contortion means the act or result of contorting; the state of being contorted: the twisting of something, especially oneself.
Why “contortion” is a great word
The act or result of twisting or bending something, especially the body, into an unnatural or distorted shape. From Middle French contortion, from Latin contortiōnem (nominative contortiō), meaning 'a twisting, writhing,' from contortus, the past participle of contorquēre ('to twist, wrench'), first attested in English in the early 15th century. Unlike 'distortion,' which suggests a broader warping of form or truth, or 'flexibility,' which implies a supple and healthy pliancy, contortion is the deliberate torque into the grotesquely improbable. It is the spine curved into a perfect O, the breath trapped beneath ribs bent like green wood, and the limbs knotted behind the neck like human macramé—the body remade not as grace, but as a testament to what profound, wrenching captivity can resemble.
Etymology
Derived from Middle French contortion, from Latin contortiō.
noun
- The act or result of contorting; the state of being contorted: the twisting of something, especially oneself.
- A performance art involving the dramatic bending and flexing of the body, showcasing extreme physical flexibility.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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