1. To be contorted; to writhe; to be distorted by torsion; to be united by winding round each other; to be or
become twisted; as, some strands will twist more easily than others.
2. To follow a helical or spiral course; to be in the form of a helix.
Twist
(Twist), n.
1. The act of twisting; a contortion; a flexure; a convolution; a bending.
Not the least turn or twist in the fibers of any one animal which does not render them more proper for
that particular animal's way of life than any other cast or texture.
Addison. 2. The form given in twisting.
[He] shrunk at first sight of it; he found fault with the length, the thickness, and the twist.
Arbuthnot. 3. That which is formed by twisting, convoluting, or uniting parts. Specifically: —
(a) A cord, thread, or anything flexible, formed by winding strands or separate things round each other.
(b) A kind of closely twisted, strong sewing silk, used by tailors, saddlers, and the like.
(c) A kind of cotton yarn, of several varieties.
(d) A roll of twisted dough, baked.
(e) A little twisted roll of tobacco.
(f) (Weaving) One of the threads of a warp, — usually more tightly twisted than the filling.
(g) (Firearms) A material for gun barrels, consisting of iron and steel twisted and welded together; as,
Damascus twist.
(h) (Firearms & Ord.) The spiral course of the rifling of a gun barrel or a cannon.
(i) A beverage made of brandy and gin. [Slang]
4. [OE.; — so called as being a two-forked branch. See Twist, v. t.] A twig. [Obs.] Chaucer. Fairfax.
Gain twist, or Gaining twist (Firearms), twist of which the pitch is less, and the inclination greater, at
the muzzle than at the breech. — Twist drill, a drill the body of which is twisted like that of an auger.
See Illust. of Drill. — Uniform twist (Firearms), a twist of which the spiral course has an equal pitch
throughout.
Twiste
(Twist"e) obs. imp. of Twist. Chaucer.
Twisted
(Twist"ed), a. Contorted; crooked spirally; subjected to torsion; hence, perverted.
Twisted curve (Geom.), a curve of double curvature. See Plane curve, under Curve. — Twisted
surface (Geom.), a surface described by a straight line moving according to any law whatever, yet so
that the consecutive positions of the line shall not be in one plane; a warped surface.
Twister
(Twist"er) n.
1. One who twists; specifically, the person whose occupation is to twist or join the threads of one warp to
those of another, in weaving.
