Writhe
Writhe , transitive verb
[Old English writhen, Anglo-Saxon wrī{not transcribed}an to twist; akin to Old High German rīdan, Icelandic rī{not transcribed}a, Swedish vrida, Danish vride. Compare Wreathe, Wrest, Wroth.]
1.
To twist; to turn; now, usually, to twist or turn so as to distort; to wring.
With writhing [turning] of a pin.
Then Satan first knew pain,
And writhed him to and fro.
Her mouth she writhed, her forehead taught to frown.
His battle-writhen arms, and mighty hands.
2.
To wrest; to distort; to pervert.
The reason which he yieldeth showeth the least part of his meaning to be that whereunto his words are writhed.
3.
To extort; to wring; to wrest. [Rare]
The nobility hesitated not to follow the example of their sovereign in writhing money from them by every species of oppression.
Writhe , intransitive verb
To twist or contort the body; to be distorted; as, to writhe with agony. Also used figuratively.
After every attempt, he felt that he had failed, and writhed with shame and vexation.