torture

torture
tor|ture1 [ˈto:tʃə US ˈto:rtʃər] n [U and C]
[Date: 1500-1600; : French; Origin: Late Latin tortura, from Latin tortus 'twisted', from torquere; TORQUE]
1.) an act of deliberately hurting someone in order to force them to tell you something, to punish them, or to be cruel
▪ He died after five days of excruciating torture.
2.) severe physical or mental suffering
▪ The waiting must be torture for you.
torture 2
torture2 v [T]
1.) to deliberately hurt someone in order to force them to give you information, to punish them, or to be cruel
▪ Political opponents of the regime may be tortured.
2.) if a feeling or knowledge tortures you, it makes you suffer a lot mentally
▪ Rachel sat alone for hours at home, tortured by jealousy.
>torturer n

Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Torture — Torture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him, or a third person,… …   Wikipedia

  • Torturé — Torture Supplice de la roue. La torture est l imposition volontaire de sévices d ordre physique ou psychologique qui visent à faire souffrir un individu. Lorsque la torture accompagne l exécution d une condamnation à mort on parle plutôt de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • TORTURE — Un traité de police judiciaire datant de 1951 et conçu à l’usage des commissaires et officiers de police conseillait: «Il existe un degré inférieur de torture qui ne tombe pas sous le coup de la loi, qui ne vicie même pas la procédure et qui aide …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • torture — Torture. s. f. Gesne, tourment qu on fait souffrir à quelqu un par ordre de justice, pour luy faire confesser la verité. Cruelle torture, horrible torture. mettre à la torture. donner la torture. appliquer à la torture. souffrir la torture. estre …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Torture — Torture …   Википедия

  • Torture — Tor ture (t[^o]r t[ u]r; 135), n. [F., fr. L. tortura, fr. torquere, tortum, to twist, rack, torture; probably akin to Gr. tre pein to turn, G. drechseln to turn on a lathe, and perhaps to E. queer. Cf. {Contort}, {Distort}, {Extort}, {Retort},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • torture — or ture, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {tortured} (t[^o]r t[ u]rd; 135); p. pr. & vb. n. {tTorturing.}] [Cf. F. Torturer. ] 1. To put to torture; to pain extremely; to harass; to vex. [1913 Webster] 2. To punish with torture; to put to the rack; as, to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • torture — index badger, cruelty, endanger, ill use, inflict, infliction, irritate, mistreat, pique …   Law dictionary

  • torture — [tôr′chər] n. [Fr < LL tortura, a twisting, torture < pp. of L torquere, to twist: see TORT] 1. the inflicting of severe pain to force information or confession, get revenge, etc. 2. any method by which such pain is inflicted 3. any severe… …   English World dictionary

  • torturé — torturé, ée (tor tu ré, rée) part. passé de torturer. •   Et sous nos yeux l innocent Calas torturé par les bourreaux n eût point péri sur la roue, J. J. ROUSS. Lett. à l archev. de Paris …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • torture — [n] severe mental or physical pain ache, affliction, agony, anguish, cruciation, crucifixion, distress, dolor, excruciation, impalement, laceration, martyrdom, misery, pang, persecution, rack, suffering, third degree*, torment, tribulation,… …   New thesaurus

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