writhe

== English == === Etymology === From Middle English writhen, from Old English wrīþan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrīþan, from Proto-Germanic *wrīþaną (“to weave, twist, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreyt- (“to twist, writhe”). Cognate with Middle Dutch writen (“to turn, twist”), dialectal German reiden (“to turn, twist, lace”), Danish vride (“to twist”), Swedish vrida (“to turn, twist, wind”), French rider (“to wrinkle, furrow, ruffle”, (< Germanic)). Compare also Lithuanian riēsti (“to unbend, wind, roll”). === Pronunciation === enPR: rīth, IPA(key): /ɹaɪð/ Rhymes: -aɪð === Verb === writhe (third-person singular simple present writhes, present participle writhing, simple past wrothe or writhed, past participle writhen or wrothe or writhed) (transitive) To twist, wring (something). (transitive) To contort (a part of the body). (intransitive) To twist bodily; to contort one's self; to be distorted. (transitive) To extort. ==== Derived terms ==== writhingly writhedly writher ==== Translations ==== === Noun === writhe (plural writhes) (rare) A contortion. (knot theory) The number of negative crossings subtracted from the number of positive crossings in a knot === Anagrams === Wither, whiter, wither, wither- == Middle English == === Etymology 1 === ==== Noun ==== writhe (County Durham) alternative form of wrethe (“wrath”) === Etymology 2 === ==== Verb ==== writhe alternative form of writhen