penance

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

noun remorse for your past conduct
noun a Catholic sacrament; repentance and confession and atonement and absolution
noun voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing

From Middle English penaunce, from Anglo-Norman, from Old French peneance, from Latin paenitentia (“repentance, penitence”). Doublet of penitence.

Stool of penance!" said he. — The Lost World, Arthur Conan Doyle
Paul's-cross, 109; penance at, 109. — Microcosmography: or, a Piece of the World Discovered; in Essays and Characters, John Earle
Of penance, I have had enough! — The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne

repentance, penitence

Type a word, a sentence, a book title, or a link to an English article. WordNet and the Classics answer.

Try

A library of classics · a vault of words · instant etymology & meaning

From: —

Output

Worksheet Type (multi-select)

Scope

Difficulty

Max questions

0 words Min 50 words / Max 2,000 words