Where does “torture” come from?

torture (Latin) comes from Latin torturus, from Latin torqueo, from Proto-Indo-European terkʷ- — to turn, spin.

torture (Latin): vocative masculine singular of tortūrus

Definitions

  1. vocative masculine singular of tortūrus

Ancestry of “torture”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latintorturusabout to twist
2LatintorqueoI twist, wind; I hurl violently; I spin, whirl; I...
3Proto-Indo-Europeanterkʷ-to turn, spin
Every word from Proto-Indo-European terkʷ- →Every word from Latin torqueo →Every word from Latin torturus →