1. Either of two small Old World woodpeckers (Jynx torquilla or J. ruficollis), having a sharply pointed bill and the habit of twisting the head and neck into contortions.
2. 1. See torticollis.
   2. A person with torticollis.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.