Writhing

Writhing
Writhe Writhe, v. t. [imp. {Writhed}; p. p. {Writhed}, Obs. or Poetic {Writhen}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Writhing}.] [OE. writhen, AS. wr[=i]?an to twist; akin to OHG. r[=i]dan, Icel. r[=i]?a, Sw. vrida, Dan. vride. Cf. {Wreathe}, {Wrest}, {Wroth}.] [1913 Webster] 1. To twist; to turn; now, usually, to twist or turn so as to distort; to wring. ``With writhing [turning] of a pin.'' --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

Then Satan first knew pain, And writhed him to and fro. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

Her mouth she writhed, her forehead taught to frown. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

His battle-writhen arms, and mighty hands. --Tennyson. [1913 Webster]

2. To wrest; to distort; to pervert. [1913 Webster]

The reason which he yieldeth showeth the least part of his meaning to be that whereunto his words are writhed. --Hooker. [1913 Webster]

3. To extort; to wring; to wrest. [R.] [1913 Webster]

The nobility hesitated not to follow the example of their sovereign in writhing money from them by every species of oppression. --Sir W. Scott. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • writhing — raɪð n. writhing movement, twisting of the body; contorting in pain; wriggling, squirming, contorting v. twist; be tormented (by pain); bend …   English contemporary dictionary

  • writhing — noun A twisting struggle …   Wiktionary

  • writhing — (Roget s IV) modif. Syn. twisting, squirming, moving painfully, twitching, groveling, laboring, convulsed, agonized, suffering. Ant. resting*, still, sleeping …   English dictionary for students

  • writhing — adjective moving in a twisting or snake like or wormlike fashion (Freq. 2) wiggly worms • Syn: ↑wiggly, ↑wriggling, ↑wriggly • Similar to: ↑moving • Derivati …   Useful english dictionary

  • writhing number — (W) in topology (def. 3), the number of superhelical turns in a DNA molecule with constrained ends …   Medical dictionary

  • Lined writhing skink — Taxobox | name = Lined writhing skink regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Reptilia ordo = Squamata subordo = Sauria familia = Scincidae genus = Lygosoma species = L. lineata binomial = Lygosoma lineata binomial authority = Gray, 1839The …   Wikipedia

  • brachial dance — writhing of tortuous brachial arteries under the skin, sometimes observed in elderly arteriosclerotic patients …   Medical dictionary

  • Superhelix — A superhelix is a molecular structure in which a helix is itself coiled into a helix. This is significant to both proteins and genetic material, such as overwound circular DNA.The earliest significant reference in molecular biology is from 1971,… …   Wikipedia

  • List of Silent Hill monsters — The following is a list of monsters in the video game series Silent Hill . Silent Hill (1999)Common enemies*Air Screamer Pterodactyl like creatures that fly close to the ground surface and travel around in packs. They tend to linger around areas… …   Wikipedia

  • Athetosis — Involuntary writhing movements particularly of the arms and hands. * * * A condition in which there is a constant succession of slow, writhing, involuntary movements of flexion, extension, pronation, and supination of the fingers and hands, and… …   Medical dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”