From Middle English writhen, from Old English wrīþan, from Proto-West Germanic *wrīþan, from Proto-Germanic *wrīþaną (“to weave, twist, turn”), from Proto-Indo-European *wreyt- (“to twist, writhe”). Cognate with Middle Dutch writen (“to turn, twist”), dialectal German reiden (“to turn, twist, lace”), Danish vride (“to twist”), Swedish vrida (“to turn, twist, wind”), French rider (“to wrinkle, furrow, ruffle”, (< Germanic)). Compare also Lithuanian riēsti (“to unbend, wind, roll”).
Meanings
(transitive) To twist, wring (something).
(transitive) To contort (a part of the body).
Cicero (as I remember) had gotten a custome to wryth his nose, which signifieth a naturall scoffer. 1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 17, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLC:
She twisted her hands behind her; but all the knots held good! / She writhed her hands till her fingers were wet with sweat or blood! / They stretched and strained in the darkness, and the hours crawled by like years, / Till, now, on the stroke of midnight, / Cold, on the stroke of midnight, / The tip of one finger touched it! The trigger at least was hers! 1906 August, Alfred Noyes, “The Highwayman”, in Poems, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., published October 1906, →OCLC, part 2, stanza IV, pages 50–51:
(intransitive) To twist bodily; to contort one's self; to be distorted.
The game was engulfed in controversy when Rodwell appeared to win the ball cleanly in a midfield challenge with Suarez. The tackle drew an angry response from Liverpool's players- Lucas in particular as Suarez writhed in agony - but it was an obvious injustice when the England Under-21 midfielder was shown the red card. 2011 October 1, Phil McNulty, “Everton 0-2 Liverpool”, in BBC Sport, archived from the original on 06 Jan 2012:
bg превивам се (to twist or contort the body) · tr kıvranmak (to twist or contort the body) · el σφαδάζω (to twist or contort the body) · oc tortilhar (to twist or contort the body) · pt contorcer-se (to twist or contort the body) · mi kowheta (to twist or contort the body) · cmn 使缠绕 (to twist or contort the body) · es contorsionar (to twist or contort the body) · mi kapekapetā (to twist or contort the body) · nl kronkelen (to twist or contort the body) · de krümmen (to twist or contort the body) · nl draaien (to twist or contort the body) · da vride sig (to twist or contort the body) · de verrenken (to contort a part of the body) · nl vervormen (to twist or contort the body) · hu ráng (to twist or contort the body) · mi karawheta (to twist or contort the body) · hu rángatózik (to twist or contort the body) · mi kaunoni (to twist or contort the body) · oc tòrcer (to twist or contort the body) · mi parawhetawheta (to twist or contort the body) · sh previjati se (to twist or contort the body) · izh vingertää (to twist or contort the body) · mi kōiriiri (to twist or contort the body) · sh svijati se (to twist or contort the body) · fr se débattre (to twist or contort the body) · ga bí ag lúbarnaíl (to twist or contort the body) · hu kapálózik (to twist or contort the body) · mi takawhetawheta (to twist or contort the body) · mi hīkaikai (to twist or contort the body) · ru извива́ться (to twist or contort the body) · ota بالقلامق (to twist or contort the body) · te గింజుకొను (to twist or contort the body) · oc torcir (to twist or contort the body) · mi takaoriori (to twist or contort the body) · mi karapetapetau (to twist or contort the body) · hu ficánkol (to twist or contort the body) · hu vergődik (to twist or contort the body) · ru ко́рчиться (to twist or contort the body) · it contorcersi (to twist or contort the body) · mi takaoraora (to twist or contort the body) · mi tāwheta (to twist or contort the body) · bg гърча се (to twist or contort the body) · uk ко́рчитися (to twist or contort the body) · de verdrehen (to twist or wring something) · mi takaokeoke (to twist or contort the body) · eo tordiĝi (to twist or contort the body) · fr se démener (to twist or contort the body) · mi āuta (to twist or contort the body) · mi okeoke (to twist or contort the body) · mi takaoio (to twist or contort the body) · fi vääntelehtiä (to twist or contort the body) · fr se tortiller (to twist or contort the body) · hu vonaglik (to twist or contort the body) · fi vääntää (to contort a part of the body) · de winden (to twist or contort the body) · pl wić się (to twist or contort the body) · mi takawheta (to twist or contort the body) · pt retorcer-se (to twist or contort the body) · fi vääntää (to twist or wring something) · cmn 扭曲 (to twist or contort the body)