Translation
to torture
Word origin
From Latin tortura, 'a twisting', from torquere, 'to twist'. The metaphor is old and physical, and it is the same one behind torque and distort. Esperanto's turmenti comes from the same Latin verb by a different route, through tormentum.
- Origin
- Latin
- Root
- tortura
- English cognates
- torture, torque, distort, contort
Examples
.
The ancient king tortured his enemies.
.
Nobody has the right to torture another person.
.
The pain tortured him all night long.
A word you will meet in history, in law and in the news rather than in conversation, and that is the register to keep it in. Torturo is the noun, o the person who does it, and names the deliberate act.
Its neighbour is turmenti, and the pair divides cleanly if you let it. is to torment: it stretches to worry, to nagging pain, to a child pestering a cat. is the specific thing, the thing a regime does, and it keeps its weight even in the figurative use above, where a night of pain is being called torture on purpose. Reach for when you mean bothered and when you mean what the word says.
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torturi: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Esperanto word "torturi" (to torture): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 40.