; taut. [ R.]
Yet holds he them with tortest rein.
Emerson.
Torta Tor"ta noun [ Confer Spanish
torta a cake.]
(Metal.) a flat heap of moist, crushed silver ore, prepared for the patio process.
Torteau Tor"teau noun ;
plural Torteaus . [ Of.
torteau ,
tortel , from Latin
tortus twisted. See
Tort .]
(Her.) A roundel of a red color.
Torticollis Tor`ti·col"lis noun [ French
toricolis ; Latin
torquere ,
tortum , to twist +
collum the neck.]
(Medicine) See Wryneck .
Tortile Tor"tile adjective [ Latin
tortilis , from
torquere ,
tortum , to twist: confer French
tortile .]
Twisted; wreathed; coiled.
Tortility Tor·til"i·ty noun The quality or state of being tortile, twisted, or wreathed.
Tortilla Tor·til"la noun [ Spanish ]
An unleavened cake, as of maize flour, baked on a heated iron or stone.
Tortion Tor"tion noun [ Late Latin
tortio . See
Torsion .]
Torment; pain. [ Obsolete]
Bacon.
Tortious Tor"tious adjective [ From
Tort .]
1. Injurious; wrongful. [ Obsolete] "
Tortious power."
Spenser. 2. (Law) Imploying tort, or privat injury for which the law gives damages; involing tort.
Tortiously Tor"tious·ly adverb (Law) In a tortous manner.
Tortive Tor"tive adjective [ Latin
tortus , past participle of
torquere to twist, wind.]
Twisted; wreathed. Shak.
Tortoise Tor"toise noun [ Middle English
tortuce , from Old French
tortis crooked, from Latin
tortus isted, crooked, contorted, past participle of
torquere ,
tortum , to wind; confer French
tortue tortoise, Late Latin
tortuca ,
tartuca , Pr.
tortesa crookedness,
tortis crooked. so called in allusion to its crooked feet. See
Torture .]
1. (Zoology) Any one of numerous species of reptiles of the order Testudinata. » The term is applied especially to the land and fresh-water species, while the marine species are generally called
turtles , but the terms
tortoise and
turtle are used synonymously by many writers. see
Testudinata ,
Terrapin , and
Turtle .
2. (Rom. Antiq.) Same as Testudo , 2. Box tortoise ,
Land tortoise , etc.
See under Box , Land , etc. --
Painted tortoise .
(Zoology) See Painted turtle , under Painted . --
Soft-shell tortoise .
(Zoology) See Trionyx . --
Spotted tortoise .
(Zoology) A small American fresh-water tortoise ( Chelopus, or Nanemys, quttatus ) having a blackish carapace on which are scattered round yellow spots. --
Tortoise beetle (Zoology) ,
any one of numerous species of small tortoise-shaped beetles. Many of them have a brilliant metallic luster. the larvę feed upon the leaves of various plants, and protect themselves beneath a mass of dried excrement held over the back by means of the caudal spines. The golden tortoise beetle ( Cassida aurichalcea ) is found on the morning-glory vine and allied plants. --
Tortoise plant .
(Botany) See Elephant's foot , under Elephant . --
Tortoise shell ,
the substance of the shell or horny plates of several species of sea turtles, especially of the hawkbill turtle. It is used in inlaying and in the manufacture of various ornamental articles. --
Tortoise- shell butterfly (Zoology) ,
any one of several species of handsomely colored butterflies of the genus Aglais , as A. Milberti , and A. urticę , both of which, in the larva state, feed upon nettles. --
Tortoise-shell turtle (Zoology) ,
the hawkbill turtle. See Hawkbill .
Tortricid Tor"tri·cid adjective [ See
Tortrix .]
(Zoology) Of or pertaining to Tortix, or the family Tortricidę .
Tortrix Tor"trix noun [ New Latin , from Latin
torquere ,
tortum , to twist.]
