twist English · revision 6421

+ {{infobox|confidence=probable|formation=inherited|attested=1350|origins=ine-pro *dwóh₁}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: /twɪst/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is Middle English twist, probably [[inh|ang|-twist|t=divided object; rope]], found in compounds such as [[m|ang|mæsttwist|t=mast rope, stay]] and candeltwist, snuffers,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986)^(MWU 2024) from [[gem-pro|*twis-]], from the base of [[two]] (compare [[twin]] and [[twine]]),^(Etymonline)^(NODE 1998)^(SOED 2002) cognate with [[nl|twist|t=quarrel]] and [[de|Zwist|t=discord]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(MWU 2024)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The flat part of a hinge, on which a door turns: 1350–51 in Barnhart and the OED, the late 13th century in Etymonline.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Etymonline notes that the oldest senses suggest ''dividing in two'' and later ones ''combining two into one''.^(Etymonline) A twig or branch (about 1374) and the fork where a thing divides (1398) are early senses.^(OED 1989) Thread or cord of two or more strands is from 1555.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline) The verb, to wring or constrain, is from about 1200, and to spin strands into thread from the late 15th century.^(Etymonline) An act of turning or rotating is from the 1570s, to wind spirally from the 1630s, and to wrench a limb out of place from the 1530s.^(Etymonline) Figuratively, a peculiar bent of mind is by 1811, distorting words by 1821, and an unexpected development in a plot from 1941.^(Etymonline) The dance is from 1961.^(Etymonline) ''To twist someone round one's finger'' is by 1748, and ''to twist someone's arm'' by 1945.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1350 – part of a hinge.^(Barnhart 1988)^(OED 1989)

+ * c. 1200 – the verb, to wring.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1555 – a twisted cord.^(OED 1989)^(Etymonline)

+ * 1570s – a rotation.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1811 – a peculiar bent.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1941 – a plot twist.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1961 – the dance.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Verb===

+ # To turn or wind round, or to turn one part while holding another.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To wind strands together, as in making rope.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To injure a joint by wrenching it: ''twist an ankle''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To bend or curve: ''a twisting road''.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # To distort the meaning of words.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ===Noun===

+ # An act of twisting; a turn or coil.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # An unexpected development, as in a story.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A thread or cord made of twisted strands.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+ # A dance of the 1960s with twisting movements of the hips.^(AHD)^(Collins 2023)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[twistability]]

+ * [[twistable]]

+ * [[twistingly]]

+ * [[twisty]]

+ * [[twistedly]]

+ * [[arm-twist]]

+ * [[entwist]]

+ * [[intwist]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[twin]]

+ * [[twine]]

+ * [[two]]

+ * [[twister]]

+ * [[twisted]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}