twist

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To turn or bend something into a spiral or new shape.

   She twisted the wire into a small loop.

2. 2
   verb

   To turn part of the body, such as the head, around.

   He twisted his head to see who was calling.

3. 3
   noun

   A sudden bend or curve in a road, path, or river.

   A twist in the road revealed a hidden valley below.

4. 4
   noun

   An unexpected change in a story or situation.

   The film's ending had a surprising twist.

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English twist, from Old English *twist, in compounds (e.g. mæsttwist (“a rope; stay”), candeltwist (“a wick”)), from Proto-Germanic *twistaz, a derivative of *twi- (“two-”) (compare also twine, between, betwixt). Related to Saterland Frisian Twist (“discord”), Dutch twist (“twist; strife; discord”), German Low German Twist (“strife; discord”), German Zwist (“turmoil; strife; discord”), Swedish tvist (“quarrel; dispute”), Icelandic tvistur (“deuce”). The verb is from Middle English twisten. Compare Dutch twisten, Danish tviste (“to dispute”), Swedish tvista (“to arg…

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