A way to picture it: pain deliberately applied and kept up — someone twisting, and not letting go. From there the word stretches to any suffering that goes on and on, even when nobody is doing it to you.
From the word’s history
From Latin tortura, 'a twisting', from torquere 'to twist' (the same root as twist-words like distort and contort). The oldest picture in the word is literally wringing a body.
來自拉丁文 tortura「扭、擰」，字根 torquere 就是「扭轉」（distort、contort 都是同一家）。所以這個字最古老的畫面比較像很具體的：身體被扭擰。現代用法裡那種「被慢慢絞著、放不開」的感覺，正是從這個扭的動作留下來的。
Wiktionary, entry "torture" (Late Latin tortūra 'a twisting', from Latin torquēre 'to twist')
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原始詞典資料5 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
torturenoun/ˈtɔːt͡ʃə/
- 1
The infliction of severe pain or anguish, especially as an interrogation technique or punishment; (usually in the plural) a technique, method, or device which is designed to inflict such anguish.
- People confess to anything under torture.
- Using large dogs to attack bound, hand-cuffed prisoners is clearly torture.
- 2
BDSMlifestylesexualityThe infliction of severe pain or anguish, especially as an interrogation technique or punishment; (usually in the plural) a technique, method, or device which is designed to inflict such anguish.
- cock and ball torture
- tickle torture
- 3
Severe pain or anguish, of mind or body.
- 4
An unpleasant sensation or its infliction: embarrassment, heartache, etc.
- Every time she says 'goodbye' it is torture!
- Coventry City midfielder Josh Ruffels described his 11 months out injured as 'absolute torture' after the goalless draw with Derby County Under-21s. (http://www.ccfc.co.uk/news/article/eleven-months-of-absolute-torture-760652.aspx)
tortureverb/ˈtɔːt͡ʃə/
- 1
To intentionally inflict severe pain or suffering on (someone), usually with the aim of forcing confessions or punishing them.
- 1 August 2014, Barack Obama, "Press Conference by the President"; transcript published online by the Obama White House Archives, [https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2014/08/01/press-conference-president [1]]. With respect to the larger point of the RDI report itself, even before I came into office I was very clear that in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 we did some things that were wrong. We did a whole lot of things that were right, but we tortured some folks. We did some things that were contrary to our values.
- People who torture often have sadistic tendencies.
摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。