tortuosity

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   The quality of having many twists and bends, so that a path or channel is far from straight.

   Grammar: Usually uncountable: the tortuosity of the river made navigation slow.

   Patterns

   • the tortuosity of something
   • increased tortuosity

   The tortuosity of the mountain road made the journey twice as long as the map suggested.

   Geologists measured the tortuosity of the river to understand how fast it was shifting.

   Engineers found that the tortuosity of the pipes slowed the flow of water.

2. 2noununcountablemedical

   In medicine, an abnormal amount of winding or kinking in a blood vessel such as an artery.

   Grammar: Often followed by of and the vessel: tortuosity of the retinal vessels.

   Patterns

   • tortuosity of a vessel
   • vascular tortuosity

   The scan showed some tortuosity of the carotid artery.

   Doctors watch for tortuosity in the blood vessels of the eye.

   Increased tortuosity can be a sign that blood vessels have been under strain.

3. 3noununcountablephysicsspecialist

   In science and engineering, a number comparing the real winding path through a porous material with the straight-line distance across it.

   Grammar: Used as a measurement: soils with a high tortuosity slow the movement of water.

   Patterns

   • tortuosity of a material
   • high tortuosity

   The tortuosity of the filter determines how long the liquid takes to pass through.

   Rock with high tortuosity makes it harder for oil to move.

   Researchers calculated the tortuosity of the battery electrode to improve its performance.

Common combinations

vascular tortuosity

Vascular tortuosity is sometimes seen in older patients.

degree of tortuosity

The degree of tortuosity affects how quickly water drains.

high tortuosity

A path with high tortuosity is slower to travel.

measure tortuosity

Researchers measure tortuosity by comparing path length to straight distance.

tortuosity of a river

The tortuosity of the river increased after the floods.

Synonyms and how they differ

windingness

Windingness is an informal, rarely used noun, while tortuosity is the exact technical term.

sinuosity

Sinuosity is used mostly for smooth curves like rivers, but tortuosity can also describe sharp bends and kinks.

twistiness

Twistiness is casual and general, whereas tortuosity is precise and measurable.

convolution

Convolution suggests a complex fold or coil, often in the brain or an argument, while tortuosity stresses repeated bends along a path.

Opposites

Word family

tortuous adjective

full of twists and turns

tortuously adverb

in a winding or twisting way

torturous adjective

causing great pain; often confused with tortuous

Commonly confused: tortuosity or torturous?

Practice

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