penance
English · Thesaurus
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penance
- /ˈpɛn.əns/
Where it comes from
From Middle English penaunce, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French peneance, from Latin paenitentia (“repentance, penitence”). Doublet of penitence.
noun penances
- A voluntary self-imposed punishment for a sinful act or wrongdoing. It may be intended to serve as reparation for the act. Quoth he, "The man hath penance done, / And penance more will do."
- A sacrament in some Christian churches that involves penitence (remorse plus restitution via prayer).
- Any instrument of self-punishment.
- repentance
- pain; sorrow; suffering
verb penances · penancing · penanced
-
To impose penance; to punish.
She seem'd, at once, some penanced lady elf, / Some demon mistress, or the demon's self.
Similar: castigate, penalize, amerce, chasten, chastise, come down on, correct, fix someone's wagon, have someone's guts for garters, have someone's head, have someone's hide, give it to someone
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: repentance, penitence, self-abasement, self-mortification, punishment, retribution, chastisement, contrition, expiation, reparation, restitution, atonement, self-denial, self-punishment, redress, purification
Translations
Every language
noun voluntary self-imposed punishment
| Español | penitencia |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 難行 nangyou, 苦行 kugyou, 難行苦行 nangyou-kugyou |
| हिन्दी | प्रायश्चित prāyaścit, तपस्या tapasyā |
| Português | penitência |
| Français | pénitence |
| Deutsch | Buße, Bußleistung, Bußübung, Bußwerk, Bußverfahren, Sühnung |
| Italiano | penitenza |
| Română | pocăință |
| Русский | искупле́ние iskuplénije |
| العربية | كَفَّارَة kaffāra |
noun sacrament in some churches
| Español | penitencia |
|---|---|
| Português | penitência |
| Français | pénitence |
| Deutsch | Bußsakrament |
| Italiano | penitenza |
| العربية | سِرّ التَوْبَة sirr at-tawba |
Talk about this word "penance." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/penance. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. penance. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/penance "penance." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/penance.Cite this
@misc{penance_2026,
title = {penance},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/penance},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
