penance
(noun) a Catholic sacrament; repentance and confession and atonement and absolution
penance, self-mortification, self-abasement
(noun) voluntary self-punishment in order to atone for some wrongdoing
repentance, penitence, penance
(noun) remorse for your past conduct
Source: WordNet® 3.1
penance (countable and uncountable, plural penances)
A voluntary self-imposed punishment for a sinful act or wrongdoing. It may be intended to serve as reparation for the act.
A sacrament in some Christian churches.
Any instrument of self-punishment.
(obsolete) repentance
(obsolete) pain; sorrow; suffering
• penitence
• atonement
penance (third-person singular simple present penances, present participle penancing, simple past and past participle penanced)
To impose penance; to punish.
Source: Wiktionary
Pen"ance, n. Etym: [OF. penance, peneance, L. paenitentia repentance. See Penitence.]
1. Repentance. [Obs.] Wyclif (Luke xv. 7).
2. Pain; sorrow; suffering. [Obs.] "Joy or penance he feeleth none." Chaucer.
3. (Eccl.)
Definition: A means of repairing a sin committed, and obtaining pardon for it, consisting partly in the performance of expiatory rites, partly in voluntary submission to a punishment corresponding to the transgression. Penance is the fourth of seven sacraments in the Roman Catholic Church. Schaff-Herzog Encyc. And bitter penance, with an iron whip. Spenser. Quoth he, "The man hath penance done, And penance more will do." Coleridge.
Pen"ance, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Penanced.]
Definition: To impose penance; to punish. "Some penanced lady elf." Keats.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
7 April 2025
(noun) fertilization of a second ovum after a pregnancy has begun; results in two fetuses of different ages in the uterus at the same time; “superfetation is normal in some animal species”
International Coffee Day (September 29) is an occasion to promote and celebrate coffee as a beverage, with events occurring in places across the world. A day to promote fair trade coffee and raise awareness for the coffee growers’ plight. Other countries celebrate this event on October 1.
