contortus

Forms

contortus (feminine contorta, neuter contortum); first/second-declension adjective^[1]

Etymology

Used as an adjective, it is the past participle from Latin contorqueō (“to twist, whirl”).^[2][3] That verb is made of con- and torqueō (“to twist”),^[4] which goes back to Proto-Italic *torkʷ-eie- and Proto-Indo-European *torkʷ-eie- (“to twist”), a causative.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Cicero uses it for involved, intricate matters (contortae et difficiles res) and for forceful, vehement speech.^[3][6][7]

Semantic evolution

Besides its use as a participle, it had two figurative senses, both mostly in Cicero:^[3] of speech hurled out with force, vigorous and energetic, a metaphor from a brandished missile, and of things involved, intricate or perplexing.^[3][8] Quintilian uses the neuter plural contorta for vigorous expressions, as opposed to gentle ones,^[8][6] and Fronto calls words strained and artificial with it.^[8] Augustine has it for embarrassed.^[6]

English contort was formed from it, first in medical use.^[4] Italian contorto continues it.^[6]

Timeline

• 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it of intricate matters and of vehement speech.^[3][8][7]
• c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses contorta for forceful expressions.^[8][6][7]
• 100–170 AD – Fronto uses it of strained, artificial words.^[8][7]
• early 15th century – English forms contort from it.^[4]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Involved, intricate, complicated.^[2][3][6]
2. Of speech: vigorous, vehement, energetic.^[3][8][6]
3. Of style: strained, artificial.^[8]
4. (Late Latin) Embarrassed.^[6]

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
4. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
6. ^ a b c d e f g h Conte, Gian Biagio; Pianezzola, Emilio; Ranucci, Giuliano (2010), il Latino: Vocabolario della lingua latina, 3rd ed., Florence: Le Monnier
7. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
8. ^ a b c d e f g h Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn