From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Torsion \Tor"sion\, n. [F., fr. LL. torsio, fr. L. torquere,
tortum, to twist. See {Torture}.]
1. The act of turning or twisting, or the state of being
twisted; the twisting or wrenching of a body by the
exertion of a lateral force tending to turn one end or
part of it about a longitudinal axis, while the other is
held fast or turned in the opposite direction.
[1913 Webster]
2. (Mech.) That force with which a thread, wire, or rod of
any material, returns, or tends to return, to a state of
rest after it has been twisted; torsibility.
[1913 Webster]
{Angle of torsion} (of a curve) (Geom.), the indefinitely
small angle between two consecutive osculating planes of a
curve of double curvature.
{Moment of torsion} (Mech.) the moment of a pair of equal and
opposite couples which tend to twist a body.
{Torsion balance} (Physics.), an instrument for estimating
very minute forces, as electric or magnetic attractions
and repulsions, by the torsion of a very slender wire or
fiber having at its lower extremity a horizontal bar or
needle, upon which the forces act.
{Torsion scale}, a scale for weighing in which the fulcra of
the levers or beams are strained wires or strips acting by
torsion.
[1913 Webster]
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
torsion
n 1: a tortuous and twisted shape or position; "they built a
tree house in the tortuosities of its boughs"; "the acrobat
performed incredible contortions" [syn: {tortuosity},
{tortuousness}, {torsion}, {contortion}, {crookedness}]
2: a twisting force [syn: {torsion}, {torque}]
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