Etymology From Middle English peyne, payne, from Old French and Anglo-Norman peine, paine, from Latin poena (“punishment, pain”), from Ancient Greek ποινή (poinḗ, “bloodmoney, weregild, fine, price paid, penalty”), from Proto-Hellenic *kʷoinā́, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷoynéh₂ (“payment”) (whence also Proto-Slavic *cěnà (“price”)). Doublet of peine. Compare Danish pine, Norwegian Bokmål pine, German Pein, Dutch pijn, Afrikaans pyn. See also pine (the verb). Partly displaced native Old English sār (whence Modern English sore).
1
An ache or bodily suffering, or an instance of this; an unpleasant sensation, resulting from a derangement of functions, disease, or injury by violence; hurt.
The greatest difficulty lies in treating patients with chronic pain.
I had to stop running when I started getting pains in my feet.
2
Plural normally The pangs or sufferings of childbirth, caused by contractions of the uterus.
When the pains are every five minutes and quite strong or the cervix is five cm. dilated along with regular and strong pains, the mother is given a block anesthesia of 1 cc. of 1:200 nupercaine, 1 cc. of 10 per cent dextrose with .05 cc. of 1:1000 adrenalin.1951 February, Forrest H. Howard, “The Physiologic Position for Delivery”, in Northwest Medicine, volume 50, number 2, Portland, Ore.: Northwest Medical Publishing Association, page 99:
3
The condition or fact of suffering or anguish especially mental, as opposed to pleasure; torment; distress
In the final analysis, pain is a fact of life.
The pain of departure was difficult to bear.
1 more example
And I should tell him all my pain, And how my life had droop’d of late, And he should sorrow o’er my state And marvel what possess’d my brain; […]1850, [Alfred, Lord Tennyson], “Canto XIV”, in In Memoriam, London: Edward Moxon, […], →OCLC, page 22:
4
From pain in the neck An annoying person or thing.
Your mother is a right pain.
Today is match day, Grimsby Town are at home, and the ground is walking distance from New Clee station. So, visiting football supporters coming by train have to change at Grimsby Town [station]. That's a real pain.2024 April 17, “Rural railways: do they deliver?”, in RAIL, number 1007, page 58:
5
Dated Suffering inflicted as punishment or penalty.
You may not leave this room on pain of death.
We will, by way of mulct or pain, lay it upon him.1629, Francis Bacon, An Advertisement Touching a Holy War:
1 more example
Seb[astian]. […] [M]y duty, then, / To interpoſe; on pain of my diſpleasure, / Betwixt your Swords[.] / Dor[ax]. On pain of Infamy / He ſhould have diſobey'd.1690, [John] Dryden, Don Sebastian, King of Portugal: […], London: […] Jo. Hindmarsh, […], →OCLC, Act IV, page 105:
6
In plural Labour; effort; great care or trouble taken in doing something.
Etymology From Middle English peyne, payne, from Old French and Anglo-Norman peine, paine, from Latin poena (“punishment, pain”), from Ancient Greek ποινή (poinḗ, “bloodmoney, weregild, fine, price paid, penalty”), from Proto-Hellenic *kʷoinā́, from Proto-Indo-European *kʷoynéh₂ (“payment”) (whence also Proto-Slavic *cěnà (“price”)). Doublet of peine. Compare Danish pine, Norwegian Bokmål pine, German Pein, Dutch pijn, Afrikaans pyn. See also pine (the verb). Partly displaced native Old English sār (whence Modern English sore).
1
To hurt; to put to bodily uneasiness or anguish; to afflict with uneasy sensations of any degree of intensity; to torment; to torture.
The wound pained him.
2
To render uneasy in mind; to disquiet; to distress; to grieve.
It pains me to say that I must let you go.
3
Obsolete To inflict suffering upon as a penalty; to punish.
Oh my head is aching, oh Lord Damodara [Visnu], give me "kazhi". The neck is paining, oh Lord Kamadeva give me relief. My chest is paining, oh Lord Madhava, give me relief.2001, Sarah Caldwell, quoting C. Choondal, “Waves of Beauty, Rivers of Blood: Constructing the Goddess in Kerala”, in Tracy Pintchman, editor, Seeking Mahādevī: Constructing the Identities of the Hindu Great Goddess, page 104:
1 more example
A lady visited the doctor, a general physician and complained of a lot of pain. The doctor asked her where she experienced pain. The lady touched her right knee and said, 'It is paining here doctor.' Then she touched her stomach and said, 'It is paining here too doctor.'2009, Nithyananda Paramahamsa, Bliss Is the Goal and the Path, page 124:
pain
noun
Etymology From Middle English payn (“a kind of pie with a soft crust”), from Old French pain (“bread”).
1
Cooking, Food, LifestyleObsolete Any of various breads stuffed with a filling.