Etymology

torque

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Today it means: A rotational or twisting effect of a force; a moment of force, defined for measurement purposes as an equivalent straight line force multiplied by the distance from the axis of rotation (SI unit newton-metre or N·m; imperial unit pound-foot or lb·ft, not to be confused with the foot pound-force, commonly "foot-pound", a unit of work or energy) Full definition →

Latin torqueō
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torque · noun, verb1

  1. Latin · borrowed fromtorqueō“to twist”
  2. English todaytorque

Borrowed from Latin torqueō (“to twist”).

torque · noun2

  1. Latin · borrowed fromtorquēs“chaplet, collar, necklace of twisted metal, ring, wreath”
  2. Latin · derived fromtorquis
  3. French · borrowed fromtorque
  4. English todaytorque

From French torque, from Old French, from Latin torquis; or adapted directly from Latin torquēs (“chaplet, collar, necklace of twisted metal, ring, wreath”) (cf. earlier English torques).

Words from the same roots

Latintorqueō all →

torse

Latintorquēs all →

torques

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.