Definitions for writhe
raɪðwrithe

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. writhe, wrestle, wriggle, worm, squirm, twistverb

   to move in a twisting or contorted motion, (especially when struggling)

   "The prisoner writhed in discomfort"; "The child tried to wriggle free from his aunt's embrace"

WiktionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. writhenoun

   The number of negative crossings subtracted from the number of positive crossings in a knot

2. writheverb

   To twist, to wring (something).

3. writheverb

   To contort (a part of the body).

4. writheverb

   To twist or contort the body; to be distorted.

5. Etymology: writhen, from wriþan, from wrīþanan 'to twist, turn' (cf. Old High German rīdan 'to turn', Old Norse ríða 'to wind'), from (compare Lithuanian riēsti 'to unbend, wind, roll').

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To Writheverb

   Etymology: wriðan , Saxon.

   1. To distort; to deform with distortion.

   It cannot be this weak and writhed shrimp
   Should strike such terror in his enemies. William Shakespeare, Henry VI.

   Hatefulest disrelish writh’d their jaws
   With foot and cinders. John Milton.

   Her mouth she writh’d, her forehead taught to frown,
   Her eyes to sparkle fires to love unknown:
   Her sallow cheeks her envious mind did shew,
   And ev’ry feature spoke aloud the curstness of a shrew. Dry.

   2. To twist with violence.

   Then Satan first knew pain,
   And writh’d him to and fro convolv’d. John Milton, Parad. Lost.

   Amid’ the plaited scales it took its course,
   And in the spinal marrow spent its force;
   The monster hiss’d aloud, and rag’d in vain,
   And writh’d his body to and fro with pain;
   He bit the dart. Addison.

   3. To wrest; to force by violence.

   The reason which he yieldeth, sheweth the least part of his meaning to be that whereunto his words are writhed. Hook.

   4. To twist.

   The king of heav’n
   Bar’d his red arm, and launching from the sky
   His writhen bolt, not shaking empty smoke,
   Down to the deep abyss the flaming felon strook. Dryden.

2. To Writheverb

   To be convolved with agony or torture.

   Let each be broken on the rack;
   Then, with what life remains, impaled, and left
   To writhe at leisure round the bloody stake. Addison.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Writhe

   In knot theory, there are several competing notions of the quantity writhe, or Wr {\displaystyle \operatorname {Wr} } . In one sense, it is purely a property of an oriented link diagram and assumes integer values. In another sense, it is a quantity that describes the amount of "coiling" of a mathematical knot (or any closed simple curve) in three-dimensional space and assumes real numbers as values. In both cases, writhe is a geometric quantity, meaning that while deforming a curve (or diagram) in such a way that does not change its topology, one may still change its writhe.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Writheverb

   to twist; to turn; now, usually, to twist or turn so as to distort; to wring

2. Writheverb

   to wrest; to distort; to pervert

3. Writheverb

   to extort; to wring; to wrest

4. Writheverb

   to twist or contort the body; to be distorted; as, to writhe with agony. Also used figuratively

5. Etymology: [OE. writhen, AS. wran to twist; akin to OHG. rdan, Icel. ra, Sw. vrida, Dan. vride. Cf. Wreathe, Wrest, Wroth.]

FreebaseRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Writhe

   In knot theory, there are several competing notions of the quantity writhe, or Wr. In one sense, it is purely a property of an oriented link diagram and assumes integer values. In another sense, it is a quantity that describes the amount of "coiling" of a mathematical knot in three-dimensional space and assumes real numbers as values. In both cases, writhe is a geometric quantity, meaning that while deforming a curve in such a way that does not change its topology, one may still change its writhe.

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Writhe

   rīth, v.t. to turn to and fro: to twist violently: to wrest: (obs.) to extort.—v.i. to twist.—n. (rare) a contortion.—adv. Wrī′thingly. [A.S. wríthan, to twist; Ice. rítha. Cf. Wreath, Wrest, Wrist.]

Matched Categories

1. • Move

Anagrams for writhe »

1. whiter

2. wither

How to pronounce writhe?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say writhe in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of writhe in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of writhe in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

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