Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
🤕 Twisted neck 🐦 A woodpecker
wryneck

wryneck

9.9
The head is tilted to one side because neck muscles pull it
  • noun
  • /ˈraɪˌnɛk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tortícolis
  • The doctor diagnosed the child with wryneck after observing the abnormal tilt of his head.

Examples

  • She wore a special collar to help relieve her wryneck condition.

  • The child has a wryneck that makes it hard for him to look straight.

  • Long-term wryneck can lead to discomfort and restricted movement in the neck.

  • She was diagnosed with a wryneck after the fall.

  • The doctor diagnosed the child with wryneck after observing the abnormal tilt of his head.

  • She wore a special collar to help relieve her wryneck condition.

  • The child has a wryneck that makes it hard for him to look straight.

Synonyms

torticollis
vswryneck
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A condition where the head tilts to one side because neck muscles pull

describes the head twisted to one side by neck muscle contraction

Surface Forms

wryneck singular
wrynecks plural

Morphology

wryneck = wry + neck (transparent) = wry + neck

The medical sense is directly described by 'wry' + 'neck': a twisted neck, which is readily inferable by learners who know the components.

Etymology

Wryneck comes from the simple parts wry 'twisted' and neck, so it literally means a 'twisted neck'. This explains the medical meaning, where the head is turned to one side because the neck muscles pull it that way.