pain
[ peyn ]
/ peɪn /
noun
verb (used with object)
to cause physical pain to; hurt.
to cause (someone) mental or emotional pain; distress: Your sarcasm pained me.
verb (used without object)
to have or give pain.
Idioms for pain
Origin of pain
1250–1300; Middle English
peine punishment, torture, pain < Old French < Latin
poena penalty, pain < Greek
poinḗ penalty
SYNONYMS FOR pain
synonym study for pain
1–3.
Pain ,
ache ,
agony ,
anguish are terms for sensations causing suffering or torment.
Pain and
ache usually refer to physical sensations (except
heartache );
agony and
anguish may be physical or mental.
Pain suggests a sudden sharp twinge:
a pain in one's ankle.
Ache applies to a continuous pain, whether acute or dull:
headache; muscular aches.
Agony implies a continuous, excruciating, scarcely endurable pain:
in agony from a wound.
Anguish suggests not only extreme and long-continued pain, but also a feeling of despair.
4a. See
care.
OTHER WORDS FROM pain
un·der·pain, noun un·pain·ing, adjectiveWords nearby pain
British Dictionary definitions for on pain of
pain
/ (peɪn) /
noun
the sensation of acute physical hurt or discomfort caused by injury, illness, etc
emotional suffering or mental distress
on pain of
subject to the penalty of
Also called: pain in the neck, (taboo) pain in the arse informal
a person or thing that is a nuisance
verb (tr)
to cause (a person) distress, hurt, grief, anxiety, etc
informal
to annoy; irritate
See also
pains
Word Origin for pain
C13: from Old French
peine, from Latin
poena punishment, grief, from Greek
poinē penalty
Medical definitions for on pain of
pain
[ pān ]
n.
An unpleasant sensation occurring in varying degrees of severity as a consequence of injury, disease, or emotional disorder.
One of the uterine contractions occurring in childbirth.
Idioms and Phrases with on pain of (1 of 2)
on pain of
Also, under pain of. Subject to the penalty of a specific punishment. For example, The air traffic controllers knew that going on strike was on pain of losing their jobs. At one time this idiom often invoked death as the penalty, a usage that is largely hyperbolic today, as in We'd better be back on time, under pain of death. [Late 1300s]
Idioms and Phrases with on pain of (2 of 2)
pain