I. ˈtȯ(ə)rk, -ȯ(ə)k noun
( -s )
Etymology: French torque, from Latin torquis, torques, from torquēre to twist — more at torture
: a usually metal collar or neck chain worn by the ancient Gauls, Germans, and Britons
these hands won many a torque of gold — W.B.Yeats
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin torquēre to twist
: something which produces or tends to produce rotation or torsion and whose effectiveness is measured by the product of the force and the perpendicular distance from the line of action of the force to the axis of rotation : a moment of force
a pound-foot of torque is the torque produced by a force of one pound acting one foot from the center of rotation — Consumer Reports
if the handle of the wrench were 1 foot long and a 10-pound force is put on its end, 10 pound-feet of torque would be applied on the nut — Principles of Automotive Vehicles
in addition to transforming fuel into heat, the engine converts heat into reciprocal motion, and it changes reciprocal motion into torque — George Hafferkamp & J.H.Zich
broadly : a turning or twisting force : rotary effort
III. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s -s )
Etymology: torque (II)
: to impart torque to : cause to twist (as about an axis)
• torqu·er ˈtȯrkər noun