tort Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun (law) any wrongdoing for which an action for damages may be brought
    civil wrong.

WordNet

Tort noun
Etymology
F., from LL. tortum, fr. L. tortus twisted, crooked, p. p. of torqure to twist, bend. See Torture.
Definitions
  1. Mischief; injury; calamity. Obs.
    That had them long opprest with tort. Spenser.
  2. (Law) Any civil wrong or injury; a wrongful act (not involving a breach of contract) for which an action will lie; a form of action, in some parts of the United States, for a wrong or injury. Wharton.
Tort adjective
Definitions
  1. Stretched tight; taut. R.
    Yet holds he them with tortestrein. Emerson.

Webster 1913