torsion

noun

tor·sion | \ ˈtȯr-shən

Definition of torsion

1 : the twisting or wrenching of a body by the exertion of forces tending to turn one end or part about a longitudinal axis while the other is held fast or turned in the opposite direction also : the state of being twisted

2 : the twisting of a bodily organ or part on its own axis

3 : the reactive torque that an elastic solid exerts by reason of being under torsion

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Their approach was to use a torsion balance, a pendulum-type balance that measures the amount of torque applied to the axis of the pendulum. — Daniel Oberhaus, WIRED, "A Mythical Form of Space Propulsion Finally Gets a Real Test," 5 June 2019 Patients who need to have one or both ovaries removed may have endometriosis, ovarian cancer, noncancerous ovarian tumors or cysts, an ovarian torsion (a condition in which the ovary twists), or an abscess in the area, the Mayo Clinic explains. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Lena Dunham Reveals She Had Surgery to Remove an Ovary That Was 'Encased in Scar Tissue'," 17 Oct. 2018 In some, a single landscape stretched over both panels, and had the swells and torsions of a nude body. — New York Times, "Growing, Faltering, Changing, Growing: Lessons From Kay WalkingStick," 7 June 2018 The rear suspension loses some dynamism with a torsion beam setup replacing the multilink system to save weight, space and cost, and there will always be a whole lot of understeer in tight corners from a front-wheel-drive car. — Robert Duffer, chicagotribune.com, "Review: 2019 Volkswagen Jetta is betta’, inside and out," 22 May 2018 Inside the vacuum, the researchers use a torsion balance attached to a calibrated spring to measure thrust. — Chris Lee, Ars Technica, "NASA’s EM-drive is a magnetic WTF-thruster," 21 May 2018 The manual hatch comes standard with Chevrolet’s Cruze RS package which adds rear spoiler, body kit, RS lettering, fog lamps, a Watts link to help the rear torsion-beam axle and low-profile P225/40R18 all-season tires on aluminum wheels. — Jeff Yip, Houston Chronicle, "Chevy’s smooth diesel Cruze hatchback boasts 600-mile range," 12 May 2018 Handling in urban conditions seems identically competent in both the front-wheel and all-wheel drive versions, although the AWD models feature different rear suspension (independent, dual-arm multi-link versus a rigid torsion beam). — John Scott Lewinski, Ars Technica, "The Hyundai Kona: A well-equipped crossover starting at just $19,500," 30 Apr. 2018 And the torsion-beam rear suspension is hard riding. — Mark Maynard, sandiegouniontribune.com, "2018 Hyundai Kona: A big deal in a small space," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'torsion.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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14 Jun 2019

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The first known use of torsion was in 1543

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torsion

noun

English Language Learners Definition of torsion

technical : the twisting of something (such as a piece of metal)

See the full definition for torsion in the English Language Learners Dictionary

torsion

noun

tor·sion | \ ˈtȯr-shən

Medical Definition of torsion

1 : the twisting of a bodily organ or part on its own axis intestinal torsion

2 : the twisting or wrenching of a body by the exertion of forces tending to turn one end or part about a longitudinal axis while the other is held fast or turned in the opposite direction also : the state of being twisted