writhe

Meaning

Verb

1. To twist, wring (something).
2. To contort (a part of the body).
3. To twist bodily; to contort one's self; to be distorted.
4. To extort.

Noun

1. A contortion.
2. The number of negative crossings subtracted from the number of positive crossings in a knot

Synonyms

wriggle

squirm

twist

struggle

roll

twitch

wrestle

slither

convulse

worm

🪱

toss about

twist and turn

wind

turn

wiggle

jerk

jiggle

joggle

rear up

restless

roll around

shake

shimmy

slide

slip

snake

🐍

sneak away

spasm

spiral

squirming

throw oneself about

tweak

twiddle

twine

wag

wallow

wobble

wreathe

wring

kick about

moan and groan

move about

move slowly

roll about

thrash about

circumvolute

twist about

agitated

roll in pain

bend

coil

contort

convulsion

corkscrew

crawl

creep

crooked

curl

flail

flounder

flutter

glide

huddle

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ɹaɪð/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: writhen

Inherited from Old English: wrīþan

Cognate with Middle Dutch: writen

Cognate with German: reiden

Cognate with Danish: vride

Cognate with Swedish: vrida

Cognate with French: rider

Cognate with Lithuanian: riēsti

In summary

From Middle English writhen, from Old English wrīþan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrīþan, from Proto-Germanic *wrīþaną (“to weave, twist, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreyt- (“to twist, writhe”). Cognate with Middle Dutch writen (“to turn, twist”), dialectal German reiden (“to turn, twist, lace”), Danish vride (“to twist”), Swedish vrida (“to turn, twist, wind”), French rider (“to wrinkle, furrow, ruffle”, (< Germanic)). Compare also Lithuanian riēsti (“to unbend, wind, roll”).