torquere

torquere [CL] 1 to twist tightly. b to make by twisting. c (p. ppl. as sb. f.) twisted bundle (of straw or sim.), wisp. lana ‥ / ‥ / veluti setis torquitur (Æthelwald) Carm. Aldh. 2. 148; uxor ‥ cepit plorare, manus ~ere, capillos trahere Ord. Vit. VI 6 p. 33; hunc saccum ‥ in Jordane lavit ‥ torsit ‥ siccavit P. Blois Serm. 616C.  b 793 sponsus tuus ‥ quaerit ‥ non tortas crinium alligationes sed rectas morum bonorum conligationes Alcuin Ep. 15; 1214 quod ‥ mittatis nobis ‥ tres solidatas albi fili torsi Cl 167a; twyne, threde, ffilum torsum ‥ vel tortum filum PP.  c quidam ‥ tortas de illo feno faciebant et in faciem ejus jactabant, alii barbam ejus inflammaverunt Chr. Abingd. II 13; jussit hiatus ulcerum ‥ torta straminis confricari (Godricus) NLA I 489. 2 to wind (round). b to form into coil, curl, spiral, or sim.. circa illum torserunt funiculum B. V. Dunst. 13.  b serpentes ‥ qui ‥ inmensa corporis volumina ~ent Lib. Monstr. III 2; capilli ‥ non erant torti ut per eos allicerentur juvenum animi Hon. Sig. 506A; ~endo comam et trahendo per eam reflexit caput regis Priami Trevet Troades 8. 3 to twist or twine together, weave. b to make by weaving. [sancti] quamdam capellam, inferius per circuitum virgis ~atis muros perficientes, consummaverunt W. Malm. Glast. 1; [discipuli Philippi] ecclesiam ‥ de virgis ~atis muros facientes construxerunt Eul. Hist. I 157.  b vellus / ex quo multiplicis torquentur tegmina pepli Aldh. Aen. 91 (Palma) 9; 1420 in xviij bundell' virgarum emptis pro foraminibus in dicto columbar' ~endis (Foulness) MinAc Essex D/DHt M45 m. 1. 4 (p. ppl. as adj.) twisted in shape. b twisted out of shape; c (fig.). varus, tortus Osb. Glouc. Deriv. 624; 1258 in bosco regis ‥ habere ‥ iiij tortos postes ad quandam aulam ‥ construendam Cl 199.  b ne [sotularis] ‥ cadat vel tortus fiat, necessaria sibi est corrigia Simil. Anselmi 91; c1143 terminus essartorum surgit a parva et torta quercu Cart. Worc. 190; s1333 [episcopus] contulit archidiaconatum ‥ nepoti suo torto et defigurato Graystanes 43.  c consilium tortum scelus omne refundit abortum / regis in errorem Gower Carm. p. 362. 17. 5 to turn (one thing into another), convert. quod alii ~ebant in pompam, ipse in compunctionis transferret materiam W. Malm. GP IV 141; nobis ambigua in bonum ~ere licet Ib. V 260. 6 to turn (so as to face or move in a different direction), redirect. ad dexteram gressum ~et J. Sal. Pol. 532A. 7 (to cause) to rotate, spin, turn, move in a twisting manner. monstra ‥ revulsa litoribus prona ~entur ad undas Lib. Monstr. I pref.; subito a diabolo arreptus ‥ diversis motibus coepit membra ~ere Bede HE III 11; celi qui sidera torquet Mir. Nin. 413; sicut se annuus orbis ~ebat ad festum W. Malm. GP V 273; ut caput in alterutram partem ~ere non posset Canon. G. Sempr. f. 146v; cum ‥ brachium confractum est ‥ non ‥ huc illuc ~eri potest vel curvari S. Langton Serm. 2. 21. 8 to send (missile) spinning, hurl. spicula nec geminis nitor torquere lacertis Aldh. Aen. 72 (Colosus) 6; s1066 occupato tumulo ‥ in subjectos tela ~entes W. Malm. GR III 242. 9 to subject to torture, torment, torture. b to afflict with severe pain, agonize, excruciate. feri ‥ hostes / ‥ meme torquere sequuntur Alcuin SS Ebor 1347 (recte 1348); tortores diabolici ~ent pariter et ~entur Anselm Misc. 357; [angelus] cadens ‥ in hoc jam aere tortus ‥ in inferno ~endus Pull. Sent. 800A; 1166 mallemus ‥ quod [tortores] redirent ut filii quam ut ‥ ~eantur ut servi J. Sal. Ep. 184 (174 p. 146); nec [innocens] formidabit ‥ calumpniam inimicorum ‥ quia non ~ebitur ‥ ad arbitrium ipsorum Fortescue LLA 27.  b tactus infirmitate ‥ acri coepit dolore ~eri Bede HE V 13; c780 tribulatio tua ~et animum meum Alcuin Ep. 2; puella quaedam ‥ nimis infirmabatur et usque ad mortem paene ~ebatur Wulf. Æthelwold 44; effectu ‥ voti sui cepit ipse miser [sc. Midas] ~eri Osb. Clar. V. Ed. Conf. 1; gramatici ‥ / torquentur studiis, cura torquentur edaci J. Sal. Enth. Phil. 69; ciphi virginei victum intueor / et vini speciem, et siti torqueor Walt. Wimb. Carm. 157.