I.to twist out, wrench out, wrest away (class.).
I. Lit.
A. In gen.: “ferrum e manibus,” Cic. Cat. 2, 1, 2; id. Planc. 41, 98: “arma e manibus,” id. Brut. 2, 7; Curt. 8, 2, 4; “for which: tibi sica de manibus extorta est,” Cic. Cat. 1, 6, 16: “pedem mensulae,” Petr. 136: “ut inhaerentem atque incubantem Italiae extorqueret Hannibalem,” tear away, force away, Flor. 2, 6, 57.—
B. In partic.
1. Of limbs, to wrench out, put out of joint, dislocate (syn. luxo): “articulum,” Sen. Ep. 104: “omnibus membris extortus et fractus,” crippled, Plin. Ep. 8, 18, 9; cf. Sen. Ep. 66 med.; and: “prava extortaque puella,” Juv. 8, 33: “in servilem modum lacerati atque extorti,” i. e. dislocated by torture, tortured, Liv. 32, 38, 8; cf. absol.: “extorque, nisi ita factum'st,” put me to the torture, Ter. Ad. 3, 4, 37.—
2. To obtain by force, to extort (syn.: “eripio, exprimo): ut pecunia omnis Stajeno extorta atque erepta sit,” Cic. Clu. 28 fin.: “nihil exprimere ab egentibus, nihil ulla vi a miseris extorquere potuit,” id. Prov. Cons. 3, 5: “vi et metu extortum,” id. Pis. 35, 86: “a Caesare per Herodem talenta Attica quinquaginta extorsistis,” id. Att. 6, 1, 25: “obsidibus summa cum contumelia extortis,” Caes. B. G. 7, 54 fin.—
II. Trop., to wrest out or away, obtain or take away by force, to tear away, to extort (syn.: eripio, demo, aufero, etc.): hoc est vim afferre, Torquate, sensibus: extorquere ex animis cognitiones verborum, quibus imbuti sumus, Cic. Fin. 2, 5, 16; cf.: “sententias de manibus judicum vi quadam orationis,” id. de Or. 2, 18, 74: “suffragium populi per vim,” Liv. 25, 4, 4: “extorquebat enim vitam vis morbida membris,” Lucr. 6, 1225 Lachm.: “opinionem veritas extorquebit,” Cic. Clu. 2, 6: “suam citius abiciet humanitatem quam extorquebit tuam,” id. Lig. 5, 16: “patientiam saepe tranquillissimis pectoribus,” Sen. Clem. 1, 1; cf.: “mihi hunc errorem,” Cic. de Sen. 23, 85: “cui sic extorta voluptas,” Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 139; cf. ib. 57: “cum extorta mihi veritas esset,” Cic. Or. 48, 160.—With ut: “quoniam extorsisti, ut faterer,” id. Tusc. 1, 7, 14.