torture

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See also: torturé

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology

From Middle English torture, from Old French torture, from Late Latin tortūra (“a twisting, writhing, of bodily pain, a griping colic;” in Medieval Latin “pain inflicted by judicial or ecclesiastical authority as a means of persuasion, torture”), from Latin tortus (whence also tort), past participle of torquēre (“to twist”).

Pronunciation

Noun

torture (countable and uncountable, plural tortures)

  1. The infliction of severe pain or anguish, especially as an interrogation technique or punishment; (usually in the plural) a technique, method, or device which is designed to inflict such anguish.
    • 2014 January, Claire Kramsch, “Language and Culture”, in AILA Review‎, volume 27, number 5, John Benjamins, →DOI, →ISSN, page 35:
      If Cheney calls it enhanced interrogation, he argues, this still doesn’t change the meaning of the word torture, which Cheney and the public know perfectly well. But cognitive linguists like Lakoff (1996) remind us that the public can be manipulated into believing that torture is “merely” an enhanced interrogation technique and thus does not protest.
    • 2015 November 30, Shane O'Mara, Why Torture Doesn’t Work: The Neuroscience of Interrogation‎, Harvard University Press, →ISBN, page 12:
      Santorum, in a comment regarding Senator John McCain's repudiation of torture, stated, "He doesn't understand how enhanced interrogation works. I mean, you break somebody, and after they've broken they become cooperative" (Summers 2011).
    Synonym: enhanced interrogation techniques
    People confess to anything under torture.
    Using large dogs to attack bound, hand-cuffed prisoners is clearly torture.
    What new tortures await me?
  2. Severe pain or anguish, of mind or body.
  3. (in figurative or extended use) An unpleasant sensation or its infliction: embarrassment, heartache, etc.
    Every time she says 'goodbye' it is torture!
    Coventry City midfielder Josh Ruffels described his 11 months out injured as 'absolute torture' after the goalless draw with Derby County Under-21s. ()
  4. (Can we verify(+) this sense?)(colloquial) (often as "absolute torture") Stage fright; severe embarrassment.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Verb

torture (third-person singular simple present tortures, present participle torturing, simple past and past participle tortured)

  1. (transitive) To intentionally inflict severe pain or suffering on (someone), usually with the aim of forcing confessions or punishing them.
    People who torture often have sadistic tendencies.

Derived terms

Translations

Further reading

Anagrams

Asturian

Verb

torture

  1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive of torturar

French

Etymology

Inherited from Late Latin tortūra, from Latin tortus, from torqueō.

Pronunciation

Noun

torture f (plural tortures)

  1. torture
    • 1837, Louis Viardot, L’Ingénieux Hidalgo Don Quichotte de la Manche‎fr.Wikisource, translation of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Volume I, Chapter I:
      Avec ces propos et d’autres semblables, le pauvre gentilhomme perdait le jugement. Il passait les nuits et se donnait la torture pour les comprendre, pour les approfondir, pour leur tirer le sens des entrailles, ce qu’Aristote lui-même n’aurait pu faire, s’il fût ressuscité tout exprès pour cela.
      With these passages and other similar ones, the poor gentleman lost his judgement. He spent his nights and gave himself torture to understand them, to consider them more deeply, to take from them their deepest meaning, which Aristotle himself would not have been able to do, had he been resurrected for that very purpose.

Derived terms

Related terms

Descendants

  • → Swedish: tortyr c

Verb

torture

  1. inflection of torturer:
    1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
    2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

Galician

Verb

torture

  1. inflection of torturar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Italian

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /torˈtu.re/
  • Rhymes: -ure
  • Hyphenation: tor‧tù‧re

Noun

torture f

  1. plural of tortura

Anagrams

Latin

Pronunciation

Participle

tortūre

  1. vocative masculine singular of tortūrus

Portuguese

Pronunciation

  • Hyphenation: tor‧tu‧re

Verb

torture

  1. inflection of torturar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative

Spanish

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /toɾˈtuɾe/
  • Rhymes: -uɾe
  • Syllabification: tor‧tu‧re

Verb

torture

  1. inflection of torturar:
    1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
    2. third-person singular imperative
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