Baretti: A dictionary of the English and Italian languages
Tórc-ere, v. a. (pass. tor-si, Tórc-se, Tórc-sero, part. Tórc-to, &c.)
1. to twist, to wring, to writhe. — della lana, to twist wool. — della seta, to throw silk. — il collo ad uno, to wring one's neck. — la bocca, to distort one's mouth, to make a wry mouth; 2. to bend, curve; 3. to turn, to put off or on. — il viso ad uno, to turn one's face to any one. — uno dal suo cammino, to put one out of his way. — gli occhi ad uno,to look gruff at one, to look sour. — verso un luogo, to steer, to go towards a place. Torcemmo all'isola di Sicilia, we steered towards Sicily. — a man dritta, to turn upon the right hand. — il muso, to turn up one's nose, to despise. — le scritture, to wrest the sense of a passage. — il collo, to pretend to be very devout. — il passo, to go away from, remove from. — il pelo a chicchessia, to injure a person slightly; s. m. Tórc-itóre, f. Tórc-itríce.
Florio: a worlde of wordes, or most copious, dictionarie in Italian and English
torcere: or tórto, to wrest, to wreath, to bend, to bow, to retorte, to make crooked. Also to twist, to wrap, to winde in or wherle about. Also to wring, to presse or squeese out, also to crisp, to curle or frizle. Also to torture on orment.