■ noun severe physical or mental suffering.
↘a cause of ~.
■ verb
1》 subject to ~.
2》 annoy or tease unkindly.
Derivatives
~ed adjective
~edly adverb
~ing adjective
~ingly adverb
~or noun
Origin
ME: from OFr. ~ (n.), ~er (v.), from L. ~um 'instrument of torture', from torquere 'to twist'.