A person, usually an entertainer, who can twist and bend their body into unusual and seemingly impossible positions.
From 'contort' (Latin 'contortus,' twisted), plus '-ist' (one who practices). The performer-specific meaning emerged in the 19th century during circus and vaudeville entertainment's golden age.
Contortionists have genuine skeletal differences—their bones are shaped differently and they often start training as young children when their ligaments are most flexible, making it a skill you can't learn as an adult no matter how hard you try.
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