I. ˈaŋgwish, ˈaiŋ-, -ēsh also -əsh noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English angwisshe, from Old French angoisse anguish, narrowness, restraint, from Latin angustia narrowness, difficulty, distress, from angustus narrow, difficult; akin to Old English enge narrow — more at anger
: extreme pain either of body or mind : excruciating distress — usually used in sing.
the keenest of all anguish , self-reproach — Jane Austen
his whole frame quivering with anguish as kick followed kick in rapid succession — Charles Dickens
Synonyms: see sorrow
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English angwisshen, from Middle French angoissier, from Late Latin angustiare to distress, from Latin angustia
intransitive verb
: to distress oneself : suffer intense pain or sorrow
his heart anguished within him — Edith Sitwell
transitive verb
: to cause to suffer anguish : distress severly
a heart that had been anguished with sorrow