penance

[ pen-uhns ]

/ ˈpɛn əns /

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noun

a punishment undergone in token of penitence for sin.

a penitential discipline imposed by church authority.

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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Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Origin of penance

1250–1300; Middle English penaunce<Anglo-French; Old French peneance<Latin paenitentiapenitence

OTHER WORDS FROM penance

pen·ance·less, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH penance

penance , pennants

Words nearby penance

penalty point, penalty rates, penalty shoot-out, penalty shot, penalty stroke, penance, Penang, penannular, Penates, pen-based, pence

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use penance in a sentence

The Pontiff will travel to Canada on Sunday for a week-long tour of the country on what he has described as a “pilgrimage of penance.”
Indigenous Groups in Canada Want More Than Apology During Pope’s Visit|Olivia B. Waxman|July 22, 2022|Time
All eyes are now on McCarthy to see how far he’ll chase penance.
How New Revelations Complicate Kevin McCarthy’s Bid for House Speaker|Philip Elliott|April 22, 2022|TIme
In our yearly pilgrimage from the seeming penance of winter to the obvious glories of spring, some days seem as much about the journey as the destination, and Saturday seemed to be one of those voyaging days.
Spring may be coming; Saturday showed it’s not yet here|Martin Weil|February 27, 2022|Washington Post
To the world, I was fat and unfit and had to go to the gym as penance.
The appeal and the shortcomings of women-only gyms|Chika Ekemezie|October 8, 2021|Vox

Those who have somehow broken the laws of this country remain in some of them and this is their abode of penance.
Locked up in the Land of Liberty: Part I|Yariel Valdés González|July 7, 2021|Washington Blade
It is will always be my penance now always to believe that I didn't do enough for my friend.
A New Hampshire Rebellion for Aaron Swartz|Lawrence Lessig|January 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Penance is available at the Newsstand, Miami and at alldayeveryday.com for $45—$500.
Doing ‘Penance’ at Art Basel in Miami|Ann Binlot|December 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
“The pain is her penance,” says one of them, amid the screams of labor.
Give Dame Judi Dench the Damn Oscar for ‘Philomena’|Nico Hines|October 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Pay your penance while demonstrating a commitment to public service.
Eliot Spitzer’s Comeback Plan: A Run for New York City Comptroller|John Avlon|July 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The company will be forced to endure penance not only for the spill, but paradoxically for the sunflower.
BP's Image Will Recover|Eric Dezenhall|May 3, 2010|DAILY BEAST
I attended, and hearkened; no man speaketh what is good, there is none that doth penance for his sin, saying: What have I done?
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
It seemed to him as if no punishment or penance could atone for such deception and for so great a crime.
Skipper Worse|Alexander Lange Kielland
Many a fish is mad after the bait; but when he is hooked, he finds his penance, even though the line should break.
Chaucer's Works, Volume 1 (of 7) -- Romaunt of the Rose; Minor Poems|Geoffrey Chaucer
The Church adjudged Simone heretic, and condemned her for salutary penance to the bread of suffering and the water of affliction.
The Merrie Tales Of Jacques Tournebroche|Anatole France
And you look as if you were doing penance, or something—you've got such a superior expression!
The Sunbridge Girls at Six Star Ranch|Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter

British Dictionary definitions for penance

penance

/ (ˈpɛnəns) /

noun

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

a feeling of regret for one's wrongdoings

Christianity

a punishment usually consisting of prayer, fasting, etc, undertaken voluntarily as an expression of penitence for sin
a punishment of this kind imposed by church authority as a condition of absolution

verb

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

Word Origin for penance

C13: via Old French from Latin paenitentia repentance; related to Latin poena penalty

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for penance

penance

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

penance

Origin of penance

OTHER WORDS FROM penance

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH penance

Words nearby penance

Words related to penance

How to use penance in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for penance

Word Origin for penance

Cultural definitions for penance