† detortv.
/dɪˈtət/ Obsolete.
1.
a. transitive. To turn aside from the purpose; to twist, wrest, pervert (esp. words or sayings). (Common in 17th cent.)
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > misinterpretation > distortion or perversion of meaning > pervert or distort [verb (transitive)]
crooka1340
deprave1382
pervertc1390
strainc1449
drawc1450
miswrest?a1475
bewrya1522
wry?1521
to make a Welshman's hose ofa1529
writhea1533
wrest1533
invert1534
wring?1541
depravate1548
rack1548
violent1549
wrench1549
train1551
wreathe1556
throw1558
detorta1575
shuffle1589
wriggle1593
distortc1595
to put, set, place, etc. on the rack1599
twine1600
wire-draw1610
monstrify1617
screw1628
corrupt1630
gloss1638
torture1648
force1662
vex1678
refract1700
warp1717
to put a force upon1729
twist1821
ply1988
a1575 N. Harpsfield Treat. Divorce Henry VIII (1878) (modernized text) 54 How miserably doth Tertullian wrest and wring the Levitt: to detort it to the confirmation of his heresy.
1609 Bp. W. Barlow Answer Catholike English-man 41 Schoolemen blasphemously detorting Scriptures.
1620 J. Brinsley tr. Virgil Eclogues iv. 39/1 Detorting to that purpose those things which Sibyl had prophecied.
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. i. 1 And Lorets Chappell..On Angells backes, from Nazareth detorted.
1682 J. Dryden Religio Laici Pref. sig. a3v The Fanaticks..have detorted those Texts of Scripture..to the damnable uses of Sedition.
1829 R. Southey Sir Thomas More I. 87 In these days good words are so detorted from their original and genuine meaning.
b. To extract (by perversion of the sense).
ΚΠ
a1631 J. Donne Βιαθανατος (1647) iii. iv. §2 The Donatists..racked and detorted thus much from this place, That [etc.].
1824 R. Southey Bk. of Church (1841) 355 Conclusions as uncharitable as ever were detorted from Scripture.
2. To derive by perversion of form; past participle perverted, corrupted (of words).
ΚΠ
1605 W. Camden Remaines i. 54 Garret, for Gerard, and Gerald: see Everard, for from thence they are detorted, if we beleeve Gesnerus.
1657 R. Tomlinson tr. J. de Renou Pharmaceut. Shop ii, in Medicinal Dispensatory sig. Tttt Ἄγριππον is wilde succe, whence its Nomenclature is detorted.
3. Biology. intransitive. To become straight (cf. detortion n. 3).
ΚΠ
1930 G. R. de Beer Embryol. & Evol. vii. 54 There is no possibility whatsoever of mistaking these detorting forms for the ‘torting’ forms for which we search in vain.
Derivatives
deˈtorted adj.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > misinterpretation > distortion or perversion of meaning > [adjective]
corruptc1386
racked1546
detorted?1550
wrested1551
writhen1551
writhed1562
forced1583
tortured1603
strained1609
distorted1641
violented1641
crook1647
extorted1652
refracted1655
madly wrested1656
wry1663
corrupted1699
non-natural1844
?1550 J. Bale Apol. agaynste Papyst 129 Nowe wyll I shewe some of hys detorted scriptures.
1692 T. Wagstaffe Vindic. King Charles Introd. 2 Under the false detorted Names of Law, Justice, and Honour of the Nation.
deˈtorting n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > misinterpretation > distortion or perversion of meaning > [noun]
wrestingc1444
pervertinga1450
corruptiona1513
straining1528
writhing?1532
hacking1539
violence1546
racking1556
wrying1562
wringing1565
detorting1579
wrest1581
detortion1598
wrench1603
torture1605
distorting1610
violencing1612
refraction1614
misacception1629
distortion1650
distorture1709
misacceptation1721
torturing1753
verbicide1826
stretch1849
twisting1890
queeringness1955
1579 W. Fulke Heskins Parl. Repealed in D. Heskins Ouerthrowne 306 By miserable detorting of a worde or two.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1895; most recently modified version published online September 2021).
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