- Main Entry:
- 1pain
- Pronunciation:
-
\ˈpān\
- Function:
- noun
- Etymology:
- Middle English, from Anglo-French peine, from Latin poena, from Greek poinē payment, penalty; akin to Greek tinein to pay, tinesthai to punish, Avestan kaēnā revenge, Sanskrit cayate he revenges
- Date:
- 14th century
1: punishment2 a: usu. localized physical suffering associated with bodily disorder (as a disease or an injury); also : a basic bodily sensation induced by a noxious stimulus, received by naked nerve endings, characterized by physical discomfort (as pricking, throbbing, or aching), and typically leading to evasive action b: acute mental or emotional distress or suffering : grief3plural : the throes of childbirth4plural : trouble, care, or effort taken to accomplish something <was at pains to reassure us>5: one that irks or annoys or is otherwise troublesome —often used in such phrases as pain in the neck
—
pain·less \-ləs\ adjective — pain·less·ly adverb
— pain·less·ness noun
—
on pain of or under pain of : subject to penalty or punishment of <made to leave the country on pain of death>
