I. ˈpenən(t)s noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English penaunce, from Old French penance, from Medieval Latin paenitentia penitence — more at penitence
1.
a. : an act of self-abasement, mortification, or devotion either voluntarily performed to show sorrow or repentance for sin or imposed as a punishment for sin by a church official
required to do penance
b. : a sacrament in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Churches consisting in repentance or contrition for sin, confession to a priest, satisfaction as imposed by the confessor, and absolution
2. : sorrow or contrition for sin : repentance , penitence
3. : consequent or compensating hardship or suffering
4. obsolete
a. : punishment or sufferings after death (as in Hades or purgatory) in expiation of sin
b. : punishment ; specifically : peine forte et dure
5. : pain , sorrow , distress
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: to impose penance on