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Webster 1913 Edition


Torment

Tor′ment

,
Noun.
[OF.
torment
, F.
tourment
, fr. L.
tormentum
an engine for hurling missiles, an instrument of torture, a rack, torture, fr.
torquere
to turn, to twist, hurl. See
Turture
.]
1.
(Mil. Antiq.)
An engine for casting stones.
[Obs.]
Sir T. Elyot.
2.
Extreme pain; anguish; torture; the utmost degree of misery, either of body or mind.
Chaucer.
The more I see
Pleasures about me, so much more I feel
Torment
within me.
Milton.
3.
That which gives pain, vexation, or misery.
They brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and
torments
.
Matt. iv. 24.

Tor-ment′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
tormented
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
tormenting
.]
[OF.
tormenter
, F.
tourmenter
.]
1.
To put to extreme pain or anguish; to inflict excruciating misery upon, either of body or mind; to torture.
“ Art thou come hither to torment us before our time? ”
Matt. viii. 29.
2.
To pain; to distress; to afflict.
Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously
tormented
.
Matt. viii. 6.
3.
To tease; to vex; to harass;
as, to be
tormented
with importunities, or with petty annoyances
.
[Colloq.]
4.
To put into great agitation.
[R.]
“[They], soaring on main wing, tormented all the air.”
Milton.

Webster 1828 Edition


Torment

TOR'MENT

,
Noun.
[L. tormentum.; torqueo, torno; Eng. tour; that is, from twisting, straining.]
1.
Extreme pain; anguish; the utmost degree of misery, either of body or mind.
The more I see
Pleasure about me, so much I feel
Torment within me.
Lest they also come into this place of torment. Luke 16. Rev.9. 14.
2.
That which gives pain, vexation or misery.
They brought to him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments. Matt. 4.
3.
An engine for casting stones.

Definition 2024


torment

torment

English

Noun

torment (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 system.
    • Bible, Matthew iv. 24
      They brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments.

Synonyms

  • See also Wikisaurus:pain

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, Phil McNulty, "Man City 4-1 Man Utd", BBC Sport, 22 September 2013:
      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.

Derived terms

Translations


Middle English

Etymology

Old French torment, from Latin tormentum

Noun

torment (plural torments)

  1. torment (suffering, pain)

Middle French

Etymology

Old French torment, from Latin tormentum.

Noun

torment m (plural torments)

  1. torment; suffering; anguish

Old French

Noun

torment 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

References


Old Provençal

Noun

torment m (nominative singular torments)

  1. suffering; torment