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the quality or state of being tortuous.

Bent in different directions; wreathed; twisted; winding; as, a tortuous train; a tortuous train; a tortuous leaf or corolla. The badger made his dark and tortuous hole on the side of every hill where the copsewood grew thick. Macaulay.

Capable of being tortured.

Extreme pain; anguish of body or mind; pang; agony; torment; as, torture of mind. Shak. Ghastly spasm or racking torture. Milton.

One who tortures; a tormentor.

So as to torture. Beau. & Fl.

Involving, or pertaining to, torture. [R.] "The torturous crucifixion." I. Disraeli.

A chain of special bacteria. (b) A genus of budding fungi. Same as Saccharomyces. Also used adjectively.

Having the appearance of a torula; in the form of a little chain; as, a torulaform string of micrococci.

Same as Torose.

Same as Torose.

See 3d Tore, 2.

Stern; grim. See Torvous. [Obs.] But yesterday his breath Awed Rome, and his least torved frown was death. J. Webster (1654).

Sourness or severity of countenance; sterness. [Obs.]

Sour of aspect; of a severe countenance; stern; grim. [Obs.] That torvous, sour look produced by anger. Derham.

A member of the conservative party, as opposed to the progressive party which was formerly called the Whig, and is now called the Liberal, party; an earnest supporter of exsisting royal and ecclesiastical authority.

The principles of the Tories.

To scatter in pieces; to divide. [Obs.] Chaucer.

To tease, or comb, as wool. [Obs.or Prov. Eng.]

Neat; trim. [Scot.] Jomieson.