torment C1 Topic:Mind & Cognition US /ˈtɔː(ɹ)mɛnt/ See IPA manual Freq #8831 Meanings 1 noun Severe physical or mental suffering. He lived in torment for years after the accident. 2 verb To cause someone great and continual suffering. Guilt tormented her long after she had told the lie. 3 verb To deliberately annoy or treat someone cruelly. The older boys tormented him every day at school. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · severe physical or mental... anguishdistressmiserypaintorture 2 verb · to cause someone great and... afflictdistresstorture 3 verb · to deliberately annoy or... bedevilfrustrate Word family Forms tormentedtormentingtormentortorments Derived forms tormentfultormentous Related forms torture Etymology AI details From Middle English torment, from Old French torment, from Latin tormentum (“something operated by twisting”), from torquere (“to twist”). *terkʷ- Proto-Indo-European torment Middle English tormentum Latin View etymology graph -> Topics Mind & Cognition Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # torment **Type:** Word **Level:** C1 **Part of speech:** noun, verb **IPA (US):** /ˈtɔː(ɹ)mɛnt/ **Frequency rank:** 8831 ## Meanings 1. Severe physical or mental suffering. 2. To cause someone great and continual suffering. 3. To deliberately annoy or treat someone cruelly. ## Examples - He lived in torment for years after the accident. - Guilt tormented her long after she had told the lie. - The older boys tormented him every day at school. ## Derived Forms - tormentful - tormentous ## Related Forms - torture ## Roots and Affixes - Root: *terkʷ- - Root: torment - Root: tormentum ## Etymology From Middle English torment, from Old French torment, from Latin tormentum (“something operated by twisting”), from torquere (“to twist”). ## AI Etymology Torment is from Middle English torment, from Old French torment, from Latin tormentum (“something operated by twisting”), from torquere (“to twist”). Important historical forms include Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ-, Middle English torment, Old French torment, and Latin tormentum. In present-day use, it can mean severe physical or mental suffering, or to cause someone great and continual suffering. Derived formations include tormentful, tormentous. ## Topics - Mind & Cognition - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown