English
torment
Torment comes from Old French torment ‘suffering’, from Latin tormentum ‘something operated by twisting’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- ‘to turn, spin’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*terkʷ-‘to turn, spin’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*torkʷ-éye-tireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*torkʷejōreconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*torkʷeōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtorqueōas torquere‘to twist’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtormentum‘something operated by twisting’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400torment‘suffering’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500torment
- Englishearliest quotation 1611torment
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*terkʷ-‘to turn, spin’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*torkʷ-éye-tireconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*torkʷejōreconstructed
- Proto-Italic, derivedc. 1500–700 BCE*torkʷeōreconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEtorqueōas torquere‘to twist’
- Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEtormentum‘something operated by twisting’
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400torment‘suffering’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500torment
- Englishearliest quotation 1611torment
Earliest quotation: 1611, The Holy Bible, London: […] Robert Barker: “They brought unto him all sick people that were…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- ‘to turn, spin’
queer, tart, thwart, trowel, tortious, 18 more
through Proto-Italic *torkʷeō
retort, extort, tortuous, torturous, contortion, 15 more
through Latin torqueō ‘to twist’
torture, torch, torque, extortion, distort, tort, torsion, 20 more
Today it means
noun A catapult or other kind of war-engine.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- / torment