tortuous

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
tortuous /ˈtɔːtʃʊəs, -jʊəs/

▶adjective

• 1 full of twists and turns.

• 2 excessively lengthy and complex.

– derivatives
tortuosity noun (pl. tortuosities),
tortuously adverb,
tortuousness noun.

– origin ME: via OFr. from L. tortuosus, from tortus ‘twisting, a twist’, from L. torquere ‘to twist’.

usage: The words tortuous and torturous have different core meanings. Tortuous means ‘full of twists and turns’ (a tortuous route), while torturous means ‘characterized by pain or suffering’ (a torturous five days of fitness training).