If you sue a surgeon for operating on your left foot instead of the right one, you are filing a tort suit. Hopefully, you'll walk out of court victorious (on both feet).
Tort comes from the Latin word tortum, meaning "wrong." When someone has done some wrong to you, you can seek justice (in the form of payment) by taking them to court. Tortum itself comes from tortus (also Latin) meaning "twisted." So remember if someone does something twisted, like spread terrible lies about you, you could pursue a tort claim.
