ˈtȯ(r)chəwəs adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French tortueux, from Latin tortuosus, from tortus twist (from tortus, past participle of torquēre to twist) + -osus -ous
1. : marked by repeated twists, bends, or turns : winding
the channel is tortuous and dangerous and constantly silting — L.F.Alexander
we begin a tortuous climb into the highlands — Tom Marvel
a tortuous length of water-cooled coils — D.W.Dresden
products of a tortuous hereditary line — Faubion Bowers
2.
a. : marked by or resorting to devious or indirect tactics or strategy : crooked, treacherous, or sharp in device or method : lacking in straightforwardness, candor, or simplicity : tricky
pursued a tortuous policy in his testimony, disclosing this piece of evidence and withholding that — Rebecca West
tortuous haggling over the price of comradeship — Time
b. : wandering from a direct or consecutive course in thought or action : deviating into irrelevant complexity or intricacy : circuitous , involved
the tortuous workings of government by consent — New Republic
the featureless hierophants of some tortuous ceremony — V.S.Pritchett
tortuous litigation
3. : tortious 2
an agent who does a tortuous act is not relieved from liability by the fact that he acted at the command … of his principal — J.D.Johnson