Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

contortion

/kəntˈɔɹʃən/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 2.01 in modern English

Syllables
con-tor-tion
IPA
/kəntˈɔɹʃən/
12
Scrabble Score
10
Letters
3
Syllables
6
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The act or result of contorting; the state of being contorted: the twisting of something, especially oneself.

Countable

noun

A performance art involving the dramatic bending and flexing of the body, showcasing extreme physical flexibility.

Uncountable

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *torkʷ-éye-ti Proto-Italic *torkʷejō Proto-Italic *torkʷeō Latin torqueō Latin contorqueō Latin contortus Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin contortiōder. Middle French contortionder. English contortion Derived from Middle French contortion, from Latin contortiō.

Usage

Inflected Forms

contortions (plural)

Derived Forms

contortional contortionate contortionism contortionist

Synonyms

contortionism deformation tortuosity tortuousness torsion crookedness

Rhymes With

portion abortion proportion distortion extortion torsion apportion antiabortion

Questions

How do you pronounce contortion?
The recorded pronunciation is /kəntˈɔɹʃən/.
What does contortion mean?
The act or result of contorting; the state of being contorted: the twisting of something, especially oneself.
Where does contortion come from?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *ḱe? Proto-Indo-European *ḱóm Proto-Italic *kom Proto-Italic *kom- Latin con- Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *torkʷ-éye-ti Proto-Italic *torkʷejō Proto-Italic *torkʷeō Latin torqueō Latin contorqueō Latin contortus Proto-Indo-European *-tis Proto-Indo-European *-Hō Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō Proto-Italic *-tiō Latin -tiō Latin contortiōder. Middle French contortionder. English contortion Derived from Middle French contortion, from Latin contortiō.

How to pronounce contortion

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “contortion”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/kəntˈɔɹʃən/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “contortion”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “contortion” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.