† excruciateadj.

Etymology: < Latin excruciātus, past participle of excruciāre : see excruciate v.

Obsolete.

a. = excruciated adj. at excruciate v. Derivatives.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > suffering > mental anguish or torment > [adjective]

anguishousc1325

wounded1390

cruciate?1504

agoniousa1513

tormented1552

rivena1560

anguished1570

wracked1581

spur-galled1608

excruciatea1615

over-grieved1618

wrung1730

smarting1754

excruciated1792

cardialgic1811

lacerated1849

a1615 F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher in Webster's Internat. Dict. Eng. Lang. (1890) Would she sit thus then excruciate?

?1615 G. Chapman tr. Homer Odysses (new ed.) vii. 398 My heart, long time excruciate, Amongst the leaves I rested all that night.

b. = excruciating adj.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > pain > types of pain > [adjective] > relating to agony or torment > causing agony or torment

sharpc1000

grievousc1290

smartc1300

fellc1330

unsufferablea1340

keena1375

poignantc1390

rending?c1400

furiousc1405

stoutc1425

unbearablec1449

agonizing1570

tormenting1575

cruciable1578

raging1590

tormentuous1597

pungent1598

racking1598

acute1615

wrenching1618

excruciating1664

grinding1681

excruciate1773

discruciating1788

unendurable1801

of bare sufferance1823

perialgic1893

1773 J. Ross Fratricide (MS) ii. 620 Excruciate pains Seiz'd on our Father's frame.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1894; most recently modified version published online March 2021).

excruciatev.

/ɛkˈskruːʃɪˌeɪt/

Forms: Also 1600s excruciat, excrutiat(e.

Etymology: < Latin excruciāt- participial stem of excruciāre , < ex- intensive (see ex- prefix¹) + cruciāre to torment, < cruc-em cross.

†a. literal. To subject to torture, put on the rack, etc.; figurative to ‘rack’ (one's brains) (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > punishment > torture > [verb (transitive)] > on the rack

spread?c1225

fordrawc1380

enginec1405

rack?a1439

stentc1480

streekc1480

draw1481

brake1530

excarnificate1570

excruciate1570

stretch1585

to break on the torture1598

distend1599

tenter1615

tousea1616

tympanize1647

1570 P. Levens Manipulus Vocabulorum sig. Di^v/1 To Excruciate, excruciare.

1593 T. Nashe Christs Teares f. 75^v They, that by pining and excruciating theyr bodies, lyue in hell heere on earth, to auoyd the hell neuer ending.

1593 T. Nashe Strange Newes 56 You shall not excruciate your braine to be conceited and haue no wit.

b. transferred. To cause intense pain to, torment acutely (a person's senses). Often hyperbolical.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > pain > types of pain > affect with type of pain [verb (transitive)] > affect with anguish or torment

tintreghec1175

torment1297

raimc1300

pinse?c1335

grindc1350

sowa1352

pang1520

rack1562

torture1598

throea1616

pincer1620

excruciate1623

thumbscrew1771

1623 H. Cockeram Eng. Dict. iii Perillus..invented a brazen Bull..made redhot to torment and excruciate malefactors.

1717 C. Bullock Woman is Riddle i. i May convulsions seize and excruciate my optick nerves.

1830 M. R. Mitford Our Village IV. 223 The bassoon, on which George Evans was wont..to excruciate the ears of the whole congregation.

2. figurative. To torture mentally, inflict extreme mental anguish upon.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > emotion > suffering > mental anguish or torment > cause of mental anguish or torment > cause anguish to or torment [verb (transitive)]

quelmeOE

eatc1000

martyrOE

fretc1175

woundc1175

to-fret?c1225

gnawc1230

to-traya1250

torment1297

renda1333

anguish1340

grindc1350

wringc1374

debreakc1384

ofpinec1390

rivea1400

urn1488

reboil1528

whip1530

cruciate1532

pinch1548

spur-galla1555

agonize1570

rack1576

cut1582

excruciate1590

scorchc1595

discruciate1596

butcher1597

split1597

torture1598

lacerate1600

harrow1603

hell1614

to eat upa1616

arrow1628

martyrize1652

percruciate1656

tear1666

crucify1702

flay1782

wrench1798

kill1800

to cut up1843

1590 C. Marlowe Tamburlaine: 1st Pt. sig. A5 This..doth excruciate The verie substance of my vexed soule.

1611 G. Markham Countrey Contentm. (1668) i. xi. 61 He must..neither vex nor excruciate himself with losses or mischances.

1660 T. Stanley Hist. Philos. III. v. 247 He neither blunts his mind nor excruciates it with cares.

1759 S. Johnson Idler 10 Mar. 73 If a customer talks longer than he is willing to hear, he will complain that he has been excruciated with unmeaning verbosity.

1879 J. A. Froude Cæsar xxvi. 445 He described himself as excruciated with anxiety.

absolute.1668 P. M. Myst. & Miracles Love iii. 44 in W. Charleton Ephesian & Cimmerian Matrons Their joys are infested with such calamities, that they excruciate.

Derivatives

exˈcruciated adj. tormented, tortured.

ΘΚΠ