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Torture
Definitions
- 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. countable, uncountable
"People confess to anything under torture."
- 2 the deliberate, systematic, or wanton infliction of physical or mental suffering by one or more persons in an attempt to force another person to yield information or to make a confession or for any other reason wordnet
- 3 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.; Sexual activity involving the infliction of pain to a certain body part or in a certain manner. countable, in-compounds, uncountable
"cock and ball torture"
- 4 the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean wordnet
- 5 Severe pain or anguish, of mind or body. countable, uncountable
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- 6 intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain wordnet
- 7 An unpleasant sensation or its infliction: embarrassment, heartache, etc. countable, uncountable
"Every time she says 'goodbye' it is torture!"
- 8 extreme mental distress wordnet
- 9 unbearable physical pain wordnet
- 1 To intentionally inflict severe pain or suffering on (someone), usually with the aim of forcing confessions or punishing them. transitive
"1 August 2014, Barack Obama, "Press Conference by the President"; transcript published online by the Obama White House Archives, [https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/08/01/press-conference-president [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."
- 2 subject to torture wordnet
- 3 torment emotionally or mentally wordnet
Etymology
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”).
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”).
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