1. (Zoology) Any one of numerous species of small moths of the family Tortricidę , the larvę of which usually roll up the leaves of plants on which they live; -- also called leaf roller . 2. (Zoology) A genus of tropical short- tailed snakes, which are not venomous. One species ( Tortrix scytal ę) is handsomely banded with black, and is sometimes worn alive by the natives of Brazil for a necklace.
Tortulous Tor"tu·lous adjective (Nat. Hist.) Swelled out at intervals like a knotted cord.
Tortuose Tor"tu·ose` adjective [ See Tortuous.]
Wreathed; twisted; winding. Loudon
Tortuoslty Tor`tu·os"l·ty noun [ Latin
tortuositas : confer French
tortuosite .]
the quality or state of being tortuous.
Tortuous Tor"tu·ous adjective [ Middle English
tortuos , Latin
tortuosus , from
tortus a twisting, winding, from
torquere ,
tortum , to twist: confer French
tortueux . See Torture.]
1. Bent in different directions; wreathed; twisted; winding; as, a tortuous train ; a tortuous train; a tortuous leaf or corolla. The badger made his dark and tortuous hole on the side of every hill where the copsewood grew thick.
Macaulay. 2. Fig.: Deviating from rectitude; indirect; erroneous; deceitful. That course became somewhat less tortuous , when the battle of the Boyne had cowed the spirit of the Jakobites.
Macaulay. 3. Injurious: tortious. [ Obsolete]
4. (Astrol.) Oblique; -- applied to the six signs of the zodiac (from Capricorn to Gemini) which ascend most rapidly and obliquely. [ Obsolete]
Skeat. Infortunate ascendent tortuous .
Chaucer. --
Tor"tu*ous*ly ,
adverb --
Tor"tu*ous*ness ,
noun
Torturable Tor"tur·a·ble adjective Capable of being tortured.
Torture Tor"ture noun [ French,fr.L.
tortura , from
torquere ,
tortum , to twist, rack, torture; probably akin to Greek
tre`pein to turn, German
drechsein to turn on a lathe, and perhaps to English
queer . Confer
Contort ,
Distort ,
Extort ,
Retort ,
Tart ,
noun ,
Torch ,
Torment ,
Tortion ,
Tort ,
Trope. ]
1. Extreme pain; anguish of body or mind; pang; agony; torment; as, torture of mind. Shak. Ghastly spasm or racking torture .
Milton. 2. Especially, severe pain inflicted judicially, either as punishment for a crime, or for the purpose of extorting a confession from an accused person, as by water or fire, by the boot or thumbkin, or by the rack or wheel. 3. The act or process of torturing. Torture , whitch had always been deciared illegal, and which had recently been declared illegal even by the servile judges of that age, was inflicted for the last time in England in the month of May, 1640.
Macaulay.
Torture Tor"ture transitive verb [
imperfect & past participle Tortured (...; 135);
present participle & verbal noun Torturing. ] [ Confer French
Torturer . ]
1. To put to torture; to pain extremely; to harass; to vex. 2. To punish with torture; to put to the rack; as, to torture an accused person. Shak. 3. To wrest from the proper meaning; to distort. Jar. Taylor. 4. To keep on the stretch, as a bow. [ Obsolete]
The bow tortureth the string.
Bacon.
Torturer Tor"tur·er noun One who tortures; a tormentor.
Torturingly Tor"tur·ing·ly adverb So as to torture. Beau. & Fl.
Torturous Tor"tur·ous adjective Involving, or pertaining to, torture. [ R.] "
The torturous crucifixion ."
I. Disraeli.
Torula Tor"u·la noun ;
plural Torulę [ New Latin , dim. of Latin
torus a semicircular molding.]
(Biol.) (a) A chain of special bacteria. (b) A genus of budding fungi. Same as Saccharomyces. Also used adjectively.
Torulaform Tor"u·la·form` adjective (Biol.) Having the appearance of a torula; in the form of a little chain; as, a torulaform string of micrococci.
Torulose Tor"u·lose adjective [ Latin
torulus , dim. of
torus : confer French
toruleux . See
Torus ]
(Botany) Same as Torose.
Torulous Tor"u·lous adjective Same as Torose.
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