[F. tournure, earlier tourneüre:—late pop.L. tornātūra, f. tornāre to TURN; in Fr. (1) rounded form given to anything; (2) manner in which anything is fashioned.]
1. (Graceful) manner or of bearing; cultivated address.
1748. Chesterf., Lett., 12 Oct. The easy manners and tournure of the world.
1816. Sporting Mag., XLVII. 118. That ease and tournure so indispensable in the composition of a gentleman.
1832. Mrs. F. Trollope, Domest. Mann. Amer., ii. (1839), 7. Her manner was easy and graceful, with a good deal of French tournure.
1878. Cornh. Mag., June, 687. She had the tournure of a princess.
2. The turning of language or of a phrase; mode of expression. rare.
1816. J. Scott, Vis. Paris (ed. 5), 194. The tournure of the phrase, when a woman is spoken to, cannot be mistaken.
3. Contour, outline, shape (of a limb, etc.).
1841. Lady Blessington, Idler in France, I. xv. 354. There was the same classic tournure of heads and profiles.
1848. Clough, Bothie, V. 112. The tournure of the elbow is shapely.
1864. Daily Tel., 5 Nov. You have … the exquisite tournure of a figure, the subtle trick of a ridiculous expression.
4. A pad worn round the waist or hips to give shapeliness to a woman’s figure; also = BUSTLE sb.2
1874. Morn. Post, 30 Dec., 3/3. The tournure, slightly indicated, is still worn, but it is much lessened in size.
1882. Daily News, 3 June, 3/1. The tournure is a small horse-hair pad, worn under the dress at the waist. It throws out the skirt from the figure, and skilful draping does the rest.
