penance
penance Lexical Profile
penance Game Scores & Validity
• noun
Voluntary self-punishment or a specific act performed to show remorse and make amends for a wrongdoing.
"He volunteered at the community shelter for a month as a form of penance for his reckless behavior."
A Christian sacrament in which a member of the Church confesses sins to a priest and is given absolution along with prescribed prayers or acts of devotion.
"During the season of Lent, many parishioners attend church services to receive the sacrament of penance."
A burdensome, tedious, or unpleasant task or experience endured out of duty.
"Listening to his three-hour lecture on tax regulations felt like a severe penance."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Penance' refers to a specific outward act performed to show remorse or atone for a wrongdoing, whereas 'penitence' refers to the internal feeling of sorrow and regret itself.
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French 'penance', derived from Latin 'paenitentia' (repentance), from the verb 'paenitere' (to cause to repent or be sorry). It is a doublet of 'penitence', which entered English later directly from the same Latin noun.