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Webster 1913 Edition


torture

tor′ture

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
tortured
(tôr′tū̍rd; 135)
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
tTorturing.
]
[Cf. F.
Torturer
. ]
1.
To put to torture; to pain extremely; to harass; to vex.
2.
To punish with torture; to put to the rack;
as, to
torture
an accused person
.
Shak.
3.
To wrest from the proper meaning; to distort.
Jar. Taylor.
4.
To keep on the stretch, as a bow.
[Obs.]
The bow
tortureth
the string.
Bacon.

Webster 1828 Edition


Torture

TORT'URE

,
Noun.
[L. tortus, torqueo, to twist.]
1.
Extreme pain; anguish of body or mind; pang; agony; torment.
Ghastly spasm or racking torture.
2.
Severe pain inflicted judicially, either as a punishment for a crime, or for the purpose of extorting a confession from an accused person. Torture may be and is inflicted in a variety of ways, as by water or fire, or by the boot or thumbkin. But the most usual mode is by the rack or wheel.

TORT'URE

,
Verb.
T.
To pain to extremity; to torment.
1.
To punish with torture; to put to the rack; as, to torture an accused person.
2.
To vex; to harass.
3.
To keep on the stretch, as a bow. [Not in use.]

Definition 2024


torture

torture

See also: torturé

English

Noun

torture (countable and uncountable, plural tortures)

  1. Intentional causing of somebody's experiencing agony.
    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.
  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!

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

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.

Translations

Derived terms


Asturian

Verb

torture

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

French

Etymology

From Latin tortura, from torqueo.

Pronunciation

Noun

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.

Verb

torture

  1. first-person singular present indicative of torturer
  2. third-person singular present indicative of torturer
  3. first-person singular present subjunctive of torturer
  4. third-person singular present subjunctive of torturer
  5. second-person singular imperative of torturer

Italian

Noun

torture f

  1. plural of tortura

Anagrams


Latin

Participle

tortūre

  1. vocative masculine singular of tortūrus

Portuguese

Verb

torture

  1. First-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of torturar
  2. Third-person singular (ele, ela, also used with tu and você?) present subjunctive of torturar
  3. Third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of torturar
  4. Third-person singular (você) negative imperative of torturar

Spanish

Verb

torture

  1. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of torturar.
  2. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of torturar.
  3. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of torturar.
  4. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted?) present subjunctive form of torturar.