torture

n. [ F., fr. L. tortura, fr. torquere, tortum, to twist, rack, torture; probably akin to Gr. tre`pein to turn, G. drechseln to turn on a lathe, and perhaps to E. queer. Cf. Contort, Distort, Extort, Retort, Tart, n., Torch, Torment, Tortion, Tort, Trope. ] 1. Extreme pain; anguish of body or mind; pang; agony; torment; as, torture of mind. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Ghastly spasm or racking torture. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Especially, severe pain inflicted judicially, either as punishment for a crime, or for the purpose of extorting a confession from an accused person, as by water or fire, by the boot or thumbkin, or by the rack or wheel. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. The act or process of torturing. [ 1913 Webster ]

Torture, which had always been deciared illegal, and which had recently been declared illegal even by the servile judges of that age, was inflicted for the last time in England in the month of May, 1640. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. tortured p. pr. & vb. n. tTorturing. ] [ Cf. F. Torturer. ] 1. To put to torture; to pain extremely; to harass; to vex. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To punish with torture; to put to the rack; as, to torture an accused person. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To wrest from the proper meaning; to distort. Jar. Taylor. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To keep on the stretch, as a bow. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The bow tortureth the string. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]