3. The act or process of torturing.
Torture, whitch had always been deciared illegal, and which had recently been declared illegal even
by the servile judges of that age, was inflicted for the last time in England in the month of May, 1640.
Macaulay. Torture
(Tor"ture), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Tortured ( 135); p. pr. & vb. n. Torturing.] [Cf. F. Torturer. ]
1. To put to torture; to pain extremely; to harass; to vex.
2. To punish with torture; to put to the rack; as, to torture an accused person. Shak.
3. To wrest from the proper meaning; to distort. Jar. Taylor.
4. To keep on the stretch, as a bow. [Obs.]
The bow tortureth the string.
Bacon. Torturer
(Tor"tur*er) n. One who tortures; a tormentor.
Torturingly
(Tor"tur*ing*ly), adv. So as to torture. Beau. & Fl.
Torturous
(Tor"tur*ous) a. Involving, or pertaining to, torture. [R.] "The torturous crucifixion." I. Disraeli.
Torula
(||Tor"u*la) n.; pl. Torulæ [NL., dim. of L. torus a semicircular molding.] (Biol.) (a) A chain of
special bacteria. (b) A genus of budding fungi. Same as Saccharomyces. Also used adjectively.
Torulaform
(Tor"u*la*form`) a. (Biol.) Having the appearance of a torula; in the form of a little chain; as,
a torulaform string of micrococci.
Torulose
(Tor"u*lose) a. [L. torulus, dim. of torus: cf. F. toruleux. See Torus] (Bot.) Same as Torose.
Torulous
(Tor"u*lous) a. Same as Torose.
Torus
(||To"rus) n.; pl. Tori [L., a round, swelling, or bulging place, an elevation. Cf. 3d Tore.]
1. (Arch.) A lage molding used in the bases of columns. Its profile is semicircular. See Illust. of Molding.
Brande&C.
2. (Zoöl.) One of the ventral parapodia of tubicolous annelids. It usually has the form of an oblong thickening
or elevation of the integument with rows of uncini or hooks along the center. See Illust. under Tubicolæ.
3. (Bot.) The receptacle, or part of the flower on which the carpels stand.
4. (Geom.) See 3d Tore, 2.
Torved
(Torved) a. Stern; grim. See Torvous. [Obs.]
But yesterday his breath
Awed Rome, and his least torved frown was death.
J. Webster Torvity
(Tor"vi*ty) a. [L. torvitas. See Torvous.] Sourness or severity of countenance; sterness. [Obs.]
Torvous
(Tor"vous) a. [L. torvus. ] Sour of aspect; of a severe countenance; stern; grim. [Obs.]
That torvous, sour look produced by anger.
Derham.
