torse

English

Etymology 1

A torse.

Coat of arms showing the usual placement of a torse (here on top of the helmet).

The arms of Langenhagen, on which the torse appears as a charge. In other arms it can be found wrapped around a moor's forehead.

From Middle French torse (“wreath”), from Latin torqueō (“to twist”).^[1] Doublet of trousse and truss.

Noun

torse (plural torses)

1. (heraldry) A twist of cloth or wreath, typically placed underneath and forming part of a crest (as an orle or wreath) and customarily shown with six twists, the first tincture being the tincture of the field, the second the tincture of the metal, and so on; rarely, it occurs as a charge.

Synonyms

• orle
• wreath

Related terms

• torsion

Translations

heraldry: a twist of cloth or wreath forming the lowest part of the crest

Bulgarian: гирлянда f (girljanda) Danish: vulst c, hjelmvulst c Finnish: lakipunos Galician: burela (gl) f Portuguese: virol (pt) m Swedish: hjälmbindel c, bindel (sv) c, hjälmkrans c, vulst (sv) c

References

• A complete guide to heraldry, A. C. Fox-Davis.

Etymology 2

From French torse, from Italian torso, from Latin thyrsus.^[2] Doublet of thyrse, thyrsus, and torso.

Noun

torse (plural torses)

2. (obsolete) The torso.
   • 1634, Henry Peacham, “Of Antiquities”, in The Compleat Gentleman. Fashioning Him Absolut, in the Most Necessary and Commendable Qualities Concerning Minde or Body, That May Be Required in a Noble Gentleman. […], enlarged edition, London: […] Francis Constable, […], page 110:

     To Painters, for the picturing of ſome exquiſit arme, leg, torſe or wreathing of the body, or any other rare poſture, whether ſmooth or forced.

   • 1760, Oliver Goldsmith, “Letter XXXIII. To the same.”, in The Citizen of the World; or Letters from a Chinese Philosopher, […], volume I, London: […] [F]or the author; and sold by J. Newbery and W. Bristow, […]; J. Leake and W. Frederick, […]; B. Collins, […]; and A. M. Smart and Co. […], published 1762, →OCLC, page 145:

     One might ſtudy in this city for ages, and ſtill find ſomething new: we went from this to view the cardinal’s ſtatues, which are really very fine; there were three ſpintria executed in a very maſterly manner, all arm in arm: the torſe which I heard you talk ſo much of, is at laſt diſcovered to be a Hercules ſpinning, and not a Cleopatra bathing, as your lordſhip had conjectured: there has been a treatiſe written to prove it.

   • 1892, [Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st] Earl of Lytton, “The Principle”, in King Poppy: Loftiness, Loneliness, Steadfastness, London; New York, N.Y.: Longmans, Green, and Co. […], page 149:

     This done, ’twas only needed to supply / The necessary quantity of heads / To suit the growing torse; […]

References

1. “torse, n.¹”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
2. “torse, n.²”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

Anagrams

• store, resto, tores, toers, estro-, roset, Soter, Resto, sorte, rotes, estro, Oster

French

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tɔʁs/

• Audio:

  (file)

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Italian torso, from Latin thyrsus. Doublet of thyrse.

Noun

torse m (plural torses)

1. torso

   Son torse est très poilu.

   His torso is very hairy.

Derived terms

• bomber le torse
• torse nu

Descendants

• → English: torse

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Adjective

torse

1. feminine singular of tors

Further reading

• “torse”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Anagrams

• resto, rotes, sorte, store, tores

Italian

Verb

torse

1. third-person singular past historic of torcere

Anagrams

• estro, resto, restò, roste, serto, sorte, terso