Related Searches
Nearby Words
Synonyms

penance

 [pen-uhns]   Example Sentences Origin

pen·ance

   [pen-uhns]
noun
1.
a punishment undergone in token of penitence for sin.
2.
a penitential discipline imposed by church authority.
3.
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.
Origin:
1250–1300; Middle English penaunce < Anglo-French; Old French peneance < Latin paenitentia penitence

Related forms
pen·ance·less, adjective

Can be confused: penance, pennants.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To penance

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Penance is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.
LEARN MORE UNUSUAL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Example Sentences
  • He will do penance by resigning from his cushy job and working in a slum.
  • He paused and told the students about pilgrimages for purposes of penance.
  • As a self-imposed penance, he also takes on the aborted mission and unwittingly becomes America's latest hero.
EXPAND
Collins
World English Dictionary
penance (ˈpɛnəns)
 
—n
1.  voluntary self-punishment to atone for a sin, crime, etc
2.  a feeling of regret for one's wrongdoings
3.  Christianity
 a.  a punishment usually consisting of prayer, fasting, etc, undertaken voluntarily as an expression of penitence for sin
 b.  a punishment of this kind imposed by church authority as a condition of absolution
 
—vb
4.  (tr) (of ecclesiastical authorities) to impose a penance upon (a sinner)
 
[C13: via Old French from Latin paenitentia repentance; related to Latin poena penalty]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

penance
late 13c., "religious discipline or self-mortification as a token of repentance and as atonement for some sin," from Anglo-Fr. penaunce, O.Fr. penance, from L. pænitentia (see penitence). Transf. sense is recorded from c.1300.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

penance definition


Acts done to make up for sin. (See confession and indulgence.)

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriThesaurus
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT
How many words do you know? FIND OUT