A twist or loop in a rope or thread, caused by a spontaneous doubling or winding upon itself; a close loop or curl; a doubling in a cord. [1913 Webster]
An unreasonable notion; a crotchet; a whim; a caprice. Cozzens. [1913 Webster]

kink, v. i.

To wind into a kink; to knot or twist spontaneously upon itself, as a rope or thread. [1913 Webster]

kink, n. [Cf. Chincough, Kink-haust.].

A fit of coughing; also, a convulsive fit of laughter. [1913 Webster]

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

kink, n. & v.
--n.
1 a a short backward twist in wire or tubing etc. such as may cause an obstruction. b a tight wave in human or animal hair.
2 a mental twist or quirk.
--v.intr. & tr. form or cause to form a kink.

Etymology

MLG kinke (v.) prob. f. Du. kinken

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THESAURUS

kink

acute pain, birthmark, bite, blackhead, bleb, blemish, blister, boring pain, boutade, brainstorm, bug, bulla, capriccio, caprice, catch, charley horse, check, cicatrix, cicatrize, cirrus, coil, comedo, complication, conceit, corkscrew, crack, cramp, cramps, crank, crater, craze, crazy idea, crick, crimp, crinkle, crisp, crotchet, curl, curlicue, darting pain, deface, defacement, defect, defection, deficiency, deform, deformation, deformity, difficulty, disfiguration, disfigure, disfigurement, distort, distortion, drawback, eccentricity, evolute, fad, failing, failure, fancy, fantastic notion, fantasy, fault, faute, flaw, flimflam, foible, fool notion, frailty, freak, freakish inspiration, freckle, fulgurant pain, girdle pain, gnawing, griping, gyre, harebrained idea, helix, hemangioma, hickey, hitch, hole, humor, idiosyncrasy, imperfection, inadequacy, infirmity, involute, jumping pain, keloid, knot, lancinating pain, lentigo, little problem, maggot, mar, megrim, milium, mole, needle scar, nevus, nip, notion, pang, paroxysm, passing fancy, pimple, pinch, pit, pock, pockmark, port-wine mark, port-wine stain, prick, problem, pustule, quirk, rift, ringlet, roll, scab, scar, scarify, scratch, screw, scroll, sebaceous cyst, seizure, sharp pain, shoot, shooting, shooting pain, shortcoming, snag, something missing, spasm, spiral, split, stab, stabbing pain, stitch, strawberry mark, sty, swirl, taint, tangle, tendril, thrill, throes, tormen, toy, track, tweak, twinge, twirl, twist, twitch, vagary, verruca, vesicle, volute, volution, vortex, vulnerable place, wale, warp, wart, weak link, weak point, weakness, weal, welt, wen, whim, whim-wham, whimsy, whirl, whitehead, whorl, wrench, wrinkle

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ROGET THESAURUS

kink

Caprice

N caprice, fancy, humor, whim, whimsy, whimsey, whimwham, crotchet, capriccio, quirk, freak, maggot, fad, vagary, prank, fit, flimflam, escapade, boutade, wild-goose chase, capriciousness, kink, capricious, erratic, eccentric, fitful, hysterical, full of whims, maggoty, inconsistent, fanciful, fantastic, whimsical, crotchety, kinky, particular, humorsome, freakish, skittish, wanton, wayward, contrary, captious, arbitrary, unconformable, penny wise and pound foolish, fickle, frivolous, sleeveless, giddy, volatile, by fits and starts, without rhyme or reason, nil fuit unquain sic inipar sibi, the deuce is in him.

Complexity

N complexity, complexness, complexus, complication, implication, intricacy, intrication, perplexity, network, labyrinth, wilderness, jungle, involution, raveling, entanglement, coil, sleave, tangled skein, knot, Gordian knot, wheels within wheels, kink, gnarl, knarl, webwork, difficulty, gnarled, knarled, complex, complexed, intricate, complicated, perplexed, involved, raveled, entangled, knotted, tangled, inextricable, irreducible.

