tort
English
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /tɔːt/
Audio (RP) (file) - (General American) enPR: tô(ɹ)t, IPA(key): /tɔɹt/
Audio (GA) (file) - Homophone: torte; taught, taut (in non-rhotic accents)
- Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)t
Etymology 1
From Middle English tort (“(uncountable) wrong; (countable) an injury, a wrong”),[1] from Old French tort (“misdeed, wrong”) (modern French tort (“an error, wrong; a fault”)), from Medieval Latin tortum (“injustice, wrong”), a noun use of a neuter singular participle form of Latin tortus (“crooked; twisted”), the perfect passive participle of torqueō (“to bend or twist awry, distort”),[2] ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- (“to spin; to turn”).
- Galician torto (“(adjective) bent; crooked; twisted; (noun, archaic) harm, offence; injustice, wrong, tort”)
- Italian torto (“(adjective) bent; crooked; twisted; (noun, archaic) injustice, wrong”)
- Norwegian Bokmål tort (dated, now only in fixed expressions)
- Norwegian Nynorsk tort (dated, now only in fixed expressions)
- Occitan tort
- Old French tort (modern French tort)
- Portuguese torto (“(adjective) bent; crooked; twisted; (noun, archaic) harm, offence; injustice, wrong”)
- Spanish tuerto (“injury, offence”)
Noun
tort (plural torts)
- (law) A wrongful act, whether intentional or negligent, regarded as non-criminal and unrelated to a contract, which causes an injury and can be remedied in civil court, usually through the awarding of damages. [from late 16th c.]
- Synonym: (Scots law) delict
- [1628, Edw[ard] Coke, “Of Rents”, in The First Part of the Institutes of the Lawes of England. […], London: […] [Adam Islip] for the Societe of Stationers, →OCLC, book 2, chapter 12, section 234, folio 158, verso:
- […] Wrong or Iniury, is in French aptly called Tort, becauſe Iniury & wrong is wreſted or crooked, being contrary to that which is right and ſtreight. […] And Britton ſaith that Tort a la ley eſt contrarye [a wrong to the law is contrary], and as aptly for the cauſe aforeſaid is iniury in English called wrong.]
- 1768, William Blackstone, “Of Wrongs, and Their Remedies, Respecting the Rights of Persons”, in Commentaries on the Laws of England, book III (Of Private Wrongs), Oxford, Oxfordshire: […] Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page 117:
- Personal actions are ſuch vvhereby a man claims a debt, or perſonal duty, or damages in lieu thereof; and likevviſe vvhereby a man claims a ſatisfaction in damages for ſome injury done to his perſon or property. The former are ſaid to be founded on contracts, the latter upon torts or vvrongs: […] of the latter all actions for treſpaſſes, nuſances, aſſaults, defamatory vvords, and the like.
- 1891, Henry Campbell Black, “TORT”, in A Dictionary of Law […], St. Paul, Minn.: West Publishing Co., →OCLC, page 1178, column 1:
- A tort is a legal wrong committed upon the person or property independent of contract. It may be either (1) a direct invasion of some legal right of the individual; (2) the infraction of some public duty by which special damage accrues to the individual; (3) the violation of some private obligation by which like damage accrues to the individual.
- (obsolete) An injury or wrong. [late 14th – 18th c.]
- 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book I, Canto XII”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 4, page 172:
- Then gan triumphant Trompets ſovvnd on hye, / That ſent to heuen the ecchoed report / Of their nevv ioy, and happie victory / Gainſt him, that had them long oppreſt with tort, / And faſt impriſoned in ſieged fort.
