torturer

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a person who deliberately inflicts severe physical or mental pain, often to punish, intimidate, or obtain information

   The tribunal convicted the torturer on evidence from several former prisoners.

2. 2
   noun

   a person or thing that causes persistent anguish or torment; figurative

   In his fevered imagination, the accusing voice became his constant torturer.

Formed from torture + the agentive suffix -er. Torture came through French from Late Latin tortura, 'a twisting or torment,' from Latin torquere, 'twist.' The physical idea of twisting underlies the later general sense of deliberately inflicted suffering.

Topics

External links

• Cambridge Dictionary
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