Writhing

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Writhe \Writhe\, v. t. [imp. {Writhed}; p. p. {Writhed}, Obs. or
     Poetic {Writhen}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Writhing}.] [OE. writhen,
     AS. wr[imac]?an to twist; akin to OHG. r[imac]dan, Icel.
     r[imac]?a, Sw. vrida, Dan. vride. Cf. {Wreathe}, {Wrest},
     {Wroth}.]
     [1913 Webster]


     1. To twist; to turn; now, usually, to twist or turn so as to
        distort; to wring. "With writhing [turning] of a pin."
        --Chaucer.
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              Then Satan first knew pain,
              And writhed him to and fro.           --Milton.
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              Her mouth she writhed, her forehead taught to frown.
                                                    --Dryden.
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              His battle-writhen arms, and mighty hands.
                                                    --Tennyson.
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     2. To wrest; to distort; to pervert.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The reason which he yieldeth showeth the least part
              of his meaning to be that whereunto his words are
              writhed.                              --Hooker.
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     3. To extort; to wring; to wrest. [R.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The nobility hesitated not to follow the example of
              their sovereign in writhing money from them by every
              species of oppression.                --Sir W.
                                                    Scott.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  writhing
       adj : having a twisting or snake-like or worm-like motion;
             "squirming boys"; "wiggly worms"; "writhing snakes"
             [syn: {squirming}, {twisting}, {wiggling}, {wiggly}, {wriggling},
              {wriggly}]