Torcs

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A heavy twisted metal neck ring of the kind worn by ancient Celtic peoples as a sign of status
2. An ancient Celtic neck ornament made of twisted metal, often gold or bronze, worn around the throat
3. A rigid, twisted metal collar worn around the neck by Celtic warriors and nobles in antiquity

Etymology: "Torcs" is the plural of "torc," a rigid neck ring of twisted metal worn in ancient Europe. The word itself is a borrowing from Latin "torquis," which named the same kind of ring, and it is connected to the verb "torquere," meaning "to twist." English took the term over to describe the ornaments that Celtic and other Iron Age peoples wore, most famously the gold examples recovered from hoards in Britain and Ireland.

Synonyms: torc, neck ring, torque, collar