Retwisted

Part of speech: verb, adjective

Definitions

1. Twisted once more or twisted back into a new shape, having already been bent or wound before
2. Wound, bent or coiled again after an earlier twist, so that it takes on a fresh curl or turn
3. Turned round a second time so that a strand, wire or object is once again coiled or distorted

Etymology: "Retwisted" is the past tense and past participle of "retwist," which is simply the prefix "re-" (meaning again or back) attached to "twist." So the word means to twist again, or to twist back into a previous shape. Its history is therefore that of its two parts: "twist" is an ancient English word, and "re-" is a productive prefix of Latin origin that English has long attached to ordinary verbs to mark repetition or reversal. The sense of "retwist" follows naturally from that combination. Something that is untwisted can be given its twist back, as with a length of rope, a strand of yarn, or a tangled cable. The form "retwisted" simply reports that such an action has been done, which is why it reads so plainly, with no surprises hidden in its meaning.