tornar
to turn
verb tohr-NAHR Rare
Origin: Latin tornare (to turn on a lathe).
Also means
to return, to become
Usage Note
Tornar is a literary and somewhat archaic verb. Its most common surviving use is in the reflexive tornarse + adjective, meaning 'to turn/become' (el cielo se tornó gris, 'the sky turned grey'), where it functions like ponerse or volverse. The non-reflexive tornar a + infinitive means 'to do something again' (tornó a llamar, 'he called again'), a construction now largely displaced by volver a.
Examples
"El ambiente se tornó tenso de repente."
Natural Translation
The atmosphere suddenly turned tense.
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