Curvature

N curvature, curvity, curvation, incurvature, incurvity, incurvation, bend, flexure, flexion, flection, conflexure, crook, hook, bought, bending, deflection, deflexion, inflection, inflexion, concameration, arcuation, devexity, turn, deviation, detour, sweep, curl, curling, bough, recurvity, recurvation, sinuosity, kink, carve, arc, arch, arcade, vault, bow, crescent, half-moon, lunule, horseshoe, loop, crane neck, parabola, hyperbola, helix, spiral, catenary, festoon, conchoid, cardioid, caustic, tracery, arched ceiling, arched roof, bay window, bow window, sine curve, spline, spline curve, spline function, obliquity, curved, curviform, curvilineal, curvilinear, devex, devious, recurved, recurvous, crump, bowed, vaulted, hooked, falciform, falcated, semicircular, crescentic, sinusoid, parabolic, paraboloid, luniform, lunular, semilunar, conchoidal, helical, double helical, spiral, kinky, cordiform, cordated, cardioid, heart shaped, bell shaped, boat shaped, crescent shaped, lens shaped, moon shaped, oar shaped, shield shaped, sickle shaped, tongue shaped, pear shaped, fig shaped, kidney-shaped, reniform, lentiform, lenticular, bow-legged, oblique, circular, aduncated, arclike, arcuate, arched, beaked, bicorn, bicornuous, bicornute, clypeate, clypeiform, cymbiform, embowed, galeiform, hamate, hamiform, hamous, hooked, linguiform, lingulate, lobiform, lunate, navicular, peltate, remiform, rhamphoid, rostrate, rostriferous, rostroid, scutate, scaphoid, uncate, unguiculate, unguiform.

Convolution

N convolution, winding, convolution, involution, circumvolution, wave, undulation, tortuosity, anfractuosity, sinuosity, sinuation, meandering, circuit, circumbendibus, twist, twirl, windings and turnings, ambages, torsion, inosculation, reticulation, rivulation, roughness, coil, roll, curl, buckle, spiral, helix, corkscrew, worm, volute, rundle, tendril, scollop, scallop, escalop, kink, ammonite, snakestone, serpent, eel, maze, labyrinth, knot, convoluted, winding, twisted, tortile, tortive, wavy, undated, undulatory, circling, snaky, snake-like, serpentine, serpent, anguill, vermiform, vermicular, mazy, tortuous, sinuous, flexuous, anfractuous, reclivate, rivulose, scolecoid, sigmoid, sigmoidal, spiriferous, spiroid, involved, intricate, complicated, perplexed, labyrinth, labyrinthic, labyrinthian, labyrinthine, peristaltic, daedalian, kinky, knotted, wreathy, frizzly, crepe, buckled, raveled, spiral, coiled, helical, cochleate, cochleous, screw-shaped, turbinated, turbiniform, in and out, round and round, a can of worms, Gordian knot.

Physical Pain

N physical pain, pain, suffering, sufferance, suffrance, bodily pain, physical pain, bodily suffering, physical suffering, body pain, mental suffering, dolour, ache, aching, smart, shoot, shooting, twinge, twitch, gripe, headache, stomach ache, heartburn, angina, angina pectoris, hurt, cut, sore, soreness, discomfort, malaise, cephalalgia, earache, gout, ischiagra, lumbago, neuralgia, odontalgia, otalgia, podagra, rheumatism, sciatica, tic douloureux, toothache, tormina, torticollis, spasm, cramp, nightmare, ephialtes, crick, stitch, thrill, convulsion, throe, throb, pang, colic, kink, sharp pain, piercing pain, throbbing pain, shooting pain, sting, gnawing pain, burning pain, excruciating pain, anguish, agony, torment, torture, rack, cruciation, crucifixion, martyrdom, toad under a harrow, vivisection, in pain, in a state of pain, pained, gouty, podagric, torminous, painful, aching, sore, raw, Special Sensation (1) Touch.

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