torment
Meaning
Severe physical or mental suffering.
To cause someone severe physical or mental suffering.
Structure
Usage
The prisoner was in constant torment from his injuries.
She was tormented by feelings of guilt and regret.
The memory of his failure continued to torment him for years.
Etymology
The word 'torment' originates from the Latin verb torquere, meaning 'to twist'. This root is vividly present in related words like 'torture' and 'contort'. The noun-forming suffix -mentum was added to create tormentum, which in Latin referred to an instrument of torture, specifically a rack used for twisting or wrenching the body. Over time, the meaning expanded from the physical instrument and its twisting action to describe the intense, wrenching pain and anguish it caused, eventually encompassing any form of severe physical or mental suffering in modern English.
Analysis
- tor: From Latin torquere (to twist), indicating a twisting action. - ment: A Latin suffix (-mentum) used to form nouns expressing the means or result of an action.