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Added 9 October 2026

torture

/ˈtɔːt͡ʃə/ noun

In Latin: cruciāmen, cruciātus Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about torture at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

Extreme mental distress.
Unbearable physical pain.
Intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain.
an agony of doubt

verb

Torment emotionally or mentally.
Subject to torture.
The sinners will be tormented in Hell, according to the Bible

Origin

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”).

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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