WRITHING
wiggly, wriggling, wriggly, writhing
(adjective) moving in a twisting or snake-like or wormlike fashion; “wiggly worms”
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Adjective
writhing (comparative more writhing, superlative most writhing)
Bended in twisting struggle.
Verb
writhing
present participle of writhe
Noun
writhing (plural writhings)
A twisting struggle.
Source: Wiktionary
WRITHE
Writhe, v. t. [imp. Writhed; p. p. Writhed, Obs. or Poetic Writhen (;
p. pr. & vb. n. Writhing.] Etym: [OE. writhen, AS. wri to twist; akin
to OHG. ridan, Icel. ri, Sw. vrida, Dan. vride. Cf. Wreathe, Wrest,
Wroth.]
1. To twist; to turn; now, usually, to twist or turn so as to
distort; to wring. "With writhing [turning] of a pin." Chaucer.
Then Satan first knew pain, And writhed him to and fro. Milton.
Her mouth she writhed, her forehead taught to frown. Dryden.
His battle-writhen arms, and mighty hands. Tennyson.
2. To wrest; to distort; to pervert.
The reason which he yieldeth showeth the least part of his meaning to
be that whereunto his words are writhed. Hooker.
3. To extort; to wring; to wrest. [R.]
The nobility hesitated not to follow the example of their sovereign
in writhing money from them by every species of oppression. Sir W.
Scott.
Writhe, v. i.
Definition: To twist or contort the body; to be distorted; as, to writhe
with agony. Also used figuratively.
After every attempt, he felt that he had failed, and writhed with
shame and vexation. Macaulay.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition