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torture

Pronunciation: /ˈtɔːt͡ʃə/

The English word “torture” has 5 meanings listed here.

noun

  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.
  2. Sexual activity involving the infliction of pain to a certain body part or in a certain manner.
  3. Severe pain or anguish, of mind or body.
  4. An unpleasant sensation or its infliction: embarrassment, heartache, etc.

verb

  1. To intentionally inflict severe pain or suffering on (someone), usually with the aim of forcing confessions or punishing them.

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”).

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.