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penance
[ pen-uhns ]
noun
- a punishment undergone in token of penitence for sin.
- a penitential discipline imposed by church authority.
- a sacrament, as in the Roman Catholic Church, consisting in a confession of sin, made with sorrow and with the intention of amendment, followed by the forgiveness of the sin.
penance
/ ˈpɛnəns /
noun
- voluntary self-punishment to atone for a sin, crime, etc
- a feeling of regret for one's wrongdoings
- Christianity
- a punishment usually consisting of prayer, fasting, etc, undertaken voluntarily as an expression of penitence for sin
- a punishment of this kind imposed by church authority as a condition of absolution
verb
- tr (of ecclesiastical authorities) to impose a penance upon (a sinner)
Other Words From
- penance·less adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of penance1
Example Sentences
It is will always be my penance now always to believe that I didn't do enough for my friend.
Penance is available at the Newsstand, Miami and at alldayeveryday.com for $45—$500.
“The pain is her penance,” says one of them, amid the screams of labor.
Pay your penance while demonstrating a commitment to public service.
The company will be forced to endure penance not only for the spill, but paradoxically for the sunflower.
I attended, and hearkened; no man speaketh what is good, there is none that doth penance for his sin, saying: What have I done?
It seemed to him as if no punishment or penance could atone for such deception and for so great a crime.
Many a fish is mad after the bait; but when he is hooked, he finds his penance, even though the line should break.
The Church adjudged Simone heretic, and condemned her for salutary penance to the bread of suffering and the water of affliction.
And you look as if you were doing penance, or something—you've got such a superior expression!
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