pain

Pain is any sort of mental or physical suffering or distress.

(noun)

An example of pain is the feeling immediately after breaking a bone.

Pain is defined as to hurt or cause suffering.

(verb)

An example of pain is for intense running to give a person cramps.

YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2013 by LoveToKnow Corp.

See pain in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

  1. penalty or punishment: obs. except in , at the risk of bringing upon oneself (punishment, death, etc.)
  2. a sensation of hurting, or strong discomfort, in some part of the body, caused by an injury, disease, or functional disorder, and transmitted through the nervous system
  3. the distress or suffering, mental or physical, caused by great anxiety, anguish, grief, disappointment, etc.
  4. the labor of childbirth
  5. great care or effort: to take pains with one's work
  6. Slang an annoyance: often used in phrases specifying a part of the body (e.g., )

Origin: ME peine < OFr < L poena, penalty, punishment: see penal

transitive verb

to cause to suffer; hurt; distress

intransitive verb

to have or cause pain

See pain in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun
  1. An unpleasant sensation occurring in varying degrees of severity as a consequence of injury, disease, or emotional disorder.
  2. Suffering or distress.
  3. pains The pangs of childbirth.
  4. pains Great care or effort: take pains with one's work.
  5. Informal A source of annoyance; a nuisance.
verb pained, pain·ing, pains
verb, transitive
To cause pain to; hurt or injure.
verb, intransitive
To be the cause of pain.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English

Origin: , from Old French peine

Origin: , from Latin poena, penalty, pain

Origin: , from Greek poinē, penalty; see kwei-1 in Indo-European roots

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See pain in Ologies

Pain

See also disease and illness; injury; remedies.

algogenic

producing pain.

algolagnia

a deriving of sexual pleasure from inflicting or enduring pain. Cf. masochism, sadism. —algolagnist, n. —algolagnic, adj.

algometry

measurement of pain by means of an algometer, an instrument for determining sensitivity to pain produced by pressure. —algometric, algometrical, adj.

algophilia

a love of pain.

algophobia

an extreme fear of pain. Cf. odynophobia.

audialgesia

otalgia.

brachialgia

pain in the nerves of the upper arm.

cardialgia

a burning or other painful feeling in the stomach or esophagus; heartburn.

cephalalgia

Medicine.1. a pain in the head.

2. a headache. Also called cephalgia, cephalodynia.

coxalgia, coxalgy

pain in the hip joint.

dermatalgia

neuralgia of the skin.

dolorifuge

anything that drives away pain.

gastralgia

pain in the stomach or abdominal region.

hemicrania

1. Medicine. a pain or aching on one side of the head.

2. migraine.

hypalgesia

hypalgia.

hypalgia

a decreased sensibility to pain. Also hypalgesia.

hyperalgesia

an unusually high sensitivity to pain. —hyperalgesic, adj.

hysterodynia

pain in the uterus.

masochism

1. Psychiatry. a condition in which sexual gratification is achieved through suffering physical pain and humiliation, especially inflicted on oneself.

2. any gratification gained from pain or deprivation inflicted or imposed on oneself. Cf. sadism. —masochist, n. —masochistic, adj.

odontalgia

Medicine. a pain in a tooth. —odontalgic, adj.

odynophobia

an abnormal fear of pain.

otalgia

Medicine. an earache. —otalgic, adj.

photalgia

pain in the eyes caused by light.

proctalgia

pain in the rectum.

prosopalgia

neuralgia affecting the face.

psychalgia

mental or psychic pain.

rachialgia

pain affecting the spine. —rachialgic, adj.

sadism

1. Psychiatry. a sexual gratification gained through causing physical pain or humiliation.

2. any enjoyment in being cruel. Cf. masochism. —sadist, n. —sadistic, adj.

sadomasochism

Psychiatry. a condition of disturbed and destructive personality marked by the presence of both sadistic and masochistic traits. —sado-masochist, n. —sadomasochistic, adj.

Stoicism

an indifference to pleasure or pain. —stoic, n., adj. —stoical, adj.

synalgia

pain in one part of the body resulting from hurt or injury in another part; referred pain.

uteralgia

pain in the womb or uterus.

zoosadism

sadism directed toward animals. —zoosadist, n. —zoosadistic, adj.

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