(law) any wrongdoing for which an action for damages may be brought
"The plaintiff's lawyer argued that the company's misleading advertising constituted a tort because it caused direct financial harm to consumers."
An injury or wrong.
"The stray cat that slipped into my garage turned out to be a beautiful tort, not the house pet I had been expecting."
A tortoise.
A tortoiseshell (animal with coloured markings on fur).
Tart; sharp.
"The old violin's strings felt like a tort, so tense that even a slight touch caused them to snap."
Stretched tight; taut.
The word "tort" comes from Old French and originally meant a misdeed or wrong. It traces back to the Latin root for something twisted or crooked, which itself derives from an ancient Indo-European term meaning to spin or turn.