writhe

v. t. [ imp. Writhed p. p. Writhed, Obs. or Poetic Writhen p. pr. & vb. n. Writhing. ] [ OE. writhen, AS. wrī&unr_;an to twist; akin to OHG. rīdan, Icel. rī&unr_;a, Sw. vrida, Dan. vride. Cf. Wreathe, Wrest, Wroth. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. To twist; to turn; now, usually, to twist or turn so as to distort; to wring. “With writhing [ turning ] of a pin.” Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Then Satan first knew pain,
And writhed him to and fro. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

Her mouth she writhed, her forehead taught to frown. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

His battle-writhen arms, and mighty hands. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To wrest; to distort; to pervert. [ 1913 Webster ]

The reason which he yieldeth showeth the least part of his meaning to be that whereunto his words are writhed. Hooker. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To extort; to wring; to wrest. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The nobility hesitated not to follow the example of their sovereign in writhing money from them by every species of oppression. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To twist or contort the body; to be distorted; as, to writhe with agony. Also used figuratively. [ 1913 Webster ]

After every attempt, he felt that he had failed, and writhed with shame and vexation. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]