Torture

Torture
Torture Tor"ture (t[^o]r"t[-u]r; 135), n. [F., fr. L. tortura, fr. torquere, tortum, to twist, rack, torture; probably akin to Gr. tre`pein to turn, G. drechseln to turn on a lathe, and perhaps to E. queer. Cf. {Contort}, {Distort}, {Extort}, {Retort}, {Tart}, n., {Torch}, {Torment}, {Tortion}, {Tort}, {Trope.}] 1. Extreme pain; anguish of body or mind; pang; agony; torment; as, torture of mind. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

Ghastly spasm or racking torture. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

2. Especially, severe pain inflicted judicially, either as punishment for a crime, or for the purpose of extorting a confession from an accused person, as by water or fire, by the boot or thumbkin, or by the rack or wheel. [1913 Webster]

3. The act or process of torturing. [1913 Webster]

Torture, which had always been deciared illegal, and which had recently been declared illegal even by the servile judges of that age, was inflicted for the last time in England in the month of May, 1640. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Torture — Torture, according to the United Nations Convention Against Torture, is any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him, or a third person,… …   Wikipedia

  • Torturé — Torture Supplice de la roue. La torture est l imposition volontaire de sévices d ordre physique ou psychologique qui visent à faire souffrir un individu. Lorsque la torture accompagne l exécution d une condamnation à mort on parle plutôt de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • TORTURE — Un traité de police judiciaire datant de 1951 et conçu à l’usage des commissaires et officiers de police conseillait: «Il existe un degré inférieur de torture qui ne tombe pas sous le coup de la loi, qui ne vicie même pas la procédure et qui aide …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • torture — Torture. s. f. Gesne, tourment qu on fait souffrir à quelqu un par ordre de justice, pour luy faire confesser la verité. Cruelle torture, horrible torture. mettre à la torture. donner la torture. appliquer à la torture. souffrir la torture. estre …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Torture — Torture …   Википедия

  • torture — or ture, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {tortured} (t[^o]r t[ u]rd; 135); p. pr. & vb. n. {tTorturing.}] [Cf. F. Torturer. ] 1. To put to torture; to pain extremely; to harass; to vex. [1913 Webster] 2. To punish with torture; to put to the rack; as, to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • torture — index badger, cruelty, endanger, ill use, inflict, infliction, irritate, mistreat, pique …   Law dictionary

  • torture — [tôr′chər] n. [Fr < LL tortura, a twisting, torture < pp. of L torquere, to twist: see TORT] 1. the inflicting of severe pain to force information or confession, get revenge, etc. 2. any method by which such pain is inflicted 3. any severe… …   English World dictionary

  • torturé — torturé, ée (tor tu ré, rée) part. passé de torturer. •   Et sous nos yeux l innocent Calas torturé par les bourreaux n eût point péri sur la roue, J. J. ROUSS. Lett. à l archev. de Paris …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • torture — [n] severe mental or physical pain ache, affliction, agony, anguish, cruciation, crucifixion, distress, dolor, excruciation, impalement, laceration, martyrdom, misery, pang, persecution, rack, suffering, third degree*, torment, tribulation,… …   New thesaurus

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