torment

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English

Etymology

From Middle English torment, from Old French torment, from Latin tormentum (“something operated by twisting”), from torquere (“to twist”).

Pronunciation

  • (noun) IPA(key): /ˈtɔː(ɹ)mɛnt/, /ˈtɔː(ɹ)mənt/
    • Audio (US)(file)
  • (verb) IPA(key): /tɔː(ɹ)ˈmɛnt/

Noun

torment (countable and uncountable, plural torments)

  1. (obsolete) A catapult or other kind of war-engine.
  2. Torture, originally as inflicted by an instrument of torture.
  3. Any extreme pain, anguish or misery, either physical or mental.
    He was bitter from the torments of the divorce.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

torment (third-person singular simple present torments, present participle tormenting, simple past and past participle tormented)

  1. (transitive) To cause severe suffering to (stronger than to vex but weaker than to torture.)
    The child tormented the flies by pulling their wings off.
    • 2013 September 22, Phil McNulty, “Man City 4-1 Man Utd”, in BBC Sport‎:
      Moyes, who never won a derby at Liverpool in 11 years as Everton manager, did not find the Etihad any more forgiving as City picked United apart in midfield, where Toure looked in a different class to United's £27.5m new boy Marouane Fellaini, and in defence as Aguero tormented Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.
    • 1913, Lewis Spence, chapter V, in The Myths of Mexico and Peru‎:
      But the divine children were both noisy and mischievous. They tormented their venerable grandmother with their shrill uproar and tricky behaviour.

Derived terms

Translations

Middle English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French torment, from Latin tormentum.

Noun

torment (plural torments)

  1. torment (suffering, pain)

Descendants

  • English: torment

Middle French

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old French torment, from Latin tormentum.

Noun

torment m (plural torments)

  1. torment; suffering; anguish

Old French

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin tormentum.

Noun

torment oblique singular, m (oblique plural tormenz or tormentz, nominative singular tormenz or tormentz, nominative plural torment)

  1. torture
    • 13th century, Unknown, La Vie de Saint Laurent, page 11, column 1, line 19:
      Saint Lorenz dit torment ne dot
      Saint Laurence says he doesn't fear torture
  2. (figuratively, by extension) suffering; torment

Descendants

References

Old Occitan

Etymology

From Latin tormentum.

Noun

torment m (nominative singular torments)

  1. suffering; torment

Descendants

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