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Twist   /twɪst/   Listen
noun
Twist  n.  
1.
The act of twisting; a contortion; a flexure; a convolution; a bending. "Not the least turn or twist in the fibers of any one animal which does not render them more proper for that particular animal's way of life than any other cast or texture."
2.
The form given in twisting. "(He) shrunk at first sight of it; he found fault with the length, the thickness, and the twist."
3.
That which is formed by twisting, convoluting, or uniting parts. Specifically:
(a)
A cord, thread, or anything flexible, formed by winding strands or separate things round each other.
(b)
A kind of closely twisted, strong sewing silk, used by tailors, saddlers, and the like.
(c)
A kind of cotton yarn, of several varieties.
(d)
A roll of twisted dough, baked.
(e)
A little twisted roll of tobacco.
(f)
(Weaving) One of the threads of a warp, usually more tightly twisted than the filling.
(g)
(Firearms) A material for gun barrels, consisting of iron and steel twisted and welded together; as, Damascus twist.
(h)
(Firearms & Ord.) The spiral course of the rifling of a gun barrel or a cannon.
(i)
A beverage made of brandy and gin. (Slang)
4.
A twig. (Obs.)
5.
Act of imparting a turning or twisting motion, as to a pitched ball; also, the motion thus imparted; as, the twist of a billiard ball.
6.
A strong individual tendency, or bent; a marked inclination; a bias; often implying a peculiar or unusual tendency; as, a twist toward fanaticism.
Gain twist, or Gaining twist (Firearms), twist of which the pitch is less, and the inclination greater, at the muzzle than at the breech.
Twist drill, a drill the body of which is twisted like that of an auger.
Uniform twist (Firearms), a twist of which the spiral course has an equal pitch throughout.


verb
Twist  v. t.  (past & past part. twisted; pres. part. twisting)  
1.
To contort; to writhe; to complicate; to crook spirally; to convolve. "Twist it into a serpentine form."
2.
Hence, to turn from the true form or meaning; to pervert; as, to twist a passage cited from an author.
3.
To distort, as a solid body, by turning one part relatively to another about an axis passing through both; to subject to torsion; as, to twist a shaft.
4.
To wreathe; to wind; to encircle; to unite by intertexture of parts. "Longing to twist bays with that ivy." "There are pillars of smoke twisted about with wreaths of flame."
5.
To wind into; to insinuate; used reflexively; as, avarice twists itself into all human concerns.
6.
To unite by winding one thread, strand, or other flexible substance, round another; to form by convolution, or winding separate things round each other; as, to twist yarn or thread.
7.
Hence, to form as if by winding one part around another; to wreathe; to make up. "Was it not to this end That thou began'st to twist so fine a story?"
8.
To form into a thread from many fine filaments; as, to twist wool or cotton.


Twist  v. i.  
1.
To be contorted; to writhe; to be distorted by torsion; to be united by winding round each other; to be or become twisted; as, some strands will twist more easily than others.
2.
To follow a helical or spiral course; to be in the form of a helix.





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


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"Twist" Quotes from Famous Books



... suddenly and wrenched the silk folds off her shoulder. She looked at the marks of his fingers on the delicate skin with a twist of the lips, then shut her eyes with a little gasp and hid her bruised arm hastily, her mouth quivering. But she did not blame him, she had brought it on herself; she knew his mood, and he did not know his ...
— The Sheik - A Novel • E. M. Hull
... bite is ascertained to be mortal; they put them into a cane basket, and throw it over their shoulders: these serpents they carry about the country, and exhibit them to the people. I have seen them play with them, and suffer them to twist round their bodies in all directions, without receiving any injury from them. I have often enquired how they managed to do this, but never could get any direct or satisfactory answer; they assure you, however, that faith in their saint, and the powerful influence of the name of the divinity, ...
— An Account of Timbuctoo and Housa Territories in the Interior of Africa • Abd Salam Shabeeny
... exhibiting a carefully-polished capacity for satirical retort—dreaded and disliked by the present generation. Personally, he was little and wiry and slim—with a bright white head, and sparkling black eyes, and a wry twist of humor curling sharply at the corners of his lips. At his lower extremities, he exhibited the deformity which is popularly known as "a club-foot." But he carried his lameness, as he carried his years, gayly. He was socially celebrated for his ivory cane, with a snuff-box artfully let into ...
— Man and Wife • Wilkie Collins
... Kind of Animal is different from that of every other Kind; and yet there is not the least Turn in the Muscles or Twist in the Fibres of any one, which does not render them more proper for that particular Animal's Way of Life than any other Cast or Texture of them ...
— The Spectator, Volumes 1, 2 and 3 - With Translations and Index for the Series • Joseph Addison and Richard Steele
... approached, hat in hand, looking somewhat sheepish, as if he was afraid of getting scolded for having done something wrong. When, however, the captain praised him for his conduct, he gave a hitch to his trowsers and a twist to his ...
— Hurricane Hurry • W.H.G. Kingston


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