- 1591, Ed[mund] Sp[enser], “Prosopopoia. Or Mother Hubberds Tale.”, in Complaints. Containing Sundrie Small Poemes of the Worlds Vanitie. […], London: […] William Ponsonbie, […], →OCLC, signature P3, verso:
- For no vvild beaſts ſhould do them any torte / There or abroad, ne vvould his maieſtye / Vſe them but vvell, vvith gracious clemencye, / As vvhome he knevv to him both faſt and true; […]
Related terms
- cotortfeasor
- de son tort
- tortfeasance
- tortfeasor
- tortionary (obsolete, rare)
- tortious
- tortiously
Translations
Etymology 2
From Middle English tort, torte (“contorted, crooked; twisted”),[3] from Old French tort, torte (“crooked; twisted”), or from its etymon Latin tortus (“crooked; twisted”):[4] see further at etymology 1.
Adjective
tort
- (obsolete) Twisted.
- 1569, Richard Grafton, “Edwarde the Seconde”, in A Chronicle at Large and Meere History of the Affayres of Englande […], volume II, London: […] Henry Denham, […], for Richarde Tottle and Humffrey Toye, →OCLC, page 210:
- And the firſt that came and gaue them moſt comfort was Henry Erle of Lãcaſter with yͤ wrie neck, called Tort coll [torticollis], who was brother to Thomas Erle of Lãcaſter yͭ was behedded, as ye haue heard before, who was a right vertuous & good knight as after ye ſhal here.
Adjective
Translations
Adjective
tort (comparative torter, superlative tortest) (British, dialectal, obsolete)
- Synonym of taut (“stretched tight; under tension”)
- 1847, R[alph] W[aldo] Emerson, “Initial, Dæmonic, and Celestial Love”, in Poems, Boston, Mass.: James Munroe and Company, →OCLC, part I (The Initial Love), page 158:
- Yet holds he them with tortest rein, / That they may seize and entertain / The glance that to their glance opposes, / Like fiery honey sucked from roses.
- (nautical) Of a boat: watertight.
Etymology 5
Clipping of tortoise.
Translations
Etymology 6
Clipping of tortoiseshell.
Noun
tort (plural torts)
- (slang) Clipping of tortoiseshell (“a domestic cat, guinea pig, rabbit, or other animal whose fur has black, brown, and yellow markings”); a tortie.
Translations
References
- “tort, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
- “tort, n.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2022; “tort, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022. - “tort(e, adj.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
- “† tort, adj.”, in OED Online
, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2021. - Joseph Wright, editor (1905), “TORT”, in The English Dialect Dictionary: […], volumes VI (T–Z, Supplement, Bibliography and Grammar), London: Henry Frowde, […], publisher to the English Dialect Society, […]; New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, →OCLC, page 198, column 2.
- Joseph Wright, editor (1905), “TART, adj. and sb.2”, in The English Dialect Dictionary: […], volumes VI (T–Z, Supplement, Bibliography and Grammar), London: Henry Frowde, […], publisher to the English Dialect Society, […]; New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, →OCLC, page 35.
- Joseph Wright, editor (1905), “TAUT, adj. and v.1”, in The English Dialect Dictionary: […], volumes VI (T–Z, Supplement, Bibliography and Grammar), London: Henry Frowde, […], publisher to the English Dialect Society, […]; New York, N.Y.: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, →OCLC, page 42, column 2.
Catalan
Etymology
Inherited from Old Catalan tort, from Latin tortus (“twisted”).
Derived terms
References
- “tort” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
- “tort” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
Estonian
Declension
| Declension of tort (ÕS type 22e/riik, t-d gradation) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| singular | plural | ||
| nominative | tort | tordid | |
| accusative | nom. | ||
| gen. | tordi | ||
| genitive | tortide | ||
| partitive | torti | torte tortisid | |
| illative | torti tordisse |
tortidesse tordesse | |
| inessive | tordis | tortides tordes | |
| elative | tordist | tortidest tordest | |
| allative | tordile | tortidele tordele | |
| adessive | tordil | tortidel tordel | |
| ablative | tordilt | tortidelt tordelt | |
| translative | tordiks | tortideks tordeks | |
| terminative | tordini | tortideni | |
| essive | tordina | tortidena | |
| abessive | tordita | tortideta | |
| comitative | tordiga | tortidega | |
French
Etymology
Inherited from Old French tort, from Latin tortum, substantive use of tortus, the past participle of torqueō (“twist, turn”).
