tortuous
曲りくねった
解説 Definition
多くの曲がりや折れ曲がりがある。複雑で分かりにくく、直線的でない過程や道路。
Tortuous means full of many twists, turns, or curves. It can describe a road, path, river, or even a complicated process or argument. The word often suggests something difficult to follow.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
tortuous は、頭の中で「twist が多くて straight に進めないもの」と置くと残りやすい語です。まず tortuous road / path で、くねくね曲がる道を思い浮かべる。そこから tortuous route, tortuous explanation のように、道だけでなく手順・議論が回りくどく分かりにくい場合にも使えると押さえると広がります。特に似た torturous は「苦痛を与える」で別語。tortuous は基本的に“形や進み方が曲がりくねっている・入り組んでいる”で覚えると混同しにくいです。
Think of something that twists instead of going straight. A `tortuous road` bends again and again, and the same idea can extend to a `tortuous explanation` that is complicated and indirect. Do not mix it up with `torturous`, which is about causing pain, not about twisting shape or progress.
例文
The tortuous mountain road made the journey longer than expected.
曲がりくねった山道は旅を予想より長くした。
The path to success is often tortuous and filled with obstacles.
成功への道は複雑で、多くの障害に満ちていることがある。
His explanation was so tortuous that nobody could understand it.
彼の説明はあまりにも複雑で、誰も理解できなかった。
tortuous の類義語・関連語
tortuous の語源・成り立ち Etymology
tortuous はラテン語 torquere「ねじる」から出た tortus「ねじれた」に、形容詞語尾 -uous が付いた語。だから本来は「まっすぐ進めず、曲がりくねる」で、道だけでなく議論が入り組む感じにも使える。torture や contort も同根で、「ねじる」感覚が共通している。
"Tortuous" comes from Latin "tortus," meaning "twisted," from the verb "torquere," meaning "to twist." It originally described something physically winding or crooked. Later it was also used for speech, arguments, or processes that feel indirect and full of turns. Related English words from the same root include "contort" and "torture."
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