penance

penance

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˈpɛn.əns/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

penance (countable and uncountable, plural penances)

1. A voluntary self-imposed punishment for a sinful act or wrongdoing. It may be intended to serve as reparation for the act.
   • Coleridge

     Quoth he, "The man hath penance done, / And penance more will do."

2. A sacrament in some Christian churches.
3. Any instrument of self-punishment.
4. (obsolete) repentance
5. (obsolete) pain; sorrow; suffering
   • Chaucer

     Joy or penance he feeleth none.

Synonyms

• penitence
• atonement

Related terms

▼ <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs14 CategoryTreeLabelCategory' href='/wiki/Category:English_terms_derived_from_the_PIE_root_*peh%E2%82%81-' title='Category:English terms derived from the PIE root *peh₁-'>English terms derived from the PIE root *peh₁-</a>‎ (0 c, 22 e)

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/fend' title='fend'>fend</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/fiend' title='fiend'>fiend</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/impassive' title='impassive'>impassive</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/impatience' title='impatience'>impatience</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/passion' title='passion'>passion</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/passionate' title='passionate'>passionate</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/passive' title='passive'>passive</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/passivity' title='passivity'>passivity</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/patience' title='patience'>patience</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/patient' title='patient'>patient</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/penance' title='penance'>penance</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/penitence' title='penitence'>penitence</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/penitent' title='penitent'>penitent</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/penitente' title='penitente'>penitente</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/penitential' title='penitential'>penitential</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/penitentially' title='penitentially'>penitentially</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/penitentiary' title='penitentiary'>penitentiary</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/penitently' title='penitently'>penitently</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/repent' title='repent'>repent</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/repentance' title='repentance'>repentance</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/repentant' title='repentant'>repentant</a>

  <a class='CategoryTreeLabel CategoryTreeLabelNs0 CategoryTreeLabelPage' href='/wiki/repentantly' title='repentantly'>repentantly</a>

Translations

voluntary self-imposed punishment

Bulgarian: покаяние (bg) n (pokayànie) Catalan: penitència Dutch: boetedoening (nl) French: pénitence (fr) Georgian: მონანიება (monanieba) German: Buße (de) f, Bußĺeistung f, Bußübung f, Bußwerk n, Bußverfahren n, Sühnung f, Selbstkasteiung f, Pönitenz f Hungarian: vezeklés (hu) Irish: aithrí f Italian: penitenza (it) Japanese: 難行 (なんぎょう, nangyou), 苦行 (ja) (くぎょう, kugyou), 難行苦行 (なんぎょうくぎょう, nangyou-kugyou) Maori: rīpenetātanga

Norwegian: bot (no) Occitan: peniténcia f, pentiment m Polish: pokuta (pl) f Portuguese: penitência (pt) f Romanian: pocăință (ro) Russian: искупле́ние (ru) n (iskuplénije) Scottish Gaelic: peanas m Serbo-Croatian: pokora (sh) Spanish: penitencia (es) Swedish: bot (sv) c

sacrament in some churches

Catalan: penitència f Dutch: berouw (nl), penitentie (nl) French: pénitence (fr) f German: Bußsakrament n

Irish: aithrí f Italian: penitenza (it) f Portuguese: penitência (pt) f Spanish: penitencia (es) f

Verb

penance (third-person singular simple present penances, present participle penancing, simple past and past participle penanced)

1. To impose penance; to punish.
   • Keats

     Some penanced lady elf.