pen ‧ ance /ˈpenəns/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Medieval Latin poenitentia , from Latin paenitere ; ⇨ ↑ penitent 1 ]
1 . [countable usually singular, uncountable] something that you must do to show that you are sorry for something you have done wrong, especially in some religions
do/perform penance
We prayed and did penance together.
penance for
as a penance for his sins
2 . [singular] something that you have to do but do not enjoy doing:
Working in the garden was a kind of penance.