tortē

torquĕo, torsi, tortum, 2 (archaic inf. torquerier, Hor. S. 2, 8, 67), v. a. [Gr. trepô, to turn; cf. atrekês; also Sanscr. tarkus; Gr. atraktos, a spindle; and strephô, to twist], to turn, turn about or away; to twist, bend, wind (class.; syn. converto).

Lit.

In gen.:

cervices oculosque,

Cic. Leg. 2, 15, 39:

oculum,

to roll, distort, id. Ac. 2, 25, 80:

ora,

to twist awry, id. Off. 1, 36, 131:

ab obscenis sermonibus aurem,

Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 127:

oculos ad moenia,

Verg. A. 4, 220:

ad sonitum vocis vestigia,

id. ib. 3, 669:

serpens squamosos orbes Torquet,

Ov. M. 3, 42; cf.

anguis,

Verg. G. 3, 38:

capillos ferro,

i. e. to curl, frizzle, Ov. A. A. 1, 505:

stamina pollice,

id. M. 12, 475:

remis aquas,

id. F. 5, 644:

spumas,

Verg. A. 3, 208:

taxos in arcus,

to bend, id. G. 2, 448:

tegumen torquens immane leonis,

winding about him, id. A. 7, 666:

cum terra circum axem se convertat et torqueat,

Cic. Ac. 2, 39, 123:

torta circum bracchia vestis,

Tac. H. 5, 22.—

In partic.

To whirl around, to whirl in the act of throwing, to wield, brandish, to fling with force, to hurl (mostly poet.):

torquet nunc lapidem, nunc ingens machina tignum,

Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 73:

amnis torquet sonantia saxa,

Verg. A. 6, 551:

stuppea torquentem Balearis verbera fundae,

id. G. 1, 309:

jaculum in hostem,

id. A. 10, 585; Ov. M. 12, 323: hastam in hunc, id. ib 5, 137;

for which: hastam alicui,

Val. Fl. 3, 193:

telum aurata ad tempora,

Verg. A. 12, 536:

tela manu,

Ov. M. 12, 99:

valido pila lacerto,

id. F. 2, 11:

glebas, ramos,

id. M. 11, 30:

cum fulmina torquet (Juppiter),

Verg. A. 4, 208;

and trop.: cum Juppiter horridus austris Torquet aquosam hiemem,

id. ib. 9, 671; cf.:

Eurus nubes in occiduum orbem,

Luc. 4, 63.—In prose:

torquere amentatas hastas lacertis,

Cic. de Or. 1, 57, 242.—

To twist awry, misplace, turn aside, distort:

negat sibi umquam, cum oculum torsisset, duas ex lucernā flammulas esse visas,

Cic. Ac. 2, 25, 80:

ora Tristia temptantum sensu (sapor) torquebit amaro,

Verg. G. 2, 247.—

To wrench the limbs upon the rack, to put to the rack or to the torture, to rack, torture (class.):

ita te nervo torquebo, itidem uti catapultae solent,

Plaut. Curc. 5, 3, 12:

eculeo torqueri,

Cic. Fin. 3, 13, 42:

aliquem servilem in modum,

Suet. Aug. 27; cf.:

ira torquentium,

Tac. A. 15, 57:

servum in caput domini,

against his master, Dig. 48, 18, 1: vinctus tortusve, [p. 1880] Suet. Aug. 40 fin. —

Trop.

In gen., to twist, wrest, distort, turn, bend, direct (a favorite expression of Cicero):

versare suam naturam et regere ad tempus atque huc et illuc torquere ac flectere,

Cic. Cael. 6, 13:

torquere et flectere imbecillitatem animorum,

id. Leg. 1, 10, 29:

oratio ita flexibilis, ut sequatur, quocumque torqueas,

id. Or. 16, 52:

omnia ad suae causae commodum,

id. Inv. 2, 14, 46:

verbo ac litterā jus omne torqueri,

wrested, perverted, id. Caecin. 27, 77:

sonum,

to inflect, Auct. Her. 3, 14, 25:

cuncta tuo qui bella, pater, sub numine torques,

Verg. A. 12, 180:

versare sententias, et huc atque illuc torquere,

Tac. H. 1, 85.—

In partic. (acc. to A. 2.), to rack, torment, torture (syn.:

ango, crucio): tuae libidines te torquent,

Cic. Par. 2, 18:

mitto aurum coronarium, quod te diutissime torsit,

id. Pis. 37, 90: acriter nos tuae supplicationes torserunt, Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 11, 1:

equidem dies noctesque torqueor,

Cic. Att. 7, 9, 4:

verbi controversia jam diu torquet Graeculos homines,

id. de Or. 1, 11, 47; 3, 9, 33:

stulti malorum memoriā torquentur,

id. Fin. 1, 17, 57:

sollicitudine, poenitentia, etc., torquetur mens,

Quint. 12, 1, 7:

invidiā vel amore vigil torquebere,

Hor. Ep. 1, 2, 37; Ov. H. 20, 123:

torqueor, infesto ne vir ab hoste cadat,

id. ib. 9, 36; cf. Hor. S. 2, 8, 67:

Aeacus torquet umbras,

holds inquisition over, Juv. 1, 9.— Transf.: (reges) dicuntur torquere mero, quem perspexisse laborant, qs. to rack with wine, i. e. to try or test with wine, Hor. A. P. 435; so,

vino tortus et irā,

id. Ep. 1, 18, 38.—

To hurl, fling (of language):

curvum sermone rotato enthymema,

Juv. 6, 449.—Hence, tortus, a, um, P. a., twisted, crooked, contorted, distorted.

Lit.:

via (labyrinthi),

Prop. 4 (5), 4, 42:

quercus,

i. e. a twisted oakgarland, Verg. G. 1, 349.—Hence,

Subst.: torta, ae, f., a twisted loaf, a twist, Vulg. 1 Par. 16, 3. —

Trop.:

condiciones,

confused, complicated, Plaut. Men. 4, 2, 25. — Adv.: tortē, awry, crookedly:

torte penitusque remota,

Lucr. 4, 305 (329).

con-torquĕo, torsi, tortum (also -torsum, acc. to Prisc. 9, p. 871 P.), 2, v. a., to turn, twist, twirl, swing, whirl or brandish, etc. (class. in prose and poetry).

Lit.

Of weapons, arms, etc. (mostly poet.):

telum contortum validis viribus,

Lucr. 1, 971; cf.:

hastam viribus,

Ov. M. 5, 32:

lenta spicula lacertis,

Verg. A. 7, 165:

hastile adducto lacerto,

id. ib. 11, 561:

cuspidem lacerto,

Ov. M. 8, 345:

valido sceptrum lacerto,

id. ib. 5, 422:

(hastile) certo contorquens dirigit ictu,

Verg. A. 12, 490:

sed magnum stridens contorta phalarica venit,

id. ib. 9, 705:

hastam In latus, etc.,

id. ib. 2, 52; Quint. 9, 4, 8:

telum in eum,

Curt. 8, 14, 36.—

Of other objects:

gubernaclum quolibet,

Lucr. 4, 904; cf.:

membra quocumque volt,

Cic. Div. 1, 53, 120:

tantum corpus,

Lucr. 4, 900:

globum eā celeritate, etc.,

Cic. N. D. 1, 10, 24; id. Arat. 61: equum magnā vi, Poët. ap. Quint. 8, 6, 9:

amnis in alium cursum contortos et deflexos videmus,

Cic. Div. 1, 19, 38:

proram ad laevas undas,

Verg. A. 3, 562:

silvas insano vortice,

whirling them round in its raging whirlpool, id. G. 1, 481; cf.

64, 107:

frementes aquas subitis verticibus,

Luc. 4, 102 Weber; cf. id. 3, 631; Sil. 3, 50:

an omnis tempestas aeque mare illud contorqueat,

Sen. Ep. 79, 1 al.:

vertex est contorta in se aqua,

Quint. 8, 2, 7:

nubila fumo,

Sil. 4, 309.—

Trop. (mostly in Cic. and of rhet. matters;

the metaphor taken from missiles which are brandished, that they may be discharged with greater force): (auditor) tamquam machinatione aliquā tum ad severitatem, tum ad remissionem animi est contorquendus,

Cic. de Or. 2, 17, 72.—So of discourse that is thrown out violently or forcibly, hurled:

Demosthenis non tam vibrarent fulmina illa, nisi numeris contorta ferrentur,

Cic. Or. 70, 234; cf. Quint. 10, 7, 14:

quam rhetorice! quam copiose! quas sententias colligit! quae verba contorquet! ( = summā vi et impetu profert),

hurls forth, Cic. Tusc. 3, 26, 63; cf.:

longas periodos uno spiritu,

Plin. Ep. 5, 20, 4:

deinde contorquent et ita concludunt, etc.,

twist the argument, Cic. Div. 2, 51, 106.— Hence, contortus, a, um, P. a. (acc. to II.), of discourse.

Brandished, hurled, full of motion, powerful, vehement, energetic, strong (rare;

mostly in Cic.): contorta et acris oratio,

Cic. Or. 20, 66:

vis (orationis),

Quint. 10, 7, 14:

levibus mulcentur et contortis excitantur,

id. 9, 4, 116.—

Involved, intricate, obscure, perplexed, complicated:

contortae et difficiles res,

Cic. de Or. 1, 58, 250: contorta et aculeata quaedam sophismata, id. Ac. 2, 24, 75.— Adv.: con-tortē (acc. to II.), intricately, perplexedly:

dicere,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 29; Auct. Her. 1, 9, 15. —

* Comp.:

concluduntur a Stoicis,

Cic. Tusc. 3, 10, 22.— Sup. not in use.