“tormenting” is a form of
torment
/ˈtɔː(ɹ)mɛnt/ noun, verb
Forms torments tormenting tormented
- noun (obsolete) A catapult or other kind of war-engine.
- noun Torture, originally as inflicted by an instrument of torture. “I've gone through living torment.”
- noun Any extreme pain, anguish or misery, either physical or mental. “He behaved bitter from the torments of the divorce.”
- verb (transitive) To cause severe suffering to (stronger than to vex but weaker than to torture.) “The child tormented the flies by pulling their wings off.”
Synonyms
misery pain wark anguish rend difficulty distress grief hardship smart torture trouble afflict excruciate ache aggrieve agonize dere hurt irritate agony harassment curse badgering worrying bedevilment rack rag bedevil crucify
Etymology
From Middle English torment, from Old French torment, from Latin tormentum (“something operated by twisting”), from torquere (“to twist”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun An engine for casting stones. [Obs.] Sir T. Elyot.
- noun Extreme pain; anguish; torture; the utmost degree of misery, either of body or mind. Chaucer.
- verb To put to extreme pain or anguish; to inflict excruciating misery upon, either of body or mind; to torture. " Art thou come hither to torment us before our time " Matt. viii. 29.
- verb To pain; to distress; to afflict.
Etymology [OF. torment, F. tourment, fr. L. tormentum an engine for hurling missiles, an instrument of torture, a rack, torture, fr. torquere to turn, to twist, hurl. See Turture.]
Etymology [OF. tormenter, F. tourmenter.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “torment”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details