Wiktionary

torture

See also: torturé

English

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Etymology

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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”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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torture (countable and uncountable, plural tortures)

  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.
    Synonyms: enhanced interrogation techniques; see also Thesaurus:torture
    People confess to anything under torture.
    Using large dogs to attack bound, hand-cuffed prisoners is clearly torture.
    What new tortures await me?
    • 2014 January, Claire Kramsch, “Language and Culture”, in AILA Review‎[1], volume 27, number 5, John Benjamins, →DOI, →ISSN, 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).
  2. Severe pain or anguish, of mind or body.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:distress, Thesaurus:pain
  3. (in figurative or extended use) An unpleasant sensation or its infliction: embarrassment, heartache, etc.
    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])

Derived terms

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Translations

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Verb

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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), usually with the aim of forcing confessions or punishing them.
    Synonyms: afflict, torment; see also Thesaurus:hurt
    • 1 August 2014, Barack Obama, "Press Conference by the President"; transcript published online by the Obama White House Archives, [1].
      With respect to the larger point of the RDI report itself, even before I came into office I was very clear that in the immediate 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.
    People who torture often have sadistic tendencies.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Further reading

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Anagrams

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Asturian

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Verb

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torture

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

French

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Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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Noun

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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 terms

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Descendants

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  • → Swedish: tortyr c

Verb

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torture

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

Further reading

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Galician

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Verb

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torture

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

Italian

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Pronunciation

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

Noun

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torture f

  1. plural of tortura

Anagrams

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Latin

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Pronunciation

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Participle

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tortūre

  1. vocative masculine singular of tortūrus

Portuguese

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Pronunciation

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  • Hyphenation: tor‧tu‧re

Verb

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torture

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

Spanish

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Pronunciation

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

Verb

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torture

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