penance

American  

[pen-uhns] / ˈpɛn əns /

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.

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penance British  

/ ˈpɛnəns /

noun

1. voluntary self-punishment to atone for a sin, crime, etc

2. a feeling of regret for one's wrongdoings

3. Christianity

   1. a punishment usually consisting of prayer, fasting, etc, undertaken voluntarily as an expression of penitence for sin

   2. a punishment of this kind imposed by church authority as a condition of absolution

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verb

1. (tr) (of ecclesiastical authorities) to impose a penance upon (a sinner)

penance Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

• penanceless adjective

Etymology

Origin of penance

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English penaunce, from Anglo-French; Old French peneance, from Latin paenitentia penitence

Example Sentences

Purported health benefits aside, for Filippo Drago—the Sicilian grain miller, bread baker, and pasta maker behind the brand—it all comes down to taste: "It's not a penance, it's a joy," he says.

From Salon

Lorca, like many Filipino Catholic devotees, performs religious penance in the belief that the practice of self-flagellation can cleanse sins, cure illness and even grant wishes.

From Reuters

As Sandler capably plays him, he’s haunted — doomed to work in a kind of karmic penance, incapable of forgetting what might have been.

From New York Times

Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh faith, regarded fasting as inferior to the “truth” or “right action,” which he said was superior to fasting, penance or other austerities.

From Seattle Times

You have learned your lesson and paid your penance.

From New York Times

Related Words

• absolution
• atonement
• contrition
• forgiveness
• penitence
• remorse
• repentance
• retribution