Wiktionary

torture

See also: torturé

EnglishEdit

 
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EtymologyEdit

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”).

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

torture (countable and uncountable, plural tortures)

  1. The intentional causing of somebody's experiencing agony.
    • 2014 January 1, Claire Kramsch, “Language and Culture”, in AILA Review‎[1], volume 27, number 5, John Benjamins, DOI:10.1075/aila.27.02kra, ISSN 1461-0213, 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[2], 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).
    Using large dogs to attack bound, hand-cuffed prisoners is clearly torture.
    In every war there are acts of torture that cause the world to shudder.
    People confess to anything under torture.
    Synonym: enhanced interrogation techniques
  2. (chiefly literary) The "suffering of the heart" imposed by one on another, as in personal relationships.
    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. ([3])
  3. (colloquial) (often as "absolute torture") Stage fright; severe embarrassment.

Derived termsEdit

Related termsEdit

TranslationsEdit

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Translations to be checked

VerbEdit

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).
    People who torture often have sadistic tendencies.
    In the aftermath of 9/11, we did some things that were wrong. We did a whole lot of things that were right, but, we tortured some folks. We did some things that were contrary to our values.

Derived termsEdit

TranslationsEdit

Further readingEdit

AnagramsEdit

AsturianEdit

VerbEdit

torture

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

FrenchEdit

EtymologyEdit

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

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

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 termsEdit

Related termsEdit

DescendantsEdit

  • → Swedish: tortyr c

VerbEdit

torture

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

Further readingEdit

ItalianEdit

PronunciationEdit

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

NounEdit

torture f

  1. plural of tortura

AnagramsEdit

LatinEdit

PronunciationEdit

ParticipleEdit

tortūre

  1. vocative masculine singular of tortūrus

PortugueseEdit

PronunciationEdit

  • Hyphenation: tor‧tu‧re

VerbEdit

torture

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

SpanishEdit

PronunciationEdit

  • IPA(key): /toɾˈtuɾe/ [t̪oɾˈt̪u.ɾe]
  • Rhymes: -uɾe
  • Syllabification: tor‧tu‧re

VerbEdit

torture

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