Main Entry: ¹pain

Pronunciation: \ˈpān\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French peine, from Latin poena, from Greek poinē payment, penalty; akin to Greek tinein to pay, tinesthai to punish, Avestan kaēnā revenge, Sanskrit cayate he revenges

Date: 14th century

1 : punishment
2 a : usu. localized physical suffering associated with bodily disorder (as a disease or an injury); also : a basic bodily sensation induced by a noxious stimulus, received by naked nerve endings, characterized by physical discomfort (as pricking, throbbing, or aching), and typically leading to evasive action b : acute mental or emotional distress or suffering : grief
3 plural : the throes of childbirth
4 plural : trouble, care, or effort taken to accomplish something <was at pains to reassure us>
5 : one that irks or annoys or is otherwise troublesome —often used in such phrases as pain in the neck

— pain·less \-ləs\ adjective

— pain·less·ly adverb

— pain·less·ness noun

— on pain of or under pain of : subject to penalty or punishment of <made to leave the country on pain of death>