Pronunciation
Noun
tort m (plural torts)
- fault
- wrong, error
- Je regrette, vous avez tort. I'm afraid you are mistaken.
- Nous avons fait notre choix, à tort ou à raison. We have made our choice, rightly or wrongly.
- 1837, Louis Viardot, L’Ingénieux Hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manchefr.Wikisource, translation of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Volume I, Chapter IV:
- [J]e suis le valeureux don Quichotte de la Manche, le défaiseur de torts et le réparateur d’iniquités.
- ... I am the valiant Don Quixote of La Mancha, the undoer of wrongs and the repairer of iniquities.
Derived terms
Further reading
- “tort”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Anagrams
Hungarian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [ˈtort]
- Hyphenation: tort
Middle English
Etymology
From Old French tort, from Latin tortum.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /tɔrt/
References
- “tort, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
Norwegian Bokmål
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /tuʈ/
- Rhymes: -uʈ
Usage notes
Only used in the legal phrase tort og svie.
Related terms
References
- “tort” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Old French
Etymology
From Latin tortum, substantive use of tortus, the past participle of torqueō (“twist, turn”).
Noun
tort oblique singular, m (oblique plural torz or tortz, nominative singular torz or tortz, nominative plural tort)
- wrong; misdeed (something considered wrong)
- 12th Century, Béroul, Tristan et Iseut:
- Sovent regrete le roi Marc
Son oncle, qui a fait tel tort- King Mark often regretted
That his uncle had done such a bad thing
- King Mark often regretted
Derived terms
Related terms
Old Occitan
Etymology
From Latin tortum, substantive use of tortus, the past participle of torqueō (“twist, turn”).
Noun
tort m (oblique plural tortz, nominative singular tortz, nominative plural tort)
References
- Walther von Wartburg (1928–2002) “torquēre”, in Französisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), volume 2: C Q K, page 1010
Polish

Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /tɔrt/
Audio (file) - Rhymes: -ɔrt
- Syllabification: tort
Noun
tort m inan (diminutive torcik, related adjective tortowy)
- torte, gateau (type of cake)
- birthday cake
Declension
Romanian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /tort/
Declension
Related terms
Alternative forms
Declension
Veps
Etymology
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
Inflection
| Inflection of tort (inflection type 6/kuva) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative sing. | tort | ||
| genitive sing. | tortan | ||
| partitive sing. | tortad | ||
| partitive plur. | tortid | ||
| singular | plural | ||
| nominative | tort | tortad | |
| accusative | tortan | tortad | |
| genitive | tortan | tortiden | |
| partitive | tortad | tortid | |
| essive-instructive | tortan | tortin | |
| translative | tortaks | tortikš | |
| inessive | tortas | tortiš | |
| elative | tortaspäi | tortišpäi | |
| illative | tortaha tortha |
tortihe | |
| adessive | tortal | tortil | |
| ablative | tortalpäi | tortilpäi | |
| allative | tortale | tortile | |
| abessive | tortata | tortita | |
| comitative | tortanke | tortidenke | |
| prolative | tortadme | tortidme | |
| approximative I | tortanno | tortidenno | |
| approximative II | tortannoks | tortidennoks | |
| egressive | tortannopäi | tortidennopäi | |
| terminative I | tortahasai torthasai |
tortihesai | |
| terminative II | tortalesai | tortilesai | |
| terminative III | tortassai | — | |
| additive I | tortahapäi torthapäi |
tortihepäi | |
| additive II | tortalepäi | tortilepäi | |
References
- Zajceva, N. G., Mullonen, M. I. (2007) “торт”, in Uz’ venä-vepsläine vajehnik / Novyj russko-vepsskij slovarʹ [New Russian–Veps Dictionary], Petrozavodsk: